"Are you positive you don't want to have a party? I mean we can throw it at my house so you won't have to worry about the cleanup or anything. I'll take care of all of it!" Peach reiterated for about the fifth time in the last couple of hours and Zelda rolled her eyes for about the fifth time in response.

The two girls sat on the floor in Zelda's bedroom, painting their toenails. It was December ninth, only three days before Zelda's birthday. Peach's begging hadn't only begun just today though, it had been dragging on for over a week.

"Peach," Zelda said, trying to contain her irritation. "As I've told you a million times, I just want to do something more low key this year. Besides...Link already told me he has something special planned."

Now it was Peach's turn to roll her eyes. "You guys have been dating for what? Two weeks? And now he's the main priority? We've been best friends for like six years!"

"Peach, you know it isn't about that at all. Of course you're still a priority in my life and we can still have dinner with all the girls Friday night like we were talking about, but I'm honestly really excited to see what Link has planned." She explained with a shrug.

"Buuuuutttt Zel! It's your eighteenth birthday and it's on a Saturday for Hylia's sake! That like never happens. You have to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity!" Peach whined. You would think Zelda was making Peach cancel her own birthday party by the way she was reacting, but Zelda knew she meant well, despite how annoying it was becoming.

"It's alright, Peach. I promise." Zelda assured her bestie. "I'll have more birthdays end up on the weekends in the future."

"Yeah, when you're like old! All birthdays after twenty-one are useless anyway." Peach insisted stubbornly.

"Can we just drop it Peach? You're about two seconds away from ruining my birthday week completely." Zelda snapped, unable to contain her annoyance any longer.

"Okay, okay. As your best friend it's just my job to make sure you're making good decisions and all that jazz." Peach surrendered, putting her hands up for emphasis.

"You know I love that, but this is what I want. I promise." Zelda sighed softly, grabbing the blonde's hand and smiling at her gratefully.

"So, what do you think Link's planning?" Peach asked with a smirk.

"I honestly have no idea what it could be, but I can't wait to find out."

~*~

Saturday morning arrived quickly. Zelda was officially eighteen and technically an adult, though she didn't feel like one at all. She was able to sleep in which she was thankful for since she had ended up staying out pretty late with Peach, Palutena, Daisy, Lynn and a couple other girls from the cheer squad and volley ball team last night.

She dressed in ripped light wash jeans and an oversized, white, knitted sweater with a few accessory pieces of jewelry. Her makeup was light and natural as she preferred, and her hair was in it's usual half pulled back style.

She was greeted by her parents downstairs with hugs, a loud happy birthday, and a few presents which they insisted she open right then and there. The big one was a new laptop for college next year and the smaller gift was a polaroid camera. She thanked them excitedly and they headed out to Kirby's Kitchen to get brunch since Zelda had plans that night with Link.

After brunch, she relaxed in her room, willing the time to move faster. Link had told her he'd be picking her up at two o'clock and it was only twelve-thirty. She tried to work on the last of the homework she had remaining, but she was too excited to focus. Her mind continuously wandered to all sorts of possibilities of what Link had planned. What if she was getting her hopes too high and it didn't turn out to be all that special after all? No. If there was one thing Link was good at, it was surprising her.

From the very moment they met it's been one spontaneous activity after another. From playing cards after hours with Kirby that first night, to lunch in the school's greenhouse, to all the pranks and star gazing. It all felt so fresh, exciting and adventurous. It definitely played a role in what drew her to him so much.

Time passed painstakingly slow, but at last the doorbell rang. Two o'clock sharp! She practically ran down the stairs, almost falling as her thick socks slid on the hardwood. She made it to the front door and threw it open.

"Happy birthday!" Link greeted, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you," she replied, her voice muffled in his chest.

"You ready to go?" He asked, pulling back from the hug.

"Yep! I've been ready for hours." She confessed with a huge smile. He chuckled in response and then reminded her to dress warmly. She grabbed her coat from the closet near the front door and also put on a beanie and gloves.

She eagerly followed him outside, locking the door behind her since her parents had disappeared to run errands or something. He held her hand as they descended the large front steps, warning her to watch out for ice. It had snowed off and on the past week, leaving the town with a beautiful, white, glistening layer.

They rounded the corner of her house and her jaw immediately dropped wide open. Where she had expected to see Link's truck parked in the driveway was a literal horse drawn sleigh. Epona and a white horse Zelda had never seen before were attached to the small, but cozy looking sleigh.

"Surprised?" Link asked, admiring her shocked expression.

"So surprised." Zelda breathed, her jaw finally returning to a closed position and a smile growing in it's place.

"Well hello," she cooed as she approached Epona. The mare whinnied in response and nuzzled into Zelda's waiting hands. "Who's the other valiant steed?" She asked, turning to Link.

"That's my neighbor's horse, Max. He let me borrow him for the next couple of hours." Link told her, pleased with his own handy work. Zelda slowly reached out to Max who let her stroke his nose as well.

"This is amazing Link. I couldn't imagine a more perfect birthday date."

"Just wait 'til we're actually in the sleigh." Link told her with a wink. He climbed in first, then reached out a hand to help her up. There wasn't much space, the two of them took up most of the cushiony seat, but she didn't mind at all. It was comfy and cozy. Link wrapped a large blanket around them and then took the reigns. He pulled the reigns hard to the right so the horses made an awkward u-turn out of her (fortunately) spacious driveway. And then they were off.

Obviously they couldn't go too fast since they had to be wary of cars and he didn't want to over work the horses, but it was still magical all the same. It felt just like sledding except with a comfortable seat, warm blanket, and no worry about having to drag the sled back up the hill just to experience the seconds long joy ride all over again.

A light snowfall was beginning to descend from the gorgeous late afternoon sky. The sun would be setting in just a few hours since winter solstice was just over a week away. Normally Zelda wasn't all that big of a fan of winter, but something about the cold air and fluffy flakes landing on her lightly was very serene.

They rode through some of the back roads of town where anyone outside stopped to stare and some even waved. Zelda waved to one little girl who appeared to be completely awestruck at the sight of the couple in their own horse drawn sleigh. She waved back so eagerly she almost whacked her brother standing next to her.

Link led them toward the mountains, and soon the horses slowed as they began an upward ascent. By now they had already been out for over an hour, steadily trotting their way through town, laughing about this and that. So far Link's birthday surprise did not disappoint in the least.

Link pulled the reigns, guiding the horse off the road and then pulling them to a hault. "Well, what do you think?" He asked, staring off to her right. She turned to see what he was looking at and immediately realized where they were. It was the same overlook he had brought her to the night they did all the pranks. She hadn't even recognized it initially in the daylight, but she was almost certain now.

"Wow, it's beautiful." She answered, taking in the mesmerizing view. The last time they were here was October so it was a completely different view. Now the town was blanketed by a beautiful layer of snow and covered in festive holiday decor.

"That's what I was going for." Link replied as he rummaged through the backpack he had brought. He pulled out a silver thermos, unscrewed the lid, and took a tentative gulp. "Ah, still warm, but cool enough to drink."

He passed it over to Zelda who also took a cautious sip. "Mmm," she hummed. It was delicious hot chocolate and just the perfect temperature for drinking, like Link had said. She took a bigger swig, now that she knew what the contents were, and passed it back to Link.

"This has been one of my best birthdays ever." The now eighteen year old confessed as they continued to pass the scrumptious beverage between them and gaze at the city below, tucked beneath it's glistening blanket of snow.

"Sounds like I've done a good job so far." Link said, with a satisfied smirk.

Zelda nodded in agreement, then laid back on Link. They had turned so that they could face the view, out over the right side of the sleigh.

"Before you get too happy, you might wanna hear what I have planned next." He told her mischievously.

"Oh yeah?" She said, tilting her head up slightly so she could get a glimpse of his smug face.

"Yeah on the way back it's the horses turn to ride in the sleigh and our turn to pull. Seems only fair that way, ya know?" The cheeky boy explained with light-hearted sarcasm.

"Ohh, totally makes sense." Zelda laughed. The thought of the two horses squeezing into the small space and sitting upright in a people-like manner while she and Link pulled the reigns made her laugh even harder. Link joined in with her, almost choking on the mouthful of hot chocolate he was about to swallow.

Zelda sat up when she heard him chuckling, scared he might end up spitting it right on top of her head. "Hey, be careful! This is a white sweater," she teased him, as he struggled to keep the chocolatey liquid in his mouth. Finally, he was able to calm down enough to swallow.

"Whew, that would've been a disaster. Can you imagine if I ruined the birthday girl's sweater? That's practically a crime punishable by death."

"Mhmm," Zelda hummed in agreement. "That'd be the last mistake you ever made."

Link pretended to be shocked. "You gonna do the deed yourself, Princess?"

Zelda shrugged mysteriously. "I mean, there is a cliff right there, wouldn't be all that hard."

Link raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, fair enough. I'll definitely think twice before ever putting your clothes at risk again."

"Good." She replied smugly before relaxing back onto his lap.

By now it was after four o'clock and the sky had darkened noticeably. All of the lights on people's roofs, around their trees and bushes, and little decorations in their yards were now on. It was quite the sight to see from their high vantage point, with every color imaginable. It had not only got darker, but also colder as well.

Both teens agreed they were starting to get pretty cold and Link said it was time to get the horses back home anyway. The ride home was much quicker with the downhill advantage some of the way, and they made it back to his house by the time it was fully dark.

She walked with him as he led the white steed over to his neighbors yard and released him in his gated area. They then returned Epona to her spacious pen in his own backyard, where she gratefully munched on some carrots he gave her as an extra treat. Lastly, he led her into the kitchen where a meal for two was set out on the small table lit by candles.

"Ah, it feels so good in here." Zelda sighed immediately, enjoying the warmth of the indoors. Link nodded in agreement as he got to work on getting their dinner. A huge pot of soup sat on the stove, being kept warm by a low burner. He filled two bowls and also retrieved some warm bread from the oven and brought it all back to the table.

It was delicious and more importantly nice and warm after the several hours they had spent out in the winter air. Both quickly stuffed their faces initially, and then eventually slowed to continue their usual pleasant banter. Today was literally perfect, and she didn't want it to end.

"Well, I guess I'll take you back to your house now?" Link asked, after he had finished clearing the table of their dishes. Zelda's heart fell immediately. So much for not wanting it to end.

"Umm, sure..." She replied, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. Link seemed to be oblivious to it as he got back into his coat and put his boots on. Slowly she stood and began to get ready to leave as well. He grabbed his truck keys off the counter and led the way to where it was parked in the driveway. He opened her door for her and smiled at her, though she avoided his gaze.

She felt tears welling in her eyes as they drove off and stared out the window in hopes that Link wouldn't notice. She felt like a big baby for wanting to cry over something as stupid as this, but she was just disappointed. Today had been so perfect, she just didn't want it to end so soon, but that was honestly nothing to be upset over. At least it had been amazing up to this point.

They pulled up to her house which was dark other than the outside lights. Link turned the truck completely off and started to get out.

"What're you doing?" She asked, slightly confused.

"I'll walk you all the way in." He told her with a smile, then walked around and opened her door for her. She gave him a weak smile and then led the way over to the garage pin pad where she entered the code to raise the door. After it went up she turned, expecting them to part ways here. He nodded toward the door, implying that they would say their goodbyes there.

"I could come in for a little, if you wanted?" He asked once they reached the door that led into the house.

"Sure," Zelda replied, grateful to have company for at least a few more hours on her birthday. She hit the button next to the door which closed the garage door and they headed inside. The house was completely dark, she guessed her parents were still out somewhere.

She flipped the switch of the main room and was immediately met with a startling "SURPRISE!" She about jumped right out of her boots, to which she was met with laughter.

"Happy birthday, Zel!" Peach shouted enthusiastically, as she ran up and engulfed the startled girl in a hug. She was immediately followed by Lynn, Palutena, Daisy, and a bunch of other girls. All of her friends were here and even her parents.

Once she made it through the cluster of hugging girls, she turned to Link who she had almost forgotten had come in with her. He had a very satisfied smirk playing across his lips.

"Did you know about this?" She demanded, walking over to him.

He nodded cheekily. "Peach did most of the planning, but we both thought you should really have a party for your eighteenth birthday."

"Wow," she breathed. Still processing what had just happened.

"So are you surprised?" Peach asked eagerly.

"Actually, yes. Very." Zelda answered with a laugh.

"I thought you definitely would've figured it out when I offered to take you home that early, but I guess you aren't as smart as you look." Link teased. Zelda shot him a glare, but a smile played on her lips.

"Look how happy you are! See, I knew you wanted a party after all!" Peach yelled, clearly pleased with herself. Zelda rolled her eyes, but Peach was right, she was really happy to see all her friends.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out to see she had a text from Ike. It read: "". Without a second thought she replied with a thank you, adding a heart by force of habit. She was just about to correct her mistake, but then decided to leave it. It was just a heart, no big deal right?

Just then her mother entered the room holding a large chocolate cake with eighteen candles. "Happy birthday," she began to sing, in which everyone else joined in. Zelda stood, surrounded by all her wonderful singing friends, and amazing boyfriend who had planned out the most perfect day for her. Eighteen was definitely the best one yet.