"There is... more?" Lincoln crossed his arms over his chest as he walked with the Princess side by side through the garden. The flowers and stars melted into a beautiful atmosphere under the bright moonlight but there was a chill in the air that did not settle right with the boy. He surmised it was because of the Ganondorf's icy words... and something to do with what he was about to hear.

Zelda pressed her lips together and nodded, softly. "Yes... but, Link, you must promise me that you will not speak of this to a soul. No one." Her violet eyes held his and her heart drummed in her chest with dangerous speed. "We are to be... family soon and-." Her pale hands rose to where she could feel her fear and hope beat. "Family is precious to me."

"You have my word." Lincoln's voice was serious as he spoke an oath few men uttered in their life. "By the Three and Hylia's Grave."

Navi brushed her fingers through her blue hair and fought the urge to break through the tense situation. She remained silent and settled to watching Impa's shadow dance after the children as they walked.

"Hylia? Your family still swears to Her?" Zelda's eyes lit up but, before Link could answer, Impa's blood red eyes shoulder the girl's curiosity away. "Bu-But, o-on to the point..."

"The Hudsons have a small shrine dedicated to Her and few other minor Gods." Navi smirked, hand cupping her cheek as she leaned forward on her knees. She was cradled in Link's crossed arms at that moment though she never stayed in one place for long. "He also enjoys reading all the Legend he can..."

"That is something we have in common..." Zelda blushed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "So, now, let me share my favorite Legend of all." Her fingers bunched into the silk softness of her gown and lifted it up as she stepped up to the cresecent pond that surround the whole Courtyard. "The Legend of Creation has been passed through many generations of the Royal Family... and although the Crown has changed hands, this story has never faltered." Her tiny heels slipped off of her feet and where kicked to the side as the Princess sat down to deep her pale toes in the cold water. "The Goddesses, immortal and everlasting, where alone in the Begining of All Things... and so Din created the Earth for them to live for They tired of traveling the cosmos."

Link sat next to the girl, carefully listening to her story, and leaned back on his hands. "I know the begining, Zelda.."

She blushed, brightly, then. "I... am not good at telling stories." Zelda bit her bottom lip and laughed, softly. "So I always have to tell them from the start."

"Please, continue then."

The Princess of Hyrule gave a short nod and smiled. "But They grew lonely and sick of just speaking to one another. Farore, our Green Mother, then loved a Star and gave birth to new Gods... Her Highness, Hylia, amoung them, but Din and Nayru could not have children and this grieved Their hearts so that nothing Farore did would ease Their pain." Ripples spread across the water where Zelda kicked her feet and Link found himself watching the little waves as her voice rose over the garden. "The Sun went to Farore and told Her that he could give Her as many sons and daughters as She wanted but only if he could be the first to kiss their face each morning and before they went to bed. The Green Goddess agreed to this and brought the First Men to Her Sisters on Earth... from which we all descend. For a long time, the Goddesses where happy and watched Man thrive."

Navi smiled at the familiarity of the story, more in depth than what she was used to, and closed her eyes to enjoy it.

"Ah, but Nayru noticed something troubling. Her adopted children were jealous creatures, full of savage emotion, and Nayru saw rape, murder, thieves, and hatred... and in rage, She flew across the sky and, such was the power of Her Law, it stained the blue of Her skin. Nayru brought order, peace, and justice; Din taught Men honor, passion, and skill; and Farore gifted us with knowledge of medicine to fight Death, a plethora of animals to do with as we pleased, and forests to shade us for when Father Sun's love burned to bright... the Goddesses were happy for the first time in all Their exsistence but sought a long sleep. The God named Death, Farore's first son, told Them he had built a hall where his Mothers could rest... and where all Men will go when they too find final peace." Zelda took a deep breath and shuddered at a brief memory of her dying Mother, the Queen. This part of the story always reminded her of that time. The Princess withdrew her feet from the moat and continued, softly. "The Goddesses praised Death for his idea and soon readied Themselves for well deserved rest. They bid farewell to Their children and shot to the skies in a golden rays of light... Light that fell to the ground where the Goddesses had departed... Light that formed the Sacred Power. The Triforce."

Those two words rung above the children, the Fae, and the Shiekah but Zelda did not wait long before she resumed the Legend, again.

"The whole World felt the loss of the Three and it was not until the lower Goddess, Hylia, discovered the Triforce that the earth smiled again. Hylia ordered a temple to be built... a sacred place to hid away the Triforce so that no man may obtain it unless he is worthy..." Zelda glanced over at the Lordling next to her and she smiled, slyly. "That place is The Temple of Time."

"Wha- You mean... The..." Link's eyes bulged in his sockets as he gapped at the Princess. "The Temple of Time?! I passed that place on the way here!" He turned to Navi and she merely smirked at him. "You knew!"

Navi rolled her eyes. "Of course, I knew." She laughed. "Faeries were born from the excess of magick left over from the Goddess' essence... well, what was left after the Triforce. We are almost intune to it." She beamed at him then as if this he should have known this information. It made him want to hit her... which he did not do merely because Zelda was present.

"If the Triforce... is at the Temple... then why has no one claimed it?" Link frowned, the question dawning on him as Impa stepped from the shadows and walked toward them.

"It is protected by a large door; The Door of Time." Zelda's eyes glided to Impa's form but returned to Link's face. "You see, the Triforce is not on this physical plane. It is secured away in the Sacred Realm... which is the exact spot the Triforce touched down... it warped the world there with its power and it is, virtually, a heaven of sorts... The Door will not open for just anyone. There are keys..."

"The Spiritual Stones." Link fingered at the Kokiri Emerald in his pocket and, suddenly, felt how very heavy its burden was.

"You catch on quick, Link." Zelda smiled, brilliantly, at him but turned to her guardian when Impa finally arrived at her side. "Yes?"

"If I do not get you and Lincoln to bed then the Court will start to flicker their tongues." Impa's face snarled at the word 'court' which neither Link nor Zelda could blame her for. "If you do not finish the tale by the time we leave the Courtyard then you will finish it tomorrow."

Zelda, understand she had no other option, stood and held out her hand for Link but blushed when she realized that this was not proper for a lady. To her surprise, he allowed her to help pull him up. "I hope I did not offend you..." She blushed, ignoring the look the Shiekah was giving her for not rushing through the rest of the Legend.

Link smirked, finding her blush looked pretty on her. "You did not." He blushed himself when she blushed deeper. He squeezed her hand, softly, before letting it drop and speaking, again. "How do you open the Door of Time, Zelda?"

"The Spiritual Stones are one part of the key... they are the symbols that the other Races trust the man or woman to enter the Door to retrieve the Triforce... where..." She took a deep breath and exhaled, quickly. "The Royal Family, and by association the Hylians, have the Ocarina of Time to show they give their permission as well."

Link frowned then. "Has... he approached the King about the Ocarina?"

Zelda winked at the Lordling then. "Father does not have the Ocarina..."

Navi burst out with a glee filled 'whoop'. "That's genius!"

"I thought so too!" Zelda's face lit up with pride. "The Ocarina is one of my family's most prized possession and it took some before my Father entrusted it to me... but now Ganondorf shall never get it!" As soon as the joy had come, sadness engulfed the lovely girl's expression. "I wish I could say the same for the Spiritual Stones... the other two are protected by the Goron and Zora but... they have been silent. We have heard no word from either of our allies."

Silence followed their footsteps as the children dwelled on the dark thoughts Zelda's revelation had created in their minds. The entrance into the Castle loomed ahead... and, suddenly, the answer to their predicament came to Link.

"I will go and retrieve them."

Zelda stopped in her tracks and stared, wide eyed, at the boy. "Wh-What?"

"WHAT?!" Navi exclaimed, her blue glow turning several different colors at once.

Link dodge around his partner and took Zelda's hand in his then spoke with a voice that hit harder than King Edric's Megaton Hammer. "I will go and get the rest of the Stones." His heart beat louder than war drums but something... felt right about it. "I believe you, Zelda, and I want to h-"

Her lips were soft against his.

It was a quick kiss, lighter than a bird's feather, but... it ignited something in that moment that left the boy breathless.

His face burned and somewhere behind him Navi was flickering the colors of the rainbow. Impa just rose a brow... but all Link cared about in that moment were the tears streaming down the face of Princess Zelda. She was crying out of joy.

"I will protect the Ocarina within every facet of my power... by the Three and Hylia's grave." Zelda wiped away the crystal rivers pouring down her cheeks. "I should not have kissed you but you-"

"D-Don't apologize." Link swallowed and smiled. "I..." Both children just beamed at one another.

Impa cleared her throat. "Children... we need to go. Now."

Link held out his hand and was pleased when Zelda took it. Navi landed on where their hands were woven together and sat there. "Well... this is going to be fun to explain to your Father."

A/N: Guys, I am soooo sorry this took so long to post. I was trying to make Zelda's story as least confusing as possible... I hope I accomplished that. Plus, I am trying to plot out the next few chapters to make sure everything lines up like how I need it too. :) I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll try and get the next one done as soon as possible...

If you'd like two read two little one-shots that I wrote for Joanna and Brienne then you can find them here:

gallery/#/d5kc107 - Joanna

gallery/#/d5kc1ty - Brienne

I think there are a few stories that I haven't put on but I am not sure. :)

Much love,

Queaky

Nintendo owns... :C