escordvi | log 🌻 in the absence of sunshine

Entry tags:

darin altway,
zelda

log 🌻 in the absence of sunshine

Who: Zelda and Darin
Status: Closed
Where: Zelda's apartment on Eltrut
What: (Backdated to August 15) The aftermath of their fight with Ganondorf the previous night.
Warnings: Major injury, probably some PTSD, and other such warnings that come with hurt/comfort threads (edit: now with themes of self sacrifice, self loathing, and some surprise UST 🌶️)

[ These past twenty-four hours have been the longest, slowest hours Zelda has had to wait through in a very long time. After her century sealing Calamity Ganon, the princess has developed patience in spades-- in stark contrast to how she was before the Calamity. But now, that patience seems to have evaporated and she feels just like that girl she once was, standing impatiently for hours in the Goddess's springs straining to hear Her voice. Time passes with agonizing slowness, and each hour that Darin does not wake feels somehow slower than the last.

Zelda has seen firsthand how quickly his injuries heal, no matter how severe. When she rescued him from the ocean after his fight with Garuda, it took less than an hour for his broken bones to heal. So although the severity of the injuries he sustained from their fight with Ganondorf were deeply upsetting to Zelda, she expected him to heal through the worst of them before the following dawn.

But that wasn't the case. When dawn came, not only did his injuries barely look any better, but he hadn't hadn't regained consciousness. Dawn turned to day to afternoon to dusk and to night again and still Darin did not wake.

Throughout those long, long hours, there was nothing Zelda could do but wait. Wait and try to treat his wounds as she would anyone else's. She cleaned and bandaged his injuries as best she could, and at least that helped set her mind slightly at ease. She didn't know why this was taking so long, but she could care for him through that time. Goddess knows she had done so for Link countless times in the past.

But first aid only went as far as normal wounds. It was all but useless for treating Gloom burns. Usually, the cure for Gloom sickness was sunlight; Gloom faded away in the light and a person's vitality returned over time. Zelda had never seen Gloom burns before she and Link found the corpse of the Demon King below Hyrule Castle. She had an idea how to treat them-- a poultice made of sundelions might work like a concentrated salve of sunlight. But there are no sundelions in this world and the process for trying to fish for them through the rift was tricky and time consuming. And even if it wasn't, Zelda couldn't risk leaving Darin alone. If something happened... If she wasn't here...

These are the thoughts that have gone round and round in her mind all day, interspersed among memories of that fight with Ganondorf. Everything he said. Everything he did. How even the combined efforts of Darin, Ranma, and Zelda were barely enough to injure him at all. She couldn't get these thoughts out of her head.

Now it's nighttime again. Zelda has barely eaten and she has staunchly avoided sleep-- not just because Darin is on her bed, but because if something were to happen and she was not here beside him.... Well, she wasn't willing to risk that. But after twenty four sleepless hours, even anxiety isn't strong enough to keep her awake. The princess finally nods off sometime in the middle of the night, sitting in her chair at the bedside and leaning against the edge of the bed, her head against his shoulder so that, if he shifts, the movement will wake her. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Zelda opens the door fully to let herself into the bedroom and then closes it behind her. Indeed, her nightgown is more conservative than some of the designs that have probably been running through Darin's mind-- a simple cream-colored nightgown with a wide scooped neckline and the hem cut just below her knees, something light and breathable for summertime.

When she turns to see Darin standing bolt upright beside the bed she raises one brow. Why in the world does he seem so nervous? Surely this can't be because they're about to share the same bed-- he's the one who suggested it in the first place last night, and he hardly seemed nervous then. So why should he be nervous now? ]

You look nice. [ She offers the casual compliment in attempt to dispel some of his nervousness as she tosses her worn clothes into a basket for washing and heads to the opposite side of the bed. ] We did well today.

Y-Yeah...thanks...I like the things you picked out for me.

They're really comfortable...

[Darin's honestly relieved that Zelda's wearing something conservative. So relieved that he says the first thing that pops into his mind.]

You look pretty.

Cute.

Pretty cute.

[GODS DAMMIT.]

H-Hey let's...you know! Get into bed!

[Darin immediately turns and climbs into the bed, hurriedly trying to hide himself beneath the plush comforter and copious amounts of pillows. There's a shock of blue hair poking out but she might need to go on an expedition to properly find him.]

[ "Pretty," "cute," and "pretty cute" are hardly salacious compliments, so Zelda doesn't read into them at all. She simply chuckles with amusement as Darin dives into her bed to hide his embarrassment. It's rather charming!

Zelda moves around to the other side of the bed and climbs into it. She lays down on her side and props her chin up with her elbow against the mattress, watching the lump under the covers with a quirked smile. ]

Are you planning to hide under there all night?

[Gods above what the hell was wrong with him? Why was he getting so embarrassed? He really needed to get his head under control. Even if he did have a crush on her, it's not like she liked him that way.]

[Even though her words the night before were so full of conviction. That she chose him and Ranma over the people they'd set out to save.]

[She chose him...]

[And gods did he react poorly. She really deserved an explanation.]

[Darin huffs a bit and wiggles out from under the comforter to lay on his back.]

Hey...I know this is a weird time to mention it but...I'm...sorry for the way I acted last night.

I'm not...really used to people caring about me and it just...confuses me. It's not you.

[He laughs sheepishly.]

Hell, I haven't been hugged since my dad died. Acteon was a lot of things but he wasn't really a hugger. Headlock, hair tousle, back slap sure but...I guess I just get confused when someone actually wants me...

[ Zelda's expression softens into something thoughtful. Even though he has already apologize to her twice, once last night and once this afternoon over breakfast, she doesn't interrupt him. This time is a little bit different-- less about asking for forgiveness and more about offering an explanation.

Darin's description of his adoptive father brings an image of Daruk to Zelda's mind, along with the rough sort of affection he used to give to Link. Not many Hylians could walk away from a back slap from a Goron. ]

That sounds quite lonely. [ She offers, a gentle encouragement for him to continue. ]

[Darin scoffs.]

You don't know the half of it.

[He turns his head toward her as he pushes himself a little more onto his side.]

I wasn't allowed to go to school and...well, none of the kids my age wanted anything to do with me. They all repeated the things their parents said behind closed doors.

I've had rocks thrown at my more times than I can count and the cries of "monster" didn't exactly let up when they saw the cuts heal up right away.

...Just kinda...encouraged more stone throwing. Literally.

[He heaves a sigh and rests his head on the fluffy pillow. He's never really talked this openly about his life growing up in Kenmore but...Zelda deserved to know.]

Over time they stopped openly ridiculing me. They went off to schools. Lived their lives. Before long I was the only person my age in town.

...So...when you say you'd choose me over the world it just...doesn't make sense. I've never had someone other than Acteon or Kessler ever...

Ever...actually want me...

Heh, you're the first girl my age who actually spoke to me without looking down her nose at me...

[ She listens quietly. Some of these things she does know-- that he wasn't allowed to go to school, that he was reviled as a monster, that he was always alone-- but they stir an ache in her heart all the same. Zelda grew up lonely herself, kept at a distance from most other children because she was a princess, but what Darin describes sounds far worse. Like complete solitude.

But it also sounds unfathomable. She doesn't think Darin is lying about this, but it's hard to believe none of the children in his hometown ever gave him a chance, that none of the girls his age dared to challenge the idea that he was "cursed." With how attractive and charming he is, Zelda automatically assumed that he had dated and been intimate before. ]

Then I am left to assume that all of the women in Alvale collectively suffer from some sort of... madness, I suppose. [ There's a hint of levity in her tone. ] How else can one explain why none of them have ever seen what I see?

[ It is a rhetorical question and she doesn't give him the chance to try to answer. ]

I wish I had something better than words to explain why I want you in my life. I hate that my care challenges you as much as it does.

[Darin shakes his head vigorously.]

No. No, don't. I'm honestly...I'm thankful. Today was so much fun. I've never gone out with a girl my age before!

[He laughs a bit, not realizing that his descriptors really do make it sound like they were on a date.]

I just...I know I'm going to be difficult at times. I'm not going to understand why sometimes but...

What you said earlier? The um...the things you said you'd say about me...?

[He rolls onto his back, the color starting to rush to his cheeks again.]

They're...the nicest things anyone's ever said about me...

[For once, Darin's bravado vanishes. His fear and uncertainty melt away. And all that's left is a young man trying to navigate his feelings. This vulnerability he's trained himself to hide from the world...it's all on full display for Zelda to see.]

[This is who he is.]

A-And...I mean, it's not just the women. The men too! Everyone!

[Because he feels the need to stress that it wasn't just women who were the problem. For some reason.]

[ There's just a flicker of surprise across Zelda's features when Darin decides to stress that men were also a problem. Ah, then is he...? Well, so is she; it's hardly a bad thing. She just didn't expect to find out like this. So Zelda nods sympathetically, believing (perhaps mistakenly) that he has just come out to her as bisexual.

Ooops?

Not that that has any impact what she thinks of him, so the thought is a brief one. ]

I meant every word of it.

[ Zelda shifts position, folding both of her arms and tucking them beneath her pillow. ]

And I expect there are more people in this world who share them, voiced or not.

[ She pauses, and a soft fondness seeps into her features. ]

I've never spent a day like this with a boy my own age. Or anyone, really. As the Princess of Hyrule countless times... but never as Zelda.

What, really? Not even with Link?

...How old is Link, anyway?

[Zelda was...22? If he had his timeline right. She said the Calamity rose on her 17th birthday...and didn't she say that was five years ago?]

[But also, she was sealed for 100 years...]

[...Did that make Zelda 122 years old?]

[Idly, he looks around the room as he puzzles out whatever that means until his eyes fall to the portrait on her wall. Darin had looked it over earlier but...given everything he and Zelda had talked about today, he felt like he had some better context.]

[The young man next to her had to be Link. And he certainly didn't look like the knight he would have pictured. Then again, Darin knows better than anyone that looks can be deceiving.]

...You cut your hair...

[It really stuns him just how breathtakingly beautiful Zelda is. And that she would deign to spend as much of her time with someone like him.]

Link is about ten months my senior, so that makes him twenty three. [ Zelda chuckles softly. ] Or one hundred and twenty three, more accurately.

We've spent days together like this, visiting shops and markets and local restaurants, but always as the Princess of Hyrule and her swordsman-- or, when people recognize him, the Princess and the Hero of Hyrule. I think the only time we get to be simply Zelda and Link is when we are out in the wild all by ourselves. The mountains don't care if you are a princess and a hero. Nor do the rivers or the forests.

[ Zelda watches how Darin's gaze travels around her room while she speaks. What is he thinking about, she wonders. He's very observant. What sorts of things is he learning about her simply from looking about her bedroom?

When his eyes stop, though, she doesn't have to wonder anymore. She knows what he's looking at before he even speaks. ]

I did, yes. [ Zelda's tone turns a bit sheepish and she reaches up to pluck at the short strands of her hair. ] A year or two after I was freed from the seal.

[ Her gaze flicks to the photograph. A young princess standing over the precipice of complete destruction, surrounded by her five beloved Champions. It's risky to have this photograph at all-- if anyone were to see it, it would reveal the secret Zelda has been hiding all this time. But her apartment felt so empty without this picture. ]

[Darin's too focused on the portrait to notice Zelda fidgeting. He even sits up and leans forward and brings his knees up to rest his arms on them.]

[If the man beside her was Link...who were the other four?]

[They...seemed happy. Like a family. But knowing what Zelda's lost...the likelihood of those people being around seemed...well, heartbreakingly unlikely.]

...I like it. That you cut your hair. I don't know...people tend to associate long hair with titles and nobility. Seeing you like this, it just seems...more 'you.' Besides...for 122 you look stunning.

[He glances over his shoulder at her and gives her a teasing smirk. But he can't hide the slight bittersweetness of it. After all, Darin doesn't have a lofty title like 'Hero of Hyrule.' As proud of he is as a Master Smith...well, he'd be lying if he didn't want a title to match hers in a sense. Something special.]

I'm a bit of a downgrade from "Hero of Hyrule" thought, huh. Still...I hope that I can give you more days like today.

[He turns his gaze back to the portrait in an attempt to quickly move on. Knowing Zelda, she'll try and push back on the 'downgrade' comment. Maybe he can pivot before she does.]

And the others? What are their names...?

[ That 'downgrade' comment catches Zelda completely off guard and, as such, gives Darin enough time to redirect the conversation before she can argue. She sits up in the bed, temper sparking, considering for a moment whether to ignore his questions and call him out anyway. That he would call himself a 'downgrade' compared to Link raises Zelda's hackles something fierce.

But she forces herself to hold back and swallow her anger. Don't end this lovely day with an argument. Be patient.

Zelda lets the silence stretch out another moment longer as she takes one deep, calming breath. Then she crawls over the bed to sit beside Darin, pulling her knees up underneath her chin and linking her arms around her legs. ]

They are the Champions of Hyrule, the five of them. [ Her gaze returns to the photograph on the wall, her tone turning fond and wistful as she speaks. ]

I suppose you've already guessed that the other Hylian is Link. He was the Hylian Champion.

In front of him is Mipha, the Zora Champion. [ Zelda points to her. ] Mipha was the Princess of the Zora people and the pilot of Vah Ruta. She was the kindest, most gentle soul in all of Hyrule. I suppose she does not look it, but Mipha was the eldest among the Champions by a wide margin. Zora live for many centuries, you see. Mipha possessed an incredible healing ability, a magic of her bloodline that her younger brother has come to develop as well. She always had such sympathy for my struggle to awaken my sealing power and tried to help me in any way she could. [ She tilts her head slightly as she regards the picture. ] I always suspected that she had feelings for Link. I don't know if she ever told him, though.

[ Her gaze drifts and she lifts her arm to point out the next Champion. ] To my right is Revali, the Rito Champion and pilot of Vah Medoh. [ And here, Zelda giggles. ] He was furious with Daruk for pulling us all together right as the picture was taken. Revali was a proud individual and took his appointment as Champion very seriously-- but he had good reason to be. He was the greatest warrior of the Rito tribe by leagues. I've never met anyone who worked harder than Revali to hone their skills... which was one of the reasons Revali hated Link. [ She exhales a wistful sigh. ] But Revali always put his duty before his own feelings. You could rely on him, no matter what.

[ Zelda's eyes grow misty as she points out the next Champion. ] Behind me is Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion and pilot of Vah Naboris. Urbosa... Growing up, Urbosa was like a mother to me. She was a dear friend of my own mother and continued to be a part of my life even after my mother died. She was always there for me, no matter what. [ She leans her cheek against her knees. ] When I was little, Urbosa used to tell me stories about the great heroines of the Gerudo tribe. She brought me to Gerudo Town when I needed time away from Father. Anytime I needed someone to talk to, she was there to listen. She... [ Zelda sniffles. ] She always had faith in me, all the way to the end.

[ Zelda pauses for a moment to rub her teary eyes with the back of her hand and collect herself before pointing to the last Champion. ] And behind all of us is Daruk, the Goron Champion and pilot of Vah Rudania. Daruk was truly the heart of the Champions. He was brave and passionate. He reveled in battle. If anyone should be called the 'Bulwark against Calamity,' it is Daruk. No matter how dark or how hopeless things became, he never lost hope. He gave us the strength to carry on. [ The fond smile returns to her face. ] Ironically, Daruk was terribly frightened of dogs.

[ She lets that hang in the air for a moment, her gaze still on the picture. ]

They gave their lives to protect Hyrule during the Calamity. I can think of no greater heroes in the entire history of Hyrule than the Champions.

[Darin's eyes train on the portrait as Zelda tells her story. His green eyes flick to each Champion in turn...from Mipha to Revali...to Urbosa and finally Daruk. Seeing them all gathered like that...they seemed like a family. And the fondness in Zelda's voice, tinged with grief and loneliness strikes him right in his heart. She can see his eyes grow glassy. See him try to swallow the lump in his throat.]

[She'd lost so much. Gods above no wonder she didn't want to lose him too.]

[Suddenly his mind propels itself back to their first meeting. How Zelda had tried to assuage his concerns about seeing his powers by likening him to her Champions. He finds his face coloring slightly as he thinks about being counted among her champions and he quickly waves the notion away. But the overarching thought lingers...]

[Would he have been welcome in this group? Would they have liked him?]

[His mind paints himself in the picture. Just opposite of Urbosa, behind Link. He pictures himself smiling. A part of something.]

[Darin had a family once. Long ago. And while Acteon served as his family and Kessler served as his master it still seemed different. Like there was some kind of invisible barrier separating them. One that Darin had placed there out of—]

[Ah.]

[That was it, wasn't it? He always kept people at arm's length. Even Acteon...despite everything the man had done for him, Darin still had reservations about keeping him close. Hurting him. Always afraid that maybe the 'curse' was real and it would manifest and take him away from him.]

[Darin is silently for a long while as he collects his thoughts. As he comes to terms that his curse manifested because he was afraid of it. He kept people at arms' length.]

[He carefully lifts his arm and places it around Zelda. He reels her in nice and slow, until she's flush against his side. And he holds her there. His grip is shaky. Actively fighting the curse of his own making. Gods above he's scared.]

[But he's tired of not belonging anywhere.]

[And when he speaks, his voice is strained. Soft.]

...Your family seems wonderful...

[Because that's what they seem to be. Her family. And he wants to praise them as such. Because it's clear Zelda loves them as such.]

[And Darin wonders if he'll ever be good enough to be counted among this larger than life group.]

[ Silence has stretched out since Zelda finished speaking, but she doesn't attempt to fill it. She waits, watching Darin and the subtle ways he reacts to her story, wondering what he thinks. Back when they first met, when she rescued him from the ocean after his fight with Garuda, Zelda likened his powers to the Champions'-- a comparison which immediately drew his ire for reasons she didn't understand back then. How would he feel if she were to do that now? How does he feel when she compares him to Link? Because she doesn't mean anything negative when she shares how much he reminds her of the most important people in her world.

Zelda makes a noise as she feels Darin put an arm around her and pull her up close against him. With their difference in size, she fits neatly against his side, as if they were made to fit together like this. Two complimentary pieces. She sags with contentment and leans her weight against him.

And yet, she feels his hand shaking where he holds her. She lifts her chin to look up at him, brows furrowing. What's wrong? Has something happened? But before she has the chance to ask, Darin speaks. ]

My family?

[ There's a touch of confusion in her tone. The Champions, her family? Urbosa is, of course, and perhaps Link too, but Revali, Mipha, Daruk? Would calling them her family not be way too presumptuous? ]

I... I wish we could have been, but... I never got to know Revali, Mipha, and Daruk the way I knew Urbosa and Link. I was always too wrapped up in my own problems, praying or training or researching or Goddess knows what else. I was obsessed with finding a way to defeat Calamity Ganon. [ She shakes her head softly. ] What I wouldn't give to use my power over time to tell myself to forget about duty and simply be with them while I had the chance.

Edited 2024-09-24 22:12 (UTC)

...You don't think so...? I think you're looking at it too subjectively. I mean...you know what you felt. Your burdens and hardships but...

I see six people who love one another. And maybe it's not the cleanest or most traditional love but...

[He takes a steadying breath, his voice quiet.]

I've...seen a lot of families. After I was orphaned I was...bounced around a lot. People didn't...want me. But I used to watch them. To learn how I should act. What I should be...

And I learned that family is...well, it's messy. People argue. They do things differently. Everyone has their own way but at the end of the day they...they come together for something. Love for each other. Love for the world. A common purpose, even if that purpose is just...coexisting.

Or...saving a kingdom. A world.

A family...they don't have to be the same or always see eye-to-eye. People are...jagged and lumpy. They've got weird prongs and bent spikes. They're not meant to fit together...

A family happens when they do. When they compliment each other. And...accept each other.

...Faults and all.

Acteon...Acteon was my family for all the time that I knew him. Before...Before I had to leave. But things still felt...I dunno. I'm not sure I was ever able to be truly honest with him.

...Like...Like this.

[His eyes never leave the portrait and he holds Zelda a little tighter with each passing moment. Each word pouring from his heart, stopping just short of admitting that he wants what she had, even though she lost it.]

[It's scary.]

[It hurts.]

[Because for the first time he's acknowledging just how truly lonely he's always been.]

[ As Zelda listens, her eyes return to the portrait. She turns Darin's words over in her mind, holding up each sentiment and examining it beside the picture as if to see if they match...

...And they do, she finds. Things were sometimes difficult among the Champions. 'Messy,' as Darin said. They each had different ideas about how things should be done, whether that was in regards to the Divine Beasts, Calamity Ganon, or even each other. They didn't always see eye to eye. But they respected each other. They relied on each other. They trusted each other.

They trusted Zelda. Even the day Calamity Ganon was reborn, when they went into battle knowing Zelda's sealing power still had not awakened, they trusted her.

As she feels Darin's hold on her tighten, she shifts her position just slightly so that she can lean in against his side. She doesn't just hear the emotion in his voice; she feels it in his chest as he breathes, in the whisper of his pulse close to her ear. It's something quiet, something vulnerable, something he seems almost scared to let out. ]

Perhaps it is presumptuous of me, but I would like to believe that he knows. [ A thoughtful pause. ] The ways you have described him to me, he reminds me somewhat of Daruk. Daruk saw the best in all of us, even Revali and I. If Acteon was willing to give up everything for you, he likely saw the same.

[Darin remains silent as he listens to Zelda's words. In his mind he replays the last conversation he had with Acteon. And he looks at his free hand thoughtfully.]

That's the hallmark of a great smith, you know. We look at the world differently. We see...we see potential. We look at components, blueprints. We look at rock and metal. We don't see them as they are— the way people see them. We see what they could be. That's...That's how Acteon put it. That's what he told me when I first picked up the hammer...

[He chokes back a sound. Did Acteon really see so much potential in him?]

The...The last time I saw him...I'd been arrested. They were carting me out of Kenmore and back to the capital. I was shackled up. Loaded in the back of a cart. Everyone...Everyone was so sure I was the assassin who murdered that diplomat. And...of course they would— they described me perfectly.

Turns out it was Dromas looking to frame me. To drag me out of my "happy life" so I could live up to my destiny.

[He takes a steadying breath and closes his eyes. He's never told anyone about the last night he saw Acteon.]

I was scared. Terrified. I knew I could break out but if I did, I'd just...I'd make things worse.

Acteon caught up with us on horseback. Scattered the contingent of guards with smoke bombs and flashbangs. He broke into the back of the cart. Told me to snap my shackles and to run. He...

...He gave me my dao. Said it was mine. I never saw him work on it. I don't even know when he made the damn thing.

[Darin spares a glance to his dao still sheathed with his worn and torn clothes. He always wears it but he's never actually drawn it. Not even against Ganondorf.]

He gave me the dao and told me to clear my name. Told me he'd stay behind. He'd made friends in the guard and that they might be able to help him. I...

...Zelda, I ran. I could have stayed and fought but I ran like I always do. I ran and he got arrested in my place and...and...

[Darin drags his free hand down his face as he chokes back the emotion welling up within him.]

How can anyone say I have potential when all I do is run from the people who need me...?

[ Zelda shifts her position again, this time moving away from her spot at Darin's side so that she can turn around and face him properly. She knows the broad strokes of this story-- the assassination that his brother tried to frame him for, his capture and escape-- but the details are new to her. The details and also his emotions, the insecurities Darin has, until now, never allowed Zelda to see.

She extends one hand and places it on his upper arm. A light touch, just to remind him of her presence and ground him in the moment before he is consumed by past regrets.

She could simply tell Darin that he did the right thing by running, but that approach isn't particularly effective with him. He can shrug off her reassurances too easily. A different approach might be more effective. ]

Let's consider that, then. [ Zelda offers, her tone calm and even. ] Say you stayed and fought off the guards. You managed to keep yourself and Acteon from being captured. What then?

You would both be wanted as criminals. Acteon would not be able to return home to Kenmore and you would not leave him to fend for himself, so you would end up traveling together to pursue Dromas. Alone, you could have moved quickly and discreetly, but as a pair, you would move slower and attract more attention.

Suppose you did somehow manage to catch up to Dromas. His goal is to ruin your happiness to force you to live up to your destiny, correct? Well, you would have just handed him the perfect opportunity to do so. He would kill Acteon before your eyes.

[ Or worse, but Zelda doesn't add anything else. She lets the gravity of her words hang in the air. ]

[Darin winces at the very thought of Dromas getting his hands on Acteon.]

I...Yeah but...

[He can't argue with her logic. It's sound and he knows, deep in his heart, that she's right. But he can't simply turn off the guilt of that night.]

[He hangs his head, almost afraid to look at Zelda. Flashes of her disappointed face from the night before zip through his mind and he physically flinches at the thought. He knows, rationally, he's not disappointing her.]

[But what if he does? What if he lets her down? Or she gets hurt because of him? Her Champions wouldn't let her down. Link wouldn't let her down.]

[But if he gave those comparisons voice, surely she'd get upset with him. She didn't like when he brought up Link last night either. When he said he wasn't good enough to save her. To give his life for her. Even now he admitted to being a 'downgrade' to wandering around town with the Hero of Hyrule by her side.]

[All of this coming full-circle. Why did she choose him? Why does she care so much?]

[He runs his free hand through his hair while his head remains lowered. He doesn't look up when he responds. Zelda's become far too adept at reading his eyes.]

...You're...You're right. If I'd saved him then...yeah. In the end it was for the best...

[ She doesn't enjoy walking Darin through such an awful scenario, but at least her words have the desired effect... and hopefully only that. ]

My point is that you did what Acteon wanted you to do when he came to free you. You did not abandon him.

He saved you not only because he knew you were innocent, but because he loves you. He is your father. No doubt, he sees the best in you, beyond anything you think you might see in yourself, and he wanted to give you the opportunity to achieve it.

[ Darin refuses to look at her, so Zelda gets a little closer to him, her hand moving from his arm to his cheek. Whatever he's trying to hide from her, she tries to coax out of him with her touch. ]

And when you return home, after you've cleared your name and freed him properly, you can tell him everything you've told me. [ She rubs her thumb over his cheek. ] Although I suspect that he already knows.

[When he feels her hand on his cheek, he can't help but lift his gaze to meet hers. That gentleness...that tenderness that she treats him with. It's all so foreign. It's care and compassion and love and all of the things he's wanted in his life and when her eyes meet his, it's like she can see through every wall he's ever put up. She can see behind the mask, to the truth of it all. To the truth of him.]

[And his eyes speak volumes. Darin wears so many of his emotions on his sleeve but the ones he keeps inside, the ones that would mark him as vulnerable, as anything but this brash, strong person...? Those are always buried in his eyes. But no one's ever taken the time to look. Acteon had. Kessler had. But they always hard trouble broaching the subject. Navigating their feelings and trying to do right by their fallen friend's son.]

[Zelda looks. She searches. She has the most inquisitive eyes he's ever seen and he gets lost in them constantly. He wants her to look at him the way she looks at her Champions. Happy. Proud. Adoring.]

[He averts his gaze slightly as he feels the heat rush to his cheeks. He really needs to get a hold of himself. His eyes keep flickering back to hers and he can't help but feel she can tell exactly what he's thinking.]

[That he doubts himself. That he doesn't understand why she'd ever choose him over anything else. He called himself 'her blacksmith' but was he too forward? She probably hated it. What does she even need a smith for? He's her friend; that would have made so much more sense! Gods if he could just go back and say that line again—]

[He hasn't even realized that he's taken her hand in his to keep it pressed to his cheek.]

[And he can't help but let the question spill out in a whisper? A soft sound tumbling out of his mouth.]

...Why? Why am I so important to you...? That you can see these things in me...?

How do you know that I won't hurt you...?

[ It seems like he always asks her these questions of why. Why does she care about him? Why does she go so far for him? Why does she keep coming back when he tries to push her away? She answers him each time, but it's as though those answers don't stick in his mind. They peel away and disappear, and then the questions come anew.

She doesn't mind telling him again. She'll tell him over and over, as many times as it takes. ]

If you are looking for a lofty reason, then I hate to disappoint. The truth is simply that I am fond of you, and the more time we spend together, the more that fondness grows.

I saw from the start that you were brave and selfless, despite how you were determined to tell me otherwise.

When I learned that we both share a number of interests, I decided I wanted to get to know you better.

And I could never understand why it seemed like sometimes you wanted to get to know me too and other times like you wanted nothing to do with me. Perhaps I should have taken that as a sign and left you alone, but I tend to be rather... stubborn, I suppose. [ The corners of her lips turn upward just slightly at that remark. ]

Truthfully, it is impossible for me to know with one hundred percent certainty that you will never hurt me. The same can be said of anyone-- even Link. However unlikely, it is within the realm of possibility.

I would rather take that risk that miss my chance to share days like today with you.

[The truth is...he doesn't want a loft reason. Lofty reasons seem so out of reach. If she'd told him it was because she saw a hero-in-the-making within him...if she tried to placate him with grand and vague niceties...]

[Well, Darin's a dreamer but to break through this shell of doubt, he needs to be hit closer to home.]

["Brave." "Selfless." Those were words usually reserved for people Darin held in such high regard. To think that Zelda saw him this way...it filled his heart. It made his eyes burn. She saw so much good in him. And even though he doesn't see it himself, he knows he can trust Zelda. He can trust his stubborn princess to light a path forward for him.]

[But it's that last sentence that strikes him through the heart. That she'd risk it all just to have more days with him. Like today.]

[He reaches out with his free hand and places it on her cheek just as she's petting his. And he leans in once more for their foreheads to touch. It's so much easier this way. This proximity. It steadies him. It makes sense. Their noses are touching and they can feel each other's breath on their lips and for a fraction of a second, Darin can feel that familiar heat rising inside of him. A heat that he lets spread throughout.]

[By now, the sun has long since dipped over the horizon. It's not quite dusk and not quite twilight— day and night have ceased to be two separate entities and have become this messy, beautiful mix. One bleeding into the other, their boundaries lost. The last vestiges of day and the encroaching wisps of night stream into the window and for once? For once it seems like they're the only two people in the world. In this moment. This is all that matters. She is all that matters. And after this moment in time that seems to be too blissfully short and impossibly long moves forward to the next, he turns his head enough that he can pull her into a slow embrace. So that he can bury his face in the side of her neck and wreathe himself in the scent of her shampoo.]

[He stays like this for a few moments before he just...pulls her backwards. So they fall backwards in bed in each other's arms, resting on the same pillow. He meets her eyes once more and just...smiles.]

I think...that's what I like most about you, Zelda. How stubborn you can be. I've...never met someone who could keep up with my hardheadedness.

I think...saving you that day may have been the best thing I've ever done.

[For the first time he admits what they both know. He saved her. He wasn't just there by happenstance. He wasn't a passerby that randomly decided to act.]

[He saved her life. And in turn, she's become his hero.]

[The one he's always wanted.]

Edited 2024-09-26 22:48 (UTC)

[ When did he become so dear to her, she wonders. Zelda has made a number of friends in this world over the months that she's been here, but none she's become as close to as Darin. It's not something that happened overnight either. She's had to fight tooth and nail to convince him that she wants to be his friend.

And why has she gone to all that trouble? Darin has asked her that same question several times, including last night. Zelda has always answered that it is because she cares about him, and while that's the truth, it feels like there should be more to it than that. A deeper reason than simply friendship-- simply the prospect of friendship, more accurately-- that she goes to such lengths for him.

But there isn't one. It's simply that she cares for him, and that care has grown and flourished over the time they have spent together. He has so many interests in common with her. His passion and energy electrify her, propelling her forward. He sees the world so differently that she finds herself reexamining it as well-- no, not just the world, he sees her so differently that Zelda even begins to reexamines herself.

As he leans in and their foreheads meet, she closes her eyes and expels her breath in a silent sigh. And then on top of everything else, there's this. This closeness they've come to share. She's not entirely sure how it happened or when, and given how wary Darin can be, it's surprising that he tolerates it at all. But he doesn't just tolerate it-- tolerating is what he did when she hugged him on the Naughtilust. This is different. However, whenever, whyever it happened, he has become receptive to her touch, as she has to his. It's calming, it's steadying, it's safe and secure. During moments like this, everything else seems to fade away until it's just the two of them. And it's nice. It just feels right-- like waking up in bed in the house in Hateno with sunlight streaming in across her face. Somehow, it feels like home.

Darin pulls her so the two of them fall backwards into the bed, their heads meeting the same pillow. Zelda opens her eyes to see him smiling at her. He looks so peaceful, so happy, and the sight makes her heart feel full. When did he become so dear to her? She has no idea. But he is, and she wants to spend so many more days like today with him.

When he remarks on her stubbornness, it causes her to chuckle. With as stubborn as he can be, it takes all she has and more to keep up with him. Darin may, in fact, be the most stubborn man she's ever met-- a title previously held by Link, who stubbornly followed the princess no matter how she tried to evade him. (How ironic that those roles are reversed between her and Darin.)

But when he admits that he saved her... The levity drops from Zelda's visage and she looks him for a moment. This is the first time he's ever acknowledged out loud that he saved her-- he'd always claim it was just luck, just chance, just a whim, or even an accident. He's never been willing to admit that he actually saved her, even though they both know that's what really happened. ]

... That may be the best thing that has ever happened to me.

[ Which feels like a very bold claim to make, but also not an inaccurate one. ]

(no subject)

forgeabettertomorrow - 2024-09-28 00:01 (UTC) - Expand

🎀

multidisciplinary - 2024-10-20 00:50 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only