Her blood was so... warm.

My hands were covered in it. Soaked in it. I scrubbed at them as much as I could, but it only made it worse. Tremors overtook my body as I vehemently denied what was in front of me.

I knelt in the ever growing puddle of crimson that seeped from the crumpled body before me. Those cloudy, empty eyes remained unfocused as she gasped her last few gurgling breaths underneath the cowl covering her face, a knife still stuck through her throat.

I squeezed my eyes shut and ducked my head. Terror screamed through me, and my thoughts scrambled. How... how did things come to this?

A rough hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head back up, and I hissed in pain, clawing at it. Cold fingers pried my eyes open, and a hysterical laugh came from behind me.

Cool breath brushed my ear as it whispered, "Now, that's not something you see everyday."

My vision was filled with her. Of her piercing blue eyes, filled with tears of blood. Her hand that, even in death, never stopped reaching towards me.

Zelda...

"Zelda!"

I scuffed my boot on the ground impatiently as I called for her. Again.

Farore curse it, would it kill her to be on time for once?

"Oi, Princess!"

A deku nut flew out of her balcony window in response, and I only had the chance to register it before it blinded me.

I rubbed my eyes a few times in irritation and, lo and behold, next to me was one Princess Zelda.

Or should I say... Sheik?

"Captain," he said coolly, nodding in my direction. I shook my head, an annoyed smile on my face, and followed him as he led the way to the training field. His unruly blonde bangs were so thick they covered one of his eyes, and his cowl was pulled up over the bridge of his nose, as per usual. His bandaged fingers swept his bangs away in frustration, only to be replaced a second later as if nothing happened.

We walked along the cobblestone path side by side, the fresh smell of flowers and soil greeting us as we passed through the courtyard. It never failed to amaze me how quiet Sheik's step was. On loose rocks, I heard nothing–it was like I was walking by myself. I stole a glance at him, just to make sure he was still next to me.

I held back a laugh.

"Did those lovely lords and ladies keep you too long again?" I asked.

I heard a deep sigh from the "man" in front of me, his shoulders sagging in dejection. "It's as if they have nothing better to do than nitpick my life and nag on me to find a husband," Sheik said, his voice rougher and lower than Zelda's usual range.

I crossed my arms and looked away. A strange bitter feeling rose in the back of my mind at the topic, but I pointedly ignored it. Of course, it's not my place to say anything about who she marries, but I just couldn't help asking, "What about last month's suitor? He seemed... nice."

Sheik rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? He was speaking as if the kingdom was already his during our first meeting. Bad sign, if you ask me."

"What about the guy before him? He looked like one of those 'quiet' types."

"Spooked at the drop of a pin! Swear to Nayru I reached for my teacup and he jumped ten feet from his chair," he said, shaking his head.

"...and the guy before that?"

I fought back a smile. I had to admit, this was definitely cheering me up.

Sheik scoffed, and said, "He kept itching his asscrack during dinner. Even put Dad off his appetite. Now that's an accomplishment."

I couldn't hold back the laugh that overtook me. That last one may have been my fault, just a little bit, but he didn't need to know that. That last suitor was an asshole.

/-/-/-/-/

"Hey, peasant," Asshole called lazily. I looked around to see who he was talking to, but finally figured out he was pointing at me.

Dick.

He continued talking even as I glared at him, "Have my laundry done by afternoon tea tomorrow. They must be cleaned and freshly pressed."

He threw a pile of clothes into my arms before I could say anything and sauntered off, leaving me with an armful of gross, rank laundry. I dropped it immediately, wiping my gross hands on my trousers as I glared at the back of Asshole's head. Then a sudden thought came to mind as I was accosted with memories of my old prankster days. I slowly grinned at the pile of clothes at my feet.

Itch powder is very easy to come by these days, if you know where to look.

Too easy.

/-/-/-/-/

Sheik looked at me strangely as I laughed harder at the memory, but I will never in a million years tell him I did that. It might give him some ideas.

On the topic of suitors: It bothered me.

The idea of Zelda marrying some prince or duke that wouldn't treat her well…

It really, really bothered me.

Not that it's my place at all as a mere "Captain of the Royal Guard" to insert my opinion anywhere royalty-wise, but she's also my friend. I'd do anything for her.

Sheik slapped my back before walking ahead. I couldn't help but once again notice his unique stride: I've never seen a man walk with such grace, or with such a sense of balance.

Even covered head to toe, your true self still peeks through, doesn't it Zel?

He looked over his shoulder at me.

"Where to this time, hero?"

I made a face at the nickname.

You're never letting that go, are you? I asked silently.

Nope, Sheik replied, eyes grinning with mirth.

"Oh, you know. Wherever the wind takes us," I said, nonchalant. Sheik raised an eyebrow at that, but I could see the amusement in his wine red eyes.

"Like the last time we tried going 'wherever the wind took us?'"

I laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of my neck. Last time, we managed to stumble upon a cave on Death Mountain full of angry, flaming keese. We were running for our lives down that mountain, and Sheik had to dump his canteen over my head as we ran since one of them latched onto my hat. I grabbed my hat and frantically shook the keese off, and it may have landed on Sheik's face when it finally let go, so… that's why we don't go exploring on Death Mountain all that much anymore...

"Okay then, Sheikah, what do you propose we do?"

Sheik's eyes glinted. "How about a poe hunt?"

I frowned. "A poe hunt?"

We walked through the gates and came upon Castle Town. Even at sunset, there were still a few people here and there milling about absently, ready to wind down for the evening.

There were some who stopped to stare at us, the Captain and the Royal Family's trusted "Sheikah," but we barely spared a glance at them as we strolled through the square.

"Yeah! It'd be good to release these resentful spirits from the physical plane," Sheik said sagely, his eyes never leaving mine. I looked at him, unconvinced.

"You just want to be able to say we went 'ghost hunting,' don't you." It's not even a question at this point. I know I'm right.

Sheik's serious facade broke, and he let out a pffft. He didn't even try denying it.

"Nothing gets past you, does it," he asked, a grin apparent in his voice.

"I really don't understand why you still try," I said airily.

Sheik blew out a breath, and his bangs briefly lifted so I could see his other eye. "Worth a shot," he shrugged, and threw an arm around me.

"Pretentious prick," I grumbled under my breath, grinning, and Sheik just laughed as we walked out of Castle Town together. The sun painted the sky a bright red and orange as it was setting, and it bathed Sheik's figure in a soft, golden light.

You know what, ghost hunting didn't sound like too bad of an idea.

/-/-/-/-/

"This is the worst! Idea! EVER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, ducking under another malicious lantern as the Big Poe swung at me again.

The sky rumbled with the promise of an oncoming storm, with flashes of lightning every other second. Dead tree limbs whipped and loomed over us and the abandoned tombstones of the Kakariko graveyard as the wind blew through.

I drew my bow and shot another arrow, but it just disappeared, my arrow sailing through nothing and landing in the ground with a dull thud.

"Oh, quit being a baby," Sheik said, and threw a deku nut at the ground. The poe flinched at the blinding flash, and Sheik reappeared behind it with a chain. The chains rattled as they wrapped around the poe, restraining it. It pulled, and Sheik had to dig his feet in to stay upright.

"What're you waiting for?" Sheik gritted out. He wrapped the chain once more around his knuckles, and yanked hard.

I grunted, and lunged forward, plunging my blade into the poe's stomach. It let out a warped screech, and then I felt my hands burn cold as it melted into a wisp of flame. The chain dropped with a metallic hiss as it melted away.

"Well? Can that one talk?" Sheik asked, hopeful. He gathered the chain back up into his hands as I crouched down to look at it.

The poe fire just looked at me, smiling eerily. I shivered, and scooped it into a bottle. "Din, I hope not."

Sheik's shoulders slumped, and I swore I saw him pouting. I wiped the sweat off my face with my sleeve, and sat on the ground with a soft thump.

"That makes…" I started counting on my dirt-caked fingers. "Twenty one… Twenty two…Twenty three poes so far."

"And I'm still winning," Sheik said proudly.

I snorted. "Nuh-uh, you didn't collect those other two before they floated away—so technically, I'm winning," I shot back, jabbing at myself with a thumb.

Sheik rolled his eyes, and said. "Whatever makes you feel better, Captain. Now, ready for twenty four?"

My head fell back, and I was still trying to catch my breath. "Sure. Ya know what, why don't we go for twenty six while we're at it?"

"Twenty six?"

I pointed over his shoulder, and he turned. Cursing, he whipped out his chain again, and I struggled to stand up.

Lightning cracked overhead in the darkened sky as we stood back to back, sizing up the threat of these poes. They didn't seem especially smart, but they had the advantage of numbers, which was always dangerous. The wind began to pick up, and I smelled a storm coming.

What do you know, I was right.

It came down in heavy sheets almost without warning, and it was getting hard to see. My clothes were quickly soaked through, and I had to fight the urge to wipe my hair out of my eyes. The poes bobbed around us happily, waiting for an opening.

"Watch the purple one, he looks like he's getting twitchy," I muttered, and Sheik nodded.

As I predicted, the purple one was the first to lower its guard and attack, swinging its lantern at my head with its other hand outstretched. I ducked the lantern, and raised my shield to block its claws. It made a frustrated noise, but I smacked it in the face with my shield to shut it up before I swung at it with my sword. It dipped out of the way, laughing reedily, and before I could react it swung at me again. The lantern slammed into my head so hard I saw stars, and I stumbled back, cursing so vehemently I could practically hear Navi's mortified screaming. I rolled out of the way of another swipe into a muddy ditch and thrusted my sword up into the poe. It shrieked, dissipating into a ghost fire.

A jingling noise over my shoulder was the only warning I had that I was about to get hit from behind, but I heard chains rattle and I didn't even bother turning around. I knew instinctively that Sheik took care of it.

I whipped around to slash at the one reaching for Sheik. Sheik flicked a long wooden needle from his fingers and it phased through the second poe's face as if it was through water. It giggled an otherworldly laugh, and Sheik cursed so colorfully it would have made a sailor blush.

"Remember, it needs to be metal," I gritted out, raising my sword again. Lightning flashed across the sky, and the earth shook with a bone-rattling boom. I threw my shield at its face like a frisbee, and jumped up with an overhead blow. It flinched just long enough for me to sink my blade into it, and it melted into a cool pink flame. Sheik ducked under me and lunged towards the last poe, daggers glinting in the light of the ghost lanterns.

It screamed as he cut into it, and Sheik swiped his soaked hair back from his face, annoyed, as the last poe dissolved into flame.

"Twenty six," Sheik muttered under his breath bitterly, and I laughed despite myself.

/-/-/-/-/

"So… Are you going to tell me what's bothering you yet?"

The inn's room we were staying at was cozily lit by a small fireplace, and Zelda sat on the edge of the bed, wringing out her cowl. Her long, golden hair spilled over her shoulder from where she'd unbraided it.

Zelda paused her wringing, and gave me a sidelong look. "...Who said something's bothering me?"

I snorted, shaking out my spare blanket. I laid it gingerly on the floor close to the fireplace. "C'mon, Zel, really?"

"What if I just wanted to spend more time with my best friend, hm?"

I stopped, and my shoulders slumped in disbelief. "Zel, then we'd go… I don't know, bowling or something. Hunting thirty poes–"

"-Twenty six–"

"Whatever isn't normal for you. I hate to admit it, but you're usually the rational one of the two of us," I said, unbuckling my belt. I eyed the chair next to the fireplace. That would be a good place to hang my stuff to dry.

"So. What's up?" I took off my fingerless gloves and looked at her, a hand on my hip. I threw them near the chair. Internally, I debated whether I should change out of my soaking clothes now, because, you know, girl, but then I remember that we used to sleep outside together all the time, and she'd probably seen worse from me anyways.

I shrugged, and in one smooth motion my green tunic was over my head and in my hand. I turned it inside out and peered at it. Din damn it, I got another slash through my shirt, so big I could stick my leg through it. I sighed. Should I even bother trying to patch this up?

Zelda wasn't facing me, her eyes trained on the cowl in her lap. Her shoulders stiffened at my pestering, and I immediately regretted pushing.

"Hey, um, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just…" I shoved a hand through my still-damp hair, looking for the right words. I winced as I accidentally touched the sore spot on my head, and said, "I'm here if you need anything. Really."

I hung my muddy, torn green tunic over the back of the chair, and continued to change. Thank Farore I packed a dry set of clothes, because I currently smelled like rotting corpses and smoke. Zelda was quiet as I moved around, probably lost in that maze of a brain she had.

The last thing to go on the chair was my hat, and Ladies above I will never take dry clothes for granted again. I got dressed in my spare clothes.

Finally done preparing for bed, I was about to settle onto the floor when Zelda finally spoke. It was so faint I almost missed it.

"I'm scared," she said quietly, and I froze. My head snapped to her, but her eyes were still downcast.

"What if, one day, we can't go out fighting like this anymore?" Her grip tightened on the fabric in her lap, and I frowned, patiently waiting for her to finish.

"Everyone is pushing me so hard to find a husband, but I just–I don't want anything to do with it. Not if you're–" She cut herself off suddenly, and her mouth tightened. My heart thudded in my chest, but I didn't know why. What was she about to say?

Zelda finally looked up from her lap and was about to say something else, but she suddenly stopped, eyes wide. She stared at me for a second, jaw slack, before her gaze darted away from me and towards the fire, her face burning red. I ruffled my damp hair, suddenly self-conscious. I didn't look that bad, did I?

Eh, whatever. I sat on my little bed on the floor with a pumf, and stretched my legs out, leaning against the wall. I crossed my arms, closing my eyes. I was exhausted. The warmth of the fire slowly did its magic, and I almost went boneless.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'll always be down for an adventure with you, Zelda. No matter what."

There was silence from the top of the bed. Then, "You mean it?"

I grinned sleepily. "Yeah. Even when we're 80 something and my knees finally decide to give up on me, I'll find a way."

I heard Zelda's soft laugh from above, and a surge of happiness filled my chest at the sound.

"I'll hold you to that." l chanced another glance at the bed, and was happy to see that she was smiling now, even with her face a little red. It made my heart race faster all the same. I gave her a broad, tired grin.

"Always."

Link was my best friend.

Had been since we were children, but that moment, when I saw him looking at me in that way… His hair sticking up endearingly in every direction, his sharp features softened by the light of the fire, this… vulnerable side of him. I couldn't think anymore. About what the crown demanded, or about the future, I…

I only thought of him. Of that warmth in his gaze, and that smile that made me feel like everything would work out in the end.

I turned over in bed, and once again peeked over the edge to watch him. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the way his eyelids fluttered while he slept. I reached out a hand towards him, but hesitated as he shifted. He turned onto his side, away from me, and I retracted the hand. I didn't know what this new feeling was in my heart, or when exactly it had first started, but it made me so, so afraid of losing him.

I'm such a coward.

Link shifted again, curling further in on himself, and I heard his breathing quicken. I frowned as he turned over, his brow furrowed. He mumbled something incoherent, then jolted awake, breathing heavily. He sat up slowly, and rubbed his face with his hands, hunched over.

I made sure to stay still so he didn't know I was also awake, but I was curious. He had a nightmare? What was it about?

In the dim light, I saw him look towards me, so I closed my eyes before he could catch me. After a beat of silence, I heard a heavy, quiet sigh, and blankets rustling as he laid back down.

So. There's something bothering him too, huh?

[So.

I have returned.

…Yeahhhh, sorry about that…...

Hope this was worth the wait, um… Yeah, I tried adding to the old one like at least 7 times and it was NOT flowing, and I kept giving up and trashing the chapter, soooo I decided after all these years to finally reboot the darn thing (you can thank my final exam procrastination and for my recent re-obsession with Zelda… *cough* ya know, a little delulu's okay sometimes). Uhh yeah, I started this story when I was like a freshman in high school, and now I'm... about to be a junior in college... scary stuff!

Sorry for leaving this unfinished for so long, but hey, I hope my writing style's gotten a bit better, now that I got a few years under my belt. If anyone's still reading this, then KUDOS! You're a real one! If I see any familiar faces here, I might just fucking cry. I love y'all, stay awesome.

I ended up making a new post for this rewrite... I don't really want to lose the old one... I hope this was at least a little worth the wait lol. IT'S FINISHED THIS TIME! DO NOT FEAR! The only thing I haven't finished yet is the extras. Also, I hope that the perspective changes aren't too confusing, I just felt like you'd be able to tell who was speaking through context clues. Idk. If it's too confusing, I'll add pov markers. Gahhh it was so weird writing in first person again, why did I originally write this in first person-

Okay, sorry for rambling.

See you around, and thank you for reading~~

-Puff]