Author's Note:
This is a collection of short fics all housed in the same world, universe, and loosely connected by a shared timeline. It is, however, out of order. When the time frame is important though, I'll be sure to include it. =)
Enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment or request!
Grey
It was strange to find peace.
One hundred years fighting the dark embodiment of evil. One hundred years sealed in what could only be described as a tomb after falling in battle.
One hundred years of death, destruction, and evil plaguing this beautiful land and now…
Outside the humble window, a small blue bird chirped happily, singing of the birth of the rising sun and warm air that filled the sky. It was spring, flowers were beginning to break through the earth with tiny shoots and strong roots that would grow and flourish to fill the air with their sweet fragrance.
It was peaceful.
What a strange thought indeed.
A hand came finger-spread across Zelda's bare back, and she felt herself close her eyes and drop her head back slowly with a low sound in her chest.
The man didn't need to speak to be heard. The former princess — or, she supposed she was still technically the heir to the throne in some respect — knew what the gentle touch meant.
Are you alright, my love?
The princess turned and the bright light of the rising sun illuminated her flesh until Link could have sworn she were outlined in gold.
"I'm alright," she spoke to him with a softness in her voice that was almost a whisper. They were alone, undisturbed in their little oasis, and yet it felt more intimate with whispers and hushed tones. As if the heavens could hear them if they spoke too loudly.
Link let his hand fall from her shoulder but the princess laced her fingers with his in her lap and smiled at him so warmly, he could almost see her smile glowing from beneath her skin. "I'm alright."
They'd built a custom over the past few years. Zelda would say something once for the earth to hear — the people, the Goddess, the fate that dragged her into this life she had. Then she would say it again, sometimes different and sometimes the same. The second voice wasn't one to be heard but one to be felt. It was a voice for him and her alone. He deserved his own voice. He deserved the entire world or as much as she could give him anyways.
Link, however, was never one for many words. The princess remembered the rumors of old, telling her of the knight who lost his voice. But she knew he had a voice — a strong voice, direct and unwavering and more powerful than anyone would ever understand. It was a voice selective to only particular ears. It was a voice you didn't need to hear to understand.
Link brought their laced fingers to his mouth and pressed his lips against her soft knuckles in a tender display of affection. Her reactive smile illuminated the space more brightly than the sun could even accomplish.
"I love you," her lips moved but there was barely a voice behind them. It made no difference however. He heard her message clear as day.
In one swift motion, Zelda maneuvered from her window sill to Link, one creamy leg at either side of his, his hands wrapping gently around her waist, his breath warm on her skin until she sat in his lap, so close that the tender flesh of her breasts brushed against the rough texture of his scars.
Their lips brushed and there was a silent flash of light from the initial contact. Zelda smiled into his kiss and Link reciprocated accordingly when she pulled him in closer by wrapping her arms around his neck.
He loved this woman.
They rested their foreheads together after a few moments with heavy breaths in their chests and racing hearts in sync with one another. It was as if after all this time their souls had intertwined even more than their physical bodies ever could.
Zelda's breath shook in her throat as Link drew lazy swirls and shapes up and down her spine.
She buried her fingers deeper into his auburn hair and felt her heart swell.
"Do you think this is really it?" her voice was no more than a whisper of smile in the air between them. Link shifted the slightest but he didn't make any movement to deprecate an inch of skin from hers. "Do you think we'll be the last incarnation?"
His long, slowly drawn-out breath was answer enough.
"I don't know either," she spoke softly. Zelda opened her eyes and glanced to the side. In his long golden-orange hair was a single grey-white strand. Her eyes focused on it and she felt a wave of inexplicable warmth flood her veins.
How long had it been?
As the Goddess's blood herself, Zelda had grown accustomed to the memories. They floated back to her in times of intimacy, reflection, contemplation, sometimes even her dreams. She recalled loving her hero through time and spirit, sky and earth, sea and twilight. But of all the memories she had of their past incarnations — of all the times she felt him before — she never remembered seeing him past the time of their destiny. She'd seen him vanish, held his blood in her arms, watched him make a life with another even. But she never made a life with her beloved after fulfilling their only reason for existence. If anything at all, it seemed the more she loved him in the past, the less time they had together.
She'd never been able to truly love him, more less watch him grey.
Zelda ran the thin strand of grey between her thumb and forefinger and felt Link nuzzle his nose and warm lips against her neck. He kissed the space where her throat met her shoulder and she smiled.
No. They'd never quite made it this far before, but for today, she was thankful.