Story: Attached (chapter 19)

[Author's notes: Well this has certainly been way too long in the making. I'm very sorry for taking so long. I've come to realize the reason behind my delays is my extremely meticulous nature and holding myself to increasingly higher standards. As I improve as a writer my expectations for myself seem to grow even faster and I can't keep up with them. I'm not sure how to remedy this.

Calling all artists. If you have any artistic talent, particularly in drawing characters, I would like to hear from you. I'd like someone to illustrate some scenes from this story. If interested please contact me.]

"Greetings, Your Highness. What may I do for you?"

"Medorreil...?" Zelda turned around to see the man she had summoned.

The royal speechwriter, and de facto second in charge, crossed the room to where the princess sat and took a slight bow. "Oh, I see you're writing a speech for the memorial... I'll be glad to help with--"

"No, that's not why I've called you here," she interrupted. "You may have heard already... Last night I removed Gaebora from my service."

"Uh- I... I thought it was only a rumor."

"Were you privy to what he had planned for the services today?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I was involved in every detail."

"That's good, because we will need someone to oversee things and organize the proceedings. Since Gaebora is gone, that task falls to you. Can you manage it?"

"Yes, of course, Princess."

"Very good. Thank you." Hearing that was a huge relief for Zelda, glad that her abrupt actions wouldn't interfere with Link's memorial service. "On that note, I will need to fill Gaebora's position. I am appointing you as my chief advisor."

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you," he said nervously. "Who, then, shall I appoint to replace myself as speechwriter?"

"No one," she said after a short pause. "I shall write my own speeches from now on. If I'm going to speak, it should be in my own words." For too long she had been under the influence and control of other people. She was going to start to do things herself from here forward. "Is Gaebora still lingering around?"

"I have not seen him this morning."

"Good. If he does appear, have the guards expel him. He is henceforth banished from the premises."

"Yes, Princess."

"All right, now get to work. We're running short on time."

"Of course, Your Highness." He turned to leave as Zelda turned back around to her desk and her writing. She stopped him before he got out of the door, however.

"Medorreil," she said without turning to face him, her pen held to the paper in the middle of a word.

"Yes, Princess?"

There was a very long pause from Zelda before finally speaking. "Samus..." Another long pause. "Samus and I are lovers... If that is a problem for you, then you should not take the position. It's why Gaebora was removed. I won't hold it against you."

"Uh, well, it's... I mean, I..." Medorreil stammered, not sure how to respond.

She now turned to look at him. "You can keep your current job, or quit altogether, or I can find some other position for you. Whatever you feel is right for you. I simply cannot have you as my chief advisor if you have a problem with... with how I am. I only ask that if you do decide to quit, at least wait until after this memorial service. I won't be able to find someone else to oversee matters on such short notice."

He stared at her a bit longer before he finally bowed and said, "It would be an honor to serve you, Your Highness. I accept the position. There are no problems at all."

"I'm glad to hear it. I must have someone who is on my side in all things."

"I am, Your Highness," he said, and bowed once again before turning to leave.

"Oh! Just one other thing..." Zelda added. "Unless it's an emergency, never wake me up in the morning. I like to sleep late."

---x---

"Zelda said I'm supposed to help," Samus stated bluntly to the man standing before her.

She had found the courtyard alive with activity when she arrived, and immediately began looking around for something to do. Nearly fifty, she guessed, castle staff flurried about, busily preparing the area for the coming ceremony. She didn't do well in crowds and quickly needed to find something to occupy her. Some asking around eventually led her to the Captain, as most people called him.

The Captain of the Guard of Hyrule Castle looked her over, judging her potential value as a worker. "What can you do?" he said in a tone that matched hers.

Samus considered this for a moment. What real skills did she have that would be of any relevance? She glanced around the area to see if anything stood out to her.

The courtyard had been transformed from its usual serene state into a chaotic scene. Several soldiers and workers were constructing a small stage with a podium that would allow Zelda to give her speech. In front of the podium, white wicker chairs were being arranged in rows, placed in a bowl formation to allow for the best view.

Not too far from her stood a marble statue of Link. Over fifteen feet tall and wielding the Master Sword, he was looking towards the sky of Hyrule. A hand full of portraits of the hero, painted by several artists on commission, were set in wooden frames and stood around the base of the statue.

A framework of iron bars rose over the seating area that would serve as the support for a large awning. The decorative cloth covering, lying on the ground not too far away, was still in the process of being sewn together. Regal-looking banners and elaborate flower arrangements were placed at strategic locations, decorating the rest of the courtyard. Many had yet to be hung up.

However, none of this was something Samus could help with. Perhaps she could assist in constructing the podium, but she truly lacked the handiwork and woodworking skills for that.

"I'm a bounty hunter," she muttered when she couldn't think of anything.

At that, his serious expression gave way and his face contorted in contained laughter, but not a sound escaped his lips. "That's a good one." The Captain dismissed her absurd declaration as nothing more than a joke. "You look like a farm girl with those clothes." Samus, wearing old blue trousers and a leathern short coat, appeared to him an unusual sight. "Just go hang some banners or help the girls sew the awning cover together."

Her face now contorted as well, though in annoyance rather than levity. "I don't do stuff like that."

"Well, I'm not your nanny. Do what you want." He dismissed her.

Over the Captain's shoulder she noticed slightly more than thirty castle guards, all decked out in full armor and carrying spears and other weaponry on their way out, leaving the grounds.

"What about them?" she inquired, with a toss of her head in their direction. "Why aren't they helping like the rest of the guards around here?"

"Moblin patrol, my dear," he said as he turned to face them. "It's a nuisance that this memorial and the summer festival should fall on the same day. Now we're really shorthanded."

"Moblin patrol?" Samus raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes," the Captain nodded. "Don't you know? The festival activity attracts the moblins and other beasts to the fairgrounds. In the past, they've attacked the fairgoers. It's a nasty problem. We patrol to drive them back into the woods earlier in the day so they won't become an issue later tonight."

Samus' smirk grew as he spoke, seeing the opportunity presented to her. "It would be helpful if they could stay and work here?" she said.

"Wouldn't it," the captain said enthusiastically. "But we can't let one job go undone for the sake of another."

"Give me six that best know the lay of the land," she said earnestly. "Let the rest work here."

"Give you? I beg your pardon?"

"I'd do it myself, but I don't know where to go." Or even what a moblin is, she decided not to add. "Don't worry, they won't slow me up too much."

"Now listen here," he said incredulously. "I can't allow young lady such as yourself to go off into woods looking for moblins," he finished with a slight upturn in his tone. "It would be irresponsible of me as head of security."

"Can't allow?" Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "Are you going to stop me?" she said, and with that, walked off in the direction of the gate, calling for the squad to wait up. The Captain hastily followed her.

"If they can get past me, then they can come. The ones I stop have to stay here and work here," Samus declared.

"I am in command here, miss. You can't just go around making decisions for my men for your own amusement. This isn't a children's game."

Samus smirked. "Afraid?" she asked as she moved to block the exit. "If you have any confidence in your soldiers, then there shouldn't be a problem."

"Of course I have. I trained these men myself! They are of the highest caliber."

"Then we have a deal?" Her smug, arrogant tone irritated him.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, annoyed with her overconfident attitude. "I won't be accountable if you get injured."

Samus only smirked confidently in response.

"Very well, then. Squad! Move out!"

---x---

"... we remember- in remembrance... yeah. In remembrance of his... His what? ... of his noble deeds... no, valiant deeds... deeds or actions? In remembrance of his valiant actions... No, no, that's all wrong."

Zelda crumpled her paper up and tossed it in a bin along with other discarded papers. With an annoyed sigh, she took a fresh page from a stack and re-inked her quill.

"There's no time to be so particular about my words," she said, then set about writing once again.

---x---

Hoofed feet scampered trough the thick underbrush of the forest. Stumpy legs carried their owners away from their pursuers, a group of men in shiny armor, armed with spears and bows. Though dangerous, these invaders of the forest couldn't effectively pursue them through the heavy growth of trees, bushes and tall-grass.

A lavender bolt of light flew into the midst of them and struck the ground, kicking up dirt and making a frightful noise, stopping the creatures in the tracks. A second shot impacted a tree and sent the swine scattering in different directions, squealing and snorting as they disappeared into the forest.

Samus holstered her pistol as she assessed the threat level of these creatures called moblins. While the pig-like beasts were stocky and had obvious muscle, they frightened easily. They appeared quite primitive, wearing simple animal skins and carrying clubs and spears that didn't amount to much more than snapped-off tree branches. And if that brief scuffle was any indication, they weren't at all organized, and most likely not intelligent. All things considered, by her standards, they weren't much of a threat at all.

Samus smiled at how effortlessly it all came to her. Her thoughts just flowed naturally and it felt almost good to get back to hunting once again. This is who she was. To most people it would be wearisome, terrifying, or just plain dangerous, but she was comfortable with it because it was a situation she knew how to control. This was easy. It was the other thing that was hard.

The three men that had been pursuing the creatures came strolling over to her, having finally caught up. They were heavily armed, wearing full-plate armor, and were equipped with lances. They weren't used to being commanded by a woman and lacked the proper respect they had for their real commander. They wouldn't think to disobey her, though, knowing firsthand that they shouldn't take her lightly. They wouldn't make that mistake again.

"There could be more in the area. Let's keep searching," said Daath, the oldest of them.

The other two, Atlam and Callis, were a lot younger and less experienced than Daath. Samus had left the castle with a group of six, but split into two teams to cover more area. The other team consisted of Imero, a young lieutenant and one of the team's two archers; Marcus, a big guy who she never heard utter a word and also wielded a lance; and Arron, the team's second archer. They were patrolling not too far away.

It would do her good to get out of that castle for once and clear her head. She had been spending an awful lot of time with Zelda lately, and that was skewing her perspective. She sometimes felt like she was drowning in Zelda. She needed to take a step back and focus on something else for once. Then she could come back with a clear head.

"I don't like being out here with so few." Whispering between the soldiers came up.

"Well, we know who we have to blame for that."

Just who was this woman to speak to their captain like that and treat them like they were nothing? It was beyond arrogant. She was, apparently, very close to Her Highness Zelda. Did she just assume that gave her the right to order them around? That was no excuse. She was, however, a powerful warrior and, they assumed, a magician of some kind because of her strange attire and fantastical weaponry.

"Urrr," Samus groaned. She didn't care that they were talking about her, but between their chatter and the clank their armor made every time they moved, these idiots would surely alert their quarry.

"Knock it off," she said sharply. "Keep quiet."

The forest was quiet but for the swooshing of the wind through the trees. It was a somewhat calming sound that allowed her to relax for a bit. The sun shone down through the tall conifers in narrow columns of light, giving birth to scenery that she only knew from stories and legends. However, the beauty was deceptive and hid a danger that her honed senses picked up. This forest was alive, and many eyes were upon them.

"Hey, guys! There's more over here," one of the men from the other group shouted from nearly a hundred yards away.

Samus shook her head. How they managed to survive in this line of work for so long was a mystery to her. They were just lucky their quarry wasn't very formidable. She and her group hurried through the forest and met up with the other three men. They continued on together pursuing a group of a half-dozen moblins and chased them a good distance into the forest.

Being faster and more agile, Samus ran twenty paces ahead of the others until the foliage suddenly became much denser and she had to stop. Searching around, she found a small opening and tried to squeeze herself through.

"Stop!" Daath shouted, as the soldiers caught up to her.

"They're getting away."

"Let them," Imero said. "We just wanted to chase them off in the first place. Besides, no one goes in there. Captain's orders."

"That place is cursed," Arron added.

"That's stupid," Samus remarked to herself as she began walking off in the opposite direction, having lost interest. The rest of the squad followed her back towards their patrol area.

"No one's ever made it out alive. It's called the Lost Woods for a reason," Atlam tried to explain. "Only beasts, specters, and lost souls inhabit that place."

"If no one comes out, how do you know what's inside?" Samus said, amused by the distinctive and unexpected note of Chozodian logic in her concise argument.

Atlam didn't have an answer, so the conversation ended there. Though that didn't stop them from conversing with each other.

"Isn't it nice to be out and about instead of patrolling the castle hallways that all day long?" one said. "I suppose, but personally I would've liked to help set up Master Link's memorial. I feel I owe that to him at least," another replied. "I can't believe that he's gone. He was supposed to be a legend blessed by the goddesses. It must have been some battle," said the first again. "Well, I certainly hope the princess is all right. They were fairly close, you know," a third interjected. "They were, weren't they? I always thought she would marry him."

The memorial? Samus tuned them out as her thoughts drifted back to Zelda. She hoped she was okay by herself. She had to write that speech about Link, which hadn't gone too well the last time. She hadn't been showing it, but it was likely she was still upset about what happened to him. Samus found herself wishing she could be with Zelda at the moment to see if she was all right.

'Damn it,' Samus caught herself. She was supposed be clearing her head and focusing on something else besides Zelda for once.

"I'm hopeless," she muttered.

"What's that?" Atlam asked.

"Huh?" Samus looked embarrassed. She'd been caught talking to herself. Covering, she said the first thing that came to mind. "You guys are hopeless. I could handle this better on my own."

"This area's clear for now," Lieutenant Imero interrupted. "We should check the river for octoroks."

Why did Zelda have to be so terribly distracting? Samus wondered as they moved along. The princess had managed to work her way into her life, becoming an important part of it, so it was only natural Samus thought about her a lot.

They had come out of the woods, into an open field bordered by a small stream that ran up to and under the castle. They slowly moved upstream while Atlam and Callis prodded the river with their spears every few yards.

But Zelda was all she thought about lately. Even when she wasn't present, she always found a way to invade her thoughts. How could she have been so careless to allow it to get this far in the first place? It was probably too late to go back at this point. Hadn't she been trained better than this?

With a splash, a hulking form rose from the water, lifting itself up on undulating tentacles. Vacant yellow eyes glared down at Samus, and its spout-like mouth puckered and spat something at her. Completely surprised, she stood motionless as a rock struck her shoulder, causing her to stagger back. The creature clambered forward and prepared to launch another attack when, from both sides, Atlam and Callis speared the octorok.

The men spoke something to her, but she didn't hear. Samus just stared blankly at the water as the creature's body slipped beneath the surface. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn't even react! She was just completely lost in thought; thoughts of Zelda... All her doubts had come to fruition in that one instant. The realization left her stupefied.

Her hand went to cover the bruised flesh of her shoulder, feeling the sting the rock left. Yeah, it was far too late to go back.

No! She shouldn't think like that. Going back was like running away. She had resolved last night that she wouldn't allow the challenge of a relationship to beat her.

"Samus Aran isn't scared of a challenge... not the one I know." That's what Zelda had said the other night, and she was completely right. Samus would have to go forward, change, and adapt to this. She had always told herself she had the strength and focus of mind to overcome anything.

She heard one of the men yell from far up ahead of her, again pulling her from her thoughts. They had already moved upstream without her realizing and entered a more heavily wooded area. How could she possibly consider herself strong and focused when she allowed herself to become attached to Zelda and be so distracted by her that it hindered her performance like this? The men were yelling even louder now, and she took off running in their direction.

Which one was she? Strong or weak? She couldn't deny she was slowly falling into a more mellow life than she was used to. Did strength mean staying immune to this change and remaining how she had always been?

Ahead, she could see Atlam stuck in a spider's web. Above him appeared to be a giant skull that the others were keeping at bay with their spears.

On the other hand, was it a sign of weakness to be unable to meet this new challenge? It did seem like it would be running away from that challenge if she refused to adapt... it would also mean running away from Zelda.

Closer now, she could see that the skull was actually a giant spider, whose armored back only resembled a skull.

On the other hand, she could just accept it, change her life, and become someone deserving of Zelda, proving she was capable of overcoming anything. However, that also meant succumbing to Zelda's allure, becoming a softer person, and changing in a way that didn't make her a better warrior.

As she neared the men, she leaped towards the tree adjacent to the web, then kicked off of it, sending herself higher, right over the spider's back. Using the hilt of her pistol, she cut the creature's drop line, causing it to fall to the ground, landing on its back. With its soft underside exposed, the men were able to easily spear the spider.

Of course, if she did try to change and still failed... well then, it would prove her undeniably weak, she thought as she landed gracefully.

There was no easy answer for her here, no clear course of action, no defined parameters for success or obvious objectives like she had on her missions.

"Whoa! Nice one, boss. How'd you do that?" Callis asked, awestruck. This was joined by the amused murmurings of a couple of the others. The concluded that the captain couldn't have found a better woman to lead them.

They were easily swayed, Samus thought. These were the same men that doubted her just a few moments ago, and yet they were impressed by dispatching such an easily defeated creature?

"I'm not here to hold your hands," she grumbled. "I'll let you get eaten next time. Be more careful from now on." They spent the next few minutes spent cutting Atlam free from the web. "Now, let's move out. I'm sure this isn't that last area to cover," she directed her words to Lieutenant Imero.

"Right. Let's go clear the east end."

They crossed the river and made their way southeast towards where the eastern tree line boarded the field. Same as before, the six men split in to two groups and put some distance between them as they delved into the forest, with Samus tagging along with one of the groups.

Her behavior today was unacceptable, and things couldn't continue like this. It made her uneasy to admit it, but she really was lost. She was never one to plan for the future, but she always had a sense of which way her life was going. Now Zelda had stolen even that from her. Could she find a way back to how things were before, or was this an inescapable spiral? Did she even want to go back at this point? Was it really better to be so cold and alone all the time?

Snapping branches caught her attention and she grabbed her pistol and readied herself, hand signaling the castle guards to do the same. The bushes rustled and parted and Imero's group came through.

"We have trouble." Imero spoke with urgency.

"What's the pr..." Samus was interrupted by faint sounds of squealing and snorting, coming from no direction in particular.

"Moblins." Callis looked worried. "How many?"

"Don't know," the lieutenant responded. "Lots."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "'Lots' isn't very helpful. How could you not get an estimate?"

The animal sounds grew louder and they could hear them moving through the brush.

"They do this sometimes," Daath explained. "Come back with larger numbers if they sense weakness."

"Ugh," Samus grunted under her breath. "Then we won't show them any!" she said crossly.

The trees, bushes, and branches all around them swayed as if they'd been disturbed by something, but still they couldn't see anything. The forest was thick enough that the moblins could be within a few feet before they jumped out.

"What are we going to do now?" Callis started to panic.

"This is why we take thirty men," Atlam said.

"It's your fault, making us come out here like this!" Arron added.

"Shut up! Damn idiots, get it together if you don't want to die!" Samus snapped, startling them back into line. "You four spearmen, form a line. Archers, get behind them. There's a clearing fifty yards back. Move in formation."

Under Samus' direction, they made a move for the clearing as the clamor of snorts and squeals grew ever closer. They weren't halfway there when the enemy came into view. The thinner trees here and allowed them to see a greater distance, but there wasn't enough of the open space they needed.

"Stand ground here!" Samus shouted, realizing they wouldn't make the clearing in time.

The group spun around and faced their attackers. Daath, Atlam, Marcus, and Callis stood in a line with spears at the ready, while Imero, Arron and Samus began firing at the approaching pack. Arrows flew and felled the primitive beasts while Samus picked off still more with her energy pistol.

The horde grew closer forcing the spearmen to defend their position. The four acted as one and thrust in unison as the first moblins came in range. The swine squealed as sharp metal priced their hides. They fell, but were replaced by more that came immediately after them.

"Left flank!" Imero shouted, indicating a significant number of moblins approaching them. Both he and Arron turned and fired on the new threat, and Atlam repositioned himself in front of them.

"Damn it, don't divide your attention!" Samus ordered. "You four, face left and charge forward. Archers, cover their flanks!"

As ordered, Daath, Atlam, Marcus, and Callis turned and pressed forward, while Arron shot down any moblins that came at them from the sides. The four successfully halted the advance, and Samus and Imero continued to defend their position, picking off as many as they could from the perimeter.

However, there were just too many. They were outnumbered at least six to one, Samus estimated, and they were gradually being surrounded. When she swung back around, she saw the four spearmen had been cut off from her and the archers. Imero and Arron had forgone their bows and had drawn swords in order to defend themselves at close range.

Things were rapidly deteriorating, and in the midst of this mess, Samus somehow managed to blame her failure on Zelda. It was just a fleeting thought, and she was appalled at herself for having it, but it still struck her as significant.

In the end, instinct took over as it always did in these situations, and she reached for her armor's storage disk. However, before she could even activate it, the attack evaporated into nothing and the moblins quickly vanished into the trees, leaving the group looking bewildered.

"Is that normal?" Samus asked.

"They must have realized it wasn't worth it," the lieutenant offered as an explanation.

"I don't think they..." Samus paused, interrupted when Atlam collapsed to his knees with a pained grunt. Marcus and Arron helped steady him, but there was a blood coming down the side of his leg. Imero rushed over to check him over with Daath close behind.

Samus quickly searched the perimeter for any sign that they might come back, and she saw Daath doing the same. She had to come to notice he was only one of the group that was halfway competent.

"This is bad," the lieutenant said. "His leg's cut pretty deep. I can't stop the bleeding. We need to get him back."

"We should get moving, then. They could re-force," Samus noted.

"Right," the lieutenant agreed. "Callis, Marcus, you'll carry Atlam out of here. Daath, you... ."

"Callis is not here, sir," Daath said sharply.

"What?!" Imero went white as he stood and looked around. A quick head count confirmed they were one short.

"Hey, boss, check this out," Daath called. He was crouching a few yards away, his hand brushing through the leaves on the ground.

"What is it?" Samus stood over him, watching as his hand moved over the leaves.

"Moblin tracks. See how these two sets are deeper than the rest and spaced irregularly?"

"Carrying something?"

"Exactly."

A dozen yards ahead in the direction of the tracks, they could see something glinting from beneath the leaves. As Samus and Daath approached it, they saw it was Callis's spear. That confirmed it. They had taken him.

"That's just great. Captain's gonna kill us," Arron complained. "He really liked Callis."

"The Captain won't find out. We're going after him," Imero resolved.

"No. Go home," Samus shot him down. "You'll only get in the way. I'll handle this."

"Hey, he's one of ours. You're not. You can't understand," Arron protested. "We're all going."

"I understand," Samus rebutted. "I allowed this to happen. It's my fault, my responsibility."

"You're damn right it's your fault! Now we need to-"

"You need to take your wounded back. Your captain said I was in command, so I'm ordering you to return to the castle."

With that, Samus ran off before they could argue any further. Following the trail, she left the soldiers far behind.

It was her fault. If she hadn't been so distracted over what to do about Zelda, this would never have gone the way it had. She had faced opponents far more menacing and odds infinitely more impossible, and had always come out unscathed. The only difference this time was Zelda.

She suited up and proceeded on, allowing her scanners to track the moblins' trail. This wasn't the first time Zelda had cost her a battle. Back when she was taken by Ridley, she just gave up without a fight. She wasn't even aware of what Zelda was doing to her at the time, and if not for Link's intervention, her defeat would have been assured.

'Link...' She thought of what happened to him. Callis isn't the first to pay a price for her newfound weakness.

The tracks led to a cave entrance, which led to a long, twisting tunnel. From the torches placed sporadically along the tunnel, she reasoned this cave was in use by someone. Recently broken spider webs swaying in the draft indicated that something had come through here recently.

Was she weak though? She could fight and survive in situations like almost no one else could, and if she could manage focus her mind, she was an unstoppable weapon. But she knew that was only looking at things superficially. Underneath that tough facade, she was a different person. Frightened by mere dreams, running from her past, suspicious of anyone or anything new to the point of paranoia, she was hardly the picture of strength. She knew there were always nameless threats that lurked unseen in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to strike. She had faced a few of them before, so she knew. She knew better than anyone else could, and she was terrified of it all.

Permanent torch pedestals at every intersection and tunnel entrances boarded up and closed off confirmed her guess that the moblins used this cave system heavily. Samus moved deeper and eventually came across rooms lined with wooden scaffolding around the edges that supported bunks for sleeping, numerous ladders for getting to the different levels, and several walkways interconnecting everything. The moblins must have not have only used these tunnels, but also inhabited them as well.

As Samus entered one such room, she startled several creatures that were throwing dice on the floor. They looked similar to the moblins she encountered before, sharing the same pig-like features, only these were much shorter with a slender build, where the others were stocky and muscle-bound. Armed with small axes and primitive machete-like swords, the group rushed her.

They had barely moved from their spots when a shot from Samus' ice beam froze one of them solid. The rest stopped out of fear, and after a second of consideration, turned and ran. Samus was about to gun them down but decided against it, assessing their threat level to be even less than that of the much larger moblins.

When it came to strength and weakness, one made her the other, she concluded. Weakness made her strong. Her fear of being weak drove her to chase impossible levels of strength. Yet her strength made her weak. Fear was a weakness, and she was the biggest coward of all.

She hid behind all that physical strength and used it like a shield against the world. Deep inside, she was afraid, unable to deal with all of what that world threw at her. How did those without her kind of strength face the trials of everyday life? Were they really the strong ones? Most were unable to protect themselves from dangers she could easily dispatch, yet they routinely faced the things she would run from. She really did need to toughen up.

Coward was a gentle term, she was a terrified, shivering mess. The person she was when she woke from one of her nightmares represented her true self. When all her walls were stripped away, that persona was at her core. It lurked under the surface at all times, beneath the false courage and mask of confidence she wore to fool the world... and herself. Her kind of strength was only on the surface, just like her armor.

"Huh," she huffed at this notion. Like a metaphor for her life, the armor acted as constant reminder of this truth. Without her abilities, her training and her armor to hide behind, she would never be anything more than a pathetic little girl, frightened and alone in the ruins of a destroyed world.

She came through a passage that opened up wide at the end and found herself in a massive fissure that cut through the earth. Deep and very long, the trench stretched farther than she could see. It was slightly too wide for her to jump. However, a few hundred meters away, someone had erected a rope bridge that spanned the gap. She noticed an eerie orange glow that emanated from far below. Peering over the edge, she could see a fast-flowing river of magma running at the bottom of the fissure.

Her mind again wandered as she walked the treacherously narrow ledge that ran along the length of the fissure and began to cross the bridge.

In her early days of hunting, when she had only just left the Chozo, she was terribly afraid of dying. That fear pushed her to survive, to get better, and eventually suppress her fears all together. Fear makes one weak, clouds one's thinking. It's the beginning of the end to feel fear. But she really was the biggest coward of all, hiding beneath her mask of phony strength. Maybe that's what bothered her about her relationship with Zelda. Samus couldn't hide from her.

Was she truly unable to face this one woman out of all the terrors in the world? She was, in fact, afraid of Zelda, afraid of losing her, afraid of losing to her, and afraid of losing herself. Yeah, she could honestly see that now. As odd as it sounded, Zelda frightened her. However, maybe that sounded too odd. It was more like Samus felt intimidated when in her presence.

Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice the little moblin on the other side until it was too late. With an ax raised above its head, it severed the bridge's rope supports with one clean chop, plunging Samus straight down into the lava below.

---x---

Zelda made her way down the hall on her way to the courtyard, hoping to survey the all the preparations for the memorial service. Tucked under her arm was a mix of pages from several different drafts of her speech, which was only mostly finished. She couldn't decide exactly on which tone she wanted to use and which draft best fit what she intended to say. She wanted it to sound somber, in reverence of a fallen hero. However, not so somber that it would depress everyone. It needed a hopeful quality to it, too.

'Somber but hopeful', she thought. The people needed to remember Link and of course miss him, but they also need her to reassure them and put their doubts and fears to rest.

She wondered how Samus was doing and hoped she wasn't causing much trouble. She was from a very different world and could be difficult, especially if people didn't approach her the right way. She viewed life as a competition and she always needed to win.

Zelda giggled, imagining Samus furiously trying to outperform the other preparers at some menial task as if it were a life or death situation.

Zelda shook her head at the odd distraction. Samus sure did enter her mind at the oddest times. She sighed softly. "Being in love is such a wonderful feeling," she said to herself, and trotted down the hall with an extra spring in her step.

---x---

"Damn it," Samus cursed herself as she trudged ashore. Thick magma covered her armor and dripped to the ground, leaving a trail of hot spots leading away from the river of molten rock.

"Damn you, you idiot!" Distracted once again. She tried to push it all aside, not wanting to think about it.

But hadn't she always done that? Always just pushed all her feelings to the back corner of her mind and detached herself from them? She was a coward of the highest caliber, even hiding from her own emotions. She had always detached herself from everything. In combat, she was like an unfeeling machine. Her actions and thoughts in battle were automatic, completely irrespective of the person she was underneath her mask. That side of her, the side the rest of the world saw, might as well have been a different person entirely.

Samus moved along the shore of the lava flow and eventually found a steep, winding path leading back up to top again. She began climbing and eventually made it back up to the far side of the bridge.

It was good that way, however. Her false self allowed her to live in the world, existing among the rest of those weak people and interacting with them without anyone being the wiser. Nobody knew the frailty she hid beneath the surface, nobody could exploit it. Only...

"Right," Samus muttered. Only Zelda ever saw the truth. Why was that girl continually an exception to every constant in her life?

Screeching bats with wings engulfed in flames swarmed her as she came around the next corner. "Arrggh..." she yelled as she staggered backwards, shielding her face with her left arm. On reflex her right arm also came up and fired randomly into the swarm of keeses, dispersing them in short order.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," she cursed herself. "Clear your head already, Aran."

It was seemingly hopeless. The more she tried to focus, the more she kept getting drawn back into her stupid inner dialogue.

She found her way into a small room where clay jugs, filled with water, lined the walls. She leaned over with her hands against the wall and lowered her head. This whole thing was an absolute mess insider her head and she just couldn't clear it up. Never before had she been plagued by thoughts like this. What was with her so suddenly?

Well... she knew what, or rather, who. The real question was, what could she do about it? Something would have to be done before long, or she would end up paying for it.

"Fuck it all!" Samus punched the wall and took a few deep breaths. "I'm losing it."

Hunched over as she was, she found herself staring directly into one of the water-filled jugs. That would have to do. She took off her helmet, picked up the jug and dumped it over her head. The cold liquid ran down her neck and into her suit, and was a shock to her body. She could feel it pooling up in her boots. Staring at the path ahead, she attempted to empty her mind using a meditation method taught to her by the Chozo. It had been a very long while since she last used it, still just a child if she recalled correctly, but now she needed it once again.

She picked a spot on the wall to stare at and began her mental exercises. Once clear, she focused on what she needed to do and filled her head with just those thoughts.

"Move forward. Clear all obstacles. Find and retrieve the missing man," she stated aloud, defining her mission objectives. And with that, she replaced her helmet upon her head and took off running.

There were only a few more rooms and passages to navigate before she found her target. Samus came upon a large open chamber, illuminated by a familiar amber glow that she recognized as being given off by magma. A mixed group of moblins and their smaller counterparts lined the perimeter of the room. Their guttural animal noises had taken on a more rhythmic tone, almost like they were chanting.

Samus moved further into the cavern, staying mostly out of sight behind a row of stalagmites. Although she doubted they would notice her anyway, as their attention was focused at the far end of the cave. What were they all staring at? As she came around to the other side of the row of stalagmites, she could finally see.

The floor at the far end of the room gradually dipped down into a wide, slow-moving lava flow. In front of that, an armored figure lay on the ground, chained to a rock.

Callis.

What was this? Were they baiting her? Would they try to attack while she freed him?

Samus doubted they were intelligent enough for that. But then again, she'd been had by them before at the bridge. Keeping wary of her surroundings, she made her way down to the center of the chamber. The beasts reacted when they noticed her, squealing and snorting in protest, but they made no attempt to stop her. Oddly, they kept their distance.

Callis was not conscious, but a quick scan told her that he only had a mild concussion from a knock on the head and no other serious injuries. She stood over him and debated whether she should to try and wake him or to carry him out. All the while the moblin horde continued their enraged riot, growing louder and louder. Why wouldn't they attack? They outnumbered her by at least fifty to one. This behavior was inconsistent from earlier.

While she was considering this, there was suddenly a tremor from beneath her feet. Was the cave unstable? The volcanic activity would certainly suggest that possibility. She quickly made the decision to carry the injured man out and deal with whatever the moblins threw at her as it happened. As she bent over to release the shackles and hoist Callis over her shoulder, her scanners detected movement directly behind her. Leaving Callis, she spun about suddenly and got off a single shot, which disappeared into a mound of magma that was slowly rising up, peaking at nearly three meters high.

The magma rose up, then crashed down on to the ground, slowly flattening out, when a second mound rose from the lava flow beside the first. Samus activated the ice-beam and fired a few rapid salvos to no effect. The objects simply had too much mass and were too hot to freeze. As both magma mounds flattened upon the ground, a form slowly took shape from beneath the molten rock, revealing itself to be a pair of three-fingered claws.

A third and much larger form rose up from between the clawed appendages, reaching over fifteen meters. The viscous liquid returned to the pool below, and the main body that owned those claws was uncovered. Made of dense, living rock, the creature looked like it was born from the depths of the planet. No eyes adorned its scraggly, jagged face, and its gaping maw glowed amber with heat. When it exhaled, it expelled sparks and hot embers into the air. As it clamored its way onto solid ground, the rocky armored plates that covered its body shifted back and forth with the creature's gate, creating gaps at its joints and revealing brightly glowing magma underneath. Flames loosely danced across its body, and it left a trail of ash in its wake.

Though it had no eyes, it was clearly aware of their presence. Callis was still knocked out and Samus knew she couldn't fight if she was carrying him. She would have to draw the creature away. Ice clearly wasn't going to work against such a massive creature, so she instead decided on plasma, hoping to penetrate its armored rocky skin.

She quickly moved away from Callis and unloaded on the creature. The piercing green energy bolts easily punctured its outer shell, leaving clean circular holes, which oozed bright glowing magma like blood. The beast angrily swiped its claw in her direction and predictably chased after her. Rising up on its hind limbs, it pursued her with surprising speed for something so heavily built.

Chasing her to the wall, the creature lashed out with its claws, narrowly missing Samus. The moblins encircling the room scattered as a shower of embers and ash cascaded down on them. Samus changed direction and headed for the far end of the chamber, drawing the monstrous beast away from Callis. She charged her cannon to its fullest, spun, and delivered a shot square into its chest. The powerful plasma bolt pierced clear through the thing, but did nothing to slow it down. Its smaller injuries were already starting to heal as the hot magma that oozed out began to cool and solidify.

She was attacked again with a vicious horizontal swipe. Leaping high in the air to avoid the hit, she somersaulted over the creature's head and landed behind it, putting herself between the monster and its intended sacrifice. With a barrage of rockets she left half-meter-wide craters in its back, yet still the creature seemed unaffected. She would have to find another way.

Perhaps if she could cause part of cavern to collapse on its head... that was a little too risky, however, since the entire thing could come down on her as well. Killing it wasn't necessary, however. Her objective was only to recover Callis and escape from-

Before she could finish her thought, the creature came around and lashed out at her with such speed she didn't have time to react. She was hit by its massive claw with such force that she was sent flying into the opposite wall, knocking the breath out of her in the process. She then fell straight down into the river of magma that her attacker had emerged from.

Blinded and stunned, Samus became disoriented as she was swept along with the slow current. With nothing but the amber glow of lava filling her visor, she switched to x-ray scanning which allowed her to see a rough approximation of the terrain in front of her. She righted herself and planted her feet on something solid. That last attack had depleted the suit's shielding to nearly sixty percent, and the intense heat was now slowly eating away at what was left. Without shielding the armor itself provided little protection. She needed to get out quickly, but as she slowly made her way forward, the thick viscous rock slowed her movements to a crawl.

When Samus finally managed to make it ashore and emerge from the lava flow, she could see the creature had now shifted its focus to Callis. He was awake now, screaming for his life and tugging desperately on his shackles in an attempt to free himself. Another barrage of rockets drew the creature's attention to her once again.

Enraged, it roared at her, a shallow, flat-sounding call that was more like rocks scraping together. Its superheated breath distorted the air and glowing embers wafted through the thermal currents it created.

With her visor still scanning in x-ray mode, she could see inside of it a structure of crystallized mineral deposits that acted as a basic skeleton for the monster. It charged at her and attacked, however she was prepared for its deceptive speed this time and was able to avoid its claws by rolling under it in ball form and coming up from behind again. On the base of its crystalline spine, she noticed a spherical formation that was less dense than the rest of the creature. Perhaps she could compromise the skeleton if she damaged that weak point.

Taking careful aim, she fired, but her plasma beam simply refracted through the crystal structure like light through a jewel. She ruled out rockets, knowing they would simply exploded on contact with the creature's outer rock and magma layers and not penetrate to the skeletal structure underneath.

Another deadly swipe had Samus rolling to the side to avoid being crushed, but the creature immediately followed one attack with another, lunging at her with its jaws. She dodged again but only partially managed to avoid its assault as her legs were knocked out from under her and she found herself on top of the creature's head. It snapped its head back, attempting to get its jaws on her, and she was flung to the ground once again, skidding to a stop near Callis.

Switching to the wave beam, she rolled herself over and fired from the prone position. This time, her shots phased through the rocky exterior, hit the skeleton directly, and were absorbed into crystalline material. The monster reacted painfully, and staggered slightly.

That was it! But the beast was still coming at her.

Samus combined ice and wave beams, and aimed right for the soft point on the skeleton. The creature reared up, growling its low rumbling scream and swiping blindly at the air with its claws as its core revived the freezing cold energy.

Getting to her feet, Samus put three more quick shots on target before the creature slammed its claws onto the ground in an attempt to hit her. She jumped into the air, avoiding the attack while charging her cannon to its fullest. Landing on the creature's back, she steadied herself then discharged her cannon directly into the base of its neck. Its massive form stumbled and fell as it collapsed to all fours, not ten feet from where Callis was chained.

Lethargically, the beast reached for him, letting out a pained groan. The massive claw grew steadily slowly closer until Callis could feel the heat that it radiated on his face. It was almost too close to bear when suddenly it stopped moving as Samus derived a second fully-charged blast of ice to its core. She charged another shot in preparation, but stopped when she saw its crystalline skeleton shatter suddenly under the thermal stress caused by the shift from one extreme temperature to another. The core suddenly imploded, crushed under the monster's impressive weight.

Resetting her visor to normal, Samus hopped down off the creature's back. Flames and embers no longer came off the creature, and its temperature was slowly waning. It remained posed in the same position, unmoving, with its arm stretched out towards Callis. Like a roughly carved statue, it stood as a lifeless effigy of its former self.

---x---

Zelda nervously paced back and forth behind the podium, out of sight of the people, as the ceremony proceeded. She went over the parchment held in one hand for the hundredth time, frantically making adjustments with the quill held in the other. It was almost time for her to speak.

"Hey, how's it going?" Samus asked casually as she approached.

"Where the hell have you been?" Zelda practically snapped at her.

"Helping... like you asked," Samus said defensively.

"Sorry. I'm a little stressed. This speech is terrible. If only I hadn't put it off until the last minute." Zelda took a deep breath and sighed. "Have you seen Malon around? I've been keeping an eye out for her, but I've been mostly too busy."

Samus shrugged. "No, I haven't," she said shaking her head.

"Could you look for her?"

"She didn't come. She wasn't too interested when you invited her the other day."

"That's..." Zelda started out angrily, but then hung her head, stopping her writing. "Unacceptable," she muttered softly. "She should be here. It's his day of remembrance."

"Maybe she just wants to forget," Samus offered, speaking from experience.

"That is just so..." Zelda paused, interrupted by the temple priest introducing her. "I don't want to believe that. Could you please just look for her?"

"Zelda, she's not here."

"Please," Zelda pleaded as she began up the steps leading up to the podium. Samus gave a reluctant nod as she finally turned away and took the stage. Zelda stood at the podium, placing her papers in front of her. Her subjects all stared at her, looking to her for guidance. With a deep breath, she delved right into her speech.

"We are here today in remembrance of a great and noble person, though he had no noble blood. He achieved greatness through his deeds and through his character by giving everything he had for what he believed in. In doing so, he set an example for the rest of us to aspire to. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

"Link was the most selfless person I knew. No matter how large or how small a problem, he was always willing to help, to take the burden of others upon himself. I know that many of you here today have stories to tell. Whether rounding up lost livestock and running simple errands, or rescuing people, saving lives and freeing an entire land, he was always there for us. In this world, where fear and evil ran free, and shadows threatened to consume the land, he had the courage to stand alone against the dark. And when things seemed at their worst, he brought us hope and gave us something to believe in again.

"He earned the respect and love of many. Some loved him more than others... Likewise, he truly did love this land and its people. I knew him well. I can say with confidence that he would want us to strive on and continue forward with courage and righteousness. Those were his ideals, they are what he sought to protect, and why he fought so hard for all our sakes.

"And we will go on, as he would want, just as the Triforce shall go on. It didn't perish with him, and so long as it and the Goddesses watch over us, Hyrule will endure.

"As Hyrule goes on, each of us must individually find their own way to move forward. My hope for each of you here today, and for all of Hyrule, is that we live each day trying to achieve those ideals. Even though it may be difficult, especially for those who were close to him, we should all try to honor a hero's legacy.

"Link truly was a hero in every sense of the word, and heroes never truly die. They live on always.

"They live on in legend, in memory, and in our hearts.

"Thank you."

---x---

The setting sun radiated its light over the landscape, casting the world in shades of amber. Samus leaned over the banister, resting on her elbows, and took in the phenomenon of day changing to night as she quietly contemplated the day's events. A gentle wind blew through her hair, not too cool and not too warm. It was a pleasant evening and though her thoughts were in turmoil, she felt a momentary calm.

A hand touched her shoulder and another brushed aside her hair. Delicate lips against the back of her neck delivered gentle kisses. A soft voice blew past her ear. "Samus, come inside," the princess pleaded quietly.

"Zelda, you've been bugging me all day with this."

"You've been putting it off all day."

"I really don't want to."

"You did promise me, remember."

"..."

"And besides, it's almost time. The festival is about to start."

"..."

"Please..." Zelda pouted and batted her eyes.

Samus glared. That wasn't fair of her. "Do I have to?"

A short "Yes," said happily with a nod and a cute smile was her only response.

"Ugh... okay, okay... I'll put it on," Samus said, reluctantly dragging herself into the closet.

"Yay!" Zelda exclaimed happily. She waited as patiently as she could manage, which wasn't easy considering she felt as giddy a kid on Christmas morning. She couldn't contain her excitement and bounced happily on the balls of her feet. "Samus?" she called eagerly.

"Yeah?"

"What's taking so long?"

"I just got in here! Ugh... why don't you come and help me if you're so impatient?"

"No, I have to see it all at once so it will be a surprise."

"Then you have to wait. I've never worn something like this before."

"Okay..." Zelda moaned impatiently.

She couldn't wait for the festival to finally start. It had always been something she was looking forward to, but now that it was so close, she could hardly contain herself. The last few times she'd gone she found it quite enjoyable, but it was a tradition to go with one's sweetheart, and she'd always missed out on that part of the experience. Zelda could just tell this time was going to be special.

She felt incredibly blessed and thankful to have Samus in her life now. The huntress truly seemed to be growing warmer. Certainly more so than when they had first met, but now it was going beyond simply that. Almost as if...

"There're no pockets in this thing." Samus interrupted Zelda's thoughts as she finally stepped out of the closet, wearing the dress and shoes they'd bought the other day. She held her armor's storage unit in her hand.

Zelda's giddy mood was instantly replaced by one of awe. "Wow..." she said breathlessly.

"Eh... heh... okay," Samus said nervously, now feeling self-conscious about the entire thing. "What am I going to do with this?" she said, referring to her armor. She patted herself over, looking for some place to stash the little disk-shaped object.

"Oh, leave it," Zelda said, taking it from Samus' hand. "You won't need this thing tonight," she said, sticking in her dresser drawer.

"Uh!" Samus watched nervously as Zelda hid away her most valued possession. An angry Sheegoth wouldn't have been able to pry that thing from her grasp. The girl wielded power over her, affected her in ways that nothing else in the galaxy could match. If Zelda ever become hostile, she knew she would be completely incapable of resisting.

Zelda stared at her for a short while looking her up and down. "Hmm... it needs something more. Samus, close your eyes."

"W-what!? Why... ? What are you going to do?"

"Just trust me."

"Okay..." Samus closed her eyes and sighed. She heard Zelda's feet shuffle across the floor, then something opened and closed, and then Zelda walked over to her again.

"Hold out your hands," Zelda said softly. Samus did, and she felt Zelda place something in her palms. "Okay, you can look now."

Samus was holding a small black velvet box. "What's this?" She eyed Zelda suspiciously, then the box, then Zelda again. The Hylian only smiled cutely.

Finally, curiosity took over and she opened the box. Inside was a pair of diamond earrings. In fact, the same diamond stud earrings she'd curiously looked at in the boutique the other day - the ones with the diamonds arranged and cut to look like the Triforce. Had Zelda noticed her looking at them?

'She must have gone back when I was getting measured for my dress,' Samus concluded.

"It's a gift, for you." Zelda smiled sweetly.

Staring at the earrings resting in her palm, Samus smiled genuinely. She had never owned jewelry before. She had never seen the point in it. In fact, she still didn't. But for some reason, having these now warmed her heart greatly.

But her smile faded slowly as reality sunk in. "Thank you... Zelda. But I can't wear these."

"Samus..." Zelda's face fell. "I got those especially for you."

"I know, and I'm really sorry, but I can't--"

"Oh, come now. I know you'll look really pretty with them on. All I ask is this one night. It's important to me. Must you be so difficult?"

"I'm not trying to be... I'd wear them if I could. I'm just not able to. I never had my ears pierced."

"Oh... I see..." Zelda said, sounding forlorn.

Feeling guilty, Samus knew she had to try to make it up to her. "Look, I'll go get them pierced the very next chance I get. Then I'll put them right in and wear them all the time."

"You don't have to do that." Zelda shook her head. "I only wanted to give you a nice gift, that's all... It's fine."

"But I--"

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I should have known you wouldn't be one to get your ears pierced. Just give them back, I can use them."

"Sorry..." Samus muttered sheepishly, handing the box back to Zelda.

"It's okay... truly. In fact, I just had a better idea. I have something else... something that you can wear."

"What?" Samus raised an eyebrow.

Zelda retrieved something from her dresser drawer and walked back to Samus. "Close your eyes again."

She did and felt Zelda's arms come around her, fiddling with something behind her neck.

When she was told to open them again, she looked down to see she wore a necklace. It was a simple thing, not extravagant like most of Zelda's other jewelry. It was a thin silver chain holding an elongated silver teardrop.

"You get this one too when I was getting fitted?"

"No." Zelda shook her head. "I've had it for a while. It belonged to my mother."

"It's nice, thanks." Samus ran her fingers along the length of the chain, then held up the teardrop in front of her face to get a better look. "Seems a bit simple for a queen."

Zelda smiled softly and shook her head. "My mother was a commoner when Father married her. It was hers from before then."

"Is that so?" Samus was somewhat surprised. "I thought royalty and commoners didn't intermarry."

"Traditionally, they don't... it's not a law, though." Zelda shrugged.

"Sounds like she lucked out," Samus said. "You never told me what your father was like."

"Tch," Zelda chided under her breath. "Samus, you can wear that necklace tonight," she said, deflecting Samus' comment. "But... I want you to keep it, also."

"Zelda, no." Samus looked shocked. "It's your mother's..."

"And I inherited it from her... so it's mine to give."

"I know, but... it was hers, and... well, she died and..." How could Zelda give this away when it belonged to her mother? "Isn't this important to you?"

"Well, yes, very." She placed her hands on Samus' shoulders. "It's because it's important to me that I want to give it to you."

Samus looked down solemnly at the gift and still didn't understand. She had nothing left of her old family except a traumatic memory. It felt awkward taking such a precious thing from Zelda. If she had something like this from her mother, she'd never let it go.

"Because you're important to me as well," Zelda finished.

Samus turned the keepsake over a few times in her fingers before letting it dangle from her neck again. "You know, I've never owned jewelry before. Always thought I'd hate it. But this is..." Samus paused, letting the significance of the object sink in. "It means a lot that you would give me this. Thank you."

A soft smile graced Zelda's face and she nodded silently. "I'm glad you appreciate it. Now there's one more thing," she said and leaned in close. Resting her arms on Samus' shoulders, her hands came up behind her head and began working the hair tie down the length of her ponytail. In this position, Zelda was close to kissing her... but she dared not, not now of all times. She knew what would happen if she did, where it would lead if they let their passions run away. She'd end up missing the festival and ruining Samus' new dress.

It wasn't as if she couldn't control Samus. She knew the bounty hunter had untold reserves of self-control. She was worried about herself. Samus' new look was having unintended consequences on the young Hylian. She turned her head to the side to avoid temptation. As she slowly pulled away, she fluffed Samus' hair out with a flick of her wrist.

"I don't like this thing," she said, then pulled the elastic tie around her finger, stretched it, and shot it across the room. "You should wear your hair down more often... it suits you."

"Umm...

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Chapter 19