Chapter Nineteen

Why was he always called to these meetings?

They were not exactly meetings, either, but more like pointless appointments where even more pointless politics were discussed. He would never understand a single word that the Hylian legislatures spoke, and neither did he seem to care...or even matter. He was, after all, a Prince Consort, as he was constantly reminded.

Link recalled another time he had been inside Impa's political chambers, when he was alone with the woman as she laid out the king's decree of punishment for him. That seemed to be a more delightful time than this.

It took him all the strength he could muster not to lean tiredly against the table, elbows and all.

Like his precious, future queen non-consort wife, Zelda.

She had shifted her gaze to Link, her back almost in a perfect horizontal line, resting lazily on the glossy surface of the table. A crafted smile curved her lips.

"Carry me to your chambers after this so I may ravish you."

Link chuckled.

"Sir Link!"

The boy nearly leaped out of his seat, as the room suddenly grew very silent, compared to the rather loud bustle of voices that had captured the area a mere moment ago. At a farther end of the table, Impa glared menacingly, tapping her fingers against the wood with agitation.

"What, may I presume, is so amusing to you, that you must interrupt a very vital discussion?"

At the beginning of his new residence at the castle, Link had paid heed to the lady's every word. Yet currently, he had gotten used to her presence and strictness, and he could only smile at her now, keeping his painfully perfect posture.

"Nothing, my lady. I am just anxious for this meeting to end so that I may take the princess and ravish her."

Without hesitation, Zelda sat up in her seat, grasping the edge of the table desperately, unable to contain her ferocious laughter. And also immediately regretting the words he had just spoken, and also rather relishing in them, Link smirked nervously. Very nervously.

Why hadn't the silence fled yet? Did these men and women not have a sense of humor? The princess thought it was funny.

But, most apparently, Impa did not.

"Do we need to have another personal conference with the king?"

Zelda's laughter continued to overpower the older woman's voice, and abruptly Link smacked his wife's thigh, which allowed her to cease instantaneously.

"Oh, of course not," he spoke, quite muffled through his massive grin.

"Now, if you will please behave yourself so that we may resume-"

Impa was cut off by the clamor of several speedy knocks to her door. Her index finger had been extended amidst her lecture and scolding towards the young prince, yet her hands went swiftly towards her lap, heaving a sigh.

Sharply turning her neck, she eyed one of the guards accordingly. "Answer that."

Nodding fervently, the armored man adhered to her command, gracefully taking the handle of the door and pulling it opened.

There stood a young maiden, one of the princess's.

However, the lower half of her body had been veiled from the height of the table blocking everyone's view of the mysterious woman. Timidly, she walked further inside, now revealing a small little girl holding her hand, a curly, girlish smile on her small, round face.

"The princess wishes to be with her parents."

Curiously, the child scanned the spacious room, and when she noticed the young royal couple seated beside each other, her vivid visage beamed.

With a high-pitched giggle fleeing her mouth, she pulled away from the maiden's grasp, running towards a graciously smiling Link, as he extended his arms out for her, and she ran happily into his embrace.

"Daddy!"

Nuzzling her blonde head against his chest, Link had lifted the tiny girl up, allowing her to sit on his lap, while she affectionately cuddled him.

Placing a kiss at the top of her head, he hugged her against him, smiling at the pleased sigh emitted from her mouth.

"Zellie, you little minx. I thought we told you to behave yourself for a few minutes...or hours."

At the sight of father and daughter, Zelda smiled, extending her arm to caress the little girl's hand.

"Aw, Link, she is only a child. How do you expect a little girl of three years to act?"

For a minute, they went back and forth, as Impa and the other legislatures sat at the table dumbfounded, all staring blankly at the couple.

Sighing, Impa smacked her palm against her forehead. "This is going to be a long meeting."

"Daddy, I'm hungry."

"We'll take care of that in a minute."

"But, Daddy, I'm hungry."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you made the nurse bring you here."

"Okay, Daddy. I'm sorry."

Link couldn't help but smile sheepishly at the adorable bundle in his arms, yet trying his hardest to keep her as silent as he could. But the three year old seemed to have a lot on her mind. She remained quiet for only a brief moment.

"Daddy, why do you and Mommy look the same?"

For some reason, he flinched at that. "We don't look the same, Zellie."

"Yes you do. You both have yellow hair."

"Well, that doesn't mean we look the same."

"Oh. Okay."

The small princess was seated on his lap, solely on his left knee, as Link had began to bounce his leg gently, hoping to amuse her. Again, she was silent. Briefly.

"Daddy, why do me and Mommy have the same name?"

"Because it is tradition to name every Hylian princess Zelda."

"...So why do you call me Zellie all the time?"

"Because you are cuter."

And as Zelda had seemed completely oblivious to the side conversation, her eyes had turned away from Impa (whose lips were moving, but nothing sensible emerging) and glared coldly towards him. Yet, Link and the little girl smiled at her reaction.

"See? I told you you're cuter."

His smirk did not lost too long, as he soon felt the heel of his wife's shoe stab fiercely at his foot. And again...the smaller Zelda succeeded to talking.

"Daddy," she began once more in a soft, whimpering tone, tugging at the collar of his doublet, "can you kiss me?"

Ultimately, his heart warmed at the pout of the little girl's lip, and as she puckered, he planted a quick kiss at her mouth.

"Okay, Daddy. Close your eyes now so I could kiss you. And no peeking."

Though it was a strange game, he respected his daughter's request, gently closing his eyes and waiting. He knew something was wrong when he felt a sudden loss from weight on his lap.

When he lifted his eyes lids, he saw that she had scurried off of him.

"Damn the goddesses..."

Hearing her husbands silent curse, Zelda focused her dull attention towards him, lifting a perfectly plucked brow as she witnessed him begin to hastily look about his seat.

"Where's our daughter?"

He flinched. "She bamboozled me."

"Well, get up as discreetly as you can and find her before Impa realizes she's running about."

Nervously, the young prince gulped, carefully rising from his seat, and only garnering a couple of awkward glances as he snuck underneath the table. He could have sworn he heard the little girl's giggles.

Yet, as he crawled on his hands and knees, she was nowhere in sight. Reaching for the ends of Zelda's long, poofy dress, he pulled on the fabric arduously.

The nineteen year old princess slightly jumped up at the jolt of the tug, kicking her leg slightly to remove him from her. However, when that did not seem to gather her complete attention, he lifted her skirts and dove underneath her dress.

After a good moment, Zelda squirmed in her seat, a flush to her cheeks.

"Link...I don't think you'll find her there."

There was an eerie sternness to her voice, as she managed to maintain a hushed tone, trying to force her knees back together, as Link had so scandalously pried them apart and ran his mouth along her inner thigh. She could feel him smile. With a huff, she kicked him aggressively.

And he landed on him bum painfully, hitting his head at the roof of the table, bumping into several legs and skirts of other legislatures.

Impa immediately took heed.

Before he knew it, the fuming Sheikan poked her head underneath the table, and scowled upon seeing the struggling prince. Bashfully, he smiled.

"What are you doing?"

Sheepishly, Link hesitated to respond, quickly smoothing over the skirts of the princess, as it appeared obvious that he had lifted them. This only seemed to make the woman more enraged.

"I was...looking for the little princess."

"She just had one of the guards open the door for her to leave the room."

At her words, Link gasped, swiftly lifting himself to stand, yet hitting his head at the roof once again. With a squinted eye, he tenderly rubbed the abused area.

"Now I suggest you get up from under there, your majesty, and go tend to the princess."

He opened his mouth to speak, but perhaps Impa sensed his cleverness.

"The younger princess."

Rather briskly, he scrambled out from the cramped darkness, gathering many bleak stares from the political group as he scurried towards the door.

Of course, the boy managed to blow his princess one final kiss before fleeing the scene.

Now where could that child have run off to? The halls of the castle were swarmed with servants, maids, and guards, with no sign of the little Zelda.

Frantically, Link ran up to one of the passing maids, taking the lady by surprise, a prominent expression of panic in his face.

"What is it, your majesty?"

"Have you seen the princess?" he asked, then lowering his erect palm to signify the girl's short height. "My daughter?"

"Why, yes, of course. I believe I saw a servant escorting her to the King's chambers."

With a grunt, he smacked his hand against his forehead, dismissing the maiden. How had she convinced a servant to take her to the King? Usually the staff were much more strict regarding those matters. However, the little princess knew very well how to coax, and the clever girl of three years seemed to always get what she pleased.

Hurriedly, Link sprinted towards the king's chambers, yet did not discover the need to step inside. He had found little Zelda. And she appeared to have made a new friend.

"My name is Zelda. I'm a princess. The dresses I have to wear are really itchy, though. I have the same name as my mom, but my daddy likes to call me Zellie, because he says I'm cuter than my mommy. But I think my mommy is really pretty. I told my daddy that he and my mommy look alike because they both have yellow hair, but my daddy said that that doesn't mean they look alike. I have yellow hair too. I think I look like my mommy and daddy. Hey, you don't have yellow hair. Your hair looks red. I like red hair. I think it's pretty. Hi, I'm Zellie. What's your name?"

Goddesses, could that child talk for ages. And the moment Link witnessed the victim of her endless chat, his body numbed and froze at the sight.

The older woman appeared to be amused, a pleasant smile on her equally pleasant face, bending her knees to meet the small child's gaze, nodding along to every word she spoke. With one hand she held a hefty brown sack, while with the other, she moved strands of red hair away from her face.

"Why, hello, your majesty," she giggled. "I'm Malon."

Should he have taken a step closer? He felt like an idiot right now.

Zellie, however, seemed to delight in the revealing.

"Wow! That's a pretty name! I wish my name was Malon. I have the same name as my mommy. Zelda. And my daddy's name is Link. Aunt Impa calls him Sir Link sometimes, or Prince. And sometimes when no one else is around, she calls him a moronic consort."

He knew he had to step in now.

"Zellie!"

Sneaking up behind the girl, Link dropped his palms on her shoulders, and she jumped back instantly. Spinning around, she saw the face of her father staring down at her, and a pout came to her lip.

"Hi, Daddy. Sorry I left. But it was really boring."

Then, she turned back around to face the intrigued redhead before them.

"This is Malon. She's my new best friend."

And as the young lady carefully rose, their eyes locked, and a tremor came over his body.

She looked exactly the same. Nothing had changed about her. Not the gleam in her eyes, or the curve of her lips, the wave of her hair. She was still as charming and beautiful as he remembered.

Except now, however, she appeared uncannily serene.

Respectably, she bowed before him. "It is a pleasure, your majesty."

His knees growing weak from anxiousness, Link nodded in reply. "Hello...Malon. How...do you do?" He was at a complete loss for words, as his throat was beginning to get sore, a slight crack to his voice.

"I am well, your highness," she replied, a little more stiffly. "I came to deliver the milk to the king on behalf of my father."

Again, he felt awkward. "Oh, is he...alright?"

"Of course. He was not feeling well today, so I am delivering on his behalf."

Link paused. "I...I have run into him a sparse amount of times...and I had told him to tell you of my...apologies and...um, greetings."

To his bewilderment, the young woman smiled, readjusting the sack over her shoulder. "And he has delivered those messages."

"And...the letters?"

"Yes. I received your letters."

This was it. He knew it now. He needed to apologize directly to the young woman, his former beau. As he had grown and matured over the years -as a father, husband, and person of royalty- he saw that it was the appropriate time to give Malon his deepest of apologies, for breaking her heart, and for acting so foolishly. Extending his index finger, Link parted his lips to speak.

"Wow, Malon. I like your ring. My mommy and daddy have rings like that."

Before he could utter a word, an amazed Zellie had marveled at the farm owner's daughter, reaching up to take her left hand and examine it with interest.

Lifting a curious brow, Link took a moment to examine the gold band on Malon's ring finger, slowly raising his gaze to stare at her directly.

"You've...you've married?"

Now she smiled vividly, revealing her lovely white teeth, a slight flutter to her lashes. "Yes. I have. Less than a year ago."

He needed several moments to allow this information to process in his mind, as he scratched at his forehead, flabbergasted.

"Why...congratulations." Slowly, a smile curved on his lips. "In all my sincerity, congratulations."

Again, she bowed. "Thank you, your majesty."

"Please, don't," he signaled her, chuckling. "I'm a consort, not the king. And, believe me, I am reminded of that everyday."

"Alright then," she spoke, bowing again, a little more sarcastically now, as she looked at his eyes tauntingly. "Thank you, fairy boy."

Broadly, he smiled, taking a bow as well. "In high regards, Miss Malon."

Daintily, little Zelda curtseyed. "Miss Malon!"

The gazes of the two adults had met yet again, and before Link could speak all that was on his mind to her, the door to the king's ruling chambers abruptly opened, and there one of the servants stood at the entrance.

"The king is ready to accept the purchase from the Lon Lon Ranch."

Almost simultaneously, Link and Malon shifted their necks over to the bellowing servant, and a frown had immediately formed on the young man's lips. Zellie felt his grasp on her shoulders tighten.

With a sigh, the beautiful redhead returned her attention to Link, shrugging her shoulders to adjust the weight of the bag.

"Well, Prince of Hyrule. It was nice to finally see you again."

Briskly, he bit his lip. "The pleasure was all mine."

Before turning to leave, Malon took one final look towards the miniature princess, reaching out to take her tiny hand and shake it briefly.

"It was wonderful meeting you, your majesty."

Merrily, the child with the ample cheeks grinned, giggling gleefully in her high-pitched tone. "Bye Malon! Please come again!"

The farm girl shot Link an interesting glance, her expression neutral.

She then entered the king's chambers.

For a moment, Link stood there, staring after the young lady, a slight foreboding feeling overtaking him. He had not had the chance to directly apologize to her, yet, it seemed that despite the unfortunate timing, matters between them seemed to be a lot less stiff now.

It eased him to see her well.

And it intrigued him to see her married.

Looking down at his silly daughter, the young prince grinned, lifting the girl up into his arms. She squealed in delight, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck, nuzzling her cheek against him.

"That was fun, Daddy. Let's make more friends."

He could only chuckle, leading her away.

The knock at the door had woken him up, and not the beautiful blonde sleeping next to him.

He noticed Zelda squirm a little in her sleep, the noise bothering her a bit, but not enough to get her out of her bed. She had pulled the bed sheets closer to her neck, as Link removed his arm that had been rested in an embrace around her, scrummaging the floor for his robe to cover his nakedness.

Rubbing his eyes, he went to the door, pulling it open with a heave, and allowing his eyes to become adjusted to the sudden burst of color when he saw Impa standing before him.

She was holding a sniffling Zellie.

At the provocative sight of him, the woman blushed, clearing her throat and gently bouncing the child in her arms.

"I did not...expect for you to be in here."

Link chuckled, the act interrupted by a yawn. "I come here when I'm summoned. And the princess seems to need frequent council."

Wrinkling her nose towards him, Impa frowned. "Please don't sketch disturbing images into my mind before I go back to bed. The maidens brought your child to me because she woke up crying. It seems that she needs the aid of a parent."

"Daddy, I had a really bad dream."

With his lips curved upwards, Link pouted, happily extended his arms to accept the lonely little girl. She clung onto him desperately, her chin length blonde hair tickling his chin. Rocking his daughter soothingly, he spot Impa a smile.

"Thank you, my lady. Have a good night."

Oddly, the Sheikan seemed at ease with his words, briefly bowing respectably in her night clothing.

"Sweet dreams, your majesty."

Your majesty? He wasn't used to the term coming from her lips directed towards him. Could it have been that the woman was beginning to enjoy his quirky presence in the castle through the last three and a half years? Link could only grin at Zellie as he pushed the massive door closed with his back, smiling towards her.

"Do you want to go to sleep, or do you want me to tell you a story out on the balcony?"

The child beamed, clasping her hands together exuberantly. "A story!"

Gently, he hushed her, rubbing his nose lightly against hers. "We have to be quiet," he directed, "because your mother is sleeping."

Obediently, Zellie nodded, as Link silently walked to the entrance of the balcony, opening the glass of the window to get them outside.

A tender gust of wind swept through them as they stepped outside of the bedroom, blowing strands of their hair gently. A soft sigh had escaped the princess's mouth, her head resting against her father's strong shoulder, her eyes heavy, while Link stared put at the dark, serene horizon.

"Daddy...what story are you going to tell me?" she yawned.

Link paused for a moment. "About the legend of the three goddesses who created the Triforce."

"Daddy! That's not a story! That's a boring old legend!"

At her complaint, Link chuckled, nuzzling his face against the top of her head, running his fingers through her straight hair.

"Well, what if I told you it was real, and that I once had one of the pieces of the Triforce?"

Whatever tired appearance she had, it was completely gone now, as the little princess looked up at her father with a disbelieving expression. "You're lying! You never had the Triforce!"

"I did, in fact," he argued gently with a smirk. "But I lost it...when I traveled back in time."

Zellie gasped, covering her cheeks with her palms as her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"I am serious. Would you like to hear the story?"

Cheerfully, she nodded.

He then began to speak, formally telling her about the three mystical goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, but not too long into the tale, the little girl lost interest, now staring off towards the sky. She lingered in this matter for a moment, until her eyes suddenly widened immensely, the bright blue of her irises glimmering intensely.

A soft gasp fled her mouth as she pointed towards the starry sky. "Daddy, look!"

Stopping amidst his tale, Link's gaze followed his daughter's prominent finger, squinting his eyes at the target.

"What is it?"

"I see something! It's so bright!"

Tilting his head a bit, the young man attempted to carefully focus his gaze, and it took him a moment to concentrated on subject of his daughter's interest. A perplexed expression claimed his visage.

"Goddesses...what is that?"

The object could have been mistaken for a star at first, but slowly it appeared to come closer and closer, becoming an apparent, illuminating figure in the night's sky, glittering before them.

Link noticed several aspects of this entity, as it neared closer, fluttering daintily, sparkling in the moonlight.

An intense, fierce blue light radiated from the creature, and the flapping of its glistening wings became apparent.

Zellie clapped her hands happily, a giggle in her throat as she observed the spectacle. "It's a fairy! Wow!"

Link's reaction, however, was that of a man in shock, as a sudden numbness had captured his body, consuming him completely, causing his eyes to widen and his lips to part, every trace and ounce of color disappearing from his flesh.

"Goddesses," whispered the young prince. "It couldn't..."

For a while longer, the fairy fluttered in front of them, close enough for a visible spectacle, yet too far for any direct contact. The small blue creature seemed to dance in the gentle breezes of the winds, appearing radiant and beautiful, glittering wonderfully in the darkness.

Zellie watched in utter glee, a large smile implanted on her lips. Yet Link stared with a horror and bliss that could not be described. He didn't know whether to cry or remain still, scream or say nothing at all. He had waited ten years for this moment, for some sort of closure.

And in swivels against the wind, the fairy flew towards them, and the young princess marveled as the creature dived at her father, landing gracefully atop of his nose.

At that moment, the rest of the world seemed not to exist to him. He felt the tiny hands of the fairy embrace his flesh, and through narrowed eyes, he was able to soak in the features of her tiny face, a quaver taking over his body.

"Navi..." he breathed, and he noticed a smile to her.

Quickly, the shimmery lady pecked at his nose, kissing him swiftly before she began to ascend away from him once more, the soft sounds of her nymph like giggles haunting him as he witnessed her flip and glide against the winds, her bright wings flapping wondrously, as his mind was left bewildered, yet satisfied.

"Daddy, that was amazing," breathed the princess, cuddling against him as they watched the fairy fly away into the horizon, until they could no longer see her.

Exhaling deeply, Link felt a chill take over him, the tempo of his heart beat beginning to increase at the events that had just occurred.

At last, he felt his quest was complete. He had received his delicate closure, and no longer did he feel like that lost child who had been hopelessly searching for his companion for so many years.

She had found him, and perhaps had been searching for him all this time as well. But yet, maybe she always knew where he was, had been waiting for the right moment, for his right of passage, until she could at last unveil herself one final time, to give him the goodbye he had desperately yearned for a decade.

Glancing downwards at the little girl in his arms, Link smiled when he discovered that she had fallen asleep, a gentle rise and fall to her chest as a light pink blush claimed her cheeks. With an eased sigh, Link pressed his lips against her forehead, holding her against him more solidly, before turning back towards the glass window, as he and his daughter went back inside Zelda's bed chambers.

And in the distance of the night, of the peaceful darkness of Hyrule fields, her giggles echoed throughout the kingdom, her figure dancing against the wind, lighting the night, and easing his heart.

~The End~