Zelda was ready to face her father. She didn't care if he got furious. Link was the man she loved, and he loved her too. Nothing could change the way she felt. This man that had saved Hyrule and her not once but twice already, was more than good enough for her. He was kind, he was just, he was humble. And when the time came, he too would make a great king. She laced her fingers through his as they waited for her father to reach them.

"You nervous?" Link asked her, giving her hand a small squeeze. She shook her head.

"No. Are you?" she asked him. Link let out a nervous little laugh.

"I kind of am, actually" he grinned.

"Link," Zelda laughed, "you just defeated an evil man and you're nervous about my father?" It felt good to laugh again. The knot of unease in her stomach had finally dissolved and a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. She spread her arms and hugged her father.

"Zelda! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" the King of Hyrule asked as he pushed her at arms length and inspected her body for injuries.

"Papa, I'm fine... the fiend is gone. Link saved us all... again" she said.

Link shook his head. "No. We did it together" he said as he smiled down at her. His princess was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. And not only because she was physically beautiful but because she was also a kind and wise woman who ruled over her people with a sense of justice and genuine care. He drapped his arm around her slender shoulder.

"Your Grace... I wish to marry your daughter" he said to the King who stared at him, mouth agape.

"This is hardly the time or place to ask, young man" the king spluttered, scratching his chin through his white beard.

"But papa, we are not asking you. We are only letting you know. We are getting married" the princess stated. The King stared at his daughter for a few moments before finally speaking.

"Very well my dearest Zelda," he said at last, "and after all, one can suppose he is the winner of the challenges..." Link almost sagged with relief. He was glad the King hadn't put up much resistance this tine. Link tried to bow for the king but he hurt too much all over to really accomplish it. "You take good care of my daughter Link. Even I know she won't be in safer hands than yours" his majesty said gruffly, clapping Link's shoulder. The Hero of Time winced.

"Thank you, sir. I promise you, nobody loves Princess Zelda like I do" he said, looking at the blond girl beside him. He smiled warmly at her and she beamed at him.

"Your Grace... we have to return to the castle now and inform the guests that the danger has passed and everyone is safe" Impa said behind the trio.

"Right. Let us go then. After that, whoever wishes to remain in the castle with us can do so. We have a royal wedding to plan!" the King said enthusiastically. Impa winked at Zelda before following his highness back to the castle, leaving Zelda and Link to follow behind them.

"That went better than I thought!" the princess said happily as they started walking.

"I know... I was ready to swoop you up in my arms and run away with you if we hadn't gotten your father's blessing" Link said with a smile.

"We have much to discuss with the guests... set things right. And then plan our wedding" Zelda said. "Our wedding..." she repeated slowly, as if it was finally dawning on her the impact of her own words. "Link... we are going to be husnabd and wife!" she squealed in excitement.

"Yeah, that's what happens when two people get married" he teased her. She punched his arm playfully.

"Will you be able to put up with me princess?" he asked her. Zelda nodded.

"Yes... if you annoy me, I can always throw you in the dungeons" she answered with a grin.

"You know what? Can we just skip the wedding and go straight for tue honeymoon? Dressed like that I can think of a few things I want to do to you, miss" Link said, knowing she would blush. Sure enough, she blushed a pretty pink and shook her head.

"Link! Behave! What if my father can hear you? Don't say things like that!" she said, knowing it was impossible for the King to overhear their conversation as he was quite a few ways ahead.

"Well... excuuuuuuse me, princess!" Link said, pulling his princess close. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he bent his head low to kiss her lips.

Zelda kissed her hero. Now that the darkness was gone and her father had blessed their engagement, she could relax and enjoy her time with the man she adored. She didn't know exactly what the future would hold for them, but she knew that together, they could overcome anything...

Epilogue:

Link rolled his eyes at Zelda who stuck her tongue out at him. He had intended to sneak some alone time with his princess that evening, but his plans were foiled when a group of very loud, very hyper females swarmed into Zelda's chamber, talking excitedly about wedding plans and wedding invitations and wedding dresses and goddesses knew what else. The women, who at that very moment reminded Link of a flock of fussy hens, ushered him out of the Princess' room without letting him so much as say good night. Link smiled to himself, locking his hands behind his head as he made his way down the hall. It was ok. The girls could have their girl time with his Zelda today. They could plan their wedding and talk about whatever it was girls talked about during such times. What mattered to him now was that finally, after so long and many obstacles, he would have her for the rest of his life. Princess Zelda was his for keeps.

A/N: Hello guys! Finally! I have completed this story! I hope the wait was worth it! First off, I want to thank everybody who took the time to read this fic, who followed and waited patiently for updates. Thank you! Amd thank you all so much for your reviews and comments. It brings me great joy to read your thoughts and opinions, and I hope everybody enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review this final chapter and let me know what you think! This is not my final LoZ fic, in the future I intend to write more, so stay tuned! Till next time! xoxo