Chapter Nineteen
Turning Points
The days continued to grow hotter as the months blended into one another. It wasn't until the leaves began to hint at the coming change that cool winds began to blow. When the first brown-edge leaf graced the vibrant green grass inside the castle walls, a soft breeze rustled it along with a tightly clutched letter.
Alone to her thoughts, Zelda stared at the parchment until tears filled her unfocused eyes. Blinking, she shook her head. She knew this day would come. But...so soon? Had it really been months since she'd last spoken with either woman? Her cunning, and sometimes frightful, sister Queen of the shadowed realm was to marry. The annoying, if often right, spirit-fea that had been her brother's companion for most of his teenage years was going to be a wife.
Navi and Midna. Midna and Navi. Engaged. To be married.
Within the month.
Dear Goddesses, how long had it been since she'd spoken to them?!
Her feet dangled in the water as she looked around her private garden. Her eyes landed on the window she'd clung to the day Link had interrupted her training. It seemed like yesterday the fea had chosen to accompany her brother on his journey.
Had it really been years since the Twilight Queen had asked for alliance?
Where had time gone?
Shaking her head in shock, she looked at the letter again. The words didn't change, no matter how long she stared at them. Two of her friends were getting married in a matter of weeks. Two of her female friends, one of whom was also a Queen...
She chuckled to herself, realizing where her thoughts were going. She was happy for her friends. Their marriage had nothing to do with her situation.
Placing the letter in her pocket before it fell in the slow current, she closed her eyes. It really wasn't that unexpected if she thought about it. They had been together for years, and it was clear as the water below her that they were in love. She'd heard them talking about marriage, had heard them both mentioned they wanted to marry.
But...so soon?
Running a hand through her loose curls, she stared at the cool water and allowed her thoughts to drift.
[-]
Within his chambers, Link leaned into the hand that ran through his hair. He sighed softly as he felt Shad's chin rest on his head.
"Are you going to go?"
"Of course."
Blue eyes met brown. Confidence and insecurity clashed, pulling a coo of sadness and reassurance from chapped lips.
"Shad...would you rather not go?"
Shrugging, the archeologist tried to appear nonchalant. "It's up to you. I mean, I don't know them."
"You too do know Midna and Navi!"
"Not as well as you," came the mumbled reply.
The knighted Hero shook his head in disbelief. "I ran around the country with them for years. But that doesn't mean they don't love you like family. Seesh Shad, Navi kept pestering me about you while you were still in in-patient."
Shad ducked his head sheepishly. "It just...I dunno, feels...odd."
"Why?" Link pushed himself up to sit on the couch beside his lover. "C'mon, talk to me...please?"
"It's still odd, I guess. To be considered...their friend." He stared at the letter clutched in his boyfriend's hand.
Looking between the embossed parchment and his companion, Link felt like smacking himself. He kept his voice low, not wanting to sound accusatory. "Shad...by them...do you mean Midna and Zelda?"
The barest of nods made the Kokiri-born warrior want to rip his hair out. Sometimes...just sometimes...he really did wonder how he stayed sane. Between Zelda's psychosis (not her fault), Impa's constant switching between possessive/freedom-ness (her fault), Shad's silence about any- and everything he felt/thought/wondered/experienced or otherwise sensed in any way shape or form (his fault), and random people thinking they could take over the country...well, it wore on a person!
"Why?"
Shad shrugged again, not lifting his eyes from the elegant writing as his mind flew into the past. "I just...it still feels weird is all."
"They consider you family."
"Because of you." Smiling sadly, he raised his head. He met the troubled eyes of the man who'd saved him from himself. "Because I'm with you. Don't get me wrong...they're good women, wouldn't snub anyone unless they were evil or arrogant idiots. But if I'd never met you, if I hadn't gotten in a relationship with you...I never would have become their friends. You know it. I know it. They know it."
"I got lucky, being friends with Zelda."
"I know. But you two were kids...it was different."
Standing, Link shook his head. He threw the letter to the table as he made his way to a side cabinet. Without looking at the other man, he opened the fragile doors and poured himself a drink.
"Lin—"
"Don't! It's early, I know. But...don't...please." He pressed his head against one of the shelves and closed his eyes. His ears rung as his head pounded in time with his heart. His fingers tightened around the thick crystal, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. He sipped the air, feeling the burn of alcohol silence the wolf. Chaos brewed within him.
His lover was questioning his status in their family, and had been for a long while...without saying a word. The Hero shook his head without lifting it, relishing the feel of the wood digging into his skull. If that wasn't bad enough, his sister was growing anxious and more confused by the second. He could feel her nearing the edge again. The nagging, the tugging from their bond, the snickering, inaudible voice in the back of his mind told him that.
Two different directions. Both needed him, but he couldn't really do anything for either.
He swallowed a sob and chased it with another finger of the harsh liquor. It may be too early in the day for drinking, but even the Goddesses couldn't fault him...could they? Sometimes...sometimes, something had to give. Sometimes, there had to be a bit of numbness to be able to think clearly.
Shad stared without blinking. He knew. He knew without ever having been told. He knew...and there was nothing he could do for the man he called his beloved. Not this time. This time, it was a fight he had to do alone.
Closing his eyes, the brunette took a deep breath. "I...I think I'll go for a walk." Without looking at the blonde man, he all but fled their rooms. He darted into a room without thought and leaned against the door.
"Shad?"
Looking up, the young man met the eyes of his lover's adoptive father.
"Mikal..." Swallowing, he continued to hold his gaze as tears blurred his vision. "I'm worried about Link."
[-]
Hours bled into days almost without notice. As Link apologized to Shad and attempted to make amends for his abrupt change in behavior over the past few weeks, Zelda composed and discarded multiple letters to Impaz.
How did you tell a woman you knew from one in-person visit and several letters your innermost thoughts?
With a shuddering sigh, she dropped the quill and ran a hand through her hair. Groaning, she rubbed her face.
It shouldn't be this hard to write a letter, damn it all!
Sighing again, she lifted her head and looked at the desk. Her eyes caught the wedding invitation. Running her fingers over the embossed letters, she stared blindly at the gilded words. In weeks, two of her friends were getting married.
Her head snapped up as she registered the sound of the creaking door handle. Who was—
Another sigh left her lips, this time filled with relief. She smiled softly.
Impa.
The Sheikah slipped into the room and closed the door nearly as silently as it had opened. She turned slowly, unwilling to break the stillness which seemed to engulf the room. Her eyes met troubled emerald pools without pause.
"How are you, sesha?" she asked quietly. Slow, measured steps closed the distance between them. She rounded the gleaming desk and leaned against it.
"Ok. Kinda...lost, I guess."
Running her fingers over the smooth, reddening cheek of the Hylian, Impa gave her a small smile. "Anything I can help with?"
"Not really," Zelda murmured as she placed her fingers atop the hand caressing her cheek. She nuzzled the rough palm. "I missed you."
"You saw me just this morning."
"That was hours ago."
Their eyes met once more. For just a moment, something unnamed blazed between them, taunting them with what could be.
If only...
Just a little closer, and...
Breaking the connection, Impa pressed a kiss to Zelda's forehead. Her stomach clenched as she pushed the thought from her mind. If only was why she'd spent the morning by herself. If only was not a notion she wanted to consider—one she couldn't consider.
And even though she didn't want to, Zelda did. Oh, how she wished she did want to think about it. But if only and just a little closer is what led to trouble.
Turning her face upwards, she quickly brushed her lips over her Guardian's.
See, no thought necessary and it still worked out.
Impa blinked. Once, twice, a third time. Well...that...was unexpected.
"But not unwelcome?" Zelda asked quietly. Nerves made her bite her lip.
Realizing her thoughts had slipped through the bond, the Shadow Sage shook her head. "Not unwelcome. Very welcome in fact. I just wasn't expecting it."
The leader of the Sages sagged every so slightly in relief. She grinned sheepishly to herself. "You did tell me you wouldn't mind sharing kisses with me."
Impa bit her lip as a shiver ran through her veins. She'd remembered those words. It seemed like a lifetime ago, the first kiss Zelda gave her. Had it truly been a few months?
"Will you go out with me?"
Much as Impa had moments before, Zelda blinked several times. Now who was acting before thinking? "Ex...excuse me?" She flushed as her voice squeaked.
The words had tumbled free before she'd even full considered them. Taking a deep breath, she met the wide eyes of her Charge and beloved. "Will you go out with me? On a date?"
"A...date?"
They stared at one another, both wondering if they were missing something.
Deciding to abide by her earlier, decision, Zelda nodded before the shock wore off. Ignoring the fluttering in her stomach, she nodded again. "Yes. I will."
As they continued to hold the others' gaze, they smiled ruefully. Maybe this "no thinking" thing was a good idea after all.
[-]
Elsewhere in the castle, Shad handed Mikal a sealed scroll. With a heavy heart, he left the scroll in the hands of the man he considered a second father.
Neither spoke as their eyes met. The countdown had begun.
[-]
[-]
AN: Oooh, scary sounding.
