Hello hello, dear readers! I've been eagerly awaiting your hits and reviews and I am happy to say that this story has officially reached 1000 hits! WOW! I am extremely happy with these results, and I can't believe you've stuck with me for this long.

Moriko: I think you owe someone a thank you.

Me: Yeah, I was getting to that...sheesh. Anyway, I would like to give CloudrunnerSparty for his review. Thank you very much. I meant to add more about new Link, but my original draft got erased and I totally forgot everything I wrote...oops. I'll try and get more in this chapter, if any at all. I don't own anything except...ah you know already...--;; Oh, and BTW, I was angry at men last chapter...sorry if it affected you, I'll try and tone it down.

Chapter 19: The Dance

"Oh…hell...no…," Moriko said slowly. She was completely horrified at her current situation. Nothing could compare to the intense problem she was into now. Nothing in the world could be worse than this! That's all that she could say. Her maid had shown her to her room and told her to change, but it was what was on the bed that terrified her.

Laid out, bright like a beacon in the dark, was a…dress. Moriko almost keeled over at the thought of wearing it. She turned to the maid, who was fussing with the changing screen, and asked about any other dresses she could wear.

"I'm sorry, but that's the only one that will fit you."

Moriko groaned and reluctantly took the dress behind the changing curtain. It was white, and extremely soft to the touch. A sheer fabric with stitched-in swirls was sewn over that, giving it an almost feathery look. It shimmered in the light and the fabric swirled out when Moriko spun around. The straps had loose ruffles on them that were as the same sheer fabric. It was a good fit, but she had barely enough chest to fill it out.

What joy, she thought to herself. I'm being put down by a dress.

When Moriko stepped out from behind the changing curtain, there were two maids now, with looks on their faces that scared her. They seated her in front of a mirror and began taming her hair quickly, complaining about not having enough time. It felt like hours before they finished it, and when they did, Moriko was pleasantly surprised.

They'd let her hair tumble down around he shoulders in soft curls, which framed her face nicely, showing off her blue eyes. They placed a necklace of the Triforce around her neck, explaining that this would identify her to the masses. They insisted that she take off Gabe's bracelet, but Moriko glared at them, obviously frightening them.

"I'm not taking this off. Are we done here?"

The maids nodded and left the room in a rush. Moriko sighed and looked in the mirror, taking in her new appearance again. She looked older, in a way, but she didn't feel much different. Most men were still sexist, and that would never change. She had to accept it. She pulled her new shoes on and walked to the door, opening it to find Tanner outside, waiting for her. She blushed and looked at him with a confused expression.

"Shouldn't you be with the king right now?"

"No…I'm not his personal guard. I'm just his bounty hunter," he said with a smile. Her offered her his arm, which she reluctantly took, and led her down the hall and towards the foyer.

There were a few people outside, chatting happily away, but Moriko's attention was drawn to her father, who stood by the large staircase, spear in hand. He looked so dignified there, but his stern face melted as she saw her approach. He smiled at them, almost sadly.

"I can't believe my own daughter looks so beautiful!" he said. Moriko rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Dad, don't overreact. You're going to embarrass me."

"Wait…your father is the Captain?!" Tanner asked incredulously. He looked between them, finally connecting the dots. "So you're the rowdy tree-climber he's bragged so much about! Huh, I never would've thought it!"

Moriko gripped his arm, smiling menacingly. "Say another word, and I'll hit you…BOTH of you…"

Both men dropped the subject immediately. They both knew better than to get a woman angry.

Tanner eventually led Moriko into the ball room, putting his hand on hers to ensure she didn't fall. Moriko would've fallen too, but she restrained the urge to gape at the mass of people below until they reached the dance floor. Colors spun in every direction, illuminating the room with a rainbow of hues. Every woman in the room had a man close to them, whether they were a few feet apart or cheek to cheek. The men danced with a wondrous grace that rivaled the women's, but the women were far more beautiful. Everyone in the city must've come to the ball.

Moriko felt her face flush as Tanner step away from her and bow.

"May I have the first dance?" he asked as politely as possible. Moriko, unable to speak, tried to tell him she didn't know how to dance, but he led her into the throng of couples anyway, looking completely relaxed.

As they danced, Moriko kept her eyes glued to Tanner's feet as they spun around the floor, blending in perfectly with the crowd. Moriko was finally beginning to feel at ease when the first song ended, bringing a new song into the air. The crowd immediately picked up on the dance, but Moriko was completely at a loss as to what to do. She bit her lip, trying to follow the movements, but she ended up leaving the dance floor, unable to keep going. She leaned on the wall by the stairwell, trying to catch her breath, when Tanner appeared. He looked worried.

"I'm fine. I'm just not used to dancing. I've never done this before."

Tanner nodded, taking the space next to her with a quick twist of his feet.

"It's alright if you're not good. I stink just as much as the next person."

"No, you don't," Moriko retorted, shaking her head. "You were great out there. I just couldn't keep up."

Moriko sighed sadly as a young brunette girl walked up to Tanner, her face completely red.

"Uh…um…could I dance with you?" she asked quietly, twisting a brown curl in her fingers. Tanner looked at Moriko expectantly, but the blonde only shook her head.

"Go on. I'm fine. Go dance," she said. Tanner nodded, then led the brunette back into the crowd, disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared. Moriko sighed, fingering her bracelet longingly. She wished Gabe were here to cheer her up. Even Laura. She missed her best friend more than she realized, but that was going to change after tonight. Tomorrow she'd set out for home, and that would be that. She'd go home, grab Gabe, then head for Goron city and Zora's Domain. She'd give him his presents, as well as something from here, and she'd become a ranch hand again.

A few moments later, so was startled by Link, who came to stand in front of her.

"You look lonely, Miss Moriko," he said politely. Moriko sighed and averted her eyes.

"I'm not lonely. I just stink at dancing."

"Ah, you and me both. The only thing I'm good at is swordfighting and archery."

"You're lucky, you know that? You'll get to see the world like I did, and everyone will treat you with respect once you've earned it."

"Yeah...sure. Hey, you want to dance?"

Moriko balked at the question, but link must've taken her flinch for a nod, because suddenly she was dancing with him on the outskirts of the dance floor. Thankfully, the last song had given way to a slightly slower one, but that was only a partial relief. She was still dancing, much against her will. They spun in circles, in step with the others, but almost in their own world. It was pleasant, unlike the dance with Tanner, which was forced, and Moriko felt a little better than she had earlier.

When they finished dancing, they left for the western terrace. They took a seat on the bench facing the horizon and rested, utterly exhausted and slightly dizzy.

"Well, that was a bit less painful than I expected," Link said, smiling widely. Moriko smiled back and nodded, still catching her breath. The dance may have been slower than the first, but it had still been fast-paced. "I almost expected my feet would fall off."

"No kidding," Moriko agreed. "I've only danced twice, and already my feet are killing me."

"Have you danced before?"

"No. Just with you and Tanner. Why, have you?"

"Not a chance. My town saw dancing as a thing for girls to learn. I had to learn how to farm, wield a sword, and how to fish properly."

"There's a proper way to fish?"

"Oh, yeah," Link said, stretching his legs out. "I'd go into details, but I'd keep you here all night." He yawned, then looked up at the moonlit sky. "So, tell me about you."

"Huh?"

"Tell me about yourself. Why do you think the Goddesses chose you?"

Moriko took a few minutes to think, then shook her head. "I don't know why the Goddesses chose me, but I can tell you about my past. Maybe you can figure it out. I was born and raised in Ordon village, int he southern forests. I am the daughter of the Captain of the Royal Guard, I lived with my sister, my evil caretaker, and a few of my close friends."

"So how did you find out about your destiny?"

"Oh yeah, that's right. Well, evil man known as Kaiser came to the village, pretending to be a messenger from his kingdom, and claimed he was looking for me. When the villagers refused to give me up, he ordered his evil army of shadows to attack them. He tried to kidnap me, but Farore suddenly stepped in and saved us. That's when I found out what I had to do."

Link sat there, nodding as she explained herself, then straightened his back when she finished. "Well, you've been through quite a lot, haven't you? What will you do once your part is over?"

"I...really don't know. I guess I'll go back to the village and pray for your success, but...I don't really know if I can do that after having so much fun here." She stood and walked to the terrace railing, her eyes lingering on the horizon. "I can't really say if I'll just be able to drop my sword and go back home. I..."

"You like the sense of adventure?"

Moriko smiled sadly and nodded. "I really do. The exploring, the sense of importance, the feeling you get when you help someone in need. It's all so...addicting!"

Link stood up and joined her near the railing. "In my village, I was always told I was too weak and too small to do anything. Not very many people believed in me, and I wish I'd had the friends you speak of."

"Well, as you know, I wasn't exactly praised back home. The only people who showed they cared about me were my best friend, her mother, and my little cousin."

"But at least you had family. I don't remember mine."

Moriko opened her mouth to speak, but there was a small cough behind them. She and Link turned to see a little blond girl standing on the other side of the bench, smiling politely. She looked to be a little over ten, but she had the air of an adult.

"I'm truly sorry to interrupt your conversation, but might I request a dance from Sir Link?" she asked, her small voice ringing as clearly as a bell. Link stepped around the bench and bowed.

"It would be my pleasure, my lady. We shall have to talk more later."

With that, he and the girl disappeared back into the whirling mass of colors, leaving Moriko alone on the terrace. She sighed and turned back to the open sky, closing her eyes against the gentle breeze wafting around her. She could almost smell the water of Zora's Domain, purer than the river water that surrounded the city. It was nice to someplace where she could see the sky clearly, but the lights from the castle frightened the stars from sight. It felt like ages before she spotted even a glimmer of light, but it always escaped her the moment she turned to see it.

"I know you," someone said. Moriko turned around to see a guy in front of her, staring at her with blue grey eyes. His black hair was brushed back from his eyes, and he was in wearing a slightly more decorated outfit than the rest of the men. He stood straighter, and he exuded importance.

"You do? When have we met?"

"I believe you told me to watch it…but I fail to see what I should watch."

Moriko stifled a gasp of surprise. It was the guy she'd bumped into when she'd been heading to the training grounds.

"Right…sorry about that, but your attitude towards me made me angry. I apologize for my rudeness."

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. "You're the one everyone is talking about, right? I fail to see what's so great about you."

Moriko was surprised by the boy's impoliteness, but suppressed her own. She failed to come up with a proper reply, so she just smiled.

"Anyway, I saw you alone out here, so I thought I'd at least ask you to dance," he said, holding out his hand. She sighed and took it, but warned him about her skills. He brushed them off and pulled her back inside and into the crowd, giving her a few seconds to calm down before literally sweeping her about the dance floor. She had to dance on her toes to keep up with him, and he seemed almost happy to dance like that. It was extremely awkward after a bit, because most of the other dancers had stopped dancing and had begun whispering.

"Can you believe it? He's dancing with a common girl."

"Do you know her?"

"I've never seen her before."

"What a brat. Who does she think she is?"

Moriko flushed as the rude comments found her ears. They completely ruined the dance, but it had sparked a question in her mind that began nagging her.

Who was her dance partner?

She looked up to find him glaring at the crowd.

"Ignore them," he whispered. "They don't like anyone I dance with."

"Oh…okay," she mumbled. She was about to ask him for his name when the crowd gasped, drawing everyone's attention to the ball room doors.

Standing at the top of the stairs was a brunette girl, dirty and covered in blood. She struggled to get past the guards, shouting, "I need to see Moriko! Where's Moriko?!"

Moriko tried to go to the girl, but her dance partner held her back.

"Don't worry. She's probably just a peasant girl looking for some money. The guards will take care of her."

Moriko pushed away from him, enraged, and hurried towards the girl. She would help her, and no one would stop her.

The girl watched Moriko come towards her, and she broke down crying. The guards looked from Moriko to the girl, then stepped between.

"Please, Lady Moriko, let us take care of her," one said. He took hold of the girl with a sharp movement, making the girl cry out in pain. Blood began dripping on the floor under her, and Moriko clenched her fists.

"Let her go!" she shouted, frightening half the guards. The one holding the girl let go and stepped back. Moriko kneeled in front of the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? What's you name?"

The girl took a few minutes to calm down, then managed to sob, "Suzume…I'm Suzume, b-but my friend! Please rescue my friend!"

"Suzume, who's your friend?"

"H-his name's Takeshi…please get him away from my brother!"

"Your brother? Who is he?"

Suzume had stopped sobbing, but she was still frightened.

"He keeps talking about you! He's been brooding over the last time you met…"

"What's his name?"

Suzume knotted her hands in her lap and looked at Moriko. Her blue grey eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying for a long time.

"His name's Kaiser…I ran away from home, and now he's taken Takeshi away! Please save my friend before Kaiser kills him!"

Oh snap! Do I know how to make a cliffhanger or what?!

Moriko: You loon! People will be angry with you now!

Me: Oh really? Well, let them wait a few days for the next chapter! THE FINAL CHAPTER!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

Moriko: oh, I am so going to kill you...

Me: Did you already try that? Wait...what are you doing with that lamp?

Moriko: (attempts to hit authoress over head)

Me: Substitution Jutsu!! (poofs Tanner in her place)

Tanner: (knocked unconscious by lamp-wielding Moriko) ...

Moriko: Opps...oh well, not many people like Tanner anyway...I don't even like him.

Me: Yeah! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Oh and don't worry, it won't be the final chapter. That would be a really long chapter, along with a very sucky ending. Tootles! XD