Chapter 8: Finally
As the days passed by, the tournament approached. No details about it were known, but the four friends looked forward to it. They hadn't heard anything about Princess Peach anymore. Zelda still hadn't told Link about her title and Link didn't take his dream serious. The two didn't share a single private moment anymore. So the feelings they held for each other remained firmly locked inside their thoughts and dreams. A few days before the tournament would begin, the friends and relatives of the contesters were allowed into Mushroom Kingdom. Zelda looked forward to that day. Impa had told her she would inform her friends about it, so they could come to the tournament. Impa would try to persuade Zelda's father to come, but the chances at that were slim. Fox also looked forward to see his wingmen again. He started to miss Falco's irritating comments. Donkey knew who would come. His little monkey pal Diddy had been excited last year and was certain to come this year. Funky would come. And Tiny would be there as well as Lanky and Dixy. He doubted if Cranky would show up, but he thought it would be cool. And Link? Well, Link had nothing to look forward to. When that day arrived, Zelda was up early. She had quickly dressed and washed herself and quickly ate breakfast. Donkey and Fox had left the inn and went to the gate of the town. They had told their friends in which town they would be staying. As Zelda was about to leave, Link came down the stairs. "Goodmorning, Link. I thought you were there already." Link shook his head. He didn't want to look sad in front of Zelda, so he decided to join her to the gate. "I've just got a little trouble with getting up early." he explained. The two left the inn and headed for the gate. When they reached the exit to the plains, Link heard a rumbling sound above his head. As he looked up to the sky, he saw a gigantic starship with five smaller craft entering the planet's atmosphere. Fox looked up as well. He had expected three craft, but there were five. "Bill! And that must be Cat!" The starship remained hovering in the air, but the five smaller ships landed one after the other on the green grass. When they all had landed and had stopped their engines, the cockpits opened. "Hi, Foxy," Cat said as she walked down the ladder. "Did you miss me?" She looked like a cat found on Earth. Just like Fox looked like a brown, smart animal. "Guys!" Fox said as he walked towards the planes. "We're just here to see you defeated." Falco noticed as he descended down the ladder of his ship. "Why do you always have to be so mean, Falco?" Slippy said, while he stepped on the ground. "That's just his character, Slip." was the solution Peppy gave. "Long time, no see, Fox," Bill said as he walked towards his friend. Between the chatting of the pilots, Zelda heard the clattering of hooves. She saw four horses approaching. She smiled as she recognized the riders. The horses stopped before her and the riders dismounted. All the riders were female. Three of them were about Zelda's age. They were a Zora, a Gerudo and a Hylian. One of them was an older Sheikah woman. With her on the horse sat a Kokiri girl. It was possible for Link to estimate the Kokiri's age, since they never grew up. He watched from a distance as Zelda warmly hugged them all and started to chat with them. Link couldn't hear what they were talking about. Suddenly, he saw a very strange scene. A mine cart came riding down the hill! There were no tracks and yet it rode. In it sat a wide variety of monkeys. "Learn to drive, Funky!" an old ape with a long beard said against a monkey with sunglasses who apparently drove the vehicle. He hit him on the head with a wooden cane. "Stop that, you crazy, old fool! You're going to get us all killed!" "Watch that tree, Funky!" a small monkey with a red T-shirt and a red baseball cap said. "Holy bananas!!" the driver yelled as the cart hit the tree. Donkey ran towards the accident. Link wanted to come to their aid as well, but it looked like nothing serious had happened. "You dumb, crazy, stupid idiot!" the old monkey yelled as he hammered the driver on his head with the crane. "Woa! Chill, gramps!" Funky said, as he tried to block the old monkey's attacks. "I'm not your gramps, Funky! In my days, there was at least some respect for the old. But the youth nowdays..." Link saw a total of eight monkeys. Two girls with ponytails, the old monkey, the driver, the monkey with the red T-shirt, an ape with large arms and a white shirt, a young lady-monkey with blonde hair and a big ape with a baseball cap. Link sat down in the grass as he looked around. He didn't expect anyone to come looking for him during the tournament. He had no relatives and no friends. Except for Fox, Donkey and Zelda. He never remained in one place long enough to make friends. There were always assassins after him to kill him for something he had done. Usually that was for foiling a certain gang's raid on a town or something like that. Friends weren't practical for him either. He didn't had time to mourn over the loss of a loved one by some vengeful action against him of a gang of tugs. He preferred friends who could defend themselves. He knew trying to get close to Zelda was against his common sense, but he wanted someone to share his life with. Someone to share his thoughts with. Someone to... love. The word sounded strange in his thoughts. "Who's that handsome guy over there?" the red haired Hylian friend of Zelda, Malon, asked. "That's Link. He's going to be my team-mate in the tournament." Zelda answered. "Some team-mate!" the Gerudo, Nabooru, said. "Do you like him?" the Zora, Ruto, asked the princess. Zelda just smiled and blushed a little. She saw no one had come for Link. "Excuse me, guys." she said as she walked to him. "Hi, Link." Link looked up from his thoughts. "Hello, Zelda." Zelda sat down next to Link. "When do your relatives come?" Link looked at the hills at the horizon. "They're not coming." Zelda looked at him in surprise. "Why not?" "Because I don't have them. Usually, my friends don't live long. My enemies take care of that. It is best if I don't make friends." "But... but that's not fair! A person needs friends in his life! And what about family?" Link looked at her for a second and then looked at the horizon again. "Don't have them either. My parents were killed by brigands." Zelda startled. "That's horrible, Link." "At least dad took a few of them out." "I can't believe you remain so calm under it. If I would lose my parents, I... never mind." "It happened when I was young. I got over it." Zelda put a hand on his shoulder. "Link, if the tournament is over, you can stay at my place if you want." Link smiled and looked at her. "That's really sweet, Zelda, but I don't want to be a bother." "No, no! You're not. My house is big enough. Trust me, it's really big." Link tilted his eyebrow. "I get the idea your parents are rich. You're very decent and you've got a big house with lots of money." Link suddenly remembered his dream. "By the way, I dreamed about you a few days ago. You were dressed like the Princess of Hyrule. And someone said he would come to the tournament to claim what is rightfully his." He didn't say anything about what Zelda and he did in his dream. Zelda was startled. "Me...? The Princess of Hyrule? That's..." She knew she couldn't lie to him anymore. Fox was right. She had to tell him. "Link, please don't be angry with me, but there's something I have to tell you." Link was a bit surprised by Zelda's sentence. "Which is?" Zelda hesitated for a moment. "I don't really live in a house and my parents don't really have a regular job." Link wanted to make a comment, but didn't. Zelda reached out her arm towards him. She closed her eyes. Suddenly, three golden triangles started to glow on the back of her hand. Link startled. The crest of the Royal Family! "By Din! You really are..." Zelda opened her eyes again and with that, the three triangles disappeared. "Yes, Link. I am the Princess of Hyrule." Link didn't know what to say. "Your Highness, I..." Zelda interrupted him. "No. Please, Link. Call me by my name. We're friends." "Okay, if that's what you want. But why didn't you tell me before?" "Because I hate all those formalities around my title. I just want to be a normal girl. And you hate princesses..." "No. That's not true. I don't like Peach. But I really like you, Zelda." Zelda turned around to him. "And I really like you, Link. I'm starting to know you a little better and now I am sure that you can get EVERY girl in Hyrule." Link's heart started to race. "Every girl?" "Every girl." Link turned his upper-body to face her. They moved their faces towards each other and this time, there were no interruptions. Their lips met and for the first time in his life, Link tasted a girl's lips. "Way to go, Link!" Fox murmered as he noticed the scene. "It's not polite to stare, Funky!" Cranky said as he hit the surf- monkey with the crane while he was watching the two Hylians. "Isn't that beautifull, Donkey?" Candy, the monkey-lady, said. Malon crossed her arms in front of her chest. "How does she do that?" When Link and Zelda broke off the kiss, they kept staring at each other. "I think we're being watched," Link murmered. "So?" Zelda replied. They kissed again. They finally had the thing that had been missing in both of their lives.
As the days passed by, the tournament approached. No details about it were known, but the four friends looked forward to it. They hadn't heard anything about Princess Peach anymore. Zelda still hadn't told Link about her title and Link didn't take his dream serious. The two didn't share a single private moment anymore. So the feelings they held for each other remained firmly locked inside their thoughts and dreams. A few days before the tournament would begin, the friends and relatives of the contesters were allowed into Mushroom Kingdom. Zelda looked forward to that day. Impa had told her she would inform her friends about it, so they could come to the tournament. Impa would try to persuade Zelda's father to come, but the chances at that were slim. Fox also looked forward to see his wingmen again. He started to miss Falco's irritating comments. Donkey knew who would come. His little monkey pal Diddy had been excited last year and was certain to come this year. Funky would come. And Tiny would be there as well as Lanky and Dixy. He doubted if Cranky would show up, but he thought it would be cool. And Link? Well, Link had nothing to look forward to. When that day arrived, Zelda was up early. She had quickly dressed and washed herself and quickly ate breakfast. Donkey and Fox had left the inn and went to the gate of the town. They had told their friends in which town they would be staying. As Zelda was about to leave, Link came down the stairs. "Goodmorning, Link. I thought you were there already." Link shook his head. He didn't want to look sad in front of Zelda, so he decided to join her to the gate. "I've just got a little trouble with getting up early." he explained. The two left the inn and headed for the gate. When they reached the exit to the plains, Link heard a rumbling sound above his head. As he looked up to the sky, he saw a gigantic starship with five smaller craft entering the planet's atmosphere. Fox looked up as well. He had expected three craft, but there were five. "Bill! And that must be Cat!" The starship remained hovering in the air, but the five smaller ships landed one after the other on the green grass. When they all had landed and had stopped their engines, the cockpits opened. "Hi, Foxy," Cat said as she walked down the ladder. "Did you miss me?" She looked like a cat found on Earth. Just like Fox looked like a brown, smart animal. "Guys!" Fox said as he walked towards the planes. "We're just here to see you defeated." Falco noticed as he descended down the ladder of his ship. "Why do you always have to be so mean, Falco?" Slippy said, while he stepped on the ground. "That's just his character, Slip." was the solution Peppy gave. "Long time, no see, Fox," Bill said as he walked towards his friend. Between the chatting of the pilots, Zelda heard the clattering of hooves. She saw four horses approaching. She smiled as she recognized the riders. The horses stopped before her and the riders dismounted. All the riders were female. Three of them were about Zelda's age. They were a Zora, a Gerudo and a Hylian. One of them was an older Sheikah woman. With her on the horse sat a Kokiri girl. It was possible for Link to estimate the Kokiri's age, since they never grew up. He watched from a distance as Zelda warmly hugged them all and started to chat with them. Link couldn't hear what they were talking about. Suddenly, he saw a very strange scene. A mine cart came riding down the hill! There were no tracks and yet it rode. In it sat a wide variety of monkeys. "Learn to drive, Funky!" an old ape with a long beard said against a monkey with sunglasses who apparently drove the vehicle. He hit him on the head with a wooden cane. "Stop that, you crazy, old fool! You're going to get us all killed!" "Watch that tree, Funky!" a small monkey with a red T-shirt and a red baseball cap said. "Holy bananas!!" the driver yelled as the cart hit the tree. Donkey ran towards the accident. Link wanted to come to their aid as well, but it looked like nothing serious had happened. "You dumb, crazy, stupid idiot!" the old monkey yelled as he hammered the driver on his head with the crane. "Woa! Chill, gramps!" Funky said, as he tried to block the old monkey's attacks. "I'm not your gramps, Funky! In my days, there was at least some respect for the old. But the youth nowdays..." Link saw a total of eight monkeys. Two girls with ponytails, the old monkey, the driver, the monkey with the red T-shirt, an ape with large arms and a white shirt, a young lady-monkey with blonde hair and a big ape with a baseball cap. Link sat down in the grass as he looked around. He didn't expect anyone to come looking for him during the tournament. He had no relatives and no friends. Except for Fox, Donkey and Zelda. He never remained in one place long enough to make friends. There were always assassins after him to kill him for something he had done. Usually that was for foiling a certain gang's raid on a town or something like that. Friends weren't practical for him either. He didn't had time to mourn over the loss of a loved one by some vengeful action against him of a gang of tugs. He preferred friends who could defend themselves. He knew trying to get close to Zelda was against his common sense, but he wanted someone to share his life with. Someone to share his thoughts with. Someone to... love. The word sounded strange in his thoughts. "Who's that handsome guy over there?" the red haired Hylian friend of Zelda, Malon, asked. "That's Link. He's going to be my team-mate in the tournament." Zelda answered. "Some team-mate!" the Gerudo, Nabooru, said. "Do you like him?" the Zora, Ruto, asked the princess. Zelda just smiled and blushed a little. She saw no one had come for Link. "Excuse me, guys." she said as she walked to him. "Hi, Link." Link looked up from his thoughts. "Hello, Zelda." Zelda sat down next to Link. "When do your relatives come?" Link looked at the hills at the horizon. "They're not coming." Zelda looked at him in surprise. "Why not?" "Because I don't have them. Usually, my friends don't live long. My enemies take care of that. It is best if I don't make friends." "But... but that's not fair! A person needs friends in his life! And what about family?" Link looked at her for a second and then looked at the horizon again. "Don't have them either. My parents were killed by brigands." Zelda startled. "That's horrible, Link." "At least dad took a few of them out." "I can't believe you remain so calm under it. If I would lose my parents, I... never mind." "It happened when I was young. I got over it." Zelda put a hand on his shoulder. "Link, if the tournament is over, you can stay at my place if you want." Link smiled and looked at her. "That's really sweet, Zelda, but I don't want to be a bother." "No, no! You're not. My house is big enough. Trust me, it's really big." Link tilted his eyebrow. "I get the idea your parents are rich. You're very decent and you've got a big house with lots of money." Link suddenly remembered his dream. "By the way, I dreamed about you a few days ago. You were dressed like the Princess of Hyrule. And someone said he would come to the tournament to claim what is rightfully his." He didn't say anything about what Zelda and he did in his dream. Zelda was startled. "Me...? The Princess of Hyrule? That's..." She knew she couldn't lie to him anymore. Fox was right. She had to tell him. "Link, please don't be angry with me, but there's something I have to tell you." Link was a bit surprised by Zelda's sentence. "Which is?" Zelda hesitated for a moment. "I don't really live in a house and my parents don't really have a regular job." Link wanted to make a comment, but didn't. Zelda reached out her arm towards him. She closed her eyes. Suddenly, three golden triangles started to glow on the back of her hand. Link startled. The crest of the Royal Family! "By Din! You really are..." Zelda opened her eyes again and with that, the three triangles disappeared. "Yes, Link. I am the Princess of Hyrule." Link didn't know what to say. "Your Highness, I..." Zelda interrupted him. "No. Please, Link. Call me by my name. We're friends." "Okay, if that's what you want. But why didn't you tell me before?" "Because I hate all those formalities around my title. I just want to be a normal girl. And you hate princesses..." "No. That's not true. I don't like Peach. But I really like you, Zelda." Zelda turned around to him. "And I really like you, Link. I'm starting to know you a little better and now I am sure that you can get EVERY girl in Hyrule." Link's heart started to race. "Every girl?" "Every girl." Link turned his upper-body to face her. They moved their faces towards each other and this time, there were no interruptions. Their lips met and for the first time in his life, Link tasted a girl's lips. "Way to go, Link!" Fox murmered as he noticed the scene. "It's not polite to stare, Funky!" Cranky said as he hit the surf- monkey with the crane while he was watching the two Hylians. "Isn't that beautifull, Donkey?" Candy, the monkey-lady, said. Malon crossed her arms in front of her chest. "How does she do that?" When Link and Zelda broke off the kiss, they kept staring at each other. "I think we're being watched," Link murmered. "So?" Zelda replied. They kissed again. They finally had the thing that had been missing in both of their lives.