Epilogue - Building Bridges

"Hey, lookit!" The rye-bread sandwich was almost shoved in her face, bringing with it a thick aroma that stung her nostrils. "Try this, your Highness!"

Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, looked beyond the baloney to regard the tow-headed kid's smudged, dirty face. His buck-toothed smile shone true, without tact or pretension, qualities that somehow reminded her of Link. Despite the strong smell of the secret sauce, the peasant boy's offer was irrefutable, and the queen was quite hungry after her early morning ride. With a gracious smile, she took the proffered sandwich and had a small bite, the overpowering taste filling her mouth like the floodgates of the Swamp Palace.

"Ooh!" she squeaked, fanning her mouth in a rather undignified manner. "It's hot!"

"That's somethin' Sahasrahla made!" the boy cried, grinning mischievously. "The old man's a good cook!"

"We here in Kakariko don't quite have the culinary cuisine of the Hyrule palace," the venerable Sahasrahla intoned, hobbling in with his wife and a plate of hors d'oeuvres. "But we do our best with our common fare."

"I'm sorry." Zelda nodded at the two of them. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"No apologies are necessary, my lady," the old man said, presenting her with the tray. "We are always happy to entertain you."

"I do mean to help Kakariko Village once I reorganize the royal count," she mentioned. smoothing out her skirt with her hands. "Most of Hyrule is in shambles after Agahaim's terrible reign, and I must care for all of it."

"But you're not here on palace business, are you, Highness?" Sahasrahla's wife interjected, casting a knowing look at Zelda.

The young lady blushed, and looked down at her lap. Today, she was clothed in her old princess dress and a light tiara, her hair combed but not styled. Indeed, it was far more comfortable setup then the heavy robes she wore as a ruler, and good for traveling. But it was much less suitable for the majesty her subjects now held her in, ever since she took the crown and set about revitalizing her fallen kingdom.

"It's true," Zelda admitted, picking up a wooden cup of wine the family had poured out for her. "I stole away in the dead of night to see Link, without even telling my handmaiden. The two of us, we've had to meet like this, ever since I took on royal duties. It's been two months, but our future is still so dark."

"And are you willing to work through the darkness together?" the old woman pressed, leaning on her cane and directing an eagle's eye towards the queen.

Zelda stared at her reflection in the wine, noting how disheveled her blond hair had become. "I...want to build up our life together," she said finally, looking towards the women. "I will try to make things work, as Link does himself."

The wizened crone gave out a small smile through cracked, wrinkly lips, as if she had traversed this sort of path long ago. The boy merely looked bashful, mumbling something about "girl mush" under his breath.

After a minute of comfortable silence, a strong, shaggy-haired youth clad in the uniform of the Hyrule Knights emerged from the kitchen, the chocolate icing on his face very un-Knightly. "Zelda, you alright?" Link asked her, wiping off his cheeks with a hand towel. "It got real quiet in there all of a sudden."

"Mister!" the boy yelped, looking up at his older friend. "Your girlfriend's really goin' all out for ya! You gonna do more of that icky makin' out?"

Zelda blushed heavily at being referred to in such a manner. Link, for his part, just tossed a temperamental glare at the boy. "Knock it off, kid!" he said, beginning to blush himself. "That's adult stuff you're talking about!"

"Well, you're a kid too!" the boy rejoined, pointing up at the youth's modest height of 5''8. "You're the boss of the knights, but the shortest one ever!"

"I'll grow!" he insisted, as Zelda giggled behind her hand. "I'm only seventeen, you know!"

"We're all fine, Link," Zelda said, smiling fondly at the family that had taken her in. "Elder Sahasrahla was just bringing out some appetizers."

"Which reminds me..." Sahasrahla turned to his wife with a look of query. "Love, have you finished up with the cake now?"

"Link was just applying the icing," she explained, regarding the Knight with a craggy grin. "Our boy's no chef, but he follows directions well enough. We should cut it, though, before the morning's over."

"I'll help ya!" the boy cried, following after the old couple as they entered the kitchen. "Link always messes up on that!"

With the family making the final preparations on dessert, Link walked towards Zelda, looking at her with the gaze of a warrior who would stop at nothing to protect his lady. The young man's eyes were deep and arresting, enough to take the young queen's breath away, but she nevertheless scooted aside to make room for him on the small bench. As he sat, his arm brushed up against her; she could feel Link imparting his warmth unto her, even from so brief a touch. They remained separated by mere inches, the propriety between a Knight and his Queen all but melted from the warmth of their affection.

"It's still such a problem for us," Zelda began quietly, her hands folding over themselves. "My royal blood separates me from the citizenry of Hyrule, even from the Knights. I don't know if the people will accept this."

"Are you worrying yourself over that again?" Link asked her, leaning forward to look her in the face. "Knights have married into the royal family before this. I looked through Roam's old family history, and there's at least three families of Knights that have royal blood!"

She did not respond right away, but stared solemnly out the window, towards the castle looming beyoud the horizon. "We've aged so much this past year, haven't we?" she whispered, fumbling with the blond locks covering her forehead. "I've forgotten how it felt to ride through the forest, or attend my father's royal ball, or read about Hyrule's greatest heroes by candlelight. Now, I host the ball, and my horseback time is minimal. We were just teenagers, and now we have the fate of a country on our shoulders."

She turned towards, her eyes swallowing him up as a Like-Like would. "My powers have completely vanished since I became queen, along with our telepathic connection," she murmured quietly. "It won't ever be as it used to be, Link."

"Hey, that's alright," Link put a comforting arm around her shoulder, his hand resting on her puff sleeve. "We just have to build bridges, that's all!"

Zelda remained quiet for a moment, and leaned her head on Link. "When our connection was intact, I felt as strongly about you as I did my father and closest caretakers," she told him, looking up at him through her bangs. "But now I realize that there's so much about you I don't know, that everything was too quick, just a flash of fire. We're building from cinders now."

"Not just cinders." The young man grasped her hand, cradling it within his own. "Our dreams, too."

Zelda blinked up at him, drawing a blank for a moment. But soon, she got his intention, her heart warming toward him just as it did during those times of conflict and those shared, psychic dreams. "Yes." she said, and then finally smiled for him. "We have that."

The princess-turned-queen reached out to cup his face, that pure, farm-boy face that nevertheless carried the weight of wars in the eyes. "I may never see into your dreams again," she said, leaning forward to steal another secret kiss. "But I've already seen all I need to, and I know you're the most worthy. That image will last a lifetime."

"I won't let you down," Link said, closing his eyes as he drew close. "I promise, Zelda."

END