Long ago, in the beautiful kingdom of Hyrule surrounded by mountains and forests, a young hero takes a princess on a picnic.

In the dim light of the dungeon below the castle, Link had not been able to clearly see Zelda. It was not until after slogging through the sewers and reaching the Sanctuary that he was able to see her in full light. She thanked him with a smile that stayed in his mind all throughout his quest to defeat the evil in Hyrule.

That was weeks ago. Link had since then put the evil that plagued the land in its proper place. The people no longer feared him as Zelda's abductor, but hailed him as their hero. Today, a grand festival was being held in his honor in Kakariko Village. He was not too keen on having so much attention on himself, but it had been far too long since he had last been to a festival, so Link decided to attend.

The festival started late in the afternoon. The town was full of singing and dancing, and the aroma of freshly baked sweets filled the air. He tried to buy some of the food, but the vendor insisted he take it free of charge. Link, knowing it would be of no use to try and argue, accepted the gift. Throngs of people approached him, thanking and complimenting him. He appreciated the sentiment, but he was not used to so much attention and praise.

It was dusk when the crowd hushed. Link peered over the crowd to see what had caused the silence: It was the Royal Caravan! A slew of guards flanked the eight horses that carried the King and the seven maidens. The crowd cheered as they rode toward the town square, but Link watched with his eyes on only the last maiden, Princess Zelda. The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky vivid hues of orange and pink, the first glimmering stars shone in the vast Hyrulian sky; all this paled in comparison to the Princess, Link thought to himself.

Link, catching himself staring, embarrassedly moved his way to the back of the crowd; they were too focused on the approaching royalty to notice him slinking away.

Arriving at the center of the town square, the king called for everyone's attention. "Fair people," announced the king, "though our appearance at this festival is most surprising, we felt it was right and necessary to come and show our appreciation to the hero whom we owe so much. Link, would you please come forward?"

The crowd suddenly shifted their attention to the young boy in the back. All eyes were on Link, who was sure his heart had completely stopped. The people cheered as Link sheepishly made his way to the front.

Link took a deep breath. "The king will give a long, regal speech and award me with a medal," Link thought to himself. "I can deal with this." He was not at all prepared, however, for what the king said next.

"My daughter, Princess Zelda, has asked that I let her deliver the reward to our young hero."

The king stepped aside and was replaced by her. She looked so beautiful in the twilight, thought Link. The bashful hero's heart began to race as she met his eyes with hers. He had all the courage in the world, yet he melted at this.

"I, Princess Zelda, on behalf of the Royal Family, would like to thank you for all you have done. To show our appreciation, we will give you whatever gift you ask of us, within our power. What is it you desire most, hero?"

Link, being already quite flustered, blurted out his answer: "A picnic with you!"

The crowd gasped. Link's face redden as he realized what he just said. He could not bear to look her in the eye, so he looked down hard at the ground, kicking himself for doing something so embarrassing.

Zelda was confused. She had expected him to ask for rupees or a position of power, but a picnic?

"Are you certain that is all you want?" questioned Zelda.

Link, wishing he could reverse time, simply nodded and muttered quietly "Yes, your highness."

Zelda, still quite puzzled, replied "Then it shall be granted." The crowd roared with cheers and laughter, and the festival continued. Link shuffled off towards home as quickly and discreetly as he could.

Sleep was difficult to come by for Link that night. His mind would not let him live down the perceived catastrophe from earlier. Sleep eluded the princess as well. She kept mulling over what a strange request it was. She then realized that he had not actually set a date for the picnic. She grabbed a piece of paper and penned him a letter asking him the time and day of the picnic, and she ordered the letter to be sent in the morning.

Since he was up so late with his thoughts preoccupied, Link slept in far later than usual. He was just rolling out of bed when he heard a knock at his door. He opened it to find the royal messenger standing outside. The man handed the letter to Link with a concise "For you."

Link had hoped that the previous night had all been some horrible dream, but the letter addressed to him written in neat script confirmed it had actually happened. With a sigh, Link thanked the messenger, who gave a brief bow and walked away. Link gave a half-groan, half-yawn as he opened the envelope. The letter read,

To the Hero of Hyrule,

I have a few questions concerning your request. It came to my attention last night that you had not set a time nor place for the picnic; you disappeared before I could ask you in person. I would also like to ask if you want the royal chefs to cater the event. It would be no burden to us in the slightest.

Please reply promptly,

Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda

Link had not received many letters in his life, nor sent many for that matter. He was not entirely familiar with the etiquette of it all. He was not about to ignore a request from royalty, however. So, he took some paper and wrote his response:

To her Royal Highness Princess Zelda,

I am sorry for disappearing. The 3rd at noon will be a good time. I will provide the food. Please meet at my house.

Link

His complete lack of writing skill was evident, and he knew that. His letter did not even compare to hers. He hoped she would not mind it. Folding and sealing the letter, he placed it in the mailbox and promptly fell face-first back into bed.

The day arrived, and Link heard a knock on his door at precisely twelve; Perfect punctuality must be a royal trait, Link thought. He braced himself before opening the door, because he knew full well his heart was going to skip a beat as soon as he saw her. He was not wrong. The princess was dressed far more casually than usual, but she was still just as stunning. After a stiff and formal greeting, he grabbed the picnic basket and began walking towards the site.

As they were walking, Link tried to break the uncomfortable silence with a question: "Where are all your bodyguards? Royalty usually travels with them for safety."

"Oh, I thought that since I was going to be with the Hero of Hyrule, I would already be in safe hands. The guards would just get in the way, too. They can be so stifling!" Zelda replied.

Link's heart warmed at the fact that she trusted him so much. She was right, too; guards would have made this event even more awkward than it already was. Light banter continued until Zelda asked "Where exactly are we going to have the picnic?"

Link pointed to the forest up ahead. "There is a clearing in the forest over there, and it is a lovely spot. I have been there many times."

Zelda looked concerned. "I have never actually been in a forest before. All the books I have read say there are dangerous wild animals living in them. Is that true?" she entreated.

Link was caught off guard by how endearingly cute she looked when she was worried. "The animals living in the forest are very small. There is nothing to fear, your highness." Zelda was reassured, but for a reason she could not quite identify she did not like being called "your highness" by Link. It sounded so prim and courtly, lacking any warmth or familiarity. She ruminated silently on this new feeling until they arrived at the clearing.

Link spread out the blanket in a patch of sunlight. Link was right, the site was lovely. Hundreds of little white wildflowers dotted the grass, and birds sang their cheerful songs up in the treetops. Link set out two small silver plates and utensils. No doubt those two plates were the finest he had, Zelda noted. There was a stark contrast between the fine silver and the rather ordinary food that was on it: bread, cheese, and fish.

Link noticed Zelda's look and felt uneasy. "I am sorry you have to eat such common food, your highness. It may have been better for your chefs to have made the food."

She had not meant to hurt his feelings. "No, I am certain the food is delicious!" she said quickly. She eagerly bit into a piece of grilled fish, prepared to feign enjoyment to spare his feelings. To her surprise, she did not have to lie at all; the fish was delicious! Link too was surprised at the genuine look of enjoyment on her face. "Where did you get this fish? It is wonderful!"

"I caught and cooked it myself." Said Link with a tiny hint of boasting.

"Well, you certainly are a man of many talents, Link." She replied with a giggle.

The cold formality of earlier was beginning to melt away. Both of them felt far more comfortable as their meal went on, and they were truly having a good time together.

When they had both finished the main course, Link opened the basket to reveal two small apple tarts. Zelda's eyes widened at how absolutely tasty, not to mention adorable, they looked. The crust was flaky and perfectly golden brown. The apples on top had caramelized just right. "Did you make these too?" Zelda asked incredulously.

Link's cheeks reddened as he smiled and nodded. "I picked the apples myself. My uncle taught me how to make them."

The tarts tasted just as good as they looked. It was as if Link had just taken these desserts from the castle kitchen. Cooking was not a skill Zelda guessed he would have had, but he certainly excelled at it.

After they had eaten, Link suggested they take a walk through the surrounding forest. To Link, the forest felt like home. On the other hand, to Zelda it was most foreign. Although still wary of the forest and what lied in it, she agreed. The two walked until Zelda heard a fluttering noise in a tree. She stopped and looked in the direction of the sound and out swooped a crow with a horrible squawk.

The startled Princess let out no small shriek. Instinctively, she held on to Link's arm. After a moment of realization, she blushed and pulled away. "I'm sorry" she apologized.

Link, who was approximately ten shades redder than Zelda was, stammered out "Its fine. If you're scared…" He held out his arm to her, which she gratefully clung to.

It took some time for them to regain their composure, Link especially. After a while though they were both walking contentedly. They both enjoyed each other's company, and being like this felt natural and right. Conversation returned and they strolled happily.

It was a while before the peace was once more disturbed. There was rustling in the bushes, and this time Link also directed his attention towards the sound; it was not the same noise as the crow earlier. Zelda held tighter onto his arm. Link looked to see what had made the noise but, though it was still afternoon, the thick canopy made the forest rather shadowy. "It is probably just a little animal." he assured her, but he was not so certain himself.

The pair continued walking, in silence now, but neither of them could shake the feeling that they were being watched. Link noticed the hands around his arm were growing rather shaky. Link looked at her; the princess was trying her very best to stay composed, but she was slowly losing the battle. In the silence they could hear barely audible whispers. At this, Zelda met Link's eyes with a look most vulnerable and frightened.

Seeing her so scared sparked the Courage residing in Link. At once, he grabbed the dagger from his belt, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Stay close, Zelda." He said in a low voice.

It was wonderful to hear him call her by her name. How different he was from the bashful boy from before, Zelda remarked. She felt completely safe as she braced herself against him.

He brandished his dagger. "Come out and face me!" Link demanded with a voice so commanding, Zelda surmised even kings would obey. Not half a second later, the mysterious villains scrambled out of their hiding and in front of Link.

Link looked at the perpetrators with shock: It was some kids from Kakariko Village!

"What are you doing here!?" Link questioned the quivering children.

One of the children managed to tremble out "W-we're sorry, Mister L-Link! We m-meant no harm, honest! We just wanted to see your d-d-date with the Princess!"

Date? Link suddenly became very aware of his arm around Zelda's waist, and her hands on his chest. He turned very pink. "This is not- We were- I-" Link stammered away. Ah, he is back to normal, Zelda thought.

Suspecting Link was not going to produce a full sentence any time soon, Zelda spoke up: "It is very impolite to intrude on other people's privacy. I suggest you children go back home now." She said with regal authority. The youngsters scurried away without any hesitation.

Now they were completely alone, and rather intimately close to each other. They caught each other's eyes. The timing was right, and Zelda waited expectantly. However, Link remained completely motionless, frozen with that adorable blush on his cheeks. Zelda suspected this would happen. Elevating herself slightly on her toes, she placed a small peck on his lips.

The blush that was on his cheeks spread until his whole face was bright red. "I think that is enough excitement for one day." Zelda said with a giggle. Link nodded wide-eyed in agreement.

Link happily walked Zelda back to the castle. They laughed and talked until they reached the castle door.

"Thank you for the picnic, Link." Said Zelda.

"Oh no, thank you for coming with me!" Link returned.

As he walked off, Zelda said "Next time, the picnic will be in the castle courtyard!"

Link turned and waved as he continued his walk home with a blissful smile on his face. Wait a minute, there is a next time!?