Chapter 11
Zelda sat beside Link as he lay down on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling pensively. Occasionally she would try to think of something to say, since the silence was deafening, but he seemed to be somewhere far off, as it was.
He glanced out the window at the darkness of the sky, illuminated by the stars and the candle on the window sill.
"Time flies," he muttered, nodding curtly as he sat up against the headboard of the bed.
She smiled, turning to face him. "It certainly does," she agreed, clasping her hands together. Zelda scooted over to him, the nightgown cascading down her legs like a silk waterfall.
Link smiled warmly when he felt her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her, closing his eyes.
At some point, she must have closed her eyes, too, because when he stirred awake a few minutes later, she had dozed off, herself.
It wasn't until a knock on the door awoke her after a while, and Link rubbed his eyes tiredly, clearing his throat.
"Who is it?"
"May I come in?"
"Sure thing..."
A guard opened the door enough to poke his head in. "Just making my rounds, Sir Link and Your Majesty. I presume that you two are both alright?"
Zelda nodded, still sleepy as she yawned into her hand. "We're doing well. Thank you for your duty..."
He nodded curtly. "It's all in a day's work. I'll leave you two, then; if you need anything at all, I'll be just down the corridor..."
With that, the guard left, and the hero and his queen were left alone once more.
She sat up taller for a moment, and he lied down on his back, stretching his arms above his head.
"It's not incredibly late, yet..." he remarked, rubbing his cold nose.
Zelda nodded, looking over at him with bright eyes. "You aren't tired, just yet?"
He shook his head as she lied down beside him, turned towards him. Link turned onto his side to look at her, grinning as he brushed her hair back.
"What should we talk about, then?" she asked, her voice as soft as the pillows beneath their heads.
He shrugged, pulling the blanket over her shoulder. "I don't know..." After a moment, he continued. "...You don't feel sick anymore, do you...?"
Zelda shook her head. "Not anymore..." She smiled sweetly, snuggled up in the blankets. "...Thanks to you."
The young man chuckled humbly, twirling her hair around his finger. "Promise me that you won't scare me like that again, okay?"
She lowered her gaze. "You're supposed to be the brave one..."
He frowned slightly. "...Everyone has a breaking point," he answered, resting his hand on her cheek. "You really scared me, Zelda..."
The queen bit her lip. "I'm sorry that you had to feel that way..." she tried to comfort him, her eyes soft. "The thing that hurt the most for me was seeing you and Impa so..."
She sighed, and he gently rubbed some heat back into her shoulder.
"It's okay, Zelda," he tried to assure her, kissing her on the cheek. "We're all okay, now... Besides, you have things to worry about beside that, now..."
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
He grinned. "We have a wedding to plan, don't we?"
A giddy smile immediately grew on her lips, and she laughed sheepishly. "...I..." Zelda pursed her lips, still beaming at him. "It's hard to believe, isn't it?"
He chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, definitely... You're my... fiancée."
"When do you think that we should tell everyone?"
He shrugged. "I mean... besides us, four people already know, so we might not have much of a choice but to let it out soon..."
Zelda nodded slightly. "...How do we tell Impa?" she asked.
He furrowed his brow. "We just... have to tell her outright. No point in beating around the bush..."
The young queen agreed, thinking back to the night when Impa was so sure that Zelda wouldn't see the light of day.
Then, as Zelda lie in bed, paralyzed by her own pain, Impa went on about how she needed her to make it to dawn. Just until the medicine arrived, she said... And then she got onto talking about how great of a guy Link was for going out in the dead of night to a completely different kingdom in order to get the medicine, and for disregarding everything else in order to help Zelda...
Impa knew very well that Link was the glue holding the pieces together, and that there was no one who was better for Zelda than he was. She always knew that. But that night... that was when she said that she wouldn't mind the two of them getting married. And of the few things that Zelda remembered from the haze of her bedridden state, that was what really stuck with her.
But for all she knew, that was nothing more than a desperate plea to keep Zelda alive just a bit longer.
So the young woman stood up from her bed, pondering Impa's words as she inched her way over to the couple of candles on Link's dresser that glowed through the night air. For a moment, she ceased her thoughts when she picked up Link's hat from where it lie on the floor beside the dresser, dusting it off.
He grinned. "What, you're stealing my clothes, now?"
She laughed, pulling the hat onto her head. "Why not?"
Link considered this briefly. "...Would it be conceded of me to say that you look particularly attractive with that hat on?"
She giggled, shaking her head. "Certainly not... say, didn't we talk about this, before...?"
"On my birthday," he replied, nodding. He smirked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I remember it ending a bit differently, though..."
She cocked her head. "What happened...?"
"Oh, you know... something along the lines of me saying you look good in everything, and you asking if you looked good in nothing, too..."
Her face turned beet red as he chuckled, and she pursed her lips, pulling the hat off.
"I-I completely forgot..." she stammered, her cheeks hot as she set the hat on the dresser. "You remembered that...?"
He huffed out, leaning back onto the bed. "Remember?" Link snorted. "If I hadn't lost my senses due to being black-out drunk at the time, I may have climaxed before you could even pull me into the back room."
She felt an embarrassed squeak building in the back of her throat at his words, and she quickly blew out the candles before he could see her blush. Zelda meekly walked over to the bed, and she muttered something to him, apologizing for her behavior that night.
"Don't apologize for it," he muttered, grinning. "Hearing you talk like that was a real treat..."
"You think so...?" she asked, feeling as if her face might catch fire.
Link chuckled. "Yeah. It was... unexpected. For you, at least. You're always so cute and gentle with everyone that I didn't realize you were capable of talking dirty..."
"I-I wasn't myself!" she spoke up defensively.
"Don't worry about it," he assured her, laughing as she sat on the bed beside him. She frowned, still embarrassed as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the neck. "It's not a bad thing..."
Zelda twiddled her thumbs, still unsure.
Softly, he chuckled, shaking his head as he grabbed onto her hand. "I won't mention it again, alright?"
He wrapped his arms around her, and she rested her head against his chest.
It was in his arms where she felt most comfortable, of course, so she was immediately calmed down. She couldn't help but think back to their time before she returned to the castle to fulfill her duties as queen... she always felt secure, then, even in times of doubt. Why couldn't she always feel as she did when he held her?
"...Link?" she asked, her voice small, as if she were a child being scolded by a grown-up.
He looked down at her. "What is it?"
"...Have you... ever had a wish that you knew couldn't come true... but you wished for it, anyway?"
Link thought to himself, his eyes calm as the sea after a storm. "I... I'm sure that I have. Why?"
She shook her head. "No reason..."
"No, really..." he stroked her hair, his voice soothing. "What's on your mind?"
The young queen rested her head to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "...I wish that... things could be like they were before..."
The hero pulled her closer. "Before when?"
Zelda closed her eyes. "Before..." she hesitated, tensing up. Something in her throat kept her from going on, and she shook her head.
"What's wrong, Zelda?"
"It's not important," she insisted, giving a small sort of sigh. "I-It's... irresponsible of me, to even think of it..."
"You know that I'd never judge you," he reminded her, wrapping a blanket around the two of them.
She looked at the stars outside, her face blank. "I wish that we could be... like we were before I returned to the castle."
He frowned. "You're not happy, here?"
"I'm happy now," she replied, holding onto him. "I'm happy when I'm with you... but most nights we're too exhausted to talk, like this. And in the morning I go back to work, and you go back to Kakariko... and it continues. We only really talk on off-days, and at dinner time..."
"I'm sorry," he apologized, resting his chin on top of her head. "If you want me to take time off from going to Kakariko, then I will. It's no big deal, Zelda..."
"You don't have to do anything," she said to him firmly.
"Well... maybe I want to," he answered, kissing her on the head. "I mean... we're engaged, now, right? We should spend more time together..."
"...Are you sure that you...?"
Before she could finish, he craned his neck, kissing her on the cheek.
Zelda smiled, turning her head and returning the gesture as he held onto her hand. She wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him towards her as she fell onto her back, her lips still on his. He rested his weight on his forearms, grinning as she held onto him.
Link looked down at her, smiling as he pulled away.
She furrowed her brow. "...W-What is it?"
"Nothing..." he replied, shaking his head. He chuckled. "But you're so beautiful already... I don't know if I could handle seeing you in a wedding dress."
She cocked her head. "Well, I SUPPOSE I could simply wear my regular clothes, but it might come off as being a bit too casual..."
After a moment, she smiled, and he rolled his eyes.
"You know, you could just take the compliment..."
"But that takes the fun out of it."
Link chuckled, sitting up beside her. "Right. Well, just don't get mad if I pass out in the aisle..."
Zelda giggled, nudging him in the arm. "Stop..."
"What?" he questioned, smirking. "All of the sudden you can't take a compliment?"
She let out a squeak when his hands went to her abdomen, tickling her mercilessly.
"S-Stop!" she laughed, trying to pull away.
He threw an arm around her waist, holding her in place as he continued on, and she continued to laugh loudly.
She tried to squirm away, only to realize that it was useless. Zelda lightly glided her fingers across the back of the neck, and he flinched, quickly letting go of her.
"Ah!" he cried, rubbing his neck. "Don't!"
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to tickle you back?" she asked, grinning as he felt the chills all over his skin.
"I'm more sensitive than you think," he responded matter-of-factly.
"What?" she asked sarcastically, leaning in closer. "The big brother of Ordon Village never got a taste of his own medicine?"
Before he could stop her, she leapt onto him, tickling his sides as he laughed, trying to push her arms away.
"I get it!" he exclaimed, grinning as he grabbed onto her arm. "No more! Please!"
"Only on the condition that you call a truce," she told him, her hair falling over her shoulders and onto his chest as he leaned up against the pillows.
"O-Okay!" he implored, finally able to grab both of her arms and keep them still. "It's a truce! I promise!"
She smiled at him, giggling as she leaned down, kissing him on the nose. "Good."
He wrinkled his nose. "You have a real knack for manipulation. It's no wonder why you're a politician, you know."
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that... I get along with my people, rather than manipulating them. You, on the other hand..." She gave him a serious sort of look. "Well, it's easy to manipulate the weak..."
"What are you trying to say?" he asked, smirking. "I only gave in to humor you..."
"Right," she nodded, beaming at him. "You go on believing that..."
"A truce can always be revoked, just so you know," he added threateningly.
"Please don't," she remarked quickly, pulling the blanket over herself for protection. "Let's keep the peace."
"We'll see about that..."
She tightened the blanket, and he smirked. Lightly, he rubbed her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll stop."
"Thank goodness..."
For a moment, he bit his tongue. "...You think Anton'll try to have me thrown in a dungeon, somewhere?"
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about Prince Anton... this is my kingdom, and as long as you're here, he has no power over your life."
"...But technically, you do."
"I'm not bent on ruining lives, like him. It's ridiculous, the things he does..."
He shrugged. "Don't worry about him... he's not going to bother us, anymore. Besides, who cares what he does? It's not like telling everyone about our engagement will ruin everything... we're going to say it, anyway, after all..."
She nodded. "You're right..." The young woman thought to herself for a moment. "...I wonder what your fangirls will think..."
He frowned slightly. "You mean Hanna, Misha, and Kili?"
Zelda smiled. "Those are their names? The girls in Castle Town?"
"Yeah..." He scratched his head. "I... don't know how they'll take it, really. They really seem to like you... so I don't think it'll be a problem with them."
"They're sweet girls," she agreed, nodding. "I'm sure they'll understand..."
"When will the wedding be?"
Zelda shrugged, resting her head against his shoulder. "I don't know..." she yawned. "I'm sure that when Impa finds out, she'll want to make it a big event, though..."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I don't care if it's fancy or not... I'll be happy just to be able to see you..."
She smiled. "We can invite your family..."
He paused for a moment, wondering if she'd used that term on purpose. Of course he knew what she meant...
Not that it mattered, though; the villagers of Ordon, undeniably, were family to Link.
"Who's your Maid of Honor going to be?" he asked, clearing his throat.
"I don't know..." she admitted. "I'm sure Beth could be the flower girl, though..."
"She'd be miserable, otherwise. Colin can be the ring-bearer, though... you know, since Talo would probably... lose the rings."
Zelda giggled, lying down on her back. "It'll be wonderful, I'm sure..."
He agreed, lying down beside her. Thoughtfully, he looked up at the dark ceiling, smiling to himself.
Quietly, she rested her hands on her abdomen, the starlight illuminating her eyes. The grin faded from her face as she gave a blank, pensive sort of gaze.
"I... never thought that I'd marry someone I loved," she admitted, knitting her hands together.
Link was silent, looking over at her.
She continued on. "It's just that... none of the princes that tried to gain my affection really cared about me. They acted like it, but any sensible person could easily tell that it was nothing but a facade..."
She let out a small sigh. "...So it was difficult to even pretend that I cared any more than they did... I figured that I'd just give in one day, since I didn't have a choice but to carry on the bloodline, as it is..."
"You don't have to worry about them, anymore," he assured her optimistically, wrapping an arm around her waist and pecking her on the cheek. "You know that I love you so much..."
Zelda nodded, smiling. "I know... and I love you, too..."
As they lay there, silently tangled in each other's arms, they felt something that neither of them really felt in a while; more than anything, they were content to be where they were. It was one thing to be glad, which they were, but the state of being content gave off a certain feeling of an undeniable comfort and warmth, and neither of them could ask for more.
And neither of them did.