Title: Failure

Rating: T

Pairings: Nayru x Ralph

Genre: Romance/Angst

A/N: This story is somewhere between two temples during the game Oracle of Ages, while Link is saving the world and Nayru is back at home waiting for him and Ralph to come home.

Also my first attempt at a Zelda fic. Hope it's good, enjoy!
Take care!

Loud breathing noises could be heard through the empty valley as a teenage boy trudged through the muddy ground. The rain pelted down heavily upon his body, mixing with the dirt and blood that had caked upon himself during his travels. A single lightning bolt tore through the navy clouds, drenching the area in light for a fraction of a second before it was thrown back into a looming darkness.

Holding an arm across his broken ribs, Ralph stumbled through the rocks and mud puddles, never giving up his stride. He knew that one single stop, one halt for breath, and he would be down for the entire evening. It was futile to even consider a short break if he wanted to reach his destination before morning.

He was now certain that Nayru's house was about an hour away if he hurried up a little. Yet with factors like the weather, horrendous pain, heavy weapons and clothing, and lastly, despair… the trip seemed to be in slow-motion. A few seconds felt more like dozens of hours as he stumbled through the valley in the direction that he hoped would bring him to his childhood friend.

It wasn't like if he wasn't proud of his success. After all, he did manage to get quite a good number of hits on monsters that were twice his height… but every time he showed up at a temple, ready to ravage into any possible clue that might lead him to the Sorceress Veran, the trail was cold. Definite signs of someone passing through were evident everywhere. Scuff marks on the walls, human footprints on the ground, dead creatures lying everywhere… it was quite obvious that Link, who had unconsciously managed to become his rival, had already saved the day in this area.

Of course, to anyone this would be great news. But not to him. It was more like a bitter acknowledgement, the last six times he stepped into a temple only to find it cleaned. Link was obviously stronger, faster, smarter, and an all-around better fighter than him. A better man than him. A better protector for Nayru too, he supposed…

Shaking his head, Ralph looked up at the Lybranna sky with angry eyes. He was the boy who had to protect the Oracle, not that strange kid who randomly showed up only weeks ago! Yet he felt more like a follower than anything else, a poor apprentice looking jealously at his master's work, wishing he could do the same.

Another fresh wave of pain from his ribs made him cringe. The last temple had been rather impressive in its level of difficulty. Somehow, a monster had crept up behind him and they had delivered quite a fight. Thankfully, he had gotten out of it with only a few cracked ribs, a large and painful gash on his shoulder, and a dozens of cuts and bruises. His adversary had gotten death as his end of the bargain.

Finally, his eyes were set upon a small glade, with smoke lazily coming up a tiny chimney on top. All the lights were out, so the young warrior figured it was rather late at night. He knew that it was only a brief stop. Fresh clothing, some bandages for his wounds, maybe a hot meal or sleep… afterwards, the battles and wars would call him back.

Stopping at the door, he let his ribcage go from his supportive grasp and felt a huge rush of pain that nearly made him double over. Gritting his teeth with pride, he rummaged around in his pockets and found the object he was searching for. Sliding the silver key in the lock, he easily turned the knob and a satisfying 'click' was heard. As he was pushing the door open, he was gladly met by warmth and the overall feeling of being home.

The only light in the room was from the stove, which burned brightly in the tiny kitchen. Quickly as to not to disturb Nayru, Ralph slid into his own small bedroom, situated directly beside the Oracle's.

His room hadn't changed one bit. It looked like nothing had been touched and he knew that Nayru could be trusted – she definitely hadn't gone through his personal belongings. Shutting the door behind him, he took off his soaked cloak and shirt, shivering at both the coolness and the pain that this simple act roughly provided.

The painful task of wrapping bandages around his wounded ribs was hard, but somehow manageable. He knew that the tightness, even if it currently only added to his agony, was a definite good thing since it would help the healing process. It was a sad necessity.

After slipping into warmer clothing, he carefully walked to the end of the room and placed both of his hands on the soft wooden wall, then pressed his cheek between his hands. His emerald eyes closed as he stilled his breathing and forced his hearing sense to kick itself into gear.

Absolutely no noise.

The silence alarmed him, since he could usually manage to hear Nayru breathe during her sleep. Frowning with worry, the teenage boy forgot his pain and, not caring about stealth anymore, left his room and was in front of Nayru's bedroom door in an instant. Reaching down and turning the knob, he pushed the door open nervously and poked his head through the opening.

The light from behind him dawned out of the corridor and briefly lighted the sleeping girl – no, woman – who rested in her bed. Her royal blue hair cascaded down her shoulders as her entire body raised and fell with every even breath.

Feeling reassured, Ralph smiled to himself and stepped closer to the woman. She was usually a light sleeper, so he figured that she must've been rather busy today for her not to wake up upon his arrival.

The warrior stopped beside his protégé's bed and looked down at her carefully for any signs of her being hurt or upset. Finding none, he breathed a soft sigh of relief and, in an afterthought, reached over and pushed a small strand of hair that had rebelliously stuck on her face. With the act came a short brush of her cheek, which instantly stirred the woman awake.

Feeling her move under his touch, he retreated a few steps and waited for her to fully wake up. It didn't take long for her to do so, since the second that she opened her eyes, she noticed the figure standing a few feet from her bed, who was watching her intently. Adrenaline shot through her sleep, jerking her fully into an awoken mode, as her clear voice devoid of fatigue snapped, "Who is it?!"

Stepping into the light that protruded from the stove, Ralph gave a small tilt of his head in acknowledgement and said, "It's me, Nayru."

Hearing her protector say her name, the blue-haired woman's features relaxed and her face lit up with a smile. "Welcome home!" she exclaimed happily, jumping out of bed and rushing over to him.

Ralph was much too acutely aware of the way her short nightgown swished around her knees as she stopped in front of him. Slipping her fragile-looking arms around her childhood friend, she pressed herself to him in a heartwarming embrace.

Almost protectively, Ralph returned the affectionate hug, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing in his ribs that occurred when the small woman held him. The sheer intensity of holding an Oracle in his arms was enough to make him shiver involuntarily, yet at the same time he felt himself relax. After all, didn't he always react this way when Nayru hugged him?

Allowing himself a familiarity he never had before, he leaned down and dropped his cheek on the top of her head, his exhaustion coming back full-force. Inhaling her lovely floral scent, he forced his body to decompress from its usual tense pose he adorned in case of a sudden attack during his adventures.

A few seconds later, Nayru pulled back and peered up at him with sudden curiosity. "Veran isn't dead. I still feel her aura, even if she's dozens of years across time."

Shaking his head lamely, Ralph adverted his eyes bitterly before muttering, "I haven't found out enough about how to beat her, yet. Link has most of the essences; I figured that there was only one left. With my luck he probably has it already."

Sensing the throbbing anger in her protector, the teenage Oracle narrowed her eyes lightly and took his hand. A light frown covered her pretty face as she said, "You're freezing. Plus your hair is soaking wet. I'm guessing you just got here, correct?"

Ralph only had time to nod slightly before she led him into the small area they called the living room. Two comfortable couches facing each other and a small table in between, period. Once he was sitting down, she left the room and began to rummage around the kitchen.

Closing his eyes, the redhead lowered his head and suddenly felt like punching something. He had seen the disappointment in Nayru's eyes as soon as she had realized that he came home empty handed, without having accomplished what he had set out to do.

"A failure… nothing else…" he breathed out, shaking his head in annoyance at himself.

At that moment, Nayru halted her entrance and looked at the boy, the small frown never leaving her face. She had obviously overheard him whisper and suddenly felt a surge of pity for him. Placing the cup of steaming coffee she had hastily prepared down on the table, she lowered her body beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"You aren't," she simply said, smiling lightly even though he wasn't even looking at her.

Keeping his eyes shut, Ralph scoffed lightly and snapped out, "Not a failure? Then why am I always being the one following Link? If I wasn't a failure, Veran would be dead already! If I wasn't a failure, this wouldn't have happened in the first place and she would've never gotten you while I was stupidly staring!"

Remembering the time where Veran had controlled her body, Nayru felt herself shiver lightly. She had to prove him wrong, though; it wasn't like Ralph to talk to denigrate himself like he was doing right now.

"Ralph, you've been protecting me all our lives. You've refused to be the heir of the royal family because you wanted to follow me and make sure nothing wrong would happen. I owe you my life dozens of time, you are not a failure! It's not your fault that Veran is around, and about Link…" At the mention of the Hero of Time, Nayru's voice faltered lightly but she pushed on anyways, "He has resources that you don't have. Plus the power of the Triforce gives him the strength that no human will ever possess."

Even with all her sweet words, he couldn't forget his own doubts. But he also noticed that the main issue that seemed to wander in his mind was that Nayru might fall in love with Link. And the mere thought pissed the hell out of him.

Only to attempt changing the conversation, he opened his dull eyes and reached over to grab the warm cup, making sure to noticeably wince as he did so. Immediately Nayru inquired about his condition, and he answered in a soft, monotone voice about his ribs and his shoulder.

Once he had downed the entire cup of dark liquid, Nayru instantly suggested he rested. Realizing his own fatigue, he nodded in agreement and got up. He still felt the whirlwind of emotions from within him, but forced them out of his mind as he thanked her for the coffee, then bid her a good night.

The Oracle watched his retreating figure before he closed the door to his room, feeling regret deeply from within herself. She knew that despite all her efforts, he still didn't see how wonderful he really was, and he obviously didn't realize how strongly she really felt about him.

x—x—x—x

A few hours later, Ralph awoke despite his desires to stay asleep. Groaning, he forced himself out of bed and quickly got dressed into his travel clothes. Hanging the sharp, glinting sword into its place on his side, he left his room while placing his hat upon his head.

It was still early, only five thirty in the morning, as he gave one last look around the empty room before leaving. He knew well enough that this may be the very last time he looked through it, since the battles he went through could easily take his life at any moment.

Swallowing any desires to stay, he placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open. The sky was lightly coated with pink as the sun rose, making the drops of water in the grass and upon trees glitter like diamonds. Sadly, the gorgeous decor did nothing for him as he stepped out of the house and began to walk away, his head already preoccupied by his future journey.

He was simply considering whether he should try to track Link down, or to simply go through a time portal and go confront Veran herself at the Black Tower, when his name was suddenly shouted. Stopping, he turned around to find Nayru, hair undone and barefoot with only her thin nightgown on, running through the wet grass towards him.

"Are you leaving already?" she gasped out when she reached him, her eyes glinting with worry.

"Yeah, I want to get this over with," he responded, uneasy at her worry. "It'll get tougher from now on, I'll need all the time I can get."

"I'm the Oracle of Time, Ralph! I can warp you back a month if you want me to! Just stay home, you need the rest!" she begged, reaching over to grasp his arm as she shivered from the cool morning air.

Noticing the goose bumps on her flesh, he reached over and enveloped her in his thick navy cloak, drawing her closer to him. She took this opportunity to wrap her arms carefully around his back and to hug him, obviously frightened for his safety. "Please, don't go right now… please…"

Seeing Nayru so upset about his departure weakened his defenses drastically. Yet the only piece of resolve left into him shouted out that he needed to stay strong.

"Nayru," he breathed softly, hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting himself some more. "I know you're worried. Hell, even I am worried. But Veran won't die on her own, I have to finish her. I want to—"

"Let Link do it!" she countered, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

She winced slightly as his form hardened. "No. I have to do this. For you, I'll kill the woman who tried to ruin your life, I swear!"

Hearing his promise to her made her worries soften. Shivering lightly, she looked up at him and murmured, "Promise me you'll come back alive."

Ralph almost cringed at her tone, but he knew that it wasn't a promise he could make. The road ahead was way too dark and twisted for him to promise he'd stay alive. Dropping all his resolve, he reached down and placed his forehead upon hers before saying, with all the determination he could muster, "I promise I'll do my best to come back to you."

After that promise, it was almost natural for her to feel much better. Still, she couldn't help but worry about his safety. Raising her azure eyes to lock them in his ones, she whispered softly, "I'll wait for you. No one could ever replace you, Ralph. I love you so much."

Hearing her say that he'd never be replaced killed all fears and jealousy he had for Link. Hearing her say that she would wait for him silenced his worries about losing her affection. But when she said that she loved him, nothing negative mattered anymore.

Grasping her chin lightly in his hand, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in a loving kiss, one that had been waiting for years to happen. She eagerly returned his advances and wrapped her arms around his neck again, mingling her fingers in his fiery hair.

"I will come back, for you," he whispered the second they had broken the kiss. "Just to feel your lips once again."

Nayru simply nodded, keeping her loving stare directed onto him, sketching every detail about her lover in her mind. "I'll be waiting," she repeated, gently tugging on a strand of his long bangs.

Ralph gave her one last, piercing look before he pulled away, the sudden chill enveloping him too even if he was covered by his cloak. He already missed her and he wasn't even gone yet. Leaning over, he brushed the back of his hand over her face before turning his back to her and resuming his walk.

It didn't matter anymore whether or not he was weaker than Link. All that mattered to him now, was doing everything in his power to ensure Nayru's safety, even if it meant putting his own life in jeopardy. He was, after all, anything but a failure in her eyes, and that was all he needed to continue his journey with all the strength he could muster.