Disclaimer: I forgot to put this in here. I don't own Zelda, yada yada yada.
Honor: 'onestly, people 'ave probably thought ye've forgotten about this story as well!
Aeris: (glares at Honor) Ya know, maybe I should kill you off….
Telar: (pales) Please no, I don't know if I could stand it…
Aeris: (smiles at Telar who smiles carefully back then blinks as the author swoons)
(A few minutes later)
Aeris: (is revived) Yes well, where was I? Here's the revised version of chapter three, and pay no attention to the pirate and the thief above! Unless you'd care to read about them and see what I've been doing instead of updating this story…
Chapter Three: Mysterious Stranger
Princess Zelda stood in front of the forest temple, remembering Link's words. He had used the hook shot to get inside it, but now she had the long shot. She used it to get inside and then entered the door.
She found herself inside a dismal glen with two tall trees on either side, and remembering the wolfos Link had said were there, she cautiously approached the door.
Two wolfos popped up with loud howls. She slew them quickly, wasting no time and looked up at the trees, wondering if there would be keys to find and doors to unlock. Time was a funny thing. Plus, she wondered why the sages hadn't gotten rid of the dark forces that inhabited the temples. Maybe they kept away unwanted guests.
There was only one way to find out about the keys. First using the long shot to pull herself up wall, she then climbed the ivy to get over to the top of the tree. From that position she could see a small wooden chest sitting on the tree across from her. She knew then that she would have to complete the whole temple.
Pulling out her ocarina, Zelda quickly played Saria's song, which Link had also taught her, along with a few other songs she hadn't known. Saria's voice answered immediately, "Zelda? Can you hear me?"
No, I can't, I'm deaf, Zelda thought with annoyance. She had no patience in a time like this. "Yes, Saria. What is going on with the temple?"
"There have always been keys, and locked doors to protect it, but I have used my powers to recreate the temple that Link faced," the forest sage explained.
"I feel like I'm wasting my time. I should be searching for the one who hurt him," Zelda confessed, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Though deep down she knew that she would go through the temple, had to. Something pulled her there.
"And he will hurt you as well if you're not prepared."
"Very well. I'll do it," Zelda replied, though Saria's words had little to do with her decision.
She was back in the ball room, back at her throne. Her father had not returned yet, and Link was nowhere to be seen. She saw Malon dancing with a young noble man, smiling prettily up at him, and Nabooru dancing with another. The man she was with looked almost afraid, and Zelda couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Have you seen Link anywhere?"
Zelda turned to answer Saria's question. "I saw him about twenty minutes ago, but I was just wondering where he was myself."
"I hope he hasn't gotten into any more trouble." The Kokiri girl frowned, then brightened. "There he is. With your father, coming in."
Zelda followed her gaze and saw that Link was entering the ballroom the same way her father had left, carrying a small golden chest. Her father was deep in conversation with him, but Link caught her gaze and grinned, then winked mischievously. It was then that she realized the box he carried was the one that contained her seventeenth year of birth coronation crown.
Every year on her birthday she was crowned once more as Princess of Hyrule. It really wouldn't matter if she wasn't, but her father liked to have parties, and this was a good excuse to have one. Each year, the crown contained one more diamond then the last on a beautiful gem encrusted tiara, and for every diamond it meant that she was getting closer to being queen, unless she married first.......
She wondered what Link was doing with her crown and gave him a questioning look, to which he only grinned even wider. Saria voiced her thoughts. "What is he doing with your crown Zelda? You don't think he's going to be the one to crown you, do you? I thought your father always did that."
"He does do it every year. Hmmm." She waited patiently as Link and the king walked up to the thrones, and then as Link set down the chest on the table between them. A moment later, her father called for silence. Saria immediately went down the steps and out of the way as the crowd of guests became hushed.
"I would like to thank you all for coming, ladies and gentlemen of the court and esteemed guests, to this year's celebration of my daughter's birth. As you know, the honor of crowning my daughter has always been one that I have not bestowed upon anyone but myself, but this year, I have decided to give that honor to a young man who has earned much more than we could possibly give.
"To him, we owe everything, our lives, our future…for he is the Hero of Time, who although none remember, but see it just the same, defeated the evil Ganondorf and saved my daughter's life." The king paused, glancing briefly at Link, who was focusing on keeping a serious expression instead of the goofy grin that was trying to take over. Zelda exhaled deeply, realizing then that she had been holding her breath. Her heart was pounding with some emotion she wasn't quite sure of-Link was going to crown her....
"I felt that on this day, my Zelda's seventeenth birthday, that Link should be the one to crown her, knowing that soon she shall be queen." With that said, the King of Hyrule turned and opened the gold box and took out the crown.
What he said next was a blur to Zelda, for her eyes, mind, and heart were focused on Link. She only realized that her father had finished his speech when he handed the crown to Link. Zelda barely even saw how beautiful it was. Her father stood back, between the thrones and in front of the table, as Link walked slowly up to Zelda, holding her crown in his strong, ungloved hands. She knew what she had to do, and curtsied before him with her head lowered.
"I have only been able to defeat all the danger I have faced because of the lady who believed in me when all others did not, knowing that she would be there in my times of trouble, and in my darkest moments. And it was in those moments that I struggled to prevail, because I could not fail the seventh sage, a girl I would die to protect."
A murmur rose up in the crowd of guests at Link's words, and rumors began to spread like a wild-fire. Saria's mouth had dropped open, and Malon had pouted with a sniff of her nose and a cross of her arms. Nabooru and Ruto were smiling knowingly at each other, and Impa was nodding with satisfaction.
The king himself was grinning excitedly, his heart burning with pride, and Zelda, Zelda was not aware of anyone else except for the person who slowly and gently placed the tiara upon her head. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Did he mean that? Would he die for her? Did she want him to? Was it because he was her body guard and that was his job? What did he mean? A million questions ran through her head but they were just as suddenly dispelled when she straightened and Link took her hand within his own and brought it to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss upon it. A sigh of pleasure went through the crowd by the ladies of the court, except for a few, and there were sighs of disappointment from the men.
The King walked around the pair, not wanting to disrupt them, and said, "And now, we shall celebrate this blessed event with a particular song that I think all shall enjoy." At that moment, the opening notes to a very familiar song, at least for Link and Zelda, began to play.
A E EEAGFG, A E EEAG#F#G#.
A tune very familiar to all, from the very first adventure Link had experienced.
Still holding Zelda's hand Link asked, "Dance with me?"
She nodded slowly and he began to lead her onto the dance floor, the crowd parting slightly to let them through. When they reached the center of the dance floor Link stopped, and put his left arm around her waist, still holding her right. Zelda slowly placed her left hand on his shoulder and they began to waltz to the sound of the famous song. Some composer had rewritten it as a very catchy waltz that made Zelda's heart soar as she danced with the person that it had been made for.
"I have a gift for you, but I didn't put it with the others," Link told her, as they danced. There was a large table in the corner of the room filled with presents for her that Zelda could really care less about.
"You didn't have to..." Zelda began, and Link rolled his eyes.
"Come on Zel, it's because I want to, not because I have to."
"Alright. Any hints on what it is?" She always played this game with him, and only after she had been given the gift did the clues make any sense.
"It will last forever," Link told her with a grin.
"Was it expensive?" If she had asked any other person but him that question it would have been considered rude, but this was Link.
"Actually, I profited from getting it." That meant he had gotten it after fighting many enemies and getting rupees from them.
"Is it a Deku stick?" Zelda asked with a smile.
Link laughed. "No, but it's related to one."
Zelda's brow wrinkled slightly in thought, and in some distant world she heard the music change to a very slow melody. Instantly she was aware of Link letting go of her hand and she feared that that was the end of her dance with him. But instead he simply placed his now free hand around her waist to join the other and Zelda happily drew her arms around his neck in response. Almost immediately she was drawn closer to his body, and with a contented sigh rested her head on his muscled shoulder. She could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest against her and didn't dare lift her head and risk the close proximity of where their lips would be, knowing that it wasn't as romantic as she thought it was.
"All out of guesses?" Link asked, his voice slightly lower than normal after a while, his warm breath tickling her neck. Zelda smiled into his shoulder then lifted her head slightly.
"I guess so." She could almost hear his grin. She lowered her head back down and adjusted her arms around Link's neck and was slightly surprised when her hips pressed against his. A shock went through her body very suddenly and Zelda inhaled sharply. The longing for him was there inside of her, deep and strong, and she knew that she would have to pull away from him now or lose control. Luckily, the song was just ending, and Zelda released him as the crowd of dancers on the floor dispersed, finding new partners.
"Thank you, Link," she said, holding her hands behind her back and smiling up at him. He quirked an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"Everything. Just, thank you," Zelda said meaningfully.
"Your welcome, then," he replied, still a little confused. Zelda nodded and began to walk away. "Zelda?" Link called softly, stopping her.
"Yes?"
"I meant what I said."
Zelda was glad she had decided to train at the forest temple first. She didn't have to worry about lava or drowning, and the enemies here were fairly easy to beat. Link had been right, wall masters were really creepy, and the rooms with those were the only ones that slowed her down. She had managed to catch the four Poe sisters, and was now on her way to face the reenactment of phantom Ganon. That was the only enemy she wasn't sure she was capable of defeating.
After taking the elevator down and pushing the stone block around, Zelda reached the room that was full of paintings. A shudder ran through her body as she entered, and her heart began to pound.
Something was wrong. Instead of the feeling of evil that she knew wasn't real, this evil unmistakably was. But it was twisted in some way, almost......She couldn't quite put a finger on it.
Going against all common sense, Zelda went up the stairs, only to be locked in by the iron fence. A hideous laughter began to sound and she stiffened, the dread of what she was about to face filling her heart.
"What do you think you're doing here?" A voice suddenly asked, low and menacing, and almost familiar.
Zelda jumped. "Who are you?"
The laughter boomed across her soul. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Well at least let me see you." She was not so much afraid as she was annoyed now.
"I don't think so, not yet anyway." The voice became almost thoughtful.
"If you expect me to fight you, you need to come out," she said, in a bored voice.
"You're rather cocky, princess."
Zelda gasped. "How...?"
"How did I know you were Zelda? I've been watching you from time to time, with interest I might add, and your heart reeks of him, the Kokiri-clad fool."
Link. Zelda took a breath before answering. "He is not a fool."
"To have died the way he did and you say he's not a fool?" The laughter came again.
"What are you talking about?" Zelda's heart began to race. How could he have been watching her?
"I was there the day he died and I'll be there the day you revive him."
"What?" That caught Zelda off-guard, but at the same time it made her blood run hot with hope.
"You know what I'm talking about, Zel. Someone poisoned our good friend Link and you are on a quest for the antidote so that you can revive him."
"How do you know that?" How could anyone besides a few trusted friends know that? Or was this mysterious new evil attempting to egg her on a goose-chase, not knowing any of what she knew?
"I told you, I've been watching you. Haven't you felt it?" Zelda thought for a moment. She didn't remember seeing anyone that looked potentially dangerous. "Come on, I know your smarter than that, keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom," the voice continued mockingly. "The darkness by his bed, his tombstone, the chill around you at night..."
At his words, Zelda remembered. There had been a darkness by Link when he had died, a mournful one, and another by his grave. And at night, when she had left, there had been a chill that never left her, though she had failed to realize it. It was something noticed only by the part of the mind that was still willing to perceive anything, the part of her heart that made her recall it, the part that contained the Tri-Force of Courage.
It had seemed so insignificant compared to the tragedy she had been through, and she hadn't even picked up upon it. She had felt nothing but pain, had seen nothing but Link's face when he had died. Everything else was a blur. But when whoever he was or it was made her remember, she did. But she remembered only seeing shadows.
"I remember, but I still don't understand."
"Has the Tri-Force of Courage blocked the Wisdom? Never mind. After a while you'll understand. Just learn to trust yourself, and who knows, maybe you'll trust me. I'm not what you think I am. I think you'll be surprised."
"What are you here to do? Fight me, talk to me, help me, what?" The evil that Zelda had felt before had melted, and she wasn't sure anymore if it truly had been evil.
"A little of all, for fun. You'll figure it out soon enough. But before you see me, have some fun with this guy."
Zelda frowned, and suddenly there was a flash of green light. When she opened her eyes, there was one very large stalfos in front of her, grinning evilly."You're not very imaginative, are you?" she asked rhetorically, and was answered by a low chuckle.
"Give me time."
Zelda didn't respond as the stalfos suddenly attacked. She had to be careful not to get hit. If he got her, that would be the end. She quickly blocked his hit with her shield and made an attack of her own. She got in a good shot to the chest.
"Bravo," the voice said, and Zelda heard something that sounded like vague clapping. Strangely enough, it didn't make her angry. She stabbed the stalfos again as it prepared for the attack.
"How long have you been fighting? Oh yes, Link trained you a bit, didn't he?" the voice continued.
Zelda sighed and got in another hit, then another. Two more hits for this bigger than normal stalfos and it would be gone. She got in the two hits.
"Well done," said the voice, sounding pleased.
"Thanks," Zelda replied dryly.
There was a pause, then, "Zelda?"
"What?"
"I meant what I said."
