Resurgence

by MTCicero

Darkness is awakening once again. While an elusive peace still hangs over Hyrule, slowly the shadows darken. Link is but 15 years old when the calamity threatens the land. Gifted though he may be, he knows nothing of the danger, or the part he is to play in the unraveling of the struggle of Light against Dark. Mortal peril, adulthood, young romance, grittiness await! Long project!

35. Chapter 34

Whoo, that was one tough chapter to make. It took many a re-write, but now I'm sufficiently pleased. It certainly took me long enough…but it was a lot of fun!

Lots of sweet, sugary stuff in this one! Hope I didn't go overboard… ;)

Enjoy!

Chapter 34

Zelda

Zelda's dreams that night were a spectacle of a thousand different impressions and emotions. Her mind replayed those last few minutes before sleep again and again, sometimes leaving out, sometimes embellishing certain details; a never-ending loop of sensations, showing her in fluctuating detail what had been… and telling her overly creative what could have been… A bittersweet cascade of recent memory, every perception the epitome of emotional honey, right up to the ending, which had been just sour enough to stop their mutual questing for the moment, yet had left the appetite for more sweetness all the more powerful.

She felt herself stir, felt sleep and her revolving dreams slowly give way to consciousness, which was in itself bittersweet. A part of her clung to the dream, didn't want to let go, wanted to keep this experience of closeness… But the threshold to wakefulness was eventually crossed and she awoke hot, sweaty and with her heart hammering like it had the night before. A tiny grin played around her lips and she even felt herself blush a bit. No wonder with those thoughts chasing through her head… the sweat could have come from the already sweltering heat, but, well, she knew it didn't… Zelda hung on to the last remnants of the intense situations that had dominated her sleep… just a few seconds more, she told herself. With closed eyes she could still feel the boundless excitement, the thrilling near-panic, the delicious contrast between the water's cold and Link's hot embrace. She could feel his lips kissing down her exposed neck, could feel his strong hands on her shoulders, then his fingers as they trailed up her leg and stopped so infuriatingly short of their goal… A tiny, tiny part of her almost wished he had ignored her first wordless call to stop, had continued just for a few more moments… maybe she would have changed her mind then? But she knew it was a pointless exercise to dwell on endless 'what if?'

Now that her sleeping mind had sufficiently dealt with the exciting part, (or insufficiently, depending on which part of her brain you could believe,) her waking brain insisted on reviewing the slightly bitter part afterwards.

Why had she stopped? This was still the central question and, annoyingly, sleep had not brought enlightenment. Had it just been a panicky reaction, born from fear of the logical next step? Or had there been an underlying reason, something that in this confusing moment had made sense? She couldn't answer that… still could not answer and it enraged her! It had been a beautiful moment, peaceful, natural… how many such moments could they expect to have as this crisis was ever nearing its apex? And she had ruined it! For both of them! And for a reason that she couldn't even begin to grasp!

'There doesn't necessarily have to be a reason… not in this…' a decidedly Link-sounding voice supplied helpfully.

…True, but I want one! Reasons are what let the world make sense! … so start making sense already, stupid world!

What had it been? Let's think of arguments that might have led my panicked brain to it's almost completely subconscious decision, no matter how stupid they are.

'Am I ashamed of my body? No. …well, alright, yes! But, I suspect, no more than most people. And…' Zelda felt her face grow hot. '… showing myself to Link… fully… the thought fills me with pleasant tingling… and nearly makes my heart explode...' She dwelt on that outrageously thrilling fantasy for a bit before wresting herself back to the far more complicated dilemma at hand.

'No distractions! Don't think of Link doing the same… I said don't!

Next question! Am I afraid of… the act?' Her stomach chose this moment to do some sort of painful contortion, accompanied by a rather undignified gurgling noise. 'You don't get a say in this! …so, demonstrably, yes… yes I am. But not… overly so, I don't think. It's like… holy hell, what can you possibly compare that with? …not much, and that's probably where the problem lies. I know how it works(, I think…), but I don't know what will happen, how it feels… I don't know what to expect… and that is always scary. Thankfully we live in a country and time where the act itself is not considered disreputable… even the priests of the Trinity would tell you that it's just one of Farore's gifts…

Am I afraid of the pain? Yes. I'd be an idiot if I weren't, right? But, well… the consensus is 'It's worth it', right?'

So what was it then? All three of her thoughts had been answered by 'yes but not much.' Another thought crossed her mind and her insides twisted uncomfortably.

'Am I… afraid of… him? Somehow?' She recalled him last night, let herself relive her feelings for him again. True, when he had grabbed her rump and carried her to the shore she had felt an almost animalistic hunger in him, had sensed the fiery lust in his kiss. And, Nayru help her… she blushed furiously… how much she had liked him like that… to think he got this way because of her… the thought, even now, excited her more than she could describe…

'…No. I believe I can answer that with a resounding No.' The realization relieved her considerably. But it still left the main question unanswered.

Had it simply been to fast? Had the flames of their desire carried them so quickly to new, undiscovered places that her brain couldn't follow? Had that scared her? It seemed like the most straightforward, the most obvious answer, which was why she had almost ignored it… that couldn't just be it, right? Could it truly be so… simple? …why not, actually? Was she looking for complexity in a place that could not be more grounded in simplicity?

It somehow felt right… wasn't the most elementary answer often the correct one? The ride had been too fast, she got scared and she applied the emergency break reflexively.

The more Zelda thought about it, the more confident she got in this conclusion. Simplistic, yes, but ultimately sufficient. And… it allowed the possibility that next time it might just work… Finally a pleasant, warm sensation engulfed her chest and stomach. "And when the next opportunity arises, we will try again. Until it works." Those had been his words. And now, she thought with a sheepish smile, she could maybe believe in them…

She rolled sleepily to her other side on her blanket. …something was missing… oh yeah! Another sweet little smile crept around her lips. How quickly she had gotten used to waking up next to him… Yesterday, though, they had apparently decided that, maybe, a little distance was in order when they had awkwardly gone to sleep.

Prudent, her rationality wisely thought. Moronic, her emotional side vehemently decided.

As stupid as it was, she already missed him. 'He is right there, you dolt, his mat is literally just on the other side of the campfire…' she scolded herself impatiently, but slightly amused at herself.

Finally, she opened her eyes. Morning… she saw the fascinating, always changing pattern of sunlight through the canopy of leaves on the ground before her, heard the gentle murmur of the nearby stream and the occasional high, lilting song of the Hyrule-merle… Apparently she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't perceived anything around her, not even really the stifling, humid heat that made breathing a chore. She remembered how much trouble she'd had yesterday with this insufferable heat, how it had seemed to cook her brain, and hoped that they would indeed spend the day in Ord… mostly spend the day not travelling…

A soft, barely audible sigh drew her attention to across the fire. She lay with her feet towards it, so she had to look past her toes to see him. Zelda froze for a moment. She was nude and so was he! Well, mostly… apart from their undergarments, naturally, but… apparently, when they had tiredly waddled back to their mats, they hadn't even thought of properly dressing again. Which on one hand was good, or she would have certainly sweated through it during the night… but on the other hand, well… they were nude!

Yes, they had, more or less, undressed in front of each other yesterday but… it had been dark then! Now she could see… everything! His muscular chest, his slim, but firm looking stomach and… oh dear goddess… the very obvious bulge in his shorts! She looked away, abashed… then glanced back, you know, just to make sure that she wasn't fretting over nothing, maybe she had seen something that wasn't there, could happen to the best of us, better be certain before I jump to any conclusions, wouldn't want to make a foolish mistake, you know how it is…

… no, that was definitely there! Her cheeks and ears turned very hot all of a sudden. A veritable storm of thoughts broke into her mind, most of them would probably cause her old governess to have a heart attack. Is that usual? Does that happen every morning? Does it have something to do with last night? Why can't I bloody look away? How does one sleep with that thing? Is that painful? Can that happen during the day also? Why can't I bloody look away?! How does that even work? How long does it last? Thank god I don't have to deal with that every morning! WHY CAN'T I BLOODY LOOK AWAY?! … what does it look like?…

'Good thing we decided for careful distance today' she thought wryly while her heart did some acrobatics. She swallowed and noticed that her fingers were tingling and fiddling around involuntarily, before she balled them to fists to stop that.

Okay, this wasn't fair. She couldn't just stare at him like that like some lecherous pervert! Especially when he was helpless like that! So. Look. A-. Way!

With super-hylian effort she wrenched her eyes off of Link's precarious undergarment-situation. Get it out of your mind! He'll probably wake up any second anyway, then the whole thing will calm down.

'You've felt it against your belly yesterday.' One of her inner voices supplied helpfully.

Okay, time for a cold bath! And quickly!

---

Zelda eased herself into the cool water as silently as she could. To her utmost surprise, the pond around her didn't immediately come to a boil… she had fully expected that to happen, so hot was her body… and her thoughts…

She had noticed Link stir as she had scrambled up, so he'd probably come look for her soon… which is why she still wore her undergarments. Taking them off would have been far too risky… She had, for a second, toyed with the idea, but… no.

She washed her face, moving her head as little as possible, so her hastily tied up hair wouldn't come undone. The cold water felt nice, just the right thing after such a humid night.

Today she would meet Link's family… she still remembered the last thing he had said yesterday… the part about her already belonging to it… it still sent pleasant shivers up and down her spine. It was almost silly how strongly she had felt about those few, simple words.

Part of his family… she had to smile at that. If someone else had told her those words, she'd probably have disregarded them as hasty, or even empty. Link knew her since June, now it was August… and there had been weeks where they hadn't seen each other… hardly enough time to build a meaningful enough relationship on to be talking about family. But… there was no doubt in her mind that he felt what he said. And there were even fewer doubts that she, truly, wanted to belong to this family of his. With every moment together, every little detail that she learned about him, this feeling got stronger.

Part of his family… Zelda hoped they would accept her… she didn't know, how exactly he thought of introducing her. Princess? Zelda? Girlfriend?

She felt a pang of nervousness. What if they didn't? What if the idea that the princess of Hyrule was their son's girlfriend was unacceptable to them? She had never succumbed to the naïve belief that all people of her country liked the royal family… Link himself was less than thrilled about the mere existence of nobility… What if his folks were the same, or had even stronger opinions? Or, also a possibility, what if they were actually scared of her? Mistrustful of her, a carefully polite, yet distanced meeting of false smiles and underlying fear…

Zelda had to swallow. An even worse thought had just crossed her mind. What if they simply didn't like her? If her status wasn't the problem, but she was? What would Link do if his family disapproved of her? Would he have to choose? By the Three, she didn't want that! What a dreadful thought…

"Err… are you decent, milady?" his voice blessedly yanked her back to reality. Though she took a while to understand what he had said from somewhere she hadn't been able to pinpoint. "Excuse me?"

"Will I survive it if I lay my eyes upon you as you currently are?" he asked in the most incomprehensible manner possible. Now, however, she understood and an impish smile crept on her lips.

"Isn't it worth the risk?" she sing-songed innocently.

There was a long silence during which she could almost feel him thinking rapidly. She grinned victoriously. This might have been the fastest she had ever made him speechless, which was in itself an accomplishment.

"You might get cold by the time I think of an answer…" he answered, accepting defeat with a low chuckle.

"No! Wait!" he then suddenly exclaimed. "I just thought of one!"

Accompanied by the rustling of leaves he emerged from a nearby bush, clothed, and eyed her sitting up to her neck in the water with a critical expression. "Hmmm…" he hmmm-ed while Zelda was both surprised at his sudden appearance and trying to predict what would come next.

"Nah. Not worth it at all." he grumbled sourly and turned away histrionically. Her initial slight embarrassment turned to surprised, playful indignation at that extraordinary cheek.

"You filthy, upstart! Parvenu! Arriviste!" she yell-giggled, stood up and launched great sprays of water at him with both hands, her shame forgotten. With a triumphant laugh he darted away to safety.

She glowered after him, vowing all sorts of revenge, while silently giggling to herself. She was relieved… now that she thought about it, she had subconsciously been afraid that things would be very awkward between them now, after their… near-experience. But, luckily, not much seemed to have changed…

She finished her so rudely interrupted bath, changed quickly into dry undergarments and dressed into her washed brown and white outfit. At some point, she really needed to acquire more clothes, other than her royal blue one with the coat-of-arms everywhere. She stalked imperiously back to the camp, where Link was already packing up their stuff. He turned to face her, probably expecting some swift retribution. Currently, though, she was much too ladylike to do any such petty action. That, of course, could change any second.

He cast her a half roguish, half apologetic little grin, like a little rascal who knows he was naughty. Her acted lordly demeanour almost crumbled right then and there at seeing that cute face. Almost.

"You just wait until I tell your good mother what a bad boy you have been!" she grumbled while pointing a threatening finger at him.

He just grinned all the wider. "She would nod sagely and agree wholeheartedly. I think she has given up trying to lead me to the path of virtue long ago." he chuckled and turned back to stowing both of their blankets. "And then, after this bonding process of finding a common enemy, you can probably proceed with tattling about me."

Zelda grinned while his back was turned. "We'll see who has more juicy stories to tell… come on, I'll do the rest. You go have a bath, or she'll think I don't take good care of her baby." she ordered and proceeded to finish packing up.

"…am I smelling again?" he asked, a tiny bit of adorable uncertainty in his voice. Hmm… be gracious or be malicious? Easy!

"It's either the horses or you, I can't tell." she explained while treating him to an extra sweet, sugary smile. His grin was decidedly lopsided and worried, so much so that she felt the need to bestow mercy. "I'm joking! …the horses have nothing on you!" she couldn't help but continue to tease. Apparently mercy was not on the menu today… Though she realized she needed to be careful. It seemed like this was something he was maybe a bit touchy about, though she had no idea why. Thankfully, he seemed to understand that she was just messing with him and his grin became more genuine. "So, this would not be the right moment to wrap you in a tight embrace, I take it?" he asked mischievously.

Zelda suddenly remembered how yesterday, when both of them had been drenched in sweat and he had picked her up, his scent had sent jolts of pleasurable lightning through her entire body… and while this memory certainly piqued her appetite, she also thought it a bad idea to give in to that right now… stopping might prove difficult…

Still… She stepped closer to him and, tiptoeing, gave him one quick peck on the lips, just to show him unmistakably that everything had been in jest. "Later…" she whispered softly, grabbed his shoulders and turned him around until he faced the pond and gave him a gentle push.

---

"How far away from Ord are we?" Zelda asked once they were both in the saddle.

"On horseback only three hours at max. We should definitely reach it before noon… which is good because I believe it will rain around that time." he answered while looking thoughtfully around to catch a glimpse at the sky.

"Oh?" she oh-ed, a little surprised. Link just nodded, still with that concentrated look.

"It's the humidity. I had feared it might come yesterday already, but since it didn't, it's very likely that we'll have a downpour at some point today."

"Huh… no sense in waiting then. Let's be off!" she prompted, trying to sound cheerful. She didn't want to be caught in the rain for one thing… but mostly she wanted to get the meeting with his family over with. Not because she considered it a bother, naturally, but because her nervous worries threatened to drive her insane if they continued for too much longer.

They started away, but before the little clearing with the peaceful pond glittering in the morning sun was swallowed by the forest once more, Zelda took a long last look over her shoulder. Somehow, Link had noticed and she felt his eyes on her. She gazed to him, riding right next to her, gazed to his strange kind-but-wistful smile.

"I'm going to miss that place…" she mumbled in a tiny voice and felt herself blush. His cheeks and ears too adopted a noticeable shade of pink and his smile turned to that wonderful playfulness that she loved so much. "We will stop here on the way back…" he promised softly, with just the tiniest hint of mischief in his voice that left so much room for fantasy. A room that her brain immediately tried to fill with images of last night…

Not now! she commanded herself vehemently and the fantasy stopped.

They rode in silence for a while, the sweltering heat already unbearable. Hopefully it does rain today, she thought. It can start right when we have a roof over our heads again… His parents' roof… Good goddess, what should she do? How should she act? What should she say?

'Act natural.' she answered her own question.

Great. Fine. And how exactly does one do that when you feel your heart hammering in your throat?

"Looks good, by the way…" he suddenly said, ripping her out of her introspection. Zelda's brow furrowed as she had no idea what he meant. He was still blushing… or again, now that he had given her a compliment. He read her expression of bemusement. "Your hair… up like that…" he specified, flushing even more.

Subconsciously she reached for the back of her head and found what he meant. "Oh… that…" she giggled. She had hastily pinned her hair up for her morning bath and had been so distracted that she had completely forgotten. The rushed way she had done it, it probably looked like a misshapen bird's nest. Maid Thella would probably throw a fit if she saw that. After a few precise movements her hair fell down again with a soft whoosh. Link actually made a soft sighing sound which made her look up again, eyebrow raised. He only now seemed to become aware of the noise he had made and looked almost shocked. Zelda snorted and had to laugh at the face he was making, and at the apparently involuntary sound of delight. He soon had to join in, thankfully. She loved how he was always ready to laugh at himself, which was yet another one of his qualities that set him apart from all those other noble-born youths she had known. 'Hopefully, I'm not so stuck up myself, without realizing it…' she thought to herself. 'Then again, he'd probably tell me if I was…'

The closer to Ord they got, the sparser the forest, but the higher the density of apple trees became. Link occasionally led Janna close to one and looked at the ripening fruits that already bent the branches considerably. He always did the same ritual: brush lovingly over a few branches, turn a couple of leaves over to inspect the underside and take one or two apples in hand.

She liked watching him during this. He had such a peaceful, absentminded smile on his handsome face as he caressed the plants. "It's funny…" he muttered, pulling her out of her reverie. "I was never much interested in the care of our trees… I always thought it a bit boring, if I'm honest. But now, returning here… after so much has changed in my life… I think I begin to understand…" he explained softly.

"Hm…" Zelda hummed in reply, expressing both a little amusement and a certain understanding. "Does your family have trees as well?" she asked to fill the silence which, she feared, would turn to melancholy if not stopped.

"A few, yes. The village elders would probably decide that you were a 'suspicious type' if you didn't keep any. You would stand out like a Zora afraid to get wet." he chuckled and she had to grin. Community pressure… she knew all about that.

"My mother keeps them, of course, because, you know, she's just not busy enough with raising three ungrateful children, being the village teacher, cooking, cleaning, have I mentioned ungrateful children? Father is fascinatingly handy with blacksmithing, but somehow I doubt he even knows what a plant is, other than 'it grows food'. He's a bit absentminded in some ways…" he giggled to himself again, still looking lost in thought himself as he stared at the apple in his hand. Zelda adored the way he described his folks, it betrayed so much deep, mutual love, such a happy childhood, even through the mocking complaints. He seemed to snap himself out of his trance and smiled at her almost apologetically. For a second she wanted to tell him not to stop, to keep talking, should he want to, but thought better of it. She didn't want to seem nosy…

He looked back to the tree. "Hmm… I think Ric's father wouldn't mind overly much…" he mumbled and without warning he jumped out of the saddle and hung from a branch like a monkey. Janna snorted a complaint and Zelda, slightly taken aback just stared at her knightly protector as he pulled himself up to a sitting position as if it were nothing. He stretched like a cat to reach a high bushel of the fist sized fruit. He twisted two of them off, held their stalks between his teeth, swung himself back down and gently let himself drop back onto his horse's back, which gave another nagging huff. Grinning like a thief who had just appropriated a particularly valuable bauble, he handed her one of his prizes. Smiling herself, she inspected it first. Almost entirely green, just one side had the first hints of yellow and red, firm to the touch and looking pristine. "Are they ripe yet?" she asked, knowing that this was probably a rather ignorant question in his ears.

"Not quite, but this strain is relatively early, so it's riper than most. And, well, I always preferred them still crisp and a bit sour, and not turned to mush." he explained. Then, looking a bit shy again, he added. "You don't have to, if you don't want to…"

Her answer was taking a modest bite and involuntarily wrinkling her nose a tiny bit at the fruit's tartness. It wasn't bad, not at all, just a bit unexpected. In the castle, they had often had apples in all forms and ways of preparation. They had always been about to go overripe, so she only really knew it very sweet and, as he had adequately put, as mush. This was very different, both in taste and consistency. Firm, so you could break off whole chunks with your teeth, the sweetness only just developing, but in a nice balance with fruity sourness. She liked it, but would have probably preferred it with a few more weeks to fully develop its flavour.

"Too sour?" Link asked with a certain smugness as he bit heartily into his own.

"A bit maybe but…" She took another bite. "No- oo mushh" she spoke as clearly as she could while chewing something that made her mouth contract.

He chuckled and leaned over very far in his saddle to give her a slightly shaky kiss on the lips, which rather surprised her. She made some slightly undignified squeak. "Allow me to swallow at least, before you assault me like that!" she giggled.

"Sorry. It just looked too delicious too resist." he canted with the most laughably innocent look on his face.

She raised an eyebrow at him as they spurred their horses to a walk. "You be careful, sausage knight! Or from now on I'll always chew on a clove of garlic first thing in the morning! We'll see how 'delicious' you find me then…" she grumbled in a mock huff. He gave a genuinely amused laugh. "If you think that this little ploy would prevent me from kissing you, my little dumpling, you might be thoroughly disappointed!" he breathed, as if letting her in on a juicy little secret.

"Disappointed is not the word I'd have chosen, I think…" she answered back, equally conspiratorially. They both had a good, slightly awkwardly blushing laugh.

A few minutes later they were comfortably trotting down a farm track. Ord was now clearly visible, they'd probably reach it in less than twenty minutes. Also visible were the dark grey clouds on the northern horizon… they looked like rain-clouds, if she was any judge. Hopefully they'd reach Link's home before the first drops fell…

However, the closer they got, the more nervous Zelda felt. By now even her mouth was dry and she felt her quick pulse in her throat.

Din's fire, I'm not meeting some foreign king here!

'No. You're meeting someone potentially far more important…' her increasingly annoying inner voice informed.

Link's mother sounded lovely, but also like someone whom you did not want to cross. But… how could she possibly not do that? The whole situation alone was enough to make the woman dislike her! Because of her, her beautiful boy had to brave dangers unknown to anyone alive! How the hell could Meera not feel anything but contempt?

Her insides twisted painfully at the horrible thought. The longer she thought about it, the more she just wanted to spur Celeste into a gallop and race away.

"Is everything alright, Zelda?" she heard his hesitant voice and looked at him. He was eyeing her, concern clearly visible in his expression. Suddenly self-conscious, she noticed how stiffly she was sitting in the saddle and saw how her knuckles had turned white from gripping the reins. Damn, what should she do? She could say that she didn't feel well… she could say that she shouldn't meet his family like this… but, of course, she realized these were all thoughts born from a mind in near-panic. She didn't want to hide this any more.

"No?" she joked with a hysterical sounding giggle. She was surprised how high and shaky her own voice sounded.

"Goddess, this is ridiculous!" she exclaimed and shook her head at her own silliness. "I have met lords, even kings before I was ten! I had to bear company to the queen of Strahm, who, everyone knows, truly leads her country while her husband is just a figure-head. I have orchestrated an exceedingly important trade agreement with Kirria just a few months back." she babbled, quickly and with dry lips. "And now I am so nervous at meeting your family that I nearly can't breathe!" she finished with a shuddering, squeaky voice.

"Aw, dumpling…"Link cooed compassionately and immediately led Janna to walk right next to her. He stroked her stiff, straight back with his left hand and gave her a sympathetic smile. "But why? If anyone needs to be nervous it's me! And, believe me, I am…" he chuckled softly.

"Well, what if they don't like me?" she asked, and even to her, it sounded pathetic.

"You cannot be serious, Zelda…" he chided her gently. "What could possibly make them not like you?" He sounded serious. She wanted to believe that he was serious, at least.

"I don't know! I can't think straight any more!" she whined and looked into his eyes, both embarrassed and seeking help.

He sighed and gazed back like you would at a child that was being silly. "Listen… you are the first girl I ever introduced to them." he began and instantly turned crimson… but he didn't let it stop him. "I promise, they'll be all over you, especially mother and Ria. And, you know, if you don't want to, we don't have to tell them who you are…"

"No…" she mumbled and shook her head. "I don't want you to lie for my sake."

"Thank you. I mean it. But what are you afraid of, then?" he asked, slightly relieved.

"I'm afraid of how they will react! My family is not universally liked! And… I want them to see past 'princess', past all this nonsense… I want them to see me! Not everyone can do that!" she explained and hoped that he would catch the veiled compliment she just gave him.

"They will. And I can tell you precisely why! Because you will simply act like you want to and not the way the princess might be expected to. They'll see this enchanting girl I'm seeing right now and no-one else!" he finished, turning from crimson to dark red, and she could feel that her own face followed suit.

"Idiot…" she mumbled, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, both shamefaced and profoundly flattered.

His hand, still caressing her back, travelled further up and massaged her neck lightly. "I mean it… the children will be crazy about you, I guarantee it. And with them on your side, plus a little help from yours truly, how could my parents resist?" he said and smiled reassuringly.

Slowly but surely, Zelda's heart calmed and her hands stopped shaking.

"I know it's dumb, but… I don't want you to have to justify yourself in front of your family on my behalf… I'd feel like such a… I don't even know what… a fiend…" she muttered.

"I agree, it's dumb!" he said jokingly, earning a pouty look from her. "You believe they might resent you because of our mission? You think they might blame you?" he asked, hitting the nail on the head as if he had read her mind. Maybe he actually could, she wasn't quite sure at times like these… right now, though, she was thankful that she didn't have to voice this worry which, now that he'd put it into words, really did sound a bit foolish.

Still, she nodded weakly. "You're their son… and you're in danger because you must protect me…" she muttered.

"This is my decision as well, you know. You didn't drag me here in chains, aiming to use me as bait for some creature. Remember when I explained my choice to you when we left Hyrule?" he asked, a noticeably impish undertone in his voice now.

Zelda grinned softly. "I do…" she whispered and blushed. "Would you explain it again? Just to make sure I have understood it?"

She could see him gift her this incredibly wonderful, bright, gentle smile of his that she adored to no end. His hand wandered slowly, almost hesitatingly, from her neck along her shoulder, over her arm to her hand where he interlocked his fingers with her. Simultaneously, they leaned towards each other. She closed her eyes, waiting for Link's soft, bold lips against hers. She wanted it, wanted to feel the fireworks in her brain and butterflies in her belly, wanted to borrow a bit of his confidence for this incredibly threatening moment that awaited her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they met and it was even sweeter than she had hoped… and she was hungrier than she'd have thought. She couldn't get enough of the feeling, his scent, the sound of his breathing… she realized how shallowly the fire of lust had been buried, and how easily they were reignited. Unthinking, she freed her hand from his and brought it up to let her fingers run through his hair. She gripped it gently, absolutely loving the feeling of the thin strands in her fist. His hand, now loosed from any bond, came to rest on her waist, just above her bottom, which added yet another little jolt of excitement to the growing cascade that threatened to go out of control very quickly. He moved a little strangely, she had to lean forward to keep the joining of their ever probing lips. Then, suddenly he broke off completely and she had to let go of his hair to not be pulled from the saddle. 'What in the world is he doing and why the hell is he stopping?!' she wondered, both relieved and irritated.

She opened her eyes and saw that Janna, his horse, had taken a few casual steps forward to graze, which left Link turning in his saddle, utterly confused for a second about where the sudden cleft between them came from. The second passed and he understood. They both, simultaneously, snorted in laughter and Link launched a tirade of expletives at his peacefully eating mount. "You utterly retarded, overdeveloped cow! I should process you to dog food for interrupting, you walking, constantly shitting sack of stupidity, how dare you? Oh! Are we disturbing your lunch Janna? Please to be forgiven, madam, for our profoundly rude behaviour! I would whack you over the head, you hairy slab of cheap meat, if I thought there was anything in there worth damaging! Gah!" he yelled in powerless wrath, being thoroughly ignored by his mare. Zelda was holding her stomach and couldn't stop laughing. The sight of her sausage knight jumping up and down like an angry gremlin and cursing his completely uncaring beast to hell and back was just too much. Oh, but it did her good to laugh. She couldn't say afterwards what had helped ease her nerves more, the kiss or its dramatic failure.

---

They had rounded the village to get to Link's house, which was a little outside towards the north. They had prudently decided to avoid the central plaza… even if nobody recognized her, a new face always draws attention… and a new face accompanying one of their own especially so. The comparatively large house was only a minute away now, surrounded by the ever present apple trees. They could already hear the rhythmic metallic clang of his father working the forge. Zelda remembered it… how could she not? The first time they had met… She had to smile and stifle a little giggle. With her in that maid's outfit, with that stupid little hat, looking for adventure outside of her normal boundaries… and she had certainly found it, with him as her guide. She remembered liking his looks quite a bit… that certainly hasn't changed… but she also remembered her, well, amazement at his kindness… and his quick wit… even then, on this first day, that had struck her as an irresistible combination…

"Everything still good?" he asked gently, smiling at her emphatically.

Zelda smiled back and nodded. Her nerves were still tingling, but now it was more in anticipation than useless worry. Still, a thousand possible situations raced through her mind… what they might say, how she should answer, in what way they'd react…

"It's so stupid, if you think about it. All my life I have been trained to meet people, be courteous, be the perfect host or guest. But it's all just been procedure… stand right there, wait for Lord Whatnot to ascend the steps, then greet him in those exact words while smiling in just the right degree of friendliness… This I can do… act. Can I actually meet people in a way that isn't terribly stilted? No. No I can not." she explained, shaking her head at the scurrility of court life and it's so called 'manners'.

Link allowed himself a quiet chuckle. "You sell yourself too short. The only reason you're thinking that way right now, is because you're thinking about it at all. If you happened to meet them on the street by coincidence, you wouldn't even think about what to do or say, it would come naturally. As it will now, I'm sure."

"Right…" she mumbled.

"Or do you…"

"LIIIIIIIINK!" a high, child's voice pierced the hot silence around them.

Both their heads whipped around to see a young girl of about 9 or 10 dash back inside the house.

"MOOOM! LINK'S BACK!" they heard her pervasive voice scream excitedly from inside.

Zelda had to grin at the sudden bustle and Link shot her a lopsided smile that seemed to say 'I hope you didn't expect a quiet entrance.'

They were only about 10 metres away from the entrance now and Link quickly jumped out of the saddle and bent down. Just in time! The little girl, who surely must be his sister Ria, shot back out of the house and basically rammed right into Link's outstretched arms, nearly knocking him over. She had her little arms tightly around his neck and he hugged her back with both his arms… Zelda's heart instantly melted, it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. After a second or so he effortlessly lifted her up as he stood and sat her on his hips, like you would a smaller child. "Someone missed me apparently!" he teased, such a genuinely joyful grin on his face that Zelda almost got jealous.

"No." Ria answered casually, effortlessly switching gears to nearly haughty offhandedness, as if it was just some odd happenstance that she had just smashed into him.

Link only grinned wider and turned towards the house again. "Hey, big guy! You kept the house nice and chaotic while I was gone?" he shouted towards the young boy that seemed to have just appeared out of thin air. He seemed torn for a second, she could see clearly on his face. On one hand, he itched to greet his brother and get in on the action, and on the other hand he was a big boy and aloofness needed too be observed at all times. But, naturally, he ended up sprinting towards Link with a delighted giggle anyway.

Link picked him up too and sat him on the other hip. They knocked their heads together, apparently their way of saying hello, and smiled at each other. "So! Chaos or no chaos?" he repeated his question.

"Yesterday I dropped a sack of flour in the kitchen and –fwoosh- it went everywhere!" he squealed excitedly, making a big circle with his arms.

"That was almost a week ago, dum-dum." Ria scoffed with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

"Who cares?" André junior glowered at her. "Mom was REEEAALLY angry!" he exulted, and this seemed to be the most juicy bit of information at the heart of the whole matter. "Nice!" her mischievous knight smirked. He turned all three of them around towards Zelda who was still sitting in the saddle, watching the scene and enjoying herself thoroughly. Now, suddenly, she was the focus of attention of six eyes, at least 4 of them very curious. She couldn't help but smile widely at the extremely cute sight of Link carrying his siblings, all three of them some shade of blonde, all three of them with big, bright, blue eyes and all three of them beautiful. Ria had the darkest hair, which formed gentle curls around her pretty face and fell all the way down to the small of her back. André seemed to be built a bit stockier than his brother, but was by no means chubby. Other than that, he would probably be as handsome as Link one day. Both children ogled her in that wonderfully shameless way of children.

"Now look whom your big brother has brought with him!" he grinned at her wryly, as if about to unleash the beasts upon her.

"Who is she?" Ria whispered in his ear, loudly enough for Zelda to hear.

"Who do you think she is?" he asked her back while André just kept staring at her with a mix of fascination and slight wariness on his cute face.

"Is she your girlfriend?" the girl 'whispered' again, giggling as if this was the juiciest question anyone had ever asked.

"What do you think?" he asked again, his gaze amusedly expectant.

She thought about that for a few seconds, studying Zelda once again, who felt quite naked under the girls intense scrutiny.

"No." she delivered judgement. "She is far too pretty."

Link had a genuine laugh, as if that was just the answer he had expected. "Very true, Ri-ri, very true." He shot a playful little smile at Zelda before turning around again just quick enough that the kids had to hold on not to topple over. She could see why he had turned… and hear it.

"That ungrateful brat, one single letter he sends me explaining absolutely nothing, when everyone knows there's been an attack, oh I should give you such a wallop for making me fret, GET DOWN THERE KIDS, I NEED TO HUG THIS HELLSPAWN! AND THEN SMACK HIM!" A short, resolute, 40-ish looking woman emerged out of the house and rumbled towards her son, looking as unstoppable as an avalanche. She was almost a head shorter than him, going slowly towards corpulence in her mid-life years. She immediately locked her boy into a crushing embrace, which he reciprocated. He nearly lifted her off too.

"My goddess, let me look at you!" she yelled, drawing back just a bit to do so. "Oh, you look so dashing, my love! Did you… oh!" she suddenly stopped when she spotted Zelda, who had finally chosen to dismount. Meera looked from her to her son and back a few times. With each second there were more questions clearly written on her expression. Not all of them pleasant, it seemed. Still, she showed enormous motherly restraint by releasing Link from her arms, just in case she was embarrassing him in front of his company. Zelda liked her already.

The woman showed a smug, eyebrow-raised grin… definitely familiar to one of Link's expressions. "Don't you want to introduce us to the young lady?" she purred, looking expectantly at her first-born with so much overt glee that Zelda had to smile.

"Right, where are my manners… erm…" he stuttered and she could see his ears turn bright pink.

"I've been wondering that for years…" Meera muttered, in a way that everybody could hear it. He turned to walk the few steps towards her and, with the most adorably trusting expression, offered his hand for her. Smiling herself, and feeling her own cheeks go warm, she laid her hand into his, so he could guide her the few paces back to his waiting family. It was such a sweet, considerate gesture that she felt she might melt right then and there. It also made everything between them perfectly clear without needing a single word.

Finally, she stood in front of the woman beaming excitedly at her with a contagious smile. "Mother, this is Zelda. Err…" he managed before trailing off. Whatever carefully laid out plans he might have had, they had apparently not survived the first contact with reality. She couldn't blame him… she had no idea how to break that bit of news to the woman either.

Meera's face turned to slight confusion at first, then she looked at her new guest's face once more, a bit closer. Her jaw fell open.

"Like the princess!" Ria exclaimed excitedly. Zelda looked at her little face and had to grin. "Are you?" André Jr. asked from her other side, his face an almost pained mix of boundless interest and careful indifference. Both their eyes reminded her so much of Link's, gorgeous as they were.

"No, silly, why would she be here? Why would the princess be with Link?" Ria sighed, as if there could be nothing dumber.

"Why not? Maybe she had enough of princess-ing!" the boy shot back.

Zelda had to giggle at that. Not too far off…

"Mother, you're staring. Where are your manners?" Link asked in mock sternness. Judging by his face he was clearly enjoying seeing her silenced like this.

The woman closed her mouth and looked back and forth between the two of them. "Is th… are you… would…" she stopped herself, closed her eyes, obviously trying to get her mouth to work again.

"Why don't you take our guest inside while I see to the horses? I expect you to be at your best behaviour!" he teased her. His insolence was apparently her lifeline back through the insanity and to the shores of sense.

"You know what you can expect from me, you snot-nosed runt! Beg your pardon milady…" she added with a slightly aghast look at Zelda, who vehemently shook her head. "Please, none of that. It's just Zelda." she clarified with an inviting smile

"Well, I… erm… may I offer you to step inside? I don't know what I can serve you, though…" the woman struggled.

"Anything will be wonderful as long as it's plated in solid gold. I assure you, I'm not hard to care for…" Zelda promised, hoping to all heavens that her winning smile would show that she was being completely serious in her self-mockery and not just polite.

Meera seemed to calm a bit and her own smile became considerably less hectically forced. "Well I'll be…" she chuckled breathlessly, still very much caught in disbelief.

"I'll be right with you, my dear, just... If you're pulling my leg here, I swear I am going to be mad like you've never seen before!" she hissed in Link's direction, but Zelda could see that she didn't really believe that she was being had.

He stifled a giggle and put his arm around his mother's shoulders. "I'm not. Not this time." he assured, almost wistfully. "We will explain everything, but for that, we need to sit down, believe me. Would you accommodate her?"

"What kind of question is that? Do you really believe I would even think of turning away your lady-friend, you dumb boy? Go! See to the horses, I won't embarrass you while you're gone, I promise. Go!" she ruffled through his hair and gently pushed him away.

"Right. I'll also go greet father on the way." he muttered as he got his beautiful mess back in 'order'.

"Oh that terrible man, where is he? How can he not come to greet you?" Meera huffed.

"He's washing, mother. So he doesn't bring half the smithy with him, as I remember you saying repeatedly?" he murmured patiently, barely managing not to roll his eyes.

"Yes yes, you go already. Come, my dear, I'll get you some lemon water to wash away the dust of the road! I was in the middle of preparing lunch, but I'm sure I'll find something for you, if you're hungry." she beckoned with a careful, but genuinely kind smile.

"Thank you, but please, don't let me keep you, if you're busy. Some water will be fine." Zelda assured her and let herself be ushered towards the entrance of the wooden house.

"Nonsense! Do you know what an earful I'd get from that boy if I didn't treat you properly? And rightly so, I'd say!" she pronounced with her chest seeming to swell with pride.

"So are you Link's girlfriend now?" Ria asked beside her. Both of them had fallen in step next to her and were still eyeing her with great interest. Zelda could almost feel Meera's ears perk up so she wouldn't miss a single detail of her answer. Talk about pressure!

"Yes. Yes I am." she replied with as much confidence as she could, and, despite herself, felt an exceedingly pleasant warmth spread in her chest.

"Why?" the girl wanted to know with a slightly doubtful expression.

Oh Nayru! Easy question! Terribly difficult question! Goodness, how do you answer that?!

"Because I like him." she found herself saying spontaneously, and had to grin at herself. Definitely not wisdom in the classical sense, but still… there's a certain wisdom in simplicity.

"Hmmm" Ria nodded sagely, as if it was all clear now. Well… maybe it really was, actually… "There's a boy I like, but he's dumb." she added conversationally.

Zelda stifled a laugh and bent down to whisper into the girl's ear. "Well, boys are a bit dumb." And Ria giggled furtively into her hands and looked at her conspiratorially.

They passed through a small vestibule into what appeared to be the main room of the house. It had the dining table, a small area with a neat looking ensemble of sofas and a small table in the middle and still enough space for children to scuttle about. Meera's kitchen was half hidden in a nook at the back wall. It looked unpretentious, well lived-in, but orderly and well designed. And it was cosy, a place that seemed to actively invite you to put your feet up and forget about the world after a long day… something Zelda rarely saw in her world, where every rug, chair, table, even the floor had to be so ludicrously luxurious that you were afraid to touch it.

"I, well, I hesitate to tell you make yourself at home because, well, it's not…" Meera said, cordially but insecure as well.

"Madam, I promise you, I would infinitely prefer even a dusty wooden box covered with cobwebs over a golden chair that protocol forbids me to sit in." Zelda assured.

The woman smiled, both amusement and quite a bit of sympathy carried on her expression.

"I think we'll settle for the middle, hm?" she offered with a motherly wink of both of her eyes.

Zelda nodded gratefully. "Where may I sit?"

"Wherever you want, dear. I really do mean it, when I say make yourself at home." Meera reinforced.

"Thanks, but where am I least in your way, since you need to work." Zelda clarified her earlier question.

Meera looked at her for a second before laughing out loud. "Now that's a sentiment that I haven't heard in ages. Would you mind teaching it to that son of mine?" she chuckled.

Zelda, too, giggled and gave a shrugging nod. "I may try. How high, do you think, are my chances of success?" she replied innocently.

"Hah! Immeasurably higher than mine, dear. Immeasurably higher…" she answered, looking slyly to the side as if briefly lost in memory. "Well, since you ask so nicely, please have a seat on the sofa. I'll be right there with your drink."

Zelda nodded and suppressed the urge to tell her once again not to make a fuss. She sat down on the soft pillows, her hands on her knees in the awkwardly mannered way one adopts when in someone else's house for the first time.

The children hovered close by, apparently unsure what to do. Unsurprisingly, they had noticed the slight reverence in their mother's behaviour, sensitive as only kids are, and were a bit intimidated.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Zelda asked with an inviting smile, her head cocked.

Ria's face immediately broke into a bright smile and she plopped herself down next to her. André, still maintaining maximum aloofness, or, maybe, just a bit shy, walked slowly to the back of the sofa and chose to hang over its backrest to her other side.

"I'm Ria, by the way." the girl informed her, as if it had just occurred to her.

"Nice to meet you, Ria." She turned to her right again, where the boy was deliberately not looking at her directly, but stole glances out of the corner of his eye. "And you're André, correct?"

He looked at her as if she had just performed a feat of magic. "How d'you know?"

"Link told me about you, both of you, naturally." she explained softly.

"Right…" the boy said, apparently trying very hard to make a weighty decision, judging by his face. Zelda wondered, what he was planning.

Meera returned with a small wooden tray with three intricately adorned pewter cups. They looked like they would be the finest she had that were in no risk of being broken by the kids. Zelda felt a pang of sympathy for the woman that she had not given her a different, more precious drinking vessel than the one she gave her children.

"Here you go, dear, I hope it's cool enough. Thankfully it will finally rain today, drive back some of that dreadful heat. You two don't be a bother to our guest, now, you hear?" she added sharply.

"Thanks so much! And don't worry, they're no bother, they're lovely!" she said and meant it.

"Pff. They sure are. They often choose to be quite the opposite, however!" the Meera chuckled and gave both of her kids an affectionate, motherly death-threat grin, before walking back to the kitchen. "You tell me whenever you need something, dear. Just yell, like everyone else!"

"I shall refrain from despatch a servant, then!" Zelda couldn't help but jest, then hoped that her self-aware humour would not miss its target. She needn't have feared.

Meera turned around again with a greatly amused, if not slightly disbelieving expression. Upon seeing in her guest's face that she had indeed heard correctly she burst out laughing. "Farore's mercy, you are adorable! Oh dear, oh dear… heeheehee!" she giggled while turning back around.

Zelda looked at both her companions on the sofa in turn; they still had an expression of mild indignation for being presented with the sheer possibility of not being anything but a pure joy for her.

Zelda nodded her head furtively at the kitchen and, with a face showing mild resignation, shook her head. "Mothers…" she whispered conspiratorially, to the great, giggling delight of the two.

She took two cups and handed them to the children. André finally decided that the place next to her was safe enough and clambered over the backrest to sit down. They both drank with obvious gusto. Lemon water, apparently, was not the norm. Zelda too took a swig. Only now did she realize how thirsty she was. Aaahh, wonderfully cool and refreshing! Zelda wondered how Meera did that. Did they have an ice chest? If yes, than the family must actually be pretty well off. Not even all castles had one…

She felt a tentative tug at her blouse over her right shoulder. "Erm… miss?" André said with the sweetest shy expression on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Andrésson? Come on, just call me Zelda!" she grinned and had to resist ruffling his hair. She didn't know if the boy would like that. He gave a blushing smile. "Erm… have you seen my brother fight?" he finally asked.

Dark memories immediately threatened to rise of the last two times she had to see him in combat. Zelda forced them back down vehemently and, to her own surprise, succeeded. Her mind returned to the day of the tourney, before everything had gone awry, and she smiled. "Yes I have. I saw him during the tournament." She confirmed.

"Really?!" His eyes instantly shone with excitement. "Is it true that he had to battle a giant? Is it true that he won? And that the princess made him a knight?" The silence he had shown earlier seemed to have broken, Zelda thought to herself. Thankfully, the good news had travelled too, not only the bad.

"All true!" she said with a smile. "Though he's not quite a knight yet. He's an aspirant. That means…"

"I kno-ow!" the boy interrupted impatiently, rolling his eyes while she had to stifle a laugh. "But that's so neat!" he exclaimed, promptly interested again. "I wanna be a knight too! Did Link get even better?"

"Well, I don't know how good he was when you last saw him, but since becoming a knight-aspirant, he has been training with Sir Alistair, the blademaster, and he's the best there is! So I'm sure he's even better now!" she confirmed, magically infected by the boy's enthusiasm.

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed.

"He told me you are getting quite good as well…" she probed.

André drew back a little, bashful again. "Well… I guess… a bit… if my friends and me spar…"

"My friends and I, André!" Meera's voice thundered from the kitchen.

"…my friends and I spar" he continued without skipping a beat, "I win more often than not, but… I'm nowhere near as good as Link is yet. When we fight, he sometimes let's me get a hit in, but it's obvious that he's doing it on purpose. I've often snuck up to Sir Russel's house to watch… He's so fast!" the boy explained with fire in his eyes.

Zelda had to grin widely. It seemed Link had a very ardent fan.

She felt another tug, this time from her left. Apparently Ria felt left out.

"Zelda? Can we go see your horses?" she asked. "Yes, pleeeaase?" André agreed, jumping up and down.

Before she could respond, it resounded from the kitchen: "After lunch!"

"But mooom!" both of them yelled in perfect cadence. "Later it'll raaaiiin!"

There was an audible, heavy sigh. "Go on then. But if you're not inside the instant I tell you to, I'll let Link have all your food, understood?" she barked, poking her head out so they could see her face.

"Yes ma'am!" they yelled, jumped up and, each one grabbing one of Zelda's arms, pulled her upright. "Easy!" she giggled, but they relentlessly yanked her towards the kitchen to the rear exit. Having to almost grab the doorframe to stop her forced run, she gazed back to Meera. "Link and I still need to explain…" she began, but was interrupted. "After, honey. We'll all have much calmer minds with our bellies full." the woman soothed. "Go on! Or they will try carrying you!"

Outside, Zelda could see that the clouds were very close now. It hadn't cooled down yet, but it probably wouldn't be long. Just as they rounded the corner, she still being pulled by the enthusiastic kids, they bumped into Link and the man that could only be his father. She stumbled into their field of view and actually had to hold on to the children for a second so she wouldn't fall. Not the most dignified entrance…

André senior really was a giant; nearly two heads taller than Link, and at least twice as wide, a real mountain of muscles. His face was framed by grey, curly hair and an impressive beard. As Link had said, at first glance you might be intimidated quite a bit… until you got to his eyes. They were the exact same as all his three children's, gentle, kind and thoughtful.

"I see you've already been taken possession of." Link chuckled as he watched the three of them.

"Zelda's going to show us her horse!" Ria explained, her voice making it clear that she expected to be told that they should go on.

"Go ahead you two, I'll be right behind. But don't go too close yet! The horses don't know you and might be nervous!" Zelda said and earned an earnest nod before they ran off.

Link cleared his throat. "Father, may I introduce you to Zelda." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder in an unmistakably affectionate way that made a pleasant shudder run down her back. "Zelda, this is my father and master in the art of blacksmithing, André, son of Arrin. I have already taken the liberty of telling him, who you are…" he added almost apologetically.

André nodded, not quite bowing, but still considerably deeper than you would normally greet someone. "I was told by my son to treat you as Zelda and no-one else. I want to confirm that this is your wish." the big man said calmly, his voice deep, as expected.

"It is, sir!" she confirmed, a bit daunted by him, despite herself.

He nodded slowly. "Welcome then, Zelda. My hearth and roof are yours." And it was done, as simple as that. The matter was settled for him and she couldn't help but instantly hold him in high regard for it. "I honour your hospitality and offer my thanks." she replied with the traditional words. He showed her a hint of a smile, almost imperceptible under his beard; it shone mostly through his eyes.

His gaze turned to Link and she thought she saw a glint of amusement in the mix on his face. "Link, I would like to have a word with you. Come." he ordered calmly and walked past them both.

"Understood." Link answered and, with a slightly excusatory look for Zelda, he followed.

"Don't talk yet about… you know… I want to be part of that!" she said, possibly a little louder than necessary. The thought of, once again, being excluded from important discussions that directly involved her made her stomach cramp painfully. Even though she knew that he wouldn't do that to her, the weeks of total debarment had apparently left her with a fear great enough that it wanted to be heard.

Both father and son turned around with a slightly questioning look. Had she been this loud? She felt herself blush a bit, but André showed a hint of a smile again. "I was told we had something to discuss. Do not worry. Neither of us would speak of a matter this important without you. It is simply that I want to have a talk with my son. As men."

Zelda could see both Link's face and posture suddenly turn fiercely proud. It was so endearing that it almost overshadowed how profoundly embarrassed she felt for, well, accusing these two of being like her father. An allegation that, she vowed, she would be much more careful with in the future.

On a spontaneous whim, and somewhat as an apology, (and because he looked so cute right now, if she was honest) she stepped close and gave Link a tiny little kiss on the cheek. Then, before her skin had the chance to blush furiously, she turned and followed the kids.

She found them standing in front of rather disused seeming stables, looking excitedly at the horses poking their heads out while whispering to each other.

"So! Do you like them?" Zelda asked, grinning at their completely entranced gazes.

Both nodded. "Mom and dad don't have horses…" André mumbled.

"She can see that, silly, look! There's only the two they came on!" Ria huffed, putting her hands on her hips; a gesture she no doubt learned from her mother.

André didn't even react. Apparently he figured stoicism was the best way to deal with his sister's flippant remarks. He might have been right… his lack of reaction seemed to annoy her to no end.

Zelda knelt down between the two so her head was on their level, putting one hand on one shoulder each. "So! Whom do you want to meet first?"

"What are their names?" Ria asked.

The older girl removed her hand again to point at her white horse. "That is Celeste, my dear friend. And that is Janna, who has been kind enough not to through your brother off and on his face." she explained, which earned her a giggle.

"So both mares then?" André wanted to know.

The amount of eye-rolling indignation coming from Ria was perceptible, even without seeing it. "Oh my goddess! They're both girl names, you dummy!" she sighed dramatically.

"Well, how am I supposed to know what the heck a Celeste is? How do you even know?" he yelled, exasperated.

"Because I am older!" Ria pronounced with haughtiness that would put most noble ladies to shame.

Zelda laughed and ruffled both of their hair to get them to stop. "Come on, you two scamps. Let's go meet them!"

As she had expected, André was more interested in Link's mount while Ria wanted to see hers. The girl was bold and didn't need much encouragement. She seemed to be naturally good with animals as her approach and careful touch didn't faze Celeste whatsoever. André was a little more hesitant. Zelda could see that he wanted to move closer and make friends, but he seemed just a tiny bit too intimidated by the large animal. And, since he was still little, he would have to stretch to even reach Janna's nose.

"May I introduce you?" she asked him kindly.

"I dunno…" he answered carefully, biting his finger while looking at the horse with big eyes.

"Come here…" she said, grabbed the boy under his armpits and lifted him onto her shoulders. He was heavier than she had anticipated, but she managed.

"Eerrmm…" he muttered, a little unsure.

"Look!" Zelda stepped closer so she could stroke over the horse's nose and forehead. She could feel a little tension from Janna, probably because of the weird, tall, two headed monster that suddenly stood before her. But she calmed under her touch and when she identified her smell.

"Here, give me your hand." she said softly, took André's hand and guided it slowly towards the beast's nose. She showed him where he could pet her and where he should not. When she looked up, she could see a wide grin on his face as he was captivated by the feeling on his hands.

With the initial reserve overcome, he too was much bolder and wanted to know every detail of caring for them. She showed both of the children all she could think of, choosing Celeste as guinea-pig, because her trust in Zelda was absolute. The kids hearkened and asked intelligent questions, which made teaching them all the more fun. Lastly, they all had a massive giggling fit when Celeste relieved herself, almost as if she wanted to give a worthy finale to the demonstration.

Back outside, the sky overhead was already quite threateningly dark. It must have been about half past twelve and the kids were filled with boundless energy, which they naturally had to exert on their new acquaintance. Zelda later couldn't tell how long they had all romped around; barely a second passed without one of the rascals hanging from one of her limbs or trying to climb up onto her shoulders. Between swinging them by their hands, lifting them up and many tickle-fights, Zelda felt boundless joy. It was exhausting as hell, but immeasurably paradisaic. She was completely lost in the children's exulting glee, one seemingly endless stream of laughs from all three of them.

In the end, the all lay on the grass, she in the middle, flanked by the two, lying in her arms. Ria was, naturally, babbling something about anything, at the back of her mind Zelda wondered how that girl could survive without taking breaths, while André was just snuggling up to her. She was barely done catching her breath before 'splotch' a big drop of water landed right on her cheek.

"Ew, it's starting to rain!" the little girl yelled, jumped up and impatiently beckoned for the others to stand up.

"Wait!" André suddenly shouted urgently. "I wanted to show you something before we go back!"

"There's raindrops falling already, look!" Ria said and started to run for the house.

"It won't take long, I promise! Pleeeaase?" the boy asked, giving her puppy eyes. Dear goddess, Zelda felt powerless before that look, it just melted her heart.

"Fine, but it needs to be quick!" she conceded, to which he nodded happily, grabbed her hand and led her away as more heavy drops fell around them.

"MOM'S GOING TO YELL AT YOU, YOU DUMMY!" his sister screamed after them.

André pulled her to the backside of the stables. There was a tiny tool-shed there, but nothing particularly exciting. "So… what did you want to show me?" she asked, wondering what he planned.

He shuffled his feet a little bit before answering. "Weeell… I actually just wanted to ask you something…" he mumbled while looking at the floor.

"Go ahead, ask!" she prompted. This was clearly something that bothered him quite a bit to lure her here and now curiosity had taken her.

"I, err… I think you really are the princess… despite what you said…" he mumbled, his beautiful blue eyes that were so alike Link's looked up at her cautiously. Zelda had to smile. She actually hadn't denied it, but neither had she confirmed it. Link and her had decided that the kids didn't need to know… not because they were any safer if kept ignorant, but it wasn't really fair to expect two small children to keep such a secret, when most adults weren't able to keep their mouth's shut. Oh dear, what was she going to answer to those keen, honest eyes?

"Why do you think that?" she asked, cocking her head.

"I saw the princess when she came through here. You're just as pretty as she is…" he stated while a little blush bloomed on his cheeks and nose.

It was silly, but that adorable little face made her come to a decision. It wasn't meant as flattery, not really. His child's eyes simply let him see what was in front of him, unclouded by expectations or what older people in their perceived knowledge thought possible or impossible. He just stated what he saw and probably wondered how everyone else was so blind to not see it. She knelt down so she was on his level and put her hand gently on his head. "If I tell you, you must swear that this stays a secret. Just between the two of us and no-one else, André. Can you swear it? As a knight?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"I swear it!" he pronounced with appropriate gravitas, his expression couldn't have been more serious.

She smiled at him and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I really am princess Zelda. You are right."

The boy soaked up the information and his little face broke out in the most delighted smile imaginable. She knew, when she saw that expression, that she didn't have to remind him of his promise. This was about as serious as it could get for him… he would not break it, no matter what.

His smile faltered a little, and he looked a bit doubtful. "Does… that mean I have to kneel now?" he asked, hopeful that he hadn't done something wrong.

Zelda giggled at his adorableness, cupped his cheek with her hand and gave him a tiny peck on the other one. "No. You don't."

---

When they had finally made it back to the house, both of them were quite wet, even though she had tried to shield the boy from the rain's onslaught. She could see that Meera was about to launch a tirade at her son, but thankfully Zelda could convince her that their little excursion had been of paramount importance, so she only had a low grumble.

"Anyway!" she said once she had calmed down, which seemed to take her only a nanosecond. "Whatever my son and you are up to, the bigger one, I mean, I figured there are some things I might help you with. Do you have something I should wash? Something to mend?"

"Aren't you plenty busy already, madam?" Zelda chuckled, giving her damp hair a cursory wipe with a proffered cloth.

"Bah! Cooking's done, it just needs to finish in the oven, which will take 45 minutes. And I get bored quickly, and when I get bored, I get unpleasant." the woman stated, grinning. "Come!"

Zelda procured her second outfit, the blue one, and followed her to the washkitchen. "That's all?! Two sets? You have to be kidding me, dear!"

The princess explained, subdued, how she had really only ever owned dresses, and these were the only trousers she had.

Meera shook her head. "Protocol…" she spat and made a face as if she had just been forced to smell something disgusting. "Dresses are fine and all, but I thought we were no longer in the dark ages. Put the women in wide, bulky dresses, and make them heavy too, so they can barely move! Why should they need to? They're just there to look pretty anyway! Bah!" she fumed. Zelda wondered at that sudden outburst, which seemed to show a certain knowledge of court.

"Well, you rolled around in the dirt with kids, so that needs a wash!" she pronounced while tugging at Zelda's blouse. "Leave that blue one here and follow me. I'm sure I can find something that fits!"

They migrated back and towards the stairs leading upwards and Zelda felt like a chick, dazedly following mother goose. At the pace the woman was going, she had no doubts that living with her rarely got boring.

Just as she was about to ascend the stairs, Link turned the corner. "Ah! I almost expected I'd have to go find you in the rain when I saw my brother lead you away. What are you doing?" he asked with a slightly bashful grin.

"Well, you-" she began and tapped him gently on the nose. "-had your man-talk. Now we will have a girl-talk!"

He actually looked just a tiny bit sulky, as if he had hoped that he could occupy her for a while. 'Dear Nayru, is he jealous already?' she thought, stifling a giggle. Like before, she gave him a tiny peck, on the nose this time, just to pacify baby Link for now.

She walked up the stairs, throwing one last glance at him over her shoulder, smiling impishly.

"In here, love!" Meera's voice came from the far door, which was ajar. It was clearly their bedroom, also neat and tidy, with handsome furniture made out of wood. The woman had already begun laying out different clothes on the bed.

"Close the door, dear, and we'll see how much I can give you in good conscience. Some of the stuff is pretty old…" she said kindly while rummaging around in one of her many cupboards and dressers.

"That's so kind of you, madam, but there's really no need to. We got a bit of money, we can buy…" Zelda didn't get farther.

"Poppycock! I assume you are not here to stay for long and I'll be damned if I let you leave with just two sets of clothing, one of which you can't really wear because of the crest on it."

Damn, this woman was astute! At first glance you might think her just an energetic but otherwise unremarkable housewife, but that was obviously not the case.

"Oh, and, if you call me 'madam' one more time, young lady, I shall proceed to call you nothing but 'your highness' for the rest of the day!" she threatened and smirked at her guest over her shoulder. Zelda had to smile back and nodded in agreement.

"Well, get those dusty things off, already, it's time to see what might fit!" Meera prompted.

The girl hesitated, a tad embarrassed. Stupid, she thought. My maids have seen me completely naked all the time… but this was just different! It was Link's mother!

'So what? What is she going to do, tell Link what you look like?' her inner voice scolded.

No, of course not, that's ridiculous!

'So what, then?' the voice asked impatiently… and it was right. The woman was enthusiastically helpful, kind… and her almost carefree forwardness was refreshing and rather intriguing after a life of dainty propriety.

Still feeling herself flush a tiny bit, she removed her clothes until she was just in her undies. Meera was still fussing around, mumbling to herself, not bothering to look her way. "Why don't you try the green trousers? They were mine, believe it or not, from a time when I was a bit less plump."

Zelda did as she was bidden and, surprisingly, they fit pretty well. A tiny bit wider than her own pair, but, moving about, that might actually not be a bad thing.

"Din's fire! At your age I would have killed for skin like yours!" Meera chuckled as she put one more set on the bed.

The two 'girls' had quite a bit of fun dressing Zelda up, while tattling about both mindless and serious topics. Two more complete outfits were found, all fitting well, except that Meera seemed to always have been better endowed at the chest and hips, which Zelda couldn't help comment on.

"Nonsense, dear! Once you have a man, no matter the size, he'll want to play with it all!" she giggled, while Zelda instantly turned fire-red.

"Heehee, sorry dear! I assume you are not used to such base talk?"

"Not really…" she admitted, having to giggle too. "Mostly from my cousin, but, well, she's one year younger…"

"Well, I'm a direct old baggage with no time for mincing words. Don't you worry, love. I've seen how he looks at you." The woman smirked, but kindly.

Zelda smiled lopsidedly and felt a very agreeable warmth both in her face and in her belly.

"How was it with you?" she asked, in an attempt to divert attention from herself for a while.

"With André? Huh! Have you seen the big oaf? It took me nearly three months of not-so-subtle prodding to get his thick, iron head open to the idea, that I might want something from him! And another six until he finally stopped being gallant, the buffoon!" she blustered, but with an expression that spoke of very fond memories. "But then… heehee! There was no stopping us!" she finished, actually blushing a bit herself.

Zelda couldn't deny that she was quite intrigued, even though it was exquisitely awkward. Though still surpassable, as she found out.

"That reminds me… and, you know, if you say that this is none of my business, you're completely correct, but just to be sure… do you know about protection?"

Even days later Zelda wasn't sure what had been more embarrassing: The question itself, or admitting that, before their departure, she had informed herself intricately… you know, just to be sure…

---

Dinner was ready soon after, thank Farore's mercy. And, unsurprisingly, it was breathtakingly good. A tender cut of beef with a crust of crumbs, mustard and herbs, in gravy with onions, carrots and turnips and roast potato as garnish.

Zelda could see on Link's adorable face that he was in heaven. And since all three children wolfed down their food mercilessly, she had no qualms about throwing manners to the wind and doing the same. She would certainly not let these three hogs steal away her share of this deliciousness!

"I take it milady is pleased?" Meera teased her, obviously regaled herself. Zelda only found time to nod and sigh in agreement.

When the table was emptied and the dishes washed, it was time to discuss more unpleasant matters. The children were forcefully ejected from the room, much to their useless protests, and they all sat down around the dinner table again. And then they began, both Link and she, to tell the most far-fetched story imaginable, a tale of great evil, young heroes, nightly assassins, magic swords and, to top it all off, dragons.

To their immense credit, both of his parents listened earnestly, with only the occasional question. Link showed his aspirant's badge and her father's official certificate with his seal and signature, just to show that they were indeed here with the king's blessing. Zelda remembered the first questioning glance Meera had shot her a few hours back… the woman had, accountably, been afraid that her dear son might have thrown away his career for a pretty face… and when that pretty face had turned out to be attached to a few kilos of princess, she had naturally been shocked. Well, at least they could allay that fear… a shame, though, that they had to introduce others.

When all was said, nearly all details were told, they sat in a long silence; Meera absentmindedly caressing the back of Link's hand, André Sr. leant back with his arms crossed, frowning thoughtfully.

"You are sure that it has to be you?" Meera asked, hoping against what she already knew.

"We believe so. No alternative has presented itself… and we cannot wait for one." Link said softly.

"Do you know how much time remains?" his father grumbled.

Zelda shook her head. "Sadly, no. As we said, we are up against an enemy who probably knows a lot more than we do."

The two parents looked at each other for a long moment, apparently engaged in non-verbal communication.

"Is there a way to help you?" André asked, his deep voice sincere.

'They believe us!' Zelda thought with immense relief. 'They have trust in their son and just believe!' For the first time since she got here, she felt the nasty sting of envy. This was family! Not the distant, almost uncaring detachment of her father, who might grace her with a curt nod whenever, once a week, they saw each other in passing. This was trust, and closeness, and unconditional loyalty… and love. And she knew she yearned for it… she had gotten a taste of it today, a sweet, sweet taste, but she wanted more! Lost in her introspection she looked at Link, talking quietly to his parents, she couldn't even hear what his words were. She just suddenly wanted to see him, see every wonderful little detail of his handsome face, his intelligent eyes… He had called her part of his family… now, only just now, she felt like she even began to understand how much that meant.

---

Afternoon came and went. Understandably, the mood was a little subdued, though they all did their best not to let the children feel it. Only at about six in the evening the rain slowly but surely lost its vigour. Zelda and Ria were sitting inside and took turns styling each other's hair. The girl had been absolutely delighted when she had been allowed to braid the older one's luxurious golden strands. Zelda, who had always preferred simple hairdos, was not the best at showing Link's sister the latest fashion in Hyrule, but she didn't seem to mind.

As soon as the weather had cleared sufficiently, Link and André Jr. were outside for a quick bout with sticks. 'Boys and their toys…' she thought with a mischievous grin, the double entendre not lost to her.

It was about seven when she ended their coiffeur-game. After so many hours with all members of his family, she had just the lightest touch of desire to be with him. She looked outside and, after a brief search, found him sitting on the still damp hip-high wall next to the path leading to the village centre, with his straight back towards her, looking into the evening sun. He seemed peaceful and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to disturb him. He probably was drinking in all the impressions of his home, all the sounds, the smells, the feelings, to be ready when they continued their journey tomorrow. She was sure this was important to him…

Zelda was about to go back inside when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Would you take this to my Link, dear?" Meera asked, holding a plate with pie. One plate… two pieces… with two forks… Meera nodded softly, knowingly, and smiled. Zelda couldn't suppress a grin that said 'busted!'

She took the plate and the woman cupped her cheek for just a brief moment, a simple gesture, a sign of encouragement… and her blessing, maybe…

Balancing the plate, Zelda took a big step to climb over the wall. Link jumped up. "Don't! You'll get wet!" he warned her.

"Don't care!" she answered happily and sat down on the damp brickwork. "Sit back down!"

With a wry smile, he followed and sat down just close enough that their arms would brush against each other more often than not.

"Oh wow… mother must have made that just for me…" he exulted upon seeing the pie in her hand.

"Apple pie, I presume?" she giggled. It was a pretty safe bet, with all the incriminating trees around.

"No, no… The Apple Pie. With capital letters." he explained reverently. "Here!" he said excitedly while separating a mouthful and holding it up with his fork.

'My goddess, I could eat you up right now as well!' she thought, while looking into his glowing eyes, the sunlight shining on his ravishing face and reflecting from his hair. She leaned towards the proffered fork and, slightly tentatively, took it in her mouth.

Oh dear! The perfect explosion of pure apple flavour, mixed with the wonderful texture of short pastry occurred. Wow, if there ever was time, she desperately needed to ask Meera for cooking lessons.

Eagerly, Zelda took her fork and treated Link to a similar portion of her piece. "Now you!"

For a delicious while, they were just blissfully eating, while occasionally, playfully, feeding each other.

Afterwards, Link patted his stomach, visibly satisfied. "And? Everything went better than expected, didn't it?" he asked.

She nodded, certainly thankful for it. "Absolutely. Your family is so wonderful… all of them!" she sighed, still feeling a bit of that nasty envy, but mostly genuine happiness. "Well, you certainly made an impression on them, Zelda!" he chuckled, and started gently petting her back.

"You think so?" she asked tentatively.

"Are you kidding me? My mother looks like she wants to adopt you! She is probably picking up the shards of all her opinions of me, thinking that maybe she hasn't completely failed in my upbringing, now that I've done something so right!" he joked, nudging her shoulder with his. Zelda giggled, her face growing warm. "Ria thinks of you as a big sister already and André junior, I believe, is completely smitten with you, head over heels." he continued, smiling.

She laughed, remembering the boy's adorable face when she had shared her 'secret' with him. "Well, it seems you have quite the dangerous rival, then!"

"Oh dear me! I am doomed! Bested by my own flesh and blood! Oh, woe is me!" he play-acted, much to her delight. "Yeah, well… he certainly is cuter than you…" she teased.

He chuckled and made a conceding nod. "True… how can I ever compete?" He put his arm around her shoulder, so tenderly that she wanted to melt.

"Don't worry…" she said softly, shuffled as close to him as she could and rested her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to. You're plenty cute too…"

He put his head against hers and both closed their eyes, simply enjoying the last rays of the sun together, and the feeling of familial closeness.