"Do I... Bow to you?" Ike asked nervously. "I don't uh... I don't know what protocol is on this." Zelda felt her face try to make a smile but, judging by his own face growing more neutral, it must have come out a grimace. "Look alright, I'll drop the crap. What the hell?" He stepped closer to her desk and she felt her heart flutter. "You're the fucking princess of Hyrule?"
"Yes," she said calmly.
"And that didn't seem relevant to mention?!"
"I thought it would hinder things," Zelda didn't understand why she felt the need to be cold, maybe it was the harsh emotions carved into his eyes.
"Hinder? Yeah, it wouldn't have fucking happened!" he growled out in an angry whisper. "I can't even begin to describe how I feel right now... Fuck is it mine?" Zelda looked up at him, nervous to dive into those beautiful eyes. "Zelda, are you pregnant with my baby?"
"Yes," she managed to whisper and he shut his eyes tightly.
"I did my research," he said, voice alarmingly calm, "and a child that's not one hundred percent Hylian won't be recognized by any of you." Zelda raised an eyebrow slightly, curious what he was going to suggest. Was he going to be like her father and demand she 'remove the problem'? "I want my child Zelda."
"What do you mean?" Zelda asked.
"You carry my child, I'll take it back to Crimea with me. I won't mar the royal family with my 'dirty blood'."
"Ike, stop," she didn't want to beg him, didn't want to break down in front of him, but she felt the tears beginning to clog her throat. "I'm not giving up this baby."
"I wouldn't suggest that," he said. "I respect the ideals of your religion, I just want my child."
"No Ike," she said firmly, "I am not giving up my child." She looked deep into those damnably beautiful eyes, wondering how anyone could ever resist them, and watched confusion flicker across his facial features. "I refuse to let go of this child. I carry the curse of the royal family... We have a hard time getting pregnant," Ike snorted, "and keeping a pregnancy to term."
"So you're saying that despite your family's immense hatred for my people," Ike leaned forward on her desk, hands flat on some paper she probably should be signing to stay on schedule, "you want to actually raise my child?"
"Yes," she stared at his hands, wanting to reach out and grab the oil stained fingers, feel them caress her skin again...
"Zelda," Ike sighed and she looked up at him worriedly, "you can't expect me to go along with that. That's my child too. I have the right to be in the baby's life. In Crimea, our baby won't be hated."
"Crimea splits between two races-"
"That's not how it is anymore," Ike cut her off. "All that's changed, it hasn't been like that in generations. Our child would be happy there, not to mention spoiled rotten by my mother." He smirked at that and Zelda felt her heart flutter and her stomach jump to see him make another expression, even if it wasn't directed at her. "Zelda..." He shook his head. "Aside from the remark about the being locked in a dusty castle, was any of that night real? You lied about you-"
"I was me Ike," she said and he held up a finger, "I just didn't mention being a princess."
"That's a big part of what you are," he said firmly. "I... Don't know what to do now." Ike straightened up and Zelda stood up slowly, him looking ready to jump over her desk and catch her if she fell.
"I will not give up this child Ike."
"Neither will I," he said, and she couldn't help but walk around her desk to him, stopping just out of arm's reach.
"Then you'll have to stay here," she said and he gave her a look like she sprouted another head. "I cannot have you roaming around passing along that I am carrying our child, the public will not..." She swayed on her feet, a wave of fatigue hitting her like a train. Ike lunged forward and caught her, wrapping her in arms she hated to admit she had wanted to feel since she left him laying there in the motel.
"Is that what being in my child's life means?" he asked and she looked up at him with drooping eyelids. "To be there I have to not exist?"
"I don't know..." She felt tears sting her eyes and she tried to blink them away, but all she managed to do was bring them to her cheeks. "I don't know anything anymore Ike. I thought I did, really I thought I was the smart one and..." her words died on her lips as he wiped away her tears with his thumb gently.
"Look," he took a deep breath, "I'll stay and we can figure this out. I mean... Maybe we can work this out and it's just something we aren't seeing right now because we're both a bit emotional right now." Zelda nodded, leaning on him heavily, inhaling the scent of him and realizing just how amazing he smelled. "You look beat, can't you go lay down or something?"
"Well I have to finish up this-"
"Zel," Link burst in her office, eyes finding her in Ike's arms with a glare. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He stepped into the office, and Zelda was surprised to feel Ike turn to Link and gently push her behind him. "Haven't you done enough? You fucking knock up my sister and just show up? What is it you want? You want money? Fame? What?" Link got up in Ike's face and Zelda watched with a growing knot in her stomach as Ike just stared him down.
"You done yet?" Ike asked. "I don't think the brother that drug his sister to the bar to get laid has any say in this. I'm not after money, fame, or any of that shit. I want my child."
"And you," Zelda felt her heart fall as her father stepped into the office, "can have the dirty thing when it's born since my foolish daughter refuses to do what she should with it."
"'Dirty thing'?" Ike asked incredulously. "I better have fucking heard you wrong," his voice was low and Zelda instinctively reached out and gripped his arm. "That child-"
"Has your filth written all over it," her father sneered and Ike's hands gripped into fists. Zelda watched his knuckles go white, her own anger pushed at her father's words expressed in the tightness of that grip.
"What about me is filthy sir?" He asked between gritted teeth.
"Every last drop of your blood," Zelda felt the muscles in Ike's arm tighten even more, and she put another gentle hand on his upper arm.
"Father," she spoke up in the best voice she could summon at the time, "I would ask you not to speak to the father of your grandchild that way."
"That baby is no grandchild of mine," with that her father turned on his heel and stalked out, Ike muttering a stream of words she couldn't understand.
"And that's Daddy Dearest!" Link laughed and Ike turned his attention back to him. "You've just met the entire royal family of Hyrule, my dear sister-fucking-man, how do you feel?"
"Fucking fantastic," Ike growled out and Zelda gave Link a look.
"What's that for?" he sighed as he noticed.
"Princess?" Rosalina poked her head in the door and paused, Zelda tensing up as she noticed her secretary run her eyes over Ike in an appreciative way. "Um, Princess Peach is on line one, she is being quite her usual self."
"I'm out," Link bolted quickly, Zelda shaking her head.
"Tell her to call back later," Ike spoke up and Zelda looked at him like he was crazy. "What? You need to rest."
"I'm fine," she said and he shook his head.
"You just told me that it's hard to get and stay pregnant for your family, I'm not taking any chances," he said firmly and Rosalina made a tiny 'aww'. "Where's her room?" he asked Rosalina who smiled at him.
"Follow me," she said and Ike looked to Zelda.
"I'm not resting yet," she said firmly and he scooped her up into his arms bridal style, her letting out a nervous giggle. "Stop put me down!" she demanded and he nodded to Rosalina.
"Lead the way," he said and off Rosalina clicked in her silver heels, Ike holding Zelda like a delicate flower.
"Ike, set me down," she said and he looked down at her with a smirk.
"You can't command me Princess," he said. "Remember? I'm nothing but a dirty Crimean."
XXX
I've gotten quite a bit of feedback on this story so thank you to my guest reviewers, Purple Mercenary, and (gee I wonder who) concisponci for reviewing like the awesome people you all are. And thanks for following. And reading! Until next time! Much love, Leigh