Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did… xD
"'Tis the Season" is rated "K+" for some mild language and romance.

'Tis the Season
A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction

'Tis the season where Hyrule Castle Town is layered with a soft blanket of sparkling iridescent snowflakes that shimmer in the gentle winter summer sun. 'Tis the season for soothing hot chocolate that tickles your throat as you sit before a dancing fireplace. 'Tis the season for spending time with loved ones. 'Tis the season for buying, buying, and buying more presents than you have friends and family as the storekeepers eagerly count their piles and piles of rupees from the best haul of the year.

And of course, 'tis the season for paperwork. Heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps of Bloody. Frickin'. Paperwork.

Apparently, due to the joyful and generous spirit of the holidays, every store, hotel, market, bar, apartment building, and farm owner thought it appropriate to request money from the Hylian government. As a matter of fact, if you even owned a cardboard box apparently you were entitled to the nonexistent holiday monetary assistance. Whenever they were denied extra money—for no legitimate reason other the damn date on the calendar—they called Zelda a "Scrooge."

Zelda did not know of this "Scrooge" or whatever the hell it meant. It couldn't be that insulting, because Link called her that too. Unlike the greedy citizens, he said it in the gentlest voice, his laugh more pleasing to her ears than any silly holiday carol, always flicking her playfully on the nose with a big childish grin on his face.

Link. Zelda frowned, flopping in her chair. A few loose sheets of papers floated around the room, unsettled by her movement, one landing right on the tip of her head. She glared up at the evil thing, wishing it would disintegrate on the spot. Unfortunately, as it still existed in the material world, she blew upwards in a huff, proudly watching it fly across the room and conveniently char in her elegant fireplace. A mischievous twinkle gleamed in her eyes. Maybe she could just toss them all in and then she wouldn't be forced to stamp all of these ridiculous requests with her royal seal. She never thought she could actually hurt herself from stamping too many times, but hey, you learn something new every day. Closing her eyes so they wouldn't burn from the sight of the work she still needed to finish, her mind drifted back to her favorite hero. She and Link have been dating for three years now. Just the thought of his golden hair shimmering in the sunlight as he tenderly cared for his beloved mare Epona was enough to get her back into somewhat of a decent mood. She sighed, massaging her temples, trying to get rid of her nagging headache that came from constant stamping and intolerable boredom.

Come to think of it, her head was pounding so hard she could actually hear the sound of pounding against her skull.

Or was that the door?

"Zel? You there? Honestly, you should answer the door when people are knocking. I'm coming in."

Zelda popped up in her chair, as if a mother told her child that there was a big cake waiting downstairs, all lingering pain and tedium instantly cured by the melodic voice of her beloved. She frantically brushed papers out of her hair, trying to fix the stubborn strands of blonde as they refused to stay in her ponytail where they properly belonged. Link opened the door, in his favorite green tunic as always, eyebrow raised as he disapprovingly noticed the ocean of paper.

"Still no progress, I see." He made no motion to move from the doorway, quite unfortunately, probably concerned that he would accidentally ruin an "important" document. Despite his unparalleled bravery, he refused to have anything to do with politics. He claimed that he was socially inept and could single-handedly tank the most successful economy. The whole thing was horsecrap, of course. Link was a born leader and actually very skilled with words—although he always refused to believe it.

"I've made plenty of progress," Zelda said with an indignant pout. She let out a disheartened sigh with a slump of her shoulders as she realized she was fighting a battle she just couldn't win. There was no way in hell this would be done two days from now, even if she went without eating and sleeping. Seeing the childish expression on his Princess's face, Link gave a good-natured laugh, blue eyes dancing from the flickering firelight. He carefully navigated his way through the swarm of documents until he was right by Zelda's side. With a pout that would put even the most manipulative baby to shame, Zelda glanced up at him. He continued to laugh at her expense, flicking her nose playfully as he always did and placed a comforting kiss on her cheek.

"Poor baby," he teased mercilessly, the only person in the world immune to Zelda's pouts. He continued to chuckle. Zelda's pout quickly turned into a frown. The first bit was fine, Link, but now you're laughing a little too much. She considered smacking him, but instead opted for a better tactic. Lips quavering and blue eyes growing wider than dinner plates, she innocently looked up at her love. Let's see how you like this. Link's hysterical giggles rapidly subsided. He may be invulnerable to her pouting, but no one, and that meant no one, not even Link, could resist Zelda's puppy-dog eyes.

"Oi," Link said with a frown of his own. "You know I hate it when you look at me like that. Quit it."

Zelda gave a lil' sniffle for good measure.

"I said quit it."

This time Zelda let out a soft whimper, eyes welling up with tears as she gently clutched Link's tunic. For a second the two stared at each other, trying to win the mental battle of cuteness versus manly pride.

"Alright! You win! I concede defeat! Just…just…stop looking at me like that, okay?" Link's cheeks flushed a shade of red, as red as Rudolph's nose, as he quickly looked away. Zelda laughed, throwing her arms around him and snuggling her face into his chest, taking in his soothing sent of hay and fresh grass. That's what the meanie got for teasing her like that. She was so caught up in the precious bliss of his presence and her victory that she didn't realize what atrocity she just committed.

'…as red as Rudolph's nose.'

Zelda made a mental holiday reference. The horror! She released Link from her grasp knocking the sides of her head as she mentally chided herself for doing something so…so...so…unbecoming of someone with her status.

"What did you do this time?" Link gently restrained her from seriously hurting herself, kissing each of her hands lovingly. Zelda bit her lip and frown. If she told him he'd have another laughing fit and she'd need to bring him back to the present again.

The present. Really? She did it again!

"Stop it, Zelda!" She cried allowed, ignoring Link's bewildered stare. "If you keep this up, it's going to have a snowball effect!"

Snowball!? The horror!

As if reading her mind, Link once again burst out into jovial chuckles, pulling Zelda into his arms and kissing her head tenderly. Although she was always happy to be in his embrace, she couldn't help but frown. She knew the little bugger was teasing her. Blue eyes sparkling with playful delight, Link gently turned her head so she looked directly at him. He nuzzled her fondly, bringing her into a passionate kiss as Zelda immediately forgot her holiday blues and was completely at peace in his arms. Allowing the moment to last while both of them delighted in the other's adoration, Link released her almost reluctantly, playing with one of her stubborn blonde hairs.

"What's the matter, my Scrooge? Has the holiday season gotten to you?" Darn that Link. He was always teasing her.

"Maybe," Zelda huffed, deciding to play with his hair as payback for making fun of her. For a moment, the two looked utterly ridiculous, each trying to mess up each other's hairdos as some sort of childish prank. Zelda epically lost the battle, because no matter what she did to his hair, it always fell right back into place. Her hair, on the other hand…

"The holidays are a wonderful time of year," Link said soothingly, taking the opportunity to lecture her about the "brilliance" and "importance" of the holiday season as she tried to fix her hair so she didn't look like a Cuckoo that desperately needed to be plucked.

"The holidays are wonderful for store owners and people that actually get time off," Zelda grumbled, trying to act mad at him but failing miserably. She could never be mad at him. He was too sweet, too kind, too loving, and too, well, gorgeous. Ignoring her superficial defiance, she gave into her impulses and kissed him on the nose.

"Well, if I was stuck in my office doing paperwork for a month straight I suppose I'd be miserable too," Link sheepishly admitted with an almost shy chuckle. He returned her kiss, pulling her in tight so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "But," he continued, stroking Zelda's tangled mat that barely resembled hair, "I think you'd love the holidays if you actually experienced them."

"Oh?" Zelda asked suspiciously, pulling back from him temporarily so he could see the look of disbelief on her face. That was an awfully confident statement, Monsieur Link. It was almost like he was about to make a bet with her. Since his return four years ago from his travels, Link and Zelda made playful bets all the time. They could be very stubborn and set in their beliefs, so they'd gamble that their side was right. Much to Zelda's annoyance, Link was almost always the victor. Every. Single. Time. She could tell when Link was about to instigate a friendly wager. While he normally took a very polite and humble tone of voice, whenever her was positive about something his voice would gain a slightly superior edge. It was oh-so-subtle and only Zelda noticed, but it was the indication that a bet was about to start. Of course, Zelda always welcomed the challenge. If he dared to make a bet with her about the holidays, she was certain she'd finally snap his winning streak. Completely certain. 100%.

Instead of saying anything about bets and bribery, Link gently pushed back on her head so she'd lay on his shoulder. Resting his head on her own, he rubbed circles on her back, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Zelda?" He asked softly, becoming completely serious in an instance. Instead of the slight snarky attitude he had just moments before, he sounded…sad. Zelda's eyes widened, wondering why Link would be down at a time like this. Was something wrong? Did someone hurt him? Zelda would beat the little punk into oblivion. On that note, did Zelda hurt him? She could beat herself into oblivion too, that was okay. Why the sudden change in attitude? Did Zelda's harsh opinions regarding the holidays really bother him that much? She braced herself for impact.

"What's your holiday wish?"

Huh. In Hyrule, it was a tradition to make a wish for the holidays. There was a legend that some fat guy in a red suit would grant the wishes of all who were worthy or something like that. Children would often gather to the fountain in Castle Town and toss in a green rupee with their wish attached to it. Naturally, Zelda thought it was all a bunch of horsecrap, but most people in Hyrule took it quite seriously. Normally, Zelda would huff and puff and say she was above all of this, but given Link's sudden mood, she decided to answer him honestly. Well, try to answer him honestly, that is.

"I, Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, have only one wish this holiday season. That wish is…" She paused, unable to say it. Angered by her own embarrassment, her cheeks turned bright red. Link was her boyfriend and her most treasured person, for Hylia's sake. She was always honest with him. Why couldn't she be honest with him now? "That wish is…" She repeated, nervously gnawing at her lip. Say it, Zelda. Just say it! "That…that…that…"

"The holidays would just disappear!" She finally burst out in a huff, pulling away from his warm embrace and crossing her arms over her chest. Cheeks still rivaling a tomato, she looked away, not wanting to meet his pure blue gaze, not wanting to witness his disappointment.

To her surprise, he gave a small chuckle, a smile returning to his face. She had no idea what had come over him and why he acted like that, but it seemed like the Link she knew was back. Flicking her on her nose, this time not caring that he was trampling on her paperwork, he made a "tsk-tsk" noise, wagging his finger as a devilish grin formed. The slight arrogance returned as he straightened, placing his hands on his hips. This was it. He was about to make a wager.

"I bet Ms. Scrooge would love the holidays if she actually experienced them," He said in an almost sing-songy voice, as if he was a father talking to his spoiled little girl. Zelda's competitive nature instantly kicked in, her face returning to its normal color. Bring it on, Link. This time, I'm really going to defeat you!

"I bet I'll hate them regardless," She said with a smirk. She almost expected him to revert back into his depressed form from earlier, but to her surprise, his smile only grew. She knew that look. He was up to something.

…and if he was up to something, that meant she was in big trouble.

"Fine," He said, kissing her on the cheek just so she knew he wasn't actually cross with her. "Tomorrow, you're going to experience the holidays."

Zelda frowned. Obviously Link was off his rocker or really did have something particularly evil in mind. That sounded great in theory, but there was a reason Zelda hadn't experienced the true holidays for her entire life. Yes, every since she was a small child, she was always doing all of this blasted paperwork that always gathered during the spirit of "giving."

"And how am I gonna do that, Cuckoo?"

With a booming laugh that would rival the fat guy in the red suit's (if he actually existed, that is) Link placed a hand on his Princess's shoulder.

"You'll see."

So this was his brilliant plan.

Oh, Zelda, just go outside, he says. Just put up your hood and wear your makeup differently, he says. I'll do something about court officials, he says. It'll be fine, he says.

Leave it to Link to think that something so elementary would actually work. True, no one expected to see the princess out, especially during this time of year, but still. Sneaking past the guards was no problem because the routes were so freakin' predictable, but that didn't change the fact that she still had all that paperwork to do. Still, he sounded so sincere and so excited that she decided to screw the politics all to hell for once. This was her first opportunity to actually experience the holidays and see what all of the fuss was about.

The town was bustling with people, bumbling about as they frantically searched for their last minute gift and party preparations. Due to the hustle and bustle, no one noticed or seemed to care that Zelda was walking amongst them, which was good for her disguise. Pah. Link probably knew the citizens would be too busy to notice or care.

The town was loud, louder than Zelda had ever heard it, but it was almost exhilarating. She relished in the booming sounds of shopkeepers as they yelled out prices and the customer's excited bargaining. Everyone, friend or foe alike, would shout "Happy Holidays!" as they encountered each other, even if it were for a brief moment. On a break from school, the children played all together in the middle while their mothers shopped. As Zelda paused to admire a particularly cute little shop with various trinkets—she actually really wanted to purchase a little doll of a big fat guy in a red suit with bright red cheeks, much to her dismay—she was suddenly smacked in the face with a cold snowball. The chill sent a shiver down her spine as she angrily brushed it away, about to rip the little punk who hit her a new one when all of a sudden…

"I'm so sorry, lady! I didn't mean to hit you!"

"You idiot! Who are you aiming at? Mom's going to kill you!"

"I'm so sorry!"

Instead of going over and lecturing the little brats like she originally anticipated, something else filled the princess's heart, a feeling of warmth, excitement, and…and…mischief.

Ignoring the concerned shopkeeper's words, Zelda promptly reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. She formed it into a perfect ball, tossing it to herself a bit in order to ensure its potency. A huge, toothy grin formed across her face as she turned to the children. Snow was kicked up around them as they made a mad dash for their parents, knowing what kind of punishment they were about to get. With a gleeful laugh, Zelda threw the snowball with perfect precision, the snowball smacking the little brat right in the tooshie. Sprinting towards the children, not caring that her hood was down, she leaned down to form another snowball. The children laughed at the challenge, each of them getting snowballs of their own as the fight began. At first it was only Zelda and the children, but the adults, encouraged by Zelda's involvement, joined in, as an all-out Snowball Battle for Hyrule occurred. Children and adults alike laughed and beamed with joy and glee as they enjoyed a good-natured play. For many of them, just like Zelda, they really didn't get to relax. But now, now with the snow covering Hyrule and the trees filled with lights and decorations, all of those day-to-day problems seemed trivial. They were all alike, all people capable of happiness and innocent bliss, no matter the age. It was only now, at this time, that they weren't afraid to cut back and let loose.

After the battle was over, Zelda shared a few laughs with a woman who was chasing around six boys and an elderly man who wanted to share the tale of his lost love. A restaurant, seeing the snowball fight, brought out a few pots of warm hot chocolate to share…for no charge. It was the first time Zelda had ever seen a shop just give out something. She poured a cup, taking it over to the little boy who hit her with the snowball in the first place.

"Here," she said, playfully hitting his cheek with the cup. "This is for you, you little stinker."

He gave a toothy smile. "Thanks lady!"

One of the girls who were with the boy brought over a cup for Zelda and she enjoyed talking with the children and listening to their various innocent stories. The children ranted and raved about what they wanted to receive as presents and how late their parents would let them stay up for the fat red guy in the suit.

Zelda was completely amazed by the attitude of all of the citizens in Castle Town. No matter how much she loved her people and how much she believed in the goodness of the human heart, she was no fool and knew people were filled with flaws, namely jealousy, hatred, and greed. But today, everyone was truly merry and today, on this day, all she saw was the light. It was if this season temporarily drove away the evil within.

"Hey lady?" The boy who smacked her with a snowball asked. Zelda smiled at him, motioning for him to ask, resisting the urge to hit him with a snowball again. What she would give for Link to be here. She wanted to pelt him over and over again with snow. A real pity.

"What's your holiday wish?" The boy asked. Zelda held back a gasp. The child…although she knew it was this boy asking her, if she didn't know any better, she'd think she was talking to Link. He resembled her beloved so much! What was it? The physical resemblance? No, this child didn't look a thing like Link. It was something so much more…something that no amount of makeup, clothes, or superficiality could mask…

It was their hearts.

"My holiday wish?" She repeated, looking up at the snow falling smoothly from the sky, catching a snowflake in her palm. "My holiday wish is that I never want this day to end."

"Really?" The boy jumped up, clapping his hands. "Well…my holiday wish is that you and my Mommy can play with me again next year. Is that okay? Will you do it?"

"I promise." Zelda gave a genuine smile, holding out her pinky finger like she always used to do when she was a child. When was the last time she made such an earnest promise to anyone other than Link? When was the last time she truly felt at peace? When was the last time where she actually felt…human? The boy happily made the pinky-promise, his finger a little sticky from the doughnut his mother had reluctantly bought him a few minutes ago. As he was making the pinky-promise, the boy noticed the rings on Zelda's fingers.

Zelda gasped. Her rings! She forgot to take off her royal rings this morning! How stupid could she be!?

"Hey Lady…" The boy said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You wouldn't happen to be Princess Zelda, now would you?"

Zelda waved her arms frantically, about to spout some nonsense about how utterly ridiculous that was and how she couldn't possibly be the princess when the little girl—who had disappeared while they were talking, where she went Zelda had no idea—came back, waving her arms as if she was mimicking Zelda.

"It's Princess Zelda!" She cried. "Princess Zelda is going to address everyone in Castle Town!"

"Princess Zelda, huh?" The little boy didn't seem convinced at first, but after staring at Zelda for a moment and taking in the girl's words, he finally gave a laugh. Zelda didn't quite catch what he said, but it sounded something like "Pah. As if. Of course she isn't the princess."

Wait…what!?

Bolting up and ignoring the worried cries of the children, Zelda made a beeline for stage—when the heck was that put up?—trying to make her way through the crowd. Sure enough, standing on a makeshift platform decorated with various holiday memorabilia, was Princess Zelda. She was dressed in a snow white dress that even sparkled when she walked. Behind her, even the pompous and ever-unhappy councilmen were smiling. Zelda smiled. Princess Zelda was that kind of ruler. She could always bring smiles to her citizen's faces…

…wait a minute. Wait just a minute! Princess Zelda was on that stage!? That was impossible! Princess Zelda was right here!

The fake—but rather good-looking, if Zelda was allowed to say—Princess Zelda held up her hand as a sign for the massive crowd that had gathered to be quiet. Castle Town, which had been so noisy for the entire day, quickly fell dead silent, so silent that Zelda could hear the faint ping of the snowflakes hitting the ground.

"Citizens of Hyrule," Miss Fake said in a soothing, melodic voice. "I wanted to gather you all here so that we may enjoy the holiday season together. No matter our age, race, gender, or class, we are all human beings. This is the season of harmony and peace. Regardless of our past transgressions and misgivings, in this season we can put all of that behind us and celebrate the joys that we all share. As a toast to this magnificent time of year, I would like to sing a song to kick off the festivities."

The crowd bustled with gossiping murmurs at this last statement. Zelda was mortified, of course. Sing? What? She'd never sung in front of the public before. There was a good reason for that. She was a terrible singer. A great ocarina player, but a terrible singer. Her voice could make babies cry. She braced herself for the worst…

"I don't want a lot this season,
There is just one thing I need.
I don't care about the presents,
Underneath the big ol' tree."

Much to Zelda's shock, Miss Fake had a beautiful voice. She didn't have the highest voice and chose to sing the popular holiday song in a lower key, but it was absolutely gorgeous. The citizens were silent, taking in the stunning song, all with genuine grins of glee on their faces. Miss Fake's voice was soothing, gentle, and so…so…kind.

"I just want you for my own,
More than you could ever know.
Make my wish come true.
All I want this season is you."

On that last bit, Miss Fake outstretched her hand as she motioned to the crowd, staring directly at someone. Zelda frantically glanced from side to side, up and down, over and under, as she tried to see who her impostor was looking at. As Miss Fake continued to sing, happily tickling everyone from their ears to their toes, Zelda couldn't help but admire her. Just with a simple song, a song so genuine it touched even the blackest of hearts, all of Hyrule was filled with a sense of holiday joy and cheer. With a song this moving, people would be talking about it for weeks. In that moment, listening to Miss Fake's song, Zelda was truly happy that it was the holiday season. She was so happy that she got to experience a snowball fight with her people. She was so happy that she got to talk with everyone. More than all of that, she was so happy that she got to witness this song. A song that filled her with holiday cheer. A voice that was so soothing it washed away all of her troubles. It was so much like the voice she loved best of all…

Wait a minute…

Banishing any thought of nervousness or resentment towards her impostor, Zelda stared straight at Miss Fake. To her surprise, Miss Fake was staring right back at her, hand pointed towards the real princess. Although she wasn't close enough to see well, Zelda still could make out the sparkle in Miss Fake's pure blue eyes. A sparkle she not only recognized but one she loved with all of her heart.

Miss Fake?

Try Mister Fake.

Disclaimer: "All I Want for Christmas is You" is property of Mariah Carey and Sony BMG.

This was originally going to have another scene, but I…I…I just loved this ending so much! I'm planning on writing the last scene as a separate one-shot. Anyways, if it seems like a few loose ends aren't tied, that's why. xD

This is of course, written to wish everyone Happy Holidays, no matter where you are in the world you are or what holidays you celebrate. I was always kind of like Zelda, a Scrooge, but when I came here to China where I'm spending the holidays without my friends and family, it made me remember how precious this time of year is. So, I decided to write about it!

Please leave a review! It would make my day. :D I hope you enjoyed the story and I'll see you all later!