Saturdays were Zelda's favorite day of the week. There was no need to arise early to prepare for court. No phone calls that demanded her immediate attention. No pressure to be at the church ten minutes before the service began 'for the sake of appearances'. She could simply exist. Rest. Recover from a long week and mentally prepare for the one approaching.

A cup of hot tea and a Danish pastry were the perfect start of the morning. The house was quiet, as usual. Not that it was ever noisy when there were only two people that lived in the palatial estate. After she moved 'home' for college, she'd questioned why they needed five bedrooms when their largest gatherings only had one or two extended family members staying at a time. But her father gave no explanation and refused to consider anything smaller. They had a cleaning staff that came in twice a week, and apart from doing her own laundry, Zelda had no real upkeep in the house. It was just as well when she wasn't home much during the week.

And at least this weekend, she wouldn't be home in the evening either. She had a dinner party to go to, a celebration graciously organized by one of the other bridesmaids for her best friend, Mipha. Ordinarily, such an event was organized by the maid of honor, but given how overloaded Zelda had been with work recently, Saki graciously volunteered to host instead.

It was just as well. Zelda's father was out of town for the weekend, and he didn't allow her to host any gatherings when he was absent. In many respects, it made her feel like she was no better than a child despite her twenty-three years. She had no curfew, but that meant little. Rhoam still requested he be notified whenever she was going to be later than ten. When she was bringing anyone to the house. It was enough to deter her from doing anything apart from sleeping and her gardening.

The day passed quickly out in her greenhouse. By late afternoon, Zelda headed back inside to shower and dress in something more appropriate for an evening with the bride and other bridesmaids. Not too dressy since they weren't going out. Yet being with other young women meant she had a certain standard to uphold for herself. The pencil skirts for court weren't needed, but she still did her light, natural makeup like she did during the week before turning to look in the mirror from all angles.

The dress hung to her mid-thighs in a simple A-line style with a slight scooped neckline. Three-quarter sleeves stretched below her elbows but not low enough to be in her way. A decorative lace belt accented the waist enough to give it a point of interest to the otherwise simple navy blue dress. She slipped her favorite necklace on, adjusting the Silent Princess pendant on the delicate gold chain. Gold hoops matched it, peeking out from under the long waves of her blonde hair.

A low, black strappy heel completed the ensemble, and she gave a satisfied nod before grabbing her black clutch, the gift bag Mipha insisted wasn't necessary, and her car keys. The drive across town wouldn't take more than a few minutes, but Zelda was determined not to be late.

A quarter hour later, she was parking in front of the unassuming house that Saki called home. Zelda had met the woman a handful of times, enough to be vaguely acquainted but not close enough to refer to her with the familiarity of the word 'friend'.

"Zelda! Wait up! We can go in together!" Another female voice called as the blonde got out of her car.

She turned, a smile crossing her face as the pale nurse ran up to her. Pink highlights accented the otherwise white-blonde hair of Azalea. She wore a pink v-neck blouse with puffed sleeves and a light gray skirt that fell to her knees. White flats completed her comfortable, semi-formal outfit.

"Don't you look cute!" Az gushed, setting her package down to give her a tight hug. She was a head shorter, but it didn't stop her from throwing her arms around Zelda's neck and pulling her close enough to give a good whiff of her cherry blossom perfume.

"Thank you. It's nice to see you out of your scrubs," Zelda replied with a smile.

"Don't I know it! I put a load of laundry on before I left with specific instructions for my sister to change it over as soon as it beeps. She's at home with the cats tonight for once." Az picked back up the large gift bag and matched her step to the door. "Are the others here?"

"Ladies!" Saki greeted them at the door, throwing it wide. "Come on in! Mipha and Paya are here, so we're all set."

Zelda followed her inside, getting a good look at their hostess in the well-lit entryway. Saki was known for being vivacious, and that carried over into her sense of style. Her lavender curls were pulled back into a high ponytail and accented with a wide white-eyelet headband. She wore a cream-colored off-the-shoulder crop top with puffy sleeves. Several inches of Saki's midriff showed above the waistband of the electric pink full skirt that fell to her ankles, save for the slit up to her thigh that allowed her to move with ease.

"I feel underdressed," Paya joked from the doorway. "Look at you ladies!" She slipped past Saki to give the newcomers each a hug in turn. "She said 'casual' so I took her literally." She gestured to her hiphugger jeans and high neck tank top combination with her black flats.

"You look just beautiful, all of you," Mipha assured them, coming out of the living room to greet them. The blushing bride-to-be was in a soft white dress as sweet and romantic as her personality. Long, flowing lace sleeves fell to her pale hands, and only the slightest hint of cleavage peeked from underneath the sweetheart neckline of the dress the redhead wore. "I'm so thankful you all are here to celebrate with me!"

"We wouldn't miss it for the world!" Az set her package down again to hug her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous and excited now that the wedding is only a week away," Mipha admitted. "But most of the preparations have come together without difficulties."

"Why don't we take this discussion to the dining room?" Saki suggested. "Dinner is ready, and I've got something special planned for dessert later on too."

The ladies followed her into the dining room where the head charge nurse had prepared a pesto chicken dish served with pasta, rolls and a fresh garden salad. Saki poured glasses of a semi-sweet white wine, and raised a toast before the small group began to eat.

After dinner, the hostess topped off their wine glasses and guided them into the living room so Mipha could open the gifts she insisted she didn't need. The ladies only laughed, ignoring her protests.

"You had your bridal shower. Now your girlfriends get to spoil you rotten!" Paya explained with a giggle.

Mipha gave a long-suffering sigh and settled back into her armchair. "I do hope I shan't regret this."

"Don't you trust your friends' tastes?" Az asked innocently. Her pink eyes danced with mischief, betraying her true feelings.

"Certainly I do. But I also know their tendencies to 'help' me in ways that I may not deem necessary," Mipha replied, opening the gift from Paya first. She smiled as she pulled out the dark blue satin nightgown. It faltered when the bullet vibrator tumbled from the folds of the lingerie when she picked it up. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey, it can keep things lively, both when he's around and when he's working late nights."

Mipha shook her head and giggled. "We'll see what Revali thinks of the idea. I'll keep you posted."

"Mine next!" Az bounced up and down before handing her the large gift bag. "I promise I didn't get you a vibrator."

"Why isn't that reassuring?" Mipha pulled out four lingerie sets in shades of soft pink and one red from the bottom of the bag, and a pair of black furry handcuffs. "You know he has the real ones, right?"

"Yes, but these won't chaff your wrists. And you can keep them at home so you never risk losing them." Az beamed at her.

"No comment."

"Just for that remark, you're going with mine next," Saki declared. She slid a box in front of the bride.

Mipha shot her 'boss' a dark look as she pushed the tissue paper back. "You know that I have no desire to utilize such things. You wasted your money, Saki."

"Oh, I know. But that doesn't mean that Revali won't be into it. Do you know all of the man's kinks?" Saki raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Most of them. We've been living together for the last eight months," she pointed out. "He never mentioned wanting me to peg him."

"Suit yourself. Keep it in case he gets curious." Saki smirked at the blushing redhead. "Who knows. Both of you might like it."

She closed the box and tucked it aside. "I appreciate the gesture," she said sincerely.

Zelda had remained mostly quiet to this point, content watching the interactions between the other ladies. Now she was the last one to offer her gift, and she handed the gift bag to Mipha. "I can say with all sincerity that mine is rather boring by contrast."

"There is nothing wrong with that," Mipha assured her. "You have great taste. All of you do, even if it embarrasses me."

Zelda bit her lower lip, watching anxiously as her best friend lifted the white lace negligee and matching panty from the bag. "There's garters too," she murmured.

"Oh, these are beautiful!" Mipha breathed, running a finger over the thin red ribbons trimming the lingerie. "You remembered I didn't have anything for the wedding night."

"I couldn't let it remain that way," Zelda replied. "Regardless of the status of your virginity, you deserve to wear only the best on your wedding night. You're beginning a new chapter in your life with him, and deserve every happiness."

"Thank you. And my thanks to all of you ladies." Mipha sighed in content, looking at the packages she had received. "I couldn't have asked for more caring, wonderful friends."

Saki grinned and stood to head back into her kitchen. "Alright, ladies. Wine and gift time is over. Let's bust out the cocktails while we're waiting for dessert to get here!"

Az bounced up from her seat. "I can help pass out the glasses. I'm not good at mixing though."

"What do you mean you're not good at mixing?" Saki snorted. "If it's heavy on the booze, you'll have more fun."

"Just make sure the extra boozy one goes to Mipha. She's the one who needs it with all the last minute changes. I still can't believe that he didn't have his tux until last night!" Paya shook her head. The glass of wine she'd had had loosened her tongue and the typically shy girl was rosy-cheeked and happy while she leaned on the table, eyeing the leftover rolls in the middle with faint interest.

"It's not his fault," Mipha protested. "They lost his measurements so they had to have him refitted. At least it's here with a week to spare."

Zelda was quiet, simply watching Mipha from across the end table. Her friend was smiling and relaxed, glowing with anticipation for her new season of life ahead.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" the bride-to-be asked Zelda for the third time that evening. "You've had this thoughtful look on your face every time I look over."

"It's nothing." Zelda drained her wine glass and set it back on the table. "I'm just tired. We've had an unending list of cases this week. You name it, it's come across my desk. Custody battles, disputing a will, lawsuits over damaged property. Work never ends for our office."

"Don't forget the social work case that I had you consulting on last Wednesday," Paya added, breaking a piece off one of the rolls and idly eating it. "We'll be back in court next month for the next phase with that family."

Mipha frowned. "Have you considered taking a small vacation or at least finding a hobby to take your mind off work?"

"That would require far more time and patience than I have," Zelda said with a humorless laugh. "I have my small garden out in the greenhouse. It's enough, at least for the present moment."

"But not enough alcohol for the moment!" Saki sang as she came back out of the kitchen. She handed Mipha a tall, narrow glass of a fruity drink over ice. "For the bride-to-be."

"What is it?" she asked even as she took her first sip. "Oh, it's good!"

"Sex on the beach," Saki replied with a cheeky grin. "Vodka, peach schnapps, grapefruit and cranberry juices."

Zelda blinked at their hostess. "The drink is called 'sex on the beach'? Who in the name of Hylia came up with that moniker?!"

"Because it's fun and naughty, like sex on the beach is." Saki took the glass Az handed her and passed it to Zelda. "See for yourself."

The blonde eyed her beverage skeptically before taking a small sip. The tart juice and bite of the alcohol exploded across her tongue, but the lingering flavor was peach, a fact that surprised her greatly. "It is quite good," she admitted.

Az took a sip of her own and sighed in contentment. "Mmmm. This takes me back. Drinks at a mixer I went to last summer. They made an amazing peach bellini."

"It's hard to find good peach recipes so when you do, snatch them up! And then share them with me, because I love a good peach drink," Saki added, shooting her a wink.

The doorbell rang and Saki sprang from her seat, setting her glass down. "That's the dessert I ordered! Hang tight, ladies."

"I wonder what she has planned," Mipha pondered aloud. "With Saki, we never know what to expect."

"She definitely keeps you on your toes, doesn't she?" Az giggled, sipping on her drink. "But she's serious when she needs to be at work. I'm really thankful she's the charge nurse. I've enjoyed getting to know her!"

Zelda looked from Mipha to Az and Paya in turn. She felt like the odd one out. They all had careers aiding people in need. Nursing and a social worker. What did she have to show for her time in college? Technical writing and jargon that most individuals shied away from the moment they found out she was a lawyer. She had to be articulate, keep her composure at all times, and argue on behalf of her clients. The argument could be made that her work was rewarding too, but it wasn't the same, and Zelda was only too keenly aware of the differences.

Male voices carried to her ears and she looked up in confusion. Saki had returned with two young men dressed in snug black pants and black button-down shirts, both of whom carried packages of food in their arms. The redhead of the duo laughed at a comment Saki made, shooting Zelda a wink when he caught her staring. She flushed and looked away, her green eyes landing on the blond now facing away from her. He was shorter than the redhead, but fit and muscular in all the right places.

His face was turned towards the kitchen while he unboxed a fruit-covered cheesecake and set it on the counter. She had just a moment to mentally note that his hair was longer than most guys she'd seen before the tanned redhead was blocking her view as he crossed the room and knelt in front of the armchair where Mipha was curled up with her legs tucked under her.

"Well hello," he purred, offering a kiss on the back of her hand. "Someone tells me that you're getting married next weekend. Is that correct?"

Mipha's face turned as scarlet as her head and she nodded.

"Glad to hear that I wasn't mistaken." He rolled to his feet and gestured for the blond to join him. "Your friend, Saki, was it? She asked us to come and help you celebrate."

Mipha bit her bottom lip nervously. "Help us celebrate? But we don't even know, you." The words caught in her mouth as she locked eyes with the blond.

Zelda could only watch from her seat adjacent to Mipha. The taller redhead efficiently blocked her view of his companion. Though based on the two men's demeanor and appearance, she had a pretty good idea that she knew where this was going.

"Our names are not important. For the evening, you may refer to us as simply 'Hero'," he paused and gestured to the blond. "And 'King.'" He pointed to himself.

"Hero and King?" Az echoed from her seat on the couch. "What kinds of names are those?"

"Stripper names!" Saki burst out, returning to her seat and taking a long drink of her cocktail. "Enjoy the show, ladies!"

Four pairs of eyes locked onto the lavender-haired woman simultaneously. "What? It's her last week of freedom. At least she should have some fun and remember she can still look, even if she is 'cuffing herself to a cop."

The two men requested a chair. Saki gestured to the tall barstools, and King moved it into the middle of the room. For the first time since she'd come in, Zelda felt her heart pounding faster. She wrapped her arms around herself and sank further back into her armchair and took a long swallow of her cocktail. Strippers, for her shy best friend's bachelorette. Only Saki would come up with such an idea.

Music started from an unseen location, and Zelda was snapped out of her thoughts. Mipha was staged as the audience for this show, but the view from where she herself sat gave her the profile of the two dancers. Strippers, she corrected herself. They were dancers, but of the erotic sort, meant to entice and sell themselves. What sort of life must they live to justify whoring themselves out for sex? Strippers were the small step above prostitutes, and the gods only knew she wasn't about to delve into that can of worms. She had enough of that with the assault and battery case she'd handled in her first six months after passing the bar.

The excitement from her friends pulled her back to watching the strippers. Hero stood off to the side, facing away from them, as if awaiting a cue. King, meanwhile, had removed boots and his shirt, revealing his heavily muscled torso. He flexed for Mipha and encouraged her to run her hands over his chest before turning to each of the other girls one by one. Zelda did have to admit he was handsome when he came to her. There was no denying that. The chocolate eyes that caught hers danced with laughter and amusement. Oh, this man was trouble. A flirt, if ever she'd met one. Only too fitting for a stripper.

The music changed and Hero made his entrance. The blond was a full head shorter than the redheaded King, but his movements were more agile, bordering on graceful. When had he changed to a blue tunic instead of the black button-down he was wearing when he came in?

"Oh my gods," Paya murmured when Hero's shirt came off.

Az squealed and peeked through her fingers. "Saki! You're gonna get me in trouble with my boyfriend!"
"Hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt him! Hell, none of the boys are going to find out. Are they,

girls?"

"What boys?" Paya giggled. "I'm single and loving it! Right, Zelda?"

Zelda didn't answer. She was too mesmerized by the way the blond rolled his body and moved in response to the redhead. His long hair kept falling across his face, blocking her from getting a good look at his features. It didn't really matter though. His muscular form more than made up for the lack of being able to see his face.

Hero angled his body up against the bar stool while King pantomimed trying to climb and pull them both down. King locked eyes with Zelda and smirked.

She blinked and cocked her head slightly, confused by the mischievous look on his tanned face. What was he planning?

Her eyes trailed down their figures, then immediately widened. She clapped her hands over her fiery face but found herself peeking through her fingers. Her ears registered the squeals and cheers from her friends, but her own lips stayed tightly sealed.

She'd just gotten an eyeful of the blond's cock thanks to the redhead.

On purpose.

He was half-hard, big enough that she could tell he was gifted in that area. And he shaved because the long hair on his head wasn't matched down below. Her heart pounded in her chest and she looked away quickly, finding a spot on the floor to focus her gaze. Not that it mattered. The image of him pinned under the redhead with his cock on display was now ingrained in her mind.

The music came to an end and Zelda lifted her head to focus back on her friends. The blond's cock was tucked back into his thong, and he was standing silently beside the redhead while King conversed with Mipha.

"It's only fair that you be given the first choice since it's you that we're celebrating," he explained with a smile. "Then of course, it goes to your maid of honor."

Mipha's red cheeks matched Zelda's own. "O-of course. Um, perhaps I'll let you dance for me while uh…" She looked helplessly from the redhead towards Zelda.

Oh no. Mipha wouldn't throw her under the bus like this… would she?

"You'll have to forgive Hero's silence. The Hero of Legend was not known to be talkative, and our Hero here gets shy too when in the presence of beautiful ladies such as yourselves." King winked at Mipha. "But he won't mind dancing for your friend, uhhh,...?

"Zelda. My maid of honor." Mipha offered a sheepish smile to her best friend.

"Could it be any more meant to be?!" King exclaimed, clapping his hands. "She's named after the princesses of old, and he's playing the Hero of Legend."

"Awwww!" Az cooed from across the room. "And you're both blondes too, so it's even cuter!"

Zelda wished the floor would open and swallow her whole. She wasn't overly religious of her own volition but she silently prayed for the Goddess Hylia to deliver her from her present circumstances.

Her prayers went unanswered.

She stared at her new favorite spot on the floor. This wasn't happening. Couldn't be happening. Not with this man. Not with a stripper. She hadn't felt this much attraction to someone since… No. She wasn't thinking about him. Not now. She pushed the intrusive thoughts away and took a deep breath. Then a second deep breath. Thank the Goddess for yoga and meditative breathing techniques.

Bare feet stepped into her field of vision. Oh, goddess. This was really happening. She couldn't close her eyes. Her friends would never allow that. But as long as she wasn't looking at his crotch, or his face, it would be easier to push the thoughts from her mind once the ordeal was over.

She dared to follow his tanned legs upwards with her eyes as he began to move. Oh, the gods had it out for her. He was dancing to a slow song… Bob Marley's voice instructing her to turn the lights down low for the night registered for her ears.

She blocked out the sounds of her friends reacting to King's movements that she could see out of the corner of her eye. Mipha was giggling, but she couldn't dwell on that. Hero's hands were sliding slowly down his chest toward his hips.

Her tongue ghosted over her bottom lip when he did a slow, controlled body roll then turned slowly to give her a full view of his nearly naked ass. He did a booty-drop and held it, letting her focus on the long blond hair and muscles on his back before starting to rise.

Zelda couldn't help herself. She reached out and just touched the ends of his hair. She had to see if it was as soft as it looked. It didn't disappoint. She gasped in surprise, and flinched backwards while he peeked over his shoulder, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

"You can touch me if you'd like."

Was she imagining the low, husky tone from the blond dancing for her? She had to have been. He was silent. That was the role of the Hero. It was why some versions of the stories featuring the heroes of eld chose to portray him as being incapable of speech.

He was facing her again, and his hands slid over the tops of his thighs, highlighting the growing erection within his thong. There was no mistaking it. Whether it was from the song, or from her, Zelda wasn't sure. But regardless, he was hard, and her cheeks couldn't have been more red if she had caught fire.

He took a step closer until he was just in front of her seat, their bodies separated by a mere few inches while the music continued. Zelda's heart pounded in her chest. Could he sense the attraction? The growing desire she had to touch him, even though every rational part of her mind screamed that it was a bad idea, given his occupation?

A warm hand rested on the back of hers, then guided hers onto the heat of the skin on his chest. Zelda's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't fight it. Not that she wanted to. He was perfect, a blond chiseled god in her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to take him home to her bed.

She mentally shook her head. This all had to be a fantasy, right? Things like this didn't happen to her. But his hand was definitely guiding hers down his chest and circling around his nipples. She could feel his heart pounding under her fingertips, heat radiating off his skin.

Breathe, Zelda. Breathe. Open your eyes, she commanded herself. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt him guide her down to his hip while his body swayed and rolled to the music. She half-expected him to drag her hand to his cock so she'd end up stroking him, like her ex had demanded of her. But to her surprise, Hero seemed content to have a less intimate touch. Her palm on his skin was enough.

She bit her lip when he gave a half-turn, catching the woodsy scent of his shampoo when his hair brushed near her face. Her dress felt tight across her chest, and heat pooled between her legs. Zelda had to come to grips with a notion that sent a shiver down her spine. Her body betrayed her. Despite the vow she had made six months prior, she wanted a man. She craved the Hero.

A faint gasp escaped her as the full force of her realization washed over her.

Hero turned, and for an instant, Zelda caught a glimpse of concern on his face, and the corner of a blue eye. Then the song came to an end, and he was gone, leaving her to sit back and regain her composure while his attention was on the other ladies present.

Zelda wrapped her arms firmly around her waist and tucked her feet up under her on the armchair. Her world had just been turned on its axis. And all thanks to a muscular blond she wouldn't be seeing again.

Yet aroused or not, she wouldn't be breaking her vow. And certainly not for the likes of a manwhore like Hero. No, she would be protecting her heart. She wouldn't be heartbroken again.