I'll be honest, this kiss scene was a little difficult. I knew how I wanted Link and Hena to end up in a kissing situation, but I just didn't know out how to start the scene. But, I figured it out, and now it's done!
As always, please leave a review if you like this, or leave a review telling me how to write better kiss scenes. With that out of the way, I hope y'all enjoy!
To say that saving Hyrule could be a tiring affair would be a monumental understatement. For sixteen-year-old Link, the task had turned out to be downright exhausting. Fit as he may have been from farm work, the long treks across the country, punctuated by brief bursts of desperate, adrenaline-fueled action, were taking their toll on him. Earlier on, his companion Midna had been driving him particularly hard, clearly desperate to dispel the enchanted twilight from Hyrule. Thankfully, though, after his first near -death experience from a lack of rest, she'd pulled a complete one-eighty, now insisting that he take time to rest if she even suspected he might be tired.
Which was why he was here at the fishing pond by the upper Zora River, sitting in a small rowboat and holding a rod loosely, waiting for a bite. It turned out that fishing here, far from the busy routes between Castle Town and Kakariko, was one of the most relaxing activities with which he could occupy his rest times. Doing it alone, as he was now, was already restful enough. He noticed it was even better when Hena, the young lady who rented out the boats, would join him and chat about her life. She was on the wharf at the moment, rubbing down the bottom of another small boat. Even with her over there, Link still felt quite at ease with her around.
The two looked up briefly at each other. Link smiled and waved, and Hena waved back. The young Hero smiled even wider. There was no doubt, nothing could beat times like these.
"Hey, Hena, Link!" came a call from the entrance to the pond. Link looked up and turned his gaze there and saw Iza, Hena's older sister, strolling to the wharf. Link waved to her; he may not have hung out with her as much as with Hena, but he considered her a friend all the same.
Hena, meanwhile, paused her task with the overturned boat and rose to meet her sister. "What's up?" she greeted cheerfully.
"I was wondering if I could get your help with something," Link heard her say. "Both of you."
Link's eyes widened a little in mild surprise. Ignoring Midna's silent groan of irritation, he pulled in his fishing line and rowed back to the wharf, tying the boat off at the dock when he reached it. As the three came together, Iza finally explained, "Apparently, there's a spot on the rapids that's a little too rough. Two different families have gotten tossed into the drink. If we can't locate and fix it, people will stop coming over." Link immediately realized how that might be a problem for the tall woman. Iza had her own business just downstream from this pond, renting out boats for families to ride a set of rapids that flowed into the Zora River.
Without a moment's hesitation, Link nodded his head, despite Midna's continued mental protests, as did Hena, and together, the three of them made their way over to Iza's cabin.
It was a simple task preparing a boat at her dock, only taking a few minutes with their combined efforts. Once the vessel was in the water, Iza handed Link a large spool of knotted cord. "Tie one end of that to this post here," Iza instructed him, "and play it out as you go. Make sure to keep track of how many knots you pass by the time you get to the rough patch, so I know how far out my Zora will need to go to investigate and fix things."
With a nod, Link stepped into the boat with Hena, tying the knotless end of the cord to the mooring post while Hena unmoored the craft. Fortunately, there was no need for Hena to row, as the current here was stronger than at the pond, and they were pulled along easily.
After ten meters, the current became considerably stronger, and the stream went underground, into a long tunnel naturally lined with veins of a phosphorescent bluish stone. Every hundred meters or so, Link would call to Hena that he'd passed a knot on his cord.
To be honest, the rapids weren't all that rough or rocky. At least, not until Link counted off the fifteenth knot. Then the water started to swirl over unseen, underwater rocks. Still, it was nothing that the two of them couldn't handle.
That all changed quickly, though, as soon the boat began rocking lengthwise in the current, courtesy of some unseen eddy below the surface. Hena was quick to realize what was happening. "Hey, Link, I think we found our problem spot," she called back. "How many knots out are we?"
Link was completely focused on his spool. "Fifteen so far," he called, "probably about halfway to…"
He got no further, as the boat suddenly pitched violently forward, catapulting Link over Hena, and both of them into the fast-flowing stream. Link found himself getting tossed around underwater, quickly losing all sense of direction, the spool torn from his hands.
He had no idea how long the stream toyed with him, but eventually, it calmed down. While it was a relief that he was no longer being tossed back and forth, he now found himself still underwater, with no clear idea of which way was up. Worse, he had let out his breath sometime during the panic of being dunked into the stream, and his lungs were letting him know.
Something wrapped around his waist suddenly. Link shuddered as it pulled at him, turning him over once more. He was about to struggle against this sudden force when, with a splash, his head cleared the surface of the water. His mouth opened on reflex as his lungs sucked in air. The force around his waist kept him buoyed up long enough for him to draw in several monstrous breaths. And only then did Link have the presence of mind to look around him.
Henna was bobbing right beside him, closer than she'd ever been to him before. It was her arm around his waist, he realized. Given her years of experience with boats, it was easy to deduce that she'd managed to right herself quickly after the churning section of the rapids calmed and noticed him struggling. Link couldn't help but be impressed.
The two of them floated side-by-side down the stream for a minute, before Hena panted out, "There's a bank on our right. Let's try and get out of the water." Link nodded, and the two swam with the current to their right. Sure enough, Link saw a silty bank sloping gently into the water close at hand. The two managed to reach it and drag themselves up onto shore, where they promptly collapsed, each of them huffing for breath for a good long while.
Eventually, both managed to regain their wind. Hena was the first to sit up, looking amusedly at Link, as if there had never been any danger at all. "Well," she joked, "you sure look like a drowned rat."
Link huffed with laughter as he sat up; he didn't doubt that he probably looked quite bedraggled indeed. But then, so did his companion. "Right back at ya," he replied with a grin.
Henna's smile widened. "Well, what a pair we make," she remarked, setting them both to riotous laughter, leaning against each other, Link's arm unconsciously going around Hena's shoulder in the process.
When they calmed down, Link looked back over at Hena. "Hey, thanks for the save, by the way," he said. "I don't think I would've lasted too long if you weren't here."
Hena smiled. "It's no problem," she replied. "You know, I'm really glad we've gotten to know each other."
"Same," Link concurred, falling silent as he felt Hena's arm snake around his waist once more. The two of them stayed quiet for a few minutes, pressed up against each other's sides and watching the stream flow past them.
The silence was broken presently by Hena. "Iza and I were chatting yesterday," she observed. "She said you and I'd make a cute couple."
Link turned to her, eyes widening slightly. "She did?" he asked, with only mild surprise. When Hena nodded, he looked back to the stream, considering what she'd just said. "I mean," he fumbled, "you're really pretty, and super nice…" He trailed off there, but his words drew a lovely smile from the young woman beside him.
"So are you," she chimed in playfully, tinging Link's cheeks pink.
Despite his blush, Link managed to find words again. "I…never really thought about it before. But…now that you mention it…being your boyfriend does sound nice…"
Hena rolled her eyes affectionately, reaching over with her free hand. "Oh, come here, you big goofball!" she teased as she reached over and turned Link's face toward hers and leaned further into him.
Link's eyes went wide the moment she laid her lips on his. But found himself kissing back anyway, laying his free hand on Hena's waist. The kisses they shared weren't wild and aggressive like what Link had seen with some couples in Castle Town. But they were no less intense, since Hena was taking her time to savor each one. So he found himself being quickly carried away, losing himself in Hena's embrace.
"How many knots did you guys pass?" Iza's voice rang out from close at hand, shocking the couple apart with a gasp. They looked over to see Iza just a few feet away, failing to hide a mischievous smirk.
Link recovered quickly. "Uhhh…fifteen, about halfway to sixteen," he answered.
Iza's grin widened. "Great! I'll have my Zora check it out," she said. "By the way, I was right…You two do make a cute couple!"
Link blushed at the remark, Hena less so. "Thanks, sis!" she exclaimed, giving Link a kiss on the cheek for good measure. "I think we do too!"