Part 1




Clang!

The Falchion and the Master Sword met with a clash.

Marth and Link pushed against each other’s swords, trying to gain the upper hand.

Little by little, Link gained the upper ground, forcing Marth to take a step back.

They stared into each other’s eyes, daring the other to blink.

Suddenly, Link backed off, causing Marth to fall forward, off-balance. Link hunched over and rammed his shoulder into Marth’s stomach.

Marth fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

Before Link could land another blow, he saw a fiery inferno in his peripheral vision. He ducked and rolled as a fireball blazed through the spot his head occupied a second ago.

“Roy!” Marth wheezed, “You’re not supposed to...”

With a roar, Roy flew at Link. Link barely managed to get his sword up in time to block Roy’s swing. Their swords clanged then flew apart and clashed together again.

Marth gingerly sat up and scooted backwards to lean against a tree. Roy and Link continued to fight, neither man holding back. He groaned as each clash of metal drilled into his brain, intensifying his headache.

The Prince of Aritia pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned his head back against the tree trunk. Elice’s crazy ideas...

The clearing was tense, way too tense. It didn’t take much to start this fight.

All three swordsmen had quickly become hot and sticky during their intense battle, so they had abandoned their shirts, letting their sweat evaporate straight into the air.

Up the hill to Marth’s right, a tent flapped opened. Marth jerked his head toward the movement.

A small figured emerged, clutching two bottles in her hand. She started to run towards the woods, intent on her destination.

“Manasa!” Marth called, his voice cracking into a cough.

The figure stopped and changed direction, heading towards Marth.

“Hey,” the Sentei said with a smile, “How’s it going, Sunshine?”

Manasa jogged up to Marth and kneeled next to him. His light skin contrasted against the dark tree trunk, which inadvertently drew her gaze. Her eyes quickly glanced over his chest, then down to his stomach... She blushed and wiped her forehead with her sleeve, covering up her red cheeks. She faced him again with a steeled composure, concentrating on his face.

Marth rolled his eyes at his nickname. “Pretty good, I guess. This is the fifth round now. Roy and I have been taking turns so that we do not tire out as easily. Roy is getting a bit over-zealous. And Link is insane; I cannot imagine how he is holding up.”

Manasa laughed and turned to watch the fight. “So he’s sufficiently distracted?”

“Yes. For now, at least.”

“Your sister had a good idea.”

“My sister had a crazy idea.”

“I wonder who she gets that from.”

“I honestly have no idea. What were you doing?” Marth motioned to the empty bottles.

“Getting more water.” Manasa jumped up.

A cry of pain tore through the clearing, making everyone pause.

Link tensed, and then a shudder rippled through him. He stared straight ahead, unseeing, his eyes wide with terror and pain. Roy attacked again, demanding Link’s attention.

Manasa turned to go.

“Wait, Manasa, how is she?” Marth demanded fearfully.

She half-turned towards him, glancing towards the tent. “I... I don’t know. I’ve never helped deliver a baby before; much less had experience around them. Elice knows what she’s doing, though. I’ve got to go.”

Marth nodded and the Sentei vanished.

“Zelda! What is it? What’s wrong?” Link’s agonized voice tore through Marth’s memory.

Zelda groaned and sank to the ground.

Something wet touched Link’s knees as he knelt beside his wife. He looked down.

A puddle was forming below Zelda. She cried out, her beautiful face grimacing in pain.

“ELICE!” Link bellowed, but Elice was already at Zelda’s side.

“It’s okay, Zelda, you’re going to be just fine,” she soothed. “Help me get her back into the tent,” she ordered Link.

Marth and Roy watched, bewildered, as Link and Elice gently led Zelda into the only tent left standing.

The other tents were packed away; they had just been ready to leave bright and early in the morning.

“Manasa!” yelled Elice over her shoulder, “I’ll need your help too!”

“But I don’t know anything about...” Manasa stuttered.

“I don’t care! You’re the only other girl here, so help me!”

Manasa stood open-mouthed for a second, trying to come up with an argument. Then she gave up and followed Elice, Link and Zelda into the tent.

Moments later, Link was thrown out of the tent. “What in-” he sputtered and wheeled around.

Elice stood at the entrance, glaring at him. “I don’t need your hovering! Now get out of here!”

Link went rigid as a cry came from inside the tent. “Elice,”- he swore- “she’s my wife! Let me in!”

“Marth!” Elice yelled over Link, ignoring him. “Distract him please!”

Marth and Roy looked at each other.

“Ooooookay, I guess we’re not setting out bright and early” Roy commented. He turned around and started towards the horses. “I guess these guys would appreciate standing around un-tacked for now.”

Marth switched his attention to Link and approached him carefully. “Link...”

“Tell her to let me in! You’re her brother!” Link rounded on Marth, breathing hard.

“Link, look, Zelda is in Elice’s hands right now. It would be best if we just did whatever she tells us to do.”

“I know you don’t want to,” Marth continued as Link prepared to yell at him again, “But let’s just trust Elice. She’s the only one who can help her.”

Link fumed, trying to find a way through Marth’s solid logic.

Suddenly, Manasa barreled out of the tent at a dead run. Link and Marth were standing in front of the entrance and jumped out of the way just in time to avoid colliding with her.

“Sorry!” she yelled back before she disappeared.

“Okay. Okay, okay, okay.” Link took a deep breath and held his face in his hands. “Distract me please,” he begged.

“Err... Let’s...” Marth grabbed Link’s arm and pulled him towards the horses. “Let’s help Roy first with un-tacking the horses, then... Then we will put up the other two tents...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Hey! I’ve got a great idea!” Roy exclaimed, pulling out his sword. “Nothing like a fight to keep you distracted, right?”

All the horses were un-tacked and all the tents were set up, but no word came from Elice. Every so often, another cry came from the tent where the girls were, making Link stop whatever he was doing and freeze up.

“Roy...” Marth began.

But Link had unsheathed his sword too. He ran his hand down the blade and it glowed with a yellow light.

“It’s a spell” Link explained, “It temporarily blunts the blade. Zelda taught it to me.”

He held his hand out and Roy readily handed him his own sword.

“I still do not think- hey!”

Roy grabbed Marth’s Falchion and handed it to Link.

Link blunted Marth’s sword with the same spell, then thrust it into the ground. Roy and Link started circling, moving downhill to a flatter area in which to spar.

Marth bit his lip, but remained silent.

With minor difficulty, he pulled his sword out of the ground and wiped it in the grass to get the dirt off it. The prince checked his reflection on the blade, brushing his bangs back into place.

At least Link still had some common sense in him...


The sound of metal clashing brought Marth back to reality, and back to his headache

Link and Roy were still at it, hacking away at each other.

Marth groaned and stood up. He retrieved his sword and sheathed it, then picked up his discarded shirt and slipped it back over his head. He walked up the little hill and sat next the ashes of last night’s fire.

He flinched as a small cry came from the tent and immediately looked at Link. Link had tensed again, standing stock-still. He shuddered and just barely avoided another swing from Roy’s sword.

How could he have heard that?

Marth shook his head, taking a deep breath. His head hurt too much to over-analyze something that was probably nothing.

Another, louder scream, emitted from the tent. Both Link and Roy froze in their fight, breathless.

Link dropped his sword. “I can’t... I can’t do this...”

Link staggered up the hill and sank to the ground on the other side of the fire pit. Roy soon walked up the hill after him, laying Link’s sword on the ground next to the Hylian. Roy sheathed his own sword and sat next to Marth.

“You were not supposed to use your sword that way,” Marth said to him, his voice low.

“Why not? They were blunt, anyhow,” Roy said lightly. He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm the adrenaline rush from the fight.

“You cannot blunt fire!” Marth’s voice rose. “Honestly! Do you ever think?”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Nothing bad happened.”

“Just because something ‘bad’ did not happen does not mean that something bad could have-”

Marth stopped. Link was doubled over, clutching his knees. His knuckles were white and he shook all over. He groaned painfully, shaking his head.

Roy looked from Link to Marth, suddenly serious. “Is he okay?” he whispered.

Marth looked from Link to the tent, then back to Link. “I...”

“Link!” and agonized scream came from the tent.

“Zelda!” Link leapt up and rushed towards the tent.

“Don’t you dare come in here!” Elice yelled from inside.

Outside, Link halted. One foot moved, painfully slow, torn between what he wanted to do and what he needed to do.

Another scream ripped through the morning air and Link collapsed on the ground. He curled up into a ball, stifling his own scream.

Marth and Roy looked at each other, their faces white.

Then a new cry rent the air.

A different cry.

A younger cry.

A cry that used its lungs for the first time.

This new cry seemed to last forever- until finally, it slowly quieted down.

Link stopped shaking, but he did not move from his position on the ground.

The Aritian and the half-Manakete stared intently at the tent, waiting for something to happen.

Finally, the tent flap moved, and Elice and Manasa emerged, exhausted, but grinning.

“Link,” Elice said softly, “They’re waiting for you.”

Link scrambled to his feet and rushed past them into the tent.

Roy and Marth leapt up to confront the two tired girls.

“What happened?”

“Is everything okay?”

“They’re both fine,” Manasa said, placing an arm around Elice’s shoulders. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we are going to take a nap.”

“Don’t bother them,” Elice called back as they walked to the tent they shared.

Roy stepped forward to call after Elice but stopped. Marth turned back toward the fire pit and sat down with a sigh of relief. Roy soon joined him, sitting on the opposite side.

He looked up to see Marth smiling.

So he smiled back.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Link,” Elice said softly, “They’re waiting for you.”

Her voice broke through the turmoil in his mind. Link scrambled to his feet and rushed past Elice and Manasa into the tent. He jerked to a halt just inside the entrance.

There she was- lying on a pile of blankets, her head and shoulders propped up on more blankets. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted to the side. She breathed slowly, her face tired and pale.

Her eyes fluttered open. “Link?” she whispered.

In an instant, he was at her side, kneeling beside her. “Zel...”

He held her face in his hands and kissed her passionately, replacing his fear with her love.

“Zel...” he whispered again, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

“Link” she whispered back, touching his face. Then she gasped.

Link sat up quickly, concerned. “What...” He broke off, staring at the bundle that lay on her chest.

Zelda looked down as well and shifted it slightly, carefully. The baby continued nursing quietly.

Link forgot how to breathe.

“That’s...”

Zelda looked up into his eyes. “Our son.”

He tried to say something, but nothing came out. He just sat there like an idiot, gaping.

Her hand reached forward and touched his, pulling it towards her. She rested his palm against her cheek.

“Our?” his voice cracked and a tear ran down his cheek.

“Ours,” Zelda whispered, stroking his hand.

Link said nothing again, but sat motionless, staring at the little baby that Zelda held against her. Ours...

Slowly, a huge grin spread across his face, ear to ear. He leaned down and kissed Zelda again, her lips, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her jaw and her ear.

“Our son,” he whispered, more tears running down his cheeks. “Our son...”

Zelda exhaled and kissed him back. “You’re a father, Link.”

“You are too. I mean... you’re a mother.”

Zelda laughed shakily and kissed him again.

“I...” he started.

“I love you,” she whispered, touching his lips with one finger.

Link closed his eyes and kissed her finger. “I love you too.”

The baby made a little noise, causing Link to jump.

“Shhh...” Zelda whispered, touching her son’s head with her hand, gently brushing back his blonde hair.

It’s so small... he thought. Carefully, not wanting to startle him, Link moved his hand to touch him.

One of the baby’s hands lay against his mother’s chest, curled up in a fist. Slowly, Link stretched out his finger to touch the little hand, which was smaller than the palm of his own hand.

The baby made another noise again, and moved his hand, tucking it under him. Link snatched his hand away and held it tight against his chest, shivering. He couldn’t touch it. It was too precious, too fragile. He took a deep breath and leaned away from it, struggling to control himself. His hand felt stiff, rough and heavy. He couldn’t touch it, that innocent little bundle. Everything he touched...

He jumped when he felt Zelda’s hand on his. Her graceful, beautiful, lithe hand on his. He stiffened as she pulled his hand toward her.

“No...” he whispered, full of anguish.

Zelda rested the back of his hand against her cheek and sighed. She turned her head to the side and kissed it, then turned it over. She kissed his palm, then the tips of each one of his fingers. Zelda sighed again, closing her eyes and holding his hand to her face.

He felt himself soften and melt; her breath on his hand breathed into him and helped him stay together.

Link She opened her mind to him.

Zelda... I’m sorry... He responded, pulling closer to her.

Shhh... Don’t be. There’s nothing to be sorry for. I love you. She pulled him even closer and he let her in completely. The relief was instantaneous, all of his fear just melted away with her so close to him.

I know. I love you too.

Link opened his eyes to see Zelda’s beautiful smile. She touched his face with her free hand, caressing him.

“Zel...” he sighed.

The baby gurgled, making Link jump again.

Slowly, he laid down beside Zelda on his side, propping his head up on his right arm.

“He has your eyes,” Zelda whispered.

Link wordlessly reached out again to touch his son. His fingers touched the soft, light hair on his head. Carefully, Link traced the shape of his face.

“I think he has your face. He’s beautiful.”

“Hmm, he has your eyebrows.”

“My eyebrows?” Link asked, incredulous, arching his eyebrows.

“Yes,” Zelda laughed, “Just like that.”

Link raised his eyebrows even higher, which sent Zelda into a fit of giggles. Then the baby gurgled and coughed.

“Oh no, hold on...” Zelda tried to sit up, but Link put a hand on her shoulder.

“What... what do you need?”

“Um... just... here,” she picked up a towel that was lying nearby and draped it over his shoulder.

“Can you hold him?” she asked.

Link froze, “...How?”

“On your shoulder; the one with the towel. Pick him up-”

Link carefully wrapped his arms around his son.

“-support his head!” she exclaimed.

Link did what his wife told him to do, carefully placing the baby against his shoulder, the one with the towel. He was so light, so delicate; it was easy to hold him.

“He’s... so light,” he said, his voice hushed. Link looked down at himself, then back at his son. “Will he ever get to be that big?”

“Of course. Even you were that small, once,” Zelda smiled up at him. “Now, rub his back, till he burps.”

Link did what he was told, puzzled. Zelda readjusted her bodice and buttoned her shirt back up.

“Are you...” Link started and then flushed red, ashamed he hadn’t asked earlier, “alright?”

Zelda smiled and closed her eyes. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t... it doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“No,” she yawned, “but I am sore. Incredibly sore.”

Link shook his head and laughed nervously. “You scared me. Elice told Marth and Roy to distract me, so we fought.”

“You what?” Zelda gasped, “Are you hurt? Why did they... Oh I am going to kill them!”

“No, no, Zelda, it’s okay. It sort of worked; their diversion” he soothed.

“Oh,” was all she managed to say. She shifted on the blankets, wincing a little.

“It was Roy’s idea, not mine,” Link muttered, speaking more to his son than his wife.

Zelda rolled her eyes, “Why am I not surprised?”

Link laughed again and shifted his hold on the newborn. He still could not believe what he was holding- his son. Our son.

He felt Zelda’s hand on his thigh, just touching him. She yawned again, “What time is it?”

“Oh, I guess... before noon?”

“Mmm,” she murmered in assent.

They were silent then, just the three of them in the tent. A family now. Link looked down at his son again, at the top of his head. Short, but thick light blonde hair grew there- Zelda’s hair. He smiled and carefully leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of his head.

The baby made another weird noise again- but Link was getting used to it now. He continued rubbing his son’s back, marveling at how soft his skin was. Then the baby burped, throwing up all over the towel.

Link’s eyes went wide. “Zelda!”

The baby started wailing loudly.

“Just- wipe his mouth, clean him up, get rid of the towel,” she instructed him.

Again, he did what she told him, but the boy kept crying. He looked fleetingly at Zelda, then back to his son. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay...” he soothed, trying to calm him down. His own heart was racing a mile a minute.

Zelda reached up and he was only to happy to hand over the squalling child. She wrapped a blanket around him and held him against her chest.

Link watched in awe as their son calmed down, made the gurgling noise again and fell asleep. Link clutched the blankets beneath him until his knuckles were white.

“What did I do?” he whispered, shaking, his eyes still wide.

“Nothing, silly. Now come here.” Zelda pulled him closer and kissed him.

He leaned over her, staring into her smiling eyes. Her hand came up and touched his face again, resting against his cheek. Slowly, another broad grin spread across his face. He kissed her back, as passionate as he could.

His fingers twined themselves in her hair, never wanting to let her go. He felt her hand slip from his face to his chest, the sensation setting him on fire. Link leaned in closer, pouring more of his love into her.

The pressure of her hand increased and Link leaned back, confused. Zelda took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

“Sorry” he gasped, brushing back her disheveled hair.

Zelda just smiled a tired smile. Carefully, Link laid down beside her, sliding his right arm underneath her head for a pillow. He scooted as close as he could to her and kissed her cheek.

“He has quite the set of lungs,” Zelda commented.

“Whose lungs?” he asked playfully.

“Yours, probably.”

Link laughed and kissed her again. “How do you know what to do with him?” he asked, curious.

“Elice has been telling me stuff she’s learned from other mothers. She also has handled or helped in at least thirty deliveries. I couldn’t ask for a better midwife.”

“Wow,” he murmured. Link looked back down at his son. “What’s his name?” he whispered.

“I... I’m not sure,” Zelda whispered back, “We thought about a lot of names.”

“Most of them were girl names” he laughed quietly in her ear.

“We’ll keep that list in the back of our minds, then,” Zelda smiled at him.

“We narrowed it down to two boy names, right?” Link jumped back on the subject, not ready to discuss having another child.

“Karim and Senán.”

“I like...” they both said at the same time. Link nodded for Zelda to speak first.

“I like Senán better,” she said solemnly, watching his face.

The heart-stopping grin spread across Link’s face. “Me too.” He kissed her gently on the lips and he could not stop smiling.

Zelda traced his lips with her finger. “I love it when you smile like that.”

“I know,” he kissed her cheek.

Link looked down at his son again and traced one of his little pointed ears. “He has your ears.”

“Now how can you tell that? Zelda giggled.

Little Senán started fussing in his sleep, wriggling around in his mother’s embrace. Quickly, Link reached into his pocket and withdrew the Ocarina.

With his eyes on Zelda, he began to play her lullaby. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she was beaming. Senán stopped fussing and let out a sigh, content as the soft melody lulled him into dreamland.

Soon, Zelda’s eyelids began to droop and her breathing evened out. She always looked like an angel when she slept, so calm and peaceful. The corners of her lips turned up into a slight smile.

Link played quietly, watching his wife and newborn son. He played the song over again even quieter, making absolute sure that they were sound asleep.

When the song was over and the last note faded away, Link carefully slipped his arm back under his wife’s head. Zelda turned her head towards him in her sleep and he kissed her forehead gently.

He reached over her and pulled a blanket over all three of them, making sure that his family was warm. He carefully rested his other hand on Senán’s back, still amazed at how wonderful he was- even if he did throw up all over him.

Link nuzzled his face into Zelda’s hair and took a deep breath of her heavenly scent. He closed his eyes and smiled.

Soon, his breathing evened out and he was fast asleep beside the two loves of his life.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Roy sat on a log near the fire, concentrating on stirring the soup in the pot in front of him.

Around and around and around and around.

He shook his head and sighed. This is so boring...

But Elice had asked him to do it.

The redhead leaned forward and sniffed the aroma coming from the pot. Mmmm, so tasty...

“Roy!” a clear voice called his name.

Roy jumped and sat up guiltily. “I wasn’t going to eat it!” he immediately defended himself.

He turned and saw Elice walking towards him with a bunch of plants in her arms.

“Marth found more vegetables,” she informed him. She set them on the ground next to the fire.

Roy scooted over to make room for her on the log. “They look like weeds,” he grimaced, looking over the pile of greens.

Elice huffed and sat beside him. “They’re vegetables.”

Roy wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple.

“Did you put in the medicine I gave you?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“All three?”

“If you mean the brown powdery one, the light green flaky one and the weird smelling blue liquid, then yeah.”

“Did you remember the potatoes?”

Roy snorted, “You can’t call those scrawny roots that you found in the woods potatoes.”

“But yeah,” he raised his voice as Elice opened her mouth, “I cut them up in really small pieces like how you showed me and put them all in.”

Elice sighed and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Roy grinned. “So when can I get a bowl of this?”

“Roy!” Elice groaned, “I told you, this isn’t for you, it’s for Zelda! Munch on this if you’re hungry.” Elice picked up a thin carrot from the pile of vegetables and held it out to him.

Roy made a face. “Ewww! Vegetables are gross. What happened to the rest of the bird that you shot?”

“That’s for Zelda, too! I put it all in the soup.”

“All of it?” Roy yelped, “But... but I wanted to try it!”

“Then go do your own hunting,” Elice rolled her eyes. “We need to take care of Zelda first.”

“Hey guys!” called another voice, “Look what I caught!”

Roy and Elice turned around. Manasa was walking towards them, up the hill from the woods. In her hands, she held five dead birds.

“Allright!” Roy exclaimed, “My hero!”

Roy and Manasa exchanged a high five as she walked by him. The Sentei sat down opposite of Elice and started plucking the feathers out of the birds.

“She was going to make me eat weeds,” Roy jerked his thumb towards Elice and then pointed at the pile on the ground.

“Yuck,” Manasa agreed, eyeing the pile of green next to Elice. “Those look nothing like vegetables.”

“Well if you want to complain, complain to Marth, because he’s the one who found them,” Elice frowned.

“Actually,” Manasa smiled, “That’s a good idea. Prince Sunshine needs a lesson in foraging in the wilderness.”

“Link’s the best at it, why don’t we just send him out?” Roy injected.

“Because he’s with Zelda!” Elice and Manasa exclaimed at the same time, horrified.

“Oh,” said Roy, chagrined, “Yeah.”

“And speaking of Zelda...” Elice got up and went over to the pile of saddlebags that sat near the fire.

She rummaged through them, pulling out a bowl, a spoon, a hunk of bread and some cheese. Then she came back to the fire and plucked the big spoon out of Roy’s hands.

“Hey-” Roy pouted.

Elice spooned a generous amount of the soup into the bowl and started picking through the ‘vegetable’ pile.

“Roy?” Manasa asked, “Do you think you could finish with these birds? And start cooking them? I’m going to find Sunshine.”

“Sure.”

Manasa got up and jogged away from the camp, then teleported away.

“Licey...” Roy begged, sticking out his lower lip.

“What?” she replied tersely. She looked up at him and automatically softened.

“Oh Roy, I’m sorry...” she sighed. Roy took her hand and pulled her onto his lap.

“Zelda has stressed me out today,” she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. “It’s been three years since I helped deliver a firstborn. I forgot how stubborn they are.”

He kissed the top of her head and ran his hand down her back.

“Roy?” Elice sat up, “I need to give this to them,” she motioned towards the bowl of soup and the other food. “I’ll be right back, ok hon?” she planted a tender kiss on his lips.

“Kay” he smiled, untangling his arms from around her waist. He watched her walk towards the entrance of the tent where Link and Zelda were.

Oh, and their kid too. Roy still couldn’t imagine that his friend was a father now. It felt weird, especially since he hadn’t even seen the kid yet.


“Link?” Elice called softly at the tent entrance, pulling the tent flap aside an inch.

“Link?” she called again, when no one answered.

Elice ducked into the tent and straightened up, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light. She saw Zelda lying on the blankets with Link right beside her, his arms around her. Their son lay on top of Zelda and Link’s hand rested on his back. They were all fast asleep under the same blanket.

Elice felt herself grinning.

Carefully, she set the bowl and the food down and kneeled beside Link.

“Link,” she whispered, “Wake up.” She touched his shoulder.

He went on sleeping like a rock.

“Link...” she groaned, “Come on, wake up!” Elice gently shook him, trying to disturb only him and not Zelda or the baby.

Finally, he stirred. “Wha-?”

“It’s just me, Elice. I’ve got food for you two.”

Link sat up bleary-eyed. “Oh. Hi. What time is it?”

“An hour or so after midday. Zelda needs to eat something. And so do you. Neither of you had breakfast.”

Link’s stomach growled, confirming what Elice said. He blushed bright red.

“Here,” Elice went on, “the soup is for Zelda, it should be liquid enough for her to keep down. There is more outside in a pot near the fire if she wants more. The solid stuff is for you. Manasa just brought back some birds; but it will be awhile before they are done cooking.”

“Thanks,” Link grinned.

“Of course. And congratulations again.”

Link’s smile widened.

Elice smiled back. “Wake her up to eat; she needs to regain her strength.”

Link nodded and Elice left the tent.

“Zelda,” Link whispered, leaning over his wife. “Love, wake up. Doctor’s orders, you have to eat.”

He kissed her lips and she sighed, her eyelashes fluttering.

“Mmph” she groaned, burying her face into the blankets.

Link traced her ear with his finger. “Zel, c’mon, wake up. Let me see your beautiful blue eyes,” he whispered, turning her face towards his and kissing her forehead.

“Link?” Zelda mumbled, opening her eyes.

“Good afternoon, love.”

“Hey,” she smiled, blinking away the shroud of sleep.

“Elice ordered me to feed you,” Link said, stroking her face.

“Mmm... I can smell it. Smells good.”

Carefully, Link wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up into a sitting position, leaning her against his chest.

She sighed and looked down at her son, sleeping peacefully in her embrace. Our son, Link had called him. Senán.

She looked over his features, finding bits of herself and Link cleverly written in him. Senán was both of them, but both of them equally. Every time she found a bit of Link in him, she found a piece of herself as well.

Zelda was so absorbed in looking at her son that she did not notice the spoon inching closer to her mouth until Link said her name.

“Eat,” he ordered lovingly.

Zelda readily opened her mouth and drank the warm soup, spoonful by spoonful as Link fed it to her. Occasionally, he would take a bite of bread, but he mostly waited on Zelda, making sure she finished her meal.

Link scraped out the bowl, getting every bit in the last spoonful.

Zelda turned her head away. “I don’t want anymore, I’m full.”

“Zelda... Please, it’s just one more,” he begged, kissing her jaw.

She sighed and gave in, opening her mouth. Zelda swallowed the last spoonful and leaned back against her husband. Link set the empty bowl down and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. Zelda cradled a sleeping Senán in her arms.

“This feels weird,” Link commented, running his hand gently over Zelda’s now-flat stomach.

Zelda laughed and turned to kiss his cheek. He remained absorbed in touching her, thinking about something. Then he looked at Senán and shifted his arms to support hers as she held him.

He looked up to meet her eyes then. “Zel?”

She looked into his eyes expectantly, but he had lost his words. His mouth opened and closed a few times, his face blushing bright red.

“Umm... I don’t- I don’t know what to say, but...”

Link’s eyes flickered to their son, then back to her. “Thank you?” he winced, uncertain if those were the right words.

Zelda leaned forward and kissed him. “Thank you” she whispered back, kissing him again.

Link grinned and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Link? Zelda?” came a call from outside the tent. “Is it okay if we come in?”

“Sure” Link called back.

The tent flap moved aside and Elice and Manasa entered. Marth and Roy followed them but hung back at the entrance, a bit timid.

“How are you?” Manasa asked Zelda, kneeling beside her.

“Wonderful” Zelda answered.

“And your boy?” Elice inquired, sitting down on Zelda’s other side.

Senán grunted and wiggled in his mother’s embrace, opening his dark blue eyes.

“He’s awake,” she whispered, leaning down to kiss his head.

Now curious, both Marth and Roy ventured forward. Roy sat next to Elice and Marth kneeled next to Manasa.

“She ate the soup? All of it?” Elice asked Link. Link nodded in return.

“What did you name him?” Manasa asked, looking at the baby.

“Senán,” Zelda smiled.

“Say-nan?” Marth asked.

“Say-naaan, with a long ‘a’. It’s an old Hylian name. It means ‘little wise one’,” Link explained.

“Mmm. That’s a good name,” Marth replied, smiling.

Senán made another little noise and Zelda shushed him, letting him grip her littlest finger.

“Oh, his ears are so cute!” Manasa gushed, “They’re pointy!”

The whole group laughed and Manasa blushed.

“Did you want to hold him?” Zelda asked her.

“Oh! No, no, no, that’s alright,” she declined, holding her hands up in front of her, “I know absolutely nothing about children! And besides, I don’t want to scare him.”

“Elice?” Zelda turned to her other friend.

“Can I?” she breathed. “I never got a good look at him before.”

Carefully, Zelda passed her son to Elice, who cradled him close.

“Wow...” Elice whispered, looking up at Zelda, “He looks just like you, Zelda, except...” she looked down at him again. “He has your eyes, Link, and your eyebrows.”

“See! I told you!” Zelda turned to Link, who was blushing bright red.

“Ooh! Now he’s looking at me!” Elice exclaimed, “His eyes are so big!”

Roy tugged on a lock of her hair. “That’s because of your hair,” he laughed and leaned over to look at Senán. “It’s blinding blue, isn’t it, kid?” he asked the boy. Senán’s eyes widened even more.

“Well your hair is scaring him too! It’s a mess of flaming red!” Elice glared. She handed Senán back to Zelda.

Roy laughed and put an arm around her waist. Then he stopped laughing and tilted his head, looking at Senán curiously. “He’s all pink and wrinkly though.”

Elice jabbed him hard in the stomach with her elbow.

“Oof! Whatcha do that for?” Roy gasped, rubbing his ribs.

“I swear, Roy, if you can’t be mature, then get out!”

Roy looked down at the ground, chastised. “Sorry,” he mumbled to Zelda and Link.

Marth sighed and put a hand to his forehead.

Link and Zelda nodded, accepting Roy’s apology. “You were most likely pink and wrinkly too, Roy, when you were born” Zelda said, smiling at him.

Roy looked up and grinned at her. “You never know, I could have been born in an egg” he chuckled.

Elice frowned at him but Manasa started giggling.

“I do not think that is possible, Roy,” Marth began, smiling, “But it is a rather funny thought.”

Roy shrugged, smiling at his own joke.

“Link,” Zelda started in a small voice. She twisted her head to look at him. Link looked back into her eyes for a minute, then nodded. Everyone else watched Zelda, confused by the silent exchange of thought.

Zelda cleared her throat. “Well, everyone,” she began, nervously looking around at her friend’s faces. “Would you like to... call Senán your honorary nephew?” she ended hopefully.

The tent went silent, surprised. Marth recovered first.

“That... I would be honored” he managed to get out, looking from Zelda to Link and to their son.

Zelda beamed, then turned to Elice and Roy. Link smiled at Marth, and Marth grinned back.

“So... what, I’d be an Honor Uncle?” Roy asked, confusion written all over his face.

Zelda laughed gently. “No, Roy, ‘honorary’ not ‘honor’. You would be an uncle in title only.”

“She means something like a godfather, Roy,” Marth explained.

“Oh,” he said, then went silent. “Sure,” he began again, grinning. Link’s smile grew wider.

“Yes” Elice whispered, smiling. She slipped her arm into Roy’s and leaned against him slightly.

Link reached up and brushed back a lock of Zelda’s hair, which had been dangling dangerously close to Senán’s waving hand. He touched the little palm and instantly the tiny fingers closed around his in their surprisingly strong grip.

“Manasa?” Zelda said softly. Everyone turned to look at her.

Manasa sat on Marth’s left, near the foot of the improvised bed. Her shoulders were hunched forward and her arms were crossed across her chest. Her red eyes flicked from Senán to his parents, then to the rest of the group. “I...”

Nervously she brushed back her hair, conscious of everyone’s gaze. “But... I don’t know anything about kids. I’m not even...”

“Neither do I, Mana. But I was a kid once, so I figure I can figure it out,” Roy smiled at her. “She’s not asking us to babysit,” he joked.

“Oh that would go well,” Elice rolled her eyes and poked Roy in the ribs. “Zelda, if you ever need anyone to look after him, even for just an hour...”

“Thank you, Elice,” Zelda smiled at her friend, then turned back to Manasa.

Manasa remained silent, staring at Senán in deep thought. Marth turned towards her and caught her gaze. He smiled warmly. Manasa felt her heart skip a beat.

“I...” she started feebly, looking at Marth. “Okay,” she looked towards Zelda.

Zelda’s smile brightened. “Thank you, thank you everyone,” she whispered.

“Thanks,” Link echoed, grinning broadly.

“What are friends for?” Roy shrugged.

“Except, that’s family, now,” Zelda amended.

Roy laughed and put his arm around Elice’s shoulders.

Elice slipped her arm around Roy’s waist. “Family” she said, grinning. She caught her brother’s eye and then looked around the roughly shaped circle of people surrounding Senán.

Marth touched Manasa’s hand when he saw her confused expression. He smiled again.

She jumped and stared at him, then slowly, the corners of her lips turned up into a smile.

“We’ve got a family,” Link whispered. He leaned in and kissed Zelda, his finger still held tightly by his son’s hand.