Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda, but I do own Link! -smiles fangirlishly- (-turns to her lawyer- Whaddya mean I don't own him!)
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update!
Dear Goddesses
Chapter 10 - Living Within Shadows
...Following Sheik...
Sheik rubbed the back of his neck as he walked toward his house within the hidden Sheikah Village. "Gee, that Amber is...bizarre." He said to himself as he walked inside.
The Princess looked up from the table and up at Sheik. "...Sheik, did you find out what happened?"
Sheik sighed and nodded, sitting down across from Zelda. "I did, Princess-"
"How many times have I told you to call me 'Zelda,' Sheik?" She giggled, leaning forward onto the table.
He looked away from her, to the door. "Anyway, Princess...a new woman, Amber, now has the Triforce of Wisdom."
"This may seem stupid, but why exactly does she have it?" The Princess questioned, looking into Sheik's eye.
"That I do not know, Princess."
"Ah-ah." Zelda teased.
"...Zelda." Sheik said quietly.
Zelda smiled. "Much better, Sheik!" She reached across the table and took hold of Sheik's hands. "Sheik... Now that I no longer hold the Triforce of Wisdom, I can leave, right?"
Sheik stared at the Princess for a moment before looking at the ground. "I'm not so sure you'll still be safe, Princess. ...Zelda."
"Is that concern in your voice, Sheik?" Zelda teased. She then sighed softly and pulled her hands away. "I just wish to see Link, at least once. I don't have to talk to him, if that is what you wish, but I just need to see him."
Sheik sighed as well. "Maybe you can see him before he goes to the Shadow Temple."
The Princess stood up, dusting off the front of her dress. "I do hope Impa is alright in there."
Sheik stood up as well and walked over to the Princess. He set a hand on her shoulder and smiled through the facial cloth. "Impa is a strong woman, Princess. She will be fine."
Zelda looked up at Sheik and sighed. "Sheik, may we go see Link now?"
"In the morning, Princess. You should rest for now." He said, walking toward his bedroom. The Princess sighed, watching him disappear into his room, and followed suit.
...Next Morning, in Kakariko Village...
Princess Zelda fidgeted with the hem of her new outfit, glaring up at the Sheikah next to her. "I don't see why I have to wear this, Sheik." She said quietly, fixing her own facial cloth so it covered her nose.
Sheik crossed his arms and looked out over the village from their position on Impa's roof. "I still don't think it is safe for you to wonder about known, Zelda. Thus, a Sheikah disguise." He kneeled down, still scouting the village. He then pointed to the entrance of the Bazaar, where Link and Amber were walking out of. "There is Link."
Zelda kneeled down as well, staring at the two. "...Is that the one?"
"It is."
"...She is pretty." Zelda sighed. What if she not only took my Triforce of Wisdom, but took my place in Link's heart as well?
Sheik looked over at the Princess and saw a tear escape from her eye.
...Over to Amber and Link...
Amber giggled, hugging Link's arm as they walked out of the Bazaar. "Oh, thank you! ...I should probably practice with 'em first, huh?"
Link nodded while looking down at Amber's new twin blades, which rested in hilts on either side of her belt. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle those?"
She smiled, running ahead and twirling around. "Of course! Besides, these will also help out when I pose as a Gerudo."
"I see..." Link sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We still need to get you a different tunic."
Amber stood with her toes facing each other, then stared at her feet. "Well, yeah. I guess. Where could we get one?"
"We could see if Malon has another one..." Link said quietly.
"Link, I don't wanna put her out again. She already gave me pretty much everything I was wearing. We shouldn't bug her for more."
Link nodded, looking toward the ground. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Amber grinned and made a peace sign. "Of course I'm right!"
Link smiled and rolled his eyes. Amber walked over to him, gave him a quick hug, then started running down the stairs to the center of the village. "Bet you can't catch me!" She yelled, giggling.
He followed her down the stairs and caught her arm. She flung around to face him and giggled, grabbing his hat. She put it awkwardly on her head and smiled at Link as his hair fell into place without the hat. He ran his hand through his hair quickly, ruffling it so it wasn't as messy. "Link, you really should ask yourself, 'Why do I always wear this hat?', because you look really hot without it." Amber giggled, covering her mouth. She started running again, away from him.
Link grinned and started chasing after her again, yelling "Is that a compliment?". When they both reached the bottom of the second stairway, Amber suddenly came to a stop. Link's eyes widened as he accidently stumbled and ran into her. They both fell to the ground after Amber lost her balance due to the sudden contact, and she started laughing hysterically. "Now I know what it feels like to have someone land on your stomach!"
Link's face turned bright red and he laughed as well. "This certainly is a change."
Amber smiled and stopped laughing, look up at Link. He had pushed himself up so his hands were planted on the ground on either side of her chest, with his knees just barely touching her hips. She blushed a pale red. ...This is kinda awkward... But in the good way! I think... She thought to herself.
She looked away, blushing again when she saw a few women pointing at them and giggling. She rolled her eyes and looked back up at Link, smiling. "I take it you want your hat back?" She asked as it fell to the ground.
Link leaned down a little so his bangs hung in front of his eyes. "It would help."
Amber kept smiling as she propped herself up on her elbows so their faces nearly touched. Amber's cheeks were the first to redden as Link made the final move, so their lips were just barely touching. They only stayed together for five seconds before Amber pulled away, blushing up a storm. She slid out from under Link, picking up his hat in the process.
They both dusted off their tunics as they stood up, and Amber looked up at Link. She smiled slightly and twisted his hat around her hands nervously. "So, uh..." I cannot believe my first kiss was with Link!
Link rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from Amber shyly. "...That was nice."
Amber's eyes widened as she nodded her head. "Yeah! Talk about an interesting first kiss."
"...First kiss?" Link questioned while looking back at Amber, who was still blushing.
Amber twisted her foot lightly into the ground and nodded. "Yeah. That was my first kiss." She giggled, biting the tip of her thumbnail. "I wasn't exactly expecting my first kiss the happen like that... But it was fun."
Link moved forward and hugged her. Amber's eyes widened in shock before she wrapped her arms around his neck to return the hug. She sighed softly and leaned her head into his chest, closing her eyes. This feels so right. She opened her eyes and looked up at Link, then moved back slightly so she could look at him better. "...Link?"
Link peered down at her. "Y-yeah, Amber?"
"Would you want to kiss me again?" She whispered, almost embarrassed.
Link's cheeks turned ten shades of red. "W-what?"
"...Oh." Amber sighed, looking away.
Link shook his head, then cupped her chin in his hand and moved her head so she was looking at him. "That wasn't what I meant, Amber." He smiled and moved forward, kissing her again.
She let out a small gasp of surprise before closing her eyes and moving into Link for the kiss. They stayed together for what seemed like an eternity to Amber, then she reluctantly pulled away while keeping her hands tied behind his neck.
Link smiled slightly as he moved his hand to Amber's belt. Her eyes widened and she quickly slapped his hand away. "Ow! What was that for?"
Amber backed up and pointed an accusing finger at him. "I didn't think you were a perv!"
"It's not like that, Amber! I just went to grab this!" He yelled, holding up her ocarina. "Since you said you wanted to learn..."
She laughed nervously, moving her hand up to her neck. "Oh. Hehe. Right." She blushed and walked over to him, then snatched the ocarina out of his hands. She then held it up near her mouth, with her hands in what she expected to be the right positions. "We hold it this way, right?"
Link nodded, pulled his ocarina out and put it up to his mouth. "I want you to watch the finger positions carefully, then try to repeat them. Okay?" Amber nodded in response and Link began to play the very first song he had ever learned: Saria's Song. Amber giggled, causing Link to stop playing. "What's so funny?"
"It's Saria's Song!" Amber squealed. She quickly put her ocarina to her mouth and tried to repeat the melody. After a few lame and off-key tries, she gave up.
Link laughed. "You'll be playing it soon enough."
"But I wanna learn how to play Kyra's Song!" She whined.
Link sighed and rolled his eyes. "Try Saria's Song at least once more."
Amber pouted and put the ocarina back to her mouth. She closed her eyes and positioned her fingers. After taking a deep breath she played Saria's Song, with only a few imperfections. She opened her eyes and smiled, bouncing. "I did it, Link!"
"And with few mistakes, too." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It took me two days to learn how to play Saria's Song."
Amber peered up at Link, biting her lip to keep from giggling. "Really, Link?" He nodded, and Amber started laughing. "That's cute!" She wiped a pretend tear from her eye, then smiled while looking up at him. "So, maybe I can do Kyra's Song now!"
She took the bottle off her belt and opened it, revealing Kyra's letter. She giggled and carefully peeled it out of the bottle, then opened the letter up and looked at the notes carefully. "Hm... So, this note should be this hole..." She quietly said to herself, then sat on the ground. Link watched her curiously as she poked at the letter then pointed to various holes on the ocarina. "I got it!" She suddenly yelled while jabbing a finger into the air, causing Link to jump with alarm.
Amber started awkwardly playing the ocarina, but still managed to get most of the notes she was hoping for. She stood up and pointed her thumb at herself, grinning. "I almost got it!" She laughed to herself, then looked around. "Hm.. Something seems different."
She stood up and dusted herself, only to fall again after being hit from behind. "AMBER!"
Amber lifted her face from the dirt and carefully, almost painfully, rolled over to see the woman now sitting on her stomach. "...Kyra?"
"You learned how to play my song!" Kyra squealed. She got up off of Amber, then let out her hand to help her up. Amber took Kyra's hand, stood up, then repeated the action of dusting herself off again.
"You heard it all the way from Gerudo Valley?"
"No, silly! I was only by the bridge near the castle when you played it." She grinned, pointing at herself with her thumb. "But, that melody is specifically noted so certain notes carry in the wind to me. It's pretty cool."
"...You still got here pretty quickly." Amber pouted, crossing her arms.
"Well, of course! Why wouldn't I hurry to see my Princess?" Kyra asked, while poking at Amber.
"...I'm not the Gerudo Princess!" Amber yelled, recoiling from the pokes.
"...That's not what I meant, but okay!" Kyra laughed nervously.
Link leaned against the tree, laughing. Amber glared over at him, and the laughing abruptly stopped. "Amber, maybe she can..."
Amber smiled wide, then turned to look at Kyra. "Kyra, can you get me a tunic?"
"Sure thing, Princess!" Kyra teased. Amber glared at her, causing her to giggle. "Just give me a day. Don't leave the village!" She started inspecting Amber closely, nodded, then ran off. "I'll make sure I get the perfect tunic!" She yelled.
"Uh...What exactly just happened?" Amber questioned.
"I have no idea." Link replied.
...Up with Zelda and Sheik...
Zelda fell to her knees on the roof when she saw the scene unravel between Link and Amber. Sheik watched her with sympathy in his eyes, but did nothing to console her. Until Link and Amber kissed once again, causing the Princess to cry.
"Sheik, I think Link forgot about me!" She cried, lifting her hands to her face.
Sheik kneeled down beside her and set his hands on her shoulders. "Princess... Zelda. I do not have a light way to put this, but Link deserves to be with whomever he chooses. If that means he chooses the new human girl-"
Zelda looked up at Sheik with wide, wet eyes. "A human? You mean to tell me Link chose a Gerudo over me? AND that a Gerudo has the Triforce of Wisdom?"
"Not necessarily over you, Princess. And Amber has claimed that she is not a Gerudo."
"Amber, huh?" Zelda looked back to the center of the village, where Amber was sitting on the ground playing her ocarina. "...What an odd name. She certainly is an odd girl, isn't she, Sheik?"
"Odd isn't the word to describe her, Princess." Sheik said, leaning forward to get a better look at her. "Unique, maybe."
"Odd, unique, whatever." Zelda sighed and rolled back on her heels, balancing on the balls of her feet. "Sheik, can you trail them? Watch what happens?"
Sheik looked over at the Princess, his eyes wide. "But, Princess... I'm meant to protect you."
"You said yourself that this Amber person now holds the Triforce of Wisdom. If anything, you should be protecting her. At any rate, I'll be safe in the Sheikah Village. I've been safe for the past seven years, haven't I? I want you to watch them, and you should respect the wishes of your Princess."
"...Yes, Princess." Sheik said quietly.
After delivering the Princess safely back to the hidden Sheikah Village, Sheik returned to Kakariko just in time to watch Link teach Amber about her weapons.
...Over to Link and Amber...
Amber smiled and stood in a ready position with her twin blades in either hand. She held one high in front of her chest, with the other held low, mimicking the way she saw the Gerudos holding their weapons. "So... This look alright?"
Link nodded, crossing his arms. "Good. Now, try swinging them."
Amber bit her lip and tried spinning the blades around. She laughed as the blades clashed together loudly. "...My bad."
Link laughed, shaking his head. "Try again."
She nodded, then tried swinging the blades again. "Like this, Link?"
"Better, but still a little off. You can't expect to be a master when you first get your weapon." Link stated.
Amber nodded and put her twin blades away. "Yeah, I know. I have a sword at home. Took me forever to learn how to use it. I still don't even think I have it right." She laughed quietly and walked over to Link.
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Ready to go to the Shadow Temple?"
Amber sighed slightly. "Can it wait till tomorrow? I needta think for a bit."
"...Sure, I guess it can wait." Link said quietly and started walking to Impa's house.
Amber hugged herself, smiling. She closed her eyes for a moment, then lifted her head to look at the sky. She squinted against the sunlight and through her impaired vision she was certain she saw someone standing on Impa's roof.
Before she could follow Link inside, she was tapped on the shoulder. She turned to look at the person who interrupted her, then smiled. "Kyra!"
"Hiya, Amber!" Kyra said enthusiastically. She held out something wrapped in cloth. "I got a tunic for you. Why don't we head inside and you can try it on?"
"Sounds like a good idea," Amber replied, taking the gift. They walked inside and smiled at Link's confused expression.
"Kyra?"
"The one and only. I brought Amber her tunic. She's gonna go try it on." Kyra stated.
Amber nodded and walked into the back room without saying a word. Kyra sat down across from Link. They stared at each other awkwardly before Kyra attempted to make conversation. "So...What's up with you and Amber?"
"I don't know..." Link said quietly.
"Hn..." Kyra mumbled to herself, putting her finger to her chin. "Maybe I'll have a chance with her!"
Link's eyes went wide. "What!" He yelled, standing up and pointing at her.
"What, didn't you hear me?" Kyra asked, standing up as well. "I like Amber."
"Y-you what!"
"I. Like. Amber. Jeesh, men are so dense. S'why I hate 'em!"
"...You like Amber...romantically?" Link asked, rubbing his head.
"Yes, is that so hard to believe?" Kyra replied, settling her hands onto her hips.
"A little, yes." He said, now rubbing the back of his neck.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Amber walked out of the back wearing her new tunic. It was a black sleeveless tunic with a deep V-neck, and a white long sleeve undershirt that looked like bandages along the arms, but nicely covered what wasn't hidden by the tunic in the chest area. The bottom hem of the tunic reached about mid-thigh, perfect for Amber to run in. She adjusted the white belt that came with it, fixed her sheaths for her twin blades, then spun around. "What do you guys think?"
"I knew I got the perfect tunic for you!" Kyra squealed.
"Isn't that a little... dark?" Link questioned.
Amber walked over to Link and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't worry so much, Link. I absolutely love it."
Link smiled over at Kyra, who was glaring at him.
Amber pulled away from the hug and turned to look at Kyra. "Thank you, Kyra!" She exclaimed.
"Well, if you ever need anything, just remember the song..." Kyra said dejectedly.
Amber nodded and sat down, yawning, as Kyra walked out the door. "Ooh, am I tired. Link, I claim the bed tonight."
Link shrugged and sat down across from her. "That's okay."
She smiled and reached across the table to hold his hand. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
He nodded and Amber let go of his hand, then walked upstairs to the bed. She pulled off the twin blades and set them next to the bed,then curled up on it, sliding her hands underneath the pillow. Soon enough, she was sleeping. Link carefully walked up the stairs and kissed her forehead before sliding onto the floor next to the bed and falling asleep.
Review Shout-outs!
ICPO: If that chapter was bordering on a lemon, what do you call this:P
Anon (a.k.a. Shugoi Baka): You mean Malon? Oh, Talon was only kidding when he offered for Link to marry her. Anyways, I'm not trying to 'play hard' on the romance, just little cute things, y'know?
Zequistis: I wasn't exactly trying for funny...but I'm glad you enjoyed my portrayal!
Wyrvvn: I'm sorry I forgot that detail.-sweatdrop- But I promise Jem and his oversized sword will appear in a later chapter.
Presure: Oh, you have a show horse? That's awesome. Anyways, more of Sheik in this chappie for ya. -winks-
letmenburnstars: Glad you enjoy my story, hun. :p But I already have my own little love triangle, as you can see.
Yusuke: Does this chapter answer your questions?
Golden Vixen: Sorry, but it might be awhile until I get to the Spirit Temple. Hope you hang in long enough to read it!