Disclaimer: I don’t want to get in whatever trouble people can get into when using other people’s characters so - The Legend of Zelda, Link, Zelda, Ganon, Hyrule and other related characters and settings belong to to that wonderous console company, Nintendo. No infringement intended.

Juliet A. Singleton (Scullys@bigfoot.com) & Kirsty Singleton (arcadionseye@btopenworld.com)

Chapter 7

    As Leigh stepped outside, she quickly wrapped her arms around herself, only just realising how cold it actually was. And the fact she was wearing a dress of Dalsonian design did not help. For a moment, she considered on going back inside, to the warmth of the castle, but then decided against it. She had come out here so she could have a little solitude, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She made her way to the ornamental gardens, it would probably be quiet there, or at least she hoped it would. Suddenly, someone caught her arm, and she whirled around in surprise.

"Who...?" she started, but then she saw who it was. "Ewan," she murmured, a little annoyed at his appearance.

"I came to give you some company," he said quickly.

"I came out here to get away from all of that, and it is your celebration, so perhaps you should be in there celebrating with the rest of them," said Leigh, turning and beginning to walk away. "What exactly did you say to my mother?" asked Ewan suddenly. Leigh closed her eyes trying to collect her thoughts, then opened them again, turning around.

"Things I shouldn't have. No doubt I'll be out by tomorrow morning, and that's if I'm lucky," said Leigh. Ewan caught up with her, grinning.

"Not a lot would have the gall to insult my mother," he said.

"Or perhaps stupidity. I guess we'll never like each other," said Leigh, looking off into the distance. She saw two figures hurrying out of the doors. She didn't take much notice of them. She turned and began walking again, Ewan did also, falling in with her step. He noticed her shivering a little, and gallantly removed his cloak and placed it over her bare shoulders. "You didn't have to," began Leigh, then she looked up to Ewan, he smiled down at her, she could hardly resist smiling back.

"You know Leigh, I don't even know where you're from," said Ewan.

"Sosaria," replied Leigh, not really wanting to bother with an explanation about where she really hailed from.

"Same place as my grandmother Alina, and aunt," said Ewan.

"I suppose the fact that she, Fayette I mean, comes from the same place as I, doesn't say much for me," said Leigh dryly.

"She isn't that bad. At least you and my mother agree on something," said Ewan.

"If you think that Fayette is 'not bad' then you really don't know her. If I were to list all of her personality traits, they would all be negative," said Leigh.

"Perhaps she's changed since you last saw her," suggested Ewan.

"People like her never change, or if they do, it's for the worse. I saw her yesterday actually, she barged into my room and started making all these accusations about me being a cradle snatcher or something! And what else was that she said? Oh yeah, something about me seducing men half my age, I mean, what was all that about?" she asked. Ewan shrugged, and Leigh noticed him blush slightly. Then it dawned on her. "How does she know? I bet the little witch was spying on us or something. Oh this is just brilliant, if Faye tells your mother... I might as well leave now," said Leigh angrily. Ewan wished he hadn't said anything to Rosella now, she would've naturally told her mother. He had Brianna's promise of complete secrecy, but why bother when Rosella and Fayette Tantalon-Arguelles knew? Leigh meanwhile had started walking off. "I mean, do you know what this reminds me of? That, that thing with Link and me. One stupid kiss and I get thrown in jail for it!" said Leigh, exasperated, they were in the ornamental gardens now.

"Was it stupid?" asked Ewan. Leigh stopped, turning to Ewan.

"Of course it was. I don't know why I bothered. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be going through all this mess now," said Leigh surely.

"Was ours?" asked Ewan this time. Leigh looked at Ewan for a moment, not sure what to say. She wanted to tell him it was, but looking at him, she knew she couldn't tell him. The fact was, it had meant something to her, in the way that it was the first time another man had touched her since her experience in the Shadow Temple, well apart from the parting kiss goodbye she had shared with Link. She looked to the ground.

"You don't have to answer," interupted Ewan.

"Ewan, the last man I kissed was your father," she said, hoping to put him off. It was for both of their own good.

"Do you think that bothers me? Circumstances have changed," said Ewan sincerely. They held each others gaze for a moment, then Leigh turned away, walking off. "Leigh, wait," called Ewan, before setting off behind her.

Molasar watched as the young prince pursued the blonde-haired beauty he had just mistaken for Brianna. He had been about to approach her when he realised it wasn't Brianna. He didn't have to wait much longer however, because only moments later, she appeared, but in company of another girl. Obviously he would have to wait a little longer to be alone with her. He considered going back inside, to see if he could search out the Golden Power. As he turned to go inside, a voice entered his head. His fathers.

"Yes my son, seek out the Power of the Golden ones, and then, then you shall be powerful enough to free me, and then the world shall be ours!" Molasar shook his head defiantly.

"That's what you think father," he thought, smiling cruelly. He pushed open the doors and stepped back into the crowd of guests, in search of his ultimate goal.

"Look! Look! There over there!" said Renee, pointing across at two figures in the distance. The two girls had trailed all the way through the ornamental gardens, and out to the lake, following Brianna's brother and Leigh. "Quick! Before they see us!" hissed Renee, grabbing her friend by the hand and hauling her through a nearby hedge.

"Ouch! My dress!" cried Brianna with surprise.

"Oops, I hope that wasn't too expensive," remarked Renee with a giggle.

"Actually," started Brianna.

"We can sneak up on them now," said Renee, beginning to crawl towards the spot Ewan and Leigh were situated.

"I can't believe you expect me to crawl through there!" said Brianna incredulously.

"But you'll have to if you want to spy on them," said Renee, turning her head.

"Perhaps we shouldn't you know. I'd feel wicked! I mean, first thing, I wouldn't want anyone to spy on me on in a, in a situation like that, and second, what if they see us?" said Brianna. "If we aren't there to keep an eye on them, who knows what they might get up to!?!" said Renee, her eyes wide in surprise that Brianna was beginning to back down. Brianna smiled.

"It would be rather funny wouldn't it?" she asked with a giggle.

"We wouldn't be doing it otherwise!" said Renee. Brianna nodded.

"You're right," she conceded.

"Come on then, or we might miss it all!" encouraged Renee.

Molasar looked around furtively. So far, so good. Security was suprisingly lax for such an event, after all, you'd think they would be wise enough to have thought that just anyone could sneak in, searching for valuable goods. In Molasar's case, who was searching for the most valuable of all.

"Excuse me sir, are you lost?" spoke up a voice suddenly. Molasar froze, but did not turn around. If the man saw his face, he would have to die. And after his last experience, he didn't want to go through it again, at least not tonight.

"No, I'm fine," said Molasar, still not turning.

"It's just that guests aren't really supposed to be out here," said the guard, resting one hand on Molasar's shoulder.

"I see," said Molasar, carefully reaching down to his belt and withdrawing his knife.

"So if you'd like to come with me," started the guard. Molasar didn't let him finish, in one second, he turned and dug the knife deep into the guards stomach, sending him to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

"I didn't want to do this," apologised Molasar, as he twisted the knife in further. A stream of blood spurted from the guards mouth, then he fell to the floor, still not dead. Molasar pulled his knife from the man and quickly wiped the blade along his fingers. He looked at the dark fluid upon his fingers, almost recoiling at the sight, and quickly wiped it on the inside of his jacket. Then, he replaced the knife back in his belt and looked back down at the man, who was barely breathing. "We have got to get you out the way," whispered Molasar, beginning to drag the body into a side room. He pushed the body behind a large plant arrangement, and satisfied, left the room, closing the door behind him. He looked down at the floor, and noticed several small blood spots on the carpet. He'd thought there would be more really, but wasn't complaining. They weren't all that noticeable, unless you were looking. He smiled slowly to himself, then approached the steps to the tower. As he approached, his eyes closed, a scene entering his head.

Walking up the tower, cursing and grunting. The boy, the boy had to be found. But there were more important things at hand. The spell that protected the tower, it was weakened. That meant she, Zelda, also had to be weak. Laughter. Evil, echoing laughter. It was time. He had always said the time would come, and now was the time. The Power of the Gold, to be his, forever. Always striving for the Power, always failing. No more. Then, then the boy. The boy and the woman. Zelda. Link. Their son. With the Power in the hands of the one, they would die, all die. No more thwarted plans, wasted efforts, banishments. But first, the boy, he would die first. The weakest. If he did not die now, he could cause problems in the future. The door was ajar, what if it was not there. Roars of anger, fists smashed forward, wood splintered, hands bleeding. Forwards, into the room. Shards of light piercing the gloom. Dancing before his eyes. Forwards, towards the Power, the sheer power. No golden light, not yet. Hands, against the smooth surface, lifted aloft. Colours still dancing, Red glow, no golden shine. The time, the time was not ready. When the time came, then the golden light would shine before him.

Molasar opened his eyes, leaning against the wall. What had just happened? It had been like some kind of flashback, yet not his own. Then he realised, it must have been one of his father's. This was where it would be. Molasar smiled and pushed open the door, when a sharp sensation filled him. He stepped back in surprise. The barrier! Of course. In that dream/flashback, he had thought about a barrier. What kind? To fend off evil. He tried to step forward through the barrier, but it was useless. It was too strong, or he was too weak. "You told me I could take the Power, but I can't even enter the tower?! What do you suggest I do now? Father?" demanded Molasar angrily.

"I had forgotten my son, you shall have to bade your time. Shortly, not long from now, there shall be an event in the ethereal void, where all of the magic in the kingdom shall, for a brief period, cease to work. You shall strike then, when the time is right. But for now you shall wait, and you shall be rewarded with powers beyond your wildest fantasies!" replied his father. Molasar sneered and nodded his head. Everything would soon fall into place, and when it did, he and his race would be liberated and worshipped, rather than scorned and spat upon. He turned on his heel, making his way back to the Great Hall, where everyone was gathered. He hoped that the body of that unfortunate man would not be found anytime soon, he wanted time to speak alone with Brianna. Perhaps, she would be his destiny for tonight.

Leigh sat down on the grass, glad it had not rained recently. She would hate to get such a garment wet or muddy. Ewan joined her.

"So, it's just my mother that's annoying you, or is it something else?" asked Ewan kindly. "Ewan, it's all gone wrong. Everything that could go wrong has, and I'm afraid it's going to keep going like that for me for some while," said Leigh sadly.

"If you think like that, then you're never going to get anywhere. You need to think positive!" said Ewan, smiling encouragingly.

"What is there to be positive about?" sighed Leigh. In all her short life, she had never felt herself talk like this. But her heart and her mouth were tied together, and she could no longer keep the feeling inside.

"It doesn't have to be much. Just be glad that the grass is green, and the sky is.. uh... black. And that the moon is sorta shining, casting the reflections off the lake. And, one thing to definitely be positive about is that you met the greatest guy only the other day, and he's right next to you at that very moment!" said Ewan, grinning. Leigh couldn't help but smile at his half-baked attempts of cheering her up. It reminded her of Link. And his smile, so like Links, Ewan's father. "And look at you. You are the most beautiful woman in the Demiari, no one else could compare, isn't that something to be positive about?" asked Ewan.

"I'd hardly say that," said Leigh, smiling a little at his flattery, although she was feeling guilty of her thoughts of Link.

"It's true. But I can tell, you're like that on the inside too. Beautiful in every way," said Ewan sincerely.

"You hardly know me. And if your mother told you the way I'd acted with her all those years ago, you might not be so impressed," said Leigh.

"Perhaps I just won't ask her then," grinned Ewan. He placed his hand over Leigh's, his rough skin against her smooth.

"My father tells me you're a great warrior, how do you keep your skin so soft and smooth?" asked Ewan mockingly.

"By keeping it away from the likes of you," joked Leigh, feeling better in the young man's company. Ewan withdrew his hand quickly, pretending to be offended.

"Oh charming. You've really hurt my feelings now," said Ewan, his eyes still twinkling. Leigh just smiled, her blue eyes tracing the lines of his face. He'd never forget how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. Ewan slowly wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her softly to his side. She leaned against his strong chest, just taking in the moonlit scene of tranquility.

After a few moments of silence, Leigh looked up and smiled at Ewan.

"Thank you," she murmured. Ewan smiled back.

"Well, I don't know what for. But hey, I'm not one to go knocking back thank you's from any pretty lady," said Ewan.

"Seriously," murmured Leigh. Ewan nodded.

"Okay, seriously, I accept," he said, but that boyish smile of his still rogued his lips. Leigh leaned closer to him still, yearning to be closer to him. She wasn't sure why. Those long months of lonliness she had endured had left her so empty. She needed intimacy, closeness with someone, and right now, Ewan was right there beside her. Ewan, surprised by her sudden closeness looked at her questioningly. But she just simply smiled back. "Leigh, are you cold?" he suddenly asked. Leigh smiled a little at his question. He was so sure of himself, or at least he had always been previously, but the sudden closeness that she had inuced upon him after such a frosty reception, well, it had thrown him.

"No," she replied.

"Er, okay, just making sure," said Ewan a little nervously.

"I could be warmer though," suggested Leigh. Ewan raised his eyebrows.

"Erm..." he began. Leigh ran both of her hands up to Ewan's jaw, and cupping his face in her hands, she brought her face close to his, and shyly pressed forward, the two unsure at first, but gently they became nearer, their lips grazing one anothers, before Leigh leaned closer still, and pressed her lips softly against his.

"Ooh saucy," whispered Renee.

"What? I can hardly see anything!" complained Brianna pushing in front of her friend trying to get a better look.

"She's forward isn't she?" commented Renee ignoring her friend.

"I can't see!" complained Brianna. Renee tore her gaze away from the two, enough to glance at the pretty princess.

"Try climbing up that tree, I'm sure you'll have a very good vantage point from there," suggested Renee, grinning wickedly.

"Fine, I shall. Then you'll be so jealous of me!" said Brianna definitely. She stood up, hitched up her skirts then began to shimmy up the tree, totally mucking up her dress.

"Go girl!" cheered Renee quietly as her friend settled on a branch, just above the kissing couple.

"Did you hear something?" asked Ewan, stopping suddenly. Leigh shook her head, kissing him again and lying down in the grass, pulling him closer. They continued to kiss, the gap between their bodies closing up, until, gradually, he was atop of her. As she felt his heart, beating against hers, something inside her suddenly snapped. Memories resurfaced in a murky fashion, memories of those pale skinned savages, what they had done whilst she had been held captive in the shadow temple. No man had been so close to her since, except perhaps Sir Stobbart, but even he had not come so close. Nor had she let them. She let out a small gasp and quickly pulled away, sitting up trembling. As she pushed him, Ewan rolled on to his back, and saw a figure perched up in the tree not far above him. His eyes widened, but he quickly turned his attentions back to Leigh, who had pulled away so suddenly. He placed one hand on her bare shoulder, his cloak in the grass, but she flinched away, leaving him puzzled. "What is it?" he asked, but she did not reply. She could not. She had never told anyone about what had happened in the temple, and she had vowed never to do so either. Just thinking about how defenceless she had been, how utterly feeble she had been made her feel upset, angry. The very idea of talking about what had happened made her feel worse. "Please, Leigh, what is it?" asked Ewan, feeling useless. She was obviously upset about something and he didn't know a thing.

"I'm sorry, it's just," started Leigh, almost choking on the lump forming in her throat.

"Was it something I did, or said?" tried Ewan, thinking back to what had gone on between the two. Leigh shook her head,

"No, it's just me. I'm sorry, I have to leave," said Leigh, standing up and running away into the darkness. Ewan stood to pursue, when he heard someone burst from the bushes behind him. He wheeled around in surprise, and annoyance.

"Ooh, looks like lover boy upset his new piece," said Renee as she emerged, twigs in her hair. "You've been spying?" asked Ewan, angry and annoyed.

"What does it look like. You can come down now Bri!" Renee said, calling up to her friend. Brianna slid down the tree.

"What happened there, she looked pretty upset," said Brianna, feeling a little guilty. Ewan shook his head, then took off in the direction Leigh had gone. Renee looked to Brianna and shrugged.

"Some people just don't like to be spied on," she sighed.

***

Brianna quickly pulled off her new blue silk dress, and held it up critically. It was completely ruined. Mother will have a fit if she sees it, the princess thought to herself. She quickly stuffed it under her bed, along with all her other junk, and ran over to the large walk-in closet that was in an alcove at the far end of the room. She had a large array of dresses, but none as nice as the one she'd been wearing. However, she couldn't possibly wear it anymore, it was simply far too muddy, not to mention torn, and adorned with bits of twig and grass. Considering she was supposed to be showing herself off to potential husbands, she hadn't done a very good job so far. She'd only danced with about three people, and she hadn't really liked any of them. And of course, she'd danced with Timothy, and her brother, and her cousins. But they didn't count. Brianna sighed, and quickly sorted through the dresses. Nothing seemed right... and she really did want to make a good impression on people. She was getting older, after all, perhaps she ought to start acting more grown up. Spying on her brother with Renee had seemed like a good idea at the time, but crawling under those bushes, not to mention hanging from that tree had certainly taken their toll on the delicate material of the dress. Suddenly, she found a simply beautiful gown, hidden behind some winter dresses. Slowly, she pulled it out, holding it up and admiring it. This dress... she remembered getting it. It had been a Christmas present, but too cold to wear at the time. She'd put it in her wardrobe to keep for the warmer months, and obviously forgotten about it. It was made of delicate watered silk, pale lilac in colour. The sweetheart neckline was trimmed with Brynnelian lace, and the sleeves were gathered at the top, and tied with ribbon. The skirt was long, and closely fitted, but loose enough to swirl. It had a layer of shimmering chiffon over the silk. Quickly, Brianna changed into it, then walked over to the mirror to admire herself. She was impressed with what she saw. Why, I'm almost as beautiful as mother, she thought to herself. Then she gazed up at her hair, and frowned. She had thick, golden hair which was incredibly curly, left to its own devices. Sometimes, she wished that her hair was as straight and silky as her mother's. But it wasn't, and she usually kept it tied in plaits to keep it under control. Tonight, she'd tied it in a braid. It looked nice, but somehow... Tentatively, she pulled the strands loose, until eventually, her hair cascaded down her back in a mass of golden curls. The person in the mirror looked absolutely different, in fact, Brianna was shocked by the difference that leaving her hair loose, made. She looked a lot older, less... demure. She dipped a sponge into a nearby water bowl, and wiped the dirt from her face. She'd had to sneak into the castle through a side entrance, in case someone had seen her looking so terribly messy. She had no idea where Renee had gone, not that she really cared. Glancing back in the mirror, she quickly touched up her make-up, and then headed back downstairs.

As the young princess walked down the first flight of stairs, she noticed a figure gazing down into the Great Hall below, standing atop the first floor gallery. He turned as he heard her approach, and she realised that it was the young man she'd met a few days before, down by the river. She smiled warmly at him.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Brianna..." Molasar replied, staring at her, almost entranced. Brianna suddenly felt a little self conscious.

"Uh... is something wrong? Do I look... does my hair look terrible?" she asked. Molasar shook his head.

"Brianna, you look absolutely beautiful. But weren't you wearing..." he began.

"Yes, I was wearing a blue dress, like I said I would be," she grinned. "But... well, I... well, it doesn't matter. But I decided to wear this instead," she added, gesturing to her shimmering gown. Molasar smiled at her.

"I've been wanting to say hello all evening, but you're terribly popular," he said, looking down somewhat shyly. Brianna laughed.

"Oh, hardly!" she protested.

"Well, I didn't want to interrupt you and your friends," Molasar admitted.

"Don't be silly! We really wouldn't have minded you know," Brianna replied.

"Shall we go downstairs?" Molasar asked. Brianna glanced down into the hall below. It was absolutely packed with people. She turned back to Molasar.

"Well, actually, if you don't mind... I'd, I'd... I'd rather just sit and chat for a while," she admitted, a pink blush creeping up into her cheeks.

"Actually, I think that would be quite nice. It is a little stuffy down there, isn't it?" Molasar said. Brianna nodded.

"Yeah... we don't usually have this many guests, but well, it is Ewan's twenty-first birthday, and I suppose everyone wants to know what Hyrule's next ruler will be like," she said, smiling again.

"It's a pity you won't get to be ruler, I bet you'd make a great one," Molasar said.

"Ohhh..." Brianna began, blushing again. She ran a hand nervously through her golden hair, and gazed at Molasar in wonder. "You're being terribly nice to me," she remarked.

"Well, you're such a lovely person, I can't help it," Molasar replied smoothly, glad that he seemed to be having an effect on the girl. She smiled fleetingly.

"But... well, I hate to talk about myself. Can't we talk about you?" she asked. Molasar sighed. "Brianna, there's really nothing to tell. My life is incredibly boring, like I told you, I lead a small community in Benlucca, and this is the first time I've ever been away from it. I've led an... an incredibly isolated life," he said sadly. Brianna smiled sympathetically.

"That must be terrible, not to travel about. Why, I've been to quite a few places already, Catalia, Lemmink, Dalsona, Dubatio and Brynnel. I've never been to Benlucca, though. I suppose it's because your country isn't that friendly with mine," she said.

"It's a shame. You all seem to be so nice," Molasar replied.

"You too," Brianna said. She suddenly stood up.

"Tell you what. Would you like to meet my friends?" she questioned.

"In... in a while. Brianna, forgive me, but I..." he trailed off there, looking faintly embarrassed.

"But what?" the princess asked, her blue eyes widening in surprise.

"Brianna... you're so beautiful, you're like no other girl I met before," Molasar said, the words all falling out in a rush. Brianna laughed.

"Oh please!" she said, grinning.

"Please?" Molasar asked, looking confused. Brianna kept grinning.

"Figure of speech," she replied.

"Oh..." Molasar answered. He quickly took hold of her hand, and gazed into her eyes. She gazed back for a moment, but then looked away coyly.

"We hardly know each other," she said.

"We... we do. We will. Brianna, can't you see how much I like you?" Molasar asked.

"Yes, but... but I'm only fifteen years old!" Brianna protested.

"So am I," Molasar replied. Brianna looked slightly surprised.

"You... you look older," she said.

"As do you," Molasar agreed. The princess bit her lip nervously, then she turned to look at Molasar. He was so handsome, so exciting, intriguing somehow... her heart was pounding wildly just at his mere presence. Despite how much she wanted to deny it, she suddenly realised that she was indeed, falling in love. She pulled her hand out of his.

"Please excuse me, I have somewhere to go," she said, running away, before he could follow her.

The night air was still, the sky a velvety blackness, with little pin pricks of silvery light at various intervals. As Brianna walked outside, she felt a lot calmer. She sank down on one of the stone benches, and gazed down at her clenched hands in her lap. Slowly, she unfolded her fingers, and fingered the cool, silky material of her dress. She'd never experienced a feeling like that before. She'd felt like she wanted to kiss Molasar, and yet, how could she? She barely even knew him... they hadn't even known each other for an hour. And yet, she'd felt so incredibly drawn to him, for no reason at all. Maybe it was because of his exotic looks, or foreign manner. He seemed so innocent, so naive of Hyrulian customs. She felt like she wanted to teach him everything about her country, wanted to share everything about it. She knew other boys, other princes, but she didn't feel anything for them. Well, nothing like this, anyway. It scared her. Had her mother felt exactly like this, the princess wondered. She began to toy with her kingdom ring thoughtfully. Her mother had said that she had been only fifteen years old, when she'd first fell in love. So, it wasn't so inconceivable that she too, was falling in love so young. Or maybe I'm not in love. Perhaps I'm just... infatuated, she thought to herself. Suddenly, the pad of footsteps approaching made her look around nervously. she hoped that it wasn't Molasar, she felt too embarrassed to see him right now. It wasn't. As she glanced up, she realised that it was just Timothy.

"Oh, hey," she said, smiling weakly.

"I saw you go rushing outside, and I was a little concerned," Timothy stated.

"Oh... I'm fine Tim. I just wanted to... to get some fresh air," Brianna said quickly. Timothy sat down beside her.

"Actually, me too," he admitted.

"Not found some girl to bring out here?" Brianna asked, suddenly grinning mischievously. It was dark, but she could have sworn that he blushed at her words.

"Uh... no, no, not tonight," he said nervously.

"Ewan was telling me you had some girl," Brianna continued.

"Oh... you know Ewan, he just imagines stuff," Timothy replied. Brianna smiled.

"Oh yeah, he does it all the time," she said, shaking her head.

"Brianna..." Timothy began shyly, but suddenly, she stood up.

"Tim, please, I think we better hide," she said.

"Why?" he asked in surprise.

"Don't ask questions, just follow me," Brianna said, pulling him into the hedge maze.

***

"Did you two really have to blow up like that?" Drake asked Zelda. Zelda pouted, saying nothing.

"Yeah, after fifteen years, surely you've learnt to forgive each other at least," ventured Damon.

"Forgive her? She tried to single-handedly wreck my marriage!" exclaimed Zelda angrily.

"She hardly did that Zelda, it was nearly wrecked by the likes of Fayette and Sprite scheming together," said Link quietly.

"Did someone mention my name?" squeaked up a voice suddenly. Link turned to see his faerie companion, Sprite, floating behind him.

"You again? We aren't talking about anything that would interest you," he assured her, still annoyed by Sprite's previous appearance.

"Oh, but everything interests me. Especially if it includes me," said Sprite, perching on her companion's shoulder.

"We were just saying, how Leigh nearly wrecked my marriage. I'll never her forgive her until she gives me a decent and sincere apology," stated Zelda firmly.

"I totally agree. I wouldn't let any woman move in on my man and get away with it!" said Sprite enthusiastically. Link raised and eyebrow towards the faerie.

"How is she anyway? Throwing herself at all the men as per?" asked Sprite.

"No! She was hardly like that in the first place. In fact, we haven't seen her all night since Zelda and Leigh had their, uh, little confrontation," said Selina.

"Well you would stick up for her," said Sprite, sounding annoyed.

"She's a nice person, she doesn't deserve to be slandered by the likes of you," said Selina. "What do you mean? The likes of me. You may be the Queen of the richest land in the Demiari, but I happen to be Tamara, Queen of the Fey!" said Sprite proudly.

"Look, I'm just saying that you two should give her a break. I mean, let's face it, would Hyrule be so peaceful if she hadn't managed to trap Ganondorf in that Gem Prison of hers?" said Selina.

"We don't even know if it worked, I can't even get into the chest the sword's in," said Zelda, crossing her arms.

"If Ganondorf had gone back to the void, he'd have been out by now and you know it," said Selina. Zelda frowned. Why did Selina of all people have to stick up for the one person she despised in the world.

"Maybe, but it still doesn't condone what she did," said Zelda huffily.

"Perhaps we shouldn't talk about this, it's only bringing back bad memories," warned Link quietly.

"Zelda, don't you think you over reacted, just a bit. I mean, that trial you held her on, it was, it was terrible. You had her thrown in jail and then she was sentenced to death. We should all be thankful she doesn't hate this country for how she was treated," said Selina. "She probably does anyway," muttered Zelda.

"Would you blame her?" snapped back Selina.

"Girls, girls, you really shouldn't argue, it's bad for the ether!" said Dion half-jokingly. Zelda glared at Dion icily, meaning for him to keep out of the conversation.

"Dion is right, not on a celebration such as this," said Nick. Selina stared at Zelda for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. Look Zel, I'm sorry, I guess I just can't see it from your point of view," admitted Selina.

"Well perhaps if you could, perhaps you wouldn't think Leigh was all sweetness and light," said Zelda, still mad.

"Can't we just all drop the subject?" asked Drake hopefully.

"Looks like that could be a little hard now, considering the topic of the conversation is heading this way," said Zelda, glaring across the room at the heroine who had just entered. Her hair was a little tousled up, perhaps from being outside, but it was infuriating because it just made her look just as good. As she drew a little closer, Zelda thought that her face looked a little red, as if she had been crying. To Zelda's relief however, it wasn't them she was approaching, it was someone else. Sparks.

"Leigh," called out Sparks as he spotted her. She turned to look at him, a little vaguely at first, but when she saw who it was, she smiled and quickly joined him.

"Hey, where've you been all night? I saw you coming down, but after that..." said Sparks. He smiled at her again.

"You look beautiful," he complimented shyly.

"I don't know about that, but you don't look too bad yourself," said Leigh, smiling at her friend. He was, indeed, looking quite handsome. He was wearing a smart blue tunic, with a white shirt.

"Thanks," said Sparks, his smile widening.

"So, where are all the lovely ladies flocking around you, an eligible bachelor like yourself, I mean I'm assuming that..." said Leigh, stopping short.

"You assumed correctly, in fact, there's something I'd like to ask you," said Sparks, his voice lowering.

"Yes?" asked Leigh,

"Would the lady care to dance?" asked Sparks chivalrously. Leigh smiled a little to herself. "I don't see why not. Yes, the lady would like a dance," said Leigh playing along. Sparks grinned, and took her hand, leading her onto the dance floor.

Ewan leaned over the banister miserably, looking over onto the dance floor. He didn't know what had gone wrong, outside with Leigh, but something obviously had. He wasn't sure what it was, and she'd gone before he had had the chance to find out. She'd been upset, nervous, but not angry, but he couldn't think of anything he'd done to cause the reaction. He sighed, sinking lower onto his elbows, watching the swirl of dancers below. Then, he saw a flash of blonde on white. It was Leigh, and she was dancing with another guy. He stood up in disbelief, then quickly thought the situation through. They weren't a couple, he hardly knew her. They'd kissed, twice but it hardly made them an item. It was hardly a surprise that she was dancing with another guy, they'd be lining up to have her hand for just one dance no doubt. He'd just thought she would've been to upset or something. He realised he hadn't even danced with her, so he began to make his way over towards the stairs when someone placed a hand on his shoulder he turned round, coming face to face with his cousin Rosella.

"She's hardly as dedicated as you obviously are," said Rosella, looking down to the dancers below. She was talking about Leigh.

"Give it a rest," sighed Ewan, shrugging from her grasp.

"How about a dance with me? To show her what she's missing at least," suggested Rosella.

"Nice try Roz, I'd give you a six for originality, but not tonight," said Ewan.

"I don't even see what you see in her. She's older than you for a start, and she's not even got a proper lineage," said Rosella sourly.

"Lineage doesn't matter, and neither does age. I'm sure there's plenty of other guys who'll dance with you, I'm just not one of them," said Ewan. Then he walked down the steps, leaving his step-cousin fuming behind him.

"May I cut in?" asked Ewan, taking hold of Leigh's hand. Leigh looked at Sparks then smiled at him.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"Of course not, you go ahead. You were probably sick of me stamping on your feet anyway," said Sparks, smiling.

"It was only once, and it didn't hurt, well, not that much," laughed Leigh. Sparks gave her a peck on the cheek then stepped back, letting her fall into the arms of the prince.

"What happened before?" asked Ewan as he stood close to her.

"Ewan, I can't explain it. I hardly knew myself. It's just something happened to me a while ago, and I still haven't...it doesn't matter anyway. I'm sorry, I really am," whispered back Leigh.

"You can tell me you know," said Ewan, moving in time with the music.

"You don't want to know, I wouldn't want to bore you," said Leigh lightly.

"As if you ever could," said Ewan, grinning a little.

"You hardly even know me. For all you know, I could be little Ms. no personality," said Leigh. "I doubt it, and besides, I mean what I said before. I would like to get to know you a whole lot better," said Ewan.

"I don't know if that'll even be possible. I could be leaving Hyrule soon, when I couldn't say, but it'll have to happen sooner rather than later, and when I go, I don't even know if I'll be back," said Leigh sadly.

"So don't go," tried Ewan.

"You're sweet, but it's something I have to do," said Leigh.

"I'll try to change your mind you know, just not right now. I have to concentrate, or I mess up big time and you'll probably end up with five broken toes and a swollen ankle," warned Ewan sheepishly.

"I wouldn't have like to have been your dance instructor," joked Leigh.

"Neither did she," said Ewan with a laugh.

"You can't be that bad," protested Leigh.

"Try me," challenged Ewan.

"Fine," said Leigh as the music paused briefly before starting up again. "To another dance," she finished.

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman!?" groaned Rosella, to no one in particular. She happened to be standing close by a group which included her two twin sisters, Rosalind and Rosamund.

"If you ask us," started Rosamund with a giggle,

"It looked like Ewan who asked her," finished Rosalind in infuriating fashion.

"Oh do keep quiet, if you aren't going to say anything good, don't" began Rosella, before both the twins cut in.

"Say anything at all," they mimicked, before bursting into giggles.

"I don't know why I bother with you two, you are sooo immature," said Rosella in exasperation. "'Cause no one else will put up with you!" said Rosamund sweetly.

"If mother knew how you two were acting," threatened Rosella.

"Oh, but you wouldn't tell mother would you Roz? I mean, she would ground me and Rosie for at least a month," said Rosalind sarcastically.

"Shut up! I can't stand to hear any more!" said Rosella angrily.

"Can poor old Roz not get a dance?" asked Rosamund sweetly.

"No. Roz just doesn't choose to dance, because she wants to save herself for the prince," said Rosalind grinning wickedly.

"Oh Rossi, you're terrible!" commented Rosamund reciprocating her sister's grin.

"Well whilst you two are dancing with mere noblemen, I shall be dancing with a prince!" exclaimed Rosella smugly.

"We've already danced with two princes tonight, beat that," challenged Rosalind.

"Oh yes, who exactly?" asked Rosella sweetly.

"Well, Jack of Lemmink and Xander of Dalsona," replied Rosamund. Rosella snorted.

"Jack is only twelve, and Xander is but a mere fourteen. Ewan is a prince ready to be a king, therefore I shall be better than the two of you put together," said Rosella.

"I bet I could secure the hand of the lovely Ewan before you could," said Rosalind.

"Ladies do not bet. But I know he would dance with me, rather than with either of you two adolescents," began Rosella.

"Adolescent? Us? We think not," snapped Rosamund.

"Touched a sore spot did I?" asked Rosella smugly.

"We could get a dance with Ewan before you could get a dance with that rather handsome man over there. What's his name? He used to live here for a while, Sparks, that's it," said Rosalind, pointing over at the blacksmith.

"As if I would, I can't be seen with people like him. He probably has no kind of noble lineage whatsoever," said Rosella with clear distaste.

"If you dance with him first, then we'll make sure we keep little Ms. Angel Features out of your way, and Ewan's, for the rest of the night," promised Rosamund. Rosella appeared to mull the thought over for a second.

"Fine, you'll be doing me a huge favour once I win this," said Rosella, before turning around and swanning off towards the young blacksmith.

"Rosamund! What did you do that for?" asked Rosalind as soon as their sister was gone.

"Thought it'd be fun. And besides this would've been the only way she would have even considered dancing with the guy," said Rosamund.

"That's all very well and good, but we'll never have Ewan dance with us, not now that he's with her," said Rosalind.

"If she were to injure herself," said Rosamund with a smile.

"And cause herself enough harm to be taken from the dance floor," continued Rosalind.

"By a helping hand," finished Rosamund.

"Fine, I'll trip her, and help her up and off before Ewan darling gets a chance to do anything about it, then you cut in and dance with him!" said Rosalind.

"Deal," said Rosamund, before they pushed their way through the crowd of bystanders and out onto the dance floor.

Rosalind hovered nearby Ewan and Leigh, waiting for the opportunity to impede them any way she could. The opportunity soon arose, and Rosalind walked towards them, knocking into Leigh.

"Hey watch where you're going," scolded Ewan.

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry!" gasped Rosalind, her face a picture of horror. Leigh leaned down and rubbed her knee painfully. Rosalind grabbed Leigh by the arm. "Come on, you must come with me at once, to the healer's! Who knows what damage a klutz like me could have done!" went on Rosalind, practically dragging Leigh away from Ewan.

"I'm okay, really!" protested Leigh.

"Wait, I'll come with you," said Ewan, but suddenly, Rosamund appeared and grabbed Ewan.

"Ooh, you're free for once! I'd simply die if I had not the opportunity to dance with the most gorgeous guy in this country!" said Rosamund, brginning to pull Ewan away from Leigh's direction. Ewan began to protest, but seeing his attempts were futile, he decided he wouldn't be going anywhere, at least not until he had finished this dance.

"Say, you're looking pretty lonely. Care to accompany a lady in one dance?" asked Rosella sweetly. Sparks looked up from his drink and smiled.

"Uh, no thanks," he said. Rosella could've scratched out his eyes.

"Oh but, it makes sense. Here I am, all alone, without suitor and here you are, all alone. Two plus two equals four, as they say," tried Rosella. Sparks looked Rosella up and down, and smiled.

"You're Rosella Tantalon aren't you, Fayette's eldest daughter?" he asked, recognising her face and red curls.

"Tantalon-Arguelles, but yes, and you're that guy who protected the Triforce for a while," said Rosella. She looked over her shoulder to see if either of her sister's had had any luck. Ewan was still dancing with that woman, Leigh or whatever she was called. She turned back to Sparks. "So, a dance?" she asked politely, reaching out her delicate hand.

"Well I, uh," began Sparks, a little unsure. Rosella smiled pleasantly. Sparks smiled back. "It'd be an honour," he finished, standing and taking Rosella by the hand. Rosella mentally cheered, but as they turned to the dance floor, another sight made her heart drop to her feet. Her sister, Rosamund was about to take the hand of Ewan in a dance. Rosella quickly dragged her partner onto the floor, realising she didn't actually know his name. "What's the rush?" asked Sparks suspiciously.

"Oh, I just love to dance," said Rosella, laughing.

"I can see," said Sparks.

"So, I didn't actually catch your name," said Rosella casually as they danced. For a peasant he wasn't a bad dancer. Well, he wasn't a peasant, she supposed, after all he had undertook one of the most valued jobs in the kingdom for a while.

"Samuel Parkes, but my friends, they just call me Sparks," said Sparks, smiling.

"Oh, fascinating," said Rosella trying to feign interest. "Didn't I see you dancing with um, Leigh?" inquired Rosella.

"Yeah, you did. Me and her, we go way back," said Sparks. Rosella perked up.

"Way back?" she asked, interested, genuinely this time.

"I've known her since I was a kid, and well, it gets a little complicated after that," said Sparks. He didn't really want to go into the whole ageing structure process thing.

"She's a very beautiful woman," commented Rosella.

"I know," said Sparks, smiling.

"So, have you two ever had, you know?" asked Rosella.

"A relationship? Hardly! We've always been just friends, and until now, it wouldn't have even been conceivable that either of us have a relationship with each other," said Sparks.

"Really?" asked Rosella, this could turn out to be very interesting. Not only would her sisters be doing he a huge favour in keeping Leigh away from her and Ewan for the remainder of evening, but they had also done her a huge favour in pointing her in the direction of Sparks. He could be just the thing to get Leigh away from Ewan.

"Have you ever thought of being in a relationship with her?" asked Rosella.

"Yeah, when I was a kid. But not now, things have changed," said Sparks. Rosella smiled a little, Sparks was a surprisingly good dancer, for what he was.

"Changed, how exactly?" asked Rosella.

"It'd be too weird for one thing, I mean, we've always been like brother and sister," said Sparks.

"Shame. I think you'd make a simply adorable couple, but if she asked you, would you oblige?" said Rosella.

"Hey, I shouldn't be telling you stuff like this," said Sparks, laughing.

"But why not? It's just, you see, I happen to know that the prince has his eye on her, so if you're going to do anything about that, well I just thought I'd tell you," said Rosella sweetly. "Who, Ewan? She's got to be five years older than him, more," said Sprite, looking a little surprised.

"Obviously he's thinking beauty before age," said Rosella.

"Yeah well, Leigh wouldn't be stupid enough to get involved, it got her in enough trouble last time," said Sparks.

"Last time?" asked Rosella.

"Uh, nothing," said Sparks quickly, wishing he hadn't said anything.

"Oh, you can tell me," said Rosella soothingly.

"I can't, I shouldn't have said anything anyway," said Sparks. The musicians stopped, ending the dance.

"Well thank you, you've been a dear," said Rosella, reaching up to give Sparks a peck on the cheek.

"As have you," said Sparks, before parting. Rosella smiled to herself. So what was this about there being 'trouble last time'? She didn't know, but she definitely wanted to find out. But not right now, she had other matters to attend, such as her darling twin sisters who were both sitting away from the dance floor. Ewan was no where to be seen, but Rosella would look for him later.

"I believe I fulfilled your requirements," said Rosella to her sisters.

"I danced with Ewan before you did with the other guy," said Rosamund, pouting.

"No you didn't, so I take it you'll be keeping your end of the deal," said Rosella smiling sweetly. Rosamund sighed.

"We guess so, but that's only if we can find her. And, Ewan has conveniently disappeared too, so..." said the Brynnelian.

"Mmm, well, you'll just have to find her won't you?" said Rosella. The two twins stood up. "We're only doing this 'cause there isn't anything else to do," warned Rosamund.

"Naturally, of course. Now, I have to see someone," said Rosella, walking away from her two sisters.

"Now look what you've landed us into doing," moaned Rosamund.

"You were the one who suggested it!" said Rosalind incredulously.

"I did not, but it doesn't matter anyway. It might be quite interesting," said Rosamund quickly.

"But there are all these guests! So many cute guys to dance with!" protested Rosalind.

"Well, we can't see her, so we can't exactly get rid of her, so I'm going to dance with that cute guy over there!" said Rosamund with a grin, pointing at a dark-headed young man.

"He is nice, but he is more my type," said Rosalind, nodding across to a sandy-haired, who looked in his mid twenties.

"Not bad, we'll compare notes later," said Rosamund with a grin.

Back to Story Menu