I have tried everything I could think of to try and replace those ugly horizontal lines, really. But I can't, this page eats everything I try putting instead of that, so I have no other choice.

I hate them.

Enjoy!

Mina was brushing her Highness' hair when Leela and Rosie started to talk about the Hero.

"He is dashing, I tell you," Leela had been smitten by him since the first moment, "nice and gentlemanly," she swooned. Rose could only giggle and try to imagine such a man.

They were whispering, trying to do their chores with delicacy, but Mina could feel her Highness' discomfort, the way her shoulders tensed under her fingers.

"Does her Highness have something she wants to talk about?"

Zelda's blue eyes looked at Mina through the mirror, but she shook her head slightly. She wasn't going to talk about him to Mina, or anyone for that matter. She had begun to feel oddly protective of her relationship with him.

She had been careless, she had forgotten who she was, where she was, what she meant. She had been freed of Zant's claws just to find herself amidst a bunch of hungry people. She had had trouble ruling before, why hadn't she thought of the problems ahead? It was her fault.

And she had brought Link into the mess. She was doubting herself, again, she was doubting her actions. Maybe she should have let him free, free of her, free of tasks, free of people asking from him. She was going to honor him, of course, but maybe she could have sent him riches to his door, let him be.

Maybe the fact the letters had been intercepted had been good. No letters from her would mean he wouldn't come back, right? He would think it a scorn, forget about her, leave her alone. Like she was supposed to be. He would remember she was the Ice Princess, he wouldn't have to suffer with her.

"...won't you, your Majesty?"

Zelda rose her head, "Pardon me? I didn't quite get what you said."

Leela giggled behind a sheet, "I was telling Rosie that she will be able to see him, because her Majesty will bring him to honor his deeds, won't you, your Majesty?"

Mina let the brush on the table, and started braiding her Highness' hair.

"That is correct," Zelda gave the girl a demure smile, "I will have him honored, wether he comes here or not. I owe him that much."

Leela gave a squeak while Rose laughed at her reaction.

"You will see, Rosie," Leela twirled around, "you will see!"

Mina shushed the over-excited girl, "Back to your chores, Leela, no more talk about him."

Leela straightened and stifled her happiness, "Yes, ma'am," she gave Rose a look and went back to the sheets.

Zelda closed her eyes as she felt Mina tugging at her hair.

"Is her Highness worried about the Hero?"

Zelda openes her eyes, alarmed, but neither Leela nor Rose were in the room.

Mina gave her a soft look, "I knew it." She finished her Highness' hair with a blue ribbon, "There has been a rather big commotion about him, and you, and some letters going around."

Zelda sighed, "So I've gathered. Shameful."

Mina let her Majesty stand up, followed her to her wardrobe. Leela had already picked her Majesty's clothes.

"Is her Majesty sure he is coming to the Castle?"

Zelda touched her clothes, "I wouldn't know, the letters are being held, you see."

Mina undressed her Majesty, "You're overthinking, your Majesty."

"How come everyone knows already?"

Mina snorted, "Well, first of all, your council is dying to get you out of there, so even your walls have ears; second, we maids have a knack for gossip, and seriously, Leela? You had Leela bring you food? She told everyone how handsome the Hero was, and how beautiful it would be for him to be King, whatever; and third, everyone saw Cade going around with letters, it doesn't take a sharp mind to figure out who wrote them... and well, things got out, and now everyone is in love with your love story, apparently. Everyone but your council, it seems."

Zelda rolled her eyes, Mina was tying laces on her back, "It would be out of a fairytale, Mina," the maid mocked, "you have no idea what people have been telling out there."

"Cade gave me a rough overview."

"Well, then, you'll have people judging you for whatever you do, let's see how it turns out."

Mina tightened her Highness' dress, "Stop overthinking, please, you want him honored, have him honored, don't think about what everyone else will think."

"He really doesn't deserve to be treated like this."

Midna frowned, "You don't, either."

"He is really young," Zelda shared.

"How young are we talking ab-"

"Seventeen."

Mina huffed, "That is not young," Zelda gave her a look, "maybe to you, yes, but, and forgive me for this, but you were sheltered your whole life. He is from Ordona, right? A farmer? I know for a fact that in Castle Town life is harsh for anyone who is not a noble, I don't see why it would be different in the provinces."

"I just-"

"You're having second thoughts, why doesn't it surprise me?"

Zelda pouted and looked away, "I'm just worried, is all."

"When aren't you."

Mina felt her princess tense, and decided that all her worries, as always, came from the best of places, "You have already decided to reward him and honor him, go through with it. I can assure you that the peasants will be overjoyed," Mina decided not to talk about either the noblepeople or her Majesty's council.

Zelda nodded slightly.

Mina tried reassuring her Princess, "Don't let things get tangled in your beautiful little head. Not everything has to be confusing and worrying. He had nothing before his journey, right? Everything he did was out of a sense of justice or duty, or whatever, but he never once asked something out of you, did he?"

Zelda sighed, "Yes, he... he did not."

"Well, I like him already."

Cade found her in one of the hallways, moving with haste to reach the councilroom.

"Princess!" there were no guards nearby, so if he was to come clean about the whole fiasco with the famous letters, it had to be now. He had to tell her, before she heard it from somebody else.

Zelda saw him and slowed her walk, "Cade," she greeted, "it's nice to see you."

Cade swallowed the lump from his throat. Just let it out, man, on three, do it. Cade could see she was tired, her eyes, her skin, her stance.

"I sent the letters," he blurted, if he was to tell her about it, at least he could start from the good news.

Zelda gave him a thin-lipped smile, "Thank you, Cade."

Zelda gave him a couple of seconds, waited for him to talk, but the words weren't coming, and she nodded.

"If that is all, then I-"

"They know about them," Cade could feel the shame in his voice, "as in, they know what you wrote, as in... they opened your letters and stuff."

Cade felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder, "I understand, Cade, thanks for telling me."

Cade openes his mouth, but Zelda shook her head, "Don't worry about it, it's not your fault."

She smiled and left, and Cade knew. She was going to blame herself.

Dotour Amour was squirming in his seat, eager to discuss with her Majesty what he believed to be a waste of resources, a useless show of gratitude, a completely unecessary deed. He waited till her Majesty was in her seat, respecting her royal position, before he spoke.

"Your Majesty, I believe, before we discuss anything else, that we should talk about the elephant in the room," Lady Ria, beside him, was nodding, "it has come to the council's attention tha-"

"Are we not going to wait for William, Sir Dotour?" Tela Weiss, one of those youngsters Dotour couldn't care less about, spoke with the soft voice that was typical of her.

"If he can not abide to the times we have already stablished, I don't see why we should wait for him, Tela, dear."

Tela nodded in acknowledgment. Kafei rolled his eyes, and Dotour had to swallow the scorn that was rising in his throat.

"As I was saying, then, it has come to the council's attention that you intend to have your Hero honored, with titles and lands, is that correct?"

Zelda kept her eyes fixed in some documents in front of her, "I don't see how the council has come to know that, since I have clearly not said anything."

Dotour coughed, "It is a matter of whether you did or not, your Majesty."

"I would think it more along the lines of how far will you disrespect your sovereign, but I'll answer anyways. Yes, I did, but since I have not brought it as a matter to the council, I still fail to see why you think it important to discuss."

Dotour smiled, she had fell for it. She was still a brash woman.

"May I know from where were you going to take the funds to honor this Hero?" he had to refrain from air quoting the word 'honor'.

"For what it matters, I'm totally in favor of having him honored," chirped Mikau, "he saved her Majesty, it's the least we can do."

"Not the point," barked Dotour.

"Yes, my father just wants to shame our Princess from taking money from the vaults, do you not, dear father?"

Zelda looked at Dotour in the face, "Well, Sir Dotour, I'll have you know that I was going to take both, the lands and the money from my personal treasury. I'm sure you know that as a Princess I am covered in that front, so don't you worry, I won't touch money meant for the Kingdom. It's good to know you care so much for that."

Dotour clenched his jaw.

"Since we're talking about this Hero, may I ask something more personal, your Majesty?" Lady Ria smirked at Mikau, he was glaring at her.

"As you wish," Zelda said as nonchalant as possible.

"Those rumours about him being a candidate to the throne, are just that, right? Rumours?"

"Come on," Mikau whined, "he saved her and left. This is ridiculous," he took a piece of paper and showed it to Lady Ria, "we have to talk about the upcoming Nayru's season, stop being insufferable and let her Majesty be. If she wants to give him her whole treasury it's her choice-"

"But it's not," Dotour snarled, "It's not just her choice, not since she accepted her role as sovereign. She has to answer to her council, and I find it rather worrying that she is offering an unkown man titles and lands out of nowhere."

"He saved her life," cried Mikau, "for Hylia's sake we have more important things-"

"What if he is just manipulating her, Sir Mikau?"

"Sure, because he made the invasion happen, right?"

Dotour bit his cheek, he knew already the youngsters believed in the invasion, he knew already how talking about the invasion as if it didn't exist was just a bad move. Dotour looked at Lady Ria, hoping to find the support she had offered.

"You are a young, beautiful woman, you have and will have your fair amount of suitors. Please just ease this old woman's soul and promise not to do anything rash regarding-"

"I know perfectly well that my future husband will have to go through harsh scrutiny, Lady Ria. Link Ordon, in case you have not heard his name yet, is a loyal supporter, and I will have him honored. And I swear to Hylia if you or anyone disrespects him because you assume things of him, I will have you-"

"Oh, and you didn't wait for me?" William was smiling from ear to ear, he looked around and made room for the person walking behind him, "I had trouble convincing this man to join us, but you can thank me later."

Dotour looked ready to kill William, and though Lady Ria was still looking at Zelda, she turned her head as fast as she could when she heard William call the man's name.

"Sir Auru, please take a seat."

Zelda had been warned. Cade had told her, Mikau had told her, Ashei and Shad had told her.

She had been warned, and yet it was hard to believe. Auru Po'hra, her father's most trusted advisor, was walking into the councilroom.

And if she doubted her memory, Dotour Amour's reaction was telling, he was the oldest member in her council - arguably the most powerful -, and he was red in the face, fighting for words that weren't coming, with eyes filled with ire.

Zelda had never, in her life, seen him like this.

"You disgusting traitor," Dotour growled.

William had to catch a paperweight before it hit Auru's face, "Oh, well, this will be fun."