Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own any of the characters or their respective franchise; Legend of Zelda and Metroid belongs to Nintendo while Soul Calibur belongs to Namco Bandai. GrimGrave does not earn money for writing this.

A Hylian's Harem

Chapter 3

Enter the Bounty Hunter

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Veran shrieked, desperately crawling further into the corner in vain. Her arms flailed with sharp nails, her legs kicked wildly if Link even took a single step closer, keeping him, the doctor and his assistant at a distance. The sorceress's eyes were wide and nearly bloodshot and her face was sickening pale.

"Stay back! No more! Don't hurt me!"

"C-Calm down!" Link pleaded in panicked desperation. "Why would I harm you? I don't even know who you are!" He quickly looked over to the equally panicked doctor. "Doctor! You forgot to mention that she is unstable as a powder keg!"

"Don't look at me!" The doctor replied in a raised tone. "She has been docile up till now! I don't know what you did, but you have something to do with it! She clearly seems to know you lad!"

They took cover behind the bed from the incoming objects that Veran tossed. Pencils, a vase, and even a chair flung over the bed as the woman continued to shriek. "But I don't know her! I told you I-"

Link didn't get to finish his sentence. Before they could comprehend the brief silence, Veran had jumped over the bed, albeit clumsily, right at Link. Her simple infirmary gown flailed with the swift motions as she ended up straddling the green-garbed man, her feminine hands barely able to grasp his throat as Link held her by the wrists, slowly prying her off himself.

"Lies! Lies! You certainly seemed like wanting to harm me before! Which you did! YOU DID! I'll pay you back the anguish, TENFOLD!"

"Doctor!" Link shouted back, baring his teeth. "She has gone into the offensive! A hand perhaps?!" Said man and the assistant immediately grabbed hold of Veran's arms, trying to pull her off despite the struggle.

"Don't try and feign ignorance! You may have changed but I know those green clothes!" Veran continued to scream. Her face, once covered in horror, was now a visage of extreme anger. "You cannot hide from me! You… You filthy, god-forsaken, self-proclaimed Hero! I almost had Labrynna in my hands had you not existed!"

Despite the slight danger Link found himself in, he shot the woman a puzzled stare while still trying to pry her hands further away from his throat. "What? I... I don't even know what this Labrynna is!"

"LIES!" Veran wailed. "You risked your pathetic life to save it! That worthless piece of landmass! And all of its mongrels of inhabitants!"

Link cursed to himself. "I don't know what you are talking about! I haven't been to Labrynna, I'm native to Hyrule! And I have certainly not met you before!" Slowly, despite the massive amount of struggle, Veran was pulled off from Link. Her hands still tried to reach him, her screaming now turning into sharp hissing noises like a serpent as the doctor and his assistant dragged her a bit away from Link. The older man turned to him, still keeping one of Veran's arms pinned.

"Lad! There's a sedative in my cabinet in the other room! Hurry and get it!"

"Right!" Link quickly got up and dashed towards the other room, trying to ignore the woman starting to scream at him again. Not only was she loud, but the profanities she came up with was quite unique, slightly impressing him for her wide, vulgar vocabulary. The Hero searched every shelf and cabinet till he found the sedative and brought it back to the doctor, whom was losing the fight.

"What do I do with this?!" Link shouted to over-voice the screaming woman.

"Just stick the tip into her arm and press the top down! Hurry lad!"

"Okay!" Link shouted, wasting no time with the task. Veran's struggle made it more problematic at first, but Link got it after a little while, once Anya and the doctor focused on pinning one arm done. Thankfully, Veran didn't seem to be one who trained her body for uses such as combat, making it somewhat easier to have her still. Even more so when she was still worn out from the ordeal she had gone through. Once Link had injected the sedative the woman slowly became less violent, though her interesting vocabulary remained.

With the help of Link, the trio carried her back to bed and Anya began to clean up the mess the patient had caused, leaving the doctor, Link, and Veran "alone" to talk.

"Damnation… Even now, you just keep mocking me, "hero"… Every bloody time…" Veran said, the sedative keeping her calm. The blonde man just kept staring at her with the same puzzled expression.

"I don't recall ever meeting you before, Miss. And I certainly don't remember inflicting harm on you either, so you will have to jog my memory a bit."

"I'll leave you two to it." The doctor interrupted. "I'll help Anya with the mess."

Link nodded and resumed his attention towards the woman. His clear, blue eyes peered to her fiery orbs which still held their malice and spite. He sighed deeply.

"Well? Aren't you going to enlighten me Miss?"

"You honestly… don't remember? It was only yesterday…" She began. "You and your disgusting Mystery Seeds… You ruined my plan…"

He arched an eyebrow questionably. "Mystery Seeds? Ruined your plans? Miss, you must mistake me for someone else. I have never heard of these "mystery seeds" of yours. Heck, all I know are those magic beans…" He paused himself, eyeing Veran over.

"Look, I … You seem to think I am someone else, but I am not. I am Link from Hyrule." He noticed her eyes widening at the mention of his name. "And I have never been to this Labrynna you speak of. Trust me when I say this, I am not like the person you mistake me for."

His expression softened. Veran stared at him, confused over his gentle smile. "And I wouldn't think of hurting you. I found you wounded in the middle of the field, and I brought you here."

´Wouldn't hurt me huh? If only you knew who I am…´ Veran mused with a small grin. ´Still, now that I look closer… His outfit is roughly the same… His name is also Link… And yet, he is different. He who opposed me was a mere boy…´ she eyed the man above her with a narrow gaze. Her grin turned into a smirk. ´Surely, this is a man. A proper and quite… handsome man. Handsome, but equally gullible.´

She chuckled darkly at the man. "I can now tell that you are nothing like the boy who put me in this state. But it was a sorrowful mistake on your part to rescue me, Link."

He raised an eyebrow again. "And why is that, Miss?"

"I am the sorceress of shadows. I serve the great Twinrova Sisters, for the great goal of reviving our master, Ganon." She smirked further at Link's shocked expression. "And unless you kill me now, I will smother this land of yours in sorrow and darkness. After all, Hyrule was our next goal…"

She wanted to laugh out loud at his predicament, his folly and his dumb expression when knowing just who he had saved. She wondered at the back of her head just why she had told him everything; maybe because she secretly longed for the sweet embrace of death now that she seemed to be in a hopeless situation. She wasn't just far from "home". Veran was smart; she could tell by now that if this man was indeed Link, but had no roots or connections to Labrynna, then it was clear she had to be in a different time.

A hard truth to swallow, but Veran had already brushed death; to be free of this torment of a different reality would be a salvation. Pose herself as the serious threat that she was, and let the light glint on his blade as he swung it up high.

But then there was this little thing that now bothered and confused her. Link didn't show a dumb expression. He didn't seem shocked at all. Surprised maybe, but he was calm. And he smiled! Now he laughed!

She didn't understand.

"So you are one of Ganondorf's servants huh?" Link said amidst his outbursts of laughter. "Revival won't do the trick I'm afraid, since he is sealed away. Permanently." It was now Link's turn to snicker at the woman's distressed and puzzled face. "And the Twinrova sisters are dead. I made sure of that some time back now."

Veran was baffled. What did this man mean by "Ganondorf"? Wasn't his name just Ganon? And how could the Twinrova sisters be dead? "You…" Veran began. "You…what? But… How is that possible?! I-"

"It all makes sense now." Link cut in. "No wonder you acted like you did. This isn't your time." He smiled. After all, Link was no stranger when it came to travel back and forth through time. The Master Sword had been a port for it, as had his younger adventures in Termina.

"Although I would like to know just where from and how you got here, I won't pry. Just relax and know that I won't do whatever this other Link did."

"What?!" Veran nearly shouted. The sedative had started to wear off, allowing the woman more energy to move. "You… I just told you of who I was! And you don't even bat an eye?!"

He gave her a simple stare. "You are a servant to two witches that are dead, wanting to revive a master who is not only not dead, but sealed away?" He answered casually. "Miss, pardon my bluntness, but you are not a threat."

Veran thought she had reached the bottom. Having her plans thwarted by Link in her own time, while severely injured by seeds and sword and ultimately leading to her plan backfired to the point that it flung her through time was a great shame and anger to carry. It couldn't have been worse.

Until now. Another Link casually just crushed her hopes and insulted her pride. Add embarrassment and low self-esteem to the burden she now carried. Her jaw hung open, her eyes widened in unbelievable shock. Now Veran was certain. She had definitely hit the bottom. ´Let any higher power above just strike me down right now…´

"You should get some rest." Link smiled at the woman. In a friendly gesture, he reached over and caressed her hand with his, gentle strokes of bare skin against bare skin. Veran immediately snapped her head back up, staring at the man as he cupped her hand. She could feel her cheeks grow slightly warmer.

He continued. "You might have a fever from being too exposed to the rain. So just lie down and relax Miss. Actually…" His gaze narrowed, the blue eyes became icy-blue shards that pierced into Veran who was mentally overwhelmed by the sight. Link gently placed a hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer towards him.

´W-Wait! What is he- Is he doing what I think he is?! N-No way! I-´

Their foreheads touched, and the tip of their noses just barely grazed. Link kept them in place for a few seconds, seemingly locked in thought. Veran felt her face flare up at the contact, the sound of her heart beating as if it was right next to her ears. Then he pulled away, and she swore she felt a small tinge of disappointment.

"Yeah you got a slight fever I would say. I'll ask the doctor to keep watching over you for a while longer." The woman merely nodded in response.

"Listen, I… I got to go. I had plans with some friends so I can't stay here for much longer. But I'll come visit you again today, alright?" The blonde man smiled warmly at the bedridden woman, whose blush became deeper in its colourful shade.

"… You want to visit me?"

"Of course! I saved you, so I might as well keep helping you until you are fully recovered, right? You just get some rest now Miss."

"Oh… okay…" She replied. She averted her flame-coloured eyes, murmuring something inaudible. Link heard she had whispered something though, and genuinely curious as he was, he asked. "What was that Miss? I didn't quite catch that."

Veran shot back a mild gaze, before averting her eyes again, whispering. Link knitted his eyebrows.

"Miss, you have to speak up-"

"I'm Veran!" She nearly shouted. "… I'm Veran." While still not willing to look Link in the eye, she extended her hand in a courteous gesture. It was puzzling the man at first, but he quickly chuckled and took the hand gently into his, brought it up to his lips, and gave the knuckles a light kiss. "A pleasure to meet you Veran, despite its rough start. I would introduce myself, but you seem to already know me of sorts." He chuckled at his little joke.

"I'll see you later then Veran. Rest well."

"T-Thank you…" Was her last words as the blonde disappeared through the doorway, leaving Veran alone in her own little world. She felt her whole body, tip till toe, hot with flush as she trailed her other index-finger over the spot Link had kissed her hand. A small smile adorned her mouth.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all…I surprise myself though. I almost had him back there, had not those other two interfered… Hmm…" She grinned widely, flashing her white teeth coyly. "I should try it again when he least expect it. Only to ravage him right on the spot."

She chuckled darkly. "Oh yes. That, I should."

::::::

Elsewhere, high above in the great cosmos beyond the clouds, the Hunter-Class Gunship unsteadily soared. Samus checked the coordination screen, confirming the exact coordination over and over as she steered towards the destination that was now in sight. Her gunship was unstable, the screens flickered and the gently hymn of the engines had been replaced by hacking, ear-piercing screeching noises the longer it stayed in use.

"Come on…!" Samus muttered behind gritted teeth. "Don't give up on me now…! Just a little further and I will enter the gravitational orbit, and then gravity will do the rest… Come on…!"

The gunship continued is unsteady course, the engines slowly dying out as visible on the screen. It was only a matter of time before they would cease to function entirely, leaving the bounty hunter stranded in the middle of the infinite space. She wouldn't risk it.

With no other choice in facing the desperation, the blonde woman punched in the buttons, and activated the spare energy boost. With what little energy that was left, the engines roared painfully, kicking the ship into a short overdrive into the planet's orbit – the results were immediate. The engines lost their power, barely able to hold the ship still in its path down with gravity. The bounty hunter smiled coyly.

"You did it…" She said calmly, despite the violent shaking of the entire ship. "And luckily there appears to be water down below. A lake? Perfect."

She leant back in her seat and grabbed the controls; the ride would be even more violent the closer she reached the surface, and the ship began to grow incredibly warmer. Samus felt the beads of sweat forming and running down her face, which occasionally flung away due to the violent jerking of her face to the ship's large-scale vibrations.

Clouds began to pass by her field of vision. The heat grew stronger – no doubt was the outer plating on fire due to the long swan dive. The screens flickered until they went completely black, and barely any functions of the ship remained in a stable condition of usage.

She saw now that she was underneath the clouds. It certainly was a lake beneath her, crystal clear and blue as her suit. A tiny island appeared in the middle, but was out of the way for the incoming ship. Samus smiled again.

"Time to dive into the deep end…" She whispered as the ship crashed into the usually calm water surface.

::::::

Link wiped his brow as he got out of the infirmary. As courageous as he was, his recent meeting with this Veran-character had given him a mild heart-attack. But it was over with now at least. Which was fortunate – he had to get back to the castle.

He let out a sigh of relief, his first steps outside starting to take him to the castle's direction. "Well that was an experience I won't forget…" He said in mild disbelief. "To think that she actually is from another time… That explains her initial reaction. At least that problem is sorted out… I just pray that she doesn't freak out again the next time I visit her."

He continued to walk through the cobblestone streets in thought, contemplating about Veran. It seemed like he had convinced her that she was of no threat, but the truth was that Link knew nothing about her. He could've been wrong, after all – she claimed to be a "sorceress of shadows", whatever that meant. He had to be on his toes when around her.

Still contemplating, Link was snapped out of his thoughts as the people around him began to murmur, loudly asking and talking about something in the sky.

"W-What is that?!" A woman yelled.

"I-Is it wrath from the Goddesses?!" Shouted an elderly man.

"It's a falling star!" Several others pointed out, but equally worried. "It's not going to land here is it?!"

Link, puzzled by the people's reactions, stared directly up at the clear sky; indeed, a falling object was falling in the distance, but hardly towards them. And it certainly didn't look like a star either.

Whatever it was, Link knew he couldn't let it be. It smelled of adventure. He dashed through the crowds of civilians and guards until he reached the open field. The object seemed to have landed now, with only a thick trail of ebon smoke as a lead to where it might be. He fished up his ocarina and played the melody that enticed Epona so many times before, and certainly today. He heard her whinny in the distance, galloping towards him at the speed of the wind.

:::::

Water, water all around her. The speed of her ship had sent it to the bottom of the lake like a rock, the impact itself severely damaging the ship.

Samus groaned. She felt a light pain in her head and was overall dizzy. She trailed her fingers on her forehead – the pain got temporary worse. Not by much, but still noticeable. She figured she had hit her head against the panel at the impact, but she had been through worse. For now she had to figure out how to get back up at the surface. The lake seemed deep after all.

"At least it was a successful landing…" Samus muttered to herself. "Had I crashed into the ground…" Her eyes shifted to the panel. The screens momentarily flickered and they didn't appear to be broken. An idea sprung to mind; it was a long shot, but she had to try.

´If the screens can temporarily be activated, then I might just have enough energy to make the ship float up to the surface. If I just can scrap it all together and focus it on a single anti-gravity lift engine…´

She bit her lower lip in anticipation. She clicked the buttons and continued to shift any salvageable energy towards a lone engine, and hoped for the best. The ship vibrated, the engine purred lowly. It didn't give off much life at first, much to Samus' dismay. But suddenly, the engine let out a muffled roar, shaking the ship as it slowly rose up to the surface.

"Well done…" She patted the control-panel. "You have done well. I'll fix you up in no time."

The rays of the sun began to come into view in front of her as the ship slowly floated up. In time, the gunship was above the surface, and steered into the shores of the small island, and eventually up onto the island itself where it finally lost the last of its energy, and fell. Samus quickly got out from the topside hatch; her helmet safely tucked under her right arm, and felt the cool seascape breeze wash over her face.

She took a deep breath, exhaling it with content. A small smile pulled on her lips. "This place doesn't look too bad… Let's get you into shape again, shall we?" She said as she descended into the ship to fetch the tools.

:::::

The auburn horse whinnied as she carried her owner across the field, jumping over the fences leading to the narrow path to Lake Hylia. Link slapped Epona's backside, earning another loud whinny as she picked up speed.

"I'm sorry about that Epona…" Link said. "But I need to get to the crash-site as fast as possible! Whatever fell down must be investigated…" The black smoke from the object had nearly vanished into the air, but Link managed to follow it enough to see it rise from the Lake Hylia region. As he entered said region he pulled on the reins. Epona abruptly halted with another loud noise.

"What is that…?" He said to himself. He spotted the large object in the distance, but he couldn't make out just what it was. It didn't appear to have landed onto the island though; the ground seemed to be intact from his point of view.

Wasting no time, he signalled for Epona to start moving again and began to ride across the wooden bridges that connected the smaller islands to the mainland. As Link rode across the second bridge did he start to see what the object was.

And the sight of it brought a positively surprised smile on his face. He knew of that "object". Its distinctive hull lines was a giveaway by themselves, but that ship as he had learned to know belonged to only one person. He rode up to it in raised spirits, tugging on the reins to halt his horse right in front of the ship.

"You got to be kidding me…" Link said in positive disbelief. He decided to shout for the owner but before he could do that, the hatch opened up on top; the long, blonde ponytail waved in the wind, and the suit of advanced armour came into view. Their eyes, blue as the water around them and the sky above, met.

"What the-?! L-Link?!" Samus exclaimed, her smile quickly surfacing on her lips and was returned by the equally happy Hero.

"Samus!"

I know, I know. This chapter isn't as long as the others. I just thought that was a good place to end it for the time being. But I'll make up for it in the next one! ;)

As always, hope you all enjoyed reading it, and till next time! Review please. ^^