Link had a hard time keeping off from the two books. He had multiple sheets of papers out, sprawled across the table. Some had page references to other books he'd flown through already, most quoting and referencing two or three other copies.

He was making sure the books he'd been given by the General were legit, and so far, they seemed to be the real deal.

He was amazed at the amount of information he was learning, and some of it would have been of fantastic use to Zelda. Some of it addressed magical powers and vessels and he wondered if that might just be part of the key for her powers.

But that wasn't what surprised him the most.

While he remembered the monogamous nature of a Royal Bond, as told by his father and his fifteen years of close experience with the Royal Family, Link had absolutely no idea that reciprocating a bond could insert him into the line of succession.

Due to the unbreakability of the bond and how selective the Princess or Prince had to be with their partner, the book highlighted that a bond took precedence over a marriage, even after death.

It took him less than a minute to realise that, if the Queen's Bondmate was still alive and hadn't rejected the throne, King Rhoam was not the rightful monarch and he did not have the authority to allow laws to go through.

But then again, if the Bonded was deceased or did in fact abdicate, then Rhoam was fine. He'd be regent until the next Royal Prince or Princess could ascend the throne and he'd be allowed to sign laws in and out of the books of Hyrule.

But what did that make of him?

Link was halfway bonded to Zelda already. All he needed to do to complete that was mark her, claim her and that was it.

And if Zelda was already first in line to the throne, then that would place him… in 2nd.

"No wonder someone ripped those pages out," he muttered, putting the book back down on the table and scratching his fingers through his hair.

He knew there was more to everything than just that.

The Calamity, they were having a baby, the Yiga Clan and their threats, the baby, everyone's safety, the goddamn baby. That's all he could think of right now.

Zelda was fine right now. She wasn't showing, but the Yiga knew her symptoms were present. They fucking knew. As to how they knew, he desperately wanted the answer to that question but now wasn't the time. He trusted Dame Caya and Lady Impa to protect Zelda in his absence. He trusted Barnabus to cover for him for his three days. He tried to trust the rest of the guards in the castle, even if he hadn't personally trained them.

The Royal Guard are there for the protection of the Royal Family. They are elite fighters hand picked to protect. They're competent.

As much as he tried to say it to himself, he just couldn't bring himself to really believe it.

Maybe I can just sneak a peek, they won't see me. He started moving towards his boots and coat, when there was a knock at the door. He cursed loudly, not remembering that he was to have company tonight.

His eyes fell back on the table and he gulped.

"One minute!" he shouted out and he dropped his coat on the chair and stacked the papers together, slamming the books shut and stashing them into the empty alcohol cabinet he had. No one could see that kind of stuff in his house, no matter who it was, it just screamed treason and coup d'état with how much information he'd noted down about succession lines and technicalities that might shift it out of order.

Once he was happy with the mess cleaned up, he rushed to the door, combing his hair back into its semi-relaxed, less frazzled state and opened the door with a forced smile.

"Link,"

"Arn, come in," Link moved aside and let the older man into his apartment. "Hope you had a good evening?" He took his coat and his boots and put them aside on the rack, showing Arn to the table afterwards.

He didn't notice the paper bag in his colleague's hands, but it didn't take him long to figure out the contents.

"The rain made the trip terrible. I didn't realise you lived so close by." he commented as he put the umbrella down against the wall and took a seat at the table. He pulled a large clear bottle with an ember coloured liquid in it —liquor of course— and even pulled out two crystal glasses.

"Why'd you bring alcohol?" Link asked. He moved to the cupboard and pulled out a bag of dried fruits and nuts and poured some into a bowl before putting it down.

Arn raised a quizzical brow at him. "I was told you needed to talk to me about something important, so I assumed this might help it flow a bit more."

Well he isn't wrong.

"I just wasn't expecting you to bring some."

"There's nothing wrong with a drink here and there." Arn cracked open the sealed bottle and swirled it for a moment before pouring the first crystal glass and put it to Link's seat before pouring himself one. "Any ice?"

Link nodded and pulled out a few small chunks of ice from his icebox and popped a cube into each glass.

Arn took a long sip from the drink. "Alright, so spill it. What's going on?" brown eyes stared back at him with that caution that Link knew from his father. It was the look he got whenever he had to prepare himself for terrible news that could go any way.

"What could be going on?" Link tried to laugh it off.

"You're joking," he sighed. "You're practically shaking like a leaf." Arn took Link's glass and pushed it closer to him. "Drink it down and start talking. I don't plan on spending the night here, kiddo."

Kiddo, right. It was those times that Link was reminded just how much older Arn was. His fifties. His dad's age. Link was sure Arn's kids were older than he was.

He stubbornly took the glass and took a long gulp and forced it down before nearly spitting it out with a powerful gag. "Fucking hell!" The burn was a strong one. His stomach immediately felt queasy and he doubted it'd even gotten that far down his throat.

He shrugged. "You get used to it."

"That's not something to be proud of," Link retorted. He looked at the glass in disgust. "It's always alcohol with you three, you're all turning into bloody alcoholics. Don't drag me down that way, you'd swear that's what you're all doing with me these days."

"Have been for twenty years, you learn to hide it. Don't know about Barnabus but Randy's got the reason for it." Right, Randy was getting his divorce processed, Link tried to hide his snort but failed. His nose scrunched immediately, the heat from his stomach going straight through his nasal cavity.

"Go ahead and laugh, he deserved it, I won't tell him." Arn gave a short but loud laugh before taking another sip. "Now out with it: what did you do? Contraband? Prostitute? Crime? Which one is it?"

"Excuse me?" In what universe did Arn live in and why did he associate any of those three things with him of all people?

Arn looked at him for a moment before laughing. "Right, I forgot who I was talking to for a second. You're a good kid, I keep forgetting that."

"I got Princess Zelda pregnant."

"Oh." Link realised just then that he's never seen Arn look so… surprised? Taken back? Disappointed? Regretful for asking the question? It seemed to be a solid mix of the four. "I… I think I'd rather you have told me you fucked a group of prostitutes and gotten them pregnant."

"Arn please, this is serious!"

...

For one, Link was happy. He didn't have to pull the 'you're my dad's best friend so I'm essentially your nephew' card, but on the flip side, Arn looked like he was trying to decide whether to drink straight from the bottle, or smack him with a chair.

Link was praying for option 1; he did not want to be smacked by his own chair.

"So, what kind of genius fatherly advice can you give me? I would like to avoid my father as much as possible." Goddesses, Link didn't want to face his father, and considering the fact he was to be at the Nayru's Day Ball, Link would have to face the music really soon.

"Well," Arn took a drink and sighed. "You probably should tell Ol' Freddy," he muttered, "for a few reasons, but to name a few, it's his grandkid and you're his kid, he'd know better what to do than I would."

Link was confused. "How would he know more? You've had more."

"While true, it wasn't quite the same sense."

"Elaborate."

"My wife wasn't being actively hunted, that's not something I had to worry about." He started. "Her Late Majesty was pregnant three times. Who do you think had to guard her through all of that? She was being actively hunted by the Yiga Clan, they were incredibly persistent during those months, more so than usual."

"Then… I suppose he would know more…"

"Can't even begin to tell you what his kill count might be based on that year and a half alone, but it's high. When I say they were persistent, I mean they were popping up every other week. If they didn't show up for a week or two, you knew the next attack would be bigger and worse than the last."

"Oh…" he guessed he should consider himself lucky that the most the Yiga were doing was just threatening him.

"And on top of that, his own wife was pregnant and caring for your infant dumbass. It's a miracle he lasted as long as he did. I think there were three of us who had to force him to go to bed one time, I think he was going on twenty-nine hours by then…"

"How'd he stay up so long?"

"Coffee. Anything that could keep him awake, he found it." Arn snorted before starting up again. "Did you know that combining voltfruit and mighty thistle gives you a temporary energy boost? Not separately, you have to combine them for it. Freddy found that one out by accident."

"So… what can you give me as advice here? I'm not immortal. I need sleep, and so does Zelda."

"If you really want my advice here, get yourself a second-in-command. Start delegating your work and papers to someone in your squad. I know you, you're going to try to protect the Princess as much as you can, day and night, but you can't do everything by yourself anymore."

There was a silence that followed. He hadn't even thought about doing that. He was only thinking of how to do everything at the same time.

"You need to start asking for help, Link. There's no shame in it. There's no benefit to burning yourself out."

"Who could I even ask for help from?"

"Anyone. You've got yourself a support system, whether you see it or not. Take it from me, I've got thirty-five years of experience doing this, what you're doing now will only destroy your health, and you won't realise it until it's too late."

Link sighed. "That's the gist that Lance said too."

Arn frowned and put his drink down. "Lance? As in, General Lance? Why are you talking with him to begin with?"

"I don't know, he called me to his office yesterday, we played chess there for a couple hours."

"I recommend you don't get involved with that man. I personally don't like the amount of risks he takes. I won't even address the fact he's twenty-eight and he's a General."

"How did that even happen? I thought that you had to build up to it."

"You're supposed to. But Link, chances are, you're nothing but a pawn to him and you won't even notice until something happens."

"I have noticed." Link shrugged with half a smile, scratching the back of his head. "He sort of admitted he was gauging my intelligence yesterday."

"Sounds like Lance."

"Forget about Lance right now! We're getting off topic."

"Fine, fine. Listen, I won't tell your dad about your little bundle of headaches, but you should know that if you see him smelling the way you do right now, he'll be able to tell immediately."

"Is it that strong?!" His hands immediately went for his collar, and yes, he was right. He could smell Zelda on him even if she hadn't interacted with him in the last eighteen hours, but he couldn't distinguish the sweet notes of her pregnancy.

Arn laughed at the spectacle. "Did you think we were joking when we say you're indistinguishable from one another?"

"I thought you were all exaggerating!"

He laughed once more. "We really weren't," he finished his glass and pulled the nut bowl closer. "So what's your plan?"

"Keeping it."

"Oh," he seemed surprised, but not in a bad way. "You know you're still young right? Lots of years ahead of you." He pointed out, but Link only nodded. "If you're sure about that decision, good for you. Good for the both of you."

"I'm surprised you're not scolding me"

"What's happened has happened. No use in doing that." He shrugged. "But I do hope you know what you're doing, and I hope your plan is a bit more detailed than just 'keeping it'."

"Goddesses, I only found out less than a week ago. We're trying to make sense of everything but stuff keeps getting in the way."

"Mhm yes that much was obvious," he chuckled. "But I meant more in the sense that you're going to be taking more charge." He muttered.

"I know."

"No, I don't think you understand what I mean." Arn rubbed his forehead. "Listen, you didn't hear this crap from me, you actually didn't hear this from anyone, got that?" Link nodded. "The Princess, sweet Nayru bless her, doesn't have a backbone."

"Now hold on-"

"Kid, let me finish."

Link shut his mouth.

Arn braced his elbows on his knees, leaning forward to hold Link's gaze. "When it comes to Rhoam, the Princess loses whatever backbone she's built herself. She just can't talk back to him. He pushes and he pushes until he gets what he wants, no matter what it is."

He was right of course, even if the truth did hurt to hear.

"He wouldn't bat an eye taking away every support line she has, you included. You're a signature away from being sent to the Citadel or the Garrison, I'm sure you already know that."

He did know that.

"Link, kiddo, when Rhoam finds out she's pregnant, it's going to go two ways. The first? He's going to yell at you, at her, and he'll drop every name in the book at the both of you. The second? He's going to force her to 'make' a decision, but it'll just be peer pressure to get rid of it for the sake of public image." Arn grabbed the bottle and poured himself half a glass of the liquor, taking a large gulp. "Now I never recommend doing this, but I'm only saying it to you because you have a hair's chance of getting out with your balls and head intact, but you're going to have to push back against Rhoam. You're going to have to 'put him in his place' so to say."

"But… How do you put a King in his place? He'll just order me arrested. I'm lucky if he doesn't bring back the chopping block just for me."

"Tell me, are you blind? Are you deaf? Has your brain taken a vacation to Lurelin and not yet returned?"

"What? No, why would you ask me that?"

"He can order you arrested all he wants, but the guards actually have to arrest you," Arn pointed out. "There are less than a handful of guards in this castle who are gutsy enough to approach you with handcuffs and a weapon, and those ones are typically the recruits who haven't fought you or know you yet. Personally, I enjoy life, so does Randy, so does Barnabus. Cassian wouldn't dare and Lance might just do it to see your reaction."

"You call him Rhoam," Link noticed. "No one calls him that."

"I've been in command of his guard for almost 27 years now, it's a long time to stand side-by-side with someone, wouldn't you say?"

If he thought six years was plenty, Arn and his father had nearly tripled, quadrupled that number in their own times. It was a very long time, an entire generation or two's worth of time.

"Like I said, I would never suggest this course of action to anyone, so if you have a better idea, you should figure it out before Rhoam finds out he's about to be a grandfather in a few months."

"What do you suggest I do to prepare for the inevitable?"

"Be confident. Show everyone that you are a valid choice for her future."

"Be confidant, I'm already confident-"

"Not like that. Have you ever heard the expression 'walk like you own the place'?" Link nodded. "Do that, but tone it down a notch. Listen, on some days he likes you, on others, he wants you in jail, it's a weird cycle, but you should know how men in the Aristocracy work. They like power. If you walk like you have power and connections, you become a magnet. Rhoam doesn't like you for your blood, he thinks once a peasant, always a peasant. He was Duke before he became King of Hyrule, he understands power more than anyone else does."

"I just… I don't understand how to do that."

"One thing you can do is embrace your instincts."

"My instincts, right." Link rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious. They're a part of you for a reason."

"I don't think they're very helpful right now-"

"If you're in the middle of Faron and your brain yells at you to leave the area, are you going to leave?" He nodded. "There's a line between cockiness and confidence."

"Those are survival instincts, these are not the same."

Arn stood up abruptly and stared Link down. "They're your survival instincts for her for when assholes decide to take advantage of this shit to knock her down a peg," he snapped. It was only after he slammed his hand against the table that he took a deep breath and sat back down. "Be assertive, be dominant, embrace that protective instinct, but don't be controlling. It's in your blood, it's in your genetics for a reason, use it."

"I don't see how my biology is important here-"

"Rhoam won't listen to you if you stutter and act meek. You don't show him anything except Alpha, do not show him "yes sir, no sir" behaviour. He'll walk all over you and laugh. He has mastered the necessary confidence ages ago, that's why he's King. You're going to have to—at the very least pretend—to be a brick wall. If he tramples all over Zelda, you're not going to sit by and listen. You're going to defend her. That's what it means to be protective, to be assertive."

Protect Zelda. Well, I can do that, Link thought. If he was being honest, he'd wanted to lay into Rhoam for years. Since he'd been appointed as the princess's Knight Attendant, if he was being honest with himself. He swallowed. "Understood."

"I can't do much for you directly, but I can promise you, I'll keep an eye on her whenever you're not around." He chewed on a couple nuts. "And if you're wondering, I won't say a word about your little… incident to anyone, not the King, not to Fredrick, but they're going to find out sooner rather than later. Your dad is a very observant person. If he has the slightest suspicion, he will find out one way or another."

"Tell me about it."

"I'm not joking, Link. He can be very subtle and he will pry that information out of you like it's the air you breathe."

Link acknowledged that with a snort and the conversation soon dwindled to little more than what was new in their lives, with Link saying essentially nothing and Arn just starting about his new Hylian retriever puppy they'd gotten a few weeks back.

When Arn was finally getting ready to leave, it was then that Link was feeling somewhat relieved to have talked about it.

"I was sort of expecting this conversation to go the other way, to be honest." Link admitted sheepishly.

Arn threw on his coat, but shot Link a questioning look. "Were you expecting me to scold you?" When Link remained quiet, Arn sighed. "You are a weird kid. Do you actually want me to?"

Link shrugged. "Was expecting it to be the first thing actually. It feels weird that it hasn't happened."

"Fine." He sighed loudly and looked him dead in the eye with the most exasperated look Link had ever seen. "Link, wrap it up next time. And no more closets please, if I catch you one more time, I'll throw you out myself."

"Fair enough, no more closets, I promise."

"That's what you promise?"

It was after dinnertime, after everyone retired for the night, that Zelda put her plan into motion.

Go find Link.

Save for the fact that she hadn't exactly accounted for the weather.

She donned her casual dress, the one Link had snuck for her previously, and unbraided her hair, letting it fall into waves with the rest of it.

The moment she stepped outside, she realised it was pouring buckets outside. She could barely see the flowers or bushes some distance away in the gardens nor could she see the castle's defensive walls too well through the torrential pour. Perfect cover to escape, but if she was to try to track him down, this was likely the absolute worst time to do so.

Rain washes away scent trails and tracks. She remembered Link teaching her when he'd caught her once when she was still in her phase of running away from the castle.

She remembered that the rain started earlier that evening before the sun set, meaning it had been falling for over three hours now.

Trails are long gone by then in this rain, she assumed.

She trudged along nevertheless. She dodged the guard posts one by one, expertly throwing a stone to the opposite end of the post to lure them away momentarily to sneak away. It always worked, it didn't matter who she tried it on. As long as the guard heard it, they'd go investigate, even if there were two of them, and with this rain, they never saw the stone until long after it hit the ground.

She kept a small pouch of the rocks by her side, a good handful of them ready for use. She very rarely got caught trying to escape this way, it was all about the timing and she'd gotten it down to a science by the time she had turned fifteen.

It took a half hour before she reached the main gate. She cursed under her breath when she saw the gates shut and locked, two sets of guards on the inside, and likely another set on the outside for safe measure.

Guess I'm climbing the wall. She took a firm grasp of the stone wall and began climbing under the guise of the rain, but found her fingers to slip occasionally. Her hair stuck to her face and neck and dripped liberally everywhere, obscuring her vision when it fell into her eyes. Careful on the grip. She carefully hauled herself to the top of the wall and let herself drop onto the outer layer, slipping and hitting the ground on her butt with an ouch.

When she opened her eyes, it was only then that she realised she'd fallen further away from the wall than usual, for her hand was the closest to the ledge, less than two feet away from the steep drop into the moat.

This was why she never snuck out in the rain, despite her camouflage being best during this weather. Link was going to kill her and bring her back to life if he knew that she'd almost slipped into the moat trying to sneak her out, but she didn't care.

She knew he would likely drag her back to the castle when he found her wandering the streets of CastleTown after dark, but she just wanted to see him.

She carefully looked off the cliffside and gulped before retreating back to safety against the fortifications of the castle. She could barely see the bottom through the rain. It pattered so loudly around her, she doubted anyone would hear her plunge into the water nor would they hear the scream if they slipped. She's taken the dive before and knew there were very few spots where she could rest if she got tired, and this was not among those common areas.

She shook away the thoughts of slipping and made her way around to the corner where she could see two guards huddled together for warmth, backs turned to her. She slowly tiptoed behind them and made her way down the bridge, paying attention to the puddles on the ground.

It was when she finally reached Castletown's main square that she had no idea where she was supposed to go.

The rain was growing colder and she stifled a shiver. Her nose was starting to feel the chill in the wind and she set herself to finding out where Link stayed.

It didn't help that it was dark and pouring, anyone that could have still been out and about would have been at home, dry and warm.

She recognised the tea parlour she'd visited with Impa and Link on separate occasions, but it was the only business that still had a light on despite its closure and late night hours.

This could be her reference point. If she got lost, she could just return here and move around the city again.

She looked around, trying to decide which way to go. CastleTown suddenly looked so much bigger than usual, void of its bustling afternoon crowds and food smells. The streets were empty, but she could see everything. Every tall building obscures her view of the rest of the town.

"What have we got here, fellas?" Zelda froze in her spot as she spotted four men come out of an alleyway, looking at her in a way that made her skin crawl.

She wasn't entirely alone, it seemed. Of course there had to be taverns around this area, she hadn't even spared a thought that they might have patrons in this rain.

Move. Don't interact with them. Her feet didn't seem to want to move from their spot. The rain suddenly felt colder, keeping her rooted to the ground.

They approached her with a disturbing curiosity, looking her over as if she was something they might buy. "She's cute alright, you think she was out drinking?"

"Doesn't look it, she doesn't smell like booze one bit." One of them, a bulkier set man, gave her a crooked grin. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

She bit her tongue, refusing to tell them. She could only smell the fermented malt every time they spoke and it made her want to vomit. She took a step back and put her hands up to create some distance between them before they could get closer. "Leave me alone please."

That did nothing, if anything, it seemed to encourage them closer. "Ever been with a noble before? Hear they're pretty entertaining." They spoke to each other, as if to tell her what they wanted.

Zelda didn't want to know what they meant by that. But she knew they caught onto her accent.

"Oy! Leave her alone, you heard her." She heard a loud male voice boom from behind her.

She recognised the voice as one she often heard in the palace, but she had a hard time placing it. As the heavy steps came closer and closer, it seemed to have the proper desired effect on the other men, who took a hesitant step back.

"Whatever," the four seemed to abandon their thought of the princess almost immediately and relief rushed through Zelda at that very moment. She felt her knees nearly buckle beneath her but rather than fall to the floor, she was held up by a solid grip on her upper arms.

"I've got you." It wasn't forceful, but it was firm enough to confidently hold her up as she tried to regain her bearings.

She thanked him quietly and turned, only to freeze.

"Sir Arn…"

He looked tired in the oil lamp lights, and he was out of his uniform; an uncommon sight for her. He had his umbrella opened above the both of them keeping her shielded from the rain for the first time since she left the castle that night.

"You shouldn't be out of the castle at this hour, Princess." He moved to direct her out of the secluded corner of the street.

He was going to bring her back to the palace, no doubt.

She followed quietly, eyes downcast to the ground.

What was she even thinking? Walking to CastleTown by herself, in a torrential pour, no address or directions, on a half-baked plan to go find Link in the middle of the night. It was doomed to fail from the start when she put any ounce of thought into it.

No address, no district, she didn't even have the general direction of the city to tell her. The worst part? She didn't recognise any of the city in the dark rainstorm.

They walked for a few minutes before Zelda dared look up. The captain stood beside her, towering a full head over her, but he kept the umbrella low enough to shield her as much as it could from the rain.

Then she realised something.

While looking around her surroundings, she noted the castle was behind her, not ahead.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

"I assume you were going to find Link, were you not?" he asked.

"You know where he lives?" She smiled, her heart soaring.

He stopped and looked at her incredulously. "Are you telling me you do not?" Her silence was long enough to give him the answer she didn't dare verbalise.

She didn't know.

He sighed, but continued on the path regardless. "I highly recommend you do not repeat such a venture, Your Highness." He told her. "A Lady should not be out at such a time by herself."

"Next time I'll be sure to bring a guard." She mumbled.

"That's not what I meant." He looked her dead in the eye. "I meant in general. After dark like this. You should have someone with you, regardless of your status."

She shot him a glare. "I am perfectly capable of finding my way on my own, thank you!"

"I don't say this to look down on you, Princess." He sternly told her. "When I say you shouldn't be alone after dark like this, it's for your safety. Take a man with you, it'll be less likely to happen again." He motioned behind them, specifically to the situation in which he'd found her.

"And why not a woman? We're just as capable-"

"Double the challenge. Men like that see it as a challenge."

They turned away from the main roads and into a residential area with tall buildings surrounding them. If she had to guess, she assumed there were likely five or six families that occupied each

But despite how much they walked, he simply didn't let the topic go.

"So why a man then? Would it still not be a challenge?"

"Nope. Those types only respect another man, that will never change." It hung in the air around her. It stung her.

Those types only respect other men. That will never change.

"That was an off-chance." She tried to brush it off. "It wouldn't happen again." It felt like she was lying to herself, there couldn't possibly be that many disrespectful drunks in Castletown.

"Could you confidently tell Link that? Could you tell him that four drunkards cornered you in the middle of the night in Castletown? Could you guarantee that he would shrug that off? Do you think he would believe you if you claimed it wouldn't happen again?"

She knew it was a no. It was a no to all of those questions. She didn't even know how she would be able to start that story, given that she left the castle in the dark with a terrible plan and without telling anyone.

Unfortunately, she remembered the day Link had to brawl two guards in the field. Link had struggled a bit, but he'd gotten the upper hand. She didn't know what had gotten him so riled up, but she knew that one of the guards had said something to him and he was pissed. He looked ready to kill that day.

That entire day was still a bit foggy, but she remembered that. She remembered that event clearly.

"I'm taking you to Sir Link tonight, but I implore you not to repeat this night." He let her off the hook rather than lecture her on the clearly bad decision.

He opened the door of the residential building and let her in. He shook his umbrella from the rain outside and entered behind her, motioning for her to go up the stairs.

"Captain? How is it you found me?"

"I was walking home, I was actually just here fifteen minutes ago. He should still be awake."

They walked up the wooden stairs of the building, climbing two flights of stairs before stopping at a door with a metal tag pinned to the wall labelled L.

As promised, Captain Arn led her straight to Link's apartment, in one piece and without distractions or problems.

He lived in a quaint little building, one that had a couple residences, but not quite an apartment. It was well kept, the halls weren't too wet even with people coming and going in the rain,

She looked around as Arn approached a particular door, knowing four times and waiting a moment for footsteps to approach the door.

"Arn, did you forget something- Zelda!?" he whispered loudly upon laying his eyes on her. "What are you doing here?" He turned to Arn. "What is she doing here?"

It was a fair line of questioning. Why would he even think about why Zelda might show up in Castletown in the dead of night on her own, in the middle of a rainstorm. She should be asleep in bed, in her bedroom in the castle, not wandering the streets at midnight.

She caught the older captain's eyes and sent a very silent, very innocuous plea to not say anything to Link. Honestly, there wasn't much he could say that wouldn't insinuate that she'd snuck out in a rainstorm in the dark by herself.

"Well, Her Royal Highness wanted to pay you a visit." Arn quieted his voice down, ensuring her title wasn't yelled out for everyone to hear, even if it was the dead of night.

Link let them into the home, but Arn stayed out in the hall. "I'm coming back tomorrow, 4:00 sharp in the morning to pick her up." were his final words before he waved the two of them goodbye.

Link wasted no time with his questions the moment the door closed.

"Why're you soaked from the rain?" He looked her over, touching her blouse, her hair that dripped on the floor, and her hands. "You're freezing, come on." Before she could say anything, he led her to a small closet where he pulled out the thickest towel he had and practically threw it over her head, blinding her.

"Why were you in the rain, Zel? You're going to catch a cold." She heard the door close as she moved the towel aside.

It wasn't until she tried to answer that she realised her teeth were chattering quietly. "I—I wanted to come see you." She muttered through her shivering.

She felt a small wave of warmth emanate from the bond at that moment.

"Zel, not in a rainstorm, please." He kissed her cheeks and he took the towel and tried to dry her long hair himself. "Thank you—wait. Did I ever give you my address?"

No. She'd peeked to the page he filled out at the clinic, but she didn't know where it had been in the city, only that it was in Castletown.

"Zel. How were you planning on finding me in the middle of the night in a storm?"

She refused to meet his gaze, knowing he was worried and going to keep questioning her.

"Why do you smell like alcohol?" She heard him mutter. "Were you in a bar?" She shook her head quietly. "Arn found you in the middle of town, didn't he? He wouldn't have brought you back here otherwise."

She felt tears well up in her eyes as she refused to answer verbally. A ball formed in her throat and she tried to swallow it back thickly.

"Nevermind, let's just get you out of these wet clothes first." He dragged her back to his bedroom in silence where he opened his dressers, looking for something comfortable for her to wear.

While he looked, she let his hand go and looked around his room.

It was plain and much smaller than hers, but it was cozier. It seemed as though he'd purchased himself a large bed, much larger than the one he had back at the castle. He had a thick quilt thrown over, a writing desk in the corner with a pile of letters and stationary set out, along with a small bowl of almonds sitting on his nightstand beside the bed.

Everything just screamed cozy. Simple. Comfortable.

And everything smelled like Link. Pine, the wilderness in general.

"Did you want to wear my tunic?" She barely answered before grabbing it straight from his hands with a smile. "Did you want to wear just the tunic?" He sent a wink her way that caused a blush to glow on her cheeks.

"Thank you," she hugged it closer, looking it over. It wasn't the Champion's Tunic, that was still buried in her sheets, safe and sound in her room with all of the other stuff she'd borrowed without his permission.

She didn't waste another moment before stripping herself out of the wet heavy clothes, peeling off the blouse and the skirt from her skin.

She didn't notice how Link just watched from two steps away, taking her in.

"Wait." He stopped her as she was about to slip into the plain red tunic. She stood there, nude and only wearing a pair of panties as Link stepped to the side.

"What are you doing?" She was slowly slipping her arms into the shirt before he stopped her once more with his hand.

"Looking." He crouched to the floor, looking specifically at her waist, no it was her stomach rather.

"What are you looking for?"

Rather than answer with words, his hand came to press against her navel where he brushed it over the almost unnoticeable bump.

"You're showing. Just a little bit." He commented with a smile. "See?" He demonstrated by laying his palm flat and going over the miniscule bump.

She thought she was just bloated from the food she ate, but she had dinner hours ago, and it didn't feel quite the same as bloating either.

"I guess I am." She couldn't help the twitch of her lip. "Our baby."

"Our baby…" he repeated quietly to himself. She could have sworn she saw his eyes soften just a bit. "It's ours."

He leaned his head against her stomach, pressing his ear.

"You won't hear anything, you know."

He shrugged and pressed a kiss against his stomach. "Don't care." He pressed his ear once more, as if using her as a leaning post this time. "I'm still wondering how I got you pregnant to begin with. We used so many contraceptives…"

"Well, it is a possible consequence of… sex."

"You've got to get used to saying 'sex' without hesitation." He laughed. "You look ridiculous, being pregnant and all and you can't say it with a straight face."

"It's not funny!" She looked away, trying to cover her blush. "It's an embarrassing word, ok?"

"E-embarrassing?! You're pregnant," he joked. "Need I remind you it's a physical reminder you had sex with me?"

"Who said it was with you?"

Link gasped in mock offence. "Evil woman."

"That's what you get for making fun of me," she pulled down the shirt and pinched his nose lightly.

Link couldn't stop laughing. "Goddesses, I love and hate your sense of humour." He tried to breathe between each word but found himself failing spectacularly.

It was contagious, she joined in laughing just as hard immediately, along with a half broken apology for the terrible comeback between each gasp for air.

When they finally stopped laughing, Zelda was clutching her ribs in pain and Link was still gasping for air. "What time did Arn say he would come back?"

Link looked at the clock on the wall. "He said four, so we've got about five and a half hours before he comes back." He wiped the tears that had come out through his painful laughter. He stood up and dusted himself off. "Alright, in all seriousness now, please never joke about that around anyone else," he recommended. "I know it's a joke, but others might not see it that way."

She nodded. "Right, my apologies, you set yourself up for it though."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." She yawned a bit, triggering Link to yawn as well by accident. "It's late."

"It is," he glanced outside at the pattering rain. "You know, I think this might be the first time we're legitimately alone," he smiled mischievously.

She smiled back. "It is."

His hands slipped to her waist and pulled her closer. "How about I appreciate my surprise then? You did come all the way here to see me."

She leaned into his touch, eager for more warmth. Sure she had him to herself no less than two days ago, but she found herself craving it more and more.

"Mhm, he did say he'd be back in the morning," she teased him lightly, placing an open mouthed kiss on his pulsepoint on his neck. He sighed and held her closer. "We finally won't get interrupted."

"Let's make the most of it then." He hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist effortlessly and carried her over to his bed where it took no time for clothes to be discarded in heaps on the floor and for their names to be filling the air.

The next morning, for the first time since he'd moved into this place, Link found out he was the subject of a noise complaint via a letter slid under his front door.