Link caught the blade as it came down vertically, it's thin shape swiftly slicing through the air. He lunged forward, sword pointed directly in front of him as his opponent flipped their blade horizontally, catching his effortlessly.
"You've gotten slow." Zelda taunted as she twirled her rapier.
"I'm just going easy on you." Link responded as he leapt forward, fading back as Zelda swiped her blade through the air in front of him.
A vertical downwards strike was countered by a horizontal leftwards one, a stab countered by a diagonal upwards slash.
"Let's see if you remember this one." Link said, narrowing his eyes. He ran at full speed, and as soon as Zelda made her move, Link hit the floor, rolling to her side. He landed on one knee, pushing himself upwards, sword at the ready. Zelda barely had time to defend, her sword being knocked away with the force of Link's attack. The Hero righted himself and swung his sword downwards, only to have it caught by Zelda's rapier, to his surprise.
"Decent strategy." she said with a smile, "Now let's see if you remember this one."
Link smiled as he readied himself for her attack, only for a haze of smoke to envelop her.
"Zelda?!" Link called, alarmed. As he approached a small blade shot out of the mist, Link faded back, but the blade followed, and to his bewilderment, flew in circles around his sword. It wasn't long before Link noticed a glint, realizing the small blade was fastened to a length of what looked to be a string composed of transparent crystal. Link's pondering was cut short though, as the weapon tightened around his blade, pulling him towards the haze. Link pulled back, but soon felt his strength begin to fade as the smoke faded away, revealing a figure in the middle. Shock overtook him as he looked on...nothing could have prepared him for this. A smile worked it's way onto his face as Sheik stepped forward into a fighting stance.
"I remember this all too well." Link said with a smirk.
"I hoped you would." Zelda answered in a disguised masculine voice.
Link let go of his blade, allowing Zelda, or rather Sheik to pull it into her grasp. "Letting me have your blade? You must be pretty confident!" She called with what Link was sure was a smile under her mask.
Link darted forward as Zelda spun the weapon on the crystal thread, whilst spinning his blade in her other hand. He faded back out of the way of the blade, and hit the floor as the threaded weapon shot passed him. Righting himself he jumped up and grabbed a hold of the wrist that held the threaded weapon. He wrestled it away from her, only to have Sheik sweep his feet out from under him. He closed his eyes tight as he hit the ground, opening them to find Zelda, back in her female attire, holding his own blade to his neck. He crawled backwards, Zelda following along, a serious, almost angry looking expression on her face.
"I...you win." he said, feeling uneasy under such a gaze.
To his relief Zelda broke into a smile, "All the villains shall be jealous that I can frighten the "Hero of Legend" to such an extent."
Link jumped up, taking her in his arms, lifting her into the air with minimal effort. "And they will fear you accordingly." he replied, letting her back onto her feet.
"Shouldn't you be out in the training yards, preparing your team?" she asked with smile.
"Need me they do not, I fear!" Link said, falling back onto the bed with a mock grief.
"Link, I'm serious." Zelda responded with a smile, the Hero looking up to regard his betrothed.
"I've realized! It's just hard not to jest when you wear a smile such as that." he answered, leaning against one of the bed posts.
"Fine then." Zelda replied, forcing a scowl onto her face.
"Fearsome indeed." Link replied, "I've put Elgon in charge, he has a way of whipping recruits into shape, regardless of attitude. I know this first hand." Link answered.
Zelda sighed, letting her eyes fall to the ground. She couldn't explain it herself, but in the few times she had seen Link's former commander, she had found him...familiar, almost as if she had known him previously, in one life or another...but that was impossible.
"What's wrong?" Link asked, his playful demeanor diminishing.
"It's..just..." Zelda answered, she didn't want to trouble Link with her seeming familiarity with Elgon, as it was probably nothing more than a childhood memory, he was a former member of her father's personal guard after all, a fact not many were aware of. Zelda looked to Link, his worried expression breaking through her guard, she had to tell him something, and as there were a great many things that she thought about, it wasn't hard to select one. "Elgon's first words to you as he arrived were about the Zora force that is planning to march on Labrynna, that's almost all I'm hearing about these days, along with Princesss Kayala's constant talk of taking back her nation."
"Elgon didn't mean anything by it, he was just worried, Kallil and I were two of his best, he just doesn't want to see us lost...as Oreck already has been." Link said. He wanted to tell Zelda that Elgon had once taken on the role of father to her, but feared it was not the time, as she already worried about he and Audrik's safety so much, he mentally flinched as he remembered the rather recent tongue lashing she had given he and Oren about letting Audrik take part in the battle of Kokiri Forest.
"I've had the guards look for your friend...I'm sorry they haven't been able to locate him." Zelda said, leaning against Link.
"It's fine, he's hardheaded, so if he doesn't want to be found he probably won't be. It may take some time but he'll reveal himself. Besides! His whereabouts should not be of worry to you, as more pressing matters are to be attended to." Link said, scowling after realizing what he had just said.
"You sound like a Minister." Zelda replied with a laugh.
"Would you like me as a Minister? I could be one of those political types...and I have been in the past." Link said with a smile. He had been appointed to the council quite few times over his many lives, and had served as King in every one of them, taking pride in his position, even if others despised him for attaining it.
"I would like you as the King to my Queen." Zelda answered, placing a hand on Link's chest.
"All those nobles...they wouldn't like that, a commoner such as me ascending to the throne." Link said with a laugh, it had happened so often in his former lives that it had become somewhat of a joke between he and Zelda.
Zelda's face twisted into a frown, her brow furrowing. "House Gavan is already calling me an unfit ruler, saying that I was too weak to prevent the Battle of the Hyrule Castle...even though we kept it contained to the Great Hall." Zelda said. "Not to mention, that prat Rickard Gavan has become their patriarch after his father's death, something they also blame me for." she said in an angry tone.
"How could this possibly be any fault of yours?" Link asked curiously.
"He died during Prince Erris' attack on the Great Hall, he was found with a burn on the back of his neck...after being seated at the same table as Prince Erris himself." she answered.
"Calling that your fault is a stretch, how were you to know that the Prince of Labrynna is a pyschopathic monster who specializes in electricity based offensive magic?" Link asked.
"You're not helping, you know." Zelda said as Link fell back onto the bed.
"If it helps ease your suffering, I will travel to Gamelon and once again lay a thrashing of unholy proportions unto the Dragon Knight's backside." Link said with a laugh.
Zelda sat up quickly, looking at Link in a serious, and quite concerned manner. "You can't...you'd be completely cut off from the Triforce's power...you told me yourself that while in Termina you could barely feel it's presence, and survived mostly due to the power of those masks you had obtained."
Link flinched, the transformations were painful, but the respective abilities of the races he could turn into kept him alive in a place where the Triforce could not. "What you say is true, but my skill with the sword remains the same, plus, I'll have Trystane, Kallil, Elgon, Thrakon, and Aren with me, plus a generous compliment of our own soldiers and those of Termina." he said, attempting to reassure his Princess.
"We shall wait until Mayor Met and Chief Darmani have chosen to launch an offensive against the occupying forces of Holodrum, this is not our fight." Zelda answered, seemingly growing frustrated with his boldness. "Besides, our fight remains the same...the same as always." she said in a downcast tone.
Link flinched, it was true, their celestial assignment had always been to stop the real threat, which many times was a green skinned Gerudo man Link had developed quite a disdain for. "I haven't felt his presence yet." Link said, looking to Zelda.
"For all we know he may be controlling Erris, if that's true and he is in Labrynna the call of his Triforce piece would be weak, too weak for us to sense." she replied.
Link turned his head to his right, staring at the marble floor of Zelda's rather large bed chamber. He was sure, too sure actually, that he had been reborn into this era to combat the threat of Prince Erris and only Prince Erris, it troubled him greatly that Ganondorf lurked somewhere beyond, the Gerudo Sorcerer's power growing with every rebirth. "Well, pay no mind to him, you and I still have yet to make up for 17 years we spent apart, and in my opinion we still have to recoup for all the time lost during the Twilight invasion." Link said with a laugh.
"Indeed, we're always forced apart under the most unenviable of circumstances." she said with a small smile.
"Well, you didn't seem too interested when I was a wolf with a Twili imp riding on my back." Link said with a laugh.
Zelda's face fell, a sad expression coming forth. "I wonder what her life was like...Midna." Zelda said.
"If I were to guess, I'd think she brought peace and prosperity back to her realm." Link answered.
Zelda let out a short laugh, turning to Link, "You know, after the spell cast on her by Zant was broken...I became concerned, I saw the way you looked at her...it reminded me of the way you looked upon me." Zelda said, her smile fading.
Link sat upright, not having been aware of this. "Zelda, you're my Princess, my eternal love, my eyes, and my heart are only for you! Midna was a great friend to me, but not for one moment did I forget about you, not for one moment did I not miss you, and not for one moment, did I hesitate when Midna and I set out to break the barrier around the castle, and save you." he said, taking her hand in his.
Zelda locked her gaze with his, blinking away tears that formed in the corner of her eyes. "I have since realized." she said, moving to lock her lips with his.
Link pulled her closer as she did, one of her legs moving across his as they lied back. "And I could not be happier." he said with a smile.
The two interlocked mouths once again, moving against one another. Link pulled his arms through his sleeves, forcing his top off, as Zelda pulled on a silver string, her dress coming undone and falling to the floor. Link watched as he slid off his trousers, Zelda delicately undoing her underclothes. As Zelda let each piece of clothing fall to the floor, Link took off the last of his, Zelda blushing as she took in the sight, Link doing the same with a small a small smile. He picked her up, and with a twirl they landed on the bed, their uncovered skin making contact.
"You needn't envy anyone." Link breathed quietly.
"Neither do you, "Hero"." Zelda said with a smile.
Link breathed in sharply as she reached down, taking a delicate, yet firm grasp of him. He in turn answered by gently applying his fingers to one breast. Their eyes met, and soon closed as they placed their lips together. Zelda tugged, Link moving further onto the bed, his knees digging in the mattress as he and Zelda continued their "game". Link smiled as Zelda guided him closer, with a careful push he found himself inside of her, Zelda taking a hard grasp of the blankets around them as he did so. Placing his forehead against hers, he continued the thrusting motions, he breasts rubbing against his bare chest. Link pressed his lips against Zelda's, their tongues meeting at his did so, their bodies becoming warm with the vigorous activity.
Zelda pushed with her legs, finding her place on top of him. She moved up and down slowly, Link's breathing growing heavier as she did so, the warmness of her thighs adding to the sensation. Link grabbed a hold of her hips, pulling her close as he pushed against her, Zelda, gritting her teeth. Link arched his back as she moved up, forcing himself deeper into her. Zelda breathed in sharply, levitating the two for a moment. Link sat up, embracing Zelda as he pulled them over onto their sides. Link thrust in as Zelda moved up and down, their bodies rubbing together, bare skin on bare skin. Link pulled Zelda close as they grew closer to a near simultaneous climax.
"Link..." Zelda breathed.
"Zelda" Link answered.
In this moment, they cared for nothing else but the pleasure they felt with one another.
oOo
Zelda toweled herself off, wet strands of golden hair falling across her fair skin. Link vigorously dried himself as he looked at her, the two smiling as their gazes met. He dropped the cloth he held, and wrapped his arms around Zelda from behind, leaning his head against hers.
"We have had too many moments like this." he said as he closed his eyes.
"Agreed." Zelda answered as she reached her arms back, placing her hands on his damp skin.
"I promise I won't ever let it come that close again..." Link said, his voice wavering for a moment.
Zelda turned and embraced him, knowing of what he spoke. She looked down at her bare form, finding a large scar on her chest where Erris' blade had broken through her sternum. The Princess clenched her fists, she tried not to be angry with the Prince, misguided as he was, but it was difficult, he had almost taken her away from her people, who in a short amount of time would need her more than ever, but what brought her more pain was the fact that Link had almost lost her. She knew the pain of losing one you love all too well, the memory of Link's demise at Ganon's hands 8 lives ago greeting her harshly, her anger only growing after she recalled the golem incident, Erris having almost ended Link's life with the stone giant. "Neither of us are going to fall to those who stand against us, I know this." Zelda reassured Link.
"After Ganon killed me...all those centuries ago...I awoke in my next life completely unaware of who I was...I lived with my uncle, a carpenter in the small village of Maplecrest, when I remembered, I ran to you, I thought of all the pain you must have gone through, I couldn't stand to be apart from you for one more moment." he said, his voice wavering as he held her close.
"The joy I felt upon our reunion was unmatched by any I have ever felt, you may be sure of this." Zelda said as she embraced her Hero tightly, Link returning the embrace.
oOo
Link ran down the many flights of stairs, careful not to lose his balance, he had lost track of time, his team had been waiting for him for nearly an hour. Rushing throughout the halls, servants and other courtiers moved aside, some bowing and uttering "Hero." as he moved passed. He rounded a corner, throwing himself to the side, and subsequently falling to the floor as he almost collided with a small scholarly looking man.
"I'm so sorry, let me help you." the man said reaching to Link.
"No, no, it's my fault." Link said as he righted himself. He was stunned to find himself face to face with Shad, not believing his own eyes as he adjusted his footing.
The man gasped, bowing hastily, "Hero! If I had known it was you...I'd...I'd...I'd..." he stammered, looking at Link in shock.
"Shad?" Link asked, confusion sweeping over him.
The man stopped his stammering, looking at Link first in confusion, then in fascination. "One of my ancestors was named Shad...my family is very proud of the fact we're descended from him..as he..he..was in the resistance that helped topple the evil that plagued the land! You knew him?" the man asked excitedly.
"I did, he was...a brave man." Link said with brief hesitation.
The man extended his hand, locking eyes with Link. "It is an honor to meet you, Hero, I am Edward, one of the many minds in the Royal Family's employ." he said with a grin.
"I'd expect just as much from any of Shad's family...what do you do here?" Link asked inquisitively.
"I work to translate historic documents sometimes, for record keeping and such, but mostly I am an engineer." he answered.
"An engineer?" Link asked, amused.
"Indeed, I am under contract to develop better armaments and technology for Hyrule's military, not to mention keep the plumbing and other systems in order...but that's not specifically my department." he said with a laugh.
"I'll pay you a visit and see what you have, sometime." Link said with a smile.
Edward looked at Link, a grin taking over his face. "Say, in all the old legends, you were said to be in possession of a "hookshot" or "clawshot" type device...is this accurate?"
"It is." Link answered, raising an eyebrow at the man.
"Well then, I'd be honored if you'd allow me to build you one, an improved one!" Edward said enthusiastically,
"I think I just might take you up on that offer." Link replied, having yet to find a device such as that in this era, being unsure of the fate of his last hookshot, knowing it probably had wasted into oblivion by now anyway.
"Thank you, Hero!" Edward said, his face suddenly twisting into an alarmed looking expression as he dug into his pack.
"Is everything alright?" Link asked as he watched him.
"Indeed, indeed...you spoke First Age Hylian dialect, did you not?" he asked.
"I did." Link answered curiously.
"I'd be greatly appreciative if you could translate...this!" Edward said as he removed a piece of aged looking parchment from his bag.
Link looked at it, knowing from the way it appeared that it was not a forgery. "Where did you find this?"
"A man recently purchased a property in Old Castle Town and found it hidden in a wall." Edward answered,
"I can see why it was hidden." Link answered, looking over the small document. "This is a manifest of a bomb shop's stock...legal and illegal."
"Fascinating! Does it say anything about current events?!" Edward asked excitedly.
"No...I can't say it does...it's a just a stock manifest, not much more, and if I'm not mistaken, the date marks this as 10 ACW, meaning that this dates back to the Mythical Age...as it's called." Link said, thinking it offensive he'd become thought of as a myth by some...such as Thrakon.
"10 years after the first Hyrulean Civil War?" Edward asked in disbelief.
"Indeed, that's what it says." Link answered.
"Fascinating." Edward breathed.
"It's been a pleasure, but I must be moving on!" Link called as he started down the hallway.
"Thank you!" Edward called.
Link ran down the last flight of stairs, making his way out into the sun, the rolling green hills of Hyrule field visible in the distance.
"Well if it isn't our fearless leader." Trystane said as Link turned, finding his teammates leaning against the wall outside.
"If you were still under my command, I'd have you running to the next village and back for making us wait this long." Elgon remarked.
"Sorry." Link said with a laugh, placing his hand on the back of his head.
"Seeing as you didn't show up for training, did we really have to wait for you?" Kallil asked.
"Yes, you did." Link answered, "It's about time I tell you why we're all here, only Trystane and Elgon have been made aware of our purpose so far, and I seek to mend that. The talk of the town has been all about the Zora of different nationalities and tribes unifying into one, with the intent of marching on Labrynna, as you know, this isn't something we approve of...our purpose is to head them off at the meeting of Zora's River and Hylia's River, and stop them, by any means necessary."
"Shouldn't we just allow them to do what it is they've set out to? For all we know they might be capable of bringing down Erris." Aren said as he left his place on the wall.
"The council does not wish to risk provoking him into launching even more attacks in our territory. We know his forces are greater than ours, and with his abilities it's likely the Zora force won't stand a chance, and the last thing we need at this moment is to lose 2000 of our number. We plan to attack eventually, but only when we've severed Erris' ties to the dark magic he commands." Link answered.
"If I'm correct, this is how it always starts...the great evil that threatens our land first cripples the Gorons and Zora, so we have no allies to help us fight." Elgon said, nodding towards Link.
"We're not going to be seeing many more of those Black Knights, are we?" Thrakon asked as he leaned back.
"Chances are that we will have many more dealings with them." Link answered, narrowing his eyes at the former sellsword.
"We should discuss this with the Princess." Elgon said, stepping towards Link.
"We will soon, she's holding a private council with Princess Kayala at the moment, concerning the state of Gamelon and such." Link replied.
The five other warriors nodded, following Link as he started back towards the castle. They were a strange bunch, an older man with silver hair and eyes, a sellsword, a Knight, a Guardsmen, and a Sheikah, but Link believed in them, it had been a rare occasion on which he had his own team, the most recent occurrence being during the Twilight Invasion, with the Resistance.
"So what now? I'd like to try some of that wine the nobles speak so highly of." Thrakon said with a laugh.
"I second that!" Trystane called out.
Link turned, ready to agree, when a sharp sound breached the peaceful night air surrounding them. Numerous courtiers who lingered in the Castle's courtyard spun their heads in confusion, and others ran, some startled by the sudden loud noise, others because they knew what it meant.
"The alarm!" Aren yelled, unsheathing his sword and breaking into a run.
"They weren't lying when they said those Sheikah are fast on the draw!" Thrakon yelled.
Link didn't bother turning as he and his team caught up with Aren, soon falling in with a large contingent of guards making their way to the area of the breach.
"What's going on?!" Link asked a Guard as they ran.
"I...I don't know! The alarm was set off by one of us!" the Guard yelled in response.
Link felt the familiar feeling of dread coming over him, if it was set off by a guard, that would mean something had likely infiltrated the Castle, and did so without setting off the magical security measures that had been taken. The only being to make it through the improved defenses was the fairy Proxi, and even she could only make it through the outer defenses before being caught. Whatever made it in was powerful enough to evade both the inner and outer defenses, Link scowled at the thought of what it could be...Erris...the Dragon Knight...the Dark Wizard...or maybe even Ganondorf himself.
Link, his team, and the guards they were with entered the room. Captain Viscen was already present, as well as a team of healers.
"What's going on?" Kallil asked, attempting to see over the crowd.
"It's a girl." one of the guards said in disbelief.
Link pushed his way through the crowd. Lying on the floor was a tan skinned woman with white hair, she looked scarcely older than he. It didn't take him long, or anyone else for that matter, to notice she was lying in a crimson puddle, blood still seeping from her neck as the healers did their best to stop the flow.
"I sense great power in her." Elgon said quietly, making sure only Link heard.
"What happened to her?" Trystane asked as he joined them.
"I'd more like to know who she is, where she's from, and how she got in." an authoritative female voice said from behind them.
Link turned to see Impa approaching, followed closely by Zelda, Audrik, Oren, Lemuria, Princess Kayala, and her Guardian, Sir Gabriel.
Zelda ran to Link's side, looking down at the woman in front of them.
"Stay back, Princess!" Impa called.
"I seriously doubt she's of any harm, in this state." Lemuria replied, looking down at the injured sorceress.
Link and Zelda made their way closer, both staying silent, thinking the same thing. The Woman's eyes fell on Link, then quickly darted to Zelda, the guards around her, and back to Link.
"You..." she breathed, her eyes staying on Link.
"It can't be her, her skin...her hair...her eyes..." Zelda said, looking to Link.
It was something they both thought, but even though she looked much different, the magical power they sensed within her, and of course the identical facial structure all but confirmed her identity. During the age of the King of Darkness, Link and Zelda had been aided by a strange girl who claimed to be from Faron Woods, she was powerful, and a great aid to the both of them, not to mention a friend they could trust...they had few of those. After the final battle though, when he and Zelda began their relationship anew, she disappeared, never to be seen again...until now.
"Lana?" Link asked in disbelief.
Zelda shot him a concerned glance.
"Look!" one of the guards cried out.
All around them guards looked up, their jaws dropping. Some lost their grip on their weapons, while others held theirs high, as if to protect themselves.
Link and Zelda looked down as the sorceress spoke again, the healers that tended to her attempting to calm her. "They're...they're coming." she stammered.
The Hero and the Princess turned their gazes skyward, along with the rest of the room's occupants.
Through the ceiling's large skylight, the moon was easily visible, tonight it was full, a strange red glow overtaking it, three enormous comets circling it.
"Small...Goddess..." Zelda heard from behind her.
She spun around to find no one other than her brother, Castle Guards, Impa, Lemuria, and Oren, dismissing what she heard as the result of a stressful day.
Audrik walked up to his sister and the Hero, gaze remaining locked with the night sky. "Sister...what is this?" he asked, a tinge of fear to his voice.
"The beginning...of the end." Elgon answered, many in the room turning to face him.
The severity of the situation was anything but lost on Link, the Hero spinning on his heels to face the doorway behind him.
"Link! Where are you going?" Zelda asked.
He turned to face his Princess, eyes set in determination, "If I'm to stop this, I'll need the Master Sword." he said with a small grin, it's purpose mostly being to reassure his betrothed. Zelda raised her hand, Triforce of Wisdom glowing radiantly, with Link raising his hand in response, his Triforce of Courage doing the same.
"Be safe, my love." Zelda said, Link taking her hand.
"I will, I promise you that." he answered.
Elgon continued looking to the sky, the red glow that overtook the moon, and the comets that suddenly orbited it...he had seen it once before...before he failed...
oOo
Alright! A very Link and Zelda centric chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I tried my best to write in some romance, and I hope you enjoyed that too! With this chapter, we're four parts away from the close of part two! This has been quite the journey, and I thank you for joining me on it! You all keep me going and inspire me to write, thank you!
Gerudospirit: I'm glad you liked the flashback to Elgon/Gaepora's past, I wanted to show what life (his in particular) was like before Lanayru was turned into a lifeless desert! And yes, Erris is a tough save, he's arrogant, angry, slightly naive, and in a way afraid. Manipulating him was effortless for Ganon, especially with his demonic brother, quite literally, on the inside! Cia's story isn't over yet though, it was very hard for her to admit to Erris that she once was enamored with the man her son sees as a rival, but thought it would improve their relationship if she were honest, but Ganon wasn't going to let that happen. I'm glad you also liked the HW reference! Thanks for the review! =D
As always, feel free to point out any mistakes I've made within the realms of grammar, syntax, or continuity, so I can fix them immediately!
Thanks to Dudette33 for following and favoriting my story, and thanks to Gerudospirit for adding me to her favorite author's list! You both are awesome, and I mean that!
I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter! Thank you for reading!
As always, stay safe and and best of luck to you all!
-Prometheus17