Reflections / Downtime
Stupid deadlines always come at the wrong time. D: I may expand the middle part of this later, but well, it's enough of a whole right now to get posted, and I don't know if or when I'll be at a computer tomorrow, so... yeah. Barely making the deadline.
Author: Hylian Shadow
Pairing: Link/Dark Link
Fandom: Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
Theme: #11 - gardenia
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
Summary: Link tries to take advantage of a rare free day. [2106 words]
Notes: 24/30.
Chapter Listing
I can almost forget I’m still on the castle grounds out here. I can almost imagine I’m back in Kokiri Forest, playing in the flowers with everyone else.
Here is a small, mostly-private patch of flowers in a hidden corner of the castle gardens. I never realized such a place existed until a few moments ago, when I stumbled across it in my search for somewhere private. Here it is peaceful, silent save for the breeze rustling through hundreds of delicate petals.
The white flowers are no kind I know, small and fragile and smelling faintly sweet. I lay down in the middle of them, trying to make myself comfortable. It isn’t easy. Not as long as I know what is happening inside the castle.
Princess Zelda is meeting with her chancellors again. That in and of itself isn’t worthy of note, but something about this makes me nervous. The princess wants to speak with Dark and me after her meeting, and for some unknown reason she doesn’t wish for me to be present at the meeting even though I’m supposed to protect her. True, I’m not the only knight, yet... when that man tried to assassinate the princess the other day, I didn’t even notice he had a knife until Dark pulled it away from him.
I keep telling myself that the man responsible has been caught and Zelda is safe, but I still wonder what would have happened if Dark hadn’t seen the knife? Would I have been able to protect Zelda?
I close my eyes and sigh. Asking that accomplishes nothing. All I’m doing is making myself feel terrible, and things are confusing enough already. Why would Zelda want to speak with us after a meeting that we can’t attend?
What are they discussing in there?
Something rustles nearby; strange, the breeze is still as gentle as it has been. The noise stops as suddenly as it starts, and I decide that it isn’t worth worrying about. I’m trying to make myself relax, after all.
Though I’m not being very successful at that.
And then there’s weight on my hips -- someone’s sitting on me! I snap my eyes open.
“Oh, so you are awake,” Dark says, grinning. “You looked asleep.”
“I came here to be alone.”
“Imagine that. So did I. I just didn’t know you knew about my little spot.”
How long has he known about this place? “You never told me.”
“Of course I didn’t. This was my little secret. But since you found it, I guess I need to share, huh?”
I shake my head, feeling the flowers brush against me as I do. “I can always find somewhere else.”
“Why?” He leans in, putting his hands on the ground on either side of my head to help support him. “There’s plenty of room for both of us here.”
That’s easy for him to say. Why is he sitting on me, anyway? I almost ask him -- but then my mind calls up his answer last time I asked him that question and my voice falters.
“Besides, Zelda’s in a meeting. You know how those old men are. They like the sounds of their own voices. She’ll be in there until around sunset, trust me. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Time for what?”
Dark rests his forehead against mine. “I’m bored. Entertain me.”
“There are others in the castle who can entertain you, Dark.” Is this more of his innuendo, or does he actually mean what he says? I have to know; I can’t ask.
“Maybe. But you look bored, too, so I thought we could entertain each other for a while.”
I close my eyes. I think I know where this is going now. I sigh; even now, I can’t help but worry about the discussion in that meeting room. I don’t have any control over that. Why am I focusing so much on it? All I’m doing is making myself sick with worry.
“Link, are you going to answer me?”
Focus on Dark, I tell myself. Focus on this; focus on what I have control over. “And what do you propose we do to entertain each other? I trust you have more in mind than merely sitting on me.”
“Oh, I do.” He chuckles. “You can start by taking off that damned uniform; why are you always wearing that thing, anyway?”
“I am a knight of Hyrule, Dark.” That isn’t the entire truth, but I can’t even bring myself to admit it to him. When I wear green, people recognize me as their hero; when I wear my uniform, I’m just another knight. As much as I appreciate the gratitude, I don’t want all that attention.
He scowls. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean you have to wear that stupid thing all the time. You’re not being a knight today, now are you? You could’ve worn normal clothes. Take it off.” He leans back, his hands moving from the flower-covered ground to start tugging at the laces on my collar.
It’s merely a uniform. Why does it seem to bother him so much? To be honest, however, I wouldn’t mind taking at least some of it off; I’m getting too warm in this.
“It will be a bit difficult to take my uniform off with you sitting on me, Dark.”
He looks frustrated. “All right, then, here.” He stands up, brushing white petals from his black clothing. “I’m not sitting on you anymore.”
I sit up. I know what he wants to do; do I want to do this? Why do I even ask? I know my answer. I shift and pull off my belt and surcoat.
Beside me, Dark chuckles softly. I look over at him; he’s sitting next to me, wearing only his breeches.
“That was rather fast, wasn’t it?” I say dryly before tugging my overshirt over my head.
He grins. “The faster we get naked, the more time we have to be bored together, right?”
This patch of flowers may be hidden in a corner, but we’re still in the castle gardens. “And what if someone should happen upon us while we are being bored together?” I ask.
“Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that there’s no one here.”
“Zelda wishes to speak with us when the meeting is over. She or someone she sends will be looking for us.”
He sighs. “It’s going to be a while before she’s done with that, Link. You’re just stalling.”
Am I? Is privacy that strange of a concept to him? Yet what if he’s right, and no one is going to find us here?
I pluck one of the white flowers and hold it up, staring at the white petals as a distraction. “Would it be that difficult to go back to our quarters?”
“Yes, it would. We’re easy to find there. It’s more fun when no one knows where we are. Like now.” He grabs me and yanks my undershirt off, throwing it to the side. “Come on, Link. The only ones who can see us are your Goddesses, and I doubt They care.”
I twirl the flower between two fingers. “The flowers can see us.”
“They’re just a bunch of stupid flowers; who cares?”
“They aren’t ‘stupid,’ Dark. They’re pretty. Just because you refuse to see such doesn’t dismiss that fact.” I lay back down; the flowers are every bit as soft against my back and sides as they look.
“They smell.”
“That is what flowers do. You must have noticed that when you came out here before.” That is what he said earlier, right? That he’s been out here before?
Dark leans over and looks down at me. “I didn’t really pay much attention. You’re the one who likes that sort of thing, not me. I noticed how it’s nice and private out here. And you’re still stalling, but go ahead.”
I reach up and brush the flower against his cheek. “Are the flowers that horrible? If so, we can --”
He sits on my legs and leans in close. “Yeah, yeah, we can go back to our quarters. If you’re that eager to go back, go back. I’m staying out here.”
“Then the flowers must not be that much of a bother.” I slide the flower down the side of his neck and then his chest, smiling faintly.
Dark closes his eyes. I keep the flower moving, using its petals to trace a line down to his waist and then back up to the other cheek. Then, since he’s not paying attention to me, I lean up and kiss him.
“Am I still stalling?”
“I don’t know,” he says, grinning. “You might be.”
I kiss him again, pulling him down on top of me. “Do you still feel that way?”
He laughs. “I think you’re starting to convince me... but now it’s my turn.” He kisses me hard, his hand sliding down and yanking at my breeches.
I grab at his hand, but he’s faster; he has me naked before I can stop him. His hands move away, and he starts moving against me -- is he stripping?
I finally push him off. “Wait.”
“Why should I?”
“We’re forgetting something.” Last time we did this, we used some of that oil Nabooru gave me. It’s in our quarters right now. Of course, it is; why would I carry something like that around with me?
Dark looks down at me and blinks. “I don’t think we are.”
“The oil, remember?”
“Oh! You don’t have it?” He grins. “No, I know you don’t have it, and I didn’t even think about it. Hmm. I guess we’ll just have to improvise, won’t we?”
I raise an eyebrow. “I suppose we shall.”
He laughs and starts kissing me again.
---
It’s late; I can hear the guards doing their evening roll call in the distance. The sky overhead is dark, orange and purple dotted with a few red clouds.
“It’s sunset.”
“Mmm.”
“Shouldn’t we be heading back? Zelda is surely looking for us by now.”
“Mmm.”
I smile and sit up, brushing a few stray petals off one shoulder. “Come on, Dark. We will have to return at some point.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, sitting up and brushing petals from his hair; it looks almost like snow falling. “I’m up; I’m up.”
I get redressed and watch as he slowly does the same. “You don’t seem very eager.”
“I like it out here.” He grins. “But fine, we’ll go. Don’t need the princess panicking because she can’t find her hero, now do we?”
I sigh as we start back towards the castle. “Dark, you know as well as I do how rarely Zelda panics.”
“You never know, really.”
“Dark...”
He shakes his head. “I’m kidding! Damn, don’t tell me you’re turning into one of those idiots. If that’s the case, I’ve got to get you out of the castle more often.”
Oddly enough, it seems no one is looking for us; we make it all the way back to our quarters without anyone saying a word to us. Nor is Zelda waiting for us there.
“I thought she wanted to speak with us...” I say as Dark opens the door.
“She’s probably got something else to deal with. I don’t mind; it beats having every guard in the castle looking for us.”
“Is the meeting still in session?” I start to turn back down the hallway, but Dark grabs my arm and yanks me into the room.
“It doesn’t matter! Look, we’re here now, so if she wants to talk to us, she knows where we are. So, what do we do now?”
I close the door and walk over to the bed, noting the neatly-folded uniform sitting on it. That wasn’t there when we left, but why is it here? The top of the stack is a surcoat. That doesn’t make sense; I’m wearing mine.
I walk over and unfold the coat, holding it up. It’s not mine. Is this what Zelda wishes to speak to us about?
“Dark...”
He’s looking out the window. “What?”
“I think this is for you.”
“You think what’s for me?” He turns around; I hold up the coat so he can see the solid-black crest on it. Instead of the image of the Master Sword, like mine, this coat bears the Sword’s silhouette.
“So, er, what does this mean, Link?” Dark asks, looking confused.
What else could it mean? This is his uniform, and the only reason he would need a knight’s uniform is if he is a knight. “It seems Zelda wishes to knight you.”
Author: Hylian Shadow
Pairing: Link/Dark Link
Fandom: Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time)
Theme: #11 - gardenia
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
Summary: Link tries to take advantage of a rare free day. [2106 words]
Notes: 24/30.
Chapter Listing
I can almost forget I’m still on the castle grounds out here. I can almost imagine I’m back in Kokiri Forest, playing in the flowers with everyone else.
Here is a small, mostly-private patch of flowers in a hidden corner of the castle gardens. I never realized such a place existed until a few moments ago, when I stumbled across it in my search for somewhere private. Here it is peaceful, silent save for the breeze rustling through hundreds of delicate petals.
The white flowers are no kind I know, small and fragile and smelling faintly sweet. I lay down in the middle of them, trying to make myself comfortable. It isn’t easy. Not as long as I know what is happening inside the castle.
Princess Zelda is meeting with her chancellors again. That in and of itself isn’t worthy of note, but something about this makes me nervous. The princess wants to speak with Dark and me after her meeting, and for some unknown reason she doesn’t wish for me to be present at the meeting even though I’m supposed to protect her. True, I’m not the only knight, yet... when that man tried to assassinate the princess the other day, I didn’t even notice he had a knife until Dark pulled it away from him.
I keep telling myself that the man responsible has been caught and Zelda is safe, but I still wonder what would have happened if Dark hadn’t seen the knife? Would I have been able to protect Zelda?
I close my eyes and sigh. Asking that accomplishes nothing. All I’m doing is making myself feel terrible, and things are confusing enough already. Why would Zelda want to speak with us after a meeting that we can’t attend?
What are they discussing in there?
Something rustles nearby; strange, the breeze is still as gentle as it has been. The noise stops as suddenly as it starts, and I decide that it isn’t worth worrying about. I’m trying to make myself relax, after all.
Though I’m not being very successful at that.
And then there’s weight on my hips -- someone’s sitting on me! I snap my eyes open.
“Oh, so you are awake,” Dark says, grinning. “You looked asleep.”
“I came here to be alone.”
“Imagine that. So did I. I just didn’t know you knew about my little spot.”
How long has he known about this place? “You never told me.”
“Of course I didn’t. This was my little secret. But since you found it, I guess I need to share, huh?”
I shake my head, feeling the flowers brush against me as I do. “I can always find somewhere else.”
“Why?” He leans in, putting his hands on the ground on either side of my head to help support him. “There’s plenty of room for both of us here.”
That’s easy for him to say. Why is he sitting on me, anyway? I almost ask him -- but then my mind calls up his answer last time I asked him that question and my voice falters.
“Besides, Zelda’s in a meeting. You know how those old men are. They like the sounds of their own voices. She’ll be in there until around sunset, trust me. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Time for what?”
Dark rests his forehead against mine. “I’m bored. Entertain me.”
“There are others in the castle who can entertain you, Dark.” Is this more of his innuendo, or does he actually mean what he says? I have to know; I can’t ask.
“Maybe. But you look bored, too, so I thought we could entertain each other for a while.”
I close my eyes. I think I know where this is going now. I sigh; even now, I can’t help but worry about the discussion in that meeting room. I don’t have any control over that. Why am I focusing so much on it? All I’m doing is making myself sick with worry.
“Link, are you going to answer me?”
Focus on Dark, I tell myself. Focus on this; focus on what I have control over. “And what do you propose we do to entertain each other? I trust you have more in mind than merely sitting on me.”
“Oh, I do.” He chuckles. “You can start by taking off that damned uniform; why are you always wearing that thing, anyway?”
“I am a knight of Hyrule, Dark.” That isn’t the entire truth, but I can’t even bring myself to admit it to him. When I wear green, people recognize me as their hero; when I wear my uniform, I’m just another knight. As much as I appreciate the gratitude, I don’t want all that attention.
He scowls. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean you have to wear that stupid thing all the time. You’re not being a knight today, now are you? You could’ve worn normal clothes. Take it off.” He leans back, his hands moving from the flower-covered ground to start tugging at the laces on my collar.
It’s merely a uniform. Why does it seem to bother him so much? To be honest, however, I wouldn’t mind taking at least some of it off; I’m getting too warm in this.
“It will be a bit difficult to take my uniform off with you sitting on me, Dark.”
He looks frustrated. “All right, then, here.” He stands up, brushing white petals from his black clothing. “I’m not sitting on you anymore.”
I sit up. I know what he wants to do; do I want to do this? Why do I even ask? I know my answer. I shift and pull off my belt and surcoat.
Beside me, Dark chuckles softly. I look over at him; he’s sitting next to me, wearing only his breeches.
“That was rather fast, wasn’t it?” I say dryly before tugging my overshirt over my head.
He grins. “The faster we get naked, the more time we have to be bored together, right?”
This patch of flowers may be hidden in a corner, but we’re still in the castle gardens. “And what if someone should happen upon us while we are being bored together?” I ask.
“Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that there’s no one here.”
“Zelda wishes to speak with us when the meeting is over. She or someone she sends will be looking for us.”
He sighs. “It’s going to be a while before she’s done with that, Link. You’re just stalling.”
Am I? Is privacy that strange of a concept to him? Yet what if he’s right, and no one is going to find us here?
I pluck one of the white flowers and hold it up, staring at the white petals as a distraction. “Would it be that difficult to go back to our quarters?”
“Yes, it would. We’re easy to find there. It’s more fun when no one knows where we are. Like now.” He grabs me and yanks my undershirt off, throwing it to the side. “Come on, Link. The only ones who can see us are your Goddesses, and I doubt They care.”
I twirl the flower between two fingers. “The flowers can see us.”
“They’re just a bunch of stupid flowers; who cares?”
“They aren’t ‘stupid,’ Dark. They’re pretty. Just because you refuse to see such doesn’t dismiss that fact.” I lay back down; the flowers are every bit as soft against my back and sides as they look.
“They smell.”
“That is what flowers do. You must have noticed that when you came out here before.” That is what he said earlier, right? That he’s been out here before?
Dark leans over and looks down at me. “I didn’t really pay much attention. You’re the one who likes that sort of thing, not me. I noticed how it’s nice and private out here. And you’re still stalling, but go ahead.”
I reach up and brush the flower against his cheek. “Are the flowers that horrible? If so, we can --”
He sits on my legs and leans in close. “Yeah, yeah, we can go back to our quarters. If you’re that eager to go back, go back. I’m staying out here.”
“Then the flowers must not be that much of a bother.” I slide the flower down the side of his neck and then his chest, smiling faintly.
Dark closes his eyes. I keep the flower moving, using its petals to trace a line down to his waist and then back up to the other cheek. Then, since he’s not paying attention to me, I lean up and kiss him.
“Am I still stalling?”
“I don’t know,” he says, grinning. “You might be.”
I kiss him again, pulling him down on top of me. “Do you still feel that way?”
He laughs. “I think you’re starting to convince me... but now it’s my turn.” He kisses me hard, his hand sliding down and yanking at my breeches.
I grab at his hand, but he’s faster; he has me naked before I can stop him. His hands move away, and he starts moving against me -- is he stripping?
I finally push him off. “Wait.”
“Why should I?”
“We’re forgetting something.” Last time we did this, we used some of that oil Nabooru gave me. It’s in our quarters right now. Of course, it is; why would I carry something like that around with me?
Dark looks down at me and blinks. “I don’t think we are.”
“The oil, remember?”
“Oh! You don’t have it?” He grins. “No, I know you don’t have it, and I didn’t even think about it. Hmm. I guess we’ll just have to improvise, won’t we?”
I raise an eyebrow. “I suppose we shall.”
He laughs and starts kissing me again.
---
It’s late; I can hear the guards doing their evening roll call in the distance. The sky overhead is dark, orange and purple dotted with a few red clouds.
“It’s sunset.”
“Mmm.”
“Shouldn’t we be heading back? Zelda is surely looking for us by now.”
“Mmm.”
I smile and sit up, brushing a few stray petals off one shoulder. “Come on, Dark. We will have to return at some point.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, sitting up and brushing petals from his hair; it looks almost like snow falling. “I’m up; I’m up.”
I get redressed and watch as he slowly does the same. “You don’t seem very eager.”
“I like it out here.” He grins. “But fine, we’ll go. Don’t need the princess panicking because she can’t find her hero, now do we?”
I sigh as we start back towards the castle. “Dark, you know as well as I do how rarely Zelda panics.”
“You never know, really.”
“Dark...”
He shakes his head. “I’m kidding! Damn, don’t tell me you’re turning into one of those idiots. If that’s the case, I’ve got to get you out of the castle more often.”
Oddly enough, it seems no one is looking for us; we make it all the way back to our quarters without anyone saying a word to us. Nor is Zelda waiting for us there.
“I thought she wanted to speak with us...” I say as Dark opens the door.
“She’s probably got something else to deal with. I don’t mind; it beats having every guard in the castle looking for us.”
“Is the meeting still in session?” I start to turn back down the hallway, but Dark grabs my arm and yanks me into the room.
“It doesn’t matter! Look, we’re here now, so if she wants to talk to us, she knows where we are. So, what do we do now?”
I close the door and walk over to the bed, noting the neatly-folded uniform sitting on it. That wasn’t there when we left, but why is it here? The top of the stack is a surcoat. That doesn’t make sense; I’m wearing mine.
I walk over and unfold the coat, holding it up. It’s not mine. Is this what Zelda wishes to speak to us about?
“Dark...”
He’s looking out the window. “What?”
“I think this is for you.”
“You think what’s for me?” He turns around; I hold up the coat so he can see the solid-black crest on it. Instead of the image of the Master Sword, like mine, this coat bears the Sword’s silhouette.
“So, er, what does this mean, Link?” Dark asks, looking confused.
What else could it mean? This is his uniform, and the only reason he would need a knight’s uniform is if he is a knight. “It seems Zelda wishes to knight you.”