So apparently, this story is #1 in the #link category.
Wow, I've been away for so long I didn't even know this was a thing till now. LOL
On that note, I'd like to thank everyone for the support and patience! It really means a lot to me that you guys like this story! :)
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【 P R E S E N T L Y 】
"I just don't want to get in the middle of something complicated. So when you're ready, I'll be happy to hear your answer."
You lagged behind the rest of the adventurers, purposely dragging your feet to create some distance from the group. You were cautious not to drift too far away as to draw unwanted attention to yourself. At the same time, you didn't want to stick too closely to be pulled into a conversation. After all, you really weren't in the mood to engage in any of the excited chatter. You were still reeling from your brief exchange with Shad.
What was that exactly? What did he mean when he said those things?
Is it okay for you to just accept his words as they are? Or was there some kind of hidden meaning you were supposed to interpret?
Since when did Shad have such an effect on you?
That's when your mind recalled that look on his face. It was so different and so unusual compared to the norm. Shy and awkward, the redhead usually regarded you with tender sweetness and a small blush dusted across his cheeks. Sometimes he wouldn't even be able to hold eye contact with you, preferring instead to stare at his shoes.
What you saw just a few moments ago, however, wasn't sweet shyness.
It was desire.
Desire... For you?
Feeling the beginning of an oncoming headache, you stopped in your step. You closed your eyes and rubbed your temples, hoping the pressure would alleviate the tension in your head.
Perhaps you were taking this too seriously?
What should you do now? How should you behave around him from now on?
Do you avoid him? Or do you act normally?
Did you want to try living without the hands of fate tugging at your strings? Or should you just accept the fact that no matter what you do, you'll always be bound to Link?
【 O F A N O T H E R L I F E 】
A series of knocks resounded from the other side of the door, shattering your concentration. You blinked a few times, returning to reality. You had been so immersed in your novel that it seemed like the rest of the world had momentarily vanished. It was some cheesy romance about a princess falling in love with the prince from a rival kingdom. You weren't usually the type to get so invested in that genre due to your own circumstances, but this story was oddly captivating. It was hard, but you somehow managed to lower the novel to your lap.
"Come in!"
The door immediately opened, barely making a sound. Standing on the other side was none other than the Hero of Time. A smile lit up his features as soon as his eyes met yours.
"Hey," Link greeted softly. He closed the door behind him and easily crossed over to your side with just a couple of long strides. "When did you wake up?"
"Not too long ago," you replied with a small smile. No longer interested in the story, you closed the book and placed it on the nightstand.
Link nodded before breathing a sigh of relief. Then he lowered himself onto the edge of your bed, the added weight causing the wooden frame to creak softly. His crystal eyes seemed to narrow slightly into a calculating stare as he leaned in towards you.
"Um..."
Having him so close stirred up a storm of unwanted feelings. Your internal temperature began to rise, causing your cheeks to take on a reddish hue. The tempo of your heartbeat increased significantly; it was thumping so loudly against your chest that you swear Link could probably hear it as well.
You immediately leaned back, hoping to create some space between the two of you. Link, completely oblivious to the effect he had on you, took your action as a sign to lean in even closer.
"W-What are you doing...?" You stammered.
"Checking," Link replied in an even tone, seemingly completely unfazed by your proximity with one another. Without offering any further explanation, he suddenly reached toward you and pressed his hand to your forehead.
Your eyes widened, and the blush on your cheeks darkened. You weren't used to such acts of physicality from him, as minor as they were. In this life, Link preferred to keep to himself. Whereas in his previous life, he was very open to being physical with others.
"Thank the gods, your temperature dropped." Link sighed in relief before retracting his arm.
You quickly showed him a smile while trying to tame your erratic heartbeat before replying, "yes, I feel a lot better."
You really did. Your fever broke a couple of nights ago. While you were still quite weak and needed to remain in bed for the majority of the day, you were at least on the road to recovery.
Link gave you a small smile. "I'm glad."
Then without warning, he suddenly toppled onto you. You cried out in surprise at the unexpected turn of events. On instinct, your arms shot up, hands gripping onto the fabric of Link's collar to stabilize him. You probably would've succeeded, too, if you weren't so weak.
"Oof...!" You grunted as Link's entire weight fell on you, crushing you. "L-Link?!"
"Sorry..." You heard the Hero of Time muttered tiredly, his voice slightly muffled by your shoulder.
He planted both hands on either side of your body before easily lifting his weight off of you. Then he rolled to his side, unceremoniously collapsing onto the space beside you.
Your [e/c] eyes, still wide with surprise, slowly shifted over in his direction. Thankfully, Link had his back turned to you, or else he would've begun to question the redness of your face. Knowing Link, however, he probably would've just assumed that your blush was as a result of your sickness rather than embarrassment.
Still... What was that just now?
"Are you... Are you okay?" You asked in concern before poking his shoulder hesitantly.
Link merely nodded in reply. He turned back around, eyelids slowly fluttering open. He grabbed your hand, much to your surprise, before lowering his head and pressing your knuckles to his forehead. You automatically tried to struggle out of his grip, but his hold only tightened.
"[Y/N]... I was so scared."
You automatically stopped, becoming motionless. You felt Link nuzzle his face into the back of your hand before resting his cheek against your fingers.
"What...?" You whispered the confusion in your voice mirroring your expression. "What do you mean?"
Link shifted in his spot, tilting his head at an angle so that he could look up at you. "I was so scared... I looked everywhere for you... And when Zelda told me her knights found you in an alley, and you hit your head... I thought the worse of the worse."
You chuckled slightly, hoping to diffuse the suddenly tense atmosphere. "Oh, come on! You know I'm tougher than that!"
Despite the tired fog clouding his eyes, you saw something intense burning deep in their depths. Then in a serious voice, Link sternly said, "don't you dare leave me again. I won't let you."
Needless to say, you were shocked into silence. You could count on your hand the number of times you've seen Link this serious. Although he was a quiet one, he was always so calm and tranquil.
"But I'm so glad you're okay now."
"O-Of course!" You replied, a little too fast. "I recover quickly, you know!"
"Yes, yes." Link replied softly, nonchalantly.
You narrowed your eyes and tilted your head. You knew Link too well at this point to be able just to accept his reply for what it is. You recognized every little tell Link exhibited. You kind of had to, of course, considering the Hero of Time preferred only to speak when necessary. The majority of the time, he spoke to you with his body language. In fact, for the entirety of the first month since you met him, you were convinced he was mute.
"Link..." You narrowed your eyes suspiciously, sensing that something was off.
Link merely shifted in his spot so that his face was now buried into the mattress.
Aha! You were right! He was hiding something from you.
You glanced to your other side, eyes instantly landing on a small bucket of water and towels. That's when the pieces fell in place. You realized that Link was the one who had been changing your towel at night to help lower your fever.
"Did you stay with me the entire time? While I was asleep?"
Link was thankful that you couldn't see his face right now. He could feel himself blushing. He felt incredibly embarrassed that he let that slip out. Honestly, he didn't want you to find out that he had stayed by your side when you slept. He made sure that you were always comfortable that you weren't too hot or too cold. When you were too hot, he'd change your blanket to a thinner one and place a cool towel against your forehead. When you got cold, he'd cover you with more blankets and hold your hand.
You meant so much to him, so much that he didn't know how to put it in words. The only thing he could do was show you, even though you were unconscious, how important you are in his life.
Deciding that he wasn't able to hide it much longer, he quietly replied, "not the entire time. When you woke, I'd leave to ask the cook to prepare you something or get you some books... Sometimes Zelda would invite me for walks, and since we're staying here, I thought it would be insulting to say no."
Oh... Now you understood. That's why Link was never there when you were awake. You just assumed that since you rarely saw him, he had deserted you. But you were far from the truth. So far.
You felt so incredibly stupid for getting jealous. All this time, Link, the one you were created for, was by your side, caring for you in ways you didn't seem possible. A pleasant sensation originated from your chest before spreading throughout your body. It left your fingers and toes tingling in pleasure. Like the light of Hyrule's sun, the warmth coursed through your body quelled the ugly feelings that had taken hold of your heart. Once more, you were graced with the intense feelings you have come to know since the dawn of time: love.
You loved Link. You loved him so much.
"Link..." You called out to him, only to receive no response.
Judging by the steady rise and fall of his chest, you could only assume that he had fallen asleep. You hadn't noticed it earlier, having been too preoccupied with yourself, but Link must've been exhausted.
You watched him, your [e/c] eyes aglow with sweet tenderness. Reaching out, you gently began to stroke the crown of his head, like how he would often do for you. Link stirred slightly, unconsciously tilting his head back into your touch.
This was the only time you would ever admit that you were thankful to have been created by the Gods. You felt blessed to be able to care for the Hero's Spirit and to receive his care in return. For the first time in a long time, you felt like it was all worth it. All that time spent grieving and hurting because Link never loved you back... If, in the end, this was your reward, you would be happy.
【 P R E S E N T L Y 】
The warmth of the sun roused you from your daydream. Your eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing a pair of [e/c] orbs to the world. A cool breeze caressed your cheek and played with the ends of your hair, almost as if the Gods were trying to get your attention.
Suddenly, you're awake. More specifically, you were shocked awake by the beautiful sight before your eyes.
The vast expense of the mountainside was mesmerizing. From where you stood, you could see the lush expansiveness of nature encompassing as far as the eye can see. The trees, grass, and flora which filled Hyrule's landscape were truly breath-taking. You could see little dirt paths winding towards small settlements in the distance. Then there was a row of mountains lining the horizon; their peaks dusted white with snow.
The sight that filled your eyes was drastically different from just a year ago when Twilight fell and threatened the balance of light and dark. While you found the Twilight eerily beautiful, it was nothing compared with the glimmering land created by the Gods.
Hyrule was truly so beautiful.
"[Y/N]! [Y/N]!" A frantic female voice screamed out to you, pulling you back to your senses. Was that Ashei? "What are you doing?! Hurry up and get back here!"
"What...?" You spun on your heel then, in the direction of the voice.
You barely spotted the Adventurers Guild, standing far away, before you suddenly found yourself falling back into the sky. Gravity embraced you, beckoning you forth toward the beautiful realm below.
You weren't seized with panic or fear. Unlike those countless times in the past when you came face-to-face with death, you didn't feel the need to struggle to survive. On the contrary, you felt at peace, satisfied. It was the same sensation you experienced in your past life, right before the light was stolen from your eyes.
Am I going to die?
Just as you were about to accept your fate and make peace with your ongoing struggles, you felt someone roughly grab hold of your wrist. Then you were pulled back quite harshly, your feet practically flying off the ground. You were immediately seized tightly into a pair of arms; your body pressed tight against another.
Your [e/c] eyes snapped wide in surprise when your mind finally managed to piece together the events that had just transpired.
You were back on solid earth, just barely. One glance to the side, and you could see just how close you were standing near the edge of a mountain cliff. If you shuffled your foot a couple of inches to the left, you would no doubt lose your balance and topple over the edge.
Now you understood, now everything made sense.
You had been carried off into a daydream, again. Your body must've wandered over to the cliff just before you awoke. When you moved, all of a sudden, you lost your footing and slipped back. You probably would've fallen, pummelled to your death, if Link hadn't pulled you back.
Speaking of whom...
Link was trembling. You could feel his arms shaking as he held you against his chest. His fingers were curled tightly, grasping onto your clothes. You could hear his uneven breath shaking in your ear, conveying to you the fear which had come to occupy his entire being.
"Link...?" You called out quietly, confused.
The hero responded by pulling you even closer if that was even humanly possible. He pressed the side of his head against your own, almost like he was trying to reassure himself that you were actually there.
"Link?" You called out again, this time more firmly.
You placed your hands on his shoulders and pushed him back slightly. Reluctantly, Link loosened his hold on you. However, he refused to let you go completely, opting to hold you at arm's length instead.
You raised your head then, your eyes meeting his. Your gazes clashed, and a divine spark seemed to fly between the two of you. At that moment, it seemed like the rest of the world had vanished, leaving just the two of you.
Link's eyes... You've always loved and hated them.
While your appearance changed with each life, Link's remained relatively the same. In this life, your eyes were a beautiful [e/c] colour and always seemed to reflect your inner feelings. When you were happy, they'd sparkle like beautiful gems. When you were mad, they'd flare up like [e/c] fire. When you were sad, they'd dull into pale [e/c] stones.
Link's eyes, however, were always so blue, oh so blue. They were the one beautiful feature that remained consistent with each passing life. When you looked into his eyes, it was like you fell in love all over again. You'd remember your divine duty, the reason for your existence. At the same time, you were also reminded of the fact that you wouldn't be the one who would get to look into his eyes every morning and every night. Another woman had always filled that role.
Nonetheless, right here and right now, Link's eyes were the most beautiful that'd you ever seen. They looked, kind of like...
"A summer's sky..." You whispered, your words stolen by the wind.
Link suddenly pulled you back to him, holding you tightly. "I was so scared..." You heard him whisper, the familiarity of the words shocking you to your core. "I looked everywhere for you... Now that I've found you, don't you dare leave me again. I won't let you."
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I just wanted to throw this in for fun:
The titles of the last three chapters might've made no sense on their own (I tried lol), but they're actually connected.
[XVIII] A Smiling Sun - this chapter was about [Y/N] and how she's grown as a character. YOU are the sun :)
[XVIX] A Muddled Cloud - this was Shad's chapter. :) I wanted to give his character more depth since I find that these (third-wheel?) types aren't really explored until the end. So this was about Shad's inner turmoils and him coming to realize his feelings for you ;D Shad is the wispy cloud that eventually grows and obscures the sun at the end LOL
[XX] A Summer's Sky - finally this is Link's chapter! It shows another side of the story. Remember how [Y/N] always thinks of Link as someone who abandons her/you? Well, in this one, I really tried to show that wasn't the case, that Link has always cared for her/you. I also decided to name it so because I often write that Link's eyes are super blue like a summer's sky ;D
-shot-
Anyways, yeah! That's it! I just thought I'd share cause I felt pretty clever with those last three chapters LOL.
Yay symbolism!