"I order you to leave at once!" Zelda commanded, the ever-present princess in her finally coming out. That part of her could never be fully forgotten.

Link couldn't contain his smile. That was his Zelda. "Do you really expect that to work on me?"

"Yes," she said haughtily with a toss of her luxurious hair. "As princess and future queen of Hyrule, I expect you to obey or face the consequences!"

"Forgive me, Princess, but I think I'll face the consequences."

He then started to advance towards her. With every step forward he took, she took one backward in return. This continued until her back met the wall, hindering her progress altogether. Link took advantage of it, bracing each forearm on either side of her head, caging her in. She shrunk back, making sure no inch of them touched in any way.

Her intoxicating scent met his nose, a mix of roses and natural female that always drove him crazy.

"I'll scream," Zelda threatened. "A guard will be in here in about ten seconds."

"But you won't." Link was confident of that much. She flinched slightly when he stroked her soft blond hair. "You shouldn't have sent me back. Didn't you know I'd find a way back to you?"

"How did you do it? I have the Ocarina, and the Master Sword is back at the Temple of Time."

Link laughed, couldn't help it. "I'm the holder of the Triforce of Courage, and more importantly, I'm the Hero of Time," he said simply. "From the moment I laid my hands on the Master Sword, Time and I have been intimately intertwined. It allows me to control it. I never needed anything for that, but the Ocarina was simply a means to help channel that ability. The Master Sword and Time never forgets their master, no matter what happens, even if you did send me back to before I had them."

Link could see Zelda making sense of the new information, processing it, taking the logic from it. She nodded, seeming to believe his reasoning.

"I see… What do you intend to do now? You have me pinned and you're obviously stronger than I."

"What do I intend to do?" Link paused. "I'm going to kiss you."

Her eyes widened to an almost comical extent. Link's eyes darted down to her lips, and, unconsciously it seemed, she licked them. He gave her all the time in the world to stop him if she wanted to, if she didn't want it to happen. They both knew he would never force her against her will.

She didn't protest, however, and she didn't stop him.