Well, the title pretty much says it all! I finished this one fairly quickly only because I was SO excited to write it. Plus, it is deliberately very short compared to my other chapters. ENJOY :)

Chapter Forty-Nine: Link's Reward

LINK POV

Link sat up in bed frantically, his entire body shaking. The Triforce glowed ferociously on his hand: the red part. A strange, tingling sensation was running through him, and his breathing was unusually heavy and scattered. He'd been in a dreamless slumber, in one of the deepest sleeps he'd ever experienced. It was the power of the Triforce that woke him so suddenly.

He furrowed his brow, curious as to the reasons behind this glow. At that moment, he heard a door click down the hall, and he caught his breath anxiously. Ignoring the sweat pouring down his face and bare chest, Link nimbly leaped from the bed and pulled on his tunic. By this time, his hand had stopped glowing. Still moving quickly, he grabbed his knapsack and weapons as he rushed out the door, making sure to keep quiet.

There was dead silence in the halls, and Link stood completely still for a few moments. Then the door was closed downstairs, echoing through the house, and Link bolted towards it without hesitation, letting instinct lead him to his goal. The great, circular room was dark, while embers glowed and crackled faintly in the dying fireplace. Through the open window, he could hear the soft chirping of birds soaring through the night. His heart began to pound nervously when he glanced up to find the door to Zelda's room slightly ajar.

Without any further hesitation, he flew out of the front door, out into the crisp night air of Kakariko. While his stomach did somersaults, prompted by fear increasing inside him, he looked around frantically, his eyes squinting in the darkness. For a minute or two, Link could see nothing. However, his eyes quickly adjusted themselves to the changed atmosphere. Almost immediately, he spotted the slender figure further down the road.

"Stop!" he yelled, oblivious to anything else around him. The figure stopped abruptly at the sound of his voice. He moved closer, and his thoughts were confirmed when Zelda turned around.

"I didn't think anybody would hear me," she admitted solemnly. He felt relief overwhelm him, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Nobody did hear you," he replied. She looked up at him, curiosity written on her features. "I felt you."

Link held up his hand. Then, simultaneously, the red Triforces on both of their hands shimmered momentarily. Zelda jumped back in surprise, and then stared at her quivering hand.

"I suppose the connection is stronger than I anticipated," she laughed uneasily. There were dark bags under her eyes, and her face had taken on a gaunt look and a forlorn expression. Her dress looked as good as new, yet it didn't match the sadness in her blue eyes. Link's worry only increased tenfold as he examined her. His heart was literally aching. Without a word, he grabbed her hand. Softly, he kissed it, and her skin was as cold as ice.

"I can't relax," she said before he could even open his mouth. "Whenever I try, it's just..." she was shaking her head.

Link began stroking her hand comfortingly.

"I pray to the goddesses for even a little moment of peace," her voice was on the verge of breaking. "I-I was going to go back to the castle and set things straight with the Council."

He still remained silent, listening intently. For a moment, she, too, was quiet. The silence was light, unlike the heavy darkness of the night.

"Sometimes," she began quietly, a slight smile on her lips. "I wish I wasn't a princess. I wish that I were just another civilian, living in a normal town. I wish the Triforce hadn't chosen me..."

"It chose you for a reason," Link interjected. Her eyes began glistening under the moonlight. She sniffled quietly. With a calm comportment, he led her to the sturdy wall of a building nearby, and then they sat on the ground with their backs against it. She leaned into him gratefully as he put his arm around her shoulder. They fit together perfectly.

"When I was little," she murmured. "I used to have dreams. Even more so than I do now."

Link could feel her beginning to relax in the crook of his arm. Absentmindedly, he played with her soft hair as he listened.

"I would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming," she swallowed. He noticed a tranquil, reminiscent expression of nostalgia on her face. "I refused to tell of my dreams to anybody. I wouldn't even explain them to my own father, who already knew of my prophetic abilities anyway. They were too traumatizing for me to ever repeat."

She shivered, like a baby bird in his arms. He put his lips to her temple.

"Every single time I had a dream, something would happen," Zelda continued. "Whether it was days or months later, the dream would become reality in one way or another. It horrified me to no end, especially since none of my dreams were ever good. My father was driven mad with worry and curiosity."

Here, she paused to give a dry, humorless laugh.

"They scared me," she closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "I never knew what to do when I had these dreams, yet I wouldn't tell anybody about them. People thought I was crazy, and I knew that. I saw them worrying about me. I mean, I saw my own father, the King of Hyrule, become insane with worry for me. And what made it worse was that I never knew when these dreams would occur.

"As I had more and more of these dreams, I learned how to decipher them. That's when the fear went to a whole other level. It's difficult to even remember the fear that I would feel. And as a young girl, I was so utterly lost."

She shivered again. In an instinctive move of protection, he held her closer to him.

"It's strange though," she said. "After my father died, the dreams became less frequent." It seemed as though she were talking more to herself than to Link at this point, as if she were just now realizing what had happened. "Now they've become quite rare, actually."

The stars were just barely beginning to fade as dawn approached.

"Oh, but when Zant invaded, my dreams had never been worse. I saw what was happening to my people..." she looked up at the sky dreamily. "I saw what was happening to you."

He blinked, furrowing his brow. She nodded almost guiltily.

"It was truly the worst time of my life."

Link began softly stroking her cheeks and hair, though wonder and surprise still bubbled up inside of him restlessly. And he could sense her uneasiness as she fidgeted.

"When I explained my dreams to you," her words grabbed his attention once more. "I didn't feel scared like I used to. I just felt like I didn't need to hide anything from you. I trust you with everything, including my life. Looking back, it actually surprises me that I even had the courage to tell you."

He smiled, his heart swelling with affection. Here she was, the embodiment of wisdom and beauty, admitting the full trust he felt towards him. Oddly, when he gazed down at her with a flushed rosy face, there were tears shimmering on her cheeks.

"I wouldn't want anything to happen to you," she whispered shakily. He shook his head slowly as he wiped away the salty drops. "You know that I would do anything to keep you safe."

Link narrowed his feral eyes suspiciously. Zelda didn't usually say things like this randomly and for no purpose. There was a strange secretive glint in her eyes, and right then Link knew she was hiding something.

"Zelda, what are you talking about?" he asked gently. She looked away, but he knew her well enough to know that she was anxious. It was the way the edges of her mouth twitched slightly, and how she played with her fingers.

"Nothing," she managed. Link cursed the fact that she could keep herself so composed.

"What's wrong?" he persisted stubbornly.

"I suppose I'm just stressed."

She had suddenly snapped back into princess mode. He clenched his teeth, refusing to meet her eyes. There was something bothering her, and the fact that she wasn't telling him contradicted everything she'd just said.

"You know that I trust you with everything," she said, putting emphasis on the word 'everything'. He took a deep breath and glanced into her eyes uncertainly. He saw genuine fear twinkling in them, and felt worry pulse through him. Butterflies began fluttering madly in his stomach. Without answering, he tilted her chin up and kissed her. He was just going to have to let this secret unravel itself in time.

"It will all work out," Zelda observed, as if reading his mind. He nodded, smiling slightly. An urge appeared inside of him, leading his fingertips to brush his knapsack anxiously. Zelda was completely oblivious to his sudden, jittery manner. In a few minutes, the sun would be rising, giving the sky the most beautiful color...

"Follow me," he suddenly said, startling the princess slightly. "I want to show you something." He stood up, holding her hand to help her do the same. She gave him a curious look, though there was a lovely grin on her face.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he began walking, towards the spring. He didn't answer, but instead gave her a mischievous glance. She chuckled, and he could see her silhouette beginning to darken as it became lighter out.

When they neared the spring, Link turned right, and began moving towards a small entrance in the wall. Memories of the first time he'd discovered it appeared in his mind, and he found himself smiling like a child as he led Zelda through the narrow passageway. She was looking around her in a curious fashion, and he took amusement in the fact that she was so oblivious.

"Oh!" she gasped when they reached the ledge, and she grabbed Link's arm to keep herself balanced. The contact was electrifying. Below them was a large pool of water, and Link knew from experience that it was extremely deep. His goal, however, was on the outer edge of this pool, and he wasn't about to make Zelda swim all that way.

Remaining silent, he jumped down nimbly and at an angle, so that he was in the shallow outer side of the pool, and the dark water came up to his ankles. Then he held his hand out for Zelda, who seemed extremely uncertain about what her hero was doing. He simply raised his eyebrows encouragingly, keeping his palm open. While biting her lower lip, she laid her hand in his. For a split second, their Triforces glistened brightly in the darkness. Then there was silence, and the only thing they could hear was the serene rippling of the large pool of water. Out of the corner of his eyes, Link could see the sun beginning to rise.

Zelda moved toward him nervously, still uneasy about jumping from the edge.

"Jump," he encouraged. "I won't let you fall."

Smiling beautifully, she let herself leap toward him. He put his arms around her waist to help her, and in a few moments, she was safely beside him, grinning and blushing madly. At this point, Link was barely able to contain his excitement; his heart was about to burst from his chest, and he could feel it pounding harder than it ever had before. As he led her further, around the edge of the deep pool, she weaved her fingers through his and used her other hand to hold up her dress from the water, though the hem still got slightly wet. She didn't seem to care much.

"Look where we are," he said quietly when they reached his destination. Zelda let out a happy sigh as they stood, atop the small waterfall of the spring of Eldin, staring out over Kakariko Village. All around them were large, dark stones protruding from the water, and intricate designs shone blue on their smooth surfaces. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the shade of the sky was a mixture of the most beautiful hues that nature could create. It gave the entire town a tranquil, beautiful atmosphere, and the wind blew perfectly through their hair. Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her chest rise and fall with her inhale...and exhale.

"Perfect timing," she observed. Then she wrapped her hands around his forearm and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her hair, billowing in the wind, tickled his bare neck ever so slightly. Amazing, how the smallest things she did could make his heart sing.

"Does this help you relax?" he said smoothly. She nodded, and he shivered as the water moved around his ankles, and the wind blew his sandy hair from his forehead. His hands itched to reach into his knapsack... but he needed to wait for the perfect moment.

"I can almost hear the goddesses singing in the heavens..." she directed her gaze toward the sky, and her silky voice rang out through his rushing mind. "This moment is so beautiful. I never want it to end."

"It never has to," Link found himself whispering. She chuckled, as if it were such a preposterous idea.

"All beautiful things come to an end," she sighed. "Every hello ends with a goodbye. Every life ends with a death. Every happy beginning has a tragic ending."

"Can relationships ever last?"

"Well, that always depends. Everything has to run its course without interference. Everything has a path."

"What if we decide to stray from the path? Go against what people expect?"

Zelda merely shrugged. The butterflies were becoming incessant. He could almost hear his knapsack calling out to him.

"You know, Princess," he began as the large globe of deep orange became more visible on the horizon. "Maybe you've forgotten, but you owe me something."

"Please, remind me."

"Before any of this started, you promised me a reward," he smirked as she narrowed her eyes and looked up at him. "You said any reward that I wanted, I would be granted."

"Yes...?"

"Well," he turned around so that he was facing her straight on. There was a playfully suspicious look on her face. "I've decided on my reward."

"Oh, really? What is it, then?"

Finally, Link reached into his knapsack and pulled out the object that he'd bought from Carlotta's shop, but he hid it stealthily behind his back. Then, keeping his face completely blank, he knelt onto one knee, ignoring the water that began seeping through his leggings. Zelda's eyes widened as all the blood drained from her face, and he could see her breath leave her as he pulled the small, velvety box from behind his back.

Silently, he opened it.

"Marry me."

:D