Every night this week I've had nightmares. Each night's horrors have all been slightly different, but they all have one thing in common: the forest. Impa is always in the chair, there to calm me down when I wake up screaming. I can tell that a week of sleepless nights has taken their toll on her, but when I try to talk to her about it she instantly brushes me off.

I don't feel safe anymore. Rationally I know that the castle is the most heavily guarded place in Hyrule, but I can never shake the feeling that my world is about to crumble around me. I check over my shoulder several times as I walk down the hall. I jump at any small noise, even if I know where it's coming from. I'm being torn apart from the inside out.

After a particularly bad incident, which involved me accidentally throwing a small vase at a guard when he attempted to speak to me, I was forced to go to a therapy session to, "have a friendly little chat." I went so I could prove that I was fine, but apparently, the therapist didn't buy it. We've had two other friendly little chats since then.

I haven't gone outside since nearly falling off the walkway. Impa knows this, so this morning she told me that I should go get some fresh air. I made her promise to go sleep for a while before agreeing to go. I stand at an archway that leads to a small garden when a thought occurs to me. All of the gardens and courtyards are connected, so there is a chance I could see Link again. The idea of having to speak to him fills me will dread. There's no way I can face him after I made such a fool of myself.

Still, I promised Impa I would go outside, and the chances of seeing Link are very slim. Plus the garden looks absolutely gorgeous today.

I step past the archway and the sun hits my eyes, blinding me momentarily. I blink several times. The garden slowly comes into view. I've chosen to go to the one with only yellow flowers. I found this place after taking a wrong turn on my way to my little balcony. It was lightly raining that day, which I think made it even more beautiful here.

I walk around the garden, admiring the buttercups, daffodils, marigolds, and other yellow flora. I make my way to a mossy marble bench and sit down. The air tastes sweet. I don't know if it's because I grew up in a stuffy castle, but I've always preferred to be outside. I sigh contentedly. This is my second favorite place after the balcony. I would've gone up there today, but it's a little chilly today and the height of the balcony makes the cold ten times worse. I don't know what I'm going to do in the winter when I need to think.

I look around again, and a shiver that has nothing to do with the weather runs down my spine. What if the awful creatures from the forest attack this place? The castle is right by a fairly large stretch of woods. I feel the urge to protect this garden. I know they're just plants, but that doesn't mean they aren't living things. I notice a familiar feeling of helplessness that has crept up on me many times since the forest.

That's what I'm calling it now, isn't it? The forest. Those two words have become all of my fears and bad memories put into one simple phrase. The things I associate with it aren't even entirely about what happened in the forest. "The forest," reminds me of hiding from thunderstorms when I was little. "The forest," reminds me of nightmares I've had years ago. "The forest," reminds me of everything that makes me afraid.

I hate the forest.

I'm frustrated by how helpless I feel all the time now. If I had power like my father, or Impa's level head, or Link's skill with a sword... Anyone of those things would make me feel like I could actually do something to help.

I sigh and get up from the bench. I brush pollen and dirt off of my dress and walk towards an archway on the opposite side of the one where I came into the garden. I've never gone this way before. Maybe I'll find a new place. As my shoes clack against the stone, I hear shouts ahead of me. I walk faster, eager to see the source of the commotion.

My heart drops to my feet as I round the corner. It's one of the main courtyards, and the knight trainees are training. Of course. Just my luck the path led straight to him.

In my shock, I just stand there for almost half a minute. Coming back to my senses, I almost literally dive back around the corner. Why am I so nervous to see him? I don't think it's because of me making a fool of myself on the walkway (although that's definitely a contributing factor).

I look down at my lap. My dress is dirty again. Ugh. Why can't I ever do anything right?

Can I just leave? I don't think anyone saw me. I'd just walk away, but my shoes are really loud. Should I take them off? No, Impa will already be frustrated about my dress. If my feet were dirty too―

"Whatcha' doing?"

"AHH!" My head snaps up.

There he is. I can't believe it. Link. He found me, of course. He's standing over me in his trainee uniform. His blonde hair is swept to the side and is sticking to his forehead from sweat. A sword casually hangs by his side.

I look up at him and put as much scorn and pride in my gaze as I can muster while sitting on the dirty ground after being discovered accidentally spying on him.

"Hello," I sniff. "Fancy meeting you here.

He looks up shaking his head but is smiling. "I should be asking you the same thing."
"I live here."

"In the courtyard?"

"No, stupid, in the castle." I roll my eyes.

"This is the second time I've caught you spying on me. Strange, don't you think?" he says, an eyebrow raised.

Excuse me? No. He did not just say that. "I have not been 'spying' on you. I can go anywhere I please in this castle, and I can't help if you happen to be there as well," I scoff. He's right, of course. But he doesn't need to know that.

"Then why do you hide the second I see you?" he asks triumphantly. Good question, Link. Why do I?

I want to send back a scathing response, but I can't seem to make one come. "Because," I finally choke out. I mentally punch myself. Nice one, Zelda.

He actually laughs. "Whatever you say, Princess."

He has some nerve. Why do I care what he thinks of me? I'm a princess and he's a poor knight trainee.

He turns to walk away, and I panic. I may dislike him, but this is the most interesting conversation I've had in days. What should I say?

I thought strikes me. I remember my feeling of helplessness in the garden. If I knew how to use a sword, I could be useful. I wouldn't be a burden anymore.

"Wait!" I practically yell. He stops but doesn't turn around.

I take a shaky breath. "Teach me!" My voice is squeaky and I hate it.

He turns around slowly, confused. I look directly into his eyes. "Teach me how to use a sword." My voice is more even, but I am trembling.

The silence seems to last forever. Finally, he says, "Ok."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. I'll teach you."

He said yes. Just like that. "Thank you," I say trying to keep the stutter out of my voice.

He smiles, and I have to look away so I don't stare at his mouth. "Meet me tonight, right here. I'll give you your first lesson," he says.

I must be dreaming. "Sounds good." How am I not freaking out?

He walks back to the trainees. I stand up quickly, and nearly fall over running back to the garden.

What have I done? I can't tell if I'm proud or want to punch myself. Now I am freaking out. One one hand, I'll learn how to use a sword. Is that good or bad? On the other hand, I'll be hanging out with Link. No, forget the sword, is that good or bad?

Back in the yellow flower garden, I'm pacing in circles, occasionally tripping over my dress and making it even dirtier. I can't exactly hide it this time. This dress is a light gray and is stained so easily I can't even spill water on it.

I decide to just tell Impa I tripped and fell, which I guess is partially true. Diving to the ground to avoid someone and tripping are practically the same thing, right?

I leave the garden in a stupor and return to my room. I don't even remember the journey up.
Impa isn't here. I hope she's back in her room getting rest.

I sit on my bed. "What have I done?" I whisper to myself, but I'm smiling.

I may be nervous, but I'm ready for this. I'm ready to face Link and get over the forest. This is something I need to do.

It's only about noon. We never specified a time to meet, so I'm going down at sundown. That's the earliest time that can be considered "tonight".

There's a book on my nightstand. I was reading it before the forest. I pick it up and rub the cover with my thumb. I don't remember where I left off, but I do know that it was about a princess who disguises herself as a peasant and travels around her kingdom at night. One night, she meets a young man. She doesn't know it, but she falls in love with him over time. Oh yeah! I remember where I left off. The princess had just realized that she's in love.

I open the book to the page I had marked. The spine creaks with age. I scan the pages for a paragraph I remember and start there.

The princess was in shock. How could she be in love? Princesses can't fall in love.

She rushes to her closet and found the peasant clothes she had hidden away. She quickly changed and grabbed a heavy cloak. As she rushed down the exquisite halls of her castle, all she could think of was how she was going to tell him she was in love. Did he love her? How would she tell him she was a princess?

As she reached the outside, it began to rain. She went towards the stables for her horse. After she mounted it and went back outside, the rain had picked up. It was practically pelting her. It was cold and wet, but she needed to see him.

My eyes skip to where she finds the man she's in love with. I can't help it. I've always had a weak spot for love stories.

She looked at him. He was her fighting companion and best friend. She felt guilty about her desire for him to be more, but she couldn't help it. She was in love.

They stood close together in the woods where they usually met.

"I-I need to tell you something..." she said, stuttering from the cold and her quickly beating heart.

Lightning flashed, momentarily lighting up their faces for the other to see.

She took a breath. "My heart has betrayed me."

Their eyes met. She was scared of his reaction. She couldn't take his gaze and closed her eyes.

He leaned forward. Their lips met, and her eyes shot open. His hands were on her shoulders and he was...kissing her.

Finally, she understood. His heart had betrayed him as well. She leaned into him. It was perfect.

I'm startled back into reality by Impa's voice. I snap the book shut in shock.

"Zelda? I thought I told you to go outside," she says, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"I did!" I insist. "Obviously." I gesture to my dress.

She groans. "How did you ruin another dress? They aren't disposable, you know."

"I tripped and fell."

"Oh, did you now?"

"Yes."

"Zelda, I've known you since you were a baby. You didn't even trip and fall when you were learning how to walk," Impa says, giving me a classic, I-can-see-right-through-you look.

I look away and set the book back on my nightstand. "I don't know. It just happened," I shrug, sticking with the lie.

Before she can retort, I change the subject. "Did you get some sleep?"

"Yes. Thank you." Impa sits down in the chair on the other side of the room. No one else sits there, so I now think of it as her chair.

Neither of us speaks. After a minute, I grab my book and leave the room. I head towards my balcony. I don't care about the cold anymore, I just need to think.

When I reach the wardrobe, I notice a guard nearby. Seriously? I can't exactly crawl into a closet with him watching. There are already rumors about my mental health floating around.

I turn around and go into the hidden hallway when he isn't looking. I turn down another hallway that leads to the stone walkway. Since that day, I've figured out how to get there and back without asking for help. I haven't actually gone onto the walkway, though. I didn't want to see Link.

Now, we actually are planning on seeing each other. For the second time in one day. I don't see any harm in going out onto the walkway now.

I attempt to open the door with one arm, but I fail miserably. I set the book in my other hand on the ground and use both hands to open the door. Once it's open enough for me to get through, I grab my book and the hem of my dress. I jog out to the middle of the long walkway. I sit and settle against the wall, and I open my book.

I have a third left, and I intend to finish it today. It's cold up here, but I quickly forget this as I become engrossed in the book.

I was wrong–this book isn't just a sappy love story. There are fight scenes and beautiful descriptions of the scenery the protagonist travels through. I love this book.

When I finally reach the last page, I look up and sigh happily. I finish the book, squinting in the darkness that has fallen around me.

Wait.

I look up again and realize that the sun has long set. I've been up here for hours. I jump up in a panic, and my back cracks from being in the same position for a long time.

xxx

I run to the door and rush inside. I close it as quickly as I can. I look down at the book in my hands. I don't feel like going back to my room, so I just shove it in an empty suit of armor to my right.

I sneak through the castle corridors more cautiously than usual. I don't know why, but my heart is pounding. I wipe my sweaty palms on the skirt of my dress and try to take an even breath.

As I continue my journey to the yellow flower garden, my breathing gets shallower and shallower. I focus on the wall tapestries, stepping in rhythm, the story of my book, anything to distract myself from my anxiety about what I am doing.

Finally, I step out into the cool night air. It feels like the walk here took days. I look up and see that the sky is even darker now. I hope Link hasn't left because I took so long to get here. Then again, him leaving would allow me to avoid the whole situation...

No. I push away the thought. This is important to me. I need to do it.

I stop at the archway that leads to the courtyard to listen for voices. The last thing I want is to walk in and there to be a dozen people still there. The idea of their eyes boring into me fills me with dread, and my heart starts to pound even harder.

To my relief, I hear only two people. I'm almost certain one is Link. From the way they're talking the other is his...friend maybe? I can't tell for sure. I know the best thing to do would be to stay well hidden, but my curiosity nags at me. I can't help but move closer to hear what they're saying.

I slowly turn the corner and press myself against the wall not facing them. I still can't hear them very well, but this time it's because of the blood rushing in my to my head. I feel like I'm about to pass out. I fill my cheeks up with air and slowly let it out. Pull yourself together. If you survived the forest, you can survive this.

I strain to hear what they're saying, partially because I'm curious and partially because I need a distraction from my anxiety. I finally make out the voice that isn't Link saying, "What, do you sleep with it?" and then his laughter echoing loudly.

"Of course not," Link says evenly, but I can tell that he's annoyed.

The other person only laughs harder. "Honestly, you're the last person I thought would be the poor farm boy in love with a rich girl," the other voice says, trying to stifle his laughter.

It takes me too long to comprehend what he says. Whoever this is thinks Link is in love with some noble girl. I can't even picture Link pining after anyone, let alone a Castle Town snob. I almost laugh. I'm not sure if it's because the idea is so ridiculous or it's a nervous reaction. Either way, there's an odd feeling in my stomach now.

I try to ignore it and listen for Link's response. "I'm not in love with her, idiot," he sighs. I knew it. There's no way he would ever fall for a noble girl.

"Dude, you've been sighing and staring off into space all week. You're obviously distracted by something, and I think it's her," the other voice says. His voice is more serious now, which makes me think that he doesn't find this is as funny as I thought he did.

My heart is pounding again, but I'm not sure if it's for the same reason as before.

"You're delusional. I'm fine, and I'm definitely not in love with some stuck-up rich girl. Just go, I'll catch up in a bit," Link snapped. His cool demeanor is gone.

"What are you—" The other voice starts, but then goes silent. "Ok. I'll see you." He seemed to know that he had hit a sore spot. I hear movement before everything goes quiet.

My legs won't move. Eavesdropping on their conversation was a bad idea. I wish I hadn't listened, maybe then this feeling in my gut wouldn't be there.

My racing thoughts are cut off by the sound of Link sighing. I can hear his frustration as he exhales.

I take a deep breath and squeeze my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. After taking a step forward, I force myself to walk over casually. He sees me, and I watch as his composure and bored expression return.

"Sorry, am I late?" I ask. I'm desperately trying to seem normal.

"No." In the dim light, I see that his neck and ears are red—probably from his conversation with that other person.

Neither of us says anything. To my relief, he breaks the silence. "Are you ready to go?"

I blink, already worried. "Go where?"

He sighs, but I can tell that he's amused. "You didn't think we were just going to stay here, did you?"

"I honestly didn't really think about it..." I mumble, slightly embarrassed.

He doesn't respond. Instead, he grabs my hand. My face immediately flushes. I don't pull away.

"W-what are you doing?" I stutter as he pulls me toward the castle exit.

He turns to me as we're walking and smirks. "Sneaking out."

I posted this chapter several months ago, but I completely rewrote the end because it was brought to my attention that it was...really really bad. I got lazy, and I'm sorry. I'll make sure everything I publish is my best from now on. I recommend rereading the entire chapter if you're a returning reader, but if you don't want to I understand. You can just start at the little "xxx" I added. Thanks! :)

Also~ Thank you to Just-AWESOME-old-me! They helped me fix the ending and were a fantastic beta reader. :D