"Link! Can you come here for a minute?"

I smiled. Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, the person who I had traveled all over Farore's creation for, risking life and limb to save, the person for whom I had fought my way through through the Great Deku Tree, a huge cavern, the belly of a guardian of the Zoras, five temples, and a castle filled with more traps and enemies than you can imagine, the person who had gone so far as to turn herself into a male Sheikah(that was a very awkward question to ask, trust me) for 7 years of her life to hide from Ganondorf, the person who, with my help and the help of the other Six Sages, saved Hyrule by sealing the same Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm, the person who had sent me back in time after I'd completed my destiny so we could live a normal life, and the person who I loved more than anything else, called for me.

I gave a sigh, and thought about how far everything had come. It's been 7 years since the whole Ganondorf mess ended, and everything was better than I could hope to imagine. I got the 7 years I had spent sealed away in the Temple of Time back, and so much more as well.

After the battle with Ganondorf was over, Zelda had explained how, because she was a Sage, she could send me back in time using the Ocarina of Time that she had given me on my journey. Once she did so, I wasted no time in running back to Hyrule Castle to warn her of what was to come. But, when I arrived, something I didn't expect happened: I hadn't realized it before, but Zelda was able to send herself back in time as well, back to the day that she and I first met. So, after I managed to sneak past the practically-blind guards, I found Zelda staring through the courtyard window at Ganondorf, just as I had seen her before.

But, I hadn't even made it halfway across the courtyard before she turned around. And when she did, instead of saying "What? Who? Who are you?", she said my name, a name that I hadn't even told her yet. "Link!" she screamed. She ran up to me, and I felt my once again 11-year old body be tackled in an embrace. "Link...You...you made it...it worked..." Zelda sobbed into my Kokiri Tunic. I couldn't believe my ears. I returned her hug, and spoke back. "Zelda? But...how do you know who I-"

"Link...you honestly didn't think I was going to leave you behind, were you? No! This is our chance! If we can convince my father that Ganondorf is going to cause the downfall of Hyrule, then we can stop those horrible events from happening! We can stop it before it happens! We can live a normal life, Link!" she explained, taking her head off of my shoulder and looking into my eyes.

She then took my left hand, where the mark of the Triforce of Courage still was, albeit faint. "All we need to do is show my father this, Link. Once Ganondorf leaves, we can use this as proof, and warn my father about what is going to happen. Then, Ganondorf will never be able to enter the Sacred Realm, or claim the Triforce of Power. He will be either jailed or executed, but either way he will be out of our lives forever, and none of the horrible events of the future will happen!" she continued.

I let my hand fall back to my side, and nodded. "I understand, Zelda. Let's...let's stop this once and for all," I said, pulling her in for another hug. "Goddesses, it feels good to be near her again," I thought. I felt another tear escape Zelda's eye, and fall onto my tunic. "Let's," she replied, relieved. After that, it was all easy going. Zelda's new plan went exactly as...well, planned, and we were able to convince Zelda's father, Daphnes Nohansen, of Ganondorf's evil intentions, using the Triforce of Courage and both of our stories as proof.

After our stories, Daphnes immediately sent for Ganondorf, and he was swiftly arrested, convicted of treason, and sentenced to death by execution at the Arbiter's Grounds at the outskirts of the Gerudo Desert. But, that wasn't supposed to happen for a while, so Zelda had a backup plan to absolutely ensure that Ganondorf could never enter the Sacred Realm.

She had me leave Hyrule for a while, and entrusted the Ocarina of Time to me for safekeeping. I took it, promised I would be back in about a year, and then I left to go on a more...well, personal journey, I guess you could say. But, that's not really important. What mattered was that when I returned back to Hyrule a little more than a year later, the deed had been done. Ganondorf was gone.

I was now thirteen, and Zelda was, too, although she was slightly younger than me. And now, after so many years apart, so many trials, so many close calls with death, Zelda and I could finally, finally, rest easy. We could live a normal life. We could be...together.

As the years went on, Zelda and I became close. Closer than close. A few more years went by, and things kept getting better. Zelda was still princess, and I had been knighted the moment I set foot back in Hyrule. Now, I was a royal knight, so it was my duty to protect Zelda(some things never change, I guess), and, because I was most likely the best swordsman in Hyrule, train new knights. I didn't really enjoy the latter part of the job, because you wouldn't believe how many idiots there were that didn't even know how to use a sword and shield properly. But like I said, it meant I could be closer to Zelda, so it was worth it.

And I'll admit, the royal parties I got to attend weren't bad, either, but they couldn't hold a candle to the ones Saria and I used to have with the other Kokiri in the forest. And, I also could have done without the fancy suits I always had to wear. It may sound weird, but I actually enjoyed wearing nothing but a tunic, hat, and boots; there was a strange sense of freedom in it.

But, I digress. Zelda and I were now both eighteen, the same ages we were before I got sent back in time. And, I could tell that she loved me as much as I loved her. King Daphnes was about as nice a man as you could expect the ruler of a nation to be, so not very much. But, he knew that I loved his daughter, and I had already proved to him that I would do anything for her.

So, when I heard Zelda call my name, I quickly felt in my pocket, and pulled out a small box. Inside that box was the most important thing I would ever hold in my life. It was, by far, more important than any of the items I had ever held in my journey. It was more important than the Ocarina of Time, Spiritual Stomes, Six Sages' Medallions, and the Master Sword combined.

It was a small, golden ring, with the Triforce engraved in the middle of the band. And, sitting in the middle triangle of the sacred relic, the part that wasn't devoted to any of the three Goddesses, was the most beautifully cut diamond I had ever seen. It wasn't the biggest diamond, but I thought it looked beautiful, and went perfect with the ring. As I slipped the box back into my pocket, I prayed for Farore to lend me courage, and then I replied to Zelda's call.

"Yeah, I'll be right there!"

I walked out of the room I was in, and went to meet Zelda. She looked absolutely stunning in her formal attire, even if I had seen her in it about a million times before. A pink dress with some designs of the Triforce, the symbol of the Sheikah, and a large bird that a hero of legend once supposedly rode on the front, a pair of golden Triforce earrings(which complemented her long golden hair nicely, I must say), and a pair of long gloves that matched the bottom of her dress. Simple, but beautiful nonetheless.

Zelda smiled when she saw me, and ran up to me as fast as her dress would allow her. "There you are, Link! I was beginning to think you'd scurried off somewhere," she said, giving me a hug and a small kiss as she said so. She pulled away, and went on. "So...did anything exciting happen today while you were training the knights?" she asked me. I shook my head. "No, not really," I answered. Other than a new knight joining the ranks, nothing super exciting happened.

After Zelda's question, I started to think about what I was about to do, and an idea suddenly popped into my head. "Do you want to take a walk, Zelda? Let's go to the courtyard; I bet it looks lovely right now," I suggested. She nodded. "Yeah, I could definitely go for that. Today's been pretty taxing on me," she responded. I nodded back, and we started walking.

Along the way, we talked about random things - how Zelda's day went, what she had to do in the royal court, how she was preparing for another party, et cetera - and I didn't notice it right away, but by the time she and I made it to the courtyard, I was drenched in sweat. The small box in my pocket now seemed to weigh a million pounds, and seemed to get heavier with each passing second.

Somehow, I managed to calm myself down without Zelda noticing, and took a look around the courtyard - it was a beautiful day, and the sun was still pretty high in the sky. "This is perfect," I thought, looking to Zelda again. The sunlight made her look even more beautiful than she did before, if that was even possible; I felt myself start to blush a little, but I quickly forced it away.

"Wow...you were right, Link; the courtyard looks absolutely amazing right now. This has always been a nice place for me to cool down after a tense day, but right now it's like heaven," she said. I weakly nodded, feeling the pressure start to get to me again. "Yeah...like heaven," I replied stupidly.

Zelda looked to me again, and raised her eyebrow. "Are you feeling okay, Link?" she suddenly asked me. I looked at her, and nodded again. "I'm fine, Zelda. Why do you ask?" I replied. She stared at me for a moment. "Well...I don't know what it is, but you just seem...off, today. Is there something bothering you? Are you sure nothing happened today that you don't want to talk about?" she asked.

Even though it was starting to seem repetitive, I nodded again. "Yes, I'm sure that nothing exciting happened today, and that there's nothing I need to talk to you about," I replied. "But you're not far off, Zelda, because something very, very exciting is about to happen," I added in my mind. At that point, I decided that I had put it off long enough, and told myself to just go ahead and do it.

So, I spoke up again. "...Well, actually, I lied. There is something I've been meaning to talk to you about, Zelda. And, it is pretty important. How long has it been...since that whole mess with Ganondorf started?" I asked her. She had to think about it for a second. "Well...it's been seven years since we actually stopped Ganondorf's plan the second time by warning my father, and it's been about six since you returned to Hyrule," she replied.

I nodded. "That's right. And on top of that, there's the first time all of this happened as well. You had to wait 7 years for me, but I spent that time asleep in the Sacred Realm in the Temple of Time. So, you could say it's been even longer than that," I added. She nodded. "Yes...wow, it's really been a long time for me, hasn't it? Fourteen years?" she asked. I nodded back. "Fourteen years," I replied.

"And, during those first seven years, you disguised yourself as Shiek to evade Ganondorf. You used your piece of the Triforce to actually turn yourself into a male, and once I woke up, you helped me complete my journey in secret by teaching me the sacred songs on the Ocarina of Time," I recounted.

Zelda nodded back. "Yes, and then when Ganondorf eventually found out what I was up to, he captured me, and you came to save me in his castle. You beat him, we escaped, and we sealed him away using the power of the Six Sages," she recalled. She suddenly grew a skeptical look. "But why is this important?" she asked.

I looked back to her. "Well, let me ask you another question. Why did you help me?" I asked. Zelda looked really confused now. "Why did I help you, Link? I helped you because Ganondorf was taking over Hyrule, and trying to claim the Triforce so he could rule the entire world. I helped you because we wanted to stop him from doing so, remember?" she asked back.

I nodded. "Yes, I do. Now, let me ask you another question. Why do you think I did so?" I asked. Somehow. Zelda looked even more confused. "Why? Well, for the same reason, right? You wanted to see to it that Ganondorf was stopped as well. Am I right, Link?" she asked back. I nodded. "Yes, you are, Princess," I replied.

"But, there was actually another reason why I did all of that. Besides wanting to stop Ganon, there was another reason why I left my old life in the forest behind. There was another reason why I went through a Dodongo-infested cavern, a huge guardian of the Zoras, went into a 7-year sleep, and fought my way through 5 temples, risking my life all the way. Do you know what that reason was, Zelda?" I asked.

Zelda shook her head. "No, I don't. Why?" she replied. I took a deep breath, and answered her. "I did all of that because I wanted to be with you, Zelda. From the moment I first saw you - in this very courtyard, no less - from the moment that you turned around to face Navi and I, I knew that I wanted to be yours, and I wanted you to be mine. I did it because I love you," I replied.

Zelda cracked a small smile. "Oh, Link...you love me? Well, I love you, too. Come here," she said, walking over to the middle of the courtyard and embracing me in another hug. I took Zelda, wrapped my arms around her, and held her as close as I could. "Yes, Zelda...I did all of this for you. I really love you. And now, I'm about to prove it," I thought.

Zelda eventually let go of me, and I spoke up again. "Yes, Zelda, I love you, with all of my heart. But, that's not nearly enough. I've waited for this moment long enough, and I'm finally ready to take this to the next level..." I said. Zelda looked at me, and I could see her brain trying to work out what I had just said. "Wait...what?" she asked. "Link...are you going to-"

But before Zelda could complete her sentence, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out the box that had weighed as much as Death Mountain before, but now felt as light as a feather. When Zelda saw the box, her eyes grew wide, and she screamed. "Link!" she said hysterically.

I smiled, got down on one knee, and looked directly into Zelda's sky-blue eyes. "Yes, Zelda. I want to prove to you that my love for you means more than you could possibly imagine. We've been through so much already, and after all that's happened, it's finally time for us to be together. I promise that I will be with you for the rest of your life, and even after death, if it means we can be together forever. So, Zelda Nohansen, Princess of Hyrule...will you be my wife? Will you marry me?" I asked, opening the box.

I saw a flood of tears start to leak out of Zelda's eyes; she was crying. But, she quickly wiped them away, and nodded. "Yes, Link! Of course I will!" she responded. She quickly took her right glove off of her hand, and I took the ring out of the box. I slid it onto Zelda's right ring finger, and then I stood back up. "Thank you so much, Zelda. You really have no idea how happy you've just made me. I really love you, with everything I have, and I promise to do so until the end, and even after then as well," I said.

Zelda nodded, and pulled me in one more time. She kissed me full on the lips, which didn't last nearly as long as I wanted it to, and then she embraced me one last time. "I love you too, Link, and I promise to be there as your wife until the end of my life, and after death as well," she said shakily. She gave a small sob, and a tear fell onto the shoulder of the suit I was wearing.

I felt the tear hit me, and I couldn't help but think back to 7 years ago. This was the exact spot where Zelda and I had stood, and the place where I had first seen her after coming back in time. And, she had done the exact same thing she was doing now: cry onto my shoulder in happiness. "Well, I guess some things just never change," I thought.

Eventually, Zelda took her head off of my shoulder, and smiled. "Well...I guess we should go tell my father about this," she said. I laughed a little. "Well, let's go, then," I said. Zelda nodded, and reached out to me with her newly-ringed right hand. I took it, turned around, and we walked out of the courtyard, together.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this little oneshot I put together. This is the first time I've ever tried to write anything romantic, so sorry if it's cliché or anything of the sort. I just wanted to write something that wasn't A Skyward Sword Adventure for a little bit, and this idea popped into my head. So, here you go.

As always, thanks so much for reading, and remember to review if you liked it. I actually might even write some things like this in the future, so even if it's criticism, tell me, because I want to improve my writing. Anyway, I'll see you guys later! Bye! :D

-sslamajama97