Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own any of the characters or their respective franchise; Legend of Zelda and Metroid belongs to Nintendo, while Soul Calibur belongs to Namco Bandai. GrimGrave does not earn money for writing fiction.
Also, a quick note; I have an announcement at the end of the chapter, so if you would be so kind and give it a quick look, that would be most appreciated! Thank you!
A/N: I noticed how I accidentally wrote "Cassandra" instead of "Sophitia" at some places. I think it should be correct now, but if you spot one, please tell me. Thanks!
A Hylian's Harem
Chapter 5
Clash of the Women! Part 2
"Oh! Young man!" The doctor exclaimed happily as Link stepped through the doors. "Back already I see!"
Link chuckled. "Yes, I came to check on the patient. Also, I need to ask you; is she patched up enough to be able to leave?"
The old doctor scratched his bearded chin. "Hmm... Yes, I think she should be able to leave, provided that someone is able to care for her in our stead." He eyed Link with his small, elderly eyes. "And since you seem to be the only one she remotely knows around here…"
"I already thought of that." Link replied. "Good news then. I was thinking of cheering her up a bit, and I kind of need her away from the infirmary for that."
"Well she's all yours lad. She is as healthy as she can get with our help. Just be gentle."
The blonde hylian nodded, marching towards the room. He opened up the door and went inside to see Veran still in bed, albeit she was sitting up seemingly in thought. Her eyes snapped open widely as Link continued to walk into the room, a small smirk adorning her lips.
"Back so soon huh? Did you miss me that much?" She said with teasing tone, smiling slyly. Link laughed softly at the remark as he walked up to Veran, next to the bed.
"I would be lying if I said no, Miss Veran." Link replied with a smile. "I came to pick you up."
The sorceress quirked an eyebrow. "Pick me up?"
"You don't need to stay in hospital bed anymore. So I'm here to pick you up; there's something I want you to see." He smiled down at Veran, who averted her eyes instantly. That smile of his was almost infectious to the point that she wanted to smile herself, if only because he acted like such a gentleman towards her. Not the mention that he had the physical appearance that suited Veran's tastes just perfectly.
"I guess it will be good to get out of here." Veran then said, slowly climbing out of bed. As she did, Link notices the still torn robe she was wearing.
"Miss Veran, perhaps you should change clothes…?"
"Hmm?" Veran glanced down at her robe. "Oh, that? Not a problem." She snapped her fingers loudly; within seconds, the robe magically patched itself up, much to Link's bafflement.
"Huh… Uh… Nifty magic."
Veran grinned at Link. ´So… He's easy to impress huh? I'll keep that in mind…´ she mused. "If you are going to study magic, you might as well learn a few handy spells like that."
"That's awesome." Link said with a mild laughter. He took Veran by the hand and began to lead them out of the room when he suddenly stopped. "That reminds me, what about your headgear?"
"My... headgear?" Veran asked. "Oh, that one. I don't need it. I kind of like it like this anyway."
Link smiled. "Alright." He continued to walk with Veran right behind him. He briefly stopped and thanked the doctor and his assistant, but the sorceress was oblivious to what was going on around her, with the exception of Link.
She stared down at his hand holding hers. The touch, so warm and gentle, yet firm, was so deviant to what she used to with her life in her own time. Once, she was the sorceress of shadows who served a greater evil. She nearly had a whole land beneath her feet, and now she was being led by the same embodiment of the Hero, a being that carried the same blood in his veins. And she wanted him to be hers.
´How strange it is…´ She thought to herself. ´That one's life can suddenly change, isn't it?´
Once outside from the infirmary, Link led the sorceress to Epona. "I hope you don't mind some horseback riding." Link said casually. "We are in a mild hurry to meet the others."
"Shouldn't be a problem…" Veran replied at first, but just as quickly did the puzzled look cross her features. "Wait… What others?"
"My friends." Link said. "It will be you, me and some of my friends for a tour around here. I figured you could use the tour to get… somewhat accustomed to where you will be living now."
´Where I will be living now huh…´ She thought dryly. "Very well. It's a start I suppose."
Link nodded with a smile, climbing on top of Epona. Offering his hand, he assisted Veran up on the auburn horse as well so she sat right behind him, her slender legs hanging off the same side like a princess. With a light signal to the strong body, Epona slowly began to trot away from the infirmary towards the castle.
Veran disliked the idea of sharing this with Link's friends. She didn't know them. She hardly knew Link for that matter, but that was another story. But as long as her arms were wrapped around his midriff, she couldn't stay in a sour mood; not when she felt the toned back towards her and his warmth spreading over to her.
As much as she used to detest things activities like this, it was a pleasant first time for her. And she wouldn't have minded a repeat of it.
:::::
"And why is a Gerudo all the way over to the castle grounds might I ask?!" Impa said with a loud, stern voice filled with command. She crossed her arms as the pair of crimson eyes settled on the tanned warrior woman before her, with the rest of the group standing behind and watched it unfold. Sheik of course stood right behind Impa, effectively being right in front of the princess, should anything happen.
Sophitia watched the two women argue, though she didn't understand the point of it. Was the tanned woman not welcomed here? Or had she personally done something wrong? The Greek warrior lightly nudged Ivy with her elbow, earning the white-haired woman's attention.
"What do you think is going on?" She asked. Ivy simply shrugged at first, before watching the two women, studying them.
"Foreign politics I assume." Ivy then said. "We should remain quiet and let them sort it out."
Sophitia nodded and remained in silence as she, Ivy and Samus kept themselves in the background, until Zelda turned to them.
"That woman is of the Gerudo tribe." Zelda said quietly. "A tribe in the western desert that consists entirely of warrior women. Our relationship has always been friendly until a few years ago where… suspicions began to arise."
Samus, Ivy and Sophitia nodded at Zelda for the short backstory. While they didn't understand that much better, they could at least understand that it was indeed regarding politics of sorts.
Aveil paced back and forth in front of Impa, a small but sly grin on her lips. "I happen to be waiting for Link. I wished to see him, no harm there right?"
Impa's eyes narrowed. Her voice was now calm, but still commanding. "Granted, there is no harm in such an action. However, Gerudo members are not allowed to venture this close to the castle grounds unless they bring important messages."
"What's this? Don't you trust us? Surely, Ganondorf's actions are not an easy thing to forget, but we had no direct involvement. I thought we were on better terms." Aveil said with a slight smirk. "After all, Nabooru is-"
"Nabooru may be a Sage, but she does not command over the rules of Hyrule." Sheik added in her interruption. "We may be on better terms now, but we can't risk any Ganon-Sympathizers to get too close to the castle, or Her Grace." Sheik glanced back at Zelda briefly before looking back at Aveil. The Gerudo woman looked offended, but remained cool.
"Oh, I perfectly understand your reasons for that." Aveil replied calmly. "But I assure you that no Gerudo member is supporting Ganondorf. If you recall, we joined you in the big celebration of his demise. Good riddance I say."
"I am aware of that, but your tribe tends to give the people bad vibes since that incident." Impa replied. "I advise you to not pull this stunt again anytime soon. Preferably never."
"Whatever you say, guard-dog." The redhead said with a small but cocky smirk was she watched the Sheikah woman's scowl darken. While it was true that the Gerudo tribe and the Hylians had maintained a good relationship over the many years, there was still some seeds of hostility that remained scattered across the two nations. The Sheikah, having served the Hylians through a countless number of years, remained closer to them than to the Gerudo. Nabooru the Exalted was a welcome guest and a good friend to Zelda and Impa and also Link, but since Ganondorf's rise to power, many more had begun to grow wary of the Gerudo tribe. After all, everyone knew from before that Ganondorf was from that tribe, and was its supposed leader.
And then there were more personal standoffs such as Impa and Aveil at the moment. Despite her mature exterior, Impa was jealous; and knowing that Aveil had no documents to the Royal Family, and instead was here because she wanted to see Link, she understood clearly what was going on. Not that she could do anything about outright. But it was vexing nonetheless.
As Impa was just about to raise her voice in sheer annoyance at the tanned girl, a faint whinny was heard from down the path. She, along with all the other women turned their heads towards the trotting horse, with Link waving from his seat.
"Good to see that you didn't take too long." Zelda said once Link was close enough. Her eyes wandered over to the woman sitting behind him, with autumn-orange hair and a purple dress. Her smile disappeared, morphing into a genuine neutral expression of curiosity.
"Who's your friend?" She then asked. Link smiled and hopped off Epona before helping Veran off as well. He stood in front of the group, Veran at his side.
"This is the one I mentioned earlier, about needing the tour." Link smiled at the group. "This is Veran, from, uh… Labrynna!"
The sorceress next to him shot gave off a confused look, but said nothing about it. She wasn't from Labrynna in that way, but she guessed he had to make something up. When she noticed that all eyes were fixated on her, she stepped forward and bowed lightly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Veran then said, calmly and flawlessly. Though her sincerity was limited; it was hardly a pleasure to meet them, but she had to play along for the moment. She noticed with mild disdain that the only one of them that was dressed mostly similar to her with a long dress stepped forward with a smile, bowing her head towards the sorceress.
"And a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Veran. I am Princess Zelda." Zelda said with a smile. "I've been told you needed a tour around here as well, and only now do I fully understand. This land of Labrynna must be very far away."
´Zelda? The princess? I've heard the Twinrova sisters mentioning that name, but…´ Veran thought briefly before offering the princess a small, fake smile. "Yes, you could say that."
"Hold it!" The group quickly looked over at the narrow-eyed Gerudo woman who warily walked over to the sorceress.
"What is the meaning of this crude joke?" Her long, fiery-red ponytail swayed with every motion as she walked in a circle around Veran, only to suddenly stop; she pointed at the shoulder-pads.
"Whatever do you mean, girl?" Veran asked casually.
"You are wearing the symbol of the Gerudo!" Aveil replied in a raised voice. "Explain yourself!"
Link, who had noticed it before, remained silent, wanting an explanation as well. Impa and Sheik particularly grew wary of the new guest while Zelda remained curious. She never doubted Link's judgement, and certainly wouldn't start now, though she would be lying to herself if she said anything different from wanting to hear what this Veran-lady would say in her explanation.
Veran took a quick glance around her before looking back at the golden eyes of the tanned girl.
´Oh, that's right…´ she mused. ´I remember the Twinrova sisters mentioning that as well. Ganon was… is..? Supposed to be the King of the Gerudo. A tribe name? Those old crones apparently belonged to it as well…´
Veran was far from stupid; in fact, she was the brain of the duo of her and a certain general. She calmly took a deep breath before replying with a small smirk on her lips.
"Certainly, I do not belong to the Gerudo tribe, girl. Rather, these marks represent my affiliation. You will be glad to hear that the Gerudo exist way back in Labrynna, where I come from. A small community, but they've made their presence known nonetheless."
And it was necessarily not a lie; the Gerudo had existed, or would exist, depending on where her own time was, in Labrynna. It was only limited by the old witches and of course Ganon, but she skipped that detail.
"And I only happen to be working with them. So simple, no mystery." She finished, smiling slyly at the tanned girl. "Good enough?"
Aveil simply grinned cockily and nodded before she spoke up. "I'm Aveil by the way. Current co-leader of the Gerudo tribe here in Hyrule."
Link stepped up to the two. He pointed towards the others in the group, one at a time. "Veran, you've already met Zelda. This is Impa and Sheik, her attendants." The two Sheikah women bowed respectfully until Veran let out a small but noticeable gasp.
Her flame-coloured eyes stared in puzzled astonishment at Impa, whom she narrowed her eyes at curiously. "Impa?! But… You're not fat anymore!"
The older Sheikah woman involuntarily twitched her eyebrow in a slowly boiling anger. "Excuse me?"
"Oh… My apologies, but you reminded me of a certain… acquaintance, back in Labrynna…" Veran quickly added, remaining calm. ´How silly of me. Of course it's not the same person… Still, had me going there for a second.´
Impa remained silent, seemingly accepting the apology though her scowl remained on her face. Link chuckled nervously, trying to change the subject by motioning towards the other women.
"And this is Samus Aran, a close friend of mine, and next to her are Ivy Valentine and Sophitia Alexandra, also close friends."
Each had their own greeting in store for Veran, who returned them in feign gratitude. She didn't necessarily hate them, but she wanted to spend time with Link and Link alone. It wasn't easy to just switch from one lifestyle to another, but if she was to do so, she would've wanted to do it with the one man whom she didn't outright despise.
Still, despite all this going on, she was humorously distracted by the revealing clothing that Ivy wore. There was so much flesh and skin exposed that it didn't even look like it should be considered clothing. The only thing that was armoured was Ivy's left arm and hand.
The sorceress quirked an eyebrow. ´… Interesting choice of clothing I suppose. Quaint, but still. Now that I look closely, those three lack pointy ears… I thought pointy ears were common for humans… The others seem to have it…´
She snapped her fingers. ´Of course, it must be a foreign thing… Not to mention that odd armour that Samus-girl is wearing. Quaint… Simply quaint…´
"Now then!" Everyone turned to look at Zelda. "Everyone is assembled, so how about we finally get started? First, a trip to the market town!" She exclaimed happily. As she started to walk down the road, followed by the others one by one, Link gently patted Epona on the backside and watched her trot away towards the castle.
He jogged up to Zelda quickly as they continued towards the market.
:::::::
"Oh wow…" Link gasped out breathlessly. He walked in front of the group by a few steps, gazing upon a tall monument, almost as tall as a small house, depicting his Hylian shield atop a pedestal.
Judging by his smile, the Hero was overjoyed. Zelda giggled as he continued to gaze in joyous astonishment at the monument, located in the small courtyard in front of the Temple of Time. It was certainly breath-taking, considering the amount of accuracy and details spent on its making. Zelda, Impa and Sheik all smiled at the young man.
"When did you… How did… Zelda, this is… I don't even know what to say! I'm honoured!"
"It was my pleasure, Link." Zelda smiled. "But the idea was not mine. I merely helped as I was supporting it. Your thanks should go to Impa." The princess tilted her head towards the tall woman, who chuckled with a small, sheepish smile.
Link's smile grew wider. "R-Really? You had this done for me?"
"I thought it only to be fitting lad." Impa replied with calmly, but her expression was easily identified as sheer joy. "A Hero is a Hero. If anything, a monument should be erected in your honour."
The young Hylian didn't say anything. After a few seconds of silence, he eventually almost leaped over towards Impa, pulling her into his arms for a hug. He nuzzled the area around her collarbone despite her clothing, still smiling as widely as possible.
"Thank you Impa! Really, thank you so much! I really appreciate it!" He exclaimed, hugging the older Sheikah some more.
Impa, albeit hesitatingly, returned the hug. Normally, she would've welcomed the embrace without as much as batting an eye, but Impa was always formal and professional in the open. She could display and tolerate simple actions of affection and friendliness but Link was hugging her tightly. If he lowered his head just a few inches, he would have it stuck right between her breasts, and Impa knew that.
"It was nothing, Link…" She said. "I only thought it was fitting for what you have done…" Her hug was not as tight as Link's but it was there. She did enjoy the shared warmth.
The blonde man opened his mouth to speak, but Sheik nudged him before he could let out a single syllable. He turned to look at her, seeing her averting her eyes.
"I…" Sheik began. "I helped too. With the monument that is." Her arms stretched out as in a hug, leaving Link laughing heartily as he hugged Sheik as well.
"Then thank you as well! I really appreciate it you two." Sheik didn't reply to that, but instead winked her crimson eye at Impa who crossed her arms with a mild scowl.
´Honestly Sheik…´ Impa thought. ´I thought you to be more mature than that.´
Sophitia, Ivy and Aveil studied the shield i.e. the monument. Despite being of rock, the amount of details had made it an exact replica of Link's shield, with the exception of the size. It remained impressive nonetheless as they observed it, occasionally glancing over to the shield on Link's back.
Even Veran took her time to eye the monument up and down, though her eyes were more tempted at studying Link's great backside physique.
The only one who didn't eye the monument too long was Samus. The blonde bounty hunter had her eyes locked on Link, studying his features as he smiled, laughed and talked to the others. And it was vexing her. Especially when she saw Sheik trying to get Link to hug her again or Impa gaining his attention one way or another. If Samus was completely honest with herself, she didn't even enjoy seeing Link giving Zelda attention.
Not that she could be honest about that though. She was known to be cool, calculating and observant. She couldn't, and wouldn't let her emotions get the best of her like a schoolgirl. Not that she knew how a schoolgirl's mind-set was working, but she could imagine.
Then she had it. A simple, but brilliant idea that would tip the scales to her favour. She let out a hacking cough, to which Link turned around to face her.
"That reminds me." Samus said calmly. "I remember that one match you and I had against Marth and Captain Falcon. The one when we managed the beat them without losing a single stock."
Link's ears perked up a little. "Oh yes! I remember that!" He chuckled genuinely at the memory, smiling. "That was an awful lot of fun. I hate to brag, but we were unstoppable at that match."
"We sure were, weren't we?" Samus replied. Absentmindedly, she tucked away a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Couldn't have won that one without you though. We work well together."
"Indeed. Agility and strength combined, if I dare say so myself." Link added, to which the bounty hunter nodded with a smile. She noticed Sheik and Zelda watching them with interest, seeing how they used to be paired up with either Link or Samus as well.
"What is this I hear about fighting?" Ivy suddenly asked, stepping into the small ring of conversation. Sophitia stepped up as well, but remained quiet in her genuine curiosity. Ivy's eyes darted from Samus, all the way over to Link with a confused look. The Hero smiled back.
"We were talking about the tournament we used to be active in." Link said. "Usually, Samus and I were paired up in the same team in team-based matches."
"Is that right…" Ivy glanced over at Samus, who was next to her, with mild interest. "Pardon me asking, but just how are you able to fight in… that." She gestured at the power-suit with her hand. "It doesn't look too nimble, and I see the lack of a weapon in your hand."
By no means was Ivy lacking in the brain-department. Zelda had witness during their interaction that despite the choice of clothing, she was a noble with a keen intellect. Yet she, Sheik and even Link felt that her remark couldn't have been more off-putting.
Zelda simply sighed while Sheik pinched the bridge of her nose, while ultimately Link nervously and sheepishly scratched his neck, trying to come up with a good explanation on Samus' behalf's.
The bounty hunter however, grinned. Truthfully, she was pissed, but she could see why there was such a question.
´That's right. I don't have a sword, or an axe or a dagger.´ Samus thought behind her grin. ´I have something even better than that blade of yours. Not that I will show it to you just yet… Though, I shouldn't let irritation get to me. I am the most foreign of the group after all. Everyone seems to be of the same type; blade and… what's the word… "Magic". Still, I should remain calm… It is only natural that they wonder…´
"Truth to be told Miss Aran, I too have wondered about that." Sophitia said sincerely. "May I inquire, what is your fighting style?"
"I too would like to see that." Aveil added as she intervened. "Surely that chunk of stylized armour looks good, but I don't see how well you can fight with it on."
"Uhm, people…" Link began. "Samus here isn't a fighter like you are used to. She's rather… advanced in that regard-"
"I doubt it's magical." Veran ultimately intervened. "A colourful armour-suit, nothing more than meets the eye."
Samus threw a neutral gaze towards the other women, raising her eyebrow questionably. She looked calm on the outside, as if the questions and comments didn't bother her. Out of all of them, not including Link, Zelda and Sheik, Impa was the only one who had not questioned her and it didn't look like she would do it either.
Her eyes looked back at the other women. ´I might just show you later, in private, just what kind of style I'm fighting. By blowing you all away to Mother-Brain!´
The bounty hunter sighed, still not appearing as offended. "My fighting style is different from yours, but it is still a fighting style. I wouldn't recommend questioning it."
The white-haired noblewoman quirked an eyebrow, befitting her small smirk. "Is that a threat? Or a challenge?"
"It is neither." Samus replied calmly. "It is an advice. A fighter shouldn't think too lightly of or underestimate their opponent. That is all."
"Interesting advice and a true one at that." Ivy eyed the blonde woman up and down. "But my blade had cut through heftier armour than yours. It won't be of much help."
"A blade needs to get close enough to slice. I excel in killing at long range." Their eyes, sharp and narrow, glared at each other. There was a silent hostility brewing between them, but it appeared to be spreading in all directions as Aveil walked up to the white-haired woman.
"Excuse me… Ivy, was it?" She asked. "That's a mighty claim, to be able to cut through thick armour. Surely you know that it's only the weakest pups that bark the most?"
Ivy snorted. "I advise you to not poke your pointy nose in other people's conversations, girl."
"Pointy nose..?!" Aveil said through gritted teeth. She eyed the woman with discontent, her golden eyes almost flaring with anger.
"Alright that's enough!" Impa, who had remained quiet for most of the time, stepped up to the centre of the group. "We don't want a fight to start just because you either have different opinions or decide to give off snide remarks. I won't permit it"
"I'm with Impa." Link added. "So calm down. I know you are all foreign to each other, but certainly being civil is not outlandish. Let's just relax and have a good time as we continue the tour, alright?"
The women agreed in unison, but the occasional mutterings and/or hostile glances were notably there. Zelda had always been as observant as she was wise, and seeing the brewing hostility in front of her made her heart fill itself with distress.
Zelda knew that having so many guests over at the same time would be disastrous. Especially when some of them was foreign to Hyrule and didn't know about the land's do's and don'ts. But it wasn't just their hostility that worried her, now that she had observed each of them in silence.
She noticed how there was an unspoken pattern in their behaviour. They appeared to grow easily annoyed and even angered over the smallest of things. They also were Link's guests. Not necessarily hers, even if she provided shelter for them. No, they were all here because of Link.
Zelda had always suspected Impa to care for Link beyond friendship. Sheik, who was once part of Zelda, was as readable as a book when it came to thoughts and feelings. The princess understood clearly why her "other half" had fallen for the young Hero.
And then there was the others; Samus was certainly a friend of Zelda and Sheik, but she hadn't even talked to them as much as she would've have done under normal circumstances. The bounty hunter had only been trying to get Link's attention. Aveil seemed keen about him as well, seeing how she had waited for him.
And lastly, Ivy and Sophitia had followed Link all the way from their world to here. Veran was still a mystery, but the land of Labrynna wasn't a name Zelda remembered from any maps. It had to be really far away, and yet she was here and had a connection to Link.
It just couldn't be a coincidence.
The princess watched in mild, horrific realisation as she saw the group of women gather around Link, each with the intention of gaining his attention one way or another. Even Impa tried her best to get a hold of him.
Zelda, who had not showed an expression of dread since her capture at Ganon's hands, felt the fear and realisation crawl down her spine. These weren't just friends. These were Link's one-sided suitors.
NOTE! Scroll down!
Oh my! Looks like things are now really starting to heat up!
Anyway, on to my important message. It has come to my attention that some of you either wanted more girls to be part of the harem, or wanted me to write another harem story featuring Link.
And Im with you, it would be interesting to write another one once A Hylian's Harem is finished. That being said, I was also given the suggestion that I could collect votes starting now on who you would like to see involved in said harem.
So here is the message: I will not be working on another harem story anytime soon. HOWEVER, it wont hurt to start working on ideas for it.
So therefore, I want you people to start casting your votes; which girls do you wish to see Link paired up with in the next harem story?
Keep in mind that it should be game-based girls preferably, and the harem shouldnt be too big. Roughly 5-6 girls. Maybe 7.
Be reasonable when voting on the girls. Also, I dont mind if its crossovers just to be clear.
That would be it. You can either write your votes down on the review, or send me a PM. Either way, Im looking forward to see what you come up with!
Until next chapter, take care!