Chapter -18-
Calm Before The Storm

That night…

LJ pushed back the curtain on the mattress and slid out of the queen's bed. He looked back at her, propped up on three pillows, with her hands folded in a dainty manner, atop the duvet comforter, in her lap. Her eyes were affixed to the televised news story talking about her speech from earlier in the day.

The anchorman showed Zelda's speech in a small picture just to the right of his head. He said, "And in other news, Queen Zelda of Hyrule led both a pep-rally and gave an intense speech to Hyrule and the rest of the world while in mid-combat. The internet seems to be abuzz over the fact she is quite a skilled archer, a fairly accomplished swordswoman, and yet she also likes to talk in the middle of a battlefield. Many people appreciated the message, but, like before, people want to know about the Twin Links that were seen in an amateur video of the golem … robot … thing that attacked the castle recently. But now, people also want to know about the young girl in a green tunic that was spotted speaking to the camera in today's fight. People are calling her 'Link-ette' and 'the babe in green.' The internet is referring to her as 'Gender-bender Link,' leaving us all to wonder … just how many links does the queen have in her hero chain? Next up, traffic and weather together. We'll return to you with that and more right after these messages."

The imagery suddenly cut to a soap commercial.

LJ approached the picture-frame with the reflective surface, able to see his state of undress in its reflection, but he kept his eyes on the televised commercial. "Why do you insist on watching this channel?"

"Because they hate me. They are the most negative when talking about me, so I like to see what they have to say. I'm sorry if I killed the afterglow mood. But I wanted to see what they had to say. To be honest, I'm surprised they didn't mention us today."

"Wait, the media has been mentioning me while I was gone?" LJ turned his back to the television and faced Zelda.

Zelda nodded in reply. "You are thee, uh, Royal Boy Toy, and you are thee, um … Royal Pool Boy. I'm sorry. They will mention that I look happier when you are around, and then post only the glummest looking images captured from afar when you are not in the picture at my side. They suggest that you're the only one that makes me happy anymore. They're just silly children."

LJ blinked. "Wow. Well, if they could only see us now … you went from happy to being annoyed with the media … yet I'm still in the room with you."

Zelda chuckled. "And undressed at that. One would think that would be more than enough to put me in good spirits. This is the second time, and it was a hundred-fold better than the first."

LJ grinned to the point that his face became red with blush. "That's because you showed me where your, uh, spots are at."

"I like that you don't treat me as though you are afraid of me, nor do you treat me with disrespect. I feel like a lucky woman when I'm with you, LJ."

LJ beamed with pride. "Well, uh, I'd make some sort of cheesy pun, like, 'you rule my heart,' or something. But … the truth is, I had an entire year to process … my feelings for you, you know?"

"Why did you pause?"

"Because … it's like this. I've processed how I feel about you in the year I just lived, but I don't know if I'll ever process what it was like to see so much … death. Bodies that I came across and buried. People with these … these empty and accusing glares … losing people I was fighting for … just … ugh."

Zelda sat up with a frown. "Oh, LJ, I am so sorry you've had to witness such atrocities."

LJ came back to the bed and sat down on the mattress. "And even after all that, how weird is it to see young Aryll and older Aryll getting along like besties?"

"Mm, never-mind the fact that they have been hanging out with Linkle. That one is the life of the party in her own mind."

LJ chuckled dryly, glad to be derailed from the other topic. "Yeah. And Linkle isn't exactly the best role model for my sister. Sis…ters? Ugh. You know what I mean."

"I do, yes." Zelda climbed out from under the blankets and moved closer to him, so that they were nearly nose-to-nose at the center of the mattress. "I have had ten days to analyze my feelings for you; I know that holds no candle to the entire year you've just endured, but I wanted to share my feelings. I am so relieved to know you feel the same way about me that I feel about you."

"It's the longest whirlwind romance ever, huh? At least for me, heh. You don't, uh, regret how fast we're moving, do you?"

Zelda replied with an airy laugh. She laid on her side, by him, with her head propped up on her elbow. "I know it was premature to make love to you. I am the queen of this nation, and I have a responsibility to Hyrule and to myself, but … I feel such chemistry with you. A connection I cannot explain. My only regret is that it took Ganon-Nohansen interfering for us to meet, and that led to people losing their lives. Families in some cases."

"Zelda, I like to tell myself that … the connection we have? If your uncle never interfered, we would still have found one another."

"You think so?"

"If we really do have two-thirds of the TriForce, and they really do want to reconnect, then we were pulled together by the will of something far greater than human comprehension. If it's fate that we be together, I'm okay with that, because I believe we have the freewill to decide how to make the best of these feelings, and we have a goddess-given right to be as premature as we want, together."

Zelda's face brightened. The news was forgotten, and she felt restored just by being in his presence. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I once healed your injuries. It probably seems like forever ago for you, but it was when we met."

"Oh, I definitely remember. What about it?"

"You just returned the favor. Being with you is emotionally healing. It brings me peace and a feeling of being centered. I have a great deal of turmoil in my life, and you balance it by being a force of good and kindness."

"You know, it really is wild, to me I mean, knowing that you feel about me the way I feel about you. It just feels so … natural with you. But you don't have to thank me. I've been fighting turmoil for a year, now … and if anything, you're the one that brings me some peace and centering, you know?"

"When I was younger, I asked my mother what it feels like to be in love, and how to tell the difference between being in a marriage and being in love with one's spouse. She told me that the difference is simple: no matter how bad things get, and no matter how difficult life becomes, being in love is a panacea for the heart, mind, body, and spirit. And that is now I know that this chemistry we have … is something more than a typical relationship."

LJ smiled. He leaned down and offered her a soft kiss.

Zelda met the touch of his lips. She reached for the nightstand and lifted the small ring sitting on the white surface. She put it on his finger. "There." She paused to watch the transformation of his hair from blond to red. A smile spread across her face. "Now it's a going steady ring."

"I've got to get something for you, then."

Zelda grinned. "I feel like a high schooler when I'm with you. Isn't that silly?"

"Emotions are never silly. I like that it makes you feel good."

Her grin turned into a warm smile. "Well, aren't you a breath of fresh air for a man. You know, the average man reaches emotional maturity at the age of 43. So, either you are going to become the most mature man alive in twenty years, or forty-three is a median average based against all the men that never mature, and you're one of those guys that grew up early. Either way, your maturity is a very attractive feature."

"Most girls like me for my six-pack, but she finds my emotions sexy."

Zelda laughed softly. "You're parodying a song, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't remember how it's actually supposed to go, heh. Don't you have some sort of royal glee club or a minstrel with a lute to play it for you at a moment's notice?"

Again, she replied with a laugh. "No, of course not. That is what my Sheikah Slate digital assistant is for. Ahem. Hey, Impa! What is the song that says, 'but she finds my something sexy'?"

Zelda's slate, over on the desktop, replied, "Good evening, your highness! I have found eleven hundred forty-seven songs referencing 'sexy' in the lyrics. Would you like the top ten cross-referenced by popularity?"

LJ laughed.

Zelda laughed.

Impa asked, "I did not catch that. Can you repeat your query response?"

Zelda brought her palm to her face. "No, Impa. Cancel the request." She turned to LJ and said, "She's quite amazing at keeping my life sorted and in order, but I guess nobody is perfect at everything."

"Oh, I don't know. I think you're perfect. At least, you know, perfect for me, so … don't ever change." He grinned, adding, "No pressure."

She reached up and cupped his face, then she slanted her lips across his own with a soft smile.

X

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Meanwhile…

Aryll Smith-Kasuto cupped the face of her younger self and ran her thumbs over the younger girl's cheeks. "Your skin is so soft. And you're so pretty. How did I ever have low self-esteem in middle school? And how did I not notice my own eyes?"

Ary licked her lips apprehensively and swallowed in silence.

Aryll released Ary's face and reached for a brush on the hope chest with the mirror on it. She turned back to the young teenager sitting atop the guest room bed and said, "Turn around, kiddo."

Ary turned away and folded her hands, sitting on her bed. "I miss my bed back at the house."

"In my timeline, I never saw it again. Not until long after Hyrule had been razzed to the ground. And by then, it was all covered with mold and mildew from where the top floor of the condo was ripped clean off. I stared at it for a moment while getting keepsakes from home … stuff that reminded me of LJ, because, you know…"

"Because he died in your timeline."

"Yeah, exactly. I got really sentimental." Aryll started brushing her younger self's hair with a soft sigh. "I was devastated. At that age, he was my brother, my father figure … he was my world. I was approached by starving survivors and when they demanded to know where my husband was, I told them he died in the blast, but I was really talking about LJ. And…" Aryll shook her head with another sigh.

"Be glad they weren't attackers. I've heard horror stories about men in dystopian situations."

Aryll grimaced. "I was trying to spare you those details."

"Wait, they attacked you?" Ary turned to face her older-self.

"I'd already been training with Link of Calatia for quite a while by that point. It didn't last long."

"What happened?"

"You're too young," Aryll replied flatly.

"I'm you. You can't just … keep secrets about what we do with our life. Not from me."

Aryll grimaced and put the brush on the blanket. She reached up and ran her hands through her long blonde hair. "It'll give you nightmares. I came back in time so you wouldn't ever have to experience that."

"I'm a kid; I'm resilient. You're old, so you're emotionally fragile. C'mon. Spill it."

Aryll groaned. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Well, you did. So, spill the beans. What happened? Did they…? Hurt … you?"

Aryll shook her head. "Not like you're thinking. Not every man is a rapist. He saw my clothes were clean and I had a sword on my back. He wanted my gear, and was willing to take my life to get it. He and his buddy. And their look-out guy. I was outnumbered."

"Three to one? That's not very fair!"

"No, it's not. And they were seasoned survivors at that point. It was really hard to kill human beings when your species was nearly wiped out, a target of genocide by psychopath moblins and bokoblins. I still have really terrible dreams about killing them."

"Was it in our bedroom? You mentioned it after I told you I missed my own bed."

Aryll stared at the girl in disbelief.

"What? I'm right, right?"

"Yeah. You are. So that is what Link meant when he said I was very astute and quick to make logical conclusions based on very little information. I did that stuff to him all the time, and he always pointed it out. It's weird to see it from myself … to see it in action from his perspective."

"You're dodging the topic. I know my tricks. If I don't want to talk about stuff, I change the subject. So, first, you're going to tell me how you survived the attack … did Link save you? And then, you're going to tell me what it's like dating our ancestors … because … I'm trying really hard not to judge you, because you're me … but it's kind of freaking me out."

"Wait, how the hell did you know that? Who told you?"

"You did. Just now."

"No, no, don't pull that. You called me out on it. Forget me confirming it, I want to know what gave it away or if someone straight up told you."

Ary laughed. "You're me. You're talking about Sir Link of Calatia like he's wonderful."

"I haven't said anything of the sort, though."

"You say it with your face. With your eyes. When you talk about him, you light up. I know all my own expressions. LJ points out whenever I talk about something that I'm excited about. He knows me better than I know myself, and because that, I learned myself. Well, you smile with your tone when you say his name. So, did he save you?"

"Yes and no. I fought and killed the first two guys. I shoved one away, and he landed on the bed you miss. Face down, throat open. The bed was already ruined, but after that, I never wanted to look at it again. The second guy went through the hole in the wall, where the bricks crumbled and the window used to be. He was still alive when he hit the parking lot. But by the time I saw him up close, later, he was dead. It was the third guy I didn't know about that Link killed."

"Go on."

Aryll grumbled softly."

"I need to know how my life almost played out."

"The guy was coming up behind me with some sort of crudely made weapon. A shank made from a razorblade. I heard his body hit the ground. I turned around and saw Link in the doorway, pulling his sword from the wooden doorframe, dripping in blood. The spatter pattern sprayed on the wall and ceiling was like something out of a crime scene TV show. The guy was making all this gross noise while his lungs filled up with fluid. Link had to swipe at his spine to drop him in one hit, else the attacker would have buried that razor in my back. But Link wasn't about to leave the man to lay there and suffer in his final moments…"

"He finished the guy off?"

Aryll nodded to her younger self. "Link rolled the man onto his back, said a prayer that the man seek salvation and remorse in his final moments, then said another prayer to the goddess to forgive him for taking a human life … then Link put the man out of his misery without pain. He reached down and pressed his hand against the man's neck to stop blood flow. The dying attacker passes out, then Link keeps his hand on the man's neck for another … I don't know how long. At the time, it felt like forever, but when I think back on it, it was maybe two or three minutes. Long enough to deprive the man's brain of oxygen, so that he wouldn't wake back up. Just … peaceful. Then Link stood up, opened his arms, and asked if I was injured."

"You jumped into his arms, huh?"

"Something like that. I cried on his shoulder and explained how I killed two people. Two humans. Two Hylians. It probably sounded like muffled babbling against his shoulder. He said he would never let anything happen to me, and promised me I could let myself feel safe around him. And you know what? I did. He pointed out that the men didn't have wedding bands on their fingers; they didn't even have ring tan-lines. He told me I did an amazing job killing the two men, and to always clear a floor before letting down my guard, and then leave something broken on the floor at the entrance before relaxing. It was a good lesson. Good advice, I mean, you know? I didn't feel judged at all. I tried to kiss him and he stopped me."

"He stopped you?"

"Yeah. He said if that sort of thing were to happen, it has to happen naturally, and not in response to him saving me, because if the situation was reversed, I would have saved him. But if I was going to kiss him, I had to really mean it. But he said it in a way that sounded … I don't know … romantic and chivalrous. So, I waited about a week, and then, at random … no pretense or awkward damsel-in-distress moment … I kissed him again. Because I wanted to. Waiting only made me think about it for a week. I dwelled on it. I had dreams about it. I obsessed, but kept that part to myself. And then when I kissed him the second time, we connected."

"You had sex?"

Aryll cringed. "You're a thirteen-year-old girl."

"Uh, a few centuries ago, twelve was the age for a dowery and wedding. You had kids early to work the farm land you were gifted."

Aryll sighed. "Yeah, I guess. But before modern medical technology, age increased a woman's chance of dying in childbirth. So girls had kids way early to increase their chance of surviving that ordeal. Anyhow, yes, Link and I had sex for the first time. And it wasn't … bad … but it got better, later, as we got to know each other's bodies, okay? God, I feel dirty telling you this stuff. You're too young."

"You're me," said Ary.

"I'm not comfortable talking about it to something other than him."

"Okay, that makes sense. That's all you had to say."

"Thanks." Aryll cleared her throat. "Don't treat him weird, okay? We're still together."

"Well, duh. That part is obvious."

Aryll grimaced. "Ah, middle school aged. The age of entitlement. Where you think you know it all and don't yet know how to have empathy for people. Okay. Let's uh … talk about something other than Link, since you'll grow up in a normal society and find someone else."

"Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't want to hook up with someone who looks identical to my brother anyhow. Not judging, just saying."

"Good. Okay, good." Aryll nodded firmly. "Hearing you say that makes me feel better."

Ary shrugged. "So. What else do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. I suppose you need to learn to fight just in case you have to go back in time and keep the loop going – save Hyrule as one of the five champions."

"Cool. I like that. Need a token girl on the team."

Aryll chuckled and reached for the hand brush. "Uh-huh."

Ary faced away from Aryll, letting the adult woman brush her hair. "I wonder what Linkle is doing right now…"

"Linkle? What makes you ask about her?"

"She is ornery and cusses a lot, but she exudes 'girl power' and I … really respect that. And she's really nice to me."

"Well, right now, Linkle and Link are researching where to find the elements of the Silver Light Arrows. They're silver-core arrows with an alloy coating on the shaft, with purifying silver tips, combined with the essence-of-light arrows used to defeat Ganon when he became Dark Beast Ganon in the mythology. The only way to beat him for sure and keep it that way is to find both and combine them to make the Silver Light Arrows, according to a Sheikah prophecy discovered when the Gate of Time was uncovered. Like, they must have used the Gate of Time to go into the future and determine that both would be needed, and so they left instructions on how to combine them. The Gate of Time was uncovered a few decades ago, but the Royal Family never went searching for the silver or essence-of-light arrows. If the royal family did find them, then they hid them without a word about them. So … who knows?"

Ary sat still while her adult-self brushed her hair. She sighed softly, relaxing for the moment. "You ever think about LJ as the hero? Does he have to go through trials in underworld dungeons like the heroes of ancient legends? If so, when will he? Will it be dangerous? I'm just afraid for him, you know…?"

Aryll sighed softly, mirroring her younger self. "Yeah. But now he has a team. How will the ancients know whether he goes dungeon-diving alone or as a group? The group of us will keep him safe."

"I had a dream last night," said Ary. "In it, the ancients made the dungeons foolproof. The only ones who could get in and access them were LJ and Zelda. And they had to do it together. Like, as a team. It prepared them."

Aryll arched her brows. "I don't remember ever having that kind of dream. I had a dream about the nuke, but I didn't act on it because I thought it was just a bad dream. What did the rest of us do in your dream? Myself, Linkle, Link, Ravio…"

"You trained to operate your Divine Beast machine. You trained with the Guardian robots."

"What if … our dreams were … prophetic?"

Ary frowned. "I guess … then … I should be glad."

"Why's that?"

"Because I didn't get the nuclear attack dream."

"Shit. True."

Ary scrunched her nose. "Cuss jar."

Aryll huffed with indignation and fished out a rupee. "Jeeze laweeze." She plunked it down on Ary's lap then went back to brushing the girl's hair.

"So … Zelda and my … our … brother … has to endure some sort of ancient secret tests and trials, and … you guys get to chase down moblins in your toys as soon as the things are finished being built … but what about me? What do I do in all of this? Just sit around and twiddle my thumbs? The more I do that, the more time I have to think and to freak out. I just want to feel useful and I … I really just want to be distracted."

Aryll frowned.

Ary sighed softly. "I just hate feeling helpless."

"You're not helpless."

"Then tell me how I can help?"

"I don't know. I really don't. Everything is kinda crazy right now."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Both girls sighed in unison.

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Author's Note: Is anyone still reading? Anyone at all? I'm just … curious. I had one review in chapter 15, but nothing else since the one in chapter 13.

If I get some feedback on what people want to see, it will help me out a lot, but otherwise, I'll just keep trucking along until I go back to work on Line Editing my original series. Just … I dunno, say hi or something! LOL