Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

A Hero and a Goddess	By : Datsexypootisburdtho Category: -Misc Video Games/RPGs > Crossovers Views: 2287 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, or any associated media. All rights belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, and I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
“... probably not quite as pristine as you were when you first dressed, but I’d say you look more than presentable right now. Exquisite, even.” She arched a brow at his choice of vocabulary, and as if he read her mind a deadpan look formed on his face. “Oh don't give me that. I'll have you know that my vocabulary is very refined, I just don't use make use of it all.” Alas, all that served to do was make her brows match and her lip twitched towards a smirk as he sighed and rubbed his temples. “Geez, and I thought the Princess was bad…” It had taken a little bit of effort as he cleaned and dressed them both on his lonesome, but Link knew he couldn't very well bring her back home without an attempt at washing her up.

“You’ll have to tell me who this ‘Princess’ of yours is later, and more about your homeland if I may impose.” Now that her mind was in proper working order once more, and not submerged beneath a deluge of pleasure that turned it into putty, the noble was almost insatiably curious about the man by her side. Who paused and blinked twice, as if he hadn’t expected her to hear that when he muttered it beneath his breath, before those broad shoulders of his shrugged. “And why your ears look like that... you can’t… turn into a dragon, can you?” Ordinarily, Ishtar would never have humored such an idea for even a moment, but she also never met a man who could turn into a massive golden wolf, and restrain a creature easily twice the size of the largest war horse she’d ever seen with just one arm.

Another chuckle escaped him as she stepped onto a well-worn path that led to a homestead just outside the forest, established some years ago by her grandfather Reptor after a man and his sons saved his life during a brutal winter. While he couldn’t have knighted them, given their lack of combat training and desire for such a boon, her grandfather did give them land and leave to hunt within the rather large forest as they pleased. In return, they would raise livestock for their family personally, and care for any animals that a member of House Friege left there for any reason.

“Skarde! Ready my horse for me, will you? I’ll be returning to the castle now.” She called out with a little smile on her face, and a very tall, tanned young man glanced at the man in green behind her for an instant. “Ah, my apologies, I forgot my companion was here for a moment. This man here is known as Link. I found him fishing in one of our streams, and after he claimed ignorance then saved my life from some kind of…. rampaging thing , I have decided to grant him clemency.” Hazel brown eyes roamed over them both, and Ishtar once again ignored how the man set to take over for his father, Frode, allowed his gaze to linger on her form for a second or two.

“.... as m’lady says.” he rumbled in that quiet voice of his before he turned and walked to the little stable where her horse was kept. She never was very thrilled with how the farmhand checked her out at least once whenever she came around, but compared to the leers Ishtar was used to getting from fellow nobles, less-than-polite mercenaries, and, on more than one occasion, a tipsy cousin? It might as well have been nothing in comparison.

“.... so am I supposed to ride on the same horse with you…” Link said, a thoughtful expression on his face as he watched the muscular young man retrieve a gorgeous white mare from a stall. “I obviously have no problem with more time spent up close and personal, but if we’re headed to your home then it might not be the best idea for us both to be in the same saddle.” A dull thump of her hand against his chest only made a shameless grin spread across his face, and she did not have a small flush when she glanced over her shoulder. Not her.

“Do you have any other ideas, ‘good sir’? Perhaps I should simply ride side-saddle like a good little noblewoman, and you hold the reins… yourself…. I hate that look on your face already.” Especially when it turned into more brazen, bold-faced laughter.

She was not pouting as her home slowly grew larger as they crested one final hill, no matter what the contemptuous man in green said. Pouting was for young children or childish girls who did not get their way, and Ishtar was most certainly not childish. Petty? Oh yes, she could be very petty when given, in her own mind, justifiable reasoning. Surprisingly vindictive? The ideas that formed in her mind to torment the aforementioned man proved that and then some. Possessed of a rather impish sense of humor from time to time?

That one she tried very hard to keep to herself, and she would have succeeded if not for her brother Ishtore. He had always proven to be very, very good at drawing a more whimsical, relaxed nature out of her regardless of the time or place. Even when, no, especially when the siblings were in an important meeting or event of some sort. Ishtar merely hoped that her brother’s love, and soon to be fiancee, Riza, would prove a better hand at getting more maturity out of him than either of their parents. ‘Hah, unlikely. If even the presence of Emperor Arvis and his wife could not get my brother to behave, then she has no chance at all.’

“Ishtar!” A voice from her left pulled her from the current trail of thought, and she turned to see said brother on a horse of his own as he approached. The bags attached to his saddle and the small wagon that followed him told of where he had been, and just before she could even start to tease and ask what, if anything, he had bought for her, those piercing grey eyes turned to look at the man who held her mare’s reins. “Well well, a new face in Friege? Come now sister, you let this man lead you and your horse, but never could allow me the honor? I’m wounded!” he cried aloud in mock pain, and mimed as if he was struck in the heart by an arrow as he slowly dismounted from his steed. “Alas! Alas! The eldest son of Friege is slain by the cruelty of his beloved sister! The scandal! The shock! The sur-”

“If you don’t cease to make me regret ever admitting that I am related to you, then I will give you a shock, dear brother.” Ishtar spoke with a stony tone of voice, and resolutely ignored the horribly-hidden amused look on Link’s face as he guided her horse past the eldest scion of Friege. Who, for his part, merely shook his head and sighed as he turned and followed the pair. “Now if you wouldn’t mind helping me introduce my new friend to our father? You know how well he enjoys things that he does not expect.”

That is to say, not well at all. The last time any of the thunderous siblings deigned to try and surprise Bloom, Lord of Friege and wielder of mighty Mjölnir, was on his birthday, several years back. It was early in the morning, an hour that normally would have seen his children fast asleep. But they wanted to try and give their father a present and a surprise at the same time. And so they, in their childish wisdom, which really was Ishtore’s idea and Ishtar’s sense reining him in, had managed to cook his favored breakfast and deliver it to his personal chambers without dropping so much as an ounce of his tea.

Surely, he would appreciate the effort put into such a gesture from his two children, one of whom was not yet even ten years of age, and relax for a day and simply be their father. That was decidedly not the case, as he jumped awake and almost threw a Thunder spell in his groggy, confused state. While she did not find it so at the time, Ishtar now looked upon the expression her brother adopted with more amusement than she would like to admit. Bloom had felt awful for what he had nearly done, but managed to put it behind him enough to enjoy a day of relaxation with his children. Though he had ensured to remind them never to repeat such an action again.

“Geez… I thought he was about to cast Thoron right through my head or something!” Ishtore chuckled at the memory of a more innocent, carefree time as he observed his sister’s new companion, and he cared not one single whit about how blatant his stare was. “So, forgive me if I’m rude, but would you care to explain why exactly I should trust a man I’ve never met before around my little sister?” he said with a casual tone that belied the intent behind his words. Link’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the heir to Mjölnir leveled a questioning look at her brother.

“... does saving her life count for something? Had I not been in your family’s forest, then she wouldn’t be here right now.” A shared glance passed between the siblings, and the elder sighed and shook his head as he quickly understood the meaning in her eyes. “... I take it that the creature I killed earlier was not the first one that you and your family have encountered, right?” While he had grown past his days where he would talk as little as possible, at all if he could get away with it really, the Hylian was very skilled at picking up on silent conversations as a result.

“... no. It was the first time something of that size and strength appeared, but we’ve been dealing with incursions such as that for a little while now. You called it… a Lionel, right?” Ishtar spoke and clicked her tongue when the blond shook his head. “Damn. I thought I remembered the name correctly… I was close though, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, very close actually. It was a corrupted, darkened Lynel, one of the most deadly monsters from my homeland of Hyrule. How it managed to cross over into Jugdral… I have no idea. It took weeks of travel for me to get here, and I know for a fact I was not followed.” If this new realm was already being attacked by creatures from his home… then that did not bode well for the future of this land at all. He just hoped that That Man wouldn’t be an issue while he was here. Even though word of his supposed execution reached Hyrule castle, Link would not assume for even an instant that he was rid of Ganon unless he saw the body at his own feet.

“From your homeland? You mean to tell me that such beasts are commonplace where you come from?” Ishtore did not even want to imagine such a place. True, a group of skilled warriors, or a sufficiently powerful fighter such as himself, his sister, or their father, especially their father, could dispatch them with relative ease, but the speed at which the monsters reproduced was… frightening. Several women had already been reported as missing from a handful of nearby villages, and not a soul in Friege wanted to ponder on what fate they suffered any longer than absolutely necessary.

“Not exactly. They really only come out at night for the most part, or in areas where there is a gathering of evil, or chaotic energies. Most of the settlements are safe thanks to the soldiers of Hyrule, and what few places that are ‘too small’ to merit such a guard,” Link said with a derisive snort, “have alternative means of protection. Beasts such as a Lynel however, are a big deal. They are extremely territorial, and roam around during the day without so much as flinching. You would have to approach even a weaker, juvenile one with at least 15 veteran warriors if you want a decent shot at killing it.”

The trio remained silent after that, the siblings unable to think of anything to say, and the man in green unwilling to speak anymore about what sort of danger lurked on their borders. He would be telling all this and more to their father when they arrived anyway, so he didn’t see the point of saying everything twice. He just hoped that the issue of why , exactly, Ishtar seemed to be so comfortable around him came up. That would be a rather awkward conversation, and he was in no hurry to find out just how much this Thoron spell would hurt.

Fortunately, it seemed that at least Ishtore shared some of his inability when it came to sitting around when there were important matters to tend to. The young man quickly had the gate opened and horses settled in the castle stables, and Link found himself in the position that many, many young men the world over face with an instinctive terror. He looked the father of the young woman whom he’d just recently had highly inappropriate, albeit extremely enjoyable , relations with in the eye, and found that the man was rather… well, intimidating is far from the right word. After facing and defeating Ganon, dispatching the masked demons in Termina before destroying Majora, he highly doubted that anything could intimidate him ever again.

That being said, Bloom certainly had an undeniable presence. Even without being as magically inclined as the siblings who stood behind him, the Hylian could tell that this man was strong . No, more than that. If he had faced him as an enemy during that first, fateful adventure, he would have surely died. Ok, well, maybe that was a strong statement, he hadn’t exactly seen the man in action yet, but he was not someone that the Hero of Time wanted to make an enemy out of.

At least, not yet. “... Ishtar. Care to tell me who exactly this stranger is, and why I should not remove him from my castle posthaste?” …. scratch that, it looked like the man was going to make an enemy out of him instead. Well, if that was the way the game was going to be played, he’d just have to be ready for it. If this was the thanks he got upon saving a man’s daughter, perhaps he really should start charging for his heroics, like Malon had jokingly suggested years ago.

Behind his back, the aforementioned daughter paled ever so slightly as she rushed to stand in between her father and her recent, and hopefully would survive to be so again, lover. “Father! Please, this man is a guest in our home, he saved my life!” Stormcloud grey eyes glanced from the form of his child into a set of cool, calm blue orbs, and a silent battle of wills began. Everyone in the courtyard paused to observe the two as they stared each other down, and all would later swear that they began to feel a slow, gradually increasing pressure that threatened to squash them flat into the ground.

But much to the siblings' surprise, Bloom clicked his tongue and made his way off the step where he had stood, and calmly but firmly moved his daughter aside. “.... is this true, Ishtar? You were in the deeper reaches of the forest again, were you not?” He did not need an answer, as the way she flinched told him enough. “I see. Please tell me you did not at least intentionally place yourself in danger?”

“.... no. I wanted to see if I could perhaps capture one of the beasts alive, and so I feigned sleep after I crafted a little barrier that would alert me if one of them approached. But I must have been more tired than I had thought, as I opened my eyes to see him,” she inclined her head towards the Hylian, “... fishing, of all the things, in our stream.” Even though her brother was not within eyesight, the next-in-line to wield Mjölnir knew that her brother had adopted a deadpan expression. And had she turned to look, she would have seen his hands as they rubbed at his eyes before he sighed.

“..... fishing. You’re serious.” It was not that he held any disdain for something as mundane as fishing, rather he greatly enjoyed the relaxation such an activity could bring, but Bloom had not lived this long, had not turned Friege into a powerhouse second only to the Imperial Family, without a healthy dose of skepticism for every convenient explanation.

“Very serious, my lord. I’d just spent the night in the village a few miles southeast of here, and took my leave at the crack of dawn. If not a little before actually. I’d made my way into the forest, and happened upon a stream with some fish… so I thought I’d catch myself some breakfast.” While he wouldn’t exactly call himself a liar, Link also knew that it would be best to leave any mention of how his daughter had been exposed to his eyes if he simply turned around. He was a courageous man, yes, but he was by no means stupid. “Eventually your daughter made me aware of her presence, she informed me of your ownership of these lands, and then… a Lynel came.”

“....... the rest of you, as you were. You three, come with me to my solar. Now .” Well well, now things would be getting interesting. He waited until Ishtar had begun to follow her father before he moved, both out of a sincere lack of knowing which way to go, and an admittedly small desire to watch the way she walked. This could potentially be a long interrogation, dammit he wanted to get at least one last pleasant sight in before he was reamed out by the lord of the castle.

“You said that… a ‘Lynel’ came, yes?” Bloom asked once the three of them had taken seats in front of his large, dark oak desk in a very well furnished room. The tastes of higher society were certainly something he would never understand, but he had to hand it to the man. He knew how to make a space look good, and keep it functional at the same time. “Perhaps you should start by telling just what kind of creature, exactly, it is.”

A thoughtful expression formed on Link’s face as he pondered how best to answer the nobleman, and after a moment he nodded to himself and sat up just a little bit straighter in his seat. “Well, to do that I’ll have to give you a quick little rundown on my homeland of Hyrule, and just what exactly you and your people are up against, before I can tell you what a Lynel is….”

Ishtore sank into his bed with a sigh, and rubbed at his eyes in a vain attempt to try and force some of the mental images that the Hylian’s tale conjured in his mind. He had left no detail unmentioned, no creature was deemed too small or feeble to be left out, and by the end of the meeting with his father, the Friege noble was very glad that he lived in Jugdral and not in a country plagued with such beasts. If he didn’t have a nightmare about those vile ReDeads in the near future, he would count himself lucky.

His father, on the other hand, did not allow his shock or worry to appear in the slightest. In fact, he even called for a servant to deliver a decent amount of canvas and sketching materials, so that their guest could give them a visual reference as well. Link had gone into, in his own mind, a bit too much detail on some of the monsters, but he had to admit that every piece of information was a boon. “I just wish that they didn’t have to be so Thrud-damned creepy!”

And, y’know, that there wasn’t the oh so very reassuring fact that they were most certainly kidnapping women to reproduce faster than they could by their lonesome. He had pitched that little theory after working up the nerve to mention it, prayed that it would be shot down, and paled when it was confirmed. The gruesome ways that these monsters killed was one thing, but this…. “Now I know why Riza has been asking me to go with her every time she leaves the castle as of late.”

Even though the blood of Thrud did not flow as strongly in his veins as it did in his sister, Ishtore was still his descendant. Powerful lightning magic like Arcthunder or Thoron was at his beck and call, and Bloom had ensured that he was capable of casting such spells in a hurry if need be. “A mage is only as good as his concentration and focus. No matter the spell.” Those words had come from Emperor Arvis himself, years ago when the Imperial Family had come to Friege. He knew that he would not take over for his father once he stepped down, those responsibilities would never rest upon his shoulders. But he was still a noble of Friege! These lands, their people, it was his duty to see to their safety!

His sister was of a similar mind, though she elected to relentlessly question Link on which monsters could be safely dispatched on one’s lonesome, and which ones required a group of fighters. “Dynaflos? These are simply stronger and faster Lizalfos, are they not?” He nodded as she glanced at the surprisingly detailed sketches of both beasts, and worked on committing them to memory. “Bokoblins and Bulbins… these are about as close to common foot soldiers as monsters get, correct? Only really a threat in numbers or to those with no training or method of defense?”

“Yes. Every now and then a Bulbin King arises who’s a formidable warrior, and they become an actual danger to even well-armed and trained soldiers. They have some form of society however, and tend to simply follow the strongest side. There are tales in the library at Hyrule Castle of Bulbins actually being allies here and there throughout our history, so they aren’t mindless savages like almost every other monster.”

She idly chewed on her lip as they went through an extensive list that he had made, a list that her father first copied with a more utilitarian spell than she thought he knew, and Link seemed content to answer her every question no matter how mundane or dull it must have been. Even when servants came in with her favorite dish for dinner, Ishtar continued to gleam as much detailed information as she could get. Though, at a slower pace after he had slipped up and almost choked on a bit of food thanks to a poorly-timed inquiry on her part.

“All I did was ask about Twinrova….” she murmured as he gently rubbed his throat and coughed, and her confusion increased as the blond shuddered at the mention of that name. “Unpleasant memories I take it?” It must have been something bad for him to have reacted so strongly, perhaps they had been a terrifying foe, or committed an atrocity so horrible that it made him flinch at even thinking about it.

“.... yes. You remember those ah, two elderly witches I mentioned? Koume and Koutake? They had made… more than one very uncomfortable pass at me as I made my way towards the center of the Spirit Temple. They merged into Twinrova, and uh… I was fighting to kill them as much as I was trying to avoid them doing things I really don’t want to think about to me.” Even though she could not deny an element of humor that was found in his reaction to that specific enemy, the lavender-haired woman gave him a look of sympathy as she sat down beside him on her bed.

“Something… you want to talk about?” As expected, Link shook his head and slowly brought his slight coughing fit to a halt, and drained his cup of watered wine on the table before him. “You know, drinking something so soon after almost choking on food isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do.” she said with a dry tone, and rolled her eyes as he scoffed as if insulted. “Save the haughty behavior for us nobles, it doesn’t suit you in the slightest. Though, if my father decides that he wants you to stay and help us deal with this monster problem, I suppose I could teach you how to truly adopt a pompous, self-righteous attitude.”

Ishtar turned her nose up in the air and folded her arms beneath her bosom, and to her credit, managed to hold such a pose and expression for a moment before a twitch of her lips made it crack. Then the smile crumpled it to the ground, and despite the late hour and slight urge to sleep, she continued to idly leaf through the sheets of parchment. “How exactly were you able to bring all of these beasts down? And why are some of these marked ‘Child’, yet others are labeled ‘Adult’?” The notion of these monsters not having fully matured into a more dangerous state disturbed her more than she wanted to admit.

“...Some of these things I encountered when I was younger, others only when I was grown. I guess they stuck out enough for me to mark down the age that I first ran into them.” That… was not nearly the full story, and she knew it. “Not buying that one for even a second, are you?” Her lips thinned into a line as she shook her head, and a wooden chuckle slipped out as he sat up straight on her bed. “Look there’s… more than a few things that I don’t feel as if I can mention just yet, ok? It’s not that I think you’d be out to use them against me, but uh… it was only earlier today that we met, you know.”

Her cheeks turned into a brilliant shade of crimson as he brought up their rather… intimate encounter in the forest, and that damned smirk of his showed up again. Ishtar hated how his lips looked when that detestable, smug little grin dared show itself before her. Hated how it turned Link from a charming, dashing man who made her feel so safe, into a roguish devil who turned her mind upside down and sent her heart racing at troubling speeds. A heat began to form in her core, and she made a snap decision.

Without a word she pulled him in for a kiss, and pushed him beneath her on the bed. “Believe me, I remember.” Ishtar breathed, and swallowed a lump in her throat at the look in his eyes. “I’ve barely been able to keep my mind off of it all day. I’ve… been hoping we would have some time alone to be honest.” Her lips attacked his with all the need she could muster, and a moan slipped out as his hands squeezed her breasts once more.

Impatience prevented her from pleasing him the same way he did for her last time, and Ishtar would not let such a thing happen again. Reluctant as she was to deprive her mouth of his tongue as it explored, she prioritized returning the favor over her own enjoyment for the moment. There would, hopefully of course, be plenty of time for him to drive her wild tonight and in the future, but first… “Geez… you certainly are a lucky man in this department, aren’t you?” Ishtar softly mused as her eyes darkened with desire, and her hands wrapped around his limp shaft. Even now he was rather gifted, and she knew that taking all of him inside her mouth was highly improbable. And yet… she made him hiss as his head slipped between her lips, and that filled her with such a burst of confidence.

To think something so simple could get such a reaction… now she began to understand why some women took pride in being able to wrap men around their fingers. Link brushed her ponytail aside as her tongue swirled around his tip, and her hand slowly, nervously pumped away at his base. Instinct and his reactions was all she had to go off of, but in time Ishtar knew that she would be able to drive him wild, and make him feel just as good as she did earlier.

Even as his length slowly started to grow inside her mouth, she inched forward and took more inside. And when, much to her annoyance, she had to stop halfway, her hands quickly freed her bust from their confinement. She replaced her hand with her bust, and smirked to herself when that drew a groan from his lips. Well well, that was definitely something to remember for the future. The noblewoman hummed as she slowly started to establish a rhythm, her head bobbed along his dick even as she pumped her breasts up and down, and felt like she was getting a hang of this.

As for her lover, Link’s brow twitched as he resisted the urge to shove himself deeper down her throat. If Ishtar was ever going to gain any confidence in the bedroom, then he needed to know how to wait and let her explore. Fuck if he wasn’t tempted to throw that to the side though. As her pace gradually increased and her movements became less clumsy and more natural, he knew that she was going to be a bit too good at this once she learned what makes him tick. Even now, he could feel his climax as it approached faster than he had anticipated.

That smug look in her eye did not help him hold out at all either, nor did her throat as he slipped another inch deeper. A low growl of a moan was hissed through clenched teeth as she doubled her efforts, and it grew increasingly difficult for him to deny his urge to just stop holding it back and let her bring him to climax. Only his stubborn nature staved off the end that she sought, and as she pulled her lips off his cock with a wet, lurid pop , her breasts heaving as she panted for breath, that seemed to annoy her.

Without a word she fully stripped out of her dress, and swung her legs over his head. Drenched curls and a sopping wet slit greeted his eyes, a sight that made him shudder with desire as her throat embraced his member once more. One helpful advantage of their new position was being able to silence their moans, and please each other at the same time. Ishtar renewed her assault with her mouth and breasts, determined to make him reach that peak before she does. However, she forgot just how skilled he is with that divine tongue. Within seconds her eyes are wide with shock, and any semblance of control is tossed aside as she frantically sucked, licked, and stroked his cock with all she had and then some.

In the end, all she could manage was a tie. She wailed into his length as her climax crashed over her, and barely swallowed the first burst of thick, hot seed when it entered her throat. Her walls clenched and seized around the extremely welcome intruder, and through force of will Ishtar remained silent as she writhed in pleasure, her gorgeous face painted white with cum after she was forced to take him out of her mouth.

She’s still stunned when Link flipped her over onto her hands and knees, and it was a miracle that she managed to bite down on the blanket to stifle a scream. He was so, so much more forceful than before, and his hips ensured that the heir of Friege received no reprieve from her orgasm. It really wasn’t fair what he did to her, how effortlessly he could drive her crazy, but that was something she loved about it. Loved how harsh he was as he fucked her, how tightly he wrapped her ponytail around his hand, and how he pulled on it.

More tears fell down her face as her pussy gripped his cock with an intensity that threatened to slow him down more than once, but all that did was drive him to increase his strength, his speed. Ishtar hoped, no, begged that she would be able to have some say in who her betrothed would be when it came time for that decision to be made. As she could not see herself being satisfied by anyone other than Link now, he was the first to have her, and by Thrud it seemed he wanted to make damn sure he would be the best as well.

She came again and again, helpless to resist the sensations he gave her with every little touch of her body. Violet eyes gave way and rolled up into her head more than once, and left her all but a thoroughly fucked mess on the bed, covered with sweat from her exertions and the heat that seared through her body. Distantly, her mind noted that he came inside her again, but caring about such a thing was beyond her. All the busty, curvaceous woman cared about was her lover, and how oh so wonderfully he made her feel.

Surely, she’d be able to ensure that he would be allowed to stick around to help deal with the monsters, yes? He would be the only one capable of training their men on how best to deal with the creatures… and with Reinhardt having departed for a lengthy investigation into certain affairs in Leonster… perhaps she could arrange for him to be her personal knight?

When morning came, it brought a delightful soreness with it, and a cool breeze through an open window. Bleary eyes blinked once, twice, before Ishtar slowly forced herself into a seated position with a slight grimace. How long had they gone last night? Three hours? More? Such knowledge was not something she held right now, nor did she feel inclined to find out. Mainly because all she wanted to do was sleep the day away at the moment, but that was not a luxury that would be afforded to her.

With a sigh, the lavender-haired woman stood on legs that shook and threatened to topple over, but through an effort of will and clever use of a healing staff stashed away in her room, that ache was taken care of. That had been a trick she had made use of some time ago, as it would be rather apparent why she was always sore and lame of leg in the mornings without it.

It had been a little over four months now that Link had been in Friege, and they had been the best months of her life without a doubt. Ishtar would readily admit that the more carnal, physical aspects of their relationship were amazing, but it was the slower, more tender moments that made it very clear to her eyes. She loved him, and hoped that her father would bend to her wishes in regards to whom she married when she went to discuss the matter with him later in the day.

“Ugh! Damn you foreign cur! Stop dancing around and fight me!”

An elegant brow arched as she pulled a more informal robe over her body, and with her curiosity piqued, Ishtar strolled over to the window and looked over the training yard below. Instantly her lips twitched as a smirk formed, and she did not even bother to try and mask it. While he was unfailingly loyal, perhaps too loyal in some regards, to Friege and their family, Kempf was a man who possessed an ego the size of Jugdral and the patience of her brother when Riza’s cooking was before him. That is to say, none whatsoever.

“I am fighting you Kempf. Wearing your opponent out by dodging their attacks is a very valid tactic that you would do well to adopt.” Link’s voice was leveled and light as he bobbed and weaved around the strikes of his increasingly-frustrated foe, before he leaned in and tripped him up with a well-timed sweep of his leg. “It’s also one you will have to learn to counter, as the Wolfos are very quick and nimble on their feet, but go down fast once one lands a good, clean hit.”

Even from her vantage point in the castle, it was easy to see the anger that marred Kempf’s features at being taken down so easily. If he could just learn to control his temper and rein in the less savory parts of his personality, the man could go far in their service. He was talented, there was no denial of that. But his ego and less than personable character would be his biggest obstacle.

Alas, she could not spend all day watching her lover drilling the soldiers even as much as it entertained her, and so with a sigh she rose and finished dressing herself. Thankfully her father hadn’t pried when she requested that the handmaids assigned to do the menial tasks such as that be assigned somewhere else, even if her mother had tried to question that decision. While Link and Bloom managed to get along fairly well, even if they wouldn’t quite be considered friends… Hilda was another story.

As much as the Hylian loved to get under her skin and break the front she put on for the rest of the world… it was nothing compared to the barbs he threw at her mother. Never before had she seen such poorly-concealed hostility, and from both parties at that. It had even started to become a running bet with the lower-ranking soldiers. Which one would snap and try and kill the other first?

But, issues caused by her mother’s rather… strong-willed personality aside, Ishtar had to admit that she was happier as of late. She smiled more often, was more approachable by commoners and nobles alike, and even found herself getting to know the guards around the castle. Just last week she had stopped to ensure that the wife of Erik, a knight who had served their family for ten years now, was in fine health after giving birth to his third child. The bearded man stammered for a little bit before admitting that she had been a little sickly lately, and he stood in shock after she ordered her to be visited by the healers normally reserved for nobles of Friege.

“Loyalty, much like respect, is not something you can truly buy or demand like a bunch of nobles think. If you really want both, then care for the people under your command. Farmer, Knight, Smith, they all have their own needs and wants too y’know. Treat them well, and they will follow you down into Hell itself without a second thought.”

Bloom had done well to start heading that advice after Link pointed out to him just what he had asked of his men. To go and fight creatures from nightmares and legends. Waging war with other humans was one thing, but to combat abominations that they knew not, and to do so again and again? They needed to know that their liege supported them whole-heartedly, and that he should show that as well. True, it did come with some minor derision from other houses throughout the Empire, but word spread fast about the increased effectiveness of Friege’s men.

They fought harder, worked smarter and more efficiently, and even impressed the Emperor himself with their discipline and skills. Not only that, but Friege had begun to attract merchants and tradesmen from all over the land thanks to the new policies that Bloom put into place. Truly, they had become second only to the Imperial Family in terms of power, a position that they intended to keep regardless of what challenges that lay in store.

Which was why she really should have seen this announcement coming. “Father you can’t be serious! I don’t even know Prince Julius, much less how well I’ll get along with him!” Ishtar remembered when she would have been content, happy even, with being married to the heir to the throne of Grannvale and being Empress one day. Then she met a man who decided to fish in a stream, and that all changed, irrevocably so.

“Ishtar, please. It was much the same situation for your mother and I when our parents arranged our marriage, and we-”

“Barely talk to one another and don’t even like each other anymore!” Bloom flinched away at the sudden interruption, and could not look his daughter in the eye after those words. It was true, and he knew it, but that didn’t mean it was something he liked to talk about. “If I have to spend the rest of my life with someone, shouldn’t I get to have some say in the matter?!” She rarely raised her voice like this, especially towards her own father, but if this was not a time to do so then what would be?

“... you know how that would be taken, Ishtar. Your brother, proud of him as I am, has Minor blood, not Major like you. If I were to seriously approach Emperor Arvis with such a proposal, he would take it as an insult, and gods alone know how that would tarnish the family name.” To his credit, she knew he was right and had a very, very good point. Even if Princess Julia and Ishtore met and hit it off immediately, marrying an Imperial Princess to a noble who wasn’t even in line to succeed and rule anything would essentially be a thumb in the eye of the Empire.

“.... is that all this is about? Our family name?” Ishtar muttered as she sank into a chair, her arms wrapped around her body as the reality of her father’s words set in. “I’d… I’d rather wed a commoner that I chose, than a Prince who was chosen for me.” The sight of tears as they welled up in the corner of her eyes was the worst pain that he had ever felt, and for all his strength, for all his power... Bloom might as well have been helpless.

He wouldn’t ever be the best father, he knew that. Too many nights away from his children tending to the affairs of his land and prioritizing its needs over their own even once prevented him from ever coming close to being so. Even so, no parent, no father who cared, could sit and watch his daughter cry while knowing that he was the one responsible without feeling a sharp pain in his heart, a dagger of his own making stabbed deep into his chest.

“Ishtar… gods, if there was another way I promise you I would have taken it.” Bloom said as he stood and went to his child, and pulled her into his embrace as she buried her face in his chest. How long… how long had it been since she sought comfort in his arms like this? Seeking protection from the things that worried her, terrified her, knowing that there was no safer place to be than in the arms of her father? “Lord Arvis himself approached me with the offer… sweetheart I couldn’t have turned him down without ruining our house.”

If it was just his own reputation at stake, then perhaps he could have endured and dealt with it if it meant making his daughter happy. But that was not the case. If Friege was seen as a joke, a laughing stock and a place to be mocked and scorned, then all who relied on its prosperity and notoriety to make their living would suffer. And that was something Bloom just could not risk, not without having one hell of an alternative option dropped into his lap.

“... it’s him, isn’t it? You’ve fallen hard for him Ishtar, haven’t you?” He did not need her to respond, not really. It may not have been the most apparent of things, but he was a perceptive man, and it was only natural that he paid especially close attention to the stranger in his land. It wasn’t hard to see that his daughter had taken an interest in him, and he figured it was some passing fancy, one last little infatuation that would pass fairly soon. Only, it didn’t.

She found and made excuses and time to spend with him, at first it was justified by wanting to learn about his homeland and what he could offer Friege with his knowledge and skills. But soon even that front faded, and Link was more often than not in Ishtar’s presence. Truth be told, he wouldn’t have minded that badly in allowing the two to marry. The man was skilled, by the gods was he skilled. He fought like one possessed, a whirlwind of devastation that made quick work of every enemy that stood in his way, be it a spar or actual combat.

He knew his way around a courtly setting, even if he never hid his distaste for it. From what tales the Hylian had told Bloom, this Princess Zelda must have been an extraordinarily intelligent woman to have taught him this much in regards to politics. Even Hilda, loathe as she was to agree with anything he said, and Thrud knew that was a mutual feeling on his part, could not help but admit that some of his ideas, once they were reworked to fit the vast differences in societies, were very good.

But he was an unknown, a nobody. He brought their family no prestige, no power, no land or anything that could be used to justify a marriage to his daughter. Certainly not over Prince Julius. ‘All he does is make her happy beyond measure.’ And to be quite honest… that was all the current wielder of Mjölnir really wanted at the end of things. But his duty demanded that he put what he wanted aside, and focus on what was best for Friege.

“.... I have. I had… wanted to talk to you about this very thing earlier, and now… all my life father, I’ve been the dutiful child. Put what was best for Friege and our family first. I guess… it was foolish to expect I’d get to be selfish for a change.” The sorrow in her voice was worse than her tears had been. Bloom looked up at the ceiling and sent a silent prayer to Thrud, and wondered why it had to be him to deliver such painful news to his youngest.

“... would it make it worse if I had him assigned to be your personal knight?” she slowly lifted her face and gave him a look that was a mixture of “yes”, and “no” at the same time. Gods, there was no winning option for him here, was there? “I’ll… go and tell him about his new position later, Ishtar. For what it’s worth… I am sorry.”

Her father set her down in the chair and kissed her brow, and made for the door and left the room. Ishtar rose from her seat after a few moments and returned to her room, thought of the future that she had dreamed of, and allowed herself to entertain a mad fantasy or two of simply running away with her love. It wasn’t like anyone would find them if she really emphasized how badly she did not want to be caught to Link, right? Surely he could get them both back to his homeland and beyond the reach of anyone in Jugdral. All she had to do was throw away everything and everyone she’s ever known, and say goodbye to her family for good.

“Even my fantasies don’t give me a happy ending.” she mused as she sank into her bed, stared at the ceiling, and wondered just how long this ache in her heart would last. Maybe… Julius would not be so bad, right?
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Hero and a Goddess