"Don't you sound important!" Tetra said smirking.

The girl hopped out of the red boat and landed in the pool that it was floating in.

She turned and looked at Link.

"Well? Come on, Link. You're supposed to take me to that person. Let's go!"

Link nodded to her in response. He disembarked from the boat and led Tetra into Hyrule

Castle. The two arrived in the main room of the castle and headed to the Hero of Time statue in

the middle of the room. As if it could sense their presence, the carved rock shifted from over the

cellar entrance to a vacant position. Link led Tetra down to the chamber where he had pulled the

Master Sword from its pedestal. Strangely, there was a burly figure in a bright red robe facing

away from the children. Link was a bit shocked to see another person in this impenetrable

underground sanctuary.

"How could someone other than me get in here. I thought this place was safe…"

Tetra assumed that this was the person that Link was supposed to show her. She too was a bit shocked to see anyone other than Link and herself. The man had on unusual clothing, which probably meant that he had either come from some otherworldly realm or strange country. But that still did not explain why he had come to this place. Tetra, being a pirate and not too fond of politeness, spoke up to the character in front of her.

"Hey! Now who are you? I thought that Link was the only one who could get into this cellar! And I assume that you were the one using my stone without my permission. Me and Link are the only ones that can speak using these! Just who do you think you are?" Tetra roared.

"That stone… It is an enhanced version of the gossip stones spoken of in the ancient legends. I am the one who made it. I am the king of this land. I am Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule. Link, do you not recognize my voice?"

Realization struck the boy just as the king had finished speaking. He stared in awe at the true form of the one who had guided him this far into his quest.

"Indeed, I am the one who has lead you here. I am the King of Red Lions."

Tetra still did not seem amused, nor did she understand what he was talking about. She decided to question him about what he spoke of earlier.

"Gossip stones? Legends? I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Tetra confessed with a hunch of resentment toward this man. She had actually heard a couple of stories about the old Hero of Time from a few villagers at Windfall, but was still confused about the gossip stones.

"Your name is Tetra, is it not? I know of you. That golden piece you wear around your neck, it was given to you by your mother before she passed on. She instructed you to guard it with your life. Am I correct?"

"Yeah… How did you know that?"

"It has long served another purpose. It is actually a shard of the sacred Triforce of Wisdom. The Triforce of Wisdom is a third of the ultimate power. Link possesses another third, the Triforce of Courage, and Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power. He who has all three pieces has whatever he wishes granted."

As he said this, he took the piece from Tetra using some sort of telekinesis. He joined this with yet another shard. They both seemed to fit together as one solid shape. A breeze suddenly came along with a flash of gold lights from the Triforce, not unlike a thunderous rainstorm. The room was too bright to see anything for a period of time. Link shielded his eyes by reflex, as any human would.

When the sparking lights finally died down, Link removed his arm from his face and looked up at the king and Tetra. When he realized what he was seeing, he froze with amazement. He saw a girl with skin like his own in a solid pink dress from her shoulders down to her feet. It was crested with ancient-looking symbol with a Triforce in the center and decorated with many patterns, splashed with colors of blue and yellow. Her blonde hair was down in a single flowing wave, spreading from the entirety of her head to her center spine area. Sitting on top of her hair was a beautiful gold tiara dressed in pristine gems from rubies to sapphires to diamonds. To Link, she was strikingly elegant.

"It would seem that the Triforce of Wisdom has awakened your true form… You are Princess Zelda!" The king told.

Zelda seemed to be in shock. It would be no surprise if she was, having gone through a complete body change instantaneously. She stared at her gloved right hand as the Triforce embedded itself into her skin. The girl looked and felt different, but she was still Tetra on the inside. She was speechless.

"I'm a… princess?" She managed to breath out as she held her hand to her breast.

"But… how?"

Link was still staring at her in her gorgeous new self, but the king remained devout to the mission at hand. Power had to be returned to the Master Sword. Ganon had to be destroyed.

"Link, remember, we still have a duty to fulfill. We must return to the surface and look for the power of the Master Sword. Zelda will be safe here. Ganondorf does not yet know of this most sacred of sanctuaries. We must make haste, as I feel that though this is an area that he cannot touch, anything might happen. We cannot take any chances." The King reminded Link.

"I will return my spirit to the boat you have travelled with. I will take you to your next destination. We depart!"

As he finished speaking, the figure of the king faded and disappeared. Both 14 year-olds stared in surprise and gasped. They both looked behind them to see that he had teleported to the other side of the cellar. After that, he had faded once again, no doubt out of the castle. Just as Link began to dart out as well, Zelda stopped him.

"Link, wait!" she called out to the hero. He stopped immediately upon hearing her voice. Link thought of saying something along the lines of 'yeah' or 'what,' but decided on remaining silent and turning around to face her.

"Link, I… I'm sorry… for what I've put you through. It's my fault that your sister got captured, and it's my fault that you had to risk your life to save her and me. I hope that you can forgive me."

Link said nothing, but he smiled and raised his hand to at his head's level. To Zelda, this combined happiness, forgiveness, thoughtfulness and several other emotions into one simple gesture. Zelda smiled in return at this.

"Thank you… so much, Link, for everything." She said as the hero was pulled into a warm embrace.

Link was shocked at such an action. She was still Tetra at heart. She was still the vicious, hardened, pirate captain that Link had loved for so long. Tetra rarely showed sincere and caring emotions to Link, even though he had been her best friend for quite some time now. She had to be feared by Link and her crew to keep everything running smoothly. If Tetra was not a pirate, I suspect that she may have been a more gentle person. Link did not care, however. He loved her just the way she was.

Once a few seconds had passed, Link moved his arms and returned the hug. He had always had those special feelings towards her, and even though he did possess the Triforce of Courage, he never had the guts to confess them to her. The fear of her not returning them prevented Link from saying anything. The truth was though, Tetra did have those feelings for Link as well. The reason for her not saying anything was because she, too was afraid of being told that Link didn't love her.

Zelda decided to break apart, though she was reluctant, for she knew that Link had to go. The two stared at each other for a brief moment before Link turned around and started to walk out. Zelda waved goodbye to him as he left. She was sad that he was leaving, and she assumed it could be the last times she sees him, yet still, she couldn't tell him how she felt. Link started to think differently, however. Right as he was in the cellar's doorway, he told himself to go back and confess to Zelda. So he did.

Link returned into the basement, focused on the girl he desired for so long now. Zelda was a bit stunned that he had come back. She had no idea what he was after. When the boy made his way to her, he began to speak.

"Zelda…" He began.

"I've known you for a long time, and I've always found you to be the most beautiful creature my eyes have ever seen. You make my heart skip a beat whenever I see you. I thank the goddesses every day for letting me meet a true beauty, that is yourself. I love you," Link finished.

The girl could feel tears flowing down her face out of pure joy. Those words were the first that she had ever heard Link say, and they would always be the most beautiful.

"Link…" Zelda said through tears.

"I love you, too. So much. I-I am so happy to hear you say those words. I love you."

Link smiled, for two reasons: The girl of his dreams loved him back, and that he no longer had to hold back his feelings. He celebrated these victories by wrapping his arms tightly around her and pressing his lips to hers. It was a dream come true for both teens. Link had never kissed a girl before, so he wasn't really sure what he was to be doing. The boy just kept himself as still as possible to avoid any awkward encounters. Zelda had no more experience than Link, but was so happy that she started to feel daring. She pulled Link even closer to her body as she used her hands to feel all through the back of his head, removing his hat in the process.

After a minute had passed by, the broke apart slowly, starting to feel flustered. Zelda relaxed her head into the crook of Link's neck. The couple remained silent for a brief moment. Zelda broke said silence.

"I'm gonna miss you when you're gone." She said, still choking back some tears.

"Just-just come back safely. Be careful."

"I will Zelda." Link replied with another long kiss to her lips.

Link really didn't want to leave her, but it was for her own safety. He now had extra motivation to finish his quest in a more timely manner.

As Link began to walk out of the basement, Zelda called out to him. He turned to see the princess holding his traditional green hat in her hands. She winked at him and tossed the garment forward. The hero put it back on and smiled.

"Hang tight, I'll be back soon." He assured.

That was the last time Link saw her. The red boat cruised into the golden portal to the great sea up above and disappeared.