Hey guys - to answer a couple questions I got:

Link was born into the royal guard. He did some good deeds in his spare time/overnight and earned the "Robin Hood" nickname, though no one knew it was him. The knights arrested him because they thought he was some criminal trying to kidnap Zelda or was working with the Yiga. When they find out that it's Link, one of their old knights, they're still wary - just because he's a knight doesn't mean he can't also be a traitor.

Be advised for high levels of fluff ahead. You've been warned. :)

The annual gala was as uninteresting as ever - but this time, they had to wear masks. Still, it was impossible not to tell who some people were; the King of course stood out from everyone, as did Zelda, with her long blonde hair and green eyes peeking out from under a silver mask. The ballroom had been completely decked out, which at the very least was very pretty. The lights were quite dim, and gold and silver streamers filled the high ceiling, sparkling in candlelight. There was a great spread as always, and Zelda had already helped herself to a slice (or two) of her favourite fruit tart. Otherwise, she was left to do nothing but dance with a variety of knights and nobility who played the "who can get to her first" game every time a new song began.

Another song ended, and once again, the crowd shuffled. Zelda was becoming increasingly antsy, not to mention her back hurt quite a bit still from the kick she'd received earlier - climbing down a couple stories on the outside of the castle had probably not helped with her recovery. She subtly glanced back at the candles. They had burned down quite a bit… surely the dancing would be over soon, and then she could excuse herself.

Another young man positioned himself in front of her, not eagerly or aggressively like many were prone to, but politely and with a deep bow. He was in black dress robes like the others, and as he stood, Zelda could see the thin black mask he wore over his eyes and nose. A few loose blond strands fell over his mask, but otherwise his hair was swept away into a tight ponytail. When she met his blue eyes, her heart jumped - she knew those eyes. But the mask covering his nose and brow was tough to see past, not to mention the hairstyle not being one she recognized…

She nearly forgot to curtsy back, and did so quite quickly, lifting the hem of her dress before offering her hand to the young man. With the faintest smile, he took her hand and her waist carefully, and began leading the two of them in a swaying dance to match the waltz that had begun to play.

"Have I met you before?" Zelda asked in an apologetic tone, thinking it must have been a knight trainee she'd met once, a while ago. The idea that he could be Robin - no, Link - was beyond her. She couldn't picture him as anything else but a hooded figure with a bow strapped over his back. "Your eyes… are familiar."

"I think you'll find my voice is, too," he said softly, tilting his head at her with another smile as they turned. His ponytail swept sideways, just barely sitting over his shoulder, and they continued moving in another circle. Her eyes widened. Damn it - that voice - she had heard it recently. Was he one of the knights from earlier?

"Too bad it's a masquerade," he added then, shrugging a little bit.

"That's not fair," Zelda protested, but a moment later he dipped her so low that she felt her hair brush against the tile. His hand stayed pressed on her back, and she clutched his shoulder, hoping her hand wouldn't slip. When she looked back up to meet his eyes, she realised their faces were inches apart.

"Sure it's fair - you're wearing a mask, too," he muttered, looking at her intently.

Heat flooded her cheeks. Who does he think-

She winced, suddenly interrupted by her own pain. The man quickly lifted her back up, and she took a moment to steady herself.

"I'm sorry - I forgot," he said hurriedly, looking at her with a worried expression. A few more blond hairs escaped, falling down over his mask; he moved to keep dancing, and Zelda followed absently, suddenly distracted as she stared at him. He was peering warily at the surrounding knights. No way...

"Link…?" she asked, keeping her voice low. It had to be. He looked back at her in surprise, mouth dropped open. Zelda felt a bit of accomplishment seeing colour spread across his cheekbones.

"That's - how did you find out my real name?"

"One of the knights in the dungeons told me," Zelda explained casually, "but you weren't there."

"So that's why you weren't in your room!" he exclaimed suddenly, and Zelda couldn't keep her jaw from dropping.

"You went to my room?"

"I was trying to find you. Listen, I can explain everything, but we have to talk privately," he whispered, spinning her out a moment later as the song hit its ending note. Her eyes landed on the sword sheathed under his robes, visible for just a moment - and then as she glanced around, noticed that all of the knights were holding their weapons. She looked at Link in confusion, but he only stared back at her pleadingly. It would be the only way to talk without putting both of them at risk, so Zelda gave him a curt nod. Still holding his hand, she began to lead them back through the ballroom, leaving a trail of confused and disappointed nobility men as they went.

The King was thankfully quite distracted as she pulled Link through the back doors and up into the royal quarters. A few knights passed them in the hallways, but not many, and none of them seemed to recognize Link. Thank Hylia for these masks.

When they finally arrived in her room, Zelda shut and locked the doors behind them before taking off her mask and scarf.

"That's better," she sighed, "that was so itchy."

When she looked back at Link, he was holding his mask in one hand and staring at her - for a moment she was ready to slap him, since his eyes were a bit lower than she expected - but he walked forward and gingerly touched just above her collarbone where she had been cut. Zelda was too surprised to move, but also, part of her didn't mind him being so close. There was something… safe about him.

"I was too late," he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

Zelda swallowed, reaching up and holding his hand in both of hers.

"It's okay. It's my fault for leaving. I'm sorry… for making you worry," she said quietly, squeezing his hand a little bit. He lifted his head to look at her, and the two of them stood quite close before Zelda quickly changed the topic.

"So, L- Link, the sword?" she stammered, letting go of his hand and sitting herself on the edge of her bed. "And why did all the knights downstairs have their weapons?"

"Right," he exclaimed, sounding a little breathless. He pulled it out from its sheath and laid it down on the trunk at the end of her bed. Even in the dim of the room, it seemed to shine a little. Zelda touched the blade carefully as Link began his story.

"First off, the knights have their weapons because they knew I'd escaped and would be trying to get into the masquerade. But they're not all, uh... as competent as they could be. No offense, Princess."

"None taken," Zelda replied bluntly, thoroughly aware of the occasional and surprising incompetence of her 'trained' knights. Most, she was sure, knew what they were doing - but one or two slacking off was all it took for Link to sneak into the ball, apparently. She watched him expectantly, still waiting for the rest of his story.

"Oh. Right. I've been… doing those 'Robin Hood' things for a couple years... a few months ago, I felt this calling to go to the Korok Forest. I don't know why, or how to explain it, but I found myself at the great Deku Tree. It spoke to me, and the sword was there, and… it chose me," he rambled. Zelda gave him a curious look. So he wasn't exactly a storyteller. At least he was concise.

"Do you know the legends?"

He nodded, silent, not meeting her eyes. He looked entirely disheartened as he slumped against the wall across from the bed.

"The… sword that seals the darkness. To fight Calamity Ganon with. Right?"

He glanced up at her to check, and Zelda replied with just a nod. He was silent in response, but she could tell he was deep in thought, staring down at the floor.

"Come here," she urged, patting the bed next to her. Hylia, don't make me regret this.

Hesitantly, he moved to sit on the bed next to her, and Zelda took hold of his hands once more, stroking the tops with the tips of her thumbs. It seemed to calm him down a bit, but she was trying to comfort herself at the same time, and… something about being close to him felt… right.

"I'm scared too," she admitted. "I don't even have the sealing power awakened yet. At least you have your sword, and knight training," she reassured him, but Link only looked at her worriedly.

"How do we fight him? We're just - I mean, we're barely adults," he fretted, and Zelda could only smile sympathetically. He was so confident on the battlefield, but Ganon was a different beast entirely.

"We get help," she answered, "from the other four Champions. You'll meet them, now that you're one of us."

"Us?"

"Revali, Mipha, Urbosa, and Daruk… they pilot the four Divine Beasts," she explained with a smile, "massive, Sheikah-made contraptions."

"Right, that's what helped seal Ganon away a thousand years ago," Link added, looking a little more hopeful now. Zelda nodded.

"Yes. And… two incarnations of us," she sighed, "but the me back then had her sealing power… there's something wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you!"

Link lifted her hands, squeezing them tight between his. He met her gaze with determination.

"You're inspiring. The entire kingdom knows how hard you work. Everyone knows it. I'm positive you'll figure it out."

His words were genuine, there was no doubting that. Zelda felt herself tearing up. She heard it all the time from other nobility, from her father, but for some reason hearing it from him seemed to make her want to believe it more. Was it because he was the same as her? Destined for something without asking for it? Like the universe had chosen a fate for them, of which there was no escape… all they could do was try to make it a happy ending.

Link was still looking at her steadily, and as she looked back, she felt like she could get lost in his eyes quite easily. They were blue as Lake Hylia, but deep as the sea. Finally, she seemed to have someone she could relate to- someone like her, dealing with the pressure of having to save Hyrule from a massive, unspeakable calamity that would befall them at any given moment. It felt like whatever weight she'd had on her shoulders was suddenly just a little bit lighter… but it went a long ways.

"Thank you," she finally said, fighting to not let her tears fall. At the same time, they both leaned forwards, til just their foreheads were touching, eyes falling shut. There was something unspoken between them, and Zelda was happy to sink away in it.

"We'll be okay," he whispered, his voice breaking a little bit. Zelda had barely heard him. She was falling asleep, even as Link intertwined their fingers. She wanted to just fall asleep and wake up in the morning and have everything be okay. Everything was okay in the moment, but she knew it wouldn't last. Tomorrow would come and there would be explaining to do and consequences to face. But the two of them, right now, at least, were safe.

"Zelda?" he asked, but as he pulled his head away she fell forwards, jerking back up a moment later.

"Mm? I'm sorry," she mumbled, wiping at her eyes.

"It's okay. I should get out of here," he sighed, but as he stood from the bed, Zelda reached forward to take hold of his finger tips. Link looked back over his shoulder at her, and she kept her eyes on his.

"Can you stay?"

"Wh- are you-"

"Do you want to stay?" she asked, suddenly sounding more coherent, like she was getting ready for the disappointment of him saying no. And really, she wouldn't have blamed him... she had never invited anyone to stay in her quarters. It was absolutely forbidden. If they were caught, who knows what would happen... but in the moment, Zelda didn't care. She liked how comfortable she felt just having him next to her.

She waited for him to pull away, but Link didn't budge. His fingers twitched against hers.

"...yes, I want to."

Green eyes met blue, and Zelda gave him a sleepy smile.

"Thanks."

They fell asleep, still clothed above the covers, facing each other. Link's arm was outstretched, hand clasped comfortably in Zelda's. They were safe in the tower, thanks to the locked doors and labyrinth-like hallways between it and the ballroom. The two of them got the best rest they'd had in nights, blissfully unaware of the happenings downstairs.

Hyrule Castle was under siege.