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Zelda sat at her bedside as a thin rain of snowflakes fell that night, signifying the beginning of winter. The freezing air blew in through the open windows of Hyrule Castle, and the stone walls quickly lost whatever heat on the interior to the outside. Winter in Hyrule ranged from merely unpleasant to downright ferocious, and it was always a miserable affair inside the castle. Here the Royal Family was worse off than the average citizen, whose home actually had some insulation. Link must have suffered intolerably in this weather, she thought. Zelda had just come out of the bath, dressed in her nightgown, and there was nowhere in her room, not even her bed, that seemed warm or inviting. She swore that every winter she endured in the castle was worse than the one before. If only she and Link had a place to themselves, a cozy little house where they could cuddle up by the firelight for warmth.

The door swung open, and Link stepped into her room. Did she actually think he wouldn't want to spend the night with her? Of course not; nobody wanted to be alone on a cold winter's night. Link was so handsome, with his wild blonde hair and boyish, yet somehow mature looks. He was athletic and strong, but was always so gentle and loving with her. His baritone voice, which he seemed to have developed overnight, always put such a spell on her. There were times when he would talk to her in his low, relaxing voice, and she would want nothing but to let go and make love to him. Link possessed a rather charming romantic naiveté, as if he wasn't always sure what he was doing, but somehow managed to do the right thing. The Kokiri had little or no experience with love as adults saw it, so she couldn't expect Link to know much. But that meant there was the thrill of discovery, didn't it?

"Princess, do you still want to spend the night together, or-," he asked before she cut him off.

"Yes!" she said just a little too loud. "Yes, please stay."

Link looked out her window. "It's still early. Perhaps I should come back later-."

"No!" she said, again a little too loudly. "No, it's so cold in here."

"I can't change the weather, princess," he protested weakly.

"No, but you can hold me." Link willingly complied, moving her into his comforting arms that always made her feel safe and warm. She buried her face in the fabric of his tunic, inhaling his fresh, earthy scent. Link ran his hands down the sides of her chest to her lean waist, making the hairs on her back stand on end. He had her under his spell again, she knew, but Zelda reveled in it. Everything about him appealed to her womanliness, from the way he spoke her name to the way he held her at night. He felt her passions explode like a powder keg, and on Link, she laid a firm, loving kiss. One of these nights it was going to happen, one of these nights, they were going to make love, and nothing was going to stop them. Zelda wanted to so badly, but she had to keep her head above her heart. But damn, it wasn't easy, not when he could do this to her.

Another kiss, this time longer and deeper. But it seemed unfulfilling somehow, and Link pulled away. "Link, what's wrong?" she asked, opening her eyes.

Link sighed and took his hands off her. "Zelda, you know I love you with all my heart, but lately.," he trailed off.

"What, my love?" she asked, almost pleaded.

"The prince, after what he did to you-."

She had anticipated this. "Think not of him, Link. Do not think of me with anger and revenge."

As she looked into his eyes, Link put her arms on her shoulders and kissed her again. She didn't feel like talking anymore; words were so clumsy. Almost subconsciously, her hands unbuttoned his tunic and the shirt underneath it. Link didn't complain despite the cold air of the room. Why would he need his tunic, when he had her body? She slipped it off him, delighting in the feel of his bare skin. But they had done this before, and she wanted to try something new. With a sudden burst of playfulness and desire, she pushed Link onto the bed and laid herself on top of him. Link tried to say something, but she silenced him with a kiss.

He began to laugh the moment she broke the kiss. "What are you doing?" he asked half-seriously.

"Loving you," she replied, brushing her hair out of her face before kissing him.

But Link wasn't to be completely submissive. He rolled her onto her back, holding her down by her shoulders. "I've got you now," he proclaimed.

The playful princess decided to accept defeat for the moment and simply let him sweep her away with his kisses. The wound inflicted on her by Prince Henoch had almost healed completely, and she felt no pain there. Link moved his hands from her shoulders, down to her neck and across her bosom. Through the delicate fabric of her nightgown, Zelda could feel every detail of his touch, and it delighted her. Link began tenderly caress the side of her face, his eyes fixed on hers.

"You're so beautiful," he told her.

"And you're so handsome, my fairy boy.," she whispered.

Link smiled. "Zelda, you know my fairy was insolent."

He gave her another open-mouth kiss before rolling off her. With her arm, she held him tightly to the bed as she stroked his bare chest. Zelda guessed that deep down, someone like Link must have been every woman's dream. He was handsome, sensitive, caring, and he asked for so little. It was such a pity they couldn't have seen more of each other in the past. Had she been able to see him, even on rare occasions, it would have made her life so much better.

Link slid beneath the covers; she was disappointed that their affectionate escapade was over, but it was time to sleep. Link yawned, drawing her closer to him. The night was going to be colder than it had been all year, but she would not feel it with Link in bed with her. She gave him an unusually long goodnight kiss, before pulling the covers over herself and closing her eyes. At her hand, she could feel Link's heart beating and his slow breathing, a comforting reminder of his presence. They both acknowledged that the odds of finding Prince Henoch were not good, but they didn't know that he was sitting in the Gerudo's dungeon.

The next morning was like that of any other, Link and Zelda woke up, privately got dressed, and ate breakfast together. But today was different, because Hyrule Castle had an unexpected guest. That guest was Princess Nabooru of the Gerudos, who had come to tell them of their newest prisoner. They met her just as they were leaving Zelda's room, and Link almost didn't recognize her it had been so long since he'd seen her. Nabooru had been mildly interested in Link once, but she was too old for him, and was also married. Her husband was a Hylian who, like Link, lived on the edges of society.

"Your Highness," she said upon seeing Princess Zelda, trying to be formal and failing miserably.

"Princess Nabooru, it has certainly been a while. What brings you to Hyrule Castle?"

"I heard about what happened to you, princess. We found the man responsible trespassing on our territory. He killed several of my thieves before he, uh, knocked himself out. He's locked in out dungeon."

This was more than enough to bring Link and Zelda out of their early morning lethargy. She turned to Link and said, "We need to bring him back to Hyrule so he can be tried."

"I must warn you, he's skilled in the dark arts. He easily killed several of our own," the desert princess warned.

Neither of them had suspected that Henoch practiced magic. Nabooru had to return to home in haste; she was the most experienced fighter among the Gerudos and the only one who had any chance of containing the fanatical prince. If he could indeed use magic, then Hylian foot soldiers would not be able to stop him. No, they would have to do it themselves.

"Come on, Link, we're going."

"Wait a minute, princess. We can't just go running off the Gerudo Valley and expect him to come willingly." Link didn't add that her father would be furious if he learned she was going off to find Henoch alone with him. He knew she wasn't going to tell him.

"I never said he would, Link."

Leading Link back to her room, she walked to her bed, bent down, and retrieved a long, wooden box from underneath. Dusting it off, Zelda undid the latches and lifted the lid open. Inside was the long, curved sheath, holding a katana, something Link had not seen in years. As Zelda unsheathed it, he saw that it was truly a work of art that glimmered in the daylight; it looked as if had never been used. She held it for several seconds before returning the blade to its sheath.

"This belonged to Impa before she gave it to me. My father would have never allowed me to keep it, so I hid it under the bed."

Link shook his head. "You want to chase after Prince Henoch and "persuade" him to return to Hyrule, where he will most likely be imprisoned for life? You might as well forget about bringing him back and simply kill the man!"

"Link, we don't have time to debate this. We can take one of the horses in the castle stables; you can still ride a horse, can't you?"
"Of course. One never forgets."

"Find your sword and meet me at the stables," she said before going downstairs.

He shook his head again. This was absurd, charging off like this. Link wanted revenge, but he was also not one to rush into things. But he had to acknowledge that he and the princess worked well together, so he put aside his anxiety and headed down to his room.

They kept Prince Henoch in an aboveground cell, guarded by no less than five Gerudos. It was utterly filthy; he did not want conceive of who or what had stayed here before. He was in some kind of crudely constructed fortress, the place where these thieves and whores lived. From his cell, he could hear the gritty desert wind blowing, and he assumed he was not too far from an exit, or an escape. The women had stripped him of anything valuable, not that he cared now. He could have killed all the women guarding him in instant, but he needed them to open his cell. The bars were made from solid iron; even with his powers, he could not bend them.

One of the Gerudos carried a the cell keys, but that women had the good sense not to go near his cell after seeing what he done to her fellow Gerudos. There seemed no solution to the situation, until he realized that the years of desert wind and sand had corroded the lock. These women probably had little mechanical inclination, he guessed, and hadn't replaced it. A good blow with a hammer might have broken it, but he had no such tool. Calling upon his dark powers, Henoch focused all his energy on the shackle of the lock. A few seconds later, it snapped with a sharp "ping" and the door swung open. Henoch dashed out, and before the Gerudos guarding him could shout for assistance, he dropped them all dead with his dark lightning bolts. Their screams, however, alerted their fellow thieves, but this time they ran for their lives when the saw that the prince had escaped. He knew it was wise of them to fear him.

Henoch ran in the direction of the nearest exit. Several more Gerudos attempted to stop him, but he killed them easily. He exited out onto the second level of the fortress, where he wasted no time in leaping to the ground below, and fleeing the thieves' hideout. Several Gerudos shouted, but as he had expected, they were all too cowardly to pursue. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, not slowing to look back. He stopped as soon as he was out of sight of the Gerudos fortress, panting as he caught his breath. He was not in the greatest of athletic shape, but he was confident the Gerudos would not give chase.

A major decision now faced the prince. He could flee into the desert, where he would most likely die of thirst, or he could return to Hyrule, where they would either capture or kill him. He preferred death to living in a dungeon all his life, but there was a possibility, a slight one, that he might elude the Hylian Army. That was certainly an option superior to certain death in the desert, so began to walk back towards the broken bridge. It was still broken, and there was no other way he knew across the deep ravine. He muttered a few curses to himself, before thinking of what to do. The river below was more than two hundred feet down; he'd never survive the fall. He had no horse with which he could jump the gap in the bridge. Henoch kicked the sand in frustration.

Suddenly, he saw it, something that had been obvious, yet he had missed. It was a large, natural stone arch over the valley, less than half a mile upstream. Why hadn't he noticed it before, when he had tried to cross over into the desert? Probably because he was afraid of heights, and it had seemed too narrow at the time, he thought. Now, however, he had no choice.

As he walked in the direction of the arch, he saw a pure, white stallion leap across the break in the bridge. He ignored it at first, but when he saw who was riding it, he quickly hid behind a large boulder. There were actually two people on the horse; in front was the man he had caught the princess with, and to his surprise and horror the princess herself was riding with him. How could that be possible? Henoch was certain he had killed her! He had run her through completely with his sword, and now she was riding a horse? If she possessed that kind of healing power, he deeply feared what she might do if they found him. He stayed hidden behind the boulder, praying that he would not be seen.

Unfortunately, they had seen him. His bright, colorful, princely attire did little to camouflage him in the desert terrain. Link and Zelda dismounted from their horse some distance away from where they had last seen Henoch, thinking that traveling on foot was stealthier than riding.

To their left, they could hear the river roaring in the canyon below. Link hated this place and vowed never to return, but he had to put aside his hatred for the desert. He still wanted to avenge Prince Henoch's near fatal attack on the princess, and his desire for revenge burned silently below his calm exterior. He knew that the Gerudos could never contain a magic wielder, not one as powerful as Henoch. They were prepared to slay him if necessary, both acknowledging that killing him was the most probable outcome. Lifetime in a dungeon was a painful and horrific way to spend one's life, and Link did not believe for a moment that Henoch would face that over death.

Their swords were drawn as they crept along a rock face, occasionally stepping out to see what lay ahead. He was tense, with every one of his senses heightened. The last thing Link wanted to face was an opponent skilled in the dark arts, the last one having been the King of Evil himself. Prince Henoch had not half of Ganondorf's power, but he still worried Link. It had been so long since he had practiced his skills with the blade, and had no idea how adept Henoch was. His heart beat faster, his mind waiting for something to happen. The prince could be preparing to ambush them, or he simply might have fled. Link hated uncertainly, he preferred his opponents conspicuous with their intentions clear.

Without any warning, there was rumble above, and when Link looked up, he saw several chunks of rock fall loose towards them. In a flash, Zelda pushed the rocks away, over the edge of the canyon. Certain that the prince was responsible, Link and Zelda ran forward, and spied the prince, just standing there, awaiting them.

For a while, nothing happened, the tension building steadily. They advanced on him, but he did not back away. About twenty feet away, the prince withdrew his sword, his only possession had he bothered to retrieve escaping from the thieves' hideout. Henoch had the look of a desperate man in his eyes, and man who might do anything. He held the sword perpendicular to the ground in a strong, defensive stance, waiting for them to attack.

"You're dead! I killed you!" he shouted at Zelda.

She did not respond. Instead, in a display of her power, she waved her hand in the air, and a second later the stone arch Henoch had been moving towards collapsed into the river below. Even Link was taken aback by this, having never truly seen Zelda's true abilities.

Cornered and outnumbered, Henoch threw out an arc of electricity at the princess. Again showing her mastery of the Triforce, she gracefully deflected the bolt with her hand, sending it exploding harmlessly into the rock face. In her moment of weakness, however, Henoch sent her flying onto her back. Zelda grunted in pain as her body hit the sand, but she scrambled back to her feet, sword ready.

Link, seeing an opportunity, charged the prince before he could push him away with his powers. He landed a heavy diagonal slash, their swords clashing together. Link's style of fighting was to use strong, accurate blows that aimed to break his opponent's defenses. A hit would have surely killed or grievously wounded an opponent, rendering him unable to fight. Henoch, however, relied upon fast, quick strikes that were relatively weak, but required fast hands to deflect. The prince had more skill than Link had given him credit for, and was proving quite a worthy opponent.

Link swung downwards in a move that would have cleaved Henoch in two if had connected. Henoch brought his sword up to block, and suddenly their swords were locked. Now the advantage was Link's, who simply had more brute strength than his opponent did. Pushing against his sword with all his might, Henoch struggled to maintain the sword clash and remain standing. Link summoned all his vigor and pushed Henoch onto his back, but the sprightly prince quickly righted himself before Link could attack. Becoming slightly annoyed, Link took a forceful slash at the prince, moving from left to right. Prince Henoch could only partially block the attack, his arm being knocked away by the sheer force of the swipe. Struggling against the momentum of his first strike, Link swung his sword in a one-handed downwards hack, cutting into Henoch's left arm. Blood spurted out of the vicious wound as Henoch squealed in pain, clutching the gash with his other hand. But before Link could lay the fatal blow on him, the prince pushed Link away, nearly sending him over the edge of the canyon.

Now it was Zelda's turn to play the blade master. While not having Links physical strength, she possessed a graceful and efficient fighting style, the style of the Sheikah. Prince Henoch had not expected the woman to have any swordsmanship at all, and his blade was nearly wrenched from his hand when she landed the first strike. Now Henoch was in trouble, facing two skilled warriors with a badly wounded arm. He continued to fight, blocking Zelda's attacks, but not even managing a parry. Again, he resorted to his magical abilities, pushing away the princess. But she resisted, righting herself in mid-air and attacking with renewed drive. Wielding a lighter and better-balanced blade, she could swing her sword so quickly he was unable to muster even a weak attack. Henoch was enraged, not only because of his bloody wound, but because a woman, and worse, a supposedly innocent, sheltered princess was getting the better of him.

Zelda's katana struck his blade at a ninety-degree angle, and with the shrill ping of breaking steal, sliced the blade of his sword in two. Panicking, he tossed the now-useless sword aside, and withdrew a long, slender dagger. Taking the end of its blade between his fingers, he flung it at her. Zelda was unable to move away fast enough, and the flying blade landed in her shoulder. The moment Link heard her scream, he growled in rage and charged Henoch, but was knocked to his back by his magic. In a startling display of endurance, Zelda wrenched the blade from her body. Through the pain, she telekinetically gripped the prince's body, and as he had done to Gerudo, she lifted him off his feet. He tried frantically to free himself, but even his magic was no match for her power, fueled by her fury. She held him above the Gerudo Valley, and all she had to do was release him and the prince would fall to his death.

"No! Mercy!" he screeched.

"Where is the mercy you showed me?" she hissed at him. Link climbed back to his feet, and simply glared at the prince.

"I never intended to hurt you! I.I was in bad humor! I will do as you wish, please don't kill me!"

With a disgusted Grunt, Zelda tossed Henoch into the sand. "Get up," Link barked at him.

But the foolish prince was not completely broken. With the last of his magical strength, he lifted a nearby boulder into the air and hurled it at the princess. She pushed it back at him, and suddenly their telekinetic forces locked in mid air, each struggling to push the boulder towards the other. The pain of her wound was excruciating, but she refused to relent. Finally, the boulder could not take the stress, and shattered to pieces that rained down on the combatants. Weakened by her bleeding gash, Zelda retreated, giving Henoch precious seconds to reenergize his magical powers. In a rage, her pushed Zelda into the air, her body crumpling to the ground like a rag doll. He then tried the same with Link, but enraged at seeing the princess so badly beaten, Link had tapped deeply into the power of the Triforce of Courage, focusing all his anger and hatred on the prince. He ran towards him, the prince's powers deflecting off the invisible shield that had surrounded him. Link called up his own powers to tighten his magical grasp around Henoch's throat. The prince gasped for air, clutching his throat.

"Enough of this game," Link growled. "You're pathetic, Henoch. You could have challenged me, but instead you had to strike down an innocent princess. You are not worth the effort it would take to kill you."

"Please! Spare me!" he pleaded, choking. "I will.be gone from your life."

Link released his grasp. He knew that if he spared Henoch's life, the moment he turned around the prince would attack him from behind. But that was what Link wanted to happen.

"Get out of my sight," he grumbled, tossing the prince aside.

Link turned around, slowly beginning to walk away, but not sheathing his sword. Through his ears, he could hear Henoch scuffling along the sand, and then sudden swish of a knife being drawn. Link made a motion to return his sword to its sheath, but as he did, he thrust his sword behind him, plunging it into the charging prince's chest. With both hands, he wrenched it out, turning to watch Henoch seize his wound with his hands, his blood spilling out onto the desert sand. The prince collapsed to his knees, and then rolled onto his back, moaning and quivering with pain. After a brief struggle, Prince Henoch laid forever still, a thick red stain emerging onto the sands of the Gerudo Valley.

And so you die, he thought to himself, before running to help the princess. He didn't ask if she was okay, because it was plain to see she was not. Zelda was lying on the hot desert sand, wincing in pain, with a small stream of blood trickling down her face from a head wound. The deep cut on her shoulder was bleeding profusely, so he ripped off a piece of fabric from his shirt and used it as a makeshift bandage. She trembled slightly in pain as he did; it was heart wrenching to see her so.

He helped her to her feet, as was relieved that nothing had been broken. "Can you walk?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied, grimacing.

Link began to walk her back to where they had dismounted their horse. Zelda was in terrible pain, but managed to endure it. She held her arm tightly around his shoulder, in case she should become weak and fall. Link could only imagine the pain she must have been experiencing. Her wound continued to bleed; Link had to get her back to Hyrule Castle as fast as possible. First, she had run through with a sword, then stabbed in the shoulder and tossed around by a mad prince's telekinetic powers, yet she had survived it all, and that did not include her seven years under Ganondorf's reign. Princess Zelda was certainly no stranger to pain and suffering.

Making it back to their horse, Link climbed up first, and then leaned over to help Zelda on. Despite her pain, she held on tight as he began to ride away. Looking back only once at the body of the now-deceased prince, Link sped his horse off towards Hyrule Castle as fast as his mare could take him.

Pandemonium ensued at Hyrule Castle when they returned. The King knew everything, piecing it together from the missing horse and from what Impa told him. A swarm of guards and personnel descended upon them as Link dragged the wounded princess into the castle lobby. No sooner had Link stopped to catch his breath than several guards snatched the princess out of his arms and carried her off to treat her injuries. Impa asked him what they had done; Link simply gave her a terse account of what happened and sat down nearby. He shut out the cacophony of noise, dwelling on what he had just done. Link knew in his heart that Zelda would be okay, but that didn't keep him from worrying about her. The image of his sword slashing into Prince Henoch played over in his mind, one never really got used to taking a man's life. Link abhorred killing, but sometimes it was necessary to protect the ones he loved.

Zelda.she had fought so bravely. As a knight, he would sorely miss her presence at his side. Then again, the Royal Knights swore their protection to the crown, so perhaps he would have a chance to do battle alongside her. But Link did not look forward to combat. He wanted a calmer, more secure and stable life. Link sometimes wished he could take Zelda as his wife, and find a secluded home where they could live out their lives in peace. He wanted a place where they could live unburdened by royal obligations or protocol, a place where they could truly be themselves. Link knew of no such place, but if he were to marry the princess, living in Hyrule Castle, under the same roof of her father, just didn't seem right. He simply wanted a place for himself.

Link was expecting the King to give him hell for what he had done, yet the man simply left the lobby without saying anything to anyone. He imagined a guard coming to tell him that the King wanted to see him, and then he would give Link an angry lecture about "taking unnecessary risks" and endangering his daughter. But no one talked to him as he walked slowly to his room; everyone seemed to be concerned with the princess. Perhaps that would come later; after all, the King's daughter took precedence over pretty much everything.

Link silently opened the room's door, removing his sword and realizing it was still bloody. He found a rag and wiped the blood off as best he could, then disposing of the bloody cloth afterwards. The sword was a very messy weapon when used in any matter. Perhaps the flintlock pistols and rifles were cleaner, and they could kill a man at long range, but they were clumsy weapons, taking a lengthy time to reload. No, pistols were best suited for duels, for the few who still engaged in that barbaric practice. Link had used the blade all his life and he would never give it up for another weapon. They said the sword was an elegant weapon, well; there was certainly nothing elegant about killing someone with it.

Henoch's death continued to trouble him. He had killed, bloodying his hands again. Unlike the two Gerudos in the Castle Town marketplace, Henoch had been a prince, and there was certainly going to be consequences. Someone would have to tell his father that his son was dead, and Link doubted he would be very understanding in their reasons for killing his son. Perhaps the Silurian king would see the killing of his son as an act of war; that was a chilling thought. Hyrule had not seen a major conflict in over fifty years, and was now enjoying a "golden age of peace and prosperity." Link certainly did not want to bring that golden age to an end.

Gazing out of the window, Link contemplated his future. He saw knighthood, respect and recognition, marriage, and happiness? Link had longed for happiness all his life, but had not found it. They said true happiness was like a bird, hold it too tightly and it would die, hold it too loosely and it flew away. Could he be happy with Zelda? He kept asking himself that question, and each time he arrived at the same answer. He loved her in a way had never felt before, and could almost picture their life together. The mysterious emotion called love, the subject of so much poetry and literature, and now he was firmly in its grasp. Perhaps love caused pain and strife, as well as make ordinary people do extraordinarily stupid things, but it could also bring great joy and happiness, as he himself knew from experience.

He lay down on his bed, exhausted from his ordeal. It was too early in the day to sleep, but his body took no notice of that. Link did not want to think any more about Prince Henoch or his battle with him, instead trying to think of some thing more pleasant. After a few minutes of trying that, he became bored and began to read his novel. Link eventually succumbed to his fatigue and fell fast asleep, still fully dressed.

It was nearly midnight when he awoke, judging by the darkness outside and the quiet stillness of the castle. He didn't know how long he had slept; only that he was no longer tired and that trying to get back to sleep was futile. Now what would he do? He could not sleep, but there was nothing to do until morning. Link chided himself for throwing his body out of sync with the rest of civilization, but he couldn't help it. He could try reading some more of his novel, but he was not in the mood for that. It was too cold to go outside, and there was nothing much to do inside the castle. That left the Hyrule Castle Library, a place hadn't spent much time lately. There, perhaps, he might find something worth reading.

The cold, stone halls of the castle were particularly unpleasant tonight. Hyrule Castle was a nice place to visit, but he couldn't picture living here. It was too cold, in both temperature and atmosphere, and overly formal, not the kind of place he preferred. Still, the place had its charms, such as the massive library and beautiful courtyard and gardens.

The castle library was a large, rectangular room filled with bookcases and having several long reading tables in the center. The bookcases were more than ten feet tall, and ladders were spaced in between them to allow visitors to retrieve books from the highest shelves. Above was the library's second level, accessible by rickety wooden steps located in the corners of the room. Beautifully crafted, ceiling-high windows admitted pale moonlight into the library, giving the chamber a creepy atmosphere during the night. It was deathly silent, with only the sound of the wind blowing outside. Now Link had the whole place to himself until sunrise.

Books and scrolls of every subject lined the shelves, some dating back hundreds, even thousands of years. Link looked over the tomes with interest, briefly looking into books of spells, potions, and sorcery. Of particular interest was a well-worn book titled "200 Potions for Love," containing recipes for potions designed to make oneself the object of desire of any man or woman. Whether any of them actually worked was anyone's guess. Moving on, Link browsed through a section containing works of fiction of every kind: romance, adventure, and mystery were but some of the genres available. It was a pity he didn't have the time to read them all; one could never become bored in this place. After looking around for some time, Link spotted something utterly precious: The Book of Love, by a very famous Hylian author. He quickly slid it out from the shelf and sat down at a table.

Reading the massive tome, Link found thousands upon thousands of rules and suggestions for courtship and the like, covering everything from the most casual to the deeply intimate. It had been clearly written in an era of different values, judging by the way it spoke of women. "A woman is a fickle thing," it read, "constantly changing in mood and temperament, and requiring constant attention. All women feel insecure or unhappy about their appearance, so complimenting a prospective mate on her appearance, no matter how unpleasant, will ensure her delight." Link couldn't help but smile at several of these "rules of love." Zelda would be furious if she ever heard him uttering any of them.

"A woman is steered by her emotions, without any process of rational thought or contemplation. It is this irrationality that makes women such unpredictable and fickle creatures." It went on like this for many more chapters, until it delved into intimate matters, such as the "proper" way to undress a woman before making love to her. Deciding he had had enough of these antiquated parables, he returned the book to its shelf, seeking another to read. As he did, he heard faint footsteps on the second level above. Link stood motionless, his sensitive ears alert. It was at least two people walking, and moving towards him. His heart pounded, his mind wondering why he was so afraid of being caught in the library. It was probably just a couple of guards on routine patrol.

"So long have you been on assignment?" he heard one of them say, confirming that they were indeed castle guards.

"I was transferred from the drawbridge patrol to castle guard two months ago; a lot better work, in my opinion. No standing outside in the rain. Have long have you been on?"

"A year so far," the other replied.

"Ever seen any action?"

"No, not any I recall."

"What? You mean have been a castle guard for a year, and you never once withdrew your sword? What have you been doing all this time, looking the other way?"

"Of course not. How much combat have you seen?"

"Yesterday I threw a madman trying to get into the princess's room into the dungeon. Put up one hell of a fight."

"I hear the princess is going to marry soon."

"To whom?

"I don't know, but I heard some of the ladies say he's a real stallion of man."

The other guard laughed. "The princess will never marry. She nearly threw a man out of a window simply for proposing to her! No man will go near her, and I can't blame them. That woman gives me the creeps."

"I can't stand her piercing gaze; it's as if she's looking into your soul or something."

"I just try to stay away from her."

Link was puzzled by their description of the princess; he never saw her as "creepy." Well, she was a bit eccentric, but who could ever really describe themselves as "normal?" He supposed that as a young guard new to the castle, the princess might seem a bit intimidating, even though she was younger than the guards were. He continued to listen to their conversation, simply out of curiosity.

"Guess I won't be going to her wedding."

"Of course not, because there won't be one. The princess is too young to marry, don't you know that?"

"The legal age is sixteen, you know."

"Who marries in their teenage years? That sort of thing just doesn't happen anymore."

"I'll bet you five hundred rupees she marries before she turns eighteen."

"Do you know something I don't? Unless you do, you're throwing that money away."

"I heard the King talking about it."

"The King will say anything to make his daughter look good. Men just aren't attracted to her."

"I think she's pretty."

"Of course she is, but like I said, they just aren't attracted to her."

"I certainly am."

"Really? And what are the chances she even notices you?"

"Maybe if I did something heroic, she might."

"Look mate, we're guards. We aren't supposed to do anything heroic. We just stand here in this armor while they tell us how dumb and incompetent we are! The princess probably doesn't even acknowledge our existence."

"No, I guess not."

The guards continued on their patrol, leaving Link alone in the library again. He was slightly tired; perhaps he might be able to get some sleep after all. He returned whatever books he had taken out, and silently left the library. The halls were now uncomfortably cold, and looking outside, Link saw that a blizzard had enveloped Hyrule Castle Town. It was another reminder of how much he hated winter. It was such an awful time of year, with the frosty air, the landscape becoming barren and lifeless, and the burning cold of a snowstorm. Another winter spent in his transient lifestyle surely would have killed him.

Link shivered. It was so cold in the castle, he could almost see his breath. Honestly, who built their home out of stone anymore? It was so damn cold, and the invention of the cannon had pretty much rendered it useless for fortification. He walked back to his room, half-expecting the princess to be there waiting for him. She wasn't, of course, but that didn't keep him from being disappointed. He loved having her bodily warmth by his side during the middle of the freezing nights. He didn't bother removing any of his clothes, since he needed them to stay warm. Trying to ignore the cold, Link slid beneath the covers, which was of little comfort.

Finally, after twenty minutes of trying to get comfortable, Link couldn't stand it anymore. He had to find somewhere warm. Zelda had a fireplace in her room, but it was too late for him to go asking to spend the night with her. But there was no warmer place in Hyrule Castle. He could see why nobody came here during the winter, when their own homes were warmer.

"Damn, it's freezing in here," he muttered.

The cold grew worse as the night wore on. The icy hands of winter seemed to reach down into his body, freezing his soul. He tossed and turned, trying in vain to warm himself. His body seemed to protest every effort he made to sleep, denying him rest. Link thought of warm things, Death Mountain Crater, a crackling fireplace, Zelda's embrace, anything to distract his mind from the frigid sheets of his bed. Nothing worked, until finally his tiredness won out, taking him into a reluctant, dreamless sleep.

The next morning after, a fresh layer of snow covered the landscape of Hyrule. Young children awoke early to frolic in the snow; it never ceased to amaze Link how easily amused children were. One thing was for certain; Link was not going outside today. If someone gave him a heavy wool coat, he might consider it, but his tunic gave him little warmth. Even the hot, dry, desert would have been preferable to the frigid cold. No matter how many winters he had spent sleeping in a thin, leather tent or a rodent-infested inn, he never really got used to it. Now Hyrule Castle was the least attractive place to stay due to its poor insulation, and the halls were empty when Link awoke.

He had not slept very well the night before, and was now tired, cold, and miserable. He'd be damned if he had to spend another night alone in this place! Cursing the goddesses for this weather, he departed his room, planning to see how well the princess had recovered from her injuries. Because of the snowfall, they could not as easily go on their adventures they had planned together, yet another reason to despise winter. And he was in for three or four more months of this. The very most he could hope for was a mild winter, but judging by the swiftness of its arrival, he doubted that. How had he ever survived fighting through the frozen Zora's Domain? But one paid less attention to the weather when the fate of the kingdom rested on their shoulders.

The moment Link entered the top floor, a guard approached and told him that the King wanted to see him. He was sure that the King was going to let him have it for his escapade the day before, but now he was ready for whatever verbal assault awaited him.

Entering the King's room, Link noticed a large fireplace burning in the corner. He immediately moved near it, letting its radiant heat flow over his body. He didn't care what the King said now, only that he had found a source of warmth in this freezing castle.

The King stood up from his bed, looking deeply concerned. "Link, I do not want to drag you into international politics, so I will be brief. Am I correct in assuming that Prince Henoch is dead?"

Link took a deep breath. "Yes, sir."

The King sighed and sat down. "Why him, of all people? I had my suspicions of him when I first took my daughter to see him, but I never knew he was capable of killing."

"Then, you have heard about the Gerudos?" he asked, sure that was what the King was referring to.

"Henoch killed long before he ever came to Hyrule. When he was seventeen, he slaughtered his own mother in cold blood. He was a prince, nobody had the courage to try him for his crime, and his father defended his son's actions, claiming that his wife had been unfaithful. Two years later, he killed a woman from Hyrule for no apparent reason, but again, he was never punished. I find it strange that I only now learned of this."

Link paused. "I am.worried.about the consequences."

"Don't be, young man. I will deal with whatever "consequences" arise. My daughter is waiting for you in her room. Good day, Link."

Link breathed a sigh of relief. He had gotten off easy, without any lecture or reprimand. The King of Siluria would surely be furious at his son's death, and might even seek revenge. From what little Link knew if Silurian culture, they did not place as much emphasis on family ties as Hylians did, perhaps his father would not even care. But Link didn't hold too much faith in that theory.

He knocked on Zelda's door, and she answered, "Come in."

She looked tired, with dark patches under her eyes. Her old dress had been ruined, but the Royal Tailor had another one just like it, only it was fashioned from a thicker, probably warmer, fabric. Zelda wore a bandage over her left shoulder where she had been wounded, but Link knew it would quickly heal. He remembered the way Henoch had beaten her, and Link could still see faint bruises on her arms. Yet they had emerged victorious, and she had fought with the skill of any soldier. It was a damn shame she would probably receive no recognition for her valor. Then again, she had also received no recognition for her struggles against Ganondorf, either.

Without saying a word, Zelda hugged him, although her arms were slightly stiff from the pounding she'd received. But a loving embrace was a loving embrace, and Link needed every bit of warmness he could find around here. Maybe they might have the night together, and Link could actually get decent nights sleep.

"Are you in pain?" he asked her.

"A little. You looked tired," she observed, lightly touching his face.

"I didn't sleep well last night. It's so cold around here; sometimes I wish I had a place to myself."

She paused for a moment, and Link could sense something was bothering her. He guessed it was something to do with the killing of Prince Henoch, and thought no more of it.

"I wish we had a place to ourselves too."

The way she trailed off concerned him. "Zelda?" he asked. Something was wrong.

"Oh Link," she turned away, "I love you, but."

Now he was deeply concerned. "Zelda, what is it? What's wrong? Is.is it bad news?"

"No, no, of course not. I just.don't know how to say it."

"Don't worry princess, you can tell me anything."

Zelda turned around and threw her arms around him. "Marry me, Link!" she pleaded. "Marry me and we can have a future together!"

Link was stunned, her words hitting him like a thunderbolt. He couldn't believe she was proposing to him, especially not so early! He fumbled for a response, but his mind was too furiously trying to think through the consequences for him to say anything. How exactly did one answer to a marriage proposal? He had no experience with Hylian wedding traditions, having never attended one. As he held her, he tried to suppress the quivering Goddamn! he felt throughout his body.

"Zelda, I.I don't know what to say."

"I love you, Link. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the one who would take me away from here."

Link backed away, holding his hand to his forward as it would calm the raging thoughts that assaulted his brain. "Oh, I, uh," he stumbled over his own words, "this.this is so sudden! I need to think it over."

"I know, Link. I spent all of last night thinking about it."

So much to consider, so many implications. He knew that marriage was one of the most important events in man's life, but he had not expected it so soon. But as Zelda stood there, looking into him with her sapphire eyes, he could never picture himself being happy with anyone else. He loved her dearly, but marrying her seemed like such a big leap, even he did not know if he was prepared for it. Link needed to consult someone else, but who was there to tell that wouldn't immediately tell everyone else? He didn't like disclosing anything about his relationship with the princess, especially not their marriage plans.

They were so close, he knew, and because of the Triforce, time seemed to stand still for them. He was going to be young and strong for a long time; how could he defend the Triforce if he were old and feeble? But was that an excuse to rush into a marriage? Or was he really "rushing" it? He had known Zelda for longer than he realized, and sometimes he forgot he deep his ties with her ran. Their emotional bond, their uncanny ability to sense the other's presence, it all seemed to say they were destined to be with each other.

Link gave up. He loved her, and he wanted to be with her for all his life. What else was there to do? "I will," he said quietly.

"What?" Zelda asked, not quiet hearing him.

"I will marry you." The words seemed to bind him at that very moment. Not since had left the Kokiri Forest to fight against Ganondorf had he made a bigger, more important decision. He only hoped it was the right one.