Chapter 6: Memories
Link's body shivered from the cold, despite the amount of quilts and blankets under which he lay. He lay with his back to the door to Zelda's room. Zelda was gone for the moment, getting more quilts for him. He praised himself lucky to have ended up being taken care off by her caring hands. If he would have been out there in the fields, alone, he would not have survived it. Despite his illness, he felt great. The lonely feeling was gone, the hungry feeling was gone. He was with Zelda again! He couldn't think of that wonderful phrase enough, of that wonderful name. He heard the door opening and closing. She would come again! With all the strength that remained in his body, he turned around to lie on his back. To be able to see her again. To be able to take in more of her beauty and love she gave him. Zelda put two quilts on the bed, over the other ones. Link smiled at her. It was a hard smile. His poor condition didn't allow much movement. "You're so beautiful..." he murmered. "So beautiful..." Upon hearing that, Zelda smiled and looked at him. Zelda wore a casual outfit. A brown leather tunic and a pair of brown pants. The small, leather shoes weren't really of much protection would she travel. "Your bed?" Link asked with a soft, raspy voice. Zelda nodded. "Feels great." Link continued. "I've never felt anything softer in my life." he said, the words taking a great toll of him. Link was glad that he was able to talk to someone. Zelda was the only person in months to which he had spoken. But she was also the only one who would listen to him. Zelda slept next to her bed on the ground. If she would sleep in one of the guest rooms, her father would find out that there was something going on. If she would have to leave Link for some reason, she made sure Impa or Fox were around. Fox had gotten one of the guestrooms, since everyone believed he was a Lylatan prince. Fox played his roll perfectly. Sometimes he would just toy with nobles around, pretending to be extremely arrogant. He had been staying at Hyrule Castle for a few days, but he had no plans yet of returning home. He would at least see Link getting better, that was for sure. Zelda felt Link's forehead. His temperature had not changed and it worried the young princess. Link was sweating a lot and that was a good sign, but Zelda feared that he wasn't going to get better in some time.
Zelda's fear wasn't truly in place. Link recovered faster than she, or he for that matter, had anticipated. But Zelda wanted to keep Link in bed for a while. No need for rushing things. After a week or so, Link ate his first meal again. Actually, his first real meal in months. In that week, prince Marth had come to the castle and stayed there. He was a Human prince and that was pretty funny, since most Humans had continued to develop their civilization. Some Humans, however, remained to live in small kingdoms ruled by swords and... magic! Those Humans had continued to practice with magic, though the Hylians were still unequelled in ways of power and abilities with the strange power. Zelda hadn't really spoken to Marth. She wasn't really interested in him either. She had seen him a couple of times when he left the castle. He was pretty handsome, she had to agree on that, but for Zelda, Link was at least tenfold as handsome. She wondered where the black-haired young man used to go. Most princes didn't bother to mingle with the local population and there was a strange way Marth behaved. Zelda thought she knew why, but it seemed so strange. But then again, her relationship with Link wasn't common either. She figured Marth was... in love with a simple girl. The way he acted... It wasn't really Zelda's problem. But she thought of it as she watched Marth exit the courtyard as usually from her window. Perhaps she would ask him some day. For now, all that mattered was... She suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. "Is the view interesting?" Link asked, taking in her scent. "Link." Zelda said softly. "You startled me." she said as Link put his chin on her shoulder and looked at her. "How are you feeling?" Zelda asked. "Great. No headache, sickness or cold. And I owe it all to you." He kissed her neck. "You know how good this feels, Link? It's been so long since we've kissed." Link moved back a little, allowing her to turn around and wrap her arms around his neck. "Too long." she whispered against his lips. "Let's make up for that, shall we?" Link said with about the same whisper as his girlfriend. Both of them felt the same sensation they had experienced with their first kiss when their lips met. But this time, they went further. Zelda was surprised when Link begged entrance to her mouth by darting his tongue against her lips. How could she possibly refuse that? She opened her mouth and the next moment, she felt his tongue all around her mouth. She met his with her own and the two enjoyed their sensual moment of pure passion. There was just no other word for it. The two had been seperated long enough. Now it was indeed time to make up for it all. They both felt great and Zelda wished it would never stop. His soft lips and his dominant tongue. Link had never kissed her like this, but his instincts just guided him. Zelda's young body helped as well, moving closer to him as they deepened their innocent kiss. She liked it and therefore, so did he. When they parted, they kept staring at each other. "I love you, Link."
"I love you too, Zelda." were the only words they wanted and had to say. For their kiss had said a thousend words, if not more. They would have remained standing there for a long time, had the door not opened at that very moment. As a reaction, Zelda and Link just looked at the door. They didn't feel like letting each other go. Not then. Not ever. Much to their relief, it was the familiar shape of Fox stepping into the room. When he saw them, he immediatly stepped back again and closed the door, saying: "Sorry. I'll give you some privacy." The couple could not see the smile on Fox's face. They didn't pay attention to it either. They could only spare attention for each other. "Are you still as good as before?" Link asked, not letting go of Zelda. The young princess looked up at him in shock. What did he mean by that!? Link looked at her with a stupid face before getting it. "Good at fighting I mean." he said with an excusing look. How stupid had he been! He had to be careful with his words. Careful not to remind her of that horrible experience with Ganondorf. Zelda just stared past him. As if she looked straight through his heart. The terrible thing indeed returned to her. The feelings of pain and humiliation. Her trust abused. Would Link abuse her trust like that? Would he just use her for fun and pleasure? She pushed him away from her. She would not survive that. "Zelda, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Zelda abruptly looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. "Zelda, I would never do a thing like that. I swear!" Link said, noticing fear on her expression as well. Zelda kept staring at him. She was mentally confused because of Ganondorf. The wizard was gone, that was true. But the marks he had left inside her body and her mind were too great to be forgotten. She was terribly affraid that such a thing would happen again. So affraid that she even mistrusted Link. "Zelda..." Link said, caressing the princess' cheek. She shivered as soon as she felt it. "Link..." she muttered. She grabbed his hand and clutched it. "I'm sorry Ganondorf is dead..." Link said, surprising Zelda. "Or else I would have tortured him to death." Zelda hugged Link tightly, saying: "It was so horrible, Link."
"I know, Zelda. But he's gone." Link said, realising that Zelda still wasn't over the shock. He hadn't noticed it during the tournament, but Zelda had indeed sustained some mental damage because of Ganondorf. Link figured that as long as Zelda wasn't remembered of it, she was okay. But now she just lost it. "Now you're safe. Here with me. I would never hurt you. And you know that." Link said softly, trying to calm her down. "Yes..." Zelda said. "I am sorry."
"It's okay, babe." Link said. Zelda smiled at him again. Babe. Link usually called her that, she remembered. It brought back the great memories of the tournament. "Can you still fight?" Link asked, wanting to change the subject as soon as possible. "I've been practicing." Zelda said softly, proud. "That's my girl." Link said with a grin on his face, glad that his princess was over it.
"I'm sorry, princess. But you're not allowed out of the castle." the guard of the front gate of Hyrule Castle said. "I know, but prince Fox of Lylatan is leaving and I thought I'd give him a proper good-bye. What does he have to think about this all?" Zelda replied. She wore her official dress. Next to her stood Fox, dressed in some fancy outfit. It was a Hylian suit, so Zelda hoped the soldier hadn't studied Lylatan history. Behind the two stood two men, dressed in robes and carying big packages. Their faces were hidden by caps. "Yes. So far, this has all been disappointing to say the least. The food is awful and now I'm not even allowed to leave this damp place. That's not good for my fur. You better let us through, soldier. Or else my father will be furious. And I'm not leaving without a proper good- bye." Fox said, looking as arrogant as possible. "But, still..."
"What!? How dare you refuse me, Foxarian the Great, Prince of Lylatan? What is your name, soldier?"
"T... Trenan." the soldier said, impressed by Fox's loud voice. "Okay, Trenan. You either let us through or I'll have my father personally come to visit you, is that understood? He can be very pissed when he finds out you obstructed his dear son and death will be a relief in his eyes." The soldier swallowed. "Okay... You m... may pass. But don't tell anything to your father, your Highness." he said. "I shall be merciful this time, my good man." Fox said as the group of four people walked away from the castle. When they were in town and out of sight, one of the men who carried the packages started to chuckle. "Foxarian the Great, my ass!" he said laughing as he put down the package and pulled back the cap. It was Link. The other one removed his cap as well and it became clear that it wasn't a he but a she. It was Impa. "Hey, the fool took it!" Fox said laughing. Zelda smiled as she looked around. Her father had kept her inside the castle ever since the tournament. "Free..." she murmered. "Finally free!"
"Yes. Finally." Link whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "There's one little problem, lovebirds." Fox said. "Where are we supposed to live and how are we supposed to get money?" Link let go of Zelda and looked at his best friend. "We?"
"Yeah. I'll stick with you guys until things are a bit normal. I bet you could use some help." Fox said, barely changing facial expressions. Link nodded. "Perhaps we could make some sort of treehouse in the forest. The chances of discovery are small." Impa said. She had taken an oath long ago. An oath that would bind her to the Princess forever. She was bound to protect and serve the maiden forever, following her protegee everywhere she went. Much to her relief, she did that now. "Good idea, Impa." Link said. And about this money..." he continued. "I've got a feeling the four of us can tackle problems fairly well..."
Link's body shivered from the cold, despite the amount of quilts and blankets under which he lay. He lay with his back to the door to Zelda's room. Zelda was gone for the moment, getting more quilts for him. He praised himself lucky to have ended up being taken care off by her caring hands. If he would have been out there in the fields, alone, he would not have survived it. Despite his illness, he felt great. The lonely feeling was gone, the hungry feeling was gone. He was with Zelda again! He couldn't think of that wonderful phrase enough, of that wonderful name. He heard the door opening and closing. She would come again! With all the strength that remained in his body, he turned around to lie on his back. To be able to see her again. To be able to take in more of her beauty and love she gave him. Zelda put two quilts on the bed, over the other ones. Link smiled at her. It was a hard smile. His poor condition didn't allow much movement. "You're so beautiful..." he murmered. "So beautiful..." Upon hearing that, Zelda smiled and looked at him. Zelda wore a casual outfit. A brown leather tunic and a pair of brown pants. The small, leather shoes weren't really of much protection would she travel. "Your bed?" Link asked with a soft, raspy voice. Zelda nodded. "Feels great." Link continued. "I've never felt anything softer in my life." he said, the words taking a great toll of him. Link was glad that he was able to talk to someone. Zelda was the only person in months to which he had spoken. But she was also the only one who would listen to him. Zelda slept next to her bed on the ground. If she would sleep in one of the guest rooms, her father would find out that there was something going on. If she would have to leave Link for some reason, she made sure Impa or Fox were around. Fox had gotten one of the guestrooms, since everyone believed he was a Lylatan prince. Fox played his roll perfectly. Sometimes he would just toy with nobles around, pretending to be extremely arrogant. He had been staying at Hyrule Castle for a few days, but he had no plans yet of returning home. He would at least see Link getting better, that was for sure. Zelda felt Link's forehead. His temperature had not changed and it worried the young princess. Link was sweating a lot and that was a good sign, but Zelda feared that he wasn't going to get better in some time.
Zelda's fear wasn't truly in place. Link recovered faster than she, or he for that matter, had anticipated. But Zelda wanted to keep Link in bed for a while. No need for rushing things. After a week or so, Link ate his first meal again. Actually, his first real meal in months. In that week, prince Marth had come to the castle and stayed there. He was a Human prince and that was pretty funny, since most Humans had continued to develop their civilization. Some Humans, however, remained to live in small kingdoms ruled by swords and... magic! Those Humans had continued to practice with magic, though the Hylians were still unequelled in ways of power and abilities with the strange power. Zelda hadn't really spoken to Marth. She wasn't really interested in him either. She had seen him a couple of times when he left the castle. He was pretty handsome, she had to agree on that, but for Zelda, Link was at least tenfold as handsome. She wondered where the black-haired young man used to go. Most princes didn't bother to mingle with the local population and there was a strange way Marth behaved. Zelda thought she knew why, but it seemed so strange. But then again, her relationship with Link wasn't common either. She figured Marth was... in love with a simple girl. The way he acted... It wasn't really Zelda's problem. But she thought of it as she watched Marth exit the courtyard as usually from her window. Perhaps she would ask him some day. For now, all that mattered was... She suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. "Is the view interesting?" Link asked, taking in her scent. "Link." Zelda said softly. "You startled me." she said as Link put his chin on her shoulder and looked at her. "How are you feeling?" Zelda asked. "Great. No headache, sickness or cold. And I owe it all to you." He kissed her neck. "You know how good this feels, Link? It's been so long since we've kissed." Link moved back a little, allowing her to turn around and wrap her arms around his neck. "Too long." she whispered against his lips. "Let's make up for that, shall we?" Link said with about the same whisper as his girlfriend. Both of them felt the same sensation they had experienced with their first kiss when their lips met. But this time, they went further. Zelda was surprised when Link begged entrance to her mouth by darting his tongue against her lips. How could she possibly refuse that? She opened her mouth and the next moment, she felt his tongue all around her mouth. She met his with her own and the two enjoyed their sensual moment of pure passion. There was just no other word for it. The two had been seperated long enough. Now it was indeed time to make up for it all. They both felt great and Zelda wished it would never stop. His soft lips and his dominant tongue. Link had never kissed her like this, but his instincts just guided him. Zelda's young body helped as well, moving closer to him as they deepened their innocent kiss. She liked it and therefore, so did he. When they parted, they kept staring at each other. "I love you, Link."
"I love you too, Zelda." were the only words they wanted and had to say. For their kiss had said a thousend words, if not more. They would have remained standing there for a long time, had the door not opened at that very moment. As a reaction, Zelda and Link just looked at the door. They didn't feel like letting each other go. Not then. Not ever. Much to their relief, it was the familiar shape of Fox stepping into the room. When he saw them, he immediatly stepped back again and closed the door, saying: "Sorry. I'll give you some privacy." The couple could not see the smile on Fox's face. They didn't pay attention to it either. They could only spare attention for each other. "Are you still as good as before?" Link asked, not letting go of Zelda. The young princess looked up at him in shock. What did he mean by that!? Link looked at her with a stupid face before getting it. "Good at fighting I mean." he said with an excusing look. How stupid had he been! He had to be careful with his words. Careful not to remind her of that horrible experience with Ganondorf. Zelda just stared past him. As if she looked straight through his heart. The terrible thing indeed returned to her. The feelings of pain and humiliation. Her trust abused. Would Link abuse her trust like that? Would he just use her for fun and pleasure? She pushed him away from her. She would not survive that. "Zelda, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Zelda abruptly looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. "Zelda, I would never do a thing like that. I swear!" Link said, noticing fear on her expression as well. Zelda kept staring at him. She was mentally confused because of Ganondorf. The wizard was gone, that was true. But the marks he had left inside her body and her mind were too great to be forgotten. She was terribly affraid that such a thing would happen again. So affraid that she even mistrusted Link. "Zelda..." Link said, caressing the princess' cheek. She shivered as soon as she felt it. "Link..." she muttered. She grabbed his hand and clutched it. "I'm sorry Ganondorf is dead..." Link said, surprising Zelda. "Or else I would have tortured him to death." Zelda hugged Link tightly, saying: "It was so horrible, Link."
"I know, Zelda. But he's gone." Link said, realising that Zelda still wasn't over the shock. He hadn't noticed it during the tournament, but Zelda had indeed sustained some mental damage because of Ganondorf. Link figured that as long as Zelda wasn't remembered of it, she was okay. But now she just lost it. "Now you're safe. Here with me. I would never hurt you. And you know that." Link said softly, trying to calm her down. "Yes..." Zelda said. "I am sorry."
"It's okay, babe." Link said. Zelda smiled at him again. Babe. Link usually called her that, she remembered. It brought back the great memories of the tournament. "Can you still fight?" Link asked, wanting to change the subject as soon as possible. "I've been practicing." Zelda said softly, proud. "That's my girl." Link said with a grin on his face, glad that his princess was over it.
"I'm sorry, princess. But you're not allowed out of the castle." the guard of the front gate of Hyrule Castle said. "I know, but prince Fox of Lylatan is leaving and I thought I'd give him a proper good-bye. What does he have to think about this all?" Zelda replied. She wore her official dress. Next to her stood Fox, dressed in some fancy outfit. It was a Hylian suit, so Zelda hoped the soldier hadn't studied Lylatan history. Behind the two stood two men, dressed in robes and carying big packages. Their faces were hidden by caps. "Yes. So far, this has all been disappointing to say the least. The food is awful and now I'm not even allowed to leave this damp place. That's not good for my fur. You better let us through, soldier. Or else my father will be furious. And I'm not leaving without a proper good- bye." Fox said, looking as arrogant as possible. "But, still..."
"What!? How dare you refuse me, Foxarian the Great, Prince of Lylatan? What is your name, soldier?"
"T... Trenan." the soldier said, impressed by Fox's loud voice. "Okay, Trenan. You either let us through or I'll have my father personally come to visit you, is that understood? He can be very pissed when he finds out you obstructed his dear son and death will be a relief in his eyes." The soldier swallowed. "Okay... You m... may pass. But don't tell anything to your father, your Highness." he said. "I shall be merciful this time, my good man." Fox said as the group of four people walked away from the castle. When they were in town and out of sight, one of the men who carried the packages started to chuckle. "Foxarian the Great, my ass!" he said laughing as he put down the package and pulled back the cap. It was Link. The other one removed his cap as well and it became clear that it wasn't a he but a she. It was Impa. "Hey, the fool took it!" Fox said laughing. Zelda smiled as she looked around. Her father had kept her inside the castle ever since the tournament. "Free..." she murmered. "Finally free!"
"Yes. Finally." Link whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "There's one little problem, lovebirds." Fox said. "Where are we supposed to live and how are we supposed to get money?" Link let go of Zelda and looked at his best friend. "We?"
"Yeah. I'll stick with you guys until things are a bit normal. I bet you could use some help." Fox said, barely changing facial expressions. Link nodded. "Perhaps we could make some sort of treehouse in the forest. The chances of discovery are small." Impa said. She had taken an oath long ago. An oath that would bind her to the Princess forever. She was bound to protect and serve the maiden forever, following her protegee everywhere she went. Much to her relief, she did that now. "Good idea, Impa." Link said. And about this money..." he continued. "I've got a feeling the four of us can tackle problems fairly well..."