I understand that the King was out of character last chapter, and I sincerely apologize for that, but I'm trying to work around that so he's more in character now. But if I've just ended up moving from one extreme to the next, don't hesitate to tell me (but tell me politely. I'm fragile.) And I'm so sorry for not updating once I had thirty reviews (I had to get their emotions just right!).
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Impa's eyes widened in shock at the word 'wedding,' and although she should be happy that Zelda would finally be a bride as she had dreamt of as a child, knowing that the chances of a certain hero being the groom were rather slim made her heart writhe in pain for the dear girl.
"A wedding dress? But, sir…pardon my asking, but who is she to marry?" The king's thoughtful expression turned to a wistful one as he stroked his beard in thought.
"She will be of age in about a week, and so many princes are asking for her hand already. I thought I'd host a party for the distant royal families that we have allied ourselves with to come, and Zelda will accept one of the offers. That is why I need you to make her a wedding dress." Impa's heart crushed at the king's plan. Poor Zelda and Link had been through hell these past few days, and now, just when they are beginning to show their feelings for each other, she will be torn away from him? And the king expected her to bear the news to the princess, who she saw as a daughter? How could the king ask her to be the one to break Zelda's heart?
More importantly, did the king even know?
"Your Majesty…what if…" Impa stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "…What if…Zelda is already in love…?" She asked in a quiet whisper. At first, the king regarded her features, as if asking who the man was. But her eyes told the story. It was then that he knew.
"Oh no…" He said quietly, his eyes welling up with tears. He hadn't known. If he had known, had been able to spend the time with his daughter that he wanted to, he might have noticed it before, and would never have organized the ball for such a purpose to begin with. He never wanted to hurt his dear little Zelda, but…it was too late to do anything about the ball; the invitations had already been sent out, the replies had been received, and there was no turning back from this horrible mistake. And with Link being but a commoner…he was not eligible to be one of the choices Zelda would be given. If only the young lad could be knighted, but with the process of being chosen as a knight, and all the complications that came with such a ceremony, it would be too late to make the process worth anything. "…How could I do this…? How could I have not known about my own daughter…?" A single solitary tear trailed sluggishly down his bearded face, the droplet of water sinking into his peppered whiskers. "There's nothing I can do to change it. It's too late." His voice, so thick with sadness at the realization that Zelda would surely be broken from this, and all because he wasn't a good enough father to be able to tell when his own daughter had fallen in love, too engrossed with his own work to spend much time with her, to get to know her like he wanted to, like a father should.
"I will tell her, your Majesty. I will tell her." Impa said gently, leaving the king to go back to the two teens in the knight's quarters. She wasn't sure she could handle Zelda's reaction to the news, or be able to tell Link that he couldn't see Zelda as much anymore. She knew it was all but impossible to explain it all without her aged emotions finally getting the better of her, but she still had to at least try and be strong, if not for herself, than for Zelda and Link.
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Zelda's eyes fluttered open at the sound of someone near her shuffling around on the bed. Lifting her head from the pillow in an attempt to straighten her stiff neck from sleeping at such an uncomfortable angle, she opened her mouth to say something to Link, only to find that his form was no longer on the bed. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Link…?"
"G'morning, Zelda." The princess turned around from her spot next to the bed, greeted with the sight of Link putting on his –now dry- clothes from beside the bucket of water Impa had put them in the previous night. His bandages lie discarded in a bloodied and crumpled pile on the floor on the opposite side of the bucket, leaving Zelda to look at the hero's lean muscular figure, which mysteriously lacked the injuries it had the previous night. The princess could not help but notice that Link's left arm was now free of the makeshift sling it had been placed in, the said sling mixed in with the discarded bandage. After he finished dressing, Link turned around and smiled his greeting. Zelda's brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of his healed body. Her expression must have looked ridiculous because Link merely chuckled and gestured to the –now empty- potion bottle on the bedside table. "The potion you brought did wonders, Zel, thank you." Zelda quirked an eyebrow in response to his display of appreciation.
"I wasn't the one that brought it here. I fell asleep next to the bed, remember?" Link snapped his fingered and nodded as though he just remembered, though a streak of blush was evident on both his and Zelda's faces at the thought.
"No, child, I was the one that brought it here last night." The two teens turned toward the door at the sound of Impa's voice. The aged woman stood at the entrance to the room, a small, albeit sad smile gracing her lips. She walked over to the bottle and picked it up, cradling it within her arms as though it were an infant, more or less treating it as such. "Zelda, Link, I have some news for you, from the King." The younger two of the group tensed at the grave tone Impa's voice had suddenly taken. Granted, her voice was usually dry and it seemed that she croaked more than talked, but her tone had dropped an octave so suddenly that Link and Zelda felt themselves shiver subconsciously. "Zelda, dear…" The aged woman paused for a shaky, almost hesitant breath. "…because you will be of age in a few weeks, your father has arranged for a ball to be held on your birthday so you may find a suitor. I am to make your wedding dress once you have chosen a prince to marry."
Link swore his heart shattered.
'No…this isn't happening. It can't be happening…it can't…' Link's eyes clouded over in pain. Not the physical pain he had endured in the recent nights, but a deeper wound no potion or elixir could heal. Without thinking, he brought a hand to clutch the fabric of his tunic over his heart, as if to protect it from the inevitable pain of basically losing any chance with his best friend he may have been hoping for. Not only that, but once she was married, she was off limits to any other man for any reason whatsoever, so it not only meant that he could not love Zelda, but he couldn't even be her friend. He turned to Zelda to see her reaction, and almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the fear and anger in her usually gentle eyes, what little comfort it offered to him that she was just as 'thrilled' about the idea as he was. She exhaled shakily, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. Her hands rose to guard her face from the world, from the truth- that this meant she could never see Link as a friend again once she was married. Her shoulders shook violently as she suppressed her tears.
This couldn't possibly be happening.
And yet, something in the back of their minds had always been telling them that it wasn't possible, that nothing would ever last between them, that whatever relationship that they built together would just ultimately be torn apart in the end. Link knew that, though they both didn't want to go through with this, Zelda would do it anyway, though only for the sake of Hyrule, putting her emotions and feelings second to her duties as princess of Hyrule. They both knew that she would, and that they would both be unable to move on from each other. The thought was unfathomable to either of the teens.
"Zelda…" Link's voice, thick with emotion, gently called her as he reached a hand to her, offering her comfort and understanding only he could give. It was an offer Zelda could not refuse. Before she could stop herself, she stepped softly into his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso, returning his comfort with her own. His arms didn't hesitate to hold her closer to him a moment before he forced himself to step away. This wasn't right anymore. This was all so wrong, but…it just felt so right, he restrained himself from returning to her embrace, her warmth, if only for a few seconds more. He smiled painfully at her before bowing his head deeply so that his long bangs hung in front of his face. "I should be leaving now. Farewell, Impa, and thank you for the potion…" His azure eyes, almost violet from pain, met the gaze of his best friend…his love…his…
…his…
"Farewell…my lady." He took her hand kissed the back of it, missing Zelda's pain filled gaze, before walking out the door, praying he wouldn't lose it and break into a run.
Zelda's heart screamed for him to come back.
She whipped around to Link's retreating back, opening her mouth to voice what her heart was saying, plead for him not to leave her, but her throat closed, and no sound came out but a strangled sob she had desperately been trying to hold back. Link was too wrapped up in coaching himself to not look back for him to hear it, and so he disappeared down the hallway. After a few moments of silence, Zelda turned to Impa suddenly, her eyes burning with a determined fire.
"Impa, is my father in his study?" The elderly woman nodded, baffled at Zelda's sudden fire. Not needing anything more, Zelda bolted out the door after Link, praying she wasn't too late. "Link, wait a moment, please!" She called to his retreating form a few yards away from her. He complied with her request, turning to meet her gaze, somewhat shocked to see her determination, her fire, burning within her soft blue eyes. She closed the distance between them before continuing to walk, grabbing his hand and leading him as she passed. "Come on, I've got an idea."
"Whatever you say my-"
"If you call me 'my lady' one more time, I swear I'll have no choice but to slap you, Link. My name is Zelda, hear that? Zeeeeeldaaaaaaah." He chuckled at her annunciation of her own name before nodding and following her to her father's chambers.
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Knock. Knock. Knock.
The king lifted his gaze to his door, surprised that someone was knocking on his door, considering it didn't happen very often. "Enter," he called out just loud enough for the people on the other side of the door to hear him. The heavy wood door opened, and there stood Zelda, hand firmly leading a confused and almost timid looking Link behind her. The king's heart sank at the thought of the pain he must have caused his daughter and the hero of time. "Zelda…Link…" what more could he say? That he was sorry that he was such a terrible father? That-
"Father, Impa has told us about the ball you intend on hosting on the eve I become of age." The king merely nodded, trying to keep his composure long enough to hear what Zelda had to say. "Now, as princess of Hyrule, it is my duty to produce an heir to the throne to keep our lineage going throughout the generations to guard over our beloved homeland. I was born into it, without my own consent, just as you and your ancestors had been. However, I accept the task, and understand why you decided to host a ball for suitors. But I do have one request of my own that needs your consent to be carried through." Again, the king merely nodded, his throat clogged from his heart. "My only request is that Link may be my escort. Do you, father, king of Hyrule, accept my request?"
Had this not been his own daughter, the king would have been amazed at the display of courage this young woman was showing to him. But he knew better; it was, after all, his own daughter, taking after him in bravery and tactics. He smiled, knowing that, as innocent as she appeared, she was also clever. He understood why she was asking this, and his heart swelled with pride knowing that it was his daughter that found a way when he did not. She would make a fine queen once she was married
"I accept your request. Link is to be your escort at the ball until you so choose otherwise." If Zelda's eyes lit up anymore, she would have made the chandelier above them jealous. She bowed her thanks to her father, as did Link (who had remained absolutely silent throughout this exchange between Zelda and the king) before they exited.
"Zelda, what was that all about…?" Link asked once the door shut behind them. The princess placed a delicate finger on Link's lips, a sly smile taking over her features.
"Don't worry about it, Link. Right now, we need to find you something to wear for the ball. You are my escort, after all!" Zelda giggled. Link frowned in thought.
"I thought I'd have to leave and never come back, or something-" Again, he was hushed by Zelda's finger on his lips.
"You're still worrying about it. So stop, okay? What we need to worry about is getting you ready for the ball!" Link sighed, giving up on trying to figure out the meaning of him being her escort and deciding to just enjoy being around her while he could before following her down the hall.
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So, so, so sorry for the long wait! The next chappie will be the ball, and you'll find out the significance of Link being an escort, and everything will be over (as in, you know, the last chapter of this story! Yaaaaay!) Read and review!