I went over my previous chapters and realized a mistake in my writing. Regarding Zelda's character, I realised I was making her change too fast. I have a plan that if done properly will make her a very well written character with a good character arc, but in order for it to work, I need to slow down her progression. So, I have gone back and edited chapters three to five so that her character is more consistent with what is established in the earlier chapters.
Yes, the genre has been changed. Expect some Zelink in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Yada yada Nintendo rights. Blah blah blah I own nothing. Jokey jokey, insert lawyer joke. Random game reference. Chapter start.
A Family
Zelda follows Link into the kitchen where her nose is greeted with the smell of freshly baked bread. She inhales deeply, savouring the scent. In response, her mouth waters, and her stomach growls.
Link grins at her, and there is laughter in his eyes. Zelda looks away sheepishly as the heat returns to her cheeks.
"I see someone is finally awake. I also see that their hungry."
Walking into the kitchen from a side door - her arms laden with trays of food - is a woman. From her looks, Zelda deems the woman to be in her late thirties. She is dressed in clothes of similar make and colour as Zelda's with the addition of a leather apron and a headscarf in place of a veil. Her long, honey-blond hair is tied back in a single tight braid, and her kind smile reaches her leaf-green eyes where they rest above a small, slightly upturned nose.
The woman lays the food out on the table before stepping aside and beckoning with her hands for Zelda and Link to sit down. Link sits to the right of the head of the table. Zelda grabs her food and moves to the opposite end. Even though she had started to warm up to Link, the way he had so casually admitted to killing her attackers has brought up her fear of him again.
However, it is a different fear. She doesn't fear Link the way she had feared her attackers or how she had feared him when they had first met. She had feared her assaulters because of what they had tried to do, and she had feared Link because he had been a stranger. Now she fears Link because of what he is capable of doing. When she had seen his eyes yesterday, she hadn't seen the eyes of a man. She had seen the eyes of a feral beast, a predator on the hunt. He was wild and untamed, a force of nature with no leash or cage to contain him. As Zelda watches him from across the table, viewing his strong, lean form as he hungrily tears into a slice of meat, she realizes that his bestial look is still very much there. There is this hidden power she senses. An almost primal instinct that lies underneath the surface, waiting, bidding its time.
She realizes that the beast is still there. It is only dormant at the moment, and a sickening feeling tells her that yesterday when he had saved her she might not have even seen the full of it.
Between the two dangers she has faced so far, Zelda isn't certain which one to fear more: the obvious threat that had almost ruined her or the hidden beast sitting across from her.
Now is not the time for such thoughts. No, and her stomach is quick to remind her of more pressing matters. Quelling her fears she returns to her breakfast which she thoroughly enjoys but is slow in consuming.
"I hope the food is to your liking."
Zelda freezes for an instant. She had forgotten that the other woman is there. "It is, thank you," replies Zelda as she gives the older woman a polite smile.
The older woman - who is clearly responsible for cooking the food - smiles back at her. "You're welcome, young dear. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Arlette the seamstress." She then extends her hand in greeting.
Zelda finishes swallowing her food before replying, "I am Zelda Funk." She then accepts Arlette's hand and is surprised by how rough it feels compared to her own.
Arlette's smile grows bigger and a hearty laugh passes her lips. "So you're the Zelda my husband was talking about."
"Oh!" Zelda exclaims surprised. "You are Lysander's wife?"
"Indeed I am." Her gaze then shifts to Link. "And I see you have already met our son Link."
"Yes, I have," Zelda says quietly, refusing to meet Arlette's gaze.
If Arlette is finding Zelda's behaviour odd, she didn't show it or make mention of it.
"I see Linka delivered those clothes like I told her to."
"Who?" asks Zelda.
"Linka, my twin sister," says Link. "She was the woman you saw earlier. The one who left you the clothes you're currently wearing."
Zelda's cheeks turn pink as she recalls just how her cloths came into her possession and the incident involved with it.
Arlette must have noticed because she raises a brow. "Did something happen that I should know about?"
Zelda is saved from answering by Link. "Oh, nothing mom. Just Linka letting her imagination run wild and jumping to conclusions...again."
Arlette gives a nod to show she understands. "I really need to have a talk with that girl." She lets out a tired sigh.
Zelda relaxes back into her chair, glad that an awkward conversation has been avoided. Though once again, she finds herself with questions - a situation that has been occurring quite frequently in recent times. "Pardon me for asking, but I couldn't help notice that Linka's name is almost identical to Link's. Is there a reason for that? Is Linka short for something? I ask because it is a somewhat unusual name."
Link gives a short chuckle at this. "You're right. Linka is short for Lincolnia," he explains. "However, we call her Linka, and most people call her Linkle.
"Oh. That makes sense," Zelda says as she finally understands.
Afterwards a comfortable silence falls over the table and Zelda finishes her breakfast. When finished, Arlette gathers their dishes and instructs Link to show Zelda around the property.
Zelda follows Link but makes sure to stay four feet behind him always. As a result, there is little conversation between the two. Link takes her outback where he shows her the stone-brick oven and the butter churner. Link leads her down a path to where his family keeps a cozy little barn that housed a pig, a cow, a bull, a couple of goats, and some horses.
Zelda takes her time to admire the animals for she has never been near any before. In that moment she finds them to be beautiful and she already knows that she loves them. She asks Link if she can touch them and he allows her to do so willingly.
She pets them on their heads, running her fingers through their hair, and in turn they nuzzle up against her, smelling her scent and even licking her hands. They make tender noises, each and everyone of them begging for her attention. Zelda doesn't mind. She loves the animals, especially the majestic horses. She has always wanted to ride a horse, but she was never allowed to back at home.
After spending some generous time with the animals, Link gently pulls Zelda away for there was still more to see. Reluctantly leaving the barn, she follows Link who leads her to where they grow their crops. The land is divided into five fields, each one growing a different crop. The two on the left are a pumpkin patch and an apple tree grove, and both look close to being ready for the harvest. The two smaller fields on the right produce flax and barley, and the last one - also the biggest one - is a pasture for the animals to graze.
Zelda could see two men working in the pumpkin patch. Link calls out to them both and they stop their work and wave hello back. Link walks towards them and Zelda follows behind him.
"Link!" greets one of the men - the younger of the two.
"Ravio!" Link calls back.
The two clasp each other on the back in a brotherly hug. They break apart, and the older man wraps a hairy arm around Link giving him a firm pat on the back.
"Zelda," Link addresses her. "Allow me to introduce you to my uncle San and my cousin Ravio."
Zelda greets them kindly, shaking their hands and studying their appearances as she does so. The family resemblance is striking. Ravio is nearly a carbon copy of Link, the only key differences being Ravio's black hair and dark green eyes.
Link's uncle San is a little shorter than Lysander who she deduced to be his brother on account of their own striking resemblance, despite San clearly packing in the pounds. Like Ravio, he has black hair and green eyes adoring his round face. A bushy black moustache hides his mouth, but Zelda could tell he's smiling. Even though he has a beer gut, Zelda could make out the large, solid muscles that made up his stocky frame.
"You're the Zelda who sailed with my brother, eh?" asks Sans
"...Yes, I suppose I am," she replies slowly. Noticing the extra lines on his face, it becomes clear to her who is the older brother.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," San says as he grasps her arm in his hand.
His brow then furrows into a frown and he proceeds to feel up Zelda's arm with his massive hands, making Zelda feel a little uncomfortable.
"Eh, what's this?" he says to himself. He then turns his attention to Link. "What has the lass eaten for breakfast?"
"She ate half a loaf of bread, a whole fish fillet, had some leftover broth, and drank some ale."
"Have your mother double this girl's portions," San orders. "She's scrawnier than a skinned rabbit."
Zelda tries to hide her discomfort from this remark, instead choosing to focus on Ravio. The young man had been quietly watching her and Link, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two, the ghost of a smile appearing every now and then. He locks eyes with her for a second and Zelda shivers from the intensity. It feels as if his eyes were searching her soul, and it makes her feel open and vulnerable. He is searching for something. For what, Zelda doesn't know, and she doesn't want to find out.
She turns away back to Link and his uncle who had been talking the whole time.
"They're with your granny at the loom," San tells Link. What or who they were talking about, Zelda has no idea.
"Alright, thanks uncle. We'll see you and Ravio later."
Link and Zelda say goodbye to San and Ravio, but as they leave, Ravio calls out to them, and Zelda does not like the impish look in his eyes.
"Link, Linka told me earlier about how you and Zelda are acquainted with each other," Ravio says, sounding too gleeful for Zelda's liking.
Link lets out a heavy sigh, shaking his head in his hand. "Nothing like that happened Ravio."
"Whatever you say. Later!" Ravio calls back before returning to his work, a large grin on his face. His father gives everyone a questioning glare.
Link grabs Zelda's hand and hurriedly leads her away down a different path, this one leading back to the house.
They round the house and come to the front porch where Zelda is greeted with a lovely sight.
It is a loom, a regular old loom, but what holds the girl's attention is the masterpiece being woven in its frame. It is a tapestry of masterful make, as colourful as a rainbow, bold and gay. It seems to be telling some sort of story, but what it is about, Zelda couldn't tell because it wasn't finished. And who is the creator of this lovely tapestry? Why, it is a little old lady who was sitting at the loom, her wrinkled, old hands expertly weaving each thread into the grand design, one after the other.
The old women must have sensed their approach, for she looked up from her work with happy grey eyes.
Link spreads out his arms, as if readying to give the old girl a hug only to get bowled over by a blur of blue and gold.
"Big brother!" exclaims a voice.
Zelda finally sees that what has knocked Link down is a young teenage girl who appears to be younger than Zelda. She is hugging Link tightly, and he in turn has embraced her - though not as tightly.
A small laugh comes from the old woman as she watches the exchange, and then a louder, younger sounding laugh erupts from further to the left.
Zelda then notices there are two other looms set up, and sitting at one of them is the young woman from earlier, Linka.
Zelda gives her a small wave and a shy smile, remembering clearly their earlier encounter.
"Everyone, meet Zelda," Link says as he gets up off the ground; the girl who has tackled him was standing to the side gazing at Zelda with a look of innocent curiosity.
"Zelda," Link continues, "meet Granny Helga, my younger sister Aryll, and my twin sister Linka - whom you have already met."
"Pleased to properly meet you Zelda," Linka says as she grasps Zelda's hands in greeting while giving her a knowing wink making Zelda look shyly away.
Zelda then feels Aryll's smaller, smoother hands grab hers. She finds herself face to face with Aryll who is beaming up at her - her eyes aglow. "It is nice to meet you Zelda," says Aryll.
Zelda smiles back. As she does, she tacks in the girl's appearance.
Aryll is clearly younger than Zelda, and shorter as well by a couple inches. Her eyes are the same blue as her brother's, but her hair is more akin to their mom's in colour.
Despite being younger and smaller than Zelda, Aryll's physique is something else. She is lean, but not skinny. Though her muscles are small, they are defined, and she still has some baby fat visible on her face. Then there are other fat deposits that helped fill out her frame to a healthy degree. Zelda knew this was the daughter Lysander had spoken about.
Zelda's smile wavers for a moment but she recovers it quickly. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Aryll."
Aryll's smile - if possible - becomes even bigger. Zelda tears her eyes off the cheerful girl who was making her feel self-conscious for a reason. She settles her gaze on Granny Helga who has been watching this whole time with a lax smile on her wrinkled face. She is a short old woman with grey hair and tired green eyes whose back is bent with age. Zelda immediately takes a liking to the old woman whose smile reminds her of Impa's, even though this woman is decades older than her old nurse.
"It is an honour to meet you, Mrs Helga," Zelda says as she takes the old woman's wrinkled, calloused hands into her own alabaster ones.
"The honour is all mine, Zelda, and call me Helga. There's no need for formalities. It's not everyday Link brings home a lovely woman, heh," she chuckles.
Zelda blushes at the suggestiveness of Helga's words, and a quick glance at Link reveals that he was feeling the same.
"So what brings you young sparrows here today?" asks Helga, who seems to be oblivious to how Zelda and Link are currently feeling at the moment.
"I was showing Zelda around the property," explains Link. "She has already met mom, uncle San, and Ravio, so I decided to introduce her to you three next."
"How thoughtful of you," says Helga warmly.
"You're welcome," laughs Link. He then turns his sight on Linka, his expression becoming serious. "By the way Linka, Ravio has brought it to my attention that you have been spreading rumours about me, again."
"So? What's the big deal?" asks Linka in a very careless tune.
Link is looking a little annoyed now. "First, none of it's true. Secondly, I would appreciate it if you stopped doing it."
Before Linka can respond, Helga speaks up against her. "Now Linka, you should know that it is unbecoming of a lady to spread baseless rumours about others - especially one's own family. Besides, when he gets married," and a mischievous light appears in her eyes, "you will be able to spread all the rumours you want about him because chances are, they will be true."
This made all the girls laugh - even Zelda cracks a smile. Link looks indignant.
"Knock it off," Link barks.
Zelda is startled by his aggressiveness, but his sisters and granny don't seem bothered by it.
"Sorry brother," says Aryll sweetly. "But it's too fun to tease you."
"Hmpf, whatever," Link says. "Anyways," he addresses his granny. "Do you mind keeping Zelda company for the rest of the day?"
"Well, I suppose we could, but where are you going that you can't take your girlfriend with you?"
Link ignores the teasing, even as Zelda turns red. "I promised grandpa yesterday that I would help him in the forge."
"Hmmm... Very well," Helga says after a moment. "I suppose we could watch her. You go run along now. Tell your grandpa we said hello."
Link gives his thanks before running off in the opposite direction, following the main road away from the family's property.
Once he had gone Helga makes the girls work. "Linka, go grab the spare loom and set it up. Aryll, run into the home and find a stool for Zelda and some extra thread. You do know how to weave, right dear?" Helga asks, as her granddaughters rush to complete the tasks given to them.
"Yes," Zelda replies meekly. Even though she is happy to have something familiar to do, a part of her feels let down that Link hadn't even asked her if she had wanted to go with him. Even though he still frightens her, he treated her with kindness, and she thanks him for it.
When Linka and Aryll return with her equipment she sets to work at her loom, weaving the threads in one at a time, letting her instincts take over. Hours pass as she works the threads in one at a time in silence. A picture eventually takes shape in the form of birds. The very same birds who had inspired her to run away.
A hand rests on her shoulder, and Zelda looks up to find Helga peering over her shoulder, smiling with pride at Zelda's work.
"It's marvelous," she praises.
"It is not as good as yours," murmurs Zelda.
"No. It is better."
Praise is a foreign concept for Zelda. As a result, she feels a foreign emotion rising in her chest, swelling in her heart, and she likes it. It makes her feel good.
"Thank you," Zelda whispers as a tear falls from her eye.
Later that day, the family gathers inside for dinner. Everyone is present for the meal, including Lysander and his father Hob.
When Zelda had first seen Hob, she had nearly fainted. She had originally thought Lysander to be the tallest Hylian ever, but she has learned she was mistaken. That claim actually goes to his father Hob. The man is nearly giant size, towering over his son by an entire head. His long hair and beard are white as snow, and dark blue eyes shine from beneath two bushy eyebrows. She could feel the strength of his massive build behind his handshake, and his callouses were as rough as tree bark. Like his grandson, she could sense a hidden power within him, and she knew in that moment it would be unwise to ever make him angry.
Here they were, the entire family sitting at the table enjoying dinner and talking about everyday simplicity. Zelda is enjoying listening to them as she eats, but she soon finds herself feeling full before she is even half done.
Then the topic of conversation changes to her, and she finds herself being asked what her plans are. She tells them she has none except that she wants to live her life in Holodrum.
"Do you have any family here?" asks Lysander.
"No," she says truthfully.
"What about money?" asks San.
"A few rupees," she timidly responds.
The brothers exchange a look, one that they share with the rest of the family, and it seems as though they are having a silent debate with each other.
"That settles it," Hob says. "She will be staying with us."
"W-w-what?!" stammers Zelda.
"You heard him dear," says Helga. "You can stay with for as long as you need. Until you have a stable income and can provide for yourself or until you find yourself a suitable husband."
Zelda's jaw hits the dirt. She couldn't believe it. She has barely known these people for a day and here they are offering her a place in their home. What has she done to earn this? Looking at the faces of everyone present confirmed that they are all in agreement with this decision.
The tears fall freely from Zelda's eyes as she expresses her gratitude. "I... Thank you."
"There's no need for thanks," Arlette assures Zelda. "If you want to thank anyone, thank Link. It was his idea."
Zelda stares in awe at Link as he smiles at her. He stands up from his seat and walks towards Zelda, grasping her hands in his own. "Welcome to the family, Zelda."
Zelda has a new family. Huzzah! The next couple chapters will be focused on her integrating into the village.
We will end with a shout out to our newest follower Namikokos. Thank you for viewing this story.
Please feel free to review about anything and I will respond to it in the next chapter.