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Every so often, on his day off, Link snuck Princess Zelda out of the castle, just as he had done on the first day that they met. Well, sort of. After it had happened a few times, Teacher had figured out that one of the things all Zelda's disappearances had in common was Link hanging around that part of the castle. So now he had to make a special effort not to be seen. Hiding in the hedges where his green tunic and hat were all but invisible. Throwing a bomb to distract the door guards. Then, when he was inside, making sure to walk on the red carpets when possible instead of the loud stone floors, hiding around corners if necessary. He had long since memorised the path to Zelda's chambers, and for whatever reason the guards had not caught on that this the way he used, so he made his way up to an unguarded section of roof. There was no need for carpet here, so as he walked along the thin strip of wall leading back inside, Link made sure to tread lightly and avoid alerting the guards on the grass below. None of them ever looked up of their own volition, but even the green hats pulled tightly over their heads couldn't block out the sounds of booted feet on stone.
Once he was yet again inside, it was relatively easy to reach the princess's chambers. All it took was hiding around a few walls and he was there. The flair and colour of the room looked jarringly bright after the dark stone corridors with their occasional splash of green from the guards. The wooden furniture and the red carpet gave the room a sensation of warmth, helped in part by the fire crackling in the grate to combat the cold morning. Link was always overwhelmed by the regal feel of the room, but his eyes were invariably drawn to the desk. The papers stacked on one side of it gave the impression that the once serious attempt at neatness had long since been given up on. There was a pot of ink balanced precariously on one corner. Seated at the desk was the very person Link was looking for. Princess Zelda. In the past few years, not much had changed in her appearance apart from a growth in height and an almost imperceptible increase in hair length. There were still the big blue eyes, the delicately pointed ears that so few people in New Hyrule possessed. Still the pale blonde hair and the kind smile, kind look in her eyes, kind everything. Still the magnificent dress with its many symbols that no one knew the meaning of anymore. (The golden triangular shape particularly intrigued Link. It stood out from the rest of the symbols [which were all red, and not very visible against the blue background], as if it had once, long ago, been important.) Her sensitive ears twitched when she heard Link approach on the soft carpet, and she looked up, flashing him a weak smile. "Link!"
Link grinned sheepishly. "Hey. Ready for another day out? I was thinking that we could go to Papuzia Village when it warms up more, since it's your birthday today, but it's really your choice."
Zelda gave him another smile, and this time he sensed the weariness behind it. She was probably worn out from all the paperwork. Link crossed "swimming in Papuzia Village" off of his mental list of things to do, and firmly decided that Zelda was going to have a day of relaxation whether she liked it or not. "Link, I can't."
He frowned. "But it's your birthday."
"I have lots of paperwork today, Link."
"But it's your birthday."
"Today is a busy day for me."
"But," Link waved his arms about, trying to get across in words why "birthday" didn't mean "cooped up doing paperwork". How it meant celebrating, hanging out with friends, doing fun things. But the words weren't there, so he settled for a lame "but it's your birthday..."
Despite herself, Zelda let out a girlish giggle. He had made her laugh. That was certainly a good sign. "Link, you've said that three times. My birthday doesn't make the papers all magically disappear for twenty-four hours."
He shrugged. "Well, whether you like it or not, you're having a day off today. Even if I have to carry you out myself."
"Link, that's kidnapping."
"Mmhmm."
"That's treason."
"Yep."
"You could get thrown in jail for that."
"Prison locks hold no power over me. So, are you ready to go yet?"
She rolled her eyes. "Well, at this rate I'm not going to get any work done, so-"
"Great!" An eager grin spread across Link's face, and he had grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the door before she had even finished standing up. "So where do you want to go first?"
Link loved riding the Spirit Train, with its red and blue and yellow, and the gold design on the front glinting in the sun. He especially loved riding it with Princess Zelda, because she alway did something she'd never had a chance to as a ghost. She always came up to the driver's carriage to feel the wind on her face, which also happened to have the effect of her getting so close to him that he could feel the warmth of her skin and her breath on his neck; the driver's carriage was, after all, only designed for one. Sometimes he wondered whether she did it because she knew this, or if she considered it a happy side effect of her actions. But he also often wondered whether that was wishful thinking on his part, his mind creating something between them that was, in actuality, non-existent. More often than not, though, he just enjoyed her company and the warmth it brang until they reached their destination. Which, today, was a rather nice grassy area near Rabbit Haven. There was no call for most trains to go through there, so it went relatively undisturbed. Just right for a day of doing nothing.
When they pulled up, the steam from the train made its customary kshh sound. It was a nice sound, all things considered, and Zelda had once told him she liked it, so that was alright by Link. The train could go on making its kshh sound for as long as it wanted, so long as both of them enjoyed it. As usual, Link hopped down from the train, then turned to help Zelda. She waved her hand to indicate that she could help herself down, and jumped off the train to stand beside him. Grass waved slightly in the gentle breeze, like an infinity of green dancers swaying to an unheard melody. A short walk from the train was one of the small hills that dotted the Forest Land. Zelda pointed towards it. "Let's go over there! I bet we could see the castle from the top."
Link grinned. "Race ya."
She frowned. "Link, that's unfair. You know how hard it is to run in this dress."
But Link had already set off, so she shook her head and followed him.
By the time she reached him, he was already at the bottom of the hill. Link was leaning over, hands on knees, panting and dizzy. He looked up at her. "Beat...you...ha!.." And with that, he keeled over backwards into the long soft grass. Zelda came and stood over him. "I thought I was the one that needed rest."
"Never...been...healthier!"
She sat next to him, using the hill as a backrest. After a while, where the only noticeable sound was Link's heavy breathing as he tried to get his breath back, he sat up. Zelda had been staring at the train beforehand, so it came as a shock when she reached over and snatched his hat. His head snapped round to face her. "Hey!"
She made sure to hide the hat behind her back as Link lazily tried to grab it. When that failed, he glared at her, although there was no menace behind the stare. "What was that for?"
Zelda reached over to ruffle his yellow hair. "I don't think I've ever seen you without a hat before."
"Well did it occur to you that that's because I like hats? Gimme." He made another pathetic attempt at grabbing it and lost his balance, falling over onto Zelda. There was a silence so awkward that it would have made the most commited extrovert feel uncomfortable. Finally, Link coughed, stood up, and headed back to the train, mumbling something that sounded like "I Ned tgt smfm vroom the turn" but which was probably meant to be "I need to get something from the train". As he shuffled off, Zelda realised that she still had his hat. "Link, you forgot your-" but he was already too far away to hear.
When Link returned, he had a strange, almost bashful look on his face, and one hand hidden behind his back. However, Zelda noticed none of these things; she was mesmerised by the swaying of Link's hair, brought on by the wind. Whilst it was going in the same direction as the grass, it had a less refined look about it. One of the dancers had clearly not only forgotten to learn the dance, but had come in the wrong colour costume as well.
Link cleared his throat, and Zelda broke her gaze from the stray strands of hair to focus on his face. A face which was now blushing as its owner tried to get the right words out. They stayed there for a while, Zelda staring up at Link as his cheeks reddened and his yellow hair swayed and he nervously adjusted the belt on his green tunic. Eventually, Link opened his mouth to speak, but the words tumbled out so quickly that it was an effort for Zelda to understand him. "IwantedtogiveyouflowersasapresentbutIcouldn'tfindanysoIpickedsomegrassbecauseit'syourbirthdayandIwantedtogiveyousomethingandit'sthebestgrassIcouldfindandhere!" And with that he thrust the rather bedraggled strands of grass in her face, waiting for approval. Zelda decided that if she hesitated any longer, Link's face would permanently turn the colour of the Fire Land's soil, so she took the grass and gave him her brightest smile. "Thank you, Link." He audibly breathed out. "Look, the grass matches your tunic!" She held it against the cloth as proof when he sat back down next to her. He grinned. "I suppose it does."
A strong wind blew, and Link automatically reached up to hold on to his hat, only to find empty space. He glanced over at Zelda and found her waving it in his face. "So do you want this back now?"
He shook his head. "Nah, you can keep it. I'm sure it'll suit you."
At this Zelda reached up to place it on her head, and it looked so ridiculous that Link couldn't help but laugh. Soon they had both been reduced to uncontrollable fits of giggles.
Despite how silly it was, Zelda wore the hat for the rest of the day. It was a quiet day for the most part, although at one point one of the Rabbit Haven bunnies landed on Link's head, and they were back to laughing again. The rabbit, for its part, managed to convey as much displeasure as was possible on a bunny face, and hopped away, unappreciative of its constantly moving rest. Of course, this only caused Zelda and Link to laugh more.
It was almost dark, and neither of them had suggested going back. So instead they sat, huddled together for warmth, leaning against the small hill, almost too tired to talk. When Zelda finally opened her mouth, she yawned before speaking. "Do you think we should head back?"
"Nah."
"Teacher will be worried. And Alfonzo will be angry at you."
"We can deal with them tomorrow. All that matters now is that you have a good birthday."
Zelda looked at Link out of the corner of her eye. "Link?"
"Mmnnn?"
"Can I ask you for one more present? I mean, the grass was lovely, but..."
Link turned to her fully now, his eyes trying to prevent themselves from filling with the mists of sleep. Eventually it would prove to be a fruitless battle, but for now... "Two presents? From the same person? They must spoil you rotten at the castle."
"Well..."
"Kidding. Your wish is my command, oh great and glorious princess of New Hyrule."
She took a deep breath. Now was the moment. "Well, I was wondering...oh noble hero...whether you would possibly...um...give me a kiss?"
Despite his sleepy state, Link sat up in shock. "What?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to..."
"Oh, no, no, no." Now he was desperately attempting to put her worries at ease. "I'd love to kiss you!...Wait, did that come out too eager?"
Now it was Zelda's turn to be reassuring. "Of course not." She bit her lip nervously. "So..."
Link nodded, and leaned forward with her, to meet in the middle. Their noses bumped, and they only managed to lightly brush each other's lips in the end, but to two thirteen year olds, on their own in the dark, it felt like the entire world had shifted to contain that much more joy. Still, that didn't stop their tiredness. Soon they were curled up next to each other, using the other as a pillow, Zelda still wearing Link's hat. Undoubtedly, Link would be roughly shaken awake in the morning by a yelling Alfonzo, being told that they had "worried Teacher to death", "caused a nation wide panic" and "put the entire kingdom at risk", but for now, that didn't matter. Because Link had just kissed the princess, and he was now drifting to sleep with her warm body curled up against his.