Hello and welcome, this is chapter two, enjoy.

The Timeless Shadow

"Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love." -John le Carre

Chapter 02: In Love and Death

"My lady, the King requests your presence." A young messenger from the King came up to a now aged Zelda.

"Do the doctors know?" The Queen asked the relative young pageboy of her husband, she had a feeling this day would come soon.

"No." He answered obediently, knowing exactly what she was asking.

"Go fetch the doctors." She said quietly but her voice still giving the commanding aura she had learned since young.

The Queen who had by now lost her soft and smooth skin was sitting in the ballroom; she was simply enjoying what her husband loved to do in his times of troubled. He used to come to that exact place every day at noon to listen to the musicians play an arrange of instruments, his favorite ones always being the air instruments.

Yet suddenly after a few weeks after the second in line to the throne, had his first boy and the now fourth in line to the throne, the King suddenly fell ill. It was unexpected since there were no signs of a sickness coming its way; the King was a healthy man even at the age of seventy-four. The king himself felt weary, thinking that someone must have been the cause of this unpredicted sickness that laid him disabled in bed. He was known to be a strong man but he simply fell, his strength growing fainter by the days. The sudden fall of the King had brought thoughts that someone might be trying to get him out of the picture, Zelda knew if he died then she would be the next target of the murderer.

'The years have indeed taken their deeds upon us, since we are now meant to pass our rule. Or more likely someone is tired of waiting for us to die. Seeing as there are no females in our seeds we can't do noting more... a new hero won't come to protect us this time.' Zelda thought her steps taking her father from the ballroom, but when she came a few feet before her husband dorms she paused for a second. 'You are very well alive Link, I feel your presence even now... more than before. Time has come and you'll awaken for sure.' She thought lastly her eyes slightly watering but nothing came of it, she cleared her eyes from the watery substance.

Ending her thoughts once more she pushed one of the big oak doors open. There in the marital bed, that was no longer shared, laid her husband with his oldest son at his right side. She smiled slightly at the bond between those two relatives; they appreciated each other so dearly. However, Zelda couldn't help but feel that hidden sprang of jealousy awaken within her. In all of her life as the Queen and more likely as their mother she never truly had the chance to get close to her own sons. Her own kin and blood used to reject her and push her away, some more then others but they had all learned from the oldest. The youngest used to look at her with regret screaming in those light blue eyes he possessed. The middle one tried his best not to insult her at any degree, while the oldest loathed her with all his being. Those three boys, who were always following their father and in most cases ignoring her, were indeed part of her life.

'Maybe their actions are for the best for Hyrule...' Shaking her head and dismissing those thoughts about her sons she forced a smiled to her husband. He had tried to at least sit up in her company but like always his weak body failed, all he had left was to give her a smile in greetings. The nearly middle age blonde in the room glared at the older woman, she shouldn't allow his father to work so hard by just having her in the same room. He wasn't willingly planning on leaving the room but his father, who laid there bedridden, looked at him and dismissed his company by a simple nod. Her son who took upon the wisdom from Zelda's family and the malice from his father's family simply left them alone, he couldn't stand that woman he had to call mother.

"My son hates you." The now white headed man stated once his son was out the door, while at the same time taking her aged hands in his.

"Maybe… I wasn't a great mother." She tried to pull on a smile, yet she failed miserably, talking about her sons made her feel as if she failed at something.

"No, no. You were a great one; I just believe they all took after my family." He said trying his best to cheer her up not that visiting a bedside proved to be positive.

"Of course not, your family is a sweet one, their kindness is always meant to be shared." She said in a tone that didn't sounded sarcastic even if it was meant to.

"Hah! What a sour joke you brought to my bed." He spoke with his mood appearing to be happier than that of his healthy wife, yet he knew it was all a façade.

"I wouldn't have married you if it wasn't for that." She tried her best to defend herself from his words, in reality it became a rushed decision.

"Don't lie to me… sweetie..." A remorseful look came upon his face for a split of a second once he felt he had spit out the last part. "But changing the subject, how has the Hero been fairing?" After all these years he had learned to expect her to be thinking of that man to still had her heart captured in its claws. Yet he didn't know if she was going to come up with the man hailed as a hero or the legendary one he never knew.

"He's alive, last thing I remember was seeing him with a girl." She said this softly, admitting to herself that she wasn't happy to relay on this curse, sure it had become useful in the times of war but it didn't brought instruction for the war in the heart.

"Really?" A fake enthusiasm passed the gentle and sarcastic man's face. "Could you describe her?" He knew it hurt her but karma was better let without being controlled. Thought if he had any vague idea of how to control it he would have used many years ago.

"Umm, she seemed quite young maybe fifteen or sixteen, short brown hair, eyes the color of an emerald, petite body and ivory skin..." She had trailed off already knowing the destiny that lied in for the young female.

"Hmm could the world be any smaller..." A far away look crossed the once handsome man's face; he now knew which one of the two heroes was on her mind.

"What do you mean, love?" Her hands tightened the hold on his, worry starting to grow in her, the words of affection being part of years of custom, yet it still came out forced.

"Sounds like daughter of a human governor... Lilia or little Lily as we used to call her. I got to meet her when she was only a child… I remember it now; it was a little more than ten years ago. I had gone to the north to make a treaty of peace with those humans…" He stopped a small smile tugging at his lips; he had a beautiful memory of that land. "She was quite a curious one; I had spotted her playing with a strikingly beautiful woman, she looked a lot like her, well obviously it was her mother…" He stopped and looked at his wife's eyes, those eyes he had looked at for many years, those same eyes that once lusted for him, yet never loved.

"Go on." She slightly commanded him; it took him a few seconds to start to talk once more.

"Now where was I? Oh, I remember that once we got seated for the reunion and we started talking of the new treaty, she fell from the ceiling and on to the table."

"So that's why you came so happy from there?" She told him, her tone slightly harsh and menacing.

"What? No." And he started to cough; it made his body move forward in sudden and violent movements, with it remembering the time he had arrived with a smile on his face that never left him.

"Maybe it's better if I let you rest." She looked at him with an open heart, she had feelings for him but the hero she had fallen for still tried its best to keep claiming the top. "I'll go fetch the doctor."

Zelda upon noticing the deeper tone of the coughs she grew vaguely in alarm. His body wasn't holding on anymore, she trembled and the only thought that came to her, was to heal him herself. She succeeded in stopping his cough but noting more, his hand extended to her face and then she noticed the blood on his hand. However, it didn't last long there, he signaled to his night table. There laid a small vial of poison, a strong a potent one in a small green bottle.

"P-pro-t-tect yourself..."

Those were his last words; he had given out right after those words had left his lips. She couldn't help but stand there in shock noticing his empty blue eyes stare back at her. Her hands went to his cheeks expecting him to wake up and tell her it was all just an ill joke on her. She couldn't hold it and her hands moved down to his shoulders trying to wake him up. When no reaction was deemed she had nothing left but to cry and she cried. Her loud and touching emotions drove the guards outside to run to their marital room.

Her state of distress was soon enough rebounded to the new world when she heard the door blast open. Her son was standing there staring at her in a stoic pose, he couldn't believe his eyes. He was vivid, his face growing red and eyes set ablaze. He looked at his so called mother in pure rage, he hated her now more that before. She was the one who caused all the health problems for his dad; she was the one that was meant to be distrusted. She was the last thing he needed to see and here she was with her hands around his father neck, her face on to his chest faking her emotions.

She let go of the man she had learned to love once and tried to confront her silent son. She didn't know what to do, his eyes were crazed and his quiet reaction brought a brawl in to her mind. She tried to save him, but in the eyes of her son she was nothing more than a waste of space. With a little amount of strength she had gathered, she moved closer to her son. But he didn't budge, his eyes never left her; a wrinkled hand grew closer to his face. He still didn't show any sign of reason and didn't moved when her hand came to truly rest in his face.

She smiled inwardly to herself, this had been the first time in years she had been capable of touching her son. He was always trying to pry himself away from her touch and now he didn't moved. She was happy for her goal but felt something going horribly wrong. She starred to her son fiery blue eyes with her own ocean ones, his eyes were unreadable.

"My son, please forgive me I couldn't save him." She whispered with tears growing in her eyes once more.

He stood still, his breathing barely visible but something was truly wrong. After she had said those words something had awoken inside of him and it didn't stop him that she was his mother. A loud and harsh slap resounded throughout every room of the huge castle. In his eyes he had decided to beak every promise done to protect his mother; she wasn't worth the burden.

"Guards! Get this traitor away from me."

"Zelda!"

Away from Hyrule and in a snowy plain a warrior clad in green woke up harshly. He wished to have been there to be able to protect his love, from the rage of her dear son. He felt inutile and couldn't help but let it all out. Tears stung his eyes for the first time in half a century, he felt truly incapable of protecting her. Being the Hero of Time had changed everything he had lived for. She no longer was meant to be protected by him.

Still in tears, he moved forward and stood still in the spot he usually was found in after so many years. He looked down from the high peak he stood on. Near the lake was the female he had been watching over for the past two days. She had been coming in and out of the mansion, everything appeared as if she had lived and known this place fairly well. For now the apparently peaceful and clean demeanor she portrayed at the moment made him grin. She no longer was wearing those scrubby clothes; she must indeed have found the room in which the past mistress used to live in.

A small shiver run through the young woman, instantly she noticed she was being watched. She looked around and all she saw was snow with a bit of green appearing from underneath it all. She moved her sight behind her for the first time and noticed the hill a little from where the house stood on. With it she also noticed a body standing on top of it observing her. Just like the legends that had been spread around her town.

'Link... the warrior clad in green.' She thought barely blinking in case the apparition decided to disappear from sight.

Without being asked or given any signal of an invitation the man started to go down the hill. The female nerves perked up and she thought of any way she could dismiss this seemingly casual meeting. She was afraid; that man was a stranger and a legend, but how was she so sure it was the legendary hero? She thought about moving, she thought about running but something, out of her control, was keeping her in place. She was scared, what was going on with her? Could the man approaching her be the cause, could he be that powerful? She tried her best to calm down, being a wreck was not going to help her. But his slow and experts movement didn't help calm her nerves.

He stopped a few feet from her, probably thinking if what he was doing was the right thing. He hadn't gotten near her in two days, not even in the form she had first met him. He looked up and starred at her green eyes, her eyes big and widened demonstrating the feelings cursing trough her body. Thinking that probably it was better going back he started moving away from the female human. He didn't know what had possessed him to do such an act but he couldn't stand seeing her so close, she was after all a human, a species inferior to the Hylian.

"Please..." She said softly, the sound nearly drifting away with the wind.

"Yes?" He asked looking at her over his shoulder, curiosity was brimming his blue oasis.

"Don't leave." She said softly afraid that something might come to get her.

"Why do you request that of me?" He said, his eyes narrowing in obvious distrust. He wasn't about to repeat what had happened once.

Her hand extended timidly over to the tall blond in front of her. She was acting on instinct, by reason she didn't had an idea why or what got her to do this. He on the other backed away, in his mind he had made a mistake by walking over to her. Her face instantly fell and her hand moved to its respectful place next to her, she stood still for a while before backing away slightly. She wasn't about to pester a man who was extremely cautious.

"It's alright, I won't bother you anymore." She said to him, yet her sight stayed on her brown boots that slightly contrasted over the snow. Not seeing any response from the man who hadn't taken his eyes away from her she moved past him and in the direction of the mansion.

"I won't leave... I can't." His fire blue spinel eyes shone with a feeling he tried to hide and succeeded after a small internal fight.

"Why?" She had asked, her eyes staring at him from over her shoulder.

"I do not have to explain that to you." He answered fast once he noticed what was going on with him.

Not wanting to pressure a man she was scared of, she stayed quiet, giving him that way all the time in the world. After growing a bit unconformable with the immaculate silence she started to move once more in the direction of the mansion, his booted feet sounding when she moved in the snow. At that moment he suddenly felt something he hadn't felt in years, he felt bad. She was just a young human and he a hero who had grown impatient, yet she resembled that woman who had become his fall.

"What do you see in this lake so much?" The man asked, in his mind wondering if this was him seeking to be freed from his loneliness.

"Memories... It's all I got left… I guess." As those words left her mouth her demeanor changed, her shoulders slumped slightly and her sight lowered to investigate the worn out boots she wore.

"You used to live here?" He said his body fully turned, but all he could see was her back. She had made a small gesture with her head giving him the cue that he was wrong with his assumption. "You're Eve's daughter." He said this part more to himself than to anyone else, the tone so low she could have misheard him.

"Eve?" She questioned as she turned to face him, the name sounding familiar yet distant. "Who's Eve?" She asked this time, wondering what that name had to do with her.

"Isn't she your mother?" He asked his eyes narrowing. He was questioning what had that woman done this time. "She used to live in this house, left around seventeen years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if you are her kin."

"But… I don't remember my mother. She left us when I was around four or five." She voiced, her words ending in a questioning of herself. "Did you know her?"

"I believed I used to." With those words he left, but not before giving her a small advise. "I recommend you to get food before it gets dark and the stalfos come out."

"Hey, wait. Stalfos!" She answered back a small yell coming from her.

"Have you never seen one?" He answered calmly, being accustomed to that sight since he was a child. "Yes, stalfos. If you haven't seen one before they look like you but without skin and muscles." He said, once more turning his back to her and heading for the hill and away from her.

She didn't understand him, but his description of the stalfos was enough for her to feel scared. She quickly and inefficiently tried to run to his side but once she was close to him she nearly crashed on to the snow at his feet. She allowed a small shriek to come out of her lips yet she never felt the impact. Two strong arms were the cause of that, the man held her by the shoulders and stared directly into her widened eyes.

"Do they really look like that?" She asked him, this time forgetting she was in the arms of a handsome man.

"Urg, do you think I'm one to joke around?" He said as he let go of her shoulder, his eyes glaring at her.

"Well, how am I to know?" She asked her tone rising up one octave.

"I'm right in front of you; you don't have to raise your voice." He said in a low tone, his patience already near the breaking point.

"Oh, sorry." She said drily while at the same time she backed away from the man and moved to stand next to him. "If you're saying this place is dangerous, then I request protection."

"And who are you to request that of me?" He said, this time amused at her request.

"I… it doesn't matter!" She said as she stumped her feet on the floor.

He stayed silent for a few minutes, her stomping amusing him to no end. She was surely young and naïve. He scoffed slightly and thought: 'And to say she's asking a stranger whom she was scared of for protection.' But then a thought came to him. 'What if she becomes useful? If she's Eve's daughter then she'll probably have gotten a few of her genes… what am I thinking? She looks too weak for this… but… what if I train her?'

"Hello! Did you go deaf? Hello…" She said as she moved to his face to see if he would respond.

"I'll do it, but you'll have to do something in exchange." He stated as he stood up to his full height, in the way nearly knocking her down.

"Umm, what will I have to do?" She asked, now being unsure if this was the best thing to request him.

"I'll explain it later."

"Hey, wait a minute. Is this because of the fifty year curse?" She asked him, while she tried to remember who had told her of that myth.

"How do you know about it?" He asked slightly surprised at the information she had gathered.

"I don't remember, I think it was my uncle, but I don't really remember who." He narrowed his eyes at her words. His mind yelling out the only name he could come up with. 'Nathan!'

"Then tell me what you know." He said, this time interested in what the daughter of Eve had to say.

"Yeah, umm… could we go inside?" She asked him as a cold wind blew past them, yet he didn't seem to react to the air.

"Go ahead, but keep a lookout for wolfos they like to hide in the snow." The last part he said with mirth, that fact being noticed evenly in his tone.

"Oh great, do I need a description of them?" She asked him as she started once more up the hill.

"Not really, you'll simply see them coming right at you." He answered, this time a grin caressing his features.

With that she left; muttering under her breath, something along the lines of 'I liked him better on the legends'. She kept moving forward, but this time listening to anything that could resemble the sound a dog like animal would do. When noticing that nothing came her way she started a slow and awkward trot and soon after disappeared from view.

He smiled lightly for the first time in years. He had to admit he had been alone for many years and here came someone that resembled that traitor. 'She's definitely her daughter, but I don't know if it's safe here anymore. Things are changing; there are more monsters here than before and… Zelda, I'm sorry I can't be there to protect you… but I'll try to get to you.'

"Had things been different if you hadn't betrayed me?" He pondered out loud as he looked at the darkening sky, his body walking away from the mansion on the hill he was standing on before. Once there he began to scout the area for wolfos.

Two men were inside a room adorned with the colors gold and maroon, both of them porting similar features but one younger than the other. The seemingly oldest one, with platinum blonde hair, sat on the only chair in the room, his face calm and starting to age, while his blue eyes stared at the dark and dusty ceiling. While that man sat in that position the other one moved from one part of the room on the right where a few torturing weapons rested and on to the other that was close to the door full of mites, leaving behind him on his pacing a royal blue cape that adorned his shoulders and back and instead of resembling the room color it related to the color of the leader of the army. They both stayed that way for a few more minutes, the pacing man staring at the other one from time to time.

"Will you stop moving already? I don't want you leaving a hole in this room." The one in the chair spoke, as his eyes stopped to glare at the blond man opposite to him.

"And since when do you care?" He stopped and moved closer to the man whose hair appeared white in the darkness of the room.

"My dear Kain… dear little brother…" The man said as he started to stand up from the chair a violet cape moving behind him. "I do care, I always did cared, but think of the people… this was hindering the progress of Hyrule, our father was no longer capable of ruling and extending the empire. And this… is where both of us come to the picture." In the end he stood his right hand resting on the left shoulder of the other man.

"You've lost it. You've gone mad." The man who answered by the name of Kain said.

"And so says the man who killed men with his bare hands and then drank the blood of his enemies to demoralize a whole army." The elder of the pair murmured. "You're no better than me." He moved his face closer to the younger man.

"What I do in battle doesn't have anything to do with this, Markus. Plus it was all a strategy." Kain said calmly, in the back of his mind thinking of redeeming himself of his past actions.

"And so was our plan, but at the last minute you had a change of heart. Why was it? Why was it that you couldn't follow simple orders? I mean, it never had happened before, you were always the obedient soldier who followed the orders of the Great Hero Yael." Markus spat out.

"Do not mention that man's name in that tone." Kain said in a menacing tone. "Now tell me, don't you feel any remorse?" He said this barely in a whisper as his hand gripped the tilt of his sword, he could end this dilemma before it started.

"Sometimes when you gain something, you must lose something of equal value. So just be patient brother." Markus said as he patted the man on the shoulder. "Now have you found out the sex of Nick's baby? Is it a boy?"

Kain paused for a few seconds before answering the hold on the sword diminishing, in his mind thinking what that simple answer could do. "It's a girl; she shouldn't pose as a threat."