My Courage-My Wisdom
The sun sent in an array of warm, soft light into the room through the window as it was risen high into its afternoon setting. Indeed, within a few hours the day would come to an end, soon to drift into the blanket of night, soon to become a new day.
Princess Zelda, the Queen-in-waiting of Hyrule, sat at her desk in her study this one fine afternoon, looking over reports and letters, making proposals and answering a few messages sent to her from the Hylian Army.
It was another busy day, and as much as Zelda loved her people and being their Princess and Queen, she wanted so much to have a normal life and not have to be bombarded with her Royal Duties.
Her father, the late King Harkinian, stated upon his will that Zelda would marry soon within his passing, and coming of age to become Queen. Many suitors had been lined up since then, and she had politely refused them all so far, as they were nothing more than power-hungry snobs who cared more about the status as King of Hyrule as opposed to her.
Zelda sighed, shaking her head as she replaced her feather quill into its inkwell, standing up from her desk. The skirt of her regal grown brushed along the cobblestones of the cold floor. Her dark, suede heels clicked along the floor as she headed to the door, opening it and stepping out into the hallway, shutting it behind her.
With the intention to take a little break for part of the afternoon while she could, Zelda headed off to her room, when she was then stopped by her Royal Advisor and personal messenger, Karven. He was a small, round old man with glasses and a bald head.
"Your Highness, a mister Link of Ordon Village has arrived and requests your presence. As the Hero of Hyrule, I have granted him entry and that I would send for you immediately." Karven explained, bowing to her.
Link? Zelda thought, her heart skipping a beat at the mention of the young hero. The two of them had gotten closer since Ganondorf's defeat, and had become good friends. Although with them being busy, they didn't have a lot of time to spare, but with what time they did spend together, they made the most of it and had fun.
Zelda enjoyed Link's company, it was a great escape from her Royal duties and never once did she feel that she had to be formal. Link adamantly refused to let her put on the "Royalty" act, and just let her be herself. Zelda was challenged with it, and she liked that. Link knew how to challenge her, in the way she knew she would want.
Besides, the way he smiled was so intoxicating, and it sent her heart into such feelings she never knew she could feel toward someone, even of his stature.
Zelda smiled, nodding her head. "I see. Send him to my private chambers, Karven. I will see him immediately."
"Right away, Your Highness!" Karven bowed to her before retreating down the stairs.
Heading to her private quarters, Zelda could feel her heart bursting with anticipation as she awaited what was to come in the company of her dearest friend. So many possibilities, and yet so little time.
Entering the room, she went into the adjoining washroom and carefully applied some water to her face before sipping some delicately through her lips. Making sure her hair, clothes, and tiara looked all right, she re-entered the room just in time for Link to enter, having been escorted by Karven, who closed the door behind him to allow the two of them some privacy.
Zelda smiled warmly at the green-garbed hero and approached him. "Link, Chosen Hero."
"Princess."
"That's Zelda to you."
"You have a name?" Link deadpanned, but he couldn't keep the goofy smile off his face.
Zelda snorted, giggling. "You have no manners toward your own Princess? I am quite ashamed of you, farm boy. I should have you executed."
"Oh no, oh Goddesses save me, I'm so scared now. I think I'm going to cry. Oh please Princess, don't do this, I can't even grow a beard." Link said in mock sadness, making Zelda laugh.
"Oh Link, as much as I enjoy your sense of humour, as it brightens my day, I must ask you; why did you come here today?" Zelda asked, growing serious.
Link cleared his throat, shifting from one boot to the other. "Well...it has been a while since we last saw each other. I just wanted to see you, I missed you."
Although it was a bit of a silly reason since it wasn't all important, Zelda couldn't help but feel flattered. It was nice to know that he was thinking of her, and came to see her just because he missed her. It was sweet, something only someone close to you would do.
"I missed you also." Zelda admitted, smiling a bit. "Although I don't imagine you to come visit me just because of that. It is a motivational reason, no doubt, but you always seem to have an important reason of doing so. Tell me Link, is it not the only reason?"
A light blush tinted Link's cheeks and he looked down at his feet. "Um..."
"Link, you can tell me." Zelda said sweetly, dropping her regal tone. "C'mon, I'd like to know why you came all this way to see me."
"...Zelda, I fear that reason other than simply wanting to see you, will just be proven pointless, given the circumstances." Link admitted.
"Why?" Zelda cocked her head slightly to the side. "Surely whatever reason you may have will prove valid."
"It's not just that, Zel." Link blushed some more. "...You need to marry, in order to properly reign Hyrule as Queen, right?"
Zelda cocked an eyebrow at his question, wondering where this was leading to. None the less, she nodded. "Yes, that is correct."
"And I know you said that all the suitors you've had are nothing more than just snobby scum-bags who just want to be King, but that's beside the point." Link looked at his feet, and then at her. "Zelda...I'm curious, is there anyone out there you do want to marry? Surely you can have any man you want."
If only that were possible. Zelda thought.
Gathering her words, Zelda folded her hands on her lap and looked down at them.
"Well Link, if you must know...there is a man out there that I am sure I love. He is more than capable of being King, and protecting the country. I cannot think of anyone better than him. My only obstacles in that, is whether or not he would take on such a task. I would never dream to force him into the world of Royal duties and fierce protection of the country, and myself, but...I would not pick anyone else for the job. I would if I had to, but on my personal levels, I would not." Zelda admitted.
Nodding in understanding, Link was silent for some time.
"...Who is this man, if you don't mind me asking?" Link asked finally.
Zelda blushed slightly, unsure if she should say so or not. Despite how much she wanted him to know, she was his friend before anything else, and his princess. She would never dream of severing any of those bonds.
"I can't say." Zelda said softly. "I don't want to say anything until I'm fully sure of what can be done."
"...I see, that sounds fair." Link nodded. And then he stood, taking a deep breath. "...Zelda, can I ask you something?"
Zelda looked up at him, and then stood also. "Of course. What is it?"
A moment of silence befell them before Link spoke again.
"Zelda, I just want to honestly tell you that I care about you. You've done nothing but be a great princess and person to your people, and helped me along defeating Ganondorf. I can only say that without you, it might have been harder. More than anything, I knew we weren't alone in this, and Midna too. But anyway, I want you to be happy more than anything, because knowing that you are happy makes me happy also. You're one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose that. But...I must say this, because I can't hold back. Hear me out before you say anything, okay?"
Zelda nodded, keeping her intent eyes on him as she waited for him to continue.
Taking hold of her hand, gently squeezing it, she squeezed back and their Triforce marks began to glow a bit.
"For the longest time, I was sure I was in love with my friend from back home, Ilia. But, I now realize that it was simply a crush, a little something more between friends. That's all it really can be, anyway. She will get over it, I know it. She is strong, so it won't matter, I know she'll find happiness." Link cleared his throat and looked into her eyes, his own lightly darting away in shyness.
"...Princess Zelda, I love you. I love you very much, and I would do anything to be of a great consort to you. I know it's not possible, and I don't expect it to be. I don't expect you to feel the same way...I'm just a farmhand anyway, nothing big. Although I did help to save Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, it would never be a good reason for you to come running and screaming your returned feelings." They both chuckled at this. "But, I want you to know that I will always be your friend, and I want you to be happy. I won't be sad or mad that you don't feel the same way. I just wanted you to know, and that whatever you feel, I'll always be there for you."
A soft smile crossed Zelda's face, and tears pooled in her eyes. She squeezed Link's hand harder and brought it to her heart, even against the cold shoulder plates. "Link...I cannot tell you how much my heart soars with joy to hear you say this to me."
Link's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open a bit. "Zelda...wait, do you...?"
"Yes, Link." Zelda smiled even more. "I love you too, I always have."
Going closer, she brought her arms around him in a loving, warm hug. Link was surprised at that, even though they'd hugged before, and he brought his arms around her and pulled her closer.
"Zelda, I..."
"Shh...you need not say a word, Link." She pulled back a bit and kissed him on the cheek, bringing her gloved hand up to gently caress it. "You are my hero, Link. My love. My courage."
Link blushed, and smiled at her, bringing his own hand over hers. "You're my Princess, Zelda. My love, and my wisdom."
The two were in contended silence for some time, basking in the sweet feelings of their love now out in the open. It was truly a liberating, peaceful and wonderful moment for them both.
At this moment, nothing else mattered. There hadn't been any kind of danger, Hyrule was never shrouded in Twilight, Ganondorf had not taken over, the Twilight Realm was not under the control of a mad man, nothing. All there was between them now was peace, love, serenity, balance, prosperity, happiness, and passion.
After those few moments, Link suddenly got down on one knee, held Zelda's hand, and took out a small, but elegant ring. It was nothing like the royal jewels Zelda was required to wear, but she found herself loving this ring even more than all of her jewelry put together.
"Zelda, I'm just a simple farmhand, and a now-skilled swordsman, so I really can't offer you a lot. I can't give you jewelry, mountains of rupees, fine clothing...not very many luxuries. All I can give you is me, and my love, my heart. I hope it will be enough, because for what it's worth, I will do everything in my power to be a great ruler to your country, but above all, a great husband to you. Princess Zelda, love of my life and fellow holder of the Triforce...will you do me the honour of marrying me?"
Zelda was shocked, silent for a few moments as she let this sink in. She couldn't believe that the man of her dreams, her Knight in Shining Armor, her prince, her hero, her courage, her everything...loved her, and wanted to be with her, and proposed to her like this.
A princess would accept with grace and serenity, her eyes holding all the love and adoration to the man she loved proposing to her. She would nod, allowing tears to go down her face, and smile ever so lovingly.
This was not what happened.
Nope.
Zelda threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him down, and squeezing him tight. It was very un-princess of her, but she didn't care. So what if she was acting like an excited young lady, this kind of thing only happened once!
"YES!!" Zelda squealed happily.
Link couldn't help but laugh as he hugged her back and stood them up, swinging her around before gently setting her feet back down on the floor. He had not expected her reaction to be with so much excitement, but he didn't care. It was great seeing her let loose and look like a normal, excited girl when she was just proposed to.
"Zelda..." Link murmured, slipping the ring onto her finger. "I..."
"I love you, Link..." Zelda whispered, kissing his lips. "Always."
His cheeks turned even pinker, but he held her close and kissed her back sweetly.
"I love you too, always and forever..."
It was the start of a wonderful life together, for sure.
Now now guys, don't think it ends here! I was planning to make it a one-shot, but I also have another idea for a multi-chaptered LinkxZelda fanfiction! :D So stay tuned for that now!