The Legend Of Zelda: The Curse Of Zant

Chapter 9: Castle Town Ties

Stood at the entrance to the town, the pair wasted no time getting back to its heart - the fountain. Once there, Link stopped for a moment, unsure of where to look. For a split second he thought about asking around amongst the villagers, but quickly remembered that all of them had no recollection of any events from the past forty-eight hours. Finding the sword was a task that he and Midna would have to figure out for themselves. Staring down into the water at his reflection, he sighed. Since beginning this quest, there had been an unbearable ache in his heart. Every second that passed was a second he would never get back with the Princess. He missed her terribly and not even his best friend could ease that pain.

"Why'd we stop Link?" Midna asked impatiently.

Being so wrapped up in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear her speak. As much as he loved the giddy little imp, he couldn't help but wish that the voice belonged to Zelda. She had always been his voice of reason, the reason he braved the worst situations and fought for Hyrule. She was the one who gave him the strength to keep going, and now... when he needed her guidance and reassurance the most, she wasn't able to be there.

"Link?... Are.. are you okay?" Midna asked, the annoyance now completely gone from her voice.

With a sigh, he straightened his back up and turned around to face her. He avoided her eyes and stared only at his feet on the ground beneath him. These conversations were never really easy, and being known as the Silent Knight had only made people wonder about him, but never bring it up. Other than the Princess, Midna was the only person to ever ask him that question. It should have been simple to answer. A yes or a no. But for him it was far more difficult. He had always refused to open up to anyone besides Zelda, and baring his soul to another felt as though he was betraying her. She would not see it that way, but he would still feel incredibly guilty. The pain was not worth it at all.

"Yes. I am fine. Come on, we don't have much time. We should hurry." He answered, and took the first few steps in the direction towards the castle entrance.

Not wanting to push him, Midna dropped the topic and continued following his lead. The path was very straightforward and it did not take long for them to reach the doors after having done it so many times prior. The two guards that were stood either side of the doors took notice of their presence almost instantly. Not making a sound, Link gave them a reassuring nod to inform them that he had no ill intentions, and once he received their nod of approval he pulled on the handle to the left side door and ventured inside.

Laughter erupted from the Princess as he teasingly chased her through the Castle halls. He didn't have to put much effort into catching up to her as she seemed to feign running away; clearly a way of teasing him back. It was with only one swift swoop of his arm that he caught her around the waist and gripped onto her hip, pulling her close so that their noses were touching. Her dainty giggles were replaced by a meaningful smile as she locked her bluish green eyes on his with a look of adoration.

"Link..." She whispered his name softly.

"Yes, your Highness?" He questioned, lifting his calloused hand to caress her soft cheek.

"I know this is rather inappropriate of me and that I should think about the consequences of what I am about to say but I do not want to withhold the truth any longer." She began to confess.

"Well Princess, that depends on what kind of truth we are speaking of here." He inquired, curious to see where their conversation was headed.

"A rather personal truth... something that is so beautiful that it should not remain hidden but due to unfortunate laws that my father has set would be frowned upon by many others if they were to know." She continued, still not reaching the end of her point.