A/N: ...Yeah, I've been busy. And pretty writer's block-ish. But I have the next couple of chapters... mostly planned out, so it's all good :D But it's been three weeks since I posted, and that's not all good. No, not in the slightest bit. But I feel that you guys are bored of me. So... tell me what you wanna see! I have the power, guys. I can make it happen. It's no big deal if you tell me that you guys are bored! I'd rather you tell me and help me improve than let me ramble on! ^.^ Seriously, guys. Feedback. I want to make sure that I'm not boring you to death! But anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'm planning on having Link's birthday in the next couple of chapters, or so. It should be interesting... bwahaha :D boy, I sure have a talent for prolonging time in this story, don't I? Haha well I hope you guys enjoy! Please remember to review, if you happen to have the time! :D
Chapter 26
Link rubbed his eyes as he descended the final ladder, yawning as he walked over towards the living room.
Shad and Ashei sat beside each other on one of the couches. Ashei grinned as Link sat across from them, resting her head on her hand.
"Fall asleep while you were up there, yeah?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.
He frowned slightly, fixing his hair as he leaned back in his seat. "Only for a couple minutes. Zelda wanted me to stay with her for a while..."
She smirked, slouching forward slightly. "You two are too cute..." Ashei told him, causing him to roll his eyes.
"You sure do love to say that..." he answered, grabbing the blanket from beside him and draping it around his shoulders. He frowned, shivering as he crossed his arms. "Forgot my shirt..."
Ashei raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Should I ask why you took your shirt off again, in the first place...?"
His eyes widened slightly at her words. "Sh-she said that my tunic was still damp, and that it was making her cold. That's all."
"You sure you didn't suggest to take your shirt off, using that exact reason as an excuse?"
Link shifted his gaze to the side, biting his cheek. "...you said that we were cute, not innocent..." he murmured.
Ashei chuckled, running her fingers through her bangs. "That's what I thought," she responded, leaning forward in her chair.
Shad frowned, twiddling his thumbs as he pretended not to listen to the conversation. "So, uh... what time did Miss Telma say we were leaving, Ash?"
She thought to herself for a moment, scratching her chin. "Eh... around 5:30, I think. We still have a couple hours, yeah?"
He nodded in agreement, pushing his glasses up slightly. "It's about a quarter after four, now..." he informed her.
There was a loud knock at the door just after Shad had finished his sentence. Link sighed softly, rubbing his forehead as he pulled the blanket around himself tightly. "I swear, if that kid's back already..." he grumbled to himself, smoothing down his hair as he opened the door. His eyes widened slightly when he realized who it was, and he immediately pulled the blanket even tighter. "T-Telma, what are you...?"
"Speak of the devil!" Ashei chimed in loudly, causing Link to scowl at her.
She snorted, jumping to her feet as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. Try to keep it down, Telma; Link's got a sleeping beauty in his bed."
The older woman grinned, crossing her arms. "Is that so? Mind if I come in, honey?"
Link smiled warmly, shaking his head as he took a step back from the doorway. "Not at all. Make yourself at home."
"Thanks, hon'," she smiled, stepping inside the house and quickly crossing over to Shad and Ashei.
Link hurried over to the ladder and began to climb up as Telma cleared her throat, crossing her arms.
"Now, I just wanted to remind you kids that we're gonna be leaving in a couple'a hours, so don't get TOO comfortable..."
"We were just discussing it, actually, Miss Telma," Shad replied, nodding curtly as he adjusted his glasses. "Though, we won't be needing to pack anything, with the exception of Louise..."
"Before I forget, Telma," Ashei cut in suddenly, standing up tall as she rested her hands on her hips, "I thought that I'd mention that our hero's birthday is coming up in a few days, or so..."
Telma grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Let me guess; you want to throw him a party at my bar?"
"Not a party, no. He's got something against that term, I guess. No... it's a 'get-together'. But it'll be his eighteenth birthday, so I figured that he needed some sort of celebration."
The woman rested her hands on her hips, cocking her head slightly. "You sure are a lot friendlier than you were before The Invasion, huh Ash?"
She shrugged, smiling as Link descended the ladder, wearing his tunic once again. "The land's at peace. What better way to celebrate than have a drink or two with the hero? Right, Shad?"
"Huh?" the scholar asked, his head having been buried in the clouds.
Ashei rolled her eyes, smirking. "What do you think, Telma?"
The barkeep grinned widely, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly as she crossed her arms. "Sure thing, Ash. Who all's invited?"
"Whomever our hero desires, Lady Telma," Ashei replied, grinning cheekily as she bowed.
"You aren't talking about that again, are you?" Link asked, frowning. "I thought that we agreed that it would just be a small get-together."
"Exactly," she told him, nodding. "And you can bet your rump that it'll be the best party you've ever had."
"You sound pretty confident," he answered, grinning as he crossed over to the group. "Just don't go overboard, alright?"
She scoffed, rolling her eyes as the corners of her lips turned up slightly. "Overboard? That's the goal, Link; you're turning eighteen. You'd better not be so uptight at the party."
He scowled slightly. "I'm not uptight, Ashei. There's nothing wrong with not being a party-animal, you know."
"I agree with Link," Shad chimed in, pushing his glasses up.
Ashei rolled her eyes yet again. "Oh, there's a party-animal deep within everyone; just you two wait and see!"
"Hey, keep it down, will you?" Link hushed her, frowning as he glanced up at platform where Zelda slept.
She smirked, letting out a chuckle. "Oh, right. You're a real gentleman, Link."
"It's not being gentlemanly," he replied, weaving his fingers through his hair, "it's common courtesy not to wake someone up when they're sleeping..."
"But you'd care a lot less if it were anyone else in your bed, right?" Ashei asked, raising an eyebrow.
He bit his lip slightly, his arms crossed as he lowered his gaze. "I-it doesn't matter, either way..."
"Lovebirds," she muttered, causing him to scowl slightly as she grinned at him. She let out a laugh as she brushed her hair out of her face, shaking her head. "Oh, the lengths that you go to in order to divert attention from yourself..."
"But you're such a sweetheart," Telma added in, smiling warmly as she let out a hearty chuckle. She opened her arms wide, taking a step closer to him. "C'mere, hon'."
Ashei grinned, uncrossing her arms. Before Link could object, she quickly grabbed onto one of his shoulders, harshly pulling him forward. She and Telma both threw their arms around him, causing him to sigh deeply as they gripped onto him as tightly as they possibly could.
"You really are cold," Ashei remarked, grinning as she patted him on the back.
"Then maybe you should let go," he managed to choke out, his face beginning to turn red.
"Alright, alright..." she replied, smirking as she and Telma pulled away.
Shad laughed breathily, fixing his hair. "You don't look so good, Link..."
Ashei raised an eyebrow, her hands resting on her hips. "You think that you're getting out of a group hug, Shad?" she asked, her tone lower than before.
The scholar frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Eh... I'd rather not," he responded, shaking his head.
"If you don't allow Telma and I to group hug you in the next 10 seconds, then I can guarantee that there will be a certain group of village children in here to tackle you."
Shad quickly pushed himself off of the sofa, stepping closer over to Telma and Ashei who quickly pulled him into a warm embrace.
"Goodness, you're assertive..." he told her, biting his cheek as he returned the hug.
Ashei grinned widely, letting go of him and crossing her arms. "But it worked, didn't it?" she asked, grinning.
"That's beside the point, Ash," he replied, frowning slightly. "I don't think tha-"
"But it worked, right?" she interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
"...Yes, I suppose it did..." he responded slowly.
"Then that's all that matters, right?"
He sighed, furrowing his eyebrow slightly. "Oh... never mind. Anyway... are we going to be having this celebration at the bar?"
"Why, of course," Telma smiled sweetly, crossing her arms as she winked over at Link. "After all, allowing a few drinks on the house is the least that I could do for our hero."
"That isn't necessary, Telma..." Link answered, standing up tall as he shook his head.
"Please," she insisted, nodding politely, "it would be an honor to serve such a brave young man such as yourself, sweetie. Plus, I wouldn't make you pay for it on your birthday; you're supposed to be having fun with your friends, after all."
Link bit his lip, his eyes glazing over in thought. "I just... I don't think that Zelda would want me..."
"Drinking?" Telma cut in, smirking. "On your birthday? Honey, your girl's a sweetheart just like you; she won't mind one bit how you decide to spend your birthday."
"B-but, what if she's upset about it? She doesn't really approve of-"
"Don't worry about it, hon'," she assured him, letting out a hearty chuckle. "Just because Zelda doesn't drink, doesn't necessarily mean that she'll be angry with you if you choose to. And you don't have to lay a finger on the stuff if you don't want to, hon'; it's all up to you."
He frowned, sighing deeply as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe I'll just try a bit..."
"Why Telma, you're the adult here. Are you ENDORSING the consumption of alcohol in front of this minor?" Ashei asked, smirking.
The older woman rolled her eyes, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "I don't know if you've noticed by now, hun, but I'm a barkeep, and business is business. Besides, he won't be a minor by the time that his birthday comes around, now, will he?"
"Suppose not..." she responded, shrugging as she turned to Link. "Just don't overdo it, 'kay? I doubt that Zelda wants all of her citizens to believe that she's dating an alcoholic."
He frowned, biting his lip. "B-but I'm not an alco-" he started, only to be cut off when she put her hand up.
"But they don't know that, now, do they?" she asked rhetorically, causing him to narrow his eyes slightly. "Just don't screw up, for Zelda's sake."
Link rolled his eyes. "You sure do love to use Zelda as a motivation to keep me from messing up, huh?"
"But it works, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. He was silent for a moment as she grinned, shifting her balance from one foot to another. "Right. So shut up."
"...You're a real piece of work. You know that, right?"
Ashei chuckled, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I warned you of that when we first met, yeah?"
"...I guess so..." he muttered, slouching forward slightly. "I just didn't know how serious you were being about it."
She nodded curtly, resting her hands on her hips. "Dead serious, kiddo. But I've gotten better, right, Shad?"
The scholar frowned. "Well, uh..."
"Scratch that," she interrupted him, shaking her head. "You'll just have to take my word for it. Now- what do you want for your birthday?"
"I don't want anything, Ashei," Link told her firmly, adjusting his tunic.
She sighed deeply. "You're the Hero of Hyrule, you know. You're dating the former princess- the QUEEN- of the kingdom. If you were to tell me what you want and I told her, then you would get it. You could have anything in the world, Link; she could make it happen. But nobody can get you anything if you don't tell them what you want."
"That's because I don't want anything," he answered, shaking his head. "I don't NEED anything else, either."
Ashei glanced around the room skeptically. "You're living in a tree and you STILL can't think of anything that you need?"
He frowned, crossing his arms. "You said it was comfortable, didn't you?"
"For a TREE," she specified, nodding curtly. "But you could do a lot better than this, Link. Seriously, you could really take advantage of your current relationship with Zelda-"
"That's enough, Ash," Shad cut her off, scowling. "It's a perfectly nice house."
"And I'm not going to use Zelda just so that I can get a nicer place," Link murmured, rolling his eyes.
Ashei furrowed her brow, puckering her lips slightly. "But people do it all the time! I mean... say a middle-class woman marries a wealthy man. Then she gets money. It's as simple as that!"
Link frowned, leaning in closer to her. "I'm not a gold digger, if that's what you're saying," he replied, shaking his head.
"But it's not gold-digging, Link!" she told him, frowning. "It's economical. That's just how it works! It's not such a crime to borrow some money from your partner if you really need it, you know!"
"But I don't need it," he reminded her, his blue eyes sharper than before. "If you want to get me a gift, then so be it. But I won't go out of my way to have someone spend money on me when it really isn't necessary."
Ashei's eyes lit up at his words, and she stood up taller. "Then I'll make sure that you get the best gift possible!"
"Sh!" he hushed her yet again, frowning as he glanced up at the highest platform.
She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry, Link; I'm not gonna wake up your girlfriend. I'm sure that she's too tired from last night to wake up so easily, anyway..."
Link's eyes burned into her as he clenched his fists at his sides, gritting his teeth. "Ashei..." he muttered under his breath, not daring to take his eyes off of her.
"What happened last night?" Telma asked, scowling slightly as she crossed her arms.
"Absolutely nothing happened last night," he managed to spit out, his eyes dark as he glowered at Ashei.
"Is there something I should know?" the older woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ashei and Link both stared each other down, as if they were silently communicating to each other. "Don't worry about it, Telma," Ashei answered, shaking her head. "Link's just a little shy, that's all."
"I'm not shy," he responded, shaking his head. "I just don't want to share every detail of my personal life. Is that such a crime?"
"Well, certain events are too important NOT to share, sometimes," she replied, not tearing her gaze from his.
"And certain events are a bit too personal to share with some people," he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"I guess that's why Mayor Bo, Fado, Rusl, Talo, Malo, Ilia, Colin and I all know about it..."
"I didn't WANT them to know!" he pointed out, scowling. "And the kids don't even know what really happened, anyway!"
"What happened?" Shad asked, furrowing his brow.
"We don't know what?" a small voice asked from behind the door.
The young hero sighed, shaking his head. "I thought you left," he replied, frowning.
"Oh... right," Talo answered. "Sorry."
"Why don't you just come in?" Link suggested, crossing his arms.
Without hesitation, the young boy quickly opened the door, leaping inside with a grin on his face. Before Link could warn him, Talo slammed the door behind him, rattling the platforms above as he bounded into the living room.
Link glared daggers at the child. "Could you try to keep it down?" he asked, his voice full of aggravation.
Talo rolled his eyes. "What's your deal?"
"Wh...what's going on down there?" a tired voice called out from the highest platform.
The young boy smirked, crossing his arms. "I see how it is," he stated.
"Don't worry about it, Zelda!" he replied, frowning. "Just... go back to sleep!"
He turned to Talo, scowling. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"That you're way too protective over Zelda," he answered, rolling his eyes.
"Am not!" Link retorted defensively, crossing his arms. "...And what does it matter to you, anyway?"
Zelda poked her head over the side of the platform, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Hello, Talo..." she greeted the boy, smiling tiredly as she smoothed down her hair. "When did you get here?"
"Yeah, Talo," Link spoke up, gritting his teeth, "when did you get here?"
The child shrugged. "A couple of minutes ago," he replied. "I got bored again."
"Why didn't you just go play with one of the other kids?" Link asked, scratching his head. "Where are they?"
"Well, Malo's with Mom and Colin's helping Rusl with something..." he responded, thinking to himself.
"What about Beth?"
Talo frowned, wrinkling his nose. "But... but..."
"But what?" the young man asked.
"But... she's a... girl," he finished, a disgusted look forming on his face.
"She's very sweet, Talo," Zelda reminded him, smiling warmly. "I'm certain that she wouldn't mind spending time with you."
"But... playing with girls is no fun," Talo added, crossing his arms. "All they do us complain about getting muddy and yell at you if you throw something at them. They're impossible to get along with."
Link narrowed his eyes slightly, frowning. "Well, you sure don't have a problem getting along with MY girlfriend..." he muttered, rolling his eyes.
"But Zelda and Beth are totally different," Talo stated matter-of-factly, nodding. "Beth complains about EVERYTHING. And she always calls me a doofus, anyway..."
"Maybe she has a crush on you, kid," Ashei chimed in, grinning.
Talo wrinkled his nose again. "Ugh. No, I don't think so. I mean, I'm cool and all, but... last I checked, she likes Colin. And before that she had a crush on Prince Ralis..."
"The Zora Prince?" Zelda asked, cocking her head slightly.
"Uh-huh," he replied, nodding. "She felt bad for him when he was sick. But before Prince Ralis, she liked..." Talo smirked, his gaze shifting over to Link.
The young hero bit his cheek. "Don't be ridiculous, Talo," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Beth didn't have a crush on..."
"Are you kidding?" the child laughed. "She was a Link fangirl BEFORE it was cool. More than Ilia, even. She always talked about how cool you looked when you were showing us your sword-fighting..."
Zelda giggled as Link's face grew red, leaning forward over the platform.
Ashei and Telma grinned widely, chuckling.
"That's adorable," Ashei told him, laughing.
The young man frowned, crossing his arms. "W-whatever," he answered, shaking his head. "It's in the past, now."
Zelda covered her mouth, yawning as she pushed herself to her feet. She groggily made her way over to the ladder, slowly making her way down to the lower platform and then to the living room to join the group.
"Good evening, everyone..." she greeted them, smiling pleasantly as she rubbed her eyes. "When did you arrive, Telma?"
"Not long ago, Zelda," she answered, grinning. "I've just been talking to Link here about his plans for his birthday."
The young hero nodded, slightly relieved that the subject had been changed.
"Is that so?" the young queen asked, smiling warmly as she turned to Link. "You're planning on visiting Telma's for the celebration, are you not?"
He nodded curtly, clearing his throat. "Yeah. Ashei suggested that I gather a few friends at Telma's, and that we could just spend a bit of time together."
"Am I invited?" Talo asked, grinning.
"Long as you don't get into trouble, sure thing. But that's not really your strong suit, is it?" he asked, smirking.
Talo shrugged, frowning. "I try my best," he replied simply. "And I promise I'll try to be on my best behavior..."
Link grinned, rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say, kid..." he responded.
"Awesome!" the child answered, laughing.
Zelda smiled, her eyes softening as she ran her fingers through her hair.
The young man glanced over at her, rubbing the back of his neck. "You sure you don't wanna sleep a little while longer?" he asked, biting his lip. "You look tired."
She shook her head, her eyes only half-open. "I'm okay, Link," she assured him, bowing her head slightly. "I just need a bit of time to wake up..."
He nodded, smiling as he took a step towards her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "If you say so..." he answered, pecking her on the cheek.
Zelda smiled, resting her head on Link's shoulder.
Telma grinned, chuckling as she crossed her arms. "You two are too cute," she remarked, shaking her head.
"They get that a lot," Ashei chimed in, laughing. "Mostly from me."
The older woman nodded. "Who would've thought, a farmboy and a royal? Sounds like a fairytale, doesn't it?"
"Sure thing. And the stubborn farmboy and his beautiful queen lived happily ever aft-"
"Okay, we get it," Link cut in, frowning.
Zelda lifted a hand to her lips, trying to suppress the smile that was beginning to form on her face. "Ashei, I can assure you that Link isn't as unpleasant as you make him out to be..."
Ashei smirked, rolling her eyes. "Aw, he knows I'm just kidding."
"If Ash gives anyone a hard time, then it's gotta be Shad," Telma pointed out, grinning.
"I'm sorry, come again?" Shad asked, having not been paying attention.
"You know..." Talo spoke up, clearing his throat as he glanced between Shad and Ashei, "a lot of the time the reason why people give each other a hard time is because they secretly really like each other..."
The scholar's face flooded red as Ashei grit her teeth, her eyes darkening. "Well, that's not always true, kid!" she snapped defensively, crossing her arms as she began to break a sweat. "S-so... shut up!"
The child smirked, resting his hands on his hips. "Uh-huh. Okay, I see how it is. I guess that I'll be going then."
Talo slowly crossed over to the door, opening it and stepping outside. Suddenly, he turned on his heel. "LOVEBIRDS!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, grinning at Ashei before quickly sliding down the ladder.
She glowered at the boy, dashing out the front door and watching as he sped off. "YEAH, YOU'D BETTER RUN, KID!" she yelled at him, clenching her fists. "I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, YOU KNOW! SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN, BRAT! YOU THINK I WON'T HURT A LITTLE TYKE LIKE YOU...?!"
The three stood there in awkward silence as Ashei continued to blast a chain of curse words at the smug child, her face flooded red with rage.
"She certainly has a... colorful vocabulary," Zelda remarked, frowning as Link pulled her closer.
"ASHEI FOR PETE'S SAKE CALM DOWN," Telma boomed, scowling.
"YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT PETE'S WELL-BEING? BECAUSE I DON'T. BECAUSE PETE IS A FICTIONAL PERSON THAT PEOPLE USE AS AN EXCUSE TO TELL OTHERS TO OBEY THEM. BUT YOU'RE SORELY MISTAKEN IF YOU THINK THAT I'M GONNA LET THAT KID RUN FREE," she shouted, her eyes burning.
"Oh, who cares who Pete is!" the woman retorted, furrowing her brow. "The point is that the kid's not even old enough to make his own breakfast! Give him a break, Ash!"
"A break!" she echoed, laughing bitterly as she rolled her eyes. "The kid's a troublemaker! A-and for him to imply something stupid and impossible like that... he should be punished!"
"A little defensive, there, don't you think?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe Talo isn't completely wrong..."
Zelda glanced at Link, forcefully prodding his hand with her fingers as if to get his attention. He turned to look at her as Ashei angrily marched towards them, a questioning look in his eyes.
"Don't make matters worse," the young queen muttered under her breath, frowning as he let go of her.
"LISTEN HERE, KIDDO," Ashei started, clenching the collar of his tunic in her fist and pulling him closer as her eyes burned into him. "EVEN IF I DID LIKE HIM LIKE THAT, IT WOULDN'T BE ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS, ANYWAY."
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Like you never invade anyone's privacy?"
Ashei narrowed her eyes, her nostrils flaring. "You think I won't throw you out the window, boy?"
"I've been through worse," he answered bluntly, not tearing his gaze from hers.
"You wanna BET?" she snarled, tugging on his shirt and nearly dragging him across the room.
"Ashei, please," Zelda spoke up finally, frowning as she stepped towards her. "Let him go."
Ashei ignored her. "You think I won't do it? 'Cause I will!"
"I'm counting on it!" the young hero replied, his eyes sharpened.
"Please stop this foolishness..." Zelda tried to convince Ashei, but she was drowned out when the two continued to argue.
"Fantastic! I hope you break your legs!" Ashei snapped, shoving Link into the wall.
"You should feel lucky that you're a girl!" he retorted. "But even so, I might just have to pull you down with me!"
"You wouldn't hurt a girl and you know it!" she shouted, her eyes aflame.
The young queen tightened her jaw, marching forward towards the two. "Unhand him NOW!" she nearly screamed, causing them both to jump.
Ashei quickly let go of him, her eyes widening. "I'm sorry... I-"
"Don't apologize to ME, Ashei!" she barked, her blue eyes dim. "I want both of you to cease this foolishness! Apologize to each other right now!"
Link swallowed hard. It was odd, really, how Zelda could be a sweet, soft-spoken girl one moment and utterly terrifying the next. It was proof enough that she truly was raised by Impa...
"I-I'm sorry," he managed to croak out, lowering his gaze.
"Me too," Ashei answered, clasping her hands together. "I overreacted."
"And I shouldn't have teased you like that," Link nodded, biting his cheek. He quickly turned to the young queen, frowning. "I-I'm sorry, Zel-"
He trailed off when he noticed her scowling at him.
"Didn't I tell you not to make matters worse?" she asked rhetorically, taking a step towards him and backing him up into the wall. "You... you're just too stubborn!"
He felt himself tense up as she glared at him, her eyes burning into his. After a few moments had passed, she unclenched her fists, lowering her gaze slightly as she stepped away from him.
Before Link could say anything, she suddenly turned on her heel, her nostrils flaring as she headed towards the front door.
"W-wait!" he tried to stop her, following behind her as she grabbed onto the handle. Without hesitation, she pulled the door wide open, attempting to close it on her way out but being quickly interrupted when Link put his arm in the doorway.
"Zelda, wait!" he shouted as she ran over to the ladder, hurriedly climbing down. He followed suit, frowning as they descended the ladder.
Once she had reached the bottom, Zelda briskly began to walk away. She stopped for a moment, glancing between the roads toward the village and the forest. Having been given just enough time to catch up, Link sprinted over to her, grabbing her by the shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he asked, knitting his brow as she lowered her gaze. "Why are you leaving?"
She shook her head, her eyes full of sorrow. "I'm sorry..." she managed to choke out, biting her lip. "I shouldn't have said that..."
He frowned, his eyes softening slightly. "It's okay, Zelda," he assured her, grabbing onto her hand. "You're right. I should have listened to you."
She stared down at the ground, only to be stopped when he placed his hand on her chin, lifting it up to meet her gaze. "Don't worry about it, Zelda," he told her, his blue eyes full of warmth. "It's alright."
Zelda lowered her gaze. "I didn't mean it, Link..." she tried to convince him, shaking her head. "I-I was just upset..."
"I know you were," he answered, smiling sadly as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. Link exhaled through his nose, his hands trailing up to rest against her lower back. He rested his head against hers, gently swaying her back and forth. "I love you, Zelda..."
The young woman smiled sadly, lifting her head slightly. "I love you too..." she replied, pressing her lips to his cheek.
He grinned, craning his neck forward and giving her a long kiss on the lips.
She hummed contentedly, her eyes fluttering shut as he pressed his lips against hers. Her hands slid upward, her fingers weaving through his blonde hair.
"Hey!" a small voice called out from behind them.
Link's face deflated as Zelda pulled away, turning on her heel to face the source of the voice.
"Sorry to interrupt your make out session," Talo started, causing Link to scowl slightly, "but I thought I heard someone yelling, so I decided to come back. Y'know, to save the day. But it didn't sound like Ashei... so was it Telma? Or did Ilia come over here? She's pretty moody."
Zelda frowned, kneeling down to meet the child's eye level. "I apologize, Talo..." she told him, frowning. "It was me. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
He raised his eyebrows, his mouth slightly agape. "No way. You... were yelling at somebody? Was it Ashei? Or...?"
"It was Ashei and Link," she responded, nodding. "I... was just apologizing to Link, actually..."
Talo smirked, crossing his arms. "Apologizing? Sure, if that's what you wanna call it... well, from what I saw, I'm sure that he accepts your 'apology'."
Link shrugged. "It's not our fault that you always decide to show up at the worst times."
He snorted. "Whatever. Oh, right. Um... Ilia wanted to see you, Zelda. Just you. She told me to tell you specifically NOT to bring Link. So... don't bring Link. She's at her house, I think."
"Why can't I come?" Link asked, frowning.
Talo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "I dunno. Some sort of secret girl stuff, I guess. She didn't tell me why."
Zelda bowed her head slightly, closing her eyes. "I'll visit Ilia posthaste. Thank you for informing me, Talo. Are you certain that she didn't mention her reason for wanting to see me?"
"Nuh-uh. You know Ilia. She's, uh... a girl. Just assume that she wants to talk about girl stuff, or something."
"What do you mean by that?" Zelda asked, frowning.
Talo bit his tongue. "Uh... huh. I don't know... Link, what do girls talk about?"
The young man shrugged. "Uh... how would I know? Girl... things. Girl things that only girls do."
"What do only girls do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Why are you asking me?"
"I don't know. You hung out with Ilia, and you have a girlfriend. I would think that you know something about a girl's brain!"
"Talo, NOBODY knows what's going on inside their heads. Not even the girls know what's going on inside their heads-"
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Zelda chimed in, frowning, "but I must be going. I should be back soon, I expect. Until later..."
She began to walk off in the opposite direction, the wind lightly blowing her dark hair back as she headed towards the village.
"Hey, Zelda!" Talo cried out to her.
She turned on her heel to face the boy. "Yes, Talo?" she asked, clasping her hands together patiently.
"What do girls talk about?"
She thought to herself for a moment in silence. "...what exactly do you mean by that, Talo?"
"What do you talk about with your... girl friends?" he specified, cocking his head.
Zelda frowned slightly. "Oh... well, Talo, I-I don't really have any girl friends... so I don't know, exactly, the answer that you're looking for..."
"But you're a GIRL! You MUST know what's on your mind!" he retorted, furrowing his brow. "What is it? Boys? Dresses? Girl parts?"
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "...Parts? What do you mean by that?"
"You know," he replied, nodding. "Like... boobs and stuff like that."
"T-Talo!" Link shouted as Zelda's face grew into a deep crimson, her eyes wide. "W-watch it!"
"It was just a question!" the child defended himself, pouting. "...But seriously, what's 'girl talk'?"
"P-perhaps you should ask Telma about the subject," Zelda suggested, her cheeks still flushed. "She's very open about these matters, and I'm sure that she would be much more helpful than I."
"Okay!" he answered, smiling. "I will. Thanks, Zelda!"
She gave him a half-smile before quickly turning on her heel and burying her face in her hands as she made her way towards Ordon Village.
Once she was out of sight, Link turned to Talo, gritting his teeth. "D-do you have any filter on you?!"
"What's your problem?" Talo asked, frowning.
Link lowered his gaze, letting out a deep sigh. "Your my problem, kid," he muttered between his teeth.
Talo grinned cheekily, crossing his arms. "Sure thing, Link," he told him, nodding. After a few seconds he bit his lip in thought. "Say... you wouldn't mind if I borrowed a little more money, would you?"
"What?" Link asked, scowling. "You already got 200 rupees out of me! How could you possibly need mo-"
"I-I just wanted a little bit more!" he replied, putting his hands up in front of himself defensively. "B-because... Malo won't give me any money from what he earned from his store, and I just... I-I thought about what I said earlier, and... I just thought that maybe if I bought Beth a present, then she wouldn't be so grumpy all the time!"
The young man's scowl slowly dissipated as his eyes softened slightly. His frown turned up into a warm smile as he lifted his arm, messing up the child's hair. "You're a good kid, Talo..." he told him, lowering his gaze. He reached into the pouch on his belt, pulling out a handful of rupees of various colors. "Here."
Talo grinned widely, his eyes lighting up as Link handed him the rupees. "Wow... thanks! It means a lot, Link!"
The hero smiled, nodding curtly. "No problem, Talo..." he told him as the young boy ran off.
Link chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he pivoted on his heel and headed back towards his house. Talo really was a good kid... and Link hoped that he would never change.