Freedom. She stretched out on the soft grass and watched the clouds move lazily across the clear blue sky. She breathed deeply and savored the smell of the clean air. Air that she hadn't been breathing for the past... well for as long as she had been down there.

Recycled air... She hadn't even noticed a difference until she took a breath of this glorious, oxygen-rich wonder. It didn't really matter how long she had been down there. Her father died the day she got there, when GLaDOS flooded as much of the facility as she could with deadly neuro-toxins.

She had never known her mother. She had died soon after giving birth. They did manage to snap one picture of the three of them, her mother still on the hospital bed, her new daughter in her arms, and her husband hugging them both.

In a way, it was a sad reminder of what she had lost. But it was also a reminder of what life in this world could mean. A family. Friends. Love. Happiness. Right now, she was happy enough to have her freedom. Well, mostly anyway.

She glared at the device on the grass beside her. She'd been tossed out with nothing but a slightly burnt weighted companion cube, a mostly useless portal gun, and the clothes on her back. Some send off. You dangerous, mute, lunatic. She smiled to herself.

She wasn't mute. At least she hadn't been when she went in, but she hadn't spoken a word in... She really needed to find out how long she'd been down there. She was never a very talkative girl. She spoke when it was necessary, and only the words that needed to be spoken. Needless to say, she hadn't left behind any friends to be missing.

It wasn't that she didn't want friends, it was just that none of them understood how to make what they said meaningful. In her mind, a person could only convey so much meaning in their life, and the more words you used, the less meaning any of them had. It was like inflation of the economy. More bills in circulation made each bill worth less.

She sighed and picked up the portal gun. Aperture Science Hand-held Portal Device. What a useless piece of junk. And now that she was out of the enrichment center, with it's white, conversion gel covered walls, the only portal friendly surface was the moon.

She tossed the thing at her cube. Stupid thing. Even if she wanted to go to the moon, she didn't have a surface down here to use for her end. A flashing light caught her eye. She rolled onto her side and looked curiously at the portal device. A panel had popped off when she had thrown it.

That was out of the ordinary. For all its faults, when aperture made something, they made it nearly indestructible. Mostly out of paranoia about their competitors stealing their designs. But now, the panel lay on the ground, and a small console sat, flashing merrily at her. She reached over and warily pulled the device back into easy reach. She studied the console.

The panel consisted of various switches, dials, and buttons all attached to a very complicated circuitry board. There were almost no labels on the instruments, and only a few light-up indicators. She frowned at it. She has always been a danger around things she didn't understand. Where some people feared them and tried to destroy them or hide from them, She always wanted to experiment and understand them.

That was why she had been so excited on bring your daughter to work day. Science had always been her calling. Not that she liked all the aspects of it, but it was the only viable path that fulfilled most of her desires. She began fiddling with the dials.

She rationalized, that at worst, she would break it. Since she couldn't use it now anyways, she wasn't too concerned. She played with the unlabeled parts first. Twisting, pushing, and flipping them until the indicator lights changed. After a few minutes of tinkering, she had almost all of the lights turned on. She turned her attention to a dial that had a very vague label.

On one end, it said "wave" and on the other end it said "particle". She remembered something about light being both a wave and a particle, and the dial was almost to the wave end, but not quite. She twisted it very slightly, and yet another light came on. She smiled and moved to the last set of switches. There were five.

The first four seemed simple enough. They all flipped either up or down, and currently, three of them were activated. She inspected and found them marked with a tiny "x", "y", and "z". She looked at the fourth in the series and saw a "t" below it. Trace amounts of time travel, huh? She flipped it and smiled at the little green light.

The last switch was over a spectrum of colors. She didn't have the foggiest clue what it could mean, but found that the light turned on at numerous points along the path. She settled for switching it from green to orange, her favorite color.

Now, with all of the lights in the on position, she snapped the cover back into place. How had she managed to never knock it off before? It was held on by a small plastic latch, and she had dropped and thrown the thing worse than that a hundred times before.

She pointed her modified device dramatically at her companion cube and fired. Nothing happened. She sighed and dropped it again. She hadn't expected much, but at least a flash of fizzle or something would have been nice.

Then she gasped. She could see grass through the cube. No... She moved to the side and saw the cube sitting in one piece where she had left it. There seemed to be a window floating in mid air between them. Right where she had dropped the gun. She stepped forward and grabbed the device. As she straightened up, she knew something was wrong.

The cube was gone. So was the path she had been walking on. She popped the cover off the device and frowned. All the lights were out. She looked on the inside of the cover. She read over the details quickly. Not good. It was out of power. And she didn't think she could pick up a replacement singularity at the nearest supermarket.

Wherever this thing had sent her, she was stuck. Not a big loss, since she had nothing to leave behind, but it still bothered her, being transported without her consent. Oh well. She had been asking for it when she started messing with the thing's dials. It probably had a personality core like GlaDOS's and got angry with her.

Just her luck. Her stomach rumbled loudly and she looked up at the sky. It was just past mid day. She started walking.

It was a beautiful day. That was concerning. The last time it had been this nice out, the world had almost ended. But that was two years ago, in an alternate time line that he had prevented eleven years ago.

He'd earned a little bit of peace, but no. Zelda kept him run ragged. Could she not count on any of her official officers? Of course she could, but he was the Hero of Time, and she had him wrapped around her finger. They had started off as allies, then soon became good friends. Well, good compared to most of his previous "friends".

If he were honest with himself, he preferred his solitude to her company most of the time. He wasn't ungrateful, but she never stopped talking. It was nice listening to the news of the land from someone he knew was reliable, but she had no idea how to trim down her reports.

He grimaced. She had talked him half to death yesterday, going on and on for almost two hours, and he could sum up what she said in two minutes. He patted Epona's side and began to unpack his things. He loved nights like this. Alone, under the stars, the lush grass of Hyrule under him. He even had some descent food this time, courtesy of the princess.

The sun was on it's way down and he knew if he wanted a tent for the night, he needed to put it up now. He probably wouldn't sleep in it, but the weather here could change on a rupee, and he had been caught in freezing rain after a warm day three times before. Not fun. Not a cloud in the sky. He began to set up his tent.

It took him almost half an hour to completely set up camp for the night. Not bad, considering all he had to get done. He had fed and watered Epona, set up his tent, started a fire, got some water boiling, stripped out of his normal tunic and chain mail and switched to his more comfortable shirt and pants.

He had just stretched out with his back against a tree when he spotted something out of the ordinary. Something orange. He stood up smoothly and grabbed his sword. He didn't bother with his shield. He carried the sword now for identification. Without his green tunic, few would believe he was who he said.

To his amazement, the figure he had seen turned out to be a young woman. A very attractive young woman, who looked next to passing out from exhaustion, hunger, and thirst. Without a word of introduction, nor any demand for one from either side, he helped her to his camp site and split his dinner with her.

Once she had eaten and drank, she gave him a small smile. He knew she was thanking him, and wondered if maybe she spoke a different language and didn't want to try fighting with words. He was happy with that. Thrilled even. It had been a while since he had met a human that could communicate without words.

He heard a soft sound and looked over to find her asleep. It had taken her all of ten minutes to be out like a light. He smiled and pulled his spare blanket from his tent, wrapping it carefully around her. He lay down a few feet from her on the soft moss at the edge of the forest and was soon asleep himself.

Her dreams that night were strange. She had just met a very handsome man, almost the same age as herself, who had taken her in and cared for her without a word. It had to be a dream. Especially since the unidentifiable stew she had eaten was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted, and the tree she was sleeping against was a soft as a pillow.

But then again, they say hunger is the best spice, and as for the tree, she could have slept on stone and nails and been comfortable. Maybe, if she was lucky, he'd still be there when she woke up. The first human she had seen in years, and he was already her knight in shining armor.

When she woke up the next morning, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she hadn't imagined it all. Now, with a refreshed mind and body, she took in a bit more of her surroundings than she had the previous night. She looked up in awe at the magnificent horse tied to a tree near by. How had she missed that? She must have really been out of it.

The man from the night before was stretched out near the edge of the forest, a thin blanket wrapped loosely around him. His eyes were open, and he was watching the sunrise with a peaceful smile on his face. She smiled and sat up, yawning and stretching. When she had finished, the man was looking at her.

She smiled at him, and he returned the smile. He pointed at the center of the camp site and she looked, finding a delicious looking meal laid out before her. He must have been up for a while, or gone back to sleep after he cooked. She picked up one of the strips of meat and bit into it. It was soft, warm, and delicious.

She ate in silence, and the man soon came over and sat by her. He pulled a container from his bag and took a drink before handing it to her. She gratefully accepted and drank all she could before handing it back. She felt a bit bad about taking so much of his food and water, but she hoped she'd be able to repay the kindness eventually.

"My name is Link." She looked at him curiously. It was the first time he had spoken since they met, and it was so soft, she almost hadn't noticed. Her second realization was that he spoke the same language as her.

"I'm Chell." So she could still talk. She guessed that was probably a good thing. As much as she enjoyed silence, there were some things that you could only express with words. To her surprise, the man didn't say another word. He smiled warmly at her, put his hand gently on her shoulder for a moment, then got up and began packing his camp site into his saddle bags.

Without question, she helped him pack as best she could, and when he offered her a hand up onto his horse, she willingly accepted. He was warm. He smelled like the soft green grass of the field, and of other, unfamiliar scents. And under it all, a faint hint of blood. She had seen his sword. He had without doubt been in a number of bloody battles before.

Somehow, the idea of this man being in harms way made her sad. He seemed too calm and peaceful to be a warrior or soldier. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his back as they rode. She wondered if someday she'd get to hear his story in his soft voice.

She traveled with him for two months. She learned about the many strange and amazing creatures that lived in this world. She met the princess, who seemed less than thrilled about her hero's new traveling companion. And slowly, as they grew to trust each other more, they began talking.

Chell told him about how she had come to his world. He didn't seem as skeptical as she had expected. She understood why when he had told her of his adventures through time. They had both experienced things so amazing and terrible that they felt alone in the world.

But not anymore. The princess grudgingly admitted to her that she had not seen Link so happy since he had saved their land. It made Chell absolutely ecstatic to know that she had made such a difference to him. In only two months, they had gone from being quiet, lonely and depressed to the closest friends either of them had ever had.

Chell still wore her bright orange jacket sometimes, along with her white Aperture Science tank top, but otherwise, she had adopted the customs of her new companion. She even wore some of Link's green clothing. That had really rubbed the princess the wrong way.

Of course, no one had any doubts about why the princess was in such a state, but it didn't really change anything. She had treated Link as her own personal messenger, sending him as an ambassador to their neighbors, having him act as mediator in countless inter-species disputes, and many other jobs. All of the fondness and attraction he had once felt for her had been beaten down by the years of service.

Her's had not. She had taken every opportunity and excuse to have him by her side. She sent him off on any possible mission, just so he would have to come back to her and speak his report when it was finished. She didn't realize she was going about it the wrong way until it was too late. She had considered having someone take the newcomer out of the picture, but had immediately banished that idea.

She knew it was wrong, yes, but her jealousy had beaten that part down. No, it was her logic that stopped her from doing it. Link was no fool. He was also impossibly strong, both in body as well as mind and spirit. His courage was unmatched by any creature in all of Hyrule. Nayru's blessing would not allow her to overlook the most likely outcome of her desired action.

She knew if she had the woman who was stealing her hero killed, there was no army nor magic, nor weapon, nor blessing could stop the warrior with the courage of Faror. The second goddesses power had proven to be the greatest. At least when coupled with Link's own strength. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was fighting for people he didn't know. For a woman he was falling in love with and had finally found companionship with? He would topple the kingdom single handed.

So she bit her tongue and watched as the only man she had considered to be her equal walk away with a woman who was a stranger to them both. They had known each other since they were ten. And now? This girl who had known him for all of two months had stolen his heart. How had she done it?

Link was far from oblivious of the princess's feelings. He just chose to ignore them. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to her. He was. On several levels. But there was one thing Chell had that Zelda didn't. She understood the value of silence. For all her wisdom, the princess had never figured out that you could say so much without words if you only knew how to listen.

When Link and Zelda had lapsed into silence, it was awkward and uncomfortable. When he and Chell sat in silence together, it felt like the most natural and peaceful thing in the world. And sometimes they talked. Sometimes they would sit up long into the night, huddles close together by the fire, telling each other stories of their adventures.

He had never done that with Zelda. And Chell had never even had the opportunity before. Not that she could even begin to imagine herself talking so openly to anyone else. Her father had never had time for her to talk to him. He mother had died. And GLaDOS? She'd rather chat up a turret. Of course her companion cube had been alright, but it was nothing compared to Link.

She found, as she got to know him, his incredible accomplishments and his looks, which drew the eyes of women from every species, didn't matter to her nearly as much as his kindness, courage, and respectfulness.

She had him teach her how to shoot a bow. He had her teach him to read, write, and do math. He taught her survival skills, she taught him science and critical thinking. They were repeatedly surprised by how quick the other was to learn something that they knew many others would struggle with. It helped that neither wanted to disappoint the other.

After a year together, they were an inseparable team. Chell's natural physical skills combined with Link's training made her far from helpless in a fight. Link's quick thinking and inquisitive mind, paired with Chell's experience and tutoring gave him an edge in life and combat that no other warrior in Hyrule had.

They got odd jobs across the country, solving crimes, designing bridges and buildings, acting as body guards, planning new farming techniques. Anything that people needed, the pair were always in high demand. Of course, sometimes they weren't around to be had.

At least once a month, the two would vanish. They would sneak away in the night and spend a few days relaxing out in the country together. They loved those days. They would spend days on end with only each other for company. Hunting, swimming, sparring, studying, sitting in silence, and swapping stories.

It was never brought up, but they knew they were more than friends to each other. They never needed to say it. It was clear in their actions. No one, not even the two of them, had a shadow of a doubt about their feelings for each other.

One of the many stories that filtered through the gossip stones of Hyrule was about a nearly legendary event that no human had been lucky enough to witness. A heated argument between the two silent wanderers of the land.

"What time of year do you lie more? Spring or summer?" Link was stretched out on his back in the sand. The gentle waves of the beautiful Lake Hylia danced in the evening light before us.

"I actually prefer fall and winter to either of those." Chell sat on the dock with her bare feet dangling in the water, swinging gently when a fish would nudge her.

"What? Why? It makes the world all cold and dead. In the spring, everything comes to life! The whole world is reborn and it is beautiful! And in the summer, everywhere you look, there is life in a hundred forms!" He really was an amazing man. A warrior who loved life so much that he would sacrifice anything to protect it in all its forms. Chell smiled.

"That is true, but in the fall, you get to see all the amazing colors that nature hides for the rest of the year. And when the leaves fall from the trees, you get to see things that were invisible before, like the nests in the high branches, or starlight on a bed of moss. Without fall, there would be no spring. It is like the rain. It washes everything away and makes it new again." Link was now staring up at the sky, thinking quietly.

A few minutes passed as he contemplated his response. Chell climbed up onto the dock and took a seat next to her companion, and holding her knees to her chest as the sank closer to the horizon.

"Fall is necessary, yes, but I don't think it is beautiful. When an elderly person dies, you know it is necessary, but it doesn't make it any less sad. It is hard to celebrate the beauty of the past or future when the present is nothing but death." Chell frowned at him now.

"Link, fall is far from being 'nothing but death', and you know it! What about all the creatures that mate in the fall? And the ones that give birth in the fall? Those little snow creatures that hibernate during the summer and come out only in the winter? There is so much life in the fall! It is far more beautiful too. I always loved watching the sunrise in fall. It was one of my favorite feelings." Chell laid back next to him now and looked sideways at him.

"Fine, fine. What about winter then? It is so cold, many young animals die. Even some less fortunate people who can't afford to protect themselves from the cold lose their lives. What is beautiful about that?" Chell almost giggled. Link was modest, but competitive. He didn't like being wrong. But neither did she.

"Snow, silly! Did you know each and every snowflake is completely unique? It's incredible! The soft blanket of silence that covers the world in a forest just before dawn in the snow... It is so peaceful! And all the life is still there. It is sleeping beneath your feet, just waiting for its time to rise again! Don't you get that feeling of anticipation? Like the world is about to be born into a new day even more beautiful than the first?"

Link stretched and sat up.

"There is no reasoning with you, you know? How can you see so much beauty and life in everything? I sort of admire you for that." Chell frowned a little.

"I appreciate it because I spent so long without it... I was in a metal box deep under the ground breathing fake air and eating fake food with no other life form in sight for years..." Link patted her shoulder.

"Alright, alright. You were right. But you're out now. You're free. And you are a stronger person for making it through." She smiled and leaned into him as he wrapped one arm around her, holding her close.

"Thank you. So, sunrise, or sunset?" Link groaned and flopped back.

"I think we've argued enough for one day, lets just enjoy this nice summer sunset. Because it is the best." Chell rolled her eyes and fell back next to him.

"Sure it is. Next to a fall sunrise. In the rain." They both laughed.

So what did you think? I've thought the interactions between Chell and Link would be very interesting to explore, considering what each of them has been through and their mutual lack of speech. Please leave me a review telling me what you think! And I'm sorry to all of the Link x Zelda fans I probably angered with this. I love Zelda too, she just got a bit... shoved to the side and grumpy this time. But don't worry! She'll be back in my next LoZ story!