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 (Indigo_Spacen@mail.com)

Chapter 11

    The third day of the first week of September was the date set for the wedding of King Nicolas of Dalsona, and Selina Rowen of Hyrule. It of course took place in Nick's homeland, of Dalsona, a hot, yet balmy country, covered mostly by a golden desert. The Imperial Palace was situated on the south-eastern coastline, near to the capital city of Memoria, and it certainly was a fantastic building. Selina was dumbstruck every time that she saw it. It was much vaster in size than North Castle, which was probably the biggest building in Hyrule. It was made from what looked like white marble, and had large, domed roofs made from gold. To Selina, they looked rather like onions on the top of poles. Little minarets surrounded it, as well as large ones. There were huge flights of steps leading to places unknown, pillared colonnades, dark carved archways leading inside, tall spires, even battlements. Jutting out from almost every wall were large balconies, and even whole roof gardens at some points. Outside, there was a large, oblong lake, lined with fountains, which stood in front of the Palace. Lemon and orange trees lined the walkways, and there were hundreds of terracotta pots of flowers. There was always a delicious smell of fruit and flowers in the air because of this. The carvings everywhere were absolutely fantastic, they were on the walls, ceilings, pillars, and even the floors. There was no glass in any of the windows; it would have been far too hot inside otherwise. All in all, it was a stunning sight to see, especially to newcomers. Sometimes, the heat was too much to bear, but Selina was getting used to it. Inside the Palace, it was often a lot cooler, so she seemed to spend more times indoors, than out, even though back in Hyrule, she'd been a real outdoors sort of person. Nick would laugh, and tell her that soon, even she would adjust.

"Soon Selina, you'll be outdoors going for rides across the desert with me!" he exclaimed, smiling widely. Selina hadn't believed him.

"Out there? I'll boil alive!" she'd protested. Nick had shook his head, and walked away, leaving her as she studied a book about Dalsonian customs.

    Right now, it was the night before the wedding. She was incredibly excited about the whole matter. It would take place tomorrow afternoon, and the reception would be in the evening. Some of the guests had already arrived, excepting those who lived further away. Zelda's father had sent the Royal Ship across with most people earlier that day, including her brothers and her parents, Link, Zelda and the rest of the group. Selina had Zelda had had a chat together a few hours ago, marvelling over Dalsona, and how exotic it was, compared to Hyrule. "You'll have an amazing life here," Zelda had said, still gazing around in fascination. "I don't mind, so long as I'm with Nick," Selina had replied truthfully. She would have been happy living in a tiny wooden shack in the middle of nowhere, if Nick was there with her. She got up off her bed (an exquisite piece of work certainly, crafted from marble, with a massive, soft mattress, and lots of silken pillows) and walked over to have a look at her wedding gown. It was simply beautiful, made in a traditional Dalsonian style. It was white, and yet quite shimmery at the same time, and composed of several pieces. The top piece was a small top, with a scoop neck and short sleeves. A chiffon like material was attached to the edges of the sleeves, meaning it would trail out behind her arm, and the neck of the top was adorned with glistening jewels. Chiffon was attached to the bottom of the top as well. The second piece was a long, white silken skirt, adorned with glittering swirls of silver, which shimmered in the light prettily. An intricate silver belt fastened around her waist, and on her feet she would wear a tiny pair of white satin slippers. On her head she had to wear a tall, crystal crown, and a long chiffon veil, and she could decorate the outfit with whatever jewellery she pleased. Nick had given her so much over the months, that Selina had plenty to choose from. She reached out, and touched the dress, still feeling excited. It was soft to the touch, and she couldn't wait to wear it. She imagined her parents. They would feel so proud... and Nick. She hoped that he too, would like the way she looked. It was very different from a Hyrulian wedding dress, but just as beautiful, in its own special way. She remembered when Zelda had got married. Her dress had been one of the nicest Selina had ever seen. It had certainly used a lot more material than the one she would wear, and had been endowed with a whole lot of lace and ribbon. Selina smiled, remembering the scene. Then she wondered what Nick would look like, and sighed happily. Completely and utterly handsome, as always, no doubt. Selina walked back over to her bed, and climbed on top, resting upon the pillows. Sure, she would miss Hyrule a lot, but here was the start of a new life, with the man she truly loved. The Queen of Dalsona to-be (not that she had thought about it) settled down, and drifted off into a happy, comfortable sleep.

    Zelda sighed, and turned over for the one hundredth time that night. This time though, she moved a little too far onto Link's side of the bed, and he protested. "Zel, talk about stealing all the space!" he remarked, sitting up, and regarding her with some amusement. "It's far too hot!" the princess complained, throwing the thin sheet off the side of the bed, and also sitting up.

"Well, we are in the north of Demiari, you know. It is supposed to be like that, I mean, it's practically a desert outside," Link replied. He never could understand why Zelda got so restless.

"Anyway, if we're uncomfortable, imagine how Selina must feel. She's got to live with it," he added.

"She's probably used to it by now," Zelda replied.

"I guess so. But it's not all that bad. In fact, I rather like it. It's kind of like when you sit on the beach at Mido on a really hot day," Link stated, grinning at his wife. She didn't smile back.

"Link, comparing this to a hot day in Mido is hardly... hardly..." she stopped, unable to think of the word she wanted. "Anyway," she added, seeing that he was laughing at her, "it's okay for you. You men can get away with wearing hardly a thing to bed, but if us women did that, it would happen to be most indecent." Link raised his eyebrows.

"Jeez Zel, you get bothered about the strangest of things," he remarked.

"Yes, well, that's my problem, isn't it?" she said grumpily, toying with the ribbon on the neck of her night dress. Link grinned at her. "Zel, I wouldn't consider you wearing next to nothing to be indecent. In fact, I find it rather..."

"Link, please!" Zelda exclaimed, looking a little angry. He shrugged at her, and lay back down.

"Suit yourself," he remarked, still sounding amused. Zelda sighed, and lay down on the bed too, stretching out. It felt cooler at the edge, and she pulled herself down the bed a little, relishing the comfort. "You know Zel, it would be quite..." Link began. Zelda suddenly screamed, and jumped up off the bed, and rushed across to the other end of the room, still screaming. Link immediately got up himself, but could see nothing in the room that might have scared her. There was no sort of presence, either.

    Slowly, he walked across the room to were the princess was stood shaking in one corner, next to a large, potted plant. "What's the matter?" he asked, feeling surprised that no-one had come to see what all the noise was about.

"Oh Link, it was horrible! I felt something..." she paused, suddenly looking around wildly.

"What? Like an evil presence?" Link asked, looking at her anxiously.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Zelda replied.

"Then what?" Link questioned.

"A... a horrible, crawly thing!" Zelda exclaimed. Link's mouth broke out into a grin.

"What? A spider?" he laughed.

"I don't know, but it was gigantic!" Zelda said, clearly exaggerating.

"Zel, there are loads of insects over here. You have to get used to it. Anyway, since when were you scared of a little, tiny, meeny spider? We have tektites and deelers in Hyrule, and you aren't scared of them, and they're huge," Link replied.

"No... but the...the.. things over here! They're... they're horrible!" Zelda stated. Link had to admit, he didn't really like some of the insects he'd seen. They were a lot bigger than Hyrulian ones, after all, and most seemed to have nasty looking stings or mouths. But when you'd faced thousands of monsters, little creatures like them could certainly do you no harm.

"Zel, honestly..." he began.

"But Link! It bit me! I'm probably going to die of poisoning now!" she exclaimed dramatically.

"Don't be silly. Of course you won't!" Link said sharply.

"Oh, I surely shall! Who knows what poison it could have been harbouring in those fangs! Oh, when I felt its mandibles bite into my leg, and it's hairy antennae brushing over my skin..." Zelda wailed. Link folded his arms and tried not to smile.

"Zel, you really do exaggerate," he said.

"Well, you won't think it's so funny when I die from a terrible tropical disease!" Zelda snapped, storming past him. She regarded the bed with some fear, gingerly lifting the blankets, checking to see if the insect was still there. "I can't go to bed now!" she wailed.

"Zel, there's probably more creatures on the floor, than in the bed," Link remarked. Zelda immediately shrieked again, and jumped on top of the bed. Then she jumped off again, remembering the threat of the insect. Link walked over, and pulled the top sheet off.

"Look, nothing there," he said.

"How do you know? It's dark... and something could be..." Zelda began.

"Zel, do you want to look awful tomorrow?" Link questioned.

"Well, no..." she began. "Well let's try and get some sleep then," Link said sensibly.

"Not that it makes any difference. I'll probably be dead by..." she began again. Link pulled her towards him, and shut her up with a kiss.

"Just don't think about it. If you do, you'll just be on edge all night. Anyway, I want to see you tomorrow, all dressed up in that fancy bridesmaid outfit. I'm sure you'll look very beautiful," he smiled. Zelda smiled back.

"Don't I always?" she questioned.

"Of course," he replied, giving her another kiss.

 

    "Son, you have made a fine choice," King Ravenscroft said to his son, patting him on the shoulder, as they waited by the altar in the Temple of Azim Kinlatara (Dalsona's High God).

"I know," Nick said, his voice almost caught in his throat with happiness. Selina had just entered the Temple, and she truly looked like one of the Dalsonian goddesses.

"With such a good heart, she will surely make a great queen," the king added. Nick nodded. Selina wore her long, red-gold hair loose, and it cascaded over her shoulders and down her back in a torrent of curls. Her usually pale complexion was flushed with colour, her green eyes glittered like jewels, and she had a wide smile upon her lips. Her wedding attire looked just perfect, of course. It fitted beautifully, the clothiers sure had done a good job, Nick thought. She was holding an absolutely massive bunch of flowers, tied up with a silken ribbon. They brought a bright splash of colour to her otherwise pure white outfit. Selina held her head up high, kept smiling prettily, and walked along the floor in a stately fashion. Her poise was elegant and refined, as if she'd been a lady all her life, not a mere peasant. Not that that mattered to Nick, of course. Status meant nothing, and most of time, it was those without a birthright, who were the nicest inside. He knew that he'd made the right choice, when he'd picked Selina to be his bride, even though she'd had nothing to offer him but her love. But that was alright by him. Nick simply just wanted someone who would love him, and his kingdom. Nothing more. Behind Selina walked her bridesmaids; Zelda of course, Cassie, Selina's old friend from Nabrooru, and Nick's two younger twin sisters Isabel and Isla. They wore a similar attire to Selina, except not as extravagant, and they certainly didn't get to wear crystal crowns and a veil. Instead, they had bright coloured Dalsonian blooms knotted in their hair. Selina's father, dressed in his very best clothes, escorted his daughter up to the altar, where Nick was stood, along with his best man, his old friend Reece. They were both wearing traditional Dalsonian Royal attire, outfits made from fine silks and other materials, in the colour of the country's crest, white, dark blue and gold. Nick also had to wear a large gold crown, that was so heavy, it nearly kept slipping off his head. He smiled as Selina approached him, and she smiled back, the special smile that he liked to think she reserved just for him. As she arrived at the altar, the whole temple of guests fell silent in respect, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

    Zelda watched the ceremony, feeling slightly jealous. Her own wedding had been nothing compared to this. Of course, she'd loved every moment of it, but who wouldn't feel jealous of an extravagant affair such as this? No doubt the reception afterwards would be even more lavish. Zelda had seen the ballroom of the Dalsonian Imperial Palace, and it was at least four times the size of the Great Hall back at North Castle. And that was just the ballroom. Never mind that, but there was a massive Banquet Hall, with tables that seemed to stretch on forever. Whenever they had banquets back at home, they had to put out tables in the Great Hall too, sometimes. She sighed, suddenly feeling a little guilty. She knew she shouldn't be thinking such things. Nick and Selina deserved this, after all they'd been through. Then again, Zelda thought, I've been through as much, if not more. Link too. She frowned, and tried to turn her attention back to the service. Nick and Selina were in the middle of saying their vows to each other. Their own, special hand written vows. Zelda sometimes wished that she and Link had made up their own vows to each other, it made you feel so much more closer, she thought. But there hadn't been time for that sort of thing, well to be honest, they hadn't even thought about it. The princess glanced around, suddenly noticing Fayette sat nearby. Her step sister looked absolutely distraught. I hope she doesn't try anything, Zelda thought, giving Fayette a stern look. Fayette saw her, and scowled unhappily. Zelda held her breath as the priest questioned if there was any reason why the two shouldn't be married. Not a word was uttered, much to her relief. Nick and Selina exchanged rings and then leaned forward for an affectionate kiss and a hug. Cheers and clapping broke out all around, breaking the solemn mood. Nick stepped forward, and held up his hand in a Dalsonian salute.

"Come, my friends, we have plenty to celebrate!" he exclaimed, before turning to Selina, and smiling at her. The couple linked hands, and walked out of the Temple of Azim Kinlatara, and out into the streets, to where most of the city's inhabitants were stood waiting, ready to cheer on their King and to see his beautiful new bride. Zelda got up from the seat she was sat on, and quickly followed the pair, and the other three bridesmaids, as they walked back to the Imperial Palace.

    Sprite, and her three other friends fluttered through the crowd, following the procession back to the Imperial Palace. "Now that's what I call a wedding!" commented Sprite wryly. Her own wedding had been quite an elaborate affair at the time, but compared to this, well, how could anything even begin to compare?

"Selina certainly looked beautiful, what I would give to be in her place," sighed Tiffany wishfully.

"And Nick, so handsome," commented Carrie dreamily.

"Why was I cursed with the, the curse of being a faerie? It sucks!" exclaimed Sprite.

"And we all know why you're saying that," said Carrie with a giggle.

"Well, there is a spell," started Felicity slowly.

"Of course, Navi mentioned it to me. But that was when she knew the faerie council were around to see me, but now," started Sprite excitedly.

"Uh, maybe I shouldn't have said anything," said Felicity quickly. She knew for a fact, she was the only faerie strong enough to cast such a spell, that is, to make a faerie slightly larger. Well, a lot larger, human size.

"Oh this is going to be so fun!" exclaimed Tiffany, clapping her hands together with glee. Felicity rolled her eyes in exasperation. What had ever possessed her to suggest such a thing.

"Anyway, aren't you forgetting something? These dresses, they're cute on a faerie, but on a human they'd just look darn ridiculous," pointed out Felicity. Sprite glanced down at her own attire, fancier than usual, but still pretty lame. It never bothered her before, but now it did. Carrie, whose face had also fallen at the suggestion, brightened up.

"Princess Zelda is staying for a while isn't she? She'll have dresses AND jewellery for us to wear," said the red headed faerie.

"Brilliant idea, come on, let's go and choose!" said Sprite.

"Do you think that's a good idea? And besides, remember, because of our new size, no one might recognise us, we'd be thrown out!" said Felicity desperately.

"Flis, why are you being such a party pooper? I happen to know for a fact, that you have a thing for Byron! If you were his size, and if he didn't recognise you, you could dance with him! Imagine!" said Tiffany slyly. Felicity stopped and starred at her friend.

"What?!" she asked incredulously, wondering how in Demiari her friend had worked that one out.

"Come on Felicity, Tiff is right. We could have a ball, literally. No faerie council breathing down our necks, this is a once in a lifetime chance. I mean, I could get to dance with a noble man, prince, or a king!" exclaimed Carrie. Felicity ran a hand nervously through her thick glossy hair, looking for an excuse.

"I might not have enough magic to change us all, it would be unfair to leave one of us out," she said, lying.

"Syheah! Flis, you could change us all easily and you know it, stop spoiling what could be our fun!" said Tiffany.

"But..." protested Felicity.

"Felicity, I, as future queen of the Fey, command you cast the spell of metamorphis onto all four of us!" said Sprite loudly. Felicity sighed.

"It's just not that easy, I really don't even know why I suggested it," she said.

"Because you were thinking of Byron!" giggled Carrie.

"No I wasn't, for your information, I hardly even like him. He's far too much like his cousin Drake," said Felicity defensively.

"But you told me you liked Drake, you said he was, fun," said Sprite in a smug voice.

"I never," objected Felicity.

"Come on Flis, for us," chided Carrie. Felicity thought for a moment, privately smiling at the thought of having just that one dance with her human companion.

"Okay, go on then, you've twisted my arm," said Felicity. The other three faeries let out a small cheer, then headed back to the palace, over to the room were Sprite knew Zelda was staying.

    "I'm, I'm big!" said Sprite in pleasure. As were the rest of her friends. No one would know they were faeries, the wings that normally adorned their backs had conveniently disappeared.

"Good thing Zelda's got a good figure, else we might have had nothing half way decent to wear!" exclaimed Tiffany, admiring the dress she had chosen from Zelda's wardrobe. It was a low cut, long sleeved, cream silk gown. It was relatively light and thin, so it was suitable for the current climate. She had accompanied the dress with a few items of gold jewellery which she had raided from Zelda's jewellery box.

"Good thing Zelda's a member of royalty, otherwise she might not have taste to suit my needs," said Sprite looking at herself in the full-length mirror. She was wearing a sleeveless, red dress, which trailed to the floor. Sprite was surprised when she had seen it, as she had never seen Zelda wearing it before. Sprite looked around at her friends, seeing the Felicity had opted for a mid-length blue dress, which was quite dark in colour. Carrie had decided on another blue dress, but longer, and lighter in colour.

"I think we're just about ready to make an appearance," stated Sprite confidently.

"Before we go, are we going to let on exactly who we are?" asked Carrie, a mischievous grin on her face. Sprite tilted her head to one side.

"No, I think it'd be rather fun to see if anyone recognised us," she said finally.

"What'll we call ourselves?" asked Tiffany.

"I always see myself as a Lauren," admitted Carrie, her eyes sparkling.

"Lauren it is then," said Sprite with a smile.

"Uh, couldn't I just keep my name, I never exactly saw myself as anyone else," asked Felicity.

"Nonsense, people might catch on," said Sprite. She looked at Felicity thoughtfully. Then she smiled. "You can be, Filomena," she finally said. Carrie and Tiffany burst out giggling, Felicity just stared at her friend in disbelief.

"Where in the Demiari did you get that name from? Wait, I don't want to know. I think I'll decided for myself, I'll be, Natalya," said Felicity, uttering the first name that came to her lips.

"Well I want to be," started Sprite.

"A tree?" suggested Felicity innocently, she had the capability of carrying out the threat. Carrie and Tiffany burst out laughing again, Sprite just grimaced.

"No, my new alias shall be, something quite unforgettable, exquisite," started Sprite again.

"What, like Filomena?" asked Carrie playfully, sending Tiffany into a new fit of giggles.

"I know I won't ever forget it," said Felicity wryly.

"No, no, no. I shall be known as Titania. Why my parents never named me it I simply do not know. Titania, Queen of the faeries sounds so much more majestic than Tamara," said Sprite in mock puzzlement.

"I guess that leaves me, hmmm. I'll call myself Aphrodite, Gerudo for love," said Tiffany with a smile.

"Since when did you learn Gerudo?" demanded Sprite.

"Long story, short time," dismissed Tiffany simply.

"She is right, this will only last a few hours, it'll wear off as soon as a new dawn breaks," warned Felicity.

"Don't you know a spell that can prevent it?" asked Sprite hopefully.

"Even if I did, I simply would not cast it Tamara, I mean Titania. It's against faerie lore!" said Felicity, still grinning.

"And this isn't?" asked Tiffany, holding out a slender hand to illustrate her point.

"Well yes, but breaking the lore twice in one night? I do have a conscience," said Felicity dramatically.

"Okay, okay. But since this means we only have a few hours, let's stop wasting time and get to the reception!" exclaimed Tiffany, or Aphrodite as she had adopted.

"You're absolutely right, let's go!" said Sprite with a cheer, and the four all left the room, feeling more free and exhilarated then they had in their entire lives.

    "Selina certainly is beautiful," commented Link to Zelda as he spotted the new bride and groom enter the room. Zelda smiled and nodded.

"You don't have to tell me, but didn't I look as beautiful on my wedding day?" asked Zelda, turning to Link. He kissed her softly on the tip of the nose.

"And you still are," he complimented. Zelda gave him light kiss and smiled, pleased at his comment. "Does the lady care to dance?" he asked gallantly, taking her hand. Zelda smiled again, and nodded.

"Indeed, the lady does," she admitted, letting Link sweep her onto the dance floor.

    Fayette watched miserably as she saw other happy couples enjoying themselves. She could've coped with that, but now Selina and Nick had arrived, looking too happy to be true. She couldn't believe what had happened, that Nick, her Nick, had married Selina. Fayette had to admit that Selina had always been kind to her, and never mean and nasty like Zelda. But she still hated her, Nick could've been her one shot at true happiness, and she thought it was her who deserved to be at the handsome king-to-be's side. As she averted her gaze from the happy couple, her eyes came to rest on another handsome stranger, who happened to be wearing the national colours of Dalsona, and what's more, a kingdom ring.

"Of course!" she exclaimed out loud, blushing a little when a few people nearby shot her a few funny looks. Nick had mentioned he had a brother, one a lot younger than him. 15 years to be precise. That must be Nick's brother. He was certainly as handsome and manly as his brother, and only a year younger than Fayette. There could be hope for her yet. She glanced down at the dress she wore, smiling at it appreciatively. It was far better than the mess she had insanely chosen to wear at the summer festival. It was pure white, and had a hem which started near her feet, travelled slowly up to her thigh, before dropping back down to her feet again. It was quite risque really, but Fayette didn't care. It complimented her slightly tanned skin, which was, apart from Gerudo's of course, quite unusual for a women with her hair colour. Her hair itself, was piled up on the top of her head, stray strands falling purposefully round her face in a subtle manner. Satisfied, she began to glide gracefully across the ballroom towards Prince Grahame, greeting him with a ravishing smile. "Greeting handsome sir, I don't believe we have yet met," she said, sticking her hand out expectantly. The young man, whose eyes were concentrating on something at the other end of the room snapped his eyes onto Fayette. He took her hand and kissed it softly, his eyes still lingering on her.

"Prince Grahame, but you may call me whatever suits you," he offered, smiling. He had dark skin, and jet black hair, and, unlike his brother, had a clean shaven face. He had a faultless smile, his lips a shade lighter than his skin, his teeth straight and white. Fayette imagined her lips against his... She quickly snapped out of her smile and curtsied.

"Princess Fayette of Hyrule, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you," she murmured, her eyes lowered, whilst still on the handsome prince's face.

"It is indeed a pleasure to have merely set my eyes upon you, but to meet you, well that is another thing. Please, would you kindly accept a dance with me?" asked Grahame charmingly. Fayette nearly swooned at his charm, wondering what she'd been doing all her life. There she had been, pining over Nick, when she could've been with his brother all that time.

"Why certainly kind sir," she agreed, allowing him to take her hand and lead her onto the dance floor.

    "Don't look now, but Fayette has got her hands into your brother," whispered Selina with a giggle. Nick turned and spotted the couple as they gracefully glided across the dance floor. Many of the guests had stopped to watch, quite dazzled by their skill. Nick placed his wine glass down onto a nearby table and turned to Selina with a smile.

"Care to dance?" he asked purposefully.

"Why, I'd love to," agreed Selina, accompanying her husband to the middle of the room.

    "Now that's what I call dancing," said Link, stepping aside with Zelda as he watched the two couples as they danced around the dance floor. There was Fayette, with Nick's brother, Prince Grahame, both of them strutting about the dance floor with the skill and prowess to catch the entire rooms attention. Only moments later, Nick and Selina had took to the dance floor, proving to be even better than the other couple. She was jealous. Again. She could dance, just Link wasn't all that keen on it. He liked to dance, now and again, but never with crowd capturing skills. Fayette was the centre of attention and she wasn't, and she didn't like that. But she could hardly go and compete because Link had as good as two left feet. Well, he wasn't quite that bad, but he still wasn't 'quite' that good. "Where'd they learn to dance like that?" asked Link. Zelda shrugged, walking over to the refreshments table. Link quickly followed, getting her a glass of wine. "Feeling a little, under changed?" he asked with a grin. "Sorry I can't dance like that lot, I know how much you'd love to show that Fayette a thing or two," said Link, apology in his eyes. Zelda put down her glass and hugged Link around the neck.

"You're right, but you're all I have, and that's enough for me," she said sincerely.

"Thanks," said Link, pleased that Zelda wasn't mad at him. He gave her a quick kiss, then turned to watch the other two couples dancing. As soon as the song ended, there was a rapture of applause, and the four all politely bowed/curtsied before heading off to take a drink. Nick left Selina talking to one of his sisters, whilst he walked across to one of the refreshment tables to grab a drink. While he was there, Fayette sidled up to him, smiling seductively.

"Just think Nick, if you'd chosen me, we would've been the only ones on that dance floor. There simply would have been no one else to compete," she murmured into his ear.

"Fayette, there is more to life than looking good, I hope one day you find that out," said Nick, concentrating on getting the drinks.

"And perhaps one day, you'll learn that someone who looked as good as me would've been a better choice than Selina," purred Fayette. Nick turned to Fayette, a frown on his normally amicable face.

"Funny, but I never recalled inviting you to this wedding," he said. Fayette stopped and frowned, it was true. She had used her mother's spare invitation to come 'as a friend' as the invite had read.

"That's because my mother invited me," she said, partially telling the truth. Her mother had never given her the invite, she had just taken it. Nick shook his head and began to walk back over to Selina when Fayette caught his arm. She yanked back a little too hard, causing the glass in Nick's hand to wobble, splashing deep red wine onto his attire. Nick looked down at himself in surprise, then placed both glasses back down onto the table. He quickly left the room, meaning to clean himself up. Fayette stole a glance around, then quickly followed behind him.

    "Well, now we're here," whispered Carrie/Lauren nervously.

"Time to party!" exclaimed Sprite enthusiastically. She gave her friends a jaunty wave then sauntered off into the crowd, in search of a dance partner.

"She's right. Remember, you'll change back a the break of dawn, although I doubt we'll be up 'til then," reminded Felicity/Natalya.

"Of course we'll still be up until then. This is Dalsona, when they party, they party!" said Tiffany, smiling brightly.

"Well, whatever, I'll see you guys around," said Felicity with a shrug. Carrie and Tiffany watched as she walked away.

"She's looking for Byron I bet," whispered Carrie. Tiffany nodded.

"It's almost tempting to spy on her, but not when we have other things to do!" she exclaimed. At that moment, someone bumped into Carrie who whirled round in surprise.

"Please, do excuse me," apologised a man, who had a neatly trimmed beard, brown eyes and brown hair. She smiled when he met her gaze, he smiled back.

"Oh not at all, but if you do insist on making it up to me, how about a dance?" said Carrie flirtatiously. The man smiled and nodded.

"But please first, introductions," he said.

"Why, I'm C-" started Carrie, before Tiffany quickly cut in.

"She's Lauren," said Tiffany sharpishly. Carrie turned to her friend in puzzlement, then remembered.

"Yes, that's it, Lauren," reaffirmed Carrie. Damon looked at the two, a puzzled expression on his face. Finally, he gave in and smiled.

"Damon," he said simply. Carrie's eyes flashed as she recognised him.

"Of course! I knew I'd seen you before," she exclaimed. Damon frowned.

"Come to think of it, you do look a little familiar," he retorted. Carrie just smiled.

"Now what about that dance?" she asked, before leading him onto the ball room floor.

    As Link and Zelda danced slowly to a new tune, someone, much to Zelda's anger, cut in. "Mind if I do?" asked the woman, hardly giving Zelda a second glance.

"Well actually I do-" started Zelda, but she was too late as the unknown women whisked Link away. Still fuming, she was about to give chase, when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"A beautiful lady, like you without a partner? I refuse to believe it!" said Drake loudly with a laugh. Zelda smiled, and accepted Drake's offer of a dance, forgetting about the incident that had occurred only seconds before.

    "Don't I know you?" asked Link as he studied his current dance partner. She has short auburn curls, and was wearing a red dress. There was something about her, that seemed so familiar, but he just couldn't snag it.

"But I know who you are, Link, the greatest hero ever to grace the lands of the Demiari," said Sprite smiling, glad Link had not recognised her straight off.

"Uh, you were right about the Link bit, but I'm not sure about the hero part," said Link, blushing a little.

"Titania, that's my name," introduced Sprite. Link nodded.

"Well, you already knew about mine," he said, swaying softly to the music. He was surprised Zelda hadn't dragged the two apart by now, but was glad in a way. This Titania really was quite intriguing.

"So, do you hail from Hyrule?" asked Link.

"Where else?" asked Sprite smiling. He was actually interested.

"I hail from Catalia myself, not many people know about that. They just all assume that I was born in Hyrule," admitted Link. Sprite privately smiled, secretly pleased that Link had revealed something that he might consider private to her, even though he had known her for mere minutes. She resisted the temptation to kiss him, wanting to leave that until later. It wasn't that she wanted to break Link and Zelda apart, she just wanted to experience touching his lips with hers, for the first, and last time. She knew if she acted too soon, she would spoil things, and would've effectively wasted the night. As the dance ended, the dropped his hands and smiled, leaving him gazing after her.

    "There you are. Who was that women?" demanded Zelda. Link shrugged.

"She said she came from Hyrule, her name was Titania," said Link. Zelda frowned.

"Hmph. What kind of name is that for a Hyrulian? It sounds like it belongs to the faeries," she said, pouting. Link frowned at the mention of the faeries, wondering where they had got off to. He hadn't seen them since they had left the temple. Then Zelda turned back to Link, taking his hands and waiting for him to lead her off into the next dance.

    Nick frowned at the ruined garment of clothing, as it lay on the bed. Fayette, was stood just behind him, amazed he hadn't noticed her sneak in after him. He was stripped to the waist, just looking at his strong and powerful back made Fayette feel funny inside. She decided firmly that Nick was almost certainly going to be wasted on that tavern wench, Selina. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch his bare skin, waiting for him to turn around. Looking down at his hands, Nick turned around, and not quite seeing Fayette, bumped into her. He looked up in surprise, taking a step back.

"Fayette, what are you doing..?" he asked immediately. Fayette, stepped forward, and placed her hand on his chest. She noticed, or rather felt him flinch at her touch and smiled.

"You could grow used to that touch," she whispered. Nick took Fayette's hand and dropped it to her side.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, looking displeased. "I thought you might want some company," she said. Nick walked past her, opening the wardrobe in the corner of the room.

"Then you may leave, because I neither wish for nor desire your company," he said, his back to her. Fayette smiled, he had turned his back to her yet again. When would he learn? She sneaked up behind him, placed one hand on his back and slid it sensually down to his waist. She felt him tense up, then he turned around. "Fayette, leave now, before I have you thrown out," said Nick harshly. Fayette merely smiled and leaned up to him, kissing him slowly. Nick pulled away quickly, not even giving her time to enjoy the moment. "Fayette, I'm warning you," he said, his eyes dark and foreboding.

"We both know that you don't want me to leave Nick, so why pretend," said Fayette theoretically.

"It's exactly what I want Fayette, so leave now before you have to suffer the indignity of being ejected from this palace," said Nick, pointing towards the door with one of his arms.

"You can't deny your desires forever Nick, and I know you'll learn that after you and that peasant share that bed," said Fayette, one finely plucked eyebrow raised.

"Don't you ever talk about Selina, my wife, like that again. I have more love for her in my little finger than I have for you in my entire body," said Nick.

"I wasn't talking about you loving me, I was talking about your desire, your lust for me," said Fayette.

"I'm not even going to dignify that accusation with an answer," said Nick, turning away from Fayette.

"You'll learn, eventually," said Fayette smugly, before leaving the room.

    "Byron! There you are!" said Felicity as she spotted her human companion talking with his more famous cousin, Drake. Drake turned to see who was calling and smiled upon the sight of Felicity.

"And who might this be?" he asked, winking at his cousin. Byron turned, his charming smile on his face as always.

"I don't know, but whoever she may be, I don't think I have ever witnessed true love 'til this very night," said Byron slowly, overcome with awe at the sight of the jet black-haired women who was approaching him. Drake laughed.

"Then this is your lucky night, cuz!" he joked. Byron downed the last of his drink and placed it onto the table nearby, walking across to the dark-haired beauty. Her skin was pure white, flawless in any way. Her eyes were an enchanting blue, and her smile was sweet as it was alluring.

"You may know my name, and how privileged I feel that you do. But do I ever have the hope of knowing yours?" asked Byron, kneeling before Felicity. She was surprised at her companion's reaction, at his near enchantment. Looking at her three friends, she had thought they were all far more attractive than she could ever hope, or even wish to be. Either her human companion was easily pleased, or she wasn't as dull and plain as she thought she looked. Then she knew that it had been a mistake. If she were to fall in love with Byron, this very night in fact, or if he were to do the same, then someone, or even both of them were going to get hurt. She also knew he hadn't to know who she really was. She stumbled on her words for a moment, knowing she had to do this now, because it would only be harder if any of her previous thoughts were to become a reality.

"Uh, my name's Natalya. But I'm afraid you aren't who I was looking for," she said quickly, blushing at the blatant lie. Byron quickly got up, a disappointed look upon his face.

"I am very sorry milady, it's just you called my name and I thought..." he said trailing off.

"Oh, don't apologise, but really I must find, uh, Bryan," said Felicity, starting to dash off. Byron caught hold of her hand as she rushed past him, pulling gently towards him, with a hopeful smile.

"There's a new song just starting, please, just one dance," he said, smiling. Felicity looked at the crowd of dancing couples, then looked at Byron. Perhaps just one dance wouldn't hurt.

"Why not?" she said softly. Byron smiled and took her into his arms, leading her off to the dance floor.

    Selina smiled and walked up to Nick as she saw him return. "Where have you been?" she asked, noticing his change of clothes.

"I spilt my drink on my outfit, made a total mess of it. I had to change," he explained, pecking her on the cheek.

"Really, a fully grown man, and you still manage to spill your drink!" exclaimed Selina, still smiling.

"Look, while I was up there, Fayette tried it on with me again," whispered Nick to Selina. Selina stared in amazement at Fayette's audacity.

"Does she ever give up?" she asked with a sigh.

"I think I might've got the message across to her this time," said Nick quietly, even though he wasn't so sure himself.

"Well I hope you did, because I am getting a little tired of her," said Selina, and on an afterthought added, "not that I blame her." She smiled and reached up to give him a tender kiss, then dragged him into the midst of the dancers.

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