Fan Fiction ❯ Story Of A Girl ❯ Part 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Eventually I was woken up by the pale sunlight coming through the blinds. I couldn't quite bring myself to get out of bed, though. I was too comfortable, for one thing; and for another, the most beautiful boy in existance was still cuddled closely to me. I ran my fingers through his soft hair as he began to wake up.

"Hey, sweetie," I said as quietly as I could.

"Mmmmm....'morning," he replied groggily, his head still resting on my chest. He hugged me tighter around the middle. He reminded me so much of a young child sometimes. So sweet and innocent and trusting. Not to mention the fact that he'd had me in his bed twice, and nothing had happened between us. Well, I take that back, things had happened, but he wasn't awake at the time. 'Man, now I feel dirty,' I thought guiltily. 'He's such an angel, and I'm such the opposite.' I shook off my guilt.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked. 'Good lord, what's happening to me?' I demanded of myself. 'Am I being NICE?! This boy's poisoning my mind!' Eh. I didn't really care at the moment.











***








Zelda sighed, staring out her window. It had been a week since Link and Millerna had set off, and the Princess of Hyrule missed her best friend.

"Your best friend," she said to herself. "Stop fooling yourself, Princess. Goddesses, what can I do? It's not fair. Why does SHE have to be the one to win his heart?" But of course, she knew why. Link had no idea, but it was all part the prophecy. His prophecy. Zelda slammed her fist down onto her window seat.

"Something wrong, Your Majesty?" a soft voice called from the doorway. Zelda turned and smiled at the young redhead.

"Just Zelda, Malon," she said. "We are friends. I didn't know you were coming today." Malon shrugged.

"I had to deliver the milk. Dad's been sick, so he couldn't bring it."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"He's getting much better, don't worry," Malon replied, smiling. "So, back to my previous question, is anything bothering you?" Zelda motioned for her to sit down.

"Not really. Well, there has been a bit of something on my mind, but..." Malon gave her a knowing smile.

"I'm a little jealous of her, too," she said. Zelda blushed.

"You are...referring to Link's friend Millerna?"

"Of course I am."

"Ah. So...how do you know her?" Zelda asked. Malon giggled.

"Link brought her to the ranch soon after he'd found her," she said. "Pretty little thing. Mouth like a sailor, though," she added, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"And that habit she has of dressing like a boy," Zelda added. "There's nothing remotely ladylike about her."

"Link seems to like her," Malon said. "He seems to like her a lot."

"And do you know what I think I hate most about her?" Zelda quizzed. "She's perfect for him."

"I know."










***








"You have such pretty hair, Miss Millerna," one of the Kokiri girls (Marianne) said. Two of the girls were in the house, preparing me for thier little festival thingie. Actually, we were moreso sitting around talking, except for the girl who'd insisted upon doing my hair. Forest Boy was out doing something.

"Thank you," I replied. Marianne and her apparent twin (Ilana) sighed.

"You're so lucky," Marianne said. "You can get married and have babies someday."

"We can't," Ilana added.

"Yeah, but you don't get your period, or have...confusing feelings about certain people," I said, blushing. They both remained silent for a few moments, studying me.

"Are you going to marry Link?" Marianne asked, as she put another braid in my hair. I laughed.

"Why do you ask?" I replied. Geez, little girls and romance...

"Because he's in love with you," Ilana said simply. I felt my cheeks burn.

"He is most certainly not in love with me," I insisted. "Your Affection-O-Meters are malfunctioning spectacularly." Ilana shook her head.

"You don't see the way he looks at you, do you?" she said. "I've never seen him look at anybody like that before."

"Sure," I said. Let the kids believe what they want to. Never did anyone any harm.







***







Meanwhile, in the Lost Woods, Link was hanging out with the boys while they tried (somewhat vainly) to catch a few fish for dinner. He was there in case they actually caught something, since none of them liked gutting fish very much. To tell the truth, he found it gross too, but he didn't mind doing it if he had to.

"Grrrrrrr!" Mido growled, as another fish got itself off his hook. Link chuckled.

"I see now why you guys are predominantly vegetarian," he teased, laying back on the grass near the pond.

"Well, you try it, then!" Mido snapped irritably.

"Hey, I don't care one way or the other," Link replied. "I don't like fish."

"They're not so bad," Jacob said, baiting his hook once again. "I wouldn't want fish everyday, but it's a change from having vegetables all the time."

"I would want fish everyday," a boy named Todd spoke up. "I love fish."

"What does Miss Millerna like? After all, she's our guest, and we should make a good impression... Don't you think?" Jacob asked Link, blushing. Link grinned.

"If I didn't know any better, Jacob," he said, "I'd think you were developing a crush on Millerna."

"M-me?" Jacob stammered. "N-no, of course not!"








***







I stood on the hill over the village, leaning on a wooden fence to watch the Kokiri do their little festival dance-y thing. The feast preceeding had been compiled entirely of vegetables and fruit (from which I had purloined a ripe pomegranate to bring with me up on my lookout. Pomegranates good. Coffee better; but pomegranates still good), since the boys had virtually no fishing skills, therefore there was no cooking of fish. Not that that bothered me. I hate fish, unless it be shellfish or sushi, which are very tasty.

"Hey," Forest Boy said, coming to stand next to me. I nodded, and we stood in silence for several long moments. "You look nice tonight, by the way. I didn't tell you that earlier." My cheeks warmed considerably. It seemed that everyone I was meeting - with the exception of the Gorons - wanted to dress me up like their own personal doll. My outfit consisted of a fairly thin green sheath that came to my ankles, a sash around my waist in another shade of green (the Kokiri like green, by the way), and plain sandles that, upon inspection, were obviously made of various plant fibers woven together. I honestly didn't find it all that breathtaking, but as long as he liked it...Well, I could put up with it for a while.

"Aw, that was a compliment, Pretty Boy," I teased, more gently than I'd intended to. I could have smacked myself with a frying pan! I was losing my edge! He grinned.

"Yeah, I guess it was," he replied. Then he let out that deep, soft chuckle that made me want to melt. "You'd better watch out, though. Jacob's become positively smitten with you." I laughed.

"As previously stated, he's a little young for my tastes," I said. "It's kind of flattering to have a 'secret admirer', though." Link made a point of not looking directly at me, and said,

"You probably have more admirers than you'd expect."

"Oh, really now?" I replied, breaking my pomegranate open and popping a few of the seeds into my mouth (A/N- and for those of you who don't know, the seeds are what you eat. They're each incased in a little pouchy of juice, and they're yummyful). "Like who?" He blushed slightly.

"How would I know?"

"Well, you're my source of information here," I explained, scooping out some more pomegranate seeds and offering them to him. He reached out to take them. I decided to feed them to him myself. He didn't seem to mind in the least. Which launched me into some damn romantic daydream that I wanted dearly to escape from.

"Oh, so now I keep tabs on every single person who finds you attractive?" he teased. "That's not my job."

"No, I guess not." Complete and total silence. I looked up at the black sky and watched those little dots of light hover around. Maybe they were fairies...? Nah, they weren't pissing me off. Forest Boy was looking at me strangely. A shock went through my body. Was Ilana right about him?

"Uh," he started. "I'm...I'm gonna go check on the horses. You should get to sleep."

"Okay. Whatever," I replied. He began to walk away, but came back. He put his arms around my waist, and I literally stopped breathing. He kissed my cheek.

"Goodnight," he said. I looked up at him, probably blushing bright red.

"Uh-huh," I replied stupidly.









Link got into his house as quietly as possible after checking on the horses. He'd somewhat expected Millerna to claim the downstairs bed, and she had. He didn't mind that much, really, since Navi was preoccupied with the other fairies and wouldn't come in to be a pain.

'Goddesses, she's beautiful,' he thought. The moonlight streaming in from the window near the bed shone on Millerna's fair skin, making her appear to glow, and her long hair was spread out on the pillow like a jet black halo. 'Amazing, how something so mean can be so beautiful. But...she's been sweet lately. Well, at times, at least.'

He proceeded to pull off his outer clothing and disarm himself, then climbed into bed. Millerna opened her dark green eyes at him.

"No fair, I call the bed tonight," she complained. Link smiled.

"You wanna fight over it?"

"You couldn't take me, Pretty Boy. I'd kick your ass in five seconds."

"Speaking of, can you please remove the knives I'm sure you have on you? I don't want you to stab me if you have a bad dream." Millerna pouted.

"Ruin all my fun, why don't you," she grumbled, nevertheless extracting the first knife from her bodice and pulling up her nightgown to unfasten the second from her thigh. She handed them to him.

"Just out of curiosity," Link said, as he placed the knives under the bed, "why DO you sleep with knives?"

"Paranoia," Millerna yawned, snuggling up to him. Link shrugged.

"That works," he replied, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "Goodnight."

"Mmm..." was the only response as Millerna found a comfortable place to lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes. After only seconds, her deep breathing showed that she'd already fallen asleep.

"I wish I could get to sleep that quick," Link muttered (A/N- you're not alone, man), looking at the girl in his arms. Not for the first time, he wondered if maybe he was falling in love with her. Then again, he wasn't sure how you could tell that you were in love. Maybe it had something to do with that funny feeling he kept getting in his stomach whenever he thought about her, or the way his heart skipped a few beats when she smiled? Or perhaps the fact that her smooth lips looked more and more inviting with every passing second...



***







"How DARE he, that damn kid! SHE'S MINE! HE CAN'T HAVE HER!" Ganondorf rolled his eyes at this outburst.

"Calm yourself, sir," he said, rubbing his forehead in agitation. Why was the mighty King of Evil cursed to have such incompetent imbeciles in his service? 'If they'd been any good the first time,' he lamented, 'the boy and the princess would be dead, and I would reign supreme. Why do I get the sinking feeling that this stupid son of a bitch is even LESS competent then the others?'

"CALM MYSELF?! THAT LITTLE BASTARD IS CLAIMING HER RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYES, AND YOU TELL ME TO CALM MYSELF?!" Carlos raged. "SHE'LL BE NO GOOD BY THE TIME I GET HER BACK!"

"If all you care to do is sleep with a young girl, Carlos, why don't you simply find a village maid to rape?" Ganondorf suggested. "I assure you that it would be easier, and I would be much less likely to get pissed off and kill you."

"You would kill the one who saved you from your imprisonment?"

"I am THIS close," Ganondorf assured, stroking the hilt of his sword. All the color drained from Carlos's face. He swallowed hard.

"Y-yes, I see. I will go find that village maid now..."

"Very good."







***







"Millerna? It's time to get up," Link informed, shaking me gently.

"No 's not," I mumbled into my pillow. "Go 'way. You're worse 'n the damn bug."

"How can you sleep this long? I woke up three hours ago. We need to get going. I have to get back to the castle in two weeks, and I have direct orders to show you the kingdom first, so we really don't have much time to waste."

"Whoopie-friggin'-doo," I replied grumpily. "If there ain't coffee, I ain't moving from this spot."

"The Kokiri are children. Children don't have coffee."

"Then leave me alone," I yawned, pulling the blankets over my head. "Coffee is the only thing that has the power to get me out of bed, you should know that by now."

"Millerna, get out of bed, or I'll be forced to resort to desperate measures."

"Bite me," I said, treating him to a very unladylike hand signal. Within seconds he'd grabbed me and started tickling me.

"UNFAIR BATTLE TACTIC!" I shrieked, giggling uncontrollably as I tried to escape him. No such luck. I decided on the only other course of action: I tickled him back. Any other guy I would probably have punched, but he was...special, somehow. I couldn't explain it, really, but Link made me feel...well, not normal.

I'm not sure how, but somewhere along the line our ferocious battle caused us to fall off the bed (it was about a foot off the floor, so nobody was hurt). I landed on top of him. When I was lying there, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes and feeling his warmth beneath me, it was like the world stopped turning. I was vaguely aware of our faces coming closer together. I could feel his breath on my lips. A little closer and-

"IT'S TIME TO LEAVE, YOU KNOW!" The shrill voice from outside took me from way up in the heavens and brought me crashing back to reality, landing me very hard on my figurative ass when I got there.

"Uh, yeah," Link stammered, blushing. "She's, uh, right. We'd better get going."

"Okay," I said, reluctantly climbing to my feet, and feeling my own cheeks burn. "Um, I should get dressed."







***







For probably the first time in my life, I was absolutely silent for more than an hour. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but come on. Link had almost kissed me! At least, I thought he had... Maybe I'd been imagining it?

I shot a glance at him. He was so gorgeous... And with his profile silhouetted against the orange-and-red sunset he looked...well, like the hero he was. Could a man like that really have liked me enough to kiss me? Nobody'd ever kissed me before... Amazing, as perverted as my thoughts about him got sometimes, the mere thought of him kissing me got me so flustered. I don't explain myself.

God, what if he really would have, though? And Navi ruined it! That damn little winged bitch! Did she have to barge into everything?! Okay, so she didn't like me - it was even fair to say she hated me - but WHY, OH WHY DID SHE HAVE TO BE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS?! I would really like to know what kills fairies. Whatever it was, I could've used some. That bug was now officially on my "People To Kill" list. She wasn't technically a person, but I didn't feel like making a "Fairies To Kill" list just for her.

Needless to say, I was not paying much attention to my surroundings at the moment. So I didn't see the big log in front of me until I tripped over it. I would have done a face-fault into the ground if it hadn't been for the very person I'd been so distracted by catching me in his arms just as I lost my balance.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking incredibly concerned. Gee, I wonder why - not only was I not paying attention to anything around me, but I had made not one sarcastic or rude remark the whole time.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, steadying myself and aiming an angry kick at the log. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you just... seem a little out of it today," he said. Boy, was that the understatement of the year.

"Yeah, lack of coffee," I joked in all lameness. I could have smacked myself for making such a stupid wisecrack, but then Link would have thought I was insane in addition to being spacey. That wouldn't work out too well for me, so I refrained from physically striking myself, and instead launched a few mental frying pans at my head. Great, now I'd have an imaginary migraine all day.

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked again.

"I swear, I'm fine," I said. "So, where are we going?" He smiled, apparently convinced that I wasn't insane or high. Finally.

"It's a surprise," he informed, flashing the ever-so-adorable grin that meant he would tell me absolutely nothing. I shook my head.

"You're such a boy," I accused. Actually, I didn't mind walking through the forest with him, it was just a little irritating not knowing where we were headed. Ah, well, at least Navi was nowhere in the vacinity. That was always a plus. Little blue freak... "How much longer?" I asked.

"We're almost there," he said, leading me through yet another dark tunnel in the forest. Well, they certainly called this place the Lost Woods for a reason; It was like a giant maze. Luckily, my pretty companion seemed to know his way around. And anyway, if we DID end up getting lost, the scenery kind of set the mood for...things. Ah, I treasure my dirty thoughts. They give me happiness.

"Millerna? Why are you blushing?"

"Um, no reason," I replied frantically. Well, sometimes my dirty thoughts give me happiness. Other times, they just get me in trouble. Damn you, hormones. Oh well, at least I wasn't having my period anymore, that was an upside of sorts.

"No reason?" he replied skeptically. "Millerna, I like you a lot, but you are weird."

"Well, duh," I shot back. 'Wait, he likes me a lot?' I thought. 'Does he mean that in a "just friends" way, or in an "I-love-you" way? ARGH! SO MANY FUCKING QUESTIONS!' I yelled inside my head, executing a particularly nasty side kick on the nearest sapling. Link sort of stared at me.

"WHAT?!" I demanded, pointing at the poor, bent tree. "IT WAS MOCKING ME!" Then he did something completely unexpected. He smiled and laughed. "WHAT IS SO FUNNY?!"

"You're cute when you're mad, you know that?" Okay, now my face was about as red as was humanly possible. Cute? He thought I was cute? Did that mean he liked me - like, in a romantic kind of way? I was compelled to jump up and down and randomly hug things, but I decided against it. Hugging trees looks really, really weird.




"I'm dead serious, where are we going?" I demanded for about the eighth time. At first the walk through the forest was kind of cool, but now it was getting dark, and I was feeling the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. Besides that, we'd been walking since morning (well, as "morning" as one PM could be, since it had taken Link that long to actually get me out of bed), and I was getting tired.

"And I'm dead serious that you will find out when we get there," he answered for about the eighth time. I scowled at him.

"Don't make me hurt you, Pretty Boy," I warned. An empty threat - I liked him too much to hurt him. Badly. "Now tell me where we're going!"

"You're acting like a little kid, Millerna," he informed.

"Am not," I pouted. He laughed at me, and led me through the last passage in the gigantic maze of hedges we'd entered fifteen minutes earlier, and up a series of stone steps. This was followed by a grassy landing and, lo and behold, more stone steps. "Steps must die," I grumbled to myself. "Steps are evil."

I continued my tirade about steps until we reached the top. We were now in a big meadow. It would have looked perfectly normal but for a small stone platform in the center with a weird symbol on it, and what looked like the ruins of an ancient staircase, which was now broken off at the top and covered in vines. All in all, it was actually very pretty.

"Not that this place isn't cute," I stated, "but was it really worth the long walk?"

"Well, actually," Link began, pulling out a little flute-ish thing (A/N- yes, I realize he gave the ocarina back to Zelda at the end of the game, we are assuming that this is a different one, and that they all have cool powers. Work with me here). I recognized that. I'd seen him use it to call Epona. "I COULD have just played a little tune and warped us here..."

"You mean to tell me that you made me hike for hours - without my morning coffee, I might add - when we could have been here in seconds?"

"Yeah," he replied. I smacked him upside the head. "OW!"

"Moron."

"Hey, I don't even know if it works with two people, I've never tried before!"

"Well, what's the worst that could have happened? It warps only you, and I sleep until you get back! That would have been a lovely scenario!"

"Why?"

"Okay, what part of the word 'sleep' do you not understand?" He rolled his eyes at this comment and chose not to respond. "Anyway," I continued, "what's the significance of this place?"

"This place is called the Sacred Forest Meadow."

"Yay," I replied sarcastically. He shot me a look. "It's out of my system now. Please continue."

"Thank you. Anyway, the wrecked staircase up there is the entrance to the Forest Temple. I thought you'd like to look around inside."

"This place was part of the 'saving the world' gig, huh?"

"Of course. I could go into the details, but it's too weird."

"That works for me. So, are there a lot of temples here in Zelda-land?" I asked.

"Are you kidding? I swear, sometimes it seems like this place has more temples than people."

"Do I get to explore all of them?" I asked hopefully. I love temples. Actually, I basically love ancient buildings of any kind.

"No. There are a couple of them that I will not take you to."

"Why not?"

"Some of them are too dangerous. And I'm not saying that you're weak," he assured when I'd opened my mouth to comment. "There are just some places you shouldn't go if you can avoid them. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let you get burned alive in the Fire Temple or something." I blinked a few times. Was it just me, or did that sound like honest-to-God affection there? Well in that case, there was only one thing I could do.

"Aww, you DO love me!" I teased, clasping my hands over my heart. He blushed.

"Oh, shut up," he mumbled. He was so cute when he was like that! I just wanted to kiss him! I really, really, really wanted to kiss him... Okay, I had to get my mind onto another subject.

"Um, how are we going to get up there?" I questioned, pointing to the remains of the staircase. There was no way in hell that we could climb onto that thing. Link looked pretty pleased that we were on a different conversational topic, as well. Ah, I'd embarrassed the boy enough for one day.

"You're not the only one who's armed to the teeth," he commented, producing a freaky little device.

"A grappling hook?" I asked. He smiled, now looking pleased just to find a girl who understood weapons.

"It's called a longshot. But, yeah, it's basically the same thing as a grappling hook. Only you really don't have to have any skill whatsoever to use it properly."

"No fair, I want one," I whined.

"You and sharp, pointy things," he sighed, shaking his head.

"See, you make jokes, but sharp things and explosives are my life," I said seriously as my pointy-eared buddy took aim at a branch above the former staircase. Then he stopped.

"Okay, how exactly are we gonna pull this off?" he asked himself, apparently acting out a few different scenarios in his head. "Ah, this thing should still work with both of our weight."

"And you thought it wouldn't?"

"Well, like with the ocarina, I've never tried it with two people before."

"So nice to be a guinnea pig for these things," I muttered, visualizing the little chain snapping and me falling down and breaking my ass.

"Stop complaining, and just hold onto me," he directed. I complied and wrapped my arms around his waist. 'Ooh, this is kinda nice,' I thought. 'Check out these muscles! Of course, it'd be better if he were naked, but this will do for now.'





***





One longshot ride later (and boy, was that nerve racking), we entered another meadow, with two huge trees, one on either side, and straight in front of us what I guessed was the entrance to the temple. You know, big stone thing with a door that has vines and moss all over it? Yeah, one of those.

"Haha! Time for me to explore!" I cried gleefully, practically skipping to the door.

"Millerna-!" Link started.

"What?"

"That's weird..." he said, looking around. In doing so, he caught the look I was giving him. "It's nothing," he assured. "It's just that... well, usually there's a pair of Wolfos that guard the temple. And I don't see them."

"Yeah, whatever. Just come on!" I replied. Who cared about creepy Hyrulian thingies? I wanted to see the damn temple! "So, are those things you were looking for something like wolves?" I asked, letting myself into the temple. "The name sounds similar."

"I guess so," he answered, finally giving up his search and following me into the temple. "What are wolves like?"

"Sort of like dogs, but bigger and wild. You don't see one unless you're really lucky, because they're afraid of people most of the time," I explained.

"Well, Wolfos are kind of like that," he agreed. "Except they're... nastier. You don't see a Wolfos unless you're incredibly UNlucky, because very few people are stupid enough to go to places where they live, and they don't come out unless they're hungry."

"That sucks," I stated. "I like normal wolfies. They're cute."

"Yeah, you've got the cute animals where you come from, we've got the mutated ones that try to eat you here," he grumbled. "That's unfair, Millerna."

"Life's a bitch, Pretty Boy," I grinned, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. His very, very muscular shoulders. Damn, that boy was cut! I was probably drooling, but I really didn't care. We came into a room with four gold torches in the center, each one with a differently colored flame burning on top: green, red, blue, and purple. "Oooh! Pretty!" I ran toward the torches and examined each of them. Link was laughing at me.

"If I'd known this was all it would take to make you happy..." he said, shaking his head, that ultimately adorable smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your eyes just lit up when you came in here."

"I didn't know you spent your time gazing into my eyes," I replied slyly. That was the brightest I'd ever seen Link blush.

"I don't!" he insisted. "I just happened to notice, that's all. It's not like all I ever do is stare at you." That last part was mumbled as he stared down at the floor, by the way.

I finished my inspection of the torches, and looked around. Lots of doors in this place.

"Can we go in there?" I asked excitedly, pointing to the door I finally decided upon.

"There's just a courtyard out there-"

"Cool!" I grabbed his hand and pretty much dragged him along with me. I can't help it, I'm like a little kid with weapons and ancient temples. I flung the door open and stepped out into the courtyard. It was basically another huge meadow, with a stone bridge going over a blue-green creek, some various stone ruins, and the entire courtyard was surrounded by very high stone walls with vines and ivy all over them, naturally. "Even prettier than the cool fire," I said, staring at my surroundings in awe.

"Millerna? Can I have my hand back?" Link asked. Oh yeah. I was still holding onto him. I let him go, and saw him shaking his hand violently out of the corner of my eye. "I now have no blood circulation in my hand," he said simply. "Thanks, Millerna."

"No problem," I replied somewhat absently, still checking out the pretty temple courtyard. So much cool stuff to play with! I ran over, hopped onto the railing of the bridge, and began to walk the length of it. "What are you doing?" I demanded, as he started to walk beside me on the bridge itself.

"Making sure you don't fall," he answered, as though this were the most obvious thing in the world. I laughed.

"Ha! Unlike some girls, O Hero of Time, *I* do not need a big strong man like you to make sure I don't get hurt. Besides, I happen to have EXCELLENT balance."

"Be that as it may, it couldn't hurt to be careful."

"Why?"

"A man can never be too cautious when he has a beautiful girl to look out for," he replied. For the first time in my long history of balancing on narrow surfaces, I tripped over my own feet. And Link caught me in his arms. He grinned. "I rest my case," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You were distracting me," I hissed.

"Possibly, but at least I'm true to my word. I caught you, and you didn't get hurt."

"Yeah, well you don't speak for my pride," I growled as he set me on my feet. "It'll take years to live this one down."

"Especially after that comment about your excellent balance," he reminded, leaning against the railing.

"I DO have excellent balance," I insisted hotly, hardly noticing as he slipped an arm around my waist. "It was just temporarily AWOL at the time." He smiled.

"You're still cute when you're mad," he said softly as he tilted my face upward. For the second time that day our lips inched closer. My heart was pounding. And then-

*CRASH*

The rail Link had been leaning on broke, and we both fell into very cold water. I gave him a death glare once we'd surfaced.

"That was graceful. I mean, how brilliant do you have to be to f-f-figure out that you shouldn't put too much w-weight on really old stuff?" I demanded, shivering.

"It was as m-much your fault as m-mine," he informed. "Damn, it's c-cold!"

"You th-think so?" I mocked. "Aren't we the g-genius."

"Oh, stop whining," he groaned as he climbed out onto the grass, then proceeded to help me out.

"I have every right to whine," I informed, laying back on the grass. "And I have every intention of staying right in this spot until my clothes dry."

"Works for me," he replied, laying down next to me. It was a cloudy day, but the air was warm and not at all humid, so our clothes would probably dry quickly enough. I inhaled deeply.

"What's that smell?"

"Honeysuckle. It's all over the place."

"I knew I recognized it from somewhere," I said. "My aunt has lots of honeysuckle bushes at her house. She's the medicine woman in her village, so she really just has a lot of plants. It's so cool, she has this stone cottage right in the middle of all her gardens. Then there's this sort of cross between an arbor and a gazebo on the hill where you can see the sunset over the ocean."

"You love it there," he stated. I nodded.

"It's the only place that's ever really felt like home. I can't explain it, but when I would go there as a little girl I always felt so safe and peaceful. I never felt like that with my parents, and I definitely never felt like that among Carlos and his flunkies. Well, unless I was with-" I stopped.

"With who?" he asked. I sighed.

"With my friend, Ayden. He was the only person who made life there bearable. And he also happens to be the one who taught me to fight, in case you were wondering."

"I was wondering about that, yeah," he agreed, giving me that charming smile. "How old is he?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I finally know who that nameless friend you kept talking about is, and I want to know more about him," he explained rationally. "So, how old is he?" I did some math in my head.

"He'd be about your age, I guess. Probably a little older."

"Would I like him?"

"Maybe."

"When do I get to meet him?"

"Never."

"Never?" Link repeated. "Why not?" I got to my feet and started walking back inside the temple.

"Let's go now," I said. "You have to get back to the castle soon, right? So let's get going." He followed after me.

"Millerna, you are deliberately avoiding the question."

"Really? What could have possibly given you that idea?" I replied sarcastically. He caught up to me, grabbed my hand, and turned me to face him.

"Millerna," he said gently, touching my face, "if something's bothering you, you can tell me."

"You wouldn't understand."

"But I'll listen. And you'll feel better once you talk about it, I promise."

"No I won't, I'll feel worse. And I'll probably start crying, or something equally pathetic."

"Then I'll hold you while you cry," he said. That struck a chord in my heart, and right then I came to a very important conclusion: I would never, ever deserve him. He was too good, too kind for someone like me. And I was getting my hopes up. I took in a somewhat shakey breath.

"Please, let's go." I was almost begging by that point. And he finally gave up.

"Okay."





***






What was up with that girl? All I'd done was ask about her friend, I hadn't known it would upset her so much. I hated seeing her upset.

It occured to me once or twice as I followed her on the way out of the temple that maybe I should apologize for...whatever it was that I had done...but then, that might have made her even more unhappy. I settled for the simple conclusion that I would never understand women of any age, and resolved not to try to. I focused instead on what I could do to make her feel better. What did women like? Well, there were things like flowers and jewelry for most of them, but Millerna didn't really seem like the kind of girl to be interested in those sort of things. She'd probably value a weapon over roses any day, but the thought of giving her something sharp and/or spontaneously combustible made me more than a little nervous - for good reason. Besides, where would she put another addition to her vast arsenal? It blew me away that she could hide the weapons she had already. It kind of impressed me, too, even though I'd never tell her that.

I cursed my shyness. Why couldn't I just tell her...? How the hell did I get to be thought of as such a big hero when I was such a big coward around girls? How did that make any sense at all?

"Goddesses, I'm a loser," I grumbled under my breath as we finally went back out through the entrance of the temple. Millerna stopped suddenly.

"Um, question," she said, a hint of nervousness in her voice. "Are those guys our friends?" And sure enough, she was pointing at the two very large Wolfos who had just reentered the meadow.







***

(A/N- This will be violent, so if you don't like a lot of blood, skip to the next chapter.)






"Damn!" he hissed, unsheathing the sword he always wore. Okay, so those puppies were NOT our friends. Although such would have been apparent immediately upon noticing that the wolfies were eyeing us like we were juicy steaks.

"Alrighty," I said. "You take the one on the left, and I'll-"

"You'll stay back and let me protect you," he informed, stepping in front of me. Okay, chivalry good; treating me like a china doll, bad.

"There is no way I am going to stand back and let you do all the work!" I yelled. He ignored me and went to fight the monsters. But it didn't look good, each of them was so much bigger than him, and they were teaming up. "To hell with this!" I snapped, untying the whipchain around my waist. I may have been kind of small, but I was damn good with my whip chain. I could definitely take at least one of them!

By the time I got down to where they were, adrenaline was already pumping through my blood. Maybe Ayden had been right about me being crazy, but at this moment, it was a good thing.

"HEY, MUTT!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. The smaller monster turned his head in my direction. Glowing yellow-green eyes fixed on the new prey: me. He licked his big, sharp teeth and galloped toward me. *Okay, Millerna, not your brightest idea ever,* I decided, spinning my whip chain and backing away slowly. As he began to close in on me, I shot out the chain, sending the metal dart at the end sailing straight into one of those creepy eyes. He howled in agony as blood gushed from where his right eye used to be. I'd feel sorry for him later, but right now my main goal was to kill his ass.

As he clawed wildly at the ruined eye, I took the opportunity to land a flying sidekick to his head, then backed away a bit. He stumbled around, dazed from the blow to the head and the rapid blood loss. I felt a pang of sympathy for some unknown reason, so I did the only humane thing I could at that point. I pulled out a dagger, walked over to where he had now fallen, and cut his throat in one quick motion.

"Sorry," I said, for no real reason, as a new sound of pain cut through the air. I whipped around. The larger monster was minus an arm and bleeding profusely from many blows from the sword, but had managed to slash his wicked claws right across Link's chest. For the first time, I felt true rage. That furry bastard had to die. Before I knew what I was doing, I jumped on his back, drove my dagger straight into his skull, and twisted it for good measure. It took three seconds for him to die after I'd yanked my dagger back out.

"I told you....to stay....back," Link scolded me. He didn't look too good. His face had gone white and blood poured from the gashes in his chest, even through his valiant attempt to hide the injury with his free hand.

"That THING almost killed you, and you're yelling at me for helping?"

"You're exaggerating," he said. "I'm fine. I just...need...to sit down." The sword dropped from his hand and landed on the grass that was quickly being stained red.

"Let me see," I said, gesturing to the source of the blood. He shook his head weakly.

"I...told you. I'm fine. It's just...a scratch."

"Would you stop being a typical male and let me try to help you!" I demanded. He complied and sat down.

"I'm tired," he said, his words becoming slightly slurred. He looked like he was fighting to keep his eyes open. God, he was scaring me.

"That's because you're bleeding to death," I croaked, remembering vividly how Ayden had died as I dug around in my medicine bag for something - anything - to stop the bleeding. I should have brought more raeyuka leaves with me, what I had wouldn't be enough! (A/N- yes, I am making up the names of herbs, so shut up and work with me.) I hissed various obscenities under my breath as I extracted the small pouch of leaves and began crumbling them onto his wounds. He was lying down by now.

"Don't you fucking die on me, Forest Boy," I ordered, trying in vain to fight back the hot tears forming in my eyes. The raeyuka leaves were slowing the bleeding, but only a little.

"Don' cry," he said quietly. "I'll be okay. Jus' lemme sleep for a while..."

"No, NO! Don't you dare close your eyes! You hear me? Dammit, stay awake!" I yelled at him as he closed his eyes. "Shit, don't do this to me! WAKE UP!"








***










He blinked his eyes groggily. A few red and gold beams of light were coming in through the window next to the bed. *Wow,* Link thought. *That was the freakiest nightmare yet.* He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain stopped him.

"You shouldn't try to get up so soon, you know."

"Oh. Hi, Saria," he said. "What are you doing here? You're usually in the forest somewhere." Saria tucked a stray strand of green hair behind her ear and sat cross-legged on the foot of the bed.

"She told me to watch you and make sure you were okay," she explained.

"Who did? Millerna?"

"Yeah. She was really upset when you got hurt by that Wolfos."

"I wouldn't have gotten hurt if I hadn't been paying so much attention as to whether or not she was okay," he informed. Saria frowned.

"I'd be more grateful if I were you. You would have died if it weren't for her. She's been taking care of you."

"Oh, come on, Saria, you deserve some of the credit," Millerna said as she entered the house. "You found the herbs I needed."

"Yeah, but you knew how to use them, and I didn't," Saria reminded. Link grinned.

"That's kind of sad, considering the whole Sage thing, Saria," he teased. Saria pouted. Millerna rolled her eyes.

"Well enough to be mean, I see," she said, gently placing a hand on his forehead. "At least you're not cold as death anymore."

"You scared us all really bad," Saria added. "You just about bled to death. It's a good thing raeyuka leaves work fast."

"Um...never heard of them."

"They look like this," Millerna informed, holding up a green, purple, and gold leaf with lacy edges. "They stop bleeding almost instantly, if you have enough."

"Okay, I have to get back to the temple," Saria said quickly. "Bye!"

"Why's she in such a hurry?" Link asked, watching his friend scurry out of the house. Millerna studied her hands as a pale pink blush lit her cheeks. "And what's that look for?"

"I...believe Saria has her own idea of exactly what our relationship is," she said.

"And, exactly what is her idea of it?"

"Take a wild guess, and you'll probably be right."

"...Oh, hell. Why does everyone think that?"

"Oh, and I'm supposed to know? Damn, Link, I'm not psychic."

"What did you say?"

"I said, I'm not psychic."

"No. What did you call me?"

"I called you Link, moron, it's your name, isn't it?"

"But you never call me Link," he reminded.

"So?"

"So, does that mean you love me?" he asked, grinning mischievously. Millerna went bright red.

"All that blood loss made you woozy," she insisted. "Anyway, do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"Fine, I'll let you off for the time being," he surrendered, giving her a dissapointed look. "But food would be nice. I feel like I haven't eaten in two days."

"Actually, you haven't eaten in a week and two days."

"WHAT?! I have to get back to the castle!" he yelped, trying to get up.

"Don't you dare, you'll open your wounds!" she said sternly, pushing him back down. "I'm dead serious, those big old gashes in your chest just closed a few days ago, and I'll be damned if I'm letting you go anywhere until I'm absolutely certain that they won't open again! Trust me, Zelda will understand if she's a decent person. Just relax, and I'll get you something to eat, okay? Stay in that bed."

***

It was good to see him back to normal. Well, considering what the circumstances had been, it was good to just see him alive. It made me feel cold inside to know that I'd almost lost him. Losing my best friend had broken my heart, but to lose Link... Oh shit, I was getting all teary-eyed again. Damn feminine emotions...

I wiped my eyes violently as I went outside to the big old pot the forest kids had set up (they had this habit of always setting that pot outside to cook in). I was surrounded almost instantaneously by people half my height.

"Miss Millerna, is Link okay?" Jacob asked anxiously.

"Can we see him?" a little girl named Kalli added, clasping her hands and staring up at me with big blue eyes.

"He's fine," I assured. Cue collective sigh of relief from all forest-dwellers. "He's just going to need to rest for a while."

"Don't you have any other magic plants that'll make him get better faster?" Marianne begged. I thought about this for a minute.

"As a matter of fact," I began, pulling out my medicine bag again, and removing a green stem with shiny blue flowers sticking out at odd angles, "if you could find me some more of this-"

"'Kay!" Ilana shouted, plucking one of the flowers - for reference, most likely - off the stem and yanking Marianne off into the forest with her. Several of the others followed suit, and pretty soon I had a whole legion off in the Lost Woods to find more kinokiva flowers for me.

"I love these guys," I decided as I ladled some of the soup from the pot into a bowl and made my reentry to Link's little house. He looked at me.

"It got quiet all of a sudden," he stated.

"And I told you not to strain yourself," I reminded, giving him a look similar to the one Aunt Miranda gave me when I did something she'd expressly told me not to.

"Sitting up in bed is not going to kill me," he said, all but snatching the bowl out of my hands.

"And don't eat so fast, it's not healthy," I scolded, sitting down on the foot of the bed.

"What are you, my mother?" he mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Well, someone has to take care of you, and no one else seems to be offering to take the job."

"That's sweet, Millerna, I didn't know you cared so much."

"Oh, shut up and eat your damn food," I snapped, blushing. He continued to wolf down the contents of the bowl. I shook my head. He was such a typical guy sometimes.

"So, where'd they all go?" he asked after he'd finished.

"The Kokiri? Out into the forest to fetch me some herbs to make you better, so that you can get to the damn castle."

"Will they work fast?"

"You'll be fine by tomorrow morning if I've got enough."

"In that case, may I pose a question? Why didn't you give them to me earlier?"

"Because they happen to be very painful when they are taking affect, and if I'd used them on you while you were asleep, you might have woken up and jerked around, thus reopening your wounds and defeating the purpose. That would be bad."

"Yeah, and putting me through excrutiating pain while I'm awake is good," he grumbled.

"It's not my fault men can't handle pain," I informed, smirking.

"We'll see about that."











"Umm...how exactly are those used?" Link asked nervously. I knew he hadn't meant to sound nervous, but, like I said, men can't handle pain. And I think watching me crush the kinokiva plants - which he KNEW would hurt like hell when they were used - was making him very anxious.

"You smash them, mix them with hot water, and drink them," I explained, still grinding the plants into a very pretty, shimmery, blue-green paste.

"Uh huh," he said. "And, do they taste as bad as your headache medicine?" I laughed.

"They taste kind of like blood." Link shuddered.

"Would it hurt you to find some magic cures that taste GOOD?" he demanded.

"The cure for menstrual cramps tastes like strawberries," I offered, giggling.

"I hate you."

"Oh, come on, Link. It's medicine, it's not supposed to be good."

"Well, it should be," he pouted. Then he grinned at me. "That makes two times you've used my name. You sure there isn't just a little bit of affection for me deep down in that heart of stone?" I was very glad I had my back to him at the time, because I'm sure I was blushing like hell.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting with me," I shot back.

"I never said I wasn't." This situation was quickly becoming uncomfortable. I mixed some hot water into the kinokiva paste, which turned red and fizzed as soon as the liquid hit it. "That sound is none too comforting," Link informed. I gave him a wicked smile. "Neither is that look," he added. "You never fail to strike fear into the hearts of men, Millerna."

"I'm kind of proud of that," I said, nodding, as I poured my concoction into a cup. I handed it to him. He studied it warily.

"You're sure this'll be worth it?" he asked, sniffing the liquid. He coughed and turned his face away from it.

"It doesn't taste AS bad as it smells," I assured. "Now drink it before it cools. It'll be useless if you don't down it when it's hot."

"So, it'll heal me painfully AND burn my tongue and throat," he grumbled. "I'm beginning to hate it when you make me better, Millerna." Nevertheless, he swallowed the whole thing at once. Then he looked at me. "You said it would be painful."

"It will be," I assured. A moment later I saw him grit his teeth. "It just takes a second to work."

"I...noticed," he hissed, starting to breathe hard. I sat down beside him and put my arms around him.

"I guess you're tougher than I gave you credit for," I said.

"How...so?" he managed, through the searing pain I knew was shooting throughout his body.

"Whenever I got hurt and my aunt gave me kinokiva potion to make me better, I cried," I confessed, hanging my head.

"There's no...shame...in...letting people...know how you feel."

"Yes there is."

"You are...messed up," he informed helpfully. I laughed.

"Yeah, maybe I am. Not exactly the picture of mental health, am I?" He shook his head, then blinked a few times.

"Wow. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Works quick, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." He turned left and right, probably testing to see if the cuts were still going to be painful. "That's cool. Can we leave now?" I gave him a look.

"You are very dedicated to your job, aren't you?" I asked incredulously. He gave me this cute smile and shrugged.

"It's what I do best," he admitted. "It kind of sucks, but it's my sole purpose in life."

"Well, if you want my opinion, you need to find a new one," I said. "A new purpose in life, I mean. Get up, let me take your bandages off," I commanded. He did so.

"So, what's your purpose in life, Millerna?" he asked as I began to undo the wrappings.

"Currently, it's to be your personal nurse," I teased. He rolled his eyes.

"Why did I see THAT one coming?" he asked rhetorically. "But, seriously, what do you think your purpose is?"

"At one point someone told me it was my destiny to fall in love, get married, and have kids," I responded. Well, that's what AMARA said my purpose was. Link laughed.

"You?"

"Yeah, go figure. I more or less told her she was insane after she handed out that little piece of wisdom." I pulled away the last piece of cloth and inspected him. I ran my fingers over the faint scars - the only evidence left that he'd been hurt.

"You're good at what you do," he remarked. I shook my head.

"If Aunt Miranda had treated you, you would have been better in half this time and there would be no scars. Compared to her, I'm pretty bad at taking care of people."

"Well, compared to everyone I know," he said, giving me a warm smile, "you're brilliant. So stop putting yourself down." He kissed my cheek. Why did I feel like fainting whenever he did that?

"Um, okay," I said stupidly, feeling my face heat up. God, he made me such a ditz! His smile brightened.

"I'm gonna go take a bath," he said, tilting his head in the direction of the forest. I just nodded.

***

"You're sure we have to go now?" I asked, taking a long, last look around the forest before following him out to the horses. I'd grown pretty attached to the Kokiri, and to be honest, I wasn't too excited about going back to the dark, gloomy, foul-smelling castle with bad food and worse coffee. Not to mention, the annoying people around every corner.

"Yes," he said. "It takes a few days to get to the castle."

"Stupid castle," I muttered. "If only they made decent food..."

"You'd like it?"

"I wouldn't LIKE it, but I'd be able to suffer through it a little better."

"Well, I can't make them cook better, but I can promise that no one will make you wear a corset this time," he offered, swinging himself up onto Epona's back. I followed suit with Ebony.

"You possess such power?"

"Hey, I'm the Hero of Time. They have to listen to me, after I saved their asses from certain doom."

"Well, we aren't getting a little cocky, are we?" I teased. He grinned.

"I speak only the truth." Then he got this mischievous look in his eyes. He pointed to a tree a mile away. "You wanna race?" I gave him my most evil smile, and took off at a flat-out run, leaving him behind me yelling, "You cheated!"

Needless to say, I got to the tree before him, but only by seconds. It was amazing how fast a big, bulky, farm horse like Epona could run when given proper incentive.

"That was unfair," Link informed when he'd caught up to me.

"Unfair, but so fun," I responded, giving him my sweetest smile. "For me, anyway."

"Yeah, I bet." He looked up at the sky, now almost completely dark. "Well, your call: do you want to set up camp somewhere, or keep going?"

"It would probably be better in the long run if we just kept going," I said. "No, 'cause I think our furry friends back in the forest kinda ruined me for camping."

"Understandable. I was expecting you to be a little apprehensive about it, but...well, moreso because of the whole situation that played out last time," he informed, blushing a bit.

"Yeah, we probably shouldn't do that anymore," I said, studying my hands and feeling more than a little guilty for my own actions that night. Stupid hormones, they were the source of all my problems. Didn't help that I was constantly in the company of an insanely gorgeous man with a killer body and a surprisingly sweet personality, either. And then there was the fact that I was becoming oddly prone to seeing him without a shirt on: something very enjoyable, of course, but it was hell trying to contain myself. "That would be a bad thing to get into again," I added as an afterthought. Link nodded.

"Definitely," he agreed, looking like he was hiding some sort of inner guilt, as well. Hell if I knew what HE could possibly be ashamed about, I'd practically molested him. And I probably would have done it again if I'd gotten the chance.

WHY did he have to be so sexy?




***





Good things never last long. They either get lost or interrupted. In my case, my ever-so-cherished alone time with a certain charming Hyrulian hero was that good thing. And the reason it didn't last long? Well, it's a small, annoying reason that buzzes around like a fly.

"FINALLY I caught up to you!" she cried in her shrill little voice as she zipped up to Link. Wow, didn't the buggy look worn out. She was bent over her tiny knees and panting as though she'd just run a thirty-mile race at top speed. Geez, she had wings, how strenuous could THAT be?

"Oh, hi, Navi," Link replied, looking a little confused. "Where were you all this time?" Uh oh. I attempted to shrink down into my saddle.

"I TRIED to come see you after you were hurt!" she insisted, before shooting a death glare right at me. "But unfortunately," she added venomously, "that wasn't possible."

"What happened?" he asked, looking even more puzzled.

"Ask. Her," the little bug growled, pointing at me. Link looked like he was trying to hold back a smile.

"Did you do something mean, Millerna?" he asked, sounding more amused and - to Navi's incredibly obvious dissapproval - flirtatious than he'd probably intended to. I put on my sweet-and-innocent face. Navi sputtered angrily and began to glow with a red aura. I heard Link stifle a laugh.

"That...That...That WOMAN," she spat, "put me into a BOTTLE!"

"That's not true," I retorted. "It was a vial."

"SAME DIFFERENCE!" she roared. You do not want to hear an already shrill voice raised that high, I can tell you that right now. "And THEN she put the bottle-"

"Vial," I corrected.

"-INTO A DRAWER!" she bellowed. "I WAS STUCK INSIDE A BOTTLE IN A DRESSER DRAWER FOR OVER A WEEK!"

"I'm sure it wasn't meant to be taken as a personal offense," Link offered, still looking like he was trying not to laugh at the sight of an angry Navi. This, predictably, pissed her off even more, to the point where I was honestly wondering if she would explode.

"NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN AS AN OFFENSE?!" she shrieked. "WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE TAKEN AS?!"



***


There's one good thing about Navi, as far as I could tell: time flies when she's in a pissy mood. And, sure enough, she spent the next few days ranting on and on about my personality, manners, and clothing. For such a miniscule being, she certainly had a lot of rage pent up inside her. Of course, it didn't really help that I was constantly testing my "fairies-explode-when-they-get-mad-enough" theory on her, but it wasn't as though the little bitch didn't deserve it. She would never live that "tramp" remark down.

But, thanks to the bug, I found myself entering the castle town again in what seemed like no time at all. And once again, all the little peasants came out of their little homes. But, there was a slight difference.

"I think they remember you, Millerna," Link remarked, smirking. Sure enough, as I turned my head to a group of men in the crowd, they backed away veeeeerrrry slowly, with looks of fright on their faces. I learned long ago that if you can't beat 'em, and you don't wanna join 'em, scare the living shit out of 'em, and all is well. By some odd coincidence, I caught sight of the guy I'd punished last time. As soon as he realized I was looking at him, he did something very strange: he bowed to me.

"Oh, so they respect me now?" I asked quietly.

"You're a pretty girl who can beat the hell out of a grown man. What do you think?"

"I think I may learn to tolerate it here," I replied, grinning evilly. He shook his head.

"One of the many things that makes us different."

"What, my violent nature? If I'm not mistaken, fighting is a pretty big part of your career, Mr. Hero."

"Yeah, but YOU enjoy it."

"You don't?"

"I'm a lover, not a fighter. I just happen to be a little better at the latter."

"You never know until you try," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I replied, starting to blush. "Talking to myself." He looked sceptical, but he let the subject drop as we continued our journey up to the castle. "Does that stupid guard have to lead us again?" I asked.

"That's sort of his job," Link responded. Then he added in a casual tone, "But I know another way in." He was keeping a straight face, but I recognized that gleam in his eyes. He turned to look at me. "Feel like sneaking past a few guards?"


***

"Damn, are these guys blind, or just stupid?" I whispered after we'd gotten past the last two guards, and had started down a dark stone hallway-thing. "We can be so close to them and they don't see us at all!" Link smiled.

"I used to do this all the time when I was a kid," he said, sounding almost giddy. "You know, I don't think they ever did catch me."

"The royal family doesn't train their guards very well," I said, stifling a giggle as we came out into a sunny courtyard (it wasn't as pretty as my courtyard, but it was okay). Link pointed to the window straight in front of us.

"Zelda's throneroom is right inside," he said, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

"You're legendary for a reason."

"Yes I know," he agreed, laughing. "Through the window we go."

"Wouldn't this qualify as breaking and entering?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure," I replied, stepping through the window into a very dark room. I heard a gasp, and turned to face the source. "Hey there, Princess!" I chirped, my 'I-just-snuck-into-a-heavily-guarded-facility-without-getting-caught-or-beh eaded' high having yet to wear off. The busty blonde royal stared at me in surprise from atop a bejeweled purple velvet throne, currently wearing a similarly gold-and-jewel encrusted silk gown in a light pink shade. DIDN'T SHE EVER GET TIRED OF THOSE DAMN PINK CLOTHES!!!??

"How did you get in here?" she demanded. Link poked his pretty head inside, grinned, and waved.

"We were bored and decided to take the scenic route," he explained, climbing into the room.

"You snuck in? Link, that's not very proper and you know it," she scolded. Then she lightened up. "Did you show her the kingdom?" she asked with a nod in my direction. I raised my hand.

"Her name is Millerna," I stated. This went ignored. Well, duh.

"Not all of it," he answered. Zelda put on her puzzled face.

"You had plenty of time."

"We were, uh, unavoidably detained," he admitted. The puzzled look turned into a look of disapproval. Link blushed. "Not like that!" he insisted. "No, there was nothing like that, I just got into a small fight with a Forest Temple inhabitant. And he won, so we couldn't go anywhere for a while." Zelda nodded.

"I see. Well, you both need to get ready for tonight. I suggest that you see her to her room."

"Again, my name is-" Link had pulled me out of the room before I could finish. "MILLERNA! MY NAME IS MILLERNA!" I hollered through the thick door. Link rolled his eyes and guided me down the hallway. "What did she mean about getting ready? What's happening tonight?"

"There's going to be a ball. And we are both going to be in attendance."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Damn."



***







And so it was that for the second time in my life, I was sitting in a large, elaborate bedchamber awaiting someone to dress me up in lots of heavy underthings. I now felt empathy for pack animals, really, I did. Ah, well, at least I'd had time to take a bath with actual soap and shampoo, that was always a good thing.

"This is so boring," I muttered, flopping back onto my big, cushy bed, complete with embroidered white silk and lace. I had to admit, if they'd had some fresh air and decent food, the castle might not have been such a sucky place to be. I particularly liked the red silk kimono robe I'd found in the closet (and was currently wearing because it was so damn cool). Yep, if it weren't for the stench and the terrible food, it would have been a pretty nice place. But, this was wishful thinking.

Then, the ever-dreaded knock came. I could either lie down and pretend to be dead, or answer.

"Come in," I called, deciding on the latter as the best course of action. The servant girl from last time came in, holding a large box.

"Good evening, milady," she said, bowing her head. Okay, so legally my status was probably lower than hers, but it's still nice when you get respect from people.

"Uh huh," I replied. "What's the deal with this ball?"

"It's Her Majesty's birthday," she explained quietly.

"Well, happy birthday to Zelda," I said. Once the look of shock disappeared from the girl's face, she handed the box over, and I noticed an envelope on the front addressed to me. Curious, I opened it and read what was inside:

'I thought this would be more your style. And, like I promised, no corset.'

"It's from Sir Link," the girl added helpfully.

"I figured as much," I replied, smiling, as I opened the box. I pulled out a long white dress with gold trim (A/N- think Greecian/Roman goddess), and a gold sash. It was so beautiful! Girlish instincts took over, and I ran to the mirror to hold it up to myself.

"You've forgotten the rest," she informed, holding out stockings (very, very soft ones, at that) and (heel-less!) gold slippers.

"I feel special!" I shouted happily (I had a feeling that my high from sneaking into the castle still hadn't quite worn off yet). She laughed quietly at my antics.

"Shall I help you to dress?" she asked. Too late, I had already discarded my kimono onto the bed and pulled the gown on over my head, and was admiring myself in the mirror. Hey, the draping neckline made it look like I had breasts! I spun around, making the floaty material of the dress fly about.

"Please, milady, this is my job," she said, leading me back to the bed and sitting me down. She began to pull the stockings onto my legs.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Why does milady want to know my name?"

"Making conversation," I replied. "And you could call me Millerna, no one would strike you dead, you know."

"It isn't proper to address a lady by her first name," she explained firmly. "But, my name is Giselle."

"How old are you, Giselle?"

"Nearly fourteen, milady." I'm sure my jaw dropped. Giselle looked like she was at least my age. EVEN THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLDS HAD BIGGER BOOBS THAN ME!

"Really? So, I guess your parents work here in the castle, too," I said. She shook her head.

"My parents live in Kakariko Village. I came here with my husband, Thomas."

"Husband?!" I cried. "You're just a kid!"

"Our parents arranged the marriage," she explained, as she put on my shoes. "I was betrothed to Thomas on the day I was born. Our parents were close friends, so they decided that it made sense for us to marry."

"How old was he when you were betrothed?"

"I think he was eleven years old." She must have caught the look of utter astonishment I was giving her, because she added quickly, "Oh, he's a wonderful person. We've grown to love each other very much. Our first child was born four months ago." Ah. That explained the huge breasts. My self-confidence returned to its normal level.

"So, um, is it a girl or a boy?" I asked, trying to push all the shock aside. Giselle smiled warmly.

"A daughter. Her name is Noelle."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you," she said. She lead me over to the vanity in the corner, sat me on the stool, and began to style my hair up into a complicated weave of tiny braids. "I'd like to have at least four children. How many do you want?"

"I want one son. And I'm naming him Ayden," I said instantly. "Of course, that's if I have children at all." Giselle giggled.

"Well, why wouldn't you have children? You're going to marry Sir Link, aren't you?" she asked. I could see myself blushing furiously in the mirror.

"Why would you think something like that?" I demanded. "We're friends!" 'Yay, Millerna, lie to the girl!' I scolded myself.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I thought you were lovers. You do look very nice together, though," she added. "You'd have beautiful children." I think I choked on my own tongue right about then.


***

"I admire you," one of the guards said. Link and his acquaintances in the armed force of Hyrule Castle were having one of those little male-bonding periods. Well, the guards were, Link was just bored and had nowhere else to go.

"Why?" Link asked. The guard grinned.

"You found one of the finest looking women I've ever seen to be your traveling companion, that's why," he replied. "I assume you've slept with her, of course."

"If you mean just sleeping in the same bed, then yes."

"'Just'?" another guard chimed in. "What, you slept with her, and there was no sex?"

"Nope, no sex."

"Are you insane?" a third demanded. "How can you sleep with a woman and not fuck her?!" Link shook his head.

"Is that all you care about?"

"Face it, the only thing women are good for is sex and childbearing. They have no other purpose," the first guard explained, as though this were a well-known fact.

"What about companionship?" Link offered. The guards burst out laughing.

"You really are still a boy!" Guard Two snickered. "Companionship, with a woman? And listen to her rattle on about her housework all day? No, thank you!" Now, through all of this, our hero was becoming a little annoyed. But, Guard Three decided to push it a little further.

"Hey," he said, looking pensive. "If you don't want that little minx you're traveling with, can I have a go at her? I mean, once her tits get a little bigger and-" A second later, there was a blade pressed up against his neck.

"Don't you EVER talk about her like that," Link growled. Guard Three looked like he could have fainted.

"No problem," he croaked. "My mistake."


***

I kept admiring myself in the full-length mirror long after Giselle had left. Maybe I'd let Link pick all my formal wear from now on. Conceited as it may sound, I looked absolutely stunning. And as an added bonus, I was about as comfortable as I could possibly be in a dress! There was a second knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked. The answer, dripping with sarcasm, came in the form of,

"It's Epona, Millerna, I learned to speak." I couldn't help but laugh as I went to open the door.

"You're spending too much time with me," I informed him. "That sounds like something I would say."

"That is kind of frightening," he agreed. "Do you like the dress?" he added, smiling.

"Of course, I can breathe, and I look beautiful!"

"You're always beautiful," he stated, his cheeks turning pink. "You're beautiful in men's clothes, with uncombed hair." Now I was starting to blush.

"Um...thanks," I said. "You know...everyone seems to think that we're...lovers."

"Yeah, I, uh, noticed that," he replied. He forced a laugh. "Crazy, huh?"

"Definitely. I mean, us? That would be so weird."

"Very weird," he agreed. "So, are you ready to go?" I nodded, and he began to lead me to the ballroom. And I couldn't help but notice that his hand was on my waist.


***




"Too many people," I muttered to Link under my breath as we entered the huge, elaborately decorated ballroom packed with snobby-looking people of all shapes and sizes.

"Deal with it," he responded. "I don't like these things either."

"So why are we both here?" I demanded, in the same hushed tone.

"I'M here because Zelda is a close friend of mine, and I'm obligated to be at every single shindig she throws," he explained. "And YOU are here because I need someone to keep me sane."

"Uh, not the best choice of company, then," I informed, trying to hold back a smile. He looked like he was about to reply, but,

"Ah, good Sir!" The guy who'd spoken looked like your typical rich man. You know, fancy clothes; strange choice in hats, shoes, and facial hair; really constipated way of walking.

"He's a Duke," Link explained before the guy got to us. I nodded.

"Forgive me, Sir Link," the guy said. "But I've heard such stories from the townsfolk, and I had to find out if they were true." Link looked a little apprehensive.

"What kind of stories are they telling you?" he asked warily. Dukey put on this smile that made it perfectly obvious that he was a Grade-A douchebag. But, that's just my woman's intuition.

"Why, stories that you're traveling with a foreign beauty." Then he looked at me. "I assume this is she of whom they speak."

"This is she," I agreed, painfully forcing a smile. I guess I looked sincere, because he smiled back.

"Ah, but the rumors of your beauty hardly do you justice, milady!" Oh yeah. Douchebag alert.

"That's good," I replied, through teeth still gritted in my false smile.

"Could I bother you for a dance, milady?" he asked. Link's grip on me tightened considerably.

"No thank you," I answered, laying the sugary-sweetness on as thick as humanly possible. "I'm very tired from the ride here."

"I understand. Too much time outdoors can do that to a lady," he informed. I nodded, and he finally left.

"That was surprisingly masterful of you," Link awarded. "You actually pretended to be polite."

"Well, I wasn't about to risk being rude, considering that death-grip you had on me," I remarked. "Or, was that because you didn't like the idea of any other male laying a finger on me?" He blushed. I smirked. "Well, aren't we becoming protective, 'Sir Link'. You never told me you were a knight."

"Why does it matter?"

"Oh, just all that romantiscism about knights," I explained. "You know, every girl secretly dreams that one day she'll find her knight-in-shining-armor, who'll ride her off into the sunset." He gave me an interested look.

"Oh, really?"

"Yep."

"What's so great about knights?"

"I don't know. I think it has to do with the legendary chivalry and courage, or something like that. Man, I'm hungry," I complained. Which was worse: the awful castle food, or the dull ache in my stomach? Hard decision. On one hand, I was not in any hurry to eat that shit again, but on the other, I hadn't eaten anything all day, and even disgusting stuff would taste good if you were starving, right?

"Dinner isn't for another hour," he informed.

"Oh great, what do we do until then?" I groaned, the emptiness in my stomach intensifying at the knowlege that I wouldn't be able to eat for an entire hour. Link gave me that oh-so-adorable, little-boy grin.

"Shall we dance?" he suggested. The orchestra had been playing music all that time, I suppose, but I'd been so preoccupied with all the odd-looking people that I hadn't really noticed. And actually the music wasn't bad. Hylians do something right.

"Dance?" I repeated. "I can't dance."

"It's not hard," he assured, suddenly sweeping me into his arms. "Just go with it."

"Easy for you to say," I replied, trying hard not to fall as he lead me in something akin to a quick waltz. "What if I end up stepping the wrong way or something?" He flashed his signature gorgeous smile.

"NOBODY will be looking at your feet," he promised, twirling me around. "They'll all be wondering, 'Who is the beautiful lady dancing with Sir Link?'"

"And what will you tell them, O handsome knight?" I quizzed, as he once again pulled me close.

"I'll say that she is the creation of the Goddesses themselves, for no mortal could create something so wonderful."

"You'll say nothing of her flaws, then?"

"In my eyes, she has none," he answered, as we continued to twirl around the floor. He was so light on his feet, it was like we were floating. And he was holding me so close that I could feel his heart beating against mine. I had a feeling I was starting to blush, if I hadn't been already.

"Really? What about her nasty attitude?"

"She doesn't want anyone to get close to her, because she's been hurt. I don't hold that against her. She may act tough, but she's very sweet."

The music stopped. He made no move to let me go. I found myself noticing again just how beautiful his eyes were. Deep, glittering blue; it was just like looking at the ocean.

"I think-" My voice died, and I tried again. "I think that with an answer like that, they'll all be left with more questions than they had before."

"If they have any others, they can find out on their own," he said, very softly. Once again, I became aware that we kept getting closer, and closer. My eyes began to close, and,

Trumpets blared an elaborate fanfare. We both nearly jumped out of our skins.

"Uh, it's dinner time," he said, studying his hands and trying to hide a deep blush. I was amazed. We'd been dancing like that for an hour? It had seemed like no time at all. But we must have been; everyone was filing out of the room and heading into the next, which I recognized as the dining hall from last time.

"Okay," I said, silently wishing a horrible death unto the trumpeters. Like I said before, good things are always interrupted.

***

The castle gardens were beautiful. There were roses, orchids, lillies, and various other flowers in every color there was, and it was all illuminated by marble lamps carved into elegant statues. I had excused myself for some "fresh air" after the not-as-godawful-as-last-time-but-only-because-my-sense-of-taste-was-dulled- by-starvation dinner. Link had volunteered (read: demanded) to come with me.

"So, now you don't trust me by myself?" I asked, as we walked slowly down one of the many winding cobblestone paths.

"I trust you," he informed. "I just don't trust them," he added quietly, tilting his head toward a guard who was currently walking around aimlessly, 'guarding' the gardens. I smirked.

"Your guard buddies? But aren't they suposed to be men of honor and chivalry?" I mocked. Link rolled his eyes.

"They should be, but you'd be surprised. That one in particular... well, watch out for him, okay?"

"Why? He's just a bonehead like the rest of them."

"Well, he's a bonehead who informed me earlier that he would like to sleep with you," he informed, "and most likely with or without your consent."

"He would, would he?" I growled, shooting a glare toward the guard. I grinned wickedly. "You think he'd still be interested if I cut off his-"

"Millerna," he interrupted. "Please don't remove any of his body parts. I don't want you getting in any trouble for attacking a guard, that would be a very bad scenario. Just stay away from him. And if he gets too close, THEN you can hurt him," he continued, noticing my look of disappoinment. Okay, I was satisfied.

"Fine," I agreed. "If he shows up one day without genitals, you'll know why." Link smiled, and led me to a small bench surrounded on three sides with tall hedges. There was a fountain in the middle of the hedge square, carved in the shape of three women with their arms above their heads, holding up a glass sphere. Each woman had inlaid jewels for eyes: one had rubies, one had emeralds, and the last had sapphires. The castle folk didn't do anything halfway. Except for the half-assed excuse for food, that is, but we won't get into that.

We'd been sitting there a whole minute before I realized that his arm was wrapped around my waist, and that I was resting my head on his shoulder. My heart fluttered nervously, but I made no effort to move. I was much too comfortable. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have minded staying there like that all night.

"This is probably one of those times when we look like lovers," I said. His free hand took mine, our fingers intertwining.

"I know," he murmured. I closed my eyes and let myself relax against him. He let out that soft, gentle laugh. "Are you tired?" he asked. I nodded.

"A little."

"Come on, then," he said, pulling me with him as he stood. "I'll take you back to your room."


***


The trip back to my room was made in almost complete silence. Maybe we were both feeling a little shy about what had gone on at the ball and in the garden - I wasn't too sure myself, so I really can't give a definite answer. All I know is that, for one reason or another, we didn't have much to say until we got inside my room.

"Did I act okay tonight?" I asked, beginning to take off the jewelry that I'd been adorned with prior to the ball. He smiled.

"Not only did you act okay, but you acted perfectly charming."

"Yeah, I was going for 'un-Millerna'," I informed, laughing.

"But you did it very well," he complimented. He sighed. "I just can't wait till we get out of here and get to act like ourselves again." I think I just kind of stared at him.

"Did I just hear that out of your mouth, O Hero of Time?" I teased. "And here, you're the one who wants ME to behave like someone else."

"Hey, you think it never bugs me that I have to be who everyone here wants me to be? I know exactly how you feel."

"Well, it's good to know I'm not alone."

"You're not," he assured. "And I'll make sure you never will be." For the second time that night, I found myself staring into his eyes. He must have been doing the same, because a moment later he coughed nervously and looked away. "Uh, I should probably be going."

"Yeah, I guess so. Goodnight."

"Well, um, seeya tomorrow," he said, heading for the door. He turned back around when he got there. "And, Millerna? If you need me, or anything, my room's near that courtyard you like. I mean, you can't miss it, it's got this big dragon carved into the door."

Okay," I replied, nodding my understanding. He went to open the door. "Um, Link?" I called after him. "What exactly qualifies as 'needing' you?" He failed miserably to hide a deep crimson blush.

"We'll...discuss that when the situation arises. Goodnight."



***




**The raid had been going on for almost an hour. Enemy thieves had ambushed the camp at midnight, and now here we sat, my sisters and I, in a small grotto, waiting for the danger to pass. Ayden had rushed us into hiding as soon as the attack had begun, then left, despite my desperate pleas, to help with the fight.

"Don't worry about me," he'd said, flashing me a beautiful smile. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the reflexes of a cat, you know that better than anyone." Serenity and Lilliana had had to hold me back to keep me from following him into battle. And now I sat here, in this dark crevice in the mountainside, completely useless.

"I can't stand this," I growled. "What if he needs me?!" Serenity shushed me and put a hand on my arm.

"No, Millerna, I'm sure he'll be fine," she whispered in a voice that was obviously supposed to be comforting. "Ayden is one of the best fighters we have. He can certainly take care of himself without the help of a thirteen-year-old-girl. And besides, it would be unwise for you to go outside. A girl in the middle of thieves' raid will only get hurt, killed, or raped if she-"

"I'm going to be raped anyway!" I snapped, slapping her hand away angrily. "Or have you forgotten what our purpose is? I'd rather be killed by a rival thief helping Ayden than be raped by that fucker Carlos after having been of no use at all!" Dana and Lilliana gasped.

"Millerna, such language is not becoming of a lady!" Serenity scolded.

"It takes honor to be a lady, and ours was stolen the moment we were brought here," I hissed. "I'm not a lady, and neither are you."

"Millerna, that's not-" she was cut off by a cry of pain shooting through the air. My blood ran cold.

"Ayden!" I yelped, jumping to my feet and scrambling out of the grotto.

"No!" Serenity yelled after me. I ignored her, and kept running. Tents were on fire, men were lying everywhere in pools of their own blood, blades and arrows sticking out of their flesh at odd angles. What if Ayden shared that fate?

"AYDEN!" I called, my voice drowned out by the raging battle still going on. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" My heart was pounding as though it might burst out of my chest. I couldn't find him! I spun around, feeling utterly helpless amid the clashing of swords, twanging of bows, and screams of the wounded. But there, in the moonlight, I saw a solitary figure at the water's edge. I knew even before I saw his face that this was Ayden, and I ran to him. He was nursing his left arm, and as I got close enough, I saw why: there was a dagger shoved straight through the upper arm.

"Ayden!" I cried. He looked down at me, and seemed to forget about his pain.

"Millerna?! I told you to stay with your sisters!" he chided. "You could get hurt out here!"

"You're hurt, Ayden, I came to help you," I explained stubbornly, as I administered one of Aunt Miranda's techniques and quickly pulled the dagger out of his arm. He ground his teeth and gave a snarl of pain.

"Couldn't you do these things more gently, Millerna? Wait, nevermind that, just get back to safety, you never know what could happen out-"

Flit!

Ayden didn't even have time to see the arrow before it traveled clean through his chest. A lung shot! I looked behind me, and felt anger boil up inside like a poison. The bowman was Carlos! He shrugged under my glare from atop his stallion.

"A misfire. What a shame," he said easily, turning his mount around and trotting away.

"YOU BASTARD!" I screamed at the top of my lungs to his retreating form.

"Millerna...no." I looked back where Ayden had fallen, and dropped to my knees beside him in the sand, searching for my medicine pouch.

"That bastard!" I hissed, trembling with rage. "That despicable son of a bitch!" Ayden looked up at me, and shook his head.

"If he says it was a misfire, Millerna, it was a misfire. My cousin would not murder me," he said softly. A lie!

"Don't talk like that," I demanded, ripping open my pouch. "You're not going to die. You can't die." He smiled sadly, and pushed the pouch out of my hands. Oh Gods, he was so pale, and his lips had taken on a bluish tint.

"This is...a fatal wound. No one...is...indestructible," he said. He began to cough, and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. I wasn't sure when the tears had started, but they were streaming down my face in torrents as I took my friend in my arms.

"I swear, on my life, that I will not rest until I avenge you. Carlos will die by MY hand!"

"No, no, no. Millerna, don't let hatred destroy your soul. The first chance you get, run. Get as far away from here as you can, and start a new life, like we always said we would."

"It won't be the same without you!"

"You know I could never leave you," he assured, running a weak hand through my hair. "My body will be gone, but I swear, my soul will be with you forever. I'll always be beside you. I'll be there on your wedding day, and when you have children. So you see, you'll never be without me, not really."

"I'll still miss you," I nearly sobbed. He took my face in his hands, and the complete lack of strength in them made it all too real that he was dying.

"Don't cry, please," he said, wiping a tear from my cheek. "Promise me that when you think of me, far from now, you won't think only of this night. Promise me that you'll remember happier times as well. Can you do that for me?" I nodded, and he lay back onto the sand, seemingly satisfied. And in his last breath he added three words that almost killed me.

"I love you."**


***

I shot up in my bed, covered in a cold sweat.

"Just a dream," I muttered, still shaking. I wiped my eyes, only to find that I'd been crying, too. I hated these nightmares, hated being shown the rerun of Ayden's death. Hadn't going through it once been torture enough? Obviously the powers that be didn't think so.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I'd climbed out of bed, slid my feet into some silk slippers that matched my kimono, and exited my room. I wasn't completely sure of what I was doing even as I knocked on the elaborately carved door adjacent to my courtyard, but I found out soon enough. He took one look at me, and the first thing out of Link's mouth was,

"What's wrong?"

"Wow, am I that transparent?" A very weak attempt at a joke, made weaker by the fact that I was perfectly certain that my eyes were all red. "Lame as it probably sounds, I had a bad dream. Or a bad memory, to be more precise." He took me completely by surprise by embracing me warmly. And I took MYSELF completely by surprise by finding some comfort in this.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he murmured into my hair. I looked up at him and nodded. He sat down on the bed with me, and I began to tell him how Ayden had died.

***

"And, that's what you didn't want to tell me at the Forest Temple, isn't it?" he asked, brushing a few strands of hair behind my ear. Somewhere in the middle of my long tale, I'd ended up being pulled onto his lap. I didn't particularly mind, of course, but under the circumstances, I really couldn't enjoy this as much as I would have otherwise.

"Yeah," I replied. He gave me his sweetest smile.

"Do you feel any better now?"

"Amazingly, yes," I answered. Who would have thought that TALKING about something awful would actually make it feel LESS awful?

"Well, doesn't this seem familiar," he said. I sighed, and leaned my head against his chest.

"I guess it does, doesn't it? Damn, the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and my best friend died in my arms. Our lives just suck, don't they?"

"Sometimes," he agreed, cuddling me close. "But sometimes, I really can't complain too much." I actually smiled.

"No, sometimes things work out okay," I agreed. He kissed my forehead.

"Come on, you probably didn't get much sleep," he said, climbing back under the covers. "You can stay with me if you want." I gave him my best accusational look.

"I thought you said we shouldn't sleep together anymore?" I reminded. He grinned.

"Under the circumstances, I don't think it'll hurt anybody. Besides, I'll be right here if you have that dream again."

"Guess this qualifies as needing you, then," I teased half-heartedly, as I got into the bed.

"I'm fairly certain it falls under that category, yes," he replied. He gave me one last kiss on the cheek, and wrapped a protective arm around me.

You know, I had no more nightmares.