Zelda came around slowly, remnants of a headache clouding her thoughts. She remembered sending Baby to play outside, then suddenly feeling overheated before everything went blank. Now she felt cooler, and it wasn't a struggle to stay awake.

Zelda opened her eyes, finding a surprised Baby snuggling under her arm. "Baby...? Oh, Baby, I'm sorry..." Zelda brushed back her daughter's bangs and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry you had to take care of me. I'm such a bad mother..."

Baby hugged Zelda with tears sliding down her cheeks. "Mama, you're okay! I was scared you wouldn't wake up. I was so scared..."

"I'm sorry for scaring you, sweetie. You're such a courageous little girl." Zelda slowly sat up and looked her baby over. After wiping away her tears, she noticed Baby's hair wasn't in its usual messy ponytail. It was elegantly braided, in a style that seemed slightly familiar. "Baby, who braided your hair?"

"Um, don't get mad... I didn't know what to do, so I had to ask Mr. Hero for help. He made you better, then he made me soup AND rice for breakfast, and then he brushed my hair for me! Isn't that nice? He made some soup for you, too."

"Your hero helped you?" Concerned, Zelda sat up and looked around the room. Everything was normal, maybe even a tad cleaner than she left it. There was a strange pack sitting on the floor next to the bed, but otherwise the house was as it should be. She heard a noise from the kitchen, and got a little nervous.

"Mama, I'll tell him you're up so he can heat your soup." Baby scrambled into the kitchen, while Zelda collected her thoughts. Baby's hero really is the next Link, isn't he? It's okay, I just need to thank him for saving me. He's played with Baby this long, he must be a good guy and won't sell us out. Maybe I'm not even recognizable as the princess, after all it's been close to seven years and I'm not exactly seventeen anymore...

Zelda took a few deep breaths before getting up and walking to the door. When she looked out into the kitchen, her heart stopped. Standing in front of the table with Baby in his arms, was the last person she expected to see in her cottage.

"Ganondorf...?"

He looked up from the table and made eye contact with her, causing her legs to buckle. Ganondorf was at her side in a flash, catching her with his free arm. "This is a fever dream," Zelda mumbled as she looked up at him. He simply smiled and shook his head.

"No, Zelda. This is a dream come true."

Ganondorf let Baby down, then wrapped his arms around Zelda's waist and hoisted her up into a kiss. They went until they could no longer breathe, and afterward Zelda buried her face in his neck and started sobbing. Ganondorf leaned back against the wall and lowered them to the floor, all the while rubbing Zelda's back.

He noticed the alarm on Baby's face when her mother started crying, so he whispered for her to come over. "It's okay, Baby, Mama's not crying because she's sad. Come here..." Baby came over and sat in his lap, and the king held both girls in his embrace.

Zelda's tears soon stopped, and she lifted her head. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was red. She looked from Baby to Ganondorf, and made a small smile. "Hic... if I'd have known you were coming, I would have freshened up..."

"Yes, and next time make sure you wear appropriate clothing, otherwise our night will be wasted," he joked, tracing a finger down the neckline of her nightgown. Her smile grew, and she even playfully nudged him.

Baby listened to the couple's exchange, rather confused. She never heard her mother so elated before, and her hero was talking like he knew them. "Mama? Are you okay?"

"Baby, I have something to tell you," Zelda said when she saw the confusion on her daughter's face. "Your hero, well, he's my hero too. His name is Ganondorf, and... he's your Papa."

Baby jumped excitedly and clamped onto Ganondorf's neck, drawing an oof from him and a wide smile from Zelda.

"YAY! Papa Papa Papa Papa! I knew there was a reason I felt so happy around you Mr. Hero, uh, I mean Papa! Mama was right, you are big and strong and nice and handsome and smart and I love you!" Baby tucked her head under Ganondorf's chin and pecked at his collarbone.

"You two are going to make my neck sore if you keep that up," Ganondorf joked, before taking another kiss from Zelda. The girls then laughed as he suddenly stood with them in his arms and twirled them around the room.

"She's absolutely adorable," Ganondorf said as he and Zelda stood over Baby, asleep in her bed. "Her mother's beautiful features, soft warm hair, a lovely olive complexion... A true princess."

"She's resilient," Zelda added. "The goddesses must be looking out for her, otherwise she wouldn't have made it."

Ganondorf kissed Baby's forehead, then took Zelda's hand and led her back to the main room. They sat quietly on the couch for several minutes, with Ganondorf smoothing Zelda's hair as she listened to his heartbeat.

"I love her."

Zelda sat up and looked to Ganondorf, and he smiled back at her. "Baby. I love her. She's such a smart, beautiful little girl. It doesn't make a difference to me whether she can see or not. I wouldn't have blamed you for anything. You could have come to me, I'd have given you anything you needed. I loved you. I still love you. What happened to make you come here, to have a life where you have to choose between soup or rice for breakfast because there isn't enough for both? Please, Zelda, I have to know what I did wrong!"

"You did nothing wrong," Zelda admitted, and took a deep breath. "Do you remember how nervous I was when we parted ways?"

"Yes, you thought the advisors were having you followed as part of some scheme to control the line of succession. When they announced your death and blamed it on my kin, I knew it had to be true."

"About a month after you returned home, I discovered my pregnancy. I was thrilled but didn't know how to proceed, so I confided in Impa. Unfortunately, we were overheard. The advisors found out I was pregnant and told the king. They didn't know who the father was, but still, they ordered me to 'get rid of it'. I absolutely refused. Shortly after, I... I was poisoned. That is why Baby is blind."

Ganondorf's face boiled over with rage as Zelda continued. "I got so very sick, I couldn't move or eat at all. But the worst part was that I might lose the baby. I begged the goddesses to save her, even if it meant that I perish in her place. They heard my prayers and spared us. Impa brought me Sheikah medicine and helped me recover, and when we found out the baby was okay, Impa hunted down and slaughtered the man who poisoned me. That's how she discovered it was a covert attempt to terminate Baby."

"Remind me to send General Impa my gratitude."

"Yes, well... Since I survived, the king and the advisors decreed that if I would not terminate the pregnancy, they would strip me of my rank and disown me. They announced to the people that I had been killed in the war, while I was confined to the graveyard. Only the king and the advisors knew I still lived, and they threatened my and Baby's death if I revealed myself.

"Impa helped me escape the castle, but she was still sworn to the king and had to stay in his service. She was able to help me deliver Baby, and she visits us here from time to time whenever it won't raise suspicion. Apart from my own safety, I feared that if people found out I was alive and saw that my daughter was Gerudo, you and your people would be harmed.

"I considered going to you at first, but I was terribly frightened of how you would react to Baby. I was seventeen, pregnant, homeless, and scared out of my mind. I didn't have family to confide in because they wanted me dead. Impa helped when she could, but she was still under oath. She barely made it in time to help me give birth! I was frightened. I was frightened and I was alone..."

"You're not alone anymore," Ganondorf said as he hugged Zelda tightly and wiped away her tears. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again. Last time that happened, you disappeared and my people were accused of your murder."

"Ganondorf..."

"I mean it. I nearly razed the castle when you disappeared. I wanted answers, and they refused to give them to me. I wasn't even allowed to attend the funeral. Do you have any idea how infuriated I was that I couldn't even say goodbye? Just ask Aveil how much damage I did to the fortress. But now I have you back, as well as a daughter to look after. And I intend to start by making sure you get a good night's sleep right where I can keep an eye on you."

Zelda giggled as Ganondorf scooped her up and carried her into her bedroom. "H-hey, where are you going? I don't think someone recovering from a serious illness should be doing what you're thinking of- HEY PAWS OFF!"

Ganondorf laughed and removed his hands from Zelda's bottom, dropping down with her onto the bed. "Don't worry, recovery comes first. Though, in the mean time..." He lifted Zelda's head and pressed their lips together. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her until they both gasped for air.

"You kiss like a seventeen year old..."

"Well it's not like I've had a lot of men to practice with, now is it?"

Ganondorf smiled at her remark, and rolled onto his back. After tossing his shirt away, he tucked Zelda under his arm. "This will be the best sleep I've had in seven years."

Zelda grinned, remembering the last time she spent the night in Ganondorf's arms. "As I recall, you are quite the snuggler. Just like your daughter."

"And you like to hold hands while you sleep," Ganondorf said as he magicked the window closed. "Just like our daughter."