Let's Dance
Summary: The troupe is having a Fall Dance. Will Link take Din or Princess Zelda? A LONG ONE SHOT.
Disclaimer: Nintendo created the Zelda characters, I didn't.
"It's pretty dark out here tonight."
Link's voice woke Princess Zelda from her day dream. "Oh," she said, looking up at the sky, "it is." The moon was new this evening and storm clouds covered the stars. Zelda was having a hard time seeing the path beneath her feet. "Link?" she asked, worry creeping into her voice, "Is it my imagination or is the fog rolling in?"
Link and Zelda were walking through the thick forest. It was the final evening of summer, and the two had decided to take a stroll. They had become close friends ever since Link had become a knight and began to live in Hyrule Castle.
Link looked down at his waist and was startled to discover that he couldn't see it. Panicking, he desperately felt for his lower torso. He was relieved to find it where it was supposed to be, and chided himself for losing his head. "I think you're right, Zelda," he said. "We'd better head back to the castle soon..."
"But in which direction is the castle?" Princess Zelda asked, glancing helplessly in all directions.
"I think it's this way," Link replied. He started to head what he figured was east, through an arch of trees.
"Which way?" Zelda asked, as she turned her head in all directions, searching for her friend.
Link turned back and grabbed Zelda by the hand, startling her. "This way," he said. Then the two were swallowed up by the fog.
After an hour of walking around, Link realized they were lost. "I'm sorry, Princess," he apologized, leaning his back against something. "We're lost."
"That's alright, Link," Zelda replied. "I'm not angry with you."
"Yeah, but it's all my fault," the boy insisted. "I'll just lean against this tree and try to think up a solution."
Suddenly, something caught the eye of the princess. Link was leaning against was wooden, that stretched out wide and had a square shape. "That's an awfully wide tree trunk," Zelda remarked.
"Huh?" Link jumped up and turned around. He was startled to discover that what he had been leaning against was not tree, but a log cabin. "A-a cabin?"
The sound of a door opening pierced the silence. Then came the sound of footsteps on a path. Something was approaching - and fast. "You!" came a voice. "What are you doing here?"
Princess Zelda and Link whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice. Then they saw him; he was standing before them with his both of his hands on his hips. His red hair was still quite visible in the fog. "Oh, it's just Ralph," Link said with relief.
"How'd you find Nayru's ultra-secret cabin?" Ralph asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Pay no attention to this clown," Link whispered to Zelda. "He's just too overprotective of his beloved Nayru." The boy started to snicker but then suddenly stopped. "Wait a second! This is Hyrule, not Labrynna! What is Nayru doing here?"
"What, she can't take a vacation once in a while?" Ralph asked, offended. Then he started to walk off into the fog.
"Wait!" Link called out after him. "Where do you think you're going?! You just can't leave me and the princess here!"
Ralph suddenly turned. "The princess? Fine, I'll ask Nayru if she wants visitors." With that, Ralph disappeared.
Ralph reappeared a few minutes later with an angry expression. "Fine, you can come in," he grumbled reluctantly.
The princess and hero followed him into the bushes. He led them through the weeds and thicket until they came onto a path. The path led up to Nayru's front door.
The three entered the log cabin. Delicious, homely smells danced around the air of the cabin, making Link hungry and homesick. Nayru was sitting in one of the four chairs that were set around the fairly large wooden table. The table was located in the middle of the room; a hand-quilted rug lay underneath it. The Oracle of Ages had been musing over a slip of paper; but when the door opened she turned to them. A pleasant smile crept upon her face. "Hello, Princess Zelda and Hero Link. It's nice to see you two."
"Of course it's nice to see them but not me," Ralph muttered dejectedly.
"Ralph, you were only gone a few minutes!" Nayru exclaimed, laughing slightly.
"Yeah, but did you miss me?" he asked eagerly, walking up to her.
Nayru stood to the height of Ralph. "Of course I did," she replied, patting the top of his hatted head.
"They've certainly built on their relationship," Link snickered to Zelda.
Nayru turned to her guests. "I'm sorry, I've been terribly impolite. Won't you sit down? I have two empty chairs." She said two instead of three because Ralph had already copped a seat next to her. She the sat down as the princess and hero walked over and took their seats.
"So how have you been, Nayru?" Link inquired.
"I've been fine," Nayru replied. "Ralph here has been protecting me." She looked fondly over at Ralph.
Link's eyes filled with terror. "You live in the same house?!" he asked in shock. "Isn't that immoral?!"
"No, no!" Nayru exclaimed, flailing her hands in the air. "Ralph lives in the cabin next to mine! He only stays here until eight o'clock at the latest!"
"Few," Link sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow. "You scared me for a minute."
"So how are you, Princess Zelda?" Nayru inquired. "Hanging out with your knight Link a lot?"
The princess' face turned light red. "Yeah," she responded honestly.
"Yup!" said Link frankly. "We're best buddies!"
"Oh, so then you'll be taking her to the Fall Dance, right?" the Oracle of Ages inquired with a smile.
Link froze. "F-f-fall Dance?" he stuttered. "I n-never heard of..."
"That's what this piece of paper is," Nayru explained, holding up the slip that she was reading when they walked in. "It's an invitation from Impa. The troupe is having a Fall Dance this Friday. I thought you would've known, Princess Zelda."
Zelda shook her head. "No, Impa hadn't mentioned it before. Maybe she was planning to when Link and I returned to the castle. Which reminds me, we're kind of lost."
"Oh, we'll deal about that later," Nayru said, dismissing the topic with a wave of her hand. "Back to the Fall Dance. Link, are you taking Zelda or Din?"
"Din?!" Link asked, shocked. He had forgotten all about his friend, the Oracle of Seasons. "Oh, right, Din is my friend, isn't she..." He looked nervously from Nayru to Zelda. Nayru nodded but Zelda had a disappointed look on her face. Link longed to change the topic. Suddenly, he noticed something on Nayru's ring finger on her left hand. It was a silver band covered in sapphire. "Um, Nayru! What's that on your finger?"
"Oh, how could I forget?" Nayru gasped. "Why, Ralph and I have recently become engaged!"
Forgetting her disappointment, Zelda exclaimed, "Aw, that's so cute! When's the wedding?"
"I don't know," Ralph answered truthfully. He was so happy he could finally get a word in edgewise. "Soon, I hope."
"Now, back to the dance," Nayru said, narrowing her eyes. "Who are you going to take? The lovely princess here or my best friend Din?"
Link knew he'd rather take Zelda, but he didn't want to lose his friendship with Din. "Well, Din might not want to go with me."
"Well, I talked to her recently and she said she's been waiting forever for you to ask her to the dance," Nayru informed.
Link's heart sank. He looked over at Zelda who had a downcast expression on her beautiful face. He knew Zelda wanted to go with him to the dance, but so did Din. Now he had no idea what to do.
"That's alright, Link. You can go with Din, I understand," Zelda said softly, trying not to make eye contact with the lad.
Link tried to respond but he couldn't manage to say a word. "B-bu, I-I-. Uh...who are you taking Ralph?"
Ralph glared at him. "Nayru, who else? She's taken so you can't take her!"
"Yeah, I know, I wasn't planning to," Link muttered. "Um...I'll think about it over night."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Nayru got up to answer it. A few moments later, Link heard a familiar voice.
"Hi, Din," said Nayru. "Come on in, Link and Zelda are visiting."
Zelda's insides turned to mush when she saw the Oracle of Seasons walk through the door. She felt like kicking Din out. But she knew as the princess she must protect the oracles, no matter how irritating they can be. "Hi, Din," she said, trying her best to fake a smile.
"Hi, Princess Zelda," Din responded. But when she noticed Link, she gasped. "Hullo, Link! I haven't seen you in ages! Well, that's how long it feels like to me! Why'd you have to leave the troupe?"
Link stood up; it was the polite thing to do. "I'm a-a knight," he stuttered. "I don't really have time for those things any more."
"Oh, what a shame," Din said, tossing her fiery red hair. Then she started to walk towards him, much to Link's distress. But the lad was too polite to run for it. "So, have you been invited to the Fall Dance the troupe is holding yet? It's this Friday, by the way."
Link quickly looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Ralph, do you have a calendar?"
Ralph and Nayru were now sitting on the couch in the other corner of the room. Link had interrupted a romantic moment between them. "No, why would I?" Ralph replied skeptically.
As Din stepped closer to Link, Zelda felt herself tense up. Her face drew hot and her insides spun around.
"So, are you taking anyone to the dance?" Din asked, touching Link's cheek with her thumb.
"Well, I was thinking about Z-" Suddenly Link realized how hurt Din would be if he rejected her in this manner. "I'm gonna think about it...over night."
"Oh, alright," Din said with shrug. "But don't waste too much time thinking. You need to get some sleep, you little silly head." She rustled the hair that was poking out from his green hat. "Did...did you ever think of us becoming...Dink?" she asked. She stared into his eyes with her eager red ones.
Link tried to draw back but the chair behind him stopped him. "Um, what does that mean?" he asked nervously, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Just this," Din answered. Before Link knew what the Oracle was doing, he got kissed on the nose.
At that moment, Link heard the noise of a chair being pushed out, so he turned back to look. He caught a glimpse of Zelda dashing out the back door. "Oh no!" Link thought. "Zelda!"
* * *
As Zelda ran through the foggy thicket, tears streamed down her cheeks. "Link loves Din!" she cried. "It's not fair! I always liked hearing bed-time stories when I was young about the other Princess Zeldas and Links who fell in love and got married. When I met Link I hoped that would happen to us! But noooo...He's not a Link, he's a fink!" Suddenly she found herself being hurled forward into the endless mist ahead. As she fell roughly to the ground, she called out pitifully, "Link!" She couldn't see anything around her; the fog was too thick. She now regretted dashing out of the safe, comfortable log cabin and into the unknown outside. Her face was scratched and tear stained.
Suddenly she thought she heard Link's voice calling out for her. Her heart almost broke for him. But her hate of Din blinded her from the truth and she started to get up run.
She hadn't gotten far before she felt a hand grab her's and stop her. "Zelda, don't run!" she heard a voice say. She turned around to see Link standing there with stern but kind look in his eyes.
"Go away!" Zelda whined, trying to run forward; but Link only yanked her back. "Go away!!!" Her tears started up again.
"I'm not going away!" Link insisted. "I want to talk to you!" Zelda tried to free herself but Link only pulled her back. "Now, c'mon, please just stay still for a minute while I explain myself!"
Zelda reluctantly stopped struggling and became still. "Go ahead," she grumbled.
"Now listen Zelda," he began. "All that back there was Din's fault! I tried to get away! I guess I'm just too polite. I mean, Din is my friend and I wouldn't want to hurt her...but I don't love her, yeesh! Haven't you known that it is you whom I love, Zelda?!"
Zelda froze. She barely breathed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She almost felt like asking Link to pinch her to make sure it wasn't a dream. She felt so embarrassed that she tried to run away.
"Oh, no you don't!" Link exclaimed. He pulled her back; but this time he jerked her into his arms. Before Zelda knew what was happening, she found her lips locked with his. Her eyes opened wide and she almost drew away. But something made her stay. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss.
Many thoughts ran through her head. She still had a few doubts to as if this was really happening or not. She also noticed how strong and powerful Link had become. She felt so safe in his arms.
Much to her dismay, Link eventually released her, ending the kiss. Zelda stepped back; her face was so red that it was visible through the fog. "I mean it, Zelda," Link told her softly. "I love you."
Zelda threw her arms around Link's neck and embraced him. Tears of joy spilled down her cheek and onto his tunic as she exclaimed, "Oh, Link, I love you, too!"
Link suddenly lost his powerful manliness. He placed her hands on her shoulders, drawing her back from him. "You do?" he asked, as excited as a little boy on Christmas Day. "You mean my love is returned?"
Zelda nodded proudly. "Yup, best friend, it is!"
"Yahoo!" Link shouted, pumping a fist in the air. His shout was so loud that all the woodland creatures heard it and wondered if he had had too much booze. "So, Zelda," Knight Link began. "Do you want accompany me to the Fall Dance?"
Zelda placed her hands on his cheeks and brought her face close to his. "I'd love too," she whispered. Then she gently rested her lips against his, pecking at them slightly.
"What?!" came an outraged voice. Link and Zelda quickly separated and turned around. To their horror, Din stood there. The Oracle had her hands on her hips and they could hear her foot tapping angrily. But then a look of rejected-ness appeared on her face. "How could you, Link?" she sobbed. "I thought you liked me!"
"I do like you!" Link protested. "But I don't love you. You're a really great friend but..." he looked over at Zelda, "I love Zelda."
Din felt like doing something out of character and irrational; but she just hung her head in sorrow. "So you mean we were never really together?"
Link shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. But we were friends! Can't we still be?" He outstretched his hand for Din to shake.
Din looked down at his hand but then turned away. "No," she replied harshly, almost choking over her tears. Then she disappeared into the fog.
Zelda turned to Link in remorse. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "You lost a friend."
"No, don't worry about her," Link told her. "She's just a little disappointed right now. She'll get over it soon and we'll all be friends."
Link's cheerfulness made Zelda feel better. "Alright," she said, smiling bravely. "Let's make our way back to the cabin now."
* * *
When Link and Zelda finally made their way back to the cabin, Nayru greeted them. "You were gone so long I thought that you had gotten lost," she said, leading them to the comfortable couch. "Ralph and I figured you'd be cold when you returned to we made you tea. I'll go get you some."
Ralph was sitting on the couch, sipping his tea with dignity. But when Link and Zelda took their seats on the couch, he moved to the opposite corner in disgust.
Link had had enough of the silent treatment from Ralph. "What's the matter, Ralph?!" he asked with a hint of anger. "You usually talk a lot and yell at people. Why so proper and dignified?!"
Ralph sipped his tea. "That is for me to know and you to find out," he answered, then turned his head.
"I don't know him as well as you do," Zelda whispered into Link's ear. "But I think he's hiding something."
"Yeah," Link whispered back. "You ask Nayru about it later, okay?"
As Zelda nodded, Nayru came out from the small kitchen with a tray of tea. She gave Link and Zelda each a cup before she took one for herself and sat down next to Ralph. "Well now that we all have a nice cup of tea, how's about you tell us what happened out there." Link and Zelda both turned red. They were about to reply when Nayru spoke again. "But we already know you're taking Zelda to the Fall Dance. Din was pretty upset but she says she's coming to the dance for the food."
"Well I'm really sorry about making Din upset," Link said apologetically. "But I kinda love Zelda."
Nayru gasped and Ralph just turned his head and snickered. Hearing the snicker, Zelda quickly turned and started at him, but he just returned to his dignified position. "That's wonderful!" Nayru exclaimed. "So you two are a couple?"
Zelda looked timidly over at Link and smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are," she replied.
"How uncouth," Ralph spat, sipping his tea.
Much to the guests' surprise, Nayru suddenly burst out, "That's enough, Ralph! Why can't you just be yourself? You're not old!"
Link and Zelda looked at the Oracle quizzically. "Old? Why is he acting like that?" Link inquired, confused.
Nayru let out a sigh. "It's his twenty-first birthday today and he thinks he's an old man so he has to act like it. Twenty-one is NOT old!"
"Yes it is!" Ralph suddenly cried. "I'm an old man!" Then he pulled his hat over his eyes.
Link laughed. "No, you're not," he said, punching him in the arm. "Believe your precious Nayru. Twenty-one is way far from old! Oh, by the way, happy birthday."
"I'm not old?" Ralph asked pitifully, slowly lifting the hat up off his eyes.
Nayru shook her head in response. "No, you are not."
Suddenly, Ralph's expression changed. "Wahoo!" he cried out joyously, embracing Nayru. Nayru just laughed and let him squeeze her.
"Anyways," Nayru said, after the moment had become too awkward. She carefully eased out of Ralph's grasp and turned to Link and Zelda. "It's too late to return to the castle. How's about you stay here?"
"If it's not too much trouble," Zelda replied, looking down into her tea cup.
"Not at all. Link can stay with Ralph and you can stay with me," Nayru told her.
Ralph spat out his mouthful of tea. "What?!" he asked, practically choking. "I have to share my cabin with this joker?" Link stuck out his tongue at him.
"Yes," the Oracle of Ages replied simply. "If you do, I might kiss you in the morning."
Ralph looked at Nayru and then back at Link. "Ug, fine," he grumbled.
So it was settled. But before they made the arrangements, they had supper. Nayru served her own special blue-plate special. And when she said blue plate, she wasn't kidding. The meal consisted of the rare blue cuccoo meat, blue rye bread with blue chu jelly on it, a slab of blue cheese for each, a handful of blueberries, and a cup of blueberry tea. They were served on blue plates and eaten with blue utensils. The tea was contained in a blue cup.
Link looked down at his plate and tilted his head. "Why is everything blue?" he asked.
"Because," Ralph said, eyeing him foppishly, "It's my birthday and I requested it. Anything wrong with that?"
"No, nothing," Link replied, shrinking in his chair. "So Din is going to the dance Friday? By the way, what is today?"
"Thursday," Ralph responded, sipping his tea.
"Thursday?!" Link exclaimed, dropping his fork. "So tomorrow is the..."
Nayru set down her tea cup. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. The dance isn't until the evening so you'll have plenty of time to go back to the castle and get ready. And, yes, Din is coming tomorrow."
"Maybe then I can apologize," Link said under his breath. Then he turned to Zelda. "I can't wait for the dance tomorrow, can you?"
Zelda shook her head excitedly. "Nope, I can't either! It'll be so much fun!"
After everyone had supped, the cabin arrangements were made. Link was to stay in Ralph's cabin in his spare room. Nayru made Ralph offer Link some of his clothes, but Link refused. He personally thought Ralph had no style and he'd rather sleep in his tunic then wear one of Ralph's crazy get-ups.
Nayru was actually borrowing one of Zelda's nightgowns to wash. The reason was because she had told Zelda of a new washing system she had discovered with the dust of the Blu Root. Zelda was curious about the Blu Root so she let Nayru borrow one of her nightgowns to test on. Everything had gone well, luckily, and Zelda's nightgown was ready to be worn. Very handy, no?
After Nayru had made sure Princess Zelda was comfortable, she went over to Ralph's cabin to make sure Link was alright. Everything was fine so she decided to return to her cabin. But just as she was about to walk out the door, Ralph stopped her.
"The annoying visitors are asleep now," he said in a low tone. "Maybe you could give me my reward for letting Link stay at place now?" He rested his arm against the door, closing it shut. Then he advanced forward.
"Tomorrow," insisted Nayru, avoiding his lips. Then, much to Ralph's disappointment, she opened the door and left.
"Arg, I was this close!" Ralph exclaimed, stomping his foot.
"Boy, I never knew you loved her that much," Link snickered. Ralph whirled around to find that Link had left the spare room and was standing in the living room.
"Oh, go back to bed!" Ralph grumbled. "I gave you no permission to spy."
"What are you talking about?" Link laughed. "I don't need your permission. That's why it's called spy-ing. Sheesh."
"Oh, whatever, next time you're alone with that Princess Zelda I'm gonna spy on you! Din already told me and Nayru that she caught you two kissing," he said casually.
Link's cheeks turned bright red. "I-I, well," he began, trying to explain himself.
"You have two girls; that's not good," said Ralph, shaking his head in disapproval. "At least I stay true to my Nayru. If your beloved chicken Piyoko was a Hylian, you'd have three."
"That's not true!" cried Link with a burst of anger. "Piyoko and Din are my friends, no doubt, but nothing more! If I had any feelings for Piyoko, I wouldn't have eaten that blue cuccoo tonight!"
Ralph turned away, shrugging. "Whatever." But as he walked to the door that led to his room, he said, "'Forget about it. Let's dance.'" Then he left the room.
Link let out a heavy sigh of penitence. Ralph had just quoted what he had said to Din once. He wished so dearly that Ralph hadn't said that. It brought back bad and painful memories.
As he went to bed with a heavy heart, numerous thoughts spun around in his cute little head. "Is Zelda really the right girl for me? I'm pretty sure but then why did I used to think I liked Din? Everyone seems to be insisting I still like Din, except for Zelda of course. But I don't want to hurt Din's feelings. She's a real nice girl but I know I'm only interested in her as a friend. Or am I? Yes, yes I am! No you're not. Yes I am! Zelda's my girl and I love her! But you also love Din! Yeah, only as a friend! Nothing more! Princess Zelda is the one whom I love as more than a friend. Everything about her seems right. Stop saying this! No, I won't! Yes you will because you love Din! Go away, Stinker! No, you need me! No, I don't! Stop poisoning me with lies about Din and Zelda! I know Zelda's Miss Right! No, you don't! Leave now and never come back! What?! Leave now and never come back! No! Leave now and never come back!!!"
* * *
Link woke up to the sound of Princess Zelda's voice. At first, he thought it was a dream, but then he heard Nayru's voice and Ralph's voice. He quickly got out of bed and entered the living room. He saw Nayru, Zelda, and Ralph sitting at the table and drinking tea (again). When they saw him standing there, they invited him over. But instead of peacefully sipping a cup of tea like the others after he sat down, he turned to Zelda urgently. "Zel, I have a question!"
"Yes?" Zelda asked, tilting her head curiously. "Link, you look pale. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm just wondering if you think I'm the right man - boy - for you. I think you're Miss Right but do you think I'm Mr. Right?" he asked, looking pleadingly into her eyes.
Zelda didn't mind his sudden question. "Link, I wouldn't say I love you if I didn't think you were Mr. Right. Everything about you just feels so...right."
Link let out a sigh of relief and calmed down a bit. "Good. But a voice inside my head keeps insisting Din is Miss Right, but I don't really think so. She's a good friend but she doesn't feel right. I don't get the feelings around her that I get around you. I regret ever asking her to dance with me a while ago."
Zelda felt deeply touched. "Oh, Link!" She burst out with emotions. She collapsed into his arms and squeezed him tight. "I love you."
Link lightly kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too. And I'm glad you helped me see the light."
A moment of silence prevailed before Ralph broke it. "Well, since everything's so romantic, Nayru, how's about that kiss you promised me?"
Nayru giggled. "Alright," she agreed reluctantly, though she had a small smile on her face. She pulled herself nigh to him, placed her gentle hands on his cheeks, and planted a little kiss on his lips. But then she quickly drew back and returned to her tea-sipping as if nothing had happened.
Ralph shrugged Betty Jo-ishly. "It'll do." Then a mischievous smile appeared on his face and he said in a low tone, "For now."
* * *
After the four had finished breakfast, Nayru escorted Link and Zelda back to the castle. Then she returned to her cabin to prepare for the Fall Dance.
Meanwhile, Impa and the troupe were setting up for the dance in a grassy field. Din, however, sat on a rock in the far corner of the field, sulking. After a while, Impa noticed she was not with the troupe and found her.
"What's the matter, deary?" fat old Impa asked, coming up from behind.
Din turned around and sighed. "Link's not taking me to the dance. He's taking Princess Zelda. I saw the two kissing and he said he loves her." Impa sighed and took a seat on the rock next to her. Din looked at her with sorrow. "You've known this, haven't you?"
Impa nodded. "Yes, I have. Link told me a while ago that he was in love with Zelda. Zelda told me the same thing about Link." Then she added with a chuckle, "It's nice to be on both sides."
"No one's on my side," Din grumbled, resting her head in her palms. "Everyone hates me."
"No one hates you," comforted Impa. "I bet someone will want to dance with you. A lot of handsome bachelors from Holodrum are attending, some of which were in the crowds that followed you everywhere. Your Mr. Right is out there somewhere, Din, just waiting for you. So wait for him."
Impa's words made sense. Link obviously wasn't her guy; he was Zelda's. And she didn't want to get in the way of what was meant to be. And she didn't want to disappoint her future husband; whoever he may be. She had always liked Link, though she never gave much thought about if he was right. Now she realized that he wasn't. Her Mr. Right was out there somewhere. That almost made her excited. "You're right, Impa," she agreed, putting on a smile. "So I'm gonna stop sulking and pitch in to help. And then I'm gonna have fun at the dance, even if no one dances with me!"
* * *
Soon the morning wore on and before the troupe knew it, it was time for a lunch break. Every one of them had a hearty appetite and ate big helpings of Impa's stew. Even Din ate more than she had recently.
After lunch break was over, the troupe went back to work. They set up tables and chairs and a stage for the band Seasonal Sounds to play. Seasonal Sounds was a band from Holodrum that played slow, romantic music along with merry dancing music. Impa cooked up a mess of her famous foods such as cuccoo cranberry stew, corn bread, baked apple pie, homemade ice cream, and more. There were also some exotic foods from Labrynna and Holodrum and gourmet foods from Hyrule Castle.
The afternoon waned on and soon it was evening. Guests had already started to arrive and fill the once silent field with continuous chatter. Nayru and Ralph arrived and told Impa about their engagement. Then Link arrived with his grandparents who were mighty proud of their grandson having a romantic relationship with the princess of Hyrule. His grandparents were chatting with some knights when Link noticed Din sitting all alone under a tree. He figured this was the best time to apologize.
"Hey, Din," he said, standing in front of her.
Din looked up in surprise. Then a smile appeared on her face. "Hi, Link. It's nice you could make it to the dance. Where's your date?" she asked pleasantly.
Link stepped back, shocked. "Wh-why aren't you angry at me?" he inquired.
"Because," Din began, standing up. "Impa helped me realize that you and Princess Zelda are meant for each other and that my man is out there somewhere."
An excited smile shown upon Link's face. "Really? So we're just friends?"
"Yup, just friends," she replied, reaching out her hand.
Link took her hand a shook it. "Thanks, Din," he said as he released it. At that moment, merry music began to play. "Hey, Zel isn't here yet, so do you want to dance? You know, as friends? I don't think Zelda would mind."
"Sure," Din replied with a grin. And so they danced.
Meanwhile, Ralph was standing around the appetizer table, nibbling on hors d'oeuvres. At that moment, Nayru walked up to him. "Hi, Ralph, so that's where you went off to. Eating already?"
Ralph looked up at her with a mouthful of crackers. "Yup," he replied.
Nayru giggled. "Well, the music's beginning to play so why don't we dance?" she asked, resting her hand on his arm. But before Ralph could answer, she dragged him away and started to dance with him, barely giving him enough time to swallow.
As soon as Din and Link had finished their dance, Impa came up. "Link, there's someone here for you," she told him.
Link looked excitedly out, trying to spot this person Impa was talking about. Then, out of the shade of the willow trees that bordered the field, walked Princess Zelda. She had a ribbon in her golden hair and wore a flowy green dress. A bewildered smile crept upon Link's face as she approached him timidly.
"Hi, Link," she said, though it only came out in a whisper.
"Hi," Link replied, grinning widely. Then he shook himself out of the trance. "Haha, look at that loser Ralph, he doesn't even know how to dance. C'mon, Zel, let's watch him and Nayru for a while."
"Alright," Zelda agreed smiling. So the two walked down to a bench in the shade of an oak and sat down. Not before long, Link wrapped his arm around Zelda's shoulder as they watched.
"You know, Zelda, you look astonishing," he complimented, tearing his eyes away from the dancing and looking at Zelda.
Zelda was pleasantly surprised by the compliment. She turned her head to kiss Link on the cheek; however, she didn't know that Link was looking at her. So instead of the kiss being planted on the boy's cheek, she accidentally planted it on his lips. Both of them blushed madly when they realized what had just happened. "I'm sorry, I was aiming for your cheek," she said timidly, looking at the ground.
"That's alright," Link reassured her, overcoming the wave of embarrassment. "Anyways, so how is castle life?"
Zelda sighed. "It's alright. It's pretty boring though, when I can't be with you."
Link's heart skipped a beat. "Um, yeah, but sometimes I have to visit my grandparents."
"How is everything between you and your grandpa?" the princess inquired, tilting her head.
It was Link's turn to sigh. "He's still dead-set on me being a great and famous knight," he said, looking down at the ground. But then he looked back up at her with eager eyes. "But..." Much to Zelda's surprise, he suddenly hopped off the bench and started to do a strange hands-on-hips-leg-kick dance and started to sing:
I don't wanna look
inside myself 'cause
Then I'll have to change
somethin' else and
I don't want to live,
like someone else
I'm happy in my skin,
bein' myself
Let's dance
When he had sung "Let's dance," he stopped dancing in front of Zelda and outstretched his arm for her to take. Zelda giggled, thinking his dancing was quite comical, and took his hand. At that moment, the Seasonal Sounds began to play slow, romantic music. So Link and Zelda danced close; Zelda held one of Link's hands and rested her head on his shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her waist.
"This is really nice," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"Yeah," Link agreed as they slowly danced around the 'floor'. They danced a while before anyone spoke again.
At length, Zelda broke the silence. "So...are you and Din friends now?"
"Yup, she said that she knows you and I are meant for each other and her guy is waiting for her somewhere." Link replied.
Meanwhile, Din was sitting alone again under the tree. She was eating an apple and looking down at the dirt when suddenly she felt someone's presence. She looked up and was startled to see a man standing there. He looked about her age or a bit older, and was obviously from Holodrum.
"Are you alright, young lady?" he asked.
Din's heart skipped a beat. She slowly stood up and managed to nod.
"Why are you alone?" he inquired, confused. "Someone as lovely as you should be out there dancing."
"I know," Din replied, looking down at the ground. "But I have no one to dance with."
"You don't?" the stranger asked, even more confused. "Then would you like to dance with me?"
Din's face lit up. "Really?! I mean...sure."
As they walked over to the 'dance floor', the stranger introduced himself. "My name is Sonny O'Sol; I come from Holodrum, if you couldn't tell. I've seen you around but I've never really caught your name. I know you're a famous dancer."
"Yeah," Din said, looking down at the ground. "My name is Din."
"Well, then, nice to meet you, Din," said Sonny, taking her in his arms in a dance position. "Cheers!"
Back to where Link and Zelda were dancing: there had been another stretch of silence but Link broke it. "By the way, what I meant in the song was my grandpa is dead-set on me being a knight like my ancestors. Like someone else. But I just wanna be myself, whoever I'm called to be. Be it a knight, a peasant, a lazy bum, or even a prince!" Then suddenly his face turned red when he realized what he was inferring. To become a prince he would have to marry Princess Zelda. Not that he minded that idea, but they were much too young to consider marriage.
"You're right, Link," Zelda agreed, nuzzling his shoulder. Then she realized what he had said. She thrust back from him and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Prince?!"
"Uh..." Link began nervously. Then he pulled her back into his arms. "Forget about it. Let's dance."
The End
A/N: Finished! The scene where Link fights with his other self was inspired by Gollum from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The non-italicized is regular Link and the italicized is what 'Stinker' Link says. And I'd like to remind you, this is just fiction. Zelda couldn't really help Link realize who Miss Right is, only God could. Oh, also when I said that Ralph shrugged Betty Jo-ishly, I was referring to Betty Jo Bradly from Petticoat Junction. If you wanna know how 'Betty Jo-ishly' looks, watch Petticoat Junction.
Anyways, the song Link sang was the chorus of Let's Dance by Hawk Nelson. Alright, thanks for reading, this is probably my longest one-shot. Please review! Cheers! :D