Chapter 10: Something fishy

A little more than three years had passed since the night Link and Zelda had their first argument and they hadn't seen each other since. The princess had been sent away for unknown reasons and wasn't seen in the castle anymore. Link had been feeling awful ever since he had heard that the princess had left. She had said that she never wanted to see him again and he had behaved terribly. His mother would be disappointed in him if she knew he had hit a girl. He still, after so long, felt a little bad deep inside and Zelda had disappeared too. He couldn't apologize because she wasn't here. What would his mother say? She always said that it was most important to apologize if you did something bad or wanted to make something right.

Worst was that Zelda's absence had left a gaping hole that nothing could fill.

Navi had stayed and as she and Link grew closer she seemed to believe it was her lawful right to hit him or zap him with some of her magic every now and then. She needed very much attention from him or she'd stay mad at him for hours. The best thing she knew seemed to be when he tried to make her happy again.

Link had become a very skilled warrior for his young age and now trained with the Hylian army, even though he should be three years older, thirteen, to be allowed to.

He had also learnt how to play the ocarina. It did pay off to have Sharp and Flat as teachers. They were the best in Hyrule after all, although he nearly died every lesson because of some of Flat's weird accidents or because of Sharp's temper.

It wasn't easy to write your own song. He could play the ocarina but to make a song and get it all to fit together seemed impossible. Every time he tried it just sounded like he played an original song in the wrong way. He hadn't told anyone, not even Navi, that he thought, and hoped, Zelda would come back if he could only write the song he had promised her.

His father had several times tried to steal the ocarina but Navi guarded it carefully and Link was skilled at finding places to hide it. There were only two problems he couldn't do much about: How good his father was at finding things and his stubbornness.

Link had gotten his own sword also. It was short and a bit too heavy but it was at least something.

No one had said where Zelda had disappeared to and if the song didn't bring her back he could go look for her if he became a knight. Because of that he never complained no matter how hard he was pushed and always tried his best no matter what. Just to see Zelda once more.

Every day he checked if she was hiding in the bushes at the training grounds. Every day he tried to write the song, every day he practiced to become a knight, every day he missed her and every night he always prayed that the goddesses would bring her back.

Zelda sighed in front of the great altar. Three years were a long time and still it felt like only one day had passed.

She now wore the traditional temple clothing, with some added jewellery since she was the princess. She had taken a great interest in reading as Rauru taught her about history and the ancient Hylian language.

Her faith in the goddesses had increased tenfold. She had seen with her own eyes how much the belief in the goddesses meant to the people. She admired those who had stayed in the temple to spend the rest of their life there to prove their faith. She had only been placed there.

Everything had worked out really well for her. Many of the things she had to learn in the temple were things she could have use of as a future queen or Sheikah. She had very much self-control now but was still cheery and eager to learn. She had gotten to know her own magic to some parts and could master a few tricks too.

Impa often came to bring her to training. She had noticed that all the games Impa had encouraged her to try in the castle when she was younger had actually helped her improve her balance, strength and to become awfully vigorous. Did it mean Impa had planned this for a long time?

Zelda was a daydreaming girl. That seemed to be her only fault. Even though she was only ten years old people always looked at her as if she was something above the ordinary and that although no one except Rauru in the temple knew she was the princess, although the jewellery revealed she was of higher status. She actually felt relieved every time Impa showed up so she could get away for a while.

Zelda didn't mind to put a lot of effort in what she had to do. Impa pushed her to her limits and her ways of making Zelda a Sheikah could only be described as cruel. Zelda, however, lived through it all in complete indifference.

… And Link?

Did he remember her? What would he say if they met again after that fight? Would he forgive her? She knew that he hadn't lied to her. How could he know that the nightmare he convinced her was only a dream had been a prophetic dream that came true?

But still she felt so hurt that he had pushed her! It was dishonor for a man to beat a girl! She had learnt what a marriage was too and her cheeks heated every time she thought about their promise.

She couldn't help but to wonder if he still would write the song. He'd said he would write it so that she could play along with her harp and she had tried so hard to be able to play it skilfully. Sharp and Flat travelled to the temple once every week to have lessons with her. The king would not allow her to have any other teachers than the best ones.

Zelda could play more instruments than just the harp but she didn't really care about the other ones except for when she actually had to play them.

When you created music with your own hands it didn't matter what instrument you played.

She hoped that Link wrote the song. It would be a connection that would keep them together. She wanted to be able to play along the day when they met again. If he kept on playing too maybe they could save their friendship.

"Please, Nayru!" She spoke out to the Goddess of Wisdom. "Please, make…" She was interrupted by Rauru entering.

"The king asks for your presence at the castle." He made a bow to her. "As I promised when I brought you here you shall go to the castle whenever you are needed there."

Zelda nodded thoughtfully.

"Why?"

"I was told that the king is about to have a meeting with the leaders of the tribes who don't have the Hylian royal family as their ruler. I think he wants you, the future ruler of Hyrule, to meet them."

Zelda nodded again and Rauru escorted her to a carriage waiting outside.

"I know it's not far at all Zelda but this is the king's orders."

Zelda stepped in. Yes, it was silly that she should have to go by carriage when it would hardly take any time at all to walk. Still she was grateful because no one would discover that she, the simple temple maiden, was the princess in the carriage.

She heard the gates to the castle creak when they opened. It was like entering a prison. She held her eyes opened for any sign of Link but no one, except the guards, was in sight.

To be back in her own room felt weird. She stepped out on the balcony to see if Link was at the training grounds but no one was there.

"Impa", she said quietly and her guardian stepped out from a shadowy corner.

"How may I be of service princess?"

"When will I see my father?"

"As soon as you've changed your clothes you can go to the throne room and the waiting guests can be let in."

"So I must hurry not to keep them waiting and I won't have any time to speak privately with my father?"

"Correct."

Zelda changed into one of her finer dresses and went down to the throne room. The room itself was huge. She could hear her steps echo as she made her way over to the man sitting on the throne that reached against the high ceiling and made you feel small and insignificant. She stopped in front of the throne, held her head down in respect and stared intensively at the floor.

"Sit down."

She could recognize her father's deep voice and stepped up to the smaller throne on his left side. She still didn't look at his face.

Soon enough the trumpets played a fanfare and six important looking Zoras entered with a small female Zora in the lead. She seemed to be the same age as Zelda.

One of the Zoras stepped forward and spoke: "Your Majesty, please, let me introduce the heir to the Zora's throne. She will not take part in our conversation but we still want our future rulers to meet."

The young Zora girl stepped forward as well and made a curtsy, her fins swaying beautifully. The king rose from his throne.

"I value this gesture. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Zelda stopped listening to her fathers praising. He didn't waste any kind words on her so why would he do it on strangers? This behavior was just an act because he couldn't care more about a person he just met than about her, could he? She decided to pay some attention again.

"…And my daughter will of course see it as her pleasure to spend time with the Zora princess and strengthen bounds that will keep our peace intact in the future." He made a small gesture and Zelda rose on command. Not a sound was made as she glided across the floor and the Zora princess followed her. As the double doors closed behind her, Zelda felt gloomy. She hadn't seen her father's face once.

Zelda entered the castle garden and decided to cheer up. This was a great opportunity. Her father had only sent her to take care of young visitors a few times before and except for the time he sent her away with Link she hadn't actually met anyone of the same age as her.

"What's your name?" She asked and made sure to sound friendly as she turned to the Zora princess.

"I presented myself inside before, don't you remember? Or did you not pay attention? I'm Ruto, Princess of the Zoras." The girl stated with a very arrogant attitude as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Zelda."

"Yes, your father said that."

Zelda felt her hopes falter but would not give up that easily.

"What would you like to do?"

"I would feel much better if you would let me entertain myself and leave me alone." Ruto said and turned her back on Zelda.

"S-sure you can do that, but… I would really like to get to know you better." Zelda said hesitantly and Ruto faced Zelda again.

"What do you know? You're just a soulless doll following orders! I don't need you for anything! I'll be queen and will lead my people while you will sit on that throne and let others do your dirty work! That's the difference between us and I can tell that already!"

Ruto glared while Zelda looked back in surprise. Then she furrowed her brow and looked into Ruto's glaring eyes, the mirror of the soul, to get herself a better view of this girl. Why would she act this way? She went through what they had said in their short conversation in her thoughts and looked as deep into Ruto's eyes as she could.

"Stop doing that!" Ruto cried and stepped back with widened eyes. Zelda's eyes sent chills down her spine.

Zelda made the conclusion that this girl was proud. That she wanted to be, and acted as, an independent person even though she actually was very dependent. That this girl cared much about others but couldn't see how others felt.

"I'm sorry Ruto." Zelda smiled. "I already think that you are a wonderful person that I would like as a friend!"

Ruto seemed really taken aback by this respond and after much stuttering she finally managed to say: "Why would I like to be your friend?"

The Zora princess turned around and ran away.

Ruto had always been in the centre of all attention, her entire life. She had plenty of self-confidence and a wonderful personality. She was used to hearing that she was the best thing that ever happened to Hyrule and then when everyone heard that she was going to the castle they could only talk about this princess Zelda. What was so special about Zelda? When she had entered the throne room and seen the person sitting next to the king she had been breathless. A small girl looking as if she was carved by the goddesses themselves sat there, how could such a person exist?

Ruto had felt a small twinge of jealousy as she had looked at the other princess and when Zelda had talked to her she had been awfully nice too. It had only made Ruto even angrier. It was easy to be angry and hate a bad person but it was harder to hate someone who was so good. Yes, she knew she had been rude to Zelda but she had right to it. She was also a princess and had right to speak her own opinion. Then Zelda had looked at her in such a strange way that she could almost feel her gaze and Zelda said something so right, as if she had been reading her mind. It gave Ruto shivers as she thought about it.

With a thump she ran into someone.

"Get out of my way servant!" She cried furiously and stuck her nose in the air as she pushed herself past the person without as much as a glance.

Link groaned and glared after the Zora.

"You're so clumsy!" Navi said from inside his cap.

"It was she who ran into me! Stupid fish!" He muttered as Ruto continued down the hallway. Then he noticed something on the ground. It was three sapphires forming an amazingly beautiful jewel.

"That looks valuable! I better bring it back!" He said to himself. "Even though it must belong to that mean Zora girl!"

He got up and ran after her.

"Wait up! Miss Zora!"

"You can't do anything right!" Navi commented as Link tried to get the girl's attention as she turned around the corner without any sign of having noticed him.

"This is how you'll do it…" Navi cleared her throat. "HEEEEEY!" She shouted with all her might. Link almost got paralyzed.

Ruto daydreamed as she walked. She was popular, wonderful and a true princess, no doubt. But she missed something in her life. She wished to fall in love with a handsome boy. She sighed. Why couldn't Zelda have been a prince?

Her father had given her the Zora Sapphire that she would give to her chosen one as a token that they one day would get married.

Ruto stopped as she heard someone call out to her. She walked back around the corner and saw a boy that was about the same age as her.

She saw something glimmering in his hand and gasped as she saw the sapphire. How could she have lost something so important?

"Miss…" The boy looked at her shyly and held out the sapphire. She approached him slowly.

They stood face to face and the sapphire reflected the sun's dazzling rays onto the walls. It twinkled around them. Ruto took another small step forward.

"MY SAPPHIRE! Give it back! You stupid servant! What a shock! Finding my sapphire in the hands of…" She looked him over and grimaced before she started yelling at him again. "Showing no respect at all! You should bow or lower your head for a princess!" She snatched the sapphire from his outstretched hand.

"I…was just trying to…help…" Link said a bit shocked.

"Why would I want your help? I can take care of myself!" Ruto sneered and Link glared at her but before he could say anything Ruto stepped hard on his foot.

"Glaring too? You're the worst man I've ever met! Nayru forbid I find my sapphire in your hands ever again!"

She left and Link gaped after her before he started trembling out of anger.

"What's so special about that sapphire anyway? Who does she think she is?" He spat and rushed after her.

"Leave me alone you crazy Hylian!" Ruto screamed as she noticed him following her.

"You're going to say you're sorry!"

"For what?" She said and narrowed her eyes before she sprinted off.

"She got away!" Link groaned and threw his cap on the ground.

"Hey! I had just managed to get it comfy in here!" Navi flew up to him. "Just wait till your father hears that you got outrun by a girl!"

"I… let her win!"

"Yeah…whatever… Let's go to the garden!"

Ruto held the sapphire tight against her chest as she made her way through the corridor when she heard two of the Zoras that had come here with her speaking to each other.

"We must find the princess soon! We have to get along with the king and if princess Ruto doesn't show up to dine with princess Zelda, what will he say?"

Ruto froze. Anything but dinner with Zelda! She could imagine that princess sitting at the other side of the table eating with unquestionable perfection and correcting her as she tried to enjoy the meal. She quickly turned into a side corridor and ran.

Soon she found herself in a beautiful garden, not having any idea of how she had wound up there.

"I bet miss perfect has arranged this garden", she said to herself bitterly. "But I bet that she can't climb trees! Not many Zoras can do that, but I can since I'm special. I'm born to be above! I'm sure that Hylian princess can't beat me!" She muttered as she climbed one of the trees.

She was sitting on a branch sulking when she noticed that rude, smelly, poor, awful servant boy walking through the garden beneath her tree.

She sat completely still to not be discovered.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Navi said to Link. She was back inside his cap.

"I have to feel sorry for myself because you won't!"

"There's nothing to feel sorry about!"

Link sat down and leant his back against a tree. Ruto glared down at him from above. She hated him more and more for each second! She bet he sat down by her tree on purpose! How was she going to get down now?

"Navi, do you feel like we're being watched?"

Ruto glared even more fiercely at him. Fantastic! He talked to himself too! She had to add crazy to his 'bad ability' list. Then she noticed something moving beside her. She looked to her left and got a complete shock. A huge owl, probably bigger than her, was sitting next to her and then it turned its head and looked back at her. With a shriek the zora princess tried to get away and fell off the branch.

Link looked up when he heard a scream and in the next second a Zora princess fell down on him.

Ruto slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at her hands. She was alive! Then she noticed that she was sitting on something. It seemed to be a strange green creature at first but then she recognized the boy.

Pink flower petals fell down from the nearby trees and the sun shined brightly. It was as though small pink hearts were raining down from above. Ruto looked down at the unconscious boy and then it hit her.

"He saved me!" She clasped her hands together. "He must have fallen head over heels for me! Even though we can't be together he came to my rescue, an impossible love between the princess and the… big nothing!"

She liked the sound of that. She fixed his grimacing face and took her first real good look of him.

"Handsome!" she sighed dreamily. How lucky she was.

Link awoke from his current state and found Ruto sitting on top of him.

"G-get…off!"

"Oh, the sound of my voice guided you back!"

Link had no idea what she was talking about and he had no thought of trying to find out either.

"Can't…breathe…"

Ruto's eyes sparkled as she looked down at his face which started to turn blue.

"You almost look like a Zora now! Oh, I get it! It's because you want to lessen our differences!"

With a cry Link managed to collect enough air and strength to force himself up and her off of him.

"You're…heavy!" He huffed as he pointed at her and Ruto's eyes narrowed dangerously.

She jumped up in the air, made a spin and hit him in the stomach with a well placed kick.

"You're calling me fat?"

A fiery aura surrounded her. Reminding Link of the demonic appearance of Impa he started to look for possible ways to escape as he slowly backed away from her. Then suddenly the aura disappeared and princess Ruto's eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together joyously.

"… But I forgive you! Here!" She held out the Zora Sapphire shyly and blushed.

"I want you to have this!"

Link hesitated. Earlier she had said that she'd never let him touch the jewel again. When she noticed that he hesitated she grabbed him by the collar.

"Accept it!"

"W-why?"

"Because it is a sign of our future together!" Her eyes started to glitter again.

"Uhm… What future?" Link asked.

"It's a sigh that we'll get married!"

Link froze. What had his mother said about marriage? No one had said anything about how many girls you could marry. But Zelda had said that married people lived together. He wasn't sure he wanted this girl to live with them in the future. Actually, he wouldn't mind if she disappeared but then again… His mother had told him that you never should wish for someone to disappear… And what about the fight with Zelda… Maybe she wouldn't marry him!

"I'll take that as a yes!" Ruto said and put the jewel in his hands. "We must part! We can't be seen together!"

Link stared at her dumbly but she interpreted it as him being at a loss for words.

"No, don't speak, love! It's breaking my heart too but we can't let our feelings lead us into the misery of being torn apart! I'd rather spend a few valuable seconds with you than risk it all for greediness." Ruto hid her face as if she was crying and ran away.

"Farewell! Think of me!" She shouted to him once he was almost out of earshot.

Navi flew out from Link's cap and her usually soft glow was now fiery crimson.

"Trust me Link! Stay away from that fish!"

"You don't have to say that twice!" Link said and put the sapphire in his pocket.

He went back into the castle when two Zoras ran past him.

"Oh, princess Ruto didn't eat dinner with princess Zelda! What will the king say?"

"Zelda?" Link said out loud. She was back! She wasn't gone. He had to cry out a shout of happiness. Now he could make everything all right! He just had to speak to her.

Navi flinched inside his cap. The princess was back!

Zelda put down her fork. She had hoped that Ruto would show up so that she could try to befriend her again.

A servant entered.

"My Lady, his Majesty wishes for you presence when the leader of the Gerudos are greeted."

"I'll be there."

Zelda rose. She had a bad feeling about this meeting and she had been very busy ever since she arrived to the castle. She wished to see Link. More than anything she wanted to see Link. She wanted things to be fine between them or she could never rest. Soon she would return to the temple and it would be too late.

The fight Link and Zelda had in the last chapter… Well, I wanted them to actually do something childish for once and I wanted to make the parting a bit special that's all. A child can say awful things too easily (grownups too but that's not the point) so Zelda didn't really mean that she didn't want to see him again. I hope you won't abandon me for such scenes! I think they'll fight again you see, but I am very set on making this story romantic and it wouldn't really work if they don't want to see each other…

And the lie… Zelda had a nightmare in one chapter (remember?) and that was actually about the windmill burning and falling. Link comforted her and said it was just a dream and then everything came true and she felt as if he had betrayed her. She was just a bit shaken by her nightmare coming true, that's all! Sorry for not explaining properly!

And Zelda became something similar to a nun in the last chapter but I didn't want to use that word (you have to respect religion) so I guess that part was hard to get... Sages can marry if they want to (if they're not feeling that it'll be in the way of their duties).

I've been trying to plan what's actually going to happen in this story (feels awful not to know!). I want to use Ruto again, she is a great character!

(And I was holding my thumbs for you Skullkid… uhm… Maybe that expression doesn't exist in English…)