Well, this sure took a while! I knew where I was going with this kiss scene for a couple years. But when it came time to finally write it, it turns out getting where I wanted to go was one of the biggest challenges yet.
Over a month is far too long to puzzle over a one-shot! And the next one doesn't promise to be any easier!
But enough of my grousing! I've finished it now!
Of course, these fan fictions would not be possible without the work of the people at Nintendo who created the stories we write about! So let's give 'em all a hand!
Lastly, as always, if you have any ideas on how to improve my kiss-scene writing, please leave a review down below!
Fourteen-year-old Ralph couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Seriously, I really did see it," marvelled an off-duty soldier to a merchant across the tavern from the prince. "The Oracle really was possessed! I saw her fighting some kid yesterday. Looked like she got the worse end of it, though. Whatever was using her, I watched it leave. And then she and the kid seemed like best buddies."
Ralph grimaced, even as he rejoiced. That "kid" the soldier mentioned was Link, a Hylian who'd arrived in Labrynna just in time to see Nayru get possessed. He'd spent his whole time since jaunting up and down the country, claiming to be on a mission to defeat the dark entity that had possessed the Oracle. It had gotten under Ralph's skin, for a number of reasons. First, as Labrynna's prince, he felt it was his responsibility to handle threats to his country. Second, and perhaps more importantly to him, Nayru was a longtime friend of his. One he'd been slowly falling for over the years. He felt he should be the one to rescue her.
And now Link had actually gone and done it.
He had no more time to feel annoyed at the Hylian, though, for the merchant had inquired as to Nayru's condition, and Ralph felt it prudent to try and overhear how the soldier would respond.
He breathed a sigh of relief when said soldier answered, "Quite well, by the looks of it. To think of the ordeal she must've gone through, and yet coming out of it looking none the worse for wear! I tell ya, those Oracles may be pretty to look at, but they're sure made of some stern stuff!"
With that bit of information, Ralph relaxed, his breathing calmed, and he gradually got his mind to settle down. It didn't really matter who broke Nayru free of the spell, he reminded himself. The important thing was that she was free.
His hand slipped into the pocket of his trousers. Upon feeling its contents, Ralph nodded to himself. It was time for him to visit the Oracle, he decided. After quickly calling a waitress over and settling his tab, he slipped out of his seat and strode out of the tavern, his purpose clear again.
…
He found Nayru, rather unexpectedly, in a small plaza just blocks from the tavern, singing to a gathering crowd. Next to her, a few townspeople sat with instruments to accompany her, for she - curiously - lacked her magic harp. Ralph pushed all the curiosities from his mind, though, and melded into the crowd, simply listening in adoration.
She appeared to pick him out almost immediately amongst the throng, and she broke into a beaming smile mid-verse, her eyes twinkling merrily.
The melody of her song never faltered.
Next thing Ralph knew, her voice went quiet, and the gathered onlookers dispersed; the Oracle's performance was over, it seemed. Nayru waved him over, and he gladly skipped up to her. That brilliant smile was still on her face as she greeted, "It's nice to see a friendly face again."
The young prince of Labrynna cracked a grin. "It's nice to see you back to yourself," he responded. "It was worrisome, seeing you possessed like that. I'm glad you're alright."
They walked out of the plaza together, into a side street as she recounted the experience she'd just had. When she got to the part where Link came in to break the spell over her, though, Ralph involuntarily grimaced. Nayru caught it straightaway and probed, "You wish it had been you to do the saving, yes?"
Ralph looked ashamedly down, cursing himself for allowing his petty jealousy to ruin the joy of Nayru's freedom. But when he realized that she actually wanted an answer, he timidly nodded, eyes still downcast.
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder. The compassion in his friend's gaze was clear. "There's no shame in that," she assured him. "And, at any rate, there's still work to do. Link did not manage to destroy the sorceress Veran, and she has attached herself to Queen Ambi in the past."
Ralph went rigid at that. He was a direct descendant of said queen; any peril to her jeopardized his existence (and - more importantly, he told himself - the peace of Labrynna as a whole). Nayru sensed his unease and continued, "Link is working towards another confrontation with Veran, to force her out of the queen. Perhaps you could join him. It would mean you could rescue your ancestor all the sooner."
Ralph paused at the suggestion. While the thought of working alongside Link irked him, he couldn't fault the logic behind Nayru's suggestion. Maybe he'd give it a try.
But first…
"I...I'll try and find him," he said to her. "Hey, I...I wanted to give you something...before you'd gotten possessed, I mean. But by the time I'd worked up the guts to do it...well...you know…"
Not trusting his words, he pulled his hand out of his pocket and, as he held it out to Nayru, opened it.
There in his hand lay a Triforce pendant. The back was of gold, and each of the three triangles, as well as the middle, was set with colorful and precious materials - vibrant red coral, milk-white mother-of-pearl, verdant jade, and lapis-lazuli. Nayru's eyes widened. She knew immediately it was a declaration of Ralph's affection. She'd known about his feelings for her for a long time, possibly even before he'd realized them himself. This, she knew, was his way of declaring his love.
And then she grasped the symbolism behind the pendant. "This...this is a Triforce…" she marvelled.
Ralph seemed to catch the question in her words. "It wasn't hard to figure out who you truly are," he told her. "I mean, come on, you and the other Oracles have the same names as the Three. Add to that, you all have powers. You're the Nayru, aren't you?"
The Oracle certainly hadn't been expecting her true self to be revealed to anyone. Then again, she had to concede that her identity - and those of the other Oracles - was pretty obvious to anyone who actually thought about it (blame Din, she thought, it was her idea).
And then she noticed one other detail. The stones in each setting had obviously been chosen after the colors of each of Hyrule's goddesses: red for Din, blue for herself, green for Farore, and white for Hylia. But the arrangement wasn't quite right…
"Ralph, Nayru's...my part of the Triforce sits on the left, not the center," she observed.
Ralph nodded. "I know," was his reply. Knowing the question that was inevitably on its way, he moved to place the pendant around the Oracle's neck. "I put your stone in the center," he said, "because you are at the center of my world."
For the first time ever, Nayru's face began to go pink. This was it, Ralph's feelings for her were fully out in the open now. While that line was a bit cheesy, the blue-haired Oracle knew that it was spoken with complete honesty. Several seconds went by with no words passing her lips. The pendant was hanging from her neck now, and Ralph's hands had moved away, he not daring to touch her, knowing who she was.
He may not have dared, but Nayru did. She took hold of the young prince's hands, and he looked back up at her. The silence continued for a few seconds; neither could think of a way to follow up Ralph's bold declaration.
But there were other ways to convey a response, Nayru knew.
Ralph was taken off-guard when she leaned in and pressed her lips gently to his. He'd been sure he could never aspire to her affections. But now she was kissing him, and he didn't dare second-guess that. He kissed back, eyes sliding closed, hands coming up to caress her face.
It was no long kiss, but at the end of it, they found themselves in each other's arms. Ralph was the first to break the silence: "So, does this mean we're…"
"I should think so," Nayru answered, a playful smile adorning her face. Then she tilted his chin up and kissed him again, and this time, Ralph melted completely into it. For a long time their lips pressed and rubbed on each other, though neither made to deepen the kiss, both content simply to enjoy it.
Eventually, though, their lips did separate from each other. There was silence again as they stood basking in each other's arms.
And then Ralph spoke again, and his words brought a laugh out of his beloved: "I think I'll go join Link."