30) Pictures, Contest Submission Thread

[Existence: DENIED]

Thread for submitting all drabbles under the theme 'Pictures' .

[Angel Zelda]

Zelink Theme #30: Pictures
Title: Mental Pictures of Zelda
Words: 143

Princess Zelda’s blue eyes were sparkling. She had a smile on her face, lighting up her features. She was happy, yet it seemed that she had no reason to be. Zelda was happy...because she simply was. Link couldn’t help returning her smile with one of his own. It really was true; happiness was contagious.

Zelda reached out with her small, fair hand to hold Link’s hand. Link felt a blush creep up onto his face, but Zelda didn’t seem to notice. She just continued smiling.

“Hey, Link! Hello?”

Link was brought back to reality by Navi’s voice. He was back in Hyrule Field, sitting beneath a tree.

“Are you alright, Link?” Navi asked, concern in her voice. “You looked like you were a million miles away!”

Link smiled reassuringly at the blue fairy. “Just a few mental pictures.”

[gr33n_sl33ves]

Title: Tattoos
Theme: Pictures
Wordcount: 657
Genre: General
Setting: Post PH
Rating: G

---

Link stared up at the ceiling without really seeing it, his brain still clouded with sleep. He wasn't sure what woke him up, or if he had just woken up on his own, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, no matter how hard he tried.
Rolling onto his side, he saw that Tetra was not having the same problem. From the steady rise and fall of her bare back, it was easy to tell she was still asleep.
Link propped himself up on one elbow, and with his other arm he traced a finger down Tetra's spine. Or rather, traced around the tattoos that ran down Tetra's spine.
"What?" came her muffled reply some minutes later.
"I couldn't sleep, so I'm just admiring your tattoos," Link replied.
Tetra made a sound somewhere between a huff and a groan, though she didn't bother lifting her head from her arms.
"What time is it?" she asked.
From the light coming in through the window, it was some time around dawn, and Link told her as much. Her response was to mutter something very foul and very rude, before burying her head further into her arms and pillow and attempting to go back to sleep. Unfortunately for her, Link would have nothing of it.
"Tell me about your tattoos again," Link said, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. Tetra moved just enough so she could glare at him with one eye before asking, "You aren't going to leave me alone until I do, are you?"
Link did laugh this time, "Right as always!"
"Fine then, which one do you want me to start with?"
"This one," Link said, tracing around the tattoo between her shoulder blades. It was a stylized eye, which looked to be shedding a tear, inked in red.
"That's a symbol of protection," Tetra began, "My mother told me that our family was protected by a tribe of shadow warriors, and the eye was their symbol. It's red because apparently everyone in the tribe had red eyes. The tear is there because for some reason, the tribe was betrayed, and now none remain. My mother said that descendants of our line must wear their symbol, to honour those who protected our family, and that they may protect us in this life,"
"Now this one," Link said as he followed the curves of the second tattoo, below her shoulder blades. This one was blue, and resembled three intern connected crescents cupping a circle each.
"That's the symbol of Nayru, goddess of Wisdom and Water. Since our way of life revolves around a rather massive body of water, most pirates and sailors wear her symbol as a token of respect,"
"And last but not least..." Link began, tracing the black, bird-like design across the small of her back.
"Is my family emblem," Tetra finished, "Though I never imagined it was actually the emblem of the Hylian royal line. My mother used to tell me that in our family, there was a legend about a princess cursed to be reborn in order to help fight something she called the Power of Darkness. She said that after the great flood, it was forbidden to name anyone after this princess, since it was believed that the flood had successfully sealed away the darkness, and that the birth of one named after its enemy would tempt it to return. My mother broke that taboo when she gave me my middle, the name of the princess: Zelda."
Link smiled as Tetra finished her narrative. Though he had heard the stories more than once before, he liked hearing her talk about her links to the past.
He was about to ask her another question, but then he noticed that Tetra had fallen back to sleep, despite his efforts. So he settled himself comfortable back in bed, perfectly content to lay there until she woke up for good.

[Alantie]

Theme: Pictures
Words: 325
Title: Painting

“Lord Link, please hold still.”

The young man sighed but dropped his hand from where he was scratching his nose, resisting the urge to pull a face. Beside him, he heard soft laughter and turned his head slightly to see her sympathetic smile.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized for what seemed the thousandth time. “But my counselors were very insistent- preserving history for future generations, you know.”

“It’s alright,” Link told her quietly, trying not to move his mouth too much as he spoke. “It’s a legitimate reason, considering I’m a hero now and all. I just wish he’d sketch it out and paint it later.”

Zelda smiled softly, her sapphire eyes sparkling. “I know. I’ve never become used to it in all the portraits he’s ever had me pose for.” He felt her body shift beside his, and resisted the urge to turn to gaze at her. “At least in most of those I was able to sit down.”

He chuckled and again the painter’s pained voice called out, “Lord Link-”

“Yes, yes, sorry,” Link sighed, returning once more to his former position as Zelda giggled. Her small gloved hand brushed against his lightly and ignoring the protesting squawk from the painter he gazed at her, returning her smile.

“Wait- yes, that’s much better!” the painter exclaimed. “I see it now! Please hold this position, Lord Link, Your Royal Highness!”

Later, the finished painting hung in the hall of portraits with many other legends. Princess Zelda holding her delicate golden bow and Link the Hero his unsheathed sword in his hand, their faces turned toward each other. Anyone who gazed at it did not see how uncomfortable it had been for either of the two to hold their poses for so long. No, what they saw instead was the way the two leaned toward each other subtly, the emotions for each other clear in their sapphire sky orbs. What they saw was a blossoming romance.