Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own any of the characters of their respective franchises; Metroid and Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto, while Soul Calibur belongs to Namco Bandai. GrimGrave does not make money for writing fiction.

A/N: You may or may not have noticed that the poll is now gone. Well I figured that given the amount of time it stayed up as well as the amount of votes it got, it was time to take it down. You'll see the results soon... ;3

A Hylian's Harem

Chapter 10

Dawn of the Second Day

The castle felt cold at night, right down to the very last stone that lied within the thick walls. It was chilling to the touch. The darkness that prevailed outside did not even let the faint light of the moon shine through the windows of the castle walls, let alone through the clouds. The only light came from dying embers of torches that hung onto the walls further away, not uncovering the veil of shadows that the Gerudo thief took advantage of as she stealthily made her way towards Link's room. Lithe feet made way across the cold stone floor and nimble fingers crawled alongside the wall for support as the redheaded thief got closer. No sound was emitted, not even the slight creak of bones stiffly trying to shift through the darkness. Her breath was faint and barely coherent, yet her heart was pounding like possessed against her chest. Her golden eyes barely blinked, their pupils entirely focused on the door just a few metres away. She was almost there.

´Just a little bit further…´ Aveil thought with a small smirk. ´Just a little bit further and I will have reached Link's room. I'm sure he will be very surprised in the morning, but I know he will warm up to thought right then. When he notices he has slept by the side of a beauty, and see me in the morning's glow, he will definitely fall for my charms. Not immediately, but it's a start that will give me the necessary advantage.´ She grinned to herself, edging across the wall. ´Then of course, if he unknowingly grope me in our sleep, then who am I to complain?´

Aveil kept stealth her way towards Link's door. It was just within arm's reach by now, and her body was growing hotter. Thoughts of the two of them, sleeping in each other's arms, emerged in her mind. Ivory against dark tanned, together in a bed of white velvet in peaceful harmony within both spirit and mind. A peaceful harmony that was slowly turning raunchy with bold kisses, hands roaming within restriction over naked bodies that huddled up against each other. They writhed, they moaned and digits curled in ecstasy in the dead of night.

She smiled giddily. Maybe she could change her plans just a little.

"Hold it right there, Gerudo."

Aveil jolted slightly and turned completely around, legs and arms poised into a combat stance with a glare. Her golden eyes met the crimson ones that lured in the shadows, and her muscles stiffened with a slowly rising animosity. "I want to ask why the princess' lapdog is up and about, but I already know." Aveil said with a shallow snarl. "Making sure I don't steal anything, right?"

"Besides that." Sheik simply responded. "You were trying to sneak into Link's room. I don't understand why, but I will advise you either way to return to your room. And stay there." Stepping out of the shadows and coming into clear view in front of the Gerudo. "Or I will have to use force." Aveil scoffed.

"I don't feel that particularly threatened, Sheikah! There's a reason why you are said to be extinct, wiped out. Be careful or I'll speed up that process if you dare cross my path." Her tone was spiteful, her words echoing in the darkness. The Sheikah woman let out a shallow gasp, but Aveil heard it clearly. Yet despite her boasting counter she knew that Sheik was not to be trifled with, and if she was not careful then the situation could take a turn for the worse. Facing the glaring red orbs, the thief straightened herself. "I might have hit a nerve with that one, and for that alone I do apologise. But what I'm doing up is my own business, so be a good girl and get back to sleep-"

"If your business involves Link then I have more than right to meddle." Sheik coldly shot back. She stepped up to the thief, meeting her at the same eye-level. "Attempting to sneak into his room doesn't look particularly good. Especially for a Gerudo, who already has a bad reputation."

Aveil glared back at her now. "Take that back."

Sheik arched an eyebrow, smugly. "Why should I? I'm only going to say this once; Stay. Away. From. Link."

::::::

Indecipherable, distorted images were suddenly dissolving. Everything was like a fog, hazy and clouding her mind as tired eyelids forced open, revealing azure eyes that tiredly looked around. Blonde hair fell down her face as she lifted her tired body from the bed, allowing a yawn to escape her throat. There were voices coming from outside her room; hushed but not silent enough. Samus turned to face the window – it was still dark outside. It couldn't possibly be even near dawn. With a groan and a sigh, she got out of bed clad only in a black tank-top and panties as she walked over to the door.

The voices were becoming clearer as she got closer. One of them was definitely Sheik – the other was unknown. Slowly waking up to a proper state of mind, Samus cracked the door open very carefully as to not alarm the other two of her presence. She craned her head enough to allow her ear access to whoever was speaking, remaining silent.

"I'm only going to say this once; Stay. Away. From. Link."

It was Sheik after all. ´Who is she even talking to this time at night? Wait…´ Samus thought to herself. ´Stay away from Link? She sounded too possessive about it. Sheik, who are you talking to…?´

"What was that Sheikah?" That voice sounded familiar – it had to be Aveil, if Samus' memory served. "You talk like he was your… your boyfriend or something. What claim do you have on him, hmm? As far as I'm concerned Link is still ripe for the taking, so why are you acting like you had such an authority? If anything, I'll just tell you the same damn thing. You stay away from him."

"I'm not his-! … We're not-! … I don't… I don't have the right…" Sheik's voice was almost a whimper at that point. Samus couldn't see her or Aveil, but it wasn't too difficult to guess what the scene might look like at that moment. Aveil could be indifferent, or maybe she could actually be taken aback at the sheer honesty. In Samus' case it was difficult for even her to know how she should react to Sheik's words. "But I want to… I want to have that authority… I want to be able to tell you and the others off! I want Link by my side!"

There was a moment of silence. Samus kept listening patiently, but she couldn't believe what she had heard. Puzzled and, as rarely as it happened, she was at a slight loss. Was Sheik meaning what Samus thought she was? If so…

"I won't allow it!" Aveil suddenly shot back, her voice now raised above a whisper. "Definitely not! What makes you so special huh? Link and I are… I just know how he feels! I'm not going to give you any details how, but that's the way it is! I adore Link!"

Samus heard the two suddenly gasp. It was silent, uncomfortably silent. Words that shouldn't have been said had been thrown out in the open, and were now crystal clear as the situation. The bounty hunter felt her hands ball up into fists as her animosity spiked up.

She had had her suspicions since she first met the other women, the odd bunch she had thought them as. But there was definitely clear now with Sheik and Aveil, though it was understandable in Sheik's case. Samus could relate to her in a way, it was her friend after all. But the redhead? She shook her head slightly. She was merely a rival that needed to be disposed of.

But spiteful thoughts aside, the bounty hunter felt herself tangle up in a predicament. She was torn between confronting the two and voicing her opinion, to tell them off that it is she that will wind up with Link on the romantic note. Yet, despite the urge she knew it was for the better if she allowed them to dwell on the sudden confessions for now and keep to herself. She didn't need to let the other's know of her affection; in fact they probably suspected her either way. And someday it would come to light.

But for now the bounty hunter decided against the idea and stayed put. While she had pride, she wasn't boastful. She wouldn't let her "enemy" know of how her mind worked or her plans. She would remain low and not draw unnecessary attention towards herself. But then again, there was something that still intrigued her now that Samus thought about it; her room was indeed just next to Link's. If Aveil and Sheik both ere this far away from their rooms, it must have meant at least one of them had thought about it as well. But Samus had an advantage on that matter, and maybe, just maybe, she could actually use it.

It was a forbidden temptation. A temptation that was slowly growing more difficult to resist, the more she thought about it. To sleep by his side in comfort and bliss and eventually wake up with him in the morning's hush, and simply whisper good morning with a smile.

It was a very tempting idea indeed.

"Oi! What are you two doing over there?!" Samus snapped out of her reverie at the sound of the accented voice. She couldn't see from her spot behind the ajar door, but Ivy was definitely making her own way over. But from the sound of it, it appeared to be more than one person walking.

::::::

Sheik and Aveil both turned to Ivy, their eyes glaring, only to find out that she wasn't alone. It felt like a repeat of events seeing everyone gathered now, excluding Samus for some reason. Ivy walked towards them with great stride, with Veran matching her rapid steps and Sophitia following close behind. The silver-haired noblewoman wore a simple nightgown, perhaps a tad bit transparent for the occasion, accompanied by simple high-heels for walking. Veran sported her usual attire whilst the Grecian warrior wore a more modest version of Ivy's nightgown.

"I was making sure no one sneaked into Link's room." Sheik said plainly. "I advise you too as well to return to your rooms."

"I'll do that when I see you two go back first." Veran said with a scowl. "With all due respect girl, but I don't trust you enough to think you'll just go back to your own room once we have disappeared."

"And why would you not trust me on that account?" Sheik met Veran's gaze sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I am one of the princess' attendants if you recall. My job is to make sure that no one, Link included, gets disturbed. And right now you are all making a ruckus just outside of his room."

"It wasn't a ruckus till you showed up…" Aveil muttered lowly. Sheik merely shot her a glance, and then looked back at the rest of the group. Ivy stepped up to her.

"That's all fine and well lass." She said at first. "But I happen to know better than that to be fooled. You two didn't speak as much in private as you thought you were." Aveil and Sheik both stared at the silver-haired woman at that moment. Their eyes exposed enough bafflement to amuse her as she literally looked down on the duo. "I swore that I heard people talking earlier, so I decided to listen in… and I managed to hear enough from earlier. You two are in love with Link, no?" Sophitia gasped lightly as she looked over at the two. Veran merely eyed them with disdain, but neither of the two seemed fazed. Aveil crossed her arms and scoffed, stepping up to the group with a mocking grin.

"So what if I am? I have my reasons for have fallen for such a handsome young man." She flipped her ponytail. "And what I decide to do in order to win his affection is my business. At least I don't dress up as a harlot just to get attention." She looked back at Ivy with a smug expression, enjoying how the silver-haired woman narrowed her gaze in response, followed by the slight crack of twitching fingers.

Sophitia quickly stepped up between them. "Ladies, please! Let's not start an even bigger ruckus! It's still the middle of the night, and at least Link is trying sleep!" Her aqua-green eyes met with Aveil's, her features that of solemnity. "As for you Miss Aveil, I agree with you. You have your reasons for have fallen for him… As have I. As well as Ivy and I'm sure Miss Veran and Miss Aran do too." She briefly paused. "We have all our own reasons for have fallen for the sleeping Hero, haven't we?"

Neither uttered a single word. Their eyes averted from any contact as the silence grew more awkward and uncomfortable. It was out in the open now, with no need for subtlety or beating around the bush – Link, the Hero of Time whom had travelled far and wide, was an object, a figurehead of affection amongst the women.

The bounty hunter stifled a heavy sigh from escaping her lips. It was almost painful to sit and listen for absolutely nothing, yet she had gained something valuable from this nightly ordeal. Though so had the others, but Samus had overcome tougher obstacles than that.

But the silence was nearly unbearable by now; no one uttered a single syllable and their breaths were short and quiet. It was as if they had all reached an anti-climactic situation and were at a loss in disarray.

"I can't blame you for wanting a piece of him." Veran suddenly said with a chuckle. She stood aloof, a hand resting on her hip while the other played with her locks of autumn-hair. "But the lot of you need to wake up. The boy, that Hero…" She pointed at the door. "Will be mine. He's everything I-" She caught herself. ´…Have in this land…´ she thought bitterly, trying to regain composure by repositioning herself. "He's everything a woman could want."

"Nothing is ever set in stone." Sophitia reprimanded. She stood in front of the sorceress. "I can't stop you from trying to win him over. I honestly can't. But know that I won't back down, and probably neither will the others. I love Link too, and I will do what I can to make him understand and hopefully develop feelings for me. I didn't come all this way to be talked down to by a suspicious sorceress." She backed away, arms crossed with scoff, as if to emphasize her point, and settled with a mildly scornful stare at the sorceress. Veran eyed her over.

"We'll see, brat. We'll see…"

"What in the name of the Goddesses is going on here?" The group, startled, turned around at Impa who stood not far away from them. Her cold, red eyes scanned them over as she stepped up. "What are you ladies doing out of bed? None of you should be skulking around in the castle at night. The guards might get the wrong impression." Standing tall and proud, the Sheikah motioned backwards with her thumb. "Get back to your rooms ladies. There won't be any disturbing of the other residents who actually wish to sleep. Come on now."

"M-My apologies." Sophitia replied. She quickly looked over at Ivy. "Come on." Ivy nodded.

"Quite. Pardon our intrusion…" She walked away, Sophitia at her side and eventually got back to their rooms. Veran left just as quietly, but her stare towards Impa lingered till she had left the Sheikah completely behind. Aveil marched on without a fuss, leaving the two Sheikah women alone in the corridor, the younger now at the elder's mercy. Impa folded her arms over her chest as she eyed Sheik up and down. She didn't look particularly amused.

"Alright…" She began. "Want to tell me just what was going on? Nearly everyone was gathered outside of Link's room so I could take a guess, but you seem to have been involved from the start."

"It was… nothing. I just caught the Gerudo sneaking towards Link's room and then the others showed up. There was some bickering back and forth." Sheik replied with a sigh. "I best be on my way as well. Good night Impa."

Impa sighed. "Good night Sheik…" The white-haired Sheikah watched her friend disappear into the shadows, and rubbed her neck. Her tired eyes shut for a brief moment as she lightly cracked the stiffness out of her neck, sighing. "Even Sheik is quite a handful now… I suppose that's what happens when you realize you have rivals. Getting edgy and impatient, trying to rush things…" She looked over at the door. "But we can't slack off either, isn't that right Miss Aran?"

There was a shuffling noise behind the door. A gentle rasping and a fumble with the handle, followed lastly by the creaking sound of the door opening up, revealing the blonde bounty hunter leaning against the doorway. "You knew."

Impa chuckled. "As a sage and the princess' attendant, I have to be alert. Keen senses help a lot." She offered the guest a smile, followed by a polite nod. "I'm sure that whenever the lad chooses a mate, he will have made the right choice. But till then, I will do my part. Good night Miss Aran…"

Slightly taken aback, the bounty hunter returned the gesture and nodded back, watching the Sheikah vanish in the darkness. "Good night then."

She stared into the lonely hallway. The night was far from over, yet she felt more awake than ever. She was all alone now, with nothing but a stone wall and an oak door between her and Link. The temptation rose back up. No one would disturb her if she was to sneak into his room right then and there – and they wouldn't even know until morning, if at all. She took a few steps towards the door, her hand resting on the handle.

Samus felt her heart's pounding grew stronger and it increased its already rapid beating. She began to pull down the door-handle; just a little push would open the door…

She let it go. ´No. I won't lower myself to the level of a thief.' She quickly backed away from the door. ´I am not some… pervert.´

She sighed quietly. Walking back towards the wooden door, she leant against it, her fingers trailing down the surface. "…Good night Link." She whispered softly against the door. She leant her back to it, shutting her eyes close as she merely stood there. So many words went unspoken, both past and present, ever since she had first met the Hero on the field of battle in the first tournament. The bounty hunter sighed yet again in silent frustration till she felt it leave her body afloat; it was as if her worries and anxiety just float up from her body, making her levitate in relaxation.

Till her back hit the cold, hard stone floor of the doorway, the oak door flinging open violently and loudly with a screech against the castle wall inside of Link's room. The bounty hunter groaned loudly in-between her profanities. She clutching the back of her head as she stumbled to get up with an aching pain when she saw that A, she was in Link's room, and B, Link was groaning in his sleep, turning over in a pre-awakened state.

´Fu-!´ Samus caught herself, with a sudden intake of air along and a shallow gasp escaping her throat. Despite the ache she quickly got up and reached for the door, closing it behind her as she darted off for her own room and hurled herself to bed.

"Damn it! That was a close call!" She nearly yelled into her pillow. "Damn it Link… Why is it that you are the only one that manages to make me feel all these things…? You make my heart race more than ever, I feel butterflies in my stomach… You have me panic in the middle of the night without even knowing it."

She paused for a moment. Her lips had formed a smile, catching her by surprise. "And you make me smile for no reason at all… Damn it, I wish I could be completely honest with you. I really wish that… I could just come out and tell you."

The tiredness eventually caught up with her, and slowly she fell back into dreamland, buried underneath the covers.

::::::

Back in her darkened room, the sorceress found herself unable to let sleep claim her. Her body was too riled up, her mind too occupied with a series of thoughts that persistently lingered. She glared around, unable to completely focus on one thing as she dwelled on her situation – this predicament that was a mocking joke on her person. Veran allowed a prolonged groan tear through her throat as she otherwise silently contemplated. Here she, the sorceress of shadows, was; stuck in a world that belonged to an ancestor – or was it descendant? – of the one person she had once sworn to get rid of for the greater evil. She was stuck here, and by the looks of things it was probably permanently; it was with borrowed powers she had been able to even jump back in time, even if this had been a backfire of an interrupted spell. With no such magic potential, where could she go? There were no allies here, no base of operations, no power to back her up. Veran was alone.

No. That wasn't true.

She had the Hero – Link – still. At least in one way. Despite knowing who she really was, he had shown to care and taken her in. He had given her a chance, and maybe, just maybe, she ought to take it. Then again, this Hero was an adult, and a handsome one at that. But that was a thought too that lingered on her mind;

´Have I really… fallen for him? Fallen, as in… loving him? Preposterous! I am the Sorceress of Shadows! I don't do love! …But what else can I do? I… I don't have a goal here. My purpose lies elsewhere where I can't go back.´

She sighed softly. "And then again… This Hero is so unlike the other one… He's a man, a warrior… Who dared to raise his hand against me." She licked her smirking lips. "I may not be stranded here for the rest of my life, but I will not be completely alone… If I am to settle down, then who better to be my life mate than the Hero himself? Even if it's not the one who I faced before, I can still become the victor over the Hero…"

In the darkness, the sorceress chuckled with content.

:::::

As she bid goodnight to her friend, Sophitia could feel her heart grow heavy. Closing the door, the Grecian warrior wobbled over to her bed, sitting down on the edge, locked in thought. She ran her fingers through her hair; had she really just gone ahead and said those things out loud? Unknowingly declaring herself the winner, reprimanding her rivals and putting her foot down? Yes.

Yes she had. And now with that done, she just knew what would happen next. Everyone would now step up to the mark. The bar had been raised, and everyone would try harder to win Link over. It had become a contest.

She slapped her forehead as she mentally berated herself. She only had herself to blame after all, now that everyone would want to prove her and everyone else wrong. She had inadvertently caused Link's future to be one of turmoil.

Still, Sophitia couldn't help but to smile. Part of her was glad that she had stood up against her rivals; now she would truly show what she was capable of. In her mind, she had the advantage; she and Link was very alike in many different aspects, and could easier relate to each other in a way the others couldn't. Both fought with the sword and shield – they had a similar way of battling; they shared the same principle of the sword-arts. Their minds worked the same way, having both courage and a soft, gentle side that knew compassion.

They were definitely a good match. In fact, they were better than good, they were absolutely perfect. Sophitia laid her head down to rest, smiling contently as she slowly drifted off towards sleep. Tomorrow she, and probably the others, would start getting serious with what they wanted. And Sophitia remained confident that she would be the one by Link's side in the end, her hand in his in marriage.

But she was getting ahead of herself.

I said the next chapter would be longer, didnt I?

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, despite that not too much happened. I had originally planned for alot more to happen, but seeing how long it turned out to be I decided to split it up in two separate chapters. The next one of which I will start on... Right away!

Until next chapter!