Opia: I pretty much just wrote this chapter today, so chapters from now on may take a while to update... Sorry. Wow you guys, thanks for reviewing. This fic now has more reviews than any of my non-oneshot stories! I love you all!

Cari: Can I just skip the disclaimer?

Opia: Why not... that's what you've been doing lately anyway...

"Ruto? Ruto?"

"Link, you're sure this girl's Ruto?"

"Yes I'm sure! I saw the whole thing!"

"You don't have to shout."

Ruto opened her eyes slowly. Above her were the two blurry shapes of Link and Zelda. Zelda, her expression clam, looked at Link sternly.

"She'll be fine, whatever ordeal she put herself through just zapped her energy. Stop worrying."

Ruto's eyes sleepily wandered over to Link's face. His features were tight with concern.

Worrying? Is he really worrying about me?

She tried to speak but all that escaped her lips was a soft moan. The two Hylians looked down at her. Zelda smiled.

"Good morning Princess Ruto."

Link crouched down beside the bed where Ruto lay and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Ruto," His voice betrayed his relief, "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

Ruto sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Nothing hurts… but I can't feel my fins…."

Zelda and Link looked at each other.

"Um… Sweetie?" Zelda said, turning to the former Zora princess, "You don't have any fins."

Ruto blinked, not quite understanding what Zelda had just said. She looked down at her hands and was shocked to find her blue scales had been replaced with soft, pink skin.

"I-it worked!" Her face lit up with pure joy; "It really worked!"

"Yes Ruto." Zelda said, "You're a Hyrulean now, if that was your aim."

Ruto ran her hands over her face and through her newly acquired hair. The softness of the strands caught her by surprise. Zelda watched the princess play with her hair in amusement for a moment, then placed her hand on the girl's arm.

"Princess Ruto. I ask you to repeat to me the spell you used."

"Sure." Ruto replied.

She began the chant she had spoken on the riverbank. Zelda listened intently. Link shivered, the word Ruto spoke had a strange weight to them, even if he couldn't understand them. As Ruto finished Zelda sighed.

"Thank you. I must be going. Rest now and regain your strength." She turned gracefully and left the room.

"Link?" Ruto asked, turning to the green-clad boy.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"It's no problem. You really gave me a scare there you know."

She looked up at him, "Really?"

"Yeah," He took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "I thought you might have seriously injured yourself."

"Sorry." Ruto said quietly.

"I hate watching the people I care about get hurt."

"Huh?" She looked surprised, "B-but I thought—"

"I care for everyone I have met."

Ruto was silent. Link sighed and closed his eyes.

"This is because of what I said before, isn't it…"

She turned away from him, curling her knees up to her chin.

"Ruto… Please… Listen to me…."

"You couldn't marry me because I was a Zora, I understand that."

"That's not it at all."

"You love someone else then…."

"No."

"Then why!" Ruto turned back to Link, tears brimming in her eyes; "I love you!"

"I know!" Ruto jumped at Link's tone, "You, Malon, Zelda, even Saria! You all do!"

Tears disappeared as Ruto saw the look on the hero's face.

"Link? What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand."

He stood up to leave, but she caught his arm.

"Try me."

Link sighed and sat on the end of the bed. "Fine…" He fiddled with a strand of hair that fell into his eyes. "Most guys would think I'm lucky, knowing so many cute girls. Now, it's not like I don't like knowing so many, I like all of you and for the most part I like being around all of you… But… All the time people are expecting me to choose, you girls expect me to choose… one of you to love… I-I can't… I'm… scared of love…."

Ruto looked at him strangely, Link chuckled.

"See? I told you you wouldn't get it." He smiled, "You four gave me that fear."

The princess blinked, "We did?"

"Yeah… through you I saw love and what it can do to a person. The obsession, the greed, the jealousy, the hatred, all the horrible things it can do to an otherwise wonderful person. I was terrified at the changes in you and the rest of them…."

As Link continued to talk Ruto noticed a change in him, as if a great weight was being lifted away from his body.

"So instead of facing the subject I ran away. You couldn't tell, but I haven't been near this castle in months, and I haven't seen Malon nor Saria in over a year now. You were the last one I tried to drift away from… and as you see, it didn't quite work out as planned." He laughed, "Oh, well."

Ruto crawled over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think I get it… I'm sorry for putting you through all of that, no one should be pressured to fall in love."

Link placed his hand on top of hers and looked up at her face. "Thank you."

She smiled back. Link was amazed at how that smile made her glow. Her hair cascading gracefully over her shoulders, the white silk slip Zelda had changed her into hanging perfectly on the princess's slim figure. And with the sunlight coming in through the window making her hair shine, she just looked so beaut—

Link blushed dark red, "Uhh… u-uhh…" He got up clumsily, "You should get some rest… I-I… I need to go… do something…."

He scrambled quickly out the door.

Ruto pulled back some of her long hair behind her ear and giggled. Suddenly very tired, she lay back down on the soft mattress and pulled the silky sheets up to her chin. With warm sunbeams filtering down upon her, she fell asleep.

..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..

Hyrule Castle Library was dark and dusty, the heavy gold curtains drawn over the expansive windows. A light flickered in a secluded corner. The Hyrulean princess sat at a large wooden table. Large stacks of books towered around her. Directly in front of her sat a rather large and dusty tome. Zelda's carefully manicured nails ran over the book's cracking yellow pages. Her finger paused at a particular passage. She read it over again, her eyes squinting in the dim light of the flickering lamp. Reading it one last time her soft blue eyes widened. With a dull thump that echoed through the gigantic library the princess closed the aging volume.

"That girl may have doomed us all…."

Opia: Yay! It was a longer chapter!

Cari: Please review:D