Sorry for the mildly long update, but I TURNED 15! OH MY GOODNESS! Watch out world, soon I'll be driving! I'm almost done with boring introductory chapters! A few more to go, now onward to chapter nine!
~Leila
Edited: 10/27/14
Like a river flows, gently to the sea
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
Cause I can't help falling in love with you
/Only Fools Rush In by Elvis Presley/
Chapter Nine (Zelda)
I cracked my eyes open, looking around at my messy excuse of a room. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, which did little to stop it, and spilled on my floor. Birds chirped merrily, songbirds mixed with the harsh cries of the seagulls.
As always, the dull pounding of the ocean provided a constant white noise. I rolled over onto my side, closing my eyes and desperately trying to cling to the remaining threads of sleep. Alas, they slipped out of my grasp and I found myself lying in my cocoon of covers, eyes wide open.
Glancing at the red numbers of the clock, I saw it was nine o' clock. Perfect. Warm ups are at eleven, which leaves me two hours to get ready. I grinned at the digital numbers, remembering how as a child, the red glow they would give off at night frightened me. I was convinced they were monster eyes.
Rolling out of my bed, I yawned and stretched down to touch my toes. The window seat was empty, I noticed. Link must already be up.
I exited my room, my bare legs breaking out in goosebumps as soon as they came in contact with the chilly air, and saw Aryll, quietly shutting the door to the guest bedroom. I opened my mouth to wish her a good morning, but she put a finger to her lips and beckoned me down the stairs. I followed her, mildly confused, but she spoke as we reached the main level.
"Sorry, I just got Link to fall back asleep. He was up all night," she explained.
"Oh. Was he okay? He wasn't hurting, was he?" I asked, worried the several bruises had bothered him, or that the cut had split open again.
"He has really bad nightmares," Aryll told me. "It's a miracle if he makes the night."
I wasn't quite sure how to respond, the situation of him sleeping in my house was awkward enough, so I changed the subject. "Would you like breakfast?" I offered, gesturing to the kitchen.
The young girl nodded eagerly, her blonde head bobbing up and down. "Yes, please!"
I opened one of our many cabinets and peered through it. It was a rather pathetic sight, actually.
"Um... Instant oatmeal or corn flakes?" I asked, feeling a little guilty I couldn't give the poor girl more. After all she's been through last night, too. "Actually, I'll make some eggs," I decided, closing the cabinet. "Do you like toast?"
Her face brightened. "Only with honey!"
I smiled and pulled the eggs out of the fridge, then pulling out butter, pepper and salt from the cabinets. Aryll hoisted herslef up on the center island and sat to face me, her legs swinging back and forth.
"Do you live by yourself?" she asked, glancing around the kitchen.
"No, my dad just travels a lot," I replied trying to keep the bitterness from seeping into my voice. I piled all my ingredients on the opposite side of the island from her and pulled out a frying pan.
"At least you have him. My dad died when I was a baby."
I paused and looked up at her.
"Do you know how they died? I don't mean to be rude, I just-"
She shook her head. "No, that's okay. I don't actually know. Link will never tell me, and he acts all weird when I ask. Then he has really bad nightmares, so I stopped asking," she said. "Knowing isn't worth him throwing up at night."
I turned on the stove and plopped some butter in the pan, stirring it around to grease the surface.
"His nightmares are that bad?"
"He's stayed home sick from school sometimes. That's when they're really bad, because he hates being at home. He's gone to school with the chicken pox before!" she cried.
I rolled my eyes as I plucked an egg from the carton.
"I remember that, in fourth grade. Stupid boy, he caused an outbreak in our class and I got it really bad since I sat closest to him," I said, recalling the lonely days at home, making cups of chicken noodle soup, feeding myself my medicine, and staging checker games against myself. My father hadn't been there to watch over me, he could only offer condolences over the phone.
Aryll giggled. "He is pretty dumb sometimes, isn't he? Once, he jumped off a cliff!" she told me.
I winced at the thought. "How is he still alive?" I asked, cracking the first egg into the pan. It made a delightful sizzling noise.
"You know, I wonder that sometimes myself. Personally, I think he's cheated death on multiple occasions," Aryll said with a giggle.
"I don't cheat him, we play poker every third Wednesday of the month. We bet my soul. So far, I've won every time," a familiar voice said from the kitchen entryway.
Link was leaned up against a wall, his gold hair arrayed around his head like a halo, and dark circles under his eyes accentuating the ugly appearance of his purpling bruises.
Aryll smiled and jumped off the counter, running over to hug him.
"Morning, sleepyhead," I said, not looking up the frying pan. I forgot to ask Aryll wha kind of eggs she likes, so I hope over-easy is okay.
He hugged Aryll and looked up at me.
"Thanks for letting us stay last night," he half-mumbled, making it difficult for me to understand him.
"It's really no problem," I told him, sliding the egg onto a plate.
He shifted uncomfortably before speaking again. "Need any help?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. Would you get the toaster out? It's in the first cabinet... no, the right one," I guided as he opened up cupboards aimlessly. "You can be in charge of making toast."
"I'm really good at making toast," he informed me, grabbing the bread off the counter.
"I'm sure you are," I said, rolling my eyes and bringing Aryll her plate, along with the salt, pepper, and a bottle of honey.
"Thank you," she said, immediately digging into the egg. Link wasn't far behind me with the toast.
"You want some?" he asked.
"Eh, no thanks. What kind of egg do you want?" I asked.
"I'll stick with toast. Eggs are disgusting," he said, wrinkling his nose.
"Suit yourself. Enjoy your plan crunchy bread," I teased, plopping an egg in the pan for myself.
"Stop judging my breakfast choices."
"Stop making the wrong breakfast choices."
"Stop talking because you're annoying!" Aryll snapped.
I laughed and flipped my egg before sliding it onto a plate and going to sit at the table.
Breakfast was quick for me, just the egg and a couple strawberries. Link and Aryll were continually bickering, and I only joined in a few times. Mostly I just listened. It blew my mind how they could come from such a terrible environment yet still maintain such a positive exterior.
Eventually, I needed to take a shower. Promising to be back quickly, I dashed up the stairs, slamming the door to my room. Digging around my drawers, I pulled out my team leotard, white and silver and adorned with many sequins.
Downstairs, I could hear Link and Aryll laughing, still eating breakfast. I hurriedly pulled off my pajamas and turned the water on, as high as it would go, of course.
I stepped in to the steamy shower and closed my eyes as the water ran through my hair. I made extra sure not to take too long. I've been late to way too many meets due to prolonged time in the shower.
Turning the water off, I toweled dry, pulled on spandex, a sports bra, then my leotard. I adjusted the neckline, and looked in the mirror. I must say, I look pretty kickass in my gymnastics outfit, sparkles and all.
I tied my wet hair up with an elastic, then yanked on sweatpants over the tights.
Done.
Downstairs, Link was nowhere to be seen, but Aryll was sitting on the table, thoughtfully strumming a golden harp. She looked up as I walked in.
"Hello," she greeted. "Link went to sneak into our house to get clothes and stuff."
"Oh. I hope he's careful," was all I could say.
Neither of us spoke for a little bit, and the only noise was from Aryll's harp. She seemed to be playing the same notes over and over again, forming a melody I found strikingly familiar.
"What song is this?" I asked. "I know I've heard it somewhere..."
"It's called 'Ballad of the Goddess,'" Aryll informed me with a smile. "It's pretty old, I'm surprised you recognize it!"
"I can't place where I've heard it..." I murmured. "Probably school, Shad is super into this old stuff."
"It's petty popular in Skyloft," Aryll offered. "Maybe you heard it there?"
Something clicked, way in the back of my mind. "Yeah, Skyloft! I played this for Link after the Wing Ceremony, and-"
I clamped my mouth shut, head swimming in confusion. Skyloft? Wing Ceremony. I've never been outside of Castle Town, and I've certainly never been to any Wing Ceremony with Link...
Before I could say anything, Link reentered the kitchen, dressed and holding a black duffle bag which he tossed to Aryll.
"Go get changed," he instructed. She scampered up the stairs, and he looked at me. "What time's your gymnastics doodad?"
"We have to leave in about twenty minutes," I told him. He grinned.
"I like all the sparkles."
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything bad! I just said I liked the sparkles!" he said defensively.
"You said it in a sassy tone!"
"What? There was no sass there. You're making this up."
"Uh, no, you definitely were like, 'I like all the sparkles,'" I mimicked in a nasally voice.
"I don't even sound like that, what the hell-"
"Gods, both of you just shut up!" a new voice cried.
Aryll had returned from the upstairs and was wearing a plain pink dress. Her hair hung down long, but the front two strands had ribbons wound around them like a colorful rainbow.
"You look nice," Link commented. Aryll giggled and twirled so that her dress splayed out all around her.
"Don't I? I wanted to look nice for Zelda's special event."
Link looked down at his white t-shirt and distressed jeans. "Should I rent a tux or something?" he asked.
I couldn't help but laugh. "It's a gymnastics meet! You'll be in a gym with no air conditioning for three hours! Speaking of which, let's go. I need to be there for warm ups," I said, filling up a bottle with ice cold water and grabbing my gymnastics bag.
Maybe on the way home I'll get some stamina potion. Papa isn't here, after all.
"Are we biking?" Link asked, a glint in his eye. I glared at him.
"Don't even go there. I'm not risking snapping my neck."
"Paralysis could be eminent," Aryll agreed.
Link rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll walk."
Ten minutes, seven swear words, five complaints and two miles later, I was pushing open the door to the gym where the meet was being held with Link and Aryll following closely behind me. I waded through the crowds over to the competitor's table where an exhausted looking old woman with a long blonde braid that was wound around her head and swung back and forth like a pendulum sat, sifting through papers.
"Name?" she asked, her voice deep and musical.
"Zelda Fairchild, Castle Town Twisters," I sait, listing my name and team. The lady smiled and handed me my number.
"Good luck, Zelda. CTT is in the main gym warming up in ten minutes," she informed me. I nodded.
"Thanks." I turned back to Link and Aryll. "The bleachers are over there, go find a seat. Here's a fifty for lunch, and thanks so much for coming to see me!" I said, fishing a purple Rupee out of my pocket. Link gaped at it.
"You look like a fish," Aryll giggled.
"Silence, sand crab. Thanks, Z. Good luck!" he called as we walked off in our separate directions. I hurried into the locker room and pulled my sweatpants off, throwing them in a locker. I carried my water bottle out to the gym, set it on my team's bench and walked over to join the group huddle with Ashei.
"Alright girls, this is the last meet of the season. This is Land Finals. This isn't amateur hour, there's no messing around, this is a big deal. You all have been working so hard, and I know you're ready for this. So let's go out there and kick some ass, yeah?" Ashei said, smiling at us.
We all cheered and sat down to start out stretches. I sat next to my friend Beth, and scanned the crowd for two blonde heads. I located them in the dead center, both of them waving madly. I laughed as I stretched, then lay on my stomach to do a plank. I can't let them distract me, I reminded myself. I stayed in my plank position until the burn had spread to all muscles of my body, then I stood and moved over to the beam.
I've never been a huge fan of the beam, really. It's never been my strong area.
Ashei coached me through a couple cartwheels and back handsprings, and I only slipped once. My heart was beating wildly, knowing Link and Aryll were watching me.
After we did a few passes on the floor, we were ushered out of the gym and back to the locker rooms so a final team could warm up. I took a swig of my water and stood by the mirror, redoing my ponytail. Beth, Karane, and Orielle were soon all by the mirrors as well, chattering and checking their carefully applied eyeshadow.
"Did you see who was in the stands?" Karane asked, dipping her finger in an open vat of glitter and rubbing it on her eyelids. I dipped my finger in as well, rubbing the silver paste carefully over my eyelid.
"No, who?" I asked, though I was almost positive I knew who they were talking about. "Can I borrow mascara?" Beth handed me a tube.
"Link Carstairs!" Karane declared, sweeping her red locks up into a bun. "Why would he be here?"
"Link? Wow, I wonder who he's here for!" Beth giggled, bending over to touch the ground.
Beth is a huge flirt; she's hit on almost every guy in our grade. I wish I was in her class at school to watch her in action. I've heard some crazy stories from Orielle.
"Well..." I began.
"Ladies! Let's go, it's time to start!" Ashei yelled into the locker room.
We giggled nervously and put the makeup away, following Ashei to the entrance of the gym. Every team is called up individually. We could hear the crowd cheer as the announcer called up 'The Deku Darlings'. Goddesses, what an awful name.
"And please welcome Regional Champs, the Castle Town Twisters!"
We ran out, smiling and waving at the large crowd, and stood by our bench. The judges filed through their papers before separating to sit at their appointed tables.
We were starting with the floor part of the competition, along with another team with obnoxious neon green leotards.
A perky blonde girl stepped up to the floor, and I have to admit the routine was good, but the poor girl was nervous and stumbled majorly at the end, earning her a solid 7.9 out of 10 for her final score. I clapped as she sat back down at her bench, looking mildly deflated.
"Next up is Zelda Fairchild from the Castle Town Twisters!"
"Go get em', Elda-Zay!" Orielle cheered.
Ashei clapped me on the back. "Show 'em whatcha got, hot stuff," she said with a wink.
I smiled and bounded over to the mat. I took a deep breath and looked over at the judges, who gave me a nod. My heart was beating out of control as I heard the first few beats of my music.
I brought my hands up slowly and put a smile on my face, taking a few steps forwards before swaying my hips back and forth like a belly dancer. This is the embarrassing part of my routine; Link probably loves this. I looked up at him, and sure enough he was laughing, but he flashed me a thumbs up.
I froze the hips, turned, ran, and launched myself into the air, performing a series of twists and flips, landing nicely on my feet.
I landed it! I stuck my hands up, ran back then did a few back handsprings and landed in a bridge. Twisting myself around, I leapt to my feet then did another round of aerial flips before landing and going back to the hip swaying.
Link and Aryll were still cheering, and their cheers seemed louder than the rest of the crowd. I fed off their energy and prepared for the final pass, which happened to be the part I struggled with at practice. I took a running start, launched into the air, free-fell for second before doing a few complicated swirls. Now the hard part. I landed on my feet alright, going straight into a few back handsprings. I landed fine, stumbling a bit, and struck my ending pose, breathing hard and smiling at the crowd.
"Fantastic performance by Zelda Fairchild, earning herself a hearty 9.63!"
Best ever! I shrieked for joy and ran over to hug my teammates. Locked in their sweaty, familiar and tight embraces, I looked up and saw Link smiling broadly at me, and Aryll waving a small CTT flag they must have bought.
"You go Z!" Aryll screamed. I waved up at them.
The meet only went uphill from there. CTT placed first in the Land, scoring the highest. I won five medals, the most you can, scoring first in floor, second in vault bars, and all-around, and fifth in beam. I stood smiling up on the podium up with the rest of my team, drinking in all the cheers and applause. First in the Land. That's an accomplishment.
After posing for a picture for the paper with my team, I escaped to the locker room and pulled my sweatpants back on. Grinning widely, I grabbed at the five medals around my neck and let out a small scream of joy, echoing in the locker rooms. I ran out and saw Link and Aryll waiting for me, both of their faces lit up like the sun.
"Zelda!" Aryll caught me up in a bear hug, the flag digging into my back. "You were so awesome, like a ninja! No, a Sheikah! Yeah!" she cried, her blue eyes sparkling.
Link walked over. "Congrats. How does it feel to be fairest in the land?" he asked, smiling. I smiled back.
"Amazing, actually. But I'm starving and sore. Ooo, come on! I'm going to take to the place I always go after meets," I declared, beckoning them towards the doors.
I waved at an ecstatic Ashei, who was practically having an orgasm out of excitement, and wiggled my fingers at Beth, Karane, and Orielle. They waved back, clutching their bouquets of flowers that their parents had bought for them and giving hugs to their siblings and parents. I felt a small ache in my heart; my father wasn't here to see this...
I shook the feeling away and pushed open the door. I let out a cheer and turned a cartwheel, loving the way my medals clanked around my neck.
"Woo, this is awesome!" I cheered, beaming at Link and Aryll.
"Yeah, we're proud of you!" Aryll said.
I laughed and waved at them frantically. "Hurry up slowpokes! Come on!"
I led them over to one of the many wooden carts that dotted the shoreline. This one was special, though. It was my after-meet tradition.
Hanging from a display rack were an assortment of woven bracelets, some with seashells, some only palm fronds, and some glass beads; glinting in the sun. Next to the bracelets was a blender and a small prep station to cut fruit. A worn sign, beaten down by the salt, sun and wind read: Hyrule's Smoothie and Trinket Cart. It might seem like a weird combination, but trust me, it works.
"One strawberry-banana smoothie please!" I said to the bored looking girl who was running the cart. Her name tag read Peatrice. "What do you guys want?" I asked Link and Aryll.
"Wild berry!" Aryll chirped.
"I'll have... blueberry coconut? Sounds gross. I'll try it!" Link declared.
I giggled and handed the unenthusiastic Peatrice a yellow Rupee. She turned to the blender and handed us our fresh fruit smoothies.
"There, now let's find a bench by the beach," I said, though Link looked a little distracted.
"Hold my drink and find a bench. I'll be there in a minute," he told us. I shrugged an handed an eager Aryll her purple blended drink.
"How about here," I said, plopping down on a bench beside a hibiscus bush sporting vibrant pink flowers.
Aryll, being the little girl she is, instantly plucked one for her hair. I took a long sip of my frozen treat, taking in the taste of ultimate victory. It tastes a lot like strawberries.
"Hey you," Link greeted my, sitting next to me and claiming his smoothie. It was a suspicious gray color. He eyed it warily before taking a long sip. He smacked his lips, looking thoughtful for a moment.
"That's a good smoothie," he finally announced. I smiled.
"What were you doing back there?" I asked, taking another drink. He fidgeted.
"Well, you know, you just won best gymnast in the Land, and you're letting us stay at your house and all, so... Here." he thrust one of the braided bracelets at me. I examined it.
It was beautiful. It was a gorgeous pattern of small seashells and sea glass the color of the sky. Something tugged in my heart, and I smiled up a him.
"Thank you so much. It's beautiful, honestly!" I told him.
"No problem. Let me help you tie it on," Link said, gently tying the rope bracelet around my wrist while Aryll watched with an undecipherable emotion in her eyes.
"Thanks. Gosh, that sea glass is pretty," I said, running my finger over the smooth surface of the blue stone.
"They're like your eyes," Link told me bluntly. I looked at him for a minute, opened my mouth to say something, but closed it and just smiled instead.
Yours too, I thought to myself. But I didn't say it out loud. I just drank my victory smoothie and watched the rolling waves of the ocean.
Six hours later, I sat curled up on the window seat next to Link, looking up at the night sky. His bracelet still hung around my wrist, and I don't think I'll ever take it off. It'll be like one of my friendship bracelets with Midna where we swear to let them fall off naturally. "Till death do us part," we always jokingly swear.
"How long have you done gymnastics?" he asked.
We were playing 'The Question Game' like we were in third grade again.
"Um, nine years. And look how far I've come," I said. "What about you and track? How long have you done that?"
"Off and on for six years. I run when we can afford it, though I've made a deal with the coach because I'm the best runner on the team," he told me. "Hmm... What's your favorite color?" he asked.
"Probably a very light purple. Yours is green, I knew that. What's your favorite food?" I asked.
"Duh. Telma's onion rings," he said. I laughed.
"Of course, because Telma's is law. Ooo! A shooting star, look! I cried, pointing out the window. We watched the small streak of light fly across the sky before disappearing.
"Did you make a wish?" Link asked.
"Mhm. What did you wish for?" I asked.
"A private island called Linkland and a pet penguin," he responded instantly. I rolled my eyes.
"You have bad wishes."
"There is no such thing as a bad wish, Zelda," he said defensively. "What did you wish for, Highness? Something better than me, of course."
"I wished to be happy. I want to pass school, have a good summer with friends, do well in gymnastics, have my father come home, maybe find a boyfriend in all that," I told him.
"A boyfriend, huh? But boys have cooties," he reminded me.
"I'm learning that not all boys do."
There was a long silence.
"All girls have cooties. That's a proven fact," Link told me. I yawned and shoved him a bit.
"You're a jerk. Now I wanna go to bed. The gymnastics is catching up to me," I yawned, jumping off the window seat and sliding into my mess of blankets.
Link nodded and settled himself into his own nest on the window seat. "Alright. Goodnight, gymnastics champ," he said, rolling over so he was facing the window and not me. I smiled.
"Night, Link. See you in the morning."
-;-;-;-
I was running down a dark tunnel, so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I was running and running, from what I don't know. Running and running... And suddenly the tunnel was ablaze, blocking all possible escapes and burning my skin with their heat. I choked on the smoke and sank to the ground, trapped in a perfect ring of fire.
I heard a dark laugh, and I looked up to see a man wearing black robes adorned with turquoise marking similar to the ones imprinted on Midna's arms.
"Poor Princess. Caught once again with no escape," he sneered.
"Who are you?" I coughed out.
"Are names really important, my Princess?" he asked, tipping my chin up to look in his glowing orange eyes, dancing like the flames.
I didn't answer and instead spitting into his face. He growled and dug his nails into my skin, and drops of blood dripped between his fingers.
"Don't mess with me, girl," he hissed. "I can destroy all that's important to you! I've been watching you, I know all!"
Faces flashed through the fire, every single one of them frozen in horror. Their screams echoed through the air. Link. Aryll. Midna. My father. Ashei. Agitha, Beth, Tetra, Orielle... Everyone of them screaming for mercy, begging for my help.
Tears streamed down my face, but I was helpless in his grasp. "Let me go!" I screamed at him, desperately trying to loosen his grip.
He laughed at me. "Fool! You think I would simply let you go? You can burn with the flames, Nayru's favored!" he laughed, holding up my right hand. The Triforce mark glowed gold, burning my hand as the flames surged through my body. I looked up at the man one last time, and he opened his mouth and said-
"ZELDA!"
I woke with a start, my heart thudding in my chest. I was sweating all over, my shirt was pasted to my skin, and I was trembling slightly. I looked around for the source of the noise, and my eyes locked onto Link, thrashing on the window seat, his blanket already in a heap on the floor.
"NO!" he screamed, bolting upright, eyes wide.
He was shaking uncontrollably, and suddenly he burst into tears. For a moment I just stared. This was not the Link I knew. Link did not cry. Ever. But there he was, sobbing like a child.
"Link, it's alright. It was a dream," I whispered, crawling out from my covers and padding over to the window. He shook his head, the tears still flowing.
"You, you were gone!" he choked out thickly. "Dead and they took you away..."
"Shh," I put a tentative hand on his shoulder, not entirely sure what to do. "You're okay. I'm okay. We'll be alright," I murmured.
He stopped shaking, but the tears still came. He stared out the window for a long while, then suddenly it happened. He wrapped his arms around my waist and he was sobbing into my shoulder.
"I want my mom, Zelda!" he choked out.
I stiffened for a moment, then I hugged him back, my arms acting like his shield to the world, protecting him from all danger. I stroked his hair silently, running my fingers through the snarls. It felt like corn silk. And we stayed there a while, crouched in that position, huddled in each other's arms, Link silently crying into my shoulder.
Sorry the gymnastics meet was not entirely accurate for all you gymnasts. I was kind of making it up based on what my friend tells me. After all, I am a writer.