-Zelda

There were many, many rather annoying things that would happen everyday of my life. I knew it would never be easy, trying to run a country, being a woman, having to deal with arrogant, highly born rich men who thought they were above being than all others. All of them drunk on testosterone, ready to fight and argue their point against each other until their last whiskey-coated breath. Of course it was I that had to establish peace and order in these very important and boring council meetings, when all I wanted was to scream along with them and flip tables.

A queen mustn't flip tables.

Though I'm sure I would somehow find a way in which me flipping the table could look perfectly acceptable, and might even gain me some more respect but such situations would have to wait. It had to be at the right time, the right place and with the right people. Not the high born men of the royal court who thought my main job was to look pretty and bear children. The latter, it seemed, I completely sucked at.

Day after day, I would be bombarded with questions on how my reproductive system was doing. I'd get the occasional and rather impaling remark of me already being with child, before being drowned in apologies and how it was only the way my dress happened to be falling. Then I would be attacked by hand maids fixing my skirts.

These were only the first of my annoyances. I would also have long nights without sleep, me over worrying about small details of anything, then long hours of wondering if I looked presentable, then pretending not to care. But I have grown accustomed to my annoyances. I wasn't just educated on how to read and do math, but also to deal with people. I could deal with any sort of person I had the misfortune to meet.

Every person, except one.

When I first met Link in this life – it's been apparent that I've dealt with the hero in many different lives – he appeared rather shy and quiet. He'd walk into a room and look at everything, as if he had never seen any of the objects in the room before. He'd keep his eyes wandering as you talked to him, and it always seemed like he was never paying attention to whomever he was speaking with, but given a question, Link would answer with full eye contact. I've talked to many people who were afraid of eye contact. They'd keep their focus to some other part of the body: my nose, my mouth, often my chest but Link always gave me direct eye contact. For some reason I found it slightly uncomfortable, like he could look right into me and read every thought and feeling I'd ever had in my life.

Silly, I know.

Of course, this wasn't the reason why I couldn't stand dealing with him. He hadn't done anything bothersome, though as I began to know him better, he developed a slight cockiness. I didn't know if it was all that fame going to his head or not but instead of giving me that blank stare he used to, he now slipped me a crooked grin, as if he had just read my thoughts, which sent me back to my earlier paranoia.

Link never really did fit into palace life. He talked slower and quieter, and sometimes I just wanted to shake him to get the entire sentence out. He slouched all the time and when he sat he had his legs either stretched out or wide open. Sure, many men do this, and I've learned to ignore it but sometimes Link would waltz right in after some adventure or another, covered in sweat and blood and tattered clothes, scaring the hell out of me, thinking he must be dying, because for what other reason would he not stop to change before paying me a visit? I spent hours a day making myself ready for society and he never gave two shits.

Not that he had to. Everyone liked him. Sometimes I would catch him telling jokes or stories to the other men at court, and they'd go laughing and hollowing as if what they just heard was the best thing ever. Obviously whatever it was, it was more interesting than what I had to say.

We used to be friends. Good friends actually. To the point where Link would hardly talk to anyone else. Of course, now I was too busy doing important things to talk about silly stories, and Link was too busy trying to get himself killed unnecessarily on his stupid adventures.

Nonetheless, it still irked me. There was no excuse for distracting my men when I was trying to give a serious speech, so I caught up to Link one day as he was about to leave the court. I was able to escape my entourage, moving as fast as my shoes would allow without looking like I was running.

"Sir Link!"

He froze, turning around like he was terrified of my presence. I didn't understand it really. Sometimes Link would seem like he was completely at ease with the biggest political diplomatic assholes in the world but when I wanted to talk to him, he was as scared as a stray cat.

"Your... Highness..." He always seemed unsure on what to call me. He used to call me Zelda but of course, now that would be inappropriate.

"What was it you were saying to the Mayer of Kakariko?"

"To what...?" he asked, giving me a deer-caught-in-a-forest kind of look

"That story that made him almost choke himself, remember?"

"Oh, that, well, um," Link scratched his head through his hat. "I don't really remember. Something about what happened last time when I was looking for that artifact that you wanted me to find."

"The Lens of Truth... What happened on that adventure?"

Link shrugged. "Found the thing."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So it's all right to tell everybody else on what goes on in your life, with great hilarious detail but not me! I only rule the country. I'm not allowed to know how it gets rescued!?"

"They're not important details."

"What sort of details are they? Obviously I'm not meant to hear them. Are these details things that only other men would appreciate? Are they about exotic whore houses, where men from all over the place can come and get high and drunk and laid!?"

"No, Zelda... I mean, Your Highness." I wish he hadn't corrected himself. For a moment I forgot when and where we were. "They're just things that happen to me that I figured you shouldn't hear about."

"Like what things? Why shouldn't I hear about them?"

"You'll just worry. I don't want you to worry."

"Why would I worry?"

"Because you worry about everything!" He hadn't said it very loud but much louder than Link's normal voice. "You worry about every little thing in the world, so much so that I'm afraid you're going to keel over any second now with stress."

"I'm not that much of a basket case," I said, trying to defend myself. "I'm sure I can handle any sort of news you give to me."

"You almost had a heart attack when you saw me all cut up after looking for that sword."

"Well... you were seriously injured then."

"I'm seriously injured a lot. Compared to other things I've been through, that incident was like getting a paper cut. It's just... you shouldn't worry about anything that's got to do with me. I've got it."

I stared at him hard. I was slightly peeved that I wasn't allowed to know the details of Link's life. I wanted to know every single thing about him, every accident he had, every small or big success, every feeling he felt, every word he thought, just everything. Of course, Link's life, to that detail, was none of my business, and even though most things were my business, Link's personal life was not.

"Okay, fine."

Link looked at me, his hands in his pockets as he leaned on one foot.

"Just keep secrets from me. I'm fine with that."

He laughed. "I'm not keeping secrets from you."

"Well whatever you want to say you're doing."

He was looking at me, a sort of mirth in his eyes, just a hint of affection that I was not sure if he showed to anyone else. "Queen Zelda," He bowed to me, getting on his knees. Usually I hated seeing Link do this kind of stuff to me but being in the middle of the hallway, with no one else around, it was almost comical and I had to hide my smile. "What is it that you'd like to know of me? I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Now, of course, I didn't know what I wanted to ask.

I laughed, and extended one of my hands. "Get up!"

He looked up to stare at my hand for a moment, unsure if he should actually grab the Queen's hand to help himself off the floor. He eventually did, and I pulled him up.

Once standing though, Link failed to let go of my hand. I looked at his face but he was too busy staring at our hands. "We should probably get back to doing whatever we're supposed to be doing." I wasn't sure what Link had planned to do today but I couldn't think of anything I was supposed to be doing right now. Well, nothing that was so important that I wanted Link to let go of my hand.

He brought my hand to his lips to give it a courteous kiss, and like always, the contact was too long, always long enough that the warmth of Link's breath would go through the fabric of my glove and into my skin.

He let go of my hand. "See you later, Your Majesty," and he turned and left.

I turned around sharply too, trying to think of something that wouldn't let me think about the heaviness in my heart. The real reason why I hated dealing with Link was because of these feelings, the hot flash shooting through my entire body that I seemed to convince myself would stop happening next time I saw him.

I would be relieved whenever Link left the town. Then I could concentrate on my country, on my husband, on my important things but of course when he was gone, I would be sick with worry and unable to concentrate on anything.

That's why Link was the worst of all the annoyances in my life.