To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 28 – Fishing Contest

It didn't take long for Ralis to collect all of his brethren and inform them of the competition. The rules were simple. Everyone would gather around the pool and spend one hour casting their lines into the water. Whoever managed to land the biggest fish in that time would then be declared the winner.

Naturally, many of the Zoras seemed excited about this, and went to fetch their fishing rods. Others declined to participate, but they were more than happy to watch the competition from the sidelines. Before long, a crowd of spectators formed around the shores and the cliffs, excited to see what types of fish would be wrangled from the water's depths.

Meanwhile, Link and Zelda stood off to the side, at a private spot further away from the crowds. Link had since donned a blue tunic in order to cover his torso, while Zelda had wrapped her salmon-colored robe over her swimsuit. Now that they were out of the water, they felt no need to lounge about in their swimwear.

Link had borrowed a fishing rod from the Zoras, and he soon handed it over to Zelda. The Princess cautiously took it into her hands, not quite sure how to handle it. She felt a bit nervous about attempting this for the first time, especially since there would be a crowd watching her every move.

Her lost expression must have been noticeable, for Link soon laughed and gave her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, Zelda. I'll help you through every step."

Zelda nodded a bit before taking a deep breath. He was right. As long as she had the Hero by her side, then she would have nothing to worry about. "Very well…So, what do I do first?"

Link smiled before taking his own rod and leaning it against his shoulder. He then grabbed the end of his line. "First, you'll need to set your hook." The Hero took a second to fetch a small metal hook which he securely tied to the end of his line.

Zelda watched his movements carefully before mimicking them with her own rod. Fortunately, she knew how to tie a good knot, and her delicate fingers were dexterous enough to get it done without any trouble.

Once she was finished, Link admired her work. "Not bad," he said with a nod. "Next, we'll need to apply the bait."

Zelda then watched as Link reached into a small container full of dirt that had been provided to them. After a few seconds, his fingers retracted, now grasping a small, writhing worm.

"You'll just want to stab your hook through the middle," Link explained before showing her. A second later, he had the worm safely secured to his hook. "See? Pretty simple."

Zelda wrinkled her nose in disgust as she watched the worm continue to writhe on his hook. She had never been fond of bugs. Or whatever this pink slimy thing was supposed to be. Taking a deep breath, Zelda approached the small container of dirt. She then slowly extended her hand towards it, only to freeze as soon as she saw something move inside. Zelda nervously bit her lip as she felt her skin start to crawl.

Link quickly picked up on her hesitation, and gave her a curious look. "What's the matter?"

Zelda frowned before shaking her head. "Nothing." She then turned her attention back to the dirt and attempted to stick her fingers inside once again. However, the second she saw something else move in there, she quickly retracted her hand back to her side. Zelda bit her lip once more as she felt a chill run down her back.

This time, Link ended up snickering a bit. The Princess soon glanced over to find that he had an amused smile on his face. "Wow, I never would have thought…" he mumbled.

Zelda scowled as she kept her hand close to her side. "Thought what?" she pressed him.

"Thought that you would be scared of worms," Link replied with a smirk.

Zelda quickly frowned as she scowled some more. "I am not," she told him, her words sounding much more confident than she truly felt.

"Then what's taking so long?" Link asked, still teasing her with his smirk.

Zelda looked away from his taunting eyes, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. "I was…just trying to determine which worm would serve as the best bait. This is a competition, after all."

"Aren't they all the same?" Link asked. "That's what makes this a fair competition."

Zelda bit her tongue, not quite sure what to say to that. She certainly wasn't going to start pretending like she was an expert on what made some worms more appetizing than others. "I…suppose you have a point."

Link just laughed before shaking her head. "You know, Zelda, it's okay if you're afraid of the worms. I won't hold it against you."

Zelda frowned again, almost feeling a little offended. The last thing she wanted was for Link to think that she was showing some sort of weakness. Especially over something as insignificant as a worm. "I am not afraid," she reiterated. "In fact, I'll have you know that I am not afraid of anything. Just because I am a Princess that was raised in a luxurious castle does not mean that I am weighed down by fears of the outside world."

Link just blinked, feeling a bit surprised at this rebuttal. "Oh…is that so?"

"Yes," Zelda replied with a confident nod. However, while her conviction sounded strong on the outside, Zelda knew that she was greatly exaggerating the truth. Even off the top of her head, she could think of numerous things that she was afraid of. Her father's condition worsening, Ganondorf's dark power threatening her Kingdom, her true feelings for the Hero being exposed…

Zelda soon shook her head, pushing such thoughts away. That was all beside the point. The truth of the matter was that the Princess didn't frighten easily, and that was all she was trying to convey.

Nevertheless, Link just ended up giving her a skeptical look. "You're really not scared?"

"Of course not," Zelda replied, keeping her head held high.

Link continued to stare at her for a moment, but soon shrugged with a smile. "Well, great. In that case, go ahead and grab a worm already."

Zelda flinched as the color drained from her face. Leave it to the Hero to demolish her entire argument with such a simple request. Still, Zelda wasn't about to give in. Feeling brave, she extended her hand towards the dirt once more. She hesitated when she spotted a worm wriggling around inside, but not for long. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Zelda stuck her fingers into the dirt, blindly digging around until she grasped the slimy creature.

The Princess tensed up, but she soon brought the worm back to her side and dared to open her eyes. Somehow, her fingers found the courage to bring the hook up to the creature and connect the two of them together. She only watched long enough to make sure that the worm was secure before she dropped the line, letting it hang loose. She then released a nervous breath of air that had been pent up within her. She also made sure to avert her gaze, hoping that it would be free of the slimy creature for a while. That task had been far more difficult than she would have liked to admit…

Suddenly, Zelda's eyes ended up falling on Link, who was staring back at her with the most amused expression that she had ever seen from him. His lips were tightly pursed together, and he honestly looked like he was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. It didn't take long for Zelda to figure out why. While she had been successful in securing a worm on her hook, she realized that her actions must have seemed far from confident. No, it was worse than that. Zelda knew that her actions probably shared a closer resemblance to those of a frightened child. Before long, she began to feel her cheeks turn a light shade of red from her embarrassment.

Oh, what a fool she was.

"Um…can we move on to the next step?" she requested quietly, before Link had a chance to tease her further.

Stifling his laugh for good, Link just nodded. The Princess's behavior was rather entertaining, but he saw no need to dwell on it. "Sure. Next, I'm going to show you how to cast your line."

Link proceeded to approach the water and explained the best technique for casting. He then gave a demonstration, bringing his rod back before giving it a short but strong thrust forward. The line flew out towards the center of the pool before sinking into the water below.

Zelda just nodded before attempting it herself. Fortunately, she found the motion simple enough to complete, and seconds later, her lure was also plunged into the depths of the pool.

Link nodded his approval before taking a seat on the ground. "Good, now all you have to do is wait for something to bite. Just keep an eye on your line, and as soon as something starts tugging on it, reel it in."

Zelda nodded. "Sounds simple enough." She then smiled at the Hero. "Thank you for teaching me, Link."

He smiled back. "No problem."

Zelda also sat down on a nearby rock, watching her line carefully as the minutes ticked away. Even though the Princess had never gone fishing before, it didn't take long for her to appreciate the tranquility of such a thing. The cove was quiet. The water was calm and undisturbed. It quickly put Zelda into a peaceful state of mind.

"This is sort of relaxing, isn't it?" she asked Link.

Link just smiled and nodded back. "Yeah, there's nothing more peaceful than just sitting back by the water, waiting to see what your rod brings back to you. It just feels so nice to waste your hours away in the sun like this."

Zelda nodded in agreement. "If only every day could be like today. Unfortunately, life often keeps me too busy to ever provide the opportunity."

Link gave her a sympathetic look. "You know, if you ever want the chance to sneak away from the castle for a few hours, I'd be happy to help you with that."

Zelda gave him a faint smile. "Sneak away from the castle?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Like if you ever wanted a break from all of your duties."

"And you are saying that you would help me sneak away?"

"Of course."

Zelda's smile soon turned into a perplexed smirk. "Really? Because if I recall correctly, you were against the idea of me sneaking away from the festivities back in Kakariko Village. At the very least, you mentioned that you didn't want to get into trouble for being my accomplice."

Link blinked at this accusation, but he soon smiled. "Well, I still don't want to get into trouble…But, if it means that you get to be happy and have some peace of mind for a change, I'd be willing to risk it."

Zelda just looked away, feeling her cheeks start to redden a bit. She always felt a bit flustered whenever the Hero showed her such kindness. "I see…That is very thoughtful of you, Link. Perhaps I'll have to take you up on that offer."

Link simply flashed a satisfied grin. "Just say the word and I'll come anytime."

The Princess was about to ask him exactly how he planned to sneak her out of the castle and away from her duties, but she ended up pausing instead. Suddenly, she could feel a strong tug on her line. Glancing down at it in confusion, she quickly gathered what was happening.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Something is biting!" She then froze, completely forgetting what she was supposed to do next.

"Quick, reel it in!" Link instructed her as he jumped to his feet.

Zelda also stood up and tightly grasped her rod. She then began pulling back while trying to wind the line in. It proved a bit more difficult than she had expected, as whatever had bit her lure was fighting against her with all its might. Clenching her teeth, Zelda continued to fight back, reeling in her catch as fast as she could.

At this point, a crowd had started gathering behind her, many of the spectators eager to witness the Princess's catch. Ralis also appeared from within the crowd, and soon ran up to her with a bright smile.

"Good job, Zelda," he said encouragingly. "Now don't let it get away."

Zelda just huffed, feeling her hands grow a bit tired. "This is…rather difficult..."

Link shook his head. "Don't worry, you've got this. Just keep reeling it in."

Zelda nodded and did as she was told. Eventually, she managed to get her line near the shore. By this point, the fish was barely resisting at all, and Zelda was having an easier time reeling it closer to her. Before long, she managed to pull her lure free from the water, revealing her catch at the end of it.

The crowd quickly fell silent as Zelda marveled at her catch. It was a beautiful fish; ivory in color, with its scales sparkling in the light. It harmlessly flapped its fins around a bit as it dangled from her rod.

Zelda flashed a bright smile as she turned to face the two boys beside her. "I did it!" she said cheerfully. "I caught my first fish!"

However, to Zelda's surprise, Link and Ralis both just looked dumbfounded. She curiously stared back at them, watching as their faces then slowly lit up into small smirks. A few seconds later, they couldn't contain their amusement, and they both ended up bursting into full-on laughter.

Zelda just frowned, feeling a bit taken aback at this reaction. Even as she stood there, she could hear some of the spectators in the crowd start chuckling as well. She didn't quite understand. Why was everyone laughing at her?

"Ah ha ha ha!" Ralis bellowed cheerfully, placing a hand on his forehead. "That is quite amusing, Princess Zelda, quite amusing indeed."

Zelda frowned some more, still confused. "Um…what's so funny?" she asked, turning from the Zora Prince to the Hero.

Link chuckled some more before pointing to the fish at the end of Zelda's rod. He then smiled as he tried to explain. "Well, Zelda, it's a nice fish and all…But tell me something, have you noticed the size of your catch?"

Zelda blinked before taking another glance at her fish. Somehow, in all of her excitement, she had completely failed to acknowledge its size. Which, incidentally, was barely larger than her finger. It was so small that it could have easily fit in the palm of her hand.

With an embarrassed blush, Zelda suddenly realized what everyone was laughing about.

"Ha ha, why, that might be the record for the smallest catch we've ever had in Zora's Domain," Ralis continued with a smile. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that it's probably not going to be winning any competitions today."

Zelda sighed before closing her eyes, feeling a little ashamed. "Er, yes, I see your point." She then paused as she felt someone place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she glanced back to find Link smiling at her.

"Don't worry, Zelda," he told her. "The fish might not be very impressive, but you should still be proud of yourself."

Zelda just gave him a doubtful look. "I should?"

"Of course!" Link exclaimed with a grin. "You've successfully managed to catch your first fish. Well done."

Zelda produced a shy smile in response. It was still a little embarrassing to hear everyone laugh at her miniscule catch, but she was just glad to know that Link had appreciated her effort. Truth be told, she was proud of her first catch, and she honestly didn't care what anyone else had to say about it. She had succeeded at something that she had never attempted before, and she intended to keep her head held high.

With soft eyes, Zelda stared back at the Hero. She was grateful for many of his qualities, including his kindness, his patience, and his empathy. However, in this moment, the thing that she was truly grateful for, were his genuine words of encouragement. He always had a way of comforting her, simply by being his positive, uplifting self.

"Thank you, Link," she whispered.

You see? Link isn't the only one who embarrasses himself. Sometimes Zelda embarrasses herself too! lol

And sorry the chapter is a little short this time but I just wanted to focus on the fun little fishing contest. But fair warning, the next chapter will be quite long, so please look forward to it :)