msfcatlover: Well, she kind of told them that. Maybe if it was Midna, the script would have gone more like that, but it's Zelda, so...

ImmaWriteABook: that made me laugh so hard. Thank you for the motivation.

Alternate ending can be found here: fan fiction . net /s/7666778 /1/

And to everyone who's reviewed over the course of this story: thank you. Those little comments keep me going when the bunnies are all hiding from me.

The council looked up when I stormed into the room. I didn't bother going to them, stopping just inside the door.

"Princess, you have made your decision already?" one asked, startled.

"I have," I replied shortly.

"And?" the word was lazily drawled, speaker looking back down at whatever paper he was writing on. He made his opinion of my options very clear, not believing I would choose anything than what I had been born to.

I didn't answer with words. Instead I reached up and pulled off my circlet and pitched it across the room. It hit the table in front of him with a metallic clang. His head shot up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. The few council members still in the room all froze at the sound. I allowed a feral smile to grow across my face. I'd always wanted to do that.

Hesitantly, he reached out to touch the band of metal. "You are going to choose a commoner over your born duty?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered simply, "I am. And I will be happy there, happier than I would be here." I could have said more, but the councilman was too shocked to say anything, mouth hanging open, and the picture was priceless. So I closed my eyes and opened them as a twilight-colored wolf. The smile grew wider as I turned and I shot forward through the castle. The servants freaked out when I barreled around corners, claws scrapping the floor to keep upright. Any other day I would have felt bad about scaring them like this, but right now I was too giddy with the promise of freedom.

Once I was out of the castle, I ran south as fast as my paws could take me, heading straight for Ordon. The entirety of Faron province blew by beneath my paws, blurring together in my haste to reach the village before moonrise. I could only hope Link would forgive me.

I shifted back as I crossed the bridge and peered into Ordona's spring. To my surprise, the light spirit was there, talking to Link.

"I'm sorry," she was saying, "but I do not know exactly what is causing this transformation or how to reverse it. You may indeed be the catalyst to her transformations, but I cannot tell. All I can deduce is that it is caused by Twilight magic rooted deep within you." Her gaze flitted over his head to meet mine and she added, "both of you."

Link spun around at her words, and his face lit up when he saw me. He crossed the pool in a few quick strides and stopped in front of me.

"You came," he breathed, one hand coming up to touch my cheek so softly it was as if he was afraid I would break or vanish. Absently, I noted that Ordona had disappeared, plunging the pool into swiftly fading sunlight once more rather than her near-blinding light.

"I made my choice," I told him. I would have said more, but he swooped down and kissed me. This was nothing like our first kiss, when he'd been too shocked to do anything, or the second in that abandoned room, that had been fierce and quick, more moon-prompted than us. This was soft, slow and tender, so sweet I thought I might melt. My arms looped around his neck and I kissed him back.

After far too short a time, when oxygen became something my body couldn't go without, we pulled apart.

"Marry me," Link said. When my eyes grew wide with shock, he quickly clarified. "Not today or this week, just say you will, someday."

I cut off his rushed stream of words with a finger pressed to his lips. "I would have suggested it if you hadn't," I told him, "just to make sure the council couldn't find a loophole and order me back."

A grin that was part mischief and part glee spread across Link's face and he pulled away from me to get down on one knee. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule," he began in a formal tone, "the Hero of Twilight requests your hand in marriage. Would you be kind enough to oblige this humble warrior?"

"No," I answered without pause. Blue eyes shot open in shock and I resisted the urge to laugh. Using the hand that was still trapped in his, I tugged him back to his feet. "First, you asked the wrong person. The princess of Hyrule is not here, only Zelda. Second, I will not marry the Hero of Twilight."

"I will, however," I continued, before he could speak again, "agree to marry Link of Ordon, if he will have me."

"He would be a fool to turn you down," Link said.

"So, yes?"

The Ordonian nodded, then stopped, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hang on, I'm supposed to ask you that!" he exclaimed, "you tricked me."

I pretended to think. "Why yes I did, good sir." I glanced up at the swiftly darkening sky, searching for how much time we had until the moon rose. "You should tell Ordon about being a wolf," I commented, "they have the right to know.

I already did," Link replied, "that was one of the first things I did when you ordered me out of the castle."

"What did they think?" I asked desperately, silently praying they hadn't kicked him out as my council had done to me.

"At first they didn't believe me," he answered, "I had to transform to convince them. Nearly gave made Talo faint from shock when I did so. Once they got over the surprise, Bo banished me from the village for the duration of the full moon. We can come back at noon tomorrow, just to be sure all the effects are gone."

A breath I hadn't realized I was holding rushed out. "That's good news," I sighed.

"How did your council take the news?" Link asked.

A grin spread across my face at the mere thought of the dumb-struck man. "Let's say that a little bit of Midna rubbed off on me," I said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they need to check into the infirmary with chest pains."

"Naughty princess," he scolded lightly, "what did you do?"

"I threw my crown at them," I answered smugly.

Link's blue eyes widened, then he threw back his head and laughed. "I wish I could have seen their faces," he crowed, "oh Zelda. Come on."

The abrupt change in topic took me slightly aback, but I followed as he began to lead me out of Ordona's spring. "where are we going?"

"You always said you wanted to see Hyrule," the hero replied, "so I'm going to show it to you."

I twisted free of his grip and took off. "Race you!" I called back.

I managed to stay ahead of him until Faron's spring. There we stopped, resting a moment to stare into the water. The sunlight was nearly gone now casting the edges of the pool into shadow, and the moon would be peering over the edge of the horizon any second now.

I was turning to face him, about to say something, as the top of the moon appeared over the trees. I welcomed the feeling of changing, even though it interrupted.

I jumped forward, snapping at his ear and yelping in joy as he fled. I gave chase, paws churning up fallen leaves, catching him easily and matching his pace.

For now I just relished the freedom of being a wolf, running with the male I loved beside me.

I would say I loved him later.

We had the rest of our lives for that.