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"I wonder what's taking Zelda so long," Roy sighed, sitting at a table in the castle's kitchen. "You'd think that I was in an easy place to find. . ."

"It ain't that easy to find your way 'round this castle, you know," said one of the Hylian cooks, named Scarlett. "Especially if you've never been here before--I remember seeing you years ago, Roy, but I don't know no Zelda."

"She was dreadfully ill the last time we came," Roy explained. "Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it. However, she's feeling much bet. . ."

Roy's voice trailed off as he saw Zelda walk through the kitchen door. All the soot that had been caked onto her body had dissolved in the bath water, and Peach's dress was a very flattering fit. She sat down next to Roy, feeling slightly self-concious in the Princess' lovely dress.

"You--you, uh. . .look great," Roy stuttered, staring at Zelda in awe.

"Um, thanks," Zelda said uncomfortably, blushing. "Well, Malon told me that I was to come downstairs to eat dinner, so. . .here I am, I guess."

"Of course, dear," Scarlett said, setting down a bowl of stew. "Would you happen to be Zelda, this one that Roy's been talkin' about non-stop?"

"Non-stop, hm?" Zelda asked, turning to Roy. "Well, yes, I am Zelda. I guess we'll all be spending dinners together from now on, so may I ask what your name is?"

"Yes, of course," Scarlett laughed. "My name's Scarlett, that's Cody, and Sophie is over there in the corner."

Cody, a large black man, sat down next to Zelda. "Have you ever been to Hyrule castle before?"

"No," Zelda answered. "This is my first. . .and so far, it's been very thrilling." She wasn't very enthusiastic when she said this, but she didn't sound sarcastic either. "I guess I can only hope that things don't get worse."

"Since you don't know the royal's 'round here," said Sophie, sitting across from Cody, "perhaps we could fill you in on them a bit. See, we're only the cooks, so we don't hear too much from the princes and princess themselves, but aaaallllllll the other servants love to tell us everything there is to know."

"Erm. . .okay," Zelda said, a little confused.

"Princess Peach is a very pleasant person, unless she has one of her wild mood swings," Scarlett said. "She's quite a picky eater, but is also very forgiving. She NEVER gets embarrassed, she likes dancing, and she's obsessed with her cats."

"I've met her cats," Zelda said.

"Aye, the cats," Sophie sighed wistfully. "I remember poor Squeaks used to always come in here before dinner to see if he could get a bite to eat. . .not to say that the Princess doesn't feed the cats enough, but he just liked to follow the smells. . ." She started sobbing hysterically, and Scarlett put a comforting arm around her.

"Squeaks got run over a couple days ago," she explained to the very confused Roy and Zelda. "Anyway, movin' on. Next we have Prince Link."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Trust me, there probably isn't a thing I don't know about him. He likes the colors green and yellow, he loves reading about geography and culture, he's allergic to pepper and curry, crickets make him nervous, he has arachnaphobia, his horse is named Epona, he knows how to play the ocarina, and he's never tried lobster." She said this all very quickly, and stopped to take a deep breath.

"How'd you--" Sophie started.

"He's had more schooling than his brother or sister, he likes doing algebra, when he was three he had a pet turtle named Terri who was eaten by a Skull-kid, he likes to draw and paint, he hates fishing, he likes to fence using his 'Master Sword,' he enjoys writing haikus, he's never been stung by a bee, he practices his fighting skills at eleven-thirty at night and six in the morning, and his favorite season is winter."

Cody, Scarlett, Roy and Sophie stared at Zelda blankly. "Wow," the black cook finally said. "You barely know him, and yet you're already infatuated!"

"That's not what it's like," Zelda sighed. "Being Princess Malon's personal servant, I know pretty much everything there is to know about Prince Link. SHE'S the one who's smitten by him."

"Aye, I remember that," Sophie laughed. "She'll stop at nothin' to make him love her, that red-headed princess. She and Princess Peach have been rivals ever since they first met each other."

"Really?" Zelda asked curiously. "That's interesting. . .all I know is that Malon is seriously head-over-heels about this guy." She hesitated before asking, "So. . .what's Darryl like?"

"Well, he can be unbelievably supercilious sometimes," Scarlett sighed, leaning back in her chair. "But he certainly does have an air about him. If you ask me, I'm surprised he's not related to Prince Marth and Princess Malon. . ."

"Who's to say he's not?" Cody asked mysteriously.

"What d'you mean?" Scarlett, Sophie and Roy asked with curiousity.

Cody looked around before answering them. "Well, a couple years back I heard some rumors that Prince Darryl doesn't have any actual royal blood in him. He was adopted by their majesties when he was barely a newborn!"

Zelda dropped her fork loudly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Interesting rumor," Sophie laughed. "But there ain't no chance of Darryl not bein' a true Prince. The way he acts, it's like he knew he was going to be royal before he was even born!" She turned to Roy and Zelda. "If you two want to make a good impression, I'll tell you now that the Prince likes horses an awful lot."

"He gets at least five horses every year," Cody added. "One for Christmas, his birthday, Easter, and boxing day. Then of course, he can get more than one on each occasion. I must've seen hundreds of his horses die. Pitiful, really."

"Aye," said Sophie. "Fortunately for us servants, the Princess sterilized all her cats. I'd hate havin' to run after kittens all over the palace day after day."

"Which reminds me," Zelda said, standing up. "I'd better change out of this dress and give it back to the Princess. It's been a very informative evening. But now, I bid you all good-night."

"Wait," said Roy, also getting to his feet. "Let me escort you to your room."

"No, that's really not necess--"

"I insist."

Sighing, Zelda walked out of the door. "If you must." She walked out of the kitchen, and tried to find the way back to her room. The Hyrule castle was so much larger than the one at Altea, and she was very confused. . .

"Roy, do you remember how to--" Turning around, Zelda stopped talking. Roy was no where in sight. She saw Prince Marth standing behind her. "O-oh, your highness! I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. . ."

"It's quite all right," Marth said. He walked up and put an arm around Zelda's shoulder. "It seems to me that you have forgotten the way to your room. Please, allow me to escort you there."

"Er. . .okay. . ." Zelda said uneasily. Marth had never given her this much attention before, let alone even acknowledge her presence. What was going on? Where had Roy skipped off to? "Wait, here's my room."

"Oh, this is it already?" Marth asked, the sound of disappointment clearly in his voice.

"Um, yes, your majesty," Zelda answered, opening the door. "I borrowed this dress from Princess Peach, and I must return it to her."

"Ah," Prince Marth said. Before Zelda could close her door, the Prince took her hand. He pulled her closely towards him, then (to her great shock) kissed her. She quickly ran into her room and slammed the door shut.

'I wondered what that would be like,' Marth thought to himself, walking slowly back down the corridor. He smiled devilishly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A/N:

short i know, but i couldnt think of more to add!!

Random Quote:

"Tomorrow is another day!" --Scarlett O'Hara