War of a Moment, Love of a Lifetime

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, and will never own the characters or the company of the Zelda series.

He could hardly remember the girl that Malon was talking about. Well actually, ranting about. He could remember blonde hair, aqua eyes, and a voice like ice. Link shuddered involuntarily.

She wasn't at all unattractive, she just seemed so inhuman. It wasn't right. Sure, she was rumored to be the loveliest princess Hyrule had seen since the Princess Zelda of legends, but that didn't mean that she wasn't terrifying.

The chick was pretty damn scary.

"Link? Are you even listening to me? There you go again, daydreaming about the Princess Zelda. I told you that we had to share everything with each…" Malon kept going, apparently oblivious to the fact that Link wasn't really paying attention anymore. The redhead had a habit of working herself up about nothing, so Link was a-okay with conveniently ignoring her dialogues.

So, the blonde haired boy tuned the redhead's words out of his mind, trying to remember exactly why she was yelling at him. He couldn't recall his latest capital offense. Though the one before this one was… hm. What had it been anyways?

As Link paused to think it over, Malon was just finishing up her little speech, 95 of which Link had managed to block out with his own inner musings.

"…having an affair with the Princess!" Link was jerked out of his thoughts by this last statement and look of bewilderment spread across his face.

"What on earth are you talking about, Malon?" Link questioned, his lips curling upwards into an unbelieving smile.

"Don't play innocent with me! I've heard what they say about you and... her! But how could you even do this to me?" Malon was back on her soapbox, ranting and raving like there was no tomorrow, and managing to conjure up an array of tears that even the best actors would be proud of. "I mean… I just accepted your proposal last week and now you off and offer the princess your hand in marriage!"

Link rolled his eyes and ruffled his fiancée's hair. "Malon, you're such a drama queen. I've been here all week. How could I possibly have asked Princess-What's-Her-Face-"

"Zelda." Malon interrupted, a little indignantly at the ignorance of her fiancé-in-question.

"-Zelda to marry me? Honestly, you girls are so weird." Link said rather sourly, though there was a hint of jest in his voice that let Malon know he wasn't actually upset. In fact, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by, he was pretty damn amused by the whole situation.

" W-Well.. uh. You could have sent our messenger out with a note." Malon offered a little pathetically, a sheepish smile on her face as she gestured out the window at their esteemed "messenger".

Link followed her motion and laughed outright, wrapping his arms around Malon's waist and resting his chin on her head. "You mean the chicken?" He asked, amusement making his voice lilt just the slightest bit.

It was that boyish tone, among other things, that had made Malon accept his proposal. They were both quite young, and they'd both received a lot of heartache from the townspeople.

'Malon, you've only just reached seventeen, perhaps you should wait a while?'

'Link m'boy, you're about as wild and untamed as the wind itself, don't be tyin' yerself down at nineteen. Live a little, experience the world, and when yer done, come back and marry yerself a good girl."

"Link, Malon's a sensitive girl and… I'm just not sure I want you around her."

"Link, you're too young to be getting married. Why, a handsome lad like you could have any girl in whole wide world."

"Malon, he'll only break your heart. He's too young to really mean it."

But they hadn't listened. Their love was the love that everyone else could only hope to acquire, pure and strong and unadulterated. They both knew that they would withstand the test of time, and prove their friends wrong.

Malon pushed away from Link and put her hands on her hips in mock fury. "You know as well as I do that the stupid thing can run REALLY fast. Don't you remember when it chased Epona around?"

"Yes, but then I also remember that the chicken ran into the concrete wall that Epona jumped over. La- horses are more intelligent than chickens." Link said, quickly amending his words at the last minute. Malon hated it when he referred his mare, Epona, as a 'Lady'. Mostly because Link had never called Malon anything above 'pretty little maid'.

Malon 'hmphed' and crossed her arms in what appeared to be disdain. Still playing mad at Link for rumors that she knew as well as he did weren't true. But a girl couldn't help but be insecure once in while, especially when a boy like Link was in the picture.

"Malon?" Link asked, curling an arm around her waist once more. Malon sighed contentedly and leaned into him, resting her head on his chest and letting her eyes flutter shut.

"Mmm?"

"Where did you get the idea that I asked Zelda to marry me?" Link spoke into Malon's hair, and she could feel the smile on his lips. "You know as I did that the girl's frickin' scary. You remember that time when she called me in for story time don't you?"

"Well you know the marketplace ru-" Malon said offhandedly, too distracted by Link's warmth to really be focusing. But her moment of peace was interrupted by a frantic banging on the door. "Oh! What now?"

Link looked over at the door and frowned briefly, placing a quick kiss on Malon's head as he released her and walked over to the door. No sooner had he opened the door than a robed figure half-fell half-walked in.

Link and Malon exchanged confused glances.

Link glanced over at the black-robed figure and caught of glimpse or telltale trouble.

The door to Link and Malon's bedroom swung shut.

"No reason for me to believe that you've been up to things with Princess Zelda, huh?" Malon's voice was like daggers cutting Link's skin, and her hands were on her hips once more.

"Aww, c'mon Mal. I didn't have anymore warning than you… How was I supposed to know that she rode across all of Hyrule to personally send me a message?" Link's voice was pleading, even as Malon's anger simmered down and her expression morphed from suspicious to loving.

"Yeah right… You better come back soon. I've still got a score to settle with you." Malon's voice softened again and she lightly punched his arm as he drew her in for a hug. Link grinned inwardly, she could never stay mad at him.

"I'll be back within the year, Mal." He kissed her lightly on the forehead, and ruffled her hair as he released her from his embrace.

Malon's eyes were downcast and with a last sad smile Link exited the room. Malon got the most awful feeling that perhaps that was the last time she'd see Link in a long time.

Mounting Epona, Link turned to watch the robed figure mount her white mare, and with a silent nod of greeting between the two, they set off. The two kept an even distance, unspoken but acknowledged and respected.

They rode in complete silence through Hyrule Field, broken only by Link's fragmented attempts to alleviate the heaviness in the atmosphere. After a while, he stopped trying. It was some hour after they set off, when Zelda got down from her mare and swept the hood that covered her face backwards.

He was faced once more with her famed beauty, though it was no more human than she had been since the last time he'd seen her. Though he was two years her senior, there was something about her that made her seem infinitely older than a mere seventeen years old.

Link cast her a confused glance and followed her lead, dismounting Epona and landing with a gentle 'thud' in the worn out grass. "What is it?"

"Your Highness." Zelda stated, her voice devoid of any emotion as she turned those cold blue eyes upon him. Link did his best not the shudder at the sudden chill that crept up his spine.

"Excuse me?" Link looked at her and met that icy gaze with confusion swimming in his own darker eyes.

"You shall address me as 'Your Highness' or Princess Zelda, peasant." This time he was sure that he detected venom in her voice, but her eyes betrayed nothing. There was no way that the woman standing before him was human in any way shape or form.

"Yes m'am." Link replied hurriedly. The princess practically bristled with annoyance.

"Yes, your Highness." Link corrected, feeling more and more nervous by the second. Zelda paused for a moment, regarding him stoically and after a moment's pause she nodded with approval.

The only change in her stature was that she was now wringing her hands together, as if she were nervous about something. Though Link couldn't know for sure. He understood the figure before him no more than he understood the supernatural.

"You remember our last meeting correct?" She questioned.

"Perfectly, Princess Zelda." Link said dumbly.

How could he forget it? She'd called him in to tell him a story about some hero named Link and the Princess Zelda of old uniting to save the world, and said something about him potentially being the hero of this generation- though she apparently hoped not- and that her father was ill and something about courage and tri-tip.

Or was that triforce?

"Then you remember, when I said that my father was soon to die." The way she posed it, it wasn't a question at all, it was a statement. Link wasn't even sure why she bothered to pause and let him speak.

"Yes, Your Highness." Link nodded swiftly.

"And I also told you about the old tales of a hero and my ancestor Zelda? And how the princess Zelda always ascended the throne and ruled by herself until she was required to … conjure an heir?" Zelda's voice picked up speed as it went along, though it gained no more semblance of a tone that it had before.

"Yeah, I remember. What of it?" Link's mind was abuzz with questions as to why she was telling him this now and he placed a hand on his forehead to clear his thoughts. If Zelda noticed his lapse in formality, she didn't bother correcting it.

" My father has just passed away." Zelda said slowly, and Link was sure that beneath the gloves, her knuckles were white.

"You have my condolence- I'm not going to marry to you and have wild monkey sex with you." Link cut off his previous statement with a slight scowl and put his hands on his hips. "I'm already en-"

Zelda nearly choked after Link's comment. "I should hope not!" She was flustered. Perhaps she was human after all. "No, I would not call upon you for something as trivial as that. You have been, for some reason I don't know, selected to rule Hyrule until, or even if, I marry."

"Rule Hyrule?" Link asked.

"Unofrtunately." Zelda's reply was a strangled sigh, and this time Link was certain that he'd detected exasperation in that formerly toneless voice.

"Sweet." Link grinned.

Zelda scowled. "It's not something to be taken lightly."

She was definitely human.

"I know exactly what my first command will be." Link's grin grew wider, if it were possible and he placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward in a mischievous manner.

"And that would be?" Zelda actually appeared to be curious for a moment, if not wary of his stance.

"From now on you will address me as Your Royal Majesty or Fair King Link." Link's grin grew wider still as the Princess began to pale.

"Excuse me?" Zelda's face was blank to her infinite credit.

"I'm your King, my power is greater than yours, and therefore I refuse to recognize you as anything above me." Link's grin vanished and he nodded as if he were someone wise and sagely. If Zelda were Malon he was sure he would've been facing the wrath of the messenger chicken by now.

"Do you jest?" Zelda's face looked even more vacuous than before.

"Ah-ah-ah. Correction: Do you jest, Your Royal Majesty?" Link grinned as he finally managed to get a rise out of the controlled Princess. When she spoke her voice was very nearly a snarl.

"You've got a long way to go, Lord Duncecap."

A/N: Did you enjoy this chapter? Let me know with your reviews! I'm sorry to say that both Life on the High Seas and Uncharted Journeys have been discontinued because of a lack of interest in them. I hope you like this story better, until next time.

Cappucinno