Captain- Jean-Luc Picard- of the U.S.S En-ter-prise. Captain- Jean-Luc Picard- of the U.S.S En-ter-prise. Captain- Jean-Luc Picard- of the U.S.S En-ter-prise.
So sorry. The Picard Song is stuck in my head. Trekkies, YouTube it. It's the most epic thing EVER.
*Ahem* Hey, everyone. Sorry it's been so long, but my life has been too busy to even contemplate. It's been almost three weeks since I last updated, and I'm only just starting the chapter now. And I picture it to be a long one. So, without further ado, I present chapter 13 (unlucky number, which is prob'ly why this is going so disastrously) of the fail story, "Ganondorf In My Crawlspace".
…Now I just have to write it.
PS. There's going to be one or two more of those several-days-went-on summaries in here.
Disclaimer: Even if I skipped the last chapter's (tho no one commented, or probably even noticed), it's still not mine. *sob*
This chapter is dedicated to xXI-Stole-Your-CookiesXx, whose epic OC story, "The Journey Begins", inspired me to write this. Thank you so much! (I have discovered a new and amazing world in the land of OC!)
Back to Annie's POV~
Imagine this: You are freezing cold. Colder than you've ever been in your entire life. Cold enough (or so it seemed) to reach absolute zero and amaze the scientists of your world. You are so cold that you can barely think, much less move. Sensing a presence, you manage to croak, "C-Cold. S-So c-c-cold." But then you lose your vocal capabilities altogether, and give in to the chill.
A sound makes you open your eyes, but what you can see is but a big blur. You are vaguely aware of someone moving around, then a cloth is pulled over your head. More movements.
Then you realise that you are pressed against a warm body. A warm, gentle, soft body. Your nerves flicker dimly, but they do not awaken. Soft sounds, like someone is talking. It gets quieter and quieter…
Then suddenly your senses come alive in a flurry of excitement. Your eyes suddenly are working again, and what they see makes your heart thud rapidly.
The man you love is kissing you. Lightly, but desperately, too, as if this might be the last time. In order to assure him that this is NOT your last embrace, (at least you hoped not,) you return the kiss. In the heat of the moment, you can't help but twist your fingers through his hair. Your heart is pounding faster and faster…
And then he tries to leave, but you won't let him. He's gentler this time, caressing your lips with his.
Yes.
The two of you separate to breathe, but only just. His breath alone could make you high.
Ooooooh, yeah. Those are some mighty fine fantasies, right there.
Best part? They really happened to me.
Insert fangirl sigh.
Anyway, after this amazing kiss, we snuck around the Bublin camp looking for Link's sword, shield, and pocket stuff. Remember the cloth that had been pulled over me? Yeah, that was Link's tunic. By now I had gotten used to the faint heart-flutterings I received by glancing at him. You should know why.
We finally found everything by this fat Bublin monster, which, fortunately for us, was sound asleep and snoring. Link stole back and forth collecting the items. When we were just about ready to leave, I remembered my necklace.
The necklace I had gotten on my first youth group retreat in seventh grade. The necklace I wore every single day since then, excluding the times the chain had broken. The necklace that was the material thing I treasured the most.
It hung on the Bublin's helmet, the cross shining in the moonlight.
Link noticed my distress, and I gave him a pleading look. Sweet man that he is, he risked going back to the Bublin and gently lifted the necklace from its place. Triumphant in his endeavor, Link turned around.
Unexpectedly, (but when is it ever expected?) the creature gave a loud snort, waking himself.
I whipped out a large magic ball, but it was too late. Spotting us, the horrible, wretched booger-like thing gave out a loud holler. It brought down the entire camp of Bublins upon us.
Link grabbed my hand and we sprinted towards the exit for dear life. He was mostly pulling me along; he was so much faster than I. Along the way, we took down a few warriors with our weapons, but the rest were gaining fast, and not ALL the flaming arrows would miss.
So, just as I was wondering what to do, I found myself clinging to Link's waist and riding on the back of a giant speeding warthog.
The whole situation suddenly seemed so comical that I started to laugh uproariously, regardless of the fact that we had a whole encampment of Bublins on our heels and we were heading straight towards a solid wooden gate.
The monsters gave up after we had busted through their fences three times in a row. For some reason, no matter how hard Link tugged at the beast's saddle horn, it would not stop charging. I clenched my teeth together, afraid of biting my tongue off should we go over a bump. Link's abdomen was rather hard to hold on to, and I did my best to keep from flying off backwards.
In a matter of minutes we were rapidly approaching the desert's rock walls.
"WE-HAVE-TO-JUMP!" Link called from in front.
"WHAT?" I screeched. Surely he was joking!
"ONE!" So much for that theory.
"TWO!" Perhaps he had received a blow to the head.
"THREE!" Link let go and heaved his body to the side. I did the same, and we tumbled to the ground, rolling over each other.
When we stopped, instead of separating ourselves like normal people, we merely lay there all tangled up and panting.
"Well, that went well," I said after a while.
"Could've been worse," Link agreed.
"…We should probably get up now."
"Right." Link unwound himself and sprang to his feet with amazing skill and balance. He pulled me up as well.
"You okay?" Link asked, seeing I had trouble staying completely erect.
"Just a little wobbly, is all." I waved my hand, no big deal. Link, not everyone can throw themselves off a horse and come up no worse for wear.
Link looked at me as I teetered once more, then slid his arm around my waist, setting my heart beating faster. I threw my arm over his shoulder. "Thanks."
He just nodded, and we began trekking through the sand. I soon regained my balance, but did not let go of him.
I was glad I was wearing Link's tunic because it was chilly. When I realised this fact, and that Link was wearing but his patights (A/N: patights = pants/tights), I halted our silent walk to pull out Link's extra shirt and give it to him.
Yes, inside I wept at the loss of you-know-what, but the poor man must've been freezing, and I was already a bad person for letting him run around shirtless in the middle of the desert night for as long as I had.
We were both pretty tired, (which is understandable because we had almost died in a frozen chamber and afterwards had had to fight out an encampment of Bublins, not to mention the terrible warthog experience) so we walked at a slow pace. I was pretty sure the Bublins weren't going to come after us, anyway.
Speaking of which, why did they kidnap us in the first place? I guess it's just one of those generic things that monsters always do to keep themselves busy and their annoyance in shape. It worked, anyways.
The sky was slowly lightening as we got to the border of the desert.
"Soooo…" I said when Link halted for a rest period. "How do we get down, exactly?"
"Right there." Link pointed to the wall left of us.
"Where-" I started to say, but then I saw a small yet fierce river coming out of the Cliffside. It took a right turn, and then tumbled off the desert edge into Lake Hylia.
I looked down the drop. And then I looked at Link. And back at the drop. And then at Link.
"You're mad," I said, thinking it for the second time this hour.
"That may be true," Link smirked, "but that's the only way from here back to Lake Hylia."
I straightened up, looking around. "You know," I said lightly, "I kinda like it here. I mean, there's sand and bugs and- and those creepy flying things and-"
"Annie." Link smiled. "It's not that bad."
"Link," I said, rolling my eyes, "it's a fifty-foot drop OF DEATH off a rocky cliff into shallow water, most likely with sharp rocks at the bottom. It IS that bad."
"Actually, it's kinda fun."
"Yeah. Complete and total self-destruction DOES sound like a lot of fun!"
Link laughed, and, in spite of myself, I smiled.
"Come on. Please?" I shook my head. "I'm not leaving without you, and you wouldn't want to be responsible for my death by overheating, would you?"
Ooooooh…. Did he know what cards to play! I crossed my arms, glaring him down. He crossed his arms right back, a sassy smirk on his face.
I narrowed my eyes.
He narrowed HIS eyes.
We stared knives, swords, and other artillery at each other.
And then he got me. (Dang it, I'm a sucker for blue eyes, and proud of it!)
"Fiiiiiiine," I sighed dramatically. "But you go first."
"No," Link corrected. "We both go first." And with that, he grabbed me and jumped into the river.
Typically, the water was icy cold. But fortunately for me (and for Link, as it made his defense a little more solid for afterwards when I was going to beat him to a bloody pulp for dragging me off a cliff), the ride down was not like this free-fall drop into oblivion. It was more along the lines of a really fast, really bumpy, really scary waterslide made out of rocks. I didn't feel anything too unpleasant, thank the Good Lord, because Link had placed me ceremoniously upon his lap (his very, very comfortable lap).
The thing that ruined it was that this whole time, some nutcase was screaming.
Screaming?
Oh, wait.
That was me.
Drat. Totally lost all my cool points, right there.
At the end of the ride we plunged down, down, deep into the water. Link had to pull me to the top because I had somehow lost my ability to move. For what reason, I had no clue. When we broke the surface, Link heroically hauled my helpless body to the sandy bank. (A/N: …No…NO! NOT THE ALLITERATIONS AGAIN! THEY HAVE COME BACK TO HAUNT ME!)
"Are you- alright?" Link was panting a little; probably because lugging my body ashore had been no mean feat, even for him.
"Peachy," I said, suddenly fine. "Absolutely peachy." Apparently my body was developing a strange habit of giving out on me at random times, but other than that I was fine.
"Good." He flopped down beside me. The sand stuck to his wet clothes and got in his hair. I wondered if people in Hyrule got dandruff.
"So… we swim to the cannon?" I suggested, half-expecting him to sarcastically say, "Brilliant, Watson!"
"Yup," was his simple reply instead.
We waded into the small bay-like thing, avoiding the waterfall, and headed for the large and ominous contraption. The waters of Lake Hylia were oddly warm, a welcome sensation from the coldness of the desert night. Speaking of night, the sun was just beginning to peek out from the mountains on the horizon.
Surprisingly enough, the cannon dude was awake at this time of night- err- morning. He greeted us with a creepy make-upped smile and an open palm, into which Link deposited twenty rupees. I clung to Link as was stepped into the dark Room of Doom. The metal door-ish thing slammed shut, and we began to rotate. Link wrapped his arms protectively around me, making me smile, and then we were blasted into oblivion.
This time, we managed to land on our feet. I touched down lightly, as I had seen Link do himself so many times before.
"That was scary," I said calmly, looking at Link.
He smiled at me, and suddenly I became aware of how close we were. I took in his earthy scent; it made my pulse race pleasantly. Link's smiled faded, and he looked like he was concentrating very hard on something. His hand reached up and twisted a finger around a loose lock of my hair, pulling it out and then re-twisting it. His fingers brushed my skin, and I was attacked by goose bumps and heart- palpitations.
Then suddenly his expression turned to one of pain, and his knees buckled. Thankfully I managed to support his weight without losing my balance.
"Link!" I said urgently. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah," he said, a little short of breath.
"What's wrong?"
"I-it's nothing," he assured me weakly. I ignored this.
"We should get you home, and to the spring." Concern edged my voice.
Link didn't reply, just allowed me to lead him across the balcony and through the door. I knew he wasn't putting much weight on me, and he proceeded slowly. Stubborn fool he is, he insisted on going down the ladder without the aid of my magic, and held the door for me on the way out. But when he tried to get on front of Epona (who had apparently been waiting in the same spot for the whole time,) I drew the line.
"Link, I don't care if you think you can take on a hundred Bublins right now, you are NOT driving Epona and you WILL rest on the way back," I said in my most I-mean-business, don't-thee-dare-mess-with-me voice.
"Bu-" Link protested weakly.
"NO BUTS. Back of the horse." I clambered on after him, sitting resolutely in front.
"Now put your hands around my waist," I commanded. Cautiously, ever-so-carefully, Link put his arms around my waist, as if he hadn't done it a million times before.
"Comfortable?" I felt him nod. "Good." I flicked the reins professionally, and we were off at a comfortable trot.
Once we were about fifteen minutes out, I felt Link's head droop onto my back, and soon the sounds of his soft, gently snores reached my ears. I allowed a small smile to slip out my lips, but then went back to my solemn duty of horse-…driver... thingy…
Several days passed quickly and quietly. When we had gotten back from the beach, everyone, of course, wondered where we were and "WHAT THE HECK" we were doing, quote unquote Ilia. So we "explained" that the cannon had broken down, and the guy spent all night fixing it. Everyone had accepted that answer and gone back to their dishes or whatever (except Ilia, who had shot me several dirty looks and suspicious glares).
Things went on as normal; at least, as normal as it could get with Link as your- erm, housemate. Speaking of the man, I noticed he'd stay at home more often than not, talking and laughing with me. Walks we took together were slow and calm, but our sword lessons got longer and wilder. One event in particular was when I was trying to make pudding and then Link came in… That was a fun afternoon.
We were in each other's company almost constantly. I think that would be considered annoying with almost any other person, but this was different. Link could be doing fifty million other things with his time, and yet he chose to spend it with me, which made me feel pretty great. His attention was irresistible.
So I come to be sitting in my favorite place: on the farthest rock plateau. (Well, second favorite; the first being Link's arms.) I was bathed in the calm twilight, perfectly at peace with myself.
Well… almost. There was something tugging at the back of my mind, and I could quite figure out what it was. I sorted through my mental filing cabinets (dang, those things were useful), searching for anything out of place or incomplete.
I stopped at the night when The Kiss happened. There was something missing there, something lost piece that the picture was imperfect without.
Well, there was rain- check.
There was some kind of angst- check.
There was the outpouring of emotions- check.
Tears- check, though they were not necessary.
Amazing, completely fulfilling, awe-inspiring feeling when we kissed- check.
Hug of Epicness- check.
Fluffy scene afterwards- check.
Insane bpm (Beats Per Minute) level- check.
Long, drawn-out moment of anticipation- check.
Guy acting like a nervous, cute fool after the kiss- check.
Male profession of love- check.
Female pro- …wait.
Wait.
…
That's it.
I never told him I love him.
I never told him I love him!
What I jerk I am! I never said it!
Well, I was going right now, and to heck with anyone who tried to stop me!
I stood out, straightening my clothes. Thank goodness I had just brushed my hair (Link had asked me to leave it down today, and I don't care who you are, don't deny someone with a sharp, pointy sword at their disposal). Three quick leaps got me to the ground, and with a quick decision I headed to the ranch. The ground was cool under my bare feet.
When I got to the ranch, the stars were already coming out. Surprisingly, the goats were still out, but they were all asleep. There was a light in the barn, and when I got closer I heard voices.
"…sorry, Rusl. I just forgot." It was Link and Rusl. I pressed myself up against the side of the barn to listen.
"You've never forgotten before, Link!" Rusl sounded kind of mad. "What was it?"
"Um," Link started, "I was with Annie…"
"Annie," Rusl scoffed. "It seems that you're always with her these days." Link remained silent.
What was he saying?
"Link, you're being irresponsible. You're skipping chores, blowing off sword practices with me, and poor Fado has been doing your ranch duties all week! I asked you to fix Mayor Bo's roof two weeks ago, and it's still leaking. And I think it's because of Annie."
"Rusl-" Link started, but the older man cut him off.
"Ever since she came to Ordon, you've been slacking off to spend time with her. Where did she even come from, anyway? Snowpeak? Kakariko? Lake Hylia? Castle Town? I only heard her mention her origin once since she got here. It seems like she just fell out of the sky. How much to you even know about her?"
More than you would think, I thought.
"And how long does she plan to stay here, anyway? She's been living here like she plans to stay forever. Surely you can get her a place in Castle Town!"
I bit my lip. Did he really expect me to leave? I had had the impression that everyone had just accepted that I lived here, not including Ilia.
"Or do you want her to stay with you? I've seen you guys, the way you walk together, holding hands, talking with your heads close." I blushed ferociously, and imagined Link doing the same.
"Link?" Rusl's voice was softer, and the hay crunched under his feet, making me think he took a step closer to him. "Are you in love with her?"
My heart skipped a beat. I pressed my body closer to the wood, aching to hear Link's response.
But it never came. The next voice I heard was Rusl's.
"If this continues," he said in a quiet voice, "I'm going to find her an apartment in town." My eyes widened.
"But-" Link's voice was suddenly loud in protest.
"I've had enough, Link!" Rusl said forcefully. "Either you keep up with your duties, or the girl has got to go."
Suddenly Rusl appeared at the barn entrance. I moved back into the shadows, and he didn't see me. Rusl calm walked down the path towards town, as if he hadn't just thrown a huge wrench into my life. I noticed just then that I was breathing very rapidly.
I stood there for goodness knows how long, waiting for Link to come out. The shining stars appeared one by one in the sky, oblivious to my dilemma. Time passed. Then suddenly he came out into the night air. I wanted to reach out to grab his hand and have him pull me into his arms and have everything be alright again, but my hand stayed firmly at my side. He paused for a moment, looking around and then up at the sky, and then continued on his way home.
I watched him disappear down the path. His walk was so comforting and familiar in total contrast to what I was feeling, it made my chest ached with a knot I hadn't felt in a long time.
When I was sure I was positively alone, a single tear slipped down my cheek. Rusl's words still echoed in my head.
The girl has got to go.
The girl has got to go.
The girl has got to go.
YAAAAAAY! More sad endings!
This was supposed to be wwwwaaaaaaaayyyyy longer, but I decided that, because of my total lack-age of update for 23 consecutive days, I should just end it here. That means that the next one will be really short, and then the next will be fairly long, and then for the last one I have no clue. So, sixteen chapters! Coolness! :D Then of course the sequel.
While you're waiting, I suggest reading this really good fic, "Legend of Zelda: Reflection's Desire" by Grithic Austere. BE WARNED: It is extremely awesome but sadly rated 'M'. I don't know why; it should be rated "T" so I can continue reading it. TT_TT
Eternal Nocturne, you have your work cut out for you. Oh, and everyone give her a round (of applause, not drinks) because she's so lovely and always edits my terrible stories for the sad typos that I regrettably make because I'm trying to write quickly so I can update. :D
It would be nice if you reviewed. It might even, you know, motivate me to finish the next chapter like, under 12 days. :DDD