Guess what? It's the start of the ball! OH MY GOD! Hahaha I had some fun with this chapter, seeing what exactly it was going to look like. And I'm very happy with what both Zelda and I saw. I hope that you feel the same way.

I won't keep you all too long, but I would like to say that I liked the Art Institute. I could get used to living in the city. There are so many stores and restuarants. Say what you will about Philadelphia, but I will never love another city so much as the one that I grew up around.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda or the characters associated with it. I do however own the plot and such and such...

Enjoy!

The ball—unfortunately—was only three days away. And Zelda couldn't have been more miserable. Servants and decorators were running around at lightning fast speed holding fabric or papers in their hands, shouting at each other as they streamed by. Zelda of course was the center of the entire hubbub. There were more people surrounding her than even the ballroom where everything was to be held.

"Hey!" she moaned as one of the servants poked her with a pin as she made last-minute alterations to her white and teal gown.

"Sorry, Princess," the servant said softly, ducking her head.

She sighed. "It's all right," she assured her. "I'm just stressed out."

"I can imagine," one of the other helpers said. "It's a big deal."

"You're not kidding," she huffed as the servant who had poked her stepped back to admire her work. The lady smiled at Zelda and moved her to the mirror.

She admired the dress again, finding that the hem was a little shorter to allow for the shoes she had received to match—which she was wearing. She had also taken in the back a little so the strapless gown wasn't so lose in the bust. They were subtle changes, but Zelda appreciated them nonetheless.

"It's lovely," she said warmly. "Thank you."

The servant bowed her head. "It's my pleasure, Princess."

So once the dress alterations had bee complete, another three ladies came up to her and began playing with her hair. They were mumbling to her and amongst themselves, trying to see what style would work best. Zelda just sat in a nearby chair and bore all of the hair pulling and questions with good grace until they were finally finished and had established a plan for the ball.

Once that was taken care of, Zelda found Impa in her bedroom, talking to a few other women who looked like the party planners about something. She smiled gently at the young princess, who was smoothing down the puffy white dress while admiring the new touches in her mirror. Once the women left the room, carrying some odds and ends in their hands, Impa complemented the seamstress' job on her gown.

"She did a beautiful job," Zelda chimed in. "Where's Link?"

Impa laughed and snorted at the same time. "He's busy having last minute things done to his ensemble as well. They have to take it in a little in the rib area," she explained. "I doubt you'll get much time with him today. Your mother's in a tizzy about the preparations. She can't believe that she's waited so long to start decorating."

"How does the ballroom look?"

"Beautiful. It's a winter theme, seeing as your father knows that it's your favorite season. And it matches your dress very nicely."

"Winter," she breathed. "No snow though?"

Impa giggled. "Unless one of the decorators can do something to the weather, then I heavily discredit that theory."

"As long as I'm not worrying about sweating all night," Zelda said with a shrug. It was simple enough to be grateful to her dad for giving her a winter-theme birthday. So she couldn't be terribly disappointed in the lack of snow.

Zelda walked around the castle now with Impa, as her mother figure showed her the ballroom. It was gorgeous, she saw. Impa told her that there would ice-sculptures that probably wouldn't last long after the Gorons arrived. There would be two, one in the shape of a swan—her mother's choice—and one in the shape of a wolf—at the request of your father.

"Why didn't I get to pick?" she mumbled.

"Good question," Impa muttered. "And I don't have an answer for you, Zelda. Just that your mother decided that you would be compared to the swan and I suppose your father had his own reasons for the wolf. Though that is a bit random. Not what I would've guessed the King of Hyrule would've picked."

"As long as he picked it and Ganondorf didn't, I'm completely fine with that."

Impa left Zelda alone for a little so she could further examine the decorations that people were scrambling to pin up. White and silver and blue were the main three colors, matching her dress choice perfectly. Everything was going to coordinate to her, wasn't it? She smiled as she saw gentle vines climbing up the pillars that had white flowers adorning them. The ceiling had white and silver lights. Impa also told her that something more was going to be done with the ceiling, but she wasn't sure what.

The windows of the ballroom were being tinted a steelish blue color to give the impression of snow outside, despite the fact that it was deathly hot out. The paint seemed to shine perfectly, glistening in the right light.

"It's going to be perfect," Zelda said with a smile. "Too bad this means I'll be marrying Ganondorf in a week." And then a thought crossed her mind. "Impa, I haven't tried on any wedding dresses yet. Why is that?"

Impa didn't look uncomfortable as she spoke, as Zelda half-expected her to. She was secretly thinking that this was going to be a party and a wedding all in one. "Actually, since your mother procrastinated on the party plans, your father managed to persuade her to hold off the wedding for another month."

"Month?" she repeated. "You mean I have another thirty days until I marry that scum bag?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes," Impa laughed.

"That's so good and horrible at the same time. It's wonderful because I'll have more time—horrible because it just gives me more time to build up breaking Link's heart."

"And your own," Impa reminded her. "You'll just have to make the best of it while you can, dear. No sense in dwelling on what you can't change."

"Oh so true," Zelda agreed. "Any more special décor items that I should be shown?" She raised her shoulder and beamed.

"The gardens are being made to look like a winter scene. Wait until you see the main fountain."

"May I see it now?"

"Oh your father told me specifically not to show you that one. You'll just have to wait another three days."

"It's so weird," Zelda mused, "I was dreading the ball for so long…but now I'm actually finding that I'm excited. I actually want it to come and I want to have a good time."

"That's the best thing I've heard you say all day," Impa joked. "Come, I want to show you examples of some of the food that we'll be serving."

Zelda followed Impa closely, looking back at the large, ornate ballroom as she left to enter the kitchens. There were many people here too, making what she assumed were samples of the food that was to be served in three days. There were many dishes that she instantly recognized and some that looked incredibly foreign. Impa explained that some of the dishes were meals of the Zoras or Gorons. That explained the odd looking fish, she figured.

"I taught Link some other dances," she said, popping an appetizer into her mouth. It was absolutely delicious.

"Any of the Zora dances? They were always my favorites."

Zelda beamed. "A few. The really long one where you're never standing still," she clarified. "And the Goron one where you like shuffle along the floor in stiff-movements."

"At least he'll be well-educated," Impa chuckled. She began to speak to one of the cooks, talking quick about one of the main courses to be served—Zelda got something about a goat and that was about it.

So this was really it. The ball was in three days and she was actually a little happy about it. She enjoyed dancing and dressing up on occasions. And she would have Link with her too, making the night that much more enjoyable. Maybe she would stop seeing the ball as a prelude to her own doomed wedding but as a last night to really enjoy herself with family and friends.

So she was going to look at it just like that.

And then the magical evening finally came (A/N: cue screams).

It was the most hectic night of Zelda's eighteen years of life—exactly—and it had yet to really begin.

There were about fifteen people in her room helping her get ready. There were about four ladies rushing around, trying to remember the pinup that they had planned for her hair. Zelda was trying to assist them, seeing as she remembered some of it. But it was hard when Impa was helping into her gown.

"Stay still, Zelda," Impa growled, zipping up the dress.

"There is way too much stuff going on here," she whined. "When can I just go down there and dance?"

"The first dance will be with Lord Ganondorf, as I presume you know. He will be waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs, despite the fact that Link will be escorting you down said stairs."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She made a fake-gagging sound. One of the girls doing her hair giggled but then stopped abruptly. "Oh no," Zelda encouraged, "you may laugh. I'm sure you dislike him as I much as I do."

The girl smiled and bowed her head slightly. "You're such a pleasure to assist, princess Zelda."

"You must have a positive outlook on this if you're me," she explained. "After all, I'm going to spend the rest of…forever with that revolting man. Might as well laugh about it now."

"Master Link is escorting you, am I right?" another woman putting bobby pins in her hair asked.

Master Link? Since when was Link given a title? She made a face and tossed if off as being the fact that she and him were attached at the hip. "Yes, he is, actually," she answered the woman. "Why do you ask?"

"I was curious as to why he matched you so well," she responded. Impa shot a look at her. "But I'm not to say anything else on the matter."

Once her hair and dress was finally taken care of, she was passed to another woman who would be doing her makeup. It was done in shades of silver with tiny hints of blue around the corners of her eyes, which made said eyes stand out even more. And then Impa came over to her at last with a necklace in her hand. Zelda's fingers instantly went to the Spiritual Stones around her neck and looked up at the older woman.

"It was mine when I younger," Impa told her about the necklace in her hand. "I will watch over the Spiritual Stones for tonight. This necklace will match your dress so much better."

Zelda nodded once before lifting her hands to unclasp her old necklace. She put it on her vanity as Impa fastened the other necklace around her neck. It was completely silver. It was made up of tiny interlocking flowers and in the middle was a shining pearl, where all the flowers pointed. It was absolutely lovely.

"Thanks, Impa," Zelda sighed.

"But we have one little thing left before you are completely finished," she said with a smile before reaching for something else.

"What now?"

Impa didn't answer her as she placed a silver coronet atop her head. It looked like the golden one she usually wore, only it was made of thinner metal and was silver, of course. "Now you're done," Impa sighed happily. "You look breathtaking."

"Of course," Zelda joked, touching the coronet, "can't escape being a princess for long."

Impa laughed. "I suppose not."

"We're almost ready," someone at the door called out.

"Almost?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Link isn't quite finished yet."

"How?" she asked in disbelief. "I'm sure no one's doing his hair and makeup!"

"Makeup is true, but his hair isn't cooperating with the others. It wants to go its own way every time they style it," Impa informed her.

"Hmm," Zelda shrugged. Her eyes went back to herself in the mirror. She really was beautiful. Her hair was half-up with strands falling off her shoulders while most was in a curled bun at the top of her head. The coronet added to her elaborate hairstyle, she had to admit. Her makeup was also well done. There was a light shimmer on her cheeks with her lips painted a pale color. It was all for the winter theme that her father had planned. And she was happy.

Suddenly, she heard someone come into the room. "Zelda? Honey, is that you?" The voice of her mother.

"Yes," she turned to the queen with a smile.

Her mother was wearing a plain silvery color gown that shimmered like stars whenever she moved. It looked enchanting on her. But her mother was more intrigued by her own looks. "Zelda you look so charming! Your hair is absolutely perfect!" She turned to Impa. "Everyone has done a wonderful job."

Impa nodded once and took a step back. Zelda's mom reached for her daughter and took her hands. "Aw," she said, eyeing the necklace. "That necklace used to be Impa's. Anyway, your father and I wanted to give you part of your birthday present now."

"What is it?" she asked with a warm smile.

Her mother took out something silver and placed it in Zelda's waiting palm. It was a bracelet, she saw. "It's pretty," she mused to her mom.

"It was crafted with silver from the Zoras. Your father had to pull a few strings to get it made for you, but it is well-worth it."

Zelda looked at it admiringly, her eyes growing soft. "It is perfect. It matches my ensemble so well!"

"Here, let me put it on," her mother urged. Zelda held out her wrist as the queen of Hyrule locked the bracelet around her right wrist. It looked even prettier around her skin then just balled up in her palm. She was glad that her mother had gotten her a present that didn't have anything to do with the wedding. The last good present she had gotten had been Isabelle.

"Happy birthday, darling," her mom said, squeezing her again. Then she released her and turned to Impa. "Is it time?"

"They have finally finished Link's hair," she nodded.

"Oh good," her mother sighed. "It took them long enough. Zelda, I'll be down in the ballroom with your father. Ganondorf will be waiting for the introduction dance when you arrive with Link, but you can dance with your…date as much as you want."

"All right," she said. Zelda was a little shocked to hear how lightly her mother talked of Link. Nothing seemed to phase her right now. She was probably in her happy place.

"And I'm hoping that you don't fall down the stairs. Try to keep your footing, dear."

"Mom," she groaned. "I can walk down stairs in heels. I do it all the time."

"That's my girl." She placed a kiss to her forehead before she turned and swept out of the room in a silver flash.

"A lovely bracelet indeed," Impa said softly as Zelda stood up. "It was a nice birthday present."

Zelda nodded in agreement but looked out of her door, eager to see Link and what exactly he looked like. Screw her own appearance. Where was her man of the hour?

"Come, Zelda," Impa took her arm and pulled her gently out of her room. Before she left, Zelda shouted a thank you to those who had helped get her ready before going with Impa toward where she was to make her entrance. She still didn't see any signs of Link yet and she grew more anxious with each passing second.

"Here," her assistant whispered in her ear. She pointed to the end of the hall, where she saw a white figure standing. "He's right there."

Zelda felt in that moment that she couldn't take another step forward. She couldn't clearly make out how Link looked, but she knew that he probably looked even better than she did. And it made her heart swoon to think of it.

"Zelda?" Link called out. He sounded so far away.

"Hey Link," she replied, finally taking a step toward him.

They walked languidly toward one another, each anxious and nervous to see the other. But once they were within clear earshot, Link moved swiftly toward her and put his hands on her waist.

"You are absolutely perfect, Zelda," he murmured.

"Not as perfect as you," she argued, looking him up and down.

He was wearing a white suit, of course. A blue flower sat on his lapel that matched the trim in her dress flawlessly. There were small hints of the blue in his trim too and even in his eyes. She also noted that his suit had a cape-like feel, flowing down to his knees. His hair was smoothed down as best that it could be. But she saw a few stray tuffs sticking out. It was what could be expected.

"Shall we?" Link said with a wink, extending his arm for her to take.

Zelda bit her lip and nodded, linking her arm with his. Impa gave them a little shove forward and they moved toward the door to the ballroom, where they could hear hundreds of voice talking loudly with each other. But Impa then went ahead of them to announce their arrival.

"Nervous?" Link asked her, squeezing her arm.

"Very," she breathed.

"Don't be," he encouraged, kissing the top of her head. "You look breathtakingly beautiful."

She leaned into him and closed her eyes. "Thank you."

Link moved his other arm around her and gave her a long hug before Impa called out to them. "Let's get this show on the road."

And Link and Zelda moved forward together toward the door, both straightening their postures and preparing themselves for one night that neither would soon forget.

I know! It's so evil of me to stop it there! But I had planned to have this chapter introduce the ball all along. The next one will be the actual gala event. hehe

I have Link and Zelda's introduction playing in my head over and over again right now like you wouldn't believe. You probably won't have to wait too long before I update again. So in the meantime, I will ask everyone to review and let me know what you thought of my cliffhanger chappy!