Chapter Six
After Kielke had sighted a way out of the forest and Ganondorf was done tearing through the brush after LInk, the rest of the night was actually peaceful. Link and Kielke had, with absolutely no help from Ganondorf, managed to light a small fire to keep away the wilder things in the forest.
Link was awake now, keeping the fire alive, but it was extremely boring with no one to talk to. Ganondorf was fast asleep on the ground, and Kielke was curled up in a ball on a woven sleeping mat she'd brought along with her. She had used her Wyvern-skin cloak as a blanket, and Link was jealous. It looked warm.
He shook himself awake and looked over at the three horses, tethered to a tree and hobbled. It was strange, how Epona and Ganondorf's horse nibbled at the grass under their feet with no argument whatsoever. Were Ganondorf and himself missing something that the horses knew?
"I know what you're thinking."
Kielke's voice startled him. She was sitting beside him now, inspecting a stick of wood. Her lavender eyes caught the red and orange of the fire, making them look like a view of the sunset. Link shivered.
"I thought you were asleep. And I--didn't hear you get up," he said awkwardly.
Kielke threw the stick into the fire, looked up, and smiled at him. "That's the idea. I've learned how to walk so carefully on the ground that I leave no footprints nor make any sound."
Link smiled back. "You're going to have to teach me sometime."
"I promise." Kielke looked distantly out at the forest. "You know, I'm like you in a way. I never knew my parents either. Criya, my Wyvern mother, says they left me with her for protection. Against what, I have no idea. The only thing I have of them are these."
She reached up with her hand to her face and touched one of the red markings on her cheek. "I don't know what they mean, but they must symbolize something." She sighed and lowered her hand again.
She accidently placed her hand over Link's as she put it on the ground. Startled, both looked at each other, and Kielke found herself falling into Link's sapphire-blue eyes. To her, they were deep as the ocean, and fathomless as the sky.
They stayed like that for what seemed to them hours, then both blinked, turned away, apologized to each other, and nervous laughter followed. Both shot equally nervous glances at the still-snoring form of Ganondorf.
"You know, I've never thought about you this way," Link admitted. "I thought you were actually going to kill me that night. And again at your caves."
Kielke looked off to the forest again, distant once more. Concerned, Link took his hand and turned her face toward him. To his surprise, there were tears growing in Kielke's eyes.
"I meant to, both times," she choked. "But something stopped me. I--I don't know what it was, but--" Her tears spilled over, running over her cheeks and Link's hand.
She suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close, her sobs louder. Link sat startled for a minute, then wrapped his arms around her, gently rocking her back and forth.
"No one ever told me you would be so wonderful," Kielke said between sobs. "I didn't believe it at first, absolutely couldn't believe it, but now--now I know I must believe it--"
Her voice trailed off, and she broke out of their embrace. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled at him. "Link, I think I'm--"
"Shhhh..." Link pulled the ever-present bandanna from off her head and ran his fingers through her hair. "I know. I think I'm in love, too."
The two leaned in close, and each knew what was coming, but Kielke didn't know for sure. How long would it go on? What would happen? How far would they go? Instead she closed her eyes and waited.
Soon she felt Link's lips close over hers, and she welcomed them. She felt a fire that warmed her more than the fire beside them, and a secret desire that burned away her childish wishes and dreams.
She put her arms around Link's neck, and he held her close. The embrace lasted until neither one could breath anymore, and they retreated. Kielke opened her eyes again, and was locked away again in the beauty of Link's eyes. They breathed for a while, warm hot breath that warmed their faces, and each breathed in the other's breath.
All the while, they didn't notice the stranger dressed in black watching them from the trees, a stranger whose own breath could blow fierce wind and carry houses to faraway lands.
This stranger watched the two lovers as they kissed again. "So, the Dark Shadow is among us," the stranger whispered to himself. "Kielke Chiba is the key to Akuma's flesh." He smiled to himself. "The Dark Shadow, Hinode's Legacy...Lady Kokuei..."
After Kielke had sighted a way out of the forest and Ganondorf was done tearing through the brush after LInk, the rest of the night was actually peaceful. Link and Kielke had, with absolutely no help from Ganondorf, managed to light a small fire to keep away the wilder things in the forest.
Link was awake now, keeping the fire alive, but it was extremely boring with no one to talk to. Ganondorf was fast asleep on the ground, and Kielke was curled up in a ball on a woven sleeping mat she'd brought along with her. She had used her Wyvern-skin cloak as a blanket, and Link was jealous. It looked warm.
He shook himself awake and looked over at the three horses, tethered to a tree and hobbled. It was strange, how Epona and Ganondorf's horse nibbled at the grass under their feet with no argument whatsoever. Were Ganondorf and himself missing something that the horses knew?
"I know what you're thinking."
Kielke's voice startled him. She was sitting beside him now, inspecting a stick of wood. Her lavender eyes caught the red and orange of the fire, making them look like a view of the sunset. Link shivered.
"I thought you were asleep. And I--didn't hear you get up," he said awkwardly.
Kielke threw the stick into the fire, looked up, and smiled at him. "That's the idea. I've learned how to walk so carefully on the ground that I leave no footprints nor make any sound."
Link smiled back. "You're going to have to teach me sometime."
"I promise." Kielke looked distantly out at the forest. "You know, I'm like you in a way. I never knew my parents either. Criya, my Wyvern mother, says they left me with her for protection. Against what, I have no idea. The only thing I have of them are these."
She reached up with her hand to her face and touched one of the red markings on her cheek. "I don't know what they mean, but they must symbolize something." She sighed and lowered her hand again.
She accidently placed her hand over Link's as she put it on the ground. Startled, both looked at each other, and Kielke found herself falling into Link's sapphire-blue eyes. To her, they were deep as the ocean, and fathomless as the sky.
They stayed like that for what seemed to them hours, then both blinked, turned away, apologized to each other, and nervous laughter followed. Both shot equally nervous glances at the still-snoring form of Ganondorf.
"You know, I've never thought about you this way," Link admitted. "I thought you were actually going to kill me that night. And again at your caves."
Kielke looked off to the forest again, distant once more. Concerned, Link took his hand and turned her face toward him. To his surprise, there were tears growing in Kielke's eyes.
"I meant to, both times," she choked. "But something stopped me. I--I don't know what it was, but--" Her tears spilled over, running over her cheeks and Link's hand.
She suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close, her sobs louder. Link sat startled for a minute, then wrapped his arms around her, gently rocking her back and forth.
"No one ever told me you would be so wonderful," Kielke said between sobs. "I didn't believe it at first, absolutely couldn't believe it, but now--now I know I must believe it--"
Her voice trailed off, and she broke out of their embrace. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled at him. "Link, I think I'm--"
"Shhhh..." Link pulled the ever-present bandanna from off her head and ran his fingers through her hair. "I know. I think I'm in love, too."
The two leaned in close, and each knew what was coming, but Kielke didn't know for sure. How long would it go on? What would happen? How far would they go? Instead she closed her eyes and waited.
Soon she felt Link's lips close over hers, and she welcomed them. She felt a fire that warmed her more than the fire beside them, and a secret desire that burned away her childish wishes and dreams.
She put her arms around Link's neck, and he held her close. The embrace lasted until neither one could breath anymore, and they retreated. Kielke opened her eyes again, and was locked away again in the beauty of Link's eyes. They breathed for a while, warm hot breath that warmed their faces, and each breathed in the other's breath.
All the while, they didn't notice the stranger dressed in black watching them from the trees, a stranger whose own breath could blow fierce wind and carry houses to faraway lands.
This stranger watched the two lovers as they kissed again. "So, the Dark Shadow is among us," the stranger whispered to himself. "Kielke Chiba is the key to Akuma's flesh." He smiled to himself. "The Dark Shadow, Hinode's Legacy...Lady Kokuei..."