It has been many years since the King of Hyrule had remarried and then past on soon after. The new queen of Hyrule, Queen Guinevere, sat on her throne, looking royal. A few guards had quietly walked into the extremely large throne room, their footsteps echoed off the high-ceilinged walls. They walked slowly up to the throne, and then knelt down on one knee. Once they stood up again Queen Guinevere gave them a stern look.

"What do you need, young guards?" The Queen had asked in a slightly polite tone.

"Queen Guinevere, young Link, the Hero of Time, has asked to speak with you," one of the guards asked.

"Well, bring him in," Queen Guinevere responded as the large oak doors at the front of the throne room opened and young Link, Hero of Time stepped in. He made his way rather quickly up to the throne, and without bowing out of respect towards the Queen of Hyrule, he began to speak.

"Queen, it has come to my knowledge that Ganondorf, Evil King of the Gerudo thieves, was indeed defeated in our battle, but not killed. His soulless form has moved elsewhere." Link spoke.

"Hero of Time, where do you suppose he has moved to?"

"Queen, I do not know myself. But I have devoted most of my time to search for this place, so I can rid reality of his evil. I must ask for your permission, Queen Guinevere, to leave Hyrule in search for him." Link asked.

"As Queen of Hyrule I take full responsibility for this land and the people you occupy its fate. Since Ganondorf is not anywhere from the seas of Hyrule, to the small caves in the rocky mountains of Hyrule, I must turn you down. You are the Hero of Time, it is your duty to help protect the people of Hyrule from evil beings who try to set foot on our precious grass," the Queen stated.

"You are right, Queen, I am the Hero of Time and it is my duty to protect the people of Hyrule... but what if I do not want to?"

"Excuse me?"

"Queen, what if I do not want to be the Hero of Time any more. I want my title to be removed. I wish to be a peasant once more, that way I will not be tied down with the duty of protecting Hyrule, and I can go and defeat Ganondorf once and for all!"

"I have the power to remove your title if I, Queen Guinevere of Hyrule, choose to do so. But I choose not to use that power, you will remain as Link, Hero of Time, for as long as you walk these lands, breathe our air, and live in our reality. You may go, and I do not wish to speak with you again unless it is something important."

"As you wish, Queen, thank you for your time. I hope that the Goddesses bless your soul and you live a long healthy life." Link turned around and again, quickly walked out of the throne room. Once the large oak doors behind him slammed shut, he cursed rather loudly, "fuck!"

"Link, what happened in there?" He heard a small voice ask next to him, once he calmed down, he answered.

"I told her how I wanted to go in search for what is left of Ganondorf in other lands. She asked me if I knew where he was, obviously I answered no. She also said that since I am the Hero of Time it is my duty to protect Hyrules people, so she denied my request to leave. Then I had asked her if I could have my title of Hero of Time to be removed--"

"Link, you did not!" The voice cut him off.

"Princess Zelda, I did. But she denied that request also. She said that she does not want to speak with me again unless it is something important. What am I to do Princess?"

"Oh Link, Hero of Time, protector of Hyrule, my savior, my love--"

"Okay Princess, I get it." Link cut into her babbling.

"Right, sorry," she placed her petite hands on both his cheeks, "you will find a way, I am certain."

"But I do not know if I can. The Queen of Shadow and Darkness has been born. The prophecy said it would happen, I just was not expecting it to happen this soon. She will come after me, I just do not know if I can defeat her. She is like a thousand Ganondorf's with the power of the Triforce, rolled in one. I am not strong enough to take her on, I must flee. I cannot put Hyrule into danger once more." He stated.

"This is not like you, Link. You have never fled from an enemy, you have never been afraid that you were not strong enough to win a battle, you have never fled from anything, you have never let your fears get the best of you. Fear induces evil; do not surrender to your fears! You must stand up to her, let your courage guide you!" Princess Zelda said in a hushed whisper.

"You know, Princess, this may not be the right time or place to say this, but you sound like a fortune cookie." Link said playfully.

"Link!" She said, slightly hurt at the comment as she lightly slapped him across his right cheek.

"I am sorry Princess. But you are right; I am never one to flee a challenge. I must require the proper weaponry and skillful training to defeat the Queen of Shadow and Darkness. I must be off to the Shadow Temple, and have the Sage of Shadow train me. Farewell my Princess, our next meeting shall wait for another day!" He looked deeply into Princess Zelda’s eyes, and he quickly brushed his lips against hers, and with that, giving one last look at the Princess, the Hero of Time sprinted down the hallway, and out of the castle.