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"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control." -Robert Browning
The shuffling of papers was the only noise that could be heard in the silent study at the moment, until the occupants of the room spoke again.
"Well, girls, we discussed the history and the legends of this land, and the hour is up, so your class is over for today. Go upstairs to your rooms and change clothes, and we'll head outside to practice your athletic skills." Impa said.
Eliana squealed and jumped up, but composed herself after receiving a scolding look from Impa. She loved practicing her archery and her swordfighting. Zelda stood up slowly, looking at Impa.
"Come on, Zel!" Eliana said, grabbing her sister's hand. Zelda glanced at her, then looked back at Impa. The Sheikah noticed this and looked at Eliana.
"Ellie, go ahead and go change, Zelda and I will meet you out on the field."
Eliana let go of Zelda's hand, looked between the two of them, and left the study.
Impa turned to Zelda. "I sense you have something you wish to discuss with me."
Zelda looked down nervously and then back up towards her caretaker. "I simply desired to know if you had any knowledge of any legends of Hyrule where the Princess was not limited to marry someone of only noble birth, and she married someone she loved. I would love to hear such a story."
Impa paused. "Does this have anything to do with you searching through the marriage laws the other day?" Zelda turned pink, and Impa smiled. "It's alright, dear. In answering your question, your ancestors from centuries and centuries ago in all the stories and legends married their heroes and their lovers. But that was at the dawning of time, Zelda. Before the Hyrule became the established, governed and traditional Kingdom that it is today. Back centuries ago, Hyrule was not the same. It was not the strong domain with laws and nobles and traditions that it is today. Although marriages like that occurred in the old days of your lineage, it has not happened that way for hundreds of years. Hyrule and all of our neighboring kingdoms have held traditional weddings between the nobles with no exceptions for hundreds of years now."
Zelda nodded at her wise caretaker, keeping her face level of expression. "I understand. Thank you, Impa." Zelda took a step back when Impa stepped forward and grabbed her hands.
Impa sighed. "I know that was not the answer you desired to hear. I am your caretaker and have been since you were born, don't speak so formal with me. I want you to really talk to me and tell me what's on your mind. My dear girl, I will look deeper into history and inquire around the castle and around my travels, and if I find anything to be of use to you, I will let you know. I care about you and Ellie, Zelda. Because I care about you, I am helping you with this, but I also must tell you that whatever man is behind this-" Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but Impa held up her hand and Zelda stopped. "I was young once too, Zelda. It's fairly obvious. As I was saying, whatever man is behind this behavior, I must remind you, because I care about you, that you have a duty to your kingdom. I hope he is a respectable man that, even if he is not a noble, one that would treat you well and rule the Kingdom justly as your Father and Mother have, if you or I were able to find a way for you to marry him despite the laws. I should be quite disappointed if you threw away your duties for a man that was nothing more than greedy scum. But I know you are better than to give your heart to such a man. So though I pity your situation, and hope you realize your duty and sort your priorities, I hope he is a good man that makes you happy."
Zelda smiled, seeing once more why she loved her caretaker so much. Lifting her hands, she threw herself into Impa's arms, holding her tight. Impa laughed in surprise, and returned the hug of the princess.
"Have I told you lately that I love you, Impa?" Zelda said quietly.
"Not since you were a little girl, not really." Impa squeezed her tighter, knowing her princess was not a little girl anymore.
"Well, I do. You've always been a second mother to me."
Impa felt her heart go heavy with affection as she smiled. "And I love you both as if you were my own daughters." Releasing Zelda, she put her hands on the young princess' shoulders. "Now let's go, Ellie waits for us in the courtyard."
Zelda grinned. "Yes, Impa."
It had been a particularly grueling day for Zelda. All of her days are busy and filled with things she wished she could escape, but today had been even more so. It was just upon the evening and Zelda collapsed in her chambers, clutching the note that Link had pressed into her hand hours before.
Slowly, she opened it. The side gardens next to the big bush sculpture. 7:00.
That's in an hour! I can rest and clean up before I go see him.
She changed dresses and washed up, then sat in her chambers reading a book until the meeting time came. Feeling more calm and rested, she walked out to the side gardens. There was a large bush statue that was the pride and joy of the gardeners; they had used tree trimmers to cut down this impressive bush into the shape of the King Harkinian. It was incredibly accurate for a bush sculpture.
As Zelda approached it, she saw a shadow on the other side of it. Smiling, she walked around, and saw the face of her Hero looking tenderly at her.
After pulling her into a tight hug, which she completely enjoyed after her hard day, he released her and grinned at her with a goofy expression.
She gave him a confused smile. "What?"
He shifted on his feet. "Well, I saw how tired you were earlier today, and I figured you wanted a break from the castle life. So, I brought a casual middle class dress outfit for you for a disguise. I'm taking you out of the castle and to Lake Hylia. There's a huge festival going on there tonight, and people from all around Hyrule are gathering. Do you want to go?"
Zelda could have exploded from delight. "Oh, yes, a million times yes!" She jumped into his arms again, and he caught her as he laughed, holding her tight around her waist.
"Well, here's the dress I brought you. I hope you like it. It's definitely not as nice as something you wear in the castle." He reached into the bag he brought, and pulled out a simple white dress. It had short cup sleeves, a round neck that exposed just enough of the area below her neck but not too much, a belt around the waist, and flowing ripples that landed a little bit below her knees. The top half of the dress was flowery lace, with material underneath, as the lace is see-through. Zelda's mouth fell open as she took the dress, admiring the simple elegance of it. She hardly noticed Link had pulled something else from the bag. She froze as she looked at the matching shoes in his hand.
"Oh my goddesses, Link, this is amazing." He turned slightly red as he smiled.
"Well, I-I'm glad you like them." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "You can probably c-change behind the line of smaller bush statues over there, I-I'll go stand over here and face the other way. I can carry the dress you're wearing now in my bag, so we don't leave any evidence."
Holding back laughter at his obvious embarrassment at the topic, she took the outfit and headed behind the decorations in the garden. Minutes later, she came out and twirled as she smiled at him. The dress fit her perfectly, and Link thought she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her.
"How do I look?" Zelda said, pressing her previous dress into his arms. He gently tucked it into his bag, being careful not to tear or ruin it.
"You look… amazing." Link said. Then he paused. "Um, I hope it provides you lots of mobility, because not only will we be dancing at the festival, but it might require a bit of ability to sneak through the path I found that we have to use to get out of here."
Zelda grinned. "Come on then! I'm up for an adventure!" He grinned back at her and smiled, then realized something. He stopped to stare at the crown on her head, and she noticed. "Oh." She said softly, gently removing it and holding it closely. "I suppose you'll have to hold this for me too, it'll be a pretty big giveaway." Reluctantly she extended her crown toward him, and he tucked it carefully as he could into his bag with the dress.
As they reached the edge of the gardens, they reached the fence that held their freedom on the other side of it. She looked longingly through the bars, then quickly moved behind a bush as a guard appeared on the other side of the fence.
"I brought Epona outside the fence already, by the river where we'll escape. She won't be seen there, and she'll help us make our getaway." Link whispered. "Come this way. There's vines we can use to climb up and over the fence, but we'll have to do it quickly and quietly. Thank goodness it's dark or this wouldn't work."
As they continued along the perimeter of the fence, they reached the end where the fence stopped and there was a mountain of rock that the fence touched. Sure enough, there were vines that went from one side of the fence to the other.
A guard was patrolling on the other side of the fence, but he was a yard or so away, and if they were quiet enough, he would never see them.
"I'll go first so I can scope out the area on the other side. Also, since I'm one of the captains of the guard, it'll look less suspicious to see me standing there alone until you cross over." Link said again, and quietly began to climb the vines.
Zelda stood anxiously for several minutes until he was on the other side. But just as he was about to motion for Zelda to come over, the closest guard shined his flashlight straight at Link, and Zelda moved quickly behind a bush.
"Captain Link, what are you doing out this evening? Are you on your way to the festivities?" The guard asked casually.
"Hey there, Rick. Yeah, actually, I thought I should scope out the festival and make sure nothing's going on there. It's also a pretty big thing that doesn't happen often, I thought it'd be nice to go see it for a little while. I can bring you back some sweets or something." Link said, chuckling.
The guard laughed. "Well, that's not necessary, but that'd be pretty swell of you if you actually did. Just tell me how the festival is when you return, alright?"
"Will do, soldier. Have a good night." Link said, smiling at the guard. The guard turned and began his patrol to the other side, the flashlight now facing the opposite direction. Link quickly waved Zelda over, and she began to climb the vines. She had just crossed over when it was almost time for the guard to patrol in their direction again, so he quickly grabbed her hand and they ran away from the castle, sticking close to the rock that would take them around the corner to the river. After a few moments, they reached the river, and Epona was standing along the side. Zelda excitedly ran toward the horse, and Link lifted her on. He climbed on behind her, and took hold of the reins from either side of Zelda as she sat sidesaddle in his arms.
"And we're off," Link whispered, grinning. Zelda quietly squealed, then laughed as they began their journey.
They arrived shortly at Lake Hylia, and the lights and music and masses of people set Zelda's heart on fire with excitement. The lake was a beautiful sight as the strung lights reflected on the water. She could see the people talking and laughing as she dismounted the horse. Link led Epona off to the side where she wouldn't be in the way, and joined Zelda in admiring the festivities. There were tables of food, and people from Kakariko and children from the Kokiri Forest moved about excitedly. There were even a few gorons and zoras that had decided to attend the party.
"Come up with a fake name for yourself now, because when you talk to people, you can't introduce yourself as Zelda." Link said in her ear. He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly as he smiled at her.
Zelda thought for a moment. "Call me… Tara."
"Tara. That's pretty. Now let's go party, Tara." He said, nudging her side as he grinned at her. As they walked to the center where everyone was dancing, it wasn't long before they were interrupted.
"Link!" An excited voice called out. They looked over to see a grown-up Malon running towards them. "Wow, you haven't come by the ranch in a long time! Busy with your new duties at the castle, huh?"
"Yeah, I have been. It's been good though. How's the farm?"
"Oh, it's really well. My father finally got rid of that nasty ranch hand, Ingo. He was filth, and we hired a new one, who's a lot nicer."
"It's about time! That's good. Oh, Malon I-" That was when Malon noticed the girl who was holding tightly to the hand of the Hero.
"Who is this?" Zelda resisted to the urge to squirm under the stare of the red-headed girl.
"This is my girlfriend, uh, Tara."
"It's lovely to meet you, your name is Malon? That's beautiful." Zelda said.
"Oh, um, thank you." Malon said, not taking her eyes off Zelda.
"Tara, when I wasn't coming to your, uh, house to visit you, I often spent time at the ranch where Malon lives, bonding with the beauty I'm proud to call my horse, Epona." Link explained. "That's where I met Malon and her father."
"That's lovely. If the rest of your farm is as good as the milk you ship out, you must have excellent horses." Zelda said to the girl.
"We do, you could always come by and see them." Malon said. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look for a friend. It was nice to see you Link, come visit the farm sometime." Malon turned and walked back into the crowd.
"Well, that was interesting." Zelda said.
Link sighed. "Yeah, sorry about that, she's kinda had a thing for me since we were kids. I think it took all her willpower to be nice to you once she realized we were dating."
"That's sad, she seems like she'd be nice if she didn't hate me."
"Zelda, she doesn't hate you. She just doesn't want to accept the truth. Now let's go."
They ran into the crowd, and decided to spend the evening dancing. Zelda knew many of the dances from her experience at the castle, and Link stumbled along trying to follow her. She twirled in and out of lines, and watched closely as Link followed the steps of the other men as close as he could in the dances. When the first slow song began to play, Link immediately stepped up and took her around the waist. She sighed contentedly, when all of a sudden he released her waist, grabbed her hand, and twirled her slowly, and she laughed in pleased surprise.
"Link, thank you so much for taking me out here. This is amazing and beautiful and wonderful and I never get to do things like this." Zelda said as she tightened her arms around his neck, swaying to the music, and pressed her forehead to his.
"What about the balls?" He said quietly. "They're not much different from this."
"I have to behave in certain ways at the balls. For example, I can't do this." Grinning, she turned her head slightly and pressed her lips against his quickly and impatiently, and she felt him smile against her lips as he returned the kiss. They kissed for a few more moments before breaking for air, and Zelda smiled as she enjoyed being tight in his embrace.
"Do you ever wonder," Zelda whispered, "if this fight is really worth it? I mean, I told you what Impa told me. What are the chances my father would ever approve of our relationship?"
Link hesitated before responding and pulled his face back slightly. "Are you saying you don't want to... be with me anymore? I mean, I guess I should have-" Zelda panicked as she felt his arms around her loosening.
"No, no, I…" She tightened her arms around his neck desperately and leaned up against him further, nuzzling her face against his own. He stood there, barely receiving her, unsure of what to feel. "You're the greatest person I've ever known, and the only person besides Ellie and Impa that I've ever really been able to go to, and I… I want us to be together more than anything else in the world, but I just… don't know what we can do, and…" His arms around her tightened again, reassured by her words, and leaned his head against her own.
"I don't know either. Sometimes I wonder if this is hopeless, and sometimes I think, this is crazy, we haven't even been together very long and already we're battling against everything we've always known. But I know I don't want to let you go, despite the risks, and I think that if Impa helps us, there's no way your father would turn us away from each other." Link said, kissing the top of her head.
"Do you even want to rule?" Zelda said, looking up at him.
Link hesitated again. "Honestly, the idea is kind of frightening. But with you by my side, I think I can handle it."
"You can do anything without me; you did during Ganondorf's reign. You saved me."
"Oh please, Zelda, I couldn't have done it without your help as a Sheikah."
Zelda grinned. "So you admit! Where's your ego now?"
Link looked down at her, surprised, and then started laughing. "You tricked me, you naughty woman."
Zelda grinned. "Get used to it."
Hours later, at the end of the festival, Link and Zelda began to ride back to the castle. They had danced awhile longer, and then played festival games. Link had won Zelda a stuffed horse, and Zelda knew it was something she'd hold on to forever. She had met so many nice people that night and had finally felt like a normal person.
They snuck back into the garden, after Link handed the guard a bag of sweets, which amused and greatly pleased him. Back in the gardens, Zelda changed back into her castle dress, and Link tucked the festival dress and shoes into his bag, so the castle maids wouldn't ever find them in Zelda's room. Zelda took her prize, said goodnight to Link with a kiss, and headed back up to her chambers, where Eliana was waiting for her.
Upon seeing Zelda enter, Eliana ran toward her elder sister.
"Ellie, it's late, why are you still awake?" Zelda said quietly, after receiving her younger sister's hug. "You should go back to your room."
"Where did you go? It felt quite empty without you here." Eliana said.
"You know that festival they have every year on Lake Hylia?" Zelda said, grinning.
"You went there?!" Eliana exclaimed, and Zelda quickly hushed her.
"Yes, Link took me in disguise. It was wonderful."
Eliana sighed in jealousy. "I've always wanted to go."
Zelda smiled and wrapped her arms tight around her sister. "Someday you will."
"Oh, father and mother came by asking where you were. You'd better come up with an excuse tonight, because tomorrow morning they'll ask you questions."
"Thank you, dear Ellie. I wish to sleep now, but I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay, Zel." Eliana smiled as Zelda kissed the top of her head, and Eliana quietly left to sneak back to her chambers. Zelda changed into her nightgown and washed up for the night. After collapsing into her bed, she smiled as she drifted off to sleep.
Back in her chambers, Eliana was writing in her journal again.
Zelda's getting more and more smitten with her Hero, and although I want to feel happy for her, it also fills me with dread, because when her birthday comes soon, she's going to be hurt. She knows well of her duty to the castle, and she's going to lose the man she wants to be with to fulfill it.
Dramatic journal entries, yay!
Well, thank you all for reading! Any kind of review is great, even flames, they help me improve, so let me hear what you're thinking!
Have a great day, you guys!