#fandom: zelda

[improbablescience]

Just one more glass

Flash fiction for @flashfictionfridayofficial 's prompt #FFF369 "Raise a Glass"

Fandom: Zelda

Words: 980

Warnings: Blood, needles (but in a blood donation setting, no one is hurt)

Summary:

Zelda hates hydrating for her blood donation appointment, but it's all worth it to make sure things go smoothly. And if she's spending more time thinking about the cute phlebotomist than about saving lives, well, no one needs to know.

"Just one more glass," Zelda muttered grumpily inside her head as she took a sip of water.

Donating blood had seemed like such a PR win when she'd thought of it. Hyrule's monarchy had all these stories about having the "blood of the goddess" flowing through their veins. Nowadays the supposed descendants of the goddess Hylia weren't involved in the day to day running of the government, but she still accepted the modest royal stipend because it was so much better than writing grant proposals for her research. But accepting public funds came with with a quite reasonable amount of public scrutiny and expectations. So with all those fairy tales of sacrifices it seemed like literally donating this supposed goddess blood was a nice feel good story for the press to go alongside her actual research results and scheduled public appearances.

Zelda glared at the glass of water and took another sip, trying to find joy in the cool liquid. Trying to focus on the way the condensation on the glass felt under her fingertips. Trying to think about anything other than how she felt like she was floating away from the sheer amount of water she'd consumed in the last day.

"Small veins," the kind phlebotomist had said on that first appointment, not unkindly. "Maybe try drinking more water the day before."

It had been a hassle to get the needle placed that first time. The tourniquet and squeezing the ball did the trick eventually her blood was flowing.

Until it stopped. Apparently the blood of the goddess was not eager to leave her body.

The phlebotomist wiggled the needle in her arm and gave her a smaller ball the squeeze and it started up again. Together they watched as the machine stopped its warning beeps and the flow picked back up. She asked some questions about the machine and it helped to know how it worked.

By the third time her blood stopped flowing and she hadn’t reached 450, Zelda was internally panicking, trying to imagine what she was going to say to the nice university newspaper students who’d asked her to text when she was done so they could do a photo op. But the phlebotomist smiled at her and said “Congratulations! It’s not quite a full donation, but it’s enough to use.” So Zelda consumed cookies and juice and pinged the students with the good news then smiled for the camera with her bandaged arm in front of the donation signs in the student union building. It had been hard, but it had been worth it.

Zelda glared at her glass of water and took another sip. Drinking more the day before had made a huge difference in her subsequent donations, but she still hated feeling so full. She reasoned that her ancestors had prayed in sacred springs until they fainted. Surely even as a princess in name only, she could at least handle a few extra glasses of water. Even praying in freezing cold springs sounded better than writing grant applications; she was getting off easy.

At the end of the semester, the phlebotomist had said while she adjusted the tube taped to Zelda’s wrist, she said, “If you’re going to donate when we don’t do the university mobile clinic in the summer, you should go down to the main office and ask for Link.”

Zelda had laughed, “Sounds like he could be my hero with a name like that.”

The phlebotomist gave her a smile while she filled the sample vials for testing, “He trains everyone. Best phlebotomist we’ve got and a whiz with small veins.”

So Zelda signed up for an appointment. All the phlebotomists had been nice, it was part of the job to make people feel comfortable and safe and cared for. And they were all so much better at needles than any lab tech. But from the moment Zelda met Link she’d felt more than just comfortable, it was like a connection. She didn’t believe in love at first sight looking at him felt like seeing an old friend. Her arm had tingled as he palpated her arm looking for a vein, his motions confident as he tightened the tourniquet and patted her.

“There you are,” he’d said, as if greeting a puppy rather than her recalcitrant vein. He smiled up with eyes so blue, it made her think she’d have been willing to drink a whole glacial lake of water just to hear his pleased noise.

She’d never had a donation go so smoothly. From the first hot rush as the warm blood flowed down the tube in her arm she knew this was different than the other times. No beeping machines warning her her flow rate was done, so she could put all her attention on the cute phlebotomist. His pretty long dark blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail. The way he smiled at everyone. Those impossibly blue eyes. His gentle fingers. They managed only snatches of conversation about the book she was holding, but she was smitten before the machine beeped to say that her donation was complete.

She’d scheduled every appointment at the main clinic ever since. She slept well the day before, she made sure to keep her iron levels up, and she drank so much water, just to make sure Link would only have smiles for her on the day. She donated, then then watched Link work while she sipped her juice and waited for 10 minutes, trying to think of a way she could ask him out that wouldn’t be creepy. But every time, she couldn’t think of one.

Zelda raised her glass one more time and chugged the rest of the water. If anyone asked, she was hydrating for Hyrule. And if she was picturing some blue eyes to help her get through it, well, no one else had to know.

Bonus: Blood donation korok from this post in my 100 koroks series.

Notes: One day I'd like to write a whole blood donation AU where we take the "blood of the goddess" literally. After Zelda becomes the first royal to donate blood, people who receive medical transfusions start having magical side effects. Todays' flash fiction is inspired by both the AU in the back of my head and also the fact that I didn't quite manage a full donation last time because my poor vein gave up early. (But like in Zelda's case, I did manage enough!) More water and no last minute coffee next time!

[greenemeralds-goldenpower]

Yeah, about that...

[improbablescience]

Golden Apple

Flash fiction for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt FFF368 Spectrum of Chaos

Fandom: Legend of Zelda

Words: 973

Rating: General Audiences

Ao3 Link

Link & Zelda's moms bring their two little kids out on a play date to wear them out.

(This one turned out more cute than chaos but I'm tired so you get what you get!)

"This park playdate was such a good idea. I think the kids might actually sleep well tonight."

The adults looked fondly at their little ones. The children had paused in their running around the park to admire an apple tree. The little girl was holding the little boy's arm and pointing excitedly up into the branches. Above them was a perfect golden apple, shining in the late afternoon light.

"I'll be glad if Zelda gets some sleep tonight; poor girl's been waking up with nightmares lately."

"Oh no, Link too. He's not super verbal yet so we never get much story out of him but I'm wondering if his da told him a hero story that was a bit too scary or something. He loves those old tales."

From over by the apple tree came a yell, and two adults turned their eyes from each other to the tree. Link had apparently launched himself at the apple tree and was attempting to chop it down with his toy sword. Little Zelda was clearly attempting to stop her new playmate but having no luck.

"Link! No damaging the tree," called his mother.

She sighed and turned back to her adult companion. "Poor kid, it's hard to be that short, but no need to take it out on the tree."

"It's a hard age. Zelda's determined to do everything too. She's decided she wants to read and she's good enough at memorising some books but sometimes she just makes stuff up and gets mad if you tell her the words are different."

Zelda, apparently done castigating Link for his arboreal crimes, seemed to have moved on to explaining a new plan to him. Their mothers watched as Link nodded then tried to lift Zelda up. She reached her tiny hands into the air but the apple was still very far out of reach. Undaunted, she said something to Link and they switched places, with her lifting him. While she was nearly a head taller, she couldn’t lift him very far and they were still woefully short of their goal. Link squirmed and flailed, trying to reach higher, and eventually Zelda lost her balance and the the two kids fell over into a pile of limbs.

Both parents winced, but the kids merely giggled and picked themselves back up.

“I wish Link would show more interest in reading. He loves stories but I think he likes it better when someone’s telling them.”

“I wouldn’t worry, he’s young yet, he’ll get interested eventually!”

“Hey, maybe if it’s rainy sometime we could meet at the library? If he saw Zelda reading maybe it’ll get him competitive enough to try it himself…”

Undaunted by their failure, the kids seemed to have concocted a new plan. Zelda boosted Link up onto the tree trunk, then used her slight height advantage to shove his little rump as high as she could. It still wasn’t very high, but it was certainly higher than he could have managed on his own.

“Uhh, should we be concerned about…”

“Oh, don’t worry, he doesn’t have the stamina for that to get dangerous.”

Sure enough, Link’s chubby little arms gave out a moment later and he slid ungracefully down the tree trunk, Zelda helping to slow his fall. She wrapped her own little arms around him in a hug, clearly concerned that he’d gotten hurt.

“Awwww,” declared the two mothers in unison.

The kids looked over and gave the mothers nearly identical looks of disgust before they turned to walking around under the tree. Link managed to find a branch and was excitedly waving it in the direction of the apple. It still wasn’t high enough to reach. He wound up and threw it, missing the apple. Zelda handed him another branch, then another, but none were long enough and when he finally hit the apple with a throw it wasn’t enough to make it fall. Zelda grabbed his arm and said something.

“Should we go help them?”

“Nah, they seem to be playing well together. So, tell me what happened after you…”

Zelda and Link were now running around the area, building a small pile of sticks and weeds under the tree. Link was gesturing as if he was ready to try throwing some of them but Zelda was shaking her head and pushing on his shoulder to get him to sit down.

“Hah, sorry about my bossy kid.”

“Honestly I think he likes it when other kids come up with a plan,” came the reply with a laugh.

Within a few minutes, Zelda had Link holding a handful of weeds while she braided them together. She spent a bit of time clearly teaching him how to braid, and then seemed to be telling him a story while he watched her hands move.

Their parents had turned their attention to gossip now that the kids had gotten quiet. “Did you really say that? I would never have the guts! So what happened next…?”

The story was interrupted by excited children’s voices from under the apple tree. Link was holding a ridiculously long set of sticks, now tied together with braided grasses. The stick-contraption was long enough to tap the apple. Zelda was standing underneath, her skirts held at the ready, when Link finally managed to jostle it free. The two kids let out a huge cheer and ran over with their prize.

“Mama, look, we got it!”

“You certainly did, little bird. Are you two going to share it?”

“Uh huh. Link, let’s go eat under the tree! I bet it’s delicious!”

Zelda ran off, golden apple in one hand and Link’s hand in the other.

“Aww, they did it. Those two are going to be menaces when they’re older, aren’t they?”

“Hah, yeah. Put those two together and nothing is going to stop them.”

[improbablescience]

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Link & Tulin (Legend of Zelda)  Additional Tags: Silly, Humor, Bad Cooking  Words: 592 Summary:

Rumours of a new superhero in Hyrule who appears to be taking out monster camps with... bad smells?

A very silly tale for @flashfictionfridayofficial​ FFF367 “If It's True.”

“I swear it was a bokoblin that took out that whole camp!”

“Yeah, right, and the lizafos showed up to do my laundry last week.”

“I’m not making it up! I was there when it happened!”

“Fine fine, if it’s true, tell me the story.”

“So, I was going for an after-dinner constitutional, keeping my distance from the camp of course don’t look at me like that.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Hpmh.  So I was keeping my distance, but there was one boko that kind of came out of the woods towards the back, so I froze and watched it while I waited for it to go back to the camp.  And it did but instead of going around to the front with its buddies, it just… crouched in the back.”

“Oh no, a boko moved!  News at 11!”

“Look, be patient, I’m getting to it.   So it looked like the boko was pulling something out of a pocket but it didn’t have one of those backpacks or anything so I dunno where it was storing it.  But whatever it was, it put it down near a hole at the back of the skull cave, then it meandered out of sight around edge and I took that as my cue to skedaddle back home.”

“So what you’re saying is you have no idea what happened.”

“No!  See, this is where it gets really weird.  So I’m carefully moving away from the camp when there’s this huge gust of wind and an unfamiliar voice intones, ‘The Stench Moon Rises Once Again’ and then the smell, oh goddesses, the smell reaches me.  So I look back, and all the bokos are collapsing!”

“The whole camp was defeated by… a bad smell?”

“Well, clearly it wasn’t just a bad smell.  It was a targeted attack!  By a superhero who goes by the name Stench Moon and can control the winds and also the minds of bokos so they attack their own!”

“I want to tell you you’re full of it but I guess we did go to that talk on depths flowers.  You think someone refined muddle bud?”

“Maybe?  Anyhow, I wasn’t sticking around with that smell, especially if it was outright knocking out the bokos, so I ran home, and then this morning everyone was talking about how the monsters had vanished over night.  It’s gotta be the work of the same guy!  We’ve got our own superhero!”

~~ The night before ~~

“Did you have a good outing, boys?”

Link gave a thumbs up and Tulin enthused, “Yeah, it was nice to get some fresh air.”

Zelda smiled at them both.  “You took off so quickly after dinner that I didn’t get a chance to ask how you liked the new recipe!”

Tulin swallowed anxiously.  “It was, um, it was… inspiring?  Um, energizing!”

Zelda looked excited, “Was it really?  I knew adding electric lizafos fat instead of bacon grease would give it a bit of a kick!  It’s a shame you finished it all, I really thought we’d have leftovers for days but you two must have been hungry.”

“Hungry, yeah.”

“Do you want some dessert?  I have a new recipe I could try that’s should be really quick!”

Tulin was saved by Link, who pulled out a whole apple pie and handed it to Zelda with a flourish.

“Oh!  You already made dessert!  Well, I guess I’ll have to try the new recipe another day.”

Zelda turned to go get plates and Tulin nudged Link and whispered, “Soon the stench moon will rise again.”

[improbablescience]

Just Two Words

For @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt #FFF 360 "Stuck Inside My Head"

Words: 992

Fandom: Zelda (Breath of the Wild)

Link has decided that he needs to actually talk to the princess. If only doing so was as easy as deciding it was necessary.

[Ao3 link]

It was just two words. It should have been easy. It should have been natural. They should have been words he’d said hundreds of times already. But even with the words beating their wings against the inside of his skull, his throat felt tight, his lungs refused to fill, his tongue laid in his mouth like a creature wallowing in mud on a hot day. He pushed the traitorous muscle up against his hard palette, behind his teeth. He could do this. He just needed to open his lips and let the words escape.

The princess had turned to look at him. Now was the moment.

He nodded.

No! No, ugh! That wasn't—

But she had already turned to watch the trail, and the moment was lost.

Link had been trying to say "Yes, Princess." since they left the castle three days ago. It shouldn't be hard; he nodded at her all the time, like just now when she'd suggested they stop for a slightly early lunch at the stables before continuing. He'd chosen those words to focus on entirely because there would be so many opportunities for him to use them. But then he just didn’t.

He'd told himself it was mission critical that he talk to her. What if there was an emergency? If he choked up like this when the only pressure was inside his head, building and building as the words rattled around in there… well, what if it happened when he absolutely needed to communicate? It was just like combat drills, blocking over and over until it was second nature when it mattered. He just needed to practice low-stakes words now so he’d be ready when he needed them. He wasn’t mute, not really. He could do this.

He couldn’t do this.

His sister had told him to talk about horses because he’d had a phase where he talked about nothing else so it should be easy. He had watched the princess in the saddle and thought maybe he could help her be a better rider. But that was too many words and he couldn’t prepare them all in advance because she would have questions. He wasn’t ready.

So he’d chosen two words. Two words that were tumbling around his brain, waiting for their final escape. Waiting to cascade from lips too long closed. He licked his lips, maybe that would help. Opened his mouth a little, closed it, like a warm up. He’d loosen his jaw a little with lunch. He could to this.

Really, “Yes, Princess” wasn’t that different than “Yes, sir” and he’d said that many a time. It wasn’t like it was hard to agree with her. Given his taciturn nature, she’d switched to questions that could be answered without words. He hadn’t missed that she knew him well enough to make sure the answer would usually be yes.

In the stable yard, she handed him her reins and asked if he wanted the lunch special as she turned to talk to the stable master. The words, the words. They thudded behind his eyes, making an ache. He parted his lips--

Then nodded.

She smiled and turned, missing the way he bit his lips, trying to punish himself as recriminations swirled around in the empty cavern of his mind with two lonely words, lying in the dirt, gasping and trapped forever with no hope of escape. He watched her smile at the stable master.

He berated himself. It may have made sense to stay silent around others, let them see the sword and draw their own conclusions. Let them trust the silent hero. But when had this mask become a crutch? He shouldn’t need it. Not with her. It was ridiculous. He was ridiculous. How hard could it possibly be to say two words to her? They meant the same things as his nods. He was being embarrassingly childish, and he was starting to notice that letting the princess draw her own conclusions had been a mistake. She needed data. What kind of hero was he, letting her be hurt by his silence? Why couldn’t he just say the words?

He was starting to notice a lot of things about the princess. The way her face lit up when she talked about plants and animals and technology. The way her hair gleamed in the sunlight. The way her green eyes shone with curiosity. He wondered, sometimes, if the reason her prayers didn’t work was that they kept making her do it on stone, when she clearly needed a connection to green and growing and moving. Wasn’t it an act of prayer to care about habitats and the gifts of this land and the mysteries ancestors had left behind? Was the moss on the stone simply too thin to transmit her words to the world and to the goddesses ears? Surely the trees would echo to the skies how worthy she is if only she’d been allowed to speak to them instead of to unfeeling stone.

He was afraid if he didn’t let out the two words he’d chosen, maybe other words might escape instead. Words that might contradict what the priestesses taught.

Words that might tell her how beautiful she had looked yesterday in the late afternoon light with a notebook in her hand, sketching a plant that had caught her eye. Words that told her how much he’d been jealous of a guardian leg as she’d carefully manipulated the joints until they moved smoothly. He’d watched her gentle hands and felt an ache.

He ruminated through lunch, pretending each bite was a warm up. The words fluttered to life, clustering near his throat. He didn’t need other words, these two were enough. He would let them free and like uncorking a bottle the rest could flow. It was so simple. He was ready.

She looked down at his empty plate and asked if he was ready to move on.

… and he nodded.

[improbablescience]

through her eyes, through her heart

fandom: Zelda (Age of Calamity)

words: 843

Summary: A little sapphic yearning in the library as Impa contemplates her place in the cycle of destiny.

For @flashfictionfridayofficial #FFF355 A Curious Connection. Inspired (in a backwards way) by a conversation with folk complaining about Impa getting in the way of zelink moments in Age of Calamity.

[Ao3 Link]

A quiet cough interrupted Impa’s reading and she looked up to see her princess framed in the late afternoon light streaming through the library window. The sunlight made Princess Zelda’s already golden hair glow, and the thick edges of the window panes scattered the light into rainbows that shone against her skin and the growing collection of books spread out on the table in front of her and stacked in piles next to her. Impa gave herself a moment to make a wistful sigh, imagining that the beautiful girl in front of her could feel the way the light caressed her, could feel how she was goddess-touched, sacred and divine.

Quietly, Impa rose to walk to the table near the door where the maids had left a tray with tea. She gently touched her fingers against the base of the teapot’s spout – not hot any longer, but still warm enough – then poured a fresh cup for the princess. A number of small sweet treats had been laid out for afternoon tea, and Impa examined them carefully before selecting the most perfect one to balance on the saucer.

“Some tea, princess? Your throat seems to be getting dry.”

Princess Zelda looked up at Impa’s approach and graced her friend with a brilliant smile. Impa felt her heart lurch and focused on her feet to make sure her body didn’t do the same as she made her last step. She carefully moved a book to place the tea down on the table.

“Thank you Impa, I hadn’t even realized the tea had arrived.” Another glorious smile then her princess went right back to reading and taking notes.

Clearly dismissed, Impa gave a small sigh of relief as she sat back down. She’d managed not to embarrass herself in front of the princess this time, at least. In all honesty, Impa hadn’t noticed that the tea had arrived either, and she could hear her mother’s voice chastising her for her lack of situational awareness. What kind of Sheikah warrior was she if even a maid could sneak up on her?

(What kind of Sheikah warrior became clumsy just because their princess looked pretty in the sunlight?)

The inattentiveness was at least partially her mother’s fault today: hours ago, Impa had grudgingly opened the latest tome her mother had sent from Kakariko, only to find herself entranced by the author’s engaging prose. Heroes, princesses, and the personification of great evil, repeating stories of triumph. Repeating stories of despair and tragedy. With the amount of historical research she’d done with Princess Zelda, Impa had expected yet another recount of the same stories she’d heard with nothing new to learn. But this time, she’d encountered her own name beside the destined three. That in and of itself wasn’t that strange, Impa was a common enough name among her people. But then it came up again, and again. Connected to the princess with the blood of the goddess. Sometimes connected with the hero. Sometimes both. Not power or courage or wisdom, but something else. Someone connected to it all.

These Impas of the past hadn’t been mentioned in the other books in the library. But this was a Sheikah tome written by a folklorist who’d specialized in documenting oral histories from storytellers and bards. And some of the storytellers had given names where the Hylian texts had not. Had the storytellers merely re-used her name because it was convenient? The Impas of legend seemed to be all very different. Beyond the name, the only thing they had in common was that they all helped their princesses reach their destinies.

Impa looked up at her princess, who was scribbling notes about divine beasts while nibbling on her perfect pastry. She found herself entranced by the sight once again. How could anyone not see how hard Princess Zelda worked? How beautiful she looked while engaged in research with the sun highlighting her perfect features? Impa wished for a moment that she had the gift of painting, or her sister’s gift with ancient tech that could record images. She wished the goddess Hylia could see through her eyes, through her heart, and find her descendant worthy.

A dark thought occurred to Impa as she tried to get her thoughts back on track. The Impas were mentioned only in passing, and very few of the stories mentioned what happened to them. Had the name Impa been excised from the Hylian records because one of her many past counterparts had also had thoughts about their princesses?

She shoved all those thoughts, dark and yearning, into a box at the back of her mind and mentally locked it up once again. Impa would be a shadow like the Impas before her, helping destiny along without being a key part of the cycle. No doubt it was nothing nefarious, the Impas of the past had merely been not important enough to document in the Hylian chronicles. It didn’t mean anything, just a common name in a tribe with a long dedication to service.

Just service, nothing more.

[improbablescience]

A little too tight

Today's @flashfictionfridayofficial flash fic for #FFF353 A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing. With love to everyone who's returned from their adventures and discovered that they didn't quite fit.

Fandom: Zelda (Spirit Tracks)

Words: 851

[Ao3 link]

“So, how's the body?”

“Small.”

“Hah, I think you're taller than me, at least.”

“Am I really?”

Link jumped up to his feet, then held his hand down to where Zelda was still sitting on their picnic blanket. “Come on, let's check!” He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back as she reached out to grab his hand. In a nearly smooth motion he pulled her upright and spun her around so they were back to back with their joined hands on their heads. 

She giggled as he used their clasped hands to pat them both on the head so she could feel the height difference. “I'm only a bit taller but you're right!” Zelda leaned against his back, delighting in how solid he felt. It hadn't been that long since she was stuck as a disembodied spirit and she would have passed right through her friend. 

“Of course I'm right. I pay attention!” Link gave her hand another squeeze then stepped away to plop down on the blanket and start digging through their basket for snacks. 

The smell of fresh bread wafted up to Zelda as she resettled on the blanket more gently. She’d had an awkward week where she'd thumped into everything because she'd somehow forgotten what it was like to get bruises, but years of princess lessons had eventually reasserted themselves and she was enjoying being graceful again.  “Even if I'm a bit taller than you, I still feel like I'm being squished down to size.”

Link finished spreading jam and offered her a carefully prepared slice of bread, his eyes big and wide with concern as he looked at her. “Did Malladus mess something up? Or did we?”

Reaching for the bread, Zelda shook her head. “No, not like that. It's not a physical feeling. More… metaphorically? Socially?”   She took a bite and closed her eyes with pleasure. “Oh, that's good. I missed food. And texture.”  Zelda thoughtfully chewed the bread, enjoying the contrast between the crust and the softer crumb. Enjoying the contrast of the salted butter with her favourite berry jam.

She opened her eyes to find Link enjoying his own slice but also watching her. “What do you mean?”

Zelda sighed. “So, you see me as, well, me. But everyone in the castle sees me as, well, the princess that I was before you left. Content to delegate and let other people do the work.”

“You did tell me that princesses just wait and that I should go be a hero on my own,” smirked Link. 

“I know!” Zelda went to cover her eyes in shame before realizing that she was still holding her unfinished piece of bread. Devouring the last few bites, she chewed thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. “I don't feel like the tiny princess who could tell something was up but wasn’t confident enough to tell anyone but you. They want me small and cute and harmless. I’m not sure I was ever harmless; I was always curious and suspicious. But I felt like I fit in my skin before and now not so much.”

“Are people giving you a hard time?”

“Not intentionally, but… ugh. The other day someone tried to tell me that I couldn’t possibly understand the social nuances of the folk in the snow realm, like we hadn’t spent a whole day figuring out how to arrange everyone so they got along! It’s frustrating. They're expecting who I was before. And who I was before feels…”

“Small?”

“Small like clothes you’ve outgrown that pinch under the arms, yeah.”

“You'll always be a giant Phantom Armour to me! Plenty of room in those.” 

“Eww! But those things were so ugly. I don't want to be a clunky, scary suit of armour!”

“But you do want to be powerful,” Link grinned at her and punched her arm.

“I don't need to be ugly to be powerful!” she declared, shoving Link hard enough that he fell over, laughing.  When he tried to sit back up, she shoved him over again.

“I yield, O powerful and beautiful princess!” Link faked a cringe with his hand thrown as if to protect his face.

Zelda laughed and lay back on the blanket with him, looking up at the few clouds in the sky above. “If only it was that easy to convince everyone that I’m more powerful now.”

“I suppose they didn’t get to watch you fight Malladus. Or maybe it’s that you always seemed powerful to me, being a princess and all? But you’ll find another way to convince them.”

“Eventually. But it’s taking for-ev-er.” She punctuated every syllable with a shake of her hands. “I’m glad I’ve got you to gripe at, at least.”

Link rolled over onto his side to grin cheekily at her. “I have to listen to you. You’re terrifyingly powerful! And now you can actually hit me!”

Zelda rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “Thanks, my tragically short engineer.”

“Ow! Pick on someone your own size!” complained Link, gently pushing her back before they collapsed onto the blanket, giggling.

[improbablescience]

Good Ideas (#FFF352)

A short for @flashfictionfridayofficial #FFF352 Scrapped Ideas. Thanks to my kid who brainstormed on what ideas might be in that notebook, and @louwhose who has good (title) ideas. (ha!) This one's absolute fluff.

Fandom: Zelda (Echoes of Wisdom)

Words: 709

Also available on ao3.

“You dropped this.”

“Oh!  My notebook!” Link moved to take it, then realized his hands were full.  His face coloured with a blush as he held one of the smoothies out to Zelda.  “Uh, this one’s for you anyhow.”

“Ooh, a refreshing milky smoothie!   I love these.  They’re delicious and the colour is so pretty.  I love the little heart on the jar, too.  Thank you!” Zelda said, taking the smoothie and handing him the notebook.  “Your notebook looks pretty beat up, have you had it a while?”

“I used to carry them everywhere to communicate,” Link explains.  “When you rip pages out of them half the time to give to people in lieu of talking they do end up pretty ragged.  But I haven’t needed to use one like that in a while.”

Zelda smiled at him.  “I’m glad.  Not that you weren’t great before, but I really like your voice.”

Link took a long drink of his smoothie so he wouldn’t have to respond, but he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks again.  She just… said stuff like that.

Showing no sign that she noticed the effect she had on him, Zelda continued.  “Was it just for communication or did you ever… I don’t know, write stories?  Draw?  Or use it like a journal?”  Then she stumbled over her words. “Oh, wait, that’s probably too personal, you don’t have to answer that.  I don’t mean to pry.”

He met her embarrassed eyes.  “No, it’s okay.  I… um… I like that you’re curious.” He opened the notebook to flip through it trying to find something suitable to show a princess. “Uhh, let me see…’

Distracted for a moment, he missed how close Zelda had gotten until she reached over to stick her finger on a page. “What is that?”

She'd hit upon a set of doodles.

“Er. So when I'm bored sometimes I draw stuff that I'd like to try.”

“Is that you flying with a crow?” Zelda said, excited, placing the notebook on the table in front of them so she could flatten it out and get a better look.   “Did you ever try it? It's so much fun!” She flipped the page. “Wait, is that an… ignizol catapult?”

“Ah, not all of them are actually good ideas…”

“Nono, this is genius. Can we try this?”

“What, right now?”

But she was already turning the page again.  “Is that a power source filled with those walking electric pickle guys?” 

Another page flip. “Ooh, do you really think you could get mothulas to leave paint trails if you attached something to them?  That would make such interesting art!” 

Another page flip “oh! The ribbitune with the drum and the bell hat is so cute! I bet the Zora would love a ribbitune one man band! Maybe Lord Jabu-Jabu would like that too?” 

Another page flip.  She'd been enthusing so fast that Link hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise but suddenly there was silence. 

Link looked down at the page she had open.  He stared in stunned horror for a second before he grabbed the notebook, slammed it shut, and clutched it to his chest.

“Uhhh, sorry, I forgot that was in there. They're just, uh, silly ideas.”

The sketch had clearly been of him and Zelda, her holding her rod in her right hand, him his sword in his left. And their other hands clasped together. That would have been bad enough but he'd drawn hearts around the sketch and why hadn’t he remembered this and stopped her?

Zelda reached out her hand to gently pry his fingers off the notebook so she could put it down in front of them again, leaving it closed.  “It's okay Link, I um.” 

He’d been staring at his feet and he could feel the flush of embarrassment all the way to his ear tips, but he looked up at her to find her awkwardly staring at his hand and biting her lip.

“I, uh.  Maybe we could try out that idea too?” she said.  “I mean, if you still, uh.  Want to?”

Then she slipped her hand in his and looked up to smile at him.  “I think you have good ideas.”

Maybe sometimes, he did.