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Story: Attached (all chapters)

Authors: Grain

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Chapter 1

Title: Amazing

'Amazing. Just amazing.'

It was the only word she could think of to describe Samus. She was simply amazing. The way she moved was forceful yet somehow graceful at the same time. Back flipping twenty feet through the air as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then landing softly as if she were light as a feather. Her attacks were precise in both aim and timing. And she was smart too; she seamed to dictate the flow of battle to her advantage, though how she accomplished this was beyond her grasp.

The crowd erupted in cheer, pulling Zelda from her thoughts. Samus had just managed to takeout two of her opponents while simultaneously avoiding her own defeat. The crowd started chanting her name, and Zelda found herself chanting along with them. Though she cursed herself for having missed the entirety of what Samus had just done.

"So you're a Samus fan, eh princess?" her friend Link said, who was sitting next to her, to which she just nodded. Also sitting with them was Fox; a person she had only recently met. He wasn't from her world, though Link and he, who had both been coming to this place for a while now, were good friends. She focused her attention back on the arena.

What made Samus even more amazing was the fact that she was a woman, something that Zelda had only recently learned. She admired that. Samus was respected, revered, and even feared, not only here in this coliseum between dimensions, but also back in her own world. At least according to the other competitors Zelda had talked to. It's not as if there weren't strong women who were looked up to in her own world, but none to the degree that Samus was, and not for the same reasons. She herself was respected widely by the people of Hyrule, but then only because she was royalty. Samus' respect and admiration were earned through her deeds and abilities. She was a fighter, she was a warrior, she was ...a hero. At least that's what Zelda had concluded. Zelda would very much like to meet her.

The crowd was cheering again. Huh? The match had ended. Damn, she was daydreaming again. As the stadium emptied she got up to leave from the private box reserved for competitors, but was interrupted by an announcement.

"Attention all competitors: Trans-dimensional travel is not functioning at this time. It may be several days until the problem is repaired. Please be patient. Sleeping quarters will be made available to you, as well, all food in the cafeteria will be free of charge. We apologize for the inconvenience," squawked the loud speaker.

"Does this mean we will be unable to leave?" Zelda asked her two companions.

"Yeah, looks like we're stuck here for now, princess," replied Fox

"Don't worry your highness, I'm sure it wont be for too long," Link added.

"Oh, Link... I said before that you needn't address me as such. Fox you don't have to either"

"Ok, sorry your highness. uh... sorry," Link said.

"Well I'm off. I need to get some sleep, I've got a match early tomorrow," Fox said. "Link you'd better come along and find yourself a room too before you get stuck in a room with Bowser like that last time."

"Yeah, I'll be along in a minute," Link replied "Pri... err, Zelda, you've never stayed here overnight before, you need me to show you where the women's bunks are."

"Thank you, but I believe I can find it on my own."

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow... How about lunch in the cafeteria?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Bye," he said and waved.

"Goodbye, Link," She said with a slight bow.

With that she set off in search of the women's sleeping quarters, which wasn't too difficult considering all the corridors were well marked and had maps posted at the intersections. She found it and opened the door. The room was dark and her first instinct was to retrieve a torch from the hall. However she quickly remembered they didn't use such things here. They had lights that came on at the flick of a switch. Usually these were placed right inside the door. Feeling around the door frame she found it and switched the light on.

The room looked as if it were designed to accommodate four. There were four beds, two on each side of the room, each with a small table and chair beside them. There was a sofa and a couple of sofa chairs at the near end of the room, set around the box that was like a moving painting, though she forgot what to call it. At the far end of the room was a larger table and a door leading to the bathroom.

After washing up in the bathroom Zelda stood in the center of the room and looked around, wondering if anyone else would be staying here with her. She chose the bed nearest the door and sat down. The few times Zelda had been here she had seen only a few other girls. One of them was a princess as well. They had spoken only once and she seemed nice, though a bit ditsy. Another was a little Eskimo girl whom she had never met, but had seen fight along side her male partner. She hadn't seen either girls around this time so she figured they weren't here right now. Then of course there was Samus who in fact was here.

It then occurred to her that she would likely get to meet Samus since she was almost certainly staying in this room. After all this was the one and only room reserved for the girls. She then resolved not to act like an over excited fan when she finally met Samus. She was sure Samus, or anyone really, wouldn't appreciate being treated that way. Additionally such behavior would not be becoming of a princess. She waited a while longer but no one came, and her eyelids kept dropping. She decided she should just go to sleep, It was apparent to her that no one else was going to be staying here. She changed into a nightgown, shut the lights and went to sleep.

End Part One

Chapter 2

Title: First Impressions

A sound awoke Zelda from her sleep several hours later. Someone was opening the door. A tall blond woman walked in carrying a duffel bag in one hand and a suede leather jacket draped over one shoulder. She wore blue shorts and a matching sleeveless top.

"Oh, I didn't think anyone else was going to be here," said Zelda sitting up in bed rubbing her eyes.

"I'll go sleep in my ship if it's a problem," the woman replied.

"Oh no, it's no problem. I just thought…." the woman walked into the room ignoring her.

"Umm... You are Samus, are you not?"

"That's right," Samus said flatly, walking over to the bed on the other side of the room opposite Zelda's. She dropped her bag and jacket on the floor next to the bed.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Zelda. I'm fairly new here and... I..." Samus, still ignoring her, marched off to the bathroom. Zelda thought that something obviously must be bothering her, though she didn't seem angry. It was... something else. Zelda could hear the shower running. She lay back down and listen to the sound for a while, drifting in and out of sleep. Sadness... that's what it was.

The sudden stop of the shower fully awoke her. She heard the door open and Samus' foot steps across the floor. Zelda looked over and was shocked. Samus was completely naked, holding her previous outfit bunched up in one hand and rubbing herself dry with a towel in the other. Both of which she threw to the floor when she reached her bed.

'What is she doing? Doesn't she care that someone else is in the room? Maybe she just thought I had gone back to sleep already,' Zelda thought to herself. She turned away not wanting to invade Samus' privacy. Though after only a few seconds, as if by some unseen force, her head was turned back to watch Samus. She dug through her bag and retrieved a pair of plain white panties that she slipped on. Then pulled out an extremely worn white T-shirt and pulled it over her head and down around her, not quite reaching her belly button. Finally she pulled her long, still damp, blond hair back into a ponytail, and laid down on her side facing into the room.

Their eyes met and Zelda sharply turned away, embarrassed she'd been caught staring. Though Samus didn't seem to care, or even notice. Well no use in hiding it now Zelda thought. She slowly turned back to face Samus. But now she realized Samus wasn't really looking at her, she was just sort of staring off into space. Zelda lay there examining Samus' face through the dim light that came in through the crack under the door. She really did seem sad Zelda thought as she drifted off to sleep.

Again Zelda awoke. She had such trouble sleeping in a bed that wasn't her own. She wasn't sure if she had been out only a few minutes or hours. But Samus was in the exact same position, still staring at nothing. She should probably say something. Maybe she was depressed and just needed someone to talk to. Zelda slid out of bed and slowly crossed the room. Only when she got within five feet did Samus take notice, sharply directing her eyes to Zelda.

"Is anything the matter?"

"What...? No... I'm fine," Samus said shutting her eyes finally and turning her head away.

"Are you certain, because you seem..."

"I said I'm fine," Samus cut her off. She rolled onto her other side to face the wall. "Go back to bed."

"Alright," Zelda said quietly. She wanted to press the issue, but from Samus' tone she thought better. She went back to her bed and fell asleep, hopefully for good this time.

------

Samus awoke early the next morning. Sitting up on the edge of her bed she stretched, putting her hands up in the air and behind her, and arching her back causing her vertebrae to crack. She then tilted her head side to side doing the same to the vertebrae in her neck. She glanced over at Zelda still sleeping, 'What was with her,' she thought. She pulled off her T-shirt, put a bra on, and changed into a skintight light blue jumpsuit that she pulled from her bag. She put on her boots and walked out the door giving Zelda one last questioning look.

When Zelda got up she saw Samus was gone. Looking over to where she had slept Zelda saw a complete mess. The bed was left unmade and there were clothes all over the floor. She shook her head in disapproval. After changing into her usual dress she picked up all of Samus' clothes and put them in a pile. Then she made the bed, hung the leather jacket over the chair and put the duffle bag at the foot of the bed.

She then thought to wash all the clothes she had picked up, as well as some of her own. She didn't mind doing chores, even though she had servants she frequently cleaned up around the castle, as she liked the feeling of doing things on her own. Completely unaware of laundry machines she went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the tub. Using hand soap and the running water she washed each article of clothing individually and hung them to dry on the bar that holds up the shower curtain.

Once done with that she had some free time before meeting Link for lunch. Since she'd be stuck here a while she thought she might sign up for some more matches, so she headed off to the registration office. They gave her one of the last matches of the day as well as one late tomorrow morning. Then she headed off to meet Link for lunch.

Walking to the cafeteria she pondered where Samus could have gone off too. Recalling the match schedule, Samus didn't have any today. Maybe she was using one of the training facilities. She really did want an opportunity to talk with her. Perhaps Samus would be in a better mood if she caught her in the middle of the day instead of so late at night.

Zelda sat across from Link who was preoccupied wolfing down his lunch. She spoke up asking, "Have you ever spoken with Samus," Link just shook his head not wanting to talk with his mouth full. He swallowed then reiterated his response "No. She's never really around much. Spends most of her time in the training facilities."

"Oh, I see."

"Though I think Fox knows her. You met her?" he asked.

"Yes, last night. Although I didn't have the opportunity to speak with her much. She went straight to bed as soon as she got there. And she had gone before I woke up this morning," She paused for a while before continuing "It seemed like she was depressed about something," to which link just shrugged and continued eating.

After finishing lunch Zelda went with Link to watch him fight in a match and after that back to her room. It looked like Samus hadn't been back yet. She decided to get some rest before her own match, and went to sleep on the couch for a few hours. Then finally went off to the arena.

------

 

Samus landed in the midst of four virtual fighters and executed a sweeping kick, tripping all four. She then launched a missile at one destroying it, and used her grapple beam to grab a second one. She pulled it and sent it flying into the a third as it was just standing up. The fourth charged at her but she easily took it out by clobbering it with her arm cannon. As each was destroyed More came so that she was constantly facing four at a time. She dispatched those just as easily and even more came. She was hours into this and was getting bored. These virtual fighters were too weak even though their attributes had been set to their max. But she mustn't give in; boredom is just another obstacle to over come. She couldn't let herself succumb to it on a real mission. She pressed on several hours more until she convinced herself that she could have gone on indefinitely.

Still not satisfied she decided she would try the target test. A number of breakable targets would be arranged around an obstacle course and she had to destroy all of them as quickly as possible. She had to be quick and efficient and think on her feet, or her enemies could gain the upper hand. This would be useful training. She repeated the course over and over using different tactics at various places along the course and trying out different routes to the various targets.

These training exercises were no substitute for real experience though. As long as she was stuck here she might as well make productive use of the time and decided she should sign up for more matches. Seeing it was getting late she hurried off to the registration office before they closed for the night. They gave her several matches including one late tomorrow morning. She then returned to her room to get some sleep.

Opening the door to the room she saw her clothes were not where she had left them on the floor, her bed had been made and her jacket was hung up. She found her laundry strung up all over the bathroom. "Did that girl do this?" she muttered. "Must have," she plucked up all the clothing that was hers, leaving Zelda's stuff where it hung, and crammed it all into her bag in one shot. She showered, changed and then went to bed.

------

 

"Great job tonight, princess," Fox said.

"Yeah you're really improving, your highness," Link added.

"Thank you, but I didn't win," Zelda said with a fake smile. They both either forgot or ignored her request to be called by her name. And what was worse they were patronizing her, she was terrible and she knew it, and so did they.

"Well your competition was pretty tough," Link replied.

"Maybe I'll let Falco know to take it easy on you next time," Fox said jokingly.

She couldn't feign a smile at that. She just stared at the floor and held her tongue until they reached her room.

"Well goodnight boys, it's been a pleasure," she said and bowed.

"Goodnight princess," Fox said.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow?" Link said.

"Yes, goodnight," she said again.

When Zelda entered the room she saw Samus was back and had already gone to sleep. She tried to be as quiet as possible as not to wake her as she prepared for bed. Flopping down on the bed, she sighed 'Damn, I missed another opportunity to speak with her.' She settled in and tried to fall asleep.

------

 

Zelda woke to what she thought was the sound of a scream, although through the uncertainty of her drowsy state she couldn't be certain what, if anything, she heard. She lay back down, disregarding it as nothing and was about to go back to sleep when she noticed Samus was sitting up on the edge of her bed. She was holding her head and breathing heavily and the expression on her face was one of pure terror.

"Are you ok?" Zelda called out, but got no response.

She got up from her bed and crossed the room. As she approached she could see that Samus was shaking. "Samus?" she tried again but still no response.

Zelda knelt down in front of her to see her face to face. "Hey," she said softly. Samus jumped, startled as she became aware of Zelda's presence.

"Are you ok?" she repeated now that she had Samus' attention.

"I…" Samus just stared at Zelda, looking into her eyes. They seemed soothing to Samus, comforting somehow. They were a deep inviting blue, a darker shade than her own blue. She felt warmth in them yet at the same time they reminded her of a cool calm lake, whose surface hid its true depth. What ever it was about them she had stopped shivering. "I'm … alright," she said in a barely audible whisper.

"You don't look alright."

"I don't?"

'NO! NO! NO! STUPID IDIOT! STUPID AND WEAK! YOU'RE BEING WEAK!' Samus mentally scolded herself. 'NOW FUCKING SHAPE UP, PULL THIS SHIT OUT THERE AND YOU'RE DEAD!'

"No, you look terrified, you probably had a nightmare."

"No," Samus shut her eyes hard, shook her head and took a deep breath. "No," she said in a more normal voice. "I'm fine now."

"It must have been pretty bad, you were shaking..."

"I said I'm fine."

"But..."

"Look, I don't know what you want from me, but just...  just leave me alone," Samus laid back down in the bed and shut her eyes.

A little hurt Zelda backed off. "I didn't want anything," she said to herself, "...just to talk to you."

"And don't touch my stuff anymore," Samus called out as Zelda walked back to her own bed.

------

Zelda woke the next morning to find Samus on her way out the door. "Samus, wait," she called getting up from the bed. "Last night... I mean, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just concerned," she explained.

"It's nothing, just forget it happened, I don't care," Samus said sounding more depressed than before, "Don't... don't say anything about it to anyone." Then she quickly exited.

"Alright, I won't," she said to the closed door. Now feeling a little down herself she decided to go get some breakfast, and headed off for the cafeteria. In the cafeteria she saw Fox waving to her from a table. She went and sat with him.

"Good morning princess," he greeted her cheerfully.

"Fox..." She was about to correct him for not using her name but decided she should just give up on it. "...so where is Link."

"Don't know, haven't seen him all morning."

"Oh, I see," she said sounding a little disappointed. "So, Link tells me you know Samus"

"Um... well you could say that," he said hesitantly. "Not very well, we've worked together a couple times before, and it was me that told her about this place"

"So then you are from the same place as her?"

"Well same dimension, but we're from different planets. Anyway aren't you staying in the same room as her?"

"Yes, I've tried talking to her but she's been very evasive. She's hardly ever there, and when she is she's sleeping. The few times I have spoken to her I hardly get two sentences out before she tells me to go away," Zelda said, a bit ranting.

Fox nodding the whole time. "Yeah, that's Samus. Well you'll get to see her later this morning, although I don't think you'll be doing much talking."

"What do you mean?"

"You're both in the 11:15 match this morning."

"What!"

"You didn't know?"

"No. There were still empty slots when I signed up. She must have signed up after me."

"Well good luck," He said finishing his breakfast. "Though against her I don't know what good it would do." He stood up from the table, "I have some things to take care of, see you later."

"Alright. Goodbye, Fox," she said then resumed eating her breakfast. 'A match with Samus?' she thought. People would expect her to be apprehensive about such a match up, but she was actually quite excited. She didn't care that she couldn't compete with Samus. Not only would she get the chance to fight in the same arena as this strong, powerful woman that she idolized, this would also give her something to talk about with Samus. She finished eating, got up and left, smiling the whole time.

End Part Two

Chapter 3

Title: Match

Zelda sat in the pre-match waiting room, anxiously awaiting the start of the match along with two of her opponents; Pichu and Captain Falcon. Samus wasn't there yet. She studied her two opponents; Pichu, a cute little yellow rodent, bounced playfully on the seat of the chair, it couldn't speak other than its name. They had fought before, it wasn't very powerful but could move very quickly when it needed to. She smiled when it looked her way and it responded by jumping around excitedly.

"Pichu, Pichu!" it exclaimed.

'Where is Samus? The match is about to start,' she thought.

Her other opponent, Captain Falcon stood by his chair, arms folded, tapping his foot, seemingly annoyed at something. Zelda hadn't fought this tough looking man before but she had seen both Link and Fox face off against him. He had both speed and strength and knew how to use both to his advantage. Maybe she should avoid him and just worry about Pichu, and let Samus and this guy slug it out. Where was she? It's going to start any minute.

Finally Samus entered the room, fully clad in her armor, with less than a minute to spare. Zelda had never seen her up close like this before; she really was quite imposing. Zelda waved to her and smiled but got no response. Just then the door to the arena opened.

There was a short hall between the waiting room and the main arena area. In the middle of this hall was a device that was like a gate. It had four openings, each similar to a metal detector, for each of the fighters to walk through. As they passed through the gate a pale blue bar of light passed over them. This device would scan their bodies down to the last molecule, and was capable of restoring them to that state later on. This allowed all participants in the competitions to fight all out, without fear of death or severe injury.

After being scanned they stepped into the main arena, a big open area with featureless white walls and floor. It had a very eerie look to it, however it wouldn't look like this for long. This place could be changed around to look like any location at all. Many of the locations used were re-creations of places from the participants' home worlds. The four of them took up positions around the arena. There was a flickering of lights in the air. Blue cracks of electricity flashed around them. The white floor and walls became a mix of various colors swirling about beneath their feet. Then those colored lights seemed to be in the air as well, slowly they became less and less random as definite shapes took form. Their details slowly became defined, until the illusion was complete and it seemed as if they were standing in a different place altogether. There were many rock formations around the perimeter of a mostly flat open area. There were also several sporadically placed rock formations all over the place. The ground was mostly grass and dirt with several small shrubs here and there.

"READY, GO"

Captain Falcon charged straight at Zelda. Looks like she didn't have a choice after all. She readied herself for his attack. An electric bolt flew over Zelda's head, and straight at the Captain. He stopped suddenly allowing it to pass in front of him. Just then a missile whizzed by him, then another. Samus was running in their direction firing a barrage of missiles. Falcon back flipped away from her and out of the way of her missiles. There was too much going on around her, Zelda couldn't focus, as one event distracted her from the next. She froze.

Samus came charging at her still shooting missiles at Captain Falcon. As she passed Zelda, running at full speed, she did a short jump and an aerial spinning kick into Zelda's stomach, then landed and continued running after Falcon. Zelda was sent flying back and landed face down in the dirt. She staggered to her feet, heaving a bit as Samus' kick had knocked the wind out of her.

Just as she was standing up she was rammed head first by Pichu. She stammered back, but managed to stay on her feet. She took a defensive posture and faced off against the Pokemon. It stood there also ready, waiting for Zelda to make the first move. She lunged, swiping at it whit her arm. It was too quick however. It simply took a quick jump back and out of her reach. She lunged and attacked again trying to put more effort into it this time. Pichu jumped to the side than quickly jumped at her delivering another flying head butt, knocking her off balance, then it followed up with an electric shock.

Zelda cried out in pain and fell to her knees. She looked up at the little Pokemon, it was too fast to attack head on, she would have to try something else. Getting to her feet she devised a plan. Facing it again she waited for it to make the first move. It charged at her, leaping into the air it rolled its body into a ball, using itself like a cannon ball. Zelda stepped to the side narrowly avoiding it. She spun around to see it land and quickly jump again, much higher this time. As it flew through the air if fired another electric bolt. "There!" she exclaimed. Using her magic she formed a reflective barrier in front of her, then began gathering magical energies into a ball. The electric bold hit the barrier and bounced back hitting Pichu with its own attack. With the Pokemon stunned Zelda unleashed her attack, firing a tiny glowing spark of magical fire at Pichu. It exploded on contact. Pichu was sent skidding across the ground leaving a trail of dust in the air after it.

Captain Falcon stood in a slightly lopsided fighting stance, he was out of breath, blood ran down the side of his face from under his helmet and also from the corner of his mouth. Samus stood twenty paces away with her gun leveled and aimed at Falcon, a few scuffs on her armor was the only signs she had been fighting. She charged up her cannon and released the blast at him, never intending to hit him, she just wanted to get him moving. She started running at him immediately behind her shot. When he jumped over the blast she jumped to intercept him, preparing to slam him straight down into the ground. She raised her heavy cannon arm over her head and swung hard. Though things didn't go according to plan.

Falcon managed to rotate his body in such a way as to narrowly avoid the blow, and instead was able to grab her arm. Then using both their momentums and a little extra muscle power he swung her around, throwing her to the ground. Landing immediately after her, he readied his next attack. "FALCON..." Samus sprung to her feet just in time to see the Captin with his fist pulled back. "...PUNCH!" She was hit square in the chest and sent flying back, but not before managing to fire off a missile mere inches from Falcons face. With absolutely no time to dodge he was hit, finishing him off.

As Samus flew through the air from the force of Captain Falcon's attack she spied her next target. A trail of dust stretched across the battle field, at one end lay Pichu, with singe marks on its fur, and at the other end stood Zelda. Samus chose Zelda as her next victim. As she flew upside-down over a rock formation, she planted her hand on it and pushed off, altering her trajectory to send her towards Zelda. As she rotated right side up she landed about twenty yards away from Zelda. Jumping immediately as she touched the ground to keep the momentum she had, she closed the distance quickly.

'That girl is no where near as tough as Falcon, a quick but hard punch to the face with my cannon arm would end this quickly,' Samus thought as she flew through the air at Zelda. 'Then as soon as I land I'll fire a missile at the Pokemon,' she planned.

Zelda having just knocked down Pichu noticed Samus approaching in her peripheral vision. Samus would be on her in seconds, not enough time to do anything, she thought. All she could think to do was to cross her arms in front of her defensively.

Samus ticked off the fractions of seconds as she approached Zelda, she had to time it so she struck just as she flew past. She pulled her arm back in preparation, just a little more. As she approached she sighted up her target, the face, go for the face. ... her face... those eyes... soothing eyes. She was now staring Zelda in the face, and the image of Zelda looking at her with those same eyes the previous night flashed in her mind, as well as the feeling of comfort it gave her. 'NO, WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING. I MISSED IT, IT'S TOO LATE. TOO LATE TO PUNCH... KICK, YES I CAN STILL KICK HER. I'LL JUST...'

'She'll hit me with that cannon' Zelda thought, noticing Samus' arm in striking position 'No time to avoid it' At this point she acted on instinct. Focusing all of her magic into her hands, her Triforce became visible as it radiated its golden energy, giving her strength. She struck out at Samus blindly, connecting with her chest, hitting the same spot Captain Falcon had hit just seconds before. She released all the energy she had into the attack.

Pieces of Samus' chest plate came flying off her armor, exposing a mess of green glowing circuit pathways. The magic spread through the suits systems overloading them and shutting them down. Samus fell to the ground, the brilliant green light that normally emanated from the gaps in her armor was gone, she lay there motionless.

Zelda stood, staring in shock at what she had done; scarcely able to believe she had just defeated Samus. Yet something didn't feel right about it. Samus was going to hit her, she was sure of it. It didn't make sense that she didn't. She replayed the moment in her mind over a few times. Samus had plenty of time to strike. She was faster than Zelda and was already prepared to attack. This didn't make any sense at all. Did she allow herself to get hit? No, that didn't make any sense either. What possible reason could she have for that? Could it be she just have made a mistake, misjudged the timing for the attack? That didn't seem very likely either. Perhaps it was possible, however unlikely, that...

"Aaaahhhhh!" Zelda screamed in pain. Then fell to the ground and passed out, residual electric power arced across her unconscious body.

"Pichu, Pichu!" exclaimed the over excited Pokemon, having just won. It hopped up and down doing little back flips.

When Zelda came to she was back in the hallway, standing in the machine that scanned her before the match. All her injuries were gone now. She saw Samus ahead of her, walking away, already at the end of the hall. In mid stride and with a flash of light her armor dissolved into nothing. She was left holding a small metallic looking disk, it had the same color scheme as the armor and looked to be of similar technological design. She shoved it into her pocket and exited the hallway. Zelda ran to catch up with her.

'What the fucking hell was that!?' Samus thought "God damn it!" she shouted, punching the wall.

'That had to be the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. Getting distracted by... by what!? ...a pretty face? Pathetic!' she fumed as she marched down the hall.

"Samus!" Zelda called as she ran up from behind.

'Shit! She noticed I hesitated.'

"Hi. That was such an exciting match," she said coming up along side Samus "I can't believe I got you like that!"

Samus just gritted her teeth.

"I thought you were going to hit me though. Was there a reason you didn't?"

"I thought I told you, leave me the fuck alone!" she snapped at Zelda. Then walked off down the corridor.

Zelda stopped and stood there, looking down at her feet. "Fine. I give up," she said quietly.

She walked back to her room and sat on the couch. Staring at the floor, she tried to think about anything other than Samus. Link, where was he? She usually saw him every day. And Fox said he hadn't seen him either. She'd go look for him, that'd keep her occupied. But first maybe she'd get something to eat. Just as she stood up the door opened and Samus walked in. She winced upon seeing Zelda, and tried to avoid eye contact as she made her way across the room.

"Oh, I won't bother you anymore. I was just leaving," Zelda said sounding depressed, and started to walk out the door.

Samus took a deep breath and let it out. "Wait."

Zelda stopped and turned, looking questioningly at her.

"I... didn't mean to yell at you. I was angry with myself, not with you," she explained. "And... before... you were just trying to be nice and I guess... I was pretty rude to you, sorry. I'm just not used to dealing with people much. You... you don't have to leave."

Zelda managed a smile "Oh, it's alright," she said sounding a bit unsure. "Though I really was leaving to go get lunch."

"Oh," was all Samus said, she sat down on her bed and began rummaging through her bag.

Zelda stood and watched for a moment. "Do... do you want to come with me?"

"To get lunch?"

"Yes," Zelda said with a smile.

Samus seemed to ponder this a second, then shrugged. "Ok."

End Part Three

Chapter 4

Title: Lunch

"So what kinds of foods do you like, Samus?" Zelda asked as they made their way past several buffet tables.

"I eat whatever I can find at the time," she said as she picked out a rather thick sandwich with slices of various types of meat. "I try and get stuff high in protein and with as many calories as I can so I can go for as long as possible without needing to eat," she gestured with the sandwich in hand. She placed it on her tray then took a second one.

"No, I mean what do you like?" she really emphasized the last word.

Samus took a few seconds to think over Zelda's rather strange question. "Steak, I guess. Never really thought about it before."

"I'm fond of poultry myself. Though it's hard to find here," Zelda said while looking around at the various buffet tables. "I never know what to get when I come here. A lot of the food I've never even heard of before and some of the things that look familiar have an unfamiliar taste." Zelda was picking out small portions of various foods from the different tables.

"That's because they have food here from all of the competitors' home dimensions. Just stick to stuff from your own world and you'll do alright."

"Oh no, you've mistaken me, I quite enjoy the variety and novelty of it all."

"Really? Well don't complain when you get sick from something that doesn't agree with you," Samus said grabbing a fist full of candy bars.

Sitting down at a table, Zelda noted the large volume of food Samus had. "Isn't that... too much?" she questioned.

"No. Like I said. I don't eat very often, so when I do, I eat a lot," Samus began unwrapping her sandwich.

"Why don't you just eat more frequently then?"

"More convenient this way," she said biting into the sandwich "And since I'm used to it, if I get caught in a situation with no food available, it won't be that much of a bother to me. This is the first I've eaten in a couple days."

"Well that doesn't seem very healthy to me," Zelda said sounding a bit worried, to which Samus just shrugged her shoulders.

They sat quietly, eating for a minute or so before Samus spoke up. "So... Zelda... listen, about before... I really didn't mean to yell at you like that."

Zelda shook her head. "It's ok. I understand, you were upset. I get upset and yell sometimes too." Samus gave a nod, accepting Zelda's forgiveness.

"Samus, why is it you come to this place," Zelda said abruptly. "Link says he comes here because it's fun and he likes the attention from the cheering audience."

"I could do without them," she said referring to the audience. "I come here just for the competition."

"To test your ability?" Zelda questioned, "To... prove something to yourself?"

"That's part of it, but it's more to improve my skills. Some of the competition here is actually pretty tough and the variety of fighters have abilities and tactics that I'm not used to seeing. It forces me to improve and adapt."

Zelda just looked down at the table, she appeared lost in thought. "Is that why you come here?" Samus asked, "...to prove something to yourself?

"Ye- yes... Because I'm a princess everyone always treats me..."

"Wait, you're royalty!" Samus exclaimed "Well that explains a few things."

"Yes... What?" she said talking over Samus. "What does it explain?"

"The way you talk, you're overly formal. Also the way you walk, it's very stiff, like you've been trained to walk that way."

"Oh... It is true that I received instruction in posture and in speech. I don't think it's that noticeable though," she said a bit annoyed, then she wondered why Samus was noticing her walk.

"Well, just don't expect me to call you highness or majesty or anything," to which Zelda just smiled.

"Anyway, as I was saying, because I'm a princess people treat me like I can't do anything for myself; like I'm a helpless child. I have servants who do all physical labor for me, advisors who make decisions for me... every time I'd try and assert myself they'd insist I needn't worry about anything, that they'll take care of it. And they're all so over-protective, I can't even take my horse out riding without an escort," Zelda ranted.

"Then Link told me about this place, how he'd been coming here for a while, competing, fighting. Something I'd never have been allowed to do in Hyrule... I made him sneak me out of the castle and take me here. After just watching a few times, I knew I wanted to compete as well. ...I wanted to do something on my own, accomplish something without the aid of others...something to prove I wasn't helpless." She looked up to see Samus smiling and staring at her. "What?"

Samus saw something of herself in Zelda's words. "You don't want to feel weak," she replied. Zelda just nodded.

"So do you think I'm any good? At fighting I mean," Zelda asked.

"You're too slow, you lack discipline, you seem to have no knowledge of basic fighting maneuvers what so ever, and you get tunnel vision."

"Oh," Zelda was somewhat taken aback by Samus' brutal critique. Though she found her honesty refreshing, unlike Link or Fox had been the previous night.

"Though you do have good instincts, and a strong determined will. Which are more important in the end. Those other things could be corrected through training. How often to you train?"

"Never," she said shyly. Samus just shook here head, then stuffed her mouth with more sandwich.

Zelda drummed her fingers on the table while Samus chewed her food. "Samus, what did you mean before...? You said you weren't used to dealing with other people."

"Oh...Just what I said, I'm not used to it. ...I'm not really around other people much at all."

"Why not?"

"My job keeps me busy. I'm a bounty hunter, I spend lots of time traveling around the galaxy tracking down bounty heads. I also sometimes do mercenary jobs for the Galactic Federation. Those missions rarely involve any contact with people either. Sometimes I go several months without seeing another sentient being."

"That sounds very lonely."

"Yeah..." Samus said quietly, looking down at the table.

"If you don't like it... why don't you find something else to do?"

"It's... it's all I know," she said still not looking up. "Anyway, that's why I wasn't very polite when you first tried to talk to me; I mean I don't dislike you or anything."

Zelda smiled, "It's ok, I understand."

"So why did you anyway?"

"Huh. Why did I what?"

"Why did you want to talk to me that first night?"

"Well you just seemed so very sad, I thought there might have been something wrong, I just wanted to help."

"Oh," Samus again looked down at the table.

"Was there something troubling you ...or might there still be? I notice it now every time I see you, this look of great sorrow in your eyes."

She didn't answer, she only looked away even more. She opened her mouth to say something and glanced quickly at Zelda but only shut it again without saying a word and turned away again. Zelda saw she had hit on a sensitive topic and decided she should change the subject.

"I really admire you," she blurted out.

"What?" Samus looked questioningly at her.

"You fight so eloquently yet so forcefully at the same time. I'd never seen any thing like it. Not even Link impresses me as much as you do." Samus' mood brightened a bit at this. Zelda continued "But it's not just your skill I admire, you command a lot of respect from those around you, from the other competitors especially and from those watching in the stands. And its respect that you earned, not that was given to you because of a meaningless title." Samus managed a half smile. "And the fact that you're a woman makes it all the more impressive," Zelda added.

"Why...does that matter?"

"Well I guess I also envy you as well. You already have what I came here to obtain, though to a degree far beyond anything I had hoped for myself, and even beyond any men I have ever known. Because you're a woman I guess it seemed more attainable for me."

"You really think I'm all that great?" Samus said sounding unconvinced.

"Yes," Zelda nodded "...I do. That's why I decided I had to meet you, had to talk to you, to see what kind of person you were."

"Oh," Samus said beginning to understand Zelda's behavior towards her the last few days.

"Although you're a lot different than I thought you would be."

"Huh? What did you expect?"

"Well I thought you'd be more... well more like Link... or like Impa, she was my bodyguard when I was younger. Both of them seemed to be... above everything, as if nothing ever bothers them. Never getting down or never losing their temper. Like for some reason they didn't face the same problems everyone else did." Zelda let out a small laugh. "That sounds a little odd coming from someone who's had such a sheltered life as me... I suppose when you think about it those would be rather endearing qualities. But to me it made them seem like... like they weren't real, like some sort of idealized characters from a fairy tale, distant and unapproachable. But... you seem like a real person, even though you were very evasive before, now I feel like I can talk to you easily." Zelda took a short pause. "Though your social skills could use improvement," she said teasingly.

'A real person?' Samus tried to process all Zelda had said. She didn't understand how Zelda could think that about her, but at the same time it made her feel a little bit of... something. Something she hadn't felt in as long as she could remember. Was this happiness?

"Samus, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, just promise not to get mad."

"Just ask."

"Why didn't you hit me before when you had the chance, it seemed like you hesitated."

"I... umm...I didn't...ahh," she stammered, Zelda noticed that she started to blush.

"What?"

"It... It's stupid."

"What is it?"

"I... didn't want to hit you, I would have... hit you in the face... and..." She was blushing even more now. "You ...have such a pretty face... I didn't want to... hit you there."

"Oh, thank you. So that's what it was." Zelda couldn't help but smile at this. "But you know any injuries I had would have been healed by that machine."

"I know, I just... didn't want to." She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side "Told you it was stupid, I should never have let myself be distracted by something like that." Zelda just giggled, as Samus when back to eating her lunch.

After a short time Samus asked "So Zelda, what's with that guy you're always here with, Link was it? You related or something? You look a little alike."

"No, we're not family."

"He your boyfriend then? He's kind of attractive."

"He is? I hadn't noticed. And it's nothing like that, we're just friends. Though I was interested for a while, but nothing ever really happened; besides he has someone already."

"The way you were talking about him before, it seemed like you didn't like him at all."

"Well it's true what I said, he is distant at times, much less now though then when we first met, but I don't dislike him for it. He really is a good person. But... sometimes I wonder," she said a bit quieter now. "Is he really my friend or is he just being nice to me because I'm royalty and he feels he has to. I mean he won't even call me by name, it's always 'highness' or 'princess' with him, even though I've asked him not to several times." she concluded, now in a somewhat raised voice.

"Next time he does it just punch him out, I guarantee he won't make the mistake again."

"I couldn't do that," she said a bit shocked. "Anyway, it isn't just him. I always feel that people are treating me different because of my status. Certainly all the people of Hyrule, though even here too, Fox and his friends, pretty much everyone I meet ...though... not you," she said smiling. "I hate it sometimes; hate being a princess. Sometimes I wish I could just quit," she sighed. "I feel like I am a title and not a person."

"I know... I know what that feels like," Samus said looking off as if into the distance.

"What do you mean?"

She sighed "Nobody..." she took a long pause. "... nobody treats me like a person, those that employ me simply view me as a tool to accomplish their goals, its all objectives, mission parameters and payment with them. Those I hunt fear me and view me like some kind of predatory beast ...with them its nothing but violence and death ...I'm not...I never..." she trailed off, and stared at her half eaten food for a while. "I... don't feel like a person either..." pausing again, "lately... I've even come to think of myself as... as that beast... or... a machine, with no other purpose... than to kill. It feels like... I'm... I'm loosing my humanity... I don't... I..."

She stopped as she felt something touch her hand. Looking up she saw Zelda reaching across the table and holding her hand, looking at her with a look of understanding and compassion. Samus stared into her eyes again, feeling the warmth they emanated. Zelda gave her hand a small squeeze, and smiled. Samus took a deep wavering breath.

"Zelda...don't..." She closed her hand into a ball. "I'm fine," she said slowly slipping out of Zelda's grip and pulling her hand away. She went back to eating her lunch trying to quickly finish it.

Seeing how uncomfortable Samus was, Zelda decided to talk about something she seemed to be more at ease with. "So, you really think I have potential to be a much better fighter?"

"Yeah..." Samus said still feeling a bit uneasy from before. "It's... Its like I said before, you have good instincts; being able to pick up on my mistake like that and take advantage of it was really impressive."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, you just need to train more," Samus paused for a bit, "I... I could help you ...teach you some basics, show you what you're doing wrong ...if you want."

"That would be wonderful!" Zelda was beaming, "Thank you so much!"

"Alright, tomorrow morning then?"

"Tomorrow morning," Zelda agreed.

Samus stood up from the table having finished her lunch "I'm going back now," she said and started to walk off.

"Wait..." Zelda called after her. "...I'll go with you."

End Part Four

Chapter 5

Title: Reminiscing

Samus and Zelda walked down the hallway on the way back to their room. The two were engaged in light conversation, discussing mostly the areas where Zelda needed improvement with her fighting skills. They arrived at the room and Samus opened the door. The lights were off and the interior of the room was so dark to eyes accustomed to the much brighter hallway that they couldn't see in. Samus took a step inside the room and was hit in the face so hard she fell back into the hallway. As she fell to the ground she hit her head on the metal railing that ran the length of the hall, hard enough to cause a clanging sound to resonate through the structure. She collapsed to the floor laying motionless.

"Samus!" Zelda screamed as she bent down to check on her friend.

"Humph, wrong one," a voice said from the darkness. It was a voice she'd heard before. A figure emerged from the room into the light of the hallway. A tall, very muscular man with olive skin and red hair, was standing over them. He was laughing with a slow deep chuckle.

"Ga...Ganondorf!" she gasped.

She stood and took off running down the hall, but she only managed to get a dozen steps before he grabbed her by the arm from behind. She was spun completely around and fell to the ground at the same time, twisting her ankle. He now stood towering over her. She scooted backwards to get away but hit up against the wall.

"No where to run my dear," he mocked.

Samus' eyes fluttered open. Lifting herself off the floor and up on to her hands and knees she let out a loud groan. She could taste blood in her mouth, and spit it angrily to the floor. "Fucking son of a bitch!" Standing up, she wobbled a bit but caught herself from falling. Her head was ringing and her vision was blurred. 'What the hell was that? Someone hit me. Where'd the bastard go?' Looking around all she could see were blobs of color. Then she heard Zelda scream.

Ganondorf reached down grabbing Zelda by her face, and lifted her up, her feet dangling a foot above the ground. She cried out in pain, and grabbed his wrist; half trying to pull him off her, half trying to support herself so that her full weight wasn't supported through her head. Ganondorf slammed her up against the wall. With his free left hand he took her left in his. "This will be mine," he said as the Triforce mark on his hand glowed with power, causing hers to resonate in kind. "Perhaps if you were to die this power would pass to me."

She tried pulling her hand away but he was far too strong. But then he just released her hand and reached down to his belt, she could hear the scrape of metal as he unsheathed a dagger. She squirmed, knowing what was coming next, and knowing she was powerless to stop it. She clenched her stomach muscles, and the anticipation of the sensation of having a blade stuck in her made her feel sick. She could see him draw his arm back.

He was about to plunge the weapon into her gut. He thrust, but his arm didn't move very far; something had caught him by his bicep and was now pulling him back and spinning him around. He was turned around just in time to only see the muzzle of Samus' arm cannon smashing into his face. The was a sickening crack as his jaw was broken. He fell to his hands and knees, with blood pouring from his mouth. Then that same cannon was brought down on the back of his head, knocking him out, and smashing his already battered face into the floor.

Samus pulled her helmet off and stood over him. As her adrenalin dissipated she again felt the pain in her head and mouth; she wiped it with her arm. Seeing blood, her anger welled up again and she kicked him hard in the ribs, and then spit blood at him. Using her foot she rolled him over onto his back, then reached down and lifted him by his collar. She placed her cannon under his chin and was contemplating whether or not to finish him off.

"Samus..." Zelda called in a faint voice. She turned to see Zelda sitting against the wall where she had fell when Ganondorf dropped her. She released Ganondorf, letting him fall back to the ground and went to help Zelda.

"You ok?" Samus knelt in front of her.

"I... think so..."

"Well, come on then." Samus stuck her hand out which Zelda grabbed, and Samus pulled her to her feet.

"Aaahh..." Zelda cried out in pain and fell to the floor again.

"What is it?"

"My ankle, I think I broke it when I fell."

"I doubt that," Samus said kneeling again beside Zelda. She took Zelda's left arm and placed it over her own shoulders, then placed her gun arm behind Zelda's back and under her right arm. Samus then placed her other arm under Zelda's knees, lifted her up, and carried her back to their room. She set Zelda down on the sofa, then stood up, put her helmet back on, then dematerialized the entire armor back into its disk shaped storage unit. Then she knelt down again in front of Zelda.

"I... I almost died," Zelda said in a whisper. The realization hit her finally as her mind had time to process the events that had just taken place. She shuttered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Samus looked up at her, and placed a hand on her knee "Let's have a look at that ankle."

"...right."

Samus rolled Zelda's dress up to her knees. She took the white stocking clad leg in hand, cradling it gently with one hand under the calf and one under the heel of her foot. She tilted the foot one way "Does this hurt?"

"No."

"This?" She tilted it another.

"No."

"How about this?" Tipping it upwards, Zelda winced.

"Ahh, yes."

"Sorry." Samus paused to consider the condition of the ankle. "I'll need to see it, can I take this off?" she said referring to the stocking. Zelda nodded. Samus first removed her shoe, and then grabbed the stockings material by the calf and tried pulling it down, but it wouldn't come. It apparently it went up pretty high. She was going to have to get it from the top. Starting at the knee she slid her fingers up Zelda's thigh searching for the top of the stocking. A quarter of the way up, nothing. Half way up, nothing. Three quarters of the way, still nothing. She went just a little higher then found the edge of the fabric. She grabbed the stocking and was about to pull it down when she stopped, realizing exactly where her hands were and the completely awkward position the two of them were in. Her mind wandered.

She shook her head. 'Not the time for those thoughts.' Then she quickly slid the stocking down Zelda's leg, taking care as she passed the ankle not to bump it. She wondered if Zelda noticed her slight pause. As she exposed the ankle she could see it was swollen and red. She placed her finger on the shin bone and felt along it. Zelda winced again as she prodded the sore area. The bone felt intact, and she concluded that the ankle had simply gotten twisted.

"It's not broken."

"Oh, that's good," Zelda said sounding relieved.

"I should put a wrap on this," she said, looking around for something to use. Seeing the discarded stocking she thought it would make a good wrap. She flattened it out on the floor making sure there were no twists or wrinkles that would dig in to Zelda's leg and be uncomfortable; she wanted a broad flat surface to it. Once that was done she proceeded to wrap it around the injury, starting just above it and working her way down to the foot putting the last few turns around the heel.

"Oh, Samus, you're bleeding!" Samus went to wipe her mouth again. "No, up here," Zelda said as she reached up to Samus' forehead. A trickle of blood started down from her hair line. "Let me see."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"It's not nothing, you hit your head really hard, now let me see it." She didn't wait for Samus to respond; she just grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in close, and tipped her head down. She pulled Samus hair tie off letting out her ponytail, then started parting Samus' hair in different places, looking for the source of the blood. The hair was wet and sticky with blood, especially closer to the scalp.

As Zelda worked, Samus noticed how close she was; Zelda's face was just inches from hers and she could feel her warm breath on her skin. It blew across her cheek, and she could hear it gently rustle across her ear. Her heart beat quickened. She was also staring Zelda right in the chest; her breasts almost completely filling Samus' field of vision. She watched as they rose and fell with every breath.

"Zelda," Samus said softly. She grabbed Zelda's wrist, pulling her hand away from her head, "I can... take care of this myself."

"Are you sure?" Zelda could see Samus was blushing again.

Samus moved back away from Zelda and stood up. "Its ok, I've had far worse than this."

She went to her bed and retrieved a small white case from her bag, then went off to the bath room to treat her wound, but more so to cool off a bit. She shut the door and set the case down on the counter. She took a small device out of the case, a metallic cylinder with various buttons. She worked the controls on it while it beeped away. Then she picked through her hair to locate the cut while looking in the mirror. The hair above her forehead was soaked with blood. She found the wound and held the device up to it, a blue beam shot forth from it and she worked it over the cut. When she was satisfied the beading had stopped she just dropped the device on the counter and proceeded to undress. She jumped in the shower and turned the water on as cold as she could stand. As she put her head under the showerhead she watched the water turn red and run down her body and then down the drain.

Zelda sat on the sofa thinking about all that had happened. She was almost killed, and Samus was hurt. She felt bad about this because Ganondorf was after her and Samus was just in the way, though it was good she was there or else she would have been killed. 'Oh no, I didn't even thank her for saving my life,' she thought. 'I'll have to tell her as soon as she gets out of the shower.'

Samus had really come around and opened up to her earlier at lunch, she was definitely less antisocial than she first thought. Though she still kept a lot to herself, and Zelda could tell she was hiding a great deal of pain. She drifted back to the conversation they had at lunch; going over the things they had talked about. Then she remembered how Samus was blushing both just earlier and at lunch. 'Why is that, is she embarrassed about something she's not telling me?' After a short while Samus exited the bathroom, though this time she made sure to fully cover herself with the towel.

"Samus, I want to--"

"Here," Samus interrupted, tossing a second towel at Zelda. It was slightly damp. "For your hands."

Zelda looked down at her palms; they were covered in dried blood from touching Samus' hair. She hadn't even noticed. "Thank you... and... Thank you for before. If you had not been there I would have been killed. I'm eternally grateful and in your debt."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," she said while getting dressed, standing behind the sofa so Zelda wouldn't see. As she was getting dressed she could hear a commotion coming from the hall. "What's that?"

After getting fully dressed she went into the hall to see that Ganondorf had attracted a crowd. There were a handful of fellow competitors as well as a pair of what she thought looked like medical staff, who were putting Ganondorf on a stretcher. Then she noticed Zelda's friend in the mix of people, he was glaring intently at Ganondorf. Before the medical personnel carted Ganondorf away she ran up to him. "Hold on, I want to talk to him," she called out to the medics.

"You know what happened to him?"

"No I don't, but he's a friend of mine and I want to make sure he's alright," she said trying to sound concerned and worried. She leaned over him, he was barely conscious. She made believe to caress his face gently, and bent down to whisper in his ear. Though she was really pressing hard on his broken jaw, she tried twisting it a little as well to make sure he really felt the pain. "If you come near me or Zelda again I WILL kill you," she said into his ear so only he could hear.

She stood and watched as they carted him off down the hall. Then she turned to Link. "Your friend is hurt, why don't you go see her."

"The princess was injured!?" he asked anxiously.

"It's nothing serious. She's in the room just down the hall. Tell her I'll be back shortly, tell her not to try walking around either," she said and started off down the hall.

"Wait," he ran up to her "Did you do that?" he said referring to Ganondorf and speaking quietly so the other people in the hall couldn't her them. She only smiled wickedly then turned and left.

------

"You're Highness, are you alright," the familiar voice came from the doorway. Zelda sat up from laying on the sofa.

"Link! Yes, I'm going to be fine, I just twisted my ankle. What happened to Samus?"

"She said she'd be back in a while. Oh and she said that you shouldn't try to walk around while you're injured."

"Oh, I wonder where she went."

"Princess, I sincerely apologize for this incident. Had I been more attentive in my duties this would not have happened, please forgive my blunder."

"Link, what are you talking about?"

"I noticed Ganondorf early this morning. This is the first time I'd ever seen him here and I thought he was up to no good. So I decided to follow him and make sure he didn't cause any trouble. But he managed to evade my watch just before lunch time."

"So that's where you've been all day... Link, you don't need to apologize, it wasn't your fault."

"But Your Highness It's my duty to protect you."

She sighed angrily 'If I wasn't a princess would you have just ignored the threat to my life' she thought but didn't say. "No, Link it's not your duty," was all she did say.

"Your Highness, I must..."

"Silence!" she ordered. He shut up instantly. She shut her eyes and sighed. She really hated doing that, but she couldn't stand him calling her that once more. "Come closer to me," she said. He moved so he was standing right next to her, "Closer." He knelt so he was at eye level with her. "Now close your eyes." He did as he was told. She then hauled off and punched him right in the mouth.

"Aaahhhh," he cried out, holding his face. There was a small amount of blood coming from his lip. Perhaps she'd over done it.

"Princess, what was that for?"

Perhaps not. She slugged him again, this time getting him in the nose, causing it to bleed as well.

"My name is Zelda!" she shouted angrily.

He just stared at her while holding his face. She took a deep breath then spoke in a more civil tone "Link, I'd like to believe that you and I are friends and not just colleagues. Is that something you agree with?" He nodded still clutching his bleeding face. "Well if you really consider me your friend then you will only ever address me by name from now on. And... I am not ordering you to do so, I am asking you as one friend to another to please call me by name. ...Ok?"

"I'm... I'm really sorry...Zelda. You asked me to before and I didn't listen, please forgive me."

"It's alright. Here..." She gave him the towel Samus had given her. "...clean yourself up." She motioned to wards the bathroom.

"Ok," he got up and started off to the bathroom, then paused halfway "I really am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I know. It's ok. Go on now before you get blood everywhere." And with that he went off to clean himself up.

She snuggled down into the sofa, hugging a pillow. 'Thanks again, Samus' she thought smiling, just as Samus walked in. "Oh you're back."

"Hey. You didn't try walking did you?"

"No."

"Here, let me see your leg." She held out a odd looking device, it was a cylinder with a hole through the center, there were hinges on one side of it and latches on the other. Samus split it in half, swinging it open by the hinges. Zelda extended her foot as Samus asked. Samus then clamped the device around her ankle and fastened the latches. Then hit several buttons on it. The interior diameter of the device changed to match Zelda's leg and it fit snugly around her. Then she could feel it start to tingle.

"That will help you heal faster. Just leave it on until I get back."

"You're going again?" Zelda sounded a bit anxious.

"I'm going to get some training in, then I have a couple of matches." Samus started heading out the door but when she had it open she stopped but didn't turn around "I can... stay here if you want."

"N...no, It's alright, if you have something to do, don't let me keep you."

"You'll be alright by yourself?"

"I'm not alone, Link's here, he's just cleaning up." She nodded towards the bathroom

"Alright... See you later then." Samus said then left. Zelda thought she sounded disappointed when she said that.

A little while later Link emerged from the bathroom. He had stopped bleeding but his lip looked a bit swollen. He walked over to where Zelda sat and stood behind the sofa. "Was that Samus who was just here." he asked.

"Yeah, she put this thing on me, and said it would make me heal faster."

She motioned for him to come and sit with her. He circled the sofa and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"I guess I kind of deserved it, I should have heard what you were saying to me."

"Don't worry about it anymore... Link, could you stay with me the rest of the evening, at least until Samus gets back?"

"Zelda?"

"I just... don't want to be alone. Ganondorf almost... he almost killed me..."

"Sure, I can stay as long as you want," he said leaning back on the sofa and putting his feet up on the table. He grabbed the remote for the TV and clicked it on. "I'm not going anywhere."

For the rest of the day and into the night they watched TV and talked about old times together: How they first met when they were children, and the troubles they went through with Ganondorf taking over Hyrule. But it was after that, when all was peaceful again, that they really got to know each other. Link would come to visit every few days, usually at her request. They'd spend the day talking or strolling through the castle gardens. Her attendants even let her out of the castle without a proper escort if the legendary hero was accompanying her.

Late that night as they sat watching a movie, Zelda gazed over at Link. She was reminded of why she had been interested in him; he was fearless, honest, had a righteous sense of justice, and he was never too busy to help others no matter how big or small their problem. He was all around a great guy. But she just didn't feel that way about him, and of course he was involved with someone else back home. Yet she did care about him and at this moment she felt closer to him than she ever had previously, especially since she had finally gotten him to call her by name. She slid over on the sofa until she was right next to him, leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. This shocked his attention away from the movie.

"Zelda...what..." He tensed up, not knowing what her intentions were.

"You don't mind, right?" she said softly while wrapping both her arms around one of his.

"...no..." Slowly he began to relax "...I don't mind."

She had longed for this, not with Link, but in general, this closeness with someone, though she hadn't realized it until now. It was something that was missing from her life. She wanted someone... to care for, and to comfort her, to be there for her when she needed, someone to hold, to love, and to share her life with. She wished Link could be that person. It would have been so easy to fall for him; the legendary hero who saved their land and the fair princess together; plus the bond they had both being bearers of the Triforce. It made perfect sense on paper. But he wasn't that person, she just didn't love him. She had tried to though, tried to force herself to have those kinds of feelings for him. But she couldn't and she didn't know why, and that bothered her a little. Though perhaps it was for the best, she was fairly certain he was in love with the girl he was involved with back home, and she wouldn't want to have gotten in the way.

But it would have been so easy. As it stood her prospects didn't seem very good at all. Her chief advisor was continually producing suitors for her; as by law she couldn't become queen if she was unwed. All had been nobles and practically clones of each other; all she disliked intensely. She couldn't stand to meet one more. And the idea of her with a commoner was beyond improbable. Where and when would she ever meet one, and even if she did the awkwardness of the difference in their social status would scare most away. It would have been so easy to be with Link. She squeezed his arm a bit tighter. Whether it be commoner or noble, the fact remained that she would almost certainly be treated like the princess she was, indeed that would likely be the entire reason they'd be with her in the first place. It was an inescapable fact of her life, she was the monarch of her kingdom, and that is how everyone would see her, everyone except... Why couldn't they be more like Samus; she didn't care one iota about something as irrelevant as social status. Zelda drifted off to sleep with these thoughts running through her head.

"Zelda, you asleep?" He didn't get a response so he figured she was. He turned the volume down on the TV a few notches so it wouldn't disturb her, then sat quietly watching the rest of his movie with her still clinging to his arm. He felt himself getting drowsy as well and several times he noticed he had missed some pieces of dialog from the movie. Though when the door opened he became fully alert, as Samus entered.

"Shhh, she's asleep," he whispered to her. She just nodded in acknowledgment.

He gently slid his arm from Zelda's grasp, then stood up while still propping her up with his arms. Once he was standing he slowly lowered her head to the sofa. She stirred a bit but didn't wake. He was anxious to get out of there now; he hadn't been all that comfortable with Zelda hanging on to him like that. And he was even less comfortable hanging around Samus, especially in what was essentially her personal space, as he found her quite intimidating, even without the armor.

"Well I'm going to go now, goodnight Samus." He stood there seeming to think a bit. "Thank you for helping her," he said, then he turned to leave.

"Hold on," she stopped him.

"What is it?" He was now more than a bit nervous.

"You know her better than me. Is she...I mean, has she ever... shown interest in another girl."

"Huh?" It took him a second to get her meaning, "What! N... no. I mean, I never noticed... why... why are you even asking?"

"Never mind, forget it."

He quickly left without another word.

Samus walked over to where Zelda slept. She inspected the device on her leg, its display indicating its job had been completed. She unlatched and removed it from Zelda's leg and set it aside. She watched Zelda as she slept, she looked so peaceful, a stark contrast from her own life. She bent down and lifted Zelda up as she had done before, though without the armor this time; Zelda felt so warm in her arms. As she stood up Zelda wrapped her arms around Samus and nuzzled her face into her neck, let out a gentle sigh and muttered Samus' name, though still fast asleep. Samus damn near dropped her as the strength left her limbs, though she did managed to hold on and maintain her composure.

She carried Zelda over to her bed and set her down in it, though as she did Zelda half woke up, her arms still around Samus' neck. "Samus? What... time..." She muttered.

"It's late."

"Link... where did... happened to...?"

"He just left. Go back to sleep," Samus whispered as she pulled herself away. She watched as Zelda fell back to sleep then pulled the covers over her. 'So peaceful.' Samus reached out to caress her face, but quickly withdrew her hand before making contact. She returned to her own bed fell onto it and was out like a light in seconds.

End Part Five

Chapter 6

Title: Training

Zelda closed her eyes and let the wind rush over her as she rode her horse through the country side. She opened them again to take in the beautiful scenery of Hyrule. Riding always made her feel free; free from concerns of royalty. She kicked the horse "Hiya, hiya. Faster." Now in full gallop she was bouncing up and down on the horses back. "Zelda," a voice called. Who was it? She looked around but saw no one. Bouncing, "Zelda..." Up and down, "Zelda... "

Slowly opening her eyes, the dim room took shape. "Zelda." She was still bouncing. "Zelda. wake up." Samus was standing over her; her foot up on the edge of the bed, rhythmically bouncing it. She was wearing the same T-shirt she usually wore to bed, but was now fully dressed wearing blue jeans and sneakers as well, she was also wearing her leather jacket.

"What... what is it?" Zelda said sleepily.

"Its morning, time to get up."

Zelda sat up. "My bed... How did I... That's right, you carried me." She smiled. "Thank you."

"Come on, get up already."

"You know, you've really come around."

"What are you talking about?"

"At first you wouldn't even talk to me, now you're being so nice to me all the time."

"Its nothing, you think too much... Just come on and get out of bed, unless you don't want me to train you."

"Oh, that's right, you promised yesterday at lunch, I had forgotten with all that happened afterwards. But... my ankle... I can't."

"Your ankle is fine." Samus quickly took Zelda's hands in hers, then lunged back into the room, pulling Zelda up out of bed and several feet across the floor, forcing her to take several hard steps on the ground. "See?"

"It... it doesn't even feel sore!" She said, completely surprised by both the condition of her ankle and Samus' abrupt actions. "I suppose that thing you put on me worked."

"Yeah. So, ready to go then?"

"Wait, let me wash up and change my clothes first, I wore this all yesterday and to bed. And also I'm starving; I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

Samus rolled her eyes and sighed "Alright, go change, then well get some breakfast," she said reluctantly.

Zelda giggled, "Ha, that was cute how you acted all annoyed."

"Uhh... I..." Cute? She found that term particularly obnoxious, especially when applied to her, yet when Zelda said it, it sounded entirely different. How did she do that? Zelda could completely disarm her with a mere look or word. Her carefully constructed defenses and mental focus could be destroyed in an instant by this girl. It happened in their match when she hesitated to strike, and again at lunch when she found herself, without even realizing, divulging things that she'd preferred not to. Then her ever vigilant and suspicious mind entertained the idea that Zelda was in fact an agent of one of her enemies sent to distract her to death, but then quickly dismissed it. 'Ugh, how pathetic am I? She's just a normal girl.'

"Well come on, lets go."

"Uh, right."

After grabbing something to eat from the cafeteria they made their way to the training facilities. Zelda had never been there before and was unfamiliar with the place. There was a corridor with eight identical rooms, four on each side. These rooms were similar to the main arena in that they could recreate almost any environment, only they were a lot smaller and each had a control panel inside the room so that the user could set up training exercises as they wanted. The room was circular with a slightly raised platform in the center that took up most of the room. Zelda stepped up onto the platform, and spun around taking in the whole room, extending her arms as she spun.

"Lets get started, Zelda," Samus called out to her.

"Umm... Samus, thanks for taking the time to do this, I really appreciate it."

"I don't mind really."

"No, I mean it... Thank you. This means a lot to me. This is the reason I came to this arena in the first place. To get stronger I mean."

Samus nodded "...I understand..."

After taking another spin to look around the room Zelda asked, "So where do we begin? I remember you told me several things I need improvement on."

"That's right, you're quite slow, one of the slowest fighters I've seen here. You get tunnel vision, meaning you tend to focus only on one thing at a time. Probably the worst flaw though is that you lack even the most basic knowledge of any kind of martial arts. You're also somewhat undisciplined, meaning even with the things you do know to do, and know how to do correctly, you sometimes fail to do them."

"Ouch, that sounds pretty bad. You could tell all that from just that one match we had?"

"Mostly, but I'd seen you fight a few other times. I sometimes watch other matches to scope out the competition."

"Oh, I see."

"Alright, I'll start by teaching you some basic martial arts. This is your most serious problem and also the easiest to fix."

Samus walked over to the console hit a few buttons and made something appear in the center of the room. It was a humanoid figure; its body was featureless and somewhat translucent. It just stood there in a fighting stance not moving much. Samus removed her jacket, laid it over the console and walked up and stood in front of the figure.

"Any martial art consists of sets of moves that can be classified as punches, kicks, blocks, or grabs and throws. Punches and kicks are your primary means of attack, blocks are a defensive move and grabbing and throwing can be defensive or offensive. Come over here." Zelda approached and stood a few feet away. "I want you to watch carefully what I do, I'll demonstrate each type of move, then I want you to repeat it."

"Ok," Zelda nodded.

One by one Samus went over several types of punches and kicks, attacking the virtual dummy with each one. Every time she knocked it down it would relentlessly get back up and return to its pose. After demonstrating a move she then had Zelda perform that same move on it. Samus was impressed with the speed Zelda was able to learn, she only ever needed to show her the move once, and after only several attempts she was able to flawlessly replicate it.

When it came time to demonstrate blocking Samus had Zelda attack her, while she blocked. Once she got the idea they switched and Samus would attack Zelda while she blocked. After she got the hang of blocking Samus decided to throw random attacks at her and let her decide which kind of block to use. After taking several hits, Zelda got a bit frustrated.

"How am I supposed to know what attack you are going to use? They all happen so fast," she complained.

"Watch my feet and legs." Samus walked over to the dummy and repeated each of the moves she had taught Zelda "See, no matter what move I do, my legs move first. Most of the time you can tell what attack is coming sooner if you recognize the leg movements." She repeated the series of attacks again.

"I see, ok let's try again."

Samus resumed throwing random attack at her; quickly Zelda began improving her blocking ratio, stopping more and more of Samus' attacks, though Samus wasn't being all that vigorous in her efforts. As Zelda began stopping all her attacks she picked up the pace. "Good, that's really good, but now instead of just standing in one place I'm going to be moving around, this will make it harder to detect my leg movements." Zelda nodded. Though she found it more difficult she was still able to block the majority of Samus' attacks, and slowly improved as they went on. 'She really learns quickly,' Samus thought to herself. When they were finished with blocking exercises Samus showed Zelda grabbing and throwing.

"Alright, now its time to combine every thing you've learned." Samus returned to the console and hit a few buttons. The virtual manikin came to life and came straight at Zelda. "Defend yourself!" Samus called out. It kicked at her and she managed to block it, but its next attack connected, as well as the one after that. Its moves were different than the ones Samus had been using, and she couldn't read them, though it wasn't hitting her very hard at all.

"Pay attention to its movements; learn them and how to block each one."

Zelda watched its feet every time it attacked to learn the way it moved, though taking a beating in the process. Eventually though she was able to block its attacks.

"Don't just block, you need to attack it. That thing will never get tired, so if you just block all the time it will eventually overwhelm you."

Zelda started throwing attacks at it but only got blocked then counter attacked. She tried again with a different attack but with the same result.

"Attacking leaves you open and unable to block, you need to look for an opening. If you block one of its attacks then it will be open briefly."

"Right." Zelda took Samus' advice and tried blocking then counterattacking, and managed to connect with a kick. But her attack did little to the virtual fighter and it immediately hit her back, knocking her down. Samus jumped up on the platform and got in between them.

"Watch," she shouted. She attacked the fighter, limiting her moves to only the ones she had taught Zelda. She quickly took it down with a rapid succession of attacks as Zelda watched in amazement. She moved so much faster than Zelda and hit very hard; even without the armor her abilities were impressive.

"That was incredible," Zelda said as she slowly got to her feet. "I don't think I hit it hard enough, that's why it was able to hit me right back."

"That's right. If your attacks deal no damage they won't stun your opponent and you'll just be left open again. Though when you hit me yesterday you were able to shatter my armor, how'd you do that?"

"Magic. ...though I'm not really sure how I did it, I just reacted without thinking. I'd never used it in that way before. Mostly I use it to make a shield, and sometimes I use it to make a fireball that I can attack with from a distance."

"That's good, punching and kicking aren't our only weapons. You should make use of every ability you have. Though I can't help you with magic, you'll have to figure that out on your own."

She thought on it a minute. "It was like I channeled energy into my hand, and released it on contact."

"Do you think you can do it again?"

"I believe so."

"Show me," she again changed something on the console and the virtual fighter was reset and stood lifeless in the center of the room.

Zelda stood in front of it, she closed her eyes and concentrated, summoning up her magic. Then all of a sudden she punched the dummy in the face. But nothing happened, then a half second later she cried out in pain and retracted her arm. Her hand and forearm had sparks of residual magic energy glittering across them. She grabbed her wrist and winced.

"You alright," Samus said rushing up on to the platform, "What happened?"

"I'm ok... I don't think I did that right."

"Is your arm injured?"

Zelda opened and closed her hand and twirled her wrist around. "No, it's ok."

"Do you want to try again?" Zelda nodded "Try striking open palm, that's how you hit me."

"Right." Zelda again tried striking the dummy, this time it was hit with the magic energy, though it wasn't really affected much, just the same residual sparkle as before. "That was good but it wasn't close to what you did to me," Samus said. Zelda tried again; this time when she made contact there was a loud pop sound and the dummy was thrown to the ground. "See, there you go, though I think you can do much better, try it several more times."

"Ok." When the virtual punching bag had stood up again, she repeatedly attacked it, trying different methods with varying degrees of success. Eventually she found what worked and what didn't and was able to consistently knock it back with fairly severe force.

"That's excellent Zelda, with that technique you're hitting harder than I ever could without my armor."

"You really think so!" Zelda said sounding a bit over excited.

"Yeah, I think you've got the basics down. We should move on."

"Ok I'm ready, what's next?" she said eagerly.

"Well I said before you're too slow. Having a powerful attack won't do you any good if you can't make contact."

"No I guess not. So how do I become faster?"

"You don't, not in one day at least. It would take months of intense physical conditioning to actually increase the speed your body moves." Zelda looked a bit disappointed. "However, you can compensate for it. Your body may be slow, but I've noticed you mind works very fast."

"Oh, it does? Thank you. But how does that help?"

"Have you ever played chess?

"Oh yes, I'm actually quite good at it."

"Well combat is like chess, you have to look several moves ahead and try to force your opponent to make a move he doesn't want to; something that works against him or leaves him open to an attack."

"I think I understand, but fighting happens a lot faster than a game of chess, there's not enough time to think ahead. I don't think I could do something like that."

"You're right, you don't have much time to think, but your opponent doesn't either. Besides I know you can, I've already seen you do it."

"What do you mean?"

"During the match we had together, you fought Pichu. Remember? That thing is one of the faster opponents you'll find here. But it doesn't think ahead at all, it only reacts, relying entirely on instinct. Remember how you were able to hit it?"

"That's right; I tricked it into hitting itself by reflecting its attack back at it, and once it was stunned I was able to hit it with my own attack."

"Exactly, despite it being much faster than you, you were able to hit it by thinking ahead, though it won't be as easy when you face smarter opponents."

"So what do I need to do?"

"Well just like chess you need to recognize situations and learn how to turn them to your favor, this can only be done through practice though. So I'm going to have you fight one of these guys..." Samus gestured to the virtual fighter standing in the center of the room. "But I'm going to make it harder than before. I can change around their various attributes, like speed, strength, or skill level. I'm going to make it faster than you so you will always have to rely on cunning to get an advantage over it."

"How will I know what to do?"

"It's not as hard as it seems, you should be able to get the hang of it after a while. Just try to put yourself in your opponent's position, and try to think of what you would do to defeat yourself, more often than not it's the same thing they are thinking of. If there's anything obvious I think you're missing I'll let you know."

"Alright, I'm ready."

For the next few hours Zelda fought against her virtual opponent while Samus observed and provided advice. When Zelda had improved enough to consistently best her opponent Samus would increase its speed or skill level a small amount to constantly provide a challenge. Again Samus marveled at the speed with which she learned this stuff. She though back to her childhood when she first learned these skills under the direction of her Chozo guardians. They would frequently admonish her for not learning fast enough, not paying attention, or needing to have things explained multiple times.

Once Samus was convinced she'd progressed far enough she stopped the exercise. "Zelda! That's enough, you've got this. Let's move on."

"Wait. Can we take a break, I'm starving, and it's well past lunch time."

"I thought as much. Here." Samus reached into her jacket and remove a small sealed container. Zelda recognized these containers; they gave them out in the cafeteria to store leftovers. Samus must have gotten this when they stopped in for breakfast this morning.

"You brought a lunch for me?" Zelda was pleasantly surprised "Thank you."

"I thought you'd get hungry, I... didn't want to waste time running off to the cafeteria."

Zelda took the plastic box from Samus and sat on the edge of the raised platform. "You know, you really are a considerate person, even though you try and act like you don't care about anything most of the time."

Samus didn't respond, she just stood leaning over the console staring at Zelda.

"Samus?"

"uh... I'm not... really." She said a bit defensively.

Zelda sighed and opened her lunch; it was a grilled chicken breast sandwich. 'She remembered I said I like poultry.' She smiled. "Come sit with me," she said.

Samus came and sat down beside her. "Here," she offered half her sandwich to Samus.

"No that's alright; I don't need to eat now."

"You sure? It wouldn't be polite to eat while you have nothing."

"It's ok, I don't mind. Besides... I... got that for you," she said looking away.

Zelda smiled and nodded. "Thank you," she said and bit into her lunch.

"You've improved so much today, it's really impressive," Samus said suddenly.

"You're impressed with me?" Zelda said truly shocked.

"Yeah. When I first started training it took me a week to learn what you've picked up in just a few hours, though I was only a child at the time. I think you must be a natural."

"No, it's not that. It's always been like this with anything I learn. It's an ability I have."

"Well that's pretty incredible in itself."

"Though it's not a natural ability." Zelda sounded a bit down when she said that.

"What do you mean?"

"The Triforce of Wisdom." She touched the back of her left hand.

"What's that?"

"It's a power I have, or rather, was given to me."

"Given? By who?"

"Nayru. She's a goddess... I suppose I should explain. Din, Nayru, and Farore are the deities of our land Hyrule; the three goddesses. Each of them left a relic in the mortal realm, a fragment of their power, we call these the Triforce. There are three pieces; Power, Wisdom, and Courage, corresponding to Din, Nayru, and Farore respectively. Each piece is entrusted to a mortal, I have Nayru's piece, the Triforce of Wisdom."

"Your world sounds interesting."

"It has a certain charm to it, yes," she said then took a bite of her lunch.

"So, who has the other pieces?"

"You've actually met them both, Link has the Triforce of Courage, and... Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power."

"That guy who tried to kill you?"

"Ahh...Y...yes. I believe he was after my Triforce piece, he desires all three. If he obtains them all he would become very powerful."

"If he tries to hurt you again I'll kill him." She said coldly.

Zelda smiled. "So you're looking out for me then?"

"What... no... I just meant...ahh, just finish eating so we can get back to training."

"Hmm..." Zelda smiled again, then went back to eating. When Zelda had finished she quickly spoke up before Samus could say anything. "Samus. I don't think your losing your humanity."

Samus, a bit startled at Zelda's abrupt change of subject, didn't respond, she just stared straight ahead.

"If you were... we wouldn't even be here right now, you wouldn't be taking the time to help me like this. You wouldn't have thought to bring me a lunch, or carried me to my bed and been so kind to me when I was injured... wouldn't have saved my life." Samus still refused to look at her. "These aren't things someone who's losing their humanity would do!"

"Maybe you're right... Or maybe... they're a futile attempt to prevent the inevitable; to hang on to something that's gone already; the final battle of a lost war... I don't know."

Samus' words struck Zelda with an incredible sense of sorrow; she could feel it like a knot in her chest. How could someone think that about themselves? How could someone as wonderful as Samus think that about themselves? What must she be going through to feel that way? "Samus..." Zelda reached out to take her hand, but Samus stood up before she could. "You can't just give up on yourself!"

She walked over to the console and put her jacket on. "Zelda... I don't want to talk about this."

"But..."

"Come on, let's get back to work. There's still one more thing I need to teach you."

Zelda sighed "Alright."

She cleared her head and tried to focus on her training. Samus altered some settings on the console and the virtual fighter in the center of the room was replaced by two of them standing at opposite ends. "These two are the same as the last one you fought; same skill, same speed and strength. The only difference is now you have to fight both at the same time."

Zelda took a defensive posture and waited for them to come at her. Once one attacked she blocked it, then countered, only to get hit by the second fighter. She jumped back, away from them, and prepared for their attack again. This time she used magic to throw a fireball at one to distract it while she defended against the other ones attack. She managed to get a hit off on it and disable it but wasn't quick enough and was again hit by the second fighter. "How am I supposed to do this?"

"You have to watch both of them."

"I am."

"No you're watching one then the other."

"My eyes can only look in one direction at a time."

Samus stopped the virtual fighters then walked up on the platform. She positioned Zelda across from one of them "Stare straight at it, don't take your eyes off it." Samus then walked to the side of Zelda, she held up her hand and a number of fingers. "Without taking your eyes off him, tell me how many fingers I am holding up."

"How can I without looking?"

"Your eyes take in the entire scene, not just what's directly in front of you. You have to learn to not focus on only what you are staring at, observe everything."

Zelda concentrated. "Three, no four."

"Good, now how many?" She changed her fingers

"Five."

"And now."

"One."

"Last one."

"Three."

"Excellent."

Zelda looked at Samus finally.

"I said don't take your eyes of him!" Samus snapped.

"Oh, sorry." She looked back at the virtual dummy.

"Remember your blocking exercise?"

"Yes."

"Don't take your eyes off him." Samus moved more to the side of her then threw a punch. Zelda was hit, though not very hard. "You ok?" Samus asked.

"Yeah."

"Pay attention and it won't happen anymore." Samus threw another punch, and this time Zelda barely blocked it. Samus quickly followed up with another attack and hit Zelda again. But didn't stop to ask if she was alright, instead she continued with a third attack, and a fourth, and so on. Zelda eventually managed to start blocking all the attacks without looking directly at her. Samus then started moving all around and continued to attack. Once she was confident that Zelda could avert her attention without averting her eyes, she stopped the exercise. "Now use what you just learned and fight these two." She returned to the console and reactivated the virtual fighters.

This time Zelda faired a bit better, but was still getting hit by them. After a while though she was back to being able to hold her own against two as she had previously against one. So Samus decided to make it more challenging, she entered something into the console, and the plain featureless white interior of the room was replaced by an artificial environment, with lots of varying visual elements to distract Zelda.

"What did you do?"

"It's much harder isn't it?"

"Yes!"

"Well this is how you would fight for real, so get used to it."

She continued fighting and struggled to see both her opponents against the more complicated visual background without directly looking at them. But as always she made the adaptation relatively quickly. Eventually she managed to completely defeat one, its body dissolving into the air. After that the second one was no challenge and she quickly defeated it as well.

"That's excellent Zelda."

"Thanks!"

"Ok, Now I am going to put them on endless mode, As soon as you defeat one, it will be replaced by a fresh one. You ready?"

"Yes."

Two new virtual fighters materialized and began attacking Zelda. "Just keep fighting them until you are completely comfortable, I'll monitor you and increase their skill when I think you can handle it, just like before." They worked like this for a couple of hours, slowly improving Zelda skills. Though eventually Zelda began to feel fatigued.

"Samus, can we stop now?"

Samus hit a button on the console and the virtual fighters froze in place. "What's the matter?"

"I'm getting a bit tired, and I think I've improved more than enough for one day."

"You can stop if you want, but I think you should keep going. When ever I train and I get the urge to quit, I push myself to continue on at least as long as I had been training."

"Well I guess I could go a little longer."

"You should try and go a lot longer, longer than you think you can stand, and once you've reached your limit, then go a little longer."

"Is that what you do?"

"Yeah. If I give up easily while just training, how am I supposed to persevere in a real fight? I don't just train myself in the technical skills of combat, but also in the mental conditioning necessary to survive anything, any physical hardship or seemingly impossible situation, without quitting."

'You're too hard on yourself,' Zelda thought and was about say but she kept it to herself, she did understand the logic of what Samus was saying. "Alright then, I guess I have to continue on some more."

"But you'll have to do it on your own; I have a couple of matches to get to in a little while."

"Oh, you're going to leave." Zelda sounded disappointed.

"I... I'll come back and check on you when I'm done. Unless you want to quit, then I guess I'll see you back at the room."

"I..." Zelda did want to go watch Samus fight, she had missed her last fight because she was injured, and she didn't want to miss anymore. But she also didn't want to quit either; she had to decide. "No, I'll be here."

"Alright, see you later." Samus said and walked out the door.

Zelda ran out into the hall "Samus!" she yelled getting her attention. "...Thank you ...Thanks for today. I learned a lot, and I enjoyed it too, so thank you."

Samus nodded "Don't mention it." She waved then left down the hall.

Zelda return to the room, and resumed her training. She would take Samus' advice and push herself to her limit. She continued on for another hour. Her arms felt numb, She wouldn't quit, she couldn't, she had to prove to herself that she was strong... No that wasn't why. What would Samus think if she gave up? She recalled how good it felt when Samus praised her for doing so well. She couldn't disappoint her now. She pressed on, suppressing all thoughts of quitting.

End Part Six

Chapter 7

Title: Intimacy

Samus walked down the hall to the training room where she had left Zelda, wondering if she'd still be there. She said she would, but did she really have the resolve? It had been almost three hours since Samus left her there. Maybe she'd just be hanging around not really training much; she did seem a bit tired.

When Samus opened the door what she saw stunned her, and in several different ways. First Zelda hadn't given up at all, in fact she was training harder than ever. She was now facing three opponents simultaneously. She also looked completely exhausted; breathing heavy and soaked in sweat. Zelda had truly pushed herself to the limit.

Second was her dramatic improvement in skill. Samus could tell just from looking she was being much more efficient in her movements and was thinking ahead, anticipating moves before they came. Samus walked up to the console, the virtual fighters' skill level was slightly more than twice where she had left it. And it looked as if Zelda had increased their speed by at least thirty percent. Further more Zelda was using moves that Samus hadn't taught her. Though she did recognize them, they were moves commonly used by these artificial opponents. She learned their attacks by fighting against them and had incorporated them into her own arsenal of moves. She was still not on par with the majority of the competition here at the arena, yet she had made a dramatic improvement over her previous state.

The third and final thing that impressed Samus was Zelda herself, or more specifically her body. Her sweat soaked dress clung to her body and the fine material was made sheer, so Samus could see her figure plainly. Her breasts and the valley between them, the outline of her rib cage, her flat stomach, the crease down her back, her shoulder blades, the in and out curve of her hips and her backside. She was in good shape, though Samus wouldn't consider it an athletic body, Zelda was fine and feminine like she imagined a princess should be.

Samus hit a button on the console and Zelda's opponents vanished. Zelda stood there a bit surprised, then looked over to where Samus stood, and then waved and started walking over. Samus just stared, still a bit awestruck. As Zelda was about to step down off the platform her eyes glazed over and she fell forward. Samus reacted in the blink of and eye and ran and caught her before she hit the floor. She laid Zelda back against the edge of the platform.

"You alright?"

"I... didn't... give... up..." Zelda said gasping for breath between every word.

"I can see that. You didn't have to go this far."

"I couldn't... quit... I had to go on... I didn't want... to be a... disappointment to you."

"You... did this to impress me?"

"Well... you put so much... effort in to helping me... I didn't want you... to feel like you wasted your time."

Samus shook her head. "I wouldn't. Even if you had quit earlier, it wouldn't have been a waste, I...What you accomplished was... well, beyond anything I expected."

Zelda smiled and tilted her head back resting it on the platform, staring up at the ceiling. They both just sat there side by side while Zelda caught her breath. Being much closer now, Samus again examined Zelda's figure. She watched Zelda's chest rise and fall, observing her breathing becoming slower with every breath. Her own pulse quickened however as she imagined what being with Zelda would be like, what touching her and kissing her would be like, how it would feel having her body pressed against her own...

"Samus, you're blushing."

"Wha...?"

"It's the third time that I've noticed now. Is there something you're embarrassed about? If there is, you can tell me, it's alright."

"I... I'll tell you later." Samus stood up and offered her hand to Zelda. "Come on." Zelda took her hand and Samus pulled her to her feet. "Let's go."

------

As they entered their room, Zelda stopped at the door and turned to face Samus who was walking behind her. "Thanks for today, for everything you taught me, it really meant a lot to me." She then hugged Samus. "Thank you."

Samus' heart skipped a beat with Zelda's embrace. "You've thanked me a dozen times already; you don't have to keep saying it." She said as Zelda pulled away, Samus had to fight the urge to start groping her right then and there.

"I know, I... It just meant so much to me; I want you to know how grateful I am."

"I already do."

Zelda nodded and smiled. "Samus..." She walked over and sat on the sofa, and motioned for Samus to sit with her.

"What?" Samus said as she sat down.

"About before, when I said I didn't think you were losing your humanity..."

Samus sighed. "Zelda, I said I don't want to talk about it." She went to stand up but Zelda grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to the sofa.

"Then just listen!" Zelda said forcefully. "I don't want you to think that about yourself anymore. Don't think it because it's just not true... I know it may seem that way to you, the life you lead... being alone all the time, immersed in violence... it must be difficult for you. Maybe you feel it's easier to just give up, but... that would be such a shame..." Zelda paused to sigh then continued. "Because you have little contact with people, I think you've convinced yourself of this notion and have let it take on a reality of its own. But it's a false reality! I've only know you for a few days, and it's obvious to me; Samus, you're a kind and compassionate person. I think you just need someone to tell you that once in a while."

"Kindness? Compassion?" She said the words like they were completely foreign to her.

Zelda grabbed Samus' hand and clasped it between hers "Yes! Samus... yes. I don't know why you can't see that, but it's the truth. ...at least that's how you've acted towards me."

She sighed "You're ...the only person... everyone else I just... I don't know why."

"Fine then!" Zelda said "When ever that ugly thought enters your head I want you to think of me instead."

"Zelda...I..." Samus sighed not wanting to argue anymore. "Ok, I will."

"Promise!"

"Yeah, I promise," Samus nodded.

"Alright then," Zelda smiled and put her hand on Samus' shoulder. She then stood and walked around the sofa. "Well, I think I'll go take a shower now after all that working-out I did."

"Alright," Samus said as Zelda went off to the bathroom. She went and sat on her bed and changed out of her clothes into what she normally wore to bed. She thought about what Zelda had said. She didn't feel it, didn't feel anything like compassion. Then why did she behave the way she did around Zelda? Perhaps there was something to what she was saying, perhaps not, she just wasn't sure right now.

She heard Zelda turn the shower on and the water start running. Samus thought about her in there, naked, water pouring over her body... How would she approach her? What could she say? Would Zelda even be open to being with another woman? It's possible; she had her suspicions, little hints here and there but nothing conclusive. Though having never before been with a woman herself she didn't know how these things went. Samus knew she was terrible at social situations, trying anything clever or subtle would probably be a disaster. She decided then to be as direct as possible.

Zelda stood under the shower letting the warm water pour over her. Its warmth felt soothing on her tired muscles. She smiled at this; even though her body was tense, it felt good because she felt like she accomplished something. She had learned so much, she couldn't wait for her next match to try her new skill. She would finally be able to prove she wasn't just some pampered royal brat. Prove... to who? Anyone, everyone, she didn't care, she would just prove it.

She stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and began to dry herself off. She felt like she should thank Samus again. She wanted her to know how much it meant to her; her life as a princess at times felt like a prison, but now she felt like she was finally able to escape that prison. Samus was the one responsible for that, but not just because of the training; Samus didn't treat her like royalty, not once, and she appreciated that even more.

After she was dry she brushed her hair and put on her nightgown. She hoped Samus had taken what she said to heart. She was a unique and wonderful individual, and it bothered Zelda greatly that she could have such a low opinion of herself, especially when it seemed to cause her such pain. Zelda exited the bathroom and was surprised to see that Samus was sitting on her(Zelda's) bed. She was looking down, apparently lost in thought.

"Samus?" she said as she approached. "What is it?"

Samus took a deep breath then looked up at Zelda. "Do you think I'm attractive?"

"What? Of course you are." Zelda was a bit perplexed, how could she even doubt that? Zelda looked her over. She was stunningly beautiful. Her light golden blond hair, Zelda thought was a much prettier color than her own red tinted blond. And the way the long strands flowed down her back, despite being constantly constrained in that ponytail she always wore, just looked incredible. She thought Samus should let her hair out more often, it would be the perfect frame for her perfect face. Those dazzling light blue eyes, shone and sparkled like diamonds set against her milky smooth face. And her body... She had seen it in action earlier when they were training. And now that so much of it was exposed Zelda could clearly see Samus was in excellent shape. She had a perfectly toned athletic body; she was slightly muscular, though not enough to make her look masculine. Her skin was fair, obviously Samus didn't see much sun, though it had a nice natural pink hue. She had a flat stomach with a hint of abs showing, slender waist, defined thighs and calvs, and perky firm breasts... Zelda could see her nipples poking through the thin shirt... 'Wait...what am I thinking...' Zelda shook her head.

"You're... um, quite beautiful." Zelda concluded.

"No... That's not... I mean..." Samus took Zelda's hand in hers and stared into her eyes, "...are you... attracted to me." Samus began stroking Zelda's hand. Holding the back of Zelda's hand in her's, she ran her thumb in circles over Zelda's palm.

"Wa-...uh...how...but... but you're a girl." Zelda stammered. Samus turned Zelda's hand over and made circular movements with the tips of her fingers over Zelda's palm "W...Why are you... asking me this?" She asked even though the answer was obvious. Samus ran the tips of her fingers up the front of Zelda's, over the tips, then down the back then caressed the back of Zelda's hand.

"Because..." Now using the tips of two fingers she went up one of Zelda's fingers then down the next going all the way to the base of the palm then back up another finger. "...I'm attracted to you... very much."

Samus took her by the wrist and brought Zelda's hand up to caress her face. She ran the back of Zelda's hand across her face from right to left, then turned her hand over and pressed it to her cheek, ran it back over her ear, down her neck, then forward under her chin and finally back to her cheek again. She repeated this motion several times. When Zelda's hand was at her cheek Samus would run her lips over her wrist.

"Samus...why... I..."

Zelda could again see that look in Samus' eyes, that sad lonely look she noticed the very first night they met. But this was crazy; Samus couldn't really be thinking what she thought she was. Zelda wanted to pull her hand away and tell Samus this wasn't proper behavior. But she couldn't figure out what to say, Samus looked so vulnerable just then and she just couldn't bring herself to reject her. Her mind raced looking for a way to end this without hurting Samus. It was then that she noticed she was still caressing Samus' face even though Samus was no longer guiding her to do so. When did that happen? Why was she still doing this?

Samus reached up with her other hand to touch Zelda's face, she caressed her cheek with several strokes of her thumb before she moved her hand down to Zelda shoulder and guided her to sit down on the bed next to her. She then caressed her face again and ran her hand back through Zelda's hair. She ran her fingers over Zelda's pointed ear, working from the base to the tip then back down again on the other side. Then she fondled the fine wispy hair around the back of her neck. Zelda trembled and started to blush.

Samus leaned closer to her, but stopped. Zelda looked really nervous. "If you don't want to... its ok... I'll understand."

'Oh thank the goddesses, she just gave me a way out. All I have to do is say something...' But Zelda still found herself at a loss for words. 'Come on... say something... Speak!' she coaxed herself. But what eventually came out wasn't what she had intended. "Samus... I haven't... I... I've never...been with..."

"Its ok, neither have I...we can go slow," Samus said. Zelda could feel her heart pounding, it felt like it would explode. Samus leaned closer to Zelda, staring intently into her eyes. Zelda's breath quickened and her head was spinning. Samus was about to kiss her; this whole situation felt surreal. She could hear her own heart beating as the blood rushed to her head, and she felt warm all over. Samus was very close now, Zelda could feel her breath on her lips, she quivered.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Zelda, Samus pressed her lips ever so softly against Zelda's, but didn't kiss. She then pulled back a little. She told Zelda they would go slow, and she would; she didn't want to scare her away by moving to fast. Samus caressed Zelda's face once more before pressing their lips together again, though much firmer this time. Again she pulled back, far enough so that they could look each other in the eyes. Samus caressed Zelda's forehead and brushed her hair aside.

They stayed that way, gazing into each others eyes, for a few moments. Samus then moved in again and this time kissed Zelda, once, then twice, trying to gauge her reaction. She didn't pull back or resist, and Samus took this as a sign to press on. She started kissing Zelda in earnest now. Samus put one arm around Zelda's waist and another over her shoulders and pulled the two of them closer, pressing against each other. Though Samus could feel how tense Zelda's body was, and thought she might be moving to fast, so she slowed down and softened her kisses.

'Is this actually happening?' Zelda thought. It didn't feel real. But it did feel... good. The concept of two women together was completely new to her and she felt a bit confused by it. Was this really ok for her to be doing? It did feel... really good, and she liked Samus a lot, so... maybe it would be alright. Slowly Zelda's apprehension began to diminish.

Samus felt Zelda relax, so she began kissing a bit more vigorously. Zelda still wasn't kissing her back, though Samus' efforts began to elicit gentle sighs from her. She kissed Zelda this way a while longer before laying back on the bed, pulling Zelda down on top of her, and then resumed kissing her. Slowly Samus let her hands wander over Zelda's body. She ran her hands down Zelda's back, then back up her sides, grazing the sides of her breasts as she worked her way up to Zelda's shoulders. She then took the back of Zelda's neck in one hand and cupped the side of her face in the other. She pulled Zelda into her as she kissed her much harder now. Zelda responded with heavier sighs. Samus again let her hands stroll down Zelda's back, stopping at the small of her back and massaging it a bit before moving down and grabbing her butt. She gently kneaded it through the fabric of Zelda's nightgown and Zelda's sighs became moans. Samus trailed her hands down further, over the backs of Zelda's thighs, reaching as far down as she could, almost reaching the knees. Then using her fingers like a rake she ran her hands back up, past the thighs, over her butt and back, and finally wrapped her arms around Zelda's middle.

Samus rolled them over so that now she was on top of Zelda. She kissed Zelda on the lips a few more times before moving on. She trailed kisses up Zelda's cheek and over to her ear. Zelda's pointy ear intrigued Samus and she wanted to explore it a bit. She planted kisses at the base of it where the ear lobe would normally have been, then moved up to kiss the upper half of the base just above her ear cannel. She then found the curled ridge that formed the top edge of the ear and got her tongue under it, licking all the way up to the tip, then took the tip between her lips and tugged on it gently. She then returned to kissing near the base of her ear and slowly made her way down to Zelda's neck. First kissing along the side and down to where her neck and shoulder met, and then moving over to kiss her throat and under her chin. Zelda arched her head back to allow Samus better access. Samus could feel the vibrations of Zelda's moans through her throat as she kissed on it.

After a bit of that, Samus started moving down, placing kisses on Zelda's chest just below her neck, but came to a stop at the top of her nightgown. Samus grabbed the tie that held the top of the gown closed at the neck and started to pull the knot out. Zelda tensed up a bit again. Having Samus kiss her was nice, but this was getting a little more serious now. Did she really want it to go this far? She didn't know the answer.

Samus sensed her apprehension had returned and stopped undoing the knot. She thought Zelda was getting into it before, though she had been completely passive the entire time. She'd better make sure before going any further. "Zelda, you sure about this? You seem nervous. We can stop if you want."

Zelda took a while to answer still trying to figure out her feelings. "...I ... It's ok... d-don't stop," she said a bit unsure of herself.

Samus continued pulling the knot to untie it ever so slowly, looking in Zelda's eyes as if to ask her the question again nonverbally. Zelda gave a single nod signaling her approval. Samus pulled the knot loose, then split the gown open revealing a wedge of skin from Zelda's neck down to her navel, which ran between her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra under her gown. With the back of two fingers, Samus ran her hand up from Zelda's stomach, in-between her breasts, and up to her neck, then caressed her face again. The new sensation caused Zelda to shiver and gasp a single breath.

Samus then undid the gowns belt like tie around Zelda's waist. Grabbing the two halves of the gown she slowly separated them allowing the material to drag across Zelda's nipples. This earned her another gasp from Zelda. The gown was split much wider, exposing Zelda's breasts completely, and somewhat lower not quite going below the waist. Zelda laid there exposed, staring up at Samus, she became somewhat self conscious and Samus could see it on her face.

"You embarrassed?" Samus asked. Zelda nodded. "Don't be, ... you're beautiful." Zelda smiled and nodded again. "Or maybe it's because you're naked and I'm not." Samus smirked then in one quick motion pulled her t-shirt up and over her head and tossed it behind her to the foot of the bed.

"You...umm...You're beautiful too..." Zelda said meekly.

Smirking, Samus leaned over to give her another quick kiss, while placing her hands on Zelda's neck and shoulders. Using a light touch she stroked Zelda's shoulders and neck and slowly moved her hands downward. First raking her fingers over Zelda's collar bones and slowly down over the tops of her breasts. Quickly she inverted her hands to scoop the under side of the breasts and used her thumbs to tease her nipples, making circles around the areola then over the nipples them selves. Zelda began to sigh again at Samus' touch. She leaned in to put her mouth on Zelda's neck again, kissing and sucking at the soft skin. Then, with her hands still pleasuring Zelda's breasts, she began working her kisses downward along the center of Zelda's chest, down between her breasts. She stopped to take time to kiss each one a little before moving along. Zelda's breathing had become heavy and she began to feel warm and flush. Samus planted kisses randomly over Zelda's stomach causing her to quiver. Then she went in for her navel, kissing a little, then licking around it, then putting her tongue in and swirling it around. This caused Zelda to let out a shuddering breath.

Samus pulled her head away and looked up to Zelda and smirked "ya' like that?"

"...uh-huh ..." Zelda nodded.

Samus moved from her position of laying next to Zelda and straddled her instead, sitting on Zelda's thighs with her own legs folded beneath her. Placing her hands on Zelda again and caressing her up and down the length of her torso, from her shoulders to her waist, over and between her breasts, using barely a feather touch. Zelda closed her eyes and tilted her head back, taking in the sensations Samus was giving her. Eventually Samus' fingers found their way down to Zelda's waist just above her womanhood. She stroked her fingers back and forth over the lowest point of Zelda's stomach.

"Zelda?" Samus asked, pulling at the gown that was still covering her, again asking permission to proceed further. Opening her eyes and looking down Zelda simply nodded.

Samus sat up on her knees so she was hovering above Zelda, and then pulled the gown open all the way. Zelda wasn't wearing any underwear under there either. Samus reached down and ran her fingers through the golden curls. Then she slid her own underwear down to her knees, lifted one leg and pulled it free from the panties and let them fall, still dangling off one leg. With the both of them completely naked Samus lowered herself to her hands and knees so she was just above her, staring down into Zelda's captivating eyes as Zelda lay there staring back up at her.

Samus leaned down to kiss her again. Then she lowered herself down onto Zelda, their naked bodies fully pressed against one another. Samus wrapped her arms around Zelda's neck so in effect Zelda was using her forearms as a pillow. She kissed Zelda passionately, a long lingering kiss. Eventually Samus used her tongue, first licking Zelda's lips then penetrating into her mouth. This new action surprised Zelda, it was very strange to feel someone else's tongue inside her mouth, but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, like everything else Samus had done with her, it was very enjoyable. Samus licked around the insides of Zelda's lips then parted her teeth and found her tongue. She licked and flicked Zelda's tongue with her own, but then realized Zelda's total passiveness in this activity as well. Even though Zelda was moaning into her mouth with every breath, and she could feel her chest heaving beneath her, Samus became concerned that Zelda wasn't really into this; Thinking that Zelda had only succumbed to her advances out some sense of obligation. 'For what? Helping her, being nice to her, or did she feel sorry for me?' Samus' mind raced to try and figure her out.

Zelda was however feeling blissful. It was like she was floating through the sky wrapped in a warm cloud. Samus' body pressed up against hers felt warm and comforting. This felt right; with Samus she felt so perfect and contented. Samus treated her right; Samus didn't call her princess or highness, didn't sugar coat the truth for her, didn't think her weak or incapable. Samus liked her for her, and not for her title. Samus had been so kind towards her and helped her out when she needed it. And now Samus was doing these incredible things with her, giving her these new sensations and feelings, things she'd never felt before...She felt totally at ease with Samus, completely comfortable, any last bit of apprehension she had faded all together and she melted into Samus' kiss.

Samus thought she should stop despite Zelda's previous consent. She didn't want this if Zelda didn't, and it bothered her that it had gone this far under that condition. Though just as she was about to break away, Zelda surprised her. She wrapped her arms around Samus and pulled her tight, and then she began kissing her back; at first just palpating her lips, but eventually responding with her tongue to Samus'. Eventually she became adventurous enough to explore Samus' mouth with her tongue, mimicking Samus' previous actions. And now it was Samus that was moaning and starting to breathe heavily in response to Zelda. They stayed that way for a long while, holding each others bare bodies and kissing deeply.

As they kissed Zelda's thoughts drifted. The hole in her life she'd only just discovered existed, could Samus be the person to fill it, another woman? What she was doing now was one thing, but could she really have a relationship with her? Was that possible? The instant she asked herself that question it was like a switch was thrown; not only was it possible, it was vastly preferable to the alternative. But what did that mean, what did it say about her? Her mind raced, trying to process this new realization. Was this why her romantic prospects always seemed so dim? Why she didn't feel anything for Link despite trying desperately, almost forcing herself to. Why was she like this, why did she have to be different from everyone else... well not everyone... obviously Samus was different too... She stopped herself there, she didn't want to think about it now, she didn't want to think about anything. All she wanted now was to lose herself in Samus' kiss.

As Samus became more and more caught up in the pleasurable moment, she instinctively, even subconsciously, began rocking her hips back and forth. When the stimulation from that act made Samus aware of what she was doing, an idea crossed her mind. She became much more deliberate in her actions. She ground her pelvis into Zelda, their most sensitive spots rubbed against one another. Zelda pulled away from the kiss and let out a loud "Ahhh" then buried her face in Samus neck and started kissing her there as Samus had done to her earlier.

Samus' efforts became more enthusiastic, and Zelda began to feel a burning from down within her. The sensation built up inside of her, and caused her to start writhing around; her breaths were deep and labored. Samus sat up to get better leverage and put most of her weight into it. She gripped Zelda's abdomen with her hands and could feel her muscles slow rhythmic contractions. Samus increased the speed of her rocking back and forth. Zelda's breaths came much quicker now and the vocalizations of her pleasure were loud and exuberant. The tension she felt in her loins was almost unbearable, she thought she would explode. Zelda's reactions encouraged Samus to grind even harder. Zelda was on the edge now; her breaths came in short quick gasps.

Samus, seeing that Zelda was about to come, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up half way, and leaned herself down the other half, and started kissing her while she humped even harder still. The added sensation of kissing Samus, sent Zelda over the edge. She partially broke the kiss and moaned and yelled while Samus still kissed at her gasping mouth. Her body shook, as her abdominal muscles spasmed, while she dug her fingers into Samus back. She shuddered then collapsed into Samus' arms.

Samus meanwhile was close to orgasm herself. She continued on grinding into Zelda, then noticed a warm dampness from between her legs, Zelda's nectar. The lubrication enhanced the sensation for Samus, which was enough to make her finally come. She arched her back, threw her head back, and placed her hands on the bed behind her for support. She let out a loud long groan as she climaxed.

They both fell back down to the bed, breathing heavily. Samus rolled off Zelda and lay next to her, staring up at the ceiling. Zelda still twitched with an occasional aftershock. After she caught her breath she spoke, "Samus, that was... it was... I... I don't know how to describe it, but it was wonderful." She slid over to kiss Samus on the cheek then rested her head against Samus' shoulder.

"Really? You... at first... it didn't seem like you liked it much."

"But I did! I just... I guess I was nervous. I never thought two girls could...do that. I wasn't sure how to feel about it."

"Oh."

"I... I just... had this mental image of what my first time would be like...I guess I never pictured..."

"This was your first time?" Samus cut her off.

"Yes, I... I told you that already, that I had never been with anyone before. You said... You said you hadn't either..."

"I... Zelda, I'm sorry... I misunderstood you... I... thought you were telling me you hadn't ever been with another woman. That's what I was saying I hadn't... I didn't mean to mislead you, I didn't realize you were a virgin... You thought I was too... I'm really sorry..."

"Oh, I see..."

"You regret it now."

"No! I don't! I don't regret anything that happened tonight. It's... I thought it would be special for you too, but it's ok. Really."

"Special? Because it would be my first time? No. I don't think that would matter to me one way or the other... I don't think any one event is more or less significant than another because it happened first."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." They lay there a while in silence, Samus staring at the ceiling, Zelda staring at Samus.

"Anyway it was special..." Samus finally broke the silence "...because... it was you. You're... different than the others."

"Different? Because I'm a woman?"

"That's not it."

"Then different how?"

"I... I don't know, you just are."

"Different in a good way?"

"Mm, yeah."

"Samus."

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad. Glad my first time was with you." Zelda took Samus' hand in hers. "I know you said it's irrelevant, but it still means something to me, and... I'm thankful you were my first."

"Thanks." Samus said squeezing Zelda's hand.

"... and maybe... my only."

"huh?"

"Uh, never mind, forget I said that, I was just thinking out loud." her face turned bright red and she looked away from Samus.

"Hmm" Samus dismissed the statement, deciding not to dwell on it. "So, how was it then? Was it all you expected?"

"It was..." Zelda shut her eyes and sighed happily, "...incredible. It's difficult to describe in words, but I've never felt like that before, all that touching, and kissing too... all over me, it was... tingly..." She let out a soft contented sigh "W- uh, what about you? Was it different than with a man, how was I... I guess I wasn't any good, I just laid there not doing much..."

"That's alright, you're just inexperienced." Samus smirked "Maybe next time I can teach you some things."

"Next time?" Zelda smiled at the thought.

"As for how it was different; It was... you were... softer, and... it was more... intimate." Zelda smiled and nuzzled her face into Samus' neck. "Although it's not like I have much to compare to, I've only ever been with two people besides you."

"Oh?" Zelda questioned. "Would you... tell me about them?"

"Huh?"

"Uhh, that is if you don't mind talking about it."

"I don't mind. You really want to hear about them? I didn't think past partners is something people like to hear about. Won't it make you jealous or something?"

"Mmm, No. I want to hear it, because... because I want to know you, I want to know... more about you."

"Alright. Let's see... there was Justin, at least that's what he called himself, and then Adam. Justin was my first."

"What makes you think he didn't give you his real name?"

"Well... he was... an escort."

Zelda looked confused, she knew escort to mean the guards that would accompany her anytime she left the castle.

Seeing her confusion Samus tried to explain. "...a gigolo." She still didn't get it. "He was a prostitute. And they usually don't give their real names to clients."

Zelda looked a bit shocked. "How... why, why would you..."Such things were looked down upon in her sheltered and filtered world inside her prison of a home. Prostitutes weren't someone respectable people associated with.

"Why? I was a teenager, sixteen years old and my hormones were out of control. I didn't have many options, I didn't... know anyone my age... or any age... I really didn't know anyone at all for that matter. But I did have money, so I took the only option available to me."

"So... how was it?" Zelda asked timidly.

"Justin was... nice. He wasn't some addict street walker if that's what you're thinking. He was a high priced whore; clean and good looking and he worked out of a nice hotel room. He was actually kind of sweet now that I think about it. I think he could tell why I came to him in the first place, that I was... looking for my first experience. He was definitely a professional though."

"How do you mean?" she asked not really wanting to here the answer.

"Well he was... very experienced, he had lots of techniques and knew how to get the job done. Just like myself, though in a very different sense. Anyway I went back to him many times for over a year; he said I was his best customer."

"Oh...What about the other one, Adam?" She quickly wanted to get off the subject of prostitutes.

"Adam... that was different. He was an officer in the Federal Navy."

"Oh, were you two in love?"

"Love?" she sounded like she didn't even understand the question. "Humph. No, I respected Adam, he was a brilliant tactician, but I didn't love him. It was just something that sort of happened."

"What... what happened?"

"I took a job working for the Federation. One condition was that I had to work under one of their squads and follow the commanders' orders. Adam was that commander. Though he understood me... allowed me to operate more independently than the rest of his squad. Anyway during the mission we became stranded on a disabled ship, and with nothing to do and being all alone, and well... one thing just sort of lead to another."

"Do you still talk with him? It sounds like... when you say his name... It seems like there's more there than just respect."

"He... saved my life once. And no, I don't still talk with him, he's dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"I don't mind. He sacrificed himself to save me; I have no bad memories of Adam, other than arguing about tactics that is."

"He sacrificed himself for you? Samus, that sounds like he felt a lot more for you than you think."

"No, it wasn't like that. It was one or the other. Only one of us would have been able to make it off that ship alive. He said... I was the most logical choice, that I was more important."

"More important?"

"Yeah, I think he meant my ability to fight effectively against the Space Pirates."

"Space Pirates?"

"The Federation is essentially at war with them, but... lets not talk about such things, not now."

"Alright. Let's not ruin this mood." Zelda agreed. "So, how come... I mean...umm... I'm not sure how to ask this... are you... attracted to women more or... only... or what. And why... umm... why me?"

Samus smiled at Zelda's embarrassment. "I guess I never really cared one way or another what a person's gender was. I realize a lot of people have a strong preference for one or the other, but it just never seemed that important to me."

"A strong preference... You mean like me...right?" Zelda sounded very uneasy asking this.

"Well I did suspect... but you can tell better than me... You've never been attracted to a guy before?"

"Uh... no, not that I can remember." It sounded like she was disappointed that she couldn't remember any.

"You're just figuring this out now aren't you?"

"Y-yes..." Zelda said timidly.

"It's not anything to be afraid of."

"I... It... it's just... new... I never thought about it before."

"Didn't you suspect anything when you didn't feel any attraction to the men around you?"

"Yes, but...not this... I just thought I hadn't met the right one... it never occurred to me... this way that I am..."

"You mean gay, or homosexual."

"Oh... it has a word?"

"You've never heard that before?"

"No... Things have always been... kept from me, things about the world. I only know what I've been taught by my tutors at the castle. I live in a very controlled environment... Now I think I know why they never let me out unsupervised, it's not to protect me... it's to keep me ignorant."

"Oh... sorry."

"Its alright... let's not talk about that either..."

"What about girls? You've never noticed one you were attracted to before?"

"Well... there really haven't been many around that I... oh... hmm... there was... there was this one... I can't believe I forgot about her... it was so long ago."

"What was?"

"I was only eight, there was this girl. I think she was the daughter of one of the servants. We used to play together. I don't even remember her name. We were... wrestling, I'm not sure. Some how she ended up on top of me... I kissed her... or she kissed me, I can't remember which. Someone saw us though, they seemed really mad and she never came to play with me again." Zelda took a long pause before resuming. "After that it never seemed like there were many girls in the castle at all, at least not around my own age, just the old women. Hmm...So... I guess... I liked girls even back then... um... but you like both, right?"

"Yeah. Like I said I never cared one way or the other. Though I've always had a curiosity for females, up till today I had only ever been with men, so when ever I'd see an attractive girl on the street or in a shop I'd fantasize about what it'd be like to be with her. Though..." Samus turned to face Zelda completely and caressed her face. "...I'd never been as attracted to another girl... as I am to you. And I have to confess, there was a lot of fantasizing going on where you were the main star."

Zelda was blushing hard. She then leaned in and kissed Samus passionately for a bit then asked, "What is it about me that you find so appealing?"

"Maybe it's those pointed ears of yours" She fondled one of Zelda's ears as she had earlier that night. "They're unusual, I like them."

"Actually most people have them where I'm from. But you know..." Zelda leaned over to whisper in Samus' ear "... I really like round ears." Zelda then planted kisses around Samus' ear and licked around the outer edge, and then she explored the folds and crevices of the ear with her tongue and sucked on the lobe.

"mmm... maybe I won't have to teach you as much as I thought." Samus moaned.

Zelda stopped long enough to whisper, "Oh, this part's so soft," referring to the earlobe, and then resumed sucking on it, kneading it between her lips, and flicking it with her tongue.

"ah... that's called the earlobe, it seems like you guys don't have one, its ... mm... soft because there's no cartilage in it like the rest of the ear." Zelda finished with Samus' ear then kissed her on the lips some more. "Actually..." Samus pulled away to get a good look at Zelda's face. "...it was your eyes." She caressed Zelda's face with the back of her fingers just under one of her eyes.

"What about them?"

"It's hard to describe. They're beautiful, but... that's not it. I just get this sense when ever I look into them, it's... I don't know, I just feel better... more at ease."

"Samus," Zelda sighed blissfully, "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Yeah, it was the first thing I noticed about you. Two nights ago when I..." Samus stopped and looked shocked when she realized where that sentence would eventually lead to.

"When you what?" Samus didn't answer "Two nights ago... Oh, I remember I saw you sitting on your bed, you looked terrified. I meant to ask you about that. What happened?"

Samus didn't say anything, she just looked away. "Samus?" Zelda reached out to touch her face, but before she could Samus turned over to face away from her. Zelda didn't give up though. She embraced Samus from behind and began kissing the back of her neck and shoulders. "Tell me what's wrong." she whispered.

Samus grabbed Zelda's hands and squeezed. "Zelda...can you..." she let out a long sigh "Can you not ask me about that? Please."

"But why n-... alright... you'll tell me when you're ready."

"Thank you."

They lay there that way for a while. Zelda was caressing Samus from behind, stroking her back and arms, and kneading her shoulders. Zelda then noticed something odd on her skin, it was a scar just below the right shoulder blade, it was a long gash, or had been at one point. But now it was very well healed, very faint, not really noticeable unless you were looking for it. She ran the tip of her finger across it. Then she noticed another, and another. Upon closer inspection she saw that Samus had many scars, most looked to be lacerations, but there were also puncture wounds and what she thought might be burns as well, all barely visible. She touched a few more with her fingers before saying anything.

"Did... did they hurt?"

"Every one."

"That's terrible. I'm sorry."

"It happens, its no big deal."

"You've really been through a lot, haven't you?"

"I don't mind it, I've learned to suppress the pain."

Zelda continued caressing the scars, each one a memory, a testament to the pain that had once been there. Zelda felt sorry for her. Then she saw an odd curved one in the center of Samus' back, she traced her finger around it, and then gasped in dismay when she realized it was actually a complete circle about three and a half inches in diameter. This had been a very serious wound.

Samus smirked then turned over to face her. She took Zelda's hand in hers and brought it to her chest just below her ribcage. She then moved Zelda's hand in a circle.

"Oh my!" Zelda realized Samus had an identical scar on the front. There had been a hole there once, a hole the size of a grapefruit, clear through the center of her chest.

"That was an industrial mining laser; I got careless and paid the price."

"Samus... how... how can you have survived?"

"The armor keeps me alive."

"But... you should have lost vital organs. And... your spine, why aren't you paralyzed?"

"The armor takes over the function of any damaged organs while the tissue is repaired. It releases a swarm of nano-machines into my blood. They reconstruct any damage, cell by cell, tissue and bone, until the wound is gone. They do a good job too, that's why you can hardly see the scars. That one there was healed within a few hours."

"That's... impressive, but... I'm just glad you're alright. I didn't realize what you do is so dangerous." Zelda grabbed Samus and pulled her in close, embracing her. Then she spoke softly but sternly, "It would hurt me if anything happened to you... Promise you'll be more careful."

Samus hugged her back. "Hey, come on now, don't talk like that. I'll be just fine. I won't die so easily."

"But..."

"Zelda..." Samus pulled away from their embrace, she placed her hand on Zelda's cheek, and looked her in the eyes "...I'll be alright, really."

Zelda gave her a sad smile and nodded.

Samus let out a loud yawn. "Hmm, guess I'm pretty tired." She sat up in the bed and stretched. Zelda stroked her long hair which had never been taken out of its ponytail. Samus reached down to her ankle where her panties had been left dangling and slid them back up. Then she fumbled around in the sheets and found her shirt and put that back on. She leaned over and gave Zelda a quick kiss on the forehead. "I had fun, we should do this again sometime." She then swung her legs over the side of the bed and was about to stand up when Zelda grabbed her arm.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To bed. I told you, I'm tired"

"But... why don't you... sleep here."

"Nah, I'd disturb you or something."

"I don't mind, I'd rather you stayed... And didn't you say you don't want to feel alone..."

"I... never said that."

"You don't need to, your eyes say it... every second their open..."

"Zelda..."

"...so why sleep alone if you don't have to?"

Samus looked pretty nervous at the idea, Zelda found it odd that she should be shy about it after how intimate they had been before. She again got the sense that Samus was hiding something, something significant to her, probably something very painful. She didn't want to push her so she let go of Samus' arm and decided not to press the issue. But Samus didn't get up, instead she sighed, laid back down on her back and shut her eyes without saying a word.

Zelda slid over to rest her head against Samus' shoulder, but when she did Samus rolled away on to her side to face away from her. "Zelda, enough of that for tonight, I just want to sleep now."

"Al-...alright... umm, goodnight Samus"

"Goodnight."

Zelda reached out to caress her but stopped before touching her. 'Won't you tell me what's wrong?' she thought before retracting her hand. She laid there staring at the back of Samus' head until she fell asleep.

------

Zelda was stirred from her sleep by something, she didn't know, something moving. What was going on? Someone's here? What? She shook the grogginess from her head and sat up. 'Samus?'

Samus was writhing in her sleep, and mumbling incoherently. 'She's dreaming,' Zelda thought. The expression on her face suggested it wasn't a pleasant dream. Her squirming became more intense and her words a bit clearer. "...no...", "...run..." Zelda could only make out a few words.

"Samus, wake up," Zelda shook her once.

"Mama," Samus muttered. Mama? Was she dreaming about her mother? "...no... don't... mama... mama!" Samus began flailing her arms and legs. Zelda tried to catch the limbs to calm her down. "...no... mama, MAMA!... NO!" She sat up screaming.

"Samus!" Zelda grabbed her arms and embraced her, but Samus resisted trying to free herself, squirming against Zelda's grasp. "Samus, its ok, calm down."

"No! Stop! Let me go! Don't kill me! Stop it, please, stop it, stop it, stop it... stop it... stop... stop..." She eventually calmed down as Zelda held her tight, but she was left unresponsive and shaking; trembling like a small frightened animal. 'Don't kill me?' just what the hell was she dreaming about?

"Samus?" Zelda squeezed her tighter and buried her head into Samus' shoulder. "Shhh, it's alright, it's over now," she whispered, but Samus was still completely unresponsive. Zelda began rocking her back and forth and continued whispering comforting words into her ear. For ten minutes she stayed like that as slowly Samus' trembling subsided.

"Zelda..." Samus said all of a sudden, startling Zelda a bit as she had been silent for so long. She grabbed Zelda's hands in her own and slid them up around her higher. She squeezed them and brought them to her face to kiss them. "I... I'm ok now... don't worry about me."

"But... that was awful, you were shaking so badly... it scared me," She squeezed Samus even tighter.

"Sorry. Well now you understand why I wanted to leave."

"No, I don't understand. Why would you want to go through that alone?"

"I didn't want anyone...didn't want you to see me like that; to see how weak I am."

"You're not weak. Having bad dreams doesn't make you weak."

"I should be able to control it, and not be so overwhelmed by it. If anyone found out... one of my enemies could use it against me, you can't say anything."

"That doesn't make sense, how would anyone use it against you?"

"You can't say anything! Please!"

"Samus, I wouldn't... I would never...you can trust me. ...but your fear is irrational, it's..."

"It's the only thing that makes me feel weak! If it got out... It would... be something to exploit; leverage for someone to create more weakness... everything... it would all fall apart...and I'd... It's like a crack in my armor, if someone found it they could pry the whole thing open. I can't let that happen, so don't tell anyone."

"I said I wouldn't..."

Samus shrugged her way out of Zelda's embrace. "And having you try to comfort me like this makes me feel weak as well. I've managed on my own my whole life; I don't need your pity."

"Samus...I didn't ..."

"Oh god, I didn't mean that. Zelda, I'm sorry! I'm just... it's hard for me. I can't stand feeling like that. Don't be mad at me... I didn't mean it"

"I'm not mad...Ok?"

Samus sighed "...ok..."

"Ok..." Zelda held out her hand allowing Samus to take it. Zelda pulled her legs up in front of her and rested her head on her knees. She rested there like that staring at Samus while holding her hand. "So what was your dream about?"

"Can we just go back to sleep? I don't feel like talking about it."

"Alright." Zelda said, she caressed Samus' face once then laid back down allowing her hand to trail down Samus' shoulder and arm as she did.

Samus then laid back down in her previous position next to Zelda. But after a moment she slid over, lifted her head, and laid herself across Zelda's bare chest. "This is ok, right?"

"Uh... yeah, its fine."

Samus took Zelda's arms and wrapped them around herself. Zelda kissed the top of her head then shut her eyes and tried to fall asleep but Samus interrupted her.

"Zelda..."

"Hmm, what?"

"Umm...When... uh, when I was just a child...about three years old I guess...I lived on a planet, a colony on a planet, with... with my parents," Samus spoke slow and methodically. "And umm... and... one day, I was playing outside... when... they came, space pirates... I..." She took a long pause and a deep breath. Zelda listened intently. "I remember the screams... and the flames... I tried to run home... but all those people... people I knew, that I saw every day... I had to run past them... past them while they screamed and died."

Zelda hugged her tight. She felt tears form in her eyes. This was it; this was what Samus kept hidden. The secret pain that Zelda instinctively knew haunted her. She was glad that Samus was finally opening up to her, but at the same time horrified at what she was hearing, as it was far worse than anything she expected.

"...I thought I would die too..." Samus continued "But I just kept running. I didn't ever get home, because I saw my mother; she had come looking for me... I ran to her and... she ran to me... but... but... she uh... she was hit... by something... some kind of weapon, I don't know..."

Zelda buried her face in Samus' hair as tears streamed down her face. "Samus," she whispered.

"...and... she was killed, right there in front of me... Her scream... was cut short when her... her body was blown apart..."

"Oh goddesses." Zelda sobbed and clutched Samus as tight as she could.

"..and uh...there was... blood... her blood... pieces of... her... everywhere...on everything...on the ground... side of the building, ... on me... my face, my hair... in my mouth... I ... tasted..."

"Samus! Enough!" Zelda managed through her tears and sobs. Samus held Zelda's hands and waited a while before continuing.

"I don't know what happened to my father, I assume he was killed as well, everyone was... everyone... except me. They destroyed everything... everything, everyone I ever knew... gone in minutes, my entire world... I was left all alone there, thinking I would die from starvation...no I guess I wasn't rational enough to think that... I thought they'd come back to kill me too. I don't know how long it was till I was rescued... probably days, but it felt like... longer... longer, there alone, amongst the ruin and death... Anyway, that's what I dreamt about... that's... all I ever dream about."

Zelda took a deep breath trying to calm herself down. "I umm... I'm so s-sorry. That must have been so terrible... at such a young age... I can't even imagine... I... I uh..."

"I upset you, I shouldn't..."

"No," Zelda shook her head, "I'm glad you told me... I'm glad you told me." Zelda took another deep breath. "You were so young... I can't... I...I don't know what to say. You were just so young... I just... and you remember so well, all those horrifying images..."

"I wish I could forget... but the dreams won't let me. Even though it happened over twenty years ago... it feels like yesterday."

"Samus." Zelda squeezed her again "Do you always have them? Every night?

"No, it's off and on. Sometimes I go weeks without one, sometimes it gets worse and I do have them almost every night. Though mostly it's just every few nights."

"I wish there was something I could do or say...but..." Zelda sighed "I'm really sorry."

"You don't need to, it's alright."

They lay there a while in silence, Zelda holding Samus. She wanted to say something, anything. But what could she say. Her words wouldn't undo what had happened, or make Samus forget the pain. But she had to say... something...

"You know... I lost my mom too when I was pretty young. But... it was nothing like..." Zelda paused not wanting to compare her experience to what Samus had gone through.

Samus turned her head around to look at Zelda "Tell me" she whispered.

"Umm. Well... I was... about nine when it happened. My mom had become sick, but we just thought it was a cold; she was just coughing a lot. But it persisted and only got worse. She started staying in bed for long periods, sometimes for several days. After a while it seemed like she was bedridden all the time. There were always doctors coming to check on her and the servants waited on her continually. Then umm...one day my father came into my room and sat me on his knee. He said that... that mommy wasn't ever... ever going to get any better... and that she... wasn't going to be with us much longer... I got mad at him; I slapped his face and called him a liar. I ran to my mother's room and told her what father had said. I wanted her to tell me that he was lying. But... but she didn't say that, she didn't say a word... she just hugged me and started crying... After that I spent every day with her, just sitting and talking with her and bringing her food and medicine. I'd even dismiss the servants so that I could do those things for her, and have some time alone with her... Then one day when I went into her room she... she looked so very pale, and... it looked like she hadn't eaten in days. She told me to go summon the doctor and when I did they wouldn't let me back in the room. That was... it was the last time I saw her alive."

Samus turned herself over and gazed into Zelda's tear filled eyes. Then Samus kissed her, a long kiss, slow and soft. Zelda noted how very different it was from how Samus kissed her before. There was no lust in it. It was tender and caring, compassionate rather than passionate. It was an incredible kiss and it left Zelda stunned. After Samus broke the kiss she wiped the tears from Zelda's eyes.

"What was that for?" Zelda asked breathlessly.

"I... don't know, I just felt like I should, you know. I've never talked with anyone the way we do, I've never had a real conversation, not about personal things like this. After listening to what happened to me, and telling me about your mom, I don't know, I just... I got this feeling... and it made me want to kiss you... I guess that sounds weird."

"No, not at all."

Samus rested her head on Zelda's chest, laying half on top of her. "Zelda, it's alright if I sleep here like this?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I'm not too heavy for you or anything?"

"No, you're fine."

Samus shut her eyes and sighed contentedly. She lay there a while, her head against Zelda's breast. With her ear pressed up against it she could hear Zelda's heart beating. The sound was lulling her to sleep.

"Zelda?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't feel so alone anymore."

Zelda stroked her long hair and kissed the top of her head. "You're not." But Samus had already fallen asleep. As Zelda lay there holding her, she looked her over. She could hardly believe this was the same warrior everyone else knew her as, the same warrior that Zelda had so admired and wanted to emulate. This sleeping girl she held in her arms looked so small and almost frail. Zelda recalled how she had been trembling in terror earlier, and could see that frightened three year old little girl reflected in her now. She tried to imagine what it must have been like for her; it made her hurt just thinking about it, but Samus had lived it. She caressed Samus' forehead with a quivering hand, and tears came to her eyes again. "Don't dream... ok." she whispered. She kissed her head one last time before falling asleep herself.

------

When Zelda woke the next morning Samus wasn't laying on top of her anymore. Her hand moved to where Samus' head had been resting and she sighed.

"Don't worry I'm still here" Samus' voice came from behind her. Zelda looked over to see her sitting up in the bed with her back against the wall. "I didn't want to just run off and leave you there."

Zelda smiled "That's very sweet of you, thanks."

"Also you looked so good laying there I just had to stay and gawk."

It was then that Zelda remembered she was completely naked, and she began blushing. She crossed her legs and covered her breasts with her arms.

Samus laughed, "Don't tell me you're still embarrassed after last night?"

"Uh, I guess not." She slowly relaxed and let her hands down, but Samus could see she still looked a little uncomfortable about it.

"Here." Samus reached down to the foot of the bed, grabbed the covers, which neither of them had used that night, and pulled them over Zelda.

"Thank you. Umm... about last night, I... uh, really enjoyed it."

"So did I. ...and... not just the sex, though that was fun too, I liked just... talking with you... that sounds so weird...but it just feels easy talking to you, telling you stuff..."

"I feel the same way; like I can talk to you about anything. I can talk about things I wouldn't tell anyone else... Like how I feel about my royalty, and how I'd sometimes like to just leave it all behind. I've never told anyone that before, I don't think I could."

Samus smiled and took Zelda's hand. "Though... I never intended to tell you about my past, about what happened to my mother... It just came out... I still don't know why."

"Well I'm glad you did. I just... I wish I could do something more for you."

"Its something I have to deal with on my own. Don't worry about me so much."

"But you shouldn't have to deal with that alone, no one should, it's... it's too terrible."

"Zelda, thank you. Thank you for caring about me, you're the only one who ever has. But there isn't really anything you can do. And... I think I'd feel worse if I knew it was causing you grief as well. So please don't worry."

"Sorry, but I don't think I can help it."

Samus didn't have a response, she wanted to argue further but didn't have anything new to add, so she closed her eyes, leaned her head back against the wall and accepted defeat. She gave Zelda's hand a squeeze and sighed.

"Samus?"

"What?"

"I umm... I'm happy that I met you."

Samus smiled but was silent a while before responding. "Me too."

"And... I, um... well, I..." Zelda stammered.

"What is it?"

"Uh, n-never mind, it... it's nothing."

"Hmm..."

They stayed there in silence for a long while, simply enjoying being near each other.

"Say, Samus, how old are you?" Zelda asked finally breaking the silence.

"Huh, why do you ask?"

"Well I thought you looked about my age, maybe even younger. But then you said... well... what happened to your mother... you said it was over twenty years ago and that you were three then so you're at least twenty three. And I thought ..."

"Twenty five."

"...oh."

"Though that could be a year off either way, I don't actually remember when my birthday is."

"Oh, no I guess you wouldn't..."

"What about you, you said I looked your age, what's that?"

"I'll be twenty in a couple of months."

"Hmm, I really look that young to you."

"Yeah, well you don't wear any makeup or jewelry so I guess it gives you a more immature look."

"Do you like that sort of look on women?"

Zelda smiled "Well I haven't really thought about it, and...I like you, so... I guess not. Besides you really don't need makeup, your skin is lovely and you have plenty of natural color in your face."

"Well good, because I wasn't going to wear any anyway." Samus said standing up, she walked off the end of the bed and hopped to the floor. Zelda sat up and pulled the covers around her.

"You're going out?"

"I have another match in about half an hour." Samus said as she walked over to her bed. Another match? For the first time Zelda didn't feel a compelling need to go and watch, somehow that aspect of Samus just didn't seem as interesting as it used to. There were other things about her that Zelda now found far more intriguing. "Why don't you go and sign up for some matches too." Samus continued "I'm sure you're eager to try out what I taught you yesterday," she said as she started changing her clothes.

"Yes, I am. I'll go do that. Although I should go see Link first thing, he's most likely worried about me, I didn't see him at all yesterday."

"He has you on a short leash."

"It's not like that. He just... he's very protective, it's his nature. I guess he thinks I can't take care of myself... I don't want to cause him any worry."

"I thought you hated that, why do him any favors if he treats you like that?"

"Its not like he does it to be mean, he just cares about me. It wouldn't be right to be so inconsiderate to him in return."

"If you showed him how you could handle yourself he probably wouldn't worry so much."

"Your right, once he watches my next match..." Zelda giggled in excitement "...won't he be so surprised."

"No. That's not good enough. You need to show him first hand. When you go to sign up, make sure you get a match against him."

"Oh, you really think I can take him on?" Zelda said practically gleaming.

"No. You've improved significantly but he's still much more experienced. He's one of the best I've seen here. But that doesn't matter, even if you don't win, you can still show him your ability. He's experienced enough to pick up on it right away."

"Oh. ok..." She said sounding a bit disappointed "Thanks for the advice though, I'm sure it'll work. Your last bit of advice worked perfectly on him."

"My... what..." Samus thought for a second. "Oh... you actually hit him?"

"Yeah!"

"I wasn't really serious... it worked?" She smiled imagining what the scene must have looked like.

"Completely." Zelda said smiling.

"Hmm" Samus finished getting dressed then went into the bathroom. When she came out she asked Zelda, "So, later, after my match, you want to do something? You know...together."

"Yes, of course. I'd love to. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Whatever, it doesn't matter... as long as you're there, so... you decide"

"Oh, ok. I'll meet you at the stadiums main exit, and we can decide from there."
Chapter 8

Title: Taken

The match was uneventful, her opponents weren't particularly strong, and she defeated them with relative ease. Normally Samus would have been annoyed at having wasted time on such weak opponents, but at this moment she couldn't care less. Her thoughts were else where; she was meeting Zelda now and somehow that mattered more. She found it odd that the girl occupied so much of her thoughts, this wasn't like her. Though admittedly Zelda wasn't like anyone else she ever met. She was almost giddy with the anticipation of seeing her face again.

Samus shook her head. 'What's wrong with you Aran? Calm down!'

She pushed open the doors of the stadium's main exit and stood at the top of the broad stairs that led down to the street. She scanned the crowd to try and find Zelda, but didn't have any luck. Perhaps she wasn't here yet or was just lost amongst all the people. Samus climbed onto the base of one of the pillars that bordered the exit, giving herself a few extra feet over the heads of everyone else. This way Zelda could spot her easier. She leaned against the pillar and waited. After five minutes the crowd had thinned dramatically, and after ten she was standing there all alone.

Did she lose track of the time or was she talking about a different exit? Or had she just decided to not show up? Samus sighed in annoyance and was about to leave when she saw someone walking by. It was Link. When he saw her he hurriedly ran up to her.

"Hey Samus, do you know where Zelda is, I wanted to take her home but I can't seem to find her anywhere."

"Take her home?"

"Oh, didn't you hear, they announced a short while ago that dimensional travel was fixed."

"No, I was competing, I missed that."

"Well I'm getting worried, I didn't see her at all yesterday and now I can't find her anywhere."

"She was with me yesterday."

"Oh, do you know where she is now?" Link questioned anxiously.

"No, Zelda was... she was supposed to meet me here, but she hasn't shown up. She didn't go and see you either like she said she would?"

"I don't like this, something happened, she always keeps her word to a fault. I have to go and find her."

"Hold on now, you're getting worked up over nothing, I saw her this morning an hour ago."

"But when I checked her room it was almost an hour ago, and she wasn't there."

'Hmm, that is a bit odd,' Samus thought. "Fine, why don't you go check the training facilities, I'll go check on... something else... if we don't find her meet back at my room in five minutes."

"Right," he said, and then left.

------

Samus marched down the hallway of the infirmary. 'If he... I'll...' She clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white and she gritted her teeth. She kicked open the door, practically knocking it off the hinges. At least he's still here. She walked over to Ganondorf and took him by the collar.

"What did you do? Where is she?" He didn't respond, he couldn't, his jaw was wired shut. He just shook his head, and glared angrily at her. She released him violently, letting his head drop back down to his pillow. She then gave him a back handed slap to the jaw before marching out.

'It couldn't have been him.'

She went back to her room to see if Link had found her. She arrived before him and went in to wait. Now she was worried, she paced back and forth waiting for Link. Then she noticed something on the table by the TV. It was a device from her world, a computerized pad for displaying text and images, but... she didn't bring one. Where did it come from?

She picked it up and activated it. An image came on its screen. It was of her and Zelda at lunch the other day. "What the hell?" She flipped to the next page, again of her and Zelda, this time walking in the hallway around the training area. The next few images were even more infuriating; her and Zelda in bed together. From the angle she could tell where the camera was. She ran over to one of the unused beds, stood on it, reached into the ventilation grating, and ripped it out, throwing it to the floor. This revealed a small camera with a transmitter. She grabbed it and angrily threw it across the room, shattering the device against the wall.

Samus turned her attention back to the pad, quickly going through more images of the two of them. Then she came to an image that wasn't of the both of them. Zelda was in it, but the other person wasn't her. The person with Zelda was someone she knew from long ago; a large winged creature held Zelda in its claw, its pointed tail held to her neck, obviously posing for the camera.

"Ridley! You fucking bastard."

She gripped the pad as her hands shook with rage. They were in this very room, Zelda looked terrified and like she was crying. She heard the plastic casing of the device creak as it twisted in her hands. She relaxed before she broke the thing, and quickly turned to the next page, not wanting to look at that image anymore. The next page wasn't an image but a set of spatial coordinates. She jumped off the bed, went out the door and headed for her ship. She ran into Link in the hall, just outside her room.

"Hey, I didn't find her, you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well... where is she?"

She hit the back button on the pad, taking it to the image of Ridley and Zelda, and threw it at him. Then she stormed off down the hall leaving Link holding the pad.

"What! Zelda! What is this? Hey wait!" He ran after her, chasing her down halfway to the dimensional gateway "What happened to Zelda? What did this dragon do with her? Where are you going?"

"I'm going after him."

"Is... is she..."

"No, not yet at least. He needs her alive."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"I don't need your help."

"I don't care, I'm coming. I can't sit here and do nothing while Zelda's in danger."

"Fine! Just don't get in my way!"

They entered the dimensional gateway room; it was a large open room with many levels of catwalks around the edge. On each level were machines that opened portals to the various worlds of the competitors. They were of two different sizes. Some were the size of an ordinary doorway just large enough for a person to walk through, and a few were several dozen meters across, designed to allow small ships to pass through. In the center of the room were pads for those ships to land on. Samus' ship was parked on one pad; in addition there were Fox's and Falco's Arwings, and Captain Falcon's ship, the Falcon Flyer.

The two of them boarded her ship after Samus yelled at one of the gate operators that they were leaving. The interior of the ship was cramped, just a small six by five foot cabin. The pilots' seat was the only place to sit, so link would have to sit on the floor. Though presently he leaned over the back of Samus' chair watching as she started up the ship. She powered up the main engine and then the thrusters. The ship lifted off and she moved it forward through the portal. Once through, all they could see through the window was a rather empty star field.

"Sit down," she ordered; Link's hovering was getting annoying. He sat against the back wall of the cabin with his legs folded in front of him. Samus entered the spatial coordinates she got from the pad into the nav-computer and then powered up the warp drive. The image of the star-field became distorted as the engines bent space around the ship, propelling it faster than light. She leaned back in her chair and sighed. "This will be about a four hour trip," she explained.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"Who knows? It's most likely a small planet or moon; could be an abandoned station. We'll know when we get there."

"So, we're in your world?"

"That's right."

"And this dragon, it's from here as well?"

"Yeah."

"So... what does he want with Zelda?"

Samus sighed. "Nothing. He's after me; we're long time enemies. He's using her to lure me into his grasp. He knows he wouldn't stand a chance against me head on, so he had to resort to something like this."

"Oh."

"They'll be well prepared for us. You sure you can handle this?"

"Of course I can!" Link said arrogantly.

"Humph." She closed her eyes and reclined her seat, not really sleeping just resting and preparing mentally for battle. The two of them sat in silence for quite a long time. Samus' thoughts drifted to Zelda. 'Why am I doing this? Tactically, this is the worst move I can make... Why didn't I think that till just now? I just rushed after her without thinking at all... Why? It is my fault she was taken, I can't just abandon her... why not? Because...why...' "Ahh, just shut up," she said aloud.

"I didn't say anything," Link said defensively.

"I wasn't... Never mind."

"Ok... Hey, I was thinking... why Zelda? Why take Zelda to get to you? Why her?"

"Hmm... Oh, we were... together."

"Together? Because you were in the same room?" Link asked truly puzzled.

Samus shook her head "I had sex with her," she said bluntly.

"..." Links jaw nearly hit the floor. "...oh... ok...and this dragon..."

"His name's Ridley."

"Oh, and Ridley knew about this?"

"He had a camera in our room, and a few other places as well. He was observing me, looking for some kind of leverage, something to use against me. I bet he even sabotaged the dimensional gate himself so he'd have time to set this up. Then it just 'conveniently' started working again just as he found his leverage and needed to leave himself."

"So that's why you asked me if she was into girls. I didn't think she was like that..." Link wasn't paying attention to what she had to say about Ridley.

"Hmm? Oh... She is. Well she... hadn't considered it before, but... I came on to her besides... and uh, not that this is any of your business anyway."

"Uh... no..." He looked away feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Hey, you didn't... you didn't force her did you?" he said a bit angrily.

"Of course not," she glared at him.

"Well... she better say the same thing when I ask her."

"Humph." Samus sank back into her chair, and again her thoughts lingered on Zelda. After a long while of more silence she finally spoke up. "Tell me about her."

"Hmm?"

"You've known her for a while now, right?"

"Yeah, I have. Wwell, what do you want to know?"

"Anything, it doesn't matter, as long as it's about her."

Link thought for a bit before answering. "Well, she's a kind and caring person, constantly thinking of others' feelings, always so gentle too, in the way she speaks and carries herself, though she can have a violent temper sometimes..." He rubbed his face. "And she's really intelligent. Like how she can use magic really well. I can use some, but only basic elemental spells, she's practically a master. It takes most people a lifetime to attain that level, however with her it's like it's intuitive. And it's not just magic, she's smart when it comes to other things as well, like solving puzzles or at games like chess, and also learning new skills. Like this one time she asked me to teach her archery. I was just demonstrating how to hold and draw the bow then she picked it up and fired off arrow after arrow like she'd done it a hundred times before." Samus smiled and nodded knowingly.

"And you're right..." he continued "I have known her for quite a while now. We first met when we were children. This may sound odd but the first time I ever saw her was in a dream, long before we ever met for real. At the time I didn't know who she was, I thought it was just a normal dream. Although the dreams recurred, revealing more details each time. I eventually found out who she was and I got really nervous about meeting her. I thought she'd be a rude, stuck up, arrogant royal brat, and that I'd get in trouble if I made her mad at me. But she wasn't any of those things, she was very pleasant to be around. And it turned out that she had been searching for me as well, because she had the same dream as me. It wasn't until later that I learned that it was because of the Triforce that we sought each other out. Oh I guess you don't know what that is."

"No, I do, she told me about it."

"Oh. Well there's always been a bond between us because of that..."

"Hmm... Tell me more, something... specific, like a fond memory or something."

Link thought for a while before responding. "Umm well, she always loved horseback riding; we'd go riding together all the time. I remember this one time I jumped a small ravine with my horse. When she saw me do it she immediately wanted to try it as well. I told her not to, that it'd be dangerous, that she could get hurt. But she insisted, she said she could do it. I begged her to listen, to believe me that it was dangerous. But she said that she didn't care that it was dangerous, that she would do it anyway. When she did do it, she fell and got hurt... pretty badly." He paused briefly. "It's strange, I don't know why I thought of that when you said 'fond memory'. There was just something about her that day. The way she was so determined to do it regardless of the peril."

Samus smiled. 'That's because she was being true to herself then,' she said to herself.

"Now that I think about it she is pretty brave too," he continued. "When Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule I went to put an end to his tyranny, but I was unable to defeat him on my own. Even though I could tell she was scared she came with me to face him without hesitation. And when it came down to it she was able to use the power of her Triforce to bind his, making him vulnerable to my attack... She was truly incredible then, the way she faced him down... she had the same determination then as well."

"Hmm, sounds like you really like her. What exactly is your relationship?"

"I... I do like her, but... hey, she's all yours, you don't have to worry about me, It's not like I'm in love with her or anything. Besides I already have a girl."

"I don't care if you are, not like I'm jealous." she said flippantly.

"I said I'm not, but... I do care about her..." He got quiet for a moment. "I shouldn't have brought her to the arena. It's all my fault... If anything happens to her...I'd..."

"I won't let that happen," Samus said resolutely.

Link smiled "It's good that she has you. I'm happy she finally found someone."

"What... what do you mean, finally?"

"Well... she always seemed so lonely to me, all by herself in that huge castle, with no one to talk to except servants and advisors. She'd keep inviting me over, sending a royal envoy, making it sound all official and important. Then all she'd ever want was to talk to me for hours on end, or go out horseback riding. When I told her I had a girlfriend, I could tell she looked kind of disappointed, even though she acted happy for me and even said she wanted to meet her. And even after that she still kept asking me to come over to the castle. I just figured she was lonely, I kind of felt sorry for her. So... you know, it's nice that you and her are together now."

"Oh... yeah," Samus said halfheartedly.

'Together?' She questioned his choice of words. What did he mean; Together? Like a couple? That's not how it was, he didn't understand. 'We were just... Zelda and I... It was just a physical attraction... that's all. She's not ...not my girlfriend. I'm not the kind of person to have a relationship with anyone. I don't have feelings for her. Just who do you think I am?' she got a bit annoyed at his implication.

'So then what are we doing here?' she argued with herself. 'Shut up.' she quelled the inner voice. She sighed, annoyed at herself, than laid back in her chair and tried not to think about it the rest of the flight.

Link sat on the floor eyes closed, he appeared to be meditating, or simply resting in the only position available in the cramped little ship. A beeping sound alerted them that they were approaching their destination. The navigation computer automatically brought the ship out of warp and they found themselves staring at a small brown planet, actually a moon of a large gas giant which loomed behind the little rocky world. As they approached the planet the scanners picked up a lone nav-beacon on the surface. Samus figured that's where they would be.

"We're here," Samus said to Link who was still resting. He stood up and watched as they descended into the planet's atmosphere. As she approached the surface she could make out the features of the landscape, it was mostly rocky with light vegetation growing sporadically and the terrain was slightly hilly. Finally she could make out the beacon, and set the ship down next to it.

"From here on, things get significantly more dangerous; don't expect me to baby-sit you. If you can't handle yourself then just stay in the ship," Samus spoke down to him.

"I've done this kind of thing before you know."

"Well they are obviously ready for us; they know we're coming, and we have no idea what they have planned. We're basically walking into a trap. This isn't like anything you've done before. If you want to back out, now's the time."

"I told you I'm not going to sit by and do nothing! Now let's go."

"Aright then. Just don't get in my way."

They exited the ship and approached the beacon. Beside it sat another data pad. Samus picked it up and studied it; it was a crude map of the area. There was a spot marked just over half a kilometer away.

"Looks like we have a bit of a walk. Move quickly. Don't fall behind," Samus said as her armor formed over her, then took off running with Link in pursuit.

End Part Eight

Chapter 9

Title: Rescue

Link and Samus crouched behind a rock, a short distance from the mouth of a cave, which was located at the spot indicated on the map they found earlier. The cave appeared to be artificial, something dug into the ground. Samus scanned the area with her visor, looking for possible ambush or other surprises. Other than the landscape and rocks she saw nothing.

"It looks clear. Let's move in closer," Samus said, then jumped up and started moving for the cave while motioning for Link to follow.

As they got to the caves' entrance, she scanned the interior for anything suspicious and again saw nothing, so they proceeded inside. It was now very apparent that this cave wasn't natural. It was perfectly straight and the spiral grooves along the wall were from a large bore. The tunnel was angled downward, so it was taking them deep under the surface.

They eventually came to a part of the cave that was a natural formation. It was a large open area with under ground streams running across it. It looked to be part of a much more massive cave system, with countless openings and passages, many of which looked like they lead deeper into the planet. At the other end of the cavern was a large rock formation with a metal structure built into the rocks' face.

They approached the structure as Samus scanned it.

"It looks like there's a second entrance around the other side. Let's enter separately, it might give us an advantage if they're expecting me alone. I'll go in the front first; wait about a minute before going in the back."

"Alright."

"Try not to make your presence known until we have some idea what they're planning."

"Got it. Let's get this over with."

They parted, and Samus approached the front entrance, opened the hatch, and then entered. There was a short hallway and another hatch; opening that one led her to a somewhat larger room with a high ceiling. The room was poorly illuminated but it appeared to be a laboratory of some sort. There were various machines arranged in rows along the floor, with an open area in the center of the room. Lining the walls were what appeared to be biological specimen containment tubes. Some were shrouded with a protective metal shell, while others were just glass with no shell.

Just as she stepped into the room, she noticed Ridley perched on the top of one of the specimen tubes just above the entrance she had used. She jumped back into the room and leveled her cannon at him.

"I wouldn't do that," he said, then held out a small device in his claw; it looked to be a control device for something.

Ridley pressed a button on it which lowered the metal shroud on one of the tubes revealing Zelda inside. When she saw Samus she banged on the glass and appeared to be shouting something, but she couldn't be heard through the tubes' walls. Samus was relieved to see her and that she appeared to be unharmed.

"Let her go, it's me you want!" Samus shouted angrily.

Ridley swooped down and landed in the center of the room, placing himself between her and Zelda.

"Yes; it's you I went through all this trouble for, now lower your weapon."

He pressed a second button and a second tube was revealed to be above Zelda's. The two were connected end to end, and there was a hatch between them. Inside the second tube was one of the planets' local fauna; an armored creature, with scythes for forearms and a large toothy mouth. Not a pleasant looking thing in the least.

Samus did as she was told and lowered her gun. "Alright, what is it you want with me then? As if you haven't caused me enough trouble already."

"Ah, but you have that wrong, it is you who has caused us much trouble. For too long now you have been a constant obstruction to our operations. I'm personally going to put an end to that now."

"You expect me to just roll over and die then?"

"You don't have much choice, unless you don't care if this one dies as well," he said gesturing toward Zelda. "And I don't require your life, just your ability to cause us damage. Hand over the Chozo weapon and I'll allow you to keep your lives. Without it you are no threat; besides we have a direct interest in it as well."

"My armor...?"

That was almost as bad as being killed. Her armor was her identity, her livelihood, and in a way her heritage. It would be like giving up an arm or leg or some internal organ. It was a part of her at this point and she would be virtually defenseless without it. The suit was vital to her survival. The idea of giving it up hadn't been something she was prepared to even contemplate. Then she stared at Zelda and the creature in the adjoining tube. The image of it tearing her apart wasn't something she wanted to contemplate either. Zelda sat on her knees with one hand pressed against the glass, observing the situation that would decide her fate. She was staring right back at Samus with those captivating eyes. That was all it took.

Samus hung her head. This wasn't something she was used to, she had been completely defeated and no shots had even been fired. The armor melted away from her body and she was left clutching the small disk. She held it out in front of her, and turned her angry, piercing gaze to Ridley.

Zelda banged on the glass angrily, mouthing the word, "No!"

"Release her now and this is yours."

"Oh, no, only after that thing is safely out of your possession. I won't give away my only advantage."

"Neither will I... We exchange them at the same time then, slide me that remote and I slide this over to you. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Samus set the armor's disk at her feet and Ridley followed suit with the remote to the containment tube. Samus glanced at Zelda one last time. Zelda still sat with her hand pressed against the glass. She stared back at Samus with a sad look on her face.

"Don't," she mouthed.

Samus kicked the disk across the floor while Ridley used the tip of his tail to flick the remote at Samus. Then without warning something shot out from behind one of the pieces of lab equipment and sped towards the armor disk. It appeared to be a metal chain with a hook on the end. It latched onto the disk and snatched it away into the dark corner of the room. Samus recognized the chain as belonging to Link from the many times they'd fought.

Without hesitation Ridley sped after his stolen prize. Finding the man in green holding the disk, he brought his powerful tail down on him with incredible force. Link narrowly avoided the blow, while the sharp tip of the tail created a decent sized gash in the floor. Link drew his sword and shield, and prepared for battle.

Samus ran over to where Zelda was and released her from her tiny prison. She slid out of the bottom of the tube and on to the floor. Samus knelt down and put her hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"Are you alright, he didn't hurt y--"

"Samus!" Zelda lunged at her and embraced her, squeezing her tight. Samus hugged her back briefly, before pulling her to her feet.

"Come on we have to go," Samus said.

Zelda still clung tightly to her. Samus gently pried her away and caressed her face.

"Hey, you're alright now," she spoke softy, and Zelda nodded. "Then let's go."

Zelda nodded again.

"Samus!" Link called from across the lab.

He held up the armor disk and was about to throw it to her, but Ridley got in his way. The last thing he wanted was for Samus to get her armor back, as he knew first hand how deadly she could be with it. Link tried again but Ridley attacked with his fire breath and Link had to defend with his shield. He managed to throw it but couldn't get a clean line, so it landed thirty feet away from Samus. She went for it but Ridley chased after it as well. He attacked with his fire breath to block her way. As a stream of fire came towards her she was partially tackled by Zelda from behind, who put up a barrier to protect them from the flames that surrounded them.

"Zelda, what are you doing? That was dangerous."

"I...I have to protect you. You gave up your armor for me, gave up your only protection, so I have to protect you now!" she said, sounding on the verge of tears.

"Zelda, thanks... But until we get out of here I need you to do only as I say and to not take risks like that, ok...?"

"But I--"

"This isn't like training; you make a mistake here and you don't get a second chance. So don't do anything like that again, if you died now... I... just be more careful. Ok?"

"O-ok."

When the flames had cleared they could see Ridley heading out the front hatch with the armor disc along with Link who had somehow managed to climb onto his back. When he got outside he took flight trying to shake Link off of him, but Link held tight.

Samus and Zelda ran outside after them. They saw Ridley flying around the caves interior, they also saw something else that was very troubling. Space pirates, the insect-like ones. There were dozens of them in the cave now and more were streaming in from the various entrances.

"He never had any intention of letting us leave here alive," Samus muttered to herself. "Zelda, come on, lets go..." she said dragging Zelda along.

"But, what about Link?"

"There's nothing we can do about it right now. Not while he's up there."

"But--"

"No time, let's go."

Link, who had been holding on to Ridley with just his hands, managed to get his legs around the creatures' back, then drew his weapon. He raised his sword and struck Ridley between the shoulders. However his thick skin was like armor and thus the sword did little to it. A few more blows and Link realized it was futile. He put his sword away and got out his bow and arrow, drew an arrow back all the way and then concentrated on it, using magic to form a blue energy around the tip. He took aim at one of Ridley's wings and fired. The entire wing became frozen solid and Ridley began to fall in an only half controlled glide.

By this time, Samus and Zelda had reached the mouth of the tunnel that lead back up to the surface while the swarming pirates had only reached about mid-way across the cavern.

As Link and Ridley approached the ground, Link drove both of his feet into the back of Ridley's head forcing it down and causing him to slam head first into the cavern floor. The two of them skidded across the ground a short ways before coming to a stop. Link jumped off and retrieved Samus' armor from the unconscious creature's claw. Now, though, he was in the midst of a horde of space pirates and quite far from where Zelda and Samus were.

Seeing Ridley had been taken down Samus saw her opportunity.

"Zelda, stay here. Defend yourself if necessary. These things are a lot stronger than a training hologram. Don't fight them directly, use that shield of yours."

Samus took off running but stopped and turned around; she stared at Zelda with a serious look in her eyes. "Stay alive."

"Yeah," Zelda returned her look and nodded. Then Samus went off in Links direction.

She sprinted as fast as she could manage. As she approached the advancing pirates she leaped, planting her hand on one of their heads, and vaulting past, she landed and kept running. She could hear the sound of a shot being fired behind her and she immediately rolled to the side narrowly avoiding it, she continued rolling into an upright position in one fluid motion and continued running.

Link stood his ground as a couple of the creatures approached him; they reminded him of lobsters. One of them opened its claw and a bolt of energy shot forth. Link guarded with his shield. Another shot came and he stepped to the side. As soon as the one of the creatures was within ten feet he charged at it. It fired another shot which he deflected in mid-stride and then brought his blade down on its claw, cracking its carapace. He then thrust at its head, piercing its skull and killing it, just as the second one approached and fired two shots at him, one he dodged and the other he deflected with his sword.

He charged at the second one but it leaped over him and landed behind. He turned around and with a swing of his sword slashed it across the chest, but he only caused a superficial wound. The pirate attacked with its pincers ­ grabbing the blade of his sword and the edge of the shield. Letting go of the shield, he took the sword in two hands to get extra leverage, and was able to slide it out of the pirate's pincer. Once free, he quickly brought the sword down on the creature's arm, and wielding it with two hands, he easily severed the arm. He then chopped at its side cutting half-way into its torso. It dropped to the ground, dead.

There were now three more approaching from behind and it looked as if Ridley was slowly regaining consciousness. He thought it would be best to get out of there and started running for the cave's exit, but before he got too far, his way was blocked by at least five pirates. He couldn't take that many at once and turned to avoid them but ran into three more. Now he was beginning to get boxed in and the only way to go was back, in the wrong direction. It was than that he heard someone shouting his name; it was Samus' voice.

"Link! I hope you have it!" her voice came from across the cavern.

He retrieved the armor disk from his pocket. Then he saw her on the other side of the pirates, running at him. She leaped over one and stepped on its head and jumped again.

"Throw it!" Samus shouted.

Link tossed it straight up over his head and she caught it as she soared over him. The armor was completely on her before she landed. Without turning to face them she vaulted into the air again, a seemingly impossible height over the heads of the pirates, and rained plasma blasts down on them. Her powerful cannon easily took out seven pirates in one clean hit each. She landed again, directly behind the one pirate she didn't hit from the air. With her cannon pressed to the back of its head, she fired before it had a chance to know what hit it.

"Link, let's go!"

"Uh... right," he said, a bit stunned at her ability.

He never saw her fight like that in the stadium. She seemed much more powerful now, her cannon never did that much damage, and he was certain she couldn't jump that high. Perhaps she was holding back her suit's capabilities before. He ran after her to the cave exit where he could see more pirates gathering. What was going on over there?

Zelda stood with her arms crossed and eyes half open, her Triforce mark shown brightly. The dozen or so monsters around her continued to prod at her barrier; looking for a weakness. She concentrated and formed a fireball in front of her and fired it at one of the creature. It was knocked back and injured badly but another one took its place immediately.

'There's so many!'

She sighed and was thankful when she saw Samus and Link returning. As Samus got closer she leaped into the air doing a somersault, her body was covered in bright crackling energy. As she landed in the midst of the pirates, several of them that had touched her just exploded on contact. She fired a few shots off at the rest of them from her cannon, scattering them like ants.

"Zelda, come on, we have to make it to the ship. Link, you too, hurry up!" she shouted back to him.

He came running up behind them as they started heading up the shaft. As he passed through the mouth of the tunnel, one of the pirates that Samus had scattered jumped out at him, it had actually ran into the tunnel when running away from Samus. He didn't give it time to attack; he slashed it across the chest diagonally, wounding it. The force of the attack knocked the thing on its back. Link jumped over it and put his full weight in to his sword thrust, driving the blade through its chest. In its death throws, it managed to fire one plasma bolt up at Link, narrowly missing his head, and instead going into the ceiling above him.

The sound of the shot caused Samus to turn around to see what happened.

"Stop screwing around back there, we're getting out of here. Now!" Samus yelled at him. He was about to respond when suddenly the roof of the cave collapsed, burying him under a ton of rock.

"What was that?" Zelda turned to see the pile of rocks. "Samus? What happened? Where's Link?"

Samus stood looking at the rocks in disbelief. "He's...he was... Zelda, it's too late to save him. I'm sorry."

"No. No!" Zelda shook her head, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Come on; we can't stay here."

"No, we can't, we can't leave without him. We have to help him. Samus, we can't leave!" Zelda cried as she grabbed Samus and shook her.

"Zelda... he's gone. We have to--"

"No!" Zelda took off back down the tunnel, but Samus grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Stay here!" Samus said sternly.

Then she went back down the tunnel herself to where the rocks were and started digging, throwing one after another behind her, digging for what she knew would be a corpse. After about a minute there was some movement, the rocks began falling out towards her on their own. But the movement was coming from the top of the pile, and eventually she could see the red claw of a space pirate poking through. They were digging through from the other side. If she fired at it now more of the cave would collapse. She just kept digging as long as she could.

Zelda stood with her hands clasped in front of her, anxiously watching through tear filled eyes as Samus dug. 'Please...'

Eventually the hole above the pile had widened enough for Samus to see that there were several pirates on the other side digging their way through, and no telling how many more behind that; the cave had been steadily filling up, there could be over a hundred by now, and Ridley was still in there as well. The pirate was now squirming through the hole.

'Time to go.'

She backed off the rock pile and went back up to Zelda.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get to him. We have to go now," Samus explained, but Zelda just stood there watching as the pirates wormed there way over the rocks. "Zelda!"

No response.

"Damn it." Samus picked Zelda up by her waist and put her over her shoulders then started running up the tunnel. Zelda stared blankly behind them as they sped away from where Link was.

Pirates were now chasing them up the tunnel. A shot whizzed by them and Samus turned briefly and fired a barrage of missiles back down the tunnel. Not much further now, they were almost at the surface. Another shot came up the tunnel and hit Samus in the leg. She faltered but kept on her feet. The armor had protected her for the most part, though she wasn't running quite as fast now.

Finally they exited the cave and made it to the surface, but there were pirates there as well, mostly from behind them. Samus thought they must have been able to surface elsewhere from the cave system.

No time to fight now though, not while carrying Zelda and with a slightly damaged leg; best to make a run for the ship and just get out of here. She ran over the hilly terrain, occasionally looking behind them; their pursuers were massing. She recalled the trip across this terrain before and there was a small chasm that she could manage to jump even with her leg the way it was, and that the pirates wouldn't be able to cross so easily. It was coming up soon. She tried as hard as she could to pick up the speed necessary to clear the gap.

"Zelda, hold on, we're jumping!"

"...ok..." she responded not really registering what Samus had said. Samus launched herself over the small canyon and landed a few feet past the edge on the other side. Now they were home free, there was one more hill, then a valley, and the ship was on a hill on the other side of that valley.

She could see the crest of the first hill now. Just a bit more...

She stopped at the top of the hill and stood there. This snapped Zelda out of her daze.

"Wh-Why did we stop? ...Samus?" Samus set her down on her feet in front of her. Zelda turned to look in the direction they had been running, she saw a valley stretched out before them. In the valley were... thousands... thousands of those monsters that attacked her before. "What!?"

'Ridley really had gone to great lengths to make sure I didn't survive this,' Samus thought.

She considered her options, going through them wasn't possible with Zelda in tow; far too many to fight straight up; but could she go around? No. The pirates behind them would catch up soon enough. All she had to do was get to the ship and... wait, where is the ship?

She scanned the crest of the valley looking for the ship... 'Where in the hell...wait, the nav-beacon, it's right next to the nav-beacon.'

She used her scanners to detect the beacons' signal. There it was... but... the ship wasn't there. They took her ship as well? Without the ship they were stuck. There was no way off the planet and more importantly no escape from the thousands of space pirates. There was no way she could take on that many, especially while having to protect Zelda. No escape, no way to fight...

'Ridley... you've won.'

She loathed quitting, giving up; it went completely against her nature, but the situation was utterly hopeless at this point. Her armor melted away and she was left standing with shoulders slumped and head hung.

"Samus? What are you doing... what's--" Samus suddenly embraced her tightly. "Samus...?"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything more than this. I couldn't save you."

Zelda squeezed her back. "Are... we... are we going to die?"

"Sorry." Samus pulled Zelda's head down into her chest, so as to hide their impending doom from her eyes. "Don't look," she whispered. Zelda closed her eyes and buried her head into Samus. "This is...my fault. Zelda, I... I'm sorry... I don't... I ..."

"It's ok, you don't have to say anything... I... I don't mind so much. Spending my last moments with you... it's not so bad."

"Mm," Samus nodded.

The two of them stood there on the crest of the hill holding each other as hordes of space pirates closed in on them.

End Part Nine

Chapter 10

Title: Confession

Samus and Zelda stood at the crest of the hill on a remote and foreboding planet. All alone, their foes greatly outnumbered them and they had no means of escape. So they stood there holding each other, waiting for death to take them. Neither one spoke; neither knew what to say. The only thing Samus could do now was hold Zelda right to the end. As they stood there, Samus could hear the whine of a ships engine. The pirates had ships in the air too; that was no surprise. It wouldn't have mattered even if they had managed to get to her ship and take off, the pirates would surely have shot them down; it had happened to her before.

"Uh, Sa-... Samus," Zelda finally spoke up.

"What is it?"

The sound of the ship grew louder.

"I, um... I need to tell you... uh..."

"Yes?"

The ship grew even closer. Would it fire on them? Would they not even have these few moments?

"I... well... I know we haven't known each other that long, but... I still feel, um... I... I wanted to tell you this morning... What I'm trying to say--"

The ship roared past, high above them, interrupting Zelda, and sped off to their right; the sound of its powerful engine rolled over the hills... Wait... the sound... the pitch was wrong. That wasn't the sound of any ship she knew the space pirates to use. But it was familiar somehow.

"Samus, um..."

"Hold on."

She turned to look for it, now it was just a speck in the distance. The ship eventually came about and began approaching them again. As it drew nearer she could make out its shape. It couldn't be... it was... the ship was an Arwing.

"Fox?"

"What was that, Samus?"

"We just might survive this yet."

The Arwing was coming now at an incredible speed, at least mach twenty she judged, and it was low, extremely low, not even ten feet off the ground. It passed over the horde of approaching space pirates; the shock wave it generated at that speed was so intense the pirates directly under the ship were practically liquefied as it passed by. Those not directly under were blown fifty feet in the air. They heard the sonic boom as it passed them.

When the ship passed beyond the mass of pirates it made a seemingly impossible ninety degree turn directly upward, rocketing into the sky. A few seconds later laser blasts came raining down on the pirates. The ship flew directly downward at the ground, firing the whole time, and only pulled up at the last second. Then a second Arwing approached and preformed the same low altitude, high speed buzz maneuver, cutting another swath through the pirates.

Samus could hear faint, but deep explosions above them. Looking up, she could see two more Arwings engaged in a dogfight with thirty to forty pirate attack craft. They were fairly high up, in the upper layers of the atmosphere. She put her armor back on.

"Zelda."

"Um, yeah?"

"Let's get going," she said taking Zelda's hand and dragging her along.

They moved along the ridge parallel to the valley. Both forward, and back the way they had come, there were tons of pirates, so it was the only way they had to go. Samus tried to contact the StarFox team through her armor's com system.

"Hey, can you guys hear me...? This is Samus. Respond."

"Hey there little lady, just hang in there. Your ride is on the way," came the familiar voice of an older man. She recognized the voice as Peppy, one of the members of Fox's squadron. "Just keep moving in that direction."

"Acknowledged."

"Umm, who were you talking to just now?" Zelda asked curiously

"A friend of Fox. They're going to help us."

"But I didn't hear anyone. There's nobody around."

"It's... a radio... never mind that now."

As they ran along the top of the ridge, Samus noticed the pirates moving up the hill towards them. Although now they had significantly thinned out due to the air support they got from StarFox, there were still far too many for her to handle at once. Pirates began coming over the crest of the hill, and as they did Samus shot them down, but more and more came, faster than she could take them out.

"Samus! Get down!" Fox's voice came over the intercom.

A few seconds later an Arwing made a strafing run past them, firing into the approaching pirates. Dirt and rocks flew everywhere. Samus grabbed Zelda and turned her away from the flying debris, shielding Zelda with her own body. When the spray of dirt had subsided, they both started running again. Then Samus caught a glimpse of StarFox's battle cruiser and mobile base, the Great Fox. Beneath it suspended in a tractor beam was her own ship. So, the pirates hadn't gotten it after all.

The Great Fox approached them and eventually was hovering over them. It descended until Samus' ship was just off the ground and then released it. Samus picked up Zelda in her arms, jumped on top of her ship and entered the hatch, lowering Zelda in first then jumping in after her. Samus seated herself at the controls and went through the start up procedure, while Zelda knelt next to her clinging to her chair. Once the ship was started up, she lifted off the ground and took off. The two Arwings, that were attacking the pirates on the ground, took up flanking positions beside them. Once safely in the air Samus removed her armor once again. She then received a transmission from Fox.

"Samus, are you alright over there?"

"Yeah, we made it in one piece. How'd you know to show up?"

"I saw you leaving with Link, it looked like there might be trouble, so we followed you. Where is he by the way?"

Samus looked over to Zelda who was now staring at the floor. "He... didn't make it."

"What? He... I see..." The com went silent for a short while. "Take care of the princess, make sure she gets back home safely. We'll mop up here. Fox out."

"Thanks Fox," Samus muttered to herself. She then plotted a course back to the stadium into the nav-computer and engaged the warp engines.

Before Samus' ship sped away, Fox and Peppy broke off of their escort and headed for the fight against the Pirate attack craft.

"Form up. Attack pattern delta!" Fox called out to his squadron.

Falco and Slippy broke away from the fight and joined them; the four craft taking up a diamond pattern. They came around to make a pass at the unorganized group of space pirate ships.

"Don't let a single one escape. Kill 'em all," Fox said in an uncharacteristically flat tone.

All four opened fire into the center of the group, plowing themselves a path right thorough to the other side. Once through, they split into four separate paths and came around, encircling the pirates, then individually plunging into them again. The whole thing became a fur ball.

After a while the pirate's ships had been thinned out and Fox disengaged from the battle. His Arwing rolled onto its side and rapidly descended.

"Fox, where you going?" Falco called to him.

"Take care of these guys up here, there's something I need to finish."

He approached the valley where the space pirates on the ground had massed. They now appeared to be moving in a specific direction, heading somewhere in particular.

"Link... goodbye, my friend."

He flipped open a yellow and black striped protective cover on his console, revealing a small red button. When the angle and distance to the ground were right he hit the button. A small device released from the belly of his ship, started glowing red and took off under its own power. Fox pulled up and hit the throttle hard, the intense acceleration throwing him back in his seat. A few seconds later there was a blinding light, and seconds after that a powerful shock rocked the tiny craft. The ship rocketed into the sky as the cloud from its neutrino bomb slowly rose into the air, the hoards of space pirates on the ground consumed by its unholy fire.

------

Once her ship was underway, Samus turned her attention to Zelda. "You alright? I mean, you're not injured, are you?"

"Umm, no... I'm not..." Zelda said weakly, still staring at the floor. "Link is... he's..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it, as that would confirm the reality of it in her mind. She had trouble believing he was gone, he had been part of her life for so long now; it was difficult to think of a world without him in it. She thought of that last night they spent together; that night she had felt so close to him. It was the last time they spoke with each other, she didn't get to say one word to him when she was rescued. She had fallen asleep back then and didn't even get to say goodbye before he left. There was still so much she wanted to say to him, things she wanted to ask him. But now he... he was... she would never get the chance to do that.

Zelda was startled by contact on her face. Looking up she saw Samus sitting beside her on the floor, her hand wiping the tears from Zelda's eyes. Zelda hadn't even realized she was crying. Samus pulled Zelda in close, and pulled her head down to rest on her chest. She wrapped one arm around her shoulders and cradled her head with the other. Zelda's tears flowed freely.

"I can't believe he's... he's gone," Zelda said, the pain in her voice was very apparent. Samus hugged her tighter, rested her head on top of Zelda's, and held her while she cried.

A long while later, after she finally settled down, Zelda looked up to meet Samus' eyes. "Samus, you came for me... I... I was so frightened. I owe you my life... for the second time."

"You don't owe me anything."

"You risked your own life to save mine--"

"And you're alive, that's all I wanted. Nothing else is required."

Zelda smiled at that but it quickly faded. "I'm... I'm sorry about all this. I really am helpless after all. If I hadn't gotten myself captured... none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have had to come and save me and... Link would still..."

"No!" Samus pulled away and held Zelda at arms length. "Don't you dare!" She shouted angrily. Zelda stared at her confused. "Don't you dare apologize to me! It was all my fault. Ridley wanted me. You got caught up in something that had nothing to do with you only because you were close to me. So don't you apologize. It's my fault you were captured, and it's my fault your friend is dead." She paused and thought about her last words. She sighed. "Death seems to follow me wherever I go. It's like I'm cursed."

Zelda looked at her a bit puzzled. She was about to say something but Samus shook her head signaling her not to. Then Samus pulled Zelda back in to her arms, their heads resting on each others shoulders. "I'm really sorry about Link."

"It... It's not your fault either... I... really miss him," she said still teary.

"If there's anything I can do for you..."

"Can you... just hold me, please?"

"Yeah, come here."

Samus stood and led Zelda over to the pilots' seat. Sitting down in it, she pulled Zelda onto her lap and reclined the seat back slightly. Zelda curled up in a fetal position and leaned up against her as Samus wrapped her arms around Zelda.

"I feel so tired," Zelda said wearily.

"Then sleep. You've been through a lot."

Samus hit a switch on the console and all the interior lights went off save the glow of the console itself. Zelda squirmed around a little to get more comfortable.

"You're warm and soft... you make a nice pillow," Zelda said softly. Samus smiled and stroked her hair. "Samus, you're so good to me. What would I do without you?" she muttered as she began drifting off to sleep.

"Stay with me forever..." were her last words before falling asleep.

Samus winced at that comment.

"Sorry, I don't know if I can promise that," she said only after she was sure Zelda was asleep.

------

When Zelda awoke she was back in her bed in the room that she and Samus shared at the stadium. She saw Samus sitting on her bed, cramming her clothes, which had previously been strewn about the floor surrounding the bed, into her bag.

Samus noticed she was awake. "Hey, you're up. Sleep well?"

"Yeah... how did I... you carried me again?"

"Uh-huh. You were out cold."

"You're packing your things. You're leaving?" Zelda sounded anxious. She had known that this moment would come once they were able to return to their own worlds, but she wasn't at all prepared for it.

"Yes."

Zelda climbed out of bed and walked over to Samus. "But... I... I don't want you to leave... It's... I mean, I... I don't want to be alone. Not right now, not after..."

"Zelda..." Samus sighed, and looked softly at her. "I guess I could stay for another day--"

"Only a day?" Zelda cut her off.

"You didn't think we could stay here indefinitely, did you?"

"No, but I just... I want to spend some more time with you," she sighed. "Is that too much to ask?"

Samus put her hand on Zelda's shoulder. "Hey, it's no big deal. It's not like I'll never see you again. I still plan on coming here, and as long as you still do we'll see each other all the time."

"I know, I... it's just... is that enough for you?"

"Enough?"

"I've only just realized... I mean, gotten to know you, and now you have to go so soon... I..."

"Look, we both have our own lives to get back to. You have a country to run, and I probably have a ton of jobs piling up, and there's still the space pirates and Ridley, you've seen how terrible they can be. I can't just ignore the threat they pose; and then there's who knows what else out there... I can stay a little while, but I really will have to go back eventually."

"Well then... then can't you take me with you?!"

Samus winced, she knew that was coming sooner or later. "It won't be glamorous or fun. Zelda, the life I lead... it's... It wouldn't be easy on you. I mostly live off that small ship, traveling constantly, I'm rarely home. There's constant danger, crappy food, little opportunity for showers, only sleeping when it's convenient..."

"None of that matters to me."

Samus' shoulders slumped. "If it's what you really want..." she said reluctantly.

"It is!" Zelda said sounding distraught.

Samus sighed and looked away, "And what about your kingdom...don't you care that--"

"No, I don't...I don't care... I don't care if I ever go back there! I just want to be with you."

"Zelda... don't you think--"

"Samus, I... I love you."

"You..." Samus stood there expressionless for what seemed like forever, letting Zelda's words hang in the air. Her mouth moved, attempting to speak, but no sound came out. Zelda couldn't read anything on her face.

"Samus?"

"I... I have to go..." she said wistfully, staring blankly into space "...I'm sorry. I really have to go." Samus grabbed her bag and jacket and headed for the door.

"What? Wait! Samus!"

Samus paused, but for only an instant then continued on and went out the door.

"But I... Samus... don't go...don't leave me all alone," she said to the empty room.

She sat down on the floor right where she was, staring at the open door. She half expected Samus to come right back; to realize she made a mistake, to change her mind, anything... She sat there for almost a minute before realizing that wasn't going to happen. Summoning the strength to stand, she got up and went out the door after Samus. She eventually worked up to a run, and headed for the gateway area.

When Zelda arrived there, Samus' ship was already powered up and lifting off its pad. It rose into the air and flew through the portal and was gone. Again Zelda was left standing as Samus left. She clenched her fist, closed her eyes, and swallowed hard; trying not to cry. She took a deep slow breath, held it, and let it out, then told the gate operator that she was going home. The operator opened the gate to her world, one of the smaller doorway sized gates. She walked up to it and stood staring at its swirling energy. She looked over to the gate Samus had left through one last time before finally stepping through.

------

A rock face at the edge of an open meadow rippled as if it were made of liquid. A human form protruded from the rock, wearing the rocks surface like a sheet. Eventually that sheet melted back into the rock and off of the form that had emerged, and the princess was left standing there. She was now back in her own world, the familiar sights of Hyrule greeting her. In the distance she could see Hyrule Castle's spires peaking over the tree tops. She set out on her short journey home. The sun hung low in the sky, it was almost dusk, and that meant Stalfos and Poes would be out soon. Though that didn't seem to concern her now; her mind was elsewhere.

The walk to the castle was uneventful; she made it to the gates before the sun had set so she didn't have to worry about being attacked. Before her was the usually busy market that lay just outside the castle, though at this time of day there weren't many people around. She made her way up the path that led from the town market to the castle itself.

When she neared the main entrance one of the guards approached her. "Excuse me, miss, but visitors aren't permitted at this hour, you'll have to... Your highness! You've returned!"

"Yes, please open the gate," Zelda said sounding tired.

"Yes. Right away."

The guard ran over to the gate house and instructed them to open up. Then he shouted to gain the attention of the other guards and informed them that the princess had returned.

As she walked through the entrance hall more and more of the castle staff came to greet her. Initially most were guards but as the word spread of her return many more came as well; house keepers, her personal attendants, the head chef and the rest of the kitchen staff, and several advisors. As she got to the stairs that lead to the upper floors, she was greeted by her chief advisor Gaebora, who was coming down the stairs.

Gaebora was a middle aged man with graying hair and a distinguished beard. He was slightly overweight and of average height. He wore a rather expensive looking suit and had wire rimmed glasses on. He had previously served as chief advisor to her father.

"Your highness, where have you been? It's been days since you disappeared," the man pestered, but Zelda didn't respond. "Princess you've had us all very worried. You mustn't keep running off like this any longer."

"Gaebora, thank you for your concern, but I am very tired right now. I'm going to my chambers to sleep and I do not wish to be disturbed," she said flatly, with no emotion in her voice.

The man continued to chatter on, but she tuned him out and slowly trudged down the hall to her room. When she got there she opened the door then turned to her advisor again.

"I'm going to bed now, I don't wish to be disturbed." she repeated.

"Allow me to fetch the attendants to prepare your highness--"

"No..." she cut him off, "...just ...go away," she said sadly.

With that, she pushed the large door to her room closed, then slid the bar in place to keep it shut. She leaned back against the door and sighed deeply, staring into the room, which was basked in an orange light from the dusk sky. She sighed and glanced around taking in the familiar surroundings.

Her large bed was on the left side of the room from where she stood, its head up against the wall. Next to the bed was a night stand with a candle stick on it. On the far side of her room was a large opening that led out on to a balcony, draped with lush curtains. To the left of the balcony was a desk with various official papers on it. On the right side of the room was a dresser, a full-length mirror and the door to a walk-in closet.

This was the room she grew up in, being here was somewhat comforting to her after what she been through and what she was gong through now. She'd just lost the two most important people to her, in the span of just a few hours.

'Link... He was...' No. It was just too painful to think about that now. On the other hand, she couldn't stop thinking about Samus; she ran the conversation over and over in her head, trying to figure out what had happened, though the answers eluded her. Summoning the strength to move, she leaned away from the door, walked over to her bed, and lay face down on it.

"Samus..." she whispered.

The tears started to well up in her eyes. She couldn't hold them in any longer, she buried her face in a pillow and began sobbing. Hugging the pillow tight she cried until she fell asleep.

------

When she woke again it was completely dark, night had fallen and she could barely see around her room. She sat up in the middle of her bed still holding the pillow. She thought of Samus again. How could she just leave like that? Was she upset? Did Zelda do something wrong? Maybe she shouldn't have been so aggressive, and just accepted that they would see each other every so often at the stadium. Confessing her love was too much too soon. Now she wasn't even certain she would get to see Samus again at all.

'I went and ruined it,' she thought. She started crying again.

All of a sudden she stopped. Something startled her. She became aware of another presence in the room. She wasn't alone. Fear gripped her and her heart raced. She froze, and looked around the room moving only her eyes, not wanting to alert the intruder she was aware of his presence until she could locate him. There! On the balcony, in the darkness she could faintly see the silhouette of the figure. He was leaning against the pillar that formed the left side of the opening out onto the balcony.

Zelda let out the breath she had been holding since she first noticed she wasn't alone. She clenched her fists then stood up off of her bed and faced the intruder.

"Who's there?!"

End Part Ten

Chapter 11

Title: Reconcile

"Damn it!"

Samus punched her ship's control panel for the third time, turning her knuckles red. She cradled the injured appendage in her other hand, rubbing it gingerly. It had been several hours since she left the arena... and Zelda.

"God, I'm so stupid."

Samus wondered what happened after she left. What did Zelda do and say, where did she go, how was she feeling? The endless possibilities plagued her thoughts. Was she sad, did she cry, or was she angry, or did she just forget and move on? Would she run home, or stay at the arena? Maybe she went to the training room to blow of some steam, or maybe she'd distract herself with more matches... No... She's probably curled up in her bed there... curled up in a ball and crying... tears streaming from her soft beautiful eyes.

'She sounded like she was about to start crying even before I left.'

"I'm such an asshole."

She sighed in annoyance then flicked a switch on the console, cutting all power to the ship. It dropped from warp, the lights went out, and the artificial gravity disengaged. Samus drifted off of her chair, arms folded, and eyes closed.

"I just want to be with you." She recalled Zelda's words to her earlier. "I love you."

"I have to go," was her response. Their conversation replayed in her head over and over.

'I have to go?'

"Stupid," she spat contemptuously.

'What the hell kind of reply was that?' She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. 'What was the point? I could have just let her come along. I was about to, but then she said... why the hell did I react that way?'

"So fucking stupid."

"...Don't go...don't leave me all alone." Zelda's plea rung in her ears.

It stung her now when she thought about it after the fact. 'I practically ignored her. And after all that, all she'd been through... all we'd shared... and I just walked away!'

"Arrr!" She yelled and punched the bulkhead hard enough to make her knuckles bleed. She held her hand up in front of her, small drops of blood broke free from her hand and floated lazily through the air. She didn't bother trying to comfort it this time; she just folded her arms again and took a deep breath, trying to clear her head.

"I love you."

Samus winced at the memory.

'Why? Why did you have to say that to me...? Why did I have to be such an idiot about it?'

She floated back down to her chair and stared blankly at the console for almost ten minutes. Sitting there with her arms at her side her fingers dug into the armrest, getting tighter and tighter until she became aware of that fact and released them suddenly. She huffed in annoyance before starting the ship again and turning it around.

------

The rock face that Zelda had previously come through, now distorted again as another figure passed through the dimensional gap. Samus stepped out of the rock and into the unfamiliar setting. Where to go now? She looked around but saw nothing in the dark of night so she activated her armor and used its image enhancing capabilities to see. In the distance, over a line of trees, she could see the spires of a castle.

'Must be the place,' she thought.

She set off in the direction of the structure. What she would do once she got there she didn't know. What would she say? What can she say? She wasn't even sure to what end she was coming here for. She just knew she couldn't leave things the way they were.

What if Zelda was upset, what if she wanted Samus to just leave... What if she wanted her to stay... She had no idea... Neither possibility sat well with Samus. Zelda was the one and only thing in her life that wasn't cruel, unforgiving, or hostile; the only thing that wasn't completely miserable. She didn't want that to end, didn't want what she had with the girl to disappear. Yet the alternative was fraught with questions she had no idea how to answer. She wasn't even sure what that alternative was, what it entailed, or what it meant for her and how it fit into her life.

As she walked she thought over her conundrum, not coming to any answers, though she did come across a small cliff. She scaled it, nimbly leaping from outcropping to outcropping until she stood atop the rock, the castle looming before her. Bounding silently over the terrain, she easily eluded the castle sentries in the dark of night, invisible to them; though with her suits' enhanced vision she could in turn see them easily. The exterior wall was cleared in a single leap and the side of the castle scaled with the aid of her grappling beam. She now stood on the roof, looking, searching. She jumped from one parapet to the next examining the castle top to bottom. One feature stood out amongst the rest, a balcony with an elaborately decorated carved stone railing; lush lavender drapes lined the opening to the room.

'That must be it.'

She jumped over to the roof just above the balcony and then down on to the railing. Her armor dissolved away as she hopped off the railing and down to the floor. She approached the opening carefully, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark.

It was then that she saw her, sitting on the bed. A nervous chill came over Samus and she ducked to the side quickly, hiding herself from view, but not really knowing why she needed to hide; she supposed it was shame she was feeling. Timidly, she stepped out again, but kept close to the wall. She leaned against the side of the opening, peering inside.

Crying? She was crying...

'Damn it...' Samus winced knowing she was the cause of it. She attempted speech but failed miserably, as the only thing to escape her lips was a barely audible squeak.

Suddenly Zelda stopped crying and sat there.

'Is she looking at me? ...What do I say? ...What do I do? ...What does she expect from me?' Samus thought frantically.

Then Zelda stood from the bed and approached her halfway.

"Who's there?" Zelda said sternly.

Samus felt like a deer in headlights. 'It's dark. She doesn't know it's me? I have to say something now... say something, damn it.'

"I'm sorry..." was the only thing she could manage to think of.

"S- Samus? Is that you?" Zelda said shocked.

"Yeah..." she said weakly and hung her head.

Zelda rushed up in front of her. "What... What are you doing here?"

Samus didn't answer, she couldn’t, she had no idea what to say.

"Sam--"

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

In the confusion Zelda momentarily had forgotten about the past events, but Samus' apology jogged her memory. Anger flashed, and without thinking... smack! The sharp sound pierced the quiet night. She held her trembling hand away from Samus' face, with a horrified expression on her own. She regretted it the moment it happened.

"Samus! I didn't mean to! I--"

"It's fine... You can hit me again... I deserve it."

"No! I don't want to... I... Samus, I..." She suddenly threw herself at Samus, hugging her tightly.

A bit surprised, Samus timidly took Zelda in her arms.

"You came back... you really came back."

"I couldn't... leave things the way they were."

Zelda hugged her tighter. "You came back..." she repeated.

"You're not... not upset with me?"

"Nnh..." She shook her head. "I'm not... well, a little, maybe... I mean, I was, but... I don't know."

"Then are we... ok? I mean how do... how do you..."

"How do I feel?" Zelda released her and took a step back looking up at her. "I... I don't know... confused... relieved... scared..."

Samus just looked at her not understanding.

"I... when you left..." she sighed and looked away, "...especially right after Link... you left me all alone... It really hurt! You hurt me, Samus." Zelda said, with tears in her eyes.

Samus winced again and stared at her feet. "I know, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I was a complete idiot... sorry..."

"Hmm, I guess I am a little angry... But... I'm glad to see you now, even if... it's just for this moment... though... uh... I... I'm scared too. Because I ...I don't know what happens next," she started crying again. "I don't know where we go from here, if you're leaving again... are we...are you and I... can we be together? I just... I don't know..." she whimpered very emotionally.

Samus put her hands on Zelda's shoulders. "What ever you want to happen. Just... tell me what you want. Tell me... Tell me what I'm supposed to do, 'cause I don't know... I don't know anything about... this."

Zelda looked up at her with teary eyes. "Stay. Just stay with me... that's all I want."

Samus slowly began nodding. "Ok. I'll stay."

Zelda took a deep relaxing breath and hugged her tightly again.

"I really am sorry."

"Mmm, I know... It's... It's ok now." She paused for a bit, just holding Samus. "Just...Can you tell me...why? Why did you leave? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! ...No you... you didn't do anything wrong."

"Then--"

"Because... because I'm a coward, a stupid coward... When you said... what you said to me, I got scared." Samus huffed and rolled her eyes. "Here I am, the most dangerous and feared woman in the galaxy, and I was frightened by three simple words... I'm so pathetic."

"But why? What's there to be scared of, Samus?"

"I know, it was stupid, but... it was kind of overwhelming, what you said. No one's ever said that to me before. I didn't know how to accept it... what you expected of me... I don't know how to respond to something like that...I couldn't handle it so I ran away. I... I told you when we met; I'm not good at dealing with people."

"You didn't have to give me a response. I just wanted you to know how I felt... How I still feel..."

Samus wrung her hands together feeling lousy.

'Stupid,' she cursed herself.

"But..." Zelda continued, "...A usual response would be to tell me how you feel. You... you could say you love me too," Zelda said hopefully, but Samus just averted her eyes. "You do have feelings for me, don't you...Samus? Don't you?"

Samus sighed and glanced around the room not making eye contact with Zelda. "I don't know."

"You don't then," she despaired.

"I didn't say that! I... I said I don't know. I don't know how I feel, I don't know if I love you... I don't know anything. I don't even know if... if feelings like that are something I'm capable of anymore."

"I don't believe that..."

"Believe it... I don't know what... love feels like, it's just an empty word to me. Zelda, my life is... well you caught a glimpse of what my life is like." She sighed deeply. "Despair, loneliness, hopelessness... anger, aggression, hatred... these are the emotions I know all to well. Love... or kindness and compassion... you use these words, you attribute them to me... and maybe it's true that I've been behaving that way with you...but those were just things it seemed like I should be doing at the time, so I did them; I don't feel any of it." She held her hand to her chest. "It's just not in there."

"I don't believe that," Zelda repeated more quietly and more to herself, shaking her head.

Samus stared at her standing there like that; it looked like she would start crying again, she hated seeing that. She came here to make amends, she just wanted Zelda to feel better, but it was obvious to her that she wasn't doing enough to that end. Samus sighed again.

"I don't know what love is... but..." she said and took Zelda's hands in hers, "...but I do know... I know I want to find out. I want to find out... together... with you."

With that Zelda's eyes lit up, genuinely surprised. Relieved and overjoyed at the same time Zelda hugged her suddenly and she sighed thankfully. "I knew it... I knew you feel something for me..."

'That's not what I said...' Samus thought, but kept it to herself.

"When we talked, that night we were together, we talked about what happened to our mothers, and after... you kissed me... there was definitely something there, Samus. I just know you felt something then... so...so can't you just kiss me now!?"

Samus smiled softly and nodded, then obliged her; taking her by the chin, tilting her head back, and kissing her softly. As they kissed Samus could feel Zelda's lips quiver, and her body shudder uncontrollably. Zelda tipped her head down away from the kiss, Samus' lips wound up on her forehead, she was crying. Though it was an emotional release and not sorrow; all the built up pain, doubt, and uncertainty just melted away when Samus kissed her, and she couldn't help but release them as a torrent of tears. She buried her face in Samus' chest as she cried.

Confused, Samus uneasily wrapped her arms around Zelda and stroked her hair. "Zelda?"

Zelda shook her head. "I'm ok... I'm ok. As long as you stay with me, I'll be fine."

"I already said I would."

"Say it again," Zelda said tearfully.

"I'll stay here with you, I promise."

Zelda sighed and hugged her tight. "That's great," she spoke softly with both hope and uncertainty in her voice. "You can stay here and... I know I complain about it, but this place is really quite nice, and it's peaceful most of the time, so you can just stay here and just get away from all those harsh things you deal with all the time, experience the softer side of life. And...and we can get to know each other even better... Ok?"

"Mm-hmm." Samus nodded. "I can do that."

They stood just holding each other in the balcony's doorway, the cool night air blowing across them gently. Zelda rested her head on Samus' chest with her eyes closed, feeling the warmth her body emanated. The night was so quiet and they were so very still, they could feel each others hearts beating, and the only sound was that of their breath.

"You know, I just realized... " Zelda spoke, breaking the silence, "...there's a summer festival in a few days. We hold one each year in fields just outside the castle. We should go; it would be good for us. And, until then, we can spend each day together."

"Yeah, ok."

"Although... mm... tomorrow morning... I have to take care of something important. But when I get back we can be together the rest of the day."

"What do you have to do?"

"Um... there's this girl... she and Link... uh... they were close, I have to tell her."

"Oh..."

"Poor girl, she'll be devastated... I... uh..."

"Should I come?"

"You don't have to do that. She doesn't even know you."

"I meant... for you... because... it doesn't sound like it'd be easy for you-- But! ...you don't really need anyone's help; I know you can do it by yourself. I didn't mean to suggest you couldn't handle it on your own. I just thought--"

"Samus! Its ok," Zelda interrupted her, placing her hands on Samus' cheeks. "Thank you. I do want you there." She said, then kissed Samus briefly before wrapping her arms around her. She sighed deeply. "I'm really glad you came back."

"Mmh..." Samus nodded.

They stood there holding each other for a while longer, after which Zelda led Samus over to her bed and laid down, pulling Samus with her. She nuzzled against Samus, burying her face in Samus' neck.

"I'm glad you're back," she repeated.

Samus wrapped her arms around Zelda and kissed her on top of her head.

"Are you ok with this? ...What I mean is: you can just leave all those important things you said you had to do?" Zelda asked softly.

"Mmm... I can't, no..."

"Oh... So you're going to--"

"No. I said I'd stay, and I will."

"Then--"

"I don't know... It doesn't make any sense to me... I shouldn't even be here, but... I don't know... uh..."

"It's ok... You don't have to understand it; feelings are like that sometimes... Just give it some time.

"Uh, Zelda, listen... I can't promise anything. I'll stay with you, but other than that I can't make any promises."

"What are you saying?"

"I'll stay, and I'll try to work at this. Just... don't hold out any expectations for me... I don't know if I can give you what you're looking for... I don't want you to get disappointed."

"Mmm..." Zelda shook her head "...you underestimate yourself."

"Zelda, I--"

"Samus."

"What?"

"I love you."

"Uh--" the same words caught her off guard once again, but then she remembered Zelda's explanation. "I just want you to know how I feel."

Samus sighed then smiled, "I know," she whispered and kissed Zelda on the side of her cheek. "I know you do."

Zelda smiled; she clasped Samus' hand in hers, held it to her face, and kissed it. "Just give it some time... Ok?"

"Yeah... yeah, ok."

End Part Eleven

Chapter 12

Title: Harbingers

"Samus... mm." Zelda rolled over and put her arms around... "Samus?"

She sat up in bed, she was alone.

"Samus... where...?"

Zelda climbed out of bet and looked around her room.

"Samus? Are you here?"

The door was still barred from the inside, so she couldn't have gone out. '...then where?'

Zelda checked the balcony then looked in her closet, exhausting the last places she could have been without having left entirely.

'Did she leave in the middle of the night?' She felt her heart drop right out of her chest.

'No! She promised! She promised!'

Was it all a dream then?

"No." She started to panic.

'No it can't be! She was here.'

Zelda sat down on the edge of her bed. "It was real?"

Her hand went to her lips. 'She kissed me...'

She stood up again. 'It had to have been real!'

She started pacing back and forth.

'Did she not come back at all? I couldn't have dreamed it... could I?'

The worry and doubt from the night before came rushing back. She continued pacing, feeling like she was about to cry.

She looked around frantically for some sign, some clue as to what happened. Was Samus really here or not? In a last act of desperation she actually looked under her bed.

"Uggg," she groaned in a mix of frustration and anxiety.

"Zelda, what's wrong?" She heard a familiar voice from behind her, muffled and electronic sounding. She was speaking with her armor on.

Zelda spun around to see Samus hopping down from the railing of the balcony again, her armor in the midst of dissolving.

"Samus!" Zelda ran to her and hugged her, nearly tackling her. "Where did you go?" she said punching Samus in the shoulder several times out of frustration. "Where did you go?"

"Zelda..."

"You weren't here when I woke up... I didn't know where you were... I thought... I thought you left me again, or... or all of last night was just a dream."

"Oh... Zelda, sorry. I just needed to get some things... You were asleep... I thought I shouldn't disturb you."

"Some things?"

Samus shrugged her shoulders indicating she was holding something in each hand. Zelda pulled back a little and looked down. Samus was holding her duffle bag in one hand and her leather jacket in the other.

"I just ran back to the arena where my ship is. If I'm gonna' be staying a while I at least need a change of clothes."

"Staying..." Zelda's expression softened, she smiled and retightened her embrace on Samus.

"Yeah, I said I would. Didn't mean to worry you. Sorry."

"No, it's alright. I guess I was just-- I overreacted a little. I'm still feeling pretty vulnerable after everything that happened... Goddesses, I sound so needy lately. I've been smothering you... Sorry."

"No, Zelda," Samus shook her head. "I don't mind that. I'm not..." Samus paused and looked at her inquisitively "You... you mind it though, don't you? You want to be stronger... more independent. But then, because you care for me you want me to be around and then you feel weak and needy. I make you feel weak. I'm sorry. Should I--"

"Samus, no ...You're over thinking things." Zelda shook her head. "I... Well, it doesn't feel bad needing you; just the opposite. I just thought it would bother you that I'm always trying to hold on to you. That's the only reason I said anything."

"It doesn't." Samus said and shook her head. "It doesn't bother me."

"Well if it doesn't bother you and it doesn't bother me, then there is no reason for either of us--"

Zelda was cut off by a loud knocking on her door. Her advisor, Gaebora, had problems with her sleeping late, and judging by the angle of the sunlight coming in through the balcony it could no longer be considered early.

"You gonna' answer that?" Samus asked, pulling a way from the hug.

Zelda suddenly realized that if Gaebora came in here and saw a complete stranger in her room his reaction would be bad. He was exceedingly protective and it wasn't beyond him to completely overreact. He might even have her arrested and imprisoned.

"Oh! Samus! Uh... um... Hide!"

"Hide?"

"Uh... no don't hide. I mean... he'll react badly to you being here... just uh... Ugh..." She looked around the room frantically. The knocking at the door got more vigorous.

"Oh!" Zelda exclaimed in frustration then went over to the door. She slid the bar off and slowly opened it.

"Gaebora... um--"

"Your highness it's already half past ten, you can't sleep the day-- who the... GUARDS!" the chief advisor shouted upon seeing Samus standing there.

"No..." Zelda held her hands up waving them in front of her. "Its alright...she's not--"

Four men in armor with spears in hand instantly arrived in the hall behind him.

"No, Gaebora. It's ok. She's... a guest in this castle. Send the guards away."

"A guest?" he scoffed in disbelief as he pushed his way into the room, eyeing Samus suspiciously.

Samus was now standing beside the bed with her arms folded, scowling back at him; she instantly didn't like this guy.

"Who are you, what are you doing here?" he snapped at her. She just glared, here eyes narrowing even more.

"I told you... Samus is a guest here." Zelda said running up beside him.

"Yes, But why is she in you're bed room?"

"Does it matter?" Zelda snapped at him, but then immediately looked like she regretted it "Uh... Please, I expect her to be afforded every respect I receive," she said timidly, drastically changing her tone of voice.

He studied both of them with great suspicion for a short while before dismissing the guards with a single wave of his hand.

"Humph... keep your guards if you want. They're not a threat to me..."

"Samus! You behave too."

"Fine." She sighed in annoyance and turned her back to him. To a warrior this is a sign of disrespect to an adversary. It indicates that the warrior considers their opponent weak and insignificant and non-threatening. Walking away to the far end of the room, she proceeded to pace back and forth, shooting dirty looks to Gaebora every so often.

"Listen... we have some things to talk about." Zelda spoke to her advisor

"Yes, your highness. We most certainly do." He said glaring at Samus.

"Not about Samus... official things."

"What 'official' things." He said sarcastically. He'd never heard her willingly bring up business.

"Well... I... I have terrible news... Link..." Zelda choked back the lump in her throat. "Link has fallen."

"What?" this finally shocked his attention away from Samus. Samus as well stopped pacing when she heard this, and looked softly to Zelda.

"The hero has perished!? This can not be!"

"Yes... it... It is true."

"How has this happened?"

"He... he died trying to save my life." She said sadly. Samus now looked away as a wave of guilt came over her.

"I see..."

"We... need to issue a proper decree to inform the people."

"Yes, of course princess. I'll see to it immediately."

"Also... I think... Should there be a memorial service? ...I think there should... Yes," She said while nodding. "Could you..."

"Right, yes. That's a splendid idea. I'll have something organized in a few days time. Say... the morning of the Festival."

"In the morning...? That'll be fine. I'd like it to be before the festival, thank you. I ...I should probably say something."

"I'll have Medorreil write a short speech..."

"No!" she said sharply as was her first impulse. But again she changed her tune immediately. "I mean... I'll write it," she said meekly. This time Samus took notice of this somewhat peculiar behavior

"Your highness, there's no need to concern yourself with such a trivial matter--"

"He's not trivial! ...Uh... that is... I want to... I want to write it myself," said Zelda. Again Samus observed the odd and abrupt change in her tone.

"Hmm... very well, as you wish."

"Thank you. Now there's one other matter. We will be going out this morning--"

"Out? Where?"

"Uh... There's someone I have to tell... about Link."

"Your highness, we're already going to issue a decree--"

"No, she shouldn't find out like that. Not like that... they were... I must tell her in person. I have to."

"Very well, if it's that important I'll prepare your traveling convoy, and..."

"But... I don't want it to seem official... all those people... I can't tell her like that...in front of them. She was his... they... It should just be me there. It's going to be difficult enough already... uh, for her. She doesn't need to be a spectacle."

"Princess, please, we've discussed this. You simply can't go running off anywhere you please all on your own. Such irresponsible behavior cannot continue."

"But I--"

"No. You are not a child any longer. You will be queen soon and you must start behaving like one."

"Very well... but... please make it a small convoy."

"Of course, your highness. I'll shall return and inform you when they will be ready to leave." With that he bowed and left, but not before shooting Samus another suspicious look.

"Right..." She sighed.

Samus studied her, puzzled by the exchange between Zelda and her advisor. She didn't seem like her usual self just then. Samus wondered if that was normal between them.

"Zelda?" Samus approached. "What was that?"

"N-Nothing..."

"It wasn't nothing, why'd you let that guy tell you what to do?"

"He's my advisor. It's what he's supposed to do."

"That wasn't advice. He was giving you orders; telling you to do things you don't want."

"I... I just... It's fine, don't worry about it."

"It's not fine! You don't want to take all those officials with you. You wanted to go by yourself, right?"

"Yes..."

"So... just do that. To get what you want you got to take it."

"..."

"Look... when he comes back just tell him you're going without the convoy."

"Uh..." Zelda looked like she wanted to say something, but she only kept quiet.

"What's wrong?" Samus said after a short while.

Zelda hesitated to answer. "It's just... uh... I..."

"Zelda, what...? Tell me."

Just then the door opened again as Gaebora returned. "We are preparing your traveling party as we speak. They'll be ready to leave in a few--" he began to say. Zelda looked to Samus as he spoke, Samus nodded at her.

"Don't..." She said in a timid voice, cutting him off.

"What was that, princess?"

"Don't umm… don't bother with the convoy ...we ...we're going out, just me and Samus…by ourselves."

"Ugh, your highness, we settled this I thought."

"Yes, but I... well..."

"It's perilous for you to go out by yourself."

"I won't be by myself, Samus will be there. And... I can take care of myself."

"Her? Princess that's hardly sufficient--"

"It is... besides I... I don't believe that's the reason you don't want me to go out on my own."

"Not the reason? Your highness, you don't even realize your reckless behavior has consequences. Had you not been gallivanting about, Link would not have been killed..."

"Uh!" His words echoed what she had been feeling and cut her right to the bone. Zelda staggered back and sat on her bed.

Samus looked to Zelda to see the horrified expression on her face, then looked back to him. He had gone too far with that comment. "Get the hell out." She snarled at him.

"Huh?"

"You can't say things like that to her! Now get the hell out before I beat the shit out of you." She said as she marched up to him and then shoved him back towards the door.

"How-- How dare you!"

"Get out!" she shouted and shoved him again, pushing him out into the hall where he stumbled and fell. She closed the door and barred it shut. She then turned to face Zelda, who looked awful. Samus went over to her, knelt down, and placed her hand on her knee.

"Hey, you alright? Don't listen to him--"

"He was right." Zelda said quietly.

"No... Zelda, he wasn't."

"But if I hadn't gone to that place... If I hadn't made Link take me there..."

"Stop it. It's not your fault. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen. Don't blame yourself... If you have to blame someone... blame me."

"I couldn't do that."

"Then blame the Space Pirates. Blame Ridley."

"I couldn't even do anything to help... I just stood there."

"Zelda..." Samus said shaking her head.

"What was the point of all that training, I couldn't even put it to use when it mattered. I'm terrible; completely useless."

"That's not true..."

"If only I had been a little better, a little faster, maybe he wouldn't have--"

"Zelda don't. Don't do this to yourself. There's nothing different you could have done. You were put in an extremely difficult situation with only one day of training. You performed remarkably."

Zelda raised her eyes to meet Samus', looking sullen. Samus put her hand on Zelda's shoulder and gave her a soft smile.

"These things happen... sometimes, and... there's nothing we can do about them. So... don't blame yourself," she said clumsily, searching for the right words. "Ok? I... I don't like it when you're sad."

Zelda gave Samus a half smile, then hugged her. "Thanks." She whispered.

"Mm-hmm..." Samus hugged her back. "You gonna' be ok?"

"Mmm..." Zelda nodded

"Hmm... I pushed him, will that be alright?" Samus said.

"He'll be upset, though... heh... I should have pushed him myself."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I... I wasn't thinking. I should have let you..."

"No, that's alright... you did the right thing. Thanks for sticking up for me."

Samus half smiled and nodded. "I don't like the way he talks to you."

"I know. You really are looking out for me. Thanks. But... It's alright. You don't have to worry about it. Lets- lets just go. Ok?"

"Just go?"

"Yes, ignore Gaebora and just leave. I don't want to argue with him anyway. It's easier to tune him out."

"Ha! Now you're talking."

Samus got to her feet and pulled Zelda up with her. When they opened the door Gaebora was standing there waiting with a hand full of castle guards.

"Your highness this woman can not be permitted to stay here." He spoke sternly. "She's violent, she assaulted me. Who knows what she may do next."

"Keep provoking me and you'll find out."

"Samus!" Zelda said, "Don't provoke him either."

"Guards, take her away."

"No! I said she is my guest."

The guards stood by with confused looks on their faces, not sure what to do in the face of conflicting orders.

"Your highness, please listen to reason--"

"I don't want to. Come on Samus." Zelda grabbed Samus by the hand and started off down the hall.

"Uh... ok." Samus said getting dragged along.

Gaebora pursued them, begging the princess to stop her foolishness, but she only quickened her pace, eventually breaking into a run. They reached the end of the hall and Zelda climbed up on to the window ledge.

"Zelda what are you doing."

"It's a shortcut, come up here."

Samus climbed up and then saw that they were four stories up and there was no ledge outside the window.

"You're not planning on jumping!?"

"No." Zelda then hugged Samus tightly. She stared at a spot on the ground and focused on it. They were both surrounded by magical energies and in an instant Samus found herself standing on the ground below with Zelda.

"What was that!?" Samus said, shocked and confused.

"A teleportation spell."

"I... didn't know you could do that."

"Well it's not easy, and it only works over short distances with a direct line of sight."

"You know if we had jumped I could have caught you."

Zelda smiled and laughed. She found Samus' need to sound tough exceedingly adorable. But she would never tell her that as it would likely have the opposite effect of what was intended. "Ok, I'll keep that in mind for next time. Now let's get to the stables before they come down here."

"Stables?"

------

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" Zelda called out as she entered the stables.

"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses. Ha ha ha, get it... Oh! Princess! Forgive me, I wasn't aware it was you." Came the reply from the stable master.

"Oh it's ok. That was pretty funny actually." Though it wasn't really ok with her; not that he joked, but that he felt he needed to behave differently when he realized it was her. "May we have two horses please?" She said, hiding her discontent.

"Yes. Right away, your highness."

Samus eyed the animals curiously as the stable master led them out by the reigns. Zelda immediately climbed up and mounted the horse.

"Won't this be fun, Samus? I always enjoy riding... uh Samus?"

Samus was standing there still looking over the horse.

"What's wrong?"

"I... don't know how. I've never ridden a horse before."

"Oh. Well... you can ride with me then." She smiled at Samus then spoke to the stable master. "It seems we'll only need one horse then."

The stable master nodded and led the second animal off.

"Is that alight? The horse can take two?"

"Of course. Now climb up here."

Samus climbed up on the steed and sat behind Zelda.

"I can't believe you've never ridden a horse before."

"I have my own spaceship, a horse isn't much use."

"Oh. But they aren't just for transportation you know, just riding can be fun."

"I guess..."

"Well shall we go then?"

"Lead the way."

Zelda rode the horse off the castle grounds and out into the rolling countryside. As she cleared the gates she whipped the reins and the horse broke into a gallop. They wildly bounced up and down on the horses back. Samus desperately searched the saddle for something to hold onto.

"Zelda! Slow down. I feel like I'm going to fall off; there's no handles or anything."

Zelda smiled. "So... hold on to me."

"Uh ...right." Samus said as she wrapped her arms around Zelda's waist. Zelda smiled again and sighed softly. "Hmm? You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Samus asked suspiciously.

"You caught me." She said with a giggle. "I guess not knowing how to ride wasn't such a bad thing after all."

"Hmm... no, it wasn't."

They rode a while longer in silence. Samus took the time to observe the country side. She wasn't used to seeing such pristine untouched nature. Most worlds in her universe that were this nice were heavily populated and modernized, and most of the untouched ones were barren and hostile. This was different... and nice... and not just the scenery. Hugging her from behind, Samus leaned her face against the back of Zelda's head. She inhaled deeply taking in the sweet aroma of her hair. Gingerly, she placed kisses along Zelda's neck and behind her ear.

Zelda sighed softly and smiled, enjoying the affectionate attention she was receiving from Samus.

"It bothered you, what that guy said before?" Samus finally spoke after a long silence.

"Huh? The stable master?"

"Yeah. How he changed his attitude when he saw it was you."

"You could tell, huh? ...I'm used to it."

"But it still bothered you."

"Yeah..."

"That kind of thing happens a lot?"

"Yes. It happens all the time... But..." Zelda sighed happily and took one of Samus' hands in hers. "That's one of the reasons why I love you so; the way you act towards me... not regarding me as royalty, ever. I can feel like a regular person."

"Its no big deal, you make it sound like I make an effort to be that way. It's just how I am."

"I know. All the better; your behavior is genuine. It is how you are, and I love you for how you are."

"Mmm..." Samus sighed softly, she couldn't help from blushing.

------

The red headed farm girl placed another log on the chopping block, lifted her ax, and brought it down on the piece of timber, splitting it in two. She placed the smaller pieces in a neat pile and then readied another log, and repeated. When she was finished she took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then wiped the sweat from her brow. Her father was supposed to have done this, but his lazy ass was probably sleeping as usual, so she had to pick up his slack.

'He's such a terrible parent, what kind of example is he setting for me. I should lecture him about it later.'

It was then that she noticed a rider approaching. Was it him!? Her heart quickened and her face brightened at the thought of seeing her 'fairy boy' again. But as they got closer she could see it wasn't, and there were in fact two riders on the one horse. One she recognized but the other was a stranger to her.

"Princess Zelda!" She ran up to them excitedly. "It's good to see you again your highness." she said with a curtsy.

"It's good to see you too, Malon. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Zelda said while dismounting.

"Yeah, several months. Oh... hello." She said to Samus.

"Uh, hey." Samus said with a nod.

"Oh, Malon, this is Samus. She's my uh... she's with me." Zelda said uneasily, still unsure how to classify her relationship with Samus.

"It's nice to meet you." She said with a smile. "Well, your highness, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Straight to the point "Uhh..." Zelda sighed, she was hoping to have avoided the subject for as long as possible. "Well... is there some place we can sit and talk?"

"Oh yes, right over here."

Malon led them towards a bench near the entrance of the horse corral. As they walked, Samus followed a few paces behind them; Malon glanced back at her.

"She seems a little strange." She whispered to Zelda.

"Well she's from... pretty far away."

"Oh... well you make a cute couple anyway."

"Uh! ...How... how did you know, that... that..."

"That you were gay."

"Yes. I... I didn't even know until recently. I didn't even know what that meant until recently... How could you have?" Zelda questioned. Were such things common knowledge? Was she really that sheltered?

"It was pretty obvious."

"How so?"

"Well... You seem oblivious to how good Link looks; when we first met you congratulated him on what a fine catch I was instead of the other way around; and on top of that you were completely checking me out."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you were staring at my chest every time you spoke to me."

"I was not... Uh!" Zelda stopped, they had come to the bench. Why couldn't it have been ten miles away? She wished she could have continued that conversation indefinitely, but now... Why did she have to do this to the poor girl? She seems so happy right now. Maybe she just wouldn't tell her. 'Just make up some excuse as to why I'm here.' No. No that wouldn't accomplish anything. Malon would find out eventually, It might as well be from her, now. But why did she have to be the one to...

"Princess?"

"Huh..."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Uh... lets sit." They did and Zelda continued. "Well, you see... I... I have some rather bad news..."

"Oh..." Malon's smile faded.

"See, um... Link is... well he..." Malon's expression now became extremely worried.

"The thing is..." Zelda continued, "I was in some trouble, serious trouble. And Link, being how he is, came to help me...and... well, he... he didn't make it back..."

"...No..." Malon whimpered under her breath.

"He didn't survive."

"...no... no..." She shook her head violently as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"No...He can't... its not, that's not right... I still-- I have to... I have to tell him..." she spoke frantically. The pain was evident on her face; her brow furrowed, her lips curled back and quivered when she spoke, and her nostrils flared.

"Malon, I'm so sorry."

"No... he's not... you bring him back... I have to tell him." She was gasping for breath between her words.

"Malon, I'm sorry... He can't come back."

"He has to... he's... how am I... what am I supposed to... who-- who's going to... he's not..." The rest of what ever she was trying to say became incoherent as she tried unsuccessfully to fight off her tears. She tried speaking more but only managed to choke herself on her words.

Zelda placed an arm around her shoulders. "It's ok to cry... you don't have to fight it."

Malon looked at her desperately and only resisted a moment longer before she finally broke down sobbing. She buried her face in her hands and her chest heaved uncontrollably. Zelda pulled her close, but she ended up falling over, laying across Zelda's lap.

Malon sobbed heavily and loudly. "No..." she wailed long and shrill, her voice wavering as she trailed off.

Samus stood a short distance away watching the scene, observing Malon's reaction with a bit of morbid curiosity. She had never seen someone react so tremendously, so emotionally, to another person's death. Zelda had cried, but nothing like this. It looked like the girl was in physical pain. Why was her reaction so severe?

"Malon! Malon, what happened? Are you hurt? Malon?" came the voice of Malon's father, Talon. The man came running out of the farmhouse looking around frantically. He ran up when he saw them. "Oh! Your highness... what... why are you here."

"Dad!" Malon jumped up and hugged her father and continued to cry uncontrollably.

"Malon? Malon, what is it... Uh, your highness? I don't understand. What happened? What's wrong with my little girl?"

"She's... she lost someone important to her... uh, Link... the legendary hero... he... well he... died, and..." Zelda trailed off uncomfortably. Samus noticed that she looked a bit shaken up now as well. She really hoped Zelda didn't start crying too.

"Oh... that boy that would come by every so often? He's gone?" Talon hugged his daughter tight. "I'm so sorry, Malon."

"She... just needs a little time I think." Zelda said.

"It's quite alright your highness. I'm very sorry for troubling you. You needn't stay any longer. Thank you for coming by, though."

"Oh it's no trouble. We can stay a while longer."

"Oh, nonsense. I'm sure your highness has more pressing matters than to waste time in such a filthy place as this. Besides Malon and I need to get back to work soon, There's nothing more for you to do here."

"You're going to make her work?"

"Well, I'll give her a moment, of course. But the work can't go undone." Malon pulled her head away from her father's chest and looked up at him with distraught eyes. "I'm sorry honey, but you know the farm isn't doing to well right now. Even one missed day and we could go under."

"Oh. Then, we... we can stay and help. Right?" Zelda looked to Samus, who just shrugged.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly ask a princess--"

"You're not asking, I was offering."

"But I simply couldn't... it wouldn't be right--"

"I'll do it then." Samus interjected into the conversation. They both looked at her. "I'm no princess, so you should have no problem with it, right? Besides I have worked on a farm before."

Zelda looked at her smiling brightly. "Thank you," she mouthed the words.

"So it's settled then?" She then said to Talon.

"If... if it's what your highness wishes, I can't object."

"It is."

He glanced at Samus then shrugged. "Wait here and I'll find what needs to be done." Talon then led his daughter off to the farmhouse, still crying. Zelda turned to Samus with a soft smile. "Thanks for that, Samus."

Samus opened her mouth to speak but Zelda cut her off. "I know, I know; 'It was nothing.' But still, I really appreciate it." Zelda then hugged her quickly. "I'm going to go tend to Malon, I'll see you later."

Samus nodded then Zelda turned and went off in the direction of the farmhouse. "Uh! Zelda!"

"Yes?"

"Areyou alright?"

"Mm-Hmm." She nodded with a smile.

"Ok, because...I mean, I'll be right here if... you know, you... need me for anything." Samus said clumsily.

"Samus...You're really sweet. You know that? ...I'll see you later. Ok?"

"Ok."

And with that Zelda took her leave and went in side. A short while later Talon came out and gave Samus a series of chores that needed to be done. He said to cut the grass behind the horse pen, make sure the cows had food and water, there was a ton of hay that needed to be bailed, and to finish chopping the fire wood that 'Malon was supposed' to do. Samus sighed, what had she gotten herself into? No, it's ok. If Zelda wanted it she would do it.

She went off in search of water to give to the cows which, as it turned out, she had to pump herself. Not only that, the water pump was at one end of the field and the barn where the cows were was at the other, and she had one lousy bucket to carry the water in so many trips would be required.

'Well I guess it'll be good exercise.'

------

"Malon?" Zelda knocked on the door to her room. "Malon, will you come out and talk?" No answer.

The front door opened and Talon returned from giving Samus her chores.

"Princess, really this isn't necessary. You don't have to bother yourself with commoners like us, really."

"Oh it's quite alright. I don't mind the company of commoners at all."

"But you've done more than enough already. Coming here personally to inform my daughter, you don't need to do any more."

"I don't need to, I want to... it's... it's partially my fault Link died. I... owe her more. If I can help ease her suffering, then I'll stay here and do whatever I can."

"Well... Thanks for looking out for her then... I guess I should clean this place up a bit... it's terribly unfit for royalty. I didn't know we would have company, forgive me."

"Oh. No, it's perfectly alright; don't bother on my account... Anyway... Malon won't come out of her room. You're her father, what do you suggest?"

"Leave her be? She's a stubborn one, that girl." He shrugged and went off to start cleaning despite Zelda discouraging him to do so.

"Well that won't do," she said to herself. She went up to the door again. "Malon?" She knocked once more. "Look I just want to talk. I'm coming in, alright?" She asked softly.

She entered the room and found Malon curled up on her bed, laying on her side, staring blankly into the room. Her eyes were red and her face was stained with streaks of tears. Zelda's face fell when she saw how miserable she looked. She sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Malon's shoulder.

"It's ok, Malon, Everything's going to be ok..."

Malon shot her a disagreeable glance.

"No... that's not right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't say things that aren't true. It really isn't ok. Is it? ...It hurts... a lot... I know."

Malon whimpered and turned her head into the bed, hiding her face in the sheets.

"You're not alone you know..." Zelda took her hand. "I... I'm hurting too."

Malon didn't respond, Zelda sighed and just sat there holding her hand for a while.

"It will get better eventually... in time it won't hurt so much."

"How would you know?" Malon snapped, her voice a harsh rasp. "Uh...sorry, your highness."

"It's alright... I do know. When... when my mother died... It felt like this then too. But after a while the pain went away. I still miss her greatly of course, but it doesn't hurt anymore... I just try to remember the good times we had together, and looking back on her now... mostly those memories bring me joy."

"It's not the same..."

"Don't say that... how is it different?"

"Parents are different... I...You always expect them to go before you... My mom died too... It's... not the same as... as this..."

"Malon..."

"Do you love her?"

"Her? Samus?" Zelda nodded. "Yes... Very much so."

"How would you feel?"

"If she... I..." Zelda considered the unthinkable. "I don't know... horrible... I can't even imagine... uh." She glanced at Malon, now understanding her point.

"See? ...It's not the same..."

------

"Ah-choo," Samus sneezed. 'I must be allergic to this damn grass,' she thought as she swung the scythe horizontally over the ground, slicing through the tall overgrowth. What a way to cut grass; this backward world didn't even have push mowers. She swung the tool back and forth, its blade making an impressive whooshing noise as it sailed through the air, cutting large swaths of grass as she progressed across the field.

It was hot, this world was currently in its summer season, the sun beat down on her and there was no breeze in the air. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then continued swinging away.

As she worked Samus' mind wandered; she thought of Malon crying earlier. She appeared to be in anguish while Zelda was merely sad about him dying. Why had she taken it so much harder? Was it because she was in love with him and Zelda wasn't?

But Zelda was in love with her. 'If I died... would Zelda be like that? That would suck. She told me... it would hurt her if anything happened to me... Maybe I should be more careful...'

No, careful meant hesitating, hesitating meant giving her enemies openings, and making mistakes. Second guessing herself would only get her killed faster.

'If Zelda died... would I...'

She pushed the unpleasant thought away and continued working.

------

"I never told him... the way I felt about him... and he never talked about himself much... So I don't know how he felt either... we never said those things to each other." Malon said as tears came to her eyes again. "I should have... I should have said... why did I wait... and now... now I'll never..." She broke down sobbing.

"Shhhh... let it all out, it's ok." Zelda hugged her tightly and held her until she settled down.

"We'll never be together again... he'll never... smile at me and hold me in his arms... Never sit and listen to me sing... Never... make love to me again. I remember... our first time; behind the stables, we did it on a bed of hay... I remember the first time he kissed me, it was only a few days before that... I remember... I remember when we first met...we were only kids then... he helped me find my father...I think he was trying to sneak into the castle--"

"Sneak into the castle? That's when... I think... I think we both met him on the same day..."

"Oh..."

"Isn't that quite the coincidence?"

"I guess..." Malon glanced down again and was quiet for a while before saying anything further. "I was always jealous of you..."

"Of me? Why?"

"I thought... the two of you... Well he just spent so much time with you, going over to the castle all the time..."

"Oh. Sorry. That was sort of my fault. I would constantly invite him over... well invite is the wrong word, more like an official summons. I just... I wanted some company."

"Oh... well it was more than that, he would always talk about you, all the time, in such glowing terms... I thought that... But when I met you I realized... well that there was no chance of you being interested in him...that made me really happy..." She sighed sadly. "I should be... All those memories, they're good memories, I should be happy... but... there's just no joy left in me..."

"Malon, he would talk about you all the time too. I think... no, I'm positive, he really loved you too."

"Mmm..." she sighed sadly "I just want to be alone now."

"Malon... uh... I'll come and check on you later."

------

"Uh... so damn hot."

Samus chopped another piece of fire wood. She had herself a small pile going. It was boring and repetitive, place a log on the block, raise axe, swing, place a log on the block, raise axe, swing... The heat and humid air suffocated her, and she dripped with sweat. 'Zelda better appreciate this.'

"Samus?" Zelda called in a sweet voice. Samus saw her coming around the corner carrying a tray of food. "I brought you something...Oh goddesses, what are you doing!? Put your clothes back on!"

Samus stood there holding an axe over her shoulder, bare-chested, in just boots and her blue shorts. Her top was left draped over a fence post.

"But it's hot."

"Someone will see you."

"And?"

"Uh! They'll see your... your breasts," she loudly whispered the last part.

"Are they some kind of secret?"

"Samus! It's called modesty." Zelda set down the food she was holding, marched over and retrieved Samus' top, and held it out for her. "Just put it back on."

"Oh, fine." Samus took the garment from her and put her arms through it then raised them over her head, and started pulling it down. With her arms raised like that her features were made clearer, highlighting her athletic form; her breasts were raised up and accentuated, the outline of her ribcage made apparent, and her flat defined abs were flexed and taut. Her entire body was dotted with beads of glistening sweat.

"Um... wait," Zelda said suddenly and sheepishly, ogling her naked form. Samus paused, her face partially covered and her arms tangled up above her head.

Zelda watched as a drop of sweat, which originated from under her chin, ran delicately down her neck, slowed as it made its way over the lump of her collar bone, then quickly down her chest and right breast. It stopped and collected under her nipple before finally breaking free and dripping to the ground.

"Zelda?"

"Uh?"

"Can I put my shirt on now? Or do you actually want me to keep it off?"

"Huh? ...uh, put... put it on."

"Really? Cause your eyes were saying something different."

"Just... just put it on." Zelda said shyly and turned her head to the side, she was blushing furiously. "I... I um, brought you some buttered bread and... um, something to drink."

Zelda retrieved the food she had set down and brought it to Samus. She took the roll of bread from Zelda and bit in half, then took the bottle of, what she assumed was milk, and chugged the entire thing all at once, and then stuffed the other half of the roll in her mouth, and gave Zelda a muffled, mouth full of food "Thanks."

Zelda sighed. "Samus, you know... you're a wonderful person most of the time, but... you really need to work on your manners." Samus just shrugged.

"So... how you doing in there?" Samus asked once she had swallowed her food.

"I don't know... she's taking it pretty hard. It doesn't seem like she's able to accept that Link is gone."

"I meant how were you doing... do you need me for anything?"

"Me? Well... I..." Zelda shrugged, then shook her head. "I'm fine. You're doing enough already."

"Ok."

Zelda went to leave, but Samus stopped her.

"Uh, Zelda, could you... uh, I mean I appreciate this but... I can't survive on just bread. Do you think you can get me some meat or something?"

"Sure. It's not my place but I'll see what I can find."

"Thanks."

------

Zelda again knocked on Malon's door. "Malon, I'm back. Are you ok in there?" Again she didn't get a response. She tried the door and found it locked. "Malon?"

"I don't want to talk any more." Malon's voice came through the door.

"Oh, that's alright. I'll be here if you change your mind though. Ok, Malon?"

No response.

"Alright then." Zelda sighed.

She then went off and found Talon. He apparently passed out while cleaning up as he was slumped over the table snoring loudly.

'He must have narcolepsy.' Zelda mused to herself.

To keep her mind off things she decided to pick up where Talon had left off cleaning the place up. And after that she thought it would be nice to cook dinner for everyone.

She went and knocked on Malon's door again. "Malon? I'm going to make dinner. What do you like?"

"I don't care." Came her weak reply through the door.

Samus had said she wanted meat, perhaps she should make a roast. "Is roast beef ok?"

"...not hungry." Her voice was barely audible.

"Oh... alright..." Zelda sighed in frustration, but she couldn't really blame the girl.

Talon wouldn't wake up no matter what she tried and Malon, she thought, should be left alone for now, so she had to find everything on her own.

------

Samus worked in the barn, collecting piles of hay into bails. One by one she tied up a bail, and then tossed each one up into the loft above the cows, stacking them neatly. The sun had just gone down, the sky was turning orange, and the light was fading.

"Samus!" she heard Zelda calling. "You've worked enough today! Come eat!"

'That's a relief.' She put down what she was doing and marched off to the farmhouse.

Inside she found Zelda and Talon sitting at the table and Malon on her way down the steps. Malon walked up slowly with a blank expression on her face and sat at the end of the table. Samus sat down across from Zelda and Talon was seated at the end across from Malon. Zelda removed the lids from the serving dishes revealing a roast, mashed potatoes, and steamed carrots.

"I hope you all enjoy." Zelda said cheerfully.

"You're highness, really, this was not necessary," said Talon.

"Nonsense, it's like I told you before; I'll do anything I can to help out."

Samus wasted no time in heaping large portions onto her plate, as did Talon but not quite as aggressively. Zelda helped herself to, what she considered reasonable portions of food, while Malon just stared blankly at the table.

"Malon, would you like some? ...Maybe just a little?" Zelda took it upon herself to put a small amount of food on Malon's plate and then set the dish in front of her. "Here." Malon silently accepted the plate and only picked at it.

Zelda glanced over to see Samus shoveling food into her mouth and then swallowing, hardly chewing at all.

"Samus! Manners." Zelda scolded her. Samus grumbled and ate slower.

A long uncomfortable silence prevailed as the four ate their dinner. Zelda tried to spark conversation a couple times, but Malon's mood seemed to be infecting everyone at the table.

Malon pushed the food around her plate with her fork, while only occasionally taking a bite. "Can... can I be excused?" Malon asked flatly, finally breaking the long silence, her dinner only half eaten.

"What? Malon, don't be rude. The princess went through the trouble of making us this lovely dinner. Show some respect."

"No, honestly, it's alright. Malon you can go if you want," Zelda said.

Quietly Malon got up and went out side. Zelda sighed, disappointed. 'She could at least make an effort,' she thought. But she still understood Malon's feelings and couldn't fault her. Dinner continued on in silence.

"You gonna finish this?" said Samus, while in the process of taking the last few slices of roast, stabbing them with her fork, which she then quickly wolfed down. She then stood from the table then stretched and yawned. She grabbed her drink and went for the door. "I'm going out for a bit." She said and exited.

"Alright." Zelda called after her.

Talon began clearing the table, but Zelda jumped in as well. "I'll help with that... and no arguments."

"Uh, yes your highness, of course not."

"Though... I've done all this for you today, you could do something for me."

"Yes, of course, anything," Talon said eagerly.

"Let me know how she's doing; keep me informed... If she needs to talk or anything else... don't hesitate to send word to me."

------

Samus stepped out on to the small porch with her drink in hand. The heat of the day had faded and she breathed in the cool night air. The stars were out and she could hear crickets chirping in the field. This was drastically dissimilar from what she was used to. Most of the time when she experienced the outdoors it was from within her armor, and was usually a lot more inhospitable than this environment. Other than that, it was the cold interior of ships for her. This was a nice change she thought. She leaned against the side of the house and took a sip from her cup.

She then heard a soft whimper in the darkness. Looking up she saw Malon walking by, though she was walking so slowly she was hardly moving. She looked almost like she was lost and didn't know where to go, staring blankly in front of her.

"Hey," Samus called out.

"Huh? Oh... it's you... Sa-- Samus..."

"Yeah."

"Right..." Malon stopped and sat on the single step leading up to the porch. Samus walked over and stood near her with her arms resting on the railing. "You...You're Princess Zelda's mistress."

"Mistress...?" Samus thought it an odd choice of words but it was essentially correct. "It's that obvious?"

"Yeah... Well with her at least... You... you're just strange all together."

"No argument there." Samus shrugged.

Malon looked at her feet and sighed heavily.

"So...you and Link... you were... You loved him?"

"Uh- yeah... I did," she said in a sorrowful tone.

"You seem so miserable because of it."

"I'm miserable because he's gone!"

"I mean if you hadn't loved him, you wouldn't feel so bad right now. Right?"

"Uhhg... I guess..."

"Hmm... I thought love was supposed to just be this good feeling... but... it means pain as well... probably other things too.It seems to be a bit more complex than I thought."

"..."

"Would you say it was worth it?"

"What?"

"If you could, would you choose not to love him so it wouldn't hurt like this now?"

"How... how could you even ask me something like that?"

"Sorry... I... I'm just going through some weird stuff right now... Would you want to see him again?"

"Uh... but..."

"Not really see him, just an image."

"Y- yes..." she said meekly.

With a flash that briefly illuminated the darkness Samus activated her armor. Malon was noticeably alarmed at the transformation.

"What... What is this?"

Samus pulled her helmet off and sat down next to Malon on the step.

"Magic?" she asked nervously.

"Not exactly...but I guess you could call it that if you want."

She turned the helmet over and set it in her lap. Staring at it, it rapidly flipped through various menus and settings as Samus' eyes darted back and forth over the interior of the visor. It was operated by her eye movement; even if it wasn't on her head, as long as it had a clear line of sight to her eyes and could track their movements, she could operate it. Finally an image appeared on the screen; a barren rocky wasteland. She handed the helmet to Malon and the image began moving and sound played as well. It was a recording of Samus and Link on the way to save Zelda from Ridley, taken from Samus' point of view.

She held the upturned headgear in front of her looking at the inside of the visor as the recording played out. Malon's eyes lit up when she saw him again and the corners of her mouth turned upward, not quite a smile but it was something. She heard his voice too; though it wasn't sweet and soft like when he spoke to her; he was talking business, he had a job to do, she understood that, but it was still his voice none the less. The screen lingered on him for a short while and she touched his image with the tips of her fingers, tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched.

The image changed suddenly and Malon saw the two of them fighting against some monsters that she didn't recognize as native to Hyrule. She watched as they fought their way through hordes of them. Then she saw the princess there as well. Samus' vision turned away from Link and focused up a tunnel, and she was urging Zelda to go up it. When the video finally swung back around to Link the playback stopped moving and Samus took hold of the helmet.

"Wait, why did it stop? I want to see more."

"You don't need to see what happens next."

"Is that when... when he...?"

"You... shouldn't."

"Please... I- I want to see... I need to... Please, make it move again."

Samus released her grip on the helmet and signaled it to continue playing. Malon watched intently. She winced and shuddered when it happened, then turned her head away.

Malon held the helmet at arms length; Samus took it and put it back on. She then dematerialized the armor, and slipped its storage unit back into her pocket.

"Thank you." Malon said as she buried her face in her hands and started crying openly.

Samus watched her as she cried. She didn't know what to do and it was making her very uncomfortable. Should she just get up and leave her alone, or say something? But what? Samus opened her mouth to speak but couldn't. The things she'd say to Zelda when she cried wouldn't be appropriate to say to Malon. Or at least she didn't feel comfortable saying them to someone besides Zelda. She reached out, but stopped and let her hand fall back to her lap, but then tried again and managed to finally put a hesitant hand on Malon's shoulder.

Zelda rested with her arms folded on the windowsill. She watched the entire scene unfold and smiled softly at Samus.

------

"Well goodnight to you both." Zelda said with a bow. The four of them were standing just out side the house.

"It was an honor having you visit, your highness." Talon said politely. "Isn't that right Malon?"

"Uh... yes..."

"Listen, Malon, we'll be having a memorial service the morning of the summer festival. I'll reserve a seat for you and your father right up front, alright." Zelda said.

"Thank you very much your highness, we'll be there." Talon said respectfully.

"Malon..." Zelda said up beat, "Be well. Ok?"

"Alright..." Malon managed with a nod.

Talon took his daughter inside leaving Samus and Zelda alone.

"Quite a day it's been, hasn't it, Samus?"

"Easy for you to say, you didn't have to work in that heat."

Zelda smiled and sighed. "I... think she'll be ok. Don't you?"

"Uh... Zelda... not every one gets over these things. Sometimes... sometimes it stays with you... for a long time."

"Oh... Samus... did all this remind you of you're loss? I'm sorry... I--"

"No... I don't need something like this to remind me. I... " Samus paused and shook her head. "Let's get going. Alright?"

Zelda nodded understandingly, Samus didn't want to talk about it, and she would respect that. "Alright. Lets go."

Zelda walked up to her horse and was about to climb on, but she stopped and turned to Samus.

"Samus, why don't you take the reigns."

"Oh," she said shaking her head, "I don't know how to ride."

"Come on, it's the easiest thing in the world. I'll show you."

And so they mounted the horse, Samus first and then Zelda climbed on behind her.

"Now take the reigns. It's really simple. Just pull in the direction you want the horse to turn, left or right. Pull straight back to stop. To go you can either whip the reigns or nudge the horse in the sides with your feet."

"You sure about this?"

"It'll be fine... Here." Zelda slid her arms around Samus and took her by the hands. She whipped the reigns and the horse started walking and she guided it out of the front gate. "See?" She said softly.

"Ok, I think I got it, you can let go now. I'll take over."

"Hmm... maybe I don't want to let go." Zelda said as she gave Samus' hands a squeeze.

Samus responded in kind. She felt a strange sense of tranquility come over her. This was nice; very serene, soft, and calming. There was just something about the whole situation that made Samus feel very sentimental, which she wasn't accustom to in the slightest. Perhaps this place really was getting to her, maybe it was like Zelda said, because she found herself forgetting about her job, her responsibilities, and her excruciating life as a bounty hunter, even if just for this moment.

Zelda was fairly quiet the entire time as she rode with her hands pressed against Samus' back and her head resting on her shoulder. Late that night as they drew nearer the castle, Samus questioned her about it.

"Zelda... You're more quiet than usual. You asleep?"

"No... just thinking..."

"Malon?"

"Mm... not really..."

"Link then?"

She was quiet for a bit before answering "Yeah..."

"You ok?

"I will be... Thanks for coming today... I don't think I could have managed without you."

"I didn't really do anything, just worked in the fields."

"Just being there was enough... Having you close, well it... makes things easier for me."

Samus closed her eyes and reached up to her shoulder and touched Zelda's head. She didn't know why, but now every time Zelda said things like that she got a warm tingling sensation that would swell up in her chest. She didn't understand it, but she knew it felt good, and for now that was enough; understanding wasn't necessary.

------

As they entered the castle again, they were immediately greeted by Gaebora on their way up the stairs from the main hall. He looked angry but it didn't come across in his voice.

"Your highness, thank the goddesses you have returned safely."

"Gaebora, we were... not in any danger." Zelda said timidly.

"None that you are aware of. Threats to the crown come from many unexpected places," he said glancing at Samus. "What am I going to do with you? This misbehavior can not continue. You are a member of the royal family... you are the royal family. Conduct such as this is unacceptable."

"It's fine... I- I don't care about that." She looked away.

"Don't care!? What do I need to do to make you see the utter foolishness of your actions?" He said now letting his anger show. Zelda visibly recoiled. "If you insist on acting like a child, perhaps I should treat you..."

Samus stepped in between the two, glaring at Gaebora. "You need to watch how you speak to her."

Zelda grabbed on to her arm. "Samus, no. It's ok... don't..."

"Perhaps she is right. I spoke too rashly. Please forgive me your highness. It's late and everyone is tired, we shall continue this conversation in the morning."

"Uh... alright."

"As a proper guest of the princess you should have every amenity affordable," he spoke to Samus. "I have prepared one of the guest rooms for you. So you won't have to share a room with the princess any longer."

"Ok, thank you Gaebora," Zelda said hastily, before Samus had a chance to respond. She grabbed Samus by the arm and started down the hall.

"Your highness, the guest rooms are this way."

"I...I know... we're going to stay up and talk some. ...Samus will be along later," she said hesitantly. "Come on, Samus."

"Hmm..." Gaebora glared suspiciously after them as they walked away.

Samus observed her curiously as they walked. As it had happened earlier that day, Zelda's demeanor changed around him, becoming very timid. It seamed to Samus that she didn't want to blatantly contradict him.

"Zelda, what was that about back there? You're different when he's around. Are... are you scared of him?"

"What? ...scared? No, it's... not that... it's nothing really. Nothing at all."

"It is something. But... it's fine if you don't want to tell me."

"I- ugh..."

"Hey, it's alright... Forget I said anything."

"Uh... ok..." Zelda said as they entered her room.

Samus sat down on the bed while Zelda went into her walk-in closet to change.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Samus asked when Zelda came back out, dressed in a nightgown.

"What? Oh, nothing really..."

"Oh... well, alright. I guess I should go off to bed then. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Uh, wait. Samus, stay here."

"But... the guest room, I thought... You said it was alright..."

"I just didn't want to argue with Gaebora. Stay... please."

Samus shrugged. "Yeah, alright," she said, but again wondered why she didn't want to argue with him. She got up and went over to the closet and retrieved some clothing from her bag, the usual T-shirt and panties she wore to sleep. Then she climbed into the bed and Zelda snuggled up against her.

"I was really proud of you today," Zelda sighed softly.

"For what?"

"You did a good thing. I saw you with Malon after dinner... that was really nice what you did for her."

"Yeah, I guess." Samus said a bit dismissively.

"Ha! So you admit you were wrong then?"

"About what?"

"I'm not the only person you're nice to."

"Uh!"

"There is a human heart beating in there after all."

Samus started blushing. "I was just... cause I thought you would want me to... it's not a big deal."

"Nope, you weren't even thinking about me at all. You were just being nice."

"Was not..." Samus turned her head to the side, pouting.

Zelda looked lovingly at her and kissed her on the cheek while caressing her face. Samus turned her head and kissed Zelda briefly on the lips and smiled.

"Zelda... uh... you want to?"

"Want to...Oh! Well I um, I... I would, but I mean... it's been an exhausting day for me. Can we just... could you just lay here and hold me?"

"Oh... yeah, ok," Samus said. Zelda detected certain disappointment in her voice.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... not up to it right now."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I can lay here and hold all you want."

"Thanks." Zelda sighed softly. She rested her head on Samus' chest and closed her eyes as Samus held her.

They laid there in silence for quite some time. Samus' thoughts dwelled on the interaction between Zelda and Gaebora earlier. The way he treated Zelda frustrated Samus, especially because that was the quintessence of the treatment Zelda loathed most. It baffled her why Zelda didn't object to it in the slightest. She felt certain something was wrong. Zelda's seemed timid or even frightened of him, though she had said that she wasn't. Samus now wanted to talk to Zelda about it, but was hesitant to do so since Zelda seemed so uncomfortable when questioned about it earlier, and now was sorry she had let it drop so quickly.

"When did you ever work on a farm?" Zelda asked suddenly, but softly.

"Huh?" Samus said confused and a bit startled, she thought Zelda had gone to sleep. "Oh... when I was a kid."

"With... with your parents?" Zelda said delicately, sensitive about bringing up the subject of Samus' parents.

"No, after that... The people that adopted me, the Chozo. It was with them."

"I see..." Zelda yawned and snuggled closer to her.

"Yeah, even though they were a highly advanced alien species, they still chose to live an agrarian life style, growing all their own food them selves."

"What's that mean?"

"Agrarian means that--"

"I know what that means. I was asking about those other words you used. 'Alien species', what's that?"

"Alien? It's something from another planet, a different species"

"Like the Goron or the Zora?"

"Well if they're from another planet, then yes they would be aliens, otherwise, not."

"Oh... That's right. I keep forgetting... people from your dimension can..." Zelda paused to yawn again, "...can travel between the stars. What's that like?"

"Space travel? Boring. Very, very boring."

"Oh. Even so, I'd like to experience that someday," Zelda said drowsily.

"You already did."

"Well ...without being kidnapped."

"Hmm..." Samus sighed sleepily and hugged Zelda tight. "I'll take you someday." She whispered.

Zelda closed her eyes while smiling softly, and drifted off to sleep.

------

She ran through the streets as the fire rained down all around her. She tried unsuccessfully to mentally block out all the screaming. There was an explosion from behind and she was thrown to the ground, yet landed on something soft... a person... a dead body. She picked herself up and continued on as fast as her tiny legs would carry her.

"Mama? Mama where are you?" She called out frantically, practically crying.

She turned the corner and then saw her; her mother running towards her. But in that instant she was filled with terror, for she knew what was going to happen next. She knew, and she was powerless to stop it. Yet that didn't stop her from trying, desperately trying to save her mothers life, to prevent the inevitable if only by sheer force of will, because that was all she had at her disposal. Though all the while she knew it wouldn't be enough.

She screamed out. "Go back..." But couldn't be heard, her little voice was too weak amongst the chaos.

Her mother drew closer. "No, don't come over here." Yet she kept coming.

"No!" she screamed a hundred times over. "Run away!"

She could sense it coming as it had happened a thousand times over, and could now almost physically feel it.

"Mama, no! Run!"

Here it came. She screamed at the top of her lungs, a hi-pitch blood curdling scream, trying to ward off her mothers doom, as if the sound itself would drive away the implement of her destruction.

...but it didn't...

Everything played out exactly as it had the first time and every subsequent time there after; the unknown weapon striking her mother, her horrific scream, and the vivid, gory aftermath. It made her feel sick, giving her a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. It felt like she was falling, tumbling terrifyingly out of control, and suddenly the world came undone, dissolved away completely. She was in a different place all together and was left shaking like a frightened mouse.

Even though she was awake she was still not completely conscious; trapped in a fear induced trance. Her eyes darted around the dark corners of the room; every shadow a dark abomination poised to lash out and strike at her, every little sound a hidden horror creeping along the floor to get her.

'It's not real,' she reasoned with herself, she knew it was all in her mind. But reason was no match for the sense of terror that overwhelmed her. She felt so shaken up and vulnerable, like she would be attacked from all sides at once, and had no means of defense; no armor, no canon, no escape and no refuge.

She was only half aware of the gentle arms that enveloped her from behind and the soft soothing voice blowing across her ear. A voice but no words... singing... the voice was singing, humming a peaceful tune. The arms slowly swayed her back and forth. Gradually, the shadowed abominations receded and the creeping terrors evaporated into nothing, and her frightened shuddering subsided.

"What's that song," Samus finally said after a long while, "it's nice."

"Something that's been passed down in my family for many generations. My mother used to sing it to me when I couldn't sleep."

"I like it. Would you... sing it some more?"

Zelda nodded then laid down pulling Samus on top of her. She hugged Samus tight as she sung softy. The soothing melody relaxed Samus, and she drifted in and out of consciousness; not really asleep yet not quite awake either.

"Will this ever get any easier?" Samus finally spoke.

"I... I don't know."

Samus sighed.

"You can overcome it... I just know you can."

"It's been over twenty years, and it still haunts me."

"You're strong, the strongest person I know. You will if you try hard enough."

"I'm really not. I act tough, but... I'm not... It's just a façade. It's not the real me... On the inside, I'm the weakest person in the world... frightened, insecure, I just... I feel so small." She sounded like she would almost cry.

These were not things she would ever tell just anybody, things she wouldn't likely even admit to herself. Samus was being very open and honest with her right now. It was a fact that wasn't lost on Zelda.

"You are strong. I know this because I never see you brake."

"I don’t break because I'm already broken." Samus paused, taking a deep breath. "All that... that confidence, that... all of what you perceive as strength, it's artificial... it doesn't come from inside me, it's just something I do, something I manufacture... a defense I put up just to make it through the day."

"No... Samus. You're wrong. We all have things that make us feel smal

Chapter 13

Title: Enchantment

"Mmm..." Zelda sighed as she rolled over in bed. Her arms found Samus and glommed onto her. Pressing up against her, Zelda moaned softly and threw one leg over Samus' hips.

"I could get used to this... waking up every day next to the one I love." Zelda said sleepily, eyes still closed.

"I could too."

Zelda smiled and opened her eyes then propped herself up on one elbow, head resting on her hand. She leaned over Samus and kissed her lightly. "Morning," she whispered between soft pecks.

"Morning," Samus whispered back.

Zelda lay there looking down on Samus' for the longest time, carefully studying her face.

Samus stared back up at her, looking into those beautifully soft midnight eyes. She thought it might have faded, that gentle peaceful feeling she got whenever she looked into them. But she was delighted it hadn't; if anything it was stronger then ever. If she wasn't careful she could drown in that warm, soothing, deep-blue ocean. As she stared, she could see Zelda's gentle smile slowly grow wider.

"What?" Samus finally asked.

"You're really pretty when you're blushing."

"Uh, thanks for... for helping me last night, you know, singing like that... It made it things... easier." Samus said, sounding a little embarrassed.

Zelda sighed softly. "You know, if it ever gets too difficult, you can... lean on me, always. I'll be here for you."

"Zelda, it... I can handle it, but... well, you... well when you say stuff like that... it makes me feel good... inside..." Samus said awkwardly, not really knowing how to respond to Zelda's words.

Samus rolled her eyes, 'Jeez... what the hell am I saying? That sounded dumb.'

Zelda, however, didn’t think so; she just smiled, overjoyed at what Samus had just said. She stared deep into Samus’ eyes hoping she could catch a glimpse of something that might not have been there before. Was Samus really developing true feelings for her? It had certainly felt that way to Zelda just now. Though if she was, she probably didn't know how to recognize or accept them just yet. Even so, Zelda's eyes got a bit misty, glistening as she looked warmly at Samus, feeling quite emotional. Just the potential that Samus could return her feelings made her feel fantastic.

Zelda put her hand to Samus' cheek, and moved slowly closer. "Love you," she whispered before finally kissing her tenderly. Moving her lips ever so slowly, she kissed Samus as softly as she knew how, using only the slightest pressure.

Zelda sighed contentedly as she pulled away, then laid there, resting on her elbow with her head in her hand, staring lovingly at Samus.

"So it was that same dream? It's always that same one... about your mother?" Zelda asked.

A single light flaxen lock had managed to escape Samus' ponytail, which Zelda was now occupied with, twirling it around her fingers endlessly.

"Mmm... yeah. But it's not... uh," she sighed, "not always exactly the same."

"Samus, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's fine... Sometimes, it goes on after... after she dies, to when I'm all alone. But mostly... mostly that's when I wake up." Zelda took Samus hand in hers, fondling it softly. "And sometimes... a lot of times... I try to save her... I try but I never can. Never... That's the worst part I think. Knowing what's going to happen... knowing that I can't do anything... no matter how hard I try... That...that and all those images from that day, terrible images that are burned in to my memory. Some times I--" Samus stopped. "Zelda? What is it?"

"N-nothing."

"You look... It... it bothers you when I talk about this, doesn't it?"

"No... no." Zelda shook her head.

"It does, I can see it."

"Uh...only... only a little."

"I won't then."

"No. That wouldn't... It's not fair... it's not fair to you if I just say I don't want to deal with it any longer. You can't just push it aside like that! ...so it wouldn't be right if I did."

"Zelda, I don't have to talk about it."

"But you wanted to, right? It helps... It helps to talk about our pain with others. And if it helps you... then I'm going to listen, even if it makes me uncomfortable to think about those awful things."

"I only started talking because I thought you wanted me to."

"And I do... I want you to talk to me. I want you to feel comfortable enough to tell me anything. I want you to tell me what's in your heart and on your mind."

"Why would you want to know that?"

"Why!? ...Samus..." Zelda said softly, "Because..." She caressed Samus' cheek.

"Uh, Ok."

"Ok? So...please continue; tell me about the dreams," Zelda asked thoughtfully.

"I forgot what I was saying."

"You were telling me about the images burned into you're memory."

"Right, I... I see them... even when I'm awake sometimes, if I close my eyes...or if it's too dark to see anything else... ugh...I... I really don't feel like talking about this anymore. Sorry."

"It's ok. You don't have to. I didn’t mean to push."

Samus shook her head then looked at Zelda giving her a quirky smirk, in a deliberate effort to so shake off the solemn mood. "Oh, that's fine... hmm..." she trailed off into a sigh.

Suddenly Samus turned the tables on her. Taking Zelda by the wrists she rolled her onto her back and was on top of her in an instant.

"Oh my!" Zelda exclaimed, staring up at Samus in mild surprise.

Slowly, her shock gave way to a soft smile, mirroring Samus' expression.

Samus stared down on her, still holding Zelda's wrists above her head. Zelda's strawberry-blond hair, spread out on the bed around her head, tickled Samus' fingers. Zelda's look was so innocent yet suggestive at the same time. She was beautiful, just like an angel. Samus moved closer to taste her soft lips.

Zelda sighed happily as a warm rush came over her.

"So..." Samus whispered, after breaking the long kiss.

"So..." Zelda whispered back. She smiled bashfully, looking into Samus' sparkling light blue eyes. She liked it when Samus had complimented her eyes, but she thoughts Samus' were much prettier. Hers were dull by comparison, as where Samus' piercing eyes were so energetic and dynamic and just full of life. They reminded her of sharply cut gemstones glinting in the sunlight. It was an intense gaze that seemed to Zelda like it would cut right through her.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Samus said and gave her another brief kiss.

Zelda looked at her for a bit then smiled oddly. "Shopping."

Samus' face fell a little. "Shopping?" She wrinkled her nose. "For what?"

"For the festival; I need to get a few things."

"Ugh... you already have everything. Why do we need to go shopping?"

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun. What girl doesn't like shopping?"

"This one."

"Samus... I just want to spend time with you."

"Oh... well that's different. You can go shopping, I'll come just to spend time with you... but I won't be shopping."

Zelda giggled. "Ok, ok. But you are coming."

"Of course. But just so we're clear: I'm not doing any sho-- mhff." Samus was silenced as Zelda pulled her into another kiss.

She had started things off, but Samus quickly took over, which Zelda really liked. Maybe it was a bit selfish on her part, but she enjoyed just laying back and letting Samus make her feel incredible. She felt like she was receiving Samus' love. And even if it was only physical love, she could still close her eyes, and imagine and hope it to be something more.

Samus kissed her passionately, taking Zelda by the back of the neck with her right hand. Zelda sighed quietly while wrapping her arms around Samus. A gentle but impassioned moan escaped Zelda's throat, as she felt her body taken over by warm sensations. Her heartbeat picked up and her breathing became slow and deep; Samus could just make her melt into a state of tranquil exhilaration.

Surprisingly to Zelda, she found Samus left hand on her knee, slipping beneath her nightgown. She hadn't expected things to head down that road, and she thought Samus was moving a little too fast, but she didn't really object either. She held just her breath in anticipation, as her lover’s hand made its way up her leg. Slowly, Samus worked up Zelda's thigh, kneading and massaging along the way, moving closer and closer until finally... there was a loud knocking on the door.

"Ugh... him again? Does he do this every morning?" Samus slumped, ceasing her activities.

In frustration, Zelda blew her held breath through tightly pursed lips. "Unfortunately," she sighed.

Samus groaned. "I'll get rid of him," she said as she started to get up.

"No, just... ugh... just let him in. He won't relent."

Samus sighed and rolled off of her, then got up and went for the door. As she walked away Zelda couldn't help but watch her exceedingly attractive backside sway back and forth in those cute white cotton panties. "Uh!?"

"Samus... Put some clothes on first," Zelda loudly whispered.

"Huh? Oh... fine whatever." Samus rolled her eyes. "Don't see what the big deal is."

Samus went to the closet where she kept her bag, got some jeans from it, and put them on over what she was wearing.

"Would you bring my robe as well, please?" Zelda asked. Samus grabbed a robe from the hook and tossed it on the bed as she passed by on her way to the door. She slid the bar off and slowly cracked the large entrance open.

"Good morning your-- What... Why are you in here again?"

"What's it to you?"

"You should be in the guest quarters, not in here!"

"Why does it matter?"

"It's inappropriate for you to be here. You will sleep in the guest quarters from now forward."

"I'll sleep where ever the hell I want."

"Listen you... you are a guest here and--"

"That's right, I'm Zelda's guest. She doesn't seem to have a problem with me sleeping with her. Isn't that right?"

"Uh, well--" Zelda couldn't get a word in.

"Your highness, please. What would people say? A woman in your room every night! Why, some people would get the wrong idea."

"What's wrong about it?" Samus said glaring at him with arms folded.

Ignoring her, he spoke to Zelda again. "How do you expect to become queen if you continue in this... destructive behavior? What would a potential husband think: the princess bringing a harlot to her bed room?"

"Don't call her that!" Zelda shot back.

"Your highness..."

"Enough... please... lets just not argue about this anymore," Zelda sighed. "Samus maybe... could you just stay in the guest room... for now."

"What? I don't believe this! Why are you listening to--" Samus said a bit angrily, but Zelda cut her off.

"Please don't argue!" Zelda said sharply. Something about the way she said it made Samus back down. It wasn't said in anger at all, it sound more to Samus like she was in distress. She shut up and leaned against the wall, arms folded.

"A wise decision. Your highness is most reasonable."

"Gaebora just... ugh... What have you arranged as a memorial for Link?" She said as she stood from the edge of the bed.

"Yes, it will in the morning; Eleven in the morning to be exact. It will be a grand ceremony, worthy of his legend."

"Tell me about it. How many people will there be?"

"We have enough seating for around five hundred in the courtyard."

"That's good... What will the proceedings be?" Gaebora started to respond but Zelda quickly added, "You've scheduled time for my speech haven't you?"

"Yes of course your highness. May I please explain?"

"Yes... sorry. Go ahead."

"Well first, as the people enter, there will be a choir singing traditional psalms. Farore's hymn will be sung once the gathering is full. I know it's not a typical song for when someone dies, but since he held her Triforce we thought it would be appropriate."

"Oh, yes... it will be."

"The temple sage will then lead everyone in prayer. Following that we will unveil that statue of him, which we intended to present to him on the second anniversary of his triumph over Ganon. This is probably a better time than waiting the three months until then. After the statue unveiling, you can make your speech, and finally we shall conclude with a solemn procession of sages and the temple priestesses, while the choir sings more hymns."

"That will be fine. You've done an excellent job. Thank you."

"Will there be anything else, your highness?"

"Well, we'll be going out again today. We won't need horses this time, just some funds from the treasury."

"Out? Again? And where might you be off to today?"

"The market."

Samus could see his disapproval coming to the surface before he even said anything. 'Not this again,' she thought. She wanted to say something, but Zelda's previous objection kept her silent.

"The market? With all those people around? Absolutely not. Not even with two dozen guards around you. It's a security nightmare. Impossible."

'Ugh... idiotic.' Samus thought, but audibly groaned as well.

"Well I... I don't need to bring the guards. I can protect myself, I'm not feeble. And besides, Samus will be there with me."

"Alone with her again?" he muttered to himself, but Zelda managed to hear him.

"We won't be alone. You just said there will be hundreds of people in the market."

"I'm sorry your highness, it's too risky."

"But I need to get some things for the festival."

"Then we'll send someone to pick up what ever you need."

"But I don't want..."

'Come on Zelda, defy him, don't give lame excuses... You sound like your begging for permission.' Samus found it difficult to hold her tongue.

"I'm sorry your highness, but I must put my foot down. This must come to a stop here and now."

'God, shut up! ...Asshole.' Samus wanted to smack him. She hated how his words seemed to make Zelda so uncomfortable.

Zelda's lip began to curl up in anger, but it only lasted in instant before she sighed and deflated. "Alright... forget it. I don't need it anyway. You can go now, Gaebora. Thank you."

'No... don't fold!' Samus thought, she groaned out loud again. 'You're better than that...'

"If there will be nothing else..." Gaebora said.

"There won't."

"I shall have one of the attendants bring you breakfast now."

Zelda only rolled her eyes at that. "...could get it myself," she said under her breath.

He bowed and took his leave. Samus was leaning against the wall next to the door with her arms crossed, they exchanged glares has he passed.

Zelda looked up to see Samus then glaring at her, obviously displeased.

"I know, but... Look its fine, we'll just leave without telling him."

"I don't think so."

"What do you mean by--"

"Why do you let him push you around like that?"

"I... uh..."

"Zelda, you hate being treated like that. Why then? Why do you stand for it?"

"I-- I do hate it... but, I... W-what can I do?"

"What!? Don't take it! Just tell him you're going to do things your way."

"But I... I don't... I can't just order him around."

"Why not... Zelda, I don't get this. You're not yourself when he's around. I... I don't like it."

"..."

Samus sighed. "It's obvious you don't respect the guy; you lie to him, manipulate, and even ignore him, but you won't challenge him directly."

Zelda sighed and looked away.

"Come on! Why can't you order him around!? He has to listen doesn't he? You're the princess after all-- Oh... That's it... isn't it?" Samus' attitude softened at this realization.

She walked over and put her hands on the sides of Zelda's shoulders, caressing down the length of her arms.

"You can't give him orders because... because it reminds you of what you are. Because... it makes you feel more like royalty, just a title, and less like a real person."

"Y-yes..." Zelda said shyly, casting her eyes downward.

"You're in conflict."

"I am?" She looked back up to meet Samus' face.

"You want to be independent, but you also don't want to be authoritative... But with people like him... you can't have it both ways."

"Oh..."

"So just stand up for yourself, Zelda. You are strong and independent, act like it. Stand up to him. Forget about the royalty thing and just do it for yourself."

"For myself..." Zelda briefly smiled, though it faded just as quickly. "But... won't he just think I'm telling him what to do?"

"So? Who cares what he thinks? I want you to go find him and tell him you're going to this market thing and that you're not going to argue about it."

Zelda sighed heavily.

"What? ...Zelda? It's more than just that... isn’t it?"

"Uhg... I... Well it's... It's always been... He's been in this position and making decisions for Hyrule since before I was even born. It doesn't feel right questioning him. He was my father's advisor as well... And he's always made decisions for me... since I was a small child. And I--"

"So what? Who cares if he's been making decisions for whatever since the dawn of time? There's no need to let him talk to you like that and treat you like you don’t matter. Jeez Zelda, you already ignore him half the time when he's not in the room, what's the big deal now?"

"I know... but... It's not so easy to say to his face."

"Why? What, are you scared?" Samus paused, waiting for an answer, but didn’t get one. She sighed. "Link told me you were really brave...that you faced Ganondorf with him even though you were terrified. He said he admired that about you... I do too..."

"Uh! ...I..." Zelda's shoulders slumped. "I guess we all have that one thing that makes us feel weak..."

"One thing...? Oh..." Samus deflated, having her own words thrown back at her. But then she smiled, she realized she now had the opportunity to properly repay Zelda for her help last night.

"The best way to eliminate a weakness is to confront it head on." Samus said confidently in a bold voice, as if she were reading a slogan.

"Huh?"

"Just go and face him. Forget about everything else, and just tell him you're going out." She said much softer now.

"Y-Yeah... I guess."

"And don't be so damn timid! Get dressed and let's get going!"

Zelda nodded, "Ok..." She said with a soft smile. "And... thanks."

Zelda walked into her closet to change out of her sleepwear. She picked out one of her many dresses, taking it from the rack with all the others. She turned around and was about to take off her nightgown but was a bit surprised to see Samus had followed her in.

"So, you haven't told me what we are going shopping for."

"Huh, oh well... this and that, maybe som... nothing important." Zelda said a bit uneasily, distracted by the fact that Samus was watching her undress.

As Zelda slowly undid her gown she became very self-conscious having Samus just watching her like that. It felt weird being watched while changing, and she wanted to say something. But somehow she thought that would have felt even stranger. Why would it matter if Samus saw her naked anyway? After all, Samus had done far more to her naked body than just look at it.

With a slight sigh, she let the gown finally drop to the floor around her feet, completely exposing herself. She blushed, and Samus smirked but didn't make any comments.

"Are you going to tell me, or keep me guessing?" Samus said as she took her T-shirt off, thinking nothing of the fact that she was showing off her assets.

"Oh, don't worry about it... It... It's a surprise." Zelda looked at her standing there topless. She seemed completely comfortable with it.

"Surprise? Hmmm...?"

It was like she had no sense of modesty what so ever. 'She would have answered the door earlier in her panties without a second thought had I not said anything about it. Though, she has no reason to be ashamed, with a body like that...' Zelda sighed softly.

Samus had retrieved a bra from her bag, and was in the midst of trying to put it on when she caught Zelda ogling her. "See something you like?"

"Uh!" Zelda blushed furiously and turned her head to the side, but still kept her eyes on Samus. She frantically finished changing into her dress, which Samus noticed looked more casual than many of Zelda's others.

Samus finished fastening her bra and then put back on the same T-shirt she had worn to bed.

"Uh... you wear that a lot."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah... it's comfortable." Samus shrugged.

"Come to think of it, you don't wear much variety. All I ever see you in is either that outfit," Zelda said referring to Samus' jeans and T-shirt, "that skintight light blue jumpsuit, or that darker blue sleeveless top and shorts getup you wore when we went to see Malon."

"I have an orange one that similar to that too...But... you're right, I only have a small bag, I can't fit much clothes in it. It's not like I can take an entire closet like this everywhere I travel."

"Oh, no I guess not." Zelda paused and studied Samus curiously. "All your outfits are so... so tight, so form fitting..." Zelda paused again, "Is that because you want to show off that impressive body?" She changed the tone of her voice to try and sound alluring, but it came out more awkward than anything else.

"Tight clothes fit better under my armor," Samus said matter-of-factly.

Zelda frowned. "Samus... I was giving you a compliment."

"Oh! Uh... th-thank you... or I mean, sorry I, uh... no I guess 'thank you' is better...um, y-yeah..." Samus fumbled her words awkwardly, embarrassed she'd missed Zelda's blatant flattery. "Let's get going... ok?

Zelda smiled, amused at Samus' awkwardness. "Ok."

On their way out, they ran into a servant bringing breakfast on a tray. Zelda apologized to the woman and said they didn't have the time to stay and eat. Samus however grabbed a few pieces of fruit for herself to eat on the run, and unbeknownst to her, something for Zelda, because she knew she'd get hungry later.

Before going to see Gaebora, Zelda took them to the treasury to get money for their shopping trip, withdrawing three thousand rupees, which she put in a small leather money purse.

------

She stood just outside of Gaebora's office, looking really nervous.

"Come on Zelda, don't worry so much. Just tell him, that's all."

"But--"

"Don't ask him, don't give him an order, don't argue with him. Just tell him."

"He won't agree just like that."

"He doesn't have to. It's not like he could stop us from leaving."

"Then what is the point? Let's just leave without saying a word, there would be no difference."

"Zelda... trust me, it's a huge difference."

Zelda sighed and looked at her feet. She then took a deep breath, looked forward, and pushed the door open and entered the office, leaving Samus in the hall.

Samus sighed. She felt odd babying Zelda like that; Zelda's determined and courageous nature was one of the things Samus liked most about her. She didn't like it that Zelda was acting this way, but she knew this was the way to help her; she felt she had to after the way Zelda had helped her. She was sure Zelda didn’t appreciate it either when she would cower in utter terror from nothing but a memory. No... it wasn’t that she felt obligated to help Zelda, she just wanted to.

"Eh-hem," Zelda cleared her throat, "Gaebora?"

"Oh, Princess, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing at all. It's just, I wanted to inform you that... I, um... I'm going out, you know, to the market... with Samus... and no guards... so goodbye now." She said sheepishly then turned to leave.

"What? No, absolutely not. Were you not listening before? Do you not realize--"

"I was listening... I just... decided I would go regardless."

"You just decided?"

"Well Samus said that--"

"Samus said? Humph. When did she become your advisor? I am looking out for your best interests. Can you say the same for your new... friend? She's only using you."

"No... that's wrong... I..."

"Your highness this is highly--"

"I'm going now..." She said quietly, right in the middle of what he was saying, then turned again and started out the door.

"Your highness! Your highness, wait!" He called after her standing from his chair, but she ignored him and left.

He deflated and slumped back to his seat. "Hmm... the situation is more dire than I thought. I'll need to move up the schedule."

He walked down the hall to where a smaller office resided.

"Medorreil, are you in here?"

"Yes boss, I'm right here." Medorreil said peaking out from behind a mountain of papers on his desk.

Medorreil was a young looking man in his late twenties. He had a thin wiry build and wore reading glasses. His official position was that of royal speech writer, but in practice had the same authorities as Gaebora, and was in fact his right hand man.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"I need you to prepare that letter as soon as possible."

"Did something happen? Didn't you say you needed it tomorrow?"

"Something has... come up. We are sending word to Ordona province today."

End Part Thirteen

Chapter 14

Title: Attached

As they moved along the street of the busy market, Zelda's regal appearance attracted stares and whispers from curious pedestrians. Those few that recognized her gave her respectful nods and bows. Thankfully for her, she had thought ahead and chosen her most casual looking dress, so as not to draw too much attention to herself. She didn't think she could stand too much fake courteousness. It wasn't her they were being polite to; it was the Princess of Hyrule.

"Here," Samus said handing Zelda the apple she had grabbed from the servant who brought them breakfast. "You didn't eat this morning. That's not good."

Zelda smiled warmly, "Thanks."

She would never get any of that from Samus. Though rough around the edges, her behavior and words were always genuine and sincere. Samus' candid honesty was one of the things Zelda loved most about her. Even if she had a tendency to hide things, nothing that she did or said was ever false or phony.

Zelda looked to her softly. She leaned into Samus and nudged her playfully with her shoulder, knocking her off track slightly, grabbing her attention. Samus looked at her curiously; Zelda gave her a wry smile and Samus uneasily smiled back.

Zelda had been so affectionate earlier that morning, she responded in kind. It seemed surreal now, like what she imagined a normal dream would be like. She was still trying to fully grasp this strange new situation she found herself in, and wasn't entirely sure how she should feel about it.

'She's in love with me... I still don't think I can get my head around that. What does she see in me? What is there to love? What does that even mean? What does it feel like for her? Why is she--'

"Samus," Zelda said, saving her from her torrent of questions.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me about your childhood."

"You- you know already... I--"

"I mean what happened after that. You said you were rescued and adopted by people called... Chozo. A different species, not human?"

"Uh, yeah, Chozo, that's right. They found me in the ruins there. I don't remember that part as much, though. They brought me back to one of their colonies, a planet called Zebes, and I lived there for most of my childhood."

"Was it strange growing up with people from a different species?"

"No... It was all I knew, so it seemed normal to me."

"So, what were the Chozo like? What kind of people were they? They must have been pretty amazing to have raised such a wonderful person as you."

"They were ok." Samus sighed. 'Wonderful? Oh, Zelda... I'm not what you think I am.'

"Just Ok?"

"They were very advanced, highly intelligent too; bird like, you know, beaks and feathers and everything, but they couldn't fly. They were cold though; clinical; all business, never showing emotion... I guess I sort of picked that trait up from them... uh... Anyway, they gave me my armor and a ship when I left. But not that same ship I have now."

"Oh? What happened to the one they gave you?"

"Got stolen. I didn't understand what crime was at the time. When I first left the Chozo, the first time I left that ship docked, I just left it open with the engines on. Someone took off with it."

Zelda smiled sadly, she knew exactly what it felt like to be naïve about certain things that most people should know.

"I think we're very similar in that regard."

"Huh? Someone stole a ship from you?"

"No we... We both grew up separated from the world we live in; naïve about it."

Samus chuckled to herself. She was about to say, 'You don't know the half of it,' but Zelda interrupted her thought process.

"Oh... Look." Zelda stopped at an outdoor shop that was selling rugs. "Look at this one," Zelda said, pointing a large, lushly decorated rug draped over the display bar behind the shopkeeper. "Won't that go well with my room's décor?"

"How should I know?" Samus shrugged.

"How much is that one?" Zelda asked the shopkeeper.

"Twelve hundred, m' lady."

"Twelve... hmm..." She looked through her money purse, counting up her rupees.

"Not enough? I'd lend you some but I don't think they take Federation credits here."

"No, I have enough, but this isn't what we came to get, and I don't want to get caught without enough later."

"And what would that be exactly?"

"Alright then, let's move along now, I can get the rug some other time," she said, deliberately not answering Samus' question.

As they continued on down the street, Zelda smiled at the situation: walking the busy streets of the market, no guards and no advisors, just her and Samus, walking side by side; it truly warmed her heart. She could hardly wait to show Samus her surprise.

Samus, on the other hand, felt quite different; she was having doubts about her agreement to stay in Hyrule. She never intended this when she came back. All she wanted was to smooth things over with Zelda. She only agreed to stay because Zelda looked so hurt.

'Is that reason enough?'

Zelda loved her. She kept saying these nice things to her; calling her all sorts of kind words. To Samus it was like an incomprehensible puzzle or a complex equation; it needed solving, but the answer just kept eluding her.

Didn't Zelda get it? Doesn't she understand what Samus does and what she is? Did Zelda think she was some sort of valiant or noble person, some kind of... what? Hero? She was just a bounty hunter; a mercenary... nothing more than a hired gun and only a step above the thugs and vermin she hunts.

She kept turning it over and over in her head not coming to any conclusions. She wanted to figure it out though, she needed to. Her confusion and fear had hurt Zelda before, the thought of doing that again really sat poorly with her.

"Hey, Samus," Zelda spoke, up noticing how quiet she was.

"Y-yeah?"

"Um... tell me more about space travel." Zelda attempted to spark conversation.

"There's not much to tell... it's just routine for me, nothing extraordinary about it."

"Well the entire concept just seems so amazing; seeing completely new worlds, meeting different kinds of people... um, aliens."

'Many who will try to kill you,' thought Samus.

"Can you just take off and go wherever you want?"

"Yeah, of course"

"That must feel incredible."

"Not really, it's just normal."

"I don't know, I just think it must make you feel incredibly free." Zelda said dreamily.

"Free?"

"Yes; to not be bound to one place, to be able to escape and go far, far away." Zelda sighed with a distant look in her eyes.

'Oh, now I get it. She must feel trapped here.' Samus figured out her fascination. "Well, I guess I would feel pretty limited if I couldn't move around the galaxy freely. I'll make sure to take you sometime."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we... we can go anywhere you want; you decide."

"Samus... that would be so amazing, I... Thank you."

"Just remind me if I forget."

"Ok... I just wish we had something like that here in Hyrule."

"Eventually your people will figure out interstellar travel, though probably not for hundreds of years."

"Oh? Why so long? Is it that hard to do?"

"There are lots of obstacles to overcome. Many are far beyond your society's primitive technology."

"For instance..." Zelda scowled.

"Life support for one, space is a very inhospitable environment to human life, there are all sorts of hazards you need to protect the travelers from. Then there's the problem of a power source strong enough to feed a ship's numerous systems. All this needs to be precisely controlled, and you guys are a long way off from developing computers. And finally and most importantly you need to discover how to travel faster than light; otherwise, a single trip would take hundreds of years."

"Oh, but I thought that was impossible."

"It is impossible... How... how would you even know that?"

"Maybe we're not as primitive as you think," Zelda said smugly. "And if it is impossible, then how do you do it."

"Well, you don't really. A ship doesn't actually travel faster than light, though it does appear to. What happens is the engines fold space around the ship so that the distance traveled is actually much smaller."

"How does it fold space?"

"I really don't know much beyond what that, I'm not an engineer you know; I shoot things for a living."

"Oh..."

"If you want to know more, I could get you some books and technical manuals on the subject. I don't have the head for that kind of stuff. Though, you probably do, especially with that Triforce thing you have."

"Thank you. I'd love to read something like that."

"You know, Zelda, you'd make a good scientist; you're really intelligent."

"You think so? I'm that smart?" Zelda said shyly, while blushing. No matter what it was about, Zelda enjoyed it immensely when Samus complimented her.

"I do. And, uh... Link thought so too."

"He... he did?"

"Yeah, he told me."

Zelda's mild surprise faded into a soft smile, she took Samus' hand in hers.

"Thanks for telling me." She said as she lightly leaned against Samus.

'Zelda,' Samus sighed. 'You're so persistent.'

She couldn't accept Zelda's confession before because she didn't understand how anyone could have feelings for her. She couldn't believe she was capable of being loved. By now she was starting to accept that fact, no matter how slowly; though, she feared Zelda's feelings were based off of some false impressions of her.

'She has to be mistaken. How can she think so highly of me? She deserves better than me. She is so much better... I should be the one that's in lo-... Uh! That's... what am I thinking?' She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. 'Don't think so hard.'

Once they reached the busy part of town, something suddenly caught Zelda's eye.

"Oh!" She exclaimed and dragged Samus into a small boutique shop.

"What?"

Inside Zelda approached the clerk behind the counter and inquired about a hair ribbon she saw in the window. It was a long, thin, dark-red, silk ribbon, that Zelda thought would go well with one of her formal dresses. In addition to the ribbon, she bought some perfume and pale-red lipstick

Samus wandered about the shop as Zelda talked to the clerk. She casually looked over a glass case with jewelry in it. Many of the pieces were diamond and gold or silver. One set of ear rings had three triangle-cut diamonds arranged to look like the symbol that she saw all over the place in this world, and the same symbol that appeared on Zelda's hand when she used her magic.

'Hmm that Triforce must be pretty important to these people; its symbol is everywhere.'

"Do you see anything you like?" Zelda said standing over her shoulder.

"No. I was just curious. Are we done here?"

"Mm-hmm." Zelda said and held up a small bag.

They left the boutique, and again Zelda took Samus' hand as they walked. After a short distance, Samus held up Zelda's hand and caressed the back of it with her thumb.

"Is this important? I see its mark everywhere."

Zelda looked a little surprised; she didn't expect such a thoughtful question from Samus. She smiled.

"Yes it's very important. The Triforce is a gift from the goddesses, not just to the ones that bear it, but to all of Hyrule."

"So, does that make you important to everyone else? I mean besides being the heir to the throne, being the one to hold that power, it must give you some sort of significance. You know, like religious significance."

"Our people aren't very religious, to be honest. We honor the goddesses and recognize their role in creating Hyrule, and their power and influence can be seen in many corners of this land. But regular worship isn't part of our lives. So, I don't really have much significance in that sense of things."

"But didn't you just say it's very important?"

"Well, yes, but I'm not. I'm more of its keeper than anything else. It has great power, especially when combined with the other two, and we can call on its power in times of need. Its purpose is to be used for the betterment of Hyrule, but it doesn't mean people worship me or bow at my feet... well not because of the Triforce at least."

"So, what about the other two?"

"What about them?"

"Why does... Well if they are gifts from goddesses, why does such an evil guy have one? Is the goddess of his Triforce evil?"

"Din's not evil. I don't really know how it came to be that he has the Triforce of Power. But I do know they are passed down from person to person over the generations. Ganondorf seemed to think that if he killed me he could take the Triforce of Wisdom from me... perhaps he obtained the one he has in the same fashion."

"So when someone dies...? Does that mean that... that Link..." Samus spoke cautiously with this subject.

"Yes. Someone else will receive the Triforce of Courage. It will most likely be a newborn, someone with similar qualities. Though... he was in a different dimension, could the Triforce find its way back to Hyrule? Or will someone in your world end up with it?"

"You're asking me?"

"No..." Zelda smiled and shook her head, "just wondering aloud. Hey, let's go. I see what we came for." Zelda walked a ways further then stopped and looked across the street at one of the store windows.

"What? This?" Samus looked to see a shop filled with all sorts of dresses of all types and styles. "You have an entire closet full of dresses."

"I know, but you're too tall to fit into any of mine." Zelda said coyly, finally revealing the true purpose of their shopping trip.

"What!? No way! You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious."

"Zelda, come on, I'll look ridiculous."

"Why? I wear dresses all the time. Are you saying I look ridiculous?"

"Wha- No. Y-you look beautiful... I meant, I'd feel ridiculous."

"Because you've never worn one before?"

Samus just nodded.

"Well then you can just wear it when no one's looking, feel ridiculous for a short while, and then get over it and take me to the summer festival."

"Why do I need a dress to go to the festival?"

"Because... they have a dress code."

"They do not. And you're a terrible liar."

"Well... just because."

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"No. Look, let's just look and see if there's anything you like. We don't even have to go in. We'll just stand at the window."

"Alright, fine."

They walked up and stood in the window for a bit.

"How about that one" Zelda said pointing to a very elaborate, expensive looking dress.

"Ugh... too frilly," Samus responded.

"What's wrong with frills?" Zelda asked. Samus just wrinkled her nose.

"Ok fine, what about that one there?" Zelda continued.

"With that neck? I'd feel like I'm choking."

After pointing out several more dresses, each of which, Samus had some problem with, Zelda got frustrated.

"Ok then, you pick one."

"Uh..." she huffed in annoyance. "That one looks ok." Samus pointed to a skimpy open back dress with spaghetti straps, and a V-neck that went down below the navel; more of an evening gown than a proper dress. "Actually, it might be fun to try something like that for a change."

"Are you joking? That's far too revealing."

"How? It'll cover my boobs."

"Not from the side, it won't."

"I don't see what the big deal is. It's the only one I like."

"Then you can buy it yourself. I am not paying for that."

"But they won't take my money here."

"Well, it's irrelevant because you certainly aren't taking me to the festival wearing something like that."

"Ugh... this is pointless," Samus muttered.

"Well how about that one?" Zelda pointed to a dress hung up in the corner. It was a simple garment with short sleeves and a medium-high neck line, similar to what Malon had on the other day; it was more of a casual-everyday-dress than the other ones they looked at. It appeared to be cotton and was mostly white with blue hemming and trim around the neck, waist, sleeves, and at the bottom of the dress. Samus shrugged but didn't say anything; she didn't seem to object.

"Alright, that one then. We'll come back for it; we need one other thing first."

"What?"

"It's right over here," said Zelda, dragging Samus down the street a ways. A few stores down, they came to an open outdoor booth with rows and rows of women's shoes.

Samus looked worriedly at Zelda. "I have shoes, and there's nothing wrong with them."

Zelda looked down at Samus' feet. "Those are boots, and there scuffed and dirty and don't go with that dress at all."

Samus frowned and picked up one of the shoes and eyed it with a grim look; it had heels.

"Don't worry; I wouldn't do that to you. I hardly ever wear heels myself." Zelda said with a slight laugh.

"Well, as long as it's comfortable," Samus said and turned her head, indicating her disinterest with the entire process.

Zelda looked around and picked out a flat-bottom Loafer, simple enough that Samus wouldn't reject it outright yet elegant enough for the look Zelda had in mind.

"Here. Find one like this in your size."

Samus sighed; annoyed that she had to put any effort into this. She went through several pairs and found one that fit. They paid the shop keeper and then returned to the store where they saw the dress. Entering the store, Zelda approached the girl behind the counter, inquiring about the dress they picked out earlier.

"My friend here would like that blue and white one over in the corner."

"Alright then. Let's see," the girl said and walked over and retrieved the dress. She held it up to Samus who didn't seem to appreciate it. "I'll need to take your measurements, let me just get my tape measure," she said and walked off.

"Why does she need to measure me?"

"So she can fit the dress for you. You can't wear it like it is."

"Why not?"

"Because it won't fit. It doesn't matter if you can manage to squeeze into it. It has to be properly tailored to fit your specific shape, or else it will bunch up in odd places and won't look proper."

"Ok, ok... I get it." Samus sighed, "Can't believe I'm agreeing to this," she said under her breath.

"So... umm... I need to get one other thing. You stay here and let the girl do her job. Ok? Be nice."

"Yeah ok... What are you getting?"

"Uh... nothing important, don't worry about it." Zelda said as she walked out the door.

'Ugh, now I think I probably should worry,' Samus thought. She sighed again, 'How long does it take to get a tape measure?'

She waited a few more minutes for the shop girl to finally return. She stretched the tape measure between her arms and held it up to Samus.

"Hold your arms out at your sides please."

Samus sighed and rolled her eyes; the shop clerk measured her from head to toe; "stand this way", "hold your arms that way", "take a breath and hold it." This was beyond annoying. At least the girl was half-way attractive, so Samus got to ogle her which eased the pain of the experience. As she knelt to measure, Samus could easily see down the girl's shirt. 'Eh, not bad.' She had pointed ears too, just like... Zelda. A smile came across her face. She wished Zelda was here to stare at.

'Ugh. What's wrong with me? She's not gone even five minutes and I miss her already. Am I that dependent on her now? How pathetic.'

"Ok all finished."

"Finally." Samus muttered.

"It should be ready in about an hour, miss."

"Thanks," Samus said and left the shop.

She stood outside and waited for Zelda to show up. She rested, leaning against the wall when a guy she was sure she'd never seen before waved to her and said "hi", then continued on his way; she only ignored him. She thought it was odd and dismissed it, thinking the guy probably mistook her for someone he knew. But when it happened with several more people, she felt awkward not doing anything, so she started giving them a nod and an awkward smile.

She had noticed it earlier when walking with Zelda, but she only thought it was because people recognized her. But it seemed the people here were just friendly like that. She recalled the times she been to a large city in her world. On a crowded street like this, most people kept to themselves, ignoring one another. A good portion would even ignore someone even if they were spoken to. It was odd how different this place was.

Though it was no surprise, everything was different here. Everything was easier, nicer, more relaxed; the people, their attitude, the atmosphere it created; even here on this busy street, they seemed at ease. It was more than that, though; the place had a different feel to it. The land, trees, and even the air; the environment itself, all seemed welcoming and non-threatening.

She recalled the serene scenery she observed the day before while riding with Zelda, and then later that night on the porch with Malon. Zelda had said it was a nice place to live, and that staying here would have an effect on her, and it was. Being here and getting away from her harsh life, as Zelda put it, really did take the edge off.

But that's what made her so good, a tough existence. It's why she was so focused and strong. It's why she had a perfect success rate, something not accomplished by any other hunter, ever. Her difficult life had tempered her into the perfect warrior, the perfect weapon. Losing her edge wasn't a good thing.

'Yeah, what the hell am I thinking? I haven't been training for a few days now. I haven't even thought about training until just now. The last time I was in a training room was with Zelda, and even then, I wasn't even training myself.'

She mulled over that last thought for a bit, 'I've been so preoccupied with her.'

Samus let out a huff. "God! I can't even check out pretty girls without ending up thinking about her." She said aloud.

'She really is a terrible distraction. I can almost feel myself getting weaker by the second... Maybe I should just leave. I really have no business being here.' She then noticed Zelda approaching from the midst of the crowded street, still a ways off.

'But then again...' Samus couldn't finish her thought, and Zelda drew nearer.

'When I look at her...' Again her thought went incomplete. Nearer still.

She sighed heavily. "Why does this have to be so difficult?"

"What's difficult?"

"Huh... nothing. Just talking to myself."

"Oh, so how did it go with the dress?"

"We have to wait. She said it would take an hour." Samus sounded irritated.

"Well that's alright. Shall we get something to eat while we wait?"

"Yeah, sure."

Zelda led the way as Samus trailed a few paces behind still lost in thought.

Hyrule really was different from where she was from. Samus couldn't help but think about what might be happening back in the Federation. It had been a concern residing in the back of her mind for a while. Was she needed? Was there an important job waiting? Were the Space Pirates on the move again, or was there some yet unidentified threat lurking out there?

'I should just leave. What am I doing here? I'm not accomplishing anything by this. She'd be upset, but she'll get over it... But I promised her... which were just words, they're not binding me here. Though, it's not like the Federation will collapse if I'm away for a week. I shouldn't worry so much... Ack! What the hell am I saying? Don't worry? I need to keep alert at all times, and stay focused!'

"Huh?" Samus looked up to see Zelda a few paces ahead of her, walking backwards and smiling at her. 'Damn it... what was I thinking about just now?' Her train of thought was completely lost by a mere look.

"There's a café just ahead. Let's go there."

"Uh... sure, ok."

'This isn't me. I'm the ruthless bounty hunter, the one that is feared the galaxy over; I fight space pirates, hunt down criminals and terrorists, exterminate species, and destroy planets. I'm not the 'kind' and 'compassionate' woman who goes shopping with her girlfriend and talks about her emotions late at night. What's happening to me?'

Samus glanced off into the distance, seeing the distant treetops over the shops of the cluttered and busy market. She just happened to be looking in the general direction of the gateway back to the inter-dimensional arena.

'I should just go... right now... Just turn and leave; walk back to the portal and go back where I belong. Just go... I can do it... it'll be easy.'

She felt Zelda take her hand and looked over to see her smiling up at her.

'Yeah right, who am I kidding?'

"Hughh," she sighed.

"What's wrong, Samus? You've seemed distant all day... What has you distracted?"

"Uh! Well... you."

"Aww... Samus..." Zelda blushed.

'I didn't mean it that way.' Samus couldn't bring herself to say it though.

They found the outdoor café not too far away, got a table, sat down, and ordered. Zelda tried to ignore the faint murmurs from some of the curious patrons at the other tables as they waited for their food.

"So, Samus, are you having fun so far?"

"We just got here."

"No I meant today over all."

"Shopping?"

"Yes."

"Not exactly my idea of fun."

"Well, what is then?"

"I-- hmm... I don't know, I guess I don't have one."

Zelda frowned "You mean you don't do anything for fun... ever?"

"No, I guess not. I spend most of my free time training myself."

"Oh..." Zelda paused. 'Ok change the subject.'

"Hmm... why don't you tell me more about what your childhood was like and about the Chozo. What was it like staying with them?"

"Why you want to know? Why so interested all the time?"

"Because, I want to know all about you... Don't you feel the same? Don't you want to know about me too?"

"I-- I do."

"But you don't ask much."

"Oh... sorry. I didn't know I was supposed to. "

"It's not a requirement. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"But I do... I am interested. I just never know what to say. I'll try better."

"It's ok," Zelda giggled, finding it cute that Samus had to be taught how to behave sometimes. "For now why don't you just try telling me about life with those Chozo."

"Well, there was the farm work, which I told you about. But other than that, mostly training, fighting, and learning things from the Chozo like science and how to repair machines... things like that."

"You were only a child though... didn't you have any friends you'd play with?"

"I was the only kid there, and the only human... There was never any time to 'play'."

"That's seems quite harsh of them, to burden a child with such heavy work."

"It wasn't so bad. It didn't bother me. Nothing really does anymore. Not after..." She paused for a short while, "After... the pirate raid, after seeing my mother... Well every thing else is... it just didn't bother me so much."

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine."

"Ok, let's change the subject... Why did you decide to leave? If they were the only family you knew--"

"I didn't decide. They... kicked me out when I was fourteen."

"Oh, sorry... again."

"Said I was old enough; it was time to leave the nest... That was fun." She said sarcastically.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I lived with aliens the majority of my life up to that point. I had trouble adapting to human society. There were... issues. I didn't know how humans were supposed to interact. I guess I still don't to a degree."

"I think you're doing fine... all things considered," Zelda smiled at her.

"Thanks," Samus nodded back.

"So, you were all on your own at fourteen. No one took care of you?"

"I took care of myself," Samus said defensively.

"I didn't mean to suggest... ugh... It's just... well I've never been on my own. It's not something I can easily imagine someone doing... especially so young."

"It wasn't that hard, I hunted criminals and fugitives for the bounties on their heads to support myself, and... that's how it's been up to today," she said with a shrug.

"You really had to grow up fast, didn't you?"

Samus didn't respond verbally, but Zelda managed to interpret from her body language and expression that she agreed with that statement.

"It sounds like... Samus, don't you have any happy memories of your past?"

"Happy memories? ...No, I suppose... not really."

"Samus...uhh," she sighed. "Can I get a hug?"

"Zelda, don't pity me."

"I'm not, I was just... I want to hug you right now. Is that ok?"

Samus shrugged and got up from the table. Zelda stood too and caringly embraced her, though it was more for Zelda's sake than Samus'.

"I think it's time we changed that though," Zelda spoke softly into her ear. "That's why I think it's good for you to stay here, and especially attend the summer festival."

"You think so?"

They were interrupted by their food arriving and sat back down as the waiter served them.

"Yes, I think it will be great. I know you'll enjoy it. So are you looking forward to it?" Zelda continued as the waiter left.

"I haven't even thought about it since what you said the other night. Never been to a festival before, I have no idea what to expect."

"It's a magnificent event. There's tons of great food and drink, games where you can win prizes, music, shows, and a fireworks display at the end of the evening."

"Sounds... really nice."

"Yes, it'll be great. You can wear all the nice clothes I got for you, and I'll get all dressed up too, and look really pretty for you, and we'll go together just like a real date, it will be just lovely. Wont it?" Zelda was particularly sunny.

"Yeah..."

"I'll wear this..." Zelda reached into her shopping bag, strung out the ribbon, and held it up to her hair. "Don't you think it will look good on me?"

"I guess..."

"Samus... you're supposed to compliment me."

"Uh... I mean you'll look nice no matter what you wear." She quickly corrected herself. "You don't need things like that to look attractive..."

"Hmm..."

"But... uh... I'm sure it will look great..." Samus smiled awkwardly.

Zelda couldn't help but smile at her sheepishness. "It will be nice to have someone to go with this year," she said changing the subject.

"This year?"

"You see, this thing... well, your supposed to go with someone you care about, it's tradition. Most years I would go by myself... if you don't count my armed escorts. I always felt left out during those times."

"Oh... sorry."

"I convinced Link to take me once, but he was seeing Malon, I don't think she appreciated that at all... He went with her the times after that."

"Oh, well... don't worry about it any more. I'll take you this time."

Zelda smiled and said "Thanks." Though, she found herself wishing Samus had promised to take her not only this but every time after as well.

A short silence fell between them as they ate.

In between two forkfuls, Samus glanced up to see Zelda staring at her.

"What...? Am I eating wrong? Sorry, I am trying, but I've never had to be polite before."

"I really appreciate what you did for me earlier, when you made me stand up to Gaebora."

"Oh."

"I should have done that a long while ago."

"I couldn't take the way he was treating you. It made you feel bad," Samus said shyly.

Zelda smiled. "I don't think I could have done that without you, thanks."

"I'm sure he'll just love that fact," Samus said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, he seems to have a real problem with you."

"Yeah... maybe he's..." Samus sighed.

"What?"

"Well... uh, we shouldn't let him know about us, that we're... you know, in a relationship. I'm sure he already suspects that on some level though."

"Why not tell him?" Zelda again got a suspicious feeling with regard to Gaebora; though, she couldn't quite match a coherent thought to it. It was something that had been milling about her head ever since she figured out her sexuality, a phantom of a thought which she just couldn't force to take shape.

"Well... people like him... I mean I could be wrong, he could just be overprotective in general, but just... let's not say anything to him until I'm sure. It could cause problems."

"Oh... alright..." Zelda said a bit unsure. She took another bite of her food, then a sip of her drink. "You said relationship."

"What?"

"You said we are in a relationship just now."

"Uhh... well I just meant--"

"I know what you meant, but... Samus, how do you view our relationship?"

Samus turned her head to the side. "I... I don't know."

"You want me to tell you how I see it?"

"I guess..."

"Well we're... I'm never really sure how to call what we are; we're both girls, so the usual terms don't really fit, but I guess that doesn't matter. What matters is how we feel, and... well... I love you, and I want the two of us to be happy and to be together."

"I'm here aren't I? I don't have to be, but I am. I'm choosing to stay with you."

"You don't have to get defensive; I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to know what you think."

"Uh, sorry... I... I don't really know what to tell you when I'm not even sure myself. I'm not... I'm not used to things like this, it's confusing. I've never been... close to anyone before."

"You didn't seem too confused when you were seducing me."

"That's different, that was just sex."

Zelda's face fell. "So it didn't... it didn't mean anything to you?" Samus detected a hint of true heartache in her voice. "That can't be true."

'Crap, I completely blew it with that. What a stupid thing to say.'

"It did! It did mean something. It's just that... I never intended it to, or expected it could... but it did."

"Never intended... So... when you came to my bed that night, you only meant to take advantage of me?" Zelda sounded even more hurt than before.

"What? No!"

'Now I'm only making it worse.'

"I... I really liked you and thought you were attractive, and that we could have a good time together, that's all. And we did... but then after, that's when it got confusing... because it was... significant."

"It was?"

"Yes... but I don't know in what way... hence the confusion..." Samus sighed heavily. "I... I admit at first my interest in you was just a physical attraction. But I--"

"Oh," Zelda looked dejected, "I just thought that you wanted to do those things with me because you really liked me as a person."

"Zelda! I do! ...And, I did at the time. I just... never thought in those terms before... liking someone that way." Zelda's expression improved slightly but she was still pouting. "Zelda... It... it was you that made me start to see things different... That means something. Right?

Zelda sighed and smiled slightly. "Well-- well yes. It... it does," she said softly while nodding.

"And I really do like you... once I got to know you that is... you know, that time at lunch when we first talked. You... you weren't like anyone else I'd ever met."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! Come on, you're... my favorite person in the entire universe... no, in two universes."

Zelda couldn't help but genuinely smile.

"I... I didn't mean to say that before... I just meant the sex part wasn't confusing for me, but all the other stuff... the talking we did after and this sense of closeness I have with you... that was, because that didn't happen the other times. I've just... I've been having these feelings... inside me, and... they're new and alien and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with them or where they fit into the person that I am."

"I understand... I suppose I took what you said the wrong way. Sorry."

"Look, I don't know how to classify 'us' either, but like you said, what matters is how we feel. And... while I'm not certain of that, I do know... I like being near you, Zelda. And... it matters to me what happens to you... if you're sad or happy, or if something's bothering you," Samus sighed. "I guess I... I don't know, I don't understand it, but it's like I've just become... attached to you... somehow. I don't know..."

Smiling, Zelda reached across the table and took her hand.

"Sorry I can't give you answers. It's important to you, and I--"

"No, you've told me plenty. And I didn't mean to pressure you about it... I know this is new for you."

"I don't mind..."

"That's good because I have another question, and you don't have to give me an answer, I just want you to think about... well, what are your intentions?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean... the other night you said you would stay with me and try to work at this... You left it very vague... I... It's been bothering me, but I want to know what you intend for us... what do you see in the future?"

"What do you want me to say? I don't look to the future much at all... and for something like this... I... I don't know what to expect," Samus sighed.

"Well what do you want?"

"Don't put this on me. What ever you want, I'll go by it. I just don't want to hurt you like before."

"Samus, that's very thoughtful, but... this isn't some kind of test. There's no right or wrong answer. I just want to know what you want. You must have your own desires, your own idea of where you want to go with this... with me."

"Well I... I just... ugh." Samus wanted to blurt out what she had been thinking about all day, but she just couldn't say that to Zelda, it would devastate her. Besides, she wasn't at all sure that was how she truly felt either.

"It's alright... I guess that's too much right now. You don't have to answer, just think about it."

"No, I do have to give you an answer, but I'm... I don't think I can just yet."

"That's fine, don't worry about it."

"I will get you an answer, once I figure it out myself. I promise. You deserve it."

"Mmm," Zelda smiled and nodded "Thanks."

They ate the rest of their lunch in relative silence. When Zelda finished her food and put her fork down, she looked to Samus, who was sitting there impatiently bouncing her knee, having finished much sooner.

"Well, we should probably go and pick up your dress now. It's been almost an hour, hasn't it?" Zelda said.

"Yeah, about."

They paid their bill and left. On the way to pick up Samus' dress, she looked to Zelda as a thought crossed her mind.

"Um... Zelda."

"Yes?"

"When I met you... that was one... one happy memory I have."

End Part Fourteen

Chapter 15

Title: A Game of Chess

[Author's notes: Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was a real pain to write, undergoing countless rewrites, and still it doesn't feel right. But anyway, I'm tired of this stupid chapter and am moving on to 16, it will have to remain as is.]

"Your Highness, Miss Samus, welcome back. How was your shopping trip?" Gaebora greeted them in a cheerful tone. "Shall I have someone see to you're bags?"

"Err... no... I can carry them myself," Zelda said awkwardly, confused by his chipper attitude. She had completely expected him to be furious with her.

It was obvious to Samus though that he was playing some new angle.

"What shall I have prepared for lunch, princess?"

"We... we already ate, thank you." Zelda spoke cautiously; she too suspected not all was genuine with him.

"Very well, then. Is there anything else I can assist you with this afternoon?"

"Nothing, thank you," She gave him a nod and proceeded past him, up the stairs from the main hall. "Come on Samus, let's go."

After managing to get away from Gaebora, they returned to Zelda's room. Zelda put away the things she had bought into her closet, and took Samus' dress out of its plain brown paper wrapper and hung it up on a hanger. Samus sat on the bed watching her curiously the entire time. When Zelda turned to face her, she noticed Samus staring and she smiled.

Samus leaned back on the bed with her hands behind her for support and smirked oddly at Zelda. "So... I have the rest of the afternoon free..." she said stating the obvious, "...and if you're not doing anything..."

"I do have something important to do."

"Oh?" Samus said, wondering if Zelda had actually caught her meaning or not.

"Yes. I really must get started writing a speech for Link's memorial."

"Oh." She said sounding disappointed this time.

"Um... don't take this the wrong way but... I like to write in private; it makes it easier to focus. So... could--"

"Yeah, no problem. I completely get that."

"Why don't you explore the castle some? It has some very interesting sights to see... well I guess I can come and give you a proper tour a little later."

Samus stood from the bed. "Sure... I'll stay out of you're hair for a while." She said and slowly started for the door.

"Alright, thanks," Zelda crossed the room and sat at her desk.

"Uh, Samus," Zelda called to her before she got all the way out the door. "We can, um... do that... maybe later tonight... ok?"

Samus smiled and nodded as she left. She had gotten it after all.

--x--

As Samus roamed the halls of the castle, she mapped out the layout in her head, taking note of where the best places were to mount a defense in case the castle came under assault; it's not that she expected one; it was just the way her mind worked.

The construction of the building was mostly carved stone. Although it was a rarity in her world, it was familiar to her as the Chozo encampment on Zebes was built in a similar fashion. But she was sure it was just simple inert stone, without embedded holographic computer displays that were common in Chozo architecture.

She now stood in a hallway, half of which was exposed to the outside, overlooking a courtyard and garden within the castle walls. She simply stood there taking in the scenery when she heard him approach from behind. He thought he was being silent and stealthy but his presence was obvious to her.

"Come to my office." Gaebora blurted out quite loudly, an obvious attempt to unnerve her. He was visibly vexed when she didn't so much as flinch.

"I said--"

"I heard you the first time. I was just ignoring you."

To her surprise he didn't become even more obnoxious, he simply said, "Would you please come to my office. I wish to speak with you reasonably."

"Reasonably?" She spun around. "You can't be serious," She sighed and shrugged. "Why can't you say it here?"

"It's of a sensitive nature, and I don't want a servant or guardsman to pass by and overhear."

"Fine, whatever." She shrugged again. "This should be interesting." She muttered the last part to herself.

She followed him to his office, and he closed the door behind them.

"Alight!" She said, demanding to know what this was about.

"I want to reason with you; you at least seem intelligent enough. Since it seems the princess is being unreasonable, and you appear to have some sway over her, I thought I would speak with you."

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?"

"Now, now, let's not be disagreeable." He waved his hands in from of him. "I realize you and I got off on the wrong foot, and for that I apologize."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Now what do you want?"

"Well, let me first start by asking what is the nature of your relationship with the princess?"

Oh great, the same question she couldn't answer earlier. At least she didn't have to answer to him.

He continued, "You are..." he paused letting the word linger as if trying to elicit an answer from her, "...good friends. Correct?"

"If that's what you call it, then sure."

"I don't like cryptic responses," he said in a flat tone with narrowing eyes.

"I don't like this pretense bullshit. Just say what you really want to"

"Now listen here..." he started off angrily but caught himself, determined to follow through with his attempt at being amicable.

"Listen..." he said more calmly, "...perhaps you don't realize the precariousness of the situation."

"I guess I don't."

"I need to ask you to simply put some distance between yourself and the princess... For the good of all Hyrule."

She only raised an eyebrow at him.

"Perhaps you met the princess somewhere and thought that if you were friendly towards her she could take you up in the world, or maybe you genuinely are friends. Whichever the case, I'm not judging you. However, her Highness will have undoubtedly misinterpreted your intentions."

"Misinterpreted... The hell do you mean?"

"Well, you see, the princess is... susceptible... to certain… perverse ways of thinking."

"Perverse?" she interrupted.

"Yes. And I believe you're staying here entices her to entertain such thoughts, and that would be very counterproductive. I've gone through far too great a length to keep her pure only to have it all come toppling down now. You understand of course."

She understood perfectly; her suspicions were correct: he was exactly the bigot she thought him to be. However, she decided it would be best to appear sympathetic to play him for information. "Oh," she said in mock surprise. "Of course, I didn't realize... I guess I should keep my distance; wouldn't want her to try and jump me or something."

"You will? That's excellent. I knew you could be reasoned with."

"What great lengths did you mean earlier?"

"Well!" He spoke almost eagerly. "Ever since I caught her with that servant girl... well let me tell you... It wasn't easy coming up with an excuse to fire every single young female on the castle staff while still keeping his daughter's shameful intercession a secret from the king." It was amazing how fast he opened up once he thought she was on his side.

Samus nodded in mock understanding as he continued. 'Servant girl?' She seemed to recall Zelda mentioning something like that to her; that when she was much younger someone caught her kissing another girl and was quite upset with her. That must have been Gaebora.

"I continue to try to introduce the princess to fine young noblemen from across the land, but they all fail to meet the princess's high standards."

'Of course you moron, they're all guys,' Samus thought.

"I had such great hopes for that boy though; she took a real liking to him; wonderful potential there. But the rube chose some pathetic peasant girl over the princess! Imagine that."

She heard enough, enough to piss her off, and decided to leave before she did anything violent.

"Uh... so we have an understanding?" he said confused by her sudden departure.

She just flipped him off as she left. Apparently, he didn't know what the gesture meant.

--x--

Samus returned to Zelda's room eagerly anticipating telling her what Gaebora had said.

"Zelda, hey. It looks like I was right about Gaebora. He's... Zelda?" She paused seeing Zelda sitting at her desk, head hung. There were crumpled up prices of parchment littering her desk. Samus could see her shoulders heaving.

"Zelda?" She said more firmly.

A bit startled, Zelda turned to face her; she was definitely crying. She wiped her face on her sleeves, took a deep breath, and tried but failed at smiling.

Samus rushed over to her, kneeling beside her chair.

"Are you alright?"

"I suppose this was more difficult than I thought it would be..." She then distracted herself by aimlessly organizing her papers into a neat stack.

Samus put a hand on her shoulder and another on Zelda's wrist to stop her fidgeting.

Zelda shrugged and shook her head. "I'm ok, really."

"You're not. Now take a break from this."

Zelda sighed and nodded. "Yes..." She slowly put her arms around Samus, hugging her tightly and resting her head on her shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. Hugging her as well, Samus patted her back and slowly rocked her back and forth.

"You have a chess set?" Samus said. Peering over Zelda's shoulder, she could see a chessboard and some pieces scattered amongst papers and writing utensils in the desk's drawer.

"Oh, yes. I've had that since I was a child."

"You want to play? You said you were pretty good."

"There are several pieces missing."

"That's alright. I have one," Samus said releasing her hold on Zelda.

"You do?" Zelda asked as Samus went to the closet and dug through her bag.

"Yeah... sort of," she said, returning with a black, flat, rectangular object that measured only about a couple inches across.

She set the small object on the desk and ran her finger swiftly across the glossy surface. Light sprung forth from the device and formed shapes and lines of text in the air. Samus plucked at the holograms with her fingers causing them to change, to disappear, and new ones to appear, until finally a chess board appeared, though it was unlike any Zelda had ever seen. The pieces and board were made of translucent glowing light and hovered a few inches above the table, but it was a chessboard nonetheless.

She smiled, "That's incredible." She grabbed at the one of the pieces, only to have her hand pass through it. "It's made of light?"

"That's right."

"How do you move the pieces then?"

"Just touch the square it's on, then touch the square you want to move to," Samus said and demonstrated by moving her pawn forward two squares. "The computer does the rest."

"I see. Well, I'd love to play." She smiled at Samus.

They moved to the bed placing the chessboard between them. Samus sat with her legs folded in front of her and Zelda lay on her stomach resting on her elbows.

'Alright Ms. Triforce of Wisdom, lets see what you got.' Samus smirked; Zelda had no idea what she was getting into.

"What?" Zelda said, noticing Samus' cocky smile.

"Oh... I know you have that Triforce thing, but don't think for a second you have the advantage here."

"No?"

"I'll have you know I learned to play from the most advanced species in the Galaxy. And on all those long boring trips through deep space... well there wasn't much to do besides playing against advanced AI chess programs."

"I've never lost..." Zelda said shyly.

"Uh- well... you've never played me. Just you watch."

She would end this quickly, attack full force, hold nothing back, penetrate her defenses and go for the king... 'Yeah. It'll be over before she knows it.'

Though it was over quicker than Samus had ever seen a game of chess played, the outcome wasn't what she expected. Zelda had completely out done her by attacking even harder.

"Is that what I was supposed to watch for?" Zelda teased slightly.

"Well... I just misjudged your style. I wouldn't have expected you to play such an aggressive game."

"Oh, I didn't know I had a style... I just do whichever move I think is best."

"Fine whatever, let's go again. I'll be ready for you this time." Samus hit a holographic icon off to the side of the chessboard, and the pieces were reset.

She'd take a defensive posture this time. Zelda was way too aggressive. Samus would let her expend her forces against a well-mounted defense, then once they were spent she could go and wipe out what was left.

Things didn't go as planned once again. Though she lasted longer, Zelda's strong offence eventually overwhelmed her defenses, and she was left vulnerable.

Samus grunted in frustration.

"I'm sorry... I'm just good at this. Do you want to stop?" Zelda said giggling.

"Hell no... We play again." Again Samus reset the board.

A more balanced approach would be need here. Draw the game out and wait for her to tire. Don't play to win, go for a stalemate, and hope she makes a mistake. Instead of trying to defeat Zelda she would merely try to counter her style of play and try to trip her up.

'She may be smarter than me, but I know I'm more focused and can hold my concentration longer.'

This time by deliberately going for a stand off and ignoring obvious avenues of advance, she managed to last indefinitely against the superior player.

"You're not trying to win?" Zelda quickly picked up on Samus' change of strategy.

"I am. I just... haven't figured out how yet."

"Ok..." said Zelda.

They played a while longer, and the advantage wavered slightly between the two of them with no one taking an obvious lead. But by Samus' reckoning, she was behind more than she was ahead, and she was slowly slipping.

'Maybe if I get her talking it'll distract her.' Samus thought. "So... this festival, what do they have there? You mentioned a little about it earlier, but I want to know more."

"Oh, it's a magnificent event. I know you'll just love it."

"Yeah, but what's it like."

"Well it's all set up in the field just outside the castle. Like the market, there are rows and rows of booths and stands; at some you can find food that can't be found most other places. A lot of them host games of skill, and you can win all different kinds of cute little prizes."

"I see; what else?"

"Last year there was this tent where they put on display of rare wonders from all over Hyrule; rare creatures and works of art from distant lands. There was also an outdoor stage where they put on a short play and then later had a band play music all into the night."

Samus nodded while taking the time to focus her attention on the chessboard.

"And at the end of the evening ..."

"Your Highness, I've brought dinner." A woman's voice from the hall had interrupted Zelda.

Mireille, head of the housekeeping staff and personal attendant to Zelda, came in with a cart and rolled it up to the bed. She was in her sixties and had been working at the castle longer than anyone, having come on when she was just twelve, during the reign of Zelda's grandfather.

Zelda looked to Samus and rolled her eyes as the servant set up a small folding table.

"Thank you, Mireille," Zelda said with a sigh.

Samus smirked at Zelda, finding it amusing how she kept her irritation at being waited on in check. Zelda picked at her food once the woman left.

"Would you like some, Samus?" Zelda offered Samus some.

"I'm not hungry... But, uh, thank you anyway," Samus added, quickly remembering Zelda had a thing about manners. "So, the festival... you were saying at the end..."

"Right, at the end off the evening they have a spectacular fire works display. They shoot them off from right here at the castle. So when they explode you can see the castle from the fair grounds glow all different colors."

"Sounds interesting."

"It's more than just interesting. You'll see."

"And you're sure I have to wear a dress?" The prospect still didn't sit well with Samus.

"Yes... Check."

"Damn it." Samus was distracting herself more than Zelda. She blocked the move and hurriedly threatened the offending piece.

"Oh, nice save."

"Thanks... You know, I've been thinking lately, I haven't gone training in a while. Is there some place I can use around here?"

"The courtyard is pretty open, you could use that. Try not to break the statues though."

"Sure. And what about you, Zelda."

"Me?"

"Yeah, would you like to train too... you know, with me?"

"Yes, of course, I'd love to."

"Ok, because before, that was... fun, just the two of us... and I thought I could teach you some more advanced stuff."

"That sounds great. We can do that tomorrow all day if you like. I'd really enjoy to--"

"Your Highness, how is everything?" said Gaebora as he entered the room, interrupting Zelda again.

"Ugh... everything is fine, Gaebora."

"Sorry to disturb you Princess, but I need your signature on these documents," he said handing over several papers.

"What's this...?" Zelda glanced over the documents, "Appropriation of funds...? This is for the memorial service? Very well." She took the quill Gaebora handed her and proceeded to sign each paper.

Gaebora smiled at Samus, gave a nod, "Ah, chess, a nice, wholesome activity."

'Fuck off!' Samus had to grit her teeth to keep from saying it out loud.

"And a magical chess board no less. You know, her Highness is quite the chess master."

'Oh wait! I have to tell Zelda about what he said before... hehe, that'll totally distract her for sure!' Samus mused. 'Though... maybe that's not such a good idea... No, I can't tell her like that, I'll wait till we're finished.'

"Here!" Zelda exclaimed. Having finished signing all the papers, she practically stuffed them back into his hand. "Bye, Gaebora," she said obviously hinting that he should leave.

He bowed and took his leave, disturbingly giving Samus a nod and a wink as he back out the door.

"Back to what we were doing," Zelda grumbled.

Outside the sun had set, and the light was fading. The glow of the holographic chessboard now illuminated their faces.

"Samus, do you think after the festival is done you could take me back to the arena?"

"Well, yeah, if you want."

"I really would like a chance to test all you taught me against the competition. I never got the opportunity before..."

"You sure? Wouldn't it be hard... Going there, wouldn't that remind you of Link?"

Zelda smiled and shook her head, "I can't let that rule me... and, I'd really like to see Fox again. He helped us, and I never thanked him... He was good friends with Link, too, so..."

"So...?"

"Hmm... Checkmate." Zelda said calmly upon moving her piece. An elaborate chime accompanied this from the holo-computer indicating the same thing.

"Agh...Damn it!" How was Zelda so good at distracting her? She should be sharper than this, more focused.

"Hey, it's alright, don't take it so seriously." Zelda said placing a hand on Samus' forearm.

"I am good at this."

"I know you are..." Zelda said, trying to be sympathetic.

"Again! We play again! And I will beat you this time, " Samus said.

'Hey take it easy, it's just a game,' Samus was being overly competitive, Zelda thought. It didn't surprise her though; she should expect that from Samus. She had a need to be the best in everything she does.

'Should I let her win? No, I wouldn't appreciate it at all if... or when people do things like that for me. And if she found out... she'd be upset.'

Samus reset the board and made her first move.

"Stupid Triforce of Wisdom thing," she grumbled under her breath. "You're going down this time."

"Samus, I don't think I've had a challenger this strong in a long while," Zelda said trying to boost Samus' ego while remaining truthful.

"Humph," Samus replied.

They continued playing late into the night. The sun had set, and neither of them bothered to go and light the any of the torches or candles, so the glowing holographic chessboard was the only thing illuminating the room.

Mireille came back along with two other servant women. Zelda tried to ignore them as she studied the board although her displeasure was obvious to Samus.

'What do they want now? Cant they leave us in peace for a while?' Zelda thought.

The two assistant servants went around the room lighting torches and candles, brightening the room.

"It's late your Highness, and we've come to prepare you for bed," said Mireille.

Zelda looked at Samus very annoyed. "I can dress myself, thank you..." She managed to hide any irritation in her voice, though.

"Well alright your Highness, as you wish. Gaebora did say to make sure Miss Samus gets to bed as well... in the guest room... He was very specific."

"We're not finished with our game; we're going to stay up later," said Zelda.

"Oh well... Gaebora said--"

"Well then we just won't tell Gaebora now will we?" Zelda said in an irritated voice.

At that, Samus gave her a glancing look.

"I know... I'll confront him about it later. I don't want to involve Mireille in my battle, though," Zelda whispered between them.

"Oh my, my, staying up all night. You know what your mother would say," Mireille chimed in over Zelda's whispering.

"Yes, yes, 'Proper sleep habits are essential to acceptable decorum for a young lady', I know all the sayings; I'm not my mother, though."

"Well if you don't mind me saying so Princess, you are wrong on both accounts. When she first started living here, your mother would always bend the rules of proper etiquette; she liked to stay up late, too."

"She did?" Zelda look curiously at Mireille.

"You are very much like her; she always hated being pampered, too, probably more than you do."

"I- I never knew that... And I never knew you noticed, you never said anything before."

"Well you've never made a fuss about it until recently, but I could always tell it bothered you. I suppose Miss Samus has a positive influence on you."

Zelda was a little stunned by that statement. "Well- well yes, I suppose so." Did Mireille actually think it positive that she was being more defiant than usual?

"Good night your Highness," Mireille said and took her leave.

"Thank you, and goodnight Mireille."

Zelda sighed softly as she turned her attention back to the chess game, pleased with this unexpected piece of information about her late mother; they were more alike than she previously thought.

After moving her piece, she noticed Samus staring blankly ahead. At first, Zelda thought she was studying the chessboard, but then she realized she was just looking off into space, apparently lost in thought.

"Samus? It's your turn," said Zelda, attempting to gain Samus' attention.

"Oh... r-right," Samus said focusing back on the chessboard.

"You certainly got quite suddenly... You seem distracted. Is something bothering you?"

"Huh!? Uh, w-well..." Samus turned her head to the side. "Zelda... what is... what's it like to have a mother?" she asked timidly.

"Oh... Samus," Zelda said sadly as her face fell. "Are you ok?"

"I was just thinking about what that woman said before... about your mother. I... well I... never really knew mine."

Zelda looked Samus over thoughtfully before answering. "A mother is... someone who is kind, always there for you... a teacher, a nurturer, your solid base to stand on no matter how difficult things get..." Zelda's smile grew as she spoke, remembering all her mother meant to her.

"Sounds really nice... I never had that."

"Oh, weren't the Chozo--"

"No." Samus shook her head. "They... they were teachers to me, but none of that other stuff."

"Well, I'm sure your mother was all of that too. I'm sure she loved you very much," Zelda said with great sympathy.

"I can't remember... I have no clear memory of her, except... except her death."

Samus shook her head, and turned her attention back to the chessboard. Zelda studied her face quietly for a bit, looking sympathetic, and when Samus reached for the board, Zelda grabbed her hand before she could make a move.

Somewhat startled, Samus look at her questioningly. With a sad smile and a light squeeze of her hand, Zelda reassured her everything was alright. For the longest while Samus stared into her eyes, unsure of what to say. She finally exhaled heavily and squeezed Zelda's hand back, dropping her head and closing her eyes.

"Zelda..."

"Hmm?"

"Thanks," Samus whispered.

'Thanks for caring, and thanks for letting me know without making me talk about it,'was what Samus meant, and though it was unspoken, Zelda understood.

Zelda lowered her head to the bed as well and retightened her grip, Samus responded in kind. They lay that way for a while, reaching across the chessboard for each other, hand in hand, gentle comforting pressure renewed again and again.

Eventually Zelda lifted her head up and stared at Samus' hand held in hers; she caressed the back of it with her thumb. She felt for Samus to the point of almost wanting to cry. She never knew what it was like to have someone love her. It was no wonder she was having difficulty with that prospect now. She was too young to remember her family, from what she said the Chozo were cold, and she lived on her own for most of the rest of her life. It was heartbreakingly lonely.

"Samus... I..." Zelda trailed off and sighed sadly.

Samus smiled and nodded. "It's ok, really." She slid her hand out of Zelda's. "Forget it... it's nothing. Let's just keep playing," she said, quickly making her next move.

Zelda sighed. She gave Samus one last longing look. "Yeah, ok," she said, then turned her full attention back to the game in an effort to distract herself from her heavy thoughts.

As they played Samus wavered, losing more and more ground to Zelda. She had let herself get emotional and distracted, and now she was going to lose. Annoyed with herself, she attempted to focus and salvage what was left of her warrior's pride.

It wasn't too long before another servant came in interrupting them yet again. By now Zelda could no longer hide her frustration, "Damn it," she cursed under her breath. Samus was too focused on the making he next move to notice.

"I have tea for you, your Highness." The woman brought with her a tray with biscuits and a pot of tea. "Mireille thought you'd still be up, so she said to bring you..."

"Yes, yes, that's fine," Zelda grumbled annoyed at the constant intrusions.

She poured a cup for Zelda, adding cream and a single small spoon of sugar.

"Miss Samus, how do you take your tea?"

"Huh... lots of sugar..." Samus said, hardly looking up from the chess board. "... and no cream."

The woman prepared a cup for Samus as well and set the tray on the table next to the bed.

"Ah-ha!" Samus exclaimed, finally making her move.

"Goodnight, your Highness. Don't stay up too late," the maid said.

"Goodnight," Zelda huffed as the woman left the room. "Samus, could you please shut and bar the door. I'm so tired of these intrusions." She said sounding incredibly annoyed. "It's like we're a couple of kids whose parents are checking up on them," she muttered under her breath.

Samus studied her expression a few seconds before crossing the room to bar the door. As she walked back she stopped half way, standing near the bed, and stared at Zelda a while longer. Zelda sipped her tea while studying the chessboard.

"You're not happy here." She said finally, half asking, half stating an observation.

Zelda looked at her and opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself and looked down at the floor. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it seems like everything about this place, about these people and the way they view you... It really bothers you."

"Yeah, I guess...What are you getting at?"

"It doesn't seem like... I mean...You shouldn't have to feel that way, Zelda."

Zelda tried to smile at Samus' concern but just couldn't manage it "Well... I do."

"Then... do something about it. Make a change."

Zelda let out a soft sigh "What would you have me do? ...Just leave? Abandon my responsibilities?"

"You said you wanted to."

"I said I sometimes thought about it. There's a difference."

"Would it be so bad if you did?"

"Would it be so bad if you did?" Zelda retorted.

"Huh?" Samus asked confused.

"You said you can't abandon you're responsibilities," Zelda said.

"Well..." Samus began.

"You're not happy with your life either. Why don't you make a change?"

Samus sat on the bed and stared off into space looking pensive. "Hmm... that would be... humph... Why don't we?"

"Huh? Why don't we what?"

"Why don't we both just... just make that change, just go way together? Leave everything behind, forget all our troubles, and go some place where nobody knows us. Just you and me."

"Samus... I..." Zelda was a little stunned. "Wow, that would be... wonderful. But..."

"But I could never do that, Zelda," Samus sighed.

"Yes, it's... a nice dream, but I couldn't do that either," replied Zelda.

"No, but you could! It's not the same... not the same as me." Samus said.

"How is it different?"

"You're unhappy because of your surroundings; you can change that, you can change your situation... I can't change..." Samus stopped, she hadn't planned on having a conversation like this, and she didn't like where it was heading. How did this become about her anyway?

"What?" Zelda pressed the issue. "What can't you change?"

It was too late to turn back now. "I can't change myself."

Zelda's expression softened to one of concern. "Samus..." Zelda looked at her for the longest time, seemingly figuring her out. "What do you mean? Why would you need to change?"

Samus couldn't bring her eyes to meet her. Zelda reached for her, but she stood from the bed and started pacing slowly.

"I..." Samus said weakly, then continued pacing, then again stopped and looked at Zelda, searching for her words. Her mouth moved several times without actually speaking.

"Talk to me," Zelda said with great concern in her voice.

Samus could only resist Zelda for so long before her defenses dissolved away. She didn't have the will power to keep her wall up any longer; didn't have the energy to pretend anymore; or perhaps simply didn't want to. She let down her shoulders and her head fell; she deflated significantly. With all pretenses gone, the truth came spilling out of her.

"I just... I wish I was someone else; not me. I wish I was someone... more like you."

"You- No. Samus," Zelda said sadly, shaking her head. "You're you... You shouldn't want--"

"I can't stand who I am... I can't stand this...person I am, this pathetic shell of a human being... I'm just a miserable lowlife."

"You're not!" Zelda said worriedly; how could Samus start saying these things again? "You're a wonderful person!"

Samus just lowered her head and looked away.

Zelda thought they had resolved this, but apparently Samus' problem ran deeper. "Samus, you're an amazing woman with a kind, beautiful soul. You're the one I love," Zelda said, attempting to comfort Samus.

"How can you? I'm... I'm just a... ugh. You love an idea of me... one that's not true. You don't love me... you couldn't," Samus said weakly.

Zelda was quite offended at that. "How dare you! How dare you tell me what I feel, what's in my heart, and what I know to be true!?" she said, letting her anger show in her voice.

"We've been together about a week. You hardly even know me," Samus muttered, giving Zelda a sideways glance.

"How can you say that? I know you better than anyone. I know more than you think; besides all you've told me, there's what I've seen with my own eyes. I... I know you better than you know yourself!"

"There's things you don't know," Samus replied meekly.

"Then tell me!"

Samus gave in with an exacerbated breath and sat on the side of the bed closest the door, her back to Zelda.

"I'm not someone deserving of you. I'm not... not a good person... never done a good or noble thing in my life... not for its own sake at least."

"I'm sure that's not true," Zelda timidly replied.

"Everything 'good' I've ever done... I've been paid to do; it's all been for money... some kind of personal gain."

"You and Link came to help me... no one paid you to..."

"Don't compare me to him! I'm nothing like him!" Samus seemed to react viscerally to the supposed comparison, shouting where previously her attitude was quiet, almost sad.

"I- I wasn't, I never--" Zelda stammered, surprised by Samus' outburst.

"I'm a bounty hunter, a mercenary... just a hired gun; nothing more than a thug. I'm no hero."

Zelda looked down at the floor. "You risked you life for me..."

"That was... It was... because it was you; because... you mean something to me. I didn't want to lose that, I was just thinking of myself. I wouldn't have even cared about anyone else," Samus confessed.

"Can't you just be my hero then? Can't that be enough?" Zelda said softly, placing a hand on Samus' shoulder.

"Enough for what?"

"Enough to... to satisfy you that you are good and decent."

"Tch..." Samus rolled her eyes.

"How could you think that I don't love you?" she asked cautiously.

"You don't understand..." Samus pulled her feet up off the floor and folded her legs beneath her. She stared at the chessboard, apparently thinking. "Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Uh-- n-no... Uhg..." Zelda sighed and lowered her head. Samus had, she knew that of course, but it wasn't something she had given much thought to.

"Those pirates that kidnapped you... you saw how many of them I killed."

"Well yes, but... those were just--"

"Just what? Just living, thinking, sentient beings. You think they are brainless monsters?" Samus paused, waiting for a reply that never came. "Well they're not, and I just killed them."

"But they... they would have killed us... They... they're the ones that killed your parents, and...You had to, Samus. You had to," Zelda said with a wavering voice, her spirit having been shaken.

"That's easy to say when you're not the one pulling the trigger! Of course I know I had to... That doesn't change anything... I still killed them," Samus replied.

"Samus..." Zelda sighed and hung her head, bunching the sheets up in her fingers as her fists tightly closed. An awkward silence remained for a short while before Samus spoke again.

"I'm always killing something... always... What kind of person does that? If it's not Space Pirates, it's some criminal, some bounty head that resisted capture, or just some thug who got in the way while I was going after their boss." Samus glanced up at the ceiling, with a sad look in her eye. "I've even destroyed entire planets," she said weakly.

This was heartbreaking, Zelda cursed fate for dealing Samus this lot in life; no one deserved it, especially not her. "Even a hero must kill sometimes. Link had to take lives on occasion in order to protect everyone." Zelda tried her best to sound supportive and encouraging.

"I don't protect anyone." Samus grumbled.

Zelda sighed and slid closer, tentatively taking Samus' hand, though this time she didn't respond to the gesture.

"How am I any different than the ones that destroyed my home and made me an orphan? I wonder how many orphans I've made. I've taken so many lives... I can't count..." said Samus weakly.

"Samus, you are virtuous and very caring. It says a lot that you are this upset about it all. It would be another thing entirely if killing didn't bother you. There are plenty people that wouldn't care at all, even good ones. Link never seemed bothered by it. That's why you're different... that's why... I..." Zelda stopped herself from telling Samus she loved her; she didn't think she could stand to hear Samus say that it was impossible once again.

Regardless, Zelda's logic seemed lost on Samus; she just stared at the chessboard blankly.

Zelda tried a different approach. "By combating wickedness you do protect the innocent. That's something to feel good about and be proud of, even if you receive a reward for it."

"I don't! I don't protect, I... Innocent people..." Samus trailed off and groaned uncomfortably. "People have been hurt and... and killed because of me. I'm responsible for that... it's my fault."

"But... but that's..." Zelda started to say something, but she trailed off, lost for words.

"Collateral damage... as it's called in the business: someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the crossfire, or used as shields and then discarded when their usefulness had worn off."

"But those were just accidents, right?" was the only thing Zelda could think to say, though she knew it just hardly sufficient.

"You think that matters!? Does it matter to the person who's dead that is was an accident!? They're still just as dead!"

"Samus, don't-- you shouldn't fault yourself..." The words felt so empty; Samus was baring herself to Zelda and expressing some very somber doubts about herself, and yet she could offer nothing but a tired cliché.

Samus turn her head slightly away, pausing for a long while; she had a far off look, like she was thinking on something. "I was... chasing this bounty across the rooftops, leaping from building to building... he went to jump, and I shot and hit his leg. He fell to the street below... right on to a vehicle... it lost control... hit a woman... she had three kids with her... one of them died as well... The other two were crying... I had to go and pick my bounty up off the street. I pretended to not notice the... mess." She took a deep breath and sighed "What was it for?" Samus said turning to face Zelda.

"Huh!? Tell me! What was it for!?" Samus yelled angrily.

Now practically screaming, "What the hell was it all for!?" She smacked the chessboard violently. Had it been an actual chessboard the pieces would have been sent flying to the floor in an impressive shower. Instead the small holographic computer was sent tumbling across the bed and simply slid off the edge, hitting the floor with a small unremarkable clatter.

"Just so I could make a few god damn credits!" She continued. "They had to die so I could collect an insignificant bounty!"

Samus pinched the bridge of her nose and squinted really hard. "I have a headache..." She lay down on the bed and pulled a pillow over her face, squeezing in into the sides of her head.

"Everything I've done has been for money... and even then, I just... I only make what I need to survive."

"Well there's nothing wrong with that." Again Zelda felt bad, not bring able to offer anything more meaningful to consol her.

"My survival costs others their lives! ...My continued existence causes suffering," Samus continued.

"That's not true," Zelda whimpered, wishing she could have mustered it in a voice that sounded more convincing, but by now she was too distraught to do any better.

"Those people all died because of me... Link died because of me, you and Malon had to suffer over it because of me. There are always people dying around me. There's always death surrounding me... people always die... they die, but I live. My parents, the colonists, the Chozo, all died out, yet I remain; countless missions where someone inevitably dies... yet I always come back in one piece... Adam died because of me."

"Well maybe you should stop--" Zelda began, but Samus cut her off.

"Stop what!? Stop worrying about it? Stop being a bounty hunter? Stop being me? Maybe you should stop telling me how to think all the time; stop trying to change me," Samus replied angrily.

"Samus," Zelda sighed, exacerbated and very frustrated.

"No one could accept me like I am. That's why you try to change me, that's why... you don't love me... You only want to mold me into that vision of yours."

"No! Don't say things like that! Damn it! Ugh... It's nothing like that. It's just that... that well I only want to help you. I see you're really hurting deep down... you're sad or disheartened all the time it seems."

"Yeah, I am. That's just who I am. That's the person you fell in love with, so I suggest you get used to it... Learn to live with your mistakes." Samus turned onto her side facing away from Zelda.

Hurt and angry, Zelda clenched her fists. She was trying to be caring, only to have spite thrown back at her. "You've been attempting to change me!" she shot back in anger, though she regretted it immediately. She hung her had sadly, knowing that was the wrong approach.

"I never tried to make you into something you're not," Samus said dryly.

"But I...! uh..." Zelda sighed and looked away. "You wanted to change," Zelda said, obviously distressed.

"Yeah well... I was wrong. It's impossible, so don't bother trying." Samus was showing absolutely no sign of emotion now.

"Samus, please..." Zelda was pleading, "Don't act like this. I--"

"I said I have a headache. Just let me sleep," Samus said and pulled the pillow over her head again.

"Samus...! Don't shut me out! We need to talk about this."

Samus remained silent though. Zelda reached out an open hand towards her shoulder but stopped just short of touching her. Deciding against it, Zelda withdrew her hand and closed her fist tight. She sighed heavily and sadly, lowering her head and closing her eyes.

'Why am I so pushy? I'm always like that with her... I'll end up pushing her away eventually.'

She stood from the bed and looked down at Samus, then went and picked the holographic computer up off the floor, and finally sat back down on the edge of the bed. She inhaled deeply and let out a slow, wavering breath. Staring at the chessboard projected above the little black square held in her hand, her thoughts lingered on the friendly game and conversation. She then glanced over her shoulder back to Samus.

"What the hell just happened?" she whimpered.

End Part Fifteen

Chapter 16

Title: Suitor

The cool night breeze rustled the levees of the trees in the blackness of night. Branches swayed, unseen in the darkness, creaking and groaning under the influence of the steadily growing wind. An ordinary wall of rock that hid a rather extraordinary secret slowly deformed and took the shape of a man. As the figure stepped out of the liquid like surface of the rock, his features would have become distinguished, yet for the darkness.

In the distance the spires of a great castle loomed, drawing his contemptuous glare. A place he once laid claim to, but no more. With a leathered glove her reached to his jaw and ripped free the now useless piece of metal. A medical brace had been put in place to allow for the proper healing of a once broken jaw; though, he healed far faster than most, so it was no longer necessary. As the apparatus hit the soft earth with a faint thud, he made a mental note to repay the bitch that made wearing that thing a necessity if he ever saw her again.

He took a deep breath and looked around at his surroundings. "I'm finally back in Hyrule," he said. "Not much has changed."

The other two thought they could be rid of him, but he was back, and he always came back. He was immortal; he was eternal. The leather of his gloved hand creaked as he made a fist and raised it in front of him. The mark of the goddess glowed brightly.

His gaze now drifted towards Death Mountain. The ever-present volcano loomed tall, visible from all parts of Hyrule.

"Perhaps it is time to start anew."

--x--

As Samus' eyes fluttered open, her vision was filled with the sight of Zelda's face; those captivating, deep-blue eyes looking down on her softly. She felt the warm breath on her lips, and before she could speak, Zelda was kissing her. Softly and tenderly, she was kissed. Samus put one arm around Zelda taking the back of her neck in her palm. Moving her lips slowly and deliberately, Zelda made each kiss a moment unto itself. They kissed for what seemed like forever until Samus finally broke away to catch her breath.

"I love you." Zelda whispered warmly.

"That was the nicest wake up call I ever had," said Samus smiling softly. Zelda returned the expression. Samus' face slowly fell as she began to speak. "Zelda... about last night. I wasn't..."

"I love you," Zelda repeated as she kissed her again.

'Hey, I was saying something,' Samus complained, but with her mouth occupied, she could only think it.

Zelda's hand found Samus' arm sprawled out on the bed. Taking her by the forearm just above the elbow, she slowly slid her hands up Samus' arm taking hold of her wrist firmly. She pressed into Samus, kissing her more passionately. Sliding her hands up into Samus' hand, she interlaced their fingers.

They made out passionately for a quite a while longer before Samus pulled a way again, just enough to give her lips room to move. She sighed contentedly. A smile crept across her lips as she nuzzled her nose against Zelda's. "Can we talk?" Samus asked softly.

"No," Zelda said practically into her mouth as she resumed kissing her.

'What is she doing? Why won't she let me talk to her?' Samus pulled away again. "Zelda, it's about what I said last ni--" Zelda kissed her again.

"Zelda!" Samus said pulling away. It was now obvious to her that Zelda didn't want to bring up that particular subject again.

"There's nothing to talk about. I love you," Zelda said and resumed kissing her.

"Damn it!" Samus said now forcibly restraining Zelda.

Zelda huffed, annoyed. "Alright fine! Let's talk."

"I... humph," Samus started with what she was planning to say, but caught herself, the tone in Zelda's voice had set her off. "You know what, just forget it!" Samus said and quickly climbed out from under Zelda and out of her bed. "If you don't want to listen, there's no point in telling you." she said as she headed for the door. "I thought you actually cared..."

"Where are you going?" Zelda demanded to know.

"I have to pee!" Samus said angrily and then was gone.

Zelda sighed. "Of course I care... I was just..." She flopped back down on the bed. "What's wrong with me?"

--x--

After relieving herself, Samus went off in search of a shower to use because, apparently, the bathrooms here weren't actually 'bath' rooms, as they didn't have showers or baths in them. In fact, she wasn't even certain there was any plumbing in the building to speak of. No electricity means no pumps and no running water. If there were running water, it would have to be close to the ground, so these upper floors wouldn't be the place to look. She asked one of the housekeeping staff if there was anything like a shower around here. She told Samus to ask around the guards' barracks on the first floor. Unaware that in Hyrule it was customary for women to take baths, as where men usually took showers, inquiring only got her odd looks and awkward-brush offs. Finally one guard told her that there was something like that...

The castle guards, previously loud with chatter, became deathly silent as Samus opened the door and walked into the locker room. All were in various states of in dress. Most were either putting on or taking of their armor. They stared at her, confused as to why she was there, and tried not to be too obvious when following her with their eyes as she walked past them to the back of the room.

What she found could hardly be called a shower, though; it was merely an open stall in the corner. Set in the wall about seven feet up, was what looked like a stone channel, part of an aqueduct apparently, with a wooden gate that served as primitive valve.

She shrugged and stripped down leaving her close in a pile. Her armor's storage unit, which she always kept in her pocket, remained with her, though, clutched tightly in her hand. Having been raised by aliens and then living alone most of her life, she never developed a sense of personal modesty, so she saw nothing wrong with showering in a men's locker room in full view of everyone. Though her clothes were unimportant to her, the armor stayed in her possession always; without it, she truly would feel naked. She placed storage unit carefully on the floor and then covered it protectively with her foot.

Standing under the opening, she pulled a thin chain, raising the wooden gate and allowing the water pour out. It was practically freezing. She shivered and tried to bear it.

"Hey!" She called out. "Is there any soap? This world does have soap, doesn't it?"

For a while no one responded, but after about a minute, one timid guy crept over with a bar of soap held at arms length. He practically ran away as she snatched it from him.

--x--

Zelda lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. 'I sure messed that up. How could I have been so inconsiderate...? She just wanted to talk.' She sighed heavily and rolled onto her side. 'How can I make it up to her?'

She lay there and thought for a while. 'I should apologize at least.'

'I was wrong, and you were right and... that's no good.'

'I love you, and it doesn't matter that you can't see that... no, no, too confrontational.'

She paused then thought and chose her words carefully.

'Samus, before you say anything, let me first apologize for this morning. Last night you questioned how I could love you, and all I wanted to do was show you just how very much I do love you. But I suppose I went about it the wrong way. I should have just listened to what you had to say. I'm sorry. Now please, let's talk about it all you want. I'll listen.'

"Mm-hmm, yep," She nodded. "That's what I'll say. I'll tell her as soon as she comes back." Zelda smiled, feeling pleased with herself and her well thought out apology.

--x--

Samus made her way to the kitchen looking for something to eat for breakfast. Though, she was still upset and trying to avoid Zelda for the moment, and she was sure she wouldn't run into her here. The chefs buzzed about obviously annoyed by her presence. She rummaged around looking for food, annoying the head chef even more. He came up behind her and cleared his throat.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" he said with obvious irritation. It wasn't an actual offer to help but rather an indication that she should leave, but she took it as the former.

"Yeah, I'm hungry. What have you got for breakfast?"

Rolling his eyes, he answered her more annoyed than before. "Why don't you just tell me what you want, instead of turning my kitchen upside down?"

"You got bacon and eggs?"

He clapped his hands, and a couple of his subordinates went to work slicing up strips of bacon and cracking eggs as he ushered Samus out and into the adjoining dinning hall, practically pushing her.

"Can I get an apple too?"

He waved her away and left, muttering something she couldn't understand.

"Humph... better get my apple..." she grumbled.

'What was all the commotion about in there? They looked busy for so early in the morning,' Samus thought to herself.

--x--

Zelda was still lying on her bed when the door opened. "Samus? ...oh."

"Good morning Your Highness," Gaebora said cheerfully, happy to not see Samus there. Perhaps she had taken his advice after all, he thought.

"Good morning," She mumbled back; though, there wasn't anything good about it from her perspective.

"I have some wonderful news. We'll be having a visitor this evening."

"Who?" She said cautiously.

"Lord Varren's son, Avelle, from the southern province. He's a wealthy land owner in Ordona."

Zelda narrowed her eyes; she didn't like were this was going. "What business does he have at the castle exactly?" She asked even though she practically knew the answer.

"Why, he's come to see you, of course," Gaebora said cheerfully.

Zelda huffed in annoyance. "I thought we were through with this. I don't feel like seeing him."

"Now, now, I know you hated all the others, but I promise he will be different," he tried to explain.

"Different!? But I'm... I'm not... I don't... Look, I'm just not interested in... him," Zelda said dancing around her words.

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You haven't even met him yet," he said flatly. Her evasive wordings played right to his suspicions of her.

"I don't have to meet him to know... besides, now really isn't a good time," Zelda said.

That was enough to confirm it for him. "Your Highness, can you for once can you put aside your personal feelings and think of your kingdom?"

"How does... 'having dinner', serve my kingdom?"

"You're almost twenty years old now, you're not getting younger. It's time you start thinking about the future, about marriage, and that way you can finally take the crown as queen."

"What makes you think I'll marry him? I'm... I don't even know him."

"All the more reason to have dinner with him. And I'm not saying you need to wed this particular suitor, but you definitely need to start thinking in those terms and taking actions towards that ultimate goal."

"So you want me to attend even more arranged dinners with people I don't even know?" She said, whining a bit more than she would have liked, which obviously struck a nerve with Gaebora.

"Listen... Your Highness... with all due respect, you need to stop being a selfish brat for once and behave like an adult. Act like the ruler of a nation that you are."

This deflated Zelda's resolve significantly. She did feel like she neglected Hyrule more than just a little. She hated being royalty, but she did love Hyrule and did want to see it prosper. All too often she was aware that those two feelings were in conflict with each other.

"It's just dinner, that's all I'm asking of you. You don't have to like him, just have dinner and at least give him a chance. We sent word yesterday, so he's already on his way; would you have me to turn him away at the gate after he came all this way?"

Zelda sighed and hung her head. "Very well."

--x--

Several of the housekeeping staff sat in the courtyard around large tubs of soapy water with a pile of cloths behind them doing the castle's laundry, while a couple others hung the freshly washed clothes up to dry. The old women watched their new guest going through a strange routine a few yards away on the grass.

"...fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty" Samus counted as she finished a set of one-armed push-up and then switched to her other arm. "One, two, three..."

Working out was how she relived stress, and she was still quite stressed from her squabble with Zelda. 'What was wrong with her? It's like she didn't eve care at all how I was feeling,' Samus thought.

"...ninety-eight, ninety-nine, a hundred" She said finishing her set of crunches and then began a stretching routine.

'I mean isn't she the one always trying to get me to talk more about that stuff. Damn, make up your mind already.'

She stood at one end of the courtyard, took a long running start, and then planted her hands on the ground, breaking into a series of acrobatic flips and spins looking like a gymnastics routine. She incorporated some of the courtyards structure into her workout, jumping over short dividing walls, flipping into a stature and kicking off in the opposite direction.

Her antics earned her stares and murmurs from the launderers. "This is no way for a proper young lady to behave," one of the old women confronted her.

"Good thing I'm not proper," Samus shot back, not in the best of moods.

She found a low branch of one of the decorative trees and used it to do pull-ups.

Samus sighed as she thought about what had happened. 'Why am I upset? She just wanted to get physical with me... nothing wrong with that...and I was the one who wanted to talk about our relationship... how backwards is that? I must be changing.'

Samus finished her pull-ups and left the courtyard lost in thought. 'She did agree to talk... eventually... but then I walked off. I guess I screwed up as well. I was just too angry by then, why do I have to be so dammed stubborn sometimes?'

--x--

"Where could she be?" Zelda whined worriedly.

She strolled down the hall asking one person after another if they'd seen Samus.

'I need to settle things from this morning... And I need tell her about tonight. She really shouldn't find out from someone else.' There was a lot of tension between them recently, and these two issues weighed on her heavily.

She wasn't in the any of the corridors, the dining hall, or the kitchen, but she was seen there hours ago by some of the kitchen staff.

'She's been gone all day. She can't be that upset about this morning. All I did was... No... This is about the night before...' She sighed

Zelda poked her head in to guest room Gaebora had prepared for Samus, which she never used. Nothing.

'She's had such a difficult life... It must be so hard for her to cope with it all. She has some very deep issues to get through... every time I think I've gotten past one problem with her, there's something else beneath it... It's like pealing an onion; layers upon layers of bitterness. It's honestly a little tiring. Especially when I try so hard and she remains so unresponsive...'

Zelda stopped walking as she lingered on that last thought, and she felt a small amount of animosity develop. She quickly put it away as soon as she realized what she was feeling and resumed walking.

'I can't blame her, all the turmoil she's been through... right from the start of her life. I can't imagine what that does to a person, what she's really feeling on the inside...or what it would have done to a lesser person. If I had her life... I'd be a complete wreck... I probably would have wound up dead already.'

Zelda didn't find her in the gardens, either. She even checked in a couple of the guard towers and learned from one of the guards about an odd showering incident in the guards' locker room. She would have to have a word with Samus about that as well.

She thought for a bit and remembered that Samus had asked about a place to do her training the other night, so maybe she was in the courtyard.

'Even so, she shouldn't have questioned my feelings for her! Telling me I don't love her, I should be the one who's upset. It's like she's not listening when I tell her I...' again Zelda stopped herself from following that line of thinking. 'But I suppose I wasn't listening either...'

She wasn't in the courtyard, either; though, according to the servants she'd asked, Samus had been there recently.

"Maybe I'll find her in the library."

'I think I need to be more sensitive with her and not push so hard... All along I had been dismissing her doubts as insignificant or something she's imagined and put on herself needlessly... But they're real to her, very real, and I wasn't very understanding at all... she must really hate me for that... this last thing was just the final straw before she snapped... I really need to find her and apologize.'

Of course she wasn't in the library either. "What could she possibly be doing there?"

'I just wouldn't have figured her to be so concerned and bothered about having to use lethal force in combat... Goddesses! What an awful thing to think. Of course it bothered her! Had I really dehumanized her so; thought her so cold that she wouldn't care about having to kill? And I here I'd been telling her not to think such things about herself... what a hypocrite I am. I need to talk to her.'

"Your Highness!" Gaebora called to her from down the hall.

"Oh Gaebora... have you seen--"

"Your Highness, where have you been? You must start preparing for dinner. Just look at you, you're not at all ready," said Gaebora cutting her off.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I completely forgot... I'll be right along. I just need to find Samus," Zelda said.

"There's no time for that... come along now," Gaebora said insistently.

"Uh... al-alright," she said uncertainly, still wanting to search for Samus.

--x--

"Zelda..." Samus sighed as she stared up at the clouds passing overhead. She lay on her back with her hands behind her head, high up on the slanted roof of the castle where no one was sure to bother her.

'This is stupid. Why am I avoiding her? Though... we have been spending a lot of time together... maybe some space is a good thing'

She took a deep breath and watched as the clouds passed by; they had thickened significantly over the several hours she'd been lying up there, and the sky had almost become overcast.

'Shit, I told her there was no way she could love me... is that why this morning that's all she would say... damn I'm stupid. How could I ever say something like that? This is exactly like when I ran off.'

She sat up and looked off into the distance, noticing the active volcano looming over the horizon. She was certain the ring of smoke around the summit wasn't there the other day. She shrugged and dismissed the thought as another came to mind.

'And I completely forgot to tell her about what Gaebora said yesterday.'

"Damn it!" She stood and leapt straight off the roof, plummeting over a hundred feet.

'I really need to go talk to her.' She thought as she fell.

Her armor came on half way down and she landed gracefully, barely bending her knees as she hit the ground.

--x--

In a room just adjacent her bedchambers, Zelda sat half submerged in a tub full of soapy water as several attendants fussed over her. One scrubbed her back while another washed her hair. Periodically a third would pour water over her, rinsing the away the soapy lather. The processes then repeated.

Normally, she hated this and would have preferred to bathe herself, and she did long for the showers she got to use when she was at the arena. But now, she just appreciated that it gave her the opportunity to think things over.

How would she explain this whole situation to Samus? How could she explain having a dinner, of which the expressed purpose was to form a romantic attachment to someone else... The thought made her shudder; it sounded really bad put like that. The truth is best; just say why she's going through with it... Why was she doing it again? "Ugh..." she sighed as another bucket of water was dumped over her head. If she couldn't answer that for herself, then how was she going to tell Samus?

'I should apologize for earlier at least...' she thought, deciding to focus on something else.

'Am I trying to change her... I mean I am aren't I? She's so just gloomy all the time; that can't be good for her.'

'It's not good for me, either...I certainly could use more cheer in my life... Is she right then... does that mean I don't love the person she is? '

Where was she already? Zelda wished Samus hadn't run for the entire day. They really needed to talk. Things would be alright again if Zelda could just talk to her.

--x--

A while later, Samus found her way back after relaxing on the roof for most of the day.

"Hey, Zelda, listen. I... huh?" Samus entered Zelda's room to find it buzzing with attendants.

Zelda was standing on a stool wearing a very eloquent dress, one that was slightly more revealing than usual, with a low–cut, wide neck, exposing a small amount of cleavage and most of her shoulders. A couple of attendants were making adjustments to her dress. Her hair had been put up; woven into elaborate interleaving patterns. Samus noticed she was also wearing more make up than usual.

"You- You look nice," she said a bit stunned.

"Oh, thank you... Uh... Samus, listen--"

"What um... what is all this?" Samus asked a little perplexed.

Zelda suddenly felt about two inches tall as she tried to think of a way to explain the situation.

"I um... sort of have this dinner," she spoke timidly.

"Huh?"

"Uhh, well... Avelle Varren from Ordona Province is coming here tonight... I... I'm supposed to have dinner with him."

"Oh, this one of that official royal functions where you talk affairs of state, or like a formal banquet? I guess that's why the kitchen was so busy... should I wear that dress you bought me, or--"

"No. Samus, it's... nothing like that," Zelda interjected. "I... It's just supposed to be only me and him. He's... well he's a suitor."

"A what... a suitor? A guy? I... I don't understand... I thought you didn't even..." she didn't want to say anything further in front of the attendants. However, unnoticed by either of them, Mireille had already begun discretely clearing the room.

"Samus... ugh..." Zelda felt absolutely horrible.

Samus was caught completely off guard by a strange sensation, entirely new to her. "Is this because we fought before... I didn't expect that you would... not..." It wasn't a pleasant sensation at all. "I mean I thought we still... that we were..." she said frantically. This is what she imagined drowning would feel like. The rush of panic that swept over her was completely unexpected. She didn't get it, did Zelda really hold that much sway over her. Had she really become so pathetically dependent?

"Of course we still are!" Zelda said just as frantically. She just knew Samus would feel hurt when she learned about this, she had to reassure her. "Nothing has changed."

"Nothing?" She looked unsure.

"No. Samus... this has nothing to do with that fight... I just... I have to attend... It doesn't mean anything, though. I don't actually want to do this."

Her panic was quickly replaced by a different feeling, one that was far more familiar; irritation. "Then why... why are you doing it?"

"Because I have to," Zelda responded flatly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Zelda couldn't think of a valid reason so she just repeated the one she was given "I... I have to be more responsible and think of my kingdom for once."

"Where'd you get that line form, as if I didn't know?" Samus said, even more irritated now.

"Now come on. I told you it doesn't mean anything. There is no reason to--" Zelda began, but Samus cut her off.

"If it doesn't mean anything, then it won't matter if you don't do it!"

"I already said, I have to." By this point all the attendants had long since made a quiet retreat from the room.

"No! He's forcing you," Samus said referring to Gaebora.

"He doesn't control me! As much as I don't like it, I am actually in charge here."

"Tch... I wonder sometimes," Samus said under her breath.

"What was that?" Zelda asked.

Samus didn't respond to that and just changed the subject. "Are you going to have to sleep with him as well!?"

"You're being ridiculous," Zelda said flatly.

"This whole thing is ridiculous! What's the point if you're not interested in guys!? ...waste of time," Samus shouted angrily.

"Ughh... Samus, I don't have time for this right now. I have to finish getting ready, and I don't need you yelling in my ear. And you've frightened off my attendants. You are completely overreacting... just... just come back once you've calmed down," Zelda said, managing to stay calm despite her growing irritation.

"Come back-- ...I... I don't believe you! You're dismissing me like one of you servants? I... Arrggh!" Samus stormed out in a huff, causing the attendants standing in the hall to recoil as she marched past.

"I... Samus... I'm sorry." Zelda said sadly.

--x--

This was his doing. Samus was furious and she intended to take it all out on him. Not physically, of course, but he was the cause for her anger and she fully intended to direct it at him.

She tracked Gaebora down in the hallway and began yelling at him before he even saw her. "You have to call this thing off!" She bellowed at him "You can't make her do this. I know she wouldn't have agreed without you pressuring her. I mean it's obvious she doesn't want to... so... Why are you forcing her?"

"Calm yourself, would you."

"No, I won't calm down! This is-- it's wrong... it's wrong to force this on her!"

"Wrong? It's just dinner."

"It's not just dinner! You're expecting her to... to like this guy, and he's expecting the same... Do you know how uncomfortable that will make her?"

"You make it sound to be a bad thing."

"For someone like her it is! You know that as well as me!"

"This is a pointless discussion. She will have to court men in this way if she is ever to wed in the near future," Gaebora said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Wed? You expect her to marry this guy? You know very well she doesn't want that," Samus responded angrily.

"Well she will have to; whether she likes it or not. If she doesn't wed she cannot be coroneted as the queen. That is the law."

"A stupid law... Humph," Samus huffed, now a bit calmer than before.

"It's an ancient law; it's is how we've done things for nearly eight hundred years."

"So what? Can't she just change it? She is in charge, isn't she?"

"No. Actually she can't. Only the king or queen can make changes to the law."

"What's the big deal anyway? So what if she doesn't become the queen? Just for that you force her to endure this charade and expect her to marry one of these men. Why is it so important that you would force that on her? That's just cruel," Samus said, now sounding annoyed.

"Why is it important!? We have - no - monarch. Not a proper one at least. It's been nearly four years since the king went into exile. We can't exist in this intolerable state of limbo for such a period."

"Why? What'll happen? Is society going to collapse? Where I'm from we haven't had a monarch of any kind for over fifteen hundred years," she said smugly.

Unable to form a logical response, Gaebora merely clenched his jaw and turned his nose up at her.

"Jeez, if it's that important I'll just marry her myself," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Y-You speak nonsense," Gaebora said quite taken aback.

"Did you ever think that Zelda doesn't want to be a queen, or a princess for that matter?"

"That's preposterous. What person in their right mind would not want to be ruler of a kingdom?"

"Lots, actually. Though I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that."

"What is the meaning of that comment?" Gaebora said perplexed.

"Humph." Samus folded her arms. "I know your type well. I see them all throughout the Federation. Politicians, bureaucrats, public administrators, sniveling, little pukes with no actual power. The only influence they have is in convincing others to do what they want."

"I don't have to take such insults. I have affairs to attend to," he said and started to walk off.

"Call it off!" She shot angrily at him.

"Why? What is you're concern in this matter? What business is it of yours?"

"Because I don't want her in that situation where she's leered at by some guy she doesn't like and is made uncomfortable and certain things might be expected of her," Samus said.

"I meant; why is it you care so much?"

"Because... Because I..." Should she say it or not? She saw no point in hiding it any longer. Fine then, she would! "Because I'm sleeping with her."

"You're... what!?"

"That's right..." She wanted to rub it in now. "We have sex. She's in love with me. She tells me so all the time," she said with a smirk, emphasizing the important words for effect.

Gaebora looked around nervously to see if anyone was overhearing this conversation.

"She's not interested in men at all..."

"Keep your voice down."

"...but you knew that already. You knew, yet you're still making her go through with this."

"I knew you were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you." He began to scowl at her.

"Most do."

"I want you out of here... one way or another, sooner or later, I'll see you removed from this castle and from the princess' life."

"You're welcome to try."

"For now, I expect you not to interfere with them. There will be guards near by, and they will stop you."

"Ha!" She laughed, before walking off. If only he knew how feeble his threat sounded to her.

--x--

"Damn it," Samus muttered as she stormed down the hall, pissed-off at Gaebora. Talking to him accomplished nothing, and she would have realized that before hand had she not been so angry.

She had to talk to Zelda again. She then remembered that she never told Zelda about what Gaebora said the other day.

"I have to find her."

Crossing over from the east to the west wing of the castle, she passed by the main hall. Down below she saw a small party of travelers being greeted by Gaebora. Damn, she was too late.

From the balcony in Zelda's room she could see the dining terrace. At least she could keep an eye on them from there. When she stepped out on the balcony she could see Zelda sitting at the single small table. She was still alone.

'Ah... this is perfect; I'll just jump down there.'

She grabbed her armor's storage unit from her pocket as she jumped up on to the balconies railing. She was about to leap, but something held her back.

"Come back once you've calmed down." Though it had felt like a slap in the face, Zelda was right.

She wasn't furious anymore, but she was anything but calm right now. It wouldn't be a good idea to talk to Zelda when she was upset like this. It would probably just make things worse. Hurting Zelda was the absolute last thing she wanted, and she just couldn't trust herself not to say something she didn't mean.

What was that about? Just because she was upset and angry, she couldn't control her actions any longer? When did that happen? She was the definition of cool-under-fire. It was ridiculous that she didn't feel like she would be able to control her behavior.

'Zelda, what are you doing to me?'

Then she realized it had already happened without her even realizing. "Damn it." She just hoped she didn't cause problems for Zelda by blowing up at Gaebora like that and revealing certain truths. 'Think next time, you moron.'

Zelda really was changing her, even if she wasn't doing it consciously. Though it was brief, the feeling of utter panic she had when she thought Zelda was tossing her aside almost made her physically sick. How could she allow herself to be come so weakened?

Just then she saw someone else walkout on to the balcony. He greeted Zelda, and then both sat at opposite sides of the table.

Samus' shoulders slumped, and her armor went away in her pocket.

"Damn..." she sighed sadly.

End Part Sixteen

Chapter 17

Title: Scorned

Zelda pouted in annoyance as she watched her suitor approach, her discomfort growing with each step he took. She hated doing this all those times before; countless times with countless faces whose names were forgotten the moment they walked out the door. She couldn't stand a single one of them. Thanks to Samus opening her eyes, she now knew why. But knowing didn't make in any easier. If anything, it was more uncomfortable as she dwelt on the thought.

But in all honesty, with the type of guys Gaebora had been setting her up with, even had she been straight, she would probably have hated them all just the same. This time would be no different. He'd be just like everyone else she'd seen; a self-important, pompous cretin or a boring, stiff noble. Couldn't one have been nice? She was sure all nobles weren't jerks. Though, if her dates were an accurate sampling of Hylian nobility, then the country was in a sorry state. Perhaps it was just how Gaebora picked them.

It was irrelevant anyway; he was a guy, and she was already involved with Samus. It didn't matter one way or the other what he was like, noting would or could ever come of it. She just hoped Gaebora would be sated by this one evening so she wouldn't have to do it again so soon... 'Goddesses, Samus was right. I am only doing this for Gaebora's sake.'

The worst thing about the whole ordeal was that Samus was so up set about it, and rightly so. 'How could I have been so thoughtless to her? ...that's been becoming a bad habit for me lately.' She lowered her head, slightly depressed at that thought.

"Greetings, Your Highness, I am Avelle Varren. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said and took a full bow.

"I'm Zelda. It's nice to meet you too," she said flatly.

"Won't you have a seat?" He politely pulled the chair out for her.

"I'm not an invalid; I can get my own chair," she muttered and grabbed the chair for herself.

"Oh... I meant no insult, princess. Please forgive me."

"Uh... sorry. I didn't mean... I'm just upset. This whole thing was sprung on me at the last minuet. And I just had a fight with my... uh... I had a fight with someone," Zelda finished uneasily.

"I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope my coming here hasn't been the cause of any turmoil," he said having no idea just how right on the mark he was.

"No, no... Let’s just forget that and have dinner," she said and sat down finally.

Following her lead, he sat across the table from her. She gave him a forced smile, and he returned the expression, undoubtedly aware hers wasn't genuine. She sighed uncomfortably at the exchange and stared at her hands folded in her lap. An awkward silence prevailed as they waited for the servants to bring their food.

As they sat, she took notice of his ears. Hailing from the southern province, he, like most there, had round ears. Samus has round ears...she sighed and lowered her head.

'I hope she isn't too upset with me...' Zelda's thoughts lingered on the fight they had.

"It’s a lovely night isn’t it, Your Highness? The air up here in Hyrule proper is so crisp and refreshing," he finally spoke in a useless attempt to break the ice.

"I suppose... It looks like rain soon," Zelda said dryly, then immediately returned to her thoughts.

'Things have been a bit strained between us lately. And I never got the chance to apologize for this morning...'

He frowned at her disinterested response and following silence. He thought to try again, "That new bridge your Highness had commissioned over Kakariko Gorge should certainly improve trade between the markets here in Hyrule Castle Town and Ordona."

"Yes. That was its intended purpose," she gave her simple response.

'I should really do something to make it up to her. It's hard enough as it is for her to accept being in a relationship. She doesn't need this extra stress souring her opinion of the idea.'

"Have you ever been to the Gerudo Dessert, Princess?" he tried again.

"I haven't."

"You should witness a dessert sunset, it's quite beautiful. The world turns orange, the sand looks like a mirror, and it's as if there are two brilliant suns coming together to meet at the horizon."

"Sounds nice," Zelda said, entirely disinterred.

'I guess I'd be pretty upset if she went off to have dinner with some guy... But... that's different; she's at least interested men... She knows I'm not. She knows noting would ever happen.' She was completely over reacting, Zelda concluded.

The servants finally came with their food, brought on carts. They unloaded the trays and set the table, filling their glasses with red wine. She lifted the lid off her serving plate, and the steam rose into the air and cleared revealing her meal.

'Steak... Samus' favorite... I should bring her some if I don't finish it.' Her only thoughts were of Samus tonight; perhaps it was just easier to think about her than to focus on the awkward situation at hand.

Timidly she began eating, and Avelle did the same. She occasionally traded awkward smiles with him over the course of the meal. He tried several more times to engage her in small talk but only ever elicited one-sentence answers. This was painfully uncomfortable for Zelda. She took large sip of her wine, hoping to ease her irritation, and just prayed for this night to end as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"Princess, I hear you quite accomplished at the magical arts," he spoke after a long silence, fully expecting her to not responded

"Huh..."

"It has been said that you are well founded in many varieties of Divination, Abjuring, and Invoking," Avelle continued.

"Oh, well I don't know about all that. But, yes, I am proficient in most types of spells," Zelda replied.

"Don't be so modest. I'm told you're at a master wizard level. That's quite impressive for someone so young."

"Thanks..." she said flatly, then stared at her plate.

She sighed; she might as well, it was something to talk about at least. She couldn't manage to just ignore him the entire night. "Do you practice?" she inquired.

He smiled genuinely, having finally elicited some interest from her. "Yes quite often. I've recently mastered, and I use that term loosely, Elemtar Conjuration."

"Huh? What is that?" Zelda looked confused.

He looked at her oddly. Did she not know something as simple as that? "Uh... you know, controlling the elements... Fire, ice, wind..." he explained.

"Oh, yes. Elements are the basis for all magic; it's the most important thing to know."

"I'm well aware..." So she did know. "I've also started to attempt Life Force Conjuration; though, I'm afraid I can't call forth anything larger than a mouse."

"Life Force Conjuration? Do you mean summoning?"

Summoning? "Well... uh, yes," he said, again giving her an odd look. Only laymen called it summoning. Was she really the expert she was said to be?

"Have you tried plants?" she said simply.

"Plants? No... why?"

"Plant life is simpler and therefore easier to summon than animals. It makes good practice."

"I see..." he said, nodding. "They don't tell you that in the books."

"No, most don't. They all say start small, bugs, frogs, rodents... and work you way bigger, when they should say to start simple and work up to more complex things," Zelda certainly spoke like she knew what she was talking about.

"That's very... intriguing. I had no Idea."

"Yes. Did you know it’s easier to summon a fully grown tree than something the size of a cat?" Zelda continued. "Well,at least I find it easier."

"Uh... no. I didn't..." he stammered, having had the tables turned on him and quickly being proven the inferior mage.

"Why don't you try?"

"Right here, in the middle of dinner?"

"I don't mind..." She glanced around and saw some moss growing out of a crack in the stone floor a few feet away from the tale. "There." She pointed. "Starting with an existing base is far easier than making it out of thin air."

He shrugged, "Very well." He got up from the table and knelt over the moss. Holding his hands over the vegetation, a dim light enveloped the area and then faded. His back was to her, so she couldn't see what he had done. He plucked up what ever it was he had summoned and then stood.

"Well then, let's see," she said.

He spun and held at arms length a single red rose. "For you M'lady."

A bit stunned she timidly took the flower from him. "That's pretty good for a first try."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Though it is a bit lopsided," she quickly added.

They both laughed at that, and Zelda couldn't help but smile. He went and sat back down as Zelda placed the flower in the center piece on the table. He went back to eating, but Zelda stared at her plate. It was strange, but she felt for the first time tonight like she wanted to engage in more conversation with him. Then she figured out why.

"You know it's refreshing to talk to someone about magic for once," Zelda said.

He looked perplexed "For once? What do you mean, Princess?"

"Most people won't even talk to me for real, and Samus doesn't understand magic at all."

"Who's Samus?" he inquired.

"Huh! Uh... oh, Samus is... she's well, um..." Zelda stammered at the sudden intrusion of her real life into this pretend situation. Suddenly she remembered she was supposed to hate this. "It doesn't really matter right now. Let's just finish dinner."

"Hmm, very well..." he said and resumed eating.

"If you don't mind me saying, princess," he spoke after a short while. "Earlier, you have seemed not to know basic terms, yet you certainly appear to have a solid understanding of magic. Who was you're teacher?"

"I was never formally trained. I've read a few books, but mostly I just experiment and figure things out on my own."

"Uh!" He was shocked. "Well that’s... that's incredible."

"Well, I've always had an intuitive understanding of magic," Zelda explained. "I suppose it's because of the Triforce."

"Hmm," he nodded. "You carry the power of Nayru. What is it like to be so connected to the goddess?"

"I don't think about it much. It's not as if I feel any strong connection with her directly. The Triforce is... just something I have. It helps me with magic and other things... but that's all," Zelda said dismissively.

"Well then, Princess, tell me what other types of magic you practice," he said changing the subject, clearly realizing the Triforce wasn’t something she wanted to talk about.

"Oh... well I do levitation on small objects, and let's see... I'm particularly good at forming barriers. I also am experimenting with teleportation."

"You can teleport!? On your own, without any special talisman or anchoring point?" he said, obviously shocked.

"Well yes, but not very far," she admitted, "and it takes incredible amounts of concentration."

"Even so, that's quite impressive. You're actually better than the rumors make you out to be."

"I'm... uh, thank you," she said uneasily. This was strange; she was a sucker for a genuine compliment, and it was not often she received one on her magical prowess, not even from Samus, yet at the same time she felt uncomfortable for receiving them from Avelle.

"Your Highness?" he said pulling her from her thoughts.

"Huh... yes?"

"Would you prefer I addressed you as Zelda instead?"

"Huh!? Y-yes..." she looked quite surprised. "I do prefer that... How... how did you know?"

"You winced every time I called you by something else."

"I did? I didn't realize..."

"You prefer to be treated like anyone else, don't you?"

"Ye-yes..." she stammered

"I'm the same way... Sometimes the burden of one’s social status gets to be so cumbersome. I just want to give it up."

What did he just say; did she hear correctly? It was quite a trip to hear her exact thoughts echoed in someone else's words "I... didn't think anyone else thought those things..."

"You're not alone, Zelda," he said.

She blushed and turned away, this was rapidly becoming much more uncomfortable than she cared for. 'What the hell is going on, what's wrong with me... must be the wine.'

She pushed her glass aside so she wouldn't be temped to sip from it any longer. She then stuffed her mouth with food so she wouldn't have to talk, and did so bight after bite until dinner was finished. Once her food was gone, she pushed away from the table slightly and sat with her hands folded in her lap and staring timidly down at the table. Why did he have to be nice? This would have been so much easier if she could just hate him outright.

"Zelda, is something the matter?" he said, breaking the silence.

"N-no, nothing."

"Well then..." he stood and extended his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

"Huh!" Zelda was surprised even though she had somewhat expected this. "I... I don't think... I couldn't possibly..."

"Why not?"

"Uh..." She couldn't bring herself to say the real reason so she lied. "There's no music."

"That's no problem at all." He gave a nod to someone in side and a moment later a violinist appeared and started playing.

He saw her look up as if towards the sky, apparently with a worried expression. Was she looking at the castle?

"Well... alright... I guess," she said timidly.

She stared nervously at his hand for a few seconds before taking it and standing to her feet. He led her a few paces away from the table so they would have room, then stood facing her and put one hand on her shoulder and the other around her waist. They slowly started swaying back and forth in time with the music. The only sounds that could be heard, other than the violin, were the scrape of their shoes on the stone floor and the chirp of crickets in the night.

"You know, Zelda, when I came here I had expected not to like you."

Again she was caught off guard as he said something she had been thinking herself. Was he reading her mind?

"Why was that?" she inquired.

"I believe I had a perception of you that was just false," he admitted.

"Oh? What did you think?"

"I'd rather not repeat it in front of you. I suppose I assumed you'd be more typical of what one would expect royalty to be."

"Oh, well I... had expected to not like you either," she said cautiously.

"But you do?"

"Well..."

She absolutely froze when his hand came up and caressed her face; she stared at him, terrified. His next action frightened her far more. He tilted her head up and closed his eyes. 'No. Don't do this ' Slowly he drifted closer to her. She could feel the warmth from his breath on her lips. At the last instant she turned her head to the side and shut her eyes tight.

"Don't," she said, hardly a whisper.

"Zelda?"

"Please... Just... let go of me."

"I don't understand... what's the matter?" he said, looking confused

"Let go," she said much more firmly, now.

He released her and she quickly took a step back. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No... no, not at all. That's not it. You did everything right. It's just that... I'm not... This could never be... I'm sorry," she tried to explain without actually explaining

"Why, what's the matter?" he asked. Again he saw her look up towards the sky, now her expression was one of guilt.

"It's... complicated." She looked back down at the floor, turning her head away from him. She wrapped one arm around herself with her other hand held in a fist just below her chin.

"Does this have to do with what Gaebora said?" he asked.

"What? What did he say?"

"Well he... he warned me that... well..."

"That what!?" she spoke strongly.

"That you might... how should I say this ...prefer the company of women."

"Gaebora said that!?" she said shocked. Gaebora already knew about her and still made her do this.

"Yes... I told him it wasn't true; that he shouldn't make such accusations--"

"It is true," she cut him off.

"Oh... I- I see," he stammered not sure how to respond to that.

"Yes, and... well I'm already... with someone."

"That person you had a fight with? Sam- something..."

"Samus... yes..."

"Then... Why did Gaebora ask me here in the first place," he said sounding upset for the first time.

"I don't know... I don't know what he's thinking," she said angrily.

"Well why did you go along with it? If you're... that way, what was the point of all this? Is it a game to you to play with people's feelings?"

"What!? No! That’s not... I don't know why...I didn't want this...Gaebora was just... he..." She sighed and spoke more softly. "Avelle, I'm very sorry about all of this; that you had to come all the way here for nothing; that I got your hopes up without cause. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. But... I... I have to go now. Sorry," she said and turned to leave.

"Zelda, wait." He ran and caught up to her.

"What is it?"

"I..." He looked uneasy, as did she. "I hope that anything I did or said tonight didn't make you too uncomfortable. If it did, I am sorry."

"It- it wasn't your fault ...it's alright."

"I'm not accustomed to being rejected by women."

"I can understand why. You were... very charming," she said shyly looking away.

"All things considered, I still had a good time tonight... I enjoyed discussing magic with you. And... if you'd like, I can be a friend with whom you talk about magic on occasion," he said, holding out his hand.

She looked at him still a little uneasy, then timidly took his hand and shook it. "I'd like that," she said with a slight nod.

------

Gaebora sat in his office going over his papers with a smug attitude, overly pleased with himself. Contacting the young noble was a brilliant move. His reputation as a charmer of women was well renowned. If anyone could set the princess right, Avella could. He should have made this move much sooner. Though, he hoped he wasn't too blunt by warning him about her condition before hand. It was a risk, but he had to take it. It may have turned him off entirely, but with that knowledge he'd be better able to sway her. If things went well, he could push them towards marriage in about a month's time, maybe two. Then, Zelda could properly take the throne and he would...

The door to the office burst open violently causing Gaebora to jump.

"Oh. your Highness. How was--."

"You knew!" she said angrily.

"Pardon?"

"You knew, and you still made me go through with that! How long!? How long have you known!? Since I was little!? Huh!?" she was shouting furiously.

He stared at her, shocked, put off guard by the intensity of her rage.

"Answer me! Was it you who made all the young girls in the castle disappear so suddenly? Was this why you wouldn't let me out without supervision!? Afraid I'd figure out the truth!?" She finally vocalized the thoughts and suspicions that had been milling about her head ever since she figured out her sexuality for herself. She had suspected duplicity on his part ever since then, but only on a subconscious level, not until now did she allow herself to consider it openly.

"Answer me, damn you!" With a sweep of her arms, she violently flung papers and supplies from his desk onto the floor, leaving nothing but a tipped over ink bottle slowly pooling up on surface.

"Yes! Yes, I've known about you for quite a long while. All of what you said is true," he said, then stood up from his desk.

"And it was you that kept me ignorant. You controlled all the knowledge I was allowed access to; the books, the tutors, all of it." She shook with rage and a bit of something else; tears came to her eyes. "I never knew people could be like this. I didn't even know the words for what I am... Samus had to tell me..." she sniffled. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me all these years? Having this feeling, knowing there was something... different; having all these vague questions yet never knowing why; thinking there must be something wrong with me. And then you put me through countless ordeals like tonight. How could you? How could you keep this from me, this... this vital part of who I am?"

"I kept you proper..." he spoke indignantly. "I kept you on the path to becoming queen; a path you still need to walk despite your personal inclinations. I've kept--"

"You kept secrets from me!" Zelda snapped. "Secrets about me... I'm supposed to be able to trust you... You're my advisor... but you intentionally deceived me. I... I can't trust you anymore."

"It's that woman... she's poisoned your mind and soul."

"That woman is it the woman I love!" she practically growled at him. "You've been hostile towards her right from the start for no reason other than that."

"It's wrong... choosing her over your kingdom. If you go down this path you will never become the queen. It's a monumental mistake."

"My only mistake was not giving you your dismissal earlier," Zelda said in a broken voice, still trying not to break down completely.

"What!" his look of shock was as if Din herself appeared before them. "You- you're not serious?"

"I am. Now please leave my home... Immediately."

"You..." he gritted his teeth "You insolent little brat! I've served this kingdom since before you were born," he spoke with contained rage, boiling just under the surface. "You can't just toss me out!"

"I will deal with any legalities later. However," she paused to take a quivering breath, "if you do not leave now, I will have the guards remove you."

He was about to say something further but then caught himself. He calmly walked past her towards the door.

"The guards are still loyal to me," he said when he was at the door. She heard it shut and lock and spun around to see him still in the room. "You won't find me so easy to get rid of. You're father entrusted me with the future of Hyrule. And you are not queen yet. You are just a stupid and blind child, who needs to learn some respect."

She suddenly got a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. What did he mean by that? What was he planning to do?

"Y-you speak of respect... after h-how you've treated me," she said, hating that she was unable to hide the fear in her voice.

"I have respect; respect for the throne of Hyrule, unlike you," he said and took a step forward. "I won't allow that institution be destroyed by some pathetic excuse for a monarch."

"Open the door," she said timidly.

"Not until you've learned your place."

She shut her eyes and winced, preparing to be struck. 'What should I do...? Samus... help...' she pleaded. But Samus wasn't there; she was on her own. The hit never came, however when she opened her eyes, he had taken another step closer.

"What, are you afraid of him?" Samus had asked her once. Zelda had lied. She was in fact afraid of him. She always had been.

She knew it didn't make sense, that it wasn't rational. It was a weakness of hers; she knew that. If only she had listened to Samus earlier, then now she wouldn't be... If she had listened to Samus; "The best way to get rid of a weakness is to confront it head on."

That was right. Samus was always right about such things. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and then fixed her gaze on him. With a sharp intake of breath she tensed up and was surrounded by a gentle golden glow. She held her left hand up in front of her face, staring at her palm. The back of her hand faced him, and he could plainly see the mark of the goddess. In that moment their roles switched, and now he backed away in fear. Still staring at her palm she took a few steps forward then cast her eyes again on him.

"I already know my place." she said sounding distant. She turned her hand over, palm outward "Perhaps you should learn yours," she said, her voice now firm.

She placed her hand over his shoulder and against the door. For a second it seemed she was only leaning against it, but an instant later there was an earsplitting sound and the door was blown completely off it hinges, splintering to pieces as it smashed into the opposite wall of the corridor. Because he had been leaning against it, he suddenly fell backwards to the floor.

Now sitting on the remains of the door, Zelda stood over him. "If the guards are loyal to you, then I can remove you myself." she said calmly, then turned and stared down the hall.

"You don't have the authority to--" Gaebora began, but Zelda cut him off.

"Threatening the princess is more than grounds for removal. Feel fortunate I don't have you imprisoned."

------

Zelda had left Gaebora's office quite upset; however, as she walked, her mood significantly brightened as the events sunk in. She was free of him now. She was free, and it felt incredible. No more planning her day for her, no more waking her when she didn't want to get up, no more fiascos like tonight, and no more treating her like a child. Things would be different.

She had worked up to a frantic pace, excitedly running through the halls. She had to see Samus; had to tell her what she had done, and how good it felt to finally and completely take control of her life back from him. She was tingling with anticipation; Samus would be so proud of her.

"Samus!" Zelda burst into the bedroom. But she wasn't there. Her day clothes were in a pile on the floor however. 'Must be using the bathroom.'

Zelda went into her closet to change into her nightgown as. When she came out, Samus still wasn't back. She sat on her bed facing the balcony and waited tapping he knee excitedly. Samus would be so proud, she had been trying to get Zelda to be stronger all along, especially with regard to Gaebora.

'That's right... It’s because of her I was able to face him. It's all thanks to her.' Zelda sighed softly and closed her eyes, envisioning Samus' face. A smile crept across her lips and warmth filled her heart; her love for Samus only grew stronger.

Where was she already? After a while, Zelda lay down and waited longer still. Was she still upset about dinner? She couldn't be, it was nothing to begin with, Zelda concluded. She closed her eyes and ran her hands back through her hair, sighing deeply. This had been one exhausting day for her. She was glad it was over and that she was through with all the drama.

It was then that she heard Samus ether the room and speak. "So how was your 'date'? Have fun?" Her words were dripping with sarcasm and Zelda didn't appreciate the tone of her voice at all.

Was she still going on about that? "I can't believe you're still jealous," Zelda said sitting up.

"Jealous? What? ... Why would I be jealous?"

Zelda huffed. "So you weren't bothered when he almost kissed me?"

"..." Samus caught her words before they came out. How did Zelda know she knew about that?

"I know you were watching," Zelda added, seeing the unspoken question in her eyes.

"Humph." Samus turned her head to the side. "Why would I care?"

"Oohhh!" she growled. "How can you say that? Would you just give up the 'I don't care about anything' attitude already?"

"Attitude?" Samus became angry; Zelda was telling her how to think once again. "I don't care! Why should I care about that? I know nothing would ever happen! I know you're not into guys at all!"

"So what is your problem then?" Zelda threw her arms up. "Do you know how uncomfortable that made me? Did you think I enjoyed it?"

"NO!! Of course you didn't! That's the whole point!" Samus yelled.

"What?" Zelda was now confused.

"I..." Samus started to yell, but stopped herself. She sighed and sat on the bed next to Zelda. "Can we just stop? Can we just forget it?" She put a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "I don't want to fight any--."

"No." Zelda shrugged Samus' hand off of her. "I won't forget it. I want to talk abo--"

"Fine, be like that." Samus grabbed a pillow and slid off the bed, lying down on the floor.

"Samus... damn it. What's wrong with you...? Tell me."

"Figure it out, Princess."

Zelda felt like she'd just been punched in the stomach. "Why..." she muttered. She could hardly believe what she heard. "Why would you call me that?" Zelda he said weakly.

"Cause you're acting like it. Now... goodnight, your Highness."

Zelda lay there in silence, for what seemed like forever, wearing the sting of Samus' words. Why did she have to act this way now of all times? It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She was going to tell Samus what she had done, how incredible it felt, and how much she loved her for empowering her to do those things. Samus should have been proud and lavished her with genuine praise and made her feel even more incredible. And she would have, Zelda was sure of it, but her petty attitude now was ruining all of that.

She would have been proud; it was Samus after all that had pushed her to be stronger and more independent, especially with regard to Geabora... It dawned on her then that Samus wasn't jealous at all, she was disappointed; disappointed that she hadn't stood up to Gaebora before, and upset that she would allow herself to be put in such a situation. Samus had said as much in fact, she just wasn't listening again.

Zelda had stood up to him however... eventually. Of course Samus had no way of knowing that.

"I fired Gaebora," Zelda finally said. There was no response and the silence continued a while longer.

"Samus?" she said softly, and crept over to the edge of the bed, peering over. Samus was lying on her side, facing the door. Zelda stared, waiting.

Would she not say anything? "Samus?" Zelda repeated. She furrowed her brow and grunted in discontent as Samus just laid there motionless and silent. "Idiot," she grumbled angrily under her breath and laid back down, staring up at the ceiling.

Samus winced at the remark. She wanted to respond, it was great news that he was gone, that was what she had wanted. But she was angry and just too stubborn to say anything at that point. She just lay there with her back to Zelda, keeping silent.

"Princess," Zelda tuned the word over and over in her mind.

It was true what they say; those you love can hurt you the most. Sure other people called her that all the time, and it bothered her when they did. It felt so much worse when Samus said it, though. How could she ever say something so hurtful? Didn’t she understand what it had meant to her?

Zelda huffed and rolled onto her side, facing the balcony, away from Samus. "Idiot," she muttered again, sounding hurt rather than angry this time.

She folded her arms and tried to sleep, wishing she could forget about this entire lousy day.

End Part Seventeen

Chapter 18

Title: Absolution

[Author's notes: Well then.... This has been a long time coming. I sincerely apologize for taking so long to update. You see, I have terrible ADD, (that's Attention Deficit Disorder, for those that don't know) and I got hit hard with it over the course of this chapter. It's not like writers block where you don't know what to write. It's a lack of attention span to sit down for the long periods it takes to complete a chapter. I find it difficult to focus on just one thing for more than five minuets at a time. I never at any point lost interest in writing it and I fully intend to complete it. I can't stand when others just decide to drop long running stories some where in the middle, and will never do that to my readers.

Any how, Let's get on with the chapter. And sorry again.]

The cool afternoon breeze blew, rushing gently across her skin, relaxing her spirit. As she strode slowly through Hyrule field, she felt the blades of grass between her toes and sensed her connection to the land. Inhaling deeply, she took the fresh, cool air into her lungs, noting how it contrasted the warmth of the sun on her face.

Closing her eyes, she sighed inwardly, contented.

When she opened them again, she saw the warm sun rapidly falling below the horizon as night came upon the land in a brief moment. Though the heat that it cast on her face didn't diminish; it was replaced by the heat of flames that rose up from all around the field. Hyrule was burning. Trees were consumed completely. Ash rained from the sky. In the distance, Hyrule Castle crumbled.

A blinding light caught her attention. Upon a tall hill the completed Triforce shone brightly. She ascended the mound, drawn to the symbol of all Hyrule's glory. She trudged up the slope, each step becoming heavier and more difficult, as if some force was resisting her approach.

Undeterred, she pushed on. The inferno seemed to grow in intensity the closer she got, consuming the entire land in flames, until she reached the crest of the hill. There, she was met by a tall woman, dressed in flowing white linens. She had stunning crimson hair and upon her forehead was the mark of the Triforce. Though she had never seen her before, she immediately recognized the woman as the Goddess of Power, Din.

"Why have you burned my land!?" she wailed.

The goddess only smiled softly and took her hand.

*CRASH!*

Zelda woke suddenly at the loud sound. "What?" She looked around confused. There was an odd chill in the room. Then she heard the sound again, fully awake she could recognize it as thunder. It was raining, pouring in fact. She looked to the balcony to see the heavy spray beating down on the stone, and.... Samus?

"What are you doing!?"

Samus stood on the balcony wearing just her underwear and thinly worn T-shirt, standing perfectly still, arms at her side, head tilted up slightly. It was an oddly beautiful sight; she was just a wisp of a figure in the dim light and haze of the downpour, like a spirit come to visit her in the night. She looked small and frail, lost in the enormity of the storm, yet at the same time, strong, unmoved by the torrent and winds; a contradiction. Zelda got up from bed and went to the balcony, standing just outside the reach of the driving rain.

"Samus!" Zelda tried to yell over the din of the defining downpour.

'She can't hear me out there.'

Zelda took a deep breath then stepped out into the rain, getting soaked instantly. She walked up behind Samus and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come inside!"

Samus turned to her suddenly, surprised but not startled. She took Zelda by the hand and stood at arms length with her.

"Isn't this great?" Samus said.

"Uh..." Zelda looked confused.

"Just close your eyes and let the rain hit you!"

"Um...Al-alright..." She did as Samus said and closed her eyes, holding her arms out at her sides slightly as Samus was doing.

The heavy rain was cool on her skin and the heavy pelts felt like a thousand cold tiny kisses all over her. In a way it was somewhat exhilarating. As they stood there Zelda felt Samus squeeze her hand and, at first, she didn't respond. However, the second time Samus' reassuring gesture caused her heart to melt and a wave of regret came over her for all the arguing and turmoil. It was just a simple, sweet, and yet entirely unexpected act that caught Zelda completely off guard. Perhaps it was just because it was the first caring gesture from Samus since their fight, but it made Zelda feel like everything would be alright again.

"Samus, I..." She turned to see Samus with her head back and eyes closed, facing into the rain. On her face she wore the brightest, most genuine smile Zelda had ever seen her with. It was incredible; Samus, for the first time, seemed truly happy, and it was brought about by nothing more than a simple rainstorm.

Fascinated, Zelda reached out with her other hand to touch her smiling mouth. She ran the tips of her finger across Samus' lips, from one side of her mouth to the other then back again. Samus opened her eyes and looked at Zelda inquisitively. Still touching Samus' lips, Zelda took a step closer to her as her hand moved from her lips to cup her cheek. Zelda looked deeply into Samus' eyes as remorse welled up inside her. Her arm slipped around Samus' waist and pulled her closer into a full embrace, resting her head against Samus' chest.

Zelda took a deep breath, and sighed out slowly. She squeezed her beloved tightly and held her for a long while as the rain beat down around them.

"I'm sorry," Zelda finally spoke.

"Mhh, me too."

"No...don't be..." Zelda shook her head. "You were right."

"I know I was right. I wasn't apologizing for that."

"Then--"

"For calling you princess... That was... I was really stupid," Samus said sadly. Her arms finally came around to hug Zelda back.

"I was acting like it though... I should have never agreed to that dinner. I guess you felt betrayed. You've been helping... pushing me to be more independent and stronger, and... then this. I just gave in... It must have been such a huge disappointment to you."

"No-"

"I was a disappointment to myself."

"No, Zelda. You were... I'm not disappointed with you at all.... I mean, I guess I was... a little. But... you finally stood up to that jackass. That what matters here," Samus said and rested her hand reassuringly on Zelda's head. "I wish I could have seen you then."

Zelda smiled and rested her head against Samus' chest again, hugging her even tighter.

"Samus I..." Zelda spoke softly but corrected herself to account of the noise of the pouring rain. "I hated fighting with you!" Zelda spoke over droning sound.

"Yeah..." Samus nodded in agreement, cradling Zelda's head against herself.

"Let's go in," Zelda said and pulled Samus just inside the room and out of the rain, then embraced her again with all the strength she had. The water dripping off them quickly made a puddle at their feet.

Zelda hugged her tight, sighing in relief. It was a weight of her shoulders to have settled that. Things started to feel right between them again. Though... something else still tugged at the back of her mind, a sadness that threatened to weigh her down again. The argument was over but... that was right, the other argument they had, she had forgotten that. One argument distracted from the other and the first, and possibly more serious one, never got resolved. It might be pressing things too hard, but as long as both of them were in an apologizing mood she thought to try.

"Listen, Samus, the other night... about what you said. You were worried that you were a terrible person, and that it bothered you to have to take lives during you're work... that you weren't worthy of me."

"Hey can we just forget--"

"No, please, let me say this," Zelda cut her off but was careful to keep her tone soft. "I never thought..." Zelda stopped and sighed heavily, taking time to carefully consider her words. "You're so troubled by your past, and I hadn't considered how that truly affects you. I'm sorry for not understanding that. I don't think I can truly ever appreciate exactly how you feel without experiencing those things first hand." Zelda loosened her hold on Samus and pulled back a little to look her in the eyes. "You had been telling me all along... or trying to in your own way. I wasn't listening very well. I'm so very sorry."

Samus looked uncomfortably away from her gaze. "Yeah, well... you probably shouldn't listen to most things I say anyway."

"What? Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because I... I don't know what I'm saying half the time. Last night... I didn't mean most of that stuff... not really... I've never spoken about those things, never really thought about them even. I guess was just... ranting." Samus huffed and shook her head. "Nothing I say ever comes out right," she said, her expression becoming worried. "I... I have such trouble expressing myself. I don't know how to talk about... what... what I feel, or... I just... I can't get it out. I never know what to say, and even if I do think of something it just sounds wrong after I've said it. I'm so stupid when it comes to this stuff, I can't--"

"Samus, shhh... It's okay," Zelda spoke softly, stopping Samus' aimless rant. "For the most part, most of the time... I do understand what you mean." She smiled warmly. "I have you all figured out."

Samus took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and lowered her head, touching foreheads with Zelda. "It never used to bother me; killing. I was just... It didn't matter... it didn't matter if I was a monster. I was alone so it didn't matter. But now...now because of you..." Samus shook her head side to side and sighed. "I have to be better than that... for you."

"You're not a monster," Zelda said reassuringly.

"I... I know... I didn't mean... ugh... Look, just remember that no matter what I say, all I care about is not hurting you. Okay?"

"That's all?" Zelda's face looked disappointed. "I would have hoped for a little more than just not wanting to hurt me."

"See... just forget that too. What I meant is that it's what's most important to me... uh... no that's not right either..." Samus bit her lower lip and looked all around the room as if the answers were out there somewhere. "I suck at this, okay!" She then glanced back down at Zelda, staring into her waiting eyes. "Tch... I don't even know how to talk to you properly." She looked away again quickly, then back. "I mean, you try being alone you whole life..."

"I have been..." Zelda said sharply "...for the most part... What I mean is, I've never been in a serious relationship before either... But... that's not the same thing as being alone."

Zelda reached for her face, caressing her cheek with one hand, whipping away the rain water that continually ran down her face from her hair.

"This isn't who I am," Samus spoke slowly and quietly. "I've never cared what people thought of me... When did I start worrying about how someone else feels about me? How does that accomplish anything? Other people never mattered, what they thought, or what they said to me. That had no effect on me at all. When did I ever care?" she mused rhetorically. But when she spoke next it was directed at Zelda. "Why!? Why do I care? Why do I care so much what you think?"

"Because you are only human... and that's normal."

"I should be stronger than that."

"Samus..."

"God, I don't know what I saying again...every time I try and say something to you I think of a thousand different things and ways to say them... it's like they're all spinning around and I can't find the right one. I know it's in there somewhere, but I just can't find it." Samus' voice became more frantic and desperate as she spoke. "None of it makes any sense, just a jumbled mess in my head and I... I just worry I'll end up saying something that will... that..."

Zelda silenced her by pulling her into a gentle kiss, softly pecking at her lower lip. Her hands came up to cradle Samus' face.

Zelda pulled away to look her in the eyes, still caressing her cheeks. "You're trying too hard. Let things happen. It will be okay. I have faith in you."

"I don't want to hurt you. That is... It's what I'm certain about."

Zelda slowly wrapped her arms around Samus' waist, pulling the two of them close. Embracing her tightly, Zelda let her head rest against her. She felt at ease, things really would be okay now. As long as Samus was at her side everything would be okay.

"Things seemed so simple before you," Samus said quietly. "I could make sense of everything, and... it wasn't easy but, I always knew what to do. This is so much more..." She sighed, again frustrated by her inability to communicate. "I don't know, not difficult, but... more complicated."

Zelda griped her shoulders and looked her firmly in the eyes. "Samus Aran isn't scared of a challenge... not the one I know."

"Uh!" Samus squeaked in surprise. That was completely right. Why didn't she realize that before! Zelda was so wise. She'd be damned before she allowed the challenge of a relationship beat her, she resolved. On the other hand she never had a challenge quite like this before and didn't know if it was something she could overcome. "Mmm," she nodded in response.

Samus could feel the soaking wet girl shivering in her arms. "You're cold," she said. Pulling Zelda closer she tightly wrapped her arms around her.

"I just need to dry off." Zelda took a step back and looked down at herself then to Samus. They were both dripping all over the stone floor. "Uh...stay here, don't move. I'll get some towels."

Not wanting to get water everywhere herself, Zelda began taking off her nightgown. She paused, looked uneasily at Samus then down to herself. 'That's not a problem. She's seen me before,' she thought, and then slid the gowns straps off of her shoulders and let it drop to the floor and land with a sloppy sounding squish. Her wet feet slapped across floor as she quickly ran to her closet. She came out a few moments later with a towel wrapped around her body, another around her head, and had a small bundle of them in her arms. Laying the stack of towels on the corner of the bed, she took one off the top and brought it over to Samus.

She reached for the towel but Zelda stopped her. "L- Let me..." Zelda said uncertainly, deciding on the spur of the moment.

"Um, okay..."

"This long hair of yours picks up much water," Zelda said as she reached up behind Samus' head and took out her hair tie, letting down her ponytail. She patted the towel on Samus' face once and then wrapped it around her head and ran it down the length of her hair several times. It wasn't long before the towel was soaked as well.

"That will have to do for now." Zelda guided her over to the bed and spread out a fresh towel for her to sit on. With the last of the towels, she began with Samus' face, wiping her forehead first she then moved down to her cheeks, delicately working around her eyes.

Zelda moved down to her neck, and then rubbed her strong shoulders with a slow methodical motion. There eyes met and Samus stared passively as Zelda tenderly cared for her. She supposed she still felt fairly guilty about fighting so badly with Samus and just wanted to do something to bring them closer.

She took Samus' hand in hers so just the tips of their fingers connected then gently extended her left arm and lightly dabbed her with the towel, and then did the same for her right. Hesitantly Zelda pressed the towel against her chest with chest next, though she realized that would be futile with her shirt so completely wet. The soaked material of was nearly transparent and tightly clung to her skin; she might as well have not been wearing anything at all.

"Uh... we should, um... probably take this off," Zelda said nervously as she knelt on the floor in front of the other woman.

Samus crossed her arms and started to lift her shirt up. "I'll do it," Zelda interrupted with a hand on her wrist. Taking the shirt by the bottom, Zelda slid it up her torso, the backs of her fingers inadvertently dragging across Samus' exposed wet skin along the way. Raising her arms in the air Samus allowed the garment to be freely removed, which when thrown to the floor made the same kind of sound as Zelda's nightgown had.

Zelda again pat the towel against Samus' chest to dry her off. As she moved down to her stomach she was awkwardly aware of Samus' eyes fixed on her. Leaning a bit closer, Zelda wrapped the towel partially around her, drying her sides as she moved back up Samus' body.

She only now became aware of the effect all of this was having on her, as she discovered she no longer felt the chill of the room. A warm flush came over her body and her heartbeat was noticeable to her. Somehow she had found her way back to Samus' chest. With hand planted firmly on each of Samus' breasts, her motion wasn't really drying, but more like fondling through a towel.

How did this happen all of a sudden? She hadn't indented it, nor was she aware when the activity changed, but drying off was the last thing on her mind now.

Soon the towel slipped from her hands and fell to the floor, removing any pretext as to what she was doing. Zelda stared in awe of the beauty before her as her hands moved of their own accord, caressing Samus softly. Last time they had done this Zelda was too caught up and surprised to focus on what they were doing, but now her mind had opportunity to muse over the finer details of what it truly meant to be attracted to another woman. The gentle curved lines that defined the shape of her body, toned yet relaxed muscles that were soft and firm at the same time, milky skin slick and cool from the rain. Any lingering doubts she may have had as to the nature of her sexuality were definitively put to rest.

Samus let out a soft moan causing Zelda to look up at her face and theirs eyes connected.

"Oh!" Zelda slid her hands uneasily off of Samus' body. "Samus, I... sorry, I... I wasn't thinking." She timidly lowered her eyes. How could she have just used Samus to entertain her lustful urges like that that? She felt ashamed at her selfish actions and the lecherous thoughts that ran through her head. Samus was the person she loved, not some object of desire. "I should have asked first," she muttered.

"Zelda, it's okay... really." Samus smiled mischievously and leaned back on the bed, resting on her elbows. "Go on... have your way with me."

Zelda stared at her in astonishment as she lay back, completely exposed. She blushed brightly and could feel her heart beating faster. Samus was offering herself up to do with as she pleased. If only she knew how... She felt lost, like someone offered her the chance to be in an orchestra and play the most beautiful music she could imagine, then handed her an instrument she had no idea how to play.

"I...I um... not sure what to do," Zelda said meekly, embarrassed by her lack of experience.

"You were doing great just now."

"But I was just..." What was the word she was looking for? "Exploring," she said finally.

"Well, keep at it; there are certain parts of me you haven't explored yet," Samus said with a smirk.

"Uh... Well..."

"Zelda... you're really cute when you're shy like this," Samus said, using that 'C' word she hated without even flinching.

Zelda blushed furiously, so much so that she felt like she would melt away completely.

"It's alright. Just touch me how you'd like to be touched," Samus encouraged.

Zelda took a deep breath and hesitantly reached for Samus' chest, but stopped, smiled awkwardly, and instead caressed her cheek and laid another hand on her shoulder.

"They don't bite," Samus teased.

"Heh... r-right." Zelda smiled briefly and allowed her hands to begin to travel. Running one hand down the length of her arm and the other back through her damp hair, the princess enjoyed the simple pleasure of the texture of skin beneath her palm.

Zelda's hand returned to Samus' face, her finger tips gently brushing over the huntress's lips on there way down to the soft skin of her neck. As she became more comfortable, she became bolder, allowing her hands to travel away from the 'safe' places. She explored the toned expanse of abdomen, noting the contrast of soft skin that covered hard taught muscles.

This was awkward but arousing at the same time. She now had the opportunity to act out fantasies she never before allowed herself to even consider. The ideas just came to her then and there. She was sure they were not elaborate or outlandish by anyone's standard but hers. For the modest royal the simple thoughts were titillating and exhilarating. Being able to immediately act on her desires helped in overcoming her reservations.

Samus smiled as Zelda became more adventurous, pleased with her small accomplishment. And while she would have preferred more passion, Zelda more than made up for that by being so adorable. Her timid feather touches tickled slightly causing involuntary muscles spasms, which Samus enjoyed immensely.

Emboldened by her own desires, despite not being completely comfortable with them, Zelda hesitantly reached for Samus' breasts. Too hesitantly for Samus; she grabbed Zelda's wrist and brought her hand the remaining distance, surprising the princess slightly.

"So- so warm," Zelda sighed.

The soft texture invited her in and she wondered how that skin would feel against her lips. The thought was embarrassing, but by this point she was powerless to resist the decadent suggestions her mind was conjuring up. Samus had done this to her last time, so it was only fair, a different part of her brain rationalized. Compulsively, she was drawn in before she realized what was happening, and soon found herself planting feathered kisses on the other woman's stomach. With no other escape, her shallow breaths came back in her face, intensifying the heat she already felt.

The warmth and silken texture were gratifying to her senses. Pressed so close she became aware of every breath her lover took. Lips were not enough to experience it all. Her eyes closed, and her face turned to the side, caressing her right cheek against the huntress's body. Turning to the other cheek, her lips slid easily across Samus rain dampened skin as she took in a thin breath.

The feel of ribs beneath that soft skin let her know of her unconscious ascent up Samus' body. There was no turning back now. Her lips found soft flesh mounds and lingered there, seemingly indefinitely, as her arms came around to hold her lover. And there she remained until a gentle reverberation from the huntress' throat drew her attention upward. And so, upward she traveled, ascending further to attain the other's lips.

Zelda's towel slipped and fell to the floor as she slowly stood in her attempt to reach her lovers lips, leaving her exposed as well. She climbed until they met face to face in a ravenous kiss, the heat of her passion now beginning to dissolve her shy demeanor. Zelda kissed her passionately as she climbed on the bed, resting on her knees, straddling her love.

Zelda leaned forward pressing the two of them closer together, their bodies sliding against one another with every breath taken, though it wasn't close enough. Their eyes locked and Zelda stared with the most intense look of longing and desire that Samus had ever seen from her. The princess' hands deeply kneaded the other woman's skin, aware of the strong back muscles that lay beneath.

From the nape of her neck to he small of her back, Zelda massaged her vigorously, while their lips met in a slow, deep kiss. Zelda's hands drifted lower finding Samus' hips, her fingers gripping a little more firmly than before.

She broke her kiss and gazed deeply at her lover, communicating her raging passion with but a look. Closer. She pulled hard against the huntress's backside, rolling her own hips forward and pressing down. She needed to be closer.

"Take it easy," Samus said breathily, giving her Hylian lover a soft kiss. Though this was new and exciting, she found the familiar reserved Zelda to be more appealing.

Zelda returned the gesture; her hands coming up to cradled the back of her lover's neck. She kissed hungrily, her innate modesty having given way to lust.

Samus broke away for air, yet the princess continued her assailment undeterred. She trailed kisses along the other woman's jaw line, on the way to her cute little round ear. She secretly envied that rare trait that Samus had. Her Hylian ears, she thought, were too big.

Zelda could feel her lover squirm in response to lips and tongue, and the hot breath exhaled across her ear. She found it strangely appealing that she could elicit such responses from the huntress. It added to her excitement and only strengthened her desire for the other woman.

With a hand on her chin and another behind her head she turned Samus head to the side, kissing behind her ear, sucking at the soft skin of her neck. Samus drew in a deep breath and leaned into Zelda. When she hit a point around the back quarter of her neck, straight back from her ear, she felt Samus shutter. The huntress' shoulder came up as her neck muscles spasmed; her powerful arms griped Zelda tighter. A weak point. She grinned as she nibbled lightly, drawing a sharp breath from her lover.

During their first encounter Zelda didn't notice Samus' reactions, she was only thinking of herself at that time. She had been quite selfish then in her actions, or rather inaction and in her thoughts of it afterward. When she thought back on that night it was always about how it felt and what it meant for her. It was different this time; she was focused on her lover now. This was about Samus. It was all about her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was glad for this change of view.

She wanted more, more of Samus. She poured herself into it fully, enticing every small reaction she could from the huntress, and than attributing some arbitrary yet significant meaning to each. Imagined or not, each enhanced the moment and added something to it.

In her lustful enthusiasm, Zelda's hand found its way between her lover's legs. Samus inhaled sharply, their eyes locked, and Zelda froze. "Like this," Samus muttered and took Zelda by the wrist, guiding her, setting the tempo, angle, and amount of pressure.

Through the flashes of pleasure that came across Samus' face, something was communicated to the princess. And while she didn’t know its meaning it she knew it excited and exhilarated her.

Though, at the same time, a small thread of disappointment pulled at her heart. While she loved how Samus' body answered to her touch, she felt that she needed more. Besides the occasionally muted grunt or groan Samus was mostly non-vocal. She wanted her lover to be more expressive. The sounds of Samus were those of breath and skin sliding against skin. She was enchanted by every deep labored breath, every brief but sharp inhale through closed teeth, the biting of her lower lip, and every facial twitch that expressed pleasure. She loved them all, yet still desired more. She wanted to experience all that was Samus. It was no surprise to her however; like in most other aspects of her life, Samus had difficulty fully expressing herself. Zelda was more than okay with all of that, but for once she wished for more. She wished that her lover would moan openly, wail a soft sweet song, and cry out incoherent syllables in pitches that were unfamiliar to her voice. What she wouldn't do to hear her own name sweetly cooed back to her in a moment of bliss.

Goddesses! How could she think such scandalous thoughts?

Though embarrassed, she would do anything; and she tried all that she could think of attain that goal. When her efforts brought that moment about it wasn't what she had envisioned yet was entirely exhilarating all the same. Samus' hips bucked once and her spine stiffened, her arms wrapped around Zelda and her body quivered against her lovers.

"Nugh," the huntress grunted involuntarily as her muscular contractions forced the air from her lungs, followed by hot ragged breaths blown across Zelda's ear.

Spent, Samus fell back to the bed, resting up on her elbows with her head tilted back. She was catching her breath when Zelda again caught her attention. Eyes closed and head tilted back, the Hylian monarch was in a world of her own, passionately rocking her hips against Samus leg. Gripping the huntress's waist for support, she made use of the full length of the other woman's thigh. Arching her back with each stroke, her breath came in time with her movements. Samus watched the erotic display and listened to the tiny mouse squeaks escaping her throat, completely enchanted by what she saw. Head back, eyes closed, and mouth slightly agape, the sight of the princess's petite form writhing in pleasure rekindled her own desire so soon after having been sated Conspicuous drops glistened across her skin, whether sweat or rain water, curiosity drover her hand to investigate, warmth indicated the former.

Unrestrained, Zelda shamelessly chased after that incredible feeling that shot thought her loins with each stroke of her hips. Zelda pushed herself down onto Samus, driven by desire. Desire not only of lustful nature, but of an emotional need as well: the need to loose herself and drive away the recent tension; to force herself ever closer to the one she loved and regain the distance that seemed to have accumulated between them. After the turmoil of the past couple days, she needed this release; this cleansing act, and she perused it with wanton passion.

Fingers brushing gently against her chest brought her back to reality, however. Startled, she stared down at Samus, a look of shock on her face. Just what had she been doing? She could hardly believe herself. It was as if she completely lost any sense of decency. She was aghast to think she was even capable of such lascivious behavior.

Worse, she had been using Samus again, being selfish again, and treating her as just a tool to get off on.

"Sorry," she whispered meekly.

"I was enjoying it too. Keep going."

Zelda just shook her head. That would be too embarrassing; she couldn't. "I... like it better when you touch me." Was it more or less selfish on her part to ask that? She wasn't sure. Why was she so fixated on that aspect?

"Touch you where?" Samus said coyly

Zelda turned her head away shyly. "Don't make me say," she muttered weakly.

"Here?" she said, laying a hand on Zelda's stomach, feeling the warmth of her slender body.

"Mmm," Zelda hummed softly.

Samus' hand traveled upward, sliding easily over the princess's sweat slicked skin. The smooth satiny texture attested to her pampered lifestyle.

"Or here?" Samus handled her modest bosom, kneading softly.

Eyes closed and head to the side, Zelda just nodded.

"What about here?" Samus asked as she fingered the Hylian girls' nipples.

"Hmm-- " Zelda huffed, biting her lower lip. "...yes."

Samus chuckled, that was the Zelda she liked, the shy and cute one. "Come here," she said and pulled Zelda to her. "I won't tease you anymore." She laid down on the bed, taking the princess down on top of her, their eyes meeting again.

"Mmm... Pretty," Samus cooed, taking Zelda by the back if the neck and pulling down until their lips joined in a soft loving kiss.

"You like you ears sucked on, right?" Samus asked breaking their kiss.

"Mm," Zelda moaned with a nod.

Kissing, and kneading the ridge of cartilage between her lips, Samus worked her way from the tip to base, and back. The warm breath blowing in her ear cannel, made Zelda moan. The tongue that followed it made her gasp. The princess embraced her lover tighter. Teeth scraped across the underside, then tugged gently, causing a shudder to run down Zelda's spine.

"You can... bite harder. It's okay, it doesn't hurt."

"Like this?"

"Ah...! Yes..." Zelda gasped, digging her fingers in to Samus' arms.

"How about here" Samus said, turning Zelda's head to the left and repeating the process with her other ear. Her actions earned her another cry of pleasure and stuttered breath from the Hylian.

Samus lifted the smaller girl up in her powerful arms and moved them to the center of the bed, switching positions so she was on top.

Their lips met once again, this time with more passion than the last. She softly licked Zelda's lips with a horizontal swipe of her tongue. Sucking Zelda's lower lip between hers, Samus pulled until it slipped from her grasp and popped back into place with a wet sounding smack. A hum of desire from her lover reverberated against Zelda's lips and she found herself melting into ecstasy at Samus' touch, losing herself in the tender eroticism of the moment. While submitting to Samus' direction, she could simply close her eyes and enjoy her lover's caresses without need to think or worrying about it. She sighed, a mix of contentment and lust in her voice; her hands rested on Samus' shoulders.

She soon felt gentle lips gnawing at her neck and merely tilted her head back, accepting it. A myriad of blissful sensations followed; kisses moving down her chest; a warm mouth sucking at her bosom accompanied by the kneading of slender fingers; a tongue swiping over a swath of flesh, leaving a slick trail in its wake. Tendrils of hair, still damp from rain, flowed down her chest and stomach as Samus aimed for her navel.

Her lover's arms came around her waist and lifted her midsection from the bed, arching her back and stretching her abdomen as Samus gave her stomach loving attention. Zelda moaned deeply as those burning hot lips explored her midriff. The huntress glanced up to meet the other girl's eyes.

"Can we try something?"

"Ah... anything..." Zelda murmured, short on breath.

The Samus smirked, pleased with the total submission. There was one thing she had always fantasized about but never got to try; something she could only do with another woman.

Samus moved down on the bed, sliding her hands down the lengths of Zelda's silky thighs. Zelda first thought it would be an erotic massage, and so was quite surprised when Samus pushed her knees apart then leaned in towards her.

"Oh, Goddesses. Samus," she gasped, and had to fight the impulse to close her legs when she realized exactly what it was she had in mind. Resisting the urge, she closed her eyes instead and covered her face with one hand, too embarrassed to watch. She felt her lover's hot breath on her and trembled; again fighting the urge close her legs. She did agree to 'anything' after all.

For the usually chaste princess it was terribly difficult and embarrassing to be so completely exposed, even when it was someone she trusted and loved as much as Samus. Yet, at the same time, it was entirely exhilarating to have someone see her like this. Only feeling her lover's breath and stray tendrils of her hair grazing her thighs drove Zelda nuts. She waited in agonizing anticipation for the first contact to be made.

It was hot, so hot, and it tingled. She whimpered quietly and tossed her head from one side to the other with every pleasurable sensation her lover gave her. This was by far the wildest thing the reserved princess had ever done, and if not for the fact that it felt so incredible she would have died from embarrassment. And it did feel incredible. Lips and tongue worked in tandem to deliver sensations she had never allow herself too even imagine. She tried to make sense of all she felt, attempting to visualize all that was going on based on feel alone, because she dare not look.

Zelda could not suppress her urges and gasped out her lover's name as one particularly pleasurable shock rushed through her. Both her hands moved to reach for the huntress, one finding the back of the woman's head, and the other met with the hand that was resting on her stomach, fingers intertwining.

Just how long had this little liaison gone on? She had lost all sense of time and it seemed to stretch on an on without end; she didn't think she could bear it much longer. A numb tingling heat had accumulated in her legs, spread up from calves to her thighs, and eventually coved her entire body with a hot intolerable flush that madder her squirm with delicious discomfort.

Zelda tossed her head back again and again as waves of bliss, relentless as ocean waves, rolled over her, taking her beyond any rational thought. With her legs wrapped tightly around her lover's shoulders, she hummed a sweet note with each surge that cascaded over her, growing in pitch and volume each time.

The tide finally ebbed and the waves subsided. Zelda lay there, eyes closed, panting heavily, and sighing softly with every breath. Samus watched the rise and fall of her stomach as she breathed in and out deeply. Unable resist the beauty of the sight, her lips were drawn to the silky expanse of flesh and she began her return to the princess's lips. Samus kissed softly at her chest and neck then up to her face and finally, her mouth.

"Mm-hmm," she moaned softly as she nuzzled her face against Zelda's.

When her eyes could focus once again, Zelda's gaze fell upon the other woman with complete adoration. With her arms draped lightly around her lover's shoulders, silence persisted for a long while. Zelda's slowly relaxing breathing was only sound that passed between them.

It was Samus who spoke first. "Um... sorry about fighting with you," she said clumsily. The argument had still weighed on her.

"Mmm" Zelda shook her head, that subject could wait. Her hand caressed Samus face, and ran through her damp hair. "Have I told how beautiful I think you are?"

Samus smiled, hummed, and nodded.

Zelda smiled back, her fingers still raking through the length Samus' hair. "You should take better care of this." She nuzzled her face into Samus' neck. "I'll brush it for you later."

"It's fine; don't have to worry about that."

"I want to."

Samus nodded again. "Did I wake you when I got up? I tried to be quiet," she said with a bit of concern.

"No, no..." The princess shook her head. "I had a bad dream."

"Oh?" Samus asked, her curiosity piqued

"Well... I believe it was a dream. However, it might have been a sign? I'm not certain. It was different that a regular dream."

"How do you mean?"

"It had a certain... feel to it. I saw Din, one of the goddesses. And... all of Hyrule was burned. There was... a setting sun; the completed Triforce." She looked at Samus' whose expression seemed to say she was lost. "It was all very symbolic," she explained.

"Sorry, I don't know too much about dreams... I only ever have that same one..." Samus muttered. Zelda gave her a gentle squeeze and kissed her cheek lightly.

"I've had prophetic dreams before," Zelda continued, sounding somewhat distant. She stroked the back of her left hand where her Triforce would manifest. "They've all come to pass... not in a literal sense, but the symbolism has accurately foretold of events to come."

"So what's going to happen now? What did your dream mean?" Samus asked.

"That I don't know," Zelda sighed. "I haven't yet figured it out."

"What use is a prophecy if you don't know what it means? Could it be something bad?"

Zelda put her hand in Samus' and intertwined their fingers. "Don't worry over it. It was likely meaningless," she said and slid her other arm under Samus neck, pulling her close. They rested quietly while Zelda studied her lover's face.

As she idly played with strands of Samus' hair, her thoughts drifted, and timid smile and a soft pink blush graced her face. "What you did for me just now....that was incredible... I would never have imagined such a thing."

"You really seemed to enjoy it."

"I must admit... you are quite good at it," Zelda said trying not to get embarrassed.

She narrowed her eyes and pouted playfully. "Are you sure I'm the first girl you've ever been with?" she said teasingly.

"I-uh... well I just..." Samus stammered" I... know how to do things like that because...um... well it's boring on three day long spaceflights, so I... watch these videos. ...from time to time," she added, meekly trailing off.

"Videos?" Zelda questioned.

"Uh... it's like a moving picture with sound; like the television they have at the arena," Samus explained.

"Oh. And these videos show how to pleasure a woman with your mouth?"

"Uh...yeah... among other things." Samus cringed at the thought some of the less tasteful "other things" she'd had the misfortune of stumbling across on the net.

"Well that sounds interesting. Could you show me them sometime? I really want to learn how, so... well, so I.... um... so I can do those things for you," Zelda trailed off, realizing exactly what she was asking.

"Uh..." Samus too didn't like where this discussion was headed. "They're not instructional videos," she said hoping to stifle the conversation.

"Oh, what are they then?"

Samus winced. "Um well... how can I explain... their like..." What was a good word to use? "Entertainment."

"Hmm?" Zelda persisted.

Samus sighed defeatedly, knowing Zelda wouldn't relent. She might as well give in. " Entertainment for people who... you know... want to touch themselves."

"Oh!" Zelda exclaimed, shocked and embarrassed. "I see." She paused, seeming to ponder something. "Hmm..." A smile crept across Zelda's face. "Samus?"

"Yeah?" she said uneasily knowing exactly what question was coming.

"When you would watch these videos... you would touch yourself?" Zelda said taking on a teasing tone again.

"Y-yeah," Samus admitted.

"Hmm..." Zelda sighed happily.

"What?" Samus raised an eyebrow. Zelda only smiled. "Hey, it gets lonely on long trips like through space like that."

"I wasn't criticizing."

"But you were thinking something."

"I wasn't, honest," Zelda protested.

"Hmm." Samus pouted.

"Samus... next time you, um... do that, instead of watching the video... would you...uh well," Zelda again stammered, embarrassed by her own questions, "would you think of me instead?"

"Uh-" That was unexpected, but also a relief. "Mm," she nodded. "I don't think I could avoid it now," Samus said with a smirk.

Zelda was blushing, but felt strangely satisfied with herself for managing to have such an open discussion. She pulled Samus close, and kissed her softly and lovingly.

The pair passed in to a long quiet respite, resting silently beside each other. Samus lay on her stomach, head resting on her folded arms, eyes closed but not sleeping. Zelda slowly and lightly ran the tips of her fingers down Samus back repeatedly.

Her eyes opened and Samus was intrigued to see a small smile on Zelda's lips. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

"I'm so..." Zelda started to speak but caught herself, deciding to say something different. "Gaebora is gone now." Samus grabbed her hand, caressed gently. "I was able to see him for what he was. Its stupid, but I had lived in fear of him my whole life, like his shadow was constantly standing over me. But I know now that wasn't rational."

"Fear rarely is."

"Mmm," Zelda nodded. "I'm finally free from him and I can live for myself; make my own decisions; choose my own path."

"So what will you do?"

"I-" Zelda paused to think "I haven't decided yet..." she let out a slight laugh and smiled shaking her head. She sighed and smiled warmly at Samus. "It felt so incredible once I had confronted him."

"See? I told you, you could do it if you tried."

"Not me." Zelda shook he head "It was you, Samus! When I was there with him and I felt at my weakest... my most frightened, I thought of you." Zelda clasped Samus hand between hers and held it up to her face. "I thought of your words to me and of your own unyielding courage in the face of adversity. I thought of you and it filled me with such unbelievable strength that I could hardly believe it. It was you who gave me the ability to break free. Without you, I wouldn't-- I couldn't have," Zelda said, her eyes glowing with admiration.

"I didn't do anything really. You had that power in you the whole time."

Zelda shook her head. "You helped me to realize that though. I am deeply grateful to you..." She leaned over and kissed Samus on the forehead. "...and I love you."

Zelda stared longingly into her eyes as her last words ran through her head, and she realized her love for this woman ran far deeper than she previously considered. She took a lock of the other woman's hair and twirled it between her fingers, then quickly tucked it behind her ear before finding another one to play with. This wasn't something trivial; wasn't just a simple first love or passing fancy. It was a deep profound feeling that struck her soul.

Now if only Samus would reciprocate those feelings towards her.

"Samus," she started hesitantly, "Have you been thinking about what I asked of you; about the future; about your desires and how you see our relationship?"

"I-- I don't know." Samus cast her eyes down. "That's hard for me; I'm not the kind of person that knows about these things. There's so much I'm unsure of," she sighed and turned her head to the other side. "Give me more time," she muttered in to the pillow.

"That's okay." Zelda kissed her forehead again "Take your time, figure things out. Alright?"

"Yeah..."

Zelda laid her hand on her love's back and brushed her hair aside "You can talk about it if you ever need to." She nuzzled her face against Samus' neck. "I'm always here for you," she whispered soothingly.

"Okay..."

As she stared down on the one she adored, she found herself having peculiar thoughts. Fantasies ran rampant through her head. She imagined Samus losing her armor and her ability to fight, and needing to rely on her to save the day. She shook her head and sighed inwardly, a stupid, childish fantasy. It would be more realistic for Samus to be living here in Hyrule, having given up her other life as a bounty hunter, and lived off her generosity. She was wealthiest person in all Hyrule after all. There was no need for Samus to torture herself doing a job that made her miserable. No, that was just as unlikely. Samus was too proud an individual to agree to something along those lines. Regardless, Zelda was still left with this protective feeling towards her love. She just wanted to shelter and support her, to keep her out of harm's way and take her away from her harsh and lonely life. That wasn't asking too much, right?

"I love you." Zelda repeated, kissing Samus' neck with tender pecks as she stroked the taller woman's shoulders. How long would she have to wait to hear Samus utter those words? She kissed down her back, between her shoulder blades, sensitive lips against soft skin. Would she ever get to hear them? Her hands found Samus' waist as her lips explored the small of her back, acutely aware of the faint scars that riddled the huntress' body. The flesh had healed, however her heart was still a long way from recovery.

She would be alright even if Samus never returned her feelings, Zelda concluded. Her own feelings were enough to satisfy her. She didn't need them to be reciprocated. It would be alright just so long as they could still see each other. She sighed softly as she pressed her cheek to Samus' back. That would be enough. Slowly, she kissed her way up to the hunter's neck once again. It would be enough to be able to hold her close at night, to coddle and care for her, to make her whole and happy, and to heal her wounds.

"I love you," she repeated, vocalizing the feeling that now burned like a fire from within her heart.

Tenderly, Zelda suck at the soft skin at the base of her neck. With her nose buried in Samus' long lush hair, she took in her lover's sent with every breath. This would be enough.

Her hands slid under Samus, hugging her, as she lay on top of the huntress. Zelda held her tight, feeling the heat from her body seeping into her own, warm skin against warm skin creating a stark contrast to the cold room. The princess' lips continued to tug at her neck, again finding that sensitive spot near the back quarter. Now that she knew this weak point, she couldn't resist exploiting it. Samus' sighed softly, squirming at the ticklish sensation. The younger girl closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.

The weight of Samus' body pinning her arms against the bed made her embrace feel even tighter and brought the two lovers closer together. Taking the soft flesh of huntress' ear between her lips, Zelda let out a gentle hum, drawing a shivering response from her lover. It could never be close enough for the princess. She nuzzled her face into the other woman's hair, pushing it aside with the bridge of her nose as she kissed along her shoulders and neck.

Zelda kissed the crook of neck where it met her shoulder, teeth gently gnawed at the sensitive flesh. "Ah...." Samus breathed out, tensing up. Lying on top of her, Zelda could feel every squirm, every twitch, every breath. It was euphoric knowing she was the cause of each. She rolled them both onto their sides, freeing her hands to explore Samus' body. Her fingers gently caressed her lover absent the apprehension she felt earlier, however Zelda still hesitated before taking her completely.

"This is okay?" she spoke softly into the other woman's ear.

"You don't need to ask," Samus breathlessly muttered.

"Uh! R-right."

Something about the way Samus said that struck a cord with her. It was almost like she was saying "I belong to you". Zelda knew she was reading too much into it, but she didn't care at the moment. She just indulged herself in the sentiment and in the pleasures of physical intimacy.

Zelda's lips gave continued attention to her lover's neck, shoulders and ears, changing between them as her desires dictated. Her fingers took care of the rest, employing the same technique Samus had showed her to use earlier.

A relaxed sigh escaped Samus' lips as she arched back, pushing against Zelda. She was discovering she immensely enjoyed the ways in which Samus' body would respond to her touch, perhaps even more so than when Samus touched her. The way she squirmed and shuddered was cute, and her shallow, breathy gasps were delectable. They were all beautiful expressions of her personality; raw, unguarded emotions that, in Zelda's romanticized view, gave a glimpse into her soul.

Craving more, she imagined all manner of ways to touch her lover to see how she would react to each. She had to learn it all; to know all that was Samus Aran. She studied everything; every last detail, committing it all to memory. Samus would arch her back with a slow and certain rhythm, and twitched and shuddered in response to changes in the princess' approach, sometimes accompanied by a sharp intake when Zelda touch her a particular way. The way she breathed when excited, Zelda noted, was much different than herself. She held it in at the top of her breath for a period before exhaling quickly, and then repealed. As her excitement rose she would hold it in longer and gasp in each new breath harder than the last. She would squirm, kicking her legs slowly as if she were climbing stairs, and would turn her head to the side periodically, tensing and relaxing her muscles with varying tempo. With every movement, Zelda was made aware of the impressive strength the huntress possessed. Samus' breath caught in her throat and she trembled in silence while she took firm hold of Zelda's forearm. The entire performance enthralled Zelda immeasurably, until Samus' body finally relaxed and she breathed slow and deep.

Softer yet more deliberate, Zelda slowed her pace, following Samus' lead. She allowed her lover's excitement level to dictate her tempo, closely matching her highs and lows. Consequently, Samus responded to her touch, forming a dynamic where they each fed off the others energy, and the two flowed together as one.

Nuzzled against the huntress' neck, lips kissed skin slick with sweat. The racing pulse beneath the surface drew their attention and she lingered on the spot it felt strongest, feeling connected to her lover. A breathy sigh escaped her lips, and Samus tossed her head to the one side, then to the other. Her lush flaxen hair brushed delicately across the princess's face with each turn, delivering its sweet sent to her nose.

Zelda wrapped her own legs around the huntress's, her unoccupied arm tightened around her lover's chest, and her chin hooked over her shoulder, all in an attempted to envelope the other woman. So entwined every subtle movement Samus made was obvious and apparent to her.

Her breathing became shallow and broken again; she would hold it in, like she was trying to exhale but couldn't. Then it would come out in one quick, out-and-in-again gasp; a cycle repeated with ever growing intensity and duration. Subtleties Zelda hadn't noticed prior became apparent to her: there was a slight quiver in her breath as she began to exhale, a momentary hitch half way through her inhale, an involuntary trembling in her lower extremities.

"Mmm," she moaned sharply, utilizing her rarely heard voice, a sound cut short by her breath catching in her throat. Her fists bunched up the sheets, dislodging it from the corners of the bed. "Eh..." she gasped out as it finally released.

The once rigid body Zelda held became like water in her arms. She gently rolled the huntress over on to back her, and climbed on top of her again. Without once taking her hands of her lover, she continued.

"Uh! Zelda... I already-"

"I want to watch your face," Zelda cut her off. Her voice was soft yet her words held such firm determination that Samus couldn't refuse her. Though exhausted, she just nodded.

Brushing her hand through those sunshine locks of hair, Zelda stared into her lover's face with eager eyes. She had to know absolutely everything. She watched in fascination as the huntress' eyes flittered from point to point, her lips quivered and curled back with her breath, and her brow periodically creased and scrunched. Soon she was breathing shallow and sporadically once again

"Heh... heh... heh..." she gasped out, low and ragged with every pant.

Captivated, Zelda moved in close so all she could see before her was her lover's beautiful face. Samus bit her lower lip, likely straining, and Zelda locked eyes with her, staring deep into those brilliant blue gems, hoping to catch something significant in them during her most unguarded moment. Hands searched around frantically for something to grab onto yet couldn't settle on one point.

"Hmm-eh... ah, ah," she cried out softly, a half-octave above her normal speaking voice. The sweet song was a delicious reward for the princess and a welcome contrast to her breathy gasps and muted moans. Her blindly grasping hand finally locked on to Zelda's wrist, pulling her away.

"Okay, okay... no more."

Zelda caressed her face and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She watched with great affection as Samus came down off of her high.

"Was that twice?" she whispered softly.

Gasping for air, Samus gave her a questioning look and only answered after she found both the princess' meaning and the breath to respond. "Three, actually," she muttered in a husky breathless voice.

"Mmm..." Zelda hummed with a gentle smile, resting her head on Samus' chest and embracing her.

She could hear the other woman's pounding heart and the air rushing to and from her lungs, the rise and fall from those deep breaths taking the princess for a ride. She was surprised at how fast both seemingly returned to their resting rates. Samus truly was in amazing athletic shape, recovering in a fraction of the time it would have taken her.

As she listened to that ever slowing heartbeat, Zelda was again overcome by tender feelings for the bounty hunter, loving and protective. She even felt a little possessive of her, wanting to wrap her arms around the woman and keep her in this, in this bed, indefinitely.

She thought it odd wanting to protect someone like Samus. She could certainly take care of herself. On the other hand she really was quite fragile in certain ways. Stranger still, Samus' strength was one of the qualities she admired most about her, yet for some reason it was the woman's fragility and that desire to protect her that she thought of most often when she had the huntress in mind.

Why was that? Did she have some deep seeded need to protect someone, to make herself feel stronger? Was she that twisted that she wanted Samus to be frail for her sake? ...or... perhaps that was true deep love to be attracted to someone's flaws and not just their endearing qualities? ....or was it that she knew that someone to comfort and support her was what Samus desperately needed to feel whole again, even if the proud huntress would never recognize such a fact? Zelda decided on the second, simply because the notion sat best with her.

She smiled softly hugged her love tighter. "You must be tired after all that," she said.

"Hmm..." Samus hummed. "You would think so. But..." She quickly turned on Zelda, pinning her down. "I've got high endurance... I could go 'till dawn," she said as she lowered herself onto her partner, taking that pointed ear between her teeth. Zelda yelped in surprise.

"And I intend to," she spoke into Zelda's ear.

---x---

Power overcomes all obstacles, the disembodied voice spoke commandingly. Yet power requires a vessel.

There was no sound, the words simply manifested in his head.

Answers are before you.

From endless blackness, an ally.

More distant than the sky, yet not far off.

Look to the stars.

The King of Evil awoke suddenly, his eyes snapping open to the sound of thunder. A violent storm raged outside of his makeshift shelter near the summit of Death Mountain. A week golden light illuminated the small room. He clutch his left hand in his right as the Triforce pulsed once then faded, leaving him in complete darkness.

"Look to the stars?" he repeated the words from his dream. "Interesting."

---x---

The morning sun shined across the foot of the bed and warmed the room. Birds happily chirped outside, singing their praise to the dawn. The storm clouds had passed.

Zelda lay on her side staring deeply into Samus eyes, both with sated looks on their faces. Zelda ran her finger tips slowly across Samus forehead, tracing a line over her eyebrow then down the bridge of her nose. She lazily let her fingers fall of the tip of Samus nose and caress her lips gently. She then drew the backs of her fingers up from Samus' chin caressing along her cheek. For the longest time, she wordlessly explored all the features of Samus' face, a face that seemed to grow more beautiful to her by the day.

"I enjoyed last night," Zelda finally broke the long silence.

"That's an understatement. I'm surprised the guards didn't come in thinking you were getting murdered."

Zelda glanced to the side mumbling something incoherent, a blush came across her face. She wasn't that loud. Why did Samus insist on teasing and embarrassing her?

Samus chuckled a little. "You can be really shy when it comes to sex, you know that?"

"Sorry, I don't mean to be..."

"No, I like it. It's cute," Samus said, giving away the reason for her teasing and unknowingly answering younger girl's unspoken question.

Zelda looked to her warmly, their eyes meeting in loving exchange.

"You can also be quite the animal when you get into it," Samus added with a lopsided smirk.

"Uh!" Zelda yelped and hid her face again, burying it in the sheets.

Samus couldn't help but laugh, earning herself a pouting expression and playful punch in her shoulder. Her expression softened and she took the younger girl by the chin, pulling her into a warm kiss.

Pulling away, Zelda framed the huntress's face with her hands. "Last night, the way you touched me, it really seemed like you... Well, I felt... loved."

"Heh...yeah." Samus chuckled nervously "I guess it's true what they say, 'Make up sex is the very best'."

At that Samus could see Zelda's blissful expression faded slightly "What? What is it?"

"Uh...n-nothing." Zelda shook her head. "It's just that I thought... well... never mind..." Zelda smiled briefly "It's nothing, really."

"Sure?"

"Mmm." Zelda nodded reassuringly. 'It would be enough' she told herself once more. If she repeated it again and again she would eventually believe it.

Zelda's hand fell on Samus' upper arm, her grip unconsciously tightening. "I was getting worried there for a while."

"For what?"

"We got to fighting pretty badly. I thought... I didn't know if we would survive it."

"Hey, listen..." Samus ran her fingers through her hair and gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about being such a bitch about that date thing."

Zelda nodded, looking pensive.

"Well you were just... I thought you shouldn't have to endure something like that. And there was no reason for it except that you agreed to it. I was just.... I was upset that you would agree to something you don't want to do. Sorry, but I guess I just get angry when anyone hurts you or makes you uncomfortable... even if the person is you."

Zelda smiled and laughed silently, "Samus, as odd as it was, that explanation was actually really sweet..."

"You know, it did bother me when he almost kissed you," Samus added.

"Hmm..." Zelda sighed. "I knew it."

"But not like that. Only because... well because I could tell it bothered you."

Zelda's gaze melted. "You're so sweet to me." She then kissed Samus' forehead softly. "And, I'm sorry too... but..." Zelda shook her head. "If it's all the same to you, could we just drop the whole thing and put it behind us?"

"Yeah," Samus nodded. "Sure. Consider it finished."

"Well then, tell me about something else. Last night; why were you out in the rain?"

"Huh... oh, I don't know." Samus shrugged her shoulders.

"You were smiling... I've never seen you genuinely happy like that before."

"I... don't know. I guess I've always liked the rain. It just makes me feel better." Zelda gave her a perplexed look, tipping her head to one side. "Like your eyes," Samus continued. "I can't explain either; but they just do."

Zelda smiled at the complement. "Always, hmm?"

"Well since I was young.... I can clearly remember the first time I ever stood in a rain storm. The planet where I grew up had toxic rain so you could never go out in it. But when I first moved to a Federation world... I must have been about fifteen... It was the weirdest thing. It just started up all of a sudden. It seemed almost magical to me. I instantly got this really tingly feeling inside... I can't really explain good."

"So... my eyes have that same effect on you?"

Samus shook her head. "No... that's different. The rain... it excites me." Samus brought her hand up to Zelda's face and ran thumb near Zelda's eye. "When I look at you it's... more like calmness. Something I can't truly fe

Chapter 19

Title: Remembrance

[Author's notes: Well this has certainly been way too long in the making. I'm very sorry for taking so long. I've come to realize the reason behind my delays is my extremely meticulous nature and holding myself to increasingly higher standards. As I improve as a writer my expectations for myself seem to grow even faster and I can't keep up with them. I'm not sure how to remedy this.

Calling all artists. If you have any artistic talent, particularly in drawing characters, I would like to hear from you. I'd like someone to illustrate some scenes from this story. If interested please contact me.]



"Greetings, Your Highness. What may I do for you?"

"Medorreil...?" Zelda turned around to see the man she had summoned.

The royal speechwriter, and de facto second in charge, crossed the room to where the princess sat and took a slight bow. "Oh, I see you're writing a speech for the memorial... I'll be glad to help with--"

"No, that's not why I've called you here," she interrupted. "You may have heard already... Last night I removed Gaebora from my service."

"Uh- I... I thought it was only a rumor."

"Were you privy to what he had planned for the services today?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I was involved in every detail."

"That's good, because we will need someone to oversee things and organize the proceedings. Since Gaebora is gone, that task falls to you. Can you manage it?"

"Yes, of course, Princess."

"Very good. Thank you." Hearing that was a huge relief for Zelda, glad that her abrupt actions wouldn't interfere with Link's memorial service. "On that note, I will need to fill Gaebora's position. I am appointing you as my chief advisor."

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you," he said nervously. "Who, then, shall I appoint to replace myself as speechwriter?"

"No one," she said after a short pause. "I shall write my own speeches from now on. If I'm going to speak, it should be in my own words." For too long she had been under the influence and control of other people. She was going to start to do things herself from here forward. "Is Gaebora still lingering around?"

"I have not seen him this morning."

"Good. If he does appear, have the guards expel him. He is henceforth banished from the premises."

"Yes, Princess."

"All right, now get to work. We're running short on time."

"Of course, Your Highness." He turned to leave as Zelda turned back around to her desk and her writing. She stopped him before he got out of the door, however.

"Medorreil," she said without turning to face him, her pen held to the paper in the middle of a word.

"Yes, Princess?"

There was a very long pause from Zelda before finally speaking. "Samus..." Another long pause. "Samus and I are lovers... If that is a problem for you, then you should not take the position. It's why Gaebora was removed. I won't hold it against you."

"Uh, well, it's... I mean, I..." Medorreil stammered, not sure how to respond.

She now turned to look at him. "You can keep your current job, or quit altogether, or I can find some other position for you. Whatever you feel is right for you. I simply cannot have you as my chief advisor if you have a problem with... with how I am. I only ask that if you do decide to quit, at least wait until after this memorial service. I won't be able to find someone else to oversee matters on such short notice."

He stared at her a bit longer before he finally bowed and said, "It would be an honor to serve you, Your Highness. I accept the position. There are no problems at all."

"I'm glad to hear it. I must have someone who is on my side in all things."

"I am, Your Highness," he said, and bowed once again before turning to leave.

"Oh! Just one other thing..." Zelda added. "Unless it's an emergency, never wake me up in the morning. I like to sleep late."

---x---

"Zelda said I'm supposed to help," Samus stated bluntly to the man standing before her.

She had found the courtyard alive with activity when she arrived, and immediately began looking around for something to do. Nearly fifty, she guessed, castle staff flurried about, busily preparing the area for the coming ceremony. She didn't do well in crowds and quickly needed to find something to occupy her. Some asking around eventually led her to the Captain, as most people called him.

The Captain of the Guard of Hyrule Castle looked her over, judging her potential value as a worker. "What can you do?" he said in a tone that matched hers.

Samus considered this for a moment. What real skills did she have that would be of any relevance? She glanced around the area to see if anything stood out to her.

The courtyard had been transformed from its usual serene state into a chaotic scene. Several soldiers and workers were constructing a small stage with a podium that would allow Zelda to give her speech. In front of the podium, white wicker chairs were being arranged in rows, placed in a bowl formation to allow for the best view.

Not too far from her stood a marble statue of Link. Over fifteen feet tall and wielding the Master Sword, he was looking towards the sky of Hyrule. A hand full of portraits of the hero, painted by several artists on commission, were set in wooden frames and stood around the base of the statue.

A framework of iron bars rose over the seating area that would serve as the support for a large awning. The decorative cloth covering, lying on the ground not too far away, was still in the process of being sewn together. Regal-looking banners and elaborate flower arrangements were placed at strategic locations, decorating the rest of the courtyard. Many had yet to be hung up.

However, none of this was something Samus could help with. Perhaps she could assist in constructing the podium, but she truly lacked the handiwork and woodworking skills for that.

"I'm a bounty hunter," she muttered when she couldn't think of anything.

At that, his serious expression gave way and his face contorted in contained laughter, but not a sound escaped his lips. "That's a good one." The Captain dismissed her absurd declaration as nothing more than a joke. "You look like a farm girl with those clothes." Samus, wearing old blue trousers and a leathern short coat, appeared to him an unusual sight. "Just go hang some banners or help the girls sew the awning cover together."

Her face now contorted as well, though in annoyance rather than levity. "I don't do stuff like that."

"Well, I'm not your nanny. Do what you want." He dismissed her.

Over the Captain's shoulder she noticed slightly more than thirty castle guards, all decked out in full armor and carrying spears and other weaponry on their way out, leaving the grounds.

"What about them?" she inquired, with a toss of her head in their direction. "Why aren't they helping like the rest of the guards around here?"

"Moblin patrol, my dear," he said as he turned to face them. "It's a nuisance that this memorial and the summer festival should fall on the same day. Now we're really shorthanded."

"Moblin patrol?" Samus raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes," the Captain nodded. "Don't you know? The festival activity attracts the moblins and other beasts to the fairgrounds. In the past, they've attacked the fairgoers. It's a nasty problem. We patrol to drive them back into the woods earlier in the day so they won't become an issue later tonight."

Samus' smirk grew as he spoke, seeing the opportunity presented to her. "It would be helpful if they could stay and work here?" she said.

"Wouldn't it," the captain said enthusiastically. "But we can't let one job go undone for the sake of another."

"Give me six that best know the lay of the land," she said earnestly. "Let the rest work here."

"Give you? I beg your pardon?"

"I'd do it myself, but I don't know where to go." Or even what a moblin is, she decided not to add. "Don't worry, they won't slow me up too much."

"Now listen here," he said incredulously. "I can't allow young lady such as yourself to go off into woods looking for moblins," he finished with a slight upturn in his tone. "It would be irresponsible of me as head of security."

"Can't allow?" Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "Are you going to stop me?" she said, and with that, walked off in the direction of the gate, calling for the squad to wait up. The Captain hastily followed her.

"If they can get past me, then they can come. The ones I stop have to stay here and work here," Samus declared.

"I am in command here, miss. You can't just go around making decisions for my men for your own amusement. This isn't a children's game."

Samus smirked. "Afraid?" she asked as she moved to block the exit. "If you have any confidence in your soldiers, then there shouldn't be a problem."

"Of course I have. I trained these men myself! They are of the highest caliber."

"Then we have a deal?" Her smug, arrogant tone irritated him.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, annoyed with her overconfident attitude. "I won't be accountable if you get injured."

Samus only smirked confidently in response.

"Very well, then. Squad! Move out!"

---x---

"... we remember- in remembrance... yeah. In remembrance of his... His what? ... of his noble deeds... no, valiant deeds... deeds or actions? In remembrance of his valiant actions... No, no, that's all wrong."

Zelda crumpled her paper up and tossed it in a bin along with other discarded papers. With an annoyed sigh, she took a fresh page from a stack and re-inked her quill.

"There's no time to be so particular about my words," she said, then set about writing once again.

---x---

Hoofed feet scampered trough the thick underbrush of the forest. Stumpy legs carried their owners away from their pursuers, a group of men in shiny armor, armed with spears and bows. Though dangerous, these invaders of the forest couldn't effectively pursue them through the heavy growth of trees, bushes and tall-grass.

A lavender bolt of light flew into the midst of them and struck the ground, kicking up dirt and making a frightful noise, stopping the creatures in the tracks. A second shot impacted a tree and sent the swine scattering in different directions, squealing and snorting as they disappeared into the forest.

Samus holstered her pistol as she assessed the threat level of these creatures called moblins. While the pig-like beasts were stocky and had obvious muscle, they frightened easily. They appeared quite primitive, wearing simple animal skins and carrying clubs and spears that didn't amount to much more than snapped-off tree branches. And if that brief scuffle was any indication, they weren't at all organized, and most likely not intelligent. All things considered, by her standards, they weren't much of a threat at all.

Samus smiled at how effortlessly it all came to her. Her thoughts just flowed naturally and it felt almost good to get back to hunting once again. This is who she was. To most people it would be wearisome, terrifying, or just plain dangerous, but she was comfortable with it because it was a situation she knew how to control. This was easy. It was the other thing that was hard.

The three men that had been pursuing the creatures came strolling over to her, having finally caught up. They were heavily armed, wearing full-plate armor, and were equipped with lances. They weren't used to being commanded by a woman and lacked the proper respect they had for their real commander. They wouldn't think to disobey her, though, knowing firsthand that they shouldn't take her lightly. They wouldn't make that mistake again.

"There could be more in the area. Let's keep searching," said Daath, the oldest of them.

The other two, Atlam and Callis, were a lot younger and less experienced than Daath. Samus had left the castle with a group of six, but split into two teams to cover more area. The other team consisted of Imero, a young lieutenant and one of the team's two archers; Marcus, a big guy who she never heard utter a word and also wielded a lance; and Arron, the team's second archer. They were patrolling not too far away.

It would do her good to get out of that castle for once and clear her head. She had been spending an awful lot of time with Zelda lately, and that was skewing her perspective. She sometimes felt like she was drowning in Zelda. She needed to take a step back and focus on something else for once. Then she could come back with a clear head.

"I don't like being out here with so few." Whispering between the soldiers came up.

"Well, we know who we have to blame for that."

Just who was this woman to speak to their captain like that and treat them like they were nothing? It was beyond arrogant. She was, apparently, very close to Her Highness Zelda. Did she just assume that gave her the right to order them around? That was no excuse. She was, however, a powerful warrior and, they assumed, a magician of some kind because of her strange attire and fantastical weaponry.

"Urrr," Samus groaned. She didn't care that they were talking about her, but between their chatter and the clank their armor made every time they moved, these idiots would surely alert their quarry.

"Knock it off," she said sharply. "Keep quiet."

The forest was quiet but for the swooshing of the wind through the trees. It was a somewhat calming sound that allowed her to relax for a bit. The sun shone down through the tall conifers in narrow columns of light, giving birth to scenery that she only knew from stories and legends. However, the beauty was deceptive and hid a danger that her honed senses picked up. This forest was alive, and many eyes were upon them.

"Hey, guys! There's more over here," one of the men from the other group shouted from nearly a hundred yards away.

Samus shook her head. How they managed to survive in this line of work for so long was a mystery to her. They were just lucky their quarry wasn't very formidable. She and her group hurried through the forest and met up with the other three men. They continued on together pursuing a group of a half-dozen moblins and chased them a good distance into the forest.

Being faster and more agile, Samus ran twenty paces ahead of the others until the foliage suddenly became much denser and she had to stop. Searching around, she found a small opening and tried to squeeze herself through.

"Stop!" Daath shouted, as the soldiers caught up to her.

"They're getting away."

"Let them," Imero said. "We just wanted to chase them off in the first place. Besides, no one goes in there. Captain's orders."

"That place is cursed," Arron added.

"That's stupid," Samus remarked to herself as she began walking off in the opposite direction, having lost interest. The rest of the squad followed her back towards their patrol area.

"No one's ever made it out alive. It's called the Lost Woods for a reason," Atlam tried to explain. "Only beasts, specters, and lost souls inhabit that place."

"If no one comes out, how do you know what's inside?" Samus said, amused by the distinctive and unexpected note of Chozodian logic in her concise argument.

Atlam didn't have an answer, so the conversation ended there. Though that didn't stop them from conversing with each other.

"Isn't it nice to be out and about instead of patrolling the castle hallways that all day long?" one said. "I suppose, but personally I would've liked to help set up Master Link's memorial. I feel I owe that to him at least," another replied. "I can't believe that he's gone. He was supposed to be a legend blessed by the goddesses. It must have been some battle," said the first again. "Well, I certainly hope the princess is all right. They were fairly close, you know," a third interjected. "They were, weren't they? I always thought she would marry him."

The memorial? Samus tuned them out as her thoughts drifted back to Zelda. She hoped she was okay by herself. She had to write that speech about Link, which hadn't gone too well the last time. She hadn't been showing it, but it was likely she was still upset about what happened to him. Samus found herself wishing she could be with Zelda at the moment to see if she was all right.

'Damn it,' Samus caught herself. She was supposed be clearing her head and focusing on something else besides Zelda for once.

"I'm hopeless," she muttered.

"What's that?" Atlam asked.

"Huh?" Samus looked embarrassed. She'd been caught talking to herself. Covering, she said the first thing that came to mind. "You guys are hopeless. I could handle this better on my own."

"This area's clear for now," Lieutenant Imero interrupted. "We should check the river for octoroks."

Why did Zelda have to be so terribly distracting? Samus wondered as they moved along. The princess had managed to work her way into her life, becoming an important part of it, so it was only natural Samus thought about her a lot.

They had come out of the woods, into an open field bordered by a small stream that ran up to and under the castle. They slowly moved upstream while Atlam and Callis prodded the river with their spears every few yards.

But Zelda was all she thought about lately. Even when she wasn't present, she always found a way to invade her thoughts. How could she have been so careless to allow it to get this far in the first place? It was probably too late to go back at this point. Hadn't she been trained better than this?

With a splash, a hulking form rose from the water, lifting itself up on undulating tentacles. Vacant yellow eyes glared down at Samus, and its spout-like mouth puckered and spat something at her. Completely surprised, she stood motionless as a rock struck her shoulder, causing her to stagger back. The creature clambered forward and prepared to launch another attack when, from both sides, Atlam and Callis speared the octorok.

The men spoke something to her, but she didn't hear. Samus just stared blankly at the water as the creature's body slipped beneath the surface. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn't even react! She was just completely lost in thought; thoughts of Zelda... All her doubts had come to fruition in that one instant. The realization left her stupefied.

Her hand went to cover the bruised flesh of her shoulder, feeling the sting the rock left. Yeah, it was far too late to go back.

No! She shouldn't think like that. Going back was like running away. She had resolved last night that she wouldn't allow the challenge of a relationship to beat her.

"Samus Aran isn't scared of a challenge... not the one I know." That's what Zelda had said the other night, and she was completely right. Samus would have to go forward, change, and adapt to this. She had always told herself she had the strength and focus of mind to overcome anything.

She heard one of the men yell from far up ahead of her, again pulling her from her thoughts. They had already moved upstream without her realizing and entered a more heavily wooded area. How could she possibly consider herself strong and focused when she allowed herself to become attached to Zelda and be so distracted by her that it hindered her performance like this? The men were yelling even louder now, and she took off running in their direction.

Which one was she? Strong or weak? She couldn't deny she was slowly falling into a more mellow life than she was used to. Did strength mean staying immune to this change and remaining how she had always been?

Ahead, she could see Atlam stuck in a spider's web. Above him appeared to be a giant skull that the others were keeping at bay with their spears.

On the other hand, was it a sign of weakness to be unable to meet this new challenge? It did seem like it would be running away from that challenge if she refused to adapt... it would also mean running away from Zelda.

Closer now, she could see that the skull was actually a giant spider, whose armored back only resembled a skull.

On the other hand, she could just accept it, change her life, and become someone deserving of Zelda, proving she was capable of overcoming anything. However, that also meant succumbing to Zelda's allure, becoming a softer person, and changing in a way that didn't make her a better warrior.

As she neared the men, she leaped towards the tree adjacent to the web, then kicked off of it, sending herself higher, right over the spider's back. Using the hilt of her pistol, she cut the creature's drop line, causing it to fall to the ground, landing on its back. With its soft underside exposed, the men were able to easily spear the spider.

Of course, if she did try to change and still failed... well then, it would prove her undeniably weak, she thought as she landed gracefully.

There was no easy answer for her here, no clear course of action, no defined parameters for success or obvious objectives like she had on her missions.

"Whoa! Nice one, boss. How'd you do that?" Callis asked, awestruck. This was joined by the amused murmurings of a couple of the others. The concluded that the captain couldn't have found a better woman to lead them.

They were easily swayed, Samus thought. These were the same men that doubted her just a few moments ago, and yet they were impressed by dispatching such an easily defeated creature?

"I'm not here to hold your hands," she grumbled. "I'll let you get eaten next time. Be more careful from now on." They spent the next few minutes spent cutting Atlam free from the web. "Now, let's move out. I'm sure this isn't that last area to cover," she directed her words to Lieutenant Imero.

"Right. Let's go clear the east end."

They crossed the river and made their way southeast towards where the eastern tree line boarded the field. Same as before, the six men split in to two groups and put some distance between them as they delved into the forest, with Samus tagging along with one of the groups.

Her behavior today was unacceptable, and things couldn't continue like this. It made her uneasy to admit it, but she really was lost. She was never one to plan for the future, but she always had a sense of which way her life was going. Now Zelda had stolen even that from her. Could she find a way back to how things were before, or was this an inescapable spiral? Did she even want to go back at this point? Was it really better to be so cold and alone all the time?

Snapping branches caught her attention and she grabbed her pistol and readied herself, hand signaling the castle guards to do the same. The bushes rustled and parted and Imero's group came through.

"We have trouble." Imero spoke with urgency.

"What's the pr..." Samus was interrupted by faint sounds of squealing and snorting, coming from no direction in particular.

"Moblins." Callis looked worried. "How many?"

"Don't know," the lieutenant responded. "Lots."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "'Lots' isn't very helpful. How could you not get an estimate?"

The animal sounds grew louder and they could hear them moving through the brush.

"They do this sometimes," Daath explained. "Come back with larger numbers if they sense weakness."

"Ugh," Samus grunted under her breath. "Then we won't show them any!" she said crossly.

The trees, bushes, and branches all around them swayed as if they'd been disturbed by something, but still they couldn't see anything. The forest was thick enough that the moblins could be within a few feet before they jumped out.

"What are we going to do now?" Callis started to panic.

"This is why we take thirty men," Atlam said.

"It's your fault, making us come out here like this!" Arron added.

"Shut up! Damn idiots, get it together if you don't want to die!" Samus snapped, startling them back into line. "You four spearmen, form a line. Archers, get behind them. There's a clearing fifty yards back. Move in formation."

Under Samus' direction, they made a move for the clearing as the clamor of snorts and squeals grew ever closer. They weren't halfway there when the enemy came into view. The thinner trees here and allowed them to see a greater distance, but there wasn't enough of the open space they needed.

"Stand ground here!" Samus shouted, realizing they wouldn't make the clearing in time.

The group spun around and faced their attackers. Daath, Atlam, Marcus, and Callis stood in a line with spears at the ready, while Imero, Arron and Samus began firing at the approaching pack. Arrows flew and felled the primitive beasts while Samus picked off still more with her energy pistol.

The horde grew closer forcing the spearmen to defend their position. The four acted as one and thrust in unison as the first moblins came in range. The swine squealed as sharp metal priced their hides. They fell, but were replaced by more that came immediately after them.

"Left flank!" Imero shouted, indicating a significant number of moblins approaching them. Both he and Arron turned and fired on the new threat, and Atlam repositioned himself in front of them.

"Damn it, don't divide your attention!" Samus ordered. "You four, face left and charge forward. Archers, cover their flanks!"

As ordered, Daath, Atlam, Marcus, and Callis turned and pressed forward, while Arron shot down any moblins that came at them from the sides. The four successfully halted the advance, and Samus and Imero continued to defend their position, picking off as many as they could from the perimeter.

However, there were just too many. They were outnumbered at least six to one, Samus estimated, and they were gradually being surrounded. When she swung back around, she saw the four spearmen had been cut off from her and the archers. Imero and Arron had forgone their bows and had drawn swords in order to defend themselves at close range.

Things were rapidly deteriorating, and in the midst of this mess, Samus somehow managed to blame her failure on Zelda. It was just a fleeting thought, and she was appalled at herself for having it, but it still struck her as significant.

In the end, instinct took over as it always did in these situations, and she reached for her armor's storage disk. However, before she could even activate it, the attack evaporated into nothing and the moblins quickly vanished into the trees, leaving the group looking bewildered.

"Is that normal?" Samus asked.

"They must have realized it wasn't worth it," the lieutenant offered as an explanation.

"I don't think they..." Samus paused, interrupted when Atlam collapsed to his knees with a pained grunt. Marcus and Arron helped steady him, but there was a blood coming down the side of his leg. Imero rushed over to check him over with Daath close behind.

Samus quickly searched the perimeter for any sign that they might come back, and she saw Daath doing the same. She had to come to notice he was only one of the group that was halfway competent.

"This is bad," the lieutenant said. "His leg's cut pretty deep. I can't stop the bleeding. We need to get him back."

"We should get moving, then. They could re-force," Samus noted.

"Right," the lieutenant agreed. "Callis, Marcus, you'll carry Atlam out of here. Daath, you... ."

"Callis is not here, sir," Daath said sharply.

"What?!" Imero went white as he stood and looked around. A quick head count confirmed they were one short.

"Hey, boss, check this out," Daath called. He was crouching a few yards away, his hand brushing through the leaves on the ground.

"What is it?" Samus stood over him, watching as his hand moved over the leaves.

"Moblin tracks. See how these two sets are deeper than the rest and spaced irregularly?"

"Carrying something?"

"Exactly."

A dozen yards ahead in the direction of the tracks, they could see something glinting from beneath the leaves. As Samus and Daath approached it, they saw it was Callis's spear. That confirmed it. They had taken him.

"That's just great. Captain's gonna kill us," Arron complained. "He really liked Callis."

"The Captain won't find out. We're going after him," Imero resolved.

"No. Go home," Samus shot him down. "You'll only get in the way. I'll handle this."

"Hey, he's one of ours. You're not. You can't understand," Arron protested. "We're all going."

"I understand," Samus rebutted. "I allowed this to happen. It's my fault, my responsibility."

"You're damn right it's your fault! Now we need to-"

"You need to take your wounded back. Your captain said I was in command, so I'm ordering you to return to the castle."

With that, Samus ran off before they could argue any further. Following the trail, she left the soldiers far behind.

It was her fault. If she hadn't been so distracted over what to do about Zelda, this would never have gone the way it had. She had faced opponents far more menacing and odds infinitely more impossible, and had always come out unscathed. The only difference this time was Zelda.

She suited up and proceeded on, allowing her scanners to track the moblins' trail. This wasn't the first time Zelda had cost her a battle. Back when she was taken by Ridley, she just gave up without a fight. She wasn't even aware of what Zelda was doing to her at the time, and if not for Link's intervention, her defeat would have been assured.

'Link...' She thought of what happened to him. Callis isn't the first to pay a price for her newfound weakness.

The tracks led to a cave entrance, which led to a long, twisting tunnel. From the torches placed sporadically along the tunnel, she reasoned this cave was in use by someone. Recently broken spider webs swaying in the draft indicated that something had come through here recently.

Was she weak though? She could fight and survive in situations like almost no one else could, and if she could manage focus her mind, she was an unstoppable weapon. But she knew that was only looking at things superficially. Underneath that tough facade, she was a different person. Frightened by mere dreams, running from her past, suspicious of anyone or anything new to the point of paranoia, she was hardly the picture of strength. She knew there were always nameless threats that lurked unseen in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to strike. She had faced a few of them before, so she knew. She knew better than anyone else could, and she was terrified of it all.

Permanent torch pedestals at every intersection and tunnel entrances boarded up and closed off confirmed her guess that the moblins used this cave system heavily. Samus moved deeper and eventually came across rooms lined with wooden scaffolding around the edges that supported bunks for sleeping, numerous ladders for getting to the different levels, and several walkways interconnecting everything. The moblins must have not have only used these tunnels, but also inhabited them as well.

As Samus entered one such room, she startled several creatures that were throwing dice on the floor. They looked similar to the moblins she encountered before, sharing the same pig-like features, only these were much shorter with a slender build, where the others were stocky and muscle-bound. Armed with small axes and primitive machete-like swords, the group rushed her.

They had barely moved from their spots when a shot from Samus' ice beam froze one of them solid. The rest stopped out of fear, and after a second of consideration, turned and ran. Samus was about to gun them down but decided against it, assessing their threat level to be even less than that of the much larger moblins.

When it came to strength and weakness, one made her the other, she concluded. Weakness made her strong. Her fear of being weak drove her to chase impossible levels of strength. Yet her strength made her weak. Fear was a weakness, and she was the biggest coward of all.

She hid behind all that physical strength and used it like a shield against the world. Deep inside, she was afraid, unable to deal with all of what that world threw at her. How did those without her kind of strength face the trials of everyday life? Were they really the strong ones? Most were unable to protect themselves from dangers she could easily dispatch, yet they routinely faced the things she would run from. She really did need to toughen up.

Coward was a gentle term, she was a terrified, shivering mess. The person she was when she woke from one of her nightmares represented her true self. When all her walls were stripped away, that persona was at her core. It lurked under the surface at all times, beneath the false courage and mask of confidence she wore to fool the world... and herself. Her kind of strength was only on the surface, just like her armor.

"Huh," she huffed at this notion. Like a metaphor for her life, the armor acted as constant reminder of this truth. Without her abilities, her training and her armor to hide behind, she would never be anything more than a pathetic little girl, frightened and alone in the ruins of a destroyed world.

She came through a passage that opened up wide at the end and found herself in a massive fissure that cut through the earth. Deep and very long, the trench stretched farther than she could see. It was slightly too wide for her to jump. However, a few hundred meters away, someone had erected a rope bridge that spanned the gap. She noticed an eerie orange glow that emanated from far below. Peering over the edge, she could see a fast-flowing river of magma running at the bottom of the fissure.

Her mind again wandered as she walked the treacherously narrow ledge that ran along the length of the fissure and began to cross the bridge.

In her early days of hunting, when she had only just left the Chozo, she was terribly afraid of dying. That fear pushed her to survive, to get better, and eventually suppress her fears all together. Fear makes one weak, clouds one's thinking. It's the beginning of the end to feel fear. But she really was the biggest coward of all, hiding beneath her mask of phony strength. Maybe that's what bothered her about her relationship with Zelda. Samus couldn't hide from her.

Was she truly unable to face this one woman out of all the terrors in the world? She was, in fact, afraid of Zelda, afraid of losing her, afraid of losing to her, and afraid of losing herself. Yeah, she could honestly see that now. As odd as it sounded, Zelda frightened her. However, maybe that sounded too odd. It was more like Samus felt intimidated when in her presence.

Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice the little moblin on the other side until it was too late. With an ax raised above its head, it severed the bridge's rope supports with one clean chop, plunging Samus straight down into the lava below.

---x---

Zelda made her way down the hall on her way to the courtyard, hoping to survey the all the preparations for the memorial service. Tucked under her arm was a mix of pages from several different drafts of her speech, which was only mostly finished. She couldn't decide exactly on which tone she wanted to use and which draft best fit what she intended to say. She wanted it to sound somber, in reverence of a fallen hero. However, not so somber that it would depress everyone. It needed a hopeful quality to it, too.

'Somber but hopeful', she thought. The people needed to remember Link and of course miss him, but they also need her to reassure them and put their doubts and fears to rest.

She wondered how Samus was doing and hoped she wasn't causing much trouble. She was from a very different world and could be difficult, especially if people didn't approach her the right way. She viewed life as a competition and she always needed to win.

Zelda giggled, imagining Samus furiously trying to outperform the other preparers at some menial task as if it were a life or death situation.

Zelda shook her head at the odd distraction. Samus sure did enter her mind at the oddest times. She sighed softly. "Being in love is such a wonderful feeling," she said to herself, and trotted down the hall with an extra spring in her step.

---x---

"Damn it," Samus cursed herself as she trudged ashore. Thick magma covered her armor and dripped to the ground, leaving a trail of hot spots leading away from the river of molten rock.

"Damn you, you idiot!" Distracted once again. She tried to push it all aside, not wanting to think about it.

But hadn't she always done that? Always just pushed all her feelings to the back corner of her mind and detached herself from them? She was a coward of the highest caliber, even hiding from her own emotions. She had always detached herself from everything. In combat, she was like an unfeeling machine. Her actions and thoughts in battle were automatic, completely irrespective of the person she was underneath her mask. That side of her, the side the rest of the world saw, might as well have been a different person entirely.

Samus moved along the shore of the lava flow and eventually found a steep, winding path leading back up to top again. She began climbing and eventually made it back up to the far side of the bridge.

It was good that way, however. Her false self allowed her to live in the world, existing among the rest of those weak people and interacting with them without anyone being the wiser. Nobody knew the frailty she hid beneath the surface, nobody could exploit it. Only...

"Right," Samus muttered. Only Zelda ever saw the truth. Why was that girl continually an exception to every constant in her life?

Screeching bats with wings engulfed in flames swarmed her as she came around the next corner. "Arrggh..." she yelled as she staggered backwards, shielding her face with her left arm. On reflex her right arm also came up and fired randomly into the swarm of keeses, dispersing them in short order.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," she cursed herself. "Clear your head already, Aran."

It was seemingly hopeless. The more she tried to focus, the more she kept getting drawn back into her stupid inner dialogue.

She found her way into a small room where clay jugs, filled with water, lined the walls. She leaned over with her hands against the wall and lowered her head. This whole thing was an absolute mess insider her head and she just couldn't clear it up. Never before had she been plagued by thoughts like this. What was with her so suddenly?

Well... she knew what, or rather, who. The real question was, what could she do about it? Something would have to be done before long, or she would end up paying for it.

"Fuck it all!" Samus punched the wall and took a few deep breaths. "I'm losing it."

Hunched over as she was, she found herself staring directly into one of the water-filled jugs. That would have to do. She took off her helmet, picked up the jug and dumped it over her head. The cold liquid ran down her neck and into her suit, and was a shock to her body. She could feel it pooling up in her boots. Staring at the path ahead, she attempted to empty her mind using a meditation method taught to her by the Chozo. It had been a very long while since she last used it, still just a child if she recalled correctly, but now she needed it once again.

She picked a spot on the wall to stare at and began her mental exercises. Once clear, she focused on what she needed to do and filled her head with just those thoughts.

"Move forward. Clear all obstacles. Find and retrieve the missing man," she stated aloud, defining her mission objectives. And with that, she replaced her helmet upon her head and took off running.

There were only a few more rooms and passages to navigate before she found her target. Samus came upon a large open chamber, illuminated by a familiar amber glow that she recognized as being given off by magma. A mixed group of moblins and their smaller counterparts lined the perimeter of the room. Their guttural animal noises had taken on a more rhythmic tone, almost like they were chanting.

Samus moved further into the cavern, staying mostly out of sight behind a row of stalagmites. Although she doubted they would notice her anyway, as their attention was focused at the far end of the cave. What were they all staring at? As she came around to the other side of the row of stalagmites, she could finally see.

The floor at the far end of the room gradually dipped down into a wide, slow-moving lava flow. In front of that, an armored figure lay on the ground, chained to a rock.

Callis.

What was this? Were they baiting her? Would they try to attack while she freed him?

Samus doubted they were intelligent enough for that. But then again, she'd been had by them before at the bridge. Keeping wary of her surroundings, she made her way down to the center of the chamber. The beasts reacted when they noticed her, squealing and snorting in protest, but they made no attempt to stop her. Oddly, they kept their distance.

Callis was not conscious, but a quick scan told her that he only had a mild concussion from a knock on the head and no other serious injuries. She stood over him and debated whether she should to try and wake him or to carry him out. All the while the moblin horde continued their enraged riot, growing louder and louder. Why wouldn't they attack? They outnumbered her by at least fifty to one. This behavior was inconsistent from earlier.

While she was considering this, there was suddenly a tremor from beneath her feet. Was the cave unstable? The volcanic activity would certainly suggest that possibility. She quickly made the decision to carry the injured man out and deal with whatever the moblins threw at her as it happened. As she bent over to release the shackles and hoist Callis over her shoulder, her scanners detected movement directly behind her. Leaving Callis, she spun about suddenly and got off a single shot, which disappeared into a mound of magma that was slowly rising up, peaking at nearly three meters high.

The magma rose up, then crashed down on to the ground, slowly flattening out, when a second mound rose from the lava flow beside the first. Samus activated the ice-beam and fired a few rapid salvos to no effect. The objects simply had too much mass and were too hot to freeze. As both magma mounds flattened upon the ground, a form slowly took shape from beneath the molten rock, revealing itself to be a pair of three-fingered claws.

A third and much larger form rose up from between the clawed appendages, reaching over fifteen meters. The viscous liquid returned to the pool below, and the main body that owned those claws was uncovered. Made of dense, living rock, the creature looked like it was born from the depths of the planet. No eyes adorned its scraggly, jagged face, and its gaping maw glowed amber with heat. When it exhaled, it expelled sparks and hot embers into the air. As it clamored its way onto solid ground, the rocky armored plates that covered its body shifted back and forth with the creature's gate, creating gaps at its joints and revealing brightly glowing magma underneath. Flames loosely danced across its body, and it left a trail of ash in its wake.

Though it had no eyes, it was clearly aware of their presence. Callis was still knocked out and Samus knew she couldn't fight if she was carrying him. She would have to draw the creature away. Ice clearly wasn't going to work against such a massive creature, so she instead decided on plasma, hoping to penetrate its armored rocky skin.

She quickly moved away from Callis and unloaded on the creature. The piercing green energy bolts easily punctured its outer shell, leaving clean circular holes, which oozed bright glowing magma like blood. The beast angrily swiped its claw in her direction and predictably chased after her. Rising up on its hind limbs, it pursued her with surprising speed for something so heavily built.

Chasing her to the wall, the creature lashed out with its claws, narrowly missing Samus. The moblins encircling the room scattered as a shower of embers and ash cascaded down on them. Samus changed direction and headed for the far end of the chamber, drawing the monstrous beast away from Callis. She charged her cannon to its fullest, spun, and delivered a shot square into its chest. The powerful plasma bolt pierced clear through the thing, but did nothing to slow it down. Its smaller injuries were already starting to heal as the hot magma that oozed out began to cool and solidify.

She was attacked again with a vicious horizontal swipe. Leaping high in the air to avoid the hit, she somersaulted over the creature's head and landed behind it, putting herself between the monster and its intended sacrifice. With a barrage of rockets she left half-meter-wide craters in its back, yet still the creature seemed unaffected. She would have to find another way.

Perhaps if she could cause part of cavern to collapse on its head... that was a little too risky, however, since the entire thing could come down on her as well. Killing it wasn't necessary, however. Her objective was only to recover Callis and escape from-

Before she could finish her thought, the creature came around and lashed out at her with such speed she didn't have time to react. She was hit by its massive claw with such force that she was sent flying into the opposite wall, knocking the breath out of her in the process. She then fell straight down into the river of magma that her attacker had emerged from.

Blinded and stunned, Samus became disoriented as she was swept along with the slow current. With nothing but the amber glow of lava filling her visor, she switched to x-ray scanning which allowed her to see a rough approximation of the terrain in front of her. She righted herself and planted her feet on something solid. That last attack had depleted the suit's shielding to nearly sixty percent, and the intense heat was now slowly eating away at what was left. Without shielding the armor itself provided little protection. She needed to get out quickly, but as she slowly made her way forward, the thick viscous rock slowed her movements to a crawl.

When Samus finally managed to make it ashore and emerge from the lava flow, she could see the creature had now shifted its focus to Callis. He was awake now, screaming for his life and tugging desperately on his shackles in an attempt to free himself. Another barrage of rockets drew the creature's attention to her once again.

Enraged, it roared at her, a shallow, flat-sounding call that was more like rocks scraping together. Its superheated breath distorted the air and glowing embers wafted through the thermal currents it created.

With her visor still scanning in x-ray mode, she could see inside of it a structure of crystallized mineral deposits that acted as a basic skeleton for the monster. It charged at her and attacked, however she was prepared for its deceptive speed this time and was able to avoid its claws by rolling under it in ball form and coming up from behind again. On the base of its crystalline spine, she noticed a spherical formation that was less dense than the rest of the creature. Perhaps she could compromise the skeleton if she damaged that weak point.

Taking careful aim, she fired, but her plasma beam simply refracted through the crystal structure like light through a jewel. She ruled out rockets, knowing they would simply exploded on contact with the creature's outer rock and magma layers and not penetrate to the skeletal structure underneath.

Another deadly swipe had Samus rolling to the side to avoid being crushed, but the creature immediately followed one attack with another, lunging at her with its jaws. She dodged again but only partially managed to avoid its assault as her legs were knocked out from under her and she found herself on top of the creature's head. It snapped its head back, attempting to get its jaws on her, and she was flung to the ground once again, skidding to a stop near Callis.

Switching to the wave beam, she rolled herself over and fired from the prone position. This time, her shots phased through the rocky exterior, hit the skeleton directly, and were absorbed into crystalline material. The monster reacted painfully, and staggered slightly.

That was it! But the beast was still coming at her.

Samus combined ice and wave beams, and aimed right for the soft point on the skeleton. The creature reared up, growling its low rumbling scream and swiping blindly at the air with its claws as its core revived the freezing cold energy.

Getting to her feet, Samus put three more quick shots on target before the creature slammed its claws onto the ground in an attempt to hit her. She jumped into the air, avoiding the attack while charging her cannon to its fullest. Landing on the creature's back, she steadied herself then discharged her cannon directly into the base of its neck. Its massive form stumbled and fell as it collapsed to all fours, not ten feet from where Callis was chained.

Lethargically, the beast reached for him, letting out a pained groan. The massive claw grew steadily slowly closer until Callis could feel the heat that it radiated on his face. It was almost too close to bear when suddenly it stopped moving as Samus derived a second fully-charged blast of ice to its core. She charged another shot in preparation, but stopped when she saw its crystalline skeleton shatter suddenly under the thermal stress caused by the shift from one extreme temperature to another. The core suddenly imploded, crushed under the monster's impressive weight.

Resetting her visor to normal, Samus hopped down off the creature's back. Flames and embers no longer came off the creature, and its temperature was slowly waning. It remained posed in the same position, unmoving, with its arm stretched out towards Callis. Like a roughly carved statue, it stood as a lifeless effigy of its former self.

---x---

Zelda nervously paced back and forth behind the podium, out of sight of the people, as the ceremony proceeded. She went over the parchment held in one hand for the hundredth time, frantically making adjustments with the quill held in the other. It was almost time for her to speak.

"Hey, how's it going?" Samus asked casually as she approached.

"Where the hell have you been?" Zelda practically snapped at her.

"Helping... like you asked," Samus said defensively.

"Sorry. I'm a little stressed. This speech is terrible. If only I hadn't put it off until the last minute." Zelda took a deep breath and sighed. "Have you seen Malon around? I've been keeping an eye out for her, but I've been mostly too busy."

Samus shrugged. "No, I haven't," she said shaking her head.

"Could you look for her?"

"She didn't come. She wasn't too interested when you invited her the other day."

"That's..." Zelda started out angrily, but then hung her head, stopping her writing. "Unacceptable," she muttered softly. "She should be here. It's his day of remembrance."

"Maybe she just wants to forget," Samus offered, speaking from experience.

"That is just so..." Zelda paused, interrupted by the temple priest introducing her. "I don't want to believe that. Could you please just look for her?"

"Zelda, she's not here."

"Please," Zelda pleaded as she began up the steps leading up to the podium. Samus gave a reluctant nod as she finally turned away and took the stage. Zelda stood at the podium, placing her papers in front of her. Her subjects all stared at her, looking to her for guidance. With a deep breath, she delved right into her speech.

"We are here today in remembrance of a great and noble person, though he had no noble blood. He achieved greatness through his deeds and through his character by giving everything he had for what he believed in. In doing so, he set an example for the rest of us to aspire to. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

"Link was the most selfless person I knew. No matter how large or how small a problem, he was always willing to help, to take the burden of others upon himself. I know that many of you here today have stories to tell. Whether rounding up lost livestock and running simple errands, or rescuing people, saving lives and freeing an entire land, he was always there for us. In this world, where fear and evil ran free, and shadows threatened to consume the land, he had the courage to stand alone against the dark. And when things seemed at their worst, he brought us hope and gave us something to believe in again.

"He earned the respect and love of many. Some loved him more than others... Likewise, he truly did love this land and its people. I knew him well. I can say with confidence that he would want us to strive on and continue forward with courage and righteousness. Those were his ideals, they are what he sought to protect, and why he fought so hard for all our sakes.

"And we will go on, as he would want, just as the Triforce shall go on. It didn't perish with him, and so long as it and the Goddesses watch over us, Hyrule will endure.

"As Hyrule goes on, each of us must individually find their own way to move forward. My hope for each of you here today, and for all of Hyrule, is that we live each day trying to achieve those ideals. Even though it may be difficult, especially for those who were close to him, we should all try to honor a hero's legacy.

"Link truly was a hero in every sense of the word, and heroes never truly die. They live on always.

"They live on in legend, in memory, and in our hearts.

"Thank you."

---x---

The setting sun radiated its light over the landscape, casting the world in shades of amber. Samus leaned over the banister, resting on her elbows, and took in the phenomenon of day changing to night as she quietly contemplated the day's events. A gentle wind blew through her hair, not too cool and not too warm. It was a pleasant evening and though her thoughts were in turmoil, she felt a momentary calm.

A hand touched her shoulder and another brushed aside her hair. Delicate lips against the back of her neck delivered gentle kisses. A soft voice blew past her ear. "Samus, come inside," the princess pleaded quietly.

"Zelda, you've been bugging me all day with this."

"You've been putting it off all day."

"I really don't want to."

"You did promise me, remember."

"..."

"And besides, it's almost time. The festival is about to start."

"..."

"Please..." Zelda pouted and batted her eyes.

Samus glared. That wasn't fair of her. "Do I have to?"

A short "Yes," said happily with a nod and a cute smile was her only response.

"Ugh... okay, okay... I'll put it on," Samus said, reluctantly dragging herself into the closet.

"Yay!" Zelda exclaimed happily. She waited as patiently as she could manage, which wasn't easy considering she felt as giddy a kid on Christmas morning. She couldn't contain her excitement and bounced happily on the balls of her feet. "Samus?" she called eagerly.

"Yeah?"

"What's taking so long?"

"I just got in here! Ugh... why don't you come and help me if you're so impatient?"

"No, I have to see it all at once so it will be a surprise."

"Then you have to wait. I've never worn something like this before."

"Okay..." Zelda moaned impatiently.

She couldn't wait for the festival to finally start. It had always been something she was looking forward to, but now that it was so close, she could hardly contain herself. The last few times she'd gone she found it quite enjoyable, but it was a tradition to go with one's sweetheart, and she'd always missed out on that part of the experience. Zelda could just tell this time was going to be special.

She felt incredibly blessed and thankful to have Samus in her life now. The huntress truly seemed to be growing warmer. Certainly more so than when they had first met, but now it was going beyond simply that. Almost as if...

"There're no pockets in this thing." Samus interrupted Zelda's thoughts as she finally stepped out of the closet, wearing the dress and shoes they'd bought the other day. She held her armor's storage unit in her hand.

Zelda's giddy mood was instantly replaced by one of awe. "Wow..." she said breathlessly.

"Eh... heh... okay," Samus said nervously, now feeling self-conscious about the entire thing. "What am I going to do with this?" she said, referring to her armor. She patted herself over, looking for some place to stash the little disk-shaped object.

"Oh, leave it," Zelda said, taking it from Samus' hand. "You won't need this thing tonight," she said, sticking in her dresser drawer.

"Uh!" Samus watched nervously as Zelda hid away her most valued possession. An angry Sheegoth wouldn't have been able to pry that thing from her grasp. The girl wielded power over her, affected her in ways that nothing else in the galaxy could match. If Zelda ever become hostile, she knew she would be completely incapable of resisting.

Zelda stared at her for a short while looking her up and down. "Hmm... it needs something more. Samus, close your eyes."

"W-what!? Why... ? What are you going to do?"

"Just trust me."

"Okay..." Samus closed her eyes and sighed. She heard Zelda's feet shuffle across the floor, then something opened and closed, and then Zelda walked over to her again.

"Hold out your hands," Zelda said softly. Samus did, and she felt Zelda place something in her palms. "Okay, you can look now."

Samus was holding a small black velvet box. "What's this?" She eyed Zelda suspiciously, then the box, then Zelda again. The Hylian only smiled cutely.

Finally, curiosity took over and she opened the box. Inside was a pair of diamond earrings. In fact, the same diamond stud earrings she'd curiously looked at in the boutique the other day - the ones with the diamonds arranged and cut to look like the Triforce. Had Zelda noticed her looking at them?

'She must have gone back when I was getting measured for my dress,' Samus concluded.

"It's a gift, for you." Zelda smiled sweetly.

Staring at the earrings resting in her palm, Samus smiled genuinely. She had never owned jewelry before. She had never seen the point in it. In fact, she still didn't. But for some reason, having these now warmed her heart greatly.

But her smile faded slowly as reality sunk in. "Thank you... Zelda. But I can't wear these."

"Samus..." Zelda's face fell. "I got those especially for you."

"I know, and I'm really sorry, but I can't--"

"Oh, come now. I know you'll look really pretty with them on. All I ask is this one night. It's important to me. Must you be so difficult?"

"I'm not trying to be... I'd wear them if I could. I'm just not able to. I never had my ears pierced."

"Oh... I see..." Zelda said, sounding forlorn.

Feeling guilty, Samus knew she had to try to make it up to her. "Look, I'll go get them pierced the very next chance I get. Then I'll put them right in and wear them all the time."

"You don't have to do that." Zelda shook her head. "I only wanted to give you a nice gift, that's all... It's fine."

"But I--"

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I should have known you wouldn't be one to get your ears pierced. Just give them back, I can use them."

"Sorry..." Samus muttered sheepishly, handing the box back to Zelda.

"It's okay... truly. In fact, I just had a better idea. I have something else... something that you can wear."

"What?" Samus raised an eyebrow.

Zelda retrieved something from her dresser drawer and walked back to Samus. "Close your eyes again."

She did and felt Zelda's arms come around her, fiddling with something behind her neck.

When she was told to open them again, she looked down to see she wore a necklace. It was a simple thing, not extravagant like most of Zelda's other jewelry. It was a thin silver chain holding an elongated silver teardrop.

"You get this one too when I was getting fitted?"

"No." Zelda shook her head. "I've had it for a while. It belonged to my mother."

"It's nice, thanks." Samus ran her fingers along the length of the chain, then held up the teardrop in front of her face to get a better look. "Seems a bit simple for a queen."

Zelda smiled softly and shook her head. "My mother was a commoner when Father married her. It was hers from before then."

"Is that so?" Samus was somewhat surprised. "I thought royalty and commoners didn't intermarry."

"Traditionally, they don't... it's not a law, though." Zelda shrugged.

"Sounds like she lucked out," Samus said. "You never told me what your father was like."

"Tch," Zelda chided under her breath. "Samus, you can wear that necklace tonight," she said, deflecting Samus' comment. "But... I want you to keep it, also."

"Zelda, no." Samus looked shocked. "It's your mother's..."

"And I inherited it from her... so it's mine to give."

"I know, but... it was hers, and... well, she died and..." How could Zelda give this away when it belonged to her mother? "Isn't this important to you?"

"Well, yes, very." She placed her hands on Samus' shoulders. "It's because it's important to me that I want to give it to you."

Samus looked down solemnly at the gift and still didn't understand. She had nothing left of her old family except a traumatic memory. It felt awkward taking such a precious thing from Zelda. If she had something like this from her mother, she'd never let it go.

"Because you're important to me as well," Zelda finished.

Samus turned the keepsake over a few times in her fingers before letting it dangle from her neck again. "You know, I've never owned jewelry before. Always thought I'd hate it. But this is..." Samus paused, letting the significance of the object sink in. "It means a lot that you would give me this. Thank you."

A soft smile graced Zelda's face and she nodded silently. "I'm glad you appreciate it. Now there's one more thing," she said and leaned in close. Resting her arms on Samus' shoulders, her hands came up behind her head and began working the hair tie down the length of her ponytail. In this position, Zelda was close to kissing her... but she dared not, not now of all times. She knew what would happen if she did, where it would lead if they let their passions run away. She'd end up missing the festival and ruining Samus' new dress.

It wasn't as if she couldn't control Samus. She knew the bounty hunter had untold reserves of self-control. She was worried about herself. Samus' new look was having unintended consequences on the young Hylian. She turned her head to the side to avoid temptation. As she slowly pulled away, she fluffed Samus' hair out with a flick of her wrist.

"I don't like this thing," she said, then pulled the elastic tie around her finger, stretched it, and shot it across the room. "You should wear your hair down more often... it suits you."

"Umm...

Chapter 20

Title: Revelation

[Author's notes: You may all shoot me if you like. What has it been? A year? I don't blame anyone who's jumped ship, lost interest in this. I have no excuses. And I won't be foolish enough to promise faster updates in the futures. On the up side, this is my longest chapter of any of my stories to date.]

Attached

Chapter Twenty: Revelation

The summer festival was in full swing when the unlikely couple arrived at the fair. Music from the band and the smells of delicious food hung in the air. Booths for games and food stands, arranged in blocks, formed makeshift streets and intersections where people gathered and moved about. Paper lanterns of various festive colors hung along the streets, illuminating the fair grounds.

The pair walked along the busy street, occasionally squeezing past the people dressed in their mostly casual fair attire... Casual? Wait a minute. Samus carefully scanned the crowd, then looked down at herself. Something was amiss.

"Say, Zelda..."

"It was for my sake," Zelda answered the yet unspoken question, seeing Samus' confusion. "I wanted to see how you looked dressed this way. And... you do look very fetching," she said somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry for lying."

Samus groaned, Zelda had told her that people get dressed up for these things and used that as a pretext for buying this dress she was wearing.

"Be glad I didn't make you wear something formal."

"Then I'd really look out of place. It's not a big deal. But you could have just asked me..." Samus said with a shrug. She took Zelda's hand and pulled her close so they were shoulder to shoulder. "I'd have gone naked if you asked."

"Samus!" Zelda nudged her in the side, "Don't be so crude."

Samus chuckled softly. "This is a change for me, though. If you didn't know me, would you guess I was a bounty hunter?"

Zelda looked her over, in her blue and white dress, and flowing mane of light blonde hair. "Not at all," she smiled, shaking her head, "Would you guess I am a princess?" She held her arms out and did a slow twirl, causing her knee length skirt to flair outward.

Samus shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. "But then again, even in your usual getup, I didn't realize you were royalty 'til you told me."

Zelda smiled and leaned against her companion again.

They continued walking, observing how the crowds and booths transformed the normally barren field into a makeshift city, and they eventually came across one of the game booths that Zelda liked. "Samus, let's try this one," she said referring to a particular game that involved throwing a ball into a hole cut in a wooden panel. The hole was not much larger than the ball, so it took a lot of skill to get it just right.

"Sure," she shrugged as Zelda pulled her by the arm up to the stand.

Zelda paid the man five rupees and he gave them three wooden balls. "Sink all three and you win any one of these prizes," the guy told them, gesturing to a shelf full of trinkets.

"Sounds simple enough," Samus said rather smugly at the stand operator.

"Don't be overconfident. I saw Link try this game ten times and only ever got two in at a time."

"Humph." Samus smirked and picked up one of the balls and held it firmly in her right hand, the other two loosely held in her left. She stood in front of the counter and faced her target. Then she tossed the ball up a few inches and caught it again sever times, repeating the process a few times, then turned it over in her hand and continually and bounced her writs up and down, all the while getting feel for the ball. She focused on the target and stared at it intensely, remaining perfectly still for nearly twenty seconds.

"What's she doing? Throw the thing girly, don't just stand there," the operator taunted. "Ha, she's got nothing."

Then, without warning, Samus threw the ball at the wooden panel. It silently flew throw the hole, then she took the second from her left into her right and threw that through the hole as well, then repeated for the third ball. All three were thrown in quick succession, and none even grazed the sides of the hole.

"No way!" The booth attendant slapped the counter for emphasis. "You cheated."

"Told you. Simple." Samus smugly crossed her arms.

Zelda excitedly jumped in place a couple times, grabbing Samus' hand and shaking her arm in the process. "Samus, you're amazing!"

Samus felt her face get warm; she was blushing, oddly enough. Zelda's antics were unnecessary and only served to draw unwanted attention in their direction, yet she couldn't deny the small smile that crept across her face. She really didn't understand herself, at times.

"Oh for Din's sake, no need to hyperventilate," the guy wined disappointedly. "Just pick your prize and take off." He wanted no more of their business.

"What do you want, Zelda?" Samus asked.

"Oh... I've always wanted a Keton mask. But..." the princess looked momentarily forlorn, "I was never allowed one as a child."

"Alright then." Samus smiled at her. "We'll take a Keten mask," she told the guy.

"You mean a Keton mask?"

"Yeah, whatever. One of those."

The guy handed her over the prize and she eagerly turned to give it to Zelda. And as she handed it over her mind immediately went to the necklace that now dangled from her neck. Strangely, she found herself wanting to repay Zelda with a gift. And even though this wooden piece of junk was not adequate repayment for such a special gift, it made Zelda smile all the same.

"How did you do that, Samus?" Zelda inquired as they proceeded through the crowed fair grounds.

"Hmm? Oh. It's nothing really. Just a bit of focus. All I did was concentrate on the target, and let my mind figure out the particulars on its own. It's not something I have to think about. You could learn it too, easy enough," Samus explained.

"Did the Chozo teach you that?" Zelda said in a somewhat muffled voice.

"No. What, you don't think I can learn things on my own? Wait..." Samus looked over to her companion who was now proudly wearing the Keton mask over her face.

"Hmm..." Zelda thought. "Despite what you look like right now, you're still you underneath"

"Uh... maybe not..." Samus muttered, thinking about how odd she was feeling inside.

"Pardon?"

"Er... Nothing. It's just kind of hard to take you seriously wearing that thing."

"Sorry." She took the mask of and tucked it away in her hand bag. "Samus... if you could be anything you wanted, other than a bounty hunter, anything at all, what would you choose?"

"Uh... I don't know... I don't really think about things like that," she said awkwardly. "What about you? What if you could be something other than a princess?"

Zelda's eyes lit up with an eagerness Samus rarely saw in her. She clearly was one who thought about that question.

"I've always secretly wanted to be a ninja..." she blurted out suddenly. Zelda blushed slightly at how silly that sounded spoken out loud.

"A ninja, huh?"

"Goddesses, I'm so embarrassed. I've never even said that aloud before," she said bashfully.

"Why though?"

"I don't know, there's something about them; silent and mysterious, moving in the shadows unnoticed, using throwing knives and smoke bombs and... uhh..." Zelda really blushed now. "I sound like a little child, don't I?"

Samus shook her head. "You sounded... cute." She smiled awkwardly.

Zelda smiled back. "I had a dream once where I was a ninja. I was helping Link on one of his adventures, showing up whenever he least expected me, when he was lost or didn't know what to do... Ever since then I've had a bit of a fascination with them."

"I'd like to see you as a ninja..." Samus chuckled a bit. "Maybe we can dress you up later," she said with a big grin.

Zelda's blush grew several fold in intensity at the thought. "Well," she added timidly, "how'd you like to see me as pirate?"

Samus wrinkled her nose and looked oddly at Zelda.

"Uh! Not the bad kind," Zelda added, remembering pirates were a sensitive subject for Samus. "I mean, like the captain of a ship... I dream about that a lot too. You know, sailing the high seas, searching for treasure, going where winds take you-"

"Being free and not cooped-up in a stuffy castle all the time," Samus interjected.

Zelda looked a little surprised. "I wasn't intending to say that... but yes." She smiled softly.

"I've got you all figured out too."

Zelda felt a warmth rise up in her chest. To be so understood by another person was a pretty amazing thing.

"But you can't realistically be either a pirate captain or a ninja?" Samus added.

"Well, if I must choose something... realistic," Zelda added, "then I believe I'd like to have been a school teacher."

"Hmm" Samus nodded, "That's a good fit... I think you'd be great at it."

"Thank you."

"Why not then? If it's what you want to-" Samus broke off. Zelda was smiling, but started shaking her head. "Why not! You hate all this royalty bull. I mean look how you're dressed right now."

"Samus, being royalty is about more than just... the image, more than how I dress or speak. More than having a rather oppressive advisor... whom I am glad to be rid of, thank you. It's about fulfilling your responsibilities and doing what is right for the greater good rather than doing for one's self. Princesses... Kings and Queens have a responsibility to their kingdom and to all of their people."

Samus frowned. "Learn that from you father?"

"Nu- Not exactly... in a way perhaps." Zelda turned her head and stared off into the crowd.

Samus immediately picked up on her awkwardness. "You know, you avoided my question about your dad last time. Whatever happened there? Gaebora had mentioned something about exile."

Zelda glanced at her, then hung her head, sighed, and quickly said. "The King went into exile when Ganondorf tried to take Hyrule for himself. And that's it."

"Oh! Do you know where he is? Do you ever see him?" Samus said a little too eagerly.

"You of all people should understand there are topics that people don't feel like discussing." Zelda got annoyed.

"Yeah, but... I still end up telling you about them."

Zelda sighed sharply. "He lives in a province to the North, beyond the Zora domain and outside the boundaries of Hyrule. And he can stay there for what I care." she said as her pace picked up to a brisk walk.

"Zelda... But he's your father." Samus matched her pace, keeping beside her.

"He is a coward and an absconder." Samus grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop.

"How can you say that? I... I never knew my parents..." She looked distraught. "I... I do anything to see them again."

Zelda stopped suddenly. "Samus..." she sighed and pulled her aside, out of the way of the busy street where it was somewhat quieter. She stood face to face with Samus, looking her in the eyes, then pursed her lips and took a shallow breath and let it out quickly. "When mother died... It was as if I lost two parents. He just... lost himself in work. Concerned more with affairs of state than his own daughter." She paused and took another breath. "I never once saw him cry for her..."

Samus stared at her not knowing what to say.

"Even before that, he was never truly there for me, mother raised me for the most part," Zelda ranted "But when she died, and I needed him most he completely abandoned me to the servants. Years later when we all needed him most, he abandoned Hyrule. He fled into the mountain and left me, a completely unprepared seventeen year old girl, to face the darkness that Ganon... dorf wrought... Samus?"

Samus had hugged her and squeezed her close. "I wish I could have been there for you then."

Zelda was a bit surprised and quite touched by the gesture, nevertheless she backed away, releasing herself from Samus' hold "I'm okay; I survived it, didn't I? Let's continue this evening, and not mention this again tonight." Taking Samus by the hand again, she led her along, continuing their stroll.

"You sure?"

"I should have spoken of this sooner. I just didn't feel like dragging up bad memories. It's years past for me and... ugh," Zelda sighed and shook her head. "We'll talk about it some other time. Let's get some ale, Samus." Zelda brought them to a stop in front of a stand selling drinks a short distance away.

"You go ahead, I don't drink."

"Not ever?" Zelda looked surprised. "Have you some moral compulsion against alcohol?"

"Nah, I just don't like it," she said, shaking her head. "It slows your reflexes, dulls your senses, and impairs your judgment. If I get drunk then I'll be vulnerable."

Zelda frowned a bit. That singular key thought seemed to dominate even the smallest aspect of Samus' life. "Vulnerable to what?"

"To anything, everything... I don't know," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"There's no danger here, Samus."

"You can't be sure of that, not a hundred percent..." Samus looked around worriedly. "There are a lot of people around."

Zelda sighed and shook her head. "You need to learn how to relax."

"I am relaxed, I'm just... not comfortable with it, alright."

Zelda shrugged. "Suit yourself, you're missing out," she said and went to get herself a mug of ale.

As they walked, Samus observed her curiously for a bit as she casually sipped her drink. "Why are you drinking anyway? Shouldn't you wait until you're older?"

Zelda looked at her a little perplexed. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're only nineteen."

"Only? I'll be twenty next month," Zelda reminded her, pouting for emphasis "Why should my age matter in this regard?"

"Where I'm from you have to be twenty one."

"Well that's a silly rule."

Samus shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so... Hey," Samus' attention perked up noticing a bullseye sign over an elaborate indoor booth. "Zelda, let's try that one," she said pointing. "I'll win you something again."

"Okay!" Zelda smiled happily, tipping her head to one side.

Samus stopped just outside the door before going in, suddenly looking somewhat awkward. "Can I borrow some money out here?" she asked timidly. "It's embarrassing to have you pay for me all the time."

"Hmm," Zelda contained a small bit of laughter, which Samus frowned at, as she handed over twenty rupees.

After going inside and paying the operator, Samus stood in behind a line, facing several targets. Some were stationary while others moved on tracks or were raised and lowered from the floor and ceiling. Ten rupees got her ten arrows and her objective was to score as many points as she could with her limited ammunition.

She gripped the bow, flexing her fingers open and closed several times, held it out in front of her, then dropped it back down, looking very uncomfortable. Repositioning her fingers, she raised the weapon again, placed an arrow and drew it back. After staring for a second or two she let the tension off the string and again adjusted her grip, only to pull back on the string again.

"Do you need me to show you how?" Zelda said, seeing how Samus was holding the bow.

Samus lowered the bow again, her concentration broken. "I know how to shoot things."

"Okay..." Zelda put her hands up.

Samus placed and arrow and drew it back, took a second to aim, then fired. Her arrow spiraled way off to the side, missing completely. She scowled and quickly placed another arrow and fired again. This time the bowstring scuffed the inside of her arm and she winced and pulled back. The arrow sailed low and struck the floor. "Damn it," she muttered, massaging her arm.

"Samus..."

"Okay, fine. So it's one of the few weapons I never learned," Samus said defensively. But Zelda's soft look changed her attitude. "Could you... could you show me how... please?" Samus said, surrendering the bow to Zelda.

Zelda smiled and nodded her head a little to the side once, accepting the weapon. She took the firing position where Samus had stood and then drew the bow string back, aiming at her target. Poised there holding the bow with picture perfect form, looking masterful and elegant, she was a remarkable sight. Zelda released the arrow, barely just letting it slip from her fingertips, sending it straight into the targets center. Her skirt and hair, tied off near the bottom with a thin ribbon, jumped with the recoil or releasing the arrow, adding the element of motion to her still form.

"Amazing," Samus muttered in awe at how competent and natural Zelda handled a bow.

"Here," Zelda handed the weapon back, "Try again."

Again Samus hoisted the bow, this time imitating how Zelda had held it. She placed an arrow and drew it back preparing to fire.

"Wait a moment," Zelda stopped her.

Standing up on the tips of her toes so they were even height, Zelda stood behind Samus. She brushed the huntress' hair to one side and positioned herself right over her shoulder. She held Samus from behind, placing a hand on either of Samus wrists.

"You're too tense. Relax," she said, and made some corrections to Samus' stance, nudging her feet further part and raising her right arm. "Control your breathing."

"Okay," said and took a deep breath. She smiled a little at the way Zelda handled her right now, this little lesson reminded her of her instruction at the hands of the Chozo. Zelda exhibited the same patience and focus on details, pointing out and correcting errors she wouldn't otherwise realize.

"Now..." Zelda's soft words came into her ear, "you want to fire across your body, not straight out in front."

Samus nodded. Unlike the Chozo, however, she did everything with warmth and tenderness.

Zelda placed her hand over Samus' and adjusted the way her fingers griped the butt of the arrow. "Pull the arrow straight back." Samus did as instructed.

"You don't want to shoot the arrow. Just release it. And relax, it's not about violence. You can't force it." Zelda coaxed gently. "Imagine a line extending from your hand, through the bow, and into the target. Concentrate, breath slow," she said softly while still holding Samus from behind, "and when everything feels perfect... just release."

Samus took a deep breath and concentrated on the target, trying to ignore the fact that Zelda held her so closely. The princess' breath tickled her neck and ear, and the closeness brought her a strange sense of relaxation. The arrow then slipped from her fingers without warning, striking the target in the third-most inner ring.

"Perfect!" Zelda exclaimed happily, hugging her and kissing her cheek.

Uh... heh," Samus chuckled nervously, oddly uncomfortable by Zelda's close proximity. Something was different, she didn't know what.

"I wouldn't say perfect." She did miss the center after all.

They carried on until Samus exhausted her allotment of ten arrows. She only managed to land one in the inner most ring of a target, and missed the bullseye all together. Zelda continued her excitement and praise nonetheless, hugging her again when she finished. A strange, but not entirely unfamiliar sensation came over Samus. This had happened several times before: riding horseback together on their way back from visiting Malon, or sometimes in the quiet moments they lay in bed, and especially when Zelda said or did something sweet. It was fairly disarming, so she tried to shake it from her head as they left.

"Sorry I couldn't win you anything," Samus apologized after leaving the archery booth.

Zelda shrugged and shook her head with a sweet hum. "It's okay". Her loose fitting white tunic started slipping off one side. Distracted by the lovely slender shoulder, Samus stared blankly, loosing track of time until Zelda unconsciously fixed with a light tug at the material, snapping Samus back to reality.

"Uh... H-how did you do that with the bow before? You really looked like a warrior out on the battlefield."

"I am quite practiced at it. Link taught me how some time ago. The skill proved quite useful when we faced Gannondorf together."

"Ya' looked amazing," she mumbled.

"Pardon?" Zelda didn't quite catch that.

"Um..." Samus was blushing. 'Why am I so unsettled?' she thought. They'd long since made it to where they were completely comfortable around each other. It didn't make sense... noting about this new kind of endeavor she was on with Zelda made sense to her.

Zelda was staring expectantly, awaiting an answer. "So, um... you're enjoying the festival so far?" She said finally.

"Much better than last time, even though the festival is exactly the same." She smiled sweetly, tipping her head to the side and let out a cute little giggle.

'She really looks incredible.'

Again, a feeling swelled up in her chest, a fluttering warmth, an uneasy tension that soon went to her head. Samus realized now that she'd been feeling like this on and off all evening to lesser degrees.

"What's the matter?"

"What?" Samus sounded more surprised than she would have liked.

"You look worried."

"I, n-nothing. I just feel... light headed." Samus said, not exactly sure if that explained it.

Zelda gave her a concerned look. "Let's go sit down, Samus."

She led Samus through the crowd and brought them to the river that bordered the fair grounds and went about half way down the riverbank. Zelda sat down in the grass, and as Samus went to follow, the princess stopped her.

"What?"

"You can't just sit that way when you have a dress on."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "And how should I sit?"

"Put your hands on your backside, then run them down your thighs as you bend down to sit, this way you're dress fold properly under you, instead of bunching up."

Samus rolled her eyes but followed instruction nonetheless and sat down next do Zelda. Glancing around, she noticed other people scattered around the grassy slope, mostly in pairs. Apparently, they weren't the only couple with this idea. In the distance, the fair's band could be heard playing a lively melody.

Zelda took Samus' hand as she looked up above and smiled softly, drawing the huntress's attention back to her. Curious to what she was staring at, Samus looked as well to see a clear starry night sky. So clean and clear was this world's pre-industrial atmosphere that the view was quite similar to the unhindered sights she was accustomed to from space. However, it was an unfamiliar sky.

"They all look so different. This is a different world, even the sky is different."

"Mmm," Zelda sighed softly, laying back in the grass. "Lay down with me Samus." She put her hand on her shoulder and guided her down next to her.

"That one there is Irios," Zelda said as she pointed to a bright star setting on the horizon. She snuggled close to Samus, shoulder to shoulder, making it easier to point out the star. "He follows Din around where ever she goes."

"Din? The goddess?"

"That's right, but Din is also what we call the sun."

"Ah," she said, realizing now Irios must have been one of this system's inner planets that closely orbited its sun.

"Irios is a former lover who can't let go of his shining goddess. It's said that Din indulges herself by coming to the physical realm, masquerading as an ordinary woman to take mortal lovers. Irios couldn't let go when it was time to leave and now peruses her around the heavens, never able to catch her."

"That's kind of pathetic. I feel sorry for him," Samus said.

Zelda looked around the sky, then pointed high above. "Okay... These two, Cascis and Dysira, are two lovers who eternally dance around each other."

"Hmm," Samus acknowledged. Probably closely orbiting binary stars, she thought.

"There are a lot of poems and love stories written about them."

"Hmm," Samus nodded, eyes closed. "That sounds a lot nicer."

"It does," Zelda agreed. "Hmm... That one way over there is Talm." She said reaching across Samus to point out the star. "She is a lost fairy who, every so often, will glow much brighter, trying to call to her sisters to find her way home."

Samus nodded again. Must be a pulsar.

"What about this?" Samus pointed out the long expanse of stars stretching across the entire sky, which she knew to be this planet's own galaxy.

"That's 'The Ladder to Heaven'," Zelda explained. "Departed soles climb the ladder when they pass on."

Samus smiled and nodded.

"Well that's the mythology anyway... We don't really believe all this stuff. The Ladder to Heaven for example is actually our own galaxy viewed on edge...," the princess admitted. "But of course you would know something like that," she added after a short pause.

Samus stared at her a bit. "I'm surprised that you do... You know a lot about this."

"I have always loved looking at the stars. When I was much younger I had a telescope on my balcony. I remember fondly the many nights spent staring through it for hours and hours. Staring up at the stars... I never could get close enough..." she trailed off.

"Hmm..." There was that theme again. Stargazing, horseback riding, dreaming of being a pirate with her own ship, sneaking off to the arena... Zelda desperately longed to feel even the slightest ounce of freedom. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I still promise to take you for a ride on my ship. We can get as close as you want."

Zelda, enveloped by a warm feeling placed her hand on Samus cheek and turned her head to face her. "Thank you," she said, staring into Samus eyes.

"Don't mention it," Samus said casually and glanced away, back up to the sky. "You know, Zelda, I've been thinking about... well the future. Because you had asked me about it the other day... and well... I don't have a plan, never have, I'm always just winging it, in everything I do. But, uh... anyway, I was thinking and... well you and I... Whatever it is the future has in store for me... I... I want you to be part of it in some way." She glanced quickly at Zelda then back to the stars. "I guess what I mean is that I think we should stay together, you know, as a couple."

"Samus... really? You mean that?"

"Yeah. You were worried about it, right? I kind of left things uncertain for you before. I want to stay together. So, now you know and you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Zelda leaned over and put her arms around Samus, hugging her tightly and planted a kiss on her cheek. Samus still looked casually up at the sky. "I love you so much. This means a lot to me." It wasn't lost on her that Samus felt she had to lose a piece of herself for them to be together, so it meant a great deal that Samus was willing to make that sacrifice.

"Hey, now don't read too much into it. I just... want to stay and keep trying. Maybe one day I'll get this right."

"You're doing quite well so far," Zelda said and kissed her cheek again, then laid her head back again.

"Mm," Samus shrugged, focusing on a particular group of stars that she thought might have looked familiar. "I guess..." Samus paused and shook her head. "I guess I have a hard time figuring out what it all means... What it means to... have feelings for someone."

Zelda looked at her, studying her face for a bit as Samus continued to watch the stars. "Would you like to know why I'm in love with you?" she said finally.

"Um, yeah, of course."

"I love you for the person you are, your personality and... and temperament. I love that you are different, and how you view things in unique and refreshing ways. You are always surprising me with new and different insights."

"Eh," Samus shrugged, "I think you give me too much credit."

Zelda smiled a giggled a little "And you have a certain modesty when it comes to these things. It's quite charming."

Samus started to blush, turning her head a way a little more.

"Well there's also the usual and obvious," Zelda continued. "You saved my life, two times. One time even freely giving up your armor, your most precious possession, in exchange for my safety. You're a courageous, strong, and independent woman, despite having been through ordeals that would have broken me. And you're the most honest person I know. It doesn't really occur to you to lie does it?"

"I lie to people."

"When?"

"Um... well... to opponents in battle."

"I don't count that," Zelda dismissed it and continued on without missing a beat. "You've been consistently kind and considerate towards me. And don't argue because I have examples." Zelda cut her off with her last sentence before Samus even started.

"Oh really?"

"Yes," Zelda said simply and held up her hands and started counting off on her fingers point by point. "You offer to help me out on Malon's farm, helped me with training, promised to take me space traveling ... all without me even asking. You anticipated to bring me food when we were training, were extremely kind to me when I injured my leg, and carried me to bed when I fell asleep on the sofa. Which, now that I think about it, was quite romantic," Zelda paused to sigh, then continued on. "The first time we... we made love you were very careful to consider how comfortable I was." Zelda paused for a long while. She glanced over to Samus who quickly looked away when she did.

She continued on hoping to draw Samus back to her, away from whatever it was she found so interesting up in the stars. "With you I came to realize my sexuality, and was able to answer some vexing questions I had about my life." Zelda smiled. "And it was entirely because of you that I had the strength to confront Gaebora."

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?"

"Of course I have," she said with a smile" Do you remember the first thing you ever said to me?"

"..." Samus just shook her head starring off into the distance.

"You said, 'If it's a problem, I'll sleep in my ship,' because you thought I was bothered by someone else staying in the room with me. You did not even know me and yet you were being nice."

"I had no idea I was doing all that." Samus sighed with a curious inflection, "I thought you didn't like it when people do things for you."

"That is not completely true. I don't like when they do things for me for the wrong reasons," Zelda explained. "Like when they treat me like I am incapable, or they are nice to me only because I am royalty. You like me for me. When you..." Samus was still starring up into the sky. "When you look at me you see only me, not the princess of Hyrule. It's what I love most about you."

"See you, huh?" Samus mumbled. "I... I 'm always focused, determined, it's just how I am. But you... you can just make me forget whatever it was that I was thinking about and make me see only you." She paused and shook her head. "At first, I thought it was odd, then I really started to hate it... but... now I don't know... I... I think I want to see only you sometimes."

Zelda reached out and delicately caressed her face, running her fingertips over her eyebrow then down the side of her face, coming to rest on her cheek. She gently tuned Samus' head to face her. As predicted, her eyes darted to the side. "Then why you won't look at me right now?"

"Because! I ...I think I'll be overwhelmed. When I look at you now, I feel like... like I'm going to drown. I... feel really strange tonight."

Unable to look her in the face, Samus let her eyes wander down to look her over. She watched the slow rise and fall of Zelda's chest. Her simple white blouse and brown skirt looked so different from her usual elaborate attire, yet the same familiar warmth still emanated from her being. Nervously aware of the silence, she fiddled with Zelda's skirt, pulling at the hem, and fixing a part that was folded over on itself.

"I feel wonderful when I'm with you."

Samus quickly gave her a nervous glance. Why did she have to say things like that? It always made her feel even more unsettled inside when Zelda something so sweet.

"There's this piece inside of you, different than what you wear on the outside, like a small little flame that gives you a warmth and presence which makes me feel very comfortable around you."

Samus shut her eyes, squinting hard, and steeled herself against the inevitable wave that hit her. Zelda smiled and caressed her face and continued on speaking slow and purposefully.

"You try so hard to hide it away, but fail so completely at it. It's both delicate, and uniquely beautiful." Zelda moved in close and gave her a quick but gentle peck on the lips. "You don't have to hide from me," she said softly and tried to glimpse into Samus' eyes, but the huntress had them fast shut.

"What you're feeling tonight, that strange sensation, it is supposed to be a good thing, Samus. Try to embrace it."

"Mhf..." Samus nodded, slid over, and rested her head on Zelda's shoulder, still starring straight up at the sky. "Can we not talk about it right now?"

"As you wish," Zelda smiled. Samus was trying, and that's all that mattered to her. Their hands found each other and Zelda interlaced their fingers.

"Tell me more about the stars." Samus whispered softly.

"Hmm..." Zelda pondered as her eyes scanned the heavens until she found one that was perfect. "Mirzei," she said and pointed almost directly above.

Not the most brilliant star in the sky, it sparkled a unique pale blue color that, to Zelda, was the most beautiful. "It reminds me of your eyes, light sparking blue."

Her eyes weren't anything special, but Samus still felt warmth at the compliment and snuggled a little closer. Zelda always had something affecting to say. She wondered how she continually did that.

"Her story reminds me of you as well. It's a tale of hope."

"Oh?"

"Mirzei was a member of the long lost Greudo race, thieves and bandits that preyed on travelers in the desert and raided Hylian towns, centuries ago. The problem got so terrible that war broke out between Hyrule and the Greudo. The King sent his soldiers to sack many Greudo settlements and after much fighting and many dead, the Greduo had declined to practically nothing. Mirzei was just a girl at the time, and when all was gone she was alone. She wandered the desert for many years, lost, alone, without hope."

Samus nodded. "That does sound like me."

"It does. But there's more. Though she was lost, she was strong and survived, and over the years grew even stronger. But along with strength she grew bitter at Hyrule. And bitterness grew into hatred. She became like a demon, until one day she had enough strength and hate to exact revenge and set out from the desert."

"I see what you mean... You think that could have been me?"

Zelda shook head. "Let me finish," she continued. "She attacked any and every solider of the Hylian Guard. So skilled was she with her twin blades she could fight a dozen soldiers at once. She burned villages to draw them to her. And after many days and nights she eventually confronted the king who had declared war on her people. She cut her way through his guard and struck him down, taking her revenge. But it was an empty victory, she felt none of the relief she expected, none of the rest, no peace."

"I thought you said this was a story of hope?"

"Do you see that other star? The faint red one, not so far away." Zelda pointed at it. "That's Fira."

"Who's that?"

"Mirzei, while traveling, came across a small Hylian girl on the side of a road. Dirty, alone and crying, the girl reminded Mirzei so much of herself so many years ago. When asked what happened to her, the girl said that a demon had come and burned their town. She escaped but her family didn't, and she had no one to look after her. Mirzei knew in fact that it was she who had burned the girl's village. She had become what she hated.

"Overcome with guilt, she pledged to look after the girl from then on. At first it was an act of atonement, but as she raised Fira she grew to care for the girl, and found a purpose to her life. She's been watching over her ever since." Zelda concluded, gesturing at the two stars.

Samus blushed and she turned her head away, unable to ignore the implications. Did Zelda want her to look after her forever? She didn't get the chance to ask.

Hearing a change in music that the band played, Zelda's ears perked up. She sat up and took her companion by the hand. "Samus, come on," she said hurriedly.

They rushed through the fair grounds, past crows of people, moving ever closer to the source of the music. Zelda pulled her along with a sense of urgency and excitement. She pushed, ducked, weaved her way through the dense crowd that had gathered, muttering occasional apologies to the people she bumped into as she dragged Samus along by the hand.

Exactly where they were going in such a rush, Samus could only guess, but it became apparent once the made it thought the throngs of people and into a less crowded area.

"Oh! No, Zelda... no, no. I can't"

"Sure you can."

"No. I don't know how."

Zelda scowled at her and spoke in a mock serious tone. "You're dancing with me and that is final."

"..."

"Come, it's not that difficult," Zelda said, quickly changing her tone to cheerful "I'll lead."

"There's too many people around, it's embarrassing. Ugh, aren't you worried someone will recognize you and see you dancing with a woman?"

"No one's going to recognize me dressed this way. Even if they did, I wouldn't care." She smiled and looked around. "Let them see!" Zelda raised her voice and let out a delighted laugh. She pulled the reluctant Samus out on to the dance floor.

"Now give me one hand, and put the other on my shoulder." Zelda explained, while she put her other arm around Samus waist. "Just follow my movements, it'll be fine," she tried to encourage her partner.

"Okay," Samus said as Zelda began to sway them with the music. "I'll try."

Step left, step forward, step back, step right, Zelda moved them around the dance floor with methodic precision, perfectly in time to the music. It was all Samus could do to keep up with her. Attempting to follow the erratic pattern her feet made, Samus intently watched as they moved around dance floor. At one point, she accidentally knocked heads with Zelda.

"Sorry," she muttered still looking down.

"Look up at me."

"I'm trying to match your movements," she said, still following her feet.

"It doesn't matter if it's not perfect, Samus," Zelda said seriously, "Now, look at me."

"Why?" she whispered nervously, finally turning her eyes upon Zelda's face.

"I want to look into your eyes."

That's just what she was afraid of.

Samus only nodded and complied with her lover, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat. Why was this suddenly so difficult? It was as if they'd never been intimate before. Looking into Zelda's eyes used to make her feel at peace inside, tranquility, stillness. What she felt now was... more, in a way, exactly the same, yet also completely different. Zelda put her off center and made her uncertain of herself. She wanted to look away but just couldn't bring herself to turn her head. She was fixated on the Hylian.

The two danced and twirled about one another over and over as Zelda skillfully moved them around the dance floor. However, it wasn't all the spinning that made Samus feel dizzy. With the light from the colored lanterns dancing across her skin, accentuating her cute face and reflecting in her enchanting eyes, Samus couldn't take her eyes off the beauty in front of her.

Zelda spun them one way, and then back the other, moving them across the dance floor with precision and grace. It was all undone however when Samus stepped on her foot, sending her stumbling backwards. They bumped into other couple, nearly knocking them over.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Zelda apologized profusely, bowing her head.

"Oh, it's alright," the guy said.

"Hey, don't I know you?" The woman looked at her intently. "You look familiar."

"Oh, well I-" Zelda started to answer.

"Mind your own business!" Samus interrupted and pulled her away, moving a safe distance from the other couple. She didn't want the attention on them and hoped to just blend back into the crowd, suspicious of any eyes on them.

In truth the only eyes on her were Zelda's, who quickly captured her attention again and elegantly resumed dancing as if nothing had happened.

Not long after, the music changed from a lively tune to a more serene melody. Zelda took her by the wrists and placed Samus' hands on her shoulders, then put her own arms around the huntress's waist and pulled the two of them much closer. Samus' head swam and she felt like she was losing herself in those eyes once again, as if Zelda was inescapably drawing her in. The intense sensations that flooded over her were overwhelming.

They were so close all she could see was the girl before her. Zelda leaned in a little more, brushing their noses together.

"Samus..."

Too much.

Trying to regain her breath, Samus took a step back, letting go of Zelda. Her mouth moved, attempting to say something, but nothing came out. A look of desperation struck her face when she glanced quickly left and right.

Zelda gave her a questioning look, mouthing the word 'What?' But she quickly turned and darted through the crowd.

"Samus?" she called worriedly as she disappeared from view. The princess gave chance and found her date a few yards away, hunched over the fence that bordered the dance area, clutching her chest.

"What's wrong?" Zelda questioned placing a hand on her shoulder, her finger brushed gently over the other woman's neck and came across her mother's necklace.

"I think there's something wrong with me," she said breathlessly with her hand placed against her racing heart. There was a terrible tension there that she wasn't sure was physical or imagined.

Zelda leaned over the fence to get down to her level as Samus stood up right, the two meeting somewhere in the middle. There she was again, face to face with Zelda.

"I..." Samus trailed off, shaking her head. It was difficult to form words and she ended up just moving her mouth without any sound. She didn't understand this hesitation she seemed to have when it came to Zelda. Her feelings were terribly conflicted, and she could no longer easily rationalize them away as something that made her weak. Maybe there was no explanation.

Zelda's hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek, and gave Samus a sympathetic look. "You can talk to me."

"I'm trying..." she managed to weakly say, trailing off slightly. She ended up staring blankly for a little too long and started to feel self-conscious.

Samus suddenly jumped, startled by the sound of a loud explosion. A shower of brilliant green and blue sparks spread across the sky, illuminating Hyrule Castle with their glow. A second and third burst quickly followed, signifying the start of the fireworks display.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

Samus, looking up, thought they weren't half as beautiful as Zelda looked under their ever-changing light. Unable to say anything, Samus just nodded. Zelda gently caressed her cheek with the back of her fingers. That same feeling swelled up in her chest, practically overwhelming her again. Her futile attempts at speech only ended in her biting her lower lip in an awkward confused expression.

Surprising her, Zelda took Samus by the back of the neck and pulled her in close, kissing her delicately. It was just a soft regular kiss, no different than those shared dozens of times before, except that for effect it had on Samus.

Her breath had left her and she felt dizzy; it was too much. With a look of anxiety in her eyes she clutched onto Zelda, wrapping her arms tightly around the girl. She exhaled deeply with her face buried in her shoulder.

"Samus," Zelda hummed sweetly, returning her embrace.

They stayed like that for what seemed an eternity to Samus, before she finally spoke. "Can we go?" she asked softly, speaking into Zelda's shoulder. "There's too many people, it's too open. I'm not comfortable like this." She glanced over Zelda's shoulder, eyes darting back and forth over the crowd. She felt vulnerable, exposed, and not herself. She didn't have the strength to keep up her wall anymore. Zelda was too much for her.

When she pulled back to look her in the face, Samus stared right back, looking as a hopeless and confused as ever.

"Take me away from this place... please," she pleaded, tightening her grip around Zelda. Zelda smiled, finding it cute that she had this strong effect on the proud huntress.

"Of course," Zelda said, gently running her palm down her cheek. Samus was so delicate without her carefully crafted defense. It was a beautiful sight, however only a little too easy to forget that this was difficult and uncomfortable for her.

"You trust me, don't you?"

Samus only meekly nodded.

"Then you'll be okay," Zelda said, cradling Samus' head against her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "You can rely on me." Zelda gave her a kiss on the side of her head.

Samus nodded again and Zelda took her by the hand.

"Let's go."

"Though I had foreseen this encounter, I am surprised it was you who arrived."

"Odd, yes, that I've not met before the King of Evil?" A ghostly voice reverberated through the cavernous stone room.

"Now tell me," Ganondorf rose from his throne, "Can these beings you speak of be readily adapted? Can they be imbued with my power," he said clenching his fist front of him. The mark of the goddesses shone brightly.

"Yes, adaptable."

"How many?"

"Thirty... less... or more... In exchange, bring to me her head."

"You won't be there?" the Gerudo King inquired, wondering why he would not want to witness the demise of the woman most responsible for his downfall.

"Will you?"

The prevailing silence spoke volumes.

"Yes, to encounter her is full of mistake." said the figure, turning to leave. "Strike from far distance."

High atop Death Mountain, Ganondorf pondered this final warning as he massaged his jaw.

The chirp of crickets filled the cool night air as the hunter and the princes approached main gates. They had made it back to the dark castle shortly after the fireworks had finished, and the air still smelled of gunpowder. Most of the staff, all but a handful of guards, were off enjoying the festival, so the grounds were mostly deserted. A couple of guards greeted them and let them pass into the main entrance hall.

"Did enjoy yourself, Samus? Was it what you expected?" Zelda's voice sounded out of place, breaking the silence and reverberating throughout the great hall.

"Mmm... yeah. I didn't know what to expect, but it was fun," said flatly. Too flat to have the same effect in the room that Zelda's voice just had and they fell into silence again.

Zelda studied her partner who appeared distracted and distant. She was obviously preoccupied with something.

"In a few days, once things have settled here, I'd like to go back to the coliseum," she tried again. "And then maybe you could take me see your world."

"Okay," Samus sighed as they started up the main staircase.

As Zelda ascended she noticed her foot falls were the only sound she heard and turned to investigate why. Samus stood at the bottom looking blankly at the steps as if she'd forgotten how to use them.

"Samus?" she approached her companion "What's the matter? You haven't said much since we left the festival. Are you okay?"

She was silent for a short while before responding. "Let's go for a walk."

Zelda agreed and led them out a side entrance and into the gardens that stretched around most of the castle. They stepped into a world of shrubbery, composed of rows of uniformly cut bushes, meticulously maintained flowerbeds, and elaborate fountain fixtures. An uneasy tension hung around Samus and they walked through garden in complete silence for nearly five minutes. A few times Zelda thought Samus looked like she was trying to find the nerve to say something, but each time glanced away and gave up. Zelda sighed, frustrated that Samus still found it difficult to communicate with her. She would have to take the initiative. Two distinct possibilities floated through her mind. Either Samus was about to confess some deeper darker secret she'd been concealing all this time, or her breakdown at the fair scared her and she was contemplating ending things between them.

Samus inhaled deeply as if she was about to start speaking, but the let it out in sharp depressed sounding sigh.

"You're sacrificing a lot to be with me," said Zelda. It was more of a statement than a question.

Samus stopped walking to face her, looking somewhat confused. "No." She shook her head.

They stood in front of an elaborate fountain, featuring a marble statue of Nayru. The stone figure stood on an ornate pedestal, water flowing beneath her feet and down in the basin below.

"You are. We talked about this earlier. You are giving up some of your strength, an important part of yourself by being with me. You're giving that up for me. That means a great deal."

"Hmm," Samus nodded while looking uncomfortably to the ground.

"Samus," Zelda proceeded nervously. "Do you feel..." She placed a hand on her partners shoulder. "I'm always pushing you... and... I think sometimes maybe I shouldn't. Do you feel I'm forcing this relationship on you?"

"What? No. You're... I was the one that pursued you, remember?"

"Initially. That's not the way it's happened for most of our relationship, you know that."

Samus paused, staring at Zelda before speaking. "I... Sometimes. Maybe... Well it just seems like you're putting a lot of importance on me."

"More than you deserve? You feel like you have to be something you're not, that you have no idea how to be?"

"Well... Yeah." Samus sighed and looked down.

Zelda shook her head. "And yet, you deserve so much more. However..." She paused, then spoke slowly. "I will less assertive if it seems too much for you."

Now Samus shook her head. "Don't do that. It's good that you push me. I... I'm better for it." She glanced up and gave Zelda an awkward half smile.

The princess caressed her cheek with the back of her hand, returning her soft smile and looking lovingly in to her eyes.

"And," Samus continued, "I want to be with you. I want... I want to go deeper... I..." She paused. "It's just that I don't know if I should."

Zelda knowingly nodded, "You're scared of-"

"You," Samus interrupted, and immediately started blushing. Now that that particular fact was out there she felt embarrassed standing before Zelda.

"Of me?" Zelda looked confused. Apparently, she wasn't as knowing as she believed. "Whatever for, Samus?"

"You affect me... do things to me... make me feel off center. Nothing else could ever match it." Samus bit her lower lip and shook her head as Zelda reached up to caress her cheek. "I'm powerless against you. You're my only true weakness." Samus took a breath and sighed. "I mean, if it wasn't for Link intervening, Ridley would have defeated me... defeated me using you as his only weapon... You're my only weakness. And..." Samus fought to get out her next sentence. "I can't stand weakness," she said and lowered her head.

Zelda decided to ask a question she already knew the answer too. Asking it would again be pushing Samus, she realized, this time intentionally. However, she saw an opportunity for a breakthrough and couldn't let it pass. "So why don't you leave if you feel that way," she said sharply, feigning annoyance.

"Because I don't want to! Because I can't, I... I care about you, okay, and I can't do that. I don't want to... I don't want to hurt you. Because..." She struggled to find the right words. "I'd rather deal with my own stupid insecurities than be apart from you."

Zelda nodded, putting her hands on Samus' shoulders and taking a step closer. "I'm grateful... and touched that you choose me." She said, cupping Samus' face with both hands. She smiled softly and lingered for a while before pulling Samus into a loving embrace. "Let me in, I can help you to not feel so conflicted. We can figure it out together."

"Mmm," Samus hummed in acceptance, nodding her head.

Zelda's slowly tightening embrace only encouraged Samus to do the same, the two holding each other in silence for a time. The constant trickle of water from the fountain and a distant cricket were the only sounds. Zelda always had her doubts whether or not things could really workout between them, if there could be a future with someone as different and unstable as this bounty hunter from space. Those thoughts were mostly in the past however. Samus was coming around, if slowly, and Zelda felt optimistic about their chances. The princess kissed her cheek, slipped her hand into Samus', and nodded for them to continue walking, leading Samus along.

"You know," the bounty hunter said awkwardly. "When I look at you I... I get all these... thoughts."

They rounded a corner and walked by a low row of bushes that bordered a flower bed.

"Oh?" Zelda smiled slyly. "Such as what."

"Mmm, that's not important." Samus shook her head. "Uh, not sex things if that what you were thinking," she quickly and nervously clarified.

"No?" Zelda raised an eyebrow. "That's too bad." She was being unexpectedly playful.

"Uh... w-what I meant was, well, like... You've turned my priorities upside-down. For you I would... I'd..." Samus trailed off, not knowing what she was trying say exactly.

They passed another elaborate statue of one of the goddesses and proceeded down a long corridor of trees.

"Hmm? What would you do?"

"Um... I don't know. You said before I was making a sacrifice for you... well... I think I want to make sacrifices for you. You know... because that proves that you're important to me."

Zelda smiled to herself. It both excited her and warmed her heart to think the connection between them was growing deeper. As if sensing her thoughts, though likely a coincidence, Samus held on to her hand a little tighter, her thumb unconsciously stroking the back of the princess's hand. They kept walking through the quiet garden just enjoying each other's company, the serenity of the scenery reflecting the peace in their hearts. They had already walked halfway around the castle.

"You seem genuinely relaxed." Zelda said softly as they turned the next corner.

"I feel relaxed."

Zelda closed her eyes, leaning into her a little more. "This is a side of you I don't often see," she whispered.

"Me either," Samus said then went quiet for a bit, as she considered this. "I..." she paused and shook her head, "You know, you've seen a side of me no one else has. You've... show me there is a side of myself I didn't know was there. Something..." Samus stopped in her tracks and turned to face Zelda. "Something I though wasn't ever meant for someone like me." Samus blinked as her eyes fell upon her companion's, breaking her concentration and slowing her speech. "Feelings that... weren't meant for someone with a cold heart."

Locking eyes with Zelda, she found she was no longer trying to resist that gaze. It no longer made her uncomfortable, and instead of forcing her to turn away the sudden swell of emotion drew her in closer. Before she realized it, her lips were on Zelda's as she kissed her delicately. Her arms slid around Zelda's waist, pulling them close as their kiss turned into a deep embrace, with the two lovers resting foreheads against each other.

"You gave me hope, Zelda," Samus continued softly. "Hope for myself. You believed in me when even I had given up."

Zelda gave her a soft loving look as her hand came up to caress her face. "So, you finally see it, see what I see, the beautiful light inside you?"

"I think I'm starting to... The path ahead doesn't seem so dark, at least." Samus shook her head, she was understating things. "It's more than that. Before we met... I was in a dark place in my life... well, my life has been really dark all together." She glanced away, down to the ground. "But recently it... it had been really bad. I thought I'd never..." she trailed off.

Zelda frowned at the momentary pained expression that Samus had. Retightening her arm around her lover's waist, she ran her other hand through the huntress's untied hair in a loving gesture, encouraging her to look back up.

Samus continued. "But you... Zelda... you saw through all that darkness, found me, and pulled me out of it." She bit her lower lip and shook her head, looking contemplative. "I... I don't have words for how that feels."

"You don't need words... I see it in your eyes." Zelda tilted her partners face down to meet hers, and with a tilt of her head, nuzzled her nose against her cheek "You've been there for me as well." she whispered, eyes shut. Her hand slipped down from Samus face around to fondle the back of her neck. Letting out a contented sigh, Samus rolled her head back into her touch as Zelda lightly massaged her neck with slow repeated strokes.

Samus looked her partner deep in the eyes as she let out several heavy breath. "Zelda," she whispered, moving slightly closer.

However, Zelda made the final move. "I love you, Samus," she said before leaning in until their lips met with gentle, lingering, barely there contact. Any small amount of tension left Samus' body, her shoulders slumped and the breath left her lungs, melting into Zelda's kiss.

She became lightheaded and pulled back to take a breath. Why did it just feel like they had never kissed before that, as if this was their first?

"What?" Zelda asked with a curious smile, sensing her partner's puzzlement.

Samus smiled awkwardly, running her fingers through Zelda's loosely bound hair. "I don't think I'd ever been as happy."

"It was just a kiss, Samus," she said, and leaned into her lover, resting her head on her shoulder.

"No, I mean tonight, the festival, the dressing up, all... that we talked about, it... it was..." Samus spoke hesitantly, finding her words. She caressed Zelda's arms from her shoulders down, then held the princess around the waist and drew her in close. "This was the greatest night of my life."

With a soft of half-smile, Zelda shook her head. "I knew what you meant." She nuzzled against her partners neck, letting out a soft sigh. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Well... I-" She thought for a second then nodded with a smile. "No fair... I don't like being tricked."

Her hands slid up Zelda's back, gently brushing the loose fitting shirt against the princess's skin, coming to rest on her shoulders. She held her tight, wanting to envelope her and get closer than she knew was physically possible. Zelda made her feel so irrational; no one else would have been able to get away with tricking her into saying something... even if she wanted to say it.

"I couldn't help myself," Zelda mumbled as she found her lips involuntarily pulling at Samus' collarbone. "If you don't like it," she said between kisses, "why are you smiling... why are you holding me so close?"

"I can't help myself," she sighed. Irrational... but warm too. "Not with you, I can't."

Zelda let out a happy giggle as her hands slid around Samus' waist. At that point she had a revelation, she new with absolute certainty, "Your heart belongs to me."

She nuzzled the top of Zelda's head and sighed. "Yeah..." she admitted, no longer able to ignore the reality of it at this point.

Zelda glanced up at her lover and leaned into another kiss, pulling softly at Samus' lips with longing, passion-filled pecks. "Let's go back to my room," she said sweetly between kisses.

Samus leaned into her, framing Zelda's face with hands and returned her light kisses, "Okay..." she finally said. So soothed was her typically tormented spirit that she'd have said okay to anything Zelda asked of her. For the first time she could recall she felt a sense of wholeness deep within.

Her hands slid back through Zelda's hair, cradled the back of her neck in her palm, and pulled her in. Abandoning gentle pecks, she deepened their kiss to something more lustful. She tried to take in all of Zelda's essence, desperate to feel as close as possible to her. Samus could taste the faint presence of the alcohol she'd been drinking still hiding in the in the crevasses of her mouth. The princess's soft, muffled moans only stoked her desire. A desire not only of flesh but of heart as well; a need to feel closer to the princes, closer than was possible.

Hooking a finger into the waist band of her skirt, she pulled Zelda to her until their bodies were touching. As she familiarized herself with the shape and number of Zelda's teeth, she slid her hands slid around her waist, a shapely waist and set of hips that she was intimately familiar with; she knew every dip and curve. The feel of her body, her scent, smooth voice as she softly sighed, her silky hair, her presence, character, her heart and soul, Samus felt like she had known Zelda her entire life. Everything was familiar and comfortable, it felt right, easy, so different from just a couple hours ago, and she wanted more. Hands and tongues, scents and sounds were shared as they explored each other, their every sense involved.

Her hand moved up Zelda's back, sliding into her hair, as the other held the small of her back, and she embraced the princess gently. Zelda draped her arms over the huntress's shoulders. Their bodies, leaning against one another, fit together as one. They were truly together, profoundly bonded to each other physically and emotionally. Samus' lips moved from her mouth to her cheek and then down to her neck, sucking at the soft skin.

"Samus... Someone will see," Zelda weakly complained. "We should go inside," she said yet still tilted her head to side, giving Samus easy access.

"In a minute," the huntress was too preoccupied to care about modesty.

But Zelda's sensitive ears already detected the patrolling guards clinking armor as he approached the end of their hedgerow. She roughly pushed Samus through bushes so that both of them stood in the narrow space between the hedge and the castle wall. She leaned onto Samus, resting her head on her chest.

Pressed up against each other in the tight space, the princess pinned her to the wall and found herself presented with a generous amount of bare skin, as the bushes had pulled Samus' dress off her left shoulder.

She couldn't resist temptation and took advantage of the situation, planting lingering wet kisses across Samus' chest and collar, then moved up to her neck. Eventually she found that weak point behind Samus' ear again and drew a loud sigh from her partner.

"Keep your voice down." Zelda hushed her and placed a finger over her lips.

"I want you." Samus pushed past her finger and went for Zelda's ear. Zelda let out a quivering sigh as warm lips and tongue carefully teased every crevasse and the words 'right now' were spoken low and longingly into her ear. To hear such desire in Samus voice excited her terribly, making a wave of heat flash over her body. Teeth gently nibbled at the tip of her ear, bringing her a hair away from giving in to her lover's advances, and she could only half-way suppress a yelp.

Obviously having drawn his attention, the gua

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