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~Zel
Published as of 01/06/16
Edited as of
~~~
I entered my quarters, searching for my daggers. I had forgotten them in my quick exit from my room this morning, due to Aziz's abrupt call for breakfast. I tucked them into my leather belt, concealed under my long, green tunic.
After retrieving my daggers, I exited my room once more, heading to the dining lounge, hoping to find Zelda. I didn't find her but, instead, bumped into Aziz. "Hey, Aziz," I called out.
"Ah, hello, Prince Link – exactly who I was looking for," Aziz responded, shifting on his feet clumsily.
"What's wrong, Aziz?" I asked, raising a brow. Aziz never acted like this.
"You are aware that tomorrow is Lady Nabooru's birthday, right?" Aziz asked.
I mentally smacked myself. How could I forget that tomorrow is Nabs's birthday? I laughed awkwardly. "Uh – I – I – Of course, I remember, Aziz. How could I forget Nabs's birthday?" Although Nabs was technically a "princess," if you will, she didn't receive the same respect I received because a) she was a girl, and b) she wasn't the heir to the "throne". I received the title of prince and more because I was the heir.
Nabs, on the other hand, was less fortunate. She was known, not as Princess Nabooru, but as Lady Nabooru. There were also other differences between our privileges as "children" of Ganondorf. But – Back to Aziz –
"I don't know, Prince Link, but I, for one, am incapable of forgetting her birthday at the current state of my emotions," Aziz stated.
I froze for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant by that. It then struck me that this might be his way of admitting that he had feelings for her – What? Aziz liked Nabs? Was I missing something? "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Aziz?" I questioned, raising both my brows this time.
Aziz kept his gaze directed at the floor as he nodded slightly. I wasn't totally sure of its meaning, but I took it. "You like Nabs," I repeated, eyeing the poor servant boy.
Aziz nodded once more, and I immediately went into over-protective brother mode. "How old are you?" I asked. I was twenty-one, and Nabs was twenty-six. I definitely wanted Nabs to marry a man older than her, and she had even stated before that she was never going to marry a man younger than her for whatever reason. Don't ask me; she's weird.
"Twenty-eight," Aziz muttered, probably regretting admitting his feelings to me.
"Check," I began, going through a mental list in my head of characteristics I wanted to be present in Nabs's future husband. "Are you a hard worker?" I asked, not waiting for an answer. "Check. Are you kind? Check. Are you good at helping people? Check. Are you nice to Nabs's younger brother? Check? Do you love Nabs?" I glanced at him for this one, waiting for a response.
"I do; I love Nabooru," Aziz nodded, his voice growing firmer with confidence.
"Check," I nodded. "And you're good with kids – Bonus. I approve of you for Nabs, Aziz. If she loves you back, then go get her, boy!" I exclaimed jokingly. I was excited thinking about the prospect of having Aziz in the family as an older brother. That would be awesome, and Aziz really was like a second father to me, though I never realized he was that young. Oops...
"I'm grateful for your approval and consent, Prince Link," Aziz stated with a bow.
"Aw, none of that – Call me Link," I requested, a grin spreading across my face.
"OK – Link," Aziz uttered my name slowly as though testing it out, and, in a way, I guess he was. He grinned back. "Thank you."
"No problem – with me at least. Good luck with Dad, though," I chuckled.
Aziz paled significantly at that remark, especially considering that his skin was a dark tan color. "I am not looking forward to that meeting."
"Aw, you'll be great. Nabs and Dad will love you – especially Nabs. She always wanted a knight in shining armor," I grinned.
"That's the problem – I'm not a knight in shining armor; I'm a servant," Aziz stated, crestfallen.
"You're more than a servant, Aziz. You're a true man with a kind heart, and that's better than any knight in shining armor. Trust me, Nabs will fall in love with you if she hasn't already," I reassured him.
"I'll keep your words in mind, Link. Thank you," Aziz answered gratefully.
"Now what're you waiting for, Aziz? Go get her!" I exclaimed once more, giving him a playful push. With one more reassuring smile, I gave him a mock salute and left the dining lounge, hoping that Aziz really would win Nabs's heart. He was everything I wanted for Nabs, and I hoped that he would get Nabs, who was the desire of his heart. He deserved her.
I wondered where Zelda would be. I ran to the sand outside. This was my home – all I had ever known. The endless sea of sand in all four directions – the perfectly blue sky – the huge Fortress behind me – and more and more sand...
Where could she have gone? I ran to the Armory – no one, aside two women, Ramara and Relena. They waved at me, and I waved back. "Hey, you guys – Have you seen Zelda anywhere nearby?" I asked.
The two young women exchanged knowing glances. "She's now teaching a class for some of the younger children," Relena stated. Her flaming red hair blew in the hot, desert breeze, and her amber eyes twinkled.
"Oh – Thanks," I replied, while grabbing my crossbow and a quiver of arrows. Maybe I could impress some of the younger kids and help motivate them. I grinned at the thought. I ran out the Armory once more and returned to the target range.
I spotted Zelda in her green and blue silk dress, her blonde tresses blowing in the breeze, not unlike Relena's. She was standing at the waiting line with a bunch of kids, their ages ranging from seven to early teen. She wore a smile and was currently instructing a girl of about eleven years of age.
The girl, I believed her name to be Nabila, was using a recurve bow, which is a bow that most beginners and novices use when starting to learn the sport of archery. She was listening intently to Zelda's teaching, carefully taking into consideration all of Zelda's suggestions and tips.
Zelda had captured the rest of the kids' attention as well, even though she was working with Nabila. The children also listened to everything Zelda recommended, and I even heard one of the other little girls whisper that they wanted to be just like Zelda. I smiled at her remark, still watching Zelda.
Nabila shot her first arrow, and it landed just shy of the blue area of the target. It was a five-pointer – not bad for a young, eleven-year old girl's first attempt at the bow. Zelda kept helping her out until she actually shot an eight-pointer, the innermost red circle on the target. Once she had finished, she handed the bow back to Zelda and looked at her questioningly.
Zelda nodded in return, and Nabila ran to the target, removing the arrows carefully, one by one. The non-broken arrows were then placed back in the wooden holder, and the broken ones were discarded, seeing as they were wooden. She then returned back to the waiting line, beaming excitedly as Zelda gave her a high-five.
"Well done, Nabila," Zelda smiled benevolently. She then nodded at the next child – And so the line went on, in the same process, ending with the same results: all the kids doing better at the sport than they had before.
I was impressed, to say the least. Zelda seemed to be very good with kids; she had held their attention so well – at least, almost everyone. There was just one kid that had not paid attention to any of Zelda's demonstrations, tips, or recommendations. It was Rab.
Rab not paying attention, frankly, didn't surprise me, considering the fact that he is one of our biggest troublemakers in the Fortress. Being a precocious 13-year-old, he deemed it his job to be a haughty, arrogant fool, as well as an overall jerk. I sighed – This was going to be an interesting mix.
Rab stepped up to the waiting line and tapped his foot impatiently. Zelda attempted explaining the mechanics of the recurve bow he was using for the time being, but to no avail. Rab simply rolled his eyes and finally snapped at her impertinently.
Zelda's azure eyes lit in surprise, flashing slightly with both annoyance and anger. She didn't step away from him, instead reaching for the bow.
Rab's gaze never left her own, and he shot – without looking. Zelda had been standing with him at the shooting line, and his bow had been pointing straight at her. I froze, unsure of what to do, and my heart nearly stopped beating in my chest.
Zelda stepped away from the arrow's set path with lightning speed, it just barely grazing her slightly. The arrow flew, embedding its tip in the sand. Zelda's gaze hardened as she turned to face Rab.
By this point, I had semi-recovered from that extreme shock. I ran to the two at the shooting line, grabbing Rab by the scruff of his neck. "What do you think you're doing, Rab?! You could have killed her!" I exclaimed, dragging Rab away from the target range.
Zelda appeared to have recovered quickly as well because the next thing I knew, she had already turned back to the others, explaining another technique, though not without passing me a semi-smile. I tried to decipher its meaning as I took Rab away. It had been filled with relief, for sure, as well as gratitude, but there had also been something else that I couldn't classify.
I shrugged it off; I had to focus on the task at hand. "Rab – You can't do that; you almost killed her!" I exclaimed once more.
"So?" Rab glared at me disrespectfully.
"You ought to have some respect, boy. I don't have to tolerate your impudence, and you know that. You should respect me for two reasons – One, I'm the Prince, and, two, I'm your elder. Learn respect, boy," I stated, a tad more sharp than I had planned.
"Well, you know what? I don't care! You don't deserve this place – Ren and I would've been Princes if it hadn't been for you!" Rab yelled back.
I was appalled at this young, teenage boy's behavior. How was he talking to me like this? Instead of dignifying his behavior with a response, I just kept hold of his arm, taking him to someone he did respect – his brother.
"Ren!" I called out sharply to the young Gerudo man.
Rab looked at me with wide eyes as I dragged him to his brother. "Ren! Save me from him!" Rab exclaimed, struggling to escape my grip.
"What do you think you're doing with my brother, runt?" Ren asked, jerking Rab out of my grasp. He stood next to a young Gerudo woman around my age. Ren was twenty-two, one year older than me. He glared in my direction, and I knew that he hated me. He always had, always would.
He and Rab were very similar, personality-wise, although Ren cared about the safety of others – sometimes... He was also very stubborn, and when he wanted something, he normally got it.
I was told by Nabs that Ren had been the one that my father had considered taking in as his heir – But then, I came along and "stole" Ren's inheritance. It wasn't my fault – I had been kidnapped from my family! Did he really think that I wanted to be in this position?
I had always been smaller than Ren growing up until my growth spurt finally hit at the unusual age of sixteen. Then, I grew manlier with less boy in me, if you will. I was still not as buff as Ren, though I had grown considerably. I was now five foot ten, compared to Ren's six foot three, but I had grown, and that was all that really mattered, at least to me. Ren still took it upon himself to call me "runt."
"Your brother almost killed someone back there!" I exclaimed passionately.
"And I care?" Ren questioned sarcastically.
"Yes, you do. He almost killed Zelda by being careless, reckless, and impertinent!" I retorted, throwing Zelda into the mix for good measure.
Ren was always extra considerate toward girls – I wonder why... "Zelda? You mean that new Hylian girl now living at the Fortress?" he asked, now paying attention.
"Yeah – Your little brother almost killed her when not paying attention to where he was pointing his bow, firing his arrow in spite of what Zelda had instructed him to do," I responded.
Ren's expression changed visibly, as did his mood. "You did what, Rab?!" he shook his brother rougher than I had, looking infuriated. Yup, that did the trick...
"I'm sorry, Ren! I didn't know!" Rab exclaimed fearfully. Like Ren, his expression and mood had changed as he contemplated his fate now that he was in the hands of his very angry brother.
"Oh, well, you're gonna know by the time I'm done with you, you little idiot!" Ren exclaimed, along with several other very colorful words.
I cringed; I hate profanity of any kind.
Ren dragged Rab away without another word to me, and I cringed again, wondering if I had done the right thing. But, then I thought of Zelda, and that doubt was instantly erased.
She was worth it. I ran back to the target range, in hopes of finding her. And there she was, alone, firing arrow after arrow at a target. "Zelda!" I called, trying to get her attention.
Her head snapped to face me, and she attempted to smile, although it came out as glum, compared to her normal cheerful ones. "Hey, Link," she responded before turning to face me.
"Sorry – about earlier, I mean," I stated awkwardly, shifting my feet. I noticed that the crossbow and quiver of arrows I had brought with me had disappeared. I assumed Zelda had had one of the kids take them back to the Armory, which was fine with me.
Zelda laughed – although it wasn't like her typical, silvery ones – instead, it was hollow and empty, echoing through the Desert with no true emotion. "It's fine; I'm alive, aren't I?" she made a poor attempt at a joke.
I then winced. "I'm so sorry, Zel."
It was then that the floodgates decided to break loose. Tears began to flow freely down her porcelain skin, and she began to cry unceremoniously. "Link – I was going to die! He was so careless and awful! I don't even know how I feel! What I said earlier – about supposing I hadn't been born – I take them back! I'm glad I was born! I'm glad that I'm alive!" she exclaimed.
I was silent, as though deciding what to say, and, in truth, I was. I pondered and weighed my options carefully before deciding to do something rather unconventional. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
She didn't protest, instead drawing closer to me. I welcomed the warmth she brought me, and I suppose she did the same with me. She shivered slightly, even though it was blazing hot here in the Desert today.
"I am alive, aren't I, Link?" she asked, almost timidly.
I once again thought back to the caged bird, thinking of its exotic beauty and of its sorrow at being locked away in a cage. Its desire and quest to sing, even amidst the tragedy surrounding its story. I then thought about Zelda's scarred skin and the meaning behind those cruel actions that led to her misfortune.
Thoughts of her father, Arvid, Katrin, her other brother, Nabs, Aziz, Rab, Ren, Ganondorf, and even my biological parents crowded my head. Why was life so hard? It had been so cruel to both of us – stripping us of everything we had ever known.
Her head rested on my chest, and I laid my own head atop hers. A warm Desert breeze coursed through, blowing her hair in many directions and tousling my own slightly.
I then realized that we both desired something – What that was I wasn't sure, but I could guess. I supposed that I wanted freedom – freedom from this life of sadness. I longed to be happy. I longed to see and meet my real parents. I longed to be away from the Desert – a life of swirling sand. Sand was never truly satisfied. It was always moving, never staying rooted to one spot. It was so indecisive that it allowed the wind to pick it up and toss it about carelessly, never thinking any more of it.
I didn't want to be like the sand. I wanted to be happy and satisfied, and the sand was the complete opposite.
My mind then drifted to the ocean, I believe it is called. The ocean – complete blue, like the sky, yet – different. The ocean brought many thoughts into my mind – comfort and security, as well as uncertainty, mystery, and hardship.
I wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of the ocean, but, somehow, it felt like more than the sand. Though the ocean was dangerous and mysterious, and there is always a level of uncertainty about it, the sand was nothing except swirling grains of eroded substances, derived from rock and other materials.
I didn't want sand – I wanted the ocean, and, to me, Zelda was the ocean. I was the sand, unsatisfied and unhappy, and she was the ocean, dangerous, mysterious, yet, oddly enough, comforting. She drew me in, like the tide, making me feel something I had never felt before.
I then came to a conclusion. "Zelda – Have you ever heard the saying that 'to live doesn't mean you're alive'?"