Midnight: Chapter one
Posted on 2/17/2019, 9 pm, EST
Full A/N at the bottom! :)
The night was glowing, the moon full, beautiful, and bright, the stars twinkling above, piercing the blackness of the sky in a contrast that just took her breath away-she could feel the night air gently touch her skin. She breathed and leaned out her window just a bit more, her hair tickling her shoulders as it fell by her hands, which were clasps in front of her suspended in the air.
It was beautiful here. From what little she had seen, she was already amazed at how wild this little town was, at least compared to the limited view she had of nature in the city. This was the first time she's seen the night sky in this way, with blues and purples, and bright stars. She shifted, and rested her head onto her hand, changing her gaze from the sky above to the ground below, to the huge apple trees, petite and elegant flora, gardens full of bountiful melons and veggies.
The smell of it all is what amazed her the most. The city mostly smelt the same year-round; however, this was different. She could smell what must have been a bonfire, or cookout, and with that, she could smell the overgrowth and the pollen in the air, and everything she sensed just began to come together to make a scent that no candle could possibly replicate-one that screamed of summer, of July.
Letting out a small huff, she shifted away from the window to look towards her clock. The green neon lights glared at her, reading 3:08 am. Although the scenery was most certainly welcome, she did miss some things of the city, one of them being the cars. It was so quiet out here; all that she could hear was the faint sounds of nature, and strangely that's what was keeping her up. She needed the sound of engines roaring outside, of motorcycles speeding down the highway, of wheels scraping the streets . . . she couldn't sleep with no noise.
Drumming her figures on the window sill, she rested her head to the wall behind her, staring at the ceiling. Seconds felt like minutes, and making up her mind she sat up from her spot and moved to her closet, pulling out a pair of sandals. Slipping them on, she moved back to the window, heart pounding wildly out of her chest. She was about to do something she never dreamed of ever doing.
She pushed her leg out the window, then the other, and dropped to the garage roof. Grinning, she stood and ran to the apple tree, and climbed down to the garden. She glanced back, eyes running over her father's window.
Eh, it's not a city. She had nothing to worry about.
With a laugh and a wave goodbye, she ran into the town, ready for some exploration. She'd be back before sundown.
Breathless, she came to a stop by the lake. It was absolutely gorgeous; the moon's light bouncing off the waves in streams; the stars above swam with the fish. I wonder if Hylian Loaches are found here?
Wood boards creaked as her sand-caked sandals found their way to the pier, her fingers unstrapping them once she got to the water's edge. She sat, placing them by her side, and sank her toes into the cool water, sighing.
This is by far the craziest thing I've ever done.
Kicking her feet, she sat there in silence, letting the moon, the stars above, and the dancing firefly light guide her eyes to the beauty of the country. It was this beauty however, that distracted her from the steps that followed hers. Until the pier creaked, breaking her daze.
She gasped and whipped around, water jumping around her, eyes wildly searching the area, immediately falling onto the person standing behind her. He was male, she could tell by his figure, dressed completely in black, with a black hoodie covering his face. She could only see of him the tip of his nose and a small frown.
"Can I help you?" she asked carefully, slowly placing her feet on the pier, eyeing the stranger. He opened his mouth but immediately closed it again, pressing his lips together. She slowly stood and planned out routes of escape discreetly (hopefully). Silence, no more words were exchanged. The man suddenly took a step forward, opening his mouth, but before he could let out a word she flinched and gasped, her stomach dropping. Time slowed down, as her vision shifted up, up, the ground below her heels seemingly ripped from under her.
A shock ran through her, forming at her back and raging through her body down to her toes and up to her skull, making her light-headed. Her clenched eyes flew open, only to meet blue. Cobalt blue.
He gently placed her back onto her feet, his face once again covered in shadows before she could distinguish anything else about him. He was biting his lip hard, and she was shocked to see him drawing blood. "I-I'm sorry," he whispered in a voice so quiet she almost thought she imagined it. He took slowly took a few steps back, then turned and ran away, across the rickety pier.
Her hands were shaking-goddesses were they shaking-and she opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a struggled wheeze. What would've she said? She didn't know. All she could do is watch helplessly as the boy of the night disappeared into the trees.
"It was absolutely gorgeous, Malon! The moon and stars reflecting in the soft water were breathtaking, oh and the trees! They were big and bushy and swaying in the soft breeze. Did I mention how I love the air here? Oh, and the surrounding nature created this beautiful orchestral piece-!"
"Yeah yeah I get it, Zel, it was pretty."
Zelda signed, relaxing into her chair, a sweet smile on her face, and said, "You should really come with me next time, it was exhilarating."
Malon took a sip from her straw. "And almost get kidnapped? No thank you," Malon said. She took a sip from her straw, staring at Zelda. "That's your cue to start talking and the man you mentioned earlier."
Zelda sighed, and slumped in her seat, clanking the ice cubes in her glass with her straw. "The boy was about my height, I believe slightly taller. I'm not sure, my night was a blur after that," said Zelda, who then looked up to Malon, and continued: "I was absolutely terrified he was going to do something horrible to me."
"Which is strange," said Malon, "because I know everyone in this town, and no one would do anything like that. Maybe he was a traveler?"
Zelda looked across the street, to the other cute small shops and people walking by. ". . . Maybe. He did something weird though."
"What?"
"He caught me."
Malon blinked. "Caught . . . you?"
"I fell," Zelda explained, hugging herself. "Or I almost did. I tripped and almost landed into the lake, but the boy caught me before I could. He set me down and ran off afterward." Zelda sighed, and sat up, staring Malon in the eyes, "That boy had me completely vulnerable, he easily could've overpowered me and done who knows what. But he didn't."
"I don't understand though," Malon said, "You're Zelda Hyrule. You don't just fall. You're the picture of grace! And speaking of that, we've taken self-defense classes together. Why didn't you defend yourself?"
Zelda shook her head. "You're not going to believe me. You're going to call me crazy."
"Hey," Malon exclaimed, grabbing Zelda's hand, squeezing it, "best friends for life, right? I'd trust you with my life."
Zelda clasped Malon's hand, once more staring at the people across the street. ". . . I know him."
"You know who?"
"I know the boy. The boy I saw at the lake. I've known him longer than I've known myself."
"You do? What's his name?"
"I don't know." Zelda burst into tears, and tore her hands from Malon's, covering her face. Zelda felt Malon take her away, and when she opened her eyes they were in the bathroom, and Malon was handing her paper towels. Zelda tried to collect herself.
"Was he a childhood friend?" Malon said, hesitating.
Zelda shook her head but kept her mouth shut. She felt that if she opened her mouth, she would fall apart. Malon approached Zelda and hugged her. They stayed like this for a while, until Zelda finally whispered, "I feel I know him. My heart, it aches now that he's not by, and I don't know why." Zelda squeezed Malon tighter. "Because you're right Malon; he is a complete stranger. But when he held me in his arms, and I saw his face, I recognized him." She separated herself from Malon, then pointed to her own heart. "In here."
Malon frowned. "What did he look like?"
Zelda shook her head, closing her eyes, and stammered, "I-I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Okay," Malon hesitated, "let's get you presentable then."
When Zelda's eyes dried they went back to their table, but Zelda wasn't in the mood to be out anymore. So they paid for their drinks and Malon walked Zelda home. They said their goodbyes and Zelda collapsed into her bed, utterly exhausted. She looked up at the neon lights, 4:00 pm, and curled into herself under her covers, flashes of blue hurting her heart.
"Zelda." She blinked and peered from her covered fortress to the doorway. Her father stood, one hand on the doorknob, the other on the light switch. "Were you sleeping?"
"No?" she said, confused. Zelda looked back at her alarm, and the numbers read 7:28 pm. ". . . Maybe?" she corrected, smiling sheepishly at her father.
Her father walked up to her and ruffled her hair, and sat on the bed beside her. "Dinner's getting cold as we speak." Zelda sat up and hugged her father.
"Father?"
"Yes, Darling?"
"Did I ever befriend a boy when I was younger?" Zelda mumbled into his shoulder.
"A boy?" her father asked.
"I only asked because I briefly saw one when I was out with Malon." Zelda said, "He looked familiar."
"What did he look like?" her father said, rocking her softly back and forth.
Zelda shook her head. "He had a hood up, so I wasn't able to distinguish much, but he had blue eyes." Zelda looked up to her father. "Please, Father, do you remember anything?" she pleaded.
He rubbed his beard, a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't remember any boys with blue eyes. You didn't have many friends when you were smaller, so I believe I'd remember if you were friends; however," he smiled at her, "if you ever see this boy out in public be sure to point him out to me. It may jog my memory." Zelda brightened. "Thank you, Father. I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetheart, but if we don't go downstairs now, I may have to revoke that statement."
"Sir yes, sir!"
A/N: Hello! My name is Just-AWESOME-old-me, Awesome for short, and welcome! ^^ I started this little project a while ago, and it's been collecting dust in my documents, haha. The goal was simple for this story: write to write, and don't over think.
I then proceeded to over think hEH. XD Part of this chapter was written back in 2017 actually, haha. Whoops. :3
Anyways haha, I'm asking you to keep in mind that this is a light-hearted, fluffy, generic fic. wELL, there will be talk of some heavy themes, so not entirely light-hearted? Anyways, the outcomes will most likely be obvious, haha, though I do hope some things are unexpected. There will be mistakes everywhere too, haha. If you wish to criticize me, firstly thank you, and secondly, I ask that you don't focus too much on the obvious mistakes or on plot points, but on how I write. Like if I use certain words a lot, or if I'm explaining something too in depth, etc. I hope that made sense.
Also, I didn't put much thought into the title. Before this the story was labeled "AU Story" haha.
Thank you so much for reading my ramblings, and I hope you stick around! :D
~Me
P.S wHat cAn i cALL zELdA'S faThEr? XDD It's so annoying to repeat "her father" over and over again, but like? The POV is in third person, so to just call him "father" I feel would be weird? Any thoughts? XD