Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 3- Up the Mountain

Light begins to filter through the windows of homes in Kakariko Village as the sun rises, heralding the coming of a new day. Birds are starting to chirp and sing as the inhabitants of the village are waking up and starting their day.

In a cottage just down from the elder's home, as the sun shines through the window onto her face, Zelda slowly wakes up, her eyes fluttering open. She spends a second trying to get her bearings on where she is, her mind still a little hazy as she is trying to wake up. Then, she realizes that she is lying on something. She feels that the side of her face is lying on skin.

Then, everything comes rushing back to her from the previous day. Wondering for a moment if it was all a dream, she slowly looks up. Joy floods though as she sees Link's face just inches from her own, still asleep, and she realizes she had been sleeping with her head resting on his chest. Zelda feels her eyes water a bit as she realizes it wasn't a dream. She had really married Link. He is her husband now. An incredible feeling of happiness washes over Zelda, and she holds Link a little tighter. In this moment, she feels truly happy. In this moment, she is not Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, the expected savior of her kingdom. She is just Zelda, a woman in love.

Zelda's stronger hold seems to rouse Link, as he begins to stir slightly. After a few moments, Link slowly opens his eyes, and then looks down towards Zelda. As he looks into Zelda's eyes, a bright smile graces his lips.

"Good morning," Zelda whispers, not wanting to speak too loud when he is still waking up.

"Good morning," Link whispers in return, reaching his head forwards and giving her a light kiss on the forehead. He smiles at her and asks, "How are you feeling?"

"Happier than I've ever been in my life," Zelda replies. She pauses for a moment, "Everything from last night just seems like a dream. The ceremony. The reception. Our first dance. Our first night together. Everything. It almost seems too good to be true."

Link smiles. "I know how you feel. But it's all true. We are married," he says.

Zelda giggles and leans up to kiss him. After a second, she pulls back and looks Link in the eyes. "We should make ready to go. Yesterday was perfect, but we cannot afford to shirk our duties any longer," she says.

"I agree," Link responds simply. He starts moving to sit up, forcing Zelda to sit up as well. Link slides out of bed and moves to get dressed. Zelda watches him walk away with a smile before she gets up as well and moves to get dressed.

Zelda decides to just wear her dress today. They'll journey to the base of Mount Lanayru on horseback, which will take little time, and then ascend the mountain. Best if she is in her dress for when she gets to the spring..

Zelda is able to don her dress rather quickly. She reaches out to where her travelling outfit is resting so that she can pack it up, only to feel a hand grab her wrist. She is spun around, where she sees Link standing behind her. He is dressed in his normal trousers and his champion's tunic. Zelda doesn't have time to even make a noise before Link pulls her in and kisses her. Not quite as passionately as some of the kisses they shared last night, but tender and sweet. Zelda giggles as she kisses him back.

The couple remain in their embrace for several slowly pulling apart. Zelda looks at Link and asks with a giggle, "What was that for?"

"To show you I love you," Link responds.

Zelda giggles once more before she whispers, "I love you too, Link." She pauses for a second, than asks, "Link, promise me that when this is over, we will take some time just to ourselves. Time just to be together, with nobody and nothing to interrupt our time together, where we can just enjoy being married."

"I promise," Link responds, pulling her into a tight hug. The two just stand there for several moments, holding each other before they finally release the other.

"Let's get ready to leave," Link says. The two separate and pack up the few things that had been brought into the cottage, which isn't much. It takes them only a minute to gather everything. Zelda watches as Link finishes by strapping the Master Sword in place on his back before turning to Zelda. He smiles and says, "Let's go."

The two step out of the cottage, and find Impa is waiting outside with their horses. Impa looks up as the two walk out of the cottage and smiles, standing up from where she had been sitting. "Good morning, Highnesses," she says, smiling mischievously as she focuses her gaze on Link. Link squirms a bit, not really liking that while Zelda giggles at it.

"It was truly our pleasure to host you two. I hope the cottage was to your liking," Impa says.

"Yes, of course. We could not have asked for more. Everything was perfect," Zelda says with a smile.

"Good. We await your next visit. And once more, I promise I will not inform your father of this. Your secret is safe with me," Impa says.

"Thank you, Impa," Zelda says. She and Link walk up to their horses and strap the saddle bags to the saddles.

Zelda readies herself to climb onto Snowmane's back, but suddenly finds herself being boosted up by Link. She smiles a bit, but also makes a mental note to have a talk with Link about being too helpful or protective.

Zelda settles into the saddle as Link swings himself up into his own saddle. Zelda looks once more at Impa and says gratefully, "Thank you for everything, Impa. I'm sure we will see you again soon." She then snaps the reigns, and Snowmane takes off at a slow trot through the village. Link follows a few paces behind.

The two follow the path out of the village, then turn up the road leading up the hill at the back of the village which leads to the Lanayru Road, the path they'll be taking to Mount Lanayru. They speed up slightly moving their horses into a canter once they get beyond the bounds of the village.

The trip to Mount Lanayru is relatively quick. Taking the Lanayru Road, they pass through the Lanayru Promenade and pass the East Gate, reaching the foothills of the mountain.

As Zelda and Link approach Mount Lanayru, they are surprised to find Urbosa waiting for them near the trail leading up the mountain towards the summit. The Champions were supposed to meet the pair once they descended from the mountain, either to celebrate Zelda unlocking her power or discuss their next move if she did not. Urbosa had farthest to walk, so it's no real surprise to them that she is the first one to get there.

Link and Zelda reign in their horses as they near her and then dismount. "Urbosa!" Zelda exclaims, excited to see her friend.

"There's my little bird. It's been too long," Urbosa says with a smile.

Zelda hurries over to Urbosa, Link close behind her. Zelda reaches Urbosa, and to Urbosa and Link's surprise, embraces Urbosa. Even with Urbosa, she's not usually so outwardly affectionate.

"Well, this is welcome, but not your usual style. What's got you in such a good mood?" Urbosa jokes.

Zelda looks up at Urbosa as she lets go of the Gerudo chief. Zelda thinks in silence as she just stares at Urbosa, wrestling with her thoughts. She knows she has to keep her and Link's marriage a secret until this whole thing is over, but she also wants everyone to know. She wants to share her joy over her new marriage, but also doesn't want too many people to know yet. Yet, Urbosa is her close friend and confidant. If anyone outside Kakariko Village could be trusted to know, it was Urbosa.

Finally, Zelda makes her decision. She takes a step back and says, "Urbosa, I have something to tell you. But you must swear to keep it secret from everyone, even my father and the other Champions," Zelda says.

Urbosa examines Zelda, trying to glean any hints from her expression as to what she is about to say, but finds no clues on Zelda's face. After a few moments, she says, "Well, sure seems like something that has you happy. I promise I'll keep it secret. What is this thing you want to keep secret?"

Zelda smiles a bit then reaches behind her with her right hand. Link steps forward and takes Zelda's hand. Zelda smiles at Urbosa as she says, "Yesterday, Link and I were married in Kakariko Village."

For the first time since Zelda's known her, Urbosa looks visibly surprised. She stands there for a few seconds before she finally speaks, in a very curious tone, "Well, wasn't expecting that. What brought this about?"

Zelda answers quickly. "I have developed feelings for Link for some time now. It was not until a few days ago that I realized just how deep my feelings for him had become. I realized that I truly loved him. And I realized that I wished to spend the rest of my life with him, however long that was. So, I asked him to marry me, and he agreed. We did not wish to wait, so we made our way to Kakariko Village, and were married last night by the elder."

Urbosa looks at the two of them with a bit of surprise for a few seconds. Then, a sly smile crosses her face. "Well, well. I must say, I did not see this coming, but I must say, it certainly feels right. Looking at you two, I can see the love you two have." She then laughs a bit and says, "Well, it's good to have such a pleasant surprise in such times." She smiles at the two of them before focusing on Link and saying, "You better take good care of her, boy."

"I will. Always," Link says.

Urbosa smiles approvingly at Link before turning her attention back to Zelda. "Well, we can talk more about this later. I think you should start your trip up the mountain if you want to be back down by sunset. I'll wait here for the other Champions."

"Thank you, Urbosa. Thank you," Zelda says. Zelda then turns to Link and nods, and the two begin walking to the trailhead to the trail leading up to the summit of Mount Lanayru, both of them hoping against hope that this will be the key to finally unlocking Zelda's power.

As the sun sets over the landscape of Hyrule, the four Champions are waiting for the princess and her knight. It's almost sundown, and the four Champions are starting to wonder if they are going to be coming down today. If so, they will need to set up camp soon.

Revali sighs and mutters, "Perhaps they're not coming down tonight."

The other Champions are quiet for a moment before Mipha notices something. She gestures through the East Gate and says, "Actually, here they come."

The other Champions turn and look, and see Link and Zelda approaching a few hundred yards off. Instantly, they can tell something is up with them. The two are waking very slowly, and Link is walking beside Zelda, not behind her like he usually is.

The Champions move forward to meet the pair. As they meet them just beyond the Gate, Daruk anxiously asks, "Well, don't keep us in suspense. How did everything go up there on the mountain?"

Zelda just stares at the ground, silent and unresponsive to Daruk's question. Her silence and expression however is answer enough for the Champions. Everyone feels a sense of disappointment. Revali is the first one to speak after several long moments as he takes a step forward and asks to confirm, "So you didn't feel anything? No power at all?"

"I'm sorry, no," Zelda responds, her voice containing barely concealed sadness and frustration at once again failing.

The Champions are quiet for several moments, not even Revali having something to say. Urbosa is the one who breaks the silence as she says, "Then let's move on. You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mount Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just have to keep looking for that…thing."

Zelda is quiet for a moment before she responds in a whisper, "Thank you. That's kind."

Standing in front of the princess, Mipha looks at her, feeling pity for Zelda for the struggles she is going through when all of the other Champions seem so effortless with their various gifts. As she does, she also sees Link, who is standing just behind Zelda, and sees the look on his face. A look of concern and worry, and…maybe, love. Mipha feels a twinge of jealousy, but pushes it back immediately. They have much bigger problems to worry about, and she knows she has to do what she can. Maybe her advice will help.

"If I may," Mipha speaks up. She pauses for a second, then continues, "I thought you…well, I'm not sure how to put this into words. I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind…it helps when I think about…"

Suddenly, Mipha is cut off as the ground beneath them shakes and a loud rumbling echoes through the air. Everyone gasps in surprise. However, Revali reacts quickly, whipping up winds that launch him into the sky. He climbs into the sky, climbing up above the walls of the canyon to a height where has a view of most of the kingdom. He looks towards Hyrule Castle, and spots the sight he secretly hoped we wouldn't see. Surrounding Hyrule Castle is a swirling cloud of Malice, with a snake-like phantom swirling around the towers, letting out a loud roar.

Revali descends back to the ground as Urbosa says, "It's here.

"This is it then," Daruk says, trying to sound encouraging.

"Are you sure?" Mipha asks Revali, hoping that he's mistaken, knowing that the group isn't as ready as they really need to be.

"Positive," Revali responds, dispelling all doubt.

"It's awake. Ganon," Zelda says in a voice full of fear. Link steps forward and takes Zelda's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

The storm cloud that had formed over the castle begins to expand, casting a shadow over the land as it moves. Daruk watches the cloud grow before he turns to the rest of the group. "Lets stop wasting time. We're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down!" Daruk then begins laying out their plan, "Now Champions, to your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss. Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault!"

Daruk then looks specifically at Link. "Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle!" he says with urgency, Revali just containing a scoff as he does. Daruk pays it no heed as he looks intently at Link, saying with encouragement, "You can count on us for support. But it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion."

Urbosa now walks up behind Zelda. "Come. We must go. We need to get you somewhere safe," she says, trying to coax Zelda to come with her.

However, Zelda, so frustrated with her failures so far, is determined not to be totally useless. "No! I'm not a child anymore. I may not be of much use on the battlefield, but there must be something I can do to help!"

Zelda is quiet for a moment before she says, "Go on to your Divine Beasts! I will go with Link! I will try and help get people to safety will Link defeats Ganon!" She looks at the Champions and says, "Go now. We will see you again at the end of this."

The Champions all nod and turn to leave. Revali takes to the sky and starts flying in the direction of Vah Medoh, while Daruk and Urbosa race off to travel towards their Beasts. Mipha hesitates for a moment, sharing one last look with Zelda and Link before she turns and leaves to travel to Vah Ruta. Zelda and Link race over to their horses, which are waiting just yards away. The two swing up into their saddles before snapping the reigns. The horses take off at full gallop, the two riding back towards the Castle, determined to do what they can.

And, I'll end there.

I hope you liked me having Zelda share the secret with Urbosa. I wanted at least one of the Champions to know, and Urbosa made the most sense.

Alright, next chapter will be up soon. Until it is, please leave a review and stay tuned!