The Legend of Zelda: The Age of the Usurper (closed)

[Eazy]

The ominous dark clouds hung over the land of Hyrule as lightning and thunder ran out within the shadowed skies. Heavy rainfall beat down upon the Kingdom below as the sound of battle cries and final breaths were all which could be heard by the inhabitants of Castle Town whom were tragically unable to flee the city in time. Moblin hordes had scaled the walls. Besieged the city. Aided by shadowy figures whom several brave defenders would scarcely recognize as dark duplicates of many of the Kingdom's best warriors, right they were cut down in cold blood by the very dark abominations which they'd only recently identified. The attack had begun only less then an hour earlier. Only an hours time, yet so much had gone so horribly wrong within the relatively scarce amount of time.

Or at least that is what history would be led to believe of this tragic incident. The truth of the matter, however, lies within the details which were to be buried alongside those whom may have known the truth. The walls were scaled by the Moblin hordes - this is true. But they were also allowed entrance through several hidden passages within the castle itself. Treachery. A treachery which also allowed for the lowering of the suspiciously less guarded far Eastern gate to insure that those inside the walls would be too distracted in order to properly defend the other corners of the city walls. It was a brilliantly simple, yet terribly effective domino effect with each of the pieces flicked over by the puppet master whom had staged the entire ordeal.

However, not every hidden entrance and exit within the Castle walls was known by whomever had betrayed the people to these monstrous invaders. Far removed from Castle Town, beneath a large stone bridge place a good mile or two away from the battling, there remained a narrow platform which soon made itself useful in its true purpose as a hidden wall opened to make way for several figures. Perhaps even more surprising then this hidden entrance to the Castle was the identity of the two guarded guests whom were led out from underneath the bridge and toward a nearby stable which was strategically placed there for with such a hidden agenda for a nightmarish day such as this.

The King was reluctant about leaving. His people were being slaughtered and turning tail to run wasn't his way. But all it would take is glance toward his wife and the treasured bundle in her arms to remind him of why he'd agreed on a temporary escape once their worst fears came to fruition. This was a lost cause. Staying behind would only cement their own demise. In a way, it was already too late for the Queen and himself. But they had one last task before they met their maker. One which was perhaps both the most important decision they've had to make, and the most heartbreaking.

As the selected horse was brought forward, its rider ascended upon the beasts mount while awaiting for the handing over of the cherished bundle. Deception had been suspected within the inner circle of the Kingdom for months, which resulted in the Queen being isolated from others during much of that time. Many assumed her to have fallen ill. The truth was far different, as new parents gave parting words to their newborn child. If nothing else, the treachery had at least allowed for the Queen to birth the child, to name it, and allow its parents a few sparse days to fawn over their offspring before this day arrived.

Knowing how they would be forever hunted by those whom betrayed them, King and Queen, Father and Mother, said their farewells before handing the child over and watching in remorseful silence as the rider gave their own farewells prior to riding off. The rider was only a moments time out of sight, before the whizzing of an arrow broke the tension of the scene; striking down one of the select few men whom had accompanied their rulers. What came next was as expected. A short class of swords, which resulted in the royal escort being struck down by Moblin warriors, save for the two rulers of Hyrule.

Drawing out his sword, the King charged forward to fend off their attackers, striking down several, before suddenly being expelled with great force into a nearby tree by a jolt of dark energy. The Queen shrieked in terror, starting to race toward her husbands side, until a strong hand reached out and caught her by the collar. Any protests or struggles she made were fruitless as the woman was held up by a lone figure of surprising strength. The Gerudo born male gazed upon the female with cruel, cold eyes - seemingly seeking out something of particular interest, yet finding little trace of it on her personage. That calm exterior soon turned to one of barely restrained rage, as the callously dropped the Queen to the muddy ground to let the woman gasp for air.

"You said she had it." The male spoke with a subtle anger, glancing over one shoulder toward a human male whom the King and Queen would quickly recognize upon first glance.

The strong looking armor clad Hylian seemed confused, having apparently perceived the Queen's isolation as something different in origin, before trying to explain with some rattled nerves, "I...I thought she..."

"Stick to wielding a sword, Captain. That's where your true strength lies. Not in 'thinking'." The fiery haired male remarked, obvious venom behind his words as he dismissed any further insight by his inside man about the current matters.

"Y-Yes, my Lord." The man relented with some shame, while at the same time being grateful for seemingly escaping with little else then a few firm words for the time being.

As the Moblin's collected the weakened King and Queen for their Lord, the tall figure began to study the immediate surrounding area. Staring at the nearby stable, his dark gaze then lowered toward the hoof marks left in the rain which were already being washed away. "Spread out. Search for any signs of where the rider went and bring them back to me alive." He quickly ordered, which the Moblin warriors were so very quick at complying with, before their leader then addressed the few whom had held the now former rulers of Hyrule at spear point, "Take his majesty and her highness back to the Castle. They'll either give us the information I desire or entertain me with their final breaths."

With those words, each of the immediate members of the Dark Lord's forces carried out their assigned tasks of bringing in the prisoners and beginning the search for whatever the King and Queen had felt important enough to send ahead of themselves. The battle itself would carry on for a good while longer, before suddenly ending almost as quickly as it'd begun. The Kingdom would suffer great loses, but the forces of light would seemingly prevail in vanquishing evil - albeit at the apparent loss of their beloved King and Queen. A new ruler would be chosen by military dictatorship to carry on in the absent monarchy of the seemingly severed royal bloodline. The land would lull itself into a false sense of security and darkness would continue to sink its talons even deeper into the land from the shadows.

However, these same dark forces never did discover the location of the lone rider whom escaped from their clutches on that fateful night....

*****

THE LEGEND OF
ZELDA
The Age of the Usurper

*****​

18 Years Later......

The sun rose over the land as the faint sound of cuccos cackling and crowing out into the distance could be heard. Light shun out over the roofs and walls of the main academy building any the various smaller structures which were built largely in relation to the school itself. One such structure had a partially cracked open window which, aside from letting in a cool night breeze during the middle of the late hour, also served as a crude wake up service for the slumbering occupants within. There were two bunks inside, with the top one housing a fairly burly looking young man who snored the morning away, while on the bottom bunk there rested a comparatively slenderer Hylian male with light brown hair.

The morning light shun into the room, with the placement of the opened wooden portion of the window making it so the warm beam would eventually roll over the sleeping face of the one in the lower bunk. Grimacing slightly at the intruding light, the Hylian male turned about on his bed slightly, before starting to open his blue tinted eyes to the world around him. Yawning, the young student of the academy was about to try pulling his sheets over him, before suddenly widening those formally sleepy looking eyes as realization hit him. Realization, followed by the bottom portion of the top bunk, as the light brown haired male sat up with a start and bumped his noggin upon the lower portion of his roommates bed.

As the occupant of the lower bunk began to rub at his forehead in discomfort, the larger male on the top bunk was jolted awake by the subtle impact and immediately went into alert mode as he nearly jumped out of bed. "AHHH!! What is it?! Are we under attack?!?!" The man shouted, reaching to his side for the old training sword he often slept with as his legs tangled in the sheets while attempting to roll to the ground, "Get the-Oomph!"

The loud thud caused by his roomies sudden collision with the unforgiving floor had made the smaller male grimace yet again - slowly sitting up in his bed and placing his feet calmly onto the floor while observing the resulting display of tangled limbs and cloth. Standing by the time his roommate had managed to work his way out of the sheets, the smaller male offered an apologetic smile and outstretched hand of assistance toward his 'fallen' companion.

Blinking a bit, the other man gave out a frustrated groan as realization hit him before almost reluctantly accepting the assistance, "Geeze, Link, not again. We keep this up and I'm going to relent on letting you have the top bunk for the remainder of our classes."

Soon as the large Hylian was up to his feet, Link had returned his attention to getting an early start on the coming day. Moving toward his dresser, the always hardworking and in many ways simply naturally talented academy student had collected his articles of fresh clothing for changing. Since arriving, Link had always shown a knack for picking up on lessons quickly, but also had a drive toward excelling even beyond his own limits and expectations. Initially, it earned him quite a few rivals or jealous classmates, but few seemed to be able to hold a grudge against the guy - especially since Link often agreed to help others with their own techniques whenever asked.

Watching as his classmate gathered his belongings in order to head off toward the bath down the hall and prepare for whatever had him in such a rush, the larger male sat on the edge of the lower bunk while noting, "Not feeling very talkative, eh?"

Pausing in his rushed morning ritual long enough to glance the other male's way, Link gave a small chuckle before acknowledging, "Sorry, Bran. It's just that I'm already running late for an important meeting. I'll let you know more about it later. Deal?" Without really waiting for a response, the Hylian male gathered up the last of his belongings in order to start making his way out of their shared room as he added, "And you know I need the bottom bunk for the sunlight since you won't let anyone give us an early morning wake up call."

Scoffing as he bent down in order to gather the sheets dropped during his 'accident' of a few minutes prior, Bran retorted, "Hmph. What good is that when you end up waking me up anyway, eh?" Glancing back up, the darker haired youth only managed to catch the sight of the door leading out being closed shut as he rolled his eyes while mumbling, "And already gone."

Shrugging over the matter, the remaining roommate began to straighten out his bunk a bit while muttering under his breath, "Wonder what the big rush was about...."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Zelda stood atop a stone tower, staring out at an endless expanse of serenity. Softly rolling hills and gatherings of trees were disturbed only by a few cuttings made by a wide river. A light breeze lifted the young woman’s golden hair from her shoulders – and she was vaguely aware of a rustling of fabric from beneath her waist. She glanced down to note that she was wearing a full skirt that reached down to her ankles; it was finely embroidered and of a material she couldn’t identify. Before she could consider how such garb was uncharacteristic of her, the sound of approaching footfalls distracted her attention from the fact.

It was a young man with light brown hair and a soft smile on his lips. “My lady,” he spoke as he bowed to her – he appeared to be entirely serious in the gesture.

“Link, what are you doing?” she asked as she turned to face him.

He lifted his sapphire eyes to meet hers. Zelda studied his expression – he seemed confused as to how he had caused her offense. It certainly hadn’t been the first time. “Don’t…do that. You have no reason to bow to me…and – honestly – it’s kind of creepy.”

As he straightened his posture, the young woman noticed the slightest tinge of pain as it marred his expression. It was extremely short lived, though. Link seemed to recover from whatever wounds the girl had given him but he was hesitant to make another move.

Zelda felt…something. She stared into his eyes for several moments before allowing her gaze to trail down to his lips. She took several steps to shorten the distance between them, reaching her hands out towards the slender man –

“Goddesses damn you, Ann!” screamed a voice in shrill anger.

Zelda’s eyes shot open. For the love of… she thought to herself. Slowly, she raised herself to a sitting position. Link. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Her mind was unfailingly capable of recreating his image. Every night, Link. He was somehow involved in her last and first thoughts of every day – and he may have well owned her dreams.

“Calm down, lady – it’ll wash out.” One could safely assume that this was Ann speaking.

“That’s beside the point and you know it,” the other growled. “Why don’t you borrow Zelda’s clothes without asking?”

“…I do.”

Zelda swung her feet to the floor. “She does,” she vouched. “But she doesn’t usually stain them.”

“Ann!” the girl scowled.

“I’m sorry, Chloe…”

No doubt the two continued to talk, but Zelda was done hearing that nonsense. That was also an everyday thing. Honestly, the things Zelda would do to get her own room… But that’s not how it worked here. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, anyway.

Zelda walked down the hall, her day’s clothing stacked in her arms. Other students were milling about – most of them shuffling around in their pajamas (Zelda being no different in this regard) - no doubt they had asshole roommates they needed to escape, too. The academy was beyond full capacity; every room was assigned with two or three occupants. With the state of the world, it wasn’t surprising. Zelda’s own mother had forced her – as seemed to be a popular trend among parents – to attend the Academy. She had said that the struggle of Hyrule was only beginning, and that the fate of their livelihoods would fall on the shoulders of the youth. Zelda didn’t understand or really believe any of it; the public school she had attended as a girl had explained that the Darkness had been defeated. Sure, the King and Queen and died, and it was all horrible and all that…but it was over.

At least the swarm of bodies around this place made it less likely for her to –

Zelda took a corner and found herself literally running into Link. The impact wasn’t enough for either of them to fall – but the girl dropped the clothes she had been carrying. She took a step back to catch her balance while she soaked in the image of the ever-perfect Link. It was hard not to hate him sometimes…he was always winning. It certainly didn’t help that Zelda always felt like she was competing against him… He didn’t flaunt that he knew he was better than everyone else (in fact he was quite helpful and charming) but it didn’t make Zelda feel any better.

He apologized and immediately knelt before her to fetch the clothing from the ground. Zelda watched his movements in silence – as he rose to his feet, she suddenly realized that her mouth had gone completely dry. His hands extended towards her, offering the bundle of cloth. The young woman’s eyes glanced at the garments briefly before she reached out to accept them. She allowed her gaze to linger before raising her sight back to the young man. For a moment she stared into his eyes, secretly admiring their beauty.

“…Link,” she spoke coldly. “Do you mind?” the motioning of her hand suggested that she wanted him to get out of her way. His immediate response reminded Zelda of the expression she often saw in her dreams. Without giving him a real opportunity to move, she gave an impatient sigh and resumed her progress down the hall, bumping her shoulder against Link's as she pressed to get past him. The halls were crowded, sure – but she could have easily avoided the small collision.

Real adult, Zelda she chided herself as she made her way to the ladies’ community bathing room. Why do you act like that around him?

*****​

She suffered a short flashback. The first day she met Link – it had been his first day at the academy – just over three years ago. They were very close in age and were inducted during the same term. On the day Link arrived (with a few others from his village), Zelda had already been on the property for nearly a week. She was dueling with a classmate when the newcomers were being brought around for their tour – she and her sparring partner paused immediately at the sound of the instructor’s voice.

“Ladies! Meet your new classmates: Link, Melvin…”

There were others, but Zelda’s eyes halted on the first one to be introduced. Link, she repeated in her mind.

Their instructor was still talking. “…And these two are Ruby and Zelda.” Each gave a small smile.

Zelda took several steps towards the group and offered her hand to Link. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she spoke warmly. She would, of course, shake the hands of the others – she pretended her words had been spoken for the benefit of the group; but they had, in fact, only been for Link.

“Zelda is quite skilled with the blade,” their instructor continued.

“Best in the class!” Ruby boasted.

Zelda gave a dismissive gesture. She was outwardly modest, despite how much her skill meant to her.

“Who is the best among you?” the instructor asked the newcomers. It seemed an easy choice for the group. “Link?” the older man repeated. “What say you to a quick play against the supposed champion?”

Zelda didn’t seem unsettled by this in the least. She had no reason to believe he could best her and she didn’t seem to mind if he’d feel shamed by getting beat by a girl. She somehow decided that Link would be the type to be attracted to a strong female – so winning the match would undoubtedly translate to him reciprocating her affections. It made perfect sense to the teenager at the time.

If only it had been so. Link soundly destroyed her. He hadn’t been malicious, or overly aggressive at all, he just had a far superior technique. Zelda was crushed – not that she showed it. She congratulated him on his victory and gave her instructor a bitter glance when he heartily proclaimed that Zelda had been dethroned.

*****​

Ever since then, it had been more of the same. Zelda felt an insane drive to win Link’s approval by besting him; consequently, she seemed to have established herself as his rival rather than love interest. It killed her but she didn’t know how to fix the situation without risking too much of herself…so the cycle continued.

Fucking Link, she thought to herself as she came back to present time. She was finishing up with her morning routine – she was washed and in the process of dressing herself. She reflected briefly on the fact that her attraction to the Link felt like an additional trophy to his credit – and it was, surely. He was handsome, courageous, strong… How could she be expected to not be attracted? It was his fault that she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Zelda didn’t hate him, even if she acted like it sometimes. She hated how he made her feel…or how she made herself feel when he was around - well. If she understood it exactly, maybe she would handle things better. At this point, the young woman was better off to simply avoid Link as much as possible.

Zelda sighed as pulled on her boots and climbed to her feet. If only she could relax.

The young woman made her way outside of the dorms and leisurely strolled towards the armory. Her class was not required to meet on this particular day, but…Zelda needed a distraction. She refused to spend an entire day fantasizing about Link. Again. Besides, he trained all of the time – why shouldn't she?

She growled to herself suddenly. Stop making everything about him. She knew it was a useless request of herself – but she had to try. You’re going to practice your archery because you want to improve your skill. It has nothing to do with Link…or his record on the horseback course. She equipped herself with a bow and quiver before continuing to the stables.

…It’ll just be a bonus if you happen to devastate his score. Which you will.

 

[Eazy]

After having finally gotten his chance to get bathed and dressed in a pair of light brown pants with a matching tunic, Link started making his way out through the already busy halls of scurrying academy students. A few of the others would wave his way, which the young Hylian male would reciprocate with a wave and friendly greeting, but it was evident to those whom passed his way that the teen had other matters on his mind. Matters which kept his mind busy enough to dull those reflexes when coming upon a corner and suddenly finding himself colliding with the warm body of a female classmate.

The impact was enough to take the young male by surprise. Surprise enough, to where his immediate reaction of apologizing and trying to gather up the fallen belongings of said classmate had caused him to fail at noticing just whom he'd bumped into at first. Standing, offering the bundle of clothes to the student before him, it was only then that Link realized whom was standing in front of him. "Oh, Zelda." He spoke with some surprise to his voice; clearly only now realizing whom he'd bumped into, feeling a slight awkwardness overcome him, yet still offering up the retrieved items.

It seemed he may have been ready to speak further, likely to more directly apologize after realizing whom he'd bumped into, when she cut off anything further on his part with her rather cold response. In a way, this wasn't something which necessarily caught Link by surprise when dealing with the blonde, but it never did fail at bringing out those feelings of confusion and uncertainty. As she pushed past him, their shoulders bumping together, Link's body did relent in tilting enough to allow her easier access down the hall, while remaining turned enough to watch the female make her way down the opposite end as he offered a barely audible, "Sorry..."

Staring at the classmate in question as she continued on her way until vanishing into the sea of bodies, Link wondered for what felt like a millionth time on just what she held against him. Not that the youth expected to be liked by everybody. With Zelda, there just didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to her reactions. Even if they hadn't gotten off on the right foot so long ago, it still seemed like there was something else there whenever they butted heads. Peculiar.

The young man stood his ground for several moments, before the reminder of why he was out and about right now popped into his head; causing his eyes to widen with renewed anticipation and return on his previously laid out trek. The incident with Zelda remained on the back of his mind, but for now the young star student of the academy had a rather important meeting which he was eager to make. Indeed, the skilled fighter had found his way out of the dorms and racing toward a lone shack near one of the far corners of the academy grounds. The smell of burning metals and the sound of a hammer clanging away were what greeted the eager youth as he knocked once before opening the wooden door to let himself inside.

"Ah, Link!" Came the greeting of the gruff older male whom was finishing up work on a dagger as he addressed the visiting student - his physique husky yet muscular due to the years of work on weapons, as bits of charcoal powder and other materials stained the otherwise gray head of hair on the smith's head, "You're here a lot earlier than I'd told you to be after our talk yesterday. You know it takes time for a fine craftsman of even my talent to finish a masterpiece."

Suddenly feeling a slight deflation of his earlier enthusiasm, Link nervously rubbed at the side of his neck while starting to explain, "Sorry, Orloth. I know you said to wait until it was closer to the afternoon, but I was hoping-"

"It's just a good thing that I already know you by now, my boy." The man interrupted with a grin; placing the red hot dagger into some water for cooling as he moved and lead the younger male toward a table at the far side of his work area, "I had a feeling you'd show up sooner then you were told, so I got an early start on that little project you asked me to work on."

The earlier enthusiasm which Link had felt came back with a vengeance as the light brown haired youth quickly followed. His eyes were wide with a momentary child-like excitement which perhaps betrayed the skilled fighter he was known for around the school, as he observed the older male pick up a sword shaped bundle covered with a dark brown cloth. The youth was almost tempted to grab the item himself, but held off as Orloth unwrapped it to reveal a currently sheathed sword which was then presented to its new owner. Accepting all too readily, Link immediately noticed the gold and silver studded design along the hilt cross-guard and pommel of the weapon - drawing the actual blade out slowly and watching it with awe as he held it upward.

"It's one of my finer works, if I do say so myself. Perhaps a little fancier then I'd normally do, I'll admit. But when you offered to donate those ores you found as raw material, I figured it best to put them toward some good use." The older male explained, arms crossed and smiling proudly at the finely crafted blade as its new owner began to further familiarize himself with the weapon.

Watching for a few moments as Link continued observing and testing out the weight and handle of the weapon, Orloth grew slightly impatient with the boys silence and finally inquired, "So? What do you think?"

"I think it's the greatest sword in the world..." The popular academy student stated with total seriousness - not have any weapon which was specifically for himself until this point and thus treating this new belonging as a true treasure.

"Ha ha! You pay me too great a compliment, lad!" Orloth exclaimed with a hearty laugh, although he was indeed appreciative of the boys response toward his handiwork. Truthfully, if almost anybody else had approached the old smith with such a request, he may have turned them down. But considering Link's growing fame around the academy during the past couple of years he'd been here, the older male figured it fine to make a rare exception.

Patting the smaller male on the back with a firm hand, the smith then half-jokingly warned Link, "Just don't go being a show off and gloating over your classmates about it. I'm already given plenty with maintaining the academy's armory supply and training equipment without doing special favors on top of it."

Nearly losing his balance at first, Link gave a modest smile over the notion before shaking his head to brush aside such ideas, "Heh. Don't worry, I didn't ask for this to try and make any of my classmates feel jealous. And I think the others would understand."

Carefully working the weapon about with his arm in a few partial swings, Link then sheathed the blade back where it belonged before strapping the new weapon onto his belt, "Anyway, I want to go try this out for a while. But thanks again, Orloth! I really appreciate the huge favor!"

Waving at the older male who gave an appreciative nod toward the departing student, the young Hylian male was indeed eager on getting a chance at breaking in his new weapon. Others had their own weapons, naturally, and they were each of different builds to best suit that persons strengths. But normally they were only given the opportunity for a truly custom built weapon after graduation was completed. So Link recognized how fortunate it was for him to gain this favor for his hard work, and while he wasn't going to keep the weapon a secret, he also had not intentions of flaunting it. So the outdoor training field seemed a logical enough place to get in those early swings, both due to the set up for the place, and how rare it was to find others around there at this time of the day.

During the short walk, Link reflected upon the various changes which had taken place during his time leading up to this final year at the academy; along with what had brought him here in the first place. Talks amongst the villages of training their youth to either fight for or against the current ruler of Hyrule, the one whom was often labeled the 'usurper' for having taken the throne for himself following that tragic night, was a frequent topic of conversation within adult circles since Link was a boy. Most of his village who came here had intended on fighting or at least defending themselves when it came to this iron fisted ruler and his own militant followers.

For Link, however, it was simply a case of wanting to learn the skills for being able to survive in the world as an adventurer. The young man kept up to an extent on the world of political squabbles and current events, but hadn't seen himself as one for revolutions, nor was he especially fond of joining an army of rather questionable value. No, since the loss of his only family at an extremely young age, the lone goal Link ever truly held onto was to be able to stand on his own while also being one whom others could depend on. Both being a result of his need for having to take care of himself since very young, and the desire for being accepted by others in the absence of any type of family figures.

Regardless, three years of training in the academy later, and Link seemed to be well on his way for those goals. As he continued to head toward the training field which was just located past the stables, the skill young warrior couldn't help but reach to his side, gripping at the hilt of the sword and pulling the blade out of its sheath enough to admire the cleanly cut weapon. It was almost a shame to take it out into the open training field to test its steel upon a few of the precut logs provided for practice and exercises. Despite its stylish appearance, however, Link had indeed chosen the materials of the blade for durability rather then simple look, and it was time to test out just how well the sword was put together.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

As Zelda walked, she hung the strap of her quiver around her torso and adjusted it for easy drawing. Once satisfied with its placement, she reached back - bow in hand - taking only a moment to secure the weapon with its projectiles.

It didn't take her long to walk to the stables; the academy was fairly self-contained. Upon entering, she bypassed the line of students waiting to receive a prepared horse - the younger classmen assigned to such things rushed to accommodate the crowd. "Good morning," she spoke with a beaming smile. Those anywhere near her own age managed pathetic groans in response.

It was only the stable master who returned her greeting in the form of words. "Good morning, Zelda!"

"How is she?" the young woman asked, not stopping to waste any time. She continued towards a particular stall.

"Much better. Her sprain is fully healed - she seemed a bit restless to get back into the field."

"Can't say I blame her," Zelda remarked, giving the stable master an appreciative smile before altering her course slightly. She approached the back gate, leaning her elbows against the dirty metal bars as she stared out into the vast grazing field. Epona was nowhere to be seen - likely she had frolicked off to enjoy her new found freedom. Zelda pursed her lips and let out a sharp whistle.

She was delighted that the horse responded. The beautiful brown and white mare approached with a marvelous speed and neighed as she came to a halt just short of the gate. Zelda smiled broadly. "Epona! You're better!" The girl used one of the bars of the gate as a step, vaulting herself over. Her arms found their way around the horse's neck before her own feet hit the ground. Her hand worked to pet the rough coat and she gave a couple of soft pats as she withdrew from the hug.

"You want me to pass a saddle over?" the older man suddenly offered.

Zelda considered for a moment. "No...thank you, though." She glanced back at the man as she spoke before returning her attention to Epona. "I think we'll just take it easy today." Zelda walked around to the side of the horse before giving a small jump - she kicked a heel over the steed's back as her hands found purchase on the beast's shoulders. She pulled herself up, straddling the horse's back, sitting upright. "Have a good one~" she nearly sang before urging the mount to move.

Epona was an excellent steed and a favorite of both Zelda and Link. As she didn't belong to either of them, neither could refuse the other the right to ride her - it was simply a matter of who got to the stables first. Although? It seemed that the two had almost adopted an unspoken schedule; Zelda wasn't surprised or bitter when Link took Epona - even though it usually meant he was off breaking some record.

Zelda shook her head and reminded herself not to think about it - she wasn't competing today.

Her hands took Epona's mane in hand before encouraging her to jump the fence bordering the grazing field; the horse obeyed without the slightest hesitation. She had been brought to the speed of a gallop before receiving the indication to escape - which was quite a feat for the rider, who had to maintain herself without the luxury of a saddle. After the two landed on the other side of the enclosure, a more leisurely pace was adopted.

Zelda found that Epona responded extremely well to her movements - the slightest pressure of her thigh would be met by a alteration of their course. The woman's hands, then, were allowed to remain peacefully upon the breasts shoulders without the need to be used in guidance.

It was nearly half an hour later that Zelda's eyes settled on a form in the distance. The rising sun shone in glimpsing reflections of his blade as his body executed practiced motions - despite the soft silhouette effect caused by his relative position, she knew immediately that it was Link. Just...talk to him. He's never going to know that you're interested unless you tell him. You've been hiding your feelings pretty well, after all. She allowed Epona to continue on their current path, her eyes soaking in the image of the swordsman during their approach. It wasn't until the man noticed of hoof falls of his could-be horse and turned to look at Zelda that she felt her heart stop.

"Oh...hey, Link." She forced a small smile and reached a hand up to scratch the back of her head. "Sorry about earlier. I'm...really not a morning person..." She lowered her hand and watched his expression carefully. She felt so...transparent.

She gave him just enough time to respond before asking, "Would you...be interested in taking a short ride with me...?" Her gaze trailed away from his in a cowardly fashion, allowing her royal blue eyes to fall on his sword - it was something much more than an academy issued weapon of training. She barely had time to take in the details of it's skillful construction before she added, "...You could tell me about your new sword."

 

[Eazy]

A few beads of perspiration rolled down the sides of the young swordman's face as he dealt out numerous processional strikes upon the large log of wood currently set up for his practice run with the new blade. This was actually the third one Link had gone through within the relatively short amount of time. The first one was carved into numerous pieces, while the second had been cleaved neatly in half with a powerful, yet smartly targeted strike toward its weakest point. After having set those aside as possible firewood for the academy to use later, he'd set up this current log, which was being dealt out considerably weaker blows to make sure it lasted longer then the previous ones.

Still, the labors of his training were evident, judging by the locations of the numerous clean cuts and slices which mirrored where vital portions of an enemies body would be found. Of course, aside from hunting trips for food, Link hadn't taken a life as of yet. It wasn't a prospect which the youth liked to dwell upon. But the boy wasn't a fool. The life of an adventurer would require such defensive and offensive battle maneuvers for protection from bandits, Moblins and Goddess only knows what else. As such, the Hylian youth kept his skills sharp like he did his blade, as he took in a few more swings before taking notice of the approaching figure.

Pausing with his current practice strikes, Link watched with mixed feelings at the very familiar woman approaching on horseback. On one hand, Zelda may still be angry with him over whatever offense he'd caused her earlier in the day. On the other, the light brown haired male did smile warmly at the sight of Epona. While not his horse, Link did often treat her like one would their own. Part of it was a result of his own lack of any real pets or companions like many a boy would have growing up. But another part was the uncanny chemistry the horse had with him as its rider. True, she responded well to many at the academy, but there always seemed to be an unspoken bond between the two. But he supposed it's how many felt after spending time with her - such as her current rider

Those feelings aside, there was the case of Zelda, whose forced smile Link was able to pick up on, even if he'd never say anything about it. Giving her a small smile of his own - one which was partially forced for appearance, yet held a semblance of the warmth shown toward the blonde's ride previously - Link gave a small shake of his head, "It's really fine. I should have been more careful when rushing through the halls."

Which was partially true, having had his mind largely focused on meeting up with the blacksmith, but was also largely said to assuage any concerns on Zelda's part. They didn't always get along famously, but she seemed genuinely regretful over the earlier encounter. That was enough for Link to try not to drag such an awkward scene out further.

As she spoke of joining her for a ride, however, the male's surprise was indeed rather evident on his features as he stared up at her while her own eyes trailed away. This was... unexpected. Not unwanted by any means. But, still. His general impressions of how Zelda felt toward him was one of somebody whom tolerated his presence, rather then welcoming any part of it.

Still, even as she addressed his sword, Link had momentarily forgotten about trying to keep the weapon hidden until graduation as he quickly, if somewhat nervously, answered, "S-Sure!" The immediate response was indeed almost blurted on his part, which in itself had caught Link partially by surprise, as he shook his head again before trying again with a calmer tone, "I mean, yes, of course. I think that would be kind of nice. And I can tell you anything you want about it, if you're really interested?"

Giving another small, but now considerably less forced smile toward the blonde, Link did redirect his attention briefly toward Epona while reaching his hands out to gently brush her mane with one as the other gave a few soothing strokes to the side of her head, "You feeling up for riding a little longer after your injury, girl?" Awaiting an apparent confirmation on the horses part, and a definite one from Zelda's own lips, Link slowly moved to join the female upon the horses back.

His slowed ascension onto Epona was both to make sure she would react well to the added weight, along with a continued uncertainty on getting so close as would be needed to share the short ride with Zelda. If nothing else, at least their affection for Epona was one of the few areas in which the two always seemed to have an understanding about. As such, Link didn't hesitate on letting her continue to handle the reins, even if it meant his having to hold onto her from behind. His gloved hands tentatively held onto her slender waist for support, while at the same time keeping a slight distance in terms of how closely he was seated. Perhaps an unwise position for most riders, but Link didn't wish to risk pushing his boundaries. Besides, he trusted Zelda's riding skills.

When the began to move, the female at front guiding their path, Link finally began to address the aforementioned sword, "About my sword? Well, I'd asked Orloth a few days ago about possibly forging me a custom blade using some of the materials I'd gathered over the years. A few of them were from my village, but the majority of materials were picked up during my time at the academy." Glancing to his side, at the sheathed sword which was strapped to his hip, the Hylian male smiled widely while adding, "I'm glad he agreed on making this for me. It's my first real sword." Indeed, for the time spent gathering and saving materials, this elegant blade was in many ways a compilation of his years of hard work and effort.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

The initial response from Link caused the blonde woman to give a genuine smile. She lifted her eyes from the beautifully crafted sword and allowed her gaze to settle on the young man's face. As he continued to speak, Zelda found herself studying the signs of exertion - it would seem that he was just beginning to break a sweat when she interrupted his practice. She wasn't expecting that she'd find the sight of perspiration upon his brow this...exciting. She shifted herself slightly as Link questioned her interest in his sword. "I am," she assured him simply. She didn't dare speak any more words that she need to - the familiar tightness of her throat reminded her that she was likely to falter in his presence.

She watched as Link gave attention to Epona, a broad smile overtaking her lips as he spoke to the horse. No doubt there were at least a couple of students that thought Zelda odd for the exact same behavior. It wasn't that the girl could consider herself less weird because Link exhibited similar habits - it had much more to do with what it showed of Link's character. He cared about Epona. The capacity to love what others might consider a mere object... It was not lost on the girl that Link took extra care easing himself onto the horse's back. He was so thoughtful...and perfect.

Zelda told herself that Link's distance from her back was a direct product of the quiver and bow that were secured there - though she suspected it might have something to do with how outwardly stand-offish she'd been towards him in the past. The thoughts and worries of such dissolved immediately at the touch of his hands upon her waist. She tensed enough that Epona reacted, perhaps assuming the clenching thighs meant 'go'. Zelda repressed the shiver that followed. For a short time, she tried to focus her attention on where to guide their mount - but the matter was quickly decided. There was a trail through the neighboring woods that wouldn't be arduous for the horse - it even had a small spring along the way.

She listened as Link spoke, turning back slightly towards him to respond. "It's an impressive sword, I'll admit. And I'm glad to hear that you earned it - I nearly feared that the instructors were being more direct with playing favorites."

...Fuck.

She cleared her throat. "Don't get me wrong, Link. I'm not disputing that you deserve credit for your skills. I'm just bitter about my own treatment. I mean...am I crazy? Or do I get reprimanded a lot - and for a lot less than the others? I've yet to see anyone else get punished for swearing..." She wrinkled her nose. "It's as if my mother gave them special consent to beat me into a proper lady."

She sighed. She knew she was being held to some ridiculous standard that the others weren't - it killed her. Still, this was the first time she openly admitted to her suspicions. She was surprised to find that she wasn't anxious about what Link might think of her; instead, she just felt relieved. Even if he didn't agree with her - maybe she was just imagining things? But, in any case, he might care enough to offer his thoughts on the matter. It was much better than suffering it all alone. Also? Zelda wanted to open up. It wasn't a decision, so much - she didn't even realize that her cold shell had started to melt when Link agreed to take a ride with her. His presence soothed her...she couldn't say why it was, but she felt safe.

Their conversation eventually turned to discussing some of the more outrageous things their peers had done to deserve punishment. Comparatively, Zelda was a saint. She was not one to take part in generally badly planned teenage schemes - but she seemed to find the stories of such amusing. She quickly became a much less serious version of herself. By the time they reached the springs, the girl had laughed so hard she nearly cried.

"Perhaps we should give Epona a break?" The girl slipped a foot over the horse's back and hopped off. She took a moment to stretch; the motion quickly reminded her of the bow and arrows attached to her back. She glanced at Link briefly.

"...What would you say to a little game?" she asked as she watched him dismount. She gave him long enough to place his feet on the ground before reaching back for her bow and quiver. "If you can hit whatever target I pick for you, I'll tell you a secret." The look he gave her suggested he might be interested...and maybe a little suspicious. "No penalty for missing," she added as she offered the bow and a single arrow. Her smile was sweet - not the typical smirk or grin one might give if they were up to trickery.

What are you doing? She asked herself. You know he'll make the shot. And then...what the fuck are you going to say, Zelda? You only have one secret. If he accepted the weapon, projectile, and terms, Zelda would take a moment to consider his target. You can't make this easy, she reminded herself. In fact, if you could pick something that he might miss? That'd be great... She lifted a hand to her chin thoughtfully. ...Though? It's obvious you're dying to tell him. Just look at this sad little attempt at... Despite herself, she was still smiling.

"There!" she spoke suddenly, pointing. "Do you see the ruined pillar? See if you can strike the notch near the top." It was indeed a difficult target - the pillar was nearly a hundred yards away and the mark obscenely high. With the less than impressive bow, it would require nothing less than a perfectly arched shot.

 

[Eazy]

The comment about playing favorites had struck a small chord with Link, as that small smile swiftly faded away of his features. He'd honestly not thought of it in such a way, but with Orloth asking him not to go showing off the sword around others and now Zelda's little comment... well, it did bring about a tiny twinge of regret to the swordman for having asked of such a favor prior. Either way, it was enough for him to gladly accept the change of subject, even if it were changing it toward another issue of favorites or unequal treatment among the academy students. Still, while Link may have been blind toward any supposed favoritism toward himself, he had taken notice of how the instructors could be a touch stricter toward Zelda then any of the others - whether they be male or female.

"From what I've noticed? Maybe a bit..." He admitted, then gave a very brief half smile while reflecting on the first portion of his added response, "I suppose I am a little blind at spotting this type of stuff... but, now that you mention it? They have come across as rather strict toward you, at times. Not entirely sure if it's any more or less then anyone else around here."

Giving a light shrug, not really certain on why the instructors would behave like so even if their suspicions were true, the young Hylian male suggested, "But, well, they probably want to make sure you stay on the right track to reaching your full potential?" Which was a possibility that Link viewed as a likelihood. Regardless of whom was better at what when it came to himself and the others, the male rider did view Zelda's own abilities with great respect. There just hadn't been many chances for him to say as such, due to their at times strained friendship.

Conversing with her on the matter of what their peers may have done in the past few years which were more deserving of punishment, Link seemed to almost forget about those hurdles they had over the past few years. The times where she didn't seem overly fond of his presence, or where he'd actively avoid direct interaction, even when amongst mutual friends, for concern of causing her any offense like he'd apparently had a habit of doing. Just the two of them riding like this. It was rather enjoyable.

When they reached the spring and she suggested giving Epona a break, the light brown haired teen slowly nodded before reaching down to stroke at the beasts mane, "You're right. She could use a breather."

Letting Zelda hop off first, Link did pause to look her over when she began to voice her suggestion, before jumping off to the ground and inquiring with a curious expression, "...What type of a game?" Listening as she explained what she had in mind, the teen looked slightly skeptical, considering the prize for winning, but did relent as she offered the bow and arrow, "Well... if you're really up for it, then I guess we can give it a go."

Accepting the offered items, the Hylian male didn't read her expression as belonging to somebody trying to pull off any type of tricks. But Link was indeed curious on what brought about such a sudden challenge with a rather peculiar prize, as he watched her carefully pick out a rather difficult target for him to hit. Following her finger, the teen squinted his eyes slightly, while focusing in upon the pillar. "You picked that?" He stated, seemingly genuinely curious on if hitting such a target at this distance with the offered bow would be manageable. Glancing her way briefly for clarification, Link took in a deep breath before beginning to take aim with his weapon, "Alright... here we go..."

The moments between those last words and when he'd release the arrow were relatively fleeting, yet seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Bow in hand, arrow drawn back, string stretched near its limit while the youth's arms tensed from steadying his shot. For Link, everything else around him seemed to fade away. The sounds of the water. Any distracting sights of the world around him.. Everything else was seemingly pulled away, save for his target, as those steady fingers released the arrow to send it whirling toward its target - finding its aim to be true within the second it'd take for the projectile to close that gap of space.

"Got it!" He happily proclaimed - a wide smile on his face and slight pumping of his fist after having made a shot which, if truth were to be told, others probably held greater faith in his making then Link himself did. Coming down off that initial high, however, the young male then turned toward Zelda and admitted with genuine modesty, "That was a very challenging shot, though. I wasn't certain about whether I'd make it or not. Heh."

But now there came the matter of his 'prize' for having accomplished the task. Standing before her, Link had briefly considered purposely missing the target to be a better option. He wasn't certain on what her secret could be, so there was a chance of his causing problems between them by hitting the mark and getting her to reveal it. On the other hand, if he did miss on purpose, that would almost certainly offend the girl. And Link knew she had skilled enough eyes to tell when someone wasn't trying. No, Link may not know what he does to cause her offense most of the time, but he wouldn't purposely do anything that he'd know to upset her.

"So, if you still wanted to tell me any secret you had on your mind, then I'm all ears for it." He offered, holding the bow to his side, trying not to seem too eager on hearing what was on her mind to spur such a challenge, while also not coming off as too dismissive. The result was perhaps a little awkward, as he gave a light shrug and suggested with a small smile, "But, um... if you would rather we forget about it, then we could do that, too. I did have a lot of fun with simply completing the challenge alone."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

The girl stared at the indicated target for several moments, as if her own sight would help to guide Link. The tone of his voice as he attempted to confirm her choice convinced her that they were on the same page - she turned to look at the young man, nodding an affirmative response as he glanced in her direction.

Her eyes remained on him as he took a deep inhalation, focused on the rising of his chest. Her gaze trailed along his collar, up his throat... Were it not for his words, Zelda might have lost herself completely. She blinked a couple of times as she forced herself to turn her face towards the pillar - despite that, she found her awareness elsewhere. In her peripheral vision, Link lifted the bow and was in that moment of concentration prior to loosing the arrow. She closed her eyes briefly as she allowed her memory to supplement the details of his expression in such circumstances; she couldn't stare at him now as she did at the range - and even then, it had been at a distance and under the guise of anything but attraction.

Her eyes shot open at Link's sudden exclamation. She tried extremely hard to look as if she hadn't missed the shot - the man's moment of levity in the matter convinced her that he had struck the target. She reflected his smile as he admitted that it had been a difficult task (and one that he wasn't entirely certain that he'd pull off). "Good job, Link," she spoke warmly. "I guess your reputation of being the best might be close to accurate..." she added teasingly.

Zelda listened to his thoughts on the matter of his prize - it seemed he didn't think such a thing necessary. She nearly balked. It would be safer to just not share secrets.

No, Zelda. If not now, when? When you both graduate and he's prepared to leave and never see you again?

She took a moment to stare into his sapphire eyes before speaking. "...As much as I appreciate your willingness to let me off, I..." She paused. "I think it's about time that I tell you something."

She broke eye contact and bit her lower lip. It would appear that she was gathering her thoughts - and once prepared, she took a deep breath before looking back in the man's direction. Her face was slightly flushed as she reached for Link's free hand; her fingers slipped between his as she lightly held him. "Link, I..." She could feel her heart beating like a hammer, it's palpitations flooded her awareness. "I can't stop thinking about you. From the first moment we met, I..." I knew we were meant for each other.

She couldn't find the words. Anything she could possibly say now - she was going to make a fool of herself. What if he didn't share her affections? How much would it hurt to admit that you loved someone only to receive rejection? Did she love him - or was she only infatuated? How could she explain the way she'd treated him, all these years? ...What if he thought she was a genuine bitch?

These thoughts took only seconds. A sudden awareness of Link's eyes upon her - he was waiting for her to say something. Her blush took on a slightly deeper shade as she slowly leaned in towards the man, her lips eager to press against his own.

She couldn't afford to hesitate - Zelda closed the distance between them. She felt light-headed as she soaked in the warmth of his mouth against hers; a hand moved to caress the side of his face as her breasts came in contact with his light brown tunic.

 

[Eazy]

Awaiting her response to his attempt at letting her off on sharing any secrets, Link began to fret if perhaps making such an offer would cause her offense in itself. With Zelda, it was hard to tell at times on which actions may elicit what responses. It was one of the things which, sadly, had kept the light brown haired male from attempting at furthering their acquaintanceship beyond the tentative (if that) friendship they held due to being classmates and holding a few mutual friends. As such, it was a considerable relief when she spoke, their eyes meeting, while assuring him that there was something she wished to tell him.

Giving a simple nod, feeling genuinely curious by now, the Hylian male wouldn't waste her time with any further attempts at dissuading the offer as he gazed down into her soft eyes, "...Okay, Zelda. I'm all ears."

Watching as she appeared to be gathering her thoughts (and perhaps some courage), Link could feel the grip held onto the bow in his hand beginning to tighten slightly. For reasons which the teen couldn't understand, his own feelings of nervousness and anticipation were starting to mount during those fleeting few moments. Seeing the flush on her lovely features, Link's lips parted, as if wishing to say something, yet simply gazed at the woman and how the red hue oddly added to her already striking natural beauty. His heart started to race, only for it to begin beating even faster when she moved a hand toward his free one; staring down momentarily in observation as her fingers slipped between his own.

Returning his focus toward meeting her eyes at the sound of his voice, the teen stood, silently, almost as if in a temporary haze as her secret was partially shared. The entirety wasn't spoken, but enough was able to roll out of those soft lips to give him an idea. An idea which had caused his eyes to show signs of a dawning realization on her feelings. How strong Zelda may have felt toward him had remained to be seen, yet the basic idea of what she wished to express was clear to Link, as his fingers finally began to hold the hand within his grasp tightly in return.

Link wasn't a stranger toward women in general, but such situations were indeed a rarity for himself, as he stood there, unsure of whether to speak or give her further chance of letting out those final words. His answer soon came when Zelda, by now a rather deep shade of red, began leaning towards him, with her intentions coming across rather clearly for him. At first, Link would let her close that gap of space. Let her free hand be the one to caress at the side of his face, before the hand holding onto his temporary bow would let the weapon fall to the floor in order to reach upward and place his hand over her own. For a moment, it may have appeared as if he'd intended on drawing her slender fingers away from his face. Such fears were unwarranted, as the previously free hand began to cup at the back of her own; holding her soft, warm hand against his cheek while his own body began to lean forward.

"Zelda, I..." Were the only words which managed to make their way past his lips; the light brush of his warm breath caressing upon the blonde's own lips, before feeling them suddenly pressed against his own within a rather passionate embrace.

Eyes widening at the initial contact, they eventually settled down as Link fell into the deepening kiss and began to reciprocate without bothering to think on the implications. Tthe hand holding onto her own against his cheek had slowly slipped away - moving instead to wrap itself around her slender waist where it not so much pulled her into him as it simply held onto her as if not wishing to let go. This was so sudden for them both, Link realized, while feeling his strong chest pressing firmly into her own soft breasts; the intensity of the embrace nearly causing her to tilt back within his arm like one might find described in books detailing romanticized tales of love. It was sudden, perhaps, yet Link could find little, if anything wrong about it. Being with her, even during the awkward moments, always felt strangely worth for Link. And being with her now? It just felt.... perfect.

Inevitably, their embrace would be forced to conclude, as Link suddenly took notice of how he'd somehow forgot to breathe during the deepening kiss and pulled his lips back with a start before taking in a deep gasp of air. Taking in that breath, the teen had still managed to keep his arm around Zelda, with the other hand continuing to tightly hold onto her own. It'd seem as if Link didn't wish for any break of their physical contact, as he stared down into her eyes, which showed some continued surprise within his own gaze, while not giving off any real impression of regret over the brash actions.

"Zelda," He started, his voice tender, yet clearly stating the girls name for any nearby to hear, as he began to continue on this line of thought, "I'm.... I'm not sure what to say... I never dared to even think..."

His own attempts at getting across a confession were partially interrupted, however, as the sound of distant voices and some rustling could be heard drawing near them from a short distance. Pausing to address the issue, Link did turn his head toward the source of this approaching disturbance, while having not bothered to think of removing his hands and arm from their respective places around the young woman standing before him.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

The sensation of Link's hands closing upon her own caused Zelda's anxiety to wash away - the tension of her muscles eased and she allowed herself to believe that they'd be better off than before.

And how could they not be? When Link spoke her name just prior to their kiss...she had never heard him say it quite like that. She had never felt the breath of his words. And for a moment, she had no concerns. The young woman entirely forgot her pride as their lips made contact. For the first time in her adult life, Zelda allowed herself to act without worrying about appearances.

It was, in a word, perfect. The woman felt Link's hand trail to her waist about the same time she realized that one of her feet had raised itself slightly from the ground. It was everything - and more - than she imagined. She was prepared for the head rush; the dizzying effect of sheer bliss. Link's willingness to return her affection caused her a joy the likes she had never experienced before. At the same time, it had an unexpected effect. Zelda felt an ignition of her soul - a burning sensation of completion. She never wanted it to end.

As their lips drew back from each other, Zelda took a moment to openly stare into his eyes. She felt the sudden drawing of breath, Link's chest pressing against her own with the deep inhalation. His expression suggested that he was a taken somewhat by surprise - the woman might not have thought too much about it were it not for his words. He -- he never dared to even think... Zelda felt her heart drop.

You're not meant for each other.

The woman hardly had time to consider the sudden shift in her mood before she heard the approach of other students. Link glanced in the general direction of the noise as Zelda quickly concluded that he would've known, right? He would've felt something prior to...to this. She briefly recalled everything her mother had said on the subject of love...and realized that she couldn't do it. She couldn't offer her heart at the expense of her reputation - not for anything less than true love.

Seconds before their peers came into line of sight, Zelda abruptly yanked her hand away from the previously sweet holding - the hand upon Link's face shifted downwards and pushed against his chest. It wasn't exactly a shove - but the pressure involved would indicate that she genuinely had a sudden want to distance herself from the man. She focused on Link directly as four of their classmates suddenly halted their progress and conversation to look upon them.

She scowled at Link before retrieving her bow from the ground. Wordlessly, she walked passed him, towards their peers. Among the four was Ruby, who watched her good friend with a concerned expression.

"...Everything okay here?" asked the dark haired girl.

"Fantastic." And yet it would seem obviously otherwise, given the bitter tone.

Ruby raised a brow and allowed her eyes to shift to Link for a moment.

"What did you do, Link?" asked one of the males from the group. He had a stupid smirk on his face, likely from whatever conclusion he had already drawn.

Zelda continued towards her friend, climbing onto the back of her horse without hesitation. Once settled, she glanced at Link with a rather contemptuous expression. "Don't you dare to think of embellishing about what happened here. I'm not interested." Her tone softened and she turned her attention to Ruby. "...Can we go?"

"...Of course." Ruby gave Link a soft smile before turning her attention to guiding their mount - she felt so badly for him. And why wouldn't Zelda return his affection? Any other girl at the Academy would kill for a chance at that...

*****​

Zelda refused to give her friend any details. Ruby was nearly starting to believe that it was a non-issue - that is, until it reached the time for their evening meal.

"No, Zelda. You're being ridiculous."

"Please?"

"Seriously?"

"I'd really rather not risk seeing him. It is really so much to ask of you?"

"Fetching your meal? No...that's not much. But...I'm not going to endorse this 'sulk in my room' plan of yours. I mean...what did he do? Did he grope you or something? You know you could always tell the quartermaster or any number of..."

"Ugh - just forget it. I won't eat then." The blond woman threw herself onto her bed, crossing her arms.

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "You're acting like a child."

"...I don't care."

Ruby sighed. "Fine. I'm going to go talk to Link and find out wh--"

"Goddesses, Ruby, don't!" Zelda sat up, watching her friend with some panic.

"You tell me, then."

Zelda gave a deep sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Ruby. I wasn't crazy until I met him..."

Their conversation continued for some time - it didn't take long for Ruby to agree that Zelda was borderline insane. She also agreed that Zelda had royally botched any hope of a meaningful relationship with the skilled swordsman.

"...Honestly? I think you're better off to just forget about the whole thing. Someone else will come along eventually."

"But...what if I love him?"

"You don't. You wouldn't have pushed him away, otherwise."

"..." Zelda cast her eyes downwards. She wouldn't have pushed him away if she hadn't let his words cause her such distress. Maybe he didn't even mean it like - well, like she had taken it.

"Anyway...I'll go get us some food. You sit here and feel sorry for yourself."

Zelda forced a smile. "Thanks..." She knew Ruby was right, of course. It would do her little good to sit in her own puddle of misery - she'd accompany her friend and hope that Link hadn't told everyone at the Academy that she was batshit crazy.

 

[Eazy]

Her reaction toward his words had initially gone without notice by Link, until the young swordman turned away from the approaching sounds to see if she was expecting anybody. Blinking at the subtle change to Zelda's expression, Link was even more confused at how she suddenly yanked the hand held within his own away. Lips parting, wanting to ask what was wrong, the young Hylian male wouldn't find that opportunity as any train of thought was abruptly disrupted by the hand on his chest which gave a firm press to make him hesitantly release the one arm from her waist and take a step back.

"Zelda, what's..." The words finally came to him, only for the appearance of their classmates to interrupt any further words on the matter. Glancing toward the quartet of students, Link suddenly felt an odd guilt which the youth couldn't quite explain. It wasn't as if he'd done anything wrong... had he?

This feeling only solidified itself further at the one male classmates comment, which wasn't helped by the smirking expression he was throwing the star pupil. Conclusions were jumped to, and the already dumbfounded teen could only watch during those brief moments before Zelda had climbed back onto Epona and scolded the swordsman in advance. I can see that, was the unspoken response within Link's mind as he silently watched Zelda call for her friend. Ruby's soft smile was the one touch of comfort, but her own misunderstanding of the situation was also evident as she followed after their common classmate.

Watching as the girls left ahead of the two male classmates whom had arrived with Ruby, the one from earlier had pressed on the matter, "Soooo? You going to share the goods with us or not?" The third male of the remaining students whom lingered behind the girls hadn't said anything, but was obviously interested in hearing any juicy details. For as popular as Link may be with the female student body members, Zelda was perhaps equally as popular amongst many of the guys. They just rarely acted on it due to a few stern glares from their trainers.

Gazing at the pair, Link glanced over in Zelda's direction as she moved into the distance, further out of his line of sight, before responding within a calm, straightforward tone, "...It's like she said. Nothing happened." The pair watched with a mixture of confusion and a touch of disappointment at the lack of gossip, as Link gave a small shrug of his shoulders; the light brown haired youth's own expression showing a touch of confused sadness as he walked a different path then the others were taking while finishing, "Just a big misunderstanding...."

*****​

The kitchen and adjoined dining area for the academy was relatively large in terms of size. Large enough for the academy students to move in and out without bumping into each other if one was careful enough. Large enough to avoid another on occasions where such responses were deemed necessary amongst the students for whatever reasons. As it were, the dining area had a decent amount of young men and women moving about, talking up whatever had caught their attention for the moment, while either taking up a seat at one of the available tables or carrying their food back toward their rooms.

A notable exception to this was the star pupil of the academy, whom had spared a few friendly greetings here and there, but had remained relatively quiet while seemingly deep in thought. Most were either too busy with their own concerns to pay Link any mind, as the teen slowly walked away from the kitchen portion with a plate fresh food in hand. As such, most either hadn't noticed the change from his usual friendly demeanor, or hadn't given it any deeper thought then a brief note of the shift. There was one, however, whom was quick to head over and greet the seemingly melancholy young swordsman.

"There's the lady killer!!" The larger male called out, appearing rather suddenly behind Link and slapping a 'friendly' hand onto his roommates back with perhaps more forced then he'd originally intended.

"OMPH!!" The teen let out, staggering forward a step and trying to keep the contents of his plate from falling off as he turned toward his well meaning assailant, "Bran, what are you-"

Holding his own plate within one hand, the almost grinning youth raised his free one to interrupt his friends question before answering, "I was talking with a few of the guys."

Blinking a few times, Link slowly raised a hand of his own to lightly rub at the bridge of his nose, before lowering his head slightly and grumbling, "Oh, Goddesses...."

Raising an eyebrow at his friends general demeanor, the larger male tilted his head while questioning, "Is it true that you and Zelda were half naked when they found you?"

"WHAT?!" Link blurted, loudly enough for several of the nearby students to glance in their direction and remain silent for several moments until returning to their own activities once it became evident there wasn't going to be a fight or anything equally exciting

Gesturing his free hand in a 'settle down' motion, Bran gave a small laugh at the change of disposition seen within his roommate while explaining, "Heheh. Kidding, kidding. Just wanted to snap you away of that gloomy stare you were giving your plate earlier."

Staring at him for a few seconds, the light brown haired youth gave a slightly forced half-smile in response, "...Thanks?" Not exactly the method Link may have preferred, but he had to admit that it did result in his snapping out of the melancholy atmosphere which had surrounded him since earlier that day.

Shaking his head, more so out of disbelieving amusement then anything else, Link began to return his attention toward pulling up a seat and enjoying his meal, "But I'd really rather not talk about... Zelda..."

His train of thought had trailed off upon noticing the arrival of two late comers to the dining area. This was the first time Link had seen her again since the 'incident' from earlier in the day. A large part of him had wanted to try and talk with her about it. To find out what happened. What he may have done to offend her. Why she seemed to turn so suddenly. But then, another part had reminded him of how this was more or less how she generally reacted toward him. Taking offense over matters which he simply couldn't seem to grasp the reasons behind. Albeit the kissing part was a new one.

The pair of Hylian males watched as the two young woman entered, with Zelda seeming to go the extra effort of avoiding any contact with them, or rather Link, as she made her way with Ruby to get their food. "Huh. What did you do to her, exactly?" Inquired Bran, who glanced down at his roomie with a curious expression.

Feeling his brow grow heavy as that earlier sadness and sense of gloom had steadily returned, Link could only reply, "Honestly? I wish I knew." With those words, the youth turned away from the table he was seemingly going to take a seat at only moments earlier. Being a relatively social creature, Link would very rarely choose to eat in the privacy of his room over enjoying a meal in the provided dining area with his classmates. Today, however, was going to be one of those rare occasions.

*****​

Meanwhile....

Seemingly a world away from the academy filled with hopeful young heroes or future leaders,, located within the center of the large urban settlement of Castle Town, there sat the proud palace which had been the home of the royal family for many generations. This, however, hadn't been the case during the past eighteen years following the massive attack on the Kingdom of Hyrule. In the wake of the tragic slaughtering of the royal family, the land has taken up a military based rule of government. At the head of it, naturally enough, was the former Captain of the Guard, Rigol Orhonsen, whom had led people of Hyrule through questionable means for close to two decades. Armored men patrolled the halls of the large castle, with the clanging of their heavy armored boots marching upon the hard stone ground replacing the previous sounds of merriment which had filled those same walls years past.

Festivities still took place within the walls of the castle, but usually more so as an excuse for an excessive indulgence of the 'King' and his loyal soldiers more lewd hungers; long since having replaced any intent of spreading good will or cheer amongst the people. Not that Rigol himself needed such excuses for indulging himself with the pleasures of the flesh, as would be evident by the sounds of primal passion which had long since been emitting from behind the closed doors of his chambers as jealous guards stood watch outside. Eventually, the sounds of their ruler and his personal whore would die down, which signaled the literal climax of their lovemaking.

Within the private bedroom once owned by the King and Queen of Hyrule, the sounds of a woman panting while trying to capture her breath could be heard filling the interior of the extravagantly decorated room. The former marital bed, lined with sheets of fine silk, was currently dirtied by the carnal acts of sex as ruler and whore laid beneath the covers while basking within their afterglow. The strong male laid upon his back, strong chest scarred with several long healed injuries of battle bare to the world, while the dark haired beauty at his side curled up while idly drawing her fingers along his muscular arm.

"Mmm. You were amazing as always, my lord." The woman spoke with complete sincerity, after having long since grown to enjoy the way her 'love' came to know her body.

"As were you, my sweet." The man responded, appearing slightly distant on the matter, as if there was a troublesome thought weighing upon his crown. However, Rigol hadn't exactly gone through any real efforts of masking his apparent distress from his lover. If one hadn't known better, it was almost as if he were hoping for her to notice. If this were the case, then his efforts were not for naught.

"Is something troubling you, love?" The female spoke, raising herself up on one shoulder just enough to gaze down at the strong male; a questioning and concerned expression on her features.

"Tis nothing for you to concern yourself with, Ayla, my pet." He assured her, while at the same time gaining eye contact so that she may see the look of trouble within his normally powerful eyes. Rather expectantly, the woman reached out a hand to caress her lord's cheek; silently prodding him toward sharing what it is which was troubling the man she'd come to love and believed to love her in return.

Giving a deceptively thankful smile, Rigol then went about telling her what was on his mind, as the former Captain of the Guard went into his seemingly heartfelt yet previously practiced spiel, "There are so many hardships which have weighed heavily on my body and mind since accepting rulership over the Kingdom following the siege on the castle eighteen years ago. So many mistakes for which I've tried to make amends. A good number of which I'll never have the chance; perhaps the biggest being my failure as the former Captain of the Guard in protecting the royal bloodline from dying off during the ensuing chaos."

Letting out a deep breath, as if finally getting a touch of what was troubling him off his chest, the Hylian older male hadn't let up on the apparent demeanor of being troubled,... no, tormented by those past mistakes. Closing his eyes for a moment, he let those words settle within the mind of the beautiful and trusting Ayla. Sweet girl, whom had been loyal to the royal family up until that horrible night. Dear Ayla, whom was one of the few trusted chambermaids which the previous King had allowed to see his wife during her pregnancy. Trusted confidant, whom was there when her majesty gave birth to the lone heir to the royal family only days prior to the attack on the palace. Whose tongue had kept still on the long held secret for eighteen long years.

"Rigol? My love?" She began to speak, waiting for a small 'hmm' sound from the man at her side, as she bite down on her lower lip gently before reluctantly, oh so very reluctantly, began to share, "What if I were to tell you that one of the royal family did manage to escape the others fate on that horrible night?"

On the outside, there wasn't any real change to the current ruler of Hyrule, as the male's eyes slowly opened and he turned toward the woman laying in his bed. On the inside, however, there was an unbridled sense of eagerness. An eagerness for him to make right a mistake so many years ago, but not in the way Ayla had imagined, as he gazed upon the female with calm, steely eyes, while simply telling his 'love', "Please, continue...."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

As the two girls entered the dining area, Zelda found herself incapable of resisting the urge to glance about briefly in an attempt to locate Link. So she could avoid him, of course. When her sapphire eyes settled on his form, she felt her heart react as if it were in a vice - quickly, she shifted her gaze elsewhere. Her behavior was not lost on Ruby, who watched her friend with traces of amusement on her expression. She had no reason to believe that the blonde was experiencing anything more than self-inflicted torment over a little crush. It was kind of cute.

"You really have that 'I fucking hate you' expression down, Zelda. If I didn't know any better..."

"You don't know any better," Zelda countered with a stern glance.

Ruby grinned. "Oh, sure I do." She paused just long enough to give the other girl a few moments of distress. "Of course, I wouldn't dare speak of it to anyone. You needn't worry so much."

"And yet you speak freely in the company of others. It's not necessary to converse directly to a person for them to hear you."

"What does Ruby know that I don't? Secrets don't make friends, Zelda!"

Zelda gave Ruby a look that easily translated to I told you so before shifting her vision to Ann. "...I'd rather not talk about it."

"Mmm. Boy troubles?"

The grin on Ann's face cut Zelda deeply. It was...so knowing. She couldn't be too surprised that the other students were talking about events earlier that day. "Like I said..."

Ann waved a hand dismissively in the air. "Don't be silly. We're roommates - we share clothing, we gossip...it's what we do. So tell me."

"I haven't once borrowed your clothing," Zelda responded, trying to keep calm. Ann had always rubbed her the wrong way - it certainly didn't help that she had an enormous mouth. "And gossip is...so juvenile. And disrespectful."

Ann put her open hands in the air in a defensive position. "Geez...okay. I just thought I'd try to get your side of the story...I mean, what I heard from Sarah can't be entirely true..."

Zelda nearly flipped. Thankfully, Ruby was aware of the impending explosion - she stepped between the two girls and forcibly turned Zelda towards the tray she should be taking. "I wouldn't put much stock in anything Sarah says, Ann..."

"What is she sa--" Zelda started, turning her head back towards Ann.

"Nope." Ruby grabbed her own tray and lightly pushed Zelda along. "Don't do this to yourself."

Zelda gave a weak nod. "Sorry, Ann. I don't want to talk about it -- and I'd rather not hear the insanely twisted version of events that you're helping to spread."

Ann looked confused. "Me? I wouldn't do such a thing..."

Zelda and Ruby made their way through the line, selecting their meals from a terribly predictable menu. When they turned back towards the dining area, Zelda's eyes immediately returned to where she had last seen Link. Instead, she found Bran and others. She felt her heart sink as further searching proved fruitless. Meanwhile, her feet mindlessly followed Ruby - they seated themselves at their usual table. Those present seemed to accurately guess from Zelda's expression that she wasn't feeling talkative; they managed a conversation well enough without her.

*****​

That night, Zelda found herself fitfully fighting to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Link - she felt horrible. She knew she had hurt him. And for the kind of reaction...well. He'd have to care for her somewhat, right? ...Was that enough?

Eventually, sleep came. Unfortunately, it proved to not be the escape she was looking for...

Zelda stood atop a stone tower, looking out at an endless expanse of serenity. As her eyes trailed over the softly rolling hills, she was immediately unsettled by the sight of smoke rising from the horizon. She studied the movements of the dark plume as it seemed to spread to neighboring land - just as the tongue of flames shot over the hills, the sound of heavy footfalls caught her attention.

She turned. Behind her, approaching with the confident pace of a predator on cornered prey, was a tall figure. His features were obscured in shadow - but somehow, his menacing grin managed to shine through the darkness. "I've been looking for you, Zelda. You have something that belongs to me."

The girl felt a panic like never before. Without thinking, her feet slowly carried her backwards, away from the strange man. He laughed cruelly when she struck the railing of the tower. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked mockingly.

Zelda took a quick glance behind her, at the impossible height of the tower. She was only vaguely aware of the fact that the fire had since spread considerably. He's right...that's a quick way to die. Your only choice is to fight... But her reaching hand found nothing upon her back - no bow, no sword...not even a shield. Instead she only felt the softness of the back of her dress. Her eyes returned to the shadowy figure as it closed in the space between them - she was terrified. She knew herself to be helpless...it wasn't a feeling she could easily accept.

And then - a voice. From the base of the tower, she could hear Link calling to her. "Zelda, jump! I'll catch you!"

She turned, leaning her upper body over the railing, straining to see the young Hylian's form. She hesitated - Link couldn't catch her...not from this height. And if he did? They'd both be mangled, and...

"Trust me, Zelda! You have to trust me!"

Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She listened as the man continued to approach, his footfalls deliberately slow. It was as if he knew she wouldn't jump...

I trust you, Link.

Her eyes opened and she threw herself from the tower. As she fell, her body turned - she could see the hand of the stranger reaching out to grasp air. Immediately after, she became aware of the ground as it rushed up to meet her.

*****​

Zelda shot up to a sitting position. Her heart was racing, she was drenched in sweat, and she...was in her room? It was just a nightmare, she told herself sternly. Still, she couldn't keep herself from trembling.

After several minutes, the girl swung her feet from the bed. Just...get some fresh air. Everything's fine... Without ceremony, she stood and walked to the window. As she reached a hand to the glass, she stopped at the sudden sight of a faint golden glowing. It was on the back of her hand - and the shape. Was that...? No. No...it can't be...

She stumbled back from the window in a stupor. The girl suffered a short flash of a vision.

They're coming for you.

Zelda slipped, falling hard on her ass. She turned quickly to a crawling position and scrambled to her feet. She couldn't explain it - but she knew. They were coming now. She didn't have time to question her sanity, she had to act. Sheer panic guided her out of her room and she took to a run down the hall.

She didn't tell her feet where to go. Her mind seemed to clear only slightly as she realized she was desperately knocking (or beating, as the case may be) on a heavy wooden door. The girl couldn't be sure how long it was before the barrier began to creep open.

Zelda wasn't aware of the sight she must be - barefoot, wearing only a thin pair of dark blue shorts and a white tank top. She wasn't even wearing a bra. Despite the tired and confused look on Link's face, she felt immediately relieved.

"Link! Oh, Goddesses...Link, I need you!" She paused for a moment and shook her head. "I mean...I don't have time to explain. Please come with me - and bring your sword. I'll explain on the way."

She could feel them. They were close - in the Lost Woods.

 

[Eazy]

After their respective meals, Link and his roommate had settled in for the night, with Link having gotten in some last minute exercise to help burn off a little excess energy due to the frustrations of the days events. Sleep came to them naturally, however, as Link laid peacefully on his back while Bran snored away on the bunk above his own. It'd taken several days for Link to grow accustomed to his roommates loud sleeping habits, but he'd grown used to the noise long before now. As such, it generally took a lot for the teenager to be stirred awake. The slamming of fists upon the door of their room, however, was enough to wake almost anybody.

"Hmm?" Was the sole noise from Link as his sleep filled eyes slowly opened; his body growing tensed at the beating of their, while at the same time remaining surprisingly calm and collected on the matter. The same, unfortunately, could not be said for bunkmate.

"We're under attack?!" Came the familiar voice from the bunk above, followed by the sounds of sheets rustling and then the almost expected sight and resulting sound of the bed sheet covered classmate falling off the top bunk and colliding onto the floor with practice sword in hand, "Omph!"

Link had started sitting up by now, his attention divided between the continued knocking and his friends frustrated efforts of getting out of the covers which still bound him as the larger male declared, "That's it! I'm taking the bottom bunk from here until graduation."

Trying to stifle a small laugh, Link simply told him, "Stay there. I'll get it." before moving toward the door and slowly opening it while remaining cautious of whom might be on the other side. "Who in the world comes knocking on somebody's door at this time of..." He asked largely to himself, then pausing at the sight of Zelda, whose fear was temporarily overshadowed by both the surprise of her late night appearance and her manner of dress.

"Link! Oh, Goddesses...Link, I need you!"

If she weren't so panicked by outside factors, it was very possible Zelda may have found the humor in Link's suddenly wide eyed expression and total lack of words following her easily misconstrued choice of words.

Fortunately, clarity was put to the meaning of said words, with neither of the pair seemingly noticing the rather lewd smirk which had temporarily plastered Bran's own expression even as the larger male remained on the floor for now. "O... Ok." He started, feeling a little silly for allowing such lurid thoughts into his mind, before holding up his index finger and offering, "One second."

Turning away of the girl, surprisingly feeling little need for questioning her in advance on the meaning of her intrusion, Link grabbed his sword and slipped on his boots (having accidentally slept in his earlier clothes) before starting on his way out. "I'll be back when I can... and wipe that smile off your face!" The light brown haired swordsman told his roommate while glancing his way and only now noticing the way the other male was looking at them.

Allowing for Zelda to take the lead on guiding their way, Link followed with sword in hand and questions in his mind. "So... you want to tell me what's going on, Zelda? I've never seen you so worked up before." He inquired on the most immediate question to weigh heavily on the Hylian male whom took a moment to wipe a little more of the sleep out of his eyes.

This was only one of the many questions swimming through his head, however. Perhaps the second biggest was related to earlier, with how she reacted to him at that time, along with why she so suddenly wanted him near her during some apparent moment of distress. Another question, a smaller, easily missed one, was related to exactly why he was following after her without stopping her to find out the reasons for calling him out at night. Granted, Link tried to make himself helpful to others at the academy, but even he wasn't so willing to go charging off with somebody at a moments notice; let alone in the middle of the night. And, yet, here they were, heading off further away from the academy and closer toward the familiar woods which brought even further questions to Links mind.

"The Lost Woods?" He started, only now starting to show hints of slowing down, while still following after her when she continued onward, "What business do you have around there? You know the instructors don't like us going near those woods at night. They say it's a very dangerous place for students."

Granted, it wasn't exactly a place for holding picnics even during the day, but they were trained for handling any minor threats which may present themselves during such daylight journeys. At night was a very different story, if the myths were to be believed. Even now, Link could almost swore he'd felt a strange, ominous aura from there; as the teen reached a hand toward the hilt of his sheathed blade in search of some comfort while hearing out whatever Zelda had to say.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

Zelda shifted her weight uncomfortably as she waited for Link to emerge from his room, her eyes searching the halls as if she expected to find something among the shadows. When the man stepped out, she wasted no time in turning to lead him down the corridor. His question was heard clearly enough - but she hesitated to answer.

He's going to think you're insane.

Which, realistically, was entirely possible. She bit her lower lip as she approached the a closet near the entrance of the academy - it contained a small cache of weapons, she knew. She tried the knob and found it, luckily enough, unlocked. Considering the strict code of conduct, it wasn't surprising; Zelda was certain her instructors would make an exception to the 'students stay the hell out of the stockrooms' rule in an emergency situation such as this, anyway. She disappeared only for a moment, quickly arming herself with everything she thought might be of use. As she stepped back out into the hall, she was draping a quiver belt around her torso while awkwardly holding two shields and a sword. A bow had found it's way propped over her arm, resting on her shoulder. She offered one of the shields to Link before speaking.

"It's...kind of hard to explain." She'd give Link just enough time to take the offered armament before turning to continue on her path. She didn't want to see the way he was looking at her. "...I had a vision," she reluctantly continued. "And...honestly? I'm terrified. I can't face it alone, Link, and...well. You're the only person I could think to come to."

Goddesses, it burned. Admitting her fear was one thing - but to be helpless in Link's eyes? That was an entirely new low. It was only slightly better than keeping her pride and dying for it.

Moments later, the two found themselves outside of the academy. Zelda didn't need to speak for her companion to figure out where she was going - she glanced back at him as he questioned the wisdom of wandering around the Lost Woods in the middle of the night. "It's a horrible plan, isn't it?" She almost sounded amused - perhaps it was insanity. She quickly sombered. "But...I don't have a choice. If I don't go to them, they will come to me. The others of the academy shouldn't have to suffer because of..." she trailed off.

She stopped suddenly, turning to face Link. "Look...I know this sounds crazy. And I can't expect you to do me any favors. So. If you don't want any part in this, just...go back." She had practiced this sort of bravado before and was fairly convincing with it. But as she watched Link search for a reply, a new fear arose. He might leave. And who could blame him? You throw yourself in his arms and push him away immediately after. You tell him you need him and follow it with an easy dismissal. What is wrong with you? She took a deep breath.

"...Let me try that again. I want you to come with me - I'd appreciate having you at my side. But...Link? If my vision is right - these things...they want to take me. And they'll kill you to do so. I mean, maybe I can fight them off on my own...I--I'm pretty sure they need me alive...so, there's some advantage..."

 

[Eazy]

While Link may not have looked at Zelda as if she were crazy, the expression on the males handsome features were indeed displaying the confusion he'd felt on what she was saying. She was speaking of visions and of unknown things coming for her within the cover of night. Granted, it wasn't unheard of for a person to witness such a glimpse of danger in the near future, but this was the first time Link had seen anyone claiming to be in the midst of one such warning. Not only that, but it came from a rather unlikely source, as the swordsman stood before the female while they remained stopped for the time being.

"Zelda?" He started, having so many questions on his mind, such as why she called him out here if she were going to easily dismiss his presence, yet again, but the more immediate concern came to the forefront as the Hylian male awkwardly rubbed at the side of his neck while gazing into her eyes, "I'm not outright disbelieving in you... but are you sure you weren't simply having a nightmare?"

Link believed that she believed what she saw, but there remained doubts on whether these 'visions' were true to reality or not. The few people whom Link had known within his village to have had visions would always tell their stories in past tense, with many of the others tending to humor them more then anything else. At least with Zelda, Link knew she had her head on better then most, but it still left many questions. Not to mention that the long they were together, the harder it was for him to ignore what happened with theme earlier that day.

"This is just so sudden. But then I guess today has been a day of sudden and unexpected events." He suddenly noted, then silently scolded himself, brow furrowed slightly, for having let that latter portion slip out before straightening himself out and clarifying, "Don't get me wrong. I'm going with you. Whether I believe in what you saw or not, there's no way I'm letting you head into those woods without any type of assistance. And it's pretty clear to me that you've made up your mind on this."

The teen many have held his own doubts on the validity of his classmates visions, but these woods were dangerous regardless, and Link still felt an uneasy sense of dread while standing right outside of them. Gazing at the infamous woods, Link glanced toward Zelda, his hand almost starting to reach out for her own to comfort the girl, but stopping in mid-act and once more resting it at his side. "Let's go..." He offered, giving a small smile, before this time taking the lead, at least on actually going into the Lost Woods themselves and either dealing with this mystery threat or assuaging the blonde's fears.

The Lost Woods generally carried within them a different aura compared to most other locations the majority of their classmates had visited. There were always legends related to different woods, forests and even desert planes. But few carried within them the subtle sense of otherworldliness which these surprisingly serene, yet strangely eerie woods were infamous for amongst any traveler or adventurer whom had walked through them. Tall trees stretched out around the pair as they trekked through thick grassy floors, the sounds of their footwear clapping upon the solid ground joining with the sounds of natures nightlife prowling the woods.

Their current path was illuminated by the moonlight which shun down upon the woods floor through those thick trees. It helped to keep them from losing track of their way back, let alone each other, as they continued deeper into the woods. This was actually the first time Link had gone into these woods at night. He'd been tempted to try many times in the past, but had known better then to try it alone, and wasn't selfish enough to drag somebody along simply to sate his own curiosities. Now that he was here alongside Zelda, whose own worries were at least of greater value then his simple adventurous streak, Link was immediately noticing how the still beautiful woods held a slightly sinister tone to itself. Of course, if Zelda's fears were to be believed, it may be related to whatever was after her. In spite of his skepticisms, the thought alone was enough to make Link grip a little tighter at the handle of his sheathed sword.

As they continued along, Zelda leading the way through the tense silence of her traveling companion, Link had time for his own thoughts to linger back onto the events of earlier that day. The teen realized that now perhaps wasn't the best of times for bringing his concerns up. But at the same time? If the way she avoided him afterward was any indication, he may not have another chance to speak with her before their impending graduation and departure from the academy.

"Hey, Zelda?" He began, glancing around at the dark woods, whether out of concern for anything lurking out there or simply a reluctance of meeting her own gaze, as Link continued, "About earlier? W-What was the reason for the sudden change of heart? Did I do something to offend you again? Seems I have a knack for it ever since we first met." A faint sound of amusement escaped his lips, but they were mostly forced out to relieve any tension, which was somewhat for naught as the swordsman perhaps foolishly added while glancing at her from out the corner of his eye, "Or were you simply trying to embarrass me in front of everyone else?"

 

[Lady_Gamer]

As Link responded to the crazy that had spewed from her mouth, Zelda cast her eyes towards the ground. She couldn't be angry - or even surprised - that the young man doubted her visions. Which had, in fact, largely comprised of a nightmare.

But your hand, Zelda. You were awake when...

She shifted her gaze enough to assure herself that there was not any glowing action happening currently. But it was nearly with regret that only moonlight reflected softly on her light skin - it would be impossible for Link to doubt her if she could only show him. One did not claim to have a marking of the Triforce without proof. Particularly in instances in which the other party might already be questioning your sanity.

Still, she had no doubt. It hadn't been her imagination - it couldn't have been.

Zelda lifted her eyes to Link as he continued to speak. He spoke of other sudden unexpected events on this particular day and she immediately felt shamed. She had no words, simply allowing the man to clarify the point that he would accompany her. Even though you might be crazy...and despite the fact that you've been horrible to Link today and on several occasions in the past...

"Thank you, Link."

The small motion of his hand towards her did not go unnoticed - nor, of course, did its sudden retraction. Zelda tried to keep the dropping of her heart contained, refusing to show it in her expression. It gave her plenty to think about as the two walked in silence into the Lost Woods. She was only vaguely aware of the fact that she was extremely ill-dressed for the adventure as her bare feet met with cold and ruggedly unkempt ground.

When her companion spoke her name, she knew immediately of what was on his mind. His tone had suggested a lingering question - even Zelda couldn't deny the validity of such. She bit her lip lightly as he continued to speak, turning to face him during his feigned amusement. How could she justify what she had done?

Still...she found herself surprised by his sudden accusation.

"You...you really think that little of me?" she sounded genuinely hurt. "I don't set out with the intention of making other people look foolish," she spoke firmly. As she crossed her arms over her chest, her expression and tone was quickly became defensive. "You're the one that never dared to even think..." She forcibly stopped herself. The last thing she needed to do right now was to pour her bleeding heart at Link's feet. Nor did she need to start blaming him for how badly things were between them. "Listen, Link. I had thought that...maybe there was something more between us. But...obviously...there isn't. Can we leave it at that?"

She couldn't begin to explain without revealing her true feelings - and she didn't care to let Link know how easily he could hurt her. Rather than detail the rational (or perhaps lack of) that brought her to such a cruel conclusion, she let the words stand for themselves. Watching her rival, waiting to see what sort of reaction her words would draw from him, her expression was full of regret and melancholy.

 

[Eazy]

Feeling a sudden guilt upon noticing the hurt tone of her voice, Link had initially wanted to apologize for his poor choice of words. Initially, until the blonde began to take on a firm, defensive tone with the young swordsman as she spoke with arms crossed over her chest. The Hylian male stared at her with a mixture of confusion and disbelief, although the callback to his own words from earlier that day hadn't gone over his head. At least now a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place, albeit at the expense of opening up another apparent wound on his classmates pride and emotional state of mind. What an unfortunate price it took to get her to let such tidbits of information slip.

Still, genuinely regretful as Link may have felt for causing offense or hurting Zelda's feelings, this didn't mean the young male didn't have feelings of his own to hurt. And the defensively/accusing way she spoke on the matter toward him had been enough for the teenager to let a few feelings of his own off his chest. "I... I don't know what to think, Zelda." He shot back defensively, his tone not so much angry as speaking out of an intense bewilderment for the years of treatment she gave him, "You've always been so distant toward me ever since my admission into the academy. At first I thought it was wounded pride over our first match together. But the more I did get to know you, despite those barriers you put around yourself, the more I realized you weren't so petty. Which simply left me even more confused on what was the matter."

Giving a large shrug of his shoulders which even saw his arms raised as part of the partially exaggerated motion, Link then let out a heavy sigh while raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck, "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings or offending you, Zelda. I truly am." Pausing for a moment, the young male attempted to keep his tone from raising too far, especially upon taking in her current expression. She was hurting. But so was he. And willing as Link may be to be the better person when dealing with others, there were limits to how much a person can absorb without saying anything in response.

"But... can you completely fault me on what I said?" The brown haired youth defended his stance, starting out fairly calm on the matter, yet finding himself growing comparatively emotional the longer his spiel carried onward, "It's not as if the reason I never thought of the possibility of there being more between us was because I couldn't see you as girlfriend material." The tiniest hint of a smile touched at the corner of his lips, peeking out in spite of his current frustrations, as Link elaborated with noticeable endearment, "You're beautiful, Zelda. Kind hearted. Determined. Caring and talented. Watching you with your friends from a distance, I'd always feel like the urge to walk over and join in whatever conversation or training exercise you were in the middle of doing."

Slowly diverting his eyes for now, staring out into the mostly quiet woods which surrounded them, Link confessed, "But after so many years, I started to think that maybe... maybe you simply hated me...." Letting those words linger within the awkward silence between them, the swordsman's hands were at his side, starting to ball into light fists, before returning his gaze toward Zelda while defensively stating, "So... excuse me if I seemed confused and uncertain when the girl who I admired from afar is suddenly confessing her feelings for me!"

Link had to stop himself there, for fear of how else he may lash out during their current emotional state. As it were, the young male hadn't been known to raise his voice often, and had certainly never done so toward Zelda or any of the other female classmates. A ping of regret for doing so filled the teenager, his hands uncurling from their balled up fists, simply hanging at his side now, as those blue eyes of his met her own while admitting with a softer tone of voice, "I never dared to even think... because it'd hurt too much to let myself feel so strongly toward somebody who didn't appear to even want me anywhere near her..."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

His initial response was more than fair. Zelda couldn't fault him for not knowing what to think of their situation; she had done an excellent job of masking her endearment by distancing herself from him until this very day. And her attempts at a sudden reversal hadn't gone so well - 'mixed signals' was putting it lightly. This whole mess was squarely on her shoulders alone.

And yet, he was apologizing to her. She felt a stab of regret in that. He didn't deserve to hold any blame. So when Link started to defend his reaction, Zelda couldn't disagree with anything he said. She felt a little sick to her stomach as he gave her compliments and admitted to admiring her from afar - truly, had it not been for her imposed distance between them...well. Perhaps they could've meant much more to each other at this point in their lives. She wouldn't have to dream about his lips against hers if she had the option to secure such things in reality. Which, despite his valid assumption that she strongly disliked him, had always been possible. Were it not for her pride, of course.

As he justified his earlier words, Zelda allowed her arms to drop from their position over her chest. She stared into his eyes as he spoke - You can fix this, Zelda. You just...you have to trust him with your heart if you can ever hope to have his.

He finished speaking. The girl's physical reaction came faster than her verbal response - she felt the sting of tears welling in her eyes as she moved to place herself against Link's chest. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her face buried itself in the crook of his neck. "I'm so sorry, Link." A tear fell. "I...I've always wanted you near. But I let my fear...my pride..." She lifted her face to look at the young swordsman. "You make me feel so vulnerable...I don't know how to handle it. I thought pushing you away was better than admitting my weakness." She was surprised to find that the confession was of considerable weight within her - it's utterance brought her an immediate and unexpected relief.

"Link...I love you." She didn't give him a chance to respond, moving to claim his lips with her own. Her kiss quickly increased in intensity and she soon found her tongue seeking his - a hand brought itself to the back of his head and her fingers curled to lightly grip his brown hair.

A sudden flash within her mind caused her to flinch. She tensed abruptly and moved to quickly draw back from their embrace - her sapphire eyes immediately went to the hand on Link's shoulder. The marking had returned...and its light was brighter than before. It's luminance reflected softly off of Link's features as she moved the hand between them. "...This," she spoke simply, her voice trembling. "I think this is what they want."

Surely enough, elsewhere in the Lost Woods: several dark figures had been searching the area. Earlier in the day, they had sensed the presence of the girl's unknown power - a spike of energy, followed by a considerable ebb. By nightfall, their approach had been enough to inspire Zelda's nightmare. And while this worked as an ample warning for the girl, her awareness had caused another spike of energy that functioned as a beacon for those that sought her. Her most recent flare had been in such proximity that it took only moments for the first of their kind to close in on two students in the woods.

It gave a powerful shriek - more so to alert its own kind than to intimidate. It's maw opened obscenely wide as it lifted it's head towards the darkened sky. As it lowered from the call, four glowing eyes focused on the pair of Hylians. The crimson color burned brightly against its dark form - the creature was unlike anything Zelda had ever seen before. In her vision, she had only witnessed the flashing of its jaws and tearing of flesh...the blood of her friends spilling across the halls of the academy. As she looked upon beast, it was hard to equate it to a known animal - it was something like a gruesomely twisted dire wolf, or a...well. It almost seemed to be made of an ever moving essence, constantly changing its shape. In any case, it kept itself as a quadruped.

The creature began its approach in slow deliberate steps - it reminded her of the man in her nightmare. Matching it's calm pace, Zelda moved herself a few feet from Link. She reached for her back, securing her bow in hand. The shadow beast didn't seem the least bit concerned as she nocked an arrow; she didn't allow that to dissuade her from loosing it.

...To no effect. A simple swipe of what she'd assume was the creature's paw deflected the projectile. It seemed to grin amid it's low snarl - or else Zelda had a great imagination. But she was certain that she heard two more of the things approaching from their surroundings. Apparently they were intelligent enough to attempt a flanking.

Zelda took a deep breath as she drew another arrow. She couldn't let the panic get to her...she had to focus. She lifted the nocked arrow and studied the creature over the line of aimed projectile. Holding for a moment, she tried to clear her mind of the fear - she thought of Link. Together, they could defeat these creatures. She knew they could.

She released the arrow. To her surprise, a faint glow accompanied its flightpath. When it struck the monster, it penetrated deeply and seemed to cause the shadowy material of its form to suddenly break apart. Particles puffed outwards, as if from a gentle explosion (as if such could ever make sense) - the wind carried the remains away like dandelion seeds. She didn't have time to be impressed; the two creatures approaching from the back went into enrage mode.

Zelda turned as quickly as she could upon hearing their sprinting approach. Link seemed far more prepared for melee combat than herself - he sprung between her and creatures, successfully forcing them to stop to consider his flashing blade. Their pause was short - each drew to a side before one suddenly leaped forward, pouncing on the brave swordsmen. The other waited for the man to be otherwise engaged before resuming its path towards Zelda. It's unnatural speed allowed for the creature to force the girl to the ground with a powerful collision between its head and her chest before she was able to get off another shot. As it landed on top of her, she heard the snapping of her arrow as it uselessly wedged itself between her and it - and even though the tip had been in the creature's direction, it seemed to do no damage.

She didn't intend to scream. Her bow was abandoned and she used both hands to simply try to keep the beast from marring her face - she was seriously starting to doubt if they needed her alive. She couldn't reach back for her sword, or even her shield, unless she was willing to see if it would rip out her throat. Its front legs pushed down painfully on her chest and she desperately tried to keep hold of the base of its jaw as it wildly flailed to circumvent her grip.

 

[Eazy]

The welling up string of tears had caught Link by surprise, with his initial line of thinking bringing the swordsman to believing he'd really hit a sore spot somewhere within his attempted justifications. With a worried expression on his features, the Hylian male looked ready to apologize, before Zelda inexplicably moved closer to place herself against his chest. Visibly surprised at this turn of events, it still didn't cause any hesitation on Link's part at to raise a hand and place it reassuringly around her upper back in order to let it rest on her opposite shoulder; effectively holding her within his grasp while not growing so bold as to completely embrace the blonde.

The apology on her part was a little surprising for the brown haired male, whose soft eyes met her own when she lifted her face to look upward at him. Concern rather visible on his features, the young student listened patiently as she said her piece and got what she needed off her chest. They both had been keeping a lot of feelings secret from the other, with the next revelation on Zelda's perhaps being the most shocking of them thus far.

"Link...I love you."

Despite the surprise felt at those words, Link hadn't displayed the same shock which was evident previously. There was a hint of it within his eyes, certainly, but for the most part, hearing those words simply seemed.... right. Zelda would suddenly claim Link's lips before the swordsman could really muster up any type of response, but there didn't seem to be any complaints on his part, as the arm around her back slowly held her more firmly toward him while reciprocating the kiss in full. The feel of her soft lips upon his own. Her scent filling his sense. Eyes slowly closing shut as their kiss deepened its level of intimacy. The feel of her hand lightly gripping his locks of hair. For a moment in time, there truly was nothing else to this world other then the two of them.

Sadly, reminds to the contrary needed to make themselves known, as the sudden tension and drawing back of Zelda would abruptly bring Link back to reality. "Zelda? What's..." He started to inquire, until the light emanating off the hand on his shoulder drew his attention only an instant prior to her moving it between them. Curious, Link stared at the strange phenomenon as she spoke of it being what they were after. Ok, Link reflected while staring with almost disbelieving eyes, so it would seem it was the right idea to trust in that gut instinct on following her out here.

His attention was drawn outward by that inhuman shriek which had captured both of their focus. Quickly moving a hand to grasping at the hilt of his sword, Link moved into a partial battle stance while his free arm had extended itself into a protective posture in front of Zelda's own midsection. When the beast made itself shown, however, with those brightly burning red eyes drawing their immediate attention toward its head, Link felt a slight hesitation he'd never experienced prior. There was something to the beast, as it temporarily made eye contact with the swordsman, which sent a strange chill through Link which seemed to go beyond a simple fear. Almost like it's presence triggered something within the male. What that was, the Hylian teenager wouldn't have time to dwell upon, as his attention was promptly drawn back toward Zelda as she let her first arrow fly.

"Zelda, be careful!" He stated more so out of a personal necessity than believing she needed the reminder, as the young male suddenly drew out his sword, holding it within both hands and silently cursing his absence of a shield at the moment. This turned out to particularly be the case when her second arrow found its mark and managed to take out one of the shadow beast with relative ease. Not only this, but the single arrow which found its mark seemed to somehow do far more than end the beasts life, as its very being almost immediately fell apart under her attack and faded into the wind.

Visibly amazed, Link again couldn't dwell on this, as he spotted one of the remaining newly arrived duo making its way toward Zelda. They seemed to be focusing largely on herself, which could both work toward his advantage in combat, and leave him further distracted with concern for her safety. Stepping between one of the beasts and its true target. Link would find that while they may have had Zelda in their sights, they weren't above taking the time to attempt in sinking their teeth into anything which got in their way. The swordsman leaped out of the way of its first powerful swipe, finding the claws to leave considerable marks into the ground where he stood, before turning to deliver a swipe of his own with his newly forged blade. This seemed as best a time as any other to test the weapon, as the refined material of the sword cut into the shadowy beast with surprisingly calculate precision.

While being enough to cause visible harm toward the beast, Link was a tad surprised to find it hadn't seemed to have anywhere near the same effect as Zelda's own arrow on the previous monster. Not letting such a factor dissuade his efforts, however, the brown haired male was quick to duck as the beast kicked out with his powerful back legs, before attempting to drive the tip of his blade into its gut. Again finding his precision with a sword to be worthy of their instructors praise, Link drove the blade deeply into the creatures gut before twisting, causing a shriek of pain to emit from the beast, followed by pulling back and doing a quick roll out of the immediate harms way.

Still finding his efforts to only be making a minimum dent through the seemingly unnaturally formed beasts body, the swordsman held his weapon at the ready, when the sounds of struggle drew his intense stare toward Zelda's location. "No..." He spoke, voice barely audible, yet clearly filled with a sense of horror at the potential worse case scenario from the third beast having pinned her down. The sound of his own opponent giving off another battle cry had barely registered for the teenager, and yet it hadn't gone without notice, as Link quickly took off the sheath on his belt and, with one fluid motion, manage to wedge the item within the charging beasts maw while simultaneously sidestepping the attack.

Continuing this motion, Link's feet hadn't stopped for an instant, instead carrying him charging toward the one beast pinning down Zelda even as its own remaining partner struggled in getting the intrusive object out of its jaws. His feet seemed to move with amazing grace, even by his own standards, while swiftly closing the gap between himself and his pinned down classmate; entirely missing the very faint light which began to radiate off the back of the swordsman's left hand.

"Ha!!" Echoed out the familiar battle cry heard during many a practice sessions, while Link brought the sword down to his side, then bringing it upward at a powerful swiping motion which allowed the blade to cut cleanly from under the beasts throat and making a clear slice which brought the sword swinging upward out the back of its neck.

The beast remained within one piece for a lingering moment, yet had clearly stopped dead in its motions, until movement finally came from its head falling free of his body and landing to Zelda's side. Kicking the body away from Zelda, the entirety of the creatures being would soon dissipate into the wind with a similar matter to its first departed comrade. Standing over the blonde, Link gazed down at her with concerned, yet steady eyes, which both showed his previously fright for her well being and the unquestionable drive toward protecting her.

As Zelda gazed upward, however, she would soon take notice of the last of the beasts which had seemingly removed the sheath by now and was lunging forward to take out Link from behind. Whether or not she had time for warning him, there seemed to be little need for concern, as the swordsman swiftly spun around and got into a battle stance before stabbing the tip of his blade directly into the creatures skull; immediately halting its movements as his firm footing kept him from being toppled over by the initial impact.

Both beast and swordsman would stand unmoving within the eerie stillness of the Lost Woods unique nighttime atmosphere, until the final beast joined its brethrens fate of dissipating into dark particles which were seemingly carried off into the cool wind and vanished into the night sky. Slowly coming out of that battle stance, Link lowered his sword, holding it at his side while turning toward Zelda and staring down at the young woman. Seemingly coming down from whatever adrenaline high had sent him into such a battle flurry, his blue eyes were now almost entirely filled with the sole emotion of concern for her well being. "Zelda? Are you alright? Were you injured in the midst of that chaos?" His soft, yet firm voice inquired, while crouching down slightly and extending his free hand for her to accept and be pulled back onto her feet.

Carefully helping her onto her feet, offering any assistance of leaning on him for support if required, Link again look over their surroundings where there seemed to be no sign of what they had faced only minutes earlier. "What's going on around here, Zelda?" He asked, being fully aware of how she may not have any answers herself, while gazing down at the blonde with an uncertain expression.

At the same time, however, Link realized how she may be rattled by the experience and, while she was far stronger than she may look, he knew that anyone would be at least a little rattled after such a horrific experience. Slowly raising a hand, taking her chin gently, Link guided her head if needed until she was staring up into his reassuring face, "Hey? Whatever it may be? Just remember that you're not going to face it alone."

 

[Lady_Gamer]

A sudden flash of metal was followed by an immediate lessening of the weight upon Zelda's chest - the form of the beast lingered longer than that of the first slain. The girl released her grip on the monster's jaws, her sapphire eyes following the descent of the disembodied head as it fell to the ground next to her. The contact between herself and the shadow's body was abruptly forced apart by a kick from her companion; she found herself pushing herself in the opposite direction even as she watched the beast's form dissipate. Nearing Link's legs, she turned her attention upwards - just in time to see that the last creature was lunging to attack her savior's back. Her mouth opened as if to utter a warning --

But before she could formulate the words, the man was reacting. She watched in awe at the graceful turn of his body - the skillful execution of his blade. The girl entirely forgot of herself in the moments that followed. Silence seemed to stretch the existence of time itself...Zelda couldn't say how long she remained laying on her back, staring up at Link's form. Everything she had felt paled in comparison to what she was currently experiencing. There was no room in her mind that it was because Link had saved her, as might be the first suspicion for anyone else under such circumstances. The thought didn't even occur to her - it would've seemed a trivial fact. Instead, she felt a rush of warmth as she basked the perfection between them. There was no trying to identify why. It was simply as it should be.

The way he looked down at her - the concern in his expression - it seemed oddly familiar. Perhaps it was something lingering from a dream; she hadn't exactly given him such opportunities in the waking world.

His words brought her back to present time. "I'm unharmed," she responded evenly - it nearly sounded like a formal statement. She accepted Link's hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Once gaining a firm standing on the ground, she seemed perfectly capable of supporting herself. She also seemed to be somewhat in shock, watching Link with an unnaturally calm expression. His question brought her around - she broke eye contact, glancing over his shoulder at the Lost Woods as she shook her head gently. "I...I'm not entirely sure. Well. I guess 'I haven't a clue' would be more accurate..."

She welcomed the feeling of his hand upon her chin, not resisting his guidance in the least. Staring into his eyes, she'd soak in his assurance that he'd be there for her. A soft smile would overtake her lips. "Thank you, Link." For a moment, she simply watched him. Visually tracing his handsome features, allowing herself to focus on the unsuppressed emotions he caused in her. She took a short step forward, closing in the gap between them - her hands slid up his chest as her mouth sought his for a brief kiss.

Her fleeting lips quickly admitted, "I'm anxious to leave this place. I can't imagine you'll have any objections?" As she took a few steps away to retrieve her bow, she shortly noted that she didn't exactly sound like herself. Could be the shock.

Doubtless, there were very few people in the world that would wish to stay in the Lost Woods under such circumstances. Zelda would loop her bow over her shoulder before returning to reach for Link's hand, taking it gently in her own. She'd pause for a moment to reflect on the peace it brought to her heart.

She'd move at a casual pace towards the Academy. It wasn't but a few steps into their journey that Zelda glanced in her companion's direction, giving him a soft smile. There was no attempt on her part to make conversation - the light squeezing of his hand likely said enough on its own. After several moments, she'd return her gaze forward. The eerie feel of the area had seemingly lost all effect on her.

Eventually, the two would find themselves in an open field. As they broke through the treeline, the sight of the Academy brought on a sudden concern to the girl. She didn't want to leave Link's side, not for a single moment. Returning to the school would likely lead to the two separating for their own rooms - the prospect was hardly considered before Zelda found herself speaking. "Link?" Again, she'd cast her eyes in his direction. She'd pause long enough for him to return her gaze. "...I need to stay with you tonight." There was hardly room for his response before she began explaining herself. "I mean...I don't think there's an immediately impending attack or anything, so don't feel obligated. I just. I just don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I know you're near."

Zelda wasn't quite sure how the words had so easily left her mouth. And in the following moments, she didn't consider any implications beyond Link's response. Their peers may as well not existed - nor their instructors. She couldn't possibly be less concerned about Academy policy regarding such arrangements or what people would say when she left his room in the morning. She accepted the possibility that he'd witness her crying at some point in the night and yet she didn't fear appearing weak.

 

[Eazy]

Watching over Zelda carefully for any signs of physical harm which her adrenaline high may have caused her to miss, Link was slightly surprise at the feel of her hands on his chest, yet hadn't shown any real hesitation at leaning forward to claim her lips in a reassuring kiss. This may take a little get used to, the young male briefly considered, after having almost grown used to Zelda's previous coldness when dealing with the swordsman. At the same time, however, the feel of her lips upon Link's own, with the warmth of her body joining up with his, had felt surprisingly natural as to make him quickly forget about such past incidents.

When the brief embrace ended and she asked about leaving here, the Hylian male gave an understanding smile and nodded, "No objections here. Let's get going before anything else decides to surprise us on this night."

While she went to retrieve her bow, Link went to do the same with this sheath, which was promptly strapped back onto his belt. Preparing to put the sword away, the brown haired youth did take a moment to look it over. Now that the heat of the battle was behind them, Link couldn't keep from questioning what was different from his first attempts at defeating the shadowed beasts compared to his final pair of deadly strikes. Good as his new sword may be, the swordsman had doubted it was the sole reason behind his victory, yet couldn't come anywhere close to grasping at any actual reasons.

Sheathing the weapon away for now, the young male would await for his lady to finish with her own preparations, before extending his hand and this time not dreaming of retracting the offer as she took it for their trek back toward the academy. Hand in hand, they continued on their way, with few words seemingly needed to be said. There was little which could be answered about the nights events at the moment, and anything else to be shared between them seemed to be felt by simple glances and meaningful squeezes or brushing of fingers along the others hand.

When they returned to the Academy, however, this would change shortly after with the soft speaking of his name, which promptly drew the male's eyes toward her lovely features; immediately noticing the concern within her soft gaze. His eyes did widen slightly during the initial portion of her request, no doubt due to the potential 'intimate' implications of what she was asking, but such thoughts were fleeting as Link seemingly understood what she meant almost before she elaborated.

Blinking softly while gazing down at the blonde, the swordsman did begin to consider such possible implications of them sleeping within another's room. And it wasn't like many (or possibly any) would believe the reasons for them sharing a room. Not to mention the further potential disciplinary actions which would be taken for them going into the Lost Woods so late at night. However? Staring down into those soft blue eyes, Link decided such concerns mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

What mattered the most for him was assuaging Zelda's concerns, as the teenager lifted his free hand and gently cupped her cheek, letting her tilt her head into his open palm slightly before leaning down to kiss upon her upturned cheek as he softly stated, "As you wish. We've both had a very long night. So let us go to rest for now, and may the worries of tomorrow stay where they belong."

Moving his lips to place another soft kiss upon her own, Link would give her another gentle, yet reassuring smile, before leading her toward his own dorm room with Bran. His room was less crowded than her own in comparison, with the one roommate likely far gone into another deep sleep filled with dreams of epic battles. With this in mind, the pair entered into the dormitory after hours; making certain to avoid any possible voluntary student hall monitors or even instructors which were patrolling the area. Hand-in-hand, despite how such a sight may be misconstrued if they were spotted, the duo made their way down the twists and turns of the hallways until approaching Link's room. Slipping inside, they were greeted by the faint snoring noises of Bran whom had made good on his promise of taking the bottom bunk and seemed otherwise dead to the world.

Closing the door shut after them, the Hylian male stared down at his sole bunkmate, then looked over at Zelda while giving a light shrug and half-jokingly asking, "Don't suppose you're used to sleeping through worse with your own roommates, are you?" If needed, they could shoo Bran away for the night, which may sound worse then it was, since while the guy may be startled easily in his sleep, he also felt comfortable with sleeping almost anywhere at any given time. Much to the chagrin of the guys in their section after the time said classmate passed out on the toilet and nobody could get into the restroom for close to a hour. Link was still glad an instructor showed up with a key before people began taking their weapons to the door.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

The warmth of Link's hand upon her cheek was welcomed; the girl found herself closing her eyes as she softly nuzzled her face against his palm. It was natural - almost expected - when she felt the placement of his lips upon her alternate cheek. Her eyes opened as he spoke and smile came to her lips from his reassurances.

Zelda raised her head just in time to meet the man's mouth with her own. Though the kiss was brief, it felt more meaningful than words could describe.

As Link led her towards his room, the girl found herself unnaturally calm. Her thoughts focused only on the faint sound of their footfalls as they stealthily traversed the halls of the academy. She had the utmost confidence that her companion would not lead them to being caught - and for the moment, she failed to remind herself of the greater dangers that would undoubtedly return in the near future.

Her faith had not been misplaced and the two soon found themselves within the confines of Link's room. Zelda's eyes quickly fell on the gentle rising and falling of the bedding of the lower bunk - the accompanying noise suggested that the motions were a product of Bran's heavy breath of slumber. The girl glanced towards Link as he spoke. Her response was delivered after a short pause, in which she considered how exactly to state that - though she was perfectly capable of sleeping through snoring, she preferred to not have Bran present. It sounded so...well. She didn't want Link to misunderstand her intentions in the matter.

"I'm certain I could manage..." she started, her tone clearly indicating that she didn't have a want to do so. "...Though, truly? I'd be more comfortable if we were alone." She had already made it sound exactly as it had in her head. Perfection. "I mean. Not that we need privacy, I just..." She gave the man a soft smile. Looking into his eyes had a soothing effect - she felt like she didn't have to dig a hole attempting to explain herself any further. Instead, she held Link's gaze as she slowly moved herself away from him, slipping her hand from his grasp. She approached the bunks, wasting little time in leaning over Bran's form.

"Bran?" she spoke softly, attempting to not startle her peer during the attempt to wake him. It was to no effect. Zelda reached a hand to the man's shoulder. As her palm made contact with him, his eyes suddenly flashed open. The girl was speaking his name again - Bran stared up at her, obviously startled. Physically, though, he did not spring to action. There seemed to be more shock than terror in his expression.

"Z-zelda?" Bran blinked a couple of times as the girl removed her hand from his shoulder - he rubbed the sleep from his vision before attempting to gauge the reality of his current situation. "What are you doing in my room...?"

"I...uh. I came here with Link..." she responded a bit awkwardly.

"Oh..." A short pause. "Oh! Of course!" The man sat up and looked at his familiar roommate. He gave an embarrassed smile. "Hi, Link."

Zelda looked at Link briefly before returning her gaze to the formerly sleeping peer. "...So...if you wouldn't mind too terribly...I'd really appreciate an opportunity to speak with Link in private. I'd hate to interrupt your rest over the course of our conversation, and you're welcome to use my bed for the remainder of the evening..."

Bran arched a brow. Granted, he had just awaken from sleep - his mind wasn't working at its best just yet. It didn't take high functioning for him to put these pieces together, though. "Well. I guess I'd hate to eavesdrop on your private conversation." He smirked knowingly as he moved to kick his legs to the floor. A glance was cast between the two potential lovers as he stood.

The man's assumptious tone was not lost on Zelda. However, she found it best to simply ignore in its entirety. He could think whatever he wanted to think - all that really mattered was his willingness to comply with her request. "Thanks, Bran."

He gave a dismissive gesture in the air as he shuffled towards the door. A yawn accompanied the opening of the exit, which Bran proceeded through as if he was too tired to really care what would happen in his absence. He'd probably think up some fun things to say about it later. As the door swung closed in his wake, Zelda turned to face the skilled swordsman.

Several steps brought her within range to take Link's hands in her own - she gently led him towards the bed. She'd sit on the edge of the mattress of the lower bunk, retaining her soft grip to suggest that she desired him to remain close. Her sapphire eyes stared up at her companion while she silently wondered if he'd join her or insist on sleeping in separate beds. Then - it struck her that she had just roused his roommate from the very place she was now sitting. The sudden realization caused her to speak. "Oh, wait. Should we sleep in the top bunk?"

 

[Eazy]

Not exactly having any expectations or assumptions about the pair sharing a room to rest for the night, Link was indeed a bit embarrassed by the obvious innuendo on Bran's part following the exchanges with the teens roommate. It didn't help that the young swordsman remained relatively inexperienced toward dealing with the type of third party attention related toward any romantic interludes (presumed or otherwise) involving himself. Still, underneath those attempts at hiding any embarrassment on his part, the young Hylian male did give a grateful smile when the large and barely awake male seemed content on leaving matters as they were for now.

"Thanks, Bran. You don't realize how much it means for us." The light brown haired male spoke, then almost immediately closed his eyes while trying to drown out the realization of how those words may be misconstrued - gaining a visual hint of this being the case when those eyes opened to find the other male student giving Link in particular a parting (if rather sleepy looking) glance before leaving. Well, that was just one more potential annoyance to deal with from his friend come the next morning. With any luck, Bran would turn out to have been too sleepy to really remember much of anything the next day... although that would make for an interesting wake up call for Link's roomie the next morning, considering the unique sleeping arrangements agreed upon by Zelda and their larger classmate.

With the door swung closed after Bran's departure, though, Link was able to return his complete focus toward where it truly mattered - gratefully accepting Zelda's soft hands within his own gentle yet firm grasp as they moved toward the bed. Gazing downward as she sat on the lower bunk, Link couldn't help but smile at the way her light complexion seemed to be nicely illuminated by the sparse rays of moonlight which managed to seep into the room through the partially opened window. Goddess, she was beautiful.

His rather star stuck and almost entranced manner of gazing upon the blonde was broken when she spoke on the matter of sleeping arrangements. Blinking a few times, there was a moment of obvious surprise at the question - indicating how Link hadn't really thought of them actually sharing a bed for the night. If nothing else, the young swordsman had assumed to sleep on the floor with some extra sheets while Zelda took the extra bunk. His heart began to race slightly, even if the brown haired Hylian hadn't expected anything more than a hopefully peaceful rest to come of their night together.

"T-The top bunk might be best. It's easy to forget about the top one while sleeping below and hitting your head. Believe me." He finally responded, a soft chuckle while glancing upward to his head to further indicate the point of many head-bumping incidents in the past. If she'd noticed his initial hesitation, Link was intent on not letting this hinder them from dwelling on the issue of sleeping arrangements for much longer - gently guiding Zelda back onto her feet while continuing to hold her hands.

After she was back to her feet, the young swordsman would silently assist her toward getting onto the top bunk with use of the adjoined latter which Bran usually avoided by climbing up the other side in a supposed display of strength. Once she was settled onto the mattress, Link would making a faint swallowing sound - almost literally burying away any further hesitation on his part before climbing upward and settling beside the tired female. Having detached the belt which held his sheathed sword, Link wrapped it around the bedpost near their head so as to keep it within easy reach. His own placement upon the mattress was on the side which Bran often fell from - a simple yet protective touch - before the pair truly started settling in for the remainder of this long night.

Holding onto a hand with his own the entire time, Link's body was turned enough so as to gaze upon the beautiful young woman while the pull of sleep almost immediately began tugging at him despite any nervousness. "Sleep well, Zelda. Dream sweetly, and tomorrow we'll deal with what may or may not come together." He spoke softly, assuringly, giving a soft squeeze of her warm hand while they rested beneath the covers - those blue eyes of his settling onto her own lovely orbs as the late hour and events of the night would no doubt take their toll on them within due time.

*****​

At roughly the same time as these events were unfolding, there was another series of happenings taking place miles away from the academy. The proud and almost timeless castle which once housed the royal family was filled with the usual noises of guards marching throughout the halls on sentry duty. Armored men and women walking along the red carpeted floors which were otherwise comprised of stone placed upon the ground long before any of them were born. Cooks slumbering within their modest rooms while resting up for the morning feast they would no doubt need to serve their ruler. Servants resting their tired bones after hours of running to and fro while trying to keep up with numerous tasks assigned of them throughout the day. Nothing too out of the ordinary, at least on the surface.

Beneath this disheartened yet seemingly normal facade of a court of justice, however, there were other forces deep at work. Forces which were already stirred out of what almost felt to becoming routine until the secret spilled by one of the long deceased Queen's handmaidens earlier in the day. Forces, which were no longer simply given a huge piece of the puzzle, but now held an almost definite lead toward what they sought after for so long.

Within the castle walls, torches were lit along the hallways to allow for proper illumination during the late hours of the night. Those torches began to flicker at the roaming presence of a lone figure. Not flickering as a result of wind brought about by a hurried approach of a largely cloaked figure. More so, almost seemingly to reach outward toward the ceiling with a short burst of life - crackling under the presence of a dark aura which was normally restrained during any other time. But this wasn't any other time, as the court mage and supposed 'advisor' to the King gave off a dark, powerful presence which stretched outward to both warned of his approach and lingered in his absence while continuing on this short trek toward the royal chambers.

Inside of the champers, his Lordship, Rigol Orhonsen was sleeping off what had turned out to be a rather intense evening following his meeting with said mage/advisor over a few surprising developments. Resting at his side was Ayla, the former handmaiden whom betrayed the departed royal families trust in the name of love. The secret which was shared due to this betrayal was the subject of the secret conversation held earlier between King and 'advisor', along with being the partial reason for the approaching figures apparent haste.

Suddenly, the twin doors of the royal chambers were swung open, revealing the lone figure whom hadn't seemed to extend his arms for opening either door as the entire bedroom became almost alive with an ominous atmosphere thanks to his presence. King and Mistress were startled out of their slumber, with Ayla giving a surprised scream and clinging onto her Lord, while Rigol sat up quickly at recognition of the Gerudo born male. "Sire?!" He spoke abruptly, startled, forgetting the false formalities and titles of their staged rankings of power for the people of Hyrule while continuing, "What is the matter?! Has there been any development?!"

Lifting his gloved hands to pull back the hood of his cloak, the rather calm yet imposing figure of Ganondorf simply gazed upon the 'King' of Hyrule as he explained, "Three of my scouts were slain in battle only minutes apart from another. There is little time for delaying our response. We must move while the trail remains fresh." The shadowed creatures were of the dark lord's manifestation, which allowed him to sense whenever one was slain. It happened rarely, when enough rebels got together and with enough luck were able to corner and snuff out one of the beasts. But three, on the other hand, was simply unheard of until this evening.

Obviously confused about the sudden conversation she was unexpectedly privy to, Ayla split her attention between the mage and the King while trying to speak - fear evident within her voice due to the surprisingly dark aura radiating off of the Gerudo male, "M-My Lord, what is he talking abo-"

"Silence, woman!" The King spat out, either not caring enough to maintain appearance or perhaps too afraid of wasting the dark lord's time with such efforts, before moving out of the bed quickly enough to bow a knee in servitude while addressing the supposed royal advisor, "My Lord, tell me what you need and I'll be at your immediate service."

"'My Lord'? 'Sire'? Rigol, you're our King! Why are you allowing a simple court mage to speak so-" Her words of protest were cut off as a dark, radiating light of energy suddenly began to encase the former chambermaid. She'd let out a few surprised shrieks and screams, only to find them mostly muffled by the dark energy, as her attention turned toward the source of this power. Not that the coming realizations of what was happening did her any good, as the dark power suddenly jerked her forward from halfway across the room - only to find herself stopped by the gloved hand of the magic user she was about to mock as said hand calmly wrapped itself around her neck.

Only seeming to be paying the by now expendable female a passing notice, Ganondorf proceeded with the second portion of his idle display of power - seemingly sucking the very life away of the former chambermaid as her lovely features began to grow wrinkled and frail. She would attempt to call out toward her King, but Rigol hadn't appeared to care as his own attention remained primarily upon the dark lord. "There can be no mistakes this time. If this is the lead we've been awaiting for almost two decades, then it's nearly impossible to say when we may have another opportunity." The Gerudo born male openly plotted; the dying female trapped within his seemingly unbreakable grasp beginning to realize the truth within her last moments, while an eerily familiar triangular symbol glowed brightly upon the back of that gloved hand which continued to drain away the life from her increasingly weakened body, "Simple shadow beasts won't be enough. I'll conjure up something special for our next step. What I need for you is to organize a Moblin party to be ready when I'm finished."

"It shall be done, my Lord." The usurper King spoke with a bowed head, his eyes glancing upward just enough to notice the lack of movement on Ayla's part any longer as her figure seemed almost skeletal at this point.

Giving a small smirk at noticing how his puppet had seemingly grown an attachment toward the female he'd been meant to seduce information out of, Ganandorf finished, "See that it is, Captain. Any mistakes like the last time and... well..."

Rather then finishing the thought, the dark lord simply released the by now lifeless body of Ayla from his grasp - not even bothering to glance down at the fragile body whose bones cracked like the husk of a dead, dried up insect when it hit the floor. Allowing his own gaze to settle upon the lifeless corpse of his longtime lover, Rigol felt a renewed sense of that fear and feeling of pure awe at the other male's power which drove him toward betraying the royal family so long ago. "...Understood, my Lord." The 'King' complied while lowering his head further, having swallowed hard prior to uttering the fear stricken words, as the true ruler of Hyrule appeared satisfied enough for them to move onward with planning their next move.

 

[Lady_Gamer]

A soft smile crossed Zelda's lips as she listened to Link's reply - the surprise and hint of hesitation somehow struck an amusing chord within her. He was so cute. And the use of comedy to recover from his slight fluster? The young woman shared in his gentle laugh as she envisioned such circumstances. She was glad that her own bed was not part of a bunking; Chloe and Ann had been stuck with that particular arrangement.

Being easily helped to her feet, Zelda allowed her companion to lead her to the ladder before climbing up. His assistance in the matter was unnecessary but not entirely unappreciated. In the moments of waiting for him to join her, the woman felt...well. An odd combination of love and undeserving-ness. Link was everything - and for nothing. Zelda hadn't earned this sort of treatment, not by a long shot. It pained her terribly.

She pushed the matter to the back of her mind as Link settled in besides her. The placement of his sword belt had not gone unnoticed - Zelda glanced at it briefly before giving the male a soft smile. He really was too good.

Her gaze fell into his as he turned towards her to speak, ever aware of the feel of his hand around her own. His words calmed her troubled emotions - particularly the last word. Together. That's all that mattered, wasn't it? She'd give Link reason to cherish her: she immediately accepted the notion that their past wouldn't hinder their future.

"Good night, Link," she responded softly as she snuggled herself in closely against his body. Her lips found his - several long moments lingered before she reluctantly withdrew. A parting glance was cast towards his face before she laid her head upon his chest and draped an arm across his body.

Any thoughts of conversation were quickly gone as Zelda's awareness was filled by the beating of Link's heart.

*****​

Zelda awoke without a real awareness of ever falling asleep - she blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to what had been a seamless transition of night to day. She could still hear Link's heartbeat. Listening for a few moments, she turned her face upwards to look at the swordsman. She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling the gentle risings of his chest with his breaths. She could remain this way forever, perfectly content.

...Were it not for a sudden bursting open of the door.

"Zelda!" Despite the abrupt loudness, the man's tone wasn't angry - it was sounded more like a desperate plea. The girl in question sat up and looked towards the intrusion - and it wasn't just Bran. "Tell them! I am not at fault for seeing --"

Chloe elbowed Bran in time to shut him up about whatever he saw. Ann's mouth dropped open as she took in Zelda and Link's arrangement - no doubt taking note of her roommate's lack of bra. It wasn't all shock, though. The edge of the girl's lips lifted as she brought a hand to cover her obvious glee at having such an awesome topic for the day.

Zelda considered the group for a moment, glancing down at Link briefly. No doubt he was awake at this point. Returning her gaze to Bran and her roommates, she cleared her throat. "This...I." What a way to wake up. "I'm sure Bran told you the truth. I asked him to sleep in my bed last night so that--"

Chloe seemed willing to hear the full story. Ann, however, was simply overcome. "Goddesses, Zelda! Fucking him in the woods yesterday wasn't enough?"

"..." So that was Ann and Sarah's (supposedly - probably just Ann) version of events, huh? Zelda couldn't - or suddenly felt a lack of reason to - formulate a defense. She placed a palm on her face and shook her head. "Ugh. Get out."

"This is my room..." Bran countered quietly.

"Not you. Ann. Chloe. Please leave."

Ann seemed satisfied that she wouldn't be missing a show. As shameless as Zelda was, she probably wouldn't fuck Link in front of Bran. She had, after all, kicked him out for the previous night...so. The girl gave a triumphant smile before turning to leave.

Chloe looked to Bran and sternly stated, "Next time? Sleep in the hallway." She gave the man a shove - likely she was the one he had gotten a glimpse of.

With the girls gone, Bran shut the door before adding his own jab. "So. Good talks?"

"The best."

"Ooh! Well, at least my welts are not without merit."

Zelda laughed. "I'm sorry, Bran. I didn't think they'd attack you."

Bran shrugged. "I'm okay. Plus? I got to see Chloe topless without the expense of being a pervert." The man moved to gather a set of clothing. "Anyway. I'm off to shower, so...you guys have fun doing whatever it is you're doing. But if either of you is late for class? We're all going to know why~"

Zelda wasn't nearly as traumatized about the insinuations as she should've been. Again, she failed to defend against such things. "Later, Bran."

"Laters!" With that, he was gone.

Zelda looked at her companion, her expression difficult to read. After several moments, she spoke. "I...I suppose I should tell the Headmaster about what happened last night." A short pause. "About, you know. The shadow beasts, not...well." She made a gesture to the general current situation. The academy didn't take news of girls sleeping in boys' rooms very well. And with Ann at the head of the incoming gossip, it wouldn't be too terribly surprising for the faculty to find out what had happened. "Although? If it comes up, I'll be sure to inform him that it was all my idea."

 

[Eazy]

Despite the various questions which weighed on his mind, along with the potential nightmare fuel of what had occurred out in the woods, Link had slept relatively peacefully during the night. Questions may have weighed heavily upon the young swordsman's brow, but being so close toward Zelda in the aftermath had seemingly melted so much of the actual anxiety away prior to his slumber. It was strange and rather difficult to place a finger of reason upon why, but being so close to her after that night had a rather calming effect on male. For a time, everything simply seemed... right.

That was, of course, until his own slumber was shattered by the abrupt presence of his actual roommate and a couple of unexpected guests. Link bolted awake, his body tensed with the expectancy of another threat to the blonde at his side, before starting to settle somewhat while moving onto his side and gazing at the other male from his spot upon the bunk. "Bran? What are you..." The still waking up Link started to speak, until the accusing set of female classmates came into his view and soundly silenced him at realizing how this may appear.

Glancing back at Zelda as she cleared her throat and started addressing the matter, Link began to sit up slightly, albeit while still largely leaning upon one outstretched arm. It seemed better to let Zelda handle matters, as she knew the girls better, and Link wasn't entirely certain on how to explain the details of what they went through last night himself. His silence was partially broken, however, when Ann let out her accusation. "That's not what happened." Link stated firmly, almost raising his voice due to the anger felt over the insulting words toward Zelda, yet keeping himself from getting too confrontational so quickly.

This seemed to be the right choice on his part, as Zelda promptly told them to leave the room, thus shutting the door on the matter for the time being. Letting out a sigh, Link rubbed at his temples, totally not being prepared for those types of potential rumors to begin circulating any further than they already had been. As Bran and Zelda addressed another, the young swordsman couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the further levity brought about by his roommates comment on Chloe.

"Never let it be said you're without the ability to find a silver lining in anything, Bran." The teenager remarked, watching as his roommate finished gathering his clothing before making his own departure. Link was perhaps a little more bothered by the insinuations than Zelda but, at least with Bran, he tended to believe that such misunderstandings would be corrected after some talk. Which reminded him, almost as soon as Zelda looked his way with that questionable expression, on how they needed to address what exactly was going on around here lately.

Listening patiently as Zelda spoke on the subject, Link recognized how their sleeping arrangements made the need to address the matter sooner than later even more important. Especially on Zelda's behalf, since the instructors did seem to treat her a little harder than they did the others on the matter of rule breaking or bending. And sneaking into the Lost Woods in the middle of the night would be pretty high on the list of stuff students shouldn't be doing.

At her final suggestion, Link gazed at her for a moment, seemingly questioning why she would take the blame on herself, before slowly shaking his head and reaching out to take a hand into his own, "It may have been your idea, Zelda; but I was the one who decided on his own about going along with it." Giving her hand a light squeeze, Link gave a small, comforting smile as he added with a small shrug, "Besides? All you did was make the request first. If given time for our parting of ways to settle in for myself, I'm almost certain I'd have made the suggestion myself before letting you go to your room without protection."

Slowly, Link brought her hand up to his lips, giving a small kiss onto the back of her soft knuckles as further reassurance before finishing, "Either way, I'm going with you for this meeting. Because, let's face it, what we saw last night was crazy enough where either one of us would have a hard time on our own at convincing the average person of what we saw."

Obviously intent on going with her for this meeting, Link remained firm in his resolve while slowly, almost reluctantly, letting go of her hand after a few lingering moments in order for him to sit up further and prepare to disembark off the top bunk. "We should probably get to the headmaster before Ann's rumor mill reaches his or any of the other instructors ears." He suggested, not exactly looking forward at admitting to the headmaster that they had sneaked into the Lost Woods the previous night, but figuring it'd prove wise to get this out of the way sooner than later.

Leaning forward, Link gave a soft kiss upon the top of Zelda's head, allowing his lips to dwell there for a short time, before pulling back enough to then press his forehead gently against her own while finishing, "Get a fresh change of clothing from your room. I'll get dressed myself and meet you outside in a few minutes. We'll deal with whatever comes next together."

They would eventually part ways from there, with Zelda having the option of switching out of her own late night garments while Link similarly changed into a fresh set of clothing after having the brief time to himself. Link's usual taste of clothing was simple, with the young swordsman currently settling on a pair of gray pants and dark beige tunic top. The typical type of clothing he'd pick on the usual school day, only with the added accessory of his specially made sword which was firmly placed within the sheath strapped upon his belt. He could only hope Orloth could forgive him the appearance 'showing off' in order to keep the weapon handy on the off chance of needing it to defend Zelda or himself anytime soon.

Heading outside after getting dressed and allowing Zelda enough time to slip into something fresh, Link made his way outside of the dorms in order to either meet or greet his classmate right where one would normally exit the structure. Almost immediately, that contemplative face, seemingly heavy with a myriad of ponderings, would brighten up at seeing the blonde once again. "Hey there." He spoke with a smile, almost having to stop himself from adding the word 'beautiful' into the end there as a way of addressing the woman standing before him, as he let out a soft sigh and inquired, "You ready for this?"

Giving her time to respond, the pair soon made their way toward the headmaster's own living quarters. It was within one of the relatively large (for their academy) structures opposite of the dormitory area, where most of the faculty tended to call home, save for a few exceptions such as the blacksmith and others. Making their way inside and toward the large double sided entrance of the school's headmasters living quarters, Link would reach one hand out to take Zelda's into his once more, giving another reaffirming squeeze to let her know he was by her side in more ways than one, before using his free hand to knock upon the large wooden doors.

"Yes?" Came the gruff voice from the inside of the office, as Link and Zelda then slowly pushed open the doors; allowing them both entrance into the rather cozy looking office of headmaster Rauru Barrlem.

At first glance, one may not think this the office of a headmaster for a school designed in training young men and women the art of advanced self defense and the way of a warrior. There was nice red carpeting on the floor, shelves filled with books to the left and right of the room, along with a rather expensive looking mahogany desk near the opposite of where one enters - decorated in various symbols which an educated person would realize might relate closer to ancient Hyrulian symbols. The place indeed looked closer to what one might expect of a scholar or would-be sage rather then a soldier or adventurer.

They need only look at the man himself, however, for such misconceptions to be quickly dispelled. The older male with graying dark hair was of a fairly lean build, with a fit physique about himself, as many of the instructors had to themselves. Unlike many of the other instructors, though, Rauru also carried with him a variety of battle scars which likely had many stories behind them. Most were concealed under his clothing, but one could see a few long his arms, with a couple of smaller knicks upon his face. Perhaps the most noticeable one is the scar along one side of his head, where the hair never fully grew back over and resulted in the hint of a 'bald spot' due to the damaged tissue.

"Zelda... Link... Shouldn't you two have been heading off for your first classes?" The older male spoke; seated at his desk while seemingly going over a few parchments prior to the entrance of the pair, whose hand holding hadn't gone without immediate notice as his eyes surveyed the two students.

Taking in a deep breath in preparation of their plunging forward, Link made the first move, "Sir? Zelda and I... well, we have something we think you should be made aware of. It might sound a little crazy, but you really need to hear us out with an open mind." Pausing, observing the headmasters reaction toward their presence and his opening comments, the young swordsman gazed toward Zelda from out the corner of his eyes - not being entirely certain on how much of what she wished to share or even how best it would be to explain the more 'out there' pieces of it.