I'm back and ready to give every single person in this fandom both types of diabetes in one swing of ~3K words! ...yeah!
Done for day one of Zelink week on tumblr. Today's prompt was "by your side", and I haven't written for Spirit Tracks before, so I figured I would give the Hero of Trains a shot in celebration of the best week of fanworks ever for the most adorable pairing in video game history.
I'm going to try to do every day of Zelink week, mostly because I haven't been writing enough lately and I just recently got ungrounded from my laptop, even if I am still grounded from everything else, so screw everything else, I'm gonna Zelink all week! Major thanks to Philozophy, as, without Philozophy's answer to this prompt, which was posted very early today, I never would've known of Zelink week, and it was posted early enough for me to get this done in time. Thank you kindly, sir, madam, or whatever else.
Also, I never finished Spirit Tracks, so I was forced to spoil myself for the sake of this story. Be grateful!
With all that out of the way, let's get this party started!
By Your Side
They don't know each other at first. Why would they? She is a princess, regal and confident and important, and he's just a boy. The chancellor makes sure he knows that, and he calls him as much. Make it quick, boy. Her Majesty doesn't have time to waste on this pointless tradition. Nor does she have time to waste on you, boy. And, because he hasn't met her, he has only heard stories of how she's kind and generous and sweet, he just assumes that she feels the same way, even if she does insist the ceremony be upheld.
He bows deep when they first meet, not daring to look in her eyes, but, nonetheless, he gets a good look at the throne room that he knows he'll never see again. It's just how he has always pictured it: bright, lush, and decoratively hung, with tapestries and stained glass windows adorning almost every inch of the walls. His eyes are drawn specifically to the enormous window that lies straight ahead, overlooking the entire hall from just above her throne. It depicts a girl with bright blonde hair tied up in a bun, tan skin, and what looks like the garb of a pirate or street urchin. He has never met her before, yet he feels like he has in another place, or another time.
Then she enters from the side and he quickly returns to his bow, kneeling for extra measure. The plush red carpet is boring to look at, so he closes his eyes, instead focusing on the sound of feet quietly padding along toward him, accompanied by the sweep of fabric against the floor. Finally, the footsteps halt right in front of him, and they are almost two meters away, but he can still pick up her quiet breaths like some sort of sixth sense.
That same sixth sense stands at attention now, and, before he can even realize what he's doing, his eyelids have flicked open and his head has tilted back up.
She is the most stunning thing he has ever had the honor of looking at. Bright blonde hair draped over her shoulders; a long dress of pale pink with gold ceremonies that brushes the floor; a diadem of what has to be solid gold proclaiming her as Princess of Hyrule. For a moment, he just stares, feeling color tinge his cheeks red, and that's when she smiles back at him.
He returns it without hesitation.
Chancellor Cole butts in once more, this time more angry than merely annoyed. How dare you?! and Raising your head without permission?! and I'll see you hanged by morning for this, boy! And there it is again. Boy. Because that's all he is right now. A little kid who's getting his engineer's license only to be promptly hanged and become quite unable to properly operate a train. But she puts an end to all that, holding out her gloved hand to him and giving him a warning look.
Chancellor Cole looks less than pleased, his narrowed black eyes squinting even further, but he reluctantly stands down, and she returns her gaze to the blonde boy kneeling before her instead. "Ignore him; he's been itching to have someone hanged for weeks now." She speaks to him, and her voice is soft and musical, like the notes of a flute. Somehow, those notes are strikingly familiar.
"You must be the new engineer," she says, scanning his standard engineer's outfit. Somehow, he spots the approval in her eyes already, and she seems rather sure of something; like she has made a great choice. Briefly, he wonders if she's allowed to deny him his graduation, but he drops that thought rather quickly. "What's your name?"
He doesn't talk much, but he clears his throat, more than willing to talk if it's for her sake—even now, he feels an odd urge to follow her, like he's been lead by her before, or maybe vice versa. "Link," he mutters, and his cheeks color red when he notices how raspy his voice is, but she doesn't seem likely to complain. As soon as she hears that one syllable, her eyes widen slightly, and her smile widens quite a bit into a grin.
"What a wonderful name." Something is sparkling in her eyes; something he can't distinguish. "Well, Link, by the power vested in me," ignoring the Chancellor's interruption, "I hereby recognize our newest royal engineer: Link!"
She hands over the certificate, and he almost doesn't notice her draw close through his blinding excitement. Somehow, though, the ecstasy of achieving his lifelong dream is quickly drowned by the shock of having her within inches of him, reaching over to grab his arm in her own right hand. Only later will he realize that this creates a barrier of her dress as she passes him a letter with her left hand, blocking the action from Chancellor Cole. "Read this later—not a word now! And beware the Chancellor!"
So, with a heart beating rapidly, he leaves Hyrule Castle, clutching a letter from Princess Zelda to his chest, and words echoing emptily in his mind. Not that it will matter much. Your train will be useless before long...
(He wonders, much later, how desperate Zelda must have been to entrust such an important matter to him. After all, she's a Princess, and he's just a little boy.)
The message is hammered in on the way to check on the Spirit Tracks, because they are the Princess, the engineer, and the boy; always the boy. Still, even when the Princess is helpless and the engineer is thrown aside like yesterday's garbage, the boy throws himself in Byrne's way, arms spread wide as if he can actually protect her. He, of course, is simply slapped hard enough to go flying out of the way, but he supposes it was worth it in the end, because that was when he took the first steps from "boy" to "hero".
She is a ghost.
Mere vapor; a mere soul. A spirit without a body to reside in. Almost akin to an illusion. No one else can see or hear her; she is completely isolated without him at her side. And she's hysterical when he first finds her, trying desperately to get someone's attention to no avail.
The boy shows up to be her hero, as he always seems to do.
He's so much calmer than she is, and she thinks for a moment that perhaps she has no right to be more upset than him. She, after all, may be only a ghost at the moment, but being a ghost doesn't hurt, and she can tell by his limp and pained gasps of breath that Byrne's attack did more damage than he's letting on. But those thoughts quickly disappear, because he's looking right at her, saying, "Your Highness?" with wide eyes, and he can see her; he can see her.
Teacher can't see her (Where is the Princess?! The Princess is missing! Oh, dear me, whatever shall I do?!) and the guards can't see her (Hey, did you hear that Her Majesty has vanished? No way! Where do you think she's gone? I don't know, but I hope she's alright...) and not even the Captain can see her (Men, we need to organize a search party immediately! What are you still doing here, recruit? You aren't ready to go on this high-level of a mission!), but, somehow, miraculously, the one person she needs the most... can.
He is a hero, and she is just a ghost, but, somehow, they get along. Even as he is playing her Spirit Flute, and maybe she feels a slight pang of envy because that should be her, it's hers, he can't have it, but even then, she doesn't think for a moment that there's even the slightest chance he might not succeed. Sure, she frets over him sometimes as if she doesn't believe he can make it, but she never has anything less than the utmost faith in him.
Because he is a hero, after all.
When they are in battle, she always looks away, unable to watch as he masterfully weaves through enemy fire, sword biting swift and true. She can't stand to see the fighting, even if she knows for a fact that there's no way he'll fall to something so mundane. Because he is a natural when it comes to swordplay, and, if she ever doubted that she had found the reincarnated Hero of Winds, that doubt is long gone now.
When Anjean had first told her the news—He cannot climb the tower alone; two people are needed to overcome the hardships of each floor—she'd been beside herself with horror. What use would she be? Could ghosts die? Could they feel pain? Was it possible for someone who had already been reduced to the lowest possible state to be lowered even further? Whatever the case may be, she would much rather wait down here until it was all over.
In the end—surprise, surprise—it was the hero who quelled those fears. "You might be a ghost, but you're still the Princess, Your Highness. I'm sure that you'll be a big help, whatever the case. And I won't let you get hurt if my life depends on it!" He sounds so confident that she yields much faster than she probably should. She can't help it; he is the hero, and she is the ghost; the damsel in distress. She's just used to hearing that voice and trusting it to be right.
When they first encounter the Phantoms, they are so terrifying that she almost screams loud enough for the guards to hear her back at Hyrule Castle. Link doesn't seem particularly fazed—more of that hero instinct, she assumes. Without breaking a sweat, he collects the Tears of Light and strikes a Phantom in the back. They almost expect it to die, but it doesn't, and, before she even knows what she's doing, she finds herself drawn to that glowing spot on the armor.
Becoming a Phantom is like having a body again, but she's cold as ice and hollow inside, as if her bones and blood have been removed, leaving her an empty husk of dried-up skin. At first, she expects it to be a pretty useless ability; perhaps just a novelty for them to remember fondly after Chancellor Cole and Byrne have been stopped. But he is awestruck, and he immediately begins to formulate ways they can use this to their advantage; every way he can possibly think of.
(She wonders, much later, how desperate Link must have been to entrust her with such an important matter. After all, he's a hero, and she's just a little girl.)
If being evicted from your body is like being squeezed out of a jar, then reclaiming it is like forcing your way back in. This time, they stand side by side, the Princess glowing a bright golden, the beast roaring in agony, and the hero holding his sword high up to the heavens. Standing side by side, they grip the hilt of the hero's blade, pushing it into the soul of the beast, and, standing side by side, they watch as Malladus disappears, hopefully never to appear again.
And then it is over.
At first, they have a hard time believing that they've won. After such a long journey, trekking through all different sorts of terrain and facing countless perils that most would pale at the thought of, it seems like a farce that they could be done. They keep expecting Chancellor Cole to appear out of thin air with another wave of attacks, resurrecting his king once more. Or maybe for Byrne to re-materialize and decide to avenge himself, even if they had little to do with his death.
But all they get is Anjean, smiling at them knowingly. Zelda, protect this world. And Link, you must help her. And, with that slightly cryptic message, she and the other Lokomos—Byrne included—ascend to the heavens.
It isn't exactly a conscious decision on their part. But, as the brilliant balls of light drift off into the clouds, Zelda and Link raise their heads to watch. And, without a word or even a shared look, their hands drift together and meet, holding each other gently.
Her hand is soft and delicate, gloves unsullied. His is rough and callused, marred with small, pale scars.
Perhaps, before all of this happened, they would have blushed. His face would have gone a cherry red, and her cheeks would have traitorously faded to pink (she is too dignified for red, he thinks). Now, they barely even seem to notice the act.
"Link?" she says, voice small and quiet and quivering a bit.
"Yeah?" His voice doesn't seem to be much better off, somehow managing to be both quavering and gravely from lack of use. If he is as exhausted and bone-weary as he sounds, it doesn't show on his calm face.
For a moment, she doesn't respond. He doesn't push. They simply stare up into the empty expanse of sky, wondering where Anjean and Byrne are now, and if they have been reunited at last. Then she finally turns to face him, and he follows suit. Although both of their expressions are blank and collected, their eyes display their emotions for the other to see clear as day. Without an ounce of hesitation, she charges forward in a sudden burst of relief as the events of the past few months finally take their toll. Link catches her without a word, taking the embrace she offers and returning it tenfold.
"Let's go home," she says, her voice thick with emotion as she turns her face into his shoulder, feeling him do the same.
There is another moment of silence. It is broken only by the distant sounds of shouting, and she recognizes the Captain's booming voice as well as the general scuffle of all the guards rushing towards the commotion. In the distance, she can make out a horde of green outfits, but there is only one man in green she cares about right now.
"Yeah," he says.
No one is really ready for it except for them. Most of them try to talk her out of it. Your Highness, with all due respect, you've just met him, and there are far more suitable candidates! She ignores Teacher: as smart as he is, he has never understood matters of the heart, nor does he seem to realize that they've hardly just met. In fact, she feels like she knows him better than she knows her own father. By a long shot.
Many of the guards seem similarly apprehensive, offering tentative advice like Perhaps you should wait until you're both of age and You should probably wait to make sure he's trustworthy. Only the Captain approves, but he approves wholeheartedly, and anyone who complains about it on his watch gets a reprimand. You've got good instincts, he says to Link eventually, and you pretty clearly care about her. Besides, you are this castle's hero now, aren't you?
And, indeed, he was. Although many of the guards had momentarily forgotten about that, preoccupied with matters of engagement instead, they quickly remember, and they treat him accordingly, even if they still are wary of him marrying into royalty. He doesn't blame them—he would be, too.
It takes a few years for people to trust him with their Princess, but that's alright—neither of them are of age, anyway. Nonetheless, they publicly announce their engagement a few years ahead of time so that the common folk will be able to adapt to the idea. And, although a few of them are shocked, still seeing Link as that engineer kid who grew up in the countryside, there are no objections. In fact, the day afterwards, they ambush Link right outside of the castle and congratulate him as a group. It is a lively party chock full of slaps on the back, and Alfonzo even attends, even though he had been first to learn the news.
He is older, so he is of age first: that's when he officially proposes. It isn't a grandiose affair; he simply gives her the ring and she says "Well, it's about time." And, with that, they both smile and laugh and then race each other to the pond out back, where they push each other into the water and paddle around, still chuckling.
When she becomes of age, they stand next to each other at the coronation. She accepts the crown and scepter with grace, and then they turn to each other and he kisses the bride. People cheer as she throws her bouquet, and they don't stop to see who caught it before joining together, hand-in-hand, and running off down the isle. Alfonzo takes the wheel as they slide into the Spirit Train and take off, the masses of cheering people fading out of sight behind them.
(No one ever wonders why they chose each other among the thousands of eligible and willing bachelors and maidens of the kingdom. After all, she's a Queen and he's a hero, right?)
(They never consider any of those bachelors or maidens. After all, she's a little girl and he's a little boy, and there was never anyone else.)