A/N: Alright, just a note. FanFiction's not letting me use the blank enters, the large lines, and the things that you get with Shift plus the period. So, ----- means the same as a time lapse and (-) means a character or perspective change. Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-Eight - Instructions For King Zora
Link yawned as he sat up. It was early morning and, as always, the sun was shining directly on him. He grunted and fell back against the bed.
"You know, that's not a good attitude to have."
Link shrugged, refusing to sit up. "Oh well. I'll get over it." He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you dare push me off this bed."
He felt another hand on his other shoulder, lifting him up. "I would never do something like that." The hands started to knead the back of his neck.
"That feels pretty good, you know."
"I'd hope so. Awake yet?"
"Gimmie a few more minutes," Link replied.
"Well, we'll see about that."
Link got the few minutes.
As the hands withdrew from him, he sighed. "I have no idea what you did, but I think I like you even more than I did yesterday."
"Oh don't worry, I'll teach you. Then you can do it to me."
"No problem there. So, what brings you to my room this fine morning?" Link asked, tilting his head back until Zelda's head came into view, albeit upside down.
"Oh, I just thought I'd check in on my favorite hero."
"Good choice." He lazily placed his arm around Zelda and used her as a support as he turned, righted, and sat himself up. "Got a question for you."
"Ask away."
"What is it with you people and early mornings?"
"Just because you'd rather sleep until noon doesn't mean that the rest of us think the same."
"Oh, but it's so much fun! I mean, think about it. Not only do you grab several hours of rest, you don't have to deal with daily life until you wake up."
"Well, if you'd rather sleep until noon and then go have lunch with King Zora, you're welcome to."
Link stopped for a second. "No way. No more Zora food for me. That 'chicken of the sea' Ruto keeps talking about not only tastes nothing like chicken, but it is an insult to real chicken."
Zelda laughed. "You're priceless."
Link slipped his arm around her waist. "Well, of course I am. Otherwise I'd have a conveniently large price tag upon my brow."
"Not for long, you wouldn't, because I'd empty out the castle coffers to purchase the glorious Hero of Time."
"And then I would stand like a statue in front of the main gate, the mere sight of me driving away intruders."
"Alright, I think your ego's grown a tad."
"Nah, I'm just playing with you. I'm still humble ol' me, no worries." He removed his arm from around Zelda and leaned back, falling over the edge of the bed the second he did so.
"Need some help there?"
"No, I'm just fine," he responded. "I think I might need a bigger bed though. Queen size or so," he replied absentmindedly.
"Link! Behave, will you?"
"Queen is a mattress size, thank you very much!"
"Yeah, that's what you were thinking. Sure..."
"Honestly! I hadn't even begun to tear through the implications of a statement like that."
"Alright, if you say so."
"Now, if you were offering anything, then-" Link was cut short by the introduction of an elbow into his stomach. "Hey!"
"Well, you deserved that one," she replied, pulling him back onto the bed.
Link made some sort of unintelligible sound as he got off of the bed. He walked over to the closet and switched out the fiery red tunic for the watery blue one.
"What, deciding that green's not your color anymore?"
"No, these two tunics do special things. The red one cuts temperatures in half and the blue one lets me breathe underwater."
"Interesting. Think you could convince the Zoras to make me a dress like that?"
"I'm sure I could, but how exactly do you plan to stay underwater that long? I've got my Iron Boots, but you've nothing that heavy."
"I've got you."
Link laughed. "Had I not said something about my Iron Boots, I'd think you were calling me fat."
"Oh no, see, fat people float a lot easier."
"I get it. That's how King Zora'd stay afloat!"
"Link! We do not insult dignitaries, even if it may be true!"
"Dignitary? Not talking about my father are you?" Ruto asked from the door.
Link paled. "Um, no?"
"Ah, don't worry about it. I've been trying to get him to lose a couple hundred pounds anyway."
"So, what brings you up here?" Link asked.
"I thought I'd swing by and say hi."
"Oh, okay. Perfect timing, though. I was just about to go on down in your direction. Got some business with your father."
"Ah, well, that's quite ironic."
"You coming too, Zelda? You can discuss your Zora Dress with Ruto."
Zelda laughed. "Sure. Might as well. Might do me good to get out of bed before noon."
Link and Zelda laughed. Ruto, however, was thoroughly confused. "Wait, I thought this was... Link's... room..." She seemed to have figured something out, because when she next looked at Zelda, it was a strange look of either happiness or surprise, Link couldn't tell.
"Ruto, don't you dare," Zelda said quickly.
Ruto laughed. "Don't I dare what? Got something to hide, now do we?"
"Zellie's got something to hide?" Link asked, turning away from his closet. "Do tell."
"He doesn't know? But... how..? You didn't..?"
"Ruto, I'd suggest you leave it alone before you find more words to stumble over."
"You two are seriously confusing, not that it surprises me or anything," Link said, giving up on trying to follow their conversation.
Zelda jumped off of the bed. "Well, that's good. Now, I am going to go change into something proper. I shall see you two outside."
Link nodded and Zelda left the room. Link continued to dig around in his closet, shoving a few things in his bag.
"I figure congratulations are in order, then," Ruto said.
"Thanks, but I really didn't do too much that would be worth congratulating."
"Well, um, okay, I guess..."
Link shut the closet door and slung the bag over his shoulder. "Well, shall we get going?"
Ruto nodded and followed Link out of the room and out of the castle. Once outside, they met up with Zelda and started toward the Zora Domain.
-----
Zelda watched as the waterfall slowed, granting them passage. Ruto jumped over first, followed by Link.
"Come on, Zelda," he said.
"I'm, um, not sure if I can make it..."
"Don't worry, I doubt that you'll fall. Worse come to worse you only half make it and I catch you."
"Okay... Here I go!" Zelda ran toward the ledge and launched off it. At first, it looked fine, but at the last second, she fell short and slipped off the edge. Link shot forward and grabbed her to prevent her from falling. He pulled her up and she fell back against the tunnel wall.
"Remind me never to do that again. There has to be another way in."
"Well, you can dive into Lake Hylia if you'd rather," Ruto commented.
Zelda stood up. "No thanks. I think I'll leave the deep diving to you and Link." She started into the tunnel, Ruto and Link following.
"So, how's the Zora population doing?" Link queried.
Ruto shrugged. "It's doing okay. The boom kids are maturing around this time, so the Domain's swelled. And mature Zoras mean decent conversations. They're too old for the strained banter that they prided in."
"Well, that's good."
"Hey, are you two gonna hang around back there or are you going to come along with me?" Zelda shouted back to them.
Link and Ruto sped up, catching up with Zelda. They bypassed the main part of the Domain, instead following the path to the throne room."
"Ruto!" King Zora boomed. "And Queen Zelda, what a surprise! And of course our own little hero. Pray tell, what have I done to deserve such an honor?"
"We have a slight problem," Zelda explained. She continued on to tell him of Ganon's invasion. After she finished, the Zora appeared to be thinking hard on something.
After another few minutes, he nodded. "Just give me a few days notice and I'll have a top notch batch of Zora that will march on your command."
"Thank you," Zelda replied. "My scouts should return by tonight. I shall send them this way once they arrive and they can fill you in further."
The King nodded. "Okay. Ruto, alert Sarnidae about these plans and instruct him to round up our best fighters."
Ruto laughed. "No prob." She ran toward the waterfall, shouting, "Hey, Sardine!"
King Zora sighed. "She comes up with these pet names for everyone. After the fiftieth or so, it gets a bit annoying."
Link shrugged. "Girls will be girls, I guess."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Zelda demanded.
"Present company excluded, of course," Link hastily added.
"Better. You're learning."
Link turned back to King Zora. "Once again, we thank you for offering support to our defense. We must be heading back now to await the scouts."
"Very well. Until then!" he shouted, bidding them farewell.
Link followed Zelda from the throne room. "Well, that went a lot better than I planned. And faster."
"Well, sometimes it's better to be short and to the point. If you wait around for all the formalities, there'd be a lot of stuff that wouldn't get done. Ganon would be at our door if we went through all the formalities. Now, shall we get back?"
"Sure." Link slid his arm around Zelda as they walked out of the Zora Domain. "So, did you enjoy our little trip?"
"Why, yes, I suppose. There's nothing like talking about the immanent destruction of my country to make you enjoy the pleasures of life. Especially this time of the year."
"Big fan of spring, are you?" Link asked.
"Of course. Life all around you, everything coming back from the death grip of winter. There's a sort of majestic tone to it all. It just shows you that anything can happen, you know?"
Link nodded. "Yeah. It kinda shoves everything back into perspective."
Zelda was silent, in thought, as they walked along the river. While she was thinking, Link listened to the birds emerging. He had never realized that there was so many different types of birds in one place. Hundreds of birdsongs were lifted to the skies in perfect harmony.
Zelda turned to look at Link, stopping. "You meant what you said, right? All those nights ago?"
Link smiled, turning to her. "Every word of it."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Something on your mind?" he asked, watching her gaze up at the sky. By the look in her eyes, he knew that she could be looking in any direction and it wouldn't matter. "Rupee for your thoughts."
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking. Nothing of major consequence."
"Zelda, when you start into your thinking mode here, it's only because of something important. Listen, if you have doubts, tell me. I don't want you to have to deal with them alone."
"No, well, yeah, of course I have doubts, but those are just small things. It's this war that's got me worried. I mean, my entire kingdom is threatened and I haven't even been Queen for a month! That and you being in it isn't helping."
Link turned Zelda to look at him. "Zelda, understand this: I will not let this war end badly for you. Ganon will not win, this I promise, and I don't break promises, ever. And don't worry about me being in it. I can handle anything Ganon throws at me. Ganon himself might be a bit tricky, but nothing I can't handle."
"You need to practice," Zelda said after a minute of walking.
"Practice? Are you implying that I, the great and glorious Hero of Time, who is, may I remind you, unbeatable, may actually need training?"
Zelda laughed. "Maybe... And even if you don't, I could use some."
"Oh, I see now. You're trying to get me alone with you. Probably trying to make me a mind slave so I'll do whatever you want whenever you want."
"Oh, no, that I've already accomplished. I just could use the practice and I thought you'd be up to the challenge."
"One, I am not your mind slave puppet. Two, I still say you've got some secret agenda. Three, I would be more than happy to help you in any way I can."
"I'll remember that you said that. Besides, if I had a secret agenda that I could only further by getting you alone, look around. You and I are alone. Right now I could do whatever I wanted and it would be your word against mine, and I'm the Queen."
"Delightfully evil. But I don't think you'd do anything, honestly. You're too nice."
"Too nice? Well, you don't know me very well. I am quite a sinister figure, prone to spouts of madness."
Link laughed. "Spouts of madness? Only proof of madness I've seen is you shopping. Now that's a horror to behold!"
She shrugged. "Well, I'll give you that one. Put a few hundred Rupees in my hand and put me in one of those really big stores that has basically everything and I can get a bit crazy."
Link slid down the hillside and stayed there, laying back against the incline. Zelda walked down the slope and stood in front of Link. "You getting up?"
"Well, I was thinking about it, but it turns out that this is seriously comfortable. You should join me."
"Join you? Why should I do that?"
"Because it's comfortable." He sat here for a second more before extending his hand. "Alright... Help me up." She grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him up, but instead, he quickly jerked her down onto him. She rolled to the side and scowled at Link.
"Hey! You tricked me!"
"Agreed."
"You're a sneaky-"
"Yup."
"-conniving-"
"Yeah."
"-little-"
Link covered her mouth before she could continue. "Oh no you don't! Say it and you'll regret it!"
She removed his hand from her mouth and stood up. "Little fairy boy," she remarked decidedly, daring him to do something.
"Now you've gone and done it," Link said, watching the small light rush at Zelda.
"You did not just insult Link!" Navi cried, lunging at Zelda. "Here I am, deciding to say hi because it's been forever since I've seen you two and here you're not only insulting Link, but me, all fairies, and all Kokiri! How dare you!" She attempted to slam into Zelda but found that she was only annoying the Queen. After trying to bean Zelda with a tiny Deku Stick, she shouted in frustration and hurled the stick back into the forest. "First Saria vanishes and now Zelda's insulting Link! What's this world coming to?"
"Calm down, Navi, it's alright. Zelda was just playing around," Link said, watching the fairy flutter about, trying to get things in order again.
Zelda nodded. "Of course I was. I'd never try to intentionally hurt Link, physically or mentally, even if it is easy."
"Hey!"
"And as for Saria, or Sarah, or whatever she's going by nowadays, last I heard, she had just found a home up in Kakariko. I'd suggest you drop in."
"Can't I hang out with you and Link?" Navi asked hopefully.
Zelda motioned for the fairy to come closer. Obliging, Navi flew over to Zelda, who whispered something to her that Link couldn't hear. Upon hearing it, Navi seemed to turn a strange pinkish hue for just a second or two before returning to her natural color. She rose up into the air.
"Well, I think I'll scout out Saria. Have fun, you two."
Link waved goodbye as she shot off. After the fairy was a safe distance away, Link turned to Zelda. "What in Hyrule did you say to her?"
Zelda smiled, barely. "Oh, nothing. Just that we needed to rush back to the castle. You know, the scouts and all."
Link nodded, but watched Zelda as she turned away and started across the slope. "You sure?"
"Yeah," she answered. "I mean, it's not word for word or anything, but it was more or less the same."
Link shrugged. He jumped up and walked up to Zelda. "Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, you were calling me sneaky. Which reminds me..."
Zelda turned her head so she could see Link out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah..?"
"Well, I just thought I'd tell you..." Link started as they continued onward towards the large Castle.
-----
"Oh, is that so?" Zelda asked, interested. "And you say you launched it back at the other one?"
"Yeah. Of course, I could have just unleashed hundreds of Fire and Ice Arrows if I had so chosen."
"So, you'd rather let them assault you with blazing fire and freezing air instead of pulling out a few arrows?"
"Yeah. Makes for a more challenging battle."
"Ah, I see. You prefer to make your enemies underestimate you than unleash your full wrath on them."
"Exactly," Link replied.
"So then, with that in mind, how much did you let Ganon underestimate you when he captured me?" Zelda asked, clearly enjoying the reaction that she expected.
Her expectations were precise. Link stopped for a second. "Well, um, you see... Okay, okay, you got me. Against Ganon I didn't hold back. But then again, why should I have? He was an callous, thieving brute who deserved to lose every liter of blood that he lost that day."
"I'll give you that. So, with the exception of Ganon, you've always held back on your fights?"
"Every single one." Link swung the great castle doors open and followed Zelda in.
"Remind me to always stay on your good side," Zelda commented, stopping and turning to face him as he closed the doors behind them.
"Zelda, all of Hyrule would have to get on my bad side before you would."
"Well, that's terribly sweet of you."
"No, I'm serious," he said as he walked up to her. "There is no possible way for that to happen. I love you, Zelda. Nothing can change that."
Zelda sighed. "I know, but-" She was suddenly interrupted by a person busting through the large castle doors. He stopped, breathing heavily and looking like he was about to fall down on the floor. All attention was turned to the man, who turned toward Zelda.
"Your Highness... We... have a slight problem..."
