Disclaimer: I no own Zelda! But I wish I yes own Zelda!
Chapter 12: First Dance
It was the day of the ball. The sky was just starting to darken as the sun made its decent. Rosemarie was practicing dancing with an old scarecrow as her mother finished her gown. Wildflower was coming every now and then to ask Rosemarie which dress she should wear to the ball. Wildflower had almost gone through her entire closet when she came upon a red, silk dress that had sequins and embroidery.
"How about this?" she asked holding it up. Rosemarie almost stumbled.
"That's so pretty! Where'd you get that!! I want a dress like it!" Rosemarie's mother raised her eyebrow. "For the next ball." Wildflower grinned.
"Then I guess I'll wear this. Do you think the prince will like it???"
"Yeah, why not." Rosemarie shrugged that off. In her mind, she wondered if he would like her own dress.
"Finished!" Rosemarie's mother said, holding up the gown. Rosemarie stared at it for a couple of seconds.
"Uh.........um.........don't you think that the neckline is a bit.........LOW???" Rosemarie's mother looked at it.
"No." Rosemarie opened her mouth and shut it again. It was, in fact, gorgeous. The blue silk was smooth and shiny; the red sashes seemed to blend in with the gown itself. At the hem, purple flowers raced across the seam line. Just the neckline was a bit low for comfort. Other than that, any girl would be jealous at its sight.
"Okay if you say so."
"Try it on!" Rosemarie went to her room. A few minutes later, she came out. It was simply beautiful on her. It outlined her every curve and flowed with her every movement.
"I doubt even the princess could get a gown like that!" Rosemarie's mother said. Rosemarie tugged at the gown straps.
"It's a bit low.........I feel self-conscious now!"
"Don't complain. Let me fix your hair so we can go."
"Me too! Me too!! I want to do her hair mommy!" Wildflower wailed.
"Okay, Wildflower, you may."
"MOM!! SHE'S GOING TO KILL MY-,"
"Oh, Rosemarie. Just calm down. I'll fix it if there are any problems." Rosemarie's mother went off to change into her dress. That left Rosemarie with Wildflower, who was sporting a very evil looking grin.
.........
Zelda came out of her room.
"You look gorgeous!" said her mother.
"I second that!" said her father. Zelda wished she had a sister who could third it. It would be nice to have someone who didn't always love you to say his or her opinion. Then maybe Zelda wouldn't get over inflated results.
"Are you sure?" Zelda asked. She smoothed the surface of her peach colored gown. It had bell sleeves that we cuffed with peach colored ruffles. There were at least three hoops in the skirt, with ruffles over ruffles. A bow tightened to outline her waist. Even the neckline was ruffled. Everything was silk, except the sheer sleeves.
"Beautiful," her mother said. Zelda smiled. She hoped Link would like it. What happened a few nights ago still seemed to be some far away dream.
"Now, let me do your hair."
.........
Link buttoned the collar of his coat. It was expensive silk. It had gold buttons and gold sword embroidering the cuff. Fancy silver thread was worked into the body of the coat to make it match the pants. Underneath, Link wore a wool shirt over a silk one. Perhaps it was a bit chilly outside, but the temperature inside made it very hot. Link took one last look in the mirror. His hair was getting into his eyes too much. He needed to cut it. Other than that, his appearance looked fine.
After he dressed, Link skipped down the stairs two at a time. His sister was already waiting at the bottom. She wore a red silk gown with ¾ sleeves. It was a bit puffy at the shoulders and the gown was layered. The bottom layer was silk, the top was see-through black netting. It was tied at the back with a big red bow. It looked very pretty on her.
"Waiting for your Marthy-Poo?" Link cooed once he reached her. She narrowed her eyes.
"Lay off!" she held up a fist to threaten him. It only made him laugh.
"Don't worry!" He ruffled her hair.
"Cut it out! I just had that curled!" He made his way to his mother.
"Are they here yet?" he asked impatiently. His mother turned to look at him. On her face was the look of exasperation at trying to make ten servants put up curtains.
"No.........wait, look!!!" The queen rushed to the window. Three carriages pulled up to the courtyard, followed by a few soldiers on horseback.
"They're here!" The queen rushed to the entrance hall as the king hurried up behind her. Aryll suddenly acted like she had to sing in front of the kingdom. She rushed over to Link and grabbed his wrists.
"Oh my Goddess! Marth is here! Marth is here! What am I going to say? What am I going to do???" Link winced as her manicured nails dug into his skin.
"Relax.........and.........ouch........." He was interrupted when the king called for them both. To Link's relief, Aryll let go and raced to the entrance. Link, however, was not as excited. He took as much time as he could to get to the entrance. He got there just as the royals were getting out of the carriage.
"Welcome," the king greeted. The other king grinned at him.
"Still as many gray hairs, eh?" The king of Hyrule grimaced.
"I'll pretend that's a compliment." Meanwhile, the queens were getting themselves acquainted. Marth was the next to come out from the carriage. He brandished his cloak and walked swiftly toward Aryll.
"Well, hello," he said. He bent and gently kissed her hand. Link knew Marth would have done more if given the chance. He put on the most cheerful expression he could, which ended up looking like a scowl.
"Well, if it isn't your brother Link." Marth straightened himself. Aryll frowned at her brother. She had an urge to whisper a warning to him before it was too late. The royal parents finally came to the young trio.
"Well, shake hands and lets get on with it," Marth's father said. The four parents and Aryll watched as Link and Marth stared at each other, scowling. Finally, Marth extended his hand. Link did the same. They attempted a handshake, but in the end, both were squeezing the other's hand as hard as they could. Neither was willing to give up. The queens shook their heads, and Aryll followed suit. The kings, however, stood behind their sons and cheered.
"Come one Marth!"
"You're better than him, Link, come on! Fight!"
"Is this a war or the ball???" Marth's mother sniffed. "He's going to be you brother-in-law. Deal with it and let's move on!"
"Same for you, Link!" the other queen said. Link and Marth let go as swiftly as possible, but they showed in their eyes that they wanted to go on.
"I wouldn't want to frighten Aryll," Marth said in a matter-of- fact tone. "I don't think she would want to see her brother injured before the wedding."
"One false step and you won't be able to even attend the wedding!" Link growled. The parents shook their heads. Marth smirked and took Aryll's hand, leading her away. That left a very annoyed, pissed off Link standing in the entrance.
"I swear that he'll be sorry some day!!!"
.........
"Can I look now?" Rosemarie asked. She tugged impatiently at the scarf around her eyes.
"Not ye-et," Wildflower said in a singsong voice.
"How long does it take for you to do my hair???" Rosemarie moaned. Wildflower chuckled.
"I'm making it sooooo pretty so the prince might actually like you for a while."
"He does like me! He loves me.........I think." Wildflower tied the last ribbon.
"Okay, you can look now." Rosemarie eagerly pulled off the sash around her head. She glanced at herself in the mirror.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rosemarie's mother almost dropped her earrings.
"What happened?" she asked, coming into the room. One look at Rosemarie and she gasped.
"What happened to you hair???" It was a complete disaster. One side was put up in a bounty of braids and ribbons, the other messily in three ponytails. Nothing matched.
"I told you! I told you! I told you! I will, never, ever, let her do my hair again!!!" Rosemarie ripped at the things in her hair.
"Wait, honey, you'll tangle it up!"
"Mom, you still have to do my hair!!" Yes, this was chaos.
.........
"There!" Zelda's mom finished brushing Zelda's hair. She gathered a portion and slipped in a barrette. "You look gorgeous!"
"So you've said for the tenth time!" Zelda looked at herself in the mirror. She was pretty, but the other adjectives didn't make sense to her. "Can we leave now?"
"Okay, but only you are going to be at the ball."
"WHAT?"
"Your father and I have to take care of some things. Do not worry, we have hired a carriage. You will be just fine." Zelda's mother left. Zelda looked at herself in the mirror again.
"Oh bother! Well, I just hope Rose gets there early. I'm sure Link will be forced to dance with all the other girls so he won't pay too much time with me." She sighed. "Great!" Peeling her eyes from the mirror, she went to get the final preparations ready.
.........
"Okay!" Rosemarie was angry enough. Wildflower finally agreed to her hairstyle, after seven different trials. She was really starting to act like the pain she was. Wildflower twirled and twirled in her skirt.
"Do you think the prince will dance with me?" she asked.
"Except for Princess Aryll, you have to be sixteen to be able to dance."
"Why does Aryll get to dance if she's not old enough?" Wildflower's whiny voice was starting to give Rosemarie a headache.
"Because! This is HER ball anyway." Rosemarie rolled her eyes. Being an older sibling was not the easiest job in the world. "Now, let's MOVE it!!!" Rosemarie's mom reappeared from the kitchen.
"Okay, I see the carriages are ready to go. Come on!" Rosemarie was so happy she literally ran out of the house.
"She acts as if I'm annoying," Wildflower sniffed. She took her mother's hand and they mounted the carriage.
.........
"Nice horse!" Zelda whispered. She edged to her seat in the carriage. She had the weird feeling the horses were watching her. /Just some crazy excuse for nervousness. Since when have I been worried about my appearance? Well.........maybe since Link started liking me./ She sighed for the thousandth time. /Poor Rosemarie. How will I tell her?/
The carriage slowly bumped and rolled across the road till it made it to the castle. Zelda's stomach was a pit of butterflies. She wished he had just been her friend. That way she wouldn't be so nervous. /Oh! Just I better not make a fool of myself./
.........
"Giddy up! Giddy up! Come on, Stella!" Rosemarie sighed and leaned against the carriage backing. Her mother frowned, and Wildflower moaned.
"We're going to be late!" The horseman tried everything he could. In the end, the horse bucked him off.
"Sorry, Ma'am," he apologized. "The horses won't move. I don't know what got into them."
"We'll walk," Rosemarie's mother said. Rosemarie's jaw dropped.
"You....................................................................................."
"Have a better idea?"
"Uh.........no." Rosemarie's mother took Wildflower's hand and led her down the path. Rosemarie grimaced and ran after her.
.........
Ten minutes later, the ballroom was already half full. Aryll was constantly surrounded by well-wishers and friends. Marth was also the same, except most of them were girls who were jealous of the princess. Link tried to keep moving as much as possible to avoid mob situations. Everyone else in the royal line had been surrounded; he was the only one left.
Two girls took notice and walked over to him. He smiled slightly. They giggled. The normal routine. Except this time they kept walking and walking. One put her hand on his shoulder.
"How are you doing today?" she asked. Link stopped walking. Bad idea...
"I'm fine." Other girls started to surround him. /Oh no, I need to escape!/ He smiled and tried to edge away but it was useless. In the end, he just drowned out their boring prattle. As he was trying to look around for some excuse, his eyes found a girl in peach colored gown by the doorway. /Could it be........./
"Excuse me!" He pushed out of the crowd. He heard the girls complain and shout behind him, but he kept on walking. /That has to be Zel!!/
.........
Zelda's stomach was still full of butterflies as she walked up the palace steps. Every step felt heavy, and her head was dizzy. She was excited, but also partly nervous. She entered the hall and made the way to the double doors that opened into the ballroom.
The ballroom was gorgeous. High columns that surrounded the main area towered to the ceiling. Flowers decorated almost every wall. There were so many people there it was hard to imagine. Many were already dancing to the orchestral music. She would never find the prince in this.
"Zelda!" someone called her name. It sounded like Link. Zelda didn't have much time to think. As soon as she turned toward the sound, she was embraced in a kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled away.
"Link? It's you!"
"Yeah. I was getting annoyed with those girls-," His gaze fell down to her dress. "Wow! You look.........you look.........beautiful!" Zelda blushed.
"Thank you. My parents kept saying that too."
"I see. Where are your parents?"
"They were busy." Link nodded. He extended his hand.
"So, may I have the first dance?" Zelda grinned. The butterflies were gone, but her heart had just begun to fly. Link took her hand and spun her onto the dance floor. They joined the other dancers and flew across the room.
.........
"Ow.........ow.........ow.........ow........."
"For Nayru's sake, Rose, stop saying that!" Rosemarie scowled. Her legs were about to pop out of their sockets. She was starting to hate horses now. Wildflower pranced about as if she didn't notice the two miles of walking.
"I can't wait to meet the prince!!" she gushed. "I do hope he thinks I'm cute!"
"Wildflower, you're still young. Of course everyone thinks you're cute!"
"You think so?" Wildflower beamed. "I feel happy." Rosemarie was seriously thinking about punching her when the neighing of horses interrupted her. They had reached the castle, and all the horses and carriages were outside.
"Let's hurry!" Wildflower and Rosemarie giggled as they tried to outrun each other to the steps. Wildflower was quicker and Rosemarie tripped, sending her toppling off the stairs.
"Great! Klutz-fever before the ball! Now I know my fate!"
.........
Link twirled Zelda around three times and put his hand back on her waist. They spun and sidestepped to the music. Link just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was suddenly prettier than before.
"Hey look," Zelda whispered. Link angled his neck to see. In the entrance stood Rosemarie and Wildflower, who couldn't seem to enjoy her excitement.
"Shall we go over there?" Link asked. Zelda nodded and they danced their way over there.
Chapter 12: First Dance
It was the day of the ball. The sky was just starting to darken as the sun made its decent. Rosemarie was practicing dancing with an old scarecrow as her mother finished her gown. Wildflower was coming every now and then to ask Rosemarie which dress she should wear to the ball. Wildflower had almost gone through her entire closet when she came upon a red, silk dress that had sequins and embroidery.
"How about this?" she asked holding it up. Rosemarie almost stumbled.
"That's so pretty! Where'd you get that!! I want a dress like it!" Rosemarie's mother raised her eyebrow. "For the next ball." Wildflower grinned.
"Then I guess I'll wear this. Do you think the prince will like it???"
"Yeah, why not." Rosemarie shrugged that off. In her mind, she wondered if he would like her own dress.
"Finished!" Rosemarie's mother said, holding up the gown. Rosemarie stared at it for a couple of seconds.
"Uh.........um.........don't you think that the neckline is a bit.........LOW???" Rosemarie's mother looked at it.
"No." Rosemarie opened her mouth and shut it again. It was, in fact, gorgeous. The blue silk was smooth and shiny; the red sashes seemed to blend in with the gown itself. At the hem, purple flowers raced across the seam line. Just the neckline was a bit low for comfort. Other than that, any girl would be jealous at its sight.
"Okay if you say so."
"Try it on!" Rosemarie went to her room. A few minutes later, she came out. It was simply beautiful on her. It outlined her every curve and flowed with her every movement.
"I doubt even the princess could get a gown like that!" Rosemarie's mother said. Rosemarie tugged at the gown straps.
"It's a bit low.........I feel self-conscious now!"
"Don't complain. Let me fix your hair so we can go."
"Me too! Me too!! I want to do her hair mommy!" Wildflower wailed.
"Okay, Wildflower, you may."
"MOM!! SHE'S GOING TO KILL MY-,"
"Oh, Rosemarie. Just calm down. I'll fix it if there are any problems." Rosemarie's mother went off to change into her dress. That left Rosemarie with Wildflower, who was sporting a very evil looking grin.
.........
Zelda came out of her room.
"You look gorgeous!" said her mother.
"I second that!" said her father. Zelda wished she had a sister who could third it. It would be nice to have someone who didn't always love you to say his or her opinion. Then maybe Zelda wouldn't get over inflated results.
"Are you sure?" Zelda asked. She smoothed the surface of her peach colored gown. It had bell sleeves that we cuffed with peach colored ruffles. There were at least three hoops in the skirt, with ruffles over ruffles. A bow tightened to outline her waist. Even the neckline was ruffled. Everything was silk, except the sheer sleeves.
"Beautiful," her mother said. Zelda smiled. She hoped Link would like it. What happened a few nights ago still seemed to be some far away dream.
"Now, let me do your hair."
.........
Link buttoned the collar of his coat. It was expensive silk. It had gold buttons and gold sword embroidering the cuff. Fancy silver thread was worked into the body of the coat to make it match the pants. Underneath, Link wore a wool shirt over a silk one. Perhaps it was a bit chilly outside, but the temperature inside made it very hot. Link took one last look in the mirror. His hair was getting into his eyes too much. He needed to cut it. Other than that, his appearance looked fine.
After he dressed, Link skipped down the stairs two at a time. His sister was already waiting at the bottom. She wore a red silk gown with ¾ sleeves. It was a bit puffy at the shoulders and the gown was layered. The bottom layer was silk, the top was see-through black netting. It was tied at the back with a big red bow. It looked very pretty on her.
"Waiting for your Marthy-Poo?" Link cooed once he reached her. She narrowed her eyes.
"Lay off!" she held up a fist to threaten him. It only made him laugh.
"Don't worry!" He ruffled her hair.
"Cut it out! I just had that curled!" He made his way to his mother.
"Are they here yet?" he asked impatiently. His mother turned to look at him. On her face was the look of exasperation at trying to make ten servants put up curtains.
"No.........wait, look!!!" The queen rushed to the window. Three carriages pulled up to the courtyard, followed by a few soldiers on horseback.
"They're here!" The queen rushed to the entrance hall as the king hurried up behind her. Aryll suddenly acted like she had to sing in front of the kingdom. She rushed over to Link and grabbed his wrists.
"Oh my Goddess! Marth is here! Marth is here! What am I going to say? What am I going to do???" Link winced as her manicured nails dug into his skin.
"Relax.........and.........ouch........." He was interrupted when the king called for them both. To Link's relief, Aryll let go and raced to the entrance. Link, however, was not as excited. He took as much time as he could to get to the entrance. He got there just as the royals were getting out of the carriage.
"Welcome," the king greeted. The other king grinned at him.
"Still as many gray hairs, eh?" The king of Hyrule grimaced.
"I'll pretend that's a compliment." Meanwhile, the queens were getting themselves acquainted. Marth was the next to come out from the carriage. He brandished his cloak and walked swiftly toward Aryll.
"Well, hello," he said. He bent and gently kissed her hand. Link knew Marth would have done more if given the chance. He put on the most cheerful expression he could, which ended up looking like a scowl.
"Well, if it isn't your brother Link." Marth straightened himself. Aryll frowned at her brother. She had an urge to whisper a warning to him before it was too late. The royal parents finally came to the young trio.
"Well, shake hands and lets get on with it," Marth's father said. The four parents and Aryll watched as Link and Marth stared at each other, scowling. Finally, Marth extended his hand. Link did the same. They attempted a handshake, but in the end, both were squeezing the other's hand as hard as they could. Neither was willing to give up. The queens shook their heads, and Aryll followed suit. The kings, however, stood behind their sons and cheered.
"Come one Marth!"
"You're better than him, Link, come on! Fight!"
"Is this a war or the ball???" Marth's mother sniffed. "He's going to be you brother-in-law. Deal with it and let's move on!"
"Same for you, Link!" the other queen said. Link and Marth let go as swiftly as possible, but they showed in their eyes that they wanted to go on.
"I wouldn't want to frighten Aryll," Marth said in a matter-of- fact tone. "I don't think she would want to see her brother injured before the wedding."
"One false step and you won't be able to even attend the wedding!" Link growled. The parents shook their heads. Marth smirked and took Aryll's hand, leading her away. That left a very annoyed, pissed off Link standing in the entrance.
"I swear that he'll be sorry some day!!!"
.........
"Can I look now?" Rosemarie asked. She tugged impatiently at the scarf around her eyes.
"Not ye-et," Wildflower said in a singsong voice.
"How long does it take for you to do my hair???" Rosemarie moaned. Wildflower chuckled.
"I'm making it sooooo pretty so the prince might actually like you for a while."
"He does like me! He loves me.........I think." Wildflower tied the last ribbon.
"Okay, you can look now." Rosemarie eagerly pulled off the sash around her head. She glanced at herself in the mirror.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rosemarie's mother almost dropped her earrings.
"What happened?" she asked, coming into the room. One look at Rosemarie and she gasped.
"What happened to you hair???" It was a complete disaster. One side was put up in a bounty of braids and ribbons, the other messily in three ponytails. Nothing matched.
"I told you! I told you! I told you! I will, never, ever, let her do my hair again!!!" Rosemarie ripped at the things in her hair.
"Wait, honey, you'll tangle it up!"
"Mom, you still have to do my hair!!" Yes, this was chaos.
.........
"There!" Zelda's mom finished brushing Zelda's hair. She gathered a portion and slipped in a barrette. "You look gorgeous!"
"So you've said for the tenth time!" Zelda looked at herself in the mirror. She was pretty, but the other adjectives didn't make sense to her. "Can we leave now?"
"Okay, but only you are going to be at the ball."
"WHAT?"
"Your father and I have to take care of some things. Do not worry, we have hired a carriage. You will be just fine." Zelda's mother left. Zelda looked at herself in the mirror again.
"Oh bother! Well, I just hope Rose gets there early. I'm sure Link will be forced to dance with all the other girls so he won't pay too much time with me." She sighed. "Great!" Peeling her eyes from the mirror, she went to get the final preparations ready.
.........
"Okay!" Rosemarie was angry enough. Wildflower finally agreed to her hairstyle, after seven different trials. She was really starting to act like the pain she was. Wildflower twirled and twirled in her skirt.
"Do you think the prince will dance with me?" she asked.
"Except for Princess Aryll, you have to be sixteen to be able to dance."
"Why does Aryll get to dance if she's not old enough?" Wildflower's whiny voice was starting to give Rosemarie a headache.
"Because! This is HER ball anyway." Rosemarie rolled her eyes. Being an older sibling was not the easiest job in the world. "Now, let's MOVE it!!!" Rosemarie's mom reappeared from the kitchen.
"Okay, I see the carriages are ready to go. Come on!" Rosemarie was so happy she literally ran out of the house.
"She acts as if I'm annoying," Wildflower sniffed. She took her mother's hand and they mounted the carriage.
.........
"Nice horse!" Zelda whispered. She edged to her seat in the carriage. She had the weird feeling the horses were watching her. /Just some crazy excuse for nervousness. Since when have I been worried about my appearance? Well.........maybe since Link started liking me./ She sighed for the thousandth time. /Poor Rosemarie. How will I tell her?/
The carriage slowly bumped and rolled across the road till it made it to the castle. Zelda's stomach was a pit of butterflies. She wished he had just been her friend. That way she wouldn't be so nervous. /Oh! Just I better not make a fool of myself./
.........
"Giddy up! Giddy up! Come on, Stella!" Rosemarie sighed and leaned against the carriage backing. Her mother frowned, and Wildflower moaned.
"We're going to be late!" The horseman tried everything he could. In the end, the horse bucked him off.
"Sorry, Ma'am," he apologized. "The horses won't move. I don't know what got into them."
"We'll walk," Rosemarie's mother said. Rosemarie's jaw dropped.
"You....................................................................................."
"Have a better idea?"
"Uh.........no." Rosemarie's mother took Wildflower's hand and led her down the path. Rosemarie grimaced and ran after her.
.........
Ten minutes later, the ballroom was already half full. Aryll was constantly surrounded by well-wishers and friends. Marth was also the same, except most of them were girls who were jealous of the princess. Link tried to keep moving as much as possible to avoid mob situations. Everyone else in the royal line had been surrounded; he was the only one left.
Two girls took notice and walked over to him. He smiled slightly. They giggled. The normal routine. Except this time they kept walking and walking. One put her hand on his shoulder.
"How are you doing today?" she asked. Link stopped walking. Bad idea...
"I'm fine." Other girls started to surround him. /Oh no, I need to escape!/ He smiled and tried to edge away but it was useless. In the end, he just drowned out their boring prattle. As he was trying to look around for some excuse, his eyes found a girl in peach colored gown by the doorway. /Could it be........./
"Excuse me!" He pushed out of the crowd. He heard the girls complain and shout behind him, but he kept on walking. /That has to be Zel!!/
.........
Zelda's stomach was still full of butterflies as she walked up the palace steps. Every step felt heavy, and her head was dizzy. She was excited, but also partly nervous. She entered the hall and made the way to the double doors that opened into the ballroom.
The ballroom was gorgeous. High columns that surrounded the main area towered to the ceiling. Flowers decorated almost every wall. There were so many people there it was hard to imagine. Many were already dancing to the orchestral music. She would never find the prince in this.
"Zelda!" someone called her name. It sounded like Link. Zelda didn't have much time to think. As soon as she turned toward the sound, she was embraced in a kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled away.
"Link? It's you!"
"Yeah. I was getting annoyed with those girls-," His gaze fell down to her dress. "Wow! You look.........you look.........beautiful!" Zelda blushed.
"Thank you. My parents kept saying that too."
"I see. Where are your parents?"
"They were busy." Link nodded. He extended his hand.
"So, may I have the first dance?" Zelda grinned. The butterflies were gone, but her heart had just begun to fly. Link took her hand and spun her onto the dance floor. They joined the other dancers and flew across the room.
.........
"Ow.........ow.........ow.........ow........."
"For Nayru's sake, Rose, stop saying that!" Rosemarie scowled. Her legs were about to pop out of their sockets. She was starting to hate horses now. Wildflower pranced about as if she didn't notice the two miles of walking.
"I can't wait to meet the prince!!" she gushed. "I do hope he thinks I'm cute!"
"Wildflower, you're still young. Of course everyone thinks you're cute!"
"You think so?" Wildflower beamed. "I feel happy." Rosemarie was seriously thinking about punching her when the neighing of horses interrupted her. They had reached the castle, and all the horses and carriages were outside.
"Let's hurry!" Wildflower and Rosemarie giggled as they tried to outrun each other to the steps. Wildflower was quicker and Rosemarie tripped, sending her toppling off the stairs.
"Great! Klutz-fever before the ball! Now I know my fate!"
.........
Link twirled Zelda around three times and put his hand back on her waist. They spun and sidestepped to the music. Link just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was suddenly prettier than before.
"Hey look," Zelda whispered. Link angled his neck to see. In the entrance stood Rosemarie and Wildflower, who couldn't seem to enjoy her excitement.
"Shall we go over there?" Link asked. Zelda nodded and they danced their way over there.