Both Zelda and Link awoke from the force of four paws stomping all over their bodies. Link woke up, completely, and groaned in pain when one paw had stepped on his groin.
"Ow, ow—" Link tried dodging the licks from the only thing that could've been making such a ruckus to him and the girl beside him. He told Lake to stand down and sat up after wiping the slobber off his face. He sent a glare toward his dog, but he was only able to hold it for so long before he laughed with the shake of his head.
Zelda sat up right after wiping off her own given dose of slobber from her face and looked alarmingly toward Lake. "He scared me so bad."
Link laughed and rubbed his eyes, groaning slightly from the slight pain down between his legs. "And hurt me so bad. He's heavy."
Zelda was confused as to what he meant, but when she saw him place a hand between his legs she got the memo and blushed. She gave him a slow nod, looking over to her right to find Impa standing there with an amused grin over her face.
Impa laughed, stepping over to sit at the end of the bed with Lake, who was calmly sitting on his hind legs with a lolling tongue. She gave his fur a gentle rub, announcing, "Hope you guys slept well. It's already ten."
When Link felt better he looked up and sniffed, looking around at his surroundings to find he and Zelda had laid on the pillows and not on the edge of the bed where they originally fell asleep after discussing the sword. "Oh. Ten AM?"
Impa nodded, letting Lake go as he passed by a flinching Link to sit on Zelda's lap. He made himself comfortable before laying down.
"He sure does love you a lot," murmured Link.
Zelda smiled when she looked at Link, a taunting look on her face. She didn't say anything, but she did turn to look over to Impa. "So...Link missed school?"
A solid nod was all Zelda was given. Thus, she argued, "But why? If anything, I kind of felt bad having to hold him back a day from school..."
Impa laughed, waving her off. "It's honestly okay. If he faked being sick, I'd drag him out of bed. But, luckily, he hasn't done that. And he's a good kid, behavior wise and educationally wise." She smiled, noticing how Link furrowed his brow to saying something but she beat him to it. "Besides, I wouldn't have wanted Zelda to have been left alone. I know it would've been too late for her to make it to school on her own time. I know, Zelda—" she and Zelda locked eyes—"how much comfort you find in my kid."
Zelda smiled softly, running her fingers through Lake's fur to calm him down. "Thank you, Impa."
Link, from the side, nodded as he gave his aunt a smile as well. "Thank you, too."
"Yeah, but I have a question I want to ask." Impa toyed with a silver strand of her hair. "Has it really been a week since you guys met each other?"
Reluctantly, both of the kids nodded. Zelda was the one who answered. "Ah, yes. Is it...really strange?"
"Well," said Impa, "considering you guys are dating, it's just a little hard to believe. I just hope you guys are careful."
The blush that was emitted from both Link and Zelda made Impa amused, but Zelda was looking down as she muttered, "I-I don't...—"
Link cut her off before she could say anything else. "We'll be careful. We promise. We know what we're doing."
Zelda looked at Link with a small flash of befuddlement in her eyes, one that Impa had missed, fortunately. She fully turned to Impa, her face relaxed when Link's aunt turned to her as well. She didn't say anything, but she nodded as her response.
"Hm..." Impa stood up from the bed, resting her hands on her hips. "Alright. Anyway, would you guys like to be left alone?" When Impa got that out, she didn't expect for the two of them to speak at the same time.
"I'd prefer that/I don't mind either or." Link and Zelda looked at each other, slight amusement on the other's face.
"I'll listen to Link here." Impa laughed, making her way to Zelda to pick up the stubborn Lake off of her lap. She moved out of the way to let Zelda stand to dust off the dog fur from the sweatpants that looked identical to her—it took her a second to figure out whose they were. "Thank you, though, Zelda, for being considerate. Unlike someone."
Link looked offended for a second, but he shook his head as he leaned his back on his wall atop of his bed. "What Zelda said."
"Too late, now, kid." Impa laughed, scratching the back of Lake's ear to get him to rest a bit more. She nodded to Zelda with a smile and said her goodbye's to the both of them before she walked out of the room and kicked the door closed behind her.
Zelda smiled hearing Impa's goodbye, but when she finished dusting off all that she could she was reminded back to what Link had said. She turned to face him, who turned red when she seemed to have caught him staring at her. The tilt of her head made him blush a little more, but he fiddled with his hands on his lap as he looked down.
Zelda didn't say anything about it besides smiling—just a little. "Link, I want to ask you something."
Link nodded as his response and was able to face her when the blush on his face died down. Zelda assumed he wasn't going to say anything after a few moments, so she got out what she wanted to discuss. "Okay, well, you know how Impa said we were dating, right?"
Once again, Link only nodded. At the very least, according to Zelda, he had seemed attentive.
She continued. "Yeah, well...um...are we really dating?"
Link knew what she was going for, so he didn't do anything besides saying, "I...I'd like to be official with you... As in...," he looked down, "y'know."
Zelda nodded, elated to say she wasn't alone. "Me too. But..."
"But—" Link continued for her—"I wouldn't have known how to ask you, really. So, if anything, I'm glad this is being discussed because I would've been really confused." Link sighed, folding his hands over his lap. "I just...didn't know how to ask you—or when."
"It's okay." Zelda made a move to sit down on the bed again, seating herself beside Link's feet. She momentarily placed her hand on his shin—a comforting gesture. "I don't mind just as long as it ends up with me being with you. You don't even have to ask me, really; I'd be fine knowing we are together...in some way."
Link became a little bashful at what Zelda had said to him, but he managed a grin and playfully nudged Zelda's back with his foot. "That's fine by me. But I will ask you properly one day. Promise."
Zelda smiled, herself, and her eyes followed Link's as he sat up to scoot closer to her. "I'll be waiting for that day."
Link grunted in response as he reached for her hand and played with her fingers, just a small touch that made Zelda's heart flutter. In the end, she let him simply hold it. To be honest, Zelda was slightly happier than usual being with Link the way she was at that moment. She felt...relieved. Like a heavy weight was released from her chest. But, there was still a heavy thought weighing her down. She decided to let it out, uttering, "So...you told me you had a dream, right?"
Link opened his mouth, looking lost for a moment. "Uh...yeah; Lost Woods, right?"
Zelda nodded to let him know he was correct, saying, "I had one, too. Not last night, though. It was...a while ago. This morning, I guess."
Link nodded, as well, shifting their hands to intertwine them together. "About what?"
"It was...different," she said. She stared at their locked hands. "It...felt so real that when I woke up I had forgotten I was in this time and age."
Link was very intrigued by then, nodding to give her a quick response. He licked his lips before pulling them in to tighten them, straightening his back. "Okay," he mumbled. He inhaled a deep breath, repeating himself loudly. "Okay. I know what you mean. I've had that before. Kind of recently, too—anyway, what was it about?"
Zelda closed her eyes, her hand securely in his own. "I just...I know it was from the last Princess' generation—the dream...or...memory," she opened her eyes, slowly, "I suppose." She frowned, just a bit, before going on to say, "The Hero and I—the Princess—were sitting on top of some kind of...mountain, I think." Her eyes locked with Link's. "We were discussing something that had to do with the evil that destroyed the land—Calamity Ganon, I believe, was what she was talking about. Not sure, but I could've sworn she was saying his name. Anyway—I'm slowly trailing off the topic here—" Zelda let out a small chuckle, which made Link let out a small smile in return—"monsters were on the rise again and she had sensed that it had something to do with Ganon being part of it." Zelda stopped talking to let Link pitch in his thoughts, but he was patiently waiting for her to finish her dream, thus she continued. "I think it was before he actually hit. I vaguely remember seeing a view of the castle from there, and it seemed in place."
She squinted, removing her hand from Link's to cross her arms over her chest. She feigned her annoyance. "Also, may I add, I had to check for a certain someone's wounds because they were, apparently, being reckless."
Link had a hunch on who she was talking about. "Oh, I wonder who could've been so reckless to have the Princess check for their wounds."
Zelda laughed as she playfully smacked his knee. "Let me just say it was someone's trustworthy knight."
Link merely smiled, but it gave a clear signal to Zelda as to what it meant. She knew he hated the thought of him being a former Hero, but he still found a benefit to it. "I'm happy we met. Honestly, I am. I just...find it weird that we even did. I mean—" Link gestured to her—"you're a reincarnated Princess, I'm supposed to be a reincarnated Hero... It just...it's weird." He shrugged, unsure of what to say anymore. "That's all I can say."
"Well...," Zelda shrugged herself, "you're not wrong; what are the odds of us having met? If someone told me I'd have met a boy at the park the day I met you and hung out with him for that day and the rest of the week and so on, so forth...I'd have not believed that. And he happens to be a reincarnated legend? Even more unbelievable."
Link sighed, dragging his hand down his face. "Honestly, meeting you was a good thing." He let his hand rest on the back of his neck. "I've been happier, really. And...I've never had the idea or even a thought of me being a legendary champion cross my mind at least once—not until we started a friendship."
"I never had the idea or thought of me being tied to the royal family until I grew closer to you, really." Zelda opened her mouth but closed it right after, trying to form her words. "I...I'm going to admit something. Sometimes, whenever we are together, I would feel...something akin to deja vu. It's really weird."
"I do, too, don't worry." Link held her hand on his thigh, giving it a comforting squeeze. He licked his lips in thought, tilting his head. "When...do you think the Deku Tree will tell us everything? Do you think he will if we go to him now? Or...will he say I need more time...?"
"It could be either the first question or the latter," Zelda claimed. "I don't know if he will, and we don't know if you have all of your memories. Honestly...not even I have them all, but yet he still confirmed the royal blood in me."
"But you don't have all your memories..."
Zelda repeated herself. "Yes, but you don't know if you have all of yours. But, I think it's because I believe I'm the Princess, which would make it possible for him to give us answers if you start to believe you're the reincarnated Hero."
"But I refuse to!" Link exclaimed, desperately. "Look, I just...I know I should, but—" he made sure Zelda was focused on his eyes—"what if I really am? Indeed, it is cool. I've always wanted to wield the Master Sword, but it's used for a purpose—to seal the darkness." He grabbed Zelda's other hand, making sure she was listening to everything he was saying. "If there's not a darkness in this world, at this moment, then I wouldn't have been able to take that thing out of its pedestal."
Zelda was silent after Link's rant, but she took her time to put all he had said into mind. He was right—for one—but Zelda was unsure of how to verbally respond.
Link knew she wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, so he slouched and exhaled a defeated sigh. He brought Zelda's left hand up to his lips and planted a kiss on the back of it, releasing her hands to push himself off of the bed to stand. He knew Zelda was watching him, but he didn't turn around to face her when he was saying, "If there really is a Ganon lurking somewhere around here, just know I'll be the Hero you guys want me to be."
"Link—"
Said Link turned around just as Zelda had pushed herself off the bed, as well. She was going to say more but Link beat her to it. "I'll even protect you, if it comes to it," he said, firmly.
"Link, you don't have to." Zelda stepped closer to Link, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You're not going to have to fight an evil monster."
Link pursed his lips, a saddened look on his face when he placed his hand on Zelda's cheek. "But it sounds like I'm the legendary Hero, doesn't it? We can't ignore that, especially if I've pulled out a legendary sword, Zelda."
"But— Link-"
"Just...," Link smiled sadly, stepping forward to close his eyes as he placed his forehead over Zelda's forehead, "know I'll protect you in any way I can. Hero or not, Princess Zelda or just Zelda—I'll still protect you."
Zelda was speechless with all of what Link had told her, closing her eyes as she slowly brought her hand up to hold the nape of his neck. "We both play a part in this if there is an evil out there, Link."
Link's voice lowered, the softness a comforting feeling to her ears. "I know." He tilted his head just slightly on hers. "And...I love you too much to let you get hurt. I'll do whatever I can. We'll do it together." He smiled, his hand shifting to weave his fingers through her hair to simply hold her head. "Because I love you, and—"
"—and because I love you, Link," Zelda finalized, and Link felt warmth all over his body hearing it from her own soft voice. He practically felt Zelda's smile, so he acted on instinct and moved the lower half of his face to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, all the love he could muster from their inexperience put into it.
~0000000000~
"Sir, I'm sure she just went to get fresh air—"
"She's been gone for a whole day, Lana!" Rhoam groaned tiredly and seated himself down on Zelda's bed, stressfully holding his head. "I'm worried something happened..."
Lana swallowed, and what she wanted to say got caught in her throat so it didn't come out. She was debating on trying to reassure the man or to tell him she was just as worried. In the end, she found both to be a better option. "I know...but...Mr. Bosphoramus-"
"Rhoam." Zelda's dad looked at her with a smile—it was a struggle, but it was enough to let her know he wasn't mad at her. "We're alone, and you're close to my family enough to just say my first name."
"O-okay...Rhoam. I just..." Lana sighed, leaning against Zelda's closed door to stare at the window straight ahead of her. "I'm worried, too. But, I have faith she'll be back."
"And if she does not?" Rhoam felt his heart clench at the thought of that. "Oh, to all the gods, I hope she's alone."
"Why is that?" Lana asked.
Rhoam tried to look at Lana, but he couldn't face her when he was saying, "You know those things I told you right when you moved into here, full-time, after graduating? After your tenth year of living with us?"
Lana was unsure of what he was getting at, but she nodded nonetheless. "Well, yes, I do. What about it?"
"Okay..." Rhoam took a deep breath, looking at Lana with a firm glance. "I know I told you to pretend you are unaware of Hyrule and its origin after I told you about it, and the fate between the Hero and the Princes...but...now isn't the time. You're free from it."
Lana was taken aback. She pushed herself, slowly, off of the door. "What...? Wait, Rhoam-"
"Zelda knows." Rhoam stared dead into her eyes, and no more communication was needed.
Lana felt her whole world spin, confusion all over. "She...she knows? But...but I thought we never were going to tell her—" Lana knew what she was going to say—Zelda was never supposed to know—but it was when she was taken back to the conversation she and Zelda had about the boy she had met at the park. It all suddenly made sense to her. "Link."
"You know about him?" Rhoam stood up, abruptly enough to make Lana flinch a little. "How?"
"Uh..." Lana looked down, folding her hands in front of her. "Well...a few days ago Zelda and I were talking about how she met him at the park the day you let her out. They've...gotten pretty close, obviously."
"Oh, no." Rhoam's exclaim made Lana look up at him, slightly concerned. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Rhoam told her what he had been thinking. "She must be with him. Maybe that's where she's been." His eyes widened, and his voice started to crack. "I...I can't let that happen. That Link boy is supposed to be the Hero of this generation, Lana."
"Wait—"
Rhoam didn't let her speak, his thoughts spluttering out in a low voice. "She's a Princess, and there has to be an evil out there. I...I am unsure if the Triforce had gotten to either of them, but if it did—" Rhoam swallowed, a lump in his throat making him choke, slightly. "Lana, we're going to be in big trouble if it does. If it does, then...then—"
"—then an evil force is sure to come and awaken." Lana's mind opened, and her own worries started to shoot through the roof. She ignored Rhoam as he paced around the room, looking around in thought as she tried to put it together.
There was no time, she had concluded. The day evil came would have to had been out of the blue, and Lana wanted Zelda to be as safe as possible. And, if Link was the Hero of their day and age, then he should've surely been able to protect her no matter what. It was his ancestor's duty. It was his, then. Lana could've been wrong—she let herself fall against the wall, looking at the ground with wide eyes—but she wanted to reassure herself that her best friend—her sister—was safe.
If Link couldn't do anything, she had thought with a bitter tone, then she would find a way to do it herself to keep her close friend safe. An evil was sure to come, anyway. She just hoped Zelda was responsible out there and safe away from harm.
But, when Rhoam left the room to go to his office, Lana felt vile rise up to her throat when a painful gut feeling of the evil being near hit her like a punch to the stomach.
Lmao this went from fluffy to like lowkey dramatic. Honestly, I originally planned this whole story to just be a fluffy fic but these ideas just came along the way so here we go :))) short as heck chapter though, like literally 3k words. I've been insanely busy this whole week with school and my piano recital, and finals are coming up soon so I might take a bit more to update. I finished this chapter a few days ago but I was too busy to edit it and post it despite how short it is.
sorry for it being so short though, I'll try to make the next chapter long depending on the events. Till next time :))