"Forget it, Zelda. I can't do this."

I sat on the log outside the Forest Temple, my head in my hands.

Castle Town was a wasteland. Ganondorf had taken over. Epona was being held hostage. The Kokiri didn't remember me. Saria was dead. She sacrificed herself for the cause, charged head on into a temple infested with monsters to become one with the forest.

She knew all along. She knew she would have to leave, but she didn't even think to warn me.

Or even just simply to say goodbye.

And I'll never see her again.

"Link..?"

I didn't look up, doing my damndest not to cry. I didn't want her sympathy, her reassurance that everything would turn out alright.

I wanted to go home. Home where I didn't have a fairy and Mido teased me and the Great Deku Tree was still alive and Saria was my best friend and the biggest thing I had to worry about was the other Kokiri not playing with me.

If this was what being an adult was like, I hated it.

Take it back! I screamed at the Goddesses, my insides a wasteland. Turn things right!

"Link."

"What." I snapped, sitting up and roughly unsheathing the Master Sword, throwing it aside with all my strength. It hit the stone wall of the temple with a sharp, satisfying clang, clattering to the ground.

"This is Hyrule's time of need," She said quietly, going to retrieve the Sword and sitting beside me. "You are her only hope. With the Master Sword, anything is possible."

"I don't care!" I cried, grabbing fists full of my hair in frustration. "That sword means nothing, Zelda. Nothing. A sword wields no strength unless the hand who holds it wields courage, and right now, I don't have any! I'm just a scared little kid. I just…I just want to go home." My last words came in less than a whimper as I curled tighter around myself. "I didn't sign up for this. You didn't tell me I would have to leave my life behind, Princess."

A gloved hand reached up to wipe a renegade tear from my cheek. "The flow of time is always cruel," she whispered, her sharp crimson eyes softening. "But a thing that does not change with time are the memories of your younger days. Saria will always be with you."

She lifted my chin, touching the place on my breast that was precariously close to my heart. "Right here. Nothing can change that."

She looked up, pulling down her shawl so I could see a tight lipped smile. "Everyone is counting on you, Link. We all believe in you; that you will deliver us from the great evil. You just need to believe in yourself."

I spat bitterly at the ground, growling in frustration.

How could I believe in myself? The Great Deku Tree was dead, Saria was dead, all those people in Castle Town, dead. All because I was too late to save them. I could have saved them. But I didn't.

But how much worse could things get before Ganondorf was satisfied? How many would suffer under his regime, how many would perish in his battle? To say that they lost their lives to him was to admit that I had a hand in their death. Will I allow that?

Will I let Ganondorf conquer Hyrule? Will I fall over and submit? Will I let him take the lives of those few friends I have left?

No. I won't.

Ganondorf will die.

I will avenge Saria. I will avenge Hyrule. I will not stop until I end his life on my blade.

A blazing determination filled my chest at the thought, and the Master Sword hummed in its sheath, as if adding its approval. I glanced up, meeting her concerned eyes of my princess.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Anything,"

The tips of my lips turned up. "Why the red eyes?"

A slightly strangled giggle escaped her, her eyes crinkling around the edges. "A friend of mine thinks they look cool."

I considered this, about to say something about how beautiful her natural color was, but decided on changing the subject. "Where am I to go next?"

She grimaced. "You must seek the Medallion of Fire on Death Mountain. I must say, I am not too thrilled, this uniform is smoldering without the hundred degree temperatures of the summit."

I managed to crack a grin. "You could always take your clothes off."

For a moment I could picture her very womanly body without the unflattering uniform; the swells of her breasts with no binding, the enticing curves of the silk fabric of her dresses that clung to her hips, the—

"You're such a male." She laughed once, standing as she rolled her eyes, walking over to the entrance of the grove.

I felt my ears redden.

She's a princess. I thought to myself, biting my lip. No one would ever approve.

But then again, why should I care?

My eyes were still locked on the bump of her derriere. I could just imagine what it would look like without the constricting uniform…

Argh. Game face, Link.

"So, the mountains, hm…?" I mulled this over for a moment, eventually deciding that plans could wait until they were needed. Why bother thinking when in the company of her? Smiling to myself, I stood up from the log and sheathed the Master Sword.

"Race you."

She turned around, a competitive smirk coming over her face, her eyes glinting excitedly.

"You're on."

We hit 150 reviews last Sunday. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, every time I get an email notification I get so excited, it's not even funny. Half the reason why I push myself to write anymore is because I look forward so much to what you have to say. I swear I'll get around to replying to you.

In other news, I'm sorry to say that now that school's started, and somehow I've gotten myself involved (well, more like dragged) into all honors classes, Orchestra, Choir, Student Council, Drama Club, and ten other things, updates will be coming less quickly. I can't really give you an estimate, but I'll be cranking them out as fast as I can.

Seeya next update!

~Alyssa

(PS: Did anyone catch the another-character-in-this-story reference? Do you understand what this means? Eheheh.)