A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend.
-Act IV-
Convergence
2
Kate shivered for the third time since night had fallen fifteen minutes before. It wasn't just the cold, either, though it didn't help her mood. Kate had to admit, at least to herself, that she was a little afraid. She shivered for time number four, and drew her arms close, rubbing them briskly. She looked up at the star-filled sky, the velvety black with carelessly scattered diamonds glittering brightly, and sighed. The Hylian moon was just making its way over the horizon. The night, in Kate's opinion, was going to be very long, and very, VERY cold.
John looked over at her, noting her goose bumps, and grinned. "You cold?"
She nodded. "A little."
He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it across her shoulders. "Here."
She smiled. "Thank you," Kate said. "But won't you need it?"
"What kind of man would I be if I sat here in perfect comfort while such a pretty lady froze to death?" he quipped. "Nah, I'll be fine."
Kate returned her gaze to the stars. "He should have been back by now," she said, her voice full of concern.
John didn't answer right away. "Maybe he got held up somewhere," he offered, the response not helping to lighten Kate's mood.
"What if he's not coming back?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm sure he'd come back. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon anybody."
"That's not what I meant. What if something happened to him?"
"This is his home, Katie," John reasoned. "I'm sure he knows his way around better than that," he said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"But…what if somebody surprised him? What if he got ambushed…or mugged…or-"
"Kathryn." John said her name in such a tone that she couldn't ignore him. "Would you stop with the what ifs? You're going to drive yourself crazy. You're already driving me crazy."
She sighed. "I'm just…a little scared," she admitted.
"I figured," he replied dryly.
"You can't tell me you aren't worried," she challenged.
"I won't tell you that," he agreed. "I'm a little unnerved, too. And a little cold." He stood and started fishing around in the duffle bag. He smiled upon finding a pair of small flint rocks. He gathered a small pile of small tree branches and fallen leaves, piling them together with some larger sticks of wood, and then struck the flints together several times, grinning when a spark caught on the pile of kindling and set it ablaze, a tiny orange flame quickly growing to a cheerful warmth. "That oughta fix the cold part," he said, nodding in satisfaction.
Kate smiled. "That'll do nicely," she agreed.
He grinned, sitting down next to her. "Feel better?"
She hesitated. No reason to start lying then. "No," she sighed. "I don't."
"Well, I'm sure he'll be back at least by morning, so if you want to, you can go to sleep and I'll keep watch."
She stared at him. "Keep watch?" she echoed. "What on earth for? The place is deserted."
"Well, I'm certainly not going to leave a lady of such consummate beauty unprotected through the harsh Hylian night," stated, so matter-of-factly that Kate stared at him in surprise, her jaw dropping. "You might want to shut that," he said calmly, "before your face freezes."
Blushing, she closed her mouth. "Did you mean that?" she asked.
He nodded. "Would I say it if I didn't?"
That was true. John wasn't someone who said things he didn't mean. She smiled. Her fear started to disappear on the breeze, and she scooted up close to John, and put her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she said. "You're not so bad yourself," she added.
He grinned. "Go to sleep, Katie," he replied.
She giggled. "But there are so many interesting things we could talk about," she said, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Oh, we don't want that," he said, mock serious.
"Why?"
"Because one thing always leads to another," he said. "You say something, I say something back, and then, before you know it, one of us is going to end up saying something like 'I love you', and that would be frightfully embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
The smile faded from her face. "Oh," she said, disappointed. "I don't think it would be that bad," she suggested.
"Really?" he said, his curiosity perked.
"Yup."
"Hmmm…so you wouldn't mind if I said that you might just be one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and that even if something did happen where we never saw each other again, I'd never meet anyone as beautiful as you?"
She stared icily at him.
"What?" he asked innocently. "What'd I say?"
"One of the most beautiful?" she repeated dangerously.
"Oh, you're worried about that?"
Her gaze told him to watch his next few words very carefully.
"The most beautiful, then," he said, trying to smile, though it was a very uneasy one.
"Why so antsy?"
"I'm a little worried, too, Kate. He didn't take anything to defend himself with, and he didn't come back when he said he was going to. The evidence doesn't point toward anything good."
"I'm glad I'm not paranoid."
"I never said that," he countered.
"Oh, fine."
-Act IV-
Convergence
2
Kate shivered for the third time since night had fallen fifteen minutes before. It wasn't just the cold, either, though it didn't help her mood. Kate had to admit, at least to herself, that she was a little afraid. She shivered for time number four, and drew her arms close, rubbing them briskly. She looked up at the star-filled sky, the velvety black with carelessly scattered diamonds glittering brightly, and sighed. The Hylian moon was just making its way over the horizon. The night, in Kate's opinion, was going to be very long, and very, VERY cold.
John looked over at her, noting her goose bumps, and grinned. "You cold?"
She nodded. "A little."
He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it across her shoulders. "Here."
She smiled. "Thank you," Kate said. "But won't you need it?"
"What kind of man would I be if I sat here in perfect comfort while such a pretty lady froze to death?" he quipped. "Nah, I'll be fine."
Kate returned her gaze to the stars. "He should have been back by now," she said, her voice full of concern.
John didn't answer right away. "Maybe he got held up somewhere," he offered, the response not helping to lighten Kate's mood.
"What if he's not coming back?" she asked worriedly.
"I'm sure he'd come back. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would abandon anybody."
"That's not what I meant. What if something happened to him?"
"This is his home, Katie," John reasoned. "I'm sure he knows his way around better than that," he said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"But…what if somebody surprised him? What if he got ambushed…or mugged…or-"
"Kathryn." John said her name in such a tone that she couldn't ignore him. "Would you stop with the what ifs? You're going to drive yourself crazy. You're already driving me crazy."
She sighed. "I'm just…a little scared," she admitted.
"I figured," he replied dryly.
"You can't tell me you aren't worried," she challenged.
"I won't tell you that," he agreed. "I'm a little unnerved, too. And a little cold." He stood and started fishing around in the duffle bag. He smiled upon finding a pair of small flint rocks. He gathered a small pile of small tree branches and fallen leaves, piling them together with some larger sticks of wood, and then struck the flints together several times, grinning when a spark caught on the pile of kindling and set it ablaze, a tiny orange flame quickly growing to a cheerful warmth. "That oughta fix the cold part," he said, nodding in satisfaction.
Kate smiled. "That'll do nicely," she agreed.
He grinned, sitting down next to her. "Feel better?"
She hesitated. No reason to start lying then. "No," she sighed. "I don't."
"Well, I'm sure he'll be back at least by morning, so if you want to, you can go to sleep and I'll keep watch."
She stared at him. "Keep watch?" she echoed. "What on earth for? The place is deserted."
"Well, I'm certainly not going to leave a lady of such consummate beauty unprotected through the harsh Hylian night," stated, so matter-of-factly that Kate stared at him in surprise, her jaw dropping. "You might want to shut that," he said calmly, "before your face freezes."
Blushing, she closed her mouth. "Did you mean that?" she asked.
He nodded. "Would I say it if I didn't?"
That was true. John wasn't someone who said things he didn't mean. She smiled. Her fear started to disappear on the breeze, and she scooted up close to John, and put her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she said. "You're not so bad yourself," she added.
He grinned. "Go to sleep, Katie," he replied.
She giggled. "But there are so many interesting things we could talk about," she said, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Oh, we don't want that," he said, mock serious.
"Why?"
"Because one thing always leads to another," he said. "You say something, I say something back, and then, before you know it, one of us is going to end up saying something like 'I love you', and that would be frightfully embarrassing, wouldn't it?"
The smile faded from her face. "Oh," she said, disappointed. "I don't think it would be that bad," she suggested.
"Really?" he said, his curiosity perked.
"Yup."
"Hmmm…so you wouldn't mind if I said that you might just be one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and that even if something did happen where we never saw each other again, I'd never meet anyone as beautiful as you?"
She stared icily at him.
"What?" he asked innocently. "What'd I say?"
"One of the most beautiful?" she repeated dangerously.
"Oh, you're worried about that?"
Her gaze told him to watch his next few words very carefully.
"The most beautiful, then," he said, trying to smile, though it was a very uneasy one.
"Why so antsy?"
"I'm a little worried, too, Kate. He didn't take anything to defend himself with, and he didn't come back when he said he was going to. The evidence doesn't point toward anything good."
"I'm glad I'm not paranoid."
"I never said that," he countered.
"Oh, fine."