A.N: Another challenging chapter completed to semi-satisfying capacity. Then again I'm rarely 100% happy with the results. Ultimately I hope you enjoy it but as I always say, constructive feedback/criticism is welcome and just as before I don't own Legend Of Zelda.
Chapter 4 – Moonlight and gold
Ordon – 100 days AG (after Ganondorf)
It was shortly after midnight, or so Link assumed.
It would have been a good night for stargazing were it not for the light of the moon, shining particularly bright tonight, covering the village in a carpet of silver. A crisp night breeze reminded him that spring, while on the horizon, had yet to fully conquer winter.
Link sat on the ledge outside his house, listening to the calming sound of the village stream and the rustling of leaves. Beneath him, he could hear Epona chewing on some grass, having taken one of her many brief naps moments earlier. He sometimes wished he required as little sleep as she seemed to. It would certainly mean less time to face his nightmares.
Tonight, however was different as it wasn't his fear of sleep that kept him awake but the events of the previous evening. He'd been left with much to ponder after his unexpected meeting with Princess Zelda… and that obnoxious Lord Cocksure or whatever his name was. He chose not to dwell on him and instead focus on the princess and her strange effect on him.
To say that the meeting hadn't turned out how he would have predicted was an understatement. Rather than being racked with fear, haunted by images of the princess as a macabre puppet or faced with her lifeless form after her sacrifice, he was instead brought back to the moment where she had been saved, albeit with Ganondorf still alive and baring down on them. Instead of the two moments in his adventure where he'd thought himself a failure for not saving her, he'd been gifted with the moment when she'd given him the strength to know he would succeed, not just in saving her but the whole kingdom.
It put many of his thoughts into a new perspective and he began to wonder what it was that was actually holding him back. He thought again of Zelda's speech about his achievements and realised that he had never truly taken stock of all he had done in his adventures. Why was that? With all these great deeds behind him, why was he dominated by a voice telling him he didn't deserve credit for them?
Link's ruminating was cut short when he picked up footsteps approaching from the direction of the village. He glimpsed a lone figure in the shadows, however from the perfume it could only be one person. Princess Zelda emerged from the darkness of the tree line into the moon's spotlight. The silver glow against her white dress and her jewels made her look almost ethereal, however, looking closer the spell was broken as it brought into sharp relief the bags under her eyes and the slump of her shoulders. Even the subtle smile that she presented seemed weighed down by her intense weariness.
Despite this she was no less graceful as she glided into the centre of the glade, surveying the space with a sense of wonder. Link couldn't deny the beauty of his little secluded sanctum in the woods, particularly in the moonlight, but surely she had witnessed many more magnificent sights than this in her travels. After a moment gazing up at their celestial companion Zelda's eyes fell on Link.
"Greetings Link" her sweet, soothing voice was tainted by a hint of hoarseness, likely from her meeting with the villagers. "I trust I'm not disturbing you at this late hour?" she inquired, slightly nervous. "Er, no your highness, not at all" came his equally nervous reply.
The sound of a nightingale, from somewhere in the woods, filled the void that their following hesitation left, until Zelda finally tried to break the tension with a more assured "May I join you?" Link, while not surprised by the meaning of the question, was taken aback by its blunt directness. Surely, she needed some sort of pretense to spend time with a commoner such as himself, even if he had saved the kingdom. Fiddling with the straps on his of his bracers, he stammered "of… of course not, your highness."
"Please, Link, there's no need to be so formal" she chided gently, approaching the ladder to his home. "Lord Halshaw is probably drinking away his humiliation as we speak. In public 'your highness' or 'your grace' would be the correct address, however, as you are no doubt aware, we are not in public." She paused for breath, halfway up, a testament to her exhaustion, giving the whole ladder was little more than twice her height. "In private I would prefer you to simply call me Zelda or if you must be more formal, Princess." She concluded panting heavily, as she struggled with the final rungs.
Link, concerned for her safety, would have offered to join her on the ground but something told him the princess would have refused. Instead he settled for offering her a helping hand as she floundered on the lip of the ledge, which she gratefully accepted with just a hint of embarrassment, allowing him to drag her, with all the dignity of a sack of potatoes, onto solid ground.
"You've saved me again, hero, you have my eternal gratitude" she said with a wry smile. Her saviour, however, was rather too preoccupied to respond. It would seem that Zelda's touch was just as powerful as her voice. Snapping out of his daze, Link's eyes traced up her gloved hand to her face and he blushed. Almost instinctively casting his eyes about her figure, searching for any sign of injury, he suddenly blurted "Princess, your dress!"
Zelda's once pristine white skirt and gloves were now stained with green and brown. What would the villagers or Lord Halshaw think when the princess returned looking like she'd taken the scenic route back… or had a roll in the grass with a certain hero?!
"Do not worry yourself, gallant hero, I will survive and such a blemish is easily removed." came Zelda's unconcerned reply. "but what would Lord Halshaw say?" Link pressed with concern.
"I can assure you, Link, I have no intention of allowing my current state to be witnessed by a certified plum duff!" she scoffed derisively before sighing wearily. "There's no need for concern. My presence with you will not cause a diplomatic incident" she assured him, adding with a hint of mirth "Besides, should they give any trouble, you always have me to protect you."
Link's only possible response to this was a bashful smile and a nod of thanks before sitting back down on the ledge next to her, albeit at a respectable distance on the other side of the ladder. Zelda had regained some of her royal composure, sitting demurely at the edge of the ledge, her gloved hands tucked into her lap, still as a statue, apart from the occasional gust of wind catching her intricate braids of chocolate brown hair, as she stared off towards the village.
Sensing that she seemed to be deep in thought and trying to avoid making things any more awkward by staring at her, Link turned his gaze to the moon. He drolly noted how, had he still had his wolf form, he would probably be howling at the moment.
Then Zelda spoke again and he felt her staring fixedly at him. "what did you do when it was over, Link?" she enquired hesitantly.
The question caught him off guard and left him scrambling for an answer that would hopefully satisfy her without her probing too deeply. "I returned the mastersword and then I travelled for a little while, assisting people where I could, ridding the kingdom of any beasts I found along the way, and then errr… and then I came home." He said flatly.
"Where did you go?" Zelda quizzed, gaze still anchored on him.
"Well, you know, here and there." He tried but with her unchanging expression made it clear he had to continue. "Kakariko village, Death Mountain, Zora's River…"
"So, you didn't come to castle town?" Zelda cut in.
"No." Link replied, glancing away and hoping she would let the matter be. It would do no good for her to find out that he had avoided castle town out of fear of the memories it might bring back, and more insultingly, the thought of running into her, for the same reason.
Link thought he saw a flicker a hurt flash across her face but it vanished almost instantly. She clearly knew there was more he wasn't saying, however, she decided to let it be… or so he thought.
He quickly realised she'd simply switched her angle of dissection when she came back with yet another uncomfortable question. "Link, why did you return to Ordon?"
Time for the standard Rusl tactic "Well, Ordon is and has always been my home, it's where my friends and those I consider as family live… and it's where I am needed." He stated with as much conviction as he could muster, even though the sentiment behind it felt so hollow.
Unsurprisingly Zelda wasn't buying it any more than he was himself and proceeded to skewer his excuse, as Rusl often did, with a question. "but is it really still your home?"
The question was pretty much the same but the tone couldn't be more different. While Rusl's always came across as a frank and knowing statement he expected Link to agree with, even if he didn't admit it, Zelda's came as a plaintive appeal, full of sincere sympathy.
Having already been worn down by Rusl, Zelda's sympathetic plea seemed like a lifeline he desperately needed but constantly denied, to finally acknowledge his torment to someone he could trust. It shook him to realise that, despite their relatively short acquaintance, he did trust the princess enough to do so. And yet old habits die hard.
"Of course, why would that change?!" he tried to sound convincing but his delivery verged on mumbling.
Zelda's response seemed already prepared as she interjected "It's not Ordon that's changed, Link, it's you! I may not have met you before the tragic events of the twilight invasion but the scars it left behind are clearly visible. I recognise them because of the similar scars I bare, and while others may not understand their meaning that doesn't make them any less aware of them."
The princess sighed sombrely, noting Link's shocked expression and continued "The need for a home is constant, however the shape it takes can change, sometimes with the seasons, sometimes with the wanderings of the soul. Strife, doubt and loss can chip away at even the strongest of spirits and reshape their needs. The young carefree boy who spent his days herding goats or graciously helping with medial chores round a small rural village has gone. The only question remaining is, who is man who replaced him?"
Link was stunned, both by how eloquently her speech had managed to strike at the heart of his troubles but more so by the admittance of her own suffering. Her eyes beheld a deep sorrow that compelled him to reach out and hold her, but he knew that was the last thing he should do. Never the less she had shown great trust and courage in opening up to him and, he realised it was time for some last courage of his own.
"I'm sorry, Princess. Sorry that you had to endure so much. Sorry that it took so long to save you and the kingdom…" Zelda shook her head forlornly and tried to speak but he pushed on "and I'm sorry but I don't have an answer for that question. I look back at the young boy you described and he seems a distant memory. I look back at the hero who saved Hyrule and I can't even recognise him. He never ran out of courage and never allowed despair to overtake him. I've very little courage left and what's left is shackled in chains of doubt. I fear I'm broken."
Link finished his confession exhausted, fighting to kept his composure as he looked away towards the village. He suddenly stiffened when he felt Zelda's hand delicately rest on his and he glanced sideways to see her tired eyes glistening with unshed tears as she softly spoke. "You aren't the only one to be broken by the Twilight, but I believe It's far better to learn the art of rebuilding, rather than seeking to be unbreakable. If you care about anything, the latter will always be unattainable, but if you focus on the former then you will help far more than just yourself. It's how Hyrule has survived, it's how I am still princess and it's how you will rediscover the hero that still resides inside you. I have no doubt of that, Link."
Her words moved him once again as an almost indescribable wave of relief washed over him and a weight lifted from his soul. His eyes were once again anchored on her as he marvelled how one so young could hold such wisdom. "or so tired" he thought, as Zelda abruptly removed her hand from Link's to try to cover a, clearly restrained, yawn. Even her yawns carried a sense of propriety.
"Princess, that's two pearls of wisdom in five minutes, when you're half asleep. Can ANYONE keep up when you're actually awake?" He couldn't help quipping, spurred on by this new feeling of lightness.
A light high giggle like a bubbling forest spring tickled the night air and Zelda's melancholy visage was broken by a smile and not one of the subtle upturns of the lips just discernible behind her composed princess mask. This one overtook her whole face, so bright and beautiful that it would have left Link transfixed had he not turned away to prevent himself being blinded. Also, he was trying to hide the blush building in his cheeks.
The awkwardness that had pervaded their meeting up till now faded into the moonlight night as the princess's giggle finally found it's melodious ending cadence and she turned back to the view of Ordon. "Well me on a good day would probably be the council's worst nightmare…" she joked lightly "but I'm glad I have SOMETHING over the Hero of Twilight!"
Still blushing slightly, Link took a chance to be the one to ask a question, before this moment of connection passed. "Zelda, why are you so tired?" He asked, well aware this risked souring the mood, concern in his voice.
"For the same reason, I suspect, you have spent many nights, as you are tonight, sitting on this ledge, refusing to embrace your own need for slumber." She sighed deeply, suddenly wrapping her arms round herself, as she shivered, despite showing no previous signs of cold. Link, however, caught the haunted look in her eyes and instantly knew.
"You have nightmares too?" He asked, instantly regretting opening this line of conversation, shattering the carefree moment they'd just shared. Zelda simply nodded.
The seconds ticked by with just the rustling leaves and the nightingale the only sounds in the secluded glade.
"I'm sorry" Link croaked regretfully but was prevented from apologising further when Zelda wheeled round and interrupted in a warm but weary tone "Don't be, Link. I had considered bringing it up myself, but feared I may have already reopened to many wounds for one night."
"Well you couldn't reopen those wounds because I don't think I had the strength to close them in the first place." came Links wry response.
"Sharing with an understanding friend can sometimes be the first step."
"A friend like you?" Link said, slightly surprised at the implication that the royal princess considered him a friend after such a short and turbulent time.
"A friend like me" She confirmed assuredly, nodding as she gazed off to the treeline, only to be interrupted by another yawn, bigger and less restrained than before. "but yawn no more sharing tonight"
"Princess, you need to rest, let me escort you back" Link urged, increasingly worried she might topple from the ledge unconscious at any second.
"No, Link, I am fine. Just let me enjoy this secluded serenity a moment longer, then I will return. No escort required." She said, raising a hand to dismiss his concerns.
"it's beautiful tonight" she mumbled sleepily.
"Yes" Link agreed, as they both gazed out into the village, gilded in the moons silver rays, the gently swaying trees casting dancing shadows across quaint little houses and the occasional shimmer of light just visible from the stream. It seemed more peaceful than it had been at any other point since his fateful return.
Had he misjudged his situation so badly? He'd told himself when he came back that he was doing it to make his healing easier. That once he'd healed he would then face the reminders and remnants of his trials, that otherwise could shatter him completely. He now finally accepted that, as he had begun to suspect, he was instead running away and that not the nightmares might be the true source of his shame.
He had believed meeting Zelda would shatter him, however she had instead offered him a way out, a light at the end of the seemingly endless cavern he'd found himself buried in. He thought again of her words on rebuilding. It would take time but the aid of the princess, perhaps it was possible. There was hope.
Then a darker voice awoke inside his head, that threatened to crush this spark of optimism. "and how can she help you? She's a princess, with many duties and responsibilities. Do you really think she'd wish to or even be allowed to associate with someone of your ilk." The voice asked with bitter contempt.
Link was tired but his talk with Zelda had galvanised him and he now knew his enemy. It was time to fight back.
It was at that moment that he was suddenly aware of movement to his left. "Zelda" He cried, flinging himself across the ledge in a haphazard attempt to stop the now slumbering princess from falling, a clumsy manoeuvre which almost sent them both over the edge. Never the less he'd succeeded and the princess now lay on her back with Link giving her a highly uncomfortable sideways hug. Uncomfortable for multiple reasons.
Firstly, there was her golden shoulder armour that dug painfully into his chest. Secondly and far more uncomfortably, this was probably the most physically intimate position he'd ever been in with anyone. Zelda's face lay mere inches from his own, one her hands had come to rest on his right leg and his left knee seemed to be trapped up against what he could only assume was her… posterior!
For a moment all he could do was stare wide eyed at the princess's serene expression, as she slept deeply, completely deaf to the outside world… and their current predicament, thank the Goddesses! He would have been panicking about her health, fearing far worse than sleep had it not been for her peaceful breaths, blowing against his neck and the occasional twitch of her delicate lashes. Her pure alabaster skin shone in the moonlight and her full lips beheld a gentle smile. She looked like a goddess herself.
"…"
"What in Hyrule was I just thinking?" Link chastised himself severely as he scrambled desperately to extricate his limbs from round Zelda's frame without waking her. He was quickly coming to the impression though, as he staggered drunkenly to his feet, that there were very few forces in this world that could rouse the princess from her slumber, other than herself. He suspected the princess had a stubborn streak and it would seem that it even extended to her sleep. She would wake when she was ready and that certainly wouldn't be anytime soon.
Link began to pace anxiously in front of his door, frantically trying to come up with a plan of action, one that preferably avoided scandal or charges of treason. What in Farore's name was he supposed to do now? He couldn't leave the princess unconscious outside his door.
If he had his clawshot he might be able to lower himself and the princess to the ground, however he would still have to carry her unconscious form all the way across Ordon and even when he got to the camp, he had no idea where she was supposed to sleep. It wasn't like he could simply ask for directions, besides that point was basically moot as the clawshot was in his basement and he certainly wasn't going to abandon the princess to rummage around trying to find it. Indeed, the idea of leaving the princess filled him with dread.
No, the only option he had, as scandalous as it sounded, was for Zelda to sleep in his most comfortable bed. At this moment he was particularly glad that he had invested in a proper bed after his adventure, his one personal investment with his amassed wealth. He'd been prompted to make the uncharacteristic purchase when he became increasingly worried that his nightmares would cause him to fall from the small third floor platform on which his makeshift bed, nothing more than a thin mat and blanket, resided. Plus, he held the vain hope that a more comfortable resting place might help alleviate the nightmares. It hadn't worked but it gave him an acceptable option now. The princess could rest in the relative luxury on the ground floor, while he went back to his barebones lifestyle on the third floor. He almost smiled at the prospect of returning to his old rough and ready life.
His mind settled, he set about putting his plan into action, the first step being, carrying the princess into his house. It turned out that was far easier thought than done. His first attempt at lifting her almost had him collapsing on top of her. He may have been a hero who defeat great evil but he did that through agility and quick thinking, not brute strength. Lord Halshaw may have been an obnoxious old curmudgeon, but Link didn't blame the man for being surprised at his Hero status given his short, relatively slight build. He wouldn't say his was short on strength but there's only some much muscle you can fit before it becomes absurd. Not that he was suggesting that the princess was heavy or anything. There was just something on her that was… and he soon found the source.
Her ornate golden shoulder armour, it turns out, not only exuded nobility and strength but also weighed a ton. How Zelda manage to wear these glorious monsters all day, every day was beyond Link's comprehension. The undeniable, and rather uncomfortable fact though was that he had to remove them if he ever stood a chance of moving her.
It was an unnerving prospect for sure but the situation damned he had to do it. Approaching the item in question with the trepidation of handling a sacred treasure or an unstable explosive, he carefully unclasped the two shoulder plates and prayed that there was something underneath. It was then that he briefly registered that her attire was slightly different from on their adventure. Beneath the clasp that connected two shoulder plates across the front of her chest, she wore an intricate necklace made up of three large gold teardrop pendants each set with a different stone, blue, red and green. He could only assume that these must symbolise the three goddesses but he knew not which each represented and he didn't have the time to ponder such things.
He finally worked the clasps free, the plates came loose and Link groaned. Hope of avoiding a situation worthy of scandal seemed to be slipping away by the second. Zelda's shoulders were bare. He knew well how much nobles valued modesty and purity, at least when it came to women, and bare shoulders didn't fit either of those. What would the princess think? Perhaps she'd take it as a sign he'd tried to take advantage her. He shuddered at the thought.
Trying to suppress his worries and wild speculation, Link realised, short of using Zelda's head as a battering ram, an act he was sure she wouldn't appreciate, he wouldn't be able to open the door while carrying her. He needed a doorstop. something relatively small in size but nice and heavy?! Well it just so happened that he'd acquired two items that matched that description. He'd already probably committed a crime by removing them. He might as well make good use of them.
His brand-new shiny doorstop in place, he was finally able to try lifting the princess again. This time yielded success and he was suddenly able to lift the sleeping princess with relative ease, trying to find a position that was comfortable for her without being too undignified.
He then clumsily manoeuvred her through the door and into his rather eccentric house. Built into a giant tree, the one main room was round and cavernous, covering three floors. A stove sat opposite the door with a rustic dining table accompanied by a lone chair sitting just to the right of it. Following on clockwise was a ladder which lead up to two small platforms that constituted the second and third floors.
Link, however, headed left from the door towards an elegant bed that stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest the décor and gently laid Zelda down. He found himself transfixed but for a moment on her serene face, her beautiful brunette locks pooling across the sheets, only partially constrained by the braids. She looked pure and angelic. Deciding he'd done enough gormless gawking at the princess, he pulled up a blanket over her and tried to rise. Something tugged at his green tunic.
His eye's shot down and he saw one of her necklace pendants caught against the fabric. He tried to work it free but it was in vain. The only way he'd be able to release it would require the unthinkable. Was this a curse? Was this some torture perpetrated by the Goddesses just to watch him squirm, before he's promptly locked up for treason.
Link unclasped the neckless, his fingers brushing against her delicate skin and Zelda released a sigh. Link leapt back, fearing she would wake despite his earlier predictions, finding him so close, not only apparently stealing her necklace but also defiling her with his touch! True, he would still be caught taking the necklace but he considered that a minor offence by comparison. Luckily for him, she did not stir.
Finally working the pendant free by unchaining it from the rest of the necklace he saw it was the one set with a blue stone, probably a sapphire. If only he knew which goddess this stone represented, it might be a hint as to which of them had decided to orchestrate these calamitous events.
Putting it out of his mind, he turned to head to bed only for a groan to bring his attention back once more to the sleeping princess. Her peaceful serenity had been disturbed as her brow furrowed and she hugged her shoulders, shivering slightly. She'd shown no previous signs of being affected by the cool night air but it would have seemed to caught up with her.
Taking an executive decision, Link removed his tunic and laid it carefully over her shoulders. The shivering stopped and her brow softened again. Satisfied that he'd done all he could Link stepped back from the bed and gave one last look to the young royal who had waltzed back into his life and turned it upside down, with wisdom, compassion and a hint of stubbornness… his new friend. The notion still felt strange to him, being friends with royalty. But that's what she'd said.
He just hoped she still felt that way in the morning!