"And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time,
And the greatest gift they'll get this year is life,
Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow,
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?
Feed the world; let them know it's Christmas time!"
Hello my darlings! I'm back for Christmas! Before I begin I'd like to say a big thank you to TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, and prettyguardianohhyrule who helped when I was worrying over this! I'd also like to thank my FLAWLESS beta reader Princess Zelda-figure skater who is helping once again!
You should note that this story takes place about a year after Begin Again! And this chapter is told in the point of view of Sheik, enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE: All credit for cover art goes to the amazing RadiantRoses of DeviantArt!
He makes his way through the door, holding the large, slightly damp, cardboard box in his gloved hands. He stamps his sturdy leather boots on the doormat, knocking off chunks of slightly muddy snow before proceeding into the room and laying the box on the coffee table. He bites the tips of his fingers and uses them to pull his gloves off and then stuffs them into his pocket.
"Is it still snowing out?" Zelda asks, pulling the lid of the cardboard box open.
"Yup." Link mutters in response as he pulls his beanie hat from his head, letting his long blonde hair fall into its scruffy position. He proceeds to rip his coat off as I delve into the box, hunting for my chicken chow Mein.
"Is my duck wrap in there?" Midna asks.
I delve a little deeper, pulling out mine and Midna's food. I hand her the polystyrene box marked "D+HW".
Link hangs his coat on the hooks before proceeding to sit on the couch next to Zelda.
Saria frowns. "Is that a new coat?"
He nods, "Yeah, got it last week!"
Zelda digs around in the box, handing out dishes of takeout food to everyone. "Hey!" She says, smiling as she opens her box of sweet and sour chicken, "Not long until Christmas now!"
"I know!" Midna squeals in response. Everyone lets out a low groan, causing her to frown, looking around at us all. "What?"
Saria laughs, "Last Christmas you were hell, just like your birthday, and Easter… and Halloween!"
"I just get excitable," she mumbles, poking her tongue out at Saria. "Oh! I just remembered! Did you ask your friend about the van, Sheik?"
"Yeah," I reply, sipping from my beer can. "He says it's all good, it'll be here Saturday morning."
"Fantastic!" She squeaks.
"Wait… what?" Zelda questions, her fork paused in mid-air.
"Oh, Sheik's mate is lending us a van to move all my stuff," Midna says casually.
"Move your stuff? Where?" Zelda asks, a frown now evident on her brow.
"Sheik's place, I'm moving in… remember?" Midna says plainly.
"You never told me that!" Zelda exclaims.
"We discussed it two weeks ago!" Midna says, "I remember because we were baking cookies at the time!"
Zelda turns to me, giving me her 'I hate you big brother' look. "That was the day Sheik opened a cupboard door into my forehead, you know I had concussion!"
"Oh yeah…" Midna mumbles guiltily, giving me a funny look.
"Oh great," Zelda moans sarcastically. "Now I'm going to have to find myself a new roommate!"
Link sits up a little straighter, drawing attention to himself. "I know its short notice… but what if I move in?"
She turns to look at him, surprise and shock in her innocent blue eyes. Yet, within a few moments, a smile spreads across her lips. "Yeah! I mean, sure! Why not? We've been together for over a year now, why shouldn't we be living together?"
"Great!" He replies, laughing as he gets to his feet, arms outstretched. She runs into his arms and the two share a celebratory hug. She giggles excitedly, jumping up and down as they break apart.
"Yeah, yeah, this is all very touching!" Saria interrupts, "But now I have to find a now roommate!"
"Sorry Saria…" Zelda mumbles, but she can't hide the grin on her face.
"Congrats!" I say, laughing. "You're moving in together and you haven't even had sex yet!" I quip sarcastically.
"Well…" Link mumbles, looking down at his feet.
Zelda pushes him back to arm's length, raising her eyebrows a little. "Link!" She hisses.
I feel my eyes turn to discs, my jaw dropping. "When!? Why didn't you tell me bro?" I ask, getting to my feet and holding my hand high above our heads, requesting a hi-five.
Link gives me a blank look. "Sheik, that's your sister!"
"Still," I say laughing, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Zelda scoffs. "We don't have to tell you every detail of our love lives!"
"We've been together a year Sheik," Link says, laughing. "Did you really think we wouldn't?" He glances up at my hand, still raised in the air, just shaking his head in response.
"Come on…" I say, "Don't leave me hanging!"
He rolls his eyes, but slaps my palm anyway. Zelda scoffs once again, collapsing back onto the couch. Link settles next to her, his arm around her shoulders. I look over at Midna, giving her a quick kiss before I settle back in the armchair.
"Ok, enough of the coupley stuff!" Saria moans, shoving another mouthful of her dinner into her mouth.
"Are you alright, Saria?" Midna asks, frowning a little. "You seem a bit… touchy today…"
Saria sighs, "Do you know how much it sucks being the only single person in a group full of couples?"
Midna laughs, "You're right, sorry, no more coupley stuff tonight!"
"Thank you," Saria replies, still smiling.
"Hey! On a different note, Sheik, you'll never guess who I ran into the other day!" Link cuts in.
"Who?" I ask, dropping my now empty dish onto the table.
"Ruto!" Link replies laughing, "I haven't seen her since football camp!"
I raise my eyebrows, smiling a lopsided smile. "Did you have a nice chat about what happened between you two under the bleachers?"
He sticks his jaw forward, giving me a dirty look. "We agreed never to talk of that again."
I knock on the front door of Zelda and Midna's apartment, adjusting the collar of my shirt and standing up a little straighter. I put on a bright smile as the front door is pulled open, only to reveal a rather bored looking Link stood on the other side.
"Heya Link, what are you doing here?" I ask.
He shrugs, "Something went wrong with the wifi so Midna needed me to fix it."
"Ahh ok, is she in?" I ask.
"Yeah, she's still getting ready, come on in though."
"Cheers," I reply, stepping into the slightly brighter lit apartment.
He stops, looking me up and down. "Look at you! You sure dress up smart for your dates with Midna!"
"What can I say? She likes it when I make an effort!" I reply, pulling a cheesy grin and pointing my index fingers at him, thumbs up in the air. He sighs, sloping over to the window seat and flopping into it, gazing out of the window at the snowy city.
"If you came here to fix the wifi… why haven't you left yet?" I ask, making my way over to him, my hands deep in the pockets of my smart black jeans.
"I'm waiting for Zelda to get home from work," He replies, not even turning to look at me.
"Work? She's a kindergarten teacher and it's eight in the evening!"
"It's parents evening," Link replies, his face so close to the glass that it fogs up a little under his breath.
"So what are you doing?" I ask, flopping on the other end of the window seat.
"Just thinking…" He mumbles.
I frown, "You? Thinking? That's dangerous!"
He lets out a hollow laugh, but his eyes don't quite match.
"Come on Link! Just tell me what you're thinking about! We don't have long till Midna finishes!"
He sighs dramatically, "Fine… I went into the city yesterday and I spent about three hours in 'Bejewelled' that new shop in the bizarre."
"Oh… and?" I frown.
"I bought this," He mumbles, reaching into his jacket pocket, and producing a small black box.
I swear for a moment my heart leaps into my throat. "That's not…"
"Take a look," He whispers, holding the tiny promising box out to me. His bright sky blue eyes are shining as a grin appears on his face.
I carefully take the box, my hands shaking as I pull open the lid. And my eyes fall on a shining golden ring, lying on a bed of soft velvet, the colour of a midnight sky. A large gemstone glimmers in the light of the apartment, sparkling under the stars shining through the window.
"Holy sh-"
"Sixteen carats!" He smiles, "Genuine diamond!"
I feel my breathe escape me as I try to find the right words. "Is… the… ok… before I start screaming like a ten year old girl, is this what I think it is?"
He grins a sly smile. "Ok, let's give this a try…" he carefully takes the ring from my hand, standing up and shaking himself up. Then he quickly spins around, facing me as he kneels down on one knee, holding the ring out to me. "Will you marry me?"
Suddenly, a loud scream can be heard from behind us. Midna stands, her hands clasped over her mouth, her eyes shining as she begins to jump up and down.
"Oh! Goddess! Shoot! Midna, look…" Link mumbles, pocketing and closing the box and getting to his feet, advancing on Midna, hands outstretched. "Please just stay calm-"
"OH MY GOSH YOU'RE PROPOSING?"
"Shh!" He hisses. She reaches out; taking the ring from his hands, screeching like a hyper active toddler as she jumps up onto the sofa, leaping from chair to chair, just like we used to when we were kids playing in the living room…
"Come on Midna, give it back!" Link sighs.
But she just pokes her tongue out at him, leaping onto the couch. She grabs my hand, pulling me up with her.
"Come on! Get down! You're going to break something!" He whines. I grin, stepping on the coffee table like it's a stepping stone, before pouncing onto the three seater.
Link just rolls his eyes, leaping at Midna, who's standing at the other end of the sofa, she laughs as he collides with her, knocking her down onto her back and into me. The three of us drop like dominoes onto soft squashy couch seats, caught up in a tangle of arms and legs. Hysterical giggles escape Midna and Link steals the ring back from her clutches.
"Oww…." I mumble through my laughter as Midna's elbow presses into my hip.
"Sorry!" She giggles, wriggling as she tries to get to her feet. "Link move your leg!" She whines.
"Can you tell your boyfriend to get his hand off my ass first?" He asks.
I quickly pull my hand out from the mess of bodies. "Sorry…" I mumble, "I thought you were Midna…"
He hauls himself to his feet, losing his shoe in the process. He sighs as he shakes his head, putting his hair back into place. "To answer your question, yes, yes I am proposing to Zelda!"
"DUDE!" I grin, getting to my feet. "We are no longer just going to be bro's… we're going to be brothers!"
"Brothers in law," Link corrects me. "That's assuming Zelda says yes!"
I roll my eyes, "Please! Of course she's going to say yes, she's crazy about you!"
"Really?" He asks, a mild blush seeping across his cheeks. "You really think so?"
"Duh!" I reply as I playfully punch him on the shoulder, before turning to Midna. "So, you ready to go baby?"
"Yup!" She replies, smiling as we walk over to the door, she picks up her purse as I pull the front door open.
I turn back to Link momentarily. "Good luck little buddy, not that you'll need it!"
He laughs, "I'm waiting till Christmas to do it!"
I grin. "Then it'll be a very Zelda Christmas!"