So Close and So Far
I watched from afar, as Link jumped around with a stick in his hand. I
giggled at the nonsense of it all. He was teaching a village kid how to sword
fight. Link either didn't know how ridiculous it looked or didn't know anyone
was watching. I turned away and walked over to the mirror. I ran my fingers
through my hair and tried to look elegant. I stood up straighter and put my
hair behind my shoulder. Sure I looked elegant, but not elegant enough. Or
maybe it wasn't the elegant look I was going for... maybe it was appealing, or
even irresistible. Maybe I wanted to look so beautiful that everyone would
notice, even those close to me who didn't see me like... that. I rolled my eyes
at my brain blurble. I had been doing that a lot lately. It almost frightened
me. I wasn't used to my mind going blank, not knowing what to say or worse,
when I rambled on incoherently.
Right now you're probably wondering, What the hell is she talking about??
Maybe I should start from the beginning. All right, all right, you win I'll
start from the beginning.
It started a couple months ago. I was sleeping soundly in my bed. The
night before had been a busy one so I was very tired. I woke up in the middle
of the night and realized I had been dreaming of Link. Not the usual dreams I
usually had of him, where we fought Ganon and saved Hyrule, no not at all. In
my dream, I had been kissing Link, and not just kissing him, passionately
kissing him. He was holding me close, and his hands ran over my back, his
fingers were getting tangled in my long hair. Anyway, when I woke up I was kind
of freaked out. I mean Link was my closest friend. We had grown up together,
and ever since we defeated Ganon (in real life, not my dreams) we were
inseparable. I longed for adventure, excitement, and Link was both adventurous
and exciting. We spent every day riding horses, or playing hide and seek in the
lost woods. I tried to dismiss my dream and go back to sleep, but I found that
it wouldn't leave my mind. I kept thinking about it, and more importantly, I
wanted to think about it. The dream had felt so real, and I liked the feeling
of having Link that close to me, having his arms around me. I found myself
thinking about it until dawn. And later, in the morning when Link came to
visit, I found that I wanted him even more. It was a strange feeling. My chest
felt heavy, and my stomach was queasy. He wanted to play hide in seek in the
lost woods, but I found that I didn't want to play anymore. At fifteen years of
age, I had grown too old for that childish game and it made me sad to think
about it. When I told him that I thought we were too old to play games like
that, he gave me a disappointed look and muttered "I guess."
He still visited, but we didn't play hide and seek anymore. Instead we
would talk about adventures, or go for walks, or even occasionally practice
sword fighting (I let him win sometimes, so not to hurt his precious male ego).
I spent a lot of time secretly hoping he would kiss me, but I knew he didn't
think of me like that. He was too immature, too naive. In fact, if he were to
ever sweep me up and kiss me I might die of shock. He only knew of me as buddy
Zelda, pal Zelda, Zelda his sidekick. And I would never dare tell him how I
feel. He would probably laugh in my face, or worse, get all noble and tell me
something corny like "You're my best friend, and there isn't anything better. I
would never jeopardize our friendship for something like that." But really be
thinking "Whoa, what a weirdo, I can't wait till I get home so I can laugh my
ass off." In either scenario, Link ends up laughing and I end up heart broken.
I walked over to the window and look out at Link again. He did three back
flips in a row. I laughed out loud, now he was trying to teach the kid how to
do back flips. Link must have spotted me, because he waved, left the kid, and
entered the castle. I ran down the steps to join him.
"Hey Zellie. Were you spying on me?" He asked with a friendly grin. I
laughed at that and we walked to the courtyard together.
"I cordially invite you to a ball," I said, all sophisticated like.
"A ball?" Link asked skeptically.
"Yeah, ya know, with dancing and music and food..." I trailed off.
"Oh that kind of ball!" he asked in mock realization. He gave me an 'I-
knew-that' look. "What would I do at a ball?"
"Dance, silly."
"In the last five years how many balls have I avoided? What makes you
think I'd go to one now?" he asked, running his fingers through his dirty blonde
hair.
"Li-ink. Please. Don't make me beg. I'll let you dance with me," I said
in a sing-songy voice. Link laughed.
"What's this one for anyway?"
"Oh nothing big, just princes coming from remote lands to seek my hand in
marriage," I shrugged. I watched his reaction carefully. He snickered.
"Oh Lucky you. Your sixteenth birthday is coming up," Link replied.
"Yeah, and my father really truly believes the myth that if a princess
marries in her sixteenth year she will be guaranteed happiness."
"Even if it makes you unhappy in the process," Link finished for me.
"Well, it might not be that bad. I mean it's inevitable. I need an heir
to the throne. Just as long as the person is bearable..." I drifted off.
"Looks like your future is destined for loads of fun." Link said
sarcastically, "Bearable? Taku the Milkman is bearable."
"That's fun." I said, thinking of all the tricks we played on the bossy
old man.
"Yeah, but without the pranks." Link pointed out. "You're gonna become a
boring old lady. Who am I going to hang out with then?"
"Don't be stupid Link," I made a face at him, "Just because I get married
doesn't mean the fun stops. I'm not gonna become like the milkman."
"Yeah but what happens when you want to hang out with me? How's your
husband gonna like that?" he asked. I thought about it.
"I guess you'll just have to find someone else to hang with," I said,
trying to make it light.
"Maybe I will come to this ball, just to make sure I approve of this guy
who's gonna take my best friend away," He suggested. I smiled at him and we
parted ways.
* * *
I carefully aimed my crossbow. With perfect precision I shot. I smiled
as it hit the target. I handed the crossbow over to Link.
"Try to beat that," I said competitively. He took the crossbow and got in
his position. I sat down on the grass and watched as he set up his shot.
"So have you decided about the ball?" I asked. Link squinted his eye and
lined up the bow.
"No, but I doubt I'll go," He shot and it hit the target dead on. He put
another arrow on the bow and got the shot ready.
"Why not?" I asked. He shot again with great accuracy.
"I don't really feel like dressing up and getting involved in dumb
conversations with people I don't know," Link said aiming again, "What am I
supposed to do while you're off looking for the man of your dreams? Sounds kind
of boring."
"That's a really lame excuse," I said. "Besides I already know who the man
of my dreams is."
I said the last part at just the right moment. I caught Link by surprise.
He lost concentration and missed the target completely. I fell over in a fit of
laughter.
"You lose, Link," I laughed, "I win."
"You'll pay for that," He threatened, jokingly. He started running after
me. I scrambled to my feet and took off running. I had a little bit of a lead,
but it didn't last for too long. Link grabbed me around the waist and wrestled
me down. My stomach muscles hurt from laughing. He pinned me to the ground.
"Say I win," Link said.
"I win," I repeated. He started tickling me. "Ack! Ok, you win, you
win."
He fell over to his back and we laughed until it hurt. When our laughing
finally died down, he rolled over to his side.
"So, about what you said. Were you telling the truth or was that a clever
trick to distract me?" He asked. He looked uneasy, I was loving this.
"It was true," I said simply.
"Why didn't you tell me? I thought I was your closest friend," He said.
"I just told you, didn't I?"
"Well?"
"Well what?" I asked.
"Who is it?" Link pressed, "Do I know him?"
"You know him, but I know him better. I'm not gonna tell you who it is,"
I taunted.
"Fine, whatever," He sat up.
"Just for the record, I won," I said slyly.
"Yeah, I admit it. You won. Don't tell anyone though," He smiled at me.
"Tell them what? That I beat the Hero of Time at a little game of
archery?" I playfully ridiculed. "Or that you can't hit a target to save your
life?"
"Oh, come on. You only got one more than me, and that's just because
you're really good. Most people couldn't beat me," He boasted.
"So, you think I'm really good?" I asked, smiling.
"Of course," He smiled back, "You're pretty cool, for a girl."
I wasn't sure how to judge the last part of the comment. For a girl?
What was that supposed to mean?
I was about to ask him, when he got up and said it was getting late and I
had a busy next day. He walked me to the castle.
"Goodnight, Zelda. Have fun tomorrow, and don't give your heart away to
someone who doesn't deserve it."
"I won't, Link," I promised, "Goodnight." I walked into my room and
flopped on my bed. I felt like crying. It wasn't because he said or did
anything wrong, it was just too unbearable. I wanted to be with him. I wanted
him to love me. I felt warm tears streaming down my face as I realized that he
could never feel like that towards me. It was so unfair that the only guy I
wanted, the only guy I had ever loved, didn't love me back. It was hard to know
that I was so close and so far away at the same time. I almost wanted him to
know, wanted to know his reaction. I looked out the window I could see him
walking away.
"Link!" I called without thinking. He looked up.
"What Zel? Is everything ok?" he called back.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you, I wanted to
say...I..." I felt a lump in my throat. "Have a good night, Link," I couldn't do
it, I just couldn't. He waved.
"Night, Zellie," He called, then walked away. I slumped back down, and
buried my face in my hands. Why did love have to hurt so badly?
* * *
I stood by a long table and chatted with some princes. I was only half
listening because I was watching the door for Link. It was the night of the
ball, and Link hadn't come yet. I don't know why I even expected it. Link
never came to these things. The princes were saying clever things and I'd laugh
every now and then to make it seem like I was listening.
I wore a beautiful golden gown that shimmered with I moved. My hair was
curled in ringlets and fell around my face. I felt beautiful and I wanted Link
to see me.
I sighed and was about to give up on Link, when I noticed a tall, broad
young man enter the ballroom. He looked so handsome with his hair slicked back
and wearing formal clothes. I smiled as Link spotted me and made his way over.
He held out his arm.
"You promised me a dance," he said softly. I gave him a half grin and
took his hand. He led me to the dance floor.
"I'm glad you decided to come," I smiled.
"Well I figured I'd better make sure you find someone who deserves you,"
He said in a serious voice, unusual for Link.
"Someone like you?" I heard my voice say. Where did that come from?
"I said someone why deserves you, Zelda. I don't deserve you," He said.
I knew that would happen. I knew he was probably thinking the thing about me
being a weirdo. I looked up at him, and was surprised. He looked sincere,
almost like it was hard for him to say. "You deserve someone a whole lot better
than me."
"Who are you to tell me who does and doesn't deserve me? I can judge for
myself ya know. I think I'm a pretty good judge of character." I looked deep
into his crystal blue eyes. He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn't the deep,
passionate kiss from my dream, but it was gentle, and sweet. And best of all it
came from Link, my one true love, in the best moment of my life.
~The End ~
How'd ya like it?
I watched from afar, as Link jumped around with a stick in his hand. I
giggled at the nonsense of it all. He was teaching a village kid how to sword
fight. Link either didn't know how ridiculous it looked or didn't know anyone
was watching. I turned away and walked over to the mirror. I ran my fingers
through my hair and tried to look elegant. I stood up straighter and put my
hair behind my shoulder. Sure I looked elegant, but not elegant enough. Or
maybe it wasn't the elegant look I was going for... maybe it was appealing, or
even irresistible. Maybe I wanted to look so beautiful that everyone would
notice, even those close to me who didn't see me like... that. I rolled my eyes
at my brain blurble. I had been doing that a lot lately. It almost frightened
me. I wasn't used to my mind going blank, not knowing what to say or worse,
when I rambled on incoherently.
Right now you're probably wondering, What the hell is she talking about??
Maybe I should start from the beginning. All right, all right, you win I'll
start from the beginning.
It started a couple months ago. I was sleeping soundly in my bed. The
night before had been a busy one so I was very tired. I woke up in the middle
of the night and realized I had been dreaming of Link. Not the usual dreams I
usually had of him, where we fought Ganon and saved Hyrule, no not at all. In
my dream, I had been kissing Link, and not just kissing him, passionately
kissing him. He was holding me close, and his hands ran over my back, his
fingers were getting tangled in my long hair. Anyway, when I woke up I was kind
of freaked out. I mean Link was my closest friend. We had grown up together,
and ever since we defeated Ganon (in real life, not my dreams) we were
inseparable. I longed for adventure, excitement, and Link was both adventurous
and exciting. We spent every day riding horses, or playing hide and seek in the
lost woods. I tried to dismiss my dream and go back to sleep, but I found that
it wouldn't leave my mind. I kept thinking about it, and more importantly, I
wanted to think about it. The dream had felt so real, and I liked the feeling
of having Link that close to me, having his arms around me. I found myself
thinking about it until dawn. And later, in the morning when Link came to
visit, I found that I wanted him even more. It was a strange feeling. My chest
felt heavy, and my stomach was queasy. He wanted to play hide in seek in the
lost woods, but I found that I didn't want to play anymore. At fifteen years of
age, I had grown too old for that childish game and it made me sad to think
about it. When I told him that I thought we were too old to play games like
that, he gave me a disappointed look and muttered "I guess."
He still visited, but we didn't play hide and seek anymore. Instead we
would talk about adventures, or go for walks, or even occasionally practice
sword fighting (I let him win sometimes, so not to hurt his precious male ego).
I spent a lot of time secretly hoping he would kiss me, but I knew he didn't
think of me like that. He was too immature, too naive. In fact, if he were to
ever sweep me up and kiss me I might die of shock. He only knew of me as buddy
Zelda, pal Zelda, Zelda his sidekick. And I would never dare tell him how I
feel. He would probably laugh in my face, or worse, get all noble and tell me
something corny like "You're my best friend, and there isn't anything better. I
would never jeopardize our friendship for something like that." But really be
thinking "Whoa, what a weirdo, I can't wait till I get home so I can laugh my
ass off." In either scenario, Link ends up laughing and I end up heart broken.
I walked over to the window and look out at Link again. He did three back
flips in a row. I laughed out loud, now he was trying to teach the kid how to
do back flips. Link must have spotted me, because he waved, left the kid, and
entered the castle. I ran down the steps to join him.
"Hey Zellie. Were you spying on me?" He asked with a friendly grin. I
laughed at that and we walked to the courtyard together.
"I cordially invite you to a ball," I said, all sophisticated like.
"A ball?" Link asked skeptically.
"Yeah, ya know, with dancing and music and food..." I trailed off.
"Oh that kind of ball!" he asked in mock realization. He gave me an 'I-
knew-that' look. "What would I do at a ball?"
"Dance, silly."
"In the last five years how many balls have I avoided? What makes you
think I'd go to one now?" he asked, running his fingers through his dirty blonde
hair.
"Li-ink. Please. Don't make me beg. I'll let you dance with me," I said
in a sing-songy voice. Link laughed.
"What's this one for anyway?"
"Oh nothing big, just princes coming from remote lands to seek my hand in
marriage," I shrugged. I watched his reaction carefully. He snickered.
"Oh Lucky you. Your sixteenth birthday is coming up," Link replied.
"Yeah, and my father really truly believes the myth that if a princess
marries in her sixteenth year she will be guaranteed happiness."
"Even if it makes you unhappy in the process," Link finished for me.
"Well, it might not be that bad. I mean it's inevitable. I need an heir
to the throne. Just as long as the person is bearable..." I drifted off.
"Looks like your future is destined for loads of fun." Link said
sarcastically, "Bearable? Taku the Milkman is bearable."
"That's fun." I said, thinking of all the tricks we played on the bossy
old man.
"Yeah, but without the pranks." Link pointed out. "You're gonna become a
boring old lady. Who am I going to hang out with then?"
"Don't be stupid Link," I made a face at him, "Just because I get married
doesn't mean the fun stops. I'm not gonna become like the milkman."
"Yeah but what happens when you want to hang out with me? How's your
husband gonna like that?" he asked. I thought about it.
"I guess you'll just have to find someone else to hang with," I said,
trying to make it light.
"Maybe I will come to this ball, just to make sure I approve of this guy
who's gonna take my best friend away," He suggested. I smiled at him and we
parted ways.
* * *
I carefully aimed my crossbow. With perfect precision I shot. I smiled
as it hit the target. I handed the crossbow over to Link.
"Try to beat that," I said competitively. He took the crossbow and got in
his position. I sat down on the grass and watched as he set up his shot.
"So have you decided about the ball?" I asked. Link squinted his eye and
lined up the bow.
"No, but I doubt I'll go," He shot and it hit the target dead on. He put
another arrow on the bow and got the shot ready.
"Why not?" I asked. He shot again with great accuracy.
"I don't really feel like dressing up and getting involved in dumb
conversations with people I don't know," Link said aiming again, "What am I
supposed to do while you're off looking for the man of your dreams? Sounds kind
of boring."
"That's a really lame excuse," I said. "Besides I already know who the man
of my dreams is."
I said the last part at just the right moment. I caught Link by surprise.
He lost concentration and missed the target completely. I fell over in a fit of
laughter.
"You lose, Link," I laughed, "I win."
"You'll pay for that," He threatened, jokingly. He started running after
me. I scrambled to my feet and took off running. I had a little bit of a lead,
but it didn't last for too long. Link grabbed me around the waist and wrestled
me down. My stomach muscles hurt from laughing. He pinned me to the ground.
"Say I win," Link said.
"I win," I repeated. He started tickling me. "Ack! Ok, you win, you
win."
He fell over to his back and we laughed until it hurt. When our laughing
finally died down, he rolled over to his side.
"So, about what you said. Were you telling the truth or was that a clever
trick to distract me?" He asked. He looked uneasy, I was loving this.
"It was true," I said simply.
"Why didn't you tell me? I thought I was your closest friend," He said.
"I just told you, didn't I?"
"Well?"
"Well what?" I asked.
"Who is it?" Link pressed, "Do I know him?"
"You know him, but I know him better. I'm not gonna tell you who it is,"
I taunted.
"Fine, whatever," He sat up.
"Just for the record, I won," I said slyly.
"Yeah, I admit it. You won. Don't tell anyone though," He smiled at me.
"Tell them what? That I beat the Hero of Time at a little game of
archery?" I playfully ridiculed. "Or that you can't hit a target to save your
life?"
"Oh, come on. You only got one more than me, and that's just because
you're really good. Most people couldn't beat me," He boasted.
"So, you think I'm really good?" I asked, smiling.
"Of course," He smiled back, "You're pretty cool, for a girl."
I wasn't sure how to judge the last part of the comment. For a girl?
What was that supposed to mean?
I was about to ask him, when he got up and said it was getting late and I
had a busy next day. He walked me to the castle.
"Goodnight, Zelda. Have fun tomorrow, and don't give your heart away to
someone who doesn't deserve it."
"I won't, Link," I promised, "Goodnight." I walked into my room and
flopped on my bed. I felt like crying. It wasn't because he said or did
anything wrong, it was just too unbearable. I wanted to be with him. I wanted
him to love me. I felt warm tears streaming down my face as I realized that he
could never feel like that towards me. It was so unfair that the only guy I
wanted, the only guy I had ever loved, didn't love me back. It was hard to know
that I was so close and so far away at the same time. I almost wanted him to
know, wanted to know his reaction. I looked out the window I could see him
walking away.
"Link!" I called without thinking. He looked up.
"What Zel? Is everything ok?" he called back.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you, I wanted to
say...I..." I felt a lump in my throat. "Have a good night, Link," I couldn't do
it, I just couldn't. He waved.
"Night, Zellie," He called, then walked away. I slumped back down, and
buried my face in my hands. Why did love have to hurt so badly?
* * *
I stood by a long table and chatted with some princes. I was only half
listening because I was watching the door for Link. It was the night of the
ball, and Link hadn't come yet. I don't know why I even expected it. Link
never came to these things. The princes were saying clever things and I'd laugh
every now and then to make it seem like I was listening.
I wore a beautiful golden gown that shimmered with I moved. My hair was
curled in ringlets and fell around my face. I felt beautiful and I wanted Link
to see me.
I sighed and was about to give up on Link, when I noticed a tall, broad
young man enter the ballroom. He looked so handsome with his hair slicked back
and wearing formal clothes. I smiled as Link spotted me and made his way over.
He held out his arm.
"You promised me a dance," he said softly. I gave him a half grin and
took his hand. He led me to the dance floor.
"I'm glad you decided to come," I smiled.
"Well I figured I'd better make sure you find someone who deserves you,"
He said in a serious voice, unusual for Link.
"Someone like you?" I heard my voice say. Where did that come from?
"I said someone why deserves you, Zelda. I don't deserve you," He said.
I knew that would happen. I knew he was probably thinking the thing about me
being a weirdo. I looked up at him, and was surprised. He looked sincere,
almost like it was hard for him to say. "You deserve someone a whole lot better
than me."
"Who are you to tell me who does and doesn't deserve me? I can judge for
myself ya know. I think I'm a pretty good judge of character." I looked deep
into his crystal blue eyes. He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn't the deep,
passionate kiss from my dream, but it was gentle, and sweet. And best of all it
came from Link, my one true love, in the best moment of my life.
~The End ~
How'd ya like it?