A/N:
Ah, the long awaited chapter! Finally, something that actually pertains to the title of this fic. LOL After you read (and review haha) this, you should go read AND review my newest fic A Night with My Hero - a little tribute to Sheik (as Zelda). After I published it I noticed the title could be thought of as a bit…naughty… (LEMONY!). OOPS O_O LOLOLOLOL But then again, my head is always in the gutter.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahaha….O____________O
Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ. Blahblahblahblah…
The Carnival
The Carnival
Clocktown was a bustle in preparation for tonight: Midsummer's Eve. Flowers and petals abounded in town square while May poles were laboriously raised around its perimeter. No one complained, however – the excitement over the upcoming festivities lightened everyone's mood, to the point that only smiles and laughter were present. Women chattered together while preparing food; men worked outside under the warm sun. Children ran about, giggling and playing, pestering their parents and anyone else they could come into contact with.
The mood was infectious, as Zelda soon learned. Although her troubles over a certain man had produced unexpected encumbrances upon her heart, they were quickly pushed to the side and forgotten for a time. Zelda felt impatient for night to fall – and when it did, she felt her heart beating in anticipation.
Dressed in a simple white gown, her hair braided with pink, purple, and blue ribbons, Zelda practically skipped to the town square with Link. He wore a light blue tunic and white hose, as if to match her. His hair neatly combed and tied back from his face, Link looked quite handsome. He also seemed as excited as Zelda, although he attempted to feign indifference. She, however, saw through his façade and yanked on his arm as to walk more quickly, him grinning despite himself.
When the pair arrived they came upon hundreds of people massed together, merrily talking, dancing, playing games, so on and so forth. Fiddles and flutes played joyously in the background, the notes of the music flitting between pointed ears and lightening many a heart. Although it was only twilight, it seemed as if the carnival had been going on for hours – and there was still the entire night ahead.
Zelda peered around happily and eventually set her sights on the gaming booths. "Link, can we go over there first?" she asked, looking up at him while pointing at her already decided destination.
He laughed. "I don't think it matters what I say, Zelda. You're going to go anywhere you want, anyhow." Taking her arm, he added, "I'll try and win something for my lady fair, how about that?"
Zelda blushed slightly but simultaneously rolled her eyes. "And when you lose miserably I'll try not to laugh too loudly."
Link snorted in mock disgust, but still led his "lady fair" to the gaming booths. Arriving at the closest one, the only waited for a moment for their turn to come. The man operating it pointed to the sign overhead that read:
Sand Bag Game
5 Rupees – 1 Bag 10 Rupees – 3 bags
No Exchanges or Refunds
We Are Not Liable for Any Injury That May Occur
HAVE FUN!
"What'll you be having, missy?" the operator asked in a bored voice. "One bag, three bags, no bags…"
Zelda placed a blue rupee onto the counter. "Three, please."
"Three for me, too," Link replied. He tossed the man the rupee, which he caught with the same bored expression upon his face.
After biting both rupees and carefully placing them into a pouch hanging on his hip, the operator handed Zelda and Link three bags each. "The objective is to knock all of the jugs over. Good luck." He stepped back to give them room to throw.
Zelda eyed her target for a moment before throwing – unfortunately, the bag only skimmed the top of the pyramid of jugs.
Link burst into laughter. "You're terrible."
"Oh, I would like to see you try, you jerk." Zelda stuck her tongue out before watching Link's turn. Closing one eye as if that would aid him, Link tossed the bag – and completely missed it. The princess's ringing laughter was heard throughout the vicinity. "You have no right to comment, Link. You are the worst sand bag game player I've ever seen."
"Shut up," he muttered.
In the end, Zelda did actually topple the entire pyramid, winning herself a life-size stuffed Cucco. Link, unfortunately, could only topple one, and ended up receiving a "complimentary" prize, otherwise known as a pinky-sized Keaton toy. He stared at it a moment, looking rather disappointed. "That is the worst prize I've ever seen," he commented sourly, turning the toy upside down as if to inspect it.
Zelda patted his head in mock sympathy. "It's alright, Link. You don't have to be too embarrassed – I knew from the beginning that you would lose horribly." She laughed at his scowl.
"Gee, thanks so much. You're the best buddy a guy could have, Zelda," he retorted sarcastically.
Unexpectedly, she stood on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. "Does that make you feel better?" she asked sweetly.
When he didn't reply, she took that as a yes.
* * * *
As the night grew darker and the stars and moon showed their faces, Link found himself constantly looking at Zelda, watching her as she smiled and laughed and blushed. He had this keen yearning, for some reason, to take her into his arms, to smell the scent of her lovely hair, to hear her tinkling laughter in his ear. There was absolutely no logical reason why he was suddenly feeling this way – yet it seemed natural, as if he had felt it for a long time without consciously knowing it.
She was beautiful when happy – her cheeks were flushed with a touch of rose, her blue eyes sparkled, and her smile lifted his heart. Add the music and the general romantic feeling of the night, Link felt himself turning to literal mush in front of her.
Midsummer's Eve was sometimes called Lovers' Night – a night where pairs would confess their love, in more ways than one. Although in ancient times it had also been symbolized with fertility, people usually took on a more conservative approach of just kisses and hand-holding. The holiday was based upon the legend of the Goddess Nayru who could only be with her true love, Dionysus, on this night, where their relationship was finally consummated.
The ceremony of choosing the man and woman to represent the Goddess and Dionysus was not particularly formal, but it could only occur at midnight. After that, the two would dance around the center May pole once to eventually come together in symbolization of legend's consummation. Then everyone could dance where they wished, the festivities going on into the wee hours of the morning.
Hours passed, until it was time for the ceremony. Everyone waited eagerly for who would be chosen, because if one was selected, it was considered a great honor and a compliment to one's beauty.
Link stood next to Zelda in the crowd, holding her many winnings over the night. They both watched as the mayor climbed onto the platform, his voice ringing out across the crowd. "Tonight is the night that the Goddess Pair is chosen once again!" he cried. Cheers answered him; when everyone quieted, he continued. "Will anyone set forth a nomination for the Goddess?"
"I nominate Lily here!" a man cried out.
"Giselle!"
"Katrin!"
"Polly! She's the most beautiful!"
Link glanced at Zelda and smiled conspiratorially. With a shout, he cried, "I nominate Zelda!" He pointed down at her while she stared at him, her face turning a bright red.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
His answer was drowned in the hubbub as everyone glanced to see who this Zelda was. Whispers and shouts of "Hey, Lady, come with me tonight, ay?" abounded. Zelda was a tomato color by now.
When no more were nominated, the crowd chose by applause who they wanted as the Goddess. It seemed the girl named Giselle would win, but when the mayor shouted "Zelda!" the applause was deafening. It was quite obvious that she had won the esteemed crown.
With a mixture of a scowl and a smile Zelda went up onto the platform where a crown of wildflowers was placed upon her head. Link noticed that her eyes never left his – she seemed almost daunted by what she had been given.
"My Lady Goddess, now it is time to choose your love!" the mayor eventually yelled.
Zelda smiled broadly at this information, and instantly pointed at Link. "Him – Link," she called. "I choose you."
Link blushed furiously; he hadn't known that the "Goddess" chose her Dionysus. But with a grin he went upon the platform to stand with Zelda, and a crown of flowers was also placed upon his head. Looking upon the crowd, he felt his heart beginning to pound furiously. He was supposed to dance in front of all these people? Gulping, he glanced at Zelda for some type of reassurance.
She was simply smiling happily, obviously at ease with Link at her side, rather then being all alone or with a man she didn't know. "This'll be exciting," she commented softly, looking to Link.
"Uh-huh," he answered.
They were unaware how exciting it was to become.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the mayor cried, "I give you the Goddess and her Dionysus for this splendid Midsummer's Eve!" He grinned at the pair a moment before turning back to the crowd. "How about a kiss between the two?" he asked jauntily.
Link felt himself blush and blanch at the same time as he listened to the thunderous applause in response to the mayor's suggestion. Looking to Zelda for an answer, she simply shrugged. He thought maybe he saw her mouth "Sure," but that could have been a hallucination. Trying to make the best of the uncomfortable situation, Link took hold of Zelda, causing her to gasp, and dangled her over his knee a moment before kissing her deeply.
She didn't struggle – on the contrary, she kissed him just as furiously as he. The crowd's shouting and yells and cat calls seemed distant at that very moment, as if in another world. Her lips were so soft, just as soft as they were when he kissed her for payment a few days before – like rose petals. Finally forcing himself to return to reality, Link broke away, but continued to stare into her blue eyes.
Shock, amazement, embarrassment, and to his surprise, hunger, were mirrored in her eyes. Blinking a little, Zelda said nothing but stared at him. Link found himself breathing rapidly, as if winded from a long run. His heart was pounding, his face was flushed, and his emotions were a jumble; when they coalesced into one specific type, he knew what it was immediately: love.
It wasn't a particularly brilliant epiphany, like one that coincided with the parting of the clouds and the blasting of trumpets. It was simply…there. It had been there for so long – and he hadn't even seen it. This woman, he cared for her so deeply, and this holiday they had taken only reaffirmed how firmly attached she was to his soul and to his entire being. Although forcing himself to make certain that he not only responding to lust, Link saw clearly now how much in love he was with the Princess Zelda of Hyrule.
This went on while the crowd cheered and clapped and screamed uproariously. Thoughts such as these flitted in his mind as he and Zelda stepped down from the platform to dance around the center May pole. When they arrived, he stared at her a moment before they began, the crowd suddenly silent.
Taking hold of the ribbons hanging from the very top, the pair went around in a wide circle before coming together for a moment, then continuing on. After this people began to dance with them, the music catching fire in people's toes.
The night was long but was held with so much enjoyment that no one really noticed. When Link saw Zelda rubbing her eyes and yawning, he decided they should return to the inn for much needed rest.
The walk back was silent between the two; Link was in was in such deep thought that he hardly noticed Zelda's own silence. They arrived quickly, and were so exhausted that they didn't even say good-night.
Link's thoughts as he lay in bed were on how he would tell Zelda of his feelings.
Zelda lay in bed and felt her heart filled with both joy and pain. How deafening Link's silence was to her ears. Bruised emotionally, she fell asleep, clutching the Keaton toy Link had given her, hoping against hope that what she had seen in his eyes was true.
HOW WAS THAT??? HUH??? WEEEeeee….that was fluffy. But they didn't confess. Mwahahahahaha But I have some bad news…the next chapter…is…the…LAST CHAPTER! O_O I know, it's so sad! But stories must end, and hopefully you can guess what will happen next. ^^ Now it's time for some reviewing…hehehe
To the Huggable Reviewers (if you don't like hugs than you can have a handshake, k? lol):
Story Weaver1: Although this is a romance fic, you can't have TOO much fluff or it's nauseating. LOL Link'll be confessing very very very soon, I promise. ^^
nightwanderer: I'm glad you thought it was funny. I guess once you've read it a bizzilion times not to mention written it in the first place, it's not as funny, so I'm not a very good judge of that. Lol I also wrote Link as a doof b/c doofs have a special place in my heart (probably b/c I'm also one of them). ^^
par armsford: One of the best ever? That's a hefty compliment, but well-received nonetheless. Thanks so much for reviewing all of my work and for the manga recommendation! ^_^
babowonsuni: If I was around Link I don't know if I could control myself. LOL Zelda's doing a better job than I could! ^^
Smile*Be*Happy: You gotta get the 2nd FB manga! It's so cute. [hugs Yuki] But I gotta get the anime now! I don't know how much longer I can wait… lol
Keiko Matsumori: NOOO! ORLANDO IS MINE! [sigh] And only…9 days till Troy comes out! Hotness hotness hotness hotness… haha
Nagem: Thanks so much for the explanations. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to have to learn Japanese just to understand all the fics around here (esp. the anime ones). O_O And now you can DEFINITELY call me Lainie-sama. Lol ^_^
Midnight Starfire (who lost in asterisk…where did it go? Lol): Midnight Starfire, you're so nice to me, it makes me feel guilty. You always have such great things to say about my silly fics which makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. But you know what? I'm actually slightly envious of you b/c 1) you have an extraordinary vocabulary in which you use in your fics 2) you're creative plotwise (and of course other aspects too), 3) and you have strawberry blonde hair. (so unfair! O_O) LOL Thank you again for reviewing all of my fics and for being so supportive! ^____^
Phoenix 14: Thank you so much! I never would have thought this fic would be so popular; it's rather obscure, oui? Lol And I'd never write a lemon b/c well…I am only 15. Isn't that a good enough reason? (yeah, it is haha)
SoulessCalibur: I like stupid reviews. My reviews are always stupid! LOL Any review that doesn't involve flames is perfectly fine /w me. At least I know that you're reading this fic of mine! ^^
ayachan21: Thanks! ^_^
ZeldaChik63: Yeah, flute is the best instrument, hands down. ^^ Even if practicing the stupid thing is getting rather annoying…oh well. Thanks for the review, as always! ^_^
sawyerzelda: It wasn't long enough? If I write anymore my hands will fall off, and then there won't be anymore at all! LOL And yes, I have seen The Little Mermaid – I actually wanted to be a mermaid when I was really little. It didn't exactly work out, though. OH WELL! LOL! ^_~
anyone: Well, I'm glad I can make your day just by writing! ^^ Shows that I'm actually doing something somewhat constructive. (heh ^_^)
caitlin: Thank you very much! I'm so glad that everyone seems to be liking this story of mine. Good thing I published it – I wasn't sure if I was going to in the beginning. That would have been sad. Lol
Babydoll72489: Yeah, Link's a good kinda pervert, not an annoying "leave me the heck alone" kind of pervert. But he's so hot, who really cares? ^_^
PIRO the unforgiven one: Guys /w soft spots are good! We don't have enough of you guys in the world today. LOL Don't worry about being cheesy – I write romance non-stop. I'm the one who needs to take a break from the constant cheesiness. ^^
Robo-Chocobo: Yeah, this is definitely just one big ball of fluff. But fluff is good! Thanks so much for putting me on your fave author's list. I feel special. ^_^
Lost Soul 01: You know where I came up with that line that "she was too pretty to say things like that?" It would be nice to think it was from a really hot former bf, but alas, that is not the case. It came…from…my…MOTHER! LOL! She says that to me ALL THE TIME b/c I have a tendency to swear. A lot. (ok not THAT much…and it hasn't exactly stopped me since it isn't true..sigh…) I know, it kinda puts a damper on the romantic-ness. LOL And yes, I do get that warm and fuzzy feeling when reading romance. That's the ultimate test if it's good romance or not. ^^ And I wasn't thinking at the time that Malon had sworn at Link, but maybe it should be! Hahaha What a doof. ^_^
Hikari no Purinsesu: Thanks so much for the compliments! ^^ And I was wondering: does your pen name mean anything in Japanese? Just wondering… ^_^
superdave: I've never had zombies come into my reviews before, but I have had different sections of my mind argue /w…myself. O_O Yeah, I'm going insane. Maybe I should go outside once in a while…get some fresh air… NAW! Who needs a tan anyway? I DON'T! LOL
KazeShinai: Thanks! And there's going to be much fluff next chapter. I promise. ^^
TenTen Hyuga: Link is mentally challenged in the area of women. But aren't all guys? (d'oh!!) HAHA So mean, yet so very true… ^_~
LostReyn: OOH you get extra kudos for noticing little details like that! I liked to try and add little things like that, but it's kinda easier said than done. And I always update b/c I have no life! WEEEEEE! ^^
aslan-chic: Thank you so much! I blame reading tons of books on my vocabulary – and the fact that I like finding new words to use. Yeah, I really am that much of a nerd. And I'm also glad that you didn't mind the con. cri b/c I don't like giving it just b/c it makes me sound so...I don't know….like I know more than everyone else. Which is so far from the truth that it isn't even funny. And another funny thing is that I write all this romance and I have had absolutely NO romantic experiences. (Yes, it's true and very sad…) The irony of it all. LOL ^_^
boris or natasha: WEEE! Rocky and Bullwinkle! [cough] Thanks so much for the compliments! And stinketh IS in the Bible? Where? I must go look that up! LOL
linka: Ah, yes, the sexual (I wrote it again! Haha) tension is getting hotter! LOL It's fun to write. ^_^
linky poo: Thank you! I'd love it if your friends read this. More reviews! Haha ^^
Perfect Soldier 01: Ooh, I've given you an idea? Wow, that's surprising, coming from someone like me… haha Ah, yes, the infamous Millo. He's my best buddy. What silly bush-head. ^_^
Jewel: If you busted your butt that must mean that you can't sit anymore. Gee that would suck. (haha I'm so funny) Now I'm disillusioning people? I never meant to do that, but I guess that must mean it's good! LOL And yes, Link is hot. [sigh] Thanks for all of the great reviews! ^_^
Berlin'sBrownEyes: Thanks! ^^ When are you going to update your fic, though? How long has it been…almost a month! That must mean a new chappie is coming soon, right? WEEEEE! ^^
magnum326: Millo is so popular. He really does deserve a fan club. Maybe I should give him a fan listing. I could seem him now…pimping out while listening to Jay Z b/c he's so dang popular /w the lady bushes… [cough] Sorry, went off on a tangent there. Thanks for the review! ^_^
MegamanZero: OH NO NOT A LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE! Those are so cheesy they're painful. LOL I think this story is a bit dif. from those b/c none of the female(s) in this are EXTREMELY hormonal (and need to take Midol…) O_O And thank you again for putting me on your kick ass author list! ^^
Silver Eyes Bright: Thanks! ^_~
Keyo-Red Angel of Hope: Yey, I almost got a perfect 10/10 rating! Thanks, you're so nice! ^^
Cat of Darkness: You know, I was worried for a little bit that you wouldn't review again. That would have made me sad b/c I don't like it when people stop reviewing. O_O But alas, crisis has been diverted for now. ^^ Yeah, I guess Zelda could be more princess-y, but who says you have to be a wuss to be a princess? (LainieG304 can't stand wussy females – they make her very angry) LOL ^_^
didibrat: Aww, thanks! ^_^
