A/N: Hey there this is my first Zelda fic so please don't be too hard on me.

This story is set after Twilight Princess, but the whole Link/Zelda relationship is different, They are a lot closer.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, if i did i would rule the world!!!! lol

Enjoy

In your doorway

"Royal wedding today at noon"

Link shook his head, he knew this day was coming for so long yet the reality had only just hit him as harsh as the cold air. He was leaving the castle and entering the castle town.

Groups gossiped about what the princess's dress would be like and which tailor had made it, was it going to be silk? Lace? Why were these people so obsessed on the details of mere objects? The one thing that actually matted about this wedding was the prince chosen to become Zelda's husband and ultimately the king. But these people would rather talk about the princess's outfit.

Pathetic.

Prince Henry, dull name, dull man. He was arrogant, aggressive and vain, if he were aloud to, he would marry a mirror. Link wished that he could say that beneath that exterior there was a good man somewhere. Link's wishes never came true.

Henry, he didn't deserve her, he was 10 years older than her, he was a cheat, rumour is that he was engaged 4 times, each one was called off because he loved the thrill of being with other women.

Why couldn't she see it? Everyone else could, yet the princess who possessed so much wisdom could not see that her future husband was a pig of a man.

Link continued passed the citizens on his long lonely journey home. Just minutes ago her had hope that she would have changed her mind and would be joining him.

"I thought at least I understood you, after all that we have been through, I thought that you'd make a good choice"

Link looked at the princess, she averted her eyes, she didn't want them to meet his pure blue gaze. His eyes made her want to surrender to anything.

"You know that I didn't have a say I who I was to marry, it was arranged by my father, I only found out a week ago"

She looked back up at him, to see if her counter argument weekend his defences, she needed to prove him wrong, just to prove to herself that she was not wrong in going along with this marriage.

"I wasn't talking about that choice. I know that you could have backed down, you still can" She looked away from him "Zelda please" He lifted her face, their eyes met, the moment was perfect "Come with me, leave him, it's not like he'd notice you weren't there, he'd be too busy checking his hair or something"

Zelda let out a small giggle, she smiled, he loved it when she smiled. Then she switched her face and tone to serious mode.

"It's not that simple, can't you see? I have a responsibility, I need to be there for my people. Unlike some who just roam around when they like, to where they like. I'm not you, I'm not free!"

Her anger, it wasn't directed at him, it was directed at the life that the Goddesses had chosen for her to live, the life of rules, of arrangements, she was in a prison of her own duties, her kingdom would always come before her.

A maid entered the room in which the two were standing

"Princess" she said and pointed to the hallway. Zelda took the professional tone once again.

"Thank you, I will be along in a moment"

She turned back to Link and forced a fake smile to make it's way across her beautiful features.

"Please sir I must ask you to leave, my wedding is in but a few hours and I have to get ready"

Link stubbornly nodded and watched as she walked in the direction that the maid had pointed, she stopped in front of the door and turned to him, her indigo eyes sad, on the brink of tears, she mouthed only a few words to him before she left

"I'm sorry"

"How did it go link? Are you going to be Mr Princess?"

Link was deep in thought and hadn't seemed to notice that he had already travelled across the vast stretch of Hyrule field back to Ordon. He looked down to see the questioning faces of Beth, Talo and Collin.

He shook his head.

"Don't worry about her, she doesn't love me, she is going to marry Prince Henry"

"Yuck!" Beth stated "but he's so ugly" She stuck her tongue out and the boy's copied. Link laughed, though he was still in misery, it was just to humour them.

"But Link, you love her, why did you let her go?" Collin questioned to his role model.

"Because sometimes, you can't have everything that you want, life's like that, I'm sorry" Link hung his head low and continued to his house. He took a deep breath and turned back towards the children.

"I think I might leave for a little while, see other places, I don't think I'll be able to stand looking at Prince Henry and Zelda everywhere I go, I'm sorry kids"

"Link no!" the three of them protested in union.

"I'll come back to visit, I promise it's just that right now I can't deal with all of this" He smiled at the kids; they looked stubbornly away from him.

He turned away and climbed up his ladder and entered his home, alone, was this the way that he was always going to be? He was just like she had said "free". If this was freedom, it was overrated.

"Ouch!" Zelda called out, the maid who was tightening her corset knew no mercy. She was stood in front of a full length mirror just so she could see the white dress which would seal her doomed fate forever.

"I….I can't" She whimpered. Impa walked in view of the princess, she seemed to be the only other person in the room who heard the princess's plea.

"You can" She touched Zelda's shoulder reassuringly and gave her a weak smile. "Henry is a good man"

Zelda sarcastically laughed "You know as much as me, that isn't true, stop feeding me lies Impa! I'm not a child!" She took a darker tone "I know I don't love him and I probably never will"

Impa stood back and carefully listened to what Zelda was saying.

Zelda started again "And to think, I'll be lying in church, pretending I'm in love-"

"-but you are in love" Impa interrupted, the princess was taken a back.

"What did you say?"

"You are in love Princess, I can tell from the way that you act, the way you talk and even the way you move"

"I thought I made it clear that I don't love Henry!" The Princess forcefully stated.

Impa went to leave to room, she had something to attend to, she turned to Zelda and gave her a comforting smile "I wasn't talking about Henry" She said softly, in a tone that mother's mischievously use when they know that their child is up to something.

Zelda stood shocked, her mouth wide open, she couldn't take her eyes off the spot were Impa had stood moments before. How did Impa know? She did not yet realise herself.

But it was true, she was in love, how could she not see? Every time she saw Henry she wanted to hit him, the thought of his hands on her body made her skin crawl, the thought of having their lips touch in the vow of their eternal love made her want to vomit. She just thought that he was a really repulsive man, but now everything was as clear as a summer's day, she loved Link and only Link.

"I can't believe that Link is going to give up on Zelda, he is such a wuss" Talo commented to his friends, the three of them sat in a circle in the clearing outside Link's home, The air was fresh with the added cool breeze of autumn. Ironically the warm coloured leaves that started to shift from their branches fell down onto the children like confetti; Ordon village was most beautiful just before it passed away into the winter.

"Not just that, now he is going to run away, what a baby! I can't believe that we used to look up to him" Beth shook her head "You can't trust anyone"

"Leave him alone!" Collin stood up "He's not a wuss or a baby, he's braver than you will ever be. Didn't you listen to what he said, you can't have everything"

"But he should have tried harder" Beth complained "I would like him to have a happy ending with the Princess, it would be so romantic, ahhhh" Beth went into a girly giggle while Talo pretended to be sick.

"Then we will have to make him have a happy ending wont we?" Collin looked up to the sky, while Beth and Talo suddenly seemed inspired by his new display of leadership. "The wedding will be soon, let's go on an adventure!" Collin made straight for the exit of the village while his friends eagerly followed.

"Breathe…just breathe" Zelda whispered to herself as she prepared to enter through the grand golden doors of the church. Her bridesmaids giggled like schoolgirls, they were far more excited than her, personally she was dreading it. The thought of being so deeply in love with another man and never being able to be with him.

"Zelda, you're so lucky!"

"You look so beautiful"

"The goddesses have blessed you"

They were just mindless compliments that the bridesmaids would babble to her, she never took them in, they were drowned out by the sound of her own heart thudding in her ears. So she just smiled and nodded for the sake of manners.

The organ played, this was it, she could have watered her bouquet with the sweat forming on her hands. The doors were opened in a grand fashion and she was greeted by half the population of Hyrule standing, all eyes on her.

The walk to the alter was shorter than she wanted, she cherished every second because she knew that soon she was to be a bound woman.

The ceremony seemed to blur, Zelda's body was set on autopilot she spoke when it was her turn, not taking into account the words that she was promising to the Goddesses, to Henry. Soft tears welled up in her eyes as they got closer to the end of the ceremony.

Her mind was far away, to a time when she was happy, to a time when she was getting to know Link. After the evil of Zant, after the twilight. The time of peace, that was the time when they were supposed to have happily ever after, but it never came, they became friends, close friends, they looked out for each other, how did things go so wrong? Where was her ever after? Where was her fairytale ending? Where was-

"Stop!"

Her thoughts shattered like glass. The population of the church turned to see three small children and a group of guards go to restrain them.

"Please princess, stop!" A small boy with blond hair and blue eyes pleaded to Zelda before he was forcefully grabbed by a guard.

"This will teach you to interferer with Royal affaires" The guard growled in a menacing tone, he raised his hand and was ready to hit Collin with full force. He was one of the guards under Henry's command, anyone could tell the difference, they showed no mercy, they were animals, no, worse, they were monsters.

"Let go of the boy! Now!!" The spectators turned to see Zelda looking forceful, she looked like a queen. The guard stood in shock at the sudden aggression coming from the bride.

"I said NOW!" Collin was placed back on his feet with the guards slowly moving away from him and his friends; they muttered something under their breath.

"Please princess, we are friends of Link, don't do this please"

"Link?" the name forced Zelda to focus, the welling tears in her eyes overflowed and forced one to drop down her elegant face. "Is he alright?" Her voice became strained from both shouting and from the emotions that flooded her heart.

"He is going to leave princess; we don't want him to go!" Beth called from behind Collin

"Please don't let him go!" Talo called.

"He really loves you princess! I can tell, he's a hero but he doesn't have a happy ending" Collin pleaded.

"I…I…" Tears began to stream down Zelda's face, her hands shook and she dropped the bouquet of glamorous golden flowers.

"This is the most idiotic thing that I have ever heard!! Honestly "happy endings" go back home and read your fairytales you insignificant pathetic fools! This is the real world, deal with it!" Prince Henry gloated as he scared the children with his insults and intimidating manor. "And tell your friend Link, is it? That he is so unworthy that he doesn't deserve to even mention my Zelda's name let alone think he is worthy of loving her!"

The children stepped back at the rudeness of their future king, they hung their heads in shame, they had failed.

"My Zelda?" Zelda turned to face Henry with the look of disgust on her face. "How dare you, I'm not yours!"

"Oh quiet you!!" He dismissed her and turned to the uneasy looking priest in front of them "Please continue"

"As you wish" the old holy man continued "Zelda do you take Henry to be your-"

"-No!" she looked him straight in the eye. She felt fearless.

"Care to say that again princess?" Henry challenged, he didn't believe his ears, no one ever rejected Henry, he was great, he was powerful.

"I'm sorry" She half smirked "But honestly, after seeing you act like that to small children, to me! I don't care if our kingdoms are to be bitter enemies, there is no way on the Goddesses green earth that I shall be bound to you in holy matrimony!!" She turned away from her outraged husband to be, to her people.

"I apologise citizens of Hyrule, you will have to have an unmarried queen, but I assure you that with a husband or without a husband, I shall be the best ruler that I can be!!" With that a large cheer erupted in the church, she gracefully smiled. "I also apologise for gathering you all here today, but please excuse me as I have some business to attend to"

She turned to leave the alter when a forceful grip tightened around her arm. She spun round shocked at the violent grip that Henry had on her. However within seconds Zelda's guards swarmed over Henry forcing him to let go.

"Thank you" She thanked her loyal guards, and then turned to Henry, a bitter expression on her face "bye Hen" She mocked and with that she left the alter with such speed, the speed that seemed to come from nowhere, probably from the adrenalin, her heart was beating so fast, but she knew, it was from love.

She stormed out of the church with the reality hitting her. She breathed hard and put her hand on her forehead, she tried to make sense of her thoughts.

Impa surprisingly came from the stables leading Zelda's white stallion through the courtyard. The astonishingly beautiful horse already had his saddle on and was ready to go. Impa smiled at Zelda.

"Impa, what-"

"-go to him, hurry!" Impa lead the horse to Zelda's side and helped her to mount him. "Princess please, be careful, make sure you don't waste your chance"

"I never do" Zelda grinned, was this really happening? Was she actually doing what she wanted? Was she free?

"Go!" Impa called as she signalled for guards to open the gates. The horse soon sprinted off with great speed, across the blessed green land of Hyrule.

Link was almost finished packing his belongings, he felt depression fall over him when he realised that he could fit his life into a single bag, he felt like he was nothing, all he could do was run away. Run away from his problems, his life and his friends. Run away from her.

He was useless, why didn't he just end his life? He was always fighting, for his kingdom, for his girl and now for his own sanity. What was the point? He was loosing again.

His silence was shattered as footsteps flooded his house. All too familiar footsteps. He turned, that's when he saw her in his doorway.

Her elegant white dress was crumpled and there was a small layer of mud which had acquainted itself at the bottom. Her golden locks were tied up loosely and were accompanied by a gleaming tiara. But the most radiant thing about her was the smile on her face; she looked even more beautiful as it graced her features. It looked like it was the happiest day of her life, she looked how a bride should look, but he wasn't the groom.

He stumbled back a little with amazement, she was here.

"You're in my doorway?!" He sounded baffled

"I'm in your doorway!" She laughed and made her way towards him. Soon she felt herself locked in a warm embrace, cares fluttered out of her mind like butterflies; this is what it should feel like, this is what love feels like.

She pulled back to see the look in his eyes. His handsome features seemed to light up with her presence, he was irresistible.

She couldn't help herself, her lips were so close to his, a breath or two away, it was so easy for her to lean in and softly brush her own against his. They kissed lightly for a second but then the need for each other became too strong like a magnetic force, pulling them together. She felt herself being pulled closer to him as their kiss erupted with passion, her hands found their way around his neck and his around her waist pulling her even closer.

It was just like in fairy stories, time seemed to stand still and the world seemed to stop solely for them. It was beautiful yet heartbreaking at the same time.

Eventually they pulled away for air yet still leaving their lips an inch apart.

"I love you" Link was the first to speak; Zelda laughed and brushed her hand along his face staring up into his eyes. "Is there anything that you want to say back?" His face suddenly showed the expression of concern when he noticed how long her silence had been.

Zelda let a little bit of space drift between them, she finally spoke

"Now I understand where I want to be" She smiled at him to reassure him "Now I know I will always be there, whether I'm by your side or in your doorway. I'll be there to stop you when you're thinking irrationally and there to welcome you home when you've been saving the day. It's clear now, so clear, this is where I want to be! I love you Link!"

Link grinned and pulled her close for another breathtaking kiss. This time Zelda found herself against the wall with is body so close that she was practically burning from the heat. They parted once again.

Zelda took the chance to take a look around, Link's home was small, it was wooden, but it was a home not a house, everywhere she looked it seemed like great memories were formed here. The comfort of oak and the life of her love grew up together here.

Something caught her eye; she was amazed by the sight which met her. The sun had gotten low in the sky and its warming raise cascaded down through the golden leaves to crown Ordon in a pool of sunlight, it was truly spectacular.

"It's…it's beautiful!" Zelda gasped.

"Oh the view? It's nothing now that you're here" She turned and playfully hit his arm.

"Your so cliché!" Zelda smiled and turned back to face the beauty of the village. Then her mood darkened, her face displayed an expression of hurt and upset. She turned back to Link again; she placed her face closer to him and grasped his arms with shaking hands. Tears began to fill up within her delicate soul.

"Promise me" She began "Promise me that you won't ever think of leaving again. Always, we stand by each other, through it all."

"I promise" he whispered to her. He was so close, as close as she wished that he'd always be.

"No matter what?" She asked shaking.

"No matter what" He confirmed.

She gasped with relief, sort tears fell down her cheeks, she didn't bother to wipe them away, she had no shame in letting her emotions flow when she was with him. "It's perfect, everything is just so perfect!" She beamed.

"Then why are you crying?" She felt Link's soft hand reach up to her face to brush her tears away.

"I'm crying because I'm so happy, I've never felt like this before."

Link grinned and pulled her close again, this time their kiss was so soft and innocent, it was pure. Their lips only touched lightly but the shivers that it sent down Zelda's spine where unbelievable. They pulled away one final time. Link softly whispered Zelda's words back to her.

"I will always be there"

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