Zelda sighed, resting her head on her knees, gold strands of hair falling haphazardly across her eyes. One hand tugged morosely on the gilded braid that hung over her shoulder like a rope of glinting metal, her bandaged fingers twisting between the silken filaments. Her other hand tugged her cowl further up her face, and she sighed into the fabric. The clearing in which she was currently resting in was quiet, peaceful, the exact environment the Hyrulian Princess needed. Needed, but not wanted.
She didn't need quiet, or peace, for that matter. She knew she was being melodramatic, but she could be attacked by a legion of bokoblins for all she cared. At least then he would come.
She curled inwards, her arms winding around her knees as if to hold the internally bickering sides of mind together. One part of her was desperate to see him, the other resolute in resisting temptations. Bandaged fingers scraped slowly down her face, the rough fabric dragging across smooth skin.
Go find him.
Don't.
Look for him.
No, for the love of Nayru.
"What am I doing?" Zelda wondered aloud to herself, her eyes on one of the statues of the Sacred Guardians situated around her. "Is this how a princess is to behave, arguing with no one but herself?"
The statue made no answer, its dull bronze eyes lifeless. Perhaps it was her imagination, but Zelda fancied that statue was giving her a reproachful stare. She wouldn't blame it for doing so.
"No, I suppose not," she murmured, laughing softly to herself. Surely her feelings were silly and temporary, and a Princess had no use with things that were as fickle as the autumn sky. Her control returned as the morning sunlight crept into the peaceful clearing, pale light resting softly on the structures that melded with the ancient trees.
"It doesn't matter if you chase after him or not," she laughed with little humor as she watched a glittering bug sail past lazily, resting on one of the many leaves that slept on the forest floor. Her thoughts drifted to a young Ordonian maiden with large emerald eyes and soft blonde hair. Ilia did not need bedazzling jewels or elaborate dresses to look beautiful, and looked lovely even when dressed in dirtied ranch clothing. Vivacious, sweet, and caring...How could a plain woman in ostentatious clothes who had made more fateful mistakes than could be counted on both hands even compare? Besides, he and Ilia would make a lovely couple-
Ah. Again. There she was, thinking about him again despite she had just promised herself moments prior that she wouldn't. Zelda chuckled ruefully to herself, shaking her head. Affection truly was a befuddling thing.
"Good morn, Sheik."
Zelda turned at the soft sounds of footfalls against damp earth. Walking across the now sunlit clearing was a young man with tousled dirty-blonde hair and brilliant blue, almost wolfish eyes. He wore a well-worn evergreen tunic that clung to his physique with a sort of grace that drew the eye, and a bronze chain-mail and white shirt peeking out from beneath the stitches of green. A simply decorated baldric was strapped across his well muscled chest, and his hands, clad in fingerless gauntlets, held his signature cap. Link.
"Ah, good morning, Hero," she said, touching her face to ensure her mask was still in the Ordonians, she was was a Sheikah who had accompanied Auru to visit Rusl at the quaint village. Save Auru, no one, not even Link, was supposed to know her true identity as the Hyrulian Princess. When she had heard that Auru was journeying to the edge of Hyrule to visit his old friend, she requested that she be allowed to come along under the excuse of wanting time away from the hectic politics at the palace. That in of itself wasn't false, but her real reason was that she missed a certain young hero. Most of the villagers saw her as an enigma with uncanny precision and skill battle (Auru took great liberties to exaggerate her feats, Zelda personally thought) and for the most part let her be and didn't pry into her history. Indeed, only a couple of them had ever glimpsed the princess before, and with her current disguise of golden hair, ruby eyes, and Sheikah garb, she had no doubts of her true identity's security.
Link, however, was a completely different story. He stood with her face to face before, both before and after the final battle against the King of Darkness, and Zelda was much less certain about him than his fellow villagers. Now, as he strode across the clearing, she panicked. She had come here seeking solitude and had let her guard down, letting her eyes resume their original color of cerulean blue. She glanced up uncertainly, wondering if Link had noticed the inconsistency in "Sheik's" appearance. But if he had noticed anything strange, he didn't say anything, his smile easy and friendly.
"The sun has barely risen," she said softly, shifting so there was space beside her. The young warrior grinned as he lowered himself beside her, resting comfortably against the ground.
"Ah," he said, leaning closer in a conspiratorial manner, "I figured if I got up early enough and hid Epona, Ilia wouldn't manage to get to her." He shook his head with an amused sort of resignation, chuckling. Zelda couldn't help but chuckle with him-there was something about his laughter that was infectious and begging to be shared. "And oh, was I wrong. But that aside, Colin was wondering where you went, so I came to find you."
Zelda thought of the sweet corn-haired youth with large, baby eyes and smiled. She and Auru had been staying with Rusl's family, and Colin, may the goddesses bless him, treated her with a wide-eyed kind of reverence that she couldn't help but find endearing. While the rest of the Ordonian children also treated her with respect, she could tell their respect bordered on fear; Colin's, however, was based on nothing more than his polite nature and deference towards his elders.
"And how'd you know to find me here, Hero?"
"Easy," Link said, the playful grin spreading across his face almost puppy-like. Zelda wanted to coo, but she bit her tongue, glad that her mask could effectively hide the flush across her cheeks. "I just followed your scent." He tapped the side of his nose with a wink. "I can find anyone now."
"Just don't use that ability to harass anyone," Zelda said, laughing softly. "Stalking isn't the best activity for the fabled Hero of Hyrule to engage in."
Link wrinkled his nose, shrugging. Once again, Zelda wanted to coo; was he pouting?
"There are plenty of young maidens in Castle Town who do exactly that; I don't think I need to join their ranks."
"I presume their target is you?"
"Sharp as ever, Sheik," Link grumbled, though he wasn't able to hold onto a visage of discontent before that lovely, sunny smile was blooming on his lips again. They lapsed into a companionable silence as the chipper songs of birds filled the air. Link seemed to be deep in thought as he gazed through the canopy into the sky, where the moon was slowly fading into the blue of the heavens. Zelda studied his profile with an internal sigh, studying the sharp jawline and full lips, the way his hair fell into eyes. He was truly a handsome specimen, and, as cliche has it sounded, Zelda knew his outward beauty could not even compare to the loveliness of the soul it held beneath. When she had first met him, she knew he was kind and selfless and brave beyond measure; when she stood by him on the battlefield, she saw he was protective and obstinate to a fault; and when she met him once again, this time the castle benign instead of wicked, she saw he was cheeky and truly a darling. She had offered him a place at the castle as the head of the guard of any other position he would like, but Link had kindly refused. Zelda knew it was silly, but she had felt a little bit hurt, almost as if she felt his rejection of a life at the castle had been a rejection of her as well. So she had swallowed her pride and waved primly as he had disappeared into the sunset, and kept her feelings of lovesickness under lock and key until Auru had informed her of his plans to travel to Ordon, nearly half a year later.
"You know, Sheik, you remind me an awful lot of someone I once knew," Link suddenly said, his voice breaking through the peaceful air. He turned to look at her, his eyes thoughtful.
"I was very fond of her," he continued, his gaze searching. For what he was searching for, Sheik didn't know, but he seemed to have found it as he nodded his head to himself. "I would venture I could have even loved her, if I was given the chance."
"What happened to her?" she asked, feeling a sudden surge of jealousy towards the rival she had never known she had. (No, not rival, not rival; she had never been in the running for Link's affections anyway, Zelda had to remind herself venomously.)
"We parted ways," he said softly. "But she was...well, she was incredible."
Zelda found herself hanging onto his every word. It was a sick kind of curiosity, wanting to know of the woman who had the heart of the man she loved (there, she admitted it), but she just couldn't help it.
"When I first met her, it was like a dream. Farore, she was beautiful, like a goddess herself."
"Oh," Zelda whispered. She had another thought now: Midna. Could this woman he was describing be the Twilight princess? Midna, too, was beautiful, ethereal and otherworldly like a goddess with her fiery hair and elegant visage.
"She was kind and selfless. She carried the fates of her people without a hint of frustration or fear; every time I met her, she had a peaceful smile on her face. Anyone else would have crumbled beneath her burden, and yet, she still held strong."
Her heart sank as Link continued.
"And then, when we stood side by side against Ganondorf, I found out that she was surprisingly stubborn for someone said to be so wise." Surprisingly, a calloused finger shot out to flick her on the nose, and Link laughed at the way Zelda's eyes jumped open. Then his face sobered until it was once again pensive. "When it was all over and light returned to all of Hyrule, she offered me a place at her palace."
Zelda's breath hitched softly. He could still be talking about Midna, but yet-she could hazard to say this woman sounded like her, too... No, best not get her hopes up...Yes, surely it wasn't her, it was Midna, it had to be Midna, it was Midna...
"I refused. From the start of my journey I had longed to return home, and I thought that I wasn't suited for a stuffy life among nobles and royalty. At the time, I thought it was the right decision, that if I stayed I would surely come to regret it. I thought my feelings for her would disappear when I was once again surrounded by my friends and home, but no. They didn't. And one day, I realized there would be no one else for me."
Suddenly his face was close, so close. "I thought I'd just ruined any chance I had. She was one in a million, and I'd let her slip between my fingers. I fought with myself for months. I couldn't just abandon my village to its own devices while everyone was still recovering, but every moment I spent away from her I feared she'd move farther away. Eventually, I decided that I would stay until I wasn't needed any more, and the moment that happened, I would return to the palace and beg her to take me. But Ordon's recovery took longer than I thought, and it wasn't until six months later that I was free to go.
"It had been so long. I didn't know whether I still had a chance, whether she had married or found someone else, whether or not it would still be worth it for me to chase after her. But the morning I was to leave I saw her coming down the path to my humble village with Auru by her side, and I knew the goddesses had granted me another chance."
Zelda hadn't realized she had been holding her breath when suddenly Link was holding one of her hands, raising it to his lips. Tenderly he pressed his mouth to the back of her hand, peeking up at her through his eyelashes. His lips curved against her skin into that adorable boyish smile.
"We meet again, your Majesty."
oOoOoOo
A/N: A remix of my contest entry for Lady of Hyrule's contest. I've deleted the original, because I much prefer this one.