Hyrule Field was quiet. The sun had recently peeked over Death Mountain as people and animals alike began to stir.
Zelda was wide-awake before then, as usual. Being a princess never meant beauty sleep; and according to Impa, she didn't need it. Her father was aging but he still had enough sense to know that his kingdom would need a fine strong new king and that Zelda would need a husband. No ordinary commoner would do. She was in need of a Prince.
The only people who could recall Link journeying throughout time were Zelda, the Sages and the Deku Tree. Zelda's father regarded Link as a good-for-nothing for he knew nothing about Link's slaying of Ganondorf.
Link, likewise, was being sought by many girls in the country. Some would bring flowers to his doorstep and homecooked meals while others would fish or horseback-ride with him. Zelda and Link had grown apart over the years. Link was quite busy, what with fighting the occasional moblin and fending off the girls whom would constantly flirt with him.
Link was fully aware of Zelda's duty as a
princess and sometimes when he couldn't bring himself to blame it on
her royalty he blamed it on the thought she was too good to be around
him anyway.
However pretty or elegant the other girls would seem,
he still wanted his best and closest friend.
He had been waiting too long for her and the other girls whom he told stories of Zelda's beauty to were jealous. They tried to place the thought into his mind that Zelda didn't need him and Zelda was a wretch when really, they were jealous of her friendship with him.
Link was goregous. His
unruly blonde locks and his cerulean blue eyes were captivating as it
was but his personally shone much brighter. Not to mention he was a
skilled horse rider and a fighter.
There was a side to him,
however, he never let them see. A side only Zelda knew of him.
Link missed his dear friend, Navi. She had been long gone and he knew she was never coming back. As much as Zelda begged him to, Link would never place the fault on her for everything that happened in the alternate timeline. He didn't want to be selfish but there was a part of him that did not enjoy the lack of attention Zelda paid to him.
He wanted her to come to him and he was stubborn in his choice too. Link had always come to her yet she could never spare anytime to come and spend a few hours, even minutes, with him.
Zelda was a gracious and beautiful princess. She lived a life of luxury and leisure. No one had any doubts that she would be a successful future as a ruler. However, her father was in need of a Prince whom upon his death would assume the throne.
Zelda was the only thing he had to offer of some political value. Zelda could be found hiding in the library for hours and hours each and every day. Studying and reading. She could not fathom doing anything else as it was against her fathers wishes and her 'passions'. It was days like these the King would refer to her as the "Hylian Jewel". She hated this title; it meant nothing to Zelda.
She envied Link for being able to be so free. He lived life on his own terms and he always did helpful things for him. Her gratitude was eternally his. Zelda was aware of how their friendship had grown feeble and lacked stability.
Every time Malon visited the Castle to deliver milk with her father, Malon always sought Zelda to spread the gossip of Link. She, obviously, had fallen for him and was always talking about her hopes and dreams with Zelda. Zelda blocked her out when she began to explain how every time he looks at her it meant a sign. She knew Link better than that and she knew Link wouldn't love a dirty farm girl.