This is a romance set just as link returns to Hyrule after adventuring in Termina, and what he does (or more importantly who with) after that.
Email: (charleshillsw@hotmail.com) This is my first proper fanfic I reckon, I mean I have written stories before but never this long. In fact, this first chapter is longer than entire stories I have written before. Anyway, if you read this, please review. I won't beg but it's nice to know that work doesn't go un-noticed.
Disclaimer (what's the point): I don't own Zelda. I only own this story. You can be sure if The Legend of Zelda were mine then not only would I be rich but also romance would feature much more heavily. I looove Zelda.
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Link sent Epona off for the night, knowing that Malon would take good care of her. As soon as he had crossed over the drawbridge it started to climb, eventually slamming shut with a loud thud. He walked through the quiet town, restored to its former beauty after Zelda brought time back 7 years after Ganondorf's defeat. Everything was as it had been before he had departed for Termina. There were even dogs still roaming the streets, occasionally letting out loud howls. The dancing couple looked a little older but they were still twirling around to music only in their heads, each looking deep into the other's eyes. The Temple of Time and the mask shop were still there, as were the slingshot target range and the bombchu alley.
He made his way up the long trail winding towards the castle and got through the gate with no problems. He walked into the large entrance hall and past some butlers. They directed him towards Zelda's room on the third floor. He jogged up the long flights of stairs and knocked on Zelda's door. "Hello?" Link shouted, ear pressed against the wooden frame. "Zelda?" He asked, now slightly worried. When he heard no answer he flung open the door and looked around. Nothing. He walked towards the bed…
"Link!" Zelda screamed, throwing herself from her hiding place behind the door and landing square on Link's back, pushing him onto her bed. Link span round, shocked at first but he soon burst into a wide grin while fumbling to regain his balance. Zelda was sat astride his chest, beaming. They sat like that for a few moments longer before Zelda broke the silence.
"It's been seven years…" she whispered, her hand running along Link's face, a tear forming in her eye.
"Hey, don't cry," Link said, wiping the tear off her delicate skin with his thumb. "I'm back now, and I don't intend to leave again."
"Oh Link…" Zelda sighed, truly happy for the first time in 7 years. Link gently lifted her off his chest and lay her down beside him, staring out the window into the stars. Link turned his head to stare into Zelda's crystalline blue eyes, which were peering into his own. Again they lay silent, looking deep into each other's eyes. This time it was Link who broke the silence.
"Zelda?"
"Yes?" She said expectantly.
"I love you," he said with a grin.
"I love you too," she sighed, taking his hands into her own. They lied there for an hour with Link filling her in on what happened while he was in Termina.
"It's time for me to go to bed," he whispered, "I haven't had a good nights sleep in a while." Zelda looked hopefully at her own bed but Link completely missed the hint; he got up and walked out of the room and was shown to his chambers. He flopped down onto his own bed, exhausted, and didn't even have time to remove his tunic and boots.
Zelda lay awake for the next hour, running through that night over and over in her head. She was deliriously happy and her head was spinning. She went to sleep and dreamt of nothing but the man in the room next to her.
She wasn't the only person that was dreaming of the Kokiri-turned-Hylian that night.
Princess Ruto was twisting and turning in bed, her fins fluttering like mad. The thin sheets that the Zora race preferred had long ago slipped onto the rocky floor by her resting place. Before long she was making soft noises and with each noise she thrusted her hips. She had a large grin plastered on her face and she kept on gasping louder and louder. Her legs were twitching and her arms were running all over her body. She awoke and sat bolt upright, the grin not diminishing. She was sweating from head to toe, but it wasn't a nightmare she had been having… She tried to urge herself back into sleep and hopefully back into her dream.
Malon was sound asleep in Lon Lon Ranch, dreaming of her knight in shining armour. She was standing in a seemingly endless field, enemies bearing down on her. She had nowhere to run, so she collapsed onto the ground, crying and begging for salvation. Just as one of the fiends was about to strike her with his sword, a loud battle cry was heard. The foes looked up to see a knight carrying a great blade bearing down on them riding a magnificent horse. They all fled, leaving the knight and Malon. She looked up, fear and admiration in her eyes, and asked a simple question.
"Who are you?"
"I am…" the knight said, slowly pulling up his visor. The face of Link was beneath; blonde locks flopping over his face. He lifted her up onto the back of the horse and she drew her arms tight around him for support. She sighed contentedly and let the knight take her away.
Nabooru was laid in her grand bed, wearing next to nothing with only a silk sheet to protect her modesty. She was deep in nightmares of Ganondorf. The evil Gerudo king was laughing and walking slowly up to her, letting an energy ball charge in his hands.
"Now you shall pay!" He screamed, letting the crackling ball streak towards her. As she cowered into the corner, tears streaming down her dark cheeks, a figure threw herself in-front of her. He was dressed in green and was carrying what she knew to be the Master Sword. With a deft flick of the blade the energy was deflected back into the face of Ganondorf. He had no time to react and the ball decapitated him. Nabooru looked up into the deep eyes of her savior and threw herself at him, her hands running along his back. Link reacted by pulling her in close for a deep kiss, letting his hands fall to the ties at the back of her neck, which held her top up. Nabooru awoke a happy woman.
Saria wasn't so fortunate. She had holed herself up in the Forest Temple, not letting anyone come near her. Mido had attempted several times to talk to her but each time she ignored him until he left. She was trying to work through her life in her mind. She cursed the goddesses over and over again. She hated being a Kokiri; she hated it with all her heart. She hated it. She was an adult mind in a child's body. How messed up was that? She hated it. Hate. That was the single emotion going through her mind.
A voice was drumming at the back of her head. She screamed at Mido to go away, but the voice didn't. She turned round, ready to kill him. He wasn't there. The voice carried on. Saria now concentrated on this voice. It was Link.
"Saria? Saria, don't do this to yourself. I love you, but not as anything more than a friend. But a friend can lend as much support as a partner and I am there for you," the concerned voice said. Saria was cheered up slightly by this, and knew that what he said was the truth. If ever she needed him she could see him. Surely that was enough?
Link was sound asleep, dreaming of that meeting with Saria. Her sad face kept on flashing through his mind, over and over and over. He awoke, struggling to get that image out of his mind. He decided something had to be done, so he took out his Ocarina and played Saria's Song. After he told her his message, he slept soundly and had no more troubling dreams.
He awoke the next day to find Zelda sitting on the end of his bed, her hand resting on his foot. He pretended to be asleep and watched her through slitted eyes. She was talking quietly to him, not aware that he was listening to every word.
"You have saved my life more times than I can remember. When I am around you, I feel safe. I need to thank you in some way, but I am too scared. Perhaps now while you rest I can let it be done."
Link listened intently and had no idea what was to come next. Zelda leant down and lightly kissed his lips. Zelda's eyes snapped open when a pair of arms snaked their way around her neck, holding her there in what she had intended to be a short kiss but what was now growing to be much longer. When Link finally released her, she was bright red and had butterflies fluttering inside her chest. Link's very touch was enough to send her crazy.
"That's the best wake-up call I have ever had," Link said. Zelda let out a nervous laugh and excused herself from the room.
"I really should stop coming on to these girls like that…" he thought aloud, "They are probably getting the wrong ideas. I hope Zelda doesn't think that I love her as a partner; I just… love her as a friend. She is like my best friend and sister rolled into one. I can't say I don't find her attractive but it would just be incredibly weird for me to even think about having a relationship with her…"
He got himself out of bed and brushed down his tunic. He was incredibly hungry, so he wandered downstairs and found the castle cook. He asked for an omelette and potatoes, which the cook gladly accepted, honoured to have met the Hero of Time. Link ignored the star struck cook and went to the dining hall, waiting for his food to come. Zelda saw the lone figure sat in the hall, about to tuck into some good smelling food, and tiptoed up to him. She knelt down behind the chair and draped her arms round his shoulders, causing Link to choke on his food. Laughing, she kissed him as he turned around but was confused by his wide-eyed stare.
"Zelda, I'm eating. I need my food. Leave me be." He said, rather harshly. Zelda looked confused and made her quick way out from the hall, cursing herself. After Link had finished his rather delicious meal, he stood up and tried to find Zelda to apologise. She was in her chambers with her head stuffed in her pillow.
"Zel…Zelda? What's wrong?" he asked, some concern evident in his voice.
"I… thought you… loved me…" she said, in between sobs and sniffles.
"Hey, hey… of course I love you… oh… oh no…" Link said, realising that she wanted to make something more with this.
"Then come here. Now. I want you." Zelda demanded.
Link took two steps back. "Look, Zelda, I love you as a sister and best friend. While I think you are incredibly beautiful I just couldn't bring myself to make something more of it. I don't want to spoil our friendship…" By the look on her face, he already had.
Zelda couldn't believe what she had heard. From the way he had drawn her on… and he had the cheek to say this? She couldn't stand anymore.
"GET OUT OF MY CASTLE!" She screamed, making Link take a few more steps backwards towards the door.
"Zelda, please don't do this…" Link begged.
"OUT! NOW!"
Link could do nothing but comply. He turned and fled, sprinting out of the castle and drawing odd looks from everyone in the courtyard. He had royally (hah) screwed up and he knew this couldn't be solved as easily as Saria's troubles had been…
Where was he going to live now? He could head to the Gerudo valley and stay with Nabooru or he could go to the Zora's Domain to be with Ruto… Both of those were fully possible and he would love to see the Spirit and Water Sages again, but he felt now wasn't the time. He went to the only other possible place, Lon Lon Ranch. He relished the chance to stay there with a woman who he didn't consider just a friend or like a sister. And with Talon and Ingo away from the place, he would have her all to himself…
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And that's that. No, not the ending, silly, just another chappie. Hope you liked it. I'm glad Saria is happy again, but poor Zellie. And no, this isn't going to be just Link and Malon from now on. I think I need to up the rating thanks to those cheeky sages Nabooru and Ruto having wet dreams. Oh, I know I said I'd write two chapters today, but I was lying. Sue me.