Hey guys and girls!
For whatever reason these chapters get increasingly hard to write… I can't quite place my finger on why that is. Should the wait between them get gradually longer, please excuse that, but I don't want to put out hastily patched together content. It's odd how invested one gets with a story like this and I want to do it justice. Also please excuse the -spacer- thingies. I don't know how to get it to display a double line break to signify a change in scenerey or time.
Enough rambling!
Enjoy!
Chapter 27
King Tiberian of Hyrule
Zelda had just left with the boy in tow.
It was hard not to think of him as 'a boy'… slim, soft, childlike features, not even a tuft of hair on his chin… But yet... there was steel in him. More than you would expect from a youth his age…
He doubted that either of those children realized the danger they faced. Not that he did, the king admitted to himself, but that was precisely what frightened him most. The unknown… and the resulting impossibility to be prepared.
He sat back down heavily behind his desk. Goddess, he was tired. His generals were doing an admirable job of patching an army together, but he would be damned if he didn't oversee every last detail of this initial, hot phase. He hated this nerve-grinding delay of information that came from the sheer distance his country spanned. It would be days, maybe weeks before he knew how his battalions at Saqqara fared and whether they were able to put a stop to the raids. If there even had been any more… And it would take at least one more week until the full fighting force had been assembled with enough provision to be mobile.
As much as he wanted to help his daughter with this… questionable endeavour about dragons, even if it was only to try to reconnect with her, he had to focus on this potential war they were fighting. He had to trust that she would come to the right conclusions… she certainly had the intelligence for it, but also a youthful lack of experience. And while the boy seemed bright enough, judging by one meeting, he couldn't be sure whether his influence would be beneficial.
The king shook his head at himself. What had his daughter said?
"Then fucking learn!"
He hadn't even known that she knew words like that… then again, she always had been a bit of a rascal. With a wistful smile he recalled one night when she was five. The entire castle household had been frantically searching for her as nobody had seen her for at least six hours. He was just a hair's breadth away from sounding the alarm throughout the entire city when the clever old stable master had, on a whim, found her sleeping peacefully next to a young filly that she had taken a liking to. Smeared with grime and dirt she had been, as if she had crawled through who-knows-what in her stealthy escape from her chambers. He remembered, clear as day, how weak his knees had gotten in relief at seeing his unhurt, sleeping daughter…
And now it seemed she despised him… and he just didn't know how to fix it.
He sighed heavily. At least he felt a little safer, now that the boy was guarding her. Despite all his doubts that so young a lad was suitable for such an important task, it did somehow feel like the right choice. He had serious eyes, that boy… he was not someone who would falter in the face of danger.
It also served to make his daughter happy. The looks she had shot him had not escaped the king. He felt a little uneasy leaving these two even-aged youths to their own devices, with him being a commoner no less. But if his presence served to provide Zelda with even a little comfort, it was worth it. Let them have a bit of solace before their daunting task.
"A wise choice, king."
He didn't even flinch this time. The Shiekah's intrusions were becoming routine. They still were outrageous, though.
"Do not presume to know what I am thinking, cur!" he growled, looking at her cowled face.
"I don't. I was referring to you ordering the hero to guard your daughter. Could it be that you have started to give credence to the increasingly obvious explanations of recent events?"
He controlled his anger. He would not let this assassin's mocking words make him lose his cool. "Are you just here to spew poorly veiled insults or would you like to be of use for once?" he grumbled.
"I have come to inform you that I will leave for Saqqara immediately. I find it most odd that the enemy's first attack would be there, the warlike tribe of fierce fighters, fortified by cruel desert. There must be a reason to choose this prickly morsel as initial target… and immediately after the two children of destiny had found each other. I believe there might be information within Saqqara's walls that the agents of the Threat are now desperately trying to erase. And if there is, I must secure it." the Shiekah explained.
The king saw sense in that. He had wondered himself, what possible gain the creatures led by a sinister intelligence could hope for by tackling the most difficult route into Hyrule.
"Very well. Yet, why do you even tell me? You seem to be loyal solely to my daughter, certainly not me." he asked with a certain grudge.
"I am." she had the nerve to say. "I simply do not wish to disturb her any further today, and I cannot wait any longer. I trust that you will relay this information, king."
He gritted his teeth, but remained calm through great effort. What did this woman thing he was? A messenger boy?
"I also trust that you will help both the princess and the hero with whatever preparations they might require. I believe it is vital that they start on their quest post-haste!" she continued.
The king looked up, his eyes bemused and threatening. "What do you mean 'their quest'? Surely setting out into the wilderness to some goddess-forsaken goose chase is the "hero's" task! You do not seriously presume that I would send my daughter away from safety in these times!" he hissed, his calm cracking dangerously.
"Have you learned nothing still?" she spat back at him, also angered. "Your self-righteous inaction has already cost valuable time! Now you wish to impede our only hope of salvation even further? The two children of fate combat the Threat together, that has been clear from the start! She, the light that banishes the darkness, he, her protector who wields the sword to destroy evil. You know this!" she yelled, exasperated.
"I will not allow my only child to be put at risk! Protector or no, there is too much danger involved! What if a host of monsters finds them? Our enemies know more than us, you said so yourself! They will be waiting at wherever they need to go! Even if she is needed at these locations, let the boy clear the way first! Then She can follow with an escort!" he tried to reason.
"And what safety does that avail?" she shot back heatedly. "She was attacked in the middle of a troop of more than a hundred! She was attacked in the middle of your city, surrounded by all of your guards! What makes you think sending her off with a big retinue will accomplish? It would be like lighting a flare, signalling her position at all time! Let me make this clear: As long as her position is known and she is separated from Link, she is an easy target. The safest spot she can be is most likely lost in the wilderness, with only him as company. You can not protect her! Only he can!"
"I will not send her away with only a smooth-cheeked boy as protection!" he shouted through gritted teeth, his head growing red in rage.
Suddenly Impa seemingly returned to calm. "Then my only choice is make sure that you are unable to stop them." she informed him, her voice cold.
The king's eyes widened, his fiery fury blown away by sheer disbelief. "You dare threaten me? In my own house?" he asked, his muscles tensing for a fight.
She did not move an inch. "I must. It is my duty to ensure that they can fulfil theirs. And I will not tolerate anyone who puts my princess in danger." she told with the same, nearly monotone voice.
The king gritted his teeth once more. "And you believe Zelda will trust your word after you have murdered me?" he asked with an grim snort.
"It doesn't matter. She already knows what she must do and she will. She would hate me, but she would still fulfil her duty. And if she wishes my death after I have fulfilled mine, she is welcome to it."
The king stared at her red eyes, trying to gauge how serious she was being. His right hand twitched, wanting to grab the dagger that was fixed to the underside of the desk. But in the end, he knew that he had no chance. He broke the stare-duel and sank into his chair, defeated. "I will have to think on this." he admitted, weakly.
The Shiekah stepped closer, slowly like a tiger stalking its prey. He looked back up. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her eyes. He saw nothing but death glare at him, not a threat, but a silent promise. For the first time, the king was afraid for his life. He shivered and involuntarily recoiled into the back of his chair.
Her voice was pure ice when she spoke. "Think on it very carefully, king. The fate of this world does not depend on your life. It is as irrelevant as mine in this war. It can be snuffed the instant you cease to be an ally in the battle against the dark."
She was standing right next to him with those terrifying red orbs bespeaking his demise. He couldn't move; fear held him in a vice grip. "Do not hinder them any further. I will know if you do and I will come for you. This you may rely on, king!"
A heavy knock on the door startled him so thoroughly, he thought the Shiekah had pierced his hear. The guard entered timidly, looking that everything was alright. Of course, they had both shouted… no wonder the two men in front of the door had worried. He looked back to his right. The red eyed demon had vanished without a trace.
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Zelda
Zelda woke up, slowly, enjoying the feeling of waking up in a soft bed after a restful sleep. She carefully rolled over so she wouldn't disrupt this nice state between dreaming and wakefulness. She loved the feeling of the cool, smooth bed sheets on her naked skin, giving her the sensation of lying amidst a cloud.
For the first time in weeks she had had a dreamless, uninterrupted night. No wonder… she had been so back-breakingly tired from the sleepless, revelatory night before and the day with Link, which overall had been sweet, but stressful. She couldn't even remember anything that had occurred after their rather passionate goodbye kiss. Eyes still closed, she had to smile and curl up into a ball, as if trying to experience the feeling of body against body with herself. It had been a very good kiss…
Slowly but surely her mind wrenched her away from the dream world and into reality. Opening her eyes she saw her room flooded with early sunlight. Six in the morning, maybe? Something niggled in her mind, but she couldn't quite find it. Loath to leave the comfort of her bed, but also yearning to get started with her day, she stood up. A mighty yawn escaped her as she deliciously stretched her slender body. She felt… good… for once.
She suspected it might be because they actually had some sort of goal now, even if it was a vague one. Still, finding three unknown places was more tangible than "go and save the world!"… It was a clear objective, something to concentrate on, a beacon leading to action, so they no longer had to traipse in the dark.
And, well… the rather intense little goodbye yesterday afternoon certainly also helped to raise her spirits. Zelda looked dreamily out the window and into the rising sun. The memory of that kiss and all the sensations it had engendered made her blush. She recalled that she had been the initiator of that risky, all-too-short moment. She had been the one who grabbed him and pulled him in so he pinned her against the door. Good goddess, what had she been thinking? Some maid could have stumbled upon them at any second… but that was also what had made it so very exciting.
"Naughty little princess!" Link would probably say. She smiled to herself like a happy idiot.
Wait… Link! Six o'clock! The time when his shift ended! Maybe she could still see him, say good morning at least!
Zelda darted towards the door, through her sitting room and into the little antechamber. Her hand was already on the doorknob when her brain had a tiny little objection. She looked down at herself. She was in a nightshirt that reached just to the middle of her thighs… nothing more. Goodness! That would have been an exit, stumbling into his arms like this… basically nude…
Talk about fodder for the rumour mill!
She hastened back to her bedroom, angry and slightly amused by her impetuosity. She was reminded of his second to last sentence yesterday. "What in the world are you doing to me?"
What indeed! What were they doing to each other's brains? Apparently hers was turning into mush! She had just nearly dashed out of her chambers, clad in nothing but a very revealing shred of cloth, into either a young man, or a random royal guard! She had a tiny feeling that Link would have rather enjoyed the sight…
She jumped around the room, hastily donning the first dress that she could get her hands on and pulling some shoes on her feet so she could spurt back out as quickly as possible. 'What am I doing?!' she giggled to herself, wondering if she had completely lost her mind. 'Yes!' a helpful voice supplied. 'But it's too fun to stop now!'
She slid to a halt in front of the double doors, stood up straight, made a calm face and opened the door.
She was greeted by the back of a guardsman, standing stalwartly in front of the door. She could swear she had just been able to see a tuft of messy dark blonde hair go down the stairs.
Zelda made a frustrated face. So close!
The guardsman turned, a broad-shouldered, balding man of about 30. He opened his mouth, hesitated when he saw her, but rallied immediately. "Good morning, your majesty. May I be of service?"
Right, now how do we deal with this?! She had an idea, but it was slightly mean…
"The young man who was given the night-shift… he was doing his assignment properly, I hope?" she asked regally.
The man nodded, so look of suspicion from him. "Aye, my lady. He stood at his spot and seemed vigilant. You only just missed him." he reported.
"Very well. I have instructions for him." Goddess, she sounded nasty! "He is to come to the library after he has fulfilled his other duties. Would you see to it that he learns of my wish?"
"Aye, your highness! I will!" he confirmed with a bow.
"Good!" she exclaimed, returned back inside and closed the door.
She exhaled deeply. "Phhuuuuuh. That could have been a bit awkward…" she mumbled to herself.
Zelda returned to her bedchamber, slightly disappointed, but nonetheless eager to begin the day. If everything went according to plan, Link would join her after his training with Sir Alistair… until then she would start by chewing through as many books as she could, in search for any relevant information on dragons and their symbology. She didn't know how the three locations looked, so this was the only lead she could follow.
Normally she would do all of her morning attention to hair, face and clothing on her own but today she rang the bell for her ladies-in-waiting. There was no time to be lost.
She sat down in front of her luxurious mirror and nearly got a stroke. She looked hideous! At least her hair did! It was standing on end like a feather duster! No wonder the guard had looked at her queerly for a moment! Nayru's mercy, thank you for not letting Link see me like this! What the devil kind of acrobatics had she performed while sleeping that it would look like this?
Good grief, this could take a while…
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Two hours later a coiffure-restored Zelda was on her way to the library. Thella, the elderly maid who seemed to have made it her personal goal to take care of the princess' hair, had nearly had a heart attack upon seeing her. They had bustled around her for what seemed an eternity, basically throwing her in the bathtub, caring not for her resistance.
"What have you been doing with your hair, your majesty?!"
"Dry, dusty air?! Death! Death I say for anyone's hair, your majesty!"
"You should have called me immediately, your majesty! Let us hope we can still salvage it!"
Dear goddess, the drama!
Still, she couldn't deny that she felt much more comfortable and confident with her hair flowing smoothly, instead of looking like she had been kissed by an Electric Keese…
She entered the library, admittedly feeling even more refreshed than when she had just woken up. She put her satchel down on her favourite reading desk in front of the window and looked at row upon row of shelves. Right… where to start?
She noticed something at another desk, slightly hidden behind books. Zelda looked surprised. Right… let's start with 'Why is Sally in the library?'
She walked over and immediately noticed that something was wrong. Her little cousin was holding a book about new age Goron poetry. That was slightly out of character. She also seemed to hide her face from her behind the heavy tome. Also not quite fitting. Thirdly, judging by her red eyes and slightly puffy cheeks, she had apparently been crying. Now that was cause for an emergency meeting! She had never, ever seen her so much as shed a tear, not even when one of the ruffian boys had knocked her over so violently that she had scraped both of her knees open. Quite the opposite; she had made him cry right after. She had been seven and he ten…
Zelda sat down beside her and put a consoling hand on her arm. "Sally, goodness! What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, nervous. Had something happened with her parents? Was everyone alright?
The smaller girl boisterously rubbed her eyes and wiped her nose on her forearm. "Something happened, alright. Goddess, this is so embarrassing… Bugger me, I'm such an idiot!" she sniffed.
Zelda had a sneaking suspicion what had happened. "It wouldn't be the case that Link's big friend was untoward, could it?" she asked cautiously, uncertain how to react to a Saria in this state.
She looked at her older cousin indignantly. "No! Nothing like that! Quite the opposite. That's the problem, damn it. He's more of a gentleman than any of these noble brats! And funny. And creative. For the first time I'm… well, I think I don't need to draw you the picture in any more detail, do I? And he's going to leave, frigging bugger it all!" Sally buried her face in her arms on the table.
Zelda was torn between deep, genuine compassion and amusement. Her little Sally, head over heels…
"You really are just one big bundle of emotion, aren't you?" Zelda asked, gently stroking her friends dark hair.
She raised her finger in the air. "And sarcasm!" she mumbled into the desk.
"And sarcasm." Zelda confirmed. "Look, he leaves in four or five days, right? Make the most of it now. …without doing anything rash, I should add. I never know with you…"
"What, no mud-battles?" the smaller girl asked, muffled.
Zelda giggled. "Definitely no mud-battles. But even if, you know you can count on me for a midnight-washing-adventure. Anyway, I assume you've met him yesterday as well?"
Nod. "While you were… somewhere. I didn't see you the entire day! I did, however see your boyfriend stand guard in front of your door. He, of course, doesn't just leave…" Sally said bitterly.
Zelda's heart gave a pleasant little flutter at the word boyfriend. Yes… she hadn't actually thought about it that way, but yes… she had a boyfriend.
"Look, Sally. You've spent two days with each other. Use the next few to see if he's actually as interesting as you currently believe. Then, after he has left, there's always letters. If it is meant to be, you will not forget about each other and can look forward to another meeting." she offered, knowing fully well how unhelpful it was. She didn't even want to imagine how distraught she'd be if she knew that Link would have to leave and possibly never come back.
Sally made a very distinguished flatulence-noise. "Can't you just bloody use your princess powers and force him to stay? What good are you to me, if you can't even do that?" she whined.
Zelda snorted. Truly, what good were her 'princess powers' if she couldn't even use them for something like this?
"Look, I know that nothing I can say is going to console you right now. If I can help you with anything, tell me. But I really do need to start on my research. Why don't you help me, get your mind off of your boyfriend?"
Sally gave a muffled laugh. "Hah! If only…" Then she unburied her face and looked at her cousin, disgruntled. "Fine. But only for a couple of hours. Then I need to prepare for… well… our next date." she grumbled, turning ever so slightly red.
Zelda sighed, grabbed Saria's head between her hands and pulled her close so she could give her a little kiss on the forehead. "It will turn out alright, you will see."
Sally made a sulky, low hum. "Right. Thank you for your precious prophetic powers. Wait, you really do have those, don't you? Maybe it magically will turn out well!" she said snidely.
Ah, sarcasm is back! Seems we are out of the woods, for now.
"What are we researching, then?"
"Dragons." Zelda simply said.
She got presented with a look that clearly said 'someone's gone crackers'. "Enough of all this saving-the-world-business, then? Are we visiting fantasy land, you and I?" Saria mocked.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Well I would have gone with something more real, like Hinox, but since I am apparently related to one, I don't quite see the point. I'm being serious about this, Sally. I don't know yet whether learning about the mythology of these creatures will be of any use, but I do know that they, or their symbology, is somehow involved." she explained.
"What have you found out that makes you think that?" her cousin asked, her curiosity clearly kindled.
Zelda recounted her last day, told of the Mastersword and the vision Link had upon touching it.
Little Hinox listened, taken in, then shook her head derogatorily. "Visions and dreams… you are both weird, you know that? Isn't the normal world complicated enough for you two?" she huffed histrionically. "Right. Where do we start?"
Zelda was always fascinated by her little cousin at times like these. She had just told her that they had found a magical, evil smiting sword deep under the castle and that Link, upon touching it, had images of mystical locations implanted in his brain by three glowing dragons… and all Sally said was 'Where do we start?'. It just goes to show how deeply they trusted each other.
"I'll have a look into Mythical Hyrule and you can start with Legendary Creatures of old. Don't worry, it has got a lot of pictures." she could help but remark.
"I'll paint you a very detailed picture of what I think of your attempts at humour, girly." Sally growled, but went off to find her designated study material.
Zelda too went to the shelf where she knew the tome would lie. She did know pretty much where everything was in here… she could probably fill the role of librarian herself. When she found it, sat down and opened it on the right page she immediately had to frown a little bit.
'Dragons: Myth or Menace?' the title of the chapter screamed at her.
Well, she thought, time to separate the grains of information from the loads of nonsense!
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Three hours later Zelda was still poring over books. A sizeable stack of already read material had accumulated to her right. She had ordered a hearty breakfast and was still occasionally chewing on it between pages, much to the dismay of the librarian, who shot her nasty looks.
Sally had left an hour ago, her spirits somewhat restored and eager for her next meeting with Ricco. She hadn't been of much help today anyway… her head had been firmly stuck in the clouds. Then again, she wasn't one to talk. The thought of seeing Link again today filled her with fluttery butterflies. More than once she had to wrest her attention back to the sheer endless number of books.
It was tiring, but also strangely fascinating. Zelda loved stories of mystery and with a topic as inspiring as dragons, an enormous collection of them had sprung forth over the centuries. Must of them, naturally, were complete bogus, but by comparing dozens of them, she could extrapolate common themes. Themes that tended to stay the same in most stories and had kept over the years. She was eager to discuss these with Link. Goddess, hopefully he wasn't one of those men who were afraid of books! That would be awful…
Sighing, she closed yet another tome that hadn't really improved her understanding in the matter. Once again, she seemed to run into this wall that obstructed anything that had happened more than 2000 years ago… At least now she knew that this was a deliberate machination and not her failure as a researcher. Aggravating nonetheless!
She looked at the stack of books thoughtfully. Wait… her father had his own library in his study. He dealt mostly with natural and military science and strategy, but given that possibly dragons had once existed, they might have entries in his more exclusive tomes…
Zelda wasn't all too happy to return there. Granted, he'd most likely be in the map room this time of day…
She made a face at her own childish thoughts. Why should I avoid him, damn it? This is my research and he has to bloody help me!
'You are avoiding him because you're still angry with him." a little voice in her head supplied.
'Yes! I am! So?' Zelda answered herself back. 'Why shouldn't I be? He has treated me so despicably the last weeks!'
'Out of concern, not spite or doubting you!' the other voice whispered. 'And he has been helping lately.'
'Well, he can just continue doing that. I am not ready to forgive and forget!'
The little, regrettably reasonable voice offered: 'You have already made your point to him. Now at least help fix the situation and don't obstruct his attempts to better himself.'
Grudgingly, Zelda agreed with that infuriatingly sensible part. Nothing would be gained by being a truculent child.
Sighing heavily, she stood up. She tugged her clothes back into place, mostly to stall for time and to control her nerves.
'Right. Let's go.'
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She stood in front of the heavy oak door to her father's refuge. The guards had just informed her that he was, in fact, inside. One of them knocked for her and opened it. Zelda entered without waiting for any admission. She found him poring over some writ, probably a list of recruits, or a summary of their preparations. He looked awfully tired. He had probably slept less than 5 hours over the last three days.
"Greetings." she announced herself dryly.
"Please, come in." he answered with equal emotion.
To the point, then. "I have decided to start looking into dragons and their mythology. I have all but exhausted the books in the library. Do you have any reading material on the matter?" she asked politely.
"Nothing too specific… are you progressing with your research?" he asked, standing up.
"Yes." she simply said without offering any details. Why should she be forthcoming with information?!
She saw how the unspoken rejection stung him. Once again she was torn between a certain satisfaction and guilt at causing him pain. That annoying voice chided her. 'You are still being childish!'
She sighed. "A few common themes, bits of information… preciously little. They seem to almost be as shrouded in mystery as what has occurred two millennia ago…" she finally continued.
"Do you see a connection?" her father asked, stepping on a ladder to reach the books high above their heads.
Zelda paused to think. She hadn't, really, but it was an interesting coincidence. Had the dragons vanished at the same time the great calamity had been averted? She would have to look further into that.
She took a deep breath. Her next words did not roll easy off her tongue. "I didn't. Though now I can see that there might be. Thank you for the idea." she admitted grudgingly. It really had been a good idea…
Her father paused on the ladder, in the middle of grabbing a book. He looked down towards her, surprised. Then he showed a grateful, little smile. "You are very welcome, Zelda. Anytime." he answered and proceeded collecting tomes for her.
She released the breath she had been holding. 'There. Wasn't so hard, now was it?'
'You shut up!' she told her own thoughts.
He stepped back down, carrying five ancient looking, leather-bound books under his arm. "These are the first that come to mind. Rather more lyrical than one might want, but I don't think that can be helped. You may also take this one." he said, pointing at a big book of at least half a metre edge length, lying ready at a side table. He must have prepared it for her beforehand. "This is my collection of maps. It covers most of Hyrule in excellent detail. It might prove useful when you begin your search for these three locations."
'So much helpfulness in one day? Take care not to exert yourself, father!' she thought nastily. Forcing these thoughts back she answered: "Thank you. That is very thoughtful. I will take good care of it."
He nodded. "I know you will." he muttered, not unkind. "By the way, he spoke well, that hero of yours. I am pleased that I don't have to trust your safety to a simpleton."
She felt her ire rise like acid in her mouth. How dare he?! "He certainly isn't that. If you were to ever take a step outside of this castle, you might find that, staggeringly, there can be intelligent people outside the nobility…" she informed scathingly.
To her surprise he lifted his hands placatingly. "Please, Zelda, that is not what I meant. But you have to understand that it is most unusual to entrust the safety of my daughter to a fifteen year old aspirant whom I don't know. I was merely relieved that he seemed wise beyond his years… indeed something that is rarely found within the nobility…" he explained.
She calmed down somewhat. She knew he wasn't good with words… or their appropriate use.
"I assume, by your reaction, that the two of you are on good terms?" he asked further.
Don't blush don't blush don't blush don't blush…
"I'd say we are. I would enjoy it if I could consider my protector my friend also." she said cautiously.
He nodded and smiled, a little too knowingly for her taste. "Indeed. I approve. You need to be able to rely on each other, or this endeavour will collapse catastrophically." he uttered.
She frowned slightly… what had he meant by that?
Zelda felt that they were done with each other for the moment. She nodded towards him in thanks, took the books and turned to leave.
"One matter I would like to discuss with you briefly…" he called after her. She turned around, wondering what would come next. "I… wanted to ask you, if you planned to join young Andrésson on this… quest."
She slowly turned around, feeling the anger boil back up. Zelda immediately knew where this was going and readied herself mentally for battle. "Link and I will do this together, as everything we know points toward that being our only way forward." she said with a dangerously calm voice. "I trust you have no objections?"
"I think it is unsafe." he tried to reason, but Zelda was done with this conversation before it had begun.
She turned back to the door and put her hand on the knob. She looked back one last time. "Where, truly, is it safe for me then, father?" she asked, looking at his ignorant face blankly.
Without waiting for the answer she left, knowing he had none to give.
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It was about half past four in the afternoon. Link should arrive any minute. Zelda was nervous and she felt like a fool for it. Whenever one of the librarians or housecleaners entered or exited she would look up, excited, only to be disappointed that it wasn't him. Focus had been very elusive due to that…
She also felt as if her brain was collecting dust. She had spent her entire day in here… nearly ten hours. She was exhausted and looking at any more small, dense script threatened to give her a headache. She had probably exaggerated with her zeal to find something, but she just couldn't allow herself to be less than an equal player in this research. Link was training for her, he was guarding her… the least she could do was work as quickly as she could so all of this would be over as soon as possible…
She sank into the chair and closed her eyes for a moment. Her father's words wouldn't leave her overwrought head. Did she plan to go with him? Yes! Naturally! But… what good would she be? As much as she loathed it, she was a city girl. Worse even: A palace girl! Despite her enthusiastic forays toward the outside world, in the wilderness she'd probably be… useless.
She had to admit that that terrified her more than anything else. To be a burden… Something that needed to be dragged along, unable to shoulder her own weight… And it would be infinitely worse if the one who had to carry her was Link. She couldn't bear the thought of him having to make up for her inadequacy at… well anything! Had she ever hiked over the country with a heavy backpack? No.
Had she ever tried to gather food in a forest? No.
Hell, had she ever made a fire without any tools? No!
Her fretting mind tormented her with images about his exasperated face about her complete and utter incompetence, his worry at how he should keep both of them alive and safe…
On the other hand, she had to come with him, didn't she? He was her protector, the hero whose destiny it was to see that she was safe. He couldn't very well do that when he was hundreds of miles away on an adventure while she languished here like some forlorn little flower. And, as she had insinuated to the king, there most likely was no safety to be found here. Then, of course, there was the possibility that, whatever they found at these three places, she had to be there to do… something.
Then again…
"You wished to see me, highness?"
Zelda opened her eyes, slightly startled. She looked at that impish grin in that handsome that she adored so much. Immediately the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. If the table hadn't been between them, she'd probably have fallen into his arms, simply out of thanks that he had interrupted her torturous train of thoughts.
She stood up nonetheless, stepped around the desk, took a quick, furtive look around, then stood on her toes to flutter him a kiss. He looked suitably surprised; now it was her turn to grin impishly. "Don't make me wait again, cur, or the punishment will be terrible!" she threatened.
Link snapped to attention and performed a crackling salute. "Yes, ma'am! Sorry ma'am! If that just now was the punishment I'll do it every day, ma'am!" he barked soldierly.
Zelda giggled, but nervously shushed him to silence. "Shhh! We're not alone, probably. Regrettably…" she added with a flirtatious smile.
She could see the effect it had on him and she enjoyed it greatly. Seeing him squirm in indecisive excitement, torn between caution and desire, gave her a certain naughty pleasure.
She stepped away, releasing him from her torment. She went to sit back down when he spoke. "How long have you been in here?!" he exclaimed, looking aghast at the pile of books next to her.
"All day!" she sighed, unable to hide a certain tiredness.
He shook his head at her, acting stern. "Now what sort of behaviour is that, young lady? I can hardly think of anything more damaging to life and limb!" he pontificated grandly. "Come, you bookworm. We need to get you out of here and into fresh air!"
Oh how much she wanted to. Ideally out of the castle, just sitting somewhere in the city with him. But they couldn't. "We have to beckon these three locations out of your head, remember?" she asked, looking at him with motherly patience.
He spread his arms. "So? We'll take a handful of atlases and books detailing certain landscapes with us and we'll enjoy a quite read in the afternoon sun! I'd suggest starting with the one with the giant tree amidst forest. Surely there is some mention about a natural sight such as this…" he suggested.
His eagerness was catching and that did indeed sound like a beautiful idea, but…
"We're not really supposed to take these books outside… the head librarian gets really quite… unhinged when this happens…" she opposed.
Link gave her a very dubious look. "Hmm. That's a shame. I was sure that these books, and the library for that matter, belong to the royal family. Now where can we find a member of them who would be willing to help us?" he asked.
Zelda's lips formed an amused smile. True enough… You couldn't really argue with that, could you?
-spacer-
They were sitting in one of the more secluded corners of the park-garden. The jungle, as Link called it, wasn't very suitable for concentrated studying… no real seating apart from the fountain rim where a careless move could doom one of the books to a watery grave… here, at least they had benches. Link had single-handedly carried one of the heavy wrought-iron monsters towards a second one so they could put their feet up. Zelda had marvelled at his strength… you wouldn't really guess it just by looking at him. No wonder he had lifted her up like it was nothing. She couldn't deny that she had quite enjoyed sitting on his shoulders… playing with his hair…
Focus, damn it!
On Link's insistence, she had brought pen and paper. He was currently busy drawing his vision. Whenever she could, she would glance sideways at him, at his concentrated face, at his sincere, big, deep blue eyes…
I told you to focus!
Whenever she leaned in and tried to get a look at his picture, he would move away and say "not done yet." with a slightly anxious voice. She loved watching his hands though… strong, but elegant. She had seen what they could do with a sword… now he moved his left deftly over the paper. She also enjoyed it an embarrassing lot when these hands touched her…
F.O.C.U.S. Damn you!
Bah. Hopeless! Focusing with him next to her, the sun glinting off of his blonde hair, was just impossible.
"By the way…" he suddenly started. "I see you have switched back to wearing a dress… I don't think I can forgive you for that." he chuckled without taking his gaze off his drawing.
Zelda looked down at her legs, a little perturbed, and felt herself blush. "Don't you… like it?" she asked, suddenly very uncertain.
He looked at her, surprised. Then he waved his hands negatively. "No no no no, that's not what I meant! I like it! It's just…" and she saw that it was now his turn to redden. "I like you in trousers even more… that's all I meant…" he mumbled.
Somewhat relieved she gave him an eyebrow-raised look. "You just want to seem my legs, you letch. Admit it!" She would not at all be cross if he said yes. She had always thought her legs were too scrawny, but, well, maybe she had been wrong?
"All day, every day!" he smirked at her, showing her a rather indecent eyebrow wiggle.
She felt her cheeks flush even more, though this time in delight. And because she knew just how she would win this little banter…
"You know what the advantage of wearing a skirt is, though?" Zelda asked him with a devious smile. She could see that he was a tad worried about what might come next. She scooted a tiny bit closer so she could whisper in his ear. "The advantage is, you leave more up to fantasy. For example… under all this cloth, my legs are completely… utterly… naked." She could see him swallow and she knew she had him. "All. The way. To the top." she purred.
Zelda knew she was probably red in the face… but no contest to the radiant crimson that had taken over Link's skin. Farore's mercy, that had been naughty! But he was reacting just as she hoped he would and it was glorious. She loved that she had such an effect on this well spoken, fascinating young man. It would be unfair otherwise… why should only he affect her so? This was redemption for the little episode in that one chamber underground where his one thoughtless remark had evoked a cascade of horrendously naughty thoughts… and images…
Don't think about it, for goddess' sake!
Link seemed to have rediscovered his speech. "This, of course, has been a great contribution to my ability to concentrate…" he said, both amused and slightly remorseful.
Zelda shrugged. "Well, then at least it's fair. I can not focus either right now." she admitted, smiling to herself.
"Truly? Surely the princess wouldn't be distracted by this simple lout's humble presence, would she?" he asked, grinning. His excellent redness was slowly fading, but she swore to herself that she would find ways to conjure it back up. She could hardly think of a more fun activity…
"It certainly is. I can hardly stand the presence of such a depraved wretch, blatantly intruding upon royal ground. Grayson, fetch the hounds!" she intoned haughtily.
He giggled nastily. "And here I am, without my sword, unable to defend myself against the oppression of the higher classes. Well I'm done anyway. Why don't you tell me the fruits of your research before you turn me into dog-fodder?" he prompted, obviously curious.
"Won't you show me your work?" she asked a little shyly.
"After that little murderous manoeuvre you just did? Certainly not! I'm still collecting bits of my brain that exploded off! You may have just turned me at least 5 times as dumb." he informed her, doing an appropriate grimace of gormlessness.
Its funny how weird compliments can get and still work wonders, thought Zelda. She felt quite a strong flutter of pride at her achievement. "So easily destroyed, your brain? Pity. What good would explaining my work be to you then, brainless as you are?" she wondered aloud.
Not a heartbeat later came the answer. "I'll just think with the other, slightly lower organ. As usual." he stated nonchalantly. Zelda's head whipped around and gave him an open-mouthed stare of astonishment. Had he really just said that? Oh no… there goes my face again… and there go my fantasies again…
Link turned his head back towards her, slowly, with a slightly pretentious look of calm chiding on his face. "The heart, Zelda. Not whatever you are thinking of. Really now…" he purred. Then, still stunned, she saw how close he was to bursting out laughing. "When I'm with you, I always think with my heart only…" he cooed, his face reddening, but mostly from suppressing the urge.
Zelda's mind was blank. He had taken her completely unaware with that. She was hopelessly torn between the shame that he knew what she had very obviously been thinking of, admiration for how smoothly he had tricked her and feeling all warm and fuzzy from his last corny but sweet remark. Three feelings jumping around madly in her brain, building a holy Triforce of Befuddlement.
His giggles finally burst forth, probably at the stupid face she was making in dazedness. He knew he had won this round completely. Thankfully her brain took the cue and made her laugh as well.
"I think I can retire on that one." Link pressed out between convulsions. "Seems I took your speech away!"
Zelda could only nod admittingly while giggling like a little girl. Goddess, he had finished her off with that. She still had no answer to shoot back! Anyway, it was worth it. She had come to love these wonderful laughing fits they shared. And she adored him for time and time again managing to send her spiralling into helpless giggling. His quick wit and mischievous sense of humour made him all the more fascinating.
When her convulsions finally ended she sighed deeply. With a little smile she leaned closer once more and gave him a little peck on the cheek. "Thank you." she whispered. He had certainly earned that.
He turned his head to look at her once again, their noses only centimetres apart. She looked from his lips that could smile so beautifully over his lovely nose to his honest, deep blue eyes… she loved those eyes of his, with all the gentle intelligence they radiated. She couldn't resist and leaned in once again. Kissing him still sent colourful sparkles from head to toe and back. Theoretically someone could just walk around the corner and see them, but she didn't care right now. It was just a brief thank-you-kiss anyway. After an all too short second she pulled back.
Now for phase B of the plan! Using his momentary dazzlement she, quick as a viper, snatched his drawing from his limp fingers and scooted out of his range.
"Hey! No fair!" he exclaimed between indignation and chuckling.
She sent him an impish smile, then studied the paper.
It was pretty good! He hadn't gone for great detail, naturally, but he had managed to capture the perspective well and it was immediately obvious what she was looking at. A forest surrounded by craggy hills on at least three sides, with one enormous tree towering over the others. The trunk of that singular thing must be at least a hundred metres tall… but it was barren. You could see implied on the paper that it was hollow, at least partially. Certainly a wonder of the world… a fascinating location. Just looking at this picture Zelda immediately wanted to visit it, to stand inside the massive trunk.
She looked up again. Link had moved closer again and his eyes were shifting from his drawing to her with a look of nervous anticipation. He looked like a little schoolboy who anxiously awaited his teacher's grading, hoping it would be good. It was possibly the cutest sight she had ever seen, him so tense for her judgement.
She held it closer to her chest. "May I… keep it?" she asked sheepishly, blushing a tiny bit. She could see the relief on his face and it nearly moved her to tears.
"I drew it for you. It's yours…" he mumbled, suddenly a bit shy. Three goddesses above, he could be adorable! It made her head go numb!
She gave him another little peck on the cheek and said: "I'll treasure it…" in a small voice. He looked away bashfully, rubbing his hands and she could see a streak of pink colouring his cheeks and nose. She loved seeing him like this… it made her go all mushy. This strong, confident boy suddenly sheepish, almost timid because of a few words from her… the emotions it evoked made her head spin in such a pleasant way…
He rallied somewhat (regrettably, a certain part of her thought) and once again asked her about what she had found out.
Ah well, back to business.
"Well, I attempted to find anything concrete about dragons… whether there is actual evidence that they existed, what they were and how they lived. Or, if that failed, I wanted to know what they usually symbolize, what the mythology around them is. Sadly I ran into a similar problem as when I tried to research the Threat… information and documentation just… stops before 2000 years ago. Oddly enough, my father led me to the conclusion that these two facts, or the absence thereof, are linked. These elusive agents of evil are apparently just as keen to eliminate knowledge about the dragons, as they are with knowledge about their master. That is one thing. Secondly, by combing through dozens of different stories and myths about them, I have been able to sieve out a few common themes. It usually speaks of three dragons, there, more often than not, is a link established between them and the power of the goddesses and, generally, they are considered to be creatures of good. Possibly the most interesting theme though, which I found usually in the older texts, is that, and I quote, 'the dragons' emergence from slumber portends catastrophe'. This is hardly ever expanded upon, but in an old transcribed Zora legend of the end of the world they speak of how a great conflagration scorches the land and evaporates all water and not even the dragons, 'guardians of creation', were able to stop it. Rather overly dramatic, but still… So, if we link everything together, my estimation is thus: The dragons have indeed existed in the past and may have played a role as allies during the last calamity. They have returned to slumber once the danger had been averted and now they need to be awoken to aid us once more." she concluded, ending her monologue.
She looked at Link to see what he thought about it. She found him ogling her with puppy-eyes and an almost wistful little smile. He… didn't say anything though.
"What?" she asked, suddenly unsure whether anything she had said made any sense at all.
He shook his head softly, as if to say 'everything's alright'. "I'm just impressed. And fascinated…" he muttered.
Zelda looked away, feeling herself redden for the nth time today. "Did you even hear a single word I said, you dolt?" she mumbled somewhere between being flattered and being indignant.
"Every word." he assured her softly. "I am amazed by your ability to garner so much information from so little." he continued, seeming genuine.
Oh, goddess, don't make me blush even more! "Well, most of what I said isn't really knowledge, you know… it's more speculation than anything else." she tried to relativise her findings. But by Nayru, it felt good to hear her efforts appreciated by him! She was so used to receiving maybe a mere nod for her accomplishments that she didn't even know how fulfilling a few words of appreciation could be. Doubly so from him… She realized that she had subconsciously wanted to impress him, to show him that she too could carry her weight. To see that it had worked was a tremendously comforting feeling.
"Still, I think your reasoning is sound. Given how little information we have, this is a very coherent theory. Have you found any hints about what their actual role might have been? Or why they went into hibernation?" Link asked.
Zelda was glad that he had questions, or she would fear that steam could rise out of her ears. She had no idea how to deal with his compliments… She so rarely got any…
"Unfortunately, no." she admitted. "I can not tell you whether they actually joined the fight against evil or helped the past heroes in other ways. Judging by your vision it would appear that maybe their awakening is some sort of ritual that the hero, you, needs to fulfil to be able to wield the sword. But that's all complete conjecture… I'm sure it is not just some arbitrary steeplechase, though…"
He nodded thoughtfully. "Right, makes sense. Otherwise it would just be silly, wouldn't it?"
They spent the rest of the daylight hours trying to find the first location, the giant tree. Based on his drawing, Zelda attempted to find suitable spots on her father's atlas. Unfortunately Hyrule was both very large and rather mountainous. A few regions were poorly mapped… some parts were filled in with mountain ranges, but she suspected that there could be a number of valleys there that were simply so difficult to reach that no-one had bothered yet. Nevertheless she did manage to find a few interesting landscapes that could fit. She agreed with Link that the spot must be remote, as neither of them knew it offhand. An enormous tree like that would certainly be talked about, were it close to civilization.
While she noted the locations of promising areas, he pored over books about natural sights and scientific explorations. She was very pleased with the selection of books he had chosen. It spoke to her that he too had the makings of a scholar, which she definitely liked. Goddess, imagine if he was stupid! That would be sooooo awful!
Unfortunately, both didn't get very far. They could, with a modest degree of certainty, exclude some of the locations she had found on the map, but that still left them without a clear goal. Neither of them had really expected to have an immediate eureka-moment, but still… the only thing they truly learned today was how difficult finding only one of the three spots would be…
At about eight o'clock Zelda couldn't help but notice how tired Link looked. No wonder, she thought. How much sleep had he gotten between the end of his shift and the beginning of his training with the blademaster? Five hours at most! It was visible by how frequently he rubbed his eyes and shook his head that he had difficulty keeping focused. With a startling realization it dawned on her that he would have to stand guard at her door again this night… and every night!
Goddess, I'm so dumb! Here I sit, idly, forcing him to stay awake when he needs to rest. She decided to stop right now!
"Alright, I don't think we'll get any more done today and my eyes are starting to glaze over…" she announced, perfectly happy to shoulder any reason to get him into bed herself. She had a sneaking suspicion that he would be too stubborn to admit that he was tired otherwise.
He looked at her, surprised, but after a few knowing seconds, also thankful. "Good. At least we got a view into the matter. I've stumbled across several other expeditions and books that were mentioned here. We can lunge at those tomorrow." he suggested. He tried to suppress a yawn, but he couldn't fool her. He rearranged the nicked bench, then took her back to her chambers. They remained silent during their walk back. She had the overwhelming urge to link arms with him, show everyone who might pass by what she felt and damn all ludicrous convention. But she didn't. 'Coward!' she scolded herself.
Once again they stood right in front of her doorstep. He smiled at her, tired, but warmly. She adored his smiles… it made her mind replay all the kind things he had said today… and the stupid ones that had made her laugh. She had even greatly enjoyed how eloquently he had made a fool out of her…
She held the drawing that he had gifted her and remembered his delightful blush when she had told him that she liked it. Her thoughts raced through her head, unsure what to do… it had been so risky the last time…
He said something, she didn't even catch it, so lost in thought she was… He turned to leave.
She couldn't just let him leave like that! She just couldn't! Damn it all!
For the second time in two days she stepped up to him, grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her. Again they landed against the double doors, their lips entangled in an increasingly hungry kiss. Zelda fumbled around for the doorknob. She turned it and they nearly fell inside. The servants never used the antechamber, they had their own entry. Now at least they were mostly out of sight…
Her mind went into the blissfully blank state that always came when they kissed. She raised her hand to his cheek, caressing the hair behind his ear with her fingers. She could feel his desire pouring from him… it met her own, so very much alike… like yesterday he pinned her against the door, now swung inwards. She could feel his whole body against hers… two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together. Her heart raced and her breath went fluttery… each intake bringing with it his wonderful scent that turned her knees soft. She felt one of his hands at her waist, tentative still, but the message clear.
Dear goddesses above, she had to stop! But she didn't want to… so much in her insisted that they continue…
But once again, painfully, reluctantly, she snuck her hand between their touching chests and pushed softly.
She could feel his immense struggle, his profound aversion against stopping… but to his boundless credit, he let himself be forced away. She didn't know what she would do if he had resisted but an instant longer…
She looked at him, hoping to Farore's mercy that he wouldn't be too disappointed, that he would understand… she could see the anticlimax in his breathless face, the grief in his stunning eyes. She tried to signal in her own face how much it ached her too…
But she realized she didn't have to, let alone say anything… he understood.
"Cold bath again?" he asked again, remorseful but not without a certain humour.
"Definitely!" she breathed back, nodding fiercely.
