The Scent of Honeysuckle

If you have not read 'The Taste of Peaches' it is my suggestion that you read that first as there will be things in this story you may not follow. This is a sequel to Peaches. I hope you enjoy! Rated M for a reason!

I don't own anything related to The Legend of Zelda

"She's in labor! She's in labor!" he shouted.

"Well….what do we do!?" another man asked frantically.

"I don't know! I've never delivered a colt before, stupid! Get Link he needs to be here now!" the first man shouted back.

"But he's all the way…" the man was cut off.

"It doesn't matter! Go get him you idiot! This is his horse!" It was obvious there was chaos in the stables and it seemed Epona was giving birth to a colt this very minute. One man rushed across the courtyard and hopped over a couple walls to get to Link. He was on the complete other side of the palace grounds with a new batch of archers. It was May and the new recruits always began their training in early May. The date precisely was May 10 and spring in Hyrule was in full bloom. There was always a boom of colts born in springtime and Epona's colt was the third colt to be born since March 30th. Epona was never a first string pick to be a breeding horse, until the perfect match arrived for her. The goal was to achieve a butterscotch colored, for lack of a better descriptor word, colt by crossing Epona with a pure white stallion that had recently been added to the royal stables. It would be known shortly if the breeding was successful.

"What do you mean she's having her colt?" Link asked running alongside the newly hired stable hand who seemingly knew nothing about horses.

"I mean she's having a colt right now! We didn't know what to do! We've never delivered a colt!" the stable hand yelled.

"How far along is she?" Link asked still hurrying toward the stables.

"I don't know! There wasn't a colt when I left!" What use was this stable hand anyway? They had finally made it back only to find the other stable hand panicking.

"What do I do now!? There's a baby horse on the ground!? Oh my god, there's….slime…everywhere!" Great, now there were two useless stable hands!

"Go get me a pail of hot water and some towels. I have to free that colt from its afterbirth before it smothers itself because Epona is just looking at it!" Link said knowing he had to act fast since the king had hired two idiots that seemingly knew nothing of how to birth horses.

Inside the palace, Zelda was absolutely bored to tears and about to throw herself out the window in an attempt to escape this meeting that was going in circles. Zelda had to get a diplomat from another country to agree to strengthen the border patrol between Hyrule and the other country…it turns out the diplomat was more interested in Zelda than doing business.

"So….just to reiterate what we have discussed. We in Hyrule, believe in keeping our lands safe from…are you…listening to me?" Zelda asked him.

"Oh, yes, yes…I'm sorry…it's just…you have such beautiful hands." The diplomat said.

"Uh…thank you. Please, can we finish up? I have many things to do today and we really need to be in agreement on the border issue. We've been in here for over an hour. Please, please work with me." Zelda said getting frustrated.

"Ah, yes. Certainly, certainly whatever you wish princess, I'll have more guards monitoring the border. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You are certainly going to make someone very happy. It's been a pleasure being here today." The diplomat said seeing that Zelda was clearly done with him.

"Would like anything before you leave Hyrule today?" Zelda asked seeing him to the door.

"Only if I could take you with me, aside from that I'll be on my way." The diplomat said smiling all over.

"Right…I'll show you the way out." Zelda said sighing. "I need some headache medicine." She mumbled under her breath. Zelda bid the diplomat a farewell so thrilled to get him out of the palace and made her way toward her bathroom. She had to have something in there for a headache. She found what she was looking for but failed to bring a glass in with her so back into the kitchen it was.

"Zelda! Zelda! Oh, Zelda, dear! I just received word from the seamstress! You're gown has arrived! Why are you taking medicine?" Impa asked.

"I have a headache from dealing with that stupid diplomat and really? The gown is here?" Zelda asked swallowing the pills.

"Yes, it took so long because they had trouble with the gold appliqué on the bodice but the seamstress said it looks just beautiful! And she said, the ivory is just stunning! Oh let's go try it on today so she can start your alterations!" Impa said. Impa hadn't been this excited about Zelda trying on her gown in ever. But Zelda knew Impa would be in tears when they fitted the new ivory veil on her. Impa was right, since they were starting from scratch again those alterations wouldn't happen overnight.

"Okay, yes, yes let's go see her today. But I really need to talk to Link today before he leaves so if you don't mind I'd like to catch him first and then we'll go. Of course, I also have a stack of papers to sign and mail and a meeting at 4:00." Zelda said feeling slightly overwhelmed. Impa thought a moment.

"I'll cancel your meeting. Come on, darling, you've worked hard this week. Go find Link discuss what you need to. Give me 25 minutes I'll have your meeting cancelled. You need to just stand there and let someone else cater to you for once and trying on your gown will go exactly that way." Impa said. Zelda smiled.

"Alright, I'm going to go find Link and after he leaves to go home we'll go see the seamstress." Zelda said smiling. She made her way out of the kitchen and headed down the hall toward the back of the palace. The back breezeway of the palace looked lovely in May. Impa always filled it with potted flowers and hanging baskets. The breeze was moving this afternoon, maybe fresh air was what Zelda really needed and not headache medicine. She already felt a little better.

"Shad? Shad!? What are you doing here?" Zelda asked unexpectedly seeing Shad, with whom she had gone to school with briefly as a child. Link and Shad had become friends through Telma and there was one thing Shad had in common with Link…his undying love for Zelda. Shad had adored Zelda for years but had always been too shy to ever tell her so. He was always so nervous around her and still was despite the fact that he knew Zelda was desperately committed to Link and she would be a married woman exactly 12 months from now.

"Uh…Zel…da…Zelda! Uh….hi! How…how are you?" she startled Shad causing him to drop his books everywhere.

"Here, let me help you." Zelda send bending down to help him gather his books. Shad smiled nervously.

"I um….I brought…some books the library was getting rid of…I uh….I thought maybe your father would like to go through them first." Shad explained. It was the perfect job for him, working at the library in the middle of town. He had been the head master there for three years now. Shad was well read and quite intelligent. The problem was when it came to his social skills, he lacked…greatly. "You…you look…so beautiful…today…Zelda…" Shad said nervously.

"Thank you. Oh, we received your RSVP yesterday. Link and I are so glad you'll be at the wedding."

"Indeed, yes. I…I wouldn't miss such grandeur. Why, Link's marriage to you is the most talked about event in town!" Shad said. "I'm certain that…you will…you will be such a wonderful wife, Zelda."

"Well, I hope so. Listen, my father is currently upstairs in his office. You're welcome to see him. He won't mind. He always enjoys talking to you. Shad smiled.

"Very well then….I'll uh…I'll just make my way there. It was nice to see you, Zelda." Shad said holding his books awkwardly as he opened the back door.

"It was nice seeing you too, Shad." Zelda smiled and walked away. She made her way through the courtyard and to the back where the archers would and should be practicing with Link. Certainly enough, there were the archers practicing with their targets but Link wasn't there.

"Um…I don't mean to interrupt your training, but can you tell me where Link is?" Zelda asked one of the newly recruited archers.

"Oh, hello Zelda. Link, yes. He left urgently for the stables. The mare is having her colt." The archer explained.

"You mean Epona? She's having her colt now?" And just like that Zelda didn't say anything else she just turned and ran off toward the stables. Zelda was out of breath by the time she got there. She looked around but it didn't look like a colt was being born. Epona wasn't in the corral and Link was nowhere to be seen. Zelda did notice the stable door open.

"Oooooooh!" Zelda covered her mouth as she excitedly hurried over to Link and the two new hired hands.

"Zelda!" Link jumped up from the stall where Epona and her new colt were lying and grabbed hold of Zelda. He kissed her, he didn't really care if the new hires were bothered by it.

"I just now heard from one of the archers that Epona had her colt." Link took Zelda's hand.

"Come and look at him. He's beautiful, except Epona isn't very interested in him. I don't think she knows what to do. She won't let him nurse." Link pulled Zelda down beside him.

"Oooh, Link it was successful. His color is perfect!" Zelda said.

"I can't believe it. I didn't expect it to actually come out butterscotch. You want to give him a bottle? Link asked her.

"But, you love giving the colts bottles when the mothers won't nurse them." Zelda said. Link smiled.

"Well, I've already given the other colt a bottle." Link said laughing. Zelda laughed.

"Then yes! Of course I want to give him a bottle!" Zelda said.

"Alright, I'll go fix it." Link said.