This has been completely rewritten as of 12/06/19 because reading it made me cringe. I've done what I can with what I had - I hope you enjoy!

This was written partly for ZeldaLover29's contest, and partly because I just wanted to ^_^

Everyone who wishes to participate must write a one-shot about LoZ friendship. You can have a 'Romantic' theme, or a 'humour' theme, but there must be NO CHARACTER BASHING!

Guidelines:

~Must be a one-shot

~No pairing/character bashing

~Grammar/spelling must be sufficient.

~It must be 500 words or more.

~It has to be LoZ

~You have to enjoy it. This shouldn't be a chore. =)

-:HayleyComet

Wrong Princess

I Love You

"Hey, Princess!" Link yelled, his boots squeaking on the perpetually damp stone walkway that led up to the throne room. He skidded to a halt in front of the king, breathing heavily. "Oops, sorry your highness. Is Ruto free?"

King Zora smiled at the sight of his favourite Hylian. He was attempting to introduce his daughter to the fine art of royal meetings, but the glazed look in her eyes suggested she had yet to even wake up this morning. As soon as Link appeared in the doorway she'd shifted forward, leaning precariously over the edge of the ledge she sat on. "Off you go, then." He waved a hand in front of his eager daughter and leaned back weakly in his chair to continue the meeting without her.

"Yes!" she whispered to herself, jumping to her feet and barely resisting the urge to tun out of the throne room. "Oh my gosh, thank you, Link!" The second the two were out of sight of the doorway she tackled him into a hug. "That meeting was so boring!"

Link tipped his head back and laughed freely, then wrapped his arms around her waist in a bear hug, spinning her around. "I've missed you, Ru-Ru!" he grinned, ignoring her grumbles but forced to drop her as she squirmed.

"Yeah, Sink," she rebutted, her old nickname coming easily as she studied his face. "Its been way too long."

"Oh, come on!" Link groused good-naturedly as she looped her arm through his and started pulling him away from the throne room. "It's not my fault I grew up in a forest. I learnt to swim almost a decade ago, you can't still hold that against me!"

"Only you would jump off a waterfall after a Zora despite not knowing how to swim," Ruto snorted, shoving at him playfully, "and it was eight years ago not a decade." The two headed down toward the main pool, giggling like children as they went.

"Oh, hey-" Link tugged on her arm as they passed the shop, trying to steer her in. "Now that I'm here, I've been meaning to buy a Zora tunic-" he eyed her suspiciously, "-just in case I ever need one..." He trailed off as Ruto ignored him and dragged him away from the little shop. "No? Well, I suppose it can wait."

He paused when they reached the icy blue, sparkling pool of water that defined the Zora's Domain. It had been far too long since he'd been here, and the last time he did he was in too much of a rush to appreciate it's beauty. He'd forgotten how calming it was in here.

A demonic giggle was the only warning he got. In one uncharacteristically smooth move, Ruto untangled herself from his arm and shoved the small of his back hard, watching the panic on his face with glee. Link stumbled forwards helplessly, his right foot meeting only air. He managed to spin himself around to look at Ruto before he tumbled over the edge, frantically pinwheeling his arms to regain his balance. It was no use, and he fell into the water with a humongous splash, sinking to the bottom of the pool.

Ruto fell over, clutching her stomach in pain as she laughed helplessly. "Aw, are you a little bit wet, Sink?" she mocked as he emerged from the depths, spouting water like a, particularly depressed fountain.

"Well, yeah," Link snorted, wringing out his hat fruitlessly. His eye glinted and he discarded the sopping fabric as a mischievous grin came across his face. "And so are you!" He launched himself out of the water, inwardly laughing at her shocked expression and gripped her by the hand. Before she could react, he yanked hard, sending her tumbling down into the sparkling pool just like he had done moments before.

"Link!" She screeched just before she hit the water and Link darted away from her, toward the relative safety of the wall. Bursting through the surface of the water, she launched a wave of cold water directly into Link's face. When he was suitably drenched, she rolled her eyes and shook her head, though she couldn't hide her grin.

Her smirk softened, and Link's eyes darted to and from her face nervously as she stared intently at him. "What's-" he began to ask, but Ruto shook herself out of whatever she was thinking about.

"Come on, I wanna show you something!" she laughed, grabbing Link's hand and towing him bodily toward the huge waterfall. Diving down just in front of the base of the waterfall, where the water churned powerfully, she guided Link to the bottom of the pool and forward slightly. Just as the buffeting of the water was becoming unbearable, she pulled them back up again so that as they burst through the surface they were behind the falling water. Link shook his head and re-wrung his hat out as they climbed up onto the ledge. "It's behind here!" Ruto told him, pushing at the top of the far wall in the small alcove.

There was a quiet, grating sound as she struggled, but Link added his strength to hers and the bottom of wall pivoted out, leaving a gap just large enough to fit through. He gripped the bottom as Ruto ducked under it and then awkwardly squeezed through, gently releasing it so that it swung quietly shut. On the other side, Princess Ruto heaved a heavy wooden bar across the top to straighten it out and grabbed Link's hand again, pulling him towards the back of the tiny room that looked suspiciously like a cupboard.

"Hey, Ru-Ru, why are we here?" Link asked, leaning against the small wall.

"Shush!" Ruto whispered, placing her finger over his lips. "Hold on tight!" she laughed, kicking the wall in a specific spot. The floor beneath them vanished, and with a yelp from Link, the two disappeared beneath the floor.

"Jeez, Ruto! How many secret passageways have your family got?" Link wheezed as he stood from the floor of the next room. Ruto had managed to manoeuvre herself above him during the brief fall so that she landed comfortably on top of him while he hit the dirt hard. The room was a smooth, stone chamber. It was dimly lit by countless blue flames and had diamonds strewn around the floor, catching the light and creating scattered rainbows across every surface.

Ruto ignored his question and dragged him to a slightly raised platform, climbing the steps quickly. When they reached the top, Link couldn't help but gasp. Hordes of treasure, possibly more than even the Gerudo thieves had 'acquired', was laid out in front of them. Ruto ignored his spluttering and pulled him along a thin path between the treasures to the back of the room, where a small, innocuous chest sat.

Raising the lid, she revealed several small, silver coloured scales of varying sizes nestled on a deep blue velvet lining. She reached in and pulled the largest out for Link to see more clearly - it was actually a pearly white, though in the shifting lights it shone an iridescent blue. Strands of silver were rippled through it, glinting in the blue lights.

"This has been handed down through the royal family for generations, it is one of our most prized possessions. Every year, for twenty years, the Zora princess must donate a small scale to the chest, and over the years, they will merge into a single scale. This is the scale of Princess Zita, whose true love tragically died before she could court him." She placed it back into the box and picked up another, slightly smaller one. "This is mine."

Link gripped her hands gently in his and brought them to his face, turning them this way and that so he could see her scale in the light. It was white, like the previous scale, but as he turned it in the light this one was opalescent, shining in soft pinks and blues as it caught the light. "It's beautiful," Link breathed. He glanced up at Ruto and started at her intense expression, releasing her hands gently and letting his hands fall to his side uncomfortably.

Princess Ruto coughed lightly and brought her scale close to her chest, cradling it with a wistful smile. "We are to give it to the one we will court." She turned her head away from him to stare instead into the chest. "Yet, I will not. There is only one person each Zora is destined to love, and mine is taken. Absolutely smitten with another. I suppose that I am the wrong kind of princess for him." she sighed.

Link glanced at her and back to the scale, frowning lightly. "Hey, Ru-Ru," he gripped her shoulder lightly, "anyone would be lucky to have you, you know. And if you truly are destined to be together, then who's to say he won't come to his senses?" He wasn't used to comforting Ruto like this, his friend was usually so headstrong and sure, but when she leant into him with a teary hiccough it felt too easy to wrap his arms around her in comfort.

He was inexplicably sad as she cried silently into his chest; he felt as though if he could kill the monster upsetting her he would travel to the darkest corners of Hyrule to do so. But he was helpless, knowing that for once he was powerless to help the ones he loved. He tightened his grip on the princess infinitesimally, feeling guilty for the warm feelings that fluttered through his chest as he held her close. It was difficult to be near Ruto and not want to be close to her in some way. From the moment he met her she demanded his full attention.

When they were children she proposed to him, tricked him into accepting, and for a few years, she'd held him to his accidental promise. But they grew up and apart and as he'd stopped visiting she'd stopped bringing it up until it faded into a fond childhood memory. Link held her now and wished he could have gathered the courage to be around her when she first asked him of it. But she was Zora and he was Hylian and he knew it would never work out.

They stood together for a moment, but Ruto's quickened breathing eventually slowed to a more normal pace, and she drew away from him gently with a grateful, watery smile. "Each scale has magical properties." She continued after collecting herself for a moment. "They can gift whoever receives it the abilities of a Zora." She turned the scale over in her hands hesitantly, then reached over and closed the lid of the chest. "If I can't give this to... to the one I love as a promise of our love then..." she reached for Link's hand and pulled the material of his glove down slightly to expose his wrist, "I want you to have it."

Link turned to look at her, hesitant. "I-it's not permanent is it?" He breathed out, clenching his fist.

Ruto's eyes dimmed and she turned away sadly. "Link, if you don't want it just say so. What am I saying? Of course you don't want it, it probably disgusts y-"

"It's not that!" Link jumped to reassure her, lifting her chin with his other hand. "Nothing you do could disgust me! It's just- what if he changes his mind? Won't you want to give it to him then?"

"Oh," Ruto breathed softly, clenching her fist around the scale with a smile. "That won't be a problem, don't worry."

"I- okay," Link nodded, lifting his arm pointedly, "I accept." He watched in fascination as she pressed the scale gently to the skin above his wrist. It was ice cold, but he held his arm steady as it seemingly melted into his skin, the smooth edges blending with his arm until it looked like a part of him. He flexed his wrist experimentally - the scale tugged a little on his skin, not enough to hurt, but enough that he knew it was there. Satisfied, he nodded to himself and rolled his glove back over the scale, patting it consideringly.

Ruto could hardly contain herself. It wasn't like her to hold emotions in, but as she watched Link accept her scale she knew she could never say anything to him. The scale wouldn't have taken if he wasn't the one. She didn't know it was possible to feel such sinking guilt and bubbling hope, but it felt a lot like heartbreak. She shouldn't have done it - he wouldn't have accepted if he truly realised the consequences, known that this made him hers. Yet, he hadn't shied away when she pressed it to his skin, he'd only had concern for her - as he always had. And years ago, after she'd tricked him into a technical engagement whether he believed it or not, he kept coming back.

She coughed quietly, brushing the remnants of dirt from Link's arms after his, ah, gracious fall for her earlier. "Better than any silly Zora tunic I reckon." She smiled hesitantly at first, then more brightly when Link joined in. "Well come on then, what are you waiting for? We've got a scale to test out!"

"Oof," Link grunted quietly as Ruto practically tackled him, pushing him forcefully back toward the room's entrance. There was a small pool there, just large enough for one person to step into. Ruto jumped in gracefully, bobbing on the surface for a second before diving under with a wink. "Hey!" Link yelled, leaning over it just as the last trace of her blue legs disappeared into what looked like a carved rock tunnel. He grumbled to himself, but sat on the edge of the pool, testing the waters with his legs. "Here I go, I guess," he sighed, slipping off the edge and letting himself drop under the water.

The effect of Ruto's scale was immediately apparent. Link gazed around in wonder at the brightly coloured flora decorating the floor of the pool, able to see clearer than he ever had before. He could feel the pressure of air in his lungs, but not the oxygen depletion. Experimentally, he let his breath out, watching the string of bubbles float lazily to the surface with crystal clear vision. Braver now, he took a small breath in, only to immediately gag and choke on the influx of water. He paddled frantically to the surface, coughing and spluttering water the second he felt the air again.

Okay, so clearly he couldn't breathe in the water, that was stupid. As he bobbed on the surface though, he felt the same sensation of not needing to breathe. Shaking his head to clear the water from his vision, he sank below the surface again, careful not to breathe in this time. He could hear a strange noise, though whatever it was was garbled enough by the water that he couldn't work out what it was. As he approached the bottom he could see the tunnel that Ruto had swum through and made for it cautiously, a hand trailing the rocky walls for safety.

There she was, floating just out of sight. It looked as though the tunnel headed directly up to the surface, and Ruto was backlit by rays of brilliant light. Her translucent fins floated ethereally around her as she trod water, seemingly in fits of laughter. Link rolled his eyes good-naturedly but followed her when she gestured for him to.

The tunnel was long but eventually emerged in a small corner of Zora's Domain, hidden from view by a cluster of boulders. The two surfaced quietly, sneaking out of the small alcove with matching smiles.

"Come on," Ruto gripped his hand tightly, "the day's still young, let's go to Lake Hylia!"

"Don't you have duties here to attend to?" Link teased, adopting a stern expression.

"Oh hush you, I want to go on an adventure!" Ruto turned away from him, wading determinedly toward their engineered slipstream that took them straight to the lake.

"As the princess wishes!" Link bowed deeply for a minute, then leapt forward to sweep her off her feet with a wicked grin.

"Hey, Link!" Ruto screeched, drawing dozens of curious eyes. "Put me down!"

Link slung her over his shoulder to press his free hand to his forehead. "Am I dreaming? Does the princess want to be put down? Last time we went on an adventure you refused to go anywhere unless I picked you up!" He roared with laughter at her spluttering, choosing to ignore her threats and instead dive down toward Lake Hylia with her on his back.

By the late afternoon, the two were lying in the soft sands, dipping their feet in the cool waters of Lake Hylia. Link stared sullenly at the sunken Water Temple below the waters, his eyebrows drawn deeply over his eyes as he considered the horrors within. Ruto's gaze travelled slowly across the planes of Link's face, and she had the sudden urge to lighten his mood.

"Guess I can't call you Sink anymore, eh?" she snorted, splashing her feet at Link childishly.

"I doubt anything could stop you if you really wanted to," he laughed, finally turning his focus away from the temple and towards her. They lay in comfortable silence for a moment before Link spoke, "Ru-Ru?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mmmmmm?" She answered absently, sifting through the sand with her fingers.

"Why me?" Her hand stilled, and she closed her eyes resignedly.

"Why you what?" She mumbled.

"You know what," Link said pointedly, propping himself up onto his hands so he could look down at her. "Why did you give me your scale?"

"Because you're my best friend," she murmured, sitting up with a sigh.

"But why is that enough?" Link pressed, fumbling with his glove. "I asked you if it was permanent and you didn't say no, you told me not to worry about it." He tugged the glove off roughly, presenting Ruto with the scale. "I trust you, Ru-Ru, but this feels permanent."

Ruto said nothing but got to her feet and walked toward the lake.

"Ruto?" Link called, scrambling to stand up. "Who's the one you love?" She kept walking, said nothing, though her breath caught and her hands clutched at each other. "Is he in trouble?" Link reached forward, his fingers reaching for her arm as she strode away. "Ruto!"

She paused, the water swishing cooly around her thighs. "What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Why won't you look at me?" Link's voice was equally quiet, Ruto could feel the breath of his whisper on her neck. She bowed her head, turned to face him. She could feel his calloused hand on her chin, and her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks as she leant into it for a moment. She opened her eyes finally, and he was close, close enough that she could feel his breath hot on her forehead.

"Because that's not enough," she murmured, finally locking eyes with him. Link slumped in relief as she met his gaze, leaning down to rest his forehead on hers.

"What's not enough? Talk to me, princess," he insisted.

"You being my best friend!" She cried, "It's not enough! It was never enough!" This was it, she'd royally screwed this one up.

"Ru-Ru, what?" Link frowned, trying desperately to get her to meet his eyes. It frustrated him to no end when she wouldn't look at him because her eyes were his favourite thing to look at - they were such a lovely shade of blue. Well, usually they were. Today they were constantly clouded and he hated seeing her like that. She was such a light in his life, she never failed to make him smile with her exuberance and her cheek. He looked forward to the times he could visit the Zora the most, purely because of Ruto, and when he was here he never wanted to leave. As he looked down at the Zora princess in his arms, he realised it wasn't the Zora he didn't want to leave, it was her.

"I didn't lie to you, I wouldn't, but you can only give your scale to the one you love, no-one else, because it changes them to be more like a Zora, and if they accept they're yours forever and I'm so sorry because I really shouldn't have done that to you again but-" in her distress, she didn't notice his other hand reach up to cup the other side of her face. She didn't notice him step closer until his body was a hair's breadth from hers. But she did notice when his lips descended onto hers. She couldn't help the whine of protest at being cut off for a moment before her brain kicked into gear, her internal frantic panic only made known by her sudden death grip on his shoulders to keep herself steady.

It felt like seconds and hours all at once, all they knew was that they didn't want it to stop. Eventually, Link broke the kiss gently, watching intently as Ruto's eyes blinked open slowly once, twice.

"Better?" He asked lowly, moving his hands slowly from her face to cup the back of her neck.

"Link, I-" she gasped, snatching one of his hands up and holding it to her face. "This is nice," she smiled, letting her head slip forward so that it was nestled under his chin.

"Would you like to try again, but a little more slowly?" Link smiled, resting his chin on her head. He could feel Ruto lean closer for a moment, her hand tightened around his.

"I love you," she breathed, tracing the smooth join of his flesh and her scale in his arm.

"Thank the goddesses," Link laughed, letting the two of them fall back into shallower water. He didn't want to let her go, tugging her around so she was nestled against him.

"But I tricked you," Ruto's voice was small as she spoke into his chest.

"You didn't trick me, Ru-Ru," Link squeezed her tighter. "I was already yours."

Ruto let out a laugh, wiping her tears inelegantly on his tunic. "I should hope so," she leant back to gaze up at him, "we've been engaged since we were nine!"

Link spluttered a laugh, tilting his head back to the sky as he did. He grinned mischievously, tightening his grip on his princess.

"Link, what are you- Link!" Ruto's screeches bounced off the surface of Lake Hylia, followed shortly by an enormous splash as Link launched her into the water.

The sun finally dipped below the horizon but the two paid it no heed, oblivious to anything but each other.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this story, I definitely enjoyed writing it, even though this is the fourth time! I can see a massive difference between my first write up and this one, and I'm happy to say that that one is without a doubt deleted.

Anyway, review, people.

(Update #1: Thanks to a review by Smash-the-Elder, I have realised that I accidentally switched the POV from 3rd person to Link's POV. I have fixed this error, keeping it 3rd person until the scene by Lake Hylia, whereby I tell you that the POV is being switched.)

(Update #2: I have now found the time to go back and re-write it all in a third person point of view, as I am dissatisfied by how it has turned out thanks to the POV switch. I feel that as there is not enough content to the chapter it just confuses the story, so... I hope you enjoy the revised chapter! Ohh, and, by the way, they are both around fourteen, fifteen, not twelve. Sorry about that.)

(Update #3): Yes, yet another update from me! I realise that this was written waaaay back in 2010, and hence needs an overhaul! {July 2012}

(Update #4): Apparently, this is the fourth time I've re-written this one lol. I can't help it, it's my baby and it was so badly written. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I hope you'll give this new version a go and tell me what you think. It's been 9 years so I hope to god my writing's improved.

Also, ignore the Te Amo nonsense, the real song you should go and listen to is Girl in the Sea by No More Kings.

Ta-ra!