A/N: Finally! I am so sorry that it has taken me forever to post this chapter. I kept getting a type 2 error, but all is fixed now and the adventure continues. Please help with some kind of inspirational thoughts and opinions. I know that I would like to put a few things in this story, but ANY help, thoughts, opinions or just general advice would be most appreciated. I am having some writers block and I am hoping that just writing will help me get past it. Please Review, as usual, and thanks!


I was sitting in the observatory utterly distraught that my friend had blurted out what I had been trying to keep hidden. I was so completely oblivious to my surroundings that I didn't even hear the door open behind me. I felt someone touch me on the shoulder and I whipped around ready to do battle with whoever would intrude on such a private moment. However, it was the gentle face of my husband who met my eyes. He sat down beside me and asked,

"Kyle said that you were upset about something; do you want to talk about it?"

I looked at him and said,

"It's not fair! You should have been the first to know, and now half of Castle Town knows because of that jerk!"

"Christina, what are you talking about? What is going on?"

I sighed and said,

"You best hear it from me rather than some stranger in town. Kyle was acting strange so I took him to the doctor over on the West Road. I'm pretty sure those two have already met because neither of them looked happy to see each other. Anyway, the doctor said that there was nothing wrong with him, but then he started asking me some very pointed questions about….um…."

"About what? What's the matter?"

"Matthew…you're gonna be a daddy."

The look on his face was so comical that, even though I was still upset, I couldn't help but laugh. He looked like he had just been hit with a pie in the face and that he might pass out. I said,

"Sweetheart, it's ok."

"Y….you're pregnant? How long have you known?

"Only a little while; I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I couldn't find the words."

"How 'bout, 'honey I'm pregnant,'? That would have done just fine." He sighed and asked, "Do Princess Zelda and Link know?"

"I don't know; they may or they may not. It all depends on how far the rumor has spread."

"Well, let's go make sure that they know so that neither of them hears it from a total stranger."

I looked at my love with adoration. As we made our way out of the observatory I asked,

"Are you mad at me?"

"Not really mad, just a little disappointed. I mean, I wish I would have been the first one to know about it, and I really wish that Kyle would keep his mouth shut every once in a while. Tell me again why you hung out with him back in the other world?"

"He's been a friend of mine ever since we were kids. We grew up together."

"Right, now I remember. Although I gotta say, Christina, I don't know if I fully trust him. Something about that boy seems…..off."

"Oh he's fine; he's not gonna do anything. Granted he's got a bit of a mouth, but he's still my friend."

"I don't know. I'm gonna keep a REAL close eye on him."

"You worry too much, hon."

We chatted as we made our way to the meeting room. Link, Zelda and Aiden were already there discussing something. We joined them and Zelda said,

"I'm glad that the two of you are here. We need to discuss a few things."

"What's on your mind, Zelda?" asked Matthew.

"Well, first of all, I am feeling uneasy about the state of things in Hyrule. Gannon is gone, but there is something out there that feels….dark. Almost as if a pale shadow of evil has returned."

"How powerful is it?" I asked.

Aiden, Link and Zelda looked at me in shock.

"You can't feel anything at all?" Link asked.

"Um…I don't know…should I?

He replied, "You should….another power is something that you of all people should be able to discern. What is the matter with you?"

Suddenly I felt anger fill me up and I blurted out, "I'm pregnant, ok! Does that have anything to do with my inability to sense anything? I wanted to find the right way to tell you all, but there you have it…I'm pregnant, and I'm seriously beginning to doubt that the Goddess made the right choice when she chose me to wield this thing! I don't even know how to use it!"

Just then I felt my right hand pulse like a second heartbeat was present in just that part of my body. As it throbbed, I felt was Zelda was talking about. Someone or something had very dark intentions and whatever this thing was; it could be very powerful; although, it was weak right now. I looked at my companions and I said,

"I'm sorry about my outburst. I just felt what you were talking about, Zelda, and you're right. There is something in Hyrule that is evil, although it is weak."

Link and Zelda looked at me in shock and confusion. Link said,

"Well, it's good that you felt it."

Then they all stared at different areas on the walls before he spoke again,

"You're pregnant? That's great news. Congratulations."

I gave a half-smile and said,

"Thanks Link."

Aiden said,

"I'm going to get a sibling. Wow."

"Can we just focus on the task at hand and not worry about what is happening in my body right now? Zelda, what do we do about the state of things in Hyrule?" I asked.

Every one of them looked at me with strange expressions on their faces but Zelda replied,

"Well, I suppose the best thing that we can do at the moment is try to gather more information and see where the source of whatever this is might be coming from. I'm sending all of you out to different parts of Hyrule to talk to the inhabitants and get their opinions and thoughts. Matthew, I would like you to go to the West to Kakariko Village and find Renado. He's the shaman of that area and he is a very powerful man. While you are there, I would also like you to meet with the Goron tribe and speak with their patriarch, Darbus. You can probably find him at Death Mountain. Both of these people should be knowledgeable about what is happening in their area. Aiden, you will go to the East to the Gerudo Desert. Before you go speak with Ashei; he knows the most about that area and his knowledge will prove useful. Link, my love, I would like you to go to the north to the Zora Domain and to Snowpeak Mountain. The Zoras will be most happy to see you again I'm sure, but please be careful. That particular area is probably the most dangerous of all.

"You needn't fear for my safety, Zelda. I'll come back to you unscathed."

"I know my green-clad prince."

The two of them shared a loving glance and then Zelda turned to me.

"Christina, I would like you to go to the south to the Ordona Province and the Faron Province. Inspect the Hidden Wood and see if you can feel where the source of this power is coming from."

Then she spoke to all of us,

"Please be on your guard. Whatever is out there could very likely present itself as a friend to gain your trust. Do not let that happen. You depart tomorrow morning so get some rest and good luck."

"But Zelda, what about you?" asked Link.

"I will stay here and wait for your return. Do not fear, my friends. All will be well."

She smiled at us and waved us off. I left with Matthew and Aiden at my side while Link took off for the practicing yard to do some target practice. Aiden said to me,

"Mother, how long have you been pregnant?"

"Only a little while, son, but I don't really want to talk about that right now. I have to prepare for a journey and so do you. I promise that I'll feel more up to talking after I get back, but for now can we just not talk about it?'

"Um…sure, I guess."

I walked ahead of them both and Aiden looked over at Matthew with a confused look on his face. Matthew returned the look and shrugged his shoulders. He caught up with me and said,

"I guess that your not feeling well, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you just chewed out the Princess of Hyrule and two of your best friends for no good reason, and you kept something big hidden from all of us and now you don't want to talk about it."

"I'm stressed and I think that this mission is just what I need to get my mind off of everything, baby. Don't worry about me. I'll come back to you safe and sound and we'll talk about everything. For now, just let me do my job and lets go save the world."

I smiled at him and we left for home. There waiting for us was Kyle. He looked very guilty and he was hanging his head when we walked in the door. He said,

"I'm sorry that I told the whole town your secret before you had a chance to tell Matthew and the others. It was an accident."

I gave Kyle a hug and said,

"I know it was, Kyle, and you are forgiven but be more mindful of what you say."

"I will, don't worry. So what's going on now?"

"Matthew and I have to leave on a very important mission tomorrow and we won't be back for a few days. While we are gone can you please keep up with the place?"

His face brightened and he said,

"I sure can. Thanks for everything you guys; when you get back I'll have landed a job too."

Matthew said,

"That's great, Kyle. Talk to Telma over on the South Road. She owns the bar and I think she's looking for some help."

"Oh...ok...I'll check it out in the morning. In the meantime, is there anything that I can do to help you guys out?"

I gave him a strange look. I never remembered Kyle being this helpful or even this nice. Perhaps something was up with him, but whatever it may have been he was doing a good job of keeping it hidden. I replied to him,

"I don't need anything but Matthew might want you for something a little later."

Then I turned to Matthew and said,

"I'm going to get a bath and go to bed."

He kissed me and said,

"I'll be along shortly."

I left the two of them and proceeded to cleanse my body and after I was done I sank into my bed. Through the door I heard Matthew say,

"...mouth. Watch it around here and especially around me."

"I'll be more careful of what I say. You're not the first person to tell me that you know."

"I'm sure. Good night, Kyle."

Matthew stepped into our room and got into bed with me. I snuggled close to him and he put his arm around me. I breathed in his scent and I felt his warmth flow into my body. I draped my arm across his waist and laid my head on his chest and I listened to his heartbeat and the breath flow in and out of him. Even though we were facing danger, I felt a kind of peace feeling my love laying here next to me, sensing his strength and his fierceness that was rarely seen. As I drifted off into dreams I thought I heard Kyle talking to someone in the other room again and a fleeting thought went back to what the doctor had said and I thought,

"I'll have to give him a swift kick in the arse tomorrow. Then he'll stop talking to his imaginary friends."

The next morning the two of us grabbed a few clothes and put them into packs. We made our way to the castle stables where my horse, Cael, was eagerly waiting for me. Matthew saddled up his horse, Marth, and after he was done he turned to me and said,

"Christina, please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt. If you get in a fight, don't hesitate to get help. I love you."

I gave my husband a kiss and a hug and I said,

"I love you too, sweetheart. Take your own advice for yourself as well. Don't take on more than you can handle."

"Well, well, well, did we miss something?"

We whipped around at the voice and saw Link and Aiden coming to get their own horses ready. Link said,

"Christina, when we all get back and you have a moment, can I speak to you alone?"

"Sure Link. Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, I just want to ask you a few things."

We said our goodbyes and we agreed to meet back at the stable in three days. I took off towards the Ordona Province, as Zelda had asked me to do, and on the way I passed several little goblin creatures that I had come to loathe. Many of these creatures had killed mine and Matthew's families back in the other world and I had no love for them. I ignored them. however, because they weren't worth wasting my arrows on. We had already done away with most of the hoarde that had killed our parents and I could have fun later. I arrived in Ordon Village a few hours later and was given a very enthusiastic greeting by some of the kids who lived there. There was one little boy in particular I had a strong bond with: Colin, who was the son of Rusl, the town's swordsman. Of course, I would never take the place of his ultimate Hero, Link, but it was nice to be surrounded by a few fans.

"Christina! You're back! Hey, where's Link? You didn't bring him with you?"

"No Colin, Link isn't with me today. He's off North on a very important mission."

Colin pouted a little, and I couldn't help but smile. Colin said,

"Ever since you guys got knighted you've been stopping by less and less. Bring Link with you next time, ok?"

"All right Colin. I promise that I'll bring Link with me the next time I come. In the meantime, is your dad around?'

"Yeah, he's in the house."

"Thank you, my friend."

I left Colin and went to Rusl's house. I knocked on the door and was greeted by Rusl's wife. She said,

"Why Christina, this is an unexpected surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, ma'am. I'm afraid that I'm here on official business from Princess Zelda today. May I please come in?"

"Of course, of course! Please come in and make yourself comfortable."

I entered their little house and Rusl's wife said,

"Hang on just a moment, Rusl is outside. I'll go get him."

She left leaving me alone for a moment. Soon they both came back in and when Rusl saw me he exclaimed,

"Christina!"

We embraced and Rusl said,

"It's been too long, my friend. Tell me, how are the others?"

"We are all on an important mission right now, Rusl, and I need your help."

"What's the matter?"

"Well, first I have to know how the village is faring. Does anybody have a feeling of ...uneasiness about anything? Any kind of unexplainable fear that you have been suffering?"

Rusl considered for a moment and he said,

"Not to my knowledge. Ever since Gannondorf was done away with, things have been pretty peaceful. However we have all been wondering where Link is. We haven't seen him hardly at all ever since what happened at the Castle that day."

"Well I can tell you that right now he is off in the North speaking with the Zoras about the same thing that I am talking to you about. He's just fine, and I'll make sure to tell him when I see him again that he needs to get over here and play with the kids a little bit. Now then, I'm glad that things are peaceful here, but keep a sharp eye out. Zelda is worried that there could be some kind of enemy in Hyrule that is amassing power again.