Brief announcement: I'm sorry, but I probably won't be able to keep uploading once a day. I will do my best to at the very least keep a steady schedule of once per two days. I hope you all enjoy!

Purely out of interest: Whose perspective do you like more, Link's or Zelda's?

Chapter 18

Zelda

Her head felt light. He was standing so close. She had to look up slightly to look into his kind, deep-blue eyes that were so full with humour.

So close… and he would stay…

She had been so afraid that he would leave. She hadn't dared to hope that he would ignore the terrifying madness that had occurred.

She hadn't slept. Whenever she finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, the nightmares would rip her back awake within minutes. Every time she would relive being held, being threatened by that assassin, the knife at her throat, the pain in her arm as he twisted it. Then she would jerk awake, more than once with a scream, touching her stinging neck in dazed panic.

She didn't even want to imagine how terrible it must be for him. He, a boy from a peaceful village, forced to fight. For her.

Getting injured. For her.

Driven to kill. For her.

The guilt had grown overnight like a tumour, driven by constant pondering and sleep deprivation. It felt as if it was strangling her insides. She hadn't eaten, the mere thought made her retch. Every time she remembered him dropping to his knees, covered in blood and gore, both his own and her enemies'. And even in this moment of complete misery, the second before he lost consciousness, his thoughts were about her safety.

She didn't know how she could ever show her face to him.

Thank all the goddesses for Saria's insistence, for it was her who basically pushed her out the door. Her heart had hammered like mad before she entered his room. She had hesitated for minutes in front of his door out of fear what she might see. Him lying in bed, unable to move for all his pain or, infinitely worse, him with a broken expression, looking at her accusingly. Her stupid brain had cooked up all manners of horror. She had taken so long, doubting herself, that Sir Alistair and his mentor had appeared and she had been forced to hide so they wouldn't see her. Zelda had felt like such an utter moron. At least the anger had helped her to finally overcome her shame and knock.

And there he had stood, like a young god. Zelda couldn't deny that seeing his shirtless straight back had made her brain go into shutdown. Immediately she had said something monumentally stupid.

Her throat had gone dry in fearful anticipation. Here he was, hurt because of her and the first thing she did was scolding him that he was out of bed?! Stupid, so stupid! She wouldn't have been surprised if he had just glared at her… hatefully…

Instead he had immediately answered with this wonderful playfulness that had already captivated her back in Ord.

All her fears, all her doubts were suddenly of little importance. She felt she could simply be… her. Zelda the girl.

He had turned around and her mind went straight out of the window. She couldn't remember how long she stared at his well defined body. Again she couldn't deny that he awoke certain… appetites in her…

When Zelda finally realized that she had been blatantly inspecting him for… hours it seemed, she had blushed like never before in her life. Dear goddesses above, he must surely think her a pervert! Blessedly, he took her rude behaviour in stride and didn't even comment. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole! He had turned back, shyly, which made him even lovelier.

Then, finally, she had been able to say what burned in her heart. Those words of thanks that seemed so shallow, so unable to convey the full meaning, the full spectrum of emotion behind them.

And yet…

She could see he understood. She could see it in his eyes that were instantly filled with so much compassion, so much understanding. He looked her in the eyes when he gave his sincere answer that broke through all her defences. All these emotions, all these feelings of guilt that she had been determined to hide within so not to burden him further threatened to escape through the gap his caring words had opened.

'Oh goddess, don't cry now, not now!' she had begged herself.

And again he had to rescue her. He gave her an opportunity to help him, even if it was something so simple as putting on a shirt. She could give him something back, even if it was just a tiny speck of acquittance. It was so silly but it helped immensely.

She got so close to him…

Involuntarily she looked at the bandage. The cut, she remembered, had almost been as long as her hand.

The guilt flared up once more. She didn't want to draw his attention back to his injury, but she felt she must ask about his well-being.

Once again Zelda could sense that he saw right through her façade. He saw that twisted nest of writhing guilt that plagued her. At that moment she felt like she was standing naked in front of him, all her thoughts laid bare. She was defenceless. Years of training of being royalty, never showing what you truly thought, useless to his gentle eyes. She didn't dare hope that he would help her, see the need to absolve her.

"Please believe me when I say that I do not blame you in any way" he had said. It hadn't been truism, not from him, not in this moment. He had said it so sincerely, so kindly. He was laying his emotions bare as well, so she could see the honesty in his words. And she felt the guilt starting to wither, to die away by the force of his compassion. He had allowed her to heal, to shed these feelings of self-blame like excess skin. It would take time, she knew… but now it would heal without leaving a scar.

Zelda felt like such an egotist. She wanted to apologize for being such a weepy bint, forcing him to look out for her again, but he had disallowed her. That contagious friskiness was back in his deep-blue eyes, which told her that she should stop feeling sorry for herself.

And then he had said those all-important words: he would stay. Despite everything. Actually from what she got to know about him by now, she suspected that it was really because of everything…

The immeasurable relief she felt also brightened her perception of him. He had opened up to her, if only a tiny bit. She could now clearly see that he, too, was putting on a brave face. Zelda could read him a lucidly as, apparently, he could read her. He was confused and afraid. He had taken hylian lives and it gnawed at his soul.

But he also feared… Zelda couldn't understand even though she wanted to. She desperately wanted to give something back, make him feel at peace like he made her feel. She could almost see the turmoil of doubt in him. For all his gifts, she couldn't forget that he was also just a young hylian, like her. The uncertainty, the misplaced guilt he felt himself… they tormented him like they did her.

It bit at her heart to know that he, so strong and confident for her, was troubled so much.

She didn't know what to do. Goddess, he was so close! She could feel the warmth from his body. She dearly wanted to embrace him, tell him it was going to be alright, but that just didn't feel appropriate. She couldn't tell how he'd react. She couldn't do the wrong thing, not now! She was terrified that she would ruin everything!

He might think she didn't take him seriously.

He might think she didn't understand.

She bit her lip. When she looked into his face, she forgot how to think! She looked at his lips with their kind, lopsided grin. She would only need to stand on her toes and move a tiny bit closer. She looked back into his eyes. Suddenly all her abilities to tell what he was thinking were gone, together with rational thought.

What should she do?! Zelda's breath came rapidly. She felt both hot and cold. Everything was so difficult all of a sudden. Everything was wrong! She no longer knew what to believe in; it was all so complicated!

She just wasn't sure! He was looking nervous, as if unsure what to do himself. His breath was as quick as hers, his hands, strong, chafed and rough, were in constant fidgeting motion.

Was he nervous because he was as unsure as she was? Or because she stood close and it made him uncomfortable?

He couldn't know what she was thinking, could he? Those blue eyes were so full of emotion it was impossible to single out one. She didn't want to shock him. He was hurt, he was uneasy and she couldn't add a layer of complexity on top of it all just because she wanted to advance…

With an enormous show of will she tore herself away, out of that bubble that been about to encompass them. She took a timid step back.

The world returned to normal, normal walls, normal window, normal bed… as if it had lost colour just now. The warmth of his body that she had been able to feel, that she wanted to believe was inviting her closer was gone and even this summer day suddenly felt chilly.

For an instant she was certain that she saw bitter disappointment in his face, but he controlled it too quickly. Had it been real or just a figment of her imagination?

That wonderful moment of closeness when everything had seemed so alive had passed. Her doubts had taken over and inhibited her. Damn her and her weakness! For a perceived eternity she didn't dare to look at him, instead she stood there, feeling like a fool, wringing her hands.

When Zelda finally dared to look at his face, she nearly didn't recognize him he had blushed so hard.

She looked down, ashamed. She was now sure he knew what she had been about to do. How could she be so stupid and think that he wouldn't understand instantly? She hadn't exactly been subtle, Zelda realized with another pang of shame. Dear goddess, what must he be thinking of her. And what would he do now?

"Well…" he began.

She looked back up. He was looking away, smiling abashedly, his face still flushed. Goddess damn it, she had been right all along, hadn't she?! And she had been to craven to act on it. And now the opportunity was gone! Right now, for the first time in a long while, she felt like cursing like a sailor… even though she doubted that she even could.

She hadn't dared move forward even though, she realized now, it would probably have been fine. But what if that moment was never to return? What if that was her one chance?

Her insides turned to solid ice at the thought.

Damn it all, what could she do to save it?!

"I, err…" she had meant to say I'm sorry, but remembered at the last moment that he had forbidden her from doing that.

"I think… err…" he tried, but didn't get any further.

They looked at each other again. Zelda's face felt like you could fry eggs on it and his didn't look any better. This was without a doubt the most stupid, most awkward situation she had ever been in. She couldn't help starting to giggle softly at the sheer absurdity of it all.

Immediately an uneasy little chuckle broke forth from him, as if it had been on the brink for some time and her tiny sound had released it.

Thank the goddesses and their mercy, for he was just as much of a dork as she was.

Her suppressed titter grew in strength at the relieving realization, so did his snicker. Soon they were united in side-splitting laughs, ridiculing themselves, each other, the stupidity of the world in general. Whenever the convulsions threatened to stop, one look at each other was enough to send them spluttering back into uncontrollable fits of giggling.

It was the most liberating laugh Zelda had ever had the joy of experiencing. All those gut-wrenching thoughts of doubt that had tumbled through her brain were just turned obsolete with each new jolt of insane cackling.

True, the moment had passed. So what?

This new, shared moment of levity was evidence enough that nothing was lost, nothing needed to be said, no pesky thinking was required.

And how sweet the moment was, laughing with the natural ease of a child. Together. Against the world and its monumental stupidity.

When finally the exhilarating insanity stopped and they both were gasping for breath, all the built up tension had gone. They shared another minute of comfortable silence. Zelda couldn't say which she enjoyed more, the laughter or the content quiet after. For the first time in weeks, months even, she felt just tranquil.

He broke the silence first. "I do accept, by the way." he said.

She looked at him for the first time since their uncontrollable giggles. He was leaning against his bed, holding his ribs. With a pang of sympathy she realized how painful those minutes of paroxysmal laughter must have been for him. His face was calm though, with the delightful humour back in his eyes.

What he meant, however, she couldn't quite decipher. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I never got to formally accept your offer to become an aspiring knight." he explained.

"I was doubtful at first… but you know what? After that little episode right now, I think I might want to accept." he confirmed in mock thoughtfulness. "You are clearly insane, so you could need someone of similar state of mind in your retinue." He finished with an impish grin.

Zelda's heart beat faster and a wide smile forced itself on her features. To her utmost joy she noticed the effect it had on Link. His mischievous face suddenly became considerably more bashful and his cheeks turned red.

Time for her to be a rascal!

"Well, I believe you are correct. Only an insane person would consider offering a giggling loon like you such a serious position. What could I have been thinking?" she sighed with a histrionic shake of her head.

"Possibly you were so utterly over the moon with my supreme skills in the ring?" he asked, innocence radiating from him.

"Or maybe it was your clumsiness that amused me. The way that Gorridan boy knocked you on your buttocks…" Zelda snapped her fingers as if having bright idea. "I might reconsider and hire you as jester!" she exclaimed.

"Do as you wish, your highness. I am simply proud you worried about my buttocks." Link purred and raised an eyebrow at her.

That was certainly not an answer she had expected. The sheer cheek of it! To her vexation she felt her face turn red again. What could she even reply to that?!

"While it was hard to tell with them being constantly knocked to the floor, they certainly aren't the worst I have ever seen." she said, not quite thinking it through.

Link couldn't have wished for a better answer. "Well then! Seen so many, have you? Is that a peculiar royal prerogative or just your personal preference?" he questioned with a crooked grin.

Goddess damn it, he could even retort in alliteration! Zelda was beginning to think that she might be putting her foot in her mouth.

But with him… who cares?! Let's take the bull by the horns!

"Personal preference. Though it does definitely depend on the debated derrière whether or not I deem durable discussion too daring, you dirty degenerate." she intoned and was quite proud of herself.

To her delight Link's mouth popped open and he made a flabbergasted face. He stood up straight and saluted crisply. "A clear victory, I'd say. My princess wins this round."

Zelda had to admit she liked the way he said 'my princess'. She also had to admit how much joy it brought her to have won their verbal fencing.

She waved a lazy hand. "I shall be merciful. Thy life is thine!" she sang haughtily.

Then she returned to being sincere and smiled shyly at him. "I am looking forward to the next round."

"You bloody, good-for-nothing, useless, bloody idiot!" Sally fumed at her.

"You have him right were you want, he couldn't even run away if he wanted since he's hurt, you're standing close and you do nothing?" she yelled.

Zelda motioned her to be more quiet, feeling a mix of indignation and amusement at her cousin's outburst.

"What kind of a girl are you? You mope around like a love-sick bint for weeks, then there's your chance, but nooo! You're such an idiot! Really! And so is he, by the way for not grabbing you and reeling you in! So actually you fit each other really bloody well." Saria spluttered, stomping around Zelda's quarters and waving her arms in exasperation.

Zelda couldn't help but laugh at the show she was offered. While she completely, wholeheartedly agreed with her, it was just too funny to see the younger girl get so upset for her sake.

"It was fine, really! At first it was extremely awkward, true, but then we shared the best laugh I've ever had. I loved it!" she said between giggles.

"Laugh?!" Sally asked hotly, looking at her cousin as if she had gone utterly insane. "You two nutters should have shared the best kiss you've ever had, goddess damn it! If you want laughs go into a puppet theatre for kids. Although, stop, no! You might get the two things mixed up again and start smooching all the puppets. Idiot!" she sighed, shaking her head.

Zelda just continued giggling. At least Sally now seemed to have spit all the fire she had. She stopped her heated pacing and dropped down on to the bed next to Zelda.

Her rage-filled face instantly turned into an eager smile. "So, how did he look?"

Zelda described in detail how Link had looked and acted, how he had comforted her, how much of an idiot she had felt – "You keep not believing me" Sally interjected in her charming way – how wonderfully liberating their giggle fit had been…

In the end Saria made a sour face. "You don't deserve him, you coward. I should go to him right now and explain that there has been a terrible mistake and I am, in fact, the one he wants."

"Yes? Where are your numerous conquests to back up your big mouth?" Zelda asked mockingly.

"Well how is a girl supposed to have a meaningful conquest when all boys either look like garbage, are too thick to tie their own shoelaces or are so stuck up that you'd be unsure whether they even know what shoelaces are!" she grumbled.

"Well what about the big young man who's friends with Link? His sense of humour seemed almost as crude as yours, if I recall correctly." Zelda proposed on cue.

Sally made an appreciative face. "Sure, I'd be happy to see in what category he falls. But how am I even supposed to meet him again? As soon as your boyfriend is fine, he'll have to return to Ord, probably…" she said, her voice betraying her discontent with the situation.

"I am sure we can arrange something, my 'boyfriend' and I." She gave her little cousin a soft clap on the cheek at the word 'boyfriend'.

"The question is, should I subject that poor, unsuspecting boy to your whimsical tyranny, dear cousin? Or is it not my duty to protect one of my subjects from certain harm?" Zelda mused.

"I'll give you certain harm if you don't help me, you! Without my 'whimsical tyranny' you would still mope around, too craven to make any sort of move!" Sally growled.

The young princess couldn't even deny it. She was eternally thankful to her pushy young friend for giving her the decisive kick out the door. So, if she could help her have her own little adventure… though she might want to keep an eye out, so Sally wouldn't get too… keen. Better keep both eyes out, and her ears.

"Right, right. The next time I see him, I'll ask him to bring his big friend." Zelda confirmed.

"Then we'll see how you deal with a situation like this. Goddess, now I would love to see you shuffle around awkwardly in front of a boy. That would do my tired heart so good! Maybe Link and I can get front row seats to that spectacle! Would you like an audience?" she asked in mock seriousness.

"Sure, but only if they pay to enter and I get to keep the revenue." the younger girl countered without skipping a beat.

"Oh, and, you already decided on a next time?" Saria asked smugly.

The corner's of Zelda's mouth were tugged into a little smile and she looked away. "We did. Tomorrow." she whispered sheepishly.

Sally sighed, scooted over and put her arm around her bigger cousin's shoulders.

"From the bottom of my heart, Zelda, I wish you all the fun in the world." she said, envious. "And if you two let another opportunity go to waste, goddesses be my witness, I will smash down there like a divine fury and crack your faces together!"