LOVE IN A TIME OF CALAMITY
Part 3: Letting Go
Chapter 26: Playing at Being a Commoner
A/N: Here we are! Part 2 of their evening at the Woodland stable. Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts! Previous chapter review responses at bottom.
Little over an hour had passed after arriving at the stable and Zelda sat, fidgeting, on the edge of her bed. A rhythmic metallic shink sounded from behind her as Link methodically sharpened his traveler's sword with a whetstone in the chair she had earlier draped her cloak upon. It couldn't have been any later than mid-afternoon as the storm continued to beat against the stable roof, the gusting wind periodically rattling the tightly tied canvas flaps covering the stable entrances; And with no ground to cover nor books to study, nor even any officials with which to mingle, Zelda found herself in the very rare circumstance of having little to do.
They had kept busy in that first hour. Shortly after settling in they had restocked their supplies from the traveling merchant with the beetle shaped backpack, an odd but friendly man named Beedle who greeted them with no small amount of enthusiasm. They had then eaten their fill of dried meats, fruit, and cheese—also courtesy of Beedle, much to her empty stomach's overwhelming joy. After they settled in, laying out their cloaks to dry and arranging their scant belongings beside the bed. And now, with all pressing matters attended to, Zelda found herself lightly kicking her feet over the edge of the bed (for want of anything better to do), wondering for the first time in quite a while how she was to fill her time. Ordinarily, were she back at the castle, she would entertain herself with a little bit of light reading, go for a walk through the castle gardens, or perhaps sketch some of her specimens. But Link had only unpacked the essentials from their horses, not that she had brought much in the way of entertainment with her, and she wasn't about to go outside for a change in scenery.
At first she had thought to take a brief rest. She was still quite tired from the day prior, and hoped that she could regain enough energy to make productive use of her time here, as her mind felt too sluggish and weary for any deep thinking; but sleep proved frustratingly elusive. And so instead, she settled herself on the edge of the bed, limbs fidgeting in a rare outward show of boredom. In the small, crowded stable, there wasn't much to do or even look at besides the stable's transient residents; and so she found herself doing just that.
Domidak and his look-alike companion—a twin brother perhaps?—continued to lounge on their spot against the far wall and speak quietly with one another, much to her relief; he gave her an unsettled feeling and she was grateful to avoid any further interactions. Beetle had dozed off, pack still strapped to his back, after half an hour of counting sums. And on the far side of the room—a rousing card game, taking place at the stable's only indoor table. The woman who had run out into the rain to greet them—the horse groomer she later learned was named Breen—sat around the large, circular table with three others: an elderly stable hand, a fair-haired traveler, and a large Goron.
With nothing else to do, she found herself watching their game with interest. Cards were not something she'd ever been taught to play—they were more of a commoner pastime deemed too pedestrian for her status by the strict tutors she'd studied under as a child; but as a chorus of laughter issued from the group, she found herself now rather wishing otherwise. The table's occupants seemed to be having quite a lot of fun.
With a sigh, she leaned back on her hands, absently kicking her feet in an attempt to expel some of her restlessness. She knew she should be grateful for the reprieve, for a moment to breath; the past few days had been such a whirlwind, and the past month even more so. Despite her inability to sleep she was worn out; and though stillness was nice, right now she didn't particularly desire stillness as stillness bred brooding—and she had far too little energy for such a taxing activity. What she really wanted was an opportunity to distract herself from the whirlwind of the past month and the whirlwind still to come; to have… fun. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done something for the sole purpose of having fun.
A barking laugh echoed across the room as the Goron scooped a large pile of pebbles towards him with a triumphant grin, the elderly stable hand cackling as the fair-haired traveler looked sourly down at the table. She smiled in amusement as she observed. They all looked so joyful—so carefree…
Carefree… She almost couldn't remember what that felt like. Her smile fell at that thought.
The soft scraping of Link's whetstone suddenly ceased, and she turned to glance over her shoulder curiously. Link eyed her, the hand holding the whetstone still against his blade.
"I can hear the gears turning in your head from here," he said quietly in a rare show of humor, cocking his head at her. She felt a faint warmth heat her cheeks and she huffed playfully; though she couldn't keep the small smile from turning up the corners of her lips.
"I'm just… I find myself a bit bored, is all."
He smiled, turning his gaze back to his sword as he examined the edge gently with a fingertip.
"After the past few days, I'd have thought you'd appreciate some quiet."
She eyed him a moment before sighing, sitting upright and placing her hands gently in her lap. She'd rather thought so, too.
"I know—I should be appreciative, especially since any peace has been so rare of late. I don't know what's gotten in to me—I'm not normally so restless. Perhaps… perhaps it's the weather…"
He tilted his head up once he'd found his work satisfactory, offering her a reassuring smile. "Perhaps."
Turning her eyes back to the card game at the table, she murmured softly, mostly to herself, "I do wish I knew how to play cards, though…"
Turned as she was, she did not see Link open his mouth to respond; however he was interrupted before he could speak as the ties on the flaps covering the stable's entrance suddenly burst open in a violent gust, cutting him off and diverting the attention of all the stable's occupants. The flaps fluttered wildly as the wind sent rain splattering into the stable, causing those at the table to shield themselves with their arms and cry out in alarm. A gust surged through, blowing the cards across the room and sending several tumbling along the floor where they settled at Zelda's feet.
"Kish, tie off the doorway!" shouted Breen, clutching fast to her hat. The stable master quickly hopped over the counter, rushing to the doorway and tightly pulling the flaps together, hurriedly securing each tie. As the air in the stable stilled, Breen stood, glancing critically around the room. "Hold on guys, I'll get the cards. We'll call that hand a draw."
Zelda glanced down to the handful of cards at her feet before hopping off the bed and kneeling to gather them, stacking them neatly in her hand. Breen slowly stooped her way across the floor, gathering up the rest of the wayward cards; and as the woman approached, Zelda extended her handful with a friendly smile.
"Here—"
Breen stood, dusting off her leggings as she gratefully took the stack.
"Thank you!" She said brightly, glancing quickly between her and Link as she nodded to them both in thanks. She turned back towards the table, but before taking a step she paused, returning her gaze to Zelda and nodding towards her companions.
"Hey, would you two like to join us? Poker's always more fun with more players, and there ain't a lot to do 'round here till the storm passes."
Zelda smiled shyly, glancing longingly at the table and its three occupants who had directed their attention towards her.
"That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid I don't know how to play," Zelda offered regretfully. Breen opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak Link's unexpected voice came from behind her.
"I can teach you—if you'd like."
Zelda turned to see Link looking at her with an impassive expression, though a smile shone in his eyes.
"I—are you sure?" she asked hesitantly, though found herself unable to disguise her interest. He nodded firmly.
"Awesome! I'll pull up some extra stools," Breen enthused, neatening her stack of cards before turning on her heel and heading for the counter.
Link sheathed his traveler's sword, slipping the scabbard onto his back and stowing his whetstone in their pack before walking around the bed to meet her. He offered her an encouraging smile, nodding towards the table and she couldn't help but feel a budding excitement. Breen returned shortly with two stools, settling them beside one another at the table. Both her and Link took a seat, Zelda beside Breen and Link beside the older gentleman.
Breen then set the cards on the table and began to make introductions.
"Everybody, this is Hilda and Ravio," she said with a smile, gesturing between them. Pointing to the older gentleman, she continued. "This is Ashe, Kish's father and our stable's resident navigator."
She then gestured towards the young blond-haired man. "This is Molo, one of our regulars."
Molo nodded his head, the hair covering his left eye swaying as he did so.
"And this is Boldon, another of our regulars and the Goron ambassador of tourism." The Goron nodded, offering a broad smile.
"Pleased to make your acquaintances!" he offered brightly.
Zelda gave a small wave, feeling just a little out of place. Breen had introduced her so… casually. No pomp, no formal language, no bowing… Not that there was anything wrong with that, but it had never been her experience before. She knew how to behave in her role as a Princess, but as just another ordinary person? That was… quite foreign.
"Nice to meet you all," she offered a tad meekly. Beside her, Link nodded.
Ashe reached forward and picked up the stack of cards, glancing through them briefly before shuffling with surprising speed for one so aged.
"Alright, for the benefit of our new friends here—" he said in a gravelly voice, bridging the cards before dealing out, "The game is poker. Aces high, jokers wild. Starting bet is one pebble."
As Ashe went around the table, everyone set a pebble in the middle. Beside them, Breen reached into a sack at her waist, pulling forth a large handful of small pebbles and giving each Zelda and Link a pile.
"Gambling is technically not allowed in the stable system, so this is our little way of getting around the rules," she said with a wink, and Zelda gazed down at her pile curiously. Link plucked a pebble from his pile and set it in the middle of the table, gesturing for her to do likewise. Once her bet was placed, Link leaned closer, speaking lowly.
"Each hand you'll be dealt five cards. The goal is to get a combination of cards worth the highest value. You have only one opportunity to discard as many cards as you'd like, and be dealt new ones. A bet is made at the start of every round, and the player with the highest hand at the end wins it all."
Zelda picked up the two cards which had so far been dealt to her, and nodded.
"The order of hands, from lowest to highest, are: high card—where your hand's only value is its highest card; a pair—two of the same card; two pairs—two sets of pairs; three of a kind—three of the same card; a straight—five sequential cards of different suits; a flush—five cards of the same suit; a full house—a pair and three of a kind; four of a kind, a straight flush—five sequential cards of all the same suit; and a royal flush—five sequential cards of all the same suit with an ace high."
Zelda glanced over at him impressed, mentally reviewing the list he'd just given her before nodding. She would likely need it repeated a few times, but rather thought she grasped the general concept. Once everyone had five cards before them, she watched the other players lift their cards and fan them before their eyes—so Zelda followed suit. Glancing at her hand, she quickly took stock: a three of hearts, a three of spades, a four of hearts, a five of spades, and a six of diamonds. She stared blankly at them for several moments before turning to Link and whispering, "So… now what?"
A small, amused smile graced his lips as Link once more leaned closer, gently grasping her hand to tilt her cards towards him. He scanned over them a moment before nodding appreciatively.
"Not bad." He then lowered his voice, leaning close to her ear. She could feel his breath ghost over her skin, and struggled not to shiver. "You're very close to a straight. You can discard one of your threes and hope to get a two or seven, or you can hold on to your threes and discard the rest. A pair is of a lower value, but its at least a sure thing."
Zelda nodded, contemplating her hand—and her odds. She liked the sound of a sure thing, at least for her first hand… pulling out the four, five, and six, she slid them towards Ashe, who placed them in the discard pile and swiftly dealt out three more. Pulling them towards her and clumsily arranging them fan-like in her hand, she frowned. A four of spades, a five of hearts, and a seven of diamonds. Turning to Link, she whispered, "And I can only discard once, correct?"
Glancing at her hand, he chuckled lowly. "Correct."
Boldon looked around the table triumphantly and boldly threw three pebbles into the center. Breen eyed him with a critical expression before adding three more of her own to the pile. Link followed suit. With a sigh, Molo glanced at his pile of five pebbles before placing his cards face-down on the table.
"I fold." He said dejectedly, and Breen laughed.
"How you expect to find hidden treasures with luck like that is beyond me."
He gave the stable hand a sour look as Link leaned closer once more. "When someone raises the bet, you have to match them if you want to stay in the game. If you're not confident in your hand, you can fold instead, and forfeit your starting bet."
Zelda nodded, staring down at her own hand. She had only a pair, the second lowest-hand you could have. But… maybe no one else had anything better? She didn't quite know what the odds were in this game, or how good the other players were; perhaps it was worth the risk. Reaching into her pile of pebbles, she set another two in the center of the table. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link, on the verge of saying something, but closed his mouth and quickly turned back to his own hand.
"Alright, show 'em folks," came Ashe's voice.
As Breen laid down her hand, Zelda immediately knew she had made the wrong move.
"Two pair," she said smugly, glancing around the table. Boldon, however, let out a barking laugh as he laid down his own.
"Three of a kind, my friend! Too bad." he grinned, crossing his arms.
Zelda sheepishly laid out her hand. "A pair."
But in the end it was Link who stole everyone's attention. In the quiet, stoic fashion she was so familiar with he laid out his hand, barely bothering to even look at anyone else as he pulled in the pile of pebbles.
"Full house."
Molo's eyes bulged and he threw his hands into the air. "Aw, come on! I've had lousy luck all night and the new guy comes in and cleans house on his first hand?"
Link remained silent, adding the small pile of pebbles to his own as Ashe chuckled, pulling in the cards before dealing out again.
"You always have lousy luck, Molo."
Breen and Boldon chuckled.
Despite her loss, Zelda felt her enthusiasm only rise. She had gotten a sense for the flow of the game, and perhaps even a sense of the odds stacked for and against her. She could do this. Taking up her next hand, she eyed it studiously, eager to try and match Link's skill.
She had a bard, a queen, and a king, a two, and a seven. What was her best play here? As she mentally reviewed all the hands Link had listed, staring at her hand with focused determination, Link's finger came into view, silently pointing to the suit of each card. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she glanced to him with an eager smile. She had a flush!
As the time came to discard, Zelda shook her head at Ashe's inquiry, unable to keep the corners of her mouth from tilting up in a slight smile.
"Alright, raise your bets if ya like," said Ashe as he stacked the discarded cards more neatly. Zelda added three pebbles to the center pile, eagerly glancing around to see who would match her. Breen stared at her with a raised brow, Molo looked exasperated, and Boldon eyed her with an amused smile.
"Well, I fold," said Molo flatly, tossing his cards onto the table.
Breen set hers down as well. "I fold."
"You might want to work on your poker face, Miss Hilda," came Boldon's amused tones as he too, set his hand down.
Zelda felt her smile fall, and she glanced to Link with question in her eyes. He leaned into her, speaking quietly, though he couldn't keep the humor from his tone.
"Part of poker is gauging the confidence your opponents have in their hand to decide whether to keep playing or fold to avoid further losses. You also want to be careful not to let your own confidence show, so you don't give away your hand—especially if its a good one."
Zelda stared back down at her cards, uttering a soft, "Oh. So… I gave away my hand?"
Link nodded as Breen said from beside her, "'Fraid so, 'hon."
However, to her surprise, instead of setting down his hand as the others had, Link added three pebbles to the pile. Zelda gazed at him in surprise, narrowing her eyes as she tried to read his expression. He had seen her hand, and so he would know whether or not he could beat her. But… maybe he was just letting the turn play out?
However, as in many other situations, Link proved an impenetrable wall, not a single tell on his face. After several moments, she sighed, deciding to tempt fate and lay down her cards.
"A flush," she said carefully, eying him closely.
Without even a momentary change in his expression, he laid down his hand as well. "Four of a kind."
Zelda groaned, staring at him in exasperation—but a hint of a smile shone in his eyes as he pulled in the pile.
Ashe chuckled as he pulled in their cards and dealt out the next hand. "You've caught yourself a real card player there, Hilda."
Breen laughed as well, taking up her cards as Ashe continued around the table. "I'll say. Two killer hands in a row."
Zelda eyed her hand—only a pair—and discarded three, receiving three more from Ashe. Fanning them before her—two pair, not so bad—she contemplated upping her bet.
"How long have you two been married?" queried Ashe casually as he absently shuffled the growing discard pile.
The hands which held her cards suddenly tensed. She felt her face flush, heart beating faster as her mind seized at the utterly unexpected question. She hadn't thought her fib would carry beyond her encounter with Domidak… Although now it seemed rather foolish to think that the other stable hands wouldn't know who was staying there. She hadn't given any thought to a back story. What on earth would she say?
"I… we—" Zelda stuttered, and as Ashe lifted his head from his cards to stare at her with polite interest, she felt panic set in. "W-we…"
"We were just wed," Link interrupted, eying his cards casually as he discarded one to the pile and received a new one from Ashe. Zelda turned and stared at him, only just managing to mask her surprise—and her blush; though she couldn't deny she was grateful for the save.
"Oh, newlyweds, how lovely!" gushed Breen, turning her full attention towards the pair. "What brings you to Woodland Stable?"
Of course the questions wouldn't stop there. Zelda felt her mouth go dry as her brain kicked into overdrive. "Well…" she licked her lips, struggling to keep her cool. "We—we're… traveling west," she offered faintly, barely holding onto a smile. Why hadn't she thought of a back story sooner?!
"Oh? Where are you headed? I've been out west—to the Forgotten Temple, once. Some real killer treasure there if you can make it inside," said Molo, frowning at his cards as he rearranged them in his hand.
Zelda glanced to Link who seemed totally at ease before turning back to Molo, feeling her palms sweat. "We're… heading to Hebra." There… a little detail, but not too much… Hopefully that would be enough to end the conversation.
"Rito Village is beautiful this time of year," piped in Ashe, dealing out cards to Boldon. "With all the snows melting and the flowers blooming, it makes for a lovely romantic getaway," he teased, waggling his eyebrows between the two of them. Zelda felt her blush deepen and butterflies erupt in her stomach.
"Do you have any particular destination in Hebra?" Inquired Breen, turning towards her with a friendly smile.
"Oh… ah," Zelda stuttered, "We, um…"
Link once more piped in, speaking with a cool and casual demeanor. "We're on our honeymoon, actually; taking a tour around Hyrule. Perhaps we'll make a stop at Rito Village."
Zelda struggled to keep her jaw from visibly dropping as she stared at Link wide-eyed. Honeymoon?! It was… a good cover, certainly, but… but…!
Breen squealed with delight. "Oh, how sweet! Honeymooners in our little stable! I feel like we should celebrate."
At those words Zelda's composure momentarily returned, and she shook her head vigorously, face still pink. "Oh, no, you don't need to—"
"Yes!" interrupted Boldon's excitable voice, "We should celebrate—and I've got just the thing!"
With a grunt the large Goron stood, heading for his pack on the wall. Zelda chanced a nervous glance at Link out of the corner of her eye, only to see him gazing calmly and studiously at his cards. She felt annoyance and envy flare briefly within her. He would keep his cool in all this…
Boldon returned quickly, setting a bottle with a black label adorned with a red flame onto the table. "Finest Whiskey in Hyrule! Goron fire whiskey—available only in Goron City," he added with a flourish, to which Breen playfully nudged him in the shoulder.
"Oh, give your tourism spiel a rest!"
The Goron smiled sheepishly, but still pulled the cork from the bottle with a pop, gathering a selection of cups from beside the betting pile in the middle of the table.
"Who wants a glass?" he asked jovially, pouring himself a healthy serving, "It's on me!"
"How could I say no?" Molo replied enthusiastically, reaching forward and pulling one of the ceramic mugs towards him.
Breen raised her hand with a smile, and Ashe stroked his goatee, thoughtfully observing the black label on the bottle with fondness. "Ah, Goron Fire whiskey! I haven't had any in years. A fitting beverage to honor the fire of young love!"
Zelda felt her face catch fire.
"And of course, two glasses for the happy couple!" Boldon enthused as he began pouring; but Zelda quickly shook her head, feeling panic set in again. She had never had anything to drink before, but she knew the reputation of Goron Fire Whiskey. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing a novice drinker would be well advised to try their first time with alcohol, and she needed to keep her wits about her…
"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly—"
"Of course you can! It's your honeymoon!" Boldon cheered, starting to pour the second glass.
Zelda only shook her head more vigorously.
"Oh, n-no, I—"
However, Boldon charged right ahead and pushed two filled glasses towards them—which Link, thankfully, intercepted. Though, to her surprise, he pulled one glass towards himself, before pushing the other back towards Boldon.
"Thank you, Boldon, but Hilda doesn't drink. She—she's…" he paused and Zekda chanced a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. For the first time since this unexpected conversation began, subtle signs of nervousness showed upon his face. However he quickly recovered, finishing his sentence with the last excuse she would have expected to hear coming from his lips, "We—we're trying for a baby."
This time Zelda's jaw did drop as she stared at link with wide eyes and a flushed face. Cooing could be heard around the table, but Zelda took little notice due to the blood rushing in her ears.
WHAT? Oh dear Goddess, let the ground open up and swallow her whole…
Granted, the whole fabricated tale made an excellent cover story. No one would question if they were vague about their destination, or why Link might be unusually protective of her. But it did have one extremely awkward side effect: now she was thinking about it—about Link being her husband, of the two of them—alone, in bed, trying to… to… she felt her cheeks heat and her heart flutter madly as she buried her face behind her hand of cards.
It was… scandalous! Outrageous! It was… actually oddly exhilarating to think about, if she were honest with herself. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone. And truly, that was the cause for her embarrassment. These people did not know who she was, nor would she likely ever see them again. Beyond making sure their journey was unhampered, It didn't really matter what they thought. But Link…
They would both carry the memory of this night forward—of their pretend marriage at Woodland stable, where they played two young lovers on their honeymoon, trying for a baby. That would always exist between them now.
"Alright, alright, leave the two alone," came Ashe's raspy voice through the din of cooing, "It's time to play your hands."
Zelda played hers first in an effort to move conversation along, setting down two fours and two sevens.
"Two pair," she said meekly, putting her hands in her lap and struggling to contain her blush.
Boldon smiled, laying out his cards next. "Ha! Three of a kind."
Molo grimaced as he laid out his hand. "Ugh. Ace high."
Then, as the table turned to look at link, he laid down his hand, with the same stoicism he had both rounds before. "Royal flush."
The table groaned as Link pulled in the pile, turning just briefly to glance at her out of the corner of his eye and offer her a subtle wink. Her face heated at his unexpected gesture and her heart skipped several beats; but despite everything, Zelda couldn't help but smile.
-:-:-:-:-:-
They remained playing for several hours more, with Boldon and Molo's performance steadily decreasing as they drained the contents of their glasses. However, as the hours past sunset ticked on, one-by-one the players around the table departed for bed until it was just her, Link, and Breen. Though their plan had been to wait until everyone was asleep before heading to bed themselves, Zelda was beginning to have difficulty keeping her eyes open. Breen shuffled the cards after their last hand, and as she looked up to see Zelda's head beginning to droop, she set the cards aside and smiled.
"Aw, Hilda, why don't you head to bed? I can clean up here. I'm on watch tonight, anyway."
Zelda's ears perked up at that, her exhaustion momentarily dissipating as she eyed Breen with a degree of apprehension.
"On watch? You… won't be going to bed yourself?"
Breen smiled wryly as she pooled the pebbles back into her pouch. "'Fraid not. On nights like this its regulation for there to be someone on hand through the night to manage the stable. This time it's me." She shrugged, continuing to tidy the tabletop as Zelda stood, Link rising beside her.
"Oh. Okay, well… goodnight," Zelda said, turning for the bed with Link beside her. She crossed the short distance across the room with increasing nervousness, and as she approached the mattress she leaned towards Link.
"What do we do?" she whispered urgently, glancing sidelong at Breen who was putting the extra stools back behind the counter. She then glanced back to him, and he looked, for the first time since arriving, on edge.
"I can… stay up. Say I'm having trouble sleeping."
Zelda narrowed her eyes at him. "Link, you do, in fact, need to sleep as well."
"It's alright, I'll just chat with Breen, and—and…" he paused, staring off into the distance with unusual concentration before quickly covering his mouth, unable to stifle a yawn. Zelda narrowed her eyes at him before softening.
"Link, you're tired. You need to rest." She then leaned closer, lowering her voice further, "As my only guard, I need you alert—you still haven't told me what all that was about this morning with the banana salesman, but I get the distinct impression it wasn't just that his bananas were bad."
As she leaned back, his expression turned brooding, and he sat down heavily on the chair beside the bed. She was about to say more, but a shuffling from across the room diverted her attention. Turning her head, she saw Domidak stir from his slouched position against the wall, standing and stretching before making his way to the table where Breen had settled with a book.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" he asked quietly, eyes darting curiously towards her and Link, lingering uncomfortably upon her. She looked quickly away, turning to Link with a pointed expression. He stared at her a moment longer, eying her hard, before sighing in defeat.
"You know what this would look like if anyone in the castle caught wind of it," he said seriously, quietly, holding her gaze. She swallowed hard, nodding.
"I know. But…" she took a breath, feeling her heart rate quicken, "No one at the castle will ever know, so can we not simply… be people, for once? And not our positions? It makes more sense this way, and I don't mind sharing a bed with you; its big enough for two—so long as you don't hog the covers," she added, an attempt at humor to lighten the suddenly tense atmosphere.
She didn't know why she was fighting so hard for this. She knew he had been through worse than a night without sleep; but it felt so needless, and potentially posed a risk to their cover story. But most of all she just… wanted it; and she didn't want to think too deeply about why.
He stared at her a moment longer, a myriad emotions playing behind his eyes, before he sighed. "Alright," he relented quietly, "Alright…"
Zelda smiled softly, feeling her heart flutter as she turned to pull the covers back. She walked around to the other side as he rested his sword beside the bed against the chair, within easy arm's reach. She sat on the side of the bed, pulling her boots off before tucking her legs under the covers and lowering herself to the pillow. She felt Link do the same beside her and once the bed stilled, she turned her head to look at him. He was lying stiffly, eyes fixed on the canopy above, a large empty space between them. His awkwardness almost made her laugh, but she withheld the urge, glad simply that he had relented.
"Goodnight, Link," she whispered softly.
He turned his head towards her then, and when his eyes caught hers, for a moment, some of the stiffness seemed to bleed out of him. "Goodnight, Zelda," He answered quietly, eyes lingering on hers a moment before turning back to face the canopy.
Though her heart was drumming steadily in her chest, she smiled and closed her eyes, letting exhaustion finally wash over her. Releasing a breath, she relaxed into the lumpy mattress, and soon slipped into a deep and peaceful slumber—the first she'd had in quite some time.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Link stared up at the canopy keenly aware of just how close she was beside him; but he was almost falling out of the bed as it was—he couldn't put any more space between them, though part of him desperately wished he could. Though he was exhausted from the previous night's restlessness, he knew for himself sleep was quite a ways off.
When she had told him about her little white lie to the stable master, he'd felt a myriad emotions: surprise, flattery, amusement, and a longing he very quickly suppressed. Despite his mixed feelings, he was glad she had thought so quickly on her feet, managing to avoid a potentially compromising situation; after the "banana salesman" that morning, he was beginning to think that Dorephan's suggestion of traveling incognito was perhaps a wiser idea than either of them had realized. And though he couldn't be sure it was a disguised Yiga assassin, his instincts told him their caution was well advised regardless.
And so he was glad she had managed to come up with a good cover story, regardless of what that story was. It would help ease their passage across Hyrule, and discourage scrutiny as to their identity and purpose in traveling; but he hadn't been prepared for everything that came after, and especially not for… this.
He rolled onto his side—pointedly away from her—and released a heavy breath. He didn't know what in the world came over him, earlier, during their card game; his mouth running away from him, he supposed. He had only wanted to help cover for her, to tighten their story as it was put under scrutiny. There had been a dozen different back stories and excuses running through his mind at the time—but Goddess help him, he had to choose that.
It had been… fun, to pretend to be any ordinary traveler—any ordinary person, for a while; until they started asking questions, anyway—though he supposed it was only natural. He smiled fondly up at the canopy as he thought back to Zelda's determinedly curious face as she watched the game from their bed—her eager smile when she got her first good hand, and her almost comical disappointment when everyone folded. She had seemed almost like… anyone, like any girl he might meet in a stable on his travels and spend some time getting to know. And perhaps that was why he had said what he said—because for a moment, just a moment, they hadn't been Link and Zelda, they'd been Ravio and Hilda—and all the reasons why she was off-limits, why he shouldn't do or say those things, had simply… disappeared.
And, for a moment, it had felt so freeing.
Though almost as soon as the words had left his lips he knew it to be reckless—and probably highly inappropriate, deep down it had felt far more satisfying than it should to say those things; to finally say aloud that she meant something to him, however disguised. He knew it was wrong, and that allowing himself to travel too far down that path would only bite him in the ass later. Part of him wished he could blame it on the one small sip of Goron Fire Whiskey he had allowed himself to appease Boldon—to simply say his judgment had been impaired; but he had no such excuse, because he'd said those things first.
A friendship between them was pushing it enough already, and though he was immensely grateful for it, there was a fine line between friendship and… more than friendship; a line he was doing an increasingly poor job of toeing.
Feeling agitation course through him, he turned over once more, onto his other side, and eyed her sleeping form. She lay peacefully, her braid coming undone where it lay atop her shoulder, her lips parted just slightly as her chest rose and fell rhythmically. He sighed. This was not the firm line he knew he should put between them—that little bit of distance that should always separate them. It was the polar opposite in fact; he didn't think he could get much closer.
Well, technically he could—about ten inches or so.
He felt something stir in his chest at the thought, and quickly turned his gaze away from her, rolling onto his back to stare at the canopy. Closing his eyes, he willed his breathing to slow. The desire to glance at her again rose strongly within him but he shoved it back. He was… quite done glancing at her. Definitely no more glancing.
She was right about one thing at least—he did need some rest. He would be no good to her tired and distracted on their journey tomorrow. With a soft grunt he rolled onto his side away from her and let out another agitated breath. Forcing his body still, he desperately willed his racing mind to stillness, praying that sleep would soon claim him—and that tomorrow would be an easier day.
Review Responses:
Beta117: Ye of little faith! And I'm not even done, yet.
NC2001: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this installment ^^
Amy: I hope this answers your question! As for parts of the story and being finished, generally speaking, Part 3 ends with chapter 33 (assuming I don't shove more chapters in there, which I might-just one or two). There will be some cuts to other characters before part 3 is through, but its mostly focused on Link and Zelda's trip.
kansa: Thanks! And yes, they are fly paper, those two. Hopefully this chapter satisfied!
TheMistOfThePast: aaaa, oh my gosh thank you! That is a big complement! I hope you liked this one!
Notice:
I know I posted a publication schedule last chapter, but just as a reminder this story will be on a 4 week hiatus! I know, I know, I'm sorry. But I've got some other stuff I want to publish and I really want to be a little more on top of my taxes this year (fingers crossed! Also I can't believe I've been writing this story for two tax seasons.) Anyway, next week will be a really cute fluffy oneshot, and because I love you all so much here's a preview of the story summary!
"Beneath a Midsummer Moon"
Link has never been to a royal ball before and tonight will be his first; but he quickly finds himself utterly unprepared for the vision that is Zelda in a ball gown. BoTW ZeLink pre-calamity.