Welcome to chapter twenty-five! I am making mental preparations to end the story with the thirtieth chapter (making it three times as long as I was anticipating!). I'm glad to see that the previous chapter didn't seem to put people off too much. So, moving right along, here's the next installment. This chapter may seem a little bit predictable, but there are still some twists up ahead, I promise! Thanks to my reviewers- Infernal Flame Zero; Kariah; adrian-air-fire; Azure's Jester; Omega87; Hylian Princess; Ygfi; Futuristic-dudette; UlrichYumiforever; and Alli-dunno.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda series, in whole or in part.
Impa left, closing the door behind her. I got up to lock it before going to the chair to grab my dress. In the midst of all this, Link groaned, rolling onto his stomach and putting the pillow over his head.
"Do we have to get up?" I heard his muffled whine.
"Yes, my love. Come on," I answered him, going over to the bed. I would drag him out, if need be.
I yanked the pillow away, and Link suddenly flopped onto his back and grabbed me, pulling me into the bed with him.
"Zelda, I'm not ready to get up," he confessed, his eyes sparkling in the faint sunlight beginning to peek in from behind the draperies.
"But I told Impa..." my voice trailed off as his lips flew to my neck.
"I know what you told her," he murmured. "But you said a few minutes. You didn't give a specific time."
"That's just semantics, Link, and you know it."
"You call it semantics, I call it a loophole. Whatever it is, I'll take it," Link whispered, touching me suggestively.
I could never deny him anything.
Some time later, Link and I at last made our way downstairs to my father's private dining room. We heard voices and paused outside the double doors, each placing an ear to them.
"Wherever are my daughter and my future son-in-law?" the king bellowed.
"I'm sure they will be here soon, Your Highness," Impa tried to reassure him.
"I just don't understand. Both of them usually wake up at dawn and are down for breakfast within five minutes. But the sun has been up for some time, and yet they are still absent. I hope everything is alright."
"I'm sure it is, Sire. Perhaps our young couple has elected to take an early morning walk. They've had much on their minds lately, between searching for Ganondorf, planning a wedding, and a multitude of other issues."
I sighed as I pushed open the doors.
"Good morning, Father. Impa," I said, respectfully greeting them before I took place at the table. Link quickly followed suit.
"Good morning, Dearest. Link," My father addressed us. Impa also greeted us, giving no indication that she'd caught us earlier.
Link and I piled our plates high with food and began to eat, as my father made conversation about the wedding, trying to get all our minds off of the danger before us.
"So, Darling, where will you and Link go for your honeymoon?" he addressed me. "I want to make sure that everything is in order for the two of you, so that you can be well on your way to producing an heir."
I nearly choked on my food. I swallowed hard and looked into my father's eyes. "We are not quite sure yet, Father. But more than likely, we will stay in the Kokiri Forest. Link still has his treehouse."
"Nonsense, Zelda! You are royalty! You and Link will have the finest room in the finest inn, wherever you go!"
I started to object, but quickly decided against it. I had come to realize that the more I argued with my father over such matters, the more likely he was to find out that Link and I had already given ourselves to each other in the most intimate way possible.
Seeing the look on my face, Impa spoke up in mine and Link's defense. "Your Highness, forgive my forwardness, but I am inclined to side with the Princess and Link in this matter. For it matters not where they stay, provided they are comfortable and have their privacy. I know you are deeply concerned about the future of this kingdom, but the two of them are young and quite fertile. Nature will take its course, no matter the circumstances."
Much to my surprise, my father actually seemed quite content with what Impa said, as he leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful.
"Very well, then. Zelda, you and Link may go wherever you want. But promise me that if that treehouse feels too crowded for you, you will seek more appropriate accommodations."
"Yes, Father," I agreed.
The remainder of the meal passed by somewhat quietly. Afterwards, Link and I separated to change into our riding clothes, to go out to visit Sir Cullen and Malon. I had another reason for leaving, one of which Link was unaware-his knighting ceremony would be that afternoon, and Impa was basically kicking him out of the castle to make hasty preparations. I was going along to make sure he didn't come back too soon, and also to spend time with our friends.
On our way out of town, we stopped to visit Kiefer and his family, asking them for a favor, which they quickly agreed to do. We then went to Lon Lon Ranch and noticed right away that something seemed funny. Link secured Epona in the stable, while I checked on the cows and horses. They seemed hungry, so I took the liberty of feeding them, with Link's help. Once that was finished, we went to the house, knocking softly on the front door.
We heard footsteps, and Malon answered the door a moment later, her face flushed and her hair disheveled. "Link! Zelda!" she exclaimed, opening the door all the way. She hugged us and invited us to take a seat before calling up the stairs to Sir Cullen.
Link and I looked at each other as we sat at a table. Both of us knew what had been going on, and found it funny that we'd interrupted them.
"At least we knocked first," Link whispered to me. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, as I had just spotted Malon and Sir Cullen coming into the room to join us. The latter greeted us warmly, as the couple sat across from us.
"So, what brings you here?" Malon asked. She and her husband were in on the plan to keep Link busy, and, along with myself, were giving it their best efforts to make it seem like just another day.
"Well, Link and I have made some more wedding plans, and we wanted to come out and share them, as well as inquire about how you two have been doing."
"Oh, everything is wonderful," Malon smiled. "My father went to stay in town for a few days, saying he had some important business to take care of, so it's just been Cullen and I."
"Yes, these last few days have been marvelous," Sir Cullen added. "The weather's been lovely, and other than keeping watch for signs of Ganondorf's forces, we've been enjoying our time together."
Suddenly, Malon's eyes went wide. "Oh no! The animals!" she proclaimed, jumping up.
"Already taken care of," Link chuckled.
Malon gave a sigh of relief before starting to blush.
"Don't be embarrassed," I told her. "You two are newlyweds, after all." I then turned to Link and gave him a look. He nodded his head in consent, so I turned back towards our friends.
"Link and I have something important to share," I said, my own face starting to feel warm.
"Oh, have you two set a date?" Malon squealed.
"Not quite. We just know that we want to get rid of Ganondorf for good. You see, yesterday we found a secret passage to his fortress. Locked up in the basement were the owners of the farm where we were ambushed. So we released them and hid them. But as we were leaving, we saw Ganondorf himself and nearly got caught."
Malon gasped, and Sir Cullen raised his eyebrows. "What shall we do now, Princess?" the latter asked.
"Link and I aren't sure yet. My father would like the two of you to accompany us back to the castle, so all of us can discuss it later. He has also made arrangements for the two of you to stay the night there, if need be, as we have much planning to do. We've already asked the people we rescued yesterday to come out here later and look after the ranch, as their quarters at the inn are already becoming a little uncomfortable."
"Okay," the couple agreed.
Link and Sir Cullen went to another room to talk strategy, while Malon and I remained at the table to talk about the wedding. We'd decided to wait until later, when everyone involved was meeting, to discuss what to do about Ganondorf.
"Okay, Zelda, tell me what really happened," Malon grinned.
"What do you mean?"
"I see it on your face. You want to tell me something else that has nothing to do with Ganondorf. Come on, out with it."
"Alright," I sighed. Then I broke into a big smile. "Link and I... well..."
Malon's smile widened. "You can tell me."
"Link and I... did what you and Sir Cullen were doing when we got here," I finally spilled.
"Oh, that's wonderful! But I thought you were going to wait until you got married..."
"We were, but it just felt right. I don't know what got into me, but there was just something that told me that it was the right time."
"That's great. Was it worth it, not to wait?"
By now, surely my face was turning every shade of red possible. But I could trust Malon, and I knew that she was only asking about it out of curiosity, and not to use it as a reason to pass judgment on me for not waiting.
"It was...it was..." I stuttered. "It was beyond wonderful."
"Sounds like how I felt after my wedding night," Malon confessed, turning crimson herself. "Isn't it amazing how-"
She was interrupted by a loud noise. It sounded like one of the animals had been spooked. Before we could even react, Link and Sir Cullen were dashing out the front door.
We looked at each other, terrified, before jumping up from the table and rushing to the window.
Please review! Thank you so much!