It had been about two weeks since Link's birthday, the day after they had returned to the castle. It had been quite uneventful, Zelda was mostly studying whilst Link would train. They had agreed on a way to prevent them from getting caught at night, they would go to Zelda's room late at night and sleep, and very early in the morning Link would wake up and shake Zelda awake so he could inform her that he was leaving, he wasn't happy with waking her at first but she insisted that he do it. So that's how they operated each night. Some nights they would stay up for hours and talk considering that they couldn't be together during the day due to the fact that they couldn't let anyone find out. One such night they were laying together, Zelda's hands were holding onto Link's which were wrapped around her. "When is your birthday again?" He inquired softly, kissing the back of her head before closing her eyes. "8 days from now.." He felt her shift slightly before she gasped slightly, as though she had come to a realisation. "Have I told you much about my birthday traditions?" He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I don't believe you have." She gave a nod before clearing her throat and beginning to speak. "Each year, precisely a week before my birthday, my father throws a party for me. This is because he believes I should be spending my actual birthday praying. We both hope that this day will have more meaning and aid me in unlocking my powers." He was glad that she at least was able to celebrate her birthday even if she had to spend an entire day in a Spring. "I believe that the Champions will be there tomorrow, and I want you to make peace with Revali, if we want this whole thing to work smoothly then we all must operate as a team." He sighed softly, but if that's what she wished, then he supposed it wouldn't hurt to try. "I'll try my best." She hummed softly before squeezing his hands gently. "Good, now get some sleep then." She leaned back into him as he closed his eyes, and within moments he was asleep.
He woke early as per usual, it was still dark outside. He gently shook Zelda awake and she yawned softly before framing his face with her hands. "I wish you didn't have to go." She whispered and he sighed in response. "Neither do I, but I haven't got a choice." She took her hands away before nodding silently. He kissed her forehead before getting out of the bed and making his way out of her room quietly. He walked back to his own room, and found the door slightly opened. He frowned in confusion before opening it, he froze in fear as he saw the King sitting on his bed with his hands together. He looked up at Link, his expression was unreadable. "What is going on between you and my daughter?" Link felt a lump forming in his throat. "Answer honestly, I do not take kindly to liars." He stood there in silence for a moment before taking a quick breath. "Me and Zelda are.. we're in love." He looked down, expecting to be scolded before being thrown into a dungeon or worse, killed. After a moment the King let out a sigh. "I've controlled many aspects of Zelda's life, and I cannot bring myself to control who she loves. If she has chosen to fall in love with you then I see no reason why I should come between that. But you must ensure that she dedicates herself to unlocking her powers, and if you end up hurting my daughter, it will not end well." Link found himself smiling, he couldn't believe that he had permission from Zelda's own father, the King, to date her. "Your highness, I will not hurt her and I will assist her any way I can in unlocking her powers." The King nodded before standing up. "In that case you have no need for this room anymore, make sure you guard her still, none of us can afford to lose her." Link nodded softly before Rhoam exited the room. Link took a final, long look at the room before stepping out and shutting the door. He made his way back into Zelda's room, she was confused as to why he was back. "Link? What are you doing here?" He watched her turn and look up at him before he spoke. "Your father knows about us." Her eyes widened in fear but calmed as she realised that he was still here with her. "He said he doesn't want to interfere with your love life, that he's already controlling enough aspects of your life." She smiled sleepily before nodding, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close to her. "Then I suppose everything will be okay." He nodded gently before kissing her softly. "I love you, Zelda." She blushed softly and nodded. "I love you too, Link." She cuddled into him before falling asleep against him. He held her close as he too, drifted off into a deep sleep.
Link woke up the next morning and found that Zelda was missing. He frowned softly before looking around. She wasn't anywhere in the room, he heard noises coming from outside.. no, not out her door, coming from the staircase. It sounded like the mechanical movement of a Guardian. Curiously, he got out of bed and grabbed his sword before making his way to the stairs and ascending. He found Zelda on the bridge, peering over the edge as some Sheikah men worked hard to control the autonomous machine. She glanced at him briefly before looking back at the machine. "Incredible.." He looked down towards the small plateau on which they were testing. "We're at a point where we can actually control them." She turned around to look at him, leaning back against the wall. "At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts!" She looked rather peaceful, how she often looked when researching. "And should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well positioned to defend ourselves." He was glad to hear that they would be able to assist them in the fight against Ganon, they would certainly need all the help they could possibly get. He noticed the King walking towards them out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing out here, Zelda?" She turned and gasped softly before Link knelt down, he watched the interaction through his slightly parted hair and listened closely. He noticed Zelda close her fist. "I... I was assessing the results of the experiment with the Guardians." Her voice had an edge of what he picked up as guilt. "These pieces of ancient technology could be quite useful against the-" She was cut off by her father. "I know that. They are essential to Hyrule's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them." Link noted that her father was acting as a King now, rather than how he was being her father the night before. "However, as the princess, you currently have a crucial unfulfilled responsibility to your kingdom. Let me ask you once more.. when will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game?" Link figured he was being too harsh, surely he knew of the lengths she went through to unlock these powers, it bothered Link how casually her father could dismiss her as being lazy and running away from her responsibilities. "I'm doing everything I can. I'll have you know that I just recently returned from the Spring of Courage where I offered every ounce of my prayers to the Goddess-" "And now you are out here wasting your time. You need to be dedicating every moment to your training." Link battled every instinct telling him to defend Zelda, he couldn't risk getting on the King's bad side. "You must be single-minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away." He noticed her step forward somewhat. "I already am." She sounded shocked by her father's words, and that was justified. "Don't you see- there's nothing more I can do!" She sounded on the verge of tears, Link felt a sadness play with his heart. "My hope is.. my hope is that you- that you'll allow me to contribute here in whatever way I can." He knew her wish was a long shot, and he waited for the King to inevitably scold her again. "No more excuses, Zelda! Stop running away from your duty. As the King, I forbid you to have anything to do with these machines from this moment on." Link knew that Zelda would not be happy with that. "And command you to focus on your training." The King turned and faced the edge before walking towards it. "Do you know how the gossip mongers refer to you?" Link braced himself for a hurtful insult directed at Zelda, which came soon after. "They are out here at this moment whispering amongst themselves.. that you are the heir to a throne of nothing.. nothing but failure." Link heard her sigh softly as he winced at the painful words, he knew that she was anything but a failure. Failures gave up, she had no such intentions. "It is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong. Do you understand?" She put her hands together, her voice was soft and timid. "Yes, I understand." The King turned and began walking away, once her and his knights were out of sight, Link stood and Zelda quickly turned to him, beginning to cry as she looked for comfort in his arms.
--
She couldn't help herself as she broke down, hiding her face against Link, trying to hide her utter misery. She felt his hands running through her hair as she soothed her, it helped out quite a bit. Some short minutes later she calmed herself down before pulling away and peering into Link's bright, blue eyes. They held concern. "Thank you.." She whispered softly as she sniffled, she figured Link didn't enjoy seeing her this way, and she truly couldn't fault him there. "You aren't a failure, Zelda." She looked away briefly, deep down, she always saw herself as one. She couldn't even successfully do the one thing she needed in order to save Hyrule. She plastered on a smile before looking up at Link again. "I know." She was lying, she couldn't tell Link the true extent of how little she thought of herself. Her whole life, no matter how much time she dedicated, all her attempts ended in vain. She huffed softly before reaching for Link's hand. "Let's just get ready." She suggested, and with that they made it back into her room. A little time later, they were both just finishing up. Zelda was brushing her hair whilst Link was polishing his boots. She had managed to get over her father's words for now, and she just wanted to enjoy herself. She turned around after she finished with her hair and watched as Link polished the last few spots on his boots. After he was done he put the polish to one side before looking up at Zelda, a smile appearing almost instantaneously. "How do I look?" She inquired softly before watching him stand and walk over to her. She followed his hand as it moved to the side of her head, before feeling him tuck some loose strands behind her ear. "Beautiful." He announced simply, she felt her cheeks heat up slightly as she gazed up at him. "All eyes will be on you." He added, and she figured the redness of her cheeks was only getting worse. "Oh but you can't forget that all the ladies will be eyeing you." She stood up and moved her face close to his, their lips only centimetres apart. He leaned forward but she pulled back teasingly. "Before you make me swoon, promise me that you will talk to Revali." She tried her best to pull off a pleading look, and it seemed to work. "Of course, I promise." She nodded before closing the gap and placing her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck before melting into the kiss. It reminded her of their first kiss, it had been needy and desperate, she figured that this was created after she teased Link moments ago. She pulled away and sighed happily before opening her eyes. "We should probably head down." Link nodded before pulling away from her. "They'll be waiting." He replied before allowing her to take the lead. She stepped out in front before making her way to the door. Once outside, they began walking through the castle and down to the dining hall.
Upon arriving at the room, Zelda watched as the whole hall erupted into applause as people stood up. She smiled shyly, looking around at all the people who had been invited. She noted that Purah and Robbie were present, along with Impa. She saw their two seats at the head of one of the tables. The Champions were sitting there with her father sitting at the very head of the table. She led Link over and they took their seats before her father stood up, gathering attention. "May I have your attention please?" The room fell dead silent. "As you know, as per tradition, my daughter will not be present during her birthday. So today I have invited you all to attend this special party for her. She is the beacon of hope that we need in these threatening times, she is very dedicated to her training, and I couldn't be more proud." Zelda wasn't sure he was being genuine or if it was just to make himself look good in the eyes of the attendees. She sighed softly as her ended his speech before leaving them to go and talk to his friends of nobility. "I must say, you Hylians certainly go all out with your large banquets. However, I think we can all agree that this room is a little overkill." Zelda looked up at Revali as he spoke before gently nudging Link. He glanced at her before realising what she was trying to tell him. She watched as he cleared his throat before looking over at the Rito. "Revali, how are you?" His tone sounded rather cheerful, too cheerful. Revali eyed him with a look of pure distaste. "I'm perfectly fine, not that it should matter to you." Zelda saw frustration flash across Link's face for just a moment. "You know, I'm rather glad that you are one of the chosen Champions." Revali's gaze softened slightly as he looked at her knight. "I mean, I'll need all the help I can get, and knowing that a skilled archer such as yourself will be there to assist me is quite reassuring." Zelda smiled at Link's wit, he was feeding the Rito's ego, and it seemed to be working. "Yes well, you can't possibly hope to defeat Ganon without my assistance. Perhaps if you're struggling too much I may even be kind enough to swoop down and pierce his back with some arrows." Zelda took Link's hand under the table and squeezed it gently. She felt him squeeze back before letting go as the food came out on silver platters. Daruk was served a separate plate containing a rock roast. "So, how are my two favourite tiny people getting along?" Zelda turned her attention to Daruk before glancing at Link. "Rather well actually, we've grown quite close recently." She explained, before hearing Urbosa. "Too close from what I can see." Zelda tilted her head to the side as she looked at her friend. "I saw the two of you by Kara Kara Bazaar, I was about to step in and help before Link arrived. I saw all I needed to." Urbosa had a soft smile om her lips, Zelda shook her head, of course she could trust Urbosa to know. "Hold on, what was it that you saw?" Urbosa turned to Revali before shrugging slightly. "I may or may not have seen these two kiss." Revali eyed them both before laughing softly. "Oh my! That's the funniest thing I've heard all year." Zelda frowned slightly before deciding to correct him. "It's not a joke." He stopped laughing suddenly, before he could speak Daruk cut in. "For real? Gee, the last time I saw the two of you it seemed all awkward." She nodded gently before glancing at the food on Daruk's plate. "Speaking of the last time you saw us.. Link, why don't you try some more rock roast?" She turned to face Link as the rest of the Champions looked at him. "Link, did you seriously eat some of that? Not only are you reckless, but it seems as though you've got no common sense." It was Mipha who had spoken. "Hey, rock roast is a delicacy with an acquired taste." Was his defense, and the mighty Goron backed him up. "Indeed, this dish is truly fantastic!" He boomed before they all began to eat their meals in respectful silence.
The night was rather enjoyable. They spent multiple hours talking and sharing past stories and experiences. They learned how Mipha had once saved a drowning Hylian, how Daruk had pulled off one of the greatest pranks in Goron history, how Urbosa had single-handedly stormed the Yiga Hideout in an effort to reclaim some stolen jewellery, how Revali boasted about the 114 tournaments he had won, how Link had been the victim of Daruk's prank and Zelda shared a story of her spending hours trying to capture her horse and failing repeatedly. "-and so then, just as I gave up. I stood up and rested against the tree before an apple fell at my feet. I walked over to him and held it out, and just like that his past fear was completely gone." She cringed at the memory, the answer had been so obvious yet it had taken her some 5 hours to figure it out. "Zelda, you're going to need some lessons from Link I'm afraid." Mipha placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder before giving her a smile. "After all, he learned all his tricks from me." Zelda nodded, she figured the Zora Princess would have passed on her knowledge to Link at some point, she didn't realise that the Zora rode horses though. A little while later, Link and Zelda retired to bed. She kicked off her shoes as they got in before flopping down onto the soft mattress. She let out a sigh of relief as she turned and gazed up at the ceiling. "That was quite nice." She said as she sat up, deciding she should probably change. Without even needing to say anything, Link turned away to give her privacy as she changed. "Yes, it was quite nice, and things went okay with Revali, at least he no longer wants to kill me." She nodded briefly before deciding to bring up Daruk's elaborate prank. "I still can't believe how gullible you are, and I'm done changing." He turned around before raising an eyebrow. "How gullible I was?" She nodded softly. "You actually believed that those were real gemstones he was letting you mine." She giggled softly and he rolled his eyes. "Well how was I suppose to tell that they were just some rocks that were painted." He sat down next to her. "Uh well, you could have used your eyes." She replied before playfully hitting his arm. He looked at her before tackling her, pinning her down to the bed. She laughed softly as she looked up at him. "Link, you'll ruin my hair." He shrugged lightly as he looked down at her. "What a shame." She shook her head softly before struggling to get out from his grip, eventually she wriggled free. "So, what's the plan from now?" She sat up and thought about his question momentarily. "Well, I wish to head to the Spring of Power, and then we can do a survey of some of Hyrule Fields before my birthday. I'll let you know what were doing on my birthday closer to the time though. Right now though, we're getting some sleep." He nodded softly before they got under the covers. As normal, he put his arms around her, holding her close to him. She gently closed her eyes and took in his scent before feeling herself drift from consciousness, getting lost in his embrace.