Okay. It's been two months. I'm so sorry. Dance and school swallows up my whole life, and what's left is social time and sleeping. Plus, I haven't been in a major Zelda mood lately. I promise the next update won't be nearly as long.

Chapter 13

Zelda struggled to open her eyes the next morning as pure white sunshine filtered through her window. From her perspective, the sky almost looked white and the sun was beating down harshly although it couldn't have been past nine in the morning. She shrugged it off as another cold fall day and headed to the shower, eager to find Link and explain to him the events from last night. She replayed the scene in her head over and over again, trying to digest the information she'd been given.

"So I'm…a princess. Just like Tetra said," she mused as she stepped into the hot water pouring from the showerhead. She examined the back of her soapy hand warily. The Triforce there gleamed more than ever and she felt a sudden pang of wonder. "Mom and Dad, are they royal? What about Tetra and Sheik? What… what are we? Who are we?" She clenched her fist as a frustrated tear rolled down her cheek, blending with the already-hot water pouring over her head. She rinsed the soap off of her body and quickly finished her shower routine. In no time, she was stepping back out on to the bath mat, making sure she was securely wrapped up in her fluffy white towel. Too many people were randomly appearing in her room lately.

The air in the dorm was chilly, and Zelda shivered as she hunted through her dresser for a sweatshirt. After tugging on her old softball sweatshirt and some jeans, she ran a brush through her hair and blow dried it, not wanting to catch a cold from the chilly fall air. After she decided she looked acceptable enough to go out in public, Zelda was bolting out of her room. She noticed the halls were unusually empty and briefly wondered where everyone could be. The elevator ride downstairs seemed longer than usual and incredibly cold. Goosebumps covered Zelda's arms, but she wasn't sure whether it was from the cold or the eerie feeling that filled the dorm building with unspoken tension. Stepping out of the elevator, shock slammed into the blonde and she gasped when she saw through the glass windows of the lobby that the entire campus was covered in an unearthly blanket of snow.

Clusters of girls stood by the windows with sweatshirts and blankets, most staring grimly at the white scene outside, and others sitting on the floor or available benches. Zelda easily picked out Midna talking to a Gerudo girl near the front desk and half jogged to her best friend's side.

"Midna! What's going on? It's not even November yet!"

The Twili turned away from the Gerudo that Zelda recognized as Melania, Nabooru's niece. "Zelda, I was just about to come find you. We're in some serious shit-hole right now."

Zelda swept her bangs out of her face and gestured towards the doors. "Tell me it's not what I think it is."

Midna lowered her red gaze and stepped away from Melania, who took that as her cue to leave, not before giving Zelda a respectful nod in which the blonde returned. "It must have been Din. It's the only explanation. And by the looks of it, she's either in extreme pain or really upset. And I have a feeling Ganondorf is behind all of her torture."

Zelda winced as she said 'torture', but nodded. "I remember Professor Onox asking her to stay after class the day that-" she looked around, lowering her voice, "-the day that Nayru sent me back in time."

"This is bad, Zel. There's so much snow that there's no way for any of us to leave, and we need to get to the boys and let them know what's up as soon as we can."

Zelda nodded again. "Text Link and tell him to meet me at the gazebo behind the pond. That way we'll have some privacy. You don't think it's frozen over, do you?"

Midna shook her head. "Well, it's a pretty big pond. It would take a few days to close it up for good."

"I guess I'll have to go around it then. Help me open the door?"

Midna nodded and they made their way to the front doors, which were almost completely frozen shut. Ice wedged itself between the slight crack where the doors met and closed.

"Good luck with that," a redhead sneered, barely turning away from her group of friends long enough to shoot the two a dirty look, "We've been trying to get out all morning. I'll be danged if some midget Twili and Miss Priss here can open it all by themselves."

"M…MIDGET?!" Midna screeched, whipping her head towards the girl. "Look whose talking, you ginger mother fu-"

"Midna!" Zelda said, clapping her hand over her friend's mouth. "Focus," Zelda turned her ice-blue gaze on the girl. "Please excuse us, but we have work to do. Midna, you push."

Midna rolled her ruby eyes, but positioned herself against the door and waited. "Ready whenever, Boss."

Zelda couldn't help but notice that most of the girls were watching her now, probably wondering if she would perform some weird miracle again like the day Kafei was attacked. She sent a silent prayer to the Goddess (Or to herself?) and hoped that would be the case. She placed her hand on the door and felt the ice pierce her skin with a brittle chill. Instead of focusing on the ice, though, she thought of warmth and heat. Something tickled her mind as she began to feel the warmth deep in her stomach until the feeling spread itself throughout her entire body. Without thinking, she muttered softly, "Din's Fire."

The warmth left her body with a surging force and flew out of her palm, encasing Midna and her in a ball of fire. Zelda yelped in surprise, but the ice melted away instantly within a three yard radius and fell to the ground with a sploosh. The fire bubble dissipated within moments and Midna, recovering from her shock, forced the door open until the water froze the heavy oak back in place. The water had frozen too quickly, leaving Zelda a little less than a foot of space to squeeze herself outside.

Everyone in the room was silent as they stared in shock at Zelda's bizarre powers.

"Zelda, you just made fire that didn't burn anything other than the ice. What the actual hell." Midna said, shaking her head.

"I'll explain later, but I really need to go find Link. You coming?"

"Are you kidding? My butt will not fit through there. You go on ahead and I'll work on closing the door again. It's getting chilly."

Without replying, Zelda pushed herself through the large crack, struggling at first but gracefully breaking through a moment later. Midna watched as she bolted straight for the pond, her boots barely leaving prints in the fresh snow.

She turned her red eyes back towards the redhead from earlier, whose mouth was gaping in a very unattractive manner. "Goddess, Malon. You should really watch who you talk shit to."

The snow was hard, the kind that Zelda, weighing a total of 120 pounds, could run right over without sinking. She puffed clouds from her heavy breathing but refused to slow down. Link was nowhere in sight, but she knew he would find some way to get to the gazebo. Midna was right; although it was freezing outside, the pond was barely developing ice around the edges. She was careful to keep a good distance away from it as she jogged, unsure of where the actual edge was.

The gazebo, which was a dark mahogany, rested on the opposite side of the pond, where trees began surrounding it and the back of the campus. The woods served as an extra security precaution, and anyone who had ever gone back there would know that there was a long steel fence that encircled the entire campus. The gazebo was a notoriously romantic spot, mostly because of the privacy. It was a good 7 minute walk from anything on campus and was covered in thick flowering vines which served almost as a curtain.

The cold air hurt Zelda's lungs as she approached the platform. She paused just before it, leaning on her knees to catch her breath in her numbing hands. Suddenly, a hand grasped her shoulder and she whirled around, opening her mouth to scream just before that same hand covered her mouth.

"No! Zelda, it's just me. Don't worry," Link said, his hot breath tickling her frozen face. His hair was partially tucked underneath a green winter hat, and he was also wearing a light brown leather jacket with black gloves and boots. "Are you crazy? Why don't you have a jacket?"

"Link, there's so much I have to tell you!" she said, ignoring his comment. It was true, the warmest thing she was wearing was her pathetic sweatshirt. She tugged the hood over her head more securely before speaking again, huddling into his chest. "Last night Impa visited me. And no, I wasn't dreaming. She was there!"

"I know," he said, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to share body heat.

"You know? But…"

"She came to me, too."

Zelda looked him in the eyes and her heart leapt. In that moment, just like so many other moments they had shared, she knew why she felt as if she had looked into his eyes for centuries before they'd even known each other. She knew why she had always been irrevocably attracted to him. Their hearts and souls were intertwined, linked in a bond that would never be broken, no matter what life they were in. The fact that she was standing in the arms of her true love and soul mate slammed into her with a hot force, and almost instinctively she was pressing her lips against his. As if he had expected it, he returned the kiss feverishly, pulling her closer and pressing his fingers roughly into her back.

She gasped and pulled on his shirt beneath his jacket. Their kiss was a mixture of tongue and teeth and gasps, as if it was the first time they had ever truly been able to be with each other.

A shadow passed over them from above and Link stopped abruptly, his eyes widening without looking towards the sky. "Get in the gazebo."

He ushered her in the small hut-like structure before turning to see what was watching them. In the distance, a large owl was perching gracefully by the stables.

"Link, could that be Kaepora Gaebora?" Zelda asked, clinging to his jacket sleeve. Gaebora was a magical owl that delivered personal messages, frequently working for the Hyrulean Postal Service. Zelda knew he was also tied closely with the royal family. Her family.

Link glanced at her quickly, then squinted towards the large bird. "Actually, I think it might be. He's looking right at us."

A chill ran down Zelda's spine, but she shook it off. "Lets go see what he wants."

"Are you sure?" he asked, turning back towards her again. "We could stay here for a minute, or get you some clothes." His eyes darkened with something Zelda couldn't read, whether is was yearning to kiss her again or worry about her numbing fingertips.

"Link, we have to. He's here for a reason. We…" she sighed, the weight of what she was saying finally sinking in, "We have a responsibility. It's our duty."

He nodded slowly, then shook his head. "What would I do without you to keep my head on straight?" His smile was warm, and his affection heated her more than a flimsy jacket ever would.

She stuffed her hands inside the sleeves of her sweatshirt and wrapped one arm through his, keeping close to him as she led them off of the gazebo. "Come on, we'll have time for this later,"

"I hope you keep that promise," he smirked.

The walk to the stables took a solid ten minutes, and Zelda didn't speak once during this time. She tried not to show it, but she was absolutely freezing and wanted nothing more than to curl up beside a fire. Or inside it. Whatever worked. Kaepora Gaebora cocked his head as they neared him, and she heard the unmistakable whiney of Epona in the first stall.

"Kaepora Gaebora, what do you have to tell us?" Link called up to the old owl, whose head was spinning playfully.

"Whooooooo, Link, and Princess Zelda, it is a pleasure to see youuuuu," Gaebora who'd, and Zelda swore he was smiling like a newborn baby.

"It's nice to see you too, Mr. Gaebora," Zelda replied, stepping closer to where he was perched. "Do you have something to tell us?"

"Ahh, yes actually. You mustn't repeat this, so listen carefully. Are you ready?" They nodded. "Alright, Link, you are aware of the Hall of Secrets, yes?"

Link stiffened slightly. "Yes, I know where it is."

"Good. There is someone waiting for you both there, and I have been told that you are to visit them immediately. Seems as thoughhhh things are a bit out of order here, whoooo."

"You're positive it's the Hall of Secrets?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay," Link said, more to himself than Gaebora, "Okay, we're going! Thank you, Kaepora Gaebora!"

"Anytime," he chimed before lifting his wings. With a few large swoops, Gaebora was once again airborne and flying away from them.

Link grasped Zelda's hand and was pulling her along before she could ask her first question. "Come on Zel, we have to hurry. The Hall of Secrets can't be opened by just anyone. It has to be someone with a lot of magical power, and whoever it is can help us out a lot."

"But where are we going? Where is this Chamber of Secrets or whatever?" Zelda asked, holding her hood up as they ran back towards the school buildings.

"What? No, it's the Hall of Secrets. What do you think this is, Hogwarts?"

Zelda blushed and pouted. "Well excuse me for not knowing, Mr. Grumpy Pants."

Link smiled at her, wide and excited. "I've only ever been in the Hall of Secrets once in my entire life. Although, maybe more than once in my entire lifetimes."

"Bizarre," she muttered.

"I know. Here we are," he said as they rounded on the library building.

"The library is the Hall of Secrets?"

"Close," he said, pulling a thick key out of his pocket.

Zelda sighed but gave up asking him about the Cha- err, Hall of Secrets. "Guess I'll find out, huh?"

"Yep," he said, opening the heavy wood and glass doors, "Ladies first."

The library was dark and lonely when the gaslights weren't lit and Shad wasn't busy doing librarian duties. Link guided her towards the back room, where she had seen both him and Shad bustling in and out of almost constantly. "Okay, I am really confused right now."

He laughed and put a slender finger to his lips, shushing her. "Don't be too loud in the library, Zel."

The back room was your typical library office; a desk, some printers, an important looking bookshelf with numerous large novels and such, and filing cabinets. There was absolutely nothing unusual in the small room until Link knelt down and rolled up the thick rug placed decoratively in the center. Beneath it was one of those creepy basement doors that opened by pulling on an old, rusty chain. Link yanked the chain up, and with hardly any effort, opened the square shaped door.

He grinned at her like a little boy on his first trip to the candy store.

"Okay, yeah, ladies first does not apply here."

He shrugged and nearly threw himself onto the ladder leading beneath the office. "Suit yourself, babe. Just follow me."

Zelda hesitated, but followed closely behind her boyfriend. The ladder was long and made of polished wood, surprisingly nice for some place as rinky-dink as the basement tunnel she was climbing down. She heard Link jump lightly to the ground, and soon his hands were around her waist, plucking her delicately off of the ladder and setting her safely on the ground. The bottom floor was brightly lit and had a sea foam green tint to it, although Zelda didn't see any source of light. A short hallway led to a circular shaped door with magical runes and other symbols carved beautifully into it. Power seemed to radiate from whatever was behind the door.

"A long time ago, you could find the Hall of Secrets inside of an ancient guardian tree known as the Maku Tree. They say that this place is where the Maku Tree was located, but this is Hyrule, not Labrynna. All of the legends are mixed together and don't really make sense anymore, but what we do know for sure is that the Hall of Secrets is behind this door."

"Well, are you going to open it then?"

"I can't," he said simply, still grinning.

"What do you mean you can't? I thought we had stuff to do, people to meet! Why can't you-"

Just then, Zelda was interrupted by a low rumbling. She squeaked and jumped closer to Link, who wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "I can't open it, but whoever is waiting for us can."

The runes on the door flashed an electric blue, and the door rolled slowly to one side. Zelda gasped as she got her first glimpse inside the Hall of Secrets.

The floors and walls were smooth, and made of some sort of sparkling granite. The same greenish light emanated throughout the room, although now she saw that the light was coming from beautiful silver torches jutting out gracefully from the floors. Books lined the shelves all around the room, and in the center there was a sort of pedestal and podium where a thick leather-bound book lay open. A short, feminine, cloaked figure stood in front of the book, turning towards them as the door opened. Link, whose hand Zelda was still grasping, led them into the mystical room to meet the sorceress who was waiting for them.

"Madame, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but we've come to listen to what you have to say," Link said, approaching the pedestal but keeping a respectful distance.

The figure faced them now and Zelda's blue eyes met large green ones hidden beneath the robe. The figure lifted both of her slim hands brought her hood down, revealing a mass of curling, green pigtails.

Link's eyes widened and Zelda gasped in almost pleasant surprise. "Farore!"

I actually wrote half of this like a month and a half ago... but man, did it feel good to write again. I'm sorry for the wait, it probably won't happen again!

PLEASE REVIEW, IT MOTIVATES ME TO UPDATE!