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triforceangel13 · 4 years

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The Promise Ch. 14 (A SidLink Story)

Chapter 14: Reunited

Link let out a small sigh as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking to the building that he was helping create. The sounds of hammering wood and men and women working sounded around him. It was taking some time but the buildings that were damaged were starting to come together. When this town put their minds to something like reconstruction they set to it and made sure it got done. Everyone mattered to them in this small town.

It felt like to him that not much time had passed since he had come back home and buried himself into working. In reality quite a bit of time had passed since then.

His hair had grown a little longer and scratchy stubble had settled on his face. The only thing that seemed to have remained was the toned physique but that was simply just from working with stone and wood so much day in and day out.

What would Sidon think of him now? He would probably think he wasn't good looking any longer. The Zora must hate him even for breaking his promise in the first place. He wouldn't blame him for never wanting to see him ever again.

Sidon...Oh how much he missed him. He missed his kisses and missed his arms around him, keeping him safe and loved.

But that strong sense to protect his family blinded him. He didn't know it himself but it was still there. He wanted to protect them when they didn't need protecting. He wanted to stay when he should be returning back home to the king.

Such a kind man that rarely took for himself.

To Link he felt that he was going to stay there for the rest of his days to make sure they were taken care of.

“Good afternoon Link,” came the sound of Impa's voice from behind him. Link turned and smiled at his technical mother, watching as she struggled to carry a tray with a pitcher of iced tea with a few glasses. Link quickly went to her side, taking the tray for her and setting it on a flat rock next to him, then helped her to take a seat.

“What are you doing all the way out here Impa? It's hot out,” Link said, taking the pitcher and pouring them each a glass. Despite that he shouldn't have brought it out to him he did admit he needed the cold drink.

“I thought you needed a little break from working so hard,” she said, taking the glass from Link and drinking some down.

“Well thank you, I do need a little break,” he laughed softly, leaning back a bit as he looked out at the work they had done. So much had been done but so much still needed to happen. That one little act of defiance was taking so much time to repair.

“You have done quite a lot over this time,” Impa said, worry covering her face. “Though I'll admit Link I am a little worried about you.”

“About what?” he asked as he took a sip, nearly spitting out his drink when Impa pushed against his back to make him sit up straight.

“Well first you look like a mess. Sit up straight,” she scolded him. “Cut your hair, shave your face, and for crying out loud when was the last time you took a shower.”

Link sat up straight, a flush of embarrassment coming over his face. He really hadn't been taking care much of himself at all had he...?

“And last but not least you should go home to the Domain,” she finally finished, patting herself on the knee for emphasis.

“I'm right where I belong Impa,” Link said softly. “This town is my home.”

“You are not where you belong,” Impa said, the sound of annoyance rising in her voice as she stood up, coming face to face with Link.

“Impa I-”

“Now listen here young man,” Impa said firmly. “You have let yourself go since you've been here and all you do is work until you are nearly passing out from it. You need to slow down and get yourself back home to your husband.”

Link rubbed the stubble on his chin. That part was at least true. He rarely had to shave but if there was at least this much hair on his face he knew he really hadn't been paying much attention to it. And if she was telling him to shower he really mustn't smell that good.

“I told you several times that we are fine here and that you should go back to him,” she finally finished, this time her voice softer.

Link sighed. Of course she would bring him up again. She would bring up Sidon and his heart would ache as always. What he wouldn't give to just see him again...

But what would he did if he did? He felt so guilty. Sidon wouldn't even want anything to do with him at all.

“Impa, it's not that simple-” her hand pressed against his mouth to silence him. Link sighed heavily, looking to the woman that always seemed to know just what to say to get him thinking. The right things to make him question his own actions.

She flicked his forehead then causing him to grunt a little bit. That hadn't happened to him since he was a kid and it was usually when ever he was doing something stupid.

“You need to stop thinking like this. We are fine. Yes we want you here, but as a guest and a visitor, not someone who owes us their life,” Impa protested.

Link let out a sigh. “He probably doesn't want to see me at all Impa. Look how long it's been since I've been here. He hasn't written. He probably hates me.”

“Well you don't know if you don't try,” Impa scolded but Link sighed looking away. He couldn't just leave now.

He opened his mouth to say something when the sound of a sudden commotion at the entrance of town started to ring up to them. Link got up to his feet quickly, climbing one of the closest rocks to take a look. The others in his area spoke among themselves, confused and in awe at the sight that was just out of the way for Link to be able to see.

“What's going on?” Link asked them, pushing himself up a little bit to try to get a sight of what was going on.

“There's a zora here,” one of the men said to him confused. “But it isn't the one that came last time. This one is much bigger.”

Link's brows furrowed a little bit. Why had one of them come all the way out there? Were they delivering a message?

With a heavy sigh he pushed himself up further to look and nearly fell off the rock when he finally saw who it was.

There was no mistaking the very tall red Zora walking weakly into the village, giving small waves and smiles as he made his way into the village.

Several thoughts swirled around Link's head. First he was happy to see that the villagers were welcoming him with open arms, the children even running up to his legs and surrounding him. Though he couldn't help but notice that Sidon did not walk with his usual vigor and large smile. He looked tired, weak, and about to fall over.

But the question that was with him most of all was why was Sidon out there?

“Sidon...” Link said softly, feeling tears starting to brim his eyes. He had missed him so much. The fact that he was there....

“What are you waiting for?” Impa asked with a small knowing smile growing on her face as she watched Link.

The blonde looked down at her, the smile on his face genuine as the tears finally left his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Impa laughed softly and gestured towards Sidon with her chin.

“Go to him.”

Link didn't have to be told twice and pushed himself off of the rocks, running towards the entrance to the village.

He knew he looked like hell. His hair was a mess, he was sweaty and probably smelled bad, and the stubble still sat on his chin. But all he could think of was getting to Sidon's side and running into his arms.

The thought of him not wanting to see him was the farthest from his mind now. Why else would Sidon come all the way out there just to tell him he never wanted to see him again?

Sidon still loved him.

“Sidon!” Link called out to the king, earning everyone's attention as he came running towards him. Sidon lifted his head up from looking at one of the kids and his smile grew across his face, it reaching his eyes as he opened his arms wide.

“My Link!” he cried happily.

Link launched himself into his arms, the force of him coming forward causing both of them to topple to the ground. He laughed softly, leaning in to kiss Sidon on the lips. He responded weakly which caused Link to pull back and look down at him.

Sidon's eyes were closed, a smile on his lips.

Link felt like the life drained out of his body, the smile falling from his face as he got up from his body, settling his head on his lap.

“Sidon...sidon are you okay?” he asked panicked. The king slowly opened his eyes and smiled gently at him.

“I'm alright now that I have you my love...” he mumbled softly. “I'm just so tired and dry. I need a place to rest...”

Link nodded his head, looking to the others around them. “Please, can someone help me get him to some water?”

“I told you we should have stopped him to rest,” came the sound of another familiar female voice, quickly followed by another Link recognized.

“I know I know...quickly now.”

Link's eyes widened a bit when he saw Zelda and Bazz approaching quickly.

“It's the princess!” someone gasped, several conversations quickly bursting out around them in excitement at the sight of her. First the king of the zora was in their small town and now the princess of all of hyrule!

“This is a sign! The peace is coming!”

Bazz knelt down next to his king, a wet cloth in his palms as he ran it over Sidon's face. Sidon let out a small groan, turning his face towards Link's middle.

“We should get him inside,” Zelda said as she crouched by them. “We have been traveling nonstop to get here and he hasn't been eating well.”

“This excitement isn't that good for him either right now,” Bazz added worried, starting to pull Sidon up, the villagers surround them pulling back when they finally noticed Sidon in such a condition. Impa came forward then, a small smile coming to Sidon's face as he extended his arm down to her. She took his hand, patting the back of it lightly.

“Thank you for coming. Let's get you inside,” she said, releasing his hand and leading them towards the inn.

Link rose a brow as they started to slowly make their way to the inn, a raised brow on his face. He wondered if Impa had something to do with this.

Zelda sighed softly as she walked, running a tired hand down her face, though gave Link a small smile as she stepped up next to him.

“Zelda, what's going on,” he asked her, slowing down so he could talk to her privately about what had happened.

The Princess gave a small smile and rest her hand on his shoulder. “Now don't be angry alright, but we received a letter from your caretaker.”

“I should have guessed,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “What did she say?”

“That's not important right now,” she said which had Link frowning softly. “Just know that what she said spurred Sidon to come to you.”

“But why is he in this condition?”

The smile fell from Zelda's face to be replaced with an annoyed gaze. “The king hadn't been eating or sleeping as it was since you had left and then he insisted that we travel nearly nonstop since we left to get here. Now he's exhausted, dehydrated and hungry. Please talk some sense into him would you? You're the only one he will listen to right now.”

Link sighed softly. He should have seen this coming. While he was worried that Sidon would hate him he was in turn being worried and upset that he was gone and nearly withering away.

Much like Link was doing here with burying himself with work.

“I know the feeling,” Link said with a sigh, stepping into the inn and following them to one of the rooms.

Zelda rolled her eyes. “You boys really are meant for eachother.”

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#breath of the wild #sidlink #the promise

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frizz22 · 5 years

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Prompt: I know you don’t do a lot of Spellwood. But could you write something where Zelda is very pregnant and sends Faustus on a snack run, but being his awkward self knows he can’t talk to mortals so he ropes Sabrina in for help.

I’ll take pretty much any prompt! Thank you for the cute idea and sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy! Read on ao3

“A ho-ho?” He repeated back dubiously, brow furrowed at his wife.

Shifting to find a more comfortable spot, Zelda nodded. “Yes, please Faustus. I’ve been craving them all day. We used to get them sometimes when Sabrina was little, I only had them myself a few times, but they are all I can think about. Please?”

“And this is a roll of chocolate breading with filling…” Faustus clarified, still unsure.

Humming in the affirmative, “yes, it’s a Little Debbie cake,” she added.

His expression went completely blank with confusion, what in Satan’s name was a Little Debbie?

Seeing his confusion, Zelda sighed and made to push herself off the couch where she’d reclined to prop up her swollen feet. “I can get them myself,” she offered, clearly taking pity on him.

But that wouldn’t do, he could take care of his pregnant wife and her cravings. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Faustus gently kept her from getting up. “Zels, I’ve got it. I just wanted to make sure I pick up the right thing. I’ll be back soon,” he smiled encouragingly and kissed her lightly.

She all but melted back into the couch, “thank you, Faustus.” She smiled in return and squeezed his hand.

Nodding, he left the room with a purposeful stride… even if he still didn’t have the faintest idea of what he was supposed to be buying. Instead of heading for the door, though, Faustus made for Sabrina’s room.

Normally the teen wouldn’t be his first choice. The start of their relationship had been rocky at best and though it’d improved to a degree since he and Zelda began courting and eventually married over a year ago, she was still the last Spellman he’d have sought out for help.

But she was the only one home right now, and Faustus was desperate. It would have been one thing if Zelda craved an odd witching food, but an odd mortal food? He had no clue how to navigate a mortal bakery in search of a food he was unfamiliar with… and he knew the mortals employed at the store would be suspicious of his questions.

Which was why he didn’t even pause outside the girl’s door but knocked sharply twice and waited.

Sabrina blinked when she opened the door and realized it was him. Regaining herself, she crossed her arms. “Father Blackwood,” she greeted stiffly.

Stifling a sigh at the fact that she still refused to call him Faustus outside of the academy as he suggested, he plunged right in. “I need your help.”

If she had been shocked before by his presence, it had nothing on her expression now. “Wait, what?”

“Your Aunt Zelda is craving something made by a ‘Little Debbie’. A stuffed pastry called a ho-ho? Zelda mentioned you ate them when you were younger, do you recall which bakery they came from?” He truly hoped she remembered, he didn’t want to go back to Zelda empty-handed. Sabrina laughed at his request, rather hard, and Faustus frowned. “I’ll call around to the local bakeries then, if you cannot—”

“No, no, no.” Sabrina caught his arm with one hand to keep him from leaving and grabbed the coat she’d draped over her chair with the other. “I’m sorry, I know you’re not familiar with some mortal foods… It’s just,” she chortled a bit more and brought it under control with some effort. “It’s just you’re way off base and it was funny. I’ll help.” She smiled and pulled her coat on.

Exhaling in relief and taken aback by Sabrina’s geniality, Faustus followed the girl down the stairs and out to the car. As they climbed in, Sabrina directed him to the nearest grocery store.

“Oh, so this Little Debbie, she sells her baked goods at chain stores then?” He asked, pulling out of the drive and onto the main road.

Chuckling again, Sabrina shook her head. “Little Debbie isn’t actually a person,” she informed him, “it’s the name of a company. They make snack cakes.”

“Snack cakes?” Was he really so out of touch with mortal culture that he didn’t even know what a snack cake was? Apparently so.

Pursing her lips, Sabrina paused a moment to think. “Snack cakes are, they’re sugary pastry like treats, marketed towards kids. They usually have some kind of filling, there are loads of options.”

Lifting a brow, Faustus glanced at her. “Ah, so I take it you’re familiar with all of these options?” He teased good-naturedly, though he effectively hid how excited he was that they were having a conversation without the usual underlying tension.

“No, actually, Aunt Hilda hated the things.” Sabrina recalled, tucking one of her legs under her. “She would say, ‘why buy assembly line baked goods with Satan knew how many chemicals and preservatives when she could make something five times better and fresh at that in our own kitchen?’” She smiled at the memory, “we only got them on rare occasions and even then, we had to smuggle them around the house so she wouldn’t find them.” Huffing slightly in amusement, Sabrina shook her head fondly at her family’s old antics.

Not wanting to interrupt her reminiscing, Faustus just nodded, reveling in the fact that Sabrina had shared anything with him. A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot and exited the car in a companionable silence.

Sabrina rounded the car, likely about to give him some quick tips on how to act in a mortal grocery store, when she froze. “You need to change.” She remarked, eyes wide.

Baffled, Faustus looked down at his outfit, “what?”

“Your clothes. I didn’t realize how,” she waved a hand trying to find the word, “how Church of Night they were.” She finished, gesturing to the robe he hadn’t had a chance to change out of after work. “Just,” Sabrina glanced around the parking lot to make sure they were alone. “Just change into one of your suits, that you wear at the academy.”

Doing as he was told, Faustus flicked his wrist and changed his clothes. “Do mortals not wear robes?”

Snorting and then trying to cover it with a cough, Sabrina shook her head. “Most don’t. And those that do, don’t have ones as nice as yours, and they definitely don’t wear them grocery shopping.”

“Ahh, so I’d have drawn some unwanted attention, then.”

“Absolutely,” she grinned and partially turned to the store, “ready?”

Letting loose an exaggerated sigh, Faustus straightened his shoulders. “As I’ll ever be,” he supplied dryly, causing Sabrina to smirk as she led the way inside.

To Faustus’ horror, they were accosted by an overly chipper mortal the moment they entered the store. This aggressive friendliness made him even more grateful Sabrina had accompanied him. Her presence helped quash Faustus’ desire to hex the slightly manic smile off the employee’s face.

Thankfully, Sabrina handled the man easily, returning his greeting as she made her way past. Faustus trailed after her with a brisk walk, avoiding eye contact and hoping that since Sabrina interacted with the man, he wouldn’t have to.

When they were out of earshot, he leaned over to her, “do they really pay someone to just stand there and welcome people into the store?” He asked, it seemed like a poor business practice that created unnecessary expenses.

“They also assist you if you need help finding anything,” Sabrina explained, turning down an aisle. “He would have been the one assisting you if I wasn’t here.” She raised a brow at him knowingly, as if sensing he’d thought the position superfluous.

He gave a grumpy harrumph and started to browse the shelves, though he still had no idea what he was looking for. Rolling her eyes playfully, Sabrina made a beeline for the middle of the aisle and stopped, searching as well.

“Ah ha!” She exclaimed triumphantly, snatching up a small, white rectangular box and handing it to him. “There you go.” Her expression was a little smug, but there was something light and teasing in her tone.

Examining the box, Faustus furrowed his brows, “these, these are ho-hos?” He glanced at her and could tell she was holding back from laughing at his expression.

“Yes, nothing more mortal than over-processed, overpriced sugar. No wonder Auntie Zee was craving them.”

Faustus shrugged slightly in acceptance, “is one box enough? Will Zelda want more? What about the other… snack cakes?” He took a moment to remember the word as he scanned the rest of the aisle, stunned. It wasn’t as if witches always ate the healthiest, but this amount of junk food… it was excessive and a little concerning.

Sabrina hummed and studied the shelves as well. “A second box couldn’t hurt, and I know Ambrose will want at least one for himself.” She picked up another box and deposited it into his arms. “And maybe,” she bit her lip and her hand hovered over a box labeled ‘Zebra Cakes’. Though what zebras had to do with anything related to pastries or snack cakes Faustus wasn’t sure. “No, no those should be enough.” She decided, letting her hand drop.

“If you want the Zebra Cakes for yourself, Sabrina, I can get them. It’s no problem.” He offered, and she just chewed on her lip hesitantly. “As long as I get to try one,” he added.

Grinning, Sabrina picked up the box, “deal.” She agreed and looked at him again, only this time she tilted her head as if seeing him for the first time.

He arched a brow in return, but she ignored his inquiring look and made for the front of the store to check out. Before they reached a register, though, she froze.

“You have money, right? Like regular people money? I forgot to grab my purse.”

Faustus laughed, “oh, so I’m not allowed to barter with the goat I left in the car? Have mortals advanced past that system of trade?” Sabrina tried to give him a stern look, but the corners of her mouth twitched up in amusement. “Of course, I have ‘regular people’ money. I may be unfamiliar with many aspects of the mortal world, but money is a universal language; one I am well versed in.”

Holding up her hands in mock surrender, Sabrina started to the cashier again. “Just wanted to be sure.”

Unfortunately, the self-checkout machines were out of service and only one lane was open, forcing them to wait behind an elderly woman who was handing the cashier one coupon at a time with shaking hands.

By the time the woman finished, Faustus was close to tearing his hair out with impatience, his free hand clenching and unclenching with any number of spells that would hurry the process along. His current favorite was one that would have the old woman dropping dead on the spot, but that would backfire, the mortal emergency services would be called, and then they would never get checked out. Faustus only managed to keep it together because Sabrina was watching him closely, likely expecting an outburst.

When they finally made it back to the car, Sabrina cracked up, even wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I thought you were going to burst an artery,” she gasped, far more amused by their eternal wait in line than him.

Grumbling, Faustus put the food in the backseat and climbed into the car. “That experience could rival one of the circles of Hell,” he muttered, starting the engine.

She snorted and buckled her seatbelt. “It really was astonishing that nothing caught fire,” she continued to joke as they made their way back to the house. He made all the appropriate grumbling noises, but he found this side of Sabrina was much more enjoyable and entertaining than the side that constantly flouted the rules, challenged the church and put others in danger.

As they reached the drive way, Sabrina fell silent, staring out the window. And when Faustus parked the car, she made no move to get out. So, he stayed put as well.

“Is there something you would like to discuss?” He probed carefully, not wanting to ruin the delicate progress they’d made on this impromptu trip.

Nodding, Sabrina shifted to face him. “I’m sorry for being a brat to you.” Stunned, Faustus just blinked, unsure what to say in response. He was given some extra time to consider his reply when Sabrina continued. “I know we’ve butted heads a lot, but I’m glad I got to see this side of you tonight. Knowing that there’s more to you than the headmaster and high priest, well, it makes more sense why Aunt Zelda was excited to marry you. And you make her happy, so I shouldn’t be giving you such a hard time. Because Auntie Zee deserves to be happy.”

Faustus nodded. “On that we agree wholeheartedly,” he smiled softly, taken aback by her statement. “And I appreciate the apology and owe you one of my own. We do butt heads a lot, but you have opened my eyes to certain aspects that could do with some, revising within the church. I am not for all of your changes,” he held up a hand when she excitedly perked up, “but traditions such as the Feast of Feasts could be observed without the actual consumption of a female coven member.”

“Maybe a play instead? Portraying Freya’s initial sacrifice? The academy could do more than one play a year, and—” Sabrina was animatedly talking now and Faustus smiled.

Clearing his throat, he interrupted. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, and I’m sure Zelda would be thrilled to direct another play next fall. But right now, we need to get her these snack cakes before your aunt decides I took too long and goes out herself.” Grinning, Sabrina agreed.

As they got out of the car, Sabrina stopped and held out her hand. “I, I hope this can be a new starting point for us and that we can continue to make the Church of Night the best it can be…Faustus.” She bit her lip uncertainly.

“I think it can be a new starting point, Sabrina.” He shook her hand, “and perhaps having discussions with the youth at the academy could help us decide the future of the coven… to an extent.” He smiled warmly and they headed inside.

Once indoors, Sabrina made to go to her room immediately. Faustus called out, “Sabrina, would you like to join us?” It was an awkward invitation, but he thought if nothing else the thought would be appreciated. “You do have your Zebra Cakes,” he held up the bag.

Thinking on it a moment, Sabrina descended the few steps she had gone up. “That’d be nice, thanks.” She smiled and they went into the parlor together.

If Zelda was surprised to see them together, she didn’t show it. She just looked up from her book and grinned, “oh my heroes!” She teased, putting the book aside and leveraging herself up. “Thank you so much.” Zelda touched his cheek when he bent over and kissed her lightly before sitting down next to her.

Sabrina took a seat across from them, already tearing into her own box. They were chatting happily, trading snacks by tossing them across the coffee table when Ambrose poked his head in.

“I knew I smelled these!” He exclaimed excitedly, joining them and picking up a few treats for himself.

Shaking her head, Sabrina turned to Faustus. “Told you he’d want some, two boxes was a good call.”

Before he could reply, the front door opened once more, and they all froze. Hilda’s voice called out, asking where everyone was. Ambrose and Sabrina’s eyes widened, they snatched up their treats and bolted out of the room through the kitchen.

Leaving somewhat flustered Faustus to explain to his sister-in-law why he’d brought this abomination of a pastry into her house, all while Zelda poorly smothered her laughs.

#caos #Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #Zelda Spellman #faustus blackwood #zelda x faustus #spellwood #sabrina spellman #ambrose spellman #fanfic #netflix

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marvel-and-more-fandoms · 5 years

Text

The Gray Hair

Today, my father appoints Link as my bodyguard. I'm nervous. Excited. Scared. He's seventeen and I'm sixteen, so if we were made for each other we wouldn't be able to tell until I turn seventeen.

I put on the ceremonial dress that I made, and prepared myself for the ceremony. Okay, Zelda, I thought to myself. Don't let your family down.

There was a lot of pressure on me. I was the one who chose the champions, with the exception of Link, so if they fail it's on me. I have faith in them, but not in me. Nobody has faith in me. My seventeenth birthday is coming up, and I still haven't unlocked my ancient sealing power.

I shoved the thoughts out of my head. Don't think like that today, Zelda. You have to be confident.

It was almost time. I took a deep breath, and headed towards the Sanctum. The ceremony was boring, but my father seemed to be genuinely proud of me when he spoke. How he beamed about the way I had made the champions guards.

Once the main ceremony had ended, we went over to the Sacred Grounds. Some of the other champions had wanted me to put on a special ceremony to welcome Link. I was excited for it, but I acted bored the whole ceremony.

I could hear them talking about me as I recited my lines, but I didn't really care. I was just focused on the blonde haired boy with bright blue eyes in front of me.

Gosh he looks good in that tunic...

The mini ceremony seemed to take longer than the actual ceremony. Once we had finally finished, I showed the champions the Sheikah Slate.

There was an odd feature on it, one where it can somehow capture a true to life image and save it. It was called a "picture," I believe.

Mipha asked if we could take a picture of all of us together. I, of course, said yes. Daruk decided to photo bomb the picture, but it was still good. After all of that was over, Link and I mounted our horses and rode towards Sanidin Park.

Once we got there, we dismounted our horses and I walked over to the part of the the park that looks towards the mountains.

"See that mountain?" I asked. "That's Mt. Lanayru. It takes its name from the Goddess of Wisdom. Lanayru's decree is very specific. It says: 'No one is allowed, under the age

of seventeen, for only the wise are permitted a place upon the mountain.' I've prayed at the Spring of Courage and at the Spring of Power,

yet neither awoke anything inside me. But maybe up there, perhaps the Spring of Wisdom, the final of the three, will be the one.

To be honest, I have no real reason to think

that will be the case. But there's always the chance that the next moment will change everything. Tomorrow... is my seventeenth birthday. So then I shall go. And make my way up the mountain."

He didn't say anything. He never does. I was thinking something I didn't say, though. His birthday is before mine. Tomorrow I will turn seventeen. I will be able to see if I've met my soulmate. I can't help but hope that it's Link...

...

Today's the day. It's my seventeenth birthday, and the day I go to Mt. Lanayru. And the day I can tell if Link's my soulmate or not...

...

Link and I climb back down from the mountain, my head hung low in defeat.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense. How'd everything go up there on the mountain?" Daruk asks.

All I did was shake my head, still looking down in shame.

"So you didn't feel anything?" Revali chimed in. "No power at all?"

"I'm sorry, no."

"Then let's move on." Said Urbosa. She had always been like a mother figure to me. "You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mt. Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just have to keep looking for that... thing."

"That's kind of you. Thank you." I said, feeling a little bit better.

"If I may," Mipha said. "I thought you, well, I'm not sure how to put this into words. I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind. It helps when I think - when I think about -"

She was cut off by the entire world shaking. Revali shot up into the air and gasped. There was an - an entity coming out of the castle.

"It's here." Said Urbosa.

"This is it, then." Said Daruk.

"Are you sure?" Mipha asked.

"Positive." Said Revali.

"It's awake..." I said, my voice trembling. "Ganon!"

"Let's stop wasting time!" Shouted Daruk. "We're gonna need everything we got to take

that thing down! Now Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault! Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle. You can count on us for support, but it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

"Come." Says Urbosa, gently grabbing my shoulders. "We should go. We need to get you someplace safe."

I thought for a moment. You're the princess! You're supposed to have this "ancient sealing power" that can seal Ganon away! You can't just sit back and watch from afar, you have to do something!

"No!" I shouted, getting out of Urbosa's grip. "I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield, but there must - there must be something I can do to help!"

"Go with Link." Said Revali. "He is your knight, after all."

Urbosa looked at Link. "Is that okay?"

He gave a curt nod. Why doesn't he ever talk? I thought.

And with that, the champions all ran to their divine beasts. Who knew they were also running to their deaths.

...

Link and I were running. Running anywhere, really. Anywhere but here. Where our friends, our families, our homes, had been destroyed. I broke down, falling onto my knees. I must've looked so weak. So broken. So useless.

"How..." I said to Link, who was on his knees in front of me now. "How did it come to this? The Divine Beasts... the Guardians... they've all turned against us... It was... Calamity Ganon. It turned them all against us! And everyone—Mipha, Urbosa, Revali and Daruk... they're all trapped inside those things... it's all my fault! Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't harness this cursed power. Everything—everything I've done up until now... it was all for nothing... so I really am just a failure! All my friends... the entire kingdom... my father most of all... I tried, and I failed them all... I've left them... all to die." I was sobbing into Link's arm at this point.

He tucked some of my blonde hair behind my ear, and then looked shocked at something.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, Princess."

Did he just talk to me? I thought, and despite myself, I smiled.

Our moment was interrupted, however, when the ground shook once again.

He took my hand again, and we continued our running.

...

There were guardians. Everywhere you looked, there were guardians. We were hiding behind some of the remains of ones that Link had killed. He was so beat up, so bruised and bloody. He couldn't take much more.

"Link, save yourself!" I shouted at him. "Go! I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!"

He struggled to get up as I heard the noise. The noise of another guardian.

He stood in front of me, ready to die.

"No!" I said, getting in front of him as the guardian took aim. "No!" I shouted, louder this time. I put my hand in the air, as if trying to signal to the guardian to stop.

Then I felt something. I can't quite describe it, it was like there was sadness, and love, and anger, all coming off of me. Something gold flew out of my hand as the Triforce symbol appeared.

"Was, was that...? The power...?" I heard a thump behind me as I questioned what just happened.

"No, no..." I said as I saw Link collapsed on the ground behind me. "Link! Get up! You're going to be just fine..." He looked at me one last time. His eyes were apologetic, like he was saying sorry for dying. His eyes closed as his head fell onto my shoulder.

I put his head down and cried into his still chest. I looked at his face, and the closed eyes that used to be bluer than the sky. I tucked a stray piece of hair out of his face, and gasped at what I saw.

A piece of gray hair, right behind his ear. "What...?" I said. "Oh no," I looked behind my ear. Sure enough, there was a matching gray strand right were Link's is.

"No!" I shouted. "No no no no no! We were soulmates! We were going to grow old together! Why?!" I was sobbing into his chest.

Suddenly, I heard an odd noise. I looked up, and the Master Sword was flashing.

"The sword...?" I said.

Take him to the Shrine of Resurrection. Said an odd voice inside my head.

"So he can, he can still be saved?"

Yes. It said. There, he will be healed. He will have no memory when he wakes up, and his body will not be like it used to be, but he will still be the chosen one. He will always be the chosen one, for courage need not be remembered.

My head perked up when I heard Sheikah warriors coming towards me.

"Princess!" They shouted. "Princess! Are you alright?"

I had a gleam in my eye. I knew what I had to do.

"Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. If you don't get him there immediately, we are going to loose him forever! Is that clear?!"

They nodded.

"So make haste and go! His life is now in your hands!"

They took my soulmate, and as much as it hurt to see him go, I knew that I'd see him again.

I stood up and looked at the castle, where that evil creature that ruined my life was making itself at home.

"I'm going to see him again." I told myself. "I don't care if I have to wait a hundred years in that castle, I'm going to see him again!"

My head held high, I marched towards the castle.

...

Finally. The time has come. It's been one hundred years, and it's finally time for Link to wake up from the Shrine of Resurrection. Who knew that when I said I'd wait a hundred years I actually would?

"...Open your eyes..." I said, or at least tried to. It took a lot of my energy to talk to him, so it would take a bit of time until he could hear me clearly.

"Open your eyes..." I tried again.

"Open your eyes." This time, I got through completely. "Wake up, Link."

He sat up, and looked around confused. It pained me to see him like this. He didn't remember me, or Mipha, or Daruk, or Revali, or anybody else. All the memories we shared... they were gone.

He walked to the pedestal that the Sheikah Slate sat on. "That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber." I had always known that the Sheikah Slate was meant for the hero who weld the Master Sword, but I had grown quite attached to the object. I would give anything to him, though.

He continued to walk into the other room, and opened the two chests that contained his clothes. They had been brand new a hundred years ago, but now they were old and worn down.

He walked over to the other pedestal. "Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way." He followed my instructions, and walked through the door once it opened.

He ran outside, and looked off of a small cliff at the world around him. The world that he used to know like the back of his hand. The world that was completely new to him all over again.

"Link..." I began. "You are the light - our light - that must shine upon Hyrule again. Now go." I stopped using my energy to talk to him, but continued to watch.

He talked to my father, who he didn't recognize, and then started walking again. I stopped him, using my energy again.

"...Link..." Come on...

"Link..." Almost there...

"Link." Yes! "Head for the point marked on the map in your Sheikah Slate."

He got out the Slate, and confusedly looked at the point and started towards it.

I continued to focus my energy on talking to him, because I knew it wouldn't take him long to find the tower.

Sure enough, he found the tower and put the Sheikah Slate on the pedestal. He fell back as the tower, along with all of the other towers, rose from the ground.

My heart hurt. He didn't remember me at all. I was his soulmate, he should at least remember me!

"Remember," I said. "Try - try to remember. You have been asleep for the past one hundred years. The beast - when the beast regains its true power, this world will face its end. Now then, you must hurry, Link. Before it's too late..." I faded off in the end as I was completely drained. I was using too much energy.

...

Oh my gosh. It's finally happening. He remembers, he's fully recovered, and he's about to fight Ganon. I'm more scared then I've ever been in my life, but also excited. Excited that I'll get to see him, I'll get to talk to him, I'll get to touch him.

But I'm so weak. I know that the moment he walks in I'll have to let Ganon go. I just hope Link is strong enough...

He finally walked in. I used the last of my energy to talk to him.

"...Link.."

"Link..."

I didn't even wait until I could fully talk to him. "I'm sorry... but my power isn't strong enough..."

Ganon moved, like he knew he was about to be set free. "I can't hold him."

And with that, I let go. I let the beast that could possibly kill my soulmate go. And I fell, I fell into the sky. I don't exactly know how it works, but I fell into the sky.

It was like the sky was the ground, and I could see right through the ground. Below me was Hyrule Field. I panted, lying on the "ground."

Rain had started as the castle shook. I began recovering soon, and within an hour I felt normal. I had forgotten what normal felt like. It was not being surrounded by a wall made of goo on all sides. I could breathe. It felt wonderful.

I wondered if I could watch Link. I just kinda... I don't really know. It was like I willed myself to the castle and I went there. I was still in the air, but I was watching it. Soon, Link delivered the final blow.

But something wasn't right. Ganon turned to dust and flew out of the castle. Oh no, I thought. He's going to turn into Dark Beast Ganon! I quickly teleported Link to Hyrule Field, and also grabbed one of his horses.

"...Ganon..." I said. For some reason, I was still struggling to get through to him.

"Ganon...

"Ganon." I finally got it.

"Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again." The form Ganon was taking started to appear now. It was a giant warthog like creature, completely covered in malice.

"He has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form. If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before."

My mind raced, thinking of what I could do to help him. To do to save him. Then I thought of the most powerful weapon that the goddesses ever created, the Bow of Light.

I used my powers to bring it down out of the sky and give it to Link.

"I entrust you with the Bow of Light - a powerful weapon in the face of evil."

I suddenly remembered what the Master Sword had said to me one hundred years ago. If I ever wanted to touch him again, he would need to win this fight.

"Link, you may not be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all of your memories, but courage need not be remembered."

With that, he mounted his horse and rode towards the giant beast before him.

I made glowing Triforce symbols where he needed to strike with the Bow of Light, so that he knew where the weak spots were. Eventually, he shot the last arrow into Ganon's eye.

And then, the ground fell. I shot down, but for some reason I was going up. Ganon was whipping his head around as I came out of his body.

I was surrounded by the yellow light of my power. I bowed my head, and let out a silent prayer.

Please, I prayed. Let it end here.

I floated down onto the ground so that I was facing the beast. I looked up, and Ganon lowered his head to, as if he was going to buck me away with his head.

I didn't even flinch.

As I erupted in a flash of golden light, Ganon tried to get away. He didn't think he was going to loose. He was attempting to enter the stages of reincarnation again.

Sorry, I thought. I can't let you do that.

I watched him for a bit with fake pity in my eyes. Toying with him, just like he had toyed with me. I raised my arm as he swooped back down towards me, and delivered the final blow.

A giant orb of gold came out of my hand, trapping the beast. A large Triforce symbol was on the circle. It and the orb got bigger as Ganon struggled more.

Then, it all stopped. The giant, golden, orb shrunk into a small, black, one.

It's over. I thought. After all this time, it's finally over.

The sky opened up, and the awful mixture of red and black turned into a beautiful blue.

I faced the castle, and spoke to Link.

"I've been keeping watch over you all this time." I said. "I've witnessed your struggles to return to us, as well as your trials in battle."

He began to walk towards me, but I still faced away from him. I was afraid. Afraid that when I looked into his eyes, I would see no recollection. I would just see a boy.

"I always thought," I continued. "No, I always believed, that you would find a way to defeat Ganon."

I turned around, deciding I couldn't wait any longer. I kept my eyes down, though.

"I never lost faith in you over these many years. Thank you, Link. The hero of Hyrule."

I looked him dead in the eyes as I asked the question I waited a hundred years to ask.

"May I ask, do you really remember me?"

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to jump out of my chest.

He ran over to me, and tucked my hair behind my ear, exposing my gray strand.

"How could I forget my soulmate?" He asked.

I smiled. I tackled him, and he fell on the ground. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I placed a firm kiss on his lips.

I had expected him to be surprised, but he immediately started kissing me back.

I pulled away after a little bit, and looked into his eyes.

I was scared to say what I was about to say. But I needed to get it out. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I love you, Link."

He looked shocked at this one. His blue eyes sparkles and his eyebrows raised.

"I love you too, Zelda."

I've never been so happy in my life. I tucked some hair behind his ear so that I could see his gray strand.

I looked into his eyes and kissed him again.

The hundred year wait was so worth it. I thought.

18 Years Later

...

"Urbosa Link! You get right back here and apologize to your brother!" I shouted at my daughter, with blonde hair and blue eyes like Link's.

"Yeah Urbosa, you come apologize to me!" Shouted my son, Daruk, the one with blonde hair and green eyes like mine.

"You're in trouble too, Daruk." I said sternly.

The boy let out a sigh.

Their full names are Urbosa Mipha Link, and Daruk Revali Link. And in my stomach is Rhoam Bosphoramus Link. After Rhoam I want an Purah Impa Link, and then that's enough.

The godmother of Urbosa is Riju, the godfather of Daruk is Yunobo, the godfather of Rhoam is going to be Robbie, and the godfather of (hopefully) Purah would be Symin, Pikango, Cado, or Sidon.

Link came in after Urbosa apologized to Daruk.

He gave me a small peck on the lips before greeting the children.

I loved him so much, and he was great with the kids. We both looked like we were 35, because the hundred years we were apart didn't make us age.

The children ran away to play, and he walked up to me.

"Hello, beautiful." He said, kissing me again. "How's little Rhoam?"

"He's doing good. Just one more month and then he'll be out."

He put his hand on my stomach and whispered in my ear seductively. "Do we still want to try for a Purah?"

"Definitely." I replied, grinning.

We were knocked out of our moment by a crash in the other room.

We both sighed, and then laughed.

"I'll get it." He said.

"Thanks."

I love him. And I love our kids. I can't wait to grow old together.

And see even more gray hairs.

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ketso · 3 years

Text

Episode 38

Today, Utopia opens. I am so excited. We have complementary drinks to welcome all our day one customers. Kgomotso is here to help me today. She will be our receptionist until the offices at home are up and running. But with how things are going, we might just find another location for offices because my mom kicked our offices out of her yard.

My employees are all here and they are so professional in their uniform. Yes, I make them wear uniform.

My doors open and in walks Zelda followed by three people - a gay guy and three women looking stylish. She looks good. She is a beautiful girl, shame, and money polished her well. Clearly being with Mthunzi has made her look less like a maid.

"Not bad." The gay one says as his eyes run around my place.

"It’s cute. Not exactly a place I'd come to for Utopia, but I'm sure the target audience is pleased by pretty much anything", one of the women say.

Why are these people here?

Zelda stands in front of me and smiles.

"Hello Sindiswa", she says.

Her friends are already vandalizing my store. They are breaking equipment and spilling liquids on the ground.

"What do you want?" I ask her.

"For you to stop harassing my husband and I. I've been trying to ignore you, hoping you'd get the message, but you just keep pushing simply because you can. At the rate that you contact us, I thought you’d be happier to see me because I cannot shake you off my life no matter how much I ignore you." She is so devious as she says this.

I'm most distracted by her friends vandalizing my place. I worked hard for this and what happens if my customers start arriving? My staff is freaked out. Kgomotso is on the phone. I hope she is calling Sandile.

"Please tell your friends to stop this. You and I can talk without all of this drama", I say.

"I'm done talking to you. Leave my family and I alone or there will be hell to pay. O hlokoloza lepantsula, baby girl. Don't take me to places you won't be able to handle me at. Mthunzi is my husband, now. And I will lose my mind when it comes to him. Siyezwana?" She threatens me.

I am so shook!

When did she become this person?

"I need a response, Sindiswa. Am I clear?" She says just as the gay drops one of my vases and shatters it.

I nod my head.

She smiles at me.

She calls her friends and they all walk out of the shop.

When did Zelda become this person?

...

"Is this Sindi Msomi?" The lady over the phone asks me.

I had to come home after Zelda and her friends vandalised my store. I am highly upset and the last thing I need are a bunch of randoms calling me. I hope this is not an insurance call.

"Yes. Who's this?" I ask.

"Melanie Richards. I'm calling you from KPableC Studios and am the producer of a show that we would love to feature you on."

Now this is interesting...

"I'm listening", I say as I take a sip of my green tea.

"We are doing a reality show that follows business people and their ability to make money out of almost anything. It's a social experiment really. You will be put in a house with ten other like-minded business people who have businesses in various industries. You'll be required to complete some challenges individually and other challenges will be completed in groups. The business person of the house at the end of the ten days will walk away with R150 000 put towards their business. It's a week-long challenge and we challenge you to be at your best. The show will be called The Business & Its Capitalists."

The Melanie chatterbox lady, who has not given me five seconds to state whether I am interested in this show or not, spends another thirty minutes explaining this show to me and even telling me that there will be one day where family will be invited to be part of the experiment, learning how to be supportive and being part of the journey. I instantly know that I'll be inviting Mthunzi. He will always be supportive of me. Then again, his wife came to see me and threatened me. Now that Mthunzi has blocked me, I need to reach out to her to get to him. Oh gosh.

"I'm interested. Thank you. May I ask who else will be part of this?" I ask.

"You will find out on Friday when you arrive at the house. A car will be sent to come and pick you up. You can email me your details in the meantime such as diet requirements and let us know where we should pick you up."

After this call, I become extremely excited. I am winning that R150 000. I know I'm the best businesswoman there is. I just know. And, I'm going to be on TV. I think I should tell Mthunzi because he was a large part of my start up and journey. He is also the reason that I have had to start all over. I'll be open about my divorce and how my marriage contributed to the success and some failures of my business. It is only fair that he knows upfront.

I use my business phone to call him.

"Hello?" He answers after two rings.

"Mthunzi, it's Sindi. And before you hang up, I just want you to know that I'm calling because your name might be appearing in the media soon and I thought I'd give you a heads up." I say.

"Why would my name be appearing in the media, Sindiswa?" He sounds very annoyed.

"I'll be joining a reality show and I'm most likely going to bring you up."

"Are you high?"

"What?"

"Sindiswa, why would you bring me up in a reality show that has nothing to do with me?"

"Because you are part of key elements in my life. I still have your surname, for goodness sake. When I talk about my life, you are instantly part of some highlights and the reason that I had to start all over."

"You know what, if my name is even mentioned in whatever you are busy with, I promise you, Sindiswa, I'll make sure you lose whatever deal is meant to come out of this. I will sue you. I will sue the production company. And I'll make sure that no one touches you by the time I'm done with you. This will be the last business deal you will ever enter into."

"But, Mthunzi-

"I can make your life very difficult, Sindiswa. And this thing of yours of pushing me too far will give you whatever it is that you are looking for one of these days. Stay away from me. And stay away from my wife. I can end your career faster than what you plan on ending my marriage. And this better be the last phone call I receive from you."

He hangs up.

WTF?

"Everything okay?" KG walks into the TV room and asks me.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I'm on my way to get the kids from school. We can go together and chat in the car." She says.

I don't argue. I get my phone and purse, then we leave together in my BMW that she has now claimed.

"I got an offer to be on a reality show that focuses on business people and their business sense. There are some exercises that will require family and I phoned Mthunzi to let him know that I'll be mentioning his name from time to time because he is a critical part of my rise and fall in business and he just overreacted", I tell her.

She sighs then she says, "Sindi, you have to let go of Mthunzi. This is making you look desperate. You are not desperate, Sindi. You are one hell of a businesswoman and that has nothing to do with Mthunzi. If he were the businessman that you make him out to be, he would be the one that is invited to the reality show. But they chose you. They chose you because you know business and you are a business owner. Mthunzi is an employee. How exactly is he critical to your rise and fall?"

She doesn't understand. She just doesn't get it.

I sigh.

"Sindi, we moved here because you wanted a fresh start. Give yourself a fresh start. Siya needs you. And you running after Mthunzi every time you get an excuse to do so is limiting you in being a present mother for Siya. We are your family. If your family is needed at this reality show what-what, then we will be there. Leave Mthunzi and his maid. They are two employees that are happy with bowing down to making other people's dreams come true. That's not you. That's never been you. Being with Mthunzi has dimmed your light enough. Now shine like the star that you are and in fact, show Mthunzi now more than ever what he let go of. That maid is not even half the woman that you are and she never will be. Make sure that when they watch that show together, they both see how above both of them you truly are. You are Sindiswa! Everyone knows who that is and that's why you get reality show deals. Who is Mthunzi again, if not your shadow?"

We burst into laughter.

I think I may have misjudged her too quickly. I like this girl!

...

"Are you sure you are okay?" Sandile is asking me for the fiftieth time.

"I'm fine, Sandile. It's Mthunzi's new wife. She came to tell me to stay away from Mthunzi", I say.

"Why aren't you leaving him alone?"

I don't say anything because I am getting tired of this question.

"Stop this, Sindiswa! Stop this! You will draw unnecessary attention to us. You know that we need to keep a low profile. If that girl could just drive here and find you, what more about George?" Sandile.

I just look at him.

"Your shop will be open for business tomorrow", Sandile says.

I stay in this position on my mom's couch, contemplating if I should phone Mthunzi and tell him about his wife’s behaviour at my store today. I decide against it then go to sleep.

...

My spirit is extremely down today. I miss Mthunzi so much. After what Zelda and her friends did yesterday, I just feel so violated and even more pressed to piss Zelda off. But, Sandile is right. I ran away from Joburg because I wanted to stay away from George. George hasn't tried to reach out to me in anyway and I haven't heard of anyone in this house being stalked. If I want to keep this way, I need to keep a low profile. I hope my reality show feature does not put me in an exposed position.

I am having coffee in the kitchen on one of these nice barstools that Kgomotso got for the house. I scroll through my pictures, scrolling through the memories that Mthunzi and I created with our children. I cannot believe that I gave all of this up for George. I have really made some stupid decisions in my life and I am embarrassed by where they have led me.

Mthunzi was an amazing husband - probably the best man I will ever know or be with. I was selfish. I wanted more. I was always driven by more. I thought that I could get more by doing what I needed to do and he would never find out about it. But George's working hours were always odd. Mthunzi asked questions until I ran out of answers. The day he found out, I knew I had changed his life forever. The look he gave me told me that his heart was done with me. He didn't divorce me immediately, so I truly believed that we had time and we could still fix our marriage and tolerate each other for our kids. He would be the one tolerating me, I'd still be loving him. Little did I know that he was running paternity tests behind my back on both our kids. Had he not done that, we would still be together for Siya's sake.

The part I am trying to understand the most is when he and Zelda started sleeping together. I can understand how they got away with hiding it from me. I always requested Mthunzi to drive her around. But that’s because I trusted that girl. She was smart and she was always there to solve whatever problem we had - at home, in the office and with my kids. I did not realise that she was taking my place in my man's life too. Now, she has the audacity to bully me in my own beauty bar and threaten me to stay away from a husband who was mine first?

I find myself dialling her number because I need to do something with this anger and regret and...

"Hello?" She answers her phone.

"I don't appreciate the stunt that you pulled yesterday." I say.

"There are a lot of things that I don't appreciate about you, but you don't find me harassing you on umpteen phone calls", she says.

"Zelda, can we talk? Can we just talk, please?" I request. This conversation is long overdue.

She sighs.

"You really hurt me, Zelda. Can you at least acknowledge that? I may not have been the perfect wife for Mthunzi, but I did love him. I built with that man. We had a family, assets and fifteen years of marriage. That's not water under a bridge. That is a whole life. It was my life and you played a role in turning it upside down. Why are you treating me like I am the problem in all of this?" I plead my case.

"You didn't deserve me sleeping with your husband. I am someone you trusted amongst your staff members. I do apologise for that. I never went into your house with the intention of destroying your marriage. I didn't mean to fall in love with Mthunzi while he was still your husband. You are right, you were not the best wife to him. But you are also right that it didn't give me a right to do as I pleased with your husband. And for that, I am sorry." She says.

This I didn't expect, but I am relieved that this conversation is happening.

"Thank you for that, Zelda." I say. I am genuine.

"Sindi, I will take the blame for sleeping with Mthunzi while he was still married to you. It was wrong and I am sorry. Please also remember that I didn't rape him, there was consent from both parties that engaged in that relationship. So for you to now take that and think that it gives you the right to harass me every chance you get is uncalled for. Mthunzi is with me now and you need to move on with your life. He doesn't want you anymore." She says.

This cuts me deep. Mthunzi has always wanted me. He wanted me before I even noticed him. Today, he no longer wants me because he is with my maid?

"Please, just stay away from us. Please." She says.

I am still quiet.

"Hello?" Her.

"I'm still here. It's just difficult to accept that everything is over, you know. And Siya is also struggling. He doesn't deserve to be punished for my mistakes. Mthunzi is the only father that he knows and it's getting to him as to why Mthunzi doesn't want him anymore." I express.

"I hear you. Siya is a good kid and he doesn't deserve any of this, you are absolutely right. But Mthunzi doesn't deserve to deal with the consequences of your actions neither, raising and being responsible for a child that he had nothing to do with in the first place. Sindi, you created this mess and put everyone in positions that they'd rather not be in. You don't get to be the victim. You need to sit your son down and tell him the truth instead of expecting everyone to feel sorry for you and cover up your actions." She says.

She is really cruel, shame. She forgets that she practically raised Siya. But, I am also done begging her so:

"Okay, I guess this is it then. Take care of yourself and Mthunzi. He is a good man. Good luck with everything."

She hangs up.

"Knock knock", I hear someone say. He is already inside the house. He is one of Sandile's employees. I look at him.

"Hi sisi", he says.

"Can I help you?" I ask him.

I mean, I'm dressed in a short satin gown and I look hot. But I do feel slightly exposed because this man is turned on by my lower thighs and my calves. But hey, let me have a little fun with him. I stand up and show off my ass and hips as well. His hands are now covering his penis. LOL!

"Well?" Me

"I am looking for uSandile." He finally says.

"Okay, let me go find him." I say.

I turn around and model my way out of the kitchen to go find Sandile. I know he is watching and I know that he is enjoying the view.

LOL!

The opening of Utopia is a success. There is a red carpet leading our first clients in. Kgomotso makes an incredible front of house. The shop is full. Each therapist is working on a client and the waiting area is occupied. People are buying books and reading while waiting to be attended to. I invited the authors to join us today to sign books, so that's also bringing in a crowd. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we put extra chairs outside for people to sit and wait their turn to come in.

This is nice.

A man walks in with a bunch of flowers. It's the horny fool from this morning. He is smiling at me now, not looking like he is about to be killed by his own sweat and erection. I can't help but laugh when he stands in front of me. He is looking a lot more confident that he did this morning and I realise just how nice he is. He even smells nice.

"Congratulations on the opening of your shop", he says.

"You mean beauty bar", I say.

"Huh?"

"This is a beauty bar, not a shop". I say.

"Oh, I see." Him.

"Are those for me?" I ask, pointing my head at the flowers in his hands.

He nods his head and gives them to me. I accept the flowers and ask my receptionist to put them in some water for me.

"Can we talk?" The guys says to me. Please don't tell me he is about to mack on me already. Come on dude, you are probably a driver for my brother. What am I expected to do with you?

I come out of the reception booth and walk with him outside. We stroll together away from the buzz of my beauty bar.

"I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable", he says.

"You didn't know that you'd find a woman in a lingerie gown when you came looking for your boss. Don't feel too bad about it. It's honestly forgotten. I have moved on from it", I assure him.

He is not rich enough to handle me, so he doesn't need to believe or feel as if he made me uncomfortable. He cannot afford to.

"Thank you. I really respect Sandile. I don't want to ever come across as if I am disrespecting him or his family in any way. You are a beautiful woman, but I do respect boundaries", he says.

Okay. Honourable.

"I'm Sindiswa, by the way. But everyone calls me Sindi", I introduce myself.

"Phumlile", he says, extending his hand for a handshake. I accept the handshake.

"Have a good day further, Phumlile."

"You too, Sindiswa".

He walks away and heads to his car. Yep, it is one of the taxis we bought. I'm out of his league. Cute or not, I'm not willing to explore that further. I wave at him as he drives off and he has the audacity to hoot at me.

Tjo!

…

What to expect in the bonus episode —> Sindi’s Voice:

Sindi comes back home on time for Christmas just to make sure that it’s everything her family deserves – especially Siya. George is not completely gone – he comes back and in bonus episode 2 (on Sunday) we hear from his voice for the first time, leading us to the voice of a new character – Luthando, George’s wife. Will it be a merry Christmas and a happy new year for our girl Sindiswa?

Tune in this Saturday at 11am for bonus episode 1 and on Sunday for bonus episode 2 at 12pm. Tag a friend or two and PUT THEM ON! Surely you need at least one of your friends by your side for when Sindi meets Luthando! You might just not survive it reading it on your own!

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punishandenslavesuckers · 7 years

Photo

She has no throne. Girls without thrones should not have knights, but hers won’t go. Princess Zelda – the girl who killed Calamity – would love to fade into legend, but Link’s bought a house, he’s fighting off monsters, and he’s selling giant horses to strangely familiar Gerudo men. She'll never have any peace now. (ao3)

(chapter one) (chapter two) (chapter three) (chapter four)

Like in most villages, Link’s arrival at the Rito Village main bridge gets a disproportionate amount of attention. As they board their horses at the village Stable, half a dozen Rito drop out of the sky and into the yard beyond the fence.

By the time Zelda and Draga finish talking to the stable hand, Link’s surrounded by a small flock of the massive bird-like tribespeople, three of whom greet the shorter Hylian with a warm mo’a – gently butting their foreheads against his and turning their faces aside to briefly press along the side of his head. It’s a strictly Rito welcome. Not usually shared with non-Rito on the basis that non-Rito often find the bird-like race welcoming and polite but ultimately somewhat stand-offish after a certain degree of familiarity. ‘Stand-offish’ generally meaning that they liked you well enough to test your friendship a little, as was customary. But the average Hylian doesn’t know they should be excited about a bit of Rito ribbing and take the new cold-shoulder as a hint to get lost.

Link, having dealt with Revali (who did not actually want to be friends at all), doesn’t let ribbing of any kind deter him. Generally.

Link slings his pack to the ground as a massive white-feathered Rito makes a smooth but high-speed landing directly in front of him, straightening up to tower over the Hylian hero, head tilted with a positively predatory lean. He’s a warrior for sure – broad-shouldered frame roped with avian muscle, a massive bow clipped to his back. Brutal, eagle-like features make his expression difficult to read. Of the assembled Rito, he appears the most likely to embody the warrior reputation of his people – that he may slit a man’s throat on the raptorial hook of his beak and hurl them hundreds of feet to their squalling death. But presently, he just looks… worried? No. He looks impatient.

“Teba?” Link says, tone a sure sign he’s noticed. “What’s wrong?”

“Is this your priestess?” he says, wasting breath on not a single pleasantry. His voice, rough, shockingly deep, matches Draga’s for pitch and intensity. “You vouch for her skills?”

Link, startled by this, nods.

“Good. Apologies, but we need you immediately.” The giant Rito gets down on one kneel, facing her. “Get on,” he says, indicating his back.

“I –” She looks at Link for guidance and gets an urgent nod. “Okay of course.” She rushes to loop two arms around Teba’s neck, careful to sit high so she can rest her armpits over the top of his shoulders, weight against his chest and not his throat. “I’m okay. You can go fast. I’ve done this before.”

He takes her at her word and launches skyward.

The air screams, her stomach drops, but Zelda keeps her head tucked against Teba’s neck, feeling the impossible power in the musculature of his upper back and chest, freezing mountain air tearing her hair into a tangle. She peeks over his shoulder just in time to see a large wooden platform rising to meet them and she realizes, blankly, that it’s Revali’s Landing. Built like the rest of the village into the side of the impossible white spire of porous stone that marks the Rito stronghold – she knows it better than any part of the Village even a century later.

Teba drops into the center of it and lets her down. He leads her quickly to a private residence one landing up where a pink-feathered Rito in white physician’s garb is waiting at the door. Strange that there even is a door – most Rito homes are open air platforms left exposed in the day so their residents and come and go by sky as needed. The open walls have been enclosed in thick canvas and cloth tenting, creating an enclosed winter dome. She can smell incense and medicinal herb from the interior.

“You’re a healer?” the Rito woman demands, in a voice that would be musically sweet if she wasn’t deathly serious.

Zelda is ushered her into the tent, but Teba stays outside. Quarantine possibly? Zelda rolls her sleeves up as she enters.

“Yes. I read Teba’s letters. I’m ready to start.”

“Good. I am Saki. Head physician. Teba is my husband.”

Zelda nods. “Thank you for the letters. Where’s the –?” She stops cold, almost stumbling. “The patient?” she finishes.

There’s a Rito male lying on a reed mat near heated stone hearth. He’s lying on his back, visibly in pain, both his wings curled to his chest, pressing into his sternum. He’s breathing in short, wet, asthmatic gasps that rack the Rito’s whole body. There are patches of molting feathers along his shoulders and back. The floor is dark with them. Before the illness, he was probably blue-black and cream-colored in plumage, a beautiful mohawk-ish head crest and a dozen warrior braids. Now, he looks dusty and grey.

He looks, with some exceptions, almost exactly like Revali.

“What is it?” Saki demands, edgy. “Link told you what’s happening?”

“Yes, I… what’s his name?”

“Mishi. The illness started in the house of his father and mother, then spread through the rest of the family and –” She stops. “He’s dying. This is the last stage. I’m only asking you to… try.” Then, with un-Rito-ish desperation, she says, “Please.”

Zelda goes to Mishi’s bed side and very gently draws his hands away from his chest so she can see. He can’t speak by now. He looks at her. He’s less eagle-like than Teba in facial structure. More like a raven. His eyes are neon-green and afraid. She tries to smile as she, carefully, places two hands palm down over his heaving ribs. The feathers beneath her fingers are soft, more downy fluff than the plumage lining his shoulders and arms. Rito hearts beat faster than human ones, but his feels like a humming bird snared behind a hollow-boned cage.

“Hey, Mishi? I need you to stay with me,” she says as her palms begin to glow, begin to infuse a warm light into the dense muscle beneath her fingers. “Breathe, okay? Try to breathe big, deep breaths for me.”

He nods and, with great effort, tries to keep breathing. Instead, he coughs until he gags, then struggles twice over to breathe. She cups his throat, very gently with two hands then slowly moves them down, spreading them across the band of his clavicles, then over his chest, over his lungs, then down to below his ribcage where the Rito’s waist begins to come in. Then she does it again – dousing for the damage that’s killing him. Feeling it under her fingers as pressure and cold. Sweat runs down her cheek.

“You’re fine,” she says warmly. She can feel something burning away under the radiant gold that she’s flooding into the dark, afflicted interior of Mishi’s chest. “Stay with me.”

Her head is swimming a little from exertion – focusing entirely on the indefinable sensation of organic systems finding their right configurations by her hand. It’s a blind shot, the magic of healing. Done by instinct and repetition, like braiding her hair. Or drawing a bow.

“You’re pale,” Saki says.

“I’m fine.”

She hears heavy footfalls outside, voices. A triangle of light opens across the wall as someone draws the curtain back and a very large person enters the room.

“What are you doing?” Draga says.

She doesn’t look up from Mishi. “Healing. Where’s Link?”

“Outside. You’re using too much energy.”

“Go away. Send Link in here.”

“Why? Because he won’t tell you to stop?”

And he’s right, so she just redoubles her efforts. Light flares between her fingers, a heat rushing from her hands, lifting her hair from her shoulders. Draga immediately moves to kneel beside her, one fist set against the floor so he can lean near her without touching her.

“You need to stop,” he says.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snaps. Gold is gathering in her arms like candle flame. Her teeth ache from gritting them. Her head pounds. There’s a pain gathering in her lower back and mounting her spine. “I can do this. This is nothing compared to what I’ve done before.”

“This is nothing like what you’ve done before.”

Saki looks sharply at her.

“It’s taking longer than it should,” Zelda explains, glaring at Draga. “That’s all. I can do this.” Her arms are starting to shake. The golden shine beneath her fingers flickers. “Goddess. Where is it?” She stacks both hands over Mishi’s laboring heart. “Draga, just trust me. I can get this.”

“You need to stop or it’s going to kill you.”

Saki, hearing this, shakes her head and starts to push Zelda away. “Okay. I’m sorry, but I won’t allow that.”

“No! Just wait,” Zelda cries. “Please, I can save him.”

Saki glances at Draga, then back to Zelda. “Priestess, the champion descendent vouched for your skill and cited your healing work in Hebra and Akkala as proof of your ability. I trust his judgement as far as your skills collude it, but this cannot continue. I thank you for your efforts as they are.”

“I didn’t say we’re letting the boy die,” Draga says somewhat drily. He pulls a piece of white chalk from his belt and starts surreptitiously marking the floor in sigils Zelda doesn’t recognize, then stares hard at them. Zelda smells copper – like warm metal or blood. He looks at her. “Zelda, I think your power’s being drawn off. You won’t be able to heal him entirely, but you can stave off the killing blow. Pick something very specific to heal, then stop.”

Mishi sits up a little, making it easier for her to lay hands along the curve of his windpipe, then against his chest again. He’s breathing slowly now, evenly. By the time she’s finished, he’s dozed off into what Saki informs them is his first unlabored sleep in three days. Draga grunts, frowning at the marks on the floor. Then he sits forward, presses his palm down over them and Zelda watches a quick, dull flash of red snake across the lettering and fade. The markings smoke slightly, burned into the wood. He wipes his palm off on his trousers.

“Saki, Mishi is the last in his familial line. If he dies, that ends it, correct?”

Saki tenses. “How do you know that?”

“That’s not important. What else can you tell me?” Draga presses. “Was there’s anything special about Mishi’s family? Were they a political target? Did they have enemies.”

Saki looks shocked. “No. No, if anything the opposite.”

“Why the opposite?”

“They… they were from the same clan as the Rito Champion, Revali.” Saki does not notice the look on Zelda’s face or if she does, she does not give a sign. “But why does that matter? This is an illness. It began in their family and spread as the healthy family members came to help.”

“This isn’t a disease,” Draga says, calmly. “It’s a curse. I suspect one tied to his family in some way. I’m afraid if Mishi dies, it’s going to jump to the next group of tribesman that meet its… criteria.” He glances at their patient who sleeps on, surrounded by people, yet somehow completely unprotected. “I’m going to need time and Zelda will need to recover. First, we must break the curse. Then we can save your tribesman, but I would recommend you limit all Rito contact with him until I determine the vector of transmission.”

“But if what you say is true,” Saki murmurs, “then there is a murderer to blame for this?”

There’s a pause, because there’s a very Rito flash of… intention in Saki’s eyes. Like an archer seeking a target.

“Possibly,” Draga says. “Generational curses are indistinguishable, generally, from a pre-meditated hex. It could be one person in the family encountered a cursed object or entity and it spread from there down the line. I can try to find out and if there is a party to blame. Does this meet with your approval?” When he receives a nod from Saki, he turns his attention back to Zelda. “I will need you strong. Go get Link and get some rest. I’ll call you back when I have something for you to fight.” Then in Gerudo, “Is that acceptable, Princess?”

That annoys her, but she thinks he’s trying to make her angry at this point.

She stands up. “I can do that. Thank you, Draga.”

His expression loses a touch of its edge. “I’ll fix this,” he says.

Zelda manages a very brittle smile. “I think we got here too late for that.”

“Draga’s mad at me,” Zelda says.

Link sits forward, scowling, and signs, ‘I am also mad at you.’

“Right.”

She spends two more days sitting with Mishi to stave off the effects of the curse. Draga spends that same time stomping around the Rito Village, disappearing for hours to walk about the foothills around the lake, scaring off large animals and writing things in a small grungy notepad. Link goes with him sometimes. He stays with her other times. When asked what Draga is doing, Link’s not sure because 90% of what Draga does looks like “scribbling in the dirt” and “squinting really hard at nothing then cursing”. He says Draga is doing ‘spellwork’ to trace the source of the curse.

He kind of fumbles over a slang sign for ‘spellwork’ that’s dangerously close to ‘magical bullshit’.

They’re sitting together on Revali’s Landing, side-by-side with their legs hanging over the edge. Link is not actually mad at her, despite his insistence because he’s far too worried to make room for being mad as well.

Link signs. ‘Don’t worry so much. Draga will get it.’

Zelda sighs. “I didn’t even notice it could be a curse.”

‘Were you ever trained for that? Detecting curses? Who curses people? That sounds fake.’

“You literally fought an incarnation of ancient evil and fight magically tainted monsters all the time. You have several semi-cursed objects in your travel pack that are so magically afflicted that Draga hit you in the face once because he thought one of your masks was taking root in your skull.”

“Psh,” he says in that tone that is largely responsible for 90% of Draga’s anxiety. Then he signs, ‘Were you trained?’

“Well, no, but… I don’t know. I thought it would be natural to feel and dispel such things.” She sighs. “I am… resigned to the notion that my power is waning but I thought more highly of my abilities.”

‘Draga said it was subtle. It’s why he’s so annoyed with it.’

“Your point?”

‘It’s easy to miss.’

“All my training as a girl was so… academic. The powers passed from my mother and grandmother were divinely sourced. Not something one could learn from practical wizardry so, while I have some training, none of it was… none of it was anything I could practice. Nothing I learned were things I could take with me in any useful fashion and I find that so… frustrating.”

Link says nothing to that.

“I’m a little embarrassed, if I’m honest. Aren’t I supposed to be good at this?”

Link snorts.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Relax,” he says out loud.

“I can’t just relax,” she says, offended.

“Not with that face,” he says.

“Excuse me?”

He smiles at her.

“If you’re trying to improve my mood, you’re doing a poor job of it.” She stares out over the massive glacial basin that makes up Rito Lake, to the mountain range beyond. “If Draga is right, then someone killed Revali’s family while we were... elsewhere. I can’t stand it. I honestly… I can’t.”

Link’s not smiling anymore.

“It’s just absurd,” she says, aware that she’s starting to babble, to become frantic. “Because there’s nothing to gain from it. I mean… of all the Champions... Revali is gone. Revali’s abilities were singular. That was the… the whole point with him, you see, that he was the first of his family to do what he did. There was nothing he inherited. Nothing special in his bloodline. He did everything he did on his own so attacking his family is unwarranted and…” She shakes out her hands. She was clenching them, you see. “That’s stupid, Link,” she says angrily, choking a little. “That’s stupid. Why would someone do that to them?”

“Maybe no one did,” Link says gently. “I could be an accident.”

“That’s worse though! Don’t you understand? That’s worse!”

Link says nothing to that.

“They’re gone.” She covers her mouth with her hands. “They died while I was doing other things.”

Link says nothing.

The sun’s starting to fall in earnest now, a warm blush of orange receding from the clouds over the mountains. She can see her breath in the air and she thinks of sitting here, one hundred years ago while Revali filled the silence with assurances that, hey, most people are idiot nay-sayers and morons. Whiners and charlatans worthy of nothing but her contempt and fuck them anyways. They could go to hell. What did they know?

Zelda bends a little at the waist, leaning forward over the edge until the vertigo rushes her. Her hair slides forward over her shoulders and hangs, framing the fall to the icy waters below and –

“Did you know he was shot down?” she gasps.

Link, who instinctively looped an arm around her waist moments before, says nothing.

“They say he… he faced the Windblight on top of Medoh and he was… they all saw him fall.”

Link says nothing.

“He would have hated that.”

Link, still, says nothing.

“You know, we were friends?” she says though it hurts to do so. “He would fly to meet me at the castle and, sometimes, he would sneak me out to do field surveys when I should have been praying. He… he thought praying for salvation was stupid. He liked that I was trying to find practical ways to fight back. He said it was ‘very Rito’ of me.” She laughs, but it stings. “Goddess, it’s been one hundred years. Why do I keep thinking I’m going to see them again? Why does it feel like I still have time? And then I remember and its…”

Link has his arms around her ribs, somewhere between a hug and cautionary hold to keep her from rolling off the landing. He commits to a hug then, pulling her against him and kind of collaring her arms between her chest and his. He always hugs her way too tightly, but for whatever reason she prefers that – the feeling of being contained somehow. Like she could scream for days and it would be okay to do so. Link would just absorb it, like lightning coursing to ground.

They watch the sun set over Revali’s Landing.

Draga is looking up at her. He’s seated by a light source of some kind, a fire maybe or a hearth with the remains of a fire, something dim enough she can’t see his face in full detail but even in the dark she knows his features – the dark dramatic line of his jaw and brow, that he’s thinking about something, a hundred miles away. And yet, when he looks up at her he’s unfamiliar. His eyes – green in the dark, but there’s something beyond the surface, like live coals in deep water. The sands shift under her feet. She can see her own breath in the desert cold. Draga tilts his head and asks her what she is doing. He asks her very calmly.

He asks her because she’s fitting an arrow to the string of a bow. The bow is gold. Her hands are also gold, dripping with gold, a warm oily honey of gold soaking her arms from the elbow down. The shaft is platinum. The arrowhead has dull internal luminance.

“What are you doing?” he says again.

She draws the line back, smearing gold across her cheek.

“What are you –?”

She wakes up.

There’s a thin, watery line of sunrise visible through the slits between the rug walls of their room. For a moment, she can’t recall the strange octagon shape of the apartment, the feather bed and heavy quilt around her, the elaborate patterns in the tenting walls. The soft creak of wood brings her slowly back. They’re at the Rito Village inn – a sturdy wooden structure built (like the rest of the village) into the side of the impossible central spire that marks the Rito stronghold. The rooms are dozens of nest-style wooden platforms enclosed by retractable cloth walls and warmed by depressed stone hearths at the center of the floor.

She can hear the faint sound of birds outside.

She lies there, shocked by her calm. Horrified by Link who sleeps on undisturbed beside her. Horrified by the sham of his safety in her bed – one they share by habit now despite what that might suggest. For a while, she lies there, hopeful that Link’s sleeping façade will break apart and he’ll wake too. He’ll ask her if she saw Draga like he did once before and she will not be alone with it.

But Link lies dead asleep with his arm under his head, his bangs in his eyes, pale lashes laid against his cheekbones. Even in the dim dawn light he looks peaceful. Not like a man having a divinely shared nightmare. Not like someone she can blame for infecting her with some viral strain of violence. She hates the small hopeful part of herself eager to pin the problem on Link and rolls away from him, throwing the covers back so she can creep across the cool wooden floor and make use of the water basin and clean washcloth laid out by the door.

She dresses quickly, shakily. Picks up her water canteen from where she left it just outside the door to chill in the mountain air. She rinses her mouth out, puts on her boots and that’s when she hears a faint knock against the door frame from outside. She answers slowly, peering out into the cold dawn morning. It’s Draga. He’s over-dressed in Snowquill gear and a scarf. The cold in this region irritates everything in him that can be irritated, but it’s 4am and he shouldn’t be awake much less knocking at their door and for a moment a tiny frisson of dread curls around her heart and –

“Mishi is in danger,” he says.

She blinks. “What?”

“The curse,” he says impatiently pulling his scarf down. His nose is a red from the cold. She can see his breath. “I know it’s structure now, but it’s accelerating. I can break it, but I need you. Both of you.”

Link’s awake and dressed in seconds. They follow Draga up the multi-tiered spirals of steps and landings that comprise the Rito Village, rushing to keep pace with him as he only uses every other step to climb. The wood groans every time he pushes off, none of this village being built for someone his size and density.

“What’s going on?” Zelda demands.

“The spell is designed to resist magical defense,” he says, skipping two stairs and forcing the smaller Hylians to race up the steps after him. “Ancient sorcery. Something changed when you began to treat Mishi with magic and when I stripped out the obfuscation from the spell, it triggered some kind of failsafe.” He sounds frustrated. “We need to break it now, before it can get its teeth into Mishi. I have a… a way to do it.”

They reach the small quarantined platform that makes up Mishi’s apartment. The moment they enter… Zelda knows something is wrong. Mishi’s lying, seemingly asleep, surrounded by a series of wire and paper lanterns. Draga’s plastered paper protection wards on every wall. But there’s… something in the room. Like the air pressure inside his home is twice what it shoulder be. The air’s harder to breathe and tastes… chemical and sour. Like fermentation and machine oil. She knows that smell. She knows it in her nightmares and Zelda moves to kneel on the far side of Mishi’s bed, laying a hand over the Rito’s temple and forehead.

“He’s cold,” she says. “He’s breathing but he’s cold.”

She tries to heal, yelps when it rebounds against her palm. Frantic, she spreads her hands and tries to push a purification but, again, nothing happens.

“I can’t… I can’t heal him. What –?”

Draga shakes his head. “He’s not sick, the curse is drawing off his life. We need to break it to heal him.”

“How?” Link demands.

“I can do it,” Draga says.

Then he hesitates.

“Draga!” Zelda cries. Mishi’s breath is visible now. He’s shivering, violently. “Draga, he’s dying.”

“I can do this,” Draga whispers.

He sounds afraid. She’s never heard that before, not from Draga and it shocks her how profoundly she’d cemented him in her mind – a fixed point, unshakable as the fucking sun. Hearing him now, it puts a fine surgical line through the image she’d constructed of him. He looks at her and his eyes are undeniably lit by some internal flame – like fairy lights but darker and older and that fire of it sets something in her heart racing. He starts to say something but the words catch on his lips and that surgical seam splits into a wound, pulling it open and suddenly she can see past her assumptions: He’s not just afraid, he’s terrified.

“I can do it, but I need you ground me.”

“What?”

“You and Link. I need you to shield me.” He’s pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, kneeling now so he’s on both knees beside Mishi’s bed and there’s something… threatening in that: Draga on his knees. He looks at her, tone low, urgent. “We don’t have time. You source your power from Hylia so I need you to hide what I’m doing in that power. Do you understand?” And when Zelda stares, frozen, he raises his voice. “Zelda, do you understand me or not? I can’t do this unless you –!”

Link moves to stand beside him.

Draga stops. They both stop. The whole room (the whole world) seems to stop.

Link’s got the sacred blade out. (When did he draw it? Did she see it? Why?) He’s calm. He stares down at Draga and his eyes aren’t human for a moment. They’re composed of the same ancient metal as the blade, lit from the inside by the cold silver flame that sets the air around him moving. His breath is visible in the air, his hair and clothes disturbed by a wind localized to him alone and… Zelda can feel it. Her skin warming, her palms heating like a skillet to flame. She can taste whatever Link’s drawing on – bitter sweet, like licking the residue of sap from summer-hot skin. It makes her want to move… to yell… to set her teeth in something and bite down. She –

Link drives the blade point first into the floor next to Mishi’s bed.

Before their very eyes, thin sap-green branches start to thread up from the old floorboards, infused with borrowed vitality. Link goes down on one knee before the sword, reversing his hold on the hilt so he can grip it like a mountaineer grips a cliff-face, not a weapon but a handhold. Then he lays his opposite hand against Mishi’s chest.

The Hero looks at them both.

“Move,” he says.

Draga does not hesitate.

He pulls a blade from his belt and cuts his right palm open.

Blood splatters the floor. He closes his bleeding hand over a bone and ruby pendant at his neck. He rips it from the cord and holds it in his fist against his heart. His other hand he lays palm down on Mish’s chest, covering Link’s hand, but Link doesn’t even flinch, not at the blood, the violence of it, or the sick lurch in the air when Draga begins to speak. He casts in a language Zelda can’t understand – too old to fathom, in a voice that seems less like one man speaking and more like a dozen, three dozen, a hundred voices speaking at once – and the shadows gather in the corners of the room. Shadows deepen, lengthen, darken and suddenly the only light in the room is the silver from the sword, gauzy ribbons of radiance thrown around them on an erratic wind.

Draga sees the shadows, but keeps going.

He keeps speaking until he’s shouting and Zelda realizes the voices aren’t him. He’s trying to speak louder than the shadows in the room which are beginning to slither toward him, sending forth rhizoids of darkness across the flowering floor, probing the edges of the light, seeking a path to the source. The room stinks now – of blood, of rot, of flowers and fresh sap, of iron, and the forge. Draga is bellowing now, as loud as he can but the shadows are buzzing, are loud, a deafening cacophony rising like an infinite field of cicadas around them.

Zelda knows without knowing that if Draga loses his voice in the riot, the shadows will penetrate Link’s barrier wall and have every drop of blood from the caster. She knows without knowing, that every voice in the shadow has a name, and every single one of them knows Draga by his. They are clawing, frantic, cannibalistic and mad trying to get past Link to reach him. Link they know, but they can’t look at because (there is a Wolf composed of woven moonlight stalking through the valley of shadow) he’s impervious to them.

But she…

She is their Enemy.

Zelda moves now. She grabs the hilt of the sacred blade, her hand closing around Link’s, her other hand grabbing Draga’s bloody wrist where the pendants has begun to burn him now. She can smell the sick acrid scent of his palm. She can feel Link struggling to breathe. She closes the circuit of three, Mishi at the center, and the shadows begin to scream.

She opens her eyes. She thinks they’re filled with light.

“I can see you,” she says to the legion.

The screaming stops.

Gold runs from her palms like water, translucent and infused with sunlight, running down her arms and dripping from her elbows. Her skin’s begun to shine internally, golden light sparking along the tracery system of her veins then shining from within. Her palm on Draga’s skin steams, a gold mist rising from the place where their hands meet, like an ocean finding a lava-flow. Her fingers around Link’s are electric, rain infused with lightning.

“I can see you,” Zelda says again, louder, and the shadows flinch back from her voice. “I can see you, damn you, get out!”

in whose name, says the darkest corner of the room.

The shadows are burning away before her light, but the in the corner of the room, directly behind Draga, the darkness seems to pull inward, deepening infinitely into the wall, like a mouth opening behind him and Zelda can feel Draga feeling it – that there is something behind him. It’s nothing. It’s just a dark corner in a room. It’s a black hole. It eats every ounce of light that sears from her skin. She rises to her feet, gripping hold of Link and Draga more tightly. There is something in the darkness and she can almost see it.

in whose name, says the thing in the darkness.

Draga is still speaking, but when the thing speaks he falters. He starts to look.

“Don’t look at it!” Zelda shouts, pulling on his hand. “Look at me! Don’t look at it!”

in whose name, says the shadow behind Draga.

And Zelda can see now that the shadow is Draga’s shadow, cast against the wall but impossibly large.

in whose name, it says again, closer now.

Draga’s hair moves like something is breathing on him, some terrible maw inches from the back of his neck. But Draga keeps casting. A line of blood opens along Draga’s right cheek. But Draga keeps casting. The voice from the shadow shakes the room.

IN WHAT NAME DO YOU ACT

Zelda’s right hand ignites. The sword ignites. Link moves. Time twitches infinitesimally and he’s there, then gone, a silver after-image snapping into follow-through and the Hero’s put the Master Sword through the oak beam in the corner. But there’s no shadow there any longer. The blade’s dark again where it rests in the solid wood block, buckled and splintered outward now as though struck by a blow far greater than Link’s one-armed killing-strike. (If there were, in fact, a greater blow possible.) Link breathes hard, slowly, through his teeth, and Zelda can see a line of sweat run from his hairline to his jaw.

Then he wrenches the blade free and stares at the mundane wreckage he’s made of the wall.

“Zelda?”

“It’s gone.”

He turns, afraid. “Mishi?”

“He’ll be fine,” Draga says.

He’s wrapping his palm calmly in a clean strip of bandage. Mishi – still unconscious, still identical to her eyes as the fallen Champion a century past – lays quietly, breathing the slow, deep, even breaths of slumber. There’s nothing dark in the room, just the usual shade where the lantern light can’t reach and, in the face of true darkness, every shadow seems bright as day.

Zelda covers her face, pushing her hair from her eyes. “Thank the Goddess,” she says.

Then, she looks at Draga.

Link is also looking at Draga.

He finishes wrapping his other hand. Then he sighs, running a hand through his hair, disturbing only a few of the gold clasps there. “I guess we should talk,” he says.

They congregate in Draga’s room. He’s so big, the Rito gave him their only entirely wooden cabin – a sun-facing room, the balcony open to the dawn. There’s nothing but the mountain range stretched out beyond the basin, a long, jagged line against the horizon and beyond that – the faint shimmer of light from the highlands beyond. It occurs to Zelda, that he’s very near his homeland now. That it’s, perhaps, three or four days ride into the valley that feeds into Gerudo country and suddenly he seems strange – less the traveler on the road, more a desert creature drawing back relentlessly to the habitat that produced him.

That said, it does nothing to stop the three of them from sitting down, cross-legged in a circle near enough that their knees are touching while Draga tries to figure out the vocabulary in Hylian for what he did.

Zelda knows what he did. Link probably… has some notion, his intuition being a match for any academic knowledge. The Master Sword is laying in his lap. The naked metal, she knows, is comforting to him. His hand lays on the cross guard, bare fingers worrying the details in the hilt. Zelda has a hand on his knee because Link is her totem in times of uncertainty. Draga has his elbows braced against his knees, one hand set against his chin, fingers curled over his mouth. Thinking.

Eventually, Zelda makes the first move.

“Draga, that was unfathomably dangerous.”

“That is ironic coming from you.”

“I overstrained myself using my magic inefficiently. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you made a minor pact with a demon to break that curse.”

“With a spirit, Princess, not necessarily a demon, though several were present in an opportunistic capacity.” There’s a short beat of horrified silence from his Hylian audience. His eyes narrow. “I’ve been on the road since I was fifteen. I like to think I am fairly dangerous myself, Zelda.” He lowers his voice slightly, tone softening. “That does not mean I did what I did lightly.”

“You opened a door –” Zelda begins.

He cuts her off. “The door was left open decades ago. It wasn’t I that left it so or did you think I didn’t see what stands on the other side?” He looks away, staring at the floor between them. “What you saw… the shadow on the wall, Princess, was just that, a shadow. I knew the demon wouldn’t dare show its face in the presence of Hylia’s acolytes.”

Link, eyes never leaving Draga’s, speaks up. “The demon?” he says.

Draga says nothing for a while.

“Curses are difficult. I needed something more.”

Which is an evasion.

“The shadow we saw,” says Link, startling the other two. “It wasn’t there because you summoned it. It was there because it’s always there. You used blood magic, but that wasn’t dangerous. What was dangerous was that… thing in the corner because it’s waiting for you to slip up.” Link’s hand on the Master Sword curls into a fist and she wonders if the blade is speaking to him. “You’re cursed. That’s why you know so much about it, because you’re cursed. There’s a demon in your shadow.”

Draga, finally, looks Link in the eyes. He seems tired. “That was a lot of words and yet… succinctly put.”

Zelda leans forward. “Draga, are you in danger?”

He laughs, broad shoulders shaking with the effort. “I am always in danger, Princess. That’s the point.” He sighs. “But presently? No. The curse is dormant except in the very specific circumstances that Link described. It’s a family curse. So, I’m used to it.”

Zelda feels her eyes start to sting. “What?”

“Generational curses,” Draga says, almost conversational in tone. “They’re indistinguishable from a pre-meditated hex. My entire family for generations has carried the curse. We have no recollection now of where it came from or who crossed some demon in their actions, but it’s always been there on the edge of our lives. My mothers and my sisters and my ancestors before them were all ward-workers and war-maids of Din’s acolyte for a reason: to defend themselves.”

He shakes his head.

“So now you know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but, like I said, it’s dormant unless I try to barter for power beyond my own.”

“But you directly summoned a spirit to break the curse on Mishi.” Zelda waits, but he doesn’t answer and she feels this… heat rising behind her throat, behind her teeth. “Why would you do that?” And when Draga looks away, she sits forward. “Look at me, why would you do exactly what that thing has been waiting for you to do? I saw your face. I know it terrifies you. Why would you put yourself in its way?”

“I needed the power,” he murmurs.

“You can’t do that.”

He looks at her. “Why not?”

“This was our task, our responsibility. Link and I. You shouldn’t have risked yourself just because I wasn’t strong enough to –”

“Zelda,” Draga says, “believe it or not, perhaps I didn’t do it just for you and Link.” Draga’s staring at her, unreadable. “Perhaps watching an entire family die in the throes of abomination is more than I can tolerate and perhaps that was the entire reason I left Gerudo Town in the first place: To learn how to protect people from exactly this kind of thing.” He shakes his head slowly. “I understand that, for a time, the world largely revolved around you and your hero, but this was not about you.”

Zelda blinks, stunned.

“I… that’s not what I meant!”

“I know. You never mean it,” he murmurs in a tone that she can’t interpret any other way than affectionately sarcastic, which is really just a nice way of being condescending.

She wants to hit him so much her fist curls in anticipation.

He notices, pale green eyes flicking idly to her half-cocked arm. “Are you going to punch me, Princess?”

“No,” Zelda says. “You’re just… trying to make me mad to distract me.”

“So you’re not going to hit me?”

“I am,” Link says, which the only warning either of them get before Link lunges.

He punches Draga right in the face. So hard, it knocks the bigger man backwards onto the floor. This, apparently, was not one of the scenarios that Draga had anticipated because he ends up sprawled out, swearing over the sound of Link yelling, “Not about us, huh!?”

Link tackles the larger man with momentum that shouldn’t apply to someone his size, hitting Draga at his waist as he rises. He hits him the way a cannon hits a building, knocking the Gerudo back down with a crash. Then he’s on top of the other man and just swinging with everything he has. Draga tolerates that for exactly zero seconds and literally, again, throws Link off. But Link’s hitting his stride now so he comes out of the throw with one of those infuriating little… flip things that he does, landing on his feet like an absurd cat. Which makes Draga really mad.

And then they’re just brawling.

“Stop that!” Zelda shrieks. “Are you kidding me?!”

Link kicks Draga in the chest. Draga grabs his leg with one massive hand and throws him into the four-poster bed, smashing it. Link doesn’t even stop. He’s up and charging Draga immediately, body checking him so hard he crashes into the wall. Zelda, panicked, thinks they are doing the Rito Village a lot of property damage in a very short amount of time. Link and Draga are both yelling at each other now. Nothing intelligible, just angry fighting noises as they crash around the room, destroying things.

“We are half a mile up in the air!” she screams, jumping out of the way as Draga bull-rushes into the wall spine first because Link is trying to choke him from behind. “If you go through a wall you will fall to your death!”

Link’s still clinging gamely on, arm hooked around Draga’s throat from behind. Draga ducks forward, hard, throwing Link over his shoulder where he slams flat on the ground, air going out of him. Then Draga just sits on Link’s chest which, when you’re Draga’s size, is an effective end to most fights.

“I will light you both on fire!” Zelda screams, not sure if she’s serious.

“Are you done?!” Draga’s yelling at the man beneath him.

Link hisses. Literally.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Bite me!” Link snarls.

“What in the name of the gods is wrong with you?”

“Are you with us or not?” he snarls.

“What?”

“Are you with us or not?” Link repeats, through his teeth, shoving at Draga’s knee so he can sit up. He’s sweaty, hair sticking to his forehead, face red. “Well?!”

“Of course, I am, you infuriating madman!” Draga pantomimes like he’s going to choke the Hero of Hyrule right here on the floor. “I didn’t dodge a demon because it was the right thing to do, you dense son of a bitch! I did it because it would have killed you both to watch Revali die again like it kills you just to speak their fucking names. Are you happy now?”

Link flops back on the floor, exhaling. “Yeah.”

Draga, disgusted, stands up and marches out of the room. “I can’t even look at you.”

Link makes no move to follow him. He just lies there breathing hard, arms spread on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Zelda, very primly, kneels next to him so she can stare down at her duly appointed knight, who has bits of shredded feather pillow in his hair and a bloody nose.

“Really?” she says.

“He’s with us,” Link informs her.

It’s infuriating that, somehow, that was exactly the question she wanted to ask.

go to chapter 6...

#botw #loz #legend of zelda #legend of zelda breath of the wild #zelda #link #ganondorf #lozfic #in which the cycle with the triforce starts again #but no one warned them #and no one remembers the old stories #so if they accidentally befriend #the next demon king #it wasn't on purpose #this is all hylia's fault anyway #rae writes #raewrites

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tfloosh · 7 years

Text

Forest

*Rises from the dead to bring you 10k words of Zelink fanfiction* Chapter 2 of my Zelink Week Master Quest is here!

Prince Link must escort Princess Zelda to the Ordon Village Harvest Festival. Understandably, neither is very happy about this.

Princess Zelda thought it would happen sooner than this. Six weeks was a pretty long time to wait considering how adamant King Clement was about moving this courtship and marriage along quickly. Maybe their parents had hoped their children’s heads would calm down a bit. But if Prince Link was anything like Zelda, he would still have a quiet layer of seething anger just below the surface. But as it stands, her first official outing with Prince Link would take place in two weeks’ time. It would be a warm-up to the first public declaration of their courtship, a way to see how people will react when they see Link and Zelda together, and Zelda was at least glad it would be on her home turf.

The Ordon Village Harvest Festival was always a staple for the beginning of fall in Hyrule. The small village had grown from producing quality milk and cheese from their humble goat ranch to the a rather well-to-do farming town that supplied half of the country’s wheat and cotton as well as herding cattle along with the famous Ordon goats. It was a pleasant festival filled with none of the stuffy rules, tight corsets, and political masks of a Royal Festival; it was truly one of Zelda’s favorites, and she was going to damn Link to the Dark Realm and back if he ruined it for her.

She wrote to him describing the Harvest Festival, telling him everything he might need to know and what he should bring to wear. Zelda honestly thought it was a waste of time, but her mother insisted. She silently hoped he wouldn’t read the letter and therefore be hilariously embarrassed and perpetually uncomfortable by dressing up for the Festival.

And then the gossip spread.

Of course talk fluttered about the court that an arranged marriage had been set up, but Zelda neither confirmed nor denied anything to those she was closest with. The Courtship and Marriage Contract Clause of the alliance treaty had been kept closed from the public at King Gerrik’s insistence, so no one knew that the Prince of Calatia and the Princess of Hyrule were contracted to court each other until their eventual engagement. Queen Elaina, and Zelda herself to some extent, played off the story that the young royals had met during the alliance negotiations in Kakariko Village and had taken with each other almost immediately. She let the girls of court read as much into her letter to Link as they wanted. Far be it from her to correct them from thinking it was a passionate love letter.

The only other person besides the Royal Family that knew the whole story was the Court Sorceress, Lana. Zelda wanted her friend’s nonpartisan advice and had ended up spilling her guts as they worked on their magic studies together.

“I apologized when I found him,” Zelda hung her head. “But I don’t think he’ll forgive me anytime soon.”

“You just need to earn his trust back,” Lana smiled. “It might be hard, and it will take time, but that’s really the only thing you can do.”

“Do you know anything about this Cia woman?” Zelda asked once they were finished with their training. “If I know more about her, I can avoid accidently emulating her in the future.”

“Cia was in my same class at the Academy,” Lana’s ever present smile faltered slightly. “She saw magic, and our responsibility to advise Royal Courts, as an opportunity to gain power, not as a responsibility and solemn duty to help others and do what’s right. She was almost expelled for investigating Dark Arts in our final year, but she unsurprisingly talked her way out of it. Cia only cares about her own interests and how to better herself.” Lana was actually frowning by the end of her rant, and Zelda had never seen her so upset.

“She sounds pretty evil,” Zelda frowned in turn. How did Link even get caught up with her in the first place?

“Only those closest to her really see her true nature,” Lana replied. “She has this subservient, unassuming charade she puts on to gain people’s trust, then she just uses them and tosses them aside when she’s gotten what she wants.” Lana smiled meekly, her kind demeanor returning. “But, but I wouldn’t say she’s totally evil. That’s kind of a strong word.”

“There you go seeing the best in everyone again,” Zelda smiled and started steering the conversation away from the Calatian Sorceress. “Maybe you can tell me some of the good qualities you see in Prince Link when you meet him. Then I might be able to convince myself they’re there.”

“Oh Zelda,” Lana smiled and grabbed her hands excitedly. “It’s the Ordon Harvest Festival. How bad can it be, really?”

***

Prince Link was due to arrive at the Royal Castle at any moment. Zelda had a very long debate with her parents about whether or not she should greet Link alone, with her mother, or simply wait until dinner to meet him. She couldn’t believe she was arguing on the side of greeting him at the front doors, but she was going to take Lana’s advice and felt it was a good way to start rebuilding the trust between them, and when she told her parents as much, they finally agreed.

And so Zelda stood on the steps leading to the over-large front doors of the castle. She watched as the carriage transporting Link made its way up the drive. Dread filled her the closer it got. After what seemed like an hour of waiting, the carriage finally pulled to a stop in front of her. She descended the steps as the coachman jumped down to open the carriage door.

“Prince Link,” Zelda gave a small curtsey as Link stepped out.

“Princess Zelda,” he bowed his head and took her hand to place a chaste kiss to her knuckles. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief; at least Link wouldn’t stoop to embarrass her in public.

“We are pleased for you to finally visit Castletown,” she started reciting the little welcome speech she had rehearsed in her head all morning. “I regret that we will not have more time here before we must leave for the Harvest Festival in Ordon Village.”

“You needn’t apologize, Princess,” Link smiled. “I am happy to spend time with you wherever we are.”

Zelda almost rolled her eyes at the sappy statement, but the giggling of nearby servants reminded her they were far from alone.

“How sweet of you,” she smiled demurely. Zelda lead Link to the visitor’s wing of the castle. She asked him simple questions like how his trip was and if he was excited for the Harvest Festival. When they reached the room Link would be staying in, and Zelda stood by the door as the Prince took in his surroundings. “The Junior Undersecretary, Martin Bolton, will be by later with an itinerary of our trip. It’ll mainly be arrival and departure times; we’re pretty much free to do as we please during the Festival itself.”

“That sounds very quaint,” Link mused as the butler brought the last of his luggage into the room. They were left alone, or as alone as one could get in the Royal Castle. He turned to look at her. “You are either not as mad at me as I thought, or you have put up a very convincing mask for the public.”

“I could say the same to you,” Zelda felt a small smirk come across her lips before she schooled her expression to be neutral.

“I assure you, Princess, my geniality is just a mask,” Link narrowed his eyes at her. Zelda refused to let the disappointment she felt show on her face.

“And I am not as angry as you think,” Zelda smiled sadly. “Let me know if you need anything. You have the run of the place until dinner, which is at six-thirty, but you must let one of the stable hands or horse masters know if you wish to go riding.”

Link gave her a curt nod, and Zelda left without another word. She went straight to the Queen’s Office, knowing her mother would be looking for her soon anyway.

“He hates me,” she gasped as she stormed through the door.

“Now, my dear,” Elaina set her quill down and gazed sympathetically at her daughter. “I’m sure he doesn’t hate you. Mistrusts maybe, but never hate.”

“He told me any kindness he shows in public is just a mask,” Zelda frowned. “And it’s a very good one; I couldn’t see through it at all.”

“Zelda, dear-”

“He can’t stand me, Mother. This is going to be the worst trip ever.”

“Remember what you told your father and me about rebuilding trust?” Elaina raised an eyebrow. “Promise me you will give everything you have into rebuilding the trust between you and Prince Link during this trip, and if he still refuses to accept your apology, then you can be as passive aggressively rude to him as you like.”

“You’re giving me permission?” Zelda couldn’t help but giggle.

“Refusing an apology when the guilty party has sincerely shown remorse and tried to make amends is an offence you should not have to take,” Elaina shrugged, but Zelda could swear she saw a faint smile on her face. “If Prince Link chooses to be an ass, then by all means, make his life miserable in the process.”

“Mother!” Zelda laughed.

“You may have met your match for obtuse stubbornness this time, though,” Elaina stood from her desk and walked around to hug her daughter. “But for the glory and honor of the House of Hyrule, make him break first.”

“I shall endeavor to, Mother,” Zelda smiled one last time before leaving.

***

Zelda didn’t hear from Link for the rest of the day. She spent most of her time in the library, as had become her habit over the past two months since the signing of the alliance treaty. She was continually searching for ways to annul the courtship and marriage contract or at least rework the clause in her favor. So far, she had found that nothing short of her father’s abdication of the throne would allow her to be Queen by the time she was to be married. It wasn’t until Zelda was back in her room finishing some last minute packing that Alice, her head maid, came to her with worried eyes and an anxious frown.

“I’ve been talking with Joel, who stands guard in the visitor’s wing, and he said he heard one of the maids assigned to Prince Link say he didn’t pack any hunting clothes, only formal suits,” Alice whispered to her as if it was the most scandalous gossip.

Zelda felt her face flush with anger before she could do anything to stop it. She quickly covered it with giggling embarrassment, “I must have forgotten to put what clothes Prince Link should pack in my letter. How silly of me.” Zelda coughed up another fake giggle as she racked her brain for a quick solution. “I’ll have to take him to the Bazaar to get proper clothes. Find my mother and tell her what has happened, oh, and that Prince Link and I will find dinner while in Castletown.” Zelda rushed around her room to find a proper cloak and walking shoes. “I’ll be on my way to the Prince then. Do try and keep this quiet, Alice; we wouldn’t want to embarrass Prince Link any further for my mistake. And thank you for telling me.” She smiled one last time before waltzing off to Link’s guest room.

Zelda never actually thought Link wouldn’t read her letter. As entertaining as it would be to embarrass Link further by having him wear formal suits to the Festival, she was trying to rebuild their trust and that meant covering up for this minor disaster.

She passed guardsmen and maids who nodded to her knowingly, and Zelda really hoped Link appreciated her saving him from embarrassment like this. The butler at the door announced her, and she could clearly hear Link’s annoyed “What’s she doing here?” This was going to be a long evening.

“You didn’t read my letter at all, did you?” Zelda asked as soon as the door closed behind her.

“I assumed it was just a token ‘I’m so glad you’re coming with me; I can’t wait to see you’ letter your mother forced you to write,” Link huffed. He at least had the decency to look embarrassed about being found out.

“Well if you had read it, you would have known that the Ordon Harvest Festival is a very casual affair, and you would only need to pack clothes you consider suitable for hunting,” Zelda tried her best not to shout.

“Well then, that would have been helpful, yes,” Link simply stated while putting on his cuff links. “Is there anything else you wish to scold me about, or can we go to dinner?”

“We aren’t going to dinner,” Zelda rolled her eyes. “We’re going to the Bazaar to get you some proper clothes, and we’ll have dinner in Castletown.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine with the clothes I have packed,” Link said stiffly.

“Only if you wish to be embarrassed and uncomfortable the whole trip,” Zelda sighed. “The Harvest Festival is a commoners’ festival, Link. No one will be wearing formal suits. Hell, I’m even planning on wearing trousers one day.”

He raised an eyebrow, and Zelda could tell he was trying not to laugh, “Really?”

“Really,” she could see he was going to bend, at least a little, and she saw that as a victory.

“Fine,” Link sent her a small glare, but she could tell it was only partially out of spite. “Am I at least fine to go into Castletown dressed as this?”

“Yes, just grab a coat of some sort,” Zelda tried to keep her victorious grin in check. “Do you wish to meet in the Entrance Hall?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll see you soon then.”

Zelda marched out of the room, cursing Link’s stubbornness in her head, and ran into her parents as she passed the first floor dining room.

“What is this I hear about you and Prince Link not joining us for dinner?” Gerrik asked with a far too knowing smirk on his face.

Zelda looked around to make sure no servants were in earshot, “Prince Link did not read the letter I sent regarding the Harvest Festival, and therefore did not pack adequately for the trip.” She paused as her father snorted slightly to cover a laugh. “We’re going to go to the Bazaar to get him some proper clothes, and we’ll eat dinner in Castletown.”

“I’ll see if Martin can get you a reservation at that cute, little restaurant by the fountain,” Elaina smiled as she went off to find the Junior Undersecretary.

“Don’t tell anyone the truth,” Zelda whispered after her. She turned back to her father. “I’ve already taken the blame saying I forgot to tell Prince Link in the letter I sent.”

“A great way to start rebuilding trust,” Gerrik winked. “Now here,” he motioned to one of the butlers down the hall, “are some rupees. Enough for clothes for four days, is it?”

“I’m sure it is,” Zelda smiled as she took the bag of rupees from the butler. “Thank you, Father. I’ll let you know when we get back.”

“Don’t stay out too late,” he called after her as she left for the Entrance Hall.

Martin Bolton had a particularly sour look on his face when Zelda arrived at the Entrance Hall.

“You couldn’t have told me earlier that you wanted a reservation out of the castle?” he grumbled.

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” she smiled as Link descended the stairs to meet them. “I wished to show Prince Link more of Castletown before we left in the morning.”

“Are you ready, Princess?” Link asked as he stopped next to her.

“As long as our reservations are in place,” Zelda kept her smile plastered on her face. She eyed Martin as if daring him to say no.

“Yes, Your Highness, the table will be reserved until nine o’clock,” he recited stiffly. “So please arrive at the restaurant before then.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Bolton,” Link smiled as he took Zelda’s arm. “I’m sure I can keep a wayward Princess in line.”

If Zelda weren’t surrounded by castle staff, she would have done much more than fake a giggle. But she could only wait until they were walking down the gravel path that lead from the castle doors to the front gate.

“I’m sorry for this inconvenience,” Zelda said sternly, keeping her eyes forward. “I have already told my maids that I simply forgot to tell you the proper attire for the Festival in my letter, and I’m sure the whole castle is now swooning because their Princess is so love sick she actually forgot to follow proper procedure.” She could feel Link’s ice cold gaze on her; it almost made her shiver.

“Then I guess I should thank you for not forcing this embarrassment on me,” he said. Zelda could practically feel him roll his eyes at her.

“If you had just read the letter, this wouldn’t have been a problem.”

“If you had just been honest with me when we met, I wouldn’t have thrown the letter out in the first place.”

“Link,” Zelda stopped them just before the turn in the road that would reveal the front gates. “I am trying to make these next five years at least bearable so that our marriage can be successful, and that takes trust.”

“Funny how that didn’t bother you two months ago,” Link’s eyes glared daggers at her.

“Two months ago, I thought I could stop this marriage before it was contracted,” she glared back at him. “And now unless some freak accident burns the original contract to ashes and scatters them to the winds, we are stuck in this courtship and marriage. It would be easier if you at least gave me a chance to earn back your trust.”

He sighed, “All I am willing to give you is a chance.”

“Good thing that’s all I need.”

Zelda turned and began walking again, forcing Link to rush to catch up to her so he could take her arm again. She waved to the guards as they passed through the front gate and started chatting idly with Link even though she was sure he wasn’t listening.

“Now it may seem counter-intuitive,” Zelda kept rambling as she led them toward the tailor shop in the Bazaar. “But Gorons are actually some of the finest tailors in all of Hyrule. We’ve been working with this family of Gorons for generations. They even designed my mother’s wedding dress.”

“Miss Zelda,” a booming voice called as soon as they entered the tiny shop. “Such a surprise. What brings you too my humble shop?”

“Good evening, Golo,” Zelda smiled what might have been her first genuine grin all day. “May I introduce Prince Link Bathory of Calatia. He is actually the reason we are here.”

“I see,” Golo’s eyes crinkled. “And what might I do for you, Your Highness?”

“As it turns out, I apparently packed all the wrong clothes for our trip to Ordon Village tomorrow,” Link smiled sheepishly. “We were hoping you would be able to help us get some proper attire.”

“Now, Miss Zelda,” Golo scolded as he turned to grab a tape measure. “Did you forget to tell the Prince about the Harvest Festival?”

“My mind must have been on other things while I wrote my letter to him,” Zelda blushed and hated herself a little when it didn’t feel entirely fake. “But that doesn’t matter now because I know you can work your magic to get us some fine hunting clothes for our trip.”

“If you’ll just stand here, Your Highness, I’ll take your measurements, and we can get started,” Golo motioned to a small step set in front of a three piece mirror, and Link walked toward it. “What pieces were you thinking of?”

Link froze on the step and stared in the mirror at Zelda.

“Probably just three undershirts, four long-sleeves, a couple of tunics and nice vests, and some trousers,” Zelda answered for him. “Unless you brought some riding pants?”

“Yes, a couple,” Link answered.

“Then one pair of hunting trousers and that should be enough for the trip,” Zelda turned and started walking down the long, narrow aisle where all the bolts of fabric were stored.

She pulled down different shades of green and brown and hunted down some navy blue that would complement some of her dresses nicely. She placed the fabric on the front counter and rifled through the many boxes of trimming and appliques for anything that was gold.

“You certainly know your way around this place,” Link had a small smile on his face.

“I’ve always been very picky on how I want my dresses to look,” Zelda smiled back and picked a couple of more gold trimmings. “Eventually Golo let me have the run of the place to let the selection process go faster.”

“If she didn’t already have a future as our beloved Queen, I would have offered her a job years ago,” Golo chuckled heartily. “She has chosen good fabrics, though I would have gone with more fall colors.”

“I guess we could throw in some reds to change things up if the Prince so wished,” Zelda scrutinized Link carefully. “But oranges and yellows would just wash him out.”

“Strangely enough, that’s what my mother always says,” Link nodded. “Why the blue?”

“It would complement one of the dresses I’m bringing,” Zelda couldn’t stop herself from feeling unnecessarily embarrassed. “But this is your decision. Would you like me to pull some reds?”

“No, green and blue is fine.”

Zelda smiled at the small victory. They spent the next hour and a half picking the style, fabric, and trimming for each piece of clothing they were ordering. Link must have had little experience designing his own clothes since he deferred to Zelda to make most of the final decisions. In the end, they ended up with brown hunting trousers, two white and two cream long sleeves, two white undershirts, two green tunics, a green vest, and a navy vest. After paying Golo, they left for the small restaurant by the fountain with thirty minutes to spare.

“That wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be,” Link admitted as they walked down the narrow street to the fountain square.

“You make it sound as if I was attempting to torture you,” Zelda smirked. “Have you never gone shopping in Calatia?”

“No,” he shook his head, “Usually one of the maids takes care of it or my mother if it’s something important.”

They walked into the restaurant, and Zelda smiled at the host.

“Ah, Princess Zelda we have been expecting you,” he bowed to them. “We kept the window seat open just for you and your date.”

Link opened his mouth to protest, but Zelda leaned over subtly so she could shove him with her shoulder.

“How generous of you, Alfonse,” Zelda smiled. The host led them to their table. “I’m sorry this was so last minute, but I wanted to show Prince Link more of Castletown before we left for Ordon in the morning. Can you believe he’s never seen our beautiful city before?”

“Great Goddesses, no,” Alfonse gasped as if shocked, though it was clearly exaggerated. “If that’s the case, Your Highness, then you have the best tour guide in the country with you.” He placed their menus before them and winked before leaving to fetch a bottle of wine.

“How is it that you seem to know everyone personally?” Link asked amazed. “Even if I went out into Calatia City regularly, I would never be able to remember anyone’s name.”

“It’s all about building a relationship with the people,” Zelda smiled as Alfonse returned and poured them each a glass of chardonnay. “My family is loyal to certain establishments in Castletown, such as Golo’s Tailoring and this restaurant, and the people who work there are, in turn, loyal to us.” She took a sip of wine. “I remember hearing a story not too long ago about the owner of a pub my father used to frequent when he was younger throwing someone out because they were insulting the Royal Family. My father probably hasn’t set foot in that pub for years, but the owner still remembers a time when Prince Gerrik would only insist on going there to have a pint during his schooling.”

“We have a very different system in Calatia,” Link said as he perused his menu. “The Royal Family doesn’t necessarily stay loyal to one particular business. Instead, if a specific service is needed, such as flowers for a ball or banquet, the different flower shops in town put in a bid to do the work. We then pick which store we wish to work with based on their bid. Then many different stores can boast they have done work for the Royal Family.”

“I have noticed in my research that Calatia seems to have more of an open market than Hyrule does,” Zelda said. “Have you found anything that sounds appetizing?” She gestured to the menu.

“The venison sounds particularly good,” he smiled.

“We’ll be having plenty of that in Ordon,” she laughed. “Go ahead and try something new.”

“Everything that’s new to me has too many vegetables,” Link stuck his tongue out. “But we don’t get too much seafood in Calatia. Is salmon any good?”

“The salmon here is my favorite,” she smiled and waved Alfonse over.

“What can I get for you, Your Highnesses?”

“I hear the salmon here is the best,” Link said. “Am I able to take the Princess’ word on this one?”

“Most certainly, Your Highness,” Alfonse smiled. “Would you prefer grilled or baked?”

“Well, which is the best?”

“The baked salmon is a bit spicy for my own tastes, personally,” the host admitted. “So I recommend grilled to those who don’t generally enjoy spiced foods.”

“Grilled it is then,” Link handed over his menu.

“And for you, Princess?” Alfonse turned to her.

“The grilled shrimp with rice and asparagus, please.”

“And will that be all for the table?”

“Yes, thank you, Alfonse.”

They talked rather amicably throughout dinner, though Zelda could tell Link was much more guarded than he had been in Kakariko Village. He insisted on paying since Zelda had paid for all the new clothes at Golo’s.

“You know, it’s quite hard for me to remember that I’m angry with you at times,” Link confessed as they walked back up the gravel path to the castle.

“Father says the Council members feel the same,” she laughed. “I could spend the whole day arguing with them about policy, but they are never able to hold a grudge for too long.”

“But I’m still angry with you,” he narrowed his eyes at her.

“I’d actually be surprised if you weren’t.”

***

The ride to Ordon Village took most of the day. Zelda was glad she brought books to read along the way because Link was less than forthcoming when it came to conversation. She had begun digging into old religious texts to see if they could help her find ways to annul the marriage contract. So far the only thing she had found was that the contract could be annulled if one party committed an adulterous sin, but Zelda highly doubted Link would bring that sort of shame upon his House and country, and there was no one she would even want to cheat on Link with in Hyrule. Maybe that sorceress he had been seeing in Calatia, Cia, would get caught attempting to seduce him. But if he was the victim, there may not be enough grounds to argue for an annulment. Zelda’s thoughts went round and round in similar circles until Link cleared his throat.

“Nearly there, are we?” he asked, keeping his gaze firmly to the scenery outside the carriage.

“Yes, we should be there before the sun goes down,” Zelda replied curtly. She closed her book and stored it back inside her travel bag. “So not too long now.”

“Since I didn’t read your letter about the Festival,” Link started slowly, still pointedly avoiding her gaze. “Is there anything I need to know about Ordon?”

Zelda smiled and tallied another small victory in her column, “Ordon and its surrounding forests were annexed into the kingdom of Hyrule a little over one hundred years ago now. The original settlement was founded by humans, but over time some Hylians have immigrated to the farming town, and it’s most famously known as the hometown of the Hero of Twilight.”

“Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten about Hyrule’s Legendary Heroes,” Link huffed. Zelda could tell he was rolling his eyes.

“Despite Ordon’s constant growth and prosperity, it has kept to its roots as a small farming and ranching town, and they still celebrate the Harvest Festival in the same manner they did some hundred and fifty years ago.”

“So what will happen in this Festival? What events are there?”

“It will start with a large outdoor feast tonight,” Zelda started, thinking back to previous visits to the Harvest Festival. “Then there will be a carnival tomorrow with all types of games and foods and shops, and that evening there will be a fireworks display. The next morning there is worship dedicated to Din to bless the bounties of the earth that has been harvested and ask for a good crop for the upcoming season. Then there is partying until around midday, and dinner is blessed in the name of Farore for her creation of all the animals and her blessings on the herds that year.”

“Sounds exciting,” Link said with the least amount of enthusiasm possible.

“It should be,” Zelda snapped back. “The Ordon Harvest Festival is one of my favorite Festivals in all of Hyrule.”

“Because you don’t have to wear a corset for this one?” Link finally turned to look at her with a smirk across his face.

“No,” she glared at him. “It’s because I can be a normal woman attending the Festival and not worry about my perception as the Princess and future Queen of Hyrule.”

“We should be in Ordon in about five minutes, Your Highnesses,” the coachman called from his seat up front.

“Thank you,” Zelda answered cheerfully. She turned back to Link and resumed her glaring. “Some of my happiest memories with my family are from Ordon Village; do not ruin this Festival for me.”

They were greeted by the Mayor of Ordon when they finally descended from the carriage some ten minutes later. Mayor Bo was a kindly, middle aged man with a loud booming voice and a fierce love for his town. He greeted Link with an over-enthusiastic hand shake and a promise to give him the grand tour of Ordon Village before the big feast tonight. Link gave her a panicked look at this, and Zelda could have given him an out by saying they were much too tired after their long journey, but she decided this was payback for his corset comment from earlier.

As soon as their luggage was squared away in their rooms at the tiny inn, Mayor Bo led the Prince and Princess on a tour of the village. Zelda smiled and nodded at all of the mayor’s comments and just to torture Link, asked for the ever elaborated backstory on everything from the grand waterwheel to the small pumpkin patches that still held their own against the tall shops and cobbled streets to the sprigs of hawk grass that the children loved to whistle with.

They returned to the inn over an hour later with just enough time to freshen up and change before the big feast. Not five minutes later, Link barged into her room under the pretense of asking which vest to wear.

“You are evil, you know that?” he huffed as she tied up the laces on the front of his green vest. “That tour could have lasted twenty minutes but you made it at least four times as long with your questions.”

“That should teach you never to think I prefer events based on whether or not I wear a corset,” Zelda glared at him before finishing the laces with a bow and tucking it into the vest so it would not be seen.

“But it has to at least be a factor, right?” Link smirked down at her.

Without the heels she usually wore, Zelda was just barely eye-level with Link’s chin, and she didn’t like the tiny bit of power knowing he was taller gave the Prince.

“If you must know, I only wear corsets with formal gowns worn at celebratory balls and State Dinners,” Zelda said as she grabbed a small jacket to wear in case it got chilly. “And they aren’t as uncomfortable as most think, if you wear them correctly.”

“All women in Calatia must wear their corsets incorrectly then,” Link smiled as he held the door open for her, and Zelda couldn’t help but smile back.

“See, we can get along civilly.”

“Don’t push your luck, Princess.”

The feast was indeed grand. Tables laid end on end down the length of the path that wound next to the small creek that cut through the village. Platters and dishes of food were piled on to the tables, and Zelda could tell that the families of Ordon must have worked for at least a week to produce all this food. Link actually looked impressed at the set-up, with its mismatching table cloths and chairs. It was truly the complete opposite of any formal State Dinner or Feast that would be held at a castle.

Mayor Bo lead them toward seats in the very middle of the long spread of tables. Zelda sat down with Link to her right, and the Commander of the Hyrulean soldiers in Ordon, Rusl, on her left.

“Alright, alright everybody,” Mayor Bo called in his booming voice. The chatter that had spanned the table instantly quieted down. “Thank you all for preparing such wonderful looking meals for our feast tonight. Let’s hope they taste just as good, yes?” Laughter rumbled up and down the tables. “This year we are happy to welcome Princess Zelda and her special guest, Prince Link Bathory of Calatia, to our table.” Zelda waved a little at the polite applause. “Would you be so kind as to bless our meal, Your Highness?”

“I would be honored, Mayor,” Zelda stood and smiled as more people clapped. “Let us bow our heads. We call in the name of the powerful Din, who created the land which bears the fruit of our labors, the courageous Farore, who provided all that lives on the land so that we might prosper, and the wise Nayru, whose laws we uphold. May they come and bless our food and the good people of Ordon Village who worked to create it, and may they continue to bless this village with prosperity and love. So we pray in thy name.”

Everyone mumbled back, “So we pray in thy name.”

“Now let us begin the feast!” Mayor Bo yelled excitedly.

The chatter descended on the crowd again, and Zelda sat back down.

“Now where is this venison you promised me,” Link asked as he picked up some rolls from the plate in front of him.

“It’s just down there,” she pointed with a laugh.

Zelda preferred to listen more than talk at times like these. She was fascinated by Link’s comedic amazement at the different types of food he had never seen before. The mayor’s daughter, Ilia, kindly explained what was in each dish and specifically promoted those she made herself. Mayor Bo then wrapped Link into talk about the alliance treaty and began talking about trade law. Zelda watched, roaring with laughter on the inside, for five minutes before she decided to save Link from his misery.

“Come now, Mayor,” Zelda chided kindly. “We came here to get away from all the politics of Castletown and celebrate your bountiful harvest. Let us leave boring talk of trade for other times.”

“You’re quite right, Princess,” Mayor Bo laughed. “Why don’t you tell us how you’re enjoying Hyrule, Prince Link? I have heard you have only visited once or twice, correct?”

“Yes,” Link answered after he took a drink of spiced wine. “Yesterday was the first time I’d seen Castletown. It was really a remarkable place. Princess Zelda took me out in the evening to show me the city, and we had dinner as this quaint, little restaurant.”

“Our dear Princess is ever the gracious hostess,” Bo raised his glass to her, and Zelda tried to tell herself it was the mayor’s complement and not Link’s that was making her blush. “She will make a fine Queen one day.”

“That she will,” Link raised his glass with Bo.

“Now you’re just making me blush, gentlemen,” Zelda said trying to repress the smile that was forming on her lips.

“Come now, Princess,” Link turned and winked at her. “I’m sure it’s just the wine.”

Zelda refused to pass up the opportunity to kick him under the table as those around them laughed. When she was fairly certain she had given Link a nasty bruise on his shin, she turned back to Mayor Bo.

“As you can see, Mayor,” Zelda smiled sweetly. “Prince Link, here, is only ever a gentleman when he wants to be.”

“And I never want to be a gentleman around you, Princess,” Link smirked as he took another sip of his drink.

“You may have met your match then, Your Highness,” Ilia giggled. “Princess Zelda hardly ever acts like a lady.”

Dessert flew by in what felt like seconds drowned in chocolate and strawberries. Link fell in love with pumpkin pie, and Zelda had a good laugh at the whipped cream mustache he acquired as a result of eating too fast. After all the food had been cleared away, Mayor Bo reminded everyone of the carnival in the morning. Zelda stood to lead Link back to their inn, but Ilia came up beside her before she could take a single step.

“If you don’t mind, Your Highness, I’d like to steal the Princess from you,” Ilia smiled as she tucked her arm in with Zelda’s. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to chat with my good friend, and I can have my father show you back to the inn if you need.”

“No, I’m sure I can manage,” Link gave them a little wave before turning and heading off.

“How funny would it be if he stumbled and fell into the creek?” Zelda asked as they turned to stroll in the other direction.

“Far more hilarious than it should be, I’m sure,” Ilia laughed for a second before her face turned serious. “So it was all an act?”

Zelda nodded, “I’m glad we were able to cover ourselves so well.”

“You had me going until that gentleman comment,” Ilia smiled. “What did you do, kick him under the table?” Zelda nodded again, quite proudly, as Ilia laughed. “I saw his face just as you did it. I wish you could have seen; it was hilarious.”

“Remind me to get you one of those new pictographs for Goddess’ Day then,” Zelda smiled, though her heart wasn’t entirely in it.

They walked in silence until Ilia stopped them on a small fishing dock behind the waterwheel.

“Is it true you’re going to marry him?” she asked quietly. “There are rumors going around. I just wanted to make sure from the source.”

“Eventually, yes, but it’s being kept under wraps for a while,” Zelda frowned. “I couldn’t get out of it. King Clement went behind our back and changed the contract without telling us. And then I was stupid and went to meet with Link as Sheik, and he found out, and now he hates me, and I’m trying everything to get his trust back, and I don’t know if it’s working, Ilia.” She took a deep breath. It was overwhelming to think of all her problems with Link and the marriage contract all at once.

“He’s forcing himself to be mad at you,” Ilia stated.

“How can you tell?”

“There’s too much attraction between you,” she laughed. “Just the way you banter with each other is telling enough. Prince Link said things he knew would rile you up, like he was seeking out ways to fight with you. But you would respond so gracefully and shut him down. There’s no way the Prince could stay mad at you for long, I think.”

“Can we at least agree that he’s an ass?” Zelda asked with a small giggle.

“Oh, yes,” Ilia nodded as she link her arm with the Princess again. “He is undoubtedly an ass for thinking he could win a fight with you.”

“This is why we are such good friends, Ilia.”

***

Zelda woke up refreshed for the carnival in the morning. She felt ready for anything Link could throw at her. Ilia had been right; Link was looking for ways to pick fights with her so he could stay angry, but Zelda wasn’t going to let that happen. Today was going to be a good day filled with food and fun and fireworks, and Prince Link was not going to ruin it.

“Good morning,” she brightly called as she knocked on his door once she was dressed.

Link opened the door, mouth open and ready to say some snarky comment no doubt, and then he froze, “You really were serious about the whole wearing trousers thing.”

Zelda looked down at her outfit. She wore a light blue tunic over tan trousers with knee-high riding boots.

“We’re going to be walking around quite literally all day,” she rolled her eyes. “There is no way I’m wearing kitten heels and skirts.”

“Alright, fine,” Link yawned heavily. “Is there anything you wanted then?”

“I wanted to see if you needed breakfast before we left for the carnival?” Zelda raised an eyebrow.

“I might as well,” he opened the door fully so she could enter the room. “Will we head out when we’re done?”

“If you’re ready, yes.”

“Alright then,” Link grabbed a leather hunting jacket to put on over his tunic and walked back to the door. “Let’s get breakfast.”

They left for the carnival some time later. Though Zelda stopped and talked with many of the shop keepers and villagers, she spoke very little with Link. He didn’t try to make conversation either, so Zelda wasn’t going to be the first to speak. But after catching Link staring at the booth that held the archery game for the fourth time, she finally decided to ask.

“Do you want to go play the archery game?”

“Only if you wish to, Princess,” he smiled.

Zelda rolled her eyes, “It’s encouraged to participate in the carnival games, you know. We could even make a competition of it.”

“You think you’re that good of a shot?” Link huffed to cover his laugh.

“I’ve been shooting since I was old enough to hold a bow,” she nudged him teasingly as they walked to the booth. “Though I would expect nothing less than the same from you.”

“Years of training is negligible if you wield a less powerful bow than your opponent,” he smirked at her as the joined the short queue at the archery booth.

“Power is nothing if it is not channeled properly,” Zelda countered.

“I think we should make a wager,” Link crossed his arms as they took a step up in the queue.

“So if I win, you will buy me any dessert of my choosing?” she asked sweetly.

“Yes, as long as you do the same if I win.”

“Deal,” Zelda held out her hand to shake on it, and they stepped up to the booth.

“Ah, Princess,” Rusl greeted them from his spot behind the counter. “Did you bring the Prince over to play my humble game?”

“Why Rusl, he insisted on coming and playing,” Zelda smiled as she handed over the rupees to play.

“I think you may have gotten that backwards,” Link smirked as he pointed out one of the heavier bows to use.

“I’m not so sure I did,” she smiled back as Rusl handed her a medium weight bow.

“You get three arrows to shoot,” Rusl explained as he handed them their arrows. “If you score over a fifteen you get a small prize, over twenty gets you a medium prize, and a bull’s eye gets you a big prize no matter what.”

“And highest score wins, right Zelda?” Link smirked again as if he couldn’t keep the look off his face.

“May the best archer win, Link,” Zelda took her stance.

She drew the bow once to test its weight before lowering it to nock an arrow. She heard the snap-thud of Link releasing his first arrow, but she didn’t look to see what it scored. Zelda drew her bow again, aimed, and released. The arrow hit on the line between the ten and nine circles.

“Nice form,” Link commented.

“Quit ogling and shoot,” Zelda’s lips lifted in a small smile before she could stop them.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her next shot was a little low, only an eight, but her last shot was a dead center bull’s eye. She smiled; a twenty-eight would be hard to beat.

“Would you score for us, please Rusl?” she asked.

“It would be my pleasure, Your Highness,” he walked to the targets. “Princess Zelda has a ten, ten, and eight, and Prince Link has three nines. Princess, you are the winner.” He pulled the arrows and turned to get their prizes. Zelda got two stuffed animal toys in the shape of Ordon goats and a small toy tiara she happily placed on her head.

“I think it’s better than my other tiaras, don’t you think?” she tilted her head, modeling the tiara for Link and the spectators that had gathered to watch their small competition.

“It’s not as good as my sword here,” Link brandished the small wooden sword that was his prize. “I think I’ll hang it on my wall back in Calatia.”

“And recount the tale of how the Princess of Hyrule beat you at a carnival archery game?” Zelda poked him as they moved out of the way for the next people in line.

“Oh of course not,” he said as he took up her arm to escort again. “I’ll tell everyone I let you win just so I could buy you dessert.”

She swatted him on the arm but decided not to argue further.

They continued around the carnival for several hours. Link ended up buying Zelda her favorite chocolate truffles for dessert, and she stopped at one point to give her plush goats to a couple of playing children. Eventually they made their way back to the inn so they could rest and freshen up before dinner and the fireworks show.

Dinner was again outside, but this time all the tables were set up separately from each other in small clearing by the main gate to the village. Link and Zelda sat with Mayor Bo and Ilia again. Zelda spent most of the meal catching up on all the latest gossip. Ilia went on for quite a while about the new ranch hand, Fado, and Zelda couldn’t help but wonder if her friend had a crush.

Feeling like she had ignored Link for long enough, Zelda turned to him once dinner was over, “Have you ever seen fireworks before, Link?”

“Yes, we usually shoot them off for Goddess’ Day,” he nodded curtly.

There he goes being all closed off again; Zelda almost rolled her eyes.

Not long after, the fireworks started. What was once one of her favorite parts of the Harvest Festival as a child was dampened by the lack of enthusiasm her company was showing. Zelda went to bed that night vowing that if Link refused to open up to her by the end of the Festival then she would take her mother’s advice and be just as stubbornly angry with the Prince as he was with her.

***

“You didn’t say we’d have to wake up at the crack of dawn,” Link grumbled as Zelda practically dragged him to the center of the village.

“If you had read my letter,” she started, but he cut her off.

“Stop holding that damn letter over my head,” he said in between stumbling on the cobblestone path. “I said I was sorry.”

“And doesn’t it feel bad to know you aren’t forgiven for something you have sincerely apologized for,” Zelda shot back. She stopped them just before they reached the center of town to straighten their clothes.

“Now this is the most important part of the Harvest Festival,” she said as she tightened the bow on Link’s blue vest before tucking it away. “I only ask that you stay for the prayer, and I will make an excuse for you to head back to the inn to catch up on your sleep.”

“I’ll be fine,” he swatted her hands away. “Wouldn’t want people to think we’re anything less than the perfect couple.”

“And we aren’t even officially courting yet,” Zelda smiled, letting the sarcasm lay thick in her voice. “How thoughtful of you.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Link rolled his eyes and held out his arm for Zelda to take.

They walked calmly into the center of the village. Zelda told Link in a low voice what to expect and what to say while Link nodded along as if he was actually listening.

“Ah, Your Highnesses, we’re so glad you could make it this early,” Mayor Bo greeted them as they walked down the makeshift aisle created by the chairs placed before the alter. “It is quite a beautiful morning, I must say. The sunrise was especially enchanting. Did you happen to catch it?”

“I’m afraid we didn’t,” Zelda shook her head ruefully. “Someone was a little tired after all the excitement yesterday and struggled to wake up this morning.”

“I said I was sorry, Zelda,” Link’s sheepish grin was so convincing it almost fooled the Princess.

“Well, I can’t help but tease you about it,” her giggle sounded a little too fake.

“Come now, we must be holding up the ceremony with our chatter,” Link looked to Bo.

“Oh, nonsense,” the mayor chuckled. “The priest isn’t even here yet. Please, take a seat.”

Mayor Bo led them to seats on the first row. Link kept up his perfect gentleman act as he talked with the people sitting next to them. Zelda was surprised he could wear such a mask so early in the morning. It made her wonder if she would ever be able to see the real Link again.

Finally the village priest showed up wearing vestments of blazing red to honor the Goddess Din. He began his lengthy blessing of the earth and the crops that grew there, and Zelda tuned out the words she had memorized since she was ten. She kept ahold of Link’s hand so she could squeeze it when it looked like he was falling asleep. After almost an hour, the blessing was finally over and breakfast was served. Zelda immediately set out in search of an omelet with Link trailing behind her slowly. She piled her plate from the small breakfast buffet set out for everyone, a vegetable omelet with toast and jam and fresh goat milk. Just as she was about to leave, Link grabbed her arm and leaned in close.

“Why is there no meat?” he whispered.

“Meat is not eaten today until the herds are given Farore’s blessing at dinner,” Zelda explained quietly.

She turned away to find a table to sit at and heard Link mutter, “And now I’m supposed to spend a day without meat?”

He eventually joined Zelda at her table looking sullenly at his plate of eggs.

After breakfast, Link went off with some of the other men to watch the traditional tests of strength used to honor Din. Zelda was actually glad to see him go; she needed some time away from the Prince.

“He seems especially mad at me today,” she sighed as she talked with Ilia,

“Most people are irritable when they’re woken up extremely early,” Ilia said. “Especially, men. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

“But I’m trying everything,” Zelda felt her hands ball into fists. “He won’t even budge, and the masks he put up just confuse me. Why can’t we just go back to the way it was?”

“Do you have feelings for him?” Ilia asked quietly.

“No I- no of course not,” she sputtered. Her cheeks were growing hot, and Zelda couldn’t believe that it felt like she was lying when she knew it was the truth.

“But you want to have feelings for him,” Ilia pointed out. “You just won’t let yourself.”

“Of course I won’t,” Zelda huffed. “I wouldn’t want to fall for this fake jerk of a Prince.”

“And what about the Prince you met in Kakariko?” Ilia smirked knowingly.

Zelda opened her mouth to argue but no words came out.

“Could it be that you want Prince Link to go back to how he was when you first met him so you can let yourself have feelings for him?”

Zelda didn’t know how, but Ilia had hit the nail straight on the head, “You should study psychology. You would be a natural at it.”

“Thank you,” Ilia smiled. “But you’re avoiding my question.”

Zelda looked away to the small mountains and hills that surrounded Ordon Village, “That may be, possibly, almost exactly how I feel. But I don’t want to fall for him at all. I want to annul our contract and politely avoid him at every function we are forced to attend together.”

“Well lucky for you, he doesn’t want to fall for you either,” Ilia crossed her arms. “But you’re stuck in your contract until you maybe find a way to annul it. You might as well try and make nice while you can.”

“Or I can be just as rude to him,” Zelda suggested.

“Zelda,” she scolded. “You know that’s not going to fix any of your problems.”

“But it will make me feel better.”

She laughed as Ilia rolled her eyes.

Lunch was a lot more pleasant than breakfast. Link sat with some of the young men he met at the tests of strength while Zelda sat at a completely different table with some of the women she had come to know over her years of visiting. She was glad to be spared Link’s whining and complaining and utter rudeness. Despite her love of the Ordon Harvest Festival, Zelda wanted to leave as soon as possible so she could get rid of Prince Link. He simply frustrated her to no end. She was done with trying to act nice and rebuild trust. Zelda decided she would give it one last shot before giving Link a taste of his own medicine.

The tables that had been set out for breakfast and lunch were moved to open up a clearing for dancing. Zelda fully expected Link to completely ignore her and not even ask her to dance, but she was surprised when he came up to her during the first song.

“May I have the honor of dancing with you, Princess Zelda?” he asked giving her a slight bow.

“The honor would be mine, Prince Link,” Zelda smiled despite herself.

Link led her out onto the grass dancefloor and they started to waltz slowly.

“I wonder,” Zelda murmured so only Link could hear, “how many masks you have. You seem to have quite the collection.”

“Calatian court is not the same as Hyrulean court,” he replied. “Many masks are needed to hide one’s true intent from others.”

“There was a time when you wore no masks with me,” she looked up at him. He turned away to avoid contact.

“Yet at that time you were the one wearing masks,” anger flashed in Link’s blue eyes.

“How ironic that our roles seemed to have switched,” Zelda refused to rise to his anger. “If you choose to only wear masks with me, then I may choose to do the same to you. And believe me when I say, my masks are much more fearsome than you can imagine.”

“Then I look forward to the sight, Princess.”

The song ended, the silence stealing Zelda’s reply. She curtseyed automatically when Link bowed. It took her a second to recollect herself, but when she did, all she could feel was seething anger.

Did he really just throw her attempt at making peace back in her face? How dare he so readily snub her offer to start anew? His rebuff had come so quickly, naturally even, it was as if he wanted to continue fighting just for the sake of it. Zelda wanted to stomp her feet, scream, do anything to relieve the anger building inside her. It was as if Prince Link wasn’t even giving her a chance to prove her trustworthiness. But he wouldn’t; he had promised after all.

Zelda spent the rest of the day mechanically going through the motions of a benevolent Princess. It was hard to keep her new-found anger under the surface, especially when she had to interact with Link. Every time they spoke, it became clearer to Zelda that he was going to belligerently hold on to their pointless fight. Somehow she made it through the hour long blessing of Farore and the dinner that followed. She kept a smile plastered on her face as Mayor Bo walked her and Link back to their inn. She packed up her clothes in preparation for the journey back to Castletown tomorrow morning, but the whole time she mind was running in increasingly angry circles.

Maybe if she just talked with Link. But that hadn’t worked the last thirty times.

She should just lay down the law and demand his forgiveness. No, that was idiotic.

One thing was clear to her though, Link had not given her the chance to earn back his trust, and that’s what angered her most of all.

After an hour of mindlessly folding and refolding her clothes, Zelda escaped to the back porch of the inn for some air. But the Goddesses would show her no reprieve; Link walked out onto the porch not five minutes later. All of Zelda’s anger and resentment bubbled to the surface as she turned to face him.

“You said you would give me a chance,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “But you clearly have not.”

The confusion in Link’s eyes was the only answer she needed.

“Did you ever intend to let me earn your trust back?” Zelda’s voice rose. “Or were you so keen to hold on to your childish anger that you had to contest me at every turn and make a fool of me in front of my own people?”

“I do not tolerate being lied to,” his quiet voice was filled with simmering anger.

“I have apologized,” Zelda yelled. “I have not lied to you since. I have shown you nothing but curtesy since you have arrived in Hyrule, but all you do is seek to embarrass me.”

Link opened his mouth to argue, but Zelda cut him off.

“I am the future Queen of Hyrule, and I will not tolerate being treated this way, especially by the man I am expected to marry,” she paused and locked eyes with Link. “Especially by the man who would rule this country beside me. So until such a time comes where you accept my apology and apologize in turn for your actions, I will treat you with as much grace and respect as you treat me.”

Zelda stalked past the Prince, only pausing briefly at the door to say “Goodnight.”

#of love and war #zelink #zelink week #zelinkweek #master quest #loz #flooshfics #all the angst #i feel so evil as an author #and it's great

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