Dear Captain Cold,

Your puns are on FIRE. You really know how to pack HEAT into every word. But I guess what it BOILS down to is a passion for the art, am I right? BAKING fresh puns is a skill that not just everyone has. I'll bet you BURNED through many a book developing it.

Stay LIT, my guy.

Chapter Five: The Heart of the Knight

During the following days, Zelda spent quite a lot of time in the company of Chief Riju. Perhaps it was their mutual anxiety at being forced into a position of leadership before they felt they were ready, but both found something of a kindred spirit in the other. Zelda liked Riju. She was young but she was rational and intelligent and they never seemed to run out of things to talk about. The two could often be found together enjoying a traditional game of shatranj or deep in discussion over matters of State. Link divided his time between hovering nearby and performing simple favors for various individuals around the city. He'd made quite a name for himself as a handyman—er, handywoman.

Zelda quickly learned that Riju had a passion for sand seals. She loved talking about them and watching them and playing with them, but most of all, she loved racing with them. On the day before the party, she finally managed to coax Zelda into joining her for a ride.

"Spread your legs and bend your knees a little more—good, just like that."

Zelda wobbled a bit as the shield beneath her feet sunk into the sand. She'd never done anything like shield surfing before and she was a bit apprehensive, but Riju had assured her it was easy.

"You've got a tight hold on the reins? Okay, don't let go, now."

Zelda was barely prepared when the seal she was connected to abruptly surged forward. She yelped and dug her feet into the shield to keep her balance and then she was moving, gliding along the sand as if her shield had suddenly sprouted wheels. She let out a nervous laugh as she was pulled along, the seal gradually picking up speed.

Riju was right, it was easy.

The Gerudo Chieftain pulled up alongside her, connected to her own beloved seal, Patricia. "Will you look at that. You're a natural!" she called over the rush of wind in their ears.

Zelda laughed again, this time in delight, as they raced across the sand. The traditional Gerudo garb Riju had gifted her the day previous fluttered in the wind. It was soft and breezy against her skin. Riju led her far and wide around the desert, treating her to a guided tour of the Gerudo homeland. They passed oases and interesting rock formations and even a few shrines that Link must have visited during his adventure. Every now and then they'd pass a stray lizalfos or bokoblin camp and the monsters would screech and stamp about in frustration as they whipped by too fast to catch. Zelda could see now why Riju enjoyed this so much. She herself hadn't had this much fun since before her mother had passed away. She was definitely going to be arranging many holidays in desert after she became queen.

As the sun began to sink and the sky turned pink, they finally turned their seals for home. Zelda was sad to be going back so soon, but she was excited to tell Link all about the day's adventures. She'd said that she was going to spend the day with Riju but she hadn't told him she was leaving the city walls. He was probably going to be unimpressed by that little stunt, but she thought she deserved a smidgen of freedom every now and then.

Sure enough, as the city came into view, Zelda saw a familiar sandy haired figure perched atop the wall by the gate. He stood motionlessly, his face turned toward the two women approaching from the desert.

"Looks like your knight figured out where you went," Riju remarked, amusement lacing her voice.

Zelda smiled guiltily. "He's going to be cross with me, I think. Though I doubt he'll say as much."

Riju laughed. "I feel sorry for him. I'm sure he'd love to scold you but his rank forces him to hold his tongue. It must be hard caring about someone but being unable to act and speak freely with them."

Zelda turned her head to look at her friend. "You think he feels like he can't be open with me?"

Riju hummed and looked up at the dark figure silhouetted against the setting sun. "I think he's doing the best he can given the circumstances. There are just certain things that are frowned upon between knights and princesses, you know?"

"Certain things?" Zelda repeated. "I've told him again and again that he can speak to me about anything. I want to know the heart of my knight."

Riju gave her a sidelong glance and smiled slyly. "It's not the heart of the knight that's the problem, Princess. It's the heart of the man."

Zelda nearly let go of her sand seal's reins as she momentarily forgot she was being pulled across the desert. She hurriedly tightened her grip before she wound up face first in the sand. "You—you think he has…feelings for me?"

Riju threw her head back and laughed. The action was so similar to Urbosa that Zelda felt a quick flash of homesickness. "Zelda," she said, using her name instead of her title like Zelda had asked her to the day previous. "I'll bet everyone in Hyrule knows how he feels about you. He's mentioned you to nearly everyone's he's talked to. You probably haven't had to introduce yourself once since you left that cursed castle."

Zelda thought back to all the places she and Link had visited and her eyes widened as she realized it was true. She'd regularly been recognized on sight by people she'd never met before. She'd thought before that her reputation had simply preceded her, but could it be that it was actually Link's doing all along?

"Surely he's done something to show his feelings for you," Riju continued. "Even if he can't say it, there are ways to let a person know what's in your heart without words."

Zelda felt the heat of blood rise in her cheeks. She did indeed know a way. It was a compelling case, and one she'd certainly considered before, but Link's behavior had just never quite lined up. Link's kisses were indeed a way for him to share his heart with her, but they had never been romantic. He never tried to push for more. "I…I don't know," she said at last.

Riju hummed contemplatively and then shrugged. "Well, even if he hasn't, that could just be because he feels it's improper." She looked up at the steadily growing figure on the wall and then gave Zelda another sidelong glance. "You might try testing him. See how he responds under heat…" She smirked then. "If you're interested, that is."

Zelda flushed again and turned her face away to hide her embarrassment. "I will…take your advice into consideration."

A moment later, they pulled up to the gate and Zelda relinquished her seal to the handler. Riju broke off with a wave. "I'm going to take Patricia back to her pen. I'll see you back at the palace." She winked and disappeared into the city.

It was then that Link dropped down beside her. His expression was neutral as usual, but to Zelda it seemed almost too detached. As she'd suspected, he was upset. "Link," she greeted, offering him a friendly smile. "You didn't have to wait up for me, you know." Perhaps if she acted like everything was fine he would follow suit.

Link said nothing. He simply turned his eyes away and began walking toward the gate.

Zelda sighed. So much for that plan. "You're mad at me."

Her companion remained silent and continued to walk as if she'd said nothing.

Zelda cringed. Ouch. He was angrier than she'd thought. "Listen, Link. I'm sorry. I know that the desert isn't precisely…the most safe place for a princess to go on her own. But Riju was a wonderful guide and we were very careful."

Link didn't stop walking. Nor did he turn around. She thought he would continue to ignore her, but then, in a careful, controlled voice, he said, "It is not up to me to police where you go."

Zelda had to stop herself from wincing. The fact that he'd broken ten words to throw shade at her spoke volumes of his displeasure. She knew he wasn't upset at her for wanting to go off on her own. He'd just been worried. He had probably been terrified when he couldn't find her. She suddenly felt very bad for putting him through unnecessary stress.

She jogged to catch up with him and took his arm. "You're right, it's not. But I should have told you where I was going. I apologize for making you worry. I will be more...forthcoming with my plans in the future."

Link finally turned his head to look at her. His mouth was hidden by his veil but his eyes had regained some of their warmth. "You are under no obligation to explain yourself to me. The fault is mine. I was negligent."

Zelda couldn't help the small smile that lifted the corners of her mouth. She'd spooked Link into using words. That was an achievement, though it wasn't one she was in a hurry to repeat. "Not as a princess," she agreed. "But as a friend, the apology is absolutely owed."

Link stared hard at her for a moment as if appraising her, then he turned his face forward again and continued on. He said nothing more, but he allowed her to walk arm in arm with him and Zelda knew she was forgiven.

oO0Oo

The next day was the party. Rather than holding it in the city, Riju had elected to throw the party in the Kara Kara Bazaar to open it to everyone, vai and voe alike. In her own words, the end of the Calamity was a time of celebration for all of Hyrule's citizens, not just its women, and she wanted this to be a celebration that wouldn't soon be forgotten.

True to her word, the party was marvelous. The Bazaar had been decorated with silk banners of every color and travelers and Gerudo alike spent the evening dancing and feasting and drinking and being merry. Link, who was finally allowed to dress like a man again for the first time in days, was particularly popular that night. Word had spread fast that he'd had a hand in freeing the kingdom from the threat of the Calamity and while he wasn't very vocal on this point himself, the masses were more than happy to invent their own stories about how Ganon had been defeated at last. Over the course of the night, Zelda heard all manner of fantastic tales about the exploits of her knight.

Zelda herself was also an item of intense scrutiny that evening, though while Link was treated to many a clap on the back and proffered drink, she was treated with the kind of reverence normally reserved for a goddess. It probably didn't help that Riju had talked her into wearing her prayer gown. The people fawned over her and some even left offerings of food and jewelry at her feet. It was possibly the most bizarre experience of Zelda's life. Nobody seemed to know quite how to treat her. One thing was for sure, though, and that was that everyone was grateful to her for the century she spent holding the Calamity at bay. Some of the braver individuals asked about the experience and inquired as to what she planned to do from here on out. Once she was queen, of course. It seemed nobody doubted she would become their monarch.

Zelda answered the questions posed to her to the best of her ability. Yes, she would unite the races; yes, she would rebuild the castle; no, she didn't currently have any plans to entertain suitors; yes, that meant Prince Sidon too…the stream of questions was nearly endless. Eventually Riju pulled her away for a game of shatranj and she was awarded a half hour of peace while Buliara and her team of guards glared down anyone who tried to interrupt.

Even with all the questions and the unsettlingly reverent treatment, it was a lovely night full of good food and good company and Zelda couldn't have asked for a better end to her journey. Seeing all of Hyrule's races happy and celebrating and free after a hundred years of living every day in fear brought with it a feeling of joy so intense that she had to wipe moisture from her eyes on more than one occasion. Maybe her friends and family were all gone, but Hyrule lived on. She would indeed remember this night for the rest of her life.

Later that evening when the party began to wind down, Zelda found Link and they slipped away. Zelda found a couple of sand seals and they managed to make it back to the city in a fraction of the time it would have taken on foot. When they reached the gate, Zelda pulled her seal to a stop and hopped off her shield onto the still warm sand. Link followed suit, but to Zelda's surprise, he nearly toppled over once his feet were back on solid ground. He looked at the ground in surprise as if mentally asking it why it had tripped him.

Zelda chuckled at his uncharacteristic clumsiness and slung her shield onto her back as she started toward the gate. To her confusion, Link followed instead of going to the shrine to change into his Gerudo disguise. Zelda stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you going to change?"

Link, who had been focusing on the ground up to that point, looked up at her and blinked in confusion.

"Your outfit…" she prompted, placing a hand on her hip. "They're not going to let you into the city looking like that."

Link looked past her to the gate where only one Gerudo soldier stood guard instead of the usual two and then down at his bag where the outfit in question was tucked away and he gave it a look of such concentration that Zelda thought he might be trying to solve world peace. Finally, he shook his head and instead of opening the bag, raised his shield and placed it over his head like a wide-brimmed hat.

Zelda looked at him incredulously. "I don't think that's going to work."

To her immense surprise, it did. The guard barely glanced at him and Link was free to walk straight into the town, no questions asked. Zelda followed, completely baffled as he walked through the center of the city to the palace in his champion's tunic and Hylian trousers. The city was nearly empty, though, and the few people who hung around seemed to be too busy enjoying their own private celebrations to pay the Hylian duo any mind.

The situation only grew odder when they reached the steps leading up to the palace. Link took three steps up, then proceeded to lose his footing and fall back into her with an "oomph". Zelda caught him and managed to stabilize him before they both ate stone.

"Link…are you quite alright?" she asked as she held his torso from behind. He seemed to be having trouble keeping his feet under him.

"Yes," he answered, very quickly for him. He sounded somewhat confused, though, and he added, "Probably."

He managed to find his balance and tried the stairs again, this time managing to make it to the top without incident. Zelda watched him carefully the whole way as they navigated the palace back to their room. To her immense relief, their luck held and they encountered no guards.

Once they were safely back in their room, Link dropped everything he'd been carrying and with the kind of single-minded determination he normally reserved for battle he walked over to the bed and flopped forward onto his face. His hair splayed out over the covers and even though it had to be difficult to breath with a mouth full of comforter, he didn't move.

"Link…" she called to him, taking a seat beside him on the edge of the bed. "Are you quite sure you're alright?"

Zelda had never seen her knight behave this way before. If she thought she had trouble understanding what went through his head on a normal day, then now she was positively flummoxed. Was he ill? But he'd been fine just a few hours ago…

Link inhaled deeply, his face still pressed to the bedspread, and then exhaled. His back rose and fell with the motion. After a moment, he spoke, his voice muffled by the blankets. "There's a voice in my head that won't turn off."

Zelda's eyebrows rose. A voice? This was the first she'd heard of this. "What is it saying?"

Link was silent for another long moment before he spoke again. "Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen." He broke off with a groan and turned onto his side to pull his legs up onto the bed, facing away from her.

Zelda blinked down at him, slightly concerned. "Link?"

"I'm listening, Navi."

Zelda frowned and leaned over him to get a look at his face. His eyes were closed and he was breathing more deeply than normal. She placed a hand on his cheek. "Link, open your eyes."

With a great deal of reluctance, he complied. His eyes found hers but Zelda had the oddest feeling he wasn't really looking at her. His gaze seemed vacant and his pupils were dilated. Zelda's frown deepened. "I think you're sick."

Link blinked lazily up at her and then all at once his eyes opened wide and seemed to clear just slightly and he stared at her with a searching anxiousness that caught her quite off guard. "I'm not sick," he said quickly.

Zelda's eyebrows knit together at the ferventness of his denial. "You're not acting yourself," she explained patiently. "Perhaps I should find a doctor."

Link shook his head vigorously. "No," he said firmly. "I am fit to serve."

Zelda gave him a baffled look. Did he think she was going to send him away? While it was true that sick knights were often required to take a leave of absence under her father, there wasn't exactly anywhere she could send him. "I'm not going to ask you to leave," she assured him. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

Link closed his eyes again and his brows pushed together in concentration. He inhaled again and with effort flipped onto his back. His eyes reopened and Zelda could see that he was trying hard to focus. He passed a hand over his face and when he looked back at her he seemed more lucid. "I think…I would like some water. Please."

Zelda's lips formed a small 'o' of surprise. Link had never asked her for anything before. He was always such a stickler for rules. But Zelda was more than happy to comply with his wish. She left him momentarily to poor a cup of water from the pitcher by the door and when she offered it up to him he accepted it gratefully, hoisting himself into a sitting position to drink. When he was finished, he set the empty cup on the bed beside him and his eyes fluttered closed. "Thank you."

Zelda took her seat on his other side. "Better?" she questioned, watching him breathe deeply.

He hummed low in his throat.

"I really think you ought to see a doctor," she reasserted, making her tone sound matter-of-fact. "Drowsiness and vertigo are classic signs of influenza. You may even have picked up some nasty desert bug."

Link frowned and started to shake his head but then he paused and seemed to think for a moment. Suddenly, a look like realization lit up his face. He surprised her when he stood abruptly and walked across the room to his large traveling pack. He squatted down in front of it and rummaged around for a moment before withdrawing a vial of pink liquid. He deftly popped the cork out and threw back its contents in a single long pull. When he was finished, he straightened up and turned back to her and instantly she saw his eyes clear and his fatigue melt away. He held a hand up in front of him and opened and closed his fist experimentally. Seemingly satisfied, he looked back at her. "Not sick, intoxicated," he explained. His eyes hardened and he lowered his hand to his side. Zelda could tell right away that he was kicking himself. "Disgraceful," he muttered, glowering down at the floor.

Zelda stared at him. Then a laugh bubbled up in her throat. Intoxicated. So, her stoic, proper knight had simply had too much to drink? Normally, she was disapproving of men and women who took too eagerly to drink, but the fact that Link had gone and gotten himself sloshed completely by accident was possibly the funniest thing she could have conceived of.

Link looked back at her, bewildered by her laughter. His mouth tightened and Zelda could tell that he was trying to decide how to feel about her reaction.

"I apologize," she said, still giggling. "I shouldn't laugh at you. But it's just… I really thought you were ill and I was starting to worry, but actually you just enjoyed too much drink and…" she trailed off as she composed herself, "Sorry, it's just that now that I know you were only drunk it all seems very funny."

Link crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a flat look. When he saw that she was very much unaffected by this, he sighed and let his arms drop before rejoining her on the bed. He sank down beside her and leaned back on his hands.

Zelda leaned back as well and turned her head to smile at him. They were sitting close enough that Zelda's cheeks pinkened at their proximity. "Link…" she started, deciding it was time for a change of topic. There was something she'd been wanting to say to him anyway. "Thank you, truly, for joining me on this journey. I know it's your job to follow me around, but, well, just having you by my side has made the transition to this new age so much smoother and less lonely than it could have been and I honestly, from the very bottom of my heart, am grateful to you for choosing to remain as my knight. It's been…actually very fun." Her cheeks darkened and she was forced to turn her face away to escape the weight of his bright blue eyes as they stared levelly back at her. "I was a little sad earlier because I thought today would be the end of our adventure, but I think now that I was mistaken. Perhaps we won't get to travel again for a while, but the adventure is far from over. We'll just be moving on to a new kind of battlefield."

She smiled down at her lap. As long as Link was with her, her life would never be dull. That was a guarantee.

Zelda's smile widened when she felt fingers tangle with hers and she peeked at her companion to see him smiling as well. He caught her eye and maybe it was just the light but she thought his cheeks were a little rosy too.

"Whatever happens," she continued, "I want you to know that I value your friendship above all others', and if it really is your intention to remain a knight until you die, I hope that I can be there to witness every moment because I know you are going to be great and there is no one I'd rather have as my protector."

Link closed his eyes briefly and his weight lifted off his hands as he sat forward. Gently, he dragged her upright as well. When she'd settled into the new position he brought their clasped hands up to his heart and nodded solemnly. Zelda could feel his heartbeat sure and steady on the back of her hand. He looked straight into her eyes with such purpose that Zelda thought for a moment he was going to say something, but he seemed to think better of it and instead simply tightened his grip on her hand.

Seeing him shutting down right in front of her called to her mind Riju's words from the day before. It must be hard caring about someone but being unable to act and speak freely with them. Here he was, acting precisely as she'd said. Well, she decided in that moment, she wasn't going to let him anymore. "You want to say something, I can tell," she coaxed, squeezing his hand back. "Whatever it is, I'll listen. You don't need to restrain yourself."

Oddly, her words seemed to have an effect opposite to the one desired. Link's mouth pinched into a line and she could read conflict in the way his eyebrows pushed together. He glanced down at their hands and then back up to her eyes and then repeated the motion once more. Finally, he sighed and rather than speaking, he smiled a tiny, wry smile with just the corner of his mouth and began to pull away.

Zelda didn't let him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back, and a part of her was smugly satisfied to hear his startled, "Ah," when she rose up to press a kiss to his forehead. If words were difficult, she would take a leaf out of his book and find another way to communicate with him. He made no further attempts to flee as she moved to kiss his cheek just under his eye, then his left ear, then the place where his jaw became his chin. She could tell that he was confused by her kisses but Zelda just thought, it serves you right for all the confusion you've put me through with yours.

Finally, she pulled back just enough to move her hands from his shoulders to his face and then she tilted her head to avoid bumping noses and moved back in to lightly touch his lips with hers. His eyes, which had been watching her curiously, fluttered closed and Zelda took that as an invitation to deepen the kiss. She pressed more firmly against his mouth, enjoying the softness of his lips under hers. Moving slowly, so as not to startle him, she parted her lips, and to her delight, his followed suit. Her cheeks heated at what she was about to do, but she'd already decided she was going to take Riju's advice. See how he responds under heat.

Before he could catch wind of her plan, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. His was waiting just behind his teeth and she let them share a brief, curious moment of contact. Link made a sound of surprise but he didn't try to pull away. The feeling of their tongues brushing one another was unexpectedly pleasant, but even more pleasant was the feeling of Link's fingers coming to rest on her waist. Emboldened by his small act of reciprocation, Zelda moved her hands to his chest and gave him a gentle push. He complied with her nonverbal order and fell onto his back, pulling her with him.

Now pressed flush against him, the tempo of the kiss abruptly changed. Link moved one hand to her back to pull her even closer and the other slipped under her hair to cup the back of her neck, and suddenly she wasn't the one in control anymore. Link slanted his mouth against hers and his tongue caressed hers in a way that was eager but that also embodied the same careful attentiveness he always treated her with. Zelda couldn't stop the blissful sound that escaped her throat at his attention and Link must have taken her noise as a sign because he pulled back to give them both a moment to breathe and then he was right back, his mouth hot against hers as their tongues danced. Suddenly she was being flipped onto her back and Link was hovering above her balancing his weight on one elbow beside her head while his other hand cupped the back of her knee and spread her legs so that he could settle between them.

Zelda probably should have stopped him at that point, but she could hardly find it in herself to care as her white skirt pooled around her middle and Link pressed himself against her. Given his respectful and submissive nature, Zelda had never pictured Link as being the type to want to take charge in matters of romance and intimacy but he was proving her wrong right now as he kissed her senseless on a bed that Zelda highly doubted was designed with acts of intimacy in mind. She definitely hadn't intended for her kiss to go this far, but it felt wonderful and she couldn't say how pleased she was to see Link finally asserting himself.

It was to her disappointment, then, when Link's good sense abruptly returned and he pulled away. It was as if she'd suddenly become fire. He quickly released her leg and backed away with a horrified look on his face. His eyes raked over her tousled form, taking in her hiked up dress and kiss swollen lips and his mouth opened and closed several times before he finally managed to get words out. "I shouldn't have done that."

Zelda's cheeks flared up and she cleared her throat as she sat up and smoothed her dress down with her palms. She peeked up at him bashfully through her lashes. "It, um, was a little more than I expected, but it was nice." She gave him a reassuring smile, hoping it to show that she wasn't upset.

Link raised a hand to his head and pushed back his fringe with the heel of his palm. His cheeks were definitely red now. They practically glowed in the dim light of the wall sconces. He didn't look reassured.

Zelda swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. She took a moment to make sure her dress was arranged as it should be and then crossed the distance to where he had retreated. Link tried to escape again but she grabbed his wrist, halting him. He didn't dare try to remove her. "Link, the blame is mine. I initiated."

He shook his head. "I lost control. My behavior is inexcusable."

It was Zelda's turn to shake her head. She stepped closer and laid her free hand on his chest. "Don't you see? I wanted you to lose control. I've told you again and again that I want you act freely with me. If there's something you want to say or do, then do it. If I don't like it, I'll tell you so." She slid her hand up to his cheek and leaned forward to touch her forehead to his. "And likewise, if I do something you don't like, I want you to tell me."

She could practically hear Link's heart racing in his chest. He was still unsure. She could see the gears in his mind turning, trying to hold fast to propriety because that was what he knew. Zelda pulled back and smiled again. "Let's start with this. Are you upset that I kissed you?"

Link's answer was quicker than a heartbeat. "No."

Zelda's heart fluttered. "If I told you I wanted you to kiss me like that again, would you do it?"

Link's reply wasn't quite as fast this time, but still prompt. "Yes."

She nodded encouragingly. "And would you be doing it because it's something you want to do?"

Link hesitated. He searched her face as if looking for any sign that her question was some kind of trick, but he found none. "…Yes," he answered at last, his cheeks flaring up again at his confession.

Zelda couldn't stop the giddy shiver that coursed through her. All this time, she'd been so worried that Link didn't see her in a romantic light. All the second guessing she'd done about the meaning of his kisses and whether or not he even enjoyed travelling with her and now she finds out he does and she didn't think it was possible to feel any happier. Giving Link her most radiant smile, she cupped his face in both hands and pulled him into a kiss. It was considerably more chaste than the last one they'd shared, but there was no doubt as to the feelings behind it.

Link wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly even after she broke the kiss. She responded by enfolding his shoulders in an embrace of her own and laying her cheek against his. "You won't try to distance yourself from me because of this, right?" she murmured into his hair.

He shook his head and pulled her even closer. "No."

Zelda smiled and kissed his neck just below his ear—partly because it was the only part of him she could reach. "Good."

That had been her one worry. She could deal with anything but him pulling away from her.

"But you know, I've been dying to know…you were always so reluctant to do anything that might be seen as improper, and, well, not that I'm complaining, but I was very confused when you just started kissing me…"

Link hummed in his throat and Zelda felt the vibration against her collarbone. "You like touching. And it calms me."

Zelda pulled away enough to look at him in surprise. "That's it?"

Link's cheeks reddened again and he looked down. "I'm not good with words. I didn't want to scare you with my feelings."

Zelda felt a laugh bubble in her throat. So, the legendary hero of Hyrule could feel insecure about talking to girls. She wondered if that was a trait he'd possessed in all his lifetimes or if it was unique to this one. She'd probably never know. "You scare me more when you say nothing," she admonished. "It's no stroll through Forest Park trying to guess what you're thinking all the time."

Link looked abashed and Zelda grinned to show she was just teasing. "Not to worry, though. We'll have plenty of time to get you comfortable with public speaking once we return to the castle. As the queen's inamorato, I daresay it's a skill you'll be needing."

Link paled and he stared at her with wide eyes. Zelda laughed and calmed him with a kiss. "All things in time," she assured him after she pulled away. "A new kind of battlefield, right?"

Link sighed a long, suffering sigh and then his mouth twitched up into a smile. "A new kind of battlefield," he agreed.

oO0Oo

Thaaaat's all, folks. Sorry for the dumb ending. I'm still treating this like it's a oneshot, apparently. No energy to give it a more satisfying closing. Doesn't help that I'm typing this from a hotel at the base of Mt. Fuji.

Thanks so much for enjoying this silly little story. And to all my reviewers, you guys are sweet like pancakes. Thanks for supporting me in this (even though I know everyone's more interested in The Conviction to Save). You rock, truly.

Like I said last time, it's been short but sweet. I truly adore the new Link and Zelda and I'll probably give them more love in the future. I have a very special place in my heart for the Legend of Zelda franchise and I truly regret that it took me so long to get involved with writing for it. Got my fingers crossed for the story DLC. Gimme some sweet, sweet Zelink. Just a smidgen will do.

Anyhoo, thanks again for all your support and I'll see you in the next story!

—Advocaat