Zelda dragged her feet around the room, tried to concentrate on the rug under her feet, maybe the faint sound she heard when her feet touched the tendrils of the fabric.

Dotour had been silent and Lady Ria had looked at Link with new eyes.

And Zelda, again, tried to concentrate on the rug under her feet.

Link wasn't nervous. He was... pissed. Dotour had called him and whenever Dotour was involved something that bothered Link happened, and though Link tried his best to go on his day without having to see Dotour he was now being called to his room and what a shitty way to start one's day.

"Hero."

Link did his best to go through the etiquette of greeting a higher ranking person. It was usually harder because Dotour always had an energy to him that screamed hostility and Link did not work well with that. But now Dotour sat calm on his chair and was waiting patiently for Link to end his excessive bow - just to spite the old man.

Link straightened and Dotour remained silent. Dotour's eyes made a round around the room before settling on his desk and Link could have sworn that Dotour had sighed with annoyance.

"So here we are," Dotour started.

Link let his weight fall on his right leg and nodded. Sure, they were.

Dotour let himself fall on the back of his chair and rested his hands on his belly, his voice was unimpressed, "Not completely useless but also not the most useful, not the richest but not lacking in riches, not the smartest but not dumb, stubborn to a fault, maybe; hated at first and now popular with a large part of the population, the nicest to those who need a helping hand and though hot-blooded, knows which fights to fight."

Link frowned.

"I abhorred your very presence, Hero, and though I still think there are people who are better suited to stand beside Her Majesty," Dotour closed his mouth and pursed his lips, "you have steadily won her affection and the people's."

Dotour talked with a soft voice and when he stopped talking Link breathed out, "Thank... you?"

"Do not mistake this for anything more than what it is, Hero, I'm a pragmatist at heart. It would be unwise of me to keep on fighting a losing battle."

Link changed the weight of his body to his other leg.

"I repeat, I do not think you are the right choice, but well..." Dotour glanced at Link and raised his shoulders a little, "with you... I can work."

Link was so unsure of what to do that he tried to get closer to Dotour but the man interrupted him mid-walk.

"This is, of course, not official, and though Her Highess has obviously made her decision clear, you have more than a few obstacles ahead."

Link steeled himself, "I know that."

"Good." Dotour rumbled through his papers and put one in front of himself with the letters to Link. "You know Termina?"

Link had to think a second, "The neighbouring country?" Dotour was already searching his desk and Link wasn't sure when he was supposed to interrupt, "Uh, sir?"

Dotour scoffed, but decided not to mock Link for his change in attitude. Both had been aggressive and impolite in the past. "Termina has issued a call for help to their allies and if you want to have more chances of being accepted as King, you want to be popular abroad, too."

Link nodded, but was really itching to ask a question.

"Take a group with you," Dotour nodded towards the paper, "the details are there, I would advise a group of five to ten, but," Dotour waved his hand in front of him, "You have done more heroing than I, so it's your call."

"Uh, yes, but, sir-"

Dotour handed another paper, "The formal issue from Termina, it will help you go there without trouble," Dotour locked eyes with Link. "Do not lose it," he stressed.

Link nodded and followed Dotour's movements searching for more papers. Silence. "Sir."

Dotour turned slowly, "Yes?"

Link raised his hands, the papers Dotour had given him felt oddly important, "Why?" Now? Why help?

If only Dotour could do without an explanation, "What will you do when you're King, Hero?"

Link frowned and cocked his head, "Well, I haven't thought about it-" Dotour sighed, as if expecting that answer, so Link blurted his real feelings, "I'll keep on supporting Zelda-" Link caught himself before finishing, " Her Majesty." He smiled, "Sorry."

Dotour waited a second, and Link kept on talking, "I don't know how to rule and I certainly don't know the vast majority of things that need to be known to live in a Castle, but-" Link looked at his hands, "I'm a fast-learner and Her Highness will be there for me, so..."

"Do you know how much Her Majesty loves Hyrule?"

Link blew a raspberry, "She did come back here, didn't she?"

Dotour looked at Link.

"I would have kept her with me till you would have sent the army, and if she had just asked me, I would have fought you to keep her away."

"And she came back?" Dotour smiled.

"Herself... to Hyrule," finished Link.

Dotour bit his lip, "The Ice Princess, huh?"

What a sham.

"In all her life," Dotour raised his shoulder, "just one wish." Dotour looked at Link and thinned his lips, "I'm trying to find a healthy middle-ground."

"I understand."

Zelda had been sitting on her chair, nervous and high-strung, waiting for Dotour to come.

It wouldn't have worked if she had tried this months back. It was this time, right now, that it could work.

Dotour had entered and his scowl was not there, and even when Zelda had uttered Link's name Dotour had kept calm.

So Zelda knew.

This was it.

"Am I not enough?"

Dotour had risen his head so quickly Zelda startled.

"Your Highness?"

"Do you think I am not enought to rule Hyrule?"

Dotour started motioning with his hands. Because no, but yes. "If you could have someone-"

"Link is there." Zelda steeled herself, "He is a peasant, he knows that, I know that... you know that. I will not ask him to rule with me immedialty, maybe never, and that's fine, because I am enough to rule Hyrule."

Dotour was speechless.

"Do you think I am enough?"

How was that even a question?