Author's Note: A few quick things I want to mention. This story is from Robin's perspective, and I write her with a bit more sass than normal. I also tend to write dialogue in first person stories in sort of a "visual novel" style. I think it'll read better than I'm making it sound. Anyway, carry on.

Heroes

Maybe it was the inner pessimist in me making its once-a-month trip to the surface world, but I didn't have a good feeling about this idea. Link - bless his Hylian heart of gold - always seemed to have a one-track mind when it came to Princess Zelda. Protect, guard, serve. It was a chivalrous goal, and perhaps an incredibly impractical one, to want to keep the princess safe at all times. It was his duty as a hero - as the hero of Hyrule, after all.

I've come to learn, however, that despite Link's stubbornness, even he can't do it all. With more brawls to compete in and less free time Princess Zelda was left alone far more often than he would've liked. It was for that reason why Link approached me yesterday evening and asked me for a favor - watching over the princess while he participated in fights.

The request was so bizarre that I was tempted to refuse without a second thought. We weren't on terrible terms or anything, but it's not like we were especially close either. Why ask me? And yet, something about Link's dedication to the Princess of Hyrule touched me emotionally. How could I ignore the pleas of a man who just wanted to protect a Princess?! There was no way that I could refuse such a noble act.

Plus, it was the only way to get him to quit begging and release my leg.

And so here I stood - my hand held awkwardly in the air as I waved a measly 'goodbye' to Link, his frame disappearing into the distance as he walked away from the princess's room. As I quietly closed the door, I mentally prepared myself to be bombarded with questions from Princess Zelda. 'Why are you here?' 'How long is Link going to be gone?' 'Don't you have other things you should be doing?' At least, those are the questions I would ask in her position. I am an oddly curious person. About everything, ever.

Rather than being pummeled with an onslaught of questions, I was, instead, greeted by silence. I turned my head to see her sitting on the queen-sized bed, staring at nothing - not staring at the wall or the floor, or anything in particular. Nothing. Her eyes seemed to be lifeless, as if all traces of emotion had been sapped away from her person. Was she upset? Was she sad? It was hard to say for sure without asking her outright. Was that too personal? Did I really intend to just invade her privacy?

I shook my head, trying to regain focus. If she truly was feeling down, it wouldn't be right for me to stand around and do nothing, especially when taking into account this clearly uneasy atmosphere. No, something definitely had to be done, and it fell upon my shoulders to do it. I was unsure of my ability to do so, but tried to stay determined nonetheless.

'All right, Robin. All you have to do is talk to her. And be courteous - she's a princess. Simple. Socializing is easy. You can't possibly mess this up.'

"Erm, are you feeling okay, princess? You seem to be a bit down…?"

'Nice, Robin. Way to be presumptuous! Gods, I take it back. Socializing is hard. I can't believe I messed this up!'

Through the booming sounds of my own mental scolding, I heard the faint inklings of a sigh. It was barely audible, and maybe it wasn't meant for me to hear at all. Before I could ask about it further - because of course I had to ask about it - Princess Zelda shifted in her position, her eyes now fully locked onto me. It was nice to see that she wasn't actually lifeless, but I can't say that this staring made things any less awkward than before. I shuffled in place, only a little, as I could almost feel her pupils do a quick once-over of me.

"Do you ever feel like you're trapped?"

Her sudden question was something I wasn't prepared for. Trapped? It's not as if we were locked in here - we were always free to come and go as we pleased, so long as we didn't cause any trouble. Yet, I was sure that she wasn't talking about it physically, which only served to make me more curious than I had been. A dangerous thing, for sure.

"I'm not sure of what you mean, exactly."

That was a lie. I obviously knew what she meant, but feigning ignorance here might get her to tell me what she's thinking. I noticed her eyes darting about the room, finally settling on the door to my left. It might've been my imagination, but it looked as though she was nervous, contemplative about divulging any more information. If that were really the case, I understood why.

Like Link, Princess Zelda and I weren't particularly close. Come to think of it, I probably knew less about her than I knew about most of the other fighters. She was often quiet and composed, a bit more introverted than I'd ever pictured, or seen, royalty being. The only thing I knew for certain was that Link stuck to her side like glue - that is, if glue were applied three times over, taped together, and then stapled shut. This was my chance to learn more about her. Something, anything at all.

"I just-"

Again, the princess looked contemplative, stopping herself before she could share what was on her mind. At this point, I thought it might be best to reassure her.

"I know we don't know each other that well, but if there's anything you'd like to talk about, I promise it will stay between us."

I finished my words off with a whisper, raising a finger to my lips, swearing a vow secrecy. It was a silly attempt to ease some of the lingering tension and it seemed to work, the briefest hint of a smile creeping its way across her face. A small victory for the master tactician, and master comedian! Who said humor wasn't my strong suit?

"Thank you, Robin. I really appreciate that."

I gave her a quick nod before trying to nudge the conversation along.

"You asked if I felt trapped?"

"I-I'm sorry. That might've been a bit too forward. I guess I wanted to see if you could relate to what I'm feeling."

"I see. Well, to answer your question, I can't really say that I've felt that way, at least not recently."

It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, I'm sure, but I had to be honest. While it's true that I spent unhealthy periods of time alone, I never felt like I was 'trapped.' Any time I took to be holed up in my room was of my own accord. There are a few isolated incidents I could think of, but none so severe that sharing it would satisfy her. She seemed a little disappointed at my response, but not surprised.

"I figured as much - it was a stupid question. You probably had a lot of freedom to do what you pleased before this."

"Hmm, if you count days of planning battle strategies and fighting in wars, 'doing what I please,' then sure."

Though my smile was meant to convey the joking nature of my words, the princess looked absolutely mortified, her eyes wide as saucers.

"No, I didn't mean to suggest tha- Ugh. I'm terrible at this."

I wasn't offended in the slighest, but I could only watch as she placed her head firmly in her palms and groaned. Well, I suppose I can remove, 'master comedian' from my resume now.

"It's all right. Being stuck inside a castle during your childhood probably didn't do much for you."

"Actually, I had as much freedom as anyone in the castle. Mostly. Guards still accompanied me around town, but I was able to go about as I pleased."

Her eyes were closed now, a fully formed smile on her face as she recalled an earlier memory of some kind. It almost made me wish I could remember my own childhood, but it was probably for the best that I didn't. Just as my mouth began to open, a question about her childhood memories fresh on my lips, the princess cut me off, her expression back to the way it was.

"Definitely not as bad as it is now."

"But we have permission to basically come and go whenever we want to. Is there some sort of special rule for princesses I'm not getting here?"

That couldn't be, I thought to myself. Lucina would have obviously told me if such a rule existed. That woman tells me everything - from the way she's won a match to the splinter in her finger. Okay, she wasn't that dramatic, but close enough.

"It's not the rules. It's..."

"It's…?"

"It's... him."

"Him? 'Him' who?"

As soon as the question left my tongue, I instantly regretted it. My ears were completely unprepared for the princess's outburst.

"It's Link! Ugh! He just won't leave me alone! He's always by my side - 'protecting' me, 'fulfilling his duties.' What is he protecting me from? Ganondorf? That man barely has a fraction of the powers he had before. The other fighters? I'm a fighter here too, but no. I must stay safe and I must be watched over! Hmph! I can take care of myself! I'm not a child - I don't need someone to babysit me. But no matter what I say, he just doesn't understand. Gods!"

I was tempted to put a finger to my ears to make sure that they weren't bleeding, but despite the increase in volume, I still got what she was saying. Thinking back on it now, it makes perfect sense. Heck, me being in this room - a glorified babysitter for someone that clearly doesn't need it - is proof enough. I knew Link wanted to keep her safe, but I didn't realize how badly this must be affecting Princess Zelda as well. For a woman of her caliber - regal, a role model, a powerful fighter - it must be embarrassing to deal with something like this. Embarrassing and suffocating.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I-"

"No need to apologize. I can see why this would make you angry. This was supposed to be a fun adventure, but he's sort of been making you miserable the whole time."

"I'm glad he at least picked someone so understanding to… babysit me. I just wish I knew why he was so adamant about this."

It's true that Link was constantly breathing down her neck, but it was easy to see that she cared for him tremendously. That's what makes it so hard for her - the person that she cares for the most here isn't listening to anything that she's saying. It's like - well, it's like being trapped. Still, I wanted to look at things from his point of view too. A change in perspective can yield some great insight. That's what I always say. Maybe not 'always' so much as, 'I said it this one time and thought it sounded pretty cool.' Everyone needs a quote, right?

"Link's, uh, a peculiar case. From an early age, he's hearing about all of this 'hero of time' business and how his fate is connected to the Princess of Hyrule."

"You really know a lot about our history."

"I read a lot."

I waved off her remark, earning a small giggle in response.

"It must have been pretty surreal to get beaten over the head with all of this prophecy stuff by men ranging from old to ancient. 'You must protect - eugh! - the princess! The Triforce is something that must be guarded at all costs! It is up to you, Link!'"

My horrible, horrible impression of an old man - complete with hunched shoulders and a shakey finger - somehow made her laugh even harder, and I was relieved to see pure joy on her face for the first time since I arrived here. I continued to speak between her bouts of laughter.

"Link is taking it a little far, but you have to appreciate his dedication to you and to Hyrule. It's important to try and find some middle ground."

"Wow, that was pretty… deep."

"Was it? To be honest, I kind of lost my point halfway through my explanation."

"They say that old man impressions take a lot out of a person, you know."

"You won't hear any arguments from me."

I scratched the back of my head bashfully, before we both fell into a bout of laughter. I had never pictured the Princess of Hyrule having this playful side to her. It was wonderful to see, and it's a shame that I was never able to see it before this very moment, something that I relayed to her.

"And you're definitely not the bookworm that I took you for either. If only I had been able convince Link a little better, maybe I could've made friends this easily from the beginning."

"Friends?"

"Did I say that too soon?"

I shook my head at sound of her concerned tone.

"No. I think I like that idea."

"Venting like that to a friend feels like a huge weight off my shoulders."

Another smirk. I could practically see the light bulb resting above her head.

"And what better way to celebrate a new friendship then by spending some quality time with each other?"

"Did you have anything in mind, princess?"

"Robin. You don't have to call me 'princess' - Zelda will do just fine."

"Right. Any ideas, Zelda?"

The pri-… Zelda stood up from the bed, grabbing hold of my wrist as she did. She seemed a little too excited as I could feel her starting to yank my arm towards her.

"My stomach is begging me for a meal. Have you ever played hooky before?"

"Not for nothing, but when I said 'find some middle ground with Link,' I didn't mean to sneak out without him knowing."

"I'll tell him I'm with a friend."

Zelda winked at me, and I'm positive my face was three different shades of red. Were all Hylians masters of persuasion? I needed to make note of this for later.

"Oh, and Robin?"

All of my inner musings were cut short as I felt her slender arms wrap around my frame - a hug so gentle, yet brimming with warmth.

"Thanks for being my hero."

Her words were so full of earnest, five words of pure emotion, that I felt the need to return the gesture. I ignored the thought of how awkward I must look - hugs never my specialty - before allowing myself to peacefully fall into the embrace.

"Whenever you need a hero, or a babysitter, I'm your gal!"

She playfully slapped my arm after releasing the hug, before leading me out into the hall. As we walked down the large hallways, I could only think about what had transpired in Zelda's room. I suddenly had a new friend, and I was okay with it. More than okay. She called me a 'hero' - for listening to her? For understanding? Whatever the case, I never thought of myself as a hero before. Then again, not all heroes wear capes. No, sometimes they carry around ridiculously large tomes and get far less sunlight than their pale skin actually needs.

That's it - 'master comedian' is going back on the resume.