Okay, so this chapter is sort of like chapter twelve: a bit of a filler. At least, at the beginning it is. I hope it clears some things out, but it's one of the shorter ones. Enjoy! :DDD

Chapter Eighteen: Snapped Under Pressure

They sat there for a while, and Zelda let it all come out. She wept into Link's chest as he cradled her and caressed her, whispering words of comfort. Very few people were out in this dead of night, and none were at the entrance of the castle in the central plaza. Zelda wasn't worried about anybody seeing her; she was only worried about how she was going to deal with her current issues. Her sobbing was uncontrollable, and the tears flowed like waterfalls. Though she tried to stop, she just couldn't. Princess Zelda had finally snapped under the pressure.

She felt Link's fingers running through her hair, straightening out the tangles and twirling her long tresses. The slight tug against her scalp felt good, especially knowing that it was Link causing it. Zelda was aware of the fact that she was soiling his tunic and making it unbelievably wet with her tears, but she tried to put those small trifles out of her mind. She just wanted to concentrate on the warmth of his body and letting herself melt into him. The only thing she could hear was his heartbeat, and it was a comforting sound.

As time passed, Zelda slowly calmed herself down. She forced the tears to stop, and her sobs were deduced to sniffles. Link was still rubbing her back, and his cheek was leaning up against her head. She took a deep, cleansing breath and shivered in the cold night air. Finally, once she was nearly completely calm, Link pulled away and looked at her with a soft expression and glistening eyes. He then wiped the dry tears off of her cheeks, and she savored his touch against her skin.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. He shook his head and grabbed her hands. They sat on the steps, curled up and staying close to each other. "I didn't mean to break down like that. It's just, I have so much on my mind, and…" Her voice trailed off.

Link lifted her chin with his thumb, sighing and stroking her cheek. She swallowed, hoping that he couldn't feel the heat emanating from her red face.

"Do you remember the letter I sent to Ordon, telling you that I needed to explain some things to you? Things that I only trust for you to know?" the princess began. Link nodded. "I know it's a bad time, but…" He immediately shook his head, a reassuring smile on his beautiful face.

"Tell me everything," he said softly. So, Zelda did.

"Ever since Hyrule was saved from the Twilight, the Royal Council has been very fretful and stressed out. They are deeply worried that something similar might happen to the precious kingdom if something isn't done, and they carry the preposterous notion that what they do will be able to help. They are coming up with new plans for government and the kingdom's security." There, the princess paused and sniffled again. The thoughts were bringing her more pain. "Their intentions are good. But what they don't realize is that their plans are only going to provoke the fear of the people, and it might even lessen their loyalty to the Royal Family.

"The first thing they decided was that general security of Castle Town and the castle needed to be increased. But the system of security the Royal Council came up with is an intrusion of privacy and trust for the people of Hyrule. All letters and messages are to be checked thoroughly, merchants must get licenses and go through checkpoints to sell and trade their goods, guards will have the right to search somebody's house should they feel the need, - whether the citizen approves or not- and all people will be forced to house and feed soldiers should they need it."

As Zelda explained, she could sense Link become tense. He obviously wasn't too happy about the changes that were going to take place.

"All this will do is show the people of Hyrule that we don't trust them! And, of course, they need our trust. To have a healthy relationship with our people, we need to trust them. How are they going to trust us if we don't feel the same way?" Zelda's words were the words of a wise and just ruler. "Not only that, but the Royal Council has decided all of this without my consent. During the meetings, I kept on telling them what I'm telling you now, and letting them know that what they're doing is wrong. I proposed alternatives, but they wouldn't listen. Not even my most trusted advisor would heed my warnings. This will not turn out well, Link. I can feel it.

"Security, as you very well know, is not a cheap system. It requires money, and a lot of it. The Royal Treasury only has so many rupees. The amount of money it would take to create such a system is a ridiculous amount, and when I heard of it, I immediately refused. Even the treasurer had agreed! But I, being the princess, had the authority to deny them entrance to the Royal Treasury. However, I couldn't stop them from doing everything. The next part is the most horrendous…"

Zelda's voice trailed off, and suddenly, her sadness turned to pure anger and frustration. She huffed and looked down, clenching her teeth but trying to hide her angst. Link seemed deep in thought, simply trying to process what she was telling him. The princess swallowed her temper and continued.

"The worst part is that they've unanimously decided to tax the people of Hyrule even more than before." At this, Link couldn't suppress his gasp. Zelda's lips were trembling she was so angry. "They are placing levies on nearly everything: food, clothing, tools, tea, books… It's breaking my heart. The people don't deserve to pay that many taxes. And it's for pointless security reasons. I can assure you that nothing the Royal Council does will be able to stop anything that can penetrate the current guard. What they are doing is for nothing, and it's all without my consent! This is the reason why I'm so reluctant to return to those pompous fools, but I need to return sometime and knock some sense into them."

Her voice was rising, and she was getting worked up.

"For Din's sake, I'm the princess of Hyrule! Whatever I say should be obeyed, whether the council agrees or not! I have the authority." She crossed her arms across her chest and growled. "What they're doing is absolutely ridiculous. Now, not only am I afraid of a plague sweeping Hyrule, but also I'm afraid of a revolution! Everything would fall into chaos."

Link nodded in agreement, his expression one of thought and slight anger. She could tell that he, too, was horrified at the Royal Council's decisions.

"Link, you're the only one I can trust with this information. These plans were not to leave the castle, and you must promise me that you won't utter a word to anybody. I'm counting on you." Zelda sighed as the tears returned. Link, without hesitation, nodded vivaciously and grabbed her hands again. She smiled gratefully, though it was forced and uneasy.

"Finally, somebody understands my predicament." She couldn't hold them back any longer, and the tears started flowing again. She buried her face in her hands and shuddered softly. "I don't know what to do."

"Shh," Came Link's smooth, comforting voice. For that moment, Link was the only light in her world of darkness. He was a light that Zelda wasn't willing to lose for anything.

LINK POV

Link's mind was racing as he and Zelda made their way back to Telma's Bar. She was silent, as was Link, and he was still mulling over the words that Zelda had said. He could barely believe it, and he completely agreed with her. If something was strong enough to get past the guard as it was, than nothing the Royal Council did would be able to stop it.

"Thank you for listening to my rants," she broke the silence outside of the bar. "I really do appreciate it."

Link bowed his head obediently, letting his shaggy hair fall across his blue eyes. Then, he opened the door for the princess. She blinked, and then walked past him somewhat hesitantly. He saw a certain twinkle in her eyes, and grinned to himself.

Inside, everything was quiet. Link knew that Telma was still upstairs in Ilia's room, tending to her. But he wasn't tired and he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep; there was too much on his mind. He was still struggling, trying to figure out the puzzle of the darkness. Link couldn't shake off the feeling that Faron and Ordona weren't faring well, and he had the urge to go to them as soon as possible. Then again, leaving Zelda was going to be a hard feat.

With a heavy sigh, Link dropped down at the table in the corner and put his face in his hands, secretly wishing that his life were simpler. But, no: Hyrule needed his strength and his courage, and it needed his power as a Chosen One and the one holding the Triforce of Courage.

"We must part in the morning." Zelda's voice was quiet as she sat beside him, keeping her back straight and putting her hands in her lap. "As much as I wish it wasn't so, we need to get more information and save the light spirits. This is the only way."

Link lifted his head, giving her an expression of reluctant consent. Then, they heard a door open upstairs.

"I suppose Ilia's asleep, and Telma is going to bed right now," Zelda observed. Then, she stood. "Perhaps we should do the same."

He also stood, practically dragging himself. It wasn't that he was tired; but he could feel the heavy burdens of Hyrule's safety on his shoulders. On the second floor, he opened the door for her. This time, she stood still. He gave her a confused look, and she looked away for a moment.

"Link," she said his name. Then, her hands were on his face and her lips were on his. He was surprised by the sudden embrace, but welcomed it. His hands immediately moved to her waist, pulling her in closer. He could hear his heart pounding heavily in his ears, and the butterflies in his stomach were going crazy. Nothing around him existed; he could only feel himself intertwined with her, their hearts fusing together, her fingers lingering on his skin.

The kiss was shorter than Link would've liked, and Zelda was the one to pull away after a few beautiful moments. He longed for more as he stared into those gorgeous, mesmerizing blue eyes. Her arms were now around his neck, and his hands were still pressed against the small of her back.

"Thank you again," she repeated, and then walked away into the room. She left Link alone in the hallway, suppressing the urge to scream at the top of his lungs in delight. He could only sigh longingly, unable to get her face out of his head.

Suddenly, he remembered the reward that Zelda was determined to give him. For the first time, he found himself actually thinking about what he wanted. He knew that Zelda was going to be relentless in her quest to satisfy him, so he found it useless to even try getting away without a reward. The only problem was that Link didn't want anything. There was nothing he wanted that Zelda could give him.

Link had an epiphany at that particular moment. A tiny shred of an idea, simply a meager thought, entered his brain. Maybe there was something, but he needed more time to decide if it was the reward that he truly wanted…

Aware of the fact that this new idea wouldn't allow Link even a wink of sleep, he decided to go back downstairs. He sat at the table, alone this time, and stared blankly at the map that had been so helpful to him and Midna. He remembered his conversations with Auru, Ashei, Shad, and Rusl. It brought a smile to his flushed face.

While he was reminiscing in his memories and daydreaming about Zelda, a soft scuttling sound reached his ears. The sound was eerily familiar, and Link straightened up in alarm. For a few moments, there was silence. But then, the scuttling came again, and it was getting closer. Link stood up, causing the chair he had been sitting in to fall to the ground with a loud slam.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword and narrowed his eyes. The sound continued, and Link scanned the room thoroughly. Instinctively, he moved to the stairs to guard them, making sure that nothing reached the second floor where everybody was sound asleep. The scuttling echoed in the emptiness of the room, and it continued without even a moment's silence.

That's when Link saw it. It was now on the table, walking around on the map: a bug of the plague. Link instantly attacked, ready to slice it with his sword. He wasn't going to let Ilia, Telma, or Zelda fall to the illness. As he pounced, the bug squealed quietly and jumped to the side. The blade missed by an inch. Link swung at it again, but this time, the bug was ready for it and crawled down the side of the table. Just as a reaction, he moved to step on the crawling creature. It easily dodged, but Link struck downwards with his sword as it did.

He cut part of the creature's leg off, and it writhed slightly and whined in pain. He smiled a bit cruelly, and lifted his sword above his head to bring the bug's pathetic life to an end. Right before he did, the bug limped off as quickly as possible. He cursed inwardly and rushed after it. It started towards the stairs, and Link needed to stop it before it got to the second floor.

Just as the bug reached the first stair, Link jabbed horizontally. He was one second too late. The monster hopped up one more stair, and the Master Sword became embedded in the wood. Link pulled as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. His heart sank as the bug neared the top, and he couldn't even get his sword.

Finally, the bug reached the top. But by that time, Link was ready. Right when the bug was about to shuffle away, an arrow pierced it. Link grinned as he put away his bow. The dead creature flipped onto its back and shriveled up, and Link heaved a relieved exhale as he walked up the stairs toward it. The green shimmer was gone, and there was nothing left but the corpse of a dead bug.

Link plucked the arrow from its body and put it back in his quiver. Then he examined it with scrutinizing eyes, crouching down. Unlike with other bugs, this one remained completely still. It made no movements and made no hints at turning into a piece of the orb. It baffled Link, but he was sure of one thing: if there was one, there were bound to be more.

It was one of the shorter chapters, but I hoped you liked it! R&R so I can make it as good as possible! Give me suggestions, and don't be afraid to correct me. I welcome the constructive criticism! Thanks guys, chapter nineteen will be up as soon as possible! :)))