To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 20 – The Fountain Incident

The archery contest proceeded smoothly and successfully. The Hero and Princess had taken turns choosing different targets before taking aim and releasing their arrows. The two of them ended up having some fun with each other, all while practicing their skill with the bow.

Needless to say, Link had lost the contest, stupendously. Link had always known that Zelda was proficient with the bow and arrow, but her skill here had honestly left him stunned. Zelda's final score had ended up being an impressive 59, with 18 of her shots having been successful bullseyes. Meanwhile, Link had only managed to accumulate a meager 13 points, with only 3 of those being bullseyes. Unfortunately, Zelda had always managed to hit the target far closer to the center than Link was able to, and this prevented him from accumulating any points. Link had also missed the targets on occasion; a mistake that Zelda managed to avoid making altogether. In the end, it was clear who the victor was.

Link didn't mind that he had lost the competition though. He was honestly just glad that Zelda had seemed to enjoy herself. Throughout the contest, the Hero couldn't help but notice that Zelda was smiling a lot more, and she seemed much more at ease than she had been earlier. At one point, she even ended up giggling a little when one of Link's shots missed the intended target and accidentally struck another target much further back. Link had just smiled as he rubbed his neck a bit. He hoped that their contest had managed to take her mind off of things for a while, and as far as he could tell, it seemed to have worked.

Once their competition had concluded, Link and Zelda returned their empty quivers to the storage unit. They knew that the soldiers would take the time to collect the arrows from the field later. They also made sure to thank Captain Zander for allowing them to share the archery range with him and his men. He simply laughed and said that it was no trouble at all. Link and Zelda then took their leave, walking back across the courtyard towards the front of the castle.

Once they were finally alone, Link gave Zelda a small smile. "My compliments to the victor. That was some rather impressive archery back there."

Zelda smiled as well, appreciative of his praise. "You weren't so bad yourself, Hero."

"You sure?" Link asked with a laugh. "I imagine that my skill looked like that of a child's when compared to yours."

"You're too kind," Zelda said, looking a little embarrassed. "And a bit too hard on yourself. Your skill was perfectly acceptable. I imagine that you're at least a much better shot than most of the soldiers around here."

Link laughed some more. "If Ashei were here, she would say that that doesn't mean much."

Zelda giggled a little as well. "Yes, she probably would."

"Still, I had fun though," Link insisted. "I usually only get to practice my aim when the kids in Ordon ask me to play with their slingshot. Getting to challenge someone of your skill level is a nice change of pace."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," she replied sincerely. "I had fun as well."

Zelda then paused, before glancing downward. She took a second to brush some of her loose hair back behind her pointed ear. "Um, Link?" she asked timidly.

The Hero just glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for…suggesting that we compete in that contest," she said quietly. "I…think I really needed that."

Link blinked before giving her a warm smile. "Of course. I'm just happy to see that it cheered you up a bit."

"It truly did," Zelda said with a nod. "I don't always have a lot of free time, so it was nice to just relax and have fun like that for a change. And…it really did help take my mind off of things."

"That's good. It's nice to know that I didn't completely ruin your morning, at least" he said with a small laugh.

Zelda just shook her head. "Oh, Link, stop being so hard on yourself. You did no such thing. Admittedly, I may not have been in the mood for company this morning, but I really am glad that I ran into you. I enjoyed the time that we spent together."

Link nodded a bit, but he soon stared down at the ground while looking a little guilty. "I'm truly glad to hear that. But still…I want you to know that I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Zelda repeated. "For what?"

Link's face reddened a bit. "For…you know…that comment I almost made earlier…"

Zelda also blushed as she realized what he was talking about. In all the excitement of the archery contest, she had actually forgotten about that little exchange earlier. "Oh, that…"

Link nodded a bit, looking guiltier than ever. "I want you to know that I'm truly sorry about even…um, suggesting such a thing. I really should've just kept my mouth shut."

Zelda just sighed. Even as she listened, she could hear the genuine remorse in his tone. "It's fine, Link. I know that your heart was in the right place, so I'm willing to forgive you."

"You are?" Link asked quietly.

Zelda nodded. "Yes, but you must promise to never ask such a thing again. It shows a severe lack of tact when a man questions a lady about such private affairs."

"I know, and I promise it will never happen again," Link said with a disappointed sigh. "Honestly, I feel like such an idiot. I can't even imagine what Ilia would say if she knew that I had almost asked the Princess such an inappropriate question."

Zelda quickly frowned at the mention of this name. She had been mostly enjoying her time with Link, but all of sudden, she had been abruptly pulled back into the reality of her situation. Link was still very much involved with Ilia, and she needed to remember that…

Zelda sighed and attempted to hide her annoyance behind the conversation. "Um…can we move on, then? I'd really rather not dwell on this topic any longer than I have to. And if I did, I would certainly not wish to do so with you."

"Oh, r-right," Link stuttered, looking embarrassed again. "I'll shut up about it."

"Thank you," Zelda mumbled, trying once again to get her reddened face under control. Fortunately, it didn't prove to be all that difficult. Zelda wondered if she had slowly gotten better at composing herself considering how often she had to do so.

Once she had returned to normalcy, the Princess turned towards the Hero once again. "Anyway, it should be around lunchtime by now. If I recall correctly, you planned to eat before you departed for Ordon Village again, yes?"

"That's right," Link said with a nod.

Zelda smiled. "In that case, do you mind if I join you?"

Link blinked. The Princess had never asked to share a meal with him before. She had usually been too busy to make the time. "You want to eat lunch with me?" he asked.

"If you'll have me," Zelda replied timidly.

Link just looked dumbfounded. "Why, of course! I'd be happy to dine with you. If anything, I should be the one asking for permission to dine with the Royal Princess."

Zelda giggled a little and shook her head. "It's not as ceremonious as you might think. I typically eat in the dining hall, the same as everyone else. My family does have a private dining room, of course, but we really only use that for formal occasions."

Link nodded a bit. "Then why don't I ever see you in the dining hall?"

Zelda shrugged. "It's mostly due to my busy schedule. I usually only allow myself a short amount of time to eat before I have to move on to other things. Even today, I probably won't be able to stick around for long. I still have a hefty amount of work to get to this afternoon."

"Oh, I see," Link said, frowning a little.

"But we should at least have enough time to chat before you depart for Ordon," Zelda said with a smile.

Link soon smiled back. "Sure, that sounds nice."

"Wonderful." Zelda then raised her bow and rapier, which she grasped together in one hand. "I'll just need to return these to my chambers first. Then we can go to the dining hall together."

Link just stared at the weapons for a moment. He couldn't help but find it a bit strange that the Princess was carrying them in her hands. Usually, they were worn on the user's person, using either a belt or a shoulder strap to properly hang them. In fact, Link's own bow was currently resting on his backside. Meanwhile, the Princess didn't have any such equipment to assist her. He wondered if she had left her room in a hurry this morning.

"Um…would you like me to carry those for you?" Link asked, pointing down at the weapons.

Zelda just gave him a curious look. "What? These?"

Link nodded. "I can carry them to your room, if you'd like."

"Whatever for?"

"I just figured I would offer my help. It doesn't exactly look comfortable carrying them around like that."

Zelda just blinked a bit before realizing what he was getting at. "Ah, I see. You're trying to be a gentleman, is that it?"

Link looked a little taken aback by this. "No. Well, I mean…I was just trying to be nice."

Zelda couldn't help but smirk at his behavior. It was nice to see someone other than herself being nervous for a change. "Well, that is very kind of you to offer, Link, but I think that I can handle this myself. After all, what kind of warrior can't carry their own equipment?"

Upon hearing this, Link just looked away, suddenly recalling how Midna had used a small portal to store some of his heavier and clunkier equipment for him. Naturally, this included two full sets of armor as well as a heavy ball and chain, not to mention his iron boots. Because of this, he felt a little guilty about agreeing with the Princess here, since he truly hadn't managed all of his equipment by himself. But still, could he honestly be blamed for his past actions? He had been forced to keep track of numerous items and weapons after all! How was he supposed to carry all of that without a little help?

"Fair point," he eventually replied with a nervous shrug.

Zelda simply turned to him, looking curious as well as somewhat amused. "What's that look for?"

"Wh-What look?" Link stuttered, still trying to look away.

"You look a little guilty," Zelda noted. "And this isn't your typical guilty expression either. This almost looks like…" She paused, staring at the Hero a little closer. "...like you're trying to hide something."

"N-No, I'm not hiding anything," he said, shaking his head. Damn, why did he have to stutter like that!? He soon closed his eyes, trying to keep a calm mind. "I was just agreeing with you, is all."

Zelda just laughed. It was painfully obvious that Link was a terrible liar. "Really? Are you sure that there isn't something you want to confess?"

Link shook his head as he kept his eyes shut. He already knew that she was teasing him. The last thing he wanted to do now was glance over and see that playful smirk on hers. "I have nothing to hide nor confess," he asserted.

Zelda giggled a bit more, amused at his stubbornness. However, she soon cut her laugh short as she abruptly stopped in place. She gave the Hero a concerned look. "Um…Link?"

Link just shook his head as he kept walking. "I'm serious, Zelda."

"Link!" she called again, her voice much louder as well a little frantic. "Watch where you're going!"

Link suddenly snapped his eyes open, only just now realizing that he may have walked a bit farther than he had intended. As he did so, he immediately felt his legs collide with something solid, and he stumbled forward, falling face first into what appeared to be a shallow body of water.

Splash! A small spray of water shot up into the air.

Meanwhile, Zelda's jaw dropped open as she watched in stunned silence. She honestly couldn't believe her eyes. Link had just walked straight into the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. No, not only had he walked straight into it; he had also plunged straight into it…

Within seconds, the Hero floundered around onto his back and managed to stick his head up above the water. The pool itself was fairly shallow, but it was still enough to drench the Hero from head to toe. He just gasped a bit as he looked around, equally stunned at his own situation.

He couldn't believe this. How had he managed to fall into a fountain!?

His eyes soon fell on Zelda, who still looked completely shocked and dumbfounded. A gloved hand hovered near her mouth, ready to cover it in horror after having witnessed this situation. However, a moment later, her fingers trembled, and her mouth clenched shut into a suppressed smile. It was then that the Princess loudly snorted before releasing a hearty, unrestrained laugh. She managed to place her hand over her mouth as her body buckled a bit from the laughter. Even her eyes were forced shut as tears threatened to spill out of them.

"L-Link!" she gasped. "You…You just…ah ha ha ha!" She continued to laugh uncontrollably.

Link just stared at her, still stuck in his own stunned silence. He still couldn't believe that he had done something so stupid and embarrassing yet again! Would he ever stop making a fool of himself? Would he ever stop being so clumsy?

However, as he continued to watch the Princess giggle, he couldn't help but smile a bit himself. This may have been an embarrassing mistake, but it was nice to see Zelda loosen up and truly enjoy herself for the second time today. Her sadness from earlier seemed to have completely dissolved, leaving nothing but a friendly, positive attitude in its wake. And Link also had to admit, in spite of his drenched situation, this was a little funny.

Link's smile soon cracked into a grin. "I…can't believe I just did that," he said with a small laugh.

By this point, Zelda tried to get her giggling under control while she also wiped away her tears. "My…My goodness, Link," she said, still gasping for air. "Does your clumsiness know no bounds?"

"Apparently not," Link said with a shrug. He took a second to raise one of his hands out of the water, only to splash it back down again. "First a flowerbed, now a fountain. What will be next?"

Zelda just giggled a bit more. Despite her best attempts to compose herself, she was still struggling. She honestly couldn't remember the last time that she had laughed this hard. Fortunately, she soon managed to take a deep breath which ended in a satisfied sigh. "Oh, Goddesses help me. What am I to do with you?"

"Put a fence around this thing?" Link suggested with a smirk.

Zelda giggled once again. This situation might have almost been too comedic to believe if she hadn't managed to witness it with her own eyes. She then watched as Link started to sit up a bit. Shaking her head, she moved closer to the fountain.

"Here," she said, extending her hand towards him.

Similar to when Link had fallen into the garden's flowerbed, he now eyed the Princess's hand before him. Once again, he gazed at the pristine white glove, and felt reluctant to accept it in his current condition.

He soon looked away. "Um, that's okay. I can get up on my own."

Zelda's expression softened as she looked down at him. She knew that he was just trying to look out for her, but she wasn't about to accept that excuse this time around. Shaking her head a bit more, she leaned in and grabbed his hand with her own. Link's eyes immediately went wide as he stared up at her with a surprised expression. Zelda just smiled back before giving his hand a strong tug.

Zelda managed to pull Link to his feet, and the water soaking his clothes began to run off of his person. Link just blushed a bit as he tried to keep his distance. The last thing that he wanted to do was accidentally drip some of the water onto the Princess's own clothes.

"Y-You didn't have to do that," he mumbled while staring down into the water.

Zelda kept a firm grasp on his hand, making sure that he wouldn't pull away. "I wanted to," she insisted. She then tugged on his hand again. "Come on, let's get the rest of you out too."

Link stared at her for a second, but he soon gave a sheepish nod. He walked to the fountain's edge and carefully stepped back onto dry land. He then stood there as the water started to pool by his feet.

It was only at this point that Zelda was finally willing to let go of the Hero's hand. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Link just nodded. "My pride is shattered, and my clothes are soaked through…but yes, I'm okay."

Zelda released another small giggle. She knew that he was just being exaggerative. "I'm glad to hear that."

Link glanced down at the Princess's soaked hand with a guilty expression for a second. "Your glove…"

"Can be cleaned," she assured him. "Don't worry about it. I just want to make sure that you're all right, Link."

Link sighed a bit. "You're always looking out for me, aren't you?" He then stared straight into the Princess's eyes, and gave her a sincere smile. "Thank you, Zelda."

Upon hearing this, the Princess immediately froze. It felt like lightning had struck her body. She had been doing so well, but within seconds, everything she had been trying to control suddenly came rushing back to consume her. Her cheeks turned red, her heart started beating faster, and she felt the strong need to avert her gaze. Despite her best efforts, she had been reduced to a flustered mess once again, and all because the Hero was showing her a little gratitude.

She quickly shifted her eyes to the ground. "Y-You're welcome," she mumbled.

Fortunately, Link didn't seem to notice her strange behavior. He was too busy glancing down at himself. "Man, what a mess. I guess it's a good thing I always remember to bring a change of clothes when I come here."

Zelda tried to compose herself, but this instance proved harder than any other. For some reason, her heart would just not settle down. The image of Link's gentle blue eyes staring back at her had apparently been ingrained into her memory, and thinking about it only made her heart beat even faster. With a nervous frown, she tried to stay strong and face the Hero. It wasn't for her own sake, but because she assumed that he could use some more help.

"Um, I can go fetch one of the maids and have them bring you a towel," Zelda offered. She then looked over his soaked form again. "Well, maybe a few towels."

"That would be great, thanks." Link said with a smile. He then reached over and wrung out one of the sleeves of his green tunic. A small trickle of water fell onto the grass below. As he watched it, he just sighed. "It's going to take me a while to get cleaned up. We might have to save our lunch together for another time."

"Oh," Zelda replied, feeling surprised. Due to the recent commotion, she had almost forgotten about that arrangement. A part of her felt a little disappointed, but another part of her felt incredibly relieved. There was no way that she could handle dining with the Hero in her current state. She felt like her emotions were completely out of her control, and she had no idea how long it would take to rein them back in. It was better to just avoid the situation altogether for now.

"That's probably for the best," she eventually agreed with a small smile. "Um, wait here. I'll go fetch that maid."

Zelda then ran off before Link had a chance to respond. She admittedly wished to be free of his presence before he said or did something that would set off her nerves again. She already felt like she was barely holding herself together as it was.

Within minutes, Zelda entered the castle's halls and managed to find a maid by the name of Sandra who was currently working on laundry. Upon hearing the Princess's request, Sandra quickly grabbed what was needed and the two of them hurried back outside. They soon reached the Hero's location, and he was finally able to start drying off a bit. He managed to get his head and arms dry, but his clothes were a lost cause. He ended up removing his boots, only to watch a small stream of water pour out of each of them. He just sighed again.

"Well, these are going to take some time to dry off," he noted.

"Would you like me to run to the stables and fetch your fresh clothes for you?" Zelda offered.

Link shook his head. "No, I can get them myself. And besides, I don't want to keep you here any longer than necessary. You still have a lot of work that you need to get to soon, right?"

Zelda frowned and nodded a bit. He did have a point there. She soon turned to the maid. "Sandra, do you happen to have the time?"

"It should be just past 12:30, Princess."

Zelda bit her lip and inwardly cursed. It was already later than she thought. She knew that she really needed to get going. "Are you going to be all right if I go?"

Link just looked surprised, but soon laughed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. The worst thing that could happen would be if I fell into another fountain, and at this point, would that really be so bad?"

Zelda smirked, amused at his joke. "No, I suppose not," she agreed.

Sandra then chose to speak up. "Worry not, Princess. I'll make sure that Sir Link is properly cleaned up and taken care of."

Zelda gave her an appreciative nod. She knew that he would be in good hands. She then turned her attention back towards the Hero. "In that case, I suppose that this is the last we'll see of each other before you head back home."

Link nodded, looking a little sad. "I guess so."

Zelda's eyes soon fell to the ground, trying to make sure that she would avoid any chance of eye contact with him. "Um…I just wanted to say thank you again, for spending the morning with me."

Link just smiled. "Of course. I had a lot of fun too."

Zelda could feel his eyes on her, and she suddenly started growing uncomfortable. The frequency of her heartbeat was steadily rising once again. She really needed to get out of there before she involuntarily did something foolish.

"Well, I wish you a safe trip home," she mumbled towards the ground. "And I'll see you when next you return."

"Thanks Zelda," Link said sincerely. "I'll see you again soon."

Zelda felt the heat in her cheeks start to rise a bit. She quickly turned away before anyone had a chance to notice. "Farewell."

Once the goodbyes were finished, Zelda made her way back inside the castle. She was now alone, but it didn't really do anything to help her condition. Even now, she could tell that her face was dyed a strong shade of red.

Suddenly, Zelda felt the desire for absolute privacy. The last thing that she wanted was for someone to see her like this. As she continued to walk the halls, she could feel her pace start to quicken. Her feet gradually picked up speed as they rapidly moved beneath her. By the time she reached the hallway where her bedchamber resided, she was nearly in a full-on sprint. It was only once she was safely in the sanctuary of her room that she slowed to a halt.

Zelda promptly shut the door behind her, giving her the privacy that she desperately craved. She then glanced down at her hand to see that she still carried her bow and rapier with her. She had honestly forgotten about them in all the commotion. She quickly set them aside so that she could focus on more important matters. Specifically, herself.

Zelda placed a hand on her heart as she collapsed onto her furniture. For some reason, the tiny organ was pounding away, like an obnoxious drum within her chest. Despite her best efforts to relax, Zelda was having a hard time getting the organ to quiet down. It just seemed insistent on beating without pause.

Unfortunately, Zelda's thoughts were no better. Images of the Hero drifted across her mind. The sound of his voice echoed in her ears. Even though the Princess was trying to clear her mind of such things, they just kept plaguing her without relent. At this point, Zelda could do nothing but sit there and continue to blush as her emotions ran rampant.

Eventually, a small voice of reason managed to call out from the sea of turmoil that was the Princess's thoughts. She recognized it as her own conscience, and it appeared to be trying to remind her of her goals and the promise that she had made to herself.

Why are you acting like this, Zelda? Didn't you say that you were going to be strong and put an end to this foolish behavior? Didn't you promise yourself that you would get over him?

Zelda just shook her head, feeling completely lost and hopeless.

I'm not sure that I can!

This story is now the second longest fic I've ever written, and it didn't even take me that long to get here either. Which I feel is impressive but also a little surprising. It's like "Whoa, how did I get here so fast?"

What's even more concerning is that I could potentially see this story becoming my longest fanfic ever once it is complete. That means that it will have to surpass my Gintama story, Silver Moon, which is a 350,000 word behemoth.

That thought is honestly kind of terrifying lol. But I promise to do my best to continue writing an interesting and satisfying story for everyone.