UPDATE
As of this time, 2:43 AM on Oct. 8, 2008, I have officially decided that Expected Love will be made into a series. The reason for this is that I'm planning to wrap EL soon, and there are still many characters to introduce. Therefore, the Dramatis Personae, Secondary character, and location lists will cover the ENTIRE series. I'll put each one into the story, so you won't have to check back on this list.
Thanks to my wonderful reviewers.
On with the chapter
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Chapter 10
Proposal
--
The funeral went without a hitch. Ganon didn't show up.
There was something final about the soft thwumph that a casket makes as it hits the ground, and as dirt is being poured over it, Link knew this. He felt a pang in his heart as he watched dirt obscure the nameplate on the casket.
Here Lied Rathos Harkinian
Beloved Father, Ruler, and Guardian
1 Biember, 768 – 5 Diember, 821
"May Goddesses guide you and protect you"
The grave read the exact same.
Link held Zelda as she cried silent tears. As brave and strong as he was, he himself could not hold back a few tears for the man who had tolerated him for eight years, even if he had sent him off to Military camp.
--
"Mr. Forrester, Miss Harkinian, we're going to have to ask you to come with us. Someone has found King Rathos' will."
Link and Zelda followed the guard into a private room, where Porthos, Sheik and Athos were sitting too.
The three men and the will-reader stood up when Zelda came in the room.
"What's their deal?" she whispered to Link.
"You're princess, your father's dead, that automatically makes you queen," Link whispered back.
"Welcome Princess, welcome Mr. Forrester. I assume you all know why you are here. One of the guards found King Rathos' will sitting on his desk in his study this morning, along with a letter addressed to his daughter."
The reader, whom Zelda could swear she had seen before, passed her the letter.
Dearest Zelda,
I am sorry that I will no longer be there to guide you through life. I am also sorry that you will not be able to have your fairytale wedding where I walk you down the aisle to your husband.
Take Link as your husband. You have seen the way he looks at you, I have seen it. You two used to be young lovers. I was too at one point in time.
Wherever I am, however I died, I am with your mother now. I am sure she has been watching over you every step of your life.
Goodbye my sweet angel
Love,
Papa
Zelda folded up the letter and placed it back in the envelope, tears in her eyes.
"I will assume that it is personal and you do not wish to share its contents with us," said the reader. Zelda nodded. "Very well, we shall move on to the will."
"First, to my daughter, Zelda. I leave her the entire castle, as well as the liberty to let Malon and Romani go free. I also leave you several homes around the world, should you ever decide to take a vacation, as we did with Mr. Forrester, when we went to Great Bay.
Second, to Link Forrester. I leave you my blessing, and my study. In it are books that I know you have not read. Treat them well, however, as they are old.
Third, to the children of my trusted military advisor, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. I leave you in the teachings of Impa. One day you will be strong enough to lead my armies in battle.
Last to Sheik Motamid. Your family and mine have had our differences over the years, but I hope that can end. I leave to you my ceremonial knife, in its gold sheath, in the hopes that we can settle this feud."
There was a strange noise echoing throughout the room, almost as if the dead king himself had come to watch over the reading. There was an eerie, otherworldly laughter, and it gradually got softer and softer until it could be heard no more.
Link let out a deep breath that he didn't even know he had been holding.
The king had left him his blessing. That meant he could rekindle his love for Zelda and marry her if he wanted.
But that would never happen.
Unless…
--
Link walked through the castle, looking for Malon.
He found her in the library, studying with Rauru.
"What is it Link," she asked, without even lifting her head from her book.
"What is romantic to Zelda?"
Malon groaned. "Why?"
"Because I love her, and I know she still loves me. I want to marry her."
Malon slammed her book shut.
"She likes fish. Preferably at a candlelit dinner with her favorite music playing."
Link took note of this. "And what is her favorite music?"
Malon handed him a slip of paper before leaving the library.
When Link looked at it later, there was one word, or two, depending on what you judge as a word.
Indigo-gos
--
That night, as Link and Zelda sat in the gardens eating their dinner, Link took a moment to look back on the day. He didn't even know how he had persuaded her to come to dinner with him, but she had agreed. Malon seemed to be alright with his plan, seeing as he wasn't going to "have sex with her and just let it slip out while she's still recovering".
Zelda sighed. It had been a long day. Her father was dead, she was queen, and now she was sitting here eating dinner with a man she hated.
"But you don't hate him. You want him to sweep you off your feet like he always used to," said a voice in her head.
Around the same time that Zelda was getting her voices, Link chose his moment.
"Zelda. I want things to be like they were between us. I want to be able to come into your room and kiss you good morning. I hate having to call you Zelda or Miss Harkinian, or Your highness."
Link got down on one knee.
"So that's why I'm doing this."
He pulled out a ring box.
"Zelda, will you marry me?"
--
Duh-duh-duhhhhhh
What will she say?
The bit about taking a vacation to Great Bay "as we did with Mr. Forrester" is a reference to the next Expected Love fic I'm writing, where they take a vacation. It's set just after Link and Zelda confess their love.
New timeline:
Link turns 16
Zelda turns 15
Link and Zelda fall in love
VACATION TO GREAT BAY
Rathos invites Ganon to meet Zelda
Etc…
R&R please, as I always beg.
Keep an eye out for "One Month In Great Bay".
I had someone email me and ask why I don't post disclaimers anymore. I have given up. If you don't know by now that I don't own Zelda, there's a SERIOUS problem.