The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Choices of the Heart ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2:

“Daddy! Why has Link been arrested?” Zelda demanded, breaking away from Impa's hold on her shoulder and running across the room to confront her father.

The king, a tall, muscular man, stopped his nervous pacing and turned to face his daughter. His bearded face, normally kind and gentle, was unusually stern. His normally twinkling gray eyes held none of their normal compassion.

“Link? So, that boy you're always running around with is the one who did this?” King Daphnes shook his head. “I should have listened to my advisors from the start,” he added under his breath.

“Listened to your advisors? Are they the ones who told you Link had kidnapped me?” Zelda cried. She turned an angry glance to the two advisors standing together beside her father. They looked away, avoiding eye contact with her. “Daddy! I wanted to sneak out! It was my—“

“Young lady, I don't want to hear it,” her father cut her off sternly. “Whether or not this little rendezvous of yours was a kidnapping, that boy is clearly having a bad influence on you.”

“But Daddy!”

“Enough, go to your chambers. You are forbidden to ever see that boy again .” The king turned away, clearly indicating that the conversation was closed.

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but Impa placed a firm, gentle hand on her shoulder. “Come, Your Highness,” she said softly, leading the young princess out of her father's chambers.

“Impa, it isn't fair,” Zelda said. Tears began to prick the back of her eyelids as she allowed her nursemaid and guardian to lead her down the corridors of the castle. Her blue eyes full of pleading, she looked up at the austere, warrior-like face of the woman beside her.

“Are you really going to let him do this?”

Impa looked down at the hurt, innocent face of her young consort, and her stern face softened with compassion. “I'm sorry, Princess,” she said. “I will talk to him later, but his mind seems to have been made up.”

Zelda nodded. Hurt and angry tears leaked slowly down her cheeks. She wanted to pitch a fit like an angry child. She wanted to throw things at her father and stomp around the room; she wanted him to know just how much he had ruined her life and how much she hated him for it. It wasn't fair. How could he do this to her?

“Zelda! Impa!”

Zelda looked up to see Ren running down the corridor towards them. He looked as though he had just come from outside, because his hair and clothes were soaking wet and he was dripping a trail of water as he ran down the hall.

Ren slowed to a stop as he reached the pair. “I heard what happened. Is Link all right?” he asked his cousin.

Zelda shrugged, and realized her hands had clenched into fists. Slowly, she unclenched them. “I don't know,” she answered softly. “He was arrested. I guess he's been put in the dungeons.”

Ren bit his bottom lip and peered at the girl thoughtfully. He turned his attention to Impa. “Take her to her room and get her dried off. I'll talk to the King,” he told the Sheikah. He winked at Zelda. “Don't worry. I'll take care of everything.”

The duke ran past them in the direction of King Daphnes' chambers. Zelda looked up at Impa, and Impa smiled. “You see? If anyone can convince the King, it's Renaldo.”

---

Link sat against the wall of the dark, dank cell. It was like being in Zelda's secret passageway all over again, only now he was trapped. He moaned and leaned his head back so that it thudded against the cold slimy wall. “This is what I get for giving in to her wild ideas,” he muttered to himself.

He wrinkled his nose. The dungeon held an awful, moldy stench, and he still had yet to get used to it. How long had he been in here, anyway? It felt like an eternity, but it couldn't have been more than an hour.

I wish there was a window or something down here, he thought. The only light provided came from two torches, giving the cell a dim, eerie orange glow. A rat scuttled across the floor in front of him, and with a grimace he moved his feet back several inches.

“It seems you've been wrongly put in here,” a low, raspy voice said.

Link jumped and looked around for the source of the voice. He saw something move in the darkest corner of the cell, and a human shape emerged, walking towards him. “Who are you?” Link asked as it moved closer to him. How had he not noticed a second person in the cell with him?

“My name was lost long ago,” the voice replied.

The owner of the voice had stopped walking, and Link could see him, he was sure it was a him, more clearly now. He seemed tall, a good few inches above Link's height. In the dim light, Link could not make out his features, but he seemed to be dressed rather richly, though his clothes were probably worn and dirty from his time in the dungeon. A dark hood was pulled over his head, throwing his face into deep shadows.

The sight of the hood triggered something in his memory. Zelda had said the artist who made that painting wore a hood. “Are you…L.R.?” Link cautioned tentatively.

Link could almost feel the man's faint smile. “Ah, that does strike memories. Perhaps I am. Perhaps.” he said thoughtfully.

Link frowned. Was he bluffing? He sounded sincere, but maybe he was just teasing Link. Link didn't like the way he felt around this man. “What do you want with me?” he asked, suddenly suspicious of something, he did not know what.

“Want? We are in the same cell, locked away in a dark lonely dungeon. I had thought you might like some companionship,” the man said. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Link's frown deepened, and he eyed the man. It made sense, but this man still gave him bad vibes.

“I can see you don't trust me, though I don't know why,” the man commented. “What can I do to ease your misgivings?”

“Take off your head,” Link said.

Again, Link could feel the man's cold smile. “I'm afraid I cannot do that,” he said.

“Why not?”

The man's eyes narrowed behind the shadows of his hood. “I have my reasons.”

“Then I have no reason to trust you,” Link said, turning his face away from the man and leaning his head back against the wall.

The man advanced so quickly, even Link, with his years of experience in fighting, did not have time to react. It was as though the man moved with the help of some dark magic.

The man held Link up by his throat against the wall, and bent down so that they were on eye level. “Truthfully, I do not find it necessary for you to trust me,” he hissed, and Link felt the man's cold breath against his face.

Link felt fear spike through him as he peered into the deep shadow of the man's hood. Even so close they were only inches away from one another, he could not make out the slightest features of his face beneath that hood. It was eerie, abnormal. Even as the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, Link suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to curl up in a dark corner, to escape the grip this terrible man had around his throat, to run as far away as possible.

Before Link could act, the man loosened his grip on Link's throat, and let him slide to the floor and collapse in a terrified heap. “Others are coming,” the man spoke softly as he shrank back into the shadows of the cell, “but it matters not. Soon, you will pay for everything you have done to me.”

Link found it hard to think as he lay on the hard floor shivering, not from cold, but from fear. What had this man done to him? What dark power did this man possess, that he could fill the Hero of Time with so much terror that he was paralyzed with fear? Even Ganondorf had never inspired such fear in him, never even come close.

Slowly, Link felt some of the fear subside, so that he managed to pull himself into a sitting position, though he still trembled uncontrollably. He forced his eyes to look into the corner where the man had hidden himself, but nothing was there. It was as though the man had disappeared completely, or had never even existed. Link felt a shiver run through his body.

Soon, as the man had said, Link heard footsteps and saw the lights of torches moving towards him from outside the cell, and two guards came down the stairs leading to the dungeon. Momentarily, the silence was broken only by the jangling of keys, and then a loud click echoed and the gate to his cell swung open.

“We've been ordered to release you,” one of the guards said. Link did not recognize either of them as the ones who had arrested him in the first place. “The King wishes to see you,” the guard continued. “Apparently there's been some sort of misunderstanding.”

Grateful to escape the cell, Link stood and walked over to the guards. Stopping at the gate, he stole another glance at the dark corner. He turned to the guard who had spoken to him, a man with kind brown eyes, maybe in his forties. “Is there anyone else supposed to be in this cell?” he asked the guard.

The two guards exchanged a knowing glance. The guard turned to Link. “There was a man, once, who was locked away in here,” he said. “He was creepy. He would just sit in that corner over there with his hood on, but it was like you could feel his expressions, even if you couldn't see them. I hated having to bring food to him. Most of the time he would just stare at me, but sometimes he would speak, and when he did, it was like he was sending out vibes of fear that would make the strongest man in the world want to hide in a corner. He died about five years ago, though. Eaten to death by rats. I helped bury him; what was left of him at least.”

The guard stopped talking and peered at Link in the darkness. “Did you see him?” he asked. “I've heard prisoners screaming sometimes, whenever they get put in this cell, and they'll claim to have seen a man in a dark hood.”

Link did not reply, but the guard seemed to know Link had seen the ghost, or whatever it was. “Well, you don't have to stay in here any longer, son,” the guard said, placing a hand on Link's shoulder, and maneuvering him out of the cell.

The guard turned to his fellow as they led the boy out of the dungeon. “Who put a kid in that cell, anyway?” he muttered. “He looks pretty shaken up.” The second guard nodded his agreement.

Accompanied by the two guards, Link walked down the corridors of the castle. They stopped outside an ornate door Link had not seen before. “His Majesty is tired at the moment, so he'll be seeing you in his chambers rather than in the throne room,” the guard explained. Link nodded. The guard raised a fist and knocked on the door.

“Who calls?” a female voice asked from within.

“It's me, Darnell. I've brought the boy to see the King,” the guard named Darnell called back.

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a pretty but worn looking young woman with auburn hair cropped off at her chin. For a brief moment, her eyes caught with Darnell's and held his, and then she turned to Link with a gentle smile. “You must be Master Link,” she said.

Link blushed slightly. “Yeah,” he said.

The woman turned back to the guards. “Thank you, Darnell, Landers. I'll take him from here.”

At the woman's indication, Link walked into the room and had to stop his jaw from dropping. He was in the most spacious, most richly decorated bedroom he had ever seen. The bed, placed in the center of the room against the wall, looked big enough to fit four people and still have room, and a giant, crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Rich tapestries, embroidered with the symbol of the Triforce, or with images of the three Goddesses hung on the walls.

The woman shut the door and turned to the boy. She smiled at the look of awe on his face. “It's something, isn't it?” she said. “Just imagine having to clean it every day.”

Link looked into the woman's face, and realized she was only three or four years older than him. “Are you a servant?” he asked.

“That's right,” she said. “I came to work in the castle when I was thirteen, because my family's poor.”

Link felt slightly taken aback. She had only been a year younger than him when she started working as a servant. It seemed strange for someone so young to already have her life set out for her, and it didn't seem to be a very good one.

The young woman watched the boy's face. It was strange, but he seemed horrified by what she had said. Just where had this boy come from, that he was so naïve to the ways of the world? “Hey, don't look so down,” she said. “Come on, I'll take you to the King. He's probably getting impatient.”

Link frowned at her back as she led him across the room to a second door. “Hey, what's your name?” he suddenly asked.

The woman looked back at him, seeming a little surprised. “I'm Elaine,” she told him.

Link blushed again. “Okay, thanks.” What had inspired him to ask her that?

Elaine rapped her knuckles softly on the door. “Your Majesty?” she called. “Link is here to see you.”

“Send him in,” a voice called from the other side.

Elaine opened the door and held it for Link. When he hesitated, she gave him a slight push. “Don't worry,” she said. “His Majesty's not too bad.”

Link walked into the room and Elaine shut the door behind him. He looked around the room. It was about the same size as the previous room, maybe slightly smaller. It appeared to be a study of sorts, because set beside the window at the back of the room was a large desk covered with books and papers. Behind the desk sat a tall, rather muscular man Link assumed to be the King. His face was bearded and slightly wrinkled, but kind looking. The king looked up from the paper he was scanning over. “Come in,” he said, an order, not a request.

Link moved away from the door and closer to the desk, feeling very awkward and unsure of himself. He stopped a few feet away from the desk. What now? Should he bow? Feeling the color rising in his cheeks, Link made an awkward half-attempt at a bow, and nearly lost his balance in the process.

The King smiled, looking a little amused. He leaned back in his chair. “So, there appears to have arisen a bit of a misunderstanding between us,” he said.

“Erm, yeah,” Link mumbled softly.

The King rose from his chair and walked around the desk to where Link stood, unsure of whether or not to raise his eyes and pointedly staring at the King's shoes. The King held out his hand. Surprised, Link stared at it, and hesitantly raised his own hand. King Daphnes shook the boy's hand firmly. He smiled, and his gray eyes twinkled merrily. “Young Renaldo has explained to me what happened,” he said. “I would suggest you not go along with his little schemes in the future. He seems to have his father's knack for getting others into trouble on his account.”

Link peered at Daphnes' face, confused. What was the King talking about? Had he gone completely daft? Deciding saying so to the King of Hyrule might cause some problems, Link said, “Sure.”

Daphnes let go of Link's hand and strode back to his seat at the desk. “You know, my daughter goes on about you quite a lot,” he said, turning his attention back to his papers. He glanced up at Link. “I had forbidden her to see you, but I suppose I'll have to rethink that now. I'll let you inform her yourself. Tomorrow,” he added, sending a glance out the window behind him, which was now dark with night.

“Sure,” Link said again, not certain what else to say. The King had forbidden Zelda to see him?

“You may go now,” King Daphnes said. “If you want, you may spend the night in the castle, or you may go home now.”

Link hesitated. “Thanks, but I think I'll go home,” he said.

“Very well. I shall expect to see you again tomorrow, then.”

Taking this as the signal to go, Link hurried out of the room as fast as he could without seeming rude, relieved to make his escape. Who knew meeting a king could be so suffocating? Elaine was no longer in the bedroom. She had finished her cleaning, Link assumed as he rushed out of the room.

A guard was waiting outside the room to escort Link out of the castle when he came out, and Link gladly followed him out. The guard left him outside the gate to the castle, and Link hurried out into the now quiet streets of Hyrule Castletown. A bright crescent moon hung overhead, illuminating the dark street. Link headed into the room beside the drawbridge, where a guard was slumbering noisily.

Link tapped his shoulder. “Hey,” he whispered loudly, feeling like his long lost companion, Navi. “Get up!” When the guard didn't stir, Link gave him a shake. The sleepy man opened his eyes groggily and stared at Link for a moment with an unfocused gaze.

“I need to get outside,” Link said, feeling irritated with the man.

“Oh, right,” the guard said, stumbling to his feet and letting down the drawbridge. He was obviously still half-asleep, since he hadn't even bothered to make sure Link wasn't trying to let in an army.

Link rolled his eyes. Nice to know the safety of Hyrule is in such good hands, he thought sarcastically. Deciding to let it go, he headed outside and crossed over the drawbridge into Hyrule Field. Pulling out his ocarina, he played Epona's Song once again, and moments later the mare trotted up to him.

Wearily, he pulled himself onto her back, and zoned out while she carried him home. So much for my perfect day. Link barely noticed when they reached the entrance to Kokiri Forest, and did not move, until Epona neighed loudly, snapping him back to reality.

“Sorry, Epona,” he mumbled half-heartedly, climbing off her back. “Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow.”

The mare snorted, and trotted away. Yawning, Link traipsed over the bridge and to his house, lazily climbing up the ladder. He glanced at Saria's house. There was a lot he needed to tell her. Yawning again, he decided it could wait until morning, and headed into the house to collapse on his bed and fall instantly asleep.

---

Link awoke the next morning to the sound of someone moving noisily around his house. Moaning, he opened his eyes just enough to peer at whoever was making so much noise. Saria was moving around his room, picking up the dirty garments strewn everywhere and throwing them into a heap beside the door. When she heard Link moan, she stopped and turned to face him, hands on her hips.

“Link, you promised me you were going to wash these a week ago. I swear, I can smell the stench from my house,” she said, tapping her foot.

“Ugh. Go away,” Link mumbled, turning over and hiding his head beneath the blanket.

Saria crossed the room and yanked the blanket off of him. “There. Now, if you don't get up, I'm going to pour cold water on you, and don't think I want.”

Link's eyes shot open immediately, and he hurried into a sitting position. He had no doubt whatsoever that Saria would pour cold water on him. She had nearly done it last time. Curses. Why did she have to get mad today of all days? I'm too tired to deal with this. He fought the urge to ignore her and just go back to sleep; doing so would be a pretty bad idea. Saria might appear as nothing more than a child, but Link knew better. It was better to stay off her bad side.

“Now, you are going to wash these clothes. Today. And I don't want to hear any complaining; you've had all week to do this,” Saria was ordering. “And once you're done with that, it won't hurt for you to do a little cleaning. The dust in here must be half an inch thick. And while you're at it…”

As Saria talked, the previous day's occurrences suddenly came back to Link's mind. “Saria, I need to talk to you,” he cut her off.

Catching the seriousness of his tone, Saria stopped her rant. She looked up at him, concerned. He only talked like that if it was something really serious. “What is it?”

With a deep breath, Link began to tell Saria about the strange painting, the artist with the initials L.R., and the strange spirit he had encountered in the dungeon.

Saria's face was very serious by the time he had finished his story, and her frown was at its deepest. She pondered over his words. “Link, this sounds pretty serious,” she said. “Can you think of anyone who would want to do you or Malon harm?”

Link shook his head. “I've gone over it a thousand times, but I can't come up with anyone, other than Ganondorf, and even if he wasn't sealed in the Sacred Realm, I can't really see him being obsessed with Malon.”

At another time, the statement would have seemed funny, but neither Saria nor Link laughed, or even grinned. Saria's frown seemed to deepen even further. “I don't like it. I think we should investigate it, and until then you should be very careful, and keep an eye on Malon.”

Link nodded, and Saria turned thoughtful once again. “Do you think King Daphnes might know anything?”

Link was taken aback. “The King?” he repeated. “I don't really think we should bother him with something like this.” He didn't like to admit it, but the thought of having to talk with the King again frightened him, even if he had been very nice.

Saria seemed to sense what was going on in his head. She turned her piercing green eyes on him. “Link, this is no time to worry about something like that,” she said. “Aren't yours and Malon's lives more important than your silly fears?”

Link felt his face flush. “Yeah, but, still,” he mumbled.

Saria didn't take her gaze off of him. “Link, I can't make you do it, but I really do think you should ask the King for help,” she said.

“Yeah, I know. Oh crap! Malon!” Link jumped off the bed and hurriedly pulled his boots on. “I'll talk to you later, Saria! Malon's gonna kill me!”

He dashed out of the tree house, leaving Saria to shake her head after him. She stood up and continued gathering his clothes. “Looks like I'm doing this for him again,” she mumbled.

---

Rolling the wheelbarrow of fresh hay into the tower, Malon dumped it out in front of the cows, who began munching at it hungrily. Malon only half-focused on what she was doing as she worked through her chores. It was already late morning, and Link still hadn't shown up. Part of her hoped he wouldn't. She couldn't let him know that she had seen him with Zelda, or how much it had bothered her. How was she going to hide it? Unlike most guys she had known, Link always seemed to know when something was wrong. He would definitely notice. Maybe he would think she was just mad at him about blowing her off. She hoped so.

“Ow! Dammit, girl, watch where you're going with that thing,” Ingo muttered angrily, glaring at Malon. She had not realized she was walking right towards Ingo until she rammed into his back with wheelbarrow.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, too lost in her thoughts to come up with a smart comeback as she normally would, and steered the wheelbarrow around him and into the barn, where she set it against the wall.

Walking outside, she caught a glimpse of Epona's back disappearing out of the ranch. Malon groaned inwardly. She knew exactly where Epona was headed. “Okay, he'll probably be here in about fifteen minutes,” she told herself quietly, unconsciously heading toward her room. “Just have to act natural.”

In her room, she stripped off her soiled work dress, and splashed water from the basin onto her body, washing off the sweat and dirt. Going to the wardrobe, she grabbed a clean dress and pulled it on over her head, then set off to brushing the tangles out of her hair. Finally deciding it was hopeless, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and headed back outside.

Outside, Malon ran into Ingo once again. “What are you doing? You're supposed to be gathering cucco eggs,” he said in his usual annoyed voice.

Malon rolled her eyes. “Do it yourself, grumpy,” she said, and walked away. Behind her, she could hear Ingo muttering about “always having to do everything”, and rolled her eyes. She bit down the urge to tell him if he hated it so much, why didn't he just leave? Knowing Ingo, he might take her advice, and then she and Talon would be in big trouble. They were already shorthanded as it was.

Malon had just walked into the circular pen built for the horses when she heard familiar hoof beats behind her. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she absentmindedly began stroking the nearest horse. Stay calm, stay calm.

The hoof beats stopped a few feet behind her, and Link's voice cried, “Malon! I'm so sorry! Are you mad?” as he ran up to her.

Malon half glanced at him. “Mad? About what?”

“You know, cause I, uh, forgot about yesterday,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his head.

“Hmm? That?” Malon shrugged. “I knew you would anyway. I'm not mad.”

“You're not? Wait, you did?”

Malon turned to him and stared at his chin, not wanting to look into his eyes. Even though she was nearly two years younger than him, they were almost the same height. “Don't worry about it, okay?” She felt like she was about to start crying again and wanted to get away as quickly as possible. She hated herself for wanting to cry even a little.

Link seemed to have notice the pained look on Malon's face. He peered at her, concerned. “Are you okay? Is there something else bothering you?”

“Nothing's bothering me,” she said, a little too hastily. She started to head back for the barn. “I have a lot of chores to do, so I can't really talk right now. Maybe tomorrow, okay?”

“Wait, Malon!” Link called after her. He needed to ask her something. Looking a bit aggravated, she half turned around, still avoiding his gaze.

“Malon, do you know anyone who likes to paint? Someone who might have some kinda weird obsession with you?” Link asked.

For a split second, Link thought he saw a look of terror cross her face, but then it was gone and he could very well have imagined it. “A painter?” she repeated, and shook her head. “No, I don't.” Before Link could say anything else, she took off for the barn.

Link sighed and rubbed the back of his head, staring at his boots. She was definitely pissed, even if she claimed not to be. He wondered what else had been bothering her that she was so intent on not telling him about. Could it have something to do with L.R.? He frowned. She probably wasn't going to tell him anything as long as she was still mad at him.

---

Malon dashed up the stairs to her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it. Her breath came rapidly, and not from the running. Why had Link mentioned a painter? She glanced around the room fearfully, but she was alone. Bending over and resting her hands on her knees, she took slow, steady breaths to calm herself down. Just the memory of that terrible person frightened her. Maybe she should have told Link the truth. She bit her lip.

---

Climbing back on Epona, Link rode to Hyrule Castle, still wondering about Malon. How was he going to get her to stop being mad at him? “I wish I knew how girls' minds work,” he muttered to Epona, who just whinnied in response. Link smiled. “I guess that includes you, huh? You definitely won't tell me.” He patted the mare's neck.

Once they arrived at the drawbridge, Link headed immediately for the castle, grateful that this time all the guards recognized him and he didn't have any trouble getting inside. In the castle, one of the servants greeted him, and asked his purpose.

“I'm here to see Princess Zelda,” Link told the servant.

The servant nodded. “I will go inform Lady Impa. Please wait here,” he said, and hurried off to find the Sheikah woman.

Link stood at the entrance awkwardly. He always hated this part of seeing Zelda. Why did everything have to be so formal? They had known each other for four years now. He sighed, and scuffed the toe of his boot on the floor.

---

“Thank you. I will let her know,” Impa told the servant, who bowed and scurried away.

Impa headed to Zelda's chambers. She knocked on the door to the bedroom and without waiting for a response, opened it. Zelda sat curled up on the corner of her bed pressed against the wall, leaning against it and staring blankly out the window. Her face was swollen and tear streaked, and she was clutching onto her giant teddy bear.

“Princess, you have a visitor,” Impa told her.

“Tell whoever it is I can't see them right now,” Zelda said.

“Zelda, that is not an acceptable answer for a princess. Now, I want you to wash your face and come down,” Impa said sternly. She left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Her nursemaid gone, Zelda gave an angry sob and buried her face in the teddy bear's furry head. After a few moments of crying, she composed herself, forcing herself to crawl off the bed and walk into the washroom.

Ten minutes later, Zelda appeared at the end of the corridor where Impa was waiting for her. Impa smiled. “Very good. Now, let's go greet your visitor.” Zelda shot Impa an angry glare and followed her down the hallway, resisting the urge to pout. She sighed inwardly, wondering who was visiting her anyway.

They came to the entrance to the castle, and Zelda's breath caught. “Link!” she screamed, running down the hallway and flinging her arms around his neck.

Link stumbled backwards under her sudden weight, blushing. Zelda released him and looked happily up into his face. “I thought you were in the dungeon! Oh no, does Daddy know you're here?” She looked around as if expecting her father to come around a corner.

“It's okay. We talked last night, and he said I could come see you today,” Link told her.

“Yay!” she squealed, jumping up and down with excitement. “I'm so happy! I thought I was never going to see you again!”

Link rubbed the back of his head. “So…do you think we can go sit in the courtyard or something?”

“Yes, lets! Impa, is it okay?” Zelda turned a pleading gaze to the Sheikah woman. Impa nodded her approval, and Zelda grabbed Link's hand and eagerly pulled him to the courtyard.

“I'm really sorry about getting you arrested,” Zelda began once they reached the courtyard. “I didn't think Daddy would take things to such an extreme.”

“It's okay, I know you didn't mean it to happen,” Link said before she could go on.

Zelda looked into his eyes with hers. Link felt himself blushing again. She was so pretty. “So you're not mad?”

Link rubbed the back of his head. “Course not.”

Zelda smiled at him happily, and took his hand, causing Link to blush even more. “I'm so glad I met you, Link,” Zelda said.

Link's face was burning now. “Yeah, me too.”

Zelda looked up at him and giggled. “Your face is really red,” she said, making his flush grow even darker.

They stood hand in hand in silence for a moment, and then Link remembered what he was supposed to be telling Zelda about. Turning to her, he told her the story of his experience in the dungeon.

Zelda sat down on the grass, and stared at the miniature flower bed. “It's almost like Ganondorf all over again,” she said, and her voice wavered. She looked up at Link with tears in her eyes. “It's not fair. Why couldn't we just be normal kids?”

Link was shocked. Zelda was crying? What should he do? He didn't know how to handle this. He opened his mouth to say something but faltered. Zelda smiled sadly, letting the tears fall silently. Hesitantly, Link sat down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his chest and sighed.

After several minutes of crying, Zelda sat up. “Let's try and figure out what to do,” she said. “I can ask Daddy what he knows about L.R.. I don't know if he's connected to what happened in the dungeon, but it seems like too much of a coincidence to just ignore. Did you ask Malon if she knows anything about L.R.?”

Link nodded. “Yeah, she said she didn't, but I think she's mad at me, so she might be lying.”

“Mad at you? Why?”

Link shrugged. “I dunno. Probably something weird.” For some reason, he didn't want to tell Zelda why he thought Malon was mad at him.

Zelda pondered this. “Did you apologize?”

“Yeah. It didn't work.”

“Why don't you ask Ren? He's pretty good with stuff like that. He always knows how to get me to stop being angry with him,” Zelda suggested.

“All right,” Link said. It sounded like a better idea than blindly trying to get Malon to stop being mad at him. “Where can I find him?”

“He has a manor not too far from here, but I think he's staying at the castle right now,” Zelda said. “Come on, I'll take you to his room.”

---

Ren sat at the small desk in his bedroom, staring at the stacks of papers before him. He rested his throbbing head in his hand. He had been going over these tax papers for hours, and still seemed to have made no progress at all. A knock sounded at the door, and he looked up, taking a moment to comprehend what the knock meant. “Come in,” he said.

The door opened, and Zelda's face poked in. He smiled, and stood up to open the door for her. “Hello, Ren!” she said brightly. “I brought you a visitor!” Link walked into the room behind her.

“Hello again, Link,” Ren said, holding out his hand for Link to shake. Link took it, smiling as well. “What brings you here today?”

“Link is having some troubles, and he was wondering if you could help him,” Zelda said.

Ren looked unsure. “Zelda, I'm really busy right now,” he said.

Zelda pouted. “You're always busy. Please, just this once?”

Ren smiled, and laughed a little. “All right, for my favorite cousin, just this once.”

“Yay!” Zelda exclaimed. She looked around the room and frowned. “Let's go out to Hyrule Field. Daddy won't mind if you're with me.”

Ren chuckled. “Okay, okay. We can go to Hyrule Field.”

Zelda squealed and turned to Link. “Did you hear that? We get to go to Hyrule Field!” Link smiled, but before he could say anything, Zelda had grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room. Laughing to himself, Ren followed behind them.

---

“Actually, Zelda, Impa is having a seamstress come in today, to fit you for your ball gown. I think you need to stay in the castle today,” Daphnes said.

“What?” his daughter cried, giving him the “it's not fair” look. “Daddy! That's not fair!”

“I'm sorry, sweetheart, but that's how it is.” Daphnes was not going to waver on this, Zelda could tell already.

She pouted, giving her father the most pleading look she could muster. King Daphnes took one look at her and looked away, resting his forehead on his fingertips. “Zelda, don't start that on me,” he sighed. “Just…go to your room.”

Zelda stomped her foot on the ground, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine,” she said, turning on her heel and stomping away. The King let out a sigh and shook his head. Zelda stopped at Ren and Link, who were awkwardly avoiding looking at her and staring at the floor. “I have to go to my room, so I guess you two can just go on without me,” she said, and before either of them could say anything, she stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Link looked at Ren. “So, does that mean we should go?” Link asked.

Ren laughed, and looked up at the ceiling. “Actually, in my experience, that means that if we go without her, she's going to get mad at us, and if we don't go without her, she's going to get mad at us.”

Link stared at him. “So no matter what we do, she's going to get mad at us?”

The older boy nodded. “Yep. That's pretty much how it goes.”

Link sighed. “Girls are so confusing.”

“Yes, I agree,” Ren said. “But never mind, why don't we just go out to town? I don't know what we do in the field anyway.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Link agreed.

The two boys stopped at a restaurant in Hyrule Castletown, taking a seat at one of the shaded, outside tables. “What did you need to talk about?” Ren asked. Link opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a waiter came to their table. “I'll have a bottle of Unali,” Ren told the waiter. “Link, do you want anything?” Link shook his head.

“Will that be all, Sirs?” the waiter asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Ren said. The waiter left to fulfill the order. “Now, go on.”

Link explained the whole situation with Malon, and Ren nodded knowingly. Just as Link finished his story, the waiter returned, carrying a bottle of deep red wine and a glass.

“Would you like anything else?” the waiter asked.

“No, we're fine. Thank you,” Ren said. He poured himself a glass of the wine. “Have you ever tried it?” he asked Link.

“No, I've never had wine,” Link replied.

“Here, try some,” Ren said, pushing the glass toward Link.

Link picked it up and peered in the glass. A little hesitantly, he took a sip of it. He grimaced, and immediately pushed the glass away. “Ugh.”

Ren laughed, taking the glass back. “I don't really care for it myself. I drink it more out of habit than anything else.”

“It's disgusting,” Link said, resisting the urge to spit out the lingering taste, and swallowing hard to get rid of it.

Ren laughed again, then turned his attention to Link's problem. “So, girl troubles,” he said. “All right, the best way to get to a girl's heart is to give her a gift.”

“You mean like flowers or something?” Link asked.

Ren shook his head. “You can't give her something like flowers or chocolate; you have to give her something she really wants.” He leaned back in his chair. “Now think, what does this Malon really want?”

Link pondered this for a moment, going through his memories. He had known Malon for a long time. What was something he knew she really wanted? The memory of a certain gossip stone popped up. “Her knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet,” he said.

“That's good,” Ren said. “I think we can work with that.”

---

Malon sat against the wall outside of the barn, watching the cuccos run around her. Epona had trotted off again, meaning Link was now traveling somewhere. She threw a handful of corn seeds from the bag beside her to the poultry, watching them eagerly run around, pecking up the seeds. Ingo walked by her, casting her an angry glance and muttering as he past. Malon glanced at the sky. It was nearly sixteen o' clock; Epona had been gone awhile. What was Link doing anyway?

As she watched the sun move lower and lower, she heard hoof beats behind her. She stood up to greet Epona, and her mouth nearly dropped open. Link sat astride Epona, dressed in a rich outfit of white, blue and gold. His sword hung in a silver sheath at his side, and his hair was abnormally smooth, and he looked regal and noble as he galloped up to her side.

Link slid off of the mare, and kneeled before Malon. “My lady,” he said, “I have come for thee.” He held out his hand for Malon to take.

Malon could feel her heart beating wildly. How did he know? She almost expected a wind to blow her hair and dress dramatically. Feeling as though she were in a dream, she placed her hand in Link's. He stood up, smiling at her, and helped her mount before climbing up behind her. “Hiya!” he shouted, and Epona galloped out of the ranch.