Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda, blah blah blah, can I go now?
Chapter 14: Dinner
Slowly, everyone began to make his or her way to the dining table. It was a very long table and the dishes were already placed. Heaps of roast chickens and hams and mountains of roast potatoes lined the table, some of the few mouth watering dishes. Rosemarie basically gaped at the long line of food. Zelda seemed a bit more patient, straightening her hair. The King and Queen took their places somewhere in the middle of the table, with huge chairs. On the queen's side sat Zelda and on the King's side sat Link. Rosemarie sat directly opposite them. Aryll and Marth sat next to her. When everyone finally sat down, the king stood up.
"Now, before we start our feast," he began. "Let us take the time to thank the Goddesses for their kindness in letting us have such a feast; for creating us and all the animals and plants that went into making such this feast. And for the happiness they have bestowed upon us, and the good fortune as we may find such loyal friends as we have now. To them, we offer gratitude and praise, Nayru, Din, and Farore!" Everyone murmured in response. "And with that all said and done........." The King held up his goblet. "A toast to our newest friends and their son Prince Marth, to whose honor we have our ball tonight!"
"To Marth!" Everyone held up their glasses, Link barely keeping his an inch over the table. He scowled. Marth grinned at him.
"I feel so embarrassed," he said into Aryll's ear. Link got suspicious. He wondered what Marth had said. /He better not have said........................never mind./
"Let the feast, begin!!!" Everyone cheered as they began to serve themselves. Rosemarie took a large portion of the chicken and began eating. Link and Zelda were both strict vegetarians; they only took some of the vegetable casserole and potatoes.
"So, how is it?" Link asked, looking at the two girls. He kinda had to bend over to see Zelda.
"It's good," Zelda said, pushing another forkful into her mouth.
"Vevy....vevy good! Thi i dewicioiu!" Rosemarie sputtered.
"Pardon?" Link asked. Rosemarie swallowed.
"Very delicious!" Rosemarie took another bite. Link smiled.
"I must say," Marth whispered, trying to make it heard only for Link's ears, "my kingdom has much more tender chickens than this. Plus, the potatoes are softer and melt in your mouth." Link scowled, trying to keep his head focused on his dinner.
"I didn't hear him," Link muttered to himself. "He said nothing, absolutely nothing." Meanwhile, the other royals were having their own conversations.
"My dear," the Queen said, turning to Zelda. "Your gown is simply gorgeous. It outshines some of the apparel in my wardrobe."
"Thank you, your Highness."
"Where are your parents?"
"They're busy. I came here alone."
"So, Link says that he hangs around you a lot. I must say he's taken quite an interest in you. I can't blame him, I haven't seen such angels like you in a very long time. But, I must ask you something. I have had this quarrel with my husband and though I won, I want to make sure it's defended. Which do you think is better? The sword, or the shield?" Zelda blinked.
"I personally favor the shield, your Highness. I am more of the reserved type, and the shield matches me. I fear the blade."
"I thought so. But my stubborn husband still thinks the sword is better. Right dear?" She turned to her husband right when he delivered the punch line of his joke.
"And the fish said, 'with friends like these, who need anemones!' Get it? Enemies?" Rosemarie giggled. The Queen tapped her fork on her plate.
"Excuse me dear. But Zelda over here says that shield is definitely better than the sword." The King sighed.
"Here you go again. How many times do I have to say this. SWORD IS THE BEST! Don't you agree, Rosemarie."
"Yes definitely, your Majesty. It's sharp blade and lightweight makes it the best for fighting." The King looked smugly back at his wife, who scowled.
"Well, Dad, I kinda like the shield too," Aryll said.
"What did you say?" Link asked, taking his attention away from Marth.
"Which do you think is better, shield or sword?" Rosemarie asked.
"HEY! I started that question!" Link said. Everyone ignored him.
"Personally, I favor the sword!" Marth said. "No prince is without his sword!"
"I have to disagree," Link said, laying down his fork. "Recent events have led me to like the shield."
"Well, sword should be a prince's favorite!" Rosemarie turned to the other side, where the girl she had bumped into earlier was sitting.
"Excuse me, which do you prefer, the sword or the shield........................." Soon, the whole table was caught up in the discussion. Husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, girlfriends and boyfriends..................................all arguing different sides. Even Aryll and Marth were fighting over which one was better. Rosemarie was trying to persuade Zelda into agreeing with her and the Queen, while the King argued soundly why the sword was better. Link buried his face in his hands. This was going to take forever.
"Let's have a vote!" the king declared. Link moaned. "Who votes for the sword." His hand went up, matched by all the men - except the prince - and a few women, Rosemarie among them. Marth counted the hands. "Now........................the shield." The king made it sound preposterous to like it, but most of the women, the Queen, Aryll, and Link, raised their hands. Marth made another count.
"So, who won?" Aryll asked anxiously. Marth sighed.
"Tie."
"TIE!!??" Everyone started to moan and grumble.
"We should just have a debate!" Everyone looked around.
"You know," the king said. "Let's just drop this and start eating." He looked around, and everyone sighed and followed his idea. Just then, the door opened and Wildflower walked in.
"I didn't even notice you were missing!" Rosemarie cried. Wildflower walked up to her.
"Some big sister you are! You probably didn't even notice that mom had to go! She said she would come back later. She had an emergency."
"WHAT?" Rosemarie slumped back in her chair.
"This is perfect!" the king boomed. "We have one more person! We can decide which one's better!"
"So much for 'let's just drop this and start eating'!" The queen mumbled.
"So, my dear," the king said, motioning to Wildflower. "Which do you think is better? The sword or the shield."
"UM........................" Wildflower put a hand to her chin and pretended to think heavily. "I would say...........................the shield. Cause you can decorate a shield and make it all pretty, but you can't really do that to a sword!" The next second, it seemed half the room exploded as the "shield" people cheered. Rosemarie grumbled and sat back in her chair, arms crossed. Link jumped in the air and hugged Zelda. After the little celebration was over, everyone sat back in his or her seat. The king scowled at his over enjoyed wife. Link tried to say something to Rosemarie, but her death glare forced his mouth shut.
"So, now we may eat," the queen said. All the "shield" people started eating immediately, but the others hesitated.
"Don't worry, your Highness," Rosemarie said the to the king. "I'm still on your side." The king beamed. Rosemarie shot a content look back at Link, who tried to resist the urge to retaliate.
"This is an outrage!" Marth cried. "The sword is..............."
"Calm down!" Aryll said, patting him on the shoulder. "It is OKAY. Take a deep breath. You aren't going to freak out over some little argument."
"Easy for you to say," Marth retorted. Link shook his head. If he was lucky, they might just break the engagement. That would be the coolest thing that could happen. If only it could.
"I guess your right," Rosemarie said, guiltily pushing her fork around the plate. "I shouldn't get so worked up about it."
"Where can I sit??" Wildflower wailed, tugging Rosemarie's arm. She dropped the fork and it rolled under the table.
"Thanks a lot!" she grumbled. She ducked under the table and looked around for the fork. She found it near the leg of Link's chair.
"Where did Rosemarie go?" Link asked. Rosemarie grabbed the fork and tried to get up.
"Here!" She forgot the table was above her. She bumped it, forcing all the contents above her to tip over. One of the them was the goblet Link was about to grab. It tipped over, pouring grape juice over Link's new coat. Rosemarie peaked nervously over the table, straightening up.
"SORRY! I really didn't mean to!" Wildflower stifled a giggle.
"It's okay, I can change." Link hurried out of the room. He raced up and ducked into his room. He was kind of thankful the coat got spoiled. It was starting to get on his nerves. After pulling it off, he looked at himself in the mirror.
"UGH! This shirt is so tacky! I'm taking it off!" He took the wool shirt off. Underneath, the silk one was plastered to him with sweat. "Yep, too warm for me!" he took that off too, leaving him bare-chested.
"Mom would freak if I went down like this." He rummaged through his closet. "Shirt.................................shirt...............................................shirt!" He got out of closet and headed to his dresser. Just then, the door opened and Zelda entered the room.
.........
The feast was still going on without Link, who had just left. Suddenly, the queen turned to Zelda.
"Hurry and tell him I want him to wear his red coat. He'll understand." Zelda nodded and followed Link. Halfway in the middle, she had to ask directions from a guard who had trouble speaking loud enough for her to hear. After a two minute delay, she sped off to Link's room.
"This better be it!" She raised her hand to knock on the door. She stopped when she heard a muffled voice from within.
"Mom would freak if I went down like this. Shirt.................................shirt ...............................................shirt!"
"Well, that's his room alright!" Zelda wondered what his mom would freak out about. Forgetting to knock, she opened the door. She saw Link walking across the room. He stopped and stared at her. Zelda found it hard not to gasp when she saw he was bare-chested.
"Sorry," she stuttered, though trying not to make it obvious. "Your.........mother told me to tell you to wear.........the red coat."
"Awwwwwwwwww............" Link moaned.
"What? You want to come like that?" Link flushed. "Don't worry, I think it makes you look.....................well..................hot, I guess you can say." Link grinned.
"If you think so." He pretended to walk out of the room. Zelda giggled and pushed him back inside, but he pulled onto her. She crashed right into him and he toppled to the floor.
"The others might not," Zelda said. She leaned down to kiss his lips. He grasped her hair and returned the kiss, his tongue pushing at her lips and she let him in. He rolled over so he was on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"LINK!" They broke apart immediately. "What's taking you so long?" It was Rosemarie.
"Get off!" Link quickly got up and helped Zelda. "OH GODDESSES! WEAR SOMETHING!" Link rummaged through the closet and found his red coat. Forcing himself into it, Zelda hastily tried to fasten the buttons.
"The queen was starting to have a fit," Rosemarie said as she walked in. "What takes you so long?"
"Buttoning!" Zelda said, straightening her hair at the same time. Rosemarie sighed.
"Well, stop trying to button the same button three times and come down. And why are you blushing?" Rosemarie shook her head and disappeared. Zelda sighed with relief.
"THAT was close!"
Chapter 14: Dinner
Slowly, everyone began to make his or her way to the dining table. It was a very long table and the dishes were already placed. Heaps of roast chickens and hams and mountains of roast potatoes lined the table, some of the few mouth watering dishes. Rosemarie basically gaped at the long line of food. Zelda seemed a bit more patient, straightening her hair. The King and Queen took their places somewhere in the middle of the table, with huge chairs. On the queen's side sat Zelda and on the King's side sat Link. Rosemarie sat directly opposite them. Aryll and Marth sat next to her. When everyone finally sat down, the king stood up.
"Now, before we start our feast," he began. "Let us take the time to thank the Goddesses for their kindness in letting us have such a feast; for creating us and all the animals and plants that went into making such this feast. And for the happiness they have bestowed upon us, and the good fortune as we may find such loyal friends as we have now. To them, we offer gratitude and praise, Nayru, Din, and Farore!" Everyone murmured in response. "And with that all said and done........." The King held up his goblet. "A toast to our newest friends and their son Prince Marth, to whose honor we have our ball tonight!"
"To Marth!" Everyone held up their glasses, Link barely keeping his an inch over the table. He scowled. Marth grinned at him.
"I feel so embarrassed," he said into Aryll's ear. Link got suspicious. He wondered what Marth had said. /He better not have said........................never mind./
"Let the feast, begin!!!" Everyone cheered as they began to serve themselves. Rosemarie took a large portion of the chicken and began eating. Link and Zelda were both strict vegetarians; they only took some of the vegetable casserole and potatoes.
"So, how is it?" Link asked, looking at the two girls. He kinda had to bend over to see Zelda.
"It's good," Zelda said, pushing another forkful into her mouth.
"Vevy....vevy good! Thi i dewicioiu!" Rosemarie sputtered.
"Pardon?" Link asked. Rosemarie swallowed.
"Very delicious!" Rosemarie took another bite. Link smiled.
"I must say," Marth whispered, trying to make it heard only for Link's ears, "my kingdom has much more tender chickens than this. Plus, the potatoes are softer and melt in your mouth." Link scowled, trying to keep his head focused on his dinner.
"I didn't hear him," Link muttered to himself. "He said nothing, absolutely nothing." Meanwhile, the other royals were having their own conversations.
"My dear," the Queen said, turning to Zelda. "Your gown is simply gorgeous. It outshines some of the apparel in my wardrobe."
"Thank you, your Highness."
"Where are your parents?"
"They're busy. I came here alone."
"So, Link says that he hangs around you a lot. I must say he's taken quite an interest in you. I can't blame him, I haven't seen such angels like you in a very long time. But, I must ask you something. I have had this quarrel with my husband and though I won, I want to make sure it's defended. Which do you think is better? The sword, or the shield?" Zelda blinked.
"I personally favor the shield, your Highness. I am more of the reserved type, and the shield matches me. I fear the blade."
"I thought so. But my stubborn husband still thinks the sword is better. Right dear?" She turned to her husband right when he delivered the punch line of his joke.
"And the fish said, 'with friends like these, who need anemones!' Get it? Enemies?" Rosemarie giggled. The Queen tapped her fork on her plate.
"Excuse me dear. But Zelda over here says that shield is definitely better than the sword." The King sighed.
"Here you go again. How many times do I have to say this. SWORD IS THE BEST! Don't you agree, Rosemarie."
"Yes definitely, your Majesty. It's sharp blade and lightweight makes it the best for fighting." The King looked smugly back at his wife, who scowled.
"Well, Dad, I kinda like the shield too," Aryll said.
"What did you say?" Link asked, taking his attention away from Marth.
"Which do you think is better, shield or sword?" Rosemarie asked.
"HEY! I started that question!" Link said. Everyone ignored him.
"Personally, I favor the sword!" Marth said. "No prince is without his sword!"
"I have to disagree," Link said, laying down his fork. "Recent events have led me to like the shield."
"Well, sword should be a prince's favorite!" Rosemarie turned to the other side, where the girl she had bumped into earlier was sitting.
"Excuse me, which do you prefer, the sword or the shield........................." Soon, the whole table was caught up in the discussion. Husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, girlfriends and boyfriends..................................all arguing different sides. Even Aryll and Marth were fighting over which one was better. Rosemarie was trying to persuade Zelda into agreeing with her and the Queen, while the King argued soundly why the sword was better. Link buried his face in his hands. This was going to take forever.
"Let's have a vote!" the king declared. Link moaned. "Who votes for the sword." His hand went up, matched by all the men - except the prince - and a few women, Rosemarie among them. Marth counted the hands. "Now........................the shield." The king made it sound preposterous to like it, but most of the women, the Queen, Aryll, and Link, raised their hands. Marth made another count.
"So, who won?" Aryll asked anxiously. Marth sighed.
"Tie."
"TIE!!??" Everyone started to moan and grumble.
"We should just have a debate!" Everyone looked around.
"You know," the king said. "Let's just drop this and start eating." He looked around, and everyone sighed and followed his idea. Just then, the door opened and Wildflower walked in.
"I didn't even notice you were missing!" Rosemarie cried. Wildflower walked up to her.
"Some big sister you are! You probably didn't even notice that mom had to go! She said she would come back later. She had an emergency."
"WHAT?" Rosemarie slumped back in her chair.
"This is perfect!" the king boomed. "We have one more person! We can decide which one's better!"
"So much for 'let's just drop this and start eating'!" The queen mumbled.
"So, my dear," the king said, motioning to Wildflower. "Which do you think is better? The sword or the shield."
"UM........................" Wildflower put a hand to her chin and pretended to think heavily. "I would say...........................the shield. Cause you can decorate a shield and make it all pretty, but you can't really do that to a sword!" The next second, it seemed half the room exploded as the "shield" people cheered. Rosemarie grumbled and sat back in her chair, arms crossed. Link jumped in the air and hugged Zelda. After the little celebration was over, everyone sat back in his or her seat. The king scowled at his over enjoyed wife. Link tried to say something to Rosemarie, but her death glare forced his mouth shut.
"So, now we may eat," the queen said. All the "shield" people started eating immediately, but the others hesitated.
"Don't worry, your Highness," Rosemarie said the to the king. "I'm still on your side." The king beamed. Rosemarie shot a content look back at Link, who tried to resist the urge to retaliate.
"This is an outrage!" Marth cried. "The sword is..............."
"Calm down!" Aryll said, patting him on the shoulder. "It is OKAY. Take a deep breath. You aren't going to freak out over some little argument."
"Easy for you to say," Marth retorted. Link shook his head. If he was lucky, they might just break the engagement. That would be the coolest thing that could happen. If only it could.
"I guess your right," Rosemarie said, guiltily pushing her fork around the plate. "I shouldn't get so worked up about it."
"Where can I sit??" Wildflower wailed, tugging Rosemarie's arm. She dropped the fork and it rolled under the table.
"Thanks a lot!" she grumbled. She ducked under the table and looked around for the fork. She found it near the leg of Link's chair.
"Where did Rosemarie go?" Link asked. Rosemarie grabbed the fork and tried to get up.
"Here!" She forgot the table was above her. She bumped it, forcing all the contents above her to tip over. One of the them was the goblet Link was about to grab. It tipped over, pouring grape juice over Link's new coat. Rosemarie peaked nervously over the table, straightening up.
"SORRY! I really didn't mean to!" Wildflower stifled a giggle.
"It's okay, I can change." Link hurried out of the room. He raced up and ducked into his room. He was kind of thankful the coat got spoiled. It was starting to get on his nerves. After pulling it off, he looked at himself in the mirror.
"UGH! This shirt is so tacky! I'm taking it off!" He took the wool shirt off. Underneath, the silk one was plastered to him with sweat. "Yep, too warm for me!" he took that off too, leaving him bare-chested.
"Mom would freak if I went down like this." He rummaged through his closet. "Shirt.................................shirt...............................................shirt!" He got out of closet and headed to his dresser. Just then, the door opened and Zelda entered the room.
.........
The feast was still going on without Link, who had just left. Suddenly, the queen turned to Zelda.
"Hurry and tell him I want him to wear his red coat. He'll understand." Zelda nodded and followed Link. Halfway in the middle, she had to ask directions from a guard who had trouble speaking loud enough for her to hear. After a two minute delay, she sped off to Link's room.
"This better be it!" She raised her hand to knock on the door. She stopped when she heard a muffled voice from within.
"Mom would freak if I went down like this. Shirt.................................shirt ...............................................shirt!"
"Well, that's his room alright!" Zelda wondered what his mom would freak out about. Forgetting to knock, she opened the door. She saw Link walking across the room. He stopped and stared at her. Zelda found it hard not to gasp when she saw he was bare-chested.
"Sorry," she stuttered, though trying not to make it obvious. "Your.........mother told me to tell you to wear.........the red coat."
"Awwwwwwwwww............" Link moaned.
"What? You want to come like that?" Link flushed. "Don't worry, I think it makes you look.....................well..................hot, I guess you can say." Link grinned.
"If you think so." He pretended to walk out of the room. Zelda giggled and pushed him back inside, but he pulled onto her. She crashed right into him and he toppled to the floor.
"The others might not," Zelda said. She leaned down to kiss his lips. He grasped her hair and returned the kiss, his tongue pushing at her lips and she let him in. He rolled over so he was on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"LINK!" They broke apart immediately. "What's taking you so long?" It was Rosemarie.
"Get off!" Link quickly got up and helped Zelda. "OH GODDESSES! WEAR SOMETHING!" Link rummaged through the closet and found his red coat. Forcing himself into it, Zelda hastily tried to fasten the buttons.
"The queen was starting to have a fit," Rosemarie said as she walked in. "What takes you so long?"
"Buttoning!" Zelda said, straightening her hair at the same time. Rosemarie sighed.
"Well, stop trying to button the same button three times and come down. And why are you blushing?" Rosemarie shook her head and disappeared. Zelda sighed with relief.
"THAT was close!"