Chapter Two: Stop to Smell the Roses
Link hadn't been this happy in a long time. He made his way to the hallway that led down to Zelda's room. The hallway was brightly lit and the faithful royal guards stood at their posts. Link smiled with comfort. He felt like he had been spending too much time there because he walked down this corridor every night in his dream. Each guard nodded to Link as he made his way down the hallway. In real life, the hallway wasn't nearly as long. But like his dream, he heard the sound of Zelda humming her lullaby to herself and it made Link walk that much faster. Both of the large double doors were wide open and the whole room was lit bright with sunlight. Zelda was on the other side of her room, sitting on a stool, in front of a large mirror, brushing her hair. She saw Link standing in the doorway and turned around with a chirpy demeanor to greet him.
"Hello Link!" It felt so reliving to hear her speak again, he had heard her under the corrupt influence of the fierce deity mask for far too long.
"H-Hello, Zelda." said Link as he blushed and bowed.
"Oh, come now, you don't have to do that, we're like family." Link was too flushed for words. "I was just getting ready to go meet with father for dinner, he has a very dignified guest of honor tonight, the King of Calatia, King Heuaris, and his son Prince Zensha. Father says he has a magnificent surprise for me tonight." said Zelda with a hint of un enthusiasm. Link looked down to the floor in disappointment as he realized she was once again too busy to spend time with him, though he tried not to let disappointment show, Zelda could see it anyway. "I can't imagine how he could possibly top this surprise, though." Link looked up to see Zelda smiling at him with affectionate eyes, and then a huge smile cut right across his face from ear to ear, despite how hard he tried to hold it back, and he blushed the deepest crimson hue yet. He looked to the floor embarrassed, and realizing he was doing a horrible job of covering it up all he could do was chuckle.
"Heh." Link's chagrin caused Zelda's smile to widen beyond her control as well. She enjoyed seeing him happy. She had always felt that she owed him a debt that could never be repaid for what he did in the imprisoning war. She then turned to finish brushing her hair so Link could take a few moments to recollect himself.
"So why are you here?" Zelda asked as she looked at Link in the mirror.
"Oh, I-uh...I came to see Rauru about...uh, something." The last thing Link wanted to do was spoil the reunion with the lament of his troubles, or give Zelda something to worry about such as her appearance in his nightmare.
"Something?" Zelda continued to brush her hair smiling though she could tell he was hiding something.
"Yeah, its nothing just, some, boring stuff really." Link said as he shrugged and made waving gestures with his hand. Zelda decided not to pry, she respected and trusted Link and knew that if it was anything she needed to know, he would tell her when he was ready.
"Hmm! Sounds interesting!" said Zelda as she put down her brush and moved her stool away from the mirror. When she looked away from the mirror, Link took the brief moment to quietly smack himself in the head while he silently cursed himself for his stupidity. He was finished with his self- rebuke just in time to look up and greet Zelda's eyes with a smile and calm composure. But his smile faded and his demeanor shrank as he remembered Zelda's appointment.
"Well uh, since your busy and all, I-I guess I'll uh, leave you alone then." said Link as he turned to leave and tried to hide his disappointment by readjusting his sword and shield roughly to make a loud clacking sound. Zelda's heart jumped paces a bit as she thought furiously for something she could say to get Link to stay. As Link turned, Zelda quietly smacked herself in the head while she silently cursed herself for telling him she had to go to a banquet.
"Ohhh..." moaned Zelda in a feminine tone that doesn't normally suit her, "Do you really have to go? I was hoping you would walk with me down to the courtyard" Link turned in confusion, to see Zelda giving him the sappiest "puppy dog eyes" he had ever seen. Yet somehow their effect on Link was full force, and he melted.
"I...thought you had to go to supper. Uh,...big surprise?" Zelda made a waving motion with her hand and shrugged.
"No, no, that's not for at least three-uh, four hours." said Zelda
"Oh! Okay!" Link's spirits brightened up quickly as he held out his arm for Zelda to take. She took his arm and smiled at him with the same affectionate eyes she had used earlier. Link couldn't even remember that he had been having bad dreams for the past month. He smiled a bashful smile and led Zelda out of her room. "Y'know, I saw the trees in the courtyard have blossomed." Link's one tried and true strategy has always been to hide his excitement behind casual small talk. Zelda knew full well that the trees were in blossom; she had been waking up early just to go sit out in the courtyard and see the flowers open at sunrise.
"Are they really? Wonderful! I can't wait to see!" Zelda humored Link's nervous attempts to sound interesting as the couple made their way through the castle.
When they reached the courtyard, the sun was beginning to set and Zelda was immediately captivated. She has always been one to appreciate the natural beauty of her proud country, a beauty she thanks Link for everyday.
"I'm always so cooped up in the castle I never get to see the sunset much anymore." said Zelda as she and Link sat down on a brick wall atop the large hill of the courtyard. At the bottom of the hill lied the castle gates and beyond that, Hyrule court. They could see the whole kingdom. Zelda leaned forward and tucked her knees into her chest as she watched the sun go down. Link leaned back and propped himself up with his elbows. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Yeah." The beauty of nature was something he took for granted. His quests during the imprisoning war and even more so in Termina, he had seen countless sunrises and sunsets, all behind different breathtaking foregrounds. "You'd love watching it set over the ocean. The sky looks like it's divided and one half is dark with stars and the other half is lit up like day light and the water sparkles like a million rupees. Then once the sun finally vanishes behind the water, the sky suddenly glows a bright orange, like it catches on fire, then it fades to a red and after that the other half of the sky bleeds over and snuffs out the red." Zelda listened as he described, what sounded to her like the setting to the end of a fairytale told by one of her nannies, with a very indifferent attitude.
"You've seen this?" she turned to see if he would look her in the eye to confirm it. Link shrugged.
"Sure, lots of times." Link's eyes looked almost bored. Zelda smiled with a disgusted disbelief.
"Sometimes I envy you Link." she said as she shook her head and returned her focus to the sunset at hand.
"Why?"
"You get to see the whole world. You've probably met everyone in Hyrule. What kind of Princess am I if I haven't even met my people or seen my kingdom?"
"A busy one." quipped Link as they simultaneously turned their gaze from the sunset to each other. They paused for a moment with a blank stare and Zelda began to snicker. Link couldn't help but laugh too even though he didn't know what was so funny. "Heh heh heh. What? Heh heh." Zelda was laughing so hard at this point she was gasping for breath.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's true! It's true! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! SNORT" Zelda quickly stopped laughing and cupped both hands around her mouth in embarrassment. There was but a short pause before Link fell onto his back laughing hysterically. Zelda blushed and chuckled at her own embarrassing sound. Link was courteous enough to cut his laughter short so as not to make Zelda feel uncomfortable.
"Ah, I wish we could have more moments like these." said Zelda as she pondered at the now twilight sky.
"Yeah me too" said Link as pondered at the lovely Zelda's eyes. Zelda then suddenly turned to Link, startling him.
"I wish you would reconsider living here at the castle. Everyone adores you here." Link turned his gaze from Zelda to the ground as he sat up and sighed.
"There is no place for me here Zelda...there's no place for me...anywhere." said Link as he stared straight ahead, lost in thought while casually casting small stones in front of him. Zelda felt directly responsible for the half-truth that Link spoke. She asked him to fight her battle for her in the imprisoning war and he obeyed her without question, not knowing that he would have to awaken his only friend as a sage and lose his place in his home among the kokiri. Zelda tried to make up for it by letting him relive the seven years he lost during the war, but the gracious gesture turned out to be an unintentional punishment. Link had seven years to float around from place to place, seven years to be shunned by those he risked his life for, seven years to see all the places he rescued, but no place for him among them. Zelda also knew that Link was still loyal to her, and that he respected her as a princess, and as a warrior; she knew all he wanted was to be with her and she could not meet this simple request, it grieved her heart to see him so.
Link snapped back into reality and tried to change the topic towards a much more pleasant direction. "Well, that's not important." said Link as he stood up. Zelda watched him get up and her gaze was one of concern.
"Yes it is, Link. It's very important." Zelda's voice was quiet, as if she was holding back tears. "You don't deserve that Link. Your place is everywhere; you've done so much for this country..." the Princess didn't blink as her eyes began to tear, eyes that cut into Link's soul. "You've done so much for me..." Zelda realized she was letting her feelings show and looked away from Link but it was too late, the tears were already rolling down her cheeks, even though she wasn't actually weeping. "Damn it..." she muddled to herself for not catching it in time.
"I did what I had to do, Princess. It's not your fault. I was supposed to be the 'Hero of Time' so I had to fight. You couldn't have changed anything anymore than I could've." Links voice was calm and rational. It made Zelda feel better even though her conscious told her that it wasn't. "And this is just the way things worked out." Zelda smiled at Link as he stood firm and confident almost luminescent in the moonlight, she was reminded of his defiant presence before Ganon.
"Heh, you've always been stronger than me, Link. And you refuse to feel sorry for yourself. You know, there were times that even I doubted that Hyrule would survive; Ganondorf's influence was far to great. But then I would look at you. No matter how bleak things got for you, you just kept going and wouldn't stop, and you didn't even know what you were fighting for half the time. But you never questioned it either. You're a great man Link, I'm just sorry no one gave you what you deserved." Link listened to Zelda pour out her heart and was actually a little disappointed, the words he was listening for were "I love you" but what he heard still made him feel good. He didn't want the night to end but he could tell that more than three hours had passed and felt it was his duty to see that Princess made it to her appointment.
"It's getting late." said Link as Zelda's gaze broke and she realized she was late for the banquet.
"OH! Goodness! You're right!" before Zelda could make a movement to stand Link already had his hand there for her to use. "Um...thank you" she said as she felt Link's strength pull her from the ground ever so delicately she couldn't help but blush, but Link couldn't see it in the moonlight. "Would you like to come to dinner with me? I'm positive father wouldn't mind having the chef set an extra place for you at the table, in fact I think he'd love it!" Dinner with the Princess was a tempting offer but Link wouldn't feel right intruding on business like that.
"Actually, I need to go see Rauru right now" said Link as he squinted up at the turret where Rauru was. He saw a light burning away and figured Rauru was still working. "But thanks anyway." said Link. "Where is it? I'll walk you there." said Link as he held out his arm as he did earlier in Zelda's room. Zelda smiled and graciously gave a small curtsey as she took hold of Link's arm.
"Thank you kind sir." flirted Zelda. Link escorted her to the outer hall of the dinning room. Outside the dinning room as Link was fumbling through another goodbye, the Princess acted on a whim and decided to kiss Link on the cheek. Link froze and had no idea what to do. Zelda wasn't quite sure what to do either, she didn't take the time to think it through, and what was intended as a playful tease ended up being a very awkward and uncomfortable parting. Both felt that something needed to be said at that moment but neither knew what it was, so they parted ways without smiles, only concerned looks on their faces. As Zelda slipped through the doors and Link turned to find Rauru's study, both replayed the kiss over and over again, and each came to the conclusion that the awkward parting was their own fault. And each blamed themselves for something they "should have" or "shouldn't have" done.
Link hadn't been this happy in a long time. He made his way to the hallway that led down to Zelda's room. The hallway was brightly lit and the faithful royal guards stood at their posts. Link smiled with comfort. He felt like he had been spending too much time there because he walked down this corridor every night in his dream. Each guard nodded to Link as he made his way down the hallway. In real life, the hallway wasn't nearly as long. But like his dream, he heard the sound of Zelda humming her lullaby to herself and it made Link walk that much faster. Both of the large double doors were wide open and the whole room was lit bright with sunlight. Zelda was on the other side of her room, sitting on a stool, in front of a large mirror, brushing her hair. She saw Link standing in the doorway and turned around with a chirpy demeanor to greet him.
"Hello Link!" It felt so reliving to hear her speak again, he had heard her under the corrupt influence of the fierce deity mask for far too long.
"H-Hello, Zelda." said Link as he blushed and bowed.
"Oh, come now, you don't have to do that, we're like family." Link was too flushed for words. "I was just getting ready to go meet with father for dinner, he has a very dignified guest of honor tonight, the King of Calatia, King Heuaris, and his son Prince Zensha. Father says he has a magnificent surprise for me tonight." said Zelda with a hint of un enthusiasm. Link looked down to the floor in disappointment as he realized she was once again too busy to spend time with him, though he tried not to let disappointment show, Zelda could see it anyway. "I can't imagine how he could possibly top this surprise, though." Link looked up to see Zelda smiling at him with affectionate eyes, and then a huge smile cut right across his face from ear to ear, despite how hard he tried to hold it back, and he blushed the deepest crimson hue yet. He looked to the floor embarrassed, and realizing he was doing a horrible job of covering it up all he could do was chuckle.
"Heh." Link's chagrin caused Zelda's smile to widen beyond her control as well. She enjoyed seeing him happy. She had always felt that she owed him a debt that could never be repaid for what he did in the imprisoning war. She then turned to finish brushing her hair so Link could take a few moments to recollect himself.
"So why are you here?" Zelda asked as she looked at Link in the mirror.
"Oh, I-uh...I came to see Rauru about...uh, something." The last thing Link wanted to do was spoil the reunion with the lament of his troubles, or give Zelda something to worry about such as her appearance in his nightmare.
"Something?" Zelda continued to brush her hair smiling though she could tell he was hiding something.
"Yeah, its nothing just, some, boring stuff really." Link said as he shrugged and made waving gestures with his hand. Zelda decided not to pry, she respected and trusted Link and knew that if it was anything she needed to know, he would tell her when he was ready.
"Hmm! Sounds interesting!" said Zelda as she put down her brush and moved her stool away from the mirror. When she looked away from the mirror, Link took the brief moment to quietly smack himself in the head while he silently cursed himself for his stupidity. He was finished with his self- rebuke just in time to look up and greet Zelda's eyes with a smile and calm composure. But his smile faded and his demeanor shrank as he remembered Zelda's appointment.
"Well uh, since your busy and all, I-I guess I'll uh, leave you alone then." said Link as he turned to leave and tried to hide his disappointment by readjusting his sword and shield roughly to make a loud clacking sound. Zelda's heart jumped paces a bit as she thought furiously for something she could say to get Link to stay. As Link turned, Zelda quietly smacked herself in the head while she silently cursed herself for telling him she had to go to a banquet.
"Ohhh..." moaned Zelda in a feminine tone that doesn't normally suit her, "Do you really have to go? I was hoping you would walk with me down to the courtyard" Link turned in confusion, to see Zelda giving him the sappiest "puppy dog eyes" he had ever seen. Yet somehow their effect on Link was full force, and he melted.
"I...thought you had to go to supper. Uh,...big surprise?" Zelda made a waving motion with her hand and shrugged.
"No, no, that's not for at least three-uh, four hours." said Zelda
"Oh! Okay!" Link's spirits brightened up quickly as he held out his arm for Zelda to take. She took his arm and smiled at him with the same affectionate eyes she had used earlier. Link couldn't even remember that he had been having bad dreams for the past month. He smiled a bashful smile and led Zelda out of her room. "Y'know, I saw the trees in the courtyard have blossomed." Link's one tried and true strategy has always been to hide his excitement behind casual small talk. Zelda knew full well that the trees were in blossom; she had been waking up early just to go sit out in the courtyard and see the flowers open at sunrise.
"Are they really? Wonderful! I can't wait to see!" Zelda humored Link's nervous attempts to sound interesting as the couple made their way through the castle.
When they reached the courtyard, the sun was beginning to set and Zelda was immediately captivated. She has always been one to appreciate the natural beauty of her proud country, a beauty she thanks Link for everyday.
"I'm always so cooped up in the castle I never get to see the sunset much anymore." said Zelda as she and Link sat down on a brick wall atop the large hill of the courtyard. At the bottom of the hill lied the castle gates and beyond that, Hyrule court. They could see the whole kingdom. Zelda leaned forward and tucked her knees into her chest as she watched the sun go down. Link leaned back and propped himself up with his elbows. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Yeah." The beauty of nature was something he took for granted. His quests during the imprisoning war and even more so in Termina, he had seen countless sunrises and sunsets, all behind different breathtaking foregrounds. "You'd love watching it set over the ocean. The sky looks like it's divided and one half is dark with stars and the other half is lit up like day light and the water sparkles like a million rupees. Then once the sun finally vanishes behind the water, the sky suddenly glows a bright orange, like it catches on fire, then it fades to a red and after that the other half of the sky bleeds over and snuffs out the red." Zelda listened as he described, what sounded to her like the setting to the end of a fairytale told by one of her nannies, with a very indifferent attitude.
"You've seen this?" she turned to see if he would look her in the eye to confirm it. Link shrugged.
"Sure, lots of times." Link's eyes looked almost bored. Zelda smiled with a disgusted disbelief.
"Sometimes I envy you Link." she said as she shook her head and returned her focus to the sunset at hand.
"Why?"
"You get to see the whole world. You've probably met everyone in Hyrule. What kind of Princess am I if I haven't even met my people or seen my kingdom?"
"A busy one." quipped Link as they simultaneously turned their gaze from the sunset to each other. They paused for a moment with a blank stare and Zelda began to snicker. Link couldn't help but laugh too even though he didn't know what was so funny. "Heh heh heh. What? Heh heh." Zelda was laughing so hard at this point she was gasping for breath.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's true! It's true! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! SNORT" Zelda quickly stopped laughing and cupped both hands around her mouth in embarrassment. There was but a short pause before Link fell onto his back laughing hysterically. Zelda blushed and chuckled at her own embarrassing sound. Link was courteous enough to cut his laughter short so as not to make Zelda feel uncomfortable.
"Ah, I wish we could have more moments like these." said Zelda as she pondered at the now twilight sky.
"Yeah me too" said Link as pondered at the lovely Zelda's eyes. Zelda then suddenly turned to Link, startling him.
"I wish you would reconsider living here at the castle. Everyone adores you here." Link turned his gaze from Zelda to the ground as he sat up and sighed.
"There is no place for me here Zelda...there's no place for me...anywhere." said Link as he stared straight ahead, lost in thought while casually casting small stones in front of him. Zelda felt directly responsible for the half-truth that Link spoke. She asked him to fight her battle for her in the imprisoning war and he obeyed her without question, not knowing that he would have to awaken his only friend as a sage and lose his place in his home among the kokiri. Zelda tried to make up for it by letting him relive the seven years he lost during the war, but the gracious gesture turned out to be an unintentional punishment. Link had seven years to float around from place to place, seven years to be shunned by those he risked his life for, seven years to see all the places he rescued, but no place for him among them. Zelda also knew that Link was still loyal to her, and that he respected her as a princess, and as a warrior; she knew all he wanted was to be with her and she could not meet this simple request, it grieved her heart to see him so.
Link snapped back into reality and tried to change the topic towards a much more pleasant direction. "Well, that's not important." said Link as he stood up. Zelda watched him get up and her gaze was one of concern.
"Yes it is, Link. It's very important." Zelda's voice was quiet, as if she was holding back tears. "You don't deserve that Link. Your place is everywhere; you've done so much for this country..." the Princess didn't blink as her eyes began to tear, eyes that cut into Link's soul. "You've done so much for me..." Zelda realized she was letting her feelings show and looked away from Link but it was too late, the tears were already rolling down her cheeks, even though she wasn't actually weeping. "Damn it..." she muddled to herself for not catching it in time.
"I did what I had to do, Princess. It's not your fault. I was supposed to be the 'Hero of Time' so I had to fight. You couldn't have changed anything anymore than I could've." Links voice was calm and rational. It made Zelda feel better even though her conscious told her that it wasn't. "And this is just the way things worked out." Zelda smiled at Link as he stood firm and confident almost luminescent in the moonlight, she was reminded of his defiant presence before Ganon.
"Heh, you've always been stronger than me, Link. And you refuse to feel sorry for yourself. You know, there were times that even I doubted that Hyrule would survive; Ganondorf's influence was far to great. But then I would look at you. No matter how bleak things got for you, you just kept going and wouldn't stop, and you didn't even know what you were fighting for half the time. But you never questioned it either. You're a great man Link, I'm just sorry no one gave you what you deserved." Link listened to Zelda pour out her heart and was actually a little disappointed, the words he was listening for were "I love you" but what he heard still made him feel good. He didn't want the night to end but he could tell that more than three hours had passed and felt it was his duty to see that Princess made it to her appointment.
"It's getting late." said Link as Zelda's gaze broke and she realized she was late for the banquet.
"OH! Goodness! You're right!" before Zelda could make a movement to stand Link already had his hand there for her to use. "Um...thank you" she said as she felt Link's strength pull her from the ground ever so delicately she couldn't help but blush, but Link couldn't see it in the moonlight. "Would you like to come to dinner with me? I'm positive father wouldn't mind having the chef set an extra place for you at the table, in fact I think he'd love it!" Dinner with the Princess was a tempting offer but Link wouldn't feel right intruding on business like that.
"Actually, I need to go see Rauru right now" said Link as he squinted up at the turret where Rauru was. He saw a light burning away and figured Rauru was still working. "But thanks anyway." said Link. "Where is it? I'll walk you there." said Link as he held out his arm as he did earlier in Zelda's room. Zelda smiled and graciously gave a small curtsey as she took hold of Link's arm.
"Thank you kind sir." flirted Zelda. Link escorted her to the outer hall of the dinning room. Outside the dinning room as Link was fumbling through another goodbye, the Princess acted on a whim and decided to kiss Link on the cheek. Link froze and had no idea what to do. Zelda wasn't quite sure what to do either, she didn't take the time to think it through, and what was intended as a playful tease ended up being a very awkward and uncomfortable parting. Both felt that something needed to be said at that moment but neither knew what it was, so they parted ways without smiles, only concerned looks on their faces. As Zelda slipped through the doors and Link turned to find Rauru's study, both replayed the kiss over and over again, and each came to the conclusion that the awkward parting was their own fault. And each blamed themselves for something they "should have" or "shouldn't have" done.