Link raced up the road toward the capital, only easing Epona into a trot when they drew close to the city gates. Both guards stationed there recognized him and let him through with a mere wave. The clattering of Epona's hooves on the cobblestones was soon lost in the din of midday Hyrule Castle town, the streets full to the brim with people he had to gently guide her around. They weaved through a seemingly endless crowd, and Link waved his thanks to people when he could, especially when clusters of them parted to let him pass. Not for the first time, he had to steer Epona away from the towering fountains, lest she stop and drink from them.

At last they turned onto a quieter street nearer to Hyrule Castle than the city gates. Modest manor homes occupied both sides of the tree-lined avenue. One of them was his, having been granted to him along with the rank of baronet when he achieved knighthood several months ago. Link took Epona to the small stable at the back of the house, and then proceeded inside with the luggage that had been strapped to her.

Though he'd been riding since dawn, he wasted little time changing and heading back out again, this time on foot. The castle was within easy walking distance, after all, and Epona needed the rest. He really could've used a break himself, but as he was required to report back in now that his leave was over, there wasn't a choice.

Choice. How precious little of that there'd been in his life. If he'd truly had any, he would've picked quite a different destination for where he spent said leave. Unfortunately that, like so many other things, had been taken out of his hands.

Pushing the bitter thought aside he made his way through the castle gates and headed for the practice yards. Several of his fellow knights were there, sparring or simply training on their own with straw dummies. Link bypassed them all and headed to where the knight captain, Sir Gaebora, was presiding over the day's session. Once he'd finished reporting in he grabbed a bow and quiver and walked over to the archery area. Tired as he was, he couldn't see the point of coming all the way here and then just leaving; might as well get some practice in. He hadn't done any training in several days, so it was probably a good idea.

He was halfway through the supply of arrows when a voice rang out. "Hey, Link!"

Link turned to face the source. "Hey, Pipit."

"Welcome back!" The yellow-clad young man clapped Link on the shoulder. "You have a good time?"

"Well enough." He shrugged. It hadn't been his first choice of destination, but there'd been good moments all the same.

"You were in Hateno, right?" Pipit scratched his ear. "To see your father?"

"Yeah." Link turned back to the target, nocking another arrow. "Hadn't been there since we moved away." Taking aim, he fired. The arrow soared through the air and embedded itself in the center.

"That long? Wow."

He shrugged again. "We stayed in Zora's Domain until I was sent here, and then after that, the few times I saw him he came to see me." He reached for another arrow. "Speaking of the Domain, when are the messengers supposed to get back?"

"Uh, well..." Pipit coughed. "They... got back yesterday."

The arrow went wide, hitting the stone wall behind the target; Link didn't even notice as he turned to stare at Pipit. "They what?" His pulse quickened. "When—when is the king going to make the announcement, then?"

"Um... don't shoot the messenger, but..." He winced. "He already did. Astor's going to marry the Zora princess."

For a long moment Link couldn't speak. He stood frozen, barely seeing his friend's face, the pounding in his ears drowning out the din of the practice yard. He couldn't think at all. Except to picture a single face. "... You're joking," he finally managed, his hands shaking so badly he could barely hold the bow. "Please tell me you're joking..."

"Wish I could, but I can't." Pipit shook his head, a sympathetic look on his face. "The announcement happened right after the messengers relayed what King Dorephan said, so I'm assuming His Majesty had already made his choice and was simply waiting for confirmation that this thing's going ahead."

"But... I..." I promised her...

"I know. I know you wanted it yourself, it's a great opportunity to get ahead. That's what Astor's been saying, anyway." He rolled his eyes. "But he outranks you, you know? So it's not really that surprising."

"But he's..." Fucking creepy. Link swallowed the words. You never knew who was listening here and who they were friends with. Better not to risk what he said getting back to Astor somehow.

"I know. Trust me, I know." Pipit cast a surreptitious glance around. "But what's done is done. And hey, chin up." He squeezed Link's shoulder. "You're a good catch yourself, and there's plenty of pretty Hylian girls right here. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding someone when the time is right. Let Astor have his Zora princess, you can make a good match of your own."

But I promised her. Link's grip tightened on the bow, his breathing beginning to speed up. And I'll die before I let her be forced to marry that asshole. "Excuse me." He hurled the bow down.

"Where are you going?" Pipit chased after him as Link turned on his heel and strode back towards the castle doors. "Don't tell me you're going to the king!"

"Fine, I won't tell you." His booted footsteps echoed slightly on the marble floors as he entered. Heat surged through him like a wildfire, his heart thumping hard in his chest. Red was beginning to creep in at the edges of his vision, but he could still see clearly enough to get where he was going.

"Are you out of your mind?" Despite being the taller of the two, Pipit still had to race to catch up with him. "The decision's been made! There's nothing you can do about it!"

Link grit his teeth. "We'll see about that."

"What's gotten into you?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Pipit gaping at him. "Link, come on—you could be thrown in—"

He grabbed at his arm to try and stop him, but Link wrenched it out of his grasp, and Pipit cringed back as he turned to face him, his eyes blazing. "I know you don't understand, but I have to try," he said in a tight voice. "So just let me. Get away from me if you're worried about being caught up in this."

Hurt spread over his face. "Link, I... I just don't want you to do anything stupid..."

"I know." He exhaled. "But it's a risk I have to take. Trust me." If anyone's worth it, she is.

"... Fine." Pipit sighed heavily. "But don't say I didn't warn you..."

Link smiled humorlessly. "Don't worry. I won't."

He resumed his headlong flight towards his destination. Link barely saw anyone he passed, regarding them as mere obstacles to dodge around. If they spoke to him, he didn't hear it. The guards stationed just outside the throne room were ignored as well; he strode right past them and shoved the doors open with a loud bang. The two men who were talking to King Rhoam faltered, turning with startled expressions at the sound of the doors. Rhoam's eyes met Link's, and they widened slightly.

He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the other men. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but it appears that one of my foster sons is here on urgent business. You are dismissed for now—return on the morrow and we will speak further."

"Sire..." Shooting Link uncertain looks, they nevertheless bowed to the king and then scurried out of the room.

Rhoam waited until the doors had shut again before leveling a severe gaze on him. "Welcome back, Link. Now... what is this all about?"

"Your Majesty." Link tried to force his voice to sound as calm as possible. "I'm here concerning the matter of the marriage to the Zora princess. I've just been told that—"

"Ah, yes, I thought it might have reached your ears." Rhoam sighed. "I know you must feel slighted at not having been present when I made the announcement, but there was nothing for it, you must realize. You were still away when the messengers returned, and I could not delay it for you or anyone else. And rest assured that your absence did not affect my decision."

"I do realize that, but I still disagree with it." He took a step forward. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, you've made a mistake. Astor isn't the correct choice. I am."

Rhoam's thick eyebrows shot up. "That is most presumptuous of you, don't you think? I understand you submitted your name as a candidate, and that you surely feel wronged by being passed over, but this is for the good of the kingdom. You both are my foster sons, but as the son of a baron, Astor outranks you. That is of vital importance in these matters. We cannot afford to offend the Zoras."

"Which is exactly my point. You have this backwards, my liege." Link clasped his hands behind his back to hide that they were shaking. "Astor's never even visited Zora's Domain. I, on the other hand, lived there for six years. I'm highly knowledgeable about their culture and well-acquainted with their people."

Rhoam sighed heavily. "I am well aware of your past residence in the Domain, however, Astor—"

"I'm not finished," Link said, raising his voice. "While I resided there, I—"

"You dare interrupt your king?" Rhoam's expression was thunderous.

"Yes. Forgive me, but I have much that I believe you should hear, for the benefit of all." Link drew a deep breath that did nothing to ease the pounding of his heart. "As I was saying, while I resided there I was close friends with the princess, and treated like family by King Dorephan, both of whom I left on excellent terms with." To put it mildly. "Her Highness will not object to me, and neither will her father. If anything, the Zoras will prefer someone they're familiar with, regardless of rank. The goodwill I earned during my time there will count for more with them than status."

"And you believe this gives you the right to walk in here uninvited and treat me with such blatant disrespect, after all I have done for you?" His brows drew together in a deeper scowl.

"I wouldn't say I have the right, but I do believe that the need here outweighs everything else." Link shook his head. "I know this is impertinent of me, but I assure you that I have the best interests of both kingdoms at heart, and wouldn't like to see war happen any more than I think you do, Your Majesty. I'll finish by simply saying that if you're truly serious about maintaining the alliance, then the choice here is obvious."

He'd almost made it back to the doors when Rhoam broke the silence. "You may have a point..." he said slowly.

Link turned to face the king again, his heart somehow beating even harder. "I do?" It sounded foolish, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Yes." Rhoam nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "I was unaware of your personal relationships with the Zora monarchs. If what you say about their preference is true, then you may indeed be the wiser choice for this arrangement, despite your lower rank."

"I assure you, Your Majesty, I would never lie about such a thing," Link replied, fighting to keep the tremor out of his voice. "As I said, I am well-acquainted with Zora culture and its royal family after my time there."

"... Very well, then." Rhoam nodded again. "I have decided. I shall not only forgive your trespasses against propriety, but will also grant you what you seek. You shall wed the Zora princess, not Astor. I had thought that a candidate of lower status would insult them, but I believe your points hold water." He chuckled at his own joke.

"I..." Link struggled to breathe. "I don't know what to say, Your Majesty... except thank you..."

"That will do." He regarded him impassively, his brief mirth gone. "Your formal introduction—or reintroduction, as it may be—will take place in ten days, at the finalization of the agreement in the city-state of Goponga. My steward has all the details, speak with him—and only to him, for this situation must be handled delicately— to learn of what preparations you must make."

A dismissal, and one he was only too happy to obey. Link bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

He left the throne room in something of a daze. In that state, it took longer to find Rhoam's steward than it would have otherwise, and he had to struggle to absorb anything the man said. It'd probably need to be repeated to him at a later time. For now, though, he exited the castle and made his way back home, forcing himself without much luck to concentrate on the instructions he'd been given.

Not until he'd closed his bedroom door did it truly hit him: he was going to be marrying Mipha after all. Link staggered, his knees almost giving out. He stared around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. This was the master bedroom of the modest manor house he'd been given, furnished with several elegant, expensive pieces of furniture. Right now, it was the bed he couldn't take his eyes off. The bed that, in the near future, Mipha would be sharing with him.

As his wife.

That thought was so dizzying that he only had time to grab a small box off the dresser before sinking onto the floor, his back against the bed. Link clutched the box to his chest while he waited for his head to stop spinning, nausea bubbling up in his stomach now that his confrontation with Rhoam was over. Goddesses, what had possessed him to just storm in there and demand the man change his mind like that? No wonder Pipit had thought him mad—some monarchs would've had him thrown in jail or worse for speaking like that to them. Fortunately Rhoam wasn't one of them, as he'd only just discovered. Still, that didn't make the risk any less immeasurable, given that he hadn't known that prior to his actions.

And yet... it was worth it. Mipha wouldn't be forced to marry an overly ambitious creep like Astor. She was still losing her choice in the matter, but... at least she would be marrying someone who cared about her. Someone who'd promised to marry her, whom she'd promised to wait for, back when they were mere children.

Will she remember? Will she still want me if she does?

Now that he wasn't shaking so badly, Link opened the little box. A silver filigree brooch set with a heart-shaped blue opal stared up at him, shimmering in the light. He ran a finger over its surface. When he'd first been given the gem, it'd been larger. Uncut. But then a month or so ago he'd taken it to a jeweler and had it cut into this shape and set into the brooch. His reasoning was that it wouldn't do to just give Mipha back the raw one; better to turn it into a beautiful gift for her. The choice of the heart shape was two-fold: because he remembered her favoring heart shapes in her jewelry, and to symbolize his affection for her.

"I'm sorry, Mipha," he whispered. "I'm sorry I took so long."

Training to be a knight had taken much, much longer than the optimistic child he'd once been had believed. Right now it'd barely been half a year since he'd been granted knighthood and his title and home. However, the very moment it'd been done he'd started making preparations to return to Zora's Domain and fulfill his oath to the Zora princess he'd always adored. He'd commissioned rings, bought other necessary items for his new home, had the brooch made, planned a trip there for when his first leave of absence came up.

And then Rhoam had informed him and all his other foster sons of the plan to arrange a political marriage with the Zora, in order to strengthen a shaky alliance and avoid war, upending all his plans and putting them at risk of being forever unfulfilled. He'd somehow held himself together during the announcement and subsequent submission of his name as a candidate, but once he was alone he'd broken down and cried out of sheer frustration and fear, not to mention self-recrimination. If he'd just been quicker somehow, he thought, he wouldn't be on the verge of losing Mipha and having to break his promise to her.

What was worse was that he nearly had. Thankfully Rhoam had seen reason, and been convinced by his argument. It probably helped that he'd had the sense to make it about his knowledge of the Domain and the Zora, rather than revealing his promise to Mipha or insulting Astor's character. There was plenty to insult, admittedly, given the man was a consummate creep who had no regard for others and few morals, if any, whose only interest in marrying Mipha was his own social advancement. There were no tender feelings there, and there was no chance of him treating her the way she deserved. Rhoam obviously didn't care about any of that, though, given that the man had been his first choice—only his rank mattered, not what sort of miserable marriage Mipha would've been condemned to.

But I saved her from that. Link closed his eyes, clasping the brooch to his heart. It was still beating faster than normal—no surprise there, given that he had yet to really calm down. Behind his eyelids he could see Mipha's face as if it was yesterday, the look of surprise and joy there when he'd confessed his desire to marry her. Before that moment at Veiled Falls he'd been afraid to voice his real feelings, but faced with an interminable separation from her he'd let it all spill out. Pipit's words at the practice yards abruptly floated back to him, and he almost laughed. Marry some Hylian girl? What a joke. His heart was set on Mipha. Always had been.

She'd captured it from the moment they met, that sweet, pretty Zora girl he'd been formally introduced to upon his arrival in the Domain. They'd both been a bit shy at first, but their mutual interest in each other had won out, and soon they'd become the best of friends. She'd shown and taught him so much, and they did nearly everything together, getting themselves into and out of trouble, and just having fun. His affection for her had grown steadily, until he knew with childish certainty that he wanted to marry her someday when they were old enough.

Eight years later that conviction hadn't faded. Not a single day of that time had gone by where he hadn't missed her, hadn't thought of her, hadn't wondered what she was doing. If she remembered their promise. If she was still waiting for him to return as she'd said she would. If—no, when—he saw her again, he had no doubt that he would recognize her in an instant.

And now he would finally get to keep his promise, to marry her as they'd sworn to back then. Link rubbed his hand over his eyes as they started to burn with tears of sheer relief. The childhood dream he'd been clinging to all this time was going to come true. The circumstances weren't what he'd ever imagined, and he doubted they were what Mipha wanted, but... it was still going to happen. Mipha was going to be his wife. He would be her husband. Even if she no longer wanted to hold him to his word, he was going to be a lot better than the alternative. She would be safe with him, and he'd do his best to make her as happy as she could be. He hated that she didn't have a choice in this, but at least he could try to mitigate it for her.

"I'll be there soon, Mipha," Link murmured as he opened his eyes to stare down at the opal again. "I promise."