Hero by Heart

Chapter 20

The trek up to Death Mountain had been rather uneventful, yet beautiful. Link had admired every part of it, despite having seen it all before. He could only imagine how it must be for Zelda, after being secluded from this world for so long.
     They had decided to stay at Foothill Stable for the night, so that they had all day to travel the road to the city. Link knew from experience how hard it could be for Hylians to withstand the immense heat up there. He wanted to protect Zelda to the best of his abilities.
As soon as they had arrived at the stable, they had been greeted enthusiastically. Not that many people came this way, and to suddenly have such famous visitors greatly excited the stable owners.
To get away from all the fuzz and the stares, Link took Zelda out onto the road. The afternoon was slowly passing, causing a strange hush to settle over the mountain. It was the perfect time to show her a special place he knew of.
As they walked underneath a great natural arch of massive rock, Zelda looked around in excitement, making Link smile. He longed to grab her hand, but resisted. He wanted to honor her request of keeping things private for now, and there was no telling who might be watching.
'Have you ever been in before?' He asked instead, referring to the natural hot springs left and right of the path.
Zelda shook her head. 'There never was time. I passed here a few times on my way to Goron City, but duty kept me from trying it out.'
Link grinned excitedly. He now gently nudged her shoulder to direct her towards the right, off the road. They passed a boulder that held a glowing piece of ore to illuminate the way, which effectively blocked then from view. It was getting dark and the steam rising up from the hot pools created a mystical fog.
Directly before them were a few ledges leading down to the water. Link stepped down and held up his hand to assist Zelda, showing her an elegant smile.
     She chuckled and beamed back, causing his stomach to flutter. Then she took it and allowed him to guide her to a narrow patch of level ground, right at the water's edge.
The limited amount of space to stand led them to be extremely close together, but Link didn't mind. He felt a light flush on his cheeks, but brushed it off on the heat in the air.
Zelda now quirked one eyebrow at him, and cocked her head. 'What now?'
Link shrugged innocently, before making a grant gesture to invite her in. 'This is your chance.'
Zelda chuckled. Her cheeks were flushed with heat, causing the green in her eyes to sparkle. 'Don't mind if I do.' She turned towards the water and in one swift motion pulled off her tunic.
     Link let out a soft gasp at the suddenness of her actions. He had expected her to be more timid, waiting for him to go in first, but was proven very wrong.
     He tried very, very hard to ignore the racing of his heart as she stripped her boots and trousers as well. He didn't know where to look, despite his eyes being drawn to her perfect skin and beautiful body.
     Zelda folded her clothes and put them on one of the rocks, now only wearing her underwear. With a taunting smirk she stepped into the shallow water, until it reached up to her hips.
     Link swallowed dryly. He couldn't look away. The steam billowing around her gave her a strangely magical appearance.
'Are you coming or what?' She laughed, spreading her arms invitingly.
Link suddenly snapped out of his trance. He was able to move again and quickly bent over to start undressing, his cheeks burning. Whether she had meant to or not, there was no denying the effect she had on him.
     Finally, when he was undressed, he waded in and tried to catch up to her, determined not to freeze up like that again. Before he could reach her, however, she backed away, splashing through the steaming water with a laugh.
     Link followed, not bothering to care where she might lead him.
     Soon they reached the opposite bank, where the mountain towered over them and boulders were scattered in the water. It was rather shallow and Zelda sat down leaning against a rock, submerged up to her shoulders.
     As Link sat down next to her, she let out a content sigh. He scooted a little closer, just enough to feel her presence and be slightly inappropriate for his role as her knight, but he doubted anyone would be able to see them there. Besides, going into the water with her might already be deemed inappropriate.
     He didn't care.
     'It really is amazing,' Zelda sighed. 'Thank you, Link. I needed this. It's just so relaxing!'
     He gave her a gentle smile and nodded. He then leaned against the rocks as well and closed his eyes, taking in the feel of the water. He could just feel his muscles starting to relax.
     After a moment's silence he felt Zelda's soft skin against his arm. He opened one eye, only to find her already looking at him, a sparkle in her eyes. He immediately became much more aware of their surroundings and the fact that those boulders shielded them from the road. Through the thick fog he could just make out one of the lights along the path, but everything else was dark and clouded.
     There was no way anybody could see them sitting there.
     Link chuckled a little nervously, unsure of what to do. The whole situation was still so new to him.
     Zelda gave him another bright smile and positioned herself to nestle into his side, giving him no choice but to put his arm around her.
     He smiled, allowing himself to relax again. He leaned back, his cheek resting on Zelda's soft hair.
     They sat like that for what seemed like ages, simply enjoying the peace and quiet. It no longer felt strange to have her so close to him. It felt right.
     Eventually, once it hard turned fully dark, Zelda stirred and looked at Link. 'Perhaps we should head back and get some sleep. It's going to be a big climb tomorrow.'
     Link nodded, reluctantly pulling back his arm. Before he could make a move to get up though, Zelda stopped him by throwing her leg over his.
     She worked herself up until she was sitting on his lap, facing him, as water dripped down her bare shoulders.
     Link's heart stuttered. He sucked in a breath while his stomach twisted violently. He couldn't help but look at her, his cheeks flushing an even deeper red.  He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He hardly dared to move.
     Zelda smiled at him, a sweet, gentle smile, as she wound her fingers through the back of his hair. She leaned closer, until she could whisper in his ear. 'You're really cute when you get all nervous, you know?'
     An involuntary grunt escaped his lips. Link didn't know what to say. A burning heat pooled in his stomach, one that had nothing to do with the water or the volcano.
     Zelda's eyes were still blazing in the dark, never leaving his.
     He no longer felt nervous or insecure. It was obvious she wanted him to react. And he desperately wanted to.
     In one quick sweep he placed a hand in her neck and pulled her closer, until he could connect their lips in a searing kiss. His mind stilled, even though his heart went into overdrive. The feel of her smooth, naked skin under his fingers was almost too much to handle.
Link lost all control over his body, but allowed his instincts to guide him as he tightly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her as if it was the last thing he'd ever do.
     A wave of disappointment washed over him when Zelda eventually pulled away, leaving him feeling strangely cold. He quickly warmed up, however, when she smiled at him. In that moment, there was nothing more he could ever want.
     How could he ever have thought that he had no feelings for her?
     Zelda placed one more gentle kiss on his lips, then moved away. He looked at her as she floated on her back, slowly making her way back to their clothes, her eyes never leaving his.
He smiled. She was truly the most beautiful person he had ever seen. And she was all his.