Hello there, you who have stumbled upon this! Yes this is a multi-chapter Zelink story set in modern day. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

The flame flickered and grew, flowing with energy. Ascending in smoke. It glowed orange, a beautiful contrast to the dark blue hue of the night sky and silver moon. It wafted with the scent of lavender. A pool of lilac wax surrounded the wick.

Zelda breathed in the scent and placed it down on her dresser, taking a seat at the end of her bed. She looked through the flame and out to the sky, watching as the stars shook in the invisible vibrations of the flame. It felt to her that the refreshing scent cleansed the air, and she felt content with that thought. Cleanliness and order was what she needed.

The house was eerily silent, to the point the flame was the loudest thing present. It was expected. Her father was out on a business trip. He said it could take two weeks, or it could take longer. Being an important member of the government meant he was away most of the time, but Zelda didn't mind. She had nurse maids visiting daily to keep her company and assist in maintaining the house, not that Zelda couldn't manage on her own. It was her father's idea, but she supposed company was nice.

Her private homeschooling tutor also brought frequent visits, providing Zelda with books and educational discussion that she would consistently revise and extend upon. It helped structure her time productively, and it felt good to her. Her tutor even encouraged her to spend time with her daughter. Zelda supposed it was because her tutor believed her to be a loner, and she supposed she was right.

A loud knock shattered the silence and the light in Zelda's eyes shifted as the candle flickered. Zelda's eyes narrowed in thought, concentrating on any unfamiliar sounds with her powerful Hylian ears.

A second knock sounded, it reverberated like a bang, as if the door was hit with the side of a fist. Zelda got up and crept quickly out of the room, blowing out the candle as she went. She snuck down the stairs and crept to the kitchen, glancing back at the door nervously. It was much too late for unexpected visitors, and by the sound of the knocking something wasn't right. Grabbing a knife from the drawer in self defense, Zelda crept back to the entrance. Her heart raced, but she took a deep breath and peeked subtly through the blind beside the door.

A blond Hylian boy stood, hunched over and clutching his chest. The dim lighting of the overhead automatic bulb accentuated the creases and folds of his shirt as he clutched the viridescent material stained with a dark, gleaming red.

Zelda's eyes widened and she drew back quickly, taking deep, nervous breaths. She clutched the knife and hid it behind her back as a precaution. Judging by his state he likely wouldn't hurt her, but based on the same assumption, somebody else might. She gulped away her nerves and stared at the door for a single moment before reaching out to open it. Her hand shook, but she pressed on despite hesitance, turning the keys in the door and slowly pulling the handle. The boy stumbled forward and Zelda swiftly got out of his path as he fell and hit the ground in the entrance way. Zelda cringed.

He coughed sharply and curled into a ball on her front hall. His hands curled in too and the back of the left hand shone in the form of a golden triangle. Zelda refrained from looking startled although internally she was terrified.

His body quivered and every breath was uneven and shaky. Before she found it in her to move and grab a phone he opened his eyes. A piercing blue. He strained to open his mouth, and as he did another drop of blood slipped to the pristine hardwood flooring. His eyes closed again, tighter than required. Pain. "Th-there's someone searching... p-please close your door." Zelda glanced around and quietly closed the door, blocking out the chilling night air. She glanced down at the boy warily before taking nervous steps around him. She glanced back, he lay in the same place, but his breathing grew softer. She frowned, judging by his state he was no threat, but it was something more than that, he emitted an air of trust that Zelda found surreal, perhaps it was the gentle warning tone of his voice that hinted at concern for her safety over his own. she placed down the knife. But perhaps she was fabricating that instinctive thought. Disregarding her thoughts she grabbed her phone. If someone was chasing him he would be putting her at risk too.

A quiet, unsteady breath escaped his mouth and Zelda glanced back as he curled his hand tighter against the floor and attempted to lift himself from the ground. Zelda's heart rate increased. She gulped away her fear and turned away slightly, biting the side of her finger as she began to dial an ambulance but kept the boy in her peripheral sight. The buttons beeped loudly in the looming silence as she clicked them in. He coughed again and Zelda glanced at him. He had given up trying to get up- somewhat to Zelda's relief. "P-please don't c-call for an ambulance. I can't go..." his soft, quivering voice spoke up.

Zelda glanced at the phone as it rang out for emergency services. She frowned and glanced around with uncertainty, holding the phone harder, and biting her finger harder than necessary. She acknowledged her finger biting nervous habit and subsequently let her arm hang rigid at her side with more force in the arm movement than she had meant for. She looked at him again with a slight frown and shrugged her shoulders slightly, finally finding her voice, "Then what do you expect me to do? You're clearly hurt more than I can help you with." She spoke quietly, a hard yet concerned lilt to her tone. Her gaze turned back to the phone as a female voice sounded through the speaker, "This is emergency services, which service do you need?"

"N-no service." the blonde Hylian spoke up. ironic the tone suggested otherwise, Zelda thought. "Um..." she hesitated, contemplating her choices.

"You'll put yourself in danger, i-if you do this." he stammered, keeping his voice quiet, "He'll find us."

"Who will find us?" Zelda inquired, her tone demanding with a subtle hint of anxiety.

"If there is no emergency to report then we will have to disconnect the call." The woman warned.

Zelda continued to frown at the boy. She breathed in deeply through her nose and closed her eyes before disconnecting the call herself.

She placed the phone back down on the stand and approached the injured boy. The peculiar light on his hand had died down to a dim glow and blood had pooled on the floor around him.

He continued to quiver and breathed in raspily, "Th-hank you." he near whispered.

Zelda tilted her head and knelt next to him with enough distance to avoid staining her knees in blood, "...You didn't answer my question. Who is looking for you?"

His eyes opened, the piercing blue meeting her own eyes. His long lashes casting intricate divisions of light and shadow in his eyes. She concentrated on his nose instead. "I d-on't know him."

"Then-" she spoke but he coughed abruptly and shut his eyes tight. She watched more blood trickle from the corner of his mouth. Disregarding the question at the tip of her tongue she stumbled to her feet and rushed off to the bathroom, grabbing the first bunch of towels she could find and the first aid kit from the cupboard.

Rushing back she knelt back down, dropping the supplies beside her. She moved in close enough to stain her knees in blood and promptly but gently turned him onto his back, forcing a pained cry to escape his lips. She winced sympathetically and felt herself jittering slightly with anxiety. Her eyes narrowed, annoyed at herself for acting so afraid. She clenched her fists to ease the shaking. "I will do what I can to help you, but I am not a doctor." she reminded him, her eyes flitting over the large cut that stretched from his right shoulder to just above the left side of his stomach. It was still bleeding enough to make Zelda anxious. She dabbed at the blood with a towel and tried to peel away his soaked shirt. She bit her lip thoughtfully before pulling scissors from the first aid kit and cutting away the fabric of his shirt. "Sorry about the shirt." she said offhandedly.

"Mm..." he barely responded, making Zelda glance up at him. his face remained tight in pain but was growing softer, his breathing remained unsteady.

Zelda looked back at his chest, grabbed a clean cloth and rubbing alcohol and dabbed across the cut. He fidgeted slightly against her touch, his body shook and he coughed with harshness. He turned his head to the side and dug his nails into Zelda's floor.

After wiping away the rest of the blood and attempting to stitch the wound, Zelda struggled to lift the barely conscious Hylian, and lean him against her as she wrapped his chest with a bandage. Then, wrapping his arm around her shoulders she hauled him up, eliciting a hiss in pain from him. Dragging him to the couch she lay him down again and looked over him critically. He was barely conscious at this point, his breathing still ragged and there was a slight curve to his brow that signified he was still in pain. That was expected.

She drew away and folded her arms, deliberating on others ways to assist the injured Hylian. Some kind of anesthetic may help, but she only had basic oral tablets, and he didn't seem in the mood for swallowing. She sighed and glanced down at herself. Blood stained her legs and the end of her night dress. She glanced over his condition once more before walking back to the entrance, grabbing the blood stained towels and packing away the first aid kit. She placed the kit beside the couch and headed to the utility room, stuffing the towels into the washing machine first before pulling off her dress and placing that in too. She washed off her legs at the sink and threw on another night dress from the neat pile of clothes in the basket that she had yet to put away.

Grabbing a mop and cleansing sprays she headed back to the entrance, being sure to clear every bit of blood from the floor. She dimmed the lights in the room and peeked through the blinds into her front garden. Nobody was in sight. Her eyes narrowed pensively and she monitored the state of the ground. In the dim light she couldn't clearly see if he had left a trail of blood. If he had, that would spell trouble. The problem was she was afraid to go out and check.

He coughed and she pulled away from the window, moving back over to him. Another drop of blood trickled from his mouth to his chin. The thought of the metallic taste of blood made bile rise to her throat. She swallowed and moved to grab wipes from the first aid kit. Kneeling over him she wiped away the blood. He coughed again and Zelda quietly regarded him. She rose and shifted him onto his side to avoid choking, then took his hand to check his pulse. She felt the rhythmic thump press against her thumb reassuringly before taking in the temperature of his hand. It was cold. She pressed the back of her hand gently to his cheek and took in the cold feeling of that as well.

Her eyes glanced around his resting face with thought as her brows drew together with concern. She rose and swiftly headed up the stairs, entering the spare room on the end and stealing the duvet and pillows from the bed before hurrying back down to the resting boy.

She whipped out the duvet blanket and let it fall over him then tucked it around him before gently lifting his head and propping the pillow beneath him.

Pulling away once she had lowered his head, she assessed his condition again. She felt strangely motherly, being protective the way she was. She held her arms and glanced at the clock. 1:08 AM. She should probably sleep.

She stared at him for a moment, contemplating. Then she wandered to her room, bundling her own bedding in her arms. If he was going to make it through the night, he'd need her at his side. This also allowed her to keep an ear out for any signs of break-in. She fumbled with the blanket as she descended the steps and walked to the living area, grabbing her phone and knife from the entrance cabinet on the way and placing everything on an armchair.

Turning back to the silent blond she grabbed the first aid kit, placing it on the coffee table in front of her and opening it up. She grabbed an antibacterial ointment and approached him. Drawing back the cover she gently lifted his head and upper body and sat beside him, unwrapping the bandage from around his chest. He still had the energy to squirm in discomfort which she found reassuring. She sighed deeply, feeling exhausted. She knew she would have to wake periodically to re-apply the ointment to avoid infection.

Applying the ointment along his cut and wrapping him in a fresh bandage, she lay him down and pulled the cover back over him before nestling into her armchair. She placed the knife down on the table beside her and set her phone to a periodic alarm and placing that down too. She curled up into a ball in the armchair and snuggled into her blanket and pillows.

Staring out at the room in silent thought, her mind caught up with absurdity of the situation she found herself in. A boy showing up at night half bleeding to death, claiming to being followed and refusing to be taken to the hospital. On top of that she recalled the peculiar light that emitted from his hand in the shape of three conjoined triangles. She didn't know what it meant, but the inexplicability of such a thing existing made her believe he was telling the truth.

Thanks for reading. Let me know your thoughts.

Past that part, I'll let you in on some music I listened to whilst writing this. Snow Patrol's 'You Could Be Happy' amongst other Snow Patrol songs. It doesn't necessarily relate to the story, but the tone of it helped a lot.

While I'm at it I want to throw a great magician and comedian out there that I watched again recently, around the same time of writing this chapter. Amazing Johnathan. If you need to laugh I recommend him. Thanks again, until next time!