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Link's tried to prepare for meeting Princess Zelda as much as he can, but when he meets her for the first time, he still feels like he's been hit with a tree. She seems really familiar somehow, even though he's sure he'd remember meeting her.
If Princess Zelda has met him before, she doesn't show it. She neatly stacks her papers on the table in front of her and picks up a pen. "Welcome, Link of Ordon. I'm glad to see you here, especially after the long trip you must have had." Her accent is precise and aristocratic, but her tone is friendly.
Just be a normal human. Just for a few minutes. What do normal humans say? "I'm glad to be here, Your Highness."
"And the sword you brought is very well made," she says. "Is it from Ordon?"
He nods. "Yes, Your Highness. Rusl made it." Was saying "Your Highness" one time enough? Or should he say it in every sentence? He's never felt so out of his depth in his life. Maybe offering to bring this year’s tribute to the castle was a bad idea.
She sets the sword down on the table. How is she so graceful? He could watch her all day. "Please, Link, have a seat. Would you like tea? Sandwiches?"
"Um. Okay, Your Highness." Suddenly he wishes he sounded more refined — Rusl's briefing hadn't included suggestions on how to sound cool and collected.
She pours them each a cup of tea and gestures to a tray of tiny sandwiches — that are filled with cucumber? He bites down cautiously.
Cool flavor and a creamy texture explodes across his tongue. He swallows, talking before he can stop himself. "Whoa, I bet this is amazin' in hot weather. I thought only cold drinks could be so refreshin'."
"I'm glad you like it. And yes, it is nice in the hottest days of summer." She takes a dainty bite of her sandwich, and Link forces himself to slow down his own eating (and to avoid watching Princess Zelda eat, even though he could happily watch her eat all day; really, he could watch her do anything all day). "Now, what does Ordon need?"
He and Bo had discussed what he should ask Princess Zelda for, which meant that Bo gave him a list and Link had nodded. "A doctor would be good. Or even a nurse. The closest one is back in Castle Town, and that's two days' hard ridin'."
She picks up a pen and writes something, and even from across the table Link can tell that her handwriting is perfect.
"We could use some more horses too." He glances at her. She's studying him carefully, which doesn't make it any easier to think. "We just have Epona, and I rode her here. There's no horse to pull a plow if she's unavailable."
"I see." She makes a note on the paper, and Link catches himself admiring her delicate fingers on the pen for way too long. How does she manage to not get ink on her fingers? He's here to deliver a sword and apparently discuss Ordon, not stare at her like some hick. She looks at him again, almost like she wants to look at him — not that he's going to let his mind go down such a dangerous road. "What else?"
"We want to be on the trade route too. There are a couple traders who come every year, but it's not enough."
She looks surprised. "You don't have merchants coming already?"
"No, Ordon's pretty out of the way. It's not really on the way to anywhere, so it gets skipped — at least, I think that's why. We get maybe two traders a year." And some of the caravans would have traveling teachers, willing to trade lessons for pumpkins and goat cheese. Bo had only mentioned wanting traders, but Link figured part of his job was to infer what Ordon needed, instead of sticking only to the list.
She writes on the paper again, and this time when she looks up, Link's prepared for both her expectant expression and the way his heart pounds against his ribcage. All he has to do is make it through this meeting without letting his crush on her show. And without spilling that he's a werewolf. And without embarrassing Ordon.
No pressure.
"Um. Rusl would probably like swordfightin' lessons." He'd like them too, but he doesn't want to be selfish. And swordfighting lessons for one person seems like a pretty big ask, but she writes it down anyway.
"What else?"
The monkeys used to be a problem, at least until he became a werewolf and talked them out of (most) of their shenanigans. It was the only upside to having been bitten. He shakes his head. "I don't think there is anythin' else."
She frowns, studying him far more closely than he expected her to. Part of him is shocked, part of him hopes that she likes hicks from the backwoods (he squashes that part of him as quickly as he can). "Is there anything you want? I mean you personally, Link."
Out of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them. He sorts through his list. I want to hang out with you. Not appropriate to say to her — he's just here to give her Ordon's sword, not ask her out. I want to travel and see more of Hyrule. True, but she wasn't going to go to all the effort of arranging a sightseeing trip for one random person she met one time.
She looks disappointed, setting her pen down. "If anything else—"
Link doesn't want her to be disappointed, so he blurts the next thing that comes to mind. "I want people to see me as a person, not as a werewolf."
Stunned silence falls over the table. How could he have just revealed his innermost thought to someone he just met? She's friendly and nice and beautiful and asked him what he personally wanted, but he's pretty sure she didn't intend to be his therapist today.
No, this is a Link problem, and blurting it out on a diplomatic trip is another Link problem. He opens his mouth to apologize, to say he's leaving, anything but this awful silence, but Zelda recovers more quickly. "I'm sorry that happened to you," she says, in a sympathetic tone. "How are you doing? With handling lycanthropy, I mean."
The polite answer is that he's fine, and it's what he's about to say when he sees Princess Zelda's expression. He expected cautiousness, but all she shows is concern and— curiosity?
Well. If she wants to talk about it, he'll answer her question. "Okay, I guess. I mean, I wish I hadn't gotten bitten, but having a really good sense of smell is nice sometimes."
She tilts her head, and Link very carefully doesn't watch the way the light shines off her hair. "Is there a werewolf still attacking Ordonians?"
He shakes his head. "No. I'm the only one." Thanks to Rusl.
"It sounds lonely," she says.
Relief floods him, and he sags like a sack of potatoes. He's never felt so seen before. "I've lived in Ordon my whole life, and after I got bitten, it still took them months to warm back up to me. It was—" Awful. Devastating. "—kind of frustratin'."
She reaches across the table, squeezing his hands with her own. His first thought is that she's much warmer than he expected; his second thought is that she hopefully can't tell how sweaty his hands are; and his third thought is an excited squeal of she's touching me! "I can relate. Sometimes I want to ask people, 'are you talking to me the person or me the princess?'"
She understands? He's not alone? He's never met anyone else who experiences the same thing. "Like, I'm still a person, please talk to me the person."
"Yes! And also convince them that I won't hurt them, and that I really only want to spend time with them."
Princess Zelda holds more power than anyone else in the kingdom, but Link's never connected with anyone on such a personal level. For the first time since he was bitten, someone sees that he's a werewolf and doesn't hesitate to talk to him.
"Have you found anythin' that works?" Link asks, before he can stop himself.
She pauses, considering. "I do my best to put people at their ease," she says. "Offering food and drink helps, of course, but I can't mitigate it all."
That explains the delicious sandwiches.
She smiles, and Link smiles back at her, because it's a contagious kind of smile. "I try not to be intimidatin'," he says."So if people do find out I'm a werewolf, they'll hopefully be less scared."
She squeezes his hands before sitting back (he wants her to keep touching him). "That's very sweet. Does it work?"
He shrugs. "You tell me. Are you nervous?"
Was he—oh, great goddesses. He just flirted with the Princess of Hyrule. Any minute now she's going tell him that he stepped over the line, and would he mind leaving and never coming back?
First he told her about the whole werewolf thing, and then he flirted with her. He's going to become a hermit and never speak to anyone again—if she doesn't just throw him in prison. Some tribute carrier he is.
To his astonishment, she laughs, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "No, I must say, I'm not nervous at all."
He's glad, but more confused than he's ever been. "Why not? Most people are, when they find out."
She studies him for a moment, and he has the sudden feeling that she's seeing way more than he intended to show. "You're not threatening. You don't intend to hurt people, but more than that, you think about how you can avoid hurting them." Her eyes crinkle again. "And you did just give me a very fine sword."
"You know how to use one?"
"Yes, although I don't get as much time to practice as I would like."
Had Rusl known? Was this why the gift was a sword, and not cheese or cashmere or something? "I've been learnin' a few things, but I'm still a beginner."
"If you'd like, we could spar while you're in Castle Town," Zelda says.
He wants to spend time with her doing pretty much anything, but sparring? Maybe this is the best day of his life.
She sits upright, reminding him to sit back too. When had she leaned forward? "Link, I really enjoyed talking to you today."
He braces himself, because a buildup like this is never good. He's fully prepared to hear Princess Zelda say, but could Ordon send someone different next time? Someone who's not a werewolf?
So it's a complete shock when she says, "Can I see you again?"
She wants to spend more time with him? Why? Sure, he thought their conversation was great, but he's got a massive crush on her. She spends all day talking to people. He's sure she regularly meets people wittier and more polished than him.
Somehow he gets his mouth working again. "Now?"
"As long as you're in Castle Town. I would, of course, love to visit Ordon, but that will take a little more planning."
His imagination kicks into overdrive. Princess Zelda, walking through Ordon; fishing in the river; smiling at him over a snack of crackers and goat cheese; holding his hand; ruffling his hair—
She smiles at him again. "Would you have dinner with me tonight?"
It's not a date, he tells himself firmly. She just wants to learn more about Ordon, and maybe werewolves. She definitely does not like goatherders enough to ask one on a date, no matter how much you want her to. He smiles at her. "Okay. I'll see you tonight."