Chapter 11: First of Many
It had been two years since Gauron's death, and much had changed in Hyrule. The Gorons had done a bit of mining on Death Mountain, only to be halted by a large burst of water from the ground. They formed a pool of it and made it into a hot spring. This attracted quite a bit of attention. King Zora, of Zora's Domain, had fallen ill in the previous year, and was, unfortunately, deceased. Ruto, who was now their Queen, had matured a great deal from the loss, and was no longer the clingy firl she had once been. Zelda and I were going out more often, trying to find something to do in private. Ganondorf was now widely accepted among everyone in the castle, and Zelda had hatched an idea…
"Link?" Zelda asked as we walked down the foyer by the Hyrule Castle Throne Room. "Do you want to go check out the new hot springs on Death Mountain?"
I stopped in my tracks and looked at the Princess. She had grown a bit in the past two years, and despite popular belief, she had grown even more beautiful than she had once been. She wore a pure white linin gown, and her usual sapphire-embeded headpiece.
"I don't see why not…" I replied. Zelda grinned widely and took my hand, dragging me out of the castle gates.
Despite the trip to Death Mountain being one of leisure, I had gotten into the habit of taking my sword and other various weapons with me wherever I went. We hiked up the trail and soon found ourselves in the massive cave that made up Goron City. I looked around and saw steam coming from one of the rooms on the bottom level. The room had been recently added, and there was no sound of anyone in there.
"Can I help you, goro?" the Goron at the entrance said.
"Yes," Zelda answered. "We would like one private bath." I looked at Zelda with a dozen thoughts going through my mind. Private? Why does it have to be private? Does she want to sit there in the hot water and… uh… never mind… It may be best if I don't think about it…
We paid the Goron ten Rupees each and made our way to the room with the hot spring. There was a separate room leading off to the right, and Zelda hurried into it. There were curtains in this room, for changing clothes in privacy. I didn't see why they were needed, because everyone in the hot spring was nude. It was a tradition in Hyrule. This particular private hot spring wasn't gender-separated, either. This made me a bit uneasy as I went behind the curtain and took off my tunic, pants, boots, and undershirt. All that was left aside from my hat, was the small loin that kept my most private of areas covered. I sighed, and proceeded to remove it, as I did, I heard a splash in the water. Zelda had obviously already gotten in. I covered my manhood and came out from behind the curtain, redder than a Tektite.
I can't say if I really liked what I saw, because I was a bit too modest sometimes. Especially when it comes to matters of the body. Zelda was standing waist-deep in the center of the bath, arms folded in front of her, so as to hide her breasts. I couldn't help but look at her. Most of the time, I would see her in a very conservative dress, but now the only thing she wore was her headpiece! I blushed profusely, wearing only my hat, and the decoration I had received so many years ago. I actually never took the decoration off of my hat, really. I slowly made my way down to the water. It was boiling hot, but somehow refreshing. When I was finally waist-deep in the water, I was confident that any private areas couldn't be seen, and eased up a little. Zelda took one arm away from her chest and took my elbow… This turned me even redder, although she wasn't showing anything off. We soon found a seat made of smooth rock in the bath and sat down, putting us neck-deep in the water.
"This is nice…" Zelda said as she leaned up close to me. I put my hand on her shoulder, letting my actions state my agreement. Zelda soon opened her eyes and looked up at me. "You're still wearing the gift I gave you?" she asked.
I looked down at her and nodded. "I haven't taken it off. It's something I got from someone very important to me, so I wear it." Zelda blushed, closing her eyes and smiling. She put a hand on my leg, running her thumb back and forth. I suddenly took her hand in mine, hoping not to do anything truly risky. I had never even kissed her, and I wasn't anywhere near ready to do something as intimate as that!
"Link…" Zelda looked up at me, her eyes pleading for something… I looked at her lovely face…
CRASH! My things had fallen off of the stool I had put them on. Luckily, nothing fell except my ocarina. I reached over and picked it up.
Placing the ocarina to my lips, I started playing Zelda's Lullaby, which had quickly become my favorite song over the years. Zelda suddenly took the ocarina from my mouth, and replaced it with her lips… It was easily a surprising moment, but I couldn't help but melt… It was as if there was nothing else in the entire world that mattered… Zelda was mine, and I was hers… For the first time in my life, I felt whole…
We separated after about thirty seconds. "Zelda…" I started. "I need to become a knight soon… That way I can be with you freely…"
"Yes… You need to train…" Although she knew what I was talking about, seeing as a squire would never have the legal right to be with the Princess, she persisted in kissing me. I didn't resist, in fact, I returned them… My life was finally complete.
As we separated for the second time, Zelda looked me in the eyes. "I love you… my Hero…"
I closed my eyes and my mind drifted away… All that I heard was my natural response… "I love you, too… my Princess…" The orange light that pervaded the area only heightened the bliss… It felt strange, but I didn't care… There was just Zelda… and me…