Welcome to my new story, The Prince of Nothing! It's been years since I've written anything here and hope to come back from my absence strong.

This is my first Zelda fic (even though Zelda is my favorite thing of all time) but I hope it pleases! Note that the first chapter is a tad short, but don't worry, it's not usual :)

Heads up, this story is all from Link's perspective.

While it is AU, the world is based on Ocarina of Time Hyrule so you are able to orient yourselves better and/or picture things a little clearer.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 1 – Rude Awakenings

"Alright boys, that's enough."

I rolled on my side and grunted, telling myself the noise would go away if I just ignored it.

"Did anyone even hear me? I SAID – "

*screeeeeeeeeeech*

My eyes shot open, finally realizing I wasn't in my lumpy, albeit comfy, cot. Standing over me was a large, round man holding a very worse-for-wear cucco in his giant hands. I lifted my head off the floor, drool clinging to my chin and the wooden floorboard beneath me. Man, I smelled like ass.

I may have realized where I was, but at the same time I was having trouble remembering exactly why I was there. It probably had to do with this massive headache I had – and a constant urge in the back of my throat to vomit. Looking to my right I saw a young man with raven hair beginning to stir, himself face down in a pile of hay.

Ah. I remember now.

It was a party – an engagement party. I was dumb enough to come along with my buddy Fenn to Lon Lon Ranch. Our fellow soldier Regas – who outranked us by the way – invited us to his "once-in-a-lifetime ale-drinking extravaganza."

Well, he was sure right about that.

Fenn moaned and rubbed his head, looking groggily over at me from his pile of hay. "Wha..?"

The man who had woken us lit some of the lanterns in the stable, all the while chuckling to himself. He was Malon's father, Talon, and the owner of the ranch. Although I wasn't quite sure at that moment why he didn't feel like kicking our asses for having passed out in his stable…

Honestly, he was probably still just excited that his daughter had finally gotten engaged.

Right. Malon was engaged. I wasn't even sure why I had come to this party anymore. Sure, I was hoping to sneak a peek at the flame-haired beauty, but that all went away once I realized that she was the one Regas had proposed to. Damn my chances of that happening now. Constantly questioning all night long how he (of all people!) managed to catch a beauty like Malon, I forgot how many times my glass had been refilled and subsequently emptied down my throat. It seems now that it had been one – or quite a few – too many.

Apparently I had been lost in thought for a little while, as Fenn was already on his feet and gathering up his things. Talon was already hard at work getting food for the horses on the other side of the stable and had, thankfully, let me gather myself without another screech from that old cucco.

"Man, Link, when Regas said there would be unlimited ale, I didn't believe him," Fenn grumbled, rubbing at his temples. "I sure do believe him now."

All I could do was grunt and nod in agreement, finally lifting myself off the floor. Pieces of hay clung to my tunic and poked at me through my undershirt, but they were nothing compared to the throbbing in my head.

"I can't even remember what happened most of last night," I said quietly, afraid even my own voice would worsen my headache.

Fenn laughed slightly, clearly aware of something I couldn't remember. "It's probably for the best. But it'd be best if we got out of here before Mari heads in for the day." He shot me a sly look after he said that. My breath hitched in my chest.

"I didn't…"

"You did." His laugh was more audible now. And boy could I feel heat rising from my neck to my ears in embarrassment. "You got so drunk, you grabbed the stablemaiden and kissed her right on the mouth." My eyes got so wide, I'm sure even the poorest of archers could have used them as target practice.

Just at that moment, the woman in question opened the door to the stable, carrying a large bucket of water. That's it. My face was on fire. Her short brown hair hung around her face, keeping me and Fenn just out of sight. I gave him a look to keep him quiet and maybe… just maybe we could sneak out without her noticing us…

"L-Link..!" Damn.

I could tell she was just as embarrassed as I was, her cheeks pink and her green eyes not once looking into mine.

"S-sorry about last night," I sputtered.

She nodded. "I, uh, I have to get back to work…" She turned around and dumped the bucket of water into a trough. "See you around," was all she said before scurrying back out the door.

Fenn bellowed a deep laugh and I shot him a glare with just as much intensity. He coughed nervously and brushed off his tunic. "Well, I think this would be a perfect time for us to leave."

Oh, you think?

I angrily grabbed my pack from the stable floor and slung it around my shoulders. "Let's just get back to the castle," I muttered in Fenn's direction and pushed open the doors to the stable, not minding to hold the door open for my raven-haired friend.

As we made our way through Castle Town, I noticed that we weren't the only ones who had a little too much to drink the night before. Several of our other fellow soldiers were groggily making their way back to the castle as well, but I'm sure most of them had the decency to make it back to Castle Town before passing out. Fenn and I apparently lacked that decency.

We began our ascent of the steep hill just outside of Castle Town towards Hyrule Castle. Fenn and I hadn't spoken the entire walk back from Lon Lon Ranch (a good two-hour stroll), but that was probably due to his headache as much as mine (and my sure as hell embarrassment). As we took the sharp left path that led up to the soldiers' quarters, a tall man with sandy brown hair stopped us in our tracks. Regas.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you two had more fun last night than I did – at my own party!" He mocked. All I could do was roll my eyes and try to keep walking towards our destination. It was Saturday (a junior soldier's only day of the week off) and my bed was screaming my name. If I had been feeling well, and if Regas didn't outrank me, I would have snapped back with a witty retort. But not today. Today I had a date with a warm, soft mattress and there was no way I was going to stand her up.

Regas seemed a little taken aback by my lack of response but I supposed he assumed how I felt and continued on his way. I don't actually know, but all I know is that he didn't press me and Fenn any further.

It was midday by the time I woke up from my hangover-induced – and very much-needed – nap. I hopped off of my bunk, which was right above Fenn's, and noticed he was already gone. His bed was neatly made, indicating it had probably been a while since he left. Feeling much better, I stretched and threw my tunic over my undershirt. My stomach roared.

The dining hall was crowded, as per usual on a Saturday afternoon. Men were playing chess and cards, gambling with the little spare money they had. I sighed and grabbed a couple rolls off a nearby tray, hungrily stuffing one in my face. I felt like I hadn't eaten in a week.

"Link! Over here!" I turned around at the sound of Fenn's voice, looking for his mess of black hair. He was sitting with a few other soldiers, laughing and recanting stories from last night no doubt. I felt my ears get hot again as I sat down with a tray of food, stuffing my face once again as Fenn continued to embarrass me.

Boy, was he going to be sorry when we sparred on Monday.

It was late in spring so the days were continually getting hotter. I wiped my brow as I stared at the target fifty yards away. One last shot. I raised my bow and carefully aimed slightly above the center target. As I pulled back, I gentle laugh reached my ears, startling me and causing me to release my arrow. It barely skimmed the outside of the target.

I looked around, knowing all too well who that laugh belonged to.

Princess Zelda was wandering the practice arena with Impa and the head of the guard. She would stop by a soldier, admire their practice for a moment, thank them for their service and move on. She was headed my way and the goddesses knew I had to get out of there.

It's not that I didn't like her. Not at all. Quite the opposite. She was gorgeous, her blond hair always blowing gently in the wind. She smelled like roses and her voice sounded like a chorus of angels. She had spoken to me a few times – as I of course remember well – but it was routine and limited to a "Thank you for your service" and "Keep up the good work" kind of theme. And I would just nod furiously, but thankfully, and she would move on to the next soldier.

I just couldn't stand the knot that always twisted itself in my stomach when she would wander the practice grounds (which honestly was only about once every few weeks). But still. I convinced myself that every soldier there felt the same way. It's what princesses were supposed to do to men.

…Right?

Just then, Fenn ran up to me and shook me out of my trance. "Link! Buddy! … Hello?" He stared at me anxiously. I already knew what he was about to say and I thanked him silently for it.

Lunch.

And the perfect excuse to make my getaway from the impending embarrassment of –

"I saw that shot you made a few moments ago," the princess spoke. When the hell did she get right in front of me? If only I hadn't been lost in thought.

"Just keep your focus up and I'm sure you'll hit the center next time." She smiled at me, her blue eyes sparkling. Her voice held no contempt or ridicule, just kindness. My ears caught on fire as we made eye contact, the top of her head only coming to my chin.

"Th-thanks," I stuttered as she smiled again and walked away. Thanks? For what? For being so nice as to watch me be an awkward fool in front of you?

Fenn had been standing next to me the entire time. Great. Just what I needed. More embarrassment from my so-called best friend. But he simply slapped my back. "Come on, you," he laughed as we made our way back to the dining hall.

"Did you hear? There's going to be a party this weekend at the castle!" one of the soldiers, Erickson, across from me exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and shrugged. "So what?"

"So what?! The princess will be there, that's what!"

I snorted into my mug, ale bubbling up my nose. "It's her castle, why wouldn't she be there?" I retorted, trying not to give away my slight unease (and embarrassment) at the mention of her. "In any case, what's the big deal? Only the knights are invited to stuff like that." I tried to hide my jealousy of the knights. I was only a junior soldier – not even a regular soldier! It wasn't until you were a regular soldier that you could do great deeds that would allow you to be promoted to the prestige of knight. Boy, was I a long way off of the parties and pleasures of knighthood.

Erickson just shook his head at me and made a sound of disapproval. "Oh Link, we weren't planning on being invited, if you catch my drift," he finished with a wink.

Realizing what he meant, my eyes grew wide. Oh no, no. No more parties. No more screw ups. And I definitely wasn't going to add sneaking into royal gatherings to my list of accomplishments. It seemed ridiculous to me that many men considered sneaking into parties as a certain rite of passage into soldier-hood. However, I realized I had said none of this aloud when Fenn, who had been sitting next to me the entire time, stood up suddenly.

"Link and I are in!"

-KnT (brigette)