Summary: Link finds himself back in his original timeline, and turns to his journal and Dr. Purah for answers. But life holds some surprises that play upon Link's feelings.

Zelda put her arm around her husband and smiled at him. But Link's reaction was anything but the usual affectionate response she was used to.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" said Zelda. "You're staring at me like you don't know me."

"Zelda? What's happening?" said Link. "What am I doing here with you?"

"Oh, no!" said Zelda. "Don't tell me your illness is acting up again! The doctor said when this happens to try to relax and take deep breaths. It's been so long since your last attack that we're all out of your medication."

"No, I'm fine," said Link. "It's that evil sorceress from the Gerudo Desert. She transported me here. I need to get up."

"All right," said Zelda. "I don't know what you're talking about, but the doctor said to humor you when this happens. If you're getting up you had better put your clothes on. They may be scattered about since you threw them off in the heat of passion."

Link looked bewildered, and Zelda pointed to where his clothes lay strewn about on the floor near a chair. Link got up from bed, realized he was naked, and hastily got dressed. When he finished, he found he was wearing a royal looking outfit, something he had never seen before.

"I guess I might as well get up too," said Zelda as she stretched her arms above her head, yawned and then got up from bed to get dressed.

"You don't have to look away, sweetheart," laughed Zelda as she noticed Link averting his glance.

Link felt relieved when Zelda finally finished getting dressed.

"Your Majesty, can we sit and talk?" said Link. "Something terrible has happened, and I need to understand it. As far as I can tell, I was in the Gerudo Desert a moment ago and then suddenly I woke up here. This situation isn't real to me."

"Yes, by all means, let's talk," said Zelda. "Come, sit next to me on the couch. Now, tell me again what you think happened."

"I don't know where to begin, Your Majesty," said Link rubbing his head as he sat down next to her.

"Anyplace you like," said Zelda. "But you do know I'm your wife, don't you? We made love last night, woke up in bed together naked, and you're addressing me by my title?"

"But that makes no sense to me, Zelda," said Link. "I'm married to Mipha, not to you."

"Oh!" said Zelda. "You're having delusions about Mipha again? You haven't spoken of her in years. What brings back her memory now?"

"Her memory?" said Link.

"Yes, her memory, what do you think?" said Zelda. "She died over 112 years ago, Link. You don't remember that?"

"Well, I do remember that did happen once," said Link thoughtfully.

"Good, we're making progress," said Zelda.

"But wait!" said Link. "What about the Temple of Time? I thought we fixed all that."

"What are you talking about? The Temple of Time didn't work, Link," said Zelda. "Maybe you should re-read your journal. You wrote about all that."

"Yes, that's a good idea," said Link. "You say Dr. Purah never got the Temple of Time to work? But she did get it to work, Zelda. I remember that very clearly."

"No, she didn't," said Zelda. "Though not for lack of trying."

"But then what about Mipha?" said Link. "I remember marrying her and having a family with her. You even spoke at our wedding! And I can name and describe our four children."

"I'm very sorry, sweetheart," said Zelda. "I always knew that shrine would damage your mind, but I had no choice. And the attempt at time travel only made things much worse."

"Well, can you tell me what happened then? About Mipha I mean," said Link.

"Yes, if it helps you," said Zelda. "After you awoke from the shrine and we defeated Ganon together, you developed this obsession with recovering memories of your time with Mipha. You did that for four years or so if I remember. And all for what, Link? To make yourself miserable? Anyway, after reading some stories about your predecessors, you got the idea that you could go back in time like one of the heroes of legend and make everything right. You convinced Purah to do a good deal of research on the idea, and she made some excellent progress. She even told all of us she thought she had the Temple of Time working. I agreed to the venture because we thought it could save hundreds of lives by thwarting Ganon at the start of its attack. But you didn't travel back in time. Do you remember any of that?"

"Yes, I remember some of it," said Link. "I remember spending a good deal of time trying to recover memories of Mipha, mostly around Zora's Domain. And I remember our meeting where we agreed to send me back in time."

"That's good, Link, excellent," said Zelda. "Things are starting to come back to you."

"All right," said Link. "Then, what happened?"

"It was a year or so after the time travel attempt failed that you began to accept reality," said Zelda. "You were not well for some time, and I insisted you stay at the castle with me to be treated by the doctors here. You needed day and night attention. After your treatment, you improved and finally agreed with Impa and me that you needed to move on with your life. And you eventually did move on. You abandoned that little Hateno Village house of yours. I thought of that house more as a mausoleum of memories than a home, with all of the Champion weaponry hanging on the wall and that picture of all of us by your bed. It was depressing, Link. Anyway, from then on, you lived here in Hyrule Castle and worked with me on the Hyrule rebuilding effort. We were always close, but we grew much closer. You finally asked me to marry you. That was over six years ago, Link. You don't remember proposing to me?"

"I'm sorry, no," said Link.

"Maybe if I describe what happened, it will help," said Zelda. "We were out riding together one afternoon and stopped by Sanidin Park to rest our horses. We stood together looking out across Hyrule, and I was pointing out areas being worked on, the restoration efforts taking place, things like that. And then you suddenly stopped me and told me that you loved me. I was already in love with you by then, and I told you so. Then you broke into the most beautiful smile, and we held each other, and we kissed. At long last, we kissed! I was so happy you had finally gotten over your obsession with the past and realized I had feelings for you. Then you wasted no time, but knelt on one knee and asked if I would marry you. Of course, I said yes! We were both giddy afterward like schoolchildren at play, laughing together, splashing water at each other! You didn't want to leave. We sat together near the fountain, and we kissed until the moon rose. I think our horses fell asleep waiting for us. Then we rode back to the castle together in the moonlight. It was so romantic! We visit Sanidin Park every anniversary. Does telling you any of that help your memory?"

"I remember being at Sanidin Park with you, but that was another time, the day before the Calamity. No, I'm sorry, I don't remember any of what you just told me," said Link. "As far as I know something completely different happened. Perhaps if I speak with Dr. Purah, it would help."

"You can certainly talk with Purah if you like," said Zelda. "She works here at the castle and looks like an eighteen-year-old girl now. But you should try to understand that this life with Mipha you describe never happened, Link. I am going to send for the royal physician, and she can give you something to calm you."

Zelda got up, walked to the door, and told the guard outside to ask the royal physician to come at once. Then she returned to sit by Link.

"Wait, I can prove what I'm saying is true," said Link. "Where's my Tab?"

"Your what?" said Zelda.

"Never mind," said Link.

As they waited for the doctor, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" said Zelda.

The door opened, and a nursemaid stood there, holding a little girl by the hand. The girl ran into the room and up to Zelda, who picked her up and kissed her.

"Good morning, my little princess!" said Zelda.

"Good morning, Mommy," said the little girl giving Zelda a hug and a kiss.

Then Zelda put her down, and she moved over to be close to Link.

"Good morning, Daddy," she said, reaching out for him to pick her up.

Link looked at her and her cute smile. She was a beautiful little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. He couldn't just ignore her. He reached down and picked her up. Then she held him around his neck, nestled her head on his shoulder and rubbed her face against his cheek.

"You have a scratchy cheek!" she laughed.

"You're right," said Link. "I need to shave."

Then Link gently put her down.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" she said.

"Sweetheart, Daddy is having one of those times he can't remember things," said Zelda. "But don't worry. He will be all better soon."

The little girl went back to her mother, and then Zelda asked the nursemaid to take her and please get her some breakfast. After the two of them left, Link turned to Zelda again.

"Don't get angry with me," said Link. "But I assume she's our daughter?"

"You don't remember?" said Zelda. "She loves you so much, Link, she adores you! You two play together every chance you can, and you're the one she wants to tuck her into bed at night. How can you not remember her? What am I supposed to say to her? You're going to break her heart, Link."

"No, please don't say anything to her," said Link. "I don't want to break anyone's heart. She's an adorable little girl, and I'll try to behave with her the way she expects. I'm sorry again, but I have to ask you what her name is and how old she is."

"She's four years old," said Zelda. "And she certainly inherited your bright blue eyes, didn't she? Her legal name is Zelda, of course, in keeping with the Hyrule Royal Family tradition. But on the day she was born, you nicknamed her Astra because of the bright star that appeared in the sky that same day and lasted a few days before fading away. You thought it was a good omen. She is so attached to you, Link, that she insists everyone calls her Astra. She even corrects people who call her Zelda and pouts if they won't change. And you two have this little game. You tell her you love her, and when she asks you how much, you say as much as there are stars in the sky. You told her Astra means star. Do you appreciate how close she is to you, Link? Ah, here is the doctor, and none too soon. I hope she can help you. We need you back, sweetheart, both of us need you back."

Zelda stopped to speak with the doctor after the guard admitted her to their bedroom.

What a horrible mess thought Link. What a completely and utterly horrible mess! A little girl he knew nothing about loved him as her father. And he was married to Zelda now, the Queen of Hyrule. So, this is what would have happened if his time travel plan hadn't worked? Or was it the other way around? Was this what really happened because his time travel plan hadn't worked? That felt wrong, but it was starting to get confusing.

The doctor interrupted his thoughts.

"Your Highness," said the doctor to Link. "Her Majesty tells me you are having another attack of memory loss and distorted memory, a rather bad attack at that she said. It has been quite a while since your last attack, and I admit I am surprised. I thought you had gotten over such things. Do you have any idea what triggered it?"

"I'm sorry, doctor," said Link. "But there is really nothing wrong with me. What triggered this was an encounter with an evil witch. I don't expect you to believe me, though."

"I see," said the doctor. "Do you mind telling me about it?"

Link sighed, then relayed the story about Timela tampering with time and sending him back here. He didn't expect anything to come of telling this to the doctor but didn't want to be difficult. He was trying to understand how things must look from their point of view. And he gave as many details as he could, hoping that would add to his credibility.

"Well, this is definitely a setback in your treatment, but let's not give up hope," said the doctor. "I can't cure these problems of yours, but I will send over some medicine to help you relax and sleep. We don't want you having those terrible nightmares again. So, please take the medicine before bedtime, and whenever you feel stressed over these false memories, all right?"

"Yes, thank you, doctor," said Link.

The doctor bowed to both of them and then left.

Link turned to Zelda.

"I know nobody believes anything I am saying," said Link. "And I completely understand. I wouldn't believe myself either if I were you. Until I can figure out what to do, I will try my best to fit in here. That's all I can do. I accept that I am Astra's father and will treat her as my daughter. And I accept that I am your husband. But I still feel I am really Mipha's husband. So, try to understand that I can't..."

"I understand," said Zelda. "You can't cheat on your imaginary wife to be with your real one. I don't mean to sound bitter. I know you're not well, and it's not your fault. But I love you, and I need you, darling. I hope you recover soon. I suppose you would prefer to sleep elsewhere in the meantime?"

"No, no, I don't want to do anything that might give our daughter any concerns," said Link. "I can sleep on the couch here. Astra doesn't need to know anything about this."

"Do you think Mipha's ghost will mind if we hold hands or kiss under the appropriate circumstances," said Zelda. "It will look strange if we don't. Everyone but you believes I'm your real wife."

"Of course we can," said Link. "I understand how hard this must be for you, and I want to do what I can. But it is hard for me too."

"So, in public, we act like husband and wife, but in private like roommates," said Zelda. "All right. Now I need to get to work. Perhaps you should read your journal this morning. After lunch you promised Astra you would fly a kite with her, so please try to remember that. I will see you at our family dinner."

"Do you happen to know where my journal is?" said Link.

"You keep it in the King's Study in the library," said Zelda. "Get better soon, sweetheart."

And with that, Zelda kissed him on the cheek and left.

Link knew where the library was. He left their bedroom, and guards bowed to him as he made his way there. Of course, he was a Prince of Hyrule now, married to the Queen.

After reaching the library, he moved the bookcase that served as a door to the study, then closed it behind him. He needed time to read in peace. He looked in the desk drawers and found what he recognized as the first volume of his journal. He opened the book and began reading.

The beginning was just as he remembered it, starting with the chapter called "Remembering." He flipped some pages ahead. The chapter titled "Mipha" looked the same to him as well. He flipped further forward. The chapter titled "Time Travel Planning" looked the same, too. As best he could tell, the first seven chapters were identical to what he remembered writing. That made sense as they were all about things that happened before his time travel at the Temple of Time.

Time Travel Failure

I am writing this chapter a considerable time after the events it describes. The royal physician has been treating me since my failed attempt to return to the past, and the medication I was given made me too tired to do much more than eat and rest.

As readers can tell from the title, our attempt at time travel failed, and failed badly, with terrible consequences for my mind. When the time travel process was activated, I felt as if something had happened, and that it had even succeeded. But instead, I was back at the Temple of Time with the date unchanged. I must have lost consciousness. When the others found me, they said I was delirious, talking nonsense about a wife and children.

They brought me to Hyrule Castle, and my days were filled with false memories and my nights with terrible nightmares. I suffered for weeks, insisting that something was wrong and that I did not belong here. Something did not feel right with me, and Dr. Purah attributed it to a malfunction of the Temple of Time process. But eventually rest and the medical treatment I received helped me deal with my issues, and my nightmares became less frequent.

The doctor has advised me to not write of my false memories or dwell on them any further, as doing so could hamper my recovery. And I was advised to avoid Zora's Domain for the same reason. So, I will follow that advice. Suffice it to say that my false memories were quite detailed and seemed very real to me. And what made them so compelling was that they were an answer to my dreams, a fulfillment of my fondest wishes! They were all I could ever want from life and more. I wonder if I will ever get over them?

There is not much more to write about now, and my hope of being with the one who loved me so much is gone. Thanks to Purah's TimeShift Stone, at least I have the memory of a last happy day spent together at East Reservoir Lake. Her smile was so beautiful, her eyes so gentle, her kiss so sweet. If only the Temple had worked! I know we could have been happy together, and I miss her so very much. I told her father that I would never forget her, and I never will. I treasure the armor she made for me, but the doctor has asked that I put it away and no longer use it or even look at it.

That was the end of that short chapter. The next one was titled "Moving On."

I have not written in quite some time. I have not had the heart to do so, and there was little of note to write about.

Under the advice of the doctor and Her Majesty's wish, I have left my Hateno Village house for good and moved back to Hyrule Castle. The doctor has told me it is essential not to be alone too much, and I heartily agree. When I am alone, I am still haunted by memories of, well, nevermind. The doctor has also told me saying or writing her name only hurts my recovery. I still miss her, but I know it is hopeless now.

I am spending a good deal more time with Her Majesty. There is still so much to do to restore Hyrule. Queen Zelda has very ambitious plans, and she often seeks out my opinion on matters. I find that she has taken a great deal of personal interest in my recovery, and I am overwhelmed by the care and concern she has shown for me. I admire the breadth and scope of her knowledge. I believe she would have made a great scientist had not the burden of ruling a kingdom come down upon her. And she has a beautiful smile. I think her smile and her company have helped my recovery almost as much as the doctor's care.

Link skimmed the rest of the chapter where he had written about some outings he and Zelda had gone on. He could see that he had been growing closer to Zelda. He skipped all the way ahead to the second to the last chapter. Ironically, it seemed to have the same title as he remembered from his journal.

Zelda and I are to be married!