Alright, sadly this is the only one ready for today because of everything that has been happening this week. There was so much I had to do. Anyway, I'll deliver with the rest of the stories tomorrow and Saturday. Hope you guys enjoy this!
Midna wondered how this had happened. One moment, she was having her body explored by her gorgeous fiancé, who was ready to finally face her fear. The next moment, she was standing beside the door to their bedchamber, gazing at her old friend in utter confusion. What is Link doing here? She wondered. Isn't he supposed to be taking quests across the kingdom or something? Has it been long enough for him to travel back already?
Zelda was experiencing roughly the same thought pattern. She hadn't expected to see the young hero back in the castle for quite a while. Usually, he only came when there was trouble because he had an uncanny ability to always know when she needed him. However, aside from the events of the recent courting ceremonies, there was nothing for him to do. Probably because Midna took care of it before he did. And if it took him this long to return after sensing my plight, then he would have had to travel further had Midna not been here. I had better clear this up as quickly as possible.
Link glanced between the two princesses in confusion. He had only expected to see Princess Zelda considering it was her bedchamber. He was planning to ask her on a horse ride so he could apologize for their last conversation as well as ask to court her. Finding Princess Midna in the room as well made him want to drop to one knee, considering the last time they had seen each other, it had been the first time he had seen her true form. Well, if Princess Zelda refuses once more, perhaps Midna and I could hit it off instead since the Twilis seem to be much more laid back than the Hyrulians when it comes to the royal line. And I'm a warrior, so that's definitely a plus in her book.
Smirk sliding into a smile, Link bowed graciously to both princesses before turning to Midna. "Princess Midna, it's wonderful to see you again, Your Highness. I thought I wouldn't see you again after the mirror was destroyed."
Midna shifted and chuckled, "Yes, I thought I wouldn't be able to return to Hyrule either, considering the mirror's destruction. However, Princess Zelda was more than adamant that we meet once more and the pair of us created a portal between our realms."
"But isn't that dangerous?" Link asked in confusion. "What if someone from either kingdom found it and used it for their own means again?"
"We are both well-prepared for something of that caliber happening again." Zelda told him calmly. "We intend to create another portal out in the main square so that our kingdoms can begin to merge. In doing this, it will get our people accustomed to each other and form more peaceful relations between our lands."
"That is quite a wonderful idea, Your Majesty." Link grinned. "And it's wonderful that you were able to create a portal between our realms all on your own. That is quite an accomplishment since I heard that it normally took at least two people to form a portal across lands."
Both princesses glanced to each other momentarily before looking back to the young warrior. Link's ears lowered slightly as he looked between them in confusion. "Did you have another person to help? It would help save your energy, Princess…"
"Actually, I helped her create it." Midna said, clearing her throat and shifting closer to Zelda almost protectively.
Now Link looked downright confused. "But… the mirror…"
"After Zelda separated our souls, she left a piece of hers behind and took a piece of mine with her." The Twilight princess explained. "We are, in every sense of the words, soul mates."
"Seriously?" Link exclaimed, eyes wide as he glanced between the two princesses in utter shock. "I didn't know that was possible!"
"Neither did we until recently." Zelda murmured, moving closer to Midna slightly.
"Well, such bonds are strong, so it's only understandable that the two of you would want to see each other again." Link nodded.
The trio lapsed into uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Midna asked, "So, what brings you to this side of the kingdom, Link?"
"Actually, I felt that I was needed here a few days ago. There must be danger in the area." The male elf glanced around, his ears twitching as if trying to sense for the perceived threat.
"There is no danger here." Zelda told him calmly, attempting to work into explaining that Midna took care of any threat.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, perhaps I should stay for a few days." Link bowed in a sign of respect. "To be certain that the threat isn't nearby. It would be a shame to waste resources on a hunch."
"Of course." Zelda conceded. "Adviser Delak can prepare a room for you to use for the duration of your stay."
"Perhaps you may even stay long enough for the wedding if you aren't called to action elsewhere." Midna added, missing the subtle twitch Zelda gave off.
"Wedding?" Link inquired, pausing as he was turning to follow Delak down the hall. The adviser cringed when he saw the storm erupting in the blue eyes of his ruler. "What wedding?"
"The royal wedding." Midna told him, unaware of the discontent of her princess. "Zelda and I are getting married soon. Shortly after we'll be looking for a young man to sire her children."
At this, Link's eyes lit up and Delak tried to shrink through the floor. Zelda turned to her adviser immediately and said, "Delak, I think it best you show our guest to his room and get him situated. I believe he may be here for quite some time."
"U-understood, Your M-Majesty." When she dropped his title, Delak knew that his monarch was quite distressed and struggling to maintain her emotions. Leading Link down the hall, the adviser prayed that Princess Midna was able to calm Princess Zelda.
Midna turned to Zelda as the brunette turned and retreated further into her chambers. Confusion was evident in the warrior's expression as she strode after her love. "Zelda?" she called. "Is something wrong?"
"Not at all." Zelda replied calmly.
Now it was clear to Midna that something was wrong with her dear princess and it had something to do with Link's visit. "Did Link upset you in a way? Was the visit too sudden?"
"No." Zelda responded. "It's simply that I was not intending to tell him of our marriage so soon."
"Oh." Midna's cheeks darkened in their tint and she glanced down. "My apologies. I was unaware that you wanted to keep it a secret."
"It is quite alright." The younger princess told her, turning to her with the schooled mask of a queen in place. "Perhaps we should get ready for bed?"
Midna could tell that something was still off, but she trusted that Zelda would tell her once the younger woman had thought it over for a bit. Nodding, she bowed slightly and replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
Zelda nodded and made her way to the closet, coming out seconds later with a nightdress to wear. Sliding into it as Midna prepared the bed for her, Zelda moved to her side of the bed and slid in, allowing Midna to cover her as the Twilight princess slid in beside her. Wrapping her arms around Zelda's much smaller frame, Midna felt contentment and easily drifted off to sleep.
Unbeknownst to the warrior snoozing peacefully beside her, Zelda's eyes remained wide open, sleep proving to be elusive as she pondered over every implication of the look Link had given. The moon shone brightly into their room and Zelda watched it move slowly across the sky as she wondered if it was a good idea to allow Link to stay. After all, she was unsure of what he was capable of and Zelda didn't think she could take any more surprises after such a close encounter with Inuri. After what felt like days but was most likely a couple of hours, the young princess slowly drifted into sleep, her dreams plagued by bright blue eyes.
The next morning, Zelda glided down to the dining hall with Midna at her side just as she normally would. The pair were not in their formal clothing as it was still early morning and neither had duties to attend to that were urgent enough for dress. Entering the dining hall, the pair made their way to the head of the table and sat down, waiting as the servants placed platters of food on the table.
As the royal pair dug into their breakfast, Link strode through the doorway and bowed politely to both, distancing himself slightly from them as a sign of respect. Midna continued her meal without a care, tugging at a large chunk ravenously. Zelda glanced up to offer Link a polite smile and paused at the look in his eyes. It was reminiscent of the one he had given her the last time they had seen each other. They were dark, hungry… demanding.
Repressing a shudder, Zelda went back to her meal, feeling his gaze on her the entire time. However, despite how uncomfortable the gaze made her, she was a monarch and could not show weakness when there was not a threat… at the moment. Hurrying through the rest of her breakfast, Zelda glanced to where Adviser Delak was walking to her and let out a soft breath of relief.
"Your Majesty." Delak bowed respectfully before straightening with a smile. "Are you ready to commence today's work?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful." Zelda stood with a grin and nodded to Midna. "I will see you both at dinner. Have a good day."
Midna and Link watched the brunette princess stride away after her chief adviser, listening to him recite the duties for the day as they headed in the direction of Zelda's private chambers so she could change into something more fitting.
What on earth could that have been about? Midna wondered, glancing to the half-finished plate of food on the table. She hurried through her breakfast, but seemed to have lost her apatite at the same time. Did something happen that I don't know about? Suddenly, a horrifying thought pierced the warrior's mind. Has she fallen ill and these are the beginning signs? I can't allow her to continue to grow worse. If I see signs of this… whatever this is increasing in the next few days, I'm going to have to take her aside and possibly transport her to my realm for medical attention.
Nodding to herself, Midna finished her own meal and stood. "I am off back to my realm." She informed Link with a soft smile. "I have my own duties to attend to. Feel free to roam the castle to amuse yourself, but stay clear of the private chambers and the library."
"Why the library?" Link inquired curiously.
"Because Princess Zelda tends to study in the library on the days she does not have the duties of the kingdom to attend to." Midna waved as she sauntered to the door, striding out and heading in the direction Delak and Zelda had gone.
Sighing, Link shrugged and continued with his breakfast, eating his fill before heading to the training pitch to practice with his sword. He could use the exercise to be certain he proved himself a worthy enough candidate to sire a child of the royal family. Just the thought of laying with a member of the royal family sent shivers of anticipation down his spine and Link quickened his stride, wanting to practice as much as possible before dinnertime.
Zelda watched Midna disappear through the portal to the Twilight Realm and was instantly on guard with her thoughts, not wanting her lover to know the truths running through her head. She was wary of Link for a reason. The look he had given her that morning reminded Zelda of far too many things. Inuri's gaze, Midna's gaze, the princes' gazes, a night spent out in the forest against her will… the way Link stared at her reminded her too much of the trouble that had happened before his arrival.
Of course, this brought back the memory of what she had Midna had been doing the night before, right before Link had made his presence known to them. The thought of what could have happened had he not arrived made the young princess shiver in delight and anticipation. Changing her clothing calmly, Zelda made her way along the halls with Delak to the throne room in order to oversee documents and disputes that needed to be taken care of.
The day passed relatively normally aside from Zelda constantly shielding her thoughts from Midna's wandering eyes. She didn't want her beloved knowing what had transpired between Link and herself those weeks ago. Concentrating more fully on her work than usual, Zelda was nearly exhausted when dinnertime rolled around. Delak called for her and Zelda stood, making her way to the dining hall to greet Midna and Link, who were already there. Taking her seat at the head of the table, Zelda waited for the servants to bring out the platters.
Midna and Link talked about their days as they waited for the food to be brought out, but Zelda distanced herself from the conversation, returning her mind to the troubling thoughts of that morning and late into the previous night. She gave a soft sigh as the servants finally brought the food out and drew Midna's attention. The Twili glanced to the brunette princess in confused concern, but did not say anything yet, waiting to see if any other signs manifested before she made any decisions to act.
The days continued to progress this way. Zelda remained distant with Midna as her discomfort with Link's presence made itself more and more noticeable. Midna began growing worried that something about Link was truly upsetting her beloved princess, but she was unable to act upon her protective instincts because she didn't know what was going on, which increased her worry and her protective instincts. This caused her to run her feelings in circles for at least two days while waiting for Zelda to open up to her about what the matter was. However, the Hyrulian princess seemed almost adamant not to reveal what was troubling her to the Twilight warrior.
Finally, as the pair of them were settling in for another night of bed, Midna broke. Her reserves crashed to the ground as she climbed in beside Zelda and she took the younger woman in her arms, looking down at her sternly in order to get her seriousness across. She knew that if she was not firm in this, then Zelda would not open up to her and their entire marriage could fall apart because of it.
"Zelda," Midna began slowly. "I need for you to tell me what's going on with you."
"There is nothing going on, Midna." Zelda replied calmly, trying to snuggle in for bed. The bags under her eyes were another thing Midna had noticed had become more prominent since the beginning of Link's stay. If he brought back some foreign illness, I'm going to kill him. Midna internally snarled. Outwardly, she continued staring down at the younger woman that was meticulously avoiding her eyes.
"Zelda, are you ill?" Midna asked, arms tightening slightly so Zelda couldn't bolt. "You haven't been yourself lately."
"I assure you, Midna, that I am not ill. I'm fine." It was clear to the Twilight princess that her fiancée wasn't going to open up unless more pressure was used.
"Zelda, please." Midna begged. "I want to be able to help in any way I can, but the only way I can help you is if you tell me what's wrong. Please, let me help you."
Zelda sighed and nodded, snuggling into Midna's arms and feeling the warrior's warmth comfort her. "The last time Link was here, shortly after you broke the mirror, I gave him his reward for helping the kingdom. I gave him a horse, a few pouches of gold and a sword. However, he was… unsatisfied with this reward and wished more."
"What did he ask for as a reward?" Midna inquired, stroking the brown locks soothingly and feeling Zelda cuddle closer into her form.
"He asked for me to pleasure him for the night." The Hyrulian sighed softly.
Midna pulled back from the embrace, staring down at Zelda incredulously. "He asked for WHAT as a reward?"
Zelda blushed. "He wanted me to be 'the hero's brief conquest.' I told him that I was not to be bed until I was wed, the words of my father."
Midna felt guilt pool in her stomach, but she pushed that away to focus on the matter at hand. "He asked you to be his prize? That little wretch!" The blue-skinned princess stood and made her way to the door. Zelda hurriedly jumped up to follow, having to run to keep up with Midna's fast gait.
"Midna, please! He did not mean any harm by it."
"No harm?" Midna snarled. "He wanted to take the innocence that had been reserved for me. He needs to be taught that princesses are not whores at brothels. They are sacred."
"But you took my innocence before asking me to marry you."
"And I had good reason. I love you, Zelda." Midna stopped, forcing Zelda to slide to a halt as well. "I love you. That's why I got so angry. That's why I forced you. I wanted to make sure you knew you were mine because I couldn't bear the thought of living with knowing you had chosen another over me. He wanted something to satisfy himself with and make him feel bigger than he actually is. I bet he'll feel real big when I neuter him."
Zelda was speechless by the words Midna had said. She couldn't live knowing I had chosen someone else. She truly does love me… but that still does not excuse how she went about it. Though, I suppose it is comforting to know that she does fully return my affections.
Realizing that her chosen Champion was well ahead of her now, Zelda raced to catch up. The Hyrulian princess managed to arrive just as Midna was pressing Link to the wall and snarling at him angrily. "You dare ask a princess to be your 'brief conquest'?" Midna demanded, her hand primed around Link's throat. "She is not some prize to be won, you insolent peasant! She is no prize at all. Her devotion is given willingly and it is not given to you. Don't ever let me hear that you've asked her to be your conquest again!"
Link, in a desperate attempt to breathe, kicked out with a boot and nailed Midna in the stomach, sending her sliding backward. Midna glared at him and nodded. "Alright then, have it your way. We duel tomorrow morning, one sun movement after dawn. Be there with no weaponry at all. No armor." The blue-skinned princess turned and strode away down the corridor.
"What?" Link coughed. "What does she mean? I didn't say anything about a duel!"
"In the Twilight Realm, rules are different for peasantry than here." Zelda explained, helping the male elf to his feet. "If ever a peasant harms or makes a harmful gesture towards someone of royalty, it is a sign of saying they would be better for the throne. Midna has taken your kick as a challenge and now the two of you do hand-to-hand combat tomorrow morning."
Link visibly paled. "Hand-to-hand? I don't know anything about hand-to-hand combat. I only know how to use a sword."
"You may want to learn quickly. She will not hold back. She is too angry to hold anything back."
Link turned to Zelda. "Maybe you could show me a few tricks? I mean, you must have some, you're a princess."
"I do not think-."
At that moment, Midna came storming back into the room and picked up Zelda bridal style, carrying her back to their bedroom and leaving Link to wonder hopelessly what he'll do come morning.
And there you have it. Now, be a good little alligator; drop me a review and tell me what you think, yeah?