Zelda was walking back to her chambers, followed closely by Link. As usual. She was marching fast and each step was hard and loud, showing her anger. Link didn't have trouble to keep up but still tried to stay at a reasonable distant from the princess.
Once the door reached, Zelda opened with a huge force, almost bumping Link onto it. She ran to her window and looked outside, in the citadel of the castle, at the Sheika people trying to make the guardians operational. She crossed her arms around her chest and bite her bottom lip. She wanted to scream.
Why life was so unfair to her? Why no one could see she was doing everything she could to make her power wake up? It wasn't her fault. But no one will care as soon as Calamity Ganon will be awake. If she can't neutralize this demon, deaths will be counted and the kingdom will blame her for it, not caring if she prayed to every spring and every single minutes of her time.
-"This is delusional!", she groaned.
Link, who stayed by the door, looked at the princess. He was silent, listening to her rant.
-"I'm doing my best. I'm doing absolutely everything to make this power come out but nothing works! It's not my fault! Why can't anyone see that!", Zelda turned around and looked at her appointed knight.
Her lips trembled and her eyes were shining with the ray of the sun, showing the tears forming in the corners of them.
-"Why can't father see that?", she said, her voice broken and her tears finally pouring down.
She put a hand on a heart and covered a desperate gasp with her other hand. She closed her eyes and cried openly. She fall on her knees and hide her face in her palms.
Of all the time a life had, Ganon had to threat to come back right at her seventeen, right when she was supposed to work on getting the power within her. She was still young, how was she supposed to create such power in such little time. She knew her mom and her grand mother felt it right away but why not her? She wanted to save Hyrule, she wanted it more than anything. But the pressure from a whole kingdom on her shoulder was too overwhelming for the young princess and somehow, it was blocking any source of power to burst. And no matter the meditation, no matter the relaxing to focus on the depth of herself, nothing was awakening. It was simply empty. What could she possibly do wrong? Did she at least had any power at all? How was she suppose to make this cursed power raise?
Zelda never felt more useless and hated it. She wanted to hide from all the shame that was consuming her entire being. She thought she could work on the ancient technology and help at one point with these antic machines. She studied them really hard so she could be helpful if really no power was surging. But now her father forbid her to go near those machines and ordered her to concentrate on her duty and all only it. But how can she concentrate in such state of panic?
She stood up and wiped her eyes away and stepped near her desk. She saw her notes about the guardians and divine beast. She groaned and throw them on the floor in a moment of rage.
-"I'm not good! I can't do anything good for once in my life!", she yelled.
She put a hand on her forehead and rubbed her face and felt all the wetness from her tears on her cheeks. It made her realize Link was still there and watching her breaking down. She inhaled a deep breath and calmed down.
-"You can leave now. I don't need a knight to sleep.", she spat.
Link was just staring at her. He observed her for a few seconds but then nodded and turned around, reaching for the door. But he didn't open it. Instead, he closed it correctly, to make sure it was securely shut.
Zelda heard a rustle behind her and looked at the origins of the sounds. She saw Link taking his Master Sword off of his back and rested it against the wall. He rolled his shoulder then sighed. He faced Zelda and walked toward her. She swallowed and took step back as a reflex, not expecting Link to break the distance so boldly.
-"What are you doing? I thought I asked you to leave?", Zelda frowned, trying to stay in control.
Link glared but then smily softly.
-"You asked your appointed knight to leave. Not your friend.", he spoke gently.
Zelda only blinked.
-"My... friend?", Zelda mumbled.
Link nodded, keeping his soft smile on his lips. He took a breath and laid his hands on her shoulders gently. That's when Zelda noticed that he was slightly taller than her, not a lot but still enough that she needed to lift her chin a bit to look at his eyes.
Link let his hands slid the length of her arms and reached for her hands. He rubbed them delicately with his thumbs then let them go. He opened his arms and nodded at her as an invitation. Zelda didn't quite get why he was doing that but she didn't care. She blinked her tears out of her green eyes and buried herself in his safe embrace.
It was warm. Good. Peaceful. His heartbeat was steady and such a comfortable sound to be cradled with. She cried silently, her face in the crook of his neck. He had his arms wrapped around her and rubbed her back sympathetically.
They stayed this way for a few minutes. When Link didn't heard her sobs anymore, he pushed her very slowly and took her sad face between his hands. He wiped the salty tears out of the corner of those big forest eyes and gave the Hylian princess the most comforting smile.
-"You're not useless. You're not weak. You're nothing but strong and brave. You never give up. You're hopeful. Also you're beautiful, inside and out. Your father might seems rude but he cares dearly about you. He wants you safe. He also knows you can do it. Sure he's probably not the best at being the greatest support, but he believes in you. Everyone does. The champions do. I do.", he marked a little pause to admire her eyes, full of sadness but also of thankfulness
"And even if there is no power, we will be here for you. I will. I will protect you. With my life. You have my word. You're never going to be alone. I promise you. You also don't have to carry all of this only on your own. You can lean on me. I'm here for that. I might be a knight, but I'm considering myself a friend to you first.", Link finished with a tiny wink.
Zelda was agape. She didn't know what to say. Suddenly she felt the hope coming back. Everything Link had just said, it was true. She wasn't weak. She was going to fight, no matter what. She was the princess of Hyrule. And a princess fights till the end for her kingdom. That's what she was going to do.
She felt a smile tickling the tip of her lips so she buried herself again in Link's arms and smiled against his chest.
-"Thank you Link. Thank you so much.", she breathed.
-"Anytime princess.", he put a hand on her hair and caressed it.
-"Just one thing tho.", she said, lifting her head to look seriously at him.
He nodded, saying he was listening.
-"Promise me you won't die. That you are really going to stay with me no matter what. I need you.", she said firmly, but still a bit shaky.
Link blinked but smiled and nodded.
-"I promise.