Zelda X Vaati chapter by Jayadragon

Zelda, why always did the Princess bear that name. Were they all named Zelda or was it just the Princesses of Hyrule he met? Vaati continued to muse as the wind danced about, constantly tugging at his hair and making his cape billow lightly. He turned to his desk that served as his lab he returned to his experiments on the Princess's blood. Within it he could find trace amounts of pure Force energy, just like the other two Zeldas he encountered.

He pulled the Force magic from the small sample of her blood, watching as the blood cells slowly died in response. He removed that slide from his magnifier and replaced it with a new one, these cells still teeming with activity on the otherwise sterile plate. The sorcerer then took only a small percent of the Force from the sample. The cells functioned in a normal way as he continued to very slowly drain them. Suddenly when there was hardly a fraction of the force that had been there the cells showed a slowed metabolic rate and then moments after began to die. Vaai wrote down "7 seconds slow drain till adverse effect. 8 seconds till death."

The sun rose and Vaati realized soon the Princess would wake and he would get a chance to meet this era's Zelda. A nervous feeling rose in the sorcerer's stomach as he thought of the beautiful Princess Zelda. He was excited, for hopefully she held the answers to many of his questions. With a wolfish smile Vaati took a quick running leap from the tower, out the window, and into the clouds that surrounded the Palace of the Winds. The winds tugged at his clothes and tried with all their might to tug his cap free but the mighty sorcerer easily controlled them. It slowly changed from a fall to flight as he pushed and pulled at the winds. He guided himself through the clear blue skies toward the tower, the purple cape flapping behind him, to land hard on the small balcony connected to the Princess's room.

She let out a startled scream and glared angrily toward the Mage. He smiled and welcomed her graciously to his castle to stay a while. She picked up a butter knife from her untouched breakfast and flung the dull blade toward him with uncanny accuracy. Vaati easily knocked it aside with a gust. The fiery look in Zelda's eyes giving him a warm feeling and setting a grin upon the Wind Mage's delicate lips. He stepped into the room slowly and gracefully as if drifting in with the breeze.

"Come Princess, I have brunch being prepared for us in the garden." He offered his elbow as if she were a lady being courted and waited to see her response. The Zeldas he had met in the past would have only responded with cold glares and sharp words. She seemed taken aback for a moment, and then to his surprise consented.

"What game do you play mage? Why have you brought me here, and what are your plans for Hyrule?" At least she kept to her lineage's attractive tendency to get to the point.

"I needed you for a few things, I am doing some important research. As for Hyrule, I don't really care. I know you won't believe me considering my reputation. It took more than one defeat for me to realized that true power would not come from dominance. I had to search much deeper than that to find my own way to connect with the Force energy. You are the secret, within your blood lies more Force energy than any one person could ever use. You are special dearest princess." He added the last sentence as almost a whisper.

"Force energy? Within my blood? The only magic I possess is a gift from the Goddesses to my family. If your wish is to be granted the Goddesses' power than you are going about it the wrong way." The Princess responded, thinking the man was fool. They walked slowly down the stairs, each footstep ringing out in the silence as the sorcerer thought for a moment.

"Yes Princess, there is Force energy within your blood and that of each and every one of your ancestors that I have met. When I first hunted this power I did not know what it was. One of your namesake almost died when I did not realize what the Force power was. If the Hero hadn't saved her... I was wrong then. The second time I knew not to rip the energy from another Zelda of your Kingdom's past. I studied her, I learned from her, but I did not harm her. I realized that this Force energy as I know it is not a simple power but a vital energy to this world's stability.

I want to learn, I crave an understanding of what this energy is. Why is it that some creatures seem to have almost none, while others it is abundant in their every stage of life? Then there is you, the energy that powers the universe is so abundant that it flows through your blood constantly. You possess something not of this world Princess." He spoke in a low tone, daring her to deny his truths.

"It is the power of the Goddesses, given to the world during the time when the Goddesses walked among us." The devoted Princess spoke of the Goddesses with a voice that dripped of her undying faith.

He pulled her chair out and scooted it in for her once she sat. She ate with the expected princess-like perfection. She picked a piece of toast and spread a thin even layer of jam over it, taking a moment to look Vaati in the eye and ask "What do you want to learn from me then?" before taking a bite of the bread. She chewed slowly while she waited patiently for her answer, not a crumb graced her lips, though she could not stop a couple from falling to her plate. The Mage did not answer until she was done with her toast and picking a flavor of jam for the next one.

"Why Princess, I simply want to learn the secrets of the universe, and you my dear hold the key to that lock." He said quietly. Then started to pick at his own plate.

—

It had been many weeks since the princess had been brought to this castle. She wondered sometimes if a Hero had been sent to save her. She doubted it, her situation was not one you would read of in a fable. She was the youngest of many siblings, her two older brothers often forgot she existed, or so she believed. Her father had been hoping for another boy to raise a soldier, but instead he got her. Only her mother showed her love, giving her the name of her great grandmother. She had spent many hours alone, staring out her window sadly wishing she could just fly away.

Then one day, she saw him. At first she thought it was a purple bird. As the purple figure got closer she saw the outline of a man. Clad in purple and red, with violet cape billowing behind him. His lavender hair flew wildly in every direction as he glided through the air. She pressed her nose against the glass and watched in awe as he landed in the castle courtyard. The Guards moved to attack but he held up his hands in surrender. After much fuss he was eventually allowed to see the King.

With little small talk to lighten the mood he asked for the Princess's hand in marriage, offering a hefty dowry and promising to leave the land in peace. The subtle threat did not go over anyone's head. The King was about to accept when his wife begged him to have a word with her. When she explained who the man was, and what he had done to the Kingdom in the past, her husband had no choice but to deny the offer for his daughter's sake. Vaati simply laughed at their response. According to what Zelda had heard he responded simply. "Regardless I will be here to collect her in three days, I need time to prepare her rooms."

The king ordered his soldiers to attack but the man easily pushed them aside and deflected their weapons without much of a problem. The man walked down the hallway as if he were unimpeded. Reaching the gates and pushing himself off into the sky. He soared straight for the Princess's high window. Though it was solid glass, and she could not feel his winds, she could see how they played with his cape and lavender hair. He leaned forward and pressed his hand against the glass. She reached out and returned the gesture. He smiled, it seemed the girl was not as studious as her mother. He thought of taking her then, before they had a chance to poison her mind against him. However, he did not like to break promises, so with a smile he floated away from her window. Then shot straight up through the clouds just as the royal guard burst into the girl's room.

The kingdom panicked for three days, madly preparing to defend their only Princess from this unwanted suitor. Her mother brought her many history books, forcing her to read the chapters that focused on this Vaati character. At first she didn't believe the stories, but when she heard of what he had done to the girl's bearing her name a deep fear set into her heart. Her father brought her to a dungeon, deep underground, promising that she would be safe there.

The king set hundreds of traps, thousands of his soldiers guarded this dungeon. Unfortunately, they made a grave mistake. This dungeon they hid her in was designed by the wind mage ages ago. He knew of its traps, and the soldiers were easy to brush aside. Like a whirlwind he flew through the underground maze. Easily finding the keys, and avoiding deadly traps. The traps and guards he had expected. However to the wind mages surprised, upon opening the final door the Princess lunged at him, sword in hand. Though she wore a dress, it barely impaired her movements. She dove with the rapier pointed towards his heart. He knocked her back with a powerful gust, but couldn't stop her before she slammed into a post of her bed. The blow knocked her unconscious. He had checked on the injury before scooping her up into his arms, finding the glowing warp tile that would take him back to the entrance, where he was sure hundreds of guards waited to try to finish him off.

As he materialized with his burden, he let the winds fly, knocking every soldier in the room against the far walls with hurricane force winds. He walked calmly as if in the eye of storm, wind whipping viciously around them. He walked up the stairs easily. To his surprise the entire royal family waited for him outside, backed by an army. Rather than fight with them, he simply nodded respectfully towards the King and took off with the princess in his arms. It was only when he disappeared through the clouds that the kingdom accepted that their Princess was lost to them.

Though the story of their exit had been told to her by the mage, she felt as if he had no reason to lie to her. She did not understand how the mage from her stories could be the same as this man, if the drawing had not been so near his likeness she may have dismissed them altogether. Vaati had been nothing but kind to her, offering her more freedom than her father ever had. She could travel anywhere in her tower, including the garden down below. Vaati had even moved a large collection of books into one of the lower storerooms so she could have her own library.

This afternoon she sat in the garden, reading a story of the Picori. The smallest of the Goddesses creations, tiny men who lived to help their larger brethren. They couldn't be seen by people, only once a year during a festival long lost to history. The book she read was only a collection of the few facts that the royal family had once known of the Picori. They spoke of how the small creatures were the ones to hid rupees and other items in the grass and sometimes in pots. Since you could still find rupees and other useful things in places they shouldn't be, Zelda had to assume the Picori still existed. When had the day been that the festival was celebrated? How long would she have to wait before she had a chance to see one of the Picori.

She looked around the garden and wondered if the little people were here as well. She looked at the grass and was suddenly on her feet. She brushed her hands through the deep grass near the base of a tree. It took a few minutes but soon she gave a shout as she pulled a rupee up, clenching it in her hands she gave another squeal of joy.

"And what brings my dear princess such joy?" An amused voice said from behind her. She blushed deeply before regaining her composure and turning around to face the windmage. He saw the green rupee clutched in her hand and made a very confused expression. She smiled at his confusion then perked up, realizing the mage was probably old enough to know when the festival was.

"What time of year was the ancient Picori festival celebrated?" Zelda asked him, eyes blazing with curiosity. Her question stunned the mage, for he had been so distracted lately that he had not been dwelling on his past as much as usual. Zelda watched as he looked at her first in astonishment then his eyes began to darken and she could not tell if it was in anger or sadness. "Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me. I was just reading a book and, well we have lost a lot of traditions and knowledge in Hyrule, I was wondering if you knew".

"Of course I know" He said in a dark tone, his voice purposefully devoid of emotion. The princess shrunk back against the tree. Though the windmage had never given her reason to fear him, she knew the stories and she knew despite how well he hid it that he was capable of doing great harm. The man stared at the ground as the wind tousled his hair and cape, pulling at him as if trying to cheer him. He glanced up before continuing and saw her cowering against the tree. Suddenly realizing how frightening his emotions could seem to the girl he tried to force a lighter tone to his words. "It's in late spring, just as the flowers begin to fall and fruits take their place. I am sorry if I frightened you, I just have a very complicated relationship with that holiday." He tried to make it sound as if his problem was with the holiday itself and not what it celebrated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just…. I thought it would be fun to meet a Picori. They sound cute." The girl flushed again as she spoke, unable to meet his eyes until she finished speaking.

"Minish… they call themselves the Minish. Picori is the name that the humans came up with, but they prefer if you refer to them as Minish. I don't know if I would describe them as cute, but I can see how you would. I have learned that girls think most small furry things are cute." Vaati spoke in a low tone that she could not quite place. His eyes shone both sadness and anger, yet his expression was soft, as if remembering a good time in his life. However his tone could not entirely distract her from his words.

"Furry? I thought they were just little men." Zelda said slowly, not wanting to upset the mage further. He was after all technically her captor, and betrothed.

"Yes, I might as well show you a picture to ease your curiosity, since it is midsummer and the Picori festival would have ended near the day I first met you". He extended a hand and she stepped forward to take it. The mage spun her close to him and she stifled another blush. His arm wrapped about her waist and soon they were in the air. After a hard push upwards to the right balcony Vaati let them flutter down gently to the small porch.

Vaati pulled open the large double doors and the smell of aged books wafted out. They smiled in unison at the familiar scent. Vaati lead the way, using magic to flick on the torches. He followed a particular row of books. The light barely illuminated this section yet he reached out without hesitation and pulled out a book which had a title in a language that was foreign to the princess. He turned briskly, as if none of the other books held any interest, or perhaps as if he did not want to think of the interest the other books held for him. He walked away much quicker than he had found the shelf, and Zelda wondered whether it had been the act of finding the book that made him slow on their way there, or the need to be away from that section that drove him from it.

Vaati opened the book to what looked like a table of contents. He flipped quickly through the book and stopped on a colored picture. The best she had been hoping for was a sketch, but this was in depth drawings with deep detail. The first thing she noted was the clover leaf held over it like an umbrella. She gave a gasp then a small squeal of delight as she realized what a perfect size comparison this gave her. The creature had pointed ears, far longer than any Hylian, and the most adorable long mouse-like nose. The creature wore a robe that seemed to be made of leaves and had what must be a red feathered tail. It also had red hair, no a red hat. The creatures didn't seem furry, though the texture of the skin would be hard to define in such a small drawing.

"Forest Minish". The man said still sounding as neutral as he could manage. He flipped the pages again and stopped on another drawing. "Mountain Minish" he continued. She studied the image quickly, noting the more rugged attire and darker skin, or perhaps it was darker fur?. Then came an image of a few smaller scale Minish. "Town Minish" Vaati explained. These ones looked much like forest Minish, except they all wore different colorful outfits. The mage held the book open for a while longer then closed it turning to return the book.

He returned shortly and walked to the balcony and holding and arm out to her. She grabbed it and waited let him twirl her against him, reaching her arms out to wrap tightly around his shoulders, as his slipped around her waist. She knew something about looking at that book had trouble the mage, however she did not feel it would be prudent to show any more affection that the simple but firm embrace that they could both pretend was for stability as he leapt off of the porch, strong winds pulling them up. Zelda realized that her arms wrapping around his shoulders really did make the launch much easier.

—

"Dinner this evening?" Vaati asked with a rather delighted tone. Zelda gave a smile and a nod and closed the door to her room. She smiled even more broadly as she noticed the pile of new gowns. She picked a dress that was deep blue, she slipped it on and smiled again. Realizing it was hours until dinner, yet all she longed for was to continue talking to the mage. He fascinated her, and he seemed to enjoy her company just as much.

She now accompanied him to the messy laboratory occasionally, which he had been forced to clean before allowing her in. He drew her blood every couple days, only taking a small vial to work with. She complained over the pain of the needle, but honestly his work was interesting. She couldn't help but understand how he had no choice but to study her inheritance. It was absolutely incredible. She found herself wondering if the power was in all women of her blood? Or was it simply in all descendants of the royal line? She wondered how her family would react to a request for blood samples and had to laugh aloud at the reactions she imagined.

She fixed her hair and pulled out her crown which had an inset blue jewel, perfectly matching the dress. She smiled again as she thought of how pointless fixing her hair was when the man would undoubtedly throw the two of them into the air on their way to whichever room he planned to have dinner in. Then she decided to braid her long hair, leaving a few bits free around her face as the were shorter than the rest. Braids done, she gave a sigh and picked up a book to await the evening's adventure.

The windmage arrived moments after the sun sets, arriving in his usual outfit, though it seemed as if he had just changed into a clean set. He reached his hand out to her as usual and spun her into his embrace, she lifted her arms and delicately wrapping them around his neck. He took a moment to look down at the princess and to his surprise she was staring right at him, he was captured by her gaze but instead he gave her a quick smile and turning to face the breeze. With the most gentle take off she had ever experienced the hopped over the balcony and began to fall slowly and and the two appreciated the high flying clouds above them that were painted a int the colors of sunset. Zelda smiled in delight and began to regret the braids, as she loved the way the wind played with her hair as Vaati carried her through the winds.

They landed gently at the bottom of a mostly ruined tower, though it had clearly once been one of the largest towers judging by how wide it was at the base. Vaati pulled the doors open with wind and she saw a glittering room beyond. The dozens of lit chandeliers sent sparkling light across the room, there was a single table set under one of them, next to a large dance floor. She even heard soft music playing, though she couldn't tell what direction it came from. She blushed deeply as she realize what a romantic setting this was. The windmage had gone all out, and Zelda couldn't help but be impressed, if only her family could see this room, then perhaps they would understand that he was far from a monster. He truly was a gentleman.

"Why did you braid your hair?" He asked as they walked to the table. She touched the braids and successfully suppressed a blush.

"I couldn't think of any other way to keep my hair tame during our flight here" She said as nonchalantly as possible.

"That's almost a shame, I do not think I have seen many sights more beautiful than the way your hair looks after a flight". He sounded like he wanted to continue but stopped there. Looking away as his own cheeks flushed. However, Zelda would not notice his blush because her cheeks were bright red at the compliment and she groped for some sort of response.

"If we both prefer my hair down, I would rather enjoy letting the winds arrange my hair in the perfect way". She teased lightly to try to avoid the implications of his compliment. She began to undo her braids as he scooted her chair in and poured them both some wine.

They spoke amiably during dinner though neither could think of a topic that could distract them from the slightly awkward air that fell between them. Zelda felt as if it was her fault, she should not be so distracted by how charming the man was. The least she could do was hold a proper conversation so he wouldn't notice her distraction. Vaati on the other hand berated himself for moving so quickly, worrying she would feel intimidated by how forward this dinner was. She ate daintily as always and he found himself often getting distracted with the curve of her lips as she glanced about the room between bites. He hoped she didn't notice his distraction.

They spoke of the coming winter, and the princesses asked questions about how cold it got up here, and if the trees still lost their leaves. He laughed and assured her that if she wished they could drift below the cloud cover during a snowstorm. The princess squealed at the idea of moving the entire castle just to cover it in snow. The conversation trailed on until finally as they nibbled at their deserts they both felt comfortable.

The thought occurred to both of them throughout the conversation that they could not remember anyone who had been so easy to talk to. Their conversation looped back around to how exactly one would move the entire castle. Vaati explained the magic powered mechanism that held the castle afloat, though he could do it himself, he said it was tedious to remember to keep the thing in the sky all day. After giving herself some time to digest Zelda glanced mischievously at the dance floor then suddenly decided she would like to dance with the man seated across from her.

Vaati had finally accepted that his bold move was worth it when the girl grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to the dance floor. She made it clear her intention but waited until he asked. He gave one quick glance across the floor. Internally wondering if it really had been such a good idea. The girl was far too trusting and he did not deserve someone as pure as this Zelda. He finally looked back at her, not allowing himself to get lost in her deep blue eyes for a moment.

"May I have this dance?" He asked with a bow. She gave a curtsy and accepted his outstretched hand. He tossed them both gently to the middle of the dance floor with a gust of wind that made the chandeliers ring and sparkle. Zelda steadied herself on the windmage's chest and shot him up an annoyed glare at the lack of warning. However she was surprised to find the deep joy in his eyes, and broad smile on his face. He grabbed her by the hands and began to move, guiding them both in swirling steps and twirling circles around each other. As they got used to each other's movements he began play with the wind as well. Sending Zelda spinning he leaped to the air, diving across the winds to land on his feet beside her just as she ended the spin. Taking her arm and waist he vaulted them both high, just below the chandeliers, the mage gave a chuckle as she giggled in delight and surprise.

They fell slower than a feather and Vaati began to dance again, pulling her around by her waist and arm, using the winds to keep them both light and graceful. They landed again and he dipped the princess low, so low that he used a wind current to pull her back up to standing. Even as they returned to quickly light steps on the floor the wind played around them. Pulling lightly at her dress and hair, while slightly more viciously at Vaati's clothes and cape, it was as if the winds danced with them. Zelda found herself locked in a stare with Vaati for much of the rest of the dance, the two only breaking that gaze to complete a more complicated movement. As the instruments faded into the next song they both slowed to stop, breathing slightly heavier than usual. Zelda was going to thank him for the dance when he began to step slowly forwards and backwards, rocking her in a slow waltz. She gracefully mirrored his movements and relaxed slightly against the mage.

While the wind still danced with them, it lessened its intensity and Zelda wondered if that was a reaction to their slower pace or if the mage had stopped focusing on the winds. She looked up at him and he was intently staring down at her. He gave her a small twirl to break their eye contact and the slowly lowered her, pulling her up and close to him again. She relaxed even more into the slow dance. She barely noticed as she leaned into the man, enjoying his unique delicate smell as well as the way his muscled warned her before each change in the pattern.

She felt him tense as they went into another dip and she watched as his lips hover above hers, during the deepest moment of the dip. She smiled at the delicate yet strong curve of his lip and couldn't help but wonder what they felt like. Without giving herself a moment to doubt the prudence of her action she found herself moving to find an answer to her silent question. She tilted her chin and lifted her head up just enough that their lips brushed. Vaati's eyes flew open in surprise but softened as he saw Zelda smiling below him. As he pulled the princess out of the dip the mage dipped his head down just enough to rejoin their lips. Zelda deepened the kiss as they stood arms around each other and lips slowly relaxing into the new sensation.

They both felt light headed from the sensation but also felt an internal hunger for more. Zelda pulled herself closer to him and the mage wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. He lifted her slightly pushing their lips together harder. Zelda gave a low throaty moan as Vaati pulled away giving them both a chance to breath. The princess realized slowly what had happened as she fell out of her momentary delirium.

"I- I'm-" She started to apologize but lost her words as she looked at the windmage's deep smile.

"No need for apologies my dearest princess, we are after all technically betrothed". He said with a smile.