Chapter Two: Heart's Desire

Title: LoZ: The Time Keeper

Chapter: 2

Author: Hikari no Vikki

Genre: Romance

Parings: Link x Zelda / Dark Link x OC

Disclaimer: I own a kite and a Link figurine that's missing a shield. That's it.

Description: Previously known as Divine Impurity. Following the events of Ocarina of Time, a girl with a legacy she knows nothing about joins the fight against Ganon. She falls in love with the Hero's shadow, and finds herself caught up in a war that seems impossible to win.

EDIT: Stuff changed, grammar corrected; I'm hoping this will help me finish up Shadow Watcher so I can finally submit to this story again.

EDIT 2: More grammar, some insertions, deletions. Smoothing over stuff. Nothing too plot-changing, really.

Victoria sat on her bed watching the night sky. It gave her comfort on nights when depression consumed her. The house she lived in now she had built, though not exactly by herself because Link had helped. It hadn't really taken as long as they'd thought, and after two weeks, they were done, complete with furniture and everything.

Yes, her cottage was small, but for a two-story house, it was okay. She lived on the banks of Zora's River, some ways away from the waterfall. The plain green dress she wore was tucked under her neatly as she put her fingers on the cold windowpane. Her eyes, though bright, took on a gloomy mood, as though she were a caged bird waiting to be released.

Link had told her when he left for the Forest Temple to find herself a stable job and to not worry about him. How could she not? She almost sighed, but restrained herself. Sighing did no more good than worrying, but she did it anyway.

Link… if he only knew what I was going through.

She snorted at the thought. She wasn't a child anymore, not after what happened. Seven years had passed, but it had barely felt like instants to them both. How, she still didn't know, but she did know that it involved magic, but what kind she wasn't sure. This time when another wave of depression hit her, she did sigh.

If just knew where he was… oh… I wish… wait! That's it! A wish!

She got off her bed and walked over to her dresser. It has to be in here… it has to… She pulled the top right dresser drawer and found it. The little box was there all right, tucked neatly under her silk lavender nightdress. She slowly took the object out, revealing a box covered in deep ocean blue velvet. She held it in her cupped hands, her eyes mulling over with emotion.

I wonder if he even knew what is in here?

She held the box between her index fingers and flipped the lock. Curiosity was welling up inside her now, wonder was starting to infect her brain. Her thumbs moved to the lid. And then they flipped it with one slick movement.

Inside lay a key, made of pure gold and half a foot long, decorated with dazzling emerald, sapphire, and ruby adornments. Link most definitely hadn't known this was in here. Or had he? She put the box down, but still she held the tiny gold key.

She smiled a little, her eyes bright with anticipation. But what to wish for?

I can't wish for my parents… they're… dead…

She pondered for a while, nearly losing her train of thought as she slowly came to a realization. But maybe… She bit her lip, almost deciding against it. But she finally gathered up her courage and then stated her wish out loud.

"This is my wish, it's all I want, if you'd just listen that's all I need. I don't want any blessings, or powers, or strengths." She sighed deeply. "I can't wish for love, because it wouldn't be mine, but…" Her ruby eyes flashed, but she passed it off as a trick of the light.

"I don't want courage, or wisdom but maybe… kindness? Or a gentle manner? And yet… I am so very lonely here." Several other stones, most of them green and blue flashed also, but she did have a candle on her dresser…

"I think… I think I need some company. Just someone quiet, a listener. I wish to meet that someone soon. So I… so I won't be alone anymore." She bit her lip. "That is, if my request is within your limits, goddesses."

She sat it down back into its box, and she slowly closed the lid. She didn't dare hope that her wish would come true, but inside her heart prayed for it dearly. She smiled as she carefully put it back, tucking it under the silk, her eyes flickering in the candlelight for just one second, and she closed the drawer, blew out the candle, and went to bed.

What she didn't see after she nodded off was the faint glow it emitted. It slowly dimmed as she slept, but made sure throughout that night, her wish would not go overlooked.

.oOo.

For a day she felt almost happy, she went almost everywhere with a smile. You could tell, just by looking at her, that she was nearly in a trance, humming everywhere she went.

She sat on her bed in a pretty blue dress, her hand twisting the chain that bore her mother's locket. She had met someone at the ranch yesterday, and she couldn't get her thoughts off him. The wish had worked! Hadn't it? But, as she stared at the blue night sky, a tear slowly ran across her face.

He reminded me so much of my father… I still miss him so…

She looked out across the river with sorrow, the happy light crimson almost gone from the pools of blood that were her eyes. The young man she had met, was very handsome. She hadn't hoped for that. She smiled at every thought of him, but would he return her affections? Feeling love is one thing, but receiving love was another.

That day she stumbled upon him by accident, actually… talking with a certain blond friend.

.oOo.

She walked under the entrance to the ranch, leading her loaned horse inside. The palomino had befriended her, which was unusual for a wild mare.

She took it inside the stables, hearing voices outside. She knew them at once to be male, but not ones that she knew. Although one did seem familiar…

After she put up her horse, she wandered outside to the corral. Two men were there, Link and a boy… she had not met him before, so she was clearly interested. Her eyes looked him up and down, judging his appearance.

He was strong, she could tell, but no more than Link. His eyes were midnight blue, so blue you could drown in them. His tunic was a light sky blue with expertly placed embroidery. His smile was charming; his teeth were clean, he looked the perfect type of young man many girls would go out of the way to swoon for. Then again, there was this strange aura about him…

As she drew closer, she could hear some of their conversation.

"So Peter, are you interested in my proposition?" "I don't know… sounds a bit… dangerous…" "If you don't want to come that's fine. I just want a little help for once."

The boy paused a second before speaking up again. "What about your friend? You said she was capable of helping you." Link looked at the boy, shaking his head. "I said she helped heal me whenever I need it, not that she knew how to fight. Even if she did…" He looked down, and up, then down again. Then he muttered something about a Water Temple.

The boy's expression when he heard about the temple was a little shocked. But he shook it off as he tried to put his hand up on Link's shoulder. Link considered it a moment, but shook his head and pushed it away. He turned his back to the boy, walking away without a word. The boy put his hand up to ask him to come back, but his voice seemed to have abandoned him.

Link mounted his horse and exited the ranch. She could see as he passed, his azure blue eyes were filled with unshed tears that broke free and ran down his face like lightning. Link however, looked back to her as he passed and he whispered, "If you could, would you help?"

Stunned that he knew she had heard, she nodded slowly. He smiled and his eyes threw more buckets of tears out onto his face. He turned around and left the corral, collecting his belongings as he went.

The other young man looked down at his feet, hurt and unsure. Link wasn't usually like this. This girl he talked about often, Zelda, was the one he was supposed to save. 'If Zelda is his target, why should she be mine?' The boy walked along the path to the entrance to hitch his horse and go home to keep the secret of his watery hideout hidden.

She saw the boy walking towards her. She panicked and tried to hide behind a dead bush. He spotted a flash of movement and saw something. It was a girl, sitting behind a dead bush. He raised an eyebrow at her, not sure why she was hiding. Finally he called out, "Hey, you!"

She froze. There was no way out of it now.

Slowly, she came out of her hiding place, her eyes looking down and her hands behind her back.

"Hh… hi… hi…"It was all she could stammer. As brave as she was, she was shotgun shy around this handsome stranger. He leaned against the side of the ranch house with one leg up against the wall. "Same to you," he said. His voice was beautiful to her ears.

She looked up, into his eyes, drowning in his midnight pools. She smiled weakly and he smiled back. Her eyes darted to his sky blue tunic. It looked to be made of silk. He caught her looking at it and said, "My grandfather gave it to me for my seventeenth birthday. By the way, my name's Peter. What's yours?" She perked up at the question, something about it seeming very odd. "Victoria. Pleasure to meet you." She smiled again, ignoring the feeling and gaining some ground. Beginning to get a bit bolder, she spoke up again.

"Your eyes are pretty." She recoiled slightly during her afterthought. 'Drat! The was a dumb thing to say! Why in Din's name did I say that?' He laughed a little and closed his eyes. He opened them again to speak. "As are yours Miss Victoria."

She blushed a deep scarlet and blinked once or twice. He was almost enraptured by her, she was so beautiful. "What's a pretty woman like yourself doing at this ranch?" He waited for a response but all he got was a half shrug and a stare. He rubbed the spot in between his eyes with two fingers. Slowly, she looked back at him, her eyes sparkling like jewels. She took a slow step towards him and stopped. She looked up at him again. His eyes were still closed, so she decided to step closer.

When he opened his eyes he didn't see her on the wall of the stable. He looked to his right, and he didn't see her. Then he looked to his left.

There she was, with her eyes looking at him like a dog would its master. Her hair flipped up when it came across her shoulders, and her hands were behind her back. She seemed a bit braver now, but he wondered who this girl was.

"Do you want to meet me again?" Her eyes lit up at the question. "Yes! I, um, I mean I would like to." She chuckled a little bit before blushing madly again. He reached up to push the hair the concealed her face so he could look into her eyes once more. "Meet me here at noon in two days. The place I want you to see is a secret."

He winked at her and he left, calling his horse as he did so, leaving her to wonder why she felt the way she did.

.oOo.

He was so cute the way he blushed when he talked and how polite to her he had been. He called himself Peter. His hair looked a lot like Link's, only most of it was black and it had chocolate brown tips with sunshine yellow bangs. His eyes were different though… so different than hers… so very gentle and kind.

But even with her doubts, she knew deep down, way down deep, that he was made for her, and her for him. She played the memory over and over in her head, awkward as it was. The day seemed magical to her, a dream even. But it had been real, and that's what mattered.

She looked up at the sky, feeling a little better. Tomorrow was the day, the day she would see him again. She snuggled deep down into the covers, blowing out the candle as she did so.

.oOo.

"Huff, huff, huff. No! I won't make it! Oomph!"

She backed away, shaking her head at whatever she had run into. "Curse you for being in my-" "Well, I guess I was mistaken when I thought you were a shy person." "Hmm?" She opened her eyes, looking up to see the source of the voice.

There he was in a dark purple tunic, smiling at her with his perfect teeth. She blushed and mentally scolded herself for running into him.

"There's no need to apologize. It was my fault. Who on earth stands in the entrance of a corral anyway?" She gasped. He was actually saying sorry? "I didn't know if it was possible for men to say sorry." He chuckled at her joke. "I do believe that some of us were educated in manners better than others. Nice joke by the way." "Thank you… um.. sir." "Please," he said shaking his head, "Don't call me sir. Call me Peter." "Okay, Peter where is this secret place you're taking me?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" "Because it wouldn't be a surprise! I also want you blindfolded on the way there." This puzzled Victoria. Blindfolded? It must be a pretty special place for him to want that. "Er… all right. I'll do it, I suppose." "Wonderful! Here, put this on." Peter handed her a blindfold and since she agreed to do it, she put it on.

As she did so, she mulled over the conversation they'd just shared. Something about had seemed… off. Almost scripted. But this man didn't seem very dangerous. He wasn't giving off those odd vibes she'd felt the day she'd met him. He seemed almost sad about something, in fact. She wondered what it might be. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if she should have brought along a weapon or something…

He took her hand and slowly walked her to a horse. How she knew this without seeing, she had no idea, it was as if she could see the animal in front of her even with the blindfold.

He helped her get on and then he himself mounted. He kicked at the horse's sides and galloped off into the distance.

At first, it was just the wide terrain of Hyrule Field. Again she didn't know how she knew this, so she mistook the sensation with her knowledge of the field and used that as her explanation. The field became rocky then smooth again, they had passed Gerudo Valley. Then the horse jumped something, a fence most likely. They were entering Lake Hylia. What was so special about Lake Hylia?

Peter felt her tense and then she lifted her arm. Her hand rubbed her chin as if she wondered, "Why here?" He shook his head and he rode on, past the fishing gallery and along the thin strip of land that outlined the lake itself.

They were on the other side of the lake now, and Victoria's senses gave out on her. She had never been here before, so she couldn't rely on the horse's motions to find out where they were. Instead she listened to the water, hearing it move as its waves rocked up and down the shore. She reached out with her consciousness to feel the water's touch, what it felt, where it was, what it was. The water felt as if it were rubbing up against something soft and loosely padded. It carried away pieces of dirt as it retreated back off the shore. Was it sand, perhaps? Suddenly the horse jerked and whinnied, almost throwing her off balance.

"Get back you ugly brute! Hyah! Take that!" Peter jumped off the horse and handed her the reigns. She heard slashing and kicking as she took control of the horse. Peter was in trouble, and there was nothing she could do.

Anger bubbled up inside her, her veins seemed as if in dry ice. Fires seared down her nerves, until a single word passed her lips.

"Faeuire."

Her whole body, muscles and bones alike burned for just one second, and then she passed out as screeches of pain rung out, and burning heat engulfed the enemy.

Peter saw the Tektite come at him for he thought the last time. He closed his eyes and heard Victoria utter one word. Then he felt heat, burning, searing heat. He opened his eyes and saw the Tektite's flesh burn away in flames. Then Victoria fell off the horse, unconscious, and landed on the ground.