Twelve

Freedom and Servitude

Link dove into the pond in one swift, practiced move. It felt a little odd, since he was no longer a Zora, but he could still swim well enough. And the water wasn't deep, he touched down and stood, the water only coming just past his waist. He ran his fingers through his wet hair, wringing water from it, and laughed in pure delight. It was good to be himself again.

Vaati, standing on the bank and removing the last of his clothes before getting in, heard Link's laugh and looked up. The scene he saw made him catch his breath. The sun was shining down brightly on the pond, making the surface shimmer with light. That light haloed around Link as well, turning his bright hair to even brighter gold and warming the deep, cool blue of his eyes. His smile was warm as well, unhindered by the darkness in his past. He finished combing his fingers through his hair and flicked his hands, sending sparkling water droplets flying all around him. Water ran down his body too, the drops shimmering over his fair skin.

Vaati felt his cheeks heating. He'd been too caught up in his magic to think of anything else recently, but now he found those old thoughts about Link running through his mind. He shoved them aside yet again, reminding himself that Link was still a child. He didn't look like a child, though, standing there in the sunlight, his broad-shouldered, well-muscled torso rising out of the water. He was only a little bit shorter than Vaati now, and probably weighed more than the slender mage did.

Vaati swallowed, his blush increasing, and realized that he should probably get into the water quickly, before he embarrassed himself. He dropped the trousers he'd been holding while he stared and swiftly waded out into the water.

Link turned and grinned at him, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Vaati had just enough time to wonder why Link looked so gleeful, before Link splashed him, drenching him completely.

Vaati sputtered for a moment. "Why you little..."

Link laughed.

A sudden gleam flickered in Vaati's eyes and he smiled evilly at Link. "Be careful what you start."

A wave suddenly washed over Link from behind, drenching him even more thoroughly, and actually knocking him down. He came back to his feet, looking startled. Cheater! No fair using magic!

Vaati only laughed. "Says the one who ambushed me when I wasn't expecting it!"

Link just stuck out his tongue.

Vaati shook his head. "I should drench you again. But really we should scrub ourselves, and get the washing done. There's a lot to do today."

They finished the washing, and Vaati didn't leave Link to do the rest of the weekly chores by himself this time. He stayed and helped until everything was finished, even assisting with the wood chopping.

They finished well before sundown, and went inside together. "I suppose I could work a bit on my spells," said Vaati, looking around.

Link nodded, and went to pick up a book. It had been good to spend a day with Vaati. He had missed their time together. He seated himself out of the way and began to read. He could "sound out" most words silently now, and only stumbled when he got a particularly difficult one, or one he'd never heard before. Vaati's books were mostly rather incomprehensible, but there were a few that Link enjoyed, especially the history books. Those were like stories. They still occasionally had words he didn't know in them, though. He'd had to skip over them, when Vaati was too busy for him, which was part of why he'd abandoned reading for so long. Tonight, though, when he found a word he didn't know, he looked up, and managed to catch Vaati's eye. Can you tell me what a word means?

"Probably." Vaati walked over and sat down next to Link, leaning close to peer at the book. Link put his finger under the word.

"Ah. 'Indigenous.' It means the people who first lived in a place, before anyone else came there."

Thanks.

"You're welcome," said Vaati. Link expected him to get up again, but instead he remained sitting there, close enough to touch. Link dared to lean against him a little bit, feeling the warmth of Vaati's body against his side.

"You know," Vaati said, "You don't really need to wear that collar anymore."

Link looked over at him curiously. Why not?

"Because it was marked with shorthand for the exact spell I used on the mask you tested. But there's no need for me to know that anymore, just like I am not making tiny masks for rats anymore. So the collar doesn't have any particular meaning."

Link fingered it gently, then shook his head. It does have meaning, he signed. I took it to mean that I was your servant, and serving you has given me a purpose, which I badly need. It still means that.

Vaati considered that, then nodded slowly. "I suppose you are still my servant, yes. I sometimes think that you might do better elsewhere, though. You are one of the most skilled fighters I've ever seen, and you're not stupid. You could have any number of jobs, accomplish any number of things." He hesitated, then added, "If you want to go, I won't keep you here. I don't actually own you, you know."

Link shook his head. I would rather stay.

"You're certain?"

Link nodded firmly. Yes.

"Well... I suppose I won't argue. And speaking of your usefulness, I'm thinking of taking another trip to Samasa. Now that I'm done with transformation magic, there are a few other spells I want more information about." He flashed Link a smile. "Curses among them. I still want to know the exact nature of yours. It's some kind of binding, I know that much."

Link looked away from him. He avoided thinking, or talking, about exactly what Ganondorf had done to him. Those memories were the most painful, for they encapsulated the very worst of his failure. He had not only not defeated Ganondorf, he had aided him in his quest for power by bringing the third piece of the Triforce to him, enabling him to gain ultimate power. That thought was a bitter one, and thus one he avoided whenever possible.

Vaati saw the sudden darkness on Link's face. "I'm sorry," he said. "Let's read together a bit. I can help you with any more words you don't know. How does that sound?"

That sounds very good, signed Link, the smile, that warm, captivating smile that was much the same in any form, returning to his face.

Vaati smiled too, and slid his arm around Link's waist as they leaned together over the book. He knew he probably shouldn't, he should probably keep his distance. But surely there was no harm in merely sitting close together. The fact that Link's closeness made his heart beat a little bit faster was merely something to be enjoyed, it changed nothing. Link had said he wanted to be Vaati's servant. That was the sum total of their relationship. But no matter how much he told himself that, there was still a small part of him that couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have Link serve him in a very different way.