AN: Um, hello? Oh! Hey there readers. Yikes. It has been a while. Apologies. I had a severe case of writer's block, then when I actually had something and went to sit down to punch out a few chapters my computer pooped, and then my wifi went down. Lame, I know. Again apologies for the extreme tardiness for this update.
So. In a nutshell
Technology sometimes sucks.
But anyways, you're here to read the long awaited chapter. Sorry I unintentionally pulled a BBC Sherlock on you and went on a longer hiatus. But let's be honest, we Sherlock fans have it worse.
I NEED SERIES FOUR NOW, MOFFAT AND GATISS!
Anyway, back to the fic.
Updated 3.5.14 to fix a mistake.
The sounds of our footsteps echo quietly throughout the temple as Link and I walk toward the entrance in the darkness. Neither of us says anything. The only other sound is the shallow breaths we take. I feel like a cornered animal about to be released into the chaotic wild for the first time ever. The rules of our very survival changed, and with that I feel helpless. Ghirahim has completely upset the balance of the world by throwing it under his rule.
We have to stop him.
Link reaches for my hand in the darkness and squeezes. I step closer to him and place my head barely on his shoulder. I hadn't even noticed that he grew a bit taller over the past few weeks. And he grew steadily more muscular.
Not that I'm complaining at all.
I, too, am gaining muscle fast thanks to my training. And here I thought I was gaining stamina and muscle at the academy. Boy, I was cute back then.
Link lets go of my hand to wrap his arm around me, pulling me into the even deeper darkness behind a statue shaped like a Loftwing.
"Link, wh—" He silences me with a fierce kiss, pressing me against the wall.
And I am okay with this sudden turn of events.
I run my hands up his sides and chest, feeling his strength as I do, to wrap around his neck and run my hands through his shaggy hair. He moves a hand from the wall and presses it against my hip at the curve to rebalance himself. Normally, I would be self conscious about my waist, but the way he holds me makes me feel that he thinks every bit of me is beautiful. And that is why, when he removes his hand to place it back on the wall I grab it quick and place it back on my hip. His touch melts me. It muddles my mind; cuts my breaths short; forces me into desiring more of it.
More of him.
He appeases that desire and presses his body against mine. I sigh. The girl inside me can't help but notice how perfectly we fit together.
"Zelda," he breathes my name. I can't help the delightful shiver that crawls up my spine.
Then I remember where we are going; our plan to head to castle town. Immediately I am filled with regret when I move my head back to place it on the wall, catching my breath.
Link doesn't skip a beat, though. He moves to press his lips to the curve of my neck. I sigh. I also notice how high his hand is getting on my rib cage and my heart begins to race—in a good way.
I never thought I would enjoy going farther than first base with someone I'm not married to. But this is Link. I feel comfortable with him, like I've finally come home. His hands find the wall behind me again as he places a final kiss on my lips. Slow, sweet, and passionate. We break apart and try to steady our breathing, staring into each other's eyes.
"I've missed you," I whisper. He chuckles deeply.
"We sleep together every night," he says in a raspy voice as he grabs a lock of my hair, twirling it between his fingers. "Now why, Zelda, would you say you miss me?" The grin on his face is noticeable even in the darkness.
"We never have time for 'us' anymore," I sigh. "I'm almost at the point of being jealous of Fi for spending so much time with you." I mumble. I can almost see his eye roll, but I know he thinks I'm right.
"Yes, because I'm going to fall for the spirit that resides in the Master Sword." He laughs, pulling me away from the wall and leading me to the entrance.
"Well, she is beautiful," I admit, smiling.
"But you're the one I love," he simply states. My heart skips a beat as I turn my head to take him in. He loves me? I know I was falling for him, and know he cared for me immensely, but I had no idea that he, at eighteen, could admit to something that deep, that committing. And with such ease! Like he is talking about the weather or saying that I have blonde hair; saying it as if it is the easiest thing for him.
I smile at him and place my head on his arm.
I can't return his declaration with mine as well. Not yet at least. I mean, I do have a mad man after me, but the confirmation makes a warm feeling grow inside of me as we continue to walk in silence to the entrance of the temple.
"Ah, there you are," Impa says. "I was about to come looking for you two," she gives me a once over to examine my equipment and see if I forgot anything. Then she takes something out from behind her back.
"Zelda," she says as she approaches me, "take this with you. I know we haven't gotten to sword and katana training yet, but this will help you if we get in a pinch." She pulls out a knife from behind her to show me. "This is a Tanto blade. It's intentionally short so you can have it concealed behind your long coat at your lower back," she explains as she straps it around my waist. I hold my coat up so it doesn't get tangled. Link and I wear matching dark olive cloaks and black moveable clothing underneath. We tried to pick the most discreet clothing options available to us, since we are going to the land's main capitol. We have to blend in, look like we know what we are doing, and not make a scene. Link tilts his head to the side and smirks.
"What?" I ask.
"You look good with a sword," he says quietly. I laugh.
"So do you," I say. He winks at me as Impa finishes tying the sheath into place.
"Now," Impa cuts us off walking to stand in front of the door again, folding her arms in front of herself, "we aren't walking or riding to Castle Town. It would cause too much trouble, what with the Bokoblins all over the land, and we don't have enough horses to ride anyway. So we are going to use something called Mist Travel." Link and I exchange a glance. "Mist Travel is a form of transportation that involves water. I have provided you each with two small water bottles in your satchels. To achieve this form of travel, one simply waves the water over their heads to create a 'mist', lets it fall on them as they cast the spell and picture the destination well in your head. Once you do that, let the magic take course and it will transport you to where you would like to go. This is especially a good transportation technique to learn anyways just in case you are fully submerged in water and have no escape, this is a way out of drowning.
"With that being said, let's decide on a specific location within the city limits that is off the beaten path enough to not be noticed. Anybody have any ideas?"
We stand in silence trying to think of obscure enough locations. I have been to, but never really explored, the 'back roads' of Castle Town. Simply by that fact I can automatically assume that every place I know of is on the said 'beaten path', and will have people around. I hear Link take in a sharp breath and lift his hands.
"What about Telma's Bar? It's in the South East part of town, in an alleyway, and hidden out of sight."
I look at Link. Has he been to Castle Town before? Maybe for recruiting. He looks at me and tries to conceal his smile. My expression must really be something if he's doing that. I roll my eyes and turn back to Impa. She ponders, shifting her weight between her feet.
"Yes, that should do. How do you know about this place, Link?"
"I visited the city with my parents once and happen to remember it being tucked away almost in a corner in its own little courtyard. It will be perfect for concealment of magic and a sudden appearance would completely go unnoticed."
"I agree," Impa says. "Now think the words 'Telma's Bar' and you will arrive there. Though, with this type of travel, you could end up about twenty feet away from each other, but none the less in the same general area. So know this: even if you think of Telma's Bar, you could end up either inside or outside. Use a probing spell to locate each one of us to see if we are all there. Act natural, stay confident, and don't get distracted when using the magic." She says this and reaches for her own bottle of water.
"Ready?" she asks, taking the stopper of her bottle off and holding it in front of her. Link does the same. I hesitate.
"Zel?" Link leans over and touches my arm. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself. Opening my eyes, my mother smiles at me, like she approves of something she sees. I smile back and grab one of the bottles from my satchel, take out the stopper, and hold it out prepared.
"Now, summon the magic and think 'Telma's Bar'." I summon as much magic as I think I will need and think the words in my head.
"Now," Impa says. We all swing our water above our heads, letting it fall on us in a soft mist. I release the magic and let it take me to a world of momentary complete darkness. Just as suddenly as the pulling feeling started to grow unbearable, I hear the sounds of a city in the background. I dare not open my eyes. I hear lots of people walking about. Their shoes clacking on the pavement, I also feel raindrops falling on my head and let the fresh scent of a rainstorm engulf my nostrils. Someone grabs my arm and I look up to Link, smiling. It is still dark outside, but the sun is just on the tail end of setting into the horizon, which I can't see due to massive buildings blocking my view.
Where we stand is a small courtyard with three story tall white marble buildings encasing us. It was a square with only one entrance. The entrance was elevated and fenced off with a lock and chains keeping people from entering.
Rather, people without transportation magic skills or weapons to break it.
Link grabs onto my arm and pulls me into the shadows, into the place we need to go. It is in complete contrast to the other buildings. Blackened, old, broken. I take my attention off of our destination to look over my shoulder to look for Impa, but she is nowhere to be found. I send out a probing spell to try and locate her, but no luck. I try not to panic as Link leads me down a flight of stairs and up to an old wooden door. It had a square looking glass, rusted in the corners, and the wood was almost completely weather torn with holes and splinters jutting out all over the place. He looks over his shoulder at me and turns back to point at a large sign:
OUT OF BUSINESS
KEEP OUT
Link takes the handle and lightly pushes on the door. It squeaks when it opens, but Link casts a silencing charm on the hinges as it swings open the rest of the way. The dark room lights up a bit with the evening light and we see a few overturned wooden tables along with scattered chairs and barstools. Link places a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready for anything to pop out. I extend the detection charm farther to see if there is anyone else camping out here, but sense nothing. I follow Link into the building. This once could have been a quaint place. Wood frames, decorations, and a stone fireplace make up the main sitting area. There were curtains up toward the back leading into another smaller room with a table. On the table there was an old yellowed map on an impressive sized piece of parchment. Upon closer examination, I see that it is a map of old Hyrule. Rather, when everyone called it Hyrule. Technically, the name never changed, but somewhere between our generation and thousands of years ago people just stopped calling it that. I don't know why, and I don't think anybody would know anyways. I smile. History was one of my favorite subjects in school, and seeing this old map makes me really happy. I skim my hand across the edges of the map as I walk around the table and back out to the main area. Link is looking in the far corner for something as I walk up behind him.
"Aha!" he exclaimes.
"What?"
"I found a staircase," he turns to me
"What's exciting about that?" I ask, folding my arms in front of me, smirking.
"That means we can explore!" He sounds like a little kid on Christmas.
"Shouldn't we wait here for Impa?" I say as he opens the door to a staircase leading upward.
"Impa knows how to handle herself. Come on, Zel," he pleads.
"Fine, but if we get into trouble, I blame you." I say.
"Deal."
We make our way up the stairs and find that it leads to a hallway of bedrooms. There are seven in all, six line the hallways and one on the end I assume leads to the master bedroom. I walk straight to it and press my ear to the door while using a probing spell. Nothing. I open the door.
Upon entering, all I can think is something backed up the sewage in here.
The old wood smell made up for the gross smell coming from the bathroom. I immediately cover my nose and look around the rest of the room. Two long vertical windows frame a large bed with two end tables next to it. To the right is the bathroom and the left is another stone fireplace with a rocking chair next to it. I turn to leave, but hear a distant mew of a cat. I spin back around to find a white fluffy cat in the room that I can guarantee wasn't there two minutes ago. I back out of the room slowly, shutting the door and continuing into the hallway. I bump into Link and he turns around to place his arms around my stomach after seeing my distress.
"Zel?" he asks unsure.
"Someone is here," I whisper. He tenses up.
"Where?"
"I don't know," I admit, "but there was a white cat in the master bedroom. It looked like it lives here," I look up at him over my shoulder, "and that it belonged to someone."
"Let's head back to the courtyard," Link says unsteadily. I nod and as we turn around we hear a light mid pitched laugh.
"And just where do you think you're going, dear trespassers?"
We freeze. I close my eyes and imagine a better place to be, but to no avail. We turn around to find a plump mid age woman with an orange colored dress and a jean corset on along with a killer up-do. She wore bangle bracelets a plenty and wore the proper amount of makeup for her complexion. She had a hand on her hip and an intimidating smirk on her face. I would probably like her spunk if I wasn't on the other side of it.
I open my mouth to speak, but someone cuts me off.
"They are not trespassers, dear Telma," I hear my mom say from behind a guest room door as it swings on its hinge to reveal her leaning against the wall examining her nails. "They are with me."
"Ah, Impa," the woman, Telma, sighs, "how many times must I tell you to not bring visitors here?"
"Apparently more than once," Impa says sarcastically. Telma simply rolls her eyes.
"Now what can I do for you sweeites?" She winks at Link. He raises his eyebrows in surprise as Telma laughs.
"Come now, you know you are a handsome boy, right?"
"Well," he scratches the back of his neck.
"I know she thinks you're handsome," she points at me. "I only jest. You're too young for my tastes anyway." She laughs.
"Telma, how many times do I need to tell you not to flirt with every male I bring over here?"
"Apparently the same amount of times I ask you to not bring visitors here. Once that happens, we'll be fine." She waves her hand flippantly as she speaks like it's the most casual conversation in the world in a run-down bar in the middle of Castle Town. The whole situation is just so weird to me that I didn't notice my eyebrows furrowing in confusion on my forehead.
"What's wrong dear?" Telma turns to me.
"Why didn't you tell us you knew where and what exactly Telma's Bar is, mother?"
Impa stays silent. The light in her eyes becoming slightly less dim.
"This is where I stayed when I left."
Telma eyes the two of us as if she is looking at a puzzle. Then it clicks and her mouth drops to the floor.
"Wait half a moment, Impa, this is your daughter?"
"Yes," Impa responds. "Zelda," she turns back to me closing the distance between us, "I really did want to tell you, but I also didn't want to be reminded of the hard times I had to endure without you and your father by my side. It was a hard time for all of us." She places a hand on my shoulder. I look down at my feet; my black converse a stark difference in color from the wood flooring. I take a deep breath and meet my mother's gaze.
"Yes it was." I simply say with a sad smile. She smiles back and takes her hand off of my shoulder.
"Now," Telma claps her hands in front of her. "Who is hungry?"
I hew a mew from the master bedroom and scratching against the door.
"I think the cat is hungry."
Telma looks confused.
"I don't have a cat," she states.
"Oh, really?" I ask. "There is one in that room right there; it's completely white and fluffy. I didn't see a tag, so—" She turns on her heel and bolts straight to the room.
"She loves cats," Impa fills Link and me in. "She has been wanting one ever since I started staying here."
So this is where my mother stayed when she left.
"I assume it was in better shape than this?" I ask.
"Oh, yes," Link chimes in, "it was beautiful. Rustic wood and paneling all over the place. Good company and all around a happy, vibrant atmosphere, it was amazing!"
"I'm honestly surprised that this was the first place that popped into your head, Link," Impa says, almost impressed.
"I simply remember being a kid touring Castle Town and thinking of how awesome of a hiding place this courtyard would be."
"Well, you thought correctly, Link," Telma chimes in, emerging with the aforementioned cat in hand.
"Now this guy needs a home. And you two are welcome here as well. Impa just has her own permanent room due to certain circumstances. But feel free to grab any room you like and make yourself at home. You'll be staying a few days, right?"
"Only for two nights, yes. We have some serious business to attend to."
"Impa," she shakes her head, "does it have anything to do with Ghirahim?"
"It has everything to do with him," she responds. Everyone drops off all conversation until about five minutes later.
"I'm going to put on a pot of tea," Telma says as she turns around and enters the main room.
"I will be in my room studying, so if you need me just call." She shuts the door in our faces.
Link and I stand there in the hallway in silence.
"Now what?" Link whispers, breaking the quiet first.
"I have an idea," I say, pulling him to one of the bedrooms. I shut the door behind us and jump onto one of the beds. Link joins me after he takes off his sword and shield and wraps an arm around me.
"I feel like there is something between us, Zelda," he laughs.
"And what is that?"
"A knife on your back."
"Crap," I mutter, sitting up and untying the sheath from my waist and placing it on an end table. "Better?" I say as I lie down again.
"Much," he says pulling me flush against him and kissing the back of my neck. My eyes physically couldn't stay open any longer as the pull of sleep yanks me downward into the world of dreams.