With a gasp of breath, Zelda awoke with the feeling of solid warmth on her back. It enveloped her whole body as she raised her head from the arm that cushioned her head. She looked around the room, wondering where she was until she became fully aware she was inside the tree she was in recently.
Zelda tried to sit up but she felt a solid object holding her down, and once she looked down she noticed it was an arm—Link's arm. She blushed red and laid back down, scared she'd wake him. Her eyes were wide as she realized the arm that cushioned her was, indeed, Link's upper arm.
The events of the day before were flooding through her mind, all leading to the moment before the two had fallen asleep.
Eventually, her mind moved over to her dream from the short nap she took.
It was her, the Princess, and Link—the Hero, not the Link she knew at that moment. It was weird to her, especially because they were all the Hero from ages long past, and she was slightly awed by how real it had seemed. Even though it was the many generations of the Hero, the one she remembered the most was the Hero of Skies and the Resurrected Hero—first and last, she supposed, was why they were the most memorable.
She knew of the writings about the land in the sky, but she was vaguely aware of everything in it and of the people. Only the Hero was clear to her, and the two were the best of friends—right? She wasn't sure, but they looked pretty close considering she remembered having flown with him on something that was akin to a Rito with laughter and jokes being thrown around.
Zelda closed her eyes, unconsciously getting closer to Link's body and feeling him tighten his arm around her for warmth. Loftwings? She thought that was what they were called. But, she couldn't remember.
The Resurrected Hero, though, was another story—which made sense. She and the Hero of that era were...very close, to say the least. It was very odd, considering the fact her Link looked so alike to the Hero.
Maybe the dreams she had were nothing big, probably just her own fantasy being made up through dreams. It was never told of the Hero and the Princess having courted or dated before, nor were there any paintings… Aside from one, but it's just a rumor that had been spread by historians and they were not sure if it was real.
Zelda started feeling drowsy, but she suddenly remembered she had already fallen asleep before. In the tree. Away from her house with the time having passed by. She sat up, pushing past Link's arm as she shook him awake, but the push was enough to wake him in a fright.
"Huh, what?" Link rubbed his eyes, his hair disheveled. He blinked several times, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he leaned on his elbow. "What happened?"
Zelda pushed back the thought she had of Link looking nothing but adorable at that moment, and she instead quickly said, "We slept."
Link squinted her way, laughing drunkenly as he saw her appearance. "Your hair's a mess, that's cute."
Zelda blushed, already known Link was drunk off tiredness. "U-uh, thank you?"
Link smiled and stretched out on the ground, closing his eyes again as he let out a grunted-yawn. "We slept?" he drawled.
Zelda nodded, trying to flatten her hair as she started to stand up. "Yes, we slept."
Her repetition was enough for Link's breath to hitch as he sat up in a flash. He looked alerting to Zelda. "We slept!"
Zelda nodded, rushing to pick Link up to his feet. "Yes, we slept, and for Goddesses know how long!" She gestured toward his pocket. "What time is it?"
Link scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket, turning on his phone before looking up to Zelda with wide eyes. He didn't say anything, but he looked over to the fire that they were feet away from at that moment and hastily went over to put it out. He let the smoke hover around as he waved around the area and made sure nothing was going to be left behind before grabbing hold of a Zelda's arm and dragging her out of the tree.
Zelda was still awaiting his answer, but his haste was enough to give her a hunch.
The forest was dark, darker than usual. But, fortunately for them, the Lost Woods was always a little dimly lit no matter the time of day.
Link's hand went from the crook of her elbow to her hand, grasping it with no look toward her for he was finding his way out. "It's 9:30," he said.
Just those words were enough to make her heart drop. "You're kidding!"
Link didn't say anything to her response, quickly moving through the smog.
Zelda watched as he moved, a million thoughts going through her head. Was Lana still keeping watch? What about her father? Usually at ten or eleven he came and went to bid her a good night, and she wasn't ready to risk being home at ten.
Link knew—he knew that Zelda had a strict father, and if she was home any later than 9:00, as they've discussed in a conversation before they hung out again, then she'd be in big trouble.
That wasn't entirely true, though. In reality, unbeknownst to Link, on weekends she was free until 11:00 at night, but she didn't want to risk being caught, especially because she's had Lana go in on her plan, and if her father found out then she didn't want Lana getting in any trouble. And, her father was unaware and didn't allow her to go out at any time that week, which was a big problem.
She knew her father cared, but sometimes, which was at that moment, she thought maybe he was a little too overprotective. She still didn't understand, no matter how many times he had told her the same response—"You need to be protected… I don't want anything bad happening to you."
Zelda was suddenly frustrated as Link was almost out of the maze of the woods. It made no sense, whatsoever. It was always the same reason, but it always never made sense to her. She was hidden enough already, what else more did her father need to let him know she'd be safe?
Maybe a phone would be nice, she thought bitterly. I could tell him every hour, or maybe even every thirty minutes, that I'm okay! I already have a hidden way to get out of the house instead of using the front gate like the maids and servants, I'm well enough safe!
Zelda was planning to rant more in her head, but Link's soft voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Hey, are you okay?"
Zelda broke out of her head, looking around to see they were already heading toward the direction of Lake Hylia. But Link ended up stopping.
Link brought their hands up in between them up to her eyesight and nodded towards them. "You were gripping pretty hard back there."
Zelda blushed slightly, loosening the grip she still had. "S-sorry… I was just thinking about some things."
"Is it...a little personal?" When Link tilted his head in concern, Zelda felt nothing but a warmth expand throughout her chest.
She answered. "Uh, well...not really. Kind of. I don't know." She sighed and slouched with a pout. "I just hate how I have to get home so early."
Link pouted himself, bringing up Zelda's hand and tenderly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb to calm her down. It did nothing but send chills down her spine.
"Maybe," he said, "he just really cares about your safety?"
Zelda grumbled in her head and thought about even if she made it home by the time he set as a curfew he'd still get fussy. But, she didn't say anything about that. "Probably."
Link nodded and gave her hand a soft squeeze before walking over to their destination.
Despite being in a hurry, Zelda didn't actually mind taking a little bit of time to get there. She was just content and at ease being with Link.
"My aunt—" Link turned his head to look at Zelda and watched as she turned her head to him after hearing him speak out—"she doesn't mind how long I'm out...just...as long as I get home before midnight and tell her I'm fine every hour after eight hits."
Zelda nodded slowly as she let his words process through her head. "I wish I can relate."
A grunt from Link was the only response she had gotten before he started to lightly jog over to central park, which was shortly in the distance.
Within a few short moments, they made it over to where they had first met that evening. Link stopped jogging and let the two take a while to steady their breathing.
Link wiped off the slight sweat from his brow and suggested, "Hey, what if I take you home?"
Zelda's eyes subtly widened, unsure of how to respond without giving anything away. "Uh," she stuttered, "well...as much as I'd love that, I think if my father caught me with a boy he would flip."
She watched as Link looked down at the ground, biting his lip. He kicked the ground slightly. "Right."
Zelda, for some odd reason, felt bad for having to put him down. She suddenly then remembered she was at a loss for time. She gasped and started walking to the direction of her house, past Link.
But she stopped, turning around to face Link, who had turned to look at her almost leave without a goodbye.
"So...I guess this is goodbye?" Link shrugged, his own words not confident enough. If he was gonna be honest with himself, he didn't want to let go of Zelda.
Zelda sighed and nodded solemnly. "I suppose so." She was reluctant when she looked up into Link's bright eyes, but she did what her initial reaction was and moved to step forward—it did her nothing though, because she just stopped moving altogether and had her words die in her mouth.
A hug, it was what she wanted to give him, but she was afraid she'd be pushing over any boundaries they may have had. Instead, she smiled as genuinely as she could and outstretched her hand.
Link was slightly confused for a split second, but he reacted quick enough to be able to grasp her hand with his own.
"Thank you," she said. She squeezed his hand and dragged her hand away from his, letting her hand draw away back to her side. "I should go now. Farewell, Sir Link." Playfully, she curtsied and laughed as Link smiled and gave a small bow.
"Farewell, Princess." He straightened and watched as she gave him one more smile before turning and lightly jogging away to her home.
Link watched as she moved, his eyes steady o her. He inhaled a deep breath before exhaling out a sigh, wishing the day could've gone on a bit more longer.
Sucks we ended up sleeping, he thought to himself. Link turned around himself to head home, but his mind opened and a gasp left his mouth. He quickly turned around and ran over to where Zelda was heading.
"Zelda!" he called out. He saw as she stopped and turned around, watching him jog over to her.
Link stopped in front of her, chest heaving from all the activity they'd done. He reached into his hoodie pocket, pulling out a rectangular box. He smiled as he waved it in front of her following eyes.
Zelda was confused, her mind jumping all over the place. "Wait—"
Link grabbed her hand and placed the box in her palm, enclosing her hand in it before backing away.
"Get home safely, Zelda." Link's voice was soft, but Zelda heard him even as he turned away to get back home.
Zelda was in shock, staring at the box. Wait. She turned it over in her hands, observing it. It was just plain black, pretty much no design. She opened the box, curiosity getting the best of her. Her eyes widened when she saw what was in the box itself.
"What the-" Zelda quickly looked up, hoping to see Link near but he was already in the distance as he hustled away.
Despite feeling slightly aggravated, she laughed to herself with a big, disbelieving grin on her face. She put the lid back over the box and shook her head, her heart swelling up.
"Of course you'd get me something." Zelda turned back around, starting her walk back home. A big smile was on her face as she couldn't stop all the feelings overwhelm her over the gift Link had given her.
"A phone, of all the things…," she said to herself. But, that was when Zelda remembered she forgot to give Link his own gift.
She groaned frustratingly, starting a run over to her house. One, to confront Link; two, to avoid getting in trouble.
Once the coast seemed clear, Zelda climbed over her window sill and stepped on the ground. She closed the window and closed the curtain, adrenaline running throughout her body.
Wow, that was tiring. Zelda puffed out a breath and pushed back her hair, walking around her room to find a loose hair tie. No avail, though.
Frowning, she walked over to her desk, pulling the phone's box out of her waistband. She didn't particularly have any pockets at the time, so she improvised. She set it on her desk beside her laptop and sat down on her chair, leaning back and groaning tiredly.
"What a day…," she mumbled. She closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the back of her chair, reclining back.
She opened her eyes again and straightened her posture, rolling her chair in to get closer to her laptop. She unlocked her screen after typing in her password and moved her cursor over to the opened Skype.
Once she clicked on Link's profile, she was going to start typing away but she saw he had sent a message already.
Link: "to answer your questions back at the forest, I did have a girlfriend before. no little sister :) remembeeerrr im an orphan aaannndd an only child ;). But, the girlfriend thing wasn't anything big. i have only dated like three girls throughout my life but most of the time they cheat on me lol but the hair thing ive just always had the habit of doing that, probably because i have long hair myself. I should probably cut it."
Zelda's eyes widened toward the end of his message—confusion seeped through her veins. She typed away quickly.
Zelda: "Wait cheated on? why whatd you do that make that happen? I'm sorry if it's a little personal, you don't have to answer but it's worth a shot"
Link responded back quicker than expected. His message said, "well i suspect it's because i never really actually like fell for them i think. i never showed affection either lol. it's just when i dated them i still had something for mipha or never liked them and i think it prevented me from giving the girls their all. it was my fault, but to be honest they only liked me for my luscious hair and beautiful face ;)"
Out of nowhere, Zelda blushed when Link said that last part of his message. She was going to say something back but he already started typing.
Link: "but...i didnt actually ask them out anyway they did lol i didnt even know who they were and they were the typa people who never let me give them an answer haha i felt bad having to break up with them though so i just let nature take its course :) I usually deny the people who actually let me answer cause i never rlly felt much for them in that way"
Zelda already finished typing her own message a few seconds after, which said, "omg Link I'm actually feeling really sorry to hear that. I don't think you deserve to be cheated on, but honestly i'm glad they're gone because they don't deserve you :( You deserve someone a lot better, someone who will treat you right and someone you can be yourself with without being scared of their response. I know you're getting over mipha but hey if you find someone else youre crushing on in the future let me know and i'll make sure they're the one :')"
Unknown to Zelda, on Link's side of the screen he was visible with a large, warm grin on his face. He responded back a few moments later.
Link: "wowowow :''') your words flatter me, princess. Thank you though, Zelda it really means a lot. Coming from you, especially."
Zelda smiled, feeling the warmth in her chest come and go again. She had then remembered that whenever she had seen Lana again she'd be sure to ask her about what it was she was feeling.
As her hands hovered over her keyboard to respond, a better thought came into her mind. Or...I can just look up what it is I'm feeling. Better plan.
Zelda: "No problemo, Sir Link :) But, bacckk to YOUR hair. I think your hair is fine the way it is lol. But if it bothers you about it being too long, you can either trim it or just cut it off completely haha either way though I don't mind how you look. youre handsome just as is"
The next thing Link sent was what made Zelda blow up red. "wow ;) I wasnt aware you felt that way about how I look"
She panicked and typed furiously. "sdkkds sorry it just came out i didnt mean to say that"
She had hit send, but she realized the way she said it made it sound like she didn't think the way she did about his looks. "Wait," she typed again, "no i meant it but sjfngk"
Zelda just stopped moving her hands completely after she sent that last message, holding her temples in both hands as she contemplated about all she had just written. She was a mess, everything she was saying was a mess. She was massively red.
She heard the little "ding" from her laptop, meaning Link had sent a message. She was, honestly, afraid of looking at what he said. She was making a fool of herself by then.
But, nonetheless, she looked up and read over his message.
Link: "im literally dying lmao this is funny sorry lol. but it's okay haha i really dont mind, if anything I honestly feel honored to look at least handsome to you :')"
Zelda furrowed her brow, confused at that moment. What does he mean? She wasn't sure how to respond, but thankfully Link had responded right after.
Link: "anyway i'm gonna go and shower and slip into nice comfy clothes :') i want to be clean after all the sweating haha"
Zelda chuckled through her nose and smiled warmly, the remembrance of earlier in her head. "alrighty then :) I shall do the same. i'll talk to you later tonight Link :D" she sent.
Link: "farewell for the moment, your highness :}"
Zelda laughed as she read his message, a content smile over her face. She minimized Skype and put her laptop to sleep, closing her eyes right after and leaning back on her chair.
To her, the day had been one of the best she'd had in a while ever since she'd met Link. And, if anything, her meeting Link had been one of the best things in her life.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door that ended up frightening her out of her chair. That was when Zelda remembered she was supposed to be "sick". She coughed and tried to sound as hoarse as possible. "U-uh, yes?"
"Zelda."
At the sound of her father's voice, Zelda's heart dropped in fear. Especially because the tone of voice he used was one she knew too well—he was angry.
She, at first, decided to not answer, but he knocked once more. It was enough to have her break her "sick" character. "What is it, Father?"
"Meet me in my office, please." It was all he said before she heard his taunting footsteps walk down the hall.
Oh, goddesses, please be on my side tonight.
"Where were you?"
Zelda pursed her lips as she gently closed her father's door, already rolling her eyes in her mind. Cutting to the chase, I see, she thought. She coughed into a fist and stood in front of his desk.
Even though that was her father and she was his daughter, Zelda didn't feel like she was his relative in their position.
"My room," she uttered. She was positive her lie was useless by that point; obviously her father found something out.
Rhoam squinted his eyes and leaned closer to rest his elbows on his desk. It was eerily silent, and the creaking of his chair didn't make it any better. "You're lying to me, Zelda."
Zelda let out breath she was unaware of holding and looked off to the side, slouching slightly as her hands were held behind her back. The moment they were having was one that had been something she was used to, but it always left her anxious. "Sorry," she said, her act falling apart. "I was...well…out."
"Why were you out, Zelda? I didn't give you permission to leave," Rhoam called out.
Zelda looked down and bit her lip, closing her eyes to control her temper. She fumbled with her hands against her back and took a deep breath. She spoke steadily. "Yes, I know that."
Rhoam sighed and rubbed his temple. "Zelda, look. I know you like to go out. It's why I even let you out on the first place—"
"But, Father, you make it sound like I'm some sort of encaged animal!" Zelda lost her cool, her temper rising as she looked up to her guardian.
"But, you're not, Zel." Rhoam tried to stay calm himself. "Trust me, I just-"
"Want what's best for me so that I don't get hurt?" Zelda finished. She saw the look her father had on his face before he nodded silently.
That made Zelda groan and shift on her feet. "Father, I ask this way too many times when I shouldn't even have to—what's out there that's so bad?! I've gone out enough times to experience it and no one has hurt me, nor has anything remotely bad happened."
Rhoam didn't say anything except blink after hearing her words, no words leaving his mouth. He was hesitant, Zelda noted. It confused her.
He spoke out eventually. "Just— just trust me. Please?"
"No." Zelda stood her ground. "No, because pretty much everyone I've met in Hyrule are so nice; I've even made a friend!"
Zelda knew she was in the wrong for saying that when her father raised an eyebrow. "Friend?"
"Uh." Zelda licked her lips and swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, bringing her hands in front of her to hold them together to ease her nerves. Reluctantly, she nodded once.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter."
Rhoam sighed loudly and held his head in his hands, already tired. "Yes, it does." He straightened up and brought his chair closer to the desk, seeming more formal and collected. He put on a polite facade. "Can I at least know their race?"
Zelda was still hesitant, but she didn't want to anger her father anymore and just the race wouldn't hurt to say. "He's a Hylian."
At her response, Rhoam's brow shot up. "Oh, they're a male?"
A nod came from his daughter.
Alas, Rhoam did anything almost any father would do, and it made Zelda groan with a small tint of red on her face. "Are you two dating? Is...that why you're sneaking out?"
She pushed back her nerves. "No, Father. He's just someone I met that one day that I told you I had met a Hylian and encountered another—the day with the Goron. Uh, last week."
"But...you don't have any technology. How'd you two keep in touch?"
Overall, Zelda was glad he was curious moreover than angry. It kept her at ease to answer his questions...even though she was slightly irritated he wanted every single detail. "I used email."
That sparked a light bulb in her father's head. "Oh. Of course you'd find a way, darling."
"Well, you gave me a laptop, Father," pointed out Zelda. Rhoam didn't respond to that, instead he was silent. Then, he asked a question she had been expecting for the longest time ever since she stepped into the room.
"What...what's his name?"
Slightly peeved, she asked as calmly as possible, "Why do you always want to know the names of everyone I meet?"
"Zelda, it's not that difficult just to say one name. I don't know why you're getting mad-"
"Because you always ask! The last time I told you that I made a friend online, you got mad at me! And I told you their name, I was really proud to even have one friend!"
"But, isn't Lana-"
"I think of her as a sister I've never had," Zelda said softly. The look her father had on his face was enough to give her an idea of his thought process of that moment. He didn't say anything, as suspected, and nodded as he pursed his lips and looked away. "I see."
Zelda hoped the topic would change, but she was greatly wrong when Rhoam repeated his question. "But...what's his name?"
The blonde teen sighed, shaking her head. Her voice was leveled, her words softly spoken. "No. Not until you actually let me have friends without you judging them so quickly just by hearing what in the name of Din their name is." With those words, Zelda turned on her feet to walk out of the room.
"Zelda."
Said Zelda heard her father get out of his chair, his walk over to her sounding throughout the room even as she opened the door and hastily walked out.
She slammed the door closed in front of her father's face and started to even jog the way to her room in order to quickly get away from her father.
He was right on her tail. "Zelda, stop and turn to me!"
She didn't listen to him, instead she sped up her walk and started hustling over to her room.
Honestly, just her father trying to catch her before she made it to her room scared her because it seemed like a scene out of a horror movie—her beloved father was nothing of the sort to horrifying though, lest he was insanely angry.
When she turned the corner, she made it to her hallway and started running to her door. She wanted to desperately avoid talking to her father that night.
Rhoam's footsteps were heard right behind her as she opened her door and quickly slammed it closed, the lock being heard.
Her father's breathing was heard through the door's solid build, for he was out of breath. He was an old man, running wasn't cut out for him at the age he was.
The man of the house tried reasoning with her to open the door, even kept banging on it and shaking pretty much the whole room, but when Zelda said a single, "Goodnight!" and invited the sound of music enter her ears; it was over before she even knew it.
After the episode with Zelda and her father, Zelda was sitting on her desk with her laptop open, chatting with Link.
She dearly wanted to go and find Lana, especially after her not being anywhere near the outside of her room or roaming around; she was worried. But, Zelda was afraid of going out. Tomorrow she'd check for Lana, she told herself.
Link: "oh ya forgot to ask lol did you make it back home safe and sound? no dad to lecture you?"
Zelda felt her heart drop slightly at the remembrance of what happened when she got home, but her fingers typed what came first. "I got home safely lol but my dad kinda got mad but it was okay he just said to not be out so late again because he "cares for my safety in the dark""
Sir Link the Knight was typing…
Link: "weeelll maybe at least he cares tho lol. my aunt was just happy i got home safe, which means she cares as well. She also asked how it was and what we did and i avoided telling her about the part where we fell asleep haha I feel like she'd start teasing ;("
Zelda laughed, her mood spiking up. She was glad she didn't say anything more to her father and left as quickly as possible, because he would've taken away her laptop. She didn't want that, she didn't know how to work the phone yet and Link was probably one of her only sources of happiness.
She typed in her response. "Haha, honestly that's best because you were kinda holding me back there as we slept"
It had taken Link a few minutes to actually respond.
Link: "jufaoudfh waiitititit i had actually held you ? aihg i thought i was dreaming im so sorry idk how you felt im sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable"
Zelda was slightly laughing as she read over his message, Link sending another right after.
Link: "i mean you were really warm. I remember waking up in the middle of the nap to bring you closer but i really thought it was a dream ohh my goddesdfga im so sorry zelda i didnt mean to make you feel uncomfortable if that was the case"
Zelda could see by then why Link found it funny when she freaked out; Link freaking out over nothing big was slightly amusing to her. She typed out, "haha really Link, need not to worry. I know it was cold and you wanted warmth, and if anything I actually went closer to you for said warmth haha. No need to worry, you were just as warm as I was to you." before she hit send.
Link: "so you were fine with it?"
Zelda: "Indeed."
Link: "oh thank the goddesses haha i'm so relieved."
Zelda was smiling, the warmth in her chest having came back once again. She really needed to search that up, and it was already getting late so first she would bid farewell to Link.
"Link I believe I should be going to sleep right now, today was really full lol" she sent. She waited for his response, which was, "honestly me too ;') today was really fun, one of the best times I've had in a little while like that."
Zelda: "I can agree :) Anyways link, i shall bid you a goodnight :) Have a nice rest, Sir Link. Also, you didn't have to get me anything, but i'll figure the phone out :("
Link sent his final message for the night, and it gave her a pang to her chest reading it. "You need a phone so that it's easier to converse haha. and you deserve it :) have a nice rest as well, princess. Goodnight, sleeping beauty :)"
Zelda let her eyes read over the message again, the smile on her face growing warmer each time. She placed her hand over her chest and felt her heartbeat grow fast. She needed to know exactly what it was she was feeling.
She minimized Skype and moved over to her web browser, going into her search bar and hovering her fingers over her keyboard. Unsure of what to write in explanation to what she was feeling.
Hm…, Zelda thought, maybe… She started typing, "What does it mean when I am feeling a tight feeling in my chest whenever I'm around someone?" Zelda hit enter, and she knew it was a long title but she needed to be as descriptive as possible.
She scrolled through the search engine, finding nothing but articles about anxiety or loss of blood and whatnot, and she was sure it was not that. She leaned back in her chair, trying to find a way to word her words before.
"Why does my chest hurt when I'm around the person I enjoy being with?" Zelda retyped, hoping it would give her a better outcome.
By then, articles about love hurting or falling in love popped up, and it made her freeze.
It can't be that I'm in love, right? Zelda laughed off her nerves and clicked on her search bar, seeing multiple suggestions pop up under.
I'll just...see this one. Zelda moved her cursor and clicked on where it said, "feeling in chest when you love someone". She then found an article that had eleven signs to prove she was in love. Curiosity hit her, so she clicked it.
One: You can't stop staring at them.
Zelda felt her heart jump when she read the line. Especially because there were...a lot of times where she did find herself staring at Link a lot more than intended.
Two: You always think about them.
That was when Zelda almost clicked out because, thus far, the website was starting to describe how she'd been acting around Link. She can't be in love, it just couldn't happen.
Three: You want them to be happy.
Yet another thing that hits too close to home, Zelda speculated.
Four: You've been stressed lately.
Zelda was confused as to what that meant, because she didn't believe she'd been stressed out about Link at any time. Maybe...just not yet, she theorized. Her eyes skimmed over every header the next number followed, but number ten and eleven hit way too close that she had to click out and take a moment.
Ten: Your heart rate increases and you feel butterflies in your chest at just the thought of them.
Eleven: You don't mind anything odd they do, it's all a quirk you love about them.
No, no, no. Zelda closed her laptop and folded her arms om her desk, resting her head on them, thinking everything through.
I can't be in love with Link. I just met him. He just got over his long-time crush. I'm the daughter of the richest man in Hyrule. He's a normal teenage boy with an odd liking to history and chivalry. He and I both love the same medieval concept. I love spending time with him. I… Zelda groaned loudly and whined as she shut her eyes tight, a little tear coming to her eye. I love him. Oh dear Goddesses, I love him!
Zelda woke up to the sound of knocking. She grunted tiredly and delicately picked up her head from her arms, her eyes adjusting to the light coming through her curtain. She groaned as she sat up straight, stretching. She wiped off the drool from the corner of her lips and grimaced seeing a dry, splotchy spot on her desk that was once wet.
Because of all of the thinking she did with her head down, it eventually lead her to falling asleep on her desk.
She let out a sigh and looked back at her door, rubbing her eyes. The knock was heard once again, making her let out another sigh and stand up from her chair, exhaustingly walking to her door.
When she opened the door, Lana was in front of her. It took Zelda a second to comprehend who it really was before she gasped, the exhaustion leaving her as she leaped forward and threw her arms around her shoulders, bringing her close in a hug.
"Lana!" Zelda pulled back from her friend, laughing as she saw the confused smile on Lana's face. "You're still here!"
Lana laughed and adjusted her uniform. "Good morning to you too, Zelda."
Zelda laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck from a sore she had gotten. "Heh, sorry. I just...after yesterday, I thought my father may had gotten you in big trouble, or something."
Lana had almost forgotten about the day before. "Oh, yeah." She smiled and leaned against the door frame. "He did get me in trouble, but he let me off a lot more nicer than I had anticipated. He said just to go to my room and be done for the day."
Zelda frowned and rubbed her eyes again, making sure to get all the crumbs out of her eyes. "Sorry," she said.
"It's okay, Zel." Lana smiled and patted down Zelda's messy hair. "Don't apologize. But...did you even change?"
Zelda looked down at her clothes, noticing she had the same clothes from the day before. "Whoops. I had, uh, actually slept on my desk last night." She laughed, but then she sulked and rethought over the events of last night with her and her father.
The blue-haired girl noticed. "Hey, are you okay?"
Zelda nodded, looking back up to Lana. "Yeah, but Father and I had gotten into a pretty bad argument last night. So...I just wanna know where he'd be at? If you know, that is. I just want to go apologize." She looked down and rubbed her arm, looking small. "I just feel...bad that I had yelled at him."
Lana nodded, pursing her lips. "Well...I just came to tell you to wake up, really. It's already 10:00 AM."
Zelda's eyes widened. "Ten?!" Last night really took a toll out of me, especially after… She shook her head, wanting to forget all she had searched. "Well, never mind that. Do you know where he'd be, though?"
Lana shook her head, not sure. "Nope. Best guess is his office, if not then he's probably in his room."
Gratefully, Zelda smiled and moved forward to give Lana one more hug. "Thanks, Lana. I'll see you later. I have a lot to tell you about yesterday."
Lana grinned, already eager. "I can't wait! I gotta get to work, but good luck with your dad, Zelda."
Zelda nodded and walked around Lana, her walk for her father commencing.
"Well, he's not in his office…" Zelda closed her father's door, many thoughts on where her father may have been. He wasn't in his room, and not in his office. Kitchen maybe?
Zelda started moving her legs to the direction of the kitchen through the hallway, but she bumped into a worker as she turned a corner. Both of them had let out a sound of alert right as they collided, but Zelda smiled as she saw who it was.
"Pipit!" Zelda exclaimed.
Pipit looked at Zelda and smiled himself. "Oh, hi Miss Zelda. Long time, no see."
Pipit was one of the security guards of the mansion, he made sure everything was in orderly place and often took care of Zelda even as a child. She hadn't seen him in forever due to him being ranked up to all-time duty. Despite being 26-years-old, he was really healthy-looking with his light splatter of freckles on his cheeks.
Zelda chuckled and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Just Zelda is fine, Pipit. Only when my father isn't around, though. By any chance, do you know where he is?"
It took Pipit a single nod to get the message through to her. "Yes, actually. He told me he'd be downstairs in the basement."
Zelda was taken aback. "Basement?"
Pipit nodded. "Yes, the basement. The basement that no one is allowed to go to. Aside from you and him, of course. Or anyone who had been working here with him from the start and he trusts." In the end, he just shrugged. "I dunno, but it's complicated."
"I didn't even know we had a basement…," Zelda mumbled. She looked off to the side for a bit before being reluctant with her response. "Um...Pipit...if you don't mind me asking, where is the basement?"
Pipit whistled low, crossing his arms. "Wow, if you didn't even know there was a basement then your dad must be hiding some top secret things." He smiled anyway, uncrossing his arms to gesture her to the direction of the basement. "Anyway, just go. You're his daughter, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
Zelda followed his arm with her eyes, nodding in understanding. "Got it." She smiled and wrapped her arms around Pipit's lean waist. "Thanks, Pipit. I'll see you around."
Pipit hugged the girl back and gave her a tight, playful squeeze before laughing and releasing her. "I'll see ya around, kid."
Zelda grinned and bounded over to where Pipit motioned over to, excited to go to the said basement. Especially because she was unaware of it, she never knew the mansion had any kind of underground. Well, who was she kidding? They practically lived on a mountain; that's enough room for an underground level.
She kept going straight, passing by the walls with various paintings and making it to the end of the hallway. She looked to her right and saw the door a few feet within the wall, a short staircase leading to the door. Without any hesitation, Zelda bounded down the steps and noticed how dark it really was in the area.
In the dim light she had, she saw a hole in the wall with an unlit lantern and a lighter placed there, awaiting someone to use them. She'd be the one, she concluded.
Zelda picked up the lantern and then the lantern right after, holding the lantern by the top handle and using her right hand to light up the lantern, engulfing it and making a light source. She blew out the lighter and closed it, setting it aside on the platform it was previously on.
Looking back at the large, wooden door in front of her, Zelda was slightly intimidated. It looked...old. And when she opened it, it creaked and the inside looked even more...well, medieval. She noted that the stairs were made out of some sort of cobblestone, spiraling down.
Taking a deep breath, she took her first step in and started her way down the stairs. When the door closed on its own she let out a gasp of fright. It was pitch black down where she was going, but the lantern helped a whole lot to ease her slight nerves.
It had been at least a minute since Zelda had started walking down, and she was already feeling fatigued. How many stairs are there? she wondered.
At least two minutes later had she made it to the bottom, and the sound of her foot hitting the ground below made her father turn around to face the opening she was in.
"Who's there?" he called out. "No one's supposed to be here."
Zelda gulped, suddenly afraid to speak. "M-me, Father."
Zelda squinted her eyes when her father flashed the flashlight he had in her eyes. "Zelda?" he asked.
"Yes, Father. Zelda." Zelda heard the rustling of fabric, and in the near distance the could see her father putting something over the wall. He then turned and grabbed his flashlight before walking over to her, having her meet him up halfway.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. Despite his voice being steady, Zelda could sense he was nervous about something with how hushed it was.
"Uh...well…" Zelda made sure the lantern was bright enough on her face to have her father look at her clearly and see her expressions. "I just wanted to say sorry. About...about yesterday."
Zelda brought the lantern closer to his own face, seeing his expression be one of slight surprise.
"R-really?" he said. Hearing that made Zelda feel a lot more guilty about all that had happened. Often, she nor he don't apologize to one another. Hearing his genuine surprise made her heart clench.
"Yes. I...I'm sorry. I should've just told you his name. You were right, it wasn't anything big. But...I was just...scared." Zelda took a deep, shaky breath. "I was scared you'd end the one friendship I really want to keep and have you know about."
Through the lantern's dim lighting, Zelda saw Rhoam open his mouth. He wanted to say something, but words were still forming throughout his mind.
"Z...Zelda. I really don't know what to say. I'm really sorry, too," said Rhoam.
Hearing those words were enough for Zelda to feel a relief in her chest, and a wide smile break through. "Oh, Father… And, just because you wanted to know so badly...I'll let you know the boy's name."
A grin came upon her father's face, and he looked so genuinely happy for the first time in a while it made her smile as well. "Will you really?"
Zelda nodded, seeing as he turned his flashlight to a brighter setting and having it point upward so that the room had more light expand throughout the place.
"Yeah. Well…," Zelda saw as her father waited patiently, obviously so eager to hear what she had to say. It was weird to her on how excited he got over hearing their names, but she didn't know his mindset, "well, his name's Link. I don't know his last name so I can-"
"Link?"
Zelda tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow as she saw her father's smile fade away. The glint he had of excitement was then one of alarm. "Um, yes. Link."
Rhoam backed away a little bit, confusing Zelda furthermore. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room, his hands shaking as he looked back to his oblivious daughter. Even his voice was shaky. "This...this was exactly what I wanted to avoid," he said.
Zelda was far beyond confused. "Wait, why are you like this? His name's just Link."
Rhoam shook his head, walking past Zelda with no more words passing his lips as he set the flashlight down on the ground. Zelda just turned her head as she followed his movements and saw as he went up the steps, haste clearly in his movements.
"...weird." Zelda shook her head and looked down at the flashlight, setting the lantern aside on a box that was near her and crouched down to grab the flashlight. It was a lot more useful than the lantern, which provided hardly any light for such a big, dark room.
With the flashlight, she was able to see how big the basement really was; only half as big as the mansion itself. She pointed the flashlight all over the place, noticing all the dusty boxes and old furniture around place.
Zelda started walking, eyeing the whole place as she walked by certain objects. One box caught her eye, especially because it was open and the most obvious. It was in the far corner near a tattered up couch full of dust and dirt. She walked over to the box and set the flashlight upward to the ceiling, setting it aside to rest on the couch.
Zelda dug in the box, looking through the many parchments of paper there were. There were even some old papers of a map. Zelda held the map she grabbed out in front of her, paying attention to it.
It was a map of Hyrule, and it had markings all over it. Mainly just lines leading to an area.
How old is this map? she thought. She was also confused. Why would they have maps of Hyrule in the basement?
Zelda then had a thought crawl into her mind. Why is there even furniture here? And what was it was my father was covering?
Zelda grabbed the flashlight and started heading over to the end of the room, where the curtain her father put up right as she came in.
When she made it over there, she noticed another box in front of the fabric, so she opened it and noticed it was a bunch of books. She raised her brow and reached in to grab one, placing the light on the ground.
She ran her finger over the cover, and it was just as dusty as she had expected. The writing on the cover was scratched out, so she wasn't able to decipher what it was. Thus, she opened it. She crouched down beside the flashlight and read the words that were engraved into it. Well, tried to.
It looked like the old Sheikah language she had been interested in learning many times before but never got to it. She skipped a few pages, ready to move on to another book, but when she made it toward the end it was her average Hylian writing, except with more formal words.
"Hyrule was saved once again. Ganon was defeated, just as expected. No matter how many battles or how long the ages are, Ganon will continue to come and settle his anguish on this land o' Hyrule all over again."
Zelda's eyes were glued to the page, her eyebrows burrowing deeper into her brow.
"Blessed by the Goddesses, Zelda and her companion, Link the Hylian champion, had once again defeated the great evil and saved this land. Thus, this ends the journey with the Princess and the Hylian champion once more, another adventure to be expected once again in a new generation."
In the end of the paragraph was some writing in the end, but she was not able to understand its characters. Wait. Zelda reread over the paragraphs again, her mind hazy. What is this?
She tried going through the whole book to find the title, but it was all incoherent or not there. She stood right back up after placing the book on the ground, her eyes going dark as she had stood up way too quick, but she didn't stop there and instead reached back inside to grab another book; one smaller—fragile, old.
Zelda crouched back down, adrenaline rushing through her veins with all the information hitting her. What was it she was looking at exactly? Fairy tails of the old age war? Non-fictions?
She opened the book cautiously as to not ruin it, reading the first line.
Zelda's Diary
Zelda's eyes practically popped out of her skull. She was so confused, everything was hitting her all at once. She was able to comprehend that book she had—a diary. She tried to find a date—anything to help her figure out if the diary really was one of the Princesses because she sure as hell did not expose her diary out to the people in the mansion, and it would not be as tattered up as the one in her hands were.
She found a date, but it was fading away. But, it was enough to give her a confirmation.
This was ages ago…centuries ago! Zelda read the last page, the last entry. It was the events of what happened before the Calamity struck, because the Princess had stopped putting in anything after saying she had a bad feeling.
This is...this is crazy! How do we have this?! Not even the historians have a copy of the Princess' diary! Zelda placed the book down on the ground, hazy as she stood back up. She picked up the flashlight and pointed it at the curtain.
Worn out, old—just like everything in the room. She reached her hand up toward it, stroking the fabric with her fingers and felt the texture. She felt the roughness if it. She followed the fabric, noticing it goes almost all the way to the end of the wall.
She couldn't help it, she pulled the curtain down and let it crumple to the ground. Luckily, her father had dusted it off so she didn't get bombarded in heaps of dust and dirt.
Zelda backed away and let the light in her hand engulf one of the many large paintings that were hanging along the wall. Her wide eyes were eyeing the painting in front of her.
It was a woman with blonde hair and a man by her side wearing a green uniform. He was holding her hand, his other arm around her to hold her close by the small of her waist.
The woman wore a white dress, her hair supported with little bands wrapped around her fringes on either side of her face
It took Zelda a moment to comprehend, but she recognized the two. Her eyes widened, a gasp leaving her lips. Don't tell me that's Zelda and the Hero of Skies! Zelda shook her head, wanting to not believe what it was she was seeing at that moment. She looked off to the other painting, seeing it the Princess with some man whom she had married, and so on so-forth as she did a gallery walk along the wall.
Some paintings, she concluded, were involved with the Princess and the Hero...meaning...they've, indeed, courted before. She moved on to the last painting along the wall. It was a man in a blue tunic, his arm arm around the woman's waist in the picture beside him with his sword's tip pointed toward the ground with a hand rested on the hilt.
The stance, the people, the faces—it was all too familiar to her. The man was the last Hero of Hyrule, and the Princess was the last to run a monarchy.
Zelda's brain hurt having to comprehend everything that was going on, and everything was going through her head in a fuzz.
She tried to make sense of all of it. The books, the maps, her father looking horrified at the name of the person she'd fallen for, the...paintings.
Nobody—not even the most professional historians—had the paintings she'd seen, nor the books. And that one book she read, the first one—did someone from back then write that? A Sheikah...
Zelda's eyes widened. A Sheikah! She bent down and picked up the book she had grabbed first, eyeing it before tucking it under her arm. When she's ready, she would give it to Impa for her to translate for her.
But to her, the paintings didn't make sense. Nor, the diary. No historian had ever said anything about those things, and the paintings were never found!
A ding ticked in Zelda's mind. She looked back up to the paintings, seeing the Princess and her husband look ahead, all high and mighty.
Her home—a mansion. Hyrule Castle? Gone. And a mansion is the next biggest thing to a castle, and her home was way too big to be just an ordinary mansion. Her basement, it held all the notes and papers from back then; books, paintings, all of it! Even the furniture!
Zelda felt her whole body shake as the thought hit her. The reality of everything she had just learned was that...she—Zelda Bosphoramus!—had been born and raised in a building that was once Hyrule Castle.
Oop yet another longish chapter, but idk if i'm moving too quickly, not sure lmao. I kinda don't want this story to be too long but I want to squeeze in a lot that I can without making it rushed. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter though :) Honestly, just a single review literally saying just "good" makes my day because it makes me think you actually liked this chapter decently and read it or any constructive criticism is also welcomed. I'm learning to improve my writing the best to my possibility :) Till next time.