One very sunny and beautiful day, 16-year-old Link was walking back from Lake Hylia after a cool swim. With him, were Malon, Zelda, Saria, Mimi and Links horse Epona.

Saria was a Kokori, so she was smaller than everyone else was, as Kokori don't grow up. After a day of playing in the water with everyone, she had fallen asleep and was in a piggyback position on Links back. Link wore nothing but green cargo shorts and his golden hair was still wet and it dangled in his face. Mimi, being raised as Kokori but actually Hylian like Link, was 14 and was reclining on Epona in her green bikini. 16 year old Zelda, who just happened to be the Princess of Hyrule (but always found time for her friends), was talking to Malon, a 16 year old red haired farm girl with a talent for singing and a love for horses.

"Have you ever thought of getting a horse like Epona?"

Zelda brushed her blond hair off her face and turned to answer Malon.

"I'd love to get one, but with me being around the castle so much, it would get neglected."

As Malon was a fierce animal cruelty hater, she agreed with her friends resolve.

"Hey Link." Said Mimi while yawning.

"Yeah?" replied Link.

"What happened to your Master Sword? I haven't seen it in ages."

"Don't you remember? I put it back in the stone and went back to being a kid so I could grow up normally."

"But that sword was, like, your best weapon."

"Let me explain, when I first picked up the sword, I was 10. But I was too young to be the hero of time, so my spirit was sealed in the Chamber of Sages for seven years, when I was old enough to use the sword and stop Ganondorf. When it was over, I put the sword back in the stone and returned to being a kid. Now I'm getting older normally, when I hit seventeen in August, ill be able to use the sword without being catapulted through time."

"So what have you been using to fight?" asked Malon.

"I haven't needed to fight anything since Ganondorf was sealed in The Dark Realm." replied Link. "But if anything comes up, I can just use magic to buy time so I can get a weapon."

The group walked steadily on and was heading to the entrance to Kokori village. Saria had woken up and finding herself on the back of Link, with whom she had had a love interest when they were kids, quickly climbed down, blushing. Link smiled at her girlishness. Although she doesn't look it, with her child body and girly behavior, she is the Forest Sage, so I must remember to treat her like one He thought. For although she was small in size, she was older than any of them, being roughly 20 years of age. But since she's Kokori and can't grow up, she never got any more mature either.

Link smiled at how ironic it was to be someone so small, and be older and wiser than him and his friends.

As they walked through the small tree filled area, Link looked up at the blue sky and thought it was such a perfect day. But then he saw several black shapes leaping over the ledge down towards them. Zelda, who had been watching Links handsome face, saw it turn to shock and a second later she found out why. The people landed in a circle around their group. Malon and Mimi cried out, as they had seen nothing. Epona reared up and dumped Mimi on the ground. Malon rushed to help her.

"Calm your horse or we'll kill it!" said one of them. From her voice and attire, Link knew they were Gerudo Raiders. The Gerudo were a warrior women tribe that despised men, especially sexist ones. Every hundred years, a male would be born, and he was destined to rule them. But there were a few rebels who think that no man should rule over them, so they leave and raid the men who roam Hyrule Field. But these groups are few and recent peace treaties between Hylians and Gerudo have lessened the raid chances to almost non-existent. This must be one of the diehard groups thought Link as he tried to calm Epona down.

"Well, if it isn't that wonder boy Link, the so-called hero of time! How are you going to get out of this one without your sword - or any other weapon for that matter!" the woman laughed.

Link grinned at her.

"Watch me"

With a mighty yell, Link slammed his fist into the earth and a massive fiery blast shot outwards, knocking down all the Raiders, yet leaving his friends unscathed. With a cheer, they continued walking to the opening that led to the village. But just before they entered, a voice yelled out behind them.

"Hey! Wonder boy!"

Everyone turned around to see the woman sitting on the ground holding a bow. As her hand was reaching back to grab an arrow. Link quickly began a spell. He had both hands in the peace sign, but with the fingers closed together. He imagined his hands were magnetic, his right hand positive, his left negative. He quickly pointed his left hand upward, towards the sky, and his right hand at the raider woman. This had all taken a second, but the woman had grabbed an arrow and was pulling the string back.

The others watched in amazement as the few white clouds zoomed across the sky and swirled in a spiral where Link was pointing. Once again, this had all only taken a second, but the woman had pulled the string back all the way and was about to release the string...

CRACK!

Lightning shot forth from the clouds and hit Links upward pointing hand. Lightning surged through his body before blasting out his other hand towards the woman. The lightning had vaporized the arrow as it flew!

The woman was electrocuted then she slumped forward, unconscious or dead.

The group moved through the passage so no-one else could attack them.

"Link, that was incredible! I've never seen magic like that!" said Zelda.

"Yeah Link, thanks for saving us!" said Malon.

Then both girls leaned forward and planted a kiss on him. Link blushed.

"It, uh, it was...um... it was n-nothing..." he stammered.

"I never thought I would see the day Link blushed!" said Malon.

"I know! He looks great when he blushes!" agreed Zelda.

"He looks great all the time, actually." whispered Malon to Zelda and they both giggled.

Link, sensing the conversation was heading towards him choosing between them, quickly changed the subject.

"So, do you three want to stay here tonight? It's getting late and the castle is far away." He made sure to include Mimi, even though she lived in Kokori village too, he thought that with Mimi around he might not be alone with Zelda or Malon very much. Unfortunately, Mimi knew that. Even more unfortunately, they fight a lot.

"No, I have things to do at home, like feed my fish and clean my room." Said Mimi.

Mimi served Link an evil grin before skipping off to her house.

"We can stay though." Said Malon happily.

"Yeah, it should be fun" Zelda chimed in.

Link sighed.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

At roughly 2:00am, Link woke up. He felt completely refreshed and felt he could run for hours. He deliberately fell asleep very early to avoid having a certain conversation with the girls. So that's why I woke up at 2:00am he thought. He needed the bathroom, but it might wake the girls, so he went outside. He found a good bush and did his thing.

"You know he's avoiding it"

"Yes, I know"

"He's getting older, he has to choose soon."

"Yeah. We have to corner him somehow."

Malon and Zelda were sitting next to the window watching the silhouette of Link in the bushes.

"Maybe we should to talk to him" suggested Malon.

Zelda shook her head.

"No, it needs to be subtle; we can't just force the decision on him.

"He'll choose you, you know." said Malon quietly.

"What? Why?"

"Why would he choose a poor farm girl, when he could have a wealthy princess?"

Zelda smiled at her friends irrational fears.

"Malon, I don't think Link is that kind of guy."

"You're right, I'm sorry, I was being silly. It's just... I can't stop thinking about him..."

At that moment, Zelda knew that Malon was made for Link.

"You go talk to him, Malon"

Malon looked at Zelda and she understood instantly.

"This won't change us will it?"

Zelda smiled.

"Not at all"

They hugged then Malon left the room.

Zelda knew now that the only reason she had pined over Link was because he was her knight in shining armor. He was the one who always saved her from evil. But it was a girlish fantasy and nothing more.

She smiled sadly over the time she could have looked for her own knight in shining armor. But she felt no jealousy.

None at all.

Malon waited for Link to finish buckling his belt. She began to worry. What if he doesn't love me? What if he loves Zelda? What if...but her worries drowned in Links blue eyes as he turned around.

They just stood there for a while.

Then they both ran forward and hugged. After a moment, Link stepped back and held her at arms length.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.

"Ever since we met"

"So be it"

They both leant forward.

Their lips met.

The months passed quickly, with autumn fast approaching.

Link, Malon, Zelda, Mimi, Saria and of course, Epona, were spending one of the last good days of sun before autumn came.

They had a big picnic blanket and towels for when they swam. Link was wearing his green board shorts that came down to his shins; Mimi, Malon and Zelda were wearing bikinis colored to match their region. Mimi was green, Zelda was gold and Malon was red. Saria was wearing her green water-proof tunic bathers.

Link was lying on his back with his hands behind his head with his eyes closed. Malon was snuggled up beside him.

Lake Hylia was beautiful during the spring, the sun shone on the water and it sparkled all the colors of the rainbow. Fairies tended to gather here at this time of year.

Mimi walked up to Link and Malon.

"Hey lovebirds, wanna go try to catch a fairy?" Mimi asked.

"Nah, I'm fine right here" said Link.

"So am I" said Malon with a giggle. Then Link rolled over and they began making out.

Mimi rolled her eyes and left to ask Saria.

"Hey Saria, wanna go try and catch a fairy?"

"Sure!" Saria put down the book she had been reading and followed Mimi into the lake. They chased fairies for half an hour before flopping on the grass panting and laughing.

"Hey Saria," said Malon, with a thoughtful face on.

"Yes?"

"You're Kokori, right? But how can you go outside the forest?"

"It's the Sages power that I added to Links power all those years ago, as long as I'm near Link, as in, a few hundred meters, then I won't be hurt."

"Cool. Hey, Linkers, when's your birthday?" asked Malon.

Before he could answer Mimi called out

"LINKERS?!?" she then fell into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

Link became defensive.

"Well your nickname is just the person you care about most!"

Mimi was confused.

"What? Me?" she said falling into his trap.

"Exactly! You care about yourself most!"

Everybody laughed. But Malon was confused.

"If Mimi is her nickname, then what's her real name?" she asked.

"Mimian!" said Link trying to control his laughter.

Then Malon joined in the laughing.

But Mimi looked explosive.

"Well I think you're all a bunch of jerks!" she yelled, then stormed off.

"You had better go talk to her." Said Link to Malon as Malon was Mimi's closest friend, as they both spent countless hours talking about horses and finding their true love. You know, boring stuff like that.

Malon found Mimi sitting on a ledge looking out across the lake.

She sat down beside her.

"You and Link always argue and call each other names, why is this bothering you so much?" Malon asked.

"It's not that, I've just seen how happy you and Link are, and I really want that kind of happiness." replied Mimi.

"Don't worry; I'm sure your true love is out there somewhere. Now come back to the group, were about to eat."

"Ok."

When they returned to the others, Malon remembered what she asked Link before Mimi called out.

"So Link, when is your birthday?" she asked.

"August 11th." he said

"But, that's only a week from now!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Link said. He never really acknowledged his birthday, since no-one got him anything when he was little, so to him it was just a normal day.

"Link, did you know that seventeen is the legal marriage age?" Malon hinted inconspicuously.

Link grinned at her.

"Really?" he feigned ignorance. "I will have to look into that."

They both smiled at each other and began kissing again.

Mimi rolled her eyes at them then unpacked some food for them. Zelda began walking up from the lake, having finished her swim.

"Hey Zelda, do you know of a way to drag them apart to eat?" asked Mimi, gesturing over her shoulder at the two love-struck teenagers.

"I grew up with Link, I know how to get his attention." said Zelda.

Mimi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Hey Link, want some roasted Cucco?" said Zelda, offering a plate of food.

Links stomach growled loudly. He shrugged apologetically at Malon, before tucking in to the food.

"You're a walking stomach, Link!" laughed Mimi.

"Hi ust oyj my frd" he replied with his mouth full. He swallowed, and then tried again.

"I just enjoy my food"

"A little too much if you ask me" said Zelda and they all laughed.

Just then, an arrow whizzed past and thudded in the ground a few centimeters away from where Link was. He jumped up and looked for the source. It was the Gerudo woman again!

"This lady just doesn't give up..." he said as another arrow flew past him.

He put his fingers in the closed peace sign, and two seconds later, the ground on which the woman stood was a crater 10 meters wide.

She flew through the air before splashing in to the lake. Everybody laughed and continued eating.

* * *

The days drew nearer to Links birthday, and word got out that he would be able to marry. Unattached ladies from across the lands came to try and win Links heart. Also the latest gossip was that he would pull the Master sword out of the stone and use it again, and everyone was excited about that. The famous Hero Of Time! The Legendary Link! The Keeper of the Ocarina Of Time! Those were names everybody was uttering the morning before his birthday.

Zelda woke up to birds chirping and the sweet smell of flowers.

"Mmmmm..." she whispered with a smile. She opened her eyes to see that flowers of every colour had been spread on her bed. She sat up to get a better view and discovered a letter on her table. She picked it up and read it.

Either this is one horrible degenerate man, or I'm in love! She thought.

Mimi was walking through town looking for a good present for Link. She thought about getting a joke present, like a rat, but since this was a big birthday, she decided to find something nice. She was walking along the street when a dark man ran up to her and grabbed her bag. She struggled but the man was too strong. He finally pulled it off her and ran down the street. Mimi was about to yell "Stop that thief!" but another man leapt out of an alley and tackled the thief into a wall, before beating him senseless.

When he was done, he picked up the bag and carried it back to Mimi.

"Here you are milady." He said while bowing graciously. Mimi giggled.

"Why thank you mister...?"

"Just call me Riku."

"Riku... That's a Termina name, isn't it?"

Riku looked surprised.

"Yes, it is...How did you know?"

"Oh, a friend of mine went there once."

"Really? He must be very brave, Termina used to be full of monsters."

"What do you mean ‘used to'?"

"Oh, this guy called Link came along and saved the whole of Termina from complete devastation."

A young girl walked up to them.

"Are you guys talking about Link? He is sooo cute! I'm gonna ask him out when he comes to town!" she said.

"Link might already be in a relationship though." Mimi said with a smirk.

"No, he can't be. We are made for each other!" the girl said surely before walking off, chattering about ‘her Linkers'."

Mimi shook her head and smiled.

"Link is going to have his hands full when he comes here tomorrow." She said, forgetting Riku was there.

"What? Do you know Link? Can I meet him?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm sure he won't mind meeting a fan." She cursed herself for speaking out loud; this would surely boost Links already inflated ego.

Link and Saria were entertaining younger Kokori with their ocarinas. The lively crowd laughed and danced with the music until Link accidentally entered a wrong note and warped himself to the Forest Temple.

He warped himself back, much to the amusement of the young Kokoris. He looked around, dazed, before being overwhelmed by little bodies as the Kokoris ran and hugged him.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, falling off the rock he had been sitting on. Saria giggled at him before being overwhelmed herself. Link and Saria rolled around with the kids until they grew tired. They both lay there on the grass, panting.

"Hey Link, what do you want for your birthday tomorrow?" asked Saria.

"Just my friends to be there."

"No, seriously, what do you want?"

"I am serious, don't get me anything."

"But that's the fun of it!"

"Just your presence would be enough."

Saria rolled her eyes. Now she had to figure out what he wanted on her own. He was always being like this, she thought, always so modest and helpful. It's like he doesn't even take credit for everything he's done. Doesn't he know what a hero he is?

Link, however was thinking along a different track.

I wish Saria and the others would just accept that I'm not as fond of presents as they are; I just want them, not items. His thoughts drifted to Malon. I wonder what she's doing right now. Probably chores, knowing her. Poor girl works day and night just to keep the stables clean.

Malon was, in fact, doing her chores. Sweeping the stable, combing the horses, milking the cows. She was busy combing Links horse Eponas hair when Ingo walked in.

"Yer pa wans te se yah" he said in his terrible accent.

So Malon gave Ingo the brush and left the stables, for her house. Once she got there, she opened the door and walked in to see her father, Talon, sitting at his usual chair.

"You wanted me, Father?" she asked.

"Yes. We need to have a talk."

"What about, Father?"

"About Link."

"Oh"

"Does he intend to marry you?" Talon asked bluntly.

"Oh...I...um... I don't know..."

"Believe me; I have absolutely no objection to you marrying the Hero Of Time." He chuckled. "I simply wanted to know when?"

"Oh!" she blushed. "I don't know, he hasn't asked me yet."

"Oh, well, tomorrow is his birthday; perhaps he will ask you then? Malon? Malon?"

But Malon had sunken to the floor amid excited squeals.

"I'm going to marry him..." she whispered.

Talon smiled.

Zelda wandered over to her fathers study and knocked on the door.

"Come in" her father said.

Zelda walked in and saw her father sitting at his desk, doing some paperwork.

"What is it, my princess?"

Zelda raised an eyebrow, as he never called her that.

"I was just wondering who put the flowers on my bed."

"Ah," he said, smiling. "That was Daniel, Crown Prince of Labrynna."

They looked at each other for a while, and then her father said "Just give him a chance, please, for me?"

Zelda sighed. She had turned down more princes than she cared to count, and her father continued dragging princes to meet her. She doubted this one would be different, but she decided with a sigh that one more couldn't hurt.

"Very well father, I shall meet him."

"There's a good girl!" he smiled.

Link was practicing with his bow on a tree in Kokori village when Mimi and Riku entered the village. They walked up behind him as not to disturb him because he was focusing. Already on the tree were split arrows and broken ones, it seemed that his aim was impeccable. Suddenly, he let fly with an arrow and it thunked into the tree, apparently hitting nothing.

"I'm glad to see that even the hero of time makes mistakes occasionally." Riku said.

Link turned around.

"On the contrary." He said with a grin. He motioned them closer to the tree to look at the arrow. They saw that it had a tiny seed pinned to the tree.

Mimi and Riku looked at Link with a questioning look. Link just smiled and pointed towards a building nearby. They turned and saw Saria standing on the rooftop holding Links old slingshot. She waved to them then climbed down and ran over to them. "You got another one Link!" she exclaimed.

Riku was stunned. "You got that seed- "Yep" -as it flew- "Yep" -and pinned it to the tree?" Riku said, dumbstruck.

Link smiled and winked at him.

"I've had plenty of practice on monsters. Anyway, who's this guy you dragged in here Mimi? You're boyfriend?"

"Maybe. Why do you care?"

"I don't. He does." Link said pointing over his shoulder. Mido was steaming towards them.

"Strangers in my village! Outsiders come to ruin us!" he screamed.

Mido was a Kokori like Saria and he considered himself the Kokori leader.

"Calm down Mido! They're friends!" Link insisted, but to no avail.

"I don't care what you say Mr. No-Fairy!"

No-Fairy was a mean name given to him because he didn't have a fairy like all the Kokori when he was a kid.

"Get the strangers out of my village before I...I..."

"Mido, just let them stay, I'll make sure they don't harm the village." said Saria. As Mido had a crush on Saria, he agreed.

Malon hefted the bag of feed and dumped it into the trough in front of the cows. She loved the animals so much, but taking care of them was a little more than hard work. The cows gratefully mooed and began to devour the grain Malon had given them.

"Oh, you guys like that, don't you?" said Malon, patting one of the cows' backs. Now she had to feed the chickens. Malon put the sack of feed back into the corner of the barn and picked up a bucket of corn kernels. She exited the barn and walked to a dry patch of ground where she always fed the chickens. She could see the many birds scattered throughout the ranch. Malon grabbed a handful of corn kernels and threw them onto the ground. Then, as if by magic, a huge flock of chickens came running towards her from all directions. Within seconds, dozens of clucking chickens were pecking at the ground. Malon dumped a few more handfuls of corn onto the dirt to make sure the chickens had enough to eat. She heard some more clucking behind her and turned to see if there were any chickens that were left out. She looked up to see that the source of the clucking was coming from the tree that grew right next to the feeding spot. She looked up at one of the lower branches to see three perfectly happy chickens staring down at her.

"What are you guys doing up there?" shouted Malon to the oblivious chickens.

"You know chickens aren't supposed to fly. Get down here this instant. It's supper time." Malon threw another handful of corn onto the ground, causing the chickens to flap their wings and float down from the low branch. The chickens happily pecked at the ground while Malon stared at them with disbelief.

"How do you manage to get up into that tree?" Malon felt proud of her flying chickens. Everybody knew that chickens could fly a few feet, but no one knew of any that could fly into a tree. Of course, no one would ever believe her if she said that her chickens perched on tree branches.
After feeding the chickens, Malon returned to the barn and put the corn back into the corner. It was time for her to take a break. She always liked getting her chores done early so she could relax for the rest of the day. She walked over to the corral to check on the horses. These were the animals she loved the most. The horses looked so graceful, galloping across the vast ranch. Malon approached her favorite horse, Epona. When Epona saw Malon, the horse happily trotted over to Malon and gently nuzzled her.

"Oh, Malon loves you too," said Malon in a baby-voice. She lovingly patted Eponas head and fed her an apple she'd been holding.

"How's my little baby doing?" The horse grunted happily.

"You miss Link, don't you? Well, I'll make him come over later." The horse snorted and trotted over to get a drink.

* * *

Link woke the next morning with great anticipation. Even though he wasn't into the whole birthday thing as much as everybody else, he was still excited. He leapt out of bed and pulled on his tunic. He strapped his Hylian shield to his back, like he always did when he went into town. The King himself had told him to do that, as people felt safer when he looked prepared. Link saw the reason in that so followed his Kings instructions.

He stepped outside and breathed in the sweet air. As he climbed down the ladder, he noticed Saria running towards him. He finished climbing and turned around to greet her as he was pulled into a big hug.

"Happy Birthday, Link!" she said, kissing him on the cheek. Link blushed a little.

"Since when are you so excited about my birthday?" he asked her.

"It's your big one! You can marry, you get the sword, and you're an adult!"

"Oh yeah, there is all that..."

"I'm really sorry, but I couldn't find you a present."

"Good. Remember, I asked you not to get me one."

"Yeah, but still..."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go to the castle."

"Ok. Piggy back ride?" she asked hopefully, putting on the most pathetic look she could muster.

Link rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he said, crouching down. "Hop on."

Saria climbed on and they headed towards the exit.

Zelda woke to find more flowers on her bed.

She smiled.

Either this Daniel is very pathetic, or very romantic she thought.

The letter beside her told her it was the latter.

Then she remembered what day it was. She practically flew to her dresser and began throwing clothes everywhere looking for the right thing to wear.

"Need any help?" asked a voice from the doorway. Zelda spun around. It was Impa, Zelda's guardian.

"I would love some." replied Zelda.

When Zelda's mother had died in birthing her, Impa had taken on the role of a female figure in her life.

They eventually found a golden dress with the Triforce emblem on the front.

"This will go so well with you're shoes." said Impa.

"Yes...they would..." said Zelda, surprised. Impa was a Sheikah, a mysterious shadow tribe that served as the guardians of the Royal family. The Sheikah were warriors second to only the Hero Of Time. They were fiercely loyal and most of the time stood in the shadows observing.

But Impa had taken on the role of mother as well, so she didn't act like an ordinary Sheikah. Not that anyone could remember what a Sheikah acted like, since they disappeared years ago leaving Impa the sole survivor. Unfortunately, she discovered that she was completely infertile, so it seemed as though her race would end with her. But Zelda was like the child she never had, so she treated her as if she were her own.

The two were very good friends, and when Zelda and Link were ten and they were together, whenever they had an argument, Impa always sorted it out.

She wasn't her mother, but she was close enough.

Link and Saria were finally at the drawbridge.

"Can I pleeeeaaase put you down now?" puffed Link.

"Oh! Yes of course! Sorry!" replied Saria and she jumped off.

"Uh, what you did with my back I might not be able to pull the Master Sword." He joked.

They walked in, past all the cheering guards and into the market center.

Link heard an ear splitting scream. He thought of Ganon being released, the return of monsters, the death of thousands - but it was applause. All around him, people were cheering and laughing for their hero. Link blushed at the attention awarded him. People crowded around him, trying to hug him and thank him, all the while cheering. A hundred hands grasped at him as he stood at the center of Market Center. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to grab him or hug him, all wanting to grasp a part of the Hero Of Time.

Zelda was ready and was walking into the Temple of Time when she heard the cheering. She smiled. Link had arrived. With her was Malon, they walked up the steps and stood on the steps behind the stone pedestal with the sword in it. They watched as The King walked in and stood between them on the steps, just below the hexagonal platform on which the pedestal rested. Slowly, a crowd filtered in the door. Fifty, then a hundred, and soon the entire temple was full.

A path, lined by guards, was made through the center, leading to the pedestal. Link entered and walked the path. The path behind him closed as even more people entered the temple. He received many pats on he back and slaps on the shoulder. A large woman, cheering loudly, burst through the guards and tried to run to him before being restrained. Link couldn't help but laugh at the woman's behavior. He continued up the path and reached the steps. He climbed them to see the smiling faces of Zelda, Malon and the King. He walked up to the stone pedestal and stood in front of the sword that had been with him through so much. Just then, a woman broke through the crowd. With a glint of steel, she drew a sword and ran at Link. She raised the sword and brought it down on the stone pedestal beside the Master Sword. Link had dodged aside when he heard the sword cut through the air. She swung again and again, but he dodged each swing effortlessly. She grew frustrated and accidentally swung too high once and he took the chance. He crouched while spinning and stuck out his leg. He swept the woman's legs out from beneath her, completed his spin and slammed his fist into her stomach as she fell. She flew backwards, a look of shock on her face, which he now recognized as the Gerudo woman who attacked him some days ago. She fell into the guards waiting arms and they took her away.

A small cheer rose from the crowd, but hushed as he turned to the sword again.

He approached it with respect; he knew what this sword could do. He felt his right arm stretch out and grasp the handle.

With one swift movement, he pulled the sword free effortlessly and raised it in to the air. A bluish white circle of light descended upon him, and he felt like he would be warped at any moment. But he wasn't, instead, three god-like figures descended upon him.

"Link..." the green one said. "We are the three goddess' of this realm..."

"We deem you worthy to carry the blade of evils bane, use it wisely..."

"You have courage." said the green goddess.

"You have Love and Wisdom." said the blue goddess.

"And you have Power to fight for all three." said the red goddess.

"We deem you The Legendary Hero, The Hero of Time, You are above any and all Authority, and You are a law unto your self! Use the blade of evils bane, and protect this land from the evil that dwells beyond your borders! For this is the will of the great houses of Don and Llyr!" the goddess's roared in union.

"So be it!" was the cry from every soul in Hyrule.

* * *

Link walked along the beach next to Lake Hylia with his sword drawn and shirt off.

Ever since the day of the party, a band of about twenty girls had followed him everywhere, talking and giggling, and when he turned and looked at them, they would stop and continue giggling. After a while, this began to really annoy Link, as he was trying to familiarize himself with the sword he hadn't held in seven years, technically more, considering the alternate timeline he created. Ugh, what a mess these timelines are in he thought.

He closed his eyes and lashed out at an imaginary foe, skillfully dodging and ducking around imaginary strikes. After a while, he decided that while he had their attention, he might as well show off. He smiled as he could just hear Mimi saying ‘typical'. He began his lightning spell and, to the girls' amazement, shot lightning in every direction. Although it didn't look like it, he was making sure that no-one was in danger of being hit. After he tired himself out, he fell backwards onto the sand, panting. The girls took this as a sign that they were going to be here for a while, so they spread out towels and sat around him. With the Master sword lying beside him, he almost fell asleep, but the unrelenting giggling kept him awake.

"Don't you girls have families to go to?" he said hopefully.

"Nope! We came here all fore you!" said a braver one.

Link blushed and the girls went wild.

"He loves me!" said the one who spoke.

"No, he loves me!" said another.

During the ensuing argument, Link tried to slink away.

"Hey! You!" yelled one of the ones who weren't arguing. "Where do you think you're going?"

Link sighed and trudged back to the group.

On a hill not too far away Mimi and Zelda were lying down watching the group on the beach. They had found it greatly amusing when Link had tried to sneak away. A few minutes earlier, during the lightning display, Mimi had shook her head and said, ‘typical', before ducking as a streak of lightning zoomed over her head. Now, they both sat wondering how Link was going to get out of this.

"I bet he just wants to leave so he can go suck face with Malon." said Mimi.

"Yes, he might, but couldn't you use a nicer word?" replied Zelda.

"Oh, I'm sorry your highness, perhaps mouth-to-mouth spit transfer would be more to your majesties liking?" said Mimi, putting on a posh voice.

Zelda laughed. "Mimi, you know how I detest formality."

"My apologies, Majesty, for I did no know that you detest proper manners and etiquette."

Zelda laughed again and hit her friend playfully. "I'm serious, knock it off, we have to keep an eye on Link for Malon, remember?"

"Ok"

Link had just listened to the 8th ‘this happened to a friend of a friend of mine' story when he got an idea.

"Do you ladies know what this is?" he said, taking out the Ocarina of Time.

"Of course, that's your ocarina." said a girl matter-of-factly.

"Can you play us a song?" asked a girl excitedly.

Link smiled and nodded, they fell into his trap. He pressed it to his lips and played The Minuet Of Forest. When he was done the girls clapped. Then, some green lights floated out of his Ocarina. The girls laughed, thinking this was more magic. But when Link waved goodbye while smiling, they knew something was up. They tried to grab for him, but the green light went into him and he was gone, only the green lights remained, but only for a second, as they flew off and headed for the forest.

"That sneaky guy! We didn't even get to the part were he agrees to marry me!" said a girl.

"No way! He was gonna marry me!" said another.

"That sneaky guy! We didn't even get to the part where they try to marry him!" said Zelda.

"Oh well, there's always tomorrow!" said Mimi brightly, looking forward to Links torture.

"Your wickedness never ceases to amaze me." replied Zelda.

"I maim to please."

They both laughed and headed over to Kokori Forest.

Link meanwhile, had reappeared at the Forest Temple and had quickly made his way to the village. He knew these woods like the back of his hand, thanks to countless expeditions when he was little, his quest had also brought him through here more than once, and so he knew every turn to take. Once back in the village, he was greeted with a warm welcome from everyone; even Mido was in a good mood. Link walked through the village and climbed up the ladder to his house. Once inside, he fell onto his bed and picked up one of the books scattered next to his bed, and began to read.

After a few minutes, he heard the sound of people climbing his ladder. He put down the book and stood up. In through his door came Mimi and Zelda.

"Nice stunt you pulled on those girls back there." said Mimi.

"You saw that?" Link said.

"Yeah, we were on a hill near by."

"Well I think you should go apologize to them." said Zelda.

"Oh please, if I could remember my mother, I'm sure you'd sound just like her." said Mimi.

Link gave half a laugh at this, not being able to recall his own mother either.

"Well, I better go, my fathers probably wondering where I am." said Zelda.

She left, closely followed by Mimi, presumably to talk to Riku, who had moved in at such short notice. He shook his head at that, but couldn't help wondering if Malon would move in here with him. Just then, he heard someone climbing the ladder again. He got up again and watched as Malon entered the house.

"Hello." he said warmly.

She returned his greeting, and then offered a package with a ribbon around it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"It's your present, you know, from your birthday; I forgot to give it to you."

"Oh wow! Thanks." He eagerly unwrapped it to find a new tunic; it had the Triforce over the heart and on the back. It also had a new pair of tights and some light chain-mail armor.

"Wow! This is incredible! How did you get this?"

"The Kokori helped me make it, so don't give me all the credit."

Link examined it some more. It was finely done, the stitching and material used was excellent for the kind of work Link did.

"Why don't you try it on?" asked Malon.

"Good idea."

Without regard that Malon was standing right near him, he pulled off his old tunic with all his under-clothes as well. He was surprised that she didn't squeal and run out of the room. Instead, Malon walked towards him and put her arms around him.

Zelda had been right; her father had been very worried about her. She stood now in his study and tried to calm him down.

"Daddy, I was just out with my friends, I wasn't in any danger!"

"But I didn't know that, did I? For all I know, you could have been captured by Gerudo Raiders!"

"But I wasn't, Daddy! I'm safe and sound, everyone is!"

This seemed to calm him down pretty well.

"Your right, I'm sorry, but I've been under so much stress lately what with the guards wanting a raise, the recent Gerudo attacks on men, the war going on in Termina-" "Daddy. Sleep." said Zelda, calmly but forcefully. "The troubles of this world can wait ‘till tomorrow."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." he yawned. "Goodnight honey."

"Goodnight Dad."

Zelda left the office and went back to her room, feeling like she had done some good today.

Mimi and Riku were talking on top of Mimi's roof, looking at the stars. Riku was pointing out some constellations that he learnt in Termina.

"That cluster over there is called Ormolok, the great warrior who slew Elvarg, the king of dragons." he stopped when he realized Mimi was staring at him. Her lips moved faintly.

"I love you..."

Riku's eyes widened. So she did feel something for him! This changed everything!

"And I you." he replied.

They just lay there for what seemed like an eternity, staring into each others eyes. Then suddenly-

"Marry me?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. He saw the shock in her face.

"I'm sorry, it's too soon-" he began. Mimi saw she was showing the wrong face.

"No Riku, it's not."

Then she took his hand and led him down to the ground so they could walk. As they walked, energy seemed to pass through them. Without even looking at each other, they had fallen in love.

Authors Note: I don't normally write romances, but for some reason, after reading the ones written by all the other Zelda fans, it just stuck to me. But if you don't like that kind of stuff, I'm sure there will be more bloodthirsty battles in later stories, perhaps even in this one. But for now, just try to put up with it. Thanks, the author.

P.S my parents read this so don't expect very explicit love scenes.

Mimi and Riku were walking past Links house, when she thought she heard a strange noise coming from it. He's probably playing his Ocarina of Time, or laughing at a book she decided.

But when they absent mindedly ended up at the forest path just outside the village, she saw Malons horse. Raising an eyebrow she was about to say something smart and full of wit, when Riku kissed her with so much enthusiasm, he lifted her off her feet.

Back at Lon Lon ranch, Talon knew exactly where Malon had gone in the middle of the night and what she planned to do. It was a good thing that nice boy Riku had wanted a job; otherwise he might've had to close the ranch. Ingo wouldn't be pleased. Talon chuckled. Ingo probably expected more pay because he would do much more work. Malon had always said that when she left home, she would still come and help when she could, and Talon had no doubt that she would keep her promise. And with her that Hero Link would come and help too. And all his friends! Talon chuckled again. He might as well have the entire Hylian Military working for him!

He sighed. Ever since that little kid dressed in green stumbled into my ranch, everything's gone great.

* * *

The next morning, Link awoke to Malon snuggled up beside him. The events of last night flashed through his mind and he couldn't keep an enormous grin from spreading on his face. Malon woke up then, perhaps sensing that he was awake.

"Good morning." she said sleepily.

"Very good morning." he corrected and she laughed. He had a burst of inspiration and turned to look at her.

"So, uh, do you want to move in with me?" he asked awkwardly.

"I would've thought that would be obvious after that." she replied, blushing.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course." he said, embarrassed. "And um," he began, even more awkwardly than before. "Doyouwanttomarryme?" he blurted out.

"Sorry?"

He took a breath to calm his nerves and tried again.

"Do you want to marry me?" he said, beginning to sweat a little.

She looked at him with surprise.

"Well again, I would have thought that would be the obvious thing to do." she replied.

He visibly relaxed and let out a breath that he'd been holding without realizing. She noticed this and laughed again.

"Did you really think I'd say no?" she asked, finding the notion quite amusing.

Link was rather touched that she hadn't even considered saying no and that she showed no hesitancy at all.

But this golden moment didn't last long as a little voice shouted out from the base of his tree-house.

"Link! Help us! There's a monster in the village!"

Link leapt up at once and pulled on his new tunic and grabbed his sword. He shrugged apologetically at Malon then ran out the door and leapt off the balcony and rolled on the ground, completely ignoring the ladder. He ran across the village and saw an adult badgermole sitting on the grass in the middle of the village. He laughed, badgermoles were harmless. Link approached it and it turned and spoke to him.

Could thee please remove thy little green ones from my nest?

Link was taken aback for a moment.

"Did you just talk?" he asked.

Ah, ye hath been empowered by thy Forest Sage.

"I- yes I have, how did you know?"

Thy Forest Sages power allows thee to speak with thy first three creatures upon this land.

"Really? That's amazing! Who are the other two animals?"

Thee know one by thy name of ‘Deku Scrub'.

"The Deku scrubs? They were one of the first three creatures put upon this land?"

Indeed. That is why you can talk to them when no-one else can.

"But in Termina-"

Thy land ye call Termina be their homeland. All who be born within its borders can speak to thy Deku peoples.

"Ahhh, ok. Who are the third creatures?"

They be thy Goron race. We saw what they could be, and taught them how to dig, and helped them carve out thy tunnels which be their home. Over time, they taught themselves proper speak, not just thy grunts and growls. They began to converse with thy other races, and grew into the civilization they be today.

But enough of history, back to thy matter at hand. I chose thy village as the safest place for my young to grow, would thee explain this to thy little green ones?

"Yes, of course."

Link turned to the Kokori who were standing behind him, scared out of their wits.

"This badgermole is completely harmless, and he chose your village to bring up his young. Would thee de- sorry, would you deny him this?"

A braver Kokori stepped forward timidly and edged closer to the badgermole. The child stopped and reached up and patted it on the head. The badgermole licked this child, soaking him with his huge tongue. The child giggled and hugged the badgermole. More children ran forward and began to play with it.

"Hey!" one said. "When it has babies we can play with them!" the children loved this idea.

Zelda had woken up in a gathering of more flowers.

If he keeps this up, the meadow will be empty! she chuckled to herself before climbing out of bed and getting dressed. She looked around for another letter, but there wasn't one.

He must've run out of degenerate fantasies she thought, and chuckled again. She opened her door and saw that her father and a strange young man were standing there.

"Ah, Princess, good morning to you! I trust you enjoyed those flowers?" said the man. "I am Prince Daniel of Labrynna; I'm pleased to make your acquaintance!"

"Princess?" said Zelda, deciding to have a little fun. "No, Highness, I am only her maid. The Princess left a while ago."

The Prince evidently lost his jovial mood and the King raised an eyebrow.

"Well, do you know where she's gone?"

"She said something about spending the day with the Hero Of Time."

"Oh. I see." The Prince was visibly unnerved and Zelda knew that he thought of Link as competition. She smiled inwardly.

This is going to be fun.

Mimi and Riku had spent the night kissing and talking about all the mushy things in life, even, at one point, mashed banana. They returned to their cottage and bid each other goodnight and had fallen asleep quickly. Now, they were in the breakfast hall (a new addition to the town) making breakfast for the Kokori. The Kokori had come up with the rule that the older kids made the food, and the younger kids cleaned up. It was a good system, and it added a better sense of community to the village. Today, they were making bacon and eggs, the kids' favorite. They always had an abundance of eggs and bacon, as well as lots of other foods, because Malon came here often now that she was with Link and she brought several baskets of food to the village.

Link was walking in to the food hall and Mimi noticed a little extra bounce in his step. Remembering seeing Malons horse last night, she figured it might have something to do with his excellent mood.

"What a beautiful day it is today!" he exclaimed.

"And why are you in such a good mood today?" asked Mimi.

"Oh-its just so...er...beautiful today...and...yeah." he stammered.

"But what about you? Did you have a nice sleep?" he asked, changing the subject. Luckily, Mimi had a trick up her sleeve to get him back on subject.

"No, I couldn't sleep at all, and neither could half the forest, thanks to all the noise coming from over there somewhere." she said, and pointed vaguely towards Links house.

"Yeah we couldn't-uh- I couldn't sleep either because of that noise." he said, then slipped away with his breakfast to a table far away from Mimi.

"You really enjoy this don't you?" asked Riku, who had listened quietly to the whole conversation.

"I just love to watch him squirm." Mimi replied happily, and took a bite of her toast.

Daniel had asked that Zelda's supposed maid took him to Kokori forest, as he didn't know the way. Zelda had agreed and the two of them had gotten to the village quite quickly.

They walked into the food hall and Daniel gasped at all the little children running about.

"There are so many children!" he exclaimed.

Zelda nodded. She was used to outsider's remarks about the children. Outsiders weren't used to seeing an entire race of children, and it seemed to shock them a bit.

They walked up to Links table and joined him. Link greeted them with a bacon stuffed smile.

"Eeuugh! Mouth closed please!" said Zelda. Link made a huge swallow and drank some orange juice.

"So, what are you guys doing later?" he asked casually, not noticing that Daniel was staring awe-struck at him.

"Wait, you know the Princesses maid?" asked Daniel finally.

"The wha-ow!" said Link as Zelda kicked him under the table.

"Uh, yeah, I know her. Erm, because she's with Zelda a lot?" he asked hopefully, and the prince accepted it.

"Do you happen to know where she is at the moment?" inquired Daniel.

"Um, she is...um...taking a nap in the forest meadow." replied Link. "Why do you need her?"

"He's the crown Prince of Labrynna, and wants to marry her." said Zelda, enjoying the game she was playing.

"You're a Prince? Sorry, my manners aren't perfect."

"It's fine. I'm Daniel, and like the princesses maid said, I am the prince of Labrynna." said Daniel with pride, thinking to impress his authority on Link.

"I'm Link, Hero of Time."

Daniel looked embarrassed about his mistake of comparing authorities. Link grinned. This was the first time his title had come in handy.

"My apologies, sir." said Daniel meekly, and he bowed deeply.

"Just call me Link." said Link as he put his hand forward and shook before sitting back down.

"So, do you think the Princess will wake up soon?" asked Daniel.

"I sure hope so." said Link, casting a glance at Zelda, telling her he wouldn't cooperate much longer. She grinned at him, she was having a ball.

Malon had dressed herself and rode to the ranch to help her father with the chores. When she was at the exit of the forest, a young man rode up next to her.

"You going to work at the ranch too?" asked the boy, who Malon recognized as Riku.

"Yes I am." she replied.

"How much are you getting paid?" Riku asked, not remembering who she was.

"My father owns the ranch, I help him out, remember?" she said, trying to jog his memory.

"Ohhhhhh, now I remember, you're Links girlfriend aren't you?"

Malons face went red.

"Fiancée, actually."

"Really? That was quick."

"Don't forget, we knew each other in an alternate timeline."

"Ahhh. The alternate timeline." he said in a disbelieving tone.

"What? You don't believe it?"

"It is a little far fetched..."

"Trust me, it's true. Link and Zelda made it so his close friends would remember."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't adjust to the idea of time-travel, and other dimensions and realities."

"Well, if you're staying in Hyrule, you'd best get used to it." Malon said as they reached the entrance to the ranch.

Riku shook his head and followed her in.

* * *