Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own any of the characters of their respective franchises; Metroid and Legend of Zelda belongs to Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo, while Soul Calibur belongs to Namco Bandai. GrimGrave does not make money for writing fiction.
I know, shame on me for having you wait like this. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it! ;3
A Hylian's Harem
Chapter 12
How to Attract a Hylian
"So where are we heading to now?"
"I was thinking of showing another landmark of Hyrule, Lake Hylia." Zelda's smile was forced when she turned towards Link, lest her anxiety would be exposed. It had only been about ten to fifteen minutes since they had left Lon Lon Ranch by now, but that short amount of time was sufficient for a lot of animosity to build up. The tension between the women was as high as the sky.
They had been throwing glares at the poor (?) woman since she got her cheek kissed by Link. None of them had as much uttered a word unless spoken to, and even then it was mostly short replies.
"Sounds good to me." Link chuckled. "Is everything alright back there?"
"Just fine…" Aveil sighed happily though the others remained furious in silence. She was almost oblivious to the glares she had been receiving the entire trip.
:::
Veran's flame-coloured matched her heated glare as she eyed the Gerudo over. ´Tch. Look at her. The slip of a girl is acting like she doesn't have a care in the world by just getting kissed on the cheek… What is she, a baby?´
´… Did it feel that good…? Tch. Consider yourself fresh out of luck, girl. I could have a tower built to my liking, catching a Hero's interest won't even be a challenge.´
A dark smile suddenly crept over the sorceress' lips, a plot hatching in her mind. ´That's right… I had a tower built to my liking thanks to what I do best. Why hasn't that thought come to me before? Oh, when the time is right… It's going to be very fun.´
The urge to suddenly laugh was quickly stifled, forcing the sorceress to remain quiet; she wouldn't want to let the others in on one of her most fearsome abilities just yet, let alone suspect her to be up to something. She would indeed wait till the time was right…
Meanwhile Samus pondered the situation herself. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't envious of Aveil, but she had refused to participate in that horse race. Something she regretted completely.
Not that she already had an idea of her own.
´Looks like we're heading back to my landing site. So I basically crash-landed right into a landmark huh? Perfect.´ She sighed.
´Though it was just in the water… And if anything it's my ship that's been broken down and needs to be repaired- wait.´ Her azure eyes eyed the shield-carrying back of Link. ´My ship… I could use my ship as an advantage for… for Link and I.´
She eyed Link over again, watching him with an intensive look in her eyes. Her heart throbbed at the sight of him, his smiles from his profile setting her butterflies off in flight. ´It's worth a shot.´
:::
"It's strange…" Aveil commented. "Despite that Lake Hylia is so close to our borders, this is my first time actually visiting it."
The vast, shimmering blue lake glistened in the sunlight, a testament of natural beauty. The gathered group watched it with an awe as the faint ripples caused by the breeze had the surface sparkle even more like petite diamonds. The air was fresh and the breeze was cooling, despite the numerous hotheads that hid behind masks that hid their true emotions.
Link chuckled. "You've been missing something then. The lake is a lot more than meets the eye."
"It really is beautiful." Sophitia exclaimed. "Of what I've seen of your home-world so far Link, I can only say as much. It's not that different from Greece, yet it is so vastly different at the same time. And might I add that the water looks very inviting."
"Well the weather is just perfect for taking a swim, but-"
"I concur!" The entourage turned towards the pale-haired woman, whose lips had formed a wicked smile. "The water of this lake and the warm sun is very inviting for a swim! Surely we got the time to spare, don't we princess?"
Ivy's eyes met Zelda's pleadingly for approval, but the princess merely dismissed the look with a smile and gentle shake of her head.
"I agree that it sounds like a fun activity, but we don't have any swimsuits with us at the moment. But if the majority insists, we could head back to the castle and-"
Ivy laughed. "We're mostly women here Your Highness. It's not like we don't know what a woman's body looks like." Her gaze turned towards an already blushing, green-garbed Hero. "As for our Hero here, I think that being the gentleman that he is he won't stare or try anything…"
´Not even I believe that… But I think it's time that I stepped up my game, and what better way than to have him properly witness my appeal?´
"M-Miss Valentine! Surely you jest!" The princess' expression was one of pure bafflement, her eyes uncharacteristically wide. "We're not going to swim in the nude!"
She cringed on the inside. "I suppose that was a bit brash of me. But I still support the idea of taking a dip in the lake."
Despite the crossed expression Zelda sported, Impa leant down to her eye-level and met her gaze. "I could head back towards the castle to fetch them some regular swim attire, Your Highness. It'll be quicker if it's just me."
Zelda sighed. To be honest, she too enjoyed the thought of swimming outdoors on such a good day. "Fair enough. I admit that the weather is too good to pass up."
"I won't be long then." With a flash of the infamous deku nut, the elder Sheikah was gone without a trace, leaving everyone except Sheik, Link and Zelda wondering. A story to tell some other time, for the women was soon engrossed with the lake and the topic of swimming.
At least for a while, till Sophitia garnered the attention. "What's that … object over there? Is it a building…?"
"That's my means of transportation." The bounty hunter said as she walked past the Grecian warrior. "A mobile, aerial vehicle made of advanced technology to keep it short."
"That thing can fly…?"
"Yes. Though not in its current state, as it is in need of repairs."
Ivy scoffed. "I find it difficult to believe that an object of that size can lift from the ground, but stranger things have happened…"
"It may seem weird to you," the pale-haired woman turned towards Link. "but I've seen it fly myself. Just take our words for it."
::::
With the preoccupation of the subject regarding Samus' spaceship going on about, the group relocated to the middle island for closer inspection – whilst Samus boarded the ship along with Link in tow.
She had wanted to show him around on the inside of her ship, a question Link had inquired about before but never had had the opportunity for. With that in mind, the bounty hunter told him now was a good time, despite the "in-need-of-repair" state of the ship.
"It'll be quick, but at least I can show you how it was designed." Samus said rather casually as the circular platform on the gunship's surface lowered itself down, allowing Samus and Link entrance.
She could've sworn the others hissed and whispered obscenities at her as the two of them disappeared into the gunship. It amused her a bit; she couldn't help that she was a quick thinker.
Link took a quick look around at the first sight of the gunship's interior, azure eyes marvelled at the foreign and advanced technology that made up the inside, leaving him gazing with a mouth agape.
Samus couldn't help but to chuckle warmly at him, his expression being similar to a child who had received a present. "This is but the storage area, which also serves as the ship's main "hall". Come, I'll show you the cockpit."
It was hard to believe Link's silly expression could get even more so, but he stared at the control panel in awe. "I've always thought some of the items and architecture I've come across over the years to have been advanced, but this…"
"- is on a whole new level?" Samus smiled at him. "Your world may be more advanced that what one would expect, but bear in mind that this is from a whole different world, far beyond the stars. I'm glad that it has you positively impressed though." She sauntered over to him, an arm slung around his shoulders.
She felt him tense for but a second. "Say, Link…" And she herself was suddenly feeling turbulent, unfocused; her eyes were close to his, both pairs being that of an ocean shade that reflected each other. "…Would you care to join me sometime… To the stars I mean."
"You're asking me if I want to see what your territory usually looks like?" Link sported a small grin, but his eyes remained rather hazy – they too were unfocused, wavering just like the bounty hunter's in their close proximity that they shared. His grin slowly vanished and their eyes kept returning to the point where they just looked straight at one another.
How was it possible that it was so hot in there when there was no power to keep the heaters running?
"…Yes. I am. It gets lonely from time to time… Something I'm sure you can relate to." She cleared her clenching throat, the words coming out sounding hazy and raspy.
There was no mistake; she – the most appraised and renowned bounty hunter in the whole galaxy – was blushing.
And so was he.
"Samus…"
With her arm around his shoulders, she turned Link, facing her. This moment, right here and now, felt more intense than any battle she had fought before; Ridley and Mother Brain be damned, and they could take the whole legion of space pirates with them! This moment had the bounty hunter's heart racing more than any adrenaline-fuelling adventure had ever done, combined.
"…Link… I…"
Unfamiliar with love, and all its aspects, Samus merely placed her other hand on Link's hip; a move they both felt awkward about. Despite it, they managed to maintain the eye-contact they had, their faces slowly closing the distance as Samus leaned forward to her green-garbed affection…
"Samus! Link!"
The two jerked back like jolts of lightning, eyes wide as saucers when Zelda shouted at them from the outside. "Impa has returned with the swimming attire! Come on out!"
Neither said a word. And neither even looked at each other at that moment until they stepped onto the circular platform that lead them to the gunship's surface.
It was just painfully awkward.
'Samus… What's going on…?'
:::::
The bounty hunter didn't need to look to know that most eyes were on her – glares, suspicious stares and scrutinizing glances silently interrogated her as the women changed into their swim attires.
These consisted mostly of simple dark-blue one-piece suits of equally simple design, showing only off as much cleavage that was possible due to bust-size, whereas Impa's, Sheik's and Zelda's were two-piece suits of black, white and golden respectively.
Link changed inside the gunship, but soon enough the sound of the hull opening up and revealing the toned physique of a veteran adventurer, a Hero clad in ordinary black swim trunks.
As he stepped down from the gunship's mirror-like surface, even Zelda had to admit that Link looked, for the lack of a better term, handsome. Who would've thought that he had such a slim, but toned body beneath the kokiri garb?
Samus eyed Link slowly up and down. ´…Was any cameras on board functional?´
A sharp whistle emitted from the group. "Looking good there, champ."
Although the others agreed, they still glared at the Gerudo woman. But who could blame her? She had only voiced what everyone else was thinking after all.
"I have to agree with the redhead." Ivy sported a sly smile. "That's an impressive body if I dare say so myself."
The Hero felt his face regain its fluster, his cheeks tainted red with the embarrassment that ensued when suddenly all eyes were on him, silently praising his appearance whilst simultaneously voicing compliments. It wasn't like he was used to these kind of situations – normally there would be enemies swarming him, in which those situations he knew what to do.
Now it was only embarrassing, if not a tad bit befuddling.
A nervous, bashful laughter escaped his throat. "Ah… Thank you… I try and squeeze in some extra training whenever I've got the time for it. And over time, it paid off…"
"Always the modest one." Ivy said with a warm smile. "Though, it's not a bad thing. But you should learn to accept a compliment."
Link averted his eyes with a smile. "I guess… Thank you."
He looked back at the group; their stares, their smiles, it all had him feeling cornered! He felt like a lamb sent to the slaughter with all this attention – why was he even the centre of it? They were all friends (sort of) right? Link couldn't wrap his head around it.
What's more was the fact that their swim suits did a poor job covering the women's abundant, voluptuous curves, even less the assets. Curvy, well-shaped legs and toned midriffs were exposed to the sun as well, further enticing Link to gander.
He turned to face the lake behind him, his face still reddened. "S-so how about that swim then?"
:::::
The so called "fun" outdoor activity of swimming had proved to be anything but fun. That is, if you viewed it from Zelda's perspective.
She was practically swimming by herself, floating in the weak currents of the tranquil lake like a leaf – whereas everyone else, including her Sheikah attendants, were "playing" just some feet away with Link in what seemed to be a cry for attention.
It was almost sickening.
Scooped up water were hurled amongst the women, dazzling radiantly in the sunlight until they splashed against the face of a random target. A shriek followed, and then water was splashed back – that's how it went.
But what kept occurring was that each woman tried to get close to the Hero – be it to playfully tickle him or just rub his noggin, or anything else- and they were persistent.
Link spat out the fresh water, a result of someone soaking his head with a splash. "Okay… Someone is going to pay for that!" He said with a laughter that was joined in by the others till he felt an arm snake around his waist, a hand lingering too long at his toned abdomen, pulling him close. He yelped, a sudden contact of a swim suit pushing up against his broad back-
…Something soft.
"I do apologize." A voice said huskily near his now reddened shell of an ear. "I just couldn't help myself…"
Veran.
Her other hand rested now on his shoulder, literally. "You're not mad at me, are you?"
Link felt his whole body stiffened at the contact, the sensation; Veran was pressing up against him from behind as her arms kept him in place, feeling him up! "I-It's alright Veran! No need to-"
"Get away from Link!" Another voice suddenly called out, a dash of foam and waves that suddenly pushed the two apart and revealed a certain blonde warrior pulling Link towards her instead.
"You could've weighed him down below the water level if you kept clinging onto him like that! Honestly…" Green orbs locked onto cerulean ones, a hand placed reassuringly on the Hero's arm. "Are you alright Link?"
"Yes I'm fine Sophitia… I appreciate your concern, but I wasn't in any actual danger…"
"Are you certain? You looked a bit uncomfortable."
Though that was indeed partly true, Link couldn't just say that out loud, nor could he claim that he had enjoyed it at some level – not, again, out loud. Hormones are a tricky thing…
"It wasn't that bad Sophitia, but… again, I appreciate your concern." He smiled warmly at her, earning a similar smile in return. "…You can let go of my arm now."
The blonde Grecian's face instantly flushed scarlet. "Y-yes! I'm sorry…"
Link's eyes narrowed and changed his gaze to a cautious expression. His friends were starting to behave differently, that much was clear. It was those little things that were starting to catch up to him now, when he actually thought about it. Their behaviour when they had first met, the sudden battle that erupted the other day and the prolonged stares as well as touches; there was something behind all of that-
-and Link's train of thought was wrecked as soon as he felt someone else this time throw herself at him, tackling him forward along the ripples of the water's surface and causing him to gasp for air. The embrace, in form of a wave of wet crimson, blurred before his eyes.
"Link!" Aveil exclaimed, her face nuzzling into his neck in the embrace. Her body pressed up against his with the slippery friction of her wet swimsuit. "Play with me, please?"
Her cooed words came out like a soft purr into his reddened ear. "A-Aveil! You don't need to hug me that tightly! I can barely keep myself afloat!"
There was a low, but audible sigh emitting from her lips as she withdrew, facing Link eye-to-eye with a pout – a highly adorable pout, framed by the silky locks of red falling freely.
If that wasn't adorable, Link didn't know what was. "Sorry… I just wanted to have a bit of fun…" Her hand caressed his blushing cheek as she spoke, just as soft and cooing. "Please forgive me?"
What was it with these women to suddenly be so… forward? Well yes, that. But rather, appealing. Link felt himself at a loss for words, golden eyes staring at him so intensively, pleading for forgiveness.
His concentration broke yet again when Aveil was suddenly pulled back, a small shriek escaping her throat as she was pulled beneath the water's surface.
Cliffhanger!
What could've possible have happened?
To be continued...
With that being said, I just want to take this opportunity to add that I'm very thankful, and not least, happy with the feedback I've been getting; not just with this story but also "To Hunt Down a Hylian". I'm glad that you're happy with my work, and I promise that I will strive to get better as time goes. So thank you!
I'm very happy that people enjoy the idea of Link having several women figthing over him - something I'm just as excited about to write myself. I probably will continue to write more of these as ties goes on, though probably with a bit smaller number of women and perhaps more Zelda-oriented.
BUT that's a story for another time. I'll be sure to update "To Hunt Down a Hylian" relatively soon! Happy New Year!
