Wow! Thank you for such positive and uplifting feedback. I'm glad you guys are interested in this story, and I can't wait to show you the direction I'm taking this!

This chapter is totally short, but it's only because the chapter break made the most sense where I put it. I could have continued on to a different scene, but the pacing would have stunk. So forgive me, and know that the regular chapters will be longer on average. Sometimes you just get stuck with a doozy :)

I hope you guys enjoy!

~Alyssa

o(OXO)o

Her first thought, however ridiculous it was, was that he was taller than she remembered.

Shaking hands with her brother the King, the Hero was bigger by a good few inches, and her brother was not a small man. Granted, it had been nearly six years since she had seen him last. He had been young, then—sixteen, perhaps seventeen? She couldn't remember—and he still had all the time in the world to grow.

Manhood suited him well. While he had never been unattractive, he had grown into himself in a way that corrected the awkward gripes of adolescence. His ears were no longer too big for his head. His jaw had become stronger and shadowed by scruff. He had even grown out his hair, taming the awful shag it had always been into a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck.

She could not have been gladder that he had rid himself of that awful hat.

"I trust your travels were safe," Dorian said as he gestured for him to enter the Great Hall, towards where she was standing.

"As safe as they can be," the Hero replied as he walked. "There's always a fool or two that tries to jump a man traveling alone."

"He's getting closer and I still don't smell the goats," a voice whispered in her ear.

"Diaval," she hissed in rebuke to the younger of her two brothers, elbowing him in the side.

He snickered. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Though he was her elder by four years, it was easy to forget sometimes.

The tips of Dorian's ears reddened as he fell into stride beside the Hero, clearly embarrassed. "I am…very sorry to hear that. If you have their descriptions, I'll send for the Captain of the Guard, and he can dispatch a few men to detain them at once."

"There's no need for that," the Hero said with a grin that transformed his face from a stiff and brooding young man into someone you wished you knew. "He can go and see them himself. They're still bound to my house, awaiting the King's justice."

Flabbergasted, Dorian's laugh echoed her own stunned thoughts. "This match seems better all the time."

They finally reached the group of them that was gathered.

"Allow me to present to you my wife, Helena; my brother, Diaval." He gestured to each of them in turn. The Hero bowed to the Queen and shook the Prince's hand. "And of course, you and my dear sister have met."

She extended her hand, but instead of kissing it, he grasped it tightly in his. His eyes flashed to hers, and though they were many inches higher than she was used to, they were still the same piercing blue whose scrutiny left her feeling bare.

She swallowed, a lump forming in her throat.

She could remember those eyes exactly copied into a lean and lithe wolf, its shimmering coat almost ethereal. Even then, she could sense the power, the intelligence behind those eyes. And, as she noted now as well, the distrust.

"Greetings, Hero," she said with as warm of a smile as she could manage. "You are very welcome here."

His answering smile seemed just as rehearsed. It was stiff, somehow…all wrong compared to the grin he had given Dorian just a minute before. "Thank you, Princess. It is…good to see you well. The years have treated you kindly."

"For you, as well."

It wasn't a lie. In addition to shooting up half a foot, he had filled out as well; the gangly teenager she knew had been erased and replaced with a striking man. Though he didn't have as much muscle as some of the patrolling guards did—and likely never would—his limbs exuded a kind of fluidity that sang out strength. And from what she could make out under his clothes…he was definitely…able-bodied.

She felt herself flush just as red as Dorian's ears, and she chided herself. What was she, some floozy teenage girl who swooned at any man that happened to pass her by? She was being absolutely ridiculous.

Thankfully, her brother decided to intercede at that moment, gesturing for them all to begin towards the dining hall for lunch. It would be a private affair now, though a grand feast was being prepared as they spoke to welcome the Hero to the capital.

She dreaded it. Large affairs left her drained, and such a feast as was planned could last well into the early morning. She would have to smile and dance and chat with the other ladies of the court, and there was no doubt that they would be picking at her for gossip that she didn't have about her elusive intended.

Exhausting, to be sure.

At least the food would be good.

Lunch was simple—every hand the kitchen had was working for that night—but filling. She could tell by the way the Hero's eyes lit up when he took a sip of the soup that it was something familiar. He made a joke about pumpkins and yetis that was lost on her, but she laughed anyway, not wanting to be rude, then responded with her own anecdote.

Was it her, or did he grimace when she spoke?

Suddenly frustrated, she turned to Helena, who was absent-mindedly picking at her peas.

"Are you ready for the party tonight?" she asked.

"Of course." Her very pregnant sister-in-law beamed, brought to attention at once. "Though it is relieving that none of the attention will be on me this time. I am not sure I could manage all the dancing with my little one tagging along." One of her hands found her swelling belly, and she rubbed it gently.

Helena was her opposite in so many ways—she was genuinely kind, for one. Having being raised as a merchant's daughter in Hylia City, it could be said that she was still adjusting to the life of finery that she had married into. She was humble and generous. She loved the big events and she was beloved by the people because of it. Fundamentally, she was just a happy person, and it was hard not to be caught up in her smiles.

At the same time, Zelda's situation now made it hard not to resent her.

Though she knew that her brother and Helena couldn't be happier together, she also knew the politics behind the match. He had looked hard until he found someone from the masses that he could love to appease the common people, and now that one of their own wore the crown, they couldn't be more pleased.

The nobles, on the other hand, weren't so impressed. In fact, many of them were offended that the new king had bypassed their eligible girls all together to marry someone so common. They were angry, and now it fell to Zelda to calm them down with a match of her own.

They wanted to see someone from among them by her side in line for the throne, and her brother had found the perfect one to do it. The Hero, the Hero. He had been elevated to his rank after the war, but never got involved enough in politics to be manipulative in the castle. No one saw him enough to be hated.

And so the crown would have one marriage from the common folk and another from the well-to-do. Everyone could be satisfied. Hyrule would be united again. At Zelda's expense.

Of course, she could never really hate the sweet girl that kept her brother smiling, and it wasn't really her fault anyway. If she wanted to blame someone, it would be Diaval, who refused to marry at all. Despite the fact that he had a string of lovers longer than the Zora river and was only the heir presumptive, there were no few noble girls who trailed after him like lovesick puppies. Several were wound around his fingers so tightly it was a miracle he hadn't just picked one yet to shut Dorian up.

But it would have been too easy, too conveniently the solution to all of Zelda's problems. And though Zelda knew he loved her unconditionally, he didn't love anyone more than himself. He wouldn't trade his freedom for hers. Honestly, she probably wouldn't either. But one of them needed to be responsible. When Dorian came to her, pleading for her to do this for him, for her country, she knew what she had to do.

Why not give her hand away for Hyrule, after all? It wasn't as if she'd ever get close enough to someone on her own to love.

"Zelda?"

She blinked, frowning as she realized she'd been caught drifting. "I'm sorry, I lost myself for a moment there. What?"

Helena smiled patiently. "I asked what you were wearing."

Clothes. Something easy. "I haven't given even a little bit of thought towards it," she said. "All week, the only thing I could think about was…was…"

"Him," Helena finished. "I know what you mean. Even with how well I got to know Dorian before we wed, everyone still called it an arranged marriage because of how quickly it happened. There were times that I was worried I didn't know who he truly was."

Zelda's eyes slid to the other end of the table, where Dorian and the Hero were engaged in a conversation about guard rotations, obviously paying no mind to her own discussion. Diaval, looking hopelessly bored, caught her gaze and mimicked tying a noose.

She grinned before turning back to her sister-in-law. "I don't think he likes me very much," she admitted, not daring to raise her voice above a whisper.

"He doesn't know you any better than you do him. How can he?"

Helena could be so level-headed sometimes. "I don't know. I just…he could be less outwardly hostile about it. He seems annoyed by me."

"No one could be annoyed by you once they know you, Zelda. Just give him a bit of time. This is just as sudden as it is for you. Perhaps it's just the idea of the arranged marriage that's making him cross. He can't have dreamed of this."

She resisted the urge to snort. "Yes, well, it wasn't exactly my first choice either."

"Who's the outwardly hostile one?" Helena rebuked gently.

Zelda had to concede her point. Maybe they were more alike that she originally thought.

They filled the rest of the hour speaking of the baby. The old nursery that was last used by Zelda was being cleaned out and refurbished in preparation, and Dorian had been commissioning little wooden swords even though there was no way of knowing it was a boy. Helena had laughed at that, saying that he was putting the cart in front of the horse as he always had a tendency to do, but Dorian had argued that he wanted any child of his to learn to fight regardless of their gender. Look how easily war had broken out in Hyrule just a few years before, he said, it could easily happen again. If Zelda had known how to fight, would she have been captured so easily?

Helena had agreed then. The potential heir of Hyrule couldn't be left defenseless.

The plates were soon cleared. Lunch was finished, but no one but Diaval made any move to leave. But then, no one really cared what Diaval did any longer. He did what he wanted and would laugh in the face of anyone who tried to stop him, manners be damned.

She felt a pang of envy, wishing that people extended her the same slack they gave him.

And so she sat and wait, toying with her napkin as she waited for Dorian and the Hero to finish talking so they could go. But they didn't. They had moved on to the obvious weaknesses in the guard rotation, the Hero explaining with animated hand motions about how he could easily exploit it. Dorian was engrossed.

Helena, who never got annoyed, was starting to look irritated.

Finally, for both of their sakes, she decided that it was now or never. She stood to go. It broke the lasting conversation that had continued at the head of the table.

Her brother looked confused. "Leaving already?"

Already? Goddesses, the food had been gone for a good half an hour!

"Unfortunately," she smiled apologetically as she pushed in her chair. "It will take ages to get my hair ready for tonight."

Dorian made a face. If there was one thing that led to zero questions asked, it was anything female. "By all means, then."

Victory. Truly, she didn't need to be anywhere for two, maybe three hours yet. She couldn't sneak away during the middle of the day, but perhaps she could squeeze in a nap, or a chapter of the book she had been working on. No one would be looking for her, and it would be glorious.

She was halfway to freedom when a voice stopped her.

"Princess, wait." The Hero stood and strode over to her side, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Would you mind walking with me before you go? We have a lot to discuss."

It was true, there was much to talk about, but she could happily save that for another day. Or never. That would be preferable.

"My hairdresser will have my head for waiting this long to go." She tried her hardest to sound sorry.

"You can blame me." The Hero smiled. He offered her his arm like a good gentleman.

She could hardly refuse him again, not in front of her family, and must have known it by the look on his face. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"All right." She took his arm, and off they went down the hall.

"Which way to your bedroom?" he asked as soon as they were alone.

She bit back a smirk. "You don't remember?"

"I've only broken into this castle two or three times." He didn't sound amused. "Pardon me for forgetting."

There it was again, the stiffness she had begun to convince herself she was imagining when she saw him talking with Dorian. She could not for the life of her understand these constant swings of his mood. All his aggravation was taken out on her.

"It was meant as a joke," she said quietly.

"Sorry." He bit out, wholly unapologetic.

Nayru, where was the smile that he had given her just a minute before?

"I'm on the sixth floor. The stairs are this way."

They walked in painful silence for a time, broken only by a direction as she led him through her home. He didn't look at her, and she didn't look at him. Fleetingly, she wondered if this was what the rest of her life would be like.

Finally she couldn't take it any longer.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

She saw his jaw tighten. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if searching for the words. After a moment, he found them. "This…arrangement. Was it your idea?"

"No." She shook her head. "My brother's."

This seemed to confuse him. "Why did you agree to it, then?" He sounded exasperated.

"Why did you?" She turned it around quickly, stunned at the sudden sharpness that tinged his tone. If he hated the idea of this so much, why didn't he just turn her brother down? He, unlike her, had a semblance of a choice.

His eyes grew hard. "I did not give my life to save this country to have it fall into the hands of an evil not so easily detected."

So he did understand how dire the political situation was, how corrupting the noble men of Hyrule were. They were like snakes, and she was glad that he would not easily fall into their trap.

"I suppose that means we have the same goal." It was a pity it made them both so clearly unhappy.

"Yes," the Hero agreed, "We're allies again. Only this time, the stakes are much higher."

She didn't see his point there. "Please. What are a few old politicians to Ganondorf?"

He frowned. "I don't know. At least during the war I knew who my enemy was. Here…it's very hard to be sure. There's no one around any longer to guard my back. If I don't watch myself, I'll end up with a knife through it."

Smart and self-aware and capable of comprehending the stakes. She couldn't have asked for a better partner, a better ally, as he said. Still, why couldn't she shake this feeling of unease?

"Wise words," she complimented. "You are very well-spoken."

"I read." His tone was more corroding than acid. "I also bathe, should that come as a surprise to you or your brother."

She felt her face turn beet red, mortified at once. Words flew around in her head, and she helplessly struggled to find the right ones to say, but before she could, he offered her a grim smile.

"Before we wed, you should know that I have exceptional hearing." He released her hand then, offering her a bow. "I am an admirable actor, as well. Let us hope for both of our sakes that you are as well, or I don't think that this arrangement will succeed as we all wish."

And without another word, he turned on his heel and started back down the hall the way they came.

Oh no, my poor babies. This is hard to write.

The complexity of TP!Link is something that I've thought about a lot, and all lines point to him feeling some kind of bitterness towards Zelda. More on why in later chapters, but it has a lot to do with Midna, who won't be appearing but will certainly be playing a role.

Leave a word, please! I'm so happy that so many of you are interested, and I hope I'm living up to your expectations!

Until next time!