Hey guys, thanks again for your nice reviews! I really take them to heart *sob* just kidding. By the way, Kersplunk had a few good questions so I'm going to answer them here:

Question 1: Yes, the legendary weapons will appear much later in the story. I don't think hair color has much to do with destiny in the games, but more so age. (But I could be wrong lol)

Question 2: No, this Zelda is not reincarnated from the old one. This is a completely different Zelda, like all unique Zeldas in their respective games. Sorry if her dialogue is confusing! Her greeting was meant to be a warm welcome, not personal.

Question 3: Yes, both Link and Zelda are 17!

Alrighty, with that out of the way we can get back to the story. Feel free to leave questions if I've made things unclear! I'd like to be able to explain something or change things if I need to.

Chapter III: That Thing in Common

Link and Zelda stood silently on the tallest balcony in Hyrule Castle and looked down at the innocent land of Castle Town. They carefully watched over the little Hylians who walked by, almost like guardians; and maybe they were. The burning sun was barely visible behind the Castle Town walls as it laid itself to sleep over the horizon, though it braved its slumber with stretching beams that pierced the darkening violet sky. They could thank Hylia for that sunset.

Link leaned against the balcony rail and stared down at the people of Hyrule, longing to mingle with them. Most often, he was either stuck in his room or somewhere along the castle. The servants were kind to him, but they were dull and mechanical, for they only nodded or chuckled in reply to the hero. That, or they held an obnoxious attitude like Impa. If anything, he at least enjoyed conversing with the Princess Zelda. She was beautiful and sassy at times, which sparked Link's interests. She amused him.

The hero placed his elbow on the balcony and his head in his hand. "So why'd you drag me up here, princess? A romantic kiss by the sunset, or are we waiting to do that under the light of the moon?"

Zelda huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to take acknowledgement of the hero's folly remarks. "I invited you here to speak of something important," she informed with a slight hint of attitude in her voice.

"Well, what about?" Link smiled brightly at her. The setting sun of crimson did well for her complexion. She could almost look like a goddess.

The princess relaxed a little, letting her tender hands lightly fall onto the balcony. Her eyes remained locked on the flowing of the fountain in the center of her little town. She almost seemed sorrowful, yet she always held that familiar gaze on her face. "How do you feel about this place, Link?" She suddenly asked. She would have turned to face him out of politeness, but she was locked onto that fountain. It fascinated her in a way.

Link stared at her a moment before answering. "It's alright, I suppose. A little too fancy, if you ask me," he teased. The hero stood up straight and now stared out into Castle Town again, although his eyes seemed to lock onto the fountain as well. Zelda was interested in it, so Link should have been as well. "I think you do a good job running this place."

Zelda lightly smirked. No matter how much effort she put into forcing it down, she just couldn't hide her confident smirk. He spoke the truth, after all. The princess shook her head in protest. "That's not what I meant… I was hoping to keep you here long enough so that you could train yourself, but you're already so advanced. Perhaps it would be best for you to train outside these walls where you could obtain better experience. You see…" She turned to face him. The sun was finally setting. "You don't belong here. I was contemplating whether to set you free."

Link chuckled. "You speak as if I were an animal." Although he uttered a sigh, his eyes were bright with enthusiasm. "Of course I don't belong in a place like this, but I'm bound to do whatever you ask of me. I could have left whenever I wanted, yet I chose to stay. I don't see what you're so sad about."

Zelda stressed a smile but it quickly disappeared. She leaned with her back against the rail now. "You must be lonely. I see how the people of my kingdom treat you, unfamiliar with how to act around a hero. Many fear you, others praise you, and some are jealous of you. Most of them praise you, but they're too shy to speak. I'm sure you'd love to return to the outside of these walls. I'm just worried that if I let you go too soon, you won't be prepared to fight the evil force on your own."

"I don't see what you're worrying about," Link suddenly snickered with a haughty expression. He pointed to himself with his thumb and slyly winked. "I'm the Hero of Hyrule. I managed to defeat Ganondorf and a countless number of various enemies in deadly battle. All of your troubles are gone. Nothing else could possibly think to harm your precious land of Hyrule, now. And if anything does come for it, I'll be sure to race to your rescue."

Zelda lightly rolled her eyes, seeing that he'd yet to comprehend the conflict.

"Your sass is showing, princess."

The young lady walked towards the middle of the balcony as she straightened out her dress. "You don't understand. You can never be too careful when it comes to facing evil forces. Who knows when another attack might occur? It's always an advantage to be prepared." She suddenly turned to him, her eyes filled with desperation and her wriggling fingers pleading. "In that case, I need you to stay, Link. We can't be sure when or if an attack will oppose on the castle."

"So what was the point in telling me that you were thinking of setting me free?" Link whined in discouragement. "To get my hopes up?"

And it seemed again that the princess had made another mistake with her word choice. She pinched the bridge of her nose and frowned, frustrated with herself. "I wasn't meaning to upset you. I only wanted-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Link interrupted, waving his hands in front of him. His familiar carefree nature returned in a matter of moments. "Don't think that you could ever upset me. It's just been a long day, is all. Why don't we catch something to eat? I haven't had a bite all day." The hero stretched his arms and yawned as he began to move past the princess towards inside the castle again.

It was probably best to let the situation go for a while. She followed him inside and they both stopped in the room. "I'll have someone prepare us a meal. Is there anything you'd like in particular?"

Link started himself into a little jog, pacing his feet side to side. "Not really. I think I'll fetch something myself." With a sly smirk on his face, he turned back to the balcony and suddenly swept Zelda off her feet into his arms. He then darted for the ledge at a rapid pace beyond anyone's expectations.

"Link, what are you doing?!" Zelda gasped, her eyes widened with fear as she tightly gripped onto Link's neck.

"Fetching us a meal," he replied. They quickly approached the balcony and Link leapt over the handrail. His feet roughly landed on the roof of the tower and they began to slide down the side at a rapid pace. As Zelda clung to Link in fear, it only made the hero more rowdy. He let out an energetic yell as the end of the tower roof came closer. The hero bent his knees, and as they finally reached the bottom he leapt forward again. They began to fall from the sky. Time seemed to fall slow for the princess who had never experienced adrenaline like this, but Link felt the rush of the wind in his hair and it only made him all the more ecstatic.

The roof of the next tower approached. Link tightly held onto Zelda, being careful to block her head, and he landed on the corner of the roof with his feet, going into a roll, and leapt off the edge again. The princess let out a terrifying screech as they began to slide down the edge of another tower. However, this tower had windows that stuck out on the side. Link was careful to guide himself around the obstacles, sliding around the individual windows. It was becoming hard to breathe with how tightly Zelda was clutching around his neck, but he paid her no mind with all the fun he was having.

In a matter of minutes they were able to reach the bottom. Link jumped from the last tower and landed squarely on his feet in front of the doors to Hyrule Castle's entrance. He tittered as he set the woozy princess on the ground. She nearly fell to her knees she was so overwhelmed. Zelda was forced to lean on Link for support.

"Can't get enough of me, can you, princess?" Link teased.

Zelda creased her eyebrows into frustration and shoved herself off of him, having to stand on her own. She quickly went to fixing her dress and hair, needing to keep her appearance in shape at all times. "I can't believe you just did that!" She hissed, stomping back to the castle again.

"Relax, I've done it before," the hero retorted with a snort.

She continued to walk away as her complaints increased in volume. "You've already snuck out after I strictly told you not to?! How dare you disobey me! You're so immature! Not to mention that you'd do something so dangerous. You could've gotten us killed!"

"Well, excuuuse me, princess!" Link whined, refusing to leave his spot. "I was only thinking about treating you to a lovely dinner and this is the thanks I get?"

The aggravated woman turned abruptly on her heel and made her way back to the hero. She shoved her irritated finger against his chest, forcing the stubborn boy back. "Don't you realize that if you made one mistake, one slip, one fall that we could have plummeted to our deaths? Why don't you try getting serious about something for once and doing something normal? You always have to go to the extreme with things! It's no wonder people are so fearful of you because you're so rambunctious and dangerous and don't know how to control your actions!" She threw her arms back down and scowled at him, looking the hero in the eyes.

Link sort of half smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "So… are you coming with me or not?"

"Of course not!" Zelda groaned as she turned to the castle again.

"Suit yourself, then."

Without another word, Link began to make his way towards town, opposite of Princess Zelda who stopped in her tracks and whirled to face him. "You're going into town? Link, that's against my orders!" Zelda hissed, watching him move further and further away. She couldn't just let him wander around on his own. No, he'd done so before! Zelda gazed back to her castle in longing and then back to the hero in frustration. Why was her life full of so much confliction? With a huff, the princess' heels tapped against stone as she trailed after the stubborn jerk.

The princess' complaints went through one ear and out the other, for Link continued forward. They finally stepped into town and Link was able to gander at the breathtaking place. The moon was now high in the sky and the streets' lanterns blessed the cobblestone streets with life, but not as much life as the nightlife who wandered the town beneath the white orb in the sky. Link liked this lively group far more than the dwellers of the day. These people were far more exciting with so much more to say.

Link turned back to look at the pouty princess. "Well, you're already out. What do you say to a nice warm bowl of octorok?" He didn't wait for an answer, for he was already walking again.

"Link, this is absurd. Impa is going to be furious if she finds out about this," she protested, but there was no point. Link practically ignored her their entire walk. Maybe she could persuade him. "Whatever happened to 'I'm bound to do whatever you ask of me'? I want to go back inside!"

The hero stopped and she bumped into his backside. Link looked over his shoulder at her. "Technically you're still inside. It's not like you left the castle. Now let's go, I'm really hungry."

It was no use negotiating with Link while he was on an empty stomach. Zelda gave up, realizing she lost the battle. She was lead throughout the winding crowds while given strange looks from the people of Castle Town. Not looks of disgust or of anything disapproving, but utter joy. These were most certainly strange people. She hadn't often ventured out at night due to the dangers of the nightlife. These people had a history of greater hyperactivity, constantly dancing and drinking and partying and so on. The princess was used to characters of serious or mature nature. These Hylians were like giant drunk children.

Someone suddenly approached them, a small child with squinty eyes. Zelda had never seen him before. "Hey," the boy whistled between the gap in his teeth as he looked up at Link, "you're that guy who saved us. And you're the princess!" He turned his head to look at Zelda.

Link proudly placed his hands on his hips. "That we are! And who might you be?"

The little boy gave his name and the two started to mingle almost as if they had known each other all along. Zelda watched them warmly and curiously. It took her breath away that, as rambunctious as he was, the hero could still control himself. She always knew Link had a good soul and she needed to be aware of this at all times. He could be radical and somewhat obnoxious every now and then, but he was still a beautiful Hylian. She also needed to take this into consideration the people of the nightlife.

Her eyes slowly trailed around the town, watching her people dance and laugh with each other. They were strange, yes, but they were just like the day dwellers. It seemed as if Link was always teaching her something new, whether in the books of his past or his lessons of the present. She may have been the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, but there was still much to learn in her youth. Thankfully, she had the Hero of Hyrule to help her, just like Link promised he would do.

Zelda waited patiently for them to stop talking. Link scratched the boy's hair and the child gave Link a gesture-friendly pat on the knee before running off to meet with his other tiny friends. That would be the last time Zelda would ever see him up closely. She turned her gaze to Link, who was smiling like a proud idiot.

The princess tilted her head and nodded in approval, her smile barely visible on her lips. In was time to finally give in. "Where were you taking me?"

Link lead her through town as the nightlife watched them go by. Some whistled while others threw flowers at them. It was strange. Zelda normally expected these people of the nighttime to be crude, but they were kind and gentle people, much kinder than those who strolled about during the day. She wondered what made them so peaceful. Maybe that was why Link was of such carefree nature; he told her that he liked to traverse at night more often that the day. But why? There must have been something special about Hylia's night sky that glorified the people of Hyrule.

The two eventually arrived at an alleyway, walking down a small flight of steps. It was strange. Zelda had never seen this part of Castle Town from any of her balconies. It was definitely well hidden. There was a door below with a dangling sign that read "Telma's Bar." A place of drinking and dazed merriment, most likely. This place was bound to strike disgust in Zelda. She was never fond of places like this, but she wasn't about to deny them their legal rights in the castle.

Link pushed the door open and waved at a busty Gerudo woman with crimson dreadlocks sitting behind the bar. "Nice to see you, Telma!" Link greeted, immediately making his way to the woman.

Zelda cocked an eyebrow at the tight corset around the bartender's waist. She wasn't surprised that Link would want to come all this way to meet with such a heavy-set woman, considering how flirtatious he appeared around Zelda at times.

"Hey, hun. Haven't seen you around in a while," Telma answered with a gracious grin. She looked over at Zelda and her emerald eyes widened in joy. "My, my, what do we have here, the beautiful princess? What an honor to have you standing inside my bar." The bartender fell into a submissive curtsy with her dreadlocks falling over her shoulder.

Everyone else in the bar seemed to stare at the two. The place was filled with either soldiers or strong men and sleazy women. They quickly arose to their feet and immediately removed their helmets and hats, then fell into an obedient kneel or curtsy. Zelda let them know it was all right to stand, so they casually moved back to their seats as if nothing happened.

Telma reached back behind the bar in search of a glass. "I assume your Highness doesn't drink. How about a glass of water or some tea?"

Zelda lifted her hand and shook her head. "No, thank you," she replied, her voice as smooth as wind. She elegantly strolled to the barstools and sat down. It was important to keep her graceful nature apparent around commoners. She didn't want anyone thinking lowly of their princess.

Link slumped down into the seat next to her, quite opposite the nature of graceful. "I'll take some of that octorok, and the princess will too," he ordered without the princess' consent.

Telma nodded and called back to one of her chefs in the backroom. She then turned to the couple again and leaned against the counter. "You plan on paying me this time?" Telma asked with a smirk. She bellowed in laughter as Link bashfully scratched the back of his head. "I know you'll repay me soon enough. You always do, somehow."

Zelda felt embarrassed by Link's overly relaxed nature. It was an awful thing to be in debt, although Telma did admit to Link paying her back. But where was Link getting all this money? She suddenly became aware that Telma was staring at her, and the princess began to feel uncomfortable. Maybe she should say something. "This is a cozy bar you have, Telma," Zelda politely complimented. She did her absolute best to keep her composure and not crack in front of her people. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself.

"Why, thank you, princess. A compliment from you is as good as a golden rupee," Telma humbled with a nod. She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with their bowls of octorok, sliding them in front of the two.

Link immediately dug into his bowl, having known the familiar taste of the beast, but Zelda was more hesitant of hers. She lifted a fork and poked into the jiggling meat. Zelda was taken aback by its strange nature, but nonetheless Link had ordered this for her and it would be rude not to consume it. She stuck her fork into one of the chunks and quickly shoved it into her mouth and down her throat. Her eyes popped open wide. How unexpected. The taste of this succulent texture was absolutely phenomenal, unlike anything her professional chefs could prepare. Her wide eyes looked back down at the bowl. It was hard to control herself; she wanted to dig into her bowl as disturbingly as Link.

"So," Telma started as she began to rinse a glass and wipe it with a towel, "anything exciting happening in the land of Hyrule?"

Link slammed down his fork onto the bar, concluding the end of his meal. "I have no idea. I've been stuck inside the castle because of her," Link grouched as he pointed over to the princess with his thumb. Zelda grimaced.

Telma bellowed another laugh, throwing her head back this time. "Ah, I see. So the princess is thinking of settling down a bit?"

Zelda choked on her octorok and quickly forced it down. "Of course, not. He's a guest," Zelda informed. She could feel her cheeks flushing with red, not by a matter of affection, but by mortification.

One of the soldiers hollered in the back. "So why haven't we seen you 'round, Princess Zelda?"

Some of the other soldiers whistled in agreement. "Yeah, where you been at? Missed seein' that pretty doll face!"

"I've been busy with important tasks pertaining to inside the castle. This is none of your business," Zelda huffed, her saucy attitude erupting. Some of the other soldiers started throwing hoots and hollers and rude gestures over the princess' quiet tones. Zelda's attention was now directed to her lap. She couldn't stand to stare at any of these foul people any longer.

"Enough!" Telma shouted, slamming a glass on her wooden counter. All of the soldiers immediately held their tongues. "I don't need any of your sass-comments around here. This is royalty you're speaking to. Get quiet or get out."

Stubborn mumbles stretched throughout the room. Link turned to face the crowd with his back leaned against the bar. However, his eyes were locked on the princess. He lowered his voice so that it became a one-on-one conversation again with Zelda, with the acceptation that Telma was close to them. "You don't get out of the castle much, do you?" Link inquired, although his happy-go-lucky nature never ceased from his body. "You hardly even venture out into Castle Town."

Zelda looked up at him, then looked over at Telma. She didn't feel like sticking around the bar any longer. She was beginning to feel most uncomfortable. "Forgive me, Miss Telma, but it's late," Zelda firmly addressed as she stood from her seat and set a silver rupee on the bar top, unsure of Link's pricey debt. She was hoping not to seem impolite, but she wanted to leave from there as quickly as possible.

It was obvious that Zelda was incommodious. Link loyally stood with her and looked back at his old friend one last time before departing. "I'll be seeing you, Telma," the hero chimed before he raced for the exit and opened the door for Zelda, letting the princess take the lead as they departed from the bar.

Zelda's pace was quick as she strolled through the streets. All she wanted to do was go back into her humble palace and sleep. She never asked to be drug from her fortress, but things fell into place that way. Her fists clenched tight, unutterably irritated from the nature inside the bar. Drunk and impolite. She should have memorized those soldier's faces! Either way, she desired to never set foot into that place again.

Link hastily dashed to her side. He looked at her face and tried to comfort her. "Hey, what's wrong, princess?" Link asked with the utmost concern, "that octorok get to your stomach?"

Zelda turned her head away from him and stuck her nose high in the air, equally annoyed by him as all those soldiers. When morning arrived, she'd have the captain give them laps. Such high ranked soldiers getting wasted at a bar was disgraceful. "I want to go to sleep," Zelda spat, quickening her footsteps.

Link sighed and stopped in the middle of the road. The streets were nearly empty now considering how late it was. He looked up to the star-filled sky, their radiant glow lighting up the streets. There was no need for lanterns on nights like this. "Don't let one little thing ruin your night. We still have so much to see."

"You said we were getting something to eat and that was it." Zelda's voice was faint due to their distance.

Link strolled forward again, struggling to keep up with Zelda. "You don't get out much. Don't you want to see what sort of wonders Castle Town has in store for you?"

Zelda came to an immediate stop. By now they were at the center fountain in downtown Castle Town and not a single figure stirred, yet despite the emptiness she wasn't about to go ballistic on him again. The princess took a deep and heavy sigh, her shoulders rising and descending. "I don't think I've been out of the castle in a good five years or so," she coldly admitted, turning her gaze to her reflection in the rippling water.

Link stopped a good few feet away behind her just in case she exploded. "Why's that?" Casually, he sat down in the middle of the empty street with his legs crossed. He could tell this was going to be a long and heart-filled conversation by the sound in Zelda's aching voice.

Zelda looked over her shoulder at him, although she was slightly taken aback by the hero's position. She was silent for a moment, wondering if she should confess something so heavy to an airhead like Link. The hero childishly patted the ground with both hands in front of him for Zelda to sit. The princess shook her head at the oddity but somewhat obeyed the persuasion and sat at on the ledge of the fountain about three feet away from him. She almost couldn't believe what she was doing, but after a long night this was definitely the least absurd of her adventure.

"Alright, princess. Tell me everything. I'm all ears."

Zelda turned her eyes to the ground. She could see a small bug slowly traveling in front of her. "Well, you see…" Zelda started, half-distracted by the wandering insect. "My mother died when I was very young, so I never knew her. I was raised by my father. He was loving and carefree. We'd always go out together and visit our beloved people. The visits stopped after he passed away about five years ago. He grew ill and there was absolutely nothing the doctors could do to save him… But it was a peaceful death, thankfully. I guess ever since he died I fell into some sort of state of depression. I haven't had the desire to go out and mingle with any of my people…"

They were both silent for a while. Link was the first to speak again; "You know Hylia took him away, right?"

Zelda was caught off-guard by the sudden rude claim "Excuse me?" How awful of him to say that their beloved idol would do something so dire. However, before she could even argue, Link began to speak again.

"She wants good-spirited people like him inside her kingdom, because her kingdom is filled with nothing but purity. That's why she took him; she only takes good people. And your mother must have been extremely good, because Hylia took her long before him." He paused in thought, studying the shifting expressions in the princess' face. "You shouldn't be distraught over your parents' death; you should be really happy. You had some of the most good-spirited parents in Hyrule. I'm sure they're watching over you now and waiting for you to join them."

Zelda held her silence for the longest to merely listen to the tranquil sounds of the rushing fountain waters, but suddenly she couldn't help but smile at the childish pretension, although it was extremely sweet. She looked up at Link, but her smile quickly faded away. She didn't want him to see any signs of overwhelmed emotion, although it was a bit too late for that. "What about you, Link? I've never even heard of your parents even in the history books."

Link comfortably lied down onto the stone and stretched himself out, resting his head on his hands. "Me neither," he oddly admitted, catching Zelda by surprise. The hero locked his eyes onto the stars, as if maybe his parents were somewhere hiding behind one of the glowing beams of light. "I never knew them. Hylia must have taken them away when I was little. They must have been great people. I just wish I could have gotten to meet them first."

Zelda stared at him in silence, wondering what she could possibly say to comfort the hero. It was upsetting he hadn't gotten to know either one of them. Zelda was at least fortunate enough to spend time with her father, and she always had Impa by her side who was just like a mother. Link had no one close to him in this current time period. On another note in relations to Link's reasoning of Hylia only taking 'good people,' why was someone like Link still here?

The silence seemed to linger more than Link could stand. He forced himself into a sitting position. It was time to take the weary princess home after a long and stressful night. He hoped he didn't wear her out too much. Link rose to his feet and held a helping hand out to the princess. "I'm sure you're tired. Let's get you back to the castle."

Zelda stared at it a moment, wondering if she put him into a state of depression. Regardless, he was right; it was late. She stuck her hand out to take a hold of his, but Link quickly swiped his hand away and snorted a laugh. Here they were, and Link ruined their moment of bonding in a flash.

"You're such a gentleman," Zelda sarcastically grunted as she forced herself to her feet.

"With such a boring life, someone has to keep you entertained," Link teased. He suddenly turned forward and made his way down the street with Zelda vexingly trudging behind.

"I'll tell you what. This is the last time I venture outside of the castle with you. This night has just been unbearably dreadful," Zelda grouched with puckered lips. "I almost died flying down my castle, I was unutterably embarrassed in front of a bunch of soldiers, and I was forced against my will to endure depressing confessions. And not to mention this chilly weather!"

Link looked back at her from the corner of his eye. "You're cold?" He snickered, sticking his arm out for her to cuddle into.

Zelda scowled at the offer. "As if I'm going to romanticize with you now. Maybe if you kept that bashful, benevolent act going I would have thought about it. Too bad about that hand swipe," she spat, moving away from Link. She rubbed her arms with her hands in a snooty manner. "I'd rather freeze to death than rely on you for anything."

Link sneered and rubbed beneath his nose. "Snob."

Zelda's eyes widened. "Snob?!" Her glare darted to look at Link, but for some odd reason she relaxed a bit after looking at Link's calming expression. Zelda couldn't help but smirk at Link's fowl attitude. It was somewhat amusing. However, she refused to lower down to his level in immature mockery so she only remained quiet as they made their journey back to the castle.

Nothing too romantic, sorry. I don't like to push things, especially so soon in the story. But anyway okay so enough of the fluff, things are going to get exciting next chapter! Feel free to leave a critique or comment!