A/N: First thing's first: If you're going to leave a review, please give me your opinion on omelets. They're mentioned in this chapter, but I've never eaten one, so I was just curious... so yeah. What a way to start an author's note, right? Anyway... as usual, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I suppose that I don't have too much to say, other than... this chapter has LOTS of dialogue! And I really like writing lighthearted chapters like this, because it shows that my characters do, in fact, have a sense of humor. That's not always super obvious. Especially with Impa, who actually DOES kind of have a sense of humor... kind of. But it also gives me an excuse to crack stupid jokes, so that's a plus. ANYWAY, thank you all SO MUCH for your continued support, and your kind words and reviews, and, yes, your dealing with my stupid jokes. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ^.^
Chapter 2
"I told you I'd still be here," she muttered groggily, her arm stretched over his chest as she buried her face into a pillow.
Link grinned, rubbing his eyes. "You got me there..." He yawned, shivering as he sat up and looked out the small window across the room, where the sunlight had just begun to peek through. "I'm so hungry..."
"Truly, a revelation."
The young man rolled his eyes, grinning as she wrapped her arms around him. "You know, I get enough sarcasm from Impa, Ashei, Malo, and Ilia; you don't have to pile on..."
She smiled, laughing as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head. "Oh, you know that I'm kidding. You're one of the few people that I do joke around with, but if you're going to complain about it, then I suppose that I can stop trying to lighten up and simply go back to being completely formal with you..."
"Not a chance," he retorted, throwing his arms around her waist and pulling her back towards him.
Zelda giggled, turning to face him. "If you say so..." She yawned, rubbing her eyes as he let go of her. "Do you know what time it is?"
He shrugged. "I'm not completely sure, but the sun's not very bright, so it's probably early, still..."
She nodded, clearing her throat. "That's true... my meeting is at 9:00, so I can't be late..." Zelda glanced around for a minute before wrinkling her nose. "I truly should invest in getting a clock for my room..."
"But you can still eat breakfast," he pointed out, grabbing her by the arm and lightly tugging on her.
The queen frowned, slouching forward. "You may have to drag me there; I'm barely even awake yet, Link..."
She yelped in surprise, ending up in a fit of laughter when he began to literally drag her out of bed. Zelda grabbed onto his arm, pulling on his sleeve before he could pull her onto the ground. "Okay, I'll get up!"
He chuckled when she pushed herself to her feet. "You sure? Getting dragged downstairs may be a little painful, but I could carry you..."
"Don't do that, either," she replied, smiling.
"What was that?" he asked loudly, causing her to jump as he took a step forward. "You say that you wouldn't mind me carrying you downstairs? Your wish is my command, Your Majesty!"
"Link, I didn't-!"
Before she could stop him, he quickly grabbed her by the waist, slinging her over his shoulder as she shouted, trying not to laugh.
"L-Link!" she protested, but she couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips as he carried on out the door. "Link, what did I-" She laughed, trying to wrestle herself from his grasp. "Wh-What did I tell you? Don't carry me downstairs!"
"Why not?" he asked, already halfway down the hallway.
"B-Because..." Zelda thought to herself for a moment. "Y-You might throw out your back! Or drop me down the stairs!"
"I wrestled a Goron, Zelda. I doubt that either of those things would happen. But since you're so insistent..." Link set her back down, grinning from ear to ear as she giggled, smoothing her hair back.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, turning on her heel as they continued down the corridor. "You truly are a pain! I love you, Link, but... oh my goodness!"
He shrugged, smirking as he trailed behind her. "I can kid around too, you know..."
Zelda smiled slightly, clasping her hands together. "I know... it's part of what makes you such a fun person to be around, really."
He bit his lip, picking up his pace to catch up to her. "You say that as if you aren't any fun," he remarked, matching her speed.
The young woman shrugged, turning to look at him with her pensive blue eyes. "Well... you make up for what I lack, Link. That's why it's so common that opposites attract..."
"Don't say that, Zelda..." he responded, frowning slightly. "You're plenty of fun to be around; that's why the kids love you so much... and you have a great sense of humor. I'm not friends with anti-fun people, in case you hadn't noticed..."
She opened the door to the foyer, where they continued across the room towards the sitting room, from which they left to go to the kitchen. They glanced over at the counter, where Impa was busy cooking omelets in a pan.
"Hey, Impa," Link started, causing the woman to look over her shoulder, "you think that Zelda's fun to be around, right?"
Impa raised an eyebrow, turning her attention back to her cooking. "I don't understand why you're consulting me on the subject of fun, but..."
"It's just a question," he answered nonchalantly, leaning on the counter as Zelda remained standing, pursing her lips.
"I think that we should just... drop the subject, Link," the queen stated, shaking her head slightly.
The older woman furrowed her brow when the room grew silent, and she bit her lip. "...So when is your meeting at, Zelda?"
"9:00," she replied, nodding slowly as she approached the counter.
Link rubbed the back of his neck. There wasn't anything for him to do for the rest of the day...
"Mind if I sit in on the meeting?" he asked, looking over at the young woman.
Zelda knit her brow. "No... but it'll be awfully tedious. Are you sure you want to?"
He shrugged, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I don't really have much on my plate today, at all. Plus I've never gone to any of your meetings, so... why not?"
"You want coffee, Link?" Impa asked, walking over to the cupboard.
"Yes, please," he replied, yawning.
"Still hate coffee, Zelda?"
The young queen nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm afraid so."
"Alright..." Impa stated, turning back to the food. "The omelets are ready, just give me a minute to make the coffee... you two can head into the dining room, if you'd like."
They both nodded, thanking her as they both tiredly trudged towards the door. Link and Zelda entered the dining room, shivering as they took a seat at the large table.
Zelda looked across the table at Link, a hint of a smile on her lips as she leaned forward. He glanced up at her, a small grin spreading across his face.
"What?"
She shrugged. "Nothing..." Zelda pursed her lips, resting her cheek against her hand. "Are you sure that you want to come to the meeting? They're usually rather dull..."
He nodded, sitting up taller. "Yeah, I'm sure. I really don't have much to do today, since I'm not going to Kakariko until tomorrow morning... really, I don't mind it..."
Zelda nodded. "If you say so..."
The two turned towards the door when they heard Impa enter the room, holding three plates. Setting the food down in front of the two of them, she took a seat beside Zelda, who thanked her for the meal.
"It looks delicious," Link told the woman, smiling as he grabbed the fork from beside his plate.
Impa nodded graciously, picking up her own fork. "The coffee's on to boil, so it should be done fairly soon. What were you two talking about?"
"I was just asking Link if he was sure that he wanted to sit in on the meeting," the young woman replied, taking a bite of her food.
Impa cleared her throat, turning her attention towards Link. "You have to go down to Kakariko Village tomorrow, don't you?"
Link nodded, swallowing the food that was already in his mouth. "Yeah, tomorrow morning. Why?"
Impa rolled her eyes. "Telma wanted me to tell you to remind Renado of her existence. She's got a real crush on that man..."
The young hero knit his brow. "I don't exactly think that he requites her feelings," he admitted, biting his cheek. "Last I checked, he found her to be 'overbearing'. Plus, I don't know that his daughter would approve..."
The older woman smirked, raising her eyebrows. "He has a daughter? Telma would have a crush on the single dad."
Link chuckled, playing with his fork. "Uh, yeah. She's, like... fifteen, or something? Named Luda. I didn't talk to her much, but she seems nice. She and Renado are close, though, so I get the feeling that maybe she wouldn't take a liking to Telma, even if Renado happened to like Telma back."
She shrugged. "Probably for the best that he doesn't requite her feelings, then. Should I tell her?"
He frowned. "I don't know. It's a bit cruel, I think... but it isn't going anywhere. On the other hand, I'm not sure that she's heard of the phrase 'Don't kill the messenger', so..."
"I'll tell her," Impa answered, snorting. "Woman has her head in the clouds all the time, anyway... she might not be so happy, though..."
Link pursed his lips. "...I think she may have a big of a crush on Fado, from Ordon. I could... ask him what he thinks about it, next time I see him..."
She shrugged. "It's worth a shot..." Impa paused for a moment before standing up from the table and heading towards the door while muttering something about the coffee to herself.
After Impa had left, Zelda turned to Link, suppressing a grin. "Did you just set up Fado with Telma?"
Link thought to himself, staring down at his food. "I may have... accidentally done so. B-But Telma's a really nice person, and I wouldn't want her to be upset about Renado not liking her, so maybe..."
"...It appears that you've become a matchmaker by circumstance," she remarked, giggling as she took another bite of her omelet.
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe..." Link was silent for a moment as he glanced at the clock behind Zelda. "Do you have to be at the meeting at 9:00 sharp?"
"I try to get there a few minutes early," she responded.
Impa entered the room again, carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. She set them on the table, taking her seat beside Zelda. Link reached for his mug, only to be interrupted when Impa swatted his hand away, scowling. "I know you," she accused him, pulling his mug away from him a bit. "You'll try to drink it right away. I swear, you never learn..."
The hero frowned, eating another forkful of his breakfast.
The group of three was quiet for another few minutes as they ate in silence, unsure of what to say. Finally, Zelda spoke up once more.
"What's on your plate today, Impa?"
The older woman shrugged. "I had some errands to run in Castle Town, later... I was planning on visiting Telma, too, but that isn't a sure thing, just yet. So I don't have much on my pla-"
"-AUGH!" Link exclaimed, slamming his coffee mug down on the table and causing Zelda to jump in surprise. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grimacing.
Impa glared daggers at him. "You're unbelievable," she scolded the young man, pulling the mug away from him. "I feel that you should be demoted."
Zelda frowned, looking over at Impa. "He's not being demoted simply because he's impatient, sometimes," she cut in, causing Link to narrow his eyes. "Also, that's probably the fifth time this week that you've threatened to demote him."
"It's been more than five times; you just haven't been around to hear all of it."
"I think the conversations between the two of you are fairly predictable, as it is, so I can imagine that you've threatened to demote him WELL over five times."
"And you would imagine correctly."
The rest of the breakfast went fairly similarly, with Zelda defending Link's obviously stubborn behavior and Impa counter-arguing as Link stole quick glances at his coffee. They sat there long after they had finished their food, right up until the point when Zelda and Link had to leave for the meeting. They thanked Impa for the breakfast and Link grabbed his coffee mug, quietly wandering across the room and towards the door.
Zelda showed Link the way towards the room where mostly all of her meetings and conferences were held, on the second floor of the castle through some set of hallways that Link had never thought to venture through. He blew into his coffee, trying to memorize the route through the several corridors towards the room. Finally, they arrived inside the spacious room where a large, round table sat in the center.
At the table sat about a dozen council members, all middle-aged and older-looking men with a wealthy air about them. They looked up in surprise, glancing at each other in confusion.
"Your Majesty," one of the men from the far end of the table started, clearing his throat as he tried to compose himself. "We weren't sure of whether or not to expect you..."
She furrowed her brow. "This meeting was planned well over a week ago... why were you unsure?"
He bit his tongue. "Well, you'd said..." The man trailed off, staring at Link. "Who's this you've brought with you?"
The queen looked back at Link, still slightly thrown off. "Oh... this is Link. He's the young Hero of Hyrule, an upstanding member of the Soldiers of Hyrule, my boyfriend..."
"I'm sorry, what was that last part?"
"He's my boyfriend. I'm surprised that you haven't heard of him... But why is it that you weren't expecting me...?"
"Erm..." the man managed to choke out, nervously glancing around at the other members of the council, whose expressions mirrored his. "Your boyfriend... he's... okay with coming to this meeting?"
Zelda nodded, motioning for Link to follow her as they both took a seat at the table. "It was his idea, actually. He hasn't been to any of my meetings, as of yet, and so he figured that he might as well tag along."
"So... THIS meeting... you decided that he should come along to...?"
Zelda knit her brow. Before she could answer him, the door behind them swung open, revealing a stout old man who greeted them all in a cheerful tone.
"Good morning, everyone!" he boomed, hardly noticing Link as he passed them all by and took a seat at the final empty chair. "Your Majesty, I'm glad to see you've changed your mind. Now, we should begin, correct? First order of business; we need to fill that empty chair in the council."
"Sir," another man spoke up, raising his hand politely, "if I might intrude, in all technicality, all of the seats at the council table are currently occupied."
"Is that so?" the man replied in a gruff voice, smoothing down his mustache as he squinted over at Link. "Did we hire a new councilman, already?"
"This is our queen's guest, actually," he replied, nodding curtly. "He, uh... is simply sitting in on the meeting. He's one of the... higher-up soldiers in Hyrule's army."
"Very well," the stout man nodded, sitting up in his chair. "So the issue of hiring a new councilman is still at-hand. What is your name, guest of Her Majesty?"
The young hero's eyes widened slightly, not having expected to be spoken to. He cleared his throat, resting his hands on the table. "My name is Link, Sir. Of... Ordon Village."
"Ordon?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow. "But you certainly are of Hylian descent, are you not?"
"I am," Link answered, not tearing his gaze from the man's. "I was raised in Ordon Village by its residents after being orphaned as an infant. But I DO consider myself to be a villager of the province, despite the blatancy of the fact that I'm not a human, as the Ordonians are."
He nodded, clearing his throat. "You seem well-spoken, Link. Surely you must also be reliable, if Lady Zelda has chosen to appoint you to such a high position in our militant forces. Therefore, I must ask... do you have any recommendations as to whom should be appointed to the Royal Council?"
The young man knit his brow. "No specific person comes to mind," he admitted, shaking his head slowly. "Although I'm sure that there is someone suited for such a position who I've met before. I'll... certainly notify you if I think of anything."
"Certainly do," he replied, nodding curtly as Link picked up his coffee, obviously intimidated. The old man turned back to the general audience, coughing into his fist. "Now, we should carry on to the topic of this conference for the sake of time..."
Everyone but Link nodded as the men chatted amongst themselves. The young hero took a deep breath, bringing the mug to his lips and taking a big drink of it.
"Of course you all know the topic of this meeting," the man added, leaning forward in his chair. "I am a bit surprised, however, that you decided to attend, Your Majesty. But no matter; of course, our queen will be coming of age in a matter of days, which brings up the pressing matter: Whom will be a worthy suitor for her?"
Link nearly choked on his coffee as Zelda's face contorted in shock, and then utter anger.
"WHAT?!" she and Link both cried, though Link seemed a bit more confused than angry.
The mustached man knit his brow. "Suitor. It's a term used to describe a man (or, in this case, a royal, to some degree), who is willing to court a woman (or, in this case, Queen Zelda.) I'd thought that you would both be familiar with the term-"
"We're both perfectly familiar with the term!" the young queen exclaimed, glowering at the man. "What I'd LIKE to know, is-!"
"It's very rude to interrupt, Your Majesty," he interrupted, putting a hand up firmly.
Her eyes darkened. "It's ALSO very rude to insist on finding a suitor for an individual who happens to ALREADY BE IN A RELATIONSHIP."
"But... your boyfriend isn't of royal descent, is he?"
"It makes no difference, whether he's 'of royal descent', or not!"
"In all technicality, Your Majesty..."
"There's nothing technical about it!" she barked, throwing her face into her hands. "I'm not cheating on my boyfriend for the sake of pleasing the Royal Council!"
"Why did you come to the meeting if you're against finding a royal suitor?"
"Because this meeting was supposed to be a discussion on the refurbishment project beginning TOMORROW MORNING in Kakariko Village!" Zelda retorted, beginning to develop a splitting headache.
He raised an eyebrow. "But that meeting was pushed back to 6:00 PM in order to make time for THIS meeting."
"I called off this meeting," she told him, obviously frustrated as she rubbed her temples. "The council brought it up, and I denied it."
"Then I don't believe that your secretary delivered the full message to our council, because we'd thought that you simply didn't wish to attend..."
The queen sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "I don't HAVE a secretary. I delivered the message myself, to the council, directly."
"Ah. Perhaps you should consider hiring a secretary... Well, I wasn't here, so you'll have to take it up with one of the other council members."
"W-We're sorry, Your Majesty!" one of the other men promptly spoke up, cowering as he slumped down in his seat. "It's just... a very pressing matter, marriage is..."
"But you KNEW of my relationship with Link," she pointed out, leaning forward onto the table. "I insisted on disbanding the conference because I'm in a relationship with Link, and therefore am not planning on marrying some noble stranger from a far-off kingdom..."
"To be fair, not all of the noble strangers are far-off. After all, there IS Prince Ralis..."
"...He's not even fourteen-years-old, yet."
"But he's very handsome, Your Majesty. You might like him."
The stout man cut in again. "Who's this other Link that you speak of?" He chuckled to himself, adjusting his jacket. "It's strange, really. I've never heard such a name before, and yet here I am today, having heard the name twice in the past five minutes..."
The councilmen all deflated, wondering why the mustached man had been appointed as their leader.
The young queen shook her head slightly, her gaze set intently on the carved patterns in the wooden table. "This is Link," she answered monotonously, her eyes tired.
"Yes, I know, My Queen. But I'm speaking of your boyfriend, of course; who is HE?"
If the councilmen deflated any more, then they'd likely become as flat as parchment.
Zelda exhaled through her nose, obviously more patient than the rest of the council. Though, her tolerance seemed to be running short...
"This is my boyfriend," she continued, rubbing her eyes as Link took another drink of coffee, his hand beginning to grow jittery.
"Ah!" the man exclaimed, finally putting the pieces together. "I see! And what a fine young man he is! You've done well, choosing an established soldier like Link!"
Zelda cleared her throat, sitting up. "I didn't hire him as a soldier until after we'd already begun to see each other."
"...So is that why he's a soldier...?"
"Actually, he was the young hero who rescued Hyrule and brought an end to the Twilight Invasion. Consequentially, he was made a soldier."
"Ah!" he nodded, smiling cheerfully. "A fine young man he is! But you WILL be coming of age, My Queen, so it begs the question: Do you plan on marrying him?"
Their eyes both widened as they glanced at each other, unsure of what to say.
"It... it's been discussed, briefly," Link spoke up, biting his lip. "We... don't have any... o-official plans, per se, but it HAS been... discussed."
"Well, there's no rush, of course," he nodded, sniffling. "Although, if your relationship hits a rough patch, then do tell; after all, it IS customary to arrange a marriage for the monarch of the kingdom, so..."
"We're doing very well, actually," Zelda spoke up, narrowing her eyes as Link took another drink of coffee.
One of the younger men at the table chimed in. "We just... decided to keep the idea of finding a suitor open. Because... w-well, you never can tell where you're headed in the future..."
The queen's eyes sharpened. "It's comforting to know that I have a plan to fall back on," she spit out sarcastically, tapping her foot impatiently, "but I'd prefer that you all refrain from making bets on my relationship with Link."
"We're just trying to think realistically," another man interrupted, slouching forward in his seat.
"You're trying to insinuate that our current relationship is, by all means, completely temporary."
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, young love is never a sure thing."
"Nothing is certain," she retorted, not lowering her icy gaze. "And with all due respect, Sir, I feel that implying that one's relationship won't last is inconsiderate, to say the least. Some might go as far as to say that it's downright insulting, actually."
"You must know that I meant no disrespect, Your Majesty," he answered, his hands beginning to shake a bit. "I apologize."
There was a long silence as Zelda buried her head into her hands frustratedly. The council stared at her and Link awkwardly as the young hero set down his coffee mug, frowning over at the queen.
"I think that we should go," he proposed, comfortingly resting a hand on her leg beneath the table.
The councilmen glanced around at each other.
"That is Her Majesty's decision, of course," the mustached man stated, sitting up tall.
Zelda shook her head, exhaling through her nose. "No; Link's right," she agreed, resting her hand on his for a moment before standing up from her chair. "This meeting is concluded."
"And what of the conference that was to be held at 6:00, tonight?"
"It's adjourned," she replied, gazing at the council stoically as Link slowly stood up. "It will be held tomorrow, at this time." Without another word, she exited the room with Link following directly behind her.
He breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the hallway, leaning up against the wall after he had closed the door behind them. "Do you have to deal with them, every day?"
She ran her fingers through her hair, visibly fuming as she scowled at the rug beneath her feet. "It's ridiculous!" Zelda grumbled, laughing bitterly as she paced around in circles. "You would THINK that an official council of individuals with the goal of aiding the kingdom wouldn't be so... s-so..." The young woman trailed off, shaking her head as she stood still for a moment.
"Hey," he spoke up softly, giving her a small smile and resting a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, her brow still furrowed. "Don't let anything that they say get to you. Why does it bother you, anyway?"
Zelda thought to herself for a moment, her jaw loosening up a bit. "I... I just..."
"You aren't worried about us, are you?"
"No," she interjected quickly, shaking her head tersely. "Of course not..."
"So there's no reason to dwell on it, right?" He brushed a piece of hair over her shoulder, gazing into her eyes.
Zelda felt herself melt as she looked back at him, unintentionally grabbing onto his hand. She leaned against him, closing her eyes when she felt his warm hands against the small of her back. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Right."
Link smiled warmly, gently swaying her in his arms. "We haven't danced in a while, now that I think of it..." he remarked.
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm fairly certain that the fact that you despise dancing is at least partially to blame for that."
He chuckled. "Sure... but it's different, when I dance with you."
The young woman grinned. "Why is that, exactly?"
He shrugged. "I mean... I generally don't like dancing because I'm bad at it, and I end up looking like a complete fool when I dance. But if I'm dancing with a beautiful girl like you, then... why would anybody be looking at me, anyway?"
Zelda's eyes softened as she stared down at her feet, blushing. "Oh... thank you, Link. You're... unbelievably sweet, as always."
"You're unbelievably stunning, as always."
She felt her face grow hotter. "You think so?"
"Oh, you'd light up any room the minute you stepped inside. You're absolutely radiant; there's no doubt about it."
Zelda looked into his eyes, beaming at him as he smiled back at her. Wordlessly, she threw her arms around his neck, giggling girlishly as he planted a warm kiss on her cheek. "I don't think I'd ever find a sweeter boyfriend..."
"Well, I mean... there's always Shad."
"Oh, don't you even start with Shad. My feelings towards him are purely platonic, and he also has a girlfriend."
"That's still not official yet, Zelda. There's always a chance."
"Are you also encouraging that I cheat on you? Because you should always be careful what you wish for, you know..."
He snorted. "You're too nice to ever cheat on anyone."
Zelda shrugged. "I aim to please, Link."
"So you're saying that, if I was totally okay with you seeing other guys, then you would? Because I'm gonna have to call your bluff, on that one."
The young woman was silent for a moment as she grinned to herself. "...You're right. I could never do something like that... even if you were somehow completely okay with it."
He nodded, chuckling as they began to casually stroll down the corridor. "I knew it... in all seriousness, though, I think that Shad would TOTALLY be you're second choice."
"What is it with you insisting that I would fall for Shad?"
"Because you're exactly alike, that's why. Unlike me, he's intellectual. In all honesty, you are WAY too smart for me."
"That isn't true at all, Link," she replied, shaking her head. "You're quite smart, actually. And I'm not necessarily intelligent... wisdom and wit are two completely different things, after all."
"Sure," he responded, "but you've got both. You actually think about things logically, and I just kind of... jump right in without thinking at all."
"But you are bright, Link," she insisted, smiling at him. "It certainly takes brains to navigate the dungeons of Hyrule Kingdom, come up with tactics to defeat enemies, strategize and create a plan, in general..."
Link rolled his eyes. "That's flattering, Zel, but I can't even write a simple sentence in cursive."
She grinned, moreso at the name than anything. "You know very well that a strong mind is not at all based on the ability to write in cursive..." she replied matter-of-factly.
He shrugged. "I may not be dumb, but I'm certainly not smart. Common sense is enough to navigate those dungeons, really..."
Zelda sighed in exasperation. "Alright, alright... I see that you're not in the mood to take a compliment, so I'll just drop it."
They were both silent for a moment as she gazed ahead of them. A small grin grew on her face, and Link looked over at her, raising an eyebrow.
"What are you smiling about?"
The queen giggled to herself, knitting her hands together. "It's just... that nickname you used a minute ago. You... called me Zel."
"Oh," he answered, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh... sorry, about that. I didn't even realize that I'd said it..."
"I don't mind it," she replied, beaming at him. "I think that it's really sweet, actually..."
He grinned sheepishly. "I don't know why I said it..."
They both smiled at each other for a moment before shifting their gazes towards the floor as they silently ventured back to the foyer.
"...I feel that I need to teach you to read and write in cursive, since you find it to be so utterly important," she spoke up, entering the final hall before the foyer.
He rolled his eyes. "It's important if you don't want everyone to think that you're a complete imbecile."
The young woman frowned slightly. "Nobody thinks that about you, Link..."
"Not even Impa?"
"There IS such a thing as tough love, Link. I'm afraid that you'll just have to grow accustomed to it."
"...I'm DEFINITELY calling your bluff on that one."
"No, it's true!" she tried to convince him.
"It may be tough love between the two of YOU," he started, skeptically, "but the 'love' part definitely doesn't come into play between Impa and I."
"She truly does like you, Link," Zelda insisted, nodding as they both approached the foyer. "But, as usual, you simply cannot take my word for anything. Would you like for me to teach you to write in cursive?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I don't see why not. When will you teach me, though?"
Zelda thought to herself momentarily, glancing up at the tall ceiling as they crossed through the room. "Well... why not now?"
"Now?"
She nodded, turning on her heel suddenly and causing him to nearly knock her over when he slammed into her.
"Oof!" he exclaimed, trying to regain his composure as he took a step back. "Sorry, Zelda! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied, chuckling nervously as she smoothed her hair back and shook her head dizzily. "And that was my fault. Sorry... but as I was trying to say, I feel that now would be the best time to do so, anyway, since you have that trip tomorrow, and my birthday is coming up afterwards..."
"You sure you're not too busy?"
She nodded, exhaling through her nose. "Since I'd planned for that meeting this morning, but this one was cut short, and the actual planned meeting is being moved to tomorrow morning... that means that I have extra free time. So, this is definitely the best time to do it."
Link grinned. "Alright... let's do it, then. What do we need?"
"Uh... paper," she started, nodding curtly. "Also... a writing utensil, and quite a bit of patience."
"Sounds more like we're about to write poetry."
She shook her head. "No, that's step two."
"..."
"...I'm kidding."
"Don't scare me like that, Zelda."
She grinned, leading him towards the library. "Would you prefer I scare you by other means? I AM your boss, you know. That certainly gives me a number of options..."
He frowned slightly. "Or you could decide that you love me so much that you don't have to scare me at all..." Link gazed up at the ceiling pensively. "Plus, I think that options are limited when you're only thinking as a boss. I'd go for a pregnancy scare, personally."
Zelda raised an eyebrow, looking over at him. "I wouldn't, if I were you..."
"Why is that?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't know that I'd believe you if you told me that you were pregnant..."
It was quiet for a moment as he slowly looked over at Zelda, who was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face.
"You must be really proud of that one."
"You set me up for it, in all fairness..."
The young man chuckled, reaching for her hand as they entered the library. "I guess so..."
They both continued to chat with each other as Zelda dug through the library for stationary supplies, glad that she'd decided to take the day off.