AN: Just so we're all clear on the last chapter, what I meant by "and
something clicked that had never clicked before" was that Zelda is now,
officially, whether she knows it or not, in love with Link. Meaning
upcoming chapters are going to be more fun. :P Now back to the story.
Zelda stepped slowly into the clearing. "Link. . . ?"
Link gasped and looked up. "Zelda! I-"
"It's okay, I-I'm sorry." She gazed into his eyes, and quite lost herself for a moment.
"Was there something you needed?" He said, breaking her out of the spell.
"Oh! I'm sorry. . . it's just that, the Deku Sprout wanted to talk to you."
"Okay. Thanks," Link said, and started off in the direction of the Meadow.
"Wait! I-wanted to talk to you myself, for a second. . . " She looked at him earnestly.
Link turned back around. "Yes?"
"I am so sorry about everything," she said. "If we hadn't gone after Odin, then-"
"It's not your fault, Zelda," he said, as if she were being completely silly.
Zelda said nothing for a moment. "No, I suppose not. . . but still. . ."
"Don't think of it," he said, trying to smile.
Zelda looked at him meaningfully, but said nothing. Link turned back around and kept on his way to the Deku Sprout.
"Link," it said in greeting when he approached it.
"Hello," the hero responded listlessly.
"You seem downtrodden."
Link sighed. "Is it that obvious?" he asked, but the sarcasm was half-hearted.
The Sprout paused for a moment. "Zelda seems to think it's all her fault."
"She can't blame herself," Link insisted.
"No, but she does," the Sprout replied, "and you can't both be so glum."
"I know. I know we have to go on. But. . . " he trailed off.
"You can be sad," the Sprout said. "But you can't stop trying. You're all we've got. You and Zelda are the only things that stand in the way of this happening everywhere in Hyrule."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He paused for a second. "Of course, you can rest here until you're ready to move on."
"Thank you," he said.
Link turned and trudged slowly away. "Keep your hope up, Link," the Deku Sprout called after him.
The hero wondered where he ought to be going. Where would Zelda have gone to? The object now was to find her. He made his way back to the clearing. She was sitting on the log that he had left before, waiting, it seemed. She looked up at him when he entered.
"What did the Sprout have to say?" she asked.
Link did not answer right away. "He said that we have to go on," he said finally. "He told me that we have keep going, because if we give up then there is no hope at all."
"He's right, of course," Zelda said, to herself as much as to Link.
"Yeah," Link said. "But not until tomorrow. I want to get some sleep first."
"Agreed," Zelda said with a yawn. "Let's go."
The night was entirely too peaceful. But, once they fell asleep, Link and Zelda did get a good night's rest, and they awoke in higher spirits than the previous evening. When the sun came up and it was light outside, Link brought Epona back to his house and the two began to groom her.
Link suddenly gasped. "Wait! Wait, what if they-" Eyes wide, he turned and ran off into the trees.
"Link! Wait! What?!" Zelda yelled, following him. Epona snorted after them, but began to graze peacefully.
In a regular kind of race, Zelda could have kept up with Link, but in the forest he knew the way and she didn't. It was all she could do to try to catch a glimpse of his distinct tunic every now and again, but soon they emerged out into the log tunnel network, where it was a little bit easier.
Link had turned into a log that came out not in another squared-off clearing, but into a maze. She was able to see him diving into the maze, but after that Zelda lost him. However, the maze turned out to be not terribly difficult to navigate, and soon, she found herself at the foot of a grand flight of stairs. Zelda ran up them, and across a long, narrow area of flat land to another flight of stairs, and emerged into what seemed to be a courtyard in the middle of the forest.
Link was standing in the middle of the courtyard, beaming up at a tall stone temple with a look of relief in his eyes. Outside the high walls of the structure, a staircase emerged into the center of the courtyard, but it was broken off after the second step or so. The courtyard lacked for other features, except a tree, a short stump, a Gossip Stone, and, of course, the seal of the temple carved into a stone hexagon in the center. "This is the Forest Temple, isn't it?" Zelda said to no one in particular.
"Yes it is," Link answered gleefully. "Gosh, if this place had been destroyed, I would have just-died!"
"Don't die, Link, the world needs you," Zelda said.
Link laughed. "Ok, I'll do my best." He pulled out his Longshot and fired at a branch that hung over the landing at the top of the crumbled staircase. An instant later he was on the landing, looking down. "Come up here! There's a nice view," he bade Zelda.
"How?" She asked.
"Oh!" Link tossed her the Longshot. "Now come on!"
Zelda laughed and fired the Longshot the same way that she had seen Link doing it, but still her shot was a little off somehow, and she was about to slip when suddenly-she felt his hands grab her own and pull her up. "Don't fall," he said breathlessly. Zelda smiled. She turned to look, and found that he had been right; it was a nice view!
All of the sudden, Link gasped. "What is it?" Zelda said, looking at him with concern.
"Look!" He said, pointing off towards the north. Zelda turned to look and gasped herself.
"Is that what you've been seeing?" He asked solemnly.
She nodded. "That's Zora's River, over there, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he said. "Let's go."
They leapt off of the landing and raced back to Link's house. He all but threw the saddle onto Epona's back, then jumped into it. Zelda mounted up behind him, and then they were off!
Once they reached the Field, Epona slowed to a walk. She couldn't go full gallop all the way to Zora's River, and anyway, the Zoras would be able to protect themselves better than the Kokiri had, better than any other place they'd been to had.
Zelda was suddenly finding riding this way to be a very different experience. All of the sudden, she liked to be close to Link. And it was for a reason that she couldn't fathom, but in the back of her mind and the bottom of heart, she already knew. She knew she was being completely ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. . . .She was all tied up anyway, and so was he, for that matter, and for her part, Zelda ought to forget it, but she couldn't, even though she was trying all the long way to Zora's River.
"Do you think this. . .thing. . .will ever strike the capital?" Link asked, shaking Zelda out of her thoughts.
"I hope not!" Zelda said. Then she remembered what had just happened. "Oh, I'm sorry. . ." she apologized, hanging her head.
"Don't think of it," Link said. "I hope it doesn't get to the castle either. If the court was destroyed, then Hyrule would lapse into civil war. . .we have to stop this thing," he said.
"And we will," Zelda answered. "Together." Link turned back to look at her with a touch of surprise, and she looked right back with resolve in her eyes. "Kokiri Forest was the first and the last."
He smiled in spite of himself. ". . .You mean it?" He asked slowly. "You'll be there?"
"The whole way," she answered.
Link pausesd. "Thanks," he said.
"Don't thank me. We've got to get to Zora's River."
"Oh!" Link realized, and directed Epona back into the right direction. Behind his back, Zelda was smiling broadly to herself.
Zelda stepped slowly into the clearing. "Link. . . ?"
Link gasped and looked up. "Zelda! I-"
"It's okay, I-I'm sorry." She gazed into his eyes, and quite lost herself for a moment.
"Was there something you needed?" He said, breaking her out of the spell.
"Oh! I'm sorry. . . it's just that, the Deku Sprout wanted to talk to you."
"Okay. Thanks," Link said, and started off in the direction of the Meadow.
"Wait! I-wanted to talk to you myself, for a second. . . " She looked at him earnestly.
Link turned back around. "Yes?"
"I am so sorry about everything," she said. "If we hadn't gone after Odin, then-"
"It's not your fault, Zelda," he said, as if she were being completely silly.
Zelda said nothing for a moment. "No, I suppose not. . . but still. . ."
"Don't think of it," he said, trying to smile.
Zelda looked at him meaningfully, but said nothing. Link turned back around and kept on his way to the Deku Sprout.
"Link," it said in greeting when he approached it.
"Hello," the hero responded listlessly.
"You seem downtrodden."
Link sighed. "Is it that obvious?" he asked, but the sarcasm was half-hearted.
The Sprout paused for a moment. "Zelda seems to think it's all her fault."
"She can't blame herself," Link insisted.
"No, but she does," the Sprout replied, "and you can't both be so glum."
"I know. I know we have to go on. But. . . " he trailed off.
"You can be sad," the Sprout said. "But you can't stop trying. You're all we've got. You and Zelda are the only things that stand in the way of this happening everywhere in Hyrule."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He paused for a second. "Of course, you can rest here until you're ready to move on."
"Thank you," he said.
Link turned and trudged slowly away. "Keep your hope up, Link," the Deku Sprout called after him.
The hero wondered where he ought to be going. Where would Zelda have gone to? The object now was to find her. He made his way back to the clearing. She was sitting on the log that he had left before, waiting, it seemed. She looked up at him when he entered.
"What did the Sprout have to say?" she asked.
Link did not answer right away. "He said that we have to go on," he said finally. "He told me that we have keep going, because if we give up then there is no hope at all."
"He's right, of course," Zelda said, to herself as much as to Link.
"Yeah," Link said. "But not until tomorrow. I want to get some sleep first."
"Agreed," Zelda said with a yawn. "Let's go."
The night was entirely too peaceful. But, once they fell asleep, Link and Zelda did get a good night's rest, and they awoke in higher spirits than the previous evening. When the sun came up and it was light outside, Link brought Epona back to his house and the two began to groom her.
Link suddenly gasped. "Wait! Wait, what if they-" Eyes wide, he turned and ran off into the trees.
"Link! Wait! What?!" Zelda yelled, following him. Epona snorted after them, but began to graze peacefully.
In a regular kind of race, Zelda could have kept up with Link, but in the forest he knew the way and she didn't. It was all she could do to try to catch a glimpse of his distinct tunic every now and again, but soon they emerged out into the log tunnel network, where it was a little bit easier.
Link had turned into a log that came out not in another squared-off clearing, but into a maze. She was able to see him diving into the maze, but after that Zelda lost him. However, the maze turned out to be not terribly difficult to navigate, and soon, she found herself at the foot of a grand flight of stairs. Zelda ran up them, and across a long, narrow area of flat land to another flight of stairs, and emerged into what seemed to be a courtyard in the middle of the forest.
Link was standing in the middle of the courtyard, beaming up at a tall stone temple with a look of relief in his eyes. Outside the high walls of the structure, a staircase emerged into the center of the courtyard, but it was broken off after the second step or so. The courtyard lacked for other features, except a tree, a short stump, a Gossip Stone, and, of course, the seal of the temple carved into a stone hexagon in the center. "This is the Forest Temple, isn't it?" Zelda said to no one in particular.
"Yes it is," Link answered gleefully. "Gosh, if this place had been destroyed, I would have just-died!"
"Don't die, Link, the world needs you," Zelda said.
Link laughed. "Ok, I'll do my best." He pulled out his Longshot and fired at a branch that hung over the landing at the top of the crumbled staircase. An instant later he was on the landing, looking down. "Come up here! There's a nice view," he bade Zelda.
"How?" She asked.
"Oh!" Link tossed her the Longshot. "Now come on!"
Zelda laughed and fired the Longshot the same way that she had seen Link doing it, but still her shot was a little off somehow, and she was about to slip when suddenly-she felt his hands grab her own and pull her up. "Don't fall," he said breathlessly. Zelda smiled. She turned to look, and found that he had been right; it was a nice view!
All of the sudden, Link gasped. "What is it?" Zelda said, looking at him with concern.
"Look!" He said, pointing off towards the north. Zelda turned to look and gasped herself.
"Is that what you've been seeing?" He asked solemnly.
She nodded. "That's Zora's River, over there, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he said. "Let's go."
They leapt off of the landing and raced back to Link's house. He all but threw the saddle onto Epona's back, then jumped into it. Zelda mounted up behind him, and then they were off!
Once they reached the Field, Epona slowed to a walk. She couldn't go full gallop all the way to Zora's River, and anyway, the Zoras would be able to protect themselves better than the Kokiri had, better than any other place they'd been to had.
Zelda was suddenly finding riding this way to be a very different experience. All of the sudden, she liked to be close to Link. And it was for a reason that she couldn't fathom, but in the back of her mind and the bottom of heart, she already knew. She knew she was being completely ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. . . .She was all tied up anyway, and so was he, for that matter, and for her part, Zelda ought to forget it, but she couldn't, even though she was trying all the long way to Zora's River.
"Do you think this. . .thing. . .will ever strike the capital?" Link asked, shaking Zelda out of her thoughts.
"I hope not!" Zelda said. Then she remembered what had just happened. "Oh, I'm sorry. . ." she apologized, hanging her head.
"Don't think of it," Link said. "I hope it doesn't get to the castle either. If the court was destroyed, then Hyrule would lapse into civil war. . .we have to stop this thing," he said.
"And we will," Zelda answered. "Together." Link turned back to look at her with a touch of surprise, and she looked right back with resolve in her eyes. "Kokiri Forest was the first and the last."
He smiled in spite of himself. ". . .You mean it?" He asked slowly. "You'll be there?"
"The whole way," she answered.
Link pausesd. "Thanks," he said.
"Don't thank me. We've got to get to Zora's River."
"Oh!" Link realized, and directed Epona back into the right direction. Behind his back, Zelda was smiling broadly to herself.