Zelda's throat was still sore, and the peaceful ambiance of the Hotel Oasis was interrupted once again by the sound of her coughing as she laid against the chest of her royal knight. They were watching the sun set over the golden sands of Gerudo Desert, each bordering on a deeper sleep than they had been able to afford since they set out on their journey from Hyrule Castle. The calm had been tainted, however, by the events of the day. Zelda flexed her toes, the pads of her feet ringing out in dull pain from running and clashing hard against the sand only hours before. As darkness began to set over the kingdom, Zelda closed her eyes and found herself back at the attack.

Link had wandered off, driven by his appetite to the fruit merchant, as Zelda began walking the banks of the placid oasis. The desert had been hot, and in her royal outing attire, she was unprepared for the heat. She had been gazing into the glassy water of the desert pond when she heard something behind her, out on the sand. Something in her gut compelled her to return to the knight, but it was too late, and she had broken out into a full sprint with three swift assassins trailing behind her.

Elsewhere, citizens or idle warriors might have stepped in to fight the bandits off, but the Yiga Clan had cemented themselves in the local culture as the unspoken rulers of the lawless wastes beyond Gerudo Town's sturdy walls. Vendors and patrons alike watched on in horror as the Princess stumbled and fell into the clutches of the three imposing figures, her figure so obscured by their maroon regalia that all that could be made out of her form were glimpses of her light blue blouse like sapphires in the sand.

Zelda tried her best to remember everything she knew of the Yiga as the leader of the pack drew close. The single painted eye of his bright white mask stared down at her as he inspected her terrified face. These were fanatics dedicated to avenging Ganondorf, an ancient Gerudo King who had threatened to fell the royal family of Hyrule before disappearing in exile from his homeland of Gerudo. Her executioner raised his scimitar blade to the sky, and she was certain that this would be her last labored breath, throat studded with sand, coughing too hard to spit out any last words.

The Princess had been brought up with the knowledge that people wanted her dead, but she had never encountered an attack as bold as this. If the Yiga could end the Hyrule family line, then certainly Ganon would descend upon the castle to prune her family tree down to the roots. One final act to signify the growing fear of Hyrule's public, unsure of their protectors' ability to keep them safe in their homes. Worst of all, her subjects had known that she was yet unable to access the magic power within her to seal Ganon away. After years of practice, labor which bore no fruit, she would die as the heir to a throne of nothing.

The attacker's blade glinted the bright desert sun one last time into the eyes of the Princess, rendering her blind for her final moments just before—

—

King Rhoam watched from the tallest spire of Hyrule Castle's southernmost wall as Zelda and her knight wandered off across the plains and into the woods. It was their first real outing, a survey Zelda had been planning first in Goron City to the north, and then to Gerudo Town in the south. The trail was long, and the King had come to recognize the contempt Zelda held for the person tasked with protecting her life. Perhaps this excursion would bring them closer together, strengthen their bond as the saviors of Hyrule, chosen by Hylia herself…

Link ambled languidly behind Zelda, silently shifting his gaze from tree to tree as they entered the woods. Zelda's Royal Knight was surprisingly alert for someone so inexperienced in combat. It had been rumored that, cherry on top of a family losing the trust of their subjects, the new Knight had never even killed before. The Princess had been dwelling on this up through his officiating ceremony. It wasn't enough that she was the sole inspiration for doubts about her father's competence as ruler of Hyrule, he had decided to trust her safety in the hands of someone who had never taken a life. As far as Zelda was concerned, this meant that there was no guarantee that he would be willing to risk his life for her safety. Worse yet, Link had seemingly been given the position of her protector on the merits of his father's previous career as a knight. King Rhoam had promised her that his sword, the one which would seal the darkness and defeat the Calamity Ganon, was a conduit through which Hylia chose her destined subject. It was an insult, and on top of that it was a dark reflection of Zelda's inability to live up to her birthright as protector of Hyrule.

Unable to banish these thoughts from her head, Zelda reflected on the long road ahead, and decided that she would need to be transparent with her fears if she wanted results from her Knight. She needed desperately for Link to understand her contempt, her doubts, her fears. She glanced down at the ancient Sheikah Slate for a moment, making sure she knew their position in its map before bringing it down to her side. Link's bright blue eyes fixed on her troubled posture as she brought herself to a halt and built up the strength to confront him.

"Tell me the truth... How proficient are you right now wielding that sword on your back?" The Princess's tone was strained, her voice wavering as she looked back over her shoulder at the nearly mute Knight. He had barely spoken a word to her since they had met. She didn't want the question to linger too long, continuing, "Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it. Can you hear it yet… Hero?"

Link kept his mouth shut, blushing as his boyish brow knit into a worried expression. Hero was the colloquial title for his official position, and to be mocked by someone whose life was in his hands set him on edge. From the tone she took at his officiating ceremony to the repeated mockery he suffered fulfilling his duty to King Rhoam and his own father, was this to be his closest companion for the remainder of his life?

He kept stonefaced through the questions an comments, though. In passed times, times of active dissent rather than fear, Link's father had instructed him never to let personal feelings get in the way of his responsibilities if he ever found himself serving Hyrule's royalty. Instead of letting his anxiety get the better of him, he nodded once and gestured forward down the path, much to the chagrin of the nervous Princess.

—

A steady hand and a strong blow disarmed the Yiga Clan assassin, a great clatter of metal sending his deadly scimitar soaring high into the air and out of reach. Before Zelda's vision could properly settle back into the sunlight, her Royal Knight took his place before her fallen form as the Hero of Hyrule. The leader of the attack fell limp at the Princess's side, and small, weary waves of sand began to wash over his body. There was no blood to be seen, but Zelda knew that the assassin was dead. Surpassing the doubts of all of Hyrule, even the doubts of his Princess, Link had proven he was willing to kill to keep her safe.

Zelda watched as he took a defensive stance against the remaining two Yiga Clan members. Eyes directed past the Hylians to their dead leader, they stepped back. The one who had been tasked with killing Princess Zelda in broad daylight, charged with making a deafening statement to all of Hyrule, felled in a single blow by a noble warrior.

Only moments ago, Zelda feared that the Yiga's expressionless mask would be the last thing she ever saw, but now she was gazing upon the determined brow of her handsome Knight. His single attack had promised her a lifetime of safety.

Zelda coughed again, breaking the peaceful silence of the Hotel Oasis. She had almost fell asleep to the memory, her tired eyes catching the last glimpse of the Gerudo Desert sunset as Link shifted slightly beneath her. His arms were tight around her body, dedicated to comforting her in her most vulnerable moment. Her eyes had been dry for a while now, but she almost shed a tear at the sacrifice that he had made for her earlier that evening. The attack by the Yiga portended Ganon's growing threat. Soon she would have to risk her life and sacrifice her safety for Hyrule, just as Link had done for her. She shuddered at the thought that she might not be strong enough to summon Hylia's power, and in an instant her face was hidden against Link's bare chest, listening to his steady heartbeat rise at her actions.

Link sighed, reaching up and running his soft fingers through the Princess's golden hair. She hadn't expected such tender care after she had treated him so cruelly for so long, and when she felt his fingers gently weave through her hair she felt sadness well up in her throat. Soon after, the Knight ran a finger across the border of her jaw, resting it on her dainty chin for a moment before raising her gaze to meet his. He looked concerned again, his deep blue eyes studying Zelda's face in her despair.

Zelda couldn't stand to see him like that, and so she closed her eyes as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Link gasped at this, pulling away for a moment before letting her continue.

"Link… I fear I've been too hard on you. You've proven yourself today to be my most loyal subject, the only person I have ever needed to trust with my life. Prove your loyalty to me again…" Zelda's voice had dropped to a breathy, lustful whisper as she ran a hand down the crest of his stomach to the bulge in his boxers. She could tell he was shocked by this, but he held his tongue just like he always had, and instead nodded once for her. His hands moved to the sides of his waistband, thumbing the material before removing his only clothing for her Royal Highness.

The hot sun set on Gerudo Desert as the Princess took Link's firm cock into her palm and began stroking him gently. He was still hesitant, and Zelda knew why. She had been cold to him their entire journey, but she was making her ambitions known, and Link understood that in some abstract way, he owed this to her, to let her make it up to him in the night. She nuzzled her head into his neck, chuckling softly to herself as she sped her motions. Much to her surprise, the Knight bucked his eager hips against her hand, immediately subduing himself afterwards in an attempt to stay respectful.

Zelda shook her head, a soft command to keep going slipping from her pretty lips as she tightened her grip and milked the Knight's cock. Something pressed up from the back of his throat in response, a whine. It was more than he had said to her in a long time, and she smiled brightly when she heard the desperate noise work its way out of the stoic hero. She could tell that he was getting close, and that it had been a long time since he had last felt at liberty to solve the problem himself. How fitting, that Zelda should take the resolution of these tensions into her own hands, so to speak.

He yelped loudly as he finished, blushing hard and looking away in embarrassment before glancing down at the splatter of semen decorating his tight physique. As soon as the consequences of this lurid act dawned on him, he brought his bright sapphire eyes to meet the Princess's eager gaze.

They shared a moment of understanding, before their lips met again.