Under A Starry Sky
By: Karusenshi
Bright light slowly covered the sleeping land of Hyrule as the sun's warming rays rose above the horizon. Before the living things across the kingdom could fully wake, a horse's hooves could be heard racing across Hyrule field.
A young man clothed in green rode atop a graceful chestnut mare. His blond locks and floppy green hat waved messily on his head as he rode toward his destination. This man was Link.
As he followed the well worn dirt path leading to Castle Town, Link looked around with his shining, cobalt eyes and noticed the world waking up around him. A few Zoras swam down the river leading to Zora's domain and two Gorons rolled down the paths on Death Mountain in the distance.
The Zoras noticed the Hylian riding past them and waved, their sky blue scales glistening in the water. Link returned the friendly gesture and continued onward.
"Come on girl, we're almost to Castle Town," Link whispered to his beloved horse, Epona. He stroked her neck affectionately before spurring her towards the bridge connecting Castle Town to the rest of Hyrule.
As soon as Link was within a metre of the bridge, he guided Epona to a stop and dismounted. Taking the reins, he walked her to the nearest stable while nodding respectfully at the passing guards. Once he had put Epona in the stables and paid for her care, he strolled toward the castle. Soon, he stepped out of the noisy marketplace and tiptoed along the path leading to the castle. A large gate heavily surrounded by guards loomed ahead.
Instead of going through the gate, Link looked to his right and found a cluster of vines scaling up the rocky wall. Link loved sneaking into the castle. He found it more exciting to sneak in rather than just walk through like any normal person would. Besides, he'd done it as a child all the time and Link wasn't going to stop now. Smiling mischievously, he began to climb.
"I am never going to get tired of this." Link whispered to himself, that devilish grin still etched on his face.
After passing dozens of guards, swimming through the moat, crawling through a small hole in the castle wall he could barely fit through, and scaling the inner walls and gardens, Link finally reached the courtyard.
Before entering, Link smirked and looked behind him towards the clueless guards. None had seen him pass. I wonder how they were hired to be guards; a mere child could sneak by them! Link thought. His thoughts were not far from the truth. He reminisced at sneaking in the castle at the measly age of ten to hand Zelda the Kokiri's emerald. The memory seemed so far away.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down and entered the luscious courtyard. The princess herself sat on the marble steps leading to a small window. Her golden wavy hair caressed her face and she wore a simple yet elegant sleeveless lavender dress and her usual tiara. She looked anxious, as if she had been waiting for a long time. But as soon as she heard the soft thumping of worn boots on trimmed grass, her anxiety disappeared and a lovely smile graced her lips when she saw the green clad Hero of Time. Finally! He's here! I've been waiting awhile… She thought. Link saw those sparkling cerulean eyes and her stunning grin and his heart seemed to double in speed.
Since the day the princess had sent him back seven years, Link would visit the castle, often sneaking past the guards and never once getting caught. They grew closer through the years. Some would say they were best friends.
Only recently, Link started to see Zelda as more than just his best friend. Link's cheeks turned a rosy colour and he mentally slapped himself for thinking such thoughts. She was a princess and he was a forest dweller. They were friends. There shouldn't have been more than that.
But there was.
Secretly, both the Hero of Time and Princess of Destiny harboured deep feelings for each other. To them though, confessing their feelings about the other was far worse than battling Ganondorf. So still they remained silent.
"Good morning, Link. I see you have once again evaded the Royal Guards," Zelda said calmly, although there was a hint of admiration in her voice.
"Yeah, but y'see, it's not that hard. They don't really pay attention to anything that isn't directly in front of them…no offense…" Link replied while rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to offend the king's daughter by boasting his skill and declaring that the Royal Guard were filled with buffoons.
"None taken. I ought to train the guards better. They don't necessarily do a great job at 'protecting', I'll admit," Zelda confessed and smiled once again, making Link's heart pound against his chest. "Come, sit down here." She said as she patted the stone step next to her.
Link plopped down next to her. They began to talk, about anything in general. Whether it was Link's newest adventure or the boring council meetings Zelda was forced to attend, they always had something to talk about. And although neither would admit it, when they were apart, both longed for each other's company.
The princess was sometimes jealous of the Hero of Time. He could go anywhere he wanted, whenever he wanted and no one could stop him and force him to go to a council meeting.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.
"Say, Link, do you mind taking me somewhere? I won't stand for being a prisoner in my own home! Would you, please?" Zelda begged. If he said no, she'd have to start grovelling. She was that desperate to get out. Being able to walk on the beautiful grass, watch the birds fly around the endlessly sapphire sky and smell the fresh, clean air seemed like a dream that was just out of her grasp.
"Well, I don't mind," Link replied hesitantly, "but I think your father might."
"Please? It'll only be a couple hours! No one will know at all that we're gone!" Zelda pleaded. She gave him her best doe-eyed look, quivering lips and all.
"Oh…well….uhhhh…." he started to answer and looked at her earnest face once again, "Oh alright! Just don't make that face again." Link sighed in defeat. He couldn't say no to those eyes.
Zelda practically squealed in delight and dragged Link by the arm towards the entrance of the courtyard. There, she ran head first into Impa, her shiekah bodyguard. Link froze on the spot and stared at the armoured woman. What if she threw him out? Even though Link was a hero, he was always intimidated by Zelda's protector and he would never get used to her just materializing everywhere. Zelda, on the other hand seemed calmer. She was used to Impa's sudden appearances.
"And where do you think you're going, princess?" the shiekah asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have become aware of the fact that I have not been outside the Castle for a long time. I think that I should have the right to explore the kingdom that shall one day be mine." Zelda answered assertively.
"Very well, I shall cover for you if you're father becomes aware of the fact that you are missing. You truly do need to spend more time outside!" Impa finished, glancing at the princess' unusually pale skin due to lack of sunlight. It had been awhile. The last time Zelda had been out and about in Hyrule was one year ago when she had been sent to Zora's Domain for diplomacy matters. Zelda almost looked like she was made of marble.
"Thank you, Impa. I assure you this trip will be good for me." Zelda stated. She was trying hard to keep her composure because she desperately wanted to let out her happiness. Her eyes brightened at the thought of learning the kingdom she would one day rule through her own eyes and not through books or fairytales.
"I shall escort you both out secretly, so as to not raise suspicions," her guardian stated, "Oh and be careful now! I cannot help you out of trouble if you come to any harm." Impa added quickly.
"Do not worry about me, Impa. And what better guardian do I have while I am away than the Hero of Time himself?" Zelda reassured confidently and stole a glance at the young man beside him. Link looked down at his feet, feeling uncomfortable with all the praise that he was receiving from the princess.
The shiekah woman nodded and looked around the vicinity to see if someone noticed, then gripped Link and Zelda's arms before disappearing with a puff of smoke.
A few seconds later, Link, Zelda and Impa stood in front of the stables. The mare whinnied loudly at the sudden appearance of her rider and the two women. With a final goodbye, Impa threw a deku nut at the ground and disappeared in another puff of smoke.
Link thanked the young stable hand and guided the energetic steed out of Castle Town and on to Hyrule Field.
He turned towards the princess and wondered aloud. "Well then, where's a nice place to go?"
Link pondered and suddenly, a thought occurred to him, "I've got it! Let's go to Lake Hylia. It's a wonderful day for a swim." He suggested, gesturing at the brightly shining morning sun.
"Alright, sounds absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to travel around Hyrule! Oh, it's been quite awhile. I love swimming! The last time I went to Lake Hylia was a year ago and it wasn't even for fun. This is going to be the best day EVER!" Zelda rambled enthusiastically as she basked in the warm sunlight. She was ecstatic at the thought of exploring Hyrule, just like Link. The world was full of unseen places and she was not going to waste any time dawdling.
Link playfully rolled his eyes and helped the princess on to Epona and quickly mounted the beautiful horse. Once he was settled with Zelda behind him on the saddle, she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned forward, and rested her head on his back. Link blushed slightly but thankfully, Zelda couldn't see his face. He spurred Epona in the direction of Lake Hylia, across Hyrule Field.
Upon arrival, Zelda gasped at the beauty before her. The sun was now high in the sky and the rays caused the clear water to sparkle. Butterflies flittered around the patches of wildflowers and the leaves on the tall trees rustled in the warm, summer breeze. It was truly a sight to behold.
As soon as Epona neared the water's edge, Link jumped down, helped the princess off his mare and started pulling off his boots. Then, he threw his hat and tunic to the ground and finally pulled off his white, long sleeved shirt to reveal his defined muscles and toned stomach.
Zelda blushed furiously at the sight of Link shirtless but thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. With only his pants on, Link ran full speed towards the lake and jumped in with a large splash. The hero re-emerged a moment later and waved at her to join him.
The sixteen year old quickly pulled off her dress, tiara, jewellery and gloves, leaving her in only a strip of cloth wrapped around her chest, and shorts. Link quickly dipped his face in the water so only his eyes could be seen. He didn't want Zelda to notice the rose colour that was forming on his cheeks. Zelda ran toward the lake and jumped in while screaming at the top of her lungs.
She made such a large splash that Link was attacked by a sudden wave of water. The young man laughed loudly as she re-emerged with her hair wildly covering her face. The princess giggled, moved her hair out of the way and started to float on her back, mildly kicking the water. Link did this too and for awhile, they silently enjoyed each other's company.
Link and Zelda's entire day was spent at Lake Hylia. They splashed around, raced, and explored the depths of the lake. The princess had not been out much so every little thing that Link showed, surprised her. The hero could only chuckle at Zelda's amazement.
Many hours later, the two finally dragged their pruned bodies out of the water. They lay on the grass to dry in the last few hours of sunlight. After their undergarments were fully dried, Link and Zelda slipped their clothes back on and lay down on the soft grass again, side by side. For a while, they chatted aimlessly. Soon they noticed that the sun was dipping below the horizon and the night was settling in.
As the stars slowly appeared across the sky and the moon rose higher, Link started to get worried. Zelda sensed this and calmly looked at her hero.
"Don't worry, Link. If I get in trouble, I'll get in trouble. But I doubt I will, considering Impa is the best liar in all of Hyrule. This was one of the best days of my life, sneaking out the castle and spending it here, at Lake Hylia, with you. I wouldn't change this day for the world." Zelda beamed.
"Same here," Link replied, "But I just don't want you to get in trouble because of me…"
"Oh, hush, I am not concerned whether my father confines me to my room or banishes me from the castle. I'd just climb out the window and go with you everywhere and explore the world, Link. Besides, this was my idea." Zelda answered.
"Oh, alright. Today was really fun though. Now that you're sixteen, you're getting more responsibilities and I never get to see you anymore. Besides, the face you made when I showed you how to put worms on the hook for fishing was priceless!" Link joked as he crudely imitated a girly look of disgust.
"Oh shut up! Worms are immensely disgusting!" Zelda shouted and playfully shoved the seventeen year old next to her.
Link laughed loudly and was about to shove the princess back when out of the corner of his eye, something streaked across the night sky. He turned his head and saw a shooting star race across their view.
"Look, Zel! It's a shooting star! Make a wish!" Link yelled and pointed at the falling white light.
Zelda closed her eyes and wished. Dear Farore, I hope that you will give me the courage to tell Link how I truly feel. She silently prayed to the gods that her desire would be fulfilled and opened her eyes to find Link staring at her, a huge grin on his face.
"Soooo, what did ya wish for?" He asked slyly.
"Oh none of your business! Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't or the wish would not come true!" She retorted.
"Fine, fine. And if you were about to ask me, you're gonna be disappointed because I didn't wish for anything." He replied calmly.
"What? Why?" She asked questioningly.
"Because…everything I need is right here." The hero answered confidently. He turned toward Zelda and gazed deep into her sparkling cerulean eyes. A small smile formed and he looked down at his callused hands in embarrassment.
Zelda let out a slight gasp. Could it be true? Did the Hero of Time really feel the same way about her? Hot tears welled up in her eyes as she threw her arms around her hero. Link was startled but quickly regained his composure.
He returned the warm embrace, placing his hands on the small of her back, holding Zelda in his arms as if he were holding the world. All his problems melted away.
Gently and cautiously, Zelda sat up once again and was met by Link's piercing eyes. He leaned in close.
They were so close together, their noses touched. Zelda courageously took a chance and closed the gap, meeting his soft lips. This is what both Zelda and Link had been longing for, and dreaming of. The heavens seemed to light up with falling stars as they clung to each other. For a second, they were a complete whole.
Zelda could've lived in that moment forever, but reluctantly, she pulled away to gaze at the oncoming meteor shower. She gasped once more as she watched streaks of white lights blaze across the atmosphere.
A few moments later, Link lay down on the soft, cool grass with an expression that radiated pure happiness- a smile that reached ear to ear.
Zelda took a moment to stare at her love, memorizing his features. He wasn't the little boy that sneaked into her courtyard to deliver the spiritual stone anymore.
Slowly, she lay down, resting her head on his chest, rising and falling with his breath and listening to his steady, racing heartbeat. Link wrapped his arms around Zelda protectively, enveloping her in his strong musky scent.
They fell asleep, hearts beating as one, under the stunning starry sky.