UPDATE: So I hated the chapter enough to almost completely rewrite it. Sorry it's so short; There really wasn't much I could do.
Still some fluff, though. Hope you enjoy!
~Blaze
Chapter 4 - Disarm
Week 5 - Friday, December 20
5:45 AM
Metropolitan Clock Tower - Downtown
It seemed that Zelda always found herself tangled in blankets and the faint trace of Link's scent every morning she woke up. It was never there whenever she fell asleep over her work; sleep seemed to come out of nowhere, knocking her out whenever she didn't see it coming. And every morning she'd find her cheek against a pillow as she lay on the table, her body covered in either Link's coat or a blanket she had brought from her dorm room when they ha returned to the University for clothes.
Sighing, she gently pulled both off and folded them up, throwing them neatly over her shoulder as she stretched and yawned. She had woken up particularly early that morning. The sun hadn't even risen; the snow was coming down hard and fast, the windows icy and chilly. Thank the goddesses that the time-shift stone kept the heating on, or else she'd be dead by now.
She hurried down the stairs - nearly slipping as one of them bent - and checked each floor, searching for Link's form in the rooms. At last she found him on the seventh floor, his quiet grunts echoing from behind the door.
"Link - " Zelda instantly cut herself off when she saw him, her mouth falling open.
A metal sword was clasped in his hand, his fist on his back as he thrust his arm forward in practiced techniques of lunging and stabbing air. Link's feet moved together, one pointing forward, the other in a ninety-degree angle from his ankle. His body was covered in sweat and muscle, his shirt on the floor and his eyes sharp and focused. Zelda never had seen him so… so concentrated on one thing. He always seemed jumpy and eccentric, always unable to keep his mind on one activity, never taking anything seriously. He looked like he was dancing almost, his movements so graceful and tight.
He seemed to notice her presence after a while, and he stopped, meeting her gaze as he panted. Zelda caught herself staring, and she averted her gaze and crossed her arms.
"Is this… is this what you do? Whenever I'm asleep."
"Well, yeah," Link replied casually. He grabbed a towel that was sitting on a chair in the back, ruffling it over his hair and his chest. "The heater's too much to handle, and since you're asleep, I come down here and get a load off of my shoulders. I guess you could call it an outlet for stress." He put down his blade, cracking his knuckles and rolling his wrist. "My father used to take me for fencing and kendo classes since I was obsessed with swords as a kid. I thought I may as well stay in practice."
"You should've woken me up," Zelda said quietly. She tossed the blanket across the room, throwing off her sweatshirt to reveal a T- Shirt. She cringed at the cold, shivering slightly, but she convinced herself that she'd get used to it. "I would've sparred with you."
Link quirked an eyebrow. "Thanks, but I'll pass. You're literally a monster when it comes to beating me up."
"Oh, come on," Zelda challenged, cracking her knuckles. "I'll go easy on you."
Rolling his eyes and grumbling, Link picked up the metal sword again, his eyes glazing over as he sized her up. "Be careful," he warned. "People are normally supposed to wear full body guards whenever they do fencing. If I hit you… You might get bruised pretty badly."
"I've broken my nose enough times to know terrible pain," Zelda said, falling into stance. "Come at me."
Link was a lot faster than she had thought possible. She barely managed to jump back as he lunged for her stomach, his blade cutting air where she had once stood. Pivoting on her feet, she dodged, raising her foot at his head. Link immediately raised his right hand, stopping her foot and grabbing her ankle. Kicking her body over, she twisted her captured ankle along with his wrist and brought her foot down in attempt to throw him against the floor. Instead, he let go, forcing her to stumble back on her feet.
"Still want to go easy on me?" Link said with a smirk, spinning around and lashing out with his sword.
"Well…. you're not as bad as I thought you were," Zelda replied with an equally matched grin.
They sparred for what felt like an hour, dodging and kicking and stabbing and blocking. Zelda managed to get him in the jaw and knee, while Link pointed out that if he had a real sword, her side would have been gushing with blood by now. Zelda admired how easily Link controlled his blade, his movements fast enough to make her dodge, but weak enough to not cause too many bruises.
By the end of it, they were panting incredibly hard, their eyes fixed in concentration, their eyebrows creased and their bodies heaving. Zelda felt the sweat dripping off of her face, her shirt soggy and sticky.
Link went for one more stab with his left hand, and Zelda stepped slightly to the left, skimming the blade with a hand as Link moved in. She grabbed his arm and wrenched the fencing sword out of his grasp, spinning out of the way.
"Ha - !" Zelda gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I - won!"
Link grumbled, putting his hands on his knees and breathing hard. "FIne," he relented, cracking his neck. "Although, I highly doubt you know how to fence."
Blinking, Zelda attempted to stand similarly to what Link had done. Instead, everything she did felt uncomfortable, and she sighed, loosening her grip.
"Well, that isn't way off," Link said, his eyes falling to her feet. He approached her from up front, lightly tapping her knees into a lunge formation. Pain shot up her spine, but Zelda tried not to complain.
"Hmm… well, your feet have to be in a sharper angle than that - yeah, that's good. And when you lunge forward, your shoulders have to be broader… twist your waist a bit more - "
Zelda went rigid when she felt his breath touch her neck, suddenly conscious of how close he was. His warm body was radiating heat onto her back, his one hand on her elbow, the other against her waist. Link took in a breath as he met her eyes, lost within hers, his grip tightening ever so slightly.
And then he let go, and Zelda exhaled, realizing she had been holding her breath. Clearing her throat, she hugged herself tightly, feeling the cold creep up her back again.
"Thanks for bringing my coat," Link said, picking up the folded fleece jacket and throwing it over his body. He tossed her the sweatshirt she had discarded before, and she gratefully pulled it on.
"What exactly do you want to do, anyway?" She asked, trying to keep her heart steady. "We've been hanging out here and in the library for so long, and we still haven't gotten much information." She creased her brow again. "The Gate of Time's a good start, but we just need a location. And as for time-shift stones, they aren't really much of a use to us."
"How about a museum?" Link offered. "There's one not even twenty minutes from here. We can hop in Epona and head for the one with the new exhibit on Greek Paintings. They're bound to have some sort of lead." Link smiled, turning to face her. "I have seasonal passes since my class always heads over once during the summer."
Zelda gave him a thumbs up, a grin lighting her face. "Sure. Why not?"
Week 5 - Friday, December 20
12:32 PM
The Museum of Historical Artifacts - Downtown
Zelda, to be honest, wasn't enjoying herself all that much as they walked through the different sections and exhibits, her body mechanically following LInk as he browsed with a light in his eyes. She spent most of the time staring at his back, her eyes only glancing at old sculptures and dark paintings. Now that she thought about it… Zelda tilted her head to the side, her hand against her cheek in a thoughtful pose. She didn't really know much about Link. Of course she knew he was great at fencing and had an interest in ancient literature, but that wasn't really much to go on.
She cleared her throat, deciding to attempt conversation. "So, uh, Link…
Link nodded once, although his smile straightened this time. "Ahh. Hey, look - we've arrived."
Link allowed her to walk in first, and her mouth dropped open, her eyes lingering on the paintings. "Holy…" Zelda started, her hand brushing her lips. Paintings of swords and wolves and large temples were hung on the walls and in the middle of it all -
"Is that supposed to be a miniature Gate of Time?" Zelda asked, pointing to the painted gear in a showcase in the center of the room. It looked slightly bigger than her head, the lilac and pale pink shine blurring into a strange mix of colors, bright blue symbols covering the front. It was embedded into the pedestal.
"Yeah," Link replied. "That was painted by one of the first archeologists who uncovered the temples from a long time ago. It was only found a decade ago, though. Nobody knows for sure who painted it, but…"
He trailed off, his eyes fixed on the stand. "Hey…" Link said, frowning slightly. "Is it just me, or does it sound like…"
"Air is escaping from under it," Zelda said, cutting him off. She crouched down, feeling the ends - sure enough, there was a break between the tile and where the pedestal was set. "The map shows no basement underneath this floor, but is it possible there is an opening under here?"
"Well, we'll need to find a switch of some sort," Link replied, putting his hand against the glass. "If only there was some sort of clue - "
The second Zelda put her own hand on the glass, there was a sudden shift under their feet. Suddenly the backs of their hands glowed, shining a bright golden, and both of them shouted in surprise. Conveniently, the room was empty, and it seemed like no one was coming for their aid. Zelda cringed as he hand stung, its light becoming blinding.
And then, all at once, the ground opened up from under them.
"Zel - "
"Link - "
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" They both screamed, suddenly grabbing each other's hands as they flew through were falling incredibly fast, hurtling quickly towards the ground. Zelda suddenly felt sick in her stomach, which thankfully cleared her head enough to understand that she was probably going to die.
Wonderful.
And then it stopped, and Zelda and Link both slammed against the stone floor with a dead thud, falling into a tangled mess of limbs. Somewhere in the back of her head, Zelda knew that the drop they fell from was supposed to kill them, but she was just going to rely on the notion that Goddesses were watching over her. With a heavy grunt, she looked up at the ceiling - and let out another groan when she saw that the floors they had fallen through had closed themselves. Guess they weren't finding a way out any time soon.
"This is why," Zelda heaved, "I don't go on elevators. Ever."
"Amen to that," Link said with a pained cough. Zelda stood and then reached for his hand, which he took gratefully.
"At least my phone's alive, though. We'll have a light source for a while - "
She didn't get to finish her sentence, because suddenly the room erupted with a warm glow. It hurt her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them again, she took in a breath.
"...or, that works too," Zelda said, pocketing her phone with a shrug.
There were millions of torches scattered across the room, all of them coming alive the moment they stepped through the doorway. The place was huge, the ceilings reaching at least five stories high, the black stone walls bouncing warm light back and forth over their empty shells. Everything was covered with undergrowth and cobwebs, weeds squeezing through cracks in the stone and curling around in long strings of vines. It was dank and musty, and yet it carried a certain beauty - it seemed mysterious and charming and almost alive, as though the air itself was a tangible, breathing substance.
And in the center of it all stood the Gate of Time.
The Gate was massive, the lilac face shifting between purple and pink, standing in midair behind a pedestal. The twelve teeth sat perfectly in the dark gears that tore through the fabric of space and time. It was much more beautiful in person than it was in the books she had swept through while in the library.
"Holy…" Link started, laughing out of sheer awe. "This is it! Goddesses, my dad would have killed to be in my spot. Zelda, we found it! This is the key that the note was talking about!"
Zelda's eyes didn't move from the lanterns; she was still slightly bothered that they had caught fire by themselves. "Link... The Gate of Time isn't moving. And the symbols are all missing. See? It's… completely blank."
And indeed, it was frozen stiff, the faint glow of the symbols invisible on the front of the Gate. Link scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "Ooops?" he said.
"Well, now we just need someone to explain what's going on," Zelda said, rolling her eyes with a smile.
".. I think I fit that description fairly well."
Both of them jumped, startled by the new voice. Zelda turned and found her eyes meeting dark red ones. It was a woman with short blonde hair, her face covered by a dark black scarf that went up to her nose. Her arms were covered in bandages, her pants coming up to her ankles and meeting her boots. A single tear tattoo sat under her right eye.
"Who are you?" Link asked, his hand brushing against Zelda's wrist, pushing her slightly back.
The woman took a breath, closing her eyes. "My name is Impa; and I am the one who stopped time."