Also, I'm not very enthusiastic about this. I don't feel that it's great at all (in fact, I think it stinks) so any help you may have would be greatly appreciated. 
***
Link’s hands twitched involuntarily, betraying the anxiety he had tried so hard to mask. Sitting at the marble bench across from him was the source of his inner turmoil: Princess Zelda.
Radiant and stunningly beautiful as ever, Zelda sat tall and proud in her seat—the epitome of regality. Since they had sat down together more than half an hour past, her eyes had not left his. Her sharp, calculating stare immediately put him on edge, and would have under most any circumstances. Not saying a word, she simply watched him.
Impatience—and more than a little curiosity—finally forced Link to break the silence. Clearing his throat to buy some time, he asked, “Why here?”
He breathed an inward sigh of relief as Zelda finally turned away from him to ponder their surroundings:
On every front, serenity weighed down on the senses—as if, by its nature alone, serenity could be so oppressive. Spring grass sprouted all around, broken only in places by various flowers—peonies, soapwort, and lupin, mostly—ancient trees, and small ponds. Over everything lay a glittering gauze of morning dew.
Zelda swept her gaze over all of this and then peered over Link’s shoulder to the stone building beyond: It was a monastery, guarded and run by a group of monks, one of whom was watching them right now, from a respectful distance. They called the ‘escort’ a formality, a way of keeping with tradition and honoring she for whom the monastery had been built: The Great Fairy of the Lake.
Being a Great Fairy, Nicara abhorred violence, instead devoting her near-limitless lifespan—and magical power—towards ways of peace. Overlooking the monastery from a Cliffside on the mountain, one could see the very tops of the great marble arches, under which lay Nicara’s fountain, a place of healing and solace for weary travelers. There, the Great Fairy took her eternal residence watching over all who passed beneath.
And so the monk in turn watched over Link and Zelda. Even these strangers—who abided in a place so isolated that word of the cataclysmic events taking place in the outside world most likely hadn’t reached them—could sense the tension between the two, and were afraid of a conflict.
Finally, Zelda spoke. “Is it not obvious, Link? This is neutral ground.”
Link nodded; he had guessed as much.
He looked away from her, frantically toying with a tassel on his green tunic, trying his best to ignore the silence, which suddenly seemed menacing. At any given moment, the tension between them might snap, and chaos would ensue.
“I can’t imagine what you want,” Link managed to say. “There’s nothing that needs saying between us that hasn’t already been said.”
Zelda opened her mouth as if to respond but hesitated. She turned away from him, making a show of studying her hands as if some essential answer lay hidden in the. For just a moment, a ray of morning sunshine glinted off of something metallic, but on closer inspection Link decided it was the ring on her left hand. He was surprised—and hopeful—that she hadn’t taken it off.
“I-I know,” she said eventually, turning to face him again. “But there’s still so much that you don’t know—that you can’t know, unless you see reason.”
Sudden anger clouded Link’s vision. “Reason?” he spat. “What reason is there in abandoning all of Hyrule, the land you were born to protect? What’s reasonable about abandoning its women and children to a fate worse than death in exchange for a few hollow promises?”
Zelda’s demeanor has visibly darkened. Her hands had balled into tight fists, her jaw had clenched, and the expression on her face was violent.
“Don’t you dare presume to know my motives!” she shouted. “You have no inclination as to why I did what I did! Even now, despite all of these preconceived notions you so enjoy entertaining about me, I’m trying to help you!”
Link cast a nervous glance behind him at the monk. The man was on his feet, wearing a cautionary expression. Though he hadn’t moved any closer, the message was clear.
“Keep your voice down,” Link snapped at Zelda, turning back. “Unless you want our ‘visit’ cut short.”
Zelda closed her eyes, breathing deeply. It was taking her visible effort to relax. Link regretted angering her so; despite all that had transpired between them, he didn’t like to see her angry.
Regaining a modicum of her usual composure, Zelda continued.
“Ganondorf is more than he seems, Link. His plans for Hyrule stretch far beyond covering it in Twilight. You may see him as being tyrannical—evil, even—but the reality is that he’s a visionary!”
A cold ball of dread had settled in the pit of Link’s stomach. Fear-not for him, but for what Zelda had become—wrapped around his heart. She had changed as she spoke. A frightening, almost eager gleam had entered her eyes, and she was focused on something not-quite-there.
“What’s happened to you?” Link said, despair in every syllable. “Oh, Zelda, what have you done?”
She faltered for a moment. Her expression changed to one of guilt, and she looked away.
It didn’t last long, however. In the instant that the change registered in Link’s mind, she was back to her foreign self again, walls rebuilt, thoughts rearranged.
She pressed on as if she hadn’t heard him.
“Ganondorf doesn’t expect you to follow him blindly. For every service you do him, he rewards greatly.”
Zelda’s hand clutched—seemingly without her knowing—at a necklace around her neck. It was nearly all black—black chain, black, mottled pendant—save for a single jewel fixated in its center. The morning sunlight cast off of it was reflected back disfigured…different, somehow.
Sudden realization struck Link like a hammer blow.
“A Fused Shadow! Ganondorf gave you a Fused Shadow?”
Zelda’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know? Humans aren’t supposed to be able to--”
She cut off abruptly, anger clouding her features. “Midna showed you how, didn’t she? I knew I should have killed that bitch from the start!”
“Midna?” Link asked, suddenly hopeful. “She’s not dead? But I saw her body! The Zora Queen murdered her!”
Amidst all of the excitement, both Link and Zelda had stood from their seats. Their voices had risen—Zelda’s out of fury, Link’s through urgency. Both had attracted the attention of the monk, who was now weaving his way through ponds and flowerbeds towards them.
Zelda noticed this at the same time as Link. She stepped close to him and folded his hands in her own, looking up at him with piercing eyes.
“Listen to me, Link,” she urged, sparing a glance now and then at the ever-nearing monk. “We don’t have much time, now.”
Link furrowed his brow at her in confusion. Her sudden change in tact caught him off guard, and that was without the startling touch of her skin on his, or the scent of her hair filling his nostrils.
When words failed him, Zelda continued on.
“There are certain events being put into play as we speak. Events that need not affect you. All you have to do is come with me, and you can be safe from harm.”
“Zelda…” Link was at a loss for words as a torrent of emotion threatened to overwhelm him: Fear, anger, sadness, desperation, hope, and a wicked temptation all fought to dominate him.
Sensing his weakness, Zelda pushed him further.
“Please Link! I don’t want to lose you!” Tears misted her eyes and her lower lip trembled. “I-I love you!”
A soft sob escaped her lips, driving Link over the edge and into madness. His own eyes brimming with tears now, he pulled Zelda close to him without a thought for the close proximity f the Fused Shadow hanging around her neck.
“Please don’t do this to me, Zelda,” he moaned. “Don’t ask this impossible thing of me. It’s tearing me apart!”
She wiped a tear from her cheek and looked behind him quickly. “He’s almost here; Link, please!”
He stepped away from her gently, shaking his head. He tried to pull his hands away, but all she did was cling tighter.
But Link had decided.
And as always, the Savior of Hyrule chose to do what was right.
“Zelda, you have to go now. You don’t belong.”
The monk was only ten feet away, now.
Zelda stepped up on the tips of her toes to reach his ear.
Eight feet.
“One.”
Five feet.
“Last.”
Three feet.
“Chance.”
Link spoke gently, but with chilling finality. “I love you, Zelda; you know that. And I always will. But I just ca—"
A sudden pain, sharp and hot, lanced through the palm of Link’s hand. Wincing, he stepped away from Zelda to examine it.
A thin line of blood was dribbling slowly from a cut across his palm no longer than a fingernail and into the grass. It hurt far more than a wound of its size should…What was it from?
His silent question was answered by Zelda, her voice suddenly cold and unfeeling.
“It’s poison, Link. You have minutes to live.”
Link stared at her in disbelief. “Why would you do that? I loved you!”
Zelda breathed a heavy, impatient sigh, the kind used by mothers chiding unseeing children. “You’ve made your decision, Link.” Then, holding aloft a small, metallic needle, she added, “And I made mine long ago.”
The deep hurt of betrayal washed over Link. He swayed on his feet, and his vision was misting.
Poison.
“You won’t succeed,” he said, suddenly desperate. “The monk is coming, and he’ll bring me to Nicara. I’ll live to fight you.” Why did it sound like he was trying to convince himself of that?
Then Zelda laughed. It was a cold, high-pitched, mocking laugh that sent chills down Link’s spine. Only, her mouth hadn’t moved…
“What monk?” said a female voice behind him.
Link spun around at the same time that he lost control over his legs. As he plummeted towards the earth, his cheek smacking the ground, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully, he was spared the suddenly impossible effort of turning his neck as the creature joined him on the ground, head propped by a tiny gray arm.
“What monk?” Midna repeated, a wicked gleam in her orange eyes. “Oh, you mean me!” She laughed that same laugh that Link had mistaken as Zelda’s. “I’ll admit, it was a good disguise, but I’m surprised you didn’t see through it sooner! After all, I did teach you how to spot the Fused Shadows, so something so menial as separating a veil should be easy for the Hero-in-green!”
Link’s whole body was shuddering now with the effects of the poison. Midna was alive? It didn’t make sense! How could Midna be here now when he had seen her die more than a year ago? And why wasn’t she helping him?
And just like that, everything suddenly clicked into place.
Midna showed you how, didn’t she? I knew I should have killed that bitch from the start!
Midna had never died. It had been a ruse, a trick to get him where he was now. Midna had done her job by showing him how to find Fused Shadows, and Zelda had done the rest.
Link’s mind reeled with the shock of how completely he had been duped.
“Come now, Midna,” Zelda chided, stepping around Link’s prone body to pick up the diminutive fairy in her arms. “We mustn’t tease the boy.”
“Erm…sorry, I suppose. But we did get him good, didn’t we?”
Zelda chuckled. “Yes we did, dear. But come; let us leave the Great Hero to die in peace.”
And with a flash, they were gone.
After that, it took only seconds for Link’s vision to darken completely. All his remaining sense dulled into near nonexistence, and he faded into oblivion. From there, his brain lost control of his body, and the muscles began to twitch in spasmodic motions.
And then, along with the strong, steady beat of his heart that had never faltered before this day, they lay still altogether.
The Great Hero of Hyrule had died. Never would he rise again.
*pokes*
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