Monsters. There was so many of them.

His forehead was beaded with sweat, face covered with dirt and his breathing shallow and uneven. His dirty blonde hair was matted and did not hold it's usual shine. Bright, azure eyes were dimmed from exhaustion and the surrounding white was a dingy yellow. Forest green tunic was dusty brown, long sock-like cap was barely hanging on, the tip was ragged and it too was dirty. The shine that came from the wondrous sword in his gloved hand was dull, the tip coated in blood.

Link was right about ready to drop dead. He was so tired; all he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep and never wake up. He had been fighting since noon and it was near twilight now. The sun was dropping dangerously low below the horizon, the sky was streaked with purples and blues, the air was growing cold but the monsters never stopped coming. It was an endless stream of Bulbins and Moblins and countless others. Some flew but most of them stayed on the ground and whenever the hero managed to take one down, two other seemed to take its place. That fact had irked Link as well as making him incredibly tired.

He ducked as a club was thrown at him, than rolled to the side as some three arrows came shooting down in the spot he had just been standing in. Link got up and slashed at the monsters, they fell and exploded into a black and purple cloud before three others came and replaced their space. Link stole a glance up at the wooden platform that stood high above the combat below. Princess Zelda was there. Tied to a pole with head drooped down, as she was unconscious.

Or, at least, he hoped that she was just unconscious. The hero fumbled around for whatever sliver of hope he could find. As far as he knew, Link was the only one battling. And there was hundreds coming at him. He jerked up his shield and covered his head and staggered back when swords came crashing down on it. His shield was chipped and wearing off…already. Growling in frustration, Link pushed forward and swung wildly at the group of Bulbins that came up from behind him. They fell and he pushed on. He had to get to the wooden platform. He had to get to the Princess. He had to save her. Make sure she was okay. Than maybe she could use her magic and get rid of the monsters. Link grunted as a group of Bokoblins threw themselves at his shield. He gave a heave and shoved them away, than staggered to the side when something rammed into his side. Link gritted his teeth to prevent a yowl of surprise to escape his lips. While he staggered back, a wooden club slammed into his abdomen and Link coughed up some sticky dark liquid that came spluttering out from his mouth. He groaned, how much more torture could he withstand? The hero had no idea where all of these monsters were coming from. They just seemed to appear out of nowhere and they never stopped coming.

When he regained his balance, an incredible pain surged through his body. Everything hurt; it felt like he was being torn apart, flipped inside out and all over again. It was like fire eating away at his skin and electricity frying up his insides, a type of pain that no monster could create. Link could not stand it as a scream of utter agony erupted from the bottom of his throat. He staggered and leaned against a boulder. For some reason the monsters dared not approach, they encircled him and watched. Beady eyes fixated on the hero's trembling body. The pain pulsed through him, it felt like the time he first became a wolf, only worse, more intense. Link forced open his eyes and they were locked onto his fist. The back of his fist to be exact, the one with the Triforce symbol on it. Oddly enough, only one of the triangles shone. The bottom right one, and it didn't just shine. The light coming from it had the intensity that matched, if not surpassed, the ones from the sun. Than it clicked, Link's eyes widened despite the blinding light. The pain increased and it honestly felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest.

That triangle represented wisdom. Princess Zelda held the Triforce of Wisdom and the reason why it was shining was because Zelda was approaching the doors of Death. The fact that the Princess was dying hit Link like a tidal wave. His whole reason of existence was to protect the Princess at all costs, should the Princess die; the hero's reason of life would go to the grave with her.

"No…" He whispered, than shook his head, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tighter together. "No, no, no, no, NO!" Link grabbed his shield and gripped his sword tightly. The pain had receded, the blinding light gone. Worry and shock fed itself to Link's growing frustration, which in turn contributed to the hero's energy levels. He could not let his Princess die; it was an ancient instinct that passed on from Hero to Hero. Never once had any one of those heroes failed their task and Link was not going to be the first. He lashed out at any monster that came at him. His sword flailing in the air, his movements were swift and his attacks were deathly. Nothing was going to get in the way of him and Zelda.

Link quickly slashed his way through the thick crowd of monsters and was at the bottom of the wooden structure. He was about to grab onto the ladder and climb up to where his princess waited. In his relief, Link had dropped his guard. Something lashed out and the hero reeled back in both astonishment and pain. He staggered back and felt claws wrap around his arms. The Hyrulian shield lay at the bottom of the ladder, his sword was gone and he was being dragged back, away from the ladder, away from his princess. "No!" He snarled, trying to jerk away. "NO! You must let me go! I have to save the Princess…Zelda!!" Link thrashed wildly but the hands held him firm. "No! Let me go! Release me! Now! No!" His pleas grew desperate as his previous burst of energy died off, exhaustion overwhelmed him and his voice grew huskier and huskier. His thrashing came to a gradual halt and Link could not find any more energy to lift even a finger. He felt his feet drag on the dirt, roars of triumph rang and the Princess grew smaller and smaller.

Suddenly, a surge of pain pulsed through him once more. The Triforce exploded with light and the monsters let out a yowl. Link suddenly felt free but he had no energy to get up, he fell to his hands and knees. His body visibly trembled with pain, a pain so incredibly intense that there was no word to describe it. Link's weakened body and mind could not stand it. At the last second of consciousness, the hero threw back his head and yelled. Yelled at the top of his lungs the last thought that passed through his mind. "ZELDAAA!" The world flashed a bright yellow before it became totally, and utterly black.

***

The princess is dead…dead…dead…the voice sounded in the empty darkness. So am I…I…I…The echo gradually faded into nothing. He felt nothing. No peace. No regrets. Like the emptiness that engulfed him, he felt…blank…blank…blank…His every thought echoed and sounded around him and he could do nothing about it.

Than, there was pain.

Link jerked awake, bolting into an upright position. His eyes were wide open, where was he? Green. Leaves…He was in a forest. He frowned, whatever happened to the dark blankness? Was this what it was like to die? Link looked down at himself. His tunic was just as dusty, just as bloody as he remembered. He blinked, how could this be? He felt his cheek sting and wonder if somebody had slapped him awake? Maybe it was Princess Zelda. Link chuckled darkly, no way. She was dead, never to walk, to talk and to smile ever again. The hero nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Link whipped around, bracing himself for some sort of attack. When nothing came, he grew suspicious. Lowering his arm, Link felt his eyes widened when they met with those familiar cerulean eyes. "Z…Zelda?" He whispered, almost unbelievingly.

Sure enough, the princess sat across from him. She looked disheveled and tired, but elegant nonetheless. She smiled softly, "Yes, Link. I am alive."

It took a while for the information to sink in his bleary and confused mind. When it did, a feeling of happiness and relief swept over him. He leaned forward and pulled Zelda into an enormous hug, burying his face in her hair. "So glad," He murmured, "I'm so glad you're alive…" He paused to take a shaky breath, "I thought I lost you forever. I'm so glad…"

Zelda was stiff for a while but she gradually relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Link." She said, her voice sounded unsteady. "If you hadn't…hadn't done whatever it was that you did, than I don't know what would have had happened."

They sat like that for a while, enjoying each other's company. Link could feel his shoulder start to feel damp and this fact confused him. He frowned and pulled away, keeping his hands firm on her shoulder. Zelda's head was dipped down, hiding her face. "Zelda?" He pushed up her chin with her finger, "What's wrong?" He asked, surprised. The princess was crying, and she was trying to not show it.

"Nothing," She responded, trying to hide a sniff. "I-I'm fine."

"As far as I know, Princess, when somebody starts crying, it's not exactly a good thing." Link said, letting go of her. He made a move to get up, "We should head back now. It's not safe to stay here like this." However, before the hero could reach for his sword, a sudden weight threw him down on his back. Link landed on the ground with an 'Oof' and looked up. Zelda was hovering on top of him, one hand on either side of his head. Link stared at her, azure eyes wide in shock and embarrassment. The tips of his ears burned. "Um…Zelda?"

The princess leaned down; his head drooped in such a way that Link could not see her face. She was so close that the tips of their noses were brushing and Link's heart was pounding loudly in his ears. He opened his mouth to say something but found that his mouth was currently unavailable as Zelda pressed her lips to his. Link's mind came to a grinding halt. What was happening? Was Zelda really…? His thoughts eventually faded out and he found himself responding to her kiss. It was such an…exquisite feeling! After a minute or so, they broke apart. Both Link and Zelda breathing heavily. "W-Well, we should b-"

"Shut up, Link." Zelda said, half serious and half joking. "We scarcely got away with our lives only yesterday, I don't want to go back to Castle Town just yet."

"But, we have to head back or else everyone would get-"

"I said, to be quiet Link, and kiss me some more."

The hero gave a laugh, who would of known that Zelda was capable of being so…unruly? "At your command, Princess." He said and did as the Princess of Hyrule requested.

END!

Yes, I know it was incredibly cliché and did not flow very well. But I wanted to get this in before Valentines, guess I Was late. Ah, well. :D I hope you enjoyed it anyway, despite it's cliché-ness.

Song inspired: Collide – Howie Day.