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Time Cannot Erase "A jealous
female can be tricked into anything." Always ending Chapter 15 "It's time," Marth had released her hand, stood up and moved away from her. He was peering out into the distance, his voice strained, "I have to return home," he looked back toward her, his eyes piercing, "and I want you to join me." "What?!" she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "I can treat you like the princess that you are. What can he do for you? What can he provide? He's a drifter with no roots, no future and no past. He leaves you here, alone. Any man who would walk away from you is a fool. I am no fool. I don't want to leave you here. I will not leave you," his eyes assured her of his conviction. "Are you asking me to-" Zelda gasped, wading her way through a quagmire of emotions. "Come with me," he was speaking sincerely, no hesitation, no shame. "Marth, I… I can't," Zelda whispered. "I love you," Marth said, taking her hands once more. How could she reply? Searching her heart, she knew she could not return the sentiment, and yet…. Marth seemed to be waiting for a reply, and when it did not come his face filled with sorrow, then grew angry. "Because of him?" "Marth, you know what we've been through together," as Zelda spoke images of Link battling to save her life sprung to her mind, as clearly as ever. A sense of relief washed over her. "You said you believed it… if that's true then you know that I can't go, because… because…" "Do you love him?" Marth demanded. Zelda felt her stomach lurch. Did she? She thought of Link and her eyes welled with tears. She didn't know what she felt anymore. She looked at Marth deeply. "I see the pain in your eyes," Marth spoke quietly. "It is the same look of pain and suffering I see every time he's mentioned, every time you think of him. I've seen you change since I've met you. I've seen you grow happier. I can make you happy. He can only bring you pain." "That's not true," Zelda replied defensively. "I can't leave him, not after..." she trailed off. "After what?" Marth prodded. She wracked her brain which had suddenly gone black. After what? She pleaded with her mind, she fought with every bit of power she possessed, but no answer would come: only darkness. She looked at Marth in defeat. She had no answer, and his expression grew triumphant. "Put it behind you. Let it go. It's the past and nothing more. You have to move on," Marth kept hold of her hand. "I can't leave it behind. I don't want to forget," Zelda was crying now, her eyes wide and frightened. Marth's last statement had struck her hard: harder than it should have. "I think you do," Marth whispered. "I think that's exactly what you want, because you can never find happiness as long as you remember what you've been through." "That is not true," Zelda replied more fervently. He seemed to be staring right into her mind, yet she knew he was not. He understood her so well that it scared her. She couldn't let him see inside. The prospect was too disarming. "I think you want to leave it all behind you, go out on your own, find adventure. I can see it in you- a flame of rebellion that is growing and growing. Soon nothing will contain it and nothing will stop you. If you don't let it grow it will die, and you will die with it: alone and miserable. You weren't meant for the life you have been forced to lead." "I am happy," she replied all too unconvincingly. "Link makes me happy." "How can he make you happy when he is not even here with you?" Marth spoke with exasperation. "He will be here. He comes back every year. He's never missed the festival, and he won't this year. I can count on him. He'll be here before midnight… and you will go home, alone," Zelda retorted. Marth stepped back, looking hurt. "All right," he replied. "Look at this," he pointed down towards the crowd. "Once you see, you must decide. Whatever you choose I will accept. If it be your will I will leave you alone and never return- I'll never trouble you again." Zelda peered at him skeptically. "What is it?" Marth motioned once more to the streets below. Slowly Zelda made her way to the edge of the balcony. She didn't want to look, afraid of what she would see. She forced herself to the edge and looked down at the crowd below. Her stomach plummeted. There was Link in a crowd full of young women all gazing admiringly at him. Next to him was Malon. Link was smiling and laughing with her. "If this is how he treats you…" Marth spoke angrily. Link had come and not even tried to find Zelda. Jealousy and hurt welled up inside her, but still she was unwilling. "It isn't midnight yet…" she said softly, her eyes not leaving Malon's face as she stared adoringly at Link. "He always finds me by midnight." Marth was watching her carefully. "Can't you see it, Zelda? You must see that I care for you more. Please, my intentions are pure. I wish only to have you see the home that I love, as you have shared yours with me. You will be under no obligation to stay. You will be free to leave at your leisure." Zelda scrutinized him. He had never given her reason to doubt him. "Give him until midnight then," Marth said. "If you truly have faith in him it should be no gamble. If you believe in him," he stressed the word 'if', "you have nothing to loose." Zelda was caught. "He will come," Zelda replied, shocked to see how much she meant it- how much she wanted to mean it. "I do have faith in him. He's never let me down. If you agree to this, you will be leaving alone." "We shall see," Marth replied. "Do we have an accord?" He stretched his hand out toward her. Zelda hesitated, deliberating. She was a jumble inside, filled with hope, doubt, fear, anger and a sudden surge of rebelliousness. The things he said had rung too true- cut too deeply. In all sincerity he had vocalized many of the things she had always felt, but never had the strength to say. She was tired of her pampered and structured life. She longed to stretch her wings and throw her arms up to the sky. In her heart she wanted to prove Link. She had spent so many years waiting for him, feeling joy at his return only to feel pain as he abandoned her time and time again. Yet, she still cared. Now, she needed to know. With nearly all of her heart, she needed to prove that Link still cared. But there was another part- small, shadowed and defiant, but ever-growing- which saw Marth and smiled. It saw Marth and didn't want to let go. It saw the chance to travel to a strange land, to be free of the chains of Hyrule. She could cease to be the Princess. She would not have to veil herself under the guise of Sheik. She would no longer hide and no longer run. She would be Zelda and Zelda only- a thing which she had never before been. She stuck out her hand and shook his. Marth looked at her more seriously than he ever had before, "Done." Zelda seated herself silently on the stone bench and resumed her wait. Once, she got up to check. Link was still there, Malon hanging all over him. Zelda was glaring a burning hole through the two of them. At one point Link looked up and he and Zelda locked eyes for an instant. "That's it!" Zelda thought. "He's seen me. He'll come now." Instead he lifted his arm and put it on Malon's shoulder. Zelda looked away in horror, then turned back to make sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her. She immediately wished she hadn't. Link and Malon were now kissing, Malon wrapped tightly around him. Without a word Zelda returned to her bench. Her blood was boiling and more pain than she could ever remember feeling had welled up in her. Marth, though surely he noticed her plight, remained still and calm. She sat and waited, inwardly she screaming that she didn't care if he ever came, but one thought kept returning: if she had only told him…. Then the fireworks started, and Zelda felt a hand on her shoulder. "Link!" she exclaimed, whirling around, all other thoughts vanishing instantly. It was Marth. Zelda's heart shattered. She rushed to the edge and looked out into the crowd. Where Link once stood with Malon he now was gone- and so was she. It was over. He hadn't come. Link didn't love her. Link didn't want her. He was gone, again. Zelda felt as though she'd stepped off the edge of a cliff and was falling, falling, with nothing to catch her: no one to save her. Then Marth held out his hand. "Will you come with me, Zelda," Marth asked quietly. Zelda didn't hesitate. She took his hand. Already the pain was too much to bear. She couldn't be left alone again. She couldn't bear to be alone anymore. "Yes," she replied simply. Marth silently took her by the crook of the arm. With his free hand he unsheathed his sword and slashed at the air before him. Like a rip in a piece of cloth, the space before Zelda split in two, opening a doorway overlooking a grassy field. Marth led her through gently. Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he took hold of her roughly. He held on tightly, as though afraid to let go. He kissed her. Fear erupted in her and her only desire was to pull away from his grasp, but he wouldn't let her go. Together they vanished through the doorway. The tear began to repair itself, closing up behind them, erasing Hyrule from Zelda's view.
Marth was a good man. Link knew him well enough to know that. He was strong and brave. He was a bit stubborn and strong willed, but Zelda needed someone strong. He was privileged and noble. He could give Zelda everything Link couldn't. Link entered the city as inconspicuously as possible. He had his face hidden under a long hooded cloak, and kept his head down. He didn't want to be noticed by anyone. He had searched the crowds desperately looking for her. He had to see her one last time, knowing it was the end. It took him a few hours before he spotted her. She was on a balcony near the roof of a building across the square. He stared up at her through the crowd, drinking her in. Her beauty pierced him to his soul. He threw his hood back and gazed up at her, silently bidding her farewell. "Link!" an excited voice carried across the square. With a start, he threw his hood back over his head and tried to vanish into the crowd, not wanting to see who it was that had called to him. "Link!" the voice shouted again. He felt a small hand on his arm. Then a hand threw his hood back. "I knew it was you!" Malon giggled. "Why are you hiding?" she asked. He tried to reply that he was just leaving but she wouldn't hear of it. "Come with me!" she exclaimed, taking his hand and pulling him. As always, he felt powerless to stop the situation. He allowed himself to be dragged over to a corner where some of the local village girls were talking and laughing. Link was apprehensive, given his normal reception from the Hylians, but these girls didn't seem to mind. They knew who he was and what was said about him, but his reputation as a dangerous rebel only made him more appealing to them. Extremely uncomfortable with the amount of attention he was receiving Link once again tried unsuccessfully to extricate himself from the group of chattering girls when he looked up towards Zelda once more. Marth was with her. Jealousy flared in Link like poison in his veins. He had never seen them together before. Not until now. The sight of it made the situation all the more real and painful. While he couldn't stand the thought of Zelda and Marth being together, but he knew it had to be. She was searching the crowd. Surely she would see him and his fawning little group. So, he decided to stay. Sure enough, a while later he glanced up and met her eyes. He couldn't tell what she was feeling from so far away, but he decided to put the final nail in the coffin. He put his arm on Malon's shoulder. Zelda immediately shrunk back and vanished. Link was instantly stung with the reality of what he had just done. "Oh, Link," Malon swooned, looking at him with starry eyes and blushing slightly. Link immediately took his hand from her shoulder, but it was too late. "Father will be so happy when I tell him you've finally accepted," she smiled, her eyes dreamy and her voice airy. "What?" Link blubbered, backing away from her. "Oh, Link!" she cried once more, then Malon threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The pack of girls erupted in elated sighs and a few giggles. Link's brain froze and panic overcame him. It was a moment before feeling returned to his limbs and he was able to pry her off of him. Malon stared at him, her eyes confused and pained. "I'm sorry, Malon," he muttered, his eyes wide and his face pale. He couldn't do it. He couldn't end it like this. All at once he understood his own weakness. He was not doing this for Zelda's sake, but for the sake of his own fear and pride. He couldn't take the coward's way out. Zelda deserved better than that. He stood up and took a step back. "I have to go." "Link!" she stood up and grabbed his arm. "Don't go." "I'm sorry," he repeated. Even across the square he could tell he had hurt Zelda: the one thing he had sworn he would never do. "Wait, Link!" the girls cried, but he ignored them. Once again the voice within him was shouting orders at him, and now he didn't hesitate to obey. "Tell her the truth!" it shouted. "Take her back! She is yours and you must fight for her! Go!" As Link vanished into the crowd Malon's eyes welled up. She turned in the opposite direction and ran full speed, disappearing into the mass of people milling all around. It was close to midnight and Link knew it. He had cut it very close. Even now there might be no way she would forgive him, and that was all right. He simply had to explain himself. He rounded the corner into a back alley, trying to get to the building he had seen her in while avoiding the crowds. "Link!" a voice shouted from behind him. Impa stepped into the alley behind him, her face grim. "I need to talk to you." "Impa, this isn't a good time," Link replied through the gloom. "I have to find Zelda, quickly." "But this is about Zelda," Impa spoke urgently. "She is in danger." "What!?" Link shouted. "How? From whom?" Not staying for an answer to his own questions Link turned frantically and began to run in the direction of Zelda. "Link, stop running, you impatient little fool and listen to me!" Impa had quickly caught him and slammed him against the stone wall. Link had never seen her lose her temper this way. She looked nervous, and the fact that her fear was even perceptible meant that she was considerably afraid. "I need to ask you some questions and I need honest answers and I need them quickly!" "If she's in trouble I've got to help her," Link exclaimed, trying to pull away from the wall, but Impa held him fast. "Listen!" Impa commanded, "I need to know, have your memories of your past life and the war with Ganondorf been fading?" "What?" Link stared blankly. This was not what he had expected. "Answer me, and give me the truth," desperation had left Impa with a truly terrifying demeanor. Link hesitated, but only for a moment. He didn't want to tell her. He had barely admitted it to himself. His eyes fell to the ground, not looking at her, "Yes," he replied. "How much?" Impa was intent, searching his face. "It has grown hazy… I feel like I don't remember it, thought I know it happened and I know what I did," he felt suddenly guilty and wanted to justify himself somehow. "Every time I've felt it slipping I've concentrated on remembering. I've read Zelda's book she gave me. I know it all. I haven't lost a thing." "I fear Zelda has," Impa spoke grimly. "I fear she has forgotten much." "What are you saying?" Link's eyes were wide and fearful. "Zelda is forgetting, and I don't think she's holding on as tightly as you are. I'm afraid for her. She refuses to admit to me that anything is wrong. The gate is almost closed now. With each day that passes, I fear we are losing her." "What can we do?" Link began struggling again. Impa didn't hold him any longer. Once free he broke into a run, Impa right beside him. "We need to find her and talk to her. We cannot help her. She has to do it on her own, but we need to make her see the danger she is facing. You may be the only one who can get through to her." Link sped up, turning the corner at break neck speed. He took the stairs three at a time. As the opening to the roof came into view he sped up once more. He stepped out into the night air just in time to see Marth holding Zelda's arm as he led her through his portal. That alone made Link stop in his tracks, but nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. Marth caught sight of Link and his eyes widened. Link took a step closer and opened his mouth to call out. Then Marth grabbed Zelda hard and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her. Before Link's very eyes he kissed her. All breath was swept out of Link. No sound came from his mouth. He felt physically ill. His head felt suddenly light. He swayed once and then fell clumsily to his knees. He opened his mouth once more to speak but could say nothing. The portal was closing; Zelda was disappearing from his view. He stretched out his hand, but it was too late. The image of his love in the arms of Marth burned his eyes. The portal closed. She was gone, and there was nothing Link could do to stop it. Impa appeared, flying up the steps behind him, only a moment later. "Link!" she shouted. "Where are they?" She got no reply. "Link!" she cried. Why was he on his knees? She walked around to face him and gasped. Tears were streaming silently down his face. He didn't move a muscle. His expression was so vacant she thought he might be dead, but in his eyes was more anguish than she had ever seen in her life. "Link?" she asked more quietly. "What happened? Where is she?" "Gone," was all he could mutter, "with him. Gone…." "What?" Impa shouted. She stood up and began searching the roof. Link remained still, unable to move. He was only vaguely aware of his tears as they streamed endlessly from his eyes. His pain seemed beyond tears, yet they refused to cease. "I need to know what happened here," Impa said firmly. Whatever had reduced Link to such a state had her very worried. "She went with him," his voice was hallow and lifeless. "They're gone." "Was she kidnapped?" Impa was growing very impatient. "No," was all he would reply. "No." He staggered to his feet, stumbling blindly to the stairs. "Link!" Impa called, but he did not listen. Unconscious of his actions he began to make his way down the stairway. Two steps down he lost his footing and fell, landing hard at the bottom in a heap. Impa tore down after him. There was no way such a fall could not have been painful, but Link seemed hardly aware that anything had happened at all. Impa helped him into a sitting position. He sat numbly on the bottom step, staring forward, knees tucked into his chest. "Link, what happened?" Impa asked once more. "She's gone,"
was his only reply. He let his face fall into his hands, in utter defeat.
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