Author's Note: Not really much to add here. Hope anyone reading this is still enjoying it. Any constructive criticism is appreciated.
Twilight Princess - Silent Maiden: Chapter 4
Falling in love was like…falling. It took no effort at all, and Link could not stop himself. He barely even knew Lyanna, hardly even understood her most of the time, but there she was and there he was and he was in over his head before he was even aware of it beginning in the first place.
It was not just wanting to help her—though there was that of course. Since her recovery she had only grown more beautiful, her previously somewhat gaunt cheeks filling out so that her face looked smooth and angular, the perfect balance between a warrior and a maiden. They had shared his home for a time now, and while Link was always careful not to disturb her privacy, he had become aware of the warmth and beauty of her soft, slender body, a fair contrast to his hard lines and muscle. Her hands seemed so small in his, and everything about her was graceful and delicate and very womanly. It was hard to imagine that she nearly broke his nose at all—she was like a little princess in so many ways.
Every farm boy wanted to fall in love with a princess. The higher up, the better. He definitely cared for her, but the desire had been tempered the longer he spent time with her. For a while, she was literally a beautiful decoration to his simple home in a small little village that she had once been desperately trying to leave. But as more and more time passed and she made no more attempts at leaving, she had became the reason for him to do things he normally wouldn't, like buy sweets despite the expense, pick up a cooking book (after she made that face after trying his soup), and finding himself looking forward to coming home once all his chores were done to be with a beautiful maiden with a sweet smile and sad eyes. True, she was quickly regaining her strength, much faster than he had from his own wounds in fact, but he always found himself doing what he could to help her. He wanted her to be safe, despite there being no danger. And he wanted to be by her side, even as she adjusted to life as a new and welcome addition to the people of Ordon, albeit one with a unique quirk of silence.
He did know she had nightmares, every night. Not the scary kind, the heartwrenching kind. She would sob silently and he would reach over and hold her hand for as long as she needed until she was finally alright again. Something had hurt her in the past—he knew as much, given her vocal condition and the scars on her back, but this was a keen wound that he found himself more eager to relieve than he would have predicted.
He did not realize he could fall in love so easily. With Lyanna, he felt serene, whole in a way he had never been in his life. Content. He told himself for a while that it was just that he was just trying to help someone who needed it. Everyone in the village knew the pure and modest young man he was, but even then none of them would never expect him to become so close to another woman in so short a time.
It was stupid, because he hardly even knew her.
And yet, he couldn't bring himself to try and change it for the life of him.
"Hoo boy, Link! That was much faster than usual!"
So spoke the regular goat handler, Fado, as Link dismounted from Epona, the goats once again locked up for the day, morning chores all completed in record time. He was humble and modest in response to the praise given to him, as always, insisting he was only having a good day.
"It's Lyanna's help really," he said, "Without her, I'd never get it done so quickly!"
From where she was standing, arms leaning against the outer gate, Lyanna could not help a small smile from touching her lips as she watched.
As her health improved and her strength returned, the number of tasks Lyanna assisted with in Ordon gradually grew larger. Before long, her days mostly consisted of helping Link with the animals, washing clothes and tending to the gardens alongside the villagers that had welcomed her so openly. It really didn't matter what she was doing so long as she was doing something. True, twisting too sharply still caused her mostly healed wound to ache, and her stamina was still far away from its best, but she took to the jobs without complaint. The times together with the villagers were always calm and soothing, a chance to heal and recover from her wounds and her travels before that.
Oh, they'd all learned of her scars, and of the attacks she suffered, such as the one she had experienced that rainy night in Sera's shop. More than once they had asked her about them, from the curious children to the well meaning adults like Uli and Mayor Bo, but thanks to her lack of voice she had been capable of keeping her answers mysterious and vague; she'd not had to feign her distress at speaking of it, and none of them had pressed her further after that. Save for Link and Rusl, none of them had ever seen anything close to the full extent of her maiming, and she intended that it remain that way.
Trusting them was fine, but there were some secrets she could not afford revealing to them.
"Well, that about wraps 'er up for today! I can handle tha' rest here. You two can head on back to the mayor's place now!"
Link wished Fado a good day, mounted Epona and offered his hand, which Lyanna took gracefully before moving to join him. Before, he would have thought it would be presumptuous of him, that he was overstepping boundaries with such an invitation. With Lyanna, though, he had a feeling she would be in no hurry to ride a horse if she wasn't ready.
The opposite was true, as it turned out. She was as skilled at horseback riding as she was with that sword of hers, and a natural at earning their trust. Lyanna had bonded with Epona seemingly overnight, her soft touch and gentle smile (in place of a soothing voice) quickly earning the mare's affection in turn. The image of their first "hug" when they met never failed to bring a smile to Link's face.
Helping her with getting more appropriate farming attires was hilarious. Initially, he had assumed that since they were roughly the same height (she was actually slightly taller than him in fact) she could have gotten by with wearing some of his own clothes. But while they were close to the same in height, their builds were anything but. Before long, Link had found himself wishing that he had not been quite so impulsive about offering his assistance in such a matter. This sort of thing would not have happened if he stopped and thought ahead. On the other hand, such a situation was not normally one a farm boy would find themselves in to begin with.
They made purchases at Sera's, ordering the necessary modifications as needed, but Lyanna had to make do without farming clothes for the first few days of work. She was quite sporting about it really, but Link had still felt guilty about it.
"Sorry, Lyanna," Link said as they made their way through the village as the sun was starting to adjust its path towards late evening, "I'm not treating you well enough."
Lyanna tilted her head, giving him an incredulous look. He just smirked at her. Spirits, she was beautiful. He never imagined the idea of binding himself to a person would seem so right, but the more he though about it, why not? There was always a chance to discuss things if something went wrong, and the bond they would develop over time would solve more problems than create, come to think of it. He could do that part first, if she really wanted to. Then maybe they could take the next step if—
Link shook his head, cutting the thoughts short. You're getting wayyyyyyyyyyyyy ahead of yourself there, Link.
He was not even sure how she felt. As far as he could tell, she was a bit scared of him sometimes. Link knew he could have an intimidating aura about him sometimes; it had worked well in warding away the monsters who would otherwise have tried to jump him and Talo... until they had all jumped him at once, requiring Lyanna to step in.
Still, after that one time he found her trying to leave, she had stuck around. Maybe she was warming up to him?
He was so in over his head.
Lyanna did not say anything, even with her hands, as they dismounted from Epona and made their way to one of the benches. She sat down, curled her legs with her hands resting in her lap, and all of the sudden, despite not wearing the right dress, she looked very much like a princess. The posture, the aura of command and authority, the way her eyes were closed as if in prayer for those around her... she had everything captured perfectly in the moment. Link felt his throat freeze at the sight.
Calm down. She's not a princess. There's no way she could be a princess. Not out here, not so far away from Hyrule Castle. Then again, it was always possible that the Silent Maiden could have originally been from Hyrule. Whatever hurt she had been forced to endure had sent her into an exile across the land. There was no way of knowing just what else she might have done over the last three years alone. Or the places she had been during that time.
He sat down next to her. With a silent sigh, she slouched forward, and the effect was gone. Now she just looked tired, as if she were just starting to make herself comfortable. She stared up at the sky above, watching a hawk soaring past on graceful wings, and Link followed her gaze. With all the work and effort throughout the day, neither had noticed that the sky had already turned a brilliant shade of orange, fading to a dull pink as one turned their eyes further east. And while the children were running about and some adults still working, they passed by quickly enough and the two of them were largely alone.
What are you thinking about, my lady? Was she reminiscing the old days of childhood when she use to be so carefree? When she no doubt had a roof over her head and a warm bed at night?
Lost everything, she had said. He imagined Lyanna lost and alone in a careless and unforgiving world and unbidden, his arm looped around her shoulders.
Lyanna turned her head to look straight at him with those wounded eyes, making pulling her close feel a bit awkward, so Link just stared back.
"Hey," He said more seriously, "You're going to be alright."
She nodded, and then suddenly slumped forward, looking exhausted. Spirits, he was an idiot, dragging her around all day the way he did. She was still recovering, and of course Miss Mute would not complain when she was tired. For crying out loud, she was out willing to fight an entire pack of Bulbins to protect people she didn't know. Had damn near killed herself by refusing to treat a wound suffered in the attempt. This girl had no sense of self-preservation.
Granted, it was a bit hard to speak up when one could not speak.
"I'm gonna have to learn your bizarre sign language thing," He said, more to himself than to her, "Want to head back to my place? I know there's nothing there yet, but—"
"Oh, Link! There you are!"
Even without Epona's reaction to the voice calling his name, Link recognized Rusl's voice immediately, inwardly relaxing as the man came into view. He immediately stood up to greet him, but something in his expression made Link curious. "Hey Rusl. What's going on?"
Instead of answering right away, Rusl turned his head to look up at the sky, who Link noticed, was already reaching darkness.
"Tell me, Link," Rusl began, not yet turning around and face the other man. "…do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"
"How do you mean?"
"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs…the only time we can feel the lingering regrets of the spirits who have left our world. That is why…loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight…" Both men stood silent for a while, watching the sun sinking deep within the mountains, allowing the darker sky to take over the light. "But…enough talk about sadness…" Rusl said, turning to face Link with a grin on his face. "I came here to ask a favor, Link…it's a bit last minute I'm afraid, but something's come up that I can't ignore."
"You know you can ask me anything, Rusl. What do you need?"
"Well, that's good to hear, Link….you see, I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow."
Unnoticed by the two men, Lyanna visibly stiffened at the words. Before she had given a respectful distance so as not to eavesdrop. Now she was listening intently to every word.
"Mayor Bo asked me to send a special sword I crafted some time back as a gift. I was going to make the delivery myself, but..." He paused then, and Lyanna could have sworn his eyes briefly shifted towards her, before turning back to Link, "As I said, somethings came up. Some... old acquaintances sent word for me, something urgent I can't ignore or give to someone else, so I won't be able to do it. I'm sorry. I know this is very sudden..."
"Hey, don't worry about it." Link said, hands up in a placating gesture."I can do it, Rusl. I know I haven't exactly been to Hyrule before…well, Hyrule isn't too far away. I just need to follow the large castle in the distance, right? Easy."
A sigh of relief. "Thanks, Link. I knew I could count on you. Again, I'm really sorry about dropping this one you so suddenly. I already discussed this with Mayor Bo, so you will have a few days to yourself traveling. Once your morning chores are done, we can get Epona packed and set up for the journey. I think you'll enjoy seeing Hyrule in person." A pat on the younger man's shoulder, his expression suddenly joking, "Who knows? You might even get lucky and meet Princess Zelda while you're there!"
...what?
Her blood ran cold. She staggered where she stood and nearly fell. They thought the princess was still in Hyrule? But how...?
It didn't make any sense. She had avoided Hyrule for the full three years of her exile. It was too dangerous, too easy for her to be spotted or captured by those who wanted her found... Did no one realize the truth? Did the people not realize... Had all her efforts been covered up by the knights? She had been trying to protect them, not...
"Lyanna?"
She jumped at Link's voice, no doubt appearing wide-eyed and frightened. Both Link and Rusl were looking at her in concern now.
"Lyanna, what is it? What's wrong?"
Link didn't expect her to throw him what was clearly meant to be a forbidding scowl. It would have worked too, had she not appeared so shaken by whatever was suddenly bothering her. Then, equally without warning, she tugged at her sleeves and all but bolted away, back to the safety of Link's home, refusing to respond as he chased after her, calling out her name.
From where he stood and watched after their retreating figures, Rusl sighed. "That... could have gone better."
Lyanna's strange behaviour only continued once he finally caught up to her. Try as he might, she absolutely refused to tell him what had happened, nor would she look him in the eye. If anything, a newfound barrier had suddenly erected itself between them, forcing her to reject him despite seeing his clear confusion to her plight. When he finally realized he wasn't getting through to her and relented, she retired for the night without acknowledging him at all.
It would have stung (still did in fact) except she still had nightmares. A bad one too, and the for the first time Link heard her voice, scratchy and dry from disuse, low and rough from pain. "No," she had sobbed, "No, I'm sorry, no. I didn't mean to... I didn't want to..."
He had gone over to her and she calmed instantly at his touch, though tears still leaked from behind her eyelids. Her body knew him at this point, even if her mind did not. Link could work with that.
Baby steps.
He left her to her own devices as he went about his daily chores the next morning without her... or at least tried to. Perhaps it was both the sudden departure he had coming up, combined with Lyanna's sudden change in behaviour, but he was sloppy wrangling the goats back into the pen, so much so that Fado noticed. To his dismay, he took nearly twice as long as he used to normally, even at his worst. He apologized as best he could, and left with a promise to do better when he got back from Hyrule.
The first thing he did after was return home to check on Lyanna. She was just sitting there in front of the fire, doing nothing; apparently she had sat there and stared into space for the whole day. Her face looked slightly haunted, though, so any irritation Link might have felt did not last long. Something had spooked her badly yesterday. Something she wasn't telling him about.
"Hey," He took her hands as he knelt in front of her, "Whatever it is... everything's going to be alright."
She looked up at him, eyes unfocused, as if disoriented. He waited for her to collect her bearings. Did she get frightened because he was going to be gone for a few days? It might be presumptuous of him, but he knew that there were times in the past few weeks alone when he felt like his world had jolted upside down; it was so different from his life before as a simple farm boy who wasn't playing caretaker for the Silent Maiden. It could help to have someone to anchor to.
She loosened her hands from his. 'Link?'
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here for you. No matter what." What was wrong, to have changed her so suddenly?
Without warning she started to cry, tears falling down her cheeks and, before Link could do anything or ask what had happened, she leaned her forehead against his and shook with silent sobs. He wrapped his arms around her instantly. All of the sudden she took up his whole world and it was just her and her faint smell of clean, warm girl. She did not embrace him, but that was fine, because this seemed intimate enough by itself.
Falling in love was like falling; no effort at all, no way to stop, and he was in over his head before he even felt his descent and it was truly the most wonderful kind of fall Link ever had in his life.
