I am like the worst person in the entire universe for not updating omg. It has taken me far too long. However, this chapter is literally one page off from being as long as the other two combined, so perhaps this will kind of make up for that? I dunno. I'm still a pretty awful person. XP

Quick thanks to Moe for helping me edit! However, if you find any typos or grammatical errors, lemme know! I have been loving these reviews. Loving them. So much. Thank you to every single one of you for taking the time to write a review. It really means a lot to me, and it keeps me motivated!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters other than Miriam and Bernie and whatever other side characters I throw in there to keep the plot moving along.

Enjoy, lovelies!

Chapter 3

The royal princess of Hyrule woke up rather satisfyingly. The sunlight tapering through her thin curtains woke her up, though it was not blinding. Zelda had to admit—one of the best parts about being royalty was being able to stay in bed a little longer, even if she was awake. She sat up, stretching her dainty little arms and scratching her head. A princess is always timely, a voice in her head said. Her old mentor used to say that all the time, but she merely shoved it out of her mind.

Standing up, the princess wrapped a robe around her waist and walked out to the balcony. The air outside was absolutely intoxicating. Taking deep breaths, she enjoyed her temporary peace. However, she knew she had important duties and had to get to them before the noblemen pestered her maids to pester her. She stood in front of her mirror, brushing her soft brown hair. Zelda rarely left her hair down unless she was asleep, and even then she slept in a braid. A soft knock at the door made her jump.

"Who is it?" she questioned, ripping out a rather large knot of brunette hair. She frowned, looking at her fluffy, uncooperative mane.

"It is Miriam, your new lady-in-waiting, your Highness." Zelda smiled. She had forgotten about yesterday. Yesterday… What did I do yesterday? She pondered sleepily. It hit her like a ton of bricks. Link! The princess stood in front of the mirror, terrified. What do I do about that? Why did I invite him to the castle in the first place? The princess's mind raced with anxious thoughts, her hands nearly shaking at the thought of the very Hero Chosen by the Gods in the palace. "May I come in, milady?" Miriam's voice persisted. Zelda nodded, but realized Miriam could not see her through the door.

"O-of course, Miriam," she called. The lady-in-waiting let herself in, closing the door behind her. She stood there for a moment, taking in the princess's room.

"I would assume that you can dress yourself?" Miriam chuckled. Zelda stared at her, astonished with her blunt nature. Most people did not talk to her with such informality. She kind of liked it, though. She had others groveling at her feet all the time, helping her dress herself as if it was a task that was much too hard for a delicate princess.

"Yes," Zelda smiled, almost laughing at Miriam's direct personality. "Although corsets have always bothered me." Miriam shook her head, letting out a little tsk with her tongue.

"Those things are awful. I have to admit that I did not start wearing one on a regular basis before I came here," she shrugged, rummaging through Zelda's closet as though it was second nature. She pulled out a simple green dress, something the princess had not worn in a long time. Miriam muttered something under her breath with a grin, but Zelda could not quite hear her. "This will look great on you. Would you like to wear this?" her maid asked, holding it up, even pretending to put it on herself to model the dress. Zelda had to let out a giggle, nodding.

"Yes, I shall wear it," she answered, finally putting her brush down. Zelda began to put her hair into a braid, but Miriam stopped her.

"Why wear it up? Your hair is beautiful when it's down as well," Miriam smiled. "I-if you don't mind me saying that," she added hastily.

"You have a point," the monarch considered. "But I shall save that for another day. Perhaps a different kind of braid today, though?" The princess found herself asking for Miriam's advice more and more frequently. The more she thought about Link, the more nervous it made her. He saved my life and all of my country. How could I not be nervous? She questioned herself. After realizing that Miriam and Link were childhood friends, she began questioning Miriam. She thought she was being coy about hiding her interest, but as anyone knows, curiosity is a hard emotion to conceal.

"Would you like these in your hair?" Miriam asked, pulling out white daisy hairpins from nowhere.

"Where did you find those?" the princess laughed. Miriam shrugged.

"I'm sure there are lots of things hidden at the bottom of your jewelry box that you haven't uncovered in a while," the Ordonian answered. While gently putting the pins in the princess's hair, Miriam hummed a rather creepy song with a nonchalant nature.

"How did you learn that song?" Zelda asked, her inquisitiveness getting the best of her. Miriam cleverly hid a smug look.

"Link used to hum it all the time. I believe it is called the Song of Healing. The story behind it could give one the chills, but it's peaceful, and it always seems to be stuck in my head," she explained. Zelda nodded as Miriam stepped back, marveling at the monarch's hair. "You look lovely, milady."

"Thank you, Miriam. I have enjoyed your time as a lady-in-waiting more than any other I have experienced," the princess said bluntly. Miriam is beginning to rub off on me, she thought with a smile.

"Ah, thank you, milady. I have not been here for long, though. You may learn to dislike my blunt nature," Miriam beamed, scanning over Zelda's outfit. "Link will love that dress." The sudden comment made the princess blush.

"E-excuse me?" she stuttered, alarmed by the rapid turn of conversation. Miriam simply let out a laugh.

"Oh, milady, do forgive me for being so blatantly honest, how thick are you people!? You're gorgeous, Link, as much as it pains me to say, is nothing less than attractive, and you two are constantly blushing and smiling in each other's presence. The least I can do for you is push it along a little." Zelda did not know what to do. She pondered throwing Miriam out, but she really did not do anything wrong, and it did not upset her. She knew that if she argued, Miriam would just smirk, and if she agreed—well, that would be much too embarrassing. "Of course, Link will never say he likes the dress unless he's tortured. Thick-skulled nimrod," Miriam muttered.

"Miriam, what is your relationship with Link?" the princess asked tentatively. Miriam did not even try to hide the smug look creeping along her face.

"We were raised as if we were brother and sister. He's my lame younger brother, and I'm the cool older sister. I taught him everything he knows." Miriam paused, leaning in closer to Zelda. "And please don't tell him this, but I am extraordinarily proud of him." Zelda giggled.

"You two really are like siblings," she commented. Miriam nodded, then clapped her hands together.

"Alright, time to go to breakfast and attend your princess-y duties." Zelda was rushed out of her room, shoved right into the corridor by her own lady-in-waiting. Zelda did, however, like the turn of events. The way Miriam treated her was less like a master and more like a friend. She had a smile on her face as she gracefully walked down the stairs to the dining hall. The more she thought about her decision to upgrade Miriam to her lady-in-waiting, the more proud of herself she became.

"Ah, Your Highness. What would you like for breakfast?" a butler asked her, bowing in her presence. Zelda's response was immediate and nearly robotic.

"The usual, thank you, sir butler," she said instantly, the words falling out of her mouth as if she had rehearsed them until they became meaningless sounds. Upon her entrance, everyone in the hall stood up. She motioned for them to sit once again. She took her usual spot at the end of the table. Archduke Bernard calmly walked up to her. A brave move, she thought with a sneer. After my display yesterday, perhaps they will think twice before forcing something upon me.

"Your Highness," he bowed.

"Stand up straight, Your Grace. I am at the breakfast table, and you are making me feel uncomfortable with your formality," she hissed coldly. Even her favorite nobleman was getting on her nerves.

"The council has thought much on your decision, and we would like to give you a day to think about marriage. We do not rush you, Your Highness," he said.

"My decision will forever remain the same," she warned.

"Yes, Your Highness." Bernard leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "I have convinced them to give you the day off. They think it is for considering the marriage proposal, but I do believe it is time you had a bit of a holiday." I knew there was a reason why I liked Archduke Bernard more than the others, the princess pondered.

"Thank you, Your Grace. I will gladly take the day to consider my matrimony." With that, the archduke left her presence. She ate her breakfast, rose from the table, and exited the room. Upon seeing a butler in the hall, she called out to him.

"Yes, Your Highness?" he responded.

"Would you find my lady-in-waiting, Miriam, for me? Please inform her that I have the day off." Zelda leaned in toward the young butler, a trick she had learned long ago from her mother. "Please privately inform her that I have no clue what to do with my time." Sure enough, the young man nodded courteously and bounded up the stairs in search of Miriam. In the meanwhile, she retreated back to her room to perhaps play the harp or take up another activity.

»•§•«

Link, too, took advantage of staying in the castle as one of the higher ranking guests, and used his time to just simply lie there in bed. Instead of being like the princess, however, he woke up much earlier. His travels had gotten him into a sort of odd sleeping schedule, so he woke well before sunrise and dressed himself in a simple white long-sleeve shirt with some simple brown pants, tied all together with his sword and shield. While he did trust the security of the palace, it still made him a bit on edge after all he had seen on his adventures over Hyrule.

After tending to Epona, he wandered around the halls of the castle for a while. At least until the butlers and maids had awoken to do their jobs. Then, he retreated back to his room to sharpen the blade of the Master Sword. An hour or two later, a rapid knock at his door made him jump. After being so concentrated on sharpening the sword, he had lost track of time.

"Come in," he responded, quickly calming himself. As soon as the words left his mouth, the door swung open, revealing Miriam in a disturbingly different outfit. It took him a moment to process what was different about it, until he realized that she was wearing a dress—something he had never seen before. She did not, however, remark on the subject of her getup, so he did not comment. He simply stared.

"I have just learned something of extreme value," she grinned, hopping inside with a smirk and sitting in a dusty old chair. When her childhood friend did not immediately respond, she went on. "Don't you want to know what it is?" she practically begged him to let her tease him.

"Not particularly," he said, looking back down at the sword in an attempt to hide his beaming face. He simply loved to tease her right back. But Miriam would not have it.

"I have just learned that Zelda is taking the day off from her princess-y duties."

"So?"

"So, that means you two will be able to go out on a picnic together!" she announced as if it were the absolute most obvious thing.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I would personally love to attend your wedding, and the two of you would have the cutest little children," she smirked. Link shook his head.

"Meer, the princess is a princess, and I'm a ranch hand. At any rate, she needs to marry someone that is king material, not me. Not to mention that I hardly know the girl."

"Which is an even better reason to go out on a picnic with her," the lady-in-waiting got up from the chair and walked over to wear Link was sitting on the edge of the bed. "You see, the princess is already starting to loosen up with me around. She's much less formal than she is around her noblemen, and I feel like she'll warm up even more to you."

"I still don't think it's a good idea," he shrugged.

"What else do you have to do?"

"I have to tend to Epona," he said, though he had done so that morning, and the stable hands were more than capable.

"You liar. You took care of her this morning."

"How do you know?"

"Well, first of all, you're not the first one up in the morning all the time. And you always take care of her first thing in the morning," Miriam countered. She was right, and she did have him rather trapped. He couldn't escape this round of childish banter. Plus, he was itching to get out of the castle already.

"Alright, fine," Link grumbled.

"Fine, what?" Miriam pushed further.

"I'll ask the princess to go out to a picnic with me," he sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Miriam's grinning face changed his mood from contentment to irritation. She clapped her hands together in satisfaction.

"I'll get the basket ready for everything," she cheered, dancing out of the room like a ballet dancer. Link was left alone in the small room. With a groan, he got up and began to straighten up his hair as best he could. The tangles in the blonde hair were rather unmanageable, and it had been a while since his last haircut. Miriam typically volunteered to cut his hair, though she wasn't horribly skilled with scissors or style.

After brushing his fingers through his hair a few times, he left it alone. Miriam called it his "messy look". He washed his face and brushed off the top of his boots. He didn't have much else to do. His face was clean, his hair was… somewhat acceptable, and his clothes were pretty much sterile. Now all he had to do was wait.

»•§•«

"Princess! Princess!" Miriam swung open the door of the princess' room without warning and ran over to Zelda, who was practicing her harp.

"Miriam, what is wrong!?" she exclaimed, immediately setting the harp down.

"The Hero Chosen by Gods has requested you. He would like to take you for a picnic," the lady-in-waiting smirked.

"Was this your idea?" Zelda asked, trying desperately to hide the knowing smile on her face.

"No, Zel, it was Link's." Zelda was less shocked by the fact that Miriam was lying to her face, and more flabbergasted by the fact that Miriam just called her Zel.

"Zel?"

"Yes, Zel. Your name is Zelda, and that's a whole two syllables, so I shortened it to Zel. Link calls me Meer sometimes, and that Archduke Bernard dude-I call him Bernie."

"That is two syllables, though."

"Yeah, but Bernie is so much better than Bernard or Bern, don't you think?"

"I never really thought of it that way," the princess chuckled. "Do you know when Link will be ready?" Miriam's clever little face hid the fact that she was unprepared for the question, and she quickly formed an answer.

"Noon, milady. Which is rather soon, so you had better get ready. I packed the basket. Link isn't the best at organization…" she frowned, leaving Zelda to herself. Zelda sighed, packing the harp back up and smoothing out the ruffles on her green dress. She checked the mirror quickly before steadily walking out of her room. Alright, stay calm, she thought to herself, though her stomach and heart betrayed. Zelda made her way down to the front corridor, where she met with her lady-in-waiting yet again.

"Link is getting the horses ready," Miriam winked, handing Zelda the picnic basket.

"Would you care to remind me again why we are doing this?" Zelda grumbled. Miriam patted her head.

"Aw, the princess is being pouty," Miriam mocked, her bottom lip sticking out. "Keep your chin up and humor the poor kid. He never developed great social skills as a child, so he's still kind of awkward. Oh, and if he starts chewing with his mouth open just give him a little smack upside the head. It fixes the problem right away. You may have to teach him how to eat with silverware, who knows," she jokingly told the royalty.

"You two are just like siblings," Zelda laughed, clutching the basket tightly. Link came walking into the front hall, the smell of outdoors following him like a shadow.

"Alright, you two have fun," the little brunette winked, shoving Link and Zelda out the door immediately. Miriam shut the door behind them. They stood dumbfounded on the front steps of the castle, saying nothing at first.

Finally, Link interrupted the awkward quiet with a simple "I have the horses ready." With that simple statement, the two hit it off. By the time they reached their horses, the happy two had already chatted about horses, dogs, and weaponry (which did not go with the rest of their conversation, but it was a pitiful attempt made by Hyrule's own hero to keep the conversation up).

"Do you think you could teach me to use a sword?" Zelda asked him tentatively. "I only know how to use a bow and arrow, and that is not exactly helpful at point-blank."

"Of course. You'll have to find an hour or two in between your court meetings and whatnot, but I would be happy to teach you. Honestly, I haven't had much to do after everything that's happened. Just herding goats." Link helped Zelda onto her white mare, decorated with royal purple reins a light purple saddle, the royal family's crest engraved on the sides. The princess shrugged.

"I suppose I could sneak out between everything."

"Princess, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Link asked, mounting Epona. Zelda shook her head.

"No, go right ahead."

"Why do you talk so royally? I mean, you always make speaking so precise." Zelda pondered the question, following along next to Link at a leisurely pace.

"I do not know."

"See? Right there. You could have said 'don't'," Link pointed out. Zelda nodded, still considering it.

"I guess I could speak less properly. It'll get some getting used to," Zelda said after thinking a bit. Admittedly, it took her a moment to come up with the sentence. She even left a dangling preposition in there.

"There you go," the blonde grinned. He slowed Epona to a stop, and it was only then that Zelda realized they were already in Hyrule Field. Link leapt off of Epona, swiftly walking over to Zelda to help her off her horse.

"Thank you," she said, her voice still hinting at royalty. The princess couldn't help herself-she had been raised in a castle, after all. Link rummaged through the picnic basket Miriam had packed, searching for something. Finally, he took out a soft blue blanket and laid it out for them to sit on. The location was perfect: right next to the edge of the woods, but also beside a small pond.

"Milady," Link said, politely extending his arm as an invitation for her to sit. Still in her imperial mind, she sat down with grace, smoothing the skirt of her dress after she did so. Link seemed to laugh at her manners, but said nothing. Zelda helped set out all of the food in an orderly fashion. It seemed to Link that it bothered her when the food was not set up in a symmetrical way. Even when it was all set out, she kept fixing it. "It looks great," Link interrupted, trying desperately to get her mind off of the imperfect set up.

"Thank you for inviting me on this," the princess smiled politely. Link's nerves were finally setting in. A picnic with the princess? I'm such a fool for falling for this.

"It's such a nice day. It'd be a shame to miss out on this weather," he replied, though he was quite distracted by some movements in the woods behind the princess. Something rustled in the trees, but he couldn't quite make out what or who it was. It quickly became a fixation to the hero.

"And what an impeccable location." The heiress carried on with the conversation, even if Link was only half paying attention. A familiar brown boot become apparent in the tree that had been moving just a moment ago. His eyes squinted with curiosity. Who is in that tree? "Don't you think?" Zelda asked. I wasn't listening! Link panicked. But in a split second, a familiar face peaked out from the branches, nodding frantically. Miriam!

"Y-yes, princess!" Link said, watching his childhood friend gently hit her palm to her forehead as if she were frustrated with him. She was well out of the princess' eyesight, but Link still worried that Zelda would think she was spying on them. Miriam signaled something else. Shoveling dirt in her mouth? He didn't comprehend.

"Is something the matter, Link?" Zelda inquired diplomatically. He snapped his eyes back to the princess, ignoring Miriam.

"No, nothing at all, your highness," he replied, trying to keep his eyes on the princess, but also watch Miriam. He finally caught on to what she was trying to say. Eat, the brunette mouthed. Link nodded despite himself. Zelda stared at him quizzically. "Ah-would you like something to eat? Who knows what Miriam packed." He added the last part louder than the rest, and in a more condescending voice. The remark, however, went right over the princess' head, as her main worry was about food.

"Thank you, Link," she smiled happily, digging through the picnic basket to find some sort of food that the two of them would like. Zelda, while always polite, happened to like food much more than the average Hyrule woman. In fact, she liked food almost as much as the average 300 pound man. In the castle, she was rarely permitted to eat with the kind of diet of which she dreamed, but when she had the chance, she would eat every edible scrap in sight. This day, of course, was no exception. There were no nobles to make fun of her eating habits today. Finding sandwiches, strawberries, and other delectable items, she quickly pulled them out of the basket and arranged them neatly.

Link hardly noticed any of what was going on. He was paying far too much attention to the person hiding amongst the trees. His anger was building up. Why did Miriam come along? She always gets in the way, the hero mused. He fussed over the situation in his head multiple times. Finally, he decided to ignore his childhood friend and focus on the picnic with the princess. He looked at Zelda again to notice her already chowing down on a sandwich she found in the basket. He picked one up as well and began eating. It was silent for a while. Not uncomfortably so, however. The two were simply enjoying their time in the bright, beautiful weather.

After finishing off the sandwiches, several strawberries, three cookies, and pretty much clearing the entire basket, the pair came to the conclusion that they were finished with their lunch. They packed everything up, but were reluctant to leave. "Epona seems to be enjoying herself…" Link said quietly, trying to hold onto the afternoon with the princess as much as he could.

"Both of the horses do…" Zelda trailed off. Finally, seeing as how Miriam's blunt honesty and Link's casual nature rubbed off on her, she directly stated her reluctance to go. "I don't want to go back to the castle yet," she murmured.

"Neither do I," Link responded, reclining back on the grass. Zelda stared at him, unsure whether she should join him or not. She was told not to even sit on the grass, but she realized that no one was around to call her out on it. Link obviously didn't care about getting his outfit dirty, so why should she? She tentatively laid back on the soft grass, discovering that she enjoyed the feeling of it immensely. She ran her hands through the plush foliage, letting out a giggle despite herself.

"Haven't you ever lain in the grass before?" Link questioned, smiling at the princess' simple happiness.

"Not really, no," she admitted, using her hands as a cushion for her head. Every time Link looked at the princess, he saw Miriam up in the tree. She seemed to be napping, because she was not frantically waving at him, and her head didn't peek out from the leaves. He assumed she wasn't dead or injured, so he paid closer attention to the princess. "Is being normal… Enjoyable?" Zelda asked suddenly. She didn't even have time to process what she was going to say. She simply let the words tumble out of her royal mouth. That never happened. Not since she was about four years old and trained to think about every word she said. Link, however, didn't consider it an abnormality.

"Yeah, I guess so. Before everything happened, I was pretty happy. I still am, but things are different now."

"Different?"

"Everyone knows who I am now. Everywhere I go, there's always someone whispering my name. At first, it was kind of nice to know everyone cared. Now, it's kind of annoying, honestly." Link paused for a moment, processing what he just said. "How do you manage to do it? There seems to be someone around you at all times." Zelda reflected on his inquiry before answering.

"Honestly, I grew up knowing I was a princess, so it's not very dissimilar for me. I do like to sneak away from my maids and noblemen every once in a while. With my parents gone, however, I have to take on more responsibilities." She paused for a minute, wondering whether or not she should tell him about her noblemen's obsession with her marriage. She decided against it and stayed quiet.

"That must be rough," Link murmured. They sat in silence for a few minutes, observing the occasional puffy cloud float by in the azure sky. The silence was quickly filled with more talk. They spent well over an hour discussing absolutely nothing in particular—simply enjoying each other's presence. A sudden sound of something hitting the ground made both of them sit up rapidly. Link withdrew his sword and stood in front of Zelda protectively, ready to fight.

"Ow…" a voice mumbled. Link knew it all too well.

"Miriam?" he called out, drawing closer to the figure lying on the ground. He sheathed the Master Sword and stood over the brunette, stretched out in the grass.

"Ah… Hey Link," she chuckled nervously, scratching her head. Zelda rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" the princess inquired.

"Well, I think I sprained my ankle, honestly," Miriam admitted, eyeing her rapidly swelling limb.

"We'd better get you back to the castle," Zelda frowned, looking around. "Link, could you get one of the cloth napkins from the picnic basket?" Though the hero was quite aggravated with Miriam, he did have to admit that he was concerned about her well-being. He grabbed the napkin the princess had requested and observed her wrap Miriam's ankle with care. "This will have to do until we get you back to the nurses," Zelda stated in a confident manner.

"That was impressive," Link praised. Zelda's cheeks picked up a pink hue after his compliment.

"Okay, okay, lovebirds," Miriam joked. "Stop making me gag." Link scooped her up and set her on Epona. Zelda and Miriam rode on the horses, while Link walked along beside them. It took a while longer to get back to the castle, but they made it before the sun tucked itself below the horizon. A guard came rushing toward them as soon as they were in sight.

"Your Highness! We have been searching all over for you," he gasped.

"You did not search in Hyrule Field?" Zelda's expression showed she was not impressed.

"Ah… No, Your Highness." He lowered his head in shame.

"Fetch a nurse. My lady-in-waiting has a sprained ankle that needs to be treated immediately."

"Y-yes, milady," the guard answered, scurrying off dutifully. Zelda turned to where Link was carefully lifting Miriam from Epona's saddle.

"Do you mind carrying her for a bit longer?" Zelda inquired.

"I can walk just fine," Miriam growled, trying to squirm out of Link's arms. He tossed her over his back like a sack of potatoes.

"I think I can handle her. She's pretty small," Link teased. The guard soon returned with a nurse, who hastily took Miriam inside the castle to take a closer look at her. Once alone, Link turned to the princess. "I had fun today, Your Highness," he grinned, bowing, though he was still pretty bad at it.

"I enjoyed my time as well, Hero Chosen by the Gods," Zelda responded, curtseying with extreme grace. "I must return to my princess duties, unfortunately. What an unlucky day," she said with a sigh, walking back into the palace. After returning to her room, the princess did something rather unlike herself: she let out a squeal of joy.

Told you it was a long chapter. I'll try to update again, but it probably won't be soon. Junior year's gotten a tough grip on me, and exams are fast-approaching, but I'll try my hardest! Thanks for your support, and always remember that I am SO happy to receive reviews!

-geekyfiki