"That.. Oh! I mean you, not that. You were the last thing I expected.." Samantha stuttered, staring at the glaring monarch figure. Princess Zelda still had her hands clenched at her sides, and was leaning forward slightly as if preparing to run. The momentary surprise of seeing the Princess had passed through Samantha, and now she was trying to think of a way not to get royally executed.
"That's absolutely adorable. I've shocked the poor, dirty, lowlife Gerudo girl." Zelda sneered, obviously still extremely angry.
Samantha grimaced, "Lowlife? Sorry, I didn't know anyone who isn't a stupid, pedicured, Princess bit – " Link slammed a hand over her mouth.
"Do not say that last word."
She yanked it away, "She called me a lowlife! I am defending my honor!"
"Defend it without swearing at the person who looks like they want to kill you." he hissed into her ear. Samantha frowned and remained silent, knowing he was right.
Taking on his usual tone, he turned his attention to the Princess.
"Zelda, why were you dressed up as Sheik? I thought you were off somewhere else safe, instead you're running around right where all the danger is? What if Ganondorf had caught you, or mindlessly killed Sheik without knowing it was you?"
Zelda's posture relaxed slightly, "I guess I didn't think about that. I though I could be of help..."
"You did help, we probably wouldn't have gotten this far without Sheik's advise."
With the grace of a royal upbringing, Zelda smiled brilliantly and laced her fingers together behind her back, "You mean it?"
"Of course!" Link said, returning the smile. Samantha couldn't help but notice the genial way in which they talked to each other.
"Oh, that's good! I was worried I had caused you trouble.." she theatrically lifted her hands above her heart, making Samantha inwardly laugh at the gesture.
Link replied back in the same easy tone as if they had known each other their entire lives, but Samantha had zoned out and was currently attempting to find an escape route. She knew the desert better then either of them, and figured that her chances were pretty high. She had been absent from the conversation for a few minutes, until Link annoyingly snapped his fingers in front of her face.
"Samantha?"
"Whuut?" she replied, looking up.
"Nothing." he said, putting an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "You just had a really absent expression. What was going through your head?"
"That.." she started, then caught Zelda's cold stare. "I have to go." She stepped quickly away towards the stairs, thinking she was home free, until Link grabbed her around the waist and spun her to face him.
"Where are you going?" he asked calmly. He had his back to Zelda, hiding the hurt look on his face.
Samantha instantly felt bad, "Just back to the fortress. I'm.. tired. It's getting late."
He looked up at the moon hanging high above them, as if realizing for the first time it was there.
"Oh, it is. Maybe we should head back..."
"No!" Zelda said, stepping forward. "We aren't finished here."
Link looked slowly from Zelda to Samantha, thinking. Samantha frowned, wanting to go home and sleep, now that the thought had entered her mind. Zelda stood glaring relentlessly at her with her arms crossed.
"I'd rather go home." Samantha said, wanting to make the other girl angry.
Zelda sneered at her, "You don't always get what you want."
"No, but apparently you do..." she muttered quietly to herself, and was rewarded by Link raising an eyebrow.
"I think we should take Samantha home, then we can continue our conversation." Link said finally.
"I don't want to walk her home!" Zelda protested.
Samantha sighed deeply, and looked up at Link's stressed face. "I can walk home on my own, you guys can stay and discuss... politics." He frowned at the thought, but nodded.
"Alright." he said, leaning in to give her a kiss before she left. Despite Zelda's burning gaze, she let him. He hugged her tight and whispered, "Try not get yourself killed."
Smiling, she kissed the side of his neck, still very aware of Zelda's presence, "Maybe."
Releasing him, she turned away and began to walk home, not glancing back once. The soft feeling of sand beneath her feet was oddly comforting, and by the time she stepped into her bedroom, she was ready to fall over asleep. Lying alone in the dark, her thoughts traveled over to Link and Zelda, still at the Spirit Temple.
Like a coiled snake, jealousy reared up inside of her. Despite the fact that Link had said he loved her, she couldn't help but think that Zelda out shined her in every way that mattered. She was rich, beautiful, and above that, a princess. Every story that her father had read to her as a bedtime story had brave knights rescuing the pretty princess, and they went of and got married, living happily ever after. Never did the hero end up with the little sidekick.
Angrily, she rolled onto her side and stared out of her window lost in thought. Bunching up the orange blanket around her, she closed her eyes and demanded sleep to come. Just as she was about to drift off, somebody knocked loudly on her little wooden door. Ignoring it, she pulled the blanket over her head, covering her ears. The mystery knocker rapped again, making her pick up her pillow and cover her exposed ear.
"Knock one more time, and I will hurt you!" she yelled at them. Just when she thought they left, the sound of her trap door opening filled the small stone room. Annoyed, she threw the pillow in their general direction, "Go. Away. I am trying to sleep."
She heard a familiar laugh, and was about to turn around and look when they jumped heavily onto her bed and she bounced onto the floor. Landing on her shoulder painfully, she rolled onto her back to look up at Link's face.
"Crap, sorry! I didn't mean for you to fall off!"
"Sure you didn't." she said, sitting up. Looking about, she realized they were the only two people in the room. "Where did you dispose of Zelda?"
"She's waiting outside. I though it would be best if I came in alone."
"You thought right." standing up, she patted him on the head. "Good boy."
Laughing, he moved over and lazed down on the bed, folding his hands beneath his head.
"You seem unhappy." he stated, making himself comfortable as she went over to retrieve her thrown pillow.
Frowning, she looked down at him. "I do?"
"Yes," Link smiled. "You do."
"Thanks?" she said, sitting down on a high backed wooden chair next to her window. Tucking her legs up underneath her, she tossed the pillow at him. He caught it effortlessly, and hugged it.
"You shouldn't be so mean to your pillow."
"My pillow is a man. He can take it."
"Your pillow is a man?" he said, tossing it back with an amused look.
"Yes, you just hugged my pillow, named Greg."
"You made that up."
"Okay, fine, I did."
Sighing, he sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. He leaned his elbows an his knees and looked at her. She looked back at him through lidded eyes, the lack of sleep kicking in.
"I know you don't like Zelda... At all..." he started, but she cut him off.
"Can I sleep now?"
"No." Link said walking over to her. He sat on the floor next to her chair, once again picking up the beaten orange pillow and hugging it.
"I drool on that, you know." she said, wanting to not continue what he was saying before. He was right, she did not like Zelda. Therefore, she did not want to be talking about Zelda. And the fact that Link kept bringing Zelda up was making her want to smack him with the pillow again. She didn't want to be angry with him, but it was hard when he was about to defend someone who wants her dead.
"Oh, I know you drool in your sleep. When you fell in the Fire Temple, you drooled on my shoulder."
Self consciously, she covered her mouth. "Sorry."
He laughed it off, "Don't worry, I thought it was cute. Most girls I know try to hide their unattractive traits, where as you swear and drool to your hearts content."
"Was that a compliment, or an insult? I honestly could not tell."
He just smiled.
Samantha looked over at her small wooden trap door. "You might want to be heading back, Princess Zelda might get angry."
"And you care if she gets angry?"
"Yes," she said, looking back. "If she's angry, my head has a good chance of being cut off."
"I wouldn't let that happen." he said, putting the pillow aside. Leaning towards her, he took one of her hands in both of his. "I know you deeply hate Zelda. I don't know why, but whatever it is, could you put it aside, just for a little while?" He looked pleadingly up at her, his blue eyes meeting her green ones. "I really need your help. I can't do it without you, and I probably wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for you. So, just try to ignore Zelda until we get everything sorted out. Please. For me?"
Sighing, she stood up. "Alright. Fine. But if she starts something with me, I swear all hell will rain lose. I've never been known for not having a temper."
Standing up also, Link grabbed her and hugged her tightly, "And that's why I love you, and not Zelda." Smiling, he kissed her on the cheek.
"Let's go, before she gets any ideas to burn down my home instead of knocking."
"She wouldn't do that.." he started, but trailed off.
Laughing, she took his hand and dragged him outside. Zelda stood with her arms crossed and a stony expression off by the ladder leading down to the ground. When she saw them, she made a disapproving glare at their grasped hands, and smoothed down her dress.
"About time." she grumbled as they drew close.
"Sorry." Link said, gesturing towards the ladder. "Ladies first."
Briskly, Zelda climbed down the ladder, followed by Samantha and finally Link. They walked the length of the Gerudo territory in silence, and only when they came upon Hyrule Field did Samantha say anything.
"So.. What are we doing, exactly?"
Zelda made a scoffing noise, and turned to her, "Didn't Link tell you?" she looked over at him, "You were in there long enough, I though you were explaining it."
"Never came up." he said, smirking.
Rolling her eyes, Zelda glared at them each in turn. "What were you even doing? Killing our precious time?"
Annoyed, Samantha smiled brightly at Zelda, "No. We were making babies."
The reaction was instant. Zelda stopped dead in her tracks and shrieked "WHAT?" into Links surprised face. Link just stood there frozen, a blush slowly creeping onto his face. Samantha dropped his hand and hugged her sides, doubling over in hysterical laughter.
"Oh god, your face!" She managed to get out before Zelda swooped down on her in a fiery rage.
"Why in the goddesses names do you continue to anger me?" she hissed into Samantha's ear. Stopping her laughter, she turned to meet the princess's cold blue glare. "You're just a Gerudo. Nothing to this land. Me, on the other hand, am the Princess of this land you think is such a big joke. You prance around like your a big hero, when its your own father who is torturing and murdering these innocent people. You you take pride in what he is doing? Are you proud of him?" Samantha stood up shocked and angry, as Zelda continued, to quietly for Link to hear. "I wish you would just go join him, because you're doing nothing but case me more problems. And, despite being so sweet an innocent and adorable, you're making Link's life just that much harder. We would all be better off if you just went away and didn't come back. You're nothing but trouble, and I'm not going to stand around while you walk allover Link. Do you really think he would just simply settle for you? He's just using you and your power until this is all over." Breathing heavy, she stood tall and menacing. "Do you really want to start a war with one of the Hyrule's royals? Because if you do, I will crush you and we will all be better off."
Stunned silence flowed over Samantha as she looked into Zelda's face. Link had regained himself and had come over to them, completely oblivious to what had happened. For once, Samantha had no sharp comeback or rude joke. The princess stood silently staring at her, waiting for her to say something. Link's face was falling into a frown when he saw the look on Samantha's stunned face, and Zelda's expressionless one.
With cold politeness, Samantha took a deep breath. "Sorry for bothering you then, Your Highness." And with those last words, she walked off. Walking away was the hardest part. She wanted to turn around and use every foul word she knew on Princess Zelda just to see how she would hold herself after a good old fashioned slandering. But yet she didn't and waled away with dignity.
Link's voice could be heard yelling behind her, but she didn't pick out the individual words. She just kept on walking, determined to not break down and cry, or run, or scream, or all three mixed together in a horrible show.
Her mind was running a mile a minute, and her feet carried her along without thought. She didn't realize where she was until the temperature skyrocketed around her as she stood at the edge of a giant pit of lava. It bubbled and hissed below her menacingly. A fiery guardian to the black castle floating above it. Moving swiftly over the crumbling black tone bridge, she walked into the interior.
A thick red carpet greeted her and she followed it up a spiraling black staircase. Haunting music could be heard at the top of the stairs, where her father kept his ancient, grand, and golden organ – one of his most prized possessions. The door to the main chamber where the organ rested was blocked off by a giant door. The music was deafening loud by then, and a coil of fear was twisting around her chest, making breathing a challenge. The door flew open at her touch, and she walked into the room.
Her father sat with his back to her, a giant even when sitting. A deep red cloak was draped over his shoulders, and trailed lightly on the floor behind him. Samantha was thinking of what to say when the music cut off suddenly, and the room was thrown into a crushing and unsettling silence.
Ganondorf stood up gracefully, despite his height and build, and turned to face his small and trembling daughter. His footsteps were thunderously loud in the silent room as he walked over to her, expressionless. Bracing herself for the worst of his wrath, Samantha made herself stand tall and look him in the face. Her father had always hated cowardice.
The dark king reached for his daughter, and drew her into a tight hug with a booming laugh.
"You have gone above and beyond!" Ganondorf said, putting her back down on her feet.
"I... I have?" She stammered out, completely confused.
"Yes!" he roared, smiling down at her proudly. "Because of you, Princess Zelda and the Hero of Time are practically running into my hands under the false pretense of saving you! I had lost all hope of finding her, and now my own daughter is delivering them both to me!" He let out a deep chorus of laughter, and looked back down at her, still full of pride and triumph. "I've never been more proud of you, my daughter."
