III
Link sighed softly as he trudged up the stairs toward his bedroom for the night. Harkinian had long ago retired, leaving Link to his private little worries. Aside from a ring and a few words of promise, there was little keeping him bound to Zelda. Jealousy hung greatly over his head. For so long, he had been the talk of the Kingdom, and being Zelda and he were the land's primary celebrities, there was always excitement when he wandered onto the streets to greet his admirers and fans. News of this strange suitor from afar would certainly fire youngsters up who still sought Link's hand in marriage-but there was no other woman, and it ached his heart to think of losing Zelda. Aside from Saria, there was no other person in the entire Kingdom that knew him so well as Zelda. How would he carry on living if she ended up marrying Adrien?
He shook his head, his body gaining a tremor that he couldn't quite control. Tears poured down his cheeks as he furiously wiped them away, hoping not to catch the attention of maids or butlers wandering the halls. When he reached his bedroom door, he couldn't help but collapse against it and burst into tears. He had never felt quite so attached to Zelda, nor as protective of her as he was then. He'd just assumed all these years he'd only assumed that he would be taking Zelda down the aisle with him, and thus had taken her many times in his life for granted. He'd never taken into consideration that anything could snatch her away from him at any moment, and his blood ran cold. He knotted his fists and jammed them at his eyes, biting his tongue in an attempt to stifle his cries. In the wake of his sadness, he barely heard the tender footsteps approaching him.
"Link?"
He lifted his gaze to see Zelda standing there, adorned in a thin robe and an even thinner nightgown underneath. Her golden locks cascaded down her shoulders, furling into beautiful curls at the bottom. Swiftly, he brushed at the tears under his eyes and attempted a smile.
"Hey."
"Link, you're sitting in the middle of the hallway, bawling your eyes out. What's the matter with you? You never acted this way before."
"Heh," was all he could manage at the time, blinking until the tears had dried before he looked to her. "What's the matter with you, Zelda? What's wrong with frolicking on the plains like we did when we were kids? It never hurt anybody and we sure had a lot of fun, and I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to take responsibility of a land that I've not even thoroughly explored yet. Your father hasn't handed down the Kingdom yet, so take advantage of it. And about that other guy-I'm supposed to be the only attractive guy in this Castle."
She puckered her lips as if amused, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"Oh, Link. You're so silly sometimes! That's what you're crying about? Because you're jealous of Adrien?"
"I'm not jealous of him, Zel, for God's sakes!"
"Then what's the problem? You know I love you and you only."
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Zelda, he doesn't know that we're engaged! Your father set it all up weeks ago, before he was aware that I'd proposed. I suppose he thought that it wasn't going to work out between us, so he sent to his friend and found this guy to be your suitor. Zelda, we have to tell him-"
"Tell me what?"
Both Link and Zelda lifted their gazes to the dark man standing behind him. His hair was tousled as if he'd just aroused from sleep, that same smirk still playing on his gothic lips. His eyes flared with jealousy at first, before he settled in realization that he looked upon Link and Link only. With tender hands, it seemed, he pulled Zelda to her feet.
"Come, darling. We've an early morning tomorrow, and as you know, we both need sleep very much. I trust that Link will be finding his way to his own bed, too?"
"Yes-yes of course," Zelda whispered. Link stared pleadingly at her, hoping that she would tell him of their union. Still, she slung her arm about Adrien's back and smiled.
"I'll escort you to your bedroom, Adrien," she had said softly as they started down the hall, Link staring after them.
"You look as though you've got something on your mind," he suggested.
"No," she answered softly, her tender eyes glancing back to look upon her heartbroken fiancée.
"Nothing at all."
Link sighed softly as he trudged up the stairs toward his bedroom for the night. Harkinian had long ago retired, leaving Link to his private little worries. Aside from a ring and a few words of promise, there was little keeping him bound to Zelda. Jealousy hung greatly over his head. For so long, he had been the talk of the Kingdom, and being Zelda and he were the land's primary celebrities, there was always excitement when he wandered onto the streets to greet his admirers and fans. News of this strange suitor from afar would certainly fire youngsters up who still sought Link's hand in marriage-but there was no other woman, and it ached his heart to think of losing Zelda. Aside from Saria, there was no other person in the entire Kingdom that knew him so well as Zelda. How would he carry on living if she ended up marrying Adrien?
He shook his head, his body gaining a tremor that he couldn't quite control. Tears poured down his cheeks as he furiously wiped them away, hoping not to catch the attention of maids or butlers wandering the halls. When he reached his bedroom door, he couldn't help but collapse against it and burst into tears. He had never felt quite so attached to Zelda, nor as protective of her as he was then. He'd just assumed all these years he'd only assumed that he would be taking Zelda down the aisle with him, and thus had taken her many times in his life for granted. He'd never taken into consideration that anything could snatch her away from him at any moment, and his blood ran cold. He knotted his fists and jammed them at his eyes, biting his tongue in an attempt to stifle his cries. In the wake of his sadness, he barely heard the tender footsteps approaching him.
"Link?"
He lifted his gaze to see Zelda standing there, adorned in a thin robe and an even thinner nightgown underneath. Her golden locks cascaded down her shoulders, furling into beautiful curls at the bottom. Swiftly, he brushed at the tears under his eyes and attempted a smile.
"Hey."
"Link, you're sitting in the middle of the hallway, bawling your eyes out. What's the matter with you? You never acted this way before."
"Heh," was all he could manage at the time, blinking until the tears had dried before he looked to her. "What's the matter with you, Zelda? What's wrong with frolicking on the plains like we did when we were kids? It never hurt anybody and we sure had a lot of fun, and I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to take responsibility of a land that I've not even thoroughly explored yet. Your father hasn't handed down the Kingdom yet, so take advantage of it. And about that other guy-I'm supposed to be the only attractive guy in this Castle."
She puckered her lips as if amused, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"Oh, Link. You're so silly sometimes! That's what you're crying about? Because you're jealous of Adrien?"
"I'm not jealous of him, Zel, for God's sakes!"
"Then what's the problem? You know I love you and you only."
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Zelda, he doesn't know that we're engaged! Your father set it all up weeks ago, before he was aware that I'd proposed. I suppose he thought that it wasn't going to work out between us, so he sent to his friend and found this guy to be your suitor. Zelda, we have to tell him-"
"Tell me what?"
Both Link and Zelda lifted their gazes to the dark man standing behind him. His hair was tousled as if he'd just aroused from sleep, that same smirk still playing on his gothic lips. His eyes flared with jealousy at first, before he settled in realization that he looked upon Link and Link only. With tender hands, it seemed, he pulled Zelda to her feet.
"Come, darling. We've an early morning tomorrow, and as you know, we both need sleep very much. I trust that Link will be finding his way to his own bed, too?"
"Yes-yes of course," Zelda whispered. Link stared pleadingly at her, hoping that she would tell him of their union. Still, she slung her arm about Adrien's back and smiled.
"I'll escort you to your bedroom, Adrien," she had said softly as they started down the hall, Link staring after them.
"You look as though you've got something on your mind," he suggested.
"No," she answered softly, her tender eyes glancing back to look upon her heartbroken fiancée.
"Nothing at all."