Legend of Zelda, anyone?

I'm just as excited as everyone else with the release of Skyward Sword, so, I've decided to write a ZeLink story. This story wasn't written for any particular Zelda universe, so it may be slightly AU-ish if anything.

Story was inspired by the song, "Disaster Hearts" by I Fight Dragons. It's a fairly sad song, which is how this story came about...

I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of I Fight Dragons' songs.

The ornately decorated wooden wheels squeaked to a stop as her wheelchair stopped in an all-too familiar place. Her chair was planted on hard and sturdy ground, allowing her to lean back without having her son hold her as she settled into her chair and stare at the view before her.

A few flowers were scattered over the base of the stone she stared at. The wind tickled her now aged hair and her eyes still glazed over with that familiar sadness and longing all the people of Hyrule have come to recognize. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap as she continued to stare ahead of her, eyes never wavering from the sight in front of her. She held a certain blue earring in her hands, and showed no intention of letting it go.; She kept it firmly within her grasp as she let out a sigh of both tiredness and melancholy.

She was exhausted. Not due to her old years, but since her youthful days. Everyday, a burden on her heart lay permanently, not moving or having any signs of lightening up. Something tugged and teared her inner emotions with each passing day, and she had no control over how she felt. Something pulled her heart out and locked away her true feelings from long ago, somewhere unreachable and unattainable.

Her weary eyes stared at the long-faded words etched in the stone. The two middle letters were nearly gone, but the first and last were still slightly visible. She hadn't dare say his name for a very long time; just in moments with her son when she would tell great stories of the hero who saved her countless times. She almost wanted to touch the first letter, but her weakness and her emotionally unstable state did not allow her to. Her eyes glazed over once more as she recalled those early days of her youth.

She could almost remember every detail as if it were just yesterday. Waiting by her window, walking her daily rounds around the castle, occasionally going to the town square to speak to others - this was her daily routine. Her life as a princess, as lonely as it may have been, was no longer a dull flame but a bright fire that burned in her heart. Since he saved her, she became even more so inspired to become the princess everyone looked up to her as. She strived everyday to become someone of worth and someone who was strong enough to hold up the people she would one day rule as the queen.

Her work was inspired by that certain hero everyone knew of. Adorned in his simple yet trademark green tunic, he came to town after a rescue, a mission, or just a visit in general. In those few times he came, she remembered his every motion as he would walk up to her; mature yet boyish features graced his face, a stature that no other man could compare to, and deep cyan eyes that bore into hers as he would make eye contact. Lightly and gracefully he would walk up to her, taking her hand in his as he would kneel down and lightly press the back of her hand to his lips.

A simple yet impacting gesture that had gone a long way in her lifetime. Every time, her face could not hide the red tinge forming on her pale cheeks, and, as if he read her mind, a mischievous, boyish smile would grace his face once more. The silent hero was not as dense as she had thought.

Days turned into months, months into years. It wasn't long until their small interactions turned into long conversations and occasional escorts around the town central square. To the townspeople it was not suspicious; to the maids and butlers of the castle, it wasn't a fact to be denied of. Most already knew the two were more than friends, though none said anything to the king for fear of what would happen to the hero of Hyrule.

The hero of Hyrule. That was how most referred to him as, the teenage boy in green. But to her, he was more than that. He was more than her hero, more than her everything, more than what her heart could handle. The touch of his callused hands, the innocent smile he would only show to her, the deep yet smooth tone of his voice when he would tell her something too personal for others to here; not to mention the secrets she would only tell him, and he would only tell her. Their interactions and possible relationship was more than she could have ever imagined in all of her lifetime.

It was because of all this that she had a constant fear of him leaving every time. He would give a reassuring small smile before turning around and walking off towards his destination. The master sword glinted on his back, his shield shining with the known Hyrule sign, his green hat flowing in the wind; she would imprint that image into her mind, and his smile on her heart. It was something she would never forget. Every time he left with that impression, a little confidence grew in her, knowing he would return.

But. Life has its own plans.

It was two weeks after he had left, in that same similar fashion he usually departed. She was once again walking around the castle with the certain man in her mind. It did strike her as odd as to why he had not returned in a very long time. Worry began to creep into her veins; deny it as much as she could, the feeling overwhelmed her as she tried to walk around to clear her mind.

As she proceeded to walk outside for a fresh breath of air, the sounds of the soldiers' armor clanking loudly up the castle stairs was heard in the distance. It was then that her heart dropped; she did not know exactly why, but something called out to her as she heard the loud sounds.

She quickly proceeded down the hall in the direction of where the soldiers had stopped. Maids, butlers, and soldiers alike were huddled in a circle, and a loud cry of shock was heard from one of the maids. Seeing that the king had not made his arrival yet, she proceeded down the stairs to see what the commotion was about.

It was then that one of the soldiers yelled her title, and, in an attempt to stop her, two maids came rushing to her telling her that she must have some other business to attend to, while the king could handle the current one at hand. She ignored their comments; however, they persistently told her to return to her bedroom chambers. It wasn't until she ordered them to move aside that they meekly made way for her towards the huddled crowd.

At this moment, all eyes were fixed on her, all mouths shut in silence.

Because, as she stepped forward towards the center of the crowd, there he lay.

Her hero, covered in blood and completely lifeless.

The memory of what events occurred after were but vague parts. The king had arrived just then, but no voices were heard as she tried to concentrate on what she had seen before her.

An excruciating feeling of despair and nothingness ate away at her inward emotions. Nothing but the purest of heaviness and burdens lay within her as the image of his lifeless body once again flashed through her mind. It was enough for her to regurgitate everything within her; yet, like her voice, nothing came. It was like a knife stabbing her heart multiple times, as if it were carving her painfully alive and forcing her to witness the one thing she thought she would never see.

Numbness, despair, overwhelming feelings of nothingness; it engulfed her. The next thing she knew, she was within her bedroom once more, staring blankly at overhead canopy over her bed. She did not move; blank eyes, ragged breathing. The rest of her memories the days afterward were hazy; until the day of his burial.

The service was a private one; it was not publicly announced, for she wished it not. Only the few in the castle that knew him came to watch as he was properly buried, his stone already waiting to take its place above. His name was etched with careful precision, and it was as clear as day as she read the the name quietly to herself.

Link.

It was the only thing that stood out to her, as he was being covered six feet below. The words of the service were nullified from her mind; only that name, that wonderful, beautiful, quiet name, was what echoed in her mind. It was sunset when, a maid that stayed with her the whole time, informed her that she must return to the castle before it became too dark. Everyone else had left, all except her. She refused to budge; but it became evident that staying, too, would not bring him back to life.

What she did recall was going up to the stone and grazing her fingers carefully over his written name. Whether it was touch or realization, she did not know, tears flowed out of her eyes incessantly at that very moment. She felt weak to her knees yet she knew she shouldn't fall over. An overwhelming sensation of guilt, regret, and melancholy took her over as her hand remained where it was, touching his name.

Months passed, and, at the persistence of her father, she were to be married to someone soon. However, every time the conversation rose, she declined quietly and sadly, refusing every opportunity. Her resolve was silent, yet she stood her ground with every word she declined with. No man could ever impress her, no man could ever take his place; this was locked away in each of the broken pieces of her once whole heart.

A year had passed since his death when she suddenly bore her own child. It was evident that she was growing in size around that area, which caused suspicions within the maids and protest cries from the king. Each time he wanted to hear or see of the man that had done this to her; but, every time, she would say nothing and merely shake her head. The king had become suddenly grown impatient with her, but knew that there was nothing to be done with his daughter's state of mind.

The king became at ease when she had bore a son; someone to finally pass on their name and to rule Hyrule, fit as a king like himself. Since his daughter had resolved to not marry anyone and rule as a lone queen, it had unsettled him. However, his opinions changed when he found out of the news of her baby's gender; they changed even more so when he saw the physical appearance of the baby himself.

It was clear as to why she never wanted to marry; it was even more clear as to why she never proclaimed the name of her son's father.

His eyes had the same, deep blue color as his mother's; they were full of joy and seemed to be smiling even as he stared blankly to the ceiling. However, it was the color of his hair that had gotten to the ultimate conclusion of his father. A light gold color settled into his hair and matched perfectly with the soothing color of his eyes. His facial structure was small, yet it showed much similarities to a certain man who used to smile to her with such a face.

When the baby was dressed in green clothing, all suspicions were confirmed.

She never knew that that one day before she would last see him would change everything in her life and into her future. That change was evident in the boy she was cradling in her arms, the one who had similar features to the one she loved long ago - and still today.

From that day forward, she treasured him and made him into who he was today; a brave warrior known to Hyrule, fighter of evil, hero of justice. There were many similarities seen in him as he grew in comparison to his father - light blonde hair that lightly fluffed as it caught up in the wind, a voice deep enough to melt any woman's heart, and a facial structure that contained a face full of determination and courage, yet was sweeter than any other man in Hyrule.

It almost pained her heart to see her son everyday; but, at the same time, it was his blood that was running through the boy's veins that made her go on each day.

Now, as she sat in her wooden wheelchair, her eyes showed some life as she recalled these events in her life. Everything she did, she realized, always connected back to him, and it was because of this that she could never let him go.

A slight breeze picked up as it surrounded her once more, lifting her hair slightly as it ran through her hair. Exhaustion was truly wearing on her, as her heart weighed more heavily with each passing day and a forcible smile on her face to rule the kingdom as the queen she sought to be. All of these events were beginning to finally catch up to her, and the thought of everything started to make her eyes grow heavy as they started to slowly close.

As she began to close them, however, she saw a bright light before her, causing her to open her weary eyes once more and look at the sight. Her breath caught up in her as she realized what, or who, she was particularly staring at.

Before her, was him - still as young as ever, with that same smile he used to show her. In that small moment as they looked at each other face-to-face, a certain knife of nostalgia stabbed her heart once more. Not seeing him in years had all her pent up emotions suddenly flow out and truly show themselves. The feelings that were thought to be locked away and unattainable were resurfacing once more, and he was the one who had the key to it all.

She was unsure of what to do. Was this fate tickling her emotions? Was this a hallucination caused by her unstable emotions? Was this...death?

But even if it were any of the three or all of them, did not matter. Each of them were most certainly a risk, but it wasn't like she had not taken a few in her lifetime. Risks were what made her life the most exciting and what filled her experiences to the person she was today. They were what taught her the greatest lessons, and also the greatest burdens. But risks, most importantly, were what embodied him - the person before her. The two were a risky match, yet she took it anyhow, somehow knowing that everything would be alright. He was a risk to her title, to her life, to everything she knew of. Yet, in the end, she knew it was him and the risks involved that embodied who she was today, and of their second generation.

It was at that moment that he outstretched his arm and offered his hand to her. Being elderly didn't phase him, for he still recognized the particular woman he, too, had fallen in love with. His voice, the one she knew all-too well, rang out and echoed through her ears and the crevices of her heart:

It's time to go home.

No tears came, no sadness; rather, as she reached out for that calloused hand, the immediate touch changed her very being. She stood up with ease as she took the first step towards him, looking at the same sweet expression she remembered so well. Her body felt as light as a feather, and yet, even as her physical being reverted back to her youthful days when she and him had fallen in love, she only looked at his cyan eyes with the smile she hadn't truly shown in decades. His hand intertwined with hers, as he led her into the light, letting it engulf both of them until they were no longer seen.

The son, who had been sitting patiently on the grass near his mother, decided that it was nearly time to go home and walked up to his mother. Being here multiple times, he knew of the man she was visiting was his father and it pained him many times as he watched his mother stare blankly each time at the stone with the familiar name she always spoke of to him.

With a solemn look, he patted his mother's shoulder as usual, speaking in a low voice to not startle her:

It's time to go home.

When she didn't respond the first time, he patted her shoulder a little more, assuming that she had fallen asleep as she had so many times before. But when no response came, he knelt down to her eye level to brush her hair back and see her face-to-face.

What he discovered gave him both sadness and joy. Her eyes were closed with such peace that he had hardly seen, along with a simple smile that graced her lips so wonderfully, that he came to see just how the father he had never seen had fallen in love with her so long ago.

He stood up, looking up to the clear and vast sky before him. Though he knew that she would no longer visit this particular place, he knew that she would be much more happy in the place she was at that moment. Alas, the queen of Hyrule had finally settled into her true home, through all the life experiences she had felt.

Her life was filled with a disastrous, emotional hurting, but the end was what benefited her. Her heart wasn't completely healed, but it was pieced back together by that hero of justice she always spoke of to him - his father. And it was through this that he knew she was safe, walking side by side with the love she had lost long ago, her heart completely pieced together once more by the key that unlocked her true emotions.