Chapter Twenty: The Date

"Zelda, you look great." Link smiled, extending a hand forward. Chuckling, I brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear.

"Thank you." I nervously fiddled with my palms. "Nabooru and Saria had helped me pick it out."

More like they chose it for me, I thought, recalling how the duo started to rummage through my items searching for 'suitable date material' as they called it. I suppressed the urge to click my tongue when I remembered them both digging through their clothing in an attempt to put together an outfit. Neither one preferred any of the clothing I packed, so I was wearing bits and pieces of their clothing. Right now, I had on Saria's black pants and her white zipper sweater combined with Nabooru's pretty cream coloured shirt and matching sandals. Not forgetting makeup, hair and accessories, the two spent a good hour helping me get ready.

"You ready?" Link asked a faint trace of pink evident on his cheeks. Nodding, he led towards his bike and helped me get on. "Milady," he winked, acting chivalrous.

I arched a brow upon sliding on my helmet. "Milord," I nodded.

Link grinned before sitting down and putting on his own helmet. Shyly, I wrapped my arms around his torso and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"Getting comfy back there?" He teased.

My face turned bright red. "S-shut up," I stammered and looked away.

Link clicked his tongue and then started the engine of the bike.

Link pulled into an empty spot and cut the engine. He slid his helmet off and slightly shook his head. I smiled and removed mine, reluctantly withdrawing my arms from their hold in the process. When I set the helmet down, Link helped me get off the bike, and together we walked towards the boardwalk.

"Wow." I breathed, glancing around the carnival in wonder. "It's amazing." The entire boardwalk was decorated in a vast array of rides, people and eye-catching colours. There was a whole section dedicated to games from strength games to ring toss. Smack in the middle of the whole area was a large Ferris wheel decorated with a multitude's worth of bright lights. The air smelt of delicious food, and I could hear the shouts and yells of people as they rode along the many different rides the place had to offer.

"Like it already, huh?" Link laughed, looking around with me.

"Yeah, I do." I nodded. Though I wouldn't admit it openly, I was glad Saria and Nabooru forced me to ask Link on a date. Already I was having a great time with him, and we just got here.

"Let's go try something." Link advised and grabbed my hand. Flushed, I allowed him to lead me towards some of the vendors and their stands. "So, what do you want to play first?" He asked, placing a hand in his pocket.

"How about that one?" I pointed towards a large stand covered by a red top.

"Looks like fun." He noted. We walked towards the booth and I read the sign. It was a shooting range. Link and I shared a glance.

"Oh, it looks like we've got ourselves some customers." A loud voice boomed. I had to crane my neck to see a large man with brown hair and a matching beard greet us merrily. He extended him arms out wide as he surveyed Link and I. "Tell me my boy, are you interested in trying out my game?" His gaze was locked on Link. "Want to try to win something for your sweet girlfriend?"

"Ah." I blushed, looking away as the vendor's rambunctious laughs echoed through the walls of the booth.

"I'd like to try," Link said simply, looking towards the vendor indifferently.

"Well then, step forward." Link released my hand and stepped towards the booth. I followed and watched Link study his choice of weaponry: a slingshot, or a bow and arrow set.

The vendor twirled a strand of his beard hair. "Are you interested in playing?"

"How much?" Link asked, fingering the arrows.

The vendor explained. "For five rupees, you will be able to play one round. You'll be given ten arrows, and take as much time as you need in order to hit the targets." Briefly, he then told Link about the point values of the game, and what he should strive to hit. "You still interested?"

"Of course," Link answered. Smiling, I reached inside my pocket about to withdraw my wallet when Link stopped me.

"Don't bother, Zelda, I've got this."

"Link," I protested, watching as he handed the man five rupees. "Are you sure? I could have—"

"Zelda, honestly, I wanted to pay." He informed me.

Holding back a sigh, I smiled lightly. "Alright, but I'm paying for the next game." Next time, he would not pay for the game; I would make sure of it.

He seemed unsure, but gave in, "Fine." I beamed and clasped my hands together.

The vendor chuckled, finding our talk amusing. "Well, my boy, are you ready to begin?"

Link nodded and picked up the bow and arrow getting into proper stance. "Best of luck," the vendor wished, backing away. Link narrowed his eyes. I watched and studied noting how straight his arms were, and how he seemed perfectly aligned with the target—a fake purple rupee perched on the highest ledge.

The vendor noticed where Link appeared to be aiming and could not contain a snort. "You really think that you'll hit that one? That's the hardest target!" Link wasn't listening, yet he kept talking. "I think you should work your way up to that. We don't want you to embarrass yourself in front of your girlfriend, now do we?"

His grip around the bow tightening, Link merely said nothing and prepared to fire the arrow. The vendor sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I tried to warn him. But young people just don't want to listen these days..." he trailed off.

Link rolled his eyes and then fired the first shot. The vendor and I both watched in amazement as it hit the purple rupee perfectly. Both of our jaws dropped.

Smiling smugly, Link glanced towards the vendor. "You were saying?"

The vendor snarled. "That was just beginner's luck. The next ones won't be as good."

"If you say so," Link shrugged and reached for another arrow.

"I-I don't believe it! You got every shot!" The vendor seethed, attracting multiple eyes to the booth. I backed away and stood behind Link, swearing that I could see red inside the man's glowering eyes.

"What did I win?" Link questioned, placing the bow down on the tabletop.

"Anything from the top shelf," the man hissed, reaching for the bow snidely. "Just pick something and leave." I cringed, surprised by his sudden change in demeanor.

What happened to being happy and playful? I wondered.

"Zelda, you pick something," Link whispered in my ear, reaching for my hand.

My eyes widened, "You sure?" He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, Zelda, you pick something."

"Okay." I looked towards the top shelf and saw a vast array of stuffed animals lining the shelf. There was a wide arrange of horses, cows, cuccos, and loftwings, but what caught my eye the most was the stuff Kikwi perched in the right hand corner.

"Um, the Kikwi," I murmured shyly.

"That one?" he asked, pointing towards the stuffed animal that had small bandit-like eyes and a matching pointy nose.

"Yes, that one," I nodded, feeling myself beginning to blush.

"Okay then." He smiled. "We'll take the Kikwi." The vendor grumbled under his breath and stalked towards the shelf, grabbing the Kikwi.

"Here you are." I accepted the animal with a smile and thanked the vendor.

He beamed. "Aw, you're welcome sweetheart." In comparison, he treated me much nicer than Link. Link noticed this too and quickly led me away from the booth.

"Where are we going to next?" I asked as we walked further away from the vendor.

"Far away," Link grumbled under his breath.

I suppressed a chuckle. "Link, I just want to thank you for the Kikwi." I leaned my head against its furry top. "I love it."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said. "And you're welcome." He then looked around. "Since you chose the first game, can I choose the next activity?"

"Of course," I answered.

He smiled. "Perfect. I already know where I want us to go." Again taking my hand, he led me towards… a photo booth. I eyed him, confused.

"Link, you want to take pictures?" I had assumed he'd want to try a game or go on some rides.

"Yep," he grinned, depositing two green rupees into the slot.

"Hey!" I yelled. "I thought we agreed that I would pay." I frowned, glaring. "I don't want you paying for everything Link. I thought I made that clear before."

"Next time," he laughed meekly, looking away sheepishly. I sighed and shook my head. "Now, come on, Zelda. Let's go in." With a wave of the hand, he walked into the booth and sat down. I followed suite, shutting the curtain behind me.

"It's tight in here," I noticed, struggling to sit down on the small bench.

"Here," Link said, lifting me into his lap. "Now we're good."

"Ah." I flushed, feeling his arms encircle my waist. "Link, don't you—"

"Zelda look ahead and smile," Link instructed, grinning widely. Taken by surprise when the light flashed, I felt my ears turning red when Link looked to me and snorted. "Zelda, you messed up."

"I couldn't help it." I chuckled. "Your smile was demented looking." I pressed my stuffed Kikwi closer towards me. "You looked silly, Link."

"That's the point," he explained. "You're supposed to have fun with these photos."

"I know." I giggled. "Next photo, I'll do better."

"You better," he winked, "because another picture is about to be taken." True to his word, the light was beginning to shine. "Now Zelda, smile really wide… like a madwoman."

"Aye, aye captain," I chided, ignoring his comment. Smiling as wide as possible, I gazed towards the light and tried my best not to laugh—but was failing miserably. Flash! The light went off, nearly blinding us both. I then released my chuckles, laughing loudly.

Meanwhile, Link was reading the signs the booth had. "It seems like we can take two more pictures." I stopped laughing. "I know the perfect poses, too."

"And they are what?" I inquired.

"This is the first." Link said, leaning his head against mine. I sighed and shut my eyes, smiling as the flash then went off. I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly. Those flashes were quite bright.

"And for the last one," Link said, "I want this." Before I could even process what happened, Link had placed his lips right atop mine. Eyes wide, I stared, shocked, growing even more flustered as the light went off taking the picture. Soon enough, Link withdrew and leaned his forehead against mine.

I squirmed in his arms. "Link—that was unexpected." That's the only thing that came to mind after that unforeseen kiss. Goddesses, curse you, Link!

Link clicked his tongue. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I looked away, still flustered. "I, um, don't know."

He cracked an astute smile. "Want to take more pictures?"

My eyes narrowed. "I'll take more pictures, on one condition."

He seemed intrigued. "What's the condition?"

I smirked. "You let me pay."

The rest of the evening, Link and I were having a great time. We went to various booths, played many games, and sampled a lot of food. Occasionally, Link would let me pay which made me very happy. One of the highlights of the night was the bogus haunted house we walked through. I say bogus because the haunted house wasn't scary; not even the kids were freaked out by it. It was more comical than scary. Another fun part had to be when we walked through the house of mirrors. I loved seeing me skyscraper tall in some, and mushroom short in others. It was hilarious.

Now nearing the end of the boardwalk, Link and I walked in hand. "What's that?" I pointed out, noticing a small group of people crowding around the arcade.

Link shrugged. "Let's investigate." Together, we maneuvered through the crowd and saw a guy and girl dancing away on a retro dance machine. The music was blaring and everyone around them was screaming and cheering.

"Woo!" Suddenly the music ceased, and the girl jumped off the dance mat. "I won!" She was grinning like a fool as everyone around congratulated her.

"Damn!" The guy hissed and hopped off the other stage.

"Aw, don't be a wet blanket." The girl chastised.

"Easy for you to say..." He rolled his eyes and stomped off. I moved away, allowing him to pass. The girl groaned loudly and then went chasing after him. I cocked a brow.

Wow, I breathed, watching as their figures faded away.

"Zelda, want to give this a try?" Link asked, leading me up towards the front.

"What?" But before I could protest, he was already placing some rupees into the machine. It fired itself up, and was ready to go. "Link, really?" I protested, clutching Machi (the stuffed Kikwi I named) close towards me.

"I'm serious." He said as he stepped on the right platform. The screen flashed, indicating that player one, Link, was ready. It was just waiting for me. "Come on, Zelda. It'll be fun."

I furrowed my brows together, "Okay." I walked towards the left platform and set Machi down in my peripheral view. "I'll play."

"Cool." He smiled. "You ready?"

I gulped, "Yeah." Link nodded and then leaned over, pressing the start button. Both of the screens flashed white and a song started up. The song started slow, but quickly picked up towards the chorus, which made it very difficult to dance too. I was so screwed.

Cringing, I glanced towards the screen, tapping my feet to the beat. It was slow now, but would soon get worse. Bam! There it came. "Ah," I hissed, struggling to keep up with the steps on the screen. Right, right, forward, backwards, side, front, side, side, back, it just never seemed to end. I tried my best to follow the pattern, only stumbling once or twice.

"Woo!"

Huh? Looking towards the side for a minute, I noticed a small crowd was beginning to form. I groaned and quickly looked away.

"You go girl!" I heard a random person shout from behind. Another followed right after and I even heard a wolf-whistle. Ugg, this couldn't be happening. Quickly looking towards Link out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glaring towards the screen. I guess he didn't like the comments either. Embarrassed, I turned my attention back to the screen.

"Come on girl. Show this guy what you're made of!" A girl shouted from the crowd.

"Yeah, you can beat this guy!" Another one screamed.

"Girl power!" they cried in unison. Laughing, I shook my head and continued to step away on the now flashing tiles. The song was soon ending, and I felt myself working up a good sweat. Glancing towards the top right corner of the screen, I saw my score and Link's.

Player one: Five hundred and sixty-three points

Player two: Six hundred and ten points

My jaw dropped; I was player two. I was actually beating Link?!

Three… two… one…

Finished!

The game ended with a bang and the screens flashed white. Stepping off the platform, I reached for Machi and pressed him close, waiting for the results. 'Player two wins' my screen said, flickering in bright red lights.

"Wow." I murmured. "I won?"

"I guess you did," Link said, breathing just as heavily. "Good job, Zelda."

"Thanks Link," I smiled, blushing, thankful that I had an excuse to be red right now.

"Yeah!" the crowd around us chorused, yelling and screaming with delight.

"Yay! Way to go girl!" I recognized the voice from before and couldn't help but laugh.

"One more round!" Someone suddenly cried, raising his or her arms up in the air.

"Yeah!" someone else joined in. "Encore!"

"Encore, encore, encore!" The crowd shouted in unison, yelling for Link and I to go again. Clutching Machi close, I looked towards Link. He was looking right back to me. We both bore the same expressions on our faces now.

"So, what do you think?" I asked. "Should we have another go?"

"We can't exactly deny them, now can we?" Link asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

I shook my head. "I guess not," I said with a small laugh.

"So it's decided then. One more round?" Link asked. Raising a brow, I looked to him and thought about it for a minute. I comically tapped my jaw, tilting my head to the side.

"Sure, one more round."

"Woo!" the crowd cried, happy by our responses.

Giggling, Link and I shook our heads and then stepped onto our respective platforms. I placed Machi down right in front of me this time.

"Here we are!" A stranger murmured from the crowd, placing some rupees into the slot. I saw this and was about to object, only to then have the music start up. It was a different song, but was still by the same band. This was one was called Song of Healing. It was one of my favourites. Smiling, I started to tap the front tile, laughing as the crowd around us started to cheer madly.

Walking along the edges of the beach, Link and I were fooling around near the water, our feet getting wet and our toes beginning to sink underneath the sand. We had deposited our shoes near the outskirts of the beach and were just having fun, talking and walking along the waterside. Not many people were on the beach right now, making it the perfect opportunity to have some alone time together.

With one arm wrapped around Machi, I laughed and tugged at Link's hand, swinging our entwined ones about. He smiled and started to help me. "Zelda," he said, his voice tinted with mirth. "Really, you're something else tonight."

I stopped walking and looked towards him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head and smiled. "It doesn't mean anything bad Zelda. I just meant that you're acting differently than how you usually do. That's all."

"I can't help it," I murmured, gazing out towards the beautifully lit lake. Lake Hylia was shining brightly with the lights from the boardwalk reflecting on its top watery surface. "I've just been having so much fun... I just can't help but get swooped up into it, you know."

"I know," he murmured, his grip on my hand tightening. "It's hard not too." Sighing, I leaned my head against his shoulder and continued to gaze out towards the water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. It really is."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," a voice boomed over the loudspeakers, "we'll be lighting off our yearly fireworks in just a few minutes. We hope you enjoy the show, and we'd like to thank you for spending your evening with us at our annual Lake Hylia Carnival!"

"Fireworks, huh?" I murmured. "That should be fun."

"It's been a fun night, Zelda." Link said, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Yes, it has." I nodded, "One of the bests." I looked towards Link, my head now touching his shoulder. He looked down towards me; smiling that smile I secretly adored.

"Thanks for asking me to come, Zelda." He placed a light kiss onto my forehead. I shut one eye and blushed. "Its made me feel a bit better." His gaze was directed towards the water. "When you and Mido were talking about Malon, then seeing her in the grocery store… it really pissed me off." He growled and shut his eyes. I frowned, but kept quiet.

"It's been a bumpy road quite recently," he realized. "I haven't felt this way for a while."

"Link," I murmured, staring towards him. My eyes were beginning to gloss over with tears.

"Zelda, let me finish, okay?" He pleaded.

"Of course," I murmured, smiling.

He returned the gesture. "While I was feeling shitty about what has recently happened, it's been getting better."

I beamed. "That's great." It truly was. Link should always be happy.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't you want to know why I've been feeling better?"

"Huh?"

He snorted, amused. "Zelda, you're the reason that things are slowly getting better for me."

"Link?" I blushed.

He nodded, smiling again. "Zelda, you're the reason why it wasn't too hard for me to see Malon."

My eyes grew. I'm the reason?

"Because of you… well, its not so bad." He sighed and looked away. "Look, I've never been the best at explaining." He rubbed his neck. "What I'm going to be saying is coming straight from my heart—Goddesses, that sounded corny."

I giggled. He continued. "Listen Zelda, what Malon did all those years ago was rude and hurt… in more ways than one. I trusted her, and she had to go and do that." He exhaled loudly. I wrapped an arm around his side.

"I never thought she'd do something like that." He shook his head. "I really cared for her."

"Link," I tightened my hold around him causing Machi to fall onto the sandy ground. I ignored that and continued to hug Link. I would pick Machi up afterwards.

"Zelda," he groaned.

"Go on," I urged him. "Keep going."

"I know," he sighed. "When she did that, I was really upset for a while… I didn't think that I would be able to handle seeing someone else for quite some time." I remained silent, my head placed against his chest. "She was the first person I ever liked." Again, he sighed. I just continued to hold Link, saying nothing.

"I don't know if we'll ever be friends," he murmured. "But I can thank her for one reason."

"And what's that?" I sneered, wondering why he'd even consider thanking her.

"Because," he said seriously, "without our breakup, I would have never been able to become as close to you as we are now."

"Link," I murmured. "That's—"

Boom!

"Ah!" we both pulled away, startled by the noise.

"What was that?" I asked, looking around in fright.

"The fireworks," Link laughed, pointing towards the sky. Looking up, I saw a bright colour of lights exploding high into the air.

"Wow." I was mystified. They were so beautiful. "Its lovely," I murmured, clasping my hands. "They're so pretty and colourful."

"Yeah, they're great." Link agreed, bending down to grab Machi before hugging me from behind. "They sure are."

Author's Note – I hope the date wasn't too corny. I didn't want to go with the typical stuff like a tunnel of love or riding the Ferris wheel. I tried to incorporate some unique stuff into the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it. Also, I only have a couple more chapters to edit, and then this story will be finished… again. Its been fun cleaning up the story and fixing it to make it better. I'm still happy to know that there are people who enjoy reading the story, and I have a couple of past readers who are enjoying the little changes I have added to the story to make it better. Be sure to be on the lookout for another chapter soon. I'm aiming to post up another one soon.

Until then,

-TFSA

Posted (July 22, 2013)