Chapter Ten
A day past. Princess Zelda had returned to her castle and to her father. Link was allowed to stay at Lon Lon Ranch with Malon and Talon. Annabella was invited, too.
Annabella knew that it was going to be time for her to leave, but she was not ready. She had to get home to her parents, but how could she leave Link and Princess Zelda? Now that she had had some time to think, it was obvious to her that she was in love with Link; to leave him would be an act punishable by law. She…didn't want to go.
Soft, glistening white drops drifted from the gray clouds, dusting the grass. It was early in the morning; Annabella guessed between six am and eight am as she gazed out of the window. Her first sarcastic guess had been somewhere between midnight and eleven fifty-nine pm, but then she decided to be reasonable and shoot out something else. If she had ever worn a wristwatch, maybe she would have known the time; however, she did not don many accessories.
"You do know that you must return to your homeland soon, Annabella."
Annabella turned her neck so that she could get a better look at Link, who was talking to her.
"I know, Link, I know," she replied. "I just…I don't wanna leave. This place…it's more peaceful than my home. My, um, my country has been in a war with another country for two or three years. And the people there don't care for each other. It's just all 'me, me, me'. Hylians care for each other. You make sure that your friends are okay and if they need any help, then they can trust you." Annabella sighed and turned back to the window, watching the glistening snow swirl towards the ground. "My home's not like that."
Link joined Annabella in the window and turned her to face him. He put his hands on her shoulders on looked her directly in the eyes. "Hyrule gets into wars, too, Annabella. And we have the continuous threat of Ganon. And…well, you know about Majora, don't you?"
Annabella nodded. Her heart was beating rapidly as her blue orbs connected with Link's green ones. Her pale skin through Malon's borrowed clothing was tingling, and her breath was rapid. Even a boy whom she had crushed on for three months and gone out with for almost nine had never given her such a reaction. She kept on thinking, 'Oh my God…is it true love? Could he love me back? He barely knows me…what if – oh my God what if he kisses me!' The prospect was exciting and nervous-making at the same time.
Link touched Annabella's hair gently and then let go of her. "I do not think that Hyrule will ever be free of Ganondorf nor of evils. It is just how life will go. Perhaps there will be better days, and maybe I will never encounter villains until I die. Who can tell? All I know, Annabella, is that you belong at your home."