“You have to understand,” Rauru is explaining to me with infinite kindness and patience as I sit in his office, taking notes, “that a motion is a suggestion to create or change a law. For it to pass to application, it has to be seconded by at least one minister of your cabinet then approved by a majority of ministers.”

All this sounds really serious and straightforward, but it’s somehow fascinating. I’ve been in this office for two whole hours and I have yet to find the subject boring. Maybe I should study law?

“Once it has been approved by a majority, it has to be written up and then approved again.”

I note this down carefully in my Fairy notebook TM. Link bought it for me yesterday on his way back to the palace after my encounter with Ganondorf ―so sweet of him, really― along with the appropriate Fairy pen and Fairy eraser. He says there’s a Fairy Shop downtown. It’s one of those well-known theme shops with stuff that everyone wants for no logical reason. I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there. I really want to see it. He said we might go, if I really want to, during one of my Basics courses, which I still haven’t had.

“If the motion isn’t seconded, it won’t be considered for at least another three months. If upon being re-presented it is vetoed, you can either abandon the project or reformulate it. Of course, all laws should be written for the good future of Hyrule,” Rauru specifies. “As Impa Shades will most likely explain to you in more detail, many rulers during the middle ages have disregarded Hyrule’s welfare for their own profit.”

I nod, and examine my outline, with arrows, annotations and legal terms linking to each other. Rauru comes around his desk to look at it from over my shoulder. I hear him chuckle to himself.

“You have a very organized mind, young lady.”

“I like to think so,” I smile absently.

“So, not too confused?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’ve taken everything down, and it seems to make sense. If anything, I’m afraid that you’ve been going easy on me.”

Rauru laughs outright at that. It’s an old man’s bark of amusement. “Farore forbid, child. There would be no point to abbreviate the courses for the one person in the country who needs to understand the law better than anyone else.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I say, grinning up at him. “That means I might actually be good at something.”

Rauru’s eyebrows hitch up in surprise. He goes back to his seat in front of me. “Have you had doubts about your competence?”

“I was a waitress, and I’m surrounded by people who are ten times more qualified for this role than me, so excuse the vocabulary, but ‘Duh’.”

I smile at him to ensure him of my minor sarcasm. He smiles at me, a bit exasperated.

“Well, I’m told that you have done impressive progress. Link says you’re learning faster than he’d expected.”

I refrain from sitting up excitedly. “Really?”

Rauru smiles secretively. “That young man knows what he’s talking about. I should suppose he doesn’t lie.”

I grin. Link thinks I’m good! It would be nice if he told me so directly, though. It’s not like I’m going to get an inflated ego with a compliment here and there or anything.

“And that’s it for today, young lady. Or should I call you ‘Princess’?” Rauru’s eyes are teasing.

“No need,” I say. “I might get a split personality disorder, and they’ll have to send me back to Jabun Jabu.”

“How dramatic,” Rauru says, gently, and I can’t help but giggle. I really like Rauru. He’s always so ready to crack a joke. I swear: if I had known my grandpa, I’d have wished him to be exactly like Rauru.

I close my notebook and try to remember where I was supposed to go next. I know Tetra and Link have to finish telling me about my press conference tomorrow.

I actually have my weekly schedule in my notebook. Tomorrow, on day ten, I have a press conference, my second press event. The day after that, I have a symbolic meeting about the protection of the environment with a youth group. On the thirteenth day, I’m supposed to be in Minish for a visit to the ambassador of Hyrule there. And all that is just this week’s schedule!

“Nine days in Marcastle, and already a press conference, I hear,” Rauru says, interrupting my thoughts.

I smile, but I’m a bit creeped out. It’s like the men in this palace know exactly what all my thoughts are. Link’s ability to detect my thought patterns is the most terrifying. “Well, it’s true that it’s been less than ten days since I came, but I think it can’t be that bad.”

I’m not this confident, actually, but I figure Rauru has enough to worry about without my own anxiety.

“What has Ganondorf been up to lately?” I ask, as casually as possible, even as Rauru stands to escort me out of his office.

Rauru looks carefully blank. “He’s working at his popularity, so he’s not being too difficult for us ministers. He doesn’t want to be disliked.”

I walk out into the hallway and turn back to look at him with honest concern. “If the ministers choose Ganondorf in the end, what will happen to me?”

Rauru stares at me, then a fatherly expression overcomes him and he brings his arm up and around my shoulders, squeezing a bit. “My dear, I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep him from taking your rightful place.”

I’m touched, because frankly the throne isn’t exactly my ‘rightful place’, but it doesn’t answer my question. I figure he doesn’t know anymore than I do on my future, so I simply smile and disengage myself from him. “Thank you, Rauru.”

My prime minister observes me with sincere affection, and says, “You should trust yourself more, Zelda.” He looks straight into my eyes and says, with gentle honesty, “I look at you and I don’t see a waitress or Nohansen’s daughter. I see a caring young woman who can readily lead Hyrule into an era of prosperity and seek its profit before her own.” He smiles and the corner of his eyes crinkle. “I can only hope that one day your mirror will reflect that image back to you so that you can see I’m saying the truth.”

I’m really touched now, and, as though he were my real grandfather, I lean forward and kiss Rauru’s cheek. Suddenly, I’m hit with a thought: what the heck am I doing?

This is my prime minister, not my grandpa!

As a result, I recoil suddenly, and look horrified. And I break into an embarrassing stammer of apologies. “Oh my Din, I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I did that. I swear I―”

But I break off because I see that Rauru is laughing in kindred amusement. Then, I see his eyes stray off beyond my shoulder and he says, “I don’t know how you’ve managed to make her so endearing, but she’ll most certainly win over all the geezers in the cabinet at this rate!”

I turn to look at whomever he’s speaking to behind me. To my complete and utter embarrassment, I see that Link and Tetra, their hands full of paperwork, are both smiling in genuine entertainment. They clearly were walking our way when I pecked Rauru’s cheek, and had most likely overheard everything else.

Link shrugs a bit and looks at me with his bright blue eyes, saying, “I think it’s my natural charisma that transferred to her.”

“What?” Tetra exclaims, though she throws a wink my way, “You kissed my grandfather too?”

If floors really can open up and eat people, now would be a great time for it to happen.

“Enough, children,” Rauru says. He clearly saw my embarrassment, and is trying to appease it. To me, he says, “I’m not upset, child. You’re the first politician I ever met who seemed to care so very much for others. I sincerely appreciate that in a person. You’ll see that your kindness will become a valuable asset.”

I try to keep my voice level, and mumble, “Thank you.”

Tetra bursts into the conversation, then, and says, “Well, grandpa, we have preparations to make for tomorrow’s conference.”

Rauru nods. He waves us off, smiling. “Be gone, then. You’re all so impatient.”

“We are,” Tetra agrees solemnly, indicating for me to follow her. I do, and Link walks on my other side. He looks edible today too, in a black, striped, casual work shirt with black slacks. Tetra is walking at a quick and steady pace. She says, “So, Zelda. Your press conference is tomorrow, and we’ve still got to tell you about the general procedure.”

I glance at Link, and he grins at me.

Why? Why must he be a business relation? He causes me no end of anguish.

“Where are we walking to?” I ask Tetra, who is still walking amazingly fast, for a woman with a heavy pile of paper in her arms.

“Link’s room. We’re dropping off all the coordinates of the various guests invited at your upcoming public events with him so that he can review them.”

I look back at Link in shock. “You’re doing all this yourself?”

Link laughs. “Well, not exactly. But it’s my role. I’m the know-it-all, remember?”

I push from my mind the fact that his laugh is unfairly sexy. I follow them in silence. We walk for five minutes at an amazing speed, because of Tetra, and finally reach the door next to my own.

I’ve never been in Link’s room, and somehow this occasion makes me feel inexplicably warm. He unlocks the door, and pushes the panel. It doesn’t creak either.

And, predictably, nothing exciting happens. I mean by this that he doesn’t suddenly slam the door in Tetra’s face, then drop his pile of paper in a chaotic mess, then grab me and pull me into his strong arms to press a kiss full of pent-up desire to my lips.

Oh, Nayru. Quit thinking, Zelda. You’re not helping your sanity, here.

Well, you know. A girl can still hope.

His room is clearly a guest room, with the same commodities as mine but with perhaps a bit less lustre. There’s a big desk against the wall, ―with a laptop like mine, ― on which he and Tetra place the heavy piles of paper. Instead of a purple theme, Link got green.

“Hey, Link,” a quiet, hoarse voice says.

I jump nearly a mile high and turn around. In the doorway is a small guy of whom I can’t determine the age, since most of his face is hidden beneath large spectacles. He doesn’t look nearly as twitchy as Niko, though, so I assume that he’s not the kind to run around like mad.

Tetra turns too, and smiles. “Ah. Mako. There you are.”

To the little guy, Link says, “Here’s the whole list. I’ve got a couple of things to take care of at the moment, but can you still begin the job? I’ll be back in an hour or so. Alright?”

Mako nods quietly, hobbling over to Link’s desk and grabbing a part of the paperwork. He begins studying it. Apparently satisfied, Link and Tetra motion for me to leave Link’s room and enter my own with them.

“Um… That was…?” I ask.

“Mako Bright,” Tetra supplies as Link enters my room and takes out his palm pilot ―old habits, they say. “He’s the book keeper mostly. One of my assistants.”

I nod slowly, but then Link turns and says, “Back to the press conference, shall we?”

Tetra nods. To me, she says, “It’s scheduled for five in the afternoon, tomorrow, in front of the palace. There will be a short discourse, then journalists will be allowed to ask you questions.”

I can see that this part of the conference worries them greatly. I perfectly understand why: an awkward answer can destroy all their efforts until now. I really don’t want to fail them.

The problem is, I won’t know what the questions will be, and so I can’t prepare my answers. And so I can’t guarantee that my answers won’t be awkward, because, as I’ve already mentioned, I’m not a public speaker. I don’t do oral presentations. I research facts. Talking was Malon and Ruto’s domain.

“Let’s rehearse,” Link says. “If I ask you, ‘What are your thoughts about the recent fiscal laws established to protect Hyrule trade from foreign invaders?’, what will you respond?”

I answer him automatically, because they’ve drilled this into my mind since before the mental hospital thing. “I strongly feel that protectionism is a good option to ensure that Hyrule’s economy doesn’t collapse onto itself. Technology has been evolving at breakneck speeds of late, and the only way to keep our market alive is to give it solid foundations. Many other countries are adopting protectionism as a sure way to grow. I will, however, discuss future trade agreements with other nations once we are all back to a relatively stable situation, to create an environment of free-trade in which countries of the Hylian Alliance can build off of each other.”

I pause to take a breath then continue. “Hyrule and its neighbours have always gotten along as a somewhat unified economical entity, and I can only hope that this symbiosis will continue for a long time to come. Any other questions?” I add with a sweet smile at Link, who has nodded his approval.

“ ‘What are the measures that the Hyrulian government plans to take in order to protect endangered species living in the still wild areas of Hyrule?’ ” Tetra asks, forcing me to rack my memory for the proper answer. Finally, I remember what Link taught me.

“I’m glad that you’ve asked that question, as I have a public hearing tomorrow on the subject, to which you are all cordially invited.” I shoot a pretty smile at both Link and Tetra. Link looks away to study my coffee table. Bastard. “For the moment, we are still debating what the best option for efficient protection of Hyrulian flora and fauna might be. Of course, new laws will be put into motion and human resources will most likely be hired to be on site for a physical census. Though we do not have a detailed action plan for this issue, rest assured that the environment is on our list of top priorities and we will let you know of any legal progress in this field.”

Tetra is about to ask another question, but Link stops her. He comes my way, and Tetra rolls her eyes behind his back.

“What’s wrong, Link?”

I furrow a brow at Link. I don’t really know why he stopped the session. He stops in front of me, so close that I’m looking at his nose. I raise my eyes to meet his gaze.

He smells spicy and earthy. Hmm…

“What did I tell you about the pronunciation of your ‘A’s?” He asks me.

Tetra lets out a loud sigh. “I can see where this is going.” I gaze at her imploringly, and she shrugs, slightly apologetic. “Sorry, gal, but I’m not staying around while he forces you into pronouncing syllables over and over again. I stayed last time and I was bored to tears, no offence.”

I turn back to Link, who is gazing down at me with a resolute look. “Is there really no way to avoid this?” I ask.

I really dread his pronunciation courses. They’re horrible, because I don’t hear myself, and what seems appropriate to me isn’t to him, and when I try to reproduce the sounds he suggests, I feel like cringing.

“No,” Link says, even as Tetra hurries to eclipse herself. “There really isn’t.”

We’re practically nose-to-nose. Does he realise this?

“I really hate you,” I lament. “Why does it matter so much, what accent I have?”

Link glances back at the door that Tetra has closed behind herself on her way out. Then, he looks back at me and smirks. “Actually, it doesn’t.”

I blink at him. My eyes travel between his face and the shut door, and then I think of Kotake’s insinuations, and then I feel my face heat up. Could it be…? Could it be that he pretended to start a pronunciation course just to drive Tetra away so that we could have some intimate quality time?

“Sit down,” he commands, indicating my couch. I wonder why he insists on the couch if my bed is just there, a few steps away, but I obey him anyway. What sane girl wouldn’t?

“Link,” I begin, a bit nervously, “look, I really think that―”

“Take your shoes off.”

Um, what? That’s not what a normal man would ask a girl at his mercy to do. Whatever. I do as he says, since I’m curious and since I figure I can then ask him to remove his shirt next.

But Link doesn’t seem intent of divesting us both. He just watched my shoes fly off of my feet. I’m wearing stretch jeans today. Link takes the edge of my right pant leg and is pulling it up to reveal my ankle. He’s kneeling in front of me, and frankly, I’ve never seen a man this handsome from up-close before.

It’s a real sensory overload, baby.

I don’t know why he looks this intent, though. He’s carefully examining my ankle, and his warm fingers are practically burning holes into my skin.

I kinda hope that he doesn’t have a foot fetish.

And then, I remember about my tattoo.

“What is this?” Link asks, designating the stylized phoenix tattoo on my ankle.

I had it done three years ago, on a whim, while Malon and I were at a fair. I thought it’d be nice, and so I paid for it. It wasn’t really expensive, since the tattoo itself isn’t really that big. With the right shoes, no one would know that it’s there. It only shows if I’m wearing sandals.

“It’s a tattoo,” I say to Link with sarcasm, because I’m disappointed that he wasn’t looking for a romp, as I’d originally thought.

“I know that,” Link answers back wryly. “I noticed it the first day during our posture class.”

Oh. He means when he bent down to place my feet.

“What I want to know,” Link continues, “is why exactly you have a tattoo.”

“A thousand apologies, sir,” I say, standing, now barefoot on my thick carpet. “I didn’t know queens weren’t allowed to have tattoos.” I look down at him, a bit insulted. “Why do I have to remodel myself? Can’t the people accept that I do what I want with my own body?”

Link sighs, leaning back and observing me from his seated position on my carpet. “I didn’t say I disapproved of that tattoo. It might sell well. I was just asking why you had it. Was it a dare?”

I’m a bit miffed. “No. I wanted one.”

Link nods. “And you thought the phoenix was a good idea?”

“Well,” I ask, a bit unpleasantly, I’ll admit, “Wasn’t it?”

“I like it,” Link says, simply.

That’s when I realise that he’s not trying to be reproachful. He was just trying to change my mind from tomorrow’s stressful press conference. I feel a bit of self-loathing for my acerb tone. I also feel a pang of gratitude for Link.

When I manage to simmer down, I let myself fall back onto my couch, in front of him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Link says, examining my pale, bare feet absently. “You haven’t had much time to relax and think about anything else aside from your many responsibilities. In time you’ll get used to it, but for a newcomer, it can be extremely exhausting and nerve-wracking.”

I say nothing. Of course, Link factually summed up the situation.

We stay in calm, contemplative silence for a long moment, until a loud knock interrupts our musings. I jump a bit, startled, and gaze at Link with panicky eyes.

Link, on the other hand, is perfectly calm. He stands and calls, “Come in.”

I’m a bit surprised by how he seems so at ease in my bedroom, giving people the permission to come in and everything.

The door opens, and one of Tetra’s assistants, Gonzo, a gentle-hearted giant with a simple mind but incredible strength, enters. He always looks a bit awkward with his large build, and is often unable to do things without first obtaining Tetra’s permission first. In fact, he has a major crush on Tetra, and it’s obvious.

But this time, he looks at Link and says, in his deep, a bit wondering voice, “Darunia Rocks, sir.”

Link’s face seems to light up. “Oh, good. Let him in!”

No sooner has he said this that a gigantic flurry of excitement has entered my room, pushing Gonzo aside a bit. Before I know it, Link has been engulfed in a bone-crushing bear hug, and is almost lifted from the ground.

I stare at the one introduced as Darunia Rocks, and blink a couple of times in uncertainty.

He looks like a thick-skinned, darkly tanned countryman, with messy, light brown hair and small, crinkled eyes. His build alone would make a wrestler shudder in fear. His arms are bulging with huge muscles, and he has a set of square shoulders that don’t seem to fit through doorways.

But, more impressively, his huge, toothy smile distracts from all that obvious strength. His smile is that of a happy boy’s, with a mix of childish glee and suppressed maturity: the smile of a man who has refused to grow up.

He’s still choking Link in a big hug, his voice is cheerful and deep in greeting, “How have you been, bro?’

Link, on the verge of dying of asphyxiation, smiles back as cheerfully as possible. I’m sure that his ribs are bruised.

Finally, Darunia Rocks drops Link, and Link lets out a loud ‘Oof!’

“I came as soon as I heard you needed my services, kid,” Darunia is saying proudly, and shockingly loud, too. “Never let it be said Darunia Rocks doesn’t know how to help out a friend in need.”

Link, having caught his breath, says, “I’m glad to see you’re still as cheerful as ever.”

“Am I ever!” Darunia exclaims, pumping one his arms. I feel myself shrink back at the sheer size of that bicep.

Link turns to look at me as he struggles to stand. Darunia seems to notice me too, for the first time. People always notice others before me. With wide eyes, he strikes a mighty slap against Link’s shoulder, which causes Link to buckle and stumble, and loudly exclaims, “Well, I’ll be, Forester, you finally chose to get hitched! Nice choice! My congratulations!”

“What?” Link asks incredulously from his sprawled position on the floor. “I’m not getting hitched. Darunia, that’s Zelda Harkinian. You know. The future queen of Hyrule.”

Darunia seems to lose a part of his laughing smile at this. Now, he looks stunned. “Zelda Harkinian? The one they call ‘princess’?”

I nod, meekly, because I don’t really want to suffer Darunia’s enthusiasm.

Darunia’s weakened smile comes back with a vengeance though. “So she’s my new charge, I guess?”

Um. Charge? I glance at Link curiously. He smiles. To Darunia, he says, “Yeah. You got that right.” To me, he explains, “Darunia Rocks is a professional bodyguard.”

Wow, I think. He’s… Hey, I get my own bodyguard! The concept is way cool.

“That’s… That’s great,” I say, and I stand to shake Darunia’s immense hand. “It’s great to meet you, I mean. I never had a bodyguard before.” I know I’m gushing, but I can’t help it. “So, do you actually kick people’s butts?”

Link clears his throat. I grimace at him then look back at Darunia’s amused face. He’s making sure that he isn’t squashing my hand, treating it like a precious crystal. I’m touched.

“I mean, of course,” I say, for Link’s benefit more than for Darunia’s, “Do you indeed bring your foot to people’s posteriors?”

Darunia barks in laughter, and Link rolls his eyes as he picks himself up and dusts his slacks off.

“Very spirited,” he says in obvious sarcasm.

“I thought so too,” I smile back as smartly.

Darunia lets go of my hand carefully, and says, “I only injure those who try to hurt my charges. And I think I might’ve taken a liking to you, kid,” he says, looking at me with his laughing, crinkled eyes. “You’ve got more depth than the other jobs I’ve had.”

“But why do I need a bodyguard?” I ask Link with a frown. “It’s not like they’re going to harm me. I’m on the palace grounds, and the Royal Guard protects it. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes,” Link says slowly, as though he’s calculating his answer. “But we’re concerned about outside the palace grounds… and inside the palace walls.”

“Inside the palace walls?”

Link shrugs. “Well,” he says, a bit too lightly for it to be sincere, “you never know.”

“I see,” I say, with a bit of a glare, which he averts his gaze from.

I don’t really know why they’re so secretive, all of a sudden, but whatever. I’m not going to let that obscure my day. I have to prepare myself for a press conference, and I’ve had long enough of a break.

Oh, Farore. A press conference. I am so dead.