The beautiful chestnut colored horse nickered quietly as the tall man carefully brushed all the burrs from her coat. After several more strokes, Link turned and retrieved a well-worn saddle from the stable wall. He adjusted it so that it fit the mare perfectly before stepping back. The horse was obviously pleased with the attention and she reared back on her hind legs with a snort. Link laughed and caught the horse's head in his hands, gently rubbing her velvety nose.

"I'm sorry Epona, I hadn't realized it's been so long since I seen you last. I'll try harder to come see you more often. I have to tell you, we're going to have a special ride today. We'll be escorting the Princess of Hyrule."

Epona tossed her head back and whinnied. Link laughed while reaching into his pocket for a carrot. "Oh, no need to get upset about it, it's just Zelda. You know her. Don't worry, things are going to be great."

"So, are we going to be riding today, or simply socializing with the animals?"

Link whirled around to find the woman he was just talking about standing in the stable entrance. The princess was wearing a long straight pink dress; very simple, but on her it looked gorgeous. Her golden locks were pulled back into a tight bun with slight curls hanging around her face. He smiled and walked over to her. "Why, hello Zelda. I guess we can stay and talk it you'd like, but I already promised Epona that we would ride to today. She would be so upset if we didn't go."

She shook her head. "We can't have that. I guess we'll just have to go riding as planned." She looked around the stables. "So, who am I going to be riding?"

Link looked at her with a confused expression. Then realization dawned. "Oh, you want to ride your own horse. Whoops, sorry I didn't even think about it, I figured we'd both ride Epona." He looked up at the saddle. He seemed to calculate the amount of room on her and then decided friends probably wouldn't ride that close together. He resisted the urge to sigh and instead put on a smile while heading to find Zelda a horse.

She followed behind him, and he had the feeling she didn't think he knew which horse was hers. He coughed to hide his chuckle. I know a lot more about you than you think, Zelda. He went immediately to a snowy white mare and began to untie her rope. When he led her out of the compartment to where Epona was waiting. He looked at Zelda innocently. "This horse will be fine, right?"

She politely smiled at him. "That will be just perfect Link. I couldn't have picked a better one myself." She leaned back against one of the stable posts while Link adjusted the saddle. The silence was beginning to become awkward.

Link struggled to find something to say. "So, uh, Zelda, what did you learn this morning?" Oh that was brilliant, is that the only thing you can ask her about?

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Absolutely nothing. Can you believe my tutor made me learn physics today? Tell me, when is the Queen of Hyrule going to need physics?"

He smiled at the look of disgust on her face. "I see what you mean. Whew, makes me glad I never had to have a tutor."

This seemed to intrigue her. "You didn't have a tutor? But, you seem so knowledgeable."

"About what? The best way to kill a deku baba? The only things I know are practical. You know, basics, like reading and writing." He finally leaned up from the horse. "Okay, your steed awaits Princess."

He watched as she gracefully straightened and wiped the dust from her dress. When she walked to her horse he offered his hand to help her up. The moment their hands connected he felt the familiar electricity. He cut his eyes at her to see if she felt anything, but she was carefully avoiding his face. When she was seated he waited a few extra moments before releasing her hand. She looked slightly alarmed so he quickly turned to mount Epona.

The moment he was in the saddle, life seemed to feel right. He had the sudden urge to race out the doors as fast as Epona could run. Epona obviously felt the same way. She was stomping in place and leaning towards the door. Link looked over at Zelda and grinned. "You wouldn't want to race, would you?"

Her face looked indignant. "Me race? What do you take me for, a ranch hand?" She turned up her face and allowed her horse to calmly walk out towards the door.

Link followed with a stricken look on his face. They rode in silence through the town. Zelda waved regally at the crowd and Link tried to look somewhat normal. They finally arrived at the gate and Link nodded at the two guards. They smiled and waved as the two rode over the bridge.

As they entered Hyrule field Link felt some of his former excitement returning. He turned to look at Zelda to find her casually glancing back at the gate. He was just about to question her when they topped the rise that put them out of sight from the castle wall. To his surprise she turned and gave him a mischievous look. "Try and catch me," she shouted before kicking the horse's sides and galloping away.

It took Link only a moment to recover. He began to laugh and urged Epona forward. Although Zelda had gotten quite a lead, Epona simply could not be beaten. Her powerful muscles pushed them forward at an incredible speed. In a matter of moments Link was right beside Zelda. He leaned down closer to Epona's neck and whispered in her ear, quietly cheering her on. His words propelled her even faster until they were racing feet in front of the other horse. Link could see the edge of the Kokiri forest just ahead, so he looked back and motioned for Zelda to slow down.

For a moment he thought she was going to refuse, but she eventually nodded. In turn, he slowed Epona to a trot. Right as they reached the first two trees, Zelda caught up and both horses slowed to a stop. Link was unable to keep his eyes off Zelda. Her hair had come loose from its bun and it was blowing wildly in the wind. Her violet eyes were alight with excitement.

He managed to tear his gaze away before she begun to feel embarrassed. He hopped down from Epona's back and reached up to help Zelda down. She slid down gracefully. Link turned to get the basket from Epona's saddle bag and Zelda walked over and took out the blanket. She carefully spread it out on the ground under a tree and sat down. Link brought the basket over and began laying out all the food.

Zelda was obviously in high spirits as she examined the basket's contents. "Wow, Link, this is quite a spread. I think you managed to bring all of my favorite lunch foods."

"Well, I asked Impa what you liked; I figured….What's wrong?"

Zelda had covered her face with her hands. Link was immediately concerned and leaned over to touch her hand. Zelda just groaned. "Oh no Link, I forgot to tell Impa I was leaving!" He looked at her uncomprehendingly. "Don't you remember? Father said that she was supposed to come along to chaperone."

Realization dawned. "Oh yeah, I remember now. Oh well, I guess it's too late now." He tried to smile reassuringly. "Don't let it ruin the meal. I'm sure Haldor will understand. Who knows, maybe Impa will vouch for us and say she came anyway."

Zelda raised her eyebrows skeptically. Link just smiled back. He finally sighed. "Well, we're not going back yet anyway, so there is no need to get all upset. Just forget about it for now and we'll suffer his fury later."

She finally nodded. "Okay, if you say so." She offered to say grace, and then they began the meal.

After taking a bite of his sandwich, Link looked over at Zelda. "So, you didn't really intend to sound so high and mighty earlier? You were just waiting until we got out of the castle?"

Zelda laughed lightly and nodded her head. "Of course! I can't tell you the number of times I've been reprimanded over behaving like a proper princess, especially in public. Surely you don't think I'm that uppity?"

"No, I didn't think so." He tried to show in his smile that he thought a whole lot more about her. "Okay, Zelda, I want to hear about you. I don't care what, just tell me about you."

"Well, I'm not really sure what you mean. Give me somewhere to start."

Link thought for a moment. "What's your favorite color?

She casually ran her fingers along her dress. "I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count."

Link looked at her knowingly. "Okay, obviously you are obsessed with the color black."

She just rolled her eyes at him. "My favorite color has been pink for as long as I remember." She sat silently for a while but then noticed his pointed look. "What?"

"You stopped talking. I gave you somewhere to start; now you're supposed to tell me more things."

She looked puzzled for a moment. "Okay then, so you want just random information?" He nodded. "Well, let's see… My favorite song is my lullaby that Impa sings. Although I like the sunshine, I really like rainy days. Not because it's gloomy, but just because I like the rain. During the mornings I like to sleep late, but when I do get up I tend to find myself a nice book to read."

For the next half hour they enjoyed the meal while Zelda told Link all about things she liked and didn't like. Link was pleased with how comfortable she seemed to be with him by the end of the meal. He now sat up and stretched. "Zelda I really enjoyed that. I love hearing more about you. Tomorrow, you can tell me stories about when you were younger."

She raised her eyebrows. "And what about me? What if I want to know more about you?"

He laughed and patted her hand. "One day I'll tell you all you want to know and more. But for now, we have to get this stuff gathered up." Together they gathered all the picnic supplies up and walked over to the horses.

Epona was still prancing around in circles, simply enjoying the fact that she was outside. Zelda's horse, however, was laid out flat on the ground. Zelda look up at Link concerned. He patted her on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll check her out." So he jogged over to the white mare.

As soon as he got beside the horse he knew she was just sleeping. However, he suddenly had an idea. He put a fake worried look on his face. "Oh no, this does not look good."

Zelda took a few steps closer. "What is it Link? Is Balia okay?"

"No, Zelda, stay back!" Link called out in a worried voice. "I think she has gotten sick. If you get to close to her you might get infected!"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Infected? Can I get a disease from a horse?"

Link nodded seriously. "Yes, it's dangerous, too."

"But how can you stand so close to her?"

Link scrambled for an idea. "Well, you see, I was raised in the magical forest of the Kokiri. I can't be infected by Hylian diseases."

For a minute she looked like she was going to call his bluff, but then she looked at the horse again and took a few steps back. "Okay then, so what are we supposed to do?"

Link pretended to think for a minute. He snapped his fingers. "I've got it! I have some rope in Epona's saddlebag. I'll take the rope and tie this horse to the back of Epona's saddle. That way, she can follow from a safe distance." He tried to look concerned. "You would have to ride with me, is that okay?"

"Of course, whatever is best for Balia," Zelda replied in a relieved voice.

Link leaned down pretending to carefully lift Balia's head up. He was actually just waking her up very gently. Please horse, if you would just play sick, I'll feed you a whole sack of oats the next time I go for a ride.. Balia slowly rose from her position. To Link's utter thankfulness she appeared to still be half asleep. He quickly called Epona and tied a long rope from her saddle to Balia's. He then pulled Epona several feet ahead before turning to Zelda.

"Okay Zelda, I think she's going to be okay. She's reviving slightly, so that means she's starting to feel a little better. So, if you're ready, we can get started."

Zelda made an obvious effort to stay as far away from the "ill" horse as possible. She made a large circle before finally making her way to Epona. She looked up at Link with a serious expression "Thank goodness you know so much about sicknesses Link. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here."

Link felt a slight prickling of guilt but just brushed it away. "It's okay Zelda, I'm sure she'll be right as rain after some rest. Horses heal faster than Hylians." He chanced a quick glance back at Balia. To his dismay she was beginning to look more awake. "Now, then if you don't mind, I'll just help you up so that we can get home sooner." He placed his hands around her waist and carefully placed her upon Epona before swinging into the saddle behind her. As he wrapped his arms around Zelda to grab the reins he felt his skin warm wherever Zelda touched him. He smiled widely before urging Epona forward.

He kept the pace light in order to make it easier for Balia, at least that's what he told Zelda. Truthfully he was relishing every moment he was able to spend close to her. Her blonde hair was still free about her shoulders and he could smell a slight lavender scent. He was studying the way the light reflected from her hair when he realized Zelda had been saying his name.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Her light laughter brought forth another smile. "I was trying to tell you, we need to enter the town through another entrance. We need to keep Balia away from the other Hylians. We wouldn't want to start an epidemic."

"Uh, right. Brilliant plan Zelda." He wracked his brain for an idea. Hyrule castle was conveniently situated at the base of a cliff so that it is completely protected on three sides. There was only one way in and one way out, at least that he knew of. Of course, there were several ways to sneak in, but nothing that would be appropriate for a princess, not to mention wide enough for two horses. Finally he gave up. "I'm at a loss, I'm afraid. I don't know of another way in the castle."

She glanced back at him and he thought he caught a smirk on her face before she faced the front. However he voice betrayed nothing. "But Link, how are we going to get Balia inside? She can't stay out her in her condition."

Link was already beginning to regret his white lies. There's no way I'm gonna get out of this one. He was just about to shamefully admit his lie when Balia provided a solution. In the midst of their conversation Balia had finally completely wakened and was apparently ready for another race. She trotted up beside Epona and whinnied loudly.

Thank the goddesses. "Look Zelda! Balia has recovered! It must not have been as serious as I thought!"

As Zelda turned to look at the horse in disbelief he thought she looked shocked, and maybe a little disappointed. However she quickly managed to look overjoyed as she slid down from Epona unassisted.

"Link, this is perfect! I'm just so glad she is well again." While Link watched her from his mount, he happened to notice the sun above her shoulder.

"Uh, Zelda, we better get a move on. I think we've been out a little longer than we were supposed to."

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the low position of the sun. "Oh dear, I hope Father's been kept busy. Maybe he won't notice that we are late." She pointed to Baila and then looked at Link with innocent eyes. "Are you certain she's safe to ride? I don't want to get sick."

Link felt that same twinge of guilt deep in his stomach. "Don't worry Zelda. Horses don't stay sick long. I'm sure you'll be fine."

She smiled at him, and the genuineness of the expression made his breath catch in his throat. How he had missed that easy smile all these years. He couldn't even remember the last time she had looked so carefree. He didn't realize he was staring until Zelda's face resumed its polite look and he knew she had thrown back up all her barriers. He groaned inwardly. Why is she so careful around me?

Rather than strike the nearest weed with his sword like he wanted, he nodded, indicating that Zelda could lead. The remainder of their time was spent in silence. They traveled back through the considerably less crowded town before arriving back at the stables. A servant was waiting nearby to take their mounts so they would have time to refresh themselves before attending the classes they had missed that morning.

When they entered the castle, Link knew he had moments before Zelda retreated to her room. She was already speeding up so he impulsively touched her arm. She froze and turned to face him. He tried to show in his face patience and openness. He just held her eyes for a few moments before gently saying, "Thank you for spending the afternoon with me. I haven't had so much fun in what seems like years."

He was pleased when the corner of her lips rose at his intended pun. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with you. With my past career, I haven't exactly had time to form good friendships." He knew he'd said the right thing when her entire body relaxed. He had no clue why the idea of romantic interest frightened her, but he was willing to take his time.

For a brief moment she smiled, not the same easy smile as before, but not quite so guarded. "Thank you Link. For everything." Then she turned and walked quietly back to her quarters.

--

Yay, update. Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to leave a review letting me know how you felt about the chapter! If anyone has suggestions as for my story, I'm open. I can't guarantee I'll use it, but it will let me know how you all feel about the way things are going.

By the way, out of curiosity, how are my chapter lengths? Let me know if they seem to short or if they're fine the way they are.