-1Authors Note: I hope you all enjoyed the way I set up the story. If your wondering why I chose the time period, there isn't enough good stories set after Majora's Mask which I think should have been covered by the latest game not that Twilight Princess isn't brilliant. In case you're wondering, yes I know the ending of MM doesn't show Link at the wedding but I think he should have gone as he did so much for Anju and Kafei. Lastly I think Link becoming King and marrying Zelda would be the best way to end the series, and also if you're wonderingwhy Lysander? that's the only name I can think of that could possibly be abbreviated to Link, don't worry, only people that Link didn't meet in the games will call him that, like his dad.

Chapter 2: Home Is Where The Heart Is

Link woke up the next morning and wondered where he was and how he'd got there, getting out of bed he went to the window and opened it, he gazed out at a beautiful scene with the Castle town and the surrounding countryside spread below him with the sun even illuminating the view as far as death mountain, from the state of the sky it looked like it was going to be another beautiful day. Remembering the events of yesterday and where he was he wondered over to his trunk and got out another suit of everyday Princes clothes. Finding another door he found a bathroom where a maid had just finished drawing a bath for him, the maid curtsied and left the room through another door. Link went and fetched his clothes came back in and stripped off and got in the bath after locking both doors. While he was scrubbing himself he thought about what to do now he had so much power and wondered if he could be a good Prince. He got out of the bath and found a towel, after drying himself off he found toiletries laid out next to a sink and cleaned his teeth and brushed his hair. After putting his clothes and boots on he left his suite and nodded politely to the guards as they saluted him. Link walked down the hall lost in thought and as such failed to notice the pale pink and white streak heading for him with the speed of a missile until it hit him in the chest nearly knocking him down and began crying into his shoulder. Link felt slightly awkward as he had had no experience with crying women but drew Zelda close and patted her back softly until he felt her relax, she drew away after a while and looked at him with a grave expression on her pretty face and said,

"Oh Link, are you alright? I've been so worried, I only just found out the details. I knew something was wrong last night and I heard the general alarm, but no one said anything until this morning. I'm so sorry."

She broke down again and Link sighed and held her again and said, "I'm alright Zelda, I was lucky and those two assassins underestimated me. Dad thinks its politics and your Royal Guard is investigating, its nobodies fault except for whoever hired the assassins and I think I know who did that, if it was who I think it was he'll pay when dad finds out, now come on, lets go find some breakfast."

He felt Zelda nod against his chest, so when she drew away he took her hand and led the way downstairs to the great hall, guests from the party were there eating breakfast so Link led Zelda up to where they sat at the party and sat down again and began to fill their plates and goblets with food and drink A short while later while they were eating King Daphnes came in and sat near them, Link made to stand up with the rest of the guests but the King bade him to stay seated. Zelda greeted her father who then turned toward him smiled and said,

"Good morning Lysander, I'm sorry about last night."

Link returned the smile and said, "it's ok Your Majesty, it's nobodies fault apart from whoever hired the Assassins, and I think I know who did that. While I may have no evidence, I believe it was Lord Stormwell, possibly in attempt at removing competition for Zelda's hand. I'm sure your Royal Guards will do everything they can to find out who's behind this."

King Daphnes had been nodding as Link spoke and said, "the Stormwell's have always been a greedy lot, Albion is a friendly country who we have trade treaties with which is why we let them come here, I wouldn't be surprised if you were right about Lord Stormwell as he always was an arrogant boy, which is one reason why I'd never approve of him marrying my Zelda. But still as you said Captain Keene will do his best, I understand you're leaving today, so I'll have a copy of his report sent to your father when he hands it down."

Link thought that the kindly King was making sense and his views were fair so he replied, "As you wish, Your Majesty, if you need a witness statement for any form of trial, I can have one sent to you as since the offence was committed on Hylian soil I assume the perpetrator will be tried here."

The King nodded and got up and left and King William came up to him and said,

"Lysander it is time, we must go, our people are impatient to welcome you home. I'll get one of the castle servants to load your trunk while you say your good byes to Her Highness, the grooms are saddling up your horse, well done with King Daphnes you are a natural with politics my son."

Link nodded and he and Zelda got up and walked into the entrance hall, Zelda took him to one side and said, "thank you Link, It was wonderful to see you again. It's a pity you can't stay longer but I can understand that your people need you now. I'll miss you so much."

A single tear leaked from her beautiful sapphire coloured eyes, Link smiled sadly at her and wiped it away with his thumb and replied, "we won't be parted for ever, once I'm settled into my home I can invite you and your father to visit me. In any case Windhaven isn't that far away. I'll miss you as well, at least since we're equals now I can visit without sneaking in, I'll write as soon as I arrive."

Zelda smiled slightly and pulled him close to her and kissed his cheek, Link was more prepared and didn't blush as much but still felt his cheek burn. A servant came to him with his riding cloak and equipment which Link donned before walking outside with Zelda where a groom led Epona to him, Link mounted and joined the group of Knights and his father as they set off across the drawbridge, Link waved back at Zelda as he reached the first bend in the trail and felt his heart sink as he saw her with tears on her face. Turning to his father with a gloomy look and sighing. King William smiled at his son and said, "don't worry son, you'll see her again sooner than you think. It's your birthday in a month and I already invited her and King Daphnes, the sages are all coming as well, she's a wonderful girl and if you keep going as you have with her she'd make a wonderful bride when the time comes."

Link smiled and blushed and replied, "she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met and also the kindest and wisest. I never thought I'd have a chance before and that hurt, but even so I'll have to be careful as I don't want to spoil what we have now."

King William nodded and smiled and they rode on through the castle town, Link waved at the sight of people he knew like the Happy Mask salesman and the Bazaar shopkeeper as the whole town had come to see them off and were lining the square. As they neared the drawbridge he spotted Malon, Talon and Ingo, all dressed in their best. He waved and smiled at them and said, "you should really take Ingo or a cucco with you when you deliver milk Talon, I won't be there every time to wake you."

They all laughed and paid their respects as they moved past and out into the field. They rode at a moderate pace through the field and as they neared Kokiri forest when the sun began to sink, instead of taking the entrance they veered to the south where they reached a crossroad with one way leading towards the south and another to the east and into the trees.

After camping overnight, they mounted their horses and took the road into the east, this area of the forest was unknown to Link but still resonated with the faint sound of Saria's song on the misty morning air as the group moved along the road. At midday they stopped in a clearing with a small creek to rest and eat their meal. King William took out a map of the forest and showed it to Link and said, "you mentioned an entrance to Termina in the forest, where was it?"

Link moved closer and examined the map, spotting the clearing where they'd fought the stalfos he traced his finger back southwest and tapped it on the approximate area and said

"It was somewhere around here the portal isn't a very easy one to use, which is a pity, Termina had some good things which would make for trade. I might go back in the future and see if trade can be opened."

King William nodded and said, "if you negotiate with them perhaps we could send engineers to upgrade the portal entrance so goods wagons can use it."

Link nodded, after the meal they kept moving and soon reached an area close to the portal where they camped for the night, as Link went into his tent and got into the campaign bunk that had been brought from Hyrule he thought he could hear the sound of flapping wings as well as the sounds of the animals moving in the darkness.

Next morning they kept moving and soon passed the clearing where the stalfos had attacked, scouts had been sent ahead but came back reporting no trace of more of them, they made good progress passing a lake near the road northeast of the clearing and a few blue Tektikes started moving to attack them but all of the Knights as well as Link had bows and quickly mowed them down before they got anywhere near them. By the end of the day the trees began to thin and they reached the eastern edge of the forest. A wall with a gate in it marked the edge of a small town a short way down the road once they'd left the trees, as they approached King William turned to Link and said,

"welcome to our homeland my son, we've reached the border. This is Forestward, during the civil war it was an army base but in the peace it's become a market town of traders and merchants passing through the Hylian border, we still keep a garrison here but mainly to keep civil order and as a means of watching people who pass into Windhaven to keep an eye out for fugitives."

Link gazed about and saw that Windhaven seemed a lot more hilly than Hyrule with a few farms outside the city walls and vast plains as far as he could see. A steady stream of people on the road ahead of them were passing into the town, and a river passed into the town from the west appearing to cut it in two. They moved up to the gates where a pair of soldiers on duty took a look at them and one shouted to more in a watch tower on the wall, "signal the marshal, It's the Royal Family!"

Link could hear the sounds of more soldiers in the distance and saw a flag being raised on a pole in the tower, It was red with a picture of the Triforce being held by a rampart lion and a unicorn in gold embroidery in the middle. A bell rang and the group moved on. Link looked around in awe as a large detachment of soldiers in armour formed a guard of honour as Link and King William lead the group through the town which was about the same size overall as Kakariko Village. after crossing a bridge over the river, they came to a square in front of a slightly larger stone house where a tall red haired man in more ornate armour stood waiting. The man walked up and bowed low, standing up he said, "welcome back Your Majesty, and welcome to you Your Highness, I am Major Ben Hawkins, marshal of these parts. I hope you enjoy your stay here, I have had rooms made ready in my house."

King William nodded and thanked the Major for the welcome and Link said, "thank you Major, this country is new to me. I hope to understand it more in the future, convey our thanks to your men for their efficiency and good work."

The Major bowed to Link and grooms came up and began to take their horses as everyone dismounted and made their way into the marshals house. Major Hawkins led the way into a large dining room and everyone sat down, King William turned to Link and said, "In our country the garrison towns mayors are military officers who go by the title of marshal, as in wartime they command the war effort in their local area, the normal civil administration is fairly similar to what you would have seen in Termina and Hyrule, you're becoming a good Prince, keep going the way you've begun and you'll make a great King someday, your mother would be very proud of you."

Link smiled and tried to make conversation as best he could as food and drink were brought in, and afterwards he was shown to a room upstairs and after a hard days ride found the soft bed very welcoming.

Next morning after freshening himself up and dressing for the day Link went downstairs for a quick breakfast before the group went outside, mounted their horses and moved east out of Forestward onto a large paved road heading east and winding its way down a large range of rolling hills lined with more farms and a few small villages. Link gazed at his homeland like a child in a sweetshop as the clear blue sky illuminated the landscape of the vast western highlands. They stopped in at a larger town which was situated at a crossroad in the paved road that Link had learned was called the Kingsway and the townspeople had prepared a feast to welcome the King and their lost Prince home. Link ate heartily as he sampled the various local specialities that were laid out before him and the others as the overjoyed locals entertained their guests.

After spending the night they convoy moved again and as Link crested the top of yet another hill he gazed down at a vast city below in the distance and beyond the city a vast blue ocean stretched to the horizon. Link gazed in awe and turned to his father and said, "Is this our capital father, it's enormous, I've never seen anything like it."

King William smiled and said, "welcome home Lysander, this is Windhaven City, for centuries our ancestors have watched over our kingdom from here, and it is a place of great prosperity and learning as people from all over the world come here to become anything from wizards to musicians, actors, engineers, anything you can think of. Now come, I'm sure our people wish to welcome you home."

Link swallowed nervously and nudged Epona forwards and a few hours later they approached a vast wall made of white stone behind a wide and deep moat which was fed by a river from the north. As they made their way over a drawbridge and through a gate Link saw a scene that he would never forget as long as he lived, a wide road led through the city and Link and King William dismounted their horses and got into a gilded carriage which set off along the road. What looked like an entire legion of soldiers were lining the streets along with most of the population, which Link saw was mostly made up of Humans with a few Gorons and Zoras and even the occasional Deku scrub and Gerudos mixed in, all the crowd were cheering and throwing rose petals into the air. Link waved to the crowd along with King William as the carriage travelled past all manner of places such as markets, inns, vast parks and many odd looking buildings that Link couldn't tell the purpose of. They passed one where some men and women were standing on top of it and causing more flowers and confetti to fall from the sky, Link turned and said, "how come it started raining confetti and roses when we passed that building with men on top of it."

King William turned and said, "That's the Magicians Guild, the various industries all have a guild to represent them in Windhaven and most of them have a headquarters building here in the city where they train new members and administer there charters from. I imagine those wizards and witches are trying to impress you."

Link nodded and waved at the wizards who all bowed before carrying on with their magic.

After passing a vast harbour which looked like a hive of activity they came to an outer gate before a road to a vast castle. To Link who had seen several castles if Hyrule castle was a bulwark, castle Windhaven was an unbreakable nut. It sat atop a hill with only one road leading to it and a cliff behind and had another moat before the gate. Link noticed the road up was steep with many watch towers lining it but despite the obvious attention to defence the castle and its grounds were landscaped to perfection with vast gardens where he could see more people strolling among them and the white stone of the castle gleamed in the sun and the overall affect of the castle appeared to be designed to blend in to the hillside as much as possible while still being a bastion of defence. Link gazed about amazed as the outer gate opened and the driver moved on to the sounds of the crowd and bells being rung in the city and the castle reaching their ears. They rode over another drawbridge and into a large paved courtyard where the driver stopped the carriage and Link and King William got out, Link turned to his father and said, "this castle is enormous! I thought Hyrule castle was big but this, it's unbelievable."

King William turned and said, "Our kingdom is a bit bigger than Hyrule but not by a lot, the castle was built and rebuilt over the centuries until it became what it is today and that was due to the skill of our craftsmen, we've had less problems in the past than Hyrule as we don't have the Triforce hidden in our land, but we still had invaders to contend with when they saw us as a problem when they've attempted to use our land as a thoroughfare to attack Hyrule. Come now son, see our home."

Link and King William walked into the main keep and were taken to the great hall where a whole crowd were standing beside the tables they all sat when King William and Link had sat down and bade them to follow suit. King William gave a speech during the banquet that was served introducing Link to the crowd which Link found out was made up mostly of his extended family, all were pleased to see him and despite feeling somewhat overwhelmed he did the best he could to answer the barrage of questions coming his way. After the banquet Link set out to explore the castle getting lost several times, eventually he found a courtyard much like Princess Zelda's private gardens but as well as plants, flowers, lawn and a fountain it also had archery targets, and a door leading to what looked like a swordsmanship training room, and a stone dais in the courtyard featured a carved throne, Link sat down and looked around his surroundings amazed at the beauty of it all. A few minutes later a short academic looking man with thick glasses and a top hat and a taller more muscled black haired man in armour came in to the courtyard and walked up to him, both bowed and the short man said, "good afternoon Your Highness, I am Doctor Patterson, your tutor, I have tutored the Royal family for many years and look forward to helping you adjust to your new life here, I see you found your private sanctuary. This is where you can come to sit and relax, and is a good place to conduct private meetings as many a monarch has found useful in the past for a variety of reasons."

Link replied, "thank you Doctor, I'm sure your lessons will help as I have little knowledge of this country."

The other man stepped up and said, "I am Gustav, Your Highness, I am to be your bodyguard and attendant, I understand you're quite the fighter, but it's always better to be safe than sorry, the gym and the targets are for your use to keep up your skills, I'll be glad to teach you what I know, and will do my best as your attendant."

Link nodded and said, "thank you Gustav, now can you or Doctor Patterson show me to my chambers I have a letter to write that cannot wait."

Both nodded and Link got up and followed them both through the halls until he found a large hall with a sweeping staircase that led to the upper floors, on the first landing where the stairs split into two directions stood a large portrait of a red haired woman with blue eyes. Link stopped and gazed at the picture and knew who it was at once, and turned to Doctor Patterson and said, "is that my mother Doctor Patterson?"

Doctor Patterson looked sadly at the portrait and said, "yes Your Highness that is Queen Beatrix, a fine lady, I knew her well before her death. She insisted on accompanying your father to Hyrule to help him with peace negotiations before the civil war broke out as we acted as mediators between the factions, luckily she was also a strong woman and she managed to make it to Kokiri forest after the embassy was attacked, she'd be proud of you and what you've done so far."

Link smiled sadly and they kept going up the stairs and followed a hallway lined with more portraits until they came to a series of rooms and Gustav said, "this is your suite of rooms Your Highness, I hope you like them, we've had them redecorated after the dispatch rider came in with the news that you were coming."

Link found himself in a spacious living area with a couch a few armchairs in front of a fireplace and a bookshelf lining one wall with a large window opposite the door he'd come in by, another door led to a study with more bookshelves and an ornate desk and chair, going back into the living area he found another door leading to the bedroom which featured an richly decorated four poster with green hangings, a large wardrobe with a full length mirror, two bedside tables and more windows giving panoramic views over the city.

A door off his bedroom also led into his own personal bathroom, Link turned to his two companions and said, "this is wonderful, I love it, now if you'll excuse me I have a letter to write, I assume there's ink and paper on my desk."

The others bowed and Gustav left saying, "thank you Your Highness, I'll be nearby if you need me, my own bedchamber is in the same hall in case your attacked."

Doctor Patterson said, "yes I stocked your desk this morning, I also put sealing wax and a signet ring there, it's a copy of the seal of the nation, that will be fine until you have your own coat of arms designed."

With that he also turned and left and Link made his way into his study and sat at his desk, finding a stack of paper as well as a quill and some ink he pulled a sheet towards himself and wrote:

My dear Zelda

I've arrived safely home, after a long journey. Windhaven City is simply incredible, I've never seen anything like it, and find it impossible to describe in a letter, you'll have to see it for yourself when you come here. Yes, in case you don't know, my own birthday is in a few weeks time, and my father has invited you and your dad here, along with the sages. My people were ecstatic to see me come home and many towns threw feasts along the way, you and your dad will most likely get the same treatment. I have been assigned a tutor name Doctor Patterson who is a very nice man. He dresses kind of funny but is kind and very knowledgeable, I've also been assigned a bodyguard and attendant by the name of Gustav, I don't know if he's as skilled as Impa but I guess I'll find out as he said he'll train me as much as he can. My extended family were waiting for me when I arrived today and were really nice though it was a bit awkward meeting them all at once. I found a picture of my mother when I was being led to my chambers and Doctor Patterson told me all about her, she sounded like a remarkable woman.

I hope you are well and I look forward to your visit

Love Link

Link sealed folded the letter and put it in an envelope sealed it with wax and pressed the signet ring into it until it cooled creating a miniature copy of the same crest he'd seen on the flag at Forestward and the many flags he'd seen on the way up to the castle. Writing Princess Zelda's name on the envelope and found a cord on the wall which he pulled, Gustav came in a few moments later and said, "you summoned me Your Highness?"

Link nodded and said, "can you take this letter please Gustav and give it to the next dispatch rider bound for Hyrule castle."

Gustav took the letter nodded and said, "no problem Your Highness there's one going tomorrow with a few letters for King Daphnes."

Link thanked him and the big Knight bowed and left, putting his sealing wax and quill and ink away Link set off to explore more of the castle and try to adapt to his new surroundings.