Hello everyone, and welcome to my newest story, Tale of 1000 Moons! I came up with this idea a long time ago, and I've been wanting to act on it ever since. I don't really have a definite plan in place for this story, but I have a general idea of how I want it to go. This is mainly going to be a sort of romance, with some drama, comedy, and intellectual debates mixed in. I mean, it's Vaati and Zelda after all. They love to talk and they love to use big words.

Anyway, if you're new to the pairing and decided to try it out, I hope you like it! As always, reviews will be appreciated.

Though she was loathe to admit it, the Wind Palace was a lovely place. With alabaster stone stretching up impossibly high, and the most immaculate and plush, red carpet spilling through every ornately carved hallway, it was a castle that would impress anyone.

She'd ask the Sorcerer of Winds who built it, if she weren't so afraid he'd lop her head off for it.

Gods, how did it come to this? The crowned Princess of Hryule, bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom herself, and here she was; "kidnapped" by some rogue, despicable, dark magic-wielding fiend. Really, did she have to use herself as human bait? She was the holder of Wisdom for goodness' sake, she could've come up with a better plan to get him to stop kidnapping young maidens if she hadn't been so hasty! She sighed to herself. Link must be rubbing off on her somehow to make her do something as reckless as this…

To be fair, it had seemed like a good idea in theory. The Wind Palace was impossible to reach through human means; the only way to reach it was via magic. And since no one but the Sorcerer of Winds himself knew how to get to the place, it stood to reason that the best way to get there was to have him take her there. And, if she were being honest with herself, she wasn't really left with much choice but to act swiftly. With so many maidens disappearing so quickly, sitting around and twiddling her thumbs safe in Hyrule Castle until she thought of a better plan may have had disastrous results. Vaati was mysterious, a loose cannon. There was no telling what kind of plan he had up his sleeve, so until he could be observed more closely, she couldn't run the risk of losing the battle before it even started. If a queen's duty was to protect her people, then by the gods she would do everything in her power to live up to that, even if she was only a princess for now. Hyrule and its people were her responsibility. It has her and her father that they looked to in times of crisis. And since her father had not been gifted with the power of magic, well, Zelda saw no reason why she wasn't qualified for this task.

…But the more time she spent in the palace, the more she began to realize just of how much of a disadvantage she was at. The heels of her shoes clacked against the stone flooring as she paced, gloved hands curled tightly together over her midsection. If Vaati saw her now, she'd surely lose what little leeway she had left in this battle of wits.

Maybe it would be best to review what she knew so far. At this point, she knew: that Vaati had returned, he had begun to kidnap young maidens from around the kingdom, and he was, strangely enough, not demanding any ransom. In fact, he hadn't made so much as a peep to the rest of the world. Which was a little concerning, since one of the only known things about the Wind Sorcerer was that he absolutely loved making a big show of things and announcing his presence. In the case of the disappearances, the only thing that had pointed to Vaati as the perpetrator were the eyewitness accounts of women being snatched up by whirlwinds and gigantic, floating, black eyes. Which was adequate enough evidence. But still, it was peculiar. What was Vaati doing with these women?

…The first thing that came to her mind was a concubine, but she shook her head at the madness of the very idea. Vaati, resorting to kidnapping women to ease his loneliness? It was too desperate, and Vaati was far too prideful to resort to such a base strategy, especially for something as meaningless as carnal pursuits. If she weren't in such a dire situation, she may have outright laughed at the thought.

First things first, she'd have to find where the maidens were being kept, then get them out before the Sorcerer came for her. Finding them would be the hardest part. With her magic, she could easily teleport back home as soon as she had them all together. But, she worried her lip, the palace was so large she had no idea where to begin searching. And how would she be able to make her way through this maze of white without getting utterly lost? There had to be something, some way to mark her place, without Vaati knowing. She glanced at the carpet under her feet.

'Of course!' she beamed. If she could summon some light magic– just a little bit– she could draw a marker under the rug. The magic in the air would be so minute it was bound to wear off soon, and the only trace left of her influence would be a small burn mark on the floor. He'd never look there! Stooping down to her knees and peeling up the fuzzy edge, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Only to realize with horror that nothing was happening.

'Wh… what?! I can't use my magic here?!'

Wards against outside magic… she'd heard about them in ancient texts, but they were apparently incredibly hard to master. To Hyrule's knowledge, only 3 people had ever learned to use them. …She guessed that number was 4 now. She gulped, trying to reign in her growing panic. Not only was she right in the monster's belly, now there was no way out.

She gripped the grey hood draped over her features, tugging it further down her face. Vaati would be here soon. She needed to think of something, and fast. Because as soon as the hood came off and Vaati were to realize he'd been tricked–

"Welcome to the Palace of Winds, maiden," a voice behind her purred, sending chills down her spine. "I do hope you have what I want… For both our sakes."

–he was going to be furious.

It's short, I know! Originally it was just a one-shot I posted to tumblr a few months ago and I just like the way it cuts off here. Very dramatic, very Vaati at the end especially. Anxious about what'll happen next? ...Me too!