Link managed, once he got to his rooms and at least took off his boots and jacket, to get some sleep. And he did, for an hour.
He was jolted awake again by the clanging of a sword on a metal bowl, and the guard captain's thunderous voice. Unfortunately for the guard captain, he was standing a little too close to Link's bed.
Link growled and flung one arm up, knocking the sword and the 'drum' out of the captain's hands. He got up on his feet and grabbed the sword from the air, flipping the blade around and pointing it at the captain's throat. The captain stepped back, and when Link realized who he was about to behead, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
"Oh Goddesses," he gasped.
His grip slackened, and the guard captain, having regained his cool, took the sword from Link's hands, slowly and deliberately sheathing it. He looked back up, locking eyes with the sleep-deprived, hungover, once-hero.
"All better, now?" the captain asked softly, his brow furrowed. Link stammered an apology as he climbed out of bed, stumbling to get his training outfit together. In minutes, he was downstairs with the other men, out on the field and attacking each other with heavy, bare branches. One was shoved into Link's hands when he got out there, and his partner clubbed him around the head and shoulders a few good times.
Link was getting irritated with himself for getting hit so many times, reacting so foolishly that morning, and for being hungover. So he fought back, baring his teeth. He parried the stick away and down, then up, striking him in the arm, then jabbing him in the chest once, twice, three times, swung the branch up, smacked him in the chin, and finally struck the shocked boy across the chest, knocking him down. A few of the other trainees slowed down, staring at the two in surprise.
"Viscount my ass," one of them grumbled.
-
Zelda finally woke up around noon, or a little after. By now Link had finished training and gotten washed up, and had immediately climbed back into bed to sleep the day away. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes and smearing around her makeup, so that it formed dark circles like a raccoon. Yawning, she rolled over and drank a cup of water that had long been sitting on her bedside dresser, pouring another and drinking that, too. When her dry throat and headache finally abated, she climbed out of bed and shuffled around, pulling on her robe and a pair of fur-lined house shoes. She took her time getting down the stairs and shuffling around to the kitchens, hoping there'd be something left over from breakfast.
The cooks were just as miserable as their princess, but still presented her with a warmed, day old sticky bun and some bitter coffee. It took four spoons of sugar to make it tolerable, and even then it tasted harsh and burnt on her tongue. Zelda took her pathetic breakfast to one of the many massive bay windows, sitting down in a convenient chair and leaving the cooks to whip up a simple lunch and nurse their hair of the dog. The day was overcast and miserable, mirroring her mood in a way that made her shake her head. The bun hardened as it got cold, so she really only got to eat half of it. Hungry, sore, and tired, she decided to go back to bed. She left the plate on a table with the barely drank coffee, wandering back to her hall. On the way, she saw two guards greeting someone at the door, and stopped to see. It was Ambrose, looking well-rested and sober. Zelda fixed her robe and walked over to greet him with a smile.
"Good day to you, Duke Holsten," she murmured, offering her hand.
He kissed the knuckles quickly and nodded. "Good day to you as well, Your Highness."
"Is this a social call? I confess I am surprised to see you looking so well after last night." Zelda folded her arms, trying to remember when she'd seen him, and why her stomach was filling with a cold dread.
"Actually, Your Highness, I have come to speak to His Majesty about something that I feel deserves his immediate attention." Ambrose looked around and leaned close. "There is a rumor that Master Tilsen is not whom he seems."
Zelda stared at him in bewilderment. "Who is Master Tilsen?"
Ambrose looked back, equally confused. "Your… your guard, Your Highness."
"Oh," said Zelda, nodding. Then, "Oh! Uh… what exactly is the nature of this rumor?"
"That Master Tilsen is not a-
"Tolrose."
"Tolrose?" Ambrose asked in surprise, suddenly uncertain.
Zelda recognized this, and smiled softly. "Yes, his last name is Tolrose. It sounds like you were sadly misinformed." She lifted her chin. At least now she could place why she felt terrified when she saw him, and remembered Ruto dropping the bomb. What else had happened last night? "Maybe you misheard about… my guard." She stepped up, slowly, the dread turning into strength. Though Ambrose was a little taller than her, it wasn't by much. "See, Ambrose," she cleared her throat, lowering her voice, "I… understand that people can be intimidated by something new, something different. Especially when it involves the highest level of the court, and it grossly overshadows others." She tilted her head with a smile. "But I don't think that gives any amount of leverage to silly, nasty little rumors born of envy. If I'm going to be queen someday, I need the trust of the court in my decisions, all of them. And some day… I'll also need… advisors." She picked a piece of lint from Ambrose's coat, eyeing it. "The lowest class of nobility that can be appointed to court positions are Dukes, right?"
Ambrose nodded, staring at her. "I... I believe so, Your Highness."
Zelda smiled again. "You're wrong. It's Grand Duke. But you might get there someday." She patted Ambrose's cheek. "Maybe you should leave court matters to those more knowledgeable, hm?"
She turned away, walking off, stopping at the kitchens to humbly request a packaged late lunch. Hopefully, Link would be awake by then.
-
Once back in her own rooms, her equally miserable maids bowed, having gotten together an outfit for the day. Zelda looked it over and sighed, shaking her head. "Girls… I… not today." She was impressed with herself for defeating Ambrose so coldly, but the closeness of that call had given her a scare. The last thing she wanted to do now was lose Link to… well, the truth. She sat down in the chair at her vanity, rubbing her temples with her fingertips.
"Dismissed," she mumbled, waving one hand. The room vacated slowly. Zelda took deep breaths, trying to keep her cool. She'd lucked out this one time, catching that suck-up Ambrose before he could get to her father. But there would be others like him with something to gain from exposing Link, a reward, a higher position, just an excuse to fall into the king's favor for revealing fraud under his own nose. Watching out for the country, as it was sure to be put by some.
As Zelda turned around to get up and find something more suitable to wear, little bits of the night floated back. She stared at her corset on the floor, and her dress hanging in the closet, one sleeve barely visible. Only the fact that Link was not at trial before herself and her father assured that they had not been caught.
-
Alcohol had been very kind to Zelda's memory, or she would have been embarrassed beyond belief.
It had not done so for Link, who woke up after an unexpectedly sensual dream to maids moving his things out of his rooms. "Uh, hey, wait, excuse me," he called out, kicking his way out of bed and stopping to put on a pair of dark pants before chasing after the girl, nearly running into another one. "Where… where are my things going?"
The maid, holding one of his folded coats, bowed to him before explaining. "The guard captain does not approve of having to come and wake you separately every morning like a…" What were the words? "A… pampered child. It demoralizes your fellow soldiers. You are to bunk in the training barracks like the others. His words, good sir, I swear it."
This was only part of it. After practice that morning, the guard captain had immediately reported to His Majesty and told him of Link's dangerous ability. "He nearly beheaded me, Your Majesty."
"Well then," the king muttered around his pipe as he sorted his affairs for the day, "I'd say his ability will only make him a more effective soldier!"
"Your Majesty, with all due respect," the captain added, "I am… somewhat concerned about this young man. The princess herself seemed eager to have him guard her, but even she does not know much about him. He came out of nowhere, and do you even remember appointing a viscounty to a Tolrose, recently?"
The king narrowed his eyes. "Captain, as you can see, I am a very busy man. I cannot possibly be expected to remember giving out every little position to a man with the money for it. I trust my daughter's decision, and I recommend you do the same." He hesitated, the guard captain still standing by his desk. Softly, the king added, "Watch him more closely. Put him in with the other trainees, if you have to. I still think he could be very valuable to this kingdom's defense, and it would be a sad day if I had to dismiss someone with such skill." The captain bowed and took leave, issuing the order to the surly, miserable maids.
"Probably a good idea," one muttered to the other as they folded Link's clothes, minutes before he was to awake and catch them pawing through his things, "moving him. Easier to keep an eye out."
"Oh?" asked the other as she shook out a wadded up shirt, jumping back from a leather bag full of rock-like seed pits that fell out.
"Well," she whispered with a grin, "I caught him leaving her highness' rooms this morning."
The other girl's jaw dropped open. "You're lyin'."
"Think about it," she responded calmly. "She had to get out of her dresses somehow, especially the under dress."
"Do you think he helped her with her underthings, too?"
The first girl shrugged, grinning. "But I promised not to tell, so don't spread it around, alright?"
"Oh no, of course not."
-
After they finished moving Link's things, both girls ran to the kitchens, one trying to get ahead of the other. The girl who'd not seen Link, name of Delia, burst through the door first, but her coworker Addie was not far behind.
"I WON, I WON," they both screamed. The cooks fell silent and stared at the two girls.
"What?" the oldest one, Mellie, asked.
"I won!" started Delia.
"You did not, you slag! I told you what happened!" Addie snapped in return.
"Oh you're just jealous!"
"You're a liar!"
"Girls!" Mellie snapped at them. Both fell quiet, glowering at each other.
"Now, what happened?"
Delia cleared her throat. "I woke up early this morning and went to go wake her highness for breakfast, and Master Tolrose was leaving her rooms all in disarray! He begged me not to tell anyone what happened."
Addie shook her head, frowning. Mellie looked over at her. "Go on."
"I woke up early this morning and realized we all slept through Her Highness' return home, and I ran up to her rooms to apologize to her and beg forgiveness. But when I got up there, Master Tolrose was leaving her rooms, still looking very inebriated and off-balance. Also, his hair was messed up and he had lipstick on his face. He made me swear not to tell in exchange for keeping silence about us not being awake to help Her Highness undress."
Mellie looked back and forth. "Well… let me think about this." She stroked her chin, rocking on her feet. "I suppose… the only way we can solve this problem is to ask Master Tolrose himself who he saw this morning."
"Oh please!" cried Addie. "I promised him I wouldn't tell! He'll be mad and I'll probably get fired!"
Delia sighed angrily, easily guilted. "Fine, fine, it's Addie's money." She pouted and folded her arms, and Mellie grinned.
"Well, Delia, as punishment fer lying, you get to clean the slop troughs for the pigs. Addie, let's go get your money from the betting box."
They got the box of money from under the loose hearthstone on the edge of the fireplace, and Mellie started counting it out, Addie opening her purse.
"So you know for certain that they… slept together? Because that was the bet, yeah? They had to do it."
Addie tensed. "Umm… nnno… I'm not. It was roughly four in the morning when I went upstairs… but I'm not sure when they got home."
Mellie nodded, stopping and putting the money away. "Drake and Thom went with them last night on the way, we'll ask them when they got in."
She put the box back, locking it up tight and walking with Addie towards the soldiers barracks, where Drake and Thom were still asleep.
Mellie poked Thom awake, and he snorted, stirring. "Whu."
"Thom, is Mellie. What time did y'all get in last night?"
"Ungh… 'round four," he groaned, rolling over. Mellie jabbed him again, and he swore, waking up more this time. "What!"
"Did they fool around in the cab?"
"Not that we heard, besides we'd have told you right quick."
Addie swore, and Mellie nodded, letting Thom roll over and back to sleep. "Alright dear, not today. Must've been innocent." She patted Addie's hair and they left to go about their chores for the day.
-
Zelda knocked on Link's door twice before opening it. Looking around and seeing that it was totally empty, she panicked. She dashed into the main hall and grabbed the first maid she found. "Where's Master Tolrose?" she asked in a strained voice.
"Your Highness, he was moved to the barracks this morning."
Zelda nodded and let the girl go, walking quickly on the balls of her feet to the barracks, near the main door of the castle. Panic was making her feel dizzy, and she forced herself to relax and take three deep breaths before knocking on the barracks doors. Someone opened them, a young soldier in training, and he bowed deeply to Zelda. "Good day, Your Highness."
She swept in, looking around, and spied Link on a bunk against a wall, stretched out asleep. "Good day," she muttered in return as she walked over, reaching out with her left hand to wake Link up.
"Your Highness, I wouldn't do-" The soldier fell silent as Link jolted once, but rolled over with a calm, sleepy face.
"Oh, g'morning Z.. Your Highness." He yawned, covering his mouth with one hand.
"I was wondering if you would care to join me for a late lunch within the hour, Master Tolrose."
"Oh sure, sure," he replied. "I haven't eaten much today so far, I'll meet you uh… in the main hall?"
"That will be fine," Zelda said with a nod. She turned and swept out again, quickly, nodding once to the young soldier on her way.
"Bruiser, what sorta magic does she have over you?" he asked Link incredulously.
Was everyone calling him that now? Link shrugged. "I'm not really sure."
-
Zelda finally bothered to put on a corset, but she put on one of the more comfortable cotton ones, suitable for lazing around the castle, under a cotton gown in dark red, with her soft yellow robe overtop once more. It was still raining, so she and Link set up their lunch near the bay window where she'd eaten her miserable breakfast.
Lunch was a little better, all cold cuts, cheese, even two small crocks of simple soup, and hot tea and water. They sat at the table, Zelda relaxed and sinking into the massive high back chair she occupied. Link stared at his meal and not at her.
"Why are you in the barracks now?" she asked him in a low voice.
"The reasoning is that it shows uh… favoritism to the other soldiers by letting me sleep in my own room. But…" Link tapered off, unsure if he should tell Zelda what happened that morning.
"But what?" She sat up.
Link shifted his feet, tapping them around on the floor. "Umm… well, the guard captain has been wakin' me by hitting a big metal bowl with a sword. And… well, it startled me, so I grabbed the sword from him and almost, uh…"
Link didn't have to finish. Zelda stared at him, her lips pursed and her eyes wide. "You are lucky you are not currently being accused of treasonous acts," she whispered. "You threatened to kill the captain."
"I'm definitely building up quite the list of broken rules," Link mumbled, looking at her. The corner of Zelda's mouth twitched, and she looked away, reluctant to talk about kissing him. That little she remembered, and Ambrose, and then getting in the carriage, and then warmth, but little else until she woke up in her night dress, her corset carelessly discarded on the floor near her stockings.
They sat there in silence. It was about that time in the conversation, anyway. Zelda stared out at the rainy day, and Link stared at his hands. He thought about kissing her. Not right now, they were out in broad view of everyone in the castle, and they weren't exactly tucked away in a low traffic area. But where could they be alone to do it again? Would it be too risky unless they were locked away in another ball, surrounded by drunk partiers? Link touched his lower lip with his thumb, thinking about it.
Zelda swirled the tea around in her cup as she tried to make a list of all the rules, exactly, that Link had broke. Well first off, he was her guard and not of the upper echelon of society (yet, she was working on it), he had romantic inclinations towards her, had… had he followed her up the stairs? Didn't he? It came back in little patches; the dress, the kissing, her near nakedness and actually asking him to join her in bed—
Zelda turned bright red and made a little sound of alarm. Link looked up from picking at his nails. "What's wrong?"
She looked over at him, then towards the entrance a dozen times to make sure they were not being watched, and back towards him. "Did… did you really follow me to my rooms last night?" Her voice was barely audible.
Link raised his eyebrows. "You… don't remember?" A nasty little joke came to mind, and Link leaned over, whispering low. "Zelda, you… was I that terrible?"
"Terrible at what?" she asked, all wide-eyed and dreading it.
"Well, we… made love," he answered, resting one hand on the arm of her chair.
Zelda cupped her face with her hands, looking truly alarmed. "Link!" she whispered in a high-pitched rasp. "Please tell me you're joking! Please!" She looked so frightened that he ended his joke quickly.
"I'm joking, really, we didn't—I didn't do anything uncouth to you." He reached and squeezed her hand. "I promise. I … well I helped you undress and tucked you in, that's all."
"So you saw me naked?!"
"Well no, I turned away." He hadn't, but she wasn't fully naked, so he figured it cancelled out.
Zelda groaned and buried her face in her hands again. "That's just as bad! Did anyone see you leave?!"
Here, he could not lie. "Yeah, a maid caught me leaving your rooms, but she swore not to tell anyone."
She uncovered her face, staring at him. "Who?"
"Just… one of the girls, I don't know her name or anything."
Zelda stood and smoothed her dress. "Come with me, we're going to find her."
-
As they roamed the castle halls, Zelda tried to push Link for information. "What color hair?" she asked.
"I tell ya, I couldn't tell. It was dark and I was startled."
"How tall was she?"
"Shorter than me by a head."
"Alright, that narrows it down…" Zelda bit her thumbnail, tense and worried. "… but not by much."
They wandered the castle as nonchalantly as possible, peeking in the library room, the trophy room, and even glancing out at the back porch, but only finding the carriage driver and one of the stable hands smoking in the rain. By dinner, they still had not found her.
Zelda was in a state of worry at dinner, picking idly at her food. Link, for all his concern, was still hungry (lunch had been meager, especially on top of his training) and ate heartily.
Zelda's father noticed his daughter's reluctance and patted her hand. "Dear Daughter, are you well?"
"Yes, Father. Just… thinking."
"How was the ball?" he asked, wiping his mouth on one napkin.
"It was very enjoyable. Princess Ruto was there, as well as Duke Orlan's son from one of the further south duchies, we actually played cards with Marquise Balvinne's son and daughter."
"Ah!" The king nodded with a smile. "How did you do at that?"
"Master Tolrose soundly beat us all, actually. I was unaware he was such an accomplished cardplayer." Zelda looked at Link and smiled, as did the king with a nod.
"Very good, very good."
Link smiled back, clearing his throat. "Just… one of my hobbies, really."
"And you've already got a nickname among the men, they call you Bruiser."
Tension started crawling along Link's spine, and he cleared his throat. "Yes…"
"I have also heard you're… hard to wake in the morning."
Link laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah, something like that."
"You've shown great promise at practice, as well."
Link looked at Zelda, who shrugged one shoulder. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I've got my eye on you," the king added, nodding at Link.
Link smiled and nodded, but he wasn't sure if the king meant it as a compliment or a threat.
-
Zelda was ashamed that she hadn't thought of it sooner. If it was one of the girls that tended her rooms exclusively, Link could pick her out of a group of them.
After dinner, she corralled Link in a hallway, holding him tight by the arm. "Alright. I know how we'll find her. They're going to help me change for bed tonight—
"But you're… already in your pajamas, right?"
Zelda folded her arms and tilted her head, staring at him. Link cleared his throat and stepped back. "Sorry," he muttered.
"Anyway," she said after a pause. "When they leave, you watch them go, and single out the one that you ran into. We'll just walk to my rooms like nothing is wrong, but you'll sneak up there after they follow me in, okay?"
Link nodded. "Alright. That sounds… good. That should work."
-
Well, they were wrong about what Addie's job actually was. She was one of the newest girls, learning the ropes of the castle and her tasks. Eager to make a good impression, she had run to greet the princess and assure that all her needs were met the night of (or morning after) the ball, running into Link on the way. And as a catch-all helper for any task, she was one of the few who hadn't drank as much, which led her to helping Delia shuttle Link's clothes and paraphernalia to the barracks, loaded carefully into a massive steamer trunk under his bed.
Their plan, otherwise, worked. Link waited at the bottom of the stairs just around the corner, pretending to read a book. They hardly gave him a second glance. He looked at each one, but none rang a bell. Zelda slipped downstairs after a few minutes, frowning when she saw Link sitting there. "Did you see her?"
"No, she wasn't there."
"Damn," Zelda grumbled, folding her arms. Link looked at her, and though her hair was brushed and her face cleaned, he noticed that she was still in the clothes she was wearing all day. He decided not to bring it up. "Maybe… maybe she looked different because you were inebriated, right? So if you get… if we get drunk again, it might… jog your memory?"
Link tilted his head. "Look, Zelda, I'm starting to think you just want me drunk all the time."
"How dare you!" she cried in reply. "I'm just trying to suggest that… maybe—"
"Zelda, Zelda, calm down, I'm just trying to make a joke."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just… I've been under stress, between Ambrose coming around and maids finding out."
Link nodded, stopped, processed what she said, and looked up again. "What? Who came?"
Zelda sighed. "The gentleman that Ruto blabbed to last night. He came around to tell my father what he heard. Thankfully no one at that party got your last name right."
Link had no idea until this moment how close he was to losing his head. "Zelda, I don't think that… that we should do this anymore."
"What?" She stepped back.
Link shook his head. "We can't… meeting for lunch, hanging around each other. I care deeply for you, but I don't want to die."
"I don't want you to die either!" she whispered. "But we can't just stop now; it'll seem unnatural."
"You have to find a fiancé," he replied.
Zelda frowned. "That has nothing to do with this! Do you honestly think I've been putting that off hoping that somehow we can be together? I'm realistic, Link! I know what we can and cannot do!"
That wasn't entirely true. Zelda had, in fact, been lingering just for that reason, in some half-baked hope that somehow he would come storming in like a knight and sweep her off her feet.
"I've got to go," Link finally muttered. "Gotta… get up early for tomorrow."
"How are you doing with that?" Zelda replied. "I mean, do you like it?"
Link thought about it, slowly nodding. "Yeah. I think it's a good fit for me. Probably should've done it from the beginning."
Zelda sighed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Alright. Have a good night." They smiled at each other, and Link turned, heading to the barracks.