Chapter 2: Swap

When Link and Zelda reached their shared bedroom, Link closed the door behind her and leaned against it, trembling. Her large blue eyes were full to the brim with unshed tears, her plump lower lip sticking out slightly.

Zelda sighed, opening her arms. Link immediately rushed into the hug, sobbing quietly.

"We'll swap tonight," Zelda murmured quietly. "That way you'll not need to bear the burden of their cruelty."

"But then that means you—"

Zelda hushed Link. "I know. This is my choice, Link. For tonight, let me be Link, and you can be Zelda."

Link looked downcast for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in her mind. For her, the biggest downside was knowing that her sister would be subjected to the cruelty of the Branch family and the nobles, but she also knew that Zelda could handle the whispers and mean words much better than she could. Eventually, that knowledge won out, and she let out a defeated sigh.

Zelda smiled, grabbing their party gowns. She allowed Link to wear her lovely floor-length royal blue gown with the silvery patterns and pearls on it, and she wore Link's knee-length green dress with the golden belt.

"Well?" Zelda asked, twirling in Link's dress. "I think we look good."

"We'll always look great to each other," Link giggled. "After all, we're identical."

Zelda stood stiffly amidst the party, following Link closely. She did not bother to imitate Link's meeker mannerisms and stood boldly, practically daring the snot-nosed nobles to even approach her. Link no doubt was aware of this, and she sent worried glances at Zelda multiple times, though she did not comment.

Klara observed her two daughters amidst the party, both uncomfortable. She walked over to Zelda, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Link?" she asked softly. "Is everything alright?"

Zelda gave her mother a comforting smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Let those lofty nobles dare to bully me."

Klara blinked in surprise at her daughter's change in attitude, but did not appear to question it. Her eyes watched the twins for any signs of something amiss. She suspected that her daughters had changed positions, but Link always had acted this way at parties. Maybe it was just her younger daughter putting up a tough front so that she was not seen as weak.

Yes, that was it. She was about to leave Zelda and Link to the crowd, but she just as soon realized that their uncle was heading towards them. Her blue eyes narrowed into two suspicious slits, her hand practically itching to bunch up the pink-and-gold skirts of her party gown just in case she needed to kick him somewhere painful.

Link took note of their mother's stance, and upon seeing the reason for it, she tensed. She twisted her head slightly so that it was near Zelda's ear and whispered, "Uncle Bernard." Zelda immediately turned her head just enough to stare at him piercingly with one blue eye, fiery and defiant. Uncle Bernard's step faltered for a split second, so fast that if she had blinked, Zelda was sure she'd have missed it.

When he was in front of them, Uncle Bernard bowed to Klara and Link, kissing both of their hands, whilst ignoring Zelda. Link's eyes glowed with the furious urge to reprimand him, but Zelda inched slightly closer to Link and poked her softly. Link exhaled quietly, the anger still simmering behind her eyes, but it was barely there, hidden under the most polite expression she could manage.

"Hello, Klara," Bernard greeted, pearly whites shining almost predatorily. "How has my brother been doing?"

"Eric has been doing fine," the Queen replied in a manner that appeared amicable to those outside of the conversation. "And what is your business here, Bernard?" Her voice held an undercurrent of stiffness that both Link and Zelda caught immediately, and so did their uncle, as his gray eyes narrowed ever so slightly in hostility.

"Why, I can't say hello to my niece Zelda?" He gestured grandly to Link, clad in Zelda's lovely blue gown, with the lighting against its silky fabric making her look elegant and commanding.

"How out of character for you, Bernard," Klara said drily, her hand clenching into a fist amidst the frills of her skirts. "You didn't care for pointless jabber, I thought?"

Bernard had long since lost his smile, his gray eyes suddenly hard like cold stone. "I just thought I might tell you and Eric something."

Eric, having seen the tense atmosphere and Bernard near his daughters, had strode over at some point in the conversation to listen. "And what might be so important that you would indulge in 'pointless jabber,' Bernard?" he challenged, his silver eyes meeting Bernard's stormy gray in a calm stare.

Bernard regained his smile. Most would see it as friendly and charming, but it made Link and Zelda involuntarily shrink closer to their father.

"I got my newspaper delivery the other day," Bernard began. "Nothing special. But this time I had a copy..."

Link grabbed Zelda's hand and squeezed it. Klara took in a sharp breath, and Eric's glare hardened.

"And do you know what I did with that copy? I threw it away. Do you know why?" His grin widened, and his awful gaze landed on Zelda.

Zelda could feel Link's fury nearly boil over. She tightened her grip on the latter's hand, trying desperately to keep the younger calm. Link's expression had gone stoic, her eyes glowing with barely-contained destructive rage.

"Because a copy is useless."

When the sound of Link's hand meeting Bernard's cheek echoed across the ballroom, all chatter ceased and Zelda felt the weight of every eye in the room at once. The silence was thick, almost suffocating her heart in her chest and making her wonder if she had gone deaf for one horrifying moment. Klara's hand was over her mouth in shock, though whether it was from Bernard's words or the way that her daughter had reacted was unclear. Eric's face was stoic, though the gaze he had fixed on his brother was angry.

For a long, painful moment, all Zelda heard was the beating of her heart in her own chest. Her sister, wearing her elaborate blue gown, seemed to radiate the very leadership that was their royal birthright. Her eyes were alight with calm blue fire, her hand still raised.

"Get out," Link whispered. Bernard's eyes widened.

"P-Princess Zelda!" He shrieked.

"I said," Link raised her voice. "Get out."

"Klara, teach your daughter etiquette—"

Klara, who had long since regained her composure, fixed Bernard with an angry gaze. "I think you should leave, Bernard," she said icily.

He whimpered in fright at her tone, and in a last-ditch effort, the man turned to the King. He stared beseechingly, as though hoping that by some miracle, his brother would take pity upon him.

Eric hummed in a mockery of thoughtfulness, and Bernard's hopeful expression fell. "I find myself agreeing with my daughter and wife. You are excused, brother," the King announced with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Bernard ran a hand through his greasy, slicked-back black hair and seemed to suddenly realize all of the eyes on him. He chuckled nervously and flushed, looking around as though trying to find some form of support amongst the spectators, but was only met with the brutally cold gazes of the Hyrulean nobility. Realizing that he had lost control of the situation, he snarled one last time at Zelda, turned on his heel, and promptly left.

Zelda released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, feeling as though her heart had just stopped and restarted.

Link placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder. "It's okay," she murmured quietly as the chatter at the party resumed. "It's okay."

Whoop whoop! TENSION! Because we all love tension :D

REPLIES!

AriTheDoggo: The puppies appreciate it :)

B-LightWalker: So glad you noticed that! Don't worry, she'll come into the scene later on. I will PM you the descriptions of Ganondorf and the twins. Can't wait to see the pictures! And thank you very much for your advice, I will be using it :D