Hero by Heart

Chapter 31

When Link eventually pulled back, Zelda couldn't help but grin, a blush warming her cheeks. She had not expected that to happen at all, though she would never complain about it.
Link smiled at her as he took a second to regain his breath. His face was flushed as well and Zelda felt her stomach flutter at how handsome he looked in the light of the stars that were shining in the open sky.
She gently brushed a finger over his cheek, admiring the glimmer in his eyes and the perfect smile that played on his lips.
Very slowly she leaned in and placed another kiss on his lips, before pulling away and chuckling. Neither of them spoke. She grabbed his hand and they wordlessly made their way back to camp, the moment forever a secret between them.
     As they reached the edge of the trees, Link bent down to pick up his dicarded batch of logs and branches. Zelda hurriedly collected some more twigs, since she did not want to return emptyhanded.
Link noticed what she did and chuckled, handing her a few of his own. When Zelda looked up in surprise he just shrugged, before indicating with his head that she could lead the way.
She nodded and started walking again, Link only half a step behind her.
When they entered the small camp, Zelda placed her load next to the fire and took a seat on the ground. A gap had remained between the warriors that circled the fire, big enough for both her and Link.
She instantly noticed the looks the Gerudo were giving them, with Reeza and Merina sniggering behind their hands. Zelda just smiled and looked down at the plate of food that had been offered to her. This reaction was nothing more than she had been expecting. For once she realized that she did not really care.
These women seemed to accept them, to even be amused by the whole situation. There was no judgement or scepticism. Zelda felt like she was appreciated as a valuable human being on her own, instead of as a part of Link. Exactly what she had wanted, but what she feared might not happen.
     Maybe they wouldn't have to worry so much about keeping it so very private.
Eventually the comfortable silence was broken by Merina, who pulled out her sword and began sharpening it, rhythmically disturbing the silence with long strokes.
That seemed to be the indication for everyone to see to their own things, leading the group to be under a busy but cozy atmosphere.
Kotta and Laine started sparring together and Zelda watched them for a while, feeling a longing deep inside of her as she remembered Link's promise.
Just then he appeared before her, reaching out a hand to help her up.
Zelda beamed a smile up at him. She took his hand and held it for a moment too long, before following him to a clear patch of grass.
Kotta and Laine momentarily stopped their training to see where they were going, like the others that turned their eyes on them.
As Link stopped in front of her, Zelda focused only on him, shutting out everything else.
Now the knight handed her a short broadsword, blunt and rusted. 'This is to give you a sense of the weight and movement, but hopefully without harming you in the process.' He chuckled, then took a step back.
Zelda offered him a little smile, as she swung it around a bit, getting used to the feeling. The sword was quite heavy, but she could manage.
'Okay,' Link started, 'remember what I last taught you? Let's go over that again first.'
He showed her some moves and Zelda copied, trying to focus on her muscle memory and praying it was enough to use as basis.
After a while Link seemed satisfied. He slowly started elaborating on the movements, urging her to use more speed and power once she got the hang of it. He nodded approvingly, moving around her and pointing out where she needed to improve. He then challenged her to slash at him, which she was a little hesitant about at first. She never hit him though, for he was too fast and always had up his guard. Before long, Zelda found herself giving absolutely everything to try and get past his defences.
As the night drew on, Kotta and Laine came closer, observing at first and later commenting every now and then.
The Gerudo had some different techniques and Link was more than willing to compare and learn, resulting in all four of them sparring together.
For the first time Zelda felt like she truly belonged among these warriors. Like she would not be a burden anymore.