Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second chapter! I was a little nervous about posting this story at first, but the wonderful reviews have put my mind at ease! So thank you to my reviewers- anonymous; NailoSyanodel; Squirt Sapphire; trevor19; LinkIsaacANDLloyd; Gir Crazy; Hououza; JackofBladesX; Sam; BluSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own any aspects of the Legend of Zelda series.

"Where is my lovely wife?" I heard Joachim say that afternoon as he entered the main hall, the servants dragging his baggage behind him.

"In here, darling," I called from the ballroom, where I had been with my father. We were making preparations for the Christmas Ball, which was only three weeks away. I had decided it best to play the role of doting wife until I could find a way to escape, so I could be with Link, and our child. It would always be our child in my eyes, whether Link was actually the father or not.

"Ah, there you are, my beauty," he smiled, his eyes gleaming. He came up, wrapped his arms around me, and bent me backwards, kissing my lips. I could smell perfume on him, so overwhelming my eyes were nearly watering.

"I missed you, my love," he whispered into my ear once I was standing back up.

Joachim had to bend over quite a bit to whisper to me, as I only go up to about halfway between his shoulder and his elbow, and that is when I'm wearing heels. He is tall and strong, with broad shoulders and long, muscular limbs. He has short hair, black as the night sky, along with gray eyes and olive skin. Had the circumstances been different, perhaps I could've fallen for him; I could easily see why other women have, at least from looking at him. But I was the one stuck marrying him; women who have only shared his bed, and not seen how he is usually, have no idea what it's like to live with him.

Link, however, looks nothing like him. Link is...the most handsome man I've ever had the fortune to lay eyes upon. He is not that tall, but tall enough that my head fits securely under his chin when he is comforting me. His long, golden hair is typically tied back in a low ponytail, with some wisps hanging in his bright cerulean eyes. His tanned skin emphasizes the contour of his muscles, though they are often masked under his clothes. He is lean, but very strong; his sinewy limbs often mislead people into thinking he is weak, only to be surprised.

I am thankful to be the only woman that gets to see Link in his true form. I still remember the first time I saw him disrobed. I had walked in on him by mistake while he was preparing for a bath, and I could neither tear my eyes away nor speak for several moments. And the fact that he didn't yell at me for seeing him undressed, or try to show off his assets, made me love him all the more.

Oh, what the thought of Link does to me! I wish it was him here with me right now, instead of Joachim. The things I would-

"Zelda, are you quite alright?" Joachim asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh, oh, yes, fine," I stammered, blinking a few times before looking at him.

"Well, I'll let you two lovebirds alone. Zelda, you can come help me some more this evening," my father said. "I know you two have...things to attend to. And that you, Zelda, have something very important to tell your husband."

I dare not resist as Joachim took my hand and led me upstairs to our bedroom. But I did put up a fight when he expected something from me after being gone.

"Come on, Zelda, what are you so afraid of?" he asked me, patting the bed next to him. "I won't bite, I promise. Come now, tell me what I can do to ease your mind."

"You can't do anything," I sighed.

"What's that?"

"Nothing, it's just...look, Joachim, it's not you, it's me, alright? I know what you want, and I know it is my wifely duty to satisfy you in...that way. But I just do not feel comfortable."

Joachim raised his eyebrows. "Darling, let me help you relax. We have not made love in six weeks. I know that you and I probably have different needs, but really, there is nothing to fear. I understand that you were scared our first time. Remember, it was my first time, too, so I know the feeling."

I highly doubt both parts of that last statement, I thought, biting my tongue to keep from saying something foolish.

"But I wish to please you, my love. And I hope you will put your desire to please me over your fears. From what I have heard, the more we do it, the more comfortable we'll feel," he continued.

"I just...I don't know about this," I said, trying to hide my feelings of resentment. He talked as if he really did not care about how I felt, but was trying to make it seem he did.

"Look, Zelda, I love you very much. I understand your discomfort, but promise me you will at least come sit on the bed with me and let me help put you at ease. If you do not wish to be intimate with me right now, that is fine; I cannot force you. But you cannot keep running away from your wifely duties. You know it is your job to listen to me, as I am your husband. I feel I am doing you a favor by not forcing myself on you."

How dare he! I screamed in my mind. But I decided I'd best play along.

"Alright, I suppose there's no harm in sitting on the bed with you," I conceded.

"Good girl," he smiled slyly, his eyes locked on me as I crawled onto the bed.

We spent the next several minutes talking. Every time Joachim would attempt to move closer to me, I would recoil instinctively. When I did so, he would simply grin knowingly at me, apparently thinking I was simply trying to be coy.

"So, your father said you have something important to tell me," he finally brought up as I resisted his advances yet again.

I stared down at the floor awkwardly, refusing to meet his gaze. "Yes, well, I know that, as your wife, I am expected to submit to you. But I'm just not ready for that. After all, I am only eighteen-barely of legal age. And getting married to you occurred so quickly that I still have trouble wrapping my mind around being a wife, much less being a lover."

"Well, darling, it is too late to change things now. If you are to bear any heirs, we will have to be intimate at some time," he said, lifting my chin to make me look at him. "Once may not have been enough, even for someone as manly and fertile as me," he boasted.

I again had to bite my tongue. He was acting exactly as I expected, and I had yet to reveal my pregnancy to him!

"I'm perfectly aware of that. But I am not sure I'm ready to be a mother yet."

"Don't be so foolish, Zelda. Your father would be ashamed to hear such talk. You owe it to him, me, and this kingdom to do what you can to bear children," Joachim said angrily, suddenly standing up.

"I am not saying that I do not want to have children. I just do not understand why we have to be in such a hurry to create an heir," I answered, trying to sound calm. Never mind the fact that I'm already expecting a child, since it is probably not his, anyway.

"Because it is our royal duty!" Joachim growled. "As future king and queen of this kingdom, we are responsible for producing heirs to carry on the Hylian throne. Are you willing to let the royal bloodline end and let the kingdom be taken over by someone from another family, just because you are unwilling to submit to your husband, like a real woman?" he shouted, his eyes blazing with anger.

My eyes widened in terror as I watched him raise his hand to me. I screamed and hid my face, peering out from a small space between my arms.

He suddenly let his hand fall slack. "You would be wise to listen to me. Maybe you are used to getting your way, but I will not tolerate it," he hissed. He then turned around and left the room.

I curled up in a ball and cried for some time. Seeing how he reacted just now, there was no way he could ever find out about my affair with Link.

Link...that's what I needed. I needed to find Link. But first I would have to find my father and tell him of Joachim's anger problem.

I got up with a sigh. As I washed my tear-stained face, I silently prayed that, for once, my father would believe his only child over a man that nearly slapped her.

"Zelda, that is absolutely ridiculous," my father claimed. "You have some nerve, accusing your husband and the future king of abusive behavior."

"But, Father..." I objected.

"But nothing!" he practically shouted. "If he hit you, as you say, where is the mark?"

"I told you, Father. He raised his hand to hit me, but did not actually follow through with it."

"So then he is not abusive."

"Father, you just don't get it! Doesn't the very fact that he was so close to slapping me concern you at all? Imagine if we have an argument over an issue even more significant! What is to stop him then from slapping me?"

"Don't be silly, Zelda."

"I am hardly being silly. I am being honest, and attempting to make a valid point."

"Well, you are failing miserably," my father said matter-of-factly.

"There you go again, refusing to believe your own daughter!" I screeched, somehow resisting the urge to stamp my foot in anger.

"Don't you dare start that again! You know very well that what you say is not the truth. You are only bringing this up because you do not want to perform your wifely duties!" he shouted back at me. "Joachim informed me earlier of the problem between you two. And as your father, I am commanding you to submit to your husband."

I was rendered absolutely speechless. Hot tears stung my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I expected my father to not believe me, but this was a new low, especially for him.

"Well, for your information, I hate my husband!" I finally choked out in between sobs. "You always take his side, because you are too blind to see that he does not really love me, regardless of what he says. I can just sense it. All he wants to do is bed me, and keep up this stupid charade as long as it takes for him to become King of Hyrule. But by the time you realize that he is unfit to be married to me and rule this wonderful kingdom, I fear it will be too late."

Not waiting for my father to respond, I stormed out of the room. I hurried upstairs and was relieved to find that Joachim had not returned to our bedroom. Locking the door, I began to pack some of my things into a burlap sack. I needed to get away from the situation as soon as possible, and the only way to do that would be to sneak out. I didn't plan to leave forever, but I figured that if I was away for even just one night, perhaps my father would come to his senses.

Besides, I needed Link. I needed to be in his comforting arms. I craved more than intimacy with him at that moment-I needed reassurance that no matter the circumstances, he would always love and be there for me and our child.

I stuffed my nightgown into the top of the sack and closed it up. Then I slipped on my hooded cloak before slinging the sack over my shoulders. I neither set up the bed to make it appear that I was sleeping there, nor left a note in the bedroom. At that point, I didn't care what my father and husband thought about me leaving so suddenly.

Just as I was about to enter the secret passage, Impa emerged from it. "Princess, what are you doing?" she gasped, half-surprised, half-angry.

"Shh, not so loud!" I said. "I'm going away for the evening. Joachim nearly hit me, and when I tried to tell Father about it, he of course did not believe me, and we had a huge fight."

Impa's countenance immediately changed into one of concern and sympathy.

"Don't you worry about things here. I'll tell your father and husband that you went to visit Malon," she said, referring to my best friend, who owns a ranch with her husband. Malon had given birth to their child not too long ago, so she and I didn't get to see each other very often, especially since her husband is a soldier and often has to leave town for days at a time, leaving her to care for their baby and the ranch.

I thanked Impa for helping me, then gave her a hug before departing. As I made my way through the secret passages, I couldn't tear my thoughts away from Link. I actually did want to visit Malon, but that could wait until morning. For now, I needed to be with my lover.

I entered the courtyard and snuck past the guards and off the grounds. I had their routine memorized, making it easy to leave without once being spotted. Fortunately, Malon had given me a horse that was trained to hide out in Hyrule Field until I summoned him, which I did. I mounted him, and we were quickly on our way to the Kokiri Forest.

Once we arrived, I dismounted him, leaving him to graze happily with Link's horse, Epona. I entered the woods and made my way easily to Link's treehouse, as all the Kokiri were inside for the night.

I climbed the ladder and quietly pushed past the curtain. Link was supposed to be living at the castle, protecting myself and my family, but upon marrying me, Joachim had insisted that Link didn't need to be there, and would probably be more comfortable living in the forest home of his childhood. And, of course, my father agreed. Although I hate not having Link at the castle, at least I have a place of refuge.

I saw Link asleep on his side on the small bed, facing the window. The soft moonlight shone down on him, and I drew a deep breath at how handsome and peaceful he looked. I thought about leaving without waking him, but promptly reminded myself that I didn't go all the way there just to watch him sleep for a moment.

I gently set my things on the floor, then tiptoed over to the bed. I could hear him stir a little, and he rolled onto his other side, facing me, as if he could sense my presence. Which he most likely could, knowing him.

I bent over and gently kissed his lips. Instead of starting awake, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me. "I thought I knew those footsteps," he murmured. "I've been expecting you, my love."

"Oh, really," I whispered. "Whatever for?"

"Just call it a feeling," Link grinned. "I knew you couldn't possibly stay away from me for that long," he teased.

"You're absolutely right," I returned his smile as he climbed out of bed. My grin widened as I noticed he was shirtless.

His lips met mine in a fiery kiss, as his hands went to my cloak. He slid the hood off and untied the cloak, letting it fall to the floor.

I began to run my hands over his chiseled muscles, causing him to groan. He reached behind me and loosened the ties on my dress, gently sliding it off of me.

We quickly shed our clothing and crawled under the covers, spending the next few hours satisfying our carnal cravings for each other.

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