Something You Stole

by ChronicallyEclectic

Link's adventures through the Twilight realm had taught him to expect the unexpected. Unfortunately even that didn't prepare him for the shock of being accused of apparently stealing one of the Princess's most precious possessions! What did he steal? He doesn't know and she wont say. Romance/Drama/Humour. Cover image by Janus3003 on Deviantart

22. Inquisition and exposition

A.N: Welcome back my fabulous readers. Thanks for all your reviews and messages and apologies for the particular long wait for this chapter. The reason simply is… this chapter is an absolute monster, my longest by a country mile. I just hope its quantity translates to entertainment rather than tedium and that I haven't missed too many errors, which can slip through the cracks of my proofreading efforts for longer chapters.

Anyway, I hope you are all keeping safe and well and perhaps this new chapter can provide you with some escape from these current turbulent times. As always constructive feedback is always appreciated.

Oh, and this may come as a shock to you but we are finally approaching the end… of act 1!

And for those of you desperate for Link to figure it out, trust me, he will… kinda ;)

Chapter 21 – Inquisition and exposition

Hyrule Castle Royal Wing Antechamber – 203 days A.G

Link fiddled nervously with his leather bracers as he waited, impatience and worry having a scuffle for supremacy in his head while he watched the clock across the room. He'd arrived at ten to five and the minute hand was now languidly reaching for twenty five minutes past.

The afternoon shadows from the high windows were stretching across the royal purple carpet of the antechamber, a small room next to the spiral staircase which led up to the royal wing. Link scanned the room again for something to occupy his mind other than the clock reminding him of every new minute's delay of his impending punishment. It was the same boring space he'd found when he entered, nothing more than a row of fancy chairs lining each wall, upholstered with cushions of the same purple as the carpet. There was no view to be had from the windows as they were too high up to see through.

Shuffling in his seat, he was reminded of Tywin's "love" poem lurking in his back pocket, the fate of which he had yet to decide. He'd not sunk low enough to read it, not being fond of spying or the wince worthy warbling's of romantic rivals. Romantic rivals?! Goddesses, what a joke that was!

He considered adding another couple of laps of the room to the dozen he'd already completed, just to pass the time. His ankle wasn't particularly thrilled with the exercise but it had already wasted precious days on an inexcusable recovery period. Had it acted this way during his adventures the kingdom would probably still be in the grip of eternal twilight. Some hero he was without his powers! Why had the Goddesses even picked him?

His eyes were on the clock again, now reading five thirty and his unsettled mind ran through the words of his summons for a fourth time, checking to see whether he'd somehow misremembered or misheard. He better not have missed it! Was this the correct waiting area? He didn't know of any other.

With a growl of frustration, he rose and went to the doorway to check whether there was some other room he missed somewhere down the hallway. He had begun pondering the idea of venturing up the spiral staircase to ask the guards at the royal wing entrance itself when a noble came strolling into view from the opposite end of the corridor.

Link's interactions with nobles had been scarce and this nobleman wasn't one he was acquainted with. It appeared the nobleman, however, knew of him, hailing him in a jovial manner one wouldn't expect of a man with such sharp features. Seemingly premature aging had left the man's long face stretched and gaunt while his eyes were sunken deep into their sockets. His silvery hair, however, hinted at his true age, full, sleek and slicked back in the latest fashionable style while from within their shadowy sockets silver orbs beheld canniness and vitality. The noble smiled broadly as he approached. "Aha, so you must be the great hero Sir Link. It is an honour to finally make your acquaintance." He held out his hand.

Despite the man's friendly manner, Link was wary. The man was a noble after all, even if he lacked an immaculate moustache. On the other hand, he didn't want to make unnecessary enemies through unwarranted hostility, so he tried to conjure up his best sense of formal civility even as he eyed the outstretched hand cautiously. "Begging your pardon sir, but I generally like to know whose hand I'm shaking."

"Oh, of course, silly me. Lord Samuel Fairclough at your service." The man introduced himself with a bow, before extending his hand once more, joviality unwavering. His voice was smooth and refined, plummy accent present yet conservative.

Ah, the father of the three T's! It certainly fit his friendly disposition, though clearly the trio owed their looks entirely to their mother. He wasn't what Link expected and the knowledge of his identity didn't fully allay the hero's innate suspicion of nobles. One lesson his adventures had taught him well though was you could rarely judge on appearance. Not that he always listened to that particular pearl of wisdom but he did feel comfortable enough to shake the Lords hand cordially. "A pleasure to meet you, Lord Fairclough"

The Lord chuckled. "Oh, believe me, the pleasure is all mine, great hero and please, Samuel will do just fine. I take it you are also here for an audience with her highness?"

Link inwardly cringed at the reverent praise of his hero title. "Err, yes, at least I thought so. This is the waiting area for the royal wing, isn't it?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well I thought my meeting was supposed to be at five o'clock. It's now five thirty…"

"Ah, do not worry. Her royal highness is many things but her work often ensures punctual isn't one of them. If I may enquire, what is the purpose of your meeting? That is, of course, if it's not confidential."

He seriously considered lying and saying it WAS confidential but given this could be his first chance at getting in the good graces of someone at court, he decided to come clean, if only in rather vague terms. "It's about a punishment."

"A punishment?"

"Yes"

"And may I be so bold as to ask whose?"

"Mine." Link answered flatly, unsure how the Lord would react. The Lord's reaction was one of brief surprise, followed by a furrowing of the brow as he glanced off perplexed towards the staircase to the royal wing. After a few seconds thought it seemed the lord had resolved his bemusement as his silver orbs flicked back to Link, smile returning. "Ah yes, I take it this is for your unchallenged belting of Sir Halshaw? Hmhmhm, if you ask me, he got what he deserved…" He paused expectantly, as though he predicted a reply, yet Link didn't give one.

Something about the Lords manner seemed… off. Link couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever it was it had begun to raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

When he didn't respond, Lord Samuel continued. "I certainly hope her royal highness is not too harsh on you, especially for an act I'm sure a great many others have been dying to do for years… You wouldn't happen to have been informed as to the nature of your punishment?"

"No." Link gave another flat reply.

"Her highness hasn't disclosed it's nature? Not even an inkling?"

"Only that it's quite serious."

"Ah, I see. Well, I trust her highness's judgement and she is nothing if not merciful."

The lord's interest in his punishment had set an alarm bell peeling in the back of Link's brain and he was beginning to suspect a game was being played. Unfortunately, he didn't have the rule book or the goals. "Well her highness has always shown me great wisdom and kindness."

"Naturally, she clearly values and trusts you greatly. You are the chosen hero of the goddesses after all, responsible for ridding us of terrible strife, and from what I've heard have also given her good council."

Good council?! What in all Hyrule could that mean? His suspicion rising by the second and with no particular strategy of uncovering whatever game was being played, Link let his quizzically cocked eyebrow speak for him.

"Have you not been inspiring her?"

Inspiring her? From a certain perspective that could be one way of describing their two private meetings, though consolation or simply showing his support seemed far more apt. Besides, the specific descriptor was unimportant as those meetings were supposed to be private! Surely Zelda wouldn't have told someone of their impromptu rendezvous in the maze, especially not the nature of their talk. So… did the Lord know of their meetings or was he referring to something completely different and if so, what? "Why would you say that?"

"Her highness has praised your unconventional, some might say, revolutionary mind set and has given you credit for some of her most ground-breaking ideas. It's certainly shaken up the court and some would argue that's precisely what the court needs."

What? Where was all this coming from? "Well I can't think of anything I've said that could be classified as revolutionary."

"Ah, don't be so modest. Surely a young free spirit from the far provinces such as yourself holds some revolutionary zeal? A desire to change the world?"

Link was overcome by an ever-increasing urge to wash his hands, as he was fast suspecting that this Lord was the sort which secreted slime rather than sweat. Feeling the yank of an invisible leash from the Lord, trying to guide his response, he decided to show some of his free-spiritedness and ignore the not so subtle tugging. At least that was the plan…

It turned out he didn't need it as, before he could answer, Neela appeared from the spiral staircase, her visage holding a hostility Link never could have imagined from the seemingly perpetually cheerful handmaiden, hostility directed at his new "friend".

"Lord Vanhorn, I believe her highness made herself perfectly clear when she said you should not darken her door with your presence unless specifically requested to do so. If, on the other hand, you are here to harass Sir Link, know that as a summons of her royal highness he is also off limits to you as well."

Lord Vanhorn?! Well, he'd suspected games but he'd at least expected nobles to have the decency not to use one another's identity. He rounded on his new enemy, only to witness a sickening metamorphosis as the man's smile turned from ill-fitting affability to charming malevolence, an expression that far better suited his visage.

The now unmasked Lord Vanhorn took on a tone of wounded obsequiousness. "Oh, you always assume the worst of me, Neela. Sir Link and I were having a perfectly amicable conversation. Why he even shook my hand, an experience which I will treasure and a gracious gesture which, purely due to an inexplicably misplaced distrust, the source of which I find unfathomable, you and her royal highness would deny me."

"At another time I might give you the full list, but Sir Link has been summoned and cannot be delayed further."

"What a pity, you doom me to ignorance. You know Neela, I've heard so many rumours that you actually possess a smile, yet I can never find a reliable source."

"It's reserved for those I don't despise."

"Despise? Really, Neela, I didn't know you cared. I'm flattered." The lord turned to Link with an odious grin. "Good day, great hero, it's been a pleasure." Delivering a final mocking bow, the noble slid away, oozing slime down the corridor.

Link shifted attention back to Neela, who seemed to be intensely focusing on rekindling her characteristic spark of cheeriness, but to limited success. He was still in a state of shock. He never knew such a side of the boisterous handmaiden existed. The anger, the hostility but also the authority and power of her voice. Obviously some of Zelda fire had rubbed off on her."

She strained a smile. "I'm sorry Sir Link. Of all the people you had to meet…" she shook her head and then picked up his shock. "You seem surprised?"

"Well I just… I never expected that from you."

Her face brightened slightly. "Really? Which part; the anger or the ferocity?"

"Both."

The handmaiden giggled, her usual perky persona bursting back into life. "Hehehe, given my performance till now, your shock is understandable."

"Your performance?!"

"Oh, don't get me wrong Link. I AM indeed very much inclined towards the perkier end of the spectrum, which is why I find my part so natural. It just so happens that many people assume cheery, ditzy blondes are stupid and…" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper "therefore not worth guarding their words over."

As shocked as Link was by her change of personality, it was the barest glimpse of the levels of intrigue and deception that must run through the courts that truly stunned him. He had to say though, he couldn't agree with all of her statement. "Well I never saw you as ditzy. A little clumsy perhaps and I did have to wonder how the princ… I mean her highness ever managed to keep a secret with you around, but I never saw you as stupid."

"Aw, ever the gentleman. I can see why Zelda's so set on increasing the frequency of your presence. Speaking of, she is waiting for you and we mustn't keep her waiting." She took the hero by the arm and they hurried up the stairs, Link's thoughts spinning like the spiralling steps, as he tried to fathom what she meant be "increasing the frequency of his presence."

"Oh, and by the way, you mentioned slipping secrets, well that can come in handy too." She winked.

They had just reached the top of the stairs when the royal wing entrance opened and they were suddenly accosted by a garishly garbed individual wielding a lute and a funny hat. Was he a bard or a jester? Whoever or whatever he was, his eyes lit up on sight of Link and he crowed "Doth my eyes deceive me or am I in the presence of Hyrule's chosen hero?!"

Link suppressed a wince as his heart sank. "Err, hi" he grumbled.

"Amazing. It is truly an honour to meet such an esteemed figure, just as her highness described you…" The man grasped Link's hand before he could pull away and shook it vigorously. Then there was a pause as the brash bard took a moment to examine Link's features, his firm grasp waning. "although…" he added "when I enquired about battle scars, she neglected to mention your nose. Not the most romantic of war wounds but it will serve its purpose in my grand ballad."

"Grand ballad?!" Link's voice was reduced to a squeak of consternation at the horrifying thought.

The bard clearly mistook horror for mere dumbfounded incredulity. "Of course, your heroics will be enshrined in legend for all time, set to a, if I may be so bold as to say, marvellous melody composed by yours truly. Rest assured, soon the whole kingdom will know of your exploits and being singing your richly deserving praises." Utterly oblivious to the devastation he had wrought, the bard gave a deep bow and promptly skipped down the staircase leaving a thunderstruck hero wordlessly gaping in the royal wing entrance way.

A ballad mythologizing his adventures, seemingly sanctioned by the princess herself, to be spread across the kingdom?! What in the Sacred Realm had come over Zelda? She may not know the full extent of his distaste at his reputation and title of hero but she knew it brought him some level of discomfort. Surely, she realised how he'd… or perhaps that was the point? An unconventional punishment if ever there was one, given that lauding someone's supposed greatness was generally seen as a positive act but it was nevertheless effective as a unique form of torture for him.

Neela shook the frozen hero from his malaise. "Link? We must be going." Link blinked gormlessly and followed thoughtlessly along the corridor of the royal wing, unable to take in the décor of his surroundings due to his continued shock. He'd seen it before anyway. He was far more concerned with his punishment or, indeed, punishments.

He was only brought back to reality when his guide knocked on a door and Zelda's bell like voice drifted back through the wood. His brain was further stirred from its stewing when the door was opened and the princesses familiar scent stroked his nostrils, quickly soothing his turbulent thoughts.

Link quickly took in the room before him to look for clues for his possible fate. It appeared the meeting was taking in place the princess's study, judging by the bookcase that lined three of the walls and the stately writing desk in the corner, behind which, posed to prim perfection as always, sat her royal highness herself, clad in her usual dress and gloves, her lips curled almost imperceptibly in amusement. "Ah, Sir Link…" Why was she using his title? Weren't they in private? I mean there was Neela but she wouldn't mind. "I apologise for the lateness of our meeting. Unfortunately, some of my previous audiences overran… although I do distinctly recall sending Neela to summon you a good fifteen minutes past. Did you find some obstruction between here and the audience antechamber?"

"Actually…" The handmaiden jumped in before he had formulated a reply "Lord Vanhorn had decided to pay Link a visit."

The princess's tone darkened slightly but she showed no great concern "Lord Vanhorn? I trust you sent him on his way."

"Of course, I believe I made our positions quite clear, your highness."

"Very good. Now…" She turned her gaze to the silent hero, who tensed at her attention "Sir Link, do you drink tea?"

Such a mundane question took him by surprise and he scrambled to remember his opinion on the matter. "Um, well… I had it once… or twice but I can't recall whether I liked it or not."

"Tea for two if you please Neela."

"Of course, your highness." The handmaiden bowed and departed, as Zelda rose from her chair and walked towards Link, her princess veil of a small enigmatic smile giving away nothing of her emotions, though the loss of her gliding ethereal gait spelled trouble. Her voice was placid and business like. "Sir Link, would you care to walk with me to the balcony."

To his chagrin, the princess had stolen his attention so quickly he'd failed to register the undeniably obvious double doors, which led out on to an impressively spacious balcony. On meeting Zelda again, and reminding himself of the purpose of this audience, he was admittedly a little nervous and the princess's business-like manner and use of his title wasn't a reassuring sign. With a slightly apprehensive nod he accompanied her onto the balcony.

His apprehension was short lived however, as upon opening the doors to the full view he couldn't help a gasp at the majestic scene of Hyrule fields, in all its glory, spread out before them. A cooling breeze whipped their hair in the soft hues of the late afternoon sun, whose height signalled there could be no more than a couple of hours left on duty for the day before the stars took over for the night shift.

After a moment just admiring the view the princess spoke again, still business-like, however she'd dropped his title. "So, Link, you have finally met my greatest opponent. What did you make of him?"

They moved to the end of the balcony as they talked, skirting a small round table and two chairs, which, judging by their decadent upholstered cushions clearly spent most of their days in the shelter of the study. His attention was briefly drawn from the glorious Hyrule vista to one of the seats which, on closer inspection, seemed to be more of a cross between a chair and a bench with the seat extending out far further than the arm rests. After a second pondering it's purpose he turned his attention back to the vista and Zelda's question.

"Well he's obviously devious but my impressions of him where rather…" He struggled to find the word "… disrupted due to the fact he pretended to be Lord Fairclough."

"Ah yes, I suspect he assumed I had already told you of my alliance with Lord Fairclough but that you were as yet unacquainted. A surprisingly common ploy at court, particularly with foreign dignitaries. Am I correct in presuming his purpose for "introducing himself" was to glean clues as to your possible punishment, given that I refused to reveal it."

"You could say that. It was his keenness on that subject which first raised my suspicions."

"Indeed. Such topics are not exactly a staple of introductory conversations and there are many among the court desperate to discover your fate. Even so, I highly doubt that was the only reason for his visit."

She may have dropped the formality of his title, yet for all her attempts at cordial conversation, she seemed abnormally tense. It was very subtle and well disguised but to Link's heightened senses it was becoming increasingly apparent with every line that something was wrong and had been since the moment he arrived. His nerves rose again, however not enough to convince him to pry. He decided to simply continue as though he'd noticed nothing and hopefully the truth would come out on its own.

"No. He seemed intent on coaxing me to take credit for inspiring some of your more, um, "unconventional" ideas, along with having me admit to being… what was it… ah yes a revolutionary thinker."

"My, my, he really was pulling out all the stops to skewer you."

"Really? The thing is, I get that he was trying to play me but I can't see what he hoped to accomplish. I mean what's so bad about being unconventional?"

Zelda gave a sardonic laugh and shook her head. "Not much to most ordinary people, but, to the court, confessing to having "unconventional" or "revolutionary" thoughts is considered just one step down from planning to overthrow the establishment. Had you admitted to it, as far as they are concerned, they could argue it to be justification enough to have you discharged from your position as a security risk or worse, investigated for sedition. I would, of course, protest against it, however, if they were to have other evidence that suggested, say, I was unduly influenced or inspired by your ideas or your company, they could use such evidence to overrule my judgement."

Link was shocked. Wow, he'd really dodged an arrow. Surely though, his record would speak for itself, proving without doubt he was no rebel? "But what about my actions? My conduct? My reputation?"

"The saying may be actions speak louder than words but among the council that only holds true when it supports their claims. Otherwise conflicting actions are nothing more than inconveniences to be buried or ignored. It is true that your confession alone would not be enough but it would be an effective first step in discrediting you and I doubt it escaped your notice Link, but your record is not exactly spotless. If it were, you would not be here and he would not be so eager to discover your punishment."

"It's sounds like you suspected he'd try something?"

"Well I certainly did not predict his impersonating Lord Fairclough, however I fully expected him to try and pry into my judgement by plying answers from you. In fact, it is part of the rationale behind me not informing you of the specifics of my chosen disciplinary actions."

For the first time since they'd met, the princess had left Link feeling insulted. "Hey, you could have at least explained that to me before, rather than leave me in the dark. I may be a simple goatherder but even I know how to keep a secret. I'm not that stupid, you know!"

"Forgive me Link if I have offended you. It was never a question of your intelligence but one of authenticity. For all the many great qualities you undeniably possess, surely you can admit that deception is not among them, one of the many reasons I appreciate your company so much. You are a paragon of the noble virtue of honesty. Such a virtue is not, however, conducive to convincing concealment of secrets, without arousing suspicion. I needed your claims of ignorance to appear as genuine as possible to avoid any aspersions that we were collaborating in some kind of conspiracy."

Conspiracy?! He'd already been made aware of the web of intrigue in which he'd been embroiled but not the magnitude of the trouble was he in? Conspiracy was not a word used lightly. What had he signed himself up for when he'd accepted this position? Was it really this tenuous? It took a moment for the full implications of her words to sink in but, when they did, they hit like a stampede of trampling giant boars. He leant heavily against the ornate stone balustrade and stared off to the mountains on the distant horizon, silently lost in tempestuous thought yet still aware of Zelda's blue orbs fixed intently on him, probably trying to measure his reaction.

The conversation died to make way for the whistling wind which carried the sound of a skylark from somewhere over Hyrule fields. Link could not see Zelda but he could sense her quiet form shift uneasily behind him, hesitant to approach.

When she finally joined him at the balustrade, it was with obvious trepidation and she notably avoided looking directly at him, instead following his gaze to the horizon. "I'm sorry Link…" Her voice was soft yet laden with unmistakable guilt. "I fear you could suffer for a mistake of my own making…"

Link swung round to face the reticent princess, who continued to stare off to the distant mountains. There they stayed in nervous silence, the usually beautiful skylark song now seeming almost like an alarm call, expressing the inner turmoil of the duo. When Zelda finally faced him, she bore a visage he'd only witnessed from her once before but had nevertheless left an imprint on his mind. It was the look she'd given him moments before she decided to reveal her tale of Alfonzo's "death".

Zelda took a deep breath and straightened up, head held high, yet portraying unmistakable reluctance, as one wishing to face a jury trial with dignity. "You will find my past littered with regrets and errors in judgement, dear hero, and now I fear I have put your reputation at risk because of one of my most foolish."

Link glanced off to the two chairs, thinking back to the previous moments of revelation. "Err, Zelda, perhaps we should sit?"

"I would prefer to stand, as should you… in case you wish to walk away." Her tone was detached yet her immediately downcast eyes spoke of a great shame. The display shook Link but he was resolute in his opinion that there was nothing she could say that would make him walk away. It clearly showed on his face.

"Your faith in me may change…" she sighed "Would it surprise you to know that the only reason my council is such is threat is because I allowed them to be?"

The hero stayed silent, expression unwavering.

She examined his response before, having received none, she continued "When my father, the king, passed away I was far too young to assume the mantle of leadership. Thus, as per the law, the council took over as stewards of the crown, acting as the kingdoms sole governing body until such a time as I was ready to take up my position. Officially, according to the royal constitution, that was once I had reached my fourteenth year. At the time the court was made up of three balanced factions; royalists, who supported my father, my family and our principles, the power hungry, who sought to undermine my family's authority and reduce the royal family to a mere figurehead and the "Ephemerals", those who did not care who was in power as long as they got a cut of it. It was the way things had stayed for many years and I naively assumed such a balance was interminable. Inevitably though, the precious balance was shattered when, just three months before my fourteenth birthday, two of my father's greatest supporters stood down from the council, handing the control to those who would oppose me in the struggle for power. Whether their resignations were of their own volition or they were somehow pushed, I have been unable to discover. Regardless, the council turned from receptive to my instatement, to hostile and… from nothing but my own fear, I made possibly my most regrettable decision. I chose to postpone taking up my place as ruler. I refused, repeatedly, for two years, to take up the mantle for which I was destined… and needed."

She paused to recover composure and then pushed doggedly onwards. "The council quickly set about trying to diminishing my powerbase. There were laws that prevented them from effectively usurping my position but, through careful amendments to such, they were able to significantly stifle my ability to govern efficiently when the time came where I finally assumed my royal position. For almost two years I stood by and watched as they undermined my authority and my father's legacies, passed bills which chafed Hyrule and her citizens and made a mockery of everything I held dear. For two years I watched and did nothing… all because I was afraid of my destined power and those who sought to covet it for themselves…"

She turned away and began to drift down the line of the balustrade, the fingers of one gloved hand grazing the stone railing. "… By the time I finally stepped up, both the kingdom and my influence were crippled and I realised the only hope of recovery was to wage war against the court. A war of loopholes, caveats, conspiracy and duplicity from both sides, earning me victories but in doing so, also creating new enemies. I did what I had to in order to claw back power, at times at the expense of my principles. It is a war which, despite my many victories, still rages and now, through my persuading you to take up your position at the castle, it is a war I have selfishly dragged you into."

The princess reached the end of the balcony and, with a dramatic swish of her hair and white skirts, she whirled round to face Link. Her princess veil, which she had valiantly maintained, cracked briefly in surprise, seemingly due to the realisation that, from the moment she'd turned away, he had shadowed her every step. Her surprise was quickly covered by the reinstatement of her princess veil and she once again tried to peer into his soul. He in turn tried to glimpse hers through the veil. The deep recesses were closed to him, yet he couldn't miss her moist eyes.

He had listened intently to her every word, examined every line and yet he couldn't find the one which would make him turn away, as she had clearly expected. If anything, her tale had hardened his resolve to help her… as any true friend would, regardless of duty, obligation… or other personal feelings.

"You need not have followed me, dear Hero." Zelda's tone was soft and with a glimmer of warmth.

"Well you never said I couldn't and as shocking as it may seem, I CAN walk and listen at the same time princess. I certainly wasn't about to walk away…" Link let his heart find the words, only for his heart to deliver a rare stroke of poetic genius "Besides, as actions speak louder than words, I simply let my actions speak for me and they say… I'll follow wherever you need me."

For its genius, his heart was rewarded with a crack in the veil as the princess struggled to restrain the increasing glow from her upturned lips, radiating warmth and gratitude. Yes, his heart was happy… ecstatic even!... and a happy heart is foolish, so he'd better clamp down on it before he says something he'd regret. Zelda needed friendship… morale support… not the fawning's of a lovesick puppy!

"Thank you, Link… Thank you…" Zelda's words were as soft and gentle as the spring breeze, yet he heard them, clear and melodious as the skylark… however behind the melodious song lay something more haunting, which he couldn't explain. A heavy weight still holding her down. "but my…"

Her soft words were interrupted by the abrupt creak of the study door and Link suffered a brief panic attack until he remembered, to his great relief, he hadn't been stupid enough to let his heart decide the appropriate distance to follow its desire. Their distance was perfectly respectable.

Neela came in baring a tray with the pot of tea and two cups, which it seemed had slipped BOTH their minds.

"Neela? Ah yes, the tea. Please leave it on the table. Thank you."

"Of course. Is there anything else you need, your highness?"

"No thank you, Neela. That will be all."

With a curtsey, the handmaiden slipped back out of the room, however Link couldn't help but notice a gleam in her hazel eyes as they'd darted with mischievous energy between him and the princess. He retreated a couple of steps and rubbed the back of his neck, suppressing a blush.

When his gaze inevitably gravitated back to the princess, it was with barely concealed disappointment that he noted the reinstatement of her veil. The moment they'd shared was lost. She gestured cordially to the strange bench seat. "Please take a seat on the Méridienne, dear hero. After all, it is most uncivilised to take tea standing up."

Méridienne? Must be the name of the chair bench hybrid. Sounded rather pompous really. Oh well, the princess wished for him to sit on it and so he did, regardless of its title. He perched awkwardly on the bench end, wincing from his precariously skewed ankle.

Zelda frowned and chided him gently. "Link, when I invite a friend to sit with me I do not expect them to squat like a Cucoo fearful of being caught laying in public. It is a Méridienne! it is intended that you utilize its full length to recline in comfort."

While he appreciated her concern for his comfort, there was one problem she seemed to have missed. "But princess, If I use the whole thing, surely I'll get my boots on it?"

"Boots can be removed" came Zelda's matter of fact reply.

Link was aghast. From the way their chairs were positioned, his feet would be practically in her lap. Why, it would be most insulting to her. "Zelda, surely you can't be serious?! If I did that I'd be effectively presenting you with my ghastly grubby socks and…"

"Oh, your socks will also require removal"

"What?!" Had the princess suddenly lost her marbles?

"Link, it is perfectly simple. One of my purposes in summoning you was to take a look at your injured ankle and see whether I can provide further healing."

This was a set up?! The hero went beet red and began stammering in protest. "But Zelda, there really is no need. I'm perfectly fine…"

"Don't try the hardened hero routine with me. I saw you wince…"

"It's just a slight niggle. Nothing to worry about."

"Reeeaaaalllly. I guess that's why you've been resorting to improvised "bookrests" in the library for the last week."

"W. ?! where did you hear that from?"

"Oh, a very reliable source in my network. Needless to say, I know it's true."

Link's mind was in a state of turmoil, as he struggled to think of excuses, hampered by his mortified imagination, firing forth ever more embarrassing and ridiculous scenarios of what could occur should his bare feet be displayed to the royal sovereign of the kingdom. "Please princess, I'm doing this to protect you. Trust me, you don't want to see my feet. They're gross and disgusting and smelly and..."

"That wont work Link. I happen to know, for all your rough and ready lifestyle, you care greatly about your hygiene."

Ok! How in the sacred realm and every other realm of existence could she possibly know that?! She was absolutely right, of course! Indeed, even during his adventures, he took every convenient opportunity he got to wash himself, much to Midna's impatient annoyance. It did nothing to change the fact that there was no logical explanation for where she could have gleaned such a personal habit. Was it some magic mind reading at play? On second thought, perhaps it was best not to find out. He wasn't finished fighting yet though, if not to save the princess's senses, then to protect a secret. A great and terrible weakness, which in the wrong hands could render him defenceless in his duty to the kingdom.

"But what if someone was to come in and see us?"

"I have instructed for us not to be disturbed by anyone unless I specifically summon them, however, if you require extra insurance, I can always lock the door."

Her tone of voice was teasing, yet the thought of being locked in with the princess did little to calm his nerves, instead stirring elation and horror in equal measure. "Zelda, please do not trouble yourself! I've managed far worse just fine…"

"Link, I WANT to help you! Why must you be so stubbornly opposed to my willing assistance?!" Zelda snapped, demeanour whipping from teasing to aggrieved, adding with a hint of bitterness. "You wouldn't have been this stubborn with Midna."

Link froze and upon seeing his expression, Zelda's face fell, veil slipping completely from her visage as she hastily apologised. "I'm sorry, Link… It's just that… friends help and support each other and yet you always seem uncomfortable accepting mine. I understand you are fiercely independent, yet I kn… I can't imagine you being so obstinately against others' offers of assistance. It… makes me wonder."

Watching the princess's confidence dissolve into forlorn diffidence so rapidly shocked the hero and produced a pain far worse than his throbbing ankle. She'd been the one, early on, who had been so certain of their friendship, stating it with such assurance as to be considered a fact of the universe, yet now here she was, seemingly doubtful of it. Had it all been a front? Had her adamant insistence of their friendship been just as much about reassuring herself as him, the repeat of a desperate wish in the hopes that be doing so, it would become a reality? On a couple of occasions, he had caught glimpses of her loneliness, but this put things into a completely different perspective.

He thought back to the start, when he had been the one filled with reservations, doubtful of the possibility for many reasons. Despite his negativity and misgivings, he had grown more accustom to the idea with each new encounter, to the point that now the thought of them not being friends seemed horrifying. It was true that her exalted station, compared to his, would inevitably restrict the depth of their potential relationship but the prospect of being without it altogether filled him with dread and wounded far more than just his foolish heart.

With their usual roles unexpectedly reversed, Link found himself in the strange position of being the assured one. "Zelda, I'm sorry if I made you doubt our friendship, but do you not recall what I said to you not five minutes ago or our conversation back in the hedge maze?"

The princess nodded, but her doubts clearly persisted. "Indeed, but friendship and support are not mutually exclusive. I have much experience of one without the other."

"Well not from me, you're not! You're getting the whole deal, whether you like it or not!" Link proclaimed ardently, leaning forward dramatically. Not the best move as it turned out.

His ankle gave an emphatic scream under the exertion and gave way, almost sending him tumbling forward into the princess's lap. It was only his quick reactions, grasping the armrests of her chair, which allowed him to prevent a collision… but it was close. Raising his gaze revealed just how close he'd come to disaster along with its magnitude. A foot ahead of him, directly in his heads projected descent path, was the royal bosom and above it the royal visage, with wide eyes, pink cheeks and eyebrows ascending to the sacred realm.

Well at least she wasn't downhearted anymore. Was this the closest he'd ever been to her beautiful… Oh no you don't! Link leapt backwards and practically tripped back onto the Méridienne, cheeks burning while he babbled profuse yet incoherent apologies. "I.I.I'm dreadfully sorry, Zelda. That was a complete accident. You see, my ank…" he caught himself before he let the cause of the accident slip. "I have no idea how that happened."

It was true that Zelda was no longer forlorn, but she wasn't radiating joy either. She'd recovered from her shock remarkably quickly and now regarded him with folded arms and a crooked smile. "Really Link? You have no idea how it happened? Hmmm? Because to me, it looked like your injured ankle painfully gave way… unless, of course this was all some elaborate ploy to get a close look at some of the royal jewels?!"

"Princess, I'd… I'd never…"

Her tone softened slightly, but retained a hint of exasperation. "Relax Link, I know you would never do such a thing. I thank you for your… impassioned… proclamation of our friendship. It truly warms my heart… even as your continued obduracy frustrates me! Why must you be so childish about this? What is so distressing about accepting my willingly offered help? Please, let me help. There's no shame in it."

Link was out of excuses and, quite frankly, couldn't refuse her imploring tone, particularly as there still loomed the possibility of upsetting her again if he continued his futile and admittedly childish protest. He sighed and began to remove his boots. "Ok princess, you win… but I will not be held responsible for any nightmares you get from the sight or smell."

"Oh please! Are you not aware that I've seen your feet before, when I healed you the first time?" Zelda scoffed, though her twitching lips let him know that his attempt at levity wasn't entirely in vain.

"Yeah but I was unconscious then. Besides, in case you weren't aware princess, looking at a friend's feet is not exactly… normal."

"If it were not for my examination, your ankle would still be fractured in three places. Besides do you really have to make it sound so sordid."

"It's just… it's embarrassing! Showing my feet." The hero finally decided to confess part of the reason for his reluctance, though he most definitely wasn't going to reveal everything.

"To a friend or just to a princess?"

He'd hoped they'd gotten past this. "To anyone! Look, there will inevitably be distinctions in how I'd treat you as opposed to other friends, such as calling you "your highness" in public, but that doesn't change the fact that I DO consider you a friend… a good friend, and hopefully… a close friend."

Zelda sighed. "I know, I know. Please forgive me. I do not wish to labour such a point, particularly when I was the one who pressed so hard for our friendship in the first place. For me to show such doubt is most unbecoming of a princess…" She gave an abashed chuckle "… particularly with my trusted hero. It is simply that… I am sure this has likely never occurred to you Link, but you are the first friend I've ever had who was not first assigned to me by the court as a servant or aid. I may have developed rapport with many but I know, ultimately, they will always see me as their sovereign first and a friend second. I just hope… I just hope you can see me as a friend first."

This revelation put Zelda's actions into a new perspective. All these seemingly sudden doubts, contrasting to her prior emphatic insistence… her nerves about him rejecting her offer of a position at the castle… it all made perfect sense. Well not entirely, but then again Borri had told him once "the moment you understand a woman is the moment you know you've lost the plot" and he didn't think he was THAT far gone. Regardless, the revelation along with her plaintive plea for "friendship first" tugged at his heartstrings, even as his rational mind hastened to remind him of the virtual chasm between their respective stations and upbringings. He couldn't bear to disappoint her, yet his honour prevented him from making a promise he potentially couldn't keep. At some point duty would inevitably come first.

He tried to add some levity to the situation so as to lift the princess's spirits, despite the serious point he felt he was making. "I'll try my best Zelda, however surely you realise that, technically, even I was assigned to you, just by a rather higher power than some snooty courtiers."

Fortunately, she welcomed the joke, breaking into a charmingly dignified giggle, her smile signalling her gratitude for the light relief. "Hehehe, that is true and I have thanked them for their exceptional choice…"

Her comment was clearly meant as a compliment but as had happened so much in their conversations today, it only opened up more doubt and discomfort, this time for the humble hero. The question of why the goddesses had chosen him had haunted him ever since he'd first discovered his destiny. It gnawed at his innards and no matter how many times and ways he'd asked it, an answer never came. Even a single reason why it was him and not someone else appeared elusive. He sometimes wondered whether they'd chosen correctly or whether, had they chosen someone else then…

"Link, are you alright?" Zelda peered at him with worry.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine." He mumbled unconvincingly, finally unfreezing from his position of removing his left sock, the last vestige of protection for his now vulnerable feet. "Er, you were saying?"

"I was just about to ask you how you wish to try your tea… Link, did something I say upset you? Please know that is the last thing I would ever wish or intend. If there is anything I can…"

"No, no it's alright. You just brought back an old question…"

There was a pause and, from the corner of his eye, he caught Zelda gazing expectantly at him, waiting for him to finish. Something held his tongue.

"Is it something I can help with?" she murmured, her imploring gaze trying to break through the barrier.

His heart told him it was safe to ask but his rational mind said otherwise. "No… no, it's nothing really."

She hid it well but he still caught the trace of disappointment. "Well if you change your mind… I will always listen."

While his heart swelled with gratitude for her words, his conscience was pricked with guilt at her disappointment from his reticence. Why couldn't he tell her. His mind told him she would never understand while his heart emphatically insisted he was giving her far too little credit. Since their meeting in Ordon, the princess had confessed many a painful secret, overcoming significant fears and doubts to do so. And how many had he offered in return? One! And that was only after considerable resistance. Was he just a coward? The question echoed again in his head. Why had they chosen him of all people?

"Thanks. I truly am grateful Zelda, but it really is nothing to worry about. Just something I need to work out."

"You do not have to do it alone."

"I know… now you asked me about tea. What are my options?"

Zelda sighed but accepted defeat with the abrupt and wholly unsubtle change of topic, though disappointment lingered in her sapphire orbs, only exacerbating Link's guilt. "Milk or no milk? Sugar or no sugar?"

"Given that I have little knowledge of tea, I'll have whatever you're having."

"Really, I do tend to like my tea quite strong." Zelda's voice was placid and lifeless.

Link again tried to elevate both their spirits out of the doldrums they were trapped in with another attempt at humour. "Hey, I'm a pretty strong man. I think I can take it."

This didn't even earn so much as a sly twitch of the lips from the princess, her veil stoically unwavering as she served up the tea from the small side table between their diagonally placed seats. Her movements were stiff and mechanical, like a statue under the influence of the dominion rod and she notable avoided eye contact. Goddesses, how badly had he just screwed up? She had opened herself up to him yet he'd kept himself completely closed off. No wonder she was hurt. Well if he was a hero of any kind he had to fix this! Of course, it had to start with an apology and maybe, just maybe he should open himself up just a little. After all, given his admiration for her, shouldn't he be trying to follow her example.

He took a deep and dramatic breath, making sure to draw and hold her reluctant gaze. Here goes nothing! "Zelda, I'm sorry. You've opened up so much to me yet I've failed to do the same. No wonder you've had you doubts of our friendship. I've not exactly been a prime example of a good friend, heck my presence here has caused you a whole heap of trouble I'm not even aware of and I haven't done a damn thing to help…"

"You've done more to help than you know…"

"Please, let me finish. The important thing is… You've done far more for me than I have for you…" he took another steadying breath to prepare for his upcoming confession. "The reason I froze back there and the reason I was so closed off about it is because… is because you complimented me and I'll admit… I often find them hard to accept… to feel I am worthy of them."

The emotional exorcism, while not as dramatic as his soul baring explosion to Ilia all those months back, nevertheless left him feeling a slight sense of vertigo. It was only as his dizziness subsided that he registered the princess's bittersweet smile, accompanied by a misty blue gaze, flickering through overzealous eyelids. It was beautiful, yet agonising as each blink seemed to hammer home how much he'd hurt her… or so he thought.

Zelda bit her lip and nervously glanced off to the horizon, seemingly struggling to find the words. "Thank you Link… and I greatly appreciate your honesty and empathy… however… while your reticence may frustrate me enormously and I would dearly wish you could feel safe enough to trust me more readily, it is not responsible for my current state of apprehension. Neither, I must admit, was our earlier discussion of the eternal war between crown and court… though I had my doubts…" her gaze flicked to his now bare feet and she chuckled ruefully "How presumptuous of me, one might think I did it deliberately so you couldn't just walk away."

"Zelda, we've already been…"

"This is not about the war, Link. That was just a prelude, to prepare myself…" she sighed "… to talk of something of which I know you will not approve, indeed from what you just admitted, you will probably despise and resent it. I just pray you will understand my reasons for it and I will not earn your ire also."

Link was shaken by the severity of her words, coupled with her aggressively emotionless delivery, as if it were the only way for her to get the words out. His natural aversion to such ominously weighty conversation urged the use of his classic defence "Make light or change the subject", yet he held his tongue. He recognised her pain and realised that the sooner she could release what troubled her, the sooner he could reassure her.

"Link, I am aware of your distaste for your hero's title or for your tales to be spread… however you must also be aware that there are many people in the kingdom who barely understand what occurred during the twilight invasion or that it even was an invasion and not just some demented living nightmare. The Twilight has been lifted and the souls of the citizens have returned to this world, but many of them are still lost and afraid. Order has finally been restored, yet there are those still gripped be fear, confusion, grief… and anger. My tour of the kingdom, of which Ordon was my final stop, was partly intended so I could allay such fears, yet I possessed neither the time or the energy to adequately answer their many concerns. I spun them a tale, as vague as can be, of a hero and his allies who fought and defeated an ancient dark magic, yet that naturally did not slake their thirst for answers. It is a thirst which has not waned and in fact grows, despite countless leaflets, missives and speeches I have made. The citizens are fearful, grief-stricken and ignorant, a cursed combination which breeds speculation, conspiracy and scapegoats. I cannot allow such forces to take hold. The citizens have suffered far too much already, and that is why I have decided to dispense with vague platitudes and spread something… approaching the truth, through a medium I have yet to exploit. I take it you met my previous audience on your way up here?"

Pondering the full depth of her words, it took a moment for him to fathom what she was referring too. Then it came to mind and along with it the pieces began to fall into place. She was talking about the bard, wasn't she! "Yes" he mumbled flatly, even as his stomach began to lurch horribly. He could guess where this was going.

"I'm sorry. I tried to spare your enshrinement in the annals of scripture and song until a later time but for the good of the kingdom I had to relent to their desire for answers, lest less palatable ones emerged in their place. I fear however… I may already be too late… yet again." Zelda's voice cracked and her eyes once again turned to the majesty of Hyrule and the setting sun, searching for comfort from the beauty of her kingdom. What did she mean by "yet again"?! Was she comparing it to her unwillingness to assume her royal duty or was it something else?

Zelda sealed the crack in her composure and continued. "Nevertheless, I realised I could not afford to trust in fate and time to grant my people the closure and reassurance they so desperately sought. Cold dry prose of leaflets and hollow platitudes of formal missives would never be enough. What the people needed was a story; a riveting, sensational, uplifting tale just as the legends of old, to stir the heart and inspire the soul and who better to deliver it to the people than the greatest bards, poets and playwrights of our age. For the last two weeks I have been inviting the most esteemed artisans in the spoken, the written and the harmonized word to hear THAT story… the story of YOU… Link, the chosen hero of the goddesses and the saviour of Hyrule…"

She was right with her prediction. He didn't like it at all! Where other's hearts may have swelled with pride at the prospect of being immortalised in legend as a great hero, Link's heart was trying to escape his mouth, while his stomach seemed intent on churning itself into liquefaction. The thought of everyone knowing his name and deeds brought on a sense of dizzying vertigo, however it didn't scramble his brain sufficiently to blind him to the elephant in the room. "Zelda, how can you tell my story when you don't know half of it?!" He blurted, rather more accusatory than he intended.

This clearly threw the princess, who shuffled awkwardly in her seat, snapping defensively "Link, I may not have accompanied you on much of your adventure, however I knew all the essential steps you would have to take. I was not TOTALLY oblivious to the trials you faced!" The instant the words leapt from her lips, colour left her cheeks and she dived into an apology. "I am so sorry, Link! Please forgive me… I… I…"

Her defensive riposte fired up Link's temper, however seeing her immediate switch to contrite speechlessness doused the flames with a bucket of sympathy courtesy of his heart. He rarely saw her so lost for words! "Zelda, the fault's on me. I didn't mean to sound so… critical. It's just that you're right in your prediction. I don't like it."

"I know." Zelda mumbled.

As much as he realised it was nothing more than digging their collective heads in the sand, his own discomfort, combined with witnessing hers urged him to suggest "Are you sure you wish to continue princess? Perhaps we should…"

"Do I wish to continue? No. Do I need to continue? Yes." She huffed. "I appreciate your continued concern, dear hero, but this is an issue which cannot be put off."

"Okaaay, then how about we regroup and I ask my question more politely."

"Yes." The princess mumbled again, nervously playing with the seam of one of her ivory gloves. How had their roles reversed? He was supposed to be the awkward one, while she was meant to be imperturbably dignified and erudite. Now here he was using more syllables than she was, even as his stomach felt like a windmill in a hurricane.

"Ahem, why didn't you consult me? Surely the more sources you have the more accurate and detailed the story can be and the more answers you can give?"

Zelda demonstrated formidable fortitude as she recovered her eloquence almost instantly, with little more than a glance to the sky and a couple of soothing breaths of the crisp breeze, on which Link could detect the scents of wild flowers from Hyrule fields. While her way with words had recovered, her composure was still far from strong enough to carry her usual princess veil. The question earned a wry scoff. "Oh, believe me Link I intended to, however it just so happened, on the very day I planned to do so, I arrive at the barracks to find you engaged in a ferocious illegal holmgang and well… do you need me to fill in the rest."

"It's not like I knocked myself out on purpose princess!"

"I was not suggesting you did and I did not bring it up to assign blame. However, as much as it distressed me to see YOU injured, it was not YOUR unconscious state which ignited the court, ensuring that every carefully planned moment I had set aside for consulting with you was instead consumed by fire management. It truly was my intention to consult you, even if simply to prepare you for what I was planning. I realised, however, I had already stalled too long and haste was now a necessity, so I took my own knowledge, combined with the accounts of all the resistance members and set about composing a story for our age."

"Composing?! But… that makes it sound like you just made it up?"

"Oh, ahem, it is based on the true events, however certain details required… amending."

"Amending?!"

"I'm sorry Link, but the purpose of the story is to unite, reaffirm and reassure Hyrule's citizens and as much faith as I have in them, I know that the unvarnished truth is riddled with shades of grey. Such shades are easily distorted by the very anger, grief and fear which grips many of my people. Believe me, if I saw any other option I would gladly take it, yet every alternative or contingence I could produce only seemed to present further complications. It's unfortunate… but necessary"

Rationality told him the princess was right, yet his arguably naïve principles had a hard time swallowing such a cynical pill. Surely Hyrule wouldn't descend into chaos from simply telling the truth? "So, what are these amendments?"

Zelda took a moment of preparation and her eyes fixed pensively yet determinedly on his own. "I might as well start at the beginning. Firstly, you do not start your journey in the form of a wild animal, chained up in a dank dungeon. Indeed, there is no mention of your wolf form."

He had to admit that the removal of his curse or his incarceration wasn't an omission he would miss yet it presented a myriad of obstacles to the rest of his story. "Well then how DOES it start?"

"Your tale begins as it really did, with you attempting to rescue the children back in Ordon, however you do not transform into a wolf and are not captured by the forces of twilight."

"But the dungeon is where I first met Midna. She helped me escape! She was the one who guided me to you!"

"Not in this tale. In this official version, as you are the chosen of the goddesses, they gift you with a divine vision which guides you to me."

"Divine vision?! What am I in this "story". Some kind of…of… sacred prophet! And what of Midna? What of her guidance? Her help?! Surely you can't omit her from the tale?!"

"I would never wish to omit her, Link, however to include her I… I had to make fundamental alterations to her story and her fate."

"What do you mean "Fundamental alterations"?"

"I mean that Midna is not the usurped Twilli princess but a cursed Zora mage, who escaped the Zora massacre and vowed revenge."

Link could almost imagine the taste of bile on his tongue at having to speak such lies about his friend. This so called "alteration" diminished everything she'd had to endure, everything she'd achieved and everything she'd sacrificed! It was a betrayal of everything she was! How could Zelda possibly justify this?! To think that mere minutes ago he was reassuring her of their friendship and now, for the first time in their short friendship he was utterly furious at her. Yet for all the fire and froth in his belly and his mouth, deep down he prayed she could find the words to extinguish it. His fury disgusted him as much as her betrayal. "Why Zelda?! What possible reason could you have to change the… the… the core of who she was! what she overcame! It's… It's a betrayal of her legacy!"

The sting of his words was marked clear as day on the princess's face and any semblance of composure she'd fought to regain vanished. "Link, I did what I did to ensure Midna can have a legacy!" She cried, voice shaking with aggrieved anguish. "Do you think I simply decided to cast aside her Twili identity on a whim?! Do you think I lack the understanding to comprehend the diminution of her struggles and her fortitude, the betrayal of just how much she endured and the strength of her character?! A Princess, betrayed, usurped and cursed by her own mad cousin, forced to watch her people corrupted and used as pawns in a war she did not want. She was then faced with the prospect of fighting her own race to aid a world she did not care for and a people she distrusted, in the small hope of restoring what she had lost. Yet through her unlikely partnership with an honourable, valiant and humble young Hylian, she grew and regained what, to many, would have been forever extinguished from what she suffered; hope, trust and empathy. Her adventure was one of great hardship, sacrifice and inspiring growth and by removing its core I have reduced her to a foot note in a story that was just as much hers as yours! Believe me, Link, I know and feel the depth of that betrayal…" Zelda almost choked on the bitter words and shook her head ruefully. On recounting Midna's story however, Zelda's tortured gaze had acquired a spark of determination, drawly inspiration from the resilience of their lost friend. The sheer level of admiration in her eyes and words caught the hero off guard. Her reverence helped subdue his anger towards her, yet it lingered in his belly, confused and searching for a new target, namely whatever it was which forced her clearly unwilling hand.

The princess of light, spurred on by the inspiration of her twilight counterpart, took a brief moment to gather breath before diving back into her impassioned defence. "Yet as diminished as her achievements may be, at least as a Zora her name will still be treated with reverence and respect, without fear of defamation or demonization."

"Demonization?! What, just because she's Twili?! She did just as much to save the kingdom as you or me! Surely if we just told them…"

"I'm afraid no amount of heroic deeds could ever truly absolve her of the crime of her lineage and, as much as it dismays me, I cannot fault my people for such feelings. Their only experience of the Twili race is the shadowy monstrous force which ransacked their homes and took their loved ones; grotesque, alien and devoid of conscience or empathy. Regardless of Midna's many feats, it would take a truly unjaundiced and compassionate mind to reconcile those two and those are rare as diamonds."

"Surely saving the kingdom counts for something?"

"But did she really do this to save us or was it simply to regain her throne?" Zelda, why would you… "Link. I am simply stating what many of my subjects would ask and, regardless of my response, they would believe what they wished to believe. At best they would probably argue that Midna was simply making up for her own mistake of allowing Zant to take over and therefore, while worthy of some semblance of forgiveness, is undeserving of praise. At worst, they could cast her as a manipulative soulless witch, whose supposedly selfless actions were actually purely motivated by self-interest and whose sole reason to help us was to regain her throne. Indeed, they would probably be claiming she was planning an invasion of her own as we speak."

Link had always sought to be one of those rare diamonds the Princess referred to, yet even he was struggling to reconcile her words and the thought there are people out there who would legitimately think such trash about Midna. His ire was rising again, despite his best efforts to contain it, this time not towards the princess but the ungrateful, ignorant masses. He hated himself for it, knowing deep down that doing so made him just as prejudiced as they were and with arguably less justification. For all his rationality and empathy, he found himself infinitely less able to forgive the faceless hypothetical masses than his compassionate and beautiful Princess. The only way he could soothe the boiling broth in his belly was to tell himself she was overstating her case. "Come on, Princess. I find it hard to believe they'd go that far."

Zelda laughed bitterly. "Oh, how I wish I could tell you I was exaggerating! However, the petition on my desk, demanding I rally all Hyrule's military to commit to a counterstrike against the twilight before they can regroup, speaks to the contrary." This news sent a chill up Link's spine, while the nauseous churning of his stomach increased exponentially. He had just saved them from an invasion and now there were people desperate to drag them into another, no matter how foolish or impossible the prospect! With this overwhelming concoction of anger and horror, he couldn't face the beleaguered yet determined Princess, lest he reveal the magnitude of his own jaundiced distress. He needed space! He needed fresh air! He rose unsteadily from his chair and staggered to the balustrade, dogged by the dizzying vertigo of the conflict within his head. He leant heavily on the stonework and gazed out to the vista to try and calm himself. The feeling of Zelda's deep blue orbs probing him pensively, trying to decipher his thoughts, pricked the hairs on his neck.

"Please do not miscomprehend. Those who think this way are a minority among the people of our fair kingdom and of course any thought of a counter invasion is beyond the realm of rational consideration… not to mention the destruction of the mirror of twilight rendering such an act impossible. It is simply tragic inevitability that in the wake of such catastrophe, while some seek nothing more than clarity and closure to console their grieving hearts, others seek someone to blame, regardless of whether said blame is deserved." Her voice tailed off and she shifted uncomfortable, her gaze still grazing his back as he stared silently into the distance. "I have done what I can to ensure her memory is protected from those who would wish to desecrate it but… to tie up loose ends and further insulate her, I had to make a final amendment to her story…" She paused again, searching for a clue to the hero's disposition, but he remained still and silent. The skylark had finished his song for the day leaving just the summer breeze to fill in the gaps.

Link may have appeared static and lifeless as a statue but internally he was a maelstrom of frantic activity, as he endeavoured to arrange the myriad of revelations into comprehensible string of consciousness and they all pointed to one logical conclusion. It should have shocked him! It should have disgusted him and yet it fell perfectly in line with the loss he'd felt following her departure. "Midna dies, doesn't she? In the story, I mean." His voice was nothing more than a low rumble, but the Princess's sharp intake of breath was enough to tell she'd caught every word.

"Yes…" came the Princess's equally hushed reply, punctuated by another pregnant pause, drawing out their combined discomfort. "It was the easiest and safest way to explain her disappearance, as well as further protect for her legacy. She makes a heroic last stand against Ganondorf to buy time for you to rescue me from the tower, a noble sacrifice that will help insulate her from prying questions… It is exceedingly poor taste to dig too deep into the darker corners of the honoured dead."

It was an undeniably disturbing notion, which didn't aid his ailing stomach, however on reflection it seemed a logical one given the circumstances. It nevertheless brought up an inconsistency, one he was hesitant to voice. Zelda gave another sigh of resignation. "Other than a few small embellishments, you'll find the rest of the story consistent with events as you know them. Of course, this is likely of little consolation to you, particularly given that not only have I betrayed Midna's memory but in orchestrating the widespread dissemination of these falsehoods, I have forced you into a terrible choice; betray Midna and your principles and assist in perpetuating these lies or… speak the truth and betray me…"

The princess's voice trailed off once more, however silence was averted the soft rustle of her skirt as she fidgeted nervously, eyes still probing Link's motionless profile. Even without facing her, he could sense rueful apprehension emanating from every pore of her pale visage.

Contrary to what she clearly believed however, such a choice was not so torturous a decision to him as she had feared. Yes, he valued his honesty and honouring Midna's memory and, yes, the idea of such flagrant fabrications, which could only be called propaganda, sat about as well with his conscience as oil and vinegar, but once he'd absorbed her words he was also capable of seeing her point of view. if anything, she had overstated her case and where he had briefly felt a spark of anger towards her, he now ached with a pang of guilt for not trusting her intentions and reacting so harshly as to call her actions a betrayal. He also suspected it was her own guilt which fuelled her uncharacteristic doubt and nerves, a guilt which he had exacerbated with his bloody thoughtless accusation! He'd have to rectify that but first there was still a glaring inconsistency she'd yet to address.

"I…I…I understand if…" The princess stammered but was suddenly cut off by the hero's voice; low, sonorous and calm. "Zelda, not that it will change my decision but aren't you forgetting something?"

"Er, what… what do you mean?"

Link finally turned and freely granted Zelda the answer her eyes had been desperately probing for, leaving his emotions, bare and unrestrained, radiate from his face; his conflicted thoughts and his compassionate heart. His conscience, already pricked with guilt, was further stung by the unshed tears in her eyes. "Zelda, you must be aware. If you change Midna's story, you also change your own. It was her Twili nature which led to her near demise from overexposure to Lanayru's light and only your sacrifice could save her. Surely, by changing her to a Zora all of those events change too? I'm not entirely sure what you did to save her but I do know you sacrificed your life to save her. That is just as noble and heroic as anything me, the resistance or even Midna herself did. It's just as worthy of recognition and praise and yet, without her Twili nature, I can't see how it could fit. In diminishing her part, you also diminishing yours down to a mere damsel. You are worthy of better!"

A melancholy smile crossed Zelda's lips and she blinked back her tears. "Thank you for your consideration Link, but I am fine with my "part". I did not do it for fame and I would rather be known as a damsel for a thousand days than Ganondorf's puppet for a minute. It was my sacrifice which enabled him to use my body against you. I'm not saying I regret my sacrifice for a second, however I do not consider it deserving of reverence, given the unforeseen ramifications…"

"You can't hold yourself accountable for things you can't predict. You said it yourself. You couldn't foresee Ganondorf's disturbed plan… and quite frankly I'd be more concerned if you could." He hoped his earnest assurance and a wry quip might help drive back her tears. It was a risk, particularly given today's record of putting his foot in his mouth but he felt he had to try.

He was rewarded with an undignified snort and the princess hastily brought a handkerchief up to her face. When it reappeared from behind the crisp white fabric, her smile had grown and her sapphire orbs where relieved of their moist glaze. "You may be right but as I am sure you realise, guilt is rarely guided by rationality and even the wisest of souls can be pulled by its currents, especially when your life is governed by the responsibilities of an entire kingdom on your shoulders. Regardless, Link, you have yet to give me an answer. Do you still have my support or have I lost your trust? Will you stay… or walk away?"

Link decided to delegate this speech to his heart. "Zelda, have you not noticed? I've already walked away…" pausing dramatically, he stretched his arms wide, gesturing to the majestic rolling hills of Hyrule Field. "… for some fresh air and perspective. It's something I need to do from time to time… but know this princess…" He closed the distance between them and perched once more on the edge of the Méridienne, fixing his gaze, filled with all the intense sincerity he could muster, on her own. "I PROMISE I'll always come back! You can count on it."

Fan-flipping-tastic! Let his heart do the talking and he immediately makes a promise fate will probably force him to break. Nevertheless, it appeared to have caused quite the stir, as Zelda's eyes were wide with unrestrained astonishment and, glinting in the corners, the unmistakable glow of hope. Even so, it was with hesitant scepticism that she voiced her reply, as if his words were too good to be true. "Please forgive me for what may appear an impertinent question but… You DO grasp the full implications of what I have told you? You will have to accept and even participate in affirming a sanitised, sensationalised fairy tale fabrication of your adventures as the truth. You will have to tell lies which diminish Midna's legacy and will likely receive reverence and adoration from most anyone who discovers your identity…"

"Look, Princess, I wont even begin to pretend the prospect of those things doesn't turn my stomach and my conscience. I don't like it… but I understand why it MUST be done. It may sit poorly with my principles and it may be uncomfortable but if it brings peace to those who suffer, what sort of hero would I be to decry it?... But more importantly, what sort of friend would I be if I didn't support you?"

Sweet manner from the sacred realm! Zelda's beaming radiance could almost convince him it was midday again. The confident young royal he knew as Zelda, bloomed anew in the early evening light, her posture straightening, her shoulders rising and her countenance glowing as though a great dark weight had been lifted. It was a weight Link had been subconsciously caught under too and he shared in the waves of relief and elation which emanated from the exhilarated princess. It was a potent and heady concoction. "Oh Link, how grateful I am for your understanding and honesty. No matter your experiences with the court, I pray you never lose it. I must confess, I had been dreading revealing my plan to you for fear you would hate me. That is one of the reasons it took me so long to summon you."

"I doubt I could ever hate you Zelda, but I thought my summons was to receive my punishment?"

"You are correct, however the nature of your punishment depended on whether you chose to stay or leave."

"Ah, let me guess! If I'd chosen to walk away you'd have had me arrested and thrown in the dungeon cos you simply COULD. NOT. BEEAARRR to see me go." The hero couldn't resist quipping drolly, waggling his eyebrows.

Zelda, still soaring on the wings of her immense relief and exhilaration, broke into riotous unrestrained hysterics, far beyond what the joke warranted, yet undeniably infectious. It was an explosion of excessive exuberance which Link found himself unable to resist joining in with. All the tension, nerves and weighty words which had hung over their every interaction for the last half hour was blown away on a wave of laughter.

"Hahahahaha, Pleeeaaase, as if I would ever be so barbaric! Being a fairy tale princess and you being my hero, I could not see you incarcerated in such squalid surroundings. I would simply lock that door and seduce you into confessing your passionate, undying love for me…" Link's jaw promptly fell off, while his head took the liberty of spontaneously combusting. Surely she couldn't know… "as all heroes do for their fairy tale princesses and I would graciously accept and confess with equal passion and everyone would live happily ever after." Realisation of his absurd false alarm did little to stop the flames reaching the tips of his pointed ears. The princess took one look and burst out laughing again. As equally catchy as it was to the last, the bashful hero wasn't infected due to being more occupied with containing the wildfires raging in his cheeks.

"Oh my, the look on your face, dear hero!" The teasing princess crowed mirthfully, practically clapping her hands in childlike glee. "It almost looks like you took me seriously for a moment there. But honestly Link, am I really such a horrifying prospect for courtship?"

Having barely managed to contain his cheeks, Link struggled to form a coherent answer that wouldn't instantly reignite the blaze, spluttering " .of course !" His heart internally added "quite the opposite in fact!", prompting a wince as his rational mind hastily sought to bundle such thoughts down to the basement of his brain where they belonged.

Zelda merely quirked a brow, her lips curled into a sly smirk.

"Zelda, it's not you that's the problem. I just have an allergic reaction to anything romance related."

"Oh dear, my poooor hero, suffering with such a crippling affliction. Well that is something we MUST cure with the greatest expeditiousness. We cannot possibly have such allergic reactions spoiling Telma's big day, not to mention, a prospective date would find such an allergy most objectionable."

Link groaned. He just couldn't catch a break today, could he? No sooner had he succeeded in his uphill battle of reaffirming her faith in their friendship, that she instantly switched to teasing him mercilessly and rubbing his nose in it with such words as expedi… expid… expeditiousness, which he could only guess roughly translated hastiness. He could certainly see why she would choose The Three T's as her ladies in waiting, what with their shared penchant for teasing, albeit Zelda to a much lesser degree. Regardless, he didn't get why she was saying they needed to be hasty about curing his allergy to romance, which didn't even exist. If anything, he found his thoughts drifting too far in such directions! Anyway, back on topic… "What's the rush? Telma's wedding's what… six months away? Add to that I'm not a particular fan of parties or big get togethers, and my slim chances of getting a date…"

"Slim chances?! You could have a line of ladies as long as my list of suitors if you simply let it be known you were looking for a belle to accompany you to the ball, and unlike most of my suitors, they may actually be more interested in you than your title."

"Yeah, and they'll probably take one look at my crooked nose and leave. Surely you've heard the popular insult "crooked nosed knave"? Gives men like me a bad reputation and not the kind women seem to like."

"Goddesses, Link! I never took you to be so vain, or think us ladies are so shallow creatures! Yes, I have heard that colourful phrase being flung on several occasions, even in the refined civility of the court. I have however never heard it on the lips of a lady or directed to one whose nose was actually crooked, and frankly, yours is far from unsightly. Adds a certain roguish charm. Regardless, did you really expect such flimsy excuses to work on me?"

Link huffed but couldn't hide a wry smile "Honestly? No but what can you expect from a man with an allergy to romance?"

With her initial elation having waned, the princess veil reasserted itself, however this time her eyes twinkled with mirth, all the tension which had haunted their earlier conversations clearly exorcised. Her voice held similar amusement behind dignified nonchalance. "See, I do not buy that you have an allergy to romance at all. I think you are secretly a hopeless romantic and are simply afraid of word getting out… afraid people will discover your great weakness."

"You're free to think whatever you like but you aren't always quite as clever as you believe." His riposte, while confidently delivered was somewhat sabotaged by his shifting gaze. She had hit rather close to the mark. He awkwardly cleared his throat and initiated his number one defence to uncomfortable topics. "Anyway, how come when you were healing the rest of my broken bones, you didn't fix my nose?"

Zelda's arched eyebrow called out his change of subject. "Firstly, I was not responsible for fixing them, merely accelerating bone regeneration and secondly, I could not fix your nose because it is made, not of bone, but of cartilage and while there are a great many healing spells for various ailments and injuries, none has yet been discovered which effects cartilage… at least with the desired result. And, may I point out, for all my efforts to heal you I have yet to receive a proper thank you." Her veil didn't crack but her tone hinted at mild annoyance.

Damn! She was right! He really did keep putting his foot in it today. "Sorry, Zelda. Just with all the other hectic events it slipped my mind… even though it really shouldn't have. Thank you, Princess. I'm truly grateful for your aid in my speedy recovery…" Other than this bloody ankle. He gave a gruff earthy chuckle and added "Yet another thing I owe you for."

"You are quite welcome and please, if anything I am the one who is still indebted to you dear hero. Now, may you permit me to continue my repayment by taking another look at your injured ankle?"

"As you wish… your highness"

"Link!"

"Sorry Zelda" For once he wasn't actually sorry. If he had to surrender to such embarrassment, he would at least go down swinging, even if it was a cheap shot, deliberately using her title like that.

The princess merely rolled her eyes and shook her head, as Link begrudgingly reclined in the Méridienne, presenting his feet to her. The sudden sensation of her delicate gloved fingers brushing against his bare skin almost had him bolting up again, an instinct which, while resisted, didn't stop him flinching and letting lose an indignant cry of "Hey!"

Zelda, startled by this reaction, pulled away, confused and concerned. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"Oh, err, um no, no, it didn't hurt." He stammered

"Please Link, the invincible hero routine will only hamper my examination. If it is painful you must let know."

"Honestly princess, it had nothing to do with pain. It was just rather a… rather a shock." Damn it! His cheeks were heating up for seemingly the millionth time.

Zelda's eyes gleamed and a bubbly giggle escaped her smiling lips "My, you really were not lying, were you? You DO find it embarrassing! Well rest assured Link, you are safe in my hands and you can expect nothing less than absolute dignity and decorum, as befits the princess of wisdom. Now, if you can keep perfectly still and silent for a moment. I wish to check the bones have healed properly, and the necessary spell requires my full concentration."

Link complied and watched as Zelda held out both hands over his ankle and began whispering a long and unintelligible incantation. To his astonishment, the second the last mystical word escaped her lips, his ankle began to glow a ghostly green, or, to be more specific, the bones did, shining out through his skin. It was rather creepy to be honest but it gave him another solution for his nose problem. Zelda was oblivious to his epiphany as she fixated on his glowing bones. "Hmmm, it would seem that the bones have healed up quite nicely, which means all the pain and swelling are the result of soft tissue damage and inflammation. I cannot heal it completely but I can sooth and speed the recovery process."

"Princess, before we go into that. I think I've got an idea how to solve my nose issue, at least short term…"

"Link, have I not told you of the dangers of illusion spells."

How could she have possibly known, or even guessed, that was his ingenious plan?! "What? How did you… Did you just read my mind?"

Zelda scoffed "Oh what nonsense! I do not possess such an ability, no matter how useful it would be in the courts. You have simply suggested such a solution before, for your hair, and I predicted you may once again resort to such an idea, despite my clear warnings against such the possibility of such a solution."

"Well I just can't see how an illusion spell can be harmful."

Despite a huff of reluctance, the princess launched into trying to explain the matter. "Pretty much any magic spell can be harmful, even healing, if used incorrectly or for too long. Some, however, are obviously more dangerous than others, particularly those which harness unstable magical energies. Illusion spells contain both stable and unstable components. The stable component is harmless however the unstable component, if allowed to make contact with organic tissue, can cause chaotic and irreversible damage, disfiguring and distorting all it touches."

"But I've seen you use the spell on yourself."

"Indeed, but there are major differences between casting a spell on yourself and someone else. When I cast a spell my entire being, even the clothes I wear, become a conduit for magic energy in its most basic and stable form. This forms a natural barrier to unstable magic elements, only allowing the harmless stable elements to make contact. Now, an illusion spell once fully formed is perfectly stable, however during the illusion's conception it contains both a stable and an unstable element. The tether, which attaches the spell to the host subject is always stable however the illusion itself, the image you see, is unstable until it is fully formed. When casting an illusion spell on myself the illusion will naturally follow the contours of whatever part of me or my clothes I am casting it on, forming a second skin if you will. When casting on another I must consciously perfectly sculpt this second skin to the most infinitesimally minute of degrees, lest the illusion not attach properly or unimaginable worse, the unstable magic makes contact with its host, causing any organic tissue in the vicinity of the contact point to distort, mutant or even disintegrate. For that reason, I have never even attempted it. Reading of the effects was enough." The Princess shuddered.

Sheesh! That was rather darker than he expected! Time for operation cheer up. "On second thought… I think my crooked nose is growing on me."

"I'm glad. One should always feel comfortable in their own skin and, as I said, your nose carries its own… eccentric charm."

"it's certainly nothing to be sniffed at."

"Hahaha, Link… I admire your bravery in uttering such an exceptionally bad pun."

"Bad?! Come on, take that back! It was magnificent and you know it!"

"I will admit, you delivered it with panache."

"Hmm, there's just no pleasing some people. By the way Zelda, you didn't need to give me a huge long explanation. You could have just said no."

"Yes and if I had, you would have likely brought it up again as a solution to another problem somewhere down the road."

Her highness was as perceptive as ever. "Would not!" came Link's mock protest, channelling his best impression of a petulant Talo, though his goofy smile gave away his jest.

Her highness chuckled. "You've already ignored my warnings once." With a roll of her eyes her attention was diverted by the neglected table and their long-forgotten cups of tea. "Oh, how uncivilised. Cold tea just will not do." Enclosing the cup in both hands, she muttered another incantation and once finished the tell-tale glow of her tri-force shone through her pure white glove, accompanied by an odd metallic scent which seemed familiar yet he couldn't place. Within seconds steam began rising from the dark liquid. With the spell now completed she gave the tea a gentle blow, before taking a tentative sip. She eyes fluttered closed and from her upturned lips came a hum of soothing satisfaction. "Hmmmmmm, nothing like a delectable cup of calming tea at the end of a long day… Would you like your tea heated. I assure you it's far better that way."

"Thanks for the offer, but seeing as it's almost sundown, shouldn't we really be getting on with the reasons I'm actually here, namely the whole issue of my punishment and, of course, healing my ankle."

"We have probably just short of an hour, but nevertheless you are correct. I'm surprised you actually mentioned your ankle, given your obvious reluctance."

"Well… you've already touched it, so it's not like it can get much more embarrassing…" That technically wasn't true but hopefully she wouldn't find his great weakness. "Plus, it really has been a pain, so if you can do anything then it will be worth the embarrassment."

"So, you finally admit it! I knew it hurt." Zelda proclaimed with an air of triumph.

"Alright, don't get TOO smug, princess. You still aren't as good at reading me as you think."

"Whatever soothes your ego, hero. Now try to keep your ankle still, this will take a while."

"Wait, then shouldn't we hold off on the healing until we've discussed my punishment."

"Why not WHILE I heal your ankle."

"But I thought…"

"Oh, I see your confusion. Link, this healing spell is among the most basic magic abilities one can learn and thus I can do it practically without thought so conversing will be fine. Also, it may have slipped your notice but I am a lady…" Oh, he'd definitely noticed! "hence multitasking is in my blood, just as much as irrational tears and the compulsion to gossip."

Sensations of pleasant warmth miraculously began coursing through his sore limb, reminiscent of those he'd vaguely picked up as he'd drifted in and out of consciousness in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Glancing down revealed hundreds of golden threads extending from the princess's outstretched hands to his ankle, wrapping it in a luminous cocoon. Wow! Sarcasm and magic at the same time. She wasn't joking about multitasking!

"Does that feel alright?" Zelda asked pensively.

"Yes, yes it feels…" he struggled for a more profound poetic word but failed "… soothing"

"Good. That is its intent. Please let me know if it changes. Now shall we proceed forthwith to the primary purpose of this assignation?"

"My punishment?"

"Indeed. It may come as a surprise but there are two versions."

"Two versions?" He repeated suspiciously.

"The official narrative, the convenient half-truth you will tell the court if questioned, and the unofficial version, what you will actually be doing."

"So, even my punishment is couched in court intrigue?" He snarked drolly.

"My innocent hero, surely you have realised by now, there is nothing in this castle which is wholly unsullied by the grubby little hands of court intrigue."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to get that impression."

"It is a fact worth keeping in mind whenever you engage with the court."

Link simply nodded.

"So, to your punishment. Officially, it will be as follows; you will attend the royal kitchens at midday on Wednesdays and Fridays for the next two months, where several of the staff will instruct and oversee you in various unpleasant medial tasks around the royal kitchen and servant's courters, such as disposing of waste or cleaning the latrines. You will then be dismissed at six o-clock, to rest or continue your guard duties depending on your health and your schedule."

"Alright, and the truth?" This was beginning to sound like a conspiracy?!

"Unofficially, while you WILL be initially reporting to the royal kitchen, rather than completing tasks for them, a couple of trusted servants while guide you up through the servant's passage's to the royal wing, where you will be escorted here to the study. Your duties will then be dependant on whether I am present or not, along with my workload. If I am here, free and unencumbered by royal obligations then there are two tasks I wish of you… Firstly, at each acquaintance, I wish to hear a tale of your adventures with Midna, your real adventures, so I may record and archive them in the royal records of Hyrule's history, to preserve the truth for the future. I realise this may be a difficult and painful experience for you, however I believe it could help both of us come to terms with our pasts and perhaps, when the twilight invasion is no longer a raw wound but instead a distance memory, consigned to the mists of time, your truth can be told to the public and Midna's true sacrifices will finally be recognised."

Such a request was unexpected, yet despite the trepidation of reliving his past, he couldn't say it was unwelcome. The thought of unburdening himself of his private memories of his steadfast friend, knowing they would be preserved by the princess and her writings, brought a tremendous feeling of relief. He'd considered himself the sole custodian of her legacy ever since her departure and the realisation that the princess was willing to share the burden lifted a huge weight from his spirit. It could also provide some sense of atonement to their inevitably guilty consciences once the bards propaganda tales start spreading.

It certainly wasn't what he would class as punishment though and, with the courts apparent interest in his disciplining, the seemingly conspiratorial nature of the whole plan made him uneasy. Foolishly, however there was part of him exploding with exhilaration at the thought of secret rendezvous with the princess. That part of him… was a moron!

"My second task was actually inspired by a mutual friend, who informed me that rather than spend your precious recovery time resting, you had dedicated yourself most industriously to the unenviable task of attempting to learn politics, in the hopes of somehow supporting me politically..." Shad sold him out! It was supposed to be a secret! "It truly warmed my heart to hear of your dedication Link and, I will admit, such news gave me much needed hope for this meeting, without which I may not have possessed the nerve to confess the full extent of my troubles… and mistakes." Ok, perhaps he could forgive Shad this time. "In any event, I realised all your valiant devotion would go to waste without intervention, for you lack the position or the knowledge to aid me in any effective way and books would be of little help. So, my second task for you is to dedicate yourself to attaining your captain's rank and I, in return, will tutor you in all there is to know about court politics and its vagaries… Link, you seem concerned?"

Concerned was one word for it! "Um don't get me wrong Zelda, I'm grateful for you setting aside your precious time to tutor me… undeniably excited at the prospect of seeing you more often and, um… glad not to be receiving an actual punishment but… and I hate to sound like a wet blanket here, but isn't this rather risky… I mean… I'm meeting the princess of Hyrule in secret… in her private study… and we've got a prearranged alibi lined up for the court, who are apparently keenly interested in my "punishment"… a punishment which isn't actually happening! Forgive me but weren't you saying just earlier that we needed to avoid getting involved in a conspiracy. Well, this sounds like a conspiracy to me."

"Conspiracy is such a strong term." The princess reply airily, seemingly totally unconcerned by the dangers he'd just raised. "Besides, as long as we stick to the official story the court will be none the wiser. Trust me Link, I am a master at these things and should anything slip out, I have contingencies in place. This is far from my first conspiracy." She winked almost mischievously, reminding him somehow of Midna and instantly his apprehension melted away, leaving just the giddy thrill of a child planning their first raid of the cookie jar. Yes, He had been guilty of that as a child!

"Of course, if you really are uncomfortable with this I'm sure I could rearrange to make your cover story the real deal…"

"Oh no, no it's fine. Your company is infinitely more appealing and more than worth the risk of a little conspiracy."

"Link, you flatterer. Now, how is your ankle feeling?"

"Better… but still aching."

"It will. This spell reduces swelling and inflammation but it does not deal with the underlying damage. Full healing would require a more comprehensive investigation and a far more precise and complex spell, which our time will not permit. Speaking of which, it appears we have roughly twenty minutes to spare before sundown. I can continue the spell, which may reduce the pain further, and if you have any further concerns about our little "conspiracy" you may present them to me now. Otherwise we can start your lessons if you wish or if you have other matters to attend to… then know that I give you permission to leave."

Was that disappointment in her voice? Surely she was tired by now? She'd been talking for almost two hours. Not that he was complaining. He'd enjoyed her company immensely, particularly once the weights of her worries had been lifted and he could listen to her voice for hours. What the heck, he might as well take advantage of the opportunity to clear things up. "Well, it's less a concern and more of a question."

"Please, ask away."

"Ok, what do I do when you are busy?"

"That is when I expect you to study for your promotion to the rank of captain."

"But what's my promotion got to do with politics?"

"Link, in your current role, how much interaction and exposure do you have with members of the court?"

"Er, practically none."

"And how much political influence do you possess in your position?"

"None that I know of."

"Correct, and that will not change, regardless of knowledge, until your social status is raised, which can only be done through promotion."

"So you're saying, if I reach the rank of captain then I'll have the power to support you politically?"

"Not as a captain, no, but it will bring you several important steps closer to that goal. True political influence would come with the rank of knight, which would elevate you to nobility with all the privileges and power that come with it. The rank of captain is the stepping stone to get you there and will give you plenty of opportunities to observe the court and apply what I teach you. Also there are also some other… perks of the position…" Ok, Zelda seemed rather excited and he felt like he was blindfolded and being led round the same bush repeatedly. Come on Zelda, cut the suspense! "… such as spending each day in the company of her royal highness."

"Wait, you mean…?!"

"Yes, Link when you reach the rank of Captain your duties guarding empty hallways will be over and you will officially become my own dedicated personal guard."

His heart jumped, even as his mind desperately tried to temper his own growing excitement at the prospect with reality. "I thought you already had your own guards?"

"Yes, fifty in fact, each and every one of them investigated and vetted extensively by the council "for my safety" and rotated regularly to prevent the risk of "disrespectful familiarity", as has been the tradition ever since the council banished Alfonzo and amended the laws surrounding royal security. For your appointment to the castle guard however, I used a loophole to make some amendments of my own and so, upon reaching the rank of Captain, you will officially take on the role of my own personally selected bodyguard, accompanying me anywhere outside of the royal wing, barring the latrine of course…" Link had to admit, it wasn't just his heart that was exhilarated at the prospect of spending more time with her. He greatly enjoyed her company regardless and shadowing her would doubtless be infinitely more interesting than, as she said, guarding an empty hallway for five hours. Nevertheless, his heart WOULD be a problem! Speaking of which… "…You will also be permitted access to all areas of the royal wing, with the exception of my bedchamber, for obvious reasons. We wouldn't want certain tongues wagging… although… it could be the perfect repellent against my suitors." The princess giggled, a hint of deviousness sneaking through her delicate trill and once again he was somehow reminded of Midna. For all his hearts exuberance, embarrassment always stalked close behind.

"You're joking right?" he blurted.

That earned him a roll of the eyes from the princess. "Of course, Link. Though you will still play your part on that front, as you will, "unfortunately", be required to shadow me everywhere… even when suitors desire a "private" audience. It will certainly reduce the risk of roving hands. I trust you can protect me from such threats, dear hero."

Link flushed as he was suddenly hit be a barrage of mental images of himself traipsing round through the palace gardens after the princess, bedecked in her beautiful pink gown… with another man, some pompous jackass, on her arm. He couldn't see their faces but he could see the mans hand creeping slowly, disgustingly towards her derriere. His hands balled into fists and his jaw locked. Get your filthy hands off her!

"Speaking of which, Shad mentioned that one of my suitors gave you a poem to deliver to me. Do you have it?"

Wait, what! Startled from his vision, Link blinked gormlessly at the princess and tried desperately to formulate a cohesive sentence, even as his mind spun into action to decide the fate of the poem. "I'm sorry, princess, I didn't quite catch that last bit." He feigned ignorance to buy himself valuable seconds, though deep down he already knew what fate he'd choose.

"Shad told me that Lord Tywin had given you instruction to deliver a poem he had written. Do you have it?"

Yes, he had it, but as he'd whole heartedly decided (whole hearted because his brain didn't get a look in) there was no way she was going to see it. Indeed no one was ever going to see it because the devilish parchment had an imminent date with fire from which it would not return!

"Er no. He did give it to me but unfortunately given the torrential rain yesterday it got rather wet. I left it in my room to dry but it may no longer be readable."

She regarded him silently, pursing and unpursing her lips as she squinted at him, after a moments sceptical contemplation she merely tutted in disappointment. "Oh, what a pity but… back to your question of your captain position and politics. As my personal guard you will attend all my council meetings, where you will get to observe the court in all its facets, which will hopefully reinforce the lessons I teach you, unless that as, you object to having me as your tutor."

His natural aversion to accepting help screamed in the back of his brain but for once heart and reason were united in decision. "Not at all! Sign me up to the royal college of court politics."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, would you like a quick introductory lesson?"

"Right now?!" Link glanced off to the horizon to see the stretching its deep orange aura to greet the distant mountains, bidding farewell to the day and beckoning the twilight. Now was generally the time he starting taking stock of all the day's events, but just perusing the revelations of the last two hours felt like being buried under several days' worth of ground-shaking discoveries. "It's almost sundown and frankly Zelda, I think if I have to take in any more exposition my head may just explode."

The warm sensations in his ankle faded away, along with the glow of the cocoon, indicating that the spell had ended. The princess released a contemplative hum as she turned her full attention to him. "Point taken. We have discussed much and I'd very much prefer that your head remains in one piece. It's far more conducive to study and friendly conversation."

"It doesn't help much with guarding either and something tells me there isn't it spell for it."

"You are correct. Now one final thing before I bid you goodni…"

Pppssssfffff!

Zelda stared at Link, utterly bemused. "Link, is something wrong?"

Link sat bolt upright, face contorted in his best impression of a horned blowfish, cheeks red and swollen, lips forcibly sealed and eyes bulging like a constipated bull. What the princess had failed to realise was the position of one of her dainty fingers… brushing delicately against the sole of his foot. His great weakness! He had devilishly ticklish feet!

"Nothing." He squeaked, subtly trying to extract the endangered foot from her grasp, however her other hand resting on his ankle made it difficult to do undetected. The finger grazed his sole again and he squirmed, struggling to suppress a raspberry, as he fought to stop himself from laughing.

"Link?" Zelda said concerned. Concern quickly morphed to epiphany and then finally… and terrifyingly… a devious impish smirk settled onto her countenance.

Oh no!

"Nothing Link? So you aren't… ticklish?" Her eyes danced with glee and her voice, low and almost, dare he say, sultry left him with a similar strange feeling to watching her eat that chocolate and raspberry tart.

"No!" he protested emphatically.

"So the reason why you were so desperate to avoid exposing your feet wasn't because you feared me finding your fatal weak spot?"

"Absolutely not!" He tried to retrieve his foot once more but Zelda now had it in her firm grip and, from her smirk, she clearly wasn't about to relinquish it.

"Well then, if you aren't ticklish… then you wont have a problem if I do this…" She began to stroke the sole his foot slowly and methodically. The result was instant and unmistakable. The trapped hero shuddered and squirmed, yet he managed, with great effort to suppress his laughter, sputtering indignantly " .e.e.e is aaa pro.b..lem… It'ssss… it'ssssstill em..baha.. embahaha… embarrassing!"

"Really? Then care please explain what afflicts your speech so badly?"

"I ca… I caaaa… I caaahahahahan't" Link cried between ragged gasps, his resistance slowly crumbling as his whole began to shake with laughter. It was only a matter of moments before the dam would inevitably break and manic painful hysterics flooded out.

"Why?" The princess heightened the torment, with a batting of doe like innocent blue peepers and a cock of her head.

"Haha prin..ha..cess.. .. HAHA STAPPP!"

"What was that Link?"

"Pleahehehesssseeee hahahah stooooppp!" The torment was only getting progressively more intolerable as he practically howled between gasping breaths

"Stop what?"

Oh, come on! "MEERRRCEEEHEHEHEHE!"

"Only when you confess!"

"Con..Haha.. fesssss?"

"Confess that you are ticklish and that was the reason you didn't want my healing."

"Noooohohohohoho!" He couldn't let her win, employing such diabolical methods.

"Confess!"

"N.N. !" Ow! His stomach was hurting. He needed to breath!

"Confess!"

"Al.l. . .i.i. ! I COOOONNNNNFFFFFFEEEEESSSSS!" He yelled, loud enough to probably to be heard in the sacred realm. The princess mercifully relinquished her hands and the beleaguered hero collapsed back onto the Méridienne, panting, exhausted and red as a sunburnt tomato. Zelda showed little sympathy, letting out an almost maniacal giggle as she admired her handiwork, a shameless cheshire grin shattering her usually innocent and composed demeanour.

Still short of breath, he gasped "So… much… for… dignity and… decorum! Was… the… torture really… necessary princess?"

"You did come here for punishment, did you not?"

"That wasn't punishment! That was barbarism! Besides it can't have been your plan because you didn't know I was ticklish until then."

"Maybe, but then how else could I react?! Even the most upright and respectable of ladies can't ignore such golden opportunities when they present themselves, especially when the gentleman they are in the company of caused such doubt and worry with their obstinate insistence to conceal the truth. You brought it entirely on yourself."

Letting out a defeated groan, he slumped back and turned his gaze to the fading vista. He knew he couldn't win. As twilight approached he found himself reminiscing about a memory which he thought buried. The last time he'd had a similar treatment was back in Ordon at the hands of Ilia and she had been similarly vicious. He also couldn't win against her, though that was because her father was almost always watching. Well at least this time he didn't suffer the humiliation of having an audience. Wait a minute! AN AUDIENCE!

"Oh Goddesses, Zelda! Someone must have surely heard me! What in Hyrule would they think?!"

Zelda barely batted an eye, her princess veil, which had been noticeable absent since her wave of elation took her, finally and definitively reasserting itself. "Probably something incredibly indecent, knowing peoples depraved imaginations and the "fierce passion" of your protests." Her mirth was still there but it was muted, not by unhappiness but dignified composure.

Link's heart was leaping far too fast for humour, particularly her brand of teasing "Princess?!"

"Calm Link. Do you really believe I would permit any possibility of eavesdropping with the many sensitive matters we have discussed?"

"But Zelda, we're outside on a balcony! We may be high up but not enough that…"

"Do you know what this is?" The princess picked up what looked like a small black egg-shaped pebble from the table. It appeared entirely unremarkable, to the point that he'd barely given it a second thought when he'd first spied it on the table. Now he was focusing on it however, he could swear he picked up a low hum emanating from enigmatic bauble.

He shook his head, though he sensed it must be some sort of magic artefact.

"It's called a keepsake, a magical runestone, capable of producing a sound bubble which, while allowing sound to enter undisrupted, renders any escaping sounds nothing but distorted whispers."

Well, in a place where as she'd so eloquently put it, everything carries the grubby fingerprints of intrigue and duplicity, he could certainly see its usefulness. Indeed, had he not been too busy panicking, he should have suspected she possessed something like that. "Handy"

"Oh, exceptionally so. I would not be where I am today without it and my war against the court would likely have long since ended in catastrophic defeat. It is truly humbling to contemplate the impact of such a small, seemingly unexceptional object…"

Knock… knock… knock…

A sudden, hesitant tapping on the study door interrupted the princess's musings and she turned, frowning towards the door, muttering indecipherable under her breath. Having vented her frustrations, she snapped curtly "Yes? What is it? I thought I made it clear I was not to be disturbed unless it was a matter of the upmost urgency."

A male voice he didn't recognise answered, unmistakably nervous. "I'm dreadfully sorry your highness, but the rest of the council are waiting upon your presence in the great hall. The royal dinner is prepared, but it will not be served without your attendance and… some of the Lords are becoming… impatient."

Zelda suppressed a groan. "Thank you. Could you please relay a message to the council that her highness will be present shortly, once she has finished her appraisal of their latest bill on the management of congregational land tax."

"Of… of course, your highness"

With the muffled shuffling of hurriedly retreating feet, the princess shifted her blue orbs back to Link and she let out a sigh of disappointment. "Apologies Link, it would seem my duties have caught up with me."

"We never seem to get to finish our conversations, do we?" He noted wryly.

"Hmm, the curse of royalty. Never enough time to say all you wish to and yet being to the point is considered unsophisticated and boorish. Such pressure inevitably leads to the unfortunate habit of prevarication. You just cannot win." She rose reluctantly from her chair. "Regardless, as much as I would love to continue in the pleasure of your company, the time has come where we must part ways."

"Until Friday, that is?" Link replied optimistically as he hastily slipped his socks and boots back on.

"I very much hope so. If my duties allow. Now… if you will accompany me to the door I will have Neela show you out through the servant's passages to the kitchen, the way you'll need to leave after each meeting if we desire to maintain our official cover."

Link obliged and they slipped back through the study, now consumed in shadow with just the low burning remains of a couple of candles and the last vestiges of sunlight, a deep evocative orange glow, illuminating their path. The princess's gliding feet seemed particularly light now, in stark contrast to her heavy steps a couple of hours prior. The only sound as they crossed the room were his clomp of his boots and the swish of her dress against the carpet.

Upon reaching the door, rather than open it, she twirled to gaze at him in the gloom, face half in shadow while the other half was bathed in orange. "I must admit I await our next meeting with great anticipation."

"As do I, Zelda."

"You know Link, I think this has been the most I have ever heard you use my name."

She was right! Indeed, once the early tension had been broken, this was the first time it had truly felt natural. For the first time, her title, while undeniably ever present in his mind didn't raise a barrier in his brain against the reality of their genuine friendship. The mere possibility of romance feelings was still a farcical absurdity but the idea of simple friendship between Princess and Goatherder… what could be implausible with that?

Nevertheless, the realisation brought embarrassment and he was grateful for the shadows. "Well that's just cos this is our longest meeting." He joked, trying to downplay this landmark moment.

The princess tutted. "Please Link, do not douse such a rare ray of sunshine. Besides I believe our dinner together when you first came to the castle was longer."

"Maybe but I'd just endured a lecture on protocol and etiquette from Basil, so you couldn't expect me to be comfortable with such things just yet."

"Hmm, true, true. Nevertheless today… I…" Zelda was seemingly momentarily lost for words, wringing her hands and proving the existence of her feet by shuffling them noisily. "I am sorry. I fear I let my emotions get the better of me and I crossed a line I should not have. Such behaviour is most unbecoming of royalty…" What was she talking about? Revealing her doubts? Her bitterness? Her… "and I could have potentially ruined all my hard work healing your ankle. Is your ankle alright? My tickling interrogation has not hurt it again?"

"No, no its fine. Feels better than it has since the accident in fact. Thank you again."

"Oh, praise the goddesses, I am glad!" Her voice abruptly flipped from relieved to stern. "Nevertheless, remember I have not fixed it, I have merely soothed it and any harsh treatment will likely undo all my work and send you back to square one. Please, be careful with it."

"I'll do my best."

"Knowing your track record hero, such a phrase does not fill me with confidence… however you have shown me a level of trust and understanding beyond anything I could have hoped, and for which I am truly grateful. For that alone you deserve the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm honoured, princess."

Knock, Knock

"Your Highness?" came Neela's chirpy tones through the ornate wood.

"One moment" Zelda replied before turning to Link and whispering "before you go, you do remember our cover story?"

"Um, I thought Neela knows the truth?"

"She does. I simply wish to check YOU remember the cover story, in case anyone like Lord Vanhorn questions you."

"Yes I remember, though the idea does make me nervous."

"Relax, just stick to the story and I'll ensure there's plenty of evidence to corroborate it."

Zelda's confidence, combined with the news of corroborating evidence was enough to snuff out his apprehension and he was once again struck with the childish thrill of their little clandestine meetings.

They opened the door to reveal Neela's ever boisterous form and a corridor filled with candlelit, which, after the gloom of the study, momentarily blinded the duo.

"Well, you two look pleased with yourselves." Neela smirked and Link blushed.

"Now, now Neela, no aspersions please. Sir Link and I were engaged in serious and sombre conversation regarding his reprehensible actions. He has found the experience highly illuminating, have you not, Hero?"

"Oh, um, yes, highly illuminating." He drawled sarcastically.

"Neela, please be so kind as to guide Link to the royal kitchens, to acquaint him with where his punishment will take place." She turned to Link and bowed to him, gloved hand on heart. "Farewell Sir Link. Until we meet again, however distant that moment may be." she winked

"Likewise, your highness." He returned the bow and was just turning to go when Zelda's voice stopped him.

"Oh, just before you go Sir Link. You may want to work on your face."

"My face?"

"Yes, you have just been sentenced to a great and terrible punishment… yet your face tells an entirely different story."

Ah, yes! Now he understood.

He was grinning like an idiot!

By the time he'd been guided through the labyrinthine passages to the Royal Kitchen, ever further from Zelda's confident influence, his grin was dead.

Just what had he gotten himself into?!