Whenever you need me, I'll be there, just call and I'll come, I promise.

I'm not that naïve anymore Link, I'm not some pathetic princess who needs to have her ass saved all the time, at least not anymore.

I'm not implying that you are, I'm just making a promise to you.

Well don't make any promises you can't keep…..

Why must you always push me away? I know what I've done, and it hurts. I've hurt so many people, including you, but can't you see what you're doing? What it's doing to me? That kind of behaviour is what pushed me over the edge not that long ago, and I don't know if I can take it from you….

I'm sorry…

So am I …for everything… I shouldn't have come here tonight…

I wanted you to as well, so it's okay…

But what will everyone think? Heh their dear princess is locking herself into a room at midnight with a former madmen slash hero… I can just hear the maids gossiping…

I don't care, and what you and I think is most important, n'est ce pas?

I'm scared…to slip, to break, to hurt you, especially now, when you need me to be strong… I'll fight him, them, even if it's the last thing that I'll do…But I want you to run, to go somewhere safe…You can't be here when I break, when he wins…

I'm staying and you know it…

I'm counting on it…

Don't leave… not tonight…

I won't… I promise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hello my old friend"

Something was off, Link could sense it, though he wasn't quite sure if it was caused by the sudden drop of temperature or by the way his duple ganger had addressed him.

As things were right now, he was betting his money on both and it made him feel uneasy.

Oh well, best to take care of what's in front of you first than to worry about something as of yet unknown

"Let's just cut this I know you since I'm you crap and let's get to the point. Ganondorf sent you here to fight me, so draw your weapon and show me your best"

"…" Dark Link shifted uneasy, uncomfortably.

"Damn, this guy's a cutie, too bad that we're going to have to kick your ass." Not in the least embarrassed, Nayla winked at Dark Link before she drew her scimitars and moved into position behind Link.

"This…is going to be awkward…"

"So we're going to just stand here all day? Come on cutie, get your ass moving, who knows, I might actually spare your life."

Another wink.

"Uh yeah, right, about that…" Dark Link raised his hand behind his neck as if he was going to scratch it, only to stop said movement when he became aware of what he was doing.

"Nayla, you can lower your weapons, he's not going to fight us. "

Slightly confused, but more likely stubborn, Nayla held her stance for a tad longer before she reluctantly did as Link told her. She refused to show him that he had any sort of authority over her, so she directed her attention towards the male still standing in the middle of the room.

"Why are you here if you're not going to fight us?"

"…I'm entitled to my own opinion…."

He kicked his sword towards Nayla

"Now I'm armless. This should ease the uneasiness a bit,"

Blue met red in a silent stare down, one that both parties refused to lose, yet it was blue, surprisingly, who looked away.

"Why are you doing this? "

It wasn't really a question, it was more like a statement. A statement everyone else in the room seemed to miss.

"I care too much about this world, even if all I'm ever going to be to anyone here is just a ghost of something I'm not. When people see me, they see you, and I think that it's time that I start to act on that expectation. Besides, I've never been a good guy before, you've got to try everything at least once before you die, don't you think?"

Blue and red, blond and black, supposedly good and bad, yet they understood each other, and for now that was enough.

Under loud protest from both Nayla as from Saria, Link handed Dark Link his sword back.

"You're going to need this"

And without another word, Link left the room, leaving a rather stunned party of misfits behind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We need more time"

Those four words might have meant barely anything if they were spoken at another time, in another place. Yet now, they carried the fate of the country.

It wasn't just a statement, something someone noticed after carefully examination something; no it was a heartfelt plea. One that went unheard by those that had given the Hylians their long ears.

Her vision began to blur as Zelda and Impa hurriedly made their way back to the castle. She needed time on her own, time to think about the next step, time to think about what she had to do, but time was a luxury she could afford right now.

So many people were killed today, so many people died because of her…

It weighted rather heavy on the princess's heart, not once before had she been the cause of the deaths of so many people. Sure, she had been in contact with death, she had even killed with her bare hands, but the responsibility for the loss of so many lives still hurt beyond relief.

Engrossed in her musing, Zelda didn't even notice the odd looks and stares they receiving when they entered castle ground. Of course, one could hardly expect to go unnoticed if you're the sole heir to the throne and you're walking around with a blank look on your face and your dress is covered with soil and blood. Soon, Impa had to resort to her sheikah training to keep the worried castle dwellers from stopping their princess dead in her tracks, but surprisingly, they managed to reach the princess's private quarters without being hindered.

"So what are we going to do now Impa? We have only three weeks left before Gannon comes to take everything away from me, so we better spend our time useful."

"I think you're forgetting about something Princess. Right now, there isn't a we as in we. Right now, it's just me, Link, and the sages your hero failed to kill. You're in no condition to fight."

Zelda soon took up the rather annoying habit of passing. Too many things were troubling her mind; she just couldn't sit still any longer.

"I don't know what you're talking about Impa, you've just seen me fight mere hours ago and objectively speaking, I totally kicked that creature's butt."

"You perfectly well know what I'm talking about Zelda, or are you still in denial? You're carrying Hyrule's future, we simply cannot risk losing you or it. If link was here, he would agree."

Zelda's blank face spooked the hell out of Impa, usually it didn't mean that much good if she didn't reply with some sort of sharp comment within three seconds. Her nervous fidgeting didn't really help to ease her nerves either.

"Wait….Did you…Did you lose it?"

Zelda slowly shook her head at her former nanny.

"I haven't told him yet…"

"We need to get you to safety"

"We need to give the man who died a proper burial"

"We don't have the time, I'm moving you to Kakariko town, it's time for you to visit an old friend."

"How much time do I have?"

"Till tonight, we're leaving a little past midnight, you'd better be ready"

The rest of the day came and went by pretty fast. All the commotion of the day was surely taking its toll on Zelda. Not only had she fought something she hadn't seen before, she had seen what it had done to the people that were just trying to protect her, that were just doing their job. Poor, innocent people died because of her and guilt weighted heavy on her heart.

But she didn't have the time to stop and think about it. No, there was just too much she had to get done. After arriving at the castle, one of the first things she had to do was to inform the families of those who died today. Families came and went, their expressions changing from hopeful (perhaps they were thinking about a promotion of some sort) to devastation. Watching the change broke Zelda apart. Each family that left chipped of a piece of her soul, only to take it with them as they left. Needless to say, at the end of the day Zelda felt like a shattered mirror, empty, broken, with only a few shards left to do their job,

But she wasn't done yet, no. Since those man died to safe their princess, their deaths should be honoured, and this implied a ceremonial burial. One that she would have to arrange.

But she just couldn't spare the time for it, so with a fleeting feeling of guilt, she just left the papers and sheets concerning their burials untouched on her desk. There would come a time when she would give those men what they deserved, but right now, Hyrule and her safety came first.

Swiftly, without attracting attention to herself, Zelda packed only necessities to take with her. Elaborate as her room was, on the run, none of those items would come in handy. After donning a black cape, she was done.

Now she would have to wait till midnight….And then they would run.

Unfortunately for her, she never got the chance. Right before 10 o' clock, the castle was attacked. Due to the events earlier today, the castle guards were on high alert, so they quickly noticed the perpetrators. Sadly enough, they never stood a chance.

Battle noises soon woke our dear princess. Glancing around, she noticed the time. It was ten already. Somewhere along the line she must have fallen asleep. Still drowsy, she reached for one of the hidden knifes she had packed.

Thank the goddesses that Impa had been hell bend on training her in the ways of the Sheikah. It really paid of.

As stealthy as she could manage carrying her supplies, Zelda ran through the hallways, running toward the commotion. Smoke soon drifted her way.

The castle was burning. Flames licked past the walls, hungry trying to devour all they could. Smoke quickly filled what hadn't been filled by the flames, making it hard to breathe. Soon, Zelda lost her ability to see. Desperately fighting a losing battle, she tried to get out of the castle, but the lack of oxygen made her drowsy beyond compare.

" Link…."

Just call and I'll come, I promise.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/n I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Wow, I've been saying that a lot lately. It's just, this summer has been a busy one for me. I finally fulfilled one of my childhood wishes. I actually went on a holiday to Japan, all by myself. It's strange, after staying there, it feels as if I understand certain parts of games better than before. It might just be my head messing with me though.

I also started dating someone. Right now, we've been together for 6 weeks and things have been amazing. You can blame him for taking up any time I had left ( I was working two jobs as well, I didn't have that much left ;p)

I do plan to continue this story, in fact, I've been working on this chapter for quite a while. But everything I wrote down just seemed wrong. I kind of still feel that way. Just bear with me, hopefully, things will get better.

~~destiny's charm~~