Link shifted around uncomfortably where he stood. He was doing his best to do so discreetly but with so many eyes likely upon him at the moment he doubted that his efforts were successful. Looking down to the crowd of Knights in training gathered in front of him it seemed unlikely that nobody saw his awkward shifting and yet none of them seemed to notice or even care. He was hardly a year or two older than most of the young men and the fact that they were too in awe of him-or at least in awe of the sword on his back-to notice his behavior only served to further his discomfort.
It was hardly his fault he could not stand still. At least so he thought. Whoever designed and made the dress uniforms for Royal Knights must have been some sort of sadist. The boots were a far cry from the rugged and comfortable pair he would usually wear and simply standing in them seemed irritate every part of his foot. The trousers were rather tight and restricted movement. And worst of all the shirt collar was tight enough to be more comparable to a noose than an item of clothing.
Link loathed every occasion he was made to wear the uniform which were thankfully less often as of late with his duties demanding constant travel. Unfortunately for him however upon Zelda and his most recent return to the castle his presence had been requested by the Captain of the Guard. There was a ceremony to mark the arrival of the next class of Royal Knights to the training academy at the castle. And much to Link's displeasure the Captain thought that his presence would serve as inspiration for the aspiring Knights.
It was times like this that made Link especially loathe the attention that drawing the Master Sword had brought.
The ceremony dragged on with the Captain seeming far too pleased with the sound of his own voice as he stretched out his rather self indulgent speech. As much as Link might have agreed with the importance the Captain placed on duty he felt that man had said the word so much that it had ceased to actually mean anything. At the moment the word seemed little more than a strange sound that the Captain was obsessed with making.
Although there was one bright side to the man's ramblings. When he finally finished speaking he seemed to have forgotten that he had asked Link to say a few words of encouragement and inspiration, instead moving to dismiss the Knight recruits and bring the ceremony to a close. Link's shoulders dropped and he let out a breath he had been holding, glad to let the meager speech he had prepared slide from his mind and be forgotten.
As the recruits exited the courtyard Link followed the Captain off the small stage and made for a different exit. In his head he went through the castle's layout and what would be the quickest route to return to his chambers. The sooner he got there and could change into his usual clothes the better his afternoon would be.
However Link barely made it two steps out of the courtyard and down the hallway when he heard Zelda call out for him. She was waiting by the doorway with the Sheikah slate held at her waist.
"Your Highness, is there something you need?" Link said, dropping into a bow. While Link knew that she preferred it when he used her name he could not be sure that they would not be overheard. Had he been more sure of their privacy he would have been less formal. Luckily she seemed to understand this and gave him a knowing but slightly sad smile as she answered him.
"No there is nothing. I was just watching the ceremony."
It was an answer that gave Link pause. He knew that Zelda was never one to enjoy the pomp and circumstance of ceremonies around the castle. And even if she had her role as Princess meant she had plenty to attend, enough to make even the most dignified and majestic of royalty tire of them. And so the fact that she had gone out of her way to attend this one when she did not have to struck Link as odd to say the least.
"Yes… it was quite a nice ceremony." As much as he may have wanted to comment on the Captain's long winded speech he could still not risk being overheard. And so instead he changed the topic to something he was much more eager to take care of. Getting out of this intolerable uniform.
"I was just on my way to my chambers to change into some more comfortable clothes. I will be able to return to my duties after."
Zelda seemed to pick up on his discomfort and suppressed a giggle before answering, "Yes I'm sure your Champion's tunic is much more agreeable. Shall I accompany you? I can wait for you outside of your chambers so you won't need to to looking for me when you are done."
It was a good enough excuse to spend a bit more time together. And it was not as if Link would refuse her anyways, excuse or not. And so he motioned forward and gave a polite "After you." before falling in a few steps behind her.
A few minutes and a few corners later -when they were reasonably sure that they had escaped the expecting eyes of the public- Zelda dropped back to let Link take her side and they fell into the more relaxed and friendly manner of interacting they had grown used to in recent months.
"You were right it was a nice ceremony. I'm sure those soldiers were inspired by the Hero Chosen by the Sword. Though I'm sure they would be thankful for anything to distract from the Captains speech." She finished with a small laugh.
"In all the time I've been in his command I don't think I've ever seen him run short of things to say." Link returned with a chuckle of his own.
"I'm sure the prospect of having to listen to the Captain throughout their duties has the new Knights second guessing their decision to enlist. Perhaps we should save such tests of courage for the end of their training."
The sound of both of their laughter mixed together and filled the empty hallway. When they finally collected themselves it was Zelda who spoke again.
"If I may be serious though, I meant it when I said your presence there helped. I think it's good for the new Knights to have somebody to look up to during the ceremony. Somebody a bit more like themselves that they can aspire to emulate."
He was caught off guard by the sincerity of her words. He knew that he had a lot of eyes on him ever since he drew the sword but he had always felt them to be more pressuring and judgmental. He had never thought that he might be a source of inspiration for young soldiers like himself. As strange as it felt to think of himself that way her words were comforting nonetheless. It was reassuring to know that the role as the Hero was more than the sword at his back and sword which seemed to hang above him.
"Thank you… It's nice to know that my presence there wasn't completely pointless."
"It was hardly pointless. Though I was under the impression that you were going to say a few words as well. I'm sure the Knights would have appreciated your own speech more than the one they got." Her voice took on a sad edge as she finished, seeming to lament the lost opportunity.
"Yes the Captain did ask me to speak but he must have forgotten when it came time to let me talk."
Her tone went from disappointed to annoyed in an instant, "Hmph. What a self centered man. He can't even follow through on things because he's too infatuated with the sound of his own voice."
There was something about the way she spoke that gave Link pause once again. She was acting not too dissimilar to the way she had treated him early on in their partnership when he would disobey her commands that he leave her alone. His thoughts went back to how she had chosen to watch the day's ceremony and how she had sounded disappointed just now when talking about his speech. When combined with the extra annoyance she seemed to have for the Captain at the moment a thought occurred to Link that seemed almost too ridiculous to believe. And yet there was something about her behavior that made it difficult to dismiss. And if his hunch was correct than he had several other questions in desperate need of answers.
"Did you... " Link felt silly giving voice to his suspicion but pushed on anyways, "Did you ask the Captain to have me speak for the new Knights?"
As foolish as Link had felt asking the question his suspicions were confirmed in an instant when Zelda's eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks flushed red.
"It's not that I…" Zelda trailed off as she looked back to Link. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, seeming to accept the fact that she had been caught. When she continued her voice was quieter, he embarrassment evident.
"I'm sorry. I should have spoken to you about it before I asked the Captain to to that."
"I'm not upset, more confused really. Why would you possibly want to hear me give a speech? You know I'm not exactly a man of many words." She seemed to relax slightly at his words, relieved that he wasn't mad at her going over his head.
"I'll admit there was a small part of me that was merely curious. I wanted to know how you fared at public speaking. It's a skill that might come in handy for you."
Link wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. What reason would he ever have to give speeches? Other than when she requested it. However before he could ask her to elaborate she pushed on and changed the subject.
"But I also thought it might be good for you. You told me how you thought you had to be quiet. How with all the eyes upon you you felt that was how you had to bear the burden." Her hand found his own and gave it a gentle squeeze as she continued, "And I wanted you to know that that wasn't the case."
They came to a stop as Link turned to look at her, taken off guard by her sudden seriousness. If Zelda noticed she didn't let it stop her.
"You're more than just the Knight who carries that sword Link. You can sell yourself short sometimes but you have a lot of potential to inspire and to lead. And I it would be better for you if you didn't just see this as a burden to silently bear, and if you realized just how much some of your fellow Knights looked up to you."
Link wasn't quite sure what to say or what he could even say. A moment passed in silence before Link was finally able to let out a quiet but sincere "Thank you."
Zelda, who's cheeks were still tinged pink with embarrassment, opened her mouth to say more before seeming to think better of it. Instead she turned to face back down the hallway and moved to continue their trip to Link's chambers.
The next several minutes were spent in silence with Link thinking over what she had said as they rounded corners and climbed stairs. It was odd to think of himself the way Zelda had described. He had never viewed himself as an inspiring figure for the other Knights, or for anybody else for that matter. And yet he couldn't help but think that perhaps she had a point. Maybe part of carrying the Master Sword was being an example for others.
Link shook his head at the thought. Whatever it was Zelda saw in him that made her think he could inspire others or lead by example was beyond him. But even if he wasn't the Hero others needed at the moment, maybe he could be eventually. After all if Zelda could work so hard and for so long to unlock her powers then he owed it to her to work just as hard to be everything he could be as well. And his current penchant for silence would hardly help him there.
Before Link knew it they had arrived at the door to his chambers. Zelda took a step to the side to stand next to the door. Her eyes were on the floor before she forced herself to look at him. She was readying herself to speak before Link cut her off.
"I meant what I said. Thank you." Link still wasn't quite sure what all to say but pushed on anyways. "I've never thought of myself as a leader or an example like you said. But maybe I should try more to actually be those things. I've been looking at my role as nothing more than carrying the sword. I've thought of it as a burden when I should have viewed it as a challenge, an opportunity to be a better Knight and become what Hyrule actually needs me to be."
Link felt a bit of heat rising to his own cheeks, realizing that was more than he had spoken at one time since he had drawn the sword and probably a while longer before that as well.
As Link spoke he couldn't help but realize the smile coming over Zelda's face. Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a happy sigh before speaking herself.
"I'm glad you feel that way. But either way I should have spoken with you directly about the speech rather than going behind your back to arrange it. And for that I am truly sorry."
Link let out a small chuckle. "Well don't worry about it too much because you're forgiven. And for what it's worth I'm sorry you didn't get to hear that speech."
"Well it's not as if the day was a complete waste." she said with a sly smile. Link raised a questioning eyebrow in return.
"It's not every day I get to see you in that uniform. It looks good on you." She said before raising the Slate, which Link had forgotten about, from her waist and snapping a picture.
Link's blush stayed with him even after he had changed into his regular tunic and trousers. Try as he might to ignore it and act normally Zelda kept flashing him that knowing, almost flirtatious smile of hers whenever she saw his still slightly tinged cheeks.
And when a few weeks later Link had to put on the dress uniform once again to escort Zelda to a Royal Ball, he didn't find the uniform quite so uncomfortable. It was all to east to forget his aching feet and confined neck when he would occasionally catch the glances she threw his way.
Author's Note: This took me longer to write than I would have liked and part of me feels like I let this chapter become a bit bloated. But none the less I'm happy to finally get this posted. I originally had another idea in mind for why Zelda had asked to have Link give a speech and I had to rewrite it when I had the new idea. I still hinted at the original reason however, so bonus points if you can figure out what it was.
Still more chapters to come so I hope this is enjoyable to read.
Thanks for reading!