Hello everyone!

I'm back from a loooong time off this site. I've had the craziest last years of my life, especially in the last few weeks. But I had come to a realization that I miss writing - more than anything, and want to spend more time doing so. So here's a short, quick one-shot I'd been wanting to do forever and was requested by an unregistered user - I'm sorry I'm late but I hope you get a chance to read it!

Thank you to Bopdawoo, DragonBox94, FwooshEye, Loyluma, SPAWNOFDARKNESS, The Evil Dreamer, Unicron1000, wesker101, Duskinator, and cornholio4 for following and/or adding this story to their favourites list!

Responses to Reviews:

Prime Jeremy: Haha I just know the diary would help him figure it out! Link's a smart guy! :) Thank you for the review!

Guest: You made great points! I guess maybe I have a darker mind haha - nah I'm just kidding! I hope this one is much brighter and more positive! I do think that Yuga must've had some affection for Hilda - maybe the greed just made him go mad like Ganondorf? I think that's definitely a possibility. I mean, he did always talk about her in the game, right? And I totally see how he seemed more submissive, I guess I kinda took a lot of liberties in making her more submissive in the story! She was always bossing him around in the game lol! I just want to say thank you for all your great comments and compliments! It was so great to hear such amazing feedback!

cornholio4: That's such a great idea! I hope to write that one soon and I regret not doing so sooner! But thank you!

Suggestions and comments are always welcome!

painters

The day in the life of a princess wasn't easy and there were two particularly monarchs who could vouch for that. Though from vastly different worlds, Zelda and Hilda were both sole rulers of their respective kingdoms and with every moment spent together, they began to realize that they had much in common. Every practice from courtly manners to political games would drive the two of them up the wall – and on a rare occasion, onto the wall – and the only times they could truly be free from their preened and polished ways was when they were in the presence of one another.

It was a blessing from the gods of Lorule themselves that they could meet up every so often: it was the wish that Ravio and Hilda had agreed to make on the Triforce that Link and Zelda so kindly bestowed onto them. Even during their busiest weeks, the two had devoted endless and precious moments in getting to know one another. In doing so, they'd at last discovered a hobby that brought an – albeit odd – way to relax.

"Oh goddesses, that's all wrong."

Well, that is, for the most part.

"Hilda?"

"Well, look at it! Just try and convince me that the colors are all right!"

Zelda stifled a giggle. "Don't be ridiculous, it's gorgeous. I've never seen such – err - blue skies."

"It's green, Zelda. Hideously so." She swiftly lifted her paintbrush to interrupt the blonde princess just as she was about to reply. "Don't remind me – I know green's your favorite color. But this is not just any green – it…it looks sickly."

"Well, I for one think it's lovely." Zelda glanced at the stern expression on Lorule's young monarch, her violet lips pressed in a thin line, eyes narrowed and sharp. "If you truly don't like it, it's not completely unfixable. It's only in one corner, anyhow. Here-"

Zelda dipped her own paintbrush into the brilliant blue pool of paint in her palette and swirled it around until she smiled brightly with satisfaction. Then, leaning over Hilda, she began to streak her paintbrush delicately and gracefully over the canvas, blending the unusual shade of green into a brilliant teal colour and shadowing it against a bright blue sky.

While Hilda admired Zelda's graceful sweeps of the brush, she couldn't help but blush in spite of herself at the proximity in which she found Zelda. Had she always smelled so…so sweet? It reminded her of the fresh and beautiful flowers that filtered the air of Hyrule, on those rolling green fields that she'd grown to appreciate with a sense of wistful melancholy.

And the golden hair tied loosely against her pale neck reminded her of the bright, warm sun that beat over those same green fields, the delicate strands catching a bright light of which Hilda was unfamiliar with.

"Well?"

"Yes?" Hilda asked quickly, sternly, in an attempt to hide her distraction with a misplaced hostility.

"I said, do you like it?" The blonde looked back at her painting suddenly, her lips downturned, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Was she…insecure?

Hilda quickly blinked out of her stupor. "It's lovely." She offered a small smile, to which the blonde smiled shyly, looking back at the bright blue sky she painted. "It's very lovely. In fact," Hilda continued, "I think you've completely changed the painting for the better."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. It was beautiful, already, to begin with." She twirled the thin, wooden paintbrush in her fingers. "But thank you."

Hilda swallowed and whipped her head back, away from the dusty cheeks that made her blush darkly in return. She looked down at her palette and frowned at the odd and strange colors in which she'd mixed: they were nothing like the dazzling or vivid colors on Zelda's. Positively horrendous, she thought.

She huffed and reached for more paint, determined to create a nicer color for the trees. With a quick glance at Zelda's painting, she could tell she was already one step behind.

Green – again, but this time, a lighter shade. She wanted her trees to be as alive and frothy as Zelda's. It was odd, but every time she tried to mix colors, they always looked a little paler than hers. All she had to do was mix blue and yellow, and yet it was more arduous than convincing her people to pay taxes.

After the fourth attempt – which oddly resembled the shade of Yuga's greenish tinted skin – she threw down her paintbrush, splattering little drops of paint onto the duo. Zelda threw her head to the side, her eyes wide.

"Oh, that's just it!"

"What is?"

"I'm just most assuredly the worst painter in the world! I cannot even create the simplest of colors!" Zelda cocked her head in confusion before glancing down at the messy and oddly stained palette on her companion's lap. "How do you do it? Everything you touch simply turns to gold and yet everything I touch just dies," she frowns and added, "or just becomes the ugliest shade of green."

Zelda smiled sympathetically, finally coming to understand that her friend's frustration didn't just lie in her painting, but with something else as well. "What's the matter, Hilda?"

Hilda's nose scrunched up and snapped, "Don't you see-"

"No, no, not the painting. What's really bothering you?"

Hilda held her expression for a beat more, staring into the brilliant blue eyes of the blonde princess. Finally, she sighed in resignation. "The crops are dying, Zelda. We've tried everything: we've been planting in softer soil, watering them regularly, even used fertilizer and yet…they just die."

Zelda felt her heart sink at the sad look in her friend's eyes, the insecurity and pain shining darkly in her crimson irises. She set aside her paintbrush and palette. "You mustn't blame yourself, Hilda. Crops die all the time. Have you considered that you've been watering them too much?"

Hilda frowned and looked away, her cheeks shading rosily. "I doubt that. The farmers simply must know how much to water plants."

"It could happen. Or perhaps you've been planting the wrong crops. You know only certain crops can grow in certain seasons." She tilted her head sympathetically and placed her hand on her companion's. "You mustn't be so quick to blame yourself. Some things are even out of a royal's control. You know, I can even take a look and see if there's anything amiss."

Hilda met her friend's soft gaze. "You'd do that?"

"Of course! You know I'd carry Hyrule's crops across the portal in my arms for you!"

A hint of a smile played at Hilda's lips and she shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. I could never ask that of you."

Zelda smiled in return. "I'd do it, anyways." If it was possible, Hilda's cheeks darkened even more so, highlighting the drop of green paint smeared on her face. Zelda reached over and wiped it away with her thumb, before meeting Hilda's surprised gaze. Her red eyes shimmered from so close; she must've failed to realize sooner how beguiling the beautiful darkness of it was.

Without realizing it, she cradled the soft, flushed skin of Hilda's cheek. Looking into her eyes, Zelda felt a great sadness just thinking of the troubles her friend had faced to make her so unsure of herself. At the same time, though, she was grateful to be able to travel across realms even just to brighten up a sour day. And with every passing moment, Zelda couldn't help but realize that she too felt safer and happier in Hilda's company, no matter how short their meetings could be at times.

Holding her gaze, she felt herself drawing closer to her friend, who in turn could only stare in complete wonder at Zelda. Within moments, their lips had brushed, holding in place as they sat in the pure confusion and surprise of it all. But after a beat of stillness, Zelda was hit with a brilliant realization and stroked her lips against Hilda's, gracefully and delicately, until Hilda hesitantly followed suit. The dark haired princess had been right: Zelda's touch was golden, and with every caress, Hilda felt herself enveloped by a blinding, warm light. Hilda reached up and snarled her hands into Zelda's golden hair, falling deeper and deeper into her embrace.

When the two parted with heavy breaths, Zelda tucked a loose strand of violet hair behind Hilda's pointed ear and made a point of correcting, "You know my favorite color isn't green." Hilda blinked, her mind muddled, even more so by the sudden statement. "It's violet."