Pre T.A.A.H

Link had not felt the tug on his heart while he was traveling through Hyrule in an attempt to save it from the twilight. Nor did he hear the desperate screams crying out from the depths of his soul. Not at first, anyway. It was hard to hear much of anything when Midna's voice kept reminding him of the impending danger, and he did not have the time to spare any attention to any emotion coursing through his heart. Not when Zant still had the upper hand. Not when there was work that still needed to be done.

It was not until the final match had been decided, Zant defeated and Ganondorf that much closer to losing his freedom once more, when he had a minute to himself, that he realized what those tugs and incoherent thoughts were. It was not until that one solitary moment that he realized what they meant. Really, all it had taken was the empty bed sitting next to his at the inn in Kakariko Village. Then, suddenly, he knew all too well what every sign pointed to.

He was longing for something. No, he was longing for someone. Longing to have someone be there with him after the fight was over with, to tell him what a good job he had done, and ask what was next on the agenda. To be able to depend on that person, and be allowed to lean on someone else's shoulder for a change. To be reassured for once in his eternal existence that he was not alone.

Yes it was a longing. A longing that had been present since the day he stepped out of a world that had not been his own, yet had accepted him all the same.

The longing for Siegfried.

Pre T.A.A.H

Siegfried could have killed them. He could have run his sword right through those ignorant little bodies and dumped them into the nearest river. He could have lied and told anyone who asked that they were still alive and later go on to spit on their unmarked graves. He could have, and it was very much in his power to do so. The only thing that had stopped him, miraculously enough, was Yunseong.

It had been Yunseong who pulled the knight away when a fight with some of Hanmyong's students broke out. They had an issue they wanted to settle in those walls, and they wanted to settle them the old fashioned way. Usually, the blonde did not involve himself in matters like those. They were none of his concern and certainly none of his business. This time, though, this time these boys had made it his business. They made this fight his concern when they foolishly tried to cause harm to Link. Now, things were personal.

They were ignorant. They had come from a part of the country where everything stayed the same throughout every century. The type of place where the only thing to change were the faces who carried on the values of the past. The kind of place where people who were different, people who believed in something different, were meant to be pointed and laughed at.

Link was different. He looked different, the language he spoke was different, and the things he worshipped were different. He was softer spoken than most warriors, polite to anyone who met him, so respectful to the people in his life, and kinder than anyone else the knight had ever known. Link was different in Siegfried's world, a world that thrived on swords and anger and power and hate. Link was different, and those students saw that as an excuse to make him feel terrible about the land from whence he came. They began with his ears.

Siegfried realized, at that moment, that he would never hate Hwang as much as he initially thought he would. Hwang was terrible about teasing the Hylian about his ears. He would laugh and poke, but at least he never went at them with a knife. He never tried to 'fix' them with a sharp blade. Those students had, and Siegfried wanted to kill them, even though Link had managed to escape the assault with little more than a small cut. For some unfathomable reason, Yunseong had held him back.

Link had not missed a beat. He brushed himself off and smiled at the group before him. They still looked ready to strike him again, but the Hylian appeared to pay that no mind. He merely asked why they had done what they had done.

"You're different." They said. "That language, those stories, those dumb ears are all proof. You're a freak."

Link nodded in understanding. "Why yes, I am quite different, thank you for noticing." He placed a hand over his heart. "I was starting to worry that I was losing everything that made me Hylian. Thank goodness I still retain some form of individuality." He then smirked. "Not that I don't appreciate the pack mentality. Which one of you is the master again?"

From there, a fight was happily carried out between the morons, Link, Yunseong, and Siegfried. The three had come out victorious, and had spent a lovely dinner, in a fine restaurant, compliments of their opponents. Yet, there was still something strong lingering in Link's eyes. Siegfried didn't have to ask to know what it was, so he waited until the two of them were alone before he confronted the younger blonde about it.

"What they said hurt you, didn't it?" Siegfried's voice was calm, tender, as comforting as he could possibly make it.

Link responded to it, eyes watering as a sad smile made its way onto his face. "As pathetic as it sounds, it did. It really did."

Siegfried grabbed hold of him, and Link latched onto the knight as tightly as he could.

"Do you…" The elf hesitated. "Do you think I'm a freak too? That I'm odd because I'm different?"

Siegfried shook his head furiously. "How could you even think that? Link, you saved me, saved me when no one else could even find me." He tightened his hold ever so slightly. "You're not different, you're other worldly, and it's pretty damn incredible. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

That day, even though it was Link who carried the nickname, Siegfried was the most amazing hero on the face of two worlds.

Fang: Do you want a hug?

Mistress: I'm okay, just give me a minute. The past reared its ugly head again today, so Link and I bonded over some stories of mild sufferings. Everything's fine now.

Fang: You still want that hug?

Mistress: Yes. *is hugged*