A/N: So I decided to write another one. I've been in a rather festive mood, and I can't wait till December, when I can finally go caroling and see my family! My family puts the 'fun' back in 'dysfunctional'. But in a good way! On with the fiction-y goodness!
Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda. If I did, then not only would Link appear topless in every game, but he would have the kind of torso that I want him to have.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Link sat near the fire, trying to keep warm in the cold weather. 'I really need to get some warmer clothes...' he thought, shivering slightly. 'Perhaps I could go out today and get some.' He looked out the window at the angry purple clouds forming above Hyrule. 'Ok, I'm going right now before it starts snowing!' And with that, he grabbed his sack of Rupees and hurried out of the castle.
He wandered the streets of the market, looking for a shop that sold warm clothes. He finally found a small stand that sold warm trousers and shirts. Something in the corner caught his eye as he was paying for the clothes and a few blankets.
It was a Claddagh ring. He went over to look at it more closely. As he stood there staring at it, he had a memory. His mother was looking down at him. Her hand was pressed to her lips, and she had tears in her eyes. On one of her fingers gleamed a ring like this, the tip of the heart pointing to her knuckle. Link shook his head, trying to rid himself of these memories. He strode back to the counter.
"How much is the ring?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"Ah, the Claddagh! That would be 100 Rupees, but for you, I'll make a special price. You can have it for 95 Rupees," The Shopkeeper said, a grin lighting up his thin face.
"I..I'll take it," Link said, still transfixed by the ring.
"Very good, sir!" The Shopkeeper went and fetched the ring, closing the box that it rested in as he did so.
Link blinked, then pulled the Rupees out of his bag. He grabbed all of his purchases and made his way back to the castle.
As he strode up the steps to his room in Hyrule Castle, he was intercepted by Princess Zelda.
"Hi, Link! Are you coming to the Christmas Party tonight in the ballroom?" She asked.
Link sighed, "I suppose I will..." He said resignedly.
"Great, see you there! I took the liberty of having Impa put an outfit in your room," Zelda smiled and continued trotting down the stairs.
"Yeah, great..." Link trudged up the stairs to his room.
He opened the door and dumped his purchases on his bed. Then he went to find the outfit he was supposed to wear to the party. It was all white and had gold trimming along the edges. A green and red cape was elegantly placed on the shoulders of the glorious suit. Link sighed and sat down on the bed and grabbed the box the ring rested in. He opened it and stared at the ring. As he sat staring at it, his mind was flooded with memories. The fire; his mother taking him to Kakariko forest...He shut the box with a snap and threw it on the pile of blankets.
Meanwhile, down in the ballroom:
Zelda was overseeing the decorating process in the main ballroom. The walls were decked with holly branches (A/N: Sorry, I just HAD to put that in ;) and there were gobs of mistletoe floating through the air. If one was to stand under them, they would get captured in a spell much like the one that Zelda was captured in by Ganon, until their lover came and freed them with a kiss. Zelda smiled quietly to herself. She had a plan.
Up in Link's room:
Link was dressed in the outfit that Impa had set out for him and was examining his reflection in the large mirror on the wall. He looked good, not that he would ever admit it. He was stubborn, and he was positive that he had average looks. Even though he had about half the population of Hyrule drooling over him, he couldn't be persuaded otherwise.
After giving his reflection a thorough examination, he decided to go downstairs and help Zelda with the decorating. As an afterthought, he shoved the box with the Claddagh ring into his pocket. Little did he know, he was playing right into Zelda's hands.
Zelda looked up as Link entered the room. She grinned inwardly. Her plan was working. 'Now to start executing it!' She thought gleefully, eying a small bit of mistletoe that was hovering a few feet away from Link. Then Zelda started sauntering over to him. As she did, she noticed how dashing he looked in the outfit Impa picked out. Zelda made a mental note to give her a bonus. Then she got stuck in a forcefield.
Link saw Zelda get caught and ran over to thump on it and see if it would go away. Instead, he got his hands caught.
"Um, Princess? " He was somewhat nervous at being in such close proximity of the object of his affection.
Zelda pointed upward at the mistletoe. Link obediently looked up. 'Well, damn.' he thought, 'Not only do I have to be so close, I have to KISS her too!' He stepped into the crystal and kissed Zelda on the cheek. The barrier didn't go away.
"Uh, Link? They're kinda not going to go away unless, um," She inhaled quickly, "youhavetokissmeonthelips,"
"Ah," Link said. He kissed her gently on the lips, the and they parted quickly, both blushing.
"Do you want to help put tinsel on the tree?" Zelda pointed at the large fir tree in the corner.
"Sure, why not?" Link said, striding over to the tree and looking for the tinsel.
Zelda came over with large boxes of tinsel. They strung it on the tree in silence, not stopping until the tree looked like it was encrusted in diamonds. Then they took a break.
"Do you want to go for a walk outside?" Zelda asked him as they were enjoying egg-nog by the fireplace.
"Alrighty," He said, offering his arm to the princess. She took it, and they trotted out to the courtyard where snow was starting to drift down.
They walked out to just beyond the gate, and sat down on one of the stone ramparts after clearing the snow off. Zelda looked up at the sky and caught a small snowflake on her tongue. Link put his hands in his pockets and looked across Hyrule Field. His hand closed around the box with the ring in it. 'Now or never.' he thought.
"Zelda?" He asked nervously.
"Yes?" Zelda looked at him.
"Give me your hand and close your eyes," He said, opening the box. Zelda extended her hand and Link grabbed it. He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her right ring finger. She opened her eyes as the cold metal slid down her finger. Her eyes lit up as she gazed at the ring.
"It's...beautiful," She pulled Link into a hug, "Thank you so much, Link!" She kissed him again.
"Y...You're welcome, princess," Link said, looking down at his toes once she broke the kiss.
"Enough with the formalities. Call me Zelda," She said, putting a finger under his chin and making him look at her.
"Yes, prin...Zelda," He said, feeling slightly cornered.
"We'd better get going. The party's about to start," She slid off the rampart.
Link hopped off too, and trotted toward her. He slid his arm around her waist and they went back to the castle, feeling as though they were walking on clouds.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
A/N: Whew that was a long one! Review me and tell me what ya think! At first, I was gonna have Link propose to Zelda, but then my brain took over and screamed "THAT'S NOT HOW PEOPLE GOT MARRIED BACK IN THE MIDDLE AGES!!!!!" And I know it's not set in the Middle Ages, but still...
Now about the ring. The Claddagh is a pair of hands holding a heart with a crown on top of it. It symbolizes friendship, love, and loyalty. If you wear a ring with the point of the heart pointing to the fingernail of the finger the ring is on, it means that you are single. If you wear it with the point pointing toward your knuckle, it means that you're in a relationship OR that your heart is taken. Cool, no?
And just so you know, I'm still playing with formatting. Be patient with me.
This chapter was brought to you by: A slew of Christmas Carols.
