Link was running. Running from Ganondorf, from the Depths, from the castle, for his life.

But most of all, he was running from the past.

Hispast. Everything he had done. He knew this made him a coward, but it didn't matter. Soon he would be gone. He was leaving Hyrule.

Forever.

They didn't need him. He was a failure. A stupid, worthless failure. Everything he had thought he'd done for the kingdom of Hyrule had been turned against him.

Looking back at the castle, Link continued to run, tears streaming down his face. He would head for Lurelin, then set sail from there. And he would never return.

Link...Wake Up

You are the Hero

It is your duty...

I can't hold him any longer!

It's all your fault!

Link jolted out of his slumber. Looking up at the sky, he noticed the sun was up high.

Was it morning already?

Link had barely gotten any sleep. He had been plagued by nightmares all night. Nightmares of a time long past. He wasn't much of a heronow.

Yawning, he stretched his legs out, feeling his muscles go taut, then relax.

Slowly, he placed his palms on the ground, and pushed himself up.

It was time to leave.

He had spent the past few days running from the castle. Ganondorf was furious that he had escaped. Monsters had been sent out from the castle to search over the kingdom of Hyrule. They had run down everything, burning anything in their way.

Another one of his mistakes.

Luckily for Hyrule, he would be gone soon. Yawning again, he shambled out of his makeshift shelter. Grabbing his small sack of food, he stepped out of the rocky cave into the warm sunlight. The beach of Lurelin was beautiful this morning.

Too bad it would be the last time he would ever lay eyes upon it. Link shielded his eyes from the sun as he walked over to the abandoned docks of Lurelin. It looked like everyone had evacuated.

Good.Hopefully they were safe. Link knelt down, grabbed the frayed rope tying the boat to the docks, and began to unravel it.

Finishing the job, he grabbed the small boat, yanked an oar from the docks, and hopped in. Glancing one last time sadly over the beaches of Hyrule, he set sail.

Never to return.

"Ilia! We found a boy! He's washed up on the shores!"

Everything was fuzzy. He couldn't see anything. It felt like he was choking. He couldn't breathe! It was like there was nothing, except the strange sensations of something pushing on his chest.

"Is he dead, Dad?"

"I don't think so, Colin. He seems to be coming about."

Link turned his head towards the noise, confused.

"It's Okay there! Relax. You're in no condition to be getting up."

He heard footsteps pounding on wood. A girl's voice sounded. "Rusl! Is he okay?"

The voice from before spoke. I don't know Ilia, but he's not dead."

Link felt the choking sensation again. Jolting upright, he hacked out a cough. Water spalshed all over his front. It felt good, nice and cool, yet uncomfortable. Slowly opening his eyes, Link glanced around. The first thing he noticed was a tall man. He had short brown hair and a fuzzy beard. He was wearing a white tunic with some sort of green arm strap. Then the girl. She had dark brown hair, and was wearing a clean white dress. She must be Ilia. There was also a young boy with golden blonde hair. Looking around, Link realized he was in a small wooden hut. There was a window off to one side, and a door off to the other. "Where am I? Who are you?"He signed.

The man spoke up first. "I am Rusl. This," he gestured to the blond boy, "Is my son, Colin. And this young woman right here is Ilia. She and Colin found you washed up on our shores. This is Ordon. You're in Ordon village."

Yes!

He had done it! He had escaped Hyrule! They would never have to see him again!

"Where areyoufrom?" Ilia spoke up. "And what brings you here?"

Link's thoughts came to a stop."I...I don't want to talk about it."Too many painful memories."I feel a lot better now. May I please get up?"

"Not now. You need a lot of rest. You've been through quite the wringer." Rusl sighed. "Oh! I almost forgot! What's your name, young man?"

"Link."he signed,"And how do you know Hylian sign?" "We don't." Said Ilia. "I thought it was called Ordon sign!"

"Not so many questions!" Exclaimed Rusl. "You need your rest." Pushing Link back down into bed, he grabbed Colin by the shoulder and left.

"Goodbye Link, it was nice to meet you." Ilia left.

The next few days went by in a blur. Link spent hours on end sleeping comfortably in his bed. He also got constant visits from Colin and Ilia almost every day. They didn't talk about much, mostly just about Ordon. Hyrule was still too much of an uncomfortable subject for Link, so he tried to avoid it the best he could. Eventually, Rusl declared him well enough to take a walk around the house. From what little he could see, Ordon wasbeautiful! There were high, grassy, foothills that surrounded the whole tiny village. There was a wide, but shallow river running through the village. It reminded him of Kakariko. Link shook his head. He didn't want to think of Hyrule. This was his new home.

A few weeks later, Rusl deemed him well enough to join him working in the fields. As he stretched and climbed out of bed that morning, he had fleeting thoughts of all he had left behind. Fighting hard to push the thoughts out of his head, Link pushed open the door to start his day.

He was met by a huge crowd. It seemed like everyone from the village was here! The cheering was deafening. Link had just started to shyly back into the house when an important looking man stepped forward. "Welcome to our humble village Link!" he exclaimed. "I am Mayor Bo. I hope you find your stay here comfortable and enjoyable."

Link stepped back out."Thank you so much! I've enjoyed your hospitality."Heimmediately remembered his manners, and dropped down, his one knee slamming into the grassy field. Bo seemed taken aback. "Now now!" He laughed, "There's no need for such manners! I'm not royalty!" Link noticed Rusl pushing his way to the front of the crowd. Finally, a familiar face! "Thank you all for coming to meet Link. However, I believe we are overcrowding him." Rusl reached forwards and placed a strong hand on Link's shoulder. "We'll watch over Link until he's all the way healed." Rusl gestured towards the hills. "Come on Link, I'll show you the fields." Link followed Rusl out through the crowds. He couldn't help but feel excited.

This was his new life.

Riju's POV

Ugh.This sandstorm was like nothing Riju had ever seen. It had been going on for weeks! And these half-dead monsters, gibdos, Bularia had called them, wereeverywhere.Riju had tried hunting them down, but they seemed invincible to everything except her lightning, which she couldn't control properly.If only someone could help direct her strikes.The gibdos had forced their way into the town awhile back, and had long since decimated it, as well as the bazaar. They had been forced to retreat into the Gerudo secret shelter beneath the city. They had been taking in any refugees lost out in the storm. Evenvoes,it was that had lost all contact with the outside world. Riju had no idea if anyone was even alive out there. Sighing, she picked up her scimitar. She had been training at the ruins up by the Icehouse. Bularia was probably freaking out right now, and she had been getting nowhere anyway. Hopeless and alone, Riju trudged through the sand back towards the town, praying she didn't get lost.

Sidon's POV

What in hylia's name was going on? Huge, heavy clumps of purple sludge had been falling from the sky everywhere in Zora's Domain, contaminating their water. Anyone who came in contact with it became very ill. On top of that, it was hard as a rock. Anyone who had the misfortune of being out when it was falling was a goner. Sidon and the Zoras had been forced to take shelter in his father's secret shrine inside the mountain. It was the only place where they were safe from the sludge. His father, King Dorephean, had been the first to take shelter after he became gravely injured during an encounter with a strange sludge monster. Sidon had constantly been on the lookout for any survivors or messengers from Central Hyrule. He currently had no idea what had happened outside of Lanayru, or if anyone was even alive! Sighing, he turned around as he heard soft footsteps behind him. "Sidon! What are you doing up so late, my love?" It was Yona, his fiancee. "I'm just looking for survivors. If anyone's left out there, they might need help." Yona looked him in the eyes. "I know you're concerned, and I am too. But we're not going to get anywhere, if you're out of commission because you're so tired! I'll take the next watch." Sidon groaned. "Fine. I'll make a deal with you. I'll go get some rest, if you go fetch an experienced soldier to be on guard. I couldn't live with myself if you died, or even got injured!" Yona looked thoughtfully at him. "I suppose I'll go fetch Bazz. But only if you rest that anxious head of yours!" She giggled, before kissing him lightly on the cheek, and then left. Sidon sighed. Oh, how he had fallen in love with her. He headed to bed on the comforting notion that she was safe. But the thought that was stuck in the front of his head, was if they would even survive long enough to get married.

Yunobo's POV

Yunobo yawned as he lazily lay back against a wall.Ahhh. He was living it up. Death Mountain had stopped erupting, no monsters were attacking, he had a nice, fancy mask to wear, and his stomach was always full.

Man, this marbled rock roast was good!

Tulin's POV

They were running out of food. When the blizzard had hit, the Rito had first tried to wait it out in the village. But even their feathers and warm, fluffy clothes didn't stop the snow and winds. Eventually, the snow had piled up high enough that the Rito were forced to take shelter in the nearby Village Chasm that had opened up during the Upheaval. Inside the chasm, they had found what seemed to be an abandoned mine, however, lava was still flowing in the furnace. The lava was a blessing, it had kept them all warm for the past few weeks. Tulin walked forward and peered up at the chasm entrance. But now they were running out of food, and the steaming lava couldn't do a thing about that. Many of the Rito had already started to go hungry, and a few had never returned from looking for food. Harth had been one of them. Tulin walked back to where the Rito were huddling around the furnace, searching for Saki and Teba. Locating them among the mass of beaks and feathers, Tulin ran over to them, his talons clacking on the stone floor. "Mom! Dad! What are we going to do about the food? We're running out!" Teba turned around and picked his son up in a fluffy hug. "You're so young, you don't need to be worrying about things like that. Let me and your mom figure that out. You just keep warm and get some sleep. It's been a long few weeks." Tulin looked up at his dad. "But dad! If we don't do anything, the Rito will starve!" Teba sighed. "Yes, but that's not your responsibility." Tulin placed his small head on his dad's chest. "Dad?" He asked after a few seconds. "Yes, Tulin?" "Where's Link?" Teba sighed and looked up at the chasm wistfully. "I don't know, son. But right now, we could really use a hero."

Link stalked forward with his sword in hand, inching towards Zelda. She didn't notice. Link brought down his sword, slashing through her. Drops of red liquid splattered everywhere.

"Link! You are our light! The light that must shine upon Hyrule once again."

A dragon. Lazily drifting through the sky, all alone. Never to return to earth again.

Link jolted out of bed, his face sweaty and cold. Shivering, he shook his head. These night terrors were getting worse every day. The moon was still up high. Sighing, Link got out of bed. He might as well start his day, if all he was going to have were nightmares when he went to sleep. Wanting some peace from his thoughts, Link slowly pushed open his door and crept past Rusl and Colin's rooms. Trying his hardest not to make a sound, he reached the front door. Pushing it open, he stepped out into the night. A cool, fresh breeze ruffled through his hair. The night was refreshing. Link took a deep breath.Calm down.He wasn't in Hyrule anymore. He didn't need to worry about it.But you do!Insisted a nagging thought in the back of his mind.It's your fault! You're the Hero! You need to fix your mistakes!But all he did wasmakemistakes! How could he fix them? Link pushed the voice out of his head as he walked down towards the river. He was nothing but a burden to Hyrule. Sitting down by the river, he began to cry. Tears dripped down his face as he thought about how much of a failure he was. Link dipped his hand into the river and cupped some water into his palms. He splashed the river water into his face, not wanting anyone to see his tears.

"Link! What are you doing out here this early?"

Link whipped around, startled. Ilia was standing behind him, her hand reaching out for his shoulder. Wiping his face on his sleeve, Link quickly backed away from Ilia, tripped over a rock, and fell backwards into the river. Ilia knelt down and offered a hand to help him up, as he madly scrambled away from her. "Link?" Ilia looked at him questioningly. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

Link finally managed to stand up and right himself. "NO! I'M NOT OKAY!" He shouted, his voice grainy and rough from disuse. He hadn't spoken for over a century. "I'M A FAILURE! A STUPID WORTHLESS FAILURE!" Ilia looked taken aback by this sudden outburst. Link covered his mouth, ashamed of what he had just done. He really was just a burden. So, yet again, he did the only thing he could.

He ran.

TW: There are some mentions of self-harm andslightmentions of suicide.

Ilia's POV

"NO! I'M NOT OKAY! I'M A STUPID WORTHLESS FAILURE!" Ilia, startled, stepped backwards, nervous that he would shout again. But he didn't. He ran. Link dashed through the shallow river, his boots spraying up mist behind him. Ilia sat down on the riverbank, and began to fidget with the pebbles. Why did Link yell at her? Why did he feel that way? He wasn't a failure! It was all so confusing. Ilia got up, and began to follow Link's footsteps. It looked like he had gone through the foothills and down to the beach.

No wait...He had gone up the foothills, to the high cliff by the beach. Ilia gasped, immediately thinking the worst would happen, and took off running.No no no!She couldn't let him do it! Dashing up the small trail, she finally reached the top. There he was, sitting alone by the edge of the cliff. "Link! NO! Don't do it!" She screamed, afraid he would jump. Link didn't make any response. He just sat there, rocking back and forth, mumbling something to himself. Ilia walked up to him and sat down. "Link? Can you look at me?" She asked. Link didn't answer, there was just the quiet sound of sobbing. Looking closer, Ilia noticed his sleeves were rolled up, and it looked like he had been scratching himself. Hard. There were large scrapes running up and down his arms as well as many cuts set up in perfect lines. There wasnoway it had been an accident. "Link, did you do this to yourself?" Ilia asked. Link nodded. "Why?"

"Because, I failed." Link whispered, his voice choked up.

Ilia crept closer. "How did you fail? Maybe I can help."

Link looked at her. "No, you can't. It's my duty. My duty to the kingdom of Hyrule. It's where I served as a Royal Knight. I protected the princess It'smyjob to protect her, and I failed!" Link burst out, starting to cry again. "I was acoward!I left her all alone, after I failed her! It's the reason I'm missing an arm!"

Ilia looked at him and gasped in shock. She hadn't even noticed! He had hid it so well in his sleeve, she never noticed. "I...I'm so sorry. I had no idea what you were going through." Physical as well as emotional. This kid...he really was something.

"That's still no reason to hurt yourself. If you're too hurt to save Hyrule, than who will? Not to mention, I'm sure your Zelda doesn't want you to do this. SO many people out there love you Link. Everyone here does, and they just met you!"

"Thanks." Link sighed. "So what, you think I should go back to Hyrule?"

"No, I think you should do what you think you should do."

Link groaned and started laughing, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I think I should go be the hero that I'm supposed to be."

Ilia laughed. "Well then! Go forth, Hero of Hyrule, and slay the Demon!"

Link's POV

Link walked down with Ilia to the docks. It was strange how everything just worked out sometimes. His eyes had long since dried out of tears, and he was back to speaking in sign. Untying his boat from the docks, he grabbed an oar and prepared to set sail. "Link! Wait!" It was Ilia. "You can't leave without this." She brought over a large bundle and heaved it into his boat with a grunt. "If you're going to save Hyrule, you need weapons!"

But he already had a weapon! Link reached around to grab the Master Sword. But it wasn't there. Thinking back, Link tried to remember when he had last used it, while trying not to freak out. Did he kill Purah with it? No...that was a different sword. A dark blade. But when he fought himself as Dark Link he had it! Link groaned, the realizations crashing down upon him. He had left the sword in his own gut.

The Master Sword was lost in the past.

(Author's Note)

I want EVERYONE her reading this, not reading this, and anyone else to know that self-harm and suicide is NOT the answer. There's SO much more to live for. Your family, your life, any relationships, fun, happiness, and SO much more! All self-harm does is hurt yourself, your relationships, and ruins your life. It does nothing for you, and only leads to more pain in the future. Many people out there love you. GOD loves you, your family, your readers, your friends, even I love you! I hope anyone out there dealing with this stuff can find therapy, get help, and get better. Trust me, it's boring, but it helps. It's okay to not be okay, and it's okay to need help. It's a long emotional journey, but I believe you can make it through. Get the help you need, you deserve it!

I hope this message helps anyone out there dealing with this.

GOD bless you, and have a wonderful day!