Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo. Soul Calibur belongs to Namco Bandai. GrimGrave makes no money out of writing fiction.

A Dream Come True

Tired eyes stirred from the stinging sunlight that filtered through the window and the sound of birdsong in the morning. Azure pools opened, adjusted to the light, and stared right at the sleeping face of a young man.

Sophitia smiled and caressed her husband's cheek, her heat skipping a beat. It had been months already – time does fly, it seemed – and she still couldn't adjust, for the lack of a proper term, to this life; every day was just like the day he had confessed his feelings for Sophitia, and her feelings hadn't dampened since.

The young man stirred, but remained asleep. He was definitely a heavy sleeper, but she had a way of persuading her husband to get out of bed.

Leaning in, she gave him a quick kiss, and his eyelids fluttered for a moment before sky-blue eyes met hers. He smiled.

"Good morning…" Link managed, tired as he was. "Slept well?"

She chastely caught his lips again and nodded. "I've never slept better."

"Good dreams?" he asked.

She nodded again.

"Mm. Same here." Sophitia was pulled closer and nuzzled up against her husband. "Let's sleep in today."

His comment earned him a playful slap on his cheek. "No can do, Link. We are bakers, after all; people arrive early to buy bread."

"Just half an hour—"

"No."

"Fifteen minutes?"

"Still too long."

He sighed and smiled at his wife as he kissed her noggin. "Five minutes?"

A giggle. "Five minutes."

As they lay there in each other's embrace, Sophitia mused that perhaps they could extend it to fifteen instead of five.

x.x.x.x.x

Kneading dough was like second nature for Sophitia – her family had been bakers, after all – and it amused her how much trouble her husband had with it. While he was only helping out, thus leaving the majority of the work to his wife, it could also be slightly annoying when he messed it up. Still, she loved him, and appreciated that he wanted to help out in the first place.

Having lived the life of a warrior and tasted adventure, it had been difficult to go back to the humble lifestyle of settling in one place, work during the day and rest for the evening, sleep, and repeat.

But it was worth it.

Sophitia glanced over to her left; the Hylian was preparing the dough, his brow was furrowed. Then he caught site of her and he smiled.

This moment alone was worth anything and everything she had experienced so far.

It was like a dream, still. If someone had told her that, over a year after she had first met Link, she'd be married to him, Sophitia wouldn't have believed them. If someone had said that Link would return her feelings, she would have scoffed at them.

And yet, here they were.

"What are you thinking about?" She turned to him. He was smiling. "You're looking really happy today, Sophitia."

How could she not smile nowadays?

"No reason," she teased and winked at him. "The villagers will arrive soon, hurry up and help."

"You got it," he replied. He looked back at her. "Hey."

"Hm?"

"I love you, Sophitia, as cheesy as it may sound to say it out loud like this."

Her heart skipped a happy little beat. She was practically beaming. "What brought this on, my love?"

"No reason," he said. "I just felt that it needed to be said."

A giggle. "Is that right? Then, I love you too."

"I'm glad to hear it."

They shared a soft laugh.

x.x.x.x.x

Moonlight filtered through the window. Tired eyelids threatened to close to the sound of crickets and the gentle breeze. As azure pools fluttered in a struggle to stay awake, they found themselves focusing on the man to the right.

"Thank you once again for your help, my dear," Sophitia said. "I appreciate it."

The Hylian smiled at her and pulled her in for a gentle kiss. "I'm happy to help, truly."

She sighed and embraced him. He pulled back, blew out the candlelight, and returned to cuddle up against his wife. Everything went still, quiet; fingers toyed with golden locks, hands absentmindedly caressed bared backs, and a single expression broke the silence.

"I love you."

Even in the dark, the couple looked at each other; their exchanged looks spoke more than anything.

"I love you too. What brought this on?"

"I just felt that it needed to be said," Sophitia replied. He gave her a tender squeeze.

"Fair enough."

They kissed, a bit longer this time, before they pulled back. There was a moment, a few seconds of unspoken sentiments, and the lovers leant back in.

The night was young, and it wouldn't hurt if they slept in every once in a while. For Sophitia, as long as she could be with Link – as long as she could remain in this dream-like state – she would be happy.

And happy, she was. From the moment she woke up, to the moment she fell asleep, she was happy beyond measure.

FIN