*.·´¯`·.·´¯`·.· вяιgнтεя тнαη α sнσσтιηg sтαя ·.·´¯`·.·´¯`·.*
Link awoke like he did everyday: to Zelda screaming "GET UP SLEEPYHEAD," in his sensitive ears.
"Z-Zelda…" he sighed covering his ears. "It's S-Sunday." They were both seven now, and his stammer had gotten much better. He was particularly happy about this. It saved him from some of the embarrassment of answering questions in class.
"I know that, sleepyhead." She sighed, exasperated. "I want to go see Pipit climb up the waterfall." Link narrowed his eyes at this. The waterfall was their place. This was the first time in a long time he had really been jealous of Zelda liking Pipit. It didn't bother him in the way it would most people though. He was just scared to lose his best friend.
"A-a-a-alright." He muttered, climbing out of bed. Zelda grabbed his wrist.
"What's wrong Link?" she demanded. She knew him far too well. His stammer gave away how he was feeling. Right now it told her he was not pleased.
"Nothing." He responded curtly, gently removing his wrist from Zelda's grasp. She narrowed her eyes at him; a little hurt he wouldn't tell her.
"Okay, I'll be back when you're dressed." She told him, scooting out of his room and closing the door behind her. She leaned against the door, putting her ear up next to it.
"Stupid P-P-Pipit." She heard him mutter. "That's Z-Zelda and I's w-w-waterfall." She heard the distinct sound of a breaking pot and wondered if he had hit it out of rage.
The doorknob turned and she jumped back, startled.
"Hey Z-Z-Zelda." He murmured.
"Uh, hi Link." She answered, still a bit shocked.
"You o-okay?" he asked her, concern in his blue eyes.
"Yeah, I think I left something in your room." She muttered, squeezing past him and his intense gaze. Looking around she saw a pot smashed on the floor and she winced. She inhaled deeply. His whole room smelled like…Link. Like fresh air and cold water and trees. It brought a smile to her face and she continued, "searching" for her lost item.
Link peeked through the crack in the door to see Zelda breathe in deeply and grin. Confused, he watched her approach the door and he backed away quickly.
"Did y-you f-find it?" he asked her.
"No…" she trailed off, humming a little tune. "Let's go!" Remembering where they were going, his face dropped. She grinned and yanked on his hand. They ran out of the academy, down the stairs, and into…The Bazaar?
"Z-Z-Zelda? I t-thought we were..."
"No silly! I don't wanna see Pipit climb our waterfall. I wanna stay here with you and look at all the stuff!" she replied, grinning at him. He was shocked to say the least. He always thought Pipit would come before him.
"O-o-o-okay…"
"Or would you rather me go see Pipit?" she trailed off, feigning hurt.
"No." he spoke clearly, narrowing his eyes and locking his hand around her wrist. Smiling, she pulled her hand a little.
"Link! Stop!" she squealed, giggling.
"No! W-w-what if you g-go see P-Pipit?" he asked, real hurt shining in his blue eyes. Zelda leaned her face up real close to his and whispered, "You're my best friend. Why would I leave you here to see Pipit?" he blinked and took a step back.
"Because you-you only l-like me as a f-friend. You l-l-love h-him. Y-You want him to b-be your b-b-b-boyfriend." His face twisted into a look of disgust and hurt.
"Link. Never think of yourself as my friend." She said. A single tear found it's way into his left eye. "You're my bestest friend ever." She smiled, hugging him. He grinned, the tear escaping and slowly rolling down his face.
They ran from shop to shop, looking at all the potions and shields, and then getting their fortunes told. They finally ran to the back of the Bazaar where a young girl served them some delicious stew. It was chunks of lamb in rich gravy served on top of white rice. They downed the stew quickly and made their way back to the academy, where the other students were eating tomato soup and a multi-grained bread of some sort. Link and Zelda skipped by them and went into Links room, laughing and talking about their day. She spent more time in his room than her own.
"Um…Zelda?" she looked up to see Pipit of all people, standing in Link's doorway, nervously holding his hat in his hands.
"Yes?" she said, smiling at him. Link looked at her and she could see the tiniest bit of confusion in his eyes.
"Can we…talk?"
"Sure hang on, me and Link are gonna finish up here."
"Oh…er…okay. I'll be by the mess hall." He said, turning around and walking away. As Zelda stood up from where they sat on the floor, Link grabbed her arm.
"Link…?" she looked at him, confused.
"P-p-promise m-me. Y-y-you won't be P-Pipit's b-best friend?" he looked up at her.
"I promise, Link." She smiled at him. She left the room, finding Pipit where he said he'd be. "Hey Pipit!" she grinned.
"Oh hey Zelda."
"Why'd you drag me here?" she teased
"Well…you weren't at the waterfall and I was wondering if everything was okay…"
"Actually, I spent the day with Link. He didn't want to go to the waterfall."
"Yeah, but, didn't you want to?"
"Yes, but…"
"You don't have to do what Link says."
"It's not like that!"
"It seems like it."
"I wanted to do what Link wants because he deserves it. He doesn't judge people or make fun of them, he's selfless and kind and caring. And he's my best friend!" she turned on her heel and stomped into Link's room, closing the door behind her hard. Link, having heard everything she just yelled, was smiling so hard it hurt.
"Link."
"…" Smile.
"Link…"
"…" Grin.
"Link!"
"Z-Zelda?"
"I don't like Pipit anymore." This news shocked him. His smile slipped from his face for a moment before he composed himself.
"R-r-really?" he spluttered.
"Yeah. If I'm not his girlfriend and that how he reacts to you, I could NEVER go out with him. I love hanging out with my best friend too much." She smiled affectionately at Link, who was blushing and looking at his boots.
"T-T-Thanks Zelda." He returned her smile.
Zelda added the final touches on her drawing. It was a drawing of them together in the plaza, the beautiful blue sky as their backdrop. She scooted the candle away from her workspace and proudly held up her drawing towards Link's bed.
"Link! I finished!" with no answer; she held the candle up towards his face. He was sound asleep, snoring lightly. "Goodnight, sleepyhead." She smiled at him, ducking out of his room and taking her drawing with her. She pinned it up on her wall using a few of the sharp nails her and Link had found on their adventures around Skyloft. She pulled the journal out of he closet and began to write.
Dear Journal,
Today, after a brief and annoying conversation with Pipit, I have decided I don't like him anymore. He thinks Link is making me do stuff I don't want to do. But Link isn't like that. He's kind and sweet and selfless. If I didn't know he didn't want to, we would've gone off to the waterfall and he wouldn't have said a word. He's just so selfless.
I drew a picture of Link and I in the plaza today. I put it up on my wall. Right when I finished it though, Link was sound asleep! Oh, sleepyhead. Well, goodnight!
-Zelda
She stuck her journal back in the cabinet and stared inside for a moment. Her journal was on a shelf hiding between many other books, a wooden sword Link and her had found was lying against the corner, her adventure bag hung on a hook as well as her red tunic, her white dress and multiple coats. A picture Link had drawn of the waterfall was taped to the side of her closet. Underneath the picture he had written To Zelda, from Link, in his messy handwriting. Smiling, she closed the cabinet.
As she restlessly lay in bed, she tried to think of things that would help her fall of sleep. The stars in the sky, the water fall… An image of Link snoring soundly popped into her head and she smiled, as she suddenly felt tired. She went to sleep dreaming of waterfalls and Loftwings and her best friend.
"Hey sleepyhead, wake up." Link felt a gentle nudge at his side and he wondered if it was really Zelda waking him up.
"Z-Zelda?" he asked tiredly, sitting up and scratching the back of his head.
"Hey there, sleepyhead."
"W-what? N-no screaming?" he asked her, confused. She laughed at his confusion. Taking his hand, she dragged Link to the cafeteria for breakfast. They sat down next to each other and were served some pancakes.
"You hungry, sleepyhead?" she teased as he scarfed down his pancakes.
"A l-little." He answered, laughing.
"More like a LOT." She said, poking him in the belly teasingly. Groose glared at the two friends. Oh sorry, best friends. Zelda goes around saying it often enough that it should be drilled in his head.
After breakfast, Link walked over to his classroom with Zelda beside him. She smiled at him.
"I brought some more paper today." She informed him quietly.
"C-Cool. More n-notes?" he asked, smiling.
"Well yeah, what else are we going to do?" she grinned, meeting his blue eyed gaze.
"L-learn?"
"Now there's a thought. Coming from the one I had to wake up in the middle of our test last week."
"H-hey! H-he told us t-to put our h-heads down when w-we were d-done."
"Yeah… And I did wake you up early to look at the Loftwings…" she trailed off. He nodded as they strolled in and took their seats.
Link,
You look tired. Do I have to wake you up again?
-Zelda
Zelda,
I'm fine. I'm sleepyhead remember?
Link
Link,
Yeah, you are.
Pipit is looking at us.
Zelda
Zelda,
Maybe he's gonna tell the teacher?
Link
Just as Zelda was about to read Links note, Instructor Owlan spoke up.
"Link? Are you paying attention?"
"Uh...y-yes, of c-course sir."
"Then who are the three goddesses that created the universe?"
"F-Farore, Din, and Naryu, Sir."
"Alright, but if I hear Pipit tell me your passing notes again, you will both be answering to the Headmaster."
Zelda opened Link's note when Owlan went back to teaching. Reading over it, she wondered if he was a psychic.
Link,
I wonder what's gotten into him?
Zelda.
Zelda,
He must be jealous he doesn't have the most amazing best friend in the world.
Link
Zelda sighed and smiled over at Link. Link brushed his hair out of his eyes and returned her smile. Zelda mouthed a silent 'Thank you' and tried to focus on the lesson while her best friend started doodling on his notebook. Glancing over, she saw him drawing himself and her at the waterfall, sitting beneath their tree. Fascinated, she watched as he then drew Pipit at the top ledge near the waterfall with an arrogant expression on his face. He drew Zelda throwing a rock at Pipit and she stifled a giggle.
He glanced over at her, confused. Right now he was in his own little world, where his pictures were reality and nothing else mattered. Since it bothered him to talk about his feelings because of his stammer, and because he was shy, he had taken to sketching and doodling to just let them all out through the tip of his pen.
"W-What?" he asked her.
"When did I throw a rock at Pipit?" she whispered, giggling. The tips of his ears turned red and he shrugged, shading in the rather large rock that was flying through the air towards Pipit's head.
"So Link. Spit it out. Do you like Zelda or not?" Groose demanded. Link had been shoved into the corner by the older boy's cronies - Stitch and Cawlin - just moments before.
"N-N-N-No!" he stuttered.
"Really? Then why do you follow her around like a lost Loftwing?"
"B-B-Because she's my b-b-best friend!"
"Are you sure she's not your best girlfriend?"
"Groose!" Zelda came rushing around the corner towards them. "Why are you picking on Link? If you're making fun of the way he talks, I'll…" she trailed off, furious. Link cringed, he had never seen her that mad before.
"I would never make fun of Link here. We were just having a friendly chat."
"Then why is he shoved against the corner?"
"I dunno. Maybe he likes corners or something."
"Get away from him Groose!"
"Or what?"
"I'll tell the headmaster." Groose, Cawlin and Stitch winced and quickly backed away.
"Link, are you okay?" she asked him gently.
"I-I'm f-fine."
"Okay, meet me at the waterfall?"
"O-Okay. Let m-me get my s-stuff." He said and disappeared into his room. He noticed a small piece of neatly folded white paper on his desk and grabbed it, thinking it might be a note from Zelda.
Link,
This isn't over.
You won't always have Zelda to protect you.
Groose.
"Link?" He turned quickly, shoving the note into his back pocket.
"H-Hi Zelda."
"What have you got there?" she asked him, circling him.
"N-N-Nothing." He said, turning his back away from her. His problems didn't need to become hers.
"Hmm… Okay Link, whatever you say." She said disapprovingly. "I'll be leaving now, are you ready?"
"Y-Yeah." He said, following her out the Academy's main door.
When they got to the waterfall, it was sundown. They grabbed their empty jars and ran around trying to catch the few fireflies that were out.
After catching a whole bunch, they fell underneath their tree, laughing and grinning. They were laying on their backs, and eventually all they could hear was the quiet pounding of the waterfall.
"Link?" Zelda piped up after a while.
"Y-Yeah?"
"What do you think about…getting married?"
"W-Well, I don't k-know. Don't girls h-have c-cooties?" he stammered quietly. Zelda looked over at him, offended. He was backtracking. "N-N-Not y-you Zelda. Y-Y-You're… my b-best friend." He whispered.
"Link…" she whispered
"You… j-just don't have cooties." He finished, looking over at her.
"Well, neither do you." She declared, looking into his bright blue eyes. "Who would you marry then?" she tilted her head to the side, curious.
"U-Um…" he trailed off, his face turning a deep shade of red. "No one."
"W-What!?" she stammered. "No one? Wouldn't you be lonely?"
"N-N-No. I mean… I don't k-know. I w-wouldn't know w-w-who to m-marry." He was confused.
"Yeah… Maybe we would get married? Since we don't have cooties!" Zelda suggested. Link was taken aback, eyes wide and embarrassed.
"M-Maybe." He left the conversation at that. He loved being with Zelda, no doubt about it… But did he love Zelda? Marriage? They were only seven! Link looked over to see Zelda quietly snoring next to him. Smiling, he stretched and fell asleep, thinking of what their future might hold.