Author's Note: I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and a great start to their new year! I've decided that starting from last chapter, I'm gonna publicly reply to one review/comment from you! This week we have... drum roll please... Resha Tsubaki. Thank you for the praise about this story. Zelda's emotions are all over the place right now. After losing her mother before her very eyes and pretty much being ousted from the place she had called her home for her entire life, she is a mess. But you will definitely get a glimpse of how Zelda reacts in this chapter. Thank you for the review!

Also, some great news! My awesome friend, Marginallyflailing, has offered to become a beta reader for me! What does it mean for the story? Well, my friend here actually has a degree in this type of stuff so that now means far fewer grammar mistakes as well as less redundancy and run on sentences. Also, she is someone I will definitely go to to talk out ideas or ask questions and gauge her opinion on how stuff is going with this fic. So basically, it means better chapters and an overall better story. So thank you!

I feel like I had more to say but... I forgot... whoops!

Chapter 10

Denizens of Hyrule! This is a call to arms!

For too long has the government controlled our lives with an unjust, iron fist. For too long has the tyrannical dogs known as the royal family of this land, used us in opposition of the doctrine of the Golden Godesses. They willed our sons into a battle with the malicious Gerudos to our west but it was through this war that the pernicious attitude from our so-called leaders were exposed. Even after the stagnant outcomes from each battle, they insist further sacrifices are necessary to win. But what is it we will win? The question you, the denizen of this proud land must ask yourself, is this: what is really worth the suffering our sons and soldiers endure on the battlefront? Is it really worth tearing families apart for months on end just to fight this pointless war? Is the pride of our land worth our blood?

It is time to end this! The time is now!

WANTED: Princess Zelda Hyrule

"Son of a Redead!" Malon cursed as a crate of empty bottles tumbled from the back of the wagon. She had just returned from a delivery to the far off Hateno Village and had been emptying the carriage when the debacle occurred. The farm girl took a heavy breath to calm herself and bent at the knees to begin picking them up. Glass bottles were an expensive commodity in Hyrule and with the turmoil and uneasiness in the market these days, the ranch simply couldn't afford to have them replaced. Malon examined one of them in her hands, frowning when the crack that ran the entire length of the bottle met her eye. She let out a sigh when the rest of the overturned bottles focused into her eyes. Most were cracked or shattered.

"I can have those replaced for you," came a quiet whisper to her right.

Malon looked up to see the princess walking over to her through the snowy, brisk, evening air. She bent down to assist the farm girl in picking up the broken bottles. The relationship between the two girls continued to be turbulent, both finding it easier to avoid each other altogether than trying to mend the situation. In the month that she had been here, the two would only spend meals together at the most. This was the reason why Malon found it strange that the princess came to aid her.

"It's fine really. Just a few bottles is all," she muttered impassively, returning her attention to the task at hand.

Malon suddenly winced as the jagged edge of a broken bottle cut through her skin, a steady flow of blood beginning to spill from the cut blotching the snow beneath her. Zelda saw this but chose to say nothing about it.

"Princess, really, it's fine. It's just a few bottles."

An uncomfortable silence beset the two as they finished picking up the rest of the shattered bottles, both being careful to avoid any further cuts from the sharp glass. Zelda returned to the house as soon as the job was finished, leaving Malon to finish locking up the rest of the ranch for the night.

The farm girl trudged through the snow and led the horses into the stables, unhooking the carriage just outside of them, where she groomed the mares for a little for a while. By the time she finished making sure the rest of the animals were taken care of for the night, the sky had turned black, and through the blowing snow, only the light shining through the window of her house could be seen.

Malon pulled up the hood on her coat and folded her arms against her chest before she began walking over to the entrance of the ranch. Snowflakes landed on her nose and eyelashes, bringing a smile to her face. This sensation was one of her favorite things about winter. The cold was brutal, no doubt about that, but the simple childlike wonder that a snowy night would bring to her would somehow make all of her other worries in life melt away.

She finally made it to the entrance of the ranch and frowned upon reaching it. She looked up at the wooden sign above her with disappointment. The sign, which had once proudly welcomed everyone to Lon Lon Ranch, had been falling apart in the past few years, but this winter especially had taken its toll on it. The board was rotting, the paint had greatly faded, nails had fallen out, the sign itself was tilted slightly due to this. It wasn't the grand sign Malon remembered from her childhood and it needed reparations badly. But money was tight on the ranch these days.

Reluctantly, she unfolded her arms, exposing her hands to the elements, and began drawing the gate closed. It had swung half way shut when it had lodged against something under the snow. Malon pulled and pushed against the gate but it was to no avail. The wooden fence would simply not shut. She frowned as she made this conclusion and pulled her hood tighter around her head before bending over and digging her already numb fingers through the frigid snow. Just as her fingertips began to lose all sensation, they ran over a small rock that was lodged into the frozen ground. She gripped it and with little effort was able to pop it out of the ground. Smiling from her victory, she brought her fingers up to her mouth and let out a long breath on them, trying to warm them up. She did this multiple times and gazed out across the open field of Hyrule as she did. It was black, the blowing snow made sure to make the visibility decrease even more than usual. But she couldn't help but cock her head sideways when the sound of a horse's neigh hit her ear. She squinted and tried to gaze even further when suddenly, a brown mare charged at her. Malon barely jumped out of the way in time and landed, hands outstretched, in the snow. She turned her head and watched as the horse charged into the ranch, avoiding the half shut gate with ease.

Malon cursed to herself as she quickly jumped back to feet and brushed the snow off of her person before running into the ranch to yell at the horse's rider, closing the gate behind her on her way.

'How reckless! I could've been hurt!' she thought to herself. 'Why, when I let that Hylian have a talkin to from me…' Malon let her mind run wild, fueled by the anger of almost being run over and from having to stay outside longer than she had needed to. She trudged through the snow and followed the sounds of the horse's frantic whinnies before finally seeing it reappear in front of the stable.

"What in Hylia's name were you thinking? You charged at me like some crazy Ordonian goat! Hey! Aren't you gonna say something? I mean it really- Great Din!"

Malon rushed to the horse as its rider pose became clear. Though there was a Hylian situated upon its saddle, the Hylian was slouched forward, their hand caught between their body and the horses neck as if they had been pressuring a wound before losing consciousness.

"Sweet Din, what happened to you?" Malon asked as she reached up to shake him and see if he would stir at all. He didn't. And that's when she yelled for her father.

"I should whack you upside the head for that night. You really had me worried that night Fairy Boy."

"Oh calm down. You didn't even know it was me," I chortled as I handed the lady behind the counter two red rupees from my wallet.

"Well it had been like 6 or 7 years since I had seen you last," I escorted her to a table not far from where the counter had been, "You're getting me distracted from the main point I was trying to prove. You could've died! And then I wouldn't be able to pester ya like I am right now! I would've been so lonely!"

The upward curve of her lips really didn't aid the concern in her voice. To this, I could only laugh in response.

"I don't think I ever really did thank you for helping me that night though."

"I think this lovely date you're taking me on right now is plenty good enough!" she giggled, as the same lady brought us each out a wildberry crepe, a big smile on her face as well.

"And I think you are quite the lucky guy to be going out with lovely Malon here." She winked at the girl, eliciting another round of giggles from her.

"Please don't encourage her," I muttered, blushing as I did.

"Oh I'm only messing with you, Fairy Boy," She playfully nudged me before picking up a fork and making quick work of the dessert, "Thanks for the crepe, by the way."

I watched as she shoveled another forkful into her already stuffed mouth. A smile crept onto my face as she repeated this series of actions and it wasn't until the third time that her eyes finally met mine. Her hand stalled in midair as a coy smile formed upon her.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking about how you are the picture of sophisticated dining is all."

She shook her head slightly,

"Hey, I'm gonna enjoy something this tasty! I don't get treats like this often on the ranch. And Fairy Boy, either get on with the story, eat that crepe, or I'm gonna help myself to it!"

I thought about it for a second. She was enjoying it. So I pushed my plate towards her with a warm grin.

"I'm not hungry anyways."

Zelda quietly groaned to herself. She had just blown out the candle beside her bed but Malon, of course, had to make a ruckus and light it again. She turned over and peeked an eye open but much to her dismay, she couldn't see too much as the farm girl had her back to the drowsy princess.

"Malon, could you blow that candle out. I'm trying to sleep."

Malon quickly swiveled and ran to her dresser, where she began fishing through the drawers.

"I'm sorry, princess. I'll try to keep it down but I really need the light," she all but whispered.

Zelda sat up, bringing the covers to her chest as she did.

"You sound upset. What is concerning you so?"

Malon, hands tossing around clothes in the dresser, only tilted her head to the side. Confusion ridden, the princess awaited another, more formal response but quickly followed the direction of her head tilt. Her eyes widened at the sight of a blonde haired boy about her age unclothed from the waist up, laying on the bed Malon usually slumbered in. She jumped up and ran to the bed, examining a large cut on his torso.

"I just found him on a horse that galloped on in." Malon made her way back with makeshift gauze and a bottle of red potion clutched tightly in her hands. Zelda quickly moved to the side, allowing Malon the space she needed to work. The girl poured a bit of the potion directly on the wound, causing the boy to stir lightly.

"Well that's a good sign…" she muttered, continuing her handiwork. Within a few minutes, Malon had managed to stop the bleeding and successfully wrapped the wound with some spare cloth. "We gotta let him rest now. I've done all I can. The rest is up to Hylia at this point. You mind watching him while I go and wash up a bit?" She lifted her blood-covered hands and looked down at her outfit, noticing her once pristine attire had splotches of red adorning it.

Zelda of course complied and soon found herself alone with the unconscious stranger. She slowly made her way to the bed and sat down on the side of it, staring down at the him. Her hands were folded neatly within her lap, her golden locks were loose and rested gently against her back, her blue eyes gazed out at his closed eyelids. She couldn't help but smile as she reached out and pulled the blankets up and over him slightly. But it was when her hands grazed over the boy's chest and wounds that she immediately dropped the blankets and stared, wide eyed at the back of her left hand. It was faint at first, but the brilliant golden light emanating from her dorsal surface quickly brightened and soon enveloped the entirety of the room. However, just as quickly as it had appeared, it had disappeared entirely. All that was left was a greyed out Triforce etched on her skin. She looked down to where the once open wounds had been only to find them completely healed up as well. Not even a scar remained on his skin.

"Was that…" she mumbled to herself, examining her hand thoroughly. Her thought process was immediately interrupted by the clattering of dishes that dropped from the trembling hands of the awed Malon.

The boy awoke the next day, dazed and confused, but Malon had been very patient with him. She explained how she had found him atop his horse and that she had helped his wounds to the best of her abilities. When he had asked where the wounds were, both Malon and Zelda could only look each other in the eyes and silently agree not to mention the miraculous event that had occurred in the room the night before. Malon instead chose to use the fairy in a bottle explanation instead. He seemed skeptical at first but soon seemed to buy it.

Malon gently sat back down on his bed after having fetched a glass of water for the boy.

"So, if I may ask, what were you doing out there on such a cold night?"

The boy took a sip of water and retracted his eyes from the farm girl.

"I… I don't remember too much about what happened that night. All I remember was that I think I found what I was looking for but…"

Zelda and Malon exchanged quick sideways glances before the princess felt it to be her time to speak up and ask a question herself.

"Do you happen to remember where you were coming from?"

He smiled a grim grin but had not willed himself to look at the two girls.

"I… I've been all over Hyrule and beyond. I've been to the northern mountains in Hebra, I've ventured to this… damned land somewhere in the Lost Woods… I've seen the ocean far to the west…" Link paused before chuckling. "I guess I haven't really answered your question though have I?" Malon shed a warm smile and politely shook her head. "What I was getting at is that all of these places… they blend together after a while. But… if I can recall correctly… what I remember last was entering the Lost Woods again…"

"That cannot be possible…" Zelda quietly muttered, gaining the attention of the other two. "Anyone who enters the Lost Woods returns only as a Stalfos…"

"You seem well traversed in Hylian lore, my lady," the boy stared right into the princess's eyes. "You must excuse me. I appear to have forgotten my manners as I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself and ask for the names of the ones who saved me." The boy shifted upright in the bed. "My name is Link."

The girls simultaneously gasped. It all started to make sense. His blonde hair, his blue eyes, his travels…

"Is it… Is it really you Link?"

He smiled up at the two, eyes casting between the two girls seated at the foot of the bed, a playful smirk etched across his lips.

"Surprise!"

S-M-A-C-K

Link peered up at the princess, his own hand brushing against his cheek. Malon's bewildered expression matched his own.

"How dare you come back!"

"Zelly, I didn't mean to leave but I- "

"Don't say anything, you… fickle fool! You left me! You left all of us!"

"I didn't want to go but it's just that I-"

"You think those… those letters were any solace? You wrote about these grand times you were having out in the mountains or out in the desert but did you ever once think about what I had to go through without you? I was stuck within the walls of that… ghastly castle!"

"Zelda, if you were hurting so bad, you should have told me. I would've come to help you out-" Malon had piped in but her words were cut short by the now bleary-eyed princess.

"Oh yeah… I forgot how much of a help you were the other night when you practically told me to just forget about my mother Malon! How could I forget how amazing you were as a friend that day."

Malon abruptly rose and glared at the princess.

"You've got some real issues, Your Royal Highness," The farm girl then shifted her attention back to the boy. "Link, if you need anything, just holler." She then bent down and wrapped her arms tightly around him and whispered into his ear, "Thank you for coming back, Link."

Link looked up at her as she straightened up after ending their small embrace. Her eyes were welling, Zelda had hurt her, she was straining to keep from letting the moisture leave her eyes but he knew the second that she exited, the dam would burst.

Link looked back to the princess moments later only to find her somber eyes staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something but she put up a hand and instead chose to leave the room altogether as well.

"This is boring."

"Well what do you want me to talk about?" I asked confused by her small outburst.

Malon put her hands up defensively.

"All I was trying to say, Fairy Boy, is that I was there too. I remember all of this, though I will say it is fun to reminisce about you getting slapped across the cheek like that!" I chuckled at that little comment. Looking back, it was pretty funny. Goddesses know I deserved it too. "Anyways, it's just… boring and just… it seems like mostly unnecessary detail at this point."

"Most of this story is unnecessary if you ask me," I grumbled to which I received a sharp strike from her boot to my leg.

"It's important to me!"

"It's a waste of time to me."

"Aw come on Fairy Boy. You get to spend all this time with little ol' me. Isn't that making this all worthwhile in it of itself?"

I looked at her with a coy smile.

"Well I'd enjoy your company more if I had one of those Lon Lon specials from the milk bar in front of me."

She just rolled her eyes.

The days went by slowly. Link insisted he had recovered and felt fine but was ushered by Talon and Malon to rest a few more days. During this time, Malon would visit him every evening and listen to more of his tales from his time adventuring. By far her favorite story had been about the time Link had inadvertently caused an entire bar to begin brawling. He hadn't known the customs of the tiny, tucked-away, mountain town but one wrong hand gesture was all it had taken to send the quiet pub into a frenzy. Another story Malon had found to be quite entertaining was when Link had found himself strapped for rupees at the ocean's edge miles west of the Gerudo Desert. A caravan of thieves had ambushed him but instead of stealing anything away from him, Link had managed to somehow turn the tables and ended up selling them a decent number of arrows he had convinced them were induced with the power to melt anything upon contact. Link had forgotten however, to mention that the magical fire arrows only worked with magic granted by a Great Fairy.

"Wait wait wait," the farm girl's contagious laughter enveloped the tiny room and had been all evening. "So, you're telling me, these thieves who were trying to ransack you… ended up giving you rupees because you convinced them your arrows were magical?!"

Link held up his hands, palms outward in a defensive manner. "Hey, I gave them a demonstration. It is not my fault that they forgot to ask about specific details!"

The two laughed for a little while longer before the ever-familiar silence greeted their ears. Then, as if some painful thought had brushed across her mind, Malon's face saddened and her eyes dropped to the ground.

"Why did you leave?" Her voice was somber as the words fell from her tongue. "Why didn't you come back, Fairy Boy?" Her eyes looked into his own as if they were desperately searching for an answer within them.

Link in response turned his head away and pulled over his torso.

"I had to…"

"No, you didn't Link! You know that you were always welcome here at the ranch! If things with the princess weren't going well at the castle-"

"It wasn't her…"

Malon shuffled towards him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Then tell me Link… what was it?"

"I… I can't tell you, Malon. And it's not just because I can't tell you specifically. I can't tell anyone."

"Well why not?" Link remained silent and ever reticent about the truth. "Link… you can't keep living with a burden on your shoulder like this. It'll only end up hurting you more!"

Link smiled at her attempts to console him.

"Malon… I can't-"

"What are you hiding, Link? I saved your life! The least you could tell me is why you left in the first place!"

"I'm sorry, Malon."

The girl huffed and retracted her hand.

"You're unbelievable, Link," she whispered.

Link speechlessly watched as the farm girl rose to her feet and exited the room, brushing past the princess on her way out. Zelda looked back at Malon, whose tears were beginning to form, and momentarily contemplated going to her instead. She shook her head though continued her journey through the door where Link sat with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Hey," she muttered quietly to him, to which he responded with just a small nod. Zelda stepped towards the vase on the nightstand adjacent to the bed. "These really are lovely flowers." Her fingers danced between the ivory outlined, cerulean petals. "Silent Princesses, are they not?" Link nodded. "Such a beauty to look at. We've been trying to cultivate them for years but despite our best efforts, they only seem to flourish in the wildlands of Hyrule." Zelda's fingers slipped back to her sides and walked to the bed. "May I?" She asked, gesturing to the bed. He didn't respond, causing the princess to sigh and sit gently on its edge. "Should I ask why Malon appeared so upset just now?" Link's eyes shifted from her to the window. He didn't offer any reply. "Look Link, I really am very sorry about last night. Seeing you so hurt like you were… and then realizing it was you after so many years… and with everything else going on, it was all just so… overwhelming to me and I guess I took it out on you and I'm sorry for that but everything just seems so confusing now and I'm scared and-"

"I missed you."

Zelda's eyes flickered. His voice pierced through her own but she didn't feel any anger nor bear any resentment towards him for it. Instead she felt… Satisfied? Happy? Relieved? She didn't know what to say to him as she stared at him with a blank expression.

"I… missed you too."

Really? That's all I can say to him?! Zelda chided herself.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I wanted to come back as soon as I could…"

"You missed my birthday."

The two locked eyes and broke out into a comfortable laughter. The princess swiped at her eye as it died down, wiping the happy tear out of it. A warm silence soon befell them, the two teens sitting apart from each other, neither knowing what to say to the other.

"You were gone for so long. The castle… it felt strange without you there."

"I'm sure it wasn't all completely… insufferable for you though."

Zelda smiled when the flashes of good times did cross her.

"No, there were some pleasant times I enjoyed. You remember Meridth?"

"You mean good ol' Dead Hand Meridth with the wicked looking hair?" Link asked with an accompanying chuckle. "I used to always think she was out to get us. You remember that time we were playing hide and seek over by the library?"

Zelda eagerly nodded, "And you hid in that suit of armor!"

"And when I popped out to scare you,"

"The suit tipped over and fell right onto Meridth and broke like, all twenty plates she was carrying!" Zelda fell onto her back in a fit of laughter, Link matched it with his own.

"I still remember her face when it happened."

"I still remember yours!" the princess added with a chortle. "I've never seen such fear written upon a person's face as I did on yours that day!" Zelda brushed a happy tear out of his eye as his own laughter began to sputter. "Meridth was a… special individual… but as I grew up, she began to grow on me more. I wouldn't go as far as to say I befriended the once witch, but she wasn't as intolerable as she had been back when you were there…"

The mood in the room visibly changed as they both hushed and prepared themselves for the inevitable question to surface.

"Did you have fun?"

Link cocked his head sideways, completely thrown off from her query.

"What do you mean?"

Zelda scoot herself closer to the head of the bed where the boy sat.

"Well it's not that hard to understand Link. I grew up locked away in that… damned castle. The thought of being able to roam around all of Hyrule and the lands beyond is… well it's simply captivating! I spend all of my time trapped in that building learning about how to rule without ever seeing what it is I will truly be ruling over! I want to know what it's like to swim with the Zoras. I want to see the sun rise and set over the crisp waters of Lake Hylia. I want to roll around Goron City and see just how good Dodongo Rock Roast is!"

"If I remember correctly, the last time someone gave you the idea to venture up the mountains of Hyrule, it ended in a certain someone almost being burnt to a crisp."

"Well that's why I keep you around, Linky." Zelda reached out and squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"I had no idea I served no other purpose to the Royal Family other than to act as the safety device when a certain princess decides she would like to tempt the fates."

"Sounds like a pretty good gig to me! I mean, you get to spend time with none other than Hyrule's future."

Link tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"You're Hyrule's future? Sweet Din I had no idea the future looked so grim."

If Link could've placed bets, he would've put a thousand rupees down that Zelda would've hit him on the shoulder, playfully of course, but he would've won.

"I didn't miss those little snarky comments of yours, Link."

"Yes you did."

"Well maybe a little," she winked at him to which he replied with a chuckle. "I really did miss you though."

"I did too, Zelly."

"I thought you were happy at the castle with me. All those fun times, I thought you found them fun too but… I just don't get why you left…"

"Zelda… I didn't want to go."

"Was it because of me?" Zelda's eyes filled with anguish as her eyes found his. "I know I was a bratty little kid I bet but-"

"It wasn't because of you, Zelly. Sweet Hylia no, it was not you! You're the reason my childhood was any fun."

She tried to hide the grin that threatened to form.

"Then why did you go?"

"Zelly… I can't tell you…"

She sighed and moved away from him slightly

"And why not? I thought we made a pact to never keep any secrets from each other when we were young!" she said, disgruntled.

"Look Zelly, I'll tell you when it's time."

"Fine Link. Can you at least answer one other question?"

"Sure Zelly."

Her face changed and turned serious. She straightened her back and locked her eyes on his.

"Link, if you don't answer this question… I'll know what that means… But I also can tell when you're lying to me. Part of my princess training has taught me to decipher a lie when I see one. So just… answer truthfully, ok?" He nodded his head. "Ok Link… I fought with my father… quite a bit after you left. Have you seen those posters of you in town?"

Link gulped.

'I know where this is going.'

"Look, I fought with him to have those taken down. I always argued it wasn't you who did it. There wasn't ever enough evidence I always told him. But he never listened." Zelda closed her eyes and took in a sharp breath. "Look Link, I just want to ask you straight out. I've wanted to know for years…" She opened her eyes and once again locked her gaze on his.

"Link, did you kill Ganondorf?"

"I was trapped in a corner. I wanted to say no. I wanted to have her believe that everything she had fought for had been for a reason but…" I looked down at my fingers, twiddling idly with themselves. "But I didn't want to lie to her either. I mean… how could I?"

She smiled at me and placed her hand upon my shoulder in a comforting squeeze.

"You did the right thing. You wouldn't be… you if you had chosen to lie to her."

"She hated me when I answered."

"She did not, Fairy Boy. She was just… surprised I think…"

"Her relationship with her father suffered because of me. She fought for me and… I let her down…"

"Link, look at me. You killed him because that's what was best for her and for Hyrule. For all you know, he would have… done the unthinkable if you had not acted first." She somehow knew how to soothe my woes. "You did it because…" She sighed and I could see the strain in her smile. It was not a happy smile… It was somber but there was no bitterness in it. "You did it because you loved her."

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