Since that night, Link joined Zelda o her daily routine. She wakes up at 3:00 a.m., takes a shower and has breakfast as any common person. However, on the rest of the day, she has so much to do that Link was getting tired only by following her.
"How does she bare this?" Link asked himself "and every day."
Link also had training at the army, so he only had to be with Zelda early in the morning and late at night, when the day was darker and attacks were more likely to happen. After three weeks, both were already used to the new schedule, but it doesn't mean it was easy.
"Ok ladies, form pairs to practice close combat!" The captain of the army ordered. Link had already joined with a partner and prepared his shield and sword when he heard a familiar sweet voice.
"Excuse me captain, could I borrow Link for a moment?" Zelda asked.
"Of course, Your Highness. He is all yours."
"Thank you. Link come here, now! Quickly!" Zelda shouted and Link had no choice but run towards her, while his classmates tried not to laugh.
Getting into the castle, they walked through many halls until arriving at a beautiful door.
"Where are we?"
"In my bedroom." Zelda answered.
"In your room? I can't get in there!"
"Don't be a fool Link. I called you here, there's nothing wrong with that. Also, I need your help here." She replied, but Link was still confused and apprehensive. What only he could do at the princess's room? After unlocking the door, she opened her wardrobe and started analyzing its insides.
"Link."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You don't have to call me this way. Just call me Zelda, it's fine."
"Ok, I'll remember this."
"So… which one of these dresses do you think I should wear in my marriage."
"What! Why are you asking me that? Dress? Marriage? Why me?"
"Hey! Don't shout to me!"
"Forgive me Your Highness."
" And don't call me this way!"
"I'm sorry… Zelda."
"Better this way. So, which dress?" Things almost got scary for Link, but now he still needed to handle this awkward situation.
"I don't wanna be rude, but I thought the maids were supposed to do that."
"Yes, they usually are, but they aren't here and I would like an opinion of my friend."
"Ok…but…"
"Just choose one boy!" That task was even harder than he had figured. Link could defeat monsters, run kilometers, jump over trees and beat anyone in a sword fight, but imagine how well someone would fit in a dress was way more difficult. He knew nothing about dresses. He knew nothing about women.
"Ah… the green one." He said.
"This one? Are you nuts? Green for marriage?"
"So, what about this one? It's beautiful, light, not green."
"Link, this is a pajama."
"Aaah."
"Link, before coming to the castle, who choose your clothes?" She asked laughing.
"Well, I guess Ilia helped me in this part."
"Who is Ilia?" Zelda asked quickly changing her tune of voice. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"No! She is just a childhood friend of mine. She is more like a sister for me."
"I'm kidding Link. Don't worry man. Actually, I'm the one who needs to be worried."
"Why?"
"Are you paying attention? I'm going to get married. With someone I don't even know!"
"But do you know who is he?"
"The council told me he is a prince of some kingdom, but we never met. I don't know if he is a handsome guy or just an ugly one. Maybe he is too short, or boring to death, or a jerk. Imagine if he is aggressive. I don't even like to think about that.
"Zelda, don't worry. I'll be here to guarantee that no one will ever hurt you."
"This is different Link." She replies sadly. "But thanks anyway." And she kisses his cheek, making her way out of the room.
This is one of the moments that Link didn't know how to feel. He was surprised with the kiss, confused about the situation and sad about Zelda's fate. He wasn't anyone special, but he was her friend and she needed his help.
"Princess!" He called.
"What?"
"I know you're passing through a difficult moment, but I think you should relax for a moment, so…"
"Are you telling me to relax?"
"No! Yes! No! I just wanna know if you want to hangout."
"Hangout?"
"Yes, like… a picnic. We could do it in the morning before everybody wake up, so no one will see us together too."
"That sounds great. We can do it tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, you call me in my bedroom at about 2:00 a.m."
"2:00 a.m.? Not even the sun is awaken this hour."
"So what do you propose?"
"We can go at 6:00 a.m."
"That seems to be too late."
"Not exactly. You wake up much earlier than everyone does, and at 6:00, they are still sleeping. Other than that, I want to show you the sunrise at the East Cliff."
"Ok, tomorrow at 6:00. I'll be waiting for you in my office."
The encounter was set. For Zelda, it would be another experience. For Link, another challenge. He had one day to prepare himself to behave properly near the princess. At first, he felt very uncomfortable with the idea, but got more confident through the day. She was his friend. There was nothing to fear. The following day would be the proof.