Woo-hoo, another update! Welcome to chapter twenty! I apologize if this chapter and the last one seemed a bit dull, but I promise I will get back to the action soon enough. And there is still plenty of fluff in store. :)

As always, thanks to my reviewers- shinsei101; Ygfi; Omega87; Spiritual Stone; Hylian Princess; TheGoddessKnight; Infernal Flame Zero; Some Guy; Hououza; lilykat14; Alli-dunno; Kariah; Silvara; Sheik's twin.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda series, in whole or in part.

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As the day wore on, Link gradually regained his strength, enough that he was able to ride back to the castle in a carriage. When we arrived, my father immediately hurried into the courtyard to greet us.

"Oh, Dearest, I'm so glad you're alright!" he said, hugging me. "And you, too, Link. Whatever happened?"

"What exactly were you told, Father?"

"That Link was hit by an arrow. What of you, Zelda? Were you injured?"

"No, Father."

"Your Highness, your daughter saved both of our lives," Link spoke up. "I was ambushed by two Moblins, and she smote both of them, without my help."

My father looked at me, tears in his eyes. "Is that so, Zelda?"

"Yes, Father," I blushed.

My father dabbed his eyes and pulled me into another hug. When he let go, I noticed his face was absolutely beaming.

"I always knew you'd turn out like your mother," he insisted. "She, too, was brave and strong. If only she were here, to see what a lovely young woman you've become. Now, come along, both of you. Let's go inside."

When we entered the castle, we found all the servants and their families awaiting us. We greeted them all personally, before two of the servants escorted us to Link's quarters, leaving the three of us there.

Impa arrived a short time later. Ensuring that Link was comfortable, she ushered my father and me out of the room to speak with Link privately. Once they finished talking, I was permitted to re-enter the room temporarily, as he'd been instructed to lie down and rest until dinnertime.

"How are you feeling, my love?" I asked.

"A little sore, but alright," he sighed. "I miss holding you."

I sat on the edge of the bed, meeting his gaze. "I miss it, too. But we have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time."

Link managed a weak smile. "True enough. You know, I still can't believe that Sir Cullen and Malon eloped. I'm happy for them, but it was so...sudden."

"That's the point," I reminded him with a chuckle. "But I can't believe it, either."

"Maybe that's what we should do," Link said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Link-"

"Just hear me out, okay?"

"Alright," I agreed.

"Think about it, Zel. We already know we love each other, so why hold off? We'll be saving ourselves the trouble of having to plan a huge ceremony."

I sighed. "You have a point, but remember what I told you about wanting to get rid of the being responsible for your injury first?"

"Oh, yeah," Link frowned.

"Besides, as silly as it may sound, I've always dreamt of a big wedding. I know a lot of it's for show, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime event, so why not go all out?"

"Alright, we'll do that," Link conceded. "But what about the wedding night?"

"Well, I don't know. What do you want to do? Besides THAT, of course."

"Well, that's the best part my love," Link grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"LINK!"

"Okay, okay!" he laughed. "There's always Lake Hylia."

I got an idea at that moment. "Or there's the Kokiri Forest," I spoke up. "When's the last time we saw Saria?"

"Not since I came to live here," Link admitted. "If we go there, we can just stay at the tree house. That is, if it's okay with you, of course. But perhaps we can just stay there for our honeymoon instead? I mean, honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to wait long enough after the reception's over..."

"You're terrible!" I giggled. "Okay, fine, I guess we can stay here for the night, and leave for the forest the next day. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful, my love," Link smiled. He sat up slightly and kissed me, running his fingers through my hair. "You have no idea how much you mean to me," he whispered. "The things I'm going to do to you..."

I looked into his eyes as his voice trailed off, and saw more love in them than ever before.

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After dinner, Link and I went to a private room to meet with my father, Impa, Sir Cullen, and Malon.

"Good evening, all. I have called all of you here for various reasons. Impa because she is a caretaker and close friend. My daughter, of course, because she is heiress to the Hylian throne. Link and Sir Cullen because they are Hyrule's two finest fighters. And Malon because she is married to Sir Cullen, and has also been a dear friend to my daughter and Link.

"I have two announcements to make. First of all, I wish to congratulate Link and Zelda on their engagement, and Sir Cullen and Malon on their marriage. Second of all, and most important, it has come to my attention that Link's injury was no accident. I understand Zelda has some evidence pointing in the direction of the perpetrator."

I grabbed the map and stood up, leaning over the table to unroll it. I placed paperweights on the corners and motioned for the others to look at it. Only Link and I had laid eyes on it previously.

"See this marking here? The creature I got this map from indicated that this is the place from which it was dispatched. As all of you know, this is the very place where legendary thief Ganondorf Dragmire was supposed to have been defeated permanently by Link.

"We know from past experience that Ganondorf will stop at nothing to get the Golden Power. As the only male in the Gerudo tribe, he is their king and, as such, may have access to what he needs to get the Golden Power. No one is quite sure of what would happen if he were to gain it, but legend dictates that he who is first to touch it will have his wish granted. This spells certain doom for Hyrule and its surrounding kingdoms."

"I think the best we can do for now is bide our time," Link spoke up. "I would love to find Ganondorf and tear him limb-from-limb, but there's not much we can do until we know exactly where he is hiding out. For all we know, he may be lying in wait so he can catch us off-guard once we think we've figured him out."

"I'm inclined to agree with Link," Impa said. "Ganondorf's career as a thief will serve him well in this kingdom, as he can easily con Hylians into surrendering anything valuable, whether objects or information, or steal from them if they refuse."

"Not to mention the Triforce of Power he has in his possession," I added. "Even though I possess the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link the Triforce of Courage, neither of us is strong enough individually to defeat him. This will be no easy task, but until we know more, there is not much we can do but give ourselves time to decide on an appropriate course of action."

"Then it's settled!" my father proclaimed. "I will dispatch soldiers immediately, to keep an eye out for Ganondorf or any of his minions."

"And once I am feeling better, Zelda and I can explore the farms we came across yesterday, to see if we can pick up any more clues, and go from there," Link said.

"I will go into town tomorrow and visit a scholar friend of mine. He can provide us will all the resources will need, from detailed maps, to dictionaries, to bestiaries, to history books," Impa informed us.

"And Malon and I can remain at the castle and assist anyone in this room in need of help with any tasks relating to eliminating Ganondorf for good," Sir Cullen explained.

After we all agreed with our initial courses of action, we dispersed and headed our separate ways to go to bed.

I fluffed the pillows on the sofa, drawing it up near Link's bed. My father and Impa had agreed to let me share his room with him in the infirmary, knowing nothing would happen between us that was meant for after we're married. Besides, it would be easier than Impa having to get up to check on Link every couple hours or so.

"Are you comfortable, my love?" I asked Link before settling into my makeshift bed.

"Yes, Zel," he smiled up at me as I leaned over him, staring into his eyes.

"Then good night," I smiled back, leaning closer to share a kiss with him.

"Good night," he murmured sleepily. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

I watched as he drifted off to sleep. Not long after, I at last felt my eyelids get heavy with the need for my own slumber. Thinking back on the day's events, I slipped into a restless night's sleep, full of weird dreams.

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