Work Text:
Dancing the line
"Milady?" Link bowed and offered his gloved hand to Princess Zelda. He was lucky; her conversation partner had excused himself when he saw Link approaching. Sometimes, the striking Royal Guard armor had its perks.
Princess Zelda huffed, her chin tipping up.
Link's eyes crinkled in amusement; her behavior wasn't unlike it had been at the beginning of his appointment when they were still figuring out how to deal with each other.
Still, she slipped her hand in his and accepted his offer to dance.
He guided her expertly through the crowd of ball goers, avoiding ladies with dangerous punch glasses and wildly gesturing gentlemen alike.
"I thought you'd never ask." Princess Zelda's voice still held a hint of the high society drawl when they reached the dance floor.
"I apologize for keeping Your Highness waiting." Link squeezed her hand. Dancing was one of the few opportunities where he was allowed to touch her that wasn't related to security measurements. He was not beneath taking advantage of that. "Your father made it clear that I have to uphold the social standards that come with my position as a champion. As such, I am forced to entertain the mothers who present their daughters to me in the hopes of my person finding them agreeable as a future bride."
Link bit back a grin when she breathed a silent chuckle. She knew him well enough that he'd use much less fine words if he wasn't keenly aware of the always curious ears of the nobility. But since the King had forbidden her studies and everything else that promised an inch of freedom, Link's opportunities to speak freely with her were scarce.
He escorted her to the top of the row of dancers, her standing as the princess demanding that she lead the dance that was about to begin. He never liked the eyes of the kingdom on him, but dancing with her was different. At her side, everything else melted away.
She took her position, waiting for the musicians to start. Her eyes never left his, but only when the dance began and they met with their hands in the middle, she leaned closer and asked, "And? Did one of them catch your attention?"
The dance offered them the barest hint of privacy, but curious ears were left and right. Link lowered his head, still holding eye contact. "My duty lies with you, Your Highness, and no pretty face will ever change that."
She must know that this was as close to a love confession as he was allowed to come.
Her eyes were heavy on him during the setup for the chassé, but then she broke into a smile. "For someone who doesn't like talking, you're remarkably smooth tonight, Sir Link."
Thankfully, they changed dancing partners for the next steps so that she didn't see his blush.
The next figure had them pass each other with their backs nearly touching until Princess Zelda turned to step up to him again. When they met with open palms, she tipped her head closer and whispered, "Lady Lydia seemed to be especially eager, if you allow me the observation."
Link guided her in a twirl and leaned closer himself. "Her interest in me will subside soon enough." He couldn't help the clipped tone, but he hadn't expected that the unpleasant topic of a courtship he didn't want would dominate their only conversation tonight. "Her daughter, Rebecca, is to inherit the title of the Duchess from her. I'm but a lowly country knight, as my fellow soldiers deem to remind me almost constantly."
The music swelled and they clapped while the first couples walked through the alley the dancers formed.
"And the Champion of the Hylians," she mouthed and the fact that they were so familiar with each other that he understood her without hearing her voice made his point all the more painful. A man of frustratingly low birth without prospects of being with someone highborn, indeed. Champion of the Hylians or not.
They parted, each walking behind their the row of dancers. When they met again, Link gingerly squeezed her hand. "That I might be, but it's not that your father had any choice of picking someone else as the Champion with the sword resting on my back."
Her huff was covered by a violin solo.
They reached their places again and he concluded the sequence with a bow to his lady like the rest of the gentlemen. Nothing was further from his heart than to hurt her, but, with the way her eyes grew soft around him, she needed to hear it. And maybe he needed to hear it again, too. "It's misbecoming of me to even think about the possibility of a match above my standing," he said in the most neutral tone he could manage. No matter how much he wished things to be different.
He had expected her gaze to grow distant but instead, her lips lifted into the smallest of smiles. "I overheard Lady Lydia say that your humble origins don't matter."
Link carefully coughed into his gloved hand when the music allowed it. "And why would that be?"
Princess Zelda glanced at the other dancers who seemingly paid them little mind. Still, no conversation in a ball room was truly private. "She expects my father to give you a title after…" She trailed off, their looming destiny still not a topic she was comfortable with talking about in public.
A title? Link nearly missed his step, but offered his opposite hand nonetheless so that they could walk a circle. Titles were inherited, not given out at random. Where should the land coming with a title even come from?
Her gaze burned into his while they turned around each other and the ballroom disappeared. He swallowed the glimmer of hope back down that had risen from his belly. "I have never heard of something like that, Your Highness. Frankly, it sounds like an old woman's tale to me."
She wasn't dissuaded so easily. She shifted her hands to his shoulders and so did he, and they twirled together with measured hops like all the other couples did. She asked, "Do you want me to do research on the matter?" Her lips formed a round 'o' while she waited for his answer and Link had to forcefully pull his eyes away. "You shouldn't write off a good match so easily."
"No," he murmured and couldn't help a glance back at her hopeful face. "If what she says is true, it would be rather foolish to deny myself this opportunity."
"Very well then," she answered, her eyes sparkling. "I will see what I can find out."
She dropped into a curtsy and Link nearly forgot his concluding bow with the way his blood rushed in his ears. Could it be? Absently, he offered Princess Zelda his arm to lead her back. Could there really be a possibility?
"You should ask her to dance."
Link barely caught the glare that he was about to send her way and replaced it with a forced smile. She was right, if anyone had overheard them, he needed to play along. So, he brought her back to her booth, making a show of looking for a woman he wasn't interested in.
Too soon, their time for tonight was gone. He swallowed and, his eyes never leaving hers, he lifted her hand to his lips. He kissed the air directly above her knuckles, decency not allowing for a proper touch. "If Your Highness allows me to neglect my duty to you, I would ask Lady Rebecca to dance."
Her smile was innocent, but her gaze burned into his. "All is fair in love and war, Sir Link. All."
He smiled back, appreciating her words with a nod.
It was as close as she was allowed to come to a love declaration.