Three weeks passed by much quicker than Link would've liked, and it wasn't long before he found himself kneeling in the King's presence once more.

King Rhoam gestured for him to rise, and so he did. He spoke loudly, perhaps a bit louder than was necessary; his voice booming across the vast room, "Hero of our era, Link, I would like to formally introduce you to my daughter, Princess Zelda."

Link's eyes widened—not enough to be noticed by anyone, he hoped—and watched as a beautiful young lady walked up the staircase and into view, taking her place beside her father. Dressed as the very icon of royalty, Princess Zelda was a sight to behold. She wore a royal blue gown adorned with white silk and gold; the triforce symbol prominent just about the corset. Zelda's long, blond hair flowed behind her freely, striking greens eyes fixed pointedly straight ahead.

She did not look at him.

Link had seen the princess before—naturally, he'd been working at the castle as a soldier for a few years—but this was the first time he'd ever been this close, and it was certainly the first time he was "formally introduced" to her, as the King had worded it.

Link couldn't help but stare, and yet, she would not meet his eyes.

"The fortune teller's premonition has proven to be correct; "the signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear," your successful obtainment of the Master Sword attests to that." King Rhoam said.

Something about the way he said "successful" sounded odd to Link. His suspicions were proven correct by the King's next words;

"Since that is the case, Zelda," He addressed his daughter. Her green eyes landed on the King; poorly concealed dread evident on her face. "I expect you to redouble your efforts to awaken your sealing power. Time is short; you mustn't waste it."

At last, the princess spoke, "Yes, father."

King Rhoam stood up from his throne, standing tall and broad at his full height. Link instinctively dropped to a knee and bowed his head; as was customarily expected of him being a soldier. The only people who did not have to do that were in the Royal Guard. However, Link himself would soon be sworn into the Royal Guard, and the code of conduct he'd learned as a soldier would no longer be applicable. King Rhoam did not bother to correct the mistake; a rarity for him. The man was normally a stickler for protocol.

The King looked between Zelda and Link, then finished, "You two are destined to work together. It is only with your full cooperation and utter dedication to this fateful task that Calamity Ganon can be defeated. I trust this will not be an issue."

Link nodded solemnly; thought he suspected the last part was meant more for Zelda than him.

Zelda replied, "Of course not, father."

King Rhoam looked like he didn't quite believe her, "See that it doesn't."

Then, he made a gesture to a line of guards that were standing along the wall,

"Take his things to his living quarters." He commanded.

The guards bowed, chorusing a "Yes, your majesty!" before heading off to complete their task.

Link was confused; he'd already unpacked his belongings (at least, the ones he'd taken with him to Hateno) at the barracks before reporting to the King.

His confusion must've shown on his face—he needed to work on that—because King Rhoam elaborated, "From now on, your living quarters will be in the castle; among the other Royal Guards' chambers."

Oh.

"While your room is prepared, I request that you take this time to answer any questions my daughter may have regarding the sword of evil's bane. Any information you could impart to her may help awaken her sealing powers."

Princess Zelda noticeably stiffened; unhappy with the arrangement. "In return," The King continued, "Zelda will answer any questions you may have regarding the calamity."

By now, Link was pretty familiar with the impending calamity; it had been explained to him by the captain before he set out for the Lost Woods, then by the Great Deku Tree after he pulled the sword from its pedestal, and then again by his father in Hateno.

He didn't have any questions. Regardless, he nodded politely in response to the offer. An opportunity to speak with the Princess sounded nice though. King Rhoam was right; they were destined to work together. Perhaps he wouldn't have to shoulder this fate alone; maybe he could confide in the princess. Perhaps a chance to speak their minds would do the both of them good.

His business finished, King Rhoam turned and made his way down the staircase, followed by two Royal Guards.

Link waited until the King was up the stairs and out of sight before he stood up. He looked up, eyes full of newfound hope and—at last—Zelda finally looked at him.

Sadly, the princess's gaze did not convey any feelings of warmth. Instead, her eyes were narrowed to slits, shining with a fiery fury that—much to Link's shock—appeared to be aimed at him.

Link felt his heart stutter in his chest; suddenly very nervous. Questions flew through his mind, trying to guess what had happened; why was she angry with him? Had he done something wrong? Should he have stood up sooner? Should he not have stood up until she permitted him?

Princess Zelda spoke

"It appears my father believes that somehow, simply being near you and that sword on your back, will achieve what countless hours praying to the Goddesses have not; awakening the holy power that sleeps within me needed to seal Calamity Ganon."

Link said nothing; what could he possibly say to that?

Much like her father, Zelda also had a strong tone of voice, though much quieter and feminine. Her words did not echo off the marble walls and through the sanctum, but they didn't need to; Link heard her loud and clear even if the other royal guards in the vicinity didn't.

Taking his silence as a cue to continue, Zelda went on, "But appearances aren't everything. No, what this boils down to is my father wanting something to remind me to stay steadfast to my prayers—as if I don't think about that every minute of every day—but more than that, he wants me to know that the hero has already done his part in preparing for the return of Ganon, whereas I have yet to fulfill my role to the kingdom."

Link felt as though, from the way she spoke; her voice laden with resentment, she may have been quoting things her father had said to her in the past.

"Not being good enough for one's father" was something Link could sympathize with. After all, his father was the sole reason he'd joined the Hyrluean Army. It always seemed that, despite his best efforts, nothing was ever good enough. Though he'd never been particularly angry about this; rather, he simply resolved himself to work harder and become better. And his work had paid off; he was the chosen wielder of the legendary sword that seals the darkness, even if that wasn't what he'd wanted.

The same could not be said for Princess Zelda. Her frustration with her inability to access her sealing powers manifested itself as anger, and while this anger was with herself for her own failures, she had a tendency to lash out. Several years' worth of trial and error had both disheartened and jaded her.

Link wanted to say something—anything—to appease her. But he found his tongue stuck, and no will to unstick it. But then, he recalled a few words of advice his father had once given him,

"Silence speaks of idiocy. A dull mind has little to put forth. You must be brave and speak up!"

It was something his father had told him when he was quite young, but Link still remembered it.

Well, Link didn't want to Princess to think he was an idiot. Hesitantly—be brave, be brave, be brave—he summoned his courage and opened his mouth,

"Princess," he addressed her formally. His voice was rough from disuse—he hadn't spoken to hardly any of his comrades upon returning from Hateno. He supposed that his drawing the master sword made them uneasy, which was understandable—but he continued, struggling to find the right words. He wanted desperately to comfort and encourage her, but he wasn't sure how.

"I-I…" He mentally berated himself for stuttering, but he'd never spoken to a royal before, at least not in this sense. The King had spoken to him many times recently, but he mostly spoke to be listened to, or asked simple questions—

"Where are you from, soldier?"

"Hateno Village, your majesty."

"How old are you?"

"I am sixteen, your majesty."

-and gave commands that warranted a standard reply of "Yes, your majesty."

But in the end, it didn't matter what he was going to say or how he was going to say it because Zelda cut him off hotly, "Oh, be quiet!" she snapped, jealousy shaping her words, "I don't need you to remind me of my failures!"

Link flinched as if she'd taken her hand and slapped him. Zelda turned her back on him, and Link's heart sank as he watched her descend the stairwell as quick as she could.

And that left Link, alone in the sanctum, staring at his feet on the red carpet covering the white marbled floor. His mind replayed the conversation over and over, analyzing it and trying to decipher what he'd done wrong and how to fix it.

What had he done wrong?

Princess Zelda had certainly been upset from the moment Link met her, but she hadn't been furious until he'd tried to speak to her.

Her words replayed in his head;

"Be quiet!"

"Was that an order?" Link wondered to himself. Father's advice or no, he wasn't about to disobey a direct order from royalty just to save face. If Hyrule thought him an idiot, then so be it.

Link would be quiet.