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The massive ballroom of Hyrule Castle was crowded nearly to its limit as Zelda wove past the dance floor, scattered with twirling couples, and through the throngs of people lining the sides of the room, making her way to the very edge so she could catch a few moments of respite. Half the kingdom was gathered here tonight in celebration of her royal wedding the following week, though of all the people present, Zelda herself was the least excited for the upcoming event.
She came to a halt in an empty corner of the room and sighed, looking out across the dancers with a furrowed brow. Her fiancé, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, had been cavorting like a court jester all night, drunk on castle wine and making an utter fool of himself with every movement. She spotted him just now dancing wildly with his partner, completely off-beat to the music and treading on the feet of everyone around him.
Yet it was not his drunken idiocy that made her heart wrench in her chest.
Zelda pressed her fingers to her temple, averting her gaze from her fiancé’s stupidity and scanning the room for a captain usually clad in forest green. Tonight, however, he was wearing a set of armor he had acquired during his quest, as it seemed more fitting for the ball’s required elegance. Unfortunately this made him more difficult to spot, as most of the partygoers were wearing some combination of his armor’s gold and dark magenta to match the colors of the royal couple.
“Looking for someone?”
The question caught her off guard, and Zelda turned to see none other than the captain she had just been searching for standing before her, hands clasped behind his back and his face devoid of expression.
“You, as a matter of fact.” She forced a smile in his direction, even as the crushing pain in her heart reminded her yet again of their situation. She liked to think they had become close in the months following the Twilight, more than friends even, but once her engagement had been announced Link had become— awkward . Closed-off. She could never be sure if she was just imagining the pain in his eyes, but it seemed to her that her engagement had cut a deep wound in him for a reason she couldn’t fathom.
“Me?” His expression didn’t change save for a slight lift of his eyebrows. “Are you in need of something?”
A pang took hold of her at the suggestion that he believed she was only looking for him to make him perform a task for her. “No,” she answered quietly, gloved fingers bunching in the fabric of her skirts. “I was wondering if you might wish to dance with me.”
The look Link gave her was guarded, though something unreadable was hidden in his eyes. “Would that be wise?” he asked, voice carefully controlled. “Seeing as your wedding is next week.”
Zelda flushed, a bitter taste stinging her throat. “I’m well aware of that, Link.” She swallowed, dropping her gaze. “But my fiancé has been dancing with many women all night. I am sure he would not mind me dancing once with you.”
Link let out a breath, arms folding over his chest. “I have a strong suspicion that he would,” he muttered, eyes flashing over to where the prince was staggering in a circle with an equally inebriated duchess. “But then,” he amended, disgust crossing his face, “perhaps he’s too drunk to even notice.”
“So, then…” She tipped her head. “Can I take that as a yes?”
Link regarded her for a long moment before he let loose a sigh. “If you’re sure that idiot you call a prince really won’t care, then yes, it is.”
“There is no obligation for you to dance with me,” Zelda said quietly, an ache filling her chest at the clear discomfort on his face. “It was not meant as a command.”
“No, I want to.” He hesitated, seeming to wrestle with himself for a few seconds as a number of emotions flickered over his face. “I just don’t think it’s wise for you to dance with me. Because–”
She took a step closer to him as she awaited his answer, even as he shifted away from her subconsciously, likely trying to avoid stirring up rumors. He was always so aware of her reputation, wasn’t he? Always trying to protect it.
Always trying to protect her .
“Because what, Link?” she asked when a minute had passed and he still hadn’t resumed what he had started to say.
He glanced at her, looking conflicted, and then away again. “Because of something everyone knows but you,” he said, so soft she could barely hear him. “Because of something I’ve known since we first met.” He swallowed hard. “But…in spite of it– in fact, because of it– I could never turn you down on anything, Your Highness.” He extended a calloused hand to her, eyes sad and wounded and full of fragility. “So let’s dance, shall we?”
Zelda’s lips parted at the softened anguish on his face as she slid her hand into his own. Their fingers intertwined like pieces of a puzzle locking together, Link’s hand warm and calloused against hers as they moved away from the edge of the ballroom. His eyes never left her face as they stepped onto the dance floor, their hands still clasped with her free hand on his shoulder and his own pressed against her waist. The notes of a waltz began to drift from the orchestra, taking hold of the dancers and seeming to move them as if by magic, but Zelda scarcely noticed anything beyond the warmth of Link before her.
His eyes, which as of late had been so sharp and wounded whenever they met her own, were soft tonight as they moved across the ballroom, the silken swish of her skirts in rhythm with the music. Zelda couldn’t help but think that the headpiece to Link’s armor looked extremely similar to the crown perched atop her own head, and his armor matched the pauldrons she wore almost daily.
It was almost as if he were trying to upstage the prince, who had made the most minimal effort possible and was clad in an offensively simple tunic for a ball celebrating his own upcoming wedding.
Almost as if Link were trying to match Zelda better than her own fiancé was.
She discarded the thought almost as soon as it occurred— it was just wishful thinking on her part. Yet unbeknownst to her, there were murmurs flitting across the ballroom as she and Link swept past. Murmurs about how impressive the princess and her hero looked together. Murmurs about the starstruck way he gazed at her as he tightened his hold on her waist. Murmurs about how they looked more of a couple than she did with the man she was marrying in just a week.
But neither Zelda nor Link noticed anything of these whispers, because they were too wrapped up in each other. In the warm press of their clasped hands, in the swish of fabric as they moved, in the tension that burned between them like the glowing embers of twilight.
A soft smile had made its way onto Link’s face as they danced, so soft Zelda thought she was dreaming it for a moment. She felt herself flushing beneath the weight of his smile, ducking her head and asking in a low voice, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He extended his arm to spin her, then pulled her back against him, his hand warm and steady in hers. “Like what?”
Like you’re blind to everything in the world but me.
Aloud she answered, “You’re smiling as though you’re amused. Is there something on my face, perhaps?”
His eyes crinkled as his smile curved even wider, though she could tell he was doing his best to keep a solemn expression. “There is, actually.”
“Oh?” Heat burned in her cheeks. Had she been talking to him this entire time with something so embarrassing as a bit of frosting or some pastry crumbs stuck to her face? “What is it?”
A light laugh escaped Link in spite of himself as he replied smugly, “Your nose.”
Her mouth dropped open for a moment. “My nose?”
His chuckle turned into a full-fledged snort. “What else did you want me to say?”
“Well, I thought you were serious,” Zelda chided, though she noted the melting softness in his gaze as he pressed her a bit closer. “I’m not exactly used to people making jokes in my presence.”
Link’s lips twitched, and he cast a glance over her shoulder. “Is your fiancé aware of that? Seeing as his entire existence is a joke.”
“I’d really rather not talk about my fiancé right now, Link.”
There was a slight edge of bitterness to his tone as he spun her again. “Really? I would’ve thought you’d be ecstatic to discuss the man you’re marrying next week.”
“ Link .” Her throat stung. This sharpness was uncharacteristic of him, though she had to admit that the events surrounding her engagement weren’t entirely in character for herself, either . She hadn’t had much of a choice, however; her council had given her a select number of weeks to decide on a husband, claiming that otherwise neighboring kingdoms might view Hyrule as weak for being under the rule of an unmarried woman.
Privately Zelda thought this was ridiculous, as she was perfectly capable of managing a kingdom on her own, but her advisors had been so adamant about it that she had no choice but to go through with picking the man she was currently betrothed to. Of all the options, he had surprisingly not been the stupidest, and she had noted that he was at least kind to her when he wasn’t drunk out of his mind. Many of the other choices her council had picked were clearly brutes in search of nothing but power.
She felt Link sigh at her admonishment. “I’m sorry, Zelda,” he murmured, and the acidity was purged from his voice, though a rawness remained that lashed her to the core. “I know you didn’t really have a choice. It’s just–”
The notes of the waltz trailed into silence, signaling the dance had ended, and Link and Zelda came to a halt in the middle of the dance floor, oblivious to the couples beginning to trickle towards its edges. “Do you think we can talk somewhere else?” Link asked abruptly, shifting away from his previous sentence as he released his grip on Zelda’s hand and stepped away. “It’s a little distracting in here for deep conversation.”
Zelda’s heart picked up speed a little in her chest, but she nodded without breaking her outward composure. “Of course,” she answered, glancing around the ballroom for a moment before nodding to the far end. “There’s a set of doors leading to the gardens just over there, if that suffices.”
“Perfect.” He turned away, already beginning to move across the ballroom. Zelda followed closely behind him, noticing the way his hands were clenching at his sides as he walked. He had mentioned deep conversation, but she had no idea what he could be referring to. Clearly, though, he was nervous about whatever he was wanting to say, but she supposed she’d just have to wait a few moments before she could know what was bothering him.
The gardens behind the castle were awash in moonlight and completely empty, save for a stray cat that scuttled out of sight as Link and Zelda came into view. They found an old stone bench towards the back of the gardens, situated beneath an arbor wound in moonflowers and surrounded by patches of daffodils. A few fireflies glowed amongst the greenery, and the cool scent of misty night air surrounded them as they took a seat, careful to sit at a respectable distance.
But Link didn’t start a conversation as Zelda had been anticipating; instead, he tipped his head back to gaze up at the moon, one leg bouncing restlessly up and down as a deep sigh heaved his chest. There was complete silence for a few minutes aside from the rustle of leaves and the hum of crickets somewhere in the gardens, and after the quiet had stretched an unbearable amount, Zelda leaned across the bench towards him.
“You said you wanted to talk about something?”
He jolted a little, blue eyes wide and startled as he turned to look at her. Moonlight gleamed on the curves of his face and pooled across his armor, making the metal appear almost silver in color. She could see a flush rising behind the freckles scattered on his cheeks as he cleared his throat.
“Ah– yes. I did.” One hand reached to rub the back of his neck, something she’d noticed he did when he was nervous or uncomfortable. “It’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while, but… I was never sure how to say it. And then, around the time I was finally working up the courage to, you got engaged.” His mouth twisted a little. “So I figured I should just keep quiet and never tell you, but I don’t think I can keep silent anymore.”
“What is it, Link?” Zelda asked him softly, reaching a hand across to rest against his forearm in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. Her touch only seemed to make him more uneasy, for he swallowed thickly, eyes fixed on where her hand pressed against him. The wind stirred past their bench, carrying the bittersweet smell of flowers drenched in mist, and an owl hooted somewhere in the distance as Zelda prodded again, “What is it you’ve been wanting to tell me?”
He finally met her gaze, eyes full of the same yearning that burned within her. “That I’m in love with you,” he answered simply, hoarsely, the faintest tremor seizing his voice. “And I always have been.”
Silence, except for the murmur of the wind. Zelda could feel her entire world falling to pieces around her as his words echoed in her mind, again and again, soft and reverent and yet earth-shattering all at the same time.
“You’re in love with me?” she whispered when the sudden, twisting ache in her chest had lessened enough that she could speak.
Link released a harsh laugh, though his eyes were starting to shimmer with tears that sparkled in the moonlight and gave him an otherworldly appearance. “Yes, Zelda,” he whispered, hands tensing at his sides. “I’m in love with you. Sickeningly, desperately so. It frightens me sometimes. I can’t think about anything or anyone else. Just you.”
“But–” Her throat was closing up, her heart beginning to beat too fast in her chest. “But why didn’t you say anything?”
“I thought I had ,” Link answered hoarsely, raking a trembling hand through his bangs. “I thought it was obvious. Everything I did, everything I said, I couldn’t stop it from showing– but you never noticed. You never noticed. And now you’re engaged to that– fool of a prince, and yet tonight you asked me to dance with you as though you’re not getting married in just eight days–”
He stopped talking for a moment, tears spilling freely down his cheeks like threads of melting silver. “The whole kingdom knows I love you,” he whispered finally, voice thin and broken. “But you’ve never realized it, no matter how many times I’ve tried to let you know.”
Zelda’s vision was blurring as she clasped a hand over her mouth, feeling overwhelmed. Now that he had told her, all her memories of him sprang out at her with sickening clarity. The devotion in his eyes as she went over the details of a document. The softness of his touch as he draped a blanket around her shoulders on cold evenings in her study. The way his laugh changed when it was just the two of them. How he always remembered the smallest details about her.
All this time, it had been right in front of her.
And she had been too blind to see it.
“Zelda?” Link said hesitantly after a moment, eyes still damp and anguish on every aspect of his countenance. “Please say something. Anything . I don’t care if you don’t feel the same; I just wanted to tell you I–”
He fell quiet just then, because Zelda was kissing him.
She felt him go rigid as she leaned in, his sharp intake of breath fanning over her face for a moment before he returned the kiss with hesitancy. But Zelda had not been silently in love with him for so long just for him to kiss her like he was afraid she would break. She seized his collar and pulled him even closer, reaching to brush the tears from his cheeks as everything else faded into oblivion.
When they pulled apart a moment later, she was the first to break the silence. “I am sorry for my impulsivity,” she said quietly, hands folding together in her lap as she looked anywhere but his face. Sheer embarrassment was beginning to roil within her, because how could she have been so reckless? She was getting married next week, for Hylia’s sake, and yet she had just initiated a kiss with her own personal captain–
“ I’m not sorry,” Link spoke up a bit hoarsely, prompting her to meet his gaze. “In fact, I wish you hadn’t stopped.” He swallowed, still close enough that she could feel his warmth. “But I have to ask… what did that mean?”
Zelda gave him a skeptical look. “What do you think it meant?”
Link flushed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Well, I– I assume that you kissing me means you at least… tolerate me.”
“I more than tolerate you.” She smoothed out his collar where her grip had rumpled it, his eyes following her every movement as she added, barely audible, “The truth is that I return your feelings completely, Link. ”
He caught her hand in his as she started to pull away. “Then why are you engaged to a prince you barely know?”
“Because I didn’t see a way out of it,” Zelda answered him honestly. “I never told you the full truth, because I was worried you wouldn’t understand, or that you would do something rash to protect me.” She raised an eyebrow as he started to protest. “Don’t try to convince me you wouldn’t have; I know you too well.”
“Fair enough,” Link admitted, shifting so his leg pressed against hers. “So what is the full truth, then?”
“That my council wished for me to find a husband because otherwise the kingdoms around us might view us as vulnerable.”
Link’s brow furrowed. “Why would they do that?”
A wry laugh escaped her. “Well, according to my advisors, my status as an unmarried woman makes Hyrule appear weak.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Link scowled. “You’ve been ruling exceptionally for a while now; you don’t need a husband to continue to do so.”
She smiled. “My sentiments exactly. I’m glad you agree; I suppose I may as well go ahead and call the wedding off.”
“Good.” He hesitated a moment, clearing his throat before adding almost shyly, “Although I don’t think you should swear off marriage completely.”
Zelda’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh? And why is that, my dear captain?”
A grin spread over Link’s face at the nickname. “Because you’re going to have a new candidate very soon,” he answered in a serious tone, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “In fact, he’s nominating himself at this exact moment.”
“Is he?” Zelda reached out to cup his face in her palm, relishing the way he went still beneath her touch. “It may not be fair to the other candidates, you know. Since the judge is biased towards him.”
“I’m counting on it,” Link murmured, and was just starting to lean in again when there was a trumpet blast from inside the castle. “Oh, right. You’re supposed to go in and join your council for an official announcement, aren’t you?”
“I am, though now the announcement will be that I’m breaking off our engagement. I can’t imagine my advisors will be terribly thrilled.”
He chuckled. “They may not be, but I sure am.” His expression wilted a little. “Though I guess you have to go do it sooner rather than later.”
Zelda just smiled, tipping her head to one side. “I think my council can wait a few minutes, don’t you?”
Link’s wide grin was answer enough.
GrapieBee Wed 03 Sep 2025 11:40PM UTC
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