Woo-hoo! We did it! We've finally arrived at the first simultaneous release for both Fanfiction and AO3! (takes a moment to somehow hug all of my readers at once) Now let's all continue to enjoy the story together!

To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 30 – Ordon Village

Finally, the Princess's tour across Hyrule had started the last stretch of its journey. After departing from Zora's Domain, the procession began making its way south towards the Faron Province, where a lush, green forest awaited them.

As promised, Zelda was truly fascinated by what she saw. The trees were tall and beautiful, and they stretched out for as far as the eye could see. Their bountiful branches provided a canopy over the earth below, covering the ground with cool shade but also some occasional warm splotches of sunlight. The grass beneath the trees was a light, pleasant shade of green. The entire forest just seemed to breathe the beauty of nature itself.

"So this is the forest," Zelda whispered in awe. She had seen the Faron Woods before, but only from a distance. She had never actually walked among the plants and trees.

Link just smiled as he watched the Princess's gawking expression. He soon chuckled. "Like what you see?"

Zelda just turned to him, her eyes still wide in amazement. "I've heard you describe it before. How the sunlight filters through the leaves and casts everything into a beautiful shade of green. I always imagined that it must look rather amazing." She then paused, directing her gaze upwards once again. "However, upon seeing it in person, I believe that your words honestly don't do it justice. This is breathtaking."

Link just laughed some more. "I'm glad you appreciate it. I've always loved this place too."

Zelda soon turned back to the Hero, this time with a smirk on her lips. "You see, Link? I told you that I would find this place unique."

Link bashfully smiled back. "Yeah, you were right," he agreed.

From ahead of them, Link and Zelda could also hear some of the others admiring the beauty that surrounded them. Much like Zelda, many of the guards had never visited a place like this before. However, there was one voice that stuck out from all the rest, and it belonged to a short Minister currently riding in a horse-drawn carriage.

"I say," the older man said as he stuck his head out the window. "This place is rather pleasant. I daresay that it is almost as relaxing as our castle's esteemed garden."

Zelda just smirked as she stifled a giggle. "Almost?" she whispered.

Link bit his lip, resisting the urge to laugh as well. Clearly, the good Minister's evaluation had been far from objective or fair. After all, how could a simple castle garden ever compare to something as majestic as this?

The party continued onward, heading deeper south. Eventually, they reached the sacred spring that belonged to the monkey-like Spirit known as Faron. As before, Link and Zelda stopped here to offer their prayers and gratitude to the Light Spirit, which was naturally well-received. After that, the party traversed an old wooden bridge over a chasm (much to Fost's apprehension) only to arrive at yet another spring. For the final time, Link and Zelda provided a silent prayer to their mighty benefactor, the goat-like Spirit known as Ordona. Once again, the water shone with a bright light which quickly dissipated. At last, all four Light Spirits had been appeased.

With this task now behind them, Zelda just turned to Link with a smile. "Thank you for joining me on this journey. It feels good to finally let the Light Spirits know just how grateful we are."

"Agreed," Link said with a nod. "Hopefully they'll keep supporting us for years to come."

"We can only hope and pray," Zelda nodded back. She then paused as she noticed something bright flash out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned to inspect it, only to gasp and jump back a bit in surprise.

There, fluttering right before her eyes, was a radiant yellow butterfly.

Zelda just bit her lip as she took a half step back. She still wasn't fond of bugs, especially ones that insisted on getting right up in her personal space.

Link soon noticed her dilemma and laughed a bit. He could tell that the Princess was uncomfortable. He decided to give her some helpful advice.

"Zelda, stick out your hand," he whispered.

Zelda gave him a half-glance back, but soon did as she was told. She slowly, timidly extended her arm towards the gentle creature.

Within seconds, the butterfly hovered over her palm, apparently attracted to the elegant white color of her glove. A moment later, it decided to land, giving its big, billowing wings a well-deserved rest.

Zelda just continued to nervously eye the butterfly. She wasn't thrilled to have a bug crawling on her, but she couldn't deny that it did appear rather majestic. The bright yellow color of its wings was especially appealing.

"It's…rather pretty," Zelda admitted after a moment.

Link just laughed some more, still seeing the hesitation on her face. "This must be the forest's way of saying hello. Clearly, you have been welcomed here."

Zelda just raised her eyebrows. "You think so?"

"Of course," Link replied with a grin. "Why else would it be so friendly?"

Zelda softly smiled. She had a feeling that Link was just trying to make her feel better, but she still wished to accept his words as truth. It was nice to know that she had been accepted into a world that was honestly rather foreign to her.

A moment later, a gentle breeze blew through the spring, and the butterfly began flapping its wings as it took off. It then followed the path of the gale, disappearing into the foliage beyond them. Zelda just stared after it longingly. That interaction had actually been somewhat…pleasant.

"So," Link said, calling her attention back to him. "Are you ready to finally get to Ordon?"

Zelda gave him a firm nod. Truth be told, she had been looking forward to this for the entirety of their journey. She still had a great interest in seeing Link's home as well as the people he lived alongside. However, she would be lying if she said that she wasn't also a little nervous. She had never visited this place before, so she wasn't fully sure what to expect. It also didn't help that this home belonged to Link, someone whom she felt very close to. The last thing she would ever want to do is disappoint him by having a bad experience here. Zelda just hoped that she would make a good impression and that the people of Ordon would accept her, just as the rest of her Kingdom had.

Fortunately, Link flashed her a grin, and that helped to alleviate some of her concerns. "Well, we're about as close as we can get. The village is basically right down the road."

Zelda nodded again, allowing her confidence to rise. She had spent a lot of time preparing for this, and she knew that she was ready. "Let's go."

The procession started moving once again, finishing up the last stretch of their forest-bound journey. Before long, they managed to spot a break in the trees, where the landscape seemed to become a lot more uneven. Numerous grass-covered rock formations rose up out of the earth on both sides, creating a natural path that guided them towards the heart of the village. They soon crested a hill, and as they did, Zelda finally got her first glimpse of Ordon.

Much like the forest, the place was covered in the lush green grass. A creek flowed through the village's center before dispersing its water out into a pond at its southern end. A few trees lined the hills that surrounded them, each one looking strong and healthy with branches full of bright green leaves. The homes themselves were simple yet unique, most of them being fashioned entirely out of wood, and one in particular being fashioned into a tree itself. Zelda just gawked as she gazed upon it.

She soon glanced around at the other homes, trying to see what else she could notice. She spotted numerous pumpkin patches dotted throughout the flatter areas, each one containing over a dozen of the rounded orange produce. She also noticed a house with a waterwheel attached to it, one that gently creaked as the stream flowed underneath it. As they ventured further in, Zelda even began to spot livestock. There were a handful of goats, grazing inside of fenced-in yards, as well as numerous cuccos, which seemed to be wandering about the village aimlessly.

Zelda just blinked, surprised at everything that she was taking in. To say that Ordon was a humble village would be an understatement. Zelda could probably count the total number of homes on her two hands. Nevertheless, she quickly found that this place had a lot of charm to it. It was a small village, but an incredibly cozy one as well.

Link just grinned as he watched her reaction. "Welcome to Ordon Village. The place I call home."

"It's wonderful, Link," Zelda said, honestly feeling a little breathless. "It's small and simple, but it feels so homey at the same time."

Link laughed. "You think so?"

"Of course," she said with a nod. "I can see why you are so eager to return here all the time. It has a very relaxing atmosphere."

"Well, things do tend to be pretty slow, and sometimes even dull around here," the Hero admitted with another laugh. "But that's just the way we like it."

Zelda just nodded again while remaining silent. For the first time, she started to understand why Link had originally been so nervous during his first escapades to Hyrule Castle. That lifestyle was a far cry from the one that she was currently witnessing.

As they continued their journey into the village, it wasn't long before they began to spot the citizens. They stood near the sides of the road, many of them gawking at the sheer number of horses and guards that passed by. However, the thing that truly caught their attention was the Princess herself. They soon produced stunned expressions, their mouths hanging open and their eyes going wide as they gazed upon her. For many of them, this was their first time ever seeing royalty in person.

Zelda just gave them all a bright smile, as well as several friendly waves. She still felt a little nervous, but she was honestly excited to be here and finally give them all a proper greeting.

Meanwhile, Link just tried to stifle his laughter as he rode next to Zelda. He couldn't help but find a good amount of humor in his neighbors' various shocked expressions. One expression that he found particularly funny belonged to Fado, who looked completely dumbfounded at what he was witnessing.

Before long, the procession came to a halt, stopping next to the creek in the center of the village. Here, Zelda dismounted from Reina, and took a few steps forward. The crowds slowly began to gather around her. Surprisingly enough, there was no cheering or applause, as had been found in the other villages. Here, the villagers seemed to have been awed into complete silence.

Zelda soon found herself stifling a giggle as she gazed around at them. They remind me of when Link first met my father, she thought with a smirk. Nevertheless, Zelda made sure to keep her composure. She intended to do this properly, just as she always did.

"Greetings, citizens of Ordon Village," Zelda spoke loudly and majestically. "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule. It is a great honor to be with you all today."

Again, there was nothing but stunned silence. Many of the villagers just continued to gawk, too caught up in what they were seeing and hearing to form any sort of response. Fortunately, Mayor Bo soon stepped forward, clearing his throat loudly. He then began politely clapping his hands together, all while shooting sharp glares at the other men to do the same. A second later, they all joined in, producing a meager applause.

Zelda just smirked some more. Once again, their behavior truly reminded her of Link. She soon continued her greeting, gesturing to her right. "Accompanying me is Minister Fost, a member of the Hyrule Council."

There was another delayed but polite applause, along with several more stunned expressions. Clearly, these villagers had never seen a Minister in person, either.

Zelda gestured to her left. "As well as someone who I am sure requires no introduction: Link, the Hero of Twilight."

This time, there was an enthusiastic applause, as well as a few cheers. This introduction didn't come as a shock to the villagers, and they seemed all too happy to congratulate the brave swordsman that hailed from their home. Someone even ended up whistling a bit. Link just squinted, trying to see who it was. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling it was Rusl.

As the cheers finally began to die down, Bo stepped forward, making sure to give the Princess a proper greeting in return. "Welcome to our humble abode, Princess Zelda. It is a great honor to have you here. We genuinely hope that you enjoy your stay with us."

"Thank you, Mayor," Zelda replied with a polite bow of her head. "To be honest, I have been eagerly anticipating our arrival here. Link has told me much about your home, and I'm very excited to finally witness it in all its glory."

"Your words are too kind," Bo said, bowing in return. "If there's anything we can do to help accommodate your stay here, please do not hesitate to ask."

Zelda smiled at this. "In that case, would you be so kind as to introduce me to everyone?"

"Introduce you?" Bo repeated as he blinked in surprise. "Er…you would like to personally meet everyone? As in, one on one?"

"Of course," Zelda replied confidently. "Knowing that you are Link's friends and neighbors, I have a very great interest in meeting all of you."

Much like the Mayor, the crowd just stood there in stunned silence. Hardly any of them could believe what was coming from the Princess's own mouth. They had never even seen a person of royalty before today, and yet now there was one right before them, insisting on greeting each of them in person. It was honestly impossible to believe!

Zelda just paused as she awaited a response. However, upon receiving none, she soon frowned. "Unless of course you have other things that you need to attend to. Being a farming village, I understand that you all must have a lot of work to complete while it is still light out."

Bo soon shook his head in horror, as well as wave his hands in front of him. "No, of course not, Princess! I'd be happy to introduce you to everyone. I was just a little shocked, is all!"

Zelda just blinked in surprise, not fully following. She soon glanced back at Link. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

Link chuckled a bit as he shook his head. "No, they're just not used to this sort of thing," he assured her.

Zelda faced forward again, wondering if she should apologize anyway. She knew that this crowd was a little nervous, but she never intended to make them uncomfortable.

However, Mayor Bo quickly cut off any chance she had of doing so, by inviting her to step closer to the crowds. "Come, Princess. I'll introduce you to all of the families that reside in Ordon."

Zelda just nodded and obliged. Bo seemed to have disregarded the matter entirely, so she supposed that she should do the same.

"I'm certain that you've met this man before," Bo said with a smile as he led Zelda to the first of the families.

Zelda just smiled as well, immediately recognizing the man before her. "Of course. It is lovely to see you again, Rusl."

Rusl just laughed a bit before reaching out and shaking Zelda's hand. Being a member of the Resistance, the two of them had met before on a handful of occasions. "Likewise, Princess Zelda. Allow me to introduce you to my family. This is my wife, Uli."

A youthful woman with blond hair stepped forward with a timid smile on her face. She currently carried a baby in her arms, but she still managed to extend a hand to Zelda. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess."

Zelda just graciously accepted her hand. "Please, the pleasure is all mine."

"This is our son, Colin," Rusl continued, patting the shoulder of a young boy beside him. He then gestured to the baby in his wife's arms. "And this is our daughter, Hope."

Zelda just smiled and gave a friendly wave to the bashful boy, before taking a second to admire the newborn. She was about as adorable and precious as one would expect. Zelda soon found her smile growing even wider. Something about this small happy family just set her heart at ease.

Bo then continued making his way through the crowd, introducing the families to the Princess one by one. As expected, many of them were a little nervous about meeting royalty for the first time ever, but all of the adults managed to give her a proper handshake as well as a friendly greeting. The children behaved much the same, most of them just content to stand there and gawk at the majestic woman that had been presented before them.

However, there was one girl whose behavior managed to catch Zelda's attention. Her name was Beth, and upon meeting the Princess, she girlishly clasped her hands together, bringing them up next to her cheek. She then stared at the Princess with bright, glistening eyes. Zelda just allowed an amused smile to appear on her lips as she watched her. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that the girl might swoon for her.

Eventually, they managed to make it to the end of the crowd, but they weren't done yet. Bo still had one last family that he needed to introduce Zelda to.

"And last but not least is my own family." he announced with a smile. "Ilia, would you kindly step forward?"

Zelda immediately froze. In all of the commotion, she had almost forgotten that this girl would be lurking somewhere in the crowds. She had almost forgotten that she was the daughter of the Mayor. But here, in this one instant, it all came rushing back to her. Taking a deep breath, Zelda mentally prepared herself.

This was it. She was finally going to meet Ilia.

She was finally going to meet Link's lover.

Zelda wasn't sure if she imagined it, but a hush seemed to fall over the crowd. It lasted for what felt like an eternity, but it slowly dissipated as she glanced up. There, a lone girl walked forward, casually approaching the Princess. Zelda just watched her with wide eyes, her breath going silent as her heart began beating loudly.

This was the girl who had captured the heart of the Hero.

"Ilia, I'd like to personally introduce you to Princess Zelda of Hyrule," Bo said proudly. "Princess, this is my one and only daughter, Ilia."

The girl ended up stopping just short of Zelda, and extended a hand forward. "It is so nice to finally meet you, Your Highness," she said with a warm smile.

Zelda just remained frozen for a moment, still trying to process what was taking place before her. Her reaction honestly bared a strong resemblance to those of the villagers when she had first rode into town. Nevertheless, Zelda kept her composure, and soon accepted the hand that was before her. The hand of Ilia.

"It is nice to meet you as well."

Oh man, they finally meet! And it only took me like…thirty chapters to get here…Geez, why did I have to make this story so long? And to think that we're not even anywhere close to being finished! lol

Well, at least it's been an enjoyable journey so far. Now who's ready for some fun Ordon chapters? With some drama and jealousy and wholesome bonding? Because I know that I am! :)