Caranril: Hello all! I realize that it's been a while, but this chapter will more than make up for my insolence!
Legolas: The endlessness of it cannot be compensated.
Caranril: You be quiet.
Thanks to: Tizami (I'm back and more fiery than ever! Good to know I've been missed. ; ), T-bone (A cruise! I'd almost say I'm jealous, but I went sailing on a tall ship...), Moonbeam (Yay! A new friend yay!)
Legolas: Now on with the chapter.
Caranril: Warning to those under-agers who might be reading: nothing explicit happens, but things do get a little hot! Just a heads up...
The Dark Before The Dawn - Chapter 10: A Little R&R
Link blinked his eyes. They were standing in the graveyard, right in the place where Zelda had opened the Sheikah tomb. It was as if they hadn't even left. But as he reached down and felt the reassuring handle of Beleguial, he knew that they had visited the spiritual realm and that it was time to move on. Zelda appeared to be deep in thought as they left the graveyard, probably thinking of ways to tell Impa about her father's spirit.
It was late evening now, and by the shape they were both in, neither could face another night in Hyrule Field. Link vehemently objected to staying with the large woman again, so they agreed upon the inn at the Twilight Tavern that would suit Link's two hundred-rupee budget and fit the name of his sword.
They were shocked by the ruckus and the smells coming from the tavern. Both Zelda and Link thought it best for her to return to her Sheikah form. They might receive less trouble that way. The innkeeper was enthusiastic about their staying the night, though he only had one free room.
"It's my daughter's twentieth birthday celebration goin' on in there. Feel free to join in on the festivities," he chuckled. To appease him, Link simply nodded and ensured they would.
Link's eyes popped out of his head and Sheik remained silent as they entered the lobby. There were so many people there that it was impossible to cross through and get to their room.
"Well, now's as good of time as any to participate," Link muttered, selecting a table to wait at. Sheik took the chair in the corner, an excellent position for surveying the room. Link sat backwards on his chair, watching the ruthless men and women laughing, dancing, and gambling. A young woman who he decided had to be the birthday girl was tap dancing on the bar, a bright pink scarf hanging from her shoulders. She had black hair that framed her porcelain face with wild curls and a voluptuous body hugged by a rather skimpy red dress. There were many young men clambering for her attention. Unfortunately for Link, as he met her dark eyes, he turned out to be the one she wanted to give that attention to. She gave him a sultry look and hopped from the counter and walked down the path that her admirers had cleared for her. She stood next to Link, who returned her gaze blankly.
"What are you doin' in the corner all by your lonesome?" she asked, widening her eyes and sticking her bottom lip out slightly.
"I'm not alone," Link responded tilting his head back towards Sheik.
The girl laughed. "Well, with that shadow you might as well be! Come and have a drink! Or three." She grabbed Link's tunic sleeve and dragged him from his chair. He gave an apologetic glance to Sheik, but he was staring impassively at another point in the room. With a shrug, Link decided that if Sheik didn't care, then he might as well make the most of things. When the girl-"Win" she said her name was-presented him with a large glass of a red liquid, he "downed the hatch". Which turned out to be a big mistake, for the liquid burned all the way down his throat and churned his stomach, making his eyes watered profusely.
The group laughed at him, but when he placed the empty mug firmly on the bar, cheers lifted and the party continued on as before, only this time Win was not only attracting attention but giving it as well. To Link. After two more mugs of that red fire, Link was quite loose and comfortable, and as questions arose from whenst he came, he was ready and willing to act out his adventures on the bar. A parry here, a thrust there, and twice he nearly let his tongue slip loose the fact that the Crown Princess was sitting just on the other side of the room.
When he finished his grand story, the room thundered with applause and girls clambering for his attention while Link bowed humbly, his mouth quirked in a smile that faded when his eyes met Sheik's. He couldn't tell if the Sheikah was mad or not, but the way he met his gaze...Link shuddered, then hopped from the bar, wiping a drip of sweat from his brow. It was rather warm in the tavern.
"Just where do you think you're goin'?" Win purred, grabbing his tunic sleeve.
"I'm going to rest a little bit, and my traveling companion seems kind of lonely," Link lied.
"Oh there's plenty of girls around here for him to entertain himself with. Besides, it's still my birthday and I want to spend it with you." She fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously and pressed her warm body against his.
"Alright," Link smiled foolishly. "Just give me ten minutes."
"Of course, but you'll have to find me when you're done." She turned around, flipping her ebony hair over her shoulders and slipped into the crowd. Link found himself staring after her, then stiffened as he felt the angry eyes burning into his back.
He sheepishly sat across from Sheik, reluctantly looking up. His face was emotionless, but his rubies eyes flashed with controlled smoldering.
"Um...hey?" Link tried.
"I have nothing to say to you," Sheik said quietly, his tone icy.
"Oh, come on!" Link said in exasperation. "I was just having a little fun! I'm entitled to a little R&R too, aren't I?"
"Not when both of our lives are in danger." Sheik's red eyes bore into Link's.
"Look, we don't know if Meltose is going to break free in weeks, days, or years," Link argued. "Might as well enjoy ourselves before the end."
"Like you enjoyed yourself with Nabooru?"
Link started. "H-how did you know about that? Anyway, I did it to save the Gerudo race."
Sheik's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. "She didn't need your 'seed'. None of them did. After Ganondorf left to take over Hyrule, twin boys were born to one of the pregnant guards."
Link stared at him in disbelief. "Twins?"
Sheik leaned back and stared behind Link. "She conned you into sleeping with her. She is a thief, after all."
"A damn good one at that," Link muttered, only slightly miffed that Nabooru had tricked him. He had rather enjoyed it...
"Mr. Link?" someone tapped his shoulder.
Link turned and looked at the young man. "What?"
"Win is expecting you." And with that he left to return to his drink.
Link couldn't bring himself to meet Sheik's eyes. He just grabbed his pack and stood abruptly. "Well, I'm going to turn in for the night. See you in the morning." He stalked up the stairs, wary that several pairs of eyes were watching him. What he didn't notice was that they were all filled with loathing.
Link found the room matching his key on the third floor, but he had no idea where to find Win. He shrugged his shoulders and entered. He flipped the light on, and was surprised to see a figure draped over the bed. She had left her boa and heeled shoes at the foot of the bed.
"Hello, Link," she winked at him. "I knew this was your room."
Link dropped his pack to the floor and closed the door. "What are you doing in here?"
Win leaned back on her elbows with her legs stretched out in front of her. "Waiting for my birthday present. You can't attend one of my parties without giving me a present."
Link slowly sat on the edge of the bed. "A birthday present?"
"Mm-hm..." She grabbed his collar and pulled him on top of her, pressing her ruby lips against his. Link was startled, but he certainly reveled the hot kiss. He gave her one of his own, and she moaned into his mouth.
"That's more like it," she said huskily, pulling his bandana off and letting his long blond hair fly about. "Ooh, you look so wild like that." His tunic followed the bandana, and then his forearm guards. Link straddled Win as her hands relished the strong flesh of his chest and shoulders and his mouth relished hers. As they kissed, Link reached down to pulled her dress off, but froze as he felt that same burning feeling in his back as he had earlier. He released Win and looked behind him. In the doorway, arms crossed and eyes barely visible through face wraps and a furrowed brow, stood Sheik. Win sat up halfway to see the intruder. She laughed.
"Oh, looks like your companion doesn't appreciate our use of bed."
Link swallowed hard, then got up off of Win. He stood with his head bowed, Sheik's furious eyes cutting through his intoxicated brain and diminishing his arousal.
Win stood next to him. "Link, what's goin'-"
"Win, I think you'd better go," Link said quietly. Win stared at him, deciding whether his was kidding or not, but when his blue eyes glanced at her, she could see the defeat in them and was completely taken aback.
"Oh, well, I remember I was goin' to open my presents before everyone left." She grabbed her shoes and boa and headed out of the room, slowing by Sheik and glaring at him, whose ruby eyes remained fixated on Link. She huffed past and slammed the door.
Link stared at the floor, quite content to observe the dust on the wooden surface. While the minutes ticked by, Link found himself sweating even more than he had when demonstrating his adventures in the tavern. Finally, he couldn't take the waiting anymore, and he looked up. Sheik was frozen in the same position and expression he had been when he had walked in on them.
"I'm sorry?" Link attempted. Sheik just blinked, then turned around and opened the door. "Wait, where are you going?"
Sheik stopped for a second. "Out." And with that, he shut the door with a very controlled force.
Link sighed. He should have just told him that his love life was his own business. But it was so hard to stand up for himself when Sheik was the one he was talking to. He was just so formidable and never seemed willing to listen to anything he had to say in his defense. If he had been Zelda, however...
Link flopped face-first onto bed, exhaustion taking over the numerous arguments running through his head that he should have said five minutes earlier.
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Five silent shapes slunk up the stairs to the third floor. Five hands were armed with knives shining in the moonlight. A sixth hand carried pieces of rope.
The fourth door on the left had been carelessly unlocked. The tizzy that had occurred a few hours before distracted the tenant to negligence, leaving a most opportune window for the five.
They pushed the door open quietly and slipped inside, then closed and locked the door behind them. In a series of quick motions, they had the hands of the figure conveniently lying on his stomach tied behind his back, a gag cloth in his mouth, and him flipped over.
The leader pulled out a knife and held it to his throat as he woke up.
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Link stared with blurred eyes down the arm holding the blade to his jugular and into the dark eyes of one of Win's admirers. His mouth hurt, and then he realized he had been gagged. Calling for help was out of the question.
"We didn't appreciate your theft of Win's attentions," he said fiercely, "but we hated it when she came downstairs in tears because you got her hopes up and then sent her away before anything really happened. What kind of person does that to such a wonderful creature? Well, we decided only a truly vile one, and vile people shouldn't be allowed in placid towns such as Kakariko."
Link was yanked up from the bed and made to stand. He eyed the three guys and felt the fourth behind him. He glanced at his weapons on the far side of the room, then back at the small knives in the hands of his assailants. The brute behind him felt sizeable, probably too big to escape from. Link just swallowed, carefully for the knife was still at his throat, and continued to listen.
"At first, we thought we drive you out of here with the warning never to come back, but from the looks of you, you're a traveler who might return often. So what other options does that leave us? Not many, that's for sure." He grinned evilly. "Only one thing to do, the way I see it."
Link's eyes widened as he pulled back to strike the knife into his belly. He yanked himself out of the big guy's arms and narrowly missed the blade, which instead plunged into his holder. The big guy grunted, then collapsed. Link was at the door in a flash, trying to open it, but with his hands tied behind his back, he was having little success. He gave the door a kick, but crumpled before a second try as the blunt of a knife connected with his temple. His feet were grabbed, and he was dragged away from the door. He tried to fight back, but his head was so fuzzy from the blow...
A voice cried out and the door screamed as the wood was torn from the hinges. A slim figured flipped into the room and incapacitated the fellow who had reached the door first with a firm kick to his jaw. The three remaining men stared as Sheik stopped and crouched in front of them.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get him!" the leader ordered. Yelling, the other two charged Sheik with their pitiful knives, who simply flipped backwards and kicked the knives, disarming both. They resorted to their fists, but Sheik easily dodged each swing before sweeping a leg under their feet. They came down hard, a resounding crack coming from one of them who had landed on his elbow. The other stood shakily, but as he met Sheik's solid gaze, he ran back to his leader.
"You go, Kale," he whimpered, rubbing his back.
"Chicken," Kale muttered as he handed the still-dizzy Link over. Instead of using his own knife, he grabbed Link's sword and drew it. He kept it aloft, barely, with two hands and swung clumsily at the Sheikah. He dodged the swipes, then turned around, ran towards the wall and, much to Kale's dismay, up it, sending him flying over the bully's head. Sheik landed a punch on his face as he turned around. Kale dropped to the floor and lost hold of the sword. Sheik snatched Beleguial before Kale could even think and held it to his throat.
"I-I surrender!" Kale said shakily, holding his hands up.
Sheik turned his head back to Link and the man holding him. "Release him," he said quietly. He held his hands up in imitation of his leader, letting Link sink to his knees. Sheik jerked his head for the young man to join his friend on the floor.
"I want you two to leave this inn and never come back," Sheik said with quiet tensity. "And I suggest you stay out of my way until we leave."
With rushed nods and agreements, the two ran out of the room, tripping over the bodies of their fallen comrades, and the one who had broken his arm struggled to stand and scurried out after them.
Sure they were gone, Sheik knelt beside Link, who was moaning slightly and bent over. Sheik cut the gag and the binds with a discarded knife, and gently touched Link's back.
"Are you alright, Link?"
"N-no," Link groaned. "I think I'm going to be..." Link turned away from Sheik as he his stomach heaved and emptied it contents on the floor.
Sheik patted his back. "Too much alcohol," he observed.
"That and being cracked in the head with a blunt object," Link coughed. He wiped his mouth on his wrist, then noticed that he was only wearing his leggings and boots. It seemed he had forgotten to redress after the...skirmish. Only slightly deterred, he stood shakily and gingerly touched his swelling temple.
"Here." Sheik handed him a heart-fruit. Link didn't question its sudden appearance and simply took a large bite. When he had finished the entire heart-fruit, the throbbing had lessened considerably and his head no longer rotated thirty times on his neck every time he moved it.
"Thanks," he sighed.
"We should get going," Sheik stated bluntly. "I told them to get out of here, but they will probably run to the authorities. Though we did nothing wrong, it is in Time's best interest for us to be on our way."
"Yeah," Link agreed, pulling his tunic over his head. He strapped on his weapons and forearm armour. "Where will we go? It's still dark out."
"After I found you and...after I left, I located Impa's house. She wasn't there, but a note said that she heard of something in the Lost Woods that might be of some use to us. She had left a couple days earlier to check it out."
"Great," Link sighed. He had been wanting to visit Saria and the other Kokiris since he'd awoken, and here was his opportunity. "Let's go." He reached for his pack, but Sheik hefted it over his shoulder.
There wasn't much talk between them on the way to Impa's house, but Link felt that neither of them were ready to talk anyway. The walk was short, much to the relief of Link's still-sore head. He realized now that the pain wasn't from being hit but from drinking. Heart-fruit couldn't cure that.
Sheik let them in, and Link found himself eyeing the bed that he had woken up in only a few days ago, but it seemed like many years. Sheik set to building a fire to warm the house and make a hot meal. Link found the bathroom and acquainted himself with the tub. Hot running water steamed about him, and he realized that modern accommodations weren't readily available to him in his previous years.
"How did I ever survive?" Link sighed contentedly. He inhaled and sunk under the water to let every pore, muscle, and joint soak up the warmth.
Link had found a robe in the bathroom and donned that. It was purple, but quite frankly he didn't care. He let his hair air-dry, for it always felt better that way. He was about to collapse on the bed when he heard clattering in the kitchen, then the delightful scent of cooked food wafted past his nostrils. His stomach getting the better of his desire to sleep, Link wandered into the kitchen to see what was cooking. Instead of Sheik whipping together a meal as he had imagined, Zelda was puttering about, wearing an outfit that could only be described as Impa's. It was purple, skintight, and had black shorts and sleeves. Her blond hair was piled messily on top of her head. She hissed as a spitting saucepan hit her with rapid fire and dropped the lid on her foot. Exasperated, she bent over to pick it up.
Link's mouth upturned with a smile. "If you'd like, I'll finish up here and you can get a bath."
Zelda turned, startled. She gave him a once-over in the purple robe that hinted at the strong chest beneath it, his hair hanging wet and loose about his face and shoulders. She blushed and dropped the lid again, right on the same bare foot. "Ow!" She hopped in pain. "I think I can handle this."
"Are you sure?" Link grinned.
Zelda returned his smile, having a hard time keeping her eyes off the V of the robe, which dipped down just so that she could see the tops of his abs. Why am I so nervous? Just earlier he didn't have a shirt on at all...but then I was Sheik and not attracted to men...She shook her head.
"I wasn't raised to be a cook. I was supposed to know politics, diplomatic niceties, and tricks of the trade and live in a castle where others courted my needs. I know some home skills simply because Impa taught them to me. Obviously, I'm not too graceful about the kitchen."
"That's okay," Link shrugged, "because believe it or not, I can't dance to save my life."
Zelda's blush had faded slightly. "Really?"
Link nodded. "It's like I have eight left feet, you know? And I can't sing either. Well, I can sing, but I can't carry a tune."
Zelda smiled. "Thanks, Link. I think I'll take you up on the offer for a bath..."
Link held out his hand, and she placed the lid into it.
"It's all yours," she called back as she nearly ran for the bathroom.
Once Link had found his bearings in the kitchen, he was on a role. He simmered the sauce, cooked a Cucco (either Impa had left them one or Zelda had obtained it), and even found some leftover apple pie in the fridge. Impa had a variety of cooking utensils and ingredients that Link had never seen before, and by the looks of the cookbooks and delicacies in her fridge that were identical to the pictures, the Sage of the Shadow Temple had a fancy for the culinary arts.
He had set the table with plates, wine glasses filled with ale, and two candles that had been conveniently sitting on the counter. Right under the candles had been the note Impa had left. Seemed she was implying something.
No sooner had he lit the second candle and blew out the match did Zelda emerge from the bathroom. She was wearing the same thing she had gone in with, but her hair wrapped up in a towel. She saw the meal and the setup and began blushing again. Link offered her a chair and pushed it in when she was settled. He served her before himself, and then dug in hungrily. Zelda watched him eat for a moment before laughing nervously.
"What?" Link asked between bites.
"It's just that, well, I bet we look odd. The table's all done up like for an elegant dinner, and here you and I sit fresh from the tub!"
Link glanced up and noticed what she was talking about. He chuckled himself, then returned to giving his stomach attention. Zelda, considerably more comfortable, followed suite.
After the meal, cleaning went quickly with the two working together. When they were finished, Link sank into the bed with a sigh. Zelda sat on the end and let her hair loose of the towel. Blond locks spilled across her face, still wet, but sufficient enough for her to braid. Link watched her face set in concentration as she started the braid, but failed to take it past her neck. She untangled the hair and tried again, only to fail again. With a groan of exasperation, she shook her hair loose and sat there, beleaguered.
"May I?" Link asked, scooting behind her.
"Sure," Zelda said in surprise as he collected her hair to her back. "But, you know how to braid?"
Link was glad she couldn't see his face, for it turned quite red. "Uh...yeah...um, the girls in Kokiri Forest...well, they liked me, you see, because I would hang out with them. The boys weren't very nice to me. Especially Mido. Anyway, the girls taught me how to braid. They thought it was neat for a guy to braid their hair. Like it's more thrilling than having the other girls do it."
Zelda's eyes were closed as she fell under the spell of his fingers running against her scalp and through her hair. "Mm, it is," she said quietly.
"What?" Link asked.
Zelda opened her eyes. "Oh what? Um, nothing." She paused a moment. "I always had Impa or a maid braid my hair. That's probably one reason why it's so long: other people have to take care of it. When I was living with the Gerudos, I just kept it up all the time, since it was so hot, and it was easier to train without it getting in the way."
"Well, seems to me you did just fine keeping it beautiful," Link said absently, focusing on keeping the braid tight. Zelda turned her head slightly, surprised at his comment.
"Hey! Keep your head straight!"
"Oh! Sorry!"
Link finished shortly, tying it off with a band that Zelda provided for him. "There! Finished! You know, I've never braided that much hair at once. I consider that to be a great accomplishment."
"Oh really?" Zelda turned as Link returned to the head of the bed. "So what do you call defeating Ganondorf?"
Link leaned against the headboard, his hands behind his head for cushioning.
"Hm...I'd say a good workout."
"Ah!" Zelda huffed, snatching a pillow that had been discarded on the floor and smacked Link in the face with it.
"Hey!" Link tried to grab it but Zelda pulled it back too quickly. He leaned forward, only to get smacked again. He fell backwards, teetered on the edge of the bed, and tumbled to the floor. Zelda laughed so hard her cheeks hurt, and Link's attempt to look miffed only made her laugh harder.
"Woah!" she said, wiping the tears from her eyes, then suddenly released a huge yawn that made her ears pop. Link echoed her yawn, and she stifled a second.
"Guess we'd better get some rest before we leave, huh?" Link remained on the floor, eyeing the bed forlornly. "Uh, you can have the bed."
Zelda glanced at he bed, then at Link, who was already pulling extra pillows from the bed to use as cushions.
"Wait...Link?"
He froze, staring at her skittish expression.
"Um...I'm willing...to share."
"You're not still mad at me?"
Zelda shook her head. "No."
"Oh, okay." Link tossed the pillows back up and hopped onto the bed nonchalantly. Zelda watched him, then slowly lay at his side. He looked over at her and gave her a smile through tired eyes.
"Good night. Or morning, as the case may be," he said before turning over and immediately falling asleep.
Zelda lay there for a moment, her heart racing, for even though there were several inches between them, she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. As he began breathing loudly, her nerves calmed and her heart slowed, and her lids closed as she fell asleep.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Caranril: Hoo! That was a looooooooong chappie!
Legolas: Okay, 'looooooooong' and 'chappie' don't belong in the same sentence.
Caranril: I can make anything belong together. Like bananas and mint chocolate chip ice cream. :d
Legolas: Ew...
Caranril: I think it's fun to make Link get into trouble, and it's even more fun to have him need other people to get him out of fixes. And it's fun to make him fight with Sheik. Actually, it's fun all-around to write stories about Link.
Legolas: You should write a story about me...Oh no, WHY did I suggest that?
Caranril: You're a genius!
Legolas: Oh no... (wanders off, fretting)
Caranril: Hm, I'd say he's a lost cause for a while. Please review!