a/n (2017) - This particular fic is my "drama baby," one of my first attempts to write a dramatic short story! I still occasionally get the itch to do an overhaul edit on this piece, but I feel like the place I am now in life would totally change the tone, and so preservation's sake wins out yet again.

...Okay, maybe I tweaked it just a little. I was quite the fan of ellipses at the time.

"The Fountain"

Princess Zelda leaned on the fountain's edge, her chest heaving and her slender fingers clasping the cloak at the throat.

That had been too close. She could still hear the night guards at the gate, laughing as they went back to their posts. They had almost seen her when she scaled the final wall, and if something had not distracted them, she would have been caught.

Their voices floated to her ears across the thick, dark air.

"Come on, it was probably just a cat. There was no one there," said the deep, smiling voice of a guard.

A rather squeaky young man answered him. She could hear his armor clanking as he shifted nervously. "I saw what I saw! There was a guy in a cloak, and if you don't believe me, then you can all run crying when he kills us in our sleep!"

"Now now," came the amused reply. "There's no call for that! Don't worry, we'll protect you from the..." The guards' voices faded as they turned a stone corner.

Zelda sighed and closed her eyes, her thick lashes fluttering against her pale skin as her heart rate began to slow. Goodness, having to sneak out like a hoodlum, a thief. She was seventeen and a princess. It should not have to be this way.

She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest, staring sullenly ahead. Before her was the Fountain of Hope, a large structure of ivory marble erected at the heart of Hyrule Market. Under the soft glow of moonlight, its glistening waters spewed from the proud tip of a Triforce symbol and tumbled down seven levels, resting in the final one. Each level bore a delicate yet firm depiction of an element: light, shadow, water, fire, wind, spirit, and forest.

Zelda was a creature of every element, but right now, she wanted to be free like the wind, to let it caress her and take her where she wanted to go.

Again she sighed, knowing she should be praying like she had come to do, but the bubbling potion of thoughts in her head would not give her peace. Her father had become overly protective of her since the incident a few years ago, when another had enforced his rule over Hyrule. The sorcerer had turned the castle residents to stone, sent vicious beasts into the land, and brought her to a tower to drain Light's Essence from her body. She distinctly remembered his vivid red eyes, the right one concealed by a lock of purple hair, and that pointy smile that graced his face. Vaati was so very... alive, as she would describe him, so power-hungry and obsessive.

There it was again, that chill she felt whenever she thought of him. It was as if he haunted her steps, mystically plagued her dreams. She laughed quietly, nervously. Focus, she reminded herself. You have something important to do.

The princess took a deep breath and rubbed her temple for a moment. Feeling her calm slowly return, she lightly placed her gloved fingers on the fountain's edge and peered into its deep waters. Scattered at the depths were almost fragile looking rupees of glittering green and blue. She knew there were red and possibly even purple ones in the upper levels, for those were where you cast your greatest wishes. She herself often tossed red rupees to the uppermost level, as if hoping her physical representation of a prayer would reach the One who had made even the three goddesses Himself.

The rippling water soothed her with its liquid grace. She turned slightly and relaxed her shoulders. She tucked her hair behind her pointy ear and began bowing her head when she froze.

A shadowy cloaked figure stood not five feet from her. It seemed so incredibly still, like a statue from the earth, that it was no wonder she had not seen it. Yet the bottom of its cloak swelled on that windless night.

Her senses were on alert. They prickled with danger, and she took an involuntary step backwards, a gentle rustle of her skirt and a pat of her slipper.

The figure noticed. There was a flash of white as it smiled and threw back its hood.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Vaati.

"Hello, princess," he said, "it's been a while." Vaati perused her. "For you, anyway."

She stiffened and forced herself not to flee, but her mind was whirring. What does he mean, 'For me'? Then his implication became clear.

He had been watching her.

Breathing became difficult as a familiar shiver traversed her spine, only this time she knew her mind had not been deceiving her. The pot clinking in an empty hallway, the scuff mark on her windowsill... the figure squatting on a rooftop, the wind blowing darkly on its sinister silhouette, only to be swept away by the next coming of a cloud...

"It was you!" she gasped. "Y-You were in my room, and in my dreams and -"

"Your dreams?" Vaati interrupted. "I was everywhere else, yes, but I never invaded your dreams." He tilted his head, purple locks swaying. "It appears you've betrayed yourself, my dear. Though I have to say, I'm flattered that you think of me while you sleep."

Zelda blushed and averted her gaze, then remembered to whom she was speaking. She turned back to see Vaati lean against the fountain. His long legs crossed at sandaled ankles, and with his form stretched out, a rough outline of his lithe muscles could be seen beneath a silk purple tunic. Her cheeks reddened and her gaze drifted upwards. Vaati's jaw was firm and his cheekbones refined, and his skin was as white as it had been years ago if not more so. She hated to admit it, but he was dreadfully attractive, and at the corner of his mouth she could see that ghost of a smile. Then their eyes met.

He had been watching her, as usual.

If it was even possible, she got redder. Vaati languidly glanced around the square a moment as if he did not notice.

"Is it not strange how empty Hyrule Market is at night?" he commented, taking in the lifeless stone buildings and moonlit cobblestones. "During the day, hundreds of Hylians bustle around town like their hair is on fire. At night, however, it's rare to see even a cat on prowl. Now there's but you and I to hear these ancient stones whisper their secrets, unhindered by all of those fast-fading mortals."

'You and I.'

Zelda suddenly realized how very much alone she was with this man. She had put herself in a possibly dangerous situation. She needed to act before he did.

"This game of yours has gone far enough, Vaati," she said sternly. "Tell me why you are here, or I'll call the guards!"

He snorted. "The guards? Oh, please, they can't hear you. I put them under an enchantment. We are both silent and invisible to them." He set his jaw and glared at the gate. "Well, all except for one. That squeaky speck of a guard somehow invaded my invisibility charm. I shall have to be more careful in the future."

She mentally chided herself for being so inattentive. So Vaati was the distraction at the gate! I should have noticed...

His deep voice disrupted her thoughts.

"It's no matter, really. No one will know to interrupt us for hours. I practically have you all to myself."

Warning sirens blared off in her head, increasing in volume when he straightened nonchalantly and faced her. Zelda tensed and prepared for the worst.

"My delectable creature, all of this time I have been following you, there has been something nagging on my brilliant consciousness..."

Oh no.

"...and the more I have thought about it, the more I think it requires an answer..."

An answer?

"... that only you can provide."

What is he going to do?

She could not help it; she looked away nervously, dreading his request.

"What is it that you so adamantly come to wish for?"

She started. Surely her ears deceived her? Cautiously, she glanced back.

He was staring at her, haughtily, it seemed, but for his brow furrowed slightly in puzzlement.

She felt her cheeks suddenly flush under his intense gaze, feeling so dim-witted for allowing fear to overpower her mind.

"I-I..." she stammered, caught off guard. Was that all? What was wrong with her? She clenched her fist. It was a simple question! She tossed her head and forced herself to reply, hoping she was not making a mistake. "Well..." she began. It could not hurt to answer. Maybe her words could somehow shed a light to his dark path. She took a deep breath. "I come here to wish, or rather, to pray, for peace, " she finally managed.

She stopped. Vaati nodded for her to continue. She puffed a stray strand of hair from her eye. Really, would he understand? She looked up at the starry sky and, out of habit, stroked the hollow of her throat. How could she put it?

"It's... not just peace for myself, but for the people as well. I pray for peace for the Gorons, the Zoras, the - the Minish." She avoided his eyes. "Peace can be a comfort as well as a weapon. It can be a defense mightier than magic, for those who have peace inside of them have the clearest mindsets. You see why it is so vital here." She sighed and tugged her glove, unable to stop the flow of words. "It's just, I just wish I could obtain this peace. It's a lot easier to accomplish a task without fear looming up to..."

Zelda faltered when he scoffed and his mouth twisted scornfully. So much for peace. He had not changed a bit, seeing how he still mocked her.

Something flared up inside her. She had just opened her heart to him like she had no other. It had been foolish of her, yes, but she still deserved to be treated with respect! She straightened her shoulders and set her jaw, narrowing her flashing blue eyes at him.

"And what business does a sorcerer have at the Fountain of Hope?" she snapped. "Is there something you come here to meditate on? A wish, perhaps, that you wait to come true?" She crossed her arms and awaited his answer. To her surprise, he grinned broadly.

"What is my wish?" he asked playfully, "What prayer do I offer of my own desires?" Vaati tapped his chin in mock thought. "I suppose I want..." She flinched when he swiftly stepped toward her with a dramatic sweep of his cape, his red eyes glowing. "Power! Domination!"

Zelda took a rapid step back when he pressed closer.

"You see, princess, old wishes often die hard, but mine have not even begun to fade. I've had my opportunity to take Hyrule, and frankly, I realize I went about it the wrong way."

Her dark blue eyes widened. What was he talking about? She made to run away, but he swiftly, eloquently, blocked her path.

"Oh no," Vaati continued as she backed against the fountain's cold, marble edge. "I didn't go about it the right way at all."

He placed his hands on the stone on either side of her and leaned forward until she could see every contour of his striking face. His breath wafted warmly across her skin.

Goosebumps rose on her arms; her heart rate quickened; her stomach clenched oddly. Was he using magic on her? Carefully, out of view under her cloak, she began drawing power to her hand.

If he noticed her discomfort, he either took private joy in it or ignored it. His face took a more serious expression as he stared up at the stone Triforce spewing water behind her. "I have great plans," he murmured, "Ones that will shake this world. This time, my power is so guaranteed, I can taste it. But I cannot do it alone, and that is why I need you."

Vaati suddenly looked down and grabbed her elbow, yanking her arm out from underneath her cloak. She tried to hit him with her other fist but he seized her wrist. The hand she had hidden was glowing yellow with magic, the Triforce symbol on the back pulsing.

He chuckled and slid his hand up her wrist to rest at the base of her palm. "Foolish girl." The light flared once and fizzled out. Her hand fell limp and heavy, and it felt like something was blocking her powers. A bubble of panic threatened to rise in her throat.

Vaati gazed admiringly at the blonde locks shimmering wildly across her shoulders in the moonlight. "Don't worry," he said, "It's only temporary. You need to learn better control of your powers."

Zelda trembled under his gaze. She was painfully aware that he now repressed her arms, and she was momentarily helpless. As he lowered her arms to her sides, she found she could not struggle. He must have put her under a spell of some kind, something that made her heart race, put butterflies in her stomach... and he was doing it through those deep, blood red pools he called eyes.

Those eyes glided over every inch of her features, lingering over her slightly agape mouth. He chuckled, his face close. "Princess," he whispered, "you are mine."

Then he pressed his lips against hers.

Zelda was so shocked she could scarcely breathe. Her first kiss... taken by the enemy. She was barely aware that he gazed at her with a trace of amusement, gauging her reaction, before she closed her eyes. Behind her lids, her thoughts were hazed with confusion, amazement, and a feeling she could not place. Was it supposed to feel this way? Was it wrong to feel... Air fluttered in her throat when he pulled her against him and gently deepened the kiss. All thoughts began to fade from her head except a single betraying one.

She kissed him back.

His lips were cold and soft, and she felt him smile when she gave in. Her mind swam with confused emotion.

She came back to reality a moment later at the bruising squeezing of her wrists. Her eyes shot open. What was she doing? He had just threatened her and her kingdom, and all she could do was kiss him?

Zelda began writhing even as she tore her mouth from his. Vaati quickly released her and took a few steps back, the grin on his pale face even wider than before. She took a defensive stance and glared at him. In reality, she was angrier with herself. She was such a fool, letting her guard down like that!

Vaati licked his lips and smirked. "Hn... That was easier than I thought it would be." He brushed a shock of purple hair from his face. "It appears that you, my princess, seem to have been harboring some feelings."

She looked away, shamefaced. He had uttered what she had barely admitted to herself, after all of these years, despite the horrible things he had done.

How pathetic.

Vaati gathered his cloak about him and glanced at the moon. Its light glowed across the square like liquid ice, illuminating each stone of the cobbled streets. "Step one has been set in motion, and now all I have to do it wait. Thank you, my love, for your cooperation." He tilted his head and blinked slowly. "It was a most... enjoyable experience."

Zelda froze at his parting words and jerked her head back to look at him, but she was too slow. He was already gone.

She sighed heavily and collapsed on the fountain's edge. For a moment she just sat there, staring into the distance. A warm breeze gently danced along her arms, through her tresses and against her skirts. The water behind her tumbled on as usual. The night seemed so calm, yet...

She turned her neck and gazed at the proud structure behind her. The cold, ivory marble held itself indifferently like it had never met her before. Who was this used young woman at its base, her trodden heart preserving prayer? Zelda softly shook her head and turned away. It appeared that peace was going to be harder to obtain.

A new kind of turmoil had just set itself as the stumbling block.