ii. from winter sun to summer snow
They close down the shop for three weeks to enjoy the holidays, pack up some bags and drive the long distance to Ordon, shedding pieces of winter gear the closer to South they get. Pumpkin and Cheese nap the trip away inside their carrier, and Link doodles in the backseat as Bo and Ilia talk, sometimes trying to rope him in their conversation of best pies to serve for dinner, but he doesn't reply with anything substantial. Still sullen, he keeps to himself, chalks it up as worry for the plants at the shop they couldn't sell or give away in time.
Ordon is bright and sunny when they arrive, one of the few rare small, rural towns that still exist in Hyrule after its growth spurt a century or so ago. They go further than downtown, until asphalt gives way to gravel and then dirt, and they're driving towards to the ranch passing pumpkin patches and endless fields of sunflowers. Before the car comes to a stop, the children propped on the fence run to their meeting. The cats are freed to explore the familiar place and rounds of hugs are given. Rusl pats his back heartily and Colin takes him by the hand to visit his mom and sister, born few weeks ago.
Link lets the fresh air fill his lungs and spends most of his days away from paper and pencil, down on the barn feeding goats and chickens, playing with the kids and Ilia by the stream, riding Epona and brushing her lucious white mane every evening. They camp out once and count stars at night, lying on blankets across the field until the kids fall asleep one by one. It's relaxing, it's good to catch a break and be back.
A part of him is still stuck in the capital, though, trying to compare the shade of her eyes to anything that can be found in nature and sacrificing his mobile data to search her name online before bed. He feels a bit like a creep, but he worries. Link just wants to get to know Zelda, not Princess Zelda, but it's convenient that she's a public figure and pressing the refresh button puts his nerves at ease knowing that nothing major happened to her. She's seen walking down streets and doing mundane things, but the tabloids never mention illnesses and extreme situations like assassination attempts.
He makes sure she's safe and puts his phone aside. There's a lot to read about her online, but he likes having these little facts granted to him by Zelda herself, and he can't quite forget how she stalled when he called her Miss Nohansen the last time they met. Chances are he used to be the only person in the Capital not to recognize her and bow at her feet.
If that makes her feel comfortable around him, well, he can't complain.
Link tries to salvage some of the withering plants when they make it back to the Capital, moves them upstairs to the apartment and the spot by the living room window is crowded with them. It snowed some in their absence, but not enough to become a hindrance. Still, it's freezing outside and he has to keep the heater at a decent temperature for the sake of the flowers.
Pumpkin and Cheese are curled up by the display windows to catch some sunlight whilst he goes into the stockroom, pen and paper in hand to write a list of supplies that need to be ordered. There's still a month left before Valentine's Day, but they need to prepare in advance and place orders fairly early so they won't be left hanging for one reason or another. Link can already picture the cooler with seventy-five percent of its capacity occupied by red roses which will be gone long before the day is over.
He's rewriting the list in a handwriting that Ilia can actually read - he is an art student, but when he writes quickly, his handwriting is no better than a chicken scratch - when the bell chimes again and he lifts his head to see a girl by the entrance. She's young, ten to twelve years old, with golden blonde hair tied up in pigtails and a puffy dress made of rich fabric, and he's not entirely surprised by that. She picks her way closer to Pumpkin, now watching the little girl, tail flicking back and forth.
The girl's not alone and for a moment he doesn't know what to do when he sees Zelda standing there. Link takes hold of his unease before she can sense it, kicks away the idiotic urge to incline his head and decides to stick to casual. It's probably the only break she has from her daily life as princess, and he wants her to know that he won't treat her differently because of titles and bloodlines.
Outside, the car is parked and Ashei waits with the massive dog on the sidewalk. "Good morning, Miss Nohansen." He walks around the counter in her direction, wiping his palms on his apron. "Came accompanied today I see."
She glances back at the girl now petting the cat's ginger fur. "Good morning. Agitha wanted to meet the man that makes beautiful bouquets."
His cheeks heat up instantly at her words. Link chuckles, rubs the nape of his neck self-consciously. "Is she a relative?"
"She is my little sister, yes." Zelda turns her sights back on him and he realizes that treating her like a civilian is just about the best choice he's made this past month, even better than having a third serving of his favorite dessert on Hylia's Grace Day back in Ordon. "I came here to give you this, too."
It's the first time he notices she has something in her hands, a box wrapped in the finest paper he's seen in his entire life, probably. "I- You- You shouldn't have, Miss Nohansen." Besides, he didn't get anything for her in exchange.
"Nonsense," she pushes it closer, urges him to open it with a cocked brow. "It is a gift for being so attentive and for making wonderful floral arrangements."
His entire face is flushed crimson, he thinks and takes the box with a slight dip of his head and a murmured thank you, retreating to the counter to peel the wrapping delicately, the paper so beautiful he doesn't want to ruin it. Agitha seems entertained with Pumpkin, her giggles the only sound coming from her, and Zelda watches from a distance, hands neatly folded before her like the princess she is.
Link exhales through his nose before pushing the paper aside, blinks at the content. It's a wooden case, but much more than that, fingers tracing the logo on the top lid almost reverently. He shoots her a quick glance over his shoulder and the confirmation comes in the form of a silent nod. Limbs nearly shaking, he fumbles with the latch and opens the case, eyes going bright at the rows of colorful soft pastels inside. It's a kit he's only seen in his wildest dreams and spent countless hours sighing in front of his laptop, cheek in hand like a lovesick teenager, wishing for something very few people can afford.
Zelda is one of them and she's giving it to him.
He'd been planning on returning the gift even after opening it, but now that he's touched it, Link doesn't want to let go anymore. Still, he breathes heavily and tries to put up a fight, but before he even says anything, he can see that she won't be having none of it. "Let me - Let me at least give you an arrangement, then. On the house."
There's a silent understanding between them that no one will leave empty handed, so she concedes with that.
Sadly for Link, the cooler room isn't as packed as it used to be before the holidays, so he makes do with orange roses and sunflowers they brought from Ordon, pairing them together with some simple greens, throws in a few leftover mini hydrangeas that survived their break and don't look so bad. He assembles everything on the counter, Zelda's studious gaze taking note of how he shuffles flowers around until they're a bouquet and not just a bunch of flowers thrown together carelessly, finishes it off his tissue paper and a pretty ribbon.
Agitha comes up to the counter and sets two little clay pots of succulents by the neglected list of supplies as he's passing the arrangement to Zelda. "No, no, you don't need to pay for that." He says when she reaches for her purse, leaning on the counter to give her sister his brightest smile. "These are a gift for you."
She beams up at him and gathers the pots close to her chest. "Thank you, Mister Link. My little bugs are going to love them!"
Link straightens up and sets a hand on the soft pastel case, turning his eyes back to Zelda. "I don't think I ever thanked you for this."
"You don't need to," she says, and seeing her smile never fails to make him feel things. "I want to support your career as an artist."
He's a still a little numb long after she's gone, another car in her usual parking spot, no massive dog out front to put his cats on edge, scratching lines with the pastels and turning them over in his fingers like precious gemstones.
"You did well today, Link."
He grunts from where he's got his face planted on the counter. "Please, leave me to die."
"You became too dramatic since you joined college." Bo chuckles loudly and squeezes his shoulder as he passes the slumped form of a tired art student. "Ilia will be here in around an hour. I'll head upstairs and prepare dinner."
Link waves him off, or tries to, but all his fingers do is twitch pathetically by his side, arms hanging like lead. The rush of Valentine's Day is over and it's a little past their usual closing time, but they keep the doors open for a while longer to save some poor forgetful person's relationship, and believe him, they come in flocks around eight in the evening when they have to go pick their partners before dinner.
Between waking up early in the morning for his classes and surviving the torrent of customers that showed up today, Link is ready to fall asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow. He can't remember the last time he drank water or had something to eat either, trying to recall if he had lunch before showing up at the flower shop to take Ilia's place and failing miserably, and his stomach chooses this moment to remind him that he's starving. Wrapping his arms loosely around himself, Link groans into the polished wood of the counter and considers calling Ilia to tell her to hurry up home already.
If he sees one more red rose today, he's going to snap.
Link picks himself up and cracks his knuckles just as the door opens, mentally preparing himself for another bouquet. Goddesses, his hands hurt so much, he can only hope they'll be better by tomorrow for classes. He smiles when he sees Zelda, keeps it in place when he spots the man behind her even as his stomach sinks into a frozen lake. An unfairly handsome man with glimmering red eyes, long blonde hair in a braid, bangs framing his sharp face, wearing a dark blue winter suit that compliments her crimson outfit rather well.
His heart plummets to his stomach.
"Hello, Mister Link." Zelda looks every bit like the princess she is with her hair done intricately and makeup on her face. He wouldn't go as far as to say she's irecognizable, but she does look very different from her usual self. The nameless man walks to the floral refrigerator soundlessly.
Link reinforces the strength behind his smile. "Good evening, Miss Nohansen. Happy Valentine's day."
"Happy Valentine's day to you, too." She sets something on the counter. "I figured you would be hungry after your shift."
Two tall plastic cups in a holder, three paper bags plus a box of pastries, all stylized with a rose gold logo Link doesn't recognize, but the name in fancy cursive pokes at something in his mind. He blinks owlishly, trying to connect the name to a place, but nothing comes to him right away. Zelda is smiling softly at him when he looks up again.
"Thank you, Miss Nohansen. You're very kind."
She brushes it off with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I hope you find them to your liking."
Oh, he will like this, all right. She could literally give him the blandest, bitterest coffee and he'd drink it with gusto and would even have seconds. Link lifts a cup up and checks the scribbles on the side - decaf vanilla latte addressed for him - and takes a sip. It's rich, creamy and warm, and it melts him on the spot. He sneaks a hand inside one of the bags when she urges him to eat, takes out a buttery bread with some cheese filling that's absolutely divine. Zelda's smile only grows as she watches him savor it.
Before he can thank her again, her companion steps up the counter, his voice as smooth as his hair. "Could you make me a custom bouquet, please?"
Link blinks at him. "Sure, of course."
"Something with shades of red and purple," Zelda says, and they both look at her. "I think she will like it best."
Oh, so this man isn't her... Boyfriend or anything? Link quickly nods and disappears into the cooler to get to work, steering away from boring red roses, gathering up in his arms some orchids, lilies and some pinkish orange roses he had been saving for the next arrangement commissioned by Zelda. He can make it up to her later, he figures as he arranges everything in a rather large bouquet and wraps it up with beautifully.
Zelda runs a delicate finger over the violet petals of the orchid as her companion takes his wallet from his pocket and pays Link enough for the arrangement and more. He tries to return some of it, but the man brushes him off and offers his arm to Zelda, who loops hers through his, dainty hand resting over his forearm.
After they're gone, Link sinks on the stool and rests his face in his arms. Boyfriend or not, Zelda will never like him back. Being just her friend isn't bad, of course, but the little jerk of his heart whenever she walks in steals his breath for a moment and this can't keep happening.
Ilia arrives some time later, a stack of books from the library in hand that she dumps on the counter as he's locking up the shop. She's unwinding her scarf from around her neck, complaining about the cold, when she pauses and reaches a hand for the box of pastries. "Link," Ilia edges up the lid with a fingertip as if she expects to find a time bomb inside. "Who brought these?"
"Um?" He looks over his shoulder, broom in hand. "Oh, Zelda came by today."
She lets out a murmured holy shit and opens the box further. "Goddesses, Link." He wanders closer to peer at the sweets, all delicately shaped and decorated with fruits that definitely aren't in season, dusted with powdered sugar or covered in luscious milk chocolate. "Each of these costs a small fortune."
A few days later and Link is hunched over the counter, armed with his pastels and a big sheet of paper, filling in the faded lines and coloring the landscape scenery of choice for one of his classes. It's a picture he took himself of the ranch back in Ordon with its colored roof tiles, a well lived place. Their horses can be seen in the distance and the kids are running down a slope in his direction, hair wild and arms up.
It makes him homesick for a place he visited not so long ago.
Link sets the soft pastel back in its place and runs his fingers over them fondly. They're all he expected of the brand and more, wonderful to work with and nothing like the cheaper kinds he bought before. Granted he doesn't know how to use them well, but it's nothing that practice and some videos on the internet can't help him.
He walks into the back room to make some tea, looking through the boxes piled clumsily on the cabinet as the water boils on the stove. He finds one done by Uli, a nice sweet blend of red fruits and flowers, and drops the bag into a mug, cartoon dogs and cats running around its bottom. Talking about cats, he wonders where Cheese and Pumpkin have hidden themselves after he shooed them away from the counter. Pumpkin won't resent him, but Cheese will need some bribery before he looks him in the eye again. Link makes a mental note to text Bo asking for cat treats and walks back into the shop.
Tea still hot, he makes to take a sip and ends up burning his tongue and throat instead, clamping his lips tightly shut to keep the pained noise to himself. His eyes tear up, but at least he doesn't make a fool of himself. Link sets the cup down on the counter quietly before he can drop the contents all over himself and approaches the ladies playing with Pumpkin, the cat sprawled on an empty shelf he'd been meaning to fill with potted plants.
Zelda and a friend, both dressed in gym clothes, the most casual he's ever seen her. Her friend has ginger hair, the fiery kind, tied up in a ponytail to match. He can hear Pumpkin purring from a distance and looks around for Cheese, finding the cat peering up at him from beneath a low stool and behind some creeping inch plant.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Link." Zelda smiles at him, cheeks rosy from exertion, probably. It makes her glow.
"Hello, Miss Nohansen." It's impossible not to smile at her. Her friend cradles Pumpkin in her arms and turns to him.
"You have a lovely cat right here, Link," she says, fingers lost among Pumpkin's fur. "I'm Midna, by the way, Zelda's best friend in this entire world."
Zelda's eyes glance heavenwards, a fond gesture. "We have been friends since we were children."
Midna nods along to what she says, lets Pumpkin jump back to the ground when she starts squirming. "She told me you were the one that made that lovely bouquet from the Valentines Gala. Can I see more of your work?"
With an affirmative, he motions her to the refrigerator, mentions that he can make something personalized with the flowers she likes most, and steps aside to let them peruse the arrangements on display. Leaning on the counter, Link reaches over to idly pet Cheese when he emerges from his hiding spot and muses on the new tidbit of information.
Valentines Gala, uh? So that had been the reason why Zelda had been so dressed up. His life has been so busy that he hardly has time to keep up with the news, opting to know what matters most from Ilia and Bo, and he makes it a point not to look her up on the internet now that he's back in the Capital, so really, he isn't all that surprised he missed such a big event when he didn't even know Zelda was a princess when she first walked in.
"You're so lucky, Zelda. Taking Sheik with you to the Gala," Midna comments, flipping her long hair over her shoulder. "I wish I had a cousin to take with me to parties to avoid the usual stream of suitors. They can get so annoying."
Zelda laughs gently and tilts her head to look at her friend. "Why don't you ask Zant?"
Midna makes a noise. "Um, Zant as my escort so he can embarrass me in public? No, thanks. I love my cousin, but no."
Link straightens up. Wait, so, that unfairly handsome guy that had come that day with Zelda is actually her cousin? A cousin she took with her so other men wouldn't try to ask her to be their girlfriend and start courting her? Wow. His heart feels lighter just hearing about it, though he feels a little guilty for that, too. If Zelda did that, it's because she's not looking for a relationship, or so he thinks, so this won't change anything. He really ought to stop getting his hopes up for having his crush reciprocated. It's not like Zelda owns him anything, especially when she's leaving some wealthy tips. If anything, he owes her.
Secondly, Midna and suitors? Is she a princess too? Link squints his eyes and stares at the back of her head, but nothing rings a bell. He didn't recognize Zelda and she's the Princess of Hyrule, so how is he supposed to recognize a princess from another country? Ilia must know something, so he can ask her about it later on. For now, he smiles at her and ducks into the cooler room to gather dahlias, proteas, cockscombs and roses. The mix of oranges, pinks and deep magenta seems to fit Midna, who chats with Zelda by the succulents and cacti shelves as he wraps up her bouquet.
In the end, Midna leaves with the arrangement and some cacti. "They don't need much water, so they're easy to take care of," she says with a grin and wink, then turns to blow kisses at where Cheese is curled under another stool.
Zelda pays for the equivalent of the three succulents for her sister and a bouquet she isn't taking home. She smiles as she tucks the card into a hidden pocket of her outfit and gathers the cardboard box of small clay vases, only now catching sight of his forgotten artwork. "You really have a way with pastels," her grin is bright and wide, and he feels blinded. "I'm glad to know they're being useful."
With that, she bids goodbye and turns to Midna, both resuming their previous conversation as they head for the door. He watches them walk away, Midna pushing the door open to let Zelda pass, and he darts away just as she releases the door to let it swing back into place. Link rushes to the floral refrigerator and yanks the door open, wide and wild eyes roaming over the flowers until he finds a good one and plucks it from the arrangement. The princesses are a short distance away when he makes it to the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street, and they turn as he calls for Zelda.
She looks surprised, even more so when he lifts a single pale pink peony. He's flushed in the face, both from the jog and the stares they attract. Link knows he needs to get it over with before anyone recognizes her and someone decides to snap pictures and post them online, so he tucks it gently between a hobbit jade and perforata sitting in the box.
"For you," he says, mumbles really, flits his eyes between them and quickly retreats to the shop. His steps are brisk and he feels eyes following him, but he can't find the courage to look back and see if she's watching him, too.
a/n: I still don't know where I'm going with this tbh, but I'm loving this AU! Also, I haven't really worked on Antumbra for some time - which I should be doing, because I'm excited for the last chapter.
This chapter was brought to you by me crying over the expensive soft pastels I had to buy for uni, plus me crying because working with them is messy.