There was more than one moment that Zelda had been prepared to die following the coup of Hyrule. As prisoner she had experienced horrors she never dreamed of, but none of them were as terrifying as what she glimpsed at through Midna's consciousness. The most painful experience, however, was her experience as Ganon's puppet. It was the single most excruciating moment she had ever experienced as she endured Ganon's poisonous consciousness as it enveloped her body and seeped inside of her. His malice controlled her, guided her small frame to battle her hero. In that moment she feared she would kill all hope Hyrule had, all hope and longing her own heart held, and she had no power to change the course of fate. It seemed that it would either be her death or his, and neither was she quite willing to accept. Zelda knew that it had to be her, and felt her heart droop in sorrow, as she knew it had to be the one she adored that would be the one to silence her. As she prepared to feel her death consume her, the alien conscious of Ganon left her body, and she fell to the ground into unconsciousness.

She wondered what it would have been like if Ganon had let her die. He had to leave her body; as his soul's host her death would be critical and bind his soul with death as well. He was not willing to die so easily. Had she died, she imagined that Link would have been elected the crown, and he would be here in her stead guiding Hyrule away from the dark times. To her dismay, she felt he would have done a better job than she. He had already done so much.

Zelda had imagined that he would stay with her, but he had not. He went back to Ordon as quickly as he had appeared. It wasn't as if he had any real tie to Hylian politics, he was a simple farm boy who happened to save the world. It was his courage and skill that prevailed in battle, not his diplomacy, which was what the nation's soul so desperately, clung to. She felt a bit of comfort that she could provide that, but he ultimately presented something she could not. Link brought hope and morale, something that Hyrule was in dire need for.

And it was because of Hyrule's need for him that she requested his presence in the capital, not because of her own longing to be close to him again, to smell the musk of the forest in his sun bleached hair…

Her reasons were completely for the good of the country. It was improper to think otherwise.

She pressed her forehead against the chilled windowpane to direct her thoughts away from her longing for the forest boy. He was coming as she requested, and would be there at any time. She wondered if he would be delayed due to the storm, if he had found refuge somewhere or if he rode head on towards his destination as he always had in the time of twilight. She knew this matter was entirely different; it was not urgent that he arrived promptly, and she knew that he was aware that he was able to take his time. But her heart hoped he would rush to see her, the way she knew he would rush to see Midna…

Oh Midna…

Zelda envied this shadow girl, because she saw Link fall in love with her. She presumed he was dying inside the way she was, but because he did not have Midna's familiar presence. It did not matter that Zelda, too, had experienced their trials, she had been a silent participator, after all.

In all reality, she knew there could be a way to recreate the bridge towards the kingdom of twilight, things like that did not just lay dormant, and it was only a matter of time before worlds merged again for some purpose, whether it be malicious or in proper goodness. That was beside the point, the Twilight Realm was not something to take lightly, it was not just a quick travel to Termina to go to the beach for holiday; it was the inferno. There was a reason they were sealed away, and though she knew how Link would fight to discover a way to retrieve Midna, she knew it was not in Hyrule's best interest, especially after the dark magic that had seized Hyrule in the previous months. It would take magic beyond her power to conger even if she wanted to. Splitting a fracture between one world and another was nearly inconceivable had she not witnessed it, and as the conduit mirror had shattered, a new passage would have to be forged.

Zelda pushed these thoughts from her mind; suppressing the anxiety it brought her. It was doing her no good to sit and wait for Link to appear, especially in the extreme fierceness of the storm. Perhaps tomorrow he would arrive. He had another week to arrive; he would not be presented to the people until her coronation as queen. The thought of the ceremony that proceeded made her feel slightly sick. It had been delayed due to the urgent attention that needed to be given towards the food crisis, which still plagued her people. She was in negotiation with Termina on their export taxes, which in the recent had been unreasonably high. Until a compromise could be reached, her people starved. She was selfish for waiting her time on her desperation to see Link riding upon the horizon.

Accepting that he was not going to rush into her arms at any moment, Zelda let out a miserable sigh as she scanned the countryside before her. The Royal Family's Chateau was perched above Kakariko village into its lofty mountains. It was an impressive estate, but not nearly as immaculate as Hyrule Castle. Many generations prior, before the Goron's had ever resented the other races of Hyrule, the chieftain and the king had been sworn "brothers". This action led to a time of great peace between the Hylians and the rock-dwellers. As a gift, the Goron Chief had the Chateau constructed for the Royal Family as a safe haven in troubled times, and a lovely vacation home for times of peace. Zelda had spent time there on several occasions, but always when her father wanted a Holiday, he said the crisp mountain air invigorated his soul.

It was true; it was a magnificent feeling to be above the world. When she was small she would reach up to the sky from her balcony and felt she could almost touch the stars. She had never experienced the Chateau in time of war. It was not as if anything physical had changed about the place, but there was no leisure in it, it was almost like a prison to her. This was not=, but because her home had been ransacked and destroyed by monsters. It stood as blight to her, a stinging reminder of reality and how cold it was to her.

The night was pitch, a thick curtain of rain fell angrily without any hesitation or thought of abating. She tore herself away from the window and retreated to her bedroom. Zelda's room was drafty; the fire had long since died out and the only light emitted from the lonely embers in the hearth. It was later into the night than she had realized and her exhaustion began to take over. She peeled back the thick velvet curtains of her bed and crawled into the inviting covers.

She dreamed of him that night, as she had often since they had parted. They were next to Ordon's spring, fairies danced about the water causing light ripples to course through the water. Zelda had never physically been to Ordon, but she had experienced its splendor through Midna's senses. The earthy aroma of fresh cut hay and the spice of pine clung to the air. Inhaling deeply, Zelda took in all these intoxicating fragrances, as well as the tantalizing musk that she knew was Link.

He was holding her, his face was buried in her hair and she could feel his lips brush against her neck. His touch set her on fire, she felt euphoria course through her body. She was in complete bliss until he mumbled, "Midna…" lovingly into her ear.

***

Thank you to all of you who reviewed! I enjoy hearing your feedback and getting a feel on if I'm doing well and what I need to improve on. I know how I'm going to pace things, and know where the plot is going, and I'm pretty sure its going to be ten or more chapters as long as you all are interested!

Jaqueline