Intention

What's going to happen from here on out? What am I supposed to do? I feel so powerless. She's a queen and I'm… what? The chosen one? It's hard to imagine that every time Princess Midna was near me, she was influenced by Zelda.

As a lifted a hand to his face, he nearly scowled. What gave him the right to even address her so casually in his mind? What she didn't seem to know was that he'd thought of her often, from the moment she gave up her abilities to Midna to the moment he met her under the strings of Ganondorf Dragmire. His perspective upon her, had never changed. She was so mature, like someone he remembered in the past, but couldn't put a face to, like someone he dreamed about when he fell into slumber.

"You have a troubled look about you," she confessed with a tilt of her head. "I would not wish that for anyone in Hyrule. Please, confide in me."

Link turned to her and gave her a thorough glance. From head to toe, she looked perfect. She sat so straight. Her gloved hands rested upon her lap and she sat with her back pressed against her chair. Her eyes were two beacons that searched his for the answers to her implied questions. If he thought for a moment that there was any sort of hope, then perhaps he would have gladly opened himself to her. She could leaf through his pages, the way she did her favourite book, and he wouldn't have ever protested.

That was all up in his head, though and he was painfully aware of it. Only a fool fell for royalty. What was it that he adored so much? Well, not that he ever would have used the word 'adored'. He probably would have just said he admired it, because when it really came down to basic feelings once all the fancy words were stripped away, then he simply just admired her. It was hard not to. She was intelligent, beautiful, and the type of woman that any man would have been happy to have around.

Jeez. When I think like that, I feel so old. We're mature, but do we have to be that mature?

"Link?"

He blinked when he realized he was still staring, "…Sorry."

"Do not apologize. Just tell me what it is that you were thinking. That is all I would like to know." She paused briefly and wove her fingers together before working her way to her feet. "Are… you worried about her?"

Her?

Oh. She meant Midna. Perhaps a part of him was. He did miss her, even for being as obnoxious in the beginning as she was. She had become something entirely different. He felt as though he didn't get enough time with the true Midna, though he wondered who the 'true' one even was. After all, her heart had been fused with Zelda's, which meant that any affection one felt for him could have been shared or simply one-sided. How confusing.

"I am, but…"

He hated being so bad with words, especially in front of Hyrule's queen. It made him look like a fool. Perhaps he was to some degree, but he wanted to be better than that. He wanted to be capable of saying what he meant to say and how he meant to say it. No, he hadn't said much in his journey at all, but it didn't mean he didn't have his own thoughts. Link probably gave everything so much more thought that anyone else did. Save for Zelda, of course, but she had much more to think about than he.

"…Yes? It is difficult for anyone to make progress when one is incapable of being honest with himself."

He appreciated her words and it was reflected within his blue eyes. He peered over to her and for a moment said absolutely nothing, simply lost in the quiet admiration for her. Then in a gesture that was not forced, his lips faintly upturned, which seemed infectious, for she rewarded him with a smile. It was one of the fairest gifts in the land too, he thought.

"I was worried about you," he finally confessed.

Was it hesitance he saw? When he thought that, his feet were compelled to move and he approached her. How much would he destroy if he touched her? Sometimes it seemed like light just burst from her form, as though she could do no wrong or could think nothing that wasn't righteous. What would happen if he gave into the vaguely selfish desires? When had he decided that she was worth those sentimental concepts? Surely not from the beginning. He hadn't even known much of her aside from the name when he left Ordon Village. Oh, and he'd known she was thought of highly.

And she really, truly was.

"Worried about me?" Zelda asked with surprise evident in her soft features.

That seemed to be the winning argument. To console her, to reassure her, to comfort her, Link didn't find it completely out of line to embrace her. If they'd ever been in public, he wouldn't have dared, but behind those doors, it was just the two of them.

"Of course," he replied. "Hyrule wouldn't handle it well if something happened to you. Even if everyone else is happy, doesn't that mean you should be too?"

"Oh… I see…"

He tried to understand why he thought he heard disappointment in her tone. Then he put the pieces together and held back a weak chuckle.

Ah. Link, you stupid.

"I wouldn't handle it well if something happened to you either."

Her expression brightened and she nodded slowly as she looked up at him. Yes. Perhaps she was transparent, but sometimes it didn't matter. After spending so long worrying on Hyrule's behalf and on that of the Twilight, then perhaps she really did have a right to be as prosperous as the people she led.

"Thank you, Link. I did need to hear that…"

"…I know," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "It's true, you know. I've always been worried about you. I want you to always be safe. I want to always be capable of protecting you. She'd want it that way too. One day she'll come back or we might see her. We should show her just how wonderful things have turned out."

It was one of the few times he'd ever spoken so much. If Zelda wanted to hear his voice, however, he'd gladly speak up more—with time.

"You are right," Zelda agreed in that quiet considerate tone.

When he began to withdraw, he felt the tension as her right hand lifted to meet his chest.

"Will you just stay near for a little…?" she asked with the blue eyes that he could never turn down.

Link nodded to her and slipped his arms around her, holding her to him, as though he was comforting a child. What Zelda didn't know, however, was that she was nothing like that to him. One day he'd be able to tell her what he really thought of her, but until it came, he'd have to do the second best thing. Somehow, being a knight in service to the queen suddenly didn't seem like such a bad idea, after all. Every day would be brighter if he could simply look upon her.

And as he glanced toward the window and noticed the sunset, he realized that at her side, as her guardian, that was entirely his intention.