That next day though, their lunch was postponed. Their attire for the ball, only a week away now, was ready, and they had to go in and check to see if the fit was right. No guards followed them this time; it was just the two of them, walking through the crowd. Zelda looked over at Link. He stared ahead in relaxed silence, one hand resting across the pommel of his sword, the other hanging down straight. She looked at their intended path again, opening her mouth to talk to him. But at another glance, and the hordes of people who noticed them, bowed to them; she closed her mouth again. It was far too open of a place to talk about something that could get Link into so much trouble. She wouldn't risk his beheading.

They entered the dress shop, Link opening the door for Zelda. The fabricians clapped and bowed to the princess, ushering them both into the back. "We think you will find the dress exquisite, Your Highness." Link followed them, their pace so fast he had to jog to keep up. The fabricians threw back the curtain to the fitting room with a flourish, revealing two headless people! On second glance, though, Link could see now that they were dress forms, wearing the very outfits he and Zelda were to wear.

Zelda's dress was in two pieces; a cream under dress with a flat neckline, barely above the dress form's bust. It billowed into a full skirt with a ruffle along the bottom hem, the gathering line of the ruffle studded with tiny, blue glass pearls. The overdress had a square neckline, lacing tightly over the bust and fitted to the waist. It had full sleeves that ended just before her elbow to flare in a massive ruffle, with a layer of the cream fabric just underneath, doing the same. The edges of the overdress were studded with cream pearls as a contrast.

Link's outfit was not as bad as he had feared. It was an elegant swallowtail coat with a fitted vest in the same deep blue fabric underneath, the material of the vest cut so that the thin stripes pointed inward in a downward diagonal. The sleeves went to the wrist, cuffed, and were trimmed at the edge with more of the cream pearls. It had lapels in more of the blue, and edged with more pearls. He noticed that they didn't seem to use the material they had for Zelda's underdress hardly at all, beyond a simple pair of detachable wrist cuffs (that would flop over his hands like useless decoration and irritate him the whole damn night) and a simple, elegant cravat. Instead, it was paired with bleached deerskin breeches, and black square-toed shoes with a functionless silver buckle. Link wrinkled his nose and wondered if Zelda would be terribly offended if he wore his own knee-high black boots instead of those… things.

Zelda clapped her hands in joy, beside herself with excitement. One of the fabricians led her over to a desk with a small chest on it, opening it and showing her some other frilly thing. Link looked at the other fabrician, a kindly old woman with long grey hair and a collection of laugh lines around her mouth and eyes. "Would you like to try the outfit on, good sir?"

Zelda was ushered out by the other fabrician to talk about the other accessories she would need for her dress, and the old woman closed the curtain behind them. Link shuffled from foot to foot as he undressed, getting down to his breeches and undershirt.

"No, no, those too; you have new ones you must make sure fit, yes?"

Link rolled his eyes and pulled off his breeches, tugging down his undershirt so that it would cover his underpinnings, little more than a thin roll of clean white fabric, loosely wrapped around his hips and underneath. He could swear the fabrician was taking her time getting the new breeches he was to wear, a grin on her face.

"Would you like my help, sir?"

"I'm a grown man, good lady, that won't be necessary!" he replied in an urgent tone, taking the breeches and putting them on.

"Yes, yes, I can see that."

He glared at her, embarrassed, and pulled them on, fastening them quickly. They were comfortable, a little roomy, even. The fabrician smiled and handed him each next piece, helping him to tie the cravat and the flouncy wrist cuffs. He immediately decided he hated them and would not be wearing them. The shoes were ridiculous, especially with his hairy legs and lack of stockings. He wouldn't be wearing those, either.

"Are you ready?" called the other woman from the opposite side of the curtain.

"Oh yes!" replied Link's helper.

They stepped in together, Zelda looking excited about something; mostly the shoes she had picked out in a matching blue with more cream pearl details and a choker. Link caught her eye and she stopped, her eyes widening in amazement. He waved his arms in the air, shrugging. "What do you think?"

Zelda was not completely oblivious to Link's good looks, even when he was dressed down. She could appreciate him and his physical traits. But this was on a different level; here, he looked like a gentleman, like the noble he pretended to be. He smiled at her, a bit uncomfortable and unsure of her gaze. "Um…" she added, looking away. "I think it looks good on you."

Link nodded, looking down at himself and feeling a little more comfortable in the suit. Zelda was ushered out while he changed, and when he was done and left the room, she was taken back in to try on her own dress. It took a long while; he distracted himself by looking around at the rolls of heavy fabric nearby.

"Here she is!" cried the fabrician, pulling back the curtain. The dress form had not done justice to the dress compared to now that it was on her. Link nodded, a lump in his throat. Zelda smiled at him, touching the blue ribbon choker around her neck nervously. Link put his hands to his pockets, looking down at his shoes. "Lovely, lovely," the fabrician murmured, taking her back into the room to fix her in her proper clothing. Link had a hard time looking Zelda in the eye when she came back out, even in her regular clothing. She paid the fabricians for the elegant clothing, agreeing that they would do the final touches on the sizes of everything and send the clothes to the castle upon finishing, as well as the shoes and the other minimal accessories.

As they walked back to the castle along the main route, Link found he could control his voice again. "You know, I was wondering… my uh, observation crew seems to have plummeted quickly."

Zelda smiled a bit, reaching and threading her arm neatly through his own, pulling him a little closer. "Oh… well, we'll still at least have one guard around. But really, the six month period is just a formality. It rarely goes on that long."

"Isn't that dangerous, though? I mean, there's still plenty o' time…" He didn't finish the thought, and Zelda was lost in thought for a few minutes. He wished he hadn't brought it up that way.

"Well," she started. "I think Father has seen, in our interactions and your hesitance to… sneak in my rooms at night, that you are far more trustworthy than most men. There's a goodness in you that is easy to believe in."

Link looked at Zelda. She was looking at him, with an expression that was almost a little sad. "Ah." He couldn't think of anything better to say.

When they returned to the castle, it was quite late for lunch, but too early for tea. Zelda had the kitchens combine the two, and they were followed out into the garden maze by two guards and three of the cooks, their meal consisting of sandwiches made with cold beef from the previous night's dinner, sliced apples, hunks of hard, bitter cheese and thin, flat bread, hot and cold teas, lemon slices, sugar, and a small carafe of milk, and even two petite cakes for dessert. There were many such spots to lunch in around the gardens; they chose a clearing with a table and comfortable wicker chairs. Zelda waited, saying nothing as the food was set out, a plate before both of them, looking off into the distance. The servants bowed and departed, and the guards ambled about, one back in his book and the other smoking a rolled cigarette.

Link poured them both tea, having cold for himself. It was help to cool all of him, or so he hoped. Zelda smiled at him and thanked him, adding sugar to her tea with a splash of milk. As they ate, Link cleared his throat and looked up.

Zelda glanced at the guards, who were a distance away and not paying any attention. She nodded Link on.

"Those shoes… um, that I was wearing. I thought that… I'd rather not wear those."

Zelda set down her cup very slowly, eyeing him. "Oh?"

"Well, to be honest with you, I thought they made me look stupid. I've a pair of boots I'd much rather wear."

Zelda sighed. "But Link, that's not the style."

"So?"

"That's the whole point! We have to look good!"

"I think I'll look fine in my boots, thank you."

Zelda rolled her eyes and shook her head, drinking some of her tea and avoiding speaking to him. Link looked at her, wondering if she was actually mad. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she was grinning a little, though.

"We'll have to try that outfit on and see. That way, you can also get another look at your sweetheart." Zelda smirked, looking at him out of the corner of one eye.

"What?!" Link nearly dropped his teacup.

"Oh, you didn't notice? I thought that old lady was going to hold you hostage right there in the shop, that I would have to pay a ransom to get you back."

Link shook his head, picking up a sandwich and taking a bite. "And I'd be worth the price to you?"

He thought he was teasing her, but she only smiled and said, "Of course. You'd be worth any price."

He looked at her in confusion, but she was drinking her tea and did not seem willing to elaborate.

They ate in silence a little longer. When Link retrieved their dessert cakes though, he realized that, with the ball in only a week, he'd best confess himself to her.

"So, I assume at this ball, there will be uh, merriment and dancing." He looked across the table at her.

Zelda nodded with a smile, her fork in hand, the cake still untouched. "Yes, quite a good deal of it."

"Well," he started. "I… don't know how."

"How what?"

"To dance."

Zelda laughed, covering her mouth with one hand. "Are you serious?"

Link squirmed in his seat, and she laughed again.

"It's not bloody funny!" he cried, looking round at the guards who glanced back, shaking their heads and returning to their own tasks.

"On the opposite, I think it is! Link, dancing is easy! Don't you do a sort of dance when you…" She mimed sword-fighting, and it was Link's turn to laugh a little at the face she made.

"Yes, I suppose, but fancy ball dancing is a lot different. For one, I think there would be some problems if I just whipped it out on the floor." The guards looked up at that, raising their eyebrows. Zelda blushed and covered her mouth with one hand to hide her giggles, Link shouting at the guards, "No, no, not like that! I meant my sword! … damn it, that doesn't sound good either." Zelda laughed harder, tears in her eyes as she covered her face with her hands. Link shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Look," Zelda said softly, leaning close. "I'll ask someone to teach you. Would that offend you? It's actually quite common that… that men don't know how to dance."

"Can I really learn in a week, though?"

Zelda rolled her eyes. "You're the same man who learned how to best save the world in seven years in his sleep; I think dancing won't be much of a stretch."

-

Even after their food was gone, they spent some time out in the gardens. Rapidly, it was becoming Link's favorite place. There was no ceiling over his head, and the green surrounding him on all sides made him feel like he was back in the forest, a place he'd missed dearly. Their conversation tapered off; they'd been spending the past two months together almost constantly, what could they say? Even after the seven years of separation, it was like picking back up where they'd left off.

The ladies of the court had noticed, and though inappropriate behavior was rife in the rupee dreadful novels that they all read and pretended to be above, it was rarely something that actually happened. They whispered about it constantly to each other. Was there something going on between the two of them? They only stopped their whispers when Zelda was around, so even she heard of them through her own maids, her network of rumormongers. They embarrassed her; there was nothing between herself and Link! Not yet, anyway. Seeing him transformed in that outfit had opened her eyes; Link wasn't a child anymore, and neither was she. For once in her life, Zelda hoped her father would find someone for her to marry, and soon.

The day after the late lunch, Link was summoned to the royal ballroom for his first dancing lesson. He entered the massive room and looked around. The floors were a highly polished wood, with soft cream walls and a few paintings to break up the monotony. There was a large set of bay windows on the opposite wall to the door, leading out to a patio. From the ceiling hung a few massive chandeliers, all clear glass shards and candle holders. Several people stood in the hall, waiting for him. The tallest woman, also the oldest, smiled at him kindly. She was dressed in fitted black cotton, her hair back in a severe bun. "Good day, Master Tolrose. I am told that we are to enhance your dancing skill."

Link cracked a grin. "To be honest with you, I don't know if I've much dancing skill at all."

The teacher relaxed; here she was not dealing with a stuffy noble, who required constant coddling that they were already the best at dancing. "Well, I'm sure it's in there somewhere. My name is Madame Curieire." Link bowed his head to her, looking around at the small group with her; a few women and men. Madame Curieire clapped her hands twice and one of the girls, a wisp of a thing with dark hair back in a ponytail, ran as light as air to a small gramophone set up in the room. She started the record on a volume high enough to hear but low enough so that Madame Curieire did not have to shout.

"First lesson."

The students lined up, women across from men, and bowed to each other. Link faced the girl that had started the gramophone, and she nodded solemnly to him. He watched, a beat behind as all stepped towards each other, lifting their right hands and putting the palms together, going around in a circle before switching hands, then doing what Link would later describe as a 'stupid twirly thing', before doing the hand thing again in the opposite direction.

Each clap of her hands signified a change in partners. Link stumbled and looked around in confusion for the first half hour of the lesson, but the students helped to guide him. Hand thing, other hand thing, stupid twirly thing, hand thing in other direction, other hand thing, switch with the free hand to the next partner.

They only worked for an hour, and Link still didn't completely understand what was going on. Madame clapped once, sharply, and though Link figured it was time for a partner change, he stopped cold when he realized the students had parted and stood in lines again. He was left the odd duck out at the end of the line, out of sync. Madame smiled and nodded, and the same girl as before flew across the room and stopped the old, crinkly record. "Not bad. Not terrible, but not perfect. You will learn."

"Uh, thank you, I guess." She raised a fierce eyebrow at him, but ushered her students away. They quickly packed up the gramophone, and all left the large room.

Zelda was waiting down the hall from the ballroom, holding an open book in her lap but not actually reading. She looked up when she saw Link and smiled. "How was it?"

"Well, it uh… dancing seems kind of boring, actually."

Zelda laughed in surprise.

"Well! All we did was a… like one dance, a hand thing and a stupid twirly thing."

"That?" she replied, surprised again. "That dance is ancient! No wonder you were bored! They get a lot more interesting than that, I assure you."

"I can hardly wait," he replied with sarcasm, grinning at her. They looked at each other a beat too long, and Zelda looked away, standing up.

"Well, here's hoping you learn something new in a week," she said coolly, smiling at him and walking away.

Link was confused. "Have I offended you?" he asked, catching up to her in quick steps.

"What? No, not at all."

"You just seem… distant." He tilted his head at her.

Zelda shrugged. "It's nothing, really." She smiled reassuringly at him.

"Nervous for the dance or somethin'? If you want I'll just sit in a corner and scowl."

Zelda shook her head. "I told you, it's nothing! Don't worry about it."

Link let her trail on ahead for a few feet, wandering along behind her. She slowed to a stop when she was nearly to her rooms, looking around, then at him. There wasn't anyone around them at the moment. "Hey," she said softly.

He waited for her to finish her thought.

"If you want, I'll help you get ahead in lessons later. We could… meet in the ballroom after dinner and practice?"

"Um, sure, sure. That'd be fine."

She nodded once and smiled. "I think I'm going to go up to my rooms for a little while. I'll see you at dinner."

Link watched her vanish up the spiraling stairs, feeling a bit disheartened. He frowned and headed back to his own rooms, thinking all the way. But he could not think of what he'd done to offend her.

-

Zelda was not offended at all. Link had honestly done nothing. She'd just found herself whirling into that sinkhole of desire again, eager to lean over and kiss him. She was planning, at lunch, to tell him that she suspected he was harboring romantic attachment to her, and that he'd better stop it before things got out of hand for the both of them, because he could lose his head for it. But now it was a hypocritical gesture, as her own romantic feelings for him had rapidly blossomed forth, and she did not know if she was capable of fighting them off.

As she sat in her rooms, staring at an open book without reading it, she wondered if it'd really begun when he put on that outfit, or if it was something she'd been feeling before then. The thump of her heart when she recognized him while interviewing candidates… She bit at one thumbnail, lingering over her thoughts in a dream state.

But at least she'd been honest; she really did want to help him advance a little faster in dancing. And a guard or two would probably follow them out, so they would not be able to do anything… scandalous anyway. She was thankful for that, and finally turned to her book, intent on actually reading it for now.