A/N: Thank you for your patience, and for the slowly building reviewers and watchers! *bows* Your comments keep this going!

- x -

Chapter Three

- x -

A small flask of water sat unattended on the oaken table as the Queen ran a brush through her dusty brown hair, its typical silky feel replaced with a residue of dirt and sweat from lack of washing. Locks hung awkwardly in thick, ropy strands, stiff from being tied back in braids. It was the day following Link's return to Ordon, and the first full day that the Fairies had been gone.

As she worked mindlessly on her appearance, which she could not have cared less about but she knew mattered to those under her rule, Zelda stared out her window and waited for twilight to fall. She did not have to wait long- Midna almost startled her, actually, descending into the royal bedchamber with a stream of black sparks.

"So, what did you decide?" The Princess of Twilight demanded, toying with the canteen of water, her red eyes fixed on Zelda's face as the Hylian explained. Afterward, Midna made a face somewhere between distaste and sympathy.

"I take it you're now beating yourself up over the decision, eh? I wouldn't worry, really." The dark-skinned Twili shrugged. "Your people won't be happy with any decision you make until the water is back, or so I'd guess."

"Link said something like that earlier," Zelda noted, grimacing as she hit a knot in her hair.

"Smart boy," Midna noted, a rather impish smile creeping onto her features. "Isn't he?"

The Hylian replied with a note of careful hesitation, "I would agree."

"Very strong, as well, right?"

"But of course."

The Twili's smile broadened as she got to her point. "And handsome, yes?"

Zelda stayed silent.

"What's the matter," Midna chuckled, "Fairy got your tongue?"

"How can you even think about something like romance at a time like this?" Zelda murmured in protest, laying aside the brush and wiping the back of her hand across her flushing cheeks as the other ruler snorted.

"Well, excuse me for trying to lighten your mood."

The Queen sighed. "I'm sorry, Midna. I do care for Link, but I have other things to worry about right now."

Her companion crossed her arms. "You always will, as Queen. Make some time, will you? While he's still around."

Zelda went pale, and dropped her brush. "What do you mean by that?"

But twilight had already vanished, and it left her alone once more.

- x -

The Queen was up with the sun the following morning, her pale skin already thinly veiled in sweat. Wiping off the moisture with a small towel beside her bed, Zelda drank sparingly from the flask of water from the night before. She reached for the window and swept aside the gauzy curtains, opening the glass panels and peering out to the horizon.

No sign of the fairies yet, she noted. But if the Cobble Kindgom is as far away as Midna said, that should be normal. Zelda sighed and forced herself to relax. Perhaps Link is right. I do worry too much.

Memories of the conversation with the Twilight Princess the night before sprang unbidden to her mind, and a faint flush crossed her cheeks.

"I don't have time for this," she murmured, rubbing her forehead again before rising to properly greet the day and her people.

A lightweight layered gown had been brought in for her in the night- a swathe of pale blue fabric was draped across the white of the skirt like mist, and the bodice was a royal purple with a square neckline and short white sleeves. Nothing especially fancy, although Zelda would have felt fine in even the plainest garb. But she was the Queen, and must always dress to impress.

Once dressed, she descended the stairs, stepping carefully over the freshly repaired blocks of marble. The last signs of Ganondorf and Zant's reign were fading, although her memories were still as fresh as ever. The worst of the pain in those memories, however, were being gradually washed away along with the stains of moblin blood on the walls.

Running her fingers idly along the smooth stone bricks, Zelda dipped her head in greeting to the various servants, still slightly lost in her private thoughts as she headed for the still-cool sanctuary of the library. One of her favorite rooms, it was located behind the main ballroom on the ground level floor, an old cemetery nestled against the backside and tall skylights that filled the room with the sunshine.

The rich red and gold carpet had been torn and ravaged under the previous ownership and had not yet been replaced; thus, the Queen's softly shoed feet made a gentle, slow patter, like rain dripping onto a thin roof, as she wandered around the tall bookshelves. Some of the lower level books had taken damage from Lizalfos fighting amongst themselves and had been removed to be repaired- but, like the rest of the work in the Castle, it had been put on hold by the drought.

Paper making, stone cutting, cementing, and various other tasks all required water and labor, both of which was scarce. Workers had been sent home to provide for their families in better ways; there was no value in Castle rupees when there was no water to be bought (Zelda would not hear of such a precious commodity being sold, and the Gorons and Yeto would have refused payment anyway). Therefore, Hyrule Castle still had an air of neglect and emptiness that brought dark thoughts and memories to the front of Zelda's mind.

Sliding one of the newer books off the shelf, the Queen settled herself in a dusty chair and proceeded to lose herself in one of the 'revisited' tales of the Sheikah. Time passed, pages turned, and the old adventure unfolded, still as gripping and intriguing as the day it was written, thanks to a very creative scholar. An ancestor of Shad's, perhaps, she mused, pursing dusty rose-hued lips.

The sun was high overhead when she heard the bustle of servants outside. Shutting the tome carefully, and replacing it on the shelf after pulling out a ribbon from her hair and placing it between the pages, Zelda rose and approached the door.

"Oooh, it's Link," sighed one of the younger maidens. "I bet he's looking for her highness. Ah, his tired smile-!"

Zelda felt her lips quirk upward as an authoritative voice cut in; Ashei. "Stop gibbering about, yes, and find the Queen. Hey, Link," her voice faded along with her footsteps; the Queen stepped away from the door as the maid slid it open with a faint scowl tainting her young, sharp features.

"That bossy Ashei," she muttered, closing the heavy door carefully behind her so that it did not slam, her back to her ruler, "she knows just as much as I do where her hi- Your highness!"

The maiden's voice hit a high note, and she paled in shock and shame as Zelda gave her a soft smile. "Ashei can be a little sharp, perhaps, but her heart means well so we shouldn't hold it too harshly against her. Now, Romani, is it? Let us go meet Link."

Zelda opened the door herself, still wearing a gentle smile that faltered a little when she saw the exhausted Link, bearing a larger bundle than he had departed with and a definite cast of deeper bronze across his cheeks. The smile returned, however, with a little less restraint, at the way his eyes lit up when they landed on her.

"Your majesty," he knelt as Ashei escorted Romani from the room with a no-nonsense stride to leave the two alone, his shoulders still rising and falling with his pounding heart, "I am sorry I am late. Epona stepped in a hole near Kakariko Gorge, and I had to take her to the village spring to let her hoof soak in the mud. I still came as fast as I dared, your highness," he looked up at last, and all the sternness that had been budding in Zelda's chest at his tale vanished like a splash of water on a hot stone, "to see if there was anything I could do for you."

"Did you run all the way here from the Eldin Province?" She crossed her arms, knowing that the softness in her eyes was going to render her admonishments moot.

"Not all the way, your majesty." His eyes gained a bit of the mischievous sparkle she had not seen for a while. "Just some."

"I'm afraid that the last ice party left this morning, Link. Even if you had run Epona, you would not have made it back in time. Did you enjoy your stay in Ordon, however brief?" As an afterthought, she said, her brow furrowing above a restrained smile, "And by what name did I request you address me with?"

He nodded. "Would you rather me have I had stayed longer, your majest- Zelda?" he amended, a little awkwardly, and the Queen graced him with a smile.

"Yes," she admitted, adding a little quickly, "if only for your own health."

Rising, he unslung his burden and set it on the floor. "If it pleases you, I plan to return to Ordon again soon. But I was asked to bring this, as a thanks to Yeto and Yeta for their kindness." The beige cloth unfolded, revealing a couple of small, ripe pumpkins, and a round of goat cheese. Zelda knelt across from him, placing her bare hand on the still-warm orange rind of the largest gourd.

"Can they spare this?"

Link's shoulders stiffened slightly as his eyes darkened with concern. "They have enough goat meat to keep them fed for quite some time. Several of the weaker animals are dying of the thirst. I also have a few sides of salted meat for the Castle, but I could not carry them without Epona. Darbus promised that some of his Gorons would deliver it within the next couple of days."

The Queen raised her head rather quickly, her nose almost brushing Link's as he was leaning forward to gather up the ends of the cloth. His eyes flashed and darkened before he backed away, a blush creeping inexorably and faintly across his bronzed cheekbones.

"I beg your pardon, your majesty," he murmured, slipping into a more formal mode of speech. He avoided her eyes, and she was grateful- her own cheeks had gained a bit of a rose cast, and it was more noticeable on her pale skin.

"You are so pardoned, not that I find any of your actions a crime," she replied softly, perhaps a little too softly, for his movements as he gathered up the gifts and made for the door seemed tense. "Go take the gifts to Ashei, if you will, and tell her to make sure that it goes on the next ice escort- Wait, Link."

Shifting his weight in the doorway, the bearer of Courage raised his eyes uncertainly, his polite smile not fully masking his shyness. "Your majesty?"

"Make sure the gift goes on the next ice escort, and you do not. I do not deem you fully rested."

Link dipped his head, looking a little sheepish. "Yes, your majes- Zelda."

Her name on his lips was forced, but in an endearing sort of way that made her smile widen and soften. "Good."

With a concealed grin and a bow in response, Zelda's favorite Ordonian trotted across the main room, a bit of a spring back in his step. Watching him vanish into the next chamber, the Queen smiled.

Maybe once this is all over, I can make some time for him.

- x -