A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend.

-Act V-

Restoration

6

Link ambled back up the path to the castle and inside, tossing a nod to each of the soldiers on guard duty. He was surprised to find Zelda not on the throne. After asking around, he found out that she was in her private courtyard. A smile flitted briefly across his face as he tucked the pouch into his belt. He decided to try and see if he was still as talented a sneak as he'd been at the tender age of ten years. Link made his way out toward the courtyard, taking note of where each of the guards were that kept watch over the Queen.

He crept around them, waiting for their gaze to turn, and crept silently around them, sneaking his way through her gardens as though he were lighter than air. His feet made no sound on the grass, steps light and sure.

One of the guards near the Queen saw him coming, and Link motioned him quickly to silence with a wink and gesture to the pouch hanging from his belt. The guard nodded and murmured a few words to his companion, who then spoke with the Queen - some nonsense about a change of guard. She agreed; she hated having a personal security squad anyway - and they departed.

Link wanted to crow. It was perfect. He stole up behind Zelda, and before she had so much as seen him, bent his head around and delivered a quick kiss to her cheek, and then jumped backward with a light laugh before she could slap him out of reflex.

She whirled, hand indeed coming up to whap the trespasser, but her eyes widened when she saw who it was. "Link! Don't scare me like that!" And then her brain processed something else. "Wait. Did you just kiss me?"

He grinned and nodded, hands behind his back, the pouch resting in one palm.

Her eyes narrowed. "What for? …Is this some kind of prank?"

He chuckled. "Aren't we a little old for that?"

"And by "we" I'm sure you meant you."

"Ah." He laughed again. "No, no joke this time. Walk with me?" he brought one arm out from behind his back, and motioned for her guards to stay where they were.

She accepted, blushing faintly as she looped her arm around his elbow. "What's on your mind? I haven't seen you much in the past days."

He nodded. "I've been a little busy," he admitted.

"With what?"

"Oh…this and that," he said, sidestepping the question as he led her out into the little clearing where the Goddesses had come those few nights ago. He turned her by the shoulders so she was facing him. "I've got quite a bit that I'd like to say to you," he murmured. "Most of which was inspired by my bull-headed father." He paused, certain he'd just felt an ethereal kick to the rear, and smiled. "And I have to say he was right about all of it."

"All of it? W…Link, what do you mean?"

He held up a hand. "You have to let me finish, Zelda. I have to get this out before I lose the courage to say it."

She fell silent, frowning curiously, a bit of concern in her eyes as she toyed with a strand or two of his hair.

Link couldn't help but smile at the gesture. It seemed as though his father had been right. "Come sit down," he said, guiding her over to a nearby bench. He pushed her down gently by the shoulders and got down in front of her. "I'm not sure how to say this, so I'm going to be blunt. And you can't interrupt me either." He took a deep breath while she watched him curiously. "I've been fighting with something for quite a while now, and it's about time I just put everything out into the open. Zelda, I love you. I have since the first day we met. I knew when I set eyes on you after sneaking into this courtyard that I wanted to be by your side always…but I never said anything. I couldn't help but think I had nothing to offer. Here you were, a princess, destined to be a Queen one day…and here I was…some kid from an obscure forest with nothing to his name but the clothes on his back…" he laughed shortly. "As you can see, I still have somewhat the same opinion of myself as I did then. But my father…when he pulled me aside last night, he decided to thump some sense into my thick skull and said something that really stuck with me. He said that 'the best gift you can ever offer to the woman you love is your heart. No jewel, no throne, no crown, no title can compare to the thought that you've given her your heart.' And…I think I believe him." He withdrew the pouch from its hiding place in his other hand, and retrieved the little satin-covered bundle from it, depositing it in Zelda's open hands, while she stared at him in shock. "So I offer you my heart, Zelda. I don't know what you'll say to it, but you've always been my Princess, whether you realize it or not. Whether you accept it or not is up to you…but I can promise you that I would love you, protect you…I'm yours for the rest of our lives if you'll have me."

Zelda gazed down at the little satin-covered bundle in her hands, unshed tears standing in her eyes, and slowly pulled away the cloth with shaking fingers. When the pendant was finally revealed, her lips parted in a perfect "oh!" of surprise. The burnished silver rose was even more beautiful in the daylight, accented by the deep blue beads, the single green stone at the bottom standing out. "L-Link…it's beautiful," she whispered, throat so tight she could barely speak.

"Only one other like it has ever been made," he said.

Her eyes lit up in recognition. Meri had been wearing it the night of the Goddess's visit. "Link…"

He looked back up at her, and then pointed to the blue and green stones hanging from the bottom of the rose. "One for each of us. Me," he pointed to the emerald bead, "and you," his fingertip rested on the sapphire. "Together."

"Put it on me?" she asked.

He nodded and pulled them both to their feet. After turning her around so he could clasp the necklace, he turned her back around. "Does this mean you'll have me?"

She laughed, unable to keep the tears from streaming down her face. Her eyes were joyous and filled with love. "Of course, you silly ass," she said, laughing and crying all at once, and threw her arms around him, sobbing joyously into his chest. "Of course. Like you said…you and me, together."

The answering grin she saw when she looked up was so wide and brilliant that it was almost blinding. It split his face and made his eyes sparkle. He put one hand on each side of her face and bent his head to kiss her softly.

The infinite tenderness and love in the gesture took her breath away. She brushed a strand of his stubborn hair out of his face and whispered, "To think I almost lost you and you never knew…goddesses, Link, I'm so sorry."

"Hush," he said, silencing her with another brief kiss. "It's over. It's all over."

She nodded, smiling again. "Rule Hyrule with me," she said. "The people would love to have you as their king."

His eyes nearly popped from his head. "Me? A king?! I couldn't ever even get Epona to stay in one place! If I can't get a horse to do what I tell it, how am I supposed to run a kingdom?!"

She laughed musically. "With my help, you goof." She leaned up on tiptoe to nuzzle at his cheek. "You'll do wonderfully, I promise…and I want you there."

He nodded, subdued a little in his reply. "I'll go anywhere you ask me to," he murmured. "I love you."

She shut her eyes, amazed at how right it sounded to hear that. And again, she couldn't believe she'd almost let him go without saying it. "My heart belongs to you. It always has. Yes…I'll have you. For as long as you want to stay."

"Then I'll be by your side for the rest of my life," he warned her.

And in a fit of boyish enthusiasm, he lifted her into his arms with an exultant shout and twirled her around, declaring his heart to the birds in the trees while Zelda laughed.

Somewhere, a bell began to peal, singing its song joyously up into the morning sky. Link had a sneaking suspicion his father had pulled some strings with the timing of the universe.

Zelda had a few suspicions of her own. But she kept them to herself, preferring instead to bask in the love of her guardian, her champion…her Hero.

There would be other threats to her homeland; there always were.

But with him by her side, nothing stood a chance.

They would face each challenge when it came, whether from within or without.

But for now…

All was well.