This chapter is mostly filler, but then again a couple other chapters have been filler too, so whatever. You will get to see though how Zelda and Link interact with one another on a regular basis!

One more thing! You kind of need to know this for later on. So, they have dinner and some of that dinner is meat, which is preserved through what is called a "meat safe" which is a box that has holes in it to let air circulate through it while the meat inside of the safe is wrapped up in a soaked cloth so that it can keep cool. The meat is on a ceramic plate, and there you have it: a meat safe.

Enjoy!


Link and Zelda traveled back to Ordon, taking just about thirty or so minutes to walk through Faron Woods. Neither of the two said a word to one another, for Zelda was too angry to speak and Link had nothing to say. When they arrived, Zelda rushed off to her home while Link made way for his.

"I'll be here should you need me," Link called down to Zelda from his balcony as she stormed into the village. She paid him no mind. Link frowned and opened the door to his home, stepping inside. His house felt warm and inviting, safe and secure. He let out a sigh of relief as he walked towards his large and tattered chair. Taking off his sword and shield, he plopped down on the chair and swung his legs over the arm rest. It was a nice piece of furniture, or so it had been at one time, and it was a memory of his parents since it had belonged to them before they perished.

His mother would sit here with him on her lap as she sewed and told stories of the Legendary Hero and other tales that would have amused his childish mind. Link frowned for a moment and glared at the ceiling. Legendary Hero. Hmph. He went back to the thoughts of his mother, with her incredibly curly blonde hair and deep green eyes. He thought of her playful manner, the way she would tease his father, annoying him but endearing him at the same time.

Link's father was someone he'd loved as well. He had been a burly man with much darker hair than Link's mother, a thick mustache, and a rectangular face. He had been becoming wrinkled and worn in Link's later memories of him, but his blue eyes had seemed to retain a youthful spark. He used to help to tell the stories with Link's mother, often drawing or painting a scene of the Hero or the Reborn Goddess. Link still kept most of the illustrations though he hadn't seen them in quite some time for they were locked away in a chest of his.

Link smiled and closed his eyes, reminiscing about old times. He smiled as he pictured scenes with his parents as well as a little Zelda. The two of them would always have gone to the ranch to play with the animals, sometimes teasing them. He remembered how they would take turns riding Yu-May and Ruis's old black stallion, Burtus, around the ranch, trying to help Ruis to corral the animals when in fact, they were not. He remembered the day Zelda had received Epona; it was for her sixth birthday. Link smirked to himself, remembering Zelda's excitement and his own.

As he continued to dwell on the past, he slowly became drowsy. Soon, it became hard for him to keep his eyes open any longer and he eventually gave into sleep. Link dreamt about the past and, for once in a long time, had a peaceful sleep.

~...~...~...~...~

"HEY! GET UP!" Someone yelled, making Link jump and roll off of the chair he'd been sleeping on. "I swear, you are the absolute laziest person I've ever known." Link opened his eyes and looked up from the floor to see Zelda standing over him impatiently, her arms crossed and a pout on her lips.

"What was so important that you had to yell at me to wake me up?" Link asked, grumpy. He sat up and leaned forward as he rubbed the crust out of his eyes. He looked up to Zelda, waiting for a reply.

"Nothing, but you know that I always have to do that if I want to get you up." Link rolled his eyes and stood up, yawning and stretching. He brushed some hair out of his eyes, and as he did so he felt the rim of the conical hat he was wearing. Grunting, he pulled it tighter on his head to secure it into place. He reached down to where he'd placed his sword and shield and slid them on over his head.

"So have you found anything?" Link asked as they began to walk out of his house.

Zelda sighed. "No, I haven't. She doesn't have anything written down, no books, no letters of any kind, and not even any regal memorabilia! She knew what she was doing. I know she's hiding it from me." Zelda informed. She opened the door and headed out, sliding down the ladder and onto the ground, Link following suit.

"Well," Link started as he slid, "what if... she doesn't know?" Zelda looked to him, confused for only a moment.

"She has to know, Link. You heard what Sia said. She's my Grandmother, and I know she was the one who was entrusted with me. When I remembered her, she was younger, but she still had the same wretched looks." she replied with a smirk. Link shrugged, not willing to argue with her.

"So what are we doing if you've already looked?" Link asked.

"We are going to go round up the animals in the village. There are many of them."

"We're just going to lock them up in the ranch?" Zelda nodded in reply.

"Provided the entire stable was most likely burned down to nothing, I'd say yes."

The two walked on into the village where Link saw what Zelda had told him. Animals were scattered all throughout the village. The cows grazed by the small creek that ran through the town, goats grouping in front of Yu-May and Ruis's home as well as Lyss and Loem's. The chicken walked around the village, keeping mostly to themselves.

"You do realize that we aren't going to get the chicken, right?" Link asked.

"Well, you may not be able to, but I'm sure that the cuccos won't attack me." Zelda said cockily. "Oh, and be careful with the goats as well." Link rolled his eyes and began to walk over to the small group of cattle surrounding the creek. He tugged on the collars that adorned their necks in order to get their attention and began to lead them towards the other side of the village. He stopped occasionally, checking to confirm whether or not they were following him. Zelda soon began following behind Link with her own group of goats.

Once they had led their animals up the hill and to the ranch, they were finally able to see what the damage was. The entire stable was burned down, save for a small section of the back wall. The grass surrounding the stables was burned to a black crisp, not even the slightest amount of green near the ruins of the building. Both Link and Zelda were heartbroken at the sight, though they both had known what to expect.

"Link... the stables... they're all gone..." As they led the animals into the ranch, more evidence of violence from the day's attack was evident. A dead goat was lying on the ground far across the ranch. "I can't bear to think of what could have happened should they have gotten a hold of the villagers." Zelda said quietly, sadly. Link slowly turned his head to her, his mouth hanging slightly open, and his eyes expressing a forlorn emotion. She looked at him, a sad frown upon her lips. Zelda sighed and turned away to pet a goat. Link closed his mouth and looked over to the dead goat across the ranch.

"We gotta bury it." Link declared suddenly. Zelda turned to him, momentarily shocked, but she soon nodded to him.

"I'm sure Yu-May and Ruis have a shovel or two. I don't think they'd mind the two of us breaking and entering," Zelda joked. Link nodded and the two began to jog down to their house. Zelda checked the door and found it to be open. They entered and looked around for Ruis's tools, which they soon found hanging upon a wall in the back of the house. Two shovels hung there, just as Zelda had predicted. Link and Zelda grabbed a shovel each and left the house, quickly heading back to the ranch.

"I think we should let it rest somewhere's nice, somewhere it can be at peace. Where are we going to bury it, Zelda?" Link asked.

Zelda scanned the area, looking for an appropriate place of burial. "Aha," she muttered, smiling. "Over there. We'll bury the goat in the middle of the ranch." Link nodded, and the two ran over to the agreed place of rest and began to dig. They dug a rather deep hole, going down into the earth about four and a half feet. It was nearly two feet wide, with a length of just about five foot.

Link climbed out of the hole first and helped Zelda up and out. They hurried over to the dead animal, ready to finally bury it. As they neared the dead creature, they were able to see the cause of its death more clearly.

"It's an arrow." Link said. He kneeled down and inspected it. The arrow had traveled straight through the goat's fleshy middle, causing it to die of blood loss. Link frowned and grabbed the shaft of the arrow and pulled it out of the animal's side. He threw the arrow off to the side, satisfied that the projectile was removed.

"Come on, Link. We gotta get this done quick." Zelda told him softly. Link nodded in agreement. They each picked up a pair of legs, Zelda grabbing the front and Link lugging the back. When they reached the grave, they placed the goat down next to the hole and took a short break. "We'll lower it in carefully, and then we'll bury it. Sound like a plan?" Zelda asked.

"Mhmm." Link replied with a nod. With that, the two carefully lowered the goat into its grave and proceeded to shovel dirt back into its grave. When the grave was full and no more dirt was left to shovel in, the sky had become a warm yellow and the evening had begun. Both Zelda and Link were tired from the physical labor, but the two knew that it was for the best.

"Hold on," Zelda said. She ran off to another side of the ranch and picked something. When she returned, in her hands were some flowers. They were not the prettiest things, but it was the thought that counted. She planted them delicately into the center of the mound and stood back up. The two stood in silence as they looked over the grave in the twilight.

"Well?" Zelda asked, nudging Link's side. "Aren't you going to say something?" Link looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He looked down at the grave and opened his mouth but was unable to say anything.

"Uhh," he started, "he was, a, um, great goat... He always.. listened, I guess... he never really acted up...um...hmm..." Zelda turned to Link with an irritated frown upon her face.

"Can't you do any better than that?" She asked. Link slowly shook his head at her. "Ugh, fine." Zelda turned her head down to face the grave and she paused before she spoke. "This goat is a sign of what could have happened to our people. The people that we know and love. Had... had it been one of the children or one of their parents in place of this goat, then perhaps we'd be burying a friend rather than an animal. I... I'm thankful for this goat being sacrificed, thankful for it being there instead of a person. A member of the heard will be missed, and we will remember him." Zelda closed her eyes and let her head fall.

"That was... surprisingly deep. I-"

"Shush!" Zelda snapped. Link shut his mouth and the two stood there in silence, quietly mourning and thanking the goat.

Zelda's right. It's fortunate the goat was there instead of a person. Why didn't I think of that?

~...~...~...~...~

Link and Zelda managed to round up the rest of the goats, but left the chicken in the village due to unsuccessful captures. The goats had been rounded up just before their sunlight had run out, leaving them with only the slightest hint of day. They put out whatever feed for the animals that they could, the little amount of it found near Yu-May's home. Once done, both Zelda and Link had believed they'd earned time to relax, and so they headed back to the village after locking up the ranch.

The two rested near the Ordonian pond, both sticking their feet into the cool water as they watched fish swim by.

"This is nice." Zelda said with a smile.

"Yeah," Link replied. A long period of silence was shared between the two. Zelda sat contented as she kicked her feet around in the water, chasing the fish that swam near away. Link watched her movements in the water as he let his mind slip away to fleeting thoughts. Finally, Zelda spoke up and pulled him back into reality.

"Link?" she asked with a childish tone of inquiry.

"Hmm?" Link asked as he looked up. Zelda didn't look up to him, but continued to stare into the water as she kicked away at the fish.

"Why are you dressed like the Hero of the Sky?" Zelda looked up to him and he looked away, taking in a breath through his mouth and letting it out through his nose. "Well?" He hesitated to answer, not knowing what to say. "Come on Link, there has to be a reason."

"Zelda," he started as he turned to her, "I..." He sighed. He had no idea what to say.

"Does...does it have anything to do with me being a supposed...Princess?" Link swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded as he thought of his journey to the Sacred Realm. Zelda looked out into the pond like Link and another silence passed between the two. "The more and more I know, the truer it seems." Zelda paused and turned back to Link. "I think Ganondorf was right... I think I'm the Princess." Another pause. "But... I have to hear it from my Grandmother. She needs to say it. She needs to admit whatever she knows. Only then will I leave for the Capital of Hylia."

Surprise overtook Link's face as he stared into the water. "What happens to everyone here in Ordon, though? What happens to your friends, your family?" Zelda was offended by Link's questions and tone, for her hurt expression plainly displayed it. Link did not apologize to her even when he saw the emotions etched on her face.

"Link, it's not like I'd completely forget about everyone here!" Zelda defended.

"Oh, so you'd only partly forget," he replied coldly. Zelda furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Link folded his arms and gave her a sideways glance.

"No! I would never ever forget the place I've called home! And that's even if I am a Princess. Maybe I've just made every memory I've had up just so I can hope to belong somewhere; I don't know. But Link, even if I were to become some form of royalty, I couldn't forget everybody. I love all of you too much to ever do that."

Zelda lightened up, and she suddenly smirked. "And even if I did forget everyone, the one person I wouldn't forget would be you." Link perked up and turned to her, but he was still frowning. "Oh come on, doesn't that make you happy?" she asked, punching him lightly in his left arm. He smiled and quietly laughed.

"Besides," she said, "I want you to come with me, if I go. It'll end up being like a vacation of sorts, ya know? We've both never been anywhere but here and Faron Woods, so I think it would be nice to go somewhere's new. A castle town... hustle and bustle, lots of people to meet, places to go... Link, it'll be great!" Link smiled once more at her enthusiasm. He was never one to stay mad anyway, especially at Zelda. "So would you go with me?"

Link paused before answering, though his mind was already made up. He smiled and nodded to her, causing Zelda to practically beam. "Great! I knew you'd go Link!" she shouted as she hugged him. "Now," she said as she pulled away from the hug. "I'm starving. Do you want some dinner? I know I do!" Zelda hopped up and shook the water off of her feet. She leaned down and picked up her sandals and began to walk off to her house. Link jumped up and followed, grabbing his boots as he went.

Once they were inside Zelda's home, they went to Zelda's pantry where they found quail meat inside of her meat safe, wrapped up goat cheese, and half a loaf of bread. The two started a fire in her fireplace and proceeded to cook the meat. Once the bird was done cooking, they took it out of the fire and began to cut it into fairly thick slices. They assembled sandwiches made of cheese and the cooked quail and enjoyed it, though the meal was rather bland.

"Ganondorf had a big nose." Zelda stated suddenly as she chewed on her sandwich. Link nearly choked on his meal as he laughed.

"What?!" Zelda smirked at him.

"Don't deny it! He had the largest nose I've ever seen on a person! His ego is probably the only thing to beat the size of it, and not even by much!" The two laughed with one another as they continued to pick on Ganondorf. "And what about his skin?" she asked. "What person has green tinted skin? And with fiery red hair? He looks ridiculous! If Ganondorf is any representation of the women of the Gerudo, they must have a hard time getting married."

"So the question is, do they look as good as they thieve?" Link asked. Zelda pointed at him as she swallowed another bite of her sandwich.

"Mmm! Mmhmmm, yes exactly!" Link rolled his eyes but smiled as he continued to eat. "I'm sure the Gorons and Zora are more appealing than they are." She paused and looked up, stopping her chewing. "Then again, how much can you expect from a tribe of bandits? They can only do so much for themselves."

"But if they steal, then shouldn't they be able to purchase or trade for things such as a facial powder or lip coloring?" Link asked.

"In theory, yes. But, you know how thieves are. They'll take anything they want and keep it, whether it is a good or currency, but they'll never give it up." She began to make another sandwich as she smirked.

"So why couldn't they steal it then?" he asked. Zelda paused a moment and looked up in thought.

"I suppose they could. Doesn't mean they will." Link shook his head at Zelda with a small smile on his face. "What?"

"You can't base their looks on Ganon, Zelda. It's just not right." he stated as he took the final bite of his first sandwich.

"You're only saying that because you're imagining beautiful desert women, right?" Link once again choked on his meal, though this time he was not laughing. His face flushed and he became embarrassed beyond belief.

"N-no!" He claimed. "Why would I?"

Zelda shrugged at him as she finished constructing her next sandwich. "Maybe because you're a man. Men tend to do that."

"Like women are any better?" he challenged.

"Women only dream of their ideal man, my dear, ignorant Link. Whatever fantasies they have of this man are up to them, and they can change over time. Both the fantasies and the men, I mean." Zelda declared proudly.

"And you know this because...?" Zelda looked at Link with an odd expression, as if to say 'Oh really?'

"I know of this because I am a woman myself, and in each woman's brain is an imprinted set of rules by which we follow. I also know this for I too have an ideal man, as every woman has." she answered simply.

"And who would that be?" Link asked her. She paused mid-chew and looked up in thought.

"Hmm...well, he'd have to be tall, at least taller than me. His skin would probably have to be a nice and even tan, but it shouldn't be too dark unless his hair and eye color complement it. He wouldn't be pale though, or at least he shouldn't be so pale that you could compare his skin to milk. His eye would be...grey. Grey would give him a bit of mystery or something, I don't know. Hair color would depend upon his skin, as I said they go hand in hand, as you can see the grave mistake Hylia made when creating Ganondorf. My ideal man would also have to be toned and not scrawny and weak." Zelda continued to think as she stared into space. "Do you think I'm asking for too much? I think I am."

Link shrugged at her. "I'd think as long as his personality balanced out his looks, then it would be okay."

"Well, I don't want him to be a jerk, Link. Perhaps he could be a bit big? That way, he could be nice. I don't know. I'll probably change my mind eventually, like every woman does." she said with a roll of her eyes. "So, what type of woman would you like, seeing as we're on this subject? A strong warrior Gerudo woman for ya, huh?" Zelda asked with a wink. Link slapped himself in the face at Zelda's statement as Zelda laughed. "Well come on, it doesn't have to be a Gerudo; I'm only teasing."

"Well I knew that," Link said as he pulled his hand away from his head. "I guess I don't really know what the perfect woman would be for me," he said truthfully. "It wouldn't matter so much what she looked like, so long as she acted well. I guess I'd just have to meet her before I chose her." Link looked back to Zelda who was glaring at him.

"Booooring." she said as she finished off her second sandwich. "You have to have something- someone, in mind. You can't just be a prince charming who will love any girl that he finds. Everyone's got some flaw or impractical romance. Just go ahead and say it!" Zelda urged.

Link hesitated to answer as he conjured up his response. "I guess she'd have to be pretty." He said simply.

"Elaborate. I'm not letting you off that easily."

"She would have to have a pretty face; an upturned nose between blue or green eyes, the face shape of a heart. Her hair would be long and some shade of brown. She'd have a thin frame, but she'd be strong and able to take care of herself. As for what her personality would be like? She'd have a bit of an outspoken side to her, but she'd be generally nice and intelligent; a leader." He answered quickly. He knew his face was still flushed, and he waited for Zelda to say something about it; to tease him.

Zelda stared into space and shrugged. "Sounds like she'd be a keeper, though I did think you'd go for someone who was...hmm... a bit daring?"

"I did say she was a leader, doesn't that make her daring?" Zelda shook her head.

"No, being a leader doesn't make you daring. You can be a leader but not be daring because you could be in a situation where everything is total chaos and you asked for none of it, but you have to be the one to take over. A daring person would be the person who started that mess, but they couldn't deal with the aftermath. You can have a daring leader too, though, if you wanted."

"Ah, I see. Thanks for clearing that up for me Zel." Link said sarcastically.

"Anything for you my dear Link." she replied equally sarcastic. Both Link and Zelda prepared another sandwich for themselves and ate silently by the dying fire. When they both were done, the two picked up the left overs and trash and properly did away with both. As they finished cleaning, Zelda went out and fetched a bucket of water to put the fire out with. When she returned, she carefully poured the water over the burning logs, making sure to get every inch of the fireplace soaked. Once everything was finally done, Link prepared to take his leave.

"Well, I guess this is it. There's nothing else that you'll need help with?" he asked.

"No, there shouldn't be." She replied with a shake of her head. "Why, you're leaving?"

"Yeah. I want to get to sleep." Zelda rolled her eyes at him.

"That's all you ever want to do," she teased. "I guess it's okay though, because I'm tired too. Alrighty then, I'll see you in the morning, I guess."

"Okay, Zelda. Goodnight." With that, Link left Zelda's home and headed for his own. He climbed the ladder into his house, then the ladders up to his 'bed', which consisted of a few throw pillows, a rug, and a quilt. Here, he took off his sword and shield; he removed his boots, then finally his hat. He left on his tunic, belt, gauntlets, and chainmaile due to a simple laziness and desire for sleep. Link finally lay down on his makeshift bed and covered himself with his thick quilt, happy to be able to settle in for the night.

He soon became drowsy but was unable to completely go to sleep. Link did not know how long it had taken him, but now he was finally able to sleep. As he fell into sleep, he did not notice the creak of his old wooden door coming from below in his house. Silently, an intruder crept into his home and up the ladder to his bed. When they finally reached Link, they crouched down on their knees and leaned down towards him.

"Link?" they asked, causing Link to open his heavy eyes. "Are you still awake?"

"Huhh? What?" he asked deliriously. "Who's it?"

"It's me, Zelda." she whispered. "Can I sleep over here tonight?"

"Oh, mmm, yeah, sure." Link answered, still half asleep. Zelda smiled and rolled her eyes as Link turned over to face away from her. She grabbed one of the many pillows that Link owned and placed it down where she planned to rest her head. Zelda lifted the quilt and slid under it enough so that her movements didn't disturb Link and so that it was able to just cover her completely. She turned on her right side, facing away from Link and she stared into the darkness of his home.

"Thanks Link..." she whispered.

"Wha?" Link asked as he stirred, still practically asleep as he responded to his name. Zelda shook her head.

"Nothing." Link relaxed again and was soon lightly snoring. Zelda smiled to herself and soon found that she herself was falling asleep. Quietly before she nodded off, she whispered: "Thanks Link...for saving me..."