A Walk in Paradise

by kissfromtheskies

It sucks to be a princess. In response to her restricting lifestyle, Zelda leaves the castle to pursue her freedom. Unsurprisingly, she finds herself lost and her only hope to returning would be the assistance of a certain Hylian boy. Please try and R&R?

Title: One Walk in Paradise

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Chapter One

All it took was one look at her background and it was painfully clear that she did not belong here. She was royalty, adamant and proud. She was the epitome of class and a beacon of light to which all eligible bachelors were drawn.

And she had just leapt ungracefully over a log, tripped over a frog, and fell flat on her face in the mud.

The lack of continuity was stunning. Earlier that morning, she had been in the palace garden tossing golden coins into the fountain as a game. Now, not only was she penniless and had no visible indication of wealth on her person, but she was trudging ankle-deep in sludge and was probably on the verge of developing trench foot.

She could just imagine what type of long, grueling speech her childhood mentor would drone out if she managed to make her way back to the palace in one piece—a feat which at this point would be more or less a miracle. "I am capable of making allowances for your youth," she mimicked in a shrill voice, doing an unfair exaggeration of Impa. "But I cannot fathom why you would willingly compromise your life of luxury by leaving the palace unattended."

Yes, yes. She knew that it was dangerous beyond the palace walls. But she heard so many tales of the beautiful sights she could see, and the wonderful people she could meet, and so little stories in comparison of the thievery, the arson, the maiming, and other atrocious crimes. Of course, she would not have said these words to Impa.

"You're right, as per usual." The princess would reply back in a tone as sincere as she could muster. "I can only make apologies for my juvenile behavior." Even though she was speaking to a mere figment of her imagination, the intense feelings of cognitive dissonance were difficult to dismiss as she played the role of the solemn, disciplined member of the royal family who had suffered a temporary lapse of judgment.

Truthfully, the last thing she would want is to apologize for her latest act of recklessness. She was a teenager; she was allowed to make mistakes. Furthermore, was it really so sinful to desire witnessing a horizon that stretched farther than from one side of her window to the other? Never once had she stepped outside of the cold, passive castle walls, not even being escorted by an army of spear-sporting steel boxes who called themselves soldiers.

She'd always imagined a world outside full of warmth and pleasant sights that she could always see but was never able to teach. She'd always daydream of wandering so far out that she could finally see where the world ended. How far could she go before she was in danger of falling off the side?

Her efforts at using dissociative strategy was rudely interrupted when a stone caught her foot by surprise and caused her entire body to lurch forward and tumble once more into the mush. Okay, so perhaps tonight's weather conditions did not paint the vivid picture she had imagined. Why was it that rain brought about such impossible walking conditions? She hoisted herself up onto her elbows with a very unsophisticated grunt, and her upper lip curled in disgust when she felt the mud seeping through her clothes and up against her skin.

She was Princess Zelda, the pampered Lord's daughter. Finally, after seventeen years, she had managed to make it out of the palace. But now that she was out, what was she going to do? The constant drumming of the rain had fast washed off whatever color there had once been on her beautiful dress and replaced it with a charming shade of mud.

Pulling the heavy cloak around her shoulders over her head for warmth and shelter, she stopped and took a moment to take in her surroundings. She saw every individual needle of rain drowning out the nearby area, but could make out nothing more. The heavy mist made it impossible.

Despite her stern resolve not to, she was gradually beginning to wish to be in her bedroom right now—safe, dry, and warm. Not to mention clean. Yes, her large bathroom with marble tiles and a pearly white bathtub… filled with warm, soapy water. Even if she were this dirty, she could just dip one foot in and the mud would flow away.

Suddenly, she heard what must have been a horse, and Zelda halted. A silhouetted figure of someone on a horse emerged from the invisibility of the fog, but she still couldn't see clearly. "Impa?" Zelda called out tentatively, allowing a glimmer of hope to spark inside of her as she figure drew closer.

Although, rationally-speaking, what were the chances that Impa would notice her absence so quickly after she had left? Especially considering all the precautions she had taken beforehand to prevent being found missing. Also, this was not Impa's habitual choice of mare…

Her breath caught in her throat, and she could feel her heart beat thump louder and louder inside of her chest. She listened as the horse's hooves thumped down hard against the earth. She soon matched them to her heavy breaths as she pressed a hand against her chest to steady her pounding heart.

It couldn't be. A Gerudo? She felt a haze fall over her eyesight at the mere possibility. Her finest seamstress and dearest friend, Alanna, had an older brother who was a soldier. He had made a point to emphasize the heinous and barbarous bandits that wreaked havoc in the far corner of rule. But this was too close to the castle; they would not risk wandering this far out, would they?

The horse was literally right beside her now, and the rider didn't seem to notice her. Standing still and hoping it would stay that way, she gave out a loud shriek when the figure shifted and tumbled right on top of her, his heavy body making it rather hard to breathe.

Whoever it was certainly was not Impa, but fortunately it was no Gerudo either.

If she could scream, she would have, if only her lungs hadn't felt so crushed in her chest and her throat hadn't felt so dry. Without the strength or energy to fight against the heavy figure, she closed her eyes and tuned out the happenings of this miserable night.

She thought about a memory of her mother picking flowers before she passed away. Even though the Imperial Doctor managed to get to her mother in less than half a minute's time, there was no movement as she was literally surrounded. She simply looked up into the sky as if everyone else's concern was none of hers.

When Zelda finally found the courage and will to reopen her eyes, the piercing brightness of the blinding sight of the sun forced them back closed. Miraculously, between that time at night she had fallen unconscious and the time right now, the weather had completely changed.

Sitting up groggily, Zelda pressed a hand up to her forehead before jerking it back immediately in disgust. It was coated with a dried layer of mud. "Oh, gross!" Leaping to her feet with surprising energy, she began scraping off the dirt that had been caked onto her with extra vigor. Never had she felt so unhygienic in her life. Her fancy dress was now torn, tattered, and resembled that which would've been on a mere peasant. Her headdress was gone, and ironically the only thing that seemed relatively clean on her person was her hair which had been sheltered mostly by the heavy cloak she'd had on.

"So it wasn't a dream," she murmured as she plucked off several leaves from nearby trees with remaining droplets of rain on them and smudged them against her face to clean off some of the remaining mud. Somebody had fallen on her last night, that was for sure. But who had it been? All thoughts flew from her head as her entire body stiffened when she felt the cold point of a blade directed at the arch of her back.

"And who are you? Identify yourself, wench!"

Oh, boy. This future pig-farmer so did not just call her that. Clearly, he was not very well raised. "Wench? I beg your pardon, smelly boy, but don't you have parents?" At the risk of being sliced like sashimi on a festival evening, the headstrong princess whirled around just in time to catch sight of the perpetrator.

She was immediately taken back when she saw… a boy. Certainly, she'd soon those of his gender before. Seniors, soldiers, fathers. But never had she seen a boy her age. Regaining her composure, her expression hardened and she smacked away the blade with the back of her hand.

Upon seeing her face, he seemed equally as surprised to a teenage girl as she pulled off her heavy cloak and flung it away with as much gusto as she could muster. It fell flat against the ground about a foot away with an unenthusiastic splat, but her eyes remained scorned. "I really do not see how my name is any of your concern."

Lowering his blade, the surprisingly good-looking sun-haired boy eyed her up and down before concluding that she could not possibly be much of a threat. Moreover, he apparently deemed her unworthy of anything that even remotely resembled decorum. "A peasant girl. And a filthy one at that." Zelda noticed that his lip curled in disgust as he continued. "You're not a comfort woman, are you?"

A comfort woman. A comfort woman? Why, she could kill him. If imagination could transform into reality, he would be suffering a very testosterone-free life. If she had any idea where she was, she would call upon her guards to arrest him. He would spend the rest of his days locked up in a cell that smelled like Poseidon's salty butthole.

Before she could make a witty retort, it occurred to her that he wasn't exactly paying attention. He was now jerking around in all directions, as if in a frantic search for something. When he was done, he stamped his foot hard on the ground, doing a perfect imitation of a five-year-old, and directed his sword at Zelda accusingly. "What did you do with Epona, woman?"

Paranoia could be useful, but perhaps it would do him well to find another venue for it besides waving sharp, pointy items at the first sight of panic.

"Good goddesses in the skies above. How do you honestly expect to get answers from anybody with an inquiry like that?" Zelda asked angrily, before her eyes fell onto the gold lettering sewn into the hem of his sleeve. Courtesy of Saria, back from Kokiri Forest. "Link, is it? I don't know what it is you're looking for, ranting and raving like a lunatic on crack, but…"

"How did you know my name? Are you a witch?"

"No, but I am literate." Zelda replied, pointing to the lettering. After he confirmed the fact with a sheepish look, she knocked the sword away from her again. "Ow," she muttered, shaking her hand.

"I figured you would be as useless as you look, but I didn't expect you to be stupid as well." He turned and actually began to wander off, when he was smacked in the back of the head with a renegade shoe that had been chucked with impressive accuracy.

"Smelly boy! Get back here this instant!"

"What the… smelly boy? Who do you think you are, anyway? A princess? Stop acting so snobby when you're nothing more than a commoner."

"With a holier-than-thou ego like yours, I don't think you should be one to talk about being snobby. Moreover, not only do you come off as the archetypal idiot, but you're nothing more than an angsty teenager! Now, you don't know me, so I shall tell you this once: I am a princess, and to be honest, this little adventure has been a little too exciting for my taste-"

Her pains to reveal her identity was annoyingly rewarded with a very rude burst of laughter. "You?" The word came out something between a choke and a laugh. "A princess? That's rich. Even if I looked past the part where you talk like a ranch girl, you certainly don't fit the physical profile. Last time I heard, the King's daughter was beautiful and essentially a paragon of virtue. A clean paragon of virtue."

"My apologies if I cannot be such an epitome after having spent the night sandwiched beneath one ungrateful sword-wielding baby!" Zelda snapped. "I'm sure you don't believe me, but if you bring me back to the palace then I will show you. As an incentive, you will be rewarded generously for your efforts."

Link cracked an annoyingly charming lopsided grin. "For somebody who claims these lands are in the palm of her hand, you sure aren't very familiar with them."

Zelda stared at him for a moment, annoyed. "You know what, forget it. Perhaps I shouldn't be following you anyways; you are most likely just lost."

Link's eyebrows lowered, and he quickly raised his sword once more. "How did…? You really are a witch, aren't you?"

Raising one hand, a blue light glowed from her fingertips and with one pretty flick of the wrist, the sword shot straight out of his hands and into hers. "I may not be a witch, but I am a competent wielder of magic. So let me proposition you: if you get me back to the castle in one piece, I shall return your rusty sword."

"I'm going to give you three seconds to give it back." Link said, followed by an impressive string of curses that mostly took longer than the three seconds he promised to her.

"And I will give you ten seconds to get your bearings and figure out where we are." Zelda replied, at the sword disappeared with another flick of the wrist. "Although at your mental pace, I imagine I can probably figure it out before you." She said it jokingly, and twirled away. She began playfully skipping off into the distance when she noticed Link was close on her trail, sprinting after her. Her skip turned into a mad dash as they both began to chase each other through the meadow. Never had she felt so liberated in her life. Zelda burst out laughing at the feeling of the cool grass against her feet. Warm air swam through her hair.

Unable to restrain a couple breaths of laughter himself, Link finally managed her wrist just in time to send the both of them tumbling through the grass, adding green stains to the muddy designs of their clothing and bringing their impromptu game of tag to an end.

Rolling over onto her side, she peered over at Link. He was staring up at the clouds, his chest heaving. "I never properly introduced myself. My name is Zelda." She said once she was able to catch her breath.

Link stared at her extended hand for a moment, and then shook it. Their earlier bickering seemed to fade off into the distance. He couldn't tell what her story was, but she certainly was different. Now that the mud had the chance to clear off of her and he had the opportunity to see her up close, he hated to admit that Zelda was actually very pretty. Even caked in dirt, she was more beautiful than any female he'd come across yet.

Of course, that was his hormones talking. His irresponsible, irrational hormones which were likely to get him into trouble. Of course, there were dozens of women who were bound to be more beautiful than Zelda. But lack of personal interaction and physical approach was distorting his judgment. Yes, that must be the explanation.

His belief crumbled a bit when she gave him a warm smile, but he shook off the annoying attraction."Fine, have it your way. If you promise not to deter me in any way, you may safeguard me until we reach the castle. I am actually quite curious to see how you'll manage to prove your authenticity to me."

Now that the two of them had the chance to glance around their surroundings, the first thing Zelda noticed was a gigantic nearby gate. The second thing she noticed was a long ladder, which seemingly defeated the purpose of the gate as a means of deterrence.

"I smell salt." Link observed, following her gaze as the two of them helped each other up. "The ocean must be nearby." Gesturing for her to follow him, he began to scale the ladder. "So, seriously, how come you're lost out here?"

Zelda looked up in surprise at the question. Just ten minutes ago they were shouting and waving pointy objects at each other, now he was making polite nominal chitchat. Despite his rough exterior, he actually seemed to be a decent person. Certainly decent enough to not leave a poor girl stranded in the middle of nowhere by herself.

Helping Zelda down the last couple of rungs on the ladder, the two of them proceeded towards the ocean.

"I didn't want to feel like a caged bird anymore." Zelda replied after a moment of silence. "Everything about the palace is about rules and etiquette; you're not allowed to feel sadness or loneliness without being reprimanded. As a member of royalty, you are supposed to be a beacon of light. If the royal family is without concern, then that means the wellbeing of Hyrule must be healthy."

She noticed Link's silence, and she put a hand on one side of his strong, broad shoulders. "I know you don't believe me, and perhaps you have more than enough reason not to. However, after some past transgressions, I couldn't stand to be cooped up within the walls of the palace like an animal anymore. There is no freedom within such a small space."

"Perhaps, but even if I did believe that you were a real princess—which I still refuse to believe—the last thing I would describe the palace as is small."

"Well, since you're not going to believe my story, how about you tell me yours instead? Why are you lost? Where are you even from?" She eyed his foreign tunic; he was definitely not from around here. "By your attire, I would imagine that you are from the forest, but you are far too grown up to be from there."

"If you're referring to Kokiri Forest, then you're spot on." Link said, catching her eye. This princess seemed to be able to spit out facts about him like a book. Either she was very well-travelled, or very educated. Judging by her complete lack of direction and orientation, he could only imagine that she was the latter. "I am a tradesman. I wander around from village to village transporting goods. This was the first time that I am on my own, and I did not have a map. With last night's weather, things just got out of hand quicker than I imagined."

"I see." A tradesman. He seemed to be rather well-built for a tradesman. Strong, athletic, and a swordsman. Zelda had met many a tradesman back at the palace, but none of them were like him. Still, she decided to dismiss the feeling that he seemed to be omitting some major part of the truth. If he had his secrets, he was entitled to keep them. They had only just met.

"So, if you thought I was such an idiot, why did you decide that I'm the one you chose to ask for help?" Link asked. His tone was joking, but he really was curious. The two of them had literally been at each other's throats earlier.

Zelda turned to face him, and a closed-mouth smile spread on her face as she punched him lightly on the arm. "Because you're so handsome." She said dramatically, batting her eyelashes at him.

Link smirked and waved her hand away. "You're not so bad yourself, even caked in mud."

"I can only hope that we will have the chance to wash up a little bit once we get to the water." She poked at Link's back as he walked a few paces in front of her. "You first. Why did you agree for me to tag along, even if you didn't like me?"

"I think you're crazy, with the story you said about being a princess." Link replied after a moment of thought. "

Suddenly, Zelda's face brightened up and she began jogging excitedly towards the ocean. "A Zora!" She yelled happily. "I have never seen one besides King Zora and Princess Ruto! They are so beautiful."

Link jogged quietly after her. She seemed so ecstatic to see that particular race, and in fact listed off two members of the tribe's leaders. Could she really be…?

"We must be at Lake Hylia." Link said hoarsely, dismissing the thought that had just crossed his mind. "We can probably ask somebody where to go. Do you know how to swim?"

Zelda made a face. "Well, there are so many nuances to the word 'swim'…"

"In other words, is that a no?"

Turning dramatically, Zelda gave Link a comedic grimace and looked sheepishly at him. "By fluttering around, I know enough to save my life. That's as far as my ability goes."

Link snickered. "Alright, well, might as well give it a try. It'll probably give us a good chance to get some of this dirt off of us too. For starters, let's go over there. It's a fishing areas, so a lot of tourists go there. Maybe we'll be able to find some food and information on a suitable place to stay for the night." Link said, gesturing to a large shack on an isolated island in the water. Wading into the lake, he reached out his hand for her to take. "Just keep a hold on me and we'll get there in no time."

"Only if I must." Zelda said slowly, before hesitating and grabbing onto Link's arm. She looked up at him with an adorably worried expression. "Although I suppose I should warn you: I've never swam before."

That much soon became evident about two minutes into the water, once Zelda could no longer feel sand beneath her toes. But even while she pulled down on him like a ten tonne anchor, she fluttered her legs around with such grace that anyone who was looking would probably think that he was the one incapable of swimming.

By the time they arrived to shore, what would have normally been a ten minute swim had turned into nearly twenty-five minute. Links muscles felt sore, and he could have sworn he swallowed a gallon of water.

On the plus side, during one of the sessions where he was nearly drowning underwater due to his flailing cohort, he had found a red rupee.

Meanwhile, Zelda was all smiles as she whipped her gold hair over her shoulder and squeezed excess water from it. "That was so much fun!" She was said excitedly, who had clearly managed to maintain her energy after Link had spent nearly half an hour struggling for dear life on both their parts.

Massaging his aching muscles, Link found himself with the opportunity to finally become aware of exactly how beautiful Zelda was. Now that she had the chance to get most of the dirt off of her skin and hair, he noticed how refined and elegant her features were. Pale skin, soft hands. Even if she wasn't royalty, she had obviously lived a very pampered, work-free lifestyle. Her large, ice-blue eyes were rimmed with dark eyelashes, and gold hair hung off her shoulders in soft ringlets.

Now that they had the time to settle down and talk in a more civil, non-threatening manner, she became increasingly tolerable and much more enjoyable as company. She was clearly feeling the barriers between them break down also, because she plopped down beside Link on the grass and stretched her hands out in front of her.

"Thank you for all of this," she turned to him, eyes twinkling. "I do admit, I was beginning to regret this little adventure. Until I met you."

"I still think you're crazy to think that anybody would buy that story, you know." Link said, grinning at her. Zelda shrugged and stuck out her tongue at him. "See what I mean? Very unladylike!"

"I'll have you know that while I was brought up to be a lady, I'm known within the family to be quite the tomboy. Just ask any of my siblings." Zelda said, flipping her hand dramatically over her shoulder. "I begged my brothers to teach me archery. I would borrow my sisters' dresses because mine would frequently get torn or dirtied, and Alanna would have to repair them for me."

"Archery, huh? Are you any good?" Link asked. He too was trained in archery,

"I still think you're crazy to think anybody would buy that story, you know." Link said, grinning at her. Zelda stuck her tongue out at him. "See? Very ladylike of you."

"I'll have you know that while I was brought up to be a lady on the outside, I'm known within the family for being a tomboy. Just ask any of my siblings." Zelda said, flipping her hair dramatically over her shoulder. "I would beg my brothers to teach me archery, and I would borrow my sisters' dresses because mine would frequently get torn or tattered."

"Archery, huh? Are you any good?" Link asked. He too was trained in archery, but none of his training prepared him to see the sight of Zelda lifting her hands and having a silver bow and quiver materialize.

"I am very good." Zelda said, running her long fingers down the length of the sleek, aesthetically-pleasing bow. "Of course, my training was a little bit distracted when I was sent to practice magic, but I still got pretty good."

"Yeah, about that. What kind of magic can you do anyway?"

Zelda gave him a hundred megawatt smile. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"That sounds fair. But do answer this: when you quite obviously flaunt the ability to store and materialize items with the flick of a wrist, why didn't it occur for you to pack a spare set of clothing?"

Zelda's upper lip curled upward at the thought of her dirtied and tattered clothing. "I guess it didn't occur to me that I'd actually make it out of the palace, much less go this far. Before I knew it, there was this huge downpour and… well, you know the rest."

She wasn't lying, either. Throughout the years she had heard many stories about Alanna sneaking in and out of the castle to avoid being caught for missing curfew when the gates to the palace closed. While Zelda had never seen the route herself, it seemed rather self-explanatory and one night after a particularly heated argument with her father, she chose to be spontaneous for once.

She had thought it was already a miracle she had made it out into the courtyard. She was barely even thinking by the time she bypassed the guard in the garden. And after climbing out of a fountain drain that led to the moat… she wasn't even sure where she was, she felt completely disoriented and alone after constantly being under surveillance all her life.

And, about thirty minutes later, Link knew that she undoubtedly had never fished before either.

Letting out a shriek as a fish jumped upwards and slapped its tail loudly against the surface of the water on its way down, Zelda inadvertently let go of her fishing rod and stumbled backwards only to bump clumsily into Link. Her target happily swam away with Zelda's bait, and his target with his.

Yet again.

"Again, Zel? Can't you manage to stay on your feet for ten minutes?"

Zelda smacked him lightly on the arm, feigning offense. "That would be a negative." Picking up her rod again, she made her way to the other side of the pond and began poking at the water to keep quiet and out of Link's way. But she couldn't help but keep a smile on her face by the fact that Link seemed to have taken a liking to her, at least as much as to call her by a nickname.

"This is your first time, huh?" A voice behind her asked. A young man, possibly in his late twenties, stepped around her and gave her a small grin. "I saw your little display back there."

A blush crept its way across Zelda's face, and she looked down into the water. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Don't take it so seriously. All you need is a few fishing lessons and practice. You seemed to be having a great time, that's already one of the most important parts. What's your name?"

Zelda opened her mouth for about a half a second too early, because she immediately hesitated to mull over his question. "Alanna," she lied, choosing the name of her friend back in the palace to shield her identity. In hindsight, she wasn't sure why she did this, especially since she had no qualms revealing her true name to Link. Some things, she assessed, were better left unsaid.

"Beautiful name. I'm Adam." He shook her hand with a confident and strong shake, holding onto her slim fingers about a moment longer than necessary.

"Nice to meet you. Do you come here often?" Zelda asked, trying to make conversation. From across the pond, she could see Link losing more fish than he had when she was right next to him. As a result, he began wandering around the perimeter of the pond closer and closer to them.

"All the time. In fact, I'm the record-holder for largest fish caught here. It's actually there on the front desk, my name is on the plaque." Adam replied proudly, standing up tall and squaring his shoulders. Zelda smiled politely. Was he bragging about being some local fish-incarcerating celebrity?

"I'm sorry Alanna, I wish I could stay and talk some more. But it's getting late, and I have to head back to the village." Adam said apologetically before she'd had a chance to say something in response earlier. He gave her one last appreciative smile and headed off towards the door.

"Wait, Kakariko Village?" Zelda asked, a little too loudly, her eyes wide. That was near the castle!

"Wait!" She yelled out, leaping forward and literally latching herself onto his arm. Whirling around in surprise, Adam caught her other arm and steadied her before she toppled over onto him.

"Whoa! Alanna, what's the matter?"

"I need to get to Kakariko too. Would it be possible for the two of us to come with you?" She requested nervously, gesturing over to Link. She felt mildly awkward for putting a complete stranger on the spot of her whimsical request, but she was terrible with directions and a guide would be most helpful.

Adam followed Zelda's finger pointing at Link and he raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"

"He is my friend." Zelda replied.

Adam's smile warmed up his face, never taking his hands off of her. "Sure, I'll take you. I just don't—"

"Hey! Who the hell are you?" Suddenly, the aggressive, blond-haired bodyguard of hers stepped inbetween the two of them and broke their physical contact. He looked Adam up and down as if to size him up, before turning to Zelda. "You know this guy?"

"I don't. But he said he's willing to bring us to Kakariko Village." Zelda replied.

"Kakariko isn't in our itinerary. My plan was to head to Lon Lon Ranch to get us some horses. It's closer, not to mention travelling would be more convenient."

"Listen, I don't mean to interrupt your lover's spat, but I really have to get going. The sun's going down any moment, and I can only carry one on my horse anyway." Adam interrupted, looking pointedly at Zelda.

Zelda looked into his eyes for a moment, before turning to Link. Which one would it be a better idea to follow? Adam seemed to be a gentleman, someone who seemed more knowledgeable of where they were and where they ought to be going.

Link, on the other hand, was abrasive and rude. They had not gotten along at all at first. Still, as stubborn as he was, she could see now that he meant well and obviously would not leave her in trouble, because he was still hanging around her even now. For all she knew, he could have traded her as a sex slave, or attempted to sexually assault her.

"I see. Thank you for you offer, Adam. It was a pleasure meeting you." Zelda said conclusively, stepping beside Link and lacing her fingers through his.

Adam smiled, tipped his hat toward her, and departed. Link waited until he was barely out of earshot before snorting derisively in his general direction. "Disgusting. It doesn't take half a brain to imagine what that guy was thinking about when he was watching you."

"Listen, Zel. I promise I'll protect you and bring you home safely. So you don't have to worry about getting people like that to help you."

Did… did her heart just speed up?

"In the meantime though, we're going to have to find some place to stay the night. We will head toward Lon Lon Ranch tomorrow." Link opened the door for her, and the two of them stepped back outside, greeted by the setting sun.

No, she must have imagined it.

Suddenly, Zelda caught side of the large observatory on the other side of the water. "We will go there for the night." She said, not allowing the sentence to turn into a question.

After another long, arduous swim back to shore, heavily sabotaged because of her lack of endurance and ability to swim, the two of them managed to dry themselves off enough to not go dripping into the laboratory. After rapping on the door for what seemed like twenty centuries, the cranky professor cracked open the door and poked his head outside before setting eyes on Link. "And you are?"

"Pardon me, Doctor." Zelda said quietly, stepping out from behind Link. She nodded her head in a light bow. "Would you mind if my escort and I stayed the night here? Discreetly, I am hoping."

The doctor's squinted eyes widened, but a giant smile soon forced them back closed. "Of course, please come on inside. I will make you a cup of tea…"

It had taken far less persuasion than Link thought was going to be involved, especially considering the doctor's cranky demeanor when he had first opened the door. In fact, he seemed to be acting quite odd around Zelda. Could be because she was a woman. Or could be because he recognized her from elsewhere…

Nevertheless, after a small tea courtesy, the doctor had enough faith in Zelda to entrust the grounds to her for the night while he stayed at his granddaughter's home. That night, Link opted to sleep on the cold, hard ground so that Zelda could take the significantly more comfortable bed.

The doctor had taken no small step to ensure that Zelda's stay would be comfortable. He had changed the sheets and the cover tops, made sure there was enough food and water for them in the morning, and made a point in telling her that if she required any assistance throughout the night to find him.

As Link lay there uncomfortably, he tossed and turned until he was finally able to find a moment of rest.

It may well have been a coincidence that the near-blind, senile grandpa seemed to recognize Zelda, but he still had plenty of good reasons to doubt her proclaimed identity. For all he know, she could be his granddaughter. Or great granddaughter, however old he was.

Yes, Link concluded, she was not the Princess. Although if that was truly so, why did he keep having this nagging feeling that she wasn't just some chicken farmer's daughter? Despite the voice in his head that repeated more times than Navi on crack when he approached his first vine as a child, his resolve gradually crumbled as he found himself actually wanting to believe her ridiculously farfetched delusion of grandeur.

Should he trust her? Trust was not a word he used very often, and for good reason. The very first person he'd put his faith in was Saria, and that was ended prematurely after she ran off into the sunset with that snotty, ill-mannered Mido.

Link opened his eyes, awakening from his sleep even though it hadn't even felt like he had dozed off. Yet the moon was higher in the sky now, and he could tell that at least an hour had passed. He rolled over onto his side, and jerked up in a panic to see that Zelda's bed was empty.

Where had she gone? What had happened to her? Could that doctor have taken her?

Exiting the laboratory in a rush, the door slammed behind him and immediately he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

The sky was dark, but the moon was bright and illuminated his surroundings with a soft, white glow. In the quiet of the night, with only some crickets chirping, he had heard a few gentle splashes in the water.

Suddenly, a figure burst out of the water, flipping her hair out of her face which caused a crescent-shaped ripple onto the water. Her skin tone glistened in an almost blue tone under the moonlight, and if he hadn't known better he might have mistaken her beauty and grace for a Zora.

Of course, even from here, there were some features on this figure that were clearly very different from the physique of a Zora.

Unaware of the second party looking in, Zelda twisted her blonde hair over the nape of her neck and squeezed as much excess water as she could as she waded towards the short. "Finally," she muttered as she rubbed her red skin after many minutes of violent scrubbing. "It feels so good to be clean again!"

Of course, being butt-naked in the lake was a far cry from bathing in the luxurious marble bathtub back at the palace, but the experience was still a worthwhile one. Doggy-paddling over to the smooth tiles joined to one section of the lake where she had laid out her freshly washed clothes, she groaned as she realized that they hadn't completely dried yet.

The slam of a door caught her attention, and she whirled around, clutching her dress against her body. Her eyes met with those of a red-faced Link, who was standing there with his bow and arrow in each hand, his back pressed against the wall as if he were secretly willing himself to mold into it. How long had been there? And what was he doing?

She almost let out a scream, but stifled it with her hand. If she woke up the doctor, she would never hear the end of it. He would contact her father immediately and have her hand delivered to him.

Certainly he couldn't have been there long, because she had thoroughly scoped the place out before taking her clothes off, and she didn't peg Link to be some commonplace peeping tom.

"Link! What on earth are you doing?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry. Please, hear me out." Link choked out, stepping forward into the water before he noticed her wade proportionately back into the water, her eyes wide. Of course she would be trying to keep her distance from the pervert who had just been watching royalty bathe naked. "I saw that you were missing, and I got worried. I came out looking for you, and it didn't occur to me that… I'm sorry."

Zelda stopped moving, and Link stopped in his tracks as well. It was important to maintain a safe distance between them. Yes, distance was important. In one swift motion, Link pulled his green tunic over his upper body and tossed it to Zelda. Fumbling with it, she managed to catch it before it fell into the water.

"You're going to catch cold. Put that on for now, at least it's dry."

It was beyond indecent for a woman, especially a princess at a marriageable age to be seen fully unclothed by a man other than her husband. Yet, instead of being shocked or even enraged, she felt gratified for his sincerity and the kind gesture.

Of course, without the ruffles of the tunic that covered his pants, any feelings of appreciation that he may have been hiding from her before were now left out in the open. Turning around again, her heart beating, Zelda waited for Link to return to the laboratory. When she once again heard the door softly close, she slipped on the warm article of clothing and hugged it close to her body.

Taking deep breaths to calm her excited nerves, a small smile spread across her lips. It smelled like him.

When she entered the lab, she made her way over to where Link was lying on his side, facing away from her. Hearing the tap-tapping of her bare feet against the cold tiles reverberating from the walls made her even more nervous. Kneeling behind him, she raised one small hand and tucked a tuff of his hair behind his ear.

"I forgive you, Link."

Silence. Was he asleep?

She was about to crawl back over to her bed when she noticed him sit up, looking away. Then with one strong arm he pulled her close, his lips brushing against her surprisingly soft hair. When they finally separated from the impromptu embrace, his eyes met hers and she could see that he was frazzled and quite visibly embarrassed.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I just hope you know that I would never… I wouldn't hurt you. I would never compromise our friendship by hurting you."

Zelda shook her head and touched his rough, callused hands. They were straddling a very fine line between close bodyguard and protective lover, and she knew it. Did he? More importantly, did she even want it? "I know. You're always protecting me."

"You should go to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll see how far we can get in bringing you back home."

Hmm, maybe he didn't.

Giving an almost indignant pout as he watched him lie back down with his arms crossed behind his head, she made a snap decision. Sliding her petite body next to his, she lay her head down on his arm and curled up against in the hope of falling into a peaceful slumber when he jerked up and scooted over several feet away from her as if she were the plague.

"What?" She asked, startled. "What's wrong?"

"Zelda." Link aggressively ran his fingers through his hair, looking down at the floor. "I love that you trust me so much, but please understand that I am a man."

Feeling her skin heat up, Zelda was at a loss for words before deciding that she did not have the capacity to compose a proper sentence in her head at this juncture. Returning to her bed, she lay down and almost let out a groan. If she were truly lucky, the ground would just open up and swallow her whole before she died of absolute embarrassment.

What was she thinking? She was a princess, for God's sake, she shouldn't be behaving like this—especially with a lowly swordsman! She should feel stupid for being so flattered by the attention and partnership with one man.

"Of course. I see, good night." She stammered after a few moments had elapsed and the world had not yet swallowed her up.

"Listen, Zel—"

"I said good night."

Link sighed and lay back down. The rest of the night had been significantly less eventful. They awoke early morning to resume their journey, and around noon they found themselves in the most appalling state of lost.

The morning had been awkward. Every waking minute from her latest act of stupidity had been choked with silence or rigid monosyllabic questions, comments, or responses. He had on an indifferent face, and she had a face that threatened to eat babies.

Their attempt to take a shortcut had led them directly to a discreetly hidden waterway to what was greatly implied to be Gerudo Valley. The mist was heavy, but the number of skeletons suspended from wooden posts hanging from the cliffs suggested that it could not have been anyplace else.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry." Link whispered, putting a hand over Zelda's for a brief moment, breaking their cooperative effort in the cold-shoulder routine. With every passing second the certainty of their whereabouts became increasingly apparent. "We should never have come here. This is all my fault."

"I don't understa-"

Suddenly a hissing sound snaked past her neck, and Zelda gasped. It had been a dart, or an arrow. Either way, it had just narrowly missed her. Link pressed down on her shoulder, shoving her down into his lap as several more whizzed past them. The boat they had borrowed was eerily quiet, and Link hoped the Gerudo soldier believed they were dead.

Which, if they were caught, would be their imminent fate.

After several painstakingly slow minutes were counted with no indication of danger, Link let out the breath that he had been holding. Gentling swishing the paddle in the opposite direction in the hope of safely flowing back to Lake Hylia, he felt a hand snake out of nowhere and tug violently on his tunic—so much that he was hauled over from his boat onto the perpetrator's. Zelda opened her mouth to let out a gasp, but she smothered it with both of her hands. With the color of Tunic that Link had lent her, she blended in with the mist and the water. It would appear that the Gerudo believed Link had been the only one there.

"What's this? A rat, is it? I'll teach leeches like you to trespass into our territory!"

Link's thrashing and shouting about, combined with the paddling of the water, created enough din for Zelda to slip into the water unnoticed and attaching herself to the end of the Gerudo rowboat.

Link was in danger, and there was no way on God's green earth that she was going to just let him suffer the consequences of an error in judgment made in an attempt to bring her home.

It took a fair bit of effort staying attached on the boat, but luckily the stupid redhead took no notice of her. After what seemed like forever, the boat was docked and Link was literally hauled away. Once they were a fair distance away, Zelda emerged from the water. Now she was in, but that was the easy part. What now?

"We usually do get one or two of you nosy Hylians during harvest season." Link's captor was ranting as she hauled him up several flights of stairs until they reached what looked like a sniper zone. Only, there was a gigantic square-shaped hole in the floor.

"Jesus, you have got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"Oh… fuck!"

Link's yells of bloody murder could be heard from a mile away as he came plummeting from the uppermost window onto the cold, stone floor. Yet this was nothing compared to the torture to come, and for that the soldier above chuckled in the most unflattering, unfeminine way possible.

"Your punishment will be delivered by Dilla shortly. Just stay there and don't make too much trouble."

Damn it. Link was going to die a painful, bloody death, to the hands of this Armadillo lady.

"You mean attempting to shatter every bone in my body wasn't enough?" Link hollered back, letting out a heartfelt string of every curse he could think of and make up.

"… And you can just shove your fucking head up Nayru's salty butthole!" Was the final curse coming out of his mouth before he paused to take a breath. It was actually quite impressive.

Of course, that particular soldier was long gone by that time, but he hoped that his voice would carry. With the newfound silence, Link's ears perked when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and the door swung open.

He cringed when he saw a tall figure come in with a frighteningly thick cat of night tails. She had on a blood-colored red veil that covered her head like a hood, and red fabric covered her nose and mouth. Only her large eyes glittered with diamonds, probably dancing in anticipation for his imminent torture.

He contemplated his choices. He could attack her, but she probably had reinforces outside. There was a reason why people ordinarily did not wander into Gerudo Valley, particularly those who wished to keep their genitals intact. He could run into a corner and cry in the fetal position hoping to inspire sympathy, but somehow he didn't think that was any more likely.

Gazing up and seeing that the coast was clear, Dilla removed the headpiece from her hair and face, revealing a long mane of familiar golden hair.

"Zel!"

"Shh! Are you trying to get us killed?" Zelda snapped, aggressively mashing her hand unattractively against his face to prevent any more unnecessary sound. "Just look at this thing!" She raised the whip with one hand and waved it in front of her face. It was true, if Dilla really were here, Link would probably be crying like a little girl.

"But how did you…"

"Sheer force of will." Zelda replied sarcastically. "… Well, and magic. Yes, the magic definitely helped. Come, put this on and let's get going." She said, tossing him another Gerudo uniform. She gave him a sadistic smile. "I managed to take their membership cards too, but they won't let just anybody waltz around here if they don't even look like a Gerudo soldier. If everything goes according to plan, we're golden from here on out."

"You sound like you've given this quite a bit of thought." Link said, before taking a look at the surprisingly tiny piece of fabric in his hands. "What the hell is this?" He said, a high-pitched squeak replacing his normally deep baritone. "You've got to be kidding me! In case you haven't noticed, neither of us have glaringly obvious red hair down to our asses. Besides, I'm too MANLY to kid them."

"That you are. Nevertheless, that is not going to change your temporary dress-up regime." Zelda smirked. "And judging by that beast that dropped you down here… I don't think

"That you are. Nevertheless, that is not going to change your temporary dress-up regime." Zelda smirked. "Besides, if you recall even the Gerudo that tossed you down here, you would realize that you two are actually of a similar body type."

After grudgingly slipping into the annoyingly contour-hugging garment, Link withdrew his Hookshot from God-knows-where and placed one hand supportively around Zelda's slim waist. Her body was built so damn daintily. It was much slimmer and delicate compared to Malon's more curvaceous one, for example. Aiming at the wooden blinds, he shook the comparison from his brain and it took merely a second before the two of them were perched haphazardly on the ledge of the window. Taking a leap below onto the exposed roof of one of the fortress floors, Link reached out his arms for Zelda to jump.

She gasped, clutching on the brick wall of the window. She couldn't believe he had just done that, and to expect her to…

She heard some of the soldiers outside start talking to each other, and the thought of them looking up and catching her was enough motivation for her to leap out and land in Link's waiting arms. He was stronger than she pegged him for.

The two of them crouched behind the wooden crates, peering ahead at the two Gerudo soldiers who were patrolling the sole corridor. How many soldiers did one hallway even need? There may be more in the room on the other side, but they were a less immediate concern.

"Somehow, I don't think they're going to buy our costumes if they talk to us." Link whispered, taking off the headpiece so he could get a better view of what they were up against. "I think we're going to need to take them on."

"Sure, but we'll have to be discreet about it. We're going to have to take them on one-by-one, lest they set an alarm and call all soldiers here." Zelda whispered back, her eyes focused on the soldiers. Link glanced over at her in surprise. He had expected her to take a more passive role, to simply follow him so that he could act as her guardian. Unexpectedly, she had been the one to save him from Dilla, and now she was the one strategizing.

Holding her hand about a few inches from the ground, a blue light emanated from her palm and her silver bow materialized, the quiver simultaneously appearing on her back. She glanced at Link and raised an eyebrow, and he immediately took out his bow as well.

In one swift motion, Zelda drew an arrow from her quiver, aimed, and shot the first Gerudo. Less than a second after, Link let his arrow fly and subdued the second soldier. Taking the opportunity, the two of them proceeded down the hallway and peered around the corner into the room.

There were no Gerudo soldiers there, however it appeared to be some sort of jail cell. A wide set man with a large tool belt sat dismally inside the cell. When he looked up he seemed startle to see what looked like two Gerudo soldiers, but he soon realized that Link was very much a man.

"What? They wouldn't let us carpenters join the Gerudo army, but they let you in?"

Stepping forward, Zelda put a finger against her lips as she approached the cell. "Please, be quiet! We don't want to attract any—"

Suddenly the carpenter grabbed Zelda through the cell with both hands and began to shake her desperately. "Please, I don't care who you are or where you come from, but let me out of here! I have a family, with two small kids. You can't keep me in here forever!"

The carpenter's cries echoed through the room, and suddenly a woman leapt down from the ceiling and slashed at Zelda from the side with two large falchions. Raising her bow to shield against the blade, she let out a cry as the bow was ripped from her hands from the impact and slid across the floor.

This Gerudo soldier was not like the rest—her face was exposed, and her attire was different. She was most likely of a much higher status, and she was definitely very fast.

"Ah, some intruders I see. You have a lot of nerve intruding, but you also must have a lot of misfortune now that you've met the great soldier Abigail."

An arrow whizzed past the soldier's face, and the soldier turned her attention to Link. Lifting one strong leg, Abigail kicked Zelda in the stomach, causing her to fly across the room.

"Zel! Stay back!" Leaping into the fray, Link drew his sword and shield to combat the Gerudo's two swords. Abigail lashed at him with unrelenting endurance, snickering as she noticed him drawing his shield more and more.

A few minutes progressed, and through the panic Link noticed that her attacks were becoming slower and less frequent. When she paused for even the smallest moment, he took that opportunity to lunge forward with his shield and knock her onto the ground.

"Ah, you are an aggressive one! Don't you know how to treat a lady?" Abigail gasped as she shield crushed at her chest. Kneeing him in the groin, Link faultered long enough for her to rip the shield out of his hands and roll on top of him, holding a dagger about a centimeter away from his throat.

Link struggled with her, trying to move the sharp pointy objects away from his jugular, when suddenly Abigail was lifted up into the air and thrown into the wall.

Link quickly got to his feet and whirled around to meet the eyes of his reinforcements—the red eyes of his reinforcements.

Zelda was standing there, a purple light emitting from her body and her eyes were wide and the color of blood. It was as if she were possessed.

"The exit is that way." Zelda whispered, gesturing to a pathway down a long flight of stairs. Link nodded, and once they got their feet back on sweet ground they passed by a herd of horses being led to the alley.

A light bulb went off in his head.

The sun had traveled a significant distance across the sky by the time they bid their sweet farewells to that torture chamber of a village. Not a good indicator of their progress, since they were still nowhere that she recognized as being near the palace. The good thing was, from her heroic rescue to now, the ice was broken and they were no longer hesitant to engage in their usual, nominal chitchat. Clearing her voice, hoping to catch Link's attention, Zelda arranged for her newly acquired horse to fall into step beside his. "Where are we headed, exactly? Do you even know?"

Suddenly, Link's horse stopped in its tracks and he gave out a grunt. "Shit! We're heading in the wrong direction."

"We? You're leading!"

"I know the way to Lon Lon Ranch from here. It may be bothersome for you, but let's stay there for the night. At least we'll have shelter." Not a far distance later, they arrived at the surprisingly familiar walls of Hyrule's main ranch.

"You certainly were not joking when you said you knew the way. And I'm positive that the castle cannot possibly be far away from here—after all, it's always within a day's walking distance for that narcoleptic milkman and his daughter."

Link cracked a grin. For a person whose speech had once been so snobby and proper, she was certainly beginning to unwind. "Have you ever met them before?"

"No. I've seen them though. Impa's always been impatient because they take so long delivering the crates." Link had dismounted his horse, so Zelda followed suit and trailed him as he entered the ranch. Once inside, Link took out a petite, beige ocarina. Surprised that he had the same instrument that she herself played, she watched as he played a simple, three-note tune.

It was kind of weird to randomly burst into melody, but whatever floats his boat.

Then, out of nowhere, a reddish-brown horse galloped towards Link. Nearly feeling the need to duck out of the way before it ran them over, she was gratified to see that the horse slowed down by itself before nuzzling Link's shirt with her nose. "Hey, Epona. That's my girl."

Zelda vaguely recalled one of the two names Link was shrieking about when they first met.

"Link!"

Zelda's attention was stripped from the horse and she back-stepped just in time to make room for a teenage redhead who had come running toward them at full speed, flinging both arms around Link's neck. "Oh, I knew you would come back for her! I was so worried, I had no idea what happened to you!" After she released him, she turned to Zelda and gave her a good-natured smile. "Oh! Company. Pardon my rudeness."

"Zel, this is Malon. Malon, meet Zelda."

Normally, a situation like this would have probably resulted in one awkward handshake, but Malon's friendliness radiated from her like the sun as she grabbed Zelda's hand warmly. "Ooh, please tell me you two will be staying the night. We are about to make dinner."

"If it's alright with you and your father." Link grinned. "It's great to see you again, Mal."

"You, too. My goodness, Zelda, you're so pretty! Let's get you upstairs, shall we? I will lend you some of my clothing so that we can get yours washed. Link, you too. Put your dirty laundry over there so I can wash it later."

"I… thank you." Zelda stammered, for lack of better words.

"That is remarkable. I'm in town a lot, and your resemblance to the princess back at the palace is uncanny!" Malon was saying, and Zelda turned and gave the listening Link a smug smile before the two of them disappeared up the stairs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There was nothing more welcoming than a warm fireplace and the heavy scent of turkey and beef stew after a grueling afternoon of hauling hay and washing the horses in the stables. Link stretched his aching neck muscles as he and Talon entered the house. "Wow, it smells great in here!"

Giggling, Malon rounded the table and picked a stray piece of straw from his oversized overalls. "I'm glad you like it. I trust you've worked up quite an appetite today?"

She looked absolutely beautiful today, with her red curls falling elegantly down her open-back red pouf dress. She had even taken that extra step of lining her full lips with red lipstick.

"You've really outdone yourself, my girl. This is quiet a feast!" Talon commented as his large mass took over one of the chairs. Malon untied her apron and set it on one of the hooks.

"It wasn't all me, Father. Zelda was a tremendous help."

"Where is she, anyways?" Talon asked, craning his neck to peer into the empty kitchen. Link's ears perked up at the mention of her whereabouts; he was just as curious.

"We finished cooking about twenty minutes ago, so I sent her upstairs to change." Malon said, smoothing out her dress. "Since we don't have company over a lot, I thought we could play some dress up."

"It's a lovely look." Link replied, giving her full-length body one more look. The neckline of the dress left her well-endowed bosom with little left to the imagination. The dress tapered in on her thin waist, and came out again around her hips, ending mid-waist. She looked incredible.

Then the door to the upstairs bedroom closed, and Link looked up just in time to see Malon's handiwork when it came to Zelda. He nearly choked on the bread roll that he had stolen off of the tabletop. Zelda's hair had been lovingly French-braided, and she had on a gold-colored, form-fitting, full-length dress. It was the most elegant he'd ever seen her, and he had thought she was plenty elegant before he'd laid eyes on her just now.

In a word, she looked like a goddess.

"She looks wonderful, doesn't she?" Malon asked, appearing not to notice his sudden inability to speak.

"I… you look great, Zel." Link managed, despite nearly being the first one in Hyrule to die from a bread roll.

"On another note, I do apologize that we don't have a lot of room since my cousins are visiting." Malon said apologetically, glancing at Zelda gain. Malon had already apologized to Zelda nearly a dozen times already, but Zelda wouldn't have any of it. It was already enough for her to take the two of them under her hospitality already. "I offered to have Adrienne and Denise sleep in my room, and Janet and I could sleep where you are staying…"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mal. Honestly, don't worry about it. I've slept there so many times." Link said, putting one hand on Malon's arm to quiet her. He noticed the strange expression cross Zelda's face. While it became quite clear to him over the past few days that she had less regard than the average person about where she slept, especially for royalty, he was sure that she wasn't too pleased at the aspect of spending the night filled with the scent of cows and manure.

"It used to be a barn, it's on the other side of the ranch." Malon said, as they all took their seats and began their meal. "

times; it's a fine place to stay." Link said. Zelda stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. Sure, it became clear to her these past couple of nights that she didn't really care where she slept, but something about sleeping in a barn with the scent of mule and manure seemed less than ideal.

"It used to be a barn. It's on the other side of the ranch. Then they built the barn beside the house, and we moved the cows and horses in there." Link said with a grin, catching Zelda's unsophisticated expression.

Sure, she never slept in a barn before, but she was in the hospitality of ranchers. Zelda smiled. "I don't mind sleeping in the barn. It wouldn't be a problem, I promise."

"Well, if it's alright with you." Malon tilted her head to the side. "I'm so sorry, Zelda. I'll try to make it as comfortable as possible. Link, of course, you'll be staying with her? I mean, I will if you won't, but it can be awfully scary by yourself."

Zelda stopped chewing the piece of food she had scooped onto her plate a second ago. Another night with Link. All evening long she'd been pondering what kind of relationship this bodyguard-hugging female with model-esque proportions had with Link. She'd wrestled with the idea that they were intimate, perhaps that was why Link had behaved the way he had back at the laboratory—out of obligation to another, not to maintain their platonic guardian-guarded relationship or ensure her safety from his raging hormones.

The possibility remained extremely plausible. But what kind of girlfriend would tolerate and allow, or in fact encourage, nights spent with another girl? Either she was very, very stupid, or they two of them shared a strong bond of trust even Zelda couldn't touch upon. Since she could not imagine this witty, painfully intelligent, talented and kind woman being the former, the latter was something she would have to learn to accept.

Zelda was quiet for the next couple of minutes. She was quiet for the next couple of hours. She wanted answers, but how on earth was she going to get them? And what right did she have to ask? She was a stranger among strangers."

"I cannot believe that the only shelter we have to offer overnight is a barn." Malon mumbled amongst constant apology as she unlocked the empty tower on the opposite side of the ranch. Link helped her unload two thick Japanese-style futons from the horse and unrolled them side by side on the ground. Zelda dismounted the horse and helped put down the two blankets on top.

"It's not a problem, really. I'm just grateful for your kindness and hospitality." Zelda reassured, finally breaking out of her trance although her heart was still doing somersaults in her chest.

Link was actually quite surprised. If—and this was hypothetically-speaking—Zelda was the princess, then not only was she oddly comfortable sleeping in strange places, but she was incredibly mellow and low-maintenance. Very uncharacteristic of what he expected royalty to be like.

"Link, I know that you're familiar with the ranch, but I must tell Zelda. There are keese everywhere around here at nighttime, which makes it quite dangerous. If you need to go anywhere, please ensure that Link accompanies you." Malon said as she bustled around, setting up some spare blankets. Giving one last apology, she gave Link one lingering look before disappearing behind the door where her stallion was patiently waiting.

Zelda turned to find Link staring at her again. "What?" She asked finally, after a half-minute staring contest had ensued. Exhaling, Link looked away sharply, pulled off his hood, and began aggressively running his fingers through his shaggy blond hair.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, tell me."

He hadn't wanted to admit it, but looking the way she did now—dressed in Malon's beautifully-sewn gown, did Zelda look beautiful enough to be a princess. Plus, the comment Malon had made about Zelda and royalty had not gone undetected. "I've just been thinking lately about… how much less of a peasant you look like now that you're out of those old clothes of yours."

Zelda made a face, but then it dissolved into an amused smile. "I really don't know if I ought to be flattered or insulted, but Alanna made those clothes for me. She's the daughter of one of my seamstresses, and is my dearest friend in the palace." Looking down at herself, she frowned. "Truth be told, I rather have them back. I don't want to sleep in Malon's best clothes, but she's taken them from me to wash."

Without another word, Link reached into his bag (because Link carries a bag… the author doesn't really know how else to describe the Start screen) and pulled out a crisp red tunic, tossing it to her. Giving him a grateful smile, she stepped behind the large milk crates to change.

It wasn't as if she was unaware of how scanty she must look. But what other choice did either of them honestly have? She very well couldn't ask him for his pants. Stepping back out, she tried very hard to ignore that look that Link was trying intensely to keep from giving her.

His tunic did very well to reveal her long, slender arms and legs, making his eyes linger in all the strangest places. Coughing gruffly, Link tried to shake off the attraction and lay down facing the opposite side.

It was a warm night.

Lying down on her back, Zelda closed her eyes and tried to adjust to the hard floor. When the aching of her back would not subside, she rolled onto her side facing Link.

There was a hesitant pause. "Good night, Zel." Link muttered.

"Sweet dreams."

One hour?

Two hours?

How long had it been? In reality, it had only been ten or fifteen minutes, but it felt like days were passing without any sign of sunlight.

Link lay there, looking up at the ceiling. God knew he couldn't go to sleep, not when the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on was lying less than a meter away from him. Even in the darkness, asleep, without layers of makeup or pretty clothing like most women, Zelda looked gorgeous. Was it okay for him to have feelings like this?

Of course it was natural. He was a perfectly healthy adolescent male, and she was an extremely well-endowed, gorgeous female. Silently, he leaned over to her stretched out blanket and raised a hand. Using his index finger, he slid it down one side of her face, trying to wrestle with his feelings. There was undeniable sexual tension in the air between the two of them. On the one hand, not even he understood why Malon allowed the both of them to stay overnight together. On the other, it was very like her to do.

Zelda opened her eyes from his touch, and her amazing blue eyes caught his attention immediately. And that was his threshold. Unable to hold it in much longer than that, he leaned on one elbow and kissed her.

This wasn't like any other kiss that he'd ever had before. It wasn't fiery or passionate, but rather it was serene and he felt—oh, oh my. This was not a good sign.

Zelda seemed to be appreciate it equally as much. For all he knew, this was the first time she'd ever kissed someone, but if that was the case then damn. The curves of her body slid perfectly as she pressed against his, and while one hand ran through her thick hair the other began sliding down the length of her body.

Reaching up underneath his tunic, his heart pounded harder as he began to caress her soft breasts. God, they felt amazing. It had been such a long time since—

Zelda's steady hand halted him. Thinking he had taken things way too far way too far, Link hastily told himself to calm down, and fast.

"What's Malon to you?"

The question came out of nowhere, but not completely unexpected. The inquiry cut through his hormones like a knife. Swallowing hard, guilt almost immediately dropped on him as he realized he was doomed to answer her.

"Link?" Zelda prodded gently, her earnest face open with vulnerability and honesty.

"Malon is…" Link exhaled. What was he going to say? He could say that they were cousins. Relatives. Family friends. But somehow, looking into her eyes, he couldn't lie to her. "Malon's my fiancée."

There was an abrupt silence, and Link could've sworn he could have cut the tension with a knife. Then set it on fire, then tossed it over the fence. Unfortunately, that was not quite the case.

"Oh. I see. Good night." Rolling over, Zelda's back faced him as she curled up and closed her eyes, pulling half of her blanket over her. The gesture was one which increased the physical gap between the two of them.

Sighing, Link turned over and pulled his own blanket over his head.

Malon, huh?

-.-.-.-.-

"So, you'll be riding with Link then?" Malon inquired cheerfully the next morning as she placed a steaming plate of French toast and scrambled eggs in front of Zelda. Upon mention of Link and her together in the same sentence, Zelda immediately snapped out of her daze, her knee banging ungracefully against the leg of the table.

"What riding?" Zelda blurted out, a little too loudly. "There will be no riding!" It took about three seconds of staring into Malon's large, confused eyes before her misinterpretation of the situation sunk in. "I mean... not right now. Now is time for eating…" she finished lamely.

Malon blinked a couple more times, and then smiled, kindly ignoring Zelda's strange outburst. "Link is preparing Epona for the remainder of your little exploration. You'd best hurry. A young woman like yourself, your family must be worried sick about you!"

Zelda tried not to think about that. What were her parents thinking; was her father outraged, and her mother distraught? Were her brothers searching for her, while her sisters cried? Or more depressingly, did anybody care that she was gone?

Taking her mind off the subject, Zelda ate her food considerably fast in a most unladylike fashion. Malon sat down on the opposite side of the table to keep her company while she ate. "I trust your night wasn't too bad, was it? In hindsight I really should have offered you the bed… I feel horrible letting a guest sleep on the floor, and with a man no less. But you never know how dangerous it can be at night for a woman all alone. At least you can trust Link."

Zelda almost expected herself to choke, but luckily the food went down with only minor difficulty. "Please, Malon. The last thing I expect to hear from you is an apology, especially since I have imposed upon your house thus far. I sincerely thank you for your hospitality, and when I return home, I promise I'll offer Link enough recompense to repay you as well."

"What? Oh, don't you dare!" Malon exclaimed, when the door came swinging open and Link came loping in. Too embarrassed to even look at Zelda in the eye, he grabbed the crust from her toast and popped it into his mouth.

"Hey!" Zelda exclaimed, momentarily forgetting their mutual silence.

"Epona's all saddled and ready." Link said awkwardly, before turning to Malon. "I can't thank you enough for everything, Mal. I'll see you again soon."

"I know." Malon smiled, and kissed him lovingly on the cheek before moving away to clear Zelda's plates. Trying not to sit in awkward silence, Zelda bounded to her feet and grabbed Link by the sleeve.

"Listen, you should probably stay here with Malon. I know it must be hard for the two of you to be apart after just seeing each other again. I could always get directions from Talon, and make it back to the palace on my own."

Link's eyebrows shot up in surprise at her unexpected suggestion, and he struggled for words on what to say next. "What are you trying to say?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Is this a joke?"

His response surprised Zelda. "No, I just…"

"Come on, Zel, let's not have a reenactment of the first night we met, shall we? The last thing I want on my conscience is you getting lost on my watch. Maybe next time, you will not be so fortunate as to find someone who is willing to protect you. I may not be the best example, but there are a lot of bad people out there."

"Wow, I so rarely hear you speak so many words."

Link fell quiet for a moment. "Besides, I don't really mind being with you. After all, I have to go to Kakariko Village also… so it's not really out of my way."

"Oh, you are so sweet, seeing how you don't mind being with me." Zelda said sarcastically at his poor choice of words, but Link could tell that she ice was melting from last night. A small smile was tugging on the corner of her lips, and he felt a rush of relief.

"Fine," he said with an exasperated smile, determined to get her back on his good side once and for all. "I like travelling with you. You're fun, and we make a good team."

"Yes, I suppose this is true." Zelda said, melodramatically putting a finger against her chin thoughtfully and looking up into the sky. "After all, if I hadn't been there, that Gerudo would have kicked your ass, and God knows what else."

"See? It's language like this which is why you possibly being a princess is so hard to believe. You are the furthest thing from royalty!" Link snickered, before taking her wrist gently in his hand. "Come on, let's go find Epona."

After bidding farewell to their hosts, the two of them mounted the auburn mare and departed from the ranch. Zelda could plainly see the castle in the distance. She didn't know what was making her heart pound more—seeing the castle and the end of her little adventure, or having her arms wrapped around Link's muscular torso.

Feeling her grip tighten around him, she buried her face into his back. Slowing down, Link turned to peer over his shoulder at her. "Zel?" He asked softly. "What's the matter?"

She wanted to go home. There were times where she had wanted to go home so, so badly. But now, all she wanted in the world was to be with him a little while longer. Yes, she knew it was horrible for her to feel this way toward an engaged man, just as scandalous as it was for a princess to be gallivanting with anyone less than wealthy and influential.

"I… just feel a little sad. I came out of the palace so that I could see Hyrule." Zelda murmured, trying her best to step around the real reason for wanting to stay longer. "That is, if it is not too much trouble, may I go to Kakariko Village with you?"

There was a temporary silence, and for a second Zelda actually thought Link would say no, but then Epona turned direction an began heading for the bridge that led to the village. "Well, you can," Link said quietly, "but you probably won't be too eager to follow me this time. I mean, I'm going to be spending my time in the Graveyard."

The Graveyard. Actually, this would be a good opportunity. "I'd actually like to visit it too," Zelda murmured. She wouldn't be able to bring flowers or fresh fruit to the grave, but she could still pay her respect.

She felt a pang of guilt in her chest when the two of them entered the graveyard. Surely, this was not the first time either of them had arrived at this destination, and despite her insisting to come, she felt a certain feeling of dread. Leaving Link's side so he could go do whatever he had come to do, she set down the path to the far side of the graveyard where the tombstone of the royal family stood.

It hadn't been until she actually reached it, however, did she notice that Link had been right behind her the whole time. When he fell into step beside her, he gave her a confused look. "Do you have business with this spot too?"

"Well, yes. What about you?"

Then came the other realization. The one where the tombstone wasn't actually there.

"Damn, looks like someone's already been in. Let's hope he didn't damage what it is I'm here to get." With that, he anxiously leapt down. But Zelda hadn't jumped in right away. She was looking at the red sky angrily.

This was ridiculous. Who? What soulless creature had the gall to demolish the tomb and ransack such a noble man's resting place? Granted, her current guardian just leapt in for God-knows-what reason also. What was so precious that was down there? She had commissioned for the far end of the graveyard and for the tomb's materials herself, so they should've been far from easily destroyed.

Squatting close the ground, she kissed her fingertips and pressed them lightly onto the soil. "Forgive this intrusion, my love. But I must go and drag that blond idiot out of there!"

Link didn't attempt to shield the impatience from his voice when Zelda finally came tumbling down after him. "It took you long enough." He proceeded to light a torch, and once the ember began to burn Zelda couldn't refrain from letting out a strangled cry. What she had expected was to land in a long corridor with the coffin of her loved one on the other side. She had not expected an entire underground mausoleum. Bones littered the smooth ground, and she frantically wondered exactly how many people had tried to rob the tomb.

More importantly, what had stopped them?

Link managed to wrench a door open, and Zelda stepped forward to join him at his side, her eyes forced shut as she tried to envision reuniting with her loved one. Suddenly, Link's loud voice jarred her enough to knock her back to her senses as he put one strong arm protectively in front of her. "No! Zel, stay back!"

Moaning. Was that moaning she heard? A low, gravelly sound, as if it were coming from the pit of the stomach.

And then the door shut loudly behind them.

Her eyes blinking open, Zelda dropped to her knees as the putrid stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils. She turned to the side and horrifyingly revisited her breakfast from earlier that morning in a matter of seconds. Yet it wasn't the fact that she was facing dangerous, decayed, and quasi-limbless bodies that caused her convulsive sobbing.

It was who these dangerous, decayed, and quasi-limbless bodies were.

Link steadily raised his bow as they slowly turned their heads and noticed their presence. At this range, he couldn't miss. But there were just so many of them…

"You take the right side, I'll take the left side." He whispered hoarsely, releasing one arrow at the nearest ReDead before Zelda could react. Fortunately for her, the arrow seemed to have little effect other than deterring it from molesting him to death. It gave them enough time to squirm away into the corner.

"Stop! Link, don't you dare touch him, I'm warning you!" Zelda shouted adamantly, and tried to run inbetween the two of them to shelter the ReDead from Link, of all people. Lunging forward and catching her by the wrist just in time to keep her from getting targeted, Link violently yanked her back into his arms and held on tight to subdue her aggressive wrestling.

"Zelda! Have you lost your fucking mind?" He yelled angrily. "Those are dead corpses that you're trying to run into! Do you have some sort of masochistic death wish? Do you know what those things are?"

"I do. Do you?" Zelda screeched, whirling around to face him. Her blue eyes glittered icily, and he refused to believe that she was looking at him with such contempt. "Do you know who he is? He is Rene's younger brother, a soldier who died bravely protecting the kingdom—and me."

"Rene? Brother? What are you talking about?"

"If you touch him, I will have you rot in prison for defacing this mausoleum and desecrating his body. It's disrespectful, and it's blasphemy! Why do you insist on performing this sacrilegious act?"

"I—Listen, there's something in the grave and that's all I am looking for. I had absolutely no idea that this was some sort of zombie sausage fest!" Link responded, lessening his grip on her. "… And who is this Rene guy, anyway?"

"This grave was built specifically for members of the Royal Family. Whatever it is you're looking for, it's probably not here; we left no treasures."

"It's not a tangible treasure, it's a song." Link stared at Zelda indignantly, his eyebrows furrowing in irritation. "And just who is this Rene? All of a sudden you can't stop talking about him."

In reality, she had only brought Rene up once in passing, so Zelda stopped and stared at Link for a few seconds as if he had just sprouted an extra head.

"We leave." She said finally. "Now." Before she could let him weasel his way out of it, she grabbed the back of his shirt and turned toward the door.

"For goodness sake, Zel, why don't you just tell me who he is?"

"Who else do you think?" Zelda shouted in frustration, throwing her hands up. Sure, she was flattered that he was being so jealous over her simply knowing another man, but you'd think he'd be a tad nicer about it. Or at the very least, choose a better time to bring it up. "Rene Scion! The heir of Termina's royal family? Rene, my late fiancé!"

"Fi… fian…" Link echoed, trying to get the word out, but his voice came out dead. It was as if he was having trouble registering her words. He was having trouble registering her words. Shaking her head, Zelda grabbed onto him again.

"We're leaving this tomb. This song that you wish to learn, I'll teach it to you. But we're getting the fuck out of here."

Not even waiting for an answer, Zelda left the room and scaled the ladder.

Deafly, Link followed her, his mood defeated.

It was none of his business.

It was none of his business.

It was definitely none of his business.

Yet why the hell was he so pissed off about it?

Unable to refrain from asking for very much longer, Link kicked at the dirt as they silently made their way towards the center of Kakariko Village. The pair of them had stayed eerily silent since the whole dead-or-alive ordeal.

"Aren't you… a little young to have an engagement?" He asked quietly.

"Not according to my father, I'm not. Not even according to you, considering you think of yourself as old enough to hire a wedding planner." Zelda countered, and Link immediately shut his mouth. True, they two of them must have been about the same age.

"Besides, why does it even matter? Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous. I am more responsible than that." Link replied as nonchalantly as he could manage, although they both knew that was probably not true. Especially not after the kiss they'd shared. As they left the foot of Death Mountain, they were embraced by the wide outskirts of Hyrule Field. Only this time, the castle was in clear view of them. Their journey was finally coming to an end.

"Zelda, you know that the palace is just beyond those castle walls, don't you?"

The increasingly easy-on-the-eyes princess whirled around to face him, her eyes wide in feigned surprise. "Could it be? Is that sadness I detect in your voice? What a change of heart!"

At that, Link couldn't help but snort. "It was my pleasure, Princess."

Zelda's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she cocked her head to one side. "What, so you believe me now? Now, when I'm wearing nothing but a man's shirt and old underwear?"

Mounting Epona, he shot her a rare smile before lying down on the grass. "Maybe."

"I told you I'd repay you at the castle. And you will be paid. But as a hors d'oeuvre, I shall give this to you." Grinning, she twirled her finger in the air and droplets of metallic blue shine trailed her movement until the mythical Ocarina of Time dropped softly into the palm of her hand with a swirl of multicolored dust. "Here."

"What?" For a moment, Link just stared at the instrument in her hand, before suddenly registering the full meaning of her gesture and retreating a step. Even if he hadn't grown to believe that Zelda was the princess, he certainly had no reason to think otherwise now. "That's a family heirloom! I can't take that."

"Why not?" Zelda protested. "It was entrusted to me to do what I found best-suited. And I find it in no better hands than the only other Hylian whom I've ever found tolerable."

'Only other,' she said. Meaning Rene was a Hylian.

Although in retrospect, of course he was, because there as no way the King would betroth his daughter to a Zora or a Goron. But still, Link had to refrain from making a sour face as his imagination began piecing together the image of the man this girl cared for.

"Are you listening to me? This is the Sun Song."

Zelda sat down on the grass and lay back to gaze up at the sky. Following suit, Link closed his eyes as the breeze swirled around tendrils of her hair against him. He was dead tired. He'd tried to keep his mind off of impertinent information, no matter how much he chastised himself his thoughts always found themselves wandering off.

Rene Scion. The name just wouldn't leave his mind.

Link was nothing more than a lowly swordsman, and a wanderer at that—so he had never had much of a chance to catch wind of anything about this Prince. Or whatever he was.

"He treated me well." Zelda murmured, her voice soft as she reminisced. There was a texture to her voice, like something crisp, that entered his ear and made his whole body tingle. Rolling over to face her, Link raised his eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

Zelda turned, tired, and gave him a sleepy-eyed, dreamy smile. "You have this look on your face. The same as when I told you about Rene."

Link just made a face and turned back around to gaze at a bunny shaped fluff in the sky.

Silence.

"Did you love him?" He asked finally. He could tell Zelda was on the verge of sleep. It was rude to keep distracting her, but he couldn't help himself from asking.

Silence.

"Yes," she said finally, "I suppose I must have loved him."

Feeling his own eyes dim, Link looked away, suddenly very distracted in the blades of grass on the other side of him.

"In that way a younger sister must feel for an older brother, I suppose." Zelda continued softly. Link watched her bodily steadily rise and fall with each breath, each the perfect time interval apart. Pulling his last clean tunic out, he draped it over her body. The light breeze tugged playfully at her hair, sending coils of soft curls to tickle at her neck and cheeks.

"I love you, Zelda."

Her eyes shot open and—doing a perfect imitation of his response back in the laboratory—scooted over several inches in alarm. He could barely think over the hyperactive pounding in his chest and her heavy breathing.

"Really?" She whispered, almost hoarsely.

Link hesitated for a moment, mulling over the consequences of his actions and the fork in the road in which the subsequent scenes would unravel. On the one hand, Zelda might run happily into his arms and they would ride off into the sunset. Otherwise, Zelda would call him a cheating pervert and circumcise him in his sleep.

"Yes." He responded finally.

Zelda's tensed body softened, and she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. There was a thick silence in the atmosphere that seemed to go on for hours, when Zelda finally smiled back at him.

"I love you too, Link." It was only an instant, but then the smile faded and a sadness took over her eyes. "But your loyalty is to Malon, and mine to my father's will. I can't do this."

He should've seen that coming. Malon was definitely a very large boulder. Definitely the first big black X in the path before word of their relationship even reached the King. And yes, he did still have feelings for Malon, but they were stale and routine in comparison to what he felt for this bright, beautiful, cheerful girl beside him.

"Malon let you stay with me in good faith. She trusts you. And she's treated me with great care; I cannot do this to her and neither should you."

Sitting up stiffly, Link pocketed the Ocarina. "No, I suppose not. Come on. Let's get you back."

The two of them mounted Epona again in silence, and counted the number of trots Epona took to reach the castle.

And then, there they were.

Walking up and touching the long chains that held the pathway over the moat, Zelda let out a sigh. So she was here at last.

"Zel?"

Turning to face him, she was surprised by the rough hand of her protector as he lifted her chin and kissed her. She used to roll her eyes and all the sentimental stories Alanna would bellyache about regarding one relationship or another and all the feelings she'd felt, but this was no comparison.

"Go." He whispered softly, touching his lips to her forehead.

This was where she belonged.