THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: Unseen Love
Rating: PG- 13
Genre: Drama/Romance
Summary: (Zelink) Zelda is married to a wealthy man, while Link pines for her. But when Zelda's son is kidnapped, she must tell Link about the child and why it looks so much like him.... And that will change them forever.
A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter is basically Link's background and how much he wants a family, blah blah... Next chapter will be better :) I promise. Please R&R, if you do, next chappie will be up soon. ZELINK!
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: Unseen Love
Link sat up and rubbed his eyes. Sunlight slipped through his window and splayed across his face causing his blond hair to shine. Outside, he heard Epona whinny, and Candida, his Lon Lon cow, cry for their breakfast.
"Okay, okay, I'm up," he grumbled, stretching his arms and standing. Dressing quickly and splashing his face with cold water, Link jogged out of his house and hopped down the short ladder, landing into the pasture he had fenced off for his animals.
Epona nickered happily and galloped over to him, snuffling first at his cheek, and then at his pockets. Link laughed and hugged her around the neck, patting her glistening coat, and taking a handful of Malon's horse treats.
Vaulting the fence again, Link sighed to himself as he watched the Kokiri villagers stagger out of their homes, still sleepy. Link watched a baby boy came out, walking too fast for his small body and trip on one of the large roots from the lush trees. Link started to sprint for the child but his father got to him first, sweeping him up in his arms, and throwing him lightly in the air, the child's tears turning to laughter as his father kissed his bruises.
Suddenly miserable, Link climbed the ladder and looked out over the trees at Hyrule Castle. His parents?.... Maybe they did kiss his bruises... He didn't remember them; all he knew was that his father died in the wars and his mother had succumbed to the wounds she had received. Link was taken in by the Great Deku Tree, guardian of Kokiri Forest, and sent to live among the Kokiri as one of his own.
He had searched all the birth records at Hyrule Castle for his parents, but Ganondorf had inexplicably destroyed them all. There was no record of his family. Everything else he had heard through word of mouth, and little of it seemed true.
He leaned on the balcony rail and watched as Saria appeared at the edge of the Lost Woods. It had broken his heart when he discovered that a Hylian and a young sage could not form a relationship. But it surprised him- and hurt him even more- to learn that Zelda who had completed her sagehood years ago, was going to marry Prince Apal of Yashakia, the kingdom across the Mountain Ocean.
Link had kept a straight face during that announcement. Zelda had looked as though she would cry, but Link assured her that it was all right, Apal was a good man...All the things he didn't mean. Zelda had looked like she needed to tell him something desperately...
But now she had a child with her new husband. However, whenever she saw Link, she told him that her son was asleep, and not to see him. Link had never seen the child's face. What was Zelda's problem?
He shrugged it off. Self pity wouldn't get him anywhere. Ah, well, he has Ruto, right? He smiled to himself.
"Hey! Link!" Surprised, Link glanced up just in time to see a tiny, bluish white form zip down from the sky.
"Navi!" Link said, laughing as his fairy friend hugged him around the neck and kissed his cheek.
"Hey stranger!" Navi grinned and then flew up to the top of his blond head, her favorite place to sit. She flipped down over his forehead to smile at him.
"So Nav... Tell me... How was your honeymoon?" Link asked. Navi's grin broadened.
"Hali is as sweet as ever.. I'm so lucky..." She sighed and flopped down on his head. Link's smile faded... when was it his turn to be happy?... "Check it out," Navi said sitting up. "Here comes Saria and the horde."
She was right. Not far away, Saria and her fairy Nera were racing a troupe of tiny Kokiri babies to Link's house. She and Link hurried down to meet their friend. As soon as Link stepped off the last stair, he was immediately attacked and knocked over by the children, all eager for hugs.
"This is so cute, you should see yourself Link." Link laughed. It never ceased to amaze him how these baby Kokiri loved him so much.
"Hang on kids," He grunted, then, with some effort, he managed to stagger to his feet. The kids swung from his arms, legs, shoulders and neck, all screaming gleefully.
With one hand, Link supported baby Adonica, Saria's youngest niece. With the other, he caught the Sage by the elbow and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for bringing the Hoard with you."
Saria giggled, then gently took Adonica off of his neck. "I can't help it. I swear, they're all Foreshadowers; I didn't even say where I was going and they all followed me."
Link just smiled, then slowly lifted his arms up into the air. Mido's three- year-old twin sons and daughter shrieked as they dangled in the air.
"Okay, guys," Link said, trying to be stern and not laugh. But it was difficult; he had a toddler on his back that was intent on burrowing into his ears. "It's time for you to get off now."
"No!" they shouted, grinning toothily up at him. "Carry us!"
"I can never say 'no' to you guys," Link grumbled, but he still laughed. Feeling as though he were weighted down with the Iron Boots, Link lumbered across the field, fighting to keep his balance. Navi flew around him in dizzying circles, warning the children against falling.
Finally, Link came to a tuft of flowers. Like Epona when the flies were too much for her, Link shook them all off.
"Easy, guys!" he cried when they squealed and flung dirt and grass at him.
Behind him, Saria laughed. "Are you going to survive, Link?"
"For the love of Nayru, I hope so!"
Navi was laughing so hard that she was rolling in the air. "Aw, this kills me! Man, Link you'd make a great dad."
"Yeah," Didrika, Saria's second niece threw in. "If he didn't act so wimpy around girls!"
"Didrika!" Saria scolded, "That wasn't very-"
"WIMPY?!!" Link roared, and Didrika pretended to scream in fright. Link charged after her, shouting, "I'll show you who's wimpy!!"
"Tickle torture!" Navi cried, racing after them.
Link eventually caught up with his midget insulter. He grabbed her and tossed her up into the air.
As he played with the children, Link looked up at Navi and asked, "Navi, were you serious when you said I'd be a good dad?"
"Of course I was! Why do you ask?"
"Ooh-oof!" Link grunted as he was bowled over by two mighty nine year olds. He faked a growl, sending the boys screaming back to their safety area. "I don't know-I just ... it's been bugging me. I want to have a family-gotchya!" Link tagged a short opponent, then quickly leapt away. "But I've never had a good father figure-let alone a real one-and I don't know how good I'd be at parenting."
"Whoa, Linky," Navi said, bagging around a sapling and zipping after him again. "You've gotta get married first."
He chuckled, then ducked around a bush to avoid a trio of children. "I'm aware of that ...."
"You're aware of it, but you never talk to any girls."
"Well-" Link dove over into his safety area. "I know ... but ... I can't marry Saria until she completes her Sagehood. That won't be for another ten years or so. Malon's getting married in the spring, and ... and Zelda ..."
Link fell silent. Sympathetic, Navi landed on his knee. "Don't worry, Link. You'll meet someone. Just remember that proverb, 'Stop chasing love ...'"
"'And love will come willingly,'" Link finished. He nodded. "I know. I just can't stand being alone like this anymore."
"Poor Link," Navi sighed. She hesitated; and suddenly, Navi's eyes flew open in terror, and she sprang into the air, shrieking, "LOOK OUT!!!!"
Link spun around, half expecting a Wolfos or something. Instead, about eighty Kokiri kids lunged from behind the bushes and pinned Link down with their combined weight.
"Agh!" he cried.
"Ha!" a boy laughed, and he brandished a pointy Deku Stick like it was the Fairy Sword. He jabbed it at Link's face. "Do you yield?"
Link smiled. "I know when I'm beaten."
Thinking themselves victorious, the kids began to clamber off. As soon as he was freed, Link was about to go after them, but bumped into a hard piece of metal, looking up to find a royal guard of the Princess.
Saluting to Link, and Link returning the gesture, the guard looked down.
"Link, Princess Zelda needs to see you immediately."
"What? Why, what's wrong? Did she say?"
"Personal affairs..."
Link saddled Epona and rode outof the Forest onto the dewy grass as Epona ripped across Hyrule Field towards the castle.