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Chapter Text

Zelda was bored out of her mind.

She had just turned 18, which was the traditional age to start courting. To mark this momentous stage in her life, her father decided to throw a huge ball with all her potential suitors. She knew their type: sons of drab nobles, posturing like roosters in a yard, vying for the golden opportunity of becoming royalty. Goddesses know they couldn’t possibly achieve anything on their own merit. So they thought they would take the easy way out and try to woo the princess. What they didn’t know was that she would make this the most difficult challenge of their lives, Hylia so help her.

She did manage to convince her father that a masquerade ball would be the best course of action, reasoning that the anonymity would help level the playing field. What she really wanted was some form of entertainment to distract her from the absolute snooze-fest she anticipated the ball to be.

And yet, even with all these measures, she had to stifle a yawn. Some melodramatic string-heavy music droned on from the orchestra, somehow melting into the background while also clogging up her senses. Maybe if she stuck to the edges of the ballroom, she could sneak out to her study, where her elixir research was tantalizingly waiting for her –

“May I have this dance?”

Damn it. When had the music changed? Did it even change? Zelda couldn’t even keep track anymore. She looked up at the voice and saw the tallest, gangliest Hylian she had ever seen.

“Not right now Hugh, can’t you tell I’m trying to astral project into a more interesting place?”

“Aww how could you tell it was me?”

“I’ve known you since I was three Hugh. Also I could feel your shade from 6 feet away.”

“Oh come on Zelda, I’m not that tall.”

“That’s Princess Zelda to you.”

“You know that’s not necessary Zelda; just like you said, we’ve known each other since we were three.”

She cracked a smile. Hugh was as awkward as a newborn foal, and an easy target for her sarcasm, but his familiarity was welcome at this moment.

“So anyways, about that dance...”

“Sure, why not.”

She clasped his hand and shoulder, and he hesitated for a second before stiffly placing a hand on her waist. He must have been thankful for the black and blue mask covering half of his face, for he surely was as red as a tomato underneath it. Zelda reveled in the embarrassment she was causing him. Hugh was never really a serious courting option, he was too much of a brother to her. Though it was real fun to watch him squirm.

“Uhhh... you look...nice...”

“You know you don’t have to pretend when you’re just with me.”

The red of his face managed to creep out past his mask this time.

“I- whatever could- I don’t know-“ he sputtered.

“There’s a lot of cute guys here that I’ve danced with tonight. I could put in a good word with them for you.”

“Zelda!”

She laughed, having fun for the first time that night. All of her teasing was in good faith, knowing he would do the same to her given the chance. Abruptly, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“May I cut in?”

She looked up, surprised to see someone even taller than Hugh. He was at least a good foot taller than her, with a dark complexion and thick red hair tied into a flowing ponytail. He wore an intricately crafted gold mask with inlaid emeralds, warm brown eyes peering through the eye holes. He flashed her a bright smile. This could be interesting.

“You may.”

Hugh just stared for a moment, mouth slightly agape.

“I’m sorry my good sir, but seeing the absolute vision that her highness is tonight, I couldn’t help but have a dance with her. I hope you understand,” he said as he clapped Hugh’s shoulder, who slightly squeaked at the touch. Zelda rolled her eyes and smiled; that man was hopeless.

Leaving Hugh to finish processing what just happened, the tall red-haired man swept her into an elegant spin.

“So, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the likes of you around here,” she inquired, poking around for more information on this handsome stranger.

“This is my first time at the Castle, I spend most of my time in Gerudo,” he answered, his voice ever so slightly accented.

“Ah, I figured,” she said, eyes sweeping over his tanned, muscular physique. He wore a beautifully patterned black tunic with a red robe over it, tied with golden sash around his waist. “What I’m curious about is why you chose to wear traditionally Hylian clothes.”

He laughed, a deep rumbling sound like an earthquake.

“I like to honor the traditions of the country that I’m visiting, I feel like it’s only polite. Though I do have to admit,” he raised his right arm to show a small tear in the shoulder seam, “it was quite difficult finding clothes that fit me.”

Now it was her turn to laugh. She had to admit, he was charming.

“Well next time you decide to visit feel free to wear your usual Gerudo clothes, we wouldn’t want your pants to rip when greeting the King.”

“Next time? I like the sound of that,” he smiled so wide it was infectious. Zelda figured this ball maybe wasn’t half so bad.

Suddenly, he winced and touched the back of his neck.

“What’s wrong? Is the fabric itching you?” Zelda teased.

He didn’t smile back this time. Instead, his brows furrowed, and he stared at his hand as he flexed his fingers.

“I’m sorry Princess, but I will have to leave your presence for now. It was a joy meeting you, and I hope to see more of you in the future.” And with that, he hurried away.

Huh. That was weird. Zelda couldn’t help but feel a little dejected, the first interesting man she’s met all night and he suddenly rushes off without even giving her his name. At least she knew he was from Gerudo, she could probably ask her father who he invited from there. But no matter how charming he was, he would have to try harder than that to get her approval, especially after the disappearing act he pulled tonight.

She sighed. She was bored again. And damn it that awful music really never stops does it.

————

It had been a couple hours since the mysterious Gerudo man had left her, and Zelda had yet to find another interesting person to talk to. Even Hugh was busy flirting with some random nobleman’s son. Maybe she should try escaping to her study again. She started edging along the wall, hoping to look inconspicuous, even in her extravagant navy blue ball gown and feathery white mask. No princess here, no siree.

“Hey! Hey Princess Zel -*hiccup* - Zirda!”

She inwardly groaned. She did not have the patience to deal with Lord Herschel’s drunken ass right now. At every ball he managed to drink himself silly and make a fool of himself, blabbering on about the one battle he was in. He didn’t even do anything in that battle, it was won due to Captain Garrett’s tactical genius.

“Why Princess Zirda, you look stunning tonight!”

“Zelda,” she snapped.

“Yes yes, that’s what I said Zirda.” She rolled her eyes. She should’ve just acted like she didn’t hear him, but it was too late now. She settled in, ready to zone out for an hour while he went on about his battle history.

“Princess Zirda, as you know I once fought in the historic Battle of Faron - “ ugh here we go.

“And the land there is absolutely gorgeous! But not nearly as gorgeous as you are tonight.”

Huh. That was different.

“And I hear you just turned 18?”

Hmm. Don’t like that.

Before she knew it he had his arm on the wall next to her, effectively trapping her in. He leaned in closer, his hot breath thick with the scent of alcohol.

“May I perhaps throw my hat in the ring?”

Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. She looked around, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. Not seeing a way out, she clenched her fist, ready to uppercut this asshole if he didn’t step away in five seconds.

“Princess Zelda,” a gruff voice interjected sharply. She peeked over Lord Herschel’s shoulder and saw a short Hylian in a Royal Guard’s uniform. Oh thank the goddesses.

“We have urgent news that require your assistance immediately.”

“Yes sir, I’ll be right there.” She turned to Lord Herschel, discreetly elbowing him in the side to make an opening for her.

The guard grasped her hand and pulled her away, briskly striding through the crowd. He went fast for someone so short, she almost struggled to keep up. When they made it to an outdoor balcony the guard finally stopped and turned to face her.

“So what is it that you needed to tell me, sir?” Zelda inquired.

“Oh nothing, I just figured you needed an out to that situation,” he smiled wickedly, his voice noticeably softer now. She was somewhat taken aback; the nerve this guy had to be so nonchalant about what just happened.

“Well, thank you, I guess,” she said begrudgingly. “But I had it handled.”

“Oh I’m sure you did, I saw your clenched fist. By the way, if you want an effective punch you have to keep your thumb outside your fist, otherwise you might end up hurting yourself more than your target,” he prattled on matter-of-factly.

She glared at him, and took a moment to assess who this snarky guard was. He wore a red and blue mask, the same that all the guards were wearing that night (she mentally kicked herself for asking that everyone, including the guards, participate in the masquerade). His beret sat snugly on his head, covering the majority of his hair, except for a few dark gold strands that managed to peek out. What really stood out though were his striking blue eyes. She lost her train of thought as she stared into those intense eyes.

He coughed. “Well Princess, if you like, I can escort you back to the ball now. I’ve already notified the other guards to dispose of Lord Herschel.”

“Oh Goddesses don’t make me go back in there, I’m already losing my mind with boredom,” she groaned.

“Oh.” He looked around awkwardly, not quite sure what to do next. The night air felt rather nice compared to the stuffy ballroom, so Zelda came up with an idea.

“How about you escort me down to the gardens?”

He gave her a small smile. “It would be my pleasure.”

———

They spent the next couple hours just lazily walking around the gardens, Zelda pointing out different plants and listing off their properties, the guard listening intently. She was surprisingly relaxed, and enjoyed the quiet company of the guard. He didn’t seem to expect much from her, and he definitely was not trying to impress her with pompous stories. He just listened to her.

“And that purple plant there is amaranthe, it has great medicinal properties and can be used to make elixirs. I’m not quite sure what the best combination of monster parts for it is yet, but my research is getting more conclusive each day.”

“Tell me more about your research.”

She was taken aback. Nobody had ever asked about her research. They were usually unwilling participants in her occasional lectures on a whim. It took her a second to think of a concise explanation of her research.

“Well you see, in everyday life we have multiple setbacks due to the limitations of our own bodies. Imagine what we could achieve if we could temporarily move faster, be stronger, or withstand extreme temperatures. We could get so much done as a society and as individuals. And all we need to do is combine something natural (such as plants and creatures) with something unnatural (monster parts) to create elixirs. We have the tools at our disposal, so why shouldn’t we use them to make something extraordinary?”

She realized she had gotten ahead of herself there, and was starting to ramble. “At least, that’s just some of my thoughts. They’re not that important.”

“Of course they’re important.” She turned to him in surprise.

“Princess, you’re incredibly smart and obviously care about your people. Don’t downplay your thoughts. Anyone would be lucky to hear them.”

She blushed. How did he manage to get to her like that? It was so simple, so direct - most people wouldn’t dare to be so candid with the princess. But she really appreciated the validation he gave to her interests.

“Well, my father would say otherwise. He thinks it’s just a silly distraction, that I should focus more on learning to run the country. And by that he means marry the right nobleman’s son,” she sighed, remembering why she was out here in the first place.

“I should probably go back there now, they’re going to wonder where I’ve been all this time. And I need to be there to give a closing speech soon. At least tonight is almost over.”

“Before you go, I’d like to let you know, that I think you’ll be an amazing queen. Whether or not you marry well. You care about the well-being of your people, and that’s all that matters,” he said softly, sincerely.

She stared at him, her eyes pricking dangerously. No, it wouldn’t do for the princess to cry in front of a guard, no matter how much his words of affirmation affected her.

“What’s your name? You’ve helped me so much tonight, I want to give commendations to your commanding officer.”

“Oh you don’t need to do that, helping you is a reward enough.”

“Come on, there has to be some way I can reward you for your service.”

He paused for a moment, thinking. Then, he stepped closer, until there was barely an inch between them. He cupped her cheek with a gloved hand, and leaned in, lightly kissing her other cheek. He brushed a stray hair behind her ear, and gazed softly into her eyes. She blushed, once again. Goddesses, he needs to stop doing that to her. Then he stepped away, a small, sad smile on his face.

“That’s more than enough of a reward for me.” And then he melted into the shadows, leaving Zelda alone. She brushed her cheek, the warmth of his kiss still lingering there.

And for the second time that night, she had not received the name of a handsome young man. This really needs to stop happening to her.

Chapter Text

Shit shit shit shit that was a massively stupid idea what was he thinking oh goddesses he’s so dead.

Link yanked at his earrings as he nervously paced outside the entrance to the ballroom, his face burning red hot.

It’s alright, it’s not like he fully made out with her. It was just a small cheek kiss, it could even be seen as chivalrous.

He tried to reason with himself, but that fucker was a world-class debater.

Yeah but she’s not just some random palace girl, she’s the Princess. If the king ever found out some random bastard son even so much as laid a finger on her he would have his head.

He tugged harder on his earring, pacing faster.

Okay, but she doesn’t even know his name. And he wore a mask, so she doesn’t even know what the entirety of his face looked like. Besides, it’s not like he was ever gonna see her again. She was gonna be married off to some nobleman’s son, and he would continue his military career. Who knows, maybe he’d die in battle and not have to worry about any of this again.

His rapid pacing slowed down to a stop, and he finally managed to take a deep breath. The thought of never seeing the Princess again calmed his nerves, but it was also twinged with sadness. Everything had been so easy with her. He could listen to her talk about theories and plant properties all day. Her smile was as bright as the sun, and causing her to smile was what he considered to be his greatest achievement. As nervous as he was about the whole ordeal, he couldn’t really say he regretted it.

Taking a steadying breath, he squared his shoulders and made his way over to the other guards, who were ushering guests outside as the ball wound down to a close.

Well, at least he had his fun, and things would go back to normal tomorrow.

—————

Zelda wondered why her father had called her into the throne room this afternoon. She had done her studies diligently today, so he couldn’t be scolding her. Unless he realized that she had abandoned the ball for two hours last night, but she figured he would’ve scolded her about that last night if he was upset about it. He wasn’t one to take his time in reprimanding her.

What she was not expecting when she walked into the throne room was to see the tall Gerudo man she had danced with last night. Well that made her life easier. She wouldn’t have to ask her father about the guest list and give him the satisfaction that she might be interested in someone.

This time he had ditched the tight Hylian clothes in favor of loose flowing traditional Gerudo clothes. For modesty’s sake he kept the red robe from last night, covering the majority of his bare chest. Now maskless, she could really appreciate his sharp cheekbones and beautiful brown eyes lined with a dark kohl. He struck a wonderful balance of curves and hard edges, masculine and feminine. He beamed at her with what she now assumed to be his signature smile.

“Princess Zelda! So glad to see you again so soon! I took your advice and wore comfier clothes this time,” he excitedly told her, doing a little spin to show off his elegant attire.

He was such a dork, she could almost forgive him for ditching her last night. Almost.

“You never told me your name,” she accused him.

“His name is Prince Ganondorf,” the King interjected in his booming voice. “And he is your betrothed.”

“Excuse me?!?” Zelda exclaimed, shocked by the sudden news. “What do you mean he’s my betrothed? I had only one dance with him last night!”

“Gerudo and Hyrule have had tense relations in the past. I figured a marriage between the royal families would help with our relations in the future.”

“What was the point of the ball last night then, if you already had a suitor in mind? I thought I had a choice in this matter!” Her voice rose dangerously, threatening to crack.

“I wanted to give you two a chance to meet in a more relaxed environment, so that you would be more open to the idea of the betrothal. I don’t want you to feel like this is something you’re being forced into.”

“Well I do feel like I’m being forced into this! How could you do this to me, Father?!?” Zelda screamed. She could not hold back the feeling of betrayal in her voice.

“Zelda, that’s enough!!!” The King roared. Prince Ganondorf stood awkwardly between the two, hands clasped behind his back, not quite sure what to do. He stared directly ahead to avoid eye contact with either of them, staying out of the line of fire.

The King sighed, and spoke again, much softer this time. “Zelda, this is not a death sentence. Prince Ganondorf is a kind gentleman who has been civil about this the whole time, I expect you to return the favor. Besides, it will be a year before you get married. During that time he will be officially courting you, and you will have time to get to know him better. And if for whatever reason it seems like he isn’t a good fit for you, I will consider a different suitor for you.”

Zelda felt a little bit more reassured after that. She could still get out of this it seemed.

“But please, Zelda,” the King implored. “Please consider your duty to the kingdom, and don’t be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn.” The King’s eyes softened as he continued. “Your mother would be so proud of the beautiful and capable young woman you’ve become.”

Ah, there it was. The guilt trip. Nothing quite like bringing up her dead mother to get her to do what he wants. She sighed resignedly.

“Okay. I’ll do it. For my kingdom, and for Mother.” But not for you, the phrase hung silently in the air between them, understood without having to be spoken.

“And one more thing,” he added. What else could he possibly want from her now? Didn’t she already promise her life away?

“Since you’ll be traveling between the two kingdoms often, I’ve assigned you a personal knight. Sir Link, you may enter.”

Zelda turned to see a royal knight stride into the throne room, kneeling deferentially as soon as he was five feet away from her. His face was obscured by his shaggy dark blonde hair that was loosely tied into a low ponytail.

“He will escort you on all missions outside the castle, and will also act as a chaperone during your courting with the Prince.” He turned to Prince Ganondorf apologetically. “I hope you don’t take offense at this your Highness. I’m sure you would never let harm befall the Princess, but considering that the both of you are so high-profile, there is a chance at assassination or kidnapping attempts. There are many who would not wish to see Gerudo and Hyrule in good terms.”

“It is not a problem your Grace, I fully understand,” Prince Ganondorf reassured.

“Father, how do you expect me to grow close with the Prince if there’s another set of eyes constantly watching us?” Zelda interjected.

“Never worry my dear child, you’ll soon find out that he’s very adept at escaping notice.” He chuckled at that. “Anyways, that is all I wanted to tell you, Zelda. You may do whatever you like while the Prince and I negotiate treaty terms. If you want, you can get acquainted with your new knight. I’ll see you later tonight for dinner.”

Finally, Zelda thought. Now she could go back to her reading undisturbed. She started to stalk out of the room when she noticed that the knight was still kneeling.

“You may rise,” she ordered dryly. The knight stiffly stood up, and she got a better look at his face. He was surprisingly young, a startling contrast from the usual grizzled military men that managed to become knights. Despite his age, he already had a large scar running from just below his right eye up to his hairline. He had incredibly blue eyes, which were set in an unreadable expression. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had met him before.

“You look familiar, have we met?” she asked.

His expression changed for a split second - was it a look of panic? - before settling back into its impassive state. He spoke in a low voice.

“You’re probably thinking of my father, Captain Garrett.”

The Captain Garrett? She didn’t know he had a son. Though now that she thought about it, he did bear a striking resemblance. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Oh, no wonder he’s her personal knight. Good ol’ daddy must’ve put in a good word for him.

“Ugh, whatever. Just, stay out of my way, okay?”

And with that she stormed off.

Chapter Text

Zelda was not quite sure what to do about her new shadow.

Her usual routine was already so packed to begin with. She would wake up, have a handmaid help her get dressed, and eat a light breakfast of tea and toast. Then she would go to her history lessons, followed by her math, science, music, and diplomacy lessons. She would have about half an hour for lunch with castle attendants, then continue with horse-back riding, foreign languages, religion, and finally needlepoint. After that she would have about two to three hours to herself before she had to have dinner with her father and then get ready for bed. She cherished those few hours to herself, where she could do as much reading and research as her heart desired. It was also the only time she could be alone with her thoughts, free of outside judgement.

But now she couldn’t even have that. Now whenever Zelda went on field missions she would have to suffer the ever watchful gaze of her knight attendant. She couldn’t concentrate when she always felt a pair of eyes boring into her back. Her father said he was adept at avoiding notice, but all she could do was notice his presence. Maybe if she hummed to herself she could distract herself for long enough..?

Footsteps just got closer to her. She sighed, exasperated.

“Would you mind giving me some space?” she snapped. There was silence, but no sign of him moving. Irritated, she turned to face him, and saw his head slightly cocked to the side, a confused look on his face. What audacity he had to look like a kicked puppy simply because she wanted space.

Well, if he wasn’t going to back away she might as well put him to good use.

“What do you know about hot-footed frogs?”

Silence.

“Ummm, do you know where to find them and how to catch them?”

More silence, his face impassive, as always. Goddesses, he might as well have been a statue. She continued on.

“Well, they tend to congregate around bodies of water, especially ones with tall grass surrounding it. If we’re quiet enough, we could sneak up on them and catch one.”

He slightly quirked an eyebrow, as if to ask why in the world would you want to catch one?

“ Hot-footed frogs are theorized to have ability-altering properties. I’m not sure which ones yet; maybe it could make you run faster, jump higher, or have more endurance. If I could catch one, then I could find out.”

He just stared at her, his expression unreadable. Was he judging her? Or did he just not care at all? Not knowing what he was thinking was one of the most frustrating things ever.

“Come with me, there’s a pond near here that I’m sure is bounding with hot-footed frogs. You’re going to help me catch one.”

Without waiting for him to respond (or stare blankly at her), she headed off into the forest.

When they approached the pond, Zelda stopped, and slowly crouched down. She inched her way forward, trying to stifle the sound of her breathing as her eyes scanned the ground for any movement. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her knight do the same. At least he could take some sort of hint it seemed.

Aha! A flash of green and orange alerted her. The frog was sitting at the edge of the pond, calm as can be. Like a cat ready to pounce, she tensed, hands poised and ready for action. Just a little closer, and –

SPLASH!

The frog hopped frantically into the water, and Zelda looked up to see who cost her her prize. Her knight was knee deep in the pond, trying to grab at the frogs in the water. She felt her face go red-hot in rage.

“LINK!” she yelled, addressing him by name for the first time. He looked startled, and stared at her with wide eyes.

“What are you doing??? Did you really think jumping in the water and making a huge ruckus would help you catch the frogs?? How stupid are you??”

Link’s ears drooped, and he looked down in shame. Maybe she had gone too far. Zelda was frustrated, but she didn’t mean to make him feel that bad. She took a deep breath to help calm down.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you stupid. Here, we can try looking for frogs again. Let’s just try to be a bit quieter this time, okay?”

He looked up at her and nodded, this time a look of determination on his face. They both went back to crouching down in the tall grass, silently searching for frogs. Right now Zelda really wished she could have some alone time, she didn’t like how she snapped at people when she got irritated. She looked up at Link and realized that for once his back was turned towards her. If she was quiet enough, maybe she could slip away...

Once she was far enough away she broke out into a sprint. The wind whipped around her, and her heart pumped with exhilaration. She had actually managed to escape her knight! She had never felt so free and alive before. Climbing up onto an overhanging rock, she flopped onto her back and let out a laugh. It felt so good just to feel the sun on her skin and hear the gentle sounds of the forest, without any prying eyes.

She only had a few moments of peace until she heard footsteps running up to her. Sitting up and shading her eyes with a hand, she saw her knight approach her with a stern expression on his face, and a hot-footed frog in his hands. Somehow she couldn’t take his anger seriously when he was holding a squirming green frog, and she laughed loudly. He glared harder at her, only making her laugh more.

“Thank you for the frog, it’ll help me greatly in my research,” she said after her laughter finally died down. She probably should feel bad for abandoning her knight, but she hadn’t felt so happy in a long time. And now that she had felt this way, she knew she couldn’t just let it go this easily.

——————

It now became a game for Zelda to find ways to escape her knight, and for longer periods of time.

She would find ways to distract him so that she could get a chance to slip away. After years of research nobody knew the ins and outs of Hyrule’s terrain like her.  Her knight almost didn’t stand a chance.

Except he was more clever than she had anticipated. Sometimes he would intentionally let her slip away just so that he could find her minutes later, a stupid smirk on his face. He seemed to be an expert tracker, finding her quickly even in the heaviest wooded areas. But this didn’t discourage Zelda, it just added an extra challenge to her game. She knew sooner or later she’d get her satisfaction of giving him a real slip.

The moment finally came one day when they were riding in the Lanayru Wetlands. Everything was quiet besides the soft slosh of their horses hooves in the water. She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do here today, she just felt like going outside for a bit, and ended up here after riding aimlessly. Link was silent and stony-faced as usual, which for once she was grateful for.

She took advantage of this quiet moment to examine his facial features in depth. He had a light dusting of freckles on his cheeks, something she had never noticed before. He also had extremely long and dark eyelashes, which she was slightly jealous of. Did he even appreciate that gift? Her gaze landed on his pair of blue earrings, and remembered that the royal guard who saved her from Lord Herschel had similar earrings. Maybe it was a military thing? Maybe it showed status? Many nobles will serve some time in the military, so maybe that royal guard had some sort of title...

Link had noticed her staring and shot her a puzzling look. Shit, she had to think of something fast, she didn’t want to seem weird for just staring at him –

“How’d you get your scar?” she blurted out.

“You’re going to have to be more specific, Your Highness.” She had half-expected him to not respond, so she was surprised to hear him speak for the first time in weeks.

“The one on your face,” she said, running her index finger from below her right eye to her hair line.

“Oh.” He looked away, shielding her from seeing any facial expressions. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Okay.” Now the silence between them was laden with an awkward tension. That was a stupid question, she thought. Now any chance of getting her knight to speak to her was probably gone.

The tension was broken when their horses suddenly started acting uneasy. Before they knew it, three lizalfos appeared, shrieking at them with their weapons drawn. Link vaulted off his horse, charging at them with his sword. Zelda watched as he quickly offed each one of them. Then, inspiration struck her.

They obviously weren’t in danger, and Link was currently not on his horse. If she acted fast, she could make it back to the castle before him, and once she was inside the castle walls he didn’t need to follow her anymore. Seeing her chance, she took action.

“Hyah!” she yelled, spurring her horse into a gallop. Link looked up, and she swore she heard him curse as he scrambled toward his horse. She veered toward a hill, knowing it would give her cover while she took an alternate path back to the castle. She could hear Link hot on her heels.

There was an alcove covered in vines up ahead to the right. She slowed down and ducked into it, hoping the vines would be enough to cover the bright white of her horse’s coat. Hearing Link skid to stop outside the alcove, she held her breath and prayed the grass didn’t show any hoof prints. He let out an exasperated grunt and continued racing down the path. Waiting until she couldn’t hear him anymore, she let out her breath and chuckled to herself. She had outsmarted him at last. He was currently taking the longest path to the castle, and having shaken him she could now take the short cut.

She galloped across Hyrule Field, loving the feeling of the wind in her hair and savoring this moment of freedom. When she made it to the moat bridge, she slowed to a trot and jauntily saluted the guards, who seemed confused that she was alone.

After returning her horse to the stable, she thought about what she should do with her new free time. She decided she could pay someone a visit.

Zelda made her way to the gardens, everything awash in gold with the setting sun. With a practiced step, she found the hidden clearing behind some pink trees. Silent Princesses grew abound here, surrounding the granite slab with the crest of Hyrule carved on top of it. She knelt down in front of it, and gently bowed her head.

“Hello Mother, how are you doing?”

The soft sound of birds filled the air where no reply would ever come.

“I miss you. Did you know that Father already found someone for me to marry? I know right, I barely turned 18 and he’s already sold me off to the highest bidder. Did you know he’s a prince? I thought I would have to marry some nobleman’s son but I guess I’m special enough to marry another royal. He’s very handsome, and seems nice enough, but I hate that I didn’t get a choice in the matter. Did you get a choice Mother? Did you choose Father out of love, or did your parents just think he was the best political match?”

Her breath grew shallow as she continued on.

“I only have one more year of freedom. And I don’t even get to enjoy it because Father also assigned me a knight attendant during this time. All of my time is accounted for by others, I never get to be alone!”

Her voice shook as tears threatened to spill over.

“ I really thought I would get time to learn about myself and my kingdom, but apparently I’m not worth anything if I’m not married.” She sniffed and swiped her hand over her eyes.

“I know if you were still here you would stand up for me, tell Father he’s being ridiculous. But you’re not. Why did you have to die?”

This time she let the tears fall freely. There was no one around to tell her that crying was unladylike, no one to call her childish for talking to her dead mother. She finally got to be alone.

—————-

Link finally managed to make it back to the castle to find his commanding officer waiting there for him.

Shit.

He dismounted from his horse and saluted him. “Captain Norman.”

“Sir Link.” He did not salute him back.

“Reports tell me that the Princess returned to the castle alone. Would you care to explain how that happened?”

“Lizalfos attacked, sir. I took care of them, but I’m assuming the Princess’s horse got spooked and went back to the castle.”

“Oh Sir Link, you know that lying doesn’t help you at all.”

Link gulped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

“I’ve heard from the other knights that the Princess has made a habit of escaping from you. This just so happens to be the most egregious offense. It seems you have been slacking off in the vigilance department.”

Link showed no expression, nothing to give fuel to the Captain.

“Meet me in the training yard in ten minutes. We need to work on your focus.”

With that the Captain turned on his heel and walked away. Link allowed himself to slouch a little, and sighed. He knew what was coming up, and was not looking forward to it. Grabbing his horse’s reins, he made his way to the stable closest to the training grounds.

On his way he past by a few groups of soldiers milling about, all giving him weird looks and whispering to each other. Link paid them no mind. He already knew what everybody thought about him, and he knew that they would always be too scared to say it to his face. Rumors had no power if the person they were about didn’t give a fuck. Oh, they thought that his dad was the only reason he had his position? Or that he never finished school and couldn’t actually read? Or that he was actually part wolf or something and that’s why he didn’t have a mom? Whatever, he knew he could knock them out with one punch if they ever tried to start trouble. And they knew it too, and that’s why it was never anything more than rumors.

After untacking his horse and giving her a nice juicy apple to crunch on, he left the stable and headed over to the training grounds with leaden feet. Hylia, his day was bad enough, did he really have to do focus training? It’s not like it would really help, none of the soldiers were nearly as smart as the Princess (nor as beautiful, but he digressed).

Captain Norman stood amongst a crowd of ten soldiers, arms crossed and face steely. Link neutralized his facial expressions to match. He dreaded the training but wouldn’t ever show it around the Captain, even if it was mostly out of spite. The Captain looked slightly annoyed that he didn’t get a reaction out of him.

“Sir Link, as we have discussed prior, your attention skills are sorely lacking. In order to improve your ability to protect the Princess, we will commence focus training. As you see here, we have ten soldiers, all of them of varying size and weapon specialty. They’re at the top of their class in training, and have been told that if they manage to defeat you, they will be granted their knighthood without having to take the test. To make this a fair fight for them, they will all be attacking you at once.”

Hm, didn’t feel like much of a fair fight to him, Link thought, face remaining unnervingly still.

“You will have your shield and sword, your wits, and your surroundings at your disposal. You have until sundown to defeat all of them.” He looked up at the sun as it was barely inching towards the horizon. This would be a while.

“If you do not lose your focus the entire duration of the training, this should be quite easy for you. We all know you’ve taken on worse opponents before.” Captain Norman smiled deviously. Link could feel everyone staring at his scar, feeling the tips of his ears grow warm. His brow furrowed slightly.

“Good luck, soldiers. Give it your all.” Captain Norman then blew a whistle, signaling the start of training, and calmly walked off to the sidelines. The soldiers didn’t hesitate to charge in at full force. Their first mistake.

Link quickly picked off the weaker ones first, thinning out their ranks so that they couldn’t overwhelm him by sheer numbers.  They usually hid behind long range weapons like spears and halberds, knowing that if he got up close to them their combat skills would not be nearly enough. For the tougher ones he used his superior agility to dodge and jump off of walls, striking from above. Sometimes he stooped to some low-handed tactics, like slicing the ground with his sword so that dust would fly in their face, giving him an opening. It wasn’t quite fair, but if these soldiers were willing to cheat their way into knighthood, he could afford to play a little dirty. Besides, Captain Norman had said to make use of his surroundings, which he certainly did.

The last opponent was a bit challenging, he had to admit. He was a big and tall fellow, very much like a Hinox. He wielded a huge claymore, which slowed him down but also increased his range, making it hard for Link to get close to him. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. With a few well-timed parries, he managed to loosen his footing. Sprinting behind him, he kicked a barrel that hit him behind the knees, toppling him to the ground. Link slammed the pommel of his sword into his helmet, knocking him out cold. Straightening up, he glared in Captain Norman’s direction. The officer only looked slightly amused.

“Well done, Sir Link. You’ve passed today’s training.”

“Today’s?”

“Well yes. Did you really think this was going to be one and done? If we stopped now your attention skills would just slack off again. No, we’re going to do focus training once a week for the next three months to really instill it into you.”

Link fought the rage that was bubbling up inside of him, knowing the Captain just wanted a reaction from him. He would not give it to him.

After a duel of silent stares, the Captain finally backed down.

“You are dismissed,” he said with a lazy hand wave. Link stayed at attention until the Captain was out of sight, only then collapsing to the ground, breathing heavily. The training had drained every ounce of energy he had in him.

Once he had finally caught his breath, he slowly walked over to the stables, letting himself into his horse’s stall. Technically his horse wasn’t actually his, she belonged to the military. But he was convinced she was his soulmate, his other half; everything was all right when he was with her. He gripped her black mane in his fist, burying his face into her warm neck. For a while he just stood there like that, hoping he would calm down. Instead, he felt himself growing a little bold.

He gripped her mane tighter, with both hands now, and swung his leg over her bare back. Digging his heels into her side, he urged her forward, eyes fixed on the hills behind the castle.

He galloped off into the sunset.

——————

“Lord Elias is probably the most boring person to grace this kingdom, his conversation was almost as dry as the cucco. Even his good looks can’t make up for how utterly dull he is,” Hugh rambled on. Zelda couldn’t bring herself to care about what he was saying. She wandered through the kitchen, looking for the best apology-dessert she could find. Her mind kept wandering to the look of shame Link had when she called him stupid a few weeks ago. She felt a pit in her stomach every time she thought about it, and figured she had to do something to make it right. She also wanted to thank him for catching the hot-footed frog, with which she was able to make a hastening elixir with. A nice dessert seemed like an appropriate gift ( and also bribe to get him to try out the elixir for her ).

“Do you know where Sir Link usually is when he’s off duty?” Zelda asked.

“Sir Link? Oh, that’s your new knight attendant, right? He’s kinda cute, when he doesn’t look like he wants to kill someone. Do you know if he’s a good kisser?”

“Hugh!”

“What?”

“You know I’m betrothed, right?”

“Yeah, to Prince whatever his name is. He’s also very cute. How is it that you’re surrounded by so many good-looking guys, Zelda? It’s not fair.”

“Just, answer my question.”

Hugh thought for a moment. “He tends to hang out around the stable a lot. He seems to really like horses. And the horses like him back, surprisingly enough, considering he’s probably half-wolf or something.”

“Sometimes I wish I understood what goes on in your mind, Hugh.”

Finally Zelda settled on a slice of fruit cake, which she placed in a tin tied with a blue ribbon. Satisfied with the gift, she marched down to the stables alone. When she arrived, she heard the clanging of steel against steel ringing out from the training yard. She peeked out from behind a pillar to see what the commotion was about.

In the middle of the yard was Link, surrounded by at least six soldiers. She watched in awe as he deftly took them down one by one, using his speed and surroundings to make up for his small stature. The intensity in which he struck down his opponents frightened her a little. She was so used to his quiet and reserved nature that she didn’t know how to feel about this newfound ferocity. She made a mental note to never get on his bad side.

When he finally knocked out his last opponent, he planted the tip of his sword into the ground and stood at attention, like he was just guarding a door and hadn’t just taken down several foes. Zelda then saw who she recognized as Captain Norman approach Link, saying something that she couldn’t hear. She never liked Captain Norman, he was always too pompous, and she wondered how Link managed to keep a straight face around him.

When the Captain left, Link suddenly collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving and shoulders shaking. Somehow seeing this moment of vulnerability surprised her more than his ferocity during training. He always came off as someone who was never bothered by anything, someone who could handle everything.

When he made his way over to the stable Zelda suddenly scrambled for cover, not sure why she didn’t want him to see her right now. Hadn’t she come down here for the express purpose of speaking to him? It just felt like she wasn’t supposed to see his brief moment of weakness, like she was trespassing onto something private.

She watched as he buried his face into his horse’s neck. He really did like horses, huh? For once Hugh was right about something.

Then, he suddenly swung himself onto his horse, riding bareback. He urged his horse into a gallop, taking off past the training yard. Where in the world was he going?

Well, if he got to follow her around all day, why couldn’t she follow him now?

Determined, Zelda sprinted after him, following the hoof prints in the dust.

Link finally came to a stop at the crest of a hill, surrounded by a copse of trees and shrubbery. Fireflies floated around lazily as the sun slipped over the horizon. Castle Town sprawled out beneath them, lights flickering out as people prepared for bed. He dismounted, walking to the center of the clearing before standing still. Zelda hid behind a tree, wondering what he was doing out here.

Out of nowhere, he let out a voice-cracking, frustrated scream. Zelda was taken aback, she had never heard him speak above the volume of a librarian shushing patrons for being too loud. He kicked the soil beneath him, and continued to scream. He picked up a rock and chucked it as hard as he could. He punched and kicked a tree, causing the leaves to tremble. Breathing heavily, he finally fell to his knees, head in his hands. Muffled and barely audible, Zelda heard him say something that struck her to her core.

“Why am I never good enough?”

She felt her heart resonate with him at that moment. All of the judgement and expectations and disappointment from her father and the other members of the castle suddenly flooded her, overwhelming her senses. If she hadn’t been hiding at that moment she would’ve also screamed and punched a tree. Link wasn’t a statue or part wolf or anything other than just a regular person, a person with feelings very similar to her own.

Tomorrow she would try to get to know him in earnest.

Chapter Text

Link was surprised when one morning Zelda showed up outside his quarters with a present and an apology for him. After being her knight for over a month he had learned that she was very obstinate and prideful. Having her suddenly show up at his door with a sincere apology and a gift blindsided him. Maybe she wanted something out of him? Well whatever it was, she had the right idea of bringing him cake. He was very easily bribed with food.

From then on Zelda seemed to hate his guts less. She even tried to be friendly. He still kept the wall of professionalism between them, not wanting to get too close. Sorry Zelda, but she would have to be at least a level ten friend before she unlocked his tragic backstory. Also he couldn’t risk her finding out that he was the royal guard at the masquerade ball. He enjoyed having his head too much for that.

But at least she seemed to have stopped trying to escape from him. That made his job easier, especially since his first escort to Gerudo Town was coming up. He didn’t want to have to worry about losing her in the desert where moldugas and the murderous Yiga Clan resided. If he dreaded focus training he didn’t want to think what would happen to him if the Princess was assassinated while under his watch.

After a week of preparations it was finally time for Link to accompany Zelda on her first courting date with Prince Ganondorf. They were traveling light since they couldn’t take their horses past the canyon, but Zelda managed to pack some chilly elixirs to help with the heat. She also managed to pack some snacks, which helped distract them when they couldn’t think of anymore awkward small talk. Link didn’t feel obligated to talk when his mouth was full of baked apple. Zelda really thought of everything, huh?

When they made it to the stable before the canyon, they took the time to rest up a little before their trek through the desert on foot. Awkwardly sitting a good five feet from each other, Link stared at the fire under the cooking pot while Zelda perused a book.

Had he been too quiet for too long? Should he say something now, or was it too late? What would he even say? What could he possibly talk about that the intelligent Princess didn’t already know?

“Link, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Zelda interrupted his racing thoughts. Oh boy, what did she want to know? “Do your earrings have any special significance?”

Huh, nobody really asked about his earrings before. “Not really, I just like them. Why do you want to know?”

“Oh, I just once met a royal guard with a similar pair, and wanted to know if it was a status or rank thing.”

Uhhhhhhh - “I guess it must be a trend now.” Good save.

“Oh, okay.” She seemed dissatisfied by that answer. Link didn’t know why he kept talking.

“My father doesn’t really like them, he thinks they’re too feminine and impractical. He says that they’re a disadvantage in battle, giving your opponent something to grab onto. I just tell him that nobody would be able to make it that close to me,” he laughed. “He said prideful thinking like that would be my downfall.”

“Well that’s morbid.”

“Yeah, that’s just the way he is. He didn’t make it to where he is by overlooking a strategy.”

“I guess that’s true. But I don’t see why something being feminine would be a problem. Prince Ganondorf wears eyeliner and jewelry and he’s a powerful leader. While your father is a brilliant tactician, I think some of his beliefs might be a bit outdated, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“I don’t mind.” Link was actually a bit appreciative that she defended him like that. He fiddled absentmindedly with his earring, a small smile spreading on his face.

“Speaking of Prince Ganondorf, I’ve been doing my research on Gerudo. I want to be prepared so that I can leave a good impression, both of myself and of Hyrule.” She pulled a stack of cards out of her seemingly bottomless pack, and handed them over to Link. “Would you mind quizzing me to see how much I remember?”

“Uhhhhh sure,” he said hesitatingly. Gingerly holding the cards in his slightly shaking hands, he took a deep breath and tried reading from them.

“What’s.....what’s the...the...” He held the cards up closer to his face, hoping it would help clarify what was written on there. It did not. He tried to steady his voice as he continued. “What’s the m-main...imp..most import...”

Zelda looked at him with concern. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything is alright,” he lied.

“Link...do you know how to read?”

“Of course I know how to read!” he exclaimed defensively. Zelda looked a little taken aback by the sudden outburst. He looked down, his ears lowered and face burning red. “Despite what most people think, I do know how to read. It’s just...difficult. The words seem to shift and move around, and some letters are hard to distinguish from others, if that makes sense. I don’t know if I’m just stupid since the other kids didn’t seem to have this problem, but I do actually try to understand what I’m reading, even if it is hard.”

Zelda scooted closer to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. He tried not to think about that too much. She reached out and tipped his chin toward her so that he was facing her. He definitely tried not to think about that too much. Looking him directly in the eyes, she said, “Link, you are not stupid. You’re just dyslexic, and that’s okay.”

“Dyslexic?”

“Yeah, it’s when your brain has difficulty interpreting written words, and it has no impact on your intelligence. Actually, I have something similar but with numbers instead of letters. I have trouble with mental math and figuring out patterns and distinguishing numbers from each other. I love science but the math side of it has always given me problems. Would you say I’m stupid just because my brain makes it difficult to interpret numbers?”

“No, not at all, Princess! You’re the smartest person I know!”

“Then don’t be so hard on yourself, Link. I can help you with some reading exercises if you would like, to make it easier for you.”

“I would like that.”

With that they were silent again, but this time it wasn’t awkward. There was comfort in knowing that they had similar challenges and that neither of them would judge each other. Maybe Zelda had managed to become a level two friend.

“Anyways, if we’re going to make it to Gerudo Town on time today we should start heading out now,” Zelda announced as she stood up. Link had almost forgot why they were there.

Oh right. He had to escort her to her betrothed, a tall, handsome prince. Great.

—————-

When they finally made it to Gerudo Town, Prince Ganondorf was waiting for them, arms crossed over his chest and smile beaming.

“Princess Zelda!” he exclaimed excitedly, swooping her up in a hug and twirling her around. “How long I’ve waited for you to grace my presence again! Are you ready for a day of sight-seeing and adventure?”

Zelda blinked, not quite sure how to respond to that. From what she had been told the first courting date would be a formal one, meeting with important officials and building diplomatic ties. It was never like...an actual date. She grinned. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

Grabbing her by the hand, the Prince lead her into the stone-paved plaza. “Come, come, there is much that Gerudo has to offer!”

Hand-in-hand, he showed her around the bustling city, casually greeting all the merchants and asking about their families. Some of them even joked with him, something that would be considered scandalous in Hyrule. Zelda was slightly envious of his relationship with his people. Her father kept her under lock and key in the castle, discouraging her from milling about Castle Town. Because of this she felt a disconnect from her people, not knowing what it was they needed most. She promised to herself that this would change once she became queen.

They passed by a milliner’s shop and she couldn’t help but stop and stare at the gorgeously crafted clothes. She reached out in awe and touched the soft silk of an aquamarine and gold set. Prince Ganondorf must have seen how her eyes lit up when she saw it, for he turned to the merchant and asked how much it was.

“500 rupees for the set.”

“That’s it? My dear, these clothes are exquisite, you shouldn’t sell yourself short.”

“Well Your Highness, my mother is usually the one who crafts the clothes, but she has fallen gravely ill. I try to make them as good as she does, but my skill is nowhere near hers. I don’t think it’s fair to charge our usual price for something of lesser quality.”

“Nonsense,” the Prince chided her. “These clothes are wonderful, they even managed to capture the Princess of Hyrule’s attention. Here, take this,” he said, reaching into his purse to pull out 2,000 rupees. “For the skill you’ve shown, and to help your mother feel better.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Your Highness! You couldn’t possibly mean this!”

“Of course I do. Now, is there a changing room here? I’m sure the Princess would like to change out of her traveling clothes.”

Zelda stood in awe at the interaction that had just happened. Prince Ganondorf hadn’t even thought twice before helping the merchant. He was so generous. Also he was right about her wanting to change, her travel clothes reeked of sweat and dust, and she was excited to try on the new clothes. Ducking behind a curtain, she stripped off her gross clothes and slipped on the cool silks, feeling instantly more refreshed. As good as the clothes felt though, she was a bit embarrassed when wearing them. She was not used to having so much skin exposed. Shyly she stepped out, eyes trained on her feet.

“How do I look?”

“Absolutely stunning.”

She managed to tear her gaze from her feet to look at the Prince’s eyes, and saw a look of genuine admiration in his warm brown eyes. He wasn’t just trying to flatter her, he actually meant it. She looked away, unable to handle that intense look for too long. Over his shoulder she happened to see Link quickly look away, his face bright red. Ahh, that typical Hylian modesty.

“Where to next?” Zelda asked the Prince playfully. His eyes gleamed.

“I think you’re going to love this next part.”

They made their way to the adobe palace in the center of the city. It towered high above the other buildings, simple yet striking. But instead of going inside, the Prince led her to a wall to the side. He smoothly scaled it, reaching a hand down to help her up. Confused, Zelda hesitated. He laughed.

“It’s okay, Princess. I know it may seem unconventional, but I swear to you, it’ll be worth it.”

Slowly she took his hand, and he deftly pulled her up. They did this routine several more times, the Prince climbing higher and lifting the Princess up with him. When they finally made it to the top of the palace, the red sunset had faded into an inky black night. The wind brought a slight chill, causing her to shiver.

“I’m sorry Princess, are you cold? Here, take this.” He shed the flowing robe he was wearing, gently placing it on her shoulders. Luckily it was too dark for him to see her blush. She looked out over the city and gasped. It looked even more alive than during the day, warm lights flooding all the dark corners and festive music floating through the air. People danced in the streets, adorned in colorful silks and golden jewelry. Nobody seemed to have a care in the world.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“That’s not even the best part. Look up.”

She did, and what she saw completely took her breath away. The sky was afire with thousands of sparkling constellations, ribbons of pink and purple nebulas threading between them. The moon shined bright, much bigger than she had ever seen it before. She could make out all the details of its rugged surface, imperfectly perfect. She slowly turned around, trying to take it all in at once. The desert revealed the expanse of the world that she had never known existed.

She heard a small cough and turned toward the sound, seeing Link stare at the sky with the same awe-struck wonder. Her father was right after all, he had managed to escape her notice this entire time. She also wondered how he had managed to scale the walls without help, considering he was shorter than her. That was just one more mystery to add to his ever-growing list.

“Do you like it?” the Prince asked.

Zelda turned to him, eyes wide. “I love it.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” he said, pulling her close. They remained like that for a while, both gazing at the stars in comfortable silence, enveloped in each other’s arms.

Suddenly his arms tensed for a moment, and he stepped back. Zelda was disappointed to be deprived of his heat, the cold wind filling the space between them. His eyes flashed with a look of pain before instantly smoothing back to his usual gentle expression.

“Princess Zelda, I have one more thing to show you,” he said stiffly, overly formal. Why was he acting so weird?

“If you think the sky is beautiful here, wait until you see it while in the desert.”

“Um, sure. But isn’t the desert a little dangerous at night?”

“Would I ever do something that would endanger you, Princess of Hyrule?”

“I guess not,” she mumbled, uncertain.

“All those stories are just told to young children to keep them from wandering out late at night. They’re all just wives’ tales.”

Zelda wasn’t sure how much she believed that, but the Prince had been so good to her until now, that she decided to squash the uneasy feeling she had in her stomach. Besides, Link would be there to protect them if anything happened.

“Okay, lead the way then.”

They trudged through the sand, the wind getting colder and colder. The view better be worth it , Zelda thought.

As they approached some ancient columns, Zelda’s mood picked up a little. She had read about the rich ancient history of Gerudo, and was excited to see some of it up close in person. They walked silently together, in awe of the majestic ruins superimposed on the beautiful night sky. The Prince was right, it really was more stunning down in the desert. And the night felt incredibly peaceful, not a sign of danger anywhere. She started to feel a little bit silly about the concerns she had earlier.

They stopped at a giant cracked slab covered in ancient writing. Zelda squinted, running her hands over the carvings, trying to decipher what it said. Something about a prophecy? One word looked like Triforce, but it was hard to tell with the weathered surface obscuring the letters. As she tried to translate the words, she felt the wind pick up even stronger, flinging bits of stinging sand at her ankles.

“Uh oh. We should get out of here,” Prince Ganondorf said, voice filled with concern. It was noticeably less stiff and formal than it had sounded a little while ago.

She turned to him to question why, but saw the reason for herself. A huge sandstorm was beginning to develop, picking up more and more sand. The Prince grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he started to run. “Let’s go!” he shouted urgently.

They ran, fighting through the deep sand as they tried to make it back to Gerudo Town before the storm caught up with them. She looked behind her, seeing the storm had doubled in size since she last saw it. She also noticed that someone was missing.

Skidding to a stop, she frantically scanned the horizon for her knight.

“What are you doing? We have to go now!”

“We can’t leave without Link!”

“He’ll be fine!”

“No!” she shouted, ripping her wrist from his grip. She ran back towards the storm.

“Princess Zelda!” she heard the Prince call after her, but soon his voice was lost to the wind. Her vision blurred as the sand surrounded her.

“Link! Link! Where are you?” she called out, her voice hoarse.

A figure appeared before her.

“Oh my goddesses Link, I was so worried! Come, we have to make it back to Gerudo Town.”

The figure came closer. It was much taller than Link. Realizing her error, she started to run. The figure caught her by the arm, but she wrenched it out of their grip and kept running. Another figure appeared before her, and two more on either side of her. She stopped and backed away, bumping into someone else behind her. She was trapped.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

An evil laugh broke through the storm.

“Just your life.”

She was pushed to the ground, and through the sand she caught a glimpse of sharp metal coming towards her. Shielding her face with her arm, she braced for impact, cursing her stupidity for letting this happen, for not listening to her instincts.

“HYEEAH!” Thud thud clang.

Zelda slowly lowered her arm, not sure what happened. Part of the sand storm cleared, revealing Link taking on two Yiga Clan scouts. They moved quickly, but he kept up, blocking their attacks. He shifted around, trying to find an opening.

One of them noticed Zelda and sprinted towards her, blade raised. Link jumped in front of her, shielding her with his body. He raised his sword to attack, but he was too slow. The Yiga scout slashed at his sword arm, causing him to wince. Without skipping a beat, he just tossed his sword to his left hand and attacked, cutting down the Yiga scout. The last opponent turned and fled, not wishing to meet the same fate as his comrades.

By now the sand storm had moved on. Breathing a deep sigh, Link sheathed his sword and turned towards her, eyes full of concern.

“Are you all right, Your Highness?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

After checking her for wounds, his look of concern turned into one of anger and betrayal.

“I thought you were done trying to run away from me. You could’ve been seriously hurt, or even killed.”

Zelda grew indignant at that accusation. “I didn’t mean to get separated from you, I had even went back to find you!”

“Really?” he said, eyes softening.

“Princess Zelda!”

Prince Ganondorf ran up to them, panting.

“I’m so relieved you’re alright. I didn’t know what to do when you ran directly into that sand storm. Oh, and you found Sir Link, I’m so glad!”

He clapped his hands on Link’s shoulders, eliciting a sharp hiss. Confused, Prince Ganondorf took his hand away to see it covered in blood.

“Oh no, Sir Link, you’re injured. We have to get you to a healer immediately.” He stooped down, preparing to scoop up Link, who just backed away awkwardly.

“Oh no, please, that won’t be necessary,” he said, smiling weakly.

“If you say so. Just let me know if you start feeling light-headed, alright?”

Link just nodded, clutching his right shoulder as they headed back to Gerudo Town. The silence was heavy between them.

Zelda cleared her throat, breaking the quiet. “So Link, I didn’t know you were ambidextrous.”

He looked at her, confused. “I mean I guess I just love who I love, but I don’t see how this connects to anything – “

“No, I mean you can use your left hand as well.”

“Oh,” he said quietly, a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, I trained with both hands because my father thought it would be best to cover all my bases. You know, ‘leave no disadvantages,’ as he always says.”

“That’s some sound advice,” Prince Ganondorf chimed in, trying to be a part of the conversation.

Link gave him a weird look - possibly one of suspicion? - but remained silent. Soon they approached the front entrance of Gerudo Town, where the Prince ordered the guards to take Link to the healer. Zelda felt a pang of guilt as he was rushed away, knowing his injury was her fault. She was reckless and didn’t think, causing her to get into trouble that he needed to save her from.

The Prince laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, easing some of her worries. “Sir Link will be fine, we have the best healers in all of Hyrule.”

“I just feel so guilty that he got hurt in the first place. If I hadn’t been so stupid and careless none of this would have happened,” she said, holding back tears. This was just another failure in the string of disappointments that was her life, wasn’t it?

The Prince faced her, expression stern. “Don’t ever talk about yourself that way, Zelda. You are not stupid or careless, and none of this was your fault. A good leader doesn’t fixate on blame, but instead looks forward to what they can do now to help. Do you think worrying all night is going to help, or do you think getting a good night’s rest will help better?”

Damn it he was right. He better not make a habit of doing that.

“I’ll get some rest.”

“I thought so.”

As he lead her to the guest bedroom, Zelda felt her exhaustion finally catch up to her. She leaned into him as she walked, barely staying upright. She thanked Hylia when they finally made it to her room, flopping onto the luxurious bed.

“I’m sorry for what happened tonight, I hope tomorrow will be better.”

“Iss alright, mthank you,” she mumbled, sinking into the mattress. The Prince gave her a gentle smile.

“Sleep well, my desert flower,” he whispered, softly closing the door behind him.

As she drifted off to sleep, she thought that even with everything that happened today, it was still the best day she’s had in years.

Chapter Text

Sweat trickled down Link’s neck, slowly and irritatingly traversing down his spine, but he couldn’t do anything about it as he stood guard outside the Gerudo Councilroom. The light clothes he wore and the chilly elixir he drank kept him from completely dying in the heat, but it didn’t stop him from being uncomfortable. While he technically did not have to be on as high alert as he was, after what happened yesterday with the Yiga Clan he didn’t want to risk anything.

Their second day in Gerudo was much calmer than their first, with Zelda meeting officials to discuss diplomatic negotiations. This was Zelda’s bread and butter; she could talk trade routes and taxes and infrastructure all day long, backing up each point with well-researched notes. But as for Link, he couldn’t concentrate on such minutiae. His focus came from action, not discussion. He was grateful he did not have to listen to all the legal jargon, but he couldn’t exactly say he was enjoying himself out here either. There was nothing to do but stare ahead, occasionally spicing it up by staring to his left and then his right. He fiddled his fingers over the pommel of his sword, and sometimes shifted his weight between his feet, but that was the most movement he could do. How was he sweating so much by standing still??

The door swung open, and for a moment his heart leapt, hoping the meeting was finally over and he could be released from this boredom. However, the only person to leave was Prince Ganondorf, who promptly closed the door after him. The Prince strolled past, then leaned against the wall next to him. He crossed his arms, his face indifferent. They stood together like that in silence for a while, one rigidly bored and the other casually unaffected. Finally the Prince spoke, breaking the silence.

“Can’t believe Aunt Urbosa kicked me out of the meeting. I know she’s the current Chieftain and has more to talk about with the Princess, but someday I’ll lead and I should know this stuff. She says I’m a ‘distraction’ and ‘talk too much.’ What in the world does that mean?”

How was it possible for Link to care even less about someone talking to him than staring into the empty distance? It may have been rude of him to try to ignore the Prince, but he just could not handle him at the moment. Not when he was sweating like a lynel. The Prince just continued to prattle on.

“Well it’s not like I like those meetings anyway. A lot of the officials are out-of-touch with the actual people, they don’t take the time to get to know them and their troubles. Talking to any random civilian would be more productive than any of these meetings. What do you think Sir Link?”

It took Link a second to realize he had been directly addressed. Slightly panicking because he hadn’t been listening to what he was saying, he simply nodded in agreement.

“Exactly, Sir Link! The King was right, you really are a man of few words. But honestly, when you grow up around a bunch of shallow yes-men, you find that a person who doesn’t say much but is sincere in everything they do say is the most valuable asset you can have.”

Link just nodded once more.

“By the way, I like your earrings. It’s rare to find a Hylian voe who takes the care to ornament themselves in such a way.”

That was the second time in two days that someone had commented on his earrings. Maybe Ganondorf and Zelda were more similar than he thought.

“Thanks,” he managed to rasp out. Quickly trying to think of a polite way to compliment the Prince back, he met his eyes for the first time. He was taken aback by how striking his dark brown eyes were, highlighted by a line of kohl.

“I like your eyeliner,” Link said quietly.

“Oh, thank you,” he said, lightly blushing. Had he really managed to make the Prince of Gerudo blush? “I could show you how to do it if you like.”

The idea intrigued Link, and he tried to hold back his excitement as he nodded vigorously. The Prince laughed.

“Very well, little Hylian. Here, face me,” he said as he dug into his pockets for a stick of kohl. He gently held Link’s chin up and brushed his messy fringe out of his face. This time Link tried not to blush. “Now, close your eyes and raise your eyebrows.”

He wasn’t too happy closing his eyes while he was supposed to be guarding the door, but with all the guards around it would probably be okay. Probably. It would only take a few minutes anyway.

“Wow, your eyelashes would give any vai a run for her money. This is going to look amazing on you.”

Is this what it felt like for Zelda when she was around the Prince? Link had to admit that he was annoyingly charming, and his touch was warm and comforting, and he smelled like fresh air and spices —

“There, first eye done, now on to the second.”

It was hard for Link to stand still for this long, so he shifted his weight between his feet a few times.

“Stay still,” Prince Ganondorf commanded briskly, his grip on his chin growing firmer.

“Sorry,” he breathed softly. In response, the Prince’s grip just grew stronger, moving down slightly to enclose his windpipe. What...?

He tried to shift back away from his hand, but his hold on his neck continued to tighten. He struggled to breathe now. Finally opening his eyes, he was not prepared for the sight in front of him. The Prince was smiling wickedly, and his eyes appeared to be glowing red (though maybe it was just from the lack of oxygen in his brain that caused him to see that). Link grabbed at the Prince’s hand, unsuccessfully trying to pry it open.

As his vision started to darken, he managed to squeak out, “Prince Ganondorf?”

Suddenly he let go, and Link gasped for air. Looking up, he saw the Prince looking like his normal self, his dark brown eyes as warm as ever. There was nothing to hint at what had just happened. Maybe he had just imagined it? He had heard of heat stroke before, and the weird affects it had on people. Perhaps he would have to make yet another trip to the healer.

“My, my, Sir Link, you look absolutely amazing! Here, take a look!” He held out a small mirror, and Link studied his reflection. The kohl really made his blue eyes pop, and he had to admit, he did like the way he looked. He also checked his neck, but didn’t see any signs of having almost been strangled to death. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

Thankfully the door to the Councilroom swung open, with Zelda and Urbosa laughing and chatting as they walked through it. Link had never been so relieved to see Zelda.

“It was nice seeing you again, Little Bird. If you need help with anything don’t hesitate to come to me, okay?” Urbosa said warmly, giving Zelda a big hug.

“Of course, Urbosa.”

“And hello Link, sorry to keep you waiting. I sure hope my nephew didn’t talk your ear off.”

“Auntie! I would never do such a thing!”

Zelda turned to Link as if to say something to him, but as soon as she looked at him her eyes grew wide. She quickly looked away, but not before Link saw her blush. “I see you and Prince Ganondorf have been, er, bonding.”

If bonding included almost being choked to death (or imagining being choked to death due to heat stroke), then sure, they certainly bonded.

“Well I’ve got paperwork to do, if you’d like to join me,” Zelda said to him as she started heading towards her guest quarters, still looking away. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the Prince bickering with his aunt. He still couldn’t make sense of what had just happened, but everyone was acting so nonchalant that he figured it wasn’t worth worrying over. Following Zelda, he tried to ignore his growing suspicion.

——————

Ganondorf slammed the bathroom door closed as he strode over to the wash basin, dipping his hands into the cool water and rubbing it over his burning face. He loosened his hair from its tie, thick red locks tumbling down his shoulders. He shook his head angrily like a dog trying to get water out of its ears, scowling hard at his reflection.

“What in the world was that about?” he demanded.

A voice echoed loud in his mind.

< I have no idea what you mean.>

“Don’t play stupid,” Ganondorf growled. “First you put the Princess in serious danger, taking her out to the desert during the night. Then you almost strangle her knight to death! What do you think you’re doing?!”

<Oh you already know what we’re doing.>

“Oh no, this is not a we situation . I’m trying to rebuild connections with Hyrule and lead Gerudo into prosperity. You’re trying to ruin that for whatever reason.”

<You don’t need the help of Hyrule to lead Gerudo into prosperity. Don’t you remember that it’s Hyrule’s fault that Gerudo is in ruins, a mere shadow of its ancient strength? Without them, Gerudo could finally be untethered from its bondages.>

“Senseless bloodshed doesn’t solve anything. And I know you couldn’t care less about the prosperity of Gerudo, all you care about is destruction and chaos. I don’t know why you’ve chosen to bother me of all people, but I won’t let you win. I’ll do anything in my power to keep you from taking over.”

<You know full well why it has to be you. You know the Prophecy. The first Prince of Gerudo will bring about The Calamity, cleansing all of Hyrule of its impurities. You know that you’re the first Prince of Gerudo in generations, and I can feel in your heart the burning rage of what the corrupt kingdom of Hyrule did to your homeland. It has to be you. Just let me help you, and together we can rebuild from the ashes a better world.>

“I’m not the first Prince of Gerudo. There was one ten thousand years ago, and he was the one who tried to bring about The Calamity. The Prophecy has already been fulfilled, there’s no way it could be me.”

<But he didn’t succeed in bringing about The Calamity. He was weak and greedy, and he failed. So no, he did not fulfill the Prophecy. You on the other hand, are fueled by a righteous fury, and are stronger than you could imagine. You will succeed where he failed.>

“ I WILL succeed, but in my own way. I will bring peace and prosperity to this land, with no war or bloodshed. I will find a way to be rid of you, and I won’t stop fighting you until I do.”

A dark shadow coalesced behind Ganondorf. He continued to scowl at his reflection, not acknowledging the shadow.

<Oh but how do you plan on doing that with no power? Your position as Prince of Gerudo is just a figurehead, your aunt doesn’t even allow you in diplomatic meetings. And once you marry the Princess you’ll just be her Prince-Consort, she’ll be the one with the real power.>

The shadow gently brushed his cheek, a feeling like burning ice.

<Besides, your precious little betrothed doesn’t even want to marry you. She has no feelings towards you, unlike your own growing ones.>

Ganondorf growled and swatted at the shadow, dissipating the black cloud.

“I don’t need direct power to change things. And Aunt Urbosa does trust me to lead, I’ve attended many meetings before. She just wanted to speak with Zelda more privately. And of course Zelda doesn’t want to get married, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. It doesn’t matter if she never develops feelings for me, I’ll take care of her until the day I die.”

The voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, tickling the inside of his ear.

<You’re lying.>

“SHUT UP!” Ganondorf roared, slamming his fist into the mirror, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact. His mind was eerily quiet now, and all he could see was the kaleidoscope of his own face in the broken mirror. Breathing hard, he braced his arms on the edge of the wash basin and hung his head.

He would find a way to be rid of the voice, even if it killed him.

Chapter Text

A cool Hyrulean breeze washed over Zelda as she rode towards the castle, but for once it did not feel refreshing. What she would give to spend just a little longer in the blistering heat of the Gerudo Desert, where she had felt less stifled than in her own home.

Her first courting date had been mostly a success, having negotiated several treaties with the officials and learning more about her betrothed. For instance, she learned that his favorite color was green, and that he was adept at drawing, but still learning how to cook. And that both his parents died at a young age, and was mostly raised by his Aunt Urbosa. And...wait, was that it? She racked her brain to see what else she remembered from their conversations. Maybe she had spent more time and attention on the treaties than the Prince. Well, there would be plenty more courting dates and letters to find out more about him.

On the other hand, it seemed like Link had spent more time bonding with the Prince than she had. Thinking back to the time she had seen him with eyeliner, she felt herself getting flustered again. She quickly looked over to her knight, hoping he didn’t notice. Thankfully he was just riding along quietly, his brow slightly furrowed as he seemed to be thinking to himself. He had been even quieter than his usual self lately, and Zelda hoped she hadn’t upset him in some way. They had been making a lot of progress with their friendship, and she didn’t want to go back to square one. She had a history of alienating friends before they grew too deep, and she didn’t want the same thing to happen with her knight. Part of her felt like this friendship was different, and she hated the idea of jeopardizing it.

Clearing her throat, Zelda tried to engage in some small talk. “So, it seems we’re going to make it back to the castle earlier than planned.”

He looked at her, but his face remained impassive.

“If you want, we could spend some time in the library and go over some reading exercises. I know of a few books that I think you would like.”

He simply nodded, but his eyes grew brighter and his ears perked up as he flashed her a broad lopsided grin. Happiness suited him well , Zelda thought. She couldn’t contain her own smile.

Finally they crossed the drawbridge to the castle, surprising the few guards on duty who were not expecting them to be back so soon. Zelda was glad that there wasn’t the usual fanfare at their return, and was suddenly struck with inspiration.

After dismounting, Zelda grabbed both hers and Link’s reins and handed them off to the nearest stable boy. Link stood there and blinked, dumbfounded. She grabbed his hand and rushed off, dragging him after her.

“H-hey wait, I need to untack Epona.”

“We don’t have much time before the whole castle knows we’re here, and I want to show you something.”

Still very confused, Link called back to the stable boy, “Hey! Make sure to brush her with the soft brush for longer, and give her an apple after you’re done! She deserves it!” And with that he was yanked away, almost losing his footing.

They ran down several winding hallways before stopping in front of a large oak door. Zelda flung it open, revealing stacks on stacks of books.

“The library?” Link asked incredulously. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

“No, I just wanted to pick up a few supplies before I showed you my secret place,” she said as she scooped up several books, papers, and quills in her arms.

“Secret place?”

“You’ll see,” she grinned playfully as she refused to elaborate. Stuffing the supplies into her travel bag, she once again grabbed his hand and dragged him as she pushed open the heavy door. Giggling, she ran out without looking. What she was not expecting was to be met with resistance as she tumbled out the door.

“Excuse me, Your Highness,” said an extremely stiff and austere voice. Looking up, Zelda did a double-take. Link was behind her and in front of her at the same time? She felt Link suddenly pull his hand out of hers and rose it in a salute.

“Captain Garrett,” he addressed him, voice formal and face unreadable.

Captain Garrett nodded at him, acknowledging the salute. “As you were, Link. Also you don’t need to address me as Captain when you’re off duty.”

“As you wish, Father.”

Zelda shook her head. Maybe she had hit her head too hard, for surely she was seeing double. She knew that Link and his father shared a striking resemblance, but looking at them together now was like seeing him in a mirror. They shared the same jawline, upturned nose, and dark blonde hair (though Captain Garrett’s had grey streaks running through it). They even had the same blue eyes, though Link’s were a brighter shade of blue. Quite honestly she had never seen a blue that instense, not even the sky could compare...

Upon closer inspection she could see their differences. Captain Garrett was a few inches taller than Link, though still not particularly tall for a Hylian. He had a few wrinkles, his face permanently set in a stern expression. He honestly didn’t look very old, which made Zelda wonder how young he must have been when he had Link. The major difference between the two, however, was how they carried themselves. Everything about Captain Garrett was perfect and restrained. His hair was perfectly pulled back into a sleek ponytail, his posture was iron rod-straight, and his royal guard’s uniform was neatly pressed without a speck of dirt on it. Link, on the other hand, looked like a feral animal. His shaggy hair resisted staying tied up, dirt seemed to be attracted to his clothing, and he nervously shifted his weight between his feet as he withered under the Captain’s stare.

“So, you two are back early.”

Link cleared his throat, looking away. “Yeah. We didn’t have any trouble on the road back.”

“Hmm. That’s good.” He gave Link a firm pat on the shoulder before turning away. Looking over his shoulder, he addressed both of them as he walked down the hallway.

“If King Rhoam asks, I’ll let him know you two are busy studying. Have a nice day.”

With that he gave a small wave and turned a corner. Link let out a sigh of relief, and Zelda stood there, not quite sure what to make of that situation. She looked over at Link, who was looking considerably less excited than he did a few moments before.  Obviously unexpectedly meeting with his father had made him tense, and Zelda sought to make him feel better. She stood as straight she could, shoulders squared and eyebrows furrowed as she pulled a ridiculous faux-deep voice.

“Oh look at me, I’m Captain Garrett and I’m so perfect.” She mocked as she marched around Link. “I don’t like to drink milk, it’s too spicy.”

Link snorted. “He actually doesn’t drink milk, he’s lactose intolerant.” Of course he is. This only egged Zelda on.

“I care about my son but this stick up my butt keeps me from expressing my emotions.” Link laughed, a sound that made Zelda’s heart swell. She made a mental promise to make this boy laugh more often.

Before she knew it Link was joining in on the shenanigans. “Zelda, this is not a death sentence. All I’m asking is for you to sign your whole life away to someone you barely know, and I don’t think that’s too much to ask for,” he said in his best King Rhoam impression (which was nowhere close but still humorous). Zelda cackled, and they leaned into each other as they laughed at their fathers’ expense. It felt good to let loose like this.

Link’s sparkling blue eyes met hers as he grinned from ear to ear. “So you said there was a ‘secret place’ you wanted to show me?”

“Oh yeah, let’s go.” Her hand searched for his, something that seemed to come naturally to her now. Leading him along, she made her way down several more hallways, stopping in front of a tapestry. Pulling away the thick material revealed a hidden tunnel. Stooping a little, she carefully walked down the craggy tunnel, feeling her way through the dark.

“Zelda, are you sure about this?” Link asked worriedly. He called her Zelda. She tried to dismiss that thought as she continued down the tunnel.

“Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

Soon a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, and a sweet smell wafted towards them. As they stepped out, they were greeted by golden rays of sunlight and the sound of trickling water and chirping birds. Link initially sheltered his eyes with his arm until he got used to the sudden change in light, but when he adjusted to it his eyes grew wide in wonder. They were in what seemed like an ancient temple, with marble statues and pillars covered in moss surrounding them and a cracked dome skylight above them. An ornate fountain lay in the middle of the room, somehow with water still bubbling down the sides. A swarm of colorful birds flittered around the fountain, drinking and splashing playfully. Patches of grass grew through the cracks in the floor, creating bits of plush carpet. Zelda could hardly contain her excitement as she saw Link look around in dazed amazement.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, where is this place? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it from the outside.”

“Well most of this is underground, with just the skylight visible from above ground. But that is surrounded by trees so nobody really knows that this place exists. It’s said that previous queens would come down here to strengthen their connection to the goddess Hylia and their own power, but that’s just legend. My mother and I used to come down here all the time just to read and relax.” She felt a small pang as she remembered those bittersweet memories.

“Anyway, there’s no chance we’ll get interrupted down here, so grab a book, take a seat, and we’ll begin our exercises,” she instructed. Link nodded, and grabbed a red leather book as he sat down. He traced his finger along the gold embossments, looking slightly nervous. Zelda gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and a smile, and picked up her paper and quill.

“Let’s begin. Chapter One...”

——————

It became a common occurrence for Link and Zelda to meet in the secret place, doing reading exercises as well as helping Zelda with her experiments, and sometimes just plain old relaxing. The secret place had a very calming effect on them, and gave them a chance to not be under the scrutinizing gaze of the castle staff for just a moment.

As Link continued his exercises, he found reading to be much easier and even enjoyable. He was ravenous for knowledge, now that it wasn’t such a struggle for him. He had started off with fictional stories, which were fun but now he wanted to learn as much as possible. With subjects ranging from geography to basket weaving, Link couldn’t get enough. No wonder Zelda loved learning, this was more exciting than battle. Most battles went the same way, you hit things with a sword until you won; but with reading, there was always something new to learn.

Link was in the middle of a book about sustainable farming techniques when Zelda asked him for help looking over her math.

“I feel like something is off but I’m not sure what it is.”

“Hmm lemme see.” He inspected the calculations, getting a wonderful insight into Zelda’s thought process. “Ah, here’s your problem. You put that 13+39 was 42, when it’s 52.”

“Agh, it’s always the small things that throw everything off. Thanks Link.”

“No problem, Zelda.” He didn’t know when he had started dropping the Princess title, but it felt right. Her name just rolled off his tongue so easily.

“Link, can I be honest with you about something?”

His heart suddenly started to beat rapidly. Oh no, this can’t be good.

“I just...I know Prince Ganondorf is my betrothed, and I know that our union is very beneficial for Hyrule and Gerudo. And I am trying very hard to make it work, despite what my father might think. And he is a nice man, and very handsome. But I’m not quite sure how much of a connection I feel with him? I definitely respect him as a leader, but I don’t know how I feel romantically. Maybe it’ll get better with time?” She looked at him expectantly, like he would have the answer to that question.

He just shrugged. “Maybe.”

“And there’s...one other thing.” She fiddled nervously with her quill. Feeling her tense energy, Link gave her his full attention, concerned for what came next.

“So, a few months ago, when my father threw a masquerade ball for me to ‘meet potential suitors’, I met someone. He was a  royal guard, and he was so sweet and attentive. I don’t even know his name, but I felt more of a connection to him than I do to Prince Ganondorf. I feel extremely guilty about that. I can’t seem to get him out of my head, and I think that’s what’s keeping me from getting closer to the Prince. Link, what should I do about this situation?”

Keep it cool, keep it cool, keep it cool – “Um, that’s a - that’s a pretty sticky situation. Quite honestly I wouldn’t know, I don’t have a lot of experience with dating.”

Zelda tilted her head. “Really? You seem like quite the lady’s man. Don’t you know women just love men who show no emotion and smell like horses all the time?” she teased. Link swatted playfully at her as she snickered.

“No, shockingly I’m not a lady’s man. Sure I’ve had a few flings, mostly maids and one stable boy. He was actually pretty nice, but our similarities ended at our love of horses. It’s just...hard for me to really connect with people, so relationships don’t really go far for me.”

“Well you seem to have more experience than me. I wasn’t allowed to even look at anyone that way until I turned 18, and even then my father immediately found a match for me. Maybe part of the reason I have trouble connecting with Prince Ganondorf is because my father chose him for me, so whenever I look at him I just think of my father. And when I’m dating someone I don’t want to think of my father! That’s weird!” She paused and thought for a minute. “Maybe I just need to somehow make it feel like my choice, and then it’ll be better. Yeah, I think I’ll try that.”

“Sounds like a plan. That’s what I told myself when I joined the military.”

Zelda looked confused. “You didn’t choose to join the military? I thought sword fighting was just something you loved to do?”

Oof, he did not mean to reveal that much about himself. He had never told anyone that before, but now he couldn’t stop talking, the words flowing from his mouth.

“I mean yeah, I do love sword fighting, but it was mostly an expectation for me to join the military. My father was a prestigious captain and I had been training since I was five years old, it was the only thing I knew. And I guess I felt like following my father’s path was the only way to make up for the circumstances of my birth.”

“Circumstances of your birth?” Zelda prodded, concerned confusion on her face. Link laid back on the grass, one arm flung over his face. He really didn’t want to get into this, but now he couldn’t back out of it. He sighed heavily.

“I’m a bastard. No one really knows who my mother is, not even my father. I was dumped on the castle steps as a baby, with a note saying that Captain Garrett was my father. I don’t know why he chose to keep me, it would’ve been easier if he just gave me to the orphanage. Anyway, as you know, it’s very scandalous in Hylian society to have a child out of wedlock. My father had a lot going for him before I showed up. He was a captain at 20, and he really made a name for himself at the Battle of Faron. The King was even considering giving him a title of nobility, which would’ve meant a lot for him considering he grew up dirt poor. But then I happened. It was such a huge scandal that it completely halted his career. For someone who was so good at planning things, it’s funny that I was the only unplanned thing in his life. And for that, I felt like I had to make up for my existence. I had to be the best of the best, with no room for criticism. Not that it actually stops anyone from criticizing me, but at least it’s usually just unfounded petty jealousy. But yeah, um, that’s my story.”

Link was met with silence. Was Zelda judging him? Did she not want to be friends with him now that she knew his story? His mind raced with a million thoughts as he waited for Zelda to say something, anything. Taking a risk, he peeked out from under his arm. What he was not expecting was to see tears in Zelda’s eyes.

“Link, how could you possibly feel like any of this is your fault? You didn’t choose to be born, and, and – who made you feel this way? Was it your father?”

“No, not my father. At least, not intentionally. I really do feel like he tries his best, but he just doesn’t really know how to express himself. Again, he never planned to be a father.”

Zelda reached out for Link’s hand, helping him to his feet. She didn’t let go once he was standing, firmly squeezing his hand and looking him directly in the eyes. Her dark green eyes were full of a righteous fury, and Link was frankly a little scared.

“Link, you are a wonderful person, a treasure to be around. You do not need to make up for anything, you are perfect the way you are. I am honored to call you my friend.”

He blinked, feeling his eyes starting to tear up a little bit. Fuck, he couldn’t be crying right now. How did she manage to make him feel this way?

Zelda looked up at the setting sun above them. “It’s getting late, we should head out before anyone notices we’re gone.”

Link nodded, but then froze, a realization hitting him.

“Wait, what day is it?”

“Thursday? Why do you ask?”

Shit shit shit shit shit.

His hands flew to his head, grabbing at his hair as he realized how screwed he was. “Oh no, I was supposed to be at focus training today with Captain Norman. I completely missed it, I’m in so much trouble.”

“Wait, wait, slow down, what’s this all about?”

“I don’t have time to explain, I need to be at the training yard now. Shit, how could I be so careless...” He ran off, with Zelda close behind.

“Wait, Link! What’s wrong?”

He kept on running, blood pounding in his ears. Maybe if he made it in time, he could reason with the Captain. Shit, how could he let this happen...

He ran so fast that he soon lost the sound of Zelda’s voice. Damnit, why was the training yard so far away from this side of the castle???

When he finally made it to the training yard, the sun had just slipped over the horizon. There was no one there except Captain Norman, who sat on a box with his sword planted out in front of him and his eyes closed. He looked up when he heard Link’s footsteps approach, his eyes simmering with a quiet rage.

“So someone finally decided to show up to training.”

“Sir, I apologize, I was not aware of the time – “

“You have no respect for your superiors, and flagrantly disregard what they ask of you. How many times do you need to learn that you do not disobey me?” He growled as he unsheathed his sword, stepping towards Link. Link stepped back, until he felt the wall of the stable behind him. He reached for his sword, but grabbed nothing but air. Shit, he must have left it in the secret place. Frantically he looked around, hoping for some way out of this. There was nothing. Dropping to his knees, he held his hands up in a pleading gesture.

“Sir, please, I meant no disrespect. We can reschedule training, we can – “

“It’s too late for negotiations. You must learn the consequences to your arrogance.” He raised his sword to Link’s left cheek, pressing the tip into the skin until a small bead of blood welled up. He smiled wickedly, drunk on power.

“Now, won’t it be nice to make your face symmetrical?” Link closed his eyes, but all he could see was his father’s disappointed face.

“STOP!” a loud demanding voice rang out across the yard.

Tentatively opening his eyes, he saw Zelda angrily marching towards them. “Your Highness!” Captain Norman breathed, quickly dropping to one knee and bowing his head.

“What’s the meaning of this, Captain Norman? How dare you wield your weapon at someone who is unarmed and submitting?”

“Your Highness, this knight was showing disrespect to his commanding officer, I was merely teaching him a lesson for his insolence.”

“And what disrespect did this knight show?”

“He refused to show up to mandated training.”

“Well I’ll have you know, Sir Link was assisting me with my research today as he was off duty. I’m sure you know that you can not mandate training for a soldier that is off duty, and on top of that, my word supersedes yours. Therefore I deem these off-hours training as unnecessary. Sir Link, you may rise. I require your assistance at this moment.”

Link stood up shakily and made his way to Zelda’s side.

“And one more thing. If you ever pull your weapon on an unarmed man again, I’ll make sure you are stripped of your title and discharged with disgrace. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Good.”

And with that Zelda turned, head held high and her eyes cold as ice. Link followed her, momentarily relieved. As they left he could feel Captain Norman’s glare searing into his back, and he prayed that things hadn’t been made worse for him.

Chapter Text

“This is my choice, this is my choice, this is my choice,” Zelda repeated quietly to herself as they approached the gates to Gerudo Town. Her palms felt sweaty, but not because of the heat. At the Kara Kara Bazaar Inn she had changed into the traditional Gerudo clothes the Prince had bought her during their last visit, so there was no reason for her to feel this suffocated. Link reached out and gave her hand a squeeze, steadying her shakiness. 

“It’ll be okay,” he reassured, looking directly in her eyes. 

But her whole kingdom depended on her marriage to the Prince, she had to get this right. She couldn’t mess this up, not like everything else…

She took a deep breath, then let it go slowly. Now was not the time for insecurities. She would be the Perfect Princess she was raised to be, and she would fall in love with her betrothed so as to fulfill her duty to her kingdom. She could do this, she HAD to do this. 

“Well, no time like the present. Let’s go,” Zelda prompted confidently, or as confident as she could be at that moment. Link nodded, following her into the city and towards the palace.

As she ascended the steps to the palace, she saw Prince Ganondorf excitedly run to greet her.  

“Princess Zelda! How were your travels?”

“They were fine, I got here in one piece didn’t I?” she chuckled, and the Prince beamed. Suddenly she was cut off by a sharp growl coming from her stomach. Oh no, this was very unladylike, hopefully the Prince didn’t hear it. 

“Are you hungry, Princess?” he asked, looking a bit concerned. 

Crap . 

“No, no, I’m fine, don’t worry about it,” she said shyly, trying to remain courteous, just like a princess should. 

“Are you sure? I was actually just cooking a meal for when you arrived, though you arrived sooner than I expected,” he admitted sheepishly. “It’s almost done though, so if you don’t mind waiting a few minutes, we could all eat together. Nothing brings people together like a good meal,” he said, flashing her a warm smile. “Come on inside and take a seat!” he gestured to the open doorway. As she went inside and sat at the low table, Link took his post outside, sword planted out in front of him as he stood guard, shoulders straight and eyes locked ahead. Prince Ganondorf stopped and looked at him, puzzled.

“What do you think you’re doing, little Hylian? You’re eating with us! You’re just as much of a guest as the Princess.”

Link blushed as he looked around awkwardly. It was not common for knights to dine with royalty, especially when they were on duty. But the Prince was waiting expectantly, and at this point it would be rude for Link to refuse, so he took a seat on a cushion next to Zelda. 

These Gerudo and their generosity , Zelda thought. Hylian society was so repressed in comparison. This was something she would definitely have to get used to. 

“I’ll be right back in a few minutes, I just need to put some finishing touches on the meal. I’m excited for you to try it!” Prince Ganondorf rushed away to the kitchen, leaving Zelda and Link alone at the table. Link fiddled with the hem of his tunic as Zelda sat there awkwardly. It was Link who finally broke the silence.

“So...Prince Ganondorf is nice.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“So how edible do you think this meal will be?”

“Link!”

“What? Royal people don’t really spend a lot of time cooking.”

“One, I take that personally. Two, he is genuinely learning how to cook. And three, you’ve told me that you’ve eaten literal rocks before, so I don’t think you get to judge the edibility of the Prince’s cooking.”

“That was a rock roast , it’s very different.”

“Heating up a rock doesn’t make it different, it’s just a hot rock now.”

“It’s a Goron specialty, they know what they’re doing.”

Before Zelda could continue bickering with Link, the kitchen door flung open as Prince Ganondorf came out with a cart full of hot steaming food. “Dinner is ready!” he announced excitedly. Both Zelda and Link looked at the Prince wide-eyed as he unloaded plate after plate of food onto the table. When he had mentioned cooking a meal Zelda had not expected a whole feast. Plates ranged from beautifully grilled slabs of gourmet meat to freshly cut hydromelons, beds of rice and vegetables to honey-glazed baked apples. Everything looked and smelled amazing. Prince Ganondorf plopped himself down next to Zelda, handing her an empty plate. “Take whatever you like.”

Zelda only put a small amount of some meat, vegetables, and rice onto her plate, as would be expected from a Princess of Hyrule. Link, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind piling his plate with a sizable mountain of food. She took a dainty bite, and was welcomed with an explosion of flavor. 

“Prince Ganondorf, this is exquisite! I thought you said that you were just learning how to cook!”

“Well, I had plenty of time to practice while you were gone,” he said shyly, not quite sure how to take the compliment. 

“Well, it's delicious,” she reaffirmed. Link nodded in agreement, mouth full of food. They continued eating in silence, which was fine until Zelda finished eating and wasn’t sure where to even begin in conversation. She felt her earlier insecurities start creeping up again. Instantly shutting them down, she fired out the first question she could think of. 

“So how are you?”

“I’m good. And you?”

“I’m good as well.” 

Silence again. There had to be something to talk about.

“Um, do you have any pets?”

“Not really. How about you?”

“Not really either. I guess I have a horse, but I don’t know if I would consider him a pet. He doesn’t like me that much.”

“Oh really? Does he bite?”

“No, he just does what he wants.”

“Okay. What color is he?”

“All white.”

“Oh, pretty.”

“Yeah.”

Zelda’s insecurities threatened to take over once again. How was she failing at this? She was trained in all forms of diplomacy, but somehow she couldn’t keep up a conversation with her betrothed. Their letters had been lively enough, but for some reason she couldn’t talk to him in person. She kept thinking of her kingdom and what their marriage would mean for it, and she felt so much pressure weighing on her shoulders to get this right. If she couldn’t even talk to her future husband then how could she ever be expected to lead? Goddesses she was just a massive failure…

She felt a comforting squeeze of her hand under the table, and she looked up to see Link giving her a reassuring smile. Was it really that obvious that she was stressed? He let go of her hand and started signing discreetly.

<This is your choice.> He then gave her a thumbs up and a smile. 

Huh, she didn’t know Link knew sign language. That’s just another thing to add to the mystery pile.  Though his message was comforting, it made Zelda think about her own actual choices. She didn’t have many, and she felt her insecurities get replaced by a surge of anger. This was so unfair, she really should have gotten more time to herself, she should have gotten to choose her betrothed, she should be able to choose what is best for Hyrule, why was everyone constantly telling her what to do - 

“Prince Ganondorf, did you choose to be my betrothed or did my father decide that for you as well?”

“Umm,” Prince Ganondorf started, a little taken aback by the forwardnes of her question. He didn’t seem to mind that much though, as he continued. “No, I didn’t really choose. Of course I couldn’t really be forced into it, but I was pressured by everyone around me, saying it was the best choice for both of our countries. Not that I mind though, you’re very lovely, Princess,” he added quickly.

“You see, I don’t understand that. You’re a prince, yet people still feel the need to share their input in your business. Don’t you want more freedom of choice?” she inquired, only somewhat projecting her own feelings onto him. 

Prince Ganondorf thought for a while, then his usual cheery disposition slipped away, revealing something that felt a bit more genuine. “Honestly, yes. I want to do more for my country but I keep being told not to worry about it, that I’ll do more when I’m older, that Aunt Urbosa will handle it. I have so many ideas and yet nobody will listen to them. I do what I can around the city to help out the civilians, but there's only so much I can do.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “If I had only a little more power I could do so much good.”

“Exactly!” Zelda agreed, happy to finally feel understood in this aspect. “I can’t even help out the civilians in Castle Town, my father seems to think I’m this precious little porcelain doll that will break if I do anything by myself. I have my own thoughts and feelings, but it doesn’t matter, I’m just a perfect little princess,” she spat in disgust. “If I’m to be in charge someday I’ll need to start making my own decisions. I want to lead Hyrule into the modern age, but my father seems to be stuck in the past, and is trying to drag me back with him. But I won’t allow it, not over my dead body.” She felt a fire alight in her stomach as she found a new determination.

“I love that you’re so passionate, Princess Zelda,” he said softly. 

“Please, just call me Zelda.”

“As you wish, Zelda. And you can just call me Ganon.” 

“Alright, Ganon. Promise me this,” she propositioned, grabbing hold of his hand. He blushed a little at this. “Promise me that we’ll never stop fighting for our freedom, okay? We deserve to make our own life choices.” Ganon looked surprised, but his face settled into a similar look of determination. 

“I promise.”

“Good. Now I’m going to eat more of your delicious cooking, because who cares if it’s unladylike.”

Ganon chuckled. “Take as much as you like, Zelda. Though it seems your knight is the reigning champion when it comes to eating,” he teased. Link looked up, cheeks full of food as he reached for another plate. Zelda laughed; he looked like a squirrel trying to hide his food stash. 

“I mean, I guess he needs to get his energy from somewhere.”

“I thought he just saved his energy by not talking much,” Ganon teased. Zelda laughed, but then realized that she had forgotten that most people saw Link as quiet. He had been pretty open with her lately, constantly joking with her as well as sharing intimate secrets. She wished more people could see this side of him, he was a delight to talk to. Well, at least she was grateful that she was able to open up to Ganon finally. He shared a common passion with her, and understood her unique troubles. It was comforting not to feel alone in bearing her responsibility. 

Ganon poured each of them a glass of wine, and raised his for a toast. “To Gerudo and Hyrule: may their union prosper.”

“Hear hear,” Zelda chimed, clinking her glass to his and Link’s, taking a deep drink. She held onto the feeling of victory she had at that moment, using it to squash the other thought that was trying to rise up to the front of her mind, a thought that never seemed to go away. 

After dinner they milled around the palace for a bit, chatting about hobbies and childhood stories. It was much easier talking to Ganon now that she had expressed her frustrations about the whole situation. Things were looking up for once. 

“So you’re telling me that you avoided sand seals for years because you thought they were going to eat you ?” Zelda asked incredulously, trying not to laugh. 

“What? I was seven years old, and they were much bigger than me. Not to mention their giant tusks,” Ganon defended, miming tusks with his fingers at his mouth. Now she couldn’t hold back the laughter, even letting out a little snort. He only smiled affectionately at that. They leaned on a balcony ledge, looking over the city painted gold by the setting sun. She really did love her time spent in Gerudo, she felt like she could be more of herself here. Her mother used to come here to visit Urbosa all the time, and Zelda wondered if she felt the same freedom here that she did now. She really hoped she did. 

“Is everything alright, Zelda?” Ganon asked, looking concerned. He must have noticed the sudden sadness that had just washed over her while recalling those memories.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just...I miss my mother sometimes. I wish I had her guidance right now,” she said, her gaze settled on the far-off horizon. He nodded, and looked off into the horizon with her. 

“Losing parents at a young age is hard. Everyone pities you, but very few are willing to actually help. There’s a lot you have to learn on your own, much earlier than most people have to. To be honest, it’s very hard not to be bitter about it. But,” he turned his gaze to her, and she met it with her own, “I know that they would be very proud of the people that we’ve become. And sometimes, during peaceful moments like these, I can feel them in my heart. I know they’re never truly gone, not as long as I remember their love. And from what I can tell, your mother loved you so very much, so hold onto that when you feel yourself missing her. She’ll be there with you.” He laid a warm, comforting hand on top of hers. 

Zelda felt her vision going blurry and her throat growing tight. He was right, but she still felt incredibly lonely. She leaned into him, hoping to feel some sort of connection. He wrapped her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. She sighed deeply into his chest, then stepped back. 

“It’s getting late, I should be getting to bed,” she said flatly. 

“Alright Zelda, let me walk you back to your room,” he offered. She just nodded numbly, letting him take her by the elbow and lead her down the hallway to her room. As they stopped in front of her door, Ganon gently held both of her hands and looked her in the eyes. “You are loved, Zelda, never forget that,” he murmured. 

“I know,” she replied. Though it was a lot harder to feel loved when the person who loved her was dead. Then he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, surprising her. Ohhhh...maybe he wasn’t talking about her mother. 

“Good night, Zelda,” he said, before leaving her side for the night. She stood there, glued in place, as she tried to process what happened. They’re betrothed, idiot, of course he would want to kiss her eventually. Quite honestly it took much longer than what would usually be expected. Then why did it feel...strange? Like it came out of nowhere? She just shook her head and went inside her bedroom, hoping some rest would answer her questions. 

--------------

Link sat down outside the Princess’s bedroom door, beginning his shift for the day. It was still dark outside, but the sun would be creeping up in just an hour or so. Zelda had a habit of sleeping in late when they visited Gerudo, so he settled in for a boring couple of hours. He took out his sword and started polishing it. 

Suddenly the door swung open, smacking Link in the face. “Aghh,” he grunted, annoyed. 

“Oh I’m so sorry Link, I didn’t expect you to be there,” Zelda apologized profusely. 

“It’s okay,” he muttered as he rubbed his sore nose. “What are you doing up so early, Zelda?” he asked. 

She looked away. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I would go for a small walk, you know, clear my head.” 

“Makes sense,” he reasoned. She really did look like she was having an awful time sleeping, with dark bags under eyes and her golden hair all askew. It made his heart pang to see her in this kind of state. She had been taking everything so hard lately, it only made sense that it would wear her down. If only the King could see what all this was doing to her. If only he cared. He sheathed his sword and stood up. He could at least try to relieve some of the burden for a small moment. 

“Allow me to escort you, Princess Zelda,” he said with a flourish, raising an eyebrow and cocking a grin. She rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed.

“Ugh, please, it’s too early for formalities.” 

“Please, Your Highness, if I spoke to you any other way I would instantly burn up and die.” Zelda snorted, dropping the pretend annoyance and smiling ever so slightly. 

There, a smile. Success. 

“Well with such dire consequences I guess I have to let you,” she teased. 

“Thank you, m’lady.”

“Never mind, you can die in a fire.”

“Oh come on, Zel, I’m only kidding.”

“Nope, you must perish in a fiery pit.”

They kept on bantering as they walked through the palace, eventually making it to the cold outside. Zelda shivered a bit. Without a word Link stripped off his thick outer tunic and handed it to her. She hesitated before putting it on. 

“Thank you for not fighting me on taking the tunic,”  he said appreciatively. 

“Well I knew there was no use fighting you about it, once you’ve made up your mind there’s no convincing you otherwise.”

“That’s true.”

They walked in silence as they strolled past a few vendors starting to set up shop. The sun was just barely starting to inch over the horizon, giving everything a soft glow. People spoke in hushed murmurs, making their early excursion feel like a secret. Gerudo Town was uncharacteristically quiet and empty, causing it to feel like some sort of in-between place. It was both eerie and calming. 

They made it to the front gate when they stopped. 

“Would you like to go back to your room, Zelda?”

She thought for a moment before her face settled into one of determination. “No. I would like to go out into the desert, and see that stone carving we saw last time again. I didn’t get much of a chance to examine it last time.”

Link was not happy to hear this response. “Are you sure, Princess?” Then, lowering his voice, he continued, “Last time you were almost killed, Zel. I can’t risk you getting hurt again.” 

She looked indignant at that. “I’m perfectly aware of what happened last time, Link, I didn’t forget. But the sun is coming up and I have you to protect me, so it’ll be fine. Besides,” she shifted her weight, looking away, “I could use a little distance from Gerudo Town while I … think.”

He sighed. “Okay.” There was no point in fighting her once she had her mind made up. 

She turned to the guard at the town entrance. “Please let the Prince know that I’m going into the desert for some research and will be back shortly. Tell him not to worry as I’m accompanied by my knight attendant.”

“Will do, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.” She turned on her heel and marched out the gate, though her steps were slowed the second they sunk into the deep sand. They trudged their way through the sand, Link following a few steps behind as Zelda tried to remember where the ruins were located. The energy emanating from her felt staticky and jumpy, and Link was worried. He knew he probably shouldn’t ask her about it, but he didn’t like seeing her so agitated.

“So what’s wrong with the Prince?” he finally asked. Zelda stopped in her tracks and whipped around. 

“Whatever do you mean?” she asked, eyes glowering. Yeah, probably a bad idea to ask but it was too late now. 

“Well you had trouble sleeping, you said you needed distance from Gerudo Town, and you’re about to throw yourself into research as a distraction. And this is all after what happened...last night. So...what’s wrong with the Prince?”

She sighed, slouching in defeat, knowing she couldn’t keep up the facade anymore. “Wow, you’re amazingly intuitive,” she muttered. 

“Not intuitive, just observant,” he corrected. 

“Whatever. It’s just...I don’t know how to feel. Well I do know how I feel, and it’s guilty because it’s not how I’m supposed to feel. I’ve known Ganon for over six months now, and he’s been nothing but a complete sweetheart and theoretically a perfect match. But...I still don’t havel any romantic feelings toward him. I feel no spark. At this point I’ve just accepted that it’ll just be a platonic marriage, which isn’t bad, there are worse things out there. And then...he kissed me last night. And now I’m worried that he might be in love with someone who doesn’t love him back the same way, and that’s not fair to him. I feel like a failure to both him and my kingdom, and I really wish I had my mother’s guidance right now. But...she’s dead, so I’m all alone!”

 All of her pent-up emotions finally spilled over as she slumped to the ground and wept. Link knelt down and held her tightly, letting her tears soak his shoulder. She took a shuddering breath and continued. 

“And Ganon said that if I remember my mother’s love, she’ll always be there in my heart. But the thing is, I do remember my mother’s love, vividly, and all I feel is resentment that she isn’t here anymore. I hate that she had to leave so soon, and that everyone acts like she was never here. They were all so quick to forget her, including my father. So all I feel is this massive resentment. It’s so childish to feel this way, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s not childish to feel that way,” Link whispered, finally speaking up. She looked at him, shocked to see he was validating her feelings. “It’s a perfectly normal response. And you’ve had no one to share these feelings with, so you’ve bottled up your resentment for so long. And I just want you to know that it’s okay to feel this way, and it’s okay to let go of these emotions. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he murmured gently into her ear as he stroked her hair. 

“Do you feel resentment towards your mother for abandoning you when you were a baby?” she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder. 

“Yes. I used to be filled with rage, upset that she didn’t want me, that she caused me to have the life that I have. But it’s okay, I’ve come to terms with it. My life isn’t so bad after all, I got to meet you. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Zelda was quiet for a moment, but dug her face into his shoulder and whispered, “I’m glad I met you too, Link.” 

They stayed like that for a while, letting the sand shift around them as they held each other tightly. The sun steadily climbed higher, as did the temperature. Eventually Zelda let go of him, taking off his thick tunic and giving it back to him. 

“Thank you, but I’m not going to need this anymore,” she said with a small smile. “ We should start looking for the ruins again. Like you said, I need a distraction.”

He could also use a distraction, his heart was pumping a million miles a minute with how bold he had been a while ago. He was lucky that Zelda didn’t chew his head off. But it seemed to have worked out in the end, she got to express what was weighing her down. And he got to hold her…

Tying his tunic around his waist, he jogged after Zelda, who was determinately striding through the sand. He tried for some comic relief.

“So...is the Prince a good kisser?” he asked deviously. 

She furrowed her brows and scoffed. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Well of course I would, that’s why I asked.”

“Kiss him yourself then.”

“Maybe I will. He’ll fall madly in love with me and then you could call off the marriage and just do whatever you want.”

“Ugh I wish. But if you did that I would owe you too many favors and I don’t want to give you that kind of power, it would just go to your head.”

“Rude.” 

Zelda just smiled smugly with a sense of victory. Link was glad to admit defeat, content to be blessed with her smile that warmed him more than the sun. He didn’t realize how entranced by her he was until she suddenly stopped and he bumped into her, bringing him back into reality.

“There it is!” she exclaimed excitedly, bouncing and clapping her hands. The ruins loomed up above the sand, with the engraved stone disk in the center. For generations they had stood silently, keeping their ominous secrets. Until now. 

Picking their way through the uneven pavestones, they approached the disk. Zelda reached up to touch the engravings, eyebrows furrowed as she sought to decipher their meanings. Link turned around to face the entrance to the ruins, sword at the ready. He wouldn’t let anyone catch them unaware this time. 

Zelda muttered under her breath, trying out different rough translations before grunting in exasperation. 

“Is everything alright, Zel?” he called back, still facing forward. 

“It’s just, this isn’t making sense! I see the word ‘Triforce’ in there, so I’m assuming this is at least 10,000 years old. But the majority of the words aren’t matching with Old Hylian, and if it were Ancient Hylian I doubt that the engravings would still be legible. But even assuming it was somehow preserved since the Ancient Times, the script has none of its usual flourishes. Besides, in Ancient Times the Triforce would usually be referred to by its separate parts, and when referred to together it would have an honorific, which is very much absent here. If I could place the time this was written I could possibly translate it better. But it just seems to be a weird mish-mash of time periods within sentences.”

“Are you sure it’s Hylian and not another language?” Link suggested. 

“Definitely sure. While I can’t place an exact time period, I still recognize the words as Hylian. Would you like to take a look, Link?”

He hesitated, not wanting to let down his guard. But his curiosity took over, and he turned around to face the disk. Several words suddenly popped out at him, notably “Triforce”, “Courage”, “Wisdom”, “Balance”, “Power”, and “Calamity”. Once his eyes adjusted to the script, more complete sentences started forming, and he felt a sense of familiarity. The mish-mashed script flowed smoothly for him, much easier to read than normal script. And the tone of the sentences felt...casual? It was almost like a normal conversation he would overhear in the training yard. 

“I, I think I know what your problem is,” he breathed, still in awe of what he read. 

“What is it?” she inquired. 

“So, a couple things actually. Firstly, I think whoever engraved this was possibly dyslexic, because I can read it easily. I think they chose the letters that were easiest for them to read, even if it was from an older time period, and that’s why they appear jumbled and hard to place.”

He ran his fingers gently across the engravings with a tender understanding. “Secondly, I think the person was also poor. The tone is very casual with an occasional slang word, and no regards for proper grammar. That would explain the absence of an honorific before the word Triforce.”

Zelda looked intrigued, as well as impressed that Link was able to deduce all the information. Then she seemed to deflate a little. “So what you’re saying is this might just be some graffiti?”

“Well, no. It still feels important, just maybe it wasn’t sanctioned by a high-ranking individual. You know the phrase, ‘the words of the Prophet are written on Palace walls?’” he prompted. She shrugged. 

“I’ve heard it a few times.”

“Well it’s usually interpreted as the Gift of Sight is bestowed upon the poor, the people that no one listens to. They write their messages on the outside of the Palace walls, and no one deemed as important reads it. And then it’s forgotten. I feel like this is what’s happening here,” he gestured towards the disk. Zelda examined the disk, thinking hard on what he just said. 

“So...what does it say?” She turned her deep green eyes towards him, inquisitive. A lump formed in his throat as he suddenly forgot how to speak while under her gaze. Her eyes were so beautiful, and she was trusting his opinion on her research. The smartest person he knew wanted his input, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. 

Tearing away from her gaze, he cleared his throat and looked back at the disk. “It’s only a rough translation, but I believe it goes like this: ‘The Triforce is a triangle, it needs more than just Courage and Wisdom to exist. Look for the first Prince of Gerudo, he has the Power for Calamity and Balance. All three need a direction or else it falls apart.”

Zelda remained quiet for a while, thinking. Then she pulled out a small book and a pencil, copying the engraving on the stone as well as what Link said. When she was finished she snapped the book closed and pocketed it, turning to leave the ruins. Link followed, not sure exactly what was going through her mind but could clearly see the cogs turning. 

“I’m not quite sure what this all means, but I have a few ideas of where to start. When we get back to Hyrule we’re going to hit the library, as well as investigate the Ancient Shrines around the Castle. Might also get into contact with Impa from Kakariko Village, being a Sheikah she would know best about anything from the Ancient Times.” She looked at Link, gaze softening. “I don’t know why but I feel like this is important, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“We?” Link asked, dumbfounded at the idea of being included. 

“Of course ‘we’. What would I do without my observant assistant?” She smiled, and he felt his heart stop. Then he smiled back. 

He liked the sound of ‘we’.

Chapter Text

“So Impa has agreed to help us with our research, and even promised that she’ll come visit us to talk about it more in depth! And she offered Purah’s services at the Hateno Research Lab as well!” Zelda gushed excitedly. “She agrees that the carvings must have some significance, but feels like we need to do some more research on events from that time period. There’s an ancient shrine near here, so perhaps that will give us a little bit of insight. What do you think Link?” 

Link didn’t say anything, he just kept his head bowed over the mane of his horse. 

“Link?”

Ever so softly, she heard a gentle snore arise from her knight. Was Link really asleep in the saddle? Oh, this was too good of an opportunity for teasing.

She reached over and flicked his nose, startling him awake with a snort. “Wake up sleepyhead,” she giggled. 

“Wha…” he mumbled, until realization struck him and he suddenly turned beet red. “Oh no,” he groaned, sinking his face into his hands.

“Did somebody stay up too late reading last night, or is my research talk really that boring?” Zelda chided him affectionately. 

“No, no, not at all Zel. I always find your research talk very interesting.” He punctuated this with a large yawn, which definitely did not help his case. “It’s just that Captain Norman has been assigning me to the night watch shift lately, and it's just taking my body some time to get used to it.” 

Zelda scrunched up her nose. “Ugh, I feel like that prick is just trying to get back at me for undermining his authority. I should really go tell him to knock it off.”

“N-no, no, that won't be necessary,” Link stammered. “It’s fine, Zelda, really, don’t worry about it.”

“Well I can’t have my knight falling asleep while on duty,” Zelda huffed. “He’s being ridiculous Link, and he shouldn’t get away with treating his men like this. He needs to learn that the Royal Crown won’t tolerate this behavior.”

“Really, it’s fine. I’ll just try harder to stay awake, and soon my body will get used to it. Please, don’t make a big deal about this. It’s just the life I chose when I joined the military.”

Zelda just looked at him and sighed, letting the subject drop. She hated seeing him like this, exhausted and nervous. When she becomes Queen, there will be a LOT of changes, mark her words.

As they crested the hill she could see the familiar orange lights of a shrine. There it was, solemnly hiding its secrets from her. But she came prepared, armed with a thick stack of books and a lot of patience. 

Rifling through the pages of one of the books, she eyed the entrance to the shrine. Not expecting much, she pushed on the entrance to see if it would give. It did not. Well, gotta rule out the obvious choice first. There was a small pedestal to the right, and she gently ran her fingers along the carvings. She felt a small hum beneath her fingertips, but nothing more. It looked like it needed some sort of key, but not the usual kind. She flipped through some more pages. 

“It says here that some ancient passages could be opened by playing a tune on an ocarina. I don’t have an ocarina, but I’ll try whistling some of the song fragments written in here.”

She whistled a few notes. Nothing happened. She tried a few more. Same result. 

“Maybe you do actually need an ocarina,” Link chimed in. 

“Hmm, maybe. Not sure why that specific instrument, but I won’t be able to get my hands on one any time soon. I don’t know of any artisan who knows how to make one. Besides, it looks like there’s some sort of place for a key. Have you read any books on ancient shrines?”

He thought for a second, but shook his head no. “I did read a couple of history books, but couldn’t find much on the ancient times. I’ve read that sometimes the Hero of Courage through the ages would be given different trials. Maybe we need the Master Sword to unlock it.”

“We might as well be searching for fairies then,” Zelda sighed. “There are a lot of theories on whether the Master Sword is actually real or just a metaphor for courage itself. It’s hardly likely that one sword could last for millennia without majorly deteriorating.”

“Maybe it’s preserved by ~~spirit magic~~” Link wiggled his fingers and raised his eyebrows at that, looking like an absolute dork. Zelda snorted. 

“Yeah, maybe ~~spirit magic~~ will open this shrine,” she said, unimpressed. 

Link turned towards the shrine and threw out his arms towards it, enunciating in a silly deep voice, “Oh Great Mysterious Shrine, I command thee to open!” 

The shrine appeared to get darker, which freaked Zelda out for a second before she realized it was just a cloud passing over the sun. Link looked up and lost his playfulness. “It looks like a storm is coming, we should head back to the castle before we get struck by lightning.”

Her shoulders drooped as she resignedly put her books away. She didn’t want to leave so soon, but Link was right. Hyrule’s weather was finicky and nobody wanted to be caught out in one of its infamous thunderstorms. 

He helped her up onto her horse before mounting his own, waving at the shrine as he spurred onward. “Goodbye Weird Shrine-Thingy, we’ll be back again someday.” 

Zelda just shook her head and chuckled. She loved this goofy side of him. 

Her thoughts were cut off by a fat raindrop plopping on her forehead, immediately followed by another. They looked at each other worriedly. The storm was coming much faster than anticipated, and this was going to be a difficult race home. They urged their horses into a gallop. 

The rain fell faster and faster, soaking them as their horses splashed through the wet fields. Soon it fell in thick dark sheets, making it difficult to see. Only the sound of their horses’ thudding hooves and labored breathing cued them in on where the other was. 

Suddenly a bright flash exploded in front of Zelda, causing her stallion to rear back in fright. “ZELDA!” she heard Link shout after her as she toppled from her horse’s back. Her horse galloped off in the direction of the castle as she lay shivering in the mud, not quite processing how close of a call she just had. She felt strong arms help her up from the mud and into a saddle. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Link murmured as he held her by the waist, spurring his horse forward. Still too dazed to register what was happening, she just sunk into his warm embrace, feeling a sense of calm flow all over her. 

Before she knew it, she heard the clattering of hooves on wood as they crossed the drawbridge to the castle. The wind howled as they made their way to the stable, where they could finally take a break from the storm. 

They were greeted by the warm, musky smell of the stable as they stumbled into Epona’s stall, collapsing onto the straw. Breathing heavily, they looked at each other. Link looked extremely shaken, his eyes wide with concern as bits of straw poked out of his soaking, messy hair. Zelda couldn’t contain the laughter that was bubbling up inside her, clutching her sides as she let out a loud cackle. Link just furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Y-your hair!” she snorted, very unladylike of her. “You look like a scarecrow!”

His look of concern melted into a mischievous lopsided smile. “Well you’re not looking too proper yourself.”

“Whatever do you mean? I’m the picture of perf-perfectAHCHOO!” she sneezed loudly mid-sentence.

“Aww, does someone have the sniffles?”

“I do NOT have the sniffles, I’m just allergic to your bullshit.”

“Tsk tsk, such language is very unbecoming of a lady like you.”

“Oh knock it off, don’t act like you haven’t heard me say worse things.”

“Forgive me for forgetting, Your Highness.”

He reached to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes tenderly gazing into her own. She could feel his warmth emanating from him, and something about this felt awfully familiar. Something about his intense blue eyes, his caring touch, this small act as his fingers brushed against her cheek - 

And then it all clicked. 

“It’s you,” she breathed. 

He looked perplexed. “Excuse me?”

“It’s- it’s you, you’re the royal guard, the one from the ball.” 

His face drained of all color as he panicked, stammering, “I-I don’t know, w-what are you talking- I don’t - it’s not what you think -”

Zelda gently cupped his face in both of her hands, green eyes meeting blue. “I don’t think I ever properly repaid you for that night,” she murmured softly as she leaned forward, enveloping his lips in a deep and passionate kiss. She could feel him jolt in surprise, unsure of how to react. Then all of his restraints melted away as he kissed her back with a matched intensity, one hand settling on her waist and the other gently combing through her hair. She felt her heart soar as Link poured his whole life and soul into that kiss, laying all of his vulnerabilities bare.

When they finally parted, the taste of his sweetness still lingered on her lips. His long dark eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes, his breath hitched. Suddenly his eyes grew wide as he stumbled backwards, startling Epona. “Oh no no no no no no,” he mumbled as he nervously paced the stall. 

“What’s wrong?” Zelda asked incredulously. 

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Everything is wrong! This is treasonous, Zel! I could be executed!”

“It’s not treasonous if I initiated,” she pointed out.

“Well I shouldn’t have kissed you back, I should have known better,  I should have exercised more restraint.”

“Are you saying that you should know more than the future Queen of Hyrule?” she asked, her voice tinged with annoyance. 

“No, no, that’s not what I’m - agh,” he pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to formulate his thoughts. “You’re not understanding, Zel. I love you more than anything, I - all I want is to make you smile, hear you laugh, and to protect you from any harm. And if anyone were to find out about this, I would be at best decommissioned, and at worst executed. I just - I can’t risk losing you. I would gladly die for you, but I would prefer to live for you. You’ve given me a purpose in life, and I don’t want that to go away.” He looked at her, eyes pleading. 

Zelda felt her face going red as she figured out how to respond to this sudden openness. He loves her he loves her he loves her - she shook her head to dispel that mantra repeating in her head. There had to be a logical approach to this. 

“My father said that if anything did not work out with Ganon that he would find me a different suitor,” she said slowly, the gears in her head turning. “You’ve saved my life on multiple occasions, I think I can convince him to allow you to court me. He can be a bit stubborn but he’s not completely unreasonable. And besides, rules like these were made to be broken.” She felt a small ray of hope blossoming. 

Link, on the other hand, did not look so hopeful. “My merit doesn’t matter, it never has. It would be a huge scandal if you chose a bastard over a prince, the King would never allow it.”

Zelda couldn’t hold back her frustration anymore. “Why do you keep bringing up that you’re a bastard? It’s not like you can control how you were born, and you’ve more than made up for it with your service.”

“Because no one ever lets me forget it!” Link snapped, louder than she had ever heard him before. His hands shook and his voice trembled as he tried to contain all the pent up emotion that threatened to spill over. “Everyday, I hear the whispers and the snide comments, I see the looks people give me, I’m reminded that I’ll never be considered their equal. Every time I look in the mirror, I’m reminded that I’ll never be more than a bastard!” he shouted, jabbing a pointed finger at the scar on his face. Zelda was quiet, making connections in her mind and trying to figure out the best way to ask about them. Link seemed to catch on to what she was about to ask, turning away so that she couldn’t see his expression. 

“Link...how did you get your scar?” she hesitatingly asked. 

He remained silent, fiddling with the buckles on Epona’s saddle.

“Was it Captain Garrett? I don’t care if he’s your father, I’ll report him for that kind of despicable behavior - “

“No, it wasn’t my father,” he mumbled. “He may not be the perfect father, but he’s not abusive. He would never do that.” 

“Then who did this to you?”

He was silent again, slipping off Epona’s saddle and placing it on it’s rack. He moved to slip off her bridle as well. Stroking her back, he sighed deeply and shut his eyes. Finally, he whispered, “I was thirteen. I had just earned my knighthood, the youngest to ever do so. I thought I was such a bigshot, I was too cocky.” He paused, burying his face into Epona’s mane. Zelda waited patiently, not wanting to push him. After a few minutes, he continued. “I was getting ready for training, when Captain Norman approached me. He told me to polish his sword and fetch his horse. I said that he could find a paige to do that for him, it wasn’t my duty. He said, ‘Does it really matter which bastard I choose to do it? You’re the closest one.’ I didn’t like that he associated me with a paige just because of my birth status, so I drew my sword and challenged him to a duel. Stupid thirteen year old me really thought I was defending my honor.” 

He scoffed and shook his head. “Captain Norman may be an insufferable prick, but he is actually an extremely skilled swordsman. I didn’t know what I was getting into. A crowd had formed, watching me get my ass handed to me. Soon I was disarmed and on the ground, with him pointing his sword at me. I admitted defeat, but he didn’t leave. He wanted to teach me a lesson. He -” Link stopped, his voice caught. He tried to speak again, but nothing came out as tears welled up in his eyes. Unable to speak, he continued in sign language. 

<He slashed my face. He said to let it be a reminder of what happens when bastards get too arrogant.> He paused, hands shaking. <I saw my father in the crowd. He came forward to help me up, but everyone gave him disapproving looks, so he stepped back. I was expected to take care of myself, and him helping me would have been a sign of weakness for both of us.> He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. <I can still see the disappointed look on his face.>

Zelda didn’t know how to process all of this. She imagined a thirteen year old Link with a soft face and big blue eyes, and the thought of anyone hurting him filled her with an indescribable rage. “You were just a child, how could he do that to you?”

“Displays of power are common in the military. And I was a soldier, it didn’t matter how old I was,” Link said, finally finding his voice again. 

“I need to report Captain Norman, he can’t get away with abusing power like that!” Zelda exclaimed. 

“It wouldn’t do anything, his behavior is what is expected in the military. He has plenty of friends to support him in any accusation against him, and it would only make things worse for me. They don’t appreciate snitches,” Link explained quietly. 

“Then, then - please Link, please let me try to marry you. You’ve done so much to protect me, let me protect you for once.” She cupped his face in her hands. “You weren’t made for fighting, and you know it. You’re too kind-hearted. You deserve to be treated with love and care. Just, let me help you.”

A single tear fell down his cheek. He looked away. “I can’t,” he choked out. “I can’t risk losing you. I’m not strong enough.” 

Zelda stepped back, withdrawing her hands from his face and looking down at her feet. “I understand,” she whispered resignedly. They remained silent for a while, refusing to look at each other. 

Link cleared his throat. “Let me escort you to your room, Princess,” he murmured. 

“Yes, thank you.”

They left the stable in silence, making their way back to the castle. When they arrived in front of her bedroom door, Link bowed and stepped back. “Good night, Your Highness.” Zelda grasped his hand and squeezed it. He looked her in the eyes, a slight underlying sadness peeking through his usual impassive expression. 

“I love you, Link,” she whispered. 

“I love you too, Zelda,” he whispered back.

Letting go of his hand, she went inside her room and closed the door with a soft click. Releasing a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding, she slid down to the ground, her back against the door. 

And finally she let the tears fall. 

-----------

Link laid his palm against the door, hanging his head. He breathed in, then out, in, out. Summoning what little strength he had left, he tore himself from the door and slowly walked down the hallway, eyes trained on the floor. He saw an immaculate pair of boots appear in front of him before he looked up to see dark blue eyes. He straightened and saluted.

“Captain Garrett.”

“Sir Link.” Captain Garrett gave him a small smile. “I’m happy to see you made it out of the storm safely.”

“Thank you,” Link replied courteously. 

“Well, I hope you have a good night.” Captain Garrett started to walk past him, but slowed as reached Link’s shoulder, leaning in close as he whispered, “And please be careful showing the Princess your affection while on castle grounds.”

Link suddenly went rigid, a cold fear taking over him. “You saw?” he questioned in a strangled voice. 

“Yes, but I won’t report it. Just, please be careful,” he warned, eyes full of concern. 

Well there definitely would be no more displays of affection, not if he could help it. 

“I will,” was all he said.

Captain Garrett nodded. “Good.” And with that he left Link to his own devices. He sighed, and walked back to his own quarters. Creaking open the door, he fumbled for a match to light a lamp. He was greeted with a bare room, like always. But for the first time ever, he felt a sense of loneliness when surveying the emptiness. 

Throwing off his damp clothes and putting on fresh ones, he sunk into his mattress and stared at the ceiling. He wondered how his life got this complicated. Why did his heart ache so much? He was doing the right thing. He was doing the right thing , he reassured himself, but the ache refused to go away. 

He closed his eyes, but he just saw a new disappointed face. 

Chapter Text

Link arose at the crack of dawn, woken up by the morning declarations of cuccos and the shuffling of the night guard returning to their quarters. He hadn’t been appointed to the night watch last night, but he still didn’t get much sleep. How could he, when all that was on his mind was Zelda? Shaking his head, he tried to forget the warmth of her hands on his face, the softness of her lips on his, the pounding of his heart as she reciprocated his love, the disappointed look on her face as he rejected her. Disappointing. Isn’t that all he ever was?

He splashed his face with cold water from the wash basin, halting his thoughts from spiraling further. Padding it dry with a towel, he grabbed his clothes and focused all of his attention on what his hands were doing at the moment. They pulled on long, thick socks, then his breeches, tightening a belt around his waist while fumbling with the belt buckle. Then they slipped a long-sleeved tunic over his head. Then his chain mail. Then a short-sleeved outer tunic. Then his arm bracers. Sitting on the edge of his bed, they yanked on his boots. Reaching for his hair tie, they gathered up his unruly hair as best as possible. Finally, they reached for his sword, strapping it to his back. Shit, his hands were out of tasks to do, what now? He never wanted to disappoint her, just protect her…

Feet, he could focus all of his attention on his feet. They took one step, followed by another, and another, and another, and another. Before he knew it he was in the training yard, standing in line as assignments were given out to the knights. His assignment was weaponry cleaning. It was paige work, but who was he to complain? Shuffling over to the armory, he counted his steps and measured his breaths. If he kept this up, perhaps he could forget…

Buffing out shields and polishing swords proved to be a good distraction. The repetitive motions helped clear his mind. As he wiped off the lather on a sword, he caught his own reflection, eyes settling on the scar that marred the right side of his face. His throat closed tight as the memories came rushing back in - 

“Sir Link.” A gruff voice interrupted his thoughts, causing him to jump, not realizing how lost in thought he had been. Turning to face the voice, he suddenly bolted to his feet and saluted. 

“Captain Norman.”

Captain Norman simply nodded, acknowledging the salute. He thrust out his hand to Link, offering him a crisp white envelope emblazoned with the Royal Crest on the seal. Gingerly taking the envelope, Link stared at it as he held it in his hands, too dumbfounded to open it. 

“You’ve been reassigned,” Captain Norman supplied. He looked at him, then back at the envelope, and finally found the courage to open the letter. The words swam before his eyes, and he squinted to try to read it better. Captain Norman didn’t seem to have  the patience to wait for him to finish reading the letter. 

“You’re to be Her Royal Highness’s full-time personal knight, effective immediately. All your other knightly duties are dismissed. You are to report to the Princess’s study as soon as possible to receive your first orders.” 

Link just stared at the letter, puzzled. Captain Norman clapped him on the shoulder, in a way that would normally be read as friendly but felt...off, somehow. More like a reminder of who had the power here. 

“I don’t know how, but you’ve managed to gain the Princess’s...fondness,” he minced the word in a way that made Link feel uneasy. How much did he know? He wasn’t currently in shackles, so it seemed like Captain Norman was just trying to psyche him out more than anything. “Congratulations on your promotion, Sir Link. The entire royal court will be watching, eager to see how far you’ll go in your career,” he said loftily, with a slight edge to his words. He lowered his voice. “Don’t disappoint,” he growled. With that he left, but not without shooting him a final piercing glance before he passed through the doorway. 

So much for trying to lie low. Link sighed, putting away his cleaning supplies and pocketing the official letter, straightening his clothes as he readied to leave. Captain Norman definitely seemed to be suspicious of him, but then again when was he ever not? It was fine, Link would just make sure to give him nothing to work with. He would be the perfect stoic knight, purely professional. He would do anything, anything to continue protecting Zelda from all harm. Even if it meant ripping out his heart as he watched her marry another man. It would be fine, he had survived worse. It would be fine. It would be fine.

He strode down the thickly carpeted hallway, face neutral as he heard the whispers from the castle staff he passed. His ears twitched. News sure spread fast here . He finally made it to Zelda’s study, and he straightened and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The door flung open before he even finished knocking, as if Zelda was just waiting by the door until he came by. She smiled broadly, but quickly changed to a poised look of composure. 

“You may enter, Sir Link,” she said dryly, eyes flitting left and right to make sure no one was watching. As soon as he stepped through the doorway she slammed the door closed and clapped her hands ecstatically, grinning from ear to ear. Goddesses her smile was brilliant , Link thought before immediately squashing it. He simply stood at attention, his heels together and hands clasped behind his back. 

“Link, please congratulate me on my genius,” she declared proudly. She continued before he could say anything. “I figured that since I can’t marry you and I can’t report Captain Norman, I would simply remove you from that horrible situation and just make you my full-time personal knight. That way you don’t have to deal with Captain Norman anymore, AND I get to spend more time with you! I call that a win-win!” She excitedly hugged him, but he stiffened and stepped back. He would be purely professional. Her face fell momentarily, but she quickly hid her disappointment by plastering another big smile on her face, albeit less genuine than before.

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one hiding emotions here. He cleared his throat, breaking his composure for just a moment.

“I don’t have to wear the Royal Guard’s uniform, right? It’s very itchy and uncomfortable,” he asked. Zelda let out a short laugh, seemingly forgetting about the previous awkwardness. 

“No, you don’t have to wear it for your day-to-day duties, just for formal occasions like royal balls and meeting with diplomats. If it makes you feel better, I’ll also be wearing uncomfortable gowns during those times, so it won’t just be you who’s suffering.”

Link stood for a moment, not quite sure what to do next. “What are your orders for me, Your Highness?” he asked, trying not to shift his feet like he usually did when standing in place for too long. He was the Princess’s full-time personal knight now, he couldn’t be too fidgety. 

“Well I’m going to have lunch with my father in about twenty minutes, so we should start heading down to the dining hall soon. He said he had something to talk to me about, though I don’t know how serious it is if he’s not holding an official meeting for it. Also Impa and Purah should be arriving sometime today, so if it’s not too late when they get here we can discuss our research with them. If not, that gives us time to read and relax until dinner. That should be all, not a very action-packed day,” Zelda concluded.

Link strode toward the door, holding it open as he gestured toward it. “Well like you said, we should get going.” Zelda just nodded, and walked through the doorway, pausing a few feet down the hallway. He closed the door behind him, and waited for her to continue. Realization dawned on her. “Oh,” she said softly, averting her eyes to the ground as she walked ahead, Link following five feet behind. He couldn’t be seen walking side-by-side with the Princess, it would be considered improper. 

When they made it to the dining hall, he gave her an encouraging look and a thumbs-up. She smiled, though she fidgeted with the hem of her blouse. Even though this would be a more casual meeting, it always made her nervous to talk to her father, and she wasn’t good at hiding it. Link changed his face to a completely neutral, stony expression as he opened the door, bowing as Zelda passed by. He took his position a few feet behind her chair, making sure to keep a clear view of the door. 

“Zelda, my dear, I’m so glad to see you!” King Rhoam boomed jovially. “Though, I wasn’t expecting your knight to accompany you.” 

“I’ve promoted him to my full-time knight, he will be accompanying me everywhere from now on,” Zelda explained dryly.

“Oh, do you feel unsafe in the castle? Was there a security breach I was not informed about?” the King questioned, concerned. 

“Nothing happened, but it’s better to be proactive rather than wait for something bad to happen. By courting the Prince, there is definitely more attention on me now than before, and possibly not only positive attention. In the words of the esteemed Captain Garrett, ‘Leave no disadvantages,’” Zelda grinned almost smugly. The tips of Link’s ears warmed, not sure why she quoted his father, considering she didn’t seem to like him that much. And that mischievous grin...he wasn’t sure if it was meant for her father or him. 

“Well, that makes sense,” the King conceded. “Speaking of the Prince, that’s what I wanted to speak to you about,” he perked up as he changed the subject. Zelda paused as she stabbed her food, shoulders stiffening as she dreaded whatever it was he was about to say. She coughed. 

“What about him, Father?” she questioned, trying her best to keep her voice even and proper. 

“Well, it’s been eight months since you’ve started courting the Prince, and it seems you two have been getting along splendidly. At least, I can assume it’s going well, considering he hasn’t run away screaming yet, unlike some other noblemen’s sons,” he said pointedly. 

“Lord Dansy deserved it and you know it,” she scoffed. 

“Actually I wasn’t talking about Lord Dansy but now I’m curious about what happened to him.”

“Uh, nothing. Anyway, what were you saying, something about courting the Prince for eight months? Can you believe it has been that long?” Zelda said, quickly changing the subject (though Link made a mental note to ask her about that later, he was curious too now). 

“So, we agreed that you two would court for a year before getting married, considering if things went well. With only four months left, and everything going marvelously, I was thinking that we should start planning the wedding soon. And we can throw a ball as an official announcement to the entire kingdom of your intent to marry. Oh, I’m so excited!” the King exclaimed with glee as Zelda blanched. The fork fell out of her hand, clattering on the plate. She was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever it was she was about to say. 

“Father, remember when you said if anything went wrong with the Prince, that you would find me a different suitor?” she asked quietly. 

Link’s heart stopped. Oh no. Oh no no no no no no. She couldn’t possibly be...she agreed not to...he was so dead. 

“Why yes, Zelda. Is something wrong? If so, don’t worry, I’ve got a long list of noblemen’s sons with great connections who would love to court the Princess of Hyrule,” the King reassured. Zelda remained quiet, glancing over at Link and locking eyes for a moment. He didn’t know if she saw the fear that was surely in his eyes. She sighed defeatedly and turned away.

“No Father, everything is perfect. I was just checking to see if you remembered,” she mumbled. She kept her eyes on her plate, only pushing her food around instead of eating.

“That’s great! We’ll start preparations immediately. We should be able to hold the ball in about a month’s time. I'll invite Chief Urbosa and Prince Ganondorf as soon as possible, and get their suites ready for them. We’ll show them all the hospitality Hyrule has to offer!” the King gestured excitedly, almost knocking over a wine glass.

At that moment someone rushed through the door, setting Link on guard, hand ready on the hilt of his sword. He relaxed when he realized it was just a messenger. 

“I would like to inform Your Royal Highnesses that Lady Impa and Lady Purah have arrived, and request an audience with the Princess.”

Zelda shot out of her chair, propriety only an afterthought. “I’m sorry Father, but it seems I must go now. It was a pleasure speaking with you.” Turning to the messenger, she ordered, “Tell Lady Impa and Lady Purah to meet me in my study.” And with that she was out like a loose cannon ball, Link fumbling a short bow to the King before following after her. 

------------------

“Impa! Purah! I’m so glad to see you both!” Zelda exclaimed, tackling them with a hug. The two Sheikah sisters, expecting this kind of greeting, only swayed a little under her weight. 

“Aww, thanks Zellie. How’s our favorite little scientist doing?” Purah asked, smiling brightly from ear to ear. 

“I’m doing great, now that you’re here! I’ve got so much to talk to you about!”

“And so do we,” Impa chimed in. “But first, who is this quiet fellow with you?” she asked, eyeing Link who stood at attention next to the study door. 

“That’s Link, my personal knight and my research assistant. He helped me translate the engravings in the Gerudo Desert!”

“Oh, then he better get his butt over here, we’ve got a lot to talk about and we don’t want to say it twice,” Purah demanded, waving Link over. He glanced left and right before awkwardly shuffling over to the desk that they were all standing around. 

Impa pulled out some notes, straightening them out before beginning. “So, when you first contacted us about the engravings in the Gerudo Desert, we were, to say the least, intrigued. If these engravings are as old as you think they are, how come no one has studied them yet? Were they just recently unearthed from the sand, or just simply dismissed as graffiti? After cross-checking the text we confirmed Link’s translation to be accurate. While definitely a break-through, it is unfortunately very vague, and we had hoped that the cross-checking would have given us more to work with. Though after more research and discussion, we believe we might have some sort of an explanation.”

 She paused, looking both Zelda and Link in the eyes. Zelda was nearly bubbling over with excited anticipation, whereas Link just attentively listened. “As Sheikah, we hold equal importance to science and spirituality. Purah here is the lead scientist at the Hateno Research Lab, and is on the cutting edge of technological advancement. She will explain the scientific interpretations she came up with.”

“Thanks sis,” Purah responded, fishing something out of her pockets. “Hold on, I know I brought them- ah, there! Ta-da!” She proudly presented what looked to be two small black disks. Link quirked an eyebrow while Zelda squinted at them, reaching out to poke them with an inquisitive finger. “What are they?” she asked, giving up. 

“Magnets!” Purah exclaimed. “So basically, we can use these to describe the Triforce in theory. From what we understand from a scientific standpoint, the Triforce consists of an immense amount of energy that is constantly trying to break apart. It’s incredibly powerful while also being incredibly fragile, it needs a perfect balance to function. Now the engravings said something about all three pieces needing a direction or else the whole thing falls apart. The word ‘direction’ tripped me up for a second, but then I started thinking about magnetic polar fields. You see, when magnets are facing the right ‘direction,’” Purah held a magnet in each hand, bringing them in closer to each other until they snapped together, “they naturally gravitate to each other. Their fields can be so strong that it’s hard to break them apart when they’re facing the correct direction.” She demonstrated by trying to pull apart the magnets, using significant force before they finally broke apart. “But when they’re facing the wrong ‘direction,’” she reversed the disks, bringing them together until they stopped, seemingly separated by an invisible wall, “they repel each other. Try as I might, it’s impossible for me to get them to stick together.”

She put away the magnets and took out a small diagram of the Triforce with circles and pluses and minuses superimposed on it. “So my theory is that the Triforce is a triple magnetic field which needs to be balanced by facing attracting fields and maintaining it, or else it repels itself and breaks apart, scattering the energy.”

Zelda studied the diagram, rubbing her chin with her thumb as she processed the information. “It makes sense scientifically, but I don’t see why the three parts are referred to as Courage, Wisdom, and Power, or why it was usually controlled by the princesses of the past.”

“And that’s where I come in,” Impa interjected. “As the Village Leader of Kakariko, I’ve spent my whole life attuning myself to spirits, as well as working to keep our history and culture alive. While the Triforce may very well be magnetic fields, I believe that they’re fields that can only be seen and manipulated by those blessed by Hylia or claimed by Demise. And while the magnetic fields need a direction in order to remain balanced, so do Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Rhetorically speaking, Courage without a direction is just Recklessness, and Power without a direction is just Chaos. Wisdom is a bit trickier to define, because I’m not sure what Wisdom without a direction would be. Nevertheless, any of those attributes without a direction or purpose become negative energies and the Triforce can not form completely.”

“Wisdom is used to help others. If one seeks Wisdom just for the sake of wisdom, and not for the love and care of others, it becomes cold and selfish. So I believe Wisdom without direction is just Heartlessness,” Zelda reasoned, piecing the words together slowly. She glanced at Impa, looking for her approval. Impa seemed impressed. 

“That would make sense, especially since the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom has always been a Princess of Hyrule, someone who would need love and care for her people. Though one thing is bothering me,” Impa pondered. “The Triforce has technically never been balanced, considering the wielder of the Triforce of Power has always been corrupt. Yet previous Princesses have utilized its power to seal away the Evil. I have a theory, but it’s not based on much and is mostly conjecture.”

“Let’s hear it,” Zelda encouraged. 

“Well, it doesn’t make sense that each incarnation of the holder of Wisdom seals away the Evil only for the Evil to return again in another Age. If it was sealed away shouldn’t it not return? So, my theory is that since the Triforce is never fully balanced, it isn’t being used at full force, thus only temporarily sealing away the Evil. In order for the Evil to be fully sealed away, the holder of Power needs to channel it in the right direction, and not for the purpose of Evil. Once the Triforce is finally balanced, the cycle of reincarnation will be over.”

“That is a sound theory, Impa. Though the carvings do mention that the ‘First Prince of Gerudo has the Power for Calamity and Balance.’ The first Gerudo Prince was over ten thousand years ago, and he tried to bring about Calamity. So it might be possible that this engraving is just talking about those past events, it has already happened,” Zelda reasoned. 

“It’s possible, but the presence of Old and Middle Hylian scripts points to the engraving being less than ten thousand years old, significantly after what happened with the first Prince of Gerudo. That, coupled with the vague wording, could mean it’s supposed to be the first Prince of Gerudo in a while. So while it could just be talking about past events, it could also be predicting future events,” Impa explained. 

“So, that’s what we have to say. Did you guys find out anything with your research?” Purah questioned, her red-brown eyes lighting up in curiosity. 

Zelda deflated a little. She realized that they didn’t actually find out much, Goddesses she was so inadequate. She was a no good princess and now she was a no good scientist? She had to stop letting herself get...distracted. 

“Well we checked out a shrine yesterday, but we couldn’t get it to open and had to leave early due to inclement weather. It seemed to have a spot for some sort of key, and I felt a sort of...humming underneath my fingers when I touched it. I tried to whistle some ancient ocarina song fragments to get it to open but it didn’t budge. Link hypothesized that it needed the Master Sword to open, but we’re not sure if it’s even real or still around,” Zelda recounted. 

“I think you’re on the right track by thinking the shrines have something to do with the Hero of Courage,” Impa conjectured. “Though I believe you’ll need some form of Sheikah tech to open the shrines. Purah has been working on reconstructing a prototype of the ancient Sheikah Slate, which might help. Did you bring that with you, Purah?” 

“You bet I did!” Purah declared proudly, whipping out a black and orange slate from her bag. “I’ve put this together using different parts I’ve found during my research and travels, and it looks just like the ancient ones we’ve unearthed! But, I haven’t been able to get it to work. I can’t seem to find the right power source.” Holding it out to Zelda, she gestured for her to check it out. 

Gently holding the slate, she ran her fingers over the glass screen and the engravings on the sides. She held her breath in anticipation as she held down the button on top of the screen. Nothing. What did she expect? Purah couldn’t get it to work, why would she? She felt the same humming under fingertips as she did at the shrine, and she sensed some sort of...potential, just waiting to be unlocked. It felt like it was waiting for her to do something. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Link intently staring at the slate, eyebrows furrowed and head slightly cocked to the side. His ears twitched a bit, like he was listening for something. It was honestly very adorable, but she tried to squash that feeling. 

“Would you like to look at it?” she asked, offering it out to him. His eyes went wide, but he slowly nodded as he reached out for it. He concentrated on the screen, the cogs in his brain spinning hard as he inspected the slate. Suddenly the slate beeped and the screen lit up a bright blue, eliciting a yelp from Link as he dropped the slate. Zelda dove for the slate, barely catching it before it hit the ground. The screen was black again. 

“Link, what did you?” she asked hesitatingly, not sure what just happened. He shrunk under the gaze of three sets of eyes, looking very much like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. His breathing came out heavy and uneven as he remained silent. 

“Can you do it again?” Purah asked gently. Zelda held out the slate to him, and he looked at it like it would bite him. 

“It’s okay, you’re not in trouble,” she murmured reassuringly, gently taking his hands and wrapping them around the slate. His breathing stopped completely this time as he stared at the slate in his hands, the black screen staring back at him. He pressed the button on top. Nothing. They all watched intently for a few minutes, until it became clear that whatever happened wasn’t going to happen again.

“Must’ve been a fluke,” Purah reasoned as she took the slate back. “Maybe it’s motion-controlled? Or needs a different wiring? I’ll have to study it more back at the lab,” she concluded, stuffing it back into her bag. 

“Well, we should be getting settled in our rooms. If you have any questions or updates, you know where to find us,” Impa said, gathering her notes and gesturing her sister towards the door. 

“Or you can just hang out with us when you don’t want to deal with these boring castle people!” Purah chirped. Impa elbowed her sharply. “What? You said yourself that castle folk wouldn’t know good conversation if it hit them upside the head!” Their bickering faded as they walked down the hall, leaving Link and Zelda alone in her study. 

“What was that all about?” Zelda asked, hoping he would feel more comfortable talking about it now that they were alone. He just shrugged and turned away, closing himself off as he remained silent. 

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. He had managed to do something she could not, and he wasn’t even going to talk to her about it. Had she really damaged their relationship that bad? She shook her head to rid herself of that thought. No, she was overthinking it, he was just overwhelmed at the moment and he would open up more later. They were friends, she just had to trust him. They were still friends...right? 

“Well, let’s hit the library. We’ve got a lot to research,” she said resolutely. She marched out of her study, this time not pausing for Link to catch up. 

Chapter Text

The wind whistled through the canyon walls, echoing eerily. It enhanced the feeling of loneliness while at the same time threatening that someone, somewhere was waiting, watching. Ganon was used to never feeling alone, but this felt different. He had to be close. 

He strode with confidence, dual scimitars sheathed and hands curled loosely at his sides. His deep red flowing ponytail swung gently in the breeze. The bracelets adorning his wrists and ankles jingled softly, adding to the quiet symphony of the canyon. His face was neutral, almost as impassive as Zelda’s knight. The only thing that gave away his high alert was the slightest twitch of the tips of his ears, listening to every shift of every grain of sand. 

Casually he unsheathed one scimitar, twirling it in his hand before forcefully stabbing it into the canyon wall, where a Yiga Clan scout appeared in a shower of cards. They yelped as the blade drove through their shoulder, pinning them to the wall. Without missing a beat, Ganon used his free hand to unsheath the other scimitar, slicing in an arc behind him. Another Yiga Clan scout hissed as the blade made contact. Fluidly retracting both blades, he danced through the canyon, confidently cutting down scouts before they even appeared. Feeling the ground rumble beneath his feet, he paused, waiting for the stone pillars to sprout underneath him. Using that momentum, he launched into the air, raising both blades and raining them down on the Yiga Blademaster who appeared below him. 

“What do you think you’re doing here, cutting down my men like that?” an irritated voice cried out. Ganon stood proudly, gripping his blades as a potbellied Yiga Clan member appeared in an explosion of cards. The Yiga crossed his arms and huffed. “Well I hope you enjoyed your game, because we’re gonna end it now.” More Yiga scouts and archers appeared, filling the canyon and surrounding Ganon. Unfazed, Ganon transferred both blades to one hand, stabbing them into the ground in front of him. He backed away and held up his hands. 

“I’m not here to fight, Master Kohga,” he declared. 

“Oh really, when have you Gerudo ever come here except to fight?” Master Kohga sneered. 

“I believe we can make a deal,” Ganon continued. 

“A deal? Hah!” Master Kohga laughed. “What could you possibly bring to the table? We’ve heard of you before. The Prince who lives in his aunt’s shadow, not allowed to do anything for fear of corruption, like the Prince before him. You have no power in your own land, what makes you think you have power here?”

Ganon swallowed, a moment of vulnerability before continuing, voice cracking slightly. “Because I have something you want, something I’m trying to get rid of.”

Master Kohga cocked his head to the side, intrigued. “Oh? Do go on.” 

“I have the Calamity inside of me. I want you to take it out. I don’t care what you do with it once you’ve taken it out, I just want it gone. Do we have a deal?”

Silence filled the canyon as Ganon waited for a response. Master Kohga snorted, before breaking out into a full on laugh. Laughter spread infectiously, until the canyon walls reverberated with raucous laughter. 

“You? Have the Calamity? Whoo that rich!” Master Khoga jeered, still laughing. 

Ganon furrowed his eyebrows, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. “What’s so funny about that?”

“The Calamity always chooses the wielder of the Triforce of Power as a receptacle, and as I said, you’re the farthest thing from holding power. The Calamity would have better luck possessing a milk maid!” He broke out into another round of laughter. 

Ganon could feel the anger rising in him. Small green flickers of electricity danced around his fingertips, which went unnoticed by the Yiga. 

“So you’re not going to even consider my deal?” Ganon asked, struggling to keep his voice level. 

“Why would we? The Calamity would be stupider than a cucco to choose you as its receptacle! No, instead we’re gonna kill you while you’re here. Imagine the leverage we could get from Chief Urbosa if she found out we wiped out the last of her family!” Master Kohga did an excited little dance, and the other Yiga readied their weapons. “Get him!” he ordered, jabbing a finger at Ganon. They all charged at once, whooping and hollering. 

BOOM BOOM CRACK! 

Green lightning hailed from above, striking down every single Yiga soldier except for Master Kohga. He yelped as he jumped, shuddering when he looked up and saw the sight before him. 

Ganon strode calmly forward, eyes glowing bright red as electricity fizzled around him, completely unaffecting him. He reached down and yanked the scimitars from the ground, twirling them in both hands as he approached Master Kohga. Holding one blade up to his throat and the other pointed at his voluminous belly, he snarled. 

“How dare you question my choices?” Ganon boomed, his voice sounding layered and containing multitudes. Master Kohga trembled. 

“I- I’m so sorry, sir, I meant no disrespect to you ,” he stammered meekly. “Sure-surely you m-must understand -”

“Kneel before your master!” Ganon demanded. He quickly dropped to his knees. With a blade still at his throat, he saw a bright red triforce glowing on the back of Ganon’s right hand. 

Master Kohga gasped. “So it’s true; you are the wielder of the Triforce of Power.”

Suddenly the scimitars clattered to the ground. Looking up, he saw that Ganon’s eyes had returned to their normal brown, and he was clutching his right hand while breathing heavily. Fear was written plainly on his face. He had never been so vulnerable. 

“Please, help me,” he begged. 

Master Kohga stared, dumbfounded. Ganon, the wielder of the Triforce of Power, the receptacle for the Calamity, the person who had taken out his soldiers in a manner of minutes; he was asking him for help ?

He sighed. “Sure kid, I’ll try to help. But I can’t make any promises that it’ll work. The Calamity chose you for a reason, and he’s not gonna give you up that easily.”

“I know. But you Yiga used to be part of the renowned Sheikah tribe. I’m sure you can figure something out.”

“Why come to us? Why not just go to the Sheikah directly?” Master Kohga asked. 

“Because the Sheikah are still loyal to the Royal Family. I can’t risk them finding out. I can’t risk Zelda finding out,” he added softly. 

Both of them were quiet for a moment, letting the situation sink in. Finally Master Kohga grunted as he heaved himself up, waving at Ganon to follow him. “C’mon, there’s a few rituals we can try out together. Hopefully we can get this to work, the Calamity deserves a better receptacle than you.” As they walked together, he couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Never did I ever expect to be working with the Gerudo. Especially to help the wielder of the Triforce of Power to get rid of the Calamity.”

“Trust me, this was not my first choice,” Ganon sighed. “But it seems to be my only choice.”

Chapter Text

Zelda stood uncomfortably with her arms stretched out as the seamstress adjusted the fit of the bodice on her ball gown. She huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Dress fittings were always a nightmare. Why did it matter if the dress perfectly fit her waist or not? It was often more comfortable before they adjusted it. But apparently showing the exact curves of her silhouette mattered more than her ability to breathe and move. 

“You look beautiful, Little Bird,” Urbosa said tenderly, smiling proudly at Zelda like she was her own daughter. Zelda just sighed impatiently.

“How much longer will this be?” she asked brusquely. 

“Almost done, Your Highness,” the seamstress chirped, used to the Princess’s impatience at this point. Zelda just groaned as she lolled her head back. 

“I know this is boring, Zelda, but your father wants you to look your best for the ball,” Urbosa explained. “I can make it up to you by taking you for a treat in Castle Town, if you like.”

Zelda thought for a moment. She hadn’t had a chance to just have fun with Urbosa since she was a kid. She smiled. “I would like that.” 

At that moment there was a sharp rap at the door. Before Zelda had a chance to say anything, the Royal Designer whisked in, with a startled Link on her heels. 

“I sure hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” she apologized nonchalantly, not like she actually cared if she did. Link looked helplessly at her, wordlessly conveying that he tried to stop her but couldn’t do anything about it. She giggled at his bewildered face. 

“No, you’re fine. Sir Link, you’re excused,” she dismissed. He nodded and bowed shortly before returning to his post outside the door. The Royal Designer turned to Zelda, portfolio in hand. 

“I know it’s a little early, but I thought I’d get your input on some sketches I drew up for your wedding gown,” she said eagerly, pushing the portfolio into her hands. She steadied herself as she opened the portfolio, thumbing through the pages. There were so many options, all dramatically different from each other. She felt her stomach turn and her throat close up, struggling to breathe as her mind quickly shuffled through a variety of thoughts and emotions. It was all so much so fast. She sat down, steadying herself as her head spun. 

“Are you okay, Little Bird?” Urbosa asked, concerned as she rose to her feet and walked over to Zelda, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.   

She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied. Urbosa didn’t seem to buy it but didn’t push it. The Royal Designer didn’t seem to notice any of this as she prattled on. 

“So I want to fuse Gerudo and Hylian fashion elements to symbolize the two nations coming together through this mariage. I quite like the flowing sleeves and overstated jewelry of Gerudo fashion, and the use of layers in Hylian fashion. Honestly my favorites are design numbers four and twelve, but that’s just me. What do you think, Your Highness?”

“I-I need some time to thoroughly look over these and..process them. You know, do them proper justice in my consideration,” Zelda answered weakly.

“Okay, I’ll leave the portfolio with you so that you can take a closer look. Is there anything else I can help you with? Any ideas you want incorporated into the designs?” she pressed on. 

“No, no, it’s okay,” she muttered, lazily waving a hand in the designer’s general direction. Urbosa furrowed her eyebrows, straightening up as she made a decision. 

“All right, all of you, out of the room. The Princess needs space,” she ordered. 

“I just have a few more tweaks to add to the ball gown -” the seamstress started.

“You too. Out. Now,” she barked. Both the seamstress and the designer scurried out of the room, not wanting to face Urbosa’s wrath. Once the door clicked shut Urbosa turned to Zelda, eyes softening. Leaning down, she tugged at the laces on Zelda’s dress, allowing her to let out a sigh of relief as she breathed easier. 

“What’s on your mind, Little Bird?” she asked softly, sitting down next to her. 

“Nothing, everything’s fine,” she muttered, looking away. 

“You may be able to hide your feelings from everyone else, but you can’t fool me,” she said pointedly. “Now, what’s wrong. 

Zelda sighed. Urbosa was too observant for her liking. 

“It’s just...this whole wedding...it's all happening so fast. I feel overwhelmed.” 

“You knew this was going to happen for almost a year, why do you feel overwhelmed?” she pressed, feeling like there was more to this than Zelda was letting on. 

“Well, marriage feels like such an adult thing to do, and I...I still feel so young, so inexperienced. Is marriage really all that I can do to help my kingdom at this age?” she asked, looking helplessly up at Urbosa. She smiled warmly at her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. 

“You are worth much more than who you marry, Zelda. Unfortunately your father and Hyrule have a very outdated idea of what a princess’s worth is. I’ve tried to get him to understand, to push back the wedding, but he insists that now is as good a time as ever,” she explained, sighing. “And it doesn’t help that my nephew is also excited for the wedding. He’s head-over-heels for you, to say the least.” She smiled slightly at this. “Have you tried sharing these feelings with your father? Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

“My father never listens to me,” Zelda snapped sharply. Seeing Urbosa slightly taken aback by her outburst, she softened her voice before continuing. “I’ve tried to talk to him before, about many things I’m worried about, and he always dismisses it. Once he’s gotten an idea in his head it’s very hard to get him to change his mind.”

Urbosa hummed, thinking. “Have you tried talking to Ganon about this? He’s definitely a lot more reasonable than your father. Maybe if you both want to postpone, your father will actually listen.”

Zelda tilted her head, considering. “I never thought of that. But…” she pressed her lips together and furrowed her brows, trying to figure out how to express her thoughts. 

“Did my mother love my father, or did they just get married because it was politically advantageous?” she suddenly asked, seemingly changing the subject. Urbosa froze. 

“Why do you ask?” she questioned cautiously. 

“I was just wondering,” Zelda understated. 

Urbosa was quiet, shifting in her seat as she carefully tread around what seemed like a difficult subject. 

“It was an arranged marriage, for sure,” she finally said, speaking hesitatingly. “You father was...not her first choice. But...over time...they did grow a deep fondness for each other. They were a team, and they worked well together.” 

“But fondness is not the same as love,” Zelda insisted. Urbosa raised her eyebrows, surprised at her impudence. An affectionate smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. 

“You’re extremely sharp-minded. Just as you can’t hide anything from me, I can’t hide anything from you,” she remarked, impressed. “No, I don’t think your mother ever fully loved your father. But she loved you, with all her heart. And she was grateful to your father for providing you to her, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. That I am certain of.” 

Zelda was quiet as she processed that information. She fiddled with the heavy fabric of the ball gown. Urbosa looked like she wanted to ask her something, but ultimately decided against it. 

“Urbosa?” Zelda asked in a small voice. 

“Yes, Little Bird?”

“Can we go to Castle Town now? I could use some fresh air.” With this she flashed a mischievous grin. “And you owe me a treat.” 

Urbosa laughed a hearty laugh. “Of course, my dear.” 

--------------

Zelda soaked up everything Castle Town had to offer. It wasn’t as bustling and hectic as Gerudo Town but it was still lively. The smell of fresh-baked bread floated through the air, and the sound of upbeat music and merchants advertising their goods rang in her ears. Colorful banners fluttered in the breeze, bright against the blue sky. She smiled broadly as excitedly took it all in. 

“Are you having fun, my dear?” Urbosa asked, smiling fondly as Zelda bounced ecstatically, trying to decide what to do first.

“Of course! Any time spent with you is fun, Urbosa!” Zelda exclaimed, and Urbosa’s gaze softened at that. 

Link, on the other hand, shifted nervously as he scanned the area for any potential threats. His ears twitched as he listened attentively, trying to sort out the different sounds from each other. He picked at the skin on his thumb almost obsessively. Urbosa laid a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. 

“Hey kid, relax. Consider this a day off for you too. I can handle any threat to the Princess myself. Just have fun,” she reassured. He looked up at her questioningly, then away, still picking at the skin on his thumb. 

Zelda suddenly bolted towards a baker’s stall, Link following just as quickly after her. Urbosa just laughed and casually walked after them. 

“Look, Link, these pastries look like little bears! Aren’t they so cute?” He peered at them over her shoulder, and a small smile escaped as he laid his eyes on them. 

“I’ll take three of those,” she told the baker, pointing at the bear-pastries. He nodded and wrapped three pastries in parchment and handed them over as she gave him a few rupees. 

“Oooh, they’re still warm,” she hummed as she held the pastry in her hands. Glancing over at Link, she saw him staring at the pastry with an overly serious look, and figured she would have to amend that. This was supposed to be a fun outing, after all. 

She held the pastry up to her face and pretended to struggle, eyes wide with faux-fear. “Link, help, I’m being attacked by a vicious bear ahhhhh!”

Turning towards her, he grabbed her hands and pulled them towards him, taking a bite out of the bear-pastry. A little bit of chocolate clung to his lower lip. He smiled mischievously. 

“There, threat neutralized,” he said softly. It had been a while since he had talked to her, and Zelda was grateful to see him being playful again. She couldn’t help but feel a warm blush spreading across her face as she thought about how adorable he looked, and wishing she could taste the chocolate on his lip…

She quickly turned away so that he couldn’t see how red she was getting. Awkwardly clearing her throat, she headed over to the next stall, pretending to be interested in the pottery being sold there. 

As the sun climbed across the sky, Zelda made sure to visit as many stalls as possible, chatting with random townspeople and smiling ear-to-ear. This was the most time she had spent in Castle Town in a while, and she made sure to make every moment count. And as the day wore on, she saw Link starting to relax more and more, migrating from five feet behind her to directly beside her. Urbosa watched on, smiling warmly as she saw her Little Bird be more like her authentic self, not just the perfect princess that was always expected of her. 

As they strolled through the town’s square, Link paused at a certain stall that caught his eye. Glancing to his left, he saw Zelda talking with a little girl. Looking back at the stall, he tried to decide whether or not he should approach it. It was absolutely overflowing with fresh flowers, all of varying colors and sizes. The sweet smell wafted over to him, and he found himself feeling at peace. Feeling compelled, his feet dragged him over to the stall. 

“Hello young man, any flowers catch your fancy? Perhaps a bouquet for your sweetheart?” the vendor inquired. Link blushed slightly as he looked over the flowers, searching for a reason he felt compelled to stop by here. 

His gaze landed on a flower crown with bright green, blue, and pink blossoms. He knew it would go perfectly with a certain someone’s golden hair and moss green eyes. 

“How much is this?” he asked, pointing at the flower crown. 

“Good eye, lad! That’ll be three hundred and fifty rupees.” 

Link searched his pockets and found himself coming up short. Sighing dejectedly, he started to walk away, but he bumped into someone behind him. 

“Sorry,” he apologized quickly, looking up to Urbosa smiling down at him. 

“Did you want to buy some flowers?” she asked gently, and he nervously shifted his feet and looked away as he nodded. 

“Here, I’ll pay for this young man’s order if you don’t mind,” she offered to the vendor, who nodded and took her rupees as he handed her the flower crown. She gave it to Link and winked at him. 

“This will look lovely on the Princess,” she said knowingly. He blushed even harder and held the flower crown close to his chest. Shyly approaching Zelda, he gently tapped on her shoulder to get her attention. When she turned to face him, eyes questioning, he presented her with the flower crown. 

“Oh Link! Thank you! It’s beautiful!” she breathed. He reached up, standing on his tippy toes as he carefully placed the crown on her head and tied the ribbon around the base of her head. She gently touched the flowers and smiled. 

“How do I look?” she asked, giving a small spin. 

“Beautiful,” he murmured under his breath. He wasn’t sure if she heard him, which he was fine with. Her face suddenly lit up with an idea as she ran to the stall. He saw her talking animatedly to the vendor and digging into her pockets for rupees before excitedly turning back to him. She held a crown with blue forget-me-nots and bright yellow sunflowers. He bowed his head as she placed it on him, tying the ribbon snugly. 

“There! We match!” she giggled. Her smile was brighter than the sun, and his heart stopped momentarily. 

Their ears perked up at the jaunty sound of a fiddle. A band had gotten up on a stage in the middle of the square, playing lively tunes as townsfolk formed a dance circle. They got closer to watch everyone dancing and having fun. Zelda sighed as she looked on longingly. 

“If only royal balls were this fun. They’re always so stuffy and boring,” she complained. “I don’t know why they insist on these rigid rules of propriety, it doesn’t seem to benefit anyone.” She glanced at him with an unreadable expression. 

Suddenly they found themselves pushed into the center of the circle, townsfolk clapping and cheering them on. Link looked around nervously, backing away as he tried to find an out. He never liked this much attention on him. He saw Zelda’s hand offered to him, and he looked up to see her grinning broadly at him. 

“Come on! Let’s dance!” she exclaimed excitedly. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I don’t know how to dance,” he mumbled. 

“That’s okay, just follow my lead!” she said, grabbing both of his hands and swinging him around in a circle. He was nervous and stiff at first, but soon he relaxed into the rhythm. He just focused on Zelda’s smiling face, lost in her eyes as they spun around and around. The rest of the world melted away, all that mattered was Zelda. He barely heard the music or the crowd, it was all just background noise at this point. 

He didn’t even notice that the song had ended until Zelda stopped and he crashed into her, only a hair’s breadth distance between them as they breathed heavily. He stared into her deep green eyes, heart pounding loud in his ears as his hands burned in the warmth of hers. Their breaths mingled together as his eyes flicked between her eyes and her lips. He felt himself leaning imperceptibly into her, as if drawn by a magnet. 

Suddenly cold reality rained down on Link as he realized what was happening, and he jumped back like he was electrocuted. His hands shook as he backed away, trying to distance himself as Zelda reached out to him. 

“Link, wait - “ she begged. He took off at a sprint, breaking through the crowd and bolting down the winding streets. She ran after him, shouting after him as he slipped away from her. She stopped and panted, losing sight of him. 

“Have you seen a short, blonde, Hylian man with a scar over his right eye run through here?” she asked a random passerby. They shook their head no, and she continued to wander through the town, asking anybody and everybody if they had seen Link. she finally found luck at a fish vendor. 

“Yeah, he almost damn knocked over my cart,” he complained gruffly. 

“Where did he go?” she asked hurriedly. 

“That way,” he jabbed with a finger to her right, pointing towards an alley. 

“Thank you!” she said quickly as she took off in that direction. 

Jogging down the alley, she heard heavy breathing and turned toward the sound. She saw a familiar pair of boots sticking out from behind a large box. Slowing down, she gently crept up to Link, trying not to startle him. He had his head buried in his hands as his whole body shook. 

“Hey,” she said softly, reaching to hold his hands. 

“Don’t touch me!” he hissed as he yanked his hands out of hers. She stepped back, shocked at his outburst. She looked down at her hands and back at him, ears drooping. 

“Link, I didn’t mean -”

“Just, leave me alone right now, okay?” he snapped. His blue eyes burned with anger and sadness. She bit her lip and nodded, defeated. 

“Okay. I’ll see you back at the castle,” she said softly, barely audible. She turned and left, shoulders sagging as she felt the weight of the world returning. 

When she finally found Urbosa again she sunk into her arms, seeking comfort. 

“What’s wrong, my darling? Where’s Link?” she asked, concerned, as she gently stroked Zelda’s hair.

“He’s fine, we’ll meet back up at the castle,” Zelda reassured, before taking a deep breath herself. “Urbosa, I think I might’ve messed everything up.”

“Oh,” she said softly. “Well, if you follow your heart, everything will turn out right in the end,” she advised, pausing for a moment before lowering her voice. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did.” 

“What?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked up at Urbosa in confusion. 

“Don’t forsake love in the name of propriety,” she answered cryptically. Zelda didn’t press any further, instead burying her face into Urbosa’s shoulder. 

-----------------

Zelda sat in front of her vanity, staring at a reflection that didn’t feel like her own. Her hair was curled in loose waves falling over her shoulders, her usual braid was replaced with a golden crown, and her face was done up with rosy makeup. Her tight ball gown constricted her breathing and forced her to sit up straight, like a proper princess. 

A soft rap echoed on her bedroom door. She sighed. There was no putting this off any longer. Collecting her skirts she approached the door, putting on a smile so that her betrothed wouldn’t worry about her. Though when she opened the door, she was greeted not by a tall Gerudo man but a short Hylian in a Royal Guard’s uniform. 

“Link?” she asked, confused. “I thought the Prince was supposed to escort me to the ball?”

“The Prince is not feeling too well at the moment, he says he’ll meet you at the ball,” he answered matter-of-factly, almost making it a point to not look at her directly. 

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” She remembered how nauseous Ganon had looked when he had arrived at the castle a couple days ago. Perhaps the travel had worn him out, or maybe he had eaten something that was less than stellar for his stomach. 

“Are you ready?” he asked, offering her his arm. 

She nodded, and gingerly laced her hand through the crook of his elbow, and tried not to think about his warmth. They walked quietly down the hall, only the soft thudding of their footsteps on the thick carpet breaking up the silence between them. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He stood sternly, back straight and uniform neatly pressed. He looked more like his father now than the unruly boy she had met that one night almost a year ago. Her heart ached at the thought.

The sounds of festivities grew louder as they approached the ballroom. Blood pounded in Zelda’s ears as she took deep, calming breaths. She’s done this for a thousand times before, why would now be any different? Why did the walls feel like they were closing in on her all of a sudden? Breathe, Zelda, breathe. 

Link gave her a light, reassuring squeeze of her hand before stepping back, hand on the door handle as he raised a questioning eyebrow to her. Swallowing hard, she nodded.He swung open the door and bowed to her as she walked past him. 

Dramatic fanfare exploded through the room as she regally stepped forward, surveying the guests from her high spot on top of the stairs. As the music quieted, a royal herald cleared his throat. 

“Introducing Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, and soon-to-be Princess-Consort of Gerudo!” 

Loud applause erupted from the crowd as she descended the stairs, holding her head high and keeping her face neutral. The crowd parted as she walked down to the center of the ballroom, where she saw her betrothed standing tall above the rest. He smiled brightly, adorned in glittering jewels and rich fabrics, thick hair pulled back with intricate braids and ties. He looked every inch of the prince he was, proud, confident, and demanding of attention. Though Zelda could see the kindness and warmth in his eyes, the sincerity of his smile. He deserved someone who truly loved him. 

Ganon bowed to her as she curtsied, and the crowd hushed in anticipation. Light strings filled the air as he offered a hand to her. 

“May I have this dance?” he asked courteously, his voice a low timbre and his eyes sparkling. 

“Of course,” she answered. It’s not like she could deny him anyway, the first dance was reserved for the engaged couple. 

He swept her up in her arms, twirling her around the dance floor as everyone watched. She attempted some idle conversation to distract her from the unnerving gaze off the crowd. 

“Are you feeling any better? Sir Link told me that you weren’t feeling great earlier.”

“Oh, that,” he said sheepishly. “Just a little upset stomach, nothing more. It must have been some remaining illness from whatever it was I contracted from my travel over here. But yes, I am feeling better, thank you for your concern.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, before silence fell between them once again. They continued dancing for a bit before Ganon piped up. 

“How are you doing, my dear? Everything well since I last saw you?”

She hesitated, wondering if she should bring up possibly postponing the wedding. It weighed heavily on her mind and she wanted to hear Ganon’s perspective on it, though maybe right now was not the best time to do it. Not at their engagement ball, and not in front of the judging eyes of half the kingdom. 

“Ganon, there’s something I want to talk to you about later. Privately,” she added, side-eyeing the crowd. 

He looked a little worried, but took it all in stride. “Of course, my dear, whatever you want.” 

The song faded to an end, and they paused, gazing into each other’s eyes as the crowd cheered. She wished she could hear what he was thinking, but all she got was silence. Her attention was finally interrupted when she felt a large hand on her shoulder and heard her father’s booming voice. 

“Zelda, darling! You look so beautiful tonight!” he said proudly, and she smiled a little. “Anyway, there’s some diplomats who want to talk to you. They believe the Hyrule-Gerudo union to be very beneficial,” he explained, gesturing to a group of austere-looking diplomats. Zelda sighed. While she loved talking politics and negotiations, she absolutely hated it when it was in a party setting. She never got to really get too in-depth, she was wearing uncomfortable clothes, and she would’ve preferred to relax and have fun during a joyous event. 

“I’m sorry Ganon, you must excuse me. A princess’s job is never done, it seems,” she jested, rolling her eyes playfully. He chuckled and waved casually. 

“That’s fine, Zelda. I have a sneaking suspicion that soon I too will be pulled away by diplomats.” Just as he said that a royal messenger approached him, letting him know that his audience was wanted elsewhere.

That was how the majority of the night went, Zelda constantly being pulled between meetings with diplomats and chatting with high-ranking guests, barely getting a chance to breathe and sip some champagne in between. She was in desperate need of a break. Slipping behind a marble statue, she searched for the fastest and most discreet route to the palace gardens. Finding one, she dashed past multiple guests, shielded by the long waving banners hung from the balconies. 

She gulped in sweet, fresh air as she finally made it outside. Bending down, she took off her shoes that pinched her feet, carrying them in one hand while hiking up her skirts in the other, descending down the staircase into the gardens. Dark purple shadows reached across the grass and cobblestones, everything still and quiet; a stark contrast from the bright yellow lights and cacophonous sounds of the ballroom. She milled around slowly, loving the feeling of the cold grass under bare feet as she enjoyed the lonely company of the night. She could feel her head clearing up already.

Suddenly she stopped, realizing she wasn't alone when she saw a figure before her. She was about to turn around and leave when she recognized that the figure was wearing a familiar Royal Guard’s uniform with dark blonde hair spilling out from underneath his cap. She hadn’t seen Link since he had escorted her to the ball. The Royal Guard typically tried to stay out of sight as much as possible during events like these, only coming out if someone caused a problem. But it wasn’t unusual to occasionally see one patrolling. It was a little odd that she hadn’t seen him at all, but she didn’t think too much into it. He was here now, seemingly oblivious to her presence as he stared up into the sky, gazing at the stars. She hesitated, wondering if she should even disturb him now or leave him be. 

Just as she had decided to leave him be, she turned and stepped on a twig, causing him to turn towards the sound. 

“Princess? Is everything all right?” he asked. Well, there was no way out of this now. 

“Yeah, just getting some fresh air. What about you? What are you doing out here?” she questioned, shifting the attention to him. 

“Same as you, just getting some air.”

They stood there awkwardly, the tension between them so thick it could be cut with a knife. Things had only been getting worse between them since that day in Castle Town. Link only spoke to her when he absolutely had to, and generally avoided eye contact whenever possible. He did his job of protecting her, nothing more, nothing less. Even though Zelda was constantly surrounded by people these days, she had never felt lonelier. Feeling a righteous anger bubbling up in her chest, she decided to finally do something about this situation. 

“Link, why are you ignoring me?” she asked bluntly. 

“Pardon?” he asked, confused. 

“Don’t play dumb, you know our relationship has been estranged ever since...since that night in the stable. I understand that you don’t want to risk losing me entirely, but I feel like I’ve lost you entirely, even though you’re always just five feet away from me. It’s not fair for you to treat me this way, Link!” she exclaimed, voice quivering as she held back the emotion that threatened to spill over. 

“Have you ever thought about how it feels for me?” he finally snapped. “To be so close to you, to know that you feel the same way I do, but having to watch everything I do and say in order to avoid suspicion? To have to limit every aspect of who I am? I’m never going to be considered good enough for you, and I just have to quietly accept that while I watch you marry the perfect prince. It hurts! I can’t be expected to act happy while I feel like my heart is actively breaking in two, Zelda!” he cried, voice cracking.

“You actually believe that I don’t think about how it feels for you?” she scoffed, offended. “Of course I think about it! I think about you all the time, in every decision I make, during every hour of every day! I think about you all the time, even when I shouldn’t! How dare you accuse me of not thinking about you!”

Link was quiet at this, hanging his head in shame. 

“You’re right,” he said softly, voice rough. “I shouldn’t have accused you of not caring. This must be as hard for you as it is for me.”

“I appreciate your understanding,” she accepted. “I just...please, don’t shut me out. It’s hard enough knowing I can’t be with you, but it’s even harder losing you. Please, at least be my friend still. I miss you, I need you,” she croaked, sniffing as the tears started to escape. 

Link was silent, looking away and closing his eyes. She waited for him to respond, hoping that his silence wasn’t his answer. He took a deep breath. 

“I...I just…” he struggled to put words together, furrowing his eyebrows together in frustration. He switched to sign language, as he always did when his emotions were too big for his voice. 

< I don’t want to be just your friend. > Her breath hitched at this, feeling like her worst fears were confirmed. < I want to be yours. >

When he signed “yours,” he reached up and stroked her cheek with a gloved hand. She leaned into it, and gazed into his intense blue eyes. Goddesses, even in the dark his eyes shined brightly, like they were their own light source. 

He inched closer to her, drawn to her. He seemed to be fighting something inside himself, his breathing ragged and uneven as he tried to stop himself. Finally he let his inhibitions loose as he grabbed Zelda by the waist and pulled her in close, crashing his lips into hers. She held him tight, devoting her whole self to him in that moment, just as much as he devoted himself to her. It all felt so right, and relief washed over her as the tension between them seemed to finally dissolve. 

“Excuse me, uh, Link, you’re needed right now -” she heard a voice behind them shout. They jumped apart, and she saw Captain Garrett running up to them, face full of panic. 

“What do you think you’re doing, brat?” a different voice growled as a hand grabbed Link by the collar, yanking him away from Zelda. 

“Wait!” Zelda cried. 

“I told you, Your Highness, this bastard was taking advantage of your daughter,” Captain Norman accused, still holding Link by the collar of his uniform. His cap had been knocked off, his unruly blonde hair falling over his face. “And I have reason to believe that Captain Garrett was covering it up this whole time,” he continued, jabbing a finger into Captain Garrett’s chest. 

“Those are some quite serious accusations,” the King rumbled. 

“Father, that’s not at all what happened! I can explain!” she cried, desperate that he would actually listen to her for once. 

“Quiet, Zelda!” he roared. Everyone was silenced by that, waiting for the King to make a decision. Much quieter this time, he continued. 

“We cannot have a scandal on our hands. I don’t want anyone else to find out about this until we’ve made a judgement. We’ll hold a trial after the ball is over, with only the people that are currently here. You will all have your chance to convince me whether or not these traitorous accusations are true. For now, we’ll take the accused into holding while Zelda continues to be present at the ball,” he declared. 

“Father, wait, no, you can’t be serious -”

“Enough, Zelda. If a scandal like this got out we would completely ruin our relations with Gerudo, and we can’t afford that to happen. Everything will be sorted out in a few hours, and it will be handled quietly,” he explained gruffly. Captain Norman twisted Link’s arms behind his back, tying his wrists together with a length of rope, smiling smugly while he did the same to Captain Garrett. 

“Move it! You heard what the King said,” he ordered, pushing Link roughly. 

“Everything will be alright Link, I promise!” Zelda cried as her father ushered her away. He just looked at her sadly before hanging his head in defeat. 

Chapter Text

Everyone stood in the Royal Throne Room silently, nervously waiting for the King to finally speak. Link’s eyes remained fixated on the marble floor at his feet, refusing to look anywhere else. Either way, he could still feel several pairs of eyes burning into him. He never wanted this much attention on him. 

He fucked up he fucked up he fucked up - 

The neverending mantra in his head was suddenly interrupted by the King clearing his throat. Link finally tore his gaze from the ground to look at the King. His face was stern but otherwise unreadable. 

“Captain Norman, you may undo Captain Garrett’s and Sir Link’s bindings.”

“Yes Your Highness.”

He felt the pressure on his wrists loosen as the ropes slipped away. He flexed his fingers and rubbed his wrists, smoothing out the aches that had developed there in the past few hours. Glancing to his side he saw his father keeping his hands still at his sides, seemingly using all of his energy to glare at Captain Norman. Link had never seen any intense emotion on his father’s face before, nevertheless one so full of seething hatred. Link wondered why now was the time to finally pull out the emotions. 

Perhaps because his precious job is on the line...

He pushed away that thought. Now was not the time for pettiness. 

“So,” the King started, somewhat unprofessionally, but it didn’t really matter considering the circumstances. 

“You’ve all been brought here on the accusation that Sir Link has been taking advantage of my daughter, the Princess, and that Captain Garrett has been using his position to cover it up. Is there anything else you would like to add to that before we begin, Captain Norman?”

“Yes, Your Highness. In the past hour it has come to our attention that traces of poison have been found in Prince Ganondorf’s food, which is what caused him to fall ill upon arrival at the castle. Seeing Sir Link’s...relationship...with the Princess, it would make sense that he would want the Prince gone. And seeing how the circumstances line up, I would also like to add attempted regicide to the accusations,” Captain Norman declared smugly. 

“Liar!” Zelda screamed, charging at Captain Norman. She had to be held back by Captain Garrett, though it looked like he very much wanted to set her loose on him. 

“Zelda! Please, remain civil. Speak when it’s your turn,” the King reprimanded. Zelda just glared at Captain Norman, eyes burning and teeth bared.

“You have no foundation for such an accusation besides your own bias, you piece of shit!”

“Zelda!” the King reprimanded once again. 

“You know Ganon was sick prior to arriving at the castle, there’s no way Link could have possibly poisoned him. If there is any foul play it would most likely involve the Yiga, and that’s not what we’re here to discuss,” she spat. Even with his life on the line, Link couldn’t help but admire how logical Zelda remained, even when she was angry. She was very much the leader she didn’t believe she was. 

“I have to agree with my daughter on this, disregarding her...choice of language,” the King rumbled. “That accusation is circumstantial at best, and off topic from what we gathered here for. I’m going to assume that you have nothing else to add, and move on to the defendant. Sir Link, what do you have to say for yourself?” the King inquired, causing all eyes to turn to him. 

He nervously shuffled his feet and rubbed his arm at all the sudden attention. His throat was dry but he forced a voice through anyway. 

“Um, I...I...never took advantage of your daughter, Your Highness,” he croaked out, eyes flicking left and right as he avoided everyone’s gaze, which definitely only served to make him look more suspicious. 

“Ha! How can you lie so bold-facedly when we witnessed it happening with our own eyes?” Captain Norman interjected. 

“Captain Norman, please only speak when it’s your turn,” the King sighed. That would probably be a phrase repeated too many times that night.

Link remained quiet while he tried to form his argument, and Zelda took that as an opportunity to jump in.

“Saying he ‘took advantage’ of me insinuates that I did not consent to what happened. I very much did; in fact, I initiated it.”

“Zelda, it’s Sir Link’s turn to speak, please wait your turn.” 

“No Father, it’s time you listened to me. I am just as much a victim of this accusation too, and I won’t stand around while a bunch of men speak for me like I’m not here,” she argued vehemently. She went to stand by Link’s side, placing a hand on his arm, which caused him to jump slightly. She shot him a warm, comforting glance before continuing. 

“Link and I started off on a purely professional relationship; he was my knight and I was his charge. Quite honestly, I hated him at first. I hated that you appointed me a babysitter,” she said, giving her father a pointed look. His face remained neutral as he listened. 

“But then, I gave him a chance. I learned that he’s kind, caring, and he actually listens to what I have to say. Something you could learn a thing or two about.” She once again gave him a look. This time he shifted a little uncomfortably in his throne. 

“He’s saved my life on multiple occasions, constantly putting my well-being before his own safety. I feel comfortable enough around him to tell him anything, something I don’t experience with anyone … not even my betrothed,” she added quietly, looking down at the floor. Pausing to take in a deep breath, she looked back up at her father, her eyes set in a steely resolve. 

“So yeah, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Link. Fuckin sue me, I guess.” Several people gasped at her crude language. Link winced a bit, knowing that his fondness of cursing had definitely rubbed off on her. But he also couldn’t fight the grin that was creeping up on his face. It was nice seeing Zelda not afraid to confront her father while defending him, her fiery spirit that he had always known she possessed being on display for everyone else to see. If he wasn’t currently on trial for having relations with Zelda he definitely would’ve kissed her right now. 

“I was the one who tried to initiate a relationship, kissing him first. He was the one who exercised self-control and logic, saying that a relationship between us would be impossible due to his birth status.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to gauge his feelings to all of this. Link remained neutral. Captain Garrett, on the other hand, was visibly uncomfortable. 

“Besides what happened tonight, was that the only instance of you and Sir Link acting on your... affections ?” the King asked, grimacing with distaste as he said the word. Link tried not to take that too personally. The thought of Zelda loving him wasn’t that repulsive, was it?

Captain Norman scoffed. “Knowing his father’s history, you should make sure that the Princess hasn’t become tainted goods.”

Something snapped in Link as he suddenly charged at Captain Norman, tackling him to the ground. “How dare you speak of Zelda that way?!” he snarled, pulling back his fist, ready to beat the disgusting smirk off of the captain’s face. 

Captain Norman shielded his face as he pivoted his body to the side, reaching down and whipping a knife out of his boot. He brandished it at Link’s neck, the edge barely hovering over the rise and fall of his throat as he breathed heavily. Zelda screamed.

“Garrett, control your insolent whelp, or I will,” he barked.

“Don’t you dare touch my son!” Captain Garrett snapped, rushing over to the brawling men before he was physically held back by the vise-like grip of the King. 

“ENOUGH!” the King roared. Everyone froze, silent as the King slowly marched up to Link, yanking him off the captain while also seizing the knife from him. “I will NOT have you resorting to fighting like commoners at a tavern while in MY court. We will be CIVILIZED. Are we clear?” he ordered. The men mumbled their agreements as they stared at their feet in shame. “Good.” Then the King turned towards Zelda, face burning with a quiet fury.

“And you, Zelda. How could you let this happen? I raised you with more sense than this. You know your duty to the kingdom is to marry well, and I did most of the work for you by arranging a marriage with the Prince of Gerudo. But here you go, flinging yourself at the bastard son of a commoner, like a prostitute roaming the alleys of Castle Town. When will you finally grow up and use reason?” he spat. 

Zelda stared at him, mouth agape with surprise at the derisive comments he had leveled at her. He paused for a moment, thinking. “Perhaps I have given you too much freedom,” he muttered. Zelda sputtered in disbelief, and Link could sense that King was thinking of taking drastic measures. So he decided to take his own. 

“Zelda didn’t fling herself at me,” he piped up, voice still soft as he avoided the King’s penetrating gaze that was now focused on him. “I...there was another incident. About a year ago. At the masquerade ball. I was stricken by her beauty, and while performing my duty as a Royal Guard, I made a move on her. It was just a kiss on the cheek, but it was unprompted and not with the Princess’s consent,” he confessed. He hazarded a peek at the King, and saw a smoldering anger beneath his impassive expression. But he remained silent, waiting for Link to continue. 

“When I was appointed her personal knight, I should’ve resigned due to a conflict of interest. But I didn’t. I wanted to be close to the Princess. I was not completely professional with her, allowing us to grow close. And when she kissed me, I kissed her back. And when she asked to be only friends, I denied her, only wanting a romantic relationship with her. It’s not that your daughter had too much freedom, but that I did. I was the one who was trained to be responsible for another person, and I ignored my training and acted unprofessionally. This is my fault.” Link closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, knowing he had just signed his life away in order to protect the Princess’s freedom. But at least he was living up to his promise to her. 

“Link…” Zelda breathed, looking at him with such immense sorrow as she realized what he had done for her. 

The King cleared his throat. “Well, it seems that issue is settled. Now, there was a second accusation, that Captain Garrett knew what was happening and used his position to cover it up in order to protect his son. Captain Garrett, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I plead guilty,” he replied swiftly, without even pausing to think of an excuse. Everyone was taken aback, not expecting him to confess so readily. Was he hoping to get a lighter sentence by just pleading guilty? It didn’t make sense for the esteemed tactician to even try to make an argument for himself.

“I witnessed Sir Link kissing the Princess, and I refused to report it because I knew it would negatively affect him. I also worked to prevent anyone else from finding out, going so far as to dismiss guards from certain posts to prevent them from being caught. I also failed to notify the King when Sir Link and Princess Zelda would return to the castle from their excursions, so that they could have more free time together. And tonight I tried to prevent the King from seeing what happened, but I wasn’t fast enough,” he said dryly, like he wasn’t just confessing high treason. So any chance of him getting a lighter sentence was now out the window. What in the world was he trying to do?

“Dad…?” Link rasped, not sure how to react to this confession. He wasn’t aware that his father had gone through such lengths to prevent him from getting caught. How was he supposed to feel about that? It was both extremely thoughtful and very, very stupid of him to do. Two things that weren’t common for Captain Garrett. 

Captain Garrett turned towards Link, his gaze softening and his eyes almost...desperate? Pleading? Concerned? It was impossible to get a read on him. He placed firm hands on his shoulders as he looked into his son’s eyes with a deep sincerity. 

“Link, I...everytime I look at you, and see that scar on your face, I’m reminded of how I’ve failed you as a father. I was supposed to protect you, and I failed,” his voice cracked, and...were those tears forming in his eyes? What was happening right now? Vulnerability didn’t exist in his father’s language, but here he was, opening himself up to his son for the first time he could remember. 

“I-I cared more about my job and reputation than I did about my own kid. I wanted to make it up to you, but how could I possibly do that when my negligence caused you to be scarred? So I only made things worse by distancing myself from you. But I won’t do that anymore. I promise to stand by you from now on, even if it hurts me in the process. You are my son, and I will do anything in my power to protect you.”

Link just stared back at him, processing everything he said to him. For years, all he wanted was his father to love him and be proud of him. He had accepted that he was never going to be anything more than a disappointment to him, and he could live with that. But now, here he was, actually apologizing for his failures as a father and promising to do better. Perhaps it was easy to make promises like that when he knew they were going to be executed anyway. 

“Well, I think I’ve made a decision. I would like to speak to Sir Link and Captain Garrett privately,” the King announced. “Zelda, Captain Norman, would you please leave the room while I deliver their sentence?”

“Whatever you have to say to Link you can say to me,” Zelda said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s fine, Zel. I think I would prefer to hear this alone anyways,” he reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. Her eyes flicked from his hand up to his face, and her hard expression melted as she accepted defeat. 

“Okay,” she mumbled, turning to leave. She roughly grabbed Captain Norman’s sleeve and yanked him towards the door, pushing him out as he protested. She gave one last look to Link as she paused at the doorway, and he smiled softly at her. Sighing, she closed the door with a soft click. 

Link took a deep breath and turned to face the King and his inevitable fate. 

----------------

Zelda paced nervously in front of the door, straining to hear anything from inside the throne room. All she could hear was unintelligible murmurs. 

“Goddess damnit, why is this taking so long?” she cursed. Captain Norman shrugged. 

“Who knows? You’d think it wouldn’t take long to say that they’re getting executed.”

“Oh shut up,” she groaned. Of all the people she had to be stuck with, it had to be this insufferable prick. 

Her ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps and she spun around just in time to see Link pushing open the heavy door. He and Captain Garrett were both silent and avoiding eye contact as they exited the throne room. 

“So is it going to be a public or private execution?” Captain Norman jeered. 

“Fuck off, Norman,” was all Captain Garrett said as he brushed past them, heading silently down the hall. Captain Norman just shrugged and left, figuring he would find out the decision soon enough. Word spread fast in the castle. 

Zelda turned to Link, eyes full of concern. “What was his decision?” she asked softly. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the hallway, and she jogged a bit to catch up with him and match his stride. 

“You’re...are you -”

“No, I’m not getting executed.”

“Oh thank the goddesses,” she sighed in relief. His expression remained impassive. Shouldn’t he be celebrating? He wasn’t going to die after all! Unless...there was somehow a punishment worse than death?

“I’m not getting executed,” he repeated, as if to remind himself. “The King said that because of our excellent service to the Crown until now, he would not feel right having us killed. Especially since I’ve saved your life on multiple occasions,” he said flatly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She listened patiently. He took a deep breath before continuing. 

“Instead, he finds it more fitting that we are stripped of our titles and decommissioned, and that we leave the castle grounds immediately and permanently. He said that he was being lenient on us due to our service, but if we ever step foot on castle grounds again, we will actually be executed that time. The same thing will happen to me if I ever try to contact you again,” he explained quietly, staring at the ground the whole time. 

“Oh.”

They both walked in silence, understanding the actual weight of the sentencing. He would get to live, but he would have to live without her. 

“I’m sorry,” he rasped. 

“What do you mean you’re sorry? If anything I should be the one apologizing!” she exclaimed. 

“I’m sorry I can’t protect you anymore,” he clarified. 

“You know I don’t care about that, I can protect myself just fine.” She was quiet for a moment, trying to imagine a life without Link. She had spent most of her life not even knowing that he existed, but now it was nearly impossible to picture herself without him. He was just...always there. Having him leave her life completely felt like a part of herself was being chopped off. 

They stepped out onto a balcony, the brisk wind chilling their faces and blowing their hair every which way. Link leaned over the railing, gazing out at the sprawling castle grounds softly illuminated by various gas lamps and the silver light of the moon. The corners of his lips pulled into a slight frown. 

“I guess this is the last time I’m going to see this view.”

“It’s overrated anyway,” Zelda tried to reassure half-heartedly, poking his arm. He didn’t react, still lost in thought. 

“I should take a moment to say goodbye to Epona before I leave.”

“You can’t take her with you?”

“No, she doesn’t belong to me. She’s property of the military.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” 

“Yeah.”

She placed a warm hand on top of his, and he shifted to lace his fingers with hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze, and laid her head on his shoulder. 

“I’m going to miss you,” she whispered. 

“I’m going to miss you too,” he whispered back to her. He lifted their intertwined hands to his lips, softly kissing the back of her hand. His bright blue eyes gazed into her own, overflowing with a tender sadness. 

“You will always be in my heart,” he murmured. 

“And you in mine.” She reached over to cup his cheek. He subconsciously leaned into her touch. “I love you, Link. I always will.”

She captured his lips in hers, but unlike their previous kisses which had been passionate and full of want, this was soft and resigned. It was nothing short of a goodbye. 

As they pulled apart they heard a shattering noise, and Link’s hand flew to the hilt of his sword as he stepped back into the hallway to find the source of the noise. His eyes scanned every shadow and his ears twitched, but he couldn’t find anything. Straightening up, he looked back at Zelda and signed that everything was all clear. As she joined his side he rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat, looking away awkwardly. 

“I-I should start gathering my things. My father’s probably waiting for me at the barracks.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

He started to leave, but after a few feet he stopped and turned to face her. He looked like he wanted to say something, eyes searching hers as if she could provide him with the words he was looking for. Unable to find the right words, or perhaps unable to summon the courage to speak them, Link just curtly nodded and turned around, striding briskly down the hallway. This time he did not look back. 

Zelda fixated her stare on the weaving of the carpet below her feet, wringing her hands and furrowing her brow. She bit her bottom lip, trying to feel something other than the dull ache of her heart. 

Looks like she wasn’t the only one bad at goodbyes.

Chapter Text

Ganon stared intently at the roiling mass of crimson sludge in the glass jar, eyebrows furrowed and hands clasped pensively over his mouth. He bounced his leg as he thought, head cocking to the side curiously, seeking a new perspective. He slowly dragged his hands down his face and let them drop to his knees as he leaned forward in his seat. Finally, he spoke. 

“The Calamity is much... smaller ...than I expected.”

A bulbous yellow eye slid across the bubbling mass to face him, somehow looking haughty even while lacking any other facial features. 

<In comparison to the neverending expansion of time and space, you’re not so big yourself> the voice retorted in his head. 

“That’s fair.” 

<Besides, you only managed to extract my main core from yourself. There’s still quite a significant amount of malice coursing through you, waiting to be reunited with me. This is far from over.>

“You see, this is where you’re wrong. I suffered for far too long to ever let you come close to taking me over again,” Ganon said curtly. His mind strayed to his time in Karusa Valley. 

“There’s no guarantee that any of these will work, but I can guarantee that none of them will be pleasant,” Master Kohga had warned him. 

“I don’t care. I’ll do anything to be rid of this burden,” he had replied. 

Master Kohga was right. Each attempt was worse than the last. He had fasted while shutting himself in a super-heated cave with natural geysers. Electrocuted himself for hours on end. Drained himself of so much blood with leeches. None of them worked. 

Ganon’s fingers twitched at the memory. The ceaseless stare of the eye didn’t miss a thing. 

<Are you sure about that? You of all people should know what desperation does to someone. How far it’ll drive someone to the edge.>

“I’m no longer desperate. I have achieved my goal. All I need to do is dispose of you to the Yiga and then I never have to think of you again,” Ganon responded coldly. The memories were pressing harder to the forefront of his mind. 

“I’m expected to be at Hyrule Castle in three days, there’s gotta be something that works!” 

“Now, now, calm down. We can put a raincheck on all this, and resume our attempts after you’re back.”

“No! I need to get this done NOW!”

“What’s the rush? You had the Calamity inside you all this time, it can stay for another coupla days.”

“No, you don’t- you don’t understand. I can’t risk- Zelda, she- I feel- its power, it’s growing every day. The longer I wait, the harder this is going to be. I can’t risk hurting her- anyone, I can’t risk hurting anyone. I’ve already almost killed Zelda’s knight, and wiped out a big chunk of your men.”

“Yeah you don’t need to remind me about that.”

“I don’t want to imagine what will happen if it manages to take over again. I need to get rid of it now. There’s gotta be something that works.”

“Hmfh. You sure are persistent, kid.”

The voice interrupted his memories. 

<Do you really think you’ll never have to deal with me again? You’re handing me off to the people who are working tirelessly to resurrect me. You’re marrying the girl destined to battle me. Like I said before, this is far from over for you.>

“It’s just a legend that the blood of the Goddess runs through the Royal Family. More of a metaphor to justify their rule, like some sort of divine right. Zelda is just a regular young woman who happens to have a royal title, she doesn’t have any sort of ‘destiny’ other than what she creates for herself,” Ganon redirected defensively. 

<You bear the Triforce of Power and were the vessel for the Calamity, is it really so unbelievable that the Princess has Goddess blood within her?> the voice mocked. 

He didn’t have a rebuttal for that. He didn’t really worship Hylia, but if she was anything like Zelda then he could see why people would. But from his experience, Hylia was much colder and crueler than the warm and loving princess. 

Ganon had knelt in front of the Goddess statue for hours, muttering prayers and waiting for the full moon to rise to its peak. When the moon finally haloed the statue in its silvery light, he pulled out a loaf of bread and a gleaming knife from his bag. 

Holding the bread aloft in offering, he spoke in a clear voice. 

“With this life-giving bread, I take a portion of my life.”

He took a bite, trying to ignore the bitter taste of the deadly nightshade that had been baked in the bread. Next he raised the knife up, moonlight refracting off its sharp edge. 

“With this life-taking knife, I seek to gain new life.”

With that he held his breath as he sliced down his forearm with a swift motion, dark blood quickly pooling up and dripping onto the ground. He gazed up at the statue, expecting something, anything to happen. All he was met with was a cold silence. 

Muttering a closing prayer as fast as he could before the disappointment washed over him, he got up to leave when his vision suddenly lurched to the side. He tried to grab onto something to steady himself, but only grabbed air as he came crashing to the ground. His lungs stung and his sides ached as he coughed and hacked uncontrollably. A lump formed in his throat, making it impossible to breathe as he coughed even harder, fighting for air. 

Clenching the earth beneath him with desperate fingers, he suddenly dislodged the object from his throat, sending it flying a few feet away from him. Breathing in ragged but much welcomed breaths, he studied the object carefully. 

It was a small shifting mass of deep red that burned the grass surrounding it. Malice. Despite having never seen it before, he knew exactly what it was. It destroyed everything it touched without remorse. It was pure hatred, pure evil. And it had come from inside him. 

He looked up at the Goddess once again, seeking guidance for something he didn’t understand. All she gave him was her usual unseeing stare, but he couldn’t help but feel a ray of hope. 

<What do you hope to gain by forsaking me? You want to change the world, and together we could accomplish so much. I really liked you, what with all your drive and ambition. But now I’m just going to have to kill you for standing in my way.>

“And how do you expect to kill me while trapped in a jar?” Ganon retorted sarcastically, flicking the glass to emphasize his point. How a single eye was able to convey so much annoyance and hatred, he wasn’t sure. Hopefully his glare wasn’t enough to break glass. 

<Do I really need to kill you myself? You seemed to do a pretty good job of poisoning yourself just to be rid of me. Are you aware of how long nightshade stays in your system? Seeing how much you’ve already consumed, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve managed to shave at least ten years off your lifespan. And you did it in such a short span of time. I don’t know how you can focus with the sound of your clock ticking so loudly.>

“I know what I’m doing. I have an antidote ready. Besides, any amount of my life sacrificed would be worth being rid of you.”

<Are you sure? What if all of this costs you your dream to change the world? Are you sure you’ll be content dying with unfinished business?>  

The Calamity paused as Ganon remained silent. 

<You still have a lot of malice running through you. And that isn’t because of me. That was already there when I first possessed you. You say you have a righteous motivation, a pure desire to help others. But I know you. I know the truth. Underneath that holier-than-thou veneer lies a sea of utter hatred. You hate that your parents died when you were so young, leaving you alone. You hate that your Aunt doesn’t trust you. You hate what Hyrule did to Gerudo, and continues to do to Gerudo without remorse. You hate that your only worth is to marry the Princess of the land that oppresses your people, to produce heirs who will only continue that legacy of oppression. But most of all, you hate yourself. You hate that no matter how hard you try, you’ll never escape your fate. You’re just a thread in the tapestry of destiny, doomed to destroy all that you hold dear. And if somehow you do manage to escape your fate, what is waiting for you? A life of bland normalcy, unable to change a society that was rigged against you from the start? Is that really any better than what I could offer you? At least with me, there’s a chance to change. Wouldn’t you take that chance if it meant things could be different?>

Ganon suddenly stood up and turned his back to the jar, hands clenched at his sides. 

“You don’t know anything about me.” 

<We both know that isn’t true.>

He whipped around to face him, eyes brimming with a barely contained fury and lips pulled back in a wolf-like snarl. Strands of red hair fell from his perfectly coiffed ponytail into his face, obscuring his piercing glare. 

“SHUT UP!” he shouted, voice cracking. 

An arrow whizzed past, interrupting them as it thudded into the wall beside them. A talisman with an upside down eye dangled from a braided red cord tied to the arrow shaft. Ganon straightened, pushing back the loose strands of hair from his face as he composed himself. A mask of cold professionalism settled on his face as he eyed the red sludge. 

“Time to go,” he said gruffly. 

He draped a cloth over the jar before scooping it up, holding it securely with both hands. 

<You’ll regret this.>

“Be quiet.”

And, for once, it obliged. 

He strode down the corridor, keeping mostly to the shadows but walking with a confidence so as not to seem suspicious. He prayed to every god he knew that he didn’t run into anyone. It wouldn’t exactly be easy explaining why he was up and about past midnight while clutching a large not-very-well-disguised glass jar. 

Ganon’s ears twitched as he heard voices. Instinctively diving behind a tapestry, he quieted his breaths as he waited for the coast to be clear. 

“You can’t take her with you?”

He could recognize that voice anywhere. His heart raced as he clutched the jar closer to him. No no no no no, Zelda can’t see him like this, he was so close to freedom...

“No, she doesn’t belong to me. She’s property of the military,” a soft male voice responded.

Ganon furrowed his brows. Who was she talking to? Chancing a peek, he craned his neck to get a better look. He saw Zelda leaning over the balcony with her appointed knight casually standing next to her. 

Huh, so that’s what he sounded like . Thinking back, he realized he had never heard the stoic knight speak, and had assumed at this point that he simply wasn’t able to. He wasn’t sure why this bothered him. Something didn’t seem right. It wasn’t unusual to see the knight with Zelda, she was his charge after all. But for someone who was just doing his job, he seemed awfully friendly. Usually he was rigidly on-guard, not letting anything distract him from protecting the Princess. But now he was just so...relaxed? Open? Almost vulnerable. 

Zelda said something, but he couldn’t quite catch what she said. What he did catch was Sir Link clasping Zelda’s hand as she rested her head on his shoulder. Perhaps part of a knight’s duty is to comfort his charge if they’re upset? 

His heart skipped a beat when Sir Link kissed the back of her hand. Okay, that seemed a little too familiar, but perhaps this was a normal part of Hylian culture that he was unaware of? 

Zelda whispered something and he strained to hear, trying not to compromise his hiding spot at the same time. 

“I love you, Link. I always will.”

Ganon’s heart leapt to his throat as she kissed Link, feeling like he had just been punched in the gut. His grip loosened, and…

CRASH!

The jar shattered, and Ganon jumped back as Link ran out into the hall to investigate the noise. He held his breath and stood as still as possible, hoping he didn’t see the shards of glass littering the floor, sparkling like frozen teardrops. 

Once Link and Zelda finally left, he breathed a sigh of relief. His sense of peace didn’t last long, for when he looked back at the floor there was a noticeable absence. 

<What did I say? It wouldn’t be long until we were reunited.>

“No, no...it can’t be…”

<I feel an intense anger in you. You’re once again the victim of an unforgiving world. But you don’t have to remain the victim. Use that anger, channel it into power, don’t let them get away with this unpunished.>

“I won’t. I refuse to hurt anyone, I refuse to let you win.”

<You misunderstand me. You don’t have a choice.>

Ganon felt his muscles seize as his mind went foggy. His feet moved against his own volition, carrying him towards Goddess knows what. His hand curled into a fist and he felt his lips pull into a smile. 

<Now, isn't this better already?>

Chapter Text

THUNK!

The log splintered as the axe drove through it and embedded into the stump. Link swore as he gripped it and yanked, stumbling backwards when it abruptly dislodged. Breathing hard, he leaned against the handle, wiping the sweat beading on his forehead with the back of his hand. He was still learning to adjust his strength now that he no longer had the extra weight of chain mail weighing him down. 

Swinging an axe was much different from swinging a sword.

Aside from the occasional bird chirp or insect hum, everything was quiet. A gentle breeze sifted through the rich green leaves of the trees that surrounded the cottage, creating an air of seclusion. It had rained last night, so everything smelled fresh and crisp. The whole place exuded a simple serenity, a stark contrast from the hectic hustle-and-bustle of castle life. For anyone else this little idyllic cottage on the outskirts of Castle Town would be the perfect place to settle down in, but for Link it was his silent prison. 

Sighing, he placed another log on the stump and hefted up his axe once again. His sweaty grip caused the handle to slide uncomfortably, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through his hand. 

“Fuck,” he hissed as he dropped the axe, inspecting his palm. A thin splinter had driven itself deep into his palm, making it impossible to just pull out with his fingers. Huffing in annoyance, he walked around the back of the house to go grab some tweezers from his room. 

The door stuck a little, like it always did, but trying to finagle it open with only one hand just increased his exasperation. Might as well add that to the list of things that need to be fixed. Why not. It’s not like he exactly had a lot going on anyways. 

The stairs creaked as he made his way up to his room. He waited for his dad to tell him to be careful not to fall through, but when he was greeted with only silence Link remembered that he had gone to town to buy some seeds. Well, at least that’s one less annoyance for today.

Throwing open the drawer to his nightstand, he rummaged through the clutter until he found the tweezers he was looking for. Biting his lower lip, he grunted as he pulled the splinter from his palm. Blood quickly welled up from the wound. 

“Shit,” he muttered, sticking his palm into his mouth as he strode to a sink. He watched absentmindedly as swirls of red were washed away in the running water.

Once the water finally ran clean, he flicked his hands dry and shifted his barely-there attention to his room. It wasn’t much, but at least it was more homely than the barracks. And it was better than the alternative of living on the streets. The King had been kind enough to at least give them a small pension to start their new life with, which was pretty generous considering they had committed treason. 

Not wanting to stay on that topic too long, Link quickly shuffled out of his room. He paused with his hand on the doorknob, deciding to dash back into his room for a second to grab his fingerless gloves. Don’t want anymore splinters, now do we?

The back door stuck once again, and he wrapped both hands around the door knob and anchored a foot on the wall as he yanked, slowly grinding the door shut in spurts. 

“Where is this ancient artifact you’re telling me about?” 

Link froze, blood suddenly turning cold as he heard the voice. He must be hallucinating. It had only been three days, there was no way...

“Patience, Zelda. We’re almost there.”

Fuck fuck fuck fuck-

The fresh air now felt suffocating as he struggled to breathe, blood pounding in his ears. He gripped the doorknob harder to keep his hands from shaking. 

Just ignore it, don’t look, don’t look, don’t look…

He ran to the trees, seeking cover as he gave in. He couldn’t help it. What exactly he expected to gain from this he wasn’t sure, but he knew he couldn’t live with himself if he just ignored it. Something in his gut drew him here, despite all the protests from his mind. 

Zelda was in her field clothes, looking radiant as always. Ganon walked beside her, keeping a leisurely pace. And...that was it. Link narrowed his eyes. Why didn’t they have a knight escorting them? Surely the King would’ve replaced him by now? Sure, things hadn’t gone well the last time she was appointed a knight attendant, but the King would never leave his only daughter unprotected. The sunlight gleamed off of Ganon’s dual scimitars, which was somewhat of a relief to see at least one of them was armed. But Ganon wouldn’t have left castle grounds without guards; he didn’t strike Link as the type to sneak around. 

Speaking of...something felt off about Ganon. His movements were robotic, his back was a little too straight, and his usual warm smile was replaced with one that looked forced. Perhaps it was just his imagination...or his jealousy...but something just didn’t feel right. His mind screamed get a grip! while his gut kept on repeating something is wrong something is wrong something is wrong. 

Link vigorously shook his head, unable to believe what he was about to do. He raced over to the log pile at the side of the house, removing a loose plank and pulling out the sword he had hidden there. His dad would have his head if he knew he had squandered some of his pension on a new sword. 

When they had been banished from the castle, they couldn’t keep anything that had been supplied to them by the military (which was most of Link’s belongings). There were no real threats at the cottage, but he didn’t feel right not having anything to protect himself with. Perhaps he was just paranoid. But when his father asked him to get a wood-cutting axe from the blacksmith in town yesterday, he couldn’t resist buying a sword as well. 

“Ah, I see you have a good eye for weapons,” the blacksmith had complimented him. “Say, you’re a strapping young lad. Have you ever considered joining the military? They could really use someone like you.”

“No,” was all he said, tossing some rupees on the counter and leaving abruptly with his things. 

He had never expected to use the sword so soon. Not even taking the time to strap it to his back, Link hurried after Zelda and Ganon. 

Following them without being discovered turned out to be a much easier feat than he expected. Either he was much better at sneaking around than he remembered or they really weren’t paying attention to their surroundings, which didn’t do anything to put his nerves at ease. At one point he even considered risking making noise just to make them more aware of potential danger. He wanted to scream. Why were they putting themselves through such unnecessary peril?

He was so preoccupied with these frustrations that he almost didn’t notice how far from the castle and civilization they were getting. More and more trees engulfed them, and the road faded from cobblestone to dirt to barely bent grass. Link’s nagging suspicion grew stronger, clogging all of his senses and making it impossible to ignore. Why were they going somewhere so isolated?

He tried to reason with himself in an attempt to make things make sense and to calm the growing dread in the pit of his stomach. Of course they’re going somewhere isolated, they’re searching for ancient artifacts. Those aren’t typically found just lying around in heavily populated cities. 

But then why aren’t Impa and Purah here? A small voice whispered in the back of his mind. They’re still staying at the castle, there would be no reason why they wouldn’t join on this excursion . 

Maybe Ganon just wanted a romantic outing for him and Zelda?

But then why would he go under the guise of looking for ancient artifacts? Besides, there were much more romantic spots closer to the castle.

Link grabbed a fistful of his hair and aggressively shook his head. Why was he so good at coming up with an argument for anything? It definitely didn’t make this situation any easier. 

A bone-deep chill ran through his body. 

Where were they?

A thick mist slowly snaked around their ankles, threatening to steal their souls and their sanity if they weren’t paying attention. A crumbling black stone arch silently loomed over them, daring them to enter. Zelda and Ganon stopped for a moment, and Link sunk down in the tall grass, waiting with bated breath to see if they would accept the arch’s challenge. 

Zelda cleared her throat with an edge of nervousness. 

“Is this the ancient artifact you were telling me about?” she asked, gesturing at the arch. 

“No, it's just a little farther in,” Ganon said in a monotone voice, not even looking at her as he stared straight ahead with a cold determination. 

She was silent for a moment, weighing her options before speaking again, voice soft and almost child-like. 

“Are you sure? I don’t think this is such a good idea…”

“No need to be scared, Zelda. This place is perfectly safe,” Ganon tried to reassure, but his voice was anything but comforting. Zelda seemed unconvinced. 

“It’s just, I don’t feel-”

“Do you want to see the artifact or not?” he snapped. She shrunk back, eyes shifting to the ground as she avoided his piercing gaze. Link felt the tips of his ears growing hot as he fought back the rising anger in him. How dare he speak to Zelda like that?

(Though Ganon had never spoken to her like that, why would he suddenly start doing that now?...)

“I-I’m...I guess it should be fine,” she muttered in defeat. 

As they crossed through the archway and were swallowed up by the mist, Link jumped to his feet and ran after them. He had followed them this far, he couldn’t suddenly lose track of them now. 

Though when he approached the archway he couldn’t help but hesitate for a second as every part of him screamed to turn back. But whatever was causing his unease was waiting for Zelda, and he couldn’t possibly stand by while she walked into the mouth of danger. Taking a deep steadying breath, he plunged into the mist.

Everything was cold and white, left was indiscernible from right. He reached out in front of himself to try to orient himself, but he could barely even see his own fingertips. Stepping forward, his foot got caught on a tree root and he stumbled forward, scraping his palms on the dirt. 

How was he supposed to find them when he couldn’t even see a foot ahead of him?

An eerie laugh echoed through the forest. 

Scrambling to his feet, Link took off at full speed. Whatever that was he had no intention of meeting it. A thick wall of mist rose in front of him, pushing him back. 

Okay, maybe he’ll go to the right instead.

The path was clear for a few feet until another mist barrier arose in front of him. Frustration bubbled up in his throat, and he tugged at his earring as he tried to formulate a plan. 

He just needed to see where the mist ended, he needed a high enough vantage point...

With his hands out in front of him, he ambled around until he felt bark underneath his fingers. Perfect . Gripping the bark tightly, he hoisted himself up and started to climb the tree. The wet bark made his boots slip, but he fought on, making slow, grueling progress. Finally he felt a branch jutting out of the side of the tree, something that could give him better leverage. Breathing a sigh of relief, he gripped the branch and pulled. 

SNAP!

The ground hurled towards him, knocking the wind out of him. Laughter rang out through the forest, mocking him from all directions for his failure. He was wasting time, he had to do something, anything, he just had to think harder-

Stop thinking! his body screamed at him. Overthinking had caused him to be in this mess in the first place. So

just 

stop 

thinking!

Listen to your gut for once…

Link closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. Time seemed to stop as he dug deep inside of him, searching for what, he didn’t know. Just, listening…

He felt something pooling in the pit of his stomach. Keeping his eyes closed, he slowly rose to his feet, breathing deeply as he waited and listened. He felt...something...pulling him forward, magnetized, like a moth to a flame. Surrendering all of his trust to the feeling inside him, he let himself be guided through the forest, blind.

 As he travelled farther into the woods, he felt? heard? A low humming, and it grew stronger as he drew nearer. Fear welled up inside him, not understanding what any of this meant. He stumbled, and the humming started to fade as he became enshrouded in doubt. 

No, no, no…

Link stopped, taking another deep breath as he tried to reconnect with the feeling he had. 

“I don’t understand any of this, and I’m scared. But...I need to do this anyway. I choose to trust you, whatever you are.” 

A gust of wind whirled around him, rustling leaves and whistling in his ears. He listened. The humming grew stronger again, and he followed it faithfully. 

It was when he felt warmth on his face and heard birds chirping that he finally dared to open his eyes. The mist had cleared, and he was greeted by a lush green forest teeming with life. He caught a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye, and ducked behind a tree when he realized it was Zelda and Ganon. He watched cautiously as Ganon led her through the woods.

Zelda gazed in awe at the breathtaking scenery around her, her eyes glittering in the dappled sunlight. Link’s chest tightened at the sight, and he had to remind himself why he was here in the first place. He couldn’t afford to get distracted now. 

“Wow,” she breathed, turning around in circles to take everything in. “It feels like...this place has been untouched for...goddesses know how long. Centuries? Millennia?”

“Yes, no one has been here for a very, very long time,” he said, slowly, with purpose, as he approached her. He reached a hand out, seemingly to hold hers but instead grasped her wrist. Zelda glanced down at his hand, then back up at his eyes, shooting him a questioning look. His grip tightened as he leaned down to her ear, his other hand hovering over the hilt of his scimitar. 

“So no one will hear you scream.”

Zelda gasped, wide eyed as he drew his scimitar, glinting in the sunlight as it was raised above her head, ready to deliver a deadly blow. She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. In a flash, the sharp blade descended on her, and she closed her eyes to brace for the impact.

The clash of metal on metal rang out through the woods, and Zelda opened her eyes to see Link in front of her, grunting as he pushed back the force of the scimitar with his own sword. Ganon let go of her to grab his second scimitar, swinging at Link from the side. He jumped out of the way before yelling over his shoulder. 

“Run! Get out of here! I’ll take care of him!”

Zelda was frozen in place, looking like she had just seen a ghost. He couldn’t blame her, first her betrothed tried to kill her and then her exiled knight who she never expected to see again suddenly appeared out of nowhere. 

“...Link?” was all she choked out. 

“Zel, -ghk- get out of here! NOW!” Link dodged another attack, trying to find footing to launch his own attack. So far he had only managed to barely dodge Ganon’s onslaught. He had an advantage of mobility with his twin blades, never allowing an opening. They continued this dance of attack and defense, twirling around each other as they both searched for a weakness to exploit. 

Taking a moment to glance around him, Link noticed that Zelda had disappeared from the clearing. Thank goodness, it would be much easier to focus on the fight at hand if he didn’t have to worry about defending both himself and Zelda. Digging in his heels, he finally decided to charge. 

Ganon crossed his blades to block his attack, but Link pushed forward until they were practically nose to nose. Ganon snarled, baring his teeth as he pushed back. But what caught Link off guard were his eyes. Instead of their normal deep brown, they were blood red. Link was reminded of the time in Gerudo Town when his eyes had glowed bright red, and his throat burned at the memory. He hesitated for a moment, and Ganon used that to push him back, making him lose his footing. He fell to the ground, and had to quickly roll out of the way when a scimitar plunged into the earth. 

Something wasn’t right here...this wasn’t like Ganon. This...wasn’t Ganon at all. 

So when Ganon raised his blades in preparation for an attack, Link didn’t take the moment of vulnerability to drive his sword through his chest. Instead, he moved to disarm him. But as the flat of his blade neared Ganon’s arm, a deep crimson substance bubbled out of his skin, wrapping around his arm like a snake. Unable to stop the momentum, his sword collided with the substance, shattering it on impact. 

Holding only the handle of his ruined sword, Link stared in shock. What just happened?

Ganon smirked, raising his arm as if reaching towards Link. His blood red eyes started to glow, and the bubbling crimson substance shot out of his arm, impaling Link in the stomach. He fell, and all he could do was watch breathlessly as Ganon slowly approached, gloating as he raised his scimitar. When he spoke, it sounded like a multitude of voices and sounds layered together. 

“Time to end this.”

Suddenly an arrow whizzed through the air, piercing Ganon’s shoulder, causing him to grimace and drop the scimitar. Both of them looked to find the source of the arrow, and saw the Princess standing on a stoney ledge, holding an intricately carved bow as she stared down at them with a fire in her eyes. 

“Don’t touch him!” she shouted. 

Where in the world did she find a bow? Link wondered. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Ganon raised his arm towards Zelda, summoning more of the substance at her feet. She yelped as it tightened around her, engulfing her. It would not be long until it claimed all of her, sucking the life and soul out of her. And all Link could do was watch helplessly as he bled out. 

Goddesses, he was so useless. His sole purpose was to protect Zelda, and he had failed at that...twice. He was such a disappointment...

Weakly he reached out for her, as if that would do anything. He reached out with his body and spirit, pouring his whole life into that final moment, dedicating his last breaths to her…

A flash of bright light engulfed them all, and time seemed to stand still as everyone turned to face the source of the light. The substance had stopped tightening around Zelda for a moment, and Ganon’s eyes stopped glowing as he stared, dumbfounded. And Link...he heard a voice. He couldn’t understand what it said, but he felt like it was calling for him. The feeling in the pit of his stomach reached towards the light, which had receded a bit. It appeared to be coming from behind a curtain of vines. Using every ounce of strength he had left, Link stumbled to his feet and followed the beckoning voice. He walked as if in a trance, one foot in front of the other, not knowing where or to what they were taking him. 

Slowly reaching out a shaking hand, he peeled back the curtain of vines. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened as he saw what was before him. Glowing brightly with a holy light was a sword. No, not just any sword. The sword. The sword of legend, the sword of heroes past, the sword that was largely believed to not even exist. The Master Sword. And it was calling Link’s name. 

No, no, there was no way...it couldn’t possibly be calling him . He was no hero. He was a coward that had lived his whole life with his head down, trying not to be noticed. Every challenge that had come up to him he had run away from. He wasn’t built for fighting, how could he possibly be expected to wield the Hero’s Sword? 

But…

Zelda was going to die if he didn’t try. He had already failed her so many times. He had already lost her once, he couldn’t afford to lose her again. He had to try.

Taking a deep breath, he reached out for the winged hilt. As he gripped it, a searing hot pain shot through his arm. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped his other hand around the hilt, bracing himself as the pain coursed through his body. He pulled with all his strength, all his determination and willpower. It budged, just a little. Using that as motivation to continue, he pulled harder. It moved a little more. He could feel his life draining out of him as he pulled, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop now. One last tug, and as he was blinded with excruciating pain he felt the sword come free. 

When his vision finally cleared, he saw the full length of the glowing sword in his hand. A pleasant hum vibrated through his palm, and he could feel their souls becoming synchronized. He held the blade aloft, and he could feel his strength being restored. The place where he had been impaled in his stomach healed, and his weariness left as he became energized.

Turning his attention back to Zelda and Ganon, he saw Zelda staring at him with her mouth slightly agape, transfixed. The substance had started shrinking away from the divine light of the blade. 

“It’s real,” she murmured, eyes wide in disbelief. 

Ganon was also staring with wide eyes, but soon collected himself as he weighed his options. 

“So, the Hero has found his weapon,” he mused. “As much as I would love to kill Hylia’s Chosen One, I have bigger things to do. The Princess and I have a castle to return to.” And with that he grabbed Zelda, and the crimson substance started to engulf them once more.

“Wait, Link - !” Zelda screamed, reaching out to him as she became absorbed by the substance. 

“Zelda!” he shouted, charging after her. But it was too late. They had already disappeared. It was just him, all alone in these woods. 

“Shit,” he cursed. He felt a discordant hum from the blade. 

“Oh, you don’t like it when I swear? Well too fucking bad,” he muttered. He paced as he tried to figure out what to do next. 

He had to save Zelda. There was no question about that. But the King had made it abundantly clear that if he ever stepped foot on castle grounds that he would be executed. If he just ran head first into the castle he might not even make it to Zelda before the guards killed him. He needed a strategy, but what could he possibly do? His racing heart kept him from thinking straight. 

Link stopped. He knew what he had to get help. And he knew exactly who to get it from. Taking off at full speed, he ran out of the woods. 

As he approached the cottage he prayed that his father was home. He saw the cart that he had taken into town earlier today, loaded up with bags of seeds. 

Oh thank the goddesses. 

He slammed open the door, and ran from room to room until he found his bewildered father standing in the kitchen. 

“Dad, I need your help,” he panted. Garrett stared at his son with wide eyes, as Link looked like he had just taken on a whole pack of wolves at once. His hair was disheveled, he was covered in dirt, his clothes were torn, and he had a wild look in his eyes as he breathed heavily. When he looked down at the sword in his hand, he dropped the jug he was holding, causing it to crash on the floor and spill water everywhere. 

“Is, is that- there’s no way-”

“I don’t have time to explain, Dad. Zelda, and possibly the whole kingdom, is in trouble. We need to get into the castle as soon as possible.”

Garrett eyed him apprehensively. “You know what the King said. If we are caught on castle grounds-”

“He’d execute us, I know Dad. But this is more important, many lives are at stake here. And this is why I need your help. You’re a brilliant strategist and you know the castle like the back of your hand. If anyone can get us inside it would be you.” 

“Link, I don’t know…”

“Please, Dad,” Link begged, voice soft and eyes pleading. 

Garrett sighed. “I did promise to stand by you. Okay, Link. I trust you.”

The Master Sword clattered to the ground as Link rushed to hug his father. Garrett was taken aback by this bout of affection, but he smiled softly as he hugged his son back. 

“Thank you, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, Son. Now, about getting into the castle…”

Chapter Text

So this trip was a bust.”

“Purah!” Impa admonished. 

“What? We didn’t really find out anything new. And the King didn’t really give us much room to really explore and study the area,” Purah defended. “Quite honestly, I think he’s still suspicious of us because we’re Sheikah.”

“Purah, you know the King is trying to reach out more to us and work with us to create a brighter future for Hyrule.”

“You know damn well that those efforts were mostly orchestrated by the late Queen and Zelda herself, not the King. Even though things are generally getting better for us, there’s at least still some unconscious bias against us,” she argued. “You see how much he tries to shield Zelda from us and anything relating to Sheikah technology. Zelda is incredibly bright and essential to bridging the gap between Hylians and Sheikah, and I think he’s a little afraid of that.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Impa admitted, muttering to herself. 

“I’m always right,” Purah gloated, shifting her attention back to the slate in her hands. She scrunched her nose as she lifted it above her head, shaking it a bit like that would make it miraculously work. “Ugh, why can’t I get this to work? What am I missing?”

“Can’t you figure that out with Robbie in the lab? Instead of in the middle of the hallway while I carry all the luggage?” Impa griped, shifting the bags in her arms to keep them from spilling out on the floor. 

“Can’t you just use your runes to make clones of yourself to carry the bags for you?” Purah groaned as she continued fiddling with the slate. 

“Purah, we don’t use ancient Sheikah techniques for such menial tasks,” she scoffed, having explained this a thousand times. 

“Why not? Aren’t you all about ‘preserving the ancient ways of our people’? Might as well use it as much as possible so that it doesn’t die out.” 

“You’re real annoying sometimes, you know that?”

“Annoyingly awesome? Yes, I do know that.” Purah grinned wolfishly. Impa just sighed, shifting the bags once again. 

“Anyway, we weren’t just here for research. We were also here to support Zelda. She’s going through some rough times right now. Did you hear the King banished her research assistant?”

Purah finally looked up from the slate, eyebrows furrowed and mouth pulling into a frown, her whole face scrunched in confusion and contempt. “Really? What could he have possibly done to deserve banishment? He seemed so quiet and inoffensive, it’s hard to imagine him doing anything that bad.”

Impa shrugged, and had to scramble to keep one of the bags from falling from the movement. “I don’t know. Nobody really knows the exact reason, but it’s the talk of the castle. Zelda’s trying to appear to be handling this well, but I can tell she’s actually really torn up about this.”

“That’s understandable, I don’t know what I would do if Robbie could no longer be my assistant.” Purah paused for a moment, thinking, when her face suddenly scrunched up again. “Wait, then why are we leaving? Doesn’t Zelda need support now more than ever?”

Impa sighed. “Unfortunately the King wants us gone. He says that we’re a ‘distraction’ to Zelda, whatever that means. What could she possibly be distracted from? He doesn’t let her do anything!” She took a breath, calming down before continuing. “But, he is the King and we need to heed his orders. Besides, we’ve been away from Hateno and Kakariko for too long. Our people need us too.”

Purah huffed. “What did I say, he has a bias against us.” She stopped, turning and reaching a hand out to Impa. “Here, let me help you with some of those bags.”

“Finally,” she muttered, holding out some luggage to Purah. As she was putting the slate away in its holster on her hip, it suddenly started beeping loudly and incessantly. They both jumped, dropping all the luggage and whipping out the slate. Impa crowded next to Purah to see the screen more clearly, which was a bright blue with a flashing red dot in the center. Glancing at each other questioningly, Purah tapped the dot. 

A three-dimensional map of the castle popped up, with a pulsing orange spot near the top of the castle. Ancient Sheikah script flashed next to it, accompanied by an ever-changing number counter. Impa’s eyes widened. 

“It says there’s a massive magnetic field located in the castle,” she explained, eyes glued to the shifting numbers and pulsating orange spot. 

“That must be the right kind of energy source we were looking for!” Purah exclaimed. “But, why is it only showing up now? We’ve been here for weeks.”

“I...I don’t know,” Impa said, eyebrows furrowing. “What could this all mean?”

“Well let’s go find out!” Purah declared, grabbing her sister’s hand and dragging her along. 

“Wait, let me get the bags first.”

“Leave them! We’ve got more important things to do!”

Impa watched helplessly as her sister pulled her down the hallway, a pit of dread forming in her stomach. 

“I don’t know about this…”

--------------------

Link pushed through the thick bushes, shielding his face from branches. His cloak snagged on a thorny bush, and he brusquely tugged on it until there was a soft riiiiiip . He inspected the jagged edge of the navy cloak in his fist and sighed.

It wasn’t worth much anyway. He must keep going, he had to be close. 

Suddenly he was blinded as he stumbled into the clearing, the bright sun reflecting off of the cracked dome sunken in the earth. He stepped back into the trees for a moment, looking left and right to see if there were any guards around. They didn’t usually patrol around here due to the thick woods and undergrowth, but he still had to be cautious. Couldn’t risk getting caught now. The Master Sword hummed under his cloak where he had hidden it. 

“I know, we’re getting close. Just need to find something to secure the rope to.”

Peering around, he spotted a boulder sprouting out of the tall grass next to the dome. Flicking the cloak out of the way, he unhooked the spool of rope from his belt and tied it around the rock. He gave it a quick tug to make sure it was secure before approaching the crack in the dome. Taking a deep breath, he gripped the rope and jumped. 

As he dropped, his hands slipped for a split second, and he found himself tumbling rapidly towards the floor. Desperately fumbling for the rope, his palms burned as he slid to a stop a few feet above the ground. His heart beat rapidly as he steadied his breathing. Not starting out too strong, was he?

Carefully shimmying down the rest of the rope, he landed with a soft thud on the cracked marble floor. He straightened up, adjusting his cloak as he scanned the room. His heart ached. It had been so long since he had been to the secret place with Zelda. They had spent so many afternoons here, reading and laughing and just enjoying each other’s presence in peace, away from prying eyes. This was where he had made himself vulnerable to her, spilling his backstory to her and sharing all of his thoughts and feelings. This was where she had declared him her friend. This was where he had fallen even deeper in love. 

Back then it was calm and peaceful, but now the air was absolutely thick with unease. Link was disturbed by how quiet it was. The fountain had stopped running for whatever reason, and there were no birds to happily chirp and splash. The silence was almost oppressive. 

Nevermind all that, he had to keep going. 

Making his way to the tunnel in the wall, he crouched down and felt his way through. A memory of holding Zelda’s hand while fumbling in the dark flashed through his mind. He screwed his eyes shut and gripped his hair, forcing the memory back down. Focus . 

A faint light appeared, signifying the end of the tunnel. He approached it cautiously, listening. 

He heard the rapid shuffling of feet and panicked voices talking amongst themselves. Then the clanging of metal on metal and frustrated grunts. 

“Everyone, remain calm! We’re getting you out of here as safely as possible! The bomb threat is being looked into right now, so rest assured that we have it under control!”

Link couldn’t help but smile a little. It seemed like the plan was working. 

“You see, Link, if you mix saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal together, it creates something that explodes with a great force,” his father had explained to him. “If you add strontium carbonate it’ll make a red cloud when it explodes. And if we put this mixture in a glass bottle, it’ll make an even louder, shattering sound. Combine these all together, and you get a distraction no one can ignore.”

“Why do you have all these chemicals just lying around?” Link had asked, perplexed. 

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, we’re gonna put these ‘bombs’ near highly trafficked civilian areas on the castle grounds, like the gardens and horse-riding trails. Obviously not close enough to hurt anyone, but enough to cause panic. There are guards in these areas, but not really any high-ranking ones who can immediately investigate the threat thoroughly. So there’s going to be a lot of commotion with guards trying to evacuate civilians and the higher-ranks trying to figure out what’s going on. That should give you enough time and cover to find the Princess.”

Link pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, covering his dark golden hair and casting a shadow over his scar. Wearing a hood indoors probably looked a little suspicious, but it covered up some of his most easily identifying traits. He stepped out from behind the tapestry and melted into the throng of panicked civilians. 

His eyes flicked left and right, searching for an opening to slip away. He could feel the Master Sword vibrating on his back. 

“Patience,” he muttered to himself. 

Finally his gaze landed on a servants’ door. Perfect. Casually milling through the crowd, he quickly looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking. Everyone was thoroughly distracted, not paying attention to him at all. He slipped through the servants’ door, softly shutting it behind him. Drawing the Master Sword from its sheath, he held it in front of him like a divining rod. It glowed faintly and hummed ecstatically. The corner of his mouth curled into a smile. 

“Okay, Sword, tell me where to go.”

------------------

When the malice finally cleared, Zelda found herself in the throne room. Her father stared at her, eyes wide with fear and mouth agape. He looked like he was trying to say something, to command someone, but no words came out. The Royal Guards around him decided to take action. They leveled their weapons at Ganon, and charged with a shout. 

In the blink of an eye, Ganon had a vice-like grip on her arm and a blade against her throat. 

“Don’t try it,” he snarled. 

The guards froze, lowering their weapons. Zelda tried to remain calm, swallowing the lump that was stuck in her throat. She felt the blade press slightly into her neck. What had happened to Ganon? Why would he do this? What was his plan? Was this something he was planning from the very beginning, or did something just suddenly snap? All of these questions swirled around in her mind, muddying up her senses and making her dizzy. None of this made sense…

The King finally found the ability to speak. “Prince Ganondorf! What is the meaning of this?”

Ganon narrowed his eyes as his lips curled into a smirk. “What is the meaning of this? You ask that like this isn’t something that’s long overdue. Hyrule has a long history of colonization and oppression, and has done nothing but bring pain and suffering to the world. It was made to be broken, burned until nothing remains except ashes and dust. Only then can the world begin to heal.” He removed the blade from Zelda’s throat, pointing it at the King. “And I will happily be the one to do it.” 

Malice bubbled up at the King’s feet, ensnaring him. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail. 

“Kneel before me!” Ganon demanded. 

“Never!” the King roared. “You won’t get away with this, Ganondorf! Hyrule has been threatened by evil many times in her past, but she has never fallen! Guards, attack!”

The guards raised their weapons once more, charging fiercely at Ganon. 

“I told you not to try it,” he growled. He swiped his scimitar in a wide arc, and malice rose up to trap all of the guards. Their weapons clattered to the ground as they became engulfed. 

“Now, kneel!” he shouted. The malice around the King’s legs pulled him down, forcing him to bow. 

“That’s more like it,” he gloated. 

“You can kill me if you like,” the King spat. “But it’ll take a lot more than that to destroy Hyrule. You don’t have enough power to do that.”

“Father, no!” Zelda shouted.

Ganon ignored her, eyes locked on the King. “Not enough power, you say?” His eyes began to glow red, and he raised his right hand above his head. A bright red triforce appeared on the back of his hand, steadily glowing brighter and brighter. A sharp ringing split the air as the ground began to shake. Dust and stone rained down from the ceiling, and the shaking grew stronger. 

“I’m not going to kill you, not just yet. I want you alive when I destroy Hyrule, I want you to watch helplessly as I take away everything you love dearly. Your majestic castle, your precious kingdom, your lovely daughter; everything, I’m going to take from you. And only then will I give you the sweet release of death.” 

Malice bubbled up on Ganon’s forehead, spreading like dark spider webs across his face. From the center a bulbous yellow eye formed, staring unblinking at the King. Ganon smiled. Clenching his hand into a fist, the earth jolted, rumbling as pieces of the ceiling and walls fell. The red triforce on his fist was blinding, searing itself into Zelda’s mind. 

During all the chaos she managed to break herself free of Ganon’s grip, and she found shelter under a fallen statue. She had to think of something, anything. Think, think, think, there has to be some way to stop all of this. What would the princesses of the past do in this situation?

Well, they had used their sealing powers to stop the Calamity. But that’s just a myth, no one has magical powers like that in the real world . But then again, what she was witnessing right now was no normal coup. And she had seen the Master Sword with her own eyes. So perhaps it wasn’t too out there that she might have sealing powers of her own. 

Shakily reaching out an open hand towards Ganon’s back, she willed with all her might and prayed to every ancestor she knew to grant her the power to smite the man before her, to end the chaos he was creating. Nothing happened. Her hand curled into a fist and she slammed it on the ground, hot tears pouring out of her eyes. Of course she doesn’t have powers, she’s useless and can do nothing to protect her kingdom, why did she think for even a moment that she was comparable to the princesses of old…

Suddenly the door next to her crashed open, and Impa and Purah spilled out into the room, the Sheikah slate in their hands beeping wildly. Impa spotted her and ran over to her. 

“Zelda! Thank the Goddesses you’re okay! What in the world is happening?” 

Before Zelda could answer, Purah interrupted, eyes wide as her gaze locked onto the red triforce on Ganon’s hand. 

“The Triforce of Power...that’s the magnetic field the slate is picking up on, and the energy source that’s fueling it.”

“If that’s true...we’re in a lot of trouble,” Impa noted, a little dazed as she tried to process everything that was happening. 

The slate went quiet for a moment, the map of the castle disappearing as the screen went entirely blue. 

“Huh? What happened?” Purah shook the slate, randomly tapping the screen in an attempt to bring back the map. Suddenly a red dot appeared on the screen, beeping once again. Purah let go a sigh of relief. 

“Ah, probably just refreshed or something.” She tapped the red dot, but when the map came up again, the orange spot on the screen was joined with a green one. Purah furrowed her brow. “What…”

A blur of navy and gold charged through the door, and leaped at Ganon from behind. Zelda recognized the glowing blade of the Master Sword as it was raised for an attack. Ganon summoned a wall of malice, knocking the attacker to the floor, but instead of tumbling he agilely landed on his feet, skidding a little on the loose dust that littered the floor. 

“Boy, what are you doing here?” the King demanded. 

“Your Highness, with all due respect, I suggest you shut up while I’m trying to save you.”

“Link!” Zelda cried out, feeling both relieved and scared to see him. On one hand, he was here to protect them, but on the other hand he was actively putting himself in danger instead of staying safe. She had already lost him once, she couldn’t bear to lose him again. 

Link turned towards the sound of her voice, face softening as he smiled. “Zelda…”

Ganon lowered his hand, expression stoney as he processed the new situation. Then he grinned. 

“So the Hero of Courage has finally arrived. Well, this should be interesting…”

Chapter Text

Link heaved ragged breaths as he glared down Ganon, Master Sword extended in front of him. Eyes still locked on his target, he called back to Zelda. 

“So what’s the plan, Princess? I’ve got you covered, just tell me what you want me to do.”

Zelda blinked, realizing she hadn’t thought this far. Get away from Ganon? Check. Find cover? Check. Defeat Ganon? Still hadn’t figured that out yet. Impa, Purah, and Link were all waiting expectantly for her to give them orders. This was a foreign feeling, being entrusted with the ability to command. Sure, she was smart, but was she really able to lead others in a battle of life or death? Her hands shook as she tried to keep her voice level. 

“Just...focus on defending while we figure out his weak points.” 

“Got it,” Link replied, shifting into a defensive stance, backing away from Ganon and acting as a shield for Zelda. 

“There’s no way he’ll get past all of us!” Impa declared confidently, clapping her hands in a prayer-like motion as blue clones of herself spread out into a line around her.

“My research has shown that the Sheikah Slate has combat abilities, so let’s see what this baby can do!” Purah exclaimed, excitedly swiping through menus on the screen. 

Ganon smirked. 

“It’s so fun to see all of you act so confidently before I strike you down.”

He raised his arm, and the ground started to shake once again. Link stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance. A chunk of ceiling fell directly above him. Just as he was about to jump out of the way, the chunk froze midair, glowing a bright yellow. 

“Oh hell yeah!” Purah shouted, pumping a fist in the air. “Link, try and hit that chunk with your sword!” 

He gave a quick nod before backing up for a running start. He leaped as high as he could, swinging his sword into the glowing chunk. It rang out with a sharp clank , but otherwise nothing happened. He landed with a roll, ending in a kneeling position as he looked expectantly at Purah. 

“Just wait,” she instructed. 

The chunk started flashing, and the slate beeped a countdown. Suddenly the chunk stopped glowing and flew  towards Ganon. The eye on his forehead glowed as he lazily flicked a hand, malice rising up in front of him and shattering the flying chunk. Impa’s clones raced in front of them, shielding them from the debris. Without missing a beat, he extended his arm forward, sending the malice towards them as a rushing wave. 

Link charged forward, slicing the malice with the Master Sword. The malice shrank back from the holy blade, receding quickly back to Ganon like an ocean tide. He chased after it, taking the chance to make an offensive strike. Ganon easily blocked his attack with his scimitar. 

“Oh Hero, don’t you listen to instructions? You’re just supposed to defend, not attack.” He pushed, his supernatural strength sending Link flying backwards. He landed with a thud at Zelda’s feet, groaning before stumbling back upright. Just as he raised his sword again, an explosion caused him to lose his balance again. 

“Oh shit, this thing has bombs!” Purah shouted from a distance. 

“Can you please be careful with that? You nearly hit me!” Impa shouted back. 

“But I didn’t actually hit you, so just relax for once!”

Ignoring their fighting, Link charged once again. The malice swerved out of the way of the Master Sword, but arced around him, rushing towards his back. 

“Link, behind you!” Zelda shouted. Link managed to turn around just in time, deflecting the malice with his blade. 

The eye on Ganon’s forehead glowed brighter as he raised more malice, surrounding Link. He spun around, desperately trying to fend off the malice that threatened to overtake him. A tendril snuck up behind him, latching onto his leg. He cried out in pain as it burned his skin, causing him to drop the Master Sword. Another tendril snaked around his arm, yanking him to the ground. Ganon laughed as the Hero of Courage was taken down.

“Link, no!” Zelda shouted, reaching out to him. She felt something stir within her, and the back of her right hand started to burn. Was this it? Was this her power awakening? She concentrated that feeling, turning her gaze towards Ganon as she used all her energy in an effort to bring him down. The feeling inside her slowly dissipated, and the burning on the back of her hand subsided. Damn it, she almost had it, why wasn’t this working?

A blue clone rushed towards Link, slicing away the malice and freeing him. Impa followed closely behind, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. Red welts bubbled up on his skin where the malice had been. She picked up the Master Sword from the ground and gave it back to him, and he took it with his left hand, the one that hadn’t been burned.

The eye on Ganon’s forehead glowed once again as he raised a wall of malice to shield himself from Purah’s bombs. 

“You can’t hide behind that wall forever!” Purah called. 

“Actually I think I can,” he called back.

Suddenly Zelda had an idea. She rushed over to Link and grabbed his arm, eliciting a small jump from him. 

“Zelda, what are you doing? You’re supposed to stay back while we protect you,” he hissed.

“Well you were only supposed to defend, not attack,” she hissed back. He just glared at her. 

“Anyway, I think I know how to defeat Ganon.” He cocked his head at that, now interested. “You see the eye on Ganon’s forehead? I believe it’s the manifestation of the Calamity, and is the source of his power. It glows every time he raises malice. We can stop all of this if you drive the Master Sword through the eye. Do you think you can do that?”

He furrowed his brow. “But wouldn’t that kill Ganon in the process?”

“Well, yes.”

“But he’s still in there. I know he’s being possessed but the prince that we know is still in there, and he doesn’t deserve to die. It’s our duty to protect the innocent, and he is just as innocent as the other citizens of Hyrule.”

“But sometimes sacrifices need to be made. I don’t want to kill Ganon either, but if we don’t then thousands of innocents will die. If we know a way to end this, then we should take it.”

Link looked at her, slowly shaking his head and backing away from her. “No, no...this isn’t...Zel, this isn’t like you. There’s gotta be another way, there has to be.” He gave her one more concerned look before turning around and racing after Impa and Purah. 

Zelda’s stomach tied itself into knots. She wasn’t so wrong in trying to save as many people as possible, was she? The idea of losing her whole kingdom to an ancient evil was horrific, but the way that Link had just looked at her felt...not worse, but almost demeaning. Like she was a child being scolded for acting out at a dinner party. Or like she had asked him to eat a handful of slugs. He seemed to be almost disgusted with her for even suggesting that, and that stung. Worse than anything her father or the court could ever make her feel. 

The clanging of metal on metal snapped her out of her thoughts. Link was in a heated battle with Ganon, pushing hard against his onslaught. He didn’t have time to raise any malice with the flurry of Link’s attacks, but it wouldn’t last for long. His attacks were frantic and sloppy, focusing more on speed than accuracy. Sweat rolled down his forehead, and he grit his teeth as he fought against exhaustion. 

“Oh Hero, it doesn’t help to be reckless.”

Click . 

Zelda clenched her fist and set her jaw in a hard line. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drawing in all of her anger and helplessness and despair, before slowly letting it all go. All of her hatred and negativity melted out of her body, and her hands uncurled to rest peacefully at her side. She opened her eyes and her gaze softened as took one step forward. Then another. And another. And another. The chaotic battle raged on around her, but she didn’t hear any of it. Everything was silent except for the sound of her heartbeat as she steadily made her way through the turmoil.

“Power without a direction is Chaos.”

Everything moved around her in slow motion, as if time itself stopped to listen. The air was thick and viscous, like honey. Her footsteps became heavy, and she had to focus all her energy on just moving one foot in front of the other. But she never stopped. 

“Courage without a direction is Recklessness.”

As she approached, Ganon finally turned his attention away from Link and towards her. They locked eyes, and everything came to a complete stand still. His glowing eyes flickered for a second, flashing between red and brown. He raised an arm as if to summon more malice, but then his hand relaxed and his eyes became pleading. Instead of attacking, he reached out to her, begging for help as his eyes became a solid brown. 

“Zelda…”

She reached out to him as well, placing her palm on his. The back of her hand began burning once again, crescendoing into an unbearable pain when finally a blue triforce manifested. She gazed up into his eyes as she whispered her final revelation.

“And Wisdom without a direction is Heartlessness.” 

“Zelda...please...end this,” Ganon begged. “Kill me before It takes over again.”

She shook her head. “No, Ganon, I can’t do that. If I do, the cycle will just start all over again, and it will have solved nothing. We need to end this once and for all.”

“Zelda, we can’t. The Calamity is too powerful, it needs to be eliminated immediately. Please, I’m begging you Zelda, just kill me.”

“No, I’m not going to kill you!” she exclaimed, her voice raising. She clasped Ganon’s hand with both of hers, gripping it tightly. “You have your own power, Ganon, use it! The Triforce doesn’t choose just anyone as its wielder. You can do this, Ganon, you just need to focus your power in the right direction instead of shying away from it.”

“Zelda, I -”

“Do it!”

He stared at her, silently arguing with his eyes before he sighed, furrowing his brows and closing his eyes. A rising wind spiraled around them, whipping their hair in all directions. Time began to pick up speed again. Link charged, but Zelda held up a hand and he instantly skidded to a halt. 

When Ganon opened his eyes again, they were glowing red. 

“Do you really think you can defeat me that easily? You’re nothing without me!”

He clenched his fist, and green sparks danced across his skin. 

“No, you’re nothing without me . I reject you, and everything that you stand for. You don’t get to use me as a vessel any longer. With my Power, I banish you!”

The green sparks grew into large arcs of lightning, illuminating Ganon’s strong figure as he fell to his knees, head tilted back and mouth agape. His hands grabbed fistfuls of red hair as he let out an earth shattering yell. The eye on his forehead lolled back, and sunk into his skin until it disappeared. For a moment everything was silent, even the lightning ceased. He suddenly lurched forward, palms striking the ground as he writhed in pain. Then he sat bolt upright, flinging an arm into the air, summoning a huge, blinding lightning strike. Link and Zelda looked away and covered their eyes, ears ringing from the thunderous roar. 

When the lightning subsided, they hazarded a peek. A gigantic roiling mass of malice towered over them, with a large yellow eye glaring down at them. Ganon kneeled before it, his teeth bared and his arm outstretched with a bright glowing red triforce on the back of his hand. His wild eyes locked onto Link.

“Now, Link! Drive the Master Sword through the eye!”

Link nodded, digging his heels into the ground as he prepared his final assault. A green triforce began to glow on the back of his right hand. With a yell, he charged at the Calamity. 

His footsteps quickened as he approached, and the Master Sword glowed brighter than the sun as he drew it back. Using the last bit of strength he had, he pushed off from the ground, leaping as high as he could as he raised the Master Sword above his head. He could feel the Triforce of Courage boosting his strength, and a guttural scream escaped his throat as he descended, driving the holy blade through the center of the evil yellow eye.

An unearthly shriek exploded through the air as the malice form writhed and bucked. Zelda felt her feet leave the ground as she floated upwards, surrounded by a golden light. She felt an immense power surge within her as she reached out, the blue triforce on her hand glowing brightly. The wind picked up speed, forming a spiraling wall around them. She heard the voices of a hundred ancestors whispering in her ears, and when she spoke, all of their voices rang out at once. 

“In the name of Hylia and all that is good, I exile you from this realm once and for all!”

The Calamity screeched one last time, dissipating into a black ash and swept away by the gusts of wind. As Zelda gently returned to the ground, the wind died down and everything became hushed. Zelda, Link, and Ganon stared at each other as the triforces on the back of their hands began to glow even brighter, their respective colors disappearing as they melted into a pure white light. As if in a trance, they all raised their hands into the air. A low humming surrounded them as a larger triforce appeared above them. It glowed brighter and brighter, blinding them. The humming increased in pitch until they could no longer hear it, but they felt it in their bones. 

With a final flash of light, the Triforce disappeared, and a  feeling of peace enshrouded them. Purah stared at them, slack jawed.  

“Ummm...what...was that really…?”

Impa patted Purah on the shoulder. “Yeah, it was.”

“What in the world…” she breathed. Impa let her slump against her, providing support to the dazed scientist. She looked down at the slate in her hands, and saw it was still running, reporting a leveled out magnetic field. She poked Purah in the arm. 

“Hey, it looks like we finally have a consistent power source.”

“Oh...yeah...it does,” she mumbled, still too out of it to be excited about the discovery. 

Boots thudded on the ground as the Royal Guards rushed towards Zelda, now freed from the malice. 

“Princess Zelda! Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” she replied, smiling weakly. She suddenly froze, then looked frantically around her. “What about my father? Is he okay?”

“I’m quite alright,” a voice groaned from a distance, definitely not sounding alright. Zelda rushed towards the voice, finding her father in a pile of debris. Link followed closely behind, offering a hand to the King. He glared at Link, ignoring the helping hand as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Boy, that was a very reckless and foolhardy thing you did. What did you expect to gain from all of this? You could’ve put Zelda in danger, and I explicitly told you not to come back here ever again-”

“How dare you speak to the Hero of Hyrule like that?” Ganon interjected with a cutting voice. He stood tall and proud, striding over to the King with a fierce look in his eyes. “Do you not see the holy blade in his hand? He is Hylia’s Chosen, you should be bowing down to him.” 

“That really isn’t necessary…” Link muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and nervously averting his eyes. The King turned his icy stare towards Ganon. 

“And you! You just tried to destroy all of Hyrule! I should have you executed for treason of the highest order!” 

“Father,” Zelda interrupted sternly. Everyone turned towards the Princess, her voice and stature demanding of attention. She held her head high as she stared him down with an equally frightening glare. “Both Prince Ganondorf and Link were crucial in the defeat of the Calamity. They are both heroes in their own right. I will not idly stand here as you try to slander them.”

“Zelda, darling, you see the destruction that they caused. How can you defend them so?” He swept an arm across the room, gesturing to all of the debris littering the throne room. He turned towards the guards. “You all saw what happened. These men are guilty!” The guards shifted uncomfortably and avoided the King’s gaze. 

Suddenly a commotion outside the throne room garnered everyone’s attention. Several Royal Guards spilled into the room, dragging a very disgruntled Garrett with them. 

“Your Highness, we found the one responsible for the bomb threat.” 

“Oh piss off, Marcus, you know there was a bigger threat at hand. Did you not feel the gigantic earthquakes tearing apart Hyrule?” Garrett growled, dropping every bit of his usual controlled demeanor. 

“How do we know the earthquakes weren’t caused by your bombs?” the guard retorted. 

“Because bombs can’t create such large earthquakes, you numbskull! Don’t you remember your explosives training?”

“Enough!” the King roared. Garrett and the guards quieted down. The King shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I seem to be surrounded by traitors today. Guards, please take Prince Ganondorf, Link, and Garrett into custody while I decide what to do with them.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” As the guards moved towards Link and Ganon, the other guards that had been engulfed by malice earlier stepped in front of them, blocking their way. 

“What are you doing?” the King demanded. “I told you to take them into custody!”

The guards remained resolute, refusing to budge. Zelda gave them an approving nod before striding up to her father until she was right on his toes, staring up defiantly at him. 

“Father, might I remind you that you are only a Regent King? I am the rightful heir to the throne, and I shall become Queen when I turn twenty one. When it comes to a decision this important, a decision that will affect the future of Hyrule and its relationship with its nation-states, I will have the final say. And I say that Prince Ganondorf, Link, and his father are absolved of any and all accusations leveled at them. They have more than made up for them by saving Hyrule from impending doom.”

King Rhoam was silent, taken aback by Zelda’s sudden brazenness. They stared each other down for a while, a battle of resolve quietly raging between them. Finally the King acquiesced, looking away in shame. Zelda’s lips curled into a small, triumphant smile. 

“What will we tell the citizens of Hyrule?” 

“Nothing that they don’t need to know. Nobody but us saw what happened here today. We’ll just say that there was a series of earthquakes and that everyone and everything is fine. And everything will go back to normal like nothing happened.”

The King nodded, then furrowed his eyebrows, perplexed. “Everything will go back to normal?” He eyed Zelda and Ganon. “Even your wedding?”

Now it was Zelda’s turn to be taken aback. Shit, she hadn’t thought about that. She had been more focused on, you know, not dying. She glanced at Ganon, and he met her gaze with the same questioning look. She gave him a helpless expression, and he seemed to understand, giving her a short nod. She glanced back at Link. He had turned away, keeping his head down as he slowly walked over to his father. He looked up for a split second, catching her gaze. He quickly looked back down. She heaved a big sigh before setting her jaw in determination. To hell with it all, she had just sealed away the Calamity, she could afford to be brave. 

“No, Father, I won’t be going on with the wedding.” 

“There are other ways to mend relations with Gerudo and Hyrule that don’t include marriage,” Ganon added, voice soft. “The strains of our past were due to suspicion and distrust, leading to oppressive policies. This will all end here and now. I trust Zelda, and together we can work on undoing those oppressive policies. Together we can heal the pain of the past, and create a brighter future where no one is regarded with suspicion.” He eyed Zelda, and she gave him a warm smile. She mouthed a thank you to him. He just gave her a small nod. 

“And besides...everyone should get a chance at love. If that love isn’t reserved for me, then so be it.” His gaze remained locked on Zelda, and she felt an overwhelming surge in emotion. He really was doing this all for her. Even though they were no longer getting married, she was glad to have him in her corner. 

Finally tearing his gaze away from Zelda, he walked over to Link, gently taking him by the hand. He jumped at this, not expecting this sudden touch. Giving him a warm smile, he led him over to Zelda, placing his hand in hers. Link looked up at her through his fringe, his shy blue eyes questioning. She rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes and smiling softly. He closed his eyes as well, allowing himself this moment. 

“Zelda, are you sure about him ?” her father sneered.

Link could feel Zelda’s eyebrows furrow against his forehead. Her familiar warmth left him as she raised her head, and he already yearned for more of her touch. 

“Yes, Father. He’s the Hero of Hyrule, and, more importantly, he’s my hero. If anyone is worthy of marrying me, it’s him. I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side as I lead my kingdom into an age of peace and prosperity.”

The King sighed. “Okay, you win, Zelda. You can marry him if you want. I trust your judgement.” 

Those were big words coming from him . Zelda couldn’t hide her grin. She looked down at Link, who was still leaning against her and smiling wearily as well. His hot breaths fanned across her neck, ragged and uneven. Suddenly his knees buckled, and she had to quickly catch him before he fell and hit his head. His father came rushing over to help lift him back up. 

“Poor thing, he must be exhausted,” she murmured. 

“And you and the Prince must be exhausted as well, Your Highness. I’ll take care of Link from here, you two go and get your rest,” Garrett offered, supporting Link on his shoulder. 

Zelda nodded, fatigue suddenly washing over her as she finally allowed herself to feel it. “You can take Link to one of the guest rooms, and Ganon and I will go to our own respective rooms.” 

“Thank you, Your Highness.” 

As she left through the big double doors of the throne room, she took one final glance over her shoulder. She saw Garrett reach down to pick up Link, grunting as he lifted him in his arms. 

“You’re a lot heavier now than when you were a baby.”

“Dad...did I do alright?”

“You did great, son. Now rest, you deserve it.”

“Thanks…”

Zelda smiled. She probably wasn’t supposed to see this tender moment between father and son, but it warmed her heart knowing that Link finally had the support he so desperately craved. She paused at the door frame, absentmindedly tracing circles in the wood as she watched. Perhaps someday she could salvage her relationship with her own father…

Ganon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She snapped out of her reverie as she met his gaze. It sure was nice to see his warm brown eyes again. 

“Zelda...I just want to say...thank you. Thank you for showing me trust and compassion even when I had given up on myself. You are going to make an amazing queen.” 

Perhaps it was his sincere words, or her exhaustion, but she let a few tears escape as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She was so tired, but guilt still weighed on her chest. She didn’t deserve the kind words. 

“Thank you, but I had tried to sacrifice you to the greater good at first. I almost gave in to heartlessness. If I almost did this one time, who’s to say it won’t happen again?”

“It’s okay, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did. And it’s not our initial thoughts that define us as a person, but the action we end up taking. And you chose compassion. So I think that says more about you than whatever you might have thought of first.” 

“You’re right,” she sighed. 

“That tends to happen a lot,” he grinned wickedly. She playfully batted his arm. A large yawn escaped, and he clapped his hand over his mouth, looking almost embarrassed. Zelda laughed. 

“We should get some rest. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Chapter Text

“As of today, the Kingdom of Hyrule will formally recognize Gerudo as a sovereign nation completely independent of Hyrule. All internal affairs will be decided by the Council of Gerudo, headed by Chief Ganondorf. All Hylian military outposts in Gerudo will be immediately disbanded, and any member of the Hylian military found interfering with Gerudo internal affairs will be tried for treason. Gerudo shall maintain all international trade profits, eliminating the Hylian tithe. Gerudo shall be free to practice it’s own religion and cultural customs without scrutiny from Hyrule. And finally, Hyrule shall pay reparations to Gerudo, in the form of one million rupees a year for fifty years. These are the terms of independence that Gerudo have put forth, and the Kingdom of Hyrule accepts them and will do everything in their power to honor them. Hyrule and Gerudo may have had a troubled and turbulent past, but today, we make our first step in repairing our relationship and enacting justice. Our world consists of many a diverse people and experiences, but we all share one common goal: to build a brighter world for future generations. Court dismissed.”

The court exploded in applause as Zelda stepped down from her podium. She took Ganon’s hand and gave it a firm shake, and he returned the gesture with a small nod of approval. As she glided down the stairs she waved to members of the court and different diplomats, shooting them a practiced smile. Finally, she disappeared behind the curtain that served as a backdrop to the stage. Link ran up to her, scooping her up in his arms as he beamed proudly.

“You did great out there, Zel!”

All pretenses of regality were dropped as she slumped in his arms.

“Thank Hylia it’s over, I’m exhausted.”

“I know darling, I know,” he reassured, gently rubbing her back and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. She took in his scent, and grinned when she recognized the smell of horses. Someone must have taken a stress walk around the stables this morning. As much as things changed, they also stayed the same. She held him tighter, taking comfort in his familiar and ever-lasting presence.

The moment was interrupted when the curtain parted and Ganon stepped through, also dropping all formality as he grinned ridiculously. Zelda let go of Link as Ganon gave them both a bone-crushing hug.

“Zelda! Link! It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to see you two!”

“What do you mean? We saw you at least fifteen times in the last three months while we negotiated Gerudo Independence,” Zelda pointed out.

“Yeah but that was politics, we haven’t had a chance to really catch up in forever. We should get drinks together, I hear there’s a fantastic tavern in Castle Town not too far from here.”

“Ugh, I do not want to be in public right now, I’ve had enough of being hounded for  my opinion on whatever subject for a day,” Zelda groaned.

“We can have some champagne in a guest room if you like,” Link gently suggested. “You two deserve to celebrate all the hard work you’ve pulled off today.”

“That does sound like a good idea,” Zelda muttered as she considered. “Okay, we can have drinks in a guest room where we can relax. You’re right, Ganon, we really haven’t caught up in forever.”

Together they meandered through the castle to the guest room, chatting and laughing the whole way. As they approached the room Zelda talked to a staff member, instructing him of their plans. He did a short bow before walking off briskly. She opened the door and waved the others in before going in herself, leaving the door slightly ajar. It didn’t take them long to sprawl out along the lounge seats, exhausted after the events of the day.

A servant brought in a bottle of champagne and three glasses, setting them on the low table between them. Holding the neck of the bottle, she glanced quizzically at Zelda. She dismissed her with a lazy hand wave, and the servant nodded before bowing and showing herself out. Zelda uncorked the bottle and poured out the bubbling drink into each of their glasses. Holding up her own glass, she proposed a toast.

“To the future of Gerudo and Hyrule; may it shine brighter than the sun.”

“Hear hear,” Ganon and Link chimed, clinking their glasses together. Link carefully sipped his drink while the other two downed theirs like it was their first drink after traversing the desert for an entire month. Zelda sighed as she leaned back, flinging an arm over the back of the lounge seat.

“How long has it been since we’ve been able to just sit and relax like this?”

“Ummm, I think the last time was after your coronation, and that was...a little over two years ago,” Ganon pondered, counting on his fingers.

“Sheesh, that feels like forever ago,” she groaned. “Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love all the work we’ve been doing, but damn it sometimes I just need a moment to rest.”

“I felt that to my core, you don’t even know,” Ganon rolled his eyes as he poured himself another glass. “We finally finished everything with Gerudo Independence, but now the Zora and the people of Faron are asking me for help with their own independence. And while I’m more than happy to help, I’m just one guy, and I need a small break before I start helping everyone else, you know?”

“If I had free time I think I would just sleep for a week straight.”

“I think that’s called a coma,” Link chimed in.

“Yes, that, I want that,” Zelda said, straight-faced, as she also poured herself another glass.

“If I had free time, I think I would try dating again,” Ganon mused.

“Oh?” A sly smirk unfurled from Zelda’s lips. “Anybody catch your eye?”

“It’s just a hypothetical, I don’t have anyone particular in mind.”

“What about the Zora princess? She’s pretty, and you guys have great chemistry.”

“It’s purely political,” Ganon defended, but he couldn’t contain the blush that spread across his face.

“Of course it is. And I’m the queen of the moon,” Zelda teased.

“No, but really, I’m not sure if I want to date another royal. It’s stressful, the whole courting process takes forever and is so stiff and formal, not to mention all the attention and gossip that’s focused on you. It just doesn’t seem worth it to me.”

“Well, I gotta say, there’s just as much gossip, if not more, in dating a non-royal,” Zelda said, subconsciously reaching over to hold Link’s hand. He gave it a firm, reassuring squeeze.

“Speaking of, I’m surprised you two aren’t married yet. Why the wait?”

“Well, Zelda wanted to spend some time just focusing on herself and her kingdom, learning how she could be the best possible queen for them. She also wanted to...how did you phrase it?” Link asked.

“Break the outdated notion that the Princess of Hyrule needs to be married before they become Queen?” Zelda offered.

“Yes, that!” He chirped. “Though it wasn’t like I didn’t ask her to marry me a few times.”

“He proposed so many times, it became a game of what was the weirdest and most unexpected way he could propose to me.”

“One time I asked while we were waist-deep in a pond hunting for frogs,” he grinned mischievously, and Zelda playfully smacked his arm.

“That’s not nearly as bad as the time he asked by putting signs on a bunch of sheep and releasing them. The only thing is they weren’t trained well so it read ‘You marry will me?’”

Ganon snorted. “That’s really sweet, if a bit weird. I can see why you like him so much, Zelda.”

“Yeah, he really is something.” She squeezed Link’s hand and smiled warmly at him. He returned the gesture, getting lost in her eyes.

“Well, when you two finally decide to get married I better be invited to the wedding,” Ganon teased.

“Of course, that was never a question,” Zelda insisted.

“Yeah, you can even be my Man of Honor!” Link offered.

“I think the term is ‘Best Man,’ but I accept,” Ganon chuckled. “So, Link, how do you feel about becoming King?”

Link paled a bit at this, and he stammered as he tried to get his thoughts together. “Well, you see, I- I wouldn’t technically be King, just King-Consort. And, and I really don’t...I just want to be seen as Zelda’s husband, really. I don’t want a lot of power, or...attention.”

“Oh, typical Link, trying to be humble,” Ganon teased.

“I mean, I’m not really ‘trying’ to be humble, I just...”

Zelda patted his arm in an effort to calm him down. “Why don’t you tell him about that program you started?”

Ganon cocked his head in interest. “Program?”

Link fiddled with the hem of his coat, picking at the gold embroidery. “There’s rampant abuse of power in the military, and I want people to feel safe and heard. So I’ve created an anonymous reporting system that protects people from backlash. If someone that’s being investigated finds out who reported them and tries to retaliate, they’ll be automatically relieved of their position. My dad is also helping me with this. Since he decided to stay in retirement, he can’t be negatively affected by reporting his old colleagues. Hopefully we can help reduce the amount of abuse that occurs in the military.”

Link paused for a second as he took a breath, setting his mouth in a hard line. “I’ve...I’ve spent too long just keeping my head down and letting people get away with horrible things so that I can protect myself. I’m in a position to help now, and it’s my duty to create the change I wish to see.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment as the words sunk in. Ganon’s eyes fixated on the glass in his hands, gently swirling the champagne as he bit his lip. Zelda stared at Link’s hand clasped in her own, a contrast of tanned and calloused fingers intertwined in her soft and pale ones. Her eyes wandered up, and found Link focused on the ground squarely in front of him. His eyebrows scrunched in the very specific way they did when he was deep in thought. She couldn’t help but smile.

“You know, if someone had told me almost six years ago that this is how we’d end up, I wouldn’t believe them. I wouldn’t believe that I would directly go against my father’s wishes, that I’d be able to choose who I wanted to marry, that I’d be able to do so much good for Hyrule. Hell, six years ago I hated Link and everything he represented, and now it’s just a matter of when we’ll get married. I would never have thought that Ganon would become one of my closest friends. Or that we would all become so close in general. But I couldn’t be happier that this is how we ended up.” Zelda glanced around to find both Ganon and Link nodding in agreement.

“I thought nothing would ever change for me, and that I would end up dying in battle,” Link added.

“And I thought I’d never be able to do enough to help my people, but now I’m the chief of an independent Gerudo,” Ganon supplied.

“And if anybody had told me so much as that the Triforce was real, nevertheless that we’d be the ones to balance it and forever end the cycle of reincarnation? I’d say that they’d drank one too many Noble Pursuits,” Zelda said as she took a sip from her own drink.

“Im just glad that I never have to hear the Calamity’s voice in my head again. I was beginning to feel hopeless, like I’d never be able to escape my fate.” Ganon paused as he furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. He reached for the bottle of champagne, topping off everyone’s glass before lifting up his own.

“You know what, I’m really proud of everything we’ve done and become, and I’d like to propose a toast. To us; because we fucking deserve it.”

“Hear hear!” Zelda cheered loudly, clinking her glass against the others before immediately knocking back her drink. Link chuckled as he shook his head and gently sipped his own drink.

They talked and talked for many hours more, joking and catching up and at one point crying on each other’s shoulders as they held each other tightly. Zelda was the first one to fall asleep, drooling on Link’s lap. Ganon was next, resting his head on Link’s shoulder and quietly snoring. Being the most sober of the three, it took longer for Link to fall asleep, but eventually he too succumbed to restful dreams.

Everything was different, but the same, but much better than any of them could have ever imagined. It took a lot of pain, but they made it, all on their own. Everything, their lives, their souls, their understanding of the world, everything had to be destroyed, shattered, broken beyond recognition before they could rebuild the world and themselves into something they could actually be proud of.

They had to bleed to know they were alive. They had to be broken to know they were whole. They had to fight to know they were loved.

It’s funny how that is, isn’t it?