A Murderer's Son: A Zelink Story

Chapter 7

My head was sore, but only by a little. To my mild surprise, I found that I couldn't sit up. Immediately taking into account my surroundings, I felt the heavy weight of Link's sleeping body wrapped around mine, the movements of his chest digging into my ribcage, dragging along with them a gentle sting of pressure. I was laying there, unable to move as his arms were wrapped round my neck, his head on my shoulder, his entire torso pressing down on top of me. My memories came flushing back as I remembered the hours of immeasurable noise that boy had managed to conjure up the night before, and how when he fell asleep, I was so tired that I simply didn't bother trying to push him off me.

However, now that I was somewhat replenished, I had the strength to grab onto his shoulders and haul him off of me, waking him up as he rolled off. He was a little confused at first, before pain smacked him like a ton of bricks.

He groaned audibly, clutching his forehead. "Ugh, how much did I have to drink last night?" 

"Too much?" I answered truthfully, raising to my feet and stretching out my entire body. "You have a problem, mister."

"I do not have a problem", he protested, though his continous groans and curses proved his answer to be untruthful. 

I pulled the towel out from his bag, craning my neck to scan for a good area to wash in the ocean. I spotted a large rock down by the sand, seemingly with the same shallow water behind it. "I'm going down there to wash, is that okay?"I called out to him. 

I took his absent-minded nod as a reply, through hus grunts and wails of pain. Lightly chuckling, I walked down to the shore, wincing slightly at the near freezing temperature of the water before warmth began to wash over me. I removed my clothes, laying them on the boulder and sitting in the sand, still concealing whimpers from the shock of the chill. I then waded out a little deeper so I could get my head under, raising to the surface and smoothing my hands down the back of my soaking wet hair.

I swam back to the rock, washing my many layers of top in the water as I kneeled on the sand, the water up to my belly, leaving my leggings as I would need them underneath Link's tunic which was virtually mine now.

However, I immediately flung my arms round my chest as I saw Link run down to the water, splashing his face and running his wet hands through his hair. He didn't spot me to his left at first, though we were around four metres apart.

"Uhm," I began to utter, my arms still wrapped around myself, knawing at my lip. The water distorted me from the belly down, but everything else that wasn't covered by my arms was on show. "Link?"

He looked up to me and, along with a yelp of surprise, I saw his eyes momentarily widen before he turned his head away, holding up his hand to block my image from his view. "Sorry, princess!" He yelled.

Mild humiliation flooded me for a moment, before I took into account the colossal wave of embarrassment he must be feeling. "Maybe, uhm, could you wait a bit? I'll be out soon." I suggested, Link nodding his head which was still turned towards the vast ocean away from us. 

"Mhm, that's probably a good idea."

He picked himself off, dashing up the whitened sand without looking back at my exposed composure. A smile delicately creeped over my face as I returned to my washing, miniature chuckles shaking my core. Truly, he had a pure soul, clean intentions. I had taken quite the liking to him.

Wrapping the towel firmly around myself, I advanced up the softened sand once I'd ensured I was covered up. Link was seemingly still in pain and cradling his brow sat up against our makeshift hut with his water vessel and some leftover melon in his hand, and when he saw me coming towards him, he quickly diverted his gaze to the level sands beside him, his eyebrows arched in pure humiliation.