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Chapter 13: Complex Attractions
Over the next few visits, Zelda poured her concentration into learning the multitude of letters and symbols that made up the written language of Hyrule. Though the amount of work required was immense, she continued undaunted by her slow progress.
Her task was not made any easier by her increasing attraction towards Link, however. The winter snow was now starting to melt into the early warmth of spring. The young man showed his preference for the weather by opening the windows in his study, allowing the sun's light to fully illuminate the small room. Whenever he did, Zelda would find herself unconsciously abandoning her current task to contemplate how the light reflected off his dark blonde hair, bathing his soft skin in a healthy glow. He would turn to her after he fixed the window in place, giving her a warm smile and urging her to continue. She would smile back and lower her head, but not before her heartbeat quickened and a small blush crept into her cheeks.
"That was the last symbol, Zelda," Link remarked happily. Zelda looked up from her thoughts concerning him to stare blankly at his face.
"Pardon?" she asked, as she had done many times before. Link sighed, having become accustomed to her tendency of drifting off into her own daydreams during lessons.
"You have just finished learning the last required symbol." Zelda glanced down at her page. What initially started as unpracticed scrawl had become mastered script. Her handwriting was small but smooth, patiently perfected through long hours of study. She had filled this last page with columns of the final figure, the tenth digit of the numerical system.
"I am done?" Zelda asked hesitantly, placing her quill back into the inkwell. Though her pace had seemed slow, in reality she had taken little less than two months to learn all of the letters and numbers.
Link nodded, looking pleased. "Yes. You are now ready to begin applying your knowledge by reading simple books, instead of sample sentences. Would you like to start now?" Zelda looked at the nearby window. The sun had risen, a blush of color spreading across the horizon.
"I think that my mistresses will be awakening soon," the young woman replied. "It is better that we continue after a few days." Link nodded.
"Very well, I would not want these secret trips of yours to be discovered. I'd be most unhappy if you were unable to return." Zelda raised her eyebrows.
"Is that so? Would you really miss me?" Link's features crinkled into a mischievous smile.
"No. But I would miss an opportunity to prove myself a master of the different arts by imparting the vast amount of knowledge to you." Zelda narrowed her eyes playfully.
"I should disappoint you," she said. Link laughed, reaching for Zelda's hands and helping her to stand. Zelda scolded herself for blushing when their hands touched, but luckily Link did not seem to notice, as he never did.
"You are an unpleasant young woman," he replied with a twinkle of his eye. He stepped forward and placed his cheek against the side of her forehead in farewell. "But if it will make you happy, I will miss you."
Zelda crossed her arms and pretended to pout. "How do I know you are not lying?"
"I never said I wasn't." Zelda gasped and Link laughed. "I am just teasing."
"I know, I know," Zelda replied. She looked out the window once more. "I must leave now."
"Return soon."
"I will."
………
"Zel, can you help me scrub this pot? There is this one stubborn place that I cannot manage." Zelda placed the empty breakfast trays she was carrying on a nearby counter.
"Of course, Saria, give me one moment." The young girl waited patiently as Zelda placed the dishes into one side of the sink and tied back her hair. She then directed her attention to the large bowl the servant girl was washing. Saria crossed her arms and frowned, stepping back to allow Zelda some room to maneuver.
"I must have forgotten to clean it thoroughly the last time." Zelda nodded, placing her right hand over the offending stain. Her Triforce mark glowed lightly and the smudge dissolved into thin air. Saria clasped her hands and squealed in delight.
"I love it when you do that!" she said. Zelda smiled before returning the pot into the basin.
"This magic comes more easily now, thanks to Link's training. Though, recently, we have been too busy with other things to practice much magic." Saria grinned as she dried the container with a towel.
"Did you visit him last night?" she asked. Zelda nodded, cleaning her mistresses' trays on the other side of the sink with the traditional soap and sponge.
"I must thank you for covering for me in my absence."
"Do not worry, Zel. After all, you hardly need my help. Your magic will alert you if trouble appears, right?"
"Right." The two of them continued cleaning the dishes in silence. Finally, Saria spoke up again.
"When will you visit again?"
"Soon, very soon. Maybe even tonight, if I am not too exhausted. I no longer have to do my daily chores twice, but I still get very little sleep." Saria gave her a lop-sided grin.
"I doubt that will stop you if you really want to see Link."
"Oh hush, Saria! What will he say if I collapse from exhaustion into his arms?"
"I am sure you would like to find out!"
"Oh do hush!" The two of them giggled. Zelda returned the last tray to the counter for drying before she sighed and brushed her hands against her brown dress. Saria looked at a nearby clock and hurried to the pantry to retrieve the ingredients to prepare lunch. She came out with her arms full of jars and vegetables.
"I cannot wait for the day Malon and Ruto marry and I have less mouths to cook for," she complained. Zelda helped Saria set all of the materials on the counter.
"They are both courting already, so it is only a matter of time." Zelda fingered the lid of a jar of mild spice, thinking about the pale and lanky Zora boy, Mikau, that Ruto had taken up with. Malon's suitor was quite the opposite, a heavily muscled, dark-skinned man who called himself Sheik.
Saria noticed that Zelda had drifted off into her thoughts again and smirked, concluding that the young slave princess was thinking about Link. "That leaves you, then." Zelda turned to Saria with a frown.
"Saria…"
"Do not give me the excuse that you are a slave. You told me that Link said you were truly a lady. Just wait until it is time."
"You do not understand, Saria. How will I find someone right for me?" Saria blinked and stopped arranging the vegetables that were spread out on the surface of the counter.
"Have you not been pining for Link these past two months?"
"Pining is too strong a word, Saria." The young girl rolled her eyes and continued to prepare a cutting board for the tomatoes. "I am serious. I merely find him attractive and he only mentioned such a thing to me because I asked him."
"Is that why you blush every time he touches you? I think your feelings for him are more complicated than you realize." Zelda looked away, trying to find something to occupy herself with so that she could excuse herself from Saria's prodding.
"I really should not have told you all these things, Saria. He…I…finish with your chores, Saria. I have to do mine. We will talk later." Zelda rushed out of the kitchen to avoid further advice and questioning. Saria shook her head at Zelda's disappearing figure as she resumed the preparations for the next meal.
………
Zelda did not have enough time that night to return to the castle, though she made it her highest priority to visit the next day. By the time night fell upon the household and the half moon peeked out from behind the clouds, she was almost visibly trembling from the anticipation.
Saria gave the slave princess a wink before turning to check on the others, allowing Zelda the perfect opportunity to hide herself in her closet and invoke her magic. She closed her eyes and thought of the small room where she would encounter Link as she soon as she completed the transportation.
As she expected, the young man was waiting for her at his table. He rose from his seat immediately and gave her a smile, picking up a book that was lying on the wooden surface of his desk.
"Good to see you," he greeted, holding the book up in front of his chest. "Would you like to start immediately?" Zelda winced as she saw the width of the leather-bound book.
"Certainly, but should we not start with something a little less advanced?"
"Nonsense! Anything less would be an insult to your intelligence." Link motioned for Zelda to sit in the chair while he found another seat. Zelda obeyed reluctantly, still eyeing the thick novel. Link pulled his stool over so that he faced Zelda as he sat, leaning over so that his forehead was angled towards hers. He supported his forearms on his thighs and held the book between his legs as he glanced up towards Zelda's face.
"Are you sure I will be able to read that?" Link nodded earnestly in response.
"Yes, Zelda, you will. Now, please, no more complaints. I think you will enjoy this story as we go along." He turned the cover and opened up to the first page. Zelda moaned as she saw that the entire sheet was covered with small print. Link gave her a disapproving glance and thumbed through the rest of the pages, explaining as he did so.
"This story is about a princess and her jealous stepmother. Fearing that her stepdaughter is more beautiful, the queen orders for the young girl's death. However, the princess escapes and lives as a peasant. The rest of the story revolves around her new life and her dangerous encounter with potential murderers. Of course, the story ends with her marrying the prince that rescues her, as most fairy tales tend to do." Link held out the book to Zelda. She didn't take it. Instead, she looked up at him with a questioning glance.
"When did she meet a prince?" Link paused to frown.
"You should read in order to figure that out."
"They fall in love? Even when she is pretending to be a peasant?" Link sighed, dropping his hand back into his lap. He raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly.
"Are you worried about your own marriage again?" Zelda sat up straight and folded her hands across her lap.
"I do not understand why anyone would want to marry a slave!" Link sighed, dropping his head into his hands with a small moan. He ran his fingers through his hair and clasped them in front of his face. Zelda felt uncomfortable about causing his displeasure, but he merely gave her a cool stare after he calmed down, bending over so that his elbows resting on his knees and his hands partially covered his mouth and nose.
"Zelda," he started leisurely, taking the time to close and open his cobalt blue eyes before continuing. "You are intelligent, beautiful, and kind. There is no man, and I literally mean no man, who will not be eager to have your hand. There isn't the slightest need for you to worry." Zelda looked into Link's sincere eyes and caught her breath. When he said no man, she was sure that he was implying something.
You? she thought. She hastily banished the idea from her mind before she had a chance to blush. Link, however, stared calmly back at her, waiting for her to compose herself and respond. Zelda opened her mouth, but all she could utter was a small squeak before pressing her lips together and looking away. The blonde-haired man uttered one more sigh before thrusting the book in front of her.
"Read," he commanded. Zelda looked at the book, not daring to meet his eyes.
"But-," she argued weakly; however, Link interrupted.
"Read." Zelda submitted and took the book from his hands. She could feel his eyes on her as she opened the novel to the first few pages and started reading aloud. Though her eyes and mouth were concentrating on interpreting and pronouncing the symbols, her mind was elsewhere.
Did he really imply such a thing? Or is it my own unrealistic wish?
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Poor Zelda. I would be highly suspicious of what Link said as well. Anyway, if any of you read the journal that I update somewhat often on DeviantArt, you will know that my right hand is giving me a few problems, and I'm not quite sure what's wrong. Not to worry, I'm pretty sure for right now it won't affect my typing or my updating because I have quite a few chapters already written out, but just in case, in the future I might have to delay my updates if the later chapters take longer to type. Nevertheless, this next update will still be coming out next week, Feb. 16. Please review!