To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 36 – Visiting

With the duel having reached its conclusion, the crowds began making their way back to the center of Ordon. The children sped ahead, each one of them eager to share the story of Link and Zelda's battle with anyone who couldn't attend. Meanwhile, the adults moved at a slower pace, some of them even breaking off to return to their work for the day. The soldiers chose to return to their makeshift campsite, and one of them even graciously offered to take Reina back with him. This freed Zelda up to follow the rest of the crowd into Ordon, alongside Link.

As they walked, she couldn't help but notice that the Hero had a bright smile planted on his lips. She soon flashed him a curious look. "My, someone seems cheerful. Are you still basking in your victory?"

Link's smile widened a bit as he shook his head. "No, you should know that I never really take pride in such things."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Zelda agreed with a smirk. "But in that case, what has you looking so elated?"

Link shrugged. "It's nothing, really. I just realized that I've really been enjoying myself today."

Zelda felt a bit surprised by this response. "Oh? You have?"

"Of course," he said with a nod. "From exploring the village, to the goat-herding, to watching your archery with the kids, and finally a heart-pounding duel. It's just been one good time after another." The Hero then paused, before turning to the Princess with a sincere smile. "I'm really glad that you came here, Zelda. I honestly can't remember the last time I've had this much fun."

As expected, Zelda couldn't help but blush a bit at this compliment. "Surely you're exaggerating," she insisted. "We haven't done anything that you don't normally do around here, have we?"

Link shook his head. "No, but for some reason, having you around has made things much more exciting. I guess you just bring a fresh perspective to this rusty old town."

Zelda produced a bashful smile, still feeling undeserving of such praise. "Well, I'm glad to know that you've been enjoying yourself. I've been having a wonderful time as well."

Link smiled back, happy to know that his meager little home in the forest had managed to satisfy the Princess. He had been worried that she would be disappointed with this place, but alas, her feelings of delight seemed to be completely genuine.

Before long, the crowds made it to the center of town where they slowly began to disperse in different directions. Off to the side, a number of the village's women could be spotted preparing food in front of the home with a waterwheel. Many of them were using wooden tables and small ovens to clean, cut, and cook their meals. As they did, their children naturally congregated to their side, gushing about every magical event that they had witnessed that day. It wasn't long before some of the menfolk approached them as well, just as excited to share the tale of the incredible duel with their wives.

Link and Zelda just turned to each other and smiled when they saw this. They were happy to know that their innocent battle had helped liven things up around here and create a general buzz of excitement.

However, the Princess soon felt her own happiness slowly fade away as one of the women chose to run up to them. Specifically, it was a young girl with dirty-blonde hair and mesmerizing green eyes. Zelda just frowned as she approached. She had truly enjoyed the last few hours in which she had been free of her, but now she would have to be subjected to her presence once again. She soon took a deep breath, bracing herself for yet another encounter with her enemy.

She's not your enemy, Zelda's conscience reiterated. The Princess just rolled her eyes. It's not like acknowledging such a thing would make her any less jealous.

"Link!" Ilia cried, calling for the Hero's attention as she ran.

Link just smiled, happy to see her approach. "Oh, hey Ilia. How're things going over here?"

"Forget about that!" the girl said as she skidded to a halt in front of him. "Is what they're saying true?"

Link blinked, feeling a bit confused. "Um…what now?"

"The kids," Ilia clarified. "They've been telling us about all these adventures that you've gone on today."

Link just chuckled before turning to Zelda with a smile. "Well, I don't know about adventures, but we've certainly had a fun time."

Zelda softly smiled back, showing her appreciation once again. However, the moment was cut short when Ilia spoke up.

"Almost too much fun, by the sound of it!" she said incredulously. "Why didn't you invite me along for any of that?"

Link blinked again, this time feeling even more confused. "Um, what do you mean, Ilia? I told you that I was going to be showing Zelda around the village, and I asked if you were interested in joining us."

"Yes, but you never told me what you would be doing!" Ilia replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Archery? Dueling? I would've liked to have seen that! Oh, and the kids say that you had a fun time goat-herding as well?"

Link frowned, suddenly feeling a little defensive. "Er…well, yeah. Zelda wanted to try it so I just showed her how."

"And to think that I've been stuck here cooking all day," Ilia said with a frown. "How's come you've never shown me how to herd the goats?"

"What?" Link replied. "Um, you never asked…"

"But you know how much I enjoy riding horses!"

Zelda just remained silent as she watched the couple continue to bicker. After a moment, she suddenly began to realize why Ilia seemed so upset about missing out. As it turned out, she was jealous. Ilia wished that she could have been the one having all the fun with Link throughout the day. Not Zelda, or the other Ordon residents. She simply wanted her man all to herself, and she was upset for having missed out a perfect opportunity to spend time with him.

Zelda couldn't help but smirk a bit at this fact. She found it rather amusing to see Ilia being jealous for a change. Even if it was over something as insignificant as goat-herding.

"Sorry Ilia," Link eventually said with a sigh. "But you're the one who said that you had to spend all day cooking."

Ilia just smiled before crossing her arms. "Still, I expect you to make this up to me."

Link shrugged. "Fine. If you want, I can show you how to herd the goats some other time."

Ilia shook her head and smiled some more, her expression turning somewhat playful. "Actually, I was hoping that you could do something for me right away. I have a favor to ask."

Link could only raise his eyebrows. "And that is…?"

Ilia gestured back towards the yard where the women were preparing the food. "I have a huge pumpkin that I need to prepare for the feast tonight. Can you use your strong arms to lift it onto the table for me?"

Link just sighed again before producing a small smile. "Of course I can do that."

"Then come on, mister." Without waiting for any more approval, Ilia snatched up Link's hand, and began pulling him away to the outdoor kitchen.

As Link followed behind Ilia, he cast an apologetic frown in Zelda's direction. It was clear that he felt bad about abruptly abandoning her like this. Nevertheless, Zelda forgave him with a small smile and a wave goodbye. She hated to see him go, but she supposed that it couldn't be helped. When trouble called, the Hero naturally had to come running to the rescue.

Still, she wished that he didn't have to go running off to her rescue…

I know, I know, jealousy is unbecoming of a Princess, the more irritable side of Zelda's mind declared before her conscience had any chance to make a disapproving comment. Unfortunately, it didn't stop her conscience from clicking its imaginary tongue and shaking its imaginary head…

The Princess soon sighed. She really did wonder if she was losing her mind. At the very least, she certainly didn't feel like she had it all together.

"How are you doing, Princess?"

Zelda blinked, suddenly realizing that she had company standing next to her. Turning her head, she spotted a blonde woman carrying a baby in her arms. She immediately recognized her as Rusl's wife, Uli.

"Oh, I'm doing well, thank you," Zelda replied, quickly conjuring a warm smile. Once again, she was more than happy to have any excuse to leave her annoying and depressing thoughts behind her.

The woman gave the Princess a bashful smile, one that was not dissimilar to the expressions that her son, Colin, made. "I hope you don't mind that I approached you. I just noticed that you seemed a bit lonely standing here."

"Oh, of course not," Zelda replied with a frown. "I'm more than happy to share your company."

Uli's smile brightened, and her shoulders seemed to relax a bit. "My son, Colin, was just telling me about all the fun you guys have been having. I hope that you have been enjoying yourself here in Ordon."

Zelda nodded. "Oh yes, very much so. It's been vastly different from any other place I've visited so far. Very unique."

Uli just laughed. It was a soft, almost melodious sound. "Well, that's certainly one way to put it. I imagine that life here is quite different from life at the castle."

"Of course, but I enjoy it all the same," Zelda assured her. She then paused for a second, curiously glancing back and forth between Uli and the other women. "Forgive me for asking this, but are you not participating in the cooking?"

"No, I am," Uli said proudly. She then raised the baby in her arms. "Unfortunately, I needed to take a break so I could change this little one."

Zelda smiled as she glanced down at the infant. At this moment, the girl was wide awake, and she happily smiled up at the Princess. "How adorable," Zelda mused. "Her name is Hope, correct?"

"That's right," Uli said with a smile. "We named her after victory was achieved in the Twilight Invasion. Believe it or not, she was actually born during that final battle against the evil tyrant known as Ganondorf."

"Is that so?" Zelda asked. She was a bit surprised to hear that Uli was so knowledgeable about the final battle, but then she realized that Rusl must have filled her in afterwards. "Well, I'm happy to know that this innocent life and many others were spared because of our victory. I still shudder to think what might have happened had Ganondorf seized control of the Kingdom."

Uli simply shook her head before looking down at her baby. "It's best to leave such dark thoughts alone. We all survived, and now we're here: happy, safe, and healthy. That's all that really matters."

"Agreed," Zelda said with a nod. Despite everything that her subjects had been through, she was happy to know that they had all remained strong and optimistic. The future was still undetermined, but she knew that keeping a positive attitude would only help them in the days to come.

Uli turned back to Zelda. "Would you like to hold her, Princess?"

Zelda blinked before smiling at the offer. "May I?"

"Of course," Uli replied. She then carefully handed the precious bundle over to the Princess, who gently received the baby in her arms.

Zelda felt both her eyes and her heart soften as she stared down at the little infant. The girl just happily opened and closed her mouth as she stared back at her. She soon began babbling in her tiny voice, as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Hi sweetie," Zelda whispered, greeting the baby with a smile. The infant just continued to excitedly babble, which made Zelda giggle in amusement. "She's so cute."

Uli proudly smiled back. "Thank you, Princess. That truly means a lot."

Zelda continued to cradle the baby in her arms. She wasn't sure why, but she truly enjoyed this experience. There was just something nice about holding such a sweet and innocent life in her hands, all while watching the infant stare back at her in oblivious admiration. Zelda didn't often get to experience this sort of thing back at the castle, so this felt like a really tender moment for her.

She soon sighed, feeling content. "You know, I'd love to be blessed with a child of my own someday."

Uli gave a confident nod. "I'm sure you will, Princess. All you must do is find the right man, and then the rest will fall into place."

Upon hearing this, Zelda couldn't help but glance over to the outdoor kitchen. There, she spotted Link lifting the large pumpkin onto the table for Ilia. With a sad smile, she looked away.

"Yes, but that's easier said than done."

Being a mother, Uli couldn't help but notice Zelda's slight change in expression. "Having trouble with romance, I take it?"

Zelda just blinked before shaking her head. "Oh, it's nothing worth worrying over."

Uli continued to stare at the Princess with a look of sympathy, but soon closed her eyes and nodded. "I understand, Princess. I won't pry any further."

"Thank you," Zelda said, also closing her eyes. She didn't necessarily want to push the older woman away, especially since she only wanted to help, but she still wasn't about to reveal the anguish of her heart to someone who was basically a complete stranger. It was far too embarrassing. And depressing, honestly.

Zelda then paused as she suddenly felt something give a sharp yank on the side of her head. She quickly opened her eyes, feeling confused, only to have something pull on her once again. "Ouch!" she cried.

Zelda, with her head now slightly tilted to the left, soon glanced down and noticed that the infant in her arms held a bundle of her hair in the grasp of her tiny hand. Zelda's eyes just went wide while the baby flashed an amused expression. Clearly, she enjoyed her new toy, and she was eager to pull on it once again.

"Ow!"

"Oh Hope," Uli said, immediately stepping close so she could chastise her infant. "We don't pull on people's hair, remember? Let it go at once."

It took a bit of tugging, but Uli eventually managed to make the baby let go of the hair. She then pulled her free of Zelda's grasp, bringing her back into her own arms. "I'm terribly sorry about that, Princess," she apologized.

"Oh, it's no trouble," Zelda said as she slowly ran her fingers through her mangled strand of hair. "I understand that babies will do as they please."

"Thank you for understanding," Uli said with a slight bow. She then pulled her child close to her, who was still babbling with excitement. "I suppose I should return to cooking then. There's still a lot of work to be done in preparation for tonight's feast. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course, thank you for sharing this conversation with me," Zelda replied before providing a polite curtsy.

The woman simply smiled before walking away. Zelda was now standing alone once again. She soon frowned, pondering what she ought to do next. She figured that it might not hurt to go and find Fost, and make sure that he was getting along okay in this town. Especially since Zelda herself had potentially given him more than one heart attack with her activities today.

However, her chance to move on quickly slipped away, as Zelda soon found herself with company once again. This time, it was the Hero clad in green, having returned to her.

"Oh, Link," Zelda said, blinking in surprise. "Back so soon?"

Link sighed but produced a smile. "Yeah, once I helped Ilia with her pumpkin, she shooed me away, saying that it's better if I don't get involved in the cooking."

"Really?" Zelda asked with raised eyebrows. "That's odd. I would've thought she was eager to spend time with you after her behavior a short while ago."

Link just chuckled at this. "Not quite. I think she was just disappointed to know that she missed out on so much fun."

"That's a shame," Zelda said, although if she were speaking truthfully, she didn't really think of Ilia's absence as a shame at all. "Does she always get that upset?"

This time, Link seemed a bit surprised. "Upset? I don't know if I would say that. Ilia just gets really…excitable whenever she feels like she's missing out."

Zelda simply frowned. That's not how she would have described the girl's behavior at all. Then again, Link knew Ilia better than she did, so who was she to argue?

"So, it seems like we have some more free time," Link noted. "Anything else you want to see in Ordon?"

Zelda thought about it, but soon shook her head. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'd like to take it easy for a while. We've already done so much today."

Link just smiled. "Sure."

The Hero led the way over to a picnic table by the stream that ran through the middle of town. Here, the two of them took a seat, happy to relax for a change. The warm rays of the sun felt rather pleasant, and the constant babbling of the creek helped provide a tranquil atmosphere.

"This is more like Ordon," Link said as he looked around. "We don't usually have as much excitement as we had today. It's typically calm, quiet…"

"Peaceful," Zelda added with a smirk.

"Exactly," he agreed. He then paused, before frowning a bit. "Well, until now, that is."

Zelda gave him a curious look, but Link just pointed out to the field in front of them. She then glanced over, only to find the children of Ordon excitedly scampering over to their location.

"So much for peace and quiet," Link said with a sigh. "I hope you don't mind their endless noise."

Zelda simply smiled before shaking her head. "Nonsense. If anything, I appreciate their youthful admiration."

Link just shrugged. "If you say so."

It was around this point that the kids finally caught up to them, appearing out of breath, but still quite energetic. Naturally, Talo was the first to speak.

"We finally found you guys!" the boy said with a grin. "So, what are we doing next?"

Link just rolled his eyes. "We?"

"Yeah, you and the Princess are going to do something cool and fun again, right?"

"Sorry, but not quite," Link said, shaking his head. "We are going to sit here for a while and relax."

Talo's grin immediately faltered, as did his shoulders. "What? You're just going to sit here? But that's boring…"

"Oh, shut up, Talo," Beth snapped at him. She then smiled before immediately running over to the Princess and taking a seat next to her. "I for one would be more than happy to sit in the presence of Her Highness."

Zelda merely smiled back at the girl. "Why, that is very flattering, Beth. Thank you." The girl naturally beamed at these words.

Meanwhile, the other kids soon turned to her, and surprisingly enough, began to follow suit.

"Um, I would be happy to sit for a while too," Colin said, taking a seat next to Link.

"Agreed," Malo said, before also finding a seat.

Talo frowned a bit, but he soon sighed and sat down as well. "Fine…"

Link just smiled before reaching over and rustling the kid's brown hair. "It'll be good for you to take a breather. If anything, you've probably had too much excitement for one day."

"Have not!" he exclaimed loudly as he swatted the Hero's hand away. "I want to see you guys do more cool stuff! Like with the archery! And then the sword fight! You guys were all like fwish and swish!"

Beth just rolled her eyes as she watched the boy's exaggerated hand motions. "So uncivilized…"

Zelda simply giggled, finding the child's enthusiasm to be rather charming. "It's okay, Beth. I'm sure that this is just Talo's way of showing flattery."

"That's a bit far-fetched," Malo muttered from the other end of the table.

"Hey, I know!" Talo exclaimed, as if an idea had just suddenly come to him. "Princess, do you have any exciting stories to tell us?"

"Exciting stories?" Zelda repeated. "Like what?"

Beth quickly piped up. "Ooh, can you tell us what it's like to live in a castle?"

Zelda paused for a second before realizing what they were getting at. These children grew up in the small village of Ordon, and didn't know a whole lot about the outside world. Naturally, they were curious to learn more about the lifestyle of royalty.

"Of course. As I'm sure you can imagine, living in a castle is quite different than living here. Our castle is many stories tall with thick stone walls to keep us protected. We have a number of guards and servants that live there as well, and they work hard to keep everything running smoothly."

"Wow," Beth breathed. "And they follow your every command?"

Zelda laughed a bit. "I don't often feel the need to issue 'commands', but yes, they listen to my every word."

Beth nodded as her eyes started to sparkle again. "What kind of things do you have in your castle? Anything fancy?"

"Of course. We have a great number of beautiful paintings and fine rugs lining our halls. We also have some rather luxurious furniture."

"Pfft, boring…" Talo muttered with a frown. Clearly, the talk of interior goods was not catching his interest in the slightest. Fortunately, Zelda had the solution for this.

"We have many suits of armor and old weapons displayed in our hallways as well."

The boys' faces immediately lit up at this.

"Oh, cool…" Colin breathed.

"Do the soldiers ever use that stuff for training?" Talo asked, his excitement rapidly returning.

Zelda smiled and shook her head. "No, the soldiers have their own gear for such activities. They tend to spend a lot of their time out in the courtyard practicing their skills."

"Awesome," Talo said with a grin. "What about real battles? Do they ever go out and fight?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, but only when it is necessary."

"What about you, Princess? Have you ever been in a battle?"

This question gave Zelda some pause, and the smile slowly faded from her lips. She hadn't expected the boy to ask her that. "Er…yes, a handful of times."

"Wow, what were they like?"

Zelda frowned some more, not quite sure how to respond. Fortunately, she didn't have to, for Link ended up coming to her rescue.

"Knock it off, Talo," the Hero said with a shake of his head. "I don't think the Princess wants to talk about such things."

Talo just gave him a confused look. "Huh? But why not?"

"Just forget it, kid," Link said, sternly shaking his head again.

Talo still looked confused, but the serious expression on Link's face convinced him to relent. "Fine," he agreed.

Zelda just flashed Link a grateful smile. Truth be told, she really didn't care to relive any of her past battles, especially since they all consisted of nothing more than a desperate struggle for her life. She truly appreciated that the Hero had stepped in and quelled the boy's questions, so that those dark memories could be left behind her.

However, Talo was quick to speak up again, still looking curious. "In that case, can I ask you a different question, Princess?"

Zelda looked surprised, but she soon nodded. "What is it?"

"Are the stories true?" the boy asked bluntly.

"The stories?" Zelda repeated, feeling confused. "What stories?"

"You know," Talo said, sticking his hand out. "The stories about Link being a grand Hero who went on an adventure and saved the Kingdom."

Zelda just paused. Everyone at the table did. Zelda never imagined that the children of Ordon would be doubtful when it came to tales of Link's exploits, and yet, as she looked around at each of them, she could tell that they were curious to hear the truth of the matter from her own lips.

"Why, of course it's true," she stated clearly. "Link was very brave and he managed to save a lot of people. Myself included."

Talo simply blinked, still looking skeptical. "Seriously?"

Link had never been one to take pride in his achievements, but in this moment, he couldn't help but scowl at the runt that was questioning his adventures. He always believed that the children in Ordon admired him and looked up to him. They basically believed everything he said. Where was all of this doubt suddenly coming from?

Zelda also found herself growing curious as to the origins of the children's doubt. "What's the matter? You don't believe that Link is capable of saving the Kingdom?"

The entire table turned back to Talo, who simply sighed. "Well, he's pretty strong and I know that he can handle stuff around here just fine, but the whole Kingdom? I mean, come on!"

"I see," Zelda said, nodding a bit as she finally started to understand the issue. "You've known Link your entire life, so you find it hard to believe that he could go out on such an incredible adventure, the likes of which are usually only found in legends."

"Exactly," Talo agreed. "Link isn't some mighty Hero. He's just Link, a guy who lives and works in Ordon."

"Ah, but why should that mean that he is not a mighty Hero?" Zelda pressed him.

The boy looked surprised, and soon went silent. The entire table did.

Zelda simply smiled as she shook her head. "Your desire to discover the truth is appreciated, Talo, but I can assure you that Link truly is the savior of Hyrule. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. He crossed numerous landscapes and defeated many dangerous foes, all for the sake of saving our Kingdom. Of that, there is no doubt."

"S-Seriously?" Colin whispered, looking positively awestruck.

"I promise you it is the truth."

Talo gawked a bit. "And he did it all by himself?"

Zelda nodded, but soon decided to smirk. "Well…I suppose that Epona did do half of the work for him…"

The reaction to her quip was immediate. All of the tension melted away as the children began to giggle, the thought of Epona ferrying the Hero from place to place suddenly sounding quite humorous.

Zelda glanced over to Link and noticed that he was smiling along with them. Clearly, he was amused with her joke as well, but there was also an appreciation in his eyes. A gratitude for defending his honor and assuring the children that the tales of his exploits were completely true. Link had to admit, there were times where even he had trouble believing everything that he accomplished, but he couldn't deny that it felt very gratifying to hear the Princess stick up for him like this.

It felt like she always had his back, no matter what the situation was.

As the afternoon dragged on, the children continued to ask a few more questions about Link, until the conversation eventually focused on the Princess once again. Naturally, they were curious to hear more about her interesting and exciting life. Zelda was happy to indulge them, spending the next couple of hours talking about her duties in the castle, important people she had met, and the amazing places she had visited. The children just listened with wide eyes and big smiles. Her stories were so riveting, they almost felt like fairy tales.

Link just smiled as he watched the children's expressions, as well as Zelda's own excitement as she shared her life with them. He was happy to see that she was so comfortable in his tiny village. She was always so open and friendly, and she seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. He noted that she was certainly a far cry from himself, who had struggled to adapt to life within the castle halls. All she had to do was spend half a day in this unfamiliar village and it already felt like she fit right in.

At some point, the children began to grow tired of stories, and Talo thirsted for more action. He soon challenged Colin to a duel, and asked if the Princess would be willing to watch. She just politely smiled and accepted his offer, happy to see the children imitate her and Link's battle from earlier.

The group moved over into a nearby clearing, where Talo and Colin both took up wooden swords. Zelda was a bit surprised that they knew how to handle such weapons, but Colin explained that his father had trained him a bit, and Talo assured her that he was self-taught. Link just shook his head before whispering into the Princess's ear, claiming that he would make sure to stop them before anyone got hurt.

And so, the second duel of the day began. Well, if you could even call it a duel. Colin seemed to have the proper form as well as technique for handling the sword, but Talo just whipped his weapon around wildly, almost as if he was trying to mimic the Princess's swordplay from earlier. Needless to say, it was less than a satisfactory imitation. Still, Zelda made sure to give them her full attention, not wanting either child to believe that their duel deserved anything less.

At some point, while the kids were distracted, Link ended up taking a step closer to Zelda. He then began whispering under his breath once more. "Thanks for earlier, by the way."

"Hmm?" Zelda hummed, not taking her eyes away from the battle. "Whatever for?"

"For standing up for me and letting the kids know the truth," Link answered back. "I never realized that they had such massive doubts about my adventures."

"I never would have imagined such a thing either," Zelda said with a nod. "What did you do to make them believe that you are so untrustworthy?"

Link frowned. "Nothing. If anything, I feel like having you around doing all of these amazing things is starting to make them think that I'm not as cool as they used to believe."

The faintest trace of a smirk appeared on Zelda's lips. "Ah, my apologies for that. I never intended to steal your fan club away from you."

"They're not my fan club," Link asserted with a straight face. "And trust me, you can keep them."

Zelda fought hard not to giggle while she kept her eyes on the duel. She wanted to stay focused on the two young combatants and the display that they were putting on for her own amusement, but she couldn't deny that Link's naturally comedic expressions were making it quite difficult.

"Hey Princess, did you see that?" Talo shouted, sounding proud after doing some sort of makeshift spin attack.

"Yes, very impressive Talo," Zelda answered with a smile.

"He needs work," Malo muttered from beside her.

The duel continued for the next few minutes, but it wasn't long before a victor was decided. Colin waited patiently for an opening before knocking the sword free of his opponent's grasp. Meanwhile, Talo ended up tripping over his own feet, and fell backwards into the grass.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" he asked, looking up with his mouth agape.

"It was easy," Colin said with a shy smile. "I just had to wait for the right moment to counter. That's what my dad taught me."

"Easy is an exaggeration. Even a monkey could beat him…" Malo murmured from off to the side.

Link just shook his head before stepping forward and calling for everyone to quiet down. "All right, the duel has now concluded, and the victor is none other than Colin!"

Zelda and Malo produced a polite applause from the sidelines. Link just helped Talo up off the ground before patting both boys on the back.

"You did good, both of you," he said with an encouraging smile.

"Thanks, Link," Colin said, looking a little bashful, but also proud.

"Just wait, Colin!" Talo said, suddenly growing louder as well as determined. "I'll defeat you next time!"

"Maybe you should try to get some practice in first," Link said with a laugh as he tousled the boy's hair. The Hero then paused for a second as he glanced around the field. "Hmm? Where did Beth go?"

Zelda and the children also paused, suddenly looking around. "I don't know," Zelda whispered.

"She was just here a minute ago," said Malo.

"Do you think she went back home?" Colin asked.

Link just frowned. It wasn't like her to just disappear like that. He hoped that she hadn't wandered out of town. He knew how dangerous the forest could be, and you didn't have to explore very deep before you encountered such dangers.

Fortunately, his fears were short-lived, for Beth soon appeared on the hill behind them, running forward. "Hey, I'm over here!" she cried. It didn't take long before she was standing in front of them once again, smiling innocently.

Link just crossed his arms as he sighed. "I was starting to worry that you had gotten lost."

"In the middle of town?" Beth asked with a frown. "I know my way around Ordon, Link. I would never get lost."

Link just rolled his eyes. Like that had ever stopped the kids from getting lost before. "Right…"

"Where did you run off to anyway?" Colin asked curiously.

"I wanted to go and fetch something," she said with an excited grin. She then extended her hands forward, showing everyone that they were currently clasped together, and that she secretly held something within. "It's a gift for the Princess."

"Oh, for me?" Zelda said with a smile. "What is it, dear?"

Beth grinned before opening her hands and grabbing a flower that rested on her palm. It was a beautiful white lily, with six large, bright petals. "Ta-da!"

Zelda just smiled some more as she admired the lovely bud. "My, how pretty."

"It's a decoration, for your hair," Beth explained. She then tapped the side of her own head, and Zelda quickly noticed that she already had a white lily of her own placed in her sandy-brown hair.

"That's lovely, Beth. Thank you."

"Crouch down and I'll put it in your hair for you," the girl insisted with another excited grin.

Zelda simply closed her eyes and nodded. "Of course." She soon bowed low enough so that the girl could properly tuck the lily behind her pointed ear. Once it was secure, Zelda rose back to her full height, gently gracing the flower with her touch. She then paused once she noticed that Link was staring at her, and she couldn't help but start to blush.

"Um…How do I look?" she asked quietly.

Link just blinked, feeling surprised with how suddenly she had asked that question. Still, he managed to conjure a genuine smile. "You look good," he assured her.

Zelda ended up blushing some more at his compliment, but fortunately, Beth managed to draw the Hero's attention to herself.

"And what about me, Link?" she asked while running her fingers through her hair. "How do I look?"

Link just laughed at her obvious attempts to appear mature. "You look good too, Beth."

The girl grinned again. "Good answer! Now, here is your reward for being such a gentleman." She soon grabbed another lily from her open palm and presented it to Link.

He gingerly accepted the flower before staring at it. "Um, I hope you don't expect me to put this in my hair..."

Beth just frowned before putting her hands on her hips. "No, stupid. It's for Ilia."

Link blinked before rolling his eyes. "Oh, of course. What was I thinking?"

"Make sure to give it to her, all right? Then the three of us will be the most beautiful women in all of Ordon…" Like usual, the girl started to swoon as her imagination ran wild.

"Maybe the Princess and Ilia will be," Malo muttered under his breath.

Beth immediately frowned. "What? Who said that!?"

Talo just sighed as he walked up to the Princess. "Aw, who cares about that stuff? I want to get back to sword fighting again! Hey Princess, do you think you can show me how to fight with that rapier thing?"

Zelda just raised her eyebrows. "Ah, you are eager to learn?"

"Yeah!" he said with a grin. "I want to learn how to fight all fast and stuff like you do. Like fwish and swish-"

Unfortunately, the child's elaborate demonstration was quickly cut short by a loud call through the air. "KIDS!"

All of the children immediately froze before glancing behind them. There, they saw a woman standing by one of the fences, giving them a stern but friendly smile. Zelda quickly recognized her as Pergie, one of the village's housewives.

"It's time to get washed up for dinner," she announced with a smile. "And that goes for all of you."

"What?" Talo exclaimed, immediately looking disappointed. "But mom, can't we have like, five more minutes or something?"

Pergie just gave a firm shake of her head. "No way. You need to come home and take a bath."

Talo cringed as his mother's embarrassing command rang out through the air. "Mooom!" he whined. "Not in front of the Princess!"

Zelda just giggled a bit before stepping forward and giving the boy a soft push on his back. "Go on, Talo. It's rude to keep a lady waiting."

The boy just sighed. "Even if she's my mother?"

"Especially so."

Talo frowned, but he soon nodded. "Okay…"

The rest of the children followed his suit, making sure to say a proper farewell to the Princess before scampering off to their homes. Zelda just smiled and waved as they disappeared from sight. She then turned to face the Hero.

The two of them were alone once more.

I'm curious to know if this part of the story feels a little too slow. A part of me wondered if I should cut out some of these long Ordon scenes, but then another part of me was like "but I want to write it and it's my story and I can do whatever I want with it and who's gonna stop me wahahaha!"

So now here we are…lol.

Besides, I just love giving Link and Zelda some downtime and a chance to interact with the kids and other villagers. It's just so fun and wholesome and I love it to pieces. And you can't take that away from me! (Not that I imagine any of you would ever want to. All of my readers have been so friendly and kind, ha ha.)

As always, thanks for reading and showing your support. It is greatly appreciated! And I'll see you all next time :)