Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: The Sword of the Winds ❯ Romantic Interlude ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5

Ahhhhhhh! The curse of school is upon us!!! Damn it all, I already have too much homework to feel inspired to write. Well, at least I still have the weekends! Oh wait…I work on the weekends don't I… crap. Anyway, there isn't too much of a plot to this chapter, I've just been working on it whenever random ideas pop into my head. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

^_^

"Can we stop walking yet?" Darunia of all people complained.

"First of all," Zelda said, "no. Second, everyone else is riding as you can plainly see, and the horses aren't tired in the least. Third, you chose to walk so just suck it up!"

After a few days of being on the road, everyone was getting, well, cranky. Due to the constant need of staying out of sight, they hadn't stopped at any towns, and were all getting on each other's nerves. They desperately needed a break from each other.

It was Link who finally broke down and decided they should spend a night on their own. Zelda insisted she stay with him, but Nabooru and Darunia had no objections. All that remained was how they would pull it off.

"Obviously we can't be identified," Link mused, "However, I think my masks should solve that problem. Now we just need to decide who gets to be what. I don't mind what mask I wear, so long as it isn't the Deku one," he said, shuddering at the memory of being trapped in that form.

"I might as well stay a Goron," Darunia supplied, "I've no desire to go flitting around anything else."

Chuckling, Nabooru said, "That Deity guise of yours certainly looked interesting. It might be an amusing change to try out a sword as well." Looking over at Zelda she added, "I guess that makes you the Scrub then, Princess."

Zelda merely laughed though, saying, "I think not. After all, I have my Shiek disguise, which is a much better alternative to a child-size Deku."

Darunia guiltily cleared his throat and nervously laughed saying, "Uh, well Princess…um, there might just be a little problem with that."

Zelda whirled on him, failing to hold her anxiety in about what Darunia was implying. "Is there something you'd like to say about this matter, my dear Goron?" she asked dangerously sweet voice. "Because if something has happened to any of my belongings, I may have to take measures to ensure the person who let it happen is indeed sorry."

"Well I may have…," Darunia began, looking completely terrified of the sage, "In the process of stopping my rolling when I came into camp last night…slightly damaged it." Seeing the look of unadulterated fury on Zelda's face, he dropped to the ground, curled up in a ball and shouted, "Please don't hurt me, Princess! It was an accident! I swear I didn't mean to roll over your packs!"

Link sighed as he watched the display of an outraged Hylian princess berating a petrified Goron leader. Any other day he might have found it amusing, but there had just been too much tension lately between the party, and he needed a break from it. I knew there was I reason I always worked solo, he thought to himself wryly. He had to keep himself from laughing at his wife's predicament though. Link knew he should feel bad for her drawing the short straw, but it was going to be hilarious to see his princess in the body of a Deku Scrub.

^_^

"Link, I feel ridiculous," the now diminutive princess told her husband, who was currently amusing himself by firing his fins off into the distance. He had always been taller than her, but this was ridiculous. In her Deku disguise and his Zora one, Link was over twice her own size. This wasn't precisely what she had in mind for a relaxing night alone with him.

"It's not really all that bad once you get used to it, Zel," Link soothed, "Besides, you only have to wear it in public. Behind closed doors, it hardly matters." Smiling tenderly at her, he added, "We are supposed to be slightly inconspicuous. Even if Darunia hadn't inadvertently wrecked your own disguise, a Shiekah might attract just a tad more attention that a young Scrub."

Zelda very much wanted to say something coy at the moment, perhaps shoot some puppy-eyes at her hero, but that was out of the question for a squeaky little Deku Scrub, so she contented herself to briefly hug Link's leg.

Laughing, Link got a mischievous in his eyes, and hoisted Zelda up onto his shoulders before she could object. "You'll have a better view," he explained vaguely, not telling her it was something he'd always thought would be interesting to do.

Zelda decided that if Link was going to play games, she would have to plan a few choice surprises for him as well. Clapping her hands over his eyes, she smirked as he stumbled over a small stone in Hyrule Field. This promised to be more interesting than she'd first thought!

^_^

Link had to admit, this was exactly what he needed. True, Ganondorf was on the loose, doing Din knows what, but tonight, it just didn't seem to matter. He and Zelda were together, and that was all that was important tonight.

Zelda had suggested they visit the Kokiri, just to check in on them. It sounded tempting to talk to Saria, but Link had a different idea in mind. At the moment, they were relatively near Lon Lon Ranch, but distance wasn't a factor when the magic of a certain instrument was involved.

"So where are we going, Link?" Zelda asked, gazing down at him from her perch on his shoulders with her currently amber eyes.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He pulled the Ocarina of Time from its pouch at his side, and put it to his lips. Quietly, the Serenade of Water poured out of the tiny instrument, and Link felt the magic surround the two Hylians.

"It's beautiful," Zelda breathed. Lake Hylia was beautiful at anytime, but on this clear night it seemed endlessly peaceful and serene. Sighing, she reasoned, "Even if anyone's out here, I doubt they'd recognize us in the dark." Before the Hero of Time could protest, she pulled off the mask, and kissed him.

Breaking the kiss, Link smiled thinly and muttered, "In for a green Rupee, in for a gold," and pulled off his own mask. As he pocketed the ocarina, he smiled down at it, remembering the song he'd just played.

"I remember when you taught me all those songs. I couldn't have even dreamed of awakening the sages without your help." Smoothing back Zelda's hair, he told her, "You've always been there for me when I needed you, even if I didn't know it was you at the time."

"Don't be ridiculous," the princess admonished, placing her head on his green clad chest. `If only I could get him to wear a different color from time to time,' she mused to herself. "After all," she continued, sighing heavily, "I got you into all that mess in the first place. If it weren't for me, you'd still be trying to explain why you've grown up to the Kokiri."

"Stop blaming yourself!" Link frowned, and held her out at arms length. "I could say that it was just fate, or the will of the goddesses, but when it all boils down to a cut and dried explanation, the fault lies with Ganondorf."

Letting go of his wife, Link lay down on the warp pad and stared up at the twinkling stars in the sky. Zelda mimicked him and settled in next to him, snuggling a little closer and a cool breeze swept through the darkness.

Before falling asleep, he murmured, "I swore to you that we would defeat him again. Just don't let him defeat you first."

Zelda kissed his forehead, pondering his words. She laid her own head on his chest, with the full intent of falling asleep, but found she couldn't. When she saw her hand resting on Link's chest, she realized why. Her Triforce of Wisdom was glowing, pulsing with an unnatural light. It felt as if it was warning her, but of what?

Sitting up carefully, so not to disturb her resting hero, Zelda looked around the lake. It was a fairly clear night, so she could see decently. Oddly enough, the twin mark on Link's hand was still dormant. `What in the name of Farore is going on?' she wondered to herself.

Whatever it was, she decided now was no time for Link to be snoozing. Gently shaking him awake, Zelda showed him her hand, which was all it took for him to fully wake up.

"What do you think it means?" He whispered urgently, the romance gone from the night.

Shaking her head, Zelda replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but it almost seems….it seems like the Triforce is pulling me towards something." True to her word, Zelda's hand seemed to rise of its own accord, pointing toward the east side of the lake like a compass.

"I have a very bad feeling about this, Link," she said hesitantly, pulling her hand close to herself. "We should leave before anything happens. We can't be discovered, and by the time anyone hears the ocarina's notes, we'll be long gone."

The Hero of Time peered through the darkness at the lakeshore, brows knitted together in worry. Finally, he let out a sigh and nodded. "You're right, Zel. As much as I'm curious to know what your Triforce is trying to tell us about, we should get out of here."

"Thank you," Zelda replied quietly, and pulled herself close to Link so that the ocarina would transport them both. As she heard the resounding notes of the Nocturne of Shadow, the princess took one more look to the point where her Triforce drew her. Just before the couple was whisked away, she found her breath stolen from her with a soft cry of, "No!"

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