Hello, everybody! Yayzuz, I updated relatively early! May the earht shake at my awesomeness. XD
Jokes aside, I am so, so, sorry for my slow updates. I should be punished, but there you go. I always bribe my way out wiht these chapters, don't i?
To make up for my slowness, I made this chapter completely chockfull of FLUFF. And it's fairly longer than my normal chapters. There will be lovey-dovey-ness, and hopefully cute. Recommended for rabid fangirls.
Note to TheWatcherandReader; I hope you got my email, and if you didn't, I would just like to clarify that I sent my chapter over to you more than a week ago but I got impatient so I put this up without Beta anyway. Sorry. (T.T) I must have the wrong e-mail address or something...
Anyway... thanks for reviewing to teh following people:
Sachiko V
mwargh
LordBahamut'sGirl
littlegreenparrot
Finger905
Lady Alamantia
TheWatcherandReader
Meg
Meg (because you're anonymous and I can't reply to you): I'm glad you think that, or else I would be in deep trouble... Anyway, Sheik's dad was supposed to be sudden, but he'll be explained in here.
I hope you like that chapter!
Final nights
Lynda spent the rest of the week not thinking. She did not want to think. Or feel. Or be felt by. She drove herself exhausted in training, actually listened and questioned and was attentive with Mistress Sarren's lessons, rode Epona until she was sore (Malon had given her officially as a present) and kept well awake in the night, dancing, listening to music, forcing down at least a cup of wine on each occasion. Sleep was quick and deep, where no dreams tormented her.
Then she had a reason to be so red-rimmed in the eyes, a reason to have such a hard time breathing because of the ache in her heart that had nothing to do with exhaustion.
And Navi was worrying herself to death.
"Lynda, are you sure-?"
Lynda grunted. She stepped, slashed and the straw dummy broke in two. Another step, stab, stab-stab-stab, and another fell into grassy oblivion. Twist turn slide, and another split in half, and Lynda stepped to a ring of them, darting, sword biting, tearing at imaginary innards.
"You can talk to me, you kn-" Navi dodged a sword as it swung to dismember a scarecrow's head. Lynda's moves were getting sloppy. Her breath was ragged, her arm shook. She stumbled over her own feet.
"Honey, please, you have to snap-!" Navi tried to weave into Lynda's sight, but the girl had closed her eyes, screwing her face up in the effort of slashing, leaping, stepping, sweat trickling down her nose and hair, lips parched with effort and lack of water.
"Lynda-"
Her face snapped open and it was filled with pain. "What do you want from me!?"
With a yell of mindless frustration she drove her practice sword into the earth and ran, leaping over walls and boundary lines like hurdles in a race.
That was the last straw for Navi.
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Only a day later, when Lynda was pressing clumsily and mindlessly with a new invention by the name of piano (the harp that had been offered to her she refused to touch) by its teeth when a solider burst into her room, shocking Mistress Sarren out of her glasses.
"How dare you-!"
"Your Highness!" He thrust himself into the ground in a kneel, head bowed against his raised leg. His voice echoed funny in the metal helmet, and from his cloak and excessive armour, perhaps high in rank. He seemed to have come back from a long scouting mission. "There has been an occurrence in the south east that only you can address!"
"Hm…?" she replied dully, poking a white tooth in the piano to make a rather stupid sound,
"The plains bordering the forests, your majesty!" There was a distinct panic in his tone, "If we do not hurry all will be too late!"
"The…" she seemed to wake from a stupor, eyes sharpening with worry, mouth curving to form a real expression, "The Kokiri? Wh-what's happened to them?"
"There is very little time," the knight (what else could he be?) stood and beckoned, "The struggle is truly beginning, and-"
"Well let's go!"
Lynda burst out of the room and dashed to her own. She was running indecently fast for a Princess, and had her skirt hitched up in her hands far too much. Her shins were clearly visible. "What's happened!?"
The knight kept pace with her easily. "The event is a rare one, my lady, to flourish so openly under the sky…"
The knight was making no sense. Fear gripped her heart as she slammed into her room to get changed, wondering whether he was keeping the details as closed as possible to make her feel secure but it was much worse, much much worse, oh she hoped it wasn't bandits or a wild pack of possessed wolfos she hoped Mido and everybody else had escaped to the Temple-
She burst out, green tunic and sword and green hat out of habit, and before she could open her mouth to ask for directions and for Epona to be readied, the knight grasped her wrist and yanked.
She hit his chest, and they were spinning, spinning in darkness and twilight and world full hissing and coiling corridors. She screamed, and when light returned pushed herself away, sword already in hand.
She hunkered down, muscles taut for a fight. "What, was, that?"
"Teleport," the Knight shrugged nonchalantly, panic and urgency wiped away, "It seems as though I have a grudge to settle."
Lynda hissed and her face was twisted with rage, "What grudge?"
"Hell if I know," the man raised a hand to unbuckle his helm, "I seem to be the one suffering from it."
Lynda's patience, thinned by exhaustion and lack of sleep, snapped. Yelling she thrust forward with her blade, straight at a kink at the shoulder of his armour.
There was a ring of metal and her weapon came to a shattering stop. The girl dropped her blade, cursing her now stinging hands. She glowered up, fists bunched to hide weakness, thinking of what kinds of weapons he could draw out of nowhere…
Thin blades. From his knuckles. Four and them.
Lynda's mouth went dry, as the helm clunked onto the grass.
"Hi Jihnde."
She swallowed, all the moisture from her mouth somehow gathering in her eyes and nose. This was so unfair. So unfair…
"We need to talk, and I need to show you something. Come on," he extended to her a hand, and the armour on him disappeared with a whisk of purple vapour. He wore a long scarf, almost like a cape, and his suit was blue, with swirls of gold. It suited his complexion. It brought out his eyes.
"What is there to show," Lynda managed to sound angry, "There's no attack, we're not even anywhere near the Kokiri forest, you lied to me,"
"What I said," he said with far too much patience, slightly disconcerting her with the fact that his mouth was moving in synch with the words he was forming, "That there was an occurrence in the south-east that only you can address. I also said the plains bordering the forests. I did, however, mention a struggle, and we are definitely missing out on it."
"What," she sneered, because it was so much easier to spite him then pretend to be okay about the fact that he was standing right in front of her. "Because I'm a Princess and my kind shouldn't fight?"
"No," he replied incredulously, "Why would I use the words rare and flourish for an implied invasion of your home? I would call that sadistic, and that was not the mood I was going for."
"Just what do you want from me?" she whimpered, weakly limping to the floor, tired, so tired of everything, her arms ached from the sword and shield…
"Well you did one thing without my asking," he replied contemplatively as he scratched his head, "Now look around. I've already given you a hint."
She looked up from the grass, trying to look at him, but she could only look at his mouth. She looked down, looked around, and all she saw was a bush of prickly branches, with leaves broad and pointed and there was a tiny white bud, as big as the nail on her thumb.
Her eyes widened. She crawled the few feet left to stare at it, and there was a soft laugh from her supposed kidnapper.
"That's the one."
It was shivering, despite no wind. Lynda carefully lay down onto the grass, making herself eye level with the pretty thing, "You remember what I said?" he whispered, hunkering down next to her, placing a hot hand onto her back, "It flowers every three years, but lasts up to three hours. But this one may not last that long; it's the last to bloom."
It gave a twitch, and it cracked. A single petal released itself from the crowd, looking wilted, too thin to be really beautiful.
But it shone like starlight.
The others began to unfurl like monkey's tails, uncoiling from rings like half rotted ribbons of sun-glistened snow. When the first stamen flicked out it was crumpled and the anther was half black, and soon the others popped out too. By a long, laboriously luxurious minute, the flower was fully open, and it was a spider, a tentacled thing, starlight mottled with gnats of silver clouds, it was not beautiful, it was not ugly.
"It's pretty," Lynda whispered, raising a finger to lightly touch one of its spindly moony petals, and it curled at her touch, like an infant's hand.
"I hoped you'd like it," he murmured from behind, his hand still on her back, unmoving, burning. "Its imperfections keep the bugs away, including the bees. But the plants usually accumulate like a massive army—this ones an odd-ball—and when the sun hits them right, they're said to look like-"
"Starbursts?" Lynda guessed, and he nodded ascent. Sighing, she closed her eyes a second. She opened them. "I can see it."
"That's what attracts the bees in." his hand left her back, and the cool air felt uncomfortable through her clothes. "Because of the tight knit the bud tends to be in, the pollen finishes creating itself after the flower blooms, giving the sun plenty of time to get into the right position to make the flower look good for feeding."
Lynda chuckled and tapped the flower again. "I always try to tell the rest of the castle that plants are smart, but they never take me seriously."
There was a long pause, a moment of silence, where the breeze and the call of distant birds and the gentle rustling of the trees a little further off embraced them.
The question was uttered quietly, with concern. "Why have you been avoiding me?"
Lynda froze, and concentrated on the flower. "I haven't been avoiding you."
"Then why have you been running yourself exhausted, hardly giving yourself any rest, or eating, or-"
"It's none of your business,"
"Oh sure, it would be if it didn't concern me. But it does."
A stab of pain made her eyes hot and watery. "How can it?"
"Lynda, look at me. Just for a second. Please."
She didn't want to, but she had to. She curled around and gazed into his eyes that had reminded her of many things, of blood, of fire, of rubies and red tulips. And of pain, so much pain…
"What am I holding in my hand now?"
Lynda looked at it. She was puzzled. "It's a flask."
"See what's inside."
Worriedly, she took the simple brown implement and uncorked it. Sniffing the opening and pouring it onto her hand, she saw that it was ordinary water.
"Can you sense magic in it, at all?"
"No," Lynda replied, frowning, "What's this all about?"
He extended his hand, tanned and scarred. "Now do the same for me."
Extremely and utterly puzzled now, she tilted the flask over his palm.
Hssssssshh!
Lynda cried out in shock as his hand frosted over with a layer of icicles and gave off steam at the same time. His appendage was red and shaking as he gave a wry grin. "Guess how much this hurts."
"Holy… oh gods I'm sorry I didn't know I-"
"Not that much," he casually answered his own question and began to shake the frost off his hand. "But it's a nuisance to say the least, not being able to drink and all. I'm guessing it to be some sort of warning. Anyway, the only hidden power that can do that kind of thing is Sage Ruto. And since I believe I haven't done anything directly to her, her lake, her fountain, or her people to piss her off… why do you hate me?"
"I don't hate you!"
"I seem to be getting the impression, however,"
"It's not… it's just…" Lynda faltered, glancing down at the Jihnde flower that seemed to gesture with its spindly petals, "I mean… I-I didn't…" hastily she brushed her tears away before they dared stain her cheeks.
"… Come here, you," he muttered, half embarrassed to see her so distraught as he gently pressed her against his shoulder, not exactly a hug, but something soothing, comrade-like. He placed a hand to her hair, coiled his fingers through her locks. "First off, I'm sorry."
"What…?"
"I'm sorry I didn't mention my father earlier, and sprung him on you so suddenly. But you have to know that I hate him, hate him so much that if I had to choose between killing him or Ganondorf, I would have to pick dear old dad. He sold me to the castle without mourning the death of his mistress that was my mother, just because I looked Sheikah than Hylian. To me he's lower than a rat, a bug, or dust."
"It's not that," she lied, although it was true that it was part of it, "I mean, I'm sorry to hear that you, I mean, with your dad, and, it's… I didn't want to let you go. I promised to help you out, but in the end I just kept you here, like…"
"Actually, I didn't mind so much," He laughed against her head, his fingers still gently combing her honey hair, "Because now I know where to find my father if I want to murder him, I have an estate which I'll be devastating till it's completely and utterly in debt, and I'll be free to go anywhere I want." Here he gently made her face him, showing her his first real smile, "And if you're interested, your Highness, you can come with me."
Her lips trembled; her eyes were wide. Her teeth showed in a glowing grin, and the laughter she barely could contain bubbled up her throat. "You mean it?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I know Wild Hyrule like the back of my hand, now, can I?" he shrugged, "Not like you."
"And maybe we could go to Termina," Lynda couldn't help but blurt out, "We could check it out and they have the Carnival of Time and there are the Canyons and the swamp and the sea, by gods you wouldn't believe how beautiful it is…!"
"I have never heard of Termina before." He told her bluntly, "So I would be honoured if you'd take me there."
"I will."
"But the thing is…" he chuckled at her dismal face and quickly assured her, "Nothing's wrong, I'm just saying that my father is insisting that I get to his estate as fast as I can. I've delayed the happening for a few more days, including now. After that, maybe it'd take me, oh, three days to do my devious work, so until then we've got plenty of time to do sightseeing of our own." he gestured at the Jihnde, "You should enjoy it while you can."
Lynda turned, and lay back down again, glad to feel his hand against her back once more as she lightly touched the petal again.
Her eyes brimmed with tears, and spilled. Spilled till the sun bowed, and the flower began to shrivel. He didn't see, because that was the last thing she wanted, but oh, oh, gods, she had Sheik back. She had him back.
They were going away together.
Her heart danced with joy, her soul shuddered with relief. Oh she was so glad, so glad…
"Pretty," Lynda sniffed approval, and Savir chuckled.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
The moon was bright; the water reflected the light like glass of ten thousand facets, illuminating the place like a silver day.
"Welcome," Lynda bowed exaggeratedly, throwing an invisible hat into the sky, "To Lake Hylia, the best camping food joint there is in all of Hyrule!"
"…Right," Savir's eyes were half-mast with doubt.
"You doubt me sir?" Lynda tutted enthusiastically, "Shame on thee, mortal, for there is a flavour to this lake unbeaten by all but the desert boars."
"…Right."
"Oh, come on, lighten up," she muttered, punching his shoulder, "It was you that suggested we go out at night."
"Yes, I did," Savir sighed, rolling his eyes, "But I believe you mentioned the words dangerous, exciting, and unusual to describe this endeavour, and I don't see anything quite like it when it comes to eating at Lake Hylia."
"That," her grin was pure evil, "Is where you have it totally wrong."
"Enlighten me, then."
"Right." She clapped and rubbed her hands together to warm them from the cool southerly wind, "First we're going to hunt it, then we're going to kill it, we're going to make sure it leaves a 'remain' and then we're going to cook it on that island over there."
She pointed to the islet where a marker of a dead person was located, in-between the two bridges that led to the dead tree and the dais of Water.
"You're insane."
Lynda cocked a devious eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You do remember what happened to you when you decided to mess with graves, right?"
"What is this happening you speak of sir?"
"Oh my Din…Dampe! Bongo-bongo! You-"
"That grave marker, actually, is a fake. Apparently some bandits got stuck in it while hording their treasure, and yes, their Redeads remained, but I took care of them! And I kept the hole open to get some fresh air in, so when we're cooking in there it'll smell nothing like dead meat, believe me."
"Har, har. Just… what are we using for this hunt of yours?"
"Bow and arrow, here's a pair for you—" she threw and he caught, "You do know the spell for the Ice Arrows, right?"
"Funnily enough, I don't," Savir eyed the weapons almost warily. "I was never quite the archer-" he caught her gaze and scowled. "What are you looking so smug for?"
Lynda tried so hard to wipe the look of delighted triumph off her face, but really, she just couldn't. "I know a spell you don't!"
"That is not a big-"
"A spell! You don't! I do! Ha!" She pumped the air and grinned.
"…Have you finished?"
"Very much so. Here's the ring that contains the spell; just tap the arrow against it —any part of it will do—and it'll be good. The first person to collect any body part of a blue tektite with their knife gets first dibs!"
"Tek-what!?"
Too late was his protest, as Lynda shot an Ice Arrow into the water and a path burst from the lake, slippery and glistening and cold.
Sighing at being tricked, Savir slipped on the ring, tapped his arrow against it and shot at the lake's surface.
His iceberg cannoned out of the water, ridged and spiked with uncontrolled power. Using the spikes as ledges, Savir lunged across. He caught sight of his first tektite. It looked his way. He shot it. It burst in flames and there were no 'remains'.
Cursing, he spotted another and leapt to another path, but again, the tektite burst to flames before he could cut off any piece of body part.
Savir's shoulders drooped. "Nayru, give me a break…"
He glanced across and in the distance another column of ice burst from the lake and settled on the surface. The Hero of Time leapt across, laughing from the bottom of her soul as she skidded across the ice, bow already loaded and ready, her braided her hair whipping the air behind her.
Quickly, Savir fired his own arrow into the water, leapt, landed on the rocking platform and dashed for her. Excitement drummed his heart. There was no fun in hunting on your own, after all.
He saw her leap, fire another arrow at a tektite. It skimmed its torso, not enough damage to kill it but definitely impair it. Lynda lunged, knife swiping the air…
Savir lunged, lower to the water, easily matching Lynda's triumphant leap. His knuckle blades flashed and cut her off, in his other hand the knife swiped across the joint that connected one of its legs to its torso, and with a screech the tektite vanished; and Savir caught the leg as Lynda gave a dismal cry.
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Savir kept well away from the fire, completely and utterly disturbed.
Lynda was grinning as she poked the cooking tektite meat on the fire. "That was so worth it."
"I cannot believe that you didn't warn me."
"I intended to have first dibs, matey, what did you expect?"
Savir shuddered and clenching his fist a couple of times. "Ye gods that was disgusting… why did you even consider eating these buggers?"
"Oh you know," Lynda chuckled, "I had no patience with fishing. I sort of tried to spear the fish with my hook, but it didn't work. I was so freaked out when I got a tektite leg…"
"Not to mention the twitching." Savir shuddered once more. He had high doubts on the sensation of twitching-convulsing-shuddering of watery muscle in his hand ever leaving his physical and mental memories. That fact that it had attacked him with its barbed claws didn't help.
Lynda grinned almost stupidly, ecstatic about the fact that she was never, ever, ever going to forget the look of shock, horror and disgust Savir's face had displayed.
"Come on," she sheared off a strip of meat from the leg, pinkish muscle with green blood, "First dibs."
"Are you sure it isn't poisonous?"
"That's the dangerous part of this endeavour."
"…You're not serious."
"Of course I'm not, just eat it."
Warily, he took the strip from her, gave her a look that said If-I-die-I-will-haunt-you-and-give-you-the-same-unholy-death, and took a bite.
He chewed. Swallowed.
He gave a half-impressed hmm. "Tastes like chicken."
"Doesn't everything?"
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Lynda yawned widely, and Navi nudged her forehead. "Come on, what happened next?"
The Princess grinned. "He had this really smug grin like he was saying I OWN you and then he caught the leg."
The fairy burst out laughing. "Oh I wish I'd been there! Oh gods I wish I'd been there!"
"Thank you so much for keeping watch for me and stuff," Lynda slapped her hands together and grinned. "But you still owe me."
"Aww…"
"You told Ruto about my mood and that was a low blow. Did you know what she made the water do to Savir?"
"Yes, because I told her it might be a good warning for him that he was doing something wrong."
"But Ruto? Savir knows what the poem is to her song, what if he got a hint that…" Lynda blushed, hands clinging the air in desperate fear. "What if he…"
"He hasn't. I can tell."
"That aside," Lynda continued with irritable relief, "Since you've told Ruto, I bet all the sages know how I feel."
"That was the point, darling."
Lynda scowled at Navi's smug tone. "I'm never inviting you to our outings. Ever."
"Oh it's fine," Navi replied loftily, "Can't have a third wheel in your dates, now, can we?"
"They're not dates, Navi," Lynda sighed, a tinge of sadness in her tone, "We're just… hanging out."
"Whaaaaat?" Navi whined, "But you guys made up, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but…" she shrugged, "I still haven't told him I love him. Or vice-versa."
"So… you at least admit that you love him."
Lynda's laugh was wry. "Of course. It'd be self-torture if I didn't. Now I can sort of live with it, well, not live with it, just… accept what I get, and be grateful for it, you know. And when we get out of this castle-"
"Emphasis on the we," Navi interrupted,
"Yes, yes, we, will have plenty of time to see how Savir feels about me. And maybe I'll be able to tell him, who knows?"
"Or I can just whisper it to him when he's half awake. It'll definitely make the process faster."
"You do that," Lynda narrowed her eyes at her Spiritual Guide, "I will personally snap your wings in half."
"Oooh, Savir topped you there. He threatened he'd snap them in quarters."
"When was this?"
Navi burst into an episode of 'Tra-la-la-las', to successfully avoid the question as the man himself strolled by them, murmuring quickly into her ear, "Sun-down, Kakariko."
"Gotcha."
A shiver of anticipation crossed her back, aided by the brush of warmth his arm had radiated against her own. Not that the said corridor was crowded…
Savir turned a corner, sunk into its shadows, and huffed. "Can you please stop stalking me?"
Impa's presence was everywhere. In the shadows it always was. But particularly it was behind him, mirroring every move he made, back on back, head on head, like a sticky reflection that refused to let go. Or kill him if he tried anything funny.
"Concern towards family is unacceptable now?"
"The family you betrayed, perhaps."
"I feared the power you now have may corrupt you. Corrupt you further."
"Oh, please…"
"You've changed."
"For Din's sake, everybody changes, for good or bad is not up to you. Now why are you stalking me? Did Zelda put you up to it?"
"My concern lay with you, and hers with her sister."
"Well, I love her, so you can go away now."
The astonishment in the shadows was obvious and easy to escape from. Savir burst into the light and quickly walked away, red-faced with rage or embarrassment, he couldn't really tell.
Impa phased out, only a second later. She sighed, shoulders tempted to droop. Her nephew had changed so much…
"What do you think of this, your Highness?"
Impa scowled at the corner in the corridor, and the Sage of Time sheepishly stepped out. But somehow her demeanour remained regal and tall, and Zelda's smile was relieved. "I think everything is well."
"Oh?"
"Lynda's sentiments are obvious," Zelda shrugged, "I warned her of Sheik—or should I say Savir?—only because I feared his manipulative nature. But if he truly loves my sister, I do not see why we have to fret any longer. I must say I don't know Savir enough to say whether they make a good couple, but I'm sure Lynda will make the right decision for her."
Impa sighed, shook her head. "If you say so, your Highness."
Zelda's laugh was a little ironic. "The opinions of a Sage of Time and a Hero of Time tend to be worth listening to, no?"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"So what are we doing tonight?" Lynda asked yawning a little into her fist, "I…I need to call in sick soon, I've got purple bags under my eyes…"
"Don't you always?" Savir cocked his head to the side, as he got his pack secured. "As far as I'm concerned, they've been around since the first day we met."
Lynda's smile was wry. "Fourteen years ago, seven years ago, or just a couple of months back?"
"All."
"Well I have to look healthy for the stupid aristocracy, and that usually involves make up. The last thing I need is for myself to cry because my eyes burn from extra powder round my bags."
"I see," he said. Clearly he didn't. Or pretended not to.
Lynda scowled. "I don't like you."
"Fair enough." He sighed, hefting his pack over his shoulder, "I guess you won't want to go riding with me, then."
"Riding… what?"
"Kargaroks."
"Take me or I kill you." She had never, ever, ever heard of them before.
"Fair enough," Savir laughed, "Here, I'll take us to the opposite side of Death Mountain, it's where most of them roost."
"Okay," Lynda put her hand on his shoulder. "Let's go."
Under the sun's dying rays, Savir's smile was wry. "Actually, you have to be a little closer for this to work."
"Oh, uh… how close?"
Lynda kicked herself as she asked. Stupid question. Real stupid question. His grin was… not smug, but it made her feel the last thing she would want to do is go near him for fear of her sanity.
"This close."
He grabbed her, Lynda yelled. She was suddenly flush against him and they were in the realm of hissing and coiling corridors and then out, Savir carefully shielding her face so she didn't have to see the nightmare. The last thing he wanted was for her to reject him after an unnecessary fright.
Lynda struggled out of his grip, half frowning half… pouting? "That was low."
Savir couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. "I'm the one that's leading tonight's expedition, no?"
"Yeah, but…" The sun was nearly under the horizon. In its red glow, Lynda looked like she was blushing. Nonsense, Savir told his hopeful half, you're an idiot.
"Fine, fine," Savir mock sighed, raising his hands in defeat, "From now on I swear I shall touch your royal skin only if you deem it acceptable."
Lynda punched him, scowling. "Where's the Kargaroks? What are Kargaroks?"
"Giant birds," Savir swung his pack onto the ground at opened it. The stench made Lynda cry out and gag. Unfazed, Savir carelessly produced a pair of dead ferrets, a handful of rats, and what looked suspiciously like tusks of a giant boar, half rotted oozy meat and fat dripping off it.
"That…" Lynda struggled with herself to think up a good word to describe the atrocious smell and sight, before hissing out through her hands, "Is disgusting."
"Call it repayment for the Tektite trick," Savir grinned easily at her, before separating the pile of corpses to two. "Anyway, Kargoroks. Giant birds, carnivorous, known for eating Hylians, and if they're desperate, Gorons. In theory, creatures of the world, but in truth, they're monsters. I think Ganondorf's reign and meddling in dark magic made them sort of… hybrid."
"And we're riding them."
"Yes, we are."
"You know," Lynda tried cautiously, pulling her hands away from her mouth and nose now that she was used to the smell, "I thought we were supposed to get to know each other a little more in these… things that we're doing before you leave for your dad's and ruin his life, you know? For the trips ahead."
"Very true. However," Savir smiled at her from his crouch, and didn't see the smile back because she was standing in the sun's shadow. "The adventures that we're planning, I'd rather do outside of Hyrule because I don't think we'll be able to do anything dastardly entertaining in this country ever again. They're going to hunt us both down as soon as you run away with me …"
They both realised how romantic that had unintentionally sounded, and there was an awkward silence. Savir wiped his hands slowly on his dark trousers, watching his Princess from under his fringe. But her face was in shadow, and the sun had completely dipped under; so all he saw was a plain of darkness that resembled her form, a slender being in tunic and leggings and hat. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought her a man.
But she is, Savir couldn't help but think, in her own little way.
Lynda felt nothing like it, however. For the first time since she was born, she wished she wasn't wearing something so boyish. She always wore it; why couldn't she have chosen another garment? Does it matter to him? Would it be better if she wore… she blushed at the thought of wearing a skirt.
"So," he stood, handing her one bag full of dead vermin, completely derailing her girlish train of thought, "We're going to share a ride, because they're vicious and even I've only done this once."
"Why did you do it in the first place anyway?" she hastened to ask, concentrating to avoid a further bout of self-humiliation,
"In the other time, I had to get from this end of Hyrule to Lake Hylia without Ganon knowing, so I hitched a ride on these guys even though I knew how vicious they were." he shrugged, "It was a good thing I had lunch with me."
"Right…"
His smug, devious grin made her heart race. "Doubt me?"
She pushed forward and around the corner, eager to forget the look on his face. She carefully sidled around an outcrop of rock, and her nose wrinkled at the horrid smell of putrid rats. And there was something else there too…
Leather. Burnt leather.
"That's them alright," he whispered, gesturing with his face further on, "These things feed on carrion, mostly, so that's why I brought the dead vermin."
"Lovely," Lynda scowled, glaring at the bird that was as big as a horse, long beak tough and wide, with visible teeth. Its feathers were grey-blue-black, and their eyes were like coal. "Do we ride that one?"
Savir laughed. "No, that's just a straggler. It wouldn't be able to fly far with us on it."
"So how are we-?"
"Like this."
He suddenly stood, threw, and ducked down again. There was a clatter and a roar, and a whole lot of beating wings and hoarse cawing.
Lynda paled. "Just how many-?"
"No idea."
She was suddenly pushed back against the rock and her yelp was muffled by his hand. Frantically she looked to the side where the birds were, and was glad for the hand because she would've cursed out loud. The thing was massive, it was the size of a two carriages for crying out loud, it had fangs and it stank and its feathers were like iron and holy gods, the coal-eyes were alive with fire and malice and blood-lust.
It was chasing one of Savir's stinking tusks.
"That's the one," he murmured, heat of his body radiating against her side, "The leader always gets first dibs. It's the strongest wins in this kind of herd."
"Mmf."
"Ready?"
Lynda shook her face free. Her smile was tremulous with excitement. "Hell yeah."
Savir grinned; gods, he could have kissed her there and then.
Bad idea.
"GO!"
They dashed out and there was a burst of light from Savir's hand, making shrieks fly up from the giant birds. He shouted at her to jump on, and thinking, what the heck, Lynda jumped and straddled its back, hooking her legs over the joints that connected the wings to the torso.
Immediately the Kargarok bucked, squawking with fury. Lynda gripped the feathers with an iron fist and soon enough Savir jumped on behind her. As if the monster was a horse, he kicked it in the sides. "Ya!"
He threw a ferret across the air, where it plunged down a very conveniently placed cliff. Of course the Kargarok they rode went straight for it.
Lynda screamed. She screamed of terror and adrenaline and exultation as they plunged faster than gravity into thin air, a wild beast their only form of safety and survival. She screamed so hard her voice was instantly gone, fleeing with the wind and the night. They spiralled they plunged the shrieking of the giant birds were everywhere the stars were jarring all over the place the ground was a blur tears were in her eyes her heart was going to explode-!
She screamed anew when a straggler snapped at their backs, intent on the two humanoids for food.
"Drop a rat!" Savir shouted against her ear, for the world had submitted to the roaring wind.
Lynda didn't drop it; she threw it with all her might, mindless as to where she was throwing it but either way it worked, for the cawing that wasn't rippling the flesh that she rode lessoned to dive down for the smell and taste of rotting vermin.
But again, the Kargarok they were riding plunged down for it as well.
And so the night went, the Kargaroks snapping and shrieking and cawing, the leader chased by its herd for the food that rode its back, jerking and bucking to shake them off and spinning and biting to keep the braver ones from attacking his hide. Up and down they plunged and rose, for the vermin that the humanoids dropped for free.
Three hours later they arrived after circling over the desert and U-turning at Hyrule Castle, they dropped like bricks into the Zora's fountain, and they broke the surface, coughing and splashing for the shore.
When they reached the shore they collapsed side by side, chests heaving, muscles aching.
"We…" Lynda coughed out, throat raw from all the screaming and yelling and shouting, "Are walking back."
He rolled on his side, propped his head onto his hand and grinned down at her. "Of course."
Lynda decided that maybe, i-if that smile of his could somehow be drawn out from it… wearing a dress won't be such a bad idea, just for him.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Wearing a skirt had been the worst idea, ever.
Savir looked down at her, concern creasing his brow. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," she muttered sullenly, tugging the cloak around her tighter against the harsh wind of the desert, "Just dandy."
He couldn't help but smile wanly. "You're really upset about the surfing, aren't you?"
"No," she protested weakly before admitting, "Alright, yeah, I am, but it's my own damn fault anyway…"
The day before, after walking home with the Sheikah, she had been caught slipping through the window of her room, and Mistress Sarren had thought that (since her clothing had been dried through the walk) Lynda had tried to escape instead of coming back from an escape. So her room had been raided by all manner of maids and they had found perhaps not her weapons, but definitely all her tunics and 'manly' clothing.
So, planned or no, she had ended up wearing a skirt to their final adventure together in Hyrule before they ran away.
But it was hardly an adventure, sitting on top the obelisk structure that worked as the gates of the Desert Colossus…
"Well," Savir shrugged consolingly, "The desert's technically out of Hyrule anyway, so we can always sneak back for the wind season."
"If you say so," Lynda sighed, watching the sandstorm far in the distance that coiled up and danced, twirled with unimaginable power. If all had gone well, she would have ridden that. And probably enjoyed it better than the Kargarok ride, since wind-riding involved a whole lot more self control rather than controlling of mad-minded beasts…
But then again, she couldn't help but think, that now that she was sitting still she was realising how tired she was, and how much her muscles had stiffened with the extra exercise and adrenaline. The only thing that kept her relatively conscious was the pattern of the whirling sands, the stars in the sky, and their sharing of constellations.
"See those three stars in a line?"
"Yeah, the Kokiri call them the 'Great Fairies'. They worked together to give a seed life, and one gave it memories, one gave it wings, and one gave it magic, and the first fairy Hrailu was born."
"Well I have to say that that story's got more taste than the Hylian and Sheikah tales," Savir conceded, "The Hylians call it the Gate, and it's said the three lights lead to each of the Goddesses realms. So if you're in favour of Furore, you're taken to her specific gate and spend of eternity there or something."
"Why isn't that nice?"
"What, I wouldn't enjoy being prisoner forever in a red room, thank you very much."
Lynda burst out laughing. "Oh, Din wouldn't dare put you in her realm, she'll think you'll overthrow her or something."
"Don't think I won't try!" he called out to the sky, and they shared a devious grin. "The Sheikah story's a little less grandeur, too."
"So what did your people decide those three pinpricks meant?"
"We call it the Belt. If you look around it, there other strong stars, see? Join the dots and you get a shape of a tunic, some legs and arms sticking out holding what looks like a bow and arrow. Basically, this guy—I forget his name—he was a good hunter, but boasted far too often. Din got annoyed, a sent a creature to teach him humility, but it ended up in a draw. Now Furore, finding the innards of the hunter and the creature, which, she had been taking care of in her garden, she had tantrum and began to fight with Din. Nayru, tired of her sisters' bickering put the creature in the night sky to honour its passing. And Din, to appease Furore as well as to satisfy her means, she put the hunter up there too, with a Belt that shone so brightly that where he ran, the creature would follow. So every time the Hunter with the Belt sinks under the horizon, the Creature rises in the sky."
"I didn't know Din could be so… I dunno…"
"Selfish? Spiteful?"
"That story kinda makes me think that that would be exactly what you would do." Lynda admitted sheepishly, "You're hardly selfish or spiteful, well, to me, at least, but," she shrugged, and Savir was infinitely surprised to see in her expression a sense of… admiration? "I think Din's awesome in that story. The other ones made her seem so mean."
Savir hmfed, hoping she could not see how much that meant to him in the dark of the night. "If you insist."
"Oh yeah," she laughed before adding, "Hey, what's that one in Sheikah?"
And so it continued for about an hour, until Lynda couldn't help but yawn, shift her weight, find difficulty to keep her eyes open. Her body needed rest, but this was the last day, and they would have to separate for at least three days and she didn't want to fall asleep that was the last thing she wanted…
She opened the cloak a little to let in the bitter cold of the desert wind, and she shivered violently and worse, sneezed.
Savir now looked at her with real concern. "Are you cold?"
"No," but sand tickled her nose and she sneezed again. Her face was tingling with mortification.
"Come here," he beckoned her over, opening his own cloak a little, "We'll be warmer if you sit next to me."
"Um, yeah, okay…" she shuffled over, careful to keep a friendly-ish distance from him, no matter how much she wanted to be closer, "Is this-?"
His arm snaked out and lashed around her waist and then she was being hauled, lifted, gently wrapped, and she was finding herself firmly inside his cloak as well as her own, her shoulder pressed against his.
Lynda flushed deep red. He quaked with laughter at his prank. "Body heat doesn't reach as far as you intended to sit, your Highness,"
"I knew that," she protested weakly, "But I didn't think you-"
"That sandstorm's coming closer anyway," he murmured, effectively silencing her with the heat of his breath against her hair, "We wouldn't be able to hear each other soon."
"A-alright," she wondered whether he knew what kind of effect he had on her, wondered whether he was only teasing her, whether, if he really knew what she had really wanted, then did he know about her…?
"Watch the storm. I think it'll get interesting…"
Lynda hardly cared. All she was concerned with was the heat that radiated from him, the grip that he had around her waist, and the scent of him, for the first time she could finally distinguish the fragrance of his clothes and skin, and it was wood smoke. Clean wood smoke, with an undertone of charred beeswax. It was almost like home…
Nothing else would have made her sigh, so deeply that the tiredness that she had been holding back all along surged through her mind like the sea, wave, after wave… after tiring, blissful wave…
Don't let me go, she couldn't help but think as she closed her eyes, don't take me back…
But he didn't let her go, and she was able to lean into him, rest her head against his shoulder, feel his warmth, and the distinct heartbeat at his neck. She didn't notice him cautiously slip her into his lap, the kiss so light against her forehead that it could've been the breeze. "I love you, you know," he muttered in her hair, far beyond caring whether she was awake or not, "So realise, and do something about it, please."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
When Lynda woke, she knew immediately that it was dawn. And dawn was their promised time in which they had to be at the castle, no matter what they'd been doing. So it was with morbid certainty that she assumed that the object beneath her head was a pillow, the cloth that swaddled her was the mattress, and the blissfully warm thing that she was lying next to…?
She opened her eyes, and in the light before true dawn, she saw a nose, lips, cheekbones catching the light, hair that draped across closed eyes and the chest that she was shamelessly burrowing her face into.
Savir Varekai.
Lynda barely stopped herself from squeaking. Oh gods, oh gods, he was right next to her right next to her and he had wrapped the cloaks around them both, and they were lying in the sand and they were still in the desert and-
Lynda swooned. She realised now that her arm had been wrapped tightly around his torso, the other pressed against his chest. Their legs were tangled together, every, single part of her was somehow connected completely and utterly and intimately, to him. For gods' sake, she was using his arm as a pillow.
If Nabooru saw this, she couldn't help but think, I will die of embarrassment.
But this was what she wanted or the closest she could get to what she wanted, and it warmed her so much, she was sure she would melt of bliss. She curled deeper into his subconscious embrace, prepared to sleep a little more, pretend that they shared a mutual love…
Incidentally, he moaned, and instinctively, Lynda opened her eyes again, wondering what had disturbed him…
Their eyes met.
Lynda froze, heat travelling up her neck, her cheeks, to the tips of her ears and the roots of her hair as if she were the one that had arranged them into such a position of intimacy, and not him. His eyes were half mast, a little confused, but then he seemed to take in what was what and full wakefulness assaulted him. But his expression remained blank, as if he wore his cowl again, silken and impenetrable to the eye.
"Savir…" it was a plead. She knew it was, but did he know what she asked for?
Slowly, deliberately, he rolled. Lynda found herself underneath him, the arm and hand that had pillowed her head tangling affectionately in her hair, the other holding her hand firmly but gently, fingers interlocked. His fringe mixed with hers. She felt the weight and heat of his body like a fever.
His blank expression slowly coiled into a roguish smile. "May I have this kiss, Hero of Time?"
He could have asked her for something as harmless as a dance, with that tone.
"U-um…" their foreheads touched, he was turning his head to the side. They were so close, so close…
"Alright," she murmured and closed her eyes, gripped his hand back, waiting for the touch of his lips…
"Hey!"
He stopped, only a hair's breath away from her. The gods had to be joking…
"HEY! What do you think you're doing!? Making me worried sick and you two are…! Unbelievable! When I come back you will both be decent, ready to go, at least a metre apart and you had better look innocent!"
Navi zoomed away, fuming.
Savir, resigned that his moment had been foiled, lifted himself off of his Hero and began to untangle the cloak off of his person. "Savir…?"
He looked back at where Lynda had sat up, blushing still, looking nervous and confused in her dress. He smiled at her, leaned and gently kissed her cheek, murmuring slyly into her ear, "If Navi gets in the way again, I'm going to stuff her in a bottle and throw her in the bowls of the Shadow Temple, and I am going to have you all for myself."
Her laugh was nervous too, but it held anticipation. "I won't mind that."