Author's note: I will be blunt. This fanfic is porn disguised as a character study disguised as a story with actual plot. Because I am apparently unable to write porn without plot, though I tried so very hard. If you have any aversions to explicit sexual content, I advise against reading this.

Disclaimer: I got nothin'. The Legend of Zelda and its characters are the property of Nintendo and its affiliates. Free porn, man, free porn.

I stole Twilight Princess characters and used them in place of OCs. This cross-over is still strictly between Ocarina of Time and Minish Cap. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy…

The Contract

Chapter 1: The Proposal

By Takara Solverne

The Princess Zelda was going over the plans for new houses with the architects and masons when three of the Royal Guard entered and knelt.

"You may rise," said Zelda, turning away from the sketches. "Greetings, Ashei. Have you found him?"

"Yes, your Highness. We were finally able to confront the sorcerer Vaati," said the Captain Ashei with a bow.

"There were no deaths? Good. Did he reveal his intentions?"

"We don't know yet."

Zelda blinked. "What do you mean?"

The Captain removed an envelope from her pouch and handed it to the princess. "He said it was for your eyes only."

Zelda took it and turned it over. The envelope was sealed with bright violet wax and a signet was stamped onto it. Zelda peered closely at it. It looked like an eye.

She broke the seal and opened the letter. Her eyebrows rose as she read the short message and then looked up, confused.

"Your Highness?" asked the Captain anxiously.

"He wants me to meet him," said Zelda slowly. "Tomorrow morning. Tenth hour. In the Temple of Time. No escorts or attendants, just myself."

Ashei snorted. "Has he never set a trap before in his life? An assassination attempt is going to require a little more effort than that!"

The princess's eyes kept scanning the few lines of the message. "I'm going," she said softly.

Everyone in the room stared at her.

"I beg your pardon, your Highness, but this is clearly an attempt on your life. It isn't safe!"

The princess folded the letter back up. "Vaati has been attacking Hyrule Castle Town for four months now. And when he's not here, he is unleashing small hurricanes upon Kakariko Village, the Zora Kingdom, or the Gerudo Valley. You yourself said that his attacks are never forcible enough to conquer anything, but large enough to establish their owner as a threat. If speaking to me is his goal, then refusing him may result in more homes being blown away or collapsing. I have a responsibility not just to my own people but to our allies to ensure peace for all."

"I don't think just talking to you is what he has in mind for this meeting," said Ashei skeptically.

"It's a possibility," agreed Zelda, placing the letter on the table. "But he's never stayed long enough at the scenes of his crimes for us to find out even an inkling of his motives. If this is a chance that I can find out what he wants, I'll take it."

"And after that, we'll capture him, eh?" smirked Ashei.

"No," answered Zelda, ignoring Ashei's outraged protests. "He has offered a promise not to harm nor capture me that will only hold if I promise the same."

"And we're going to trust his word? He's harmed innocent people; his honor is meaningless!"

"No one," said Zelda simply, looking Ashei straight in the eye, "trusts his word."

Ashei blinked, then grinned. "How many of my Guard will you need, then?"

"At least ten. I will also find mages who will find ways to stay inside the Temple with me and will alert you and your men should trouble arise."

"Good," answered Ashei. "I'm glad we'll be there; I've never trusted sorcerers. I'll take a good, physical fight any day. No offense to your Highness," she added hastily.

Zelda smiled. "Everyone has their preferences. But remember that combat magic, though it looks and functions differently from swords and shields, is still just a tool. It's the imagination and skill of the mage that make it as powerful or as weak as it may be."

She turned to the builders. "I am sorry to cut our discussion short, but I must prepare for the meeting. Once you have made your decisions about the issues we talked about today, we will convene as soon as possible so those homes will be rebuilt."

She turned back to Ashei. "Captain, please select ten of the Royal Guard to accompany us to the Temple of Time."

"Yes your Highness," Ashei bowed.

"Then you are dismissed. I will see you tomorrow at the ninth hour of morning."

As everyone filed out of the room, Zelda walked over to the window and stared down towards her kingdom. It had taken the best of two years to rebuild Hyrule Castle Town and the palace. The only way reconstruction had gone so quickly was through the power of the Triforce of Wisdom and the help of all the peoples of Hyrule, who had generously and enthusiastically restored much of the ghost town to the original, lively place it had once been. The palace had taken a little longer, but the Gorons helped cool the remaining lava and the Kokiri nurtured the ground and soon, the area was lush once again. With stones the Gorons brought, water the Zoras had purified, and manpower supplied by the Hylians, Gerudos, and humans, the castle rose up as smoothly as a tidal wave over the shore. Now she could watch over her people from her towers once again.

However, although outwardly the Hylian towns appeared to be restored, her kingdom was far from complete restoration. Most supplies, from livestock to weapons, were worryingly deficient. As more and more people returned to the towns, skills were taught and people recruited for labor, but never quickly enough it seemed. This made Vaati's attacks doubly frightening; if (or when) he succeeded in attacking key points of the Hylia, it would not be hard for him to take over the rest.

There was one bright side to all this. While Princess Zelda spent time establishing guilds, helping the laborers rebuild and the merchants organize their businesses, she saw how the reconstruction process had begun to bind all the Hyrulian races together as never before. Zelda clenched her slender hands into fists. After all of everyone's hard work to restore Hyrule, she was not going to let some wind mage destroy it all. Not now, not ever.

Vaati had better be prepared for this. Anyone who wanted to be her enemy was going to have work for it.

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Despite the anxiety and curiosity surrounding this particular visit to the Temple of Time, Zelda couldn't help feeling melancholic once she stepped within its stone walls. Although the Door of Time was closed and the Spiritual Stones were in hiding, the Master Sword still lay in the chamber at the far end of the temple.

It would always remind her of him.

Two years didn't erase all the scars left behind.

She took a deep breath to compose herself. She couldn't think of Link right now. She spotted a figure in a deep violet cloak facing the empty altar. He turned around and her breath caught.

She had never before seen someone so…

Purple.

His skin was the palest shade of lavender she had ever seen, making his face and hands seem ghostly. His long hair was the color of the periwinkle flowers she had in her garden. He wore a purple long-sleeve tunic and his pants and sandals were mercifully red.

Her eyes widened when she saw his cap. It looked just like Link's (she felt her heart pang) except it was, yes, purple and a gleaming red jewel was set in the front of it. A fall of periwinkle hair covered his right eye.

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule," said the sorcerer, sweeping an elaborate bow that managed to convey the opposite of respect. "I am so very pleased that you have joined me here today."

"Sorcerer Vaati," acknowledged Zelda, inclining her head. "For what have you called me here to discuss?"

"Straight to the point, aren't we?" the sorcerer smirked. He raised a hand and pointed to fingers at her. Zelda braced herself, expecting a blow of magic to come shooting out, but instead, an elegant chair appeared behind her, and zoomed forward, knocking her into it. The chair carried its cargo up to the altar and Zelda found herself looking up at Vaati.

"Comfortable?" he grinned.

"You could have just offered me a seat," said Zelda coldly. She began to stand back up, but what felt like to giant invisible hands pushed her back into the chair.

"It's really better if you sit," Vaati said, taking a seat on the altar himself. "We do have a lot to talk about."

"Such as why you've attacked almost all of the realms of Hyrule for no apparent reason?"

Vaati raised one elegant eyebrow. "My, we're quick to accuse."

Zelda raised an eyebrow right back. "Do you deny it?"

Vaati shrugged and grinned. Zelda glared and then went on.

"You didn't try to seize control of any area you have attacked so far and, from what we can see, nothing was looted, no one was kidnapped, and there was no harm inflicted on any of the natural processes. What in the world are you after?"

"Maybe I just want to have a bit of fun," answered Vaati, idly drawing a small swirl of magic in the air.

Zelda eyes flashed and she began to stand up, but the same invisible force pushed her back into her seat again.

"Relax, Princess," said Vaati, the smile beginning to drain out of his voice. "I was only joking. If you'd like the plain and simple truth"—the magic swirl vanished and his expression became completely serious—"what I'm after is you."

"Are you proposing a duel, then?" inquired Zelda.

"No. Although what I'd like to propose for the moment is that you send your mages out of this room so that we may speak privately."

Zelda couldn't help showing her surprise. Her own magic was shielding her mages from view and no other magic-user had ever seen through it before.

"How do I know you won't attack or kidnap me the moment they leave?" she asked sharply.

Vaati shrugged. "You don't, really. Guess you'll just have to trust that out of your four mages within these walls and the eleven guards you have outside, you are the only person that even has a chance at giving me a decent fight."

His arrogance rankled, but Zelda was an extremely perceptive person and something about his demeanor told her that he was telling the truth, about both his abilities and his promise not to hurt her. She decided to risk it.

"All right everyone," she said clearly, standing and turning around. "Join the Royal Guard outside. When I need you to return, I'll send you the signal."

One of the mages stepped outside of her invisibility circle. "Are you sure, your Highness?" she asked softly, her huge eyes dark with worry.

Zelda sent her a small smile. "Yes, Agitha. Now please go."

Agitha nodded and she closed her eyes. Her fingers rapidly shaped themselves in arcane positions, and then she and the other three mages vanished.

Zelda watched her go, and then began to turn around. "There. They're gone now, so—eep!" she squeaked. Vaati had moved so close that she found their bodies nearly touching. From her angle, she could see all of his face, and like a mouse entranced by a cobra, she couldn't stop staring into his eyes. They were the vivid red of rubies and Zelda felt herself being pulled into them. Long, pale fingers gently touched her cheek and she gasped.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured. The tips of his nails gently ran down the curve of her face, leaving unusually strong tingling feelings in their wake. Zelda, for all of her poise, couldn't help blushing as she averted her eyes. Vaati chuckled. "And so charming as well."

Zelda tried to take deep breaths discreetly, which is extremely tricky to do at the best of times. What's wrong with me? She wondered. One touch and she wibbled from regal princess to shy little girl?

Vaati stepped back and Zelda was bewildered by a faint sense of emptiness that ensued. He reached out and took one of her slim hands in both of his. His skin was cool, though whether because of the atmosphere of the temple or his circulation, Zelda didn't know.

Vaati inclined his head and said formally, "What I have brought you here today to ask you is," to Zelda's shock, he knelt, "if you would do me the honor of giving me your hand in marriage."

Zelda stared at him. There was no trace of a smirk on Vaati's face, nor the sarcasm from before. If anything, there looked like a glint of hope in his eyes. Could he possibly be serious?

"No!" she exclaimed, trying to pull her hand out of his. Vaati wouldn't let her go and she raised a ball of pink energy in her hand. Before she could strike, Vaati swiftly rose to his feet and the same force that was pushing her into the chair earlier encircled each of her wrists and brought them together behind her back. Zelda desperately tried to break them with her magic, but to her horror, the shackles didn't budge.

"Agreement, Princess," said Vaati, casually leaning against the altar. "I won't attack you if you won't attack me."

Zelda glared, but her magic flickered out and a few seconds later, the shackles vanished. Zelda found herself shaken, not just by the strength of Vaati's magic, but the way she had felt powerless when she looked into the sorcerer's eyes.

Vaati frowned. "I hardly see what the problem was, anyway," he said, sounding slightly miffed. "A marriage proposal hardly constitutes a threat."

"Why?" Zelda demanded, trying to regain her composure. "Why should I marry a sorcerer I don't even know, who's been wreaking havoc on my people, who's—"

"Have I ever killed any of your people?" Vaati interrupted.

"What? No. No deaths have been reported to me."

"Have I ever killed any of the people from the places I have attacked?" Vaati asked, staring her straight in the eye.

"Well…no. But people have been injured and crops have been overturned! Just yesterday I was trying to repair the damage you caused to some of our houses!"

"No coup d'état is without its sacrifices," Vaati murmured. "But as you can see, my intention is not to deal any lasting damage to your people. I have no wish to oppress them either."

"Coup d'état—" Zelda yelled, but Vaati cut her off again.

"Yes, Princess, I admit it." Vaati spread his hands out. "I was trying to seize control of this country. I—"

It was Zelda's turn to interrupt. "You couldn't have tried this while Ganondorf was tyrannizing it?" she demanded bitterly.

"Ganondorf had possession of the Triforce of Power and was using it to his utmost advantage," Vaati shrugged. "The only ones who could have possibly opposed him would have to hold pieces of the Triforce themselves, namely you and the Hero of Time. And even if I did have the power to challenge him, there was enough turmoil among my own people to sufficiently occupy me."

"Your people?" For the first time, Zelda focused on Vaati's ears. Perhaps it was because she was used to seeing them among her own subjects, or because she was distracted by his unusual coloring, but his pointed Hylian ears had escaped her notice.

"Yes…What?" asked Vaati, seeing her gazing at him.

"Nothing, I just assumed you were a foreigner of some sort. Are you part Zora?"

Vaati sputtered, the most amusing sight Zelda had seen all day by far. "No! I'm not! I'm—I'm a Hylian!"

"There's nothing wrong with Zoras! But since you're not, shouldn't you be referring to your people as 'our people'?" Zelda asked with narrowed eyes.

Vaati flipped his long hair over his shoulder. "Fine. I apologize," he said with a touch of exasperation. "Now could we kindly return to my proposal?"

"I am sorry, I was not under the impression that we have anything more to discuss," answered Zelda coldly.

"Are you quite certain?" asked Vaati with a scintillating smile as he sat back on the altar. He continued to smile unyieldingly at her until the princess grudgingly sat down as well.

"So then. Tell me, Princess Zelda," Vaati said smoothly, leaning forward and resting his chin on his long-fingered hand. "Who has been courting you of late? Surely some dashing young princes or dignified, well-bred noblemen have been battling to the death over your fair hand?"

"I would appreciate your refraining from jokes in bad taste," said Zelda stiffly. Vaati sat back, chuckling.

"Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to offend. But am I correct?" he asked, his bright red eyes snapping open and staring straight at hers. "No suitors?"

"The occasion to accept callers is a leisure reserved for those who are not in the process of reviving a country," Zelda said sharply.

"Of course. You have not had the time," Vaati said silkily. "And yet, your potential lovers should have. A princess struggling to restore her nation? What a perfect opportunity for a gentleman to sweep in and offer his expertise if he is a noble, resources if he is a prince, and certainly his comfort and support if he is either. And yet none?"

Zelda sat in stony silence. Vaati leaned forward again and spoke with an almost-vicious bluntness. "That is because every nation within reasonable distance of Hyrule is ruled by a king who is either married or about to be. As for Hyrule, the gentry? They are dead, or turned into Stalfos. The Gerudos? Their king is imprisoned, their regent is a woman and from what I've heard, women hold no special charm for you. The Gorons? Their King is married with an heir far too young for you. The Zora? Their ruler is a princess like yourself. The Kokiri? Their ruler is a tree."

He let that last statement hang. Then, after carelessly flicking a strand of lavender hair over his shoulder, he grinned widely at her. "A sprout, to be precise."

"And what," Zelda asked dryly. "Are you offering me? Expertise? Resources? Go on."

"Power," answered Vaati simply, spreading his hands out. "Unlimited magical power."

"Oh really?" Princess Zelda didn't bother hiding her skepticism.

"Yes. Really."

"And how, Sorcerer Vaati, did you come by this magical power? Pardon me, this unlimited magical power?"

"I learned it," answered Vaati evasively. "From a teacher. A long time ago." He was quiet, and for a second, Zelda saw through his self-satisfied façade and beheld a person who suddenly looked very young, very vulnerable, and very…lonely?

Did his teacher pass away? Zelda wondered. She was about to ask when Vaati shook himself and the façade reappeared.

"I promise you, Princess Zelda," he said quietly. "All those attacks on Hyrule? They could have been much, much worse. However, I wanted to analyze the defenses of my future nation before I began my takeover. My first few attacks were to test the armies of each domain and find out the recovery time of each. All were weak, but better than yours."

He raised a hand to silence Zelda, who was about to defend her people's progress. "I know you are still performing restoration. But after watching your people struggle to rebuild after I attacked, I realized that I didn't want supreme power over all of Hyrule. I just wanted to rule my own people, the Hylians, and lead them on the path to prosperity. And the more I watch you," he got up from the altar and knelt in front of her again, "the more I believe our goals are one."

He stared up at her, his single visible ruby eye earnest. "Power, Princess Zelda. Together you and I can combine our strengths and Hyrule will be the thriving country it was. With your wisdom and my power."

"Power," said Zelda in a low voice, "was Ganondorf's chosen ideal, and he led my country to ruin. Is that truly what you have to offer me?"

"Well that, and of course my," Vaati licked his lips, "comfort."

Zelda turned her head away in disgust. Vaati brushed his lips against the back of her hand and coaxed, "Come now, is power such a vice? You wield a great deal of it yourself, you know."

Zelda reluctantly turned back to him. He rested his cheek on her hand and gazed up at her.

"Only those willing to live for a country should rule it," Zelda said quietly. "This is the price of true power. Those who seek it only to gain for themselves will only lose it, and will harm others in the process."

"I solely seek to serve the people," declared Vaati solemnly. "And, of course, you, my Princess Zelda."

Zelda slowly reached out and brushed his bangs to one side so she could see both of his beautiful eyes. When in doubt, always look into the eyes. Her mother had passed on that advice as well as her gift of seeing the truth of people's hearts. What she saw in the eyes of the sorcerer made her pause. Words were cheap, and Zelda distrusted Vaati's, but she could see something in him that rang true with his words. He didn't want to hurt the people and he did mean to restore Hyrule. And (she was startled) he did truly want to marry her.

Zelda looked down at her hand in his. Link was gone. There was no pretending that he would ride back one day when she was the one who had sent him to regain his sorely-missed lost years. Vaati was depressingly correct; although the nobles would soon rise as Hyrule became stronger, it was doubtful she would find an eligible noble in time to aid her in making Hyrule strong. All of the other royal families would help her as much as they could, but having a powerful consort who solely focused on Hyrule would help the kingdom much more. There was also no doubt that Vaati possessed formidable power, and if he could either harness it to help her country or teach his spells to other mages to aid in reconstruction, he was indeed a potential consort.

But she didn't know him at all.

She raised her gaze to Vaati's eager face. "Would your desire to help Hyrule not be just as well-served by aiding me as a court mage?"

"You, my beautiful flower, will either get all of me," Vaati smiled dazzingly, then stopped, "or none of me."

Zelda glared. "What happened to wanting to help Hyrule?"

"Things would go much more quickly and smoothly if I were in command."

"But you could still help if you were my mage!"

"You seem to forget," Vaati said sweetly, "that my main goal is to preside over Hyrule. This was going to be accomplished by infiltrating your strongholds and demolishing them all at once." He paused meaningfully. "However, I decided a more productive route would be marriage. I wouldn't mind sharing power if a wise and lovely lady such as yourself was by my side as my queen."

"And so you could claim the title of royalty through marriage," said Zelda dryly.

Vaati shrugged happily. "It's a perk."

"If we marry, how do I know you won't try to kill me afterward?"

Vaati looked affronted, but then relaxed. "I suppose you have a right to be suspicious. Know this, then. I never dispose of a powerful ally, and if we marry, you will certainly be that. And where else would I find a woman as beautiful as you?" He smiled playfully at her, and then his expression became serious again. "Now Princess, it's time to choose. Will you refuse me and prepare your already strained people for war or will you gain me and my magic in your quest to rebuild your kingdom?"

Zelda stared at him and Vaati stared straight back. This was blackmail. No. This was no different than any other person with plans for a coup d'état. And really, Vaati was more honest about his intentions than most other monarchs or noblemen would be about their plan of seizing Hyrule.

She could say no. She could do it, and as Vaati accurately described it, prepare her already struggling people to be attacked by the strongest sorcerer she had ever seen. That was not an option, not while her people were so lacking in defenses. And the closer she got to him, the more she could get a better sense of his intentions. If they were destructive, she could begin to prepare against them. If they were good, then as Vaati had said of her, he could be a powerful ally.

Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath to gather her courage. When she opened them again, Vaati's mouth was quirking up triumphantly. She repressed the urge to smack that smirk off of his face.

"I accept," she said in a low voice. Vaati's eyes lit up and his pale lips began to stretch in a full-fledged smile before she cut it off sharply, "on two conditions."

Vaati raised an eyebrow, but decided to humor her. "Name them."

"When we get married, we rule jointly. If we cannot agree on a matter, we release it to either the Hylian council or the Hyrulean council, depending on the issue. But we cannot overrule one another without the support of the councils."

Vaati smiled appreciatively. "A lady on top. This sounds promising."

Zelda paused, for her formidable clairvoyant powers sensed a hidden meaning under his words. She raised an eyebrow and Vaati became the picture of innocence. "Agreed, Princess."

"…all right, then. Because marriage is a binding and permanent contract, I require a period of engagement lasting no less than two years to observe your commitment to the Hylian Kingdom."

"Two years?" For the first time, Vaati looked stunned. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, Princess," he said dangerously. "Do you plan to marry me at all?"

"I find the period perfectly reasonable," answered Zelda winsomely.

"Well, I don't," snapped Vaati. "We marry tonight."

"Tonight?! You're crazy!"

"No more crazy than waiting for two whole years!"

"A year and a half then."

"A month."

"A year."

"Six months."

"Nine months."

"Six months or I attack the Hylia tonight."

"Done," Zelda yielded grudgingly. Vaati laughed delightedly and for a moment, his red eyes became cold and malicious. Zelda sucked her breath in and was about to pull back, but Vaati swiftly rose to his feet and took hold of her shoulders. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and leaned down to kiss her. Thinking fast, Zelda swerved her head to avoid his lips and wrapped her arms around him, pretending she wanted a hug instead. Vaati went stiff, and then his arms tentatively began to wrap around her as well, as though he was not quite sure how to return an embrace.

After a few awkward moments, they broke apart. Zelda immediately began walking towards the doorway of the Temple of Time. Suddenly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Don't call me 'beautiful flower.' Ever. Again."

"Duly noted, Princess."

As Zelda exited the Temple of Time, she didn't see the gale that enveloped the sorcerer, nor the evil smile on his pale face just before he vanished.

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