Apologies for the 'late' update. Late because as pointed out by one comment—the average update time for CaC is 2-3 days and it's been four. It's the weekend and I spent most of it sleeping. I have no regrets. :D

As pointed out as well in another comment, there are a lot of things that we have not fully explored yet. So I am taking this chapter to clear some things up. I do admit that I made Link clingy, affectionate, borderline cheesy. There is a reason for that:

I am in a long-distance relationship. I miss my boyfriend. This is my only source of romance right now and I am in a vast wasteland—I need release. Kidding. :) Well… Not really.

Still. I will try to put in more depth even though the perv in me is screaming for freedom. I do not have a definite plan for how this story will turn out. I am making it up as I go. I hope I have enough in me to keep you interested. Ha!

Please leave me reviews. They inspire me. And make me write faster. *wink wink*

Also, no offence taken. :) Constructive criticism is welcome any day! I am not perfect. And if you have any scenes that you want me to include (me pretending that I am not running out of ideas)—please tell me. Like a beach scene. Hmmmm… Maybe I can work with that.

Also nope. I am not a native English speaker nor a German speaker but I am in Germany right now. :) I just thought it'd be a fun thing to add to the story. Lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda

I feel something stirring beside me—distracting me from sleep. A smile creeps upon my lips as I realise what it is. Zelda. Hmmm… Like a rabbit burrowing into her hole, she cuddles closer to me. My arms automatically pull her into my chest as her leg brushes smoothly across my thighs.

I open my eyes and I look down at her sleeping face so close to mine. I see her awake. "Hey?"

She looks up at me, eyes bright and searching. The first thing she says is "I love you."

She always—always manages to take my breath away. "I love you too."

Last night… She was wonderful last night. I was outside in the living room devastated that we would be spending our first night together apart—I've already grown accustomed to having her in my bed—a habit. I thought… I thought that it would take days—weeks of apologies or awkwardness or staying away.

But last night… she came on to me herself. After promising that I would keep my hands off of her… She asked me to make her forget. And I did. I did everything. I showed her how much I loved her. Sated and basking in our lovemaking, she asked me to never let her go while she drifted off to sleep.

Like really? This make-up sex thing works.

"You okay?" I ask softly, brushing a lock of stray hair away from her face. She's so soft and fiery and intimidating.

She shifts her body—and I cannot help but smirk. I know what she's trying to do. "Sore?" I ask her. I was going slow last night—I swear.

She smiles and shakes her head. "I'm okay." Her hand trails up to my chest and she lazily draws patterns across it.

I feel like I've said all the apologies I could last night. And she seems fine now. But I have to be sure. "I'm sorry again." I whisper.

But she props herself on her elbow and stares at me, her chin in her hand. "I love you." She says simply. "And I'm sorry too." She looks away for a bit but takes a deep breath. "Thank you." She said with a smile.

I shrug. "Hmm. Thank you for letting me in." I mean that in more ways than one and she doesn't miss the pun. She giggles. "I mean it though. I'm yours. I hope you know that."

She nods slowly as she flips on her back and stretches. "I know that. I think we already made that clear." She winks at me and gets off the bed, her naked butt sashaying as she goes into the bathroom.

I would very much be content to stay here in bed all day. But life catches up and my phone rings. I grab it from the nightstand and see Sidon's name flashing on the screen.

"I'm up." I say as I sit up and stretch my arms.

"There's a problem." Sidon sighs. He sounds like he's in the car. Jolted awake, I get out of bed quickly and grab my boxers from the floor.

"What is it?" I try to keep my voice low so that Zelda wouldn't hear. But the sound of the shower comes on and I relax a bit.

"The news of you walking out of… Scene 82, leaked out. I think one of the crew talked."

I groan as I proceed to the kitchen. "What the fuck?"

"Yeah. They don't know yet who did it. But that's not the problem. Nicole is furious—that bitch—because she's getting such bad rep about it."

Of course. Of course, she'll get pissed. She's the one in the scene with me. Word coming out of me walking out of set—especially since nobody really saw Zelda there—makes it seem like I'm disgusted by her.

Which is true. But that's not the point. This… This is a PR disaster. I can tell Sidon is not happy. I am not too. "You guys up? I have breakfast. I'll be there in ten." He says quickly.

"Gotcha. See you." I put the phone down and put the coffee on. Just when I thought… things would go back to normal… I take a deep breath and go back to the bedroom to join Zelda in her shower.

"Nicole's pissed. She's already complained to the agency and even hinting at suing you." Sidon grimaces as he takes a big bite of his muffin.

Zelda is beside me, her knees up to her chest as she broke apart a muffin in her fingers and popped them into her mouth. I told her everything. Hiding things like these… won't work. It just creates more problems.

"What can she do?" Zelda asks.

"A lot." Sidon sighs. "It'll also affect the ratings of the show. If word goes out that Link and Nicole don't get along… well… the industry is very sensitive. It can go both ways."

"What's the plan?"

"Her manager called me. They want to talk. Maybe release a statement that will benefit both sides." Sidon says testily. It's obvious he doesn't like this. I don't like it either.

"They'll probably come up with something stupid." I say as I drink my coffee.

Zelda shifts in her stool as she reaches over the table and grabs a doughnut next. Then I remember that it's a weekday. "Don't you have work?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. I called off sick for the rest of the week yesterday." She said with a smile. "Something stupid?" She asks.

I shrug. "Something stupid like… I don't know really. Could be anything."

"I'll be there. Of course we won't agree to bullshit." Sidon says with a smirk.

I look over to Zelda who was unusually quiet. But she gives me a smile that seems to be saying, I trust you. "So that's the plan today?" I ask.

He nods and consults his tablet. "Hmmm… We have a dubbing for Happiness late afternoon. But the meeting with Nicole's camp will be before that."

"No HyHo?" Zelda perks up.

Sidon shakes his head. "I moved that because of the… scandal."

"What are your plans for today?" I ask her, curious. I'll be out all day because of this. If last night didn't happen… I'd be worried and scared of leaving the house.

She shakes her head. "Nothing really… I might meet up with Urbosa today if she's not busy."

I nod. "Okay. Tell her… thanks."

She smirks at me with mischief in her eyes. "I'll ask her what she thinks about you."

"Heeeeey—" I straighten up but she giggles. "She said she liked me."

But her eyebrows are wiggling and she's laughing. "You sure?"

Now I'm starting to think that Urbosa was kidding.

The door opens. And Nicole's team walks in. It's just Sidon and me here yet she has two people with her. One of whom I am sure is her manager although I always forget his name. The other one, I'm not so sure.

She looks at me haughtily but I nod at her. "Nicole." She's fucking twenty minutes late. I get up to shake hands.

"I am Christian. Nicole's manager. This is Kohga, her lawyer."

Sidon and I exchange looks. Having a lawyer is not a good sign. Sidon clears his throat. "I'm Sidon, Link's manager. You called for us today?"

Christian nodded while Nicole is studying her manicured nails with an air of indifference.

"Yes. Right down to business. Regarding the… let's call it an incident. Ms. Nicole's reputation has suffered lately ever since the news came out." Kohga took out a sheaf of papers from his briefcase and spread them out before us.

I can see pictures from forums and different networking sites that label her as 'disgusting' and 'bitchy' and other —in my opinion—appropriate adjectives. I take them gingerly in my fingers.

What does she want with this now?

"As an A-list actress, it doesn't… do well to have these kinds of rumours floating around. We've had a few projects who have already withdrew their offers." Kohga sneers at us.

He hands us another set of papers. I can see them as contracts with the stamp cancelled across them.

"Ms. Nicole has suffered emotional, psychological and financial damages due to this. The fact that your agency has not released a statement yet regarding the incident while Ms. Nicole is being cyberbullied has forced us to act in a way that may not be favourable to your side."

I stiffen but Sidon sighs beside me. "Cut the crap. What do you want?"

Nicole is still not meeting my eyes. She looks away while Christian straightens up and stops Kohga.

"We can sue for defamation and slander."

I almost roll my eyes but I have to remember to be nice. "I didn't say anything about her."

"But your actions has led to affecting her reputation." Kohga interrupts.

I feel Sidon's hand on my arm—effectively shutting me up. He looks at me with a face that says I should let him handle this. He puts on a smile that I've seen so many times when he's negotiating contracts for me and Mipha.

"Maybe there is a way that we can settle this without filing lawsuits?"

I see Christian's expression change slightly as Nicole sighs heavily.

"There is one thing." Christian says.

"What?" I ask.

"All these started because it is said that you do not have a good relationship between you two. And that gives off the impression that Ms. Nicole is unapproachable and hard to work with." He raises his eyebrow at me. "You know that the industry is very sensitive. We all rely on media for promotions, advertisements. Even though Ms. Nicole is extremely talented—it could still damage her chances.

"Get to the point." Sidon interrupts. I almost smile at him for telling me off about losing my temper. But I can tell he's getting impatient too.

"We can give off the impression… that Mr. Link and Ms. Nicole are 'mending' their relationship."

I get an uneasy feeling about this and I think what's coming next will be a load of bullshit.

"Explain." Sidon says.

Christian looks at Kohga who straightens, pushing his glasses up his nose. "We can have Ms. Nicole and Mr. Link spend some time together where the media can see them. Then we release a statement saying that the incident happened due to an internal conflict and they are currently working hard to… reconcile… and mend their differences."

"You want them to pretend that they're dating?"

"We didn't say anything about dating." Nicole suddenly speaks up. "We just have to see us spend some time together."

My mind goes back to the damn incident.

I almost pushed her off as I scrambled out of the bed to race after Zelda. But by the time I got out of the room, she's already near the door and Sidon comes up to me quickly to hand me a robe. He's frantic and so is Lila.

But she was so fast and by the time Sidon forced me to go back—Nolan was furious and Nicole was so offended by what I did—it took an hour for her to calm down and agree to finally finish filming.

I knew then that what I did had consequences. It's just… having Zelda back was more important. But now it's coming back to bite me in the ass.

"This will benefit your career as well, Mr. Link." Christian adds almost as an afterthought.

I hate to admit it—but he's right. Nicole… is famous. Well-known. Compared to her, I am a nobody. She's done countless of movies, series and endorsements. She's been in the industry her whole life. It's just her… attitude that's wrong.

Like right now. She's looking at me directly. She knows she's winning. But it's not just me that's going to take a hit if the rumours escalate.

They'll start to investigate as to why I walked out. Then they'll dig up the mall scandal from before. More scrutiny in my life is not a good idea if I want to keep Zelda hidden.

The best course right now would be just to… make amends. Make things work between us first. Time to nip this rumour in the bud.

Sidon is looking at me. I shift in my seat. "What do we have to do exactly?"

"There's a party for Happiness. We could start by attending that together. Basically… be seen in each other's company as much as possible. That's the fastest way to squash the rumours and benefit both of you." Christian says confidently.

"Then the statement we release is?" Sidon speaks up. "That they're good friends who just had a misunderstanding that resulted into the incident?"

"Yes." Christian nods. "That won't be hard. Ms. Nicole and Mr. Link has had a pleasant relationship before then."

"We stop those rumours. Then that's it?" I ask.

Nicole smiles sweetly at me and speaks for the second time since they've arrived. "Yes. That's our priority."

"It would also help if you do more projects together." Christian says.

"What kind?" I ask. Sidon and I have talked about it. I don't want to do acting gigs for a while. "

"Right now… We have a modelling gig lined up for JGP. We have no male lead yet and we can recommend you to do that." Christian says.

JGP is a famous clothing brand for women and they have… tasteful advertisements. But I am still under the HyHo contract. I look over at Sidon.

"It's a sister company of Ziya." He tells me.

There is silence in the room as we all thought about it. I look over at Sidon who is tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. "Sounds… reasonable." He says.

I agree. But I don't say it out loud.

"Then we will be… contacting you when… we need you." Christian says.

By this time, Nicole is smiling at me and I feel goosebumps. But I feel Sidon's foot nudge mine from under the table so I force a fucking smile on my face too. "I'm hoping this will resolve the rumours. I'm sorry that we've come to this." I say.

She raises an eyebrow and flashes me her A-list smile. "Let's work hard together."

We all stand up and we shake hands again. But Nicole holds on to my hand longer than necessary. Typical Nicole is back. "See you soon, Link."

Sidon leads them out the conference room. "Christian, let's talk more about the statement then we can release that tomorrow."

I sit back down heavily on the chair and Sidon comes back. "That went… better than I expected." He exhales. "But they totally brought the lawyer just to intimidate us."

I nod. "Well… It was my fault anyway. If this is what it takes to keep Zelda from the public eye… I'm glad to do it."

Sidon doesn't know yet about Zelda's connection with HyHo. I'd have to talk to her about informing him. He might be able to help.

"I'll have a talk with Christian about the statement."

"Make sure it's clear. Friends. Not dating." I say.

He nods. "Leave it to me."

"Would Zelda be okay with this?" He hits it spot on.

I don't answer. Not yet. I'd have to talk to her about it. Strangely enough, I am not that worried.

"I'd have to talk to Nolan about this too." Sidon sighs.

When I went back into the room—I could see Nolan's disappointed and irritated face. I know he's pissed off. But I did get into that bed and did all the scenes without any retakes. Sidon just told him I was going through something about Zelda—whom he'd met at the reading.

"I have to apologise to him." I say.

Sidon nods thoughtfully. "Honestly, Link. I expected this kind of behaviour from Mipha. This is why she avoids acting gigs. But from you…" He looks at me. "Zelda is really different, huh?"

I don't say anything.

"Running around yesterday just to look for her. You're like star-crossed lovers—determined and just… It's different. You hit it off so perfectly the first time you meet—like you're destined."

I've been thinking about that too, pal.

"It's like… She's your soulmate. Like you're born for each other."

With the way I feel about her… I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Maybe I really am.

I am running. Running with all my might. My legs feel like lead and my breathing—short and clipped. It hurts. I want to stop. But I can't. I can't.

If I do, she dies.

"Princess!" I shout. The rain is coming down in torrents. The trees are giant shadows leering at me as I pass. A scream—her scream—I'll know that voice from anywhere—wrenched through the rain and thunder and I stop abruptly in my tracks. "Princess!"

Thunder masked what would have been a response if there is any. I streaked off to my left through denser trees. My hair stuck at the back of my neck as I look around frantically. Even with the chaos around me—I can hear my heartbeat in my ears—pounding frantically.

A guttural roaring sound echoed throughout the forest—"Nooo…" I moaned to myself as fear gripped me. I know what that is.

"Princess!" I shout again. Answer me, please. I cannot loser her. This is all my fault. Please.

Thunder rolled through the clouds as I keep on looking, my hand clenched around the handle of a sword that seems to glow faintly in the darkness…

"Link. Link!"

I snap awake. "What the f—?" I straighten up.

"I've been trying to wake you up for the past minute." Sidon says with his hand on my shoulder. "You're having a nightmare."

I straighten up in my seat. We're still in the car. But I'm breathing hard. My knuckles are white as I look at my fists on my lap. "What?" I feel hot but cold and my legs are tingly.

"You've been mumbling." He says as he turned right in a corner. "'Princess', you said."

I have a slight headache that seems to get worse as I try to hold on to the dream. But it's slipping fast. I can barely—barely remember…

It was dark.

And wet.

I think that's the rain.

And I'm… looking for someone.

In a forest—at least… there were trees all around…

The thunder… the lightning…

"Can't remember?" Sidon asks. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" I breathe out. "Weird…" Forest… I don't remember being in a forest before. "I was running… Looking for—"

"A princess?" Sidon says.

A princess, huh. Hmmm… "I guess."

"Weird." He agrees with me. "I've had some weird dreams too."

I sigh as I calm my racing heart. "Like what?"

"No laughing, you little shit." He threatens me.

I automatically snort but I keep my face calm. "Okay. This'll be interesting."

Sidon drives carefully as we make our way to the studio for my dubbing. He clears his throat. "I dreamt that I was a fish."

"A fish?" I fight to keep my face straight.

"Not really a fish. Like… a fish with legs. A big red fish."

"Okaaay…" I say slowly.

"Told you it's weird." He says.

"What happened?"

"I was a fucking handsome fish. And I was a prince. It's so weird but my Dad was there and Mipha was there too. We're just all a bunch of fish people with legs and our kingdom was this weird—silvery water place."

"I can imagine you as a big red fish with muscles." I say. Weirdly enough, it kinda fits him. "With your silly grin and girls fawning all over you."

Sidon raises his eyebrows. "What's even weirder is you were there."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You come to my kingdom asking for help and then we go see this big elephant statue thing and we swim around it trying to get in." He laughs softly.

"Well… elephants do love water." I offer as I still try to keep my face straight.

He looks over at me. "In my dream—you looked a lot younger. Maybe in your teens… And you had this blue shirt on with a sword."

My ears pick this up. I remember the conversation I had with Zelda about our dreams. It was mostly pillow talk but still… "Wait. What did you say?"

"You have this blue shirt on. And this sword was on your back. And you carried like… a tablet thing on your waist." He says. "I remember it because it was so vivid."

"When did this happen?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "A long time ago. I don't really pay attention. But I think… It's just right after I met you. Sometimes, I still dream about it."

"A blue shirt and a sword, huh?" I say slowly…

I remember my recurring dream since childhood. The one where I am a knight for the royal family… And I have a sword. And I always wear a blue shirt with this weird symbol on the chest.

Zelda is the first person I've told about that dream. So how can Sidon have a dream about me… in a blue shirt with a sword. The tablet thing—I don't really remember… But there's a vague feeling that I had that too.

"And you were small. I was a goddamn hunk of a man-fish and you were a midget." Sidon laughs. "Oh! And there is one more—this one I got when I met Zelda that night. It's like she triggered it or something."

"That night? Oh you mean… the first time you saw her?"

He nods. "Yeah. Same kingdom—same shit—still a bunch of fish people with legs but this time, I was a little fish-boy. Fuck I was cute! I see Mipha and Zelda—she's hard to forget with that blonde hair thing going on but she's human and not a fish-girl. They're kind of talking."

"Talking?"

"They were on top of this waterfall thing. And I was watching from below." He taps his chin as he tried to remember. "I don't know. It's weird. But they're talking and the next thing I know Mipha and I were zooming up a damn waterfall and shit like rockets."

I ask Sidon the same thing she asked me. "Do you believe that we are reincarnations of our past selves?"

Sidon shrugs. "I don't know. Seems… complicated. Because then that would mean I was a fucking fish in my previous life… Not that I looked bad. But still… A fish. Really? For real?"

"Still. Anything can happen, right?" I ask him.

It takes him a while to answer. But he nods. "Maybe."

"Weird. You're weird, Sidon." I say as I look out the window.

"The fish is my new spirit animal. Like a red shark or something." He says confidently as he pulls into the parking lot. "And if I'm weird—you're pretty fucking abnormal too for staying with me."

We both laugh but still—at the back of my mind—there's a nagging thought. Too much of a coincidence.

We reach the studio and I greet Nolan there. He gives me a look that says he's not yet over what happened so Sidon tactfully leaves us alone at the control booth.

I sit in a chair beside him as he looks over the script. I try to find the words to break the ice so I stay silent for a bit.

"Did you two make up?" He asks me suddenly.

"Uhh." I answer after a heartbeat.

I hear him sigh beside me. "I've researched you before. I do that with all my actors. Just to get a feel of what I would be encountering during shoots. And you've never had a scandal or an issue. It's mostly because you stay off relationships."

I don't say anything.

"And sometimes that's how it goes. I stayed off relationships too when I started but damn… when I met my wife… It was like, everything that has fallen apart has just come together." He stares at the ceiling and laughs. "I knew that she was the one. But I was an actor like you and I had a bed scene too and she didn't like it."

This got me curious. I am not surprised to learn that this happens quite a lot in the industry. I am more surprised at the fact that Director Nolan started out as an actor too. "What happened?"

"She didn't speak to me for a month."

"A month?!"

"I shit you not, Link. I. Shit. You. Not. A month. Nothing—not even a peep or a cough or even a fucking fart. She was still there though—in my bed, cooking, leaving me breakfast—everything was the same. We touch, we kiss—everything. Except the talking part."

I cannot even begin to imagine if that happened to me. Seeing her, touching her but she won't respond—

"It drove me crazy. I knew she was punishing me. I knew she wasn't going to leave. What I didn't know was how long it was going to last." Nolan sighs heavily beside me.

"How did you two make up?"

He shrugs. "One morning, she wakes me up with her smile and the usual breakfast and a 'hello'." He grins at me.

I cannot help but grin back. "Your waiting has reached its end, then?"

He nods. "Worst month of my life. No communication—no matter what I say, she won't say anything back—it was torture." He straightens in his seat. "So—did you two make up?"

I nod. "Yes. We did. Last night."

"Good. You're still a rookie by my standards, Link. Sorry if I got short with you that time. I've been through what you did and I should have been more understanding." He claps a hand on my shoulder and chuckles. "You look like you've seen a ghost?"

I laugh nervously. "I thought you were going to scold me. And I didn't you had a wife."

"She's not part of the industry so I try to keep her hidden as much as possible."

"Thanks, Director Nolan." I say with a grateful smile.

"Anytime, Link. Sidon tells me that you're going to stay off acting for a while?" He says.

I nod. "Yeah…"

"Don't you like it?"

I shrug. "I do. But no more bed scenes, please!" I beg comically as he laughs.

"Understood. I have a few more projects coming up—action series maybe—but I'll get you for those scenes. Do you do any action shots?"

I purse my lips. "Sounds good. I've never tried it before. But I do have some moves if that helps."

"Moves?"

"I know archery and how to fight."

"With weapons?"

"With a sword mostly. I took classes back then. They were interesting."

Nolan studies me carefully. "That I can work with. I don't see that on your profile?"

I shrug. "I've never mentioned it. Only Sidon knows—and of course Zelda."

Just then the door opens and Sidon peeks in. "Is it safe to go inside now? The coffee is getting cold."

Nolan laughs and waves him in. "Get inside. We're not having a fight here, idiot."

Sidon comes in with a coffee carrier in his hand. He hands me one and one to Nolan.

"Yow, Sidon. You didn't tell me that Link here can do without a stuntman?"

Sidon sits across from us near the controls and crosses his legs. "I call it the secret special skill. You have any action projects coming up?"

Nolan shrugs as a few more people get in the room. I get up immediately and greet them. I am faced with Lisa, the audio director and two guys she introduced as her technicians.

"Nice to meet you." She says with a big smile.

"I'm Link. Nice to meet you too."

We all introduce each other and Sidon distributes coffee to everybody. Lisa is antsy to start. "Nolan—didn't think I'd need you here."

Nolan laughs. "I can leave if you want me to, Lisa."

She scoffs and hands me the script. "Hmm… You can stay to fetch me coffee and stuff."

I look over the pages she's marked with a post-it. "These pages only?"

She nods at me. "Yeah. In these parts, the voices are too low—or there are unnecessary noise. So we have to redo them. In this one—" she taps a finger to the page, "the mic was turned off so we have to redo that whole scene."

I nod. This is not the first time I'll be doing a dubbing so I don't feel quite as nervous as before.

"You can go in now." Lisa points to the door that leads to audio room.

I go inside the booth where everything has been set up—a chair, headphones, a stand for the script, a mic. Sighing as I psych myself for work mode, I take off my jacket and put it at the back of the chair. I put the headphones on and see Sidon at the other side of the glass giving me the thumbs up.

"Let's start with Scene…" I hear a rustling of papers as I settle comfortably on the chair. "53." Lisa says.

I flip pages until I find it then nod. I clear my throat as I wait for her signal.

"Okay… Ready?" I nod, taking one last sip of my coffee.

"Start."

The dubbing takes most of the afternoon. By the time we were done, it's already dark outside. I get out of the sound booth with a slightly sore throat. Sidon hands me room temperature water and it soothes it just a bit.

Nolan has left earlier and only Lisa and her technicians remained. "Good work today." She says with a smile.

I give her a small bow. "Thank you. All of us did." I shake the hands of her technicians.

"Before you go, can I have your autograph? My niece is in love with you." She says abruptly.

I chuckle and shrug. "Yeah sure, of course." She hands me a pad and pen. "What's her name?"

"Tulin. She's fifteen."

I recite as my hand flows across the paper. "To Tulin, study hard and good luck. From… Link." Would this be alright?

She grins as she takes the pad from me. "Thanks. This will make me aunt of the year."

"Anytime." I say.

With another round of goodbyes, Sidon and I leave the studio. We pile into his car as he takes some time to scroll through Instagram. "You hit one million followers. I need to record you doing a thank you or something."

He manages my social media accounts because I cannot be bothered to do it. I rarely check it even. "Now or later? What do I say?"

Sidon flips the car lights on and focuses the camera on me. "Let's do it now so I can post it already. Just say thank you for helping you reach one million. That's what Mipha said before. Ready…"

I turn in my seat and get ready.

"Start."

"Thank you for helping me reach one million!" I say with my model grin.

"Done." Sidon says as he types something on his phone. "You get a loooot of thirsty comments."

"Ha! Are they any good?" I ask as I open the window a crack and get a cigarette. Sidon frowns but doesn't stop me.

"Very good. Not for Zelda's eyes." He smirks. "She doesn't have social media, right?"

I nod as I puff the smoke out of the car. "Yeah. Or else it would be even more hell if she does."

"Good. Because one of them is offering herself to carry your babies." Sidon smirks at me.

"Should I be flattered or what?" I chuckle and ask him.

Sidon shrugs. "I probably… would."

"Only you, Sidon. Only you." The resulting silence is broken by my phone ringing. I take it out of my pocket to find Mipha's name on the screen. "Hey."

"Link! Do you have plans for tonight?"

"Nah. I'm done for the day. I'm still with Sidon." I say. Just as well, Sidon starts the car and backs out of the parking lot. "Why?"

"Let's all have dinner together. You me, Revali, Sidon, bring Zelda too, yeah?"

Dinner with everyone sounds like a great idea. "Yeah sure. Where do we meet?"

"That Italian place? You remember?"

I nod. It was the place we usually go to. It's sort of private so not many reporters are around. "Yeah sure. Lemme just call Zelda." It's been a long time since we've been out. Besides, this will be a great opportunity for her to get closer to Mipha too.

"Okay. See you in a bit!"

I end the call and Sidon looks at me hungrily. "Great. I'm hungry anyway."

I speed-dial Zelda's number and she answers after a few rings.

Her melodic voice reenergises me. "Hey."

"Had dinner yet?"

"I'm just getting dressed. I'm supposed to go out with Urbosa. She invited me out."

Oh. Well… that certainly puts a damper on the festivities. But still… getting dressed… It certainly brings flashbacks of last night. "Mipha just asked us out. I didn't know you had plans with Urbosa." I say—just a little bit disappointed. I feel Sidon tap me on the shoulder. "Tell her to come too."

I hear her gasp on the other side. "Hmmm… Then can I bring Urbosa too?"

I smile automatically. "Yes. If that's okay with her?"

"She'll be fine. She's always pushing to meet some of my other friends anyway. Where do I meet you guys?"

"Sidon and I can pick you up?" I offer just as Sidon nods.

"Nah. Urbosa will be driving anyway. So we can meet you there."

"Okay then. Trattoria. Up on fifth—"

"Oh! I like that place. I know where it is." She says on the other end.

"Okay. Then see you in a bit."

"See you, Link."

We end the call and I look up only to see Sidon wiggling his eyebrows at me. "What—no 'I love you' from the princess?"

I blush and thank God that the car is dark. "Oh shut up, old man."

When we get to the restaurant, we're escorted to a big round table with Mipha and Revali already seated along with Urbosa and Zelda.

She's a fucking vision in that sky blue dress and just as always—because I am extra clingy and affectionate when she's around because I cannot help myself and I don't hold back—I hug her close as she stands up when I arrive.

I kiss her briefly to see her explode in redness as she waves me away. She's so adorable. "Link! Mipha and—"

I give her another kiss. "I don't care." I say as I help her sit down and I take my seat next to her.

"Hi, Urbosa."

"Link." She says with a smile. She's seated next to Mipha. I nod to Revali. "Hey, Revali."

"Hi, Link and Sidon. Thank you for coming at short notice." He smiles. He's easier to deal with when the girlfriend is around. "Mipha wanted to get the gang together."

"It's been a long time since." Sidon says as he waves for the waiter.

"How was your day?" Zelda asks from beside me. She's still flushed and I cannot help but tease her.

"It was okay. I had the meeting with Nicole's camp and then the dubbing."

"Tell me all about it later, okay?" She says with a smile.

I nod. "Of course. What about you?"

She shrugs. "I caught up on some reading. Then work called—but that was it."

"I thought you were on leave?"

She nodded. "Yeah but they had some questions. I didn't mind."

The waiter comes back and pours wine for everyone. I see Urbosa and Mipha engaging in conversation. Revali and Sidon are talking—which is a rare sight.

"Did you guys order already?" I ask her.

She nods. "Mipha ordered the full course for all of us."

The restaurant is dimly lit and I can see that it's not that packed. I look around just to see—

"Daruk? Is that you?"

My doctor turns around and his huge face splits into a wide smile as he sees me and my company. "Link!" He walks towards us and he greets everyone around the table.

"Princess!" Daruk almost squeals as he wraps Zelda in a large hug.

"Hi, Doc. Nice to see you again. This is my friend, Urbosa."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Daruk."

"Hello hello. You guys having dinner?"

"Obviously." Sidon smirks which earns him a slap from Daruk. He buckles under the weight.

"How about you?" I ask him.

"I just arrived. I had a long day at the clinic so I wanted to eat something good." He says in his deep voice.

"Why don't you join us?" Mipha asks.

"Ohh, Mipha. Little cheeky girl. Sure, why not? If you don't mind me joining?"

"Just take a seat, Daruk." Revali says, gesturing to the last empty seat between him and Sidon.

Daruk sits down heavily. "This feels like we should have done this before." He laughs loudly.

But I do know what he's talking about. Right now, all my friends are around the table and I feel something… like a faraway voice speaking to me.

But it's not ominous. It's like a bell has been rung and I see things clearer now. It's… deja vu. I must have been staring off into space because I feel Zelda's hand on mine.

"Hey, you okay?"

I turn to look at her and she's beautiful and I am more in love with her than anything else. I cannot deny the pull she has on me. "I love you." I say softly at her—I don't even have the time to stop myself.

She smiles. Her emerald eyes are on mine and I hear the voices of my people around me. "I love you too. You spaced out for a bit there."

I nod slowly. "Sorry, I was thinking about something."

"What about?"

I squeeze her hand and look around. "I feel some strange deja vu thing going on."

"Oh? I felt it too!" She says excitedly.

"Really?"

She nods and looks at Mipha and Urbosa who are getting along well. Daruk is chiding Revali while Sidon egged him on. "Yeah. It's like we were meant to be friends and I don't know. It just clicked."

I nod. I know exactly what she means.

After dinner, Daruk instead on drinks that was quickly backed up by Sidon and Urbosa. We ended up in a bar where Revali got us a private booth. Since everyone's in high spirits—nobody objected.

In the end, Mipha was being restrained by Revali. She was raving about having another dinner set up soon since she was having so much fun especially with Urbosa who was like everybody's crazy aunt. The kind of aunt that will let you sleep past your bedtime and let you have a sip of wine but will still make sure that you have finished your homework. Daruk had to leave early—saying he had a clinic the next day. But not after downing several shots with Sidon and Revali.

I was okay. I've had a lot to drink but Zelda on the other hand… She's tipsy. Very. She's on the dance floor with Mipha and from what I can see, she's having a lot of fun. The last time I've seen her drunk was that first night. She was so adorable by then so I did not object to her drinking as much as she wants. Well… not much.

"Link." I look over at Urbosa who is looking at me closely.

"You look good together." She says simply. "I've been studying you. The reason I came to the dinner… Was to see how you two interact."

"And?" I ask a bit nervously. I feel like I'm being judged.

"You're like magnets. When she moves, you move. When you move, she moves." She says.

"Is that a good thing?" I take a sip of my drink.

"I think… It's a good thing." She says with a smile. She checks her watch. "It's getting late. I have to go. I have a lecture at the university tomorrow morning."

She gathers her things and Sidon helps to put her coat on. "Will you be okay going home?" She asks.

"I'll take them home, no worries." Sidon says.

"Great. Then I will see you again. Thank you for the fun night out." She says with a smile. "Please tell Zelda and the others that I said goodbye."

I nod. "Thank you for coming tonight."

With a final wave, she leaves.

"I should get a girlfriend." Sidon suddenly says from beside me.

I nod as I finish my drink. "No."

"And why the fuck not?"

"Who'll take care of me when you have a girlfriend?" I say indignantly in a teasing tone.

"You, greedy bastard." He sneers at me. "You have Zelda. She'll take care of you. I have no one." He sighs heavily and downs his own drink. He waves for another. "Last drink and then I'll take you guys home." He says.

I look over to where Mipha and Zelda are dancing. Revali is with them, keeping watch. I catch his eye and he gives me a thumbs up from afar.

"We can stay for a bit more. I don't think Mipha is ready to let Zelda go yet." I say with a smile as I take out a cigarette. I offer one to Sidon. He looks at it first, deciding if he should take it. In the end, he does.

"I thought you quit." He says after a while. "I haven't seen you smoke in a while.

I shrug. "Not that much anymore. But she doesn't mind."

A small commotion in the form of Mipha and Zelda giggling arrive with an exhausted Revali following closely.

I look at my girlfriend who is a vision in her clothes. Mipha has 'retouched' her makeup. Now she has this dark smokey eye thing going. She stumbles to her seat beside me and I half-rise from my seat to catch her.

Still giggling and breathing heavily—she fans her face as I give her a glass of water. "How was the dancing?" I ask her.

She grins at me. "Mipha! Mipha is very good!" She says.

I look over at Mipha who is nodding seriously. "Of course I am. Right, babe?!" She demands from Revali who nodes quickly. "Yes."

But Sidon bursts out laughing from beside me. "The hell you are. You're definitely drunk if Mipha's 'great' dancing is the topic now. You dance like a fish out of water."

"Heeey!" Mipha starts to rise from her seat but Revali holds her down.

They continue to argue but my attention is once again caught by Zelda who is tugging on my sleeve. I look at her motioning for me to come closer. I lean in and feel her breath on my ear.

"Mipha said you're going to want to fuck me in my fuck-me shoes." She whispers heavily.

I freeze and gulp. It's like a fucking switch. Like I said—she always manages to take my breath away. My body responds quickly.

"Uhmm…"

As if to prove her point, she points to her strappy high heels that are now suggestive—thanks to what she said. A fleeting image of her legs high up in the air while I thrust into her relentlessly on the kitchen counter flashes across my mind and I feel the familiar pull in my groin that I try to casually hide with my hand.

But too late—this little troublemaker beside me has seen it and she's giggling in my ear.

I growl at her, "I have to ask you to behave. Unless you want the whole club to see me lose control."

I watch her bite her lower lip, her eyes wide and twinkling. "Lose control, my little wolf. Take me home."

I got her home in record time. Uber is fantastic and just might be the best gift to mankind. I couldn't even keep my hands off her at the back of the car and she couldn't too. But I could see the driver looking at us on the rearview mirror and I endured. But as soon as we get inside the elevator, just like before—we barely manage to make it to the bedroom as she tries to strip out of her dress and leaves her heels on.

Damn—they're fucking sexy. I just might ask her to wear them more often for me.

She's tipys—borderline drunk. And I have alcohol in my system. We were rough and passionate, desperate for each other's touch with desire and lust running through our bodies. It might have been mere minutes but it felt like hours.

I am literally exhausted as I flop down on the bed beside her. My shirt is dangling off one arm and her dress is bunched up around her waist. She's giggling softly beside me.

"What are you so happy about?" I ask her with a smile as I prop myself on an elbow and look down at her.

"Nothing." She says still giggling.

"What's on your mind?" I ask her. She had no problem telling me how good I was earlier on. It turns me on when she's so vocal and responsive.

"Wild." She exhales softly with a cheeky smile.

"Troublemaker." I growl against her neck as she erupts into giggles. She fights me off and presses a hand to her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat and catch her breath.

"I need help."

"Hmm?" I am tracing the contour of her jaw with my finger. Her eyes are drowsy and heavy as I plant kisses on her face. She giggles softly.

"To the bathroom. Shower." She whispers.

Heaving myself up off the bed with groan. I grab her ankle and pull her towards the edge of the bed with a shriek. I smirk at her beaming face as she holds out her arms.

I bend over and pick her up. Her legs wrap themselves around my waist and I bring her to the bathroom.

I am being led to a placed called the Sanctum. I have no idea what it is but I am following a person—the place is unrecognisable but familiar. We pass several closed doors and finally come to the biggest and grandest of them all.

I feel a pounding in my chest. The doors opened and I step inside.

It's bright. Very bright. But there are a lot of people watching me. I am led to a spot on a semi-circle.

I spot Mipha beside me. She's red and she's a fish.

Urbosa on the other.

Is that…

Daruk? He looks like a big yellow boulder.

And Revali… wait… he has wings? And a beak?!

Wait—hold up—what's happening?

"Welcome, warriors! I'd like to thank you for joining me here today, and for your bravery in accepting this… fateful task."

What task?

Is that Zelda in the middle? Yes. That's her hair. She's dressed… in the same blue… like mine.

I make a move to walk towards her but it feels like an out of body experience. I cannot move my arms. I cannot move my legs. I am stuck. I look around—wait—what is happening.

"—bestow upon you this sacred garb."

What garb? Garb? Is that an old word for clothes? I try desperately to move but my body feels heavy and my movements are slow. Shit wait. My legs are moving but I am not controlling them!

Fuck wait wait okay okay… I'm kneeling.

Yes. It's Zelda alright. That's her. Same hair. Same eyes. Damn she's beautiful. I could kiss her right now.

Is this a play? A scene? A shoot?

Everybody's dressed so elegantly, huh.

She raises her hand in front of my face and I bow. I don't know why but it seems to be the right thing to do. So I do it. Why not.

I am waiting for the director's cut. It doesn't come.

"We pray for your protection…"

I want to look around but all I can see right now are my leather boots. And I have this armour thing on my arms and my back feels heavy. Is that… Is that a sword?

"Forged in the long-distant past—"

What is she saying? Can she speak louder? Can you repeat that?

I keep on waiting for the cut. This has to be the longest take yet. Even when the applause starts and I rise to my feet—it doesn't come.

I wake up abruptly as I feel Zelda shift beside me. She's curled up against my chest and I feel like someone was shouting in my ear. I can tell it's still dark. The gap in the curtains shows the moon outside and I sigh and stretch a bit. I close my eyes and smile to myself.

Mipha as a fish. And Revali… he looks better as a bird. Ha! Hilarious.

I blame the hangover.

—Mackenziiee