Fan Fiction Friday: The Man Behind the Masks – Part 25b

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After a few sloppy licks, Kilton rebuked me in his own unique way. Alternating between whines, yips and nipping at my shirt. Trying to tell me everything that had happened as if I had no idea what was going on.

“Enough, I haven’t forgiven you for what you did, silly thing. I’m not a cushion to sit on.” The husky jumped up and I pushed back against him. “There are some commands you should ignore. Stop, I’m quite cross with you. Kilton, I mean it, heel.”

“Enjoying yourself?” Yasei smirked before returning to her task.

“No, I’m not. Call him off, would you? We need to talk.”

A long, low whistle finally put an end to the doggy assault. Kilton’s sharp blue eyes pinned me down. ‘Don’t upset her,’ they said, ‘or I’ll pee in your shoes while you sleep.’ With that, he ran off to chase the darner dragonflies by the bank.

Yasei dusted off the loose soil from her fingers. The yellow jumper hung like a tent on her.  A pair of suspenders held up trousers already rolled several times at the waist and ankles. She sat back and stretched her legs. “You got a bone to pick with me?”

I threw the honey candy, which she caught easily. “A bone? More like an entire Stalchild!”

“Sit down, moron, you’re blocking the view.” She unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth. Her gaze focused on the nearby stone columns carved with three interlocking crescent moons and spheres. One had surrendered to the passing of time and lay in crumbled pieces overgrown with moss. “I love this part of the world, so pretty.”

I couldn’t argue. Behind us, fields of wildflowers swept down the hills that led to the lake. The impressive cliffs of Gerudo Valley framed the eastern border, along with clusters of spruce trees. Fishing boats bobbed in the water like corks and the chirrup of blue sparrows filled the air. It seemed a crime to spoil the calm, but spoil it I must.

“Your complete lack of self-preservation drives me insane.” Yasei bit her bottom lip. “It is not amusing.”

She tapped my leg with a sandalled foot. “Didn’t like being left behind, huh?”

“Do you know how it feels to see your best friend running towards a dragon? I thought my heart would give out.”

“Aww, you were worried about me.”

“Of course, I was!” My cheeks flamed and I couldn’t look her in the eye. “The mere thought of you getting hurt, I… I can’t stand it.”

“Well, now you know how I felt when you left the village, went to war, learnt magic spells, fought dark magicians and got engaged to a Gerudo!”

“That was a complete misunderstanding and don’t change the subject.” I raked both hands through my hair. “Please have more respect for your life. You’re important. So very, very important.”

“To who? Pa? Ma? Kilton?”

“Must I say it out loud?” She cocked her head to one side, cheeks still sucking on the sweet. “To me, Yasei. You’re important to me.”

The wind blew trails of white, feathered dandelion seeds across the lake.

“Wow, even more important than your masks?”

“Now I didn’t quite say that.”

“You bokoblin’s arse!” She smacked my arm.  We smiled at each other.

“When you wear a mask, you can be whoever you want to be. Do you remember?”

“Yeah, and I asked if it made you happy.”

I slipped my hand into hers. “Pretending to be someone else doesn’t, but whenever I make a mask – I think of you, and that makes me happy.”

Her eyes crinkled at the edges. “Not sure if I find that romantic or disturbing. I mean, most people just give flowers or say nice things.”

“Oh, are we like most people?”

“Fair point.” She paused. “You’re definitely not.”

“Does that bother you?”

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

The heat of the midday sun accentuated the saccharine sweet smell of flowers, as we came to rest under the shade of a tree. Yasei snuggled under my arm and sighed. I kissed her brown curls even though they tickled my chin.

“Young love will become deep affection…” she said dreamily.

“Pardon?”

“I’ve just remembered, I met Tilo in this spot. He was playing his lyre and spouting the Serenade of Water. I wanted to ask him what the drivel meant but I scared him. He jumped in the water there.” She pointed towards the stone columns. “Thing is, it’s too shallow and he bumped his head. Don’t laugh, I had to drag him out.”

“Not the best start to a working partnership.”

“Nah, Tilo’s one of the most laid-back people I know. He was like, ‘woah, Hylian, you saved my tail fin, who are you?’ Then we got chatting.”

I could picture that. She had a knack for befriending complete strangers. In fact, Yasei must have similar stories for all the trading links she’d set up.

“See the emblem in the stone?” I nodded. “That’s the Zora Sapphire; a spiritual stone and the Zora equivalent of an engagement ring. If the King were to have a daughter, she would give the stone to her beloved. I swear, the Zora are the soppiest race in Hyrule.”

“Yasei?”

“Mmm.”

“Is there anywhere you haven’t been in the world?”

“Well.” She sat up straight and caressed hair behind my ears. “I’ve never been inside Kokiri Forest, I wanna go there. I keep seeing little kids dressed in green hiding behind the trees – they’re super shy. I trade them fish for a basket of deku nuts they leave by the bridge. Oh, and The Lost Woods, heard some crazy rumours about that place.”

I coughed lightly. “We should go there next, together.”

“Really?”

Her smile had always been too bright, simply wasted in my direction. I didn’t understand why she picked me. Yet, in all the regrets of my life, our kiss at Lake Hylia on that glorious day could never be one of them.

Featured art: Alison Patten via Canva.com

Alison Otwl continues her Fan Fiction here at Zelda Dungeon. She likes reading manga and collecting Japanese wind chimes. Her favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time. Check out more of her fanfiction over at: Otwl.