Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Back In Her Hands ❯ Lost and Found ( Chapter 9 )

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

Back In Her Hands
a Legend of Zelda romance fic
Chapter 9: Lost and Found
12-22-2004
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

******

Link just continued to stare down at the ground, right by the town walls where Zelda had left a pair of gigantic footprints with her high-heeled shoes. He couldn't get over how big those footprints were; she was probably now bigger than any monster he had ever faced, including the Twinmold! He then lifted his head up and looked at the trail of giant footprints that led away from where Zelda had landed after hopping over the walls. *She's gone,* he thought sorrowfully. *I can't believe it.... she's gone.*

Link heard someone walk up to him. "Link, I know how you feel," he heard Impa say. "This is hard for me too. We can only hope that the princess will decide to come home soon." Link didn't say anything, he wasn't even really listening; he just continued to stare at the trail of huge footprints that led southward. Clearly troubled by Link's silence, Impa went on. "You'll be happy to know that no one was killed, and that the Moblins that tried to keep the Sages away from the town were driven away, and...."

"Impa, you must let him be," came the voice of Rauru. "The princess's flight will be hard on all of us, but him most of all." Impa turned to look at Rauru, then back to Link. "Give him time, Impa. They became so close in the last few days, and now that's she gone... I'm sure you understand."

Impa let out a sigh. "I guess you're right," she said as she turned to walk away with Rauru, leaving Link alone, who was still staring listlessly as the footprint trail - something that painfully symbolized Zelda's flight from Hyrule.

*I guess growing a third time was too much for her. She was so worried that she'd hurt people and damage stuff before, and now that she's so big... I guess she figured it's what was best for everyone,* Link reasoned. *But damnit, it isn't what's best! I need her! I love her.... I don't care if she's a giant!!*

Link took another look at the footprint trail. *And she thinks I'm dead because of her. No doubt that's eating her up inside. And what... what if she commits...* Link shook his head violently, trying to banish that thought from his mind. *No, I can't let that happen. Damnit, I can't just stand here doing nothing!! I've got to go and find her!!*

Link took out the Ocarina of Time and played Epona's song. Within a few minutes, his trusty horse galloped up to him, and Link quickly mounted her and had her follow Zelda's trail. The trail led all the way to Lake Hylia's entrance. *I figured as much,* thought Link as Epona leapt over the fence and galloped into Lake Hylia. Once they had reach the water's shores, Link dismounted and took a good look around him. No giant footprints could be seen anywhere within the Lake Hylia area, as if she had simply approached Lake Hylia and then just disappeared.

*Huh? Then where did she....* Then Link slapped himself. *Duh. She can teleport, you idiot! She could be anywhere!* he thought to himself angrily. *Argh! How am I supposed to find her?! What do I do?!*

And then Link felt a hot, stinging sensation on the back of his hand, just like when he had confronted Ganondorf in his tower... and when he had tried to escape from the Molbins' hideout. He looked at his hand and saw the Triforce symbol on the back of it, glowing with a fierce, violent radiance. Not only that, but he could feel something gently pulling at him, as if to lead him somewhere. *Huh? The Triforce of Courage, what's...* Then it hit him. *It's reacting to Zelda's Triforce piece, pinpointing where she is! Zelda was able to do the same thing with me!*

Link's spirits instantly began to rise, now that there was hope of finding the princess. But then he remembered that Zelda was probably miles and miles away from Hyrule by now; with Farore's Wind at her command, plus the amount of ground she could effortlessly cover, there was no telling how far away she was.

He looked down at the waters of Lake Hylia; it was here that he made his return to Hyrule, using the waterways that led out into the ocean. And now, he could use them to get back out to the open sea. *Sooner I start, the sooner I find her,* he thought resolutely as he put on the Zora's Mask. As soon as the transformation was complete, Link leapt into the lake and made his way back out to sea, letting the Triforce of Courage guide him.

******

Even with the briny ocean water clouding her vision, Zelda could see that she was approaching solid ground. Which was a good thing, since she had been swimming around aimlessly for over an hour.

After reaching Lake Hylia, she had rashly made a blind teleport, her mind overwhelmed with sorrow and pain, and ended up landing into the open sea. After that, she just started swimming; where she was headed, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was getting as far away from Hyrule as possible. And she was still so overcome with despair and guilt that she didn't notice a faint tingling in her hand....

Once Zelda was close enough to the mainland, she firmly planted her feet and stood up. If anyone had been on the shore at the time, it surely would have looked as if some enormous sea monster was rising out of the water. But it wasn't a monster, just a beautiful blonde-haired girl who stood over a hundred feet tall....

By rising out of the water the way she did, Zelda created a huge wave that engulfed practically the whole shoreline in front of her, scattering all the Tektites on the beach and forcing all the Leevers underneath the sands out of hiding. Then she slowly walked out of the water and onto the shore, her eyes closed and her back hunched over due to severe exhaustion. As she did so, she could hear the chitinous bodies of Tektites being mercilessly crushed to death under her feet. "Ergh," Zelda muttered to herself. That was all she needed just then, to be reminded of the damage she could do simply by walking around. If there had been any people on the beach....

Zelda slumped onto her hands and knees, breathing in short, erratic gasps. She had just spent over an hour swimming around in freezing cold water, and it had taken a severe toll on her. Not only that, she was still suffering from the injuries from her battle with the Wizzrobe; she could still feel aches and pains and bruisings all over her body, not to mention tear-inducing stings from where the salty ocean water had flowed into open wounds.

But all that pain was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her heart, the pain caused by knowing she was partly responsible for Link's death, and that now she was far too big and dangerous to stay around people. She could never go back to Hyrule.... never....

After a while, Zelda finally regained some strength and stood up. She saw the shoreline she had walked on was surrounded by a tall, steep, mountainous wall.... well, tall to a normal-sized person. For Zelda, that mountain wall could be scaled easily in two seconds flat. It was just another reminder of her absurdly great size and power.... size and power she didn't want.... size and power that made her feel like a freak of nature....

"BLEEAAA-CHOOO!!!"

Zelda let out a violent sneeze that she was sure could be heard as far as ten miles away. *Great, I must be coming down with a cold too,* Zelda thought to herself. But she really didn't care about what happened to her anymore; she felt far sicker emotionally. Right now, all she really wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die....

Zelda began to slowly walk along the coastline, not really caring where she was going. All she wanted was to find a place where she could suffer in peace.

******

Link had no idea how long he had been swimming through the vast ocean waters, but he guessed it was about three or four hours. As for how many miles he had swam, he had absolutely no clue. He really wasn't thinking much or really paying any attention to his surroundings; all he was focusing on was the Triforce of Courage leading him to wherever Zelda was.

*I have to find her fast, let her see I'm still alive. If I don't....* He didn't bother finishing that thought. Link couldn't bear the thought of Zelda committing suicide because she thought he was dead.

*Huh, is that land up ahead?* Link thought hopefully as faint traces of a shoreline slowly came into view. Had his Triforce piece finally led him to wherever Zelda had fled?

Indeed, the shore law a few hundred feet before him. Filled with a renewed sense of hope, Link swam even faster, eager to get ashore and begin his search. Soon enough, he had made it onto solid land; a beach surrounding a huge wall-like mountain structure.

Link took off the Zora's Mask and looked around. "Funny, the ground looks soaked well beyond the water's edge...." he muttered to himself. Then it hit him: Zelda must have displaced a lot of water when she came ashore. "This must have been where she made landfall!" he cried excitedly. And if he needed any more proof, he got it in the form of dead, flattened bodies of several Tektites and Leevers. Link had to surpress a shudder when he saw all that.

Then Link noticed another trail of huge footprints leading farther down the shore. "Well, at least she's easier to follow on land," Link thought aloud as he took out the Bunny Hood and put it on, then dashed down the shore following Zelda's trail.

As he ran down the shoreline, Link could feel the Triforce piece in his hand burn more strongly than ever. *This is it! I've GOT to be getting close!!* he thought excitedly.

After a while, Link came across what looked like the mouth of a huge cave in the mountain wall; the perfect place for a giant princess to hide. Link took off his Bunny Hood and slowly walked closer to the cave's mouth. Sure enough, he could hear the distinct sound of someone crying coming out of the cave....

"AAAAAAAA-CHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Followed by what was undoubtedly the loudest sneeze he had ever heard.

"Zelda... I've found you, you're OK..." Link muttered softly to himself as he climbed over the rocks underneath the cave's entrance. Upon entering the cave, he didn't go far until the area around him was pitch black. Outside, the sun was beginning to go down, and the cave's entrance faced away from the setting sun. Link knew it would be too dangerous to fumble around in the darkness, especially when Zelda could accidently step on him.

Then Link remembered the trick he had used in the Moblin hideout. He took an arrow out of his quiver and powered it up with magic. This time, though, he powered it up as a fire arrow. Using his powered arrow like a torchlight, he descended further into the cave. From the reflected light, Link could see the cave was quite big and wide, yet he had a feeling Zelda needed to get on her hands and knees and crawl through.

As Link walked further and further into the cave, he saw several huge mushrooms sprouting out of the rocky soil. He recognized what kind they were: an edible type usually found in mountainous regions, especially in caves. At one point in his years of travelling, he had gotten lost in the mountains and had to live off those mushrooms for almost a week. He had never seen any this big though; they were several times bigger, some so big they could be used as platforms to stand on.

And as Link progressed, Zelda's constant sobbing steadily got louder and louder, and it seemed to echo all around him, assaulting his eardrums with its sorrowful sound. It was making Link depressed again; for him, the sound of Zelda crying was the worst thing in the world. "Zelda?! ZELDA!!" he cried out, thinking that if she heard him... knew he was alive... it would lift her spirits and she'd stop crying.

"BLLEEEAAAAA-CHOOOOOO!!!"

Link felt a sudden, violent rush of wind surge past him, blowing out the fire from his arrow and almost knocking him off his feet. "OK, I don't think she can hear me," Link muttered as he reignited his arrow and continued on.

Now the path before him was so choked with even bigger mushrooms, Link had to climb on top of them and hop from mushroom to mushroom in order to go further. As he did so, Link noticed the cave was getting wider and wider.

Soon, the sound of Zelda's sobbing was so painfully loud, Link was certain he was right in front of her. Link focused his magic and made his arrow put out more light. A few feet before him was what looked like a huge wall of thick pink cloth, the exact same shade of pink as the fabric of Zelda's dress. Link turned his gaze upward and saw the faint outline of Zelda's upper body towering over him, her arms tightly clutched around her midsection. He also noticed that the Triforce symbol was faintly glowing on the back of Zelda's hand, yet she seemed to take no notice of it.

"ZELDAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" Link yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping to finally get her attention.

The sound of Zelda's crying abruptly stopped; obviously, she had heard him. Link called out her name again, and this time, he could hear her gigantic body begin to shift and saw her beginning to bend over.

Link instinctively took a few steps back when he saw Zelda's giant form come closer to him, but he had forgotten he was standing on a giant mushroom and accidently stepped off the edge. He fell backwards, but managed to grab onto the edge of the mushroom with both hands to keep from falling off. However, he had dropped his arrow, and he heard its energy fizzle out. He was now in total darkness...

But not for long. All of a sudden, the area all around him became illuminated, not to mention a lot warmer. With the cave now awash with light, Link could see Zelda's gigantic face looming over him. Her face had an expression of suprise and utter disbelief. Her mouth hung open, the words apparently caught in her throat.

Link finally succeeded in pulling himself back up onto the mushroom. "Zelda, you're not seeing things. It's really me," he called out to her, knowing that Zelda must have been thinking she was hallucinating.

Zelda just kept staring down at Link, still not able to believe what she was seeing. Link continued to stare up at her, her face almost taking up his entire field of vision. Link could see that her cheeks were damp with freshly-shed tears and that her nose looked a little red, probably from a combination of crying and relentless sneezing. "Zelda, please, say something," Link implored.

Silence lingered for a moment longer, only broken by Zelda's occassional sniffling. Eventually, though, she found her voice. "L-Link?" she said meekly, her voice echoing around Link. "L-L-Link? H-how..."

"Did I find you?" Link finished for her. To answer her, he held up his hand, showing her the Triforce symbol glowingly fiercely on the back of it. Zelda briefly glanced at the back of her own hand, seeing it was glowing with the Triforce symbol as well.

Zelda shook her head violently, still not believing what was happening. "This c-can't... How did..."

"I survive?" Link finished for her again. "Does it really matter? I'm here now."

Zelda didn't respond immediately; she just kept staring down at him. By some miracle, Link was still alive!! He hadn't died because of her!!

But even so, Zelda's despair didn't just disappear. *Oh, I don't believe how tiny he looks!!* she thought to herself. Link looked no taller than three inches.... to her, he was merely the size of a child's toy! She could only imagine how monstrously huge she seemed to him now! "L-Link, please, don't.... get out of here, d-don't look at me...." she muttered softly.

"After all the trouble I went through finding you?!" Link snapped in an exasperated tone. "I don't think so."

"Link, please, I... I..." Zelda stopped, feeling another sneeze coming on. She stifled it, knowing that even a mere sneeze could seriously hurt Link, or even kill him. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Link cringing, as if he had expected to be blown away. "Y-you see?! I'm too dangerous to be around!!" she shrilled.

Her booming voice was excruciatingly loud for Link, forcing him to clasp his hands over his ears. To Zelda, the message was clear: keep your voice down or you'll blow Link's ears away. It was just another example of how easily she could accidently hurt people if she wasn't careful.

But that didn't faze Link one bit. Now that he had finally found his beloved princess, he was determined to stay with her. "Zelda, please, we've talked about this before!!" he called out to her, speaking loudly to make sure Zelda heard him. "I don't care how big you are... I've told you that plenty of times already!!"

"This isn't like before!" Zelda snapped, once again forcing Link to cover his ears. "Things were all right before this, but I'm way too big now. I'm too dangerous... there's so many ways I can hurt you just by accident. I'll blow you away with a sneeze. I'll destroy your ears if I don't talk softly enough. So many things could happen if I'm careless... I could step on you, I could sit on you... Heck, you're so tiny, I could even eat you."

Link had a fleeting vision of Zelda swallowing him alive, being forced down her esophagus and plunging into the dark depths of her stomach to be slowly dissolved in her digestive acids. "Brrr, please don't mention that again," Link said, shaking his head as if to banish the horrific thought.

"You see? I'm too dangerous. I-I can't, ahhh.... ahhh.... AAAAAAAA-CCHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!" Zelda quickly turned her head away from Link before she sneezed. *I almost did it again. Link, please, don't do this to me....*

"And I'm telling you I don't care!" Link shouted up at her. "I love you Zelda."

"I love you too Link. That's why I can't let you stay around me, it's for your own good," Zelda said sadly. She desperately , but couldn't bear the thought of accidently hurting him. Link looked as if he still wasn't convinced, and she decided that he needed to be shown why he couldn't stay around her. "Link, you need to get an idea of just how big I am now," she said to him.

Link wasn't sure what she meant by that, but before he could say anything, he felt energized winds surging all around him. Link immediately recognized that it was Farore's Wind, but where was Zelda teleporting to?

An instant later, Link found himself standing outside on the coastline again, right next to the entrance to Zelda's cave. "Huh, but why... Zelda, where are..."

"Up here Link," came Zelda's crying, booming voice from up high. Link looked up.... and up. Zelda was standing at full height right in from of him. Now, for the first time, Link could clearly see just how much Zelda had grown. He had tried to imagine what her new size was like, braced himself for when he saw her again. But still, actually SEEING her at her new size, standing at her full height... to say that she looked daunting was a gross understatement. He was no taller than the heel of her shoe! The tallest building in the market town wouldn't even come up to her knee! Lake Hylia would be no more than a little kiddie pool to her! She was almost as tall as Hyrule Castle, and could easily demolish it with her bare hands! And if all the bosses he had ever fought were here now, including Ganondorf and Majora's Mask, he had no doubt Zelda could crush them all in no time, without even half-trying!

"See Link? You see how big I am now?" Zelda called down to Link, her voice seeming to completely surround him. "Even from here, I can see how scared you are. And I bet I know what you're thinking, that I'm bigger than all the monsters you fought in those temples," she continued, the sadness in her voice all too evident. "How can you think otherwise? I'm so big, I can't be considered human anymore. I'm nothing but a monster myself now, and, ahhh.... ahhh.... AAAAAAAAAAAA-CCCCCHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Zelda's sneeze was like a powerful clap of thunder, making Link involuntarily wince.

"NO ZELDA!! DON'T THINK LIKE THAT!! YOU'RE NOT A MONSTER!!" Link cried out, horrified that Zelda was harboring such thoughts. He yelled as loud as he could, hoping she could hear him. But Zelda didn't seem to notice; the size difference was too great and she was too far away to hear him now, no matter how loudly he yelled.

"P-please Link, just go," Zelda pleaded, clearly on the verge of another crying fit. "It's too dangerous to be around me. And you-you deserve better than to have a giant freak for a girlfriend." With that, she turned back to the mouth of the cave and slowly walked toward it.

"Zelda, no!" Link cried as he ran after her. Without thinking, he leaped up and grabbed onto Zelda's ankle.

"Huh?" Zelda yelped in surprise as she felt something softly touch her ankle. She looked down and saw Link desperately clinging onto her foot. "Link, what are you thinking?" she cried exasperatedly as she lifted her foot and wiggled it in an attempt to shake him off. It worked. Despite his best efforts, Link couldn't hang on to her ankle and was flung a few feet away, landing in the sand with a thud. "Please Link, don't do this. Just go," she begged.

But Link didn't listen. As soon as he got back on his feet, he rushed toward Zelda again. This time, he grabbed hold of the hem of her dress and tugged on it, as if he meant to climb his way up. "Zelda, I'm not leaving you!" he cried out, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

But even though Zelda couldn't hear Link, the message was crystal clear: if you want me to leave, you'll have to use force. And Link knew that Zelda wouldn't dare use force, and she knew that he knew it. "Oh Link, you foolish boy," Zelda huffed as she looked down at him. Then she saw Link gesture to her, as if beckoning her to bend down. Letting out a sigh, Zelda obliged and bent down to a squatting position.

"Zelda!! Zelda, can you hear me now?!" she heard him cry out. But his voice was barely audible; it was little more than a whisper to her. She nodded, letting Link know that he could be heard. "Zelda, I'm not going to leave you!! I swore that I wouldn't abandon you!!" Link shouted up to her. "You've got to stop thinking you're a monster!! The Giant's Mask hasn't changed who you are on the inside, and that's what matters!!"

Zelda let out a sigh, but somehow, it didn't sound like a sigh of annoyance. Encouraged by the fact that Zelda wasn't protesting, Link went on. "Zelda, I can understand why you're afraid of hurting people, of hurting me!! I have to admit, you are kind of intimidating!! But I trust that you'll be careful, Zelda!! I trusted you before, and I trust you now!!"

Before, Zelda was firmly determined to have Link stay away from her, but now because of his words, her resolve was melting away along with her heart. What was it about him that made her heart race, that made her feel that things weren't as bad as they seemed? "Oh Link... I-I can't..."

"Listen Zelda, I'll prove I'm not afraid of you, and you can prove to yourself you're not so dangerous!!" Link called out to her, an inspiration having come to him. "Pick me up, hold me in your hands!! I trust that you won't hurt me!!"

*WHAT THE... Is he serious?!!* Zelda thought to herself, not believing what she had heard. *That's crazy... I've probably got more muscle power in my pinky finger than he's got in his entire body! If I'm not careful enough....*

Link had expected she would be reluctant to try it, but he was convinced it would help her see that she wasn't a dangerous monster. "Zelda, please, it's OK!! You won't hurt me, don't worry!! I trust you, so can't you trust in yourself?!!"

For a while, Zelda just kept staring down at him, the look of disbelief not fading from her face. But slowly, ever so slowly, she moved her right arm and brought her outstretched hand down toward Link. "Uh, OK, climb on," she said timidly, still thinking it was a bad idea, but going along with it anyway.

Link shook his head. "No no, Zelda, not like that. I meant pick me up with your fingers and hold me," he told her.

"WHAT?!" shouted Zelda in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"I am," replied Link flatly. Then he lifted his arms up, as if beckoning her to pick him up. Zelda was still nervous about doing so, but Link's words echoed in her mind: *I trust you, so can't you trust in yourself?!!*

*All right, Link, I'll do it,* she thought resolutely, moving her right hand to pick Link up. Link fought the instinct to jump backwards as he saw her enormous, tree trunk-like fingers coming closer to him. He had to prove to Zelda he had absolutely no fear of her whatsoever.

Zelda placed her fingers behind Link and then gently pressed her thumb against his chest. Link forced himself to remain calm as Zelda's soft fingertips gently pressed against his body. He nodded to her, letting her know that she wasn't holding him too tightly. Confident that she had a secure hold on him, Zelda slowly began to raise him off the ground.

*Oh my.... it's like he doesn't weigh anything!!* Zelda thought to herself, feeling both scared and astonished. She brought her left hand up underneath Link to steady him and make sure her hold on him was secure. "L-Link?" she murmured uncertainly to him, bringing him closer to her face.

"I'm alright, Zelda," he answerd her, half-mesmerized by her huge, beautiful face. The sparkling blue eyes, the long, flowing golden hair, the pouty, kissable lips... the same face that had entralled him before, that had made him return to Hyrule. It didn't matter if she was now so gigantic, her face took up his entire field of vision. "You see, Zelda? You're not going to kill me just by touching me," he said to her reassuringly, rubbing her thumb with his hands. "Just because you're over a hundred feet tall doesn't mean we can't be together."

Zelda felt tears welling up again, but this time, they were tears of happiness. "Oh Link, th-thank you," she whispered, the sadness and despair finally lifting from her heart and soul. Feeling more confident, she brought her right index finger up from behind Link and gently petted his head with her fingertip. Link just closed his eyes and let Zelda continue to pet him, satisfied that his plan had worked in lifting her spirits. "Hey Link," said Zelda, making him open his eyes and look up at her again. "When you grabbed onto my ankle...."

"Uh, what about it?" asked Link, not sure what Zelda was getting at.

"You weren't using the opportunity to look up my dress, were you?" she asked coyly, a mischievious grin now on her huge face.

"Huh?! No no, I wasn't!!" Link said quickly, nervousness now permeating his voice.

Zelda just giggled. "Same old Link, still way too easy to tease," she said, a broad smile still on her face. Feeling more daring, she brought Link closer to her face.

"Huh? Zelda, what are you...." blurted out Link, unsure of what Zelda was doing.

He soon found out. Zelda brought him up to her mouth and planted a big kiss on his upper body, her soft lips practically engulfing him. Link, despite being taken by surprise, didn't mind the kiss one bit. Despite the unusualness of it all, her kiss felt very pleasant, making him feel completely at ease.

Then Zelda brought Link up to the side of her face and began to gently nuzzle his body with her cheek. Again, despite the weirdness of the position he was in, he found himself enjoying it. And the feel of Zelda's soft, smooth skin was... electrifying.

But what was it about being touched, hugged, handled and kissed by a girl so much bigger and stronger than him that was so pleasurable? After giving it some thought, Link realized it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he was with Zelda again, and as long as they were together, nothing else really mattered.

After a while, Zelda brought Link back in front of her, a big happy smile on her face and tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. "Oh Link, thank the Goddesses I found someone like you."

"And thank the Goddesses I found you," replied Link, feeling just as joyful and blessed as Zelda did. The two of them just continued to stare lovingly in each others eyes, Link held firmly yet gently in Zelda's big strong hands....

"BLLLEEEEEAAAAAAA-CCCCHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

The sneeze came so quickly, so unexpectedly, that Zelda had no time to surpess it. When Zelda opened her eyes, she saw Link was still held securely in her hands. But he had taken the brunt of her impossibly powerful sneeze, and had been sprayed all over, covered head to toe with mucus. Link just stared back at her with a bemused look on his face; he didn't look annoyed, only surprised.

Zelda, however, was horrified and extremely embarrassed. "Oh L-Link!! I-I-I'm so s-sorry!!!" Zelda spluttered out, running over to the water's edge. Before Link could protest, she quickly dunked him in the water to wash him off. "I-I'm so s-sorry, Link. P-p-please don't b-be mad at me," she stammered as she brought the dripping-wet Hero of Time back up to her face, fearful that he was angry at her.

Link couldn't help but to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Oh come on, Zelda, you worry too much," he said to her, the laughter permeating his voice.

Zelda sat down on the beach, still holding her lover in her hands. "Thank you, Link," she said softly as she summoned up her magic energy, using Farore's Wind to teleport the two of them back inside the cave.

******

Yeah yeah, I know I'm WAAAY behind. Blame a couple of cyber-suited killing machines. That's right, Metroid Echoes and Halo 2 pretty much took over my life for over a month. Oh, and the fact that my computer's Internet cabilities were shot for such a long time didn't help either. You should just be glad that Zelda: The Minish Cap doesn't come out in America until January and I don't yet have a PS2 for Metal Gear Solid 3, otherwise it would've been a few more months until you read this chapter. :P

So long,
Grey