Disclaimer: I own nothing LoZ related.
A/N: Well, I suppose since it's snowing (snow, I don't know why, inspires me), I would keep going. While I'm talking about snow: who the hell gets snow in March?! It's like, a few hours ago, it was a dust of ice on green grass, so I took pictures, because how often does it snow late March/almost April?? I hope school gets canceled. It's really going hard, so that might actually happen. Anyways, this is from Zelda's POV.
It's weird how things that are not planned
turn out exactly the way you want them to.
Stuff that you hated when it happened,
stuff that you were ready to
do anything to be rid of...
Strange how they can be the
best thing of your life?
Opposites attract.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009
"Zel. Zel. Zelda."
"Wha?" I slur.
"Wake up," says Saria softly. "We're about to land."
I crack my eye open and lean my seat up. The man behind me is relieved. The plane's light-up sign is informing us we are about to land, and we need to put on our seat belts. I buckle mine in and clench my teeth, fighting back nausea.
We went to Saria's, Link, Sheik, and I. Saria blew up the pictures of the flower and map on Link's phone. She printed them off with some high-tech printer. She compared and identified the flower as a flower native to the Deku lands. The theory that this was a Deku flower was enforced with the fact that it symbolized deep and true love (it was found next to the love letter), and proven with the fact that the map was a map of ancient ruins found- where else?- in the Deku lands. And so, we decided that we needed to get to the ruins. It was a five-hour flight, and the flight left at four, an hour after school gets out. If we left on that Friday, we would get to the Deku lands around nine, and settled into the hotel about ten. The next day we would have to ourselves, and part of Sunday, we would too. We would come home at some point on Sunday, and be ready.
The problem was, Auru Airlines only sold tickets to those eighteen or over. The hotels and flights in the Deku lands are different. They consider their men superior to their women, and the women cannot buy tickets, regardless of age. The men reach manhood at fifteen, which is young, but benefits us. Getting hotel rooms in the Deku lands would be easy as well, because of the whole manhood thing. But the problem was that me, Sheik, and Link are all seventeen and Saria is sixteen. Sure, Link could probably pass for eighteen or nineteen if not for the fact that he had to present ID upon buying tickets. We were talking about this when Link popped over with two fake ID's.
"How did you get those?" I asked. Link gave one of the ID's to Saria, and she compared it with her own.
"I know a guy," Link said mysteriously.
"He's good," commented Saria, her eyes narrowed. She did not approve of breaking the law.
"How much did it cost you?" Sheik asked him.
"Ah, that's not important," Link said. I raised an eyebrow at him as he settled himself next to me and took my hand. "What is important is that I have you and me fake ID's."
"Why not all four of us?" Saria asked.
"Because, four fake IDs are more at risk of being exposed than two. I could have gone with one, but there was a discount, and it just seemed more right to get IDs for me and Sheik than me and one of you two," Link said. I had nodded. And from that point, we had begun planning. I had told my parents that there was a party after the game (there was, I just chose not to go. It killed me to do it, but it had to be done.) and that I was probably staying at a friend's house. They said okay. They have never really exerted control on me, and by "I'm going to a friend's" I got two to three days of no questions asked. Saria was a bit more tricky. We had to buy some camping gear and told her mother that we were going camping. It took awhile, but her mom eventually agreed to let her come with us. Sheik, like he's told me but not explained, has no parental guardian to report his disappearance to and Link's mother did not care, so we were good to go. We bought the tickets with my money. We've got plenty to spare. I just went to the bank and withdrew a whopping amount of money from my account. Mom and Dad let me manage my own money, so I'm covered there.
I pull myself back to the present as we land on the ground. The jolt is not very great, but with my phobia of planes it feels like it jars every bone in my body. Saria silently shakes my arm.
"Time to go," she says. I nod and with shaking hands undo my seat belt.
I don't unclench my teeth until we're safely on the ground and at a standstill. Saria doesn't comment on my rigid fear; she's a good friend, and isn't going to make fun of me for it, as Malon or one of the other girls would. I'm wearing jeans, black heels, and a powder-blue tee. I have a jacket tied around my hips if I need it. I think I do; it's chilly here. In Hyrule, it was sweltering in summer and nice in the winter. Saria's wearing dark green sweats and a matching hoodie. Her hair is in a loose ponytail. She went for comfort, whereas I went for style.
We walk off the plane and wait by the exit for Sheik and Link. We got separated on the flight, and so we wait. I lean my head against the cool window. Outside, it is dark. People of all races walk the streets. Everything is so packed together here, nobody brings cars. Nobody uses them. If you need a car, then you rent one. But the only reason you would need a car is if you had to go out of town to do something. Which is why I'm beginning to realize heels were a bad idea.
Sheik and Link come out of the doors. We go and get our luggage, and head to the hotel room. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2009
I swat at my phone as my ringtone, some pop song, blares on my night stand. I pick it up and groan into it.
"Whaddyawant?"
"Zelda, it's time to get up," comes Saria's cool and collected voice. "It's five-thirty; we're leaving at seven. You told me to wake you up."
"Thanks," I say, hanging up the phone and throwing it back down. A few moments later, it rings again. "Whaaat?" I groan.
"Zelda. You need to get up," Saria says.
"Fine," I say, hanging up. I climb out of bed and into my bathroom. The hotel we're staying at is fancy. The plush carpet in my room is white, and the walls are taupe. There are paintings hung up of various famous people. My king-sized bed has brown covers and white sheets. The headrest is wooden with designs on it. There's a night stand next to the bed and a dresser across the room. It's a really nice room, but not worth what I paid for. I walk into the bathroom and take a long, steaming shower.
I get out of the shower and get dressed around six. It's about six forty-five by the time I've blow dried my hair, got dressed, and done my makeup. I decide if I curl my hair then I won't have time to eat breakfast. I brush out the natural waves and leave it down. Yawning, I leave my room. I'm careful not to leave anything I might need. I shove the various belongings in a gym bag. I shoulder it, and then exit my hotel room.
Link, Sheik, and Saria are already eating. I join them for a quick bite (cream cheese bagel... Mmm...) and then we're on the road.
Well, walking on the road, that is. We go to the nearest place to rent a car and we get some silver Jeep Wrangler. Sheik drives, and Saria sits in the front seat, instructing him on where to turn. Link and I are in the back. I rest my head on his shoulder and fall asleep.
I'm jolted awake when we hit something and I fly up so high that I nearly hit the ceiling.
"WHAT THE-"
"Should have been wearing your seat belt," Sheik says. Chuckling, Link reaches across and buckles me in.
"Where are we?!" I demand. We're nowhere I recognize. The bump I felt was when Sheik swerved off the road. I look around, but we don't have any pursuers and everyone seems calm. I wonder if Sheik just dove off the road for fun. Ha. Fun.
"We're off roading," Sheik says. "Why else would we have got a Jeep? Why not something flashy?"
"Like a 2010 Aston Martin V12 Vantage," says Link wistfully.
"It should be right around here," Saria says after a few minutes of bumps and near-death incidents involving trees and wild animals. Every time Sheik swerves out of the way he gives some whoop of victory. "Just stop. We can walk, and the engine will alert them that we're here."
And so Sheik parks the Jeep under the cover of a tree by the bank of a river. He shuts off the motor. We get out, and start walking.
"There it is!" Saria says breathlessly. It is a beautiful thing, I have to admit. Once, it was a grand palace, or maybe a barrack of some sort. Now it has thick, snake-like vines stretching across it and plants overgrown around it. The thing that signals to us that this is the place is that there is a huge boulder in front of it. The boulder has glimmering crystals embedded in it. It must be worth thousands of dollars. The reason this tips it off to us is because on the map, there was a large circle that said "The Rock of Light" next to it. At the time, we were unsure what that meant, but now it is obvious. The diamonds reflect the light into hundreds of tiny beams. It's beautiful. "Now," Saria says, "we need to get in. The security is lax. We know this because on the map it has legends as to where the cameras and booby traps are. The cameras are only on the main hallway. In theory, if we stick to the shadows and make no sudden movements, we should be okay."
"So," Sheik says, "who wants to lead?"
"Not me," says Sheik, Saria, and I simultaneously.
"What?!" Link says. "Fine," he grunts. "So I just-?"
"Goddesses, it'd be easier if I did it," Saria grumbled. As lithely as a cat, Saria sprang across the clearing and ducked in the shadows. I followed, and Sheik and Link were close behind. "It's a non-rotating camera," Saria says, staring at the cream-colored camera hanging from the ceiling. "And there's no microphone on it, either. It was built back when the cameras were primitive, and it's very basic."
"If there's no microphone, why are we whispering?" whispered Sheik.
"Listen," Saria said, pressing a finger to her lips. We close out the dark, cool passageway and listen. Voices can dimly be heard. But they aren't coming from the hallway, or above or below us; they are coming from the wall beside us. I look up.
"There's a hole," says Link. There is a hole in the wall. It's like an air vent almost, but it's just an open hole.
"That's for the summers," says Saria. "When it gets hot, the holes in the structure help air to ventilate and prevent the chambers from being too stuffy." We all look at her, amazed. "What?" she says.
"So," I say, "if someone were to crawl through that, we would have access to the whole place?"
"I suppose," Saria said. "That would be a good idea, now that I think of it. You two are too big, and I'm too short... Zelda, if one of those two lifted you, do you think you could crawl around and look?"
"Yes," I say, making sure my phone is in my pocket. If I see someone or something of interest I need to take a picture of it. "Sheik can. I'll-" Without further explanation, I switch bodies with Sheik. "There," I say.
"Did you guys just-?" Link says.
"Yeah," I say. "Sheik, hold my body tight," I tell him. "I'm going to lift you up like we would in a cheerleading stunt, and then switch back with you. All you have to do is hold tight so you don't fall, and then hold my weight so you don't drop me."
"Got it."
I promptly lift Sheik up. I feel him waver, and feel my legs quivering. "Are you afraid of heights?" I ask, amused.
"No," Sheik says. He then switches back with me. The hole is about at my stomach, and about a yard in diameter. I put my head in first, and then crawl in.
"Okay!" I say to Sheik. He lets me go.
"Be careful!" he says. I begin crawling through the hole. And it is disgusting. It's never been cleaned in however long it's been around. Spider webs hang from the ceiling and bugs run across. The dust is a few centimeters thick, and for a moment I wonder if it's really worth it. Then I hear the voices picking up in volume, and I hurry along the tunnel.
Suddenly, where I put my hand, there is no ground. I dive into the darkness, but I catch myself before I get too far. I freeze. The voices are not in this room, but I hear something growling. I pull my hand back so I'm not at risk of anything, and I pull my phone out of my pocket. I shine it into the hole and see hungry lions pacing beneath me. I gulp and scurry past.
Then, I see light. There's another hole, but light is illuminating out of this one. I creep closer and look into it.
The room does not match the archaic designs of the rest of the building. This is renovated, with tile floors, a table, and a refrigerator. There are two men in there. One has hair so dark it is almost violet. He has pale skin and dark eyes. He's wearing white pants and a burgundy shirt. He has a glass of water in one hand and a half-eaten apple in the other. He's staring at something that I can't see. From the light reflecting on the floor I'm guessing it's the monitor from the cameras. The other man is the one that broke into the house.
"Why do we have to stay here?" whines a kid. The kid sounds about... I don't know. Ten or younger. He's out of view.
"We have to guard the locket," says the man from the desert. "It's worth more than you know." The desert man and the man in white pants chuckle in unison. I pull out my phone very, very slowly.
"What do you mean?" says the kid.
"Do you remember the comics about superheroes you used to read? And Saturday morning cartoons? Remember Sup-"
"What's that?" says the man in white pants. The desert man cuts himself off and looks at the television. I pull up my camera on my phone and point it at the two men. "We have an intruder," says the man in white pants. "There's an intruder in the main hall."
I click the button, and there's a loud sound as my phone takes a picture. My mouth drops in horror. How could I have forgotten to turn off the sound?!?
The two men look up at me. I try to move, but I can't seem to force my muscles to obey. Cooly, the man in white says, "Release the lions. And get the gun. You, come down here."
I quickly backtrack. There's not enough room to turn around. I hear somebody shouting that they're releasing the lions and that the other guy needs to grab the rifle. I keep backpedalling. And then, to my horror, the ground gives away beneath me. I hear the lions snapping and I pull myself out of the hole as quickly as I can. I take a deep breath, trying not to panic. I had felt the air move as the lion leapt past my foot. I maneuver past the hole, and then keep backing up.
Again, the ground gives out beneath me. I make an eight-foot fall and land hard on my feet, and I fall back on my back.
"Zelda, are you-" I hear someone say. I can't breathe. The wind's been knocked out of me, and stabbing pain is in both of my feet.
Once I take a breath, I start to hiss a warning, but the gunfire cuts me off. Saria shouts, and she starts the bolt for the exit. Sheik and Link both dive to the ground.
"Get up!" Sheik yells at me.
"Can't," I say breathlessly. I have no doubt on my mind I've fractured both of my feet. I feel Link's strong arms scoop me up, and then the three of us are running through the jungle. Sheik flies in the driver's seat, and Link and me in the back seat.
"Go, go, go!" shouts Saria. Sheik takes off, and I see a white face in the trees. The face has mousy brown hair and is heart-shaped. The eyes are stunningly blue, and the mouth is in a tight line. Then, the face disappears. For a moment I wonder what I've just seen, and then decided I have imagined it as Sheik takes off through the jungle.
Later that night, I'm lying in my hotel room on my bed, wearing thin, crimson Soffe shorts and a white tank that has "HHS CHEER" emblazoned on it in matching red. It's hard for me to walk, so I'm avoiding it. My feet are swollen and ugly bruises are blossoming up on them. Lovely. Saria doesn't think it's fractured or broken, but she wants me to go to the doctor. I'm refusing. It's also colder than I expected it to be in here, so I'm in a tight ball beneath my covers.
There's a knock on my door. My muscles tense up.
"It's me, Zel," says Link. I feel relieved.
"It's unlocked," I say. Link comes in, and shuts the door behind him. He has a pizza in his hand.
"I brought you dinner," he says, flashing me a white smile.
"I'm not hungry," I say. "Thanks, though."
Link walks over and sets the pizza on my night stand. Instead of sitting down or leaving, like I expected him to, he climbs on my bed and lies next to me. He pulls the covers over himself and holds his arms out towards me. I snuggle up next to his broad, warm chest. "How are you feeling?" he asks in his velvet voice.
"Good," I say, mine squeaky in comparison to his. I shiver and he laughs.
"You're still cold?" he says.
"What can I say? It's like forty degrees in here."
"Maybe so," he says. "But only because your window is open."
"... it is?"
"Yeah..." says Link. "Do you want me to shut it for you?"
"No," I say. "You can stay right here." Link chuckles again into my hair.
"I probably should," he says, climbing out from under the blankets. Frowning, I sit up and watch him as he walks over and closes my window. Now that I think about it, I can remember hobbling over and opening the window after we got back from the ruins. It had been hot in the afternoon. Link comes back over and sits down by me. He puts his left hand in my hair and very gently leans in and kisses me. I put my arm around his neck, and lean into him. The kiss starts off slow, and then picks up heat. Link leans into me, and then we're lying in bed and he's on top of me. He breaks the kiss for a moment to pull the covers over himself, and then we're kissing again. When I break apart for air, he plants a line of kisses from my ear to my collarbone. He lays his head on my shoulder and I feel his warm breath on my skin. I feel his hand on the waistband of my shorts. It lingers there for a moment, and then it goes under my shirt. His hands run across my stomach, and then they start to travel up further.
"No," I say, putting my hands on his.
"Okay," he says. "I'll keep my hands to myself." And then he gets off of me and sits up.
"I didn't say I wanted you to go," I say. "I just don't want to... you know."
"Okay," he says, a bit confused.
"Are you staying here tonight?" I ask hopefully. I have faith that Link will respect my boundaries, and I'm not afraid of lying in bed with him.
"Nah, I probably should get back to my room," he says. "But I can stay for awhile." Without further invitation, Link lies down next to me again. I turn and put my back to him, and he wraps his arms around me. I feel safe and secure. "Zelda?"
"Yes?" I purr.
"Would you mind telling me what exactly I'm with you guys for?" he asks me. I tighten up. "I do have a right to know," he says.
"I know," I say, chewing on my lip. "I'm just afraid you won't believe in it."
"Even if I don't," he tells me, "I've still got to stay in it. Because of you. I couldn't just leave you with Sheik all day, unsupervised."
I smile. I take a breath, and then explain everything.