A/N: We're nearing the home stretch people!

Confessed

Malon twirled around in place as snow fell from the sky. The frozen tears of the clouds were a simple joy to a lot of people in Hyrule. Malon included. She playfully stopped in her tracks and stuck her tongue out. A single snowflake fell on it and she giggled as the flake melted and the cold water run down her rough tongue. She smiled happily. Before she did anymore snow day activities, she redid her light blue scarf and made sure her black gloves were on tight. She had lived in Hyrule all her life, so she knew all about the cold weather that would come in winter. Thick leggings, layered shirts, even her own cute earmuffs. She wore exactly what she needed to wear for fun in the snow. And as she began to laugh and giggle again as the snow fell, Vincent shared her joyous energy.

While she was in the middle of corral, having fun with her arms outstretched and circling around, Vincent stood and watched. He wore a similar jacket to the original; except it was lined with some kind of bird's down, and the fluff came out. It was buttoned all the way, and the small white feathers poked through the areas his arms and neck were. You could partially see the black turtleneck he had on underneath. And there were his leather gloves he kept on. He was lucky to have the winter coat made before hand but even then, he was freezing. He never expected for Hyrule to be just as cold as the northern docks that he was from. But it didn't matter that his fingers were numb, or that the tip of his ears were getting icicle earrings, and even less that breathing was like knives stabbing his lungs… he was having his own fun with Malon.

With his arm crossed in a feeble attempt to keep a bit warm, he chuckled and said: "I'm always astounded by how you love snow. You tell me and everything but it's hard to believe unless you see it for yourself."

Malon stopped her whirring around and looked at him. She still had that happy smile on her face. Vincent wished he could make it snow everyday, if only to keep that smile on her face. He would go through the hassle of layering his clothes, of having to make sure his boots had no snow caked on, and the blistering cold if all it meant that Malon would be happy with it. Vincent could only wish he could as Malon walked up to him. She looked up into his red eyes, "Of course I love snow. But I'm glad you're around, because just looking at you makes me feel warm again."

If Vincent's face wasn't red as is, it became redder. He chuckled nervously. He had never gotten a compliment like that before, especially from a woman. And he had been with women, plenty of them. But no body in that part of Hyrule actually needed to know that. "Um, thank you Malon. What brought that on?"

"Your hair and eyes are deep red, Vincent," Malon pointed out. She never soaked in how warm his appearance was. He stood there; pretty light even with all the work he did in the sun, with crimson red hair and eyes. And it felt so warm; that any snowflake that fell on his crimson strands would instantly melt. And the pools of contained fire, so welcoming and friendly, like a chair in front of a fireplace. "It makes me feel pretty warm."

Vincent was stunned for a bit before giving her a charming smile. He took his right hand and ran through her own red hair, keeping his eyes locked with hers, "You have it too, Red." He put down his hand and looked down to the snow. He found himself staring too long into her eyes.

Malon giggled, "Red? Wow, I haven't been called that for a long time." She ducked below and made them have eye contact. And it was just as awkward for her as it was for him. "Come on Vincent, let's go inside. You're probably dying to have some hot chocolate."

Vincent waved if off, "No, I'm good. Wouldn't want to ruin your fun out here just to make me some." His teeth chattered a bit as a gust of cold wind blew passed. "But I guess a cup wouldn't be unappreciated."

Malon smiled at him and grabbed his left hand with her right. She began to lead him through the snow and toward the house. It was fun while she had a relatively easy time going through the snow and Vincent had to take these long steps. His boots, they were obviously not meant to walk in the snow. But of course, Vincent refused to use more practical shoes and kept his heeled black leather ones. Watch, one day his foot is going to act up because of that constant arch. Malon never had to worry about that and she was a woman! And she was the one leading Vincent back. Guess the cold is leaving Vincent a bit yellow.

And they burst through the front door. Vincent quickly made his way inside as Malon shut the door. He sat down at the dinner table and Malon got to work at whipping up two hot chocolate drinks. She glanced back to Vincent who was now looking at the time on his pocket watch. He closed it gently and replaced it in his pocket. He looked up to see her looking at him and he smiled. And Malon had noticed that. Vincent didn't flash the smirk as much anymore. He didn't reply to her questions with a smirk first. The smirk had probably been taken around the back and put down by Vincent. He now smiled at her. And Malon loved that, because she could tell that he wasn't just putting it on.

And she decided to take a moment off and walked over to the table. She sat down next to Vincent. She put up her arm on the table and leaned her head on it. Malon sat there and stared at Vincent for a while, soaking in that he was getting redder by the second. But she decided that before he became a living tomato, she spoke up, "Vincent, you've been here some time now. And you're getting older." Malon hoped he wouldn't take that the wrong way. "You still haven't found a girl yet to settle down and marry, have you?"

The kettle Malon left on the stove began to whistle. She jumped from her seat and rushed over to it. Vincent didn't know how to answer her question. And it was almost as if the Goddesses wanted for him to tell her then. He was a bit nervous when he was sitting by himself. Malon would want her answer when she came back. She would like to hear something positive. He cleared his throat and looked up as Malon came back with two mugs. Marshmallow topping, grated chocolate, and topped off with a sweet cookie. Her hot chocolates were to die for. Then again, Vincent loved everything Malon made. But his opinion, while biased, wasn't exactly stretching the truth.

"Well?" Malon asked. She really wanted the answer. And Vincent, while truthful for the most part, did keep some things to himself.

"You see…" Vincent started. He was obviously trying to dance around the question. "I've only been at the ranch while I've been here. So, how do you think I am able to quote unquote, find a girl?" Vincent had to be careful while he saying his words. He had to make sure that there wasn't a way for Malon to think he could've found someone, while keeping in her mind that she was the only one he had an eye on. "There has been only one person I've grown close to. And I think we both know who that is."

Malon stared at him, "Me?"

"Yes, you," Vincent said. He laughed a bit, "So… no, I exactly haven't found a girl."

"Oh... okay," Malon said.

And then her father, in his own thunderous manner, entered the ranch house. Quite possibly the only time he did a bit more work than usual. Winter, brings out different sides of people. Guess it has to be more about the cold weather than anything else. He came into the ranch house, making a very loud 'brrrr' as he shook his boots clean of snow. He removed his scarf and looked to the couple at the table. He smiled a bit and removed the hat he had on to keep his balding head warm. Not everyone was blessed with long, beautiful hair. And then he stared at them, "What are you two doing here?"

"Uh, dad, this is where we live. Why would we be anywhere else?" Malon asked.

"Come on, up, you two," he said. Vincent and Malon looked at each other and shrugged. Talon was certainly acting a little strange. Maybe he had something cooked up in that mind of his. They stood up from their chairs, leaving the hot chocolates on the table. Talon then walked over and began to push them out the door. "You two shouldn't stick around this place. You two are young, happy. You should go out and have some fun. Go to the market and shop, play some games, live this time up."

Malon went through the door first but Talon kept Vincent for a moment. He dug around his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Talon then shoved it into Vincent's hands, "Here, go and take her somewhere nice."

As Malon couldn't believe what just happened, Vincent stood in a bit of disbelief. He looked down into his hands to see the modest wallet in his hands. He didn't need it. So he didn't want it, he smiled at Talon and replaced the wallet in its original owner's hands. "I'm sorry I can't take this. And I won't. But, if you believe we should, then I'll go with her. I don't need to worry about money, sir, so you shouldn't either."

Talon now had a look of curiosity as Vincent waved his goodbye and walked out of the ranch house. Malon stood outside, her arms crossed in a fit of frustration. "Guess your father doesn't want us around."

"I cannot believe him, how could he just throw us out?" Malon asked. She sighed, a mist of cold came out. Her nose was getting a little red. Maybe the cold was getting to her. "But I guess we should go out then. I do love the weather, it'd be a shame to spend it inside the house."

Vincent crossed the three steps to get to her, "Let's get going then."

Together, the redheads began to make their way out of the ranch. The snow was acting a like complete jerk to Vincent, making him work a bit harder to keep up with Malon. And once out in the field, the winds whipped at them both. Malon shivered a bit before she felt something go over her shoulder. She looked up to see Vincent over her. He asked if she was feeling at least a tad warmer and she nodded. Malon hated how sometimes Vincent was always right there to give her help, always there to make her feel better. And he never did ask for anything in return. She wondered exactly why Vincent didn't even ask for any money. Wouldn't he have liked at least a few rupees to keep in his pocket? But he never asked for any, even as payment for work. That only bugged Malon at the beginning when Vincent started to work, but she had brushed that away. She didn't care, so as she let herself get closer to Vincent for his warmth, she didn't have anything to worry about.

Except slowing down so that he could work with the snow. It seriously hindered progress to the castle market. But they got there and the winter cheer was stifling. Especially for Vincent, because up north there wasn't exactly the same kind of winter that around the castle had. People were bustling shop to shop looking for the best hams and produce. Kids ran through the market, just as happy and carefree Malon was. Malon tugged on Vincent's jacket and he looked down to her.

"What is it Malon?" Vincent asked.

She was smiling up at him. Hyrule usually loved doing winter its own jolly way. And she had plum forgot that the winter festival was that day. So the marketplace would be no doubt full. And this was going to be her first one with Vincent, and that was already special. But he wasn't just another friend; he was someone that she cared for deeply. And the festival was a time where lovebirds happened to love the most, because everything was all lovey dovey. Even shops cashed in on this, couples could do practically anything together at half price. She wondered if her father was trying to hint at something. But those things fell away as Vincent looked down to her. "Want to try some archery?"

"Archery?" Vincent asked. That was definitely not his strong suit. But if Malon wanted to play… "Well," he scratched the back of his head. Half of him tried to tease her, the other wasn't exactly sure he wanted to show off his oh so great skills with a bow. "I guess we could visit the shooting gallery for a minute."

Malon was obviously happy because she quickly took him to the shooting gallery. They walked inside to find it somewhat full. There was room for them to play, and that was what mattered. They went over to the big man who ran the place. After a quick talk, Vincent settled to pay the fee and they were given some rental bows and arrows. Arm in arm, they walked up to the counter and waited for the rupees to show up. As Vincent kept his eyes on Malon, he didn't notice a green one come from no where and, leaving him partially speechless, Malon was able to bulls-eye it.

"You've done this before haven't you?" Vincent asked. "Is this where you take all the men and beat them down in score?"

Malon smiled at his little comment, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Vincent laughed a bit and turned his attention to the game. Another rupee came up, and as he struggled to get his arrow notched, Malon got that one. He wasn't about to give up just yet. He notched the arrow and waited for the next rupee to show up. And it did and he fired his arrow. Flying only a few feet before it hit the ground below. Malon got that rupee, just like the last ones. All Vincent could do was watch in awe as Malon showed off her marksmanship. After the round was done, she put down her bow and looked at him, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Vincent coughed out as he put down his bow. He didn't score a thing, and that only bothered him a little bit. "Its good to know that if I cant hit something, I know you can shoot the thing down."

Malon laughed, "You shouldn't worry Vincent, you just need some proper practice and teaching."

He shrugged, "Only if I can get a teacher of your caliber." He smiled at her, "So that means you'll have to teach me then."

"Only if you pay the utmost attention," Malon said, simple and straight. The idea of teaching Vincent somehow made her pretty happy. She didn't know why, but he seemed fine if he was under her tutelage.

"With someone as pretty as you teaching, that should be no problem," Vincent said. Before Malon could blush, he decided to walk with her, arm and arm again, out that shooting gallery. He was fine with losing to Malon, and that would've been a problem if he were still the arrogant son of a gun he was. But when love comes into play, it doesn't matter.

They walked around the market place, exactly like the other couples that were having fun on that night. You would have no clue that they were just friends that night. As they walked through shops, looking at all the items available for the day, through the games where they played a few rounds. Malon also proved quite good at Bombchu bowling. Vincent began to wish there was some way to prove his swordsmanship skills in one game. He didn't need the heckling from the game personnel to try again against his gal.

And night was coming fast. Lights were being lit, in red, blue, and green, obviously in the colors that respect a Goddess. People kept going at it. The night was young, and young couples knew that. Things were just getting started… restaurants were now serving dinner. Fine dinners too. Game shop owners would be closing up, but others things like clothing shops would keep open. You never know when you need to buy a little gift.

As Malon and Vincent kept walking past the shops, they came to a pretty well off jewelry shop. Malon sort of stopped in front of the window to stare at the diamond necklace on display. She had wanted that for a while. Unfortunately, it was one of the most expensive things in the jewelry shop. And Malon gave up hope on ever owning it. And the shop owner knew she wanted it but he couldn't do any favors. That thing alone was worth quite a few wallets of rupees. Vincent noticed how she stopped to look at it. He wondered what was wrong and spoke up. "What is it Malon?"

"Oh, nothing," she quickly said. She tugged his arm, "Come on and let's find something to eat. I'm starving."

"Wait, Malon, I- uh," he tried to find some excuse to go inside the shop. Alone. Usually he was quicker on the draw when thinking up excuses but it was hard to lie to Malon. He pulled out his pocket watch in a light of a thought. "Malon, I have to check my watch right quick. Could you wait a minute? You could scope out a nice restaurant for us, and don't worry about how much it can cost, just find a good one."

"Um, okay then," Malon said, a bit perplexed by Vincent's behavior. She watched him enter the shop, leaving her by herself. She sighed, well, all that was left was to find a restaurant, like he recommended to do. Hugging herself for warmth, she walked away from the store and walked over to the area where many places to eat where located. She wished he'd hurry.

Vincent came through the door, a bell ringing above. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man, balding, bespectacled. He stood attentive to Vincent's quick appearance. He pushed up his glasses as Vincent quickly made his way to the counter. "Good evening sir," he spoke in his cultured manner. "Welcome, if there is anything that you are looking for, I'm more than happy to help you. We have quite a selection of diamond rings and, for your color hair… perhaps I can find something with a ruby?"

Vincent didn't butt in. He waited, but he didn't have time to wait. He shook his head, "I know what I want." Vincent pointed over to the window, "I need that necklace and I need it now."

The shopkeeper was a little flabbergasted that someone finally came in to buy the necklace. But he knew better than to get his hopes up. He looked at the window and then back at Vincent. He sighed, "Sir, I know you happen to work at Lon Lon Ranch. The young lady there had her eye on that for a while and she cannot afford it. So what makes you think you can?"

Vincent rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet. Fat and stuffed, the exact opposite of Vincent's stomach. If there wasn't such hustle and bustle outside, you could hear his stomach growl for some food. It would've done anything to have the hot chocolate Malon made. The one probably still sitting on the table, no longer hot but still one of the best damn drinks your tongue would ever enjoy. His wallet was huge, and it never seemed to get any smaller. Vincent opened it up and looked up to the shopkeeper, "I didn't ask how you thought I was going to pay for it. I told you that I'm buying the necklace." Vincent began counting off orange rupees and placed a handful on the counter, "Tell me when I'm getting close." He looked into his wallet again and brought out another handful.

"That's quite enough sir," the man said. He took his handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his balding head. He had never seen someone come in with that much money before. And he could easily take out more if he needed to. Yet Vincent had already paid off the entire thing already within his first handful. Orange and purple, they sparkled at the shopkeeper. Replacing his handkerchief in his pocket, he went over to the window and took the necklace from the window. He brought it back to the counter and went under to get out a box, "She must mean something special."

"If that wasn't an understatement," Vincent said. A few minutes later, Vincent walked out of the jewelry store. He patted his jacket, feeling the box within his inner pocket. He looked around the marketplace and found the redhead he was with and walked over to her. She was standing outside of some high-class restaurant. Vincent chuckled a bit, when he said it didn't matter and find some place with good food, she sure took it to heart. He walked behind her, she was still oblivious that he was so close, and covered her eyes. "Guess who," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled and laughed as she twirled around and met Vincent. Neither of them noticed that they were closer than usual. Their faces so close that they could feel each other's warm breaths. "I take it your done."

He nodded, "Just had to tweak the gears a bit." He really hated lying to her. He hoped that it would be worth it. He pointed up to the restaurant, "So is this the place you want to go?"

"Sort of," Malon said. She knew it was expensive. But she knew it was good. And Vincent said that price didn't matter. That brought up plenty of questions in her mind. Exactly how did Vincent get money if it wasn't from her? It all revolved around that root. And she was going to voice some concern. "I do want to go here, I heard the food's great. But… it's a tad expensive. And you have so far paid for all the games, and you just got your watch fixed."

"Don't worry about it Malon," Vincent said. He smiled down at her, "Price isn't an issue. Lets just go inside and eat our fill." He offered his arm and Malon gladly took it. Together they walked inside. They were quickly led to a free table, free water and bread left to quell a bit of hunger pains.

Malon opened up the menu. She had to admit, she sometimes dreamed of a moment like what she was in with Vincent. Dark, amore, atmosphere complete with softly lit candles decorated around. She looked up from her menu to see Vincent sipping a bit of his water. He cleared his throat, winter was such a cruel mistress to him, and went back to scouting for an entrée that appealed him. Malon looked back down and he first thing she noticed were the prices on each item. She didn't know how he was going to do it, and again her voice came out. "Vincent, have you seen these prices?" she asked, a bit worried.

"Huh, oh… wow, yeah they're, expensive I guess," he said nonchalantly. His eyes moved back and forth, up and down on the page. He was thinking of getting the sirloin.

But Malon wondered why was he so calm about the prices. Only a few people could really afford the prices listed. She sighed, there was no arguing with it, Vincent was apparently one of the elite few. She looked down at the menu again. The lobster was catching her attention.

And a waiter came around, "Hello, I'm Alva and I'll be your waiter this evening." He sounded pretty sophisticated, just what the restaurant demanded. He looked down to them, "Should I bring a bottle of our best wine for you two?"

Vincent shook his head to himself. He wouldn't drink but he did lower his menu down. He raised an eyebrow to Malon, "Are you going to enjoy some?"

"Um," Malon said. Vincent chuckled a bit at the innocent way she said that. "Sure, I guess." The waiter nodded and left to go fetch the bottle. She looked over to Vincent, "You know I can barely take two glasses before I had enough." She knew Vincent didn't drink, but the way he asked her meant something else. "We don't really need the bottle."

Vincent shrugged, "I rather let you not worry about getting more if you wanted more. Besides, they have really great apple wine."

"But you never drink," Malon said. "How would you know that?"

Vincent found himself in a trap he made. He didn't drink, not anymore anyways. That never meant he never enjoyed a glass, or bottle, of wine or alcohol before. He knew some good places, unfortunately not around the general area. But the apple wine that came to this establishment was imported from somewhere he knew they had the best. "Uh, through some friends… Link and Zelda said so." Which wasn't necessarily a lie, Zelda did say that this place had some good drinks. But Vincent wasn't paying attention when she said that.

"Oh okay…" Malon said.

The waiter came back and poured a glass for both of them. Vincent didn't touch his while the waiter took down their orders. And he didn't touch it for the rest of the night. Malon on the other hand seemed to fancy the taste of the wince and drank her first glass before their food came. And when their food came, Vincent had to resist the urge to just dive into the plate. Malon watched as he took small bites from the grand steak he ordered. He ate properly, never taking big chunks, never bent down over his food, and he even kept his elbows off the table. His blue blood was showing.

Dinner between them was quiet. And it seemed to last longer than either of them really cared for. Malon was already on her third glass and there were some affects on her. She was starting to get a little tipsy. Malon couldn't hold her liquor that well. At least Vincent, whether he liked it or not, could beat her in that area. Malon was finally stuffed and Vincent just finished his plate. Because she was a little tipsy, Malon had a certain confidence that only came when all worries were easily disregarded. She mover her chair next to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Dinner was great, Vinnie," she said.

Vincent smiled. It would've been a bit better if Malon weren't a little drunk. But, hell, why not let her have some fun? He took a sip from his water. He sighed and kept his perfect posture, even with Malon weighing down his shoulder. And in that moment, he had enough confidence in himself to work himself up. Everything was as perfect as it could get. He looked down to Malon and she caught that.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Malon," Vincent started. His palms were sweaty; his heart started beating pretty fast. He never was as worked as he was that night. Not even all the times he fought against his father in training did he feel like so. He felt as if he had ran from the ranch to the castle. His breath was a bit short and his voice managed to waver.

"Yes?" she followed up. She raised her head from his shoulder and looked up at him. She stared at him with her blue eyes, clear and full of curiosity.

He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, hardly noticeable through the thick turtleneck. He looked away for a moment, hoping for the desert cart to show up. He had dug himself pretty deep. And he didn't have anything else to say except what was on the tip of his tongue. He looked back to Malon, and we he glimpsed her wonderful blue eyes; he decided not to worm his way out of it any longer. "Malon, I love you."