A/N: As promised, a fun chapter! Hope you like it!

-o-

Epona raced across the green expanse of Hyrule Field, carrying her master towards Hyrule Town. Link's first intention had been to hurry to the Eldin Mountains, to meet with the Fire Dragon and Zelda. But he remembered his promise to Shalina, and decided to visit Quin before he set off for the north. Dark clouds gathered overhead and thunder rippled across the sky as Link urged his horse on, struggling to cover the distance before the storm broke. The first heavy drops of rain ran down his neck just as he entered the town, and by the time he reached Charenn's inn the heavens had opened, making every gutter a waterfall and every street a raging river. Link hurried into the bar, grateful for the warmth.

'Link! We were wondering when you would drop by!' Charenn's voice rang out across the room. 'Din, you look like a drowned rat! And where's Zelda?' Link sat down by the fire and explained their quest to Charenn. By the time he had finished she had come over and sat next to him, and uncharacteristically serious expression on her face. 'That sounds serious. I do hope Zelda's all right.'

'So do I!' Link replied.

'But if this is so important, why did you come to Hyrule Town? You know I love seeing your bright face around here, but catching up with friends can wait, surely.'

'Actually, I need to speak to Quin. You see, I met someone in the desert, and they asked me to deliver a message to her.' Charenn raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Link wondered if she could tell that he was being deliberately evasive, but if she could she gave no sign. He had decided not to spread the news of Quin's mother, reasoning that that was Quin's job, if she chose to tell people. Link wasn't sure she would; despite his assurances to Shalina, he wasn't at all sure how Quin would react. But just then the girl herself came down the stairs, hearing her friend downstairs.

'Link! You're here!' she yelled, wrapping him in a tight hug. Link patted her on the back awkwardly, struggling to breathe.

'Um… hi, Quin. I need to talk to you about something.' Charenn heard his unspoken plea and cleared her throat.

'I'm going upstairs. Call me if you need anything.' Link smiled his thanks at her as she left, leaving him and Quin alone in the room. Quin frowned suspiciously.

'What's going on? Why all the secrecy?'

'I need to tell you something, and I think it would be better if we did it in private.' She sighed theatrically.

'Link, if you're going to confess your love for me, there's something you should probably know first.' Link laughed at this. He had forgotten how much he missed Quin. But he soon grew serious again.

'Quin… have you heard about the Gerudo?' She thought for a moment, then shook her head.

'Well, they're a tribe – an all-female tribe – who live in the desert. I met them when I went there.'

'That's nice…' Quin said, unsure what his point was. 'So you met a tribe of, I'm assuming beautiful, women. Is that why Charenn couldn't be here?'

'No, there's something else. You see, they all kind of look like you. And before you ask, no, that's not a coincidence. I met their leader, Shalina, and she told me an interesting story, about how she fell in love with a man from Faron Woods. But he betrayed her and stole their infant daughter.' Quin raised her hand to stop him.

'I can see where you're going with this,' she said quietly. 'You're about to say that I'm this Shalina woman's long-lost daughter, aren't you?' Link nodded. 'Okay…' Quin said slowly, trying to accept what Link was telling her. 'So the woman I thought was my mother isn't my mother. And the man I thought was my father is my father, but he's also a total bastard.' Link laughed.

'Yes, pretty much.'

'Okay. So what now?'

'She wants to meet you. Shalina, I mean. The Gerudo live really deep in the desert and it's really hard to get there, so it would be a difficult, not to mention extremely dangerous, journey, but-' Again Quin stopped him.

'Link. I have a mother. A woman who presumably thought I was as good as dead for the last seventeen years. And now she wants to meet me. Do you really think I won't move heaven and earth to go see her?' Link smiled.

'I hoped you'd say that. She hoped so, too.'

'So what's she like?'

'Well, she's an older version of you really. All the Gerudo are. You know, when I first met them, I had to fight them before they would help me, just because I was a man!'

'No, really? They sound like my kind of people!'

'Yes, they…'

-o-

Link spent the next hour telling Quin everything he had learnt about the Gerudo, and she listened eagerly. But eventually the door of the bar opened, and a rain-soaked Cariad walked in.

'Link! What are you doing here?' the younger girl asked. Link smiled as he greeted her, but to his surprise Quin made no move towards her girlfriend.

'Everything all right?' he asked. Quin shook herself out of her daze, and nodded.

'Yes, fine. Cari, I'll be up in a minute. I just need to finish things off with Link. Your mother's already up there.' Cariad nodded happily and went upstairs. Link waited until she was out of earshot before turning back to his friend.

'What was all that about?' he asked curiously. Quin sighed.

'I just realised. When I go to the desert, I'll have to leave her.' Link understood, but didn't see why Quin looked so disheartened.

'It won't be for long. And anyway, she can go with you. Shalina said she wanted to meet your girlfriend.'

'No, she can't come with me, Link! You said yourself, it's dangerous. I'm willing to risk my life to meet my mother, but I'm not putting Cari's neck on the line for that. I have to do this alone, but she'll never accept that. How am I going to tell her about this?' She put her head in her hands. Link sat down next to her and patted her on the shoulder.

'I'm sure she'll understand. After all, she only met her real mother recently. She knows how it feels. And if she loves you as much as I think she does, she'll have no problem waiting for you to come back.'

'And if I don't?' Quin asked. Link stopped. He hadn't considered that, but of course there was a real chance Quin would die in the desert. Suddenly Link wasn't sure he wanted his friend to do this.

'…I don't know.' They sat in silence for a long time, staring into the fire. After a while the door leading upstairs opened again, and Charenn poked her head round it.

'Can we come out yet?' she asked with a grin. Link smiled at her, but Quin stayed where she was, looking into the distance. Link looked at her, and sighed.

'Quin… I know this is difficult for you. But, if you do decide to go, you should take this.' He rummaged in his pack and brought out the map of the desert Abalos had given him. Quin took it without a word. Link sighed again, then went over to the barwoman. 'Charenn, I just told Quin something important. And, she's not going to want to talk about it. But she has a difficult choice to make, and she needs someone to help her with that.' Charenn winked.

'Got it.' The older woman sat down next to Quin, and the two started talking. Link smiled grimly, hoping Quin would be alright. As much as he wanted Quin and her mother to be reunited, the journey was dangerous, and it sounded like Quin would have to choose between her mother and her girlfriend. Link didn't envy her, although seeing as though he had neither a mother nor a girlfriend, he could hardly put himself in her position. Silently, he left them to it and slipped out of the bar to the downpour outside.

-o-

A/N: Me again. Sorry to interrupt. The next three paragraphs were originally meant to be in a separate chapter of their own, but I decided to pop them in here instead since they're so short. They're a side note told from Quin's P.O.V., and they take place over the night Link talks to her and the next morning. After this interlude, the narrative goes back to that night. Sorry if it's confusing. If you don't care about Quin or you just don't want to read it, skip the next three paragraphs.

-o-

Quin looked up from her steady gaze into the fire as Charenn sat down next to her. Over the older woman's shoulder she saw Link give her one last smile before disappearing back outside. Sighing, she turned to face Charenn.

'Quin dearie, Link said you were having a bit of trouble.' Quin bit her lip for a moment, wondering what to say, but decided to tell the barwoman the truth. After all, Charenn was a mother, and one who had lost her daughter until recently. If anyone could help her understand the situation, it was Charenn.

'Well, when Link was in the desert, he met these people called the Gerudo…' She explained everything to the barwoman, who didn't interrupt once. When she was done, Charenn asked her,

'Alright, so what's the problem?'

'The problem is Cariad. She definitely can't come with me, it's too dangerous. But if I leave her here, and then I die out there, she's going to be distraught. What do I do? I can't not meet my mother.' Charenn was silent for a while, watching the flickering flames.

'I don't know,' she said at last.

'I think I do,' Quin said slowly. 'I have to break up with her. That's the only way. She won't like it, but that way I can just tell her I'm leaving her and going back to the forest instead. She doesn't need to know I'm risking my life in the desert. That way, if I don't come back, she never needs to know I'm dead. She can just believe I've met someone else.' Charenn frowned.

'Don't you think that's a bit drastic? You might still come back, you know.'

'Yes, and if I do I can explain everything to her and hope she'll take me back.'

'But still. She'll be so miserable if she thinks you don't love her anymore. Is it really fair to do that to her?'

'More miserable than if I die? No, it's not fair to do that to her. But it's not fair that I was taken from my mother at birth, either. I'm sorry, Charenn. You know I don't want to hurt your daughter. But this really is the only way.' Charenn sighed deeply, and Quin thought she was thinking up another argument. But what she said next surprised the younger girl.

'Do you want me to tell her for you?'

'You'd really do that? Why?' Charenn shrugged.

'She might take it better coming from me. And it'll save you two having a massive fight.' Quin hugged her.

'Thank you. I really appreciate that. I don't want the last thing I ever say to Cari to be an argument.' Charenn smiled.

'Fair enough. Now go get some rest. You should leave in the morning, and you need your sleep. And enjoy your last night with your girlfriend.' Quin thanked her, and ran upstairs.

-o-

The room she shared with Cariad was silent and dark when she went in, and a lump on the other bed told her the other girl was already asleep. Quin slipped into her own bed as quietly as she could, facing away from her girlfriend. The thought of leaving her, possibly forever, in the morning made Quin's heart feel like it was full of knives, but she knew she had to do this. She had to find her mother. After a few minutes she heard footsteps on the other side of the room, and someone slid into bed next to her.

'Quin? Are you awake?'

'I am now,' she replied with a laugh. 'What's going on?'

'I don't know why, but I just feel lonely tonight. Mind if we share a bed?'

'Sure,' Quin said, wrapping her arms round Cariad. The other girl was asleep within minutes, but Quin wasn't tired. She would miss her girlfriend's warm touch, miss the closeness they had. 'I love you so much,' she whispered into the darkness, kissing the top of Cariad's head. 'I'll come back. I promise.' But her heart ached from the lie.

-o-

The next morning Quin rose before dawn, relieved to see that Cariad was still fast asleep. She crept downstairs to the bar, where Charenn was already up and talking to Mylin, who had apparently arrived sometime the night before.

'Ah, there you are, dear,' Charenn said. 'Mylin's going to fix you some breakfast, then you should go. Before Cariad wakes up.' Quin nodded, her throat tightening. She bolted down her food as quickly as she could, terrified of facing her girlfriend. Mylin had apparently been informed of the situation as she watched Quin with a sad smile. Charenn disappeared upstairs, presumably to wake her daughter, and Quin practically ran outside. She was just saddling up the horse Charenn had lent her when she heard a shout from the door.

'Quin! Wait!' Quin's heart sank. It was Cariad.

'Cari…' she began, but the other girl shushed her.

'It's okay. My mother explained everything to me. I'm coming with you!' Quin's eyes widened as she looked back at Charenn, smiling at her from the doorway.

'You weren't supposed to do that!' she said accusingly. The barwoman shrugged.

'Sorry, dear. But as much as I love you, I'm not keeping secrets from my daughter. And anyway, it works out well this way. You can meet your mother without losing your girlfriend. Everyone wins.'

'Yes, except if she gets killed! Cari, it's way too dangerous,' she said, turning to address the other girl. Cariad shrugged.

'I don't care. If you're going, I'm going.'

'What kind of logic is that?'

'The "I love you and I'm not letting you do something this stupid by yourself" logic,' Cariad said, coming over and kissing Quin. The redhead turned back to Charenn in desperation.

'How could you make your own daughter do this?'

'I didn't make her. It was her idea!'

'It was,' Cariad agreed. 'Look, your mother is going to be an important part of your life. And, I want to be an important part of your life too.'

'You are, but-'

'Sh!' Cariad said, cutting Quin off. The uncharacteristic assertiveness alone was enough to silence Quin. 'I'm coming with you whatever you say, so you may as well be happy about it.' Quin sighed, but smiled.

'Fine. We'd better get going, then.' Cariad squeaked with excitement, ran back to hug her mother one last time, then climbed up onto the horse. Quin followed, and the younger girl held on tightly as Quin led the horse out of Hyrule Town towards the desert. Charenn watched them until they were out of sight, unable to keep herself from feeling a twinge of worry.

'They'll be fine,' Mylin reassured her.

'I know,' Charenn replied.

'Then why look like that?' Charenn sighed.

'It's just… once Quin meets her mother, she might not want to come back. And if she stays, Cariad will too. I'm just wondering if I've said goodbye to my daughter for the last time.' Mylin shook her head and laughed.

'Since when are you so soft? You see the determination Quin feels to be with her mother? Cariad feels that too, to be with you. They'll be fine. We all will.'

-o-

A/N: Right, back to the main story! We're still on the same night as before.

-o-

Link sighed as he saw the sheet of water pouring off the roof onto the cobbles. Epona was standing under cover, unconcernedly eating hay, but she looked up when her master approached.

'Fancy riding to the mountains?' he asked her brightly. Epona snorted indignantly and went back to eating. 'Yeah… me neither,' Link said. He sighed again, wondering what to do. He had to get to the mountains soon, so he could meet up with Zelda, but in weather like this she was likely to have taken cover as well. And anyway, Link had no idea if she had completed her temple and found her piece of the Triforce yet; if she hadn't, there was no point in him rushing off to meet Eldin without her. He was just contemplating staying the night at the inn when a cloaked figure appeared in the courtyard. It looked around and, catching sight of him, hurried over.

'Link! You're really here!' Link gasped as he recognised the voice, and saw purple hair under the hood.

'Hyra! I mean, Your Highness. What are you doing out of the castle in this weather?'

'I came to find you. Impa mentioned seeing you earlier in the street, and I thought I would come and see you. Do you want to stay in the castle for the night?' Link was startled by the suddenness of her offer, but he was flattered. He also had a vague sense that one did not refuse things from royalty.

'Um… Sure,' he said, trying not to show his surprise. Hyra smiled at him, then produced another cloak from beneath her own.

'For the rain,' she explained. Link gratefully covered himself with it, then followed Hyra back through the deserted streets to Hyrule Castle. Once inside he gratefully removed his cloak, then stared as Hyra did the same. She was wearing a beautiful dress, made of some silken material with gold decoration. But Link couldn't help but notice that the neckline of the dress was rather low. He looked away quickly, blushing. He was sure that it wasn't the Princess' intention to embarrass him, but that was certainly the effect it had. He remembered the time he had nearly seen Zelda naked, and forced himself to shut out the thoughts.

'Link? Are you alright?' Hyra asked, sounding concerned.

'I'm fine,' Link managed, keeping his eyes firmly on Hyra's face.

'My rooms are this way,' Hyra informed him, leading him through a door. Link frowned, wondering where Hyra was going with this, in both the physical and metaphorical sense. The only other times he had been in Hyra's private chambers were when he had been fighting Casineb in the Princess' body, and he hardly thought that qualified as intimate. Nevertheless, a small and rarely-used part at the back of Link's brain started to flicker into life, taking note of the low-cut dress, the invitation to her room, and further back, Hyra's behaviour when they had reasearched together in the library. It came to a conclusion, and tried desperately to get the attention of the rest of Link's brain.

You're being flirted with, it informed him. Link stopped dead in the corridor as he realised. She's flirting with me. Why would she do that? What's going on? What do I do? For all that Link was the Legendary Hero and bearer of the Triforce of Courage, beneath the mysticism was the brain of a teenage boy, a brain which had just become aware that a rather attractive girl was interested in him. Link took a few deep breaths, trying to regain control of the situation. I can do this. I'm sure she's just being nice, he told himself. Hyra had reached the other end of the corridor, and looked back at him.

'Coming, Link?' she asked, and Link was sure he could make out a sly smile on her face.

'Of course!' he replied, trying to calm the yelling voices in his head. Above all he tried to drown out the voice which, if it had been a person, would be winking at him.

-o-

Soon, much sooner than Link would have liked, they had reached the door to Hyra's room. She looked around before entering, pulling Link in after her.

'What was that for?' he asked, curious as to why a princess had to be so secretive in her own castle.

'Oh, just a precaution,' she replied. 'If the guards see me sneaking a man in here, there'll be talk.'

'Talk? About what?' Link asked. Hyra laughed lightly, apparently assuming that Link was joking, but he genuinely had no idea. But then the new part of his brain, getting the most use it'd had in years, reminded him of when Zelda had told him what the people in the bar thought he and her were doing in their bedroom. His cheeks flushed bright red again, wondering if that was what Hyra was implying.

Surely not, he told himself. I mean, she's a princess! How could she... Surely not! She grabbed his hand and pulled him across the room to a door. Realising it was her bedroom, Link tried to resist, but the princess was insistent.

'Come on! I've got something to show you!' she told him.

I'm sure she does, his brain commented. Link tried to ignore it. The worst part was, he couldn't tell if he hated what was going on or loved it. He was torn between running out of the castle or obeying Hyra, but as she pulled him into her bedroom he gave up. Fortunately, she turned away from the bed and instead led him over to a cloth-covered shape leaning against the wall. Link was instantly on guard, remembering Casineb's mirror. But Hyra anticipated his alarm, and smiled.

'No, don't worry, I'm not possessed by another demon. This is something I wanted to show you.' She moved away from Link and pulled the cloth off the shape in one swift movement. Beneath it was a painting, half-completed, showing a crowned Hyra against a backdrop of Hyrule Field.

'That's amazing! Who did it?' he asked.

'The royal artist. The Royal Council commissioned it just after you freed me from Casineb, to commemorate my "return to health", as they called it.'

'It's beautiful,' Link said, lost in the skill of the drawing. It was an excellent likeness of Hyra, and Link could do nothing but stare, until a giggle from the Princess startled him.

'You like it?' He nodded, and she continued. 'I suppose it is pretty good. But it's a real bore to pose for. I have to stand there for hours while the artist goes on and on about how the light catches my nose hair or something.' Link laughed at this.

'Well, I think it's perfect.' This earned him another smile from Hyra, but then she sighed and looked back at the painting wistfully.

'You know, a painting like that isn't supposed to be of just one person. It's supposed to be of me and my husband. But then, I haven't got a husband yet. I just haven't found the right man.' She turned and stood directly in front of Link, smiling slightly. 'Or rather, I haven't married him yet.' The small part of Link's brain had become a howling siren by this point.

Abort! it yelled at him. That was a definite hint! You're not ready for this! You need to be married for this sort of thing! You're too young! Oh, Farore, she's getting closer! Hyra was indeed getting closer, leaning towards Link, her eyes closed. As she approached however Link leant back, so the distance between their lips remained constant. After a few moments Hyra realised that she really should have found Link by now, and opened her eyes. She smiled mischievously at him, and placed a hand on the back of his head, pulling him closer. Link closed his eyes, unable to watch, as the new part of his brain admitted defeat and pulled the covers over its head.

'Hyra!' The Princess immediately released Link at the sound of the intruder's voice, and Link stepped away from her guiltily. He turned and saw Impa standing in the doorway, looking shocked. 'Oh, Your Majesty, I am so sorry. It was not my intention to interrupt.'

'Well, you have now,' Hyra replied, looking very annoyed. 'What is it?'

'A prisoner has escaped from the dungeons, milady. I thought you should be informed.'

'Oh. Well. Thank you,' Hyra said grudgingly, reluctantly accepting that Impa had a good excuse to interrupt. The Sheikah then turned to Link.

'It is good to see you again, my child. Will you be spending the night here in the castle?' Link nodded, and Hyra started to say something, but Impa beat her to it. 'Excellent. If you would like to follow me? The guards' barracks have very comfortable rooms, and I am sure you would not wish to trespass on Her Majesty's time any longer than necessary.' The old woman somehow managed to completely overrule Hyra's frantic interjection, while still keeping the same respectful tone. She gestured to the door and Link followed, looking back at Hyra as he went. But she had turned away in an indignant huff, and didn't see him.

-o-

As Link followed Impa out of the Princess' rooms, the small part of his brain cautiously poked its head out from under the covers, realised there were no women around (other than Impa who, it was decided, didn't count) and promptly went back into the same state it had spent the last seventeen years in: fast asleep.

'Um… back there… it wasn't what you think,' Link muttered, but Impa merely smiled.

'No, I am sure it was not. Her Majesty can be rather… eager at times, so I fully believe you had no part in what happened.' Link laughed. 'Eager' certainly described the princess very well.

'Thank you for rescuing me,' he said, and Impa laughed as well.

'Yes, I thought you might require assistance. But I was not lying about the barracks: if you want a room, you are very welcome to have one. Besides, I think Hyra would never forgive me if I let you out of the castle.' Link smiled, agreeing with her. But then he remembered something else Impa had said.

'You mentioned a prisoner escaping. Is everything alright?' Impa's expression grew grave.

'I would not say "alright", no. I believe you know of the prisoner in question: our former captain of the guard.' It took Link a moment to remember who she meant, but when he did his blood ran cold and he stopped dead.

'Branford! But… no, how could he have escaped? You have to find him, now, before he hurts anyone!'

'Relax, child,' Impa said with a placating gesture. 'Yes, that abomination of a man has escaped, but the full force of the Hyrulean soldiers is out looking for him. He has almost certainly left Hyrule Town, and he will not get much further than that, believe me.' Link started walking again, somewhat reassured, but he was still concerned.

'How did he get out? Did he have… help?'

'If you mean, was he assisted by the demon you slew, I believe so, but,' (as Link opened his mouth) 'do not worry. That demon is indeed dead. But Branford worked so closely with him that a fragment of the demon's power now rests in the mortal man. He is nothing like as strong as Casineb was, but he was strong enough to break out of the cell he was placed in to await trial.' Link sighed.

'Do not worry,' Impa repeated. 'The soldiers know what they are dealing with. Many of them served under him, and have witnessed his cruelty first-hand. He will be found, and he will be dealt with.' Link nodded, still not entirely reassured. He had enough to worry about with Demise already, and although Branford was hardly in the same league as the Demon King, he was still a problem. But as they reached Link's room in the barracks and he said goodbye to Impa, he decided that he would have to trust in the Hyrulean soldiers to find him.

-o-

That night, Link lay on his bed in the small room, gazing out the window. The pouring rain had ceased, giving way to a cloudless sky. The crescent moon illuminated the room, creating long shadows. Link tried to sleep, but he had too much to think about. He wondered where Zelda was at that moment, hoping she was alright. Hyra's… interest in him also bothered Link, especially as he wasn't sure if he even wanted to do anything about it. Most young men could only dream of having a beautiful princess fall in love with them, and yet he actually had one. But at the back of his mind, the new part of his brain woke up and nudged him.

What about Zelda? it asked. Link sighed. It was a good question: what about Zelda? Link knew that if it had been her trying to kiss him instead of Hyra he would not have resisted, but at the same time he knew that Zelda wanted to put off any notion of a relationship until after they defeated Demise. A large part of Link wondered if this was just an excuse, and Zelda was trying to tell him she wasn't interested. He shifted onto his back and looked up at the ceiling.

Girls! he thought. When he first began his quest he thought the worst he would have to deal with was a few monsters, but now he was fighting dragons, searching for ancient artefacts and trying to defeat an evil Demon King. And girls. Do they make it complicated on purpose? he wondered. Is this some kind of game they all play, manipulating innocent boys and laughing at us? They can't really be making it this hard by accident. He sighed again, and tried to think about something else. Unfortunately, one large something else immediately entered his mind. The news of Branford's escape was very worrying, and Link was not encouraged by the idea that the man might have some of Casineb's power.

Thinking about the demon reminded Link of Tam, but he forced the idea from his mind. He looked back out the window at the night sky, subconsciously searching for the bright green star. But it wasn't there. He sat bolt upright in bed and ran over to the window, looking all around, but for the first night since Tam had died, her glowing star was gone. Link frowned, and lay back down on the bed, wondering what it meant. He knew the star was most likely some astrological phenomenon rather than the soul of his friend, but the thought of the sprite hovering high up in the sky had comforted him. Now, he felt lost. He suddenly wondered if Zelda was looking up at the same sky, looking for the star and wondering where it was. He was still thinking about it when sleep finally overcame him.

-o-

The next morning a treeful of birds singing the dawn chorus right outside his window woke him. He lay there for a minute, wondering where he was, before he remembered the events of the night before. He gathered his equipment quickly and crept out into the corridor, trying not to wake anyone. He had decided to head to Eldin Mountains this morning, and the sooner he left the better.

He also knew that leaving this early meant there was a much smaller chance he would bump into Hyra, who he was keen to avoid. He needed to sort out where he stood in relation to the girls in his life before he saw her again. But suddenly he heard light footsteps coming down the corridor towards him. He looked around frantically, but there was nowhere to hide. Praying it wasn't Hyra, he stood his ground, fidgeting nervously. The source of the footsteps appeared, and to Link's immense relief it was Impa.

'You are indeed up early,' the old woman remarked. 'Most in the castle are asleep at this time, including Princess Hyra. But I assume you knew that already,' she finished with a smile. Link grinned ruefully, but Impa beckoned him. 'Come. I will lead you out of the castle.' As Link hurried along after her, he asked,

'Could you apologise to the princess for me? I would have stayed to say goodbye to her, but I really am in a hurry. The sooner we find the Triforce, the better.'

'Yes, I will tell her. I warn you though, she will not be pleased.' Link sighed.

'Yes, I know.' They continued in silence for a while, as Link was wrapped up in his own thoughts. Impa noticed.

'What is the matter, child?'

'Oh, it's nothing. It's just… between Hyra and Zelda, I'm not really sure where I stand anymore. Do you have any suggestions?' Impa shrugged.

'How could I help you choose between them? If I told you to pursue Zelda, I would be betraying the girl I have come to look upon as a daughter of sorts. But if I told you to give in to Hyra, I would break the bond I forged so long ago between Hylia and myself.' Link frowned.

'Wait, you mean Zelda would be upset if I kissed Hyra?' Impa looked at Link in surprise.

'You do not think so?'

'Well, I guess she would be, a bit. But she doesn't like me like that, I'm sure of it.' Impa laughed softly to herself.

'My child, you have much to learn of the ways of women.'

You can say that again, Link thought grimly, but Impa wasn't finished.

'When a woman acts as though she could not care less about you, that can mean one of two things. Either she really is not interested, or she is so in love that the only way she can hide the strength of her emotion is by denying it altogether.'

'And how do I work out which is which?' Link asked, making Impa laugh again.

'Ah, that is a question asked by generation upon generation of men. Link, when you learn to look past what a woman says and does and know what she really means, then you will have found the secret of life itself.'

'Any chance you could tell me that secret?' Link asked, although he wasn't hopeful. His pessimism was rewarded.

'I know the secret, but I cannot tell you. That would be going against the sacred rule learned by all women at birth, that above all our purpose in life is to complicate that life for all men.' She laughed again, and Link sighed. He wasn't entirely sure Impa was joking; her description did sound an awful lot like what the women in his life did to him. But soon they had reached the entrance to Hyrule Castle, and Impa grew serious once again.

'Link, I wish you the very best of luck on your quest. I will pray for you. As, I am sure, will Hyra.' Link smiled, thanked her, then left the castle. Once outside he summoned Epona with Mara's flute, and rode off towards the Eldin Mountains.

-o-

The sun was just above the horizon by the time he reached the foothills of the mountains. Leaving Epona to roam free on Hyrule Field, he started up the path that would take him through the Goron Village to the volcano, where he could find Eldin. Soon he felt the ground shaking, and at first he thought the volcano was erupting again, but as he saw several balls of rock rolling down the slope towards him he remembered the local inhabitants. The Gorons formed a ring around him and for a moment Link wondered if they would attack him like they had the first time, but he was a part of their tribe now, and when they straightened up they had only smiles on their faces.

'Brother Link! You have returned!' their gravely voices ground out. Link laughed, wondering why wherever he went, everyone was always so happy to see him. The Gorons escorted him up the slope to their village, talking to him as they went. Link nodded, and added in the occasional, 'I see,' or, 'That's interesting,' even though it almost certainly wasn't; he just didn't want to admit that he didn't have a clue what they were saying. With several walking rocks talking at once he didn't understand a word.

But soon they reached the village, and more Gorons of all shapes and sizes crowded round Link, some of the smaller ones (children, Link assumed, although it was impossible to tell a Goron's age without specialist equipment) reaching up to take his hands. He quickly made his excuses and hurried over to Darion's cave before the crowd of Gorons got any thicker. To his surprise the Goron Elder was not in his home, so Link went through the opening at the back which led up to the volcano. Darion was standing outside, watching something in the distance, and Link had to hit him on the shoulder quite hard before the Goron noticed him.

'Ah! Link! You're here!' the Goron said happily while Link rubbed his hand, already bruising from hitting the stony Goron.

'I came to see Eldin. Is he in the volcano?'

'Yes, he should be there. Your friend just went by here to see him.' Link immediately perked up, injured hand forgotten.

'Friend? You mean Zelda?'

'The female Hylian, yes. You can see her from here, look.' Darion pointed up the path to what he had been looking at before Link arrived, and the Hylian could just make out a distant figure with golden hair. At the sight of his friend he set off, running up the path, shouting his thanks back to the Goron Elder as he went. As he got nearer he yelled out to his friend and she stopped, the confusion on her face turning to joy as she saw who it was.

'Link! You made it!' She enveloped him in a warm hug when he reached her, and they stood there for a moment, each enjoying the other's company. It had only been two days since they had parted, but it felt like longer. 'Link, your shield! It's new!' Link nodded and showed Zelda the Mirror Shield, admiring her Bow of Light in return. Then their attention turned to the marks on the backs of their hands.

'I still can't believe we have parts of the Triforce,' Zelda said, and Link nodded. It felt like some strange dream, that the humble forest boy could become a hero. But he forced himself to accept the reality. 'We should get to Eldin,' he said, reminding them both that they still had a long and arduous task ahead of them, that of finding the Triforce of Power. Turning towards the imposing mountain ahead of them, they once again entered the volcano.

-o-

The intense heat blasted them as they stepped inside, but the volcano seemed to have calmed down considerably since their last visit. A new bridge had been formed across the lava pool in the entrance room, and they crossed it to go through the boss door on the other side. The boss room was the same as Link remembered it, with a grating floor above a pool of lava, and several large holes in the floor. The largest of these was the hole Eldin had made when he crashed through the floor to escape, and Link went over to it, peering down into the lava. For a moment he saw nothing but the boiling pool, then a large red shape filled his vision. He stepped back just in time as Eldin rose through the hole, hovering above the Hylians.

'Ah, it's you two. You took your time getting here.' Link frowned.

'You know why we're here, then?'

'Of course! Faron and Lanayru told me you would come to ask me about the Triforce of Power as soon as you found the other two parts. Er… you did find them, didn't you?' Link and Zelda raised their hands bearing the triangle marks as proof. 'Good! Then I assume you know how this works by now. You will face a trial, and if you pass you will find the location of the Triforce of Power. Now then, shall we start?' Link was surprised by the dragon's speed, but he supposed it was important to find the Triforce as soon as possible. He shuddered as he remembered Faron's warning, that Demise would also be looking for the Triforce. Link assumed the Demon King had some other method of locating it than passing the trials. For a moment, he wondered if Demise had already found the final piece, but he thrust the thought from his mind.

He looked over at Zelda, then nodded. Eldin rose higher into the air, then flew up, out of the top of the volcano. A bolt of red light shot from the sky and passed through the hole to the lava below. Link peered down at it. The pool of lava had become mirror-like, like the other trial entrances, but he wasn't convinced. Before, he had been jumping into water. Now, trial or not, he was jumping into lava. Zelda saw him hesitating, and sighed.

'Link, I trust Eldin on this.'

'I do too, but that's lava! Like, really, really hot stuff! If the Fire Dragon's wrong, we'll die.'

'Do you have a better idea?'

'I thought not jumping into the pool of death was a better idea.' Zelda sighed in frustration.

'Fine. Be a Cucco. I'll just have to do this by myself, then.' Without another word she jumped into the hole and vanished into the silvery surface below. Link sighed, but reluctantly followed her.

-o-

A/N: Thanks for putting up with all the weirdness in this chapter. And what do you think of Hyra? It's going to complicate things for the Link x Zelda relationship!