"Oh my, I had almost completely forgotten!" Thea's over-dramatic voice could be heard in her office. She eyed Zelda with a sly grin as she continued "And you wish to take me even though I have so many things planned! Oh my! Well I guess I'll have no choice but to join you!" she openly declared. Zelda could almost cut the drama and the secondary intentions with a knife. Link, on the contrary, stood unamused at the theatre that was now Thea's reaction to his request to take her to the Festival of the Goddesses. It was a festival that was held in all of Hyrule to commemorate the birth of the land given by the Goddesses. She had never been able to fully enjoy it and had to leave almost as quickly as she arrived. Her father's duty was merely to announce the inauguration of the event, chat with a few nobles that had shown for the event and then leave; he never liked to stay in the street at night and he had made sure that Zelda didn't either. She desired to go out of mere curiosity for what was in store at night.

"-Ah yes…" Zelda's thoughts were instantly interrupted by the voice of Thea again. She eyed Zelda with the same mischievousness that she had eyed Link whenever she wanted him to do something that he had no option of evading. "As for what you will wear… Link, be a dear and go ask Agitha if she has anything special for our little girl…" At the mention of Agitha's name Link shivered slightly.

"Are you serious…?" Link asked her, giving her his usual piercing stare, which was overpowered by Thea's devilish grin.

"Why, you're not expecting her to stand out like some kind of princess, are you? People might mistake her for someone else…" her last words held a low tone to them.

"I understand, but-"

"Then it's settled!" Thea happily clapped her hands once "Now go, you don't want to make Lady Agitha wait for you now, do you?" Thea stood from her chair behind the desk, placing her hands on it and supporting her weight in the flat surface "Oh, and don't forget, this year is a masquerade celebration"

Link and Zelda exited the office. Despite the very uncomfortable look on Link's face, Zelda smiled happily "Thank you, Link"

"Don't thank me yet" he said stiffly, Zelda raised a brow.

"Why not?"

"I know her… You won't like what you'll be wearing"

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"That!?" asked Zelda in shock as Natya gave her a very pleased smile and Link just looked away.

"Oh! I always wondered what you would look in these!" she said happily, holding the piece of clothing in her hands.

"I can't wear that!" she pointed at the garment as if was suddenly going to come to life and attack her.

Natya just smiled sweetly "Thea's orders!" she declared and placed the garment on the bed.

"You seem to be too happy with this" Link mused at the very happy-looking Natya.

"Oh! I always wanted her to wear this! I just know she'll look great! And she'll even match me!" she clapped her hands together. As a response to Link's sigh she got closer to him "Besides, I know you'll enjoy it just as much as I do"

The man suddenly turned a deep shade of red and quickly made a move for the door "I'll leave you, then…." He said and quickly closed the door behind him. Natya grinned slyly.

Zelda decided to ignore Link's sudden bolt out of the room and gave Natya a preoccupied look "I can't wear it" she stated, "I wouldn't even know how to!" she took another look at her clothes. On the bed sat an orange corset, a skirt adorned the bottom of the corset as they were sewn together, the skirt enlarged itself as it reached the back, giving the dress a cascading effect and showing the legs openly. It was cut to the middle of the thighs, ending above the knee and it had two sets of skirts, the orange one and a white one that enlarged the view of the legs of whoever wore it. It was decorated in the fringes with white traces as well as the corset, making patterns that reached a triforce at the center. The sleeves that the dress owned came in separately, letting the corset mold and accentuate the body.

"No complaints! Now, let's get you out of those clothes!"

Threats, screams and even a couple of objects hitting the ground could be heard inside the room where Natya and Zelda were.

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Castle Town seemed as busy in the night as it was in the day. As the celebration came to a close there were bright green, red and blue decorations in honor of the Goddesses. Streams of golden decorated the lamp posts and the balconies of the wealthy as red, blue and green decorated the balconies of the merchants and the people with lesser fortune. Many flowers were arranged around the central plaza as well as statues of the Goddesses. Merchants moved busily as they tried to arrange the drinks and the food that the King had ordered for the event. Even the Cabaret had fixed its own colors for the occasion.

Thea looked proudly at the decorations "Alright girls, are you all ready?" they all cheered eagerly, dressed in various corset dresses of many colors, some with floral accessories and others with fans. Most of them had their faced covered by a mask, whether it was a mask that covered half her faces, just their eyes or their entire face. Thea gave a hand of dismissal "Have fun!" and let them exit the palace on their own accord. Among the few that still remained was Link, standing at the end of the stairs and looking up at Thea. He wore his green tunic with matching odd green hat as well as a green mask that covered the left side of his face and around his right eye; the covered eye of the mask resembled one that he had sworn he had seen before… Obviously, a gift from Agitha. Thea gave him her sly smile; she was dressed in a very elaborate corset dress that fell all the way to the floor. The deep blue color of the dress highlighted her silver eyes. She held a fan to her face, covering what the eye mask didn't "You're such a gentleman for waiting for us three"

"I have to" he stated flatly, Thea laughed at his comment.

Link's eyes turned from a lazy stare to surprise as he spotted Zelda walking to the stairs; if possible, he grew a deeper shade of red than before. Zelda was being accompanied by Natya, who wore a similar dress to that of Zelda's, only hers was purple. In addition to her dress, Zelda wore a pair of orange heels that made her slightly lose her balance, since she was not accustomed to wearing anything other than her paternal-defying boots. She noticed that Link had been staring her entire slow trek to the bottom of the stairs and looked away, blushing, though it was lucky that her white mask covered her nose and forehead, revealing only here eyes. A small red feather stuck out of the mask, giving her a hair decoration. Both her and Natya approached Link quickly after arriving at the bottom.

"…. What do you think?" Zelda asked him timidly.

"… Orange suits you" he managed to say, completely avoiding her and preferring the look of a nearby vase as a more interesting view.

"Come on! We're gonna be late!" said Natya as she pushed Zelda closer to Link, Thea was making her way to them as well.

"We can't be late for something that lasts the entire night" stated Link.

Natya frowned at him "Well I don't plan on staying any part of the night in here!" she said and gave Link a slight push, Link only sighted and raised his arm in response, Natya quickly made Zelda take it and she took Zelda's instead.

"Oh Link! What a gentleman! Truly a man amongst women" Thea acknowledged sarcastically as he lifted an arm for her as well. Soon after they had all exited the Cabaret, leaving it empty for the night.

They arrived at the central plaza, where they found all the people in Hyrule talking happily and dancing to the music, and, as was dictated, everyone was wearing a mask. Zelda stared in awe at the view in front of her; she had never been able to stay long enough or to walk far enough to take the vast sight in. An enormous central statue of the three Goddesses was placed in the center as a symbol; it had been lighted with several yellow, red and orange lights. The pillars were decorated in blue, while the food and beverage stalls were decorated in green and the guards of any and all noble families, including the royal family, were dressed in white armor with a red ribbon. Lastly, the lights that hung in the balconies were yellow, giving a calming atmosphere to the place. They had arrived just in time to hear a statement from the King, who stood solemn in front of his chair, facing the people of Hyrule.

"My citizens, although this is a joyous night that commemorates the birth of our land, I am afraid it is not a happy occasion for me. As it is well known, my daughter was taken from me and, despite the efforts made by our brave soldiers, we have yet to find her; I assure you, however, that I will find her… I have even high suspicions that those who took her from me are in this very celebration"

Several gasps were heard as the King took a pause to let the information sink in. Thea's lips slowly started to form a threatening grin "I see…" she took her arm from under Link's own and placed it on his shoulder, placing her other hand on her hip. She could feel Link already tense.

"To those people I address the following: If you think that I, or you, will leave this celebration-" he narrowed his eyes "-then you are sadly mistaken… As for the rest of my loyal citizens, please enjoy this day, you deserve it" he heard cheers come from all the people in front of him.

Narrowing her eyes, Thea moved her body in a suggestive and dangerous way "Oh my, where are my manners? I must quickly go greet the Baron of Sylf… Link, be a dear and take care of our Hylia, make sure she's entertained…" nodding, Link took her hand and extended his arm, leading her away from him and into the crowd.

"Natya" Link called, Natya turned at the mention of her name "I think I saw Midna in the balconies…" Natya nodded with a serious expression and walked off, leaving Link and Zelda alone.

"I have never seen my father like that before" Zelda mentioned "I think he won't let anyone here leave until he finds me" she said, worried of the lengths that her father will go to find her.

"Let's have a walk… You said you wanted to see this place for yourself" Link gently pulled her into the crowd. Zelda noticed that most of the courtesans were already talking with many men and women alike; it was near to impossible to tell who they were given the masks and the bright colored clothes that they wore. Some of them were dancing in a few corners of the plaza, letting men enjoy their dance as they performed. Zelda noticed how they kept any men that wanted to dance with them at bay.

"Why don't they let the men dance with them?" Zelda kept her attention at the dancing, which was suggestive but not how she had seen it before. It reminded her of the first girl that she had seen dancing that way back at the gypsies hideout.

"They don't want to dance, they just want a chance to feel them for free" Link said, frowning at the hungry-looking men watching the free dance "They can fend for themselves, so don't worry"

Zelda looked around, admiring the performers walking around the plaza. Several fire breathers had placed their small space to show their skills. Zelda had actually witnessed one particular man catch his own sleeve on fire; she found it hilarious. Many other performers included stilt walker had passed by her, some even waving as they did, making her happily wave back. She turned to see Link staring at the stilt walkers as well, although his expression was as unreadable as always. Their walk soon brought them to a lesser crowded part of the plaza closer to the opening that showed several carts with some performers outside; some were practicing their juggling while others were finishing their makeup. Zelda stopped as she spotted a very peculiar performer sitting at the stairs of a cart; he wore an orange and green outfit that seemed to be made out of straw as many straw sticks stuck out of the hat, clothes and gloves. He also wore a very distinctive mask… With bright yellow eyes and purple, black and red coloring around it; the mask itself resembled a heart and had several spikes protruding from its sides. I guess some people take their history too seriously as well she mused. The masked performer followed their move as they passed by, making eye contact with Link as he turned to look at him. Link stopped in his tracks, staring back at the seemingly soulless mask as he stared back.

"… Interesting mask…" said the performer quietly.

"… It is…" replied Link just as slowly.

"…You a friend?" he asked.

Link stared at the performer, giving them only silence as a response. Although he couldn't see through the mask, Link could feel the performer grinning.

"Did you hear? The King is pretty upset… I guess I better finish the night off with a bang…" the performer suddenly laughed mischievously, making Link narrow his eyes. The performer suddenly jumped from his spot, landing in front of Link and placing his hands on his shoulders and giving Zelda a scare, she held onto Link tighter. "I expect you to see my show, friend… Agitha's invitation…" he finished, running off into the crowd, laughing as he did.

"… What was that?" Zelda asked in concern.

"Trouble"

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Many people were gathered at the dance floor as they enjoyed the lively music; they had all begun to dance the traditional group dance that consisted of a line of women facing a line of men. The lines would cross, letting the men close one hand with the women and turn as they jumped and smiled, making it quite the lively show for the night. Many women would join later as many men would stand in line, bowing in respect as the women lifted their dresses by the tips as gratitude. Of all the dances, Zelda disliked that one the most, given that most of her friends tried to get a man to talk to them during and after; given that her friends liked this dance for no other reason than to try and catch a man's attention was reason enough for Zelda to dislike it. She tried to take a glance at Link who just stared blankly at the dance.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"It's lively" he stated simply, Zelda sighted.

"It's boring. All I see is pretentious women trying to catch a man" Link only stared at her in response.

They moved quietly to the Goddesses' main statue where Zelda could see many tables set around it to display the food provided for the celebration. She saw in admiration that the food that they had placed resembled the triforce colors as well. She took a moment to look at the several items, trying to consider which one to take.

"Link!" Zelda and Link turned to see a bright blue haired young woman running to him "Hey!" she greeted, her blue eyes scanning Zelda for a second.

"Hello, Navi" Link greeted.

Navi smiled "You sure are unmistakable, dressing in green again" she laughed, Link just stared in her direction. Navi and Link suddenly turned to look at a man dressed in a white outfit with a matching white mask that hid most of his eyes what walked to stand right next to Zelda. He did not seem to notice her at first but then turned to browse the rest of the foods, taking a glance at the woman beside him and licking his lips, a sly smile spread across his face. Link glared, Zelda had yet to notice the man, but whatever his intentions were with Zelda, Link didn't like them.

"Ah, these celebrations, they always bring a sense of joy to my heart" Zelda suddenly froze on the spot. She knew that voice, that slimy voice that had made her almost gag at the last noble party that she had attended.

No, it couldn't be.

Salvador!? she turned to look at him. Despite his mask and brighter clothes, she would recognize him anywhere. She had to, if she wanted to escape from him as fast as possible. Has he recognized me?, at her loss of words he continued to speak.

"I have seen many beautiful things this night, but I must say that I have never seen quite the sight that you are…" Zelda felt every hair at the back of her neck stand, he obviously hadn't recognized her. He would have been in shock if he knew, she realized. That didn't mean that he wasn't the same slimy man that she had, unfortunately, come to know, and it disgusted her that even though he wasn't aware of who she was, he still managed to be as disgusting and uncomfortable.

"Hey"

Link couldn't take his eyes off this man.

"Look-"

If he ever so much as tried to get closer to her he'll-

"Listen!" Navi whispered "Be careful with this guy, he's a noble and you have that stare on your face… I know that stare!" Link ignored her, he knew very well that he was a noble, all nobles were stupid enough to dress in either white, golden or silver to distinguish themselves from the rest, as a way of not having to mingle with the vermin.

"-alas, I must feel incomplete tonight, unless a woman as charming and beautiful as yourself grants me the honor of a dance" Salvador finished, holding a hand out to her, Zelda panicked, she turned to Link for help who in turn stared at her.

"Would you like to dance?" he said, not waiting for her answer and taking her hand, leading her into the dance floor.

"Hey! I was asking her first, peasant!" Salvador yelled in anger. Link merely gave him a deadly glare as a response, making him back off for a second, Salvador continued to watch him as Link placed his hand on Zelda's waist and the other holding her hand.

"Link I… I don't really know how to dance…" she said, afraid that she might miss every step and look the fool.

"This particular dance only needs to be felt…" Link said, looking away from her. Zelda could see a tinge of red decorating his right cheek as he told her.

"What do you mean?" more than confusion, she was starting to feel embarrassed as to what his words might actually mean.

"You'll see…" he said, quickly pulling her body to him, drawing the attention of many people on the dance floor, as well as earning himself a deeper glare from Salvador.

"Borin!" Link gave a small shout to the side, where a large man dressed in bright colors was sitting by a table, happily chatting with the gypsies. Borin turned to him, a very wide smile suddenly forming in his face.

"Alright! Time for some real entertainment!" he clapped his hands together and several other gypsies with instruments stood up, walking to the side where a small platform held the various musicians. At the sight of the gypsies, the musicians made way, stopping the cheery music and letting room for a deeper tone to enter. The several repeated tones of a bass could be heard in quick succession. This gave Link the cue to start moving, making Zelda unwillingly mimic his moves to perfection as he took control over her body. Link moved her hips in cue with the music, making her blush at the suggestive moves that she was making, earning the attention of almost every eye in the festival. At the sound of the women singing, Link proceeded to turn Zelda and, as the voices reached a slower, seductive tone, he quickly moved her to the side, dipping her slowly, never once taking his eyes off her. Zelda barely had time to think about what she was doing as the music started taking a quicker pace, making them move more swiftly.

"Don't think, just let me guide you" said Link, dipping her slowly again, making her do a half circle before bringing her back up to him. Zelda timidly nodded and tried to let go "Just look at me, no one else is here right now"

"O-Ok…" she said, not taking her eyes off his. The music suddenly burst with life as Link turned her against him, making each other face from the side. He moved her to the left, quickly turning her and dipping her again, this time placing both hands on her hips, she in turn bended and straightened, placing both hands on his face. Link took her hand again, moving her with him at the pace of the music. No longer feeling control of her own actions, Zelda took a few steps to the left and right quickly, turning around before placing her hands around his neck, letting him lead her towards him; she then twirled and let herself fall into his arms. Many shocked gasps could be heard as their dance got more personal, with both their bodies sticking to each other. The many happy cheers of courtesans and gypsies could be heard, and, soon enough, every person whose eyes were set on the couple was mesmerized by the dance; many courtesans even went into the dance floor as well to join in individually, making a choreographed dance as they did so. As the song got stronger, their movement got stronger as well, to the point where Zelda didn't even know where she was, only the sound of the music and the icy eyes of her dancer.

"Well… This is interesting…" Agitha smiled from afar, her form hidden almost completely behind the Goddesses' main statue as she leaned under it.

As the song ended with its intensity slowing down, Link suddenly placed both hands on her back, taking Zelda down for a dip slowly, Zelda placed her hands on his face, noting that he had lowered it closer to her body as she turned her head back. Having the song ended he pulled her back up, where Zelda quickly realized where she was. Goddesses bless the mask that is covering her cheeks and the biggest embarrassment that she has felt in her life.

"What…? How did you…?" she seemed to be in a daze, trying to figure out how Link had managed to make her lose herself. He had no response for her, only a very intensive stare at the floor. They were brought back to their individual reality as many claps and cheers were heard. Zelda looked around to see the many flustered faces of both noble and peasant women alike, staring at Link as if he had suddenly undressed himself in public, while the men stared in the same manner at her. Realizing that she was still in Link's arms she took a step back, preferring to look anywhere other than at him "… How did you learn to do that?" she said, trying to hide her cheeks with her hand.

"He would be fortunate to say that I taught him that myself" said Agitha proudly, approaching them from under her umbrella and wearing a mask that resembled butterfly wings "Although I am amazed to see that he has performed it outside of practice…" she said, taking a special interest in Zelda.

"What a way to liven the party, boy!" said Borin with a wide grin on his face, he pat Link strongly on the back, making him tumble forward a bit "You should loosen like that more often!"

"I doubt that would be a good idea…" he said, knowing that he was being eyed by every women that was close enough to spot him. Zelda was happy to see Salvador's shocked face at what he had just witnessed. Oh, if only he knew it was really her; that would have killed him.

Agitha gave Link her sweet smile, twirling her umbrella slowly as she did "I have a good feeling that the night is just getting started…"

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Author's notes:Thank you to the people who review constantly as well as to those who have reviewed for the first time. Your comments are appreciated.