A/N: Zelda's turn! Again, guess which universe. It's easy.
I didn't expect the rage in Link's eyes when the crystal barrier closed in around me.
All I had known of him when he was a boy was that he was quiet, sometimes playful, and so intense. That intensity had served me well, too. Only a girl myself, I didn't know the full extent of the promises I had extracted from him seven years ago. I hadn't known what I was asking then. But I did know now.
As Sheik, I was able to share some of Link's journey, and with it, I realized the terrible costs he suffered, all for a promise between two ten-year olds who wanted to save Hyrule. My father didn't believe me. But the little boy from the forest did, and from that moment, he shared in the condescending mockery I had received for my dreams, and the disbelief that everyone except Impa held for my fear for Hyrule. And despite it, he still tried to save them.
Link was slow to anger.
I hadn't revealed myself to him for all that time because I needed the Princess Zelda to be forgotten. Ganondorf had to be secure in the knowledge that the Royal Family was gone, and his power was firmly in place. He needed to think that Link was the only person standing against him. He needed to be caught unawares.
But I could see the frustration in those placid, blue eyes as I stepped back and away, again and again. The hero wanted to know who was aiding him. And I was familiar to him; I could sense that he sensed that.
In all honesty, I was more familiar to him than I should have been, given the circumstances. He had barely known me as a child. We were bound by our desire to save our land, but that hadn't allowed us much time to acquaint ourselves. But in spite of the tension I could read in his body when we were together—after all, he was dealing with someone who didn't seem to trust him enough to give him any more than a name (and quite possibly, a fake name at that) I would not let him know who I was. It was terrible, but necessary.
At our first meeting in the Sacred Forest Meadow, he was too startled to do much of anything. My heart was a nervous wreck, my veneer of calm only successful because Impa had schooled me so tirelessly. As I spoke to him and taught him the song, he frowned at me, like he couldn't put to words what he was thinking. He was visibly shocked when I left him so abruptly, and something still lighthearted inside of me, grinned at the prospect of this new game, but only just. Inside the volcano was the first time he tried to approach me, but I put the fire between us, anticipating that he might.
In the Ice Caverns, I knew he was working up the courage to ask the mysterious stranger why he was doing so much to help…what interest did he have in helping to save Hyrule? Surely, this was more than Sheikan duty… Again, I firmly ensured that he wouldn't have the chance.
At Kakariko, he allowed me to disappear without any trouble. I think the events of the fire and the attack at the shadow beast's hands had shaken him up. But in truth, he was never fully defiant, never angry. Though I refused to tell him my name, he trusted me at his heart. When we stood companionably as Lake Hylia became beautiful again, I even thought him a friend.
And maybe we could be… Maybe circumstances had brought us together, and we weren't just simply bound by our determination to save Hyrule.
The Sage of Water, Princess Ruto, told me after her ascension, that Link was looking for me, which left me speechless. I had never given thought to the idea that he might be looking for me. We shared a goal, but he need not be distracted by my disappearance! She told me that she could sense his worry spiking as she mentioned my name. She even assured him that I was safe, to put him at ease.
"The Hero of Time's concern for you is….apparent," she said, and a small smile played on her face. She had made a show of mild jealousy when she appeared to him in the Chamber of Sages, but the Zora princess had amusement in her eyes as she surveyed me. "He was such a shy boy…and a bit ignorant too. He had no notion of what I meant when I told him that if I gave him the Zora Sapphire, we would be considered engaged."
My words were drowned out by Darunia's raucous earthquake of laughter, but I protested her choice of words almost automatically. "Oh, he was an innocent, Ruto. And bless him for it." The world could do with more innocence, in my opinion. And if Link could afford remain pure of heart, then I wouldn't begrudge it. I, in particular, had done enough to him.
Saria, who was nearest to me, had heard my quick defense of him anyway. "He is looking for you," she said seriously, her words only meant for me, like she was imparting a secret. I looked down at her, and she smiled, showing off dimples and a perfect row of white teeth. "And I know Link, Princess Zelda. He won't stop…until he finds you."
Though I could see that Ruto especially, was curious as to just how strong my acquaintance with the Hero of Time was (after all, he couldn't have spent all that time with me, running around the land to collect the Spiritual Stones the way he had), I never imparted to others the curiosity that was my relationship with the Link.
The curiosity being: we had no relationship, but we felt like we had. I couldn't explain that to myself, let alone a third-party. I didn't know what the bond between the Princess of Destiny and the Hero was supposed to be, if my feeling was at all natural.
But it certainly wasn't of this world; and that frightened me a little.
And perhaps that's why I didn't expect the dark, hot anger or the ferocity; his hands pressing against my prison, so close and desperate, as if his sheer will could break me free.
Those hands…they had reached for me in the Desert Colossus. That time, I was so sure that he had discovered my identity, and I was fighting anxiety the entire time he was inside the Spirit Temple. Things had begun to unfold quickly, now that the last of the sages were being awakened.
Maintaining the disguise of a Sheikan boy took constant magic. My eye color changed, slight alterations to my form, my voice muffled and deeper…if I lost my grip for a moment, the loss of control could be the difference of what I had tried so hard to conceal. So that last time, I stood there with him after my song drifted away and as I met his eyes, I was struck by something. Perhaps it was the knowledge that I had nothing more to teach him as Sheik. Or it could have been the way he was looking at me, like he knew me. And for a moment, I believed that he knew me. So I didn't move.
Then came a rush of something I couldn't name, except to call it need. He was close, he was within my grasp. We had been separated for so long, and suddenly it ached like never before. Suddenly, he felt more like lover than stranger, and I had this image of him running to me, sword in hand, despair on his face as I skirted his attempts to reunite with me. I couldn't do that to him. But in the context of our world, these feelings had no rhyme or reason. Still, it was overpowering.
The same thing must have overcome him too, for he took a step toward me, more purposeful than the ones before, his hand out to touch me. But the movement was enough to break the spell of our connection, and I nearly stumbled back to get away from him, sand flying into his vision as I departed. I wondered obsessively if I had ruined everything this time: if I had been unable to hold the spell in that momentary insanity.
But when I unmasked myself in the Temple of Time, his eyes flew wide open and I knew that I had managed to hold him off…. at least on a conscious level. For such an innocent, he gave me a very thorough once-over that nearly made me blush. But he was so surprised, that I chose to ignore his roving eyes. The first time I had seen him, I had to force myself not to do that very same thing. Link had grown to be a very handsome man, as hadn't escaped the Sage of Spirit's notice either.
When I stepped nearer him and explained my deception, I could hear his heart racing. As I quietly recalled the last time I saw him before Ganondorf took Hyrule Castle, and I could see the slight tremble in his hands. But he stayed rooted to his place, like he didn't entirely trust himself to move. I wondered why…
So I was a stupidly stunned when I found myself trapped and Ganondorf's voice reverberated throughout the temple, cursing me for a traitor. I was a fool to think that I could linger so close to his castle and still allude him. And now, Ganondorf would hold possession of two pieces of the Triforce, with only courage to stand against him. Only Link.
As he reprimanded himself for underestimating the Hero of Time, I felt something dark course through me, compelling me to succumb. I couldn't contain the scream that tore out of my throat and I heard Link retaliate against my distress by pounding impotently against my cage.
"It will not end this way…" he swore to me, ignoring Ganondorf's taunts. I could barely hear his voice. "Zelda…"
I was lifted up and away from him.
If you want to rescue Zelda, come to my castle.
It was a challenge.