THEN
"This one, Link? I think that you should dress in better than a tunic for a wedding. Then again, you are Link, and you will do anything you want regardless of whether or not I tell you to do it..."
"Well, I did do one thing you asked me," he answered, a cocky grin plastered to his face. She shook her head at him and politely set the proposed suit back on the shelf where it had come from, much to the disappointment of the Hylian folk who were expecting to sell their greatest wares to Hyrule's richest patron.
They had parted only shortly, she in her magnificent castle and he with the Kokiri, but by some compelling force or another, they had found themselves quickly reunited. What began as a tender friendship soon escalated into a union that Link had not expected himself to be in. Harkinian had taken well to his daughter's young lover all those years ago, a smile on his withered, wrinkled face.
"I could wear one of your father's suits, Zel. He's got more than enough, and just like you, he has so many, it's not like anyone will even remember it from some...other recent engagement. I never remember."
"You don't remember anything, Link! Our anniversary, my birthday..."
"I keep a calendar now, Zel," he answered softly. Deflated, she turned back to the shelves and began looking through the suits.
"That doesn't matter, Link. I'm not marrying you because of your...'great' memory, or your courage, or the fact that you could save my life before I even blinked an eye. All the people see this one side of you--everyone in Hyrule sees a hero. Not the person, like I do. I suppose they just think that you can go on forever defending everything, and the day that you stop, they will hate you. People are already making angry talk about my father stepping down soon. But even when you put that sword back in its sheath and you take off those dusty boots...you're still a hero whether or not you can slay dragons and evil wizards and all those sorts of things. And--"
"Zel, you're getting all sappy in a public place."
"Link! Well, I hope everyone hears how wonderful you are as a person. Kind, caring, and selfless...I think that you would give your life for anybody else's."
"Your's only," he murmured.
"Link! Well...I guess that is something to feel flattered about, isn't it? Though Nayru has not sent me any visions as of late about sacrifices. I'll let you know once I have them."
"Zelda...you said once before that once Gannon was sealed up, you stopped having visions and dreams. What do you think happened?"
"Link! Oh, you're horrible for me; I can never keep to one subject when I'm around you. But, I don't know what happened then. Though, my books have said many strange things about visions. Some sorcerers are so adept in magic that they can silence the visions of the gifted, and they can unveil them to others...perhaps as a threat, perhaps just to warn someone that they might favor. And sometimes, there are sorcerers so incapable that they cannot control the powers they unleash--it manipulates everyone, some favorably, some unfavorably. It has been used before in ancient worlds--kings and the like would use them to hush their opposers. It's a frightful thing, but...who knows? Perhaps I only stopped dreaming because the evil was gone, and there was nothing to dream about."
Link eased his arms about the woman's hips, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, admiring the tender sound of her laughter. He had, unknown to Zelda, dreamed of his marriage to her since the day he had first seen her peering into the castle windows from the courtyard, her headpiece obscuring her blonde head from view. Years later, he was running his fingers through her hair, finding himself increasingly closer to being bound to her for life.
"I would do anything for you, Zel."
"And I for you, Link."
"In sickness, and in health?"
"Nothing can keep me against you," she snickered.
"For long, that is."