~May I Have This Dance?~
"Welcome to the Princess's twentieth birthday celebration! If you wish to dance with her, simply offer her the flower you were given at the gates. Place it in the vase next to her throne, and offer her your hand. Oh! Here she comes now!" an attendant shouted over the murmur of the gathered crowd that lingered in the ballroom, casually chatting and grabbing horderves off of the servants' trays.
Link twisted the lily steam in his hands nervously. He had gotten out of training late, and the consequence with a huge line of people already waiting to dance with the princess. There were audible gasps as a shining, poised figure took the hand of a guard and gracefully floated down the stairway to stand in front of her throne. Her gown was a glimmering red with gold embroidery weaving intricate designs through the silk. Her brunette locks sat atop her head and a golden diadem with a glittering emerald framed her face, failing to overtake her natural beauty.
"Ech! It's too bad we're way back 'ere eh, Horrus? I mean, look at the rack on that one! Would love to get up close."
Link frowned, his attention turning to a pair of young men standing in front of him.
"Yer right, Durk," the lanky, bird-faced one responded, licking his upper lip. "Maybe if our hands "slipped," she'd let us off the hook."
The first one laughed over the music, stroking his sad excuse for facial hair. "We'd just tell 'er we can't dance or somethin." He was a larger fellow, shorter than his friend, but the distinct black soot on his grimy hands reminded Link of a blacksmith. He continued, "Wait! Wait! I got it! I'll go for the top… and YOU can "accidently" slide your hand down too far, eh? You're an ass man, aint yeh?"
The tall one snorted. "You know me too well! This is the one chance we got to do it! The boys back home will be so jealous." He cackled harder, spit flying on the person in front of him.
It took every ounce of power to keep Link from saying something, especially when he started to smell alcohol on their breath. Zelda is already taking time out of her special day for her guests, let alone putting up with these losers, he thought.
He tried to focus on other folks as the line plodded along ever so slowly. People of all ages swept along with the music, the romantics leaning in a little closer to their sweethearts than the old couples who swayed in smaller circles, enjoying each other's company. What felt like an hour of tolerating the idiots in front of him and holding on to every shred of patience he had, Link notice the line was actually getting significantly shorter. Only a few stood in front of him.
"She's still going," he muttered to himself, admiring the princess's stamina as she gave her subtle smile and energy to each and every one of her guests. For a split second, Link could have sworn she locked eyes with him, and he glanced away immediately after. Why am I even in line? I don't know how to dance well and I'm not even going to be able to make eye contact!
Link dreaded the moment that Horrus held out his hand to Zelda, barely even able to keep his composure in his drunken state. The princess held her smile, but Link was sure he saw her nose crinkle at the scent of her new dance partner.
"Aye get her!" Durk mumbled, eyes still focused on the beauty's chest.
Link was waiting for something awful to occur when another figure caught his eye. A small girl, about seven summers old or so, delicately offered her flower to a boy about her age, a glimmer of affection in her eye. Delight filled her expression when he took the offering, but Link's heart fell when the boy started laughing, elbowing his friend who awkwardly waited for the scene to end, unsure whether to speak up or go along with it. Tears filled the girl's eyes at her crush's mocking and she dashed away, broken-hearted. Link glared at the young boy who took no notice, but was distracted again at a loud yelp.
Horrus held his hand in pained, looking shocked and offended as Zelda stood next to him, frowning. "Disrespect will get you nowhere in my presence," she huffed, her glare fixating on the next person in line.
Durk cracked under pressure. "Come on, buddy! Let's put some ice on that," he said with a shudder in his voice. Swiftly avoiding further confrontation, the pair scurried away, leaving Link next in line.
Zelda's glare met his eyes, softening when she realized Link had no affiliation with the knuckle-heads. His heart pounded as he clutched the lily tighter.
"Are you next?" she asked sweetly, stepping closer, threatening to intimidate whatever courage Link had left.
"I- uh… yes. I mean-" he stuttered, stopping to think for a moment. "Actually…"
Curious, Princess Zelda's knowing look flickered past Link to where the little girl had dashed away. Did she see what happened too? Link pondered.
Link finally finished his sentence. "There is someone else who may need this flower," he stated, looking to the floor. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
"No worries, my dear. Next time," she said, her warm tone making Link almost regret his choice.
The trainee lumbered away, in search of the broken-heart. Sniffling caught his attention next to the candy counter as his gaze locked on a familiar pink dress. The little girl sat in a chair, hands over her eyes. Her golden curls bounced to and fro when she rejected her friend's pleas to 'have some candy and feel better.'
Link stepped over to the pair, getting down on one knee at eye-level. The girl's friend gasped and nudged her frantically. "Excuse me, Miss," Link said, holding out his flower.
The girl looked up, wiping snot and tears away to get a better look. Wide-eyed, she waited for Link to say more.
"It seems as though you are having a rough day. May I have this dance?"
Her friend squealed, shaking her even harder.
Incredulous, the girl accepted Link's flower and hopped off of her chair, unable to look away from his face.
Taking her by the hand, Link wandered off to where the girl's rejector would be sure to see. "So, little miss, my name is Link. What's yours?"
"J-jemmie," she mumbled.
"That's a very pretty name."
"Thank you, Mister. Y-your very handsome."
Link smiled, overtaken by a warm feeling in his stomach. "Thank you, but not as handsome as you are beautiful."
She giggled, wiping the last tear away.
"Now," Link began, "I'm not very good at dancing so you'll have to teach me." He looked down at her and winked.
"Okay."
Link let her lead, nearly having to hunch over as she awkwardly pulled him this way and that, her curls bobbing to the rhythm of the song. He shot a sly smirk to her ex-crush as he watched, arms crossed and angry. The duo was having too much fun dancing and eating sweets with her friend Sara before the music finally came to an end.
"Wow," Link said. "Time flies when you're having fun with a couple of fine, young ladies."
The girls giggled but then looked sad when they realized it was time to go home.
"If your parents are fine with it, you can come visit me at the castle sometime. I'm training to join the Hylian army so I won't be going anywhere," Link suggested.
The girl's parents showed up moments later, giving him an appreciative smile for spending time with them. Sara dashed away, but Jemmie stayed a moment more.
"Thank you, Mister Link," she gave him a quick hug and ran after Sara.
Link smiled as he watched them go.
"Excuse me, Mister Link?" a warm voice said from behind.
A shiver went up the trainee's back. Link turned to see Princess Zelda standing alone, bright sapphire eyes shining expectantly. She looked tired, yet there was some sort of wild energy that danced behind her pupils, unrelenting in light of her physical state.
She said, "I asked my musicians to save one more song after everyone else had gone. I believe I have time for one more. May I have this dance?" Her expression melted into something that Link did not expect from the confident ruler: uncertainty.
"Yes, of course Your Majesty," Link bowed and held out his hand.
As the last of the crowd dissipated, Zelda nodded to her remaining musicians, and a gentle waltz filled the room.
"I-I'm not a good dancer," Link admitted, swallowing hard.
"Relax soldier. Nothing could compare to those oafs from earlier. The nerve!" she huffed, leading the dance.
Link's hand that rested on her lower back moved up a little, and his other gripped her left hand a bit tighter.
Zelda studied his face. "I feel like I have seen you before."
"W-well I am a trainee for the Hylian Army, so I live here. My great-grandfather served in honor of his friend saving his life after a raid in their home village during the War of Darkness. Ordon was it? I suppose my dream is to help like he did." Link shut his mouth, realizing he had started to ramble.
"That is not quite it. There is something else about you that seems familiar to me, like an old friend," she muttered.
Link just gave a crooked smile, trying to hold eye contact and not step on her feet.
"Anyhow, I saw what you did for that little one. You made her very happy."
"You saw that?" He blushed deeper.
"Such kindness is not something I run into often. It always seems like everyone has their own agenda these days, never stopping to really look into the eyes of another."
There was something about those words that largely eased Link's tension. Though his heart never stopped fighting to escape his body, he was able to study her… really look into her soul, and what he saw behind those sapphire eyes was something he would never forget.
The couple danced in silence until the music stopped all too soon. Bidding him a thank you and a good night, Zelda swept away, leaving Link to stare after the mystery that was his new dream.
A/N: This one is random lol. No one asked for it but I wrote it anyway. Hope you enjoyed :) You can PM me a Zelink couple and a one-word prompt and I'll write you a drabble if I am free.
