Hello my darlings! (did that sound weird to you?) This fic is going to be pretty fluffy. Why? I had to find a cure for Death Note L-related denial. My search will probably be fruitless though… Besides, this particular plot bunny was super insistent!
"C'mon, Zelda, this'll be fun!"
"Keep your voice down. We aren't even out of the castle grounds yet."
"Fine. But when we get out in the forest, can I ye-"
"No."
"Hmph."
"Are you sure this is safe?"
"Nope!"
"What?!"
"We're almost there!"
Where exactly are you taking me, Link?"
He didn't answer. He just grabbed her hand and pulled her up the small hill on the outskirts of the forest. Since it was springtime, the hill was covered in light green grass and dotted with tiny daisies here and there. The night sky was clear and the abundant stars shined with an intensity she had never seen before. From the top, she could see the castle close by. It looks warm and welcoming to her- well, that was natural, considering that this was Zelda's home.
The princess smiled. Hyrule was beautiful.
"Now, lie down and look up," ordered Link, who had already done so. Zelda complied.
"Look up where?" asked Zelda just to tease Link. He didn't say anything, only tilted his chin up and sniffed disdainfully. He pouted, which soon turned into a fit of giggles. Zelda soon joined in.
"I thought you were smarter than that, Princess. I see now that I have committed a grave error. Please forgive me," he said, which only made Zelda laugh even harder. It was wonderful, the way the two of them could find humor in the smallest things. Zelda only hoped that would last.
When the pair had finally quieted down, Link said, "Seriously, look up at the stars. I love doing this. The stars are-"
"Amazing," breathed Zelda.
"Have you ever done this before?" asked Link quietly.
"No…I guess I'm just too busy with the castle and my studies," answered Zelda just as quietly.
"Then do you want to do this more often, when you have time, of course?"
"Sure," said Zelda, a small smile appearing on her lips.
They fell silent and listened to the crickets chirping.
"You can see the moon from here," said Link, breaking the small silence.
"It's really bright and full tonight," answered Zelda.
"You know what would be really scary?" Link queried.
"What?" asked Zelda, humoring him.
"If the moon grew a face…and started falling down!"
"If that happened, we'd be crushed."
"Which is why I'm going to make sure that's never going to happen!"
"I'm sure that won't happen."
"Well, if it does, then I'll be there to save everyone."
"If you do, I will be forever grateful."
"Thanks!" They lapsed into silence once more, their attention on the night sky filled with stars.
Zelda was feeling mischievous and giddy with happiness. Not the best combination. Looking up, she had an idea. A very funny idea, if she were to say so herself. Link probably wouldn't mind. Probably. She giggled to herself. He would never know what hit him.
Her hand crept over to the top of Link's head and lightly grasped the tip of his hat. In one fluid motion, she pulled his hat off and jumped away, hiding it behind her back.
"Hey! I saw that, Zelda! You can't hide from me!" said a very surprised Link who sat up quickly.
"That's debatable," said Zelda smugly from the low tree branch she was sitting on, swinging her legs in the air. His pointy green hat was lying next to her.
"Whoops!" she exclaimed as something green fell to the ground.
Link saw it happen and reacted with speed, racing towards the approximate location of his beloved green cap. When he reached it, however, he discovered a large green leaf there instead.
"Huh?" He looked up to find Zelda leaning against an even higher branch, hat in hand, a smirk on her face. He had been tricked.
"Oh, are we resorting to trickery now?" thought Link as he bounded from branch to branch with ease. Despite that, he was finding it difficult to keep up with Zelda. She was surprisingly good at this sort of thing. Better than him. A suprising revelation, since she had been raised in the castle.
Link tumbled to the ground, landing in the soft grass. He didn't move.
Zelda, concerned, almost flew down to earth in her haste to get to her friend. She felt pretty bad- this had been her fault in the first place. Hat in hand, she crouched down next to him and shook his shoulder gently.
"Link?"
Link jumped up, snatched his cherished green hat back, returned it to its rightful place, and reveled in the feeling of hard-earned victory.
"Fine. You win. Cheater," muttered Zelda with a pout.
"You started this. The ends justify the means," smirked Link.
Zelda growled playfully and tackled the small boy to the ground with a hug. Link hugged her back, smiling. They broke apart reluctantly.
"Aren't we here to look at the stars?" reminded Link.
"I think we have looked at them enough tonight. Let's go find an apple tree!" said Zelda.
"It's still spring, Zelda. Apple trees don't bear fruit until summer," said Link.
"I know where the early ones are."
"In that case…"
"Let's go! Follow me," said Zelda, already holding Link's hand in hers and pulling him off to the small grove deeper in the forest.
A quarter of the hour passed. When they came to the apple grove at last, the pair were both sweating slightly.
"And here we are," announced Zelda. She was true to her word. The anticipated apples were smallish, but they had a dark and rich red color.
Link reached up and picked the lowest ones on the nearest tree. The pair bit into the two small apples at the exact same time.
"These are really good, "said Link. "Thanks for taking me here."
"No problem! Do you want to sit down?" asked Zelda.
"Okay!" answered Link as he sank down, leaning against a tree. Zelda plopped herself down next to him.
Link put his arm around her and closed his eyes. Zelda did the same, and they fell asleep that way.
All was well.
finis
Kind of a cliché ending, don't you think? Anyways, reviews mean a lot to me, if you get the picture.