Sorry for the long delay between this chapter and the last! But I finally got it up so enjoy! Also this chapter contains slight referrences to two other works: A Sword's Sheath by GregMikels and What a Fairy Tale! by Are We Gonna Have A Problem, so if you haven't read those, definitely recommend it!
Chapter Seven
Engaged
The next morning, after breakfast, Zelda and I walked up to Chiron and asked to speak with him privately for a moment. After that we followed him away from everyone else until we were at the Big House, at which point he turned to us.
"What is it? What do you have to tell me that can't be overheard by the others?" He asked, voice kind.
Zelda and I looked at each other, then back at Chiron.
"Well" I started, scratching the back of my neck. "I, umm...that is to say we…thought you should know that…" I stammered, trailing off as I rubbed the back of my neck, cheeks burning. 'And people wonder why I don't talk very much to most people.' I think to myself.
Zelda giggled, before speaking up herself and saving me from the embarrassment, "we're engaged!" She exclaimed, showing Chiron the ring.
Chiron stroked his beard as he inspected it, looking surprised but thoughtful.
"This is recent I assume?" He simply asked.
"Yes, I proposed just last night." I elaborated before continuing, "But I had the ring made a few days before."
Chiron raised an eyebrow at this. "A few days ago? How did this not become known sooner?"
"That would be because I asked the head counselor for Hephaestus, who made it, not to tell anyone yet. I wanted it to be able to be a surprise for Zelda." I answered.
Chiron nodding understandingly at this and then asked, "So I'm curious then, why exactly have you told me this? I get the impression you thought of more than just telling me?"
"Yes, we were wondering if you would consider…umm…" I trailed off.
He smiled warmly, and figuring what the rest of my sentence was going to be, finished it for me, "if I would consider Camp Half-Blood hosting your wedding?"
"Yes" I said gratefully.
"I would be honored to, hero" he said, smiling.
"Thank you, I can't express my gratitude enough for this Chiron" I said softly.
"Oh, there's no need to thank me Link, I'm happy to see you two find each other on this path we call love" he said with a warmth that trailed into a…wistfulness I suppose is the best word for it.
Zelda and I knew what it meant, being as old as he was, he'd seen people be dealt cruel twists of fate before. He knew life wasn't fair, after all the majority of demigods never made it past their thirties at the most.
Zelda and I looked at each other again, remembering what we talked about last night on our way back to our cabins.
"Oh, and Chiron? We have a request to make though, if that's alright?" Zelda asked.
"Name it. Anything." He approved.
"It's not exactly small, but not big either, though it is a simple request" I started.
"Tell me dear boy, I am perfectly willing to accommodate this request of yours." He replied.
I looked at Zelda again, she nodded and I started to make my request, "Thanks, you see we were wondering…"
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Once we were finished discussing plans and our special request with Chiron, he cantered off and we sat down on one of the outdoor couches on the porch, after I had removed the Hylian shield and the Master Sword, leaning them against the couch by my feet. Zelda and I held each other's hand as we sat next to each other, enjoying each other's company, and feeling like we were thrumming with happiness. Her left hand was gripped in my right. She raised it in front of us, raising my arm in the process, inspecting the ring in more detail. After a few moments of studying it, she turned her head to look at me.
"It's beautiful, the gold band, and the gems in it." She murmured.
"I know you probably already figured it out, but I thought you should hear from me the reason I had it made this particular way. I chose gold with a sapphire, ruby, and emerald to symbolize the three golden goddesses. The gold represents the three together as does the triangle pattern of gems with the ruby on top of the sapphire and emerald, which also represents the Triforce. The gems individually symbolize each of the goddesses, with the ruby representing Din, the sapphire for Nayru, and the emerald for Farore. Additionally, the symbol of each goddess is engraved in the corresponding gem." I explained.
"You're right, I did guess, but thanks for saying it yourself too. I appreciate it, very much so." She said softly, leaning in to wrap her arms around my chest.
I wrapped my own arms around her shoulders, lifted her onto my lap, and buried my nose into her hair. I closed my eyes for a few moments, just soaking in her warmth, and breathing in the sweet scent of the floral shampoos that she used. For a few minutes, I didn't move, as did she, both of us just savoring the moment. Even though it wasn't the case in this life of ours, I would always think of her as my beautiful princess and myself as her knight. But now I wouldn't be holding to the oath as her guardian because I was told to by anyone, but because I wanted to, because I loved her with all my being.
"Soon, very soon we'll be a full, proper couple." She said into my tunic.
Soon indeed, to be specific, by the end of August no less. We had agreed on that with Chiron, we would be holding our wedding three days before the end of the August, and therefore the end of the summer season here at Camp Half-Blood.
"I thank the goddesses every day for giving me the strength to wait these five years to get here." I mutter into her hair, before adding, "Though this very summer I almost went insane."
"Me too, love." She looks up at me and presses a tender kiss against my lips, short and sweet.
"I think…would our godly parents come if we invited them?" I ask, almost rhetorically.
"Hmm, they do have their restrictions, but…no harm in trying." She said.
"By the way, how would you feel about…umm…uh…adding to your name?" I ask, suddenly feeling rather shy about the idea, my cheeks flushing slightly.
"And what would I add to it?" Zelda responded, cheeks a little rosy herself.
"Well, before I knew I was Link my last name was Parker. After I realized who I am, I always thought of myself as Link Parker, although I never actually said as such. So, I was wondering what…you thought about being Zelda Parker?" I reply, cheeks burning.
"I'd love to Link. I think that sounds very nice." She pauses, then adds, "After all I'll be joining your family."
We sat there for a little while longer, until I realized something that made me realize, much to my embarrassment, I had made a mistake, a rarity for me.
"Oh goddesses, Zelda! We have morning classes to teach!" I suddenly groaned in embarrassment.
She froze and then looked at me, sudden comprehension in her face.
"You're right, we're going to be about ten minutes late now!" She said as she covered her flushing face with her hands. "Goddess I'm so embarrassed right now!" She lamented.
"You're embarrassed?" I paused as I got us to our feet, "How do you think I feel? I impressed on my cadets from basically day one the importance of proper attendance and then I break my own rule! What kind of example am I setting with this then?!"
We began sprinting off towards our respective class locations after I had returned the Master Sword and my shield to their place on my back. When I basically skidded into the arena five minutes later, according to the Sheikah slate, I was relieved to see all of my cadets there and accounted for.
"Sir Link? Are you ok?" One of them asked cautiously as I stood there, hands on my knees as I got my breath back.
"Yes…thank you…I'm glad…to see…that you're…all already…here." I panted between breaths. "See? I told you everyone…makes mistakes, even me as well." I said, breathing more normally now.
My answer seemed to greatly reassure them, "like you said as long as it doesn't become a pattern." A number of them said.
"Correct!" I said approvingly. "Alright now I'm going to separate you into sparring pairs again." I purposefully didn't tell them the reason for my tardiness, they'd find out soon enough anyway.
After I had sorted everyone into pairs and standing by for my signal to begin practice fighting, I walked off a little so I could see all my students at once. I gave the signal with a nod, I watched my students as they each battled their partners. As per the rules I had established on the second day when I started having them do this, whenever someone was disarmed, they were "out". This way, it allowed at least some of the students to get experience with multiple students fighting styles. This would be particularly important if they ever had to be in actual battle together. They would have an easier time fighting alongside their comrades if they knew each other's styles and how to work as a team. Also, this would allow them to build up a sense of trust in each other to have each other's back in difficult situations.
After about twenty minutes only four students were still going. The rest, I was glad to see, had automatically moved to the sides of the arena to give the still battling pairs room to maneuver if needed. Soon there was only one pair remaining, the two stood a little apart from each other, stooping over slightly as they panted for breath. They were tired, but not out yet as they both held their swords tightly.
After a few moments of getting their breath, they began to circle each other, hyper alert for any opening in the other's defenses. For a couple minutes they kept circling, then it happened, the one closer to me stepped onto the sand in a way that made his right foot slide just a little. The other cadet immediately lunged, taking advantage of his opponent's momentary lapse in concentration. The cadet who just slightly slipped raised his sword just in time to block the incoming strike of his opponent. The sound of them clashing rang out, they both staggered back a few steps, eyeing each other. Then the cadet closest to me darted forward and to the left, but just as opponent began to move to stay in front of him, he changed course and went right in a feint.
He took advantage of his opponent's surprise to quickly disarm him. The other cadets cheered and praised the victor, and the defeated one graciously bowed his head and congratulated him. I checked the time on the slate, saw that there was only about ten minutes left of class, and decided we could spend the rest of the time going over their performance.
"Well done! All of you did very well!" I praised them proudly. "I see you all remembered the skills you've been taught, though I especially must give praise to the two of you who lasted the longest."
The two cadets in question immediately brightened up.
"First, you showed quite remarkable endurance, being able to keep going for as long as you did. Secondly, you displayed significant tactical awareness circling each other looking for openings in each other's defenses. Third, you showed commendable focus in noticing the momentary lapse of his attention when his foot slipped and used that to your advantage."
The victorious cadet smiled proudly at this.
"Not only that but you also showed your ability to remain aware of your surroundings by how quick you were to block his strike. And finally, you performed a remarkable feint, bluffing to catch your opponent unaware of your motives." I praised him.
"So, what now then Sir?" One of the cadets inquired.
"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow, "Oh you mean in class?"
They nodded.
"Well as far as today is concerned, you're all free to go in my opinion. And looking forward from today, you've all shown that you have enough skill to begin learning some of the more complicated skills." I informed them.
"What kinds of skills?" Another asked.
"Dual sword and shield use." I said with a smile, "While using two hands with a sword gives you more power in your strikes, using both a sword and a shield gives you versatility and more importantly, a better means of guarding yourself from your opponent."
"Thank you, Sir!" They all exclaimed.
"Alright, you're free to go now." I dismissed them.
With class over now, I made my over to the archery range to see if my now fiancé had finished her class as well. As I approached it, I saw her students leaving, proving me right. Once she came into view, she saw me, smiled, and walked up to meet me.
"So how was class?" She asked smiling at me and taking my hands in hers.
"Oh, it went quite well! My cadets are showing true talent and ability to memorize what they've been taught." I answered back as we slowly walked over to the pavilion, as the conch horn had just been sounded.
"Well, they have a good teacher, don't you think?" She ended with a question.
"They have a teacher who is sufficient, that's for sure." I said, dodging her praise while smirking at her question. Then I asked her a question of my own, "What about yours? How are your students progressing?"
"They are progressing remarkably! They all seem to have taken to archery like they were born for it! Their skills of accuracy and precision are already remarkable, and getting better every class." She replied proudly.
"That's good!" I replied. "In my class, right before the end of the lesson, I had a particular pair of cadets perform particularly well in the sparring session."
"Really? How so?" She asked curiously.
I told her about it and she nodded proudly, "I would expect nothing less from cadets being trained by none other than the hero of legend."
"Thanks, darling. Although I would just as much expect yours to learn very well too, with you being the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom and the goddess incarnate." I said, leaning into her slightly. Then an idea struck me, "Oh, I just had a thought!"
She turned to look at me, eyebrow raised. "Yes?" She asked.
"We should, before the classes are done that is, do some joint lessons. They should also get some skills for doing co-op combat with archers."
"Link that's a wonderful idea!" She exclaimed. "I'll mention it to my students tomorrow."
I nodded happily and said I would do the same. "We would also probably need to arrange that with Chiron though."
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Two weeks had passed since then, and camp was buzzing with excitement. It had now become widespread news of mine and Zelda's engagement and soon to occur wedding. Many of the campers were often scurrying about, wrapped up in the preparations. At least some of those preparations were already done I thought with relief. The invitations to the relevant guests had been sent out. Athena and Apollo both agreed to come when we had our request sent to them. I was happy, in this case also because it would it be the first time I had seen my mother in a few years, excluding that day in North Dakota not even a month ago. I then remembered my father's reaction to the news, just a week ago.
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I held the drachma in my fingers, once the mist created a rainbow and I tossed it in saying the words to start the Iris message. I specified my father so it would appear to him. He appeared, seen from the side, sitting at his chair in his office.
"Hey dad!" I said.
He turned, not surprised, as this was not the first time I had Iris messaged him.
"What's going on?" He inquired.
I hesitated for a moment, gathering my words, "I wanted to inform you about a development just a week ago."
"Oh? Do tell." He asked.
"Well then, Zelda and I got engaged!" I said happily.
His face took on a look of surprise. Then he smiled and congratulated me, understanding how despite my only being seventeen, mine and Zelda's extenuating circumstances. He also understood our, let's say urgency for this, as I had told him years ago that a demigod's world was a very dangerous one. That most didn't even make into their thirties, and Zelda and I had both confessed after I proposed to her (well excluding that shared vision any way) that it would be our biggest regret if either of us died without having done this. I had told him about the first point, the fact that I lived a very dangerous life, about six months after my first summer here, when he'd noticed the huge burn scar that wrapped over my right shoulder when I had forgotten for the first and only time to conceal it. That scar was not fun to make up a story for to explain to doctors.
"Well then, when's the wedding?" He asked warmly.
"August 28th." I stated. "I was…that is to say we were hoping you would come and attend it."
"I would be happy to, Link." He replied.
"Thanks, dad." I said gratefully before ending the message.
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I smiled as I came out the recollection, I then walked over to where the wedding was going to be held in six weeks' time. As per our request, a goddess statue (of goddess Hylia of course) had been made and stood partially ringed with torches. The statue was a little shorter than the height of an average person, at maybe about four and a half feet. Its hands were held in a praying posture while the angel-like wings were spread behind it. The face had its eyes closed as though in prayer. Maybe some sixty feet past the statue was a partially built house. I felt warm as I stared at it, smiling a little. 'Just six more weeks, six more weeks and then everything will be right with the world.' I thought. As I walked away again, I reflected on some other parts of the preparation, we had also asked the camp's oracle Rachel Dare to be the honorary minister because we felt that given her duty of providing prophecies made her the best person to oversee this momentous occasion for us. She accepted quite happily, thank the goddesses.
I walked towards the cabins and nearly reached the Athena cabin, then changed course when I noticed Zelda at a distance as she walked up onto the porch of the Big House and rested her hands on the wooden railing and stared at the partially constructed house. I walked over, stepping onto the porch and coming up behind my fiancé.
She didn't react to my presence but also wasn't startled when I wrapped my arms around her waist, hands crossed at the wrists just above her navel. I rested my chin against her shoulder and closed my eyes in contentment as she gave a soft sigh and pressed back into my chest a little. I happily reflected on this, as nobody would care now if we were seen like this, as everyone at camp now knew we were engaged.
"Just six weeks, my darling, six weeks and we'll be together for eternity." I mumbled by her ear.
"I know, my love, so soon and yet so far." She sighed again.
"Six weeks and we will belong to each other forever." I murmured, pressing my mouth to her shoulder.
She turned around in my arms, raising her hands to my face, palms cupping my cheeks as she smiled at me. Not for the first time I found myself entranced by her, admiring her gleaming golden hair that now hung down only to the base of her neck, getting lost in those sweet emerald eyes of hers as she stared back at me with an expression of complete adoration and love. I could never do anything but completely reciprocate it back to her. She had cut her hair soon after we got engaged to honor an old Hylian tradition that interestingly happened to be identical to one from Japanese culture. The tradition of cutting one's hair to symbolize the beginning of a new chapter in one's life.
She pressed her lips to mine in a passionate kiss, her hands moving down to my shoulders in the process. After a minute or so we separated and I again reflected on just how fortunate I was. Indeed, there were time when times when I could hardly believe I was hers, that was this actually real and not just a dream. I pulled the slate out of its holster and held it out in front of me. I pulled my fiancé close to me as we smiled and preserved this moment forever as a photo in the slate's camera rune.
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Another five extremely long weeks later and the preparations were nearing completion, everyone was getting very excited and antsy. Zelda and I had started coming up with ideas about what kinds of attire we should wear at our wedding. Before I had even come up with a suggestion for myself, Zelda told me with a cute fluster that she thought my green hero's garb was a perfectly suitable option. What can I say when those big doe eyes are looking at me with that pleading light in them? Needless to say, I caved. I asked Zelda what she was thinking for her dress, she looked away slightly as she thought about it, then said she hadn't decided on anything yet but she had a few ideas though. A few days later, and just three days until the wedding, I was walking along the beach when I found a small cove I didn't remember ever seeing before. When I went in, I gasped in surprise, the cove was teeming with blooming silent princess flowers.
I just stood there for a few moments, then I whipped out the Sheikah slate and made a quick note of how I'd found this cove, before taking a photo and running off again. I decided to come back here later to collect some for her bouquet. I wanted that as they were her favorite flowers in our last life, and she had made that clear for this life as well a couple years ago when she lamented how they were likely extinct now. She would be thrilled then to get a bouquet of them!