Link was more exhausted than he thought and he didn't wake up till well into the afternoon. Once he did he quickly rushed out of bed. Zelda's room had been cleaned up, she probably did it herself.

The room had Zelda's scent, Link hadn't noticed it before but now it was calming. It meant she was there, that he had been able to return. Link had been shocked at himself for remembering so many little details about her, but to him it made sense. When he was alone he would think about her, when it rained he would think about her, and when he was freezing in the cold nights of Termina Link would think about her. She had been his link to Hyrule, and now that he was home she was finally apart from his dreams, she was real. 

Link made his way over to Zelda's desk and he noticed the books he had seen the night before had been stacked neatly. In the center of her desk there was a note.

Link,
Sorry I left this place such a mess. Tomorrow (or today when you read this) I will show you around the castle, and perhaps my father can be convinced to allow you to stay here. I doubt you want to return to the woods. I'll be in a room three doors over to the right of the one you're currently in if you happen to wake before me, be sure to knock. I'll see you then.
Zelda.

Link traced his fingers over her handwriting, a warmness filling him up. It was more proof that this was real, that he was in Hyrule. But he was troubled. Something felt wrong, it felt so wrong that he couldn't allow himself to enjoy the feeling of returning home. He knew he would miss Termina to a certain degree and tried to convince himself that that was all he felt, but it wasn't. It was a forbading feeling, the feeling he got when something terrible happened. It was the feeling when the moon crashed into everything and destroyed it all.

Link denied it, but he knew where this feeling started. He could piece together the clues if he wanted to, the thing was he didn't want to. He didn't need to know it, he wasn't ready. But nothing could help the fact that he saw blood on Zelda's cheeks.

-----

Link knocked on the door and waited for a response, but found none. After a few minutes he tried again with the same results and so he pushed the door open at a slight angle before finally letting himself in. He had to be cautious, Zelda probably wanted privacy, but he was worried.

He'd been worried for a while now, and the fact that she didn't respond to his knocking escalated it.

He entered slowly, but he didn't immediately spot Zelda. After a few seconds of observing the room he saw her huddled up in blankets in the corner of the room. Was she shivering? Link's heart sunk further into his chest each step he took towards her helpless form--she didn't even notice him.

"Zelda?" Link slowly pulled some of the blankets off her face. As soon as he did this however, Zelda turned her face away from him as if hiding. "Are you alright?" His voice cracked, it was so obvious he was dying under the worry.

He tried to get her to look at him, but she wouldn't. Her voice was coarse when she spoke, "Link..."

Link pressed his trembling lips together. He could see the small smears of blood on her cheeks and on the blankets that hid her. She seemed to be doing everything in her power to hide it, but Zelda knew it was of no use at all. Link was perceptive, and once fueled by worry he wouldn't let this go.

He placed the back of his hand to her forehead, it was ice cold. It sent shivers down Link's back, not only because the temperature, but also his anxiety creeping up. He couldn't imagine something happening to her when he had finally gotten home. In his gut he knew, no matter how much his being denied it he knew. He could feel it.

"Link, I-I," Zelda wiped her face and turned to finally look him in the eyes. She had smeared the blood that dripped from her eyes and nose across her cheeks, a stain of red on a porcelain face. "I made a mistake."

Link didn't know how to comfort her, so instead he listened. He'd listen to her worries, her troubles, her everything.

"I didn't mean for it to be this way, but there was no other choice. I couldn't leave you there... I just couldn't. It was my only hope so I had to do it," A small amount of tears began to well up, she could feel it. "I'm sorry," she sniffled, "I shouldn't cry at my own failures."

Link stiffened at her words, and did the only thing he could think of that could comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her shivering figure and let her head rest on his shoulder. The least he could do was share his warmth. If he didn't know the words to help he could at least help this way.

At Link's touch Zelda's body relaxed. She rested her head on him for a few seconds before speaking again, "Thank you." She wanted to hold onto him forever, she would never let go again. "But I'm going to make a mess on you."

Zelda tried to pull away, but Link only tightened his grip on her, "Let's stay like this."

Zelda nodded, Link felt it. "I'll get blood on you though."

"I don't care."

He didn't press the subject even if worries were eating him up. Link knew Zelda would tell him when she was ready, he trusted that.

"I feel so sick," Zelda mumbled into his shoulder, bold warm tears stained by red dripping from her eyes. "I might throw up. I might... I might..." She knew the next word was true but it felt too raw to say, "die."

Link couldn't reply.

"Link, I don't want to lie to you anymore," Zelda let out a hoarse cough despite her efforts to keep it in. "In order to bring you back I--" she hiccuped, "I needed the power of the gods."

Link pressed his lips together,"The Tri...?"

She squeezed her eyes shut which let the flow of tears fall stronger, "No. That was the power the gods gave to us, but I... I was too greedy, Link. That Gate required the goddess Hylia herself. That was the only way. According to every legend the goddess reincarnated herself into a princess... Princess Zelda."

Link decided against anymore input. He listened to each word she spoke, but heart sinking further and further by the minute.

"I guess that's me. So I... I tried to awaken her, like within me. I'm so stupid. I thought she would help me. I really did, Link. But she said no, I was being too greedy, and that you had already fulfilled your destiny as the hero. There wasn't anything the so called goddess Hyrule worshipped would do. It's not okay and it's not allowed but I was so desperate so," she choked up on another cough, this time the fit lasting longer. Once she regained herself she continued, squeezing Link as he held her, "I wanted to see you. That's why I challegend her--if I won I would get to abuse her power." She could taste the weight of each word as she spoke. "It was so strange, I was in the woods but I wasn't. It was all white and empty, but I could feel she was there.

" I was going to lie to you, I was going to say the reason I took so long to return was because my father's harsh new schedule but that's... That's not even half. In that place I spent so long. So long just trying to exploit her. And once I had finally done it, I saw you. You walking through the Gate. I thought I won, I thought everything would be perfect, but I was wrong. I made such a big mistake. Hylia let me win. She must have gotten bored or lost interest... I don't really know, but I'm cursed Link. I could feel it right away in my gut. It wasn't until last night, but I heard her again. She said so herself... I've been plagued with death as punishment for my greed. I have three years... Three years to live.

"But Link, Hylia isn't bad. Maybe It's good this was me. No one else will make the same mistake, it'll go down in the legends as the failed experiment of one of the failed Zelda's.

"Hylia has to keep order. I disturbed the order so... This is what I deserve."