The hallway was quiet, much to Link's frustration. His knocks at the door in front of him were the only breaks in the oppressive stillness and the only response they got was more silence. As much as he was taught and trained to hone his hearing to even the smallest noise there as not so much as a whisper coming from the room behind the door in front of him
And that was a problem. The Princess rarely locked herself in her chambers and had not done so since she had stopped avoiding him. In fact Link had never seen her as quiet had she had been the past few days.
It had all started earlier in the week. He was with her as she spent an afternoon in her study going over the most recent notes on ancient Sheikah technology. Her focus was broken when they heard some noise from outside. They had stepped out to see the Sheikah researchers in the courtyard down below gathered around a guardian. The ancient machine was taking small steps and turning its head to take in its surroundings.
The Princess's excitement had been undeniable and infectious. For once she could see the efforts of her research truly bearing fruit. For once she could let thoughts of her sealing powers slip from her mind. It was perhaps the most genuinely happy Link had ever seen her.
But life so rarely saw fit to let such moments last long and unfortunately this time was no different. The only thing of note about this occasion was just how quickly things came crashing down.
It wasn't even a minute later when the King joined them on the small bridge between Zelda's study and her chambers. Link had dropped into a kneel as soon as he had seen the Monarch. He had been left with nothing to look at but the stone beneath him and nothing to listen to except the King's words. And the King's anger and harsh words had been almost too much to bear even from the sidelines.
Even now Link could feel his frustration bubble at the thought of how Zelda's father had berated her. In mere moments he had buried the accomplishment and pride of the occasion. And in its place he had left nothing but shame and guilt.
If only those emotions had been as fleeting as the positive ones.
The confrontation was short but its effects had lingered in the days since. Zelda had spent most of her time since in the castle's shrine, dedicating further hours in search of her powers. And yet she didn't even seem to mind that they still proved to be elusive. Instead she simply seemed to be resigned to the failure. At the conclusion of hours long prayer sessions in the cold water of the shrine she would not even shiver. She would merely let out a sigh and make her way back to her chambers, not even seeming notice or care about her soaked clothes or pale color.
If she wasn't in prayer than she would lock herself behind her chamber door just as she had right now.
Link was worried. He has never seen the Princess's melancholy last this long before. Part of him was seriously considering kicking down the door and pulling her off on a journey to the corners of Hyrule just to get her away from the castle. Unfortunately for Link if Zelda wanted to be alone then he would have to let her. It wasn't his place to force his presence upon her even if it meant letting her wallow in her gloomy state. All he could do was make his company available, even if it was likely to be declined.
When his last attempt at a knock went unanswered Link let out a frustrated sigh and walked away.
Concern continued to gnaw at his mind as he made his was through the castle's halls, headed nowhere in particular. How long could Zelda's current melancholic state last? Could it even possibly get worse? He didn't think the King was an exceptionally cruel man, but neither could he rule out that he may put even more pressure on his daughter and make things worse.
Link grimaced at the possibility. But it did at least lead him to another thought.
Perhaps he should not be worrying about how long this would go on, but instead how long he was going to let it go on. It may be foolish to think he could fix this by himself however that didn't mean he had to just sit there.
Zelda had thought he could be more of a leader and wasn't part of being a leader taking charge? Even if it would only cheer her up for a short while he had to try something.
Link's hand found his chin as he let out a short and frustrated breath. He had a few ideas that might help her improve her mood, but that was only half the problem. The other issue was how to actually get to Zelda if she insisted on locking herself in her room.
As Link stepped outside and looked up at the tower that housed Zelda's study an idea stuck him.
It was reckless and it had a good chance of landing him in some deep trouble. But it just might work.
As the sun set behind the mountains to the west Hyrule castle began to turn in for the night. The Castle Guard were soon to switch over to the night shift and most of the staff had retired to their chambers.
Link however had other plans.
He had been going over his little scheme all afternoon, second guessing and fretting about it. However after a public dinner during which a dejected Zelda hardly touched her food he could not stand the thought of delaying action any longer.
And so he found himself at the base of the tower to Zelda's study preparing to climb it.
He knelt down and opened his pack, double checking that it held everything he would need. The bottle with Zelda's favorite tea had been easy enough to get. The kitchen staff didn't say a word when he had asked for it after dinner. He had anticipated the other items being a bit more difficult to obtain.
After all he had no good reason to have the Sheikah Slate or the ancient core from a guardian.
When he had gone to Purah that afternoon to make his request he had given her an excuse about Zelda wanting to do some research. Purah had been reluctant to give them to him at first and doubtful of his claim. After all the Princess had never used him as an errand boy before. If she had wanted to look at something from the researchers she would speak to them herself. For a moment Link was worried that his plan was about to fall apart before it truly began. And yet as he made his shaky excuses and tried to convince the Sheikah researcher she suddenly changed her mind.
It was Link's turn to be confused but it did not take long to figure out why she had given in to his request. The fact that she had told him what it was they were currently trying to figure out so that he could tell Zelda and had given him a knowing wink when she handed him a set of tools told him all he needed to know. As one of Zelda's true friends she knew the Princess was in a dour mood as of late. And for somebody as smart as Purah it probably wasn't difficult to see through Link's ruse.
It was embarrassing not to have been honest with Purah and to have been caught in his little lie. But she didn't seem to mind and had even given him a bit of help he hadn't expected to get.
And so with his bag packed with everything he needed he had made his way to the ground beneath Zelda's study, being careful to avoid the castle guards along the way. Purah may have been understanding but he doubted his fellow Knights would be so forgiving. Especially if they caught him him on the way up.
As the sky darkened and the coast seemed to clear Link knew that it would be now or never. And so grabbing a firm hold of the stone in front of him and pushing up with his legs he crossed over the point of no return.
The climb up was more difficult than Link had anticipated. The height of Zelda's chambers and study didn't seem to be quite so high when he was up there. And as the stone began to chill with the evening air his hands began to quiver and shake. Although at least he didn't have too much sweat to worry about.
When he finally reached the top and hoisted himself over the wall and onto the walkway between Zelda's room and her study his hands were sore and his arms burned. He was not looking forward to the trip back down but he would just have to worry about that later. When he had finally collected himself he stepped up to the door to Zelda's chambers and knocked.
Again there was no answer. But Link had doubted that he would get one anyways. After all the room had been so quiet the other times he had knocked it was as if it were empty.
Turning on his heels he looked to the other door which stood on the opposite side of the walkway. If Zelda was not in her chambers than she was most likely to be in her study.
His suspicions were confirmed when his knock at the study's door was answered by her voice. However it was quite clear that he was not who she was expecting, f she was expecting anybody at this late hour. After all with the door to her chambers locked there was only one person who should be able to get out here. The only person with the authority to unlock the door to the Princess's room.
"Yes Father, I'll be right out." It was not difficult to hear the strain or the stress in her voice. And the heavy sigh he heard through the door made it clear that she was not looking forward to opening the door. Link could only guess that she was dreading a repeat of her earlier confrontation with her Father.
And so it was that much better to see the relief on her face when she opened the door and saw who it actually was who came knocking at her door. At least until her relief was replaced by confusion.
"Link… what are you doing here? How did you even get here?"
"Purah sent me. She had something she wanted you to look at." It was not technically a lie as Purah had approved of Link's plan once she had caught on. And if he could avoid having to answer Zelda's other question he would probably be better off for it.
If Zelda doubted his claim she still seemed to surprised by his presence to question it. She merely gave a weak nod and moved aside so that he could step into her study.
As Zelda closed the door behind him Link looked around the small room which he had come to know well over the past months. Unfortunately it was not quite as he had grown accustomed to. The schematics and drawings of ancient technology that had adorned the walls had been taken down and rolled up. The books and notes which were once sprawled across her desk had been cleaned up and stacked on the floor.
The room looked little like it had a week before, the way it should have been.
As Link placed his pack down he reached in and pulled out the various contents and placed them on the desk. When he turned to look at Zelda he saw that her eyes were glued to the glowing ancient core which sat before her. She bit her lip and furrowed her brow before speaking in a tone which sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as Link.
"I… I really shouldn't. Father forbade me from partaking in this research until I have unlocked my powers." Her hands found each other and and began to wring them as she continued. "I'd be happy to review her findings but I'm afraid you'll have to tell Purah that the King has ordered-"
Link cut her off by pressing Purah's notes on the core into her hands and gesturing to the tools which sat next to the mysterious object on the desk.
"The King's not here right now. And I think it's safe to say that anything you choose to do will remain between us and whatever you do with that core will be between you and Purah."
Zelda's shoulders relaxed and she even sat down in front of the desk, placing Purah's notes down next to the tools. However her face still betrayed her doubt. As she looked between the notes and the core she seemed as if she might leave the desk at any moment. And as Link slid the Sheikah Slate out of his pack and onto the desk she spoke once again, giving voice to her obvious hesitation.
"Link I… I know what you're trying to do. And while I appreciate it you really should not." She had placed the everything back onto the table and her hands were once again wringing each other. She wasn't the only one who was nervous as Link began to doubt how open Zelda was to being cheered up. But he pushed such thoughts out of his mind. If she had truly not wanted to relax and do some experimenting with the core than she would have sent him away already, not sit down at the desk.
And so he said nothing, waiting for Zelda to elaborate. And after a heavy sigh she did so.
"The King…. Father may not be here but he was still right the other day. Until I've unlocked my powers that I will need when the Calamity comes I should remain focused on them." She paused for a moment and Link jumped at the opportunity to dissuade her.
"Zelda enough of that. You know as well as I do how hard you've been working at gaining your abilities. It's not your fault that they have yet to make themselves known."
"You don't know that Link." she snapped back at him. It was the first time in some months she had sounded irritated when speaking with him. However Link was confident -or at least hopeful- that it wasn't actually him she was irritated with.
"You've done everything that's been asked of you Zelda. You've remained steadfast and dedicated to your prayers for years despite being denied for so long." Link leaned back on the desk and placed a hand onto her shoulder, staring into her eyes as he continued.
"I don't know why the goddesses have denied you your powers for so long but I do not believe for a second it's because of a lack of devotion or effort on your part."
Zelda looked down to the floor and though her hair hung down and blocked her face Link heard a sniffle and saw her hands go up wipe her eyes. Silence reigned in the small study as Link could only gently rub her shoulder, offering what encouragement he could at the moment. When Zelda spoke again her voice was soft and strained and she kept her eyes cast downwards.
"Even so it matters not whether it's my fault or not. The entire Kingdom is counting on me to gain my powers. Everything will be lost if I am unable to do my part in stopping Calamity Ganon. It would not be right of me to be enjoying myself while Hyrule remains in peril."
She was at least not blaming herself again and so Link thought that there was progress being made. And so he pushed on, addressing her new argument.
"Depriving yourself of your hobbies will not get you any closer to your powers. In fact in making yourself miserable it's more likely to push it further away if anything. And despite what the King may say your research is hardly some frivolous waste of time. Every little bit of the insight you help give into the Guardians and the Divine Beasts will help when the Calamity comes. It might make the difference that saves who knows how many lives."
As Zelda looked up to him he could see the tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. Link's heart swelled as he tried to put her self deprecating line of thinking to rest.
"As important as your efforts to unlocking your powers are the other things you do should not be dismissed so easily. Not by the King and certainly not by you. Not only will your research prove helpful to Hyrule but if it makes you happy than that alone is reason enough to do it."
Link wasn't quite sure where all those words had come from or how he had found the resolve to say them. Voicing any criticism of or disagreement with the King -and to Zelda of all people- would have been unthinkable not long ago. But as he thought about it Link realized how much he needed to say how wrong the King was when he had scolded her days ago. Or rather he realized how much Zelda needed to hear it whether from him or from anybody else.
And as Zelda's face began to soften and her lips spread into a small but noticeable smile Link couldn't help lucky that he was the one who got to say it. It was a feeling that doubled when Zelda stood from her chair to take Link into a tight hug and whisper words of gratitude to him.
The next several hours passed mostly in silence although Link didn't much mind. He was happy to watch from next to the door as Zelda did her work and occasionally refill her cup of tea when it ran low. With every stimulus provided to the ancient core, every tweak made with the tools, and every observation added to Purah's notes her smile grew little by little.
When Link finally got up to inform the Princess that he needed to leave and be off to bed he found that she had beaten him to it. Her head lay on the desk facing the notes which her pen had trailed off of mid sentence. Link let out a soft chuckle at the sight before noticing the slate which sat nearby displaying reference pictures of other ancient technology. It was then that an idea crossed his mind and he found her sleeping expression to be far too cute to resist his impulse.
And so after he had carefully picked her sleeping form up and carried into her chambers to lay her down in her bed he left the slate on her nightstand. On it's screen was displayed a different image which had little academic value but he hoped would be appreciated nonetheless.
It was a picture of the Princess with her head on the desk sleeping as silently and peacefully as she did out in the wild.
Author's Note: Another Chapter done. I had wanted to get this finished and posted last Sunday but real life got in the way and I've been traveling the past few days. Hopefully the chapter didn't suffer for it and you lovely readers still find it enjoyable.
The next chapter I anticipate being somewhat short but I've been wrong before about that sort of thing. The final chapter might take bit longer because while I have a decent idea about what I want it to be it still needs to be fleshed out a bit.
Thanks again for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story.