Free to Love - A Zelda x Link Fanfiction

XXXIII: Tolerable

Zelda's Perspective:

The power hit me all at once, knocking the wind from my chest and leaving me breathless. It must've been the runes unlocked by Purah, I figured. All I could think was,

"It worked."

Link's face has already drained of color, but he held firm. His palm lay on the handle of his sword and a small part of me worried he would cut me. But somehow, I knew he wouldn't. I couldn't describe the feeling, more like viewing a story in my mind's eye that told bits of the future.

I saw Link and I in the woods, the rain pouring down too heavily to see what we were doing besides running. The sky ominous and red, black clouds drifting across. White lights, lasers, emanating from hidden devices, what I assumed to be the Devine Beasts. Splatters of ruby blood, lying on broken stone, seeping into the Earth by sliding through the cracks of rock. And a graveyard, grey and depressing, under trees that cast mournful shade across the small yard, with names too small to read.

"I see it."

Link was reaching out, his hands shaking my shoulders. He was frantic, I could see it, but I could feel it and sense it. I could smell the sweat that dripped down his face, hear his heart hammering in his chest. Why were all my senses so heightened? "See what? Zelda?" Link asked.

"Future."

His hands dug through the fabric of my clothes but I could only feel the pressure of his hands, not the warmth of his body. The images flipped quickly and I tried to memorize the details. How would I know what could be helpful to the future?

Link's words sounded nothing like murmurs of incoherency. It sounded like he was speaking to me underwater. I could still hear his heart, though. Or was it my heart? I was dizzy.

The ground lurched and my vision blurred, my knees feeling weak and unable to hold my weight. I didn't know which way I was falling, but Link was there, grabbing me tight, enveloping me in his tight embrace, holding me upright. I gripped onto his shirt for purchase, grabbing it in tight fists as I tried to steady my hitched breath and pounding heart. My temples throbbed with a slow headache, but I ignored it, burying my face in Link's shoulder and allowing my vision to clear.

The first thing I saw was Purah, peeking around an impressively high stack of books and holding a weighty encyclopedia in her hands, arm still poised to lurch the textbook at my head. She grinned sheepishly, throwing the book down with a "clunk" and edging out from her makeshift shield. "Well that was..." she paused as she searched for the right word, finally deciding on, "kinda fucking terrifying. I didn't know what would happen when I gave it to you, but I sure didn't expect that." She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. I could've sworn I heard her murmur, "What the fucking fuck?"

She smiled at me in possibly the most half-assed attempt I had seen in a long while, finally walking around us and edging towards the rounded door. "If we're going to screw around with unpredictable magic, can we please do it away from my lab?" she sighed dramatically, opening the door and pointing outside. Link glared daggers at her. If looks could kill, I assume that the scientist would've been twitching spastically on the floor.

"She nearly fainted!" Link said, the anger still seeping through his voice despite his attempt at a level tone. "Shouldn't you at least check her to see if she's alright?!"

Purah's thing eyebrows raised in slight amusement. "Fine, fine, take a goddamn chill pill, Link the Loverboy," she said, waving her hand. She walked up to me and stared up at me. She was so short, it was almost comical the way she stared up at me with the most apathetic expression I had ever seen. She grabbed my wrist and pressed two fingers against my inner wrist. She paused for a long moment, then reached up and, caught me by surprise.

She slipped her hand under my shirt, reaching for my sternum between my breasts. "Hey!" Link shouted. I could see his face over Purah's short height and his eyes were wide, face red. "You— You can't—!"

"Oh, Hylia, I'm not feeling up your girl, dude!" Purah said in an exasperated tone. "She's not even my type! I like blondes more anyway." She checked my heartbeat as Links silently brooded, nostrils flaring, begins her back. As she reached behind me to feel my spine, she whispered, "Is he always like this?"

I bit back my laugh. "He's especially anxious today," I explained, trying not to smile too much. "More so than usual. He's worried about my power and, well, my near-faint probably didn't make him any better."

She shook her head, clicking her tongue as she finished. "Love will do dumb shit to people," she said to herself. She glanced down and I could've sworn I saw some sort of sadness flash across her face but she looked up again, face twisted back into a bemused smirk. "Ok, now let's go try and play with some magic!"

It didn't take long to harness the power. The device was surprisingly simplistic. Each of the Runes has it's own icon had a specific power: Stasis, Magnesis, Cryosis, and explosives. It required nothing more than a click and a bit of focus on my part. Purah set out a bucket of water for me to try to freeze.

I pressed on the icon with the snowflake and focused my attention on the water. I didn't know what to do as I stared at the silver surface. I imagined that the ice was building up inside, the cold emanating from the surface and making the bucket bitingly cold. I imagined the surface of the water freezing over, the snowflakes of ice crawling across the rippled surface.

Link gasped. My eyes focused and there it was. A bucket of solid water. The water was covered with a thick layer of frosted ice and, whatever water was trapped underneath the surface, was still the same as before. Purah raises an eyebrow dramatically before stretching her arms overhead and yawning.

"I'm sure you two can manage," she said, smiling lazily. "I'm tired, so I'm gonna go sleep. Feel free to keep messing with the Runes but just please, for the love of the Goddess, please don't light my goddamn lab on fire." She nodded at Link and then pulled me close to a hug.

"Be smart, Zelda," she whispered, as she clung to my shoulders. "Love can make us do dumb things." She paused for a moment. "Excessively dumb things."

(Did I update my chapter early? You bet! Also, yes, the "blonde" comment was me making Purah gay. Why? Because I wanna.)