The sky was painted purple and full of stars as twilight began to settle in. Zelda and Link were greeted at the entrance of Hyrule Castle, atop their horses, both in good spirits. It had been long, exhausting day in the Gerudo Desert working on Vah Naboris, but it had been Zelda's day off from training and spending it doing the one thing she loved always elevated her mood.

Earlier she had confided in Link that every time she made a new discovery concerning her research, she felt a little closer to unlocking her sacred power. It sounded a little silly, but she had said it with earnest and Link had wholeheartedly listened.

The gate opened before them, and their horses walked through slowly. Zelda was chatting Link's ear off of how the mechanisms in Naboris seemed slightly more complicated than in any of the other Divine Beasts and her theories for why she thought that was. Link said nothing, as usual, but that didn't matter much to Zelda – he really listened to her. Nobody listened as well as Link.

"Tomorrow we must head off early to make our way towards the Spring of Courage." She changed the subject as they dismounted from their horses and passed them off.

Link gave a small hum that was nearly soundless. They made their way inside, up towards Zelda's room. He always walked her to her room – there was no threat within the castle, but Link truly was the most dedicated appointed knight there was.

"I… must admit, after today I'm feeling a bit more confident. Perhaps tomorrow will be the day…"

Link made no reply, but Zelda could feel his support. It warmed her heart, made her feel unstoppable. It was Link's effect on her. Where he father was suffocating and made her feel like a failure, Link brought her new hope. Link truly believed in her, and it made her feel like for once she really could access her birthright.

Zelda stood in front of her doorway, and turned around. Her lips pulled up in a shy smile. "I guess I will see you bright and early, then." She bit her lip. "Have a good rest, Link."

Her knight bowed his head, and Zelda did not miss the way his lips curved up ever so slightly. It lasted only a second, as if he hadn't meant to do it, but she had seen, and it made her feel like she was on fire.

In the safety of her room, Zelda let out a shaky sigh, placing her hand atop her heart. Her face felt flush, and her heart was pounding. It was a feeling that had lingered within her all day.

It had started the previous day, when they were leaving to go see Daruk. They had been making their way through Castle Town when Zelda caught sight of a few teenage girls ogling Link. They giggled, pointing as their faces flushed red.

"There he is! The Hylian Champion! Oh, he's so handsome!"

"And strong!" Another girl swooned.

"O-oh my! He's looking this way!"

Link glanced over as the girls waved. He gave a small wave back, face impassive, and they all squealed. Zelda's heart plummeted in her chest.

Once they reached Hyrule Field, Zelda huffed as they mounted their horses

"What was that about?" She demanded, frowning.

Link said nothing, only offered her a look of confusion.

"Never mind, then." She jerked the reigns and took off ahead, face burning. She felt guilty for grilling him over it – he had only waved to a few girls. What was the matter with her?

That had only been the start. She had been acutely aware of Link all day while they were with Urbosa. He had done some heavy lifting, and despite knowing of his strength, seeing him move around huge barrels and boxes had severly flustered her. It was almost debilitating. He lugged them around with ease as Urbosa was catching Zelda up on her problems with Naboris. Zelda started to zone out as she watched Link.

"Hey… are you listening?" Urbosa smiled down at the princess, waving a hand in front of her face.

"What? Oh, yes, sorry Urbosa. I was just… Nevermind, then. What were you saying?" Zelda hurridly broke her gaze away from her knight and smiled apologetically up at the Gerudo Champion.

Urbosa raised an eyebrow and smirked, giving her a knowing look.

"Oh really?" The Gerudo's voice was velvety. "This doesn't having anything to do with your appointed knight, does it?"

"W-what? Why do you say that?" Zelda felt her cheeks turn pink. "Th-that's not it at all!"

"Okay, okay!" Urbosa laughed, elated with the princess's reaction. She held her hands up in surrender. "Well, if you insist nothing is wrong, let's go up and have a look at Naboris, then." She turned back to Link. "You coming, Hero?"

Link placed the last box down and brushed his hands, jogging over to the two women. Zelda stiffened when he approached by her side. Really, why was she acting this way..?

Every time she had met Link's eyes for the rest of the time in the desert, she would turn red. Her heart rate would speed up, and she felt lost for words. It was highly uncharacteristic of her.

Zelda slowly stalked across her room, settling down into her desk chair as she opened her diary. Her pencil hovered over the page, but she was at a loss for words. What exactly was she supposed to write? That she had acted like a fool around her knight the past few days?

She sighed with exasperation. "Honestly, with the way I've been acting, it's almost as though I'm in…." Her eyes widened with realization. "…Love…"

Her heart pounded in her chest and her hands shook. She… was in love with Link. There was no other proper explanation for her behavior. She dropped her pencil, bringing her hand to her chest. It explained everything. Why she was jealous when other girls fawned over him, why her body reacted so extremely whenever she near him, why she began thinking more frequently how handsome he was…

She was in love with her appointed knight.

"I… I can't believe this…" She whispered. "I can't be… I… We can never…"

They could never be together. It wasn't proper protocol, and her father would never go for it. Not that Link would ever like her back, anyway. But there was no longer denying the truth inside her heart…

Zelda Hyrule was in love with Link.