Work Text:
Link stood at a parade rest outside the washroom’s door, listening for anything out of the ordinary as the Lorulean took his bath. He was ordered to stay by his side no matter what, an ever watchful eye, but the Hylian figured he should leave him at least some dignity. He’ll just wait outside, keeping watch from an audio perspective. It was basically the same, right? Hylia didn’t bless him with these ears for nothing. The only sound he heard was the sloshing of water as the lord cleaned himself.
Link sighed, letting himself lean against the wall. It was obvious that this man wasn’t some monster he had to keep on a leash. The demon trap seal that was carved onto the door was made by the castle’s best mage, and it didn’t even give a glimmer of a hint that this man was evil.
He wasn’t expecting this. He wasn’t expecting a lot of what Ravio had, actually. His foul mouth and inability to shut up was highly surprising, not to mention his lack of regality. Link had to tell him what fork to use, for Nayru’s sake!
He definitely didn’t anticipate the Lorulean to be, well, so normal looking, either. His hair was as black as a raven’s wing but styled almost identical with his own blond locks. He had no horns nor fangs yet his pale skin gave him a ghostly appearance and made the dark circles under his eyes apparent. He looked thin and borderline sickly, actually. He lacked any abnormalities or signs of monstrousness save a nasty scar that traced his jaw from ear to chin, if one would even count that. And his eyes, oh… yes, his eyes… They were comparable to the emeralds in Princess Zelda’s crown and put the fields of Farore to shame with the life and beauty they held.
That last part is probably best to stay mute about, he thought, frowning.
His ears twitched as he heard something. He leaned closer to the door, trying to get a better listen.
“…. and the worst of the worst of the ol’ man’s curse…”
Link furrowed his brow. Was the Lo… summoning something?
“… he’d give a dime for these sins that ain’t mine, ooh love, to buy us more time…”
Oh, he was singing. Link let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, feeling foolish. He knew that song, too. He leaned against the wall again, trying to think of the its title.
“…But, Hylia on high, what’s to be done? My heart’s on the floor, a song never sung…”
Link smiled and hummed the next part softly, knowing each word but not daring not to voice them.
“The sea of the west and the deserts of east, drink in these shadows, my pain is your feast…”
The lord’s voice died off, muttering something that Link couldn’t hear. There was silence. He knitted his brow.
“My Lord? Are you all right?” He called.
A slosh of water let him know Ravio jumped in surprise. He couldn’t stop his smirk.
“Y-yeah! Sorry, forgot myself there,” the lord called out.
Of course he did. Probably forgot Link could hear him singing, too. Suddenly he felt a ping of guilt, like he was caught in some form of voyeurism.
He shook his head. No, the Lo wasn’t doing anything like that, just simply singing. It’s fine. And Link’s just doing his job, listening to him. Right. Just his job.
“Hey, uh, Sir Link?”
He blinked.
“Yes, my Lord?”
“Do you know that song?”
“Uh, yes, my Lord, I do.”
“What’s the next part?”
He shrugged only to remember the nobleman couldn’t see him.
“It would be the verse about a song for a summer’s day to the woods, my Lord.”
The bather gave a small ah in agreement.
There was silence again.
“I can’t get it out of my head, that song. But I don’t remember the rest of the lyrics,” Ravio said. The knight heard him sink back down into the tub as he spoke to him. “The same part keeps repeating in my head. Over and over again. Do you ever get that?”
“Sometimes, yes.”
“So, do you know the rest of the song?”
“Yes?"
“That sounded more like a question than an answer, Sir Link.”
The knight rolled his eyes, “Yes, my Lord, I know the rest of the song.”
There was silence again.
“Can you sing it?”
Link coughed back a laugh. “Excu-“
“If you say, ‘excuse me, my lord’ or anything ending with ‘my lord’ one more time, I swear to the every one of the goddesses…”
“My apologies. I just… wasn’t expecting that sort of request.”
“When I get a song stuck in my head, it’s easier to hear it than agonize over trying to remember the rest of it.” He sounded slightly peeved. “Can you sing it or not?”
Link shook his head in disbelief. He looked up at the ceiling and shook out his hands, as if he was about to fight the empty room. C’mon, knight, get over yourself. At least it wasn’t the Hytopian woman telling him he made kodongos look friendly.
Ravio shifted in the waters again, giving up on hearing the song. He hummed and started to sing again, though.
“O, my lover, what will you do… nearer to us is the spirits from blue… mm…” he hummed, the rest of the words apparently gone from his mind.
“No,” Link said suddenly, causing the lord to quiet himself, “that’s not the next part. It’s this,” he took a deep breath and shook his hands out again.
“The sea of the west and the deserts of east, drink in these shadows, my pain is your feast.
Just give me my song for a summer’s day, where the children of the forest forever play.
O, Goddess in gold, my lover, my light, sing me a ballad that challenges blight.
Oh yes, my love, what will we do, when nearer to us is the spirit of blue?”
It took him a minute to realize the lord began singing again, with him this time. His face pinked as the Lorulean sang out the last word with a trill. Link tightened his lips as he listened to the waters rush as Ravio exited the bath. There was more silence as the Lo dried himself off and picked out his sleeping clothes.
“Thank you for your song, Sir Knight,” he called after a while, a chipper tone that was no doubt accompanied by a cheeky grin, “I knew you’d have a nice voice.”
Link’s face flushed deep red as he glared at the floor. This lord might be more trouble than he thought.