A/N: Here we go; another chapter of Divine Punishment and compared to the others, this one is actually pretty upbeat, though it has been an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE to write. If it seems to fall a bit flat at the end, please understand that I have had a lot going on that has left me in a somewhat depressed mood, so please refrain from any nasty comments; I really am doing my best. Hope you enjoy and I do not own The Legend of Zelda.

~Moon White Rose

Chapter 35

When Conner came downstairs around dawn, he was mildly surprised to see his wife up. Of course he had noticed her absence when he awoke, but he had assumed she had retreated to the couch in the main room. He often found her there nowadays. She claimed it was more comfortable than their bed so he didn't fight her on it, even though he sorely missed the mornings when she would be peacefully resting beside him upon his return to the waking world. For a few minutes, he watched her from his spot in the kitchen doorway.

Her hair had almost grown back to the length it had been when they married years ago, he noted. She had cut nearly half of it off for the first time in her life over a year ago and he had literally wept at the loss of it. He loved her long locks and was thankful they were back, and he especially adored it when she had it flowing naturally like she did now. Not long ago, he had thought her hair was one of her most beautiful physical traits, but that had changed. More than her looks, he loved her heart and spirit more and more every day; even so, he had a new physical aspect about her that he couldn't stop admiring.

Just then she finished the last dish she had been washing while softly humming to herself. She turned and froze when their eyes locked. A hand flew to her heart and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed that he had startled her. "Sorry love. I didn't mean to sneak up on you." Her hand returned to her side as a sweet smirk darted across her lips.

"Really? I don't believe you. In all of my twenty-one years, I've never met anyone who is as sneaky as you. I don't think anyone enjoys it as much as you either." He closed the small distance between them until they were as close to the other as they could get. He leaned down and the tips of their noses touched.

"I do enjoy a good scare, in fun, especially when I'm the one doing the scaring, but I mean it when I say I would never try to intentionally startle you, Ivy." Her arms snaked around his neck and she pulled him just a tiny bit closer.

"Promise?" Her green eyes were alight with mischief.

"I solemnly swear," he vowed. She pressed her lips to his in a brief, but passionate, kiss.

"I'll remember that, and I solemnly swear to have you punished accordingly if you ever go back on your word," she retorted while pulling away. He snorted in amusement before heading into the dining room to set the table for breakfast.

"You, punish me? I'd love to see you try," He called, placing the utensils and napkins while she remained in the kitchen. "You know you could never do anything to me, right?"

She emerged with a small tray of bread in one hand and two plates in the other. He quickly took the plates from her while she set the bread down. "Who said I would do the actual punishing? Daddy and Uncle Dark are always ready to put you in place, remember?" All she got was a groan and she chuckled to herself. Eventually, they were settled at the table once the rest of breakfast was ready and they began eating. As Ivy watched him, she couldn't help but appreciate these quiet moments.

To this day that still surprised her in a way. As a child she had been rambunctious and high strung; often blurring the line between courage and stupidity for the sake of fun and adventure. Part of her was still like that, but there was no denying that she had mellowed out. Being married and having her own home had changed her and it was a change she actually enjoyed. 'And to think it's all about to change again,' she mused inwardly, smiling at the change in question.

Conner noticed that she was no longer eating and looked up to see what was wrong. Instead he was greeted by one of his favorite sights in the world. Ivy's smile was serene and peaceful while her hand gently, tenderly, rubbed the bulge of her womb. To think that come this time next week, hopefully, they would be parents for the first time. He didn't know if he was more excited or terrified. "Are you all right? I can take care of the dishes if you're tired."

"I'm fine, really. I'm not helpless you know," she teased. "Besides, I want to make sure the house is nice; my parents should be arriving any day now. I'm kind of sad they haven't arrived already." Ivy looked out the nearest window as she said this, as if it would make her parents suddenly appear. All that greeted her was open land and grazing livestock. "What if they don't arrive in time for the birth? I know this may sound crazy, but I really want my mom here when it's time."

"That's not crazy at all. I wish my parents could be here, but I understand why they can't." Conner shook his head. "I can't believe how high taxes got over there in Kakariko; makes me glad that we didn't settle there too. It's going to take them forever to get that bad harvest paid off." Ivy gave him a brief, sympathetic hug on her way to the kitchen. "Hopefully this war stays out of our neck of the woods. The last thing I want is you or the baby to be in danger."

"Well, we're not close to the border or the areas the Gerudo have swarmed. I think we'll be okay. Still, it's hard to believe this war is still going on. It almost makes me think that day in the alley all those years ago was a dream or something." Despite the fact that the Gerudo were now their enemy, Ivy could help but think of that day with a tiny smile. That was the day she had met Conner, which instantly made it one of the greatest days of her life. Getting to meet and speak to the Gerudo Queen herself had only been a bonus, even though she could see now as an adult that it had been a dumb, childish thing to do, all for the sake of money that had been spent by the end of the day. "As much bloodshed as this war has caused, I can't really say I blame them too much."

"What; after all they have done?" Conner's look of disbelief was met by the soft, disarming gaze of his wife. When she drew closer she grabbed his hand and placed it carefully on her rounded belly. Beneath his fingertips, he could feel the baby move inside her.

"Suppose this is a girl; imagine she's our only child and when she is older, someone forces himself onto her. Wouldn't you want to respond in the same way King Ganondorf and Queen Nabooru have?" It was a very valid point. Conner backed away as his hands curled into tight fists. As wrong as senseless killing was, he could see where King Ganondorf was coming from. If they did end up with a daughter and someone tried to hurt her….

"I'm not saying this war is right, but I can see your point, Ivy." She smiled, kissed his cheek, and walked away. Chuckling to himself, Conner cleared the table then went outside to tend to the livestock. Ivy spent the rest of the morning inside; pacing back and forth and cleaning an already clean house when she wasn't resting. She was beyond ready for the baby to arrive, but she didn't want it happening before her family got there.

As she thought of her family, she also pondered on the upcoming addition to hers and for the countless time, Ivy wondered what sort of mother she would be. Every woman in the village had given her mountains of advice and she knew how to care for children, but that didn't automatically mean she would be good at this, did it? Would she be able to do all the right things or would she be the person her child despised most in the world? Many similar questions flooded her thoughts and she started to tear up. That was how Conner found her when he came in to let her know her parents had arrived.

"Ivy!? Ivy, what's wrong?" Rapidly blinking the tears away, she stood and mustered a fragile smile. Conner was looking every inch of her over to see if she was okay. "What happened? Are you hurt? Is it time?" Anyone with a working set of ears could pick up on the hysteria in his voice. She grabbed his hands in her own and kissed him to silence his ranting.

When she pulled back the look on his face displayed some level of calm, but clearly he was still worried. For the countless time, Ivy wondered what she had done to get such a loving husband. "I'm okay, Conner, really. I was just thinking and, well, I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous, that's all. Now, what's going on? Did you need something?"

"Yes, I wanted to let you know that your parents just arrived." He was going to say more but there was no need. Ivy was moving as quickly as she could to the door. Grinning at her excitement, he tagged along behind her. They were met halfway to the barn by Malon who immediately began hugging and fawning over her daughter. Conner took the chance to slip away to the barn where Link was getting the horses settled in. "Mind if I help? The women don't need me at the moment," he added sarcastically, which made his father-in-law laugh.

"Sure; they both need to be brushed and fed so an extra set of hands is appreciated." For several minutes both men were quiet and the only noise was the sound of the horses as they munched on hay, or the occasional stamp of a hoof. "Better enjoy the peace; it won't last for much longer," teased Link. Conner looked up from his work. He had been meaning to ask Link a few questions and it seemed like now would be a good time to do so.

"If you don't mind my asking, but… were you nervous about becoming a father?" Conner could feel the heat rising to his face, but he pressed on. "I'll be honest, I'm beyond nervous. I'm utterly terrified that I'm going to mess everything up; that I won't be good enough no matter what. Did…did you feel that way?"

"No; I was a complete wreck. You know that I adopted Ivy, so there was a time when I had to raise her all on my own." Link thought back to the day he found her, thinking he would only have to watch her for a short time. Shaking his head, he remembered how he felt when he realized no one was coming for her and she had taken to him and saw him as her father. "At the time, I thought it would have been easier to fight King Ganondorf himself than to raise a child. I was so afraid that I would hurt her or mess up, but then I realized something."

"What was that?"

Grinning, Link smiled at his son-in-law. "I realized that if I kept being so fearful, I would mess up. I needed courage and I found it in love. My love for Ivy gave me the courage and strength I needed to get up each morning and be the best father I could be for her and the rest of my children when they were born. Now, that doesn't mean I was perfect; far from it. There's plenty in my life that I wish I could do over with her and her siblings, and there are many times, even now, that I still lose sleep because I'm afraid for them. That's just part of being a parent."

"So you're saying I should just do my best?"

"That's all any of us can do. You're heart and head are in the right place. You love Ivy and you love the baby. Take things one day at a time; you'll be fine." Link laid a hand on Conner's shoulder and the young man stopped. "Of course, just remember that you also have family who are willing to help and there is no shame in asking for aid. Also, if you do ever do anything that hurts Ivy or the baby, I'll break your neck."

"Yes sir." Link laughed at Conner's groaning. "You know how much I love Ivy and that I would never do anything to her. Why do you keep feeling the need to threaten me?"

"It's my job. I'll always be her father and want what's best for her. You'll understand what I mean soon enough."

"What; there is no way I could have done that!" Everyone around the table laughed at Ivy's outburst. The day had come and gone and now they all were enjoying a late dinner. Ivy was happy to have her parents with her at last, but she hadn't foreseen them telling such embarrassing stories about her. Conner, Malon and Link continued to laugh and it only grew in volume as she began to pout. "Stop it, all of you. There is absolutely no chance that I did something like that."

"Oh, but you did, sweetheart," Link assured. "You said you just wanted to help with breakfast, so you had taken it upon yourself to go out to the Cuccco pen and get some eggs." He recalled that day with a shake of the head and a smile on his face. "When I finally got them off of you, I couldn't believe it. I have to admit, you looked a bit funny with all of the feathers sticking out of your hair and the smashed eggs all over your clothes."

"Dad!"

"Ivy!" he said back in a whiny tone that matched her own. His playful mimicking finally made her smile as well and eventually she settled into uncontrollable giggles. "That's what I thought. Besides, you should know by now that we wouldn't lie about such things. That's what you were like as a child; high strung, curious, and a troublemaker, but we loved you for it. That's just part of being a kid."

"Well, I hope ours isn't like that; not really. I did so much stupid, dangerous stuff…hopefully the baby will have more sense than me." Malon set the cup of tea she had been drinking aside and took her daughter's hands into her own, squeezing them reassuringly.

"Ivy, you have a perfect head on your shoulders and I'm sure the baby will too. Don't think so little of yourself. I know beyond any doubt that you'll be a wonderful mother, because you're a wonderful person. Being a mother will be hard, but I know it will only make the good things about you even better." She felt some of the tension in her vanish at her mother's words and she hugged Malon gratefully.

The four talked for a while longer before deciding to turn in for the night. Ivy was nearly asleep the second her head met the pillow. Despite being a day she enjoyed, it had been a long one and she was utterly exhausted. Before she could fully drift off, Conner held her hand under the sheets. "Ivy? Are you asleep?"

"Mm, not yet, but I'm pretty close. Is something wrong?"

"No…yes. Ivy, I haven't been completely honest with you about something. I am excited for the baby, truly I am, but I am scared too. From the day you told me you were pregnant, I've been terrified that I'll fail at being a father; that I won't be able to do anything right. I know that might sound silly, but it's the truth and I had to get it off my chest." She carefully rolled onto her side and looked him in the eyes. "Are you mad at me?"

She couldn't even stay silent for a second. The giggles poured from her mouth and soon she was shaking. "Oh, thank goodness, it's not just me. Conner, I've been scared almost every second since I found out. You always seemed so happy and ready for this that I just hid what I was feeling. Of course I am happy, ecstatic, but I've been scared too." She turned onto her back once more. She was having a hard time getting comfortable for some reason. "You know, we never really talked about this; not really if you think about it. Oh sure, we've made preparations and taken every single bit of advice, but in all the planning and getting ready, we've not really talked about becoming parents.

"…You're right. I know we talked about parenting, but as for actually being parents…." He stared up at the dark ceiling. "This baby is going to change our lives forever, but it's a change for the better."

"Absolutely; I think all we can do is take it one day at a time and I'm willing to do that, if you are." He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.

"Of course. Is there anything else you want to talk about?" he questioned. Conner felt her move around beside him, and then a pillow slam over his face.

"Yes; be quiet and let me get some sleep."

A/N: Seriously, this chapter… I was ready to rip my hair out and I'm still not happy with it. Oh well; I plan on going back and revising this story once it is finished so I may come up with something a bit better. Or if you all like it this way, let me know. Anyway, thanks to the following people for reviewing:

HiddenInTheSun, Axcel, EclipseKuran, and Guest.

Feel free to tell me what you think and you can always PM me if you have any questions.

~Moon White Rose