A Pirate's Life For Me; Zelink, Pirate AU (The Legend Of Zelda)

Chapter Seventeen

Zelda felt as though she had taken a step closer to becoming a normal person. She hadn't hidden her pain as she usually did... though Link had been the one who successfully drew it out of her, like poison from her dreadful wound. 

He had stayed in the armchair with her because she had cried herself to sleep. It was a surprise when she woke up, but she actually wasn't very embarrassed by it. There was a pillow under her head, which fell to the floor when she sat up.

He woke up from her movement and he yawned. "Morning..." he mumbled.

"Morning..." she replied, then looked out the window; it was indeed morning. Where was Impa? How could she have left them alone for so long? "I fell asleep?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry..." 

He smiled. "It's not a problem," he said. "Impa came in the middle of the night though and asked about what happened."

"Did you tell her?"

"I explained that you had shared a secret with me." 

"She knows." 

"She told me as much," he replied, then looked down. "She also said she had urgent news... but I wouldn't let her wake you up." 

"What?" she asked. "Why not?"

"You were sleeping peacefully. You've been all worked up lately so... I decided to let you sleep it off. No news could be so pressing that it couldn't wait till morning. Impa agreed with me on that, so she left."

"She trusted you to look after me?" Zelda asked with a small smile. 

"She did," he replied.

That gave her a smile, and she started to laugh. That was the same exchange they'd had after he had found her in with the supplies. That had been the same day he had seen her scars...

"So where is she now?" 

"She should be here soon," he commented. "Should I go?" 

Zelda shook her head. "No, stay." 

He smiled. "Alright," he said as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. 

They waited in silence until Link finally leaned back and said, "So, we're getting married."

"Yeah..." Zelda said. 

"Are you still having second thoughts?"

"...still?" 

"I know it wasn't your first choice. It took you a week to decide."

She looked down and then shrugged. "A week isn't that long to consider something that will affect me for the rest of my life. It's a big thing and I... I don't know you all that well, I guess."

He bit his lip and looked away from her. "Is it because I lied to you?"

He had said it. The thing that had been pressing down on her since the moment she had started to consider their union. "I just... I don't trust often, but you somehow earned it from me. Turns out you were trying to get my whole cre--  my friends--" she amended, "arrested." By the end, she was practically growling. 

"I'm really... really sorry about that. And I did stop it." 

She remained silent, struggling between accepting his apology and wanting to punch him in the face. I can't punch him in the face, I'm better than that. Her eyes flicked to the scar on his cheek. Oh wait, no I'm not. 

"If you're holding this much of a grudge against me... why did you kiss me on the beach?"

Her cheeks flared as he brought that up again, and she leaned away from him. "Because. They were unrelated. My grudge was a long lasting thing, and that was a goodbye kiss. Like I said... I didn't think I would see you again and heck, is it so strange that I just wanted to?" 

He hesitated but then leaned forwards and rested his elbows against his knees. "I lied to you before I knew who you were. But I know who you are now, and I've grown very fond of you. I swear on my life that I will never lie to you again."

Riiight. Before she could respond, Impa knocked and entered the room.

"Ah, Prince Link, you're still here," she commented. "I suppose this involves you, so you can stay," she said. 

"Good morning Impa," she said as she smiled. She felt... really good now. As though crying herself to sleep in Link's arms had lifted some great burden off of her very being and left her somehow better, and his promise, which he probably couldn't entirely keep, but...

"Morning my dear... but I'm afraid I don't come with good news." 

Her smile faltered. "What do you mean?"

"Your marriage has been decided." 

"And?" 

"It's in one month." 

"What-"

"In Faron." 

"What?"