A/N: Okay, so… I have always shipped Link and Zelda, ever since I was a child and I didn't even know what shipping was. I really wanted to write this story from the moment I finished playing Twilight Princess. It had such a sad ending, leaving so much to the imagination. Anyway, this story is going to be very fluffy, so… yeah. If that isn't your thing, run for the hills. Enjoy :D

Chapter 1

Link stood in shock long after the Mirror of Twilight had been shattered at Midna's own intentions. The bitter wind blew against the faces of both the brave young hero and the wise princess beside him as they stared at the broken mirror, as if it would magically repair itself and Midna would return and tell the two of them that it was all a trick. But there was no reparation. There was no joking, there was no Midna, and there was no relieved laughing that it was all a prank and that Midna wasn't leaving forever, because she was. Midna was gone and there was nothing.

Zelda sighed at the sight of the mirror and all that its ruins symbolized. She glanced over at the boy in green next to her. He wore the clothes of a hero, but at that moment, he didn't feel heroic in the slightest bit. Link had lost a friend that day, just as he had lost many things in the past few weeks or months. He hadn't even been able to keep track of the time during that period because he had too many things on his mind. It didn't matter at all to him, though. Midna was gone. As much as it pained him to say so, he had grown accustomed to having her at his side on their journeys and he had grown quite fond of her. But alas, there would be no celebration from the youthful, courageous hero on that night.

Zelda put a warm hand on his shoulder, prompting him to turn his head to look at her. He did so with his pained blue eyes, nodding. "Yes, your highness?" he asked politely, turning his body to face her.

"Please," she told him calmly, "call me Zelda."

Link nodded his head once more, curtly. "Yes, Zelda?"

Zelda tried to choose her words carefully, knowing that the adventurer in front of her had a heart full of pain and sorrow. "Link," she started, taking her hand off of his shoulder, "I cannot begin to express my gratitude for all you have done for the humble kingdom of Hyrule. Your chivalry astounds me to the point where I could never possibly thank you enough for what you've done. I express my most sincere condolences at the loss of your friend, Midna. She is a very brave woman with a very kind soul, despite her tough exterior. It's not often that one can find a companion as loyal as she…"

Although Link's soul was heavy with both exhaustion and grief, the smallest of smiles grew on his lips. "Thank you, Zelda…" he responded, lifting his gaze up to hers. He knew that Zelda was genuinely repentant about not stopping Midna before she left. Zelda knew that it was best to let Midna leave to the Twilight Realm for good. The two worlds, as Zelda had said before, coexisted. They were meant to meet each other at one time or another. However, they had met already, and it was time for them to go their separate ways now. Deep down inside of him, Link knew this, too.

"Would you like a ride back to the castle, Zelda?" Link asked, nodding over to Epona.

"That's very kind of you, Link, but I was actually going to go to Kakariko Village. I have to speak with a boy there regarding his store in Castle Town." she informed him, yawning quietly.

"You mean Malo?" the young man asked, perking his head up.

The princess nodded, her eyes tired. "Yes, that's him. You know him?"

"I've known him for as long as he's been alive. We both come from Ordon Village. I could take you to Kakariko to speak with him; that's where I'm headed." Link smiled at her, standing up tall.

Too tired to decline, Zelda grinned at him and yawned once more. "I suppose so," she agreed with the young man. Link took her by the hand and hurriedly ran off to a nearby patch of horse grass. The princess cocked her head, glancing back and forth between Link and the grass. "What do you plan to do with that?"

"Watch," he replied simply, putting the blade of grass between his lips. Link blew into the grass and it created a lovely tune which echoed off the thick walls of the chamber. The music lingered in the cold air for a minute as Zelda waited for something to happen. After a few seconds had passed, Link's horse came galloping gracefully across the plain, neighing at the sight of the boy.

Delighted, Zelda plucked a piece of grass from the patch to examine it. "It's remarkable…" she gazed at the grass, awestruck. "It works wherever you are?"

He nodded, stroking the horse's mane. "Uh-huh. She's a very loyal horse."

"Smart, too," Zelda nodded. "She found her way all the way over here from nothing but the sound of a whistle."

Link chuckled, climbing onto the horse's back and offering Zelda a hand. She accepted and grabbed onto his strong hand. He pulled her up onto the horse behind him. "Hold on," he advised her, grabbing the horse's reins. Finding nothing to hold onto, she put her arms around his waist, gripping onto him as hard as she could.

"I'm sorry about this," she apologized bashfully, her cheeks turning bright red.

He shook his head, laughing as he looked back at her. "Better safe than sorry," he said as he pushed a piece of hair out of his face. With a sharp yell from the hero, the horse took off quick as lightning as the princess held onto the boy for dear life.

When they finally arrived to Kakariko Village, a swarm of villagers eagerly awaited the two adolescents. Link jumped off of Epona onto the rough dirt, dusting himself off before helping Zelda down. He was nearly tackled by all of the village children who were frantically asking questions about Ganondorf and Hyrule Castle. The youngsters finally quieted down when one of the boys, Talo, pointed to Zelda asking, "Who's she?"

One of the girls, Beth, gasped in astonishment and shouted, "That's the princess! Princess Zelda!" Beth jumped up and down in excitement, squealing as she ran over to Zelda. "I can't believe it's you! I've heard so much about you! You're so pretty and your hair is so nice and your dress is amazing and… and… you must be the princess, right?"

Zelda smiled at the little girl. "Yes, that's correct," she answered, nodding.

"Oh my gosh!" Beth squeaked, shaking Zelda's hand. "A princess! A real princess! I never thought I would be able to meet you!"

"That's such a lie," Malo spoke up, rolling his eyes. "You told all of us that you were going to beg Link to take you to meet Zelda."

"Malo!" Beth snapped. "You're ruining everything!"

"You're Malo?" Zelda asked the little boy who couldn't have been more than five years old.

Malo nodded, crossing his arms. "Yes, I am Malo. I'm the owner of the Malo Marts in both Kakariko Village and Castle Town. Are you surprised?"

Zelda nodded slightly, kneeling down to meet his eye level. "I'd heard you were young, but… well, I had figured that you would be around the same age as Link. I didn't realize how young you were…"

Malo brushed his hair out of his face triumphantly. "I'm told that I'm very mature for my age. Now, what is your business here, Princess Zelda?"

"I came to discuss your store in Castle Town, actually. Can we speak in private?" she asked.

Malo nodded, standing up tall. "Right this way," he answered, leading her over to the Kakariko Village Malo Mart.

Once the two of them were gone, Beth crossed her arms, scowling at the ground. "That Malo thinks he's so much better than the rest of us, just because he gets to talk to the princess! Well, it's not true! He grew up in Ordon, just like we did! He's, like… a foot shorter than me! Why does he always get what he wants?" Beth whined, kicking up some dirt off of the ground.

Before Link could say anything, Beth stormed off, mumbling to herself. Link sighed, shaking his head at the girl before turning around to find Colin right behind him.

"Hey, Link!" Colin exclaimed, giving him a big hug. "How was the adventure?"

"Exhausting," Link laughed, plopping down onto the ground to rest for a while. "Where's Ilia and everyone else?"

Colin shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think they went to pack up all of our stuff for the trip back to Ordon Village. I think we're all leaving tomorrow night," Colin explained to Link.

"Why not tonight?" Link asked, sitting up straight.

Colin smiled sheepishly. "We were planning on celebrating tonight…" he informed Link, scratching his head. "We wanted to throw you a party."

Link stood up, dusting himself off. "Oh, you don't have to do that, Colin…" Link told him. He wasn't a partying type of person, really, and he didn't find it necessary to have a party in his honor.

"We want to, though, Link!" Colin interrupted. "Everyone in Hyrule is celebrating tonight because of what you did! You're a real hero!" Colin beamed at Link, jumping up and down in excitement. Colin was usually a very bashful, quiet young boy. However, he couldn't contain his inner excitement when he heard about how Link saved Hyrule.

Before Link could object, Zelda and Malo returned from the store. Malo ran off somewhere as Zelda approached Link and Colin. "Is something wrong?"

Colin shook his head, beaming at the princess. "Nope, I was just talking to Link about the party we're having tonight for him. It's gonna be a lot of fun!"

Zelda smiled at Link. "Is that so?" she asked. "I'll be there if it is. It's the least I can do to properly express my gratitude."

Link nodded his head, grinning. "Uh, yeah. It's tonight. At…"

"Dusk," Colin chimed in.

"Dusk," Link agreed, wringing his hands.

The princess nodded. "It's a plan, then," she agreed. "Judging by the sunlight right now, I would conclude that sun fall will be in approximately… two hours. I'll be down at the hotel, if you need me." Zelda walked off as Colin turned to Link.

"She sure is smart…" Colin stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Definitely," Link agreed, walking off.

The party later that night was much more than Link had expected. There was laughing, dancing, drinking, and a few of the Gorons from the tribe even came down to visit. He tried his best to stay at Zelda's side, as he was overwhelmed by all of the noise.

"Would you like to dance?" Zelda asked him, stepping aside from the crowd.

Link chuckled nervously, staring at the ground. "I don't dance, much. I don't really know how…"

Zelda's eyes lit up as she put a hand on his shoulder. "That's not a problem. Dancing is simple. I can teach you how."

Link bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. "I don't really… I don't…"

"Oh, come on," Zelda giggled at his hesitation, "you can fight Ganondorf in four different phases and travel across the kingdom defeating Lizalfos and Darknuts, but dancing is where you draw the line?"

He laughed nervously once again, his cheeks burning red. "I guess I could… try it. For you."

The princess beamed at him, taking him by the hand and almost dragged him onto the dance floor. She gently lifted Link's left hand and put it on her back as she grabbed onto his other hand with hers. "The trick," she started, "is to scatter your feet from your partner's. When doing so, it is unlikely for one of the partners to step on the other's feet. You'll step forward first, and I will mirror your movements. Sound easy enough?"

Link nodded briskly, exhaling through his nose. He began to move his feet very carefully, and he stared down at their feet trying his best not to trip. "Any other advice?" he asked, his gaze still set at the ground.

"Yes," Zelda nodded as she let go of his shoulder and lifted his chin up to meet her gaze. "Don't overthink it." She smiled warmly at him as his cheeks burnt red again and she placed her hand on his shoulder once more.

"It's easy for you to say," Link told her, staring into her blue eyes. "You don't have to think hard about anything. You were given the gift of wisdom."

They continued to move their feet as she shook her head slightly. "Yes, but you were gifted with the Triforce of Courage. I would imagine that a young man with that gift wouldn't be so bashful about learning a simple dance," she reminded him, grinning slightly. "And it's not as if you must have the Triforce of Wisdom in order to be considered wise."

"It's also not as if you must have the Triforce of Courage in order to be considered brave," the boy reminded her. "It wasn't wisdom that caused you to step down from your position in order to save your kingdom or selflessly give your power to Midna so that she could survive. If that's not valiant, I don't know what is."

Princess Zelda gazed into the sharp eyes of the gallant young man before her and didn't know what to say to him. She was truly astonished by his humility. Didn't he know what would have happened had he not been there to save the kingdom of Hyrule? Had he no idea what would have become of this land if he had been killed before he had the chance to defeat Ganondorf?

Link slowed down their dancing and gazed at Zelda who was absolutely speechless. "Is something wrong, Zelda?" he asked, worried that he'd said something wrong.

She shook her head, trying to think of a way to express her feelings about the situation. "Link… don't you know? Aren't you aware of the role that you've played in freeing the land of Hyrule from the darkness of Ganondorf? I, just… Link, without you, I'd be dead. We would all be dead. The kingdom would be doomed to suffer from the eternal darkness that Ganondorf has been so perseverant to bestow upon all of us. How can you be so… modest?" Zelda asked, awestruck.

The humble hero shook his head, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I couldn't have done any of this without you, Midna, or anyone who helped me throughout my journey. I would have been dead a long time before I ever laid my eyes on Ganondorf. I'm not the sole reason that Hyrule is safe."

Zelda shook her head, sighing. She didn't believe that she would ever be able to express her gratitude to him, not until he could accept that he was responsible for all of this. She slowed down until they both came to a full stop. The princess exhaled through her nose, leaning up against the wall. "Link, I just… I could never thank you enough for what you've done for us all. I just… I wish that you could see that nothing would be the same without you. You've saved Hyrule, Link. You're a true hero."

With that, she leaned forward and pecked Link on the cheek, causing him to blush again. "Th-thank you, Princess," he told her, staring at his feet.

"No, thank you, Link," she sighed, grasping Link's hand unintentionally. Once she realized what she was doing, she let go hastily, averting her gaze from his. "I… apologize. I hadn't intended to-"

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled as her cheeks turned rosy. "It's not a problem."

Zelda kept her focus on the floor as the two of them listened to the lovely music that the strings were playing. Link could have sworn that he'd heard the song before, perhaps in his dreams. The song sounded stormy, as if it were some sort of symbol of impending rain, very bittersweet. He ignored the thought and turned to Zelda. "Can I show you something?" he asked her, trying to speak over the crowd.

She turned to him and nodded, even though she knew most regions of Hyrule like the back of her hand and it was unlikely that she hadn't seen it before. Zelda followed Link out the door of the building. Leaving the party behind, the two of them ventured out into the silent, chilly air.

Once they reached the top of the hill, Link turned Zelda around to face the town. They were on a platform high above Kakariko Village, and they both had a breathtaking view of both the billions of stars in the sky and the town. Zelda gasped at the sight, stepping forward to get a better view. "It's… it's stunning," she stated, her eyes lost in the beauty of the land. Taking another step forward, her heel caught on an indentation in the platform and she tripped. She shrieked loudly, the noise resonating off of tough walls of rock that surrounded the place. Link promptly dashed forward, grabbing Zelda by the waist. The momentum from the near fall caused both of them to lose their balance and go plummeting off of the platform.

Quick as a whip, Link grabbed his clawshot from his pouch and shot a hook back at the platform as he held onto Zelda with one arm. Barely, the end managed to catch onto the platform and they hung suspended in the air, far above the ground. Zelda gripped Link's torso and closed her eyes tight, not daring to look down at the ground far below. Link brought Zelda and himself back up to the platform and climbed up, finally on solid ground. They both flopped to the ground, breathing heavily and trying to stay as far back from the edge as they could.

After a few minutes of silence, they both sat up and looked at each other. Zelda grinned, pulling Link close and embracing him as strongly as she possibly could. "You saved me, Link," she told him breathlessly. "Thank you so much…"

He smiled, resting his chin on her shoulder and holding her close. "It was no problem, really…" he replied modestly.

"Oh, nonsense!" she answered, laughing and letting go of him. "Just admit it; you're a hero."

Link chuckled and pushed a piece of hair out of Zelda's eyes. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that…"

Zelda shook her head, grinning. "Well, you are, Link. The bravest one I've ever had the honor of knowing."

He gazed into Zelda's eyes, illuminated by the moon's glow. They were blue, like his, only darker and a bit softer. They always seemed to have a pensive quality about them, which intrigued Link. At that moment, his focus was on her bright eyes and how captivating they were in the moonlight.

The wise princess put a soft hand on Link's shoulder, staring out into the endless sky. She sighed, beaming at the sky. "I wish I could sit here forever, staring at the stars…" Zelda remarked thoughtfully. "It's not very often that I have the opportunity to sit down and appreciate the beautiful land of Hyrule. Nowadays, I simply don't have the time. But some nights, before I lie down to sleep, I just sit down by my window and gaze down at Hyrule Field and the land beyond. It seems like such a short time that I do so, but I end up allowing hours to pass by as I just sit there and… admire."

Link closed his eyes, lying down on the platform as Zelda leaned back onto her elbows, not taking her eyes off of their main focus. She sighed. "I envy you adventurers sometimes…" she admitted, frowning.

"Why is that?" Link asked opening his eyes slightly.

"You have all of the time in the world to go out and… and experience Hyrule firsthand. You go on expeditions and explore unknown areas and you make something of your life. There's nothing dull about it at all," she sighed.

He closed his eyes, wondering what it must be like for Zelda. Every day she sits around, taking care of business with Hyrule and helping citizens with their problems. She gets to visit different provinces every once in a while, sure. But as she stated, she never truly experiences the land firsthand. While she wants to go out on adventures just as he does himself, she is forced to stay in her castle and handle her duties. She knows that it's for the best that she stays in the castle because she cannot simply delay her responsibilities, yes, but that isn't really what she wants.

After a short moment of silence, Link sighed and sat up straight, staring at Zelda. She looked back at him with sorrowful eyes, just as he had looked at her this morning, full of regret and helplessness. Zelda exhaled through her nose, staring down at her hands.

Link gently placed one of his hands on hers, causing her to look up into his sharp, hopeful eyes. "Maybe one day you could come on an adventure with me," he tried to console her, smiling cheerfully.

She smiled back at him, her eyes lighting up. "It would be wonderful…" she answered, her tone of voice a bit more eager.

They stared at each other fervently, Link's and lingering on Zelda's. Zelda noticed its presence, but she didn't mind it at all. "I don't think I could ever repay you for all that you've done Link…" she admitted, smiling at their hands that were knit together.

"Well, you know, a man can never have enough rupees…" he joked casually, leaning down on his side. Link opened his mouth to speak once more, but was interrupted when Zelda hastily leaned forward, feverishly pressing her lips to his. The young man's eyes went wide with disbelief. He had never before kissed a girl, let alone a gorgeous princess. After a moment of processing, he put his hand on her waist and leaned forward, pushing his warm lips against her cold ones.

After a few seconds of silent kissing, they breathlessly pulled away from each other, wistfully gawking at each other. Link's cheeks were scorching yet again as he bashfully turned his head and chuckled, lying down on the platform. Zelda smiled, lying down and resting her head on his chest with her hand on his. Link grinned tiredly, resting his cheek on her head and holding her hand tightly. They lied there for what seemed like an eternity, silently observing the skies above. They finally fell asleep at one point, still holding each other as they both wished that the moment could last forever.