A.N: Well here's the next chapter and given how long the last few have been I feel almost as though I'm short changing everyone with this relatively short one (just over 2,000 words! What a disgrace!)

Anyway, we're back to Zelda's study for some more interrogation. By the end of this chapter you may be seeing the pattern of how this story will unfold (if of course you haven't already) hence the chapter title. Anyway hope you enjoy this brief pitstop at the present.

Chapter 8 – A sign of things to come

Zelda's study - 709 days A.G

He couldn't tell how much time had passed but he could guess from the fire still burning merrily and Zelda's half full wine glass that it couldn't have been that long from the beginning to the end of her tale. She certainly hadn't lost her touch for telling stories, though her delivery had been, understandably, far less bombastic than that of Ganondorf's demise.

It may not have been as dramatic or extraordinary but it never the less managed to steal his attention away from his surroundings, which were finally coming back into focus, as the princess brought her reminiscence to a close. Zelda had been a constant in his mind, however only now did the bookcases, the flickering of candles, the crackling of the fire and the smells of wax, wine and mahogany swim back into his consciousness.

The faint glow emanating from his chest area reminded him that he was still bound however, either out of mercy or from getting caught up in her own tale, Zelda had seen fit to loosen the magical ropes slightly. It was testament to both her oratory prowess and the bewitching power of her voice that he'd made no attempt to free himself. He'd tried to develop a resistance since their meeting in Ordon, with some limited success. Without her mask or veil, though, he rarely stood a chance, especially when dressed so, so… indecently!

He assumed she was completely oblivious as to what she did to him, because if she was aware then, not only would that mean his cover was blown, but also that would make her the cruellest, most devious lady he'd ever met! NO, not his beloved princess, she'd never be so evil!

He had to admit he did enjoy her retelling of the events of there first post-Twilight meeting, although he questioned some of her recollection. Perhaps the drink had gone to her head already, because he didn't remember their talk about the necklace having quite so many innuendoes. She also forgot to mention the whole clawshot debacle, although he suspected that particular memory slip may not have been an accident.

Her brisk tour of the events of their reunion had brought up some long burried questions he'd wished to ask but had been deprived of an appropriate moment to bring up. Perhaps fortune would deliver just such an opportunity in short order. That was provided he played along and didn't take a rather different opportunity, namely the chance to potentially escape.

Zelda concluded her tale, a far off look in her eyes. "We'd endured much, hadn't we?" she sighed. "but we've come a long way since then." She finally brought her focus back to him and seemed to pick up his slightly pensive expression.

"You wish to ask me something, Link?" It may have been a question but it came out more as a statement as she raised a brow in inquiry. Sometimes he wondered whether her magical abilities extended to mind reading. If they did then he truly was doomed.

Link cleared his throat, realising how dry it had become in the absence of speech. He glanced across at his own wine glass, which sat on the edge of the desk, untouched since he'd been bound. He now knew what his follow up question was going to be, but couldn't risk losing this chance to prove something he'd long been suspicious of.

"Zelda, when we talked that night, you asked me the exact same question that Rusl always did, ever since he moved to castle town, about whether Ordon was still my home. Not only that but when I gave my standard excuse, you responded as if you already knew it. So tell me princess, was it your mystical wisdom powers reading me like a book or did Rusl tell you I'd say that?"

"Well, to be fair, it was rather predictable."

"Oh really, and how was it that you both ended up asking the exact same question?" Link lent forward as far as his restraints would allow and gave her a penetrating stare.

To his surprise an impish grin spread across her face. "It's a very good question to ask and Rusl was clearly a very wise man for thinking of it." Zelda replied slyly, notably not meeting his eyes.

"Of course, you were the one who put him up to it in the first place." He rolled his eyes and slumped back into his antique chair.

"I didn't put him up to it! he was worried about you, and quite frankly, so was I. He already had a version of the question in mind, I simply persuaded him to change the approach to sound a little less… interrogatory. Ultimately, we both knew that you would only accept help once you came to reach that conclusion yourself. So, we didn't make demands, we simply repeated the question and trusted you to come to the realisation in time. And don't try to deny that you needed help, Link, we both did and there's no shame in that."

Link nodded in resignation, knowing she'd won again. "it's simply that… I trusted Rusl would keep our conversations a secret. He knew how personal they were."

"Yes, he knew that, but he also recognised that some secrets can't be kept, for the sake of the very person they belong to. He made a hard decision and believe me he felt guilty about betray your confidence, but as events since have shown, it was for the best."

"So, Princess, why did you really go to Ordon? Not the official spiel you fed the council about strengthening and supporting the local communities."

"I went there to help."

"The village or me personally."

"I considered both of equal importance, however as it so happens, Ordon was doing fine without me, unlike you…" Link was about to protest, despite Zelda's teasing voice when she said it. Her next line, however killed his reply before it left his lips. "You are forgetting another who was helped by my visit, particularly speaking with you…" was she referring to Ilia? "…me." Link would have assumed this was more teasing however her tone and countenance held only earnest gratitude. A bashful smile was his only recourse at receiving such a look from her and he just hoped the low light would hide the red creeping to his cheeks.

"Just being in your presence, gave me a sense of peace and having you so easily accept a less formal attitude with me, despite my position… it meant more to me than I think you realise. Not to mention our meeting granted me the first undisturbed rest since the end of our adventure."

"Are you implying it was my talk that put you to sleep. I'll have you know, I distinctly recall that I got a giggle out of you?"

"Indeed you did, for a moment there you were almost the wittiest person on that ledge." Zelda lent forward and Link thanked the goddesses for the fact she'd chosen to cup her head in her hands as she smirked, arms resting on the desk, strategically placed to preserve her modesty, her signature braids trailing across the mahogany surface.

"Hey, you didn't even get a chuckle out of me." Link replied in mock protest. He would have added crossing his arms for dramatic effect but due to a certain inconvenience he was denied that freedom.

Zelda scoffed. "It was never my intention to make you laugh and yet I remember getting more than a couple of wry smiles which, given your disposition at the time, can be classed as a magnificent accomplishment. Besides I said "wittiest person", not "made the wittiest remark" and it is an undeniable truth that I was, am and always will be the wittiest! I believe that was amply displayed by my exceptional performance the following morning." Her words feigned haughtiness but her unchanged manner and posture made her jest clear.

Her mention of that fateful forenoon brought forth another query that he'd never got to ask. "I wont deny your skill with words, overall or on that morning in particular. What I would dispute is your choice to leave me out of the loop regarding your defence. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I needed to know just how drunk Lord Halshaw and his officers had been that night before I could answer that." Zelda chimed with an air of deviousness, leaning back in her chair.

"Wait, so you're saying you made all that up. That you were just relying on the chance they wouldn't remember." He wasn't entirely surprised. He had thought things seemed a little fishy at the time, but he'd trusted that a royal princess wouldn't resort to such underhand tactics.

"you make it sound so bad, Link, and besides it wasn't ALL made up. They did have a tendency for a lot of barking and belching that kept the whole camp up most nights. I just didn't feel the need to inform them of my meeting with you, which I considered a personal matter, not one to pawed over and dissected by the court."

He was about to respond when his dry throat brought him back to the subject of his bindings. "Zelda, could you please take these bindings off?!"

"Link, you have committed a most serious crime against Hyrule's crown princess, and felons don't get released just by asking nicely, regardless of how gallant or handsome they are." Her tone started out accusatory, however it quickly sweetened until it was dripping with honey.

Teasing was nothing new with Zelda and that included some flirting from time to time… okay in recent months a lot of the time, but this evenings display was unprecedented. She was clearly trying to use her feminine wiles to sweettalk him into a confession. He wasn't going to make it so easy. He opened his mouth to deliver a witty repost along the lines of "You can't sweettalk me, regardless of how beautiful or charming you are." but caught himself just in time to reel the words back in before they dragged him out of the frying pan and into the inferno that was admitting his feelings.

Zelda upon receiving no immediate reply from him, added, with a gleam of devilry in her eye "plus, I enjoy having you at my mercy like this Link", simultaneously leaning forward once more, this time without her arms to save link from a disgraceful view.

Link's eyes almost popped out of his head, cheeks practically sizzling, as he summoned all his willpower to maintain propriety, even as he was persuading his brainpower back from a brief vacation. After regaining as much of his faculties as he could seem to afford, he decided to try once again appeal to Zelda's bountiful mercy. "Please Zelda, I need to drink" He forced with all the composure he could muster.

"Throat a little dry, Link?" She asked coyly.

"Please, I need a drink." He said again, voice underscored with slight desperation.

"Well, Link I can't let you go until I know you'll behave yourself or, of course, you confess, which would make things so much more pleasant for both of us." She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. "If, however, you really are thirsty, then I suppose that leaves us with only one option… I serve your drink to you personally." She said with an impish grin.

Oh no!

"That, though, would go against my dignity…"

Phew! Hooray for small mercies

"…however," she pretended to ponder, tapping her chin in mock contemplation "I can't have you so parched you can't confess. Not to mention, I AM technically your host and it would be a most reprehensible reflection on me to leave a guest without sustenance."

"A worse reflection than binding said guest to a chair?!" Link interjected to try and put an end to this mad, yet disturbingly alluring idea.

"You have no one to blame but yourself" she chided, though in a manner more akin to addressing a man who was caught carving lewd shapes into someone's prized pumpkins, than committing treason.

"For what?!"

The princess clicked her tongue in disappointment, Brows tensing. "You're still denying it?! Well in that case, it is clear we must move on to the next item of evidence."

"Woah, Hold up. You haven't even explained what that first tale was supposed to reveal. I didn't steal anything. The necklace was an accident and your pauldrons were removed only out of necessity. The only crime I could be called out for, if you can even call it one, was not bowing to you correctly and that was due to ignorance."

Zelda didn't answer immediately, instead flicking her gaze to her wine glass she picked it up daintily and took another sip. She savoured the taste, frown melting away as she hummed in satisfaction, reclining back again.

"You are correct Link, you did not steal anything during those eventful days in Ordon. I do believe, however that my handling of the necklace debacle was the catalyst for your kleptomania, the inception of an idea. The idea that you could take anything you wished from me and I would never punish you…"

"Ah, come on Zelda, that's…" Link attempted and failed to cut her off.

"… and it didn't take long for you to set about testing that little theory of yours. Three weeks at the castle in fact." For making such an allegation, she was shockingly jovial about it.

"Really, what did I supposedly do?" came his significantly less cheerful reply.

"I simply call it… The Sponge and Tart Incident" She proclaimed with flair.

Link racked his brains in search of what in Hyrule's name that could be. He was struggling to think of anything such a title could possibly refer to. He remembered the meeting at the castle, the hair incident, "Leg-it Link" and the accident of one mare, a noble and whole lot of muck but he couldn't recall…

Ah!

She may have a case with this one!