He pushed the stray golden locks out of his hair as he strained his neck to look into the hall through the window. He didn't know why he was here. There was no reason to be here, especially seeing how security had only gotten stricter since his first visit. The extra guards were still no problem however; it was a doddle getting into this garden.
The moment he had stepped into the garden, it felt like he had been transported to seven years ago. The same flowers arranged so neatly across the plush grass, the same perfectly trimmed trees stood proudly equidistant from each other surrounding the garden. The only different thing was the empty space in front of the window. He had sort of expected her to be standing there, still peering through the stained glass window.
He had traipsed up the grey steps leading to the open platform. There seemed to be an event of some sort happening in the hall through the window. How nostalgic. And this brought us to the point of Link standing in front of the window, in a slightly stalker-like manner to the outside eye, examining all the people lining up on the stretching, deep red velvet rug which seemed to span the entire length of the hall. His eyes followed to the front of the line to see a man kneeling on one knee before a throne. A smiling, boisterous, old man sat on the throne, listening earnestly to whatever the kneeling man was saying.
I shouldn't be here. The thought nagged at his conscience as he watched the scene unfolding before him. It only reminded him of his place; a poor, orphan boy – well, man seemed more appropriate at this point – who had snuck his way into the royal gardens of Hyrule castle. He wasn't the esteemed Hero of time, not anymore. That was now only between him and his memories. He didn't know what had come over him when he decided to act on his urge to trespass once more into the castle grounds.
A woman with long, blonde hair smiled warmly at the now standing civilian, accepting whatever gift he had offered. She was wearing an elegant gown, which swept to the floor, colours of pink, white and blue adorning the rich material. It wasn't the memorable Hylian crest on the gown, or the way her ears came to a sharp point. What struck Link the most with the hard hitting memories was her eyes. Her deep blue eyes, which sparkled a familiar warmth, tangible even from this distance.
A sad smile leaked onto Link's face as he watched Zelda laughing at something her father had said. It had been seven years since he'd seen her. The youthful, innocent face that had plagued Link's mind could now be replaced with the image which stood in front of him. A graceful, young woman who had certainly developed in all the right places. But her eyes were the same. The only difference being that those same eyes would probably never look upon him with the tenderness they once had, in a different time.
They were worlds apart, in every sense. As he continued to watch through the glass, Link remembered with clarity the reason he had put off this very journey for so long. The moment where if he actually managed to meet the princess, her eyes would glaze over him, no signs of recognition present in her expression. That pain of being forgotten would trump any pain he had felt from battling the countless enemies throughout his life.
As a different person knelt down inside the hall, and the attention of her father had once again been fully diverted away from her, Zelda's eyes roamed across the room. Link felt as though his heart had almost stopped when her eyes landed on him, and her head turned curiously towards the window. He should have moved. Any moment now she would alert the guards of his presence, and he didn't feel like getting into any sort of mess for once.
But she wasn't moving. She simply stared at him questioningly, probably wondering why someone was staring into the seemingly boring formality that was taking place. Or perhaps even more confused as to why the man's gaze seemed to be directed, for the most part, at her. Her reverie was suddenly interrupted as her father coughed, none to discreetly, reminding her to act her part and graciously accept the offering in front of her. She did so, and Link gave a resigned sigh as he watched her repeat the procedure. Maybe it was time to leave, the stalker image didn't sit well with Link, and his heart was only now returning to its original pace. Definitely not healthy.
Zelda glanced once more at Link, this time a playful smirk graced her face as she looked towards him in amusement.
He walked away from the window, his retreating form the only thing to be seen from inside the hall, for those who were looking at least.
As he easily dodged the patrolling guards, a smile eased his features. The kind of smile you hate because you really don't want it there. Because it really doesn't fit there. But it's there nonetheless.