The Hero, the Princess, and the Cursed King

Chapter 17: Love and War

[Link]

"Uh, where exactly are we?" Link asked as the fortune teller showed him into her house.

It was homey, and the crackling fireplace gave the whole place a warmth. It was also very, very pink. The curtains, the sofa, the chair, the table cloth, and the rug were all different shades of pink—even the floorboards were made from pinkish wood.

Link stared out the window at the cheery and well-kept yard. "Because this certainly doesn't look like the lost woods."

"Well, it is." The women sat in an especially hot pink chair and motioned for Link to sit on the sunset-pink sofa. "I'm just not fond of the lost woods aesthetic—too green and brown for my taste—so I decided to make my little corner of the woods more tasteful."

"And the fog?"

"Oh, that's my security system." She motioned to the fire. It crackled merrily and had a tea kettle resting just above its flames. "I enchant my logs, and when they burn, instead of smoke, the fog you saw earlier is produced."

Link nodded, even though it still confused him. But magic was magic, and magic was weird. "So, uh, you mentioned before that you're a fortune-teller?"

The women cackled. "So what if I am?"

Link's heart sped up. This was it; he had finally found her. "I need your help."

"Well, then Madame Fanadi is glad to be of assistance." She smiled. "But first, what's your name, sweetie."

"It's Link." His foot anxiously tapped against the floor.

"Ah, then let's see." Madame Fanadi leaned forward, staring intensely into his eyes. Link tensed, feeling slightly uncomfortable. She suddenly clasped her hands and shrieked with joy. "Oh, you're in love."

Link blinked once, twice. "Uh. . . what?"

"You're in love, deary." Fanadi leaned back in her chair. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

Link's face flushed a deep red. "I'm not. . . I'm not in love."

Madame Fanadi raised an eyebrow. "Mhm, sure."

Link scoffed. "And even if I was, how would you know?"

"It's in your eyes, dear." The whistle of the tea kettle drew her attention. "Looks like it's tea time!"

"I'm not here for love," Link explained as Fanadi shuffled around, making them cups of tea. "My brother—"

"That's what they all say." Madame Fanadi shoved a brimming teacup into his hands. It sloshed over the sides, and Link barely avoided getting scolding tea spilled all over him. "No one cares about love anymore. It's war this and war that." She huffed and sat back down with her cup. "Well, do you know what I say? Love and hate aren't very different from each other."

Link carefully set his teacup down onto a magenta side table. "That's good and all, but I need your help."

"Yes, yes, I know." Fanadi shoveled four spoonfuls of sugar into her tea. "My advice is to tell her how you feel. Maybe buy her some flowers and set up a picnic." She took a sip. "That'll show her how much you care."

Link's eye twitched. "For the last time, I'm not here for love."

Madame Fanadi ignored him and looked at his forgotten teacup. "It's bad manners for you not to drink that."

Link resisted the urge to roll his eyes and picked up his cup. He'd waited three years to find this fortune teller, and he could be patient a little longer. The tea had gone from scorching to pleasantly hot, and he had to admit it tasted delicious. After a few sips, he decided to try again. "So about my brother—"

"So, where did the two of you meet?" Madame Fanadi gave him a look. "Tell me everything, dear."

"I'm trying to, but you keep interrupting—"

"Do you think she's pretty? Well, obviously, you do if you love her."

"Can we talk about—"

She winked at him. "But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, am I right?"

"Sure, but—"

"Is she your village sweetheart? Oh, or maybe you were childhood friends!"

"Yes, we were childhood friends."

"Ah-ha!" She shouted victoriously. "So you admit that you are in love."

Link tensed. "No, I didn't say that."

"But you just said that you were childhood friends."

"I was confused," Link said. "I didn't know what I was saying."

Fanadi nodded knowingly. "Awe, yes, love will do that to you. Here I'll show you." She set her teacup down and snatched Link's right hand with a surprisingly firm grip. Fanadi turned his hand over and examined his palm. "Oh, I see you've been in love with her for a while now."

The tips of Link's ears grew red, but he didn't try to pull his hand away.

"And it seems like you're scared of your feelings or at least how they'll affect your relationship, but I didn't need to read your palm to tell you that." Fanadi chuckled at her joke before tapping the middle of his palm. "And it seems like you weren't lying about being childhood friends. In fact, it appears that you saved her life. That was quite heroic of you."

Link tilted his head. "Was it?"

"Oh, yes. Women love a knight in shining armor. And it looks like she truly was a damsel in distress because this right here," Fanadi gestured to a line. "Means she's from a royal bloodline." She gasped and looked up at Link, grinning. "And it seems that she's in love with you too."

Link's heart thumped. "Really?" He stared at his palm. "Where does it say that?"

"Right here, deary." Fanadi showed him a spot by the base of his thumb. "It's clear as day. Whoever this mysterious maiden is, she has fallen desperately in love with you too."

Link blushed. "But, how can you be sure?"

"Oh, you can trust me, deary."

And even though she was a strange old woman living alone in the woods, Link felt he could believe her. He really wanted to believe her. "Do you see anything about how she'll feel if I do make a move? Or how it'll change our relationship?"

"Hmm. . ." Fanadi examined his palm. "It looks like this hand has told its story, but let's look at the other." She grabbed his left hand but cried in pain as if it had burned her.

"What?" Link asked, looking down at his left hand. "What's wrong?"

"You. . . you have a piece of the Triforce. " Fanadi cowered in her chair, shaking.

Link gulped. "Yeah, is that bad?"

"Bad can't even begin to describe it." Her eyes grew wide. "I'm afraid you've been cursed, my dear boy."

"I know." Link's gaze fell. "And that's why I need your help."

"Of course." Madame Fanadi looked at him with pity. It seemed their discussion of his love life was finally over. "How can I help?"

Link looked up at her, relieved she would finally listen to him. He took a deep breath. "It's about my brother."