A Princess's Problem.

Shelter from the Storm.

"I doubt this will let up anytime soon..." She sighed as she looked up at the grey clouds in the sky, and then back to the sodden grass.

Zelda had found Link in his room, asleep in his bed. She rushed in and shook him awake. Link, as a reflex, suddenly grabbed the Mastersword that was lying by his bed and held it up to her throat, thinking she was an intruder. When he finally woke up and realized it was in fact his beautiful Princess, he put it away.

"No time to explain," she said, pulling Link out of bed and dragging him outside into the corridor.

Link could still hear the storm outside. The wind was howling loudly and the rain came down thick and fast. It was a miracle that Link had even gotten to sleep, but during his times as the Green Ranger, he had come accustomed to living in harsh conditions. Zelda was still leading him somewhere.

Before he knew it, they were in the stables and he was helping Zelda into her saddle. By now, she had learned to get on by herself, but she didn't tell Link that, she liked his strong hands lifting her up.

Once they were on their horses, Zelda rushed out and into the torrential downpour, closely followed by Link. They were soaked almost instantly. The moon was still up, and giving them light. Zelda was obliviously in a hurry, because she had already Crossed the distance between Link and the gates. She wasn't exactly planning her trip, so she just picked a direction and went.

Now they were hiding under a rock face in the middle of nowhere, the huge tree overhead giving them what little shelter they needed. It had taken them a few hours to almost dry off and by that time it was around late afternoon! She regretted everything that night. She hadn't brought supplies, blankets or anything with her, all she had on was her traveling gear, which wasn't that warm against the wind. She had taken Link with her, and she still had not told him the reason for this trip. And now they were stuck in a storm...

Zelda looked back down at Link. For the past few hours he had gone to practicing his swings and positions with the Mastersword, it was the only thing he had time to grab before Zelda pulled him out of his room.

"Your path seems to mirror your father's..." She started. Link heard her but at the mention of his father, he chose to continue his training, as though he hadn't heard anything.

"You've dedicated yourself to becoming a knight as well..." She looked down at the grass, not sure where she was going with this.

"Your commitment to the training necessary to fulfill your goal is really quite admirable. I see now why you would be the chosen one...

"What if, one day, you realised that you just weren't meant to be a fighter..." She knew what she was saying now... She wasn't talking about Link, she was talking about herself...

"Yet the only thing people ever said was that you were born into a family of the royal guard, and so no matter what you thought, you had to become a knight..." She looked up at him again, and saw that he had turned round and lowered the Mastersword to listen to her.

"If that was the only thing you were ever told..."

"I wonder then... Would you have chosen a different path?" She looked back at the floor as the rain came down around her.

Link walked silently towards her and put the Mastersword away. Link sat down next to her and put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her into a warm hug. Zelda fought back tears, but lost quite quickly and the tears came down. These weren't loud crys or sobs, they were silent and sorrowful. Link was comforting her and he didn't even know why she was crying. She had to tell him eventually... But not today...