Alright, my lovelies. This is the last chapter of this fanfic. I knew at the beginning it was going to be pretty short (not like others I've written, which tend to be upwards of 40 chapters... Eheheheh...). So with this, I present to you the last chapter. As usual, follow, review, and favorite! (:

-geekyfiki


Chapter 7

The night of the ball was hectic and filled with anxiety. Everyone attending was running around, getting last-minute changes made to their outfits or talking about how excited they were. Women would spend hours and hours getting ready. Unfortunately for the princess, she was one of them.

"Ow!" she cried, her hair being pulled so hard she thought she would be bald by the end of the night.

"Sorry, Your Highness," the lady told her.

"Gentle on the poor girl. She needs her hair," Miriam reminded her. The woman nodded, though Zelda was pretty sure she didn't really pay attention to what Miriam said. "I tried to help Link, but he takes five minutes to get ready." She shook her head, obviously bewildered.

"All men do that, darling," another woman remarked, looking up from applying Zelda's makeup. "It's a wonder what they would look like if they took more time."

"Speaking of men," Zelda started. "Do you have a date tonight, Miriam?"

"Pfft! No," she laughed. "Not to offend anyone, but men are usually simpleminded. I can't stand them."

"What about Link?"

"He counts too," Miriam grinned. "It's not required to go with a guy, so I just won't. There's no need for one."

"So you won't be getting married, I assume?" The makeup girl commented. Miriam shrugged.

"Probably not. After this, I'll return to Ordon. And let me tell you, there is no way I'm going to get married living my whole life there. But I don't mind."

"You sure are interesting, Miriam," Zelda laughed.

"Your hair is done, Your Highness," the hairdresser remarked.

"Thank you. Now I just have to change…" She groaned at the thought of it. Every ball dress she had ever worn went with a corset. She doubted she would be able to breathe that night.

»•§•«

"Look, Prince Charming, just let me fix your hair," Miriam snapped. She grabbed Link's arm, causing him to bend over so she could reach the top of his head. She took a comb, brushing out all the tangles. "Do you ever take care of your hair?" she snarled.

"I don't usually have time to think about hair care," he reminded her, his voice strained in pain. He would take fighting fifteen bulblins than having Miriam fix his hair. She finally finished after what seemed like an eternity.

"There. Now you look okay," she chuckled, patting his arm. He noticed an emotion in her he had never seen before. She looked like she was tearing up.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm just…" she trailed off, looking at him. "I'm so proud of you."

"Why?"

"Look, can we just have a moment where I say I'm proud of you and you say thank you? Or is that too hard to ask for?" There she is, he grinned, relieved to see Miriam back to her normal self.

"Don't you have to get ready yourself?"

"If I'm late, no one will notice. If the princess's date is late… Well, that's a different matter. Now go out there, and woo that princess!" Link shook his head, though a red tint flooded his cheeks. "And don't forget to keep your back straight while you're dancing!" she called after him as he headed down the hall. He rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. Miriam was always looking out for him.

»•§•«

Link and Zelda had agreed to meet outside the ballroom just before it all started. People were already gathered inside the large room, but Zelda had to be announced when she came in. Link paced the halls, waiting anxiously for her arrival. He adjusted his tux several times, checked his hair, and even wiped dirt off of his dress shoes while waiting. It was driving him crazy. Finally, he heard heels clicking down the hall and quickly looked up. There, before his very eyes, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her dress was dark green (his favorite color), and plain, but stunning. The top of it hugged her waist tightly, but it flared out dramatically when it hit her hips. When she moved, her whole gown rustled. Her hair was half-up, elegantly braided with a forest green pin in it. By the names of Farore, Din, and Nayru, he thought. I'm in love with the princess. Zelda calmly walked up to Link.

"Sorry I'm late," she smiled.

"That's not the thing you should be apologizing for," he said quickly, deciding to be coy. It was rather against his personality, but seeing her even more stunning than usual made him blurt out things he wouldn't typically say.

"Pardon?"

"You should apologize for being so beautiful." She immediately turned red, shocked he would say anything remotely that forward. Before she could stammer out any kind of response, a butler came running up to them.

"Are you ready to be announced?" he asked. Link turned to him, barely processing anything that wasn't Zelda.

"Y-yes," Zelda answered. Link held out his arm for her to take, and together they walked into the ballroom, trumpets blowing.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda Harkinian and her escort, the knight Sir Link." They took their steps together, waving as they had practiced before. After being announced, the ball resumed. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were in the giant room. Most were dancing with their dates, while others were socializing. Some even sat in chairs, drinking heavily.

"So, what do we do first?" Link asked Zelda softly.

"We can dance. Or, if you'd like, we can socialize."

"Both seem pretty awful to me," he admitted.

"Pick your poison," she whispered back. He decided dancing would be the better choice for now. He could get the worst part done and over with.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, deeply bowing and extending his arm for her to take. She smiled. It was obvious he had been practicing for this occasion.

"Of course," she responded, taking his hand. He lead her to the center of the room, one hand on her waist and the other in her hand. They began dancing. "Link, you're not bad at this at all," she told him.

"Sh, I'm concentrating," he teased. "Miriam had to help me learn to dance. She nearly sprained her ankle again with me stepping all over the place." This elicited a cheerful, vibrant laugh from the princess.

"Speaking of Miriam, where is she?" the princess inquired. He pulled the princess toward him, leaning into her ear to answer her question.

"She's probably drinking at the moment. She always says she doesn't need a man to be happy, but at occasions like this, she's usually pretty sad," he explained. "But I'm sure someone will ask her to dance at the very least." Zelda nodded, smiling.

"She forgets her beauty," Zelda remarked.

"As do you," Link blurted out. He was just as surprised at his words as the monarch.

"Link…" she blushed, unable to meet his eye.

"Would you like to get a drink?" he asked quickly, hoping for a way out of the situation. She agreed, and he led her to get a glass of water. There, sitting with drink in hand, was Miriam. She looked quite lovely, Link had to admit. Her hair was curled into ringlets, falling gently down her back. The dress she wore was blue, as it was her favorite color. It tastefully hugged her sides, showing off that she did, in fact, have more to her than a quick tongue. "You look wonderful, Meer," Link told her. She looked up. Upon seeing him, she grinned.

"People have been talking about you and the princess, you know."

"Ah… How so?"

"They're practically asking when the date of the wedding is." He felt a tug on his arm, and looked over to see Zelda there. "Oh yes, go socialize," Miriam nodded, waving him away. As he left, he noticed her take another large gulp of her presumably alcoholic drink.

"Are you sure she'll be okay?" Zelda whispered, making her way to the socialites. Link nodded.

"Though she may be small, she holds her alcohol surprisingly well." And thus began the socializing part of the evening. Zelda and Link were swept into conversation with a daughter of a viscount almost immediately.

"You two looked rather cozy when you were dancing earlier," the girl stated, grinning. "You're a couple, I presume?"

"Ah, no," Zelda answered. Though Link knew it was true, he couldn't help but feel his heart drop a little upon hearing it.

"Really?" Every conversation after that was almost exactly like that. ("You two aren't a couple!?" "When is the wedding?" "It's so sweet for the hero and the princess to fall in love.") Finally, Link was dragged outside and into the empty, dark courtyard. They stood before a small pond, exotic plants surrounding them. It was peaceful outside. The weather was warm, but there was a soft breeze. The sound of the music from the ball was soft and muffled from where they stood. The only other things they could hear was the sound of crickets and the pond. Despite this calm scene, Zelda was clutching her skirts angrily.

"Everyone just assumes we're a couple!" she raged. "What do we do?" She wasn't expecting an answer, really. She just needed to rant. But she got an answer anyway.

"Why don't we just go along with it?" Link suggested. This whole thing where I just blurt out whatever I want is getting a little out of hand, he mused, mentally shaking his head.

"Go along with it?" Zelda was thoroughly confused.

"W-well, you know… We've been spending a lot of time together, and I don't know about you, but you make me really happy. And we can just say we're a happy couple tonight and then pretend to break it off in the morning or even a week later if you'd like. I mean, really, you don't even have to break it off. It's just a suggestion, but we could pretend to be a couple for a while to make others happy and-"

Faster than he could comprehend, Zelda stood on her tippy toes, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Link was stunned. Completely, horribly, utterly stunned. He was paralyzed, in fact. He found that forming a sentence was harder than he remembered, and his opened mouth wouldn't listen to his brain telling it to close. Zelda, however, gave him a grin, and started to walk away. Link mustered up every ounce of his courage and grabbed her hand.

"Link, what-" she started. But she never finished her sentence. She was quickly cut off as one arm wrapped around her waist, while the other was brought to her cheek. He pressed his lips to hers. At first, it was a gentle, yet firm kiss. But as Zelda snaked her arms around his neck, it deepened. Link learned that his mind stopped working with one exception: Zelda. All he could think about was Zelda. She smelled like lavender, he noted, and her lipstick tasted a bit like cherries. His hand tangled into her hair, probably messing it up, but the two really didn't care. Finally, they pulled away, nearly out of breath. Their foreheads remained together, their eyes locked.

"I love you," he said softly, eliciting another gentle kiss from the princess.

"I love you too," she whispered back. His brow creased with frustration. "What's wrong?" she asked, gently running her fingers in his hair.

"You're a princess."

"Don't remind me," she teased.

"We can't have a future together," he murmured, eyes closed in emotional pain. Zelda ran her thumb along his cheek.

"Sure we can," she whispered. "My council members have been telling me to marry or forfeit the throne. I doubt they'll complain if I tell them I've found someone."

"Won't they be angry that I'm not royalty?"

"Who would possibly question a marriage between the two of us?" Zelda pointed out. "You saved Hyrule. You're fit to be king." He chuckled, his breath tickling her cheeks.

"Me? A king? Can you imagine? I can hardly bow without being awkward, let alone rule over Hyrule as a king."

"We'll work on your bowing, I promise," she giggled. "And remember that we have each other. A monarch cannot rule on their own. They have their council, advisors, and friends. We'll make it through." Link nodded, kissing her nose.

"Marry me," he said. Though she knew he would say it at some point, she was still surprised.

"Of course," she smiled, hugging him tightly. For a moment, they stayed like that, peacefully standing in the courtyard garden. "We have to go back in," Zelda frowned after a moment.

"Your lipstick is a bit messed up," Link pointed out awkwardly, sliding his thumb across her lips to make it better. She laughed, giving him a kiss on the cheek once more. "Let's go in."

The couple walked right into the ballroom, no one giving them a second glance. They socialized a bit more, though neither one of them could focus on the small talk at hand. Link looked around the room, his eyes landing on a group of familiar faces. He tugged on Zelda's arm.

"Are those…?" he murmured. She nodded.

"Shall we go talk to them?" Zelda suggested. He beamed, walking up to the group.

"Rusl, Shad, Telma, Auru, Ashei!" Link exclaimed, shaking hands and hugging them.

"Well, hero, looks like you clean up well," Telma winked, motioning to his outfit. He laughed, though a blush crept across his face. "And to be the princess's date? Who would have thought."

"How are you, Link?" Rusl asked, patting him on the arm. "Uli told me to ask you when you're coming back."

"It won't be for a while, I'm afraid," Link answered. "But how are Uli and the baby?"

"They're fantastic," Rusl grinned, his chest puffing with pride. The group chatted a bit some more, talking about their adventures and how they explored Sacred Grove together. "You and the princess probably need to get back to socializing," Rusl laughed. "I imagine we're stealing you away a little too much." With that, they said their goodbyes. Zelda tapped Link on the shoulder.

"Look over there," she said, pointing to the dancefloor. At first, Link didn't think anything of it. Then, the amount of shock settled in.

"Is that…?" he started, staring at the dancing couple. Zelda nodded. "Miriam is dancing with someone?"

"Not only is it someone, but it's actually the Archduke's son, Rune."

"Is he a good guy?" Link questioned, suddenly feeling protective.

"He's one of the best people I know. He's Bernard's son, you know. You really can't go wrong with that family. They're wonderful people. His father is hoping to retire after he marries. Do you think…?"

"When Miriam has her eye on something, she always gets it." They watched as the happy couple walked off the dancefloor, sitting down to rest. Almost immediately, Link approached them.

"Don't say it," Miriam immediately warned, her face flushing a deep pink.

"I'm going to say it anyway," Link taunted. "What happened to not caring about guys?" Rune was watching intently. He was a good looking guy. He was tall, but not giant, his hair was sandy blonde, and his eyes were deep blue. Upon hearing the conversation between Link and Miriam, he stood up.

"You must be Link," Rune smiled, shaking Link's hand firmly. "I've only known Miriam for a short time, and I've already heard so much about you."

"Oh?" Link smirked, looking at Miriam for an explanation.

"He's been staying in the castle recently," she mumbled. "We met when I was still in the infirmary. He was making a delivery and caught me undoing the ties to sneak out."

"Is this the reason why your ankle has been healing so beautifully?" Link grinned.

"Maybe. And wipe that stupid grin off of your face, you snot," she hissed. They sat and talked a little longer. Link discovered Rune was actually a fantastic guy, and was probably the best match for Miriam there was. He could deal with her sass and even sassed back occasionally. Tonight has been great, Link thought with a grin, reaching out to hold the princess' hand. She didn't move when he touched it, but instead kept her eyes somewhere in the distance. Concerned, he followed her line of sight to find someone freakishly familiar. Dark hair, light eyes, and a stoic face to match. Had Cedric's expression not been so haunting, he could have been attractive. He lurked in the corner of the room, his hands stuck into his pockets. Does he have a knife in there…?

Zelda looked at Link, fear deep in her eyes. Link gave her hand another tight squeeze before walking over to Miriam. "Do you have any knives on you?" he whispered. Miriam, noting his serious tone nodded.

"When don't I?" she grinned, lifting the skirt of her dress slightly to pull out a sharp dagger. "I have three on me at the moment. This is the most conveniently placed one." Link tried not to think about what she meant by that. She handed the weapon over discreetly, standing up and taking position to backup Link if he needed help. The duke's son crept slowly closer, pulling something out of his pocked slightly. Link stood next to the princess. Rune had caught onto the situation. He pretended to keep up the conversation with Zelda.

Cedric moved quickly, taking out the dagger from his pocket and moving for Zelda. Link, however, was faster. With a shout, he blocked the dagger with Miriam's. He used his foot to kick the duke's son in the stomach. However, instead of sending him stumbling back, the man somehow managed to get Link on the floor on his back. The dagger loomed over Link's face.

"You stopped me once, but you won't stop me again," he whispered, raising the dagger high above his head, reading to strike Link.

"Like hell," Miriam's voice came from above Cedric. He looked up to see the speaker, only to get a hard kick in the face. He fell to the floor, clutching his nose. Miriam scooped him up by his collar, shaking him. "If you're going to commit a murder, for Farore's sake don't do it next to the Hero of Hyrule." With that, she let go of his shirt collar, cause his head to hit the floor with a large thud. Link stumbled up, dusting off his nice clothing. The guards were rushing in to grab Cedric. "You guys are okay, right?" Miriam asked, looking at the other three.

"I'm good. Thanks for the backup," Link grinned.

"Miriam, that was knight-worthy," Zelda commented.

"Do you think she could become a knight…?" Rune murmured.

"It's possible. Well, she'd be the first lady knight, but I don't care, and I'm the monarch," Zelda confirmed. Link smiled, glad that the problem of the princess' attacker was finally solved. He put his arm around Zelda's waist, pulling her closer. She's my princess now. The thought filled him with uncontrollable happiness. He had never even dreamed of having Zelda to himself. But she was his, and that's all he cared about.

"Link, is there something you aren't telling me?" Miriam motioned to the closeness between the hero and princess. His cheeks slowly warmed, but he didn't move his hand from Zelda's waist.

"Ah…"

"I knew it! I called it! I absolutely called it!" She cheered. Then, she turned to Rune. "You owe me twenty rupees."

"You couldn't have waited until after the ball?" Rune frowned at the couple, digging into his pockets to pull out a red rupee. Miriam did a victory dance. After she was finished (although the smug look on her face wouldn't be gone for a good amount of time), Rune spoke up again. "So what's going to happen with that Cedric guy?" Zelda let out a sigh, leaning against Link for moral support.

"Attempts on royalty's life-especially twice-must be treated gravely. In past instances, these people have received the cruelest penalty Hyrule can offer: death. Locking him up would cause the people to riot possibly. I hate being a ruler sometimes," Zelda groaned, burying her head into Link's chest.

"Zellie, you've got to make some pretty harsh decisions," Miriam told her. "But he poses a threat to the common people. If he can't control his anger toward you and tries to murder you, he could easily kill a civilian."

"You've got a point there. For now, I think this ball is just about over. But I've got something to do first," the princess said. She grabbed hold of Link's warm hand and walked to the platform where the music players usually stood. All attention was almost immediately drawn to her. "Are my council members here?" she called out. "Step forward, please." They did as she told.

"What are you doing?" Link questioned softly, unhappy with the idea of being in front of everyone.

"Just calm down. You'd better get used to this," she smirked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Noblemen, I have found the solution to our much-discussed dilemma. This is my solution," she pointed to Link. He was confused. Horribly confused. "We will not only be married, but he will become king-not just consort." Almost immediately, she was greeted with applause.

"It's about time!" someone exclaimed.

"Took you long enough!" another shouted. The couple was showered with praise and happiness. They spent the short night hearing comments like "congratulations" and "I told you so" (mostly elicited by a certain lady-in-waiting). Finally, it was time for bed. Link was completely exhausted. He had spent most of the day being anxious about the ball. Then, at the ball, he had kissed the princess, admitted his feelings to her, and then asked her to marry him. An attack was made on Zelda's life, which was stressful. He was completely exhausted and yet he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

He paced his room, considering his situation. I probably won't have much time to visit Ordon. What will happen with Miriam and Rune? Was Zelda serious about knighting Miriam? Does that mean Miriam will be living in the castle? That thought made him groan. When will we get married? Where will it be held? How many people will be there? Will I make a good king? His thoughts continued to swarm, unable to stop. He almost didn't hear the soft knock on his door.

"Who's there?" he asked out loud.

"It's me," a soft voice answered. He smiled, remembering the first time she talked to him when she couldn't sleep. He opened the door, greeting Zelda.

"Couldn't sleep?" She shook her head with a sigh.

"Me neither," he frowned. Once again, they sat side-by-side on the bed, enjoying the other's nearness. After a while, she laid her head down in his lap, closing her eyes. Link stroked her hair softly. "I love you, princess," he whispered, assuming she was asleep.

"I love you, too, hero," she mumbled back, yawning. "I couldn't feel at peace when I was alone," she admitted quietly. "Now I feel like I could fall asleep forever. You make me feel safe." Link smiled.

"I'm happy to hear that. You can sleep soundly now, Zelda."

"I like it when you say my name," she muttered, half asleep. He realized most of the things coming out of her mouth were due to sleep deprivation.

"Zelda, Zelda, Zelda." She smiled, becoming more still. Softly, he began humming her lullaby. Almost immediately, her breathing and heart rate slowed. She made a cute cooing sound. "You're going to be the death of me," Link murmured, carefully scooping her up. She continued to sleep soundly, even as he carried her to her room. He carefully set her on her bed, pulled the covers over her, and leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Good night, my princess. Good night, my queen."


Ummm okay so there's an epilogue. But DON'T GET TOO EXCITED. Because the epilogue is super duper short. Like, it's barely over a page. But I hope you like the point of view and everything. Hopefully it'll tie up those loose ends. (;