***ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY**

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In Sotto Voce

By The Wolfess

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Chapter 23

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CONTENT WARNING: There is a sex scene in this chapter about halfway of the way through. If desired, when you encounter it, you can skip to the last two paragraphs of the chapter without impacting your reading experience. Please see the ending author's note for additional comments.

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Tibar was getting tired of guarding an empty tent. A series of empty tents, in fact. The queen and her guardian were both missing, and the generals for some reason insisted that a guard rotation continue to be posted outside their tents just in case they came back. Well, if either of them came back he'd give them a piece of his mind. That was for sure. They were supposed to leave the desert two days ago, but now they were all just standing around in this barren place waiting for the generals to decide what to do without their leader.

Thump…Thump.

Tibar straightened and looked about him. Where was that sound coming from?

Thump Thump. THUMP.

"Hello? Is someone there?" He drew his sword and started looking around. The thumping continued, so he followed it. As he drew near, the thumping was joined by the muffled sounds of two voices. At first, he couldn't make out much about them, but then he saw a large rectangular patch of sand shaking in time with the thumping. When he ran over to it, he could hear the voices clearly enough to understand that they were speaking his own language, so perhaps it wasn't an enemy?

He knelt down and tried to dig through the sand on his own, but it was going too slow. "Hold on! I'm going for help. I'll be right back!" He ran to his guard unit, most of whom were resting in preparation for their rounds on duty. "Hey! Someone's trapped underground over here. Come help!" The unit followed him to the spot, where the thumping and shouting continued with increasing volume and insistence. Together, they dug down through the layers of gravel and sand until they finally saw a strange metal hatch with a handle in the middle. Tibar lifted the handle, but it would budge with regular force, so he got the strongest person on their unit—Darmani—to give it try. It even took him a few tries, but he got it up enough that the other soldiers could use their swords like pry bars in the cracks around the edges and pop it open the rest of the way.

"Oh thank the Goddesses," said a strange blond sheikah none of them recognized. It was an overcast day, but the person in the hole still squinted and shielded their eyes like the sun was shining right in them. "It is such a relief to see friendly faces. Could you help us out of here, please?"

Tibar sent one of his unit to get a rope and then leaned over to peer into the cave. "Um, who are you? And who's in there with you? Please identify yourselves."

"My name is Sheik, and my companion here," she moved to the side so Tibar could better see Impa resting on the ground below her. "This is General Impa."

"Oh!" The soldier's eyes widened. "Thank the Goddesses! Rivan, hurry, alert the generals." Another soldier ran off in the direction of the generals' tent just as the first one returned with a long rope. "Here, grab onto this, both of you. We'll pull you up." Sheik and Impa confirmed and held onto the lowered rope as the rest of the unit, including Darmani, took hold of the other end. It took a couple tries, but finally the two women were lifted out of the ground.

They both collapsed in the sand outside the hole. They looked filthy and starving, so Tibar handed them his bottle of water to share. "Thank the goddesses you heard us," Sheik said again. "We were not sure if it was Hylian voices we were hearing or not."

"The tunnel went on for miles more at least," Impa added. "We might not have made it out at all if beating on that hatch didn't work."

Not knowing who Sheik really was, Tibar bowed to Impa. "General Impa, if you are feeling recovered enough to walk, we do need to get you to the generals right away. If you would both come with me, please."

So, despite being hungry and dirty and bloody, Impa and Zelda found themselves standing in the middle of a circle of curious generals wondering who this 'Sheik' was and how they managed to find Impa and bring her back. And did they have news of the Queen? Had either of them seen her? Despite her reluctance to reveal her disguise to anyone, Zelda knew this couldn't go on. Without responding to their other questions, she took off the wraps around her face and head and let her golden hair fall free behind her.

Outrage and shock met the sight of their queen's face. Disapproving commanders circled them and talked all at once. Different commanders took turns with variations on the hyperbolic questions "what were you thinking?" and "why did you risk everything for one life?" It applied to both of them in different ways, and the women stood together as a united front amid the backlash. The Queen of Hyrule let them go for a bit. She understood that they were just speaking out of fear and concern.

"…and with Master Link gone as well, you can only imagine the level of panic that swept across all our forces! Your majesty, I just cannot condone the behavior all three of you have exhibited…"

"Enough!" The Queen of Hyrule's voice rang out across the tent, silencing every other voice mid-sentence. Zelda was done being berated by old men who sat and did nothing but scheme and plan. "Enough," she repeated. Her voice was quieter this time, but the steely gaze she leveled across the tent made every person there back away to a more respectful distance. "I will not apologize for my actions, and neither will Impa. She risked her life to protect one of our key allies and dear friends. I, in turn, risked my life to save hers. It concerns me to hear that Link is not here—I acted alone, and he did not come with me to my knowledge. Wherever he is, I am sure that he is acting in Hyrule's best interest as well."

"Your majesty, forgive me, but the three of you do not have to risk your lives. Your lives are very important. Every solider here would lay down his or her life for yours."

Zelda shifted her disapproving gaze to the general who spoke. "I did not give you leave to speak, sir," she said. "You will hold your tongue unless called upon, am I understood?"

The man bowed his head and murmured something about begging her forgiveness, but the queen was already moving on. "I disagree that our lives are more important than anyone else's, but that is a discussion for another day. What is more important than all of this is that Impa and I have retrieved vital information on the enemy's next steps. If you would roll out the maps on the table over there, I will explain."

The maps were brought in and they all moved over to the table to look at it. It took the queen only a moment to point out a location in the far northeastern section of the map, beyond Faron Forest and the Eldin lava fields. "In an age long past, this place was called the Valley of Seers. It was a place of power long ago which has been forgotten in the age of peace we have enjoyed. The information we overheard was crude as it was an offhand exchange between two Moblin guards, which I am sure you know are relatively low ranked. Nevertheless, the rumor going through the enemy's ranks is that a Sheikah—likely Kishla—is going to revive their 'master' in this valley. They said that it would happen when the red moon rises."

Zelda swept the map of Hyrule away and handed it to one of the generals. Instead, she pulled out a complex star chart that had been brought in as well. She murmured under her breath and traced some different forms along the chart, making some sort of calculation none of them could follow. "Now, I have not seen the sky in a few days so I may be off by a day or two" she prefaced, "but if my calculations are correct then we have a single lunar fortnight between us and the blood moon." She placed her hands flat on the star chart and looked around the room. "We have two weeks to regroup and move our entire army to the valley. If we can get there before the bulk of the enemy's forces do, then we can set up strategic positions. There are a lot of soldiers in the enemy army…and I mean thousands from what I saw…but we can overcome with greater strategy."

There was stunned silence in the tent for a moment after the queen finished. It was moments like this when Impa's heart swelled with pride to see Zelda coming into her own as a ruler. All discussion of their "irresponsible" behavior ceased and instead everyone in the room moved on to a more productive conversation. By the time that she and Zelda were released to go receive medical attention, they had a solid plan in place and orders were being distributed to move out at once.

As they were swept from the tent, Impa grabbed a brown cloak off one of the assembled general's chairs with his nod of permission. Impa tossed the cloak over Zelda's shoulders and smiled. "To conceal your alternate identity," she explained. "In case you ever have need of 'Sheik' again."

Zelda smiled and pulled the cloak tighter about herself. "Thank you, Impa," she said. She opened her mouth to say more, but then thought better of it. There was so much that still needed to be said between them, but now was not the time. Instead, she just smiled again and folded her hands in front of her as they walked to the medical tent.

A healer met them outside. "We have private rooms waiting for you, Queen Zelda and General Impa. If you will follow me right this way." The polite Zora healer turned and walked into the tent. They followed just inside the main entrance but stopped when Zelda suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

The same soldier from the queen's first visit lay on the same cot. Zelda could see the nightmares plaguing her like before, but her skin was much more ashen now. The Zora healer saw where the queen was looking and shook his head. "There is nothing we can do for her," he said. "There are a few cases here like that. It is most tragic."

"But there is something we can do," Zelda said. She grabbed a stool nearby and pulled it alongside the woman's cot. "I will need to be undisturbed." She closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips to the woman's temples. It wasn't long before the queen's hands began to glow, and her eyes rushed around behind her eyelids, seeing what the unseeable. They were there for a good fifteen minutes, but just when Impa was starting to get seriously worried she heard a quiet groaning. Both the queen's eyes and the soldier's eyes opened at the same time.

"Thank you for returning with me, Selmie," the queen said, her voice soft. "I think you will make a very fine officer someday, if that is what you desire. On the other hand, resigning from the army to pioneer a new sport is…admirable. Shield surfing, was it? Whatever your choice in life, believe in yourself. Do not allow others' bitterness to lead you astray."

The soldier, Selmie, blushed and nodded. "I owe you my life, your majesty," she said. "I will never forget this."

Zelda smiled and stood. "Live your life to the fullest. Every day is a gift from the Goddesses themselves." She turned back to Impa and the healer, whose mouths hung open in disbelief.

"How did you…?" the healer started, forgetting his manners.

"I am happy to explain," she said. "Please take General Impa to receive care. While she is receiving treatment, I will need any healer you have who possesses light magic to come to the space you set aside for me. I have only done this twice, I must say, but I hope it can be replicated with others in this tent."

Several healers nearby rushed about to gather others of their number and all the patients afflicted by poe curses. While Zelda's impromptu 'class' got set up, Impa was swept away to another curtained area. They stripped her of her soiled clothes and helped her bathe first. When she was clean, they carefully attended to and dressed her various wounds. A good dose of red potion brought back some of her vitality. Her clothes themselves were unsalvageable, so they gave her a soldier's uniform to wear and put a plate of warm food and cold water on a table beside her cot. The armor pieces that were still usable and her Biggoron sword were taken to her quarters on her request.

Impa scarfed down her food and then lay back to rest until the queen came to retrieve her. Rest was not in her future, however, as the curtain was suddenly swept aside, and a welcome face entered her recovery room.

"There you are! I was looking all over for you, and they kept following me around telling me to rest, but I am so over that snooze fest, you know?" The vivacious Zora Princess, Ruto, swept into the room. Her injured fin and arm were in some kind of sling to keep them immobile. She looked worse than the Sheikah had ever seen her, but she was moving around and that was a blessing to Impa's heart.

The Sheikah scooted herself to a sitting position so her Zora friend could sit down and rest without asking. Ruto gave her a gracious smile, pulled the curtain closed so the two of them would have some privacy, and then lowered herself to the end of the cot. "You seem to be doing better," Impa remarked.

Now that they were alone, Impa saw that her eyes looked sunken and tired, and her skin was a little dry for a Zora. "Well, I'm alive thanks to you," she said. "And my fin will recover in time. I won't be fighting any more battles in this war, though, I'm afraid."

"I'm just glad that you're safe," Impa said. "I don't know what I'd do if you hadn't made it."

Ruto placed her hand on the Sheikah's knee and patted. "Aw, don't get all sentimental on me now," she joked, but her smile was genuine. "In all seriousness, you saved my life Impa. I can never repay you for that. Thank you."

"You saved my life when I got burned by Volga's dragon fire, and you stood by me when the rest of the kingdom thought I was a traitor. You are family to me, Ruto. There's no getting rid of me now." They both laughed and Ruto nodded. Conversation turned to more mundane matters as both women were too sore and tired to put much energy into rehashing everything that happened while they were separated. There would be time later for swapping war stories. After some time had passed, the curtain parted just enough for a freshly washed blond head to poke in.

"May I join you, ladies?" Zelda asked. Her voice sounded sheepish. She knew that theirs was a bond forged in response to her persecution and, as a result, she didn't really have a place there. But Impa and Ruto motioned her in anyway. The three women chatted amicably, and laughter was abundant.

It wasn't long before Ruto's exhaustion grew too much, however, and she begged their leave. "I'm sure you two have more important matters to attend to anyway," she joked, throwing them a wink. Impa blushed and Zelda looked confused for a moment before she finally understood the Zora princess's implication. Ruto swept out of the room as gracefully as she could, leaving Impa and Zelda alone.

Zelda fidgeted with the edge of her borrowed cloak, suddenly bashful. "Do you…ah...feel well enough to return to my tent with me?" she asked. "Only if you wish to, of course. It is fine if you would rather stay here and rest."

"And let you wander the camp unguarded? Link would have my head, wherever he is." Impa chuckled, and the tension in Zelda's shoulders eased. Impa sat up and scooted to the edge of the cot. She was sorer than she'd like, but the doctors' potions and other medicinal administrations had really done a great job fixing what the fairy didn't already heal. As much as she was irritated to have to admit it, the monsters did probably save her life when her wounds were at their worst. Their motivations may have been terrible, but it worked out.

The Sheikah rose from the cot with care and then motioned for the queen to show her the way. They moved through the camp in relative silence. There was plenty of commotion to observe around them as the entire army were already preparing to move out in the morning. When they finally reached Zelda's tent, she entered first and Impa followed suit, tying the flap closed behind them.

The space was clearly fit for a queen. For a tent in the middle of the desert, it was quite comfortable. A mobile wardrobe stood against one side and rugs lay on the dirt so that the queen could walk barefoot. Though the large bed in the center of the room was a mobile structure, it was still fit for a queen—and large enough for two to share.

"I hope you forgive my forwardness," the queen said, "but while the healers treated me, I requested that your things be brought here." Sure enough, Impa's small bag of clothes sat near the tent wall next to Zelda's wardrobe, along with the armor and sword she had sent ahead earlier. Impa started to walk over to them so she could find something better to wear than the ill-fitting outfit the medics had given her but was stopped by Zelda's hand on her arm.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning back to face the queen.

Zelda fished around in her armor and pulled out the favor she had given Impa the day they left on this campaign. The delicate fabric had seen better days. Its color was faded and the edges were frayed. The queen didn't look Impa in the eye when she held it out to her. "This…this belongs to you. It is not so nice and new now, I am afraid. It was blood-stained and marred by Wizzro's disgusting goo, and I am sure I sweated all over it too." She withdrew the fabric and looked down at it with a forlorn frown. "You do not want this, I am sure. I apologize. I can get you a new one back at the castle, or we can just forget it…that might be best."

As Zelda went to put the handkerchief out of sight, Impa stopped her. "Of course I want it," she said, her hand reaching out to take the fabric from Zelda's grip. "It's the only one I'll accept. It's been through so much, but that's what makes it special."

Zelda allowed Impa to take it, and her eyes shone with tears as the Sheikah ran her fingers along the tattered edge of the fabric. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "You have endured so much for my sake. I cannot imagine that my love is worth all your suffering."

Impa crossed the space between them and drew the queen into her arms. "Zelda, I love you," she said as she enveloped the blond in her embrace. "I am so sorry that life has taught you that love is conditional. That it has to be earned or that it will crumble under pressure. But that's not how I've experienced love in my life. That's not how my love for you works. What I experienced back there was horrible, yes, and some day maybe I'll be ready to talk about it. Process it. But I don't blame you for what Wizzro caused, and you are absolutely worth it to me. You always will be worth it to me. Never doubt that."

Zelda didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. She held Impa a little tighter and buried her face in the white fabric of the soldier's tunic until the tears passed. "I am so glad you are here," she murmured. "I love you too, Impa, with all my heart."

"Well, that's good because I'm never leaving your side again after this," Impa said. They both laughed. "And, seriously, we are going to talk about this reckless streak you're developing. If you're going to go off by yourself disguised as a Sheikah, you need the training to be able to survive. Flirting with fairies isn't always an option you know."

Zelda pulled back and flashed Impa her best innocent smile. "For me? Of course it is."

They laughed again. Zelda wiped the tears off her cheeks and Impa crossed over to her bag to change. She rummaged around until she found a new outfit to wear, then looked for some kind of privacy screen to change behind. Instead of a private place to change clothes, however, Impa's gaze happened upon the bare skin of the queen's back.

Zelda was standing in front of her wardrobe taking her Sheikah outfit off. Leather and metal armor pieces had already been cast aside, along with Zelda's kunai and other weaponry. The sacred harp was leaning inside the wardrobe, waiting to be stored more securely away. Blue fabric hung loose about her hips as she worked to unwrap the bindings around her chest. Impa blushed at the sight of the queen's smooth, pale skin in the half-light of the tent. Before she could turn away, however, Zelda caught her eye and smiled. She turned a little so Impa could see her better and continued to unwrap in silence.

Impa's heart was beating fast in her chest as she swallowed and turned her back. Feeling self-conscious, she began to take off the short white tunic. She started pulling it over her head, but her wounded shoulder caught, and she winced. The angle caused the wound in her shoulder to shoot pain through her arm. Zelda heard the sharp inhalation and hurried over, forgetting her own dressing in the process. "Please," the queen murmured. "Allow me to help."

Before the Sheikah had time to protest, or at least to insist that the queen put on her own clothing first, Zelda's tender hands were already pulling the snug fabric over Impa's head and off her wounded shoulder very carefully. The cool night air rushed in and chilled Impa's bare skin, but the goosebumps rising on her back were not from the cold. Gingerly, the queen's fingers brushed over the place where Impa's shoulder wound had been. All that was left of it now was the lingering pain and a nasty scar. She could feel the queen tracing the pattern of that scar now, and she shivered.

Interpreting the shiver to be from the cold, the queen's arms snaked around the Sheikah's waist and tightened, holding her close. Her forehead dropped to rest on Impa's back. "I know this is inappropriate," the queen whispered. "And if you do not wish it, please say so. I just need to feel that you're real and you're safe. Just a moment. I…I just need a moment."

Impa sighed and willed her muscles to relax. She would be lying if she tried to deny how much she enjoyed the feeling of Zelda's arms around her. So she turned in Zelda's embrace and wrapped her own arms around the queen's shoulders, drawing her in closer. Zelda tucked her face in the crook of Impa's neck. As she reveled in the feeling of having the blond so close, Impa realized that the naked woman in her arms was shaking.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm here and we're both safe."

"I know. It is just…I thought I was going to lose you. No one was going to rescue you, so I had to go on my own and pray it would work out. And even then, there was a good chance that you were already dead. I was so afraid I would enter that cell and find you already gone."

Impa stroked the queen's back and pressed her nose into her long, golden tresses. She breathed Zelda in and felt a visceral peace flood her body. It was like every muscle in her realized simultaneously that she was safe and released all their tension at once. Holding the queen in her arms felt so right. There was nowhere else in the world she'd rather be. Zelda was home. "I'm here now," she whispered. "Home. With you."

They stood like that for a moment and held on to one another like they were holding on to a life preserver. But at some point, there was a shift in the air between them. It grew thick with a different kind of feeling. Impa's heart beat a little harder and the queen's hands drifted a little lower on the Sheikah's back. They pulled apart enough to look into one another's eyes. "Zelda," Impa breathed. "We can't…."

But Zelda pressed a finger against Impa's lips and then licked her own. "If I have learned anything from this war it is that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. And if all we have is this one night together, then I want to spend it with you." As she spoke, her hands gripped Impa's hips and pulled them closer to her own. Despite herself, the Sheikah exhaled a breath she was not aware she had been holding. The queen leaned in and brushed her lips over the taller woman's neck.

Months of pent-up desire boiled over into a burning need deep in Impa's gut. As the queen kissed up and down her neck, Impa leaned her head to the side and closed her eyes. Against the darkness of her eyelids, she tried not to think about being chained to the ceiling in a dark cave. She tried not to think about her body being invaded by a dark spirit. She tried not to think of the horrible visions it tortured her with for days. All she thought about was the feeling of Zelda's soft lips on her neck. She was here in Zelda's arms, alive and safe and wanted. This moment with her love was all that existed.

Impa turned and captured Zelda's lips with her own. Then she broke off the kiss and cradled the queen's cheek in her hand. "I am yours," she said. It was the same vow they had spoken to each other the night before the march. Somehow, she felt like she meant it more now than she had then.

Zelda covered Impa's hand with her own. "And I, yours."

The queen's hands drifted down and helped Impa out of the blue pants and boots she was still wearing. In turn, Impa took the rest of the Sheikah uniform off Zelda. Completely bare before each other, they both blushed. They weren't sure what came next, but they knew that they both wanted this. Impa moved first. She took Zelda's hand in her own and led her over to the bed. Zelda let herself be laid back on the soft quilt, but Impa paused instead of following.

Their skin was flushed from the cold desert air and their own passion, but Impa hovered near the edge of the bed. She took a slow, steadying breath. This was not an experienced lover she could just fall into bed with, the warrior reminded herself. This was the Queen of Hyrule and the love of her life. This was a moment to taken slow and savored rather than consumed in the fires of passion. If they were doing this, then she wanted it to be safe and wonderful for both of them.

A smile spread on her face as Impa finally lowered herself onto the bed next to the queen. She placed her hand on the blond's smooth hip and felt Zelda's body trembling under her fingertips. Impa licked her lips and took another steadying breath. She hadn't realized how desperately she wanted this until now, and it took so much willpower for her to slow this down.

"You're shaking," she whispered, keeping her hand still on Zelda's hip and looking into her eyes.

Zelda bit her lower lip and blushed a little. "I…I have never done this before. I do not know what to do."

Impa smiled and brushed a stray lock of blond hair from Zelda's eyes. "Sure you do," she said. "Just do whatever feels good to you. And don't be afraid to tell me what you like or don't like. We can stop at any time. I want you to feel safe and enjoy yourself."

Zelda nodded. She didn't say anything else, but Impa could see tension ease out of her body and worry leave her eyes. The Sheikah let her hand drift from Zelda's hair back down the side of her body, letting her touch linger on every soft curve along the way. The queen licked her lips and leaned in, her own hands sliding up Impa's abs and snaking around her waist. Their lips met. The kiss was tender and explorative. Impa's head swam like she was intoxicated. This wasn't the first time they had kissed, sure, but it was different. It felt like less of a forbidden fruit and more of a beginning.

The queen's hands ran up Impa's back, trailed over her arms, and then tangled in her white hair. She gripped hard and her body moved closer. Her lips strayed from Impa's mouth to her cheek and down her neck. "I want your hands on me," she whispered into the Sheikah's neck. "Touch me, Impa. Please."

The Sheikah obliged gladly. She shifted the arm she was laying on to prop herself up a little and her free hand began to explore Zelda's body more freely. It trailed down her hip, along the back of her legs, and up her inner thigh before teasingly dancing along the hem of the simple underwear the queen still had on. Zelda hips arched as her fingers drew near and she gasped when Impa's fingers trailed up her stomach and cupped her breast. Impa rubbed the pad of her calloused thumb over Zelda's nipple, causing the queen inhale sharply through her teeth.

"How does that feel?" Impa whispered against the queen's neck, flicking her thumb over the rosy bud again. Zelda hips bucked in response, but Impa wanted to keep her communicating. "Does that feel good?"

Zelda nodded. "So good…" she breathed. Impa grinned and shifted the angle of her head so she could kiss Zelda's neck. The queen tilted her head to give her lover better access. Impa slowly kissed her way along Zelda's collar bone and down to her free nipple. As she did so, she carefully shifted their bodies so that the blond woman was lying on her back and the Sheikah hovered over her, now having free access to do whatever the queen might desire.

As Impa took Zelda's nipple between her lips and flicked over it with her tongue, garnering some lovely groans out of the queen, her hand moved down again. This time, her fingers hooked on the edge of Zelda's underwear and tugged it down. The queen adjusted her hips to make it easy for garment to come off and be tossed aside. There was a rush of cool air on her hot, exposed skin before Impa's body moved in again.

The Sheikah's thigh slipped between the queen's legs and gently pressed against the hot, wet tangle of blond hair there. "Is this okay?" she asked, her voice gruff with her own desire.

"Please do not stop," was Zelda's response, and she arched her hips up against Impa's leg. The red-eyed woman grinned and shifted her mouth to the queen's other breast, giving equal attention to the other nipple. When Impa's teeth grazed over the sensitive nipple, Zelda's hips bucked in response and the Sheikah leaned her hips into the movement in just the right way. Pleasure shot through the queen's body. She gasped as Impa nibbled again, gently, and Zelda's hips bucked again. She nearly cried out this time but managed to have enough presence of mind to remember that tent walls were incredibly thin. She would need to manage her noise level if she didn't want the whole army to know what was happening in her tent.

They continued like that for a while. Impa kissed and nibbled and teased all sort of different areas of Zelda's body, exploring what the queen seemed to enjoy and what didn't do much for her. Each time she found a good spot, Zelda's hips would rock against Impa's leg again, and the queen whimpered with longing. Finally, Impa felt the queen strain her hips against the Sheikah's leg in an attempt to create more friction between them and heard the soft, almost frustrated sound that came from her throat. So Impa braced herself on her forearm and shifted so her hand could slip easily between their bodies. Her fingers brushed the golden hair between Zelda's legs before slowly slipping inside. Feeling how wet the queen was, Impa didn't know if the moan that filled the air between them was her own or Zelda's.

"Oh goddesses," Zelda groaned as Impa's fingers gently stroked up and down the wet length of her vagina. "That feels so good, Impa."

"Good," the Sheikah whispered in Zelda's ear, and then she moved her fingers up and found the small, sensitive bundle of nerves that she knew would give the queen the greatest pleasure. She began to rub in rhythmic circles and grinned as Zelda buried her face in Impa's shoulder to muffle the sound of her moaning.

Zelda's hips rocked as Impa increased the speed of her careful ministrations to match the rhythm. She felt the queen's teeth sink into her skin as she muffled a loud groan. And as her entire body began to buck and tremble, Impa knew that her queen was close to the edge. Finally, Zelda's body went rigid against Impa, and the Sheikah could feel the waves of Zelda's climax ripple through her frame. After it passed, her body went completely limp on the bed. Impa didn't stop right away, teasing Zelda a little as her sensitive body continued to twitch with each touch of the Sheikah's skilled fingers. Finally, the queen laughed and reached down to still the Sheikah's hand.

"Enough, you wicked woman," she giggled. "You will be the end of me!"

Impa laughed and relaxed down beside the queen, propping her head up on her hand. Zelda scooted close and wrapped her arm around Impa's waist, nuzzling in as the bliss of her first climax lingered in her body. As far as Impa was concerned, she was content to just stay like that, with Zelda wrapped safe and sleepy in her arms. But after a moment the blond's hand started moving down Impa's abs again. She moved her lips close to the Sheikah's ear and her breath tickled Impa's cheek.

"I want to see you come," the queen whispered. Her hand slipped down between Impa's thighs and the Sheikah gasped when she felt two manicured fingers slip right in. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, and the queen grinned into Impa's hair. "You are already so wet, Impa," she teased.

Impa swallowed hard. Zelda's fingers seemed to explore Impa. One moment she would casually dip the tip of her finger inside and the next the pad of her thumb would stroke Impa's clit. Already aroused from what they had just experienced together, this teasing touch served to build her even higher, and a soft moan is all she managed in response to the queen's teasing.

Now, unexpectedly, it was Zelda's turn to force the warrior woman onto her back with a firm hand. It was Zelda's turn to straddle Impa's hips and do with her whatever she wanted. With one hand, the queen kept up her teasing ministrations—stimulating but never quite satisfying—and with the other she seemed to be trying to devour the warrior woman with her touch. Her hand stroked every part of Impa's body that she could reach with a hungry touch. And when Impa's groans began to grow too loud, the queen leaned down and captured the sound with her kiss.

"Please…" Impa groaned, almost begging as her hips bucked against the queen.

Zelda nipped the Sheikah's bottom lip. "Please what?" she breathed, flicking her thumb over Impa's clit. The Sheikah's whole body shuddered. When Impa's red eyes opened to look at her queen in surprise, Zelda just batted her eyelashes with feign ignorance and grinned.

"I want to feel you inside me," Impa whispered. She reached one hand down between then and grasped Zelda's wrist, as if she could guide the queen where she wanted her, but Zelda knew exactly what Impa wanted the whole time. She slipped inside and moved slowly at first, trying to feel the movement of Impa's hips and what angle seemed to garner the most pleasure.

Impa could feel the queen's body language change. She was starting to focus more on what she was doing than on the experience they were sharing, so Impa kissed the inside of Zelda's wrist and whispered, "take your time. Move against me…yes, like that…oh, yes, that feels good. Just like that." The pace was picking up, and Zelda's hips thrusted against Impa with every thrust of her hand. The shieikah's face was sweaty and drawn, approaching the brink. Just as she approached the edge, however, Zelda felt Impa's hand slide between the queen's legs as well. She stopped for a moment, confused, but Impa just smiled and whispered, "I want you to come with me."

So Zelda went with the flow. She thrust her hands and her hips in the same rhythm, and Impa slipped her fingers inside the queen, thrusting against her in return. Impa came first, and the waves of her climax shuddered through her from head to toe. Her body clenched around Zelda's fingers. But her hand only stuttered a bit in its insistent ministrations until Zelda came a second time, her arms shaking with exhaustion and pleasure as she tried to hold herself up over the Sheikah's body.

When the climax passed, the queen fell limp at Impa's side. She rested her head on Impa's breast, and the Sheikah wrapped her arm around the queen's shoulder. Zelda's hand still lay limp between Impa's legs. Tired though she was from her own climaxes, she loved the way that Impa's body responded to the smallest touch of her fingers. At first, she was just teasing with her casual touching, but when she felt the breath in Impa's chest hitch and deepen again, she decided to try her luck. Her fingers rubbed firmly against Impa's clit, and the Sheikah laughed softly into the top of Zelda's head even as her hips seemed to respond on their own. It didn't take much for Impa to come again. The wave of that climax overtook her, and the queen just kept going, watching in wonder as wave after wave, some bigger than others, washed over her lover.

Finally, gasping for air even as she laughed, Impa clasped her legs shut over the queen's hand. "Okay, okay," she laughed. "Fuck, woman." She turned Zelda's face up to hers and kissed her. Zelda slipped her legs out from between Impa's legs and wrapped the arm around her midriff.

As Impa dragged a large quilt over the two of them and the queen snuggled into her lover's chest, Zelda whispered, "was that okay, Impa?"

Impa was positioning the quilt over both of their bodies, ensuring they would stay warm as their bodies cooled and the cold air of the desert further chilled the tent. Catching Zelda's gaze, the Sheikah smiled and nodded. "That was more than okay," she whispered back. "It was wonderful."

The two women lay for a while in one another's arms, slipping in and out of slumber in turns. But as the night wore on and the camp grew still, Impa found herself lying awake in the dark. She was lying in the queen's bed, the love of her life finally naked in her arms, and all she wanted to do was fall into a peaceful rest. It seemed that luxury would not be afforded to her, however, as every time she dozed even a little, unwanted images popped up in her mind's eye. Images of the poe who tortured her, or the prison where she was kept, or Wizzro's sneering face. They haunted her like a waking nightmare. So Impa turned her face into the sleeping blond's hair and breathed in her sweet scent. She closed her eyes and kept a count of every slow breath that moved in and out of the queen's lungs. It stilled her racing mind and calmed her soul.

Sleep didn't find Impa until the first glow of pre-dawn sunlight began to brighten the darkness, but in the darkest hours of the night she did find peace in Zelda's arms. Under her breath she prayed a simple prayer over and over and hoped that the goddesses were listening somewhere out there: that their first time would not be their last. That tomorrow would greet them with victory and everyone they loved would return safe. That the next time she fell asleep in Zelda's arms, the war would be over and the nightmares would cease. That tomorrow's world would be better than today's. Maybe somewhere out there someone was listening.

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Author's Notes: Since this story started out very different from what it has evolved into, including having a lesser rating, I decided that I should add the content warning above out of respect for past readers who may have invested a lot of time and emotional energy into this story but didn't sign up for explicit content. Also, I know my brand on here has been a little 'safer' than the stories I've uploaded over on Ao3, so trying to be conscientious of that too. Still, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! The story is almost done now, I think about 3 weeks left of content, so until next week.

-The Wolfess