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. But since there is some heated passion (i.e. deep kissing and groping) I have decided to remove my "Good for the whole family" bit just encase anyone actually does read this story with their whole family!
It's Love; Now Or Never
By*Jasmine*
Part Three: The Shadows In The Wood
Link roused the small group in early dusk, just when the sun was still hidden by the enormous peaks of Death Mountain, and moved them on their way. They quickly cleared the rocky outcroppings and jagged crags early in the morning and soon came to a little stretch of grassland separating the Mountain from a thick fringing of forest. The earth under their horses's hoofs still retained the frozen night's chill and only now was beginning to thaw from the warm golden rays of the sun, that glittered against the drops of dew on each grass blade hung like a strand of glass beads. The quiet of the pre-afternoon hours was calming and peaceful and there was hardly any talking amongst the group, except for the soft snorting of their steeds now and again.
As the sun finally began to take its place in the vivid sapphire sky and the afternoon was ebbing over them, the heat returning to the field, the throng of men and the Princess came to the edge of a dark wood. As they entered and steered their way through the collection of tall trees, the shadows danced over the damp earth and dappled the entire forest in a shroud of darkness. The smell of moist moss and decaying vegetation stifled the air and made the wood seem strangely cramped and suffocating, as if it were slowly choking them.
Zelda, covered in her white hood, looked out at the gathering of trees with fascination and flecks of sunlight that broke through the emerald canopy above reflected in her pail eyes and made patterns against the milky white of her horse. "What is this place?" she asked quietly, careful not to raise her voice least she disturb the silence that hung heavy over the forest.
Link was up ahead on his auburn mare, leading the group and keeping a watchful eye on the path winding before them. He answered her without shifting his gaze, "Lost Man's Wood in Fawaee. We should reach the Castle by night fall."
The slender, wise young woman nodded and mumbled, "Goddesses, the names they give these places."
The horses where moving at a steady pace, the soldiers bringing up the rear of their small wandering group and Zelda positioned in the middle, when suddenly Epona halted her trotting. Her brown hoofs stamped the forest floor, kicking up a spray of leaves, and when Link lashed her lightly in the ribs with his heels, she neighed wildly and shook her head from side to side in a feverish way.
The Princess, riding behind Link on her own steed, asked apprehensively and irately, "What's wrong with your horse?"
The Hero ofTime patted Epona in a comforting manner and leaned over to meet her chestnut hued eyes, seeing a familiar panic in them. "She's sensing something and whatever it is, it's frightening her," he replied, knowing the mask of terror on Epona's face all too well from their previous adventures together.
Suddenly a figure, appearing like a lithe shadow, leaped down from a tree branch, making a clean somersault in mid-air before landing without so much as a noise, directly blocking Link's path. The black, elusive being held a curved rapier in his grasp and it gleamed in the spotted light, the only thing that stood out from his ethereal form. Without warning, a sound like a high-pitched war cry tore from the small figure and he held his sword high up in the air.
A dozen more of these shouting shadow creatures emerged from the surrounding undergrowth and held similar weapons, all shining with a yearning for blood. The horses all jolted with panic and bucked madly, trying to turn around in the tight confines of the narrow path and their screams of fear clouded the air.
Epona turned on her side and Link fought to control her as he slashed downwards with his sword at the vague beings that darted around him. They moved like shadows as well, weaving and bobbing and disappearing from sight as soon as they appeared. It was almost impossible to get a direct hit on any of them but Link did graze one here and there with his sword.
His soldiers, unfortunately, were faring much worse as they struggled to fight off the mysterious men and were being knocked off their steeds in the process. Some were bashed unconscious, others were crushed by their horses, and some... maybe even struck down dead.
The Princess's stallion was tormented by the darting shadows that moved around it, flashing their rapiers, and it reared up on its hind legs. Zelda screamed, her own voice blending in with the high-pitched screech of her horse, as the large white beast toppled over partially on its left side and the girl hit the earth hard, her small fragile body slamming against the ground and knocking the wind from her lungs.
Link heard Zelda's shriek above all the other battle grunts and whoops and franticly scanned the confusing melee for the young woman. After a moment he saw her lying upon the ground by her fallen steed, half-unconscious, and he started to move Epona towards the Princess, fighting off men as he went.
Zelda's eyelids fluttered open as the trees and speckled sunlight spun around in a dizzying confusion before her icy eyes. As she began to regain focus, the young woman raised herself up by her arms, wet leaves caught in her silky flaxen hair and moisture seeping into her warm cloak. The Princess realized where she was and tried to stand but felt a great pressure and numbing pain against her legs. She gazed down to see her horse was now crushing her from mid-thigh down; somewhere in the midst of battle the stallion had been punctured by a sword tip in the neck area and now its hot crimson blood poured forth, soaking into the bottom half of her cloak. She pushed against the beast with her fists in a vain attempt to raise it off her and moaned in pain, the bones in her legs feeling as if any moment they might break.
One of the shadowed men caught sight of the trapped Princess and approached her slowly and smugly, watching the way she futilely fought against the weight of her horse with a self-satisfied pleasure. He drew forth his rapier, letting the noise of it moving against its sheath ring out and startle Zelda. The young woman looked up and her eyes meet those of the dark figure, his sword drawn and pointed directly at her.
The Princess sat erect, her chin jutting out and her posture exuberating bravery and authority, although her pail azure eyes glimmered with a hidden dread, and the small man approached quietly. Sunrays flickered off his outstretched sword and he brought it closer to the ensnared girl's extended, swan-like neck. The tip of his rapier gently caressed her skin perversely and Zelda gulped back her urge to scream, knowing this creature with the dark brown eyes and featureless face fed off her fear. As the blade glittered down her neck and reached where her cloak was tied together, the being caught sight of a sparkling necklace lying against the young woman's breastbone. It was a golden, rose-shaped pendant and it shimmered in the shadow man's eyes, his greed rising.
Zelda's eyes went wide as the rapier flickered foreword quickly, cutting through the delicate golden strand of her necklace. She gasped softly, "No..." as she watched her rose locket rest upon the tip of the creature's sword and be pulled away from her. The shadow being took the necklace in his small hand and glanced at it snidely before turning back to Zelda. He then raised his sword up above his head, ready to hack into her and kill her instantly, and the Princess thought then that if this thing had a mouth it would be most certainly smiling at her demise.
Suddenly the flat side of a long sword knocked against the back of the man's head and his brown eyes rolled up into his skull. The shadow creature crumpled to the floor as his rapier fell harmlessly to the soft earth.
The young woman looked up in surprise to see Link towering over her on Epona, sunlight catching in his golden hair and making patterns over his handsome tan face. "Are you alright?" he inquired sincerely.
Zelda nodded and then said, pointing to her bottom half, "Yes but my legs are stuck."
Link quickly dismounted his mare, shadow figures and the soldiers still fighting around him,and bent his knees to grip the sides of the heavy stallion crushing the Princess. He grunted and the muscles in his upper arms flexed as he put all his strength into lifting the white beast. Finally the horse budged just enough for Zelda to squirm free and afterwards Link let the mare go, exhaling deeply.
"Can you stand?" the young man asked her.
The Princess answered, "Yes, I think so," and lifted herself off the ground forcefully, making her legs stay stable and straight. She then bent over the fallen body of the shadow man who had threatened her earlier and took back her rose pendant from his cold, relaxed grip.
Link jumped up onto Epona's back and then reached a hand out to the young woman, who quickly received it and mounted the auburn mare, sliding behind Link and wrapping her slender arms around his waist. The man did not hesitate and kicked Epona forcefully; sending her galloping foreword, her hoofs hitting like pulsing lightening against the worn path.
Zelda looked back as the shadow men finished off the last of her soldiers and then disappeared into the surrounding woods, shouting whoops of sickening triumph. Her long flaxen hair, with leaves still stuck in it, flew out behind her as Epona galloped swiftly over the earth and the trees passed by in a blur. Her heart sunk over the lose of all her men and she hugged her warm body reflexively closer to Link.
~*~
The golden sun was just setting, casting crimson and burnt orange rays over the treetops and speckling the forest floor with colorful patterns, when Epona became to tired to even trot anymore. Her breathing was ragged in her lungs and Link decided it was time to give his mare a rest so at the first clearing they came to in the woods he stopped her and dismounted, helping Zelda do the same.
The Princess, still wearing her cloak covered in splatters of matted dry blood, walked over to a log lying in the grassy knoll and sat down on it, resting her chin in the palms of her hands. After a long extended pause of grave silence, Zelda finally asked, "What do you think those things were back there?"
Link was already setting to untying the pack from behind his horse, trying to distract his mind from the recent events and the lives of men he had come to know. "I don't know. Whatever they were, they weren't Hylian, that's for sure," he responded.
The blonde haired woman looked at the one remaining knapsack left and heaved a sigh, "So basically all we have left now is a bag full of my shoe collection?"
The man shrugged and tried to make the best of the situation as he said, "Well look at it this way, even if you have to wear rags, at least you'll have on the most expensive shoes."
"True," she responded and then caught sight of a large gash just below Link's hairline. "O my, you're hurt! What happened?" Zelda gasped.
Link said indifferently, "Just a little cut. I think one of those things back there got me with a rapier blade."
The Princess's creamy cloak was parted to the sides to reveal she wore her torn light pink dress and she placed her hands on her slender hips. "Well you have to let me clean it out for you. Even a little cut can get gangrene," she said in a tone that meant she was not to be argued with, so Link put down the pack and strided over to sit beside her on the dry log.
Zelda took out a little satchel she always carried, admittedly because Impa insisted she did, filled with first aid things and herbs. The young Princess took out a disinfectant salve and put some into her fingers.
"Will this hurt?" Link asked, gazing down at her with apprehensive dark blue eyes.
A small smile played across Zelda's pink lips, as she said, "No, not at all. I can't believe a tough guy like you, who practically gets his head chopped off, would be so worried over a little soothing ointment."
Link replied matter-of-factly, "I didn't get my head practically chopped off, it's only a small scratch... And I'm not worried."
"Ya sure you aren't," the Princess giggled sarcastically but then, seeing how Link was really generally concerned, she added, "I promise this won't sting a bit. Now hold still." She placed the herbal salve on the wound gently with the tips of her fingers and it cooled the area, helping relieve the pain.
The young man smiled and said in an alleviated tone, "You were right. That feels good."
The blonde Princess nodded and responded conceitedly, "I know. When will you learn I am always right?" She put away the small glass jar of ointment and tied the leather satchel back under the folds of her cloak.
Link was looking at the young woman's neckline and he asked suddenly, "So why is that necklace so important to you?"
Zelda clutched at the rose-shaped pendant with her fist and said tightly, "Why do you care? I didn't know all my personal information suddenly became your business."
The young man looked angered and dejected as he sighed exasperatedly, "Fine, you don't have to jump down my throat. I only was curious, so arrest me."
The Princess looked away from his gaze and her hand loosened from around her necklace. "No, you're right, I'm sorry. It's just that whenever things about my mother come up I get all tense," she admitted.
Link asked, "So then your mother gave that to you?"
Zelda nodded her blonde head and responded sadly, tears in her throat, "Yes, just before she died... You wouldn't understand."
The Hero of Time gazed down at the log and a sheen covered his dark eyes. "I know more about that then I wish I did. Both my parents are gone too."
The woman looked to Link and for the first time felt the start of a bond between them. Their eyes meet in an exchange of sorrow before she finally questioned anxiously in an attempt to divert from the subject, "So what do we do now? Continue on even after what happened?"
Link met the young woman's sober pail blue eyes and answered, "Yes, I think so. When we reach Fawaee we can send someone out to recover the bodies of our lost men...That's the best thing we can do to honor them now."
Zelda replied, her beautiful, perfect complexion illuminated by the soft auburn rays that burned through the canopy, "You're right... I wish we could stay here forever though..."
The man's brow knitted together as he asked in confusion, "Don't you want to reach Fawaee Castle and met the Prince?"
The Princess cast her gaze downward and her voice was full of melancholy, "No, not really. This wasn't my idea at all."
"What do you mean?" Link asked, still confused and the expression on his face shown it.
Zelda sighedand met his stare again, her icy eyes shining with a quiet sorrow, "My father is forcing me to marry the Prince. To tell you the truth I don't even like this man."
It finally sunk in and the Hero of Time said sympathetically, "That's horrible... I had no idea or else I wouldn't have agreed to escort you to the Castle..."
The young woman forced out a small smile as she bit back a tear, "No that's OK. I'm royalty after all, I'm expected to marry." For a moment she just stared at him, letting her unshed tears glisten in her eyes like shards of glass, before she hastily stammered to break the somber mood, "Well I should go clean off this dress and cloak if it's the only outfit I will be wearing for quite some time."
Link nodded and responded, "Alright, I think I saw a spring back about half a mile, you can go there. I'll try to set up camp while you're away."
The Princess stood and dusted off pieces of moss that had stuck to her bloodstained cloak before sauntering off into the woods.
~*~
Zelda walked a distance from their encampment until she came to a small spring encircled by damp dark rocks. Heat rose from the smooth dark surface of the water pool in wisps of steam, shrouding the area in a veil of balmy mist. She came to the conclusion that this water looked much too warm to just wash clothes in and decided upon a dip first.
The Princess removed her shoes and let the soles of her naked feet slap against the cool, moist rocks; then she untied the twist of her cloak and let it fall to the ground. Last, the petite blonde slipped off her short pink dress and let it crumple into a pile by her ankles. All Zelda stood in now was her thin white shift that brushed against the tops of her creamy thighs and her long flaxen hair that tumbled down her back, sweat already lightly beading on her brow from the heat.
The young woman slowly edged her way down the step rocky inlaids and into the hot water until finally she was shoulder-high into the spring. Gentle bubbles rolled from the pool's soft floor and caressed Zelda's skin and lifted the hem of her under-dress garment slightly, making her moan softly. The warmth surrounded her like a blanket and she sucked in her breath and ducked below the surface.
Link emerged from the covering of trees and searched the hot spring for any signs of Zelda. Since the Princess was no were to be found, he thought she might have already finished washing her clothes and left. The young man was still grimy from sweat and blood and he decided a nice rinse in the water would sooth out his muscles so he began to remove his tunic, slipping it over his head.
Zelda bobbed back up to the surface, a small gasp for air escaping her lungs, and her long blonde hair clung to her head in wet strands. When she opened her icy pail blue eyes to see the Hero of Time half dressed as usual, she squeaked out in alarm, "Link! What are you doing here?"
The young man, now only clad in his hose, looked to Zelda with wide eyes and a flush spread over his chiseled face. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were still here," he managed to stammer out.
The Princess bite her lip and then her gaze moved down his body. This might not be so bad after all... The petite blonde said softly and bashfully, "Well now that you're here, you might as well join me. Its nothing I haven't seen already anyway..."
Link almost felt his jaw drop open and he had to stifle a gulp of anxiety. Was the Princess of Hyrule really inviting him to bathe with her? He did not say a word but merely nodded his head and slowly edged his way into the hot spring, the water lapping up over his hose-covered legs.
The young woman found pleasure in Link's discomfort and almost laughed at the way he cautiously entered the spring, his body tense and his deep blue eyes dilated like saucers. Zelda liked the position of power she now wielded and moved her body closer to his, purring almost teasingly and batting her eyelashes, "Link, your muscles look stiff! Let me rub them for you."
Link tensed and did not reply at all as he felt two warm tiny hands fall on his slick shoulders and gently stroke at his stressed muscles. It felt so good that he slowly relaxed and fell into her touch, as the hot steam rose all around them. After a minute however, he suddenly awoke from his ecstasy and jerked from her grip. "Wait! Zelda, this is wrong. I'm supposed to be delivering you to your future husband, we can't do this," he said, though his eyes shown a weakness for her that his words did not.
The beautiful woman rolled her eyes at him and sighed in exasperation, "O please, Link! If you'd deflate that massive ego of yours for one second you might see that I am only trying to be kind and give you a massage... Besides, if I was going to have a secret affair, I certainly wouldn't pick you to have it with!"
The Hero of Time looked embarrassed at his mistake but like a true man, he tried to cover it up by blaming Zelda. "Well excuse me, but in all fairness, it's hard to tell when you're attempting to be nice because you don't do it all that often!"
"Maybe if you weren't such an arrogant ignoramus half the time, I would be pleasant more often," Zelda spat back.
Link shouted in response,churning up hot water with his frustrated movements, "I'm the ignoramus? Who packed five suitcases full of just their wardrobe, huh?"
The young Princess growled just as loud, "Leave my clothes out of this, you twit! Why don't you just go back to Hyrule, I'm sure I can manage fine without your expert advice."
"Maybe I will! I certainly have better things to do then totting around a spoiled royal," Link retorted furiously.
As they had argued, their warm bodies gradually moved closer and closer together until now they were only inches away from each other. Zelda's long hair clung together in glistening spiraling strands, fringing her beautifully pail face, and her wintry eyes glimmered with a hot anger and a hidden passion. Tiny droplets of water caught onto her eyelashes and her pink, supple lips glistened with moisture as they pursed together. "Moron," she whispered harshly, her words spiraling out on a surge of hot air to caress his face.
Link looked back at her and his flaxen hair was plastered to his forehead with beads of perspiration and mist. His intense blue eyes focused on her and yet held no bitterness; instead there was a flicker of yearning, which her words only further excited. He said softly back, just as cruel sounding, "Brat."
Then the only sound that could be heard was the deep breathes in their swelling chests and the pulsing beat of their hearts. Now they were so close that their pointed noses practically touched, their eyes were locked together, and a powerful desire was exchanged between them. The hot steam that bellowed out in turrets from the spring seemed to be emitting from the two people as they gazed at one another.
Suddenly Link pressed foreword and brought his lips to hers, thrusting gently but deeply into her awaiting mouth. Hands and arms grasped out into the water and pulled at their bodies in yearning, clutching to slick flesh in a wanting embrace. The Princess let herself fall into the kiss and ran her hands through his damp hair, savoring the heat of his touch. As the mist closed in on the entwined pair, a soft moan escaped from the young woman's lips and she whispered in pleasure, "...Jerk..." Then Link's hands brushed against the rising hem of her soaked white slip and pulled her further into his grasp.
~*~
Closing Notes:
So this is Chapter 3. Sorry for the cheesy title but I couldn't think of anything else. ^_^;; I actually had more written for this part but it wouldn't all fit so I'm moving a section of it into the next chapter (Blame aol text!). Alright well I gotta go have fun because its a three day weekend. Hip hip horay!
