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Song Suggestions: "Zelda's Theme" during romantic moments (beginning/end) / "Minecart Ride" during dramatic/action moments (royal sparring hall scenes)

Side note: Follow MaxSmith26 on Miiverse. He drew the cover art for this fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding The Legend of Zelda. I wish I did.

On with the chapter!

Chapter 14: Preparations

I held a Sheikah dagger in my right hand, studying it. It was long, thin, and the hilt had a ruby in it. I stood in the center Royal Sparring Hall, being watched by Thorn, Zelda, and the other Royal Knights.

I stared at the dummy fifteen feet ahead, then back at the dagger. Three more daggers were strapped to my belt.

Quickly, I sidearm-threw the dagger and it sank into the chest of the dummy. I spun in a half circle and teleported to the opposite side from where I stood before, throwing another dagger. After it sank into the dummy's back, I teleported to the left of it, throwing a third dagger. It sank in the left side of the dummy's head. I teleported to the right side of the dummy, throwing my final dagger. It sank into the right side of the dummy's head.

I teleported back in front of everyone just for fun. Everyone but Thorn stood dumbfounded, mouths agape. Thorn looked proud, however. "Perfect technique! That was as good as I can do, maybe better. Great job, Link!"

I smiled, nodding thanks at Thorn. I had finally mastered the Sheikah teleport.

"Link, you're…" Zelda paused, staring at me like I was an undiscovered species. "…Amazing!" She walked to me and gave me a hug.

I smiled. "Thanks, Zel."

After coming to his senses, Groose growled at Thorn. "It's so unfair that you didn't give us your special bracelets!"

"Yeah!" Cawlin and Stritch yelled in agreement. Fledge stood back, contented. He probably didn't want to have to learn something new and challenging.

Thorn smirked. "It's not unfair. You three simply cannot do it. Groose, you're too oafish, Stritch is too tall, and Cawlin, you're too short… and injured."

Cawlin still hadn't fully recovered from the injuries that Gitek and Gundir inflicted. He glared at Thorn. "I can heal…"

Thorn ignored them. "Would anyone else like to try?"

Zelda let go of me. "I will." I grinned at Zelda when she looked at me for approval. I stood back, watching. "Link, may I borrow your bow?"

"Sure." I gave her the Sacred Bow. "Good luck." I grinned at her again.

Zelda stood at a greater distance from the dummy than I had. For the first shot, she took her time. The arrow sank into the dummy's head. My friends and I clapped, cheering her on.

She managed to teleport behind the dummy, disappearing into a cloud of dust. When she reappeared, Zelda shot rather quickly. It sank through the dummy's back, the tip of the arrow pointing through the chest, at us.

Zelda tried to teleport back, but she stopped suddenly. She got dizzy and began to fall. I sprinted there to catch her. She landed safely in my arms. "…Zelda, wha-"

I got cut off. Zelda's eyes turned golden and stared into mine. My eyes followed suit, turning golden. Immediately a vision invaded my mind.

Eldin Volcano was flooded with Sheikah. A scrawny man ranted, "We shall free Gyin!"

The crowd echoed, "FREE GYIN!"

"We shall destroy Hyrule, if that is what it takes!"

"DESTROY HYRULE!"

"For we… we are the superior race! We shall fight for our prosperity! For the Sheikah tribe!"

"FOR THE SHEIKAH TRIBE!"

Light poured into the prison cell through a small hole in the wall. The light licked away the darkness of the cold, stone room. A man stood in the middle of the room, wrists attached to two shackles that were chained on the ceiling. His eyes were closed, head towards the ground.

His traditional Sheikah garb was tattered, torn. The blood-red Sheikah eye had faded to a dull pink. His ninja mask and cap were on the floor, covered in dirt and grime.

A small rat scurried across the room, attracting the gaze of the prisoner. He suddenly looked up, eyes completely red. He laughed maniacally, over and over.

The sound of the prisoner's laughing was deafening, raspy, terrifying.

Blood dripped from his shackled wrists to the floor where it collected into a pool.

I jolted awake, returning to my normal self. Zelda did as well, exactly at the same time. We lay in our bed, on top of the covers.

Thorn, Pipit, Karane, and Groose gathered around us when they saw that we were awake.

That dream… that vision… was exactly like the one Thorn had described to us. There was something about Gyin's laughing that reminded me of Ghirahim's. It was the same maniacal tone.

"Link, Zelda, what the hell happened? You've been asleep for three hours!" Thorn said.

"I- we had a vision," Zelda said, looking at me.

"Go on," said Pipit.

"It was the same as Thorn's… The Sheikah are rallying to free Gyin at the Eldin Province, and then… we saw Gyin… laughing." Zelda shuddered at the thought of our vision.

"You guys both had the same vision?" Groose asked.

"Yeah," I said. "It must've happened when I looked into Zelda's eyes."

"This is why I need to go," Thorn said. He began to walk away.

"What?" Karane asked, turning to him.

"I need to continue training the knights so they can handle themselves against the Sheikah." Thorn exited our bedroom.

Groose shook his head and turned away from us, staring at the burning fireplace. "'Against the Sheikah.'" He scoffed. "That was Grannie's- er, Impa's- tribe. I can't believe how different she is from the rest of them."

I decided to get up, but I grimaced as waves of pain beat against my skull. I fell back onto the bed.

Pipit gasped, as did Karane. "Link! Stay in bed! You too, Zelda. You two aren't fully recovered yet."

"When… ugh… will I be recovered?" I asked, the pain dying down. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

"Tomorrow at the earliest," Karane said.

I grumbled. A whole day in bed? Great.

I woke up in the middle of the night. Moonlight shone through the window, so despite the pain in my head, I got up and closed them.

Before I could close them, however, I swore I saw something below, by the east gate. Something… red. I shook my head and closed the curtains.

Joining Zelda, I carefully lowered myself under the covers.

The next morning, the pain in my head subsided. I looked to my right to see Zelda, still sleeping. I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling myself closer. Her necklace, headdress, bracelets, and hair bands sat on her nightstand. The only thing I kept on my nightstand was my awesome green hat.

Zelda shifted in her sleep, but then smiled and nuzzled herself into my body. She kept her head on my chest.

We stayed in that position for awhile, but only to be interrupted by a booming noise. Zelda jolted upwards, knocking into my head. "Ouch…" I said.

Zelda covered her mouth with her hands. "Sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yes. What was that noise?"

"Umm… I think it was thunder."

I was used to thunder. After all, I did travel through the Thunderhead near Skyloft to meet Levias.

Sure enough, it was thunder. But down here on the Surface, it felt so… violent. Our room turned a dull gray as rain began to pour. It was so loud that I could barely hear Zelda speaking.

"I think there might be a storm today," she joked.

"Gee, ya think?" A flash of lightning lit up the room. It nearly struck the balcony. Zelda gasped and covered her mouth. "Zelda, it's just lightning."

"…I know, but I've never really seen it before. At Skyloft, lightning only occurred in the Thunderhead." Zelda scooted closer to me. I propped my back up against the headboard, my head just below the Hylian Shield. She sat on my lap, her legs across mine. Zelda's arms wrapped around my neck. I hugged her waist, kissing her gently on the cheek.

"…Link?"

I hugged her tighter. "Yeah?"

"It's cold…" Zelda shivered against my body.

I nodded. I picked her up and walked to the couch. I gently set her down. I grabbed a log on the floor and threw it into the fire. Sparks flew and the fire roared bigger, heating the room even more. I sat on the couch next to Zelda, and she returned to my lap, the position we had been in before. I closed my eyes, letting Zelda's body heat and the fire warm me. At every flash of lightning and boom of thunder, Zelda tensed up. And every time I would hold her tighter until she relaxed. After awhile, I heard a knock on the door. Zelda and I exchanged a look. I kissed her, got up, and walked to the door. Zelda followed. I opened it to see Fledge.

"Link! You need to see this!" he shouted. "Follow me outside."

"It's pouring rain, though," I protested.

"It's urgent! Come on!"

"Okay, let me get my gear first."

"Hurry! Meet me by the east gate."

When I had equipped my Hylian Shield and Eldin Sword, put on my hat, boots, belts, and Royal Knight badge, I hurried out of the castle and made my way to the east gate.

The night before, I thought I saw something red by the east gate. As it turned out, I was right.

Thorn, Groose, Pipit, Karane and Fledge stood in front of the open gate. Painted in the grass just outside of the walls was a red Sheikah eye.

"Link!" Thorn said. "Those bastards are looking for trouble." He spit on the symbol. It was fading because of the rain.

I snarled. "Thorn, keep at the training. We're gonna need it." My hat, hair, and everywhere else was drenched already from the rain.

Thorn nodded, arms crossed. "Everyone, follow me. We have work to do."

We had stationed archers at every tower along Hyrule's walls. Two knights were stationed at each gate, highly trained by Thorn and capable of taking down a Sheikah.

Thorn's trainees had been knighted and were stationed at Deep Woods Prison. Meanwhile, Thorn was working with training Karane, Pipit, Cawlin, Stritch, Fledge, and Groose. They had all made great progress, especially Groose.

Groose's weapon of choice was a two-handed broadsword that Gonzo had forged. He could swing it with ease due to his brute strength.

The rest of the Royal Knights, save Fledge and Stritch, carried swords and shields. Fledge was an archer, and Thorn helped him increase his firing speed.

Pipit was the most skilled in the group, since he was the most experienced. Karane was next. They were both quick fighters, good at dodging and swung their swords quickly. Pipit was beginning to master the teleport, and Karane was getting there.

Zelda finally mastered the teleport. She carried a bow and arrow, similar to mine. It was golden and it was shaped like mine. Zelda told me the bow was Impa's, and it was called the Bow of Light. Her accuracy was spot on. Thorn had helped her train with a rapier, which had a golden hilt and a ruby in the middle of it. Zelda was a fierce fighter, and extremely quick. She didn't need a shield since teleportation and her quickness provided enough defense on their own.

Cawlin was a more tactical fighter. He waited for his opponent to strike until he would block it, dealing a blow with his sword after the opponent let his guard down. Stritch carried a large metal spear, which he maneuvered quickly to block blows. It extended and contracted, allowing him to carry three shrunken spears at once. Stritch was highly skilled in throwing the spear and stabbing; however, the weapon lacked defensive skills.

Before Thorn, the Knight Academy students weren't nearly as skilled fighters. Thorn had tips for just about every type of fighter: archers, heavyweights, lightweights, spear wielders, sword wielders, and mace wielders. Everyone had been trained to throw daggers as well, and everyone had been supplied five daggers each.

I stayed back and watched everyone, mostly Zelda. Every time she did something well, she would turn and smile at me and I would smile back.

Thorn gathered everyone around and said, "Now that you've all improved…" He glanced at me. "…would any of you like to spar?"

"Against you?" Cawlin asked, eyebrows raised. "Um, I'll pass."

"I'll do it," I called from behind the group. The group parted and I met eyes with Thorn.

He smirked. "Alright. Everyone, clear the way and pay attention."

I exchanged my weapon and shield for wooden ones and squared my shoulders with Thorn's, who stood three yards away. 'This should be fun…'

Thorn took a wooden scimitar. "Ground rules. No head shots, no groin shots, and the first one to land five hits wins."

"Deal."

Thorn charged at me, scimitar forward. I kept my shield up and blocked his first hit, swinging my sword at an opening. Thorn backflipped, landing a few feet away. Thorn sidearm-threw three wooden daggers at me (which were rounded at the tip for safety). I slashed horizontally, sending the objects flying back to where they had come from. One hit Thorn in the leg, and the others hit the wall. "That's one."

Thorn growled and charged again, pointing his scimitar right at my chest. I spun in a half circle and disappeared right as he swung. I reappeared behind him and smacked him with the wooden sword. "That's two."

Thorn teleported behind me, but I blocked his blow with my sword. He swung downward, and I rolled to the side, ending up behind him. I swung, but he hopped forward to avoid my sword. He took out three more daggers and threw them downward (not sidearm). I raised my shield, but I could only block two of them. The third hit my leg. "That's one," Thorn said with a smirk.

I waited for him to charge again. I swung my sword, but it got blocked. He swung his scimitar, but I shield bashed it. I jumped up and performed a Helm Splitter, something Thorn had taught me. The Helm Splitter was when I shield bashed Thorn's blow, jumping up, and front flipping while I slashed vertically. I landed a hit on Thorn's back. I slid on the floor when I landed, so I put my arm on the ground to regain balance.

Thorn whipped around to see me charging at him full speed. When I got close enough, he swung downed at me, but I slid forward on my legs, as if I was lying down. I ended up at Thorn's legs, which I slashed at. He crippled to the ground, knees buckling. Before I could land another hit, Thorn teleported behind me and hit my back before I could find him. "That's two."

"Don't get your hopes up. I've got four on you." I decided to make the last hit count.

Thorn was out of daggers. I sprinted full speed at him. Thorn stood his ground as if to stop a heavy Loftwing in its path. When I got close enough, I slid my sword on the ground beneath his legs and behind him. I teleported away. I reappeared behind him, grabbed my sword, and poked Thorn's back with it. "That's five."

Thorn scoffed. He turned to face me. "Show off." I smirked at his remark.

Thorn fought almost exactly like Ghirahim, using teleportation, daggers, and a blade. That's why fighting him felt so easy.

I turned to see Fledge, Groose, Cawlin, Stritch, Pipit, Karane, and Zelda all staring at me, dumbfounded, mouths agape. Then they clapped slowly, still in awe. I smiled at them.

"Did you pay attention?" Thorn asked with a smirk. "Link demonstrated a lot of moves that we've learned today."

"It was kind of hard to follow. You guys are so quick. But yeah, we did," Cawlin said.

Zelda ran up to me and, despite my sweatiness, hugged me. "You're freaking amazing."

I laughed. "I love you."

"Love you too." She kissed me gently.

"Well, I think we're going to call it a night, you all. Good work today," Thorn said.

Everyone had returned to their rooms, and I decided to take a bath in our bathroom. As soon as I put my leg into the water basin, it magically got warm. Steam arose from the water as I sagged down, chest above water. I put my arms over the edge of the bath.

The door opened. Zelda walked in, wearing a towel as if it were a dress. Underneath it, she was completely naked. When we saw each other, we jumped and yelped. Zelda's towel fell and I could see her naked body. It was (No, I'm not perverted.) beautiful, with all honesty. I wasn't sure if Zelda could see my parts when submerged underwater.

"Zel- Zelda!? I'm using the bath!" I exclaimed.

She grabbed her towel and put it back on. Zelda, eyes wide, gripped her towel tighter so it wouldn't fall again. "I'm sorry! I thought you were in the one on the first floor!"

"What!? There's no bath on the first floor!"

"There's a I'm really, really sorry!" Zelda exclaimed.

"It's okay, really. I'm sorry that I… saw you naked." I scratched my head awkwardly.

Zelda turned bright red. "It's okay, I guess. I mean, it was bound to happen sometime, right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah… Wait, what!?"

Zelda giggled, turning redder. "So the shower's taken… and I know that you won't be out for awhile, since you take such long baths…"

Where was she going with this?

"Do you mind if I… join you?"

I might have turned redder than she was. Us? Bathing together? What!?

What would Groose say? What would Gaepora say!?

However, the sympathetic person in me told me that Zelda really wanted a bath. She also wanted to take a bath… with me. "...Sure."

Zelda giggled. "Thanks, Link!" She dropped her towel again. I tried not to look, but I couldn't help it. (I'll spare you the details, but I'll just say this: WOW.)

She was freaking hot. Sexy. Beautiful.

And I was bathing… with her.

She kept her chest up above the water like me, which allowed me to stare. Zelda scooted closer to me but was careful not to get near my lap. She put her arm around my shoulders and I did the same to hers. Then Zelda kissed me, and we began to make out.

After a short while, I pulled away. "It's a little weird to be making out while we're… naked."

Zelda nodded. "Well, not if-"

"You know what I mean, Zel." She giggled. I hugged her closer, but not too close. I tried my best not to think about anything wrong.

After our bath Zelda sat her back against the headboard of our bed, reading a book. I sat on the couch, tending to the fire. I peeked at Zelda's book cover. It read, "Tales of the Sky."

Zelda looked up from her book. "Link? When will you be done?"

The fire had died down. "Now." I wore nothing but my green pants from Skyloft because I didn't bother to put anything else on after the bath.

Zelda blushed as I joined her under the covers, sitting up against the headboard. It was a bit awkward between us after seeing each other naked… bathing naked… kissing, hugging, naked. But, like Zelda said, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"…Link?" Zelda snapped me back into reality. I hadn't realized I was staring off into space.

"Yes?" I turned to Zelda, who wore a simple white nightgown.

"…I'm sorry if I scared you or pressured you into anything," she said, blushing and looking down. Then she offered me a small smile. "I don't usually act like this… I used to be this shy girl who messed with her best friend. I'm sorry if I'm acting too spontaneous or pushy lately… But… I love you."

"I love you too, Zel. And it's not you that I'm worried about; it's the fact that we're young, and I don't think we should get too carried away."

Zelda nodded. "But… for now…" She looked at me, from my abs to my arms to my lips, and finally to my eyes again. "…Maybe we could get a little carried away."

Zelda dropped the book onto her nightstand and hopped on top of me, and we began to make out. I smelled her freshly-washed hair, the aroma even better smelling since she had just washed it. She glued her body to mine, her hips pressed against mine, breasts against my bare chest, her tongue in my mouth and vice versa. Damn, was she beautiful… And damn, was I lucky.

I awoke the next morning in the same position as I had fallen asleep: underneath Zelda. Her chest rose and fell against my body in her sleep. I couldn't see her face but she looked so peaceful. I decided to let her sleep and waited for her to wake up.

I didn't have to wait long. Thunder boomed outside, jolting Zelda awake. The storm hadn't stopped. "Good morning, sleepyhead," I told her.

She grinned, getting off of me. "Good morning." She rolled onto her side of the bed. "Sorry I fell asleep on top of you."

"Don't be. I kinda liked it." I grinned and she blushed.

"Me too."

I leaned over to her and kissed her. "I love you, Zel."

"Love you too, Link." Zelda grinned. She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Her huge smile remained, however.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Hmm?" She turned to meet my eyes.

"You sighed." I scooted closer to her, still lying down. I wrapped my arm over her shoulders.

"Well, I was just thinking about you… how you're perfect." Zelda blushed and nuzzled closer to me.

"Um, who are you talking to?" I joked. "'Cause I'm far from perfect."

"Shut up. You're so perfect, and I'm so lucky to have you. You're sweet, funny, you saved my life and the whole world… and you're very, very attractive." Zelda was blushing furiously while admitting that.

"…Wow. Now that's a confidence booster," I joked. I kissed her. She smiled. "You're perfect, Zelda. You're funny, caring, you mess with me, you act as my alarm clock, you're sweet, smart, and damn… you are hot!"

Zelda giggled and looked up at me, turning even redder. I leaned in and we began to make out. When she pulled away, she asked, "Hot?"

"Was that not the word you were looking for? Cute! Beautiful! Sexy!" I spat out.

Zelda giggled. "Just shut up." She tackled me and we made out.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I'd just like to say in advance that I'm not going to write a lemon chapter in this story. I prefer to maintain the innocence that Link and Zelda have in this story. Also, I prefer to keep the story at a T level. Maybe I will write a lemon oneshot? I dunno. But not in this story.

To be continued.

Until then, Review, Follow, Favorite, do whatever your heart desires. Just make sure it's legal.

~SausageLink43