Disclaimer: NO I don't own zelda... but someday I will muwahhaha. Well anywho, got no reviews for the first two chapters, but hopefully you'll enjoy this one.

"Prince Asher, I know that I have heard that name before. Impa, do you remember?" Zelda asked her attendant, hoping that perhaps she was the one who had told her the tale.

"I am afraid I do not, perhaps, he was in one of the tales your father used to tell," the sheikah replied, holding the ancient book open in her lap.

"Possibly, perhaps if you read more, the words may jog my memory," the princess suggested. Calmly, the elderly warrior nodded and once again spoke.

"Book of Time

Chapter Two:

Standing Still

As Theo laid across his bed, a blue ocarina to his lips, he thought about what he had discovered the day before. In a way, he was surprised that he had not figured it out earlier, her having a boyfriend, not him being a prince, even Anika herself hadn't realized that. For almost a year now she had been humming to herself and suddenly remembering tasks she was asked to help with for friends then disappearing for hours, always returning with a smile that would last just as long. Then the night before, Theo found out, and she told him the whole story, how they met, when they started meeting, their secret knocks, and most shockingly, their secret engagement.

She told him that the next time the Prince came, she would let her brother meet him, after all, they would have to eventually. However, it appeared that it was not quite the right time for him to meet their parents, who knew what they would do? It wasn't that they would be disappointed, on the contrary, they would be thrilled that she had finally found a husband, and a prince no less, it was simply that once they knew so would the world and the goddesses know they would take advantage of their daughter's celebrity status. As an upper working class family, they had learned how to spot profitable situations and take advantage, there son being one of them, or so they wished. Since he was young, Theo could remember…

"Theo, breakfast is ready," his mother called from the kitchen, having to shout over the sound of his ocarina. With a sigh, he placed the instrument on top of his small dresser and walked out of the room. His sister was setting the last of the plates as the thirteen year old entered the room. "Theo, I really do wish you would brush that hair of yours, you have such a handsome face, it's such a shame it hidden underneath that blond mess," his mother smiled, but the boy paid her no mind and sat down at the table next to his father.

"So, son, you think this war is going to end soon?" his father asked casually and his mother began shoveling food onto their plates. As usual, the boy looked up to find both his parents watching him, pretending as always that it was simply a question. All four of them knew this was far from true, what they wanted answers, answers which the boy did not possess, even if they believed he did. Just as routinely, the boy shrugged his shoulders and concentrated on the small plat of eggs presented to him.

They avoided questions for the next few minutes, knowing that the boy was not going to speak. Instead, they spoke of the day ahead, of the packages their father was expecting and the tea their mother would be having with friends that afternoon. "Oh and it's such a perfect day too, it looks to me like there won't be a cloud in the sky all day. What do you think Theo?"

With this, the boy shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and stood up, "I'm done, if you need me, I'll be in my room."

That Afternoon at the Palace

There had been noticeable difference in Asher all morning, in place of the bored distracted boy the entire royal family and even the servants had grown used to was a proud confident young man with a spring in his step and a grin plastered on his face. Not a single person could explain the sudden change in the prince's attitude, no one, that was, except his sister, but she would never tell.

Together, the royal children ate lunch in silence, knowing full well that the guards were most likely listening in. However their problem was solved once the broth was served. It was a strategy they had come up with when they were younger. They would take their spoonfuls in synchrony, while one slurped down the liquid, the other would put the spoon to their lips and speak in soft tones, loud enough to be heard across the table through the noise, but not across the room.

A nod from Asher, told Zelda it was time to begin. The hot liquid poured down her royal throat as her brother spoke, "I was wondering, would you like to meet her?"

"Of course, will you be bringing her back to the palace?"

"No, I was thinking you would come with me. You are alright with that, are you not?"

"Of course," but it was not true. The thirteen year old girl had never left the palace without at least a few guards to accompany her in her life, the thought of being so exposed and unprotected on the streets was terrifying to the princess. But still, she trusted her brother, and would follow him to the end of the world if he asked, "But won't the servants realize you have gone missing if no one's in your room?"

"Then it shall simple have to be a quick visit. Meet me in my room when you are finished," and with that, Prince Asher pushed out his chair and left his sister alone in the eating hall.

Fifteen minutes later, the princess made her way up the spiral staircase and knocked upon her brother's door, "Asher, may I enter?"

"Just a moment," a voice answered back. A few seconds later, the bedroom door was opened by a nineteen year old dressed in peasant clothes. In his right arm was another tunic, "Here put this one, it's one of my older ones. It should fit well enough."

The princess nodded, and then entered her brother's closet. Several minutes later, she emerged red faced, "Your clothes smell funny."

"Five years under the floorboards will do that," Asher teased then walked over to his sister with a rope. Bent down on one knee, he tied the rope around her waist and smiled, "Alright, now, you are going to need to trust me and propel down the tower. When you reach the bottom, I'll follow after."

The girl suddenly noticed that the other end of the rope was fastened to her brother, he was planning to use himself as the anchor, "You won't let go will you?"

"Only if you get on my nerves," the boy grinned, placing his hand on her shoulder. Keeping his hand their, Asher lead his younger sister to the window and lifted her up onto the ledge. Firmly, he grasped the rope only a few feet from where his sister was tied, "You are safe, time to jump."

Zelda took one deep, panicked breath before finally pushing herself off the window ledge. Almost immediately the rope became taut and she was swung to the wall. Surprisingly, though she wasn't quite sure why it was so, the princess discovered crude hand holds and latched on. From up in the room, the prince released a few more feet of rope then nodded down to his sister, knowing it would not be wise drawing attention to himself by shouting instructions. Once again the girl let go, then grabbed onto the holes, and so the process continued until at long last, her royal feet touched the ground in her brother's old sandals. Now it was his turn to venture downward, though unlike his sister, Asher did not require the rope's assistance, he managed fine all on his own.

A mixture of terror and excitement coursed through the princess's veins as the two snuck along the palace ground, but as frightened as she was, it would seem that her anxiety would only rise as they entered the crowds. Immediately she latched herself onto her brother's right arm. Sensing his sister was on edge, the prince cast her a smile from one and a half head lengths above, not noticing the boy running towards him until he was already there.

"Hey Asher, found yourself a new girlfriend, huh? Does Anika know about this?" it was the same friend that approached him the day before.

"Nah, and don't tell her either," the two laughed. As they both calmed down, the prince gave a serious response, "This is my little sis, Zelda."

"Zelda huh? Is everyone in your family named after royalty?"

Asher heard the joking tone in his friend's voice and chuckled, "You could say that." He could feel his sister's grip tighten, she was obviously uncomfortable, "Sorry but I'm in a bit of a hurry again," the prince apologized then whispered, "By the way, about that girl at the pub, were the rumors true?" The other teen nodded with a large grin then watched as his friend walked away.

Asher took his sister by the hand and quickly led her through the crowds, "You have to calm down, there is nothing to worry about, I swear." Zelda nodded in understanding, trying her best to regain her practiced composure; however she found this task near impossible.

At the end of a long alley, they suddenly came to an abrupt stop, "Why are we sto…" at once the dirty blond boy covered his sister's mouth then releases. He then leaned against the wall and knocked three times.

Instantly, the nearby door flung open, "Asher, I want you to meet som… who is this?"

Asher stared at his fiancée, then back to his sibling. He waited until they were safely inside before he responded, "This is my younger sister, Zelda. Zelda, this is Anika."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Zelda told her with a small curtsey, holding onto the edges of the slightly large tunic.

"As am I," the young woman answered, attempting to be as proper as possible, realizing already that this girl was far more formal then her brother. Yet still, at least she had enough humility to dress in common clothes, Anika doubted the King and Queen would be as accommodating.

Zelda smiled pleasantly at the girl who would someday be her sister-in-law. She really was quiet lovely. Though it was obvious that her long light brown hair was not combed nearly as often as it should be, and her dress had probably been worn a few days in a row, her green eyes shined with a certain warmth that one did not often seen amongst the royalty and an hourglass figure which had most likely attracted her brother in the first place. But her attention did not remain on the girl long as music seemed to faintly pour into the room. It was haunting, yet beautiful, and a certain sense of power seemed to be held in each note, "Excuse me, but where is that enchanting music coming from?"

Anika seemed to stare down at the girl in confusion for a moment before at last responding, "Oh that noise, that's just my brother Theo. Which reminds me…" the girl prepared to shout for her brother as she normally would, but the thought suddenly occurred to her that the scene may make her out to seem even more uncivilized then need be, besides, it would probably be a good idea to warn her future family about his… oddity, "I am just going to get him, but I'll warn you, if there is something you don't want known, don't let him touch you."

"Don't let him touch us, what is that supposed to mean?" Asher asked, slightly confused, however his answer came from a different source then he expected.

"It means your future brother-in-law is a seer," Zelda looked up at her brother, then turned to the older girl, "Isn't that right?"

Anika simply nodded, astounded at the younger girl's knowledge.

As his fiancé disappeared into the room he changed his clothing in the day before, Asher turned to his sister, "How did you know that?"

"Not all of us sneak out during our studies," she smirked. The music suddenly stopped and soon, the eighteen year old returned, accompanied by a boy who was her own height. Though his hair was blond and his eyes were blue, the boy seemed to share in his sister's good looks. His bangs seemed to maintain the same length as the rest of his hair, reaching down to the bottom of his ears, separated in the middle covering only the edges of his eyes.

"Is that him?" Theo asked his sister, loud enough so that everyone heard. Once again the girl nodded. Unlike his sister however, this boy seemed to lack certain social graces, no not lack them, ignored them. Immediately the boy approached his peer, ignoring her brother entirely, "You must be Princess Zelda."

Zelda couldn't help but blush as the boy looked her in the eyes. Something about them seemed to hold a great wisdom far beyond that of the average thirteen year old boy, and besides, he was admittedly cute, "Yes, and it's just Zelda, you do not need to call me princess if you do not wish."

"Zelda it is," the boy smiled, "You can call me Theo."

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the two stared into each others eyes, only to be broken when an invader entered their circle. "Well Theo, it is nice to meet you at last. Your sister has told me so much about you," Asher interrupted, holding out his hand to the boy. The boy was slightly startled by the intrusion and seemed confused by the man's gesture, but eventually placed his hand inside the larger one and shook, a gentlemen's gesture. Asher stared at his love at this moment with a confident look in his eye, for this small gesture was truly for her. By allowing the seer to touch his hand, it was his way of saying, 'I have nothing left to hide.'

At that moment, Theo quickly withdrew his hand, and for a half a second, shot his sister an angry glare, then suddenly appeared calm and uninterested, "If you don't mind, I wish to return to my room." With out even waiting for a response, the boy turned around and returned to his chambers, closing the door behind his then stuffing the keyhole.

"You'll have to excuse him, he gets that way sometimes," Anika apologized. Though she was worried about her brother, she was far more moved by her love's actions. Without even a second thought, he purposefully allowed open access to his mind, his past and his secrets to one he believed would warn her of anything he was hiding. It was as though he were telling her, "I have nothing left to hide," which of course was a good thing; she couldn't take another of his surprises.

As she stared into his blue eyes, the music now returning to the room, she found herself unable to contain her lust. The urge to press her lips against his perfect ones. Apparently, the same thoughts were going through the prince's mind as well, for soon, his arms were wrapped around her petite waist. They were instantly drawn together, as they often were, but after a few seconds, Asher no longer seemed to be into it and pulled away, his face red, staring off to his right.

"Oh, Zelda, I almost forgot you were here," the young woman laughed nervously, having forgotten that she was nearby to witness the intimate moment, "You and Theo sure seemed to get along, why don't you go check how he is doing."

"Yes, that's a good idea, why don't you go into Theo's room," Asher agreed, still enthralled by his fiancé, "… and shut the door."

Knowing when she was not wanted, Zelda took the hint and approached the boy's door, her cheeks still burning from what she had seen. Not wanting to intrude on the boy's melody, she entered without knocking, having already been given permission by her future sister in law. A shocked looked appeared on the boy's face as she entered, however this was not what she was concentrating on. Above Theo's head floated tiny lines of light, an indoor aurora borealis of mystic energy. Without saying a word, Zelda closed the door behind her, sensing this was not something he wished overheard.

"This is not what it looks like, I can explain," Theo stated defensively, the light disappearing with the tune.

"You practice magic, what is there to explain?" the princess asked in calm voice, unsure of the social rules of the lower classes, though in her head, being able to wield such a thing could only be beneficial.

Theo lifted himself off the bed and with a worried look approached the girl, "Listen, just please don't tell anyone."

This time, Zelda could clearly see that he was being serious, "Of course, I promise, I shall not tell a soul," she stated, another thought finally occurring to her, perhaps this was a family secret, or perhaps he was more sensitive to the fact she was royal then he let on, "Not even to my father."

Theo looked slightly more relieved, though his eyes seemed to avoid her, "It is not your father I am concerned about."

Zelda felt the sudden need to comfort the boy, but she had no idea how. 'What would Asher say?' she thought, wishing she could just open the door and ask. But no, that would probably only make things worse, "If it's any consolation, I thought what you were doing was amazing."

At this, the boy's emotions seemed to turn, though not quite how she expected it. At first trying to stifle it, Theo eventually began laughing out loud, "I apologize, I do not mean to offend but…" another burst of laughter came from the boy's mouth, making him unable to speak. As it slightly calmed down, he continued, "that magic you just saw, that's low leveled magic, any imbecile with the slightest bit of talent could accomplish that."

The princess could feel anger boiling at the surface as the boy laughed at her attempt to comfort him. He should be honored that a royal such as herself has even spoken to her, and he had the nerve to laugh. Lucky for him, she had been conditioned since birth and rarely did she allow her emotions to get the better of her, "Well then, why would you even bother to perform such a spell?"

"I doubt that you would be very interested," Theo responded, slowly calming down.

"Allow for me to be the judge on whether or not I would be interested."

The boy was intrigued by the princess's answer. No one in his family had ever actually cared about the logistics of his magic, well the magic he let them know of, all they had ever cared about was the results. "Hm, well I suppose in order to answer that, I would have to explain more about magic. You see, most people seem to believe that the power comes from the spell itself, but in reality, the magic comes from inside the wielder. The spell itself is simply meant to control the magic, allowing the results to be predictable until at last the user is capable of performing the spell on their own, like this." With a snap of his fingers, the aurora returned, more brilliant then before, "The secret of the spell is that the individual rhythms of the word correspond to the pattern of flow that the person is supposed to release. However, by putting the tones into spoken words, the flow will be slightly changed, depending on concentration, requiring the user to put forth more power then necessary. So my theory is that if I convert said spells into musical tones, it would allow a more perfect rhythm and thus…"

"Allowing even a non magic user to wield spells with very little strain. Am I right?" Zelda finished the boy's sentence.

For a moment, Theo was taken aback by the girl's astuteness, obviously she too had a greater intelligence then she let show, "Precisely. Unfortunately, it seems to be more difficult then I had first expected and I find that going back and analyzing the spells I have already completed, but despite that I have still managed to discover a few things."

"Such as?"

"Well for starters, only neutral and low leveled elemental spells seem capable of being carried out in this way. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but I can only guess that it has something to do with the instrument itself. Therefore, in order to pull off more complicated spells, the instrument must first be enchanted," Theo could feel the girl's gaze, in some ways it felt nice to finally have someone to talk about these things with, but still, his own personal paranoia couldn't help but rear its head, "Would you like to try?"

The girl nodded, completely forgetting her past anger. The two walked back to his bed where the ocarina lay. Theo lifted the instrument and offered it to the girl, however, she seemed slightly turned off. It only took Theo a moment to realize the problem, "Oh, my apologies," Theo rubbed the mouth piece off on his shirt then reoffered it.

"On second thought, Perhaps you should play, I am not very experienced on the ocarina," and so they spent the next half hour or so, the seer playing his music, and the princess staring in amazement at not just the magic the tones produced, but the melodies themselves. The boy truly did have a gift for music.

The music stopped as a knock was heard at the door. A moment later, the door opened, the Prince standing in the doorway, "Zelda, it's time to head home."

The princess simply nodded and pushed herself off the bed. Without saying a word, the two thirteen year old smiled at one another, and then she was gone. Once the two were finally out the door, his sister entered, "So, you two seem to be getting along. Should we be expecting a joint wedding?" she teased, having spent the last half hour planning one out with her fiancé.

Theo simply shrugged, and allowed his sister to embrace him.

Zelda felt far more comfortable on her way back to the palace. It turned out actually having a conversation with a peasant made them all a lot less frightening "So, what did you two talk about that whole time, did he read your future?" Asher asked as the approached the path to the castle.

"No, he was a perfect gentleman. We simply spent the time making fun of you two," the girl smirked, but suddenly she noticed he was not paying attention. Instead, he seemed to be staring at the guards in the distance.

"Damn, I must have lost track of time, we have to hurry." Apparently, the boy had memorized the guards' schedule. Carefully the two ducked across…"

"Wait a moment Impa, I remember now When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me the story of a prince named Asher," the Princess reported, then seemed to rethink over the tale itself, "However I doubt the two are one in the same, the one I know of seemed more… naive."

"Yes, but Princess, you seem to have forgotten that it has been almost five hundred years and stories often get skewed from the original," Impa lectured, still holding the book open on her lap, "But for now I believe it may be more productive for me to finish the tale we have already started. From the look of the sky, I would say you friend will have to be leaving soon."

As the Sheikah woman cleared her through, Link whispered in the Princess's ear, "So, what was that Asher's tale?"

"Well you see, long ago there was a young prince named Asher…"

"Carefully the two ducked across the castle lawn, quickly making their way to the base of the tower…"

"Eternally curious, one day the boy decided to sneak away from the safety of the castle and explore to the hectic streets surrounding his home…"

"Asher stared up the stone wall then back over his shoulder nervously, "Zelda there's no time for me to climb up the tower then pull you back up with the rope. You are just going to have to climb with me."

The thought filled the princess with fright. She had never so much as climbed a ladder and now she was being expected to not only scale a large tower with small foot holes, but to keep up with her experienced brother as well, "Asher, you know I can't, it's too high."

The prince could tell his sister was truly worried, and understood her fears were justified, having been in her position years before, "You trust me don't you?"

"Of course I do Asher, you know that," Zelda told him, staring up into his matching blue eyes.

The boy placed his hands on the princess's shoulders and returned her glare, "Then trust me when I say nothing will go wrong. I will even stay right behind you the entire time so you'll have something soft to land on."

A small smirk appeared on Zelda's lips at his words. Her brother always seemed to know the right thing to say, "Alright, but you better stay right behind me."

"Cross my heart," he grinned. But still, the sense of dread never left the girl's mind as they climbed the wall especially when she looked down, but then her brother would simply smile at her and she felt slightly more at ease…"

"But while out, he was spotted by a group of rebels who wished to end the rule of the Hyrule family. And so, the rebels followed in pursuit of the boy, waiting for their chance to strike. The opportunity at last presented itself later that day on his return home, proud that he had braved the ruthless streets. The rebels watched as he scaled the walls of the tower in which his chambers were contained…."

"Soon, the window to Asher's chamber was in sight and the young girl began to increase her speed, wishing desperately to reach the safety of his room. Within an instant, her arm was hooked onto the frame of the window, "Asher, look I made it.""

"It was not until he had almost reached the top, that they finally struck…"

"The Prince stared up at his smiling sister, proud of her accomplishment, "I knew you could." He replied, almost instantly regretting his words. As the princess attempted to lift herself into the room, her foot slipped from its holding…"

"With a single arrow, they shot down the boy…"

"With fast reflexes, Asher pushed up on the girl, stabilizing her just enough that she was able to climb in the window. Of course, as with most things, an equivalent exchange seemed to be necessary. To give one balance, the other had to lose their own. Unable to keep his grip, the nineteen year old prince fell backwards. Before he hit the ground, the last thing the Prince heard was his sister's plea, "Asher!!"

"And that was the end of Prince Asher."

I don't mean to sound naggy, but I really want to know if people are enjoying my story or if I'm giving to much description or too little or whatnot. So please Review and thank you for reading.