Author's Note:
Hello to all. This is a romantic Link/Zelda fic that I've decided to write. It's a romance/drama/smidgen of comedy. It takes place in the Ocarina of Time setting, after Zelda sent Link back and they grew up to be 18. There personalities are a little unlikable in the beginning but that's only because I wanted to make believable strife between them. There wouldn't be much conflict if they were both wonderfully pleasant and perfect people, now would there? No adult themes or swearing in this story. Good for the whole family! ^_^
OK, with that out of the way, please read ~ review ~ and enjoy!
It's Love; Now Or Never
By*Jasmine*
Part Two: Fawaee Bound
The morning sun was still cresting over Hyrule's rolling hills when Zelda and her father stood at the drawbridge together with Impa and some men. They had horses ready and were loading up the Princess's many packs.
The King smiled at his daughter, trying to brighten her dapper mood, and said cheerfully, "It looks like the beginning of a beautiful day."
Zelda stood nearby with a cold expression on her attractive face and she wore a white cloak tied around her neck. "Yes, too bad I can't say the same about my life," the Princess said crossly.
Her father sighed, realizing his attempts would all fail, and then looked off into the distance. He mumbled to himself, "Where is that boy?"
The Princess's clear blue eyes narrowed like jagged shards of ice and she asked with suspicion, "What boy?"
Her question was answered however by the sight of a young man dressed in an emerald tunic and hose galloping across Hyrule Field on a chestnut mare. The young man's blond hair reflected the sunlight as he came speeding toward them.
Zelda groaned, knowing full well who it was, and grumbled sarcastically, "O great, another wonderful surprise. This day just gets better and better by the minute."
As Link neared the drawbridge, the King turned to his daughter and said sternly, "Now Zelda, I asked Link to escort you to Fawaee. He is doing us all a favor so please at least try to be cordial to him."
The young man halted his horse and swiftly dismounted. He turned to the King and Princess with a broad smile on his handsome face; sweat beading at his brow (and disgusting Zelda). He said, "I'm sorry for being late, my King. Epona just didn't want to get moving this morning."
Zelda huffed softly, "I have a feeling it wasn't your horse who was unwilling to move..." and she glared at the young man.
The King spoke to silence his outspoken daughter, "That's quite all right, Link. We are all still very grateful to you for offering to protect our Princess o her travels."
The young Kokiri man nodded his head and responded, staring defiantly back at Zelda with dark blue eyes, "Well, I wouldn't say I offered exactly... But whatever I am able to do to aid my kingdom I am more then happy to do."
"I wish I could say the same," Zelda whispered harshly.
The King turned to his daughter, not hearing her comment, and smiled sadly. "Well, daughter, have a good trip and promise to write me when you reach Fawaee, OK?"
Zelda nodded, "OK, daddy."
The man hugged his daughter firmly and his eyes glistened with tears. "I love you, Zel," he said softly to her and then kissed her forehead gently.
"I love you too, daddy," she responded, her anger melting away into sorrow for the time being.
Then Impa approached the girl and she looked at the young Princess thoughtfully. She inquired, "Did you pack your clothes, a hair brush, soap, your stationary, and those rose seeds I gave you?"
Zelda nodded and smiled softly at her caring nanny. "Yes, Impa, all of it," she replied.
The Sheikah woman tried to hold back her tears but a drop plummeted down her cheek as she pulled the girl, who was almost like a daughter to her, into a tight hug. "You've certainly grown up into a beautiful young woman, Zelda. Take care and I'll try to come and visit once you get all settled into your new home," the old woman wept.
The Princess pulled back from her girlhood protector's arms and said, "Thank you... for all that you have ever done for me. I'll look foreword to you coming then, my dear Impa."
Then Zelda walked over to her white stallion where Link was tightening her pack to it. "What did you put in here, your stone collection?" the man grunted as his muscles bulged and he finally hooked the satchel up to the rear of the horse.
The young woman sniffed, "That's just the bag full of my shoes.A girl needs her things you know."
"Of course," he responded with a roll of his eyes. Then he moped his brow and turned to the Princess. He wiped his hand on his tunic and then offered it to her. "Need help?" he asked.
She didn't want his assistance but she was wearing a skirt after all and that made it tough to mount a horse. Zelda nodded and then ordered coldly, "But don't you dare try anything."
Link looked solemn, as he replied, "No of course not." He helped her lift up on her white steed and as she came halfway up and had a firm grip on the reins, he let her hand go and gave her a soft pat on her rump playfully.
The Princess gasped in horror and sat promptly down on her saddle. She shot the young man a deadly look as he went over to his horse and mounted it. "Why of all the horrible, pigheaded, cruel things..." she fumed in outrage.
The young man merely smiled and responded flippantly, "O thank you, I do what I can." Then he lightly kicked Epona's sides with the insides of his heels and began to ride off. The guards on their horses all followed him.
Zelda looked back at her father and nursemaid and waved good-bye. She stared at her Castle, her childhood home, and tried to etch the way it looked, with its gray mortar stones glowing in the morning sunrise, in her memory forever.
"Are you coming or what?" Link called to her, breaking into her thoughts.
The Princess started up her steed and scoffed, "Yes, unless you plan on proceeding to Fawaee without me."
Link grinned teasingly at her as her horse caught up to his and he responded lightly, "The thought had crossed my mind."
~*~
They rode all day along the fields and plains of Hyrule. The afternoon sun had heated their backs and the perfect day made it a pleasant travel. Grasshoppers bounced along in the thigh-high grass and the horses trotted at a nice pace as Zelda and Link traded banter now and again.
Soon the grasslands gradually transformed into rocky outcroppings and crags. The dark dirt soon changed into soft shifting red soil and the tall vegetation began to disappear until only small patches of thick tufts of grass could be found here and there along the tundra of scarlet rocks. The horses climbed the elevated trail, their snorts echoing along the empty cliff faces.
Because the path was so narrow, Zelda was forced to follow Link. Now she looked at this land in awe and asked quietly, "Where are we?"
Link struggled to stay on his horse as it shifted its weight up asteep incline and then he turned his face slightly to her, the setting sun illuminating his handsome features, "Death Mountain. Haven't you ever been to this part of your own kingdom before?"
The Princess glanced around nervously and she said, "No, my father never let me go here nor the Desert Colossus. He said it was too dangerous."
"No wonder you're so sheltered," the young man replied with a shake of his head.
Zelda glared at him and sneered with a cock of her slender golden eyebrows, "Well, excuse me, but at least its better then being raised like a savage by Faerie Children and a Talking Tree."
But Link ignored her comment and halted his horse, scanning the area with his dark azure eyes.
The Princess shifted on her saddle anxiously and asked, trying to disguise her fright, "What is it?"
The young man swung his leg over the saddle and dismounted. "We are going to camp here," he responded without question and began to untie his pack.
"What! Are you crazy? Didn't you hear me? They call this place Death Mountain for a reason, Link!" the Princess cried out sharply. The three soldiers on horseback all stepped off their steeds and began to take off their knapsacks. She turned to them with commanding, sharp pail blue eyes and ordered, "Get back on your horses, there is no way we are stopping here for the night."
The men all paused to look at both Link and their Princess, unsure of who to follow.
The young blond haired man looked at Zelda with impatience, not anger, and pointed to the skyline. "The sun is setting, Zelda. We have only an hour or less left of daylight, that's not enough time to clear the mountain. If we continue on we will be stuck out in complete darkness to stumble around a dangerously steep rock face, I don't think that's such a good idea," Link informed.
The Princess gazed at the red and golden rays that cast themselves about the mountain and blended into the bright cerulean sky like the brush strokes of a painting. She knew that Link was right, soon it would be night. Yet she stuck out her chin defiantly and snapped, "Fine then, I can go on my own. If I move fast enough I'm sure I can make it out of here before nightfall."
Link shook his head and sighed, "Normally I'd be more then glad to have you off my back but I swore to the King that I'd watch after you and I intend to keep that promise. Now either you dismount that horse or I'll have to make you."
Zelda glared at him with venom in her eyes and seethed stubbornly, "I'd like to see you try."
The young man shrugged and then walked over to the Princess. Without a word, he lifted the slender girl off her horse and threw her over his shoulder like a satchel. Zelda was too shocked to speak as Link carried her over to a flat clearing and placed her down on her feet. Looking her square in the eyes, he chided tauntingly, "Now be a good girl and stay put."
The Princess face was flushed with embarrassment and outrage and she finally managed to stammer, "How dare you! I could have you thrown in jail for talking down to me!"
Link merely said nonchalantly, "There are no jails out here, your Highness, but maybe when we reach Fawaee you can make good on your word." Then he turned his back to her and began to go get the rest of their packs. The soldiers all remained quiet as they helped Link heft the bags and listen to Zelda mumble harsh words in Link's direction.
~*~
Night covered the mountain and dusted it in a blanket of radiant stars. A blue swollen moon hung high in the dark sky and illuminated the rocky inlaids and edges that surrounded the weary travelers on all sides. They sat around a small fire, eating a dinner of beans and bread. Zelda looked down ather plate and wrinkled her nose. She pushed it away to the side and gazed around at the solemn faces that sat together on the ground, illuminated by the crackling red fire light. Yet she noticed the Hero of Time was not among them.
"Where is Link?" she questioned her soldiers.
One of her men replied between spoonfuls of beans, "I think he said he wanted to practice a little before bed."
Practice what? The Princess wondered yet didn't say anything. Instead she rose, dusted off her long pail pink skirt, and began to walk away from the campsite. Her expensive shoes scrapped against the rocks as she followed a set of boot prints embedded in the soft red dirt and grappled with her small smooth hands against outstanding boulders. Soon she came to a relatively flat plateau looking over a steep raven and Link was standing out alone on it.
The young man had his back to her and his tunic was removed to reveal a bare tan chest lined with muscles and sweat so that it gleamed in the moonlight. Still unaware that he had an audience, Link continued with his exercise, outstretching his sword and making slashes through the air. His metal blade moved so fast it looked like a silver ribbon wavering in the night's breeze.
Zelda's heart beat faster in her chest at the sight of him like this and yet she was unable to explain why. The young woman took a step closer to get a better view of the half-naked young man and a pebble rolled under the heel of her shoe.
Link's ears perked up and he stiffened a bit. Then in an instant, he did a backwards flip through the dark night sky, landing closer to Zelda, and pointed his sword tip directly at her.
The young woman gasped softly, her pail blue eyes growing wide and staring at the blade.
A lopsided grin came over Link's face and he lowered the sword. "You're a little spy I see, Princess?" he inquired jokingly.
Zelda asked in admiration of his skill, "How did you know I was here?"
"Once a Hero of Time, always a Hero of Time. I still have my skills," the young man responded and slashed his sword quickly to prove his point. Then Link added, "Plus, I could hear those expensive shoes a mile away."
The Princess smiled mischievously and began to remove her cream-colored slipper shoes. "Then lets see how good your skills are when its a fare fight," she opposed him before tossing her heels over to the side and letting her bare feet touch the cool rock surface.
Link looked at the girl and wrinkled his brow. "Are you challenging me?" he asked in disbelief.
"What? You've got a hearing problem now all of a sudden?" Zelda joshed lightly and her long blonde ponytail brushed her back.
The man chuckled, "No, its just I never thought you even knew how to hold a sword, never mind fight with one."
The Princess shrugged off his comment and retorted, "Yes well, I think after living in a Castle filled with knights and Sheikahs for your whole life, you pick up a thing or two... Now are you going to fight or would you rather talk all night?"
Link laughed and shook his head. This Princess was certainly full of surprises. Then he walked over to where his tunic and belt were lying on the ground. He unsheathed a smaller blade and tossed it to Zelda. "Here, this one is much lighter," he said smugly.
The Princess caught the hilt of the small sword and answered confidently, "You'll soon realize you'll be the one needing all the advantages, sir." Then the young woman swiftly began her barrage of assaults and her sword hissed over the air smoothly.
The young man blocked every strike but was however forced to step back a bit. Soon he steadied himself and admitted teasingly, "I must say I am impressed, Zel. If I didn't know any better I'd say you fight just as well as any man."
Zelda laughed, "I could say the same to you... If I didn't know any better of course." Her sword weaved through the air in pace with Link's movement and she said, "The way Impa taught me is that good swordsmanship is just like dancing. A step for a step, a turn for a turn..."
"Then maybe," Link responded as he slashed foreword and his blade cut through Zelda's left shirt strap, glittering lightly over her skin like a feather's breezy touch. "I should take the lead."
The girl gasped and seethed in rage, "This is a new shirt!"
"Send me the bill," Link responded flippantly.
Zelda growled and struck out, her sword grazing just above his shoulder and barely missing him.
The young man laughed and the blue orbs of his eyes reflected the swollen moon. "Why don't we make this a friendly bet, eh?" he asked.
The headstrong Princess nodded and responded, "Fine. If I win then I get to lead us tomorrow."
Link put on his adorable half-sided grin and said smugly, "... And if I win then you must kiss me."
"What!" Zelda shouted in surprise.
The young man took his chance and caught the Princess off guard, his sword flashing through the air to make a horizontal slash in the fabric ofher skirt. Zelda squeaked in dismay and looked down at her ruined clothing inshock. Then she leaned over and tore away the remainder of the skirt so that the hemline fell about mid-thigh. "I can't believe you did that!" she exclaimed in anger.
"What? It looks better that way," he responded matter-of-factly and glanced down at her long, thin legs. "You know, you should show those off more often, they aren't half bad," he mused, gesturing to her naked bottom half.
The Princess narrowed her gemstone blue eyes and her sword danced through the air just by the top of his head. He stiffened, hoping he hadn't angered so much she was prepared to kill him, and a small strand of his flaxen hair fluttered to the ground.
"No fair," he pouted and watched the lock of golden hair fall to the floor.
The Princess giggled and responded, "It looks better that way. I always thought your hair, among other things, made you look like a woman."
Link's jaw dropped open and then he flexed the muscles in his right arm, causing Zelda's heart to flutter. "Would a woman have arms like these, huh?" he retorted.
Zelda merely arched one silken eyebrow and said smugly, "O please, ever heard of over-compensation?"
The man narrowed his eyes at her and then decided he'd had enough of this little sword fighting game. He moved foreword in a flash, wielding his sword with enough force to knock Zelda's weapon out of her hand and sending it spinning over the raven. He watched it plummet into a little gleaming speck far below and sighed disappointedly, "O darn, that was a good small sword too..."
The Princess looked shocked that the young man could overpower her in a matter of mere seconds. Then she grumbled, "I'm glad it fell away, you deserve it."
Link turned to the petite young woman standing before him in a torn dress and smiled devilishly. "It looks like I won the bet and you know what that means?" he said fiendishly.
Zelda looked nervous as she stammered, "Uh ya... Can I get a raincheck?"
"Now Zel, you promised," the man said.
The Princess blushed faintly and her pulse raced. Why was she behaving like a lovesick schoolgirl? After all this was Link, the most thickheaded and pompous man she had ever met, not an actual gentleman. Zelda rolled her blue eyes and sighed miserably, "Ok fine, close your eyes then. I'm not very well going to do it while your watching me."
Link nodded and closed his eyes. He couldn't deny that he was looking foreword to this, of course every man wouldn't mind getting a kiss from one of the most beautiful women in Hyrule... But what was he thinking? Zelda might be gorgeous, but she was also spoiled, self-centered, and vain. He could never have feelings for a girl like that, right? He calmed the feverish thoughts that ran through his brain and stood still, waiting for his kiss.
After a few minutes of silence and the gentle whistling of the wind in his pointed ears, Link heard a gentle pitter patter of naked feet running over rocks and giggles echoing far off in the distance. Link opened his eyes to see a void of only dark night stars in front of him and a young woman's playful shout, "Nice going, Hero!"
~*~
Nayru peered over her rock pool and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in dismay. Her long wavy dark blue strands of hair fell in front of her pail attractive face and wavered in the gentle night breeze. "Why do these young mortals play such games? It's so obvious that they harbor feelings for one another," the beautifully somber Goddess of Wisdom sighed.
Up above, a dark night sky camouflaged the Goddesses' Enchanted Realm in shadows and a blanket of studded flickering stars. The pregnant moon hung high up in the velvety expansion and cast a cool pallor over the rolling land and lush outstanding trees.
The shorter, curvaceous Goddess of Courage was sitting by her side, braiding together strands of long grass. Her straight shoulder length emerald hair fluttered about her shoulder blades and she looked up to her sister with large dark jade eyes. "Its not going well, eh Nay?" she asked forlornly.
"No, not at all," the azure-hued Goddess responded. "And I cannot figure out why. They both hide their love as if it is shameful, why won't they just admit their true intents?"
Din was walking around them, pretending to do this and that, and her high boots swirled the grass around them and flattened the individual blades. Her long scarlet ponytail swished against her back as she strided past, huffing as she went, "Because they are just simple Hylians, sister. They have no deep feelings, if they say that they loath each other then they evidently really do."
Nayru gazed up at the Goddess of Power with intense cerulean eyes and inquired with a raised slender eyebrow, "But I thought you weren't watching the mortals, Din?"
A crimson flush overcame the Goddess's cheeks and she crinkled up her pointed nose. "I am not! I only glance at it when I walk by. Honestly, why would I care about the boring lives of a few little weak life forms?" Din said with indignity in her voice.
Farore giggled slightly to herself and shook her head softly at her sister's antics. "That still leaves us with what we are going to do with the Princess and the Hero of Time," the young Goddess of Courage said and, finishing her braiding, lifted the grass strand up and let it be carried away by a placid breeze. The beautiful Farore watched as the emerald thread danced among the stars and over the treetops, into the black night abyss.
The Goddess of Wisdom tapped her chin with a tapered finger and gazed absentmindedly into the rock pool. "This will be harder then I thought... But we must think of something, it's not fair to let the unfortunate Princess bind herself to a loveless marriage. Give me time, I will come up with a plan," Nayru declared and let a long finger from her other hand reach out and stroke the surface of the small millpond with her tip, creating a tiny eruption of ripples to spiral out.
~*~
Closing Notes:
Here's the second Chapter, I hope it lived up to all your expectations! This is a bit longer then the first, though I hope to make the other ones even a bit more extensive. Please come back for my next installment and thanks so much for your time! Please review and have a good day!
