Disclaimer: I claim no rights to the characters of the Legend of Zelda or its characters. The Legend of Zelda and anything affiliated with it belong to Nintendo.
Theme 2: Love
Setting: Legend of Zelda, Zelda 2, old cartoons/comics
He couldn't figure it out. He loved her. He thought he had made it obvious. He thought she returned his feelings. No matter what he did, though, she kept rejecting him! He had gathered the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. He had gathered the six crystals to wake her from a cursed sleep (AN: going by the game's intro and comic book, not the manual). He had gone through countless mini adventures with her. He had been turned into a frog, a ghost and had even kissed a gibdo, never mind that the gibdo was disguised as a beautiful girl, all in the name of protecting her and the Triforce. He still had nothing to show for it either. It wasn't that he was selfish. He didn't want money or fame. He just wanted a kiss! That one when she woke up from the curse didn't count... she was half asleep.
Zelda turned on her horse to look at him. She knew something was bothering him but he had stayed silent when she asked. Right now, however, was a bad time for him to be absorbed in his thoughts. They were in route to an underworld entrance to take back another sacred relic that Ganon's minions had stolen that morning. Pig man never liked to give them a days rest.
"Link, you need to snap out of it. We're almost there." He seemed to come out of his thoughts but not out of his funk.
The whole way through the underworld to Ganon's lair, he would stay silent. This was very odd. Link was good and he knew it, but why was he not flaunting his skills? When they arrived at the room where the sacred relic was stored, Zelda managed to get in and out quickly and without waking any tin suits. She quickly shoved the item into her magical, bottomless, shrinking pouch and they made a mad dash out of there. The moblins and goriyas that guarded the room where slower than usual (and that's saying something) and didn't sound the alarm until Link and Zelda were almost to the door. The fight out was quick and efficient with Link not showing off and before Zelda could believe it, they were out of the underworld and back on their way to the North Palace.
"Link, thank you. You did a wonderful job." She was starting to think she had offended him somehow, perhaps by under appreciating his skill as a swordsman. When all he did was mumble his thanks, Zelda stopped her horse in front of his poor Catherine.
"Alright mister, this funk of yours is really freaking me out. What's wrong?" Her concern came out angrier than she intended.
"I'm just a swordsman to you, aren't I? I'm just the hero, a tool to use when Hyrule is endanger." Zelda couldn't believe her pointy ears. He was serious.
"That is ridiculous. You are my closest friend who is always there when I need it. You are what keeps me going when I feel like nothing is going right. I need you not because you're a swordsman, but because... you're you." It wasn't the greatest speech she'd ever given, but if it worked...
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"But who's gonna keep me going?"
"I will."
"Oh, okay..." Her speech failed. He went right back into his bad mood. Now Zelda was starting to get worried. Seeing the always cheerful, optimistic and sometimes downright cocky Link being so depressed was making her depressed. Her mind went into high gear. This desperate situation called for a desperate solution. Zelda knew of one thing that could make Link happy at any time or place. She had been avoiding doing this for so long though... It didn't matter. Link needed this! Zelda pulled her horse up beside his, moved his face to look at her and without any warning, she kissed him.
Link's mind was reeling. After asking her so many time to kiss him, here she was kissing him of her own choice!
"Wha, why?" was all he managed to stammer out when she had pulled away.
"I said I would keep you going when you needed it. You looked like you needed it." Link just stared at her blankly for several seconds before standing up in the saddle and shouting his joy. Zelda laughed at his show of enthusiasm. When he finally sat down in his saddle, much to Catherine the horse's relief, he panted a bit before riding up beside Zelda.
"You remember that time when I was a ghost and Ganon said the only reason you could see me was because you loved me?"
"I... vaguely do, I suppose," she lied. She remembered all too well.
"This proves Ganon was right." Zelda blushed but didn't say anything. "So what relic did we get back from Ganon, love?" Zelda reddened even more but still pulled out the object in question. It was a blue sweet potato flute with a faded gold triforce inlaid near the mouth piece.
"We went all the way through Ganon's lair for that?"
"Yes..." She debated telling him the importance of this magical instrument and settled for a shortened version he'd like to hear. "It was used by an ancient Link and Zelda to seal Ganon away for a long time and, so the legend goes, was what brought them together."
"Together together?"
"Yes, Link. It helped them fall in love." Link smiled at the little blue instrument.
"Maybe this little thing can help us too," he said without thinking.
"I don't think we need that kind of help." Zelda reached up and kissed him one more time before she pocketed the ocarina and took off ahead of him to the castle, laughing when he gave chase.
