Inspiration: Hydrodynamics, the First Law of Thermodynamics, the Aurora Borealis (northern lights, this will be call the Hylia Borealis and it will be reflected in a pit lol), triboluminescence (optical illusions where particles tear or shift), paresthesia (burning, tingling, numbing sensation), piloerection (goosebumps).
Original Shout Outs: BeforeDawnBreaks, Jessie, Apersonofinterest, thanks for reading new readers.
New Shout Outs: Mitsuki-love13, Linares91, Dragon knight12, cintaTayla thanks for reading and reviewing new readers.
Recommended Readings: "Beautiful" by MissAshlynn, this story is exactly what the title says; "A New Way to Live," by dorkyreader859, it is a cool Pokemon story; "The Warrior Queen," by BeforeDawnBreaks, (I certainly hope you finish this story); "Tale of the Forgotten Ones," by ShadowNinja1011, (you should finish this one too lol); "Acheronta Movebo," by tiger7210, this story is awesome, seriously.
Thanks Jin99012 and SuccesfulFailure23
Word Count: 13,803
Chapter 7
The trek to Lanayru's tavern was long and tedious, taking about a day and a half's walk to get to. In all that time, Link and I hardly uttered two words to each other. This was starting to become a routine with us: us getting along, us making progress, us moving forward, then us not getting along, us regressing, and us taking two steps back. It was unfortunate really, but that was life I suppose. Even so, I was still mildly incensed at the fact that we couldn't at least try to be civil towards one another. I considered it was ridiculous that two grown people couldn't see eye to eye on being communicative to one another. However, I realized our issues were not superficial and we were going to need time to work through it all. I needed to be patient.
In the mean time, I did one of two things consistently as we traveled: I kept my nose stuck in the Book of Mudora, or I admired the grassy landscapes of Hyrule Field. Hyrule Field was a vision be it day or night, where the sun shined on the evergreens, or the moon glossed the night sky. The commodious, open expanses were dotted with foliage, bluffs, and canyons in the distance that went on for miles. Living so sheltered in the castle everyday prevented me from appreciating how lovely the natural landscapes were. I felt privileged to be the queen of such lands.
Farore knew what she was doing when she created the fields and the valleys, didn't she? I thought admirably.
Presently, we were trotting along up a steep mountainside to upper Lake Hylia. On our way there, we passed through a small impasse where there were metal ridges embedded on both sides of the mountain. I looked around, almost writing it off as nothing, but on closer examination I recognized the exotic area immediately, and it made me suddenly remember something Link and I had done together years ago. I prompted Epona to stop so I could get a better look, which prompted Link to turn and look up at me puzzled. He was trying to continue us along.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "We aren't there yet."
I attempted to smile and didn't answer his question.
"Look," I said softly, pointing to the metal ridges, "don't you remember this place? Don't you remember the time when we came here?"
The hero was slightly taken aback at the sudden question, but then looked around and immediately his eyes widened. He scoffed to himself when the memory came back to his mind. A small grin thern curled his lips.
"Well I'll be danged, I do indeed," he said finally, "I'm surprised you remember that."
I frowned.
"Come, come now Master Link," I said, "how could I forget? It was probably the most fun we had together back then in those days. Don't you remember how wonderful it was? Don't you remember how much we laughed? We both felt so free... so alive."
For the first time in the past day and a half Link grinned at me. He was probably grinning at my sentimentality more than anything.
"Is that how you remember it?" he asked. "You felt free and alive?"
I nodded, then looked away from his eyes. There was a brief pause between us.
"Didn't you?" I asked quietly.
He seemed indifferent about the subject.
"I remember it being the first time I realized you had a vivacious side," he disclosed, then added, "I didn't think something as insignificant as riding a slider would be important to you."
I wasn't sure if that first statement was a compliment or not, or if he was purposely trying to be rude with the second, but I gazed back at him and wanted to be clear on something. I was getting tired of his assumptions about what I considered important. There was a great deal of good along with the bad back in the past. Link needed to realize that there were two parts to the history we were recollecting on, not just one. There was more than the bitter angry one he wanted to keep at the forefront. I was going to remind him of that.
"You forget how much I cherished our friendship back then," I said, "you shouldn't assume that just because you have forgotten those times that I would as well. Those... those times were precious to me."
My words surprised him and he looked taken aback. So much so, that his grin faded and he narrowed his eyes slightly at me. He didn't answer right away as my utterance milled through his head.
"What makes you think I've forgotten them?" he asked.
Unintentionally, I felt my cheeks burn.
"You never seem to want to talk about them," I said, "and when I do bring it up you think of it as nothing more than a passing thought. Perhaps you shouldn't be quite so thoughtless in your remarks to people."
His eyes widened almost involuntarily.
"Excuse me?" he said surprised.
I avoided his eyes now.
"You heard what I said," I stated quietly, "stop being thoughtless."
I knew I was probably doing more harm than good at this moment, but for it was worth, I didn't care, I needed to get that off my chest. Link didn't reply right away, the expression on his face said it all.
"Aren't you assuming now?" he countered.
I thought about that, and... perhaps I was.
"I guess I am," I said quietly.
Link stared at me for a brief moment. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn't or couldn't. I think I may have unintentionally offended him. Instead, he took Epona by the reigns and tugged on her to move her along. Nothing more was said on the subject. We continued the rest of our trek in silence, and when we arrived at our destination, we left Epona up on the bluff overlooking the lake and rented a canoe to go down stream. I'd never been canoeing before. I'd done my fair share of sailing on large boats with a full crew, but never in a cramped, small canoe. I wasn't trying to be a prissy prude, but I was not happy with this new method of travel. I was reluctant in even participating.
Don't they have anything bigger with a crew? I wondered, looking around, not wanting to appear snobbish, but couldn't help but feel this small boat was ridiculous.
Link pushed the tiny vessel off the shore and hopped inside. He then held his hand out to me to help me in. I took it with hesitance, hoping he would see my subtle discontent. Link didn't seem to notice at all, and if he did, he didn't seem to care. I wasn't surprised.
This man… I thought.
After he harnessed his bag around himself, he handed me a paddle. I looked at him stunned and taken aback.
He cannot be serious! I thought in disbelief.
"What's that?" I asked, pretending ignorance.
Link gave me an obvious stare and raised a brow.
"It's a paddle," he replied with a slight impatience, "we're both going to have to row."
I groaned under my breath. I knew that was coming.
"I can't," I lied, "my arms hurt."
Link billowed out an aggravated breath and turned to look at me.
"You picked a fine time to start acting like a queen now," he said slightly upset, "that's too bad your majesty, you either paddle or we walk down the long way."
I looked at him incredulously regarding his tone.
How dare he speak to me in such a fashion? I thought upset. Has he lost his senses?
I stared into his eyes defiantly for a moment, but then sighed when I realized my stubbornness was going to get us nowhere. I realized I was fighting a losing battle. I took the paddle from Link halfheartedly.
"Very well," I muttered.
Link grunted and rolled his eyes at my reply before stationing himself in the front of the boat. I got myself comfortable in the back, but I knew there was a mismatch in weight displacement regarding this set up. Since we were going down stream, it would have made more sense if I sat in the front and he sat in the back. Link's larger frame would have steadied the stern. Also too, the more experienced rider was always suppose to ride in the back, in this case that would be Link. I wasn't sure why he wasn't aware of that. Maybe he assumed I went canoeing more than him. With the boat's narrowed bow and streamlined design, it was easier to capsize if there wasn't an even distribution of weight, and with us going down stream, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Gravity and the forces of hydrodynamics were against us in our current positions. However, instead of wisely saying something, I remained quiet. He would probably think I was complaining again. However, I would soon regret my decision of silence.
Link turned around to look at me signaling he was ready to fair off.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked, more as a requirement rather than a concern.
I nodded, wanting to get this over with.
"As I can be, yes," I said, trying to be amiable.
He then picked up his paddle and turned back around.
I wasn't going to lie, I was anxious about this whole undertaking. We really needed to switch places. It was then I decided to speak up.
"Uh…" I began, but then stopped myself.
Link turned back around to look at me again.
"What is it your majesty?" he asked.
I really should have told him about the way we were situated, but instead of doing what I knew was right, I shook my head foolishly instead.
"It's nothing," I replied.
Link gave me a disconcerted look. He knew I wasn't telling the truth.
"Are you sure?" he asked me.
Tell him Zelda, I told myself.
I nodded instead.
"Yes," I said, "let's get going."
I was a fool for keeping my mouth shut.
Link stared at me briefly, waiting for me to change my mind just in case. However, when I said nothing he turned back around and positioned himself once more.
"Just remember to rotate when you row," he said to me.
I nodded.
"Right," I said with a nod.
We then set off.
The upper embank was easy to traverse. The waters were pretty still, and the current wasn't as strong. I mimicked Link's motion, as he shifted from side to side. I quickly realized how much work went into rowing.
Goddesses, my arms hurt already! I thought, realizing I needed to exercise more.
We continued down the embank, when suddenly we encountered a large throw off of rock resembling a cistern. We bumped over it with relative ease, but the retrograde force from the current made the boat jump.
Dear Hylia, I thought nervously, but calmed a little when I saw we were okay.
Link turned to look at me.
"You doing alright?" he asked me over the rapids.
I nodded, not wanting to worry him, but that was far from the truth.
"I'm fantastic Master Link!" I said over the steadily increasing waters, trying hard to mask my sarcasm.
Just fantastic, I added in my head.
The canoe swirled slightly and shifted to the left, when a small vortex of water appeared near the boat close by. I couldn't lie, that scared me. That was too close for comfort. We continued downstream, and everything seemed to be getting under control, until I caught sight of the waterfall... the large, imposing waterfall. I felt my eyes widen and my breath still from shock.
Dear goddesses! I thought with a surge of panic.
Even Link knew it was going to be quite the ordeal.
"Brace yourself!" he called out, leaning back.
I did the same motion, but I knew with the displacement of weight that as soon as we went over the falls, the canoe was going flip over and capsize. This might have been the last canoe ride I ever experienced. I hope ancestral mother knew I gave it my all. The canoe created a buoyancy effect before it tipped and went over. I pulled the paddle in, and leaned back as far as I could, but it was no use. As soon as Link's heavier end proceeded down, my end went up and slightly air born, before I found myself being tossed out of the canoe.
"Ahhh!" I screamed, as I hit the icy waters at the bottom of the ravine.
Link watched in pure shock.
"Your majesty!" he said in panic, and immediately jumped out of the boat and into the water after me.
The cold water felt like a thousand sharp knives. I immediately swam to the surface and broke water for air. I looked around, and was quickly swept into the current leading to another waterfall. I held on tightly to my satchel, and tried to maintain a steady rate of breathing. I was struggling to keep my head above the water because the pull of the current was so strong.
Just breathe Zelda! I told myself. Just breathe!
I tried my hardest to grab onto something as I rode by, but the debris was deadly with the swiftness of the current. I felt a tree branch slice into my side. The waters were now streaming a trail of red blood.
"Ah!" I yelped in pain.
I didn't have time to think of the pain, as hypothermia was rapidly starting to set in. My toes were numb and my legs were starting to tingle with a weird sensation of paresthesia. Water was coming up into my nose and my head went under tow once more. I quickly bobbed my head back up and coughed up the water that entered my lungs. The sensation burned like fire.
I was terrified.
I thought I was going to die. I tried to look around and saw that I was all alone. Where was Link? Did he drown? Was he dead? However, suddenly out of nowhere I felt myself being pulled underwater, but it wasn't by the current, it was by an arm. A man's arm. My eyes widened under the water when Link gripped me around the waist and swam back to the surface. Unfortunately, the gash in my side bled out more profusely with the added pressure, but everything was happening so quickly Link didn't notice. When we broke the surface, Link quickly grabbed hold of a tree branch rapidly floating by. He lifted me onto it and held on to the back end.
I was shivering rapidly from the frigid waters.
"Hang on!" he called out above the currents. "There's still one more fall before we hit the main lake!"
My body was shuddering with goosebumps, but I held on as tightly as possible.
"Okay!" I called back to him.
The last fall was large and wide. The hydrodynamics created a vortex underneath the white mist at the bottom of the chasm. The only way to survive the excessive pressure was to avoid falling directly into the deceitful looking white cloud. I needed to go straight for the pool. All of a sudden, there was a sudden jolt on the log. I was surprised by the hasty movement, and turned to see if Link was okay. I was stunned to see he was the one doing it. I didn't understand the motion.
What is he doing? I wondered terrified.
"Don't worry!" he called to me. "Just hang on!"
I nodded my reply, too scared to offer another suggestion. I assumed he was doing that because he was trying to make sure we landed in the pool and not the white cloud. We effaced the falls and were about to go over.
Here we go! I thought closing my eyes and bracing myself.
The tree branch went over and I felt one final jolt. I immediately let go and dove for the pool. I landed hard in the icy waters below, and submerged about twenty feet into the deep chasm of blue. I quickly swam for the surface and towards the nearest shoreline. I crawled out the water soaking wet and breathing hard, but when I saw that I was alone, I turned in panic to find Link. I didn't see him anywhere.
A feeling of fear and panic quickly overtook me.
"Master Link!" I called out, but then coughed because water was stuck in my throat.
My eyes widened as I searched the surface for some sign of his presence. I stood up when I saw the waters were still adherent. I took in a deep troubled breath and called out his name once more.
"Master Link!" I called out again only louder.
The surface was still peaceful.
My panic never left me.
Dear Hylia... I thought worried, he probably drowned!
I hurried to open my bag and pulled out the necklace Ilia gave me. I looked it over and saw that it was really a whistle. She told me this necklace could help a person find their way back to an individual, now I understood why. It was time to see if it really worked. I waded back out to the water and blew as hard and as fast as I could. I took the instrument off my lips for a moment and listened.
"Master Link!" I called out once more, feeling my voice break. "Goddamn it...! Where are you?"
I blew on the whistle again and still nothing. I didn't let that stop me so I kept blowing. I thought my efforts were in vain… until a few minutes later. Out of the blue, literally, the waters displaced and Link suddenly emerged. When I saw he was alive, I took in a deep breath of relief, but my relief was short lived when I saw he was moving slowly. He must have been swimming for dear life out of that current. I frantically went to help him get to the shoreline. Link was actively vomiting water and trying to get control of his gagging. I immediately checked him to see if he was injured.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" I asked him.
Link shook his head no.
"I'm fine," he said breathlessly.
I put his arm around my shoulders and guided him to the grass. We plopped ourselves down and both tried to catch our breath. I looked over at Link worried.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him again.
Link just nodded, still trying to get control of his coughing. When I sat down in relief of his safety. However, it was then I felt a sharp break through pain return to me at the side of my injury.
"Ah!" I moaned suddenly.
I winced slightly when I brought my knees to my chest, the wound at my side started bleeding again. I took off my cloak to examine the damage. When I did, I saw that there was a large tear at the left side of my dress exposing serrated quivering flesh at my abdomen. The wound was about two inches long and an inch deep. That rolling branch really did a number on me.
Link saw the wound and looked at me in concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked me.
I simply nodded, busy trying to pick out the pieces of wood still stuck in my skin. I was a little taken aback when Link came up to me and examined the wound of his own accord. He then went and opened his satchel and took out a bottle of red chu jelly potion. He poured half the potion directly on the wound, and the other half he handed to me.
"Drink this," he directed.
I winced at his first aide.
"Ouch!" I cried out when the residual potion stung my skin.
I took the remaining contents in the bottle and drank it quickly. I hated the taste of red chu jelly. It tasted like cough syrup. I made a look of disgust at the swallowed contents, but then turned my attention back to my skin and saw that the wound had closed over. My skin was like new.
I sighed in relief.
Thank Hylia, I thought.
Link looked relieved as well.
"That's better," he said more to himself than to me.
I looked at him gratefully as he laid on his back afterwards to catch his breath. We were silent for a long moment before either one of us spoke. I couldn't believe how close we both were to not being here, and to have our last words to each other be something as stupid and trivial as our last conversation really put what was important into perspective. I looked down at him and didn't know what to say except the obvious.
"Thank you," I said with the utmost sincerity, finally breaking the silence, "you... you saved my life."
Link closed his bright blue eyes and shook his head, fanning off my apology.
"That's what I'm here for your majesty," he replied, "I promised to protect you. I wasn't kidding when I told you that."
I didn't want this to be about obligation alone. I wanted him to know I greatly appreciated his service, and that it would be a devastating loss to everyone if he didn't make it.
"I understand that," I said, then paused for a moment, "but you have to realize that this isn't just about me. I... I was terrified that you weren't going to resurface."
Link opened his eyes to look at me for a moment, his handsome face held a serious expression. I didn't look away, I wanted him to know I was worried for his safety.
"I'm okay your majesty," he reassured, then sat up.
I didn't take my eyes off him.
"But I couldn't be sure of that," I said, then added, "do you know what your death would mean to the people of Hyrule?"
His eyes searched my face for a moment.
"Do you know what your death would mean to the people of Hyrule?" he countered. "I'm just a servant your majesty, you're the queen."
I wasn't going to let that slide.
"I've told you this once before in the past, but I would never look at you as just my servant Master Link," I said boldly, "your life and your service echo greater meaning in the hearts of the people even more so than mine."
Link looked at me surprised, but then shook his head.
"That isn't true," he replied.
I nodded.
"You ask them and you'll see," I replied.
He stared at me for a long time.
"That's very kind of you to say," he replied, "but I'd rather not ask."
I had no qualms about this subject.
"It's the truth," I said, then looked away for a moment and added, "and besides all that, I... I don't want to quarrel with you anymore. I hate fighting with you."
Link stared at my down cast eyes for a long time.
"Do you really mean that?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yes I do," I said, "there's no point to it."
He nodded himself now.
"To be quite frank, I don't like fighting with you either," he confessed, "I always end up feeling worse than better."
That revelation surprised me.
"Really?" I asked in a subtle whisper.
He stared at me for a long time and nodded.
"Really," he replied.
I felt encouraged by that.
"Very well," I said, "then let's make a pact, let's not argue anymore for the rest of this trip."
Link grunted thoughtfully and nodded.
"Alright your majesty," he said, "we should certainly try."
I looked up just then and was surprised to find him smiling at me. His smile was a welcome sight, I loved his smile and I smiled back.
"That sounds wonderful," I agreed, then decided to add another addendum, "umm… you know… you don't always have to refer to me as 'your majesty'. I'd like it very much if you called me by my name."
Link looked at me surprised for a moment, probably finding it strange that I was bringing up this subject now.
"I'm sorry?" he asked me flummoxed.
I knew my cheeks were red, but I went on anyway.
"I want you to call me Zelda," I said finally, "I think it's only appropriate that we address each other on a first name basis considering what we've just been through. After all, you did just save my life."
Link looked at me taken aback, but then his surprise melted into a warm expression. He nodded at my request.
"Alright, fair enough," he said, "then you have to call me Link. Not 'Master Link' or 'Mr. Link', just Link."
I nodded and bit my lower lip.
"Shall we start now then?" I asked.
He grinned at me.
"Sure," he said.
I cleared my throat.
"Thank you for everything you've done… Link," I said.
I knew he probably thought I was silly.
"You're more than welcome... Zelda," he replied.
Link saying my name again made me smile all the more. It had been so long... and as crazy as this may have sounded, I was glad the whole ordeal had happened. We stubbornly, and stupidly, hadn't spoken to each other for almost two days, except in passing. Now that we had had such a terrifying scare, I think we both began to realize how silly our silent treatment had been. I was so grateful he was here, if not, I would have died. Afterwards, I got up, but buckled under my knees. I began to shiver copiously.
"Ooh!" I chattered, "I'm freezing!"
Link followed suit and got up as well.
"You have to get out of those clothes," Link stated, and then looked at his own soaked dressings, "we both do."
I shook my head no.
"All my other things are wet," I said, wrapping my arms around myself, "we have nothing to change into."
He took in a deep sigh
"That is true," Link replied, then dusted off some of the grass sticking to him.
I looked up at the midday sun.
"I think our only option is to sun dry them," I said, "if we stop we'll be further delayed, and we're already here at Lake Hylia. I see no other choice."
However, Link shook his head, not liking the idea.
"We can get sick if we keep like this," he explained, "we need to remove these clothes before hypothermia sets in."
I saw his point, but there was no way that was going to happen.
"That isn't feasible," I said.
He stared at me for a long moment then made an off the wall suggestion.
"Well, we could strip to our undergarments and let our clothes dry that way," he said.
I felt my eyes widen immediately.
"What?" I replied.
Link took no issue with what he said.
"We could strip down-" he tried.
"I heard what you said," I interrupted, "the answer is no!"
He just looked at me.
"Why?" he asked. "It's not like you'll be naked, you'll have your under clothes on."
I put my hands on my hips.
"You have got to be joking!" I insisted indignantly. "Are you insane? What if someone sees us?"
Link shrugged.
"So what if they do," he replied, "it's better that than to get sick unnecessarily."
I couldn't believe he was still going on with this notion.
"Link-" I tried.
"Look," he interrupted, "it's either that, or we risk getting getting tektite fever for a week."
I felt my eyes grow wide. He was dead serious.
"Absolutely out of the question!" I snapped. "Besides, we have plenty of potions for that."
He shrugged.
"True," he said, "but you'll still feel some lingering aftereffects."
My stance never changed.
"This is madness," I said to him, "whatever happened to your chivalry?"
I must have said that with a humorous inflection because Link chuckled and shook his head when I said that. I looked at him seriously and found nothing funny, which made him laugh more. A few moments later he stopped and grinned at me.
"You want to know what happened to my chivalry?" he asked finally. "It grew up, like the rest of me."
I rolled my eyes and looked away from him while I turned crimson, which made him chuckle more.
Men… I thought with a trail.
Link sighed at my original proposal and boldly came and turned my face to look at his. He stared into my eyes.
"It was a joke Zelda," he said, "you've got to learn to loosen up. You're so intense at times."
I heatedly maneuvered my face away from his grip.
"I am not intense!" I said angrily.
Link just looked at me.
"Right," he said with an inflection of sarcasm, then added, "look, we're wasting time, I'm going to strip down, are you sure you're going to be okay like you are?"
I felt my stomach drop when he uttered that. However, I was going to show him I wasn't some fidgety little prude. I turned my nose up slightly.
"You do what you must, but I'm not in the castle," I divulged, "the wilderness doesn't discriminate between queen or civilian, I can't act as if I can't take a little water."
Link grinned and shook his head.
"Suit yourself… Zelda," he said, "I'll be back in a few minutes."
I didn't reply to that. I just watched from my side view him go over to some bushes and start taking off his clothes.
Great, I thought sarcastically, this is just bloody fantastic.
I glanced in his direction to see if he was done, and caught a glimpse of his bare back when he pulled his tunic over his head. I felt my stomach drop when I saw the remnants of what once happened to him a long time ago. I had to look away to catch myself. I closed my eyes and tried my hardest not to feel an overwhelming surge of guilt. A few moments later he was finished, and I had to say when he came walking from behind his makeshift dressing room, he was even more stunning than I gave him credit for when I first saw him again. He really stripped down to his underpants. Those arms... that chest... those abdominal muscles... those statuesque legs... his everything was perfect... bloody, damned perfect.
I was at a loss for words.
I looked heavenward as if this were punishment for some evil I've done.
Okay Hylia, I bargained, if you're reading my mind right now, just know I might have an impure thought about this man... a very impure thought.
Sweet goddesses, he was gorgeous.
Link walked right up to me like it was nothing. I think he already knew what impression he was making. I bothered not to look directly at him. This was going to be hard enough as it was. He had to be doing this on purpose.
I groaned.
"You ready?" he asked me.
I nodded and didn't look at him.
"Yes," I said, "let's go."
We headed down the grassy shoreline on the outer perimeter of Lake Hylia. The crystal blue waters rippled slightly from the cascading waterfall in the background. I looked up and took note of the Bridge of Hylia above us, before jumping across a few logs scattered throughout the water. We passed a two story propulsion shop that housed a large cannon, and finally made it across to the other side. We followed the perimeter network of bridges and ladders to an inlet that led to a vast cavern. Before we entered, Link turned to make sure I was okay. He was staring at the tear in my dress.
His eyes made me feel a little self conscious, so I wrapped my arms around my waist.
"What?" I asked, already knowing what he was thinking.
He gave me a quick once over.
"You don't think the guardian will have an issue with your appearance do you?" he asked me all of a sudden.
I looked at Link surprised, considering he was practically naked with just his under shorts on. Why would the guardian have an issue with a tear in my dress?
"Are you serious?" I asked him. "Have you looked in the water at your reflection?"
He saw my point but countered it with his own.
"You forget that you're royalty and I'm not," he said, "the guardians may hold you to a different standard."
I found him saying that ironic.
"Oh really?" I replied. "This coming from a man who told me to strip down to my undergarments."
Link grinned and shrugged.
"I've had a sudden change of heart," he replied.
I groaned and looked away. In a minute decision, I decided to put my cloak back on and button it at the front, I just didn't hood myself.
"Better to be safe than sorry," I said of his discretionary thinking.
Link nodded in agreement.
"Let's go," he said.
We then entered the cavern. Link and I walked up an awning that doubled as a precipice overlooking a deep pool. We stopped when we were standing atop the cliff overlooking the beautiful lagoon of blue water. The room vaulted back into its limestone ceiling and algae moss fixtures. A waterfall rested in the back of the chasm, where two escalating ramps ran up both sides of the perimeter leading to where we were standing. An aqueous reflection of light shined brilliantly from the water to the ceiling, and the rocks gave off a multicolored shimmer as if such beauty were the norm. I looked around awestruck for a moment.
"This place is incredible," I whispered.
We waited, and for a while nothing happened. For the other two guardians, it was necessary for us to wade into the water. However, with Lanayru's approach being so high such a method didn't seem necessary, or so I thought. Link apparently had a different notion, and since he was dressed for it I guess it was only natural for him to test it.
"Wait here," he said.
I looked at him surprised.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, already having an idea.
Link didn't answer me and before I could say another word, he dove head first into the deep chasm below. I covered my mouth to hold in my gasp at the sudden brazen action. I could breathe a little easier when he resurfaced.
"Are you alright?" I called down to him anyway.
The hero nodded at my question, then dove under once more. Whatever he devised must have done the trick, because soon after the waters started bubbling then parting slightly as a sphere of liquid rotated upward towards the ceiling. Link resurfaced once again and swam to one of the perimeter edges to get out of the pool. He made haste to make his way back to me before the guardian completely transmogrified. I knew this was completely inappropriate considering the circumstances, but I couldn't get over how magnificent he looked all glistened up and down with water in the dimly light of the cave. Besides that, he was an excellent swimmer. Back in the middle of the pool, the spherical water then took the shape of a dragon with a constant iridized essence. Two long aquatic whiskers protruded from its face and hovered about the room. I raised my hands to cover my eyes when suddenly the water shone a beautiful, but brilliant, triboluminescence from the shifting water particles. In short, it was amazing. No matter how many times I saw the guardians appear they would always rendered me speechless.
Lanayru's voice soon boomed across the lagoon.
"Greetings Queen of Destiny and Hero of Twilight," the guardian said to us in a grand majestic voice. "You have faced a great peril to come here, and yet you still are undeterred with your journey."
At this point I was used to the not so subtle hints from the guardians. I was more than aware that none of them wanted us to do this. Still, that wasn't going to detract us.
"Yes, my lord," I said, and lowered my hands a little, "we've come for the final riddle."
Lanayru was quiet for a moment.
"Your majesty," the guardian began, "are you sure you have seriously considered this undertaking? This decision you are making has a very grave consequence."
This was the first time a guardian actually said what was on its mind instead of tiptoeing around what it meant. It compelled me to ask what I already asked twice before.
"My lord I beseech you," I started, "why is this considered dangerous? I was sent by Hylia herself to go about this journey. She would not instruct me to do anything that would harm Hyrule."
After my utterance, I got a very surprised look from Link. It was then I realized I said too much and blew my cover. However, I would have to worry about the consequence of such a slip later, I needed to focus on the guardian for now.
Lanayru didn't answer right away.
"Why the great goddess in all her grace and wisdom told you to do this still baffles me," the guardian said.
I shook my head, not finding that answer acceptable.
"That reply isn't good enough for me my lord," I said, "I need a more solidified reason."
However, Lanayru was not prepared to give me one.
"It's no matter your majesty," the guardian said, "it is a decision you have already made and I will give you what you seek."
I still wanted more than what it was giving me.
"My lord, please tell us if what we are doing is wrong?" I asked, with a hint of desperation in my voice. "Please tell me why Faron, Ordona, and now you are trying to warn us about something, but won't tell us what is is?"
Lanayru stared at me for a long moment, as if reflectively thinking about what I was asking.
"To be honest with you my queen there is really nothing you can do," the guardian said cryptically, "you see, there are attributes to what you seek... strong, powerful attributes."
When Lanayru put it that way, it made me think back to when Rusl first spoke with me regarding that leather cloth he presented in Ordon. It was regarding the message he found in Gerudo Desert.
'The putting together of the insidious attributes will result in the Arbiter's kiss,' my mind trailed back to that unusual obscure message, will finding these shards, and putting this mirror back together do something terrible to Hyrule? If so, why would Hylia risk me doing so?
It didn't make sense, and if something make sense there was a ring of truth missing from it.
Link who had been quiet this entire time, finally spoke up.
"What attributes?" he asked Lanayru. "What do you mean?"
The guardian got quiet once more.
"That I cannot say," it replied, "all I will tell you is this, the attributes are very real, and they are insidious."
I felt a bit of unease settle at the bottom of my stomach. That was the same word used in that message I read... the same one. What was going on here? Why were we purposely being left in the dark? I had to know, I needed to know. I clasped my hands together and decided to supplicate for an answer.
"My lord that is the issue," I replied, "if we could just get some kind of confirmation that what we are doing is right we-"
"I'm afraid you will not get that from me," Lanayru interrupted suddenly, "that is a decision you must make for yourself."
I looked to the guardian troubled, but knew I had no rebuttal for it. It was a decision I was going to have to make on my own. This was getting more and more troublesome the more we found out. Was this really worth it? Did I really want to go through with this? From the corner of my eye I could see Link staring at me. He saw that I was tied up in conflict and decided to draw out what was apparently an issue for me.
"Zelda we don't have to do this," he said all of a sudden, "nothing is worth putting the country at risk."
I glanced over at him.
"But that's my question, at risk to what?" I whispered, not expecting an answer. "Each guardian is just going around in circles, none of them are being clear with us."
Link nodded at my utterance but didn't reply, he could see the determination in my eyes. I looked back at Lanayru and the guardian remained silent. They were forcing me to make this decision on my own.
Them… and Hylia.
Since no one wanted to be straight forward with me, I knew I was going to have to find the answers myself. I was going to have to keep going.
"No Link," I said finally, "I promised you redemption, and that is what I'm going to do. We're going to find Midna."
Even with my strong will Link was starting to have second thoughts.
"But we have no idea what our actions could do to Hyrule," he warned.
I knew that, but what choice did I have? Everyone was purposely being difficult and evasive.
"We'll have to take that chance," I said, "I must do right by you."
Link just stared at me and took in a deep troubled breath, but didn't interject any further.
"Very well, it's up to you," he said.
With the decision being made, I turned my attention back to Lanayru. I tried to reason that Hylia wouldn't instruct me to do this if it was going to harm the country, she just wouldn't.
I took a small step forward.
"Please tell me the last riddle," I said, with a sudden unwavering conviction.
Lanayru stared at me for a moment regarding my choice.
"You're serious?" the guardian asked me finally.
I almost reneged, but swallowed hard and nodded.
"Yes," I replied.
The light guardian went silent again.
"Very well," it said finally, "if you cannot be convinced otherwise, the last riddle is this: 'there is great 'potential' in the cooling of the womb that actuates to a birthplace of fire.'"
I looked on puzzled.
'There is great 'potential' in the cooling of the womb that actuates to a birthplace of fire?' I repeated in my head.
Link grunted and shook his head.
"I guess there's no point in asking what it means," he said.
That was a very obvious statement and the guardian seemed to want to reiterate that point.
"No point indeed good hero," Lanayru agreed, "but I will tell you this, you must solve each riddle in order of the guardian you saw first: Ordona, Faron, and then Lanayru. If you do not, you will not find the shards."
That was actually some very useful information.
"Thank you very much for all that you have told to us my lord," I said.
Lanayru floated silently for a moment before replying.
"Queen of Destiny, I wish you haste on your journey and insight to your wishes," the guardian said, "may we meet again on the crossroads of life."
With that, the light guardian transformed back into a ball of water and shortly after dispersed into a thousand tiny particles across the lagoon. Link and I both stood there looking at the pool of water, both wondering what was the right course of action. This was getting more and more convoluted, and it was starting waver into some greater terrains of concern than the personal well being of one thwarted individual.
I sighed and ran my fingers over my forehead.
Insight into my wishes? I wondered. What did Lanayru mean by that?
I was going to inquire Link of it, but it seemed he had a question of his own he wanted to present to me. He was looking at me concerned.
"So, you were sent by Hylia?" he asked, not letting the biggest revelation slide. "It seems your story keeps changing, I thought you came of your own free will."
I took a step back and avoided his eyes. There was no use deflecting, I was expecting this reaction.
"I couldn't tell you that," I said softly, "you never would have believed me."
He shook his head.
"Zelda... Farore chose me as this age's hero," he said, "what makes you think I wouldn't believe Hylia sent you to seek the guardians out?"
He made a good point.
I shook my head.
"I... I don't know," I said honestly, I finally looked at him again, "I just wanted you to trust me."
His eyes searched my face for a moment.
"I do trust you," he said sincerely, "but I think it's about time you started trusting me. I think I've earned it. You have to start letting me in."
I looked at him surprised and didn't reply, but I did nod slowly. Afterwards, he cut his eyes from me and headed for the exit.
"Let's get out of here," he said, "we need to find a shelter for tonight, we'll figure all this other stuff out once we have a safe haven."
I looked around and sighed.
"You're right," I said.
"We'll head back to upper Lake Hylia and ask the owner of the fishermen's shack if we can rent a room for the night," he suggested, placing his bag over his shoulder, "we'll set out fresh tomorrow morning."
I nodded, liking the idea.
"That sounds perfect," I replied, "I think the events for today were more than enough for contemplation."
Link nodded.
"True," he replied.
Afterwards, we headed out of the cave and towards the destination of the inn. Link went back to the shoreline to gather his damp clothes en route to our destination. It took a good two hours to get to the small cottage, and by then it was already dusk. Link put his damp clothes back on and negotiated a deal with the owner of the shack. We were shown a small room with two beds. I had to admit it wasn't the best situation for two unwed people to be in, but considering everything we had been through day, I doubted either one of us was worried about a moment of physical weakness, at least not the provocative kind. I just wanted a night of restful sleep. Besides, there were other things for us to worry about, like how were going to recoup for the following day and the more immediate concern of what we were going to wear to bed. All of our belongings were wet.
It was then I had an idea
"I'll be right back," I said all of a sudden.
Link turned to look at me.
"Where are you going?" he asked me.
I held up my bag.
"I'm going to go hang these wet clothes out to dry," I replied, "the night wind should do the trick and perhaps in a couple hours we'll have some dry clothes to sleep in."
He raised a brow.
"Oh," he said, but then went to pick up his own wet satchel, "do you think you could hang these up with them?"
I looked at him surprised, but shouldn't have been.
"Are you serious?" I demanded. "Do I look like a laundress to you?"
He gave me a quick once over.
"Well..." he trailed with a hint of playfulness.
I groaned, but then sighed and held out my hand anyway.
"Bring them here," I said, "the sooner I do this the sooner we can go to sleep."
He grinned at me and handed me his bag.
"I can't believe the Queen of Hyrule is becoming domesticated," he said, "thanks."
I rolled my eyes.
"You're incorrigible," I muttered to myself which made him chuckle, then headed out the door.
I went to the side of the shack and saw a low hanging branch of a tree. I opened Link's bag and decided to hang his clothes up first. I figured they would take the longest to dry. I laid the thick material tunics across the branch, and tried to ring out the excess water from the course fibers.
"This is such tedious work," I said to myself, realizing this was the first time I ever had to care for my or anyone else's laundry, "I need to remember to thank Lydia and my other servants more often."
Link's tunics in particular were the hardest to regulate of water, so to make easier work for myself I decided to make sure the pockets were empty before I hung them. There wasn't very much to remove except for a few rupees here and there, but interestingly enough the one he wore yesterday also had a coiled up handkerchief at the inner recess. I unfolded the little doily and set it on the branch, thinking it was probably a little ditty Miss Ilia gave him. I was going to move on to his next tunic, but then I paused when I did a sudden double take and realized I actually recognized the small embroidery. My eyes widened and I picked up the damp piece of cloth again to examine it.
"This is my stitching," I whispered.
This was the embroidery I gave Link the day he left the castle years ago. I couldn't believe he actually kept it. I thought with our falling out that he would have discarded this keepsake... it seemed I was wrong. But why was he taking it with him now? Why was it in his pocket? Admittedly, the finding made me smile, but I tried not to overthink the idea behind it. I placed the handkerchief back on the branch and smoothed it out so he could easily find it when he came to get his things in the morning. This finding made me hopeful. Maybe we could be friends once again. Maybe we did have a chance at starting over. I stared at it for a few more moments before tending to my own clothes. I made quick work of my dresses and was just about done, when suddenly a bright light flashed before my face.
What in the world? I thought.
I raised my hands to cover my eyes from the sudden blinding light, but was both surprised and not surprised when I saw who appeared after it. I was actually expecting her to show up sooner rather than later.
"Ancestral mother!" I said, happy to see her.
Hylia initially smiled, but when she heard my greeting, she just raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
"I'll never be able to win with you will I kid?" she said, putting her hands on her hips.
I looked at her perplexed for a moment, but then realized what she meant.
"Oh," I said, "sorry."
Hylia then grinned and walked up to me nodding.
"Well, well, well," she said, "look who's become the happy housewife."
I immediately felt my cheeks turn red and rolled my eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous, I'm just laying out our wet laundry," I said, "it's nothing to get excited about."
Hylia's grin turned to a full on smile.
"Right," she said, "and look what you found in the process."
She pointed to the damp handkerchief. I tried to play it off like it wasn't anything extraordinary and shrugged.
"So what," I replied and avoided her eyes.
Hylia raised a brow.
"Uh huh," she replied sarcastically, then looked past me to the inn, "where's pretty boy?"
I sighed at her strange form of speech.
"He's in the room," I replied, seeing no point in trying to correct her insinuations.
Hylia nodded, approving of the situation.
"I see, and by the way, I give you full permission to have impure thoughts, have as many as you want," she said mischievously, and raised an eyebrow, "and what are you going to do about that?"
I raised a brow.
"Nothing," I said in a firm manner, "we're going to go to sleep, that's all."
Hylia scoffed.
"You've got all that gorgeous man in there, who took off his clothes for you, and all you want to do is sleep?" she asked me incredulously. "There must be something wrong with you and this generation! If I were a thousand years younger and a mortal-"
I groaned in irritation.
"Will you stop," I interrupted in defiance, "he doesn't even look at me that way."
Hylia gave me an offhanded stare.
"Honey, he desired you once, and he'll desire you again," she divulged, "trust me, he's a man."
I looked at her surprised.
"He's never desired me," I replied.
The look on her face suddenly made me unsure.
Has he? I wondered.
Hylia looked at me with knowing perception.
"Ah how quickly we forget five days ago in his house," she stated.
I completely blew her off with that comment.
"That wasn't desire," I said, "that was anger."
Hylia shrugged.
"It doesn't matter," she said, "those two attributes tote the same line from time to time."
I found it rather convenient that she mentioned the word 'attribute'. I was just about to ask her about that very thing.
"Speaking of which," I segued, changing the subject, "the guardians have been very strange regarding this whole task. They even seem upset. Lanayru even mentioned that our putting this mirror together would release some traits of a horrible nature."
Hylia grew quiet for a moment.
"Lanayru said that to you?" she asked me.
I nodded.
"Yes," I replied, "why do you suppose the guardian reacted that way?"
Hylia looked away from me for a moment. She was about to ask me something strange.
"How does that make you feel?" she asked me, deflecting from my question.
I was taken aback by the inquiry.
"How does that make me feel?" I repeated confused. "I don't even know what you mean!"
Hylia merely nodded and stared into my eyes.
"Do you still want to go through with this?" she asked me all of a sudden.
I felt my mouth drop open involuntarily. She was deliberately being evasive.
"Why are you going around the subject?" I asked her.
Hylia paused for a moment.
"I just want your happiness Zel," she said, "that's all."
I shook my head confused.
What does that have to do with anything? I wondered.
"It has everything to do with everything," she replied to my thoughts.
I raised my eyebrows helplessly, forgetting I could hide nothing from her.
"Well then, am I doing the right thing?" I asked her finally.
Hylia smiled and reached over to caress my cheek in a rare moment of seriousness.
"I wouldn't tell you to do something that would deliberately hurt you," she said, "please trust me, and please start trusting yourself. You have a very good intuition. You need to follow it, even if it means you disagree with me."
I looked at her puzzled for a moment and sighed.
"I suppose you're right," I said.
Hylia smiled.
"Of course I'm right," she said to me with confidence, "I am the goddess of Hyrule after all."
Just then I thought of what Rusl told me.
"By the way," I began, "did you give the Book of Mudora to Ashei to give to me?"
Hylia grinned.
"You know I did," she replied, "that book is going to help you figure out what do next. Make sure you use it wisely."
So I was right, I thought.
"Yes you were," she said, "I told you to trust your instincts."
I was too relieved to be annoyed with her reading my mind. I also wanted to bring something else to her attention.
"Thank you," I replied, then added, "and I hope you aren't upset with me because of this, but I accidentally informed Link that you sent me on this quest."
Hylia shrugged at my saying that.
"That's alright," she said casually, "it's no biggie babe."
I just looked at her, honestly wondering where in the world she learned to speak this way. Was that how they spoke on Skyloft? I guess I would never know. Hylia then snapped her fingers, and suddenly there was a bundle of dry clothes that appeared in her hands.
"Anyway," she said changing the subject, "enough serious talk for the evening. Take these clothes so you can dry off. There's a pair for your doted hero too."
I looked at the bundle surprised, but took it gratefully.
"Thank you so much," I said, "this is going to be most helpful."
Hylia smirked at me and raised a brow.
"You know what would be even more helpful," she said with a mischievous undertone, "if you didn't wear anything at all like Link suggested earlier."
I groaned.
"Ances-" I tried.
"I'm just saying," she interrupted playfully.
Hylia then took a few steps back and grinned.
"Look, I have to go," she said, "you have fun, and tonight let your hair down."
I felt my cheeks flush.
"Hylia…" I trailed.
Hylia winked.
"I'll see you later," she said, "bye."
With that she floated into the air and disappeared.
I sighed once she was gone.
She's so unorthodox, I thought, and then smiled, but that's what makes her so wonderful.
I resumed putting the wet clothes back on the branches, then took the bundle of dry clothes into the shack. Link was sitting on a chair sharpening his sword when I came back into the room. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me perplexed when he saw the dry clothes.
"Where'd you find those?" he asked me.
I paused for a moment.
I didn't think about that, I thought.
"Uh… I bought them at the tackle shop," I replied.
He narrowed his eyes at me confused.
"What?" he asked. "In all the time that I've been going there I've never seen them sale clothes, besides they're closed."
I realized I was just caught in a lie.
"Oh... well then um... a little birdie gave them to me," I replied.
That was just a stupid thing to say.
Link gave me an offhanded stare.
"A what?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"Look, it doesn't matter," I said, and handed him his pajamas, "the point is we have something dry to wear."
Link looked like he was about to say something, but then decided against it.
"Never mind," he said to himself.
I wasn't going to goad him on it.
Never mind is right, I thought thankfully.
Link took the pajamas and fanned them out to see if they would actually fit him.
"What do you know, they're the perfect size too," he said with open cynicism more to himself than to me.
I forced a smile.
"Imagine that," I said, trying to sound casual.
He looked at me with a slight suspicion and took in a deep sigh.
"Yeah…" he said to me, "imagine that."
He eyed the clothes and then me for several more seconds, before finally deciding to let the matter go.
"It is what it is I guess," he muttered to himself.
I was grateful he didn't go on with the subject. Link then gestured for me to go behind the changing divider in the room first.
"Ladies first," he said.
I nodded, not arguing for him to go first because I was freezing, then hurried to get out of my damp clothes. The dress and cloak I was wearing were still sodden and heavy from the lake. I even felt a little itch at the back of my throat, and that was when I realized I was starting to feel a little under the weather. Blast the bloody hero for being right. I would have to take a drink of red potion in the morning to relieve it. I then changed into the long beige nightgown, and undid my braid to let my dark hair flow down my back. Afterwards, I came from behind the divider, not expecting any sort of reaction, but watched as Link stopped sharpening his blade almost involuntarily and stare at me for a long moment. He gave me a long once over that would have made a statue blush, and the serious expression on his face never changed.
"Wow," he said without realizing it.
I took a step back and looked to floor because I wasn't expecting anything like this. We were both silent after that and I wished he would stop staring at me like I was the last woman in Hyrule. I decided not to be so quiet about the nervousness I was feeling.
"What?" I asked fretfully about his eyes, I kept mine to the ground.
Link didn't reply right away, he shook his head as if snapping himself back to reality.
"I'm sorry," he said finally, "I didn't mean to stare so intently. You just... you just look very beautiful with your hair down like that. I haven't seen you with your hair down in a long time."
I was very flattered at the compliment, but I was also embarrassed at the intense sexual arousal I now felt. It took over my entire body like a piloerection. It wasn't something I could control, though I wanted to so badly. I hated that I was this attracted to this man, and nothing seemed to quell it. Not time, not space, not anything. Nothing had changed in five years... nothing. However, I didn't want to alert him to that fact.
Where did that come from? I wondered of the electrical sensation.
I simply nodded and avoided his eyes.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
Link studied me for a moment and stood up from the seat he was sitting on.
"What's the matter?" he asked softly.
I shook my head and didn't say anything. I was still looking at the ground. He gave me another once over before he went on.
"You're... you're not used to being told you're beautiful, are you?" he asked me, pretty in tune with my nature.
I looked up at him surprised. How could he know that?
"I've been told I was beautiful," I divulged.
He grinned and shook his head in minor disbelief.
"You obviously don't hear it enough then," he said, "you seem surprised every time I say it. You should be told and told often."
I cut my gaze short and didn't reply.
We were silent again.
"I..." I trailed nervously, deciding to break it, "I remember you used to tell me all the time that I was pretty when we worked together at the castle."
Link looked at me surprised at the sudden recollection.
"Really?" he asked.
I nodded, and inadvertently smiled. I couldn't help it.
"You were quite the charmer back then," I said, looking down at my hands, "so young and carefree."
Link continued to look at me surprised at the sudden memory. He scoffed a little to himself in and grinned.
"That's right, isn't it?" he said to himself, then gave me a wayward stare. "You... really remember all that, don't you?"
I blushed again and nodded.
How could I ever forget? I thought. Those were the best days of my life. We were both happy and there was peace in the land... well, seemingly.
"Yes, I do," I replied.
There was another brief silence between us, and I suddenly wished I hadn't brought that up.
"I couldn't have been the only man whose ever said that to you," he divulged, breaking it, "doesn't Elbourne tell you?"
I raised my eyebrows and looked back into Link's eyes, and he stared right back… deeply... very very deeply.
"Yes, he tells me," I replied honestly, "he tells me all the time."
Link stared into my eyes again, as if trying to determine if I were telling the truth.
"I see," he said.
I thought that was going to be the end of the conversation, when suddenly Link stepped more into my personal space. I inadvertently stepped back until there was nowhere left for me to go. The wall was behind me. I took in a deep apprehensive breath just then and looked into his eyes once more. He apparently had more to say.
"Even still, you need to hear it more," he said, but then paused and added, "it's almost like you're... starved for affection or something. I can't help but think of how you nearly allowed yourself to fall in Ordona's spring because you were so afraid of me possibly touching you."
I felt my eyes widen and I quickly looked away.
"What?" I asked him, feeling an irrational onset of anger set in. "What do you mean by that statement?"
Link was taken aback by my tone.
"I didn't mean anything insulting by it, or wasn't implying anything by it," he said, "you just act like you haven't had some outward display of affection shown to you in a long time."
I felt my throat tighten, as burning, stinging tears suddenly filled my eyes. They automatically over flowed onto my cheeks. I didn't bother to wipe them away. Link hit the nail right on the head. I was starving for affection. My parents were dead, I was the last legitimate heir to the throne of Hyrule, for all I knew my subjects hated me, I could count my friends with both hands, and I was putting my feeling to the side so this man could have someone he truly wanted. So yes, I was starved for affection, I was very starved for affection. Link saw my tears and looked at me stunned. I could tell he immediately regretted saying those things to me. His eyes widened a little at the intensity of my reaction. It was so raw and unnerving, I even surprised myself.
"What difference does it make to you?" I demanded of him suddenly. "Shouldn't your mind be fixated on Midna?"
The hero was surprised by the poignancy and venom of my outburst. He even became a little upset because of it.
"What does Midna have to do with this?" he asked plainly. "I just asked you a question about your goddamn femininity and why you're so hell bent on rejecting it!"
I swallowed hard at his blunt words and looked to the ground, feeling my whole body tremble in apprehension. Link saw that I was stressed, and wanted to reach for me, but I stopped him.
"Please don't touch me," I whispered in a broken voice, "please... just don't."
Link raised both his hands in surrender and stepped back. He had no idea, it wasn't because I didn't want him to. I just really wanted him to and I couldn't let him. He was staring at me with open remorse and wanted to apologize.
"Zelda," he said softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything to hurt-"
"Don't worry about it," I interrupted, wiping my eyes, "everything you said is true."
I quickly moved past him and stepped out of the way.
There was an awkward tense silence between us now.
"You better get dressed and get some sleep," I said, wanting desperately to change the subject, "I'm going to look in the Book of Mudora and try to decipher the riddles."
Link stared at me for a minute silently.
"Zelda-" he tried again.
"I don't want to talk about that anymore!" I said sharply, knowing he was going to bring it up again. "Drop it, okay?"
Link took in a deep unsettled breath, then shrugged.
"Okay," he said, then rolled his eyes frustrated, "whatever."
I nervously stroked my hair behind my ears, and went to go sit down at the little desk and lit the lantern. Meanwhile, Link changed, and when he came back from around the divider he just stared at me for a moment. I pretended not to see him and concentrated on the text.
Just go to bed, I thought, please just go to bed.
He sighed feeling helpless.
"Goodnight," he said to me quietly.
I nodded.
"Goodnight," I replied, not looking at him.
Link then got into the bed closest to the window and tried to go to sleep.
I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip to stop it from quivering.
He sees right through me, I thought, right through me.
~SSS~
Two hours had passed, and I was making pretty good headway with deciphering the riddles. Link was sound asleep, and dusk had well progressed into evening. I decided to focus on one riddle at a time, and since Lanayru made it clear that we had to find the shards in a sequential order, it made no sense to solve the others before Ordona's. So with that, I began with the first guardian.
'Faded pictures of celestial bodies are reflected on fractured sand,' Ordona's voiced echoed through my mind.
I took the code and split it into two parts. I needed to figure out what the 'faded pictures of the celestial bodies' were before I could recognize how they were 'reflected on fractured sand.' I opened the Book of Mudora and turned to a chapter that focused on astronomical rotations of stars. There was one vague reference to ionospheric disturbances by dispersed converted matter. If matter was broken down to its lowest form it could be considered a 'faded picture' of what it once was. But then how would matter be 'reflected in fractured sand?' Better yet, what was 'fractured sand?' Was it literal sand? And if so, why and how could sand be fractured?
After considering everything fully, I deduced that this aspect of the riddle was symbolic for something else. I turned a few pages into the book and found a paragraph on symbolism. It stated that riddles will often contain a literal aspect of something it won't initially say. The citation at the bottom said to refer to the first law of thermodynamics.
I looked up from the book thoughtfully for a moment.
The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed only transformed, I thought. If sand is supposed to be energy in its compact form, then what is it supposed to be 'transformed' into? What is its 'transformed,' or end result?
I knew sand was the main component in making glass, and there was a large amount of heat required to transform sand in glass. So maybe the term 'fractured sand' was an off centered reference to the mirror itself. It made the most sense and right now it was the only thing I could think of. Now, where in Hyrule would I find 'faded pictures of celestial bodies?' There was a beautiful light phenomenon that took place at the bottom of Kakariko Gorge known as the Hylia Borealis. Maybe the light spectra was reflecting off the glass hidden somewhere in the bottom of the gorge.
I sighed and rubbed the back of neck, tired from my studies, but felt a comfortable level of satisfaction.
"I think I'm getting somewhere," I whispered with a nod.
I continued searching in the book looking for more clues, when suddenly I was interrupted by a loud scream. I turned in alarm when I realized the scream was coming from Link.
What in the world? I wondered panicked.
I jumped up from my seat and quickly hurried over to him. I wanted to help him in some way.
"Link!" I called out his name, hoping to wake him.
Link was waving his arms wildly, as if trying to fight some unseen foe. He did this for several seconds before he finally sat up in the bed and opened his eyes. He looked terrified, he was breathing hard and he broke out into a cold sweat.
"Link!" I called out again, trying to keep my voice steady. "Are you okay? What happened?"
I went to reach for him to try and comfort him, when he abruptly grabbed hold of my elbow and pulled a knife he had hidden underneath his pillow to my throat. My eyes widened in fright at the sight of the dagger. It took him a few seconds to finally register my face and realize who I really was. Link's features went from an angry grimace to a look of open confusion and dismay in a matter of seconds. When he saw it was me he had in his capture, he quickly released me and inadvertently pushed me away hard. I stumbled and fell back near the end of the bed. I knew he wasn't trying to be rough, but I had to brace myself so I wouldn't end up on the floor. He was shocked with what just happened... at what he had almost done.
I couldn't lie, so was I.
What was that all about? I wondered, but then felt foolish for trying to rationalize an obvious nightmare.
Link stared down at his dagger and quickly dropped it at the realization of his actions. I edged back, trembling a little bit. I couldn't help it, that was a close call. Link gazed back over at me, then ran both his hands over his face in frustration. He then turned away from looking at me embarrassed. There was a tense silence between us before either one of us spoke.
"I'm sorry," he said finally in a low voice, "I-I apologize if my pushing you hurt you. I thought you were something else."
I stood up and rubbed my shoulder.
Something else? I thought in disbelief.
"It… it's okay," I said quiet, "I'm not hurt."
Link shook his head.
"No it isn't okay," he replied seriously, "if I didn't catch myself, I could've killed you."
I felt my heartbeat race when he said that, because I knew that was a truer statement than not. I took a few steps back after hearing that, and afterwards a silence enveloped us again for the next few moments. I looked him over several times before speaking to him again.
"Are you alright?" I asked in a low calm voice finally.
Link turned to look out the window.
He didn't answer right away.
"Yes," he said, "it's nothing, it was just another nightmare."
My brows raised.
Another? I thought.
"How often does this happen to you?" I asked concerned.
He continued to look out the window. He took in a deep sigh.
"Not as often as it used to," he replied, his voice was solemn.
I gasped.
My goddess, I thought worried.
"Link-" I tried.
"It won't happen again," he promised by interrupting me, he finally looked my way once more, "I won't hurt you, I swear. Just... just please don't be afraid of me. I couldn't stand it if you were scared of me."
I could see the regret in his eyes. I bit my lower lip, wanting to help him in some way.
"I'm not scared of you," I promised, "but I want to know how long have you been suffering like this?" I asked him softly.
Link closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"Ever since I put the Master Sword away," he replied.
I looked at him surprised and covered my mouth.
Seven years? I thought incredulously. Link's been suffering like this for seven years?
I shook my head, not knowing what to say.
"How do you usually cope?" I asked.
Link scoffed at my question.
"You just saw it," he said with a bitter undertone.
I felt terrible when he said that. No one who's sacrificed so much should live with such little peace of mind. I sighed, trying to figure out what I could do for him. Suddenly, an idea came to my head.
Wait a minute… I thought, what about…?
I looked over to my satchel.
"Nayru's Love," I verbalized quietly to myself.
Link turned his attention back to me. He looked perplexed.
"What?" he asked confused.
"Nayru's Love," I said louder and with more confidence.
Nayru's Love was a protective barrier that allowed the caster to have temporary invulnerability. Most casters were under the impression that it only protected them physically. It also had a positive side effect of curing psychological ailments as well. That was just what Link needed. He needed his mind eased.
"What about it?" he asked me.
"Do you remember that crystal I showed you years ago in my library?" I asked rhetorically. "Well, it can help you with your nightmares, it has special added effects to heal the mind, body, and soul."
Link stared at me for a moment before answering.
"Why do you want to help me with that?" he asked. "You're not still angry about what I said to you?"
I looked at him shocked.
Why wouldn't I want to help you? I thought seriously.
"Link I'm not a child," I said, "even if I act petulantly at times. You saved Hyrule and my life, I'm not so foolish to overlook that over a few words of truth. Let me do this favor for you."
What he said about me was straight to the point and honest, I'm not going to let him suffer for telling me the truth. Link was surprised at my words, and looked down at his sheets as if thinking about the proposal. He seemed troubled and lost in his thoughts.
"I appreciate your wanting to help me, but some things you can't erase," he said to himself in an uneasy fashion, "no matter how hard you try."
I looked at him in concern.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him.
Link shook his head and looked back out the window.
"Nothing," he replied, but then added, "you have to promise me one thing if you help me with this your majesty."
I wasn't expecting an ultimatum.
I raised my eyebrows and waited for him to continue.
"Yes?" I said expectantly.
He paused for a moment.
"Promise me you won't tell Ilia about what happened tonight," he divulged, "she worries enough about me as it is."
I looked at him surprised and crossed my arms over my chest.
Why would I do that? I wondered. And what does Ilia have to do with any of this?
"You have my word," I promised, not questioning him outside my mind.
Link closed his eyes when I said that, and took in a relieved breath.
"Thank you," he replied.
I wonder why he made that particular request? I thought.
"Do me a favor Miss Elga, will you look after Link…?" Ilia's voice echoed through my mind suddenly.
She did ask me to look after him, I perceived, it must be because she knew about Link's nightmares.
I studied Link for a moment, before I went back to my satchel and pulled out a small blue diamond shaped crystal I kept hidden in the bottom of the pouch. I then came over to the bed, closed my eyes to say a quick prayer, and put my hand on Link's forehead. The blue light of Nayru's love filled the room briefly before it dispersed. When it was over, I opened my eyes and saw Link staring at me warmly. Involuntarily, I felt my cheeks turn red… again.
"Thank you," he said, "I appreciate your doing that for me your majesty."
I fanned off his thanks and grinned at him.
"Hey," I began with a playful disposition, "you're supposed to call me Zelda, remember?"
Link's handsome face broke into a smile once more.
"Right," he said, "I forgot."
I came over to him to help ease his mind.
"Don't forget again," I said, and tucked his sheets around his waist.
Link was a little taken aback at the gesture.
"Get some sleep," I said, "you and I have a long walk tomorrow. We're heading for Kakiriko Gorge."
The next chapter will be up soon.
