Zelda was regrettably suffering from a bad case of insomnia. Tossing and turning in bed, she attempted in vain to fall asleep. She clutched her pillow and held it close to her head, counting sheep. Fox had told her earlier that day that counting sheep would help her eventually slumber. The common remedy was not so working out for the princess. "23…24…25.." She sighed, exasperated, giving up. She sat up and turned on her bed side lamp and looked over to Peach's bed.
The blonde mushroom princess was silently snoring away in between her huge, puffy, heart shaped pillows in a deep slumber. Oh, how Zelda envied her. She was starting to think that her silk and beaded pillows were the source of her insomnia; how uncomfortable they were starting to feel. 'I should really tell Impa to send me bead-less pillows next time,' she thought to herself, grumbling and putting on her silk slippers.
What should she do now? Trying to sleep by counting sheep wasn't doing any good. And on nights like these, all she usually did was read or sew. She had already grown bored of those on the first month of being insomniac.
Zelda looked up at the clock sitting on the wall above their dorm's door. 1:30 am. She sighed again and rubbed her temples gently, closing her eyes. These sleepless nights have done everything but justice for her, making her tired and worn out during the day. It crucially affected her performance in brawls and training. Her rank slowly went down, one level every two weeks. She was slowly slipping. Eventually she'd be completely losing it.
Finally, after ten minutes of trying to read the book Link had given her the other day, she decided to take a walk down to the lake on the west side of the Smash Mansion. Zelda took off her slippers and nightgown, quickly put on one of her plain white, sleeveless dresses and a pair of brown sandals. 'Maybe the breeze will help me fall asleep,' she thought as she softly closed the dorm door, not bothering to lock it. Who, in this time of night, would want to sneak into her and Peach's dorm anyway?
Her sandals made soft flaps as she made her way down the cement path towards the lake. The mansion's grounds really were beautiful; Master Hand had made sure of it.
Even in the dark, Zelda could make out the dark silhouettes of trees swaying in the small breeze and the gorgeous flowers and ferns planted around the pavement and under bushes. The full moon was her only light, and when she finally came up to the lake, the moonlight beautifully sparkled atop the surface of the water. It was breathtaking.
Zelda walked over to a small hill next to the lake, hugging her shoulders as it was getting colder. "Darn, I should have brought along a jacket with me," she mumbled to herself as she sat on a bed of grass on the small hill. She sat there for a bit, carefully but absentmindedly observing the lake and the moonlight. It helped a bit, but not as much as she thought it would. Zelda's mind was so far out that she didn't notice someone walk up behind her.
"What are you doing up so late, Princess Zelda?" a masculine, yet soft voice said. Zelda jumped and yelped in surprise. She looked over her shoulder and saw someone in the shadows of the tree behind her. The man behind her chuckled, "Sorry for startling you." He stepped a few steps forward, out of the shadows and Zelda recognized his face as Ike's. She sighed in relief.
"Oh, it's just you Ike," she turned her gaze back to the lake. She didn't say anything else. Zelda knew that Ike wasn't the talkative type, with the exception of Marth and Roy, and that he kept to himself most of the time. She figured that trying to strike up a conversation was going to be pointless so she just sat there, still, with her arms hugging her legs.
Much to her surprise, Ike slowly sat right beside her, far enough for them not to touch, but close enough that Zelda can sense his warm presence. He didn't say anything else either, just silently gazed at the lake with her. Moments passed by with neither trying to strike up a conversation.
The silence was awkward, with Zelda fiddling with her ungloved fingers and her side bangs. Ike was just sitting there with his eyes transfixed on the lake. Zelda secretly watched him from the corner of her eye, transferring her gaze from the lake to him, observing.
She realized that she hadn't noticed the details of him like she had with all the rest of the smashers, since she doesn't see him around as much. He was lean and muscular clad in his regular outfit (he must have not changed yet into his night clothes), had a clear jawbone line and his eyes sparkled along with the lake. She noticed how his dark blue hair, cloak, and headband flowed in the breeze along with hers and how his chest slightly heaved up and down from his breathing.
Realizing what she was doing, Zelda blushed and quickly tore her gaze away from Ike and forced herself to watch the lake again. More moments went by.
"The lake sure is gorgeous at night," Ike said evenly, not looking at Zelda, "isn't it?"
Zelda rested her chin on her knees and played with the loose straps of her sandals before answering, "Yes, it quite is."
"What brings you out here, alone?" Ike was looking at her now, with the air of trying to start a conversation to end the awkward silence.
"I can ask the same for you," she let the left side of her face lay on her knees, so she can face him. Their eyes met for a second before he looked up into the star lit sky. Zelda took note of the shape of his neck and how even clearer his jaw line was. It was so…attractive. 'WHAT are you thinking Zelda!' she yelled in her head.
"On nights like this," he said, interrupting her thoughts, "I pull an all nighter and stay out here at the lake from midnight to sunrise. It's so peaceful out here; it's a nice place to be alone."
"Oh," Zelda said quietly, lifting her head up but still looking at the mercenary beside her, "I see that I've taken your usual spot then. Would you like for me to leave?" She was about to get up before Ike quickly looked at her.
"Oh no," he said, "You can stay if you'd like. I don't mind. It's nice to have some company out here once in a while."
"Mmm," Zelda replied, sitting down and laying her head on her knees again.
"So Princess Zelda," Ike said, "I've answered your question; now mind answering mine? It's a bit late for princesses to be out…especially alone." Zelda let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes.
"I've been suffering from insomnia for the past two months and I've tried everything to sleep," she sighed again, "So I decided to take a walk out there. Then you showed up." Her last line came out more forceful than she would have liked, causing Ike to feel that he was intruding. The corners of his mouth slightly fell, but Zelda took no notice.
"Oh," he replied, "I seem to be bothering you. I'll just take my leave, then." He was about to get up before Zelda absentmindedly grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.
"No!" She blurted out, "I mean…please stay. I'm pretty frightened of being alone in the dark." She was half lying, half telling the truth. She really was afraid of a little dark, but she didn't mind being all alone out here. But for some reason, she wanted Ike to stay with her.
Ike looked her facial expression and slowly sat back down, this time a little closer to the princess. "Alright."
"So Princess…" this was really the most she'd heard Ike talk of the whole year since she'd first met him when the newcomers arrived at Smash Mansion. "Please call me Zelda," she said, politely interrupting him, "I don't need any formalities right now."
Ike observed her. She looked cold, tired, and frail. Her insomnia really has taken a toll on her. Just earlier that day, he had watched her four stock brawl match with Wario. Her hit percentage was lower than he'd ever seen it…28.63%. It was painful to watch the brawl with Zelda not being one of the top performers anymore and Wario taking advantage of her state of weakness. The brawl was over within five minutes, with Wario still having three lives.
He had watched her in the dinner hall, tiredly talking to Peach about her sleeping problems and her failed match. Fox had approached her hesitantly with a sleeping tip, seeing that she crucially needed sleep due to noticing her poor performance. "Princess, if I may suggest, try to count sheep; it works beautifully for me," he bluntly said.
"Alright…Zelda," he said quietly, "You look cold. Shall we go back to the mansion?"
"N-no," the princess replied, hugging her legs tighter, "I'm fine." Ike could tell that she was lying through her teeth. So with no hesitation, he untied his red cloak around his neck and swiftly placed it over Zelda's shoulders. Zelda's face lit up from surprise as she looked at him.
"That should keep you warm," he smiled a bit.
"Thank you," she replied. Another awkward silence.
"Why are you having a hard time sleeping?" Ike suddenly asked. The awkward silence was actually getting to him.
"I really don't know. There's nothing bothering me that I know of," Zelda said, thoughtfully, "and I have no guilty conscience…"
She said nothing more. Ike didn't either. It was silent again for more moments until Zelda started to softly hum a hymn sung to her by her mother every night back when she was a child. Ike turned his head to her.
"What's that song?" he asked, curious.
"Oh!" Zelda hadn't realized that she was actually humming out loud, "It's a hymn my mother used to sing to me back when I was a baby. Every night, she'd tuck me in bed and sing to me until I fell asleep. But now, I guess the hymn doesn't work its magic on me like it used to." Zelda chuckled. Seeing that Ike did not and just looked at her, she abruptly stopped.
"Maybe it's homesickness," Ike said evenly, "I had that the first few months of moving here to Smash Mansion." Zelda thought about what he said. Maybe he was right.
'Impa…' Oh, how she missed her guardian dearly; she missed everything back home dearly. She missed her spacious bedroom, her balcony with a magnificent view over the cliff, her books in her own personal library. She also missed visiting the townsfolk, helping the cook shop for groceries in the town square market, and chit chatting with the street vendors. She missed her kingdom, her home.
Zelda raised her head, suddenly realizing it, "You're right! It's homesickness that is my problem. That's why I can't fall asleep." Her face fell as she went back to her little shell, "But knowing what my problem is won't help me fix it."
She clutched Ike's cloak and buried her bottom half of her face in it. She could smell a faint hint of his scent. It was…different. She couldn't make out exactly what he smelled like…it was just like he had his own unique smell. And she actually liked it.
Ike observed her again. She looked so comfortable.
"You know Princesss…" Zelda slightly frowned at him, "Er- I mean Zelda. After a few months here, I adapted into a new life style… and new friends. Sure, I miss my friends and family back home but I've got a new life here. The people and…creatures I'm surrounded with, I've learned to live with them." Zelda looked at him.
"What are you trying to say?"
"All I'm saying is," Ike continued, "I've found a new home. Not necessarily saying that I'd choose this place over my homeland, but you get my point. If it's like that for me, then it'll be the same for you, even if time is essential for it."
He smiled at her, then looked up at the sky, observing the stars, "When you're surrounded by people who love and care about you- friends and acquaintances alike, after all our adventures and battles together, how can you not call this place home and the people in it your family?"
Zelda gazed at him, astounded. She never knew Ike, the silent, merciless in battle, stone cold mercenary would be so… so wise and understanding. Zelda smiled at him, "You're right. This place is home."
They shared another silence. But for some reason, this silence was not at all awkward.
"So, ready to head back to bed, Princess?" Ike stood up, looking down on her. She smiled, "It's Zelda." Ike smiled back, "Pardon me. So ready to go back to bed, Zelda? " She smiled again as she stood up, still clutching Ike's cloak around her.
"Yes, but what about you? I thought you stay here until sunrise," Zelda said, taking his cloak off her shoulders and handing it to him.
"Not tonight, I've been assigned a Brawl with you tomorrow in the afternoon," he playfully sneered while putting back on the red cloak on himself, "and I'd want my batteries to be full when I'm up against the fearsome, Almighty Zelda." The princess laughed, "Of course; I'll be ready and fully functional."
"So, I guess this is goodnight," she said. They were facing each other, hair, dress and cloak flowing along with the breeze. Zelda ran her hand up and down her arm, the cold getting to her again. "Yes, this is goodnight. Until tomorrow, Zelda," Ike smiled a small smile before brushing past her.
"Wait, Ike," Zelda blurted out. He stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.
"Thank you. And don't expect me to go easy on you tomorrow," she smiled on of her sparkling smiles and received one in return from the mercenary.
"Neither am I, Princess, neither am I."
-xOxIxOx-
Phew! That took long to write, sadly. So many writing blocks, but it's finished! I guess…haha. Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Please review, feedbacks are my favorite part.