A/N Hello all! This is my first one shot, so I hope you enjoy it. Please leave reviews (they don't have to be nice lol) Also just to clarify, this is Zelda x Link aaaaand Link can talk. This is after the defeat of Ganondorf in Twilight Princess and in this story, the castle did not explode. It's Links POV! Thanks for reading! :)
I woke with a jolt, sitting upright in my small, wooden bed. I was sweating, and my heart was beating out of my chest. I clenched my hand over it, ruffling my white undershirt, telling myself over and over again that it had merely been a dream. I rubbed my fingertips over the three buttons holding my shirt together. I unbuttoned one, hoping it would somehow allow me to breathe better. I pushed my dark blonde hair out of my face, the moisture from my sweat made it stick like glue to the rest of my hair. I looked around uneasily. I struck a match on my bedside table and lit the lantern sitting on it. I glowed dimly at first, but soon lit up my entire loft. It calmed me to know that I was safe in my home.
Pressing my palm to my forehead, I let out a deep sigh. Scenes from my nightmare flashed before me. It was storming, and I was in the heat of battle with Ganondorf. Except my nightmare took a twisted turn, and instead it had been him who had slain me. He cackled as he knocked my sword ten feet to the left, and shook with laughter as he crushed my head under his massive iron boot. I screamed in pain as he kicked me in my ribs and I turned over many times. I laid on the cold ground, my mouth full of soil and blood. When finally his sword came crashing down on me I would wake, sweating and afraid. The nightmare had been occurring once a week, but it had recently gotten worse. It now happened almost every night.
I had hoped moving back to Ordon would help me settle, but it had done anything but that. Everyone stared at me when I passed, and if I even so much as looked at them they suddenly turned the other way, afraid of conversation. At first Iilia was the only one who would talk to me, but even she eventually drifted away. The kids still enjoyed my company, but children can only provide so much conversation. Rusl was the only one who still spoke to me. I figured it must have been odd for the people of Ordon to just accept me back into their lives after my adventure. Sure, I had saved Hyrule, but I was a completely different person from when I was sent to deliver a package to the castle. I'd seen things many of them could not bear the sight of. They couldn't imagine the things I had done. The only relief I found was out of Ordon, helping the Zoras, Gorons, or the citizens of castle town.
A statue had been placed in honor of me in the center of castle town, standing where the once glorious fountain had stood. Often I'd be stopped in the streets of castle town to have my hand shaken- or a group of girls would giggle and turn away from me bashfully. I loved helping people, even for the smallest requests; I once helped a little girl get her cat out of a tree, which she repaid me with a kiss on the cheek. I found joy in helping others, but I found the most joy at the end of the day, in a small tavern in castle town- Telma's Bar. I had spent a lot of my adventure there and made many friends. Auru, Ashei, Rusl, Shad, and Telma were all great friends of mine. We often sat around, telling stories and drinking. More than once I had gotten so drunk I had to stay there.
My other pastime included transforming into my wolf form. The twilight had a lasting after effect on me, and I could now transform into a wolf at will. It took a lot of strength, so I tended to stay after from it unless I was really bored. Now was one of those times.
I peeled the multi colored quilts Ilia had gifted to me off and climbed down onto the floor of my home. I opened my rounded door slowly and peered around. I was met with chilly night air, the rustling of leaves, the distant sounds of crickets and frogs, and a sleeping Epona. I climbed down the last ladder to the cool ground. I crinkled my toes in the dirt, letting the coolness wash over me. I took a deep breath. This was certainly a good time to transform. Once I had turned, I looked around slowly, observing everything with my new-found senses. I could now hear the roar of water in the distance, as well as the weak scent of pumpkin from the village. I was careful not to wake Epona as I passed her, but bolted for the woods as soon as I was sure she wouldn't hear me. I ran freely over Hyrule's grounds, the wind cooling my once sweating body and blowing my fur in all directions. The sky was clear, and many stars twinkled down at me as I ran. I made my way to castle town, which was deserted save a few guards. I easily sneaked past them, finding my hole that went under the castle wall and coming up in the courtyard of the castle.
I climbed a route I had done a hundred times, landing on the roof of the castle. I carefully made my way to the nearest tower, where I had met the princess for the first time. I easily jumped to the window and down onto the stone stairs. I nudged the door open with my snout. The room was dark and cold. A small lump laid in a ball on the bed, pulling the covers to them tightly. I jumped up onto the bed, nuzzling the small bundle gently. It was shaking, shivering, I guessed. I gently took the corner of the sheet between my teeth and pulled, revealing the top half of the princess. Her arms were wrapped around herself and her eyes were squeezed shut. She shivered with each breeze that passed. I looked up, noticing the far window had been blown open. I jumped down and ran to the window, standing on my hind legs and pushing the shutters closed. I set the latch with my teeth and made my way back to the bed.
The shivering hadn't stopped, but it was certainly much warmer than before. I whined, staring at her as she continued to shiver in the darkness. I pawed at her arms, to which she awoke. She blinked slowly, then looked up at me.
"Sir Link? What are you doing here?" She asked kindly, still shivering. I turned my head at her, motioning to her sheets. "Oh, I must have pushed my cover off." She said, propping herself up on one arm. Her hair hung in long locks, framing her face and cascading down to her bed. I noticed she was wearing a thin, cream colored nightgown that covered her shoulders. She looked around slowly, but I spotted her quilt before she did. I stepped down from the bed, grabbed the blanket between my teeth, and easily pulled it back to her. She adjusted it so it was in its rightful place and spoke again, her words soft and gentle.
"Thank you. I'm actually quite glad you're here. You see I've… planned something. An event, if you would." I perked my ears up. "It's in honor of you. Hyrule castle is holding a festival." My ears flicked back and dropped. I certainly hated parties, and she knew this. She patted me on the head. "It's alright, it is only formal. You just have to show up." She immediately noticed her action and retracted her hand. Even in the dim lighting, I could see and faint rose glow on her cheeks.
Just then, the low rumble of thunder met my ears. They perked up and I tilted my head toward the window. She turned her head to follow my gaze. I caught the smell of rain and quickly realized it was going to be a long, wet journey home. Lightening lit up the room through the cracks of her window, and a strong gust of wind blew it open, sending pellets of rain barreling in. A new roar of thunder met my ears, much louder than before. I saw Zelda jump slightly at the sudden noise. She sat up completely, letting her pale feet slide to the floor. She took a few, long strides to the window and pushed it closed, setting the room in silence once more. I watched as she then circled around the room to the fireplace and lit it. The air around me became warm and by the time she turned to face me I had transformed back into my human form. She simply stared at me, as though she had forgotten what I looked like. I stared back at her, making no motion to move from the bed. Her lips formed a tight line in a slight smile.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, Link. I sometimes forget there's a person behind the wolf." She was right, I visited her frequently, but had never visited her in my human form. The firelight danced off her face, casting shadows along her tall form. A chill passed through her and she crossed her arms over her bosom.
"You should lay back down, it is late. And you're cold." Her eyes traveled to the ground as I spoke. A long silence passed between us and I stood. "I should leave, I think it is… inappropriate for me to be here, like this." I dusted my tunic off as I made for the door.
"How could you mean that?" I stopped and turned to look at her as she spoke. Her arms were resting at her sides now. Her tone had a sense of authority, commanding even. This was the voice I knew her by. "You have visited me many times, and I had no objection. Why is this time any different?" I swallowed the nervous lump forming in my throat. Any normal person would hold their tongue at the tone the princess was using. I, however, held the triforce of courage.
"I am in my true form now, and as a male, it-"
"Enough." Her voice made me stop short. "I understand." She turned her back to me and sat on her bed. The pounding of rain met my ears as silence engulfed us. Did she want me to stay? For what reason? She was just going to go back to sleep, wasn't she? A breeze blew by her once more and she shuddered. I couldn't stop myself as I took three steps toward her and grabbed her blanket. I sat on my knees behind her and wrapped the blanket around her sitting form.
"You should lay back down, it is late. And you're cold." I repeated myself, only this time very close to her pointed ear. I wondered what I was thinking, and how she would react to me being so close to her. I could feel the heat radiating off of her, and felt the warmth travel up to my cheeks. She turned her head to gaze at me, our faces inches apart. Her long hair tickled my nose, and her breath glided smoothly across my face as she spoke.
"Only if you stay here… with me." My face was now on fire, I didn't know how to react. I simply stared at her, lost for words at the sudden lust in her voice. My chest contracted. I had never expected anyone, much less the Princess of Hyrule to speak in such a way to me. My body felt as though it were engulfed in flames as she rested her hand on top of mine. Her eyes seemed to peer into my very soul. "Link, you're sweating. Do you have a cold?"
"I-I will stay here with you, if that's what her highness wishes." My words finally caught up with me, and came out very quickly. She smiled again before laying back down onto her sheets, pulling the blanket with her. I sat there, dumbfounded until she made a motion to the space beside her. I awkwardly let my body crash down beside her, surprised by the comfort it provided, I had never felt anything like it before.
"You're going to sleep like that? Would you like something more comfortable?" She looked at me worriedly. My words were stuck in my throat, so I simply shook my head. She lifted her hand. "At least take your hat off, you-" Her breath caught as I snatched her hand out of the air. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"What are you trying to do to me?" I nearly yelled. Her mouth sat agape. "You've never been so friendly with me, am I expected to just sit here and say nothing? What is it you want from me, Princess?" I realized how angry my tone must have sounded, and instantly regretted raising my voice. She collected herself before speaking.
"You truly do have the triforce of courage, hero. But, can you control your courage? Do you have limits?" Zelda's voice was suddenly low, and she moved in closer to me. She propped herself up on one elbow as she leaned over me. She stopped when she was mere centimeters away from my face. The smell of lilac and sweet smelling perfumes met my nose and clouded my vision. Her eyes flicked from my lips to my eyes. I reached my arm around her and pulled her body closer to mine.
"If I want something, I do not have limits, Zelda." Her eyes closed and she lightly pressed her lips to mine. A new wave of heat washed over me and I brought my other arm up to hold her head as I deepened the kiss.
She pushed away from me suddenly and I let her go. She returned to her previous position laying on the bed. She faced away from me. Had I done something wrong?
"Princess? Have I done something to harm you?" My question hung limply in the air. Rain continued to pound the window.
"I…" Her voice was soft and barely audible over the rain. "No. You have not."
"Then what ales you, Zelda?" She hesitated a long moment before replying.
"Tell me, hero, was your action out of lust or love?" The question left me dumbfounded. I stared at her back blankly. Sure, I had always loved Zelda as a friend and companion, but… did I feel more than that for her? An image of us being close came to my mind and my face heated up again. I certainly had a… feeling for her, but was that what 'love' was? I had flirted with plenty of girls before, even received little pecks on the cheek from some but never had I felt the way I did when Zelda kissed me.
"Was your tempting me out of lust of love?" I fired back. I might be unsure of my answer, but it seemed as though she had made up her mind. She stood, her tall figure looming over me and a burst of lightning illuminating her silhouette. She whipped her head around, suddenly furious.
"I will not answer until you do, Sir Link. I will not have myself made out to be a fool!"
"How can you expect me to answer you when you pushed away so quickly? How am I to know what I feel for you?" I sat upright on her bed, my brow furrowed.
"You kissed me without knowing your feelings toward me first? You benighted man!" Her voice was cracking and I could see the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. I stood on my knees, ready to spring from the bed to her when she stopped me with a nude hand pressed firmly to my chest. "Did all those nights after Ganondorf's defeat mean nothing to you? Those few weeks when you came here almost every night to ensure my safety, was it just that? And when I would wake up crying, you were always there weren't you? What a fool I've been, to think you actually cared for me when you slept next to me, and came back to me night after night to do it again. What a fool I've been to think you wanted anything more than friendship!" She spat the last word, which was followed by a low roll of thunder. I was dumbfounded. I had never seen her so upset and angry. The truth was I came back every night because I enjoyed her company. Even in my wolf form, I had found ways of making her laugh, and her laugh was so delicate and sweet. I loved her laugh. I loved how peaceful she looked when she slept and the soft glow of her skin in the moonlight. I liked how her hair was silky and smelled nice and the way her eyebrows arched perfectly to frame her face. I enjoyed the sound of her slow breathing while she slept and how warm she was next to me. The thought of her being away from me made me upset, and the thought of her being as angry as she is now made me even more upset. My heart ached to go to her and tell her everything was alright. I wanted to wipe the tears away from her face- which was distorted with anger. I made up my mind. I grabbed her hand lightly, which made her gasp. She didn't pull away as I began speaking.
"Zelda. I would never do anything to harm you. You are my closest friend and I cherish every moment I have with you. All those times I came to you… it wasn't for you, it was for me. Because even the thought of being away from you makes my heart ache. I need you more than anyone, Princess. You are certainly the most beautiful woman I know, and if I only lusted for you, I would have done something about it by now."
"I- what are you saying?" Her anger had been switched with confusion and glimer of hope. I could feel her shaking. I pulled her closer to me and she fell onto the bed on her knees, her hand mere inches away from my face. I tilted her chin toward me with my free hand.
"I did it out of love, your highness."