It wasn’t a very eventful
trip, especially not since it was a journey by night. The only interesting
thing Zelda heard or saw was the few occasions when Ruto rattled her
tongue loudly at schools of passing fish. Zelda could only guess what
Ruto was communicating to them. If only some regular Hylian citizen
could see this, Zelda thought. I can’t begin to imagine the
insults they would hurl her way.
Zelda still felt badly for
her earlier jab at Princess Ruto. I’m disturbed at how quickly
that fell out, Zelda thought. How on earth can I call myself
a fair ruler if I can’t lay aside racial stereotypes?
Zelda suddenly remembered that
she wasn’t a ruler anymore – at least, not in this world ruled by
Ganondorf. Does he really believe that I am Sheik? Zelda thought.
Does he have any hint as to my true identity?
Zelda squeezed her eyes shut.
She did not want to confront the thoughts roiling in her mind. She tried
to concentrate on other things and found herself focused once again
upon Ruto.
Frankly, I’m stunned that
Ruto was able to recover that quickly and take on such a difficult task,
Zelda thought. I’m the weight and size of a small man and yet she
practically flits through the water. And upstream, no
less!
As Ruto arced her body out
of the water and into the air, Zelda had the chance to take another
deep breath just before Ruto dove back in. Zelda was struck by the Zora
girl’s courtesy – she leapt out on a frequent and regular basis;
Zelda did not have to remind Ruto even once. Several times, however,
Zelda nearly lost her grip on the Zora’s shoulders as Ruto pounced
out of the water and into the air. Each time, Ruto brought her arms
around and knitted her hands together behind Zelda’s bottom to secure
her. Zelda became acutely aware of Ruto’s touch, even though Zelda
felt sure that sensuality was the furthest thing from Ruto’s mind.
The river began to narrow.
“We’re almost there,” Ruto shouted in a voice-filtered by water.
“Good!” Zelda shouted back
once Ruto momentarily leaped out of the water.
Zelda’s heart was beginning
to pound painfully against her ribcage and in her ears, despite Ruto’s
care. She would need a rest, and soon. For the love of Din, Zelda
thought with chagrin, I thought I was in better condition than this.
At last, the river suddenly
widened and a long waterfall dumped Ruto and Zelda into the enormous
lake of Hyrule, Lake Hylia. When they reached the bottom of the waterfall
and Ruto regained her bearings, Ruto poked her head above the surface
and swam more casually. She boosted Zelda further up her back with her
hands tightly holding Zelda’s buttocks. Zelda tried to take her mind
off of Ruto’s hands and listen to what she said.
“You didn’t tell me the
Lake was as low as it is, Mr. Sheik.”
Indeed, the Lake was several
dozen feet below the normal level. “It seems that the Lake has changed
since my last visit,” Zelda replied. She slipped off Ruto’s back
and treaded water, swimming around to face Ruto.
Ruto took a deep breath and
rubbed her nose in concentration. “Have I got my work cut out for
me?” Ruto asked.
“I think so,” Zelda replied.
Both gazed into the furthest depths of the Lake at the entrance to the
Temple of Water.
Ruto swam around, staying above
the surface and pushing forward to the entrance of the Temple of Water.
Zelda followed close behind her. Clearly, something would need to be
done with the gate that blocked the entrance to the Temple. It appeared
that it hadn’t been used in several years and thus, seemed to be rather
rusted over. Ruto and Zelda studied the gate, each silently formulating
their own plans as to how to get inside.
Suddenly, something behind
the two leapt up from the water into the air and dove back under. Neither
one of them were able to get a good look at the leaping object. Ruto
and Zelda almost clawed the skin off one another as they scrambled out
of the water, using the ancient, broken bridge as a landing shore. Ruto
shrieked a long string of obscenities in the Zoran tongue while Zelda
tried to scan the water for a sign of the swimming object.
“What in the name of all
things holy was that?!” Ruto cried.
“Bloody hell if I know,”
Zelda swore. The object had severely startled her and her fear manifested
itself through irritation.
“Well, you’re the man –
get in there and find out!” Ruto commanded.
“You’re the better swimmer
– get in there and find out first,” Zelda retorted.
“We’ll both go back in,”
Ruto said and grabbed her right hand, causing the guard on Zelda’s
wrist to dislodge. Zelda felt the damage and gasped. Quickly, she jerked
her hand out of Ruto’s and repaired the guard as best as she could
without unwrapping the bandages holding the guard in place.
“What’s the matter now?”
Ruto asked.
“Nothing, it just got moved
to the side,” Zelda replied.
Ruto turned out to be more
intuitive than Zelda had bargained for. “What are you hiding, Sheik?”
Ruto asked, not missing a beat.
“Just because I’m wearing
a facemask doesn’t mean I’m hiding anything from you,” Zelda said
pointedly. “I’m just hiding from him.”
“Him – Ganondorf?” Ruto
asked in a low voice.
“Yes, but what good person
isn’t hiding from him?” Zelda said.
“The Sheikah haven’t been
seen in a public setting in decades,” Ruto replied. “I would think
it would be most natural for you and what remains of your people to
hide. It isn’t so natural for the rest of us.”
Zelda placed her hand back
into Ruto’s to avoid the implication that Zelda disliked her. Ruto
took a few steps out into the water and suddenly looked at Zelda with
an unsettled and pained face. “Do you think my people will survive
the freezing of Zora’s Domain?” Ruto asked.
I…didn’t see any indication
of life other than you, Zelda thought. But she replied, “I don’t
know…I hope that some will be alive.”
Ruto’s face did not change
as she looked down from Zelda’s face. For no particular reason and
despite the situation, Zelda suddenly noted that there was not a single
sound of nature anywhere within earshot. No chirping birds, no buzzing
bugs, no fish leaping in and out of the lake, nothing. As if the much-lowered
lake weren’t a clear enough indication, this absence of regular noise
was more than confirmation that something evil had taken hold of the
Water Temple below the surface of Lake Hylia.
Zelda pulled on Ruto’s hand.
“Come on now,” Zelda said as gently as she could. “The sooner
we rid the Temple of this evil influence, the sooner we can leave.”
“Perhaps…that thing that
jumped around was part of that influence?” Ruto asked uncertainly.
“Maybe,” Zelda said, not
sure at all of the leaping objects’ moral affiliation.
Ruto lead the way into the
water and they raised their heads above the surface, being as quiet
as possible so they could anticipate the object’s return. After several
moments they heard something suddenly break the surface behind them.
Ruto spun around more quickly
than Zelda’s eyes could register. “If you are a part of the curse
that Ganondorf has placed upon this lake, get the hell out!”
Ruto screamed as she whirled to face the danger. “This is my
lake – I am the ruler of the Zoras as long as I draw breath!”
Zelda and Ruto looked upon
a Zora, very similar in bodily nature to Ruto. It was immediately clear
that he was terrified at Ruto’s display of aggression. Only his eyes
were above the surface – everything else was submerged for a quick
getaway, if he needed it.
That was anti-climatic,
Zelda thought as she pushed her hair back in relief.
Ruto swam up beside the teenaged
Zora, or so he appeared to Zelda. “Nobuyuki!” Ruto cried. “You
weren’t inside El Dominio when it froze over, praise Farore!”
Nobuyuki shook his head. “I
was out gathering food for dinner with my family before that man in
black came to Dominio – he’s frozen everything, Your Majesty!
Even the entrance to get back in,” he said.
In spite of the young Zora’s
anxious grief, Zelda could not help but be struck by his beautiful dark
eyes and intricately patterned skin. He was the second Zora she had
seen over the last few hours and she wondered if all of them were this
naturally beautiful.
Zelda snapped back to the conversation
at hand. “Do not go back to Dominio until it is unfrozen,”
she heard Ruto direct Nobuyuki. “If your family is nearby, I shall
give them the same warning. El Dominio is still under Ganondorf’s
curse. In fact, I was frozen under the ice and if it weren’t for this
man Sheik” – here Ruto indicated Zelda – “I would not be alive.”
Nobuyuki bowed deeply to Zelda.
“Our Princess Ruto is precious to our people,” he said. “We will
be forever indebted to you for your kindness and sacrifice.”
Zelda bowed in return, humbled
by the young Zora’s respect. As she straightened, Zelda felt a large
amount of water being pushed aside somewhere close to her feet and legs.
“Besides your family,”
Ruto said, “who else is with you in Lake Hylia?”
“Sadao is here,” Nobuyuki
said, “and Teruo is here with his wife and family as well as Daisuke
and his girlfriend.”
“Is that all,” Ruto asked.
“Surely there are more who were here before Ganondorf cursed El
Dominio?”
“I’m afraid not, Your Majesty,”
Nobuyuki replied. “There may be more who got out and who are in some
other parts of the river, but I did not see any more besides those in
the Lake.”
Ruto turned to Zelda, a look
of devastation on her face. “Only thirteen of us remain…how can
the Hylian Zoras survive?” she whispered.
Zelda felt another strong underwater
current and heard a low swish. She spared a glance backwards
but saw nothing.
“Could other Zoras from other
countries be allowed into Hyrule to help us rebuild El Dominio?”
Nobuyuki asked.
“It may be our only choice,
if thirteen is our final number,” Ruto said.
“Pardon me for asking, Your
Majesty,” Nobuyuki began. “But who is to marry the Princess Ruto,
considering this disaster?”
Zelda turned her full attention
to Ruto. Ruto appeared thoughtful as she gazed up into the sky. “Do
not concern yourself – I am engaged. Last I heard, he was still alive
and well.” Zelda felt a mild shock run through her body at this news.
“Please allow me to speak
on my family’s behalf: we rejoice in your engagement and look forward
to your continued reign,” Nobuyuki said, bowing once more.
Zelda wanted to ask Ruto who
her fiancée was, but by then, the barracuda bit into her leg and rapidly
pulled her down to the floor of the Lake.
Immediately, she was amazed
at the sheer size of the creature. Eight feet long and three feet wide
and equipped with an enormous mouth lined with sharp teeth. The barracuda
had a demonic gleam in its orange eyes and Zelda struggled as hard as
she could to dislodge herself from the barracuda’s mouth. Clouds of
blood rose around Zelda and she tried to sweep them away to get a better
view of the creature, but in vain. The barracuda continued to drag her
further down.
Zelda punched the barracuda’s
nostrils but it seemed to have little effect. Zelda felt her oxygen
level rapidly become depleted, so she resorted to grabbing her stiletto-thin
throwing knives and burying two into the barracuda’s nose. It thrashed
wildly and more clouds of blood obscured Zelda’s sight.
Zelda continued to stab at
the barracuda’s mouth and at last, it released her. Zelda began swimming
up to the surface, excruciatingly aware of the damage in her leg. Just
when she almost reached the surface, barely enough to take a breath
of air, the barracuda bit her arm and pulled her back under.
Purely on reflex, Zelda began
to scream for Ruto’s aid, but the water rushed into her mouth and
lungs – Zelda, still in the disguise of Sheik, was almost finished.
The moment Ruto realized Zelda
was gone and far beneath the surface of the water, Ruto procured
Nobuyuki’s spear and quickly dived under the surface, searching for
Sheik. She spotted him struggling for his life amid bloody plumes.
Gods damn it, of all the
things it could have been, it’s a barracuda, Ruto thought as she
streaked towards the battle. She watched as Sheik managed to free his
leg from the barracuda’s jaws and almost achieved the surface’s
relief.
Ruto readied her spear for
the barracuda and almost threw it when the creature gained hold of Sheik
once more. She couldn’t throw the spear without the risk of hurting
Sheik, so she kicked her legs and arms and plunged down, following the
scene of battle.
By now, Sheik’s entire right
side was exposed, his gashes leaked blood and he no longer fought with
the power he had before. The moment Ruto had her target, she pulled
her arm back and threw the spear with all the strength she had. The
spear lodged itself in the barracuda’s eye and Ruto shoved the spear
in further.
The barracuda immediately released
Sheik and Ruto snatched his limp body up. She grabbed Sheik by the waist
and swam directly for the entrance to the Water Temple – it was their
closest haven. Smashing the gate key with her fist, she swam in with
Sheik draped over her shoulder.
Quickly kicking the opposing
gate key to shut the gate, Ruto hoisted Sheik up onto the high threshold
of the Temple. It was clear that Sheik’s injuries were grave indeed
– clear, because most of his clothing was torn off.
“Please breathe, please breathe!”
Ruto shouted at Sheik. Tearing off his mask, she pushed upwards on his
diaphragm to force the water in his lungs out.
Ruto smacked her mouth onto
Sheik’s, blew into his mouth as hard as she could and continued to
apply sharp pressure to his stomach. After a few rounds, Ruto ascertained
that Sheik wasn’t recovering quickly enough. Tearing off the rest
of Sheik’s shirt, she hoped it would allow for more breathing room.
What greeted Ruto’s eyes was not the masculine pectorals she expected
– rather, a set of feminine breasts. She looked at Sheiks’ face
and saw at once that “Sheik” was no longer Sheik, but rather a woman
with delicate facial features and soaked, yet long, hair.
Momentarily putting the confusion
out of her mind, she pushed as hard as she could on the woman’s stomach
one last time before the woman began coughing up the water and rolled
onto her stomach. When the woman placed her palms on the ground to steady
herself, Ruto saw the clearest sign of the woman’s identity on her
right hand – the Triforce emblazoned upon the back of her hand.
“You – I should have known!”
Ruto cried. “You are Zelda!”
Zelda crawled on her hands
and knees to the wall, groaning with each motion and sat against the
wall. Ruto noticed Zelda’s breasts looked bigger when she was sitting
up straight. Apparently, Zelda did not feel the need for modesty any
longer, for she did not make any attempt to cover herself.
She slowly, painfully replaced
the stiletto knives back into the pack attached to her good leg and
pulled out a blue solution in a tightly corked bottle from the pack
below the first. She used her left hand to sip the solution while grasping
her torn cloth with her right – she was in a tremendous amount of
pain, but she did not look at Ruto directly.
“Princess Zelda!” Ruto
exclaimed, still stunned. “I don’t believe it! How long have you
been hiding like this?”
“Seven years,” Zelda replied
briefly. She hoped the internal healing solution would take effect sooner
than was typical. Not only was she in monstrous pain, she was well aware
that to stay in one place for long meant certain discovery. Zelda did
not see herself being able to move efficiently with these wounds. And
now, one more person knew who she was. She was in a very precarious
situation, indeed.
“Seven years I have been
running and trying to save my people from Ganondorf. Running to save
a world already lost,” she said, looking to Ruto. Her face was still
one of utter amazement.
“Don’t say that, Princess,”
Ruto said with a new tone of voice. “There’s still hope. There’s
always hope left, even when things look bleakest. Link’s on his way
– you said so yourself, and now you’ve got me.” Ruto grinned at
Zelda.
“I do,” said Zelda. “But
my actions have been careless enough that...” she trailed off, shaking
her head. “If Ganondorf finds out who I am,” she continued, “we
stand to lose all we’ve worked for to bring him down. And for the
love of Din, I cannot stop hurting…”
To her utter embarrassment
and shame, Zelda began crying. She was exhausted, she was in horrendous
pain, she was close to despair and she saw only more mountains to climb
before Ganondorf’s defeat. Ruto pulled Zelda down into her lap, caressed
her arms and pressed her lips to her forehead.
“Things are always darkest
just before the dawn,” Ruto said softly. “But there is no time for
fear.”
Zelda understood the motivation
behind Ruto’s words, but couldn’t fathom the reason behind her intimate
touch. Again, in spite of the situation, Zelda couldn’t help but feel
the sensuality rising up and wondered if Ruto knew precisely what she
was doing.
“You probably don’t remember,
but do you know that I’ve already met you?” Ruto asked. Zelda faced
Ruto in surprise.
“Remember when your father
and my father met in El Dominio to settle on a compromise over
the Rights of Water treaty?” Ruto said while uncorking the bottle
of healing solution and dripping a few drops into Zelda’s mouth.
Zelda gratefully swallowed the liquid.
“I remember, but only barely,”
Zelda replied. “So that was you? Obviously, I wouldn’t recognize
you.”
“I’d hope so,” Ruto said.
“You and I were only three years at the time. When I first saw you
walking in with your father, I couldn’t help but love your little
blonde curls and your pink skin. Up until that point, I only saw Zoras
and their blue skin – you and your father were the first Hylians I
ever saw.”
“I confess,” said Zelda,
“I don’t remember much of that particular encounter. I only remember
lots of water and what looked like tall blue fish that walked around.”
Ruto raised her eyebrows.
“But I was young and influenced
by what Hylians sometimes say if the subject of Zoras come up,” Zelda
said quickly. She did not want a repeat performance of their earlier
racial discussion.
“And what did those Hylians
say?” Ruto asked.
Zelda would have rather not
said, especially not since she and Ruto had already formed a tentative
bond. “They said that you smelled like…like fish,” Zelda said
hesitantly.
Ruto sighed. “And now that
you are lying in the lap of a Zora, do you smell any hint of fish on
me?” she asked.
“I’m sorry; I can only
smell blood at this point,” Zelda said very quietly, “as well as
this musty threshold. When was the last time anyone came through here?
It doesn’t feel like this has been crossed since its construction.”
“Only Zoras can come in easily,”
Ruto replied. “The only reason you were able to come in is because
the water level is too low and you were already halfway there.”
“Ah,” Zelda said before
she relaxed in Ruto’s lap and closed her eyes.
They allowed a brief reign
of silence before Ruto said, “Ever since I met you, I’ve liked you
very much.”
“Is that the reason behind
your earlier kiss?” Zelda asked, quite curious to know.
“I…just wanted to feel
your skin,” Ruto confessed, blushing a mild pink.
Zelda closed her eyes again
and concentrated on breathing the healing finally taking place in her
leg and arm. Her eyes flicked open when she felt Ruto’s hands tracing
the bottom of her breasts.
“I just want to feel,”
Ruto said when Zelda began to protest. “You’re the second Hylian
I’ve touched since I was hatched.”
Zelda was surprised – she
did not feel uncomfortable with Ruto’s explorations. It felt perfectly
natural but also served to increase her arousal. She hoped Ruto wouldn’t
notice her burning face which she was sure was quite red.
“Who is the first Hylian
whom you’ve touched?” Zelda couldn’t help but ask.
“Link, my fiancée,” Ruto
said off-handedly. Zelda sat up and turned around to face Ruto.
“Link is your fiancée?!”
Zelda exclaimed.
“Indeed,” Ruto replied.
“I mentioned him while talking with Nobuyuki, remember?”
“You mentioned the engagement,
you did not mention Link as your fiancée,” Zelda replied.
“Oh, well, it’s not something
I’d like everyone to know,” Ruto said casually. “Inter-special
marriage is not something that’s encouraged.”
“But,” Zelda began, “he
belongs to me – I am the one with whom he belongs, not you!”
“Who says we can’t share
him?” Ruto said, grinning.
“We can’t, not really and—“
Zelda sputtered.
“For heaven’s sake, Zelda,”
Ruto interrupted, laughing. “I engaged myself to him when I was ten
years old. I doubt Link was aware of it at the time, my father never
knew and I’ve got my place as the Water’s Sage. Do you truly think
that I can fulfill an engagement with Link?”
Zelda muttered in a low tone.
“All the same, I’d like
to experience love with a Hylian, however briefly,” Ruto said, laying
Zelda back down into her lap. “It’s remarkably delightful to engage
in taboo behavior, especially while the whole world shakes their collective
fist at you, don’t you think?” Zelda only stared up at Ruto.
“In answer to your earlier
question,” Ruto said, “I’ve always liked you very much. I’d
listen for any news of your doings during my childhood, any at all.
When Ganondorf took over Hyrule, I was sick with worry for you – I’ve
always wondered what happened. And here you are, safe and sound and
in my lap!”
Zelda smiled weakly and, not
knowing what else to do, gave a playful salute. “Ach, what was that?”
Ruto asked, poking Zelda’s breast. “Aren’t we beyond formal greetings?”
“It seems we are,” Zelda
replied. Or tried to. Ruto chose that very moment to lean down and plant
a firm kiss on Zelda’s lips.
“Why thank you!” Ruto exclaimed
gleefully. “My first kiss with a Hylian.”
Zelda had no idea what to do.
~~~
“Are you certain you will
be alright?” Zelda asked Ruto.
“I believe I should ask you
that question,” Ruto said playfully. Ruto was still quite gleeful
after her stolen kiss from Zelda.
“I’ll be fine – I’m
not the one who must meet the monster that reigns here,” Zelda said.
“No indeed,” Ruto replied.
“But you must meet Ganondorf himself one day and in your true identity
as Zelda.”
“I doubt that day will belong
much to me at all,” Zelda said under her breath, not meaning for Ruto
to hear. However, she did not count on Ruto’s razor-sharp hearing.
Ruto was preparing to dive into the deepest part of the Temple and wait
for Link, but she turned around and drew close to Zelda and squeezed
her shoulders.
“It will belong to
you. The victory will be just as much yours as it will be his. Depend
on it,” Ruto said with strength in her voice. It made Zelda want to
touch her beyond just a simple kiss – Ruto was strong, stronger than
Zelda herself felt. Ruto had nothing to hide; she simply was who she
was. Zelda lusted after that confidence. A sensual spark between herself
and Ruto was born.
Zelda relished the strong muscles
in Ruto’s hands which squeezed her shoulders as well as the sensation
of Ruto’s breasts pressing against her back, though she wanted Ruto’s
hands upon her own once more (Zelda still didn’t understand why Ruto
decided to touch them – she understood the attraction Ruto had for
her, but it had been years since they had seen each other last).
“Dawn is quickly approaching
and I’ve spent too much time here,” Zelda said, gathering a thick
robe about her and pinning it so that it would not easily fall apart.
“Do you know what to do?”
“Wait for Link – how difficult
can it be?” Ruto retorted playfully.
Zelda simply nodded and buckled
her leg pouches to her good leg. Her injuries had mostly healed thanks
to the healing potion, but there would be stiffness present for a few
hours longer.
“I suspect you will have
to fight off a monster or two before he arrives,” Zelda said.
Ruto leaned over the lip of
the threshold and peered down into the water’s depths. “Probably,”
she snorted. “But what are small fry to me? I’ve already cooked
one fish this evening.” Ruto grinned and flipped her heel and hip
fins about.
“And I’m eternally grateful
to you,” Zelda said, finally prepared for her departure. She began
to wrap her mask around her face when Ruto took three quick steps up
to Zelda. Zelda was surprised at the Zora woman’s sudden closeness.
When she saw Ruto leaning towards her mouth, she knew it was coming,
but there was no desire to resist. She opened herself to Ruto’s lips
and savored the kiss for all its worth.
“That’s for good luck,”
Ruto said when they parted. “Good luck to us both.”
“We’ll both need it,”
Zelda said.
Zelda turned to leave, tightly
binding the facemask into place. She had just hit the gate switch and
opened the gate when Ruto said, “Will we see each other again?”
Without turning to face her,
Zelda replied, “We will see each other again when it is time to seal
Ganondorf…somewhere. I do not yet know where he will be sealed.”
“I mean, before then,”
Ruto said. “Can we see each other before he is sealed? After this
temple is healed?”
Zelda took a deep breath and
turned to face Ruto. “I give you my word,” Zelda said. “We will
meet again after the Water Temple is healed from its curse. That is,
unless I’m dead and therefore unable to fulfill my promise.”
Ruto grinned. “Don’t die,
then,” she said.
Zelda smiled and watched Ruto
leap into the depths of the Temple’s lake. Then she slid into the
waters and out of the Temple. Quickly sealing the Temple with the gate
once more, she swam with as much energy as her limbs could give her,
not wanting to tangle with the barracuda again.
When she reached the shore,
she couldn’t help but look back at the underwater temple and wonder
if Ruto would stay in good condition by the time Link arrived to help
her. Thinking of Ruto and Link made Zelda wonder if Ruto were truly
japing about their engagement as young children. Zelda also wondered
if there were any feelings between Link and Ruto, or if they were one-sided
on Ruto’s part.
Zelda did not have much time
to think. She would need to get to safe shelter and quickly if she were
to avoid the exposure of daylight. The Temple and Ruto’s presence
might have kept her safe temporarily, but there was the distinct possibility
of news returning to Ganondorf of her whereabouts. I need to be as
much of a wandering nomad as possible, Zelda thought. For my
safety, for Ruto’s, for Link’s quest and for the future of Hyrule.
Zelda pulled Sheik’s mask
tighter about her mouth and began to run back to the frozen Zora’s
Domain. The Hero still needed the keys to purify the Water Temple
~~~
Ruto sank to the floor of the
Water Temple before she began moving her limbs and using her conveniently
placed fins to propel herself through the clear, cold water. Funny,
Ruto thought to herself as she made a quick perimeter around the bottom
of the floor. For an enemy-infested area, I would have imagined many
more monsters and a little more…dramatically
colored water. Where are the dark, murky depths you hear of in the
stories? Where are the monstrous fish waiting to take a bite out of
unaware visitors?
However, Ruto knew better than
to dismiss the odd feeling that someone or something had their eyes
trained upon her, watching her every move and filing away mental notes
to use for their own benefit. These would not be Ganondorf’s monsters;
they relied far too much on their leader for their instructions. No,
this was an entirely different creature that she felt watching her –
much more intelligent, much more calculating. A cunning shadow, indeed.
The object that projected Ruto’s
feeling of uneasiness did not physically manifest. Ruto felt its malevolence,
but it was an evil that was not aimed at her. Still,
Ruto thought, I have no doubt that it would sweep me aside if I got
in its path. It unnerved her that she didn’t know where this shimmer
of fearful anticipation came from.
Satisfied that none of Ganondorf’s
monsters present had an interest in her, she found a cozy alcove just
under the surface of the water in the Temple to briefly rest in.
I guess I’ll just have
to wait for Mr. Grownup Link, she thought. It irked her that she
would have to play the role of stereotypical princess and wait for male
help instead of blazing ahead and making headway on her own, but this
wasn’t a job for one person. Link would need her help just as much
as she needed his.
Ruto shifted her body to a
more comfortable position. Her mind returned to Zelda’s initial reaction
at Ruto’s announcement of her engagement to Link. When she spoke to
Nobuyuki on the surface, she ignored Zelda’s obvious surprise, but
once they were in the relative safety of the Water Temple, Ruto couldn’t
help but gently goad Zelda to get a reaction. And boy, did I ever,
Ruto thought. Just from hearing Zelda’s defense of Link, she strongly
suspected that Zelda held a higher regard for Link than she would like
to be exposed.
Ruto examined her own feelings
towards Link, carefully rehashing every spoken word during their initial
meeting as children inside Jabu-Jabu. After that initial meeting, she
had forced Link to carry her all around on his back and shoulders; no
small feat for any person, let alone for a child. I behaved like
a little brat to him, Ruto thought. Does he remember any of that?
Still, she couldn’t say that
she didn’t have a certain regard for Link – just not the same type
that Zelda was so protective of. She and Link had spent some amount
of time together, but when they were children, she sent him off and
away with much teasing and many sarcastic comments. However, Ruto recalled
thinking of Link’s safety when he left Zora’s Domain. The world
was so big and dark against a little kid like him and yet there he went
with his sword (more like a long knife, Ruto thought) and his
wooden shield. There was nothing to protect him from instant death if
he was to run up against a monster even twice his size, and yet he fought
on. She couldn’t help but admire such “gumption.”
Ruto wondered what he looked
like after having seven years to grow. He was fairly cute as a kid,
but she was curious to see what kind of craftsman time would prove to
be.
Ruto felt the cool motion of
the Temple’s inner currents float and sway her fins and the feeling
lulled her into a deep relaxation – she was very weary. The day had
arrived and she had always preferred sleeping during the day. Swimming
with Zelda – or Sheik – on her back for several miles and fighting
a mutant barracuda had worn her out.
Ruto’s eyelids began to relax
and drop. Finally, she dozed lightly and slipped into a heavier sleep.
~~~
Some time later, she felt the
currents of the water of the Temple suddenly intensify. She opened her
eyes to see Link – his clothing style hadn’t changed much from when
she knew him as a child – treading water and floating close to her
alcove.
Or at least, she thought it
was Link – the face she remembered from her childhood was vastly changed
and bore little resemblance to his child’s face. He was much…longer,
Ruto thought. His limbs looked ungainly and even thinner than befits
a warrior, but Ruto recognized the Master Sword strapped to his back.
It was something she heard about in legend only – she couldn’t believe
that he actually carried the thing. And he had exchanged that
flimsy wooden excuse for a shield for a massive one of steel. Wonderful,
Ruto thought. He’s a real man, a real soldier!
Ruto got up and swam up to
him until their eyes met. She greeted him with, “I’ve been waiting
for you.”
“Well, here I am,” Link
replied and smiled. Such a devastating smile. I would bet you gather
the girls around you with no problems,
Ruto thought as she smiled back.
She saw, and felt, Link’s
eyes making their way slowly down her body. He wasn’t the only one
who changed over seven years, and she would readily admit a certain
amount of pride in her body’s shape. But he doesn’t need to be
that blatant! Ruto thought. She smacked her fists onto her hips.
“We have little time, Link,”
she said. “I’ve waited seven years for our engagement to be fulfilled
and I’d rather not wait any longer. So by your leave...” She meant
it as a joke – she had always been super bossy as a child. But Link’s
response stunned her.
“I agree,” he replied.
“Seven years is too long to wait.”
Ruto cocked her head and emitted
an “Eh?” just before Link paddled forward, took her face into his
hands and kissed her full on the mouth. Ruto was shocked but didn’t
have the power in her muscles to pull away. His lips felt as good as
he looked – soft, full and warm. If this is a dream, Ruto thought,
I don’t want to ever wake up.
Ruto responded by deepening
their kiss and put her arms around Link’s shoulders. To her, kisses
were perhaps the most loving things a couple could do. It was one thing
to stick private parts into the receiving lover’s, but a kiss involved
the face. For the beloved to admit her lover into such an intimate space
provided a feeling of closeness that Ruto did not feel could be achieved
as well with other forms of affection.
When Link slid his tongue into
her mouth, Ruto audibly groaned and felt a vague heating in her groin
that she ached to rub. Link’s hands circled around her waist and crossed
down onto her lower back. Ruto held Link as closely to her body as she
could.
The question she wanted to
ask pressed her mind. “Where have you been?” Ruto queried. “Couldn’t
you have at least come to see your fiancée every once in a while?”
“I wish I could have,”
Link replied. “But I was…unavoidably detained.”
He began palming her peaked
and heavy breasts. The contact of his rough and calloused hands against
her sensitive breasts was almost too much to bear, as if she were about
to hit a higher level she was not quite prepared to achieve. On reflex,
she grabbed Link’s hand and brought it to her groin, rubbing it against
the front of her vulva and down to her sensitive opening.
“Like this,” she whispered
and Link laughed lightly.
At first, Ruto wondered if
he were laughing at her, but heard the tone of his laughter and decided
that he wasn’t making fun of her; rather, he was laughing with joy.
Ruto smiled and placed his head upon her neck and he rested there. A
moment later, Link drew his head up – but he was no longer Link. Ruto
stared with shock into the eyes of Princess Zelda.
The blue eyes were still blue
but they carried a softness Link’s did not have. Zelda’s dark blonde
hair plumed in the currents of the water, the lights’ reflection in
the water and tiny bubbles resting on her served to enhance her pale
pink skin. To Ruto, she seemed to bear an otherworldly, glowing haze
.
Zelda continued to rub at Ruto’s
most sensitive place. Ruto stopped Zelda’s hand and whispered hoarsely,
“Why?”
“I’ve loved you longer
than he’s loved you,” Zelda said, with begging in her eyes, Please
let me stay with you. Please.
Zelda slipped her hand from
Ruto’s grasp and began sliding her fingers between Ruto’s outer
nether lips. Faster they went, and Ruto found herself rushing upon her
climax.
A loud noise sounded behind
Ruto and she looked around to see what it was. Her eyes tried to pierce
the murky underwater darkness – now it chooses to arrive, Ruto
thought – but she could not see anything that would give away the
source of the noise. Zelda’s fingers continued to stimulate Ruto.
“Zelda…could you…hold…”
Ruto said, but Zelda was no longer there. Ruto had come to an aching
peak without climaxing, without Zelda’s presence and without any aid
to counteract the possible enemy.
The noise sounded again and
Ruto began to slowly wake.
~~~
In the space between her dream
and reality, Ruto sleepily realized that Zelda’s hand was in fact,
hers. However, it did not stop her. She rubbed her vulva slowly at first,
building the stimulation she created in the dream.
When the noise did not come
again immediately, Ruto rubbed harder, feeling the impending climax,
spreading her legs as wide as they could manage and palming her nipple
back and forth in time to her circular strokes on her vulva. The image
of Zelda’s delicate skin burned itself in Ruto’s imagination.
That girl…she won’t
get out of my mind, Ruto thought. Zelda
– in my dreams and in my daily existence, she’s there.
Ruto stroked herself more insistently.
Zelda, when did you creep
into my heart like this? She thought. I don’t recall giving
you permission to haunt me this way. Seeing Zelda’s pink breasts
crisscrossed with light blue veins bottom parts in her brain threatened
to drive her mad.
Ruto opened her mouth in a
silent cry as she drew painfully close to her climax.
However, Ruto did not achieve
her peak. A loud metallic CLUNK
and a crash sounded in the depths of the Water Temple .
The ache in her groin for satisfaction
was practically unavoidable, but the noise scared Ruto. She quickly
rolled out of her alcove and swam towards the sound. In her dream, the
noise occurred at random moments, but now it was a constant, regularly
intervallic noise – clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk
– as though someone were stomping on a metallic surface.
The noise tattooed itself through
the conductive waters and seemed to be coming from the floor of the
Temple. Ruto swam as quickly and as silently as she could towards the
source. She rounded the corner of the middle column in the Temple –
there was Link, the man she saw in her dream, wearing a set of boots
which he struggled to walk in and brought crashing down with a clang
with each step.
Ruto relaxed her defenses and
she approached Link from behind. Gently, she tapped him on the shoulder.
Link jumped, appearing to go in different directions all at once. Ruto
leaped back to give him space – his sword was unsheathed.
“Oh, it’s only you!”
Link sighed with relief when he turned to see his “assailant,” shouting
to make his voice heard through the water. His ears were not well tuned
to hear underwater. Ruto’s were and she cringed at the volume in his
voice.
“Only me?!” Ruto started
at the insult. “How dare you? You keep me waiting for seven years
and that’s all you can say?”
Link grinned merrily at her.
Indeed, he was as handsome in person as he was in her dream. His hair
floated all around his face and the lights reflecting through the water
shone in his eyes, making them appear to dance.
A few moments passed, along
the two to catch up visually on the other after so many years of not
seeing one another. Ruto spoke: “That young man, Sheik – he rescued
me from the ice that covers Zora’s Domain and brought me here.”
Ruto did not know if Link knew that Sheik was Zelda in disguise, but
she did not feel it was her place to give that knowledge to Link if
he didn’t already know.
“He’s been very helpful
to me,” Link said, nodding agreeably. “I would not have gotten as
far as I have without him.”
“So you’ve proven to be
a help to Sheik – can you help me?” Ruto asked. “I’m sure he’s
told you about what needs to be done in here.”
Link grinned. “He’s told me enough – let’s get started,” he said.
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