Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda series, nor do I hope to profit money-wise form this story.
Author's Note: This is somewhat of a sequel to Dreaming of You, so you should read that first, though both can be read independently and still make sense.
The first morning of winter dawned cold, but bright. Ilia lay drowsily in her bed, as lazy as the straggly rays of sunlight that shone into her room. Yawning, she sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes, wondering a moment at the smooth metallic feel on her finger. The simple, yet beautiful engagement ring jolted her awake with a start. "Today's my wedding day!" she exclaimed. "It's getting late and I am no where near ready!" With speed that would amaze a marathon runner, she scrubbed her body with soap and water at her washstand and speedily washed her hair. As she dried it quickly, she hollered down, "Papa, its time to get up, I'm going to be late for my own wedding!"
Mayor Bo groaned in his bed and looked at his calendar. After studying it for a moment, he chuckled loudly. Ilia appeared at the bottom of the stairs in her nightgown. "I don't see what's so funny about that, papa," she said, panic and irritation mixing in her voice.
This caused the mayor to laugh even harder. "Ilia," he managed to gasp out. "Today is Friday. Your wedding isn't until tomorrow, on Saturday, dear." Ilia still appeared doubtful, so he showed her the calendar. Relief washed over her face at this, though it was quickly replaced by embarrassment.
"Oh dear," was all she could whisper. Still chuckling, the Mayor enveloped his young daughter into a hug. "Ilia, it's okay, sweetheart. You're just excited is all, and well you should be. It's not everyday a girl has her wedding day." He smoothed down her hair, smiling. "Now, go upstairs and get ready for the day, but a little more slowly this time, and let an old man get his rest."
Ilia nodded and turned to go, but stopped. "Papa, please don't tell anyone. I think I'd just about die." Bo merely nodded in affirmation before sinking back down into the warmth of his blankets. "It would be a nice thing to tell Link, though," Bo put in, a chuckle lurking behind his words. Ilia raised her eyebrows at him. "I'll think about it," she said, a tiny trace of mirth behind her words. "Except I will be the one telling him."
The next day, Ilia woke up early, well before the sun was up. She smiled happily in anticipation of the day's events, and was pleased to hear bustling and murmuring voices downstairs. Quickly, she jumped out of bed and washed herself up, glad that she had washed her hair yesterday. That day's blunder came back to her and she laughed softly at her mistake. After putting on her robe, Ilia all but skipped down the stairs. She was surprised to see that her father was nowhere in sight, but in his place were Uli and Sera.
"Good morning," Uli and Sera greeted the bride to be. Ilia smiled and returned the greeting as Sera walked over to her with a bowl of stew.
"Eat this while Uli fixes your hair, Ilia," Sera commanded her, setting the bowl on the table and directing Ilia to sit. "Your father said that it would be better for us to be here to help you. He and Rusl have gone to see that Link is faring well. Now don't worry about a thing, dear. We'll get you all ready and fixed up nice for Link."
Ilia smiled at the motherly tones in Sera's voice and Uli's gentleness as she brushed and styled Ilia's hair. "Thank you so much for helping me," she said to them both. "But don't you need to get ready?"
Uli spoke for both her and Sera. "It won't take us but ten minutes to get ready, and the wedding isn't for an hour and a half more. We'll be fine."
Ilia decided to relax, and her thoughts wandered as Uli finished up her hair. It didn't take long for her mind to wander to Link. I wonder how he's doing? Ilia thought with a smile.
Only a few houses away, the subject of Ilia's thoughts was quickly wearing a path into the floor of his home. Rusl and Bo, watched him, unconcerned and with eyes filled with mirth. They had gone through the exact same thing when they had been married. Link however, could find nothing funny about what he was going through.
"What if she changed her mind? What if I can't be a good husband to her? What if I mess up? I don't think I can do this," Link questioned them over and over. He started to breathe a little heavily, mentally cursing himself. He was acting like a fool, but he couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach, and he felt more nervous than he ever had in his entire life.
I've slain countless enemies, and faced numerous dangers, but when it comes time for my wedding, I feel like I'm going to faint. It's pitiful.
Rusl tried to consol the young man, who was like a son to him. "Link, you shouldn't distress yourself about this. Ilia loves you, and you're a fine young man. Bo and I know that you'll take excellent care of her, so what's there to worry about? Absolutely nothing."
Link stopped his pacing and took a deep breath. "You're right," he conceded. "There's really nothing to worry about. I'll be fine." He gave them a nervous smile. "Now, I'm going to change my clothes. How much time do I have?"
"About five minutes," Bo said, his face looking perfectly serious.
Link's eyes grew wide and he shrieked, sending Rusl and Bo into fits of laughter. "You have an hour, Link," Rusl finally managed to get out. "There's no need to rush." Link glared at them for a moment before joining in the laughter. He couldn't wait until later, when he could tell Ilia about this. He imagined she would rather enjoy it.