What would happen?
Samus was returning from her noon training when she noticed that on the floor of her room was an envelope, surely someone had slipped it underneath the door –with more force than necessary according to the distance it had traveled- and she grabbed it to inspect it closer. It was a completely white envelope of a paper thicker than regular, with a slightly rough texture; these envelopes were not common in the mansion and were used only by the princes and princesses according to their customs. It was sealed with red wax stamped with a very stylized Z.
"Zelda" The name escaped her lips as she looked at that wax Z guarding the letter inside. After a moment's hesitation she opened the envelope and, as was natural, inside was another high quality paper of a creamy color. She carefully opened it and recognized the impeccable handwriting of the princess, despite not having seen it before.
DearSamus:
I hope you aregood.The purpose ofthis letter isto apologize forthoseinconveniences I caused you.
It ismy opinionthatyouare no longer pleasedto see meandfor me it has becomevery uncomfortablebeing close toyour presence. I am sorry Itroubled youandthat our relationshipcannot go backto what it wasbefore.
So I resign myself to keep this going. I will keep away from youandIdo not mean tobother you anymoreasI will returnto myuniverse, my dearHyrule(I knowyou will not come butyou arealwayswelcomed to visit thecastle). I hope you find the peaceandhappiness you seek.
PS. I wish you the best in this and future tournaments.
Cordially,
Zelda F.
Princess of Hyrule
Samus finished reading the letter and the only feeling she found inside her was anguish. The princess was returning to her kingdom and was never coming back. That meant she was never going to be able to talk to her again, she was never going to be able to gaze at her body or see her fight. She was going to lose those beautiful peace inspiring blue eyes, but what hurt her most was that she was not going to be able to see the smile that made her so happy.
She would lose Zelda.
The anguish was replaced by impotence. As much as she tried to avoid it… No, this was not the moment to think, she had to act to stop her, whatever it took. She had to make her see reason.
She ran out of her room without an idea of where to go, so she just got carried away. Almost without realizing it, she was in front of Zelda's room. He knocked the door and waited. There was no answer. Carefully she took the knob, her heart pounding with anticipation and she opened the door. Empty, the room was empty. The closet had nothing in it and the bed linens and towels were folded and placed on the bed.
No…
It kind of made sense that the room was empty as she didn't know when had the letter been delivered or if that was the last thing the princess had done before leaving.
She ran out of the room at full speed. If Zelda's desire was to return to her world, then there was only another place she could have gone inside the mansion: the teleporters. She quickened her pace. She felt her legs complain when she was about to reach her limit but did not care, she had to be on time or she would never forgive herself.
She arrived at the hangar where the ships and vehicles were parked, a few feet and she would be there. A scent reached her nose which made her heart ache with hope, Zelda's scent! She must have just passed by that place, she could still reach her. She ran as she had never done before and rushed to the door that led to the teletransportation room, opening it wide. A glow and an implosion-like sound tore the whole strength and hope off Samus' body.
"She left, and it's all my fault." She whispered dropping to her knees as tears ran down her cheeks unopposed. The remnants of a perfume dug into the depths of her soul.
"Those stars representthe three goddessesgoverningthe Triforceand that created the land wheremy people live."
Samus woke up. After returning to her room she had fallen asleep feeling sad and helpless. She had been a fool by letting the princess go. Her fear and insecurity were guilty that she had lost all she really loved, the kind of love she had never known and believed she would never know. She had just lost her chance, even knowing what the right choice was.
The only thing that had really made her happy in her life had been hanging out with Zelda, talking with her, seeing her, making her smile. Knowing that she was near was good enough, but she would never have that feeling again.
"Whenever I feel alone, I like to look at the stars,"
While she was asleep she had dreamed of the first time that she and the princess spent the night watching the stars. Zelda told her stories of her people, and the huntress had done the same with her various trips and missions.
After a moment's consideration, she went out of the mansion. It was after midnight, but the moonlight illuminated her path. She went to the same place where they used to hang out, herself and her...beloved? She found it really ironic to realize how important the princess was now that she could not see her anymore.
She sat on the hill with the letter in her hands. She looked at the stars and let her mind travel along them. She wondered if Zelda would be watching the sky from her castle.
What the huntress didn't know was that someone was watching her in the distance, behind a nearby tree. The princess was about to leave when a draft of air blew in the opposite direction.
"You make me miss you when you're not even gone." Samus said, loud enough so the other girl could hear.
The princess sighed, stopped and returned on her steps, "How did you know I was here?"
"Your scent," She turned her head a little, just enough to see the outline of the other girl casually approach her. "I love your scent."
She turned her body to let Zelda sit beside her, and until that moment she carefully looked at her. "Are you wearing pajamas?"
Zelda blushed a bit, especially when she noticed one of the straps was hanging from her shoulder, and while rearranging it she said, "It's a sleeping gown. Not everyone sleeps in their workout clothes" Samus looked at what she was wearing; luckily she hadn't gone out in her underwear.
"Good point."
Both were silently watching the sky after a while. The princess was hugging her knees, while the huntress fidgeted with the envelope in her fingers. "Why did you do that?" Her gaze was penetrating, which scared Zelda a little, but she could see sadness in her eyes, a sadness that couldn't be hidden.
"I thought it was the best," Neither wanted to talk about it, but there were too many unanswered questions.
"Then why did you come back?"
The other girl lowered her head, ashamed "I couldn't leave without seeing you one more time. You deserve much more than a letter, you deserve much more than-"
"I'm sorry," she interrupted the explanation with her eyes set on the envelope.
"What? What are you sorry for? It was me who ruined our friendship"
"You know. You know I didn't tell you the truth," She had never been good at expressing her feelings, but the anguish she had felt a few hours ago compelled her to speak. "I told you… that, because I don't want you to risk your life. I would go crazy if something were to happen to you.
The truth is that I am in love with you. You are the most beautiful and wonderful person that I have ever met. Your eyes, your lips, your smile, I adore all of you. How you speak, how you think and how you are. You made me fall for you, Zelda. I am hopelessly in love with you."
Without thinking, the princess threw herself to Samus' lips and rounded her neck with both her arms. Although surprised by the action, the latter quickly answered the kiss. After a few seconds that seemed the happiest of her life, the taller girl was about to deepen the kiss just when Zelda backed away as suddenly as she had gotten closer, causing the huntress to stay in a strange position and a little frustrated.
"One moment," The princess couldn't help smiling at Samus' expression, but regained seriousness to continue. "I cannot understand. You tell me you love me but your actions pushed me away when I asked you a straight answer,"
"Zelda, the life I lead has not been easy. I have lost many things because of my mission. I have lost my family and my friends. I've seen species disappear and planets explode for reasons I do not fully understand. I love being with you, but putting you in danger would be the last thing I would do. I prefer you to walk away rather than have you at risk." The expression that the huntress had was as serious as the concern she was trying to show.
"But you wouldn't be putting me at risk. What would happen if you went with me to Hyrule? What would happen if you left that risky life and all that suffering behind? What would happen if we were happy together? "
What would happen?
"Zelda," Samus almost jumped to stand up, strongly wrapping the envelope in her fist. "I want to try it. I want to be happy with you. I want to know what will happen while we are together. "
The princess took the hand that she had been offered in front of her to stand up. And she smiled widely, letting the happiness flood her as she got closer to kiss again the girl she would share her future with.
Without a doubt, she wanted to know what would happen.