Chapter 17: Dinner and a Walk
A few days came and went. I spent most of my time standing guard in the throne room and training. Because of the tournament, I had been practicing with a regular sword more often than the Master Sword. I had to make sure I was comfortable with the swords' weight difference. I was pretty much back to tip top shape, my wounds now just scars, the pain almost completely subsided. The tournament was tomorrow, so there was a great deal of preparation to be done. I was always at the king's side as his personal guard. The princess would occasionally join for preparations and tournament meetings. It was difficult to keep my composure after our previous, encounters during our trip. I'd be lying if I wasn't ready for our next "adventure", but these thoughts need to take second place to my duties. I shook my head clear and focused on our current situation, avoiding the princess' intermittent looks, We're gonna need to have a conversation about that soon.
With preparations nearing completion, it was getting close to dinner time. The king invited me to the royal dining hall, to officially show his thanks for protecting the princess, "Link, don't be bashful. You're more than welcome to join us for dinner, we want to officially show our thanks for your brave acts." I knew it was fruitful to argue against king, so I bowed in agreement. He dismissed me to prepare for dinner and since I was dining with royalty, I knew I'd need to dig in the back of my closet for my dress uniform. With his permission I took my leave, heading straight to the barracks.
After a quick cleanup, I stole some of Johnny's cologne and started digging in my closet. I pulled out my nice uniform. The cap was never really my style, but the beret-shaped hat complemented the uniform well. It was all dark blue, gold and red-accented with tall white boots and mid-forearm length white gloves. Only reserved for special occasions, I deemed this royal dinner more than worthy of my dress uniform. It took several minutes to get my medals on in the proper position and snip any stray fibers. Once it was perfect, I got myself dressed in just a few minutes. Johnny came in while I was dressing, "Whoa, pretty boy! Where are you off to?" I smiled at him and replied sarcastically, "Your mother invited me to dinner." He laughed at me and asked again, "Alright, asshat, seriously though?" I laughed myself and replied, "Well, the king invited me to dinner and I can't exactly show up in my normal uniform." He nodded and agreed, "Well, fancy pants, don't say anything stupid. I'd hate to see you beheaded for flirting with the princess." I flipped him off and he left to do his own thing. Better get stepping, it's getting close to dinner time!
I was met at the front door of the castle by a servant, "Master Link, this way." We made our way through the winding halls to the royal dining room. It was a rather small, very ornate room. Marble flooring, decorative drapes with the royal family's insignia, a large, engraved oak table with six leather seats, and windows with a view of the garden. While it was getting dark, the torch lights around the garden gave a beautiful reflection off the fountains and ponds. I was the first in the room so the servant spoke, "The king and princess will be arriving shortly, please wait here, Master Link." He bowed and I returned the formality, I returned my gaze to the garden outside and took in the view.
After about twenty minutes, a servant cracked the door, "The king and princess are here." I stepped away from the window and prepared myself. The king entered first followed by the Sheikah, Impa, I saluted the king which he returned before taking a seat. Shortly after, Zelda came in with her own pair of guards. Holy shit. She had a dress that wasn't unlike her traveling gear. It was a blue and white, long-sleeved dress with gold inlays. The sleeves were white with long, draping blue sleeves over those. She discreetly cleared her throat which brought me out of my stupor. I saluted her as well and hid my reddening cheeks from the rest of the crowd. She took her seat and, when given permission, I quickly followed suit.
The table was only occupied by the king, princess, Impa, and myself, with the room occupied by a handful of Royal Guards and a servant. It didn't take long for the king to start a conversation, "So, Link, tell me a bit more about this sword of yours. It truly speaks to you? How does that work?" I took a sip of wine and responded, "Yes, your highness, it speaks to me and I to it on a pretty frequent basis. The sword harbors a spirit called Fi, she helps guide me on my journey and assists in training with the Master Sword. She's taught me a great deal." Everyone in the room was visibly interested in this, "So, that's how the goddesses train you then? With this spirit, Fi?" I nodded after another sip, "Not only that, your highness. I've also been contacted by a previous hero, the Hero of Twilight. When I was in the infirmary, we spoke and he taught me a little about being a hero." Now I really had the room's attention. This time, the princess spoke with a smile, "Master Link, tell us more about this encounter with the other hero." It was hard to say no to that smile.
Dinner was delicious. It was steak and fish with potatoes spiced perfectly, I was half-tempted to ask the cook for his recipe. Unfortunately, I was cut off before I could ask when the princess spoke, "Father, I'd like to go for a walk in the garden." He nodded and replied, "Of course, my dear. Link, I'd like you to accompany her. Make sure she gets back safely," at that news, I saw Zelda's cheeks reddened which didn't go unnoticed by Impa who looked at her, then me. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as well before lowering my gaze from the Sheikah. The king continued, "Before you go, however, I'd like to give you a gift. To show our gratitude for your heroic acts." I was about to protest when I saw the gift, a servant I hadn't noticed before was carrying it. An exquisite looking sword, held in a gold accented, blue sheath. It had a swept-back, gold guard and a blue cloth-wrapped handle. The blade was unsheathed to reveal a silver-colored blade with gold inlays throughout, "I know it isn't the Master Sword, but it never hurts to have an extra blade handy. Plus, it would be an unfair advantage to use it at the tournament tomorrow. I hope it serves you well." The blade was sheathed and handed to me, I strapped it to my hip and bowed to the king, "I can't thank you enough, your highness. You're too generous, I was only doing my job." The king shook his head and stood, "Nonsense, young man. You protected my daughter on multiple occasions, and for that I can't be generous enough. Now, Zelda, if you'd like to take your walk I'll be going to bed. I have an early morning. Link, see to it she's watched over." I saluted in response and the king and Impa made their exit. On the way out, Impa turned back to me. My gaze was met by her piercing red eyes. They were shooting me a glare that conveyed warning. I quickly averted my eyes when the princess spoke, "Let's go, Master Link. It's getting late." Well at least we'll get a chance to talk, alone. With her words, I saluted and followed her lead.
A few minutes later, we were deep in the garden, away from prying eyes. I was thinking about what to say, how to approach our situation. It was clear this inner turmoil was outwardly visible, because I felt a hand on mine, and looked up to see a pair of concerned, green eyes, "Is something wrong, Link? You look distressed." I looked up and sighed, "Zelda, we can't act like this anymore. At least, not if we're here. You have to understand, this could get you in a world of trouble." She looked down and spoke, "I know Link, it's easy to forget that when I'm around you. But I do understand, maybe we should keep our space while we're here at the castle. It'll quell any suspicion." It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but she was right. Spending too much time around each other would only give more time for people to take notice of the looks and smiles that pass between us. Hell, even the past few days when I was standing guard I struggled to keep my eyes from hers. But it was for the best we kept it professional, at least here at home.
She broke me out of thought by squeezing my hand, "Hey, on a lighter note, I spoke to my father about our next destination. We'll be going somewhere a little, well, a lot hotter. The Goron champion has been chosen, his name is Daruk. They told me he's a truly fearsome and powerful warrior. He should prove a worthy fight for my hero." She smiled and blushed, to match the blush rising on my own face, "We'll see about that won't we, Zelda?" I grinned back and the tension was palpable, I knew where this was going when she leaned in but, "Zelda, we can't. Not here." Her hand was gentle and soft on my cheek with her other arm around my neck. I was struggling to keep my hands to myself, "Link, no one is out here but you and me. Nobody will know," she leaned closer, her breath was warm on my neck. I leaned into her and wrapped my arms around her waist, "We're going on that trip to Death Mountain after the tournament, right? It would be safer to just wait a bit and," my breath hitched when I felt her lips on my neck. In between kisses she just whispered, "Come on, my hero. Just indulge me tonight." I thought it over a bit longer, I mean she's right, no one is out here. A little smooching never hurt anyone... That thought was cut off by her lips on mine.
I wasn't sure how long we spent out there together, just holding each other with locked lips, all I know is I wasn't ready for it to end. When we finally separated for a breath, she spoke first, "Let's get back, Link. It's getting late and, well, we just talked about not raising suspicion. Will you walk me back to my room?" I held her and nodded, "Of course, Zelda. I promised to keep an eye on you." With that she nodded and we separated completely, heading back to the castle. A short walk later, we were at the doors to her room. Alone in the hallway we both looked around, then she grabbed my hand, "Come in with me?" My eyes widened at that, I kept my voice low, "Zelda, I can't, we can't. If I'm caught in there, alone, with you," she silenced me with a deep, quick kiss, "Please, Link?" her begging eyes were intoxicating, and the wine from dinner wasn't doing any favors, "I'm sorry, Zelda, we can't. Not now, at least, not yet." She looked down defeated, but nodded, "I know, I guess the wine just got to me," she smiled that beautiful smile, "I had an amazing night, Link. Good luck at the tournament, I'll be cheering for my hero." Another passionate kiss later and I let her go. It was bittersweet, but we'd have more time, later. "Goodnight, Zelda." She passed through the door and turned around, "Goodnight, Link."