Nightfall had left and sunrise had taken its rightful shift. Link and Malon were escorted safely back to the castle with the help of Nabooru and Darunia who had agreed to assist with the search and rescue. Link sighed inwardly. Despite how much he dislike living in the castle, he was relieved to have to be back home. Link bit back laughter that wanted to burst free. Home. The castle was far from being his home. It was more of a prison where he was bound to his duty day in and day out.

A prison where he had no freedom.

Link sighed. He wished he could escape from the busy life and find solace somewhere else… Somewhere quiet and peaceful where he could lay back and relax. Link shook his head. It was not that he hated his duty. All he wanted was an extended vacation from his chaotic life in the castle.

During the returning trip to the castle, Malon had become exhausted. However, the young woman pressed forward with no complaint. Link, on the other hand, noticed the girl struggling to keep up with the group. He offered his hand in assistance, but Malon shook her head politely. "I'll be fine," she had said. But Link knew the girl better than she had thought.

"I know she's strong-willed, but I wish she would allow people to help her," Link thought.

Eventually, Malon's legs had given out on her, and she was forced to accept his help. Link had took it upon himself to carry her on his back regardless of the pain he felt in his shoulder. Malon said nothing but a muffled 'thank you' out of civility. But Link could tell that she was slightly embarrassed. Was it because she was not able to make it by herself?

It was not too much longer after that event that they had finally reached the castle.

Link's first thought upon returning to the castle was to pay a visit to the doctor. Although a strange man, he was highly skilled when it came to medicines and remedies. Link sat on the small bed in the doctor's office. The man was looking over papers, mumbling incoherent words to himself. Link sighed, grasping the dainty handkerchief that Malon had wrapped around his wound. Blood stains had taken residence on the once-white cloth. Link sighed feeling somewhat guilty for ruining the young woman's only handkerchief.

Link rolled his shoulder, wincing at the sharp pain. The doctor, shaking his head in disapproval, turned toward the man. "Looks like you've done it again, Link," he, ostensibly familiar with Link, said with a chuckle.

Link narrowed his eyes but refused to reply.

"It's not as serious as I predicted. You're lucky this time. Usually when you come here you're either dying or bleeding all over my office. You have no idea how hard it is to clean up blood stains," he laughed again at his joke. Link, however, did not find it funny. The doctor noticed Link's change of face and quickly stopped laughing. "Well, anyway, you should take it easy on that shoulder. I'll provide you with some medicine to ease the pain," he exhorted.

Nodding, Link took the medicine and departed from the clinic. "That man is almost as bad as the king."

The only thing Link wanted to do at that moment was to sleep. He was worn out. All he could think of was taking a good nap. He nodded self-approvingly as if deciding to himself that was what he were to do. However before he were to do that, there was something he wanted to do.

Walking down the corridor Link noticed two castle maids staring at him. Link nervously cleared his throat as their gaze was like stone.

"He so cute," one of the maids whispered, giggling.

"You should say something to him. The other girls said he was sweet. Maybe he'll talk to you," replied the other maid.

The first maid nodded, mustering the courage to speak as he walked passed them. "Mmm… C'mere chica bonita," she purred.

Link froze.

"Uh… You just called him a pretty girl," her friend whispered in her ear.

"Oh! That's why it never works!" she said embarrassingly before the two left hastily and returned to their chores.

Link's eye twitched. Could things get any worse?

"Ah! Just the man I've been looking for!"

It could.

Link jumped at the sound of the oh-so-familiar voice. Link sighed and turned around to face him. "You've been looking for me?" he asked sheepishly.

The king nodded. "I wanted to check on you and that girl."

"Malon… I seriously doubt he came to check on her…"

"Anyway," the king paused, shaking his finger at Link. "You had me so worried. I feared for the worse."

"Well, Malon and I are okay. Thanks for your concern…"

Link sighed, turning away from the king. Where did Malon go? He had lost track of her once they had arrived at the castle. The two were not informed of the results from the last round of the competition, and Link could only assume that Malon and Nabooru were eliminated. He became lost in a swirling pool of thoughts. "Why can't I get her out of my mind…?"

"Link! Did you hear me?" the king asked, sounded very annoyed.

"Huh?" Link swung his head around to meet the older man's.

"I asked if you'd like to join me tonight. I want to celebrate your safe return," he said with a smile.

"With…another banquet?" Link asked, slightly scared of the answer. The king loved his pointless banquets.

"Not this time. Will you come?"

And regretfully, Link agreed.

She sighed, staring blankly out the window. Her head rested comfortably in the palms of her hands. The sun was slowly coming over the horizon; sunrise was always beautiful to watch. Malon yawned. Once she and the others returned to the castle, she scurried to her room to sleep. However, something kept her awake.

She closed her eyes. Reminiscing on what she had just gone through only hours earlier, she sighed. Although despite the conditions Malon was pleased she and Link had spent some time together. She scoffed. "Yeah, being attacked by angry Stalfos… Very romantic."

Malon stood up slowly and walked toward her bed. She flopped onto the bed lazily and spread her arms above her head. Letting out a vast sigh the red-headed woman closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander. She was still in the dark about the competition. The only words anyone had said to her once she arrived was that she needed to rest.

Not wanting to argue, she had nodded her head and had quickly set off to her quarters. Opening her eyes she drew her hands in front of her face. "Did I really wield Link's sword? What gave me the strength and courage to do that?" she paused, allowing a gentle smile to curve at her lips. "Oh Din, you truly are watching over us."

It seemed like only moments had passed since she and Link were sitting back to back in the waterfall cavern. She remembered their damp skin sticking to each other. She remembered how his heavy breaths were, and how the crackling of the fire was the only things she heard. She remembered feeling his heart beat rapidly while her back rested against his. She wondered if he could have felt hers; it was the first time she had been so close to him, and surely her heart was racing. And she remembered resting her head on his shoulder and breathing in his scent. How she wished she could relive those moments.

Malon rolled onto her side, grabbing the nearest pillow to hug it. And then she remembered how he valiantly protected her against a swarm of Stalfos. His true motives were unclear whether he wanted to protect her because he cared or whether he protected her because it was his job.

She shook her head. In spite of everything, Link was her friend.

He was only a friend.

"Why do I always have to think about this? I'm so stupid," she mentally berated herself.

Link was her friend. He would never let anything happen to his friends. No matter how much she wished otherwise, he only cared about her as a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. And that was it.

"Then why do I still continue with this competition? Is there something inside of me that still believes I can make him actually like me?" Malon asked herself.

If there was one thing Malon hated more than anything else then it was to be utterly confused.

She was confused over many things: the competition, Link, and even herself.

She shook her head again. "Now's not the time to think about this. I promised I'd make sure Link didn't get into a mess by marrying someone else. I will not go back on my word."

As if on cue there was a slight knock on the door. Malon lifted her head to stare blankly at the door. Thinking that if she were to ignore the knocks, they would leave. However that was not the case this time. The knocks grew louder and louder but still kept its gentleness. Defeated, Malon rose to her feet and trudge toward the door.

"Who is it?" she asked tiredly.

"You friendly neighborhood hero."

Malon let out small giggle and opened the door. "Yes, Mr. Hero of Time? Is there anything I could do for you?"

He grinned. "There's a lot you could do for me, pretty lady."

Malon forced herself to laugh. "You're funny, Mr. Hero."

"Why thank you," he gently pushed open the door to allow himself inside. Malon smiled lopsidedly and walked over to one of the chairs in the room. Sitting down, she watched as Link stumbled into the room with one of his hands wrapped around his back. "I thought you deserved some of these," he swung his arm before Malon, showcasing freshly picked white flowers that also included the roots and dirt. He smiled playfully. "What do you think?"

"Gee, they're pretty Link. Did you pick these from the garden?" she asked, grabbing the flowers from his hand.

"Yeah, but I did it when the gardener was looking the opposite direction. He'll never notice they're gone," he laughed before taking a seat in the extra chair next to Malon. "I wanted to check on you. How do you feel?"

Malon, who was placing the flowers in a vase nearest the window, shrugged her shoulders. "I know that I feel a little better than earlier."

"Well," Link began, "I guess that's better than feeling worse."

She nodded and returned to her seat. "Yes, I suppose so."

A wave of silence washed over the two. Malon nervously fiddled with her fingers as she desperately rummaged through her mind for anything to say. Unnoticed to Malon, Link was in the same position as she. He sighed, raising his head to meet hers. "The king wants us to join him later tonight. Do you think you can make it?" he asked suddenly.

Malon paused momentarily. "You're joking, right?"

Link shook his head.

"I don't trust him Link…"

Malon closed her eyes, remembering what she had read in the king's office. It was all there in her hands. She knew the truth. "I should tell Link… But I want to ruin the king's plans so badly. And… I want to win… For Link…"

"It's okay, Mal. I'll be there," he placed his hand on her tiny shoulder. "Besides, I don't want to be there with him alone. I'll feel more comfortable if I had you there, too."

Malon looked up and nodded. "Okay, then I'll go with you."

Link scrambled to his feet and headed toward the door. "All right then. You get some rest, and I'll see you later tonight."

"Oh. What about you? What are you going to do?" asked Malon curiously.

"I have a few things to take care of before I'm able to take a nap," he said hastily before leaving the room.

Malon tilted her head slightly before crawling into her bed. "I wonder what it could be."

Hours passed and soon the dinner or sorts the king had planned was drawing near. Link and Malon, who had recently awoken from their long overdue nap, stumbled into the room gracelessly together. Malon, being first to enter the room where the king had told them to meet, looked around inquisitively. "No one's here, Link. Are you sure this is the room he said to meet in?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Link shrugged, setting his hand on Malon's back and guiding her into the room. "Well, there's a table and some chairs. I'm sure he's just making us wait for him like he always does."

"Hey, you two were invited here, too?" said a voice from the doorway.

Link and Malon both turned to face the person entering the room. "Hey, Darunia. I guess the king asked you to come, too," said Link.

Not too much longer after Darunia arrived, the others casually walked into the room. The remaining contestants and Link gathered around the table and took their seats. Link studied the girls, noticing something was missing. "Hey, where's Saria?"

"Kokiri Forest," replied Nabooru nonchalantly.

Malon and Link shot the Gerudo a baffled look.

"I guess you haven't been informed of the results," Ruto said to Malon. "The referees counted the flags. Nabooru and you made it by one flag. The wind knocked the flags from Saria's gripped, and Nabooru managed to obtain enough for you and her to win. Oh, and Darunia and I were able to collect the most flags! And everyone doubted we could do it," the Zora princess explained.

"You're pretty lucky," Darunia chuckled.

Malon blushed widely. She had made it thanks to Nabooru. She still had a chance to win the competition. Malon sighed in relief. "I won't mess up next time! I can't afford it again."

"Malon, are you really that willing to go through this… For me? Why…?" Link thought inwardly as his gaze hovered over the determined red-headed woman.

At that moment the door flung open and in walked the king, smiling widely like he always smiled. He took his seat at the end of the table between Link and Malon. His smile never ceased to fade from his face. "Good evening everyone!"

The group grumbled several incoherent words.

"I can feel the love in the air!"

"So, why did you want us to come here?" asked Nabooru candidly.

The king clapped his hands and several servants quickly came into the room, setting up the table for the group. Each person had a rather large mug filled with a yellowish liquid in front of them. "I thought we should celebrate the return of Link and…uh…and… Mulan!"

The room became silent.

"Malon," she corrected.

"Oh. Right."

"I hope this isn't your piss," suddenly commented Nabooru dryly as she studied the beverage.

Zelda, who sat on the opposite side of the table, cleared her throat. "What is this, father?"

"It's my special recipe!"

Everyone set their mugs down.

"Oh c'mon! I worked really hard on it!" he paused. "I swear it's not my pee!"

Ruto sniffed the drink. "It smells like…beer."

"…No! I made it all by myself, and I was not looking at a recipe for beer while doing so," the king threw his arms up defensively.

"Uh… I'm don't really care for alcoholic beverages," Link replied sheepishly.

"There's no alcohol in there. Trust me," he grinned.

Link held the mug to his mouth. He sighed, giving the drink one last glance. "Well then, I guess one drink wouldn't hurt."

He guzzled down the supposedly nonalcoholic substance.

The king smiled and took a sip of his drink. He set the mug down and stared at it. "Oh. I guess I did put alcohol in it…"

Link nearly jumped out of his seat. "You what!"

The king scratched his neck nervously.

"Oh Nayru!" Link covered his head with his hands. "I… I can't hold my alcohol… The last time I tried it, it didn't end so well or so I was told. I can't remember."

"Wow," Nabooru held back her laughter. "You can defeat the King of Evil and save a whole kingdom, but you can't hold your alcohol. Way to go, oh great Hero of Time."

"Ugh… My head hurts now…" Link groaned.

"Father!" Zelda scolded.

"What? I didn't intentionally try to get Link drunk! How was I supposed to know he reacted to alcohol that way!" the king said defensively.

"So you did put alcohol in it!" Ruto explained.

"…No. I did no such thing."

Ruto slapped her forehead. "I'll pass on the drink."

"I think I'll do the same," said Darunia as he set his mug onto the table followed by everyone else.

"Well, fine! None of you are allowed to have my drink!" the king huffed.

"We don't want any," Nabooru replied disdainfully.

"Ugh…" Link moaned.

At that moment Impa walked into the room unceremoniously, minding her own business like usual. The king slammed his mug onto the table. "And what are you doing here! You lost the competition! You're supposed to be home!"

Impa turned her head slowly to respond. "I live here."

The king narrowed his eyes. "Well, not anymore! You now live there!" he pointed toward the wall.

It did not take long for Impa to notice what the crazed man was referring to. "The mouse hole. You want me to live there?" she asked with a mocking tone.

"Yes! You better get packing tonight!" the king stated.

Impa sighed and rolled her eyes. She shook her head disapprovingly and further ignored the king by leaving the room. The king crossed his arms stubbornly. Some people will just never learn.

"Link? Hey, Link?" Darunia shouted into the quiet man's ear. "Is he sleeping?"

"Is he dead?" asked Nabooru.

"Gee. I hope he doesn't spontaneously combust. You know what they say about drunk people," the king added with his oh-so-wise knowledge.

Everyone ignored the king and returned their attention toward their ill friend.

"Maybe you should poke him, Darunia," commented Nabooru, handing the Goron leader her shoe. "Here, take this."

Darunia quirked an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Smack him upside his head. Duh!" Nabooru rolled her eyes.

"Maybe someone should gently shake him. Isn't that the proper way to go about situations like this," Zelda said, walking over to Link and softly shaking his shoulders. "Link? Link! You should go to your room and get some sleep now," she whispered gingerly.

No answer.

"Link! Wake up!"

No answer.

"Please Link?"

No answer.

"Oh Din! Ganondorf's here!" the king screamed.

Link's head suddenly shot up, colliding with Zelda's face.

"Ugh!" Zelda fell backward and crashed into the wall. She quickly drew her hands to her face. "Father!"

"Are you okay?" asked a concerned Malon.

Darunia quickly rushed toward the princess' side to check on her. He examined her face closely. "I think you'll be okay. You're going to have an ugly bruise tomorrow though. But other than that, you're fine."

Zelda nodded her head considerably, wincing at the pain. "Thank you, Darunia."

"Ugh… Ganondorf…" Link groaned.

"Uh, Link?" Ruto said timidly. "Are you feeling well?"

Link stood up suddenly. His head hung low, allowing the darkness to shade his face. "Ganondorf… You have some nerve to come back," he hiccupped.

Darunia looked around the room. "Are you talking to me?"

"Don't play dumb with me Ganondorf! Your tricks won't work on me!" he growled.

"…"

"Ganondorf! Prepare to meet your maker!" Link yelled ferociously. "Hand me my sword, Zelda!"

"Link, that's a chair you're talking to," Nabooru replied wryly.

"You're wasting time! He's going to escape with the jewels!" Link hiccupped again.

"Jewels?" asked Ruto.

"Yes! He's a jewel thief who ran the Potion Shop in his previously life! He ripped me off several times! I'm going to settle the score right here and now!" he yelled. His words made no sense to anyone around him.

"Are you sure you're talking about Ganondorf?" asked Nabooru. "That doesn't sound like him to me."

"No! You don't know him like I did! He's Ganondorf, the king of ripping people off!" Link shouted in rage. "Now, hand me my sword!"

Darunia cowered in the corner.

Link held his hand out, waiting for his sword. Zelda searched the table and placed a spoon in his hand. Link, not knowing the difference between the Master Sword and a spoon, charged at Darunia with his trusty sword. "Take that!"

"Ow! Stop! That hurts!" Darunia shielded his head.

"Stop him! He's beating Darunia with a spoon!" Ruto shrieked.

The king propped his feet on the table. "Well, this is certainly new."

"It's your fault! If you wouldn't have mentioned Ganondorf, this would not have happened!" Nabooru yelled angrily.

"Improvise Darunia! I-M-P-R-O-V-I-S-E!" Malon called out.

Darunia thought quickly. "Ugh! Damn you, Hero of Time!"

He fell to the ground motionlessly.

Link bent down and studied Darunia. He gasped suddenly, dropping the spoon on to the ground. "His skin is rock!"

"Wow. Way to go Mr. Obvious," replied Nabooru sarcastically.

"You know what that means…"

"It means that you just killed Darunia with a spoon." answered Ruto.

"No! It means Ganondorf was never a Gerudo! He was a Goron!"

Ruto and Nabooru slapped their heads. He was hopeless.

"Link? I think you should get some rest now," added Malon who approached the weary hero cautiously.

"Ugh… Malon. I don't feel so well," he said, rubbing his head.

"I know. But you'll feel much better if you just rest," Malon cooed.

"Is Ganondorf gone?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes. Hyrule is safe again thanks to you," she smiled warmly. "I'll help you to your room. Are you ready?"

Link nodded. "All right…"

Nabooru walked up to Darunia. "You know you can get up now."

Darunia's eyes fluttered opened. "Is it safe?"

Nabooru nodded reassuringly.

"Well," the king began, "that was very amusing. I think now it's time we all get some sleep. It's been a long day, right Darunia?"

Darunia narrowed his eyes. "A very long day…"

As Malon supported Link and helped him return to his room safely, a small black box fell from Link's tunic onto the floor. Zelda, who was walking a few feet behind Link and Malon, noticed the item and retrieved it. She opened her mouth to call to Link but suddenly stopped once she examined the tag.

To Malon. From Link.

Zelda opened the box and found a silver heart-shaped locket. Zelda forced a smile. She gently closed the box and quickly left the room to catch up to Link and Malon. Surely Malon would need all the assistance she could get.

Notes: I thought another humor-filled chapter was needed. More of the king and his much-loved craziness coming soon!