Getting to sleep with Zelda in his arms again was like a dream come true; he was on cloud nine, even if that meant having a mouth and face full of hair for an hour. It didn't matter if it was in the nude or clothed, he just loved having her there, in his arms.

It'd been so long since he could just relax with her in bed, not a care in the world, entangled under the sheets. The last time he did this freely was at the Stables in Tabantha.

It made him think of home; waking up in his own bed, not having to worry about his public image the moment he left his bedroom. He could eat whenever, go lay in bed and take a nap when the desire washed over him. But it was something he wished they could have together.

Oh how nice it would be to wake up late with Zelda in his arms without having to worry about a schedule forcing them apart. Just being able to lay there together, telling each other good morning without a fear of being caught.

As much as he loved and appreciated a well structured and tightly scheduled day, he found himself desperately craving that calm life where his only worries were cleaning the house, providing food on the table, and feeding his nightmare Epona and cleaning her stall.

Goddesses, he didn't want it to end, but as promised by Arn, he showed up at 4am sharp with a quiet knock on the front door. Zelda was still yawning and rubbing her eyes tiredly by the time they left, but she did leave him with promising words.

She'd be in Castletown today; first for her prayers at the Temple, then as a casual walk for the afternoon.

When Link returned to bed, the sheets were still warm to the touch. From the moment Link got back in bed and his head hit the pillow, her calming scent reminded him that she had just left, and his bed was his again. Just his.

Her side grew cold quickly from her absence and he sighed. He looked outside, the clouds were clearing up but the moon wasn't visible. The sun would rise soon, he could see the telltale lighter blues in the sky.

It took him a while before he fell asleep again, having probably stared at his own ceiling for what felt like an hour before his eyelids shut themselves.

He'd manage a few more hours of sleep before the wretched sun poked through his blinds.

At least his room in the castle wasn't as torturous as this one.

...

He eventually crawled out of bed hours later when the sun rose higher above the other buildings in the sky; Link couldn't save himself from the bright rays poking through his open curtains, shining into his eyes and blinding him.

With a groan, he reached behind the headboard of his bed and grabbed the stick he dubbed 'The Master Stick'. It was just a really long, thin and sturdy stick he'd found that allowed him to close the curtains from the comfort of his bed. Alternatively, it also allowed him to close the door if he got too comfortable and forgot to close it.

Was it lazy? Absolutely, but who didn't hate getting out of their comfy spot to close their bedroom door, only to find themselves unable to find that perfect spot again?

He did eventually decide to get up, knowing he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep now that he'd been woken up a second time.

The first thing he did was comb the knots out of his hair. His hair always came first in terms of his morning routine, the length and softness didn't come from nowhere. He continued by grabbing a small glass bottle of palm fruit oil and letting a few drops fall into his palm. He rubbed his hands together and ran them through his hair, getting the underside at the back, running it down the length to the tips and even letting himself enjoy his nails scratching and rubbing the sweet spots on his scalp and behind his ears.

Goddess forbid Zelda ever found those spots, he'd be putty in her hands.

He finished by twirling his hair into a twist and clipping it to the back of his head; he'd wash the remainder later after breakfast. Who knows, maybe later if he was bored, he'd check for any noticeable split ends to shear.

He puts the pins and bottle back in the cabinet and goes to reach for other supplies in the drawer when he hears a chair scrape against the floor in another room.

I should be alone right now.

He didn't need to go far to find out who his visitor was; his sister was sitting at his dinner table with a smile on her face, and Ari sleeping in a wrap across her chest.

"How did you get into my house?" He asked flatly. He wasn't surprised but he was confused.

She shrugged, "I copied your key when you came home last week."

"Of course you did." He opted to ignore his sister who'd broken into his home and went to the cupboard for food.

There wasn't much, he hadn't gone to the market yet to buy himself some stuff for his three day stay–two now. He made a mental note to do that later when he had the time, maybe go sit at the café after lunch to have some fresh air.

He found a black tea in a jar, deep inside the cabinet and shrugged. It would do for now.

He set a pot on his stove and lit the gas, igniting a small flame. "If you're here then mom and dad are here too, right?" He didn't look at her as he kept an eye on water, throwing in a small spoon of tea leaves. "Why aren't you with them?" He was hoping they weren't going to spontaneously decide to stay with him.

He knew his parents owned a proper house in Castletown and not a townhouse-like residence like he did. The place was in his dad's name, naturally, having been his residence for over forty years now even if they permanently lived in Hateno Village.

Link didn't remember much from the house itself; he lived there until he was roughly seven years old when his father retired from the Guard, then they had moved far afterwards. Occasionally, they returned to it, but it was essentially a glorified vacation home to them now they used on the rare occasion rather than stay at an inn.

"Ma said it's too dusty for Arina, said I should come find you instead. Of course, I wasn't expecting you to be here right now, I was going to try finding you at the castle."

"At the castle, right… what for?" he inquired.

"Babysitting of course!"

He stared at her. "On duty? You were going to ask me to babysit while I'm on duty?" Aryll nodded happily. He sighed. "As fantastic of an idea that is, I'm afraid most of my duties involve swinging weapons and combat… Something tells me that's not exactly a conducive environment for a newborn."

"Oh please, you can just sit in your office and do paperwork with Ari, it's not hard." She brushed it off and turned her attention to her daughter.

"Is that what you think I do? Sit on a chair and sign papers all day?"

"Is that not what you do?" That was all the answer needed. "So why are you here and not at the castle?"

He briefly debated telling her. "Am I not allowed a day off sometimes?"

She snorted. "Are they doing that now?" she almost laughed if it wasn't for the sleeping baby. "No, why are you really home? You usually sleep over there too."

"I… Uh, got suspended for three days." He took the pot of water off the burner and turned it off.

"You?! Suspended? I have to know the entire story!" She leaned forward with glee in her eyes.

This was definitely going to find its way to his dad's ear no matter what he did, Arn would likely spill the beans anyway. And then she was probably going to find out, knowing she was one to go looking for gossip. "I may or may not have rather obviously scented the Princess during her birthday Ball… I had a bit to drink…"

She howled with laughter, clapping her hands between wheezes. "Oh you sneaky fucker! I didn't think you had it in you!" She took a breath to calm herself. "Did she at least like it?"

Considering the fact that they had spent the night in his room having ungodly amounts of rough possessive sex no less than an hour after he'd done it, he liked to think she enjoyed herself. Of course the only reason he'd done it was to ward off the other alphas there, but maybe, just maybe the copious amount of bubbly champagne had pushed him a little further than expected.

"I'd say she didn't dislike it."

She studied him for a second before smiling. "Oh goddesses, did you fuck the princess?"

Yes. "Absolutely not! I did it to stop others from getting handsy!" Aryll did not need to know any details about his sex life.

"You're a shit liar, you know that?" She unwrapped the sling and took Ari out as she slowly roused. "I think you got caught and that's why you got suspended." She smugly concluded.

She wasn't technically wrong, but she also was at the same time.

"Let me remind you the consequences of touching the princess inappropriately would be losing my job, title, and time in prison." That was on the harsher side of punishments, but definitely still something he had to remember considering he did sleep with her numerous times and there was physical proof of that growing inside of her.

You're showing. Just a little bit.

Proof that was going to be found out very soon, he realised. At best, he likely had another month at most for a reasonable excuse for the Princess' sudden weight gain, but after that, it'd be too suspicious.

"Regardless, I did not sleep with Zelda, you're wrong."

"Awfully familiar with the Crown Princess, calling her Zelda and all?"

Change the subject. "Do you want tea? I've realised I've been a terrible host." He smiled forcefully.

He tried to focus on anything else as he strained his tea from the leaves into a mug, setting his sights on Ari, who was slowly blinking herself awake with the cutest lil gurgles.

"Hold on, how was Ari sleeping through all of this?" He asked. He's heard from too many people about babies waking up at the slightest pin drop and here he is, making a ruckus in the kitchen, pots, pans and all, and she's only just now waking up.

Aryll brushed his niece's white hair out of her face. "Dad says not to make everything quiet when the baby's sleeping. They learn to sleep through the noise."

Fascinating. He was sure to keep that noted.

"Anyhow, I'm dropping her with you today." She told him. "I've got errands to run."

Link snorted. "Don't you mean splurging?"

"Shut it if you don't want me telling pops you fucked the princess drunk."

Link choked on his tea, nearly spitting it over the counter. "I did no such thing!"

He didn't have room to argue with Aryll. She let him hop into the shower to rinse out the oil from his hair before vanishing from his apartment, leaving him with an infant, a small bag of supplies he might need for goddess-knows how long she was going to be gone, and a five minute tutorial on how to tie a wrap.

With last night's storm having quickly passed by morning, not a single cloud in the sky and a light breeze in the air, he decided he wouldn't stay cooped up indoors. It was rare to enjoy a nice day, duty-free, but he did find it a bit dull on his own without Zelda there to keep him company.

Remember, she's in town today. He looked at his clock and knew she'd probably still be at the temple praying for another hour or so, it was only ten in the morning.

At first, he struggled with the long piece of fabric and the two rings on the end but eventually figured out how to securely loop it through securely, practising it over and over again and testing its weight before finally taking his babbling niece into his arms

Link wandered Castletown later that morning, his niece sleeping peacefully in the sling on his chest. Every few minutes, he double checked the knot in the fabric and the rings, making sure it wasn't going anywhere despite the hundreds of times he checked since he left home.

Doing all of his errands for the day would have to wait, considering he couldn't hold as much as he wanted to at the moment, so his first stop was the café he liked.

While it was generally a short walk–fifteen minutes at most–Link found himself both surprised and appalled at the amount of people, especially old people, who would try to come and touch his niece without even asking him.

Sure the staring was something, there was more than usual and it was weirdly in a more daydreamy way today, but he had to either turn away or full-on smack a hand away sometimes.

In that fifteen minute walk, he'd been asked if he was 'burdened' with the child for the day, on babysitter duty, and "where's her mother?" had been asked just about as often as "How are you?" if not more.

And boy were there a lot of assumptions made in that short span of time, mostly that Ari was his daughter.

He just hoped that it wouldn't turn into a rumour back at the castle… he didn't need Rhoam asking about rumours of him having secret children.

He eventually made it to the café where he took a seat outside. He was surprised to see that it wasn't busier, it was four days from Nayru's Day after all and it was considered one of the bigger festivals celebrated in Central Hyrule.

It didn't take long for the usual barista to bring him his usual coffee along with a wave and a quiet coo to Ari.

"Explain how this little detail has slipped from all of our conversations?" she asked him. The baby's head shifted against him to look at the source of noise, quickly locking eyes with the woman. "How does Mr. Hero have a child and not tell everyone?"

He took a long sip of the cup and sighed. "Not my kid." He started for the fiftieth time. "Sister's kid."

"May I?" She made a motion to pick her and Link obliged and moved the fabric aside to allow the woman to pick up Ari. "She's so cute!" she gushed and poked her belly playfully. "My goodness! Look at those big red eyes!"

"I think you're the first to actually ask before touching her." He grabbed a small teaspoon of sugar and mixed it into his drink. He wasn't worried in the slightest, she was always here running the café with her mother so she typically served he and Barnabus when they first became regulars, and he remembered her having served Zelda as well when they last came.

"Oh shame on them," she muttered. "No manners, they always forget that a baby isn't a toy."

He watched quietly as Ari took interest in the small pad of papers in the waitress' breast pocket. It didn't take long for her baby hands to pull it out and try to put it in her mouth, only to be expertly thwarted.

She babbled loudly when the notepad was taken away, borderline crying when it was taken out of sight and stashed in a skirt pocket instead.

She passed the baby back and let him manoeuvre her back into the sling, struggling with her little feet that kept slipping from the fabric, swinging happily. "Do an M with her knees," she pointed out. "Bring her knees higher than her hips and tighten it under her bum first. Easier that way."

He thanked her profusely and tightly the fabric in the rings holding it together. "Got shown an hour ago how to use this thing," he sheepishly explained. "Still new to this stuff."

She snorted. "Everyone can see that. Now tell me something, Sir Link," she started. "I've recently seen Her Royal Highness around these parts as of late and I've heard something interesting from my mother."

He raised a brow. That wasn't something he liked to hear. "Go on…"

She looked around and sat in the opposite chair, leaning forward and cupping her mouth. "I know she's a bit senile, but she mentioned having overheard a 'conversation'? Something about potentially being…uh… pregnant?" She whispered quietly.

His stomach dropped at the word. People outside of their friend circles knew or had, at the very least, heard she was pregnant. He kept his expression the same as earlier so as to not give anything away. No surprise, no shock, not a twitch of the lip.

"How many people know about this conversation?"

"I think it's only my mother, she isn't a gossip so no worries there but I wanted to know if there was any basis for this?"

He sighed. Of course she discussed it in a busy public setting. Zelda almost once discussed the topic full volume with him in this same chair and he had to remind her to quiet down.

"Tell Mrs. Amelia to forget she ever heard this conversation," he deflected the question. "Have you heard anyone else talk about this rumour?"

She shook her head. "News like that spreads like wildfire, true or not and this was weeks ago. If anyone else had been paying attention and told anyone, half of town would be talking about it."

That was the truth, he knew that much. He's seen the dumbest rumours make the rounds of town, he still remembered the dumb chocolate vs vanilla ice cream debate that had people fighting that for an entire week. It was stupid, it was ridiculous, but he wouldn't lie, it was very entertaining. He learned that while she preferred vanilla, she craved the chocolate sweet treat on very specific days of the month, and the shopkeeper had made the mistake of instigating the entire thing by asking which one she liked more.

He hadn't heard a single peep about a pregnancy come out of the public yet, that much relieved him greatly. He hoped Zelda was at the very least, somewhat discreet when discussing the topic with Impa and Dame Caya.

"Tell me if you hear anything else." He finished the cup and dropped a few rupees on the table, thanking the waitress for the valuable information. That café was his favourite place to gather information; people often spent their entire mornings and afternoons gossiping about everything and nothing at all and the staff heard everything.

He quickly left and made his way to the large temple that loomed in the city, knowing Zelda would be leaving or be in the surrounding area.

While on his search for Zelda, he wasn't expecting to run into Barnabus, his wife, his husband, and two-year-old daughter who skipped around the bench with a doll in her hands.

She spotted him first before her parents, squealing in delight before running and crashing into his leg with a mini bear hug.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look, Uncle Link!" she screamed, pulling the attention of more than enough people in the square.

"Pumpkin, inside voice," the Baroness, Lady Rana, softly told her daughter. The trio waved at him to join them. "Good afternoon, Sir Link. How have you been?"

He greeted them by a nod of the head and a courteous smile. "Afternoon Lady Rana, Sir Eli. Day off Barns?"

His colleague nodded curtly.

While it wasn't uncommon to see Barnabus out with one of his spouses on his day off, both were surprising to see, considering his wife stayed home but his husband worked. His friend hid his Baron title well, most didn't even realise he was part of the aristocracy until they noticed he was one of the only ones out of all his peers to have a family name.

Lady Rana, the Baroness, was a kind woman with coppery-brown hair with dark hair and not much taller than Link was. She was among the shyer of the Ladies at court who kept to herself. She was Barnabus' first spouse and an omega.

Sir Eli was his friend's second spouse and also an omega. He was much taller and stockier in build, but not taller than his husband. Link knew him less, having only met him last year but he seemed to compliment the other two rather well. He was outgoing as far as Link knew, the more bubblier of the three.

And then their daughter, Lady Roselia—or Rosie for short—was their two-year-old daughter who seemed to bounce off the walls. She took after Barnabus for the most part, the same dark brown hair and the green eyes. A sweet little girl, she was always pleasant to have around, but being a two-year-old, everyone still had to keep an eye on the girl turning into a serial sprinter.

"You don't come over for dinner anymore, it's been a while," Sir Eli commented. "Roselia misses you."

At the mention of her name, the little brunette toddler waved and came back for another hug of his leg. "Up up!" Link sighed and adjusted the wrap with Ari in it and bent down awkwardly on one knee, scooping the giggling girl into his free arm. She squealed again and clapped loudly, causing Ari to rouse from her slumber with a quiet babble.

"Shh Rosie, sleeping baby." He pointed to the little bundle in the sling. The little girl looked into the fabric and nodded her head with a finger to her lips.

"New friend?" she whispered loudly, clearly attempting an inside voice but failing drastically. He nodded.

"Yes, new friend."

"Oh Link, I didn't know you had a daughter." Lady Rana smiled at the baby in his arms. She stood up and came around, motioning as if asking if she could pick her up. He nodded, allowing the Baroness to take her out of the sling, completely missing the look of confusion on Link's face. "You've yet to introduce us to your girlfriend."

"Wait-girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend," he informed her. "And Ari isn't my daughter, she's my niece."

Barnabus was the only one at the table who wasn't surprised at that news. Eli shared a look of confusion with his wife and then a brief glance at Barnabus, who shook his head.

"Then... whose child is she?" Lady Rana let the baby grab her finger while trying to gauge Link's reaction.

"Link doesn't have children." Barnabus stated flatly. "His sister's."

There was another quick glance shared between the three spouses. "Oh my goodness, I didn't mean to assume Link, I'm so sorry."

Eli was hesitant but he also apologised. "We only assumed because we heard your partner was Sheikah and then we saw this little cutie."

Link stopped for a moment. "Are you telling me there's a rumour that I'm seeing a Sheikah?" That surprised him a decent bit. He was expecting the rumour to be about the Princess but it didn't seem to be the case here.

"Ah, so the stories would be false then," Rana concluded. "And we were so convinced by the way you were dancing so avidly together the other night."

Dancing avidly the other night? No… it couldn't be... Oh Great Goddesses, they didn't.

"There's rumours I'm sleeping with Purah of all people?!"

"And here I thought you were being too obvious with someone else," Barnabus deadpanned before taking another sip from his drink.

"Where did you hear this from?!"

"I heard it from the Duchess of Akkala." Lady Rana answered with a shrug. "She told me her husband informed her, and his sources are said to be reputable."

"Reputable my ass," Link heard Barnabus mutter under his breath. The three turned to him for more. "Jun doesn't talk to anyone but Dukes and Marquis."

What did he know about the Duke of Akkala? Not very much. He knew through rumours that he was an alcoholic with preference for brandy and a suspicious tendency to hire mostly butlers rather than maids.

Who even likes that stuff? He still remembered the hangover that had been caused by the King's own stash.

"This is a special blend of Akkalan apples. Stored on oak barrels for 12 years."

Twelve years of waiting for alcohol was insane, he didn't have the patience to wait for a drink that long.

"It was a gift from a Duke."

Link didn't listen to anything else spoken between the lovers. He could only replay the conversation he had painfully sat through with Rhoam weeks ago. He'd gauged his romantic interests, even his orientation though he was thankful not to have slipped on that piece of information.

"Does the Duke of Akkala have a close relation to His Majesty?" Link hesitantly asked.

"Oh yes, most definitely. They often get together for drinks."

Fuck.

...

He left soon after on his search for Zelda, even though the numerous distractions meant he might have missed her.

Link quickly realised, even with how bad the rumour that he may be sleeping with the researcher was, he could potentially save himself if the rumour of Zelda being pregnant became known to the King.

It was far from ideal—legitimately a terrible option—but it would save his head and give him a few days time to figure out a game plan if he absolutely needed it, and even then he still didn't want to touch that kind of rumour with a ten-mile stick.

Now he had to find Zelda and her best friend once more to inform them both of the god-awful rumour going around the aristocracy before either of them heard it through the grapevine first with any sordid details gossipers could come up with.

He had to find Zelda first, decidedly. Purah was usually harder to find, but granted, she was always in the surrounding vicinity when the princess was concerned.

He looked down at the sleeping baby cradled against his chest, and frowned slightly. The distinctly white hair and red eyes of his niece was a dead giveaway of her heritage and would likely only do more harm in terms of that rumour. He slowly brought the sling fabric to stealthily cover her head, ensuring there was still adequate space for her to breathe without fear.

He still wondered how in the world that had even become a rumour. He had been far too obvious with Zelda during her own birthday, and he knew people had watched them for a long time, it was the biggest reason he wasn't at the castle currently. He had used possessive hook up tactics on the Crown Princess shamelessly in a crowd of gossipy nobles. The fact they even left in a rush and hadn't returned was appalling and jaw-droppingly shameful in terms of their standards, he was amazed no one was demanding they marry on the spot after being so open about the scenting.

But somehow, they thought he was sleeping with her best friend instead, a woman he said hi to maybe once or twice a month.

He hated society and the aristocracy and their mind-numbing dumbassery. How do you get to such a conclusion?! What leap of faith did these people take to get to that kind of conclusion?

It's almost as if everytime he solved an issue, a bigger one appeared in his face immediately.

He joked to himself maybe the Calamity was the peak of problems and he just had to work up to it, maybe that's why it was so late.

He did eventually find Zelda, she just wasn't where he had expected her to be.

In the dense crowds of busy Castletown, it had been difficult to pick up her scent due to the hundreds of others present to muddle it up, but he eventually pulled it from the rest, following the floral notes straight to the town square.

It wasn't hard to find her, he didn't even need to pierce through the thick crowds to see her either.

It only took a brief look around to spot her long golden hair swaying in the light breeze, high above the rest of the bustling waves of people.

For a reason unknown, Zelda was perched high on a ladder, tying the strings of colourful garlands to lamp posts. She was in a simpler outfit, not her usual royal gown or riding outfit, but she did still seem out of place with her recognisable blues and gold accents.

From where Link stood, he wasn't sure if she could see him, but he could see Impa at the base, her hair was peaking above the crowd, and the familiar beret of the Royal Guard, who was accompanying her today, he wasn't sure due to the fact he couldn't see them so it had to either be Sir Balar or Dame Mara.

Taking the opportunity to stay hidden, he ducked behind one of the stalls and approached quietly, ducking behind small crowds and pretending to look at the wares of a vendor.

"Princess, you really mustn't do this, it isn't your job," He heard Impa chastise lightly.

"I am well aware of this fact." Zelda chirped back. "Pass me one of the strings please,

"I think this end needs to be better secured." He wasn't watching them, but he could just imagine Zelda reaching on her toes to secure the bright blue decorations.

"Your Highness, please be careful!"

Sir Balar it is then.

He wondered just how the Princess had found herself in this particular situation. She had been praying less than two hours prior no? How was it that she was hanging decorations in the square now? He couldn't imagine that anyone had the audacity to approach a Princess for assistance with decorating, especially having to climb a ladder.

It was a welcome surprise though to see Zelda smiling outside the castle. She was clearly happy to be assisting with the festivities. She did enjoy making herself useful wherever she could be of use, even with her limited set of skills.

"Sir, may I have a few of the flowers please? The blue ones, if you could?"

He chanced a glance and saw Sir Balar passing the Princess a very small bouquet of four blue and white moonflowers in full bloom. They were tied with ribbons at the base. He watched her carefully descend the ladder, taking the flowers with great care and returning up to the garlands,

He noted an approaching older woman with a cane and a cup of what seemed to be fruit juice.

"Dear, I appreciate the help, but take it easy." The older woman was sweet in the way she spoke to Zelda, even if she hadn't used the formalities when addressing a member of the royal family. "There's no rush necessary, we're still days away from the celebrations."

"See Princess? What have I been telling you?" He almost snorted at the sass coming from Impa. "You're going to hurt yourself up there!"

"She's right dear, a woman of your standing shouldn't be bothered with these things."

Link pretended to show interest in a stick of sugar-coated hydromelon chunks, giving a few red rupees in exchange.

He knew he wasn't needed there, and he knew he was going to be recognised sooner or later, it would only take a moment for either one of the trio to spot him, whether it be by sight or smell. If he had to wager who, he guessed it would probably be Zelda if anyone, having both the high ground and half of a bond to go off.

He manoeuvred around the crowd, eventually having done almost a full circle to their other side where he could see the three a bit better and still be hidden.

Zelda was gleefully tying the remainder of the flowers to the post, even adding a few colourful ribbons to the hanging pots of wildflowers as an addition. It did look quite nice, he had to admit.

She was beautiful, smiling so brightly. He loved seeing her like this; happy, enthusiastic, excited to help. He never wanted to see her any differently. Her happiness was contagious, she was making him smile without realising it. Even the old lady was grinning.

"Once you're done, allow me to treat you to some fruit, Your Highness. It's the least I can do." The woman offered politely, lifting a small plate. He hadn't seen it the first time he noticed the elderly woman, but he wondered how Impa or the guard might react to the offer. Zelda wasn't supposed to accept foods or drinks from outside of the castle unless they were already tested.

"You're too kind, madam." Zelda said politely. "But I must be leaving to return to the palace soon."

"You're not staying to enjoy the festivities?" The woman had a tinge of hurt in her voice, a silent plea.

"Her Highness is a very busy woman, ma'am." Impa sternly cut into the conversation.

Be a bit nicer… Link sighed at her tone; it could have easily been taken as rude but it didn't seem like the woman minded thankfully.

"I may stay for one or two, perhaps." Zelda added the finishing touches and descended the ladder carefully. She was still wearing her prayer sandals he noticed. He was happy to know she hadn't climbed up in heels at least. "Sir Balar, would you test it for me? I don't currently have my testers at the moment."

"Of course, Princess."

It wasn't protocol but Link let it slide just this once. His guards weren't meant to be used for poison testing, but what harm would it do just to let it slide this one time?

She was clearly enjoying herself and wanting to stay as long as she could, he wondered how he might be able to facilitate her stay extending outside of the castle. He did miss seeing that lovely smile even if he'd seen it last night.

He felt Ari stir against him, looking up at him with bright red eyes, little fists bumping against his chest lightly. He smiled, looking between Zelda and the baby before retreating quietly away from the crowd. From his spot, he could see the large clocktower's hands show noon, telling him his niece hadn't eaten in a bit over two hours.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her, uncovering her head from the sling. She didn't stink, so that was a plus. He was answered by a quiet gurgle. "Right." He reached into his small satchel he kept on his side and pulled out a small bottle Aryll had given him and hovered it above the sling. His niece's eyes lit up and she made grabby hands towards the bottle, and Link was more than happy to oblige, giving her the milk.

He didn't pay attention to all the crowds away from him, instead directing it at the baby.

"Link?" His head turned and he was greeted by Zelda peeking curiously at him. "What are you doing here?" She approached, stepping between the stalls into the quieter side of the area. "Oh who do we have here?" her eyes lit up at the side of the baby suckling the bottle.

He brought the sling fabric down to show her Ari's little head.

"Oh goodness! Is this the elusive Ari you've told me so much about?" He nodded, smiling. He noticed Impa and Sir Balar peek between the stalls, greeting him with a nod of the head and a quiet wave.

So much for wanting to stay hidden. Oh well. He waved the two over out of the crowd.

Zelda was cooing and playing with one of his niece's tiny hands with her finger, all while Ari only focused on her food, ignoring the rest of the world.

"Is this the little baby my sister has told me about?" Impa asked, taking a walk around him.

"Probably." He answered. He wondered just how many people knew about Ari's existence based on Impa's words alone. "Her name is Arina."

"Sheikah through and through, look at that head of hair!" She smiled and rustled the baby's hair softly.

"Erm… Impa? How many people did Purah tell about this?" He asked, feigning casual curiousity. He prayed it wasn't many, or else he knew he'd found the source of the rumour and how it had likely developed.

"Oh everyone knows this little one gave you massive baby fever!" She laughed wholeheartedly.

Link on the other hand, was quiet. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Today had to be a nightmare.

"I do not have baby fever!" he sputtered, affronted. He wanted to bury his face in the dirt. "Goddesses, Impa tell me you're joking, please! Tell me Purah did not go around the castle telling everyone that!"

She laughed with full force as the horror of such a statement was setting in. What had possessed the damn woman to tell the entire castle that?!

"Calm your panties, shorty. She only told us." Impa wiped an invisible tear from her eye.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Good, it was only a terrible joke on her part.

"As far as I know anyway."

He wanted to scream. Why, oh why did castle life have to do this to him? He sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Right…" He muttered, trying not to think about it too hard. "Could you maybe be a bit less public about those jokes please?" He asked, just pleading that, for once, she would legitimately listen to him without a fuss.

Impa snorted. "Why? Don't like a little fun, Captain?"

He stared flatly. "Frankly, I wouldn't care very much if it wasn't for the predicament I'm finding myself in." He tried to explain vaguely without giving away to his subordinate who stood four feet away that the predicament involved babies and his sex life with the princess. Dame Caya knowing about his situation with the princess was already far too many people who didn't need to know, he didn't also need another member of his squad in the know, and he still didn't know the full extent of the information she knew.

So far, the people who knew were the General, Arn, Impa, probably Purah, Dame Caya, Mrs. Amelia and her daughter from the café and himself, he didn't know if anyone else knew of that information and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Has something happened again?" Zelda asked him quietly.

He nodded quietly. "Rumours."

Her eyes widened a bit. "About us? How?"

"Not us. Me." He corrected her.

"Oh dear… Is it bad?"

Link chanced a glance at the guard and Impa. "I would say so,"

"Right," Zelda looked around for a moment, her eyes mostly glued to the crowds in the square. "Want to talk about it here or elsewhere?"

Elsewhere would be ideal, especially out of the public. He couldn't really think of a secluded place today in the town where he could safely tell her of the rumours he'd heard so far without being overheard by someone; his home was probably the best option, but he didn't know how to feel about Impa or the guards knowing where he lived nor had he really cleaned up the place for guests again.

Here was decently private, no one hung behind the stalls very much and in the alleyways, but then again, he'd have to whisper.

"Sir Balar?" The guard stood at attention, ready for an order. "Go grab yourself lunch, come back in twenty minutes please." There was no resistance, he nodded and took his leave, disappearing into the crowd. Impa raised a brow to him and followed the two of them deeper into the alley.

An order to take a walk was generally well-known to mean that secret or personal matters were to be discussed without prying ears, and was a popular order to give when a member of the royal family was involved.

Zelda didn't question him either, simply following him. He dusted off a set of crates and took a seat, offering the cleaner and less dusty of the two to Zelda.

"Right, Captain Reinhartd's wife has made me aware of certain rumours today." He started.

For the next half hour, Link gave as many details as possible, but left out his suspicions of Rhoam having been the originator of the rumour. He told her from the start, to the end, everything Lady Rana had divulged to him.

The most shocking part of the reveal was the fact that Zelda seemed entirely unsurprised, almost like she was connecting things together, which made no sense to him. She simply nodded along, letting him speak freely.

At least Impa was surprised. She was clearly shook and even laughed at the thought of the two ever being together in such a way. She even suggested he had to be joking.

Occasionally, he checked on Ari, taking her bottle away when she eventually finished where Impa took her from his arms then to let him focus on telling them everything.

"So that's what he meant then…" was the first coherent thought the princess voiced once he was done.

"You need to explain why that is, Zelda. I'm far too tired to want to put much thought into this." He told her. He had expected this day to be calm, no bumps in the roads, yet every time he turned his head, he was thrust into something new.

She seemed uncertain for a moment, hesitating to start. "When you were gone, in Hateno Village I mean, Father asked me about my suitors." She started. "And I asked if you would be eligible to be my suitor. Father said no, mostly stating your commoner's origins." She explained in simple terms.

Of course Rhoam would deny him the privilege of being with Zelda purely based on his blood.

"When I initially asked, he claimed you had eyes for another, that you had interest in an 'avidly passionate woman'," she air quoted. "It seems in your drunken haze with my father, you may have given him the wrong idea."

"But how did he equate that to Purah of all people? That's you, even the blindest of people know this. Besides, I barely see the damn woman, how did your father even come to this conclusion?"

"I really don't know." She shrugged, "though on the bright side, the courts don't think we're sleeping together." She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

He wasn't smiling though. He simply pointed down at her stomach. "Zelda, it doesn't matter what they think right now, they're going to know soon enough." He knew that Zelda was aware that her corsets would only be able to hide her pregnancy for a few more weeks. "I'm also not exactly a fan of the world thinking I'm two-timing you."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I can't wait for the day nobles gain common sense."

"Brave of you to assume that'll ever happen."

"I'll be honest, I thought everyone would assume you were both together." Impa admitted. "Neither of you were subtle two days ago, especially you." she pointed at Link. "What excuse did they have to excuse your early absence?"

Link laughed. "It was seen as a 'necessity to protect the Princess from handsy bachelors'. They saw the handsy suitors, but they didn't see the rest." He quoted the words of Sir Eli from earlier when he'd asked.

Impa face-palmed with a groan. "The most you could do to deter these unsavoury rumours would be to admit your involvement with the princess, and that's a death wish waiting to happen."

"Fantastic. Very fantastic." He said dryly.

"Did you find anything about the bond that could protect you from backlash? There has to be something." Zelda inquired.

"I did-" He caught sight of the returning guard, immediately putting a halt to the conversation.

He had the book back at his home along with the notes and references he'd carefully searched for, but this really couldn't be discussed in public considering the fact it involved the line of succession directly and was to be absolutely top secret.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it with Impa present, nor did he want his subordinate to hear any part of this conversation and report him for suspicions of treason.

"I need somewhere private, really private, to discuss that." He whispered. "More private than a castle." He told them.

Zelda and Impa shared a look before nodding.

"I'll think of something, I promise I'll find a good place." Zelda promised him. "I'll tell my father we can go to Mt. Lanayru? A strange dream involving the Spring of Wisdom should allow us to go at a moment's notice."

"Sounds like a plan. No one's ever up there, it's as private as you can get."