A Final Tale Chapters 7-12

Author's Note: There will be a bit of singing in this chapter. Now I am no musician, so I didn't actually come up an actual melody. These are my own alternate lyrics to the song "Suicide is Painless" that was from the TV show; M*A*S*H. Here's a link to an instrumental so you can follow my lyrics: watch?v=H9bYnzs7Zaw Also; my lyrics are more hopeful as you will see. I have always enjoyed the song, but I do not support the idea of killing one's self. I personally don't see a reason for it. I won't drag on the subject in this Author's Note or in any other. I will just offer this question to those whom maybe reading and ARE contemplating suicide: What do you really gain from Suicide? If you die, you'll never accomplish your dreams if you're dead. When you are dead, you're dead. There is no second round at this life. Consider that next time you plan to kill yourself, because suicide is just a form of selfishness; nothing more.

Chapter 7: The Daughter's Talent

As they had planned, when they finished eating they left for Clock Town. After about an hour they arrived at the East Gate where Anju waited patiently. The carriage slowly came to a stop and Link climbed down first and walked over. "Thanks for this, Anju." He greeted as he gave a slight bow.
"It was no problem, Link. There always will be a room in the Stock Pot Inn for you and your family. I set up the 'Knife Chamber' for you all." She told him with a signature smile and bow as she began to lead the group to the inn.

"Oh yes, can you set up a room for the Queen, Please?" Link requested as they walked in.

"Sure, I'll set her up with my Grandmother's old room." She suggested.

"That should be perfect. Zelda should enjoy the Termina history and mythology in there." He thought out-loud.

"She likes stuff like that? That's kinda weird." Romani asked.

Link nodded. "At least she did when we were kids. She knew all the legends and stories in Hyrule. The priests at the Temples had nothing on what she knew. Who knows if she still does have an interest?" he stated as he shrugged his shoulders and they walked up stairs. "Did you finally fix that hole-thing in the wall?" he mocked and Anju placed her hands on her hips and gave an annoyed look.

"Did you really think we wouldn't have that fixed by now?" she asked with a smile. However Link just rolled his eyes and opened the door and looked around at the room. It wasn't that different from how he remembered; there were two beds that were big enough to fit two adults each. A small table with four chairs stood in the center of the room, besides a fireplace that wasn't yet lit.

"I see you replaced the beds." Link commented as he felt the softness of the mattress.

"Yes, I replaced all the beds about five years ago." Anju said as the family of four began to check out the room and began to get settled. "I can see your getting ready to unpack, so I'll take my leave. Kafei and I will be in the next room, if any of you need anything." She advised as she bowed and left the room. Link looked around and approached the window and looked at the Clock Tower hovering above; it was just a little after nine. He turned to see his family continuing to unpack, he then moved over to one of the chairs and sat and stared at the unlit fire-place. Romani saw her husband pondering in thought, and then shifted her focus to the teens and clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Okay, time for bed." She commanded, the teens made their expected complaints, but ultimately decided to obey her and began to leave the room to go change for bed; however Link stood and raised a hand, silently commanding to cease what they were doing.

"I don't know about you, honey." He began directing his conversation to Romani, but still looking at his children. "But perhaps that they are both old enough to go to the Milk Bar." He suggested with a smile. Similar smiles then formed on their teenage faces, where Romani simply placed a hand to her face, and ran her fingers through her long, red hair, and then she looked to the teens. They had grown so much in what seemed such a short space of time. She could remember a time when Raldo was just starting to take his first steps at such a young age, or when Marin said her first words. And here she was today; where her children were in their mid-teens. They have lived a life on a ranch, away from the town. Sometimes she thought that she and Link were sheltering them from the world a bit too much, and she could see that the two desperately wanted to go and be a part of life. She finally sighed in defeat.

"OK, but no alcohol." She requested and partly commanded. The smiles on the teens' faces which had temporarily disappeared returned with even more vigor the before. "And be back no later than Midnight!" Romani added, to which the teens and Link nodded in agreement to.
The group then left the inn and entered the building next door which was the Milk Bar; Barton answered the door.

"Sorry, but the Bar doesn't open-" he paused as he realized whom was at his front step.

"Hey, old man!" Link said with a smile.

"Oh, Link! Quite the surprise to see you here, and so soon after a delivery!"

"Yeah, I know it is unusual, but I was wondering if me and the family could come in for a few hours and join the fun! But I know it's against the Bar's policy to allow non-members to come in…"

"Didn't I say that you and your family are always welcome? I'll let it slide for this once, but they can't buy any drinks unless it's through you or Romani."

"Don't worry, Barton." Romani said, entering the conversation. "They are just here to meet some new people." she said.

"Well, okay." the old Bartender agreed as he opened the door the rest of the way, allowing the family in. The group walked down the stairs and towards the stools at the bar and all took seats. "What can I get ya'll? He asked as prepared some mugs.

"Just a round of regular milks, Old Man." Link said as he handed 80 rupees over. Barton at first tried to refuse the money, but Link forced it upon him, and then gave each of them big mug of delicious milk. As the group sipped or chugged down their drinks, Kafei came in and sat down besides Link, not even noticing he was there for a few minutes.

"Hey, Kafei, didn't expect to see you tonight." Link started, getting his friend's attention.

"Wow, same here, Mr. Hero. I only just found out from Anju that you came into town. You know her; pretty forgetful at times." the mayor admitted as he motioned towards Barton to give him his regular which was a Chateau Romani; which he gulped down about half in a single gulp.

"Hey, you know Link doesn't care for that title, Kafei!" Romani said in the defense to the name.

"I'm sorry, Romani, but your husband really should take the credit where the credit is deserves." he snapped back, clearly the drink was already starting to get to him. Kafei could never hold his liquor that well, but he downed a couple more Chateaus in either case.

"I may deserve it, but do not want it, nor do I need it!" Link argued back, but Kafei - whom was now kinda tipsy - shrugged off the argument like yesterday's boring news. Link and Romani sighed in frustration, as they both went back to their drinks, and then towards their own rounds of Chateau. The evening at first went slowly, as regulars came in. The group watched them come in slowly; Raldo gave a sigh in slight boredom as he looked around the bar and noticed that Marin was eyeing the stage across the room. He then decided to break his boredom.

"Hey, Marin didn't you say something about wanting to sing on stage at some point?" he partly lied. It was somewhat true that Marin had once said she wanted to sing on stage in-front of people someday, but it was a conversation that hasn't been brought up for four years when Marin was only 10 years old. She and everyone else in the bar gave her brother a confused look at first, until Marin realized what he was talking about. She then leaned close and whispered.

"I don't want to now! I haven't tried singing in years, Brother."

"Now, that's a fib if I ever heard one. I've heard you singing at times when tending to the cows at times." he said.

"I didn't know you could sing, Marin." Link interrupted, totally surprised at this.

"Oh, come on, Link! I knew she sang." Romani said as she doped-slapped her husband, and then quickly looked to her daughter and gave her a confident smile. "Come on, Honey. You can do it; show your father and everyone here what you can do!" she said raising a fist in support. It wasn't long before everyone was insisting that she sings. She eventually raised her hands in defeat and yelled so the whole bar could hear her.

"Fine! I'll do it, but don't blame me if I'm not that good!" she said, clearly angry as she finished her drink in a single gulp and walked onto the stage. She then cleared her throat as she spoke again to the crowd. "Alrighty then. Now I guess the one song I'll sing for you all is what I have called 'My Dreams are not Painless'. It's based on a song I heard years ago. I decided to take a more hopeful take on the song instead so please excuse me if it's a bit off." she announced as the lights of the bar dimmed low, and a single spot-light shown on her.

Through the late night fog I see,
Dreams of things I wish to be
The things I have longed to feel,
I close my eyes and they are just within my reach…

Oh, my dreams are not painless
I know it'll take some changes
But I know I can take it if I believe…

The game of life is hard to play
I know I may lose it some-day.
That losing card I may just lay…
But I feel I still need to play!

Oh, my dreams are not painless
I know it'll take some changes
But I know I can take it if I believe…

The trail we're on at first may seem hard
It may even hurt us to the soul
But as we walk this path that we now tread,
If we endure it we will win!

Oh, my dreams are not painless
I know it'll take some changes
But I know I can take it if I believe…

A kind friend once questioned me
To answer the question that was laid upon me
"Can you do this, if all you do is dream?"
And I replied "no, but you can if you truly try!"

Oh, my dreams are not painless
I know it'll take some changes
But I know I can take it if I believe…

And you can do the same things, when you dream…

Marin sang with more feeling that anyone that knew her could believe, and the audience was absolutely stunned to her singing, and they all applauded and begged for more, and Marin who was now over her anger from before, she agreed to sing again, even though it was the same song. As she continued to sing with even more vigor, people who just be happening to walk by outside would hear her singing and come in to listen. It wasn't before long that most of all of Clock Town was inside listening to her.

Link sat back in his stool, and listened to his daughter sing her heart out and begin a dream she had only experienced in her sleep become reality. It was kind of hard to believe that that his little girl had such an amazing talent. He actually thought about his role as their father. Is my role as a father beginning to end? He thought to himself. Was his duty of raising them into society over before he even knew it was? Even if it was the case, he didn't care about the future and what it may hold at this particular moment. Right now all he cared about was listening to his daughter sing.

When Marin finally stepped down, everyone applauded to her once more, and through the crowd, Link noticed some guys about his daughter's age were trying to hit on her, but she just politely turned them all down. "I think its time to go." Marin yawned, and everyone agreed and left back for the inn to get some well-deserved rest.

Author's Note: Okay I wanna know; how was my utterly horrible lyrics? If they were bad, I'm sorry. I don't care much for writing lyrics, I only care for listening to music.

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Author's note: well this chapter will be slightly different than the previous ones. This will actually contain action. I mean I can't write a story involving Link's inner warrior without some action. There is no blood or anything. (besides a bloody nose) So for the ones who are reading this just for the drama alone don't need to worry. And the ones who do like action stories with drama will be happy.

Chapter 8: The Son's Talent

The remainder of the night went by uneventful after Marin's show. The next day Link and Raldo decided to get up early and get Kafei to begin their first training session as Link as mentor. Raldo knocked on the door to the room that Anju and Kafei were sharing in the inn. Kafei eventually answered the door, still in his pajamas, and battling a mild hangover. "You up for a training session, Kafei?" the teen asked, oblivious to the Mayor's hurting head. He slowly shook his head as he held his skull in pain.

"Hangover." Kafei uttered simply as he turned around and shut the door, not allowing another word to be said. Raldo gave a disappointed look at the door, but Link placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I guess it'll just be you and me, then." he stated with a smile as he lightly jerked his head, indicating to his son to come with him. "Come on, I know a place where we can duke it out." he finished as he lead the way out of the inn and towards West Clock Town.

As they made their short walk through the center of town, they watched the hussle and bussle of town as it prepared for the coming of the Queen of Hyrule. Raldo noticed that a lot of people in town had shown up at the Milk Bar the night before. "Wow, it looks like most of town showed up last night." he commented as they walked up the ramp, entering the west side of town. The two walked up to the residence that was besides the Post Office, and Link raised a hand to knock, but his son just opened the door that was unlocked. "This place has been empty the past couple of years, Dad. No one runs this place anymore." he stated as they entered and lit the torches to the training center. Link then handed his son a wooden sword.

"Shall we begin?" he asked with a smirk as he grabbed one for himself.

"Personally I'd like to see what my old man can really do." Raldo said as he got a feel for the wooden weapon.

"We just start swinging, then?" Link asked with interest. Raldo shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"I'm game for that." Raldo said as he took a fighting stance, and Link did the same.

They stood there, eyeing the other down, when for a moment Raldo saw something in his father's eyes he had never seen before; a fierce determination, a long forgotten desire for battle. If he needed to compare it to anything it was the eyes of a wolf eyeing its prey before striking. His father's look sent a shiver of fear up his spine, never has he seen such a look… but he shook the fear and doubt out from his mind and began with a horizontal slash at his father, however within a blink of an eye Link had deflected the blow with an upward diagonal cut that for a split second that Raldo's balance was thrown off for he did not expect such a powerful strike from him. Link saw his moment in which Raldo's defenses were wide open, and followed with a kick to Raldo's stomach. The teen was knocked back, holding his belly with his free left hand, as he desperately tried again at his father with a downward vertical slice. However Link was far too fast as he parried the attack with his sword in a fluid motion and punched his son's kidney and then made a swing with his wooden sword, but Raldo somehow countered the attack as he stepped back trying to gather himself as he fended off more and more slashes from his own father.

Link eventually had Raldo backed into the wall - pinned; he swung again but Raldo placed his back against the wall and slid down - narrowly missing getting hit in the head. He rolled out and around Link and fluently countered against his father's back! Link let out a grunt in pain, as he swung again out of instinct, but Raldo parried the swing away, forcing Link to face his son again. The two swung at each other repeatedly, till they got caught in a sword lock, pushing on each trying to get the other give out. The two stood there, neither giving in, with big devilish smiles on both their faces. The only that mattered to the two at this moment was enjoying the thrill of their wills in conflict. Who would move first? The two would ask themselves in silence. Raldo decided to move first as he bashed a forearm into his father's nose, causing Link to break the lock as he stepped back, clutching his now bloody nose with his right hand. "You're not bad, son!" he commented as he wiped away the blood and smiled, and Raldo returned with a similar smile.

"Thanks, but is all that you got, Dad?" he asked in a smug tone as he taunted him with his free hand. Link shook his head at his son's cockiness.

"Far from it! I'm not done yet; only a tad rusty at this. I haven't done anything like this since you were born!" he said in defense, but Raldo gave another smug look and shrugged his shoulders again.

"Look; making excuses already!" he mocked. However Link just laughed at his son.

"Come at me, then!" he yelled back with a big grin, and Raldo took his offer and rushed at his father and slashed, but Link jumped high into the air, over his son and landing behind him. Raldo panicked for a moment and began to turn to slash but it was too late; Link struck his son's back knocking the teen down to the dirt-like floor. Raldo tried making a last ditch attempt as he tried to roll his way out, but Link knocked Raldo's sword away, finally placing the dulled-tip of the sword to his son's face. "Face it; I may getting old, but I haven't lost my touch!" he said proudly as he withdrew his sword and reached an empty hand out to his son, whom reluctantly took the hand and got up.

"Okay, I can admit defeat; you're still good at this, Dad. But you gotta admit I nearly beat you!" he said proudly as he began putting the things away.

"Yes, you nearly did, but 'nearly' is never enough when it's the real deal." Link advised as he helped out. "But with that natural talent and some more training and you will be a fine swordsman! You may even surpass me someday!" Link said, boosting his son's confidence as he then put out the torches and opened the door.

"You really think so, Dad?" Raldo asked curiously. Link smiled as he nodded.

"Yes, and perhaps you can teach me some of those moves you used on me. I have never seen moves like that before."

"Yeah, well me and Kafei developed that move together. He came up with the ideas and I mastered using them. We came up with several moves that I didn't use today." the teenager bragged. Link nodded in peaked interest.

"I would like to see them at some point." he said simply as the two made their way back to the inn.

As they walked back and the day came to a close, Link realized that the day after tomorrow Zelda would be arriving into town. And then… the real drama will begin. He thought as he was not looking forward to her coming.

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Chapter 9: The Dawn before the Day

"It is time for us to say Good-bye, Link." A young, beautiful woman told the young man dressed in his signature green tunic that was adorned with numerous cuts and scratches.

"Why?! I don't want to go back! I want to stay here with you! I did all of this for you!" he yelled frantically trying to hold back the tears he desperately wished to shed. The woman said nothing for several moments.

"I know but there is no need for heroes in peacetime…" she said, knowing fully her Hero's desire to stay. "I have dragged you into a conflict that was entirely my fault." She trailed off. "You must regain your lost time… Now please give me the Ocarina of Time." She said as she held out a delicate hand. Link refused as he shook his head in protest. "Please Link… just go…" she pleaded. Link couldn't help himself now – he cried, however quietly as he handed over the Ocarina, and his now broken heart. Zelda took the instrument and played the familiar tune "Zelda's Lullaby". A circle of blue light surrounded Link and began to carry him off. "I am sorry… and good-bye." The princess whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek that he failed to notice.

Link awoke at the moment and instinctively looked around him to find himself not in the temple of time in Hyrule but in bed at the Stock Pot Inn lying next to his wife who was peacefully sleeping. He felt wet steams on his face and he wiped them away with his hand. He remembered back to years ago when he had nightmare in this bed after he first returned to Termina and he smiled. But the smile disappeared when he realized what he was dreaming or rather remembering; the day he was sent back to his real time by Zelda after completing his journey in Hyrule. The pains of heart-break that he had thought he left behind him in Hyrule were now haunting him like a nightmare… a nightmare that the Fierce Deity paled in comparison to. He wiped again at his face when he then noticed the Triforce mark resonating – Zelda would soon be in town today. "Dammit…" Link muttered when he also realized he was dreaming of a woman that wasn't his own wife! He felt a short bit of guilt as he punched himself in the forehead. He thought of getting up when he noticed that it was still dark outside, so he decided to place his head on the pillow and laid there, unable to sleep. The previous day went uneventful; he and his family simply explored the town and helped out in helping out with preparing for the Queen's coming. Link had helped one band out at Kafei's insisted request with any Hyrulian music or themes. Link thought about being a jerk and teaching them "The Song of Storms" to express his distaste for the coming event.

"The thousand years of rain drops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!" Link had quoted. "How appropriate…" he had then muttered that day. But for a more fitting and less distasteful setting he had taught them "The Song of Time." The hours ticked by slowly for it was only 3 AM when he woke up, but he just laid there in silence, listening to the sounds of the breathing around him and the occasional creek in the old inn. After a few hours he was able to finally drift off back to sleep; where he thankfully didn't have any more dreams of Zelda.

The morning came quickly, and Romani was the first to rise which was usual even back home on the ranch. She went downstairs after getting dressed out of her nightgown. Anju had also just gotten up and was preparing a quick breakfast for herself and Kafei. "Morning, Anju." Romani greeted as she helped herself to some morning coffee that Anju had prepared for her.

"Good Morning, Romani. How'd you sleep?" Anju responded casually as she then began preparing to make breakfast for more. Romani stretched her limbs.

"Not too bad myself; how about you?"

"I slept pretty well, I'm not used to getting up early to look after the inn anymore; especially since Dutor is usually the one running it now-a-days. But thankfully it's not the busy season."

"The busy season is usually around the Carnival, right?" Romani asked as she leaned up against the island counter, sipping on her coffee. Anju nodded. An awkward silence then passed.

"Hey, Romani is Link alright?" Anju then asked abruptly. Romani was somewhat surprised at her question. The two women have been friends for years since Cremia died in that… incident. However they still didn't talk very often. Whenever they did talk it was mostly casual, not often did they discuss family or specifically their husbands.

"Why do you ask?" Romani asked.

"I thought I heard Link talking or something last night."

"What, in his sleep? I didn't hear anything, but I sleep pretty heavily at times."

"Well, the walls in this inn are not very thick, but at times when he was talking I thought I could hear something like 'I don't want to go' and such." Anju told her friend. Romani sipped further on her coffee in thought as the two sat there in silence. A second later Kafei, Raldo and Marin came down, each yawning and still in their night clothes.

"What's this with Father?" Marin asked, curiously. The two women then noticed the three and the question regarding their conversation.

"Oh it's nothing, Honey." Romani lied to her daughter. She didn't wish to involve her children or anyone else in this matter regarding Zelda and Link yet. It was something that Romani felt that she, her husband, and the Queen would need to tackle on their own, which then reminded her of something. "Oh, Kafei; isn't that Queen Zelda coming sometime today?" she asked to remind the sometimes forgetful Mayor. Kafei's tired eyes then went wide in realization upon what Romani had just asked. He then quickly looked at the clock in the inn lobby; it was quarter past seven!

"Shit! I forgot!" he swore as he quickly ate the remainder of his breakfast and ran upstairs to change. Raldo gave a snicker as they all heard the sound of Kafei tripping on the steps a bit as he ran up them.

"He's so damn forgetful." He commented.

"He sure is. He's so much like Dutor!" Anju agreed as she placed plates in front of the teens.

"Your son?" Marin asked, curious as usual. Anju shook her head.

"Nope, he's more like his own father; Dutor. He wasn't a very competent Mayor, but he was an honest man and cared for the people and his family above all. And for that many people considered him a great Mayor. We named our son after Kafei's father because he was such a good man." Anju told the teens as they ate.

"I wonder how Kafei will handle this thing with that Zelda…" Marin wondered out-loud.

"Well according to what Dad told us the other day, that Zelda only wants to talk to him; not Kafei. So I doubt Kafei will have to do much beyond just greeting her into Town." Raldo commented.

"But brother, even just welcoming the ruler of another country has to be taken very seriously! First impressions are always important! It would be bad for Termina if we ended up causing trouble for Hyrule; we're just a small nation with our people divided. We have good natural defenses, but if we got caught up in a war, we would be in deep trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know but"— Raldo began but Romani clapped her hands, interrupting the political argument.

"Alright, that's enough you two! Why don't you two finish up your breakfasts and go help Kafei in doing some final preparing for the Queen's arrival?" she commanded to her children, who promptly decided to obey. At that moment Kafei whom was now properly dressed and Link whom was wiping the sleep out of his eyes came down. Kafei lightly kissed his wife, waved and ran out the door. Link sat down and sipped slowly at the coffee that Romani had handed him. "Wow did you sleep?" she asked as she refilled her own cup.

"I've had better nights." He muttered as he yawned keeping the reason for bad night a secret.

"You gonna be alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine as soon as I have one of Anju's delicious omelets." He smiled, trying not to make anyone worry about him. Anju got the tip and began making his request. Quietly Link's smile began to fade as quickly as it formed. "And when this deal with Zelda is over." He muttered.

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Chapter 10: The Queen of Hyrule

People ran around town like cuckoos with their heads cut-off as they finished the final preparations. Some were stationed around the gates of town eying for the approach. The day dragged on as the wait stretched on and on. It wasn't till nearly 3 in the afternoon when a man approached and advised Kafei that the Queen's convoy had been seen approaching from the swamp to the south. It would be a matter of time before it would be in town. Kafei took his chance and let Link and his family know. The group waited in front of the symbol of town; the Clock Tower. Kafei and Link stood in front to be the first ones to greet. Romani watched them, concerned for him as she had noticed that his Triforce mark had begun to glow, and his hand was shaking like a leaf in a fierce wind. She had thought at first that it was from the power of his piece of the mystical Triforce, but quickly realized it was something Link not often felt or shown; nervousness, fear even perhaps. The tense air seemed at its peak as the final minutes of waiting stretched, but soon people could hear the sounds of trumpets, signaling that the convoy was entering town now. Kafei and Link gulped down their nervousness simultaneously; a feeling they were both sharing but not for the same reason.

The cart was being pulled by two white horses and was adorned by markings of the Hyrulian Royal Family. The cart came to a stop, and on cue the Terminian band that Link had trained began playing an orchestrated version of 'The Song of Time' as the cart's driver stepped down and opened it. Out stepped two of the Queen's personal knights that were to escort her whenever she left the safety of Hyrule Castle. In what seemed to be slow motion from Link's view, the Queen herself stepped out. Zelda wasn't dressed as fancy as Link had remembered from so long ago, but in a more simple purple dress that was more designed for travel. Zelda face looked much like from what Link remembered when he was an adult in the alternate timeline, just older. Zelda looked around the foreign town, curious as a child till her eyes fell on the one familiar face; Link's. She ran over to the group, much to everyone's surprise. She politely gave a courtesy, Kafei, Link and their families bowed in return. Kafei stepped forward and offered to shake her hand which Zelda generously shook. "Allow me to introduce me to introduce myself; I am Zelda, Queen of Hyrule. It's a pleasure to meet you all." She greeted with a smile.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Highness." Kafei greeted. "I am Clock Town's Mayor; Kafei." He then gestured towards Anju. "This is my wife; Anju." He continued. Anju then gave a bow as a greeting.

"Nice to meet you." Zelda replied as she looked at Link. Now was the part Link was nervous about. "And you are Link? You've changed a lot." Zelda commented as she noticed the former-hero's tall stature and 5-o' clock beard, and long blonde hair. Link nodded silently, almost trying to avoid talking to her, but he figured he had to anyway when a short awkward pause passed.

"Yes, it's me. It has been a while, Your Highness." He said, holding something back in his voice. Zelda gave a pouting face at the 'Your Highness' remake.

"Please, just call me Zelda. I maybe a Queen now, but I do not care for royal titles." She explained, and then Kafei gave out a sigh relief.

"Thank you Zelda; as you can surely see we of Clock Town are not used to any form of royalty." He admitted in a light tone as he scratched his purple hair.

"Perfectly understandable, Kafei, no one is used to Royalty, not even us Royalty." She joked, and the others couldn't help but smile… except Link whom then stepped forward and spoke up.

"Excuse me, but allow me to introduce to you my family" Link butted in; however he tried to keep with the good mood around him. He motioned a hand towards his family, whom approached. "This is my wife; Romani." Link began, and Romani stuck out a hand to shake rather than bow; Zelda shook her hand. It didn't surprise Link that Romani would want to drop the courtesies as soon as possible. "And these are our children; Raldo and Marin." Link said, showing a slight bit of pride towards them. Zelda looked towards the teens and smiled.

"Marin... it means kind and selfless. If I remember correctly it was the name of a woman in Hyrulian mythology." Zelda commented out-loud, and then paused for a moment in thought. "But where did the name Raldo come from?" she mindlessly asked.

"It's from Terminian Mythology. Raldo was the name of a warrior whom was mighty and brave yet caring." Romani said with a smile. "I never got many chances to read or hear many stories growing up, but that one always interested me." She explained. Zelda nodded in interest, absorbing the information with peaked interest.

"Oh yes, well it's a pleasure to meet you two as well." Zelda said as she shook Raldo's hand and Marin gave a slight bow.

"Looks like that the introductions are finally done; so allow us to give you a tour of the Town, Zelda." Kafei said, rubbing his hands together in anxiety.

"I'd like that." The Queen said as she nodded with a smile as she then followed Kafei beginning the tour. The group walked around town, showing all four sections of Clock Town to Zelda, who took each part of town with equal amount of keen interest and wonder. The tour eventually came to a close in front of the Stock Pot Inn as the sun just finished setting.

"Well, what do you think of the town?" Kafei asked eager to know her opinion.

"It's a beautiful town, which is filled with rich customs, happy people and peace." She said with a smile, which soon disappeared as she continued her sentence. "I wish that Hyrule Castle Town could be as happy as this place." She spoke with a sad tone.

"Why, is something wrong with Hyrule?" Link asked out-loud, somewhat concerned. Zelda snapped out of her depression to the sound of his voice and smiled.

"Do not worry of it. We are just experiencing a hard time right now." She said, trying to not let her new friends worry. The group's heads nodded in understanding – Link and Romani however did not, for they had an idea it was more than that.

"I am sorry to hear that." Kafei said, clearly sympathetic as he opened the door to the inn and led the group in and showed the Queen around. Kafei, Link and the teens showing the room at the end of the hall to Zelda's escorts as Anju and Romani showed Zelda to Anju's Grandmother's old room.

"This will be your room, Your Highness." Anju said as she opened the door and Zelda walked in, looking around. "This room once belonged to my Grandmother. Now-a-days our son, Dutor stays here, but he's away on an errand up north. Link told me you would be interested in the books in here. These books contain most of the history and mythology of Termina." Anju said as Zelda skimmed the titles of the numerous books, and mindlessly taking a couple off the shelves and examining them further. Zelda looked up at Anju and nodded.

"It's Zelda, please. Anyway thank you, I will enjoy these. Will it be okay if I can borrow some when I eventually leave? I'll see that they are returned." Zelda requested, sheepishly.

Anju smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course. Feel free. No one reads them anymore."

Zelda's eye-brows perked up at that. "Is that so? No one reads them? Not even Link?"

Romani shook her head. "No, Link, I, and our children live on a ranch to the South-West. We don't come into town too often; just to deliver Milk to the Milk Bar next door." Zelda nodded in understanding, putting down the books she was holding, as the three women walked out to the lobby, joining the others. Zelda gave out a yawn, in a very un-lady-like manner.

"Thank you all for showing me around town, and allowing me and my escorts lodging. But I am now tired from the journey and if you all do not mind, I shall retire to bed." She said smiling as she made her way to her room. The group stood there and listened to the sound of Zelda's door shutting. A second passed in silence and then Link gave a loud sigh which turned into a yawn.

"Well, that's over. I got to admit; bed sounds like a good idea right now. See you all tomorrow." He said as he yawned again as he then climbed up the stairs for his room. Romani watched him go up quickly.

"Dad seems uptight." Raldo commented as he too yawned. Romani noticed her son's comment and nodded.

"Is Father alright?" Marin asked noticing the concerned look coming from her mother towards the stairs. Romani shook her head, which made everyone else's bodies go stiff from worry.

"I'm not quite sure, yet." Romani said quietly, but loud enough for everyone in the lobby to hear. She then broke her gaze at the stair case and looked at the group. "But please, everyone; do me a favor and don't pry into this too much." She requested of the group.

"Sure, Romani." Kafei spoke. "But I want to know what's going on. I know it's not my business, but at least humor my curiosity at some point. I want to know what's going on with my best friend." He asked, seriously.

"I will try everyone. Once I get the full picture myself."

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Chapter 11: The Request

The next day started uneventful except that Zelda asked for a tour of Termina Field and the four areas beyond it. However Kafei was forced to decline the tour due to a large pile of paperwork he had neglected to do within the last couple of days due to being busy working on Zelda's arrival. "Can you do it, Link?" Zelda pleaded to the former-hero. He glared at her as he tried to form the simple word 'no' on his lips but somehow a reluctant "yes" came out instead.

"Oh thank you, Link!" Zelda squealed like a child. So the Hylians then began to leave on a pair of horses towards the Valley of Ikana. However before they could leave the East Gate Romani approached, calling out to her husband, who stopped his horse and returned.

"You going to be alright?" she asked, concerned. Link nodded.

"Yes, I'll…" he paused as if to reassure himself. "I'll be fine." He said at last with a forced smile. However Romani didn't smile back, she just gave a worried look

"I mean will you be okay with her?" she asked, not really caring if the mighty Queen of Hyrule could hear her. To Romani, nothing else mattered - especially someone else's opinion - when it came to her family. But regardless, Link was somewhat surprised at what she was implying, but he soon gave a gentle look and a warm smile that was truly genuine - which eased Romani a bit.

"Don't worry Romani; I'll be fine. She may be here in person, but you already occupy that which is most important." He said, placing a fist on his heart. Romani smiled finally and stepped back within Town simply saying "Thank You" so quietly that Link barely heard her. But he did hear her, and smiled back at her and turned his horse around and rejoined Zelda as they made their way to Ikana.

"I see Romani is worried about you being with me alone." Zelda said matter-of-factly in an attempt to break the awkward silence between them. Link continued the silence by nodding and at the same time checking his surrounding, eventually his gaze landing on her, and then quickly focusing back on the road. Zelda saw the frustrated look on his face, and sighed. "And I see you don't exactly trust me either." She commented, showing a bit of depression.

"It's not that, Zelda." Link suddenly spoke, but still keeping his gaze away from her. "Romani trust people to a fault, regardless on their background and story. But she knows what happened and how I felt about you, and above all she knows my desire for distance from you." He stated firmly. Zelda opened her mouth as if to say something but Link continued speaking. "You are gonna say you're sorry again; don't bother. I know that you don't know or remember what happened in the alternate future… but it still hurts, and I just haven't been able to forgive you, regardless even if you remembered or not."

"I understand, Link…"

"I'm not sure if you exactly do, but I know you are trying and I give you credit for doing that, but I have chosen how to live my life now. I'm no longer the lonely, quiet, little boy from the forest. I have grown up, I have a family I care deeply for, and friends I can rely on when I need them. I don't want, nor do I think I could go back to a country that is so willing to ignore someone who was deemed different. Termina took me in even though they didn't even know me that much as far as they knew, and that was within the three days I constantly was reliving." He said, not noticing the saddened look on Zelda's face.

"I must admit that Termina just seems like everything that I have only dreamed of. I'm not surprised that you love it here. It just seems so… perfect." She said, the last word being exceptionally hard to say. Link looked over to her, and felt a bit guilty for how hash he had been.

"I'm sorry, but Termina is far from the perfect slice of Heaven you think it is. In some ways Termina has more blood upon its history than Hyrule does." He answered simply as the road came to a sheer cliff that Link had forgotten about, but recognized it when he remembered this fork in the road. To their left was a short road that lead to the Graveyard; and the sheer cliff in front of them lead to the valley itself, which in turn lead to the kingdom of Ikana. He climbed down off the horse and stuck his hands into his pockets, wondering if he by chance his hookshot, but instead found the Ocarina of Time. He pulled out the mystical instrument and stared at its blue color. Oh yeah, I was going to give this back to Zelda. He thought as then looked at the Queen who had gotten down and was walking over, but keeping her eyes on the top of the cliff. A quick smirk flew across his face as he recalled a tune he often used years ago. He motioned a hand for Zelda to come closer, and she promptly obeyed. He reached a arm around her waist - but not in a way one would hold someone dearly, but as if preparing for a hurricane. But Zelda couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat as she felt his arm wrap around her suddenly. Link brought up the Ocarina to his mouth and played an unfamiliar tune with one hand. A second later two gigantic wings appeared out of Link's back and then closed around them, engulfing them and then the feathers of the wings began to spin around them like crazy. Zelda felt bit nausea begin to over-come her as she felt the ground beneath her disappear. It first seemed like forever but actually within seconds of the constant spinning of the wings and the feeling of being carried it began to end as she felt her feet touch ground again and the wings then imploded away into numerous feathers. Link immediately let go of Zelda and stepped away, putting the Ocarina back into his pocket. The Queen stood there in shock and amazement at what had happened.

"W-what was that?" she stuttered, then looking around at her surroundings now noticing they were different. "And where are we?" she asked, already calming down. Link gave her a small smirk as he approached the edge of the sheer cliff that was the valley. "Ikana Canyon; or the Ancient Kingdom of Ikana; whichever you prefer. And that song was 'The Song of Soaring'. It can transport me to many locations across Termina."

"That's amazing." she exclaimed as she carefully looked down the valley to the river below. "Termina is a pretty wondrous place!" she exclaimed, and Link could tell there was some genuine jealousy in her voice; he couldn't help but smile, but it soon disappeared as his eyes landed on the ruins of Ikana Castle, and his smile disappeared quickly and then approached the Queen and joined her.

"I don't think you should start envying this country or ever." he advised.

"Why?" she asked, curious.

"Termina has had its deal of problems. For example this area was once part of a mighty kingdom that was once ruled over much of Termina. But the people were envious of the Goddesses and wished to eliminate them. They people then built a tower, reaching up into the heavens in an attempt to smite the Goddesses to prove that their protective Gods - the Four Giants - were stronger; but the Goddesses punished those whom were foolish to oppose them by flipping the tower, causing the sky to be in the earth and the earth to become the sky. But doing so released an evil God of the Sun known as Majora. The people discovered this God and worshipped it, eventually converting the top of the tower into a temple, honoring the evil God. But another evil God that represented the Moon arose and challenged Majora. This Warrior God's name is not generally known anymore but it was known by several names such as "Bade", "Oni", or even "The Fierce Deity". This "Fierce Deity" was extremely powerful, in some ways more powerful than Majora. Anyway, an epic battle ensued between the Evil Gods that lasted what is said to have been three whole days. The battle seemed endless until the people called the Four Giants and they ended the battle by using their power by sealing the Fierce Deity and Majora into two masks. The Masks were sealed away for many, many years. The day that the battle was ended was then held as a holiday that is still held today, however the exact reason has been forgotten, and has been named "The Carnival of Time". Zelda looked over with a puzzled yet serious look.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked. Link looked at her, then back towards the ruins of Ikana Castle.

"Come on; want to see something interesting?" he asked, already walking towards the ruins, not awaiting a response. She did give herself time for one, for she immediately began following him into a small hole in a large stone wall, several feet away from two mighty doors. The hole was just large enough for an adult to fit through, and the two Hylians entered and followed into the front yard of the castle. Zelda tried to see the castle, but Link gave her no time for he was already entering with a sword drawn. The entrance foyer was empty to Link's surprise but it didn't stop him from immediately going further into the castle, and ultimately and very quickly reaching the throne room. It was a large room with two windows with burned curtains shining light into the rather dark room. Link retracted his weapon and placed a shield next to the empty throne and then suddenly sitting in it himself, relaxed.

"This is the throne room, right?" Zelda asked the rather obvious question. Link ignored the question as he placed his sight on the windows and their burned curtains; a smirk formed on his face at the memory of the last and only time he was in this throne room. His smirk quickly disappeared when he turned his focus on Zelda once more, and leaned back in the throne; getting comfortable.

"Earlier…" he began, deliberately leaving an unsettling feeling in the room with that one word. "You asked why I told you the history of Ikana?" he asked, even though it was more of a statement the way he said it; but Zelda nodded regardless. "You see; this kingdom fell due to its foolishness. They tried and failed dearly for trying to control what was not theirs in the first place." He said mysteriously. Zelda thought about saying or asking something but decided to keep quiet as he continued. "Much like Hyrule tries to control the Triforce." He said in an arrogant tone. An awkward moment passed in the quiet, dead throne room.

"So you're saying that Hyrule will one day fall, exactly like Ikana did?" Zelda asked in a somewhat challenging yet interested tone. Link straitened himself in the throne and nodded.

"Yes, I think Hyrule will one-day fall. Hyrule will continue to experience times that will threaten it; it cannot just lean on a boy in green to play hero whenever it seems convenient. Even if I do go back to 'save the day' as it were; what the hell would it be accomplishing? I'd just be delaying the inevitable. You and I know that some other sick bastard – like Ganondorf - will come along and try to either conquer or destroy Hyrule."

"You have a valid point there Link. What could I do if that happened—"

"IT WILL HAPPEN, ZELDA!" Link roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the throne room.

"OK, when it does happen, what shall I do? With this threat, there is no one that could possibly fight this man…" Zelda trailed, trying to hold back tears in fear of Link's anger. He however didn't raise his voice again."

"One man? What could one man do?" he asked instantly, forgetting what all he had done in his life – all that filled his head was anger. A moment passed and he calmed down for a bit, he remembered what Ganondorf had done in the alternate timeline and much of the people were suffering. "No one could possibly be like Ganondorf." He said answering his question. Zelda shook her head.

"No, he's not like Ganondorf; but his army could easily destroy Hyrule or any other countries that dares oppose it. But he has offered an alternative to avoid the war."

"Oh, and what might that be?" Link asked with false interest.

"A duel; one on one with the king." Zelda said matter-of-factly. Link flinched and gave a surprised look. "Those are his terms; he promises to disband his army and never cause harm to Hyrule or any other country if someone is to beat him in battle."

"I assume a battle to the death?" Link asked with curiosity, concern, and one more thing; immense interest. The Queen nodded.

"Yes, as I said in the letter I have tried to agree to your request for no involvement, but our mightiest swordsman..." she trailed off, gulping down her sadness. "has died just a month prior to me sending the letter… the swordsman was…" she tried speaking but she couldn't; she just cried in silence.

"I get it; the swordsman was your husband and the king." Link said, understanding her discomfort in talking about such a… touchy matter, however the widowed Queen nodded.

"Yes, he was my husband; Nohansen." She explained, but Link didn't say anything in response, and Zelda didn't say anything either. They just sat there in silence as time passed by idly. Link just stared out the old windows and reminisced about the fight he had with Igos Du Ikana – the old, and final king of Ikana. He remembered how tough it was fighting the Ikana King, and then he remembered the other tough fights throughout his two journeys – the fight with King Dodongo, Volvolgia, Goht, Twinmold, Garo Master, his dark half, Ganondorf and his monstrous form, Majora, and even his duel with the Fierce Deity. His memory drifted, and has it drifted he could feel his blood pumping, adrenaline running on over-drive, and the world around him seemed surreal, yet so tangible. He looked at his left hand when he noticed a faint glow on it – it was the Triforce mark, not glowing too bright but it was notable and he could feel its power regardless, and oddly Link thought about it for a minute; this was the first time he ever truly felt the power of the Triforce. It was so… powerful, yet he could feel tremendous courage building up, and all at the same time he felt he could solve any problem, whether it was mathematical, philosophical, anything really. It felt so… odd. He then noticed something else with his hand; it was shaking like a leaf.

Why am I shaking? I'm not scared, or cold… could I be… excited? He thought as he stared at his shaking hand. He sat there pondering over it all when it finally hit him like a ton of bricks to the face; he had felt this way before… every time he was going to or was fighting a powerful enemy. That nagging feeling that caused all those spasms of the shakes before each major fight was not fear, or cold, or even the power of the Triforce… it was pure excitement. He couldn't help but smile to this realization. Suddenly he felt the feeling of being watched and instinctively looked at the only form of life in the room – Zelda was just staring out the open windows, looking at the Terminian sky above. "Zelda." Link spoke, making the Queen slightly jump out of her skin and then looking at him.

"What?" she simply asked.

"What is this man's name?" he asked seriously. Zelda stood there dumbfounded for a few moments, oblivious to the question. But she realized the question and answered.

"Slone." She said simply, a silence passed for a second. "Are you… going to do it?" she asked. Link looked at her and stood up and stepped away from the throne, looking back to it just once, and then going back to approaching the Queen, pulling out the Ocarina at the same time.

"I'll consider it." He answered as he lead the way out of the ruins of the ancient castle of Ikana that once was the symbol of a mighty, but now forgotten kingdom.

The two Hylians left the Ikana region and arrived back at Clock Town as the sun was setting. "I'm sorry, Zelda." Link suddenly said as they approached the East Gate.

"What for?" she asked; if there was anyone that Zelda felt should be saying 'sorry' it should be herself.

"For yelling at you, and that I promised to show you more of Termina." He confessed.

"It's alright; perhaps tomorrow we can all go out exploring?" she suggested with a smile. Link sighed and smiled weakly back.

"Sure, we can do that." He said, returning a similar weak smile. "Oh, but for our sake of not arguing that's have my family and friends come along."

"That sounds like a good idea." She returned with a laugh. Link was confused but he joined in regardless.

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Chapter 12: Doubts

The next day after Zelda proposed for her idea to the others they all agreed and decided to go up to Snowhead and have a picnic for lunch and then head to Great Bay coast later in the day. They all packed up the carriage and left early in the day, and by nearly 10 in the morning they arrived. Link was the first one to climb down and aid the others in getting down. He then sucked in the clean mountain air and looked around at the natural beauty of the scenery of the mountain. He remembered seeing this area after the endless winter was finally thwarted and how he was taken aback by it all. It shocked him how different the place looked after that brutal winter that just reeked of death in the air. "Rupee for a thought?" Romani suddenly asked him from behind after noticing him standing there day dreaming. He turned to her and smiled warmly as he reached an arm around her waist, pulling her close and leading them away from the others; his eyes never wavering from hers.

"Just admiring the scenery." He finally said, as he then gave a gentle kiss. When his quick kiss was done he whispered in her ear that was partly hidden by her red hair. "All of it." She slightly blushed as she shook her head gently, smiling all the while.

"What's with this sudden burst of being romantic?" she asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything." She added with a smile and a return of the kiss. Link smiled again, this time even brighter, but his gaze soon drifted away and shook his head, still holding that enduring smile.

"No particular reason, really. But when I see natural beauty like this mountain and I'm reminded of your natural beauty." He said as he held her even closer. Romani just continued to look at him, but now her smile had been replaced by concern.

"Link, I thank you for the compliments – no matter how romantic or not those are, but seriously; what's up?" she asked deeply serious and concerned. Link frowned and gazed over at the group, behind them as they placed everything down for the picnic over by the river that was in front of the cliff that led up to Darmani's grave. He looked back to the one woman he truly loved with all his heart and soul.

"Two things: One, that I love only you… I needed to reassure myself. I mean, I don't love Zelda anymore, but…" he trailed. Romani gave an understanding smile.

"I understand, Link. She stole your heart first and even now it's hard to forget that even though you no longer feel the way you did for her it's hard to forget that you once did. You just want to assure to yourself that you are the person standing today instead of the boy from 24 years ago who didn't really know how he felt yet. Link; you've grown up to be a loving husband and father, and never in all these 20 years since we got married have you ever wavered from that role. And for that… I know I can trust you more than any other person alive, and I know you'll never leave your family or me. You'd rather kill yourself before you'd do that to any of us." She explained to him as he keenly listened. "Just remember; I love you." She finished as she kissed his cheek as assurance. His face blushed as he hugged Romani and placed his head on hers.

"Thank you." Link said simply as he then waited a moment before breaking the embrace. He cleared his throat.

"Now what's the other thing?" she asked, fully prepared to give him anything to make sure of his spirit was strong.

"The second may be even more of a doozey; Zelda has requested that I come back to Hyrule to fight in a one on one sword fight with a King that is threatening war. He won't stop unless someone is to beat him in battle." He explained. Romani stood there in thought, trying to figure how the situation could be resolved.

"So what are you going to do, then? Did you say you will or you won't?" she finally started desperately asking quickly in a single breath. Link, however shook his head instead.

"I haven't decided yet… Zelda said she'll let me think about until she leaves in a couple days."

"I'm not sure if I like this, Link…" Romani said as she nuzzled her head against his chest, remembering how tall he really was now. He had to be at least 6 feet tall now. She felt so dwarfed next to him, but she didn't mind it at all.

"I know what you mean; I don't frankly like this either and I'd rather just stay here in Termina for the rest of my days with you and the kids. I want to grow old together with you, watch as Raldo and Marin grow into the fine adults I know they'll be. Maybe we'll see them fall in love and have kids of their own... I want to live to see it all, but there's something I feel I must do regardless what I want. Zelda has made transparent that it's my choice whether I go or not. It's entirely my choice but I have a feeling that's demanding I go and face this 'Slone' person. It's not even leaving me a choice like Zelda is… it just says go and fight." He sighed in defeat of trying to explain it further. "You know what I mean?"

"Is it to protect the people?" she asked, offering a theory. But Link shook his head.

"No, it's not that… I don't want people to die because of my choice, but I don't care more than that… it's complicated… I just know it's something deep within me… I just know it's not chivalry or anger or anything like that…"

"Well Link, just remember that whatever you decide on I'll always support you." She said giving a reassured smile. The two then rejoined the others whom had just started to beckon them over.

The group then enjoyed their picnic lunch, and there were endless conversations and laughter about a wide verity of subjects. No one could possibly keep up with them until it came to sword fighting which had somehow been started by the women. Soon Raldo challenged Link to another sparring match. "You're on kiddo!" Link exclaimed as the father and son soon began another fierce match.

Link began the fight with swinging his stick, quickly knocking Raldo's away in stun, following up with an elbow to the face. The teen began to step back out of instinct but instead retaliated with an upward diagonal slash hitting Link in his left ribs rather unexpectedly. Link then stepped back swinging away a follow up attack by Raldo. Link then lunged forward with a stab, then turning the stick and turned it into a horizontal attack but missed with both attacks narrowly. The fight dragged, neither giving in till they were against the water's edge.

"You're getting better!" Link admitted smiling as he suddenly became aware of his heart pounding in his chest like crazy. But something else was even more overwhelming to his attention; excitement. It was such overwhelming excitement that he was craving more of it. He could taste the thrill as his adrenaline was pumping through his body. He could feel a smile form on his face that impatiently waited for another attack from his son. Raldo saw his father's smile and said something that Link couldn't hear over the pounding in his chest, immediately Raldo came rushing at him. Link raised his weapon and swung hard, but Raldo back-stepped just in time and jumped high into the air to everyone's surprise. To Link's surprise Raldo flipped in mid-air simultaneously slashing at Link's head. He just barely blocked the attack, but it was just a ruse to stun him from the real attack. Raldo landed directly behind his father, he then spun on his heel to face Link's still exposed back. He raised his stick-weapon but something happened to his surprise; he lost balance as he tried planting his left foot to realize there was nothing but water beneath it, and promptly fell into the water in a cut off scream of shock.

Link heard the splash and immediately turned to have his face in utter horror. A similar look of horror was stamped on Romani and Marin's faces as they all realized what just happened. Within another second Raldo's head popped out of the water, his mouth majorly filled with water as he flailed his arms madly. He tried screaming the word 'HELP!' but he sank back in. Link snapped out of his shock first and instinctively jumped into the water after his son. Romani and Marin were already in full sprint as they ran over to the two swordsmen in the water. Another second passed and then Link and Raldo's heads popped out of the water, Link desperately holding up his son, making sure Raldo's head wasn't in the water. Link motioned the two over to the edge and helped getting his son up so the two women could grab him and pull him out. The two women successfully pulled out Raldo and proceeded to make sure he alright as Link quickly got out of the water and over to his son's side.

"Is he going to be alright?" Zelda asked as she, Anju and Kafei joined them.

"He should be fine." Romani said as she and Link helped their son stand who was shaking like a leaf and had a look of absolute terror as he occasionally coughed. Marin placed the blanket that was originally used for the picnic over her older brother to dry him off and led him back to the carriage.

"So your son is afraid of the water?" Zelda asked as she looked at the trembling teen. Link nodded.

"Yeah, when he was younger we went to the Ocean for a day trip and there was an accident where he fell out of a boat and nearly drowned. He wouldn't even touch a glass of water for several days. We were eventually able to get him partly get over his fear but even if he gets knee-deep in water he freaks out."

"Sounds like he has more or less suppressed the fear in his sub-consciousness." Zelda stated after hearing the tale. Link's eyes went wide in shock at the comment.

"Is that so?" he asked, interested.

"Well, most likely. In Hyrule the medical field in psychological have been growing in leaps within the past 20 years. I'd say that perhaps some of the doctors in Hyrule might be able to help out your son." She added, not really realizing she was mindlessly urging Link. She looked to him to see a concerned look on his face.

"If this is another way of tempting me Zelda… it's a good one." He said as he walked away.