I'll Walk With You

-An Ending, and A Beginning-

The cry of a distant hawk pierced the chill midmorning sky as a turbulent breeze, heavy with the promise of the swiftly approaching winter, swept across the viridian fields of Central Hyrule. Though his companion lagged behind, huddled over in their saddle in a vain attempt to shy away from the wind, the Hero remained upright, his cheeks pink with the cold and his eyes bright with anticipation. It had been so long, so very long, but now, finally, after these weeks… he was home.

Without an ounce of fanfare, the Hero rode once more into Castle Town.

Despite two months not being a terribly long time (especially compared to his previous century-long sabbatical) the town had already changed so much during Link's absence that it had become almost unrecognizable. Sure, more than half of the living quarters were still little more than thickly-padded tents, but an astonishing number of wooden buildings had been erected since last he'd been in town, a testament to the fortitude of the Hyrulean people and the tireless dedication of their princess.

Though still relatively small, the population of the town now easily rivaled that of Hateno, and as he and his companion made their way into market along what served as a passable main street, they swiftly found themselves engulfed in the throng of Castle Town's newest inhabitants; a veritable army of everyday people doing their best to live normal lives.

Children frolicked up and down the streets, kicking balls or chasing one another with sticks, playing the games that children play. Harried women made trips from newly-dug wells, slogging heavy buckets dripping with water. The only sound louder than the clucking of cuccos or the mewling of livestock was the constant staccato of hammers, either from one of the numerous construction projects being levied all over the town or else from the brand-new forge that had been built at some point during his absence, the powerful knell of the blacksmith's hammer echoing loud and clear into the street, as sweet as any music Link had ever heard.

Peaceful. Somehow, he still couldn't quit marveling over that fact. Everything now was so… peaceful.

A few of the townsfolk glanced up from their morning chores to examine the duo of travelers, those who knew them pausing to raise a hand in welcome, calling out greetings and promises to catch up later when they weren't so busy. From his vantage point atop his horse, Link spotted Koko and Cottla darting past, so absorbed in their game that they didn't even see him. Pikango caught his attention from atop a nearby roof where he was busy surveying the town, paintbrush in hand. A trio of familiar Leviathan scholars stood arguing under a half-finished awning, completely ignorant of the world around them as they debated the mysteries of the past.

There were so many more people here than he remembered there being before he left. Now that word had gotten out and the roads were safer to travel, Castle Town was well and truly coming into its own.

Merchants lined the streets behind hastily erected stalls or else laying out their wares on blankets, men and women from all around, Lurelin, Tabantha, Akkala, Eldin, the Gerudo or the Goron or the Rito, selling everything from food and clothing to pots and pans, knives, pins, or jewelry, exotic spices, various knickknacks, ancient treasures salvaged from their ruined past...

But Link had no time to stop to peruse their collections, nor to catch up with his friends, many of whom he hadn't seen in quite some time. This was the first time he'd been back to Castle Town since summer's end, and while he very much trusted his princess's safety to the dedicated Sheikah, he was itching to see her again, to confirm her well-being with his own eyes, to simply be in her presence...

It had been so long… so very long…

Two months past, after having only returned to Castle Town from their journey for a few months, she'd sent him off as an ambassador of sorts to Goron City and the Rito Village, along with a handful of others, to attend a series of meetings with the Chieftains and Champions regarding trade deals of Tabantha Wheat, Hylian Rice and various minerals, among other things. From what he could gather from the rumblings in the village, it seemed Komali was preparing to step down, so the meeting wound up serving as a training ground for Link and Teba both, and the two had bonded over their discomfort in trying to wade through unfamiliar political waters. Bludo, however, showed no signs of giving up his position, for all that he seemed far older than Komali, though he had been no less strict in his instruction of poor Yunobo, who seemed in good spirits for all that his Chief was running him ragged.

Normally, Zelda preferred to oversee all such discussions herself, however she'd been forced to remain in the in-progress Castle Town to oversee the construction as well as meet with a delegation of Zora who happened to be arriving at around the same time. It was at moments like these, Zelda had said, that she was glad that Link had such a strong relationship with the other races. As long as he had others there to support him, she felt reasonably comfortable allowing him to handle this, and besides, it was good practice for his future.

Link didn't know about that. What he did know was that it was boring, and he loathed being away from his princess for so long. But if agreeing to this helped lessen her already daunting workload, then he would do it. She had been under a considerable amount of stress ever since the duo had completed their pilgrimage around the country and returned to Castle Town to officially begin reconstruction. Besides, there were enough trustworthy people in town to keep an eye on her while he was gone and keep her from getting into too much trouble.

The hustle and bustle of the marketplace seemed to have finally roused Link's traveling companion from his stupor, and he straightened his posture on his horse somewhat stiffly, wincing as his spine unbent.

Link flashed him a crooked smile.

"You awake yet, Grante? We're here."

"I noticed." The Sheikah replied tartly, stifling a yawn. "Goddesses, it's cold… Can we get a move on already? I'm starving."

Link snorted but didn't reply. What, did he expect him to kick his horse into a gallop in the middle of this crowd?

Grante was an interesting fellow; the son of Dr. Robbie, one of Zelda's old researcher friends from before the Calamity, Link had met the young Sheikah male a handful of times in Tarrey Town before he'd faced Ganon and saved Zelda from her prison. While the two had gotten along well enough before, it wasn't until returning to Castle Town that they had begun to form an actual friendship.

Grante had elected to tag along with the Goron brothers Greyson and Pelison to see about this new village and what he could do to help, and he and Link had wound up bonding over multiple scouting and monster camp raiding missions in their efforts to make Central Hyrule safe for travelers again. He was a smart man, roughly of age with Link, perhaps a year or two older, with a penchant for sarcasm and a somewhat dark sense of humor, but he was handy with a blade and had a keen sense of adventure, and Link found that the two got along rather well. However, it wasn't duty to his country or his father that had kept the free-spirited young man in Castle Town, aiding in the restoration. It was a girl.

Grante was a charmer, the sort of man who was attractive and knew it and used it to his advantage. And yet the poor sop had found himself knocked off his feet moment that the second Kakariko delegation had arrived with Paya in tow (who had been sent in her grandmother's place).

Apparently the two had known each other since they were children, but it had been many years since they'd last seen one another, and watching Grante's myriad failed attempts to woo Paya, who was too shy and self-conscious to recognize his flirting for what it was, had easily become Link's greatest source of entertainment.

That was why Grante had chosen to accompany Link when he had separated himself from the rest of the group the other morning, eager to be back in Castle Town as swiftly as possible. For Link, it was to get back to Zelda; for Grante, it was to get back to Paya, who had taken up residence as Zelda's personal assistant and aid.

His Castle Town delegation had sent word ahead with a Rito merchant on their estimated date of return when they'd arrived at the Tabantha Stable, but breaking off from the group had enabled Link to cover ground more quickly. They were now nearly two days ahead of schedule; truth be told, he'd probably ridden Epona harder than he should have, but he was just so excited. He felt like a little kid again.

He couldn't wait to see Zelda's face. Would she be surprised? Or set him back to work as soon as he walked in the door? Probably both, if he were being honest. The thought made him grin.

A loud voice called out through the din, catching his attention. Link turned to look but kept Epona moving at a steady pace along the path. He missed his friends, but nothing was going to stop him from getting to Zelda, not now that he was so close.

As it turned out, the owner of the voice was Bolson, who, along with Karson, was carrying a rather large stack of wood no doubt cut and hauled from the nearby Applean Forest. Both men looked sweaty and haggard; it was likely they'd already been hard at work now for hours, and it wasn't even noon yet.

"Link! Howdy-doo~! Now there's a studly face I haven't seen in a long time!"

"Bolson! Karson!" Link replied genially as the two men turned to follow alongside his horse in spite of the fact that they were probably carrying the wood in the wrong direction, "Long time no see! How are things?"

Without missing a beat, Bolson caught a random man out of the throng and wordlessly dumped his portion of the load on his shoulder, ordering him and Karson to continue on with the delivery in his place. Karson sighed, casting Link a longsuffering look before moving along, the stranger struggling to follow, his expression confused and somewhat alarmed.

"How are things? Why, just take a look for yourself! Zelly wanted as many homes constructed before winter as we could manage, and I'd say we're coming along swimmingly."

"Absolutely." Link agreed. "I barely even recognize the place. Was that a forge I saw earlier?"

"Yes, sir!" Bolson replied, proud as a cucco, easily keeping pace with Link's horse even as they left the crowded market area and began heading into the center of town. "The Gorons got the old quarry up and running again too, and with all of the treasure looted from the castle, merchants are flocking here by the dozens. Our little economy is booming, all thanks to our lovely princess."

"How is the castle?" Link asked, his expression tensing as he turned his gaze on the ruin looming over them.

"Quiet." Bolson replied, indifferent. "Zelda has guards patrol it once a day, and we've got lookouts manning the perimeter. There's been nothing to suggest that we missed anything the first time."

Link nodded but remained uneasy. Shortly after arriving in Castle Town after leaving the plateau, Link and Zelda had met with the Sheikah who had been sent to survey the town and learned that, in the weeks since the Calamity's defeat, monsters from the surrounding area had moved back into the abandoned castle. It had taken several days of meticulous searching and a veritable miniature army of fellow warriors, be they Sheikah sent by Impa or else Hylian, Goron, or Gerudo merchants recruited to play at being mercenaries to clear the infestation out again.

Entry into the castle was since strictly forbidden without express permission from Zelda and an armed escort, but even though most of the remaining treasure had already been removed, there were still plenty of people who wanted to go exploring, and while they were reasonably confident that all of the monsters had been removed, there was always the chance they were wrong or that more might move in without them noticing. Not to mention the lack of structural integrity; one-hundred years of housing such vast quantities of pure malice had apparently done a number on the foundation, eating away at the stone like a disease. For the moment, they were uncertain if the building could even be restored, or if it might not simply be better to tear it down and build another one.

Lost in his thoughts, Link only half-heard the rest of what Bolson had to say. News about the Zora securing the waterways, freeing up new means of travel. Talks of establishing a united militia once spring came again. The constant influx of merchants and travelers quickly establishing Castle Town once more as Hyrule's center of trade. Attempts at the rehabilitation of farmland despite the lateness of the season, and the worries that hunting and trade alone might not be enough to feed the rapidly expanding population.

All of this was vital information, and worthy of discussing, but at the moment Link had a mind for only one thing.

A building appeared up ahead. The largest by far in the town, a massive wooden construction that, in any other village, would likely be mistaken for an inn given its rather plain exterior. It was no inn, however. The townsfolk had taken to calling it the 'Wooden Castle'. It was Zelda's home, as well as the place in which she conducted most of her meetings and thus spent most of her time.

She was there. He could feel it. Finally, Link was home.

Bolson must have caught sight of the look on Link's face because he cut off his still-ongoing narrative about the state of the town and rubbed at his upper lip knowingly.

"Well, I suppose I had better let the two of you go now. There's work to do, see, and I can't waste the entire morning talking to two handsome men like you. Come find me later, though, we need to have a boys' night out."

"Will do, Bolson." Link replied, hardly paying attention.

"Oh, and tell Zelly I hope she's feeling better. If Paya needs more wood for the stove, just let me know-"

"Wait, what?"

Link whipped his head back to Bolson, who was blinking up at Link in surprise. From behind, Grante's mount plodded on past Epona, the Sheikah male apparently not paying any attention.

"What what?"

"What was that you said about Zelda feeling better?"

"Oh, that." Bolson scratching his beard absently, casting a glance back towards the construction work he was currently not participating in. "It's probably nothing. There's a rumor going around that Zelda's been ill for the past few days. She hasn't come out of her house much is all. The poor girl's probably overworked herself. Nothing to worry about. But then, I'm sure seeing you again will be just the pick-up she needs. Anyway, I gotta run. See you later, stud~!"

With a casual wave, Bolson dismissed himself, leaving Link frowning in his saddle.

She hadn't left her house in the last couple of days? That wasn't like her… she didn't like being cooped up inside, especially not since… He shook his head, casting the thought aside.

Nonsense. Even if the rumor was true, it was probably just a cold or something. Nothing to worry about, just as Bolson said, and in any event, she was right there. He could just go check on her himself.

Before he knew it, he was pulling Epona up to the horse hitch right alongside Grante, who was busy exchanging greetings with the guard. Dorian was on duty today, sitting on the porch and whittling a chunk of wood into what might have been a duck, though he really couldn't tell. Link returned the older man's greeting pleasantly, acknowledging that yes, he had seen his children and no, the two hadn't gotten into any trouble yet, at least that he'd seen.

At his side, Grante was staring at the front door with poorly restrained eagerness. Link snorted.

"You're so easy to read, you know that?"

Grante flashed him a cheesy grin.

"I can't help it. It's been months since I last made her blush. This is going to be perfect; I can't wait to see her face, it'll be priceless. They aren't expecting us for another full day at least."

Link rolled his eyes but said nothing, electing to leave his saddlebags on his mount for the moment, his eagerness to see Zelda overwhelming his guilt over leaving Epona saddled with its weight for longer than was necessary. Kicking the dirt from his boots, he stepped up onto the porch and reached for the handle.

A grin split his face in two. He was home. Zelda was safe. Everything was as it should be.

He pulled the door open, letting the morning sunlight stream into the darkly lit house, and paused. That was odd. Why was it so dim? Did Zelda have no meetings today?

Stepping into the entryway, Link cast his eyes around the room. There weren't any candles lit that he could see, which wasn't that unusual given that sunlight from the windows generally lit up the interior well enough during the day, but the place still looked a little gloomier than usual, most of the curtains drawn tightly closed.

Also, it was quiet. Almost too quiet. Normally, if there wasn't a meeting going on, Paya would be messing around in the kitchen, or else one of the girls she'd hired as a maid would be dusting the furniture or something of the like. Right now, however, there was no one to be seen or heard. The building was silent.

To the left was the drawing room, and beyond that, Zelda's office, the door to which stood ajar, the desk cluttered with books and inkwells and quills. Both rooms were empty.

To the right was the dining room, almost completely obscured in shadow, the heavy drapes drawn over the windows. Before him stood the door to the kitchen (also empty) and the staircase, leading up to the second-floor balcony and the ornately carved banister that Karson had crafted all by himself. The hall above looked dark as well. Had none of the curtains been opened that morning? Where was Paya? And why was Zelda hiding in the dark like a woman in mourning?

Grante stepped in behind him, closing the door with a snap, not seeming to notice the darkness nor the general oddness of the house as his eyes scanned the perimeter just as Link's had, no doubt searching for his special someone.

Link had had enough of waiting.

"Zelda?"

His voice was loud, echoing off the wooden walls, destroying the somber silence that had gripped the building like cobwebs engulfed in a sudden burst of flame.

There was a sound from upstairs like a thump, followed by a gasp and a flurry of movement. Link frowned. From of the sound of it, she was up in the bedroom… So late in the morning? It was nearly midday. Don't tell him she was still sleeping at this hour. That wasn't like her at all.

Before he could call out again, or do more than take off his gloves, a figure emerged from out of the upstairs hallway, all but flying toward the balcony as though she'd been pushed. She hit the banister with a bit too much force, making the newly-carved wood creek, and she clung to it tightly with white-knuckled hands as though the banister were the only thing holding her up.

It was Paya, looking frantic and pale-faced and out of breath. That at least wasn't out of the ordinary.

What happened next, however, was. Grante straightened up, suddenly animated, flashing the girl his trademark winning smile, laying the charm on as thickly as he could muster, but to Link's surprise, their shrinking Sheikah violet completely ignored him.

"L-Link!" She blurted out instead, sounding even fainter than usual. "Welcome… Welcome back! W-we didn't expect you so s-soon!"

There was still some sort of commotion going on in the upstairs bedroom. It sounded like somebody was wrestling a rather unruly pig. Was somebody else here?

He tried to shrug it off, flashing Paya a warm smile of his own. He wasn't besotted with her like Grante was, but he considered her a friend and had missed her all the same.

"Yeah, we were a little eager to get home, so we broke off from the group and headed out a little earlier than we'd intended…"

Paya was hardly paying him any attention. She kept casting frenzied looks down the hall as though checking on whatever was happening upstairs.

"Is everything ok?'

Paya jumped as though she'd been electrocuted.

"W-w-what?! Oh, y-yes, everything is... fine! Perfectly normal! We are- I mean, I am- I mean…"

Link glanced at Grante to gauge his opinion of Paya's stranger-than-usual behavior, only the other man was too busy trying to hide his hurt over the fact that Paya hadn't even acknowledged his presence yet. Normally, even the mention of Grante was enough to set the girl off on a red-faced stammering fit. Only now, it was as though he were invisible.

Another thump sounded out from the bedroom, followed by a hiss and a muffled curse.

What on earth was going on up there?!

Before he could ask any more questions, a second figure emerged from the darkness of the second-floor hallway and joined Paya up on the balcony. Only, it wasn't Zelda.

It was an unfamiliar Sheikah woman, perhaps in her fifties (though it was hard to say with Sheikah sometimes), with long silver hair done up in a tight bun and a pinched, unimpressed face. She shot Link a long, considering look before shaking her head and turning back to Paya, who suddenly stood at attention as if this foreign woman were her commanding officer.

"I'll be back on the 'morrow to check on her. You would do well to wash off that perfume. It's certainly lovely, but I've no doubt it's what set her off. She'll be more sensitive to such things from here on, so keep that in mind, and remember that no matter what she says, she is not to be allowed to drink any more wine, only goat's milk and water. And be firm; you mustn't let her bully you."

"Y-yes!" Paya squeaked, looking positively mortified. "O-of course, my apologies! I-it won't happen again!"

The woman sniffed as though to show what she thought of the likelihood of that, then turned to flash Link another look that was positively disdainful before sweeping past Paya and descending the stairs with all the arrogance of a queen. Both Link and Grante nodded to her and offered her their greetings, but she ignored them entirely, vanishing out the door without another word.

"What on earth was that all about?" Link asked after an awkward moment of silence. Grante shrugged.

For her part, Paya looked as though she were on the verge of fainting, but she was rescued from any more questioning by a soft voice from the hallway above that said, barely loud enough for Link to hear, "Paya… would you give us some privacy?"

Was that Zelda? It had to have been, no one else should be here. But then, why did she sound so frail? And why was she still hiding in the hallway?

Paya seemed only too willing to comply to Zelda's request, and a moment later she'd all but flown down the staircase, shocking both Link and Grante when she reached out and snagged the Sheikah male by the arm (Link had never seen her willingly reach out and touch a man before, particularly not one around whom she was usually so abashed) and physically dragged him back toward the front door with a harassed, "C-come, Grante! The Princess and her Hero need some p-privacy!"

Before Link could blink, the door shut behind them with a resounding snap, cutting off Grante's parting farewell with a foreboding sort of finality.

Slowly, he turned his attention back to the balcony, only to find Zelda fully emerged from the hall where she'd been hiding. Joy and relief surged through him the moment his eyes landed on her frame, but a moment later he was caught by the distinct impression that something about her had changed.

She had chosen to wear a dress today rather than the pants and tunic he was accustomed to seeing her in; it was one of her less-formal outfits and it enveloped her in a pleasant cream-like color, though he noted that this dress was a tad looser than the ones she normally wore, and it seemed ruffled, as though she'd put in on in a hurry. To his consternation, her face looked pale and, though he'd be remiss to voice this aloud, slightly chubbier than he remembered. Her expression was tense, her hands clasped together in front of her midsection in a would-be casual manner were it not for the fact that she was clenching her fingers together so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

She flashed him a strained smile in the facsimile of her usual cheerful greeting, but her eyes, he noted, were directed at his boots.

"Welcome home."

Something was wrong.

"Zelda…" Link returned slowly, moving to shrug off his satchel, unable to take his eyes off her. Feeling uneasy, he hung the bag on a hook near the front door and hastily removed his coat, setting his boot on the bottom step as though to ascend to meet her.

"Ah, Link, wait." she cut in, suddenly nervous, her gaze shifting to somewhere just past his shoulder. "I know how tired you must be from your journey, however there's something I… something we need to… to talk about. Would you…" Here she hesitated, clearly struggling with her words, her fingers kneading together anxiously.

After a moment's hesitation, she finally settled on, "You should probably take a seat. Would you… can we adjourn to the dining room?"

Link nodded, but red flags were flying up before his eyes. Adjourn to the dining room? Since when did she speak to him in such a formal manner? What on earth could have happened that had her so on edge?

He stepped away from the staircase and a moment later entered the dining room, arguably the most important section of the house. It was here that Zelda held all her meals and important meetings, though truth be told it didn't look so very different from the dining rooms of most other houses he'd been inside, if only slightly larger. A rather ornate table took up most of the space, the wood so dark it was almost black, complete with a matching set of a dozen chairs, all of them carved and gifted to her by Bolson and Karson.

Though simple in design, the furniture was nevertheless masterfully crafted and felt every bit as regal as the princess it was meant to employ. The rest of the room was simple, sporting a few paintings on the walls and a pair of unlit braziers in the corners, meant to provide additional light and warmth in the evenings. A vase sat in the center of the table atop a small, intricately patterned cloth, though the flowers seemed brittle, as though they hadn't been tended to in days.

As it was, lit only by the light of the sun streaming through the windows of other rooms, the dining room felt dark and foreboding, smothered in a secluded shroud of shadows.

She followed him down the stairs a moment later but ignored the chair he'd pulled out for her at his side, instead opting to sit at the far end of the table as though this were simply another diplomatic meeting on her docket for the afternoon.

Everything about his princess in that moment, from the thinly-veiled tension in her shoulders to the jerkiness of her movements and the fact that she still wouldn't make eye contact with him, had Link set firmly on edge. Yes, something was definitely wrong… and it had to be something serious if it was affecting her this strongly, strongly enough to make her afraid to speak with him. But what on earth could be so terrifying outside of the resurgence of Calamity Ganon?

As Link drew his own newly lacquered chair back to take his seat at her pristine dining room table, trying to avoid how uncomfortable he felt being seated so far away from her, his thoughts turned to Bolson, the man who had crafted this lovely furniture, and then to the conversation the two had just had as he made his way through the village.

Rumors claimed that Zelda had been feeling under the weather as of late… She'd looked pale and green when he'd first laid eyes on her, not at all excited to see him after so long apart, which was unusual in and of itself but not unheard of- she might have simply been under an increased amount of pressure that morning, or perhaps she hadn't slept well… However, there had been an older Sheikah woman with her as well… Certainly not a doctor, if they even had such anymore, but perhaps a medical specialist of some sort? That is, if Bolson's rumors had any weight to them. An herbalist, perhaps? Someone who specialized in treating the sick?

At the thought of Zelda potentially being ill, panic overtook him. If it was something simple, like a cold, she wouldn't be tiptoeing around the matter, which could only mean it was something serious. Something serious…

Oh, gods. Please, no. Please don't let it be anything like that. He could handle anything, anything but that. Please, let it be another monster, or a war, or another demon, or… something he could face with sword in hand, something he could rip apart with his hands. He couldn't fight an illness with courage and strength alone.

"Yes. Well." She began, somewhat awkwardly, shifting to lay her hands nervously on the table before returning them once more to her lap. "It is good to see you, Link. I trust your visit to the Rito Village went well?"

Link nodded mutely. Honestly, he didn't care about politics or trade deals right now, and he could tell neither did she. She was dragging this out because she was afraid.

Zelda let out a shaky sigh, returning her hands to the tabletop once more and wriggling her fingers together. She was completely out of sorts. She normally did a much better job hiding her worries and insecurities, at least from people who didn't know her well, but her body language was practically screaming that something was wrong. He wanted to reach out and still her fingers, but the table was too large for him to reach her.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I called you in here." She continued, before pausing again to worry her lip between her teeth. "I have… news. Something… something has… happened…"

She sounded scared. Scared and unsure.

When he didn't reply automatically, she cleared her throat and pressed on, looking even more sickly than she had before.

"You may wish to prepare yourself, Link… I hadn't… I mean, obviously, I hadn't the chance to prepare for this personally, however you…"

Link's throat was dry, his hands gripping the arms of his chair so tightly that the muscles in his forearms were beginning to knot up. Every moment she dragged this out, his panic only increased.

She shook her head distractedly, abandoning whatever her previous line of thought had been and started again.

"I think I… that I might be… or rather, I'm quite certain that I… that I'm…"

"Zelda…" He let out, his voice raspy, trying his best to seem supportive in spite of the terror that was gripping him, "I-it's ok, you can tell me-"

"I'm pregnant."

Silence filled the house once more.

Link opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. Then closed it.

Pregnant? What sort of illness was…?

Then it clicked. Time seemed to slow. The air around him grew thick and syrupy. His vision tunneled until he could only see her sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Pregnant… Zelda was pregnant… Zelda was with child. His child, presumably. No, don't be stupid, of course it was his child. She was going to have his child. He was going to be a father. And she was going to be its mother.

His hands were still clenching the armrests of his chair, but he could no longer feel them. Some undefined emotion surged up inside of him, powerful and raw, seizing his esophagus in a vice-grip, preventing him from speaking or breathing.

Pregnant.

Something in his chest was expanding.

Zelda was pregnant.

Whatever it was, it was warm and familiar and felt suspiciously like joy…

His princess was pregnant.

The bubble popped. Cold dread sunk in.

The Princess of Hyrule was pregnant. The Princess of Hyrule was pregnant, with his child. Out of wedlock.

What would the people think?

She had worked so long and so hard to cultivate her public image; one of confidence and wisdom and grace, friendliness and hope. Maturity despite her young age.

While it was true that the average Hyrulean still had no idea what being royalty truly entailed, that didn't mean that the public would be willing to overlook a potential scandal of this magnitude; princess or not, he doubted they'd be forgiving of a girl of barely seventeen years (not including her century-long imprisonment) becoming pregnant outside of the bonds of matrimony, especially if said girl was supposed to be their responsible, rational, level-headed leader. He may have very well irreparably damaged her standing in the eyes of the country.

Lost in his own personal whirlpool of fear and shame, he found himself asking, his voice hoarse and grating, "Who knows?"

There was a pause, and then, in barely more than a whisper, "…Only Paya, and the midwife."

Momentary relief flooded through Link's veins. So, the people hadn't found out yet… The situation could still be salvaged. Paya wasn't the type to spread rumors, and while he didn't know this midwife (presumably, she was the stern woman who had just left), had she spoken out the entire town would have been ablaze with gossip.

Zelda spoke again, her fragile voice breaking through the chaotic torrent of his thoughts.

"I… I meant for you to be the first to know, as soon as I was certain, however you were gone for so long, and… and I needed somebody to talk to…"

Link glanced up, tearing his gaze away from the immaculately crafted dining room table and the maelstrom of panic and fear coursing through his veins only to find Zelda huddled in on herself on the opposite side of the table, her head bowed, her shoulders quaking.

Immediately, he replayed her confession in his head and his ensuing reaction.

Oh, gods.

He was on his feet in a flash, nearly upending his chair, rounding the table, kneeling at Zelda's side and taking her gently by the arms.

"Zelda…" he breathed, frantic, his heart in his throat, "Zelda, wait, It's not… It's not what you think…"

Up close, even in the darkness, he could see just how red and puffy her eyes had become. Tears were steadily leaking down her cheeks, dripping onto her lap. She was trembling. Guilt gnawed away at his insides.

"Zelda-"

"I'm sorry." She cut in, her voice barely more than a whisper.

In spite of the situation, a breathless laugh escaped past his lips.

"What on earth for?" He asked, struggling to make his voice steady and kind as he reached out a hand to cup her cheek and turn her face toward him. To his dismay, his hands were shaking just as badly as she was. "This isn't anymore your fault than it is mine, and… Zelda, I'm not upset."

Finally, she met his gaze. The tears in her eyes only made her irises that much greener.

"Y-you're not?"

"Of course not. I was just… surprised, is all."

He used his thumb to brush away some of her tears, tucking her hair back behind her ear while he struggled to gather his thoughts. He wanted to say something to make her feel better, something encouraging, something that would take away all her fear, but nothing was coming to mind. Not for the first time, he wished he was better with words.

His princess stared at him for a moment, her eyes unreadable, and then she caught him off-guard once again by throwing herself off her chair and into his surprised embrace, almost knocking him onto his backside. Her arms wrapped themselves tightly around his torso as she buried her face in his chest, heedless of how she was no doubt dirtying the dress she had on as she tried and failed to quell her heart-wrenching sobs.

Link chose not to comment on how there were plenty of perfectly usable seats in the house they could be using, several of which were in the same room, instead opting to shift his legs until he was sitting on the floor as well so he could settle back against the dining room wall, his own arms wrapping gently around Zelda's midsection, afraid to hold her too tightly. A moment of quiet passed, in which Zelda threatened to fall apart completely in his arms and Link struggled to hold her together.

Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, Zelda's tears subsided and she whispered, her voice sticky and weak, "I'm so afraid."

"I know you are." Link murmured back, gently stroking her hair. He hesitated a moment before confessing, "So am I. I'm sorry you had to deal with this alone until now."

"What are we going to do?"

He knew what she was really asking; what were they going to do about her people? What if the scandal lost her the confidence of those she was meant to rule? The confidence she had only just barely managed to win? The very thing he himself had been panicking about only a moment earlier.

He chose not to acknowledge that just then, however, instead turning her question around in a different direction.

"We're going to love it." He replied softly, kissing her on the top of her head, forcing as much optimism into his tone that he could muster. "And spoil it rotten. And pray to every god we know that it turns out looking like you."

Something like the ghost of a smile flickered across her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. She turned to look up at him.

"I didn't mean for it to happen this way."

"Neither did I." He admitted, then winced as a thought occurred to him. "But if we're being honest, we… sort of had this coming."

After all, they… hadn't exactly been careful. Neither of them were stupid; they'd known what they were doing, yet somehow, at the time, he hadn't seemed to care. He wanted to reach back into the past and throttle his old self.

He sent her a sloppy smile to show he was teasing her, but though she tried to smile back, he could tell her heart wasn't in it. He sighed.

"Anyway, as far as unexpected surprises go, we've certainly dealt with worse. We'll get through this just like we get through everything. Together."

He'd tried for an upbeat, encouraging tone, but he worried she could hear the insecurity and fear he was trying to desperately to hide for her sake. She stared at him for a moment, her expression soft and vulnerable, her eyes quietly boring into his own.

"…Are you really alright with this?"

Link shrugged, trying for a smile that came out a bit more twisted than he would have liked.

"I won't pretend like this is happening at the ideal time, or that we're in the best of situations, but…" Here he took a deep, shaky breath, and tried to put as much conviction into his next sentence as he could muster; to his surprise, he didn't have to work very hard. "I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to start a family with you one day. That day just came sooner than we expected."

She bit her lip, then turned and settled her head back against him, her arms tightening around his torso.

"I was so afraid of how you would react…"

The guilt in his navel swelled, threatening to consume him.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, no… I should have had more faith in you…"

She turned, nuzzling his sternum with her forehead.

"I haven't been thinking straight recently." She confessed softly. "It's just so much… reconstruction, preparing for my coronation, reforging political ties, all of the pressures of becoming queen, all of the day to day minutia, and now, on top of everything…"

Her voice broke, and she was quiet for a moment, her shoulders quaking as she desperately fought not to dissolve into tears again.

Link didn't know what to do. This wasn't the first time she'd cried in his arms, not by a long-shot, but normally when one of them was at a low point, the other would be there to pull them back up. However this time, Link felt just as scared and unprepared a she was. Somehow, in its own strange way, the concept that Zelda was pregnant was almost as terrifying as the Calamity.

They sat there for a moment, huddled together on the floor in the dark. Finally, in a voice choked with fear and anger, she cried out, "I'm not ready to be a mother!"

Link sighed, burying his face in her hair.

"I know." He whispered, swallowing roughly past the large lump that had formed in his throat; truth be told, a significant part of him wanted to give in to his fear alongside her. The only thing keeping him together in that moment was the knowledge that she needed him. "I'm not ready to be a father either... But we're not alone in this, Zelda. We have each other, and we have our friends. We'll get through this."

Zelda shuddered against him.

"I don't want to think about how the others will react…"

"How did Paya take it?" he asked out of genuine curiosity, hoping the slight change in topic might help her calm down.

"Like you would imagine." She mumbled, removing one of her arms from around him so she could wipe unsteadily at her eyes. "At first she was shocked, and then embarrassed, and then for a while she was walking on eggshells around me, afraid to do or say anything that might make me upset."

"So, nothing changed?"

She flicked his arm and he let out a raspy laugh.

"Ever since, she's been too afraid to let me bend over or pick anything up even though I haven't even really begun to show yet. Honestly, it's a little irritating. You'd think I was made of glass."

"That still sounds like regular Paya to me."

"And, well…" Here she hesitated, a new emotion entering her voice; she almost sounded… embarrassed. "For the last few days, she's been pestering me to help her pick out baby names."

A sudden smile broke out across Link's face, catching him completely by surprise. Baby names… As in, a name for their baby. Their baby. Zelda was having his baby.

Perhaps in a response to the unexpected surge of warmth and joy that erupted inside of him, tangling up confusingly with his still-present fear and doubt, Link found himself blurting out without thinking, "Whatever we decide to name it, it's not going to end in '-son', no matter what Bolson says."

To his delight, his comment brought about an unexpected snort of laughter from his princess. He wasn't sure if she actually found his comment funny or if the stress of her latest revelation had finally driven her mad, but he grinned all the same. He hadn't heard her laugh in months. Even if it was just for a moment, the sound of it did a number on his mental state. The darkness of the dining room somehow seemed less intense.

Zelda sighed again, pulling herself in closer.

"I wish I wasn't the princess." She murmured softly, not for the first time. "Then, at least, we could simply run away and no one would ever be the wiser. There would be no one to judge us, no pressure from the kingdom, no worries about public opinion…"

He neglected to mention that running away was still technically an option. He knew that, no matter how bad things became or how poorly the public reacted to the news, she would never abandon her duty to Hyrule. This was merely a form of venting, some way to deal with her stress. But still…

"There… might still be a way for us to mitigate the situation in the eyes of the public…"

His tone was hesitant. She looked up at him, a knowing expression in her eyes, but she remained quiet, prompting him to finish his thought.

"We could go ahead and get married."

He hated the fact that he was suggesting this now. Sure, they had discussed marriage before, but they had decided to wait until after Castle Town was officially rebuilt and Zelda had had her coronation, for no other reason than because they were simply too busy with the reconstruction to expend any time, money, or effort on a big wedding. He knew she'd been toying with the idea of holding the ceremony on the day of her coronation, but nothing had been set in stone and they had both had too much on their plates recently to discuss it any further.

Zelda offered him a sad smile. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Zelda, I didn't mean it like-"

"I know, Link. I know." She cut in gently, returning to her previous embrace, and all at once she as the one comforting him. "But you're right, and it might work; I'm sure the average Hyrulean won't pay too much attention to the time frame, and we might even be able to pass it off as having been born early if we marry quickly enough… but the people closest to us will be harder to trick."

"Then why try to hide it?"

She shuffled anxiously against him but didn't answer.

"Zelda… the people who matter most won't care. Paya is the most prudish of the bunch, but in your own words, she's more excited than scandalized. King Dorephan and Sidon will be too busy being delighted to remember that they're supposed to disapprove. I can't see Yunobo or any of the Goron caring one way or the other. Teba will probably give me a lecture on being irresponsible, but you know he and Saki will be behind you one-hundred percent. And the only way Riju or the Gerudo will be upset is if you wind up having a boy."

She smiled softly at the last but turned to cast him a shrewd look.

"I notice you forgot to mention how Impa will react."

Her eyes were still red, and her voice still scratchy, but there was a playfulness to her tone that Link clung to, desperate to ride it out for as long as he could.

"I forgot nothing." Link denied firmly. "I merely… chose not to mention her."

"She's going to kill us."

"She's going to kill me." Link corrected. "You'll get a scolding at most; I can't see her laying a hand on a pregnant woman. I, however, will be skinned alive."

She chuckled again, and Link delighted at the way the smile cast off the shadows on her face, even if only for a moment.

"…Do you really believe they'll accept it without judging?"

Link sighed again. He'd lost track of the number of times he'd done that since coming home.

He wanted to tell her yes, that their friends cared more about them than propriety, and while that was certainly true…

"I'm not saying everything will go smoothly at first. There will probably be some shocked faces, some disappointment, some judging… nobody's perfect, neither you or I nor the rest of your people. But just like with Paya, I am completely confident that it won't be long before they come around to the idea and are openly happy for us."

"I hope you're right." She whispered.

"I am. You know I am. I can practically see it now; imagine the look on Bolson's face when we tell him. I bet you a thousand rupees he tries to throw us a party and plan the entire wedding himself. Chances are good he'll start work on carving us a cradle before we can even ask."

A slow smile blossomed on her face and she mouthed the word 'cradle' in silent wonder, but she remained quiet, and he took that as his prompting to go on.

"I'm sure Kass will want to create his very own special lullaby for us, though I don't know if accordions are very good at putting children to sleep or not. Purah will no doubt have some sort of wacky gadget for our child to play with, assuming she doesn't try to run any experiments on it first. We… may actually need to keep it away from her for a while. I'm sure I can convince Pikango to make us a picture book when it comes time to teach them to read. And then, of course, the Champions will probably play their parts."

The strange thing was, Link had started talking in an effort to comfort Zelda, and yet… the more he talked about his friends and the future of their child, the better he felt about it himself. He was still afraid, for her and for himself and how on earth he was going to pull off being a father when he couldn't remember ever having one himself, however he was no longer struggling to put excitement into his words. They came tumbling out of his mouth, faster and faster, quicker than he had time to think about them.

"If we have a girl, I can see Riju taking to her like she was her aunt. Buliara would probably try to teach her the spear; if we're not careful, our little princess might just become a Gerudo warrior right under our noses. Sidon and Teba won't care either way, though Yunobo might feel a little more comfortable around a boy. I doubt it will matter too much one way or the other-"

"What would we name him?" Zelda cut in, her voice, still weak, now overflowing with anticipation.

Link hesitated, having an answer picked out but uncertain how she would react.

"How about… Rhoam?"

Her body stiffened in his arms, and he silently kicked himself for ruining the good mood he'd finally managed to build. A moment passed in silence, and then slowly Zelda turned her face up to his, her eyes flooded with tears once again.

"I would like that." She whispered, smiling weakly, her expression so full of love that Link couldn't help but smile in relief.

"Alright then." He agreed softly. "It's a deal. And then if it's a girl-"

"Aryll." Zelda cut in, looking determined. "If it's a girl, I want to name her Aryll."

Link felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"I-isn't it tradition to name the firstborn female Zelda?" He asked faintly.

"Tradition, not law. But I don't want my children to grow up as I did, suffocating under the weight of a life they couldn't choose. I know… I know that, as royalty, they won't have the freedoms other children have… but at the very least, I don't want my daughter to live the life I lead. Even if it's just her name… I want her to be different."

"Ok." Link replied quietly, and she smiled.

Another moment passed as the two stared quietly into each other's eyes, content to enjoy a moment of peace after the veritable whirlwind of emotion that was Zelda's surprise announcement, silently drawing strength from the other's company.

Finally, Zelda lay her head back down against Link's chest, surprising him by snuggling in closer.

"Tell me more about our child."

Link laughed.

"Alright. They'll grow up here, in Castle Town, inheriting their father's love of adventure and their mother's intuitive brain and legendary beauty. You'll teach them how to rule, but also how to love, and how to live. As they grow up, they'll run around here in the streets of Castle Town with the rest of the children, tormenting Paya, getting into trouble with Bolson, and generally driving us both insane.

"But above all, they'll be safe. Safe from destinies they can't avoid and battles that can't be won and sacrifices that should never have to be made. And most of all, from a Calamity that will never touch them. We'll be happy. All of us, together."

They sat like that on the floor together for a while longer, slowly soaking each other in and the terrifying reality that awaited them in just a few short months' time. And to think, Link had actually thought life was going to get easier from here on out… what a naïve fool he had been.

Looking down at Zelda, however, and seeing the fear and excitement in her tear-stained eyes, he knew he didn't regret it. He had risked everything for this future, a future of new hope and freedom and possibility. And what did this child represent if not the culmination of everything he had fought for for so long?

Hyrule's future was right on the horizon. And he was holding it in his arms.

After a little while longer, right as his legs were starting to get sore, Zelda turned to him and offered him a weak smile. She seemed better, now. More put together. Still afraid, but not overwhelmed. It was the best he could hope for at the moment; after all, he wasn't feeling much better himself.

"So… when do you think would be best?"

Link stared, not comprehending.

"The wedding." She clarified, somewhat impatient, and Link blinked.

"Oh, right! Um, well… whenever is fine, I guess. Sooner is probably better than later, but then we have the guests to consider… Have you given it any thought since the last time we spoke, or…?"

"Not particularly. I thought we had more time, and I was more concerned about the coronation… Which, honestly, I had been hoping to have it at the Temple of Time."

Link gaped, horrified, and she hastened to explain.

"Obviously that won't work anymore. It was just a thought I had been toying around with, before… well, before. It seemed… auspicious, to hold both my coronation and our wedding in that location, the place where legends claimed Hyrule had originally been founded. Not to mention the religious significance of the temple itself, and… well… it was the last place you saw my father's spirit."

Something like guilt nibbled away at him, and he opened his mouth to promise Zelda that he'd find some way to have their wedding in that temple if it was the last thing he did, but she cut him off.

"No, I know what you're going to say, but no. If we had all the time in the world, perhaps, however… I want us to be wedded before our child comes into this world, and I don't want to make everyone else jump through hoops just for me."

That was fair… besides, preparing the Temple of Time for a wedding was no small feat. Even getting up there in the first place for anyone who wasn't a Rito or a Zora, who could fly or scale the waterfall near the River of the Dead, or a skilled mountaineer like Link, would be a tremendous effort. They would have to rebuild the outer walls of the plateau, where the staircases were held, and that alone could take months. Months they did not have.

While he was saddened that Zelda's ideal wedding and coronation was now out of the picture, a part of him was a little relieved. He didn't want to think about the tole a trek like that would take on a pregnant woman. Especially if she had to climb all those stairs.

"We'll simply have to hold the wedding here."

Link nodded. "That sounds best. If we get started now, we might be able to have it in a few months, assuming the other races are amenable to traveling in the snow. Or we could try to wait until the spring, although that might be pushing it…"

It was autumn now. He wasn't certain on the particulars of pregnancy, but if he was right in assuming when she'd become pregnant, then that meant sometime late summer before he'd left for the Rito Village, which put the due date sometime after the new year, near winter's end.

"It will have to be the spring. The Zora won't be able to travel as easily until the ice melts. It should be well, Goddess-willing. I'm more concerned with getting the town ready to host so many people. We're still in the midst of reconstruction, the builders will riot."

Link scoffed.

"Please. Just put Bolson on the case. He could get it done himself if he had to. Which he won't, because he rules the craftsmen with an iron fist."

"Are you certain? I know he's reliable, but it's still so much work-"

"Trust me, Zelda. That man loves a good wedding. And in any event, you've got enough on your plate as it is. Let me worry about getting the town ready. Give me the important details, and I'll find some way to get this all organized. Paya will probably be willing to lend me a hand, and I can rope Grante into helping out too. We'll need a guest list, a location, somebody to perform the ceremony-"

"Kapson will be our officiator." Zelda suddenly declared emphatically, catching Link by surprise.

"Oh yeah? You sound like you already had him picked out."

"I did." She replied, not going into detail. "As for the guests of importance, we'll also need to invite the new Champions, of course, as well as at least the leaders of the different races, although I'm sure most of the Zora will want to attend, be they the elderly who remember my father or your childhood friends. And then Kass and his family, and Purah and Symon and Robbie, of course, and Hudson and Rhondson. Oh, and Hunnie-"

"Hunnie? That girl with the cake obsession?"

"Of course! There's going to be cake, how can we let her miss it?"

Link stared at his soon-to-be-wife in absolute bemusement. Her fear from earlier seemed to have been momentarily forgotten, her eyes, still a little red, were now alive and sparkling with excitement. For a moment, he thought he could see it, that 'glow' people talked about whenever a woman was expecting. He'd always thought that was just sentimental nonsense, but now…

He was so in love with her. Here, in this moment, he'd never felt the truth of it more strongly. She was his, and he was hers, and before long, the two would become three…

She was having his baby.

"Is there anyone else you'd like to invite?" She asked, poking him in the stomach, drawing him out of his delirious stupor.

"Beedle." He replied instantly. "Grante, of course, and Pikango. Perhaps Hestu and some of the Koroks, if they're willing to make the journey. Some of my old Zora friends. You've pretty much listed everybody else who needs to be there."

There was a pause as the two soon-to-be parents stared into each other's eyes.

"This is going to be a lot of work, isn't it?" Link sighed, rubbing tiredly at his eyes, and Zelda let out a laugh.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I'd be happy with a short, quiet wedding if we could get away with it, but as the future queen-"

"No, no, it's fine." He replied, reaching forward to play with a strand of her hair. "I can wait. What's a few more months after the hundred years we've already put up with? Besides… I'll finally be able to kiss you in public without worrying what your guards will do to me."

"As if every one of them doesn't already know-"

He cut her off with his lips. When they separated, she remained close, gazing silently into his eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Both of you."

He tickled her stomach with the tips of his fingers and she swatted his hand away with a smile.

"So, now what? I suppose I ought to finally let you get some rest?"

"That would be nice." He laughed. "Though getting off the floor first sounds like a good idea. And then maybe some food-"

"Or…" She cut in, her voice taking on a now-familiar husky tone, "we could adjourn to the bedroom and I could welcome you home properly…"

A wave of discomfort washed over him, and Link reached up to scratch at his neck awkwardly.

"Um… Are… we still allowed to do that?"

She stared into his face, nonplussed, and then let out a snort of laughter.

"What?" he replied, suddenly indignant.

Rather than explain, she kept on laughing, so much so that she could barely get to her feet even with Link's help.

His face was red. It was possible that it was just stress that was making her laugh so much, but it was more likely that he'd just said something extremely foolish and she was making fun of him. Before he could find some way to get her back, she took him by the arm and practically dragged him up the stairs, laughing all the while.

As he followed along, looking up at the back of her head as she led him up the staircase of her home (their home), his indignation slowly began to fade.

This was it, he thought. This is your future from here on out. The future you worked and fought and bled for.

The Calamity had well and truly ended. Hyrule was in the midst of its new beginning, but it was a new beginning for Link as well. One with a home; with friends, and a purpose, and a wife, and a child already on the way. A family all his own.

A grin split across his face, and a moment later he was speeding up, scooping Zelda up in his arms, his heart racing at the way she shrieked in both fear and delight.

Though deep down he was still afraid, still ill-prepared for the terrifying new path that awaited him, stretching on to the horizon, he knew that all would be well so long as she was there. Zelda, his princess, his best friend and companion, his future queen and wife-to-be, the mother of his child. So long as he had her there, walking alongside him, he could face whatever the future might bring.

And from where he was standing, that future had never looked as bright or as promising.

And it would only get better from here.

Well, that was by far the longest chapter in this story.

First off, apologies: I know this last chapter took, like... 3? 4? months to get out, but I... have my reasons. Suffice to say (and to prevent this AN from becoming a blog about my personal life), I was sick. Not, like, 'dying' sick, but sick enough that it prevented me from working or driving or going to school, and I very nearly failed my classes last semester. I'm totally fine now, however, so no worries. It's not that big a deal.

As for this chapter... eh, on one hand, I think it's far too long. I mean, part of my focus for this story was supposed to be to teach myself to write smaller, more concise chapters, and while there is certainly a fair amount of content here I could have cut, I actually... just didn't want to. Like, it was the last chapter, I wanted to have shout-outs to past characters and conversations and such, and... it is what it is. I hope that didn't annoy anyone. It... does kind of drag towards the end.

This is also the first time I've written a 'pregnancy' type scene. (To clear up any potential misunderstandings, in my head Zelda's about... 2 and a half months, around that ballpark.) It's clearly not my strong suit, but I tried to focus on the more negative emotions rather than just 'yay we're having a baby!', because I felt that was more realistic for a pair of teenagers with way too much on their plates. At the same time, however, I didn't want it to seem like a terrible thing- just something our heroes weren't prepared for. It's a delicate tightrope to walk, and one that I'm not sure I pulled off very well, but... hey. Writing is for learning, right? Give me some feedback and let me know how you think I could have done things better.

Oh, and just for fairness' sake: I totally borrowed (*cough* stole) the Grante/Paya idea from crazygurlmadness's story. I'm a monster of a human being, I know. I just wish I had time to flesh it out more...

Well, that's it for now. Hope you liked my story! Leave a review or what have you. I've got another one-shot in the works called 'It Takes a Village', as well as my next multi-chapter story 'In A World All Our Own' which is still so totally on the way, I promise. I guess I'll see you whenever I get around to posting them. 'Til then.

Keep it Zesty,

ZC