Link smirked as they stopped at Lake Hylia, helping her get off of Epona.

"Here we are!" he grinned happily as he patted Epona, letting her know she could wander but not too far. "Time to relax while the sun's still high up and not a cloud in the sky."

Zelda gave him a look as he pulled off his tunic, leaving him in his tan shirt and trousers along with boots. "Link, we have no swimsuits," she said. He gave her a grin. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing, I swear," Link held up his hands with a chuckle. "It's not like anything is going to happen between us, right? We're not going to do anything. We'll just be taking a dip in the water without anything on."

Zelda laughed. "So, we're skinny dipping."

"Yup!"

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle before starting to undress herself, smiling when Link turned around in order to give her privacy. She smiled even more when Epona moved to stand in front of her and she swore the horse gave her a wink.

There were no regrets in her decision to be with Link.

By the time they arrived back at Hyrule Castle, their hair was still wet, but not too damp. They felt much cooler than they did when they left. Link chuckled as he helped Zelda down, happy to see how she was much more relaxed than ever.

Christopher watched from a distance. He could see what they had meant when they said they loved each other; he had never seen Zelda so happy before. Link truly made her happier than anyone else could even try to do. He made it look so easy and effortless while it was much harder than it seemed.

He knew there was no fighting them on who they would be with. Zelda would fight against anyone who opposed her love for Link. Link would happily do the same with anyone who said he couldn't love her.

In some sense, they were like Romeo and Juliet but in the very end, they both were alive and in love.

They would not change their minds when it came to each other and everyone would have to accept that fact. Christopher sighed heavily as he turned on his heels and walked back into the castle, ready to inform the nobles that they were fighting a battle that couldn't be won.

He knew for a fact the nobles would turn their attention to a wedding between the two despite what they had said about marrying each other when they were ready.

Link was so in love with Zelda that he didn't care what happened to them as long as they were together, he was happy. He would protect her with all his life and would make sure she was the happiest woman in the entire world. In return, he would be the happiest man alive by being with her.

They might not be married officially, but they were in their eyes.

That was enough for them.

"How long until the nobles demand that we marry?" questioned Link, jokingly of course.

Zelda giggled as she kissed his cheek. "Not long now," she winked. "I bet you the moment I walk into the meeting tomorrow, I'll be demanded to have a wedding date set up and everything will suddenly be planned."

Link suddenly felt nervous and the ring in his pouch felt heavy.

"Um," he trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.

"I know," Zelda cooed, pulling him into her arms. "I know— it's scary to think about, but I promise you, we'll only marry when you feel comfortable and not because of them."

Link breathed a sigh of relief, as he nodded, the weight of the ring disappearing. He couldn't help but wonder if the Hero of Time ever had to deal with this sort of thing before he shook his head; no. He wouldn't want to pull his ancestor away from his love again. They were happily together in the afterlife and he would figure this whole thing out on his own.

When he was ready, he would ask Zelda to marry him.

And then they would have an Ordon wedding opposed to a big, fancy royal wedding like the nobles would like.

It would be their day; not the nobles' day.

He watched as Zelda began to walk away back into the castle, being escorted by a guard who gave him a wink as they walked next to the princess. Link smiled happily before pulling out the ring to take another look.

The ruby shined when the sunlight hit it and he took a deep breath. He needed to practice on what he would say.

The Hero of Time had told his princess what was in his heart. He had said it made tears come to her eyes. Link smiled softly at the idea of saying what he truly felt for Zelda and hoped she would like his proposal.

"What's in my heart…" Link whispered, clutching the ring tightly. "I have a lot of things in my heart for her… she's my everything. Like the Hero of Time, I want to cherish her forever. But most importantly… I want her to be mine officially that way no one else can get to her…"

He had some planning to do.

Egil looked up from his drink to see Link walking in with a deep thoughtful expression on his face and smiled softly as he watched him slump down. He ignored anyone who tried to speak with him and they knew right away he was thinking about his proposal to Zelda.

"Oi," Egil tapped him on the shoulder. "You look deep in thought. What's up?"

Link sighed heavily. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to say to Zelda while I'm going to propose."

"Just say anythin' romantic," suggested Jack.

Link shook his head, wanting to go along with the Hero of Time's advice. "No, I want to say what's in my heart," he replied. "I feel like that would make it better and she's not really the romantic type anyways."

Tyler smiled softly. "You really know her."

"And really love her," Tobias added.

"I do," he mumbled as he leaned back in his chair. His mind was racing as was his heart. He couldn't help but worry over what Zelda would actually say in return to his proposal and bit his lip. "What if she says no?"

Egil scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "She won't," he replied. "You're the only one who's ever come close to her. Everyone else who wants her attention has to prove themselves or fight for it. You're different."

"Yeah," agreed Marcus. "She loves you."

Tyler placed his hands behind his head as he gave Link a wink. "Besides, who else has a shot at asking the Princess to marry them?" he asked. "You're the Hero of Time's descendant and by this point, any connection by blood between the pair of you is long gone."

"He's right," Luca agreed, stepping up. "And at this point, I doubt the nobles will even freaking care as long as she's married to someone."

Link nodded, knowing he was right. It did slightly bother him, their families were once tied together by two people but the blood relation had died down over the centuries to the point where it was hardly remembered.

That helped him know that it would be overlooked by a lot of people and most wouldn't even look into their family history anyways.

His mind was made up.

Tomorrow would be the day he would ask her. He would make sure she missed out on that meeting for their special moment; he was tired of waiting and he wanted to make their ancestors proud.

He had to make the Hero of Time even prouder of him.

He had to.