After three months of being snowed in, it looked as though Zelda and Ganondorf could begin preparations for descending the mountain. Ganondorf's forearm had healed as well as it could given the circumstances, and the skin was completely scarred over. He had used the down time in the cavern to adjust his fighting technique, and had modified his weapons. Using magic to compensate, he guessed that he was only down by five percent.

"I think we will be safe to leave in a few more days," Ganondorf said as he sharpened his blade. "There shouldn't be much in the way of monster activity on the way down." Ganondorf looked over to Zelda, who was busy distilling a batch of chu jelly. He had to take a second to admire her; she had pulled back her hair and braided it from the neck instead of her usual half braid, and she had removed the laces from the bodice of her hunting dress, allowing it to fan out loosely around her. She was lovely.

"Isn't that exciting?" When he didn't get an answer, he sat his blade down and knelt beside her. "Zellie, did you hear what I said? We can go home soon! Won't that be nice?"

Zelda kept busy, but spoke after a moment. "Gan, there's something I need to tell you."

Ganondorf got a little concerned by the tone of her voice. "Is everything alright?"

Zelda tilted her head. "Well, everything is alright now, but it may not be by the time we get home. It will take about two months to get back, right?"

"If the road is clear, yes. Zel, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

Zelda took a deep breath. "Ganondorf... I'm with child."

Ganondorf fell back on his hindquarters, causing Zelda to chuckle. When he regained his senses he rushed forward and pressed his hand to Zelda's stomach, then leaned up and kissed Zelda with everything he had.

"Zellie, this... this is amazing! When?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. If I had to guess I'd say it happened fairly quickly, because you don't usually see the baby on the outside until three or four months have passed. Perhaps because I'm small and we haven't had a lot to eat, that's why I'm showing now... I had a suspicion about a month ago when my magic seemed a little off, and of course since I failed to bleed I knew something was going on. I just thought it was because we were low on food. But then my dresses got too tight around the tummy, and I know it wasn't from starving."

"Well you get all my food from now on," Ganondorf decreed, and immediately covered Zelda with his fur cape. "This too. In fact, maybe I can trim my spare pants for you to wear under your dress so you don't get cold. Oh, Goddesses, I'm gonna be a papa!"

Ganondorf grabbed Zelda and smothered her with several more kisses, until she finally begged him to let her go. Afterward he sat and grinned at her, until her earlier words caught his attention. "...Wait a minute. Why did you say things might not be alright when we get home?"

Zelda curled a finger in her hair. "Oh, I don't know, the already unpopular princess coming home after some wishy-washy spiritual journey, five months pregnant..."

"Ahem, the future Queen of Hyrule returning to her beloved people after having found her prophesized mate and being blessed with their child will be happily welcomed back," Ganondorf corrected, "and if there are any who have a problem with her pregnancy, they can take it up with said mate, the King of the Gerudo. Especially Daphnes, I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

"Daddy sees you as an ally, but that doesn't mean he has to like you," Zelda giggled.

"It's not Daphnes we need to worry about, anyway," Ganondorf mumbled, as he laid his head in Zelda's lap and nuzzled against her tummy.

"Huh?"

"Once she finds out, you'll probably be followed around for the rest of the pregnancy. I wouldn't be surprised if she even moves in until the baby comes. You know who."

Zelda thought for a moment. "Oh. Well, the more the merrier, I guess. It is her grandbaby." She then smiled and played with Ganondorf's hair, as he rubbed her little bump.

"Whatcha doin?"

Zelda looked up from her task and found Ganondorf eyeing her suspiciously from bed. "Get back here, Mommy," he called, lifting the covers and beckoning her with his amputated arm.

She finished what she was doing and returned to bed, the worn out court dress she had relegated to her nightgown clinging to her skin and showing off the change in her figure. "You're going to laugh."

"More Hylian spiritualism?"

"I was memorializing your lost arm. Since we're leaving in the morning, we won't be around it anymore, and I..."

Ganondorf pulled his wife close. "So that's what you've been doing every night before bed... You know, it never occurred to me to ask what you did with it. If it means that much to you, I can make it into a relic for you to keep..."

Zelda's eyes grew wide and she shook her head in fear at the prospect.

"Alright, we won't do that. How about I transplant it to your royal cemetery? It's frozen from the cold ground, and I can use my magic to preserve it over the trip. You can leave the cavern while I unearth it, and I'll put it in my powder case. You'll never have to see it."

That seemed a little less gruesome. "Will you give me until morning to think about it?"

"Of course."

The two snuggled together in bed, with Zelda resting her fingers along Ganondorf's damaged arm as he laid his hand along their child. "...It will be nice to see home again," she mumbled, as they drifted off to sleep.