Written in Ink| Zelink, Modern/ Soulmate AU

Chapter 4

The rest of the day was a blur for Zelda. She spent the rest of her time in class either daydreaming or trying to think of good ways to find her soulmate. The more ideas she got, the less interested in classwork she would get.

She was so focused on her thinking and daydreaming that she didn't even realize when the bell rung. It was only when Ms. Agitha came to her and told her that the day was over that she realized that everyone had already gone outside.

Now she was walking home with Saria and she still couldn't focus. The bitter winter winds turned her cheeks bright pink and sent chills down her spine but she didn't care, her mind was just too preoccupied. She would've known better than to not focus on her surroundings but she couldn't help it, if something was super important to her then everything would disappear from the world until she took care of it. That's just how she was.

"Hey, Zel is there something on your mind," Saria asked, staring at her friend a little concerned. "I noticed that you've been super quiet ever since we got out of school."

"Uh, well, not really."

"What do you mean by 'not really'. Come on Zel, you can tell me. We've known each other for years and I have not once spilled a secret you told me or even been disloyal. Remember that time you snuck out on the Fourth of July to watch the fireworks with me at my building?"

"But that was different Saria. I only snuck out because there were too many adults in my house and some of them were acting funny," the Hylian girl mumbled.

"Yeah but still, remember how I covered for you and told your dad that we had already made plans to watch the fireworks and he had already said it was alright about a week before?"

Zelda chuckled at the thought of that day. "Yeah, I can't believe he was so gullible. I thought for sure that I'd get caught!"

"Yup," Saria said through laughter. "Remember how confused he looked when he was getting ready to get you and we were already waiting outside your house?"

"Yeah, he was like 'Zelda, dear, I could've come pick you up, I wouldn't have minded. Besides, I enjoy spending time with Saria's aunt and uncle.' I couldn't believe that we were able to make it back before he decided to come get me! I thought I was going to be toast for sure!"

"Ah, but you weren't going to be. As long as I'm here I have your back Zel, you're like a sister to me."

"You're like a sister to me too. I can't believe how long we've known each other. It's been years."

"Yeah. So you can tell me what's on your mind. It's better than talking to one of those awkward school counselors that you barely know, right?"

"I guess you're right," Zelda said, sighing. "It's nothing really but, I can't help thinking about my soulmate. What if I never get to meet them before I die? What if I do meet them and they don't like me? What if they just like me for my art?"

"Zel," Saria said, grabbing her friend by her shoulders. "Stop being such a pessimist. Pessimism doesn't get you anywhere."

"But Saria, this isn't pessimism, it's real life. Mido seems to really like you a lot but... the first message I received from my soulmate wasn't about me, it was about my art."

Saria grabbed her friend's arm and read the writing. "Zel, look right here. They said 'you seem nice so I'll write again later'. They think you're nice, see, they like you."

At that Zelda stared down at her shoes. "Just because someone writes that they think I'm nice, it doesn't mean that they actually think I'm nice. What if they're playing some really mean joke on me to entertain their friends or something? These are the things that make the whole 'soulmate' thing bad for some people. What if I'm stuck with a bully or something?"