Gently, they were set down on the ground. Link removed the Master Sword and held it out to the altar before them. It lifted from his hands in a beam of light and floated to its holding place, sinking back into the podium. Zelda walked up behind him, her hands folded.

"So, it's over now. He's been vanquished once again, and Hyrule is safe."

Link looked at Zelda and nodded, and she smiled kindly at him. They left the sacred temple and headed back out into the open field. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"Head home," Zelda said. "At least… that's my plan."

They hesitated, standing around a bit awkwardly.

"I'll have to have his body buried under salted ground, to keep him from rising again," Zelda muttered under her breath. Already, her quick mind was putting together a list of things that had to be done. She would be frightfully busy for a few months.

"But… he will rise again, won't he?" Link asked in a quiet tone.

"What?"

"Maybe not now, or in our lifetimes, and maybe not as we currently know him, but… he'll come back."

Zelda stared at the ground, and she wrapped her arms around herself a bit closer, as if caught in a sudden chill.

"Maybe. But we'll worry about that if it happens."

Together, they left the temple. Link kept close to her protectively; he assumed the effects of all they'd been through were still lingering. For how long?

Slowly, they walked back to the castle, stepping around Ganondorf's dead form on the way. They said nothing until they were back inside the building. It was quiet; the soldiers had deserted after Ganondorf had taken it over.

"Hello!" she called out. "Is anyone there?"

Link wished they had not returned the Master Sword, but it was an act he was compelled to do. He could not have fought it no more than he fought breathing. But they both had an instinct that it was over, now that Ganondorf was gone. No one would come after them.

There was a rustling, and from behind a tapestry in the hall came one last soldier, a bit scared-looking and shaky. He bowed hastily when he recognized Zelda, and the same to Link.

"I saw you… meet him in battle. When you fought in the great hall before heading out," the frightened soldier proclaimed quickly, to explain his bow. "You have more courage than I could dream of having."

Link looked down at his feet, a bit embarrassed now.

"Please, Your Majesty, forgive my cowardice," the soldier pleaded, sinking onto his knees again.

Zelda sighed inwardly, but she held out one hand and touched the top of the soldier's head. "Of course I do. Get up. Do you know where everyone else is?"

"I'm not sure, Your Majesty."

"Go find them, and tell them to come back to the castle. All is safe, now."

The soldier, glad to have something to do, ran off immediately. Link and Zelda stood around, waiting in silence.

"Would you…" Zelda started. Link looked at her expectantly, so she continued. "Could you stay… in the castle, until Hyrule is running smoothly?"

"I'm not sure how much of a help I could be to you. I don't know much about politics," he replied, embarrassed.

"It's more as a figurehead sort of thing. That soldier saw you fight Ganondorf. Others might've seen you defeat him. With you here, it might help to keep the people positive, and reinforce morale with the guard."

Link nodded.

Zelda paused, looking around, then back to him. "And… thank you." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Link smiled a little at her and put his hands on his hips, looking down at the ground.

"Well, you know, just… doing what I was supposed to."

"I know. We both were."

After a little while, soldiers reluctantly returned to the castle. With them came the ladies-in-waiting, the staff, and important dignitaries that had been visiting when Ganondorf stormed in with his swords and monsters, demanding the queen.

"Is it safe?" one of the dignitaries asked nervously, keeping close to one of the head soldiers.

Zelda nodded. "Yes, it's safe now, thanks to Link." She stepped to one side to gesture to him, and Link looked at the crowd nervously. They stared at him in awe, and looked towards each other, muttering in surprise.

"Ganondorf is dead. Hyrule is safe now, and there is nothing to be frightened of. I think a good course of action now is for us to eat something, and have a good rest."

Link nodded his agreement. Food sounded perfect, all of a sudden. Just the thing he wanted. He tried to remember the last true meal he'd had, but it'd been a long couple of months, and he couldn't.

Zelda's quick leadership and confidence, as well as returning them to their routine tasks, went a long way in reassuring her help that everything was going to be fine. She herself wanted to change; there was dirt on her clothes and her muscles were sore from the cramped quarters they'd kept.

"It might be some time before dinner," she said to Link, looking at him. "Is there anything you want?"

It gave him pause. What did he want? He looked at Zelda, and when he started to stifle a yawn, he knew. "Where can I take a nap?"

/

After a terribly short rest, Link was gently woken by one of the servants to announce dinner. He'd been directed to one of the guest rooms that had been locked during the attack, so the furniture inside was intact, at least. The sleep had been too short, and he still felt as if he was half-dreaming. Instinctively, he reached again for his sword and shield, but the sword was gone, and he only touched the surface of the shield, the stamped image of the Triforce in the metal. With an ache in his lower back, he followed the servants down the stairs to the table.

There wasn't much; the kitchens had obviously been raided during Ganondorf's usurping. Someone had gone out and bagged some thin rabbits and old tom quails, whose meat was dry and stringy. There was no flour for bread, the wine had been drunk up, and the fruit that hadn't been eaten had been thrown about and smashed on the walls and floors.

Zelda invited all to sit at the table to eat; there was no point in keeping everyone separate with so little food to go around. A space had been left open at the head of the table on Zelda's left, and reluctantly he sat down.

"The quantity of the food isn't important," Zelda said suddenly. The people at the table stopped and looked at her in surprise. "The quality of the food isn't important. But that we survived, and are here to share this meal among us, that is what is important above all else. That we have our lives and our health, and each other."

She looked at Link. "And we survived because of you."

Link shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Well. Anyone would… would've done it."

Zelda smiled, but she said nothing more.

/

They ate the food that was there, as quickly as possible. After the first few bites, Link realized how ravenous he was, but so did the rest of the people there, apparently. The food was gone far too quickly. When it was gone, things went as normally as always. The servants took the plates away to clean them, talking among themselves quietly. The remaining guard escorted the remaining dignitaries to their guest rooms, or to the few intact carriages to escort them home.

Zelda herself was taken to her rooms by several of her ladies-in-waiting. And though she was tired, she sat up a while with the rest of them, to talk about the terrifying events of the past weeks. Now that it was over, they could detach from it. It was no worse to them than a bad dream.

Eventually, the women separated off to their own rooms. Zelda bid them all a good night, and when she was confident they were gone, she quickly undressed, and changed into a fresh nightgown. It felt like she'd been in those same clothes forever; the bottom edge of the skirt was torn, dirty and faded, there were stress on the seams of the bodice, and worn spots in the gloves. She unpinned her hair and shook it out; she would have requested a bath drawn, but she wasn't sure how much clean water was left, and the servants had been through just as much of an ordeal, and would surely want sleep above all else.

She also wanted sleep; it had been fitful and hard to find in the past weeks. But even now as she climbed into bed, she knew it would be just as difficult for her. With her eyes closed, unable to see what was around her, she grew tense and superstitiously fearful of unseen hands; of a throaty and evil laughter in the darkness. Her rooms were too quiet and still with no one sleeping nearby, and she snapped awake at every imagined or real sound.

Finally, after getting a few fitful hours of sleep, she was startled awake by trumpets outside, calling the soldiers to wake for morning practice. Her heart was pounding hard, and her face grew hot. She put a hand to her chest and took slow breaths to calm herself down.

Zelda flung herself out of bed and put on a thin robe over her night clothes. She left her rooms quietly, and as she headed down to the main floor, she thought she could hear the rattling of people moving in the kitchen, and she immediately went to see what was going on. She cursed herself for not grabbing something; a sharp pin or some such from her dresser. But those days were over; what need had she for defense?

She was surprised, when she arrived in the kitchen, to see one of the kitchen girls putting a kettle of water on a modest fire, prattling away to the other person in the room. Link was sitting at the table for the help, nearest the fire, and listening to the girl go on and on about how terrified she'd been and how she thought the kingdom was doomed for sure and her only thoughts were to get to her family, then she straightened and turned, and when she saw Zelda standing there she gave a little scream and dropped the little strainer of tea she'd scraped up, spilling leaves on the floor before falling into a curtsey.

Link had whipped around and his hand had gone up to his shoulder (and found no handle, damn it all) but at least it was Zelda. He relaxed and nodded to her in greeting.

"Couldn't sleep," she muttered, and she took a seat at the other side of the table, across from Link. The kitchen girl was cleaning up the leaves; she wondered if she dared to dust them off or if she should use the last bits instead.

"Me either," Link admitted. "Thought I'd have some tea."

Zelda nodded. "Sounds good." She gestured to the kitchen girl to get some fresh leaves, the kettle hissing on the fire. The kitchen fell silent except for the girl doing her work. Zelda studied the grain of the wood table, not in a talking mood, and Link had never been much of the sort.

The tea was weak, but it warmed their chilled fingers. Even though she had been talkative enough before her arrival, the kitchen girl was shy and silent now; perhaps nudged into it by the queen's presence. There was a sort of peace in it, though; the girl had her own little cup of tea, slinking out the kitchen door to have it, and leaving Link and Zelda alone.

They drank their tea in silence, staring into their cups.

"I don't know if I can go back to sleep," Zelda muttered.

Link nodded his agreement, but added nothing more.

"I should probably start taking stock of what we do have left. Find out how we can replenish our stores, let the people know that Hyrule is safe…" Now that she was starting to plan and formulate ideas, her resolve straightened her spine and lifted her chin. "Link."

He looked at her.

"While you're here, could you help the Royal Guard? A little boost of morale with your presence, pass on what you've learned from your travels?"

Link thought about it. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

"I'll do what I can," he offered.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Hm. Where is that girl?"

Link took their cups and went to sit them in the wash tub. Zelda stood and shook out her night clothes, and she went to the back kitchen door and peeked outside. The girl was half-asleep, holding her empty tea cup, but when she turned and saw Zelda she jumped up.

"My apologies!"

"It's okay. I need you to start… can you count?"

The girl shrugged helplessly.

"Can you write? Read?"

"Ah, no…"

Zelda sighed. "Well. When the head of the kitchen wakes, could you tell her to start taking an inventory of supplies? We also need estimates of how much it will cost to replenish the stores, so be sure to fetch one of the accountants."

The girl, in a bit of a terror at being addressed directly by the queen, nodded eagerly.

"While you wait for the rest of the kitchen, start cleaning this space, top to bottom, alright? Everything organized and in place. It will make counting that much easier. If you need help lifting things, go to the barracks."

The girl nodded again, and Zelda smiled at her kindly, to let her know she was in no trouble. Zelda turned and left the kitchen, going to her rooms to brush her hair and clean up, so she didn't look as if she spent more time lying awake than sleeping.

/

Link went to his room as well, hoping he could get sleep again. The truth was that he hadn't exactly wanted to stay on and help the soldiers. He wanted to go home, thinking he could get better sleep there. The unfamiliar sounds and surroundings, he was sure, were why he couldn't get rest. But Zelda had asked him to stay, and even when he wanted to, he couldn't deny her.

It was for his country, he reminded himself. And truly, that was the most important thing, was keeping the country safe. It was his fate to do so.

He looked uselessly around the room. There was nothing here for him; just his few articles of clothing, and the things that had not vanished along with the Triforce once the world was safe. They probably returned to the temples they came from, to await the next time Ganondorf rose.

He would rise again. Not now, but eventually. Link knew it suddenly as surely as he knew his own name. He felt a chill, but he wouldn't mention it aloud. Hyrule needed to collect itself before considering the possibility.

Link finally gave up on sleep or anything else, and went to the barracks to see what he could do with the soldiers.

/

Everything Link knew about combat was one-on-one, specifically. He stared at the cluster of soldiers, wondering what he could possibly tell them, possibly teach them to make them feel better about being soldiers. He hefted the wooden practice sword in his hand, hefting it. It was so light in comparison to the Master Sword; he felt completely thrown off by its lack of weight and power.

"I don't… to be honest, I don't know much about… about war. Whatever training you guys've had as soldiers uh… far outs… it… well you know more than I do about fighting."

They looked at him blankly.

"I… with all due respect, I don't think we do," spoke up one of the younger soldiers. "You defeated that whole other army on your own, practically."

"I just took out their leader," Link replied. "Once they had no one in charge, they… the army generally falls apart without a commander. So… you take him out, they have no direction." He shuffled, drawing a little scratch in the ground with his sword. "What I want to do is to just show you guys some of the stuff I know to do, to take out that commander, or anyone around him in one-to-one combat. Just… simple… moves… that can… can take out just about anything you come up against."

He shuffled the sword around again in his hands. "So, we can start small… um… I assume you guys know basics, thrusts… parries… like that. So, if we combine them, we can surprise the enemy, and surprise is the most important weapon in a soldier's arsenal."

He flipped the sword around a little, trying to adapt to its lightness. "So. The first thing, it's just a simple sweep-and-thrust sort of thing. It cuts across the enemy's chest, and then you go in for the kill with a sharp stab to just under the ribs." He gestured to the point he meant on his own torso.

"So you start down here," he said, holding his sword at an angle, "and you'll come up at an angle."

He demonstrated the move, and it was easy, incredibly fast, and he felt light, like every nerve in him was singing with joy for the fight for Hyrule. Then when he came back to it, he threw his arm forward in a stab. The crowd of soldiers moved back a little.

"Uh, now you guys try."

He watched as the soldiers gave themselves some space and awkwardly, in their heavy armor, barely able to spin halfway around. Link shook his head, and raised his voice to get their attention over the clattering armor.

"No, no, you… you sweep up across the torso, spinning, and then thrust when you come back around. The sweeping surprises the enemy and the thrust finishes him."

The soldiers hesitated, watching Link demonstrate again with the wooden practice sword he'd found. He shook out his shoulders, clearing his throat. It'd seemed easy enough when he used it against the twisted monsters that guarded the castle.

"Try again," he called out.

It was nerves, he told himself. They were shaken up by the attack on the castle, and couldn't bare the thought of preparing for other attacks. That there could be other attacks.

He paced slowly before the ranks, watching them. "Faster! It's a quick, sweeping slash and a thrust! You need speed or you won't turn fast enough and your back will be exposed!"

He muttered angrily to himself. They did a little better, but they needed to work on their speed. He flexed his left hand; it had been so easy for him. Because…

Link cleared his throat and looked at the soldiers, who were staring at him and waiting to see what he would instruct them to do now.

"Try again," he said, gesturing.

/

Zelda rolled up the plea for aid she'd been reading and set it aside. Now that people were collecting themselves, they'd been assessing the damages to their towns from the monster attacks. And the costs were piling up. Never mind repairing the damages to the castle, replenishing the food stores. Fields had been scorched and most of the plant life was ruined in the army's charge on the castle.

Ganondorf had chosen the most devastating time to lead his formal attack; much of the crushed grain had been near-ripe for harvest in a few months. It was to feed most of Hyrule, to be sent out to the other neighbor countries for food. Now the prized Hylian wheat, practically their second currency, was depleted. Most of the tenants on royal land would not be able to pay their leases in any form.

She sighed and put her quill back in the inkpot. Her hands ached from writing and stress. And she was feeling utterly lost, now. This was no monster she could ask Link to take on. The evil now was mindless and surrounding them, there was no weak spot where they could defeat it.

She could feel a headache coming on, and she closed her eyes against the lights around her. What were they to do? How could they keep Hyrule safe and fed? The headache settled in the space behind her eyes, and she groaned in despair. How long could she ride the goodwill of the people? How long would it be until they no longer respected what they'd done and rebel, if she could not figure out solutions to the approaching food problem?

She groaned again, covering her face with her hands. She broke out in tears unexpectedly, and blamed the headache. After a few minutes of crying, she cleared her throat and shook her shoulders. It was time to get back to work.

Zelda opened a calendar book on her desk and started flipping through the pages, looking for upcoming events of the country. Things could be cancelled or postponed, maybe even some events could become a potluck instead, so that everyone could share what they had. Maybe.

She chewed her fingernails, flipping rapidly through the pages and muttering curses. Were there any crops that hadn't been destroyed? Zelda paused, thinking, and turned to look at the map behind her. Ganondorf had come from the western desert, and demolished most of the crops on that side, certainly. But there was the northern end, the eastern, the southeastern…

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. The southeastern end was relatively uncivilized, but it had been once. She wasn't sure, but there might be some areas still growing food products. Instead of paying their leases with money or food from their own crop, people could pay with what they could salvage from that area of the land, or use it to supplement their own crops.

And if they still didn't have enough…? She stared hard at the map. Perhaps, until they could pay, the kingdom would hold that equivalent amount of land until they could purchase them again.

And if they still didn't have enough, after that…

She wasn't sure. She would deal with it as she could. Her headache was still there, but she felt its power on her weakening, now that she had some plans. Hopefully, they could pull through this.

/

Another early morning.

Zelda laid awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Perhaps it just didn't feel quite as real as it should yet. She kept half-expecting to wake up in the underground safehouse again. She climbed out of bed and pulled on her robes, stepping out onto the balcony.

Underneath on the castle grounds sat a thick layer of fog, as if their home had shot up into the sky overnight. In the rolling mist she could faintly see a figure cutting a lone path, a rider and his horse. Squinting, she thought she recognized Link. It was some small relief that she wasn't the only one still struggling for sleep.

She watched him disappear off into the fields, and in a sudden, irrational panic that he was sneaking away from the castle, she headed downstairs to go after him, stepping lightly on her way. The guards sluggishly woke when they heard her approaching, and they were a little embarrassed to see their queen so underdressed.

"Your Majesty, is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes, I just want to head outside for a moment, please."

After the briefest hesitation, they released her, and Zelda tried not to run out into the fog from the courtyard. Now that she was no longer above it, though, it was hard to tell where she was going, and what direction Link had been going in.

"Link?" she called. Her voice sounded muffled, like she was shouting into a pillow. She didn't even know if he heard it. She felt foolish for throwing herself out into the mist without a guard or some sort of defense. Link had told her he would stay to help, why wouldn't he come back?

She stopped where she was, looking around, feeling foolish. And what way had she come? She could, in theory, wait outside until the sun rose and burned off the fog, but that could be a few hours yet, if it was overcast like she suspected.

Zelda took her time in slow, measured steps. She would either be back at the castle or she would find Link (hopefully), he hadn't really been running. She adjusted her nightclothes, pulling her robe a little tighter around herself, and she listened carefully. From… the left? she heard a horse snort softly, and she headed towards it. She overshot a little, and after ten or fifteen steps she heard the snorting from the right and slightly behind, and she turned. In the brightening air, she could see a muddled silhouette, and she approached it, knowing it to be Link's horse.

Epona snorted and sniffed at the queen's hair and open palm, and finding nothing there for her, she turned her head away. Zelda clung to the horse's reins. Not far behind was a tree, and Link was sitting under it, staring into the fog, obviously thinking. He glanced at Zelda and nodded his head.

"Another early day," she said quietly, sitting down next to him.

"Seems like it," he answered.

"Why do you think this is happening?" she asked him. "Can't sleep past dawn, can barely fall asleep at night…"

"Couldn't say, really." He sighed. "Not to offend you, I'm not totally comfortable in the castle."

"Oh? I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

He chuckled. "Too quiet there. Beds are a little too soft, it's… you know, just a little too peaceful, I guess? It's strange."

Zelda smiled. "How sad are we? Can't live in peacetimes."

"We could before, I'm sure we can again."

"What… what were you doing before? What are you going home to?"

"Hm. Well, I was sort of helping out on the ranches off and on, so um, maybe I could do that."

"Oh? What did you help with?" Zelda felt a little guilty; she'd forgotten that Link hadn't been sitting around, holed up in a crystal of never aging, waiting for the day he would be called upon.

"Herded the sheep, helped shoe the horses, kept the cows pinned when we were cutting their horns, stuff like that."

He realized Zelda was looking at him but not really listening, her mind a thousand miles away.

"What is it?"

"You've… you've done so much, haven't you?"

"What, while working at the ranch?"

"No, just to… to get the Master Sword and…" she gestured a bit helplessly. "I barely did anything."

"Are you jealous?" he asked, and laughed.

"No, no! I wouldn't… I don't know if I could have done all that."

"It was my trials to deal with, it was meant for me. I was supposed to. If you were supposed to, I'm sure you could have managed. And you did what you had to do, to protect Hyrule."

"Hm. I guess now is when my real challenges come into play," she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well. Ganondorf ruined a lot of the crops for the land. Our food stores are almost down to nothing… I'm worried about surviving this year." It was out, and Zelda exhaled. "I'm worried about Hyrule. Really worried."

Link reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. We wished for the safety of the country, we have to believe in the Triforce."

Zelda smiled a little. "I didn't realize you were so spiritual."

"I'm not. But I'd hate the thought of us doing all that work and risking our lives for nothing. For Hyrule to fall…" He was frowning, offended by the thought of it.

Zelda nodded. "I know what you mean. That's why I have to do everything I can to keep the country thriving." Just thinking about it, her headache was back. She whimpered and rubbed her forehead. "Forget it. I'm going back. Maybe if I lay down for a bit…"

He stood up first and helped her stand. "I'll take you back," he offered.

He helped her up on the horse and climbed up behind her, taking the reins and holding her in place with his arms. The fog was starting to lift, and they could see the spires of the castle rising before them.

Link helped her down in the courtyard before the main doors of the castle, and Zelda stopped him, tugging his sleeve gently. "When… I feel like this might be something that we both have to deal with… for a while. So don't run off, okay?"

"Is that why you were following me?" Link asked in surprise.

"Well, yes. I thought…" She shook her head. "I'm not saying you were a coward or trying to run away…"

"I know. I just want to find some normalcy."

"We will. But… don't leave. Not yet." She didn't say it, but she didn't know if she could bear the coming weeks without him. She needed someone to talk to. And she thought Link could, too.

Link stepped away from her, to put his horse back in the stables. "I'll see you at breakfast," he said quietly.

Zelda nodded and watched him walk away with Epona. She folded her arms against the cold morning air, and reluctantly she headed back inside.

/

Almost a month later, and the country was, in fact, recovering. Slowly, but surely. The southeastern fields were helpful; many of the sown plants had kept growing, even though they'd gone wild. What little could be found would at least feed most people, if they rationed it right.

The cancellation of visitors and taking trips out helped as well; though Zelda was supposed to spend that time building connections with other countries for aid in such a situation. The country just could not afford it.

Zelda was still waking up early, but she enjoyed it. It gave her extra time in the morning to work on recuperating the country, and sometimes a messenger would come to her rooms with a request from Link to meet her in the kitchens for a light morning snack. Sometimes they did eat, a little, but mostly it was some weak tea.

"I don't eat in the morning," Zelda confessed one time, as Link dunked a day-old biscuit into his tea.

"Really?"

"Well…" she laughed a little. "Not right away. I like it fine at… in a few hours maybe I'll have some fruit and cheese… as a snack, you know."

"Don't get too thin," he said jokingly, plucking at the narrow bones of her wrist with his thumb and forefinger.

"That's how I eat! That's how I… always have eaten like that. What about you, are you eating enough?"

"Yeah, yeah, I eat plenty." He picked at the biscuit. "So."

"So?" She ran her fingers through her combed hair. She'd been trying to bring back the appearance of a collected and groomed royal, even if she didn't feel it. Order in her looks gave people the idea that she would have order in the country.

"What's your next step? What are you thinking now?"

Zelda hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"About Hyrule?"

"Oh—oh! Right. Well, probably I will have to see what I can do about sending reparation funds to the various towns… I'm going to try to send building materials that are left over from the reconstruction of the town walls and buildings as well, to the locations farthest from the rock quarries to help along their repairs."

"Well, you've got it all figured out, it seems."

Zelda smiled a bit sadly. "I wish I knew that for sure. Right now I'm just taking it one problem at a time." She swirled her tea around in the cup. "How about… the training with the soldiers?"

"Oh, they… it's good. They're working hard. They're really trying. I think they feel a lot better about the state of the country."

Zelda's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah, they've really caught on. Doing great. I think they feel a little better about themselves."

"Well, I don't want them to feel better about themselves, I want them to be prepared for emergencies, to feel like they can actually do their jobs."

Link cleared his throat. "Well, well, they will. I think they will. They'll have some confidence now."

Zelda looked away. "Sorry. I've been having a hard time of it. I just don't feel like my work is going fast enough."

"It takes time," he replied. "It'll be a while before you know for certain…"

"Yes, I suppose." She shrugged. "I just want to know now."

"We've survived so far, I'm positive it'll be okay. You just have to believe in it."

"As long as…"

"As long as… what?"

Zelda shook her head. "Nothing." She looked away, a hand to her face.

Link finished his biscuit and his tea. "Well. I think I'll go, then. I'll see you later, I hope."

"If you're around the castle, then yes, I'm sure you will."

/

Link was now reluctant to leave, that was for certain. He wasn't sure if he would be able to go back to his home. The work would be so pedestrian, now. But wouldn't it be relaxing, too? Predictable, easy, comforting. Reliable. And he wouldn't have to risk his life, either (more or less). He could go back to helping at the ranch easily. He missed the work and he missed Verla. It had been a long, long few months without her. He wondered if she was okay, if most of the animals had survived, how her father was doing.

If she'd forgotten him.

Verla had been considering a few different men. One of the other ranch hands, himself, and some 'learned' boy she knew from childhood who had gone to the school in Termina to be a scholar in something. Once upon a time, Link thought he'd had the best chance. He and Verla had been friends for ages, and who knew how an education could change a man. Look at how everything he had learned had changed him.

He liked to think that his education was for the better.

He had spent a few hours with the soldiers that morning, and they were improving little by little. The younger ones still stared at him as if he was some sort of godlike figure (which was a little disconcerting), and the older ones no longer scoffed at him, at least as openly. So at least, there was that.

Link stretched out on his bed in one of the guest rooms. He would've been fine sleeping in the barracks, but Zelda insisted, as a partial gift on behalf of her gratitude, and because the rooms weren't being used anyway. His few things seemed so pathetic in comparison to the grandeur of the room.

He nestled deeper under the covers, but he was having a hard time falling back asleep. His mind was constantly awhirl with thoughts, what his next move should be, and a pervasive sense of unease; was he sure this wasn't an elaborate hallucination? A trap of some kind? Would he really be more comfortable sleeping out in the harsh and the cold?

He tried to think of the last thing Verla and he had talked about before his summons. She'd been teasing him and acting coy about who she thought she wanted to marry, and it was starting to anger him.

"Well, Theo just seems like he has a really good future ahead of him. But pa's been saying for a while that he wants to make Rik the lead ranch hand. That wouldn't bother you, would it?" She turned to him with a bit of a grin on her face, but it faded when she saw the dark look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"It's good to see that you're considering your choices for a future without me, at least," he spat.

Verla flinched a little at his anger, and she reached for him. "Don't be like that," she said, a bit reproachful.

"Then don't you be like that," he replied.

She tried again, and this time he let her touch his cheek.

"You know I love you," Verla whispered. She leaned down and kissed him, and Link put a hand on her waist.

"I know that," he replied.

They were silent for some time, sitting in the warm sun.

"What do you want to do, then? Do you want to be a ranch hand forever?"

"No," Link answered, rather quickly, which surprised them both.

"And what do you think you want to do, then?" Verla pressed herself against him.

"I don't know. See the world, maybe. Do some traveling. I'd been wanting for some time to…"

"To…?" Verla pulled closer to him, toying with his hair. Link shrugged and looked away.

"To see more of the world, I guess. That's all."

Verla didn't think so, but she didn't question further. Instead, she looked around the field they were in, which was on the downward slope of a hill in the ranch's private acreage for horses.

"Whoever I choose, you won't forget me, will you?" she asked him, as she began to undo his tunic. Link took her hands and kissed the fingertips.

"Never."

Verla kissed him again, and Link finally reciprocated. Slowly, she climbed into his lap, straddling his legs.

"Something to remember me by," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The next day, a soldier (not really a soldier, but the queen's personal guardian, he would later find out) came to their little ranch to ask for able-bodied men to join the royal guard. Link only had to look at Verla, who'd been laughing and joking with Rik while feeding the hens that morning (she touched Rik's arm at one point and after yesterday and how he thought they'd reached an understanding or a promise between each other how could she) and he knew he was going to do it.

Link shook off the memory; all that would follow was the hazy memories of his "training", what he now knew were the tests to find… well, the hero for Hyrule. Himself.

/

Zelda groaned and rubbed her eyes, rolling over in bed, and she glanced outside. Early morning, the sky blue-grey with the rising sun. She sat up, running her fingers through her hair, and climbed out of bed and pulled on her robe. Zelda hesitated, and she turned around and climbed back under the covers, closing her eyes. Not this time. This time, she was going to go back to sleep, and she hoped Link would do the same.

She lay awake for an hour, the sky slowly brightening. No, no rest for her. Zelda grumbled in anger and frustration and wheeled out of bed, and she stomped down to the kitchens. No matter how late or early she fell asleep, she was locked into wakefulness at this dreadful hour.

By the time she got down to the kitchen, Link already had a biscuit and was on his second cup of tea. He nodded when she sat down.

"I almost thought you'd managed to shake it. I was going to ask you how."

"No, just wishful thinking," she muttered. The kitchen was filling with the smells of rising and baking bread, that warm, rich, nutty smell that was so good to have again. They sat in their companionable silence as fresh water was brewed for Zelda's cup. It was costing Hyrule dear to keep importing crops though, and Zelda suspected another tax rise was on the horizon. She would not have the people starve, she was determined on that score. Already, she began to calculate an appropriate amount that would draw the least complaint.

Link glanced at her as she sat in silence, her mind whirling with her private thoughts. She was so reserved and private, in her own world. And he felt guilty, but he could not help comparing her to Verla. And that made him wonder, again, if Verla was waiting for his return.

"What's on your mind?" he asked her finally.

Zelda glanced at him, as if she'd forgotten, and she smiled apologetically. "Oh, lots of things. Were you going to work with the soldiers today?"

Link yawned. "Not sure. I might let them have a rest for the day."

"What will you do instead?" She nodded as her tea was brought over, and added her sugar, giving it a stir and waiting.

Link frowned. "Couldn't say." He gave his legs a little shake. "Probably not sleep." They both laughed a little, their own personal joke. Zelda stirred her tea.

"Did… is there anyone you wanted to visit, at all?" she asked. Link looked at her in surprise, but hesitated before speaking.

"No," he said firmly. "I'd like to go over the weapons the smiths've been mocking up for me."

"Yes, of course." Zelda smiled. "And they're coming along?"

"Well enough. Not as intricate as the real things, but good enough for a fight."

A pause. Zelda took a little drink, finding her tea was still a little too hot. Even though he was long finished, Link lingered, one hand clasped protectively over a slow-healing wound on his arm, under his shirt sleeve.

"Why can't we sleep?" Zelda blurted. Link jumped a little and looked at her. The kitchen maid was either holding her breath to listen or had left the room; Link looked around and confirmed the latter.

"I mean… all I want to do, all I've wanted to do since this mess was over, was get Hyrule back on track. And I'm doing just that, slowly but surely, but at the cost of my own rest!" She laughed a little. "I… it's a small price to pay, to be sure, but I do like sleep, now and again."

"Well who doesn't?" He grinned at her.

"I mean, maybe it's because of how horrific it was. Like, I can't shake it. Sometimes at night, before I fall asleep, the darkness seems like it's closing in." Zelda bit off the rest of her words before she could say more. It felt like a slippery slope; once she got started she may not stop, and she really did not want to start crying in the middle of this ill-stocked kitchen. "Not enough money for candles, and I don't want to burn down the damn castle."

Link nodded in understanding. "There were a lot of monsters outside of the safe space," he said suddenly, though he didn't mean to. "They knew you were in there, like they could smell you out. Must've been… at least six big guys."

Zelda shivered a little. Link knew this was the wrong tack, but he couldn't stop.

"But they couldn't break through the door. No matter what they tried, that door wouldn't open. They were beating on it with their fists when I got there, and… that door held tight."

"Just a door," she muttered. "That was all that protected me?"

"Well, that door didn't open until I put my hand on it. I didn't even touch the knob or anything, just laid my hand on it and it opened."

Zelda looked at him in surprise.

"Zelda, that door wasn't even locked. Something was keeping it shut tight."

"Impa, maybe? If she put some sort of seal on it?" Zelda muttered to herself.

"The point is… you're safe. And you were safe then. And whatever tries to come after you in the night, I'm right down the hall. And I'll protect you."

They sat there in silence, Zelda composing herself and Link staring at his empty cup awkwardly. There was a sudden clatter; the kitchen girl had fumbled a wooden bowl and it clanged loudly on the floor.

"Sorry!" she called out to the startled patrons, her eyes a little wary and her body half-crouching when she saw Link almost standing, his hand at his shoulder (damn it) and Zelda tucking her head under her right arm, her left hand spread out as if to ward something off.

Link straightened and touched Zelda's left hand lightly. "If you wish, Your Majesty, perhaps we should return to our rooms."

Zelda blinked and looked up at him, a little embarrassed, and she made herself stand quickly, smoothing the skirt of her nightdress. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I do have several plans for charitable programs, and I should get to work on them."

Later that day, after a quick bath and a quicker lunch, Zelda called together her advisors.

"Hyrule is going broke," she said, dismissing any attempts at casual greeting. "Repairs, importing food, not to mention the money that was used up by that madman for his own gain. Taxes are going to have to be rai—

She was met with some groans of dissent, and a little flame of anger kicked up inside of her. "Really? You dare to dismiss this? It's the only way to get Hyrule back on its feet. If you allow Hyrule to go broke, then no one will have anything."

The advisors fell silent, well chastised.

"As I was saying, taxes will be raised. However. I am willing to allow a work-around. If a household wishes to donate the amount they would be taxed extra towards one or a few of our programs, they can continue to pay the old rate, and will know that their money will directly go towards Hyrule."

The advisors muttered amongst themselves, but it overall seemed positive.

"Some of the programs are for rebuilding houses for destitute families. Some will go towards offering support for those who have lost loved ones. Others are to go towards importing foods from other countries to help us thrive."

"Does it have to be entirely monetary?" one of the advisors asked. "Or should we open it up to more… practical donations?"

"Such as?" Zelda folded her hands.

"Donating food from personal stores that fits the equivalent worth. Building supplies, or even serfs to assist with building."

"Do your workers have intact homes?"

"Most do," the advisor said reluctantly, after some thought.

Zelda frowned, thinking. "Focus on getting your own people back to task. And whatever any of you spend on getting your own servants back on their feet, you are not to gain recompense out of their wages. I do not care if you have to build them all new homes. They will need the money more than ever to continue paying their own taxes, purchasing the things that aren't donated at market—

"But that will just line the government's pocket!" argued another advisor.

"Our pockets are empty!" Zelda shouted. "Their purchases pay your wages! Don't you dare fight Us on this!" She took a deep breath to calm herself, and closed her eyes to recollect her thoughts. "They will need the money. I will be watching closely. You cannot take their money away, not while we are in this crisis."

"But you can take ours?" countered the same advisor.

Zelda clenched her hand into a fist and turned to look at him. Her countenance was so full of disgust that he stared wide-eyed, and knew he made a mistake and hastened to apologize to her for the disruption.

"How much of a tax increase?" asked a different advisor, to distract her.

"Four hundred rupees per every fifteen hundred in their assets."

"And what if they don't have fifteen hundred in the bank? Like all the working class?"

"Then they won't be subject to the tax. In fact, I've determined that earning under a certain percent, they won't be subject to the tax at all. The poor suffer first in this sort of crisis, gentlemen. Why make them to suffer more?"

"It'll be hard for you to buy dresses for a while," one of them tried to joke.

Zelda offered him a quick, barely-there smile, her eyes hard. "A sacrifice I'm more than prepared to make."