Chapter 25: Waiting out the Storm

A/N: This chapter is very Zelink. I really wanted it because there aren't many opportunities for them to just talk in peace. It builds on both their characters and their past, but if you're not into the ship or *mildly* corny chapters, feel free to skip to the next one because that's what this one is 100%.

Link woke up, stiff from sitting up all night with his armor on. After Zelda had fallen back asleep, he didn't want to move a muscle. He knew how powerful those visions could be, and he knew the toll they took on their minds.

He looked down at her and could see that her head was resting partly on his shoulder pauldron. Carefully as he could, he shifted his weight around so her head was away from the metal, against his neck instead.

It had become clear to him that Zelda was more to him than just his Princess, or just his friend. One of the few things he was ever able to do with her was flirt freely and guiltlessly. She enjoyed returning the favor as quickly as he'd done.

Link remembered the first time he'd accidently flirted with the future Queen of Hyrule, almost immediately insulting her with his quip. He'd regretted it before the last word was off his tongue, but she was quick to drop him down a peg or two. Their matched sense of humor was something he found in her that he'd never expect from a Princess. Then again, when they were kids, she was the one who led him around, always willing to put her thoughts out there.

He didn't know when the switch had occurred, that his playful comments had begun to mean something more. She'd always been beautiful to him, to anyone, really. But when had an attraction turned into deep-rooted knots that stopped his breathing at the sight of her in a white dress? When did he desire nothing more than her to be comfortable rather than moving her off his armor out of respect or the comfort of a friend?

Closing his eyes and trying to avoid moving around too much, Link tried to gain access to the Spirit Realm. He made it to the white outside, and Rauru appeared.

"That was quite the scare you gave everyone," Rauru said, gesturing to Link's chest.

"Me too. While I hate to admit it, the fairy that Zelda gave me really worked wonders since yesterday."

Rauru moved closer to Link and wrapped a hand over his shoulder. "That's something I just need to mention. You're playing a dangerous game that others before you have also played. Some reaped the rewards, while others paid the price. She is the future queen and the most likely assumption for bearer of the final Triforce piece. I understand the draw; your spirits have found each other through countless lifetimes, but you must be able to set aside her needs for the needs of the world, Link."

"I'll do what I have to," he said simply.

"You have already passed that point. The world demands you find Nabooru, yet you risked your life through a sandstorm to find her a fairy for her wound. She still had the sense to tell you to leave, but I believe you need to re-focus yourself."

"Leevers ate pieces of her leg. She needed the fairy, Rauru."

"Link," the old Sage said with his hand raised, "What you do on your own time is not my business. It's my concern, but not my business, as it was when you were here. But the Shadow Sage has been informed of the goings on and will not return to her temple until your job is complete. We must re-open the Sacred Realm and prepare to hold Ganondorf here before he can use the united Triforce. You are allowed rest and recovery. You are even allowed time to yourself. But you must remain focused. Your discovery by the Gerudos has already reached Ganondorf. He still believes you to be a harmless kid he caught before you could realize your strength. He will not come for you directly, not yet, but he will."

"I know," Link said, understanding what Rauru was saying. "As soon as this sandstorm passes, we're heading back out. Rauru, she's been my partner in all things through most of my lifetimes. I've only known her in this one for a short time, but it's like my… my spirit knows hers. I can't just stop caring about her."

"And I'm not asking you to stop. I'm asking you to prioritize. If Ganondorf were to go for the Triforce at the same time that she was attacked, you must choose the Triforce."

"I understand," Link said with a harsh sigh. "I do; I understand."

Rauru looked off to the side, as if he were seeing something that Link couldn't. "We shall see, won't we?"

When Link's eyes opened, he could feel Zelda stirring against him, her lips accidently brushing his throat as she rolled. Well, he thought, if Hyrule was doomed it was because Hylia entrusted its fate to a nineteen-year-old boy who liked a girl.

She sat up and quickly scooted away from Link. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Link! Did you sleep like that?"

Despite finally being able to stand and stretch his muscles, he already missed the sensation if Zelda's skin on his, her soft breathing moving his chest up and down. He had to stand and walk away from her, needing distance to clear his mind. "It was actually comfortable, Princess. Don't worry."

"I have a few things to apologize for from last night, don't I?"

"I can't think of anything," Link said honestly.

Zelda fixed her hair and Link had to go to the window just to stop staring at her. "Well," she began, "I never said thank you. You risked a lot for that fairy. My leg is actually feeling much better. So, thank you."

"Of course."

"I also unloaded a lot on you. I just… panicked when I had that vision. It was unlike anything I'd experienced before, but I didn't mean to burden you with it."

Link made a disgusted sound and looked away from the window. "Don't apologize for any of that. None of it. Nothing you did is something you should be sorry for. Unless you tried to kill me in my sleep, stop apologizing."

Zelda moved up beside him and looked out the window at the sandstorm. It was still going. "Well, I heard your heart racing and you may have stopped breathing once or twice. I may have had something to do with that." She winked at him and her eyes were no longer as solemn as they were when she woke.

Laughing, Link nodded. "You might have, yeah. I think you can probably take the blame there."

With a grin, she went and sat back down. "It's slowing outside. We should be ready to go."

Link picked up his sword and grabbed his discarded shield from the next room before returning and sitting beside her.

"Can I ask you something else?" she said uncertainly.

"You can ask me almost anything, Princess."

"'Almost?'" she laughed. "Where do you draw the line?"

He rolled his head against the wall toward her. "You'll have to find it."

"Okay. Well, I was wondering, in the Sacred Realm, is there some prison that Ganondorf will be in? I don't understand sealing him away, and that might be why I've struggled with the Goddesses' gifts in the past."

Link shook his head. "You found my line, Princess. I'm not going to answer that one."

She looked at him incredulously, unsure if he was serious or not. She didn't know how much of the Sacred Realm was a private thing or not.

He started to chuckle, and her face softened before she whacked his arm. He caught her hand the second time and immediately dropped it. "It's not easy to understand without being there. I can enter there anytime, and I do, but Rauru has sealed off the Chamber of Sages, the heart of the Sacred Realm, to protect them. If he wanted, he could unseal another area of this great white space and it would be his to command, his and the other Sages. Ganondorf would likely be thrown into the Sacred Realm and right into the Chamber of Sages where they'd all be at their full power. They'd put him in a different 'room' and seal it, leaving him trapped for eternity."

Zelda thought about it for a moment. "He's brought it upon himself, and he deserves it, but it sounds like a terrible fate."

"It is."

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "Okay, how about this? You were captured when you were pretty young, so is it crazy for me to assume that Malon was your first kiss?"

Link's mouth pinched and he contemplated if that was a line, especially given how he felt. "How do you know about that, Princess?"

She turned red. "I was there that day. I mean… I was there. I'd gone up to see you and saw. I mean, I left right away! But then Malon told me about it, and you didn't so I figured you'd want to keep it to yourself. Have I found your line yet?"

Link took a deep breath and smirked, unable to look at her. "No. My first kiss was with Saria when we were ten or so. I never even had a crush on her, but Mido had been teasing her. He was especially hard on her. So, when she said that Mido was picking on her because she was ugly, I told her she wasn't. She never was. So, I kissed her and told her she was my best friend and I wouldn't let Mido make her feel that way again."

Zelda's jaw dropped open and she shook her head. "That's maybe the sweetest story I've ever heard. Ever. Did you ever have a crush on her?"

"No, she was a sister to me."

"Who was your first big crush then?"

Chuckling nervously, he ran a hand through his hair and stared at her. Zelda's eyes widened. "Me?"

"You. Was it not obvious? I always through it was and that I'd make a fool of myself. I followed you around as if you had me on a leash, Princess."

Her face was incredulous as it sank in. "I wish I'd known…" she said but stopped herself before Link could ask her what she meant. She turned to him, feeling like she might have found the line he'd stop answering her at. "Do you still have that crush?"

Coughing, Link's face started to turn red. His hands were everywhere, from his mouth to his hair and his neck. Zelda leaned closer to him and caught his eyes sliding over her. He made a loud, embarrassed sound that he tried to hide as another cough. "Drawing your line yet, Link?"

He squinted up at the ceiling and shook his head. "I might still have a slight crush, yeah. But honestly, who wouldn't?"

She sat back again and watched his face continue to flush. She could feel her own start to warm up. She liked seeing him squirm a bit. "Okay, Hero, back to my last question. Was Malon your first kiss after Saria?"

His hands began moving again and he wiped at imaginary dust on his nose. "No."

"Who? You were barely twelve."

Cracking his neck, he leaned forward. "I was actually fifteen. It was Nabooru, the Sage. Physically, she's about 17, so it's not as weird as it sounds."

"Nabooru?" Zelda said. She'd had a hunch that he'd had a crush on her, but didn't know how far it went. "Can you… do that in the Sacred Realm?"

"Kiss someone?" he asked. "Oh, yeah."

She was not only shocked by the fact, but by the way he responded. "Link? Were you and Nabooru more than friends?"

He started to bite his lip and nodded. She could see she was getting closer to the line. And despite hearing that, she was morbidly fascinated. "Oh, Goddess, Link! You two were… together, weren't you?"

For a long time, he just fidgeted without responding. She wasn't sure he'd actually answer her, but at that point, she already knew. He finally clasped his hands together and peered up at her, nodding.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and felt an unexplainable sadness, but she wasn't sure if it was for herself, or for Link. "I need to ask you a serious question." He waited, but it took her a moment. "Were you two together when the Sages were killed?"

He didn't need to fidget this time. The genuine sadness he could feel from her spoke volumes. She was worried for him, that he'd lost someone who was more than just a friend. "We hadn't been together in over a year. I was 18, been with her since I was 15, and she stayed 17 all those years. She might have been a wise Sage with immense responsibility and knowledge, but we were never able to grow. I don't mean physically grow old, but a part of her was incapable of seeing me as more than that boy she liked to play around with. Even with you, you don't treat me the way you did when I was twelve. She did. Obviously, not all the time; that would be incredibly weird." He paused and looked at Zelda with an apologetic look. "Sorry, you didn't ask for any of that."

"It's okay. I did, really."

Link cleared his throat and looked at Zelda, his serious expression turning devilish. "You can't break me. I'm mostly an open book. But what about you, Princess?"

"No," she protested with a laugh.

"Did you have a crush on me?"

"No!" she lied. He could tell, and her ears began to turn red.

"What about now?"

She shook her head, trying to hide her red face. Link grabbed her hand. "You can't lie for every answer."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded, but didn't respond.

Link hadn't let go of her hand, and he was sure if Rauru could see him, he'd be frowning. But for the first time, he was just a boy getting to know a girl.

"You're getting the same questions, you know. Who was your first kiss?"

Zelda had become an apple by the time he finished his sentence. She shook her head. "Line."

"Line?" Link asked, his eyes bewildered. "I can't believe it. Why? Can I know that? Was it bad?"

She covered her mouth with her hand, letting go of Link. "It's too embarrassing, especially telling you. You'll laugh. I'll draw my line. You foiled me, Link. You win."

"It was a guard that you had a crush on. Or a visiting diplomat," he guessed.

She shook her head and pulled her knees up.

"Okay," Link said, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I didn't mean to push."

The sincerity in his voice had her head reeling. She let out a loud groan. "It never happened." She ran her hands over her face. "I've never been kissed." She didn't give Link a chance to say anything. "I've liked people, but I was held to such high expectations. I was a bookish freak who had the Goddesses' blessing. The boys my father brought to the castle wouldn't even look at me. Then, by the time I was older, I didn't feel there was any point. I needed to study, and that was my priority. If boys weren't interested in me, why should I care about them?"

Link didn't want to laugh at her. "Trust me, Princess, there isn't a man in Hyrule who wouldn't want to be graced with a kiss by you."

"What about you? Are you included?"

He took a deep breath, about to take the leap he wasn't sure he should make. "Yes. Especially me." He could see her glancing down at his lips and then back up to his eyes. "But the real question is if that's something you want."

She couldn't even respond, realizing just how much Link was putting out there. He didn't even bother hiding his nerves.

"You have to remember something," Link finally said, tapping his fingers anxiously. "Despite everything we share, our past, our time, everything, you're still my princess, my future queen. I will not be the first one to make a move unless you are the one to kiss me or… explicitly tell me that's what you want. No matter how much I might want to, Princess," he said, emphasizing her title, "this one has to fall on you."

Zelda bit her lip and Link closed his eyes, looking away. "I don't want to force you."

Link chuckled. "You won't be, I promise."

She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to be any good at it."

Smiling, he shook his head, though his heart was ready to beat out of his chest. "That's not possible."

"Okay. I… I give you explicit permission."

Link moved closer but stopped. "You have to be able to say it before you can do it."

Her eyes fluttered and danced across his face. He needed to hear it. "Kiss me, Link."

It was the only thing he needed. His hand was on her neck, pulling her closer to him in a heartbeat. She could feel his breath on her lips as he gave her an opportunity to change her mind.

The door flew open and Link's sword was out in an instant. He angled his body in front of her as they both stared at the figure at the door.