Hello!!!

Did you notice the sign? Did you notice the sign that says this is COMPLETE!!? OMG it's Complete! I've shocked myself.

To be honest, I was a little sad as well as relieved to have finished this. You do not know how many times I've read the chapter over making sure that it was worht it and such and I havem't forgotten any loose ends or something. But I'm relieved because it's done, I actually finished something, and maybe I could write oterh fanfics or concentrate on homework and stuff.

... I like the idea of writing a whole lot more than homework, i must say...

Anyway, thankyou so much for reading this far through! Now onto the anon review replies:

Minid0rk: I hope this is to your liking. XD

Dewey: I love Navi. She can be annoying sometimes, but I ultimately love her.

Meg: Yeah, I thought the three could work together, but... nah, Savir's too used to playing solo. And Lynda wouldn't comfortable with open killing, and Zelda, well, considering her position it's not exactly a good idea. But everything works out in the end!

Hellotoday: Dude, Sheik's hated Zelda for YEARS, you can't possibly expect him to suddenly like her, and this is his sweetheart we're talking about. Considering his personality, I'm surprised i didn't make him go kill the king straight up. He's improved very much on the personality scale. XP. Huh, I didn't know earthbound was Ness, but nah, I won't be writing a fanfic on him cuz I don't know enough. And I like Zelda better.

And that's about it. ENJOY!!

Duke Serpine and his Son were coming in a week. This was for certain.

And it made Lynda sick.

For the past three days she had worn gloves, or gauntlets, or even bandages and overly large bracelets to hide her mark. Revulsion coiled her gut. Anger burnt her heart. Humiliation tore at her muscles. The mark sat on her hand like a ball of lead, heavy and poisonous. If this was what Savir had felt like for every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year… Lynda couldn't imagine a more harrowing and depressing feeling.

Lynda was in fact rather surprised that he hadn't degenerated into a mass-murdering-psychopath that surpassed Ganondorf.

Her few consoling thoughts kept her head above a sea of blind panic. Zelda was doing everything in her subtle power to find out everything she could on Serpine Junior and collect enough dirt off him to get the King to abolish the marriage. Lynda didn't know what Savir was doing, but she was sure he would be doing something, and compounded with the thought of him having survived a similar sort of prison, if not a worse one for longer than her, Lynda had the feeling that she could too.

But the memory with the bandit in the forest came in her dreams, and the scars in her side and shoulder hurt, and one night she found herself screaming awake, for a second her hands so wet that they seemed to be drenched in blood, but it was only her sweat.

Avoiding waking Navi, she snuck out her window and walked through the gardens, quiet and invisible as the breeze. She went to a mound of earth, not so old, really, and began to dig in it, and her fingers soon caught the fold of cotton and wool she had wrapped around her bad memories, and retrieved it.

For a whole night she found herself staring at the knife that she had bid farewell to, the one that she had wrapped like a dead body and buried in the garden. She stared at the frayed wooden handle and the serrated edge of the blade, and the murder with which she'd committed to defend herself.

Would Savir still love me, Lynda couldn't help but wonder... if I stabbed Junior through the heart, provocation or no?

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Zelda was sitting on the Queen's throne, and Lynda in Zelda's. The King gave a satisfactory smile as the attendants of the Serpine Dukedom arranged themselves along the royal purple carpet that led the Royal household.

The Sage of Time was immensely relieved that Savir had not resorted to murder. But there was still that immense worry that he would do something rash in the throne room itself, for it was plain that he had an ill-will towards her father too…

Lynda's hidden knuckles were white as they clenched on the folds of her dress.

Zelda had found nothing. She had found no dirt, no problem, not even a history concerning Serpine Junior.

There was a record of his birth, but that in itself was a simple piece of paper without the usual pomp and detail of his father and mother and cousins and connections. It didn't even have the time of his birth, who was present at the moment he entered the world, not even the mother's name.

He had been educated briefly on his home estate before being moved to a school, or so it said, for there was no school that existed under the name that was proffered, and there was no record of the boy in any of the universities around.

He had appeared and reappeared like a poe. This fact alone could not be considered dirt, it was only dust, and the Serpine Dukedom could pat it off as easy as they pleased. Did not the approval of Royalty make up for it enough?

But she did find out one thing, though how useful the information could be was doubtful.

His name was Zant.

Lynda had the knife down her glove. She could feel its splintering handle against her skin, and it was rubbing its dirt on her. She could feel the pace of her heart quickening, faster, and faster, but slowly, so slowly that she could hardly tell it was happening, and it was winding her tighter than a coiled spring, because as soon as he was close, as soon as he made a move to suggest that she would rue the day she turned her back on him, she would scream and lose her mind and would go on a rampage.

Even Navi would not be able to stop her.

The attendants of Serpine raised their trumpets and blew. The oak doors of the Throne-room yawned wide open, and Duke Serpine lead with more attendants bearing gifts for the Royal family, and behind them, striding with controlled patience, was a man that had to be Zant.

Lynda wasn't quite sure whether to call him ridiculous or ominous. But the fact that she couldn't see his face tightened her already stressed gut.

He wore a helmet that looked like a cone from afar, but as he got closer she could make the details of bulging eyes and small teeth framing a rolled tongue, and it was hideous and monstrous and if this was the kind of mask you wore to your fiancée… Lynda felt sick.

His shoes were solid gold, or something that shone like it. The sleeves of his cloak billowed hollowly with the tendrils of cloth that lined it, and the bright green embroidery over the black cloth, and the clay-red tabard that could only hold the symbol of his household were eerie in their shape and shade, and Lynda had to go for ominous to describe him. Because at the door he looked like a mismatched wannabe-priest. Close up he just looked like a powerful mage.

Serpine bowed. His son didn't.

King Harkinian seemed to let it slide, however. He rose as soon as Serpine did, and Zelda did so also.

Navi buzzed, and her blue light was almost white, though Lynda didn't see. The fairy sighed, and gently pressing a wing against Lynda's hair, murmured, "Everything's going to be alright."

Lynda couldn't rise, nor hear, because she was shaking so much. Navi purred her wings against her ear a little more and that calmed her a little, but the knife was still there, in her glove, reminding the princess that all it took was one lunge, one swing, right in the middle of his chest…

"Rise, my daughter," Harkinian prompted her, "Meet your future husband."

Husband. Oh Furore, she prayed, don't let it happen. Don't.

Lynda rose from her chair, face white as milk, and descended the steps to the throne. She remembered that Zant was supposed to approach her, but he didn't. He was as still as a statue.

Then a voice that could only belong to the masked man spoke out. "I'll not marry her."

Lynda froze. Had he…? Had he really…?

"Zant," Serpine's voice was carefully restrained, "What nonsense-"

"I said I'll not marry her, father, if she doesn't wish my hand in marriage."

Lynda's hope surged. She opened her mouth to cry out her thoughts, her wants and her desperate wish to not marry him, but Harkinian barked with black laughter, "What's this, Serpine? Hadn't your son expressed great honour to marry my daughter?"

"Forgive him, my Lord, he-"

"I'll not give myself over either, under the name Serpine or Zant, nor as one of your country. My people are of the shadows, my name was handed by my mother, and my bond is tied with the one I desire." His sleeves went slack as he retracted his arms into his torso and the cloth bunched around his neck as if a hand was grabbing it from underneath, and it lurched and was lifted, it churned in the air before dropping, and there Serpine's son stood, and without the pomp and grandeur he was a man in overly shiny clogs, baggy trousers that was tied around his hips with a midnight sash, and a simple white shirt that accented the curve of his jaw and the beads in his ears, and made his eyes as bright as jewels.

Lynda's heart seized up. The helmet clanged against the floor. He smiled at her.

And then she was running, running, and he was walking towards her and the King roared in outrage as Serpine cringed and Lynda launched herself in his arms, and he held her, spun her in the air and laughed at her relieved tears that splashed her face.

When she was brought down they clung onto each other, the princess muttering his name over and over into his chest: "Savir, Savir… oh gods, it's you, it's you, it's you…"

"All aboard the Sheikah express line to Wherever," he teased against her ear, "It'll cost you a kiss though, lady."

"Gladly," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her cheeks, thumbs wiping her sorrow away as they drew closer-

And was promptly wrenched away.

"Oh come on!" The Sheikah yelled exasperatedly, fighting rather fruitlessly against the soldiers that were dragging him away and cursing at him for so much as touching their beloved princess and making her cry, you bastard, "Give me a break!"

Navi was laughing hysterically shrieking something about everything happening in threes, as Zelda gave a relieved and lopsided sigh and smile, the King ordering his troops furiously to send Serpine and his son to the holding cells. The other soldiers that were fussing over Lynda's safety were puzzled at her shaky smile and her wet face, the way that she shook her head and politely waved them off, and the look in her eyes, her eyes that seemed to be the deepest shade of the summer sky, floating and shining with glorious joy.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

It was dark here, and possibly deliberately damp and slimy. The fires the braziers held were smoky and small, and definitely not warm. The bars that held him were eroded, and there were no manacles or chains that held him to a wall. Perhaps the soldiers had been too afraid to tie him down, or maybe the Princess had not allowed them to.

Either way, Savir was alright with being there if only the smell wasn't so bad…

Hm? Was it actually getting better?

He peeled himself off the wall and stood as firelight danced nearer to him, and the hand that cast the light came into view. A figure wearing a green tunic and brown undershirt and leggings came into view, long hair tied back in a lopsided pony-tail. There was no wood holding the flame, just the hand, and it belonged to the woman he loved.

"Hi there," Lynda cocking an eyebrow, Navi close behind, "You alright?"

"Well," he replied casually, leaning leisurely against the bars, "You've made me feel a whole lot more comfortable just by getting some air in. It stank, to be honest."

"You're right, there," Lynda agreed, making a face. "Three whole hours in this place would've driven me mad."

"I distinctly recall the Shadow Temple smelling a whole lot worse, Hero," Savir snickered, "You should give yourself more credit on your survival threshold."

"Oh please," Lynda rolled her eyes, flicking a spark in his general direction, "My survival threshold is nothing compared to yours."

"Hey, are you here to chat, or are you here to chat?" Navi butted in, "Because I'm still here, you know."

Savir scowled at the fairy and she counterattacked by making a sound that suspiciously resembled a raspberry. She then flew away, possibly to guard the door.

Lynda shrugged helplessly as she stepped up to the door, and the key-hole that kept it locked surrounded by metal heavily charmed to make it impossible to open with magic. Extinguishing the flame in her hand, the princess extracted a key from a pocket of her tunic and scraped it in, and with some few difficult twists she unlocked the door. Savir quickly grabbed her wrist and dragged her in and embraced her, and Lynda gave out a surprised squeak.

She broke away from him roughly and huffed, placing her fists on her hips. "Now what's the big idea?"

Savir blinked. "Um… I missed you?"

"No, actually, I was going more along the lines of, why didn't you tell me that I was engaged to you?"

"I didn't know."

"It seemed like you did when you came this morning?"

"Alright, alright," he conceded, "I found out after we'd said goodbye, happy?"

"No!" was her indignant reply, "You still didn't tell me! You could've at least saved me the trouble of worrying who Zant was going to be but no, no, you just have to show off and come in all dramatic and save the damsel in distress. Well I wasn't helpless, if that was what you were thinking."

Savir sighed and tried to hold her hand. She pulled away, scowling. "Lynda," he spoke pleadingly, "Lynda I'm sorry, but I had my own problems to sort out-"

"What problems?" Lynda cried out exasperatedly, "Maybe I'm overreacting and being totally selfish, but I seemed to have the bigger problem of that time!"

"Lynda-"

"I nearly stabbed you!"

Savir recoiled this time, for he couldn't understand how he could've screwed up so badly with his relationship with his Princess. If you could even call it a relationship…

"I nearly stabbed you, Savir," Lynda moaned, pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead, as with her other hand, she extracted the knife that seemed to be the source of all her fears, "I had this in my glove, and if I got the feeling that I was going to regret ever turning my back on the man that proposed to me, I was going to stab him and run. And it's not the first time. I've… I've killed, Savir, once. It was to protect myself, but I still killed, and… gods I didn't want that to be you, I don't want you to think that I…"

"Lynda," he said, taking hold of her wrist and gently pulling it away from her forehead, "It's alright."

"It's not, it's not, because I'm still so scared about the idea of marrying, of… of giving myself up. I've lived fighting and now I don't know how to stop, and it frustrates me, it really does, I… I don't know what to do anymore. I mean, are we still escaping, or are we staying, or…?"

"Come here," he whispered to her, "Come on, sit down with me."

He gently guided her to the corner of the cell, furthest from the light of the brazier in the wall. He sat, and he pulled her into his lap, and she didn't spurn him, so he held her waist, and she nestled her nosed next to his neck and sighed.

"The problem," Savir confided, "I had to deal with was basically the decision of whether to kill my father or not."

Lynda laughed. "My, aren't we an evil pair."

"Well, I think I win the prize on the evil levels, since I was willing to kill my flesh and blood. In my defence, though, he did send me off to be the castle sex-toy and took me back just to give me over to a marriage that I wasn't even informed about."

"He's been stupid, eh?" she shifted in his lap and sighed. "Aren't you his only son?"

"He thought he'd have another," Savir chuckled, "His lawful wife only gave him daughters, before and after I was born. My mother wasn't weak, she was just, young, I guess. She couldn't handle a child, and died soon after. She came from the tribe I took you to, and I don't remember how old I was, but Impa took me to the Castle, and Zelda recognised me. I was under her charge for a while, at least, but then the Queen took interest in me. You know the rest.

"The reason I was struggling between the idea of killing him off or not was… you."

"Me?"

"Well I couldn't have you hating me for some petty revenge, now could I?"

Lynda gave a nondescript hum, as if she wasn't quite sure whether she agreed with him or not. Silence hung between them like a warm veil, as the heat from each other's bodies soaked through their clothes and hearts. Lynda shifted her position again, worrying if she was cutting off his circulation in his legs.

"We're a twisted couple, aren't we?"

"A little, yeah."

"What… what would you say to staying?"

"…I don't know," Savir gently moved her to face him, and cocked his head to the side. "What do you think?"

"I… don't want to give up going out."

"But you'll miss your friends here."

He could see her lower her head, as if shamed, and give a small nod. He laughed and kissed her hair. "Let's stay."

"…Really?"

"I don't see why not," Savir shrugged, scratching his head idly, "Going by the way things are getting handled, I don't think they'll make us marry until the king gives up looking for another candidate for you. And that'll take a while, so there'll be plenty of time for us to get used to the idea. And then there'll be delays like the Queen's funeral-"

"The Queen? She's… not, dead yet?"

"That's exactly my thought. Anyway, there'll be that, and other things, like approvals from the other races, and considering we know them it should be easy to get, the feud between the Hylians and the Sheikah would have to settle somewhat too, not to- oh, damn, if you think about it, there'll assassination attempts on us."

Lynda laughed, as if assassins were either so trivial she couldn't give a toss or she found them a thrilling challenge, "I'm more concerned about the ruling bit."

"I can handle that?" was Savir's hopeful suggestion. At the stony silence he received he sighed and conceded, "We could always let Zelda handle it in the background… and in between that I'm sure we can find time to disappear and camp around?"

There was a pause, as if she was thinking it over. Her grip around his neck tightened, and the hug lasted a long, long time before Lynda let out a sigh and admitted, "That'd be good. That'd be… really good."

Savir's lips twitched upwards. "Are you crying on me Princess?"

"No, I'm not."

"You're one cry-baby of a hero, aren't you?"

"I'm not!"

"Really? Ow! Hey that hurt,"

"Who's a cry-baby now?"

"You punched me in the gut Princess,"

"So? I'm not the one who's crying."

"Let's see, then," burning hands caught her cheeks and pulled her close, so close that their noses brushed and even in the virtual darkness they could see each other's faces. "Hm. No tears."

"Told you so."

"I had my doubts."

"Kiss me."

"Gladly…"

His breath ghosted over her mouth; she leaned in and was caught, caught by his lips and love and warmth. Her eyes closed to a new darkness, filled with her senses describing every touch of his lips and hair and hands, and she melted into everything it offered. Her arms circled his neck as his reached around her torso, drawing her closer. They parted, and then met again, tender strokes of flesh on flesh, breath mingling, moaning on Lynda's part as Savir held her tighter, lightly deepening the kiss. She retracted, mewling like a kitten, but his hold on her guided her back, and she came, because it was what they both wanted, needed, the mutual warmth and love and relief, the solace of another body against their own.

Savir held her tightly when they truly broke their kiss, feeling her sigh shudder through her frame. He laughed. "I cannot believe it took me three tries to finally get you to kiss me."

"I can't believe that this supposedly romantic first-kiss is happening in a cell."

She was right, of course. But Savir couldn't help but appreciate the irony. They were in a slimy dungeon, with him as prisoner and no light around, and it was hardly an appropriate scenario but… he had to ask now, for he had a sudden lurching feeling that he would have no better chance than this, "Will you marry me?"

Lynda nodded, "I will."

"Thank gods," was his sigh, "I wouldn't last without you."

"Ditto."

And they sat there together in the dungeon for a while, savouring their time alone. They concentrated on what they would do tomorrow, and the day after that, for they daren't imagine the possibilities of the distant future, so uncertain they were.

But the day would come when the two would be wearing white, take their turns in speaking their oaths and trade their rings, and a stone cut in half by the power of their blood, as the Sheikah tradition dictated.

Of course there would be delays of maybe a few months of political upheaval where all other aristocrats tried to find loopholes in their union and plenty of duels performed by the men, add on a year of mourning for the queen which was prolonged because rumours spread that it was a sign of bad luck, and a few more weeks from assassination attempts (which quickly stopped after the fury the future-king-consort showed when his future-wife-queen was targeted for the first time), inevitable preparations, last minute threats and pleas, gifts of congratulations from the Hylian alliance, and lots of signing of treaties between all sorts of people, but that gave plenty of time for everybody to get used to the idea of having a wild-child queen and a red eyed king-warlock.

But there would be bells and birds and a clear blue sky, the blessings of the triad, and they would kiss once more.

And the crowd would cheer with glorious joy.

The End.

CREDITS

Story Alert Credits:

-xX Twilit Memories Xx- Baronfly BlazeStarre Burning Frost Canadian Hobbit Col - Remy's Girl Coriyana Dark-kitsune-dreams Datenshi-Moon Dazja Deviate Fish Dolphin River Dragongal333 DragonWolfStar Fingers905 Forest Girl Kaz FreeTheChickens Gowa Grumpy lump Healing Sword hellcat805 HumanRiot I wish I had skills Inverness Kiara victory Tatsu Kori Namida Kurotorachan Lady Alamantia LadyoftheDrow LambSam LeinGoDsFAYt littlegreenparrot LordBahamut'sgirl Louiii Maigo no Eien Mairu - The Lost Sheikah MintWhisper Moonleaf13Neocala Nox Noctis of Eternus Luna Open Yazumi's heart Skulls Random-Kitty-Yuffie Raynre Valence - Sage of Time Sachiko V Secret13Shichibi no Kuroneko simbiot2.0sliverchain Sophister Steel Heart Super Goat Grl Swiftrivers The Dweller of The Deep The Ninja Squirrel TheWatcherandReader TrueBardDrakona TwilightComet Umbrae Calamitas wolfofsummerbreeze Wufie-the-back-side-slayer Xajora XenoKosMos

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-xX Twilit Memories Xx- Ami Metallium Atamusk Baronfly Bullsxxtcity Burning Frost Canadian Hobbit Coriyana Datenshi-Moon Deviate Fish Dragongal333 fluffykittycat Forest Girl Kaz Giz-mix Grumpy lump Healing Sword Herooftimes HumanRiot Hyrulian Hero Akai Inverness just add water lily karaku-chan karkashan Kiara victory Tatsu Kigai Uchida Lady Alamantia LadyOfTheBlackWaters LadyoftheDrow Link-the-hylian littlegreenparrot LordBahamut'sgirl Louiii Maigo no Eien Mairu - The Lost Sheikah Qazplm rampaging-poet Raven the Joker Raynre Valence - Sage of Time Sachiko V Sparda's Kitten Steel Heart Super Goat Grl The Ninja Squirrel TwilightComet Umbrae Calamitas Ume The Ninja Vampyre Angel King Demetri Xajora Yuja YukuAmayaMizuki

C2 Credits

Compass Rose, Korrd's Favourites, Sadfru's Favourites Sheikah Followers The Golden Land