"Link! Link, wake up!" cried an impatient Navi. "Ummm." he moaned. He woke up to find one of the smallest Kokiri children, a little girl by the name of Amethyst, asleep on his chest. Link stared down at her sleeping figure, and smiled as he caressed her cheek. "How did you get here, Am?" he asked. Hearing his voice, Am woke up and stared into Link's icy blue eyes. "I kind of sleepwalked last night, and when I woke up, I was here," she replied. Link sat up fully and bounced her on his knee. She howled with her sweet laughter. "Go with Navi, Am, and help her start breakfast," said Link. "Please, Link, can't I stay with you?" she begged, giving Link the look that meant she wanted something very badly. Link laughed. "I'd love for you to stay with me, but right now, I need to get dressed," he replied. "Come on, Am. We should let Link get dressed. After that, you'll have all day to spend with him," said Navi, taking Amethyst's hand and leading her downstairs. While Link was getting dressed, Am and Navi made fruit salad, toast, and eggs. Yum! In a few minutes, Link appeared wearing his usual blue tunic, hat, and boots. Slung across his back were his sheath, Hylian shield, and quiver, which was full to the brim with arrows. Amethyst looked up from the banana she was peeling to see Link standing there holding out his arms to her. She abandoned the banana and ran to Link, wrapping her small arms around his slender waist. He hoisted her onto his hip, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Suddenly, without knowing she was doing it, she reached up-and pulled Link's cap clean off his head, exposing his long, not to mention tangly, blond hair. Am sighed with pure joy at the sight of his hair-she loved him so much it was almost disgusting. She ran her hands through his hair and found so many knots that Link yelped every time she did. It got so bad that Link had to say, "Am, sweetie, please give me my cap." "No," said Am. "I rarely see you without your cap; I want you to go without it today." "All right, if that's what you want, that's what I'll do," replied Link.

Navi was doing a very good job of hiding her giggles-one snort or chuckle, and Link would know she'd been eavesdropping on them. Link looked up then from where he was holding Am, and Navi quickly went back to slicing apples.

Just then, Link yelped again. Navi assumed Am was still trying to get Link's hair into a ponytail, so she didn't look up. She didn't even say anything, which was very rare for Navi. She was always prodding Link to do stuff. Link yelped again, this time louder, so Navi knew something wasn't right. It never was, if Link yelped that loud! Navi looked up from the apple she was slicing, and what a sight met her eyes! Link was lying on the couch with Am. His boots were off and his belt was unbuckled. His tunic was undone, but everything else was intact. The yelps were when Am had pulled his hair, and also when she pinched his cheek; Am lying with her head on Link's shoulder, with one arm across his chest. Navi abandoned her apple and fluttered over to Link. "Link." she began, but Link cut her off with a "Sorry." "It's not what you think it is. I told her do it because I'm hot," he said. "Oh, ok then," Navi replied. Boy, she sure does love Link! She rarely leaves his side, thought Navi, smiling to herself. "Link?" asked Amethyst, "will you tell me about being the Hero of Time?" "Well," said Link, "that is a very interesting question. I'm not quite sure how to begin." He rolled onto his side and looked at Am. She was snuggled against him, smiling as if there was nothing she'd rather be doing. He reached over and stroked her hair, smiling all the while. "Let's see," he said, "being the Hero of Time is, well, I can't really describe it." "Try," begged Am, "for me?" "Well, ok," he replied. "It's sometimes challenging, like the first time I had to fight Ganondorf," he said, shuddering at the very thought of Ganondorf. "What else?" she asked. "Other times, it's just plain fun, like when I got my horse, Epona," he answered. "Anything else?" she inquired. "Hmmm, let's see, um, oh yeah, girls always love you," he teased. "Link!" she cried, "that was kind of mean!" "Well, don't you love me a lot?" he asked, grinning at her. "Yes, Link, I do love you. Very, very much," she replied, blushing a bright pink. "So if it's true, how can it be mean?" he asked. Am snuggled closer to him and said, "I don't really know. It just. is." "Time to eat!" called Navi from the kitchen. "Aw, right when I was getting comfortable," groaned Amethyst, and scowling at Navi. "If you eat your breakfast like the good little girl you are," said Link, "we'll cuddle up again, ok?" "Ok, I guess so," replied Amethyst, hugging Link tightly. "Good girl," he replied, ruffling her hair. Link and Am walked to the table hand-in-hand. Am only let go when Link said to. Navi looked up from pouring Am's juice and snickered. "What's so funny?" they asked her. "You," she said to Link. "What's so funny about-" he started to say. Then he looked down and saw how he looked. His boots were still off, his belt was still unbuckled, and his tunic was still undone! Link got up and mouthed be right back. Would you distract her? at Navi. Then he slipped off to the other room to fix himself up. Lucky for Navi, Amethyst was busy eating her eggs, and didn't see Link leave the room, so Navi could continue with her own breakfast. Am had just about finished her eggs when Link returned. He mouthed Thank you so much at Navi and sat down to finish eating his breakfast. Link had just barely finished when Amethyst leaped out of her chair and tugged on his tunic. "Link?" she asked, but was cut off. "I know, I remember. Come on; we'll find a place that's really comfy, then you can cuddle me to your heart's content," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the kitchen. They went all over the house. Finally, they decided to use the big pouf in Link's room. It was big enough for two people, yet light enough to carry easily. The pouf itself was purple and blue striped. It was really soft and fuzzy, like being on a fluffy, white cloud. The matching pillows were baby blue and lavender striped. It was sort of girly, yet masculine too, because of all the shades of blue. Link sat on it, with his head on one pillow. He patted the other side, meaning Am could join him. "Before you drool over me, I need to ask you two favors. First, don't undress me. Boots, belt, and tunic buttons are ok; leave everything else alone. Second, we have to leave at eleven to go see Zelda. She wants us to eat lunch with her. This means you have about three hours to cuddle me," he said. "Ok," agreed Amethyst, "but will you let me know when it's almost time to go?" "Yes, I will," he said, "now go to it!" With that said, she was on the pouf in a flash, hugging Link really tight. He pulled her onto his lap, and then, because she was uncomfortable, she unbuckled his belt, and pulled it off his waist. She tossed it to the ground. Then she pulled off his boots and undid his tunic. That done, she laid against him, enjoying the feel of his body under hers. She had one arm draped across him, preventing him from getting up. It was in such a way that Link wouldn't be able to get up, even if he tried his hardest. "Link?" she said. "Yeah?" he replied. "I love you so much," she replied, sliding off his lap to let him get comfortable. "Love you, too, sweetie," he replied, as he turned over on his tummy. She turned onto her tummy too, and snuggled up to Link, wrapping an arm around his back. "Am, honey, let me go for a minute and let me roll over again, ok?" he asked. "All right," she answered, letting go of him. Link rolled back onto his back and said, "Ok, go ahead and snuggle." She rested her head on his shoulder, one hand on Link's knee. With the other, she clasped Link's hand. "Ummm." was all he could say at that point. "Do you want me to tell you more about being the Hero of Time?" he asked. "Yes, please!" she said, squeezing Link's hand even tighter. "Well," he said, "let me think. Oh! Right after I beat Ganondorf-both times- I was beat. All I ever wanted to do is sleep, and boy, did I! I slept for a full 24 hours both times." "Wow, that's a lot of sleep!" she exclaimed, snuggling deeper into his arms. "Yeah, I know. That's what Saria said," he replied. "Oh! Five more minutes, then we've got to get going," he said. "Oh, no fair. Every time we get comfy, we always have to do something," she complained. "Sorry, honey, but I can't break my promise. We'll finish cuddling later, I promise," he said. When the five minutes were up, Link said, "Time's up, so please let me get up so we can go." Am still wanted to cuddle him, so she didn't reply at first, but when Link gently, but firmly pushed her off his chest and let go of her hand, she took the hint and let him get up. As soon as he stood up, she threw her arms around him, caressing his cheek a little bit. "Oh, Am," he said, "I can see you don't want to leave yet, so let me look at the clock." He did. The clock read 10:50, which meant they had ten minutes to get to Hyrule Castle on time. "Yeah, we've got to leave now, ok?" he said. "Fine with me," said Am, grinning at Link. They went out front, and then Link played Epona's Song. She came trotting up to them. Link helped Am onto her, then climbed up himself, and they were off! For awhile all Link said was, "Hiyah! Hiyah! Hiyah!" He was hitting Epona with a carrot to speed up. Then Amethyst started whimpering softly, like "Ooh." Link heard her, so he stopped and said, "Are you ok? Is something scaring you? Or am I going too fast?" "Yeah. you're going too fast, Link," she replied, grabbing his hand tightly. He chuckled softly. "That's my girl, always wanting more attention, or, in this case, me to slow down." "My hero!" she whispered, leaning against Link's chest. He ruffled her hair and smiled. What? All I did was slow Epona down!!! He thought. They had arrived at the moat leading into Hyrule Castle Town, so they climbed off Epona and walked to the castle. Am felt a little nervous, so she grabbed his hand again. "Shh," he warned, "there are guards all over. Stay close." Following that statement were the scariest ten minutes of Amethyst's life. You never knew when a guard would come out. You had to duck behind a bush or whatever whenever you heard footsteps. If you didn't, or were too slow, or something else of that nature, you were sure to get caught. Luckily, nothing like that happened, so Link and Am made it inside all in one piece. Zelda was just getting concerned when they entered the castle courtyard. "Where have you been?" she cried. "Sorry, Princess, but there was the issue of my little friend here," he replied. "Why, who's this?" she asked, "she's so adorable!" "This is Amethyst," he replied. "Say hi to the princess, sweetheart." "H-hi, P-Princess," she stammered. Am held her arms out to Link, wanting to be hugged and cared for. He, however, was chatting with Zelda and didn't see her request for a hug. He was sitting there partly listening to her. Am tried again, nevertheless, still, there was no reply. As a last choice, she waved her hand in front of Link's eyes, hoping he'd notice. That got his attention, all right. He jumped a mile, but when he saw what happened, He pulled her into his lap. She smiled with satisfaction and Link wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. Just then, Zelda's nursemaid, Impa, came over to them carrying platters of food. The three of them ate until they were full. Then Zelda rang a bell, which signaled Impa. She got rid of all the dishes and while she was doing so, she looked at Link with raised eyebrows. Oh, her? She's my friend; although she really likes me he mouthed at her. A little while later, Link and Amethyst left the castle and went back to Link's house. No sooner were they in the house than Amethyst hugged Link, wanting attention. Link just smiled and hugged her back. She was finally getting the attention she wanted. Link sank to the floor; meaning Amethyst could cuddle him again. She was grinning very hard. But instead of climbing on top of him like she usually did, she grabbed Link's hand and led him back to the pouf in his room. He sat down on it and she sat on his lap facing him. Her arms were wrapped around his waist. Link held her close to him, and she stroked his cheek with her fingers. Link scooted back so that he was lying down on his back, Am straddling his waist. She lay down so that her head was on his shoulder and the rest of her body was on his chest. Suddenly, Link looked at the clock. It read 1:10, which meant he was ten minutes late for his visit with Saria. He clapped a hand to his forehead and frowned because he knew Am hadn't had enough of it yet. "Um, Am?" he said, "please get up." "What, you don't want to be cuddled anymore?" she replied. "No, it isn't that. I love it when all you want is to lay with me, or to hug me, or something else," he replied, smiling his heart-warming smile. She smiled back, blushing a little. "It's just that I was supposed to go see Saria at one today." "Oh, I see," she replied, getting off his tummy sadly. "I'm sorry about all the conflicts, but there are things I have to do today, sweetie," he said gently. "Navi will watch you. I shouldn't be gone for more than two hours," he said. Navi had overheard everything Link and Am were saying, and so she fluttered in at exactly the right moment. "Ok, Am. I really have to leave now, but I'll be back, I promise," he said. "All right, I guess so," she said, running to him for a last hug and kiss good-bye. Link rushed out the door and played Epona's Song. She raced up to him, nuzzling his neck. He jumped on Epona and galloped off to Saria's house. On his way there, he thought he'd stop at Amethyst's house and say hi to her mom and dad. They, however, weren't home. All he found were a note and a suitcase. The note read: Link- We've gone on a trip to Termina. Is it ok if Am stays with you? Back in two weeks!!! Kalia and Cory Link assumed the suitcase was full of Am's things-PJs, a toothbrush, clothes, hair things, etc. He grabbed the suitcase and tied it to Epona's back. Then he went on his way to Saria's. Finally, he got to Saria's. She greeted him with a cheerful hi and big smile, and didn't seem at all angry at Link for not being on time for his visit. Saria led him inside and motioned for Link to sit down. They talked about everything Link would need to get and to do in order to fight Ganondorf again. Meanwhile, Am and Navi were baking cookies and fixing dinner for when Link returned home. While the cookies were baking, Navi and Am set to making dinner, which was meat, candied yams, and salad. The smells of the cookies and the dinner items were enough to drive anyone crazy. Finally, the cookies were done and cooled, the dinner was all ready, and the table was set. "Now, Link will be back any minute, so why don't you run him a nice warm bath? I'd do it myself, but I need to do the dishes," said Navi. "If you need help, call my name." "Ok," said Amethyst, and she scampered off to the bathroom. Soon the tub was full, so Amethyst turned off the water. The bath looked ok; it had just the right amount of water, there was none on the floor, so Am assumed she did a good job, but- SHE PUT ONLY ONE KIND OF WATER IN THE TUB: COLD!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, there was no way Am could've known that; this was her first time running someone a bath. She ran into the kitchen and told Navi she was done. "Good, because Link is back. now!" she replied. Navi was quite right, of course. In a minute they heard the clatter of hoofbeats and then Link's footsteps coming into the house. They heard him collapse on the couch and yawn noisily. "Am! Am! I'm back!" he called. Amethyst the carrot she was peeling and rushed to say hello to her precious Link. She pounced on him, literally, as in jumping on top of him when he wasn't expecting it. "Aaaaaaaaahhhh!" he yelled. "Hello, my Hero of Time," she said. "Hello to you too, Am," he said, pulling her into his lap. "By the way, Link, a bath is waiting for you," she replied. "It is? Great!" he exclaimed, heading towards the bathroom. Navi and Am heard him put a foot in the water, then yelp loudly. He came hurrying into the living room wearing an old flannel robe and blue slippers. "Who ran this bath, Am? You or Navi?" he asked. "I did," she replied. "Why?" "Because the water is icy cold!!!!!!!!!!!" he cried, laughing. "Oh no! You mean blue means cold?" she asked, laughing too. "Afraid so," he replied. "Then red must be hot water, right?" she asked. "Yup," he answered. "Oh Link, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to mess your bath up like that," she said, looking and feeling very embarrassed. She looked like she could cry. "Hey, it's ok. Please don't worry so. I'll make it up to you, promise," he soothed. "L-" she started to say, but was cut off by some tears. "I j-just wanted to m-make you proud," she cried. "Ohh! Come here, sweetie," he coaxed. She came, and when she did, she got a huge hug and three kisses. At last, her tears calmed down. Aside from some little whimpers, she was fine, once again. But, she didn't want to let go yet, so Link hoisted her onto his hip and carried her to the couch. "Come on, Am, let's wash your face and eat dinner," he said. "Then, I have a surprise for you." "But you can't find out what it is until after we eat, ok?" During diner, Amethyst pestered Link, wanting to know what the surprise was going to be. Finally, dinner was over, and Amethyst wanted her surprise, so Link led her back to the couch and sat her on his lap, grinning from ear to ear. "You," he said, "are going to stay with me for the next two weeks!" "I am?" she cried. "Yup, while your mom and dad go to Termina." "Oh," she replied. "And, while I was at Saria's, she gave me an extra ocarina. So, the extra one. is yours!" he said. She took it from him eagerly, put it to her lips, and- WHHHHAAAAAMMMMPAAAROOOOOO! Out came the loudest sound that either Link or Navi had ever heard! Well?" she asked, "how was that?" "Very good, sweetie," he replied. "Thanks, Link!" she replied, kissing him on the cheek. He just grinned, and then hugged her so wonderfully that it made her go weak in the knees. "Are you my Link?" she asked. "Yes, honey. Always and forever," he answered, stroking her hair. The following two weeks were the most, well, strange weeks Link had ever seen. For instance, one day when Link had to run errands, Am made him a monogrammed handkerchief. It had his name and hearts all over it. She was very proud of it, but- SHE SPELLED HIS NAME BACKWARDS SO IT READ K-N-I-L INSTEAD OF L-I-N-K!!!!!! Even so, Link was ecstatic about the hankie. He just smiled his killer smile, and that made all Amethyst's worries melt away, even more so when he hugged her with all his heart. And then there had been the day when Link had to tell Am he was leaving in two months to go on another quest. She had cried for a long time after. Finally, there was the way she always wanted to sleep with Link at night. Of course, it wasn't like she actually had a choice-there was only one bedroom in Link's house: his own, but even so, she always said, "Can I sleep with you again?" And Link always replied, "Yeah, sure." So, yes, those two weeks were a bit odd, if you know what I mean. At last, the day came when Link had to leave. Amethyst, all the Kokiri, etc. came to say good-bye. Link hugged everyone, including mean old Mido, good-bye, but it was Amethyst who got the longest hug. For Link would never forget his special friend.