WHOAA BIG NEW 7 YEARS LATER UPDATE!
Sorry guys. I just got stuck in the Temple of Time, but I've emerged, a fully grown ~woman~ now. (Srsly. I'm old as shit now.)
Okay. So. I was messing around late tonight and I came upon my old fanfiction, out of nostalgia and I literally had NO idea people were still reading this. Granted, it's been few and far in between, but these reviews that are begging me to finish...well they're breaking my heart. Some of my favorite fanfics were discontinued too, and I was kind of bummed about that, so I feel bad being on the opposite side of that.
That said, I cannot even read this anymore without cringing. I guess the last chapter isn't...the worst? What's a little sadder is to realize I have actually NOT vastly improved my writing since I was 12. Uhm. Oh well. Shit happens.
ANYWAY THE POINT IS if someone is interested in finishing this one, as it currently stands with these 10 chapters, for God's sake, do it. I can't even remember what I was planning to do with the plot here, so literally whatever the hell you want to do is cool. Just PM me and we'll talk. I can't imagine I'll get a ton of offers, at all, but it does make me sad that there are still some people out there waiting for me to finish this.
IN SUMMARY:
If someone wants to finish this fic, PM me and we'll work it out. I think basically you can just post this story with the first 10 chapters on your own account. A little acknowledgement that those parts are mine is all I'd ask. You can do whatever you want with it.
OKAY GOOD TALK. bye girls and boys!
Just when you thought it was over, True Love strikes back! Ha, sorry guys, I got into a major writing block with this one. I abandoned it for awhile and worked on some other stuff, but now the time has come. . . .
I updated! Hoorah! With fourteen whole pages on Word. Yeahh, that's right, fourteen! And all the reviews! Oh la la, so many, many reviews. XD I love you guys to pieces! Normally, I would put the responses here, but I decided that over the next few days I will post them on my bio. So check there some days later.
And now I present to you chapter ten! Woah, I reached the double digits. O.O
Chapter Ten: Slipping and Spinning Beneath Her Feet
A thin line of orange, hazy sunlight streamed peacefully through the gap in the curtains and fell upon a sleeping Zelda's face. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep and rolled over to her other side, continuing to sleep serenely.
But then, a second later, her eyes flew open and she rolled onto her back, wide awake. "It's Melinaea's Eve." she said aloud to herself. Already she could hear the thumps of the servants' footsteps as they rushed back and forth, hurrying the last minute preparations.
With a weary groan, she sat up, stretching and yawning, but then, suddenly, something by her dresser caught her eye. Curiously, she threw the covers aside and walked to the wooden stand. And there, atop the dresser was a brightly wrapped, box-like parcel, with a silk ribbon tied delicately around it.
A gift? Her stomach filled with childlike butterflies as she picked up the parcel, running her hands over the rectangular shape and its hard, wood-like surface.
She spent the best of a minute, guessing the parcel's contents and placed her wager on a book, probably from Impa. And then she promptly untied the ribbon, ripped of the wrapping and out fell the gift.
A gasp escaped her mouth.
A mahogany box sat proudly on her dresser, gleaming even in the dim light, with delicate carvings all around the side. Zelda reached her hand out, her fingers trembling ever so slightly, and opened the lid.
A beautiful gold necklace curved around a scrap piece of paper that looked oddly out of place, between the mahogany box and the gold necklace. She picked up the necklace and dangled it between her fingers, and held it up at eye-level to see the pendant.
Even in her limited knowledge of jewelry, she could tell the gold was exquisite. But the best part was the pendant. It was a single diamond, sparkling and white, but the center was hollowed out. And engraved inside the hollow part of the diamond was the outline of a fairy. And oh! When she held it up to the sunlight, the diamond's radiance made the fairy sparkle and almost seem alive.
Her mind filled with a blank kind of buzzing. Who—?
Her eyes darted back to the out-of-place scrap piece of parchment and she snatched it up eagerly only to find it blank on one side. She turned it over and there, scrawled upon it, were the words:
From Link.
She read it again.
From Link.
There was a long silence as she slowly registered the words. And then her mind went into a chaotic daze of fireworks, exploding left and right.
Link?
Oh Goddesses. Link!
She felt her heart soar upward. It wasn't from Impa or her father. It was from Link! She keenly regarded the paper once more, expecting to read more, but there was nothing else. Only "From Link". She felt vaguely disappointed, but she wasn't sure what else she expected to see.
She gazed over the necklace lovingly, absently twirling it around in her right hand, and the note still clutched in her left. Link . . .
Wait. Link?
For Melinaea's Eve?
Yet again, she looked at the paper, making sure she read it right. But there was no question. In clear, charcoaled letters were the words "From" and "Link."
But . . . for Melinaea's Eve? Did he mean . . .?
She flushed and felt stupid for doing so. No, what was she thinking? Melinaea's Eve was a time for friends to give gifts to other friends. It was a time to celebrate friendship, joy and love—
She stopped dead. Love?
She looked at the necklace.
Love?
She closed the box with a snap, shoved the little piece of paper under it and out of sight, but kept the necklace safely in her hand. She strode to the window and gazed out into the courtyard.
She sighed and looked down at her hand, at the necklace. Maybe it was friendship. Maybe it was love. Maybe it was even bribery. Who was she to question or even think about it?
Then she reached around her neck and fumbled with the clasp of the necklace. Friendship or love, either way, it was a beautiful necklace. She admired its beauty around her neck, and the nice way it sparkled in the sunshine.
She smiled.
Good days didn't start out much better than this.
"Oh my! What could this be?" Roy cried on Melinaea's Eve morning, with fake surprise. "It couldn't be that new shield, could it?"
Link rolled his eyes. "Try not to tear the wrapping into—" Link stopped as he watched Roy shred apart the paper. "Pieces." He finished, shaking his head. "Never mind, but it's your job to throw away the pieces of paper."
"Stop being such a sour puss, Linky!" Roy said jollily. "It's Melinaea's Eve! Tomorrow's Melinaea's Day and it's going to be spent with holy ceremonies and praying. So enjoy today!"
"Right."
Link turned away as Roy hugged his shield lovingly, and looked out the window. By now, the sun stretched across the sky like a banner and most everyone in Hyrule was awake, wishing each other a happy holiday and opening their presents. He wondered if she got his present. He wondered if she liked it.
"Come on Roy, let's go get some breakfast." Link said loudly and abruptly, walking to the kitchen and decidedly leaving that last thought at the window.
Mounds after mounds of warm bread. Bowls after bowls of oatmeal. Plates after plates of bacon and other poultries. Heaps and heaps of butter and jam. Glasses after glasses of every kind of juice, milk and water. Baskets after baskets of fresh fruits. And all this was just for breakfast.
Zelda was seated at the dining hall, staring at the enormous pile of food in front of her. The servants felt they had to be well fed all through the day of Melinaea's Eve. If they invited every person, every Zora, and every Kokiri to dine with them, there would be enough food for all and all too much left over.
But the only people dining with her were the king, King Rookwall, Prince's Selth's father, and Prince Selth himself. Joyful company.
Who eats this much? Zelda asked herself. She watched Prince Selth empty out half of the rolls of bread. Ah. Of course.
The kings talked gallantly of political affairs, as always, and Prince Selth was busy devouring half of the food laid out for them. But Zelda didn't mind. Keeping quiet and out of any conversation was the way she enjoyed interacting with them most.
But after breakfast, as she was leaving the hall, Prince Selth caught up with her and to her intense dislike, walked along with her.
He smiled. "I'm surprised you didn't say anything, Zelda!" he said.
"Say anything about what?"
"Why, about your present of course." he smiled broadly.
"Present?" She said blankly.
Selth stopped and looked at her. "For Melinaea's Eve! You didn't think I'd go without giving my fiancé a present for Melinaea's Eve, did you?"
Zelda stopped as well and swallowed hard. "Don't ever call me your fiancé." she said, her voice low and quiet.
Selth pretended not to hear. "Well, I know I should wait till this evening to give you your gift, but I simply can't wait. And nor, I suppose, can you." He added with a grin.
"Actually, Selth, I can." Zelda replied with a smirk twitching her lips.
He didn't hear that either. With much flourish, he brought out a small, decorated box from his pocket, and held it to Zelda. "Open it."
Zelda would have much rather grabbed it and shoved it down his throat, but she suppressed the urge. Instead she flicked open the box and there, for the second time in the bare three hours she'd been awake, she found a necklace.
"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Prince Selth said, watching her closely for her reaction. Zelda did admit to herself that it was indeed a nice necklace, with a large diamond for a pendant, surrounded by smaller rubies, and that was surrounded by sparkling green emeralds, making a fat, rich pendant.
"It is very beautiful." Zelda said, surprised by the politeness in her voice. "Thank you for your gift." She reached to take the box, and then rush away, but Selth pulled it from her reach.
"Don't you want to wear it right now?" he asked.
Every molecule in her body screamed "No!" but her mouth didn't move.
"I'll put it on for you." He said with a smile, after he realized she wasn't going to respond. He moved closer to her and went to put the necklace around her neck. Trouble was, there was already another one there.
She felt his eyes narrow on her neck. "Where did you get this?" he asked, frowning at it.
"It was a present." she replied and took a step away from him.
His eyebrows were raised. "Present?"
"That's when you give things to another person out of good will." she said, her lips twitching again. His eyes snapped back to her with a clear expression that said "I know what it means."
"Who gave it to you?" He said aloud, his eyes still narrowed.
Zelda was far from afraid of him, or his reaction, but she still didn't think it was a good idea to tell him the truth. So she said the first name that came to her head. "Impa."
"Impa?"
"Yes. My nursemaid."
He glared at the necklace, as if it insulted his own gift. "Well looking at it, I'd say she didn't want to spend more on your gift than that measly diamond. Or couldn't spend more." he added with a smile.
Oh, how she wanted to hurt him so badly. Instead, she forced a smile. "Or maybe she knew it'd be ten times prettier than a fat diamond surrounded by rubies and emeralds." she said sweetly.
His expression dropped clear off, like ink on paper caught in the rain. "Wear this." he said, handing her his necklace. "This looks fit for a princess."
"And this," Zelda said, pointing to the one on her neck. "Is fit for Zelda."
He glared at her. "Take that one off." He said, with the merest trace of a growl.
The smile was no longer forced on her face. She was enjoying this. "No, I don't think I will." she said. She took the necklace from him. "Thank you for your gift."
He stared at her long and hard. "You wouldn't wear a necklace from your nursemaid so adoringly, Zelda." he said finally.
She stared back, unable to believe he had said those words. "Happy Melinaea's Eve, Selth." she said quickly, turned and left him standing there in the hallway, vaguely amusing herself with how the word "adoringly" was said.
"Just few more hours till the fun begins!" Roy said happily, glancing at the sky above him.
Link smiled and looked outside to the more-or-less empty streets of the Market. But they wouldn't be empty for long. Soon everyone would be out, dancing and eating, laughing and talking, getting drunk and merry, enjoying the festivities of the holiday.
"The parties are going to be reckless as ever." Marth said, his line of sight focused on where Link's was as well. "I heard some people are going to bring ten barrels of rum."
Link snorted. "Yeah, right. The same rumor went about last year too."
Roy sighed and stretched. "It doesn't matter. It's still going to be fun. You are coming, aren't you Link?"
Link shrugged. He wasn't sure he was in the mood.
"You know your girlfriend's coming." Marth said with a suppressed smile.
"Who?"
Marth smiled. Link frowned.
"Malon?"
Marth shook his head, smile widening.
"He's talking about Zel-da." Roy said, with a smirk.
Link stopped. Zelda.
Oh.
Zelda.
"Are you coming?" Marth asked again.
Link shrugged again. But suddenly, he was in the mood.
The hours passed quickly that day, morning morphing into afternoon, afternoon giving away to evening. And soon, Zelda was dragged into her room, accompanied by several servants and maids, all whose patience was wearing thin.
"It's time to dress for the nobles and relatives that are coming, Princess!"
"The king wants you to look your finest!"
"There's no time to argue!"
Zelda allowed herself to be the puppet, her servants and maids the puppeteers. The puppeteers dressed up their doll, moving the strings of her limbs as they wished, stretching out her arms, tilting her face, holding out her feet.
Finally, the puppeteers stepped back and admired their work and held a mirror to Zelda. A lovely image stared back at her, her cheeks as red as the setting sun, her hair set to the ocean's waves, a deep, rich red dress curving elegantly to her figure, and bright, bright blue eyes under curling eyelashes.
She smiled gallantly and thanked them for their work. But she could not quit being their puppet, for the next second the servants had gained control of her string-connected limbs again and forced her into the entrance hall.
"Wait here, Princess!"
"The nobles should be arriving any second!"
"Don't muss up your dress!"
Zelda sighed and picked at her gown. Her puppeteers had, once again, fit her too tight in her clothing.
"Stand up straight." came a voice.
Zelda turned around and faced Impa. "I would," Zelda replied. "Except I'm afraid the dress is going to rip if I do."
The nursemaid smiled. "Tight?"
"Extremely."
"Well, just greet the nobles that are visiting for Melinaea's Eve, wave to the common people of Hyrule, mingle in the parties going around, and then you can take off everything and sleep." Impa said soothingly, and tucking a loose strand behind Zelda's ear.
Zelda smiled and said wistfully, "Remember when Melinaea's Eve was about fun?"
Impa laughed. "Tomorrow the royal priest is coming to perform the usual Melinaea's Day ceremony, and no eating of anything but dry fruits and water."
"Who are the nobles that are coming?"
"Guess." Impa said dryly.
"Oh no." Zelda said, and her face fell. "Evelyn."
Impa nodded. "Her family gave a good amount of money to the castle repairs, and I'd be highly shocked if your father didn't invite them."
"Do I have to talk to her?"
Impa gave her a look, and Zelda sighed.
"More are coming, I don't know who. And I'd better be going," Impa said. "Mind your manners."
Zelda did not have time to tell her that she would try, for Impa had already disappeared, and nor did she have to wait long before the king showed up, along with King Rookwall and Prince Selth, all whom looked like they had been puppets themselves, but they looked highly pleased about it.
"You look beautiful, Zelda." Prince Selth said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. His eyes glanced her neck, where another necklace, neither Link's nor his, lay. Zelda wanted to keep Link's on, but her puppeteers had removed it. She was wise enough to not mention Selth's necklace to them.
Zelda soon heard the clip-clop of horses' feet outside which could only mean that their guests had arrived. And slowly, by twos and threes, the nobles arrived. And as Impa had said, in came Evelyn.
Evelyn had once been a nice girl, probably Zelda's favorite out of all the nobles, but riches and luxuries had transformed her into Zelda's least favorite. But there was no question about her looks; she was strikingly beautiful, with soft, auburn hair gliding down her face, and a charming, broad face with sparkling brown eyes and a sprinkle of freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose.
"Zelda!" Evelyn called. She smiled and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek, and held her hand. "It's simply marvelous to see you!" she said.
Zelda bit back a laugh. The last time she had seen Evelyn, Zelda had ended up kicking her in the shin, causing her to cry. And Zelda knew that incident did not fall under the word "marvelous".
"Oh, yes, simply marvelous." Zelda replied instead however, and smiled back. Just to see her glare, Zelda asked cheekily, "How's your shin doing?"
No such luck; Evelyn didn't glare, only a second's crack in the smile. When she replied however, it was full-out beaming. "Oh, it's fine, it's fine. Just a little fun, we both were having." She said, waving aside the matter with her hand.
"Yes, I did had a lot of fun." Zelda said. Aha! Another, longer, crack in the smile.
But Evelyn had her own weapon to make Zelda angry. "So is it true?" she asked keenly.
"What?"
"You're engaged to Prince Selth?"
Zelda stopped dead. She was about to glare back, and perhaps repeat the shin-kicking incident but refrained from both. "Yes, it's true. I'm . . . engaged." she said, putting up a brave smile and hating the way the word sounded against her lips.
"Oh, my!" Evelyn looked over to where Selth was standing, by his father with another noble. "My, you surely got the goods of the lot!"
Zelda stared. "Excuse me?"
"Why, look at him. He's simply a doll."
Zelda stared at him to her. "Oh . . . of course." Zelda said awkwardly. "Why don't you go and introduce yourself to him?" she asked. "He'd be delighted to meet you."
Evelyn smiled. "Yes, I think I should. Do you mind?"
"Not at all. Not in the least bit." Zelda said her first sincere statement all day. Evelyn smiled, kissed her once more, and left. Zelda sighed in relief, and continued making barren small-talk with the nobles around her, carefully avoiding Evelyn.
The hour passed by slowly, each minute dragging itself, one after another. But finally, the king took Zelda away from the crowd of nobles.
"Zelda," he said. "It's time we leave to greet the commoners. Fix up your dress and wait in the entrance." the king said, a smile was playing around his lips.
Zelda brightened. This, if she played her cards right, could be fun.
"Some of the nobles are coming, so mind your manners." The king called after her.
Well, she would have to play her cards very well then. She climbed into the awaiting carriage, with the aide of several servants for the red, sweeping gown she wore made climbing into anything no simple matter. And then they were set off, across the bumpy road, and into the fast approaching night.
Every year on Melinaea's Eve, her father made the same exact, kingly speech to the citizens of the greatness in the festivities of Melinaea's Eve. And every year, Zelda sat, pretending to pay rapt attention to her father, and smiling and waving hello and goodbye to the people. And then, they would spend a few short minutes "mingling" in the happy parties going on, and then rush back to the castle to keep company to the nobles.
This year was no different. The people on the village streets were dancing and laughing and talking, neither a worry nor care for tomorrow. So many people, enjoying this day, their cheeks flushed from laughter, and Zelda was not part of it. Out of all the luck, she was a princess.
The crowd quieted down, and the festivities became serious, as like every year, the king started his speech.
"Dear people of Hyrule. I come to you to celebrate this joyous holiday in occasion of Melinaea's Eve, where everyone should be merry and happy." The king began regally. "Everyone should enjoy themselves but make note not to let things get too far."
Zelda tuned out after that. Evelyn was smiling like a fool, waving to all the people energetically. She glanced at Zelda, who was standing non-waving, only smiling, and gave her a disapproving look. Then she turned back and continued to wave only too vigorously.
And then she heard the king finished, and everyone broke out into a strong applause. Whether they were listening or not was a mystery to Zelda. The king gave a last smile and executed a noble, simple wave good-bye to the applauding crowd. Then he turned to her, bent down and muttered in her ear,
"Go and mingle in the parties. Make a good impression. But don't stay long, we have to get back to the other nobles in the castle."
Zelda smiled. Her favorite part of the day!
"And take Evelyn with you."
Her mouth dropped open. "What?" she yelped, perhaps a little too loudly.
The king gave her a stern look and nodded. Zelda stared at him, her face turning into a glare. Her favorite part of the day. Gone.
The king walked away, and Evelyn soon replaced his company.
"So are we going down the festivities?" Evelyn asked, taking Zelda's hand again.
"Yes, we are." Zelda said through gritted teeth, throwing another glare at her father.
They slowly slipped themselves into the crowd. Everyone was busy dancing and singing along to the jumble of songs playing, that no one noticed her and Evelyn, for once in her princess life.
Evelyn made conversation with quite a few of the young men, while Zelda stared wistfully at the happy people dancing the night away. The young men were too dazed by Evelyn's looks to really listen to her, and it was really just Evelyn yapping on about her own affairs, making a nice, barren, one-way conversation.
Zelda's eyes skimmed the crowd, such a fierce aching in her heart as she gazed around the beautiful, blissful people, all celebrating, enjoying this day with the people they loved. But abruptly, her eyes came to a man who was not celebrating, and did not certainly look like he was enjoying anything.
He was against a table, loaded with rum and plenty of empty bottles, and staring at the people, with an intense look of dislike on his face. He wore a long, black cloak, an odd color to wear on Melinaea's Eve, but the baggy cloak was not enough to hide what seemed like a hunch back. On top his head, was a black hat to match, pulled down so low it nearly covered his eyes.
Zelda suddenly realized his eyes were not on the crowd anymore; they were on her. She blinked, but didn't look away and nor did he, and she felt a cold shiver run down her back. She looked away, at her hands, and saw along her arms were many, fine goose bumps. She chanced another glance at the man, who by now had looked away, but there was an odd gleam in his almost-covered up eyes.
She felt another shiver, and didn't know why, but something between his strange aloofness and his black garments made Zelda feel uneasy. She gave herself another glance at him, but suddenly, he was gone. She looked around the surrounding places, but he had disappeared. Just like that.
But why did she still feel that odd, cold shiver running marathons down her back?
Link was lounging lazily in a chair, drink in hand, sitting with Marth at a table, watching the people dance on by. Roy was somewhere, either dancing with a random girl he had found or, and more likely, eating.
Suddenly he felt an odd, strange tremble run down his back, and he shot up, sitting up straight in his chair.
"What was that?" Marth asked, staring at his friend.
"I don't know. . . ." Link said, massaging his back. He stared around the crowd. "I just felt this kind of shiver pass down my back."
Marth gave him a weird look and Link shrugged it off. "It must have been some kind of insect." Link said. But he still couldn't shake off that weird feeling.
"Hmm . . . and speaking of shivers, here's another thing that can make you act weird." Marth said, with a grin, and jerking his head to his right.
Link looked, and sure enough, he did feel a sensation shoot down his spine, but this time it was teasingly ticklish, almost pleasant. But a more important sensation was happening in his torso, something like butterflies, only these butterflies must have the ability to multiply with every second.
There was Zelda, a good distance away from him. He knew every year, the royals spent time "socializing" with the commoners but this was the first year he had ever felt whatever he felt in his stomach right now. He stared at her, maybe too hard and too long because Marth chuckled.
"When the moon sets, the two shall run away, and when they return it won't be till the break of day!" Marth said, reciting an old children's rhyme. Link elbowed him, but he let his eyes drift over to her again and let them stay there.
"She's beautiful." He murmured, completely to himself.
"Pardon?" Marth said.
Link jumped, realizing Marth was still there. "Er . . I said . . . I'm full. I, uh, ate quite a lot."
Marth raised his eyebrows. He glanced behind him, at her. "You are going to go and talk to her, aren't you?" he said.
Link blinked. Marth rolled his eyes. "Go before she has to leave." Marth urged.
Link shrugged, but within seconds, he found himself on his feet walking to her. The butterflies were multiplying by hundreds.
Zelda was still gazing absently around the crowd, that weird shiveryfeeling reduced to only a memory. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped around and came face to face with Link. Oh Goddesses. Link. And as if on cue, thousands of emotions came flying past, tangling up into a tense knot in her stomach.
He smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he said. More emotions came whooshing past, and settled into her tethered stomach.
"It's okay, I-I was just kind of day dreaming." Zelda said, smiling back. And then, as if the words were just barreling to get out, she said, "Thank you for the necklace. It's so lovely."
Link looked away, his cheeks reddening. "No problem. I met one of your servants at the Market and she said she'd give it to you."
"What's her name?" Zelda asked.
"Mmm, Nava? Yes, it was something like that. She said she knew you."
"Oh right, Nava." Zelda said, though having no idea who she was. She made a mental note to find her and thank her immensely.
"Are you having fun?" he asked her. Zelda stared at him and then laughed. Link felt his heart soar as she laughed.
"No, not at all. I wish I could be one of those people." She pointed to a man, dancing with a woman, both their eyes brimming with tears of laughter.
Link smiled. "Can't you just go in and dance with them?"
Zelda looked at him wryly.
"Don't tell me princesses don't dance."
She smiled. "I could, but I wouldn't be making a 'good impression'."
"You don't always have to." he said. She looked at him and then back at the couple dancing, a soft smile teasing her lips.
Link's heart was beating a storm, louder than the music and the people. The words were at the tip of his tongue, ready to shoot out, and ask her if she wanted to dance. He wanted to be with her so badly, that he was afraid he would forget to ask and simply just take her hand and lead her away.
"How long are you staying?" Zelda asked, just as Link opened his mouth.
He stopped, closed his mouth and shrugged. "As long as it's fun, I guess." And as long as you're here, he added silently.
"You'll be here all night," she said with a smile.
"Good, we can have fun all night."
"You can, I can't."
"Yes, you can." Link said. Zelda smiled and looked away.
There was a loud cough next to them. Zelda started and looked around to see Evelyn, whose eyes were on Link. Zelda had completely forgotten about her.
"Oh—this is Evelyn, my, er, friend. And this is Link." She said, feeling a strange gap missing after Link's name, knowing she didn't introduce him like she did Evelyn, by stating her relation to Evelyn as her "friend". But she no longer knew her relation to Link. She thought again of the necklace.
"Nice to meet you, Evelyn." Link said with a smile.
"Oh, and you, Link." Evelyn said with a smile, batting her eyelashes. "It's simply a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand. Link stared at it. He stared at Evelyn, to Zelda, who was staring at Evelyn, and back down to the hand. Shrugging inwardly, he bewilderedly raised it to his lips and kissed it lightly.
Evelyn's smile widened as she withdrew her hand. Zelda was staring at Evelyn, her mouth just a little open, her face reading clear the one thought in her head; what was that?
"So where are you from Link?" Evelyn asked, stepping closer. "I hope it wasn't too long of a journey for you here."
Link looked rather bemused, not by her question but by her manner. "No, it wasn't. I live just a little way over there, near the village."
Evelyn's eyes widened. "Really? I live near there too!" She smiled. "Perhaps one day, I should come visit you." she said, her eyelashes fluttering again.
Link blinked and looked away but there was a tiny, puzzled smile on his lips. "Sure."
Evelyn smiled and fluffed back her hair from her neck. Zelda stared at her, revolted. What the hell are you doing? She screamed mentally at Evelyn. She stared at Link, and she swore the smile was still on his lips. And what the hell are you doing?
"Who are you here with?" Evelyn asked. Zelda disliked how close she was to him.
"Er, just my friends, here . . . someplace." Link said, waving his hand to the crowd. He found no red-haired head or teal-haired head anywhere.
"I see." Her eyes sparkled. "No girl?"
Link felt his cheeks redden. But worse, his eyes glanced to Zelda and he hated himself for it. "No."
"That's a surprise." she said, her smile widening. "I would have thought someone like you would have one, for sure."
Link blinked, blushed, and muttered something that Zelda couldn't hear, but Evelyn heard and laughed.
"Who are you with?" Link asked, though he already knew.
"Just Zelda." Evelyn said, glancing at her only for a second. Then swiftly, she changed the subject. "Do you dance?"
Link's eyes again darted to Zelda, and he found the best answer he had for that: he shrugged. "I'm alright."
"I love dancing." Evelyn said, though the last time she had come to a royal ball, Zelda remembered she kept against the wall, only dancing if someone asked her. "Wouldn't it be fun if the two of us could just dance here, all night?" she said with a smile.
Link looked back down at his shoes, hating the endless pit of awkwardness in his stomach region. "I suppose." He said.
Zelda stared between the two of them, anger boiling through her stomach. Her thoughts couldn't connect, and she could barely grasped what was going on. Link, on his part, looked clueless.
But this one thought did connect. Neither of them was going to pay any attention to her, not even Link who was too busy with Evelyn. Evelyn said something, not heard by Zelda's ears. Was he smiling at her again? Yes, that stupid, tiny smile. Was he blushing again too? The anger steamed upwards, heating her mind and her mouth. Fine. They didn't mind and neither did she. She waited until they were so busy talking again, and Evelyn was batting her eyelashes, and Zelda simply slipped away. They didn't notice.
They didn't notice.
Zelda felt herself crumble. Her favorite part of the day. The best part of her day. The best part of any day. Ruined.
She walked away from the festivities, glancing sourly at the men and women dancing, wishing she could throw a rock at them all. She stumbled away from the music and laughter, just a little ways away from the carriage. The place was empty and abandoned, looking dark and desolate compared to the bright and lively noise and light coming from the parties. Zelda sat on one of the low brick walls.
She didn't know how long she sat there, but the longer she sat, the stupider she felt. That necklace. She should throw it into a well and board it up, so no one, no one, would ever, ever see it. It really wasn't that beautiful anyways. The emotions she felt, the laughter, the knot in her stomach, were all gone. It was filled with something else, something Zelda had yet to find the right word for. It was part anger but something else. What?
She idly played with her fingers and her hair, knowing that the bottom of her dress must be dirty from sitting on this brick wall. Her servants would be mad, and her father would be angry she had walked away from the celebration, which he would say "does not make a good impression" but Zelda didn't care. She didn't care about much anymore.
It did not seem long before she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, ready to see her father or Prince Selth or perhaps King Rookwall, coming back to the carriage to return to the castle, and was surprised to see neither of them, but Link. She turned back, staring at her hands, examining the loss of emotions she felt when she saw him, unlike before.
"Hi." he said, sitting next to her.
She didn't respond, only glanced at him stiffly.
"What's wrong?" he asked, unsure of her less-than-warm greeting.
"Nothing. Everything's just super. Fantastic!" she said, her voice sounding strangely light and silly.
"Are you okay?" Link asked, staring at her.
"Oh, yes. I'm marvelous. Just marvelous."
Link didn't say anything. There was definitely something wrong.
"So what are you doing here?" he asked, ignoring her strange manner.
She let out an annoyed, exasperated sigh and stood up. "What do you care, Link?" she muttered.
"What?"
She turned around to face him. "What do you care? Just go back to the party."
Link stared. "What's the matter with you?" he said finally.
"Nothing! I'm doing just splendid." She said, spitting out each word. "Why don't you go back to the party? I'm sure Evelyn's missing you."
Link could do no more than stare at her blankly.
"You don't want to keep her waiting." Zelda said sweetly. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself with her."
He was still staring at her, but now his mouth was just in the merest outline of a frown. "What are you talking about?" he said.
Zelda didn't say anything. Link's eyes were fixed on her. "What's wrong?"
"None of your business." she snapped.
Link stared at her. "You were fine just a few minutes ago." he said slowly.
"I'm fine now. Just go back to all your friends."
"Which friends?" Link asked, genuinely bemused, and thinking of Roy and Marth.
Zelda shot him a nasty look.
"Why are you so upset?" Link asked, concern, worry, and confusion all folded together smoothly in his voice.
"I'm not upset!" Zelda snapped.
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not!"
Link sighed and shifted his gaze to the ground. Zelda sighed too.
"You were having fun with her before, so why don't you just go back?" she said softly.
Something about her voice presented a thought to Link. "Are you angry with Evelyn?" he asked.
"Goodness, gracious no! How could I ever be angry at her?" Zelda asked, using the forced silly-sounding voice, only now it was oozing with sarcasm.
"What did she do?"
"Nothing! She's just marvelous. She's wonderful! Don't you think she's wonderful?"
Link stared. "She's . . . alright. A little, er, weird."
Zelda didn't say anything for a moment. Then, she sighed again and said, "Why don't you go back and enjoy more of her wonderfulness?" she asked, her voice bitter.
Again, something about her tone brought another thought to Link. "This has something to do with me, doesn't it?"
Zelda didn't answer, only scowled at her feet.
"Me and Evelyn?"
No reply.
Something clunked in place in Link's head. "Was I ignoring you?" he asked.
Zelda glared. She had had enough. "Leave me alone, Link."
"Oh, Zelda." He sighed, and his eyes softened. "I'm really sorry, I really didn't mean to. She just kept talking and—"
"That's not all she wanted though," Zelda muttered quickly to her shoes.
Link stared. The gears inside his mind clicked. "Oh . . ."
Silence. Then—
"Zelda, I—"
"We're going to be going soon, I'm afraid you have to leave, Link."
"Wait, I didn't mean—"
"Go away!"
"I didn't mean anything; I was just talking to her!"
"Great, go talk to her some more."
"Look, I didn't even do anything!" Link said heatedly. "Is it my fault she was talking to me?"
"No, of course not." Zelda spat. "Nothing is your fault."
"Nothing happened, Zel, I was just talking."
"Talk some more then and tell me how things go."
"Why do you care so much if I just talk to her?"
"I don't!" Zelda said forcefully, spinning around. "I don't! I don't care at all!"
"Then why are you so angry?"
"I'm not angry!"
"Yes, you are."
"Go away, Link."
Link stared at her. "What are you angry at me for? I was just talking to this Evelyn and then I realized you were gone, so I came to look for you. Then I find you here, and all I asked was what you were doing here, and then you snap at me and get angry at me and yell at me for just talking to your friend. And anyways why do you care so much what I do with her?"
Zelda slapped her hand to her face in frustration. "Well here's a thought!" She snapped at him. The anger struck back, blinding her thoughts, her mind, and flooding her mouth. "Maybe because I love you! Did you think of that?"
Her words exploded into a deafeaning silence, ringing through louder than clanging bells. Suddenly realizing what she said, she clapped her hand to her mouth. But she knew it was true. It could only be true, because she knew what a lie felt like, and this, this did not feel anything like a lie, never a lie. Never a lie.
She looked away, at the soft, grassy ground below her that she could feel spinning and slipping beneath her feet. "I love you." she murmured more to herself than him. "And . . . you—you don't." Than she turned and walked away, leaving a stunned silence behind her.
A/n: Ha! Cliffy time, baby! I thought the I-love-you-You-love-me scenes are getting old, so here, something new! That dressed-in-black guy? Yes, he was Ganondorf's henchman who was introduced somewhere 'round chapter three (ha, if you can remember back that far). Anyways, doesn't cliffies just make you want to press that review button down there and tell me to update? You know it does! Ha, don't fight the urge. Review! :o) Toodles loves!