The pleasant aroma of a familiar perfume began to cloud his senses as his hands explored her body absentmindedly, without command. He felt almost helpless despite him towering over her nearly cowering body underneath him, just because he knew that he couldn't possibly turn her down at this point. He knew full and well that she could command him if she knew, despite him being temporarily dominant. However, it wasn't anything he was going to let her know.

An almost pitiful moan rung through his ears as his manhood grinded against her groin forcefully, taking hold of her neck and pressing his lips against hers aggressively. It was a cry of enjoyment, of stimulation. A grin formed on his lips once he broke lip contact, pleased to find this new side of her he had never experienced. It was an interesting development, compared to the usually cold, sometimes even harsh nature that she displayed towards him. It gave him a sense of dominance, to be able to bring out this new part of her personality at will whenever intimate like he was.

An almost instinctive growl emitted from him as he aligned his length and her core, leaving his tip to sink in lazily. He felt her shiver underneath him, and as sadistic as it seemed, his grin couldn't help but grow. Oh, what a wonderful change of demeanor she was displaying towards him. He didn't feel bad in the least, remembering all of the troubles that she had put him through, again, as sadistic as it seemed.

"At least... be gentle." She'd mutter, wrapping her arms around his neck in return.

More or less, he nodded and pierced the barrier with her quickly- sealing the deal and making her his. She let loose a shrill cry, grasping him ever-so tightly.

...

For the first time in a long time, Link awoke from his slumber and felt... refreshed, albeit frustrated. He felt like he hadn't gotten but three or four hours of sleep, but that was more than enough to fuel him for a day, or perhaps even two. He yawned as he rose, sat upright and looked up outside at the closed, makeshift window in the fort, taking note of the shining moonlight peeking through it's small cracks. The sun had set when he and Nabooru arrived, so it must've been night already... Which would explain the lack of heat that had been constant through all this time, and the now almost freezing atmosphere, which didn't help the cold sweat he had woken up in.

After falling to his feet, he felt less surprised, but more relieved to feel that subtle amount of energy pulsing through him, courtesy of a usual well-deserved rest. He sighed contently, enjoying the change of pace before making his away across the room and placing his shirt and under-armor back on, finding it more comfortable in the cold.

He contemplated going to one of the oases that Gelbooru had told him about and washing himself, as he hadn't cleansed his body since he was in Hyrule, and he didn't want to make any more bad impressions than he already had. Though, it was likely that his escort party had already gone to rest, and he wasn't exactly allowed to go out by himself at this point. But then again, when did he ever let those kind of things stop him? Some time out by himself would do nicely. He needed some time to think anyways, and sort this mess out.

He immediately recognized the cell he was held in last night. It was the same one that he passed by when he was sneaking about the Gerudo Fortress in the alternate timeline. A smirk formed on his lips as he rummaged through his things, reaching for his magical pouch. Deciding to leave the Mirror Shield here, he only took his sword and the hook-shot that he was provided with by Ladina.

It was foolish of them to let him keep it, but then again, how were they supposed to know he knew how to escape from this holding cell?

The window that he used the hook-shot to reach last time was closed, but there was enough room for him to stay stable up there long enough to open it and leap onto the roof of a nearby building. Night patrols didn't pay attention to him last time, but he wondered if they would notice this time around. It didn't look very stable, and something told him that it would be a bit noisy. It didn't seem likely that they would pay attention to the window all the way up there. He figured it was worth a try, since it worked last time.

He took aim and fired the hook-shot. It easily pierced the wooden door that kept most of the cold outside. A firm tug on it told Link that it was more or less secure, so he let it retract and lead him up towards his escape. He gained proper footing on the edge, and eased the window open slowly, peeking his head under to observe the night patrol. They were completely oblivious.

Part of him wondered why they wouldn't take any extra precautions when he told them he was able to stealth around the place. He knew they wouldn't have expected him to try and escape before the treaty meetings, but after them, it would've been understandable if his cell was properly guarded.

It kind of left a bad feeling in his gut. It was painfully easy.

He shook the thought from his head. It'd always been there. No point in turning back now, since there was kind of a hole from a hook-shot in his window.

Carefully, he scooted out from under the window and into the cold of the night. He wasted no time in his escape, and quickly, but silently, took a leap to the fortress building to his left. Part of him wanted to take the easy way out and hook-shot onto the fenced railing that went across the roof, but he was sure the patrol guards would detect him. It wasn't but a one, maybe one and a half difference floor between the two anyways.

He landed securely enough. His eyes darted about his surroundings- the Fortress had a rather simple design, and it wasn't exactly large, so it wouldn't be much of a problem to escape temporarily and go undetected. The only thing that worried him about it was getting past the guards. Last time, he just rendered them unconscious and moved on through the Fortress, but now he had to do it the old fashioned way.

He wondered if he was really doing this to get some time to think, or if it was just for an excuse to have some type of fun.

...

Link stared blankly out into the horizon as he watched the sun start to rise. It was something that he had saw many, many times, but he appreciated watching it nonetheless. If he was able to watch it rise, he normally would. It was more or less like a hobby of his, as odd as it sounded. It somehow helped him remember that each day was a clean slate- a new chance.

When he first came here, he suspected that this mission would be... well, not this difficult. Of course he didn't suspect it to be at all easy, that was because he had little experience at foreign relations and politics. Now, he found it difficult because he may or may not be able to survive here. He was unsure if he could keep up these tasks he was assigned. He'd gambled his life here twice already, and his temper and patience had been tested several times. It wasn't much as keeping up with their standards of living that bothered him- it was living here knowing that his life could be taken at any moment. There was still the strong possibility of being executed.

He sighed as he watched the sun rise over the land. He had expected things to go in a completely different direction than they did. Had he known so many complications would arise, he wouldn't have volunteered to go. Still, he didn't know if things here at the Gerudo Fortress had gotten better or worse.

He ran a hand across the thin dirt that lay on the ground as he lay next to a small stream of water. It'd been long since he took his leave. While it would have been a wise decision to go back as soon as he could... he really didn't want to. Link was unsure if this desire to be alone was him wanting to be isolated from people after all that had happened, if he was simply him not being fond of having to be locked up and supervised, if he wanted to think out this 'Oni' predicament he had found himself tied up with, or even fear of his fate there with the possibility of being executed.

Come to think of it, those were probably all just excuses.

He was unsure of why he felt that he needed to be away, but in the end, he didn't need a reason. He turned his head up from his head and focused his vision instead on the slowly brightening sky.

For some reason, the situation with the Gerudo reminded of Termina's moon looming over the kingdom in the sky, threatening death and destruction for him and everyone else around him.

Absentmindedly, he laughed quietly to himself at the comparison he had just made in his head.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Link?"

His ears perked at this voice, interrupting his train of thought. Instinctively, his hand twitched towards the blade that lay next to him, but he recognized the voice and decided not to. He rolled his head to the side and was met by none other than Aveil. She looked particularly irritated, resting a hand on her hip. That answered his question as to if he'd been suspected of escaping yet or not.

She spoke after he gave her no reply. "Do you care to explain to me as to why you felt the need to break out of your holding cell, flee the Fortress in the middle of the night, and have the nerve to sit out here on the boundary of the river?"

"... I wanted some fresh air."

"You couldn't have waited until morning?"

"I don't think I'd have been able to sleep through the night."

A frustrated, almost tired sigh was heard as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Do you realize the trouble you could be putting yourself in?"

He sat up after she finished, placing his hat back over his blonde hair. He rose an eyebrow at her choice of wordplay and partially smiled. "Could?"

She made her way to him before sitting down next to him. It didn't seem as if she was here to take him back to the Fortress, but at the same time, she normally hadn't been the one to show any of those signs. He couldn't help but wonder what she had in mind for him, after everything that had happened.

"Yes, could." She leaned back partially, supporting herself with her hands behind her back as she joined him in staring out into the horizon. "I don't think I need to tell you at this point, but I don't want to see you being punished unfairly. You're a kind person, and you didn't deserve Samiyah putting you on the spotlight like she did the other day. To be fair, I probably should've stepped in at some point and let you tell your side of the story, but I guess I was just so shocked as to how someone as kind and... promising as you, wound up to be the reason for our King's end."

He didn't say anything in return, remembering the encounter that he had with Ganondorf at Hyrule Castle all that time ago, but he did flash her a friendly smile, in which she was able to recognize his forgiveness.

"In all honesty, had I been in your shoes, I'd have done the same thing... you know, When Ganondorf was plotting against your home."

He redirected his gaze to her, eyes wide, surprised at her sudden display of disloyalty for her former King. He didn't reply, but instead merely listened to what she had to say to him.

"We came to our decision yesterday whenever you were at the Temple with Nabooru, Link. A death sentence... wouldn't be fair to you. If the King of Hyrule would have came to our Fortress one of us suspected he meant harm to our home and sisters, not a single one of us would hesitate to stop his plans, and that's all you did- you protected your home. You can rest easy, Link, your life is not at risk anymore."

He tried not to show it, but he eased up whenever he heard this. Still, he couldn't help but feel suspicious as he heard this. The two of them shared a tense silence before Aveil realized that he hadn't anything to say, and she had then quickly, somehow, picked up on his still present reluctance.

"... I can tell that you're still hesitating to trust me, Link. What's the matter?"

"I'm questioning as to whether or not I can trust you still. If that decision was made when I was out on Ladina's membership test, then why was I placed in a cell last night?"

"Ladina was given no higher orders to have you escorted to your prison cell. Matter of fact, she was given no orders at all. I imagined that after you completed the test and proved yourself to us, and her, she'd have left you be. But it seems that since Nabooru was there with you during that mission, she might be pondering if Nabooru had helped you throughout your test or not."

"So you're saying that it was a mistake?"

"More or less, I suppose. She might have just thought that she had to do something with you."

It seemed reasonable enough, but even then, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. If he hadn't trusted her as much as he did up to this point, he'd almost think that she was lying to him. He didn't want to doubt her, and he certainly didn't want to question her honesty because of the risk of his life, but he would take what she had to say, as she had done him no wrong. He lay his suspicions to rest. If he wanted to make any progress, he'd have to start trusting them sooner or later, as hard as it may seem to be.

"... Okay." He muttered, though loud enough for Aveil to hear.

A long silence was shared between the two, no words being spoken for what seemed to be an eternity. He felt no need to speak- all that he wanted to hear had been discussed, and he was done with it.

"So you've been thinking, then? All this time?" She spoke up.

"Sorting my thoughts. Making sense of the past few days."

"Then, may I ask you a question, Link?"

"Feel free." Once again, she had struck his curiosity, since he really couldn't think of anything that needed to be touched upon at this point. He was kind of tired of thinking over the past few days, and as crazy as it sounded, he felt that he'd rather discuss politics at this point.

"The other night, when Koume and Kotake snuck into the Fortress and made their appearance... Not only did you know their names, Link, but you convinced them that you were Oni and they believed it. Koume and Kotake may be insane, but I trust their magical senses completely. And they sensed the Fierce Deity inside you."

... He wondered about that. It made sense when he thought about it, and he was almost certain that whenever he wore the mask of the Fierce Deity, that he never took it off. It made sense to assume that he and the Fierce Deity had fused, and he'd embedded into his soul, but Link never experienced any new sort of changes or anything. He'd always been himself, nothing more, nothing less.

He was tempted to try and avoid the conversation. Try and throw her off, somehow, but he knew he was thinking ridiculously. He couldn't use deception with them. If he wanted to treat the Gerudo as equals and further understand them, he had to be truthful with them.

"Aveil, I'm not Oni, but I encountered his spirit once."

She didn't looked surprised, more like she was suspecting something like this, and he expected that much. She continued to stare at him, and motioned for him to go on.

"I was a kid when it happened. Around the same age I was whenever I had my encounter with Ganondorf, actually. I... " He sighed before continuing, wondering how he should word this. There's no way she would believe him if he told her everything that happened in Termina, the kingdom he viewed as some kind of alternate version of Hyrule, but at the same time, he couldn't lie to her. "I was visiting some friends of mine. Their names were Cremia and Romani. They live in a place called Termina. It was a reasonably small village south of Hyrule Fields. A Skull Kid appeared in the village, and at that age I didn't have the strength to protect everyone from him, or defeat him. Since there was no real form of protection besides the village swordsman, he did quite a bit of damage to the place. I moved to face him upfront, just me and him. I knew I couldn't beat him head on, even with my arsenal of items and skills. Just before we started to fight, though, The Fierce Deity presented himself to me in the form of a mask. I didn't know what to do with it, and at that time, all hope was pretty much lost, so I put the mask on, and..."

"And what?" She asked adamantly, after he had stopped speaking. She looked interested, like she believed it.

"I took on the form of Oni... that, or he had possessed my body. Since I really didn't have much control over what I was doing, it'd be reasonable to assume that he possessed me. I looked similar to how I look now- differences being an overwhelming source of power, a giant, mysterious spiraling blade that I used to slay the Skull Kid, and many different tribal markings that had appeared on my body. The Skull Kid really didn't stand a chance. Within minutes, Oni lay waste to the beast, and the last thing I remember doing in the form was passing out... and I woke up as myself."

"And what of the mask, Link?"

"I don't remember. When I came here, and after everything that happened that night with Twinrova, it left me thinking in my cell. I don't recall ever taking the mask off."

"Amazing... And that's why Twinrova... " Aveil whispered to herself, staring at Link. She rose to her feet abruptly, her entire demeanor changing from curious to estatic. "Dear Goddesses, you really are the one we've been waiting for, Link! This is truly a gift!"

He looked up at her grimly. "Keep it between us, Aveil."

"... What?" She looked flabbergasted, almost offended at the request he made. "Do you realize the importance of what you've just told me?"

"I'm still a representative of Hyrule, and I'm still here to better understand your people. I don't want any special treatment just because the soul of Oni resides within me."

"But... you're Oni, Link! You have a home, here, now!"

"I have a home in Hyrule, Aveil." He was normally a patient person, but having to repeat himself and her sudden outburst and assumptions weren't exactly music to his ears. "I'm still Link. I'm still the Hyrulian diplomat that's here to bring peace between the Gerudo and Hyrule. I'm nothing but a protector for my homelands, and that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Then why do you go back?"

"They need me."

"Do they really? I know they need you when a monster or a war pops up, but do they really need you in the castle? Do they need you as a diplomat?"

He thought about it, and the answer was no. There was no reason he couldn't live somewhere else, maybe do something else, and still be a hero. He'd only stayed with Zelda this long because she said she needed him, but did she actually? Would someone who needed his skills treat him like the council did? Would someone who needed his love treat him like Zelda did, almost never showing him affection and sometimes even hiding her thoughts from him?

No. As much as he hated to admit it, he was not needed there.

"I didn't mean to make you question your life. I'm just saying that while your devotion is admirable, there's no reason to give up your own goals. There are ways to follow your heart and still be a hero when you need to be. You're not…happy at the castle, are you?"

He wanted to deny it, but he couldn't. He tried in vain to remember the last time he was happy there. "No."

She scooted over until their skin touched, and then some, and he was suddenly aware of how little she wore. He could see right down her cleavage. Why did these women dress so provocatively?

"A hero is a wonderful thing... but if you lose sight of your dreams to become one, that's all you'll ever be. Don't you think you could be something... more?"

It was hard for him to think straight with the heat returning from the rising sun and the beautiful woman leaning against him. Desperately, he tried to remember his goals from seven years ago. He knew he'd had them, and he was sure they didn't involve being a courier for people he didn't respect. Zelda was in his dreams—or at least she had been—but obviously he wasn't in hers. She had no interest in maintaining a romantic relationship with him- and when he really thought about it, that was the only goal that he had. Everything else in his life was a result of the prophecy that he was destined to fulfill. "…Sometimes."

"Then why not stay here? With us?"

He clenched his eyes shut in frustration. He really didn't have a reason not to. He fit in so much better here, but everything that he had was back at Hyrule. He still dreamed of Zelda, and he still wanted a relationship with her, even if she didn't. He couldn't leave his home... at least, not yet.

He pulled away from the contact with her and rose to his feet, dusting his feet off and grabbing the blade that laid next to him. "I'm going back to the Fortress."

"You'll be arrested for attempting escape, Link. Let me go with you. At the very least, we can take you back to the room in the Fortress we'd planned for you to stay in after you refused to stay in our late King's room. I could send someone down with some food."

He didn't remember eating anything but potions for the last three days, so perhaps that wouldn't be a bad idea. He could eat breakfast, and start the day over again.

Not like he had much of a choice, anyways.

Not the best chapter I've written, but at least I got some stuff out of the way and we can actually move on. :D

Sorry about the wait, too, guys. I'm kicking my ass over it- next chapter is in progress and I don't plan on making you wait 2 months again.