*Claws my way out of the Twilight Realm* Must… post… new… chapter….

-=]I[=-

Silence. In a way, it was worse than the couple fighting. Instead, it was total silence. The air was so thick with tension, you could cut it with a sword. It was horrible… Zelda would rather be with her father than the stoic, now-silent Link. His steely blue gaze was fixated straight ahead, his face void of all emotion. He was a statue; he even looked the part in the pale moonlight. The way the light reflected off his fingers mimicked carved marble, his hair looked more like spun copper than anything.

Twilight stood next to him, brushing his head against Link's head, but his human-ish eyes met Zelda's in an almost forgiving manner. The only sound was his paws as he padded along beside Link, and the slight clinking of the shackle around his leg. The wolf looked sad. Not the way a dog looks when it begs for food, but a thoughtful, sorrowful expression that was more human than animal. Was it even possible for him to have such a human expression..?

Zelda's long gown was now rimmed with dirt, both the trailing skirt and the long, loose sleeves were coated in a layer of mud. She groaned softly, longing to return to a more suitable outfit.

Wordlessly, the two of them began trudging towards the Lost Woods. It was somewhat difficult to make it through the Military Training Camp without being noticed, but Zelda almost hoped they were. A commotion would be better than this deafening silence.

The koroks could obviously feel the tension between the two. The bright, cheerful attitudes of the forest children had obviously frozen over at the sight of the two of them, traveling wordlessly, refusing any form of eye contact. They hardly acknowledged the other's existence.

Even the Great Deku Tree couldn't find words. Zelda could tell that he knew her true identity, but now that her secret was out, there was no way for him to console Link. Zelda understood his feelings, but the silence was maddening. She truly wanted to console Link, to explain to him what her intentions had been, but the words turned to ash before they escaped her lips, and she couldn't find the words to say.

When Zelda went to bed that night, Link didn't join her. Instead, he went outside and stayed there for the rest of the night. While Korok forest was cheerful and brightly lit, there was still something about being in the Lost Woods past sunset that was unnerving. Zelda wondered if he'd slept at all, or just paced around, staring at the silver mist.

The sun didn't rise the next morning, instead, large clouds had rolled over the sun, blocking it out and replacing the colorful sky with a shade of dismal gray. Fitting for the situation, though it didn't help that the atmosphere now matched Zelda's feelings. When she found Link, munching on an apple on the shrine pedestal, he refused to make eye contact with her, but became fixated on a tree branch, never allowing his gaze to waver.

Tears formed in Zelda's eyes as she attempted to speak. "Link, I- I'm sorry. For everything. I shouldn't have lied to you, I should have told yo-"

But she was cut off before she could finish. It was the smallest gesture, but it spoke thousands of words. Link simply stared at her with those blue eyes. They had previously been gorgeous oceans, full of warmth and color, but now his gaze was one of ice. Not biting and cold, just indifferent. That glance was all it took for Zelda to stop. Spare me your apologies.

"Fine." Zelda tried to disguise the quiver in her voice as she stared back, trying to maintain eye contact. She turned away and ran into the woods, following the trail of blue flowers to the Daah Chokah Shrine. Link didn't bother following her.

-]I[-

They say the five trials of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The list didn't account for indifference, which is what Link thought he was feeling at the moment. Twilight lay next to him, clear disappointment visible in his all too human eyes.

Link wasn't feeling indifferent, per se, but his mind defaulted to that because he didn't know what he was feeling. Was he miserable? That wasn't it. Was he hurt? Yes, without a doubt. Was he angry? No. What did he have to be angry about? He hadn't been entirely honest with Zelda either. But he wasn't keeping that sort of secret. She was royalty. She had become friends with him, and she'd lied about it. How was he supposed to handle that?

You're being really mature, you know.

Link turned to face Twilight, who was staring him down with his eerie blue eyes.

Silent treatment. Nice. That's a real effective strategy for a four year old.

"I'm not a four year old."

You're acting like one. In fact, you were probably more mature at four years of age.

"Shut up. I'm just… mad."

No, you aren't. You're confused and hurt, but you aren't mad at her. Hylia above, why do I even bother? You know, I didn't have another incarnation of myself giving me helpful life advice. I had a skeleton who may or may not have been my past self, but all he did was teach me fighting techniques, a quirky imp who called me names and a princess who was taller than me. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be shorter than every woman in your life?

"I am confused! And did you say another incarna-"

Unimportant. What matters is that you need to talk to her.

"It can wait. I need some time to calm myself."

I'm sure Ganon is going to wait for you to calm down before attacking Hyrule. Congratulations. Your stubbornness is literally going to destroy the world."

"You know, you act like a sarcastic older brother."

I guess I am your older brother, to some extent. But like I said, the end of the world? The apocalypse? The return of Calamity Ganon? Armageddon?

...Armaganon?

"Okay, okay, I get it. Also, that was a horrible joke. You need to calm down, okay?"

I am calm. You're the toddler. Just... go talk to her. Get your head out of your ass and resolve this before Ganon resolves it with a little problem we like to call world domination.

Link laughed slightly, scratching Twilight on the ears. He was… one confusing wolf, that was certain.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk to her. But you need to get off my back, alright?"

Just get it over with.

-]I[-

The wildflowers that bloomed near the shrine were beautiful. Zelda had always loved wildflowers. Most domesticated plants, like roses or tulips, seemed to die the instant their gardener stopped caring for them, or changed the regime slightly. Not wildflowers, though. Somehow, despite everything, despite the storms and frosts and droughts, they remained beautiful, vibrant, and strong. Somehow, despite the Great Calamity, certain species of flowers seemed to flourish, especially the silent princess. Zelda's ancestor loved silent princesses; she was rumored to have seen herself in them. A faint smile crossed Zelda's face as she walked through the patch of blossoms to the shrine pedestal. Even in the lost woods, seemingly void of all sunlight, they sprung up.

Zelda sat down on the pedestal of the shrine, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she descended. She reached into her pocket, pulling the Sheikah slate out of the folds of her dress. Yes, she specifically chose a dress with pockets. Yes, she had them custom-made to protest the unfair lack of storage in women's clothing. No, we shall not discuss this topic any longer.

She scrolled around the screen for a while, occasionally pulling up the map, zooming in on random locations, and looking for interesting landmarks. Her favorite was the heart-shaped pond on Tuft mountain. Apparently it was the ideal spot for meeting one's true love… why was her heart so heavy all of a sudden.

In an effort to move the map's focus onto something else, Zelda brushed her fingers across the screen, attempting to move the focus from the mountain onto Lurelin village, or the mysterious Eventide island she'd heard rumors about. (Supposedly the place was cursed, but that didn't seem to have bothered the Hero of the Wild, who was rumored to have defeated a Hinox in next to nothing.)

Zelda put the slate down, her hands moving slower than usual. Why was she acting so damn lethargic? She wanted more energy, but her limbs were leaden, as were her eyelids. Surprisingly enough, Zelda found herself encumbered with the urge to sleep.

Wasn't one of the symptoms of depression increased exhaustion? Zelda pushed the thought from her head with a shudder. Depression, as unavoidable as it is, was horribly inconvenient when it came to saving the realm from the greatest evil Hyrule has ever known.

Zelda instead focused on the swaying of the wildflowers… the almost musical whispering of the wind through the trees… the eerily synchronized chirping of what few birds had roosed in the lost woods. The entire grove seemed to be rhythmically moving in the morning breeze… as if some ancient melody had found its place at this shrine.

Something stirred inside of Zelda… she wasn't sure if it was a memory, a dream, or something she'd somehow made up on the spot, but a few verses of some ancient song seemed to be forming inside her mind. Zelda hadn't bothered with singing in years - that was something she's given up to free her schedule for more reading - but she could still sing. Zelda's eyes fluttered shut as she began the tune. Her voice quavered at first, but she slowly began to hum and finally voice the dream-like lyrics.

"An ancient hero, a Calamity appears,

Now resurrected after 10,000 years.

Her appointed knight gives his life,

Shields her figure, and pays the price.

The princess's love for her fallen knight awakens her power

And within the castle the Calamity is forced to cower.

But the knight survives! In the Shrine of Resurrection he sleeps,

Until from his healing dream he leaps!

For fierce and deadly trials await.

To regain his strength. Fulfill his fate.

To become a hero once again!

To wrest the princess from evil's den.

The hero, the princess–hand in hand–

Must bring the light back to this land."

Zelda finished the song, slowly opening her eyes again… and almost immediately fell off the shrine pedestal.

Standing before her, in all his stoic, unflinching might, was Link. He hadn't properly groomed himself since being tossed in Hyrule's dungeon; his hair was messy and the ends were splitting, the tunic he wore was fraying at the edges, the red color faded and masked by dirt, and his countenance bore a few new scrapes and bruises that Zelda couldn't help but feel partially responsible for.

Link moved as if to speak. "You…"

Zelda closed her eyes and braced herself for whatever verbal assault was coming. The admonitions hse would receive in her younger days were bad, but this conversation… it would be unbearable.

"You have a lovely singing voice."

Zelda felt heat rising to her cheeks and tips of her ears. That… was the last thing she'd expected him to say. (Well, maybe not the last thing. She didn't expect him to say "Zelda… I am your father," but that was beyond the point.)

Zelda tried to find words, but they stuck in her throat, rendering the young princess speechless. So as not to look like a fool, she closed her mouth, waiting for Link to speak. He… also didn't say anything. The tension was palpable; Zelda could cut through the air with a knife.

"I'm so sorry." The two of them spoke in perfect unison, and both immediately turned away, Zelda staring at the ground and Link taking a sudden and inexplicable interest in a branch that was swaying in the breeze.

"Link… I should have told you. I guess I became so enamored in keeping my identity a secret, I forgot that I should have just been able to trust you. You proved yourself to be reliable time and time again, and I never even told you my real name. I… hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." Zelda took a deep breath. How… how damn hard was this? She was just talking, and she found herself on the brink of tears. Paranoia rattled about in her mind. What if he didn't want to forgive her? What if he was only here to gain knowledge about the Master Sword before running off to handle it on his own?

"Zelda…" Hearing him say her name was so unfamiliar, and yet it felt… right. Not just "oh, that's my name, don't wear it out" kind of right, but something deeper. An ancient bond, once again being strengthened, something from far before Zelda's time… what was this feeling?

"Zelda, I shouldn't have reacted like that. I… I'm so used to people managing my life, manipulating me to their purpose… and I thought you were, too. But… you were just trying to protect yourself. You didn't mean to hurt me in the process. And… I have to confess, I haven't been perfectly honest with you either."

Link moved closer, sitting on the pedestal next to Zelda. "Zelda… when I first learned about the Princess, I thought she was just your average rich girl, sitting on piles of wealth, willing to send people to their deaths if it benefited your father's reign. But… meeting you… finding out who you are…" he hesitated, as though unsure what to say next. Zelda scooched a bit closer to him, and slowly laid her hand on top of his.

"You can tell me anything, Link. I'll listen."

"...I don't know how to say this, so I'll just say it outright. Zelda, I'm the one who was betrothed to you."

Zelda stared at him for a minute, and then, despite every emotion she was feeling at the moment, her reaction was completely unexpected, even from her.

"I… that's Hylia-damned hilarious!" the laughter started out small, but eventually swelled to an uproar as Zelda doubled over, laughing harder than she ever had before. (Seriously, life in the castle was dull. This time, Zelda's sides were actually hurting from the giggles.)

"Uh… Zelda…"

"Link… there are many emotions going through my head right now. I guess I'm… relieved? A bit happy? But I'm laughing at the irony of it all. The two people who wanted nothing to do with each other suddenly have everything to do with each other. It's ironic, isn't it? I've heard that Hylia works in mysterious ways, but this seems like overkill. And also, I'm questioning what forces of Deus Ex Machina drove us together."

Link took his free hand and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I thought you were going to call me a liar. Or just walk into the mist. Are you… sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Link. I… I'm just glad this fight didn't last too long. I guess it was just a short chapter in our lives." She hugged him back, swaying back and forth with happiness. "I've missed you, you know."

"I've missed you too." He leaned in close to her ears and whispered, and also, the one fourth wall break was enough, but the chapter pun was a bit much."

"Don't draw attention to it." She laughed again; this time, it was much lighter, and the laughter was mingled with tears of relief. Zelda buried her face in Link's tunic, refusing to allow him to see her in such a moment of vulnerability. "From now on, no more secrets, alright?"

"No more secrets? Okay. About that…"

Zelda pulled away, her expression shifting into one of playful suspicion. "What are you hiding? Are you secretly very rich? Are you actually a hydromelon in a human costume? Are you Calamity Ganon?"

"Somehow, it's worse." Link rubbed the back of his neck. "It's very hard to explain. So… you know Twilight?"

"You mean my favorite. Yes, I know him."

"Well he is… kind of… magical."

Zelda stared at him for a very long time. "Elaborate." Hm, maybe Link was crazy….

"He talks to me and teleports around and sometimes he beats me in Monopoly every single time. It's unfair! He doesn't even have hands!"

"Um…" Zelda was at a loss for words. "That's… that's nice, Link…." He was still talking… how was he still talking about this?!

"He looks human because I think he is! Or was! Or something! I don't know, Twilight is weird! The shackle he wears doesn't even make any noise! And he spends an unhealthy amount of his time barking at his shadow."

"Look, I'm not going to question it, because I know for a fact that Twilight is… weird. But I think you're dwelling a bit too much on this."

"And his favorite snack is chocolate! That's poisonous to dogs! Explain that, science!"

"OI!" A tiny, shrill voice interrupted Link. One of the koroks was staring at both of them, somehow looking extremely disappointed despite the expressionless leaf mask.

"If you're going to make out, we aren't complaining-" Zelda and Link both opened their mouths to protest- "but don't you two have something to be looking at? A magical sword to find? A WORLD TO SAVE?!"

Zelda jumped upright. "The Master Sword! I actually almost forgot about that!"

"Well you shouldn't be forgetting about that, MADAM!" The korok turned on his heel(?) and strode back into the woods, back towards the Great Deku Tree's rosey foliage.

"Link, where is the- WHAT THE HELL? YOU WEREN'T LYING!" The sudden outburst was caused by a dark form manifesting itself before them in a burst of smoky black particles. "T-Twilight. You can… but does that mean… now I'm just confused."

Link smirked at her in his typical "I told you so" fashion. "Let's see the book." he walked over to Twilight, who let the book drop from his jaws. "Thanks bud. I- yes we made up. Yes, we're focused on the greater good of Hyrule now. No, I don't. Stop asking. We both know it's poisonous."

Zelda cocked her head to the side.

"He wants chocolate. I would keep him under control if I could, but this absolute monster…" He grinned at Twilight. "Anyway, let's see…"

Link flipped open the journal, a small amount of dust rising from the pages. "Ooh, fancy. It feels like an old book, too." he flipped through the pages, his expression morphing from playful happiness to one of disgust and perplexion.

"Uh, Zelda… can you read Gerudo?"

-=]I[=-

So, the opposite of Deus Ex Machina is called Diablo Ex Machina. Just a fun fact for you. It's basically, the author puts a random and seemingly unexpected obstacle from out of nowhere in order to make life harder for the characters. If these loveable idiots didn't actually need to get to Gerudo Town, this would be a prime example. Fortunately, there is a simple explanation… which will be explained in the next chapter.

Similarly, the opposite of a productive writer is The Silverblood Writer. I feel so bad for leaving this story untouched for so long. I was going through a huge creative block, and I simply couldn't find the inspiration for how to connect my main plot points together. My idea was

1) make characters

2) invent half-baked plot

3) ?

4) profit

And we all saw how well that turned out. In truth, I've spent this time honing my writing skills, taking courses, and practicing with my unpublished writing. I really am going to start updating more frequently now. After so long without posting, almost a year, I missed this story's anniversary!

Thanks to everyone who's been reading this. You all mean the world to me. Oh, and next chapter, we're going to have some more action. It's been too long since I've written a good fight scene….

~Silver