Hey, everyone. By popular demand, here is Chapter 4. It's on the long side… Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Well, if I did own Zelda, I wouldn't have to write a disclaimer…

Link opened his eyes. The sun beat down from overhead. It was afternoon at least, but his sleeping space was conveniently under the shade of a tall tree in the afternoon hours.

He turned his head. There was Zelda, snuggled up against his chest, a soft smile on her lips. She looked so content, Link just had to smile. He brushed some of her hair gently off her face. Absently, he trailed his fingers down across her lips, then along her jawbone. She was so beautiful. He loved how her small figure fit so perfectly next to his.

Careful not to wake Zelda, Link slid his arm out from underneath her, got up and stretched. His arm no longer hurt, and he was sure his fever was gone.

Suddenly a thought crashed into his mind. Zelda had slept next to him… what if she caught his fever? The worried hero bent down quickly and pressed his hand to her forehead.

It was cool. Phew. He would've killed himself if he had made her sick.

Link began to wonder about food. He really wasn't that hungry, but he was sure Zelda would be. It was really too late for lunch (A/N: It was probably called dinner back then but whatever), so he should make an early dinner. (A/N: Again, probably called supper, but I digress.)

Link didn't know a whole ton about cooking, but he could make a pretty mean stew. He practically lived on it during most of his journeys, so he had some experience. It wasn't gourmet, but it was all he could make.

Zelda woke to a delicious aroma filling her nose.

Stew? What?

Then she remembered Link. She sat up and found Link bent over a fire, his back to her. Link had his tunic and hat back on. (A/N: Sob! …Okay, I'm gonna stop interrupting now.) There was a pot over the fire, hanging on some metal rods.

"Link?" Zelda rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Apparently her voice was louder than she expected, because Link dropped the wooden spoon he was holding into the flames and it caught fire.

"Zelda? You're awake? I thought you'd sleep for another hour, at least! Did I wake you?" The look on his face was so cute and concerned that she had to giggle.

"Nope. I did it all by myself!" she grinned. Link gave her an adorable smile in return. He went over to her and helped her to her feet.

"Well, I look a mess!" Zelda tried to dust herself off, but it didn't do very much.

"I think you look beautiful." The hero ran the back of his hand against the side of her face.

"You're sweet," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, "But I'm going to change before dinner." Zelda skipped to her tent.

Link turned back to the stew. Wait, what am I going to stir it with?

A short while later, Zelda emerged from the tent. Link turned to face her, saying, "Hey, Zel, how much stew do you w-"

But that was as far as he got. He stared, stunned, at the vision of beauty in front of him.

She was wearing a light blue dress, laced in front, with sleeves that went down past her wrists into points at the end. The dress hugged her body in all the right places. Her shoulders were bare, except for some of her hair that flowed down her back. The rest of it was tied up in a bun at the crown of her head. She smelled like lavender and roses, a natural scent for her, it was not some kind of perfume. Her cheeks were reddened a bit. A small, shy blush.

Suddenly Link was reminded of the time when Zelda revealed that she was Sheik, and he had been shocked. Not only that she could've kept her identity secret for so long, but that the sweet little girl Link knew could've grown up to be this breathtaking.

Since then, Link had always known her to be that way, but there were some moments, like this one, where the hero was captivated.

"Link?" Zelda said softly. "Is the stew ready?"

"W-what?" Link found it hard to form words.

Zelda smiled. She strode past him to the fire, took the wooden spoon (#2) and, filling it with stew, brought it to her lips.

"Mmmmmm… You can make some stew!" Zelda smiled.

"Oh, uh… thanks?" Zelda laughed.

"Can you find some bowls and spoons?"

"S-sure." Link tore his eyes off her and began picking through some of the packs lying around, soon producing two bowls and spoons. Zelda spread out a blanket on the ground.

While Link was serving the stew, Zelda lit some candles and set them on a book so they wouldn't tip. The sky was already darkening. The princess went to check out the stew again as Link placed the bowls on the blanket.

"What is that? It looks like a potato," Zelda commented.

"What looks like a potato?" Link moved close to her, his breath on her neck.

"That thing right th- Ow!" Zelda had accidentally touched the hot pot.

"What? What happened?" Link pulled Zelda away from the fire.

"Oh, nothing, I just burned my finger. It's alright," she said, waving it around to cool the burn.

"Let me see." Zelda held it up for him to see. A small blister was forming on it. "Ow. Here, I'll go get something to put on it." Link ducked into his tent and came out with a small jar. He put some kind of liquid on the burn, and it cooled instantly.

"Mmm. Thanks, Link. That completely healed it!" Zelda beamed at him.

"No problem." He kissed her finger, making her heart flutter slightly. "Shall we eat?"

"Of course! I'm starved and it looks so good!" Zelda gracefully sat, her dress billowing around her.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as both, oddly, were quite interested in their stew. The sun set during that time, and it was all dark except for the stars and candle light. When they had finished, Zelda went down to the creek and washed their dishes.

When she came back, Link shuffling his feet around on the ground. He seemed nervous about something. And that he was.

"Well, um, I think I should be going to bed now," Link said quietly.

"Yes, so should I," Zelda added, her voice equally hushed.

"Um, good night, Zelda."

"Uh, good night, Link."

They turned at the same moment and went to their tents. Link took off his tunic, undershirt, and boots, and then lay down on his blanket. He closed his eyes.

Minutes passed, then hours. He couldn't stop thinking of Zelda. Her face kept appearing in his mind. He wished, with all his heart, she would sleep by him again. He longed for the feel of her in his arms again...

Suddenly his heart skipped a beat. Link thought he'd heard his name. He listened for a bit, and then decided it had been his imagination. He rolled over, trying to sleep.

"…Link?" Now he definitely heard his name. Link sat up.

"Z-Zelda?" Link cautiously whispered into the darkness. "Is something wrong?"

"Link, could you come here please?" Zelda's voice sounded slightly scared.

"S-sure," Link replied, heart pounding. He got to his feet, glanced at his clothes, but then decided against it. Something was telling him to go, now.

Link tentatively entered Zelda's tent. To his surprise, it was bigger on the inside. Hmm, must be one of those magical things she gets from Impa. She was sitting on her mattress, knees gathered to her chest. Her cream-coloured nightgown was long and with about inch-wide straps. It was edged with lace, along her neckline and armholes and the bottom. She looked spooked at first, but at the sight of Link her face burst into a smile.

"You sleep with your hat on?" She giggled. Incredulous, Link tore his hat off his head and stared at it like it had formed a mouth and shouted out a secret of his.

"I-I must've… forgotten…" Link mumbled. Zelda laughed again.

"Oh, Link. Only you," the princess sighed. She patted mattress next to her. "I asked you here to cheer me up, and you did it without saying a word."

Link sat, frowning. "Why did you need cheering up?" Zelda's smiled melted away.

"I can't sleep," she said. "The last few nights I've had terrible nightmares. I'm afraid… I'm afraid they'll come back."

"I'm sorry." Link drew her to him, stroking her hair consolingly. They sat there for a while, savoring each other's embrace.

"Link," Zelda said after a while, "What am I to do?"

The hero let her go and pondered his for a while.

"Zelda," said he, "How exactly does the Moonset Necklace work? I mean, exactly?"

Zelda rubbed her eyes tiredly. Link smiled to himself, thinking how cute she looked. Like a sleepy little kitten. (A/N: +Girly Giggle+)

"Well, one person wears the necklace and that person and another individual switch dreams."

"How does it know what person they want to switch dreams with?"

"Their skin has to be touching the other person's when they fall asleep, from what I've gathered."

"Hmmm…" Link wrinkled his eyebrows in concentration. "Where is the necklace?" Zelda took a small box from next to her bed and opened it for Link to see its contents. The half-moon, half-sun pendant lay on a tissue of velvet. Its strap of leather had been replaced by a silver chain that looped through a hook at the top of the ornament. Link carefully took it out of the box.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked.

"We'll switch dreams. You can wear the necklace." He started to hang it on her neck, but she dodged out of the way.

"NO WAY. I am not letting you have that nightmare! Not happening!" She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest.

Link took her by the arms. "Zelda, it's the only way. Please?"

"Nuh-uh"

Link gently laid her down on the bed and put his face directly over hers. "Pleeeeeeease?" He made a puppy-dog face, but Zelda just closed her eyes. Link leaned his face closer to hers. "?" he whispered. Zelda shook her head, not daring to look at him.

Suddenly she felt soft lips on hers. Zelda opened her eyes, staring at Link's closed ones. His breath mingled warmly with hers, and she closed her eyes and kissed him back.

He slowly took his mouth away. No, she wanted to say. She looked into his deep blue eyes and saw concern etched deeply in them.

"Pleeease?" he whispered, so softly she could barely hear him.

"Mmmm-hmmm…" She sighed, completely captivated.

Link raised himself up and dropped the necklace over her head. He lifted her legs onto the shallow mattress and covered the princess with the blanket. Kissing her on the cheek, he lay on the ground next to her. Zelda tossed out her hand and Link took it in his own. It fit, perfectly.

"Goodnight, Link."

"Goodnight, Zelda. Sweet dreams."

Link woke up, his heart racing. It was still dark outside

Wow, when she said it was terrible, she wasn't kidding. Link's skin was damp with sweat.

It was definitely scary, Link contemplated as he stared up at the tent's ceiling. In the dream, Link saw himself crying over what he assumed was the phantom's Zelda body. Except, in the dream, he was the phantom. And he had this overwhelming sadness, like you had hurt someone you loved dearly.

Link sat up and looked at Zelda. She lay peacefully asleep. He first hoped he was having nice dreams, and then wondered how that worked exactly.

While he was thinking this over, Zelda's facial expression slowly changed. She looked terrified. She started fidgeting. Link knelt at her side, worried.

"No… Link…" she said in her sleep, her voice drenched with anxiety. "It wasn't me… Don't cry… please… stop it…! No!" Link stroked her cheek, trying to calm her. "NO! Link, please! Don't die!" The hero picked up the trembling girl in his arms and tried to wake her.

"Zelda, it's okay, I'm right here," he said as soothingly as his apprehensive mind would allow it. "Please, wake up." Tears started coming down her face.

Desperately, Link pulled Zelda into his arms and held her tightly. "Please, Zelda, wake up!" Suddenly, Zelda's eyes shot open and she gasped. She drew away from Link, tears still streaming down her face.

"L-Link…" She gasped. Her face crumbled and the tears came pouring down again. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

Link, utterly bewildered by the fact that he could have such horrible dreams, stroked Zelda's back. In a short while, the princess began to tell of her dream in between gasps and sobs.

In the dream, Zelda had watched Link's battle with the phantom from above. She had felt his pain when the phantom tried to posses Link, all those horrible images had run through her head. When she saw the phantom pose as herself, Link with tears raining down his face then being stabbed her own image, she started to cry. She woke up as the phantom was swooping around the room, cackling triumphantly.

She finally calmed down after about a quarter of an hour with Link rocking her in his protective arms. Link, on the other hand, was mentally kicking himself for putting her through this. That Moonset Necklace was a stupid idea, and it's all my fault, he thought. Why can't I do anything right?

"Link, I'm sorry I ever mentioned that stupid necklace. Would you ever for-" But she was silenced by Link's finger's on her lips.

"You already apologized, remember? It's my turn." Link removed his fingers. "Zelda, I am so, so sorry that I made you dream that. It's all my fault."

"Link, it's alright-"

"No, it isn't!" He cut her off. "Zelda, if you had seen yourself, crying and thrashing, you'd feel as sorry as I do. Let's just forget about the whole thing."

Zelda looked him straight in the eyes. "No. I will never forget what you did for me. Never ever."

"But-" Now it was Link's turn to be silenced; not by fingers but by lips.

"Shhhhhhh…" she said, drawing away slightly. Link slowly took her face in his hands and pressed her forehead to his.

"Now what?" Link asked her.

"Well, I feel like sleeping under the stars again," she whispered.

"As you wish, princess." Standing up, Link swept Zelda and her blanket into his arms bridal-style and carried her outside the tent, placing her on the ground.

"Now you come here and sleep by me." Zelda laid her head on the ground.

"With pleasure." Link lay down and Zelda snuggled against him, causing him to wrap his arms around her.

"Mmmm…" They sighed in unison.

"Link?" Zelda whispered as she buried her face in his neck.

"Mm-hm?"

"I don't think I'm going to have another nightmare tonight." Link laughed and pulled her closer.

"Me neither."

Fin.

IT'S FINALLY DONE! You have NO idea how much time I spent on this one chapter! It's probably terrible… I'm such a failure!

So, review and tell me what a terrible job I did! Love you all!