CHAPTER 2: TENSION
Link clenched his jaw angrily at the sight of his wife dancing. Dancing with the merchant.
Hundreds of noble men and women alike were together in the ball room, dancing and clapping to the beat of the music. Link always hated these events, and now he hated them even more.
The castle decided to throw a ball to celebrate the 15th anniversary of kingship for Link. The ball was grand, with large and colorful flags decorating the room. The ballroom was quite large, with close to fifty tables for seating areas. Bright red paint covered the ballroom, and blue and white marble tiles covered the ground. There was a large stage, made for public speeches and the bands that came to play their music for the ball. Multiple chandeliers hung from the ceiling, brightening the room.
The nobles were clearly drunk, dancing around and stomping their feet to the beat of the music. These were the only times when Link thought that the nobles showed that they could actually be human, that they were actually fun people, rather than the gossipy and judgmental people they were when they were sober.
Link never cared for these events, and never cared to make conversation with the nobles. He didn't care about their gossip or their expensive clothing. He didn't care about any of it. There was one thing he hated most in the world, and that was snooty people.
Zelda usually did most of the talking when it came to these events. He remembered his first royal event, before he started courting Zelda in secret. Link was so nervous that he was sure he was going to puke. Zelda had agreed to accompany him that day.
"You'll be fine, I assure you," Zelda once said. "Even if you do fumble over your words a bit, I guarantee these people won't even remember. They'll be too hungover in the morning to even be able to recall anything from tonight."
Link laughed at this, calming him down a bit.
Link remembered his first dance with her. How her eyes sparkled when he twirled her. He remembered everything about the way she looked that night. How her hair was pulled up into a elegant, but not too fancy bun. How she wore a beautiful emerald dress that seemed to captivate every man in the room.
"Oh my gods, they already hate me," Link mumbled while slow-dancing with Zelda. She chuckled at that.
"They don't hate you," Zelda laughed. "That's just the way they are. They're just snobby and rude to everybody they meet."
"But I kept stuttering while I was talking to them!" Link argued. "I could barely even get a full sentence out." Link pinched the bridge of his nose and laughed. "Gods, I'm pathetic."
Zelda looked at him with a soft look in her eyes. "You are most certainly not pathetic," she said sweetly. "I happen to have had a very good time with you." Link looked down at her, locking eyes. Relief washed over Link's face.
"You're a delight to be around," she continued, seeing Link's relief wash over his face.
"Why are you so nice?" Link blurted.
Zelda smiled up at him and laughed. "I am not that nice."
"You are," Link argued. "You're the only person in this room who doesn't treat me horribly. You treat me like a normal person."
Zelda's eyes sparkled, dancing around his face to study his features. She smiled.
"Well, I guess I never really cared as much as I should about manners and nobility."
Link came back to reality and watched his wife dance with the merchant. Link gritted his teeth and began to stab at his food on his plate, quickly shoving it in his mouth.
Jack, sitting across from his father, noticed his father's grotesque manners. Jack sighed and placed a hand on his forehead, clearly embarrassed. He knew his father was annoyed at something.
After a few moments, Jack decided to speak up.
"What is it, dad?" he asked nervously.
Link suddenly stopped shoving food in his mouth and looked up at his son, his blue gaze boring into Jack's skull. Link quickly swallowed his food, realizing how obvious his irritation was.
"Nothing. It's fine."
The music ended and the nobles cheered for the musicians, clapping loudly. Zelda and the merchant gave each other a polite hug and walked over to their separate tables.
Zelda walked elegantly to her table and sat down next to Link. Although she would have preferred to sit closer to Jack, she had to sit near Link. Gossip would easily get out if she sat away from him.
Link looked up from his lap and glared at Zelda, his eyes now boring into her skull. She refused to look at him. She knew what he was upset about.
Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes narrowed back and fourth from his mother to his father, sensing his father's anger and his mother's discomfort.
Awkward moments of silence passed between the family. The silence was practically deafening. Jack glanced back at his father, noting that his he looked like he was about to implode.
"How was your dance?" Link chirped, breaking the silence. His voice practically dripped with sarcasm.
"It was…fine," Zelda mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with him. She suddenly found her empty plate very interesting.
"Yeah, it sure was," Link said, grinding his teeth together.
Jack sucked in a deep breath of air. "Only one more hour, and then I'm out of here," he thought.
Then, to Link's disgust and Zelda's horror, the merchant got up from his table and began to walk towards their table. Jack eyes widened in fright.
"Uh oh," Jack said under his breath.
The merchant walked confidently over to the family's table with a kind smile on his face. His gaze turned over to Zelda, his eyes softening.
Link's face crinkled in disgust. This was an absolute nightmare. He refused to even acknowledge the merchant.
The merchant was an attractive man, who was about the same height as Link. He had short blonde hair and bright green eyes. He was the age of 32, but he didn't look like he could be over the age of 25. Unlike Link, the merchant's build was very lean. He was extremely kind and attractive, which brought the attention of many women in the castle.
The merchant's father was a noble that served in the Queen's court, which was why he lived at the castle. The merchant sold vegetables from his farm in Kakariko village. His servants on his farm would ship his vegetables from the farm to the castle, so that the merchant could wheel them out to Castle Town to sell them everyday, except Friday and Saturday.
"Your highness. Sir Link." The merchant politely bowed to each of them. "I'd like to thank you both for letting me share a dance with the queen herself. It was a pleasure."
"Thank you, Edward," Zelda said politely.
"Yeah, whatever," Link stated flatly. He waved him off, still not making any eye contact.
Zelda snapped her head towards Link, glaring at him. "Exactly who do you think you are-"
"Oh no, it's quite alright," Edward interrupted. He smiled softly, glancing at both the king and queen. "He works very hard to run this kingdom. I apologize to be bothersome."
Link didn't say anything at that. He chose to continue to stare at his lap.
"Well, thank you for tolerating it," Zelda said sweetly.
Edward and Zelda smiled at each other, perhaps too long for Link's liking.
"I've been meaning to ask," Edward started. "I've been traveling around Castle Town for now about seven years selling vegetables from my farm. Although I do love it, it can be quite lonely sometimes."
"I understand," Zelda said. "I heard you travel to Castle Town and sell your vegetables alone."
"Yes, indeed," he replied. "It can get quite lonely. Tomorrow, I leave for the day to travel to Castle Town. I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me there?"
Zelda's eyes widened at the boldness of his request. Link's head snapped up, his eyes also widening a fraction.
Zelda swallowed quickly and awkwardly ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh, Edward, I don't know…"
"It would be good for you, I promise," Edward persuaded. "You could communicate with your people more. It would make the people's and my trip to Castle Town a whole lot more lively."
Link payed attention to the way Edward said my trip. He gritted his teeth together. At this point, Link's teeth were sore from how much a day he clenched his teeth.
"Well…" Zelda started. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." She smiled widely at Edward.
Edward's kind smile grew twice in size. "Really? That's wonderful! I'm so glad." Edward politely bowed again. "Would you like to meet in the gardens, at 7am? We have to leave early to get a spot in Castle Town to set up my market."
"Sounds wonderful, Edward," Zelda said sweetly.
"Great! I apologize for making you wake up so early," Edward said. "But it's necessary for me to get my job done."
"Oh, it's alright," Zelda waved him off. "I like the morning anyways. It's quite peaceful."
"I agree," Edward stated. He smiled brightly at her, then glanced over to see Link, with his mouth practically agape.
Edward cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I should get going. It was a pleasure, your highness, Sir Link." Edward bowed to both of them and left their table.
Zelda cringed at herself for agreeing to this, especially in front of Link. Was she an idiot? Why would she do that?
Link suddenly shot up from his seat.
"Make an announcement that I'll be retiring to bed early," Link growled. "I'm not feeling too well."
With that, Link stormed out of the ballroom, catching many of the noble's eyes.
Drip
Link stared up at the ceiling, watching water droplets fall down onto the carpet from the leaky ceiling. He was sprawled out on his bed, laying comfortably in his robe.
Drip
"Gods, why did it have to rain tonight?" he thought angrily.
Every time it rained, Link and Zelda's bedroom ceiling leaked. They had this problem for about a year, ironically, around the same time Link and Zelda began to have marriage troubles.
Drip
"When are they going to actually fix this?" Link asked to himself aloud.
Drip
He couldn't take it anymore. His patience was at an all-time low.
Link groaned and dragged himself out of his bed. He walked into his bathroom and found the old towel and the roll of tape that he usually used to try and stop the leakage.
Link then grabbed a small stool from the corner of their bedroom and dragged it under the leakage.
Drip, drip
Two droplets of water dripped into Link's left eye.
"Mother fuck-" Link mumbled under his breath. He quickly rubbed his eye and climbed onto the stool. Link held the towel in his mouth and the tape in his two hands. He pulled a piece of tape off of the roll and tossed the roll of tape to the side. Link stood on his toes and began to tape the towel over the leak.
Suddenly, the door to the bedroom swung open. This startled Link, causing him to almost lose his balance off the stool.
"Gods, Zelda! You scared me half to death-"
"Shut up."
Link studied Zelda's face. She looked enraged, her eyes flaring and her nose scrunched up in anger. She looked terrifying.
"You and I need to talk," Zelda snapped, jabbing her finger at him.
Link flinched a little.
"About?" Link asked. He shifted nervously on the stool.
"You know exactly what this is about," Zelda said in a deadly tone.
Link exhaled nervously.
"Well, I'm sorry. For being a big jerk. I didn't mean to-"
"You say that every time!" Zelda shouted, her arms failing above her head. "Are you actually sorry? You don't even care! You continue to disrespect him, my friend, every time he is around, and I'm sick of it! You need to learn some respect-"
"Maybe he needs to learn some respect," Link snapped, his eyes widening in anger. "Maybe he needs to stop hanging around so much with the queen, my wife-"
"You cannot seriously think I'm having an affair with him. After all this time, you cannot-"
"Well, forgive me for being a little suspicious, considering the fact that you started running around with him since we been having some personal issues."
Zelda rolled her eyes.
"I can't even believe you. You seriously think that I'm having an affair!" Zelda threw her arms up and stomped around the bedroom.
"Well, believe it then," Link snapped.
Zelda's face flashed with hurt, but she quickly masked it.
"Have you been listening to the nobles talk?" Zelda asked, her voice lowering.
Link scoffed. "Of course I have. We're all they ever talk about nowadays."
Zelda processed that information.
"So you know what they say about us."
Link paused, his intense blue gaze drilling into her eyes.
"Yes."
Zelda sighed, dragging a hand down her face.
"You didn't seriously start to believe this affair absurdity because of them, did you?"
Link paused again, careful when placing his words.
"They didn't convince me that you were having an affair. They rather placed the idea in my head. It grew when you started spending more time with him than with me."
Zelda chewed the bottom of her lip, obviously irritated at the fact that he would so easily give into the noble's gossip.
"They're getting into your head," Zelda said slowly. "I thought I told you to never listen to them-"
"They're not getting into my head!" Link screamed.
Zelda flinched and took a step back. Link glared at her, his eyes burning with anger.
"You are lying to me," Link accused, pointing his finger at her. "I know exactly what's going on, and you continue to lie to me. You can barely even stay in a room with me for more than five minutes, let alone even sleep with me in the same bed. You spend time with him like we used to when we first met."
Zelda's eyes widened at that.
"That is not true," Zelda murmured, staring at her heels. "Our time together was completely different than this-"
"There is similarities Zelda. Ones that you and I can clearly see. How do think we even got together in the first place?"
Zelda paused, lost in the memories of their secret affair when she was engaged to Prince Aiden.
"Don't even bring that up," she suddenly snarled. "That is nothing like the situation Edward and I are in now. We are friends. Nothing more. Gods, I feel like we're children!" Zelda balled her fists at her sides and exhaled quickly.
Link just stared at her, with a blank, but intense expression in his eyes. Moments of silence and tension passed for what it seemed like eternity.
"If you want to prove your loyalty to me, don't go with him tomorrow."
Zelda's head snapped up.
"What?" she yelled.
"You heard me. Stay with me tomorrow. Don't go."
Zelda's mouth was agape.
"You cannot be serious," she whispered.
"Oh, but I am," Link snapped. "Stay with me or go with him. Your pick."
"You don't control me!" Zelda yelled. "I'm not tied to you like some dog on a leash! I'm free to go wherever-"
"Choose," Link interrupted in a deadly tone.
Zelda pursed her lips together in thought. She could stay, spend the day with Link, and maybe fix some broken parts of her marriage. However, she was feeling way too angry to even stay with him for more than an hour.
"No," Zelda said after beats of silence. "I'm leaving tomorrow whether you like it or not. You can't control me."
Zelda stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked Link behind.
Zelda stormed down the empty hallways of the castle with tears pricking at her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and headed straight towards the guest room. She stayed there when she and Link would get into a fight, which was often.
Zelda swung the guest room door open and threw off her heels.
"Hey there Zellie. I figured you'd come in here."
Zelda jumped from shock, then relaxed when she realized who was in the dark room.
"Oh, Edward."
Zelda then suddenly burst into tears, collapsing to her knees.
"Zelda," Edward said, concerned. He ran over to her and immediately embraced her, wrapping arms around her shoulders.
"Did he say something again?" Edward asked, pulling back a little to gaze into Zelda's teary eyes.
Zelda nodded and pried his arms off of her. They both sat near each other on the ground, dangerously close to the door.
Edward stood up and grabbed her hand. "We should probably back away from the door. We don't want people to be snooping and accidentally overhear us."
Edward helped her to her feet and guided her to the guest bed. They both sat down on it, still holding each other's hands.
"Why did you ask that?" Zelda sniffed. Edward thumbed her cheeks, wiping fallen tears off her face.
"I don't know. I just wanted to spend the day with you."
"But you know that makes him suspicious. He's already suspicious enough, and you still asked, right in front of him."
"I'm sorry."
Zelda sighed.
"It's alright, I suppose," she said sadly. "He's already suspicious enough. I guess this couldn't make it any worse than it already is."
Edward kissed her cheek and pulled her into another warm embrace. Zelda sighed into his shirt.
"Although we have our differences, it's just almost impossible for me to choose one of you," Zelda started, her voice muffled by Edward's shirt. "I mean, we've been through so much. We have so much history. I still love him."
Edward pulled away from her and studied her face.
"Do you love me?" Edward asked softly.
Zelda's eyes widened. She paused to think about it.
"Is it possible to love two people at the same time?"
"I think so."
"Then yes, I do."
Edward's smile widened, practically glowing in the dark room. He then leaned down to kiss her, with his lips softly grazing against hers. Their kisses then became more sloppy and hasty, with their desire growing the longer and longer they were together. Edward laid Zelda onto the bed and crawled on top of her, continuing to kiss her.