The next day, Link and Zelda set out to explore more of Hyrule. For the first time, she didn't dread his constant presence. Things were different now. She wouldn't have wanted to go without him.

The princess had found herself thrown into a whirlwind of new emotions. She was suddenly infatuated by the knight, and she had a feeling it might turn into something more. His company was now delightful to her, and they had grown much closer in a very short amount of time. But Zelda was happy with him, and she couldn't ask for more. Even if they were only friends.

The two of them headed for the Eldin Canyons, not entirely sure what they were looking for.

They were merely walking together when Zelda spotted something in the corner of her eye.

"Link..." she tugged at his arm, pointing at what she had seen. Approaching them was a red Bokoblin. Link chuckled.

"That's it?" He asked, taking it out with ease. Then, two more of them emerged from the shadows. The knight frowned. He continued to take care of the enemies, but more of them kept appearing. Link was beginning to be concerned. Where were they all coming from...?

"Stay back!" He ordered, fearful of harm being inflicted upon his princess. She backed up, fear beginning to overcome her.

Suddenly, an even larger Moblin attacked. Zelda watched Link's every move, knowing he was perfectly capable but still terrified of what could happen. He fought off a few more of them, and then a Lynel approached him from his left. The knight didn't see it, and if he didn't soon then something terrible was going to happen. The princess panicked and screamed.

"Link!! Look out!" He quickly realized what was present, and fought off the beast. But, more of those showed up, too. Zelda was terrified; her breaths were short and she was shrieking uncontrollably. Every time Link was even slightly wounded, she winced and almost felt the pain herself.

As petrified as she was, Zelda had confidence in him. She knew that this was his talent. And it was easy to tell. All of his movements seemed so routine and rhythmic, as if he had practiced this millions of times. She felt safe while he was protecting her.

All of the sudden, something terrifying happened. Link was getting to comfortable, forgetting to be as careful as possible. One of the Lynels slashed his arm, creating a cut and putting him off balance.

"Link!" She shrieked, wishing there was something she could do to help. He simply got back up and kept fighting, though.

But soon enough, it was over. He had taken care of every last foe. As he caught his breath, Zelda began to feel uneasy. This was unnatural. It certainly couldn't mean anything good...

"Link!" She called out to him. They ran toward each other, sighing in relief. "Let me see your arm." She inspected the wound, frowning. It didn't look great, but it could have been much worse. She looked up at him with a concerned expression. He simply smiled back nervously, and Zelda scoffed playfully at his lighthearted response.

"That cut doesn't look too bad actually. You're fine for now... but you know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessness..." She frowned. "As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal."

Then the princess began to express her concern associated with the current situation. She had heard reports of similar attacks happening elsewhere in Hyrule. She was afraid to say it, but she knew that this meant something was coming... that they were running out of time.

She stood up, brushing off her pants and forcing herself to change the course of her thoughts.

"Let's go get you cleaned up."

~

They found the nearest stable and Zelda immediately began to dress Link's wound. The sun had already begun to set, so the light of the candles helped them to see as they knelt on the wooden floor.

She took a cloth and soaked it in a bucket of warm water. As she was wringing it out, she looked up and met eyes with Link. She looked so soft and beautiful in the warm candlelight. She shyly smiled at him, feeling her face heat up.

Link's feelings about the princess had changed as well. Ever since she had apologized, the two of them had gotten along very well. When she put all of that anger aside, she was a lovely girl. The princess was the most enticing and fascinating person he'd ever met. She always had something on her mind, and she always had something to talk about. It was easy for him to be around her. He hadn't felt at peace with anybody for a long time. But with her, it was different. She helped him bring back parts of his old self, so he was more than an empty shell of what he used to be.

Not to mention, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. People had always told of the princess's beauty, but words were not enough to express it. There was nothing like sitting a foot or so away from her and taking her in up close. She had green eyes that sparkled like emeralds, and a kind smile that could light up a room. Her golden hair was so long and soft, and he often wanted to reach out and run his fingers through it. She held herself with grace and an air of wonder always surrounded her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zelda asked, softly laughing at the end of her sentence. Link just smiled and shook his head. She reached for his arm. "Hold still.." She instructed as she began to clean his cut. After a moment, she spoke up again.

"Thank you for saving me... again."

"Thank you for taking such good care of me." He replied. She wrapped his arm gently.

"Try to be more careful next time, Link."

"As you wish, Princess." She paused, looking back up at him.

"Zelda... call me Zelda." They both smiled.

They both slept at the stable that night, but it was harder than ever to ignore the fact that they were both there, sleeping only one bed away from each other.

~

The next day's travels took Link and Zelda northwest of Hyrule Castle. As they made their way across Hyrule Field, the princess had spied a variety of flowers growing in the grass. She eagerly hopped off of her horse and approached them.

"Come on, Link! You must see these!" The knight eagerly followed. She knelt on the ground, pulling out the Sheikah Slate to photograph them. She mumbled the names of different types quietly, her brain in a million different places at once.

"Oh! There's one! And another!" She exclaimed, hastily snapping pictures. "The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful... They're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things." Link wondered what those could be ingredients for... perhaps he'd have to try something out.

Zelda gasped, looking at one of her pictures. A particular flower had caught her eye.

"This one here is called the silent princess. It's a rare, endangered species. Despite our efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet. The princess can only thrive out here in the wild." As she reached out to gently touch the flower, Link thought about what she had just said. It seemed as if she were talking about herself. Much like the flower, Zelda was only happy and free when away from the restraints of her duty and her life at the castle. She was happy out in the wild.

"All that we can hope is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own.." She sat still for a minute, her mind wandering. Only a moment later, something else had caught her attention.

"Is that what I think it is?! Look at this!" Link moved forward, trying to see what she was so interested in. "I don't believe it, but I actually caught one!" She was holding something in her hands. "This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances." She opened her hands to reveal a frog that she had caught. "Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities!" She stared at the creature with a curious, eager look. Then, her eyes took on a mischievous glint.

"We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, and with your level of physical fitness... you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!" Link froze. He didn't care how beautiful the princess was. There was no way she was getting him to eat a frog.

"Go on! Taste it!" She shoved the animal toward his face and he backed away. He shook his head.

"No way." He said. Zelda looked up at him with those large eyes of hers, pleading him to do it.

"...Please?" She said sweetly. He chuckled.

"Bring it back to the castle. Maybe we can do something with it there." The princess huffed.

"Fine." She replied. Begrudgingly, she stuffed the frog into a bag, remembering to give it a place to breathe out of. Then, they both climbed onto their horses and set out for their next destination.

~

That evening, just as the sun began to move to the west, Link and Zelda arrived at Castle Town. They put their horses back at the royal stable and headed up the stairs back to the castle, but Zelda had an idea as they were climbing up.

"How would you feel about skipping the boring dinner tonight and going into town instead?" She asked, a smirk on her face. Link's eyes lit up.

"What are we waiting for?"

Zelda only had to run into the castle to change out of her adventuring clothes. When she returned, she was wearing a periwinkle dress that only went down to her knees, and a pair of brown sandals. The evening air was warm and inviting, and she hurried back down to the knight. He held out his hand and the princess took it. Then, the two of them ran off into the town below, laughing and giddy with happiness.

Unlike Hyrule Castle itself, the town around it was filled with life. Colorful lanterns lit up the dim evening sky. People were everywhere, and all of them were kind and welcoming. Music filled the streets and there were shops selling all sorts of things on every corner.

First, the two made a stop at a corner where a young Hylian girl was selling all sorts of flowers. Link bought a few different types, which put a big smile on the girl's face. Holding the flowers, Zelda knelt down in front of her.

"Can you help me with something?"

A few minutes later, the girl had helped the princess braid a crown into her hair, and then she had decorated Zelda. There were flowers of all different colors strewn throughout the princess's hair.

"Thank you!" Zelda said kindly. The young girl smiled, thrilled because she had just braided the hair of the Princess of Hyrule. As they got up to leave, Zelda pulled out one last flower and looked at Link. She placed it behind the knights ear and smiled.

"Perfect."

Next, they stopped at a bakery and purchased a small fruitcake, which was Zelda's favorite.

"How did you know?" She asked Link, laughing. He simply smirked back at her. After they finished the cake, they headed for the central square. A group of musicians was playing lively songs, and many of the townspeople were joining in the festivities. The princess and the knight met eyes. She smiled, her face illuminated by the colorful glow of the lanterns. Link froze for a minute, hypnotized. She could see a million things he was trying to say in his eyes, but she couldn't seem to figure out what any of them were. He snapped out of his trance.

"Do you want to..." He began, scratching at the back of his neck.

"Dance? I'd love to!" She laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the crowd.

They began to dance, the princess moving with an abundance of energy. Link was shy at first, but he got used to the feeling eventually.

"I haven't had this much fun in so long!" She exclaimed, a huge grin on her face. He just smiled back.

As they danced, the townspeople picked up on the connection between the knight and princess. Many of them speculated about a secret relationship between them, while others simply commented on how nice they would be together. Either way, the two of them did not go unnoticed.

Hours later, they finally headed back to the castle. Zelda had told her father that they were simply eating dinner in their own rooms that night, so she had to sneak back in. Link walked her back to her bedroom. She sighed, smiling as she floated through the doorway.

"Don't you wish things could always be like this?" Link nodded, leaning in the door frame.

"It was the most fun I've had in a long time, too." He grinned at her.

For a moment, they both stood their and looked into each other's eyes. They were only inches apart. Zelda was convinced that something more was about to happen.

Link's heart was beating and he felt nervous. He couldn't do this yet. He wasn't prepared. So, he backed away, causing the princess to frown confusedly for a moment.

"Good night, Zelda."

She sighed, falling back onto her bed and thinking about the events of that night. Everything had been so perfect.

Unfortunately, those perfect summer nights wouldn't last forever.