Saturday, October 16, 1993, 10:00 AM

The lights were dim in Lana's bedroom. Soft music was playing on the stereo. Princess Lana was slow-dancing with her guest, Princess Zelda.

"This is so romantic." Zelda said dreamily.

Lana smiled. "Thanks." She paused for a moment. "I love you."

Zelda smiled back. "So you've told me."

"I don't tell you enough. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Lana and Zelda leaned closer to each other. Their lips met. They shared a silent kiss.

Just then, the door to Lana's room slid open. Kevin, Link, Stacey, and Kristen were standing there.

"Lana, we - whoa!" Kevin yelled suddenly.

Lana and Zelda, startled, pulled apart from each other and faced the newcomers.

"Kevin!" Lana said in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"We came to ask you and Zelda if you guys wanted to go with us to the mall." Kevin said. "But I see you two are busy."

"Zelda, what is going on?" Link asked.

"It's none of your business." Lana said. "We were having a private moment."

"Then why was your door unlocked?" Kristen asked.

Zelda sighed. "All right, everyone sit down."

Lana turned off the stereo, and they all sat on the floor of Lana's bedroom.

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you all about this." Lana said.

"I guess so." Kevin said.

"We'll start at the beginning." Zelda said. She looked at Lana.

Lana took a deep breath and released it. "I have recently been able to recall some more of my father's memories - including how Zelda and I first met."

"Really?" Kristen asked.

"Tell us about it." Stacey said.

"Okay." Lana said. "I wasn't even one year old yet. This is from my father's point-of-view. He took me to the Harkinian family Christmas party on Hyrule..."

Tuesday, December 24, 1974, 6:00 PM

The ballroom of North Castle was wonderfully decorated. Guests were gathering into the large room. Laughter was in the air. Everybody seemed happy.

King Charles Deschain walked into the room, and the other guests cleared a path for him. Charles was holding his infant daughter, Lana, in his arms.

King Harkinian of Hyrule, the host of the party, walked up and greeted his guest, smiling. "Charles! I'm so glad you could make it! Good to see you, old friend!"

King Charles nodded. "Likewise, Colin. Thank you for inviting us."

"Colin?" Kevin, Stacey, and Kristen interrupted.

"Yeah, Colin." Lana said in disgust. "Anyway,..."

"Ah, this must be Lana!" King Harkinian said.

King Charles nodded. "My second-born."

"She's adorable. Oh, where's Lyle?"

"Back at the Palace with a babysitter." King Charles laughed. "I hope she can handle a child who's only a year and a month older than Lana!"

King Harkinian also laughed. Then he grew serious, his voice taking on a sad tone. "I heard about what happened to Mary. I'm very sorry."

"Thank you."

King Harkinian shook his head. "Terrible thing - a mother dying giving birth to her child."

"Yes," Charles agreed, "it is."

"Just like Rebecca." King Harkinian sighed. "Poor Zelda. My only child will grow up without a mother."

"I haven't seen her since the day she was born." King Charles said. "May I?"

King Harkinian nodded. "Of course."

The two men walked into the Hylian King's chamber. King Harkinian walked up to a cradle.

Colin smiled. "Ah, you're awake, pookie!"

"Pookie?" Kevin, Link, Stacey, and Kristen interrupted.

Zelda groaned. "Oh, no."

King Harkinian lifted Zelda into his arms and walked back over to King Charles.

Charles smiled. "She certainly has grown."

"Yep." King Harkinian said.

The two men lifted their daughters and had them face each other.

"Lana, say hello to the future Ruler of Hyrule." Charles said.

The two baby girls laughed happily when they saw each other.

Lana was smiling. "That's how we first met."

"It must be weird remembering that." Kevin said.

Lana nodded. "I'll say! Zelda and I became best friends. We had fun growing up together. From playing in a crib to playing with balls and robots!"

"Robots?" Kristen asked.

Zelda nodded. "Uh-huh. We had these toy robots that could change into different forms."

Kevin, Stacey, and Kristen looked at each other and wondered if they wanted to ask.

"Those were fun!" Lana said. "We still have ours! Anyway, we're getting off topic. Now I'll tell you about how Zelda and I first fell in love. I asked her if I could come to North Castle and talk with her. We were sitting in front of a warm, cozy fire, because on Hyrule, Winter lasts until September, and it's worst in August. We were just sitting down..."

Tuesday, August 8, 1989, 8:00 PM

Lana was crying. "Zelda, I'm worried! I sent the last of the warriors in the royal army to Metroid to find and rescue my father. It's been hours now! And still no word." She stared into the fire, which cast its glow upon her face.

"Your father was a good man, Lana." Zelda said.

Lana looked at her with contempt. "Was? My father's not dead!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lana." Zelda apologized.

Lana turned her head to look into the fire again.

"They'll find him, and they'll bring him home." Zelda assured her.

Lana said nothing.

Zelda placed her left hand on Lana's right shoulder. "They will!"

Lana faced her. Zelda was trying to give her hope. What a dear friend she is, Lana thought. She kept on crying.

Zelda wiped the tears away from Lana's face with the fingers on her left hand.

The two girls stared into each other's eyes, which reflected the fire in the room.

Zelda leaned in close and kissed Lana on the lips. It was a pretty short kiss, only a few seconds long, but it meant a lot. It was passionate sorrow, hope, and love all in one.

When their lips parted, Lana looked at her and smiled weakly.

"I love you, Lana." Zelda said. She held her hands. "You remember that! I'll be there for you whenever you need me!"

"I love you, too, Zelda." Lana said, trying to hold back tears, but not succeeding. "And I will be there for you, too! Whenever you need me!"

Zelda placed her hands on Lana's cheeks, pulled her close, and kissed her again. She curled her arms around Lana's neck. Lana did the same to Zelda. This kiss lasted a lot longer than the first.

They didn't get much sleep that night.

"We kissed and cried and talked late into the night." Lana said. She fell silent.

"So, that's why you never give me a kiss!" Link told Zelda, frowning.

"And why you're not serious about a physical relationship with me!" Kristen told Lana, frowning also.

Zelda and Lana smiled.

"Okay, now I'm gonna tell you about how Link and I first met." Zelda said.

Link groaned. "Oh, no, not that!"

"I was riding my horse out in the forest," Zelda said, "thinking about how peaceful it was, when..."

Monday, September 4, 1989, 8:30 AM

"Help!"

Zelda heard the voice. "Yah!" she told her horse, and they took off.

Zelda soon located the source of the voice. It was a young boy sitting on the ground. He was backing away from three moblins. Soon, his back hit a tree, and he was trapped. The moblins kept advancing.

Zelda dismounted her horse and drew her bow from her magic pouch. It grew in her hand. She drew an arrow and readied it in the bow.

"Hey!" Zelda yelled.

The moblins turned and faced her.

"Leave him be." Zelda said sternly.

"Stay out of this, Princess Zelda!" one of the moblins said. "We'll get to you after we're finished with him!"

Zelda fired her arrow at the moblin. He blipped and was gone.

The other two moblins looked at each other, then ran towards her. Zelda kicked one to the ground. She elbowed the other in the face and took his spear. She struck both of them with it, and they were gone.

The boy got to his feet. "Nice job."

Zelda put her bow back in her pouch.

The boy went wide-eyed. "Oh, wow! You're Princess Zelda!"

"Yes."

He walked up to her and offered his right hand. "I'm Link."

Zelda frowned. "You're filthy." She turned and walked back over to her horse.

Link walked with her, on her right. "Comes with sleeping in mud. It's how an adventurer sleeps. Nothing but a magic pouch full of weapons and nature to provide you with a place to sleep."

"Sounds fascinating." Zelda said, not really thinking so.

Link nodded. "Yeah. I was born in the kingdom of Calatia, to the west of Hyrule. I'm the oldest son of Arn and Medila Chance. My dad gave me my sword on my eleventh birthday and started teaching me how to fight. He found I displayed a talent for swordplay and a thirst for adventure - "

"Good for you." Zelda said, trying to end the mostly one-way conversation.

"Anyway, you didn't have to bother saving me from those moblins. I was about to fight them myself."

"You were scared." Zelda said. "You panicked when they caught you by surprise. They would've kicked your ass had I not intervened."

Link nodded. "Okay. Listen, I work as a hired adventurer. You need a job done, I'll do it - for a price."

"You're tapped out, aren't you?"

"Yep."

Zelda mounted her horse. Link went over to a nearby tree and untied his.

"You've got a nice horse." Zelda remarked.

"Thanks. Her name is Catherine. Your horse is nice, too."

"Thanks."

Link mounted his horse. "Well, I'll be off. Just remember: if you need anything rescued or protected, just look for me." He turned and started riding off.

"Wait." Zelda said.

Link stopped Catherine and turned her around.

"There is something you can do for me."

Zelda opened a door to a room in North Castle. She stepped inside, and Link walked in to her right. There was a glowing green pyramid floating above a pedestal in the room.

Zelda gestured at the object. "This is the Triforce of Wisdom, Link. The evil wizard, Ganon, has the Triforce of Power."

They both walked over to a window and looked out at Death Mountain. Smoke and fire were coming out of it.

"Whoever gets both Triforces will rule this land forever!" Zelda faced Link and placed her left hand on his chest and her right hand on his left arm. "You must help me, Link!"

Link faced Zelda. "Hey, for you, Zelda, anything!"

"Great, you're hired." Zelda said. "You will sleep in this room."

"Hey, what about me?" a voice asked. A fairie flew into the room. "You're ditching me already?"

"Oh, sorry." Link apologized. "Princess, this is Spryte. I met her a month ago." He leaned in close to Zelda. "She's kinda got a crush on me."

Zelda started laughing uncontrollably. Link frowned at her.

"Sorry." Zelda said, still laughing. "Sure, Spryte, you can stay here. I'll let you two get settled." She turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Then she just cracked up.

Kevin, Lana, Zelda, Stacey, and Kristen burst out laughing.

Link was ticked. "Hey! It's not that funny!"

"Sorry!" Zelda said, still laughing. "Anyway, five days later, Lana came over at night to tell me about Videoland's newest hero..."

Saturday, September 9, 1989, 11:30 PM

"Zelda! Zelda!" Lana's voice was filled with excitement as she ran into the courtyard at North Castle.

Zelda was sitting on a bench, enjoying the beauty of the night sky. Upon hearing and seeing her friend, however, she stood up to greet her.

Lana hugged her friend. "Zelda, it's happened!"

Zelda forced Lana to make eye contact with her. "What's happened, Lana? Why are you so excited?"

"Part of the Ancient Prophecy has been fulfilled!" Lana said excitedly. "Captain N has been brought to Videoland!"

Zelda smiled. "That's wonderful!"

"It's happening, Zelda!" Lana said, grinning. "The tide is turning! We may win!"

The two Princesses kissed each other for a few seconds.

Zelda then held Lana's right hand in her left and led her over to the bench. They sat down next to each other, with Lana on Zelda's left.

"I wanna hear about this Captain N." Zelda said.

"Well, his name's Kevin Keene." Lana said. "He's my age. When he arrived a few hours ago, he originally didn't want to help us, but, after I was kidnapped by King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard and taken to Metroid, he and the rest of the N Team came and rescued me. And now he wants to stay and help."

"Are you all right?" Zelda asked, concerned, placing her right hand on Lana's left shoulder.

Lana nodded. "I'm fine,...but..."

"But what?" Zelda asked.

"I - I find myself attracted to him." Lana said.

"I see." Zelda said.

"Are you mad?" Lana asked.

Zelda shook her head. "No." She kissed Lana gently.

"Zelda, are you attracted to Link?" Lana asked suddenly.

This caught Zelda off-guard. "I, uh,...no! Of course not!"

Lana folded her arms. "Zelda?"

Zelda sighed. "Maybe a little." She frowned. "Not much, though. He keeps showing off to impress me. I hate that!"

Lana giggled. Then she grew serious. "Zelda, I hope this doesn't interfere with our relationship."

"Well,...let's wait and see where all this leads." Zelda said. "If either of us find ourselves attracted to our new heroes, we can have relationships with them, just as long as the two of us are the most important people in each other's lives."

"Always." Lana said.

"Kiss me." Zelda told her.

Lana gently pressed her lips against Zelda's lips. Zelda curled her arms around Lana's neck and pulled her into a deep kiss. Lana placed her hands on Zelda's shoulders. The two girls kissed passionately. Their tongues danced with each other. Zelda and Lana stood up and walked away from the bench. The Princess of Videoland laid down on the ground, and the Princess of Hyrule laid down on top of her. They kissed again. Zelda placed her left hand on Lana's right breast. She gave it a squeeze. Lana moaned. Zelda then placed her right hand on Lana's left thigh and broke the kiss. Lana gazed into Zelda's beautiful eyes.

Zelda licked Lana on the lips. "You can love Kevin, just as long as you love me more."

Lana nodded as a sign of her commitment.

Zelda wet her lips with her tongue and kissed Lana again, and they made out in the courtyard for the next four hours.

A long silence filled the room.

Finally, Kevin spoke: "So,...you two are...a couple."

Lana nodded. "We were first, so we consider our relationship with each other more important than any relationships that formed after that."

"But please hold your judgements until we finish." Zelda said.

The others remained silent.

"On my seventeenth birthday, I was given many things, but taken away from me was the one thing I valued above all of those." Zelda began to cry. "My father."

Wednesday, May 9, 1990, 9:00 AM

Princess Zelda got out of bed. Wearing only her pink nightgown, she walked over to a dresser and reached for a hairbrush.

There was a knock on the door. Forgetting the brush for the moment, she went to see who it was. Zelda opened the door and found herself the receipient of a passionate kiss by a lovely brunette.

When their lips parted, Zelda smiled. "Hi, Lana."

Lana smiled back at her. "Hi, Zelda. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you."

"I wanted to be the first to tell you."

"Well, you are."

Lana kissed Zelda again. "Get dressed. Your surprise party's ready."

"Lana, don't tell me!" Zelda said.

Lana smiled. "Why not? You knew you'd have one anyway."

"Here, Princess. You can use this to admire yourself." Spryte handed her a hand-held mirror with gold trim. She knew Zelda was vain.

Zelda smiled. "Thank you, Spryte!" She handed the mirror back to her.

"And this is from me." Link said. He handed her a framed picture of himself.

"Uuuhhh,...thanks, Link." Zelda said, looking the picture over.

"I figured you'd want a picture of me while my hair's reasonably short. I've decided to grow it long." Link said. "Plus, I just know you want a picture of me to hang in your room."

"Uh,...yeah. Just what I wanted."

Link smiled. "You can thank me by giving me a kiss, seeing as it's also my birthday."

Zelda whacked him on top of the head with the picture. Lana laughed. Link rubbed his head.

"Here, Zelda." Lana said. She handed Zelda some clothes.

Zelda unfolded them. The clothing set consisted of a pink-purple and blue shirt, a pink vest, a pink-purple glove for her right hand, a golden elbow pad for her right elbow, a golden bracelet for her left wrist, a pair of round golden earrings, a blue cloth to wear around her waist and cover her crotch, brown leg coverings, golden kneepads, and short purple shoes.

"Oh, Lana! They're beautiful!" Zelda handed the clothes to Spryte. "Thank you so much!"

Zelda placed her hands on Lana's cheeks and leaned forward, then abruptly stopped. Her instinct - her urge, her desire - was to kiss Lana passionately on the lips. However, she didn't want to reveal their relationship just yet. Her father hoped she would someday marry a rich man and give him grandchildren. Screw that, Zelda thought. There's no way I'm gonna have that thing in my belly for nine months. Lana agreed that their relationship had best be kept secret for now. So, Zelda settled on kissing Lana on her left cheek.

Lana smiled. "You're welcome."

"And finally, here's my gift to you, daughter." King Harkinian said.

Zelda turned and faced him fully.

King Harkinian stood up from his throne. He held a belt in his hands. It was brown and had a golden Triforce on the buckle.

"I made it for you." King Harkinian said.

Zelda smiled broadly. "Oh, Father. Thank you!" She approached him.

King Harkinian's smile abruptly faded. He grew faint. He clutched his chest in pain.

"Father?" Zelda asked, losing her smile.

The King collapsed onto his throne.

"Father!" Zelda ran up to him.

Link and Lana ran up and stood behind Zelda. Spryte flew over Link's left shoulder.

"Father, what's wrong?" Zelda asked, kneeling before him.

"Heart attack." he replied.

Everyone gasped.

King Harkinian clutched Zelda's hands.

"Father, let me get the doctor!" Zelda tried to pull away.

"No." he said, pulling her back to him. "It's too far away. There are no warp zones from there to here. He'll never get here in time. Not even on the fastest horse. I don't have much time, so please listen."

"Father - "

"Listen!" the King yelled, shaking her hands.

Zelda looked at him and listened.

"Upon my death, Hyrule is yours. Take care of her for me. I have taught you well in these past seventeen years. You are still very young, but you are also very wise. I trust you'll make all the right decisions. You have Link to take care of you, and Lana for advice on being a leader. You'll do fine. The Gods shall favor you. I...love you, my dear daughter, Zelda. Happy Birthday." And with that, he closed his eyes, and his head leaned against his right shoulder.

King Harkinian of Hyrule was dead.

"Nooo!!! Daddy!!!" Zelda screamed.

She pulled her hands away from his and held the belt he had sewn for her as a birthday present.

Princess Lana approached and knelt to Zelda's right. Link approached with Spryte and stood to Zelda's left.

Zelda ran her right thumb over two letters sewn into the belt: Z.H.

"My initials." Zelda said. She began to weep.

Lana placed her left hand on Zelda's right shoulder.

Zelda raised her head to face the ceiling. Tears flooded her face, which had turned red. "Why, Gods?!!! Why?!!!"

Zelda then let out a loud scream that would haunt Lana Deschain forever.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Material novelized from "The Legend of Zelda" opening theme song
Copyright © 1989 by Nintendo of America Inc.