Link could see something in Zelda's eyes as she stood across from him in the Temple of Time. She looked almost nervous, as if she had a thousand things to say and couldn't decide on which would be the first. But it was gone quickly, so fast Link wasn't sure if he'd seen it at all. She looked calm, and her face had a look of regality to it.
And beautiful, the voice in the back of his head piped up unbidden. Don't forget beautiful
Link couldn't lie to himself, she looked amazing. He'd hardly appreciated her blond hair and fair complexion when they'd been fighting for their lives against Ganon. And then he'd left, with only memories to remind him of Hyrule's princess. He'd traveled far, seen a lot of different people, but none compared to the woman who stood before him. His cheeks reddened slightly.
He quickly schooled his own features, adopting what he hoped was an appropriately respectful look for a hero meeting a princess. After all, none of the people here knew he had already met Zelda.
He walked slowly towards her, fighting to keep the red from his cheeks as he coninued to take her appearance in. It wasn't anything dirty: it was like he'd had a faint memory clawing at the edge of his mind for years and now that he'd remembered it; he needed to ensure he'd never forget it again. Zelda was that memory. She was his closest friend except maybe Navi. But still he kept a straight face. She was the one who would know how to handle the situation, and he'd follow her lead.
"Welcome, Hero of Time," she said in a grandiose voice once he was within a half dozen steps of her. He could see her quickly mouth the word 'kneel', and he did so.
"I am Link," he began, remaining on one knee. "I serve Hyrule and its king."
Link was pretty proud of himself. He'd managed to kneel cleanly, and his response sounded just like what he imagined a hero from a story would say. Zelda gave him a small smile and nod, unnoticed by the crowd, and Link felt his heart beat faster.
Zelda gave him her hand, and he took it, kissing the back of her glove. He kept his eyes locked with hers as he did so, and he could have sworn he saw some pink rise in her cheeks. But it could have been his imagination. Zelda bid him stand and he did so before she turned to the crowds slowly pushing closer to them.
"People of Hyrule," she said calmly, but her voice seemed to carry across the room. "I give you your Hero of Time."
The people cheered, and Link felt a bit embarassed. He hadn't known what to expect, announcing himself to everyone. Last time he'd drawn the Master Sword he'd been locked in the Sacred Realm for seven years, and after that people were too worried about their own safety to care about a Hero of Time. Heck, he'd never even heard of the Hero of Time growing up in the forest. But he supposed these people had been raised on legends of heroes sent by Hylia. It was only natural they be excited. Zelda, for her part, held a stoic look on her face as she began heading for the door. The crowds fell away in front of her, knowing better than to get to close to the princess. She made indication he should follow, but he quickly did so anyway. The eyes of the crowd were beginning to weight a bit on him, and if he stayed any longer he thought they might request some sort of performance or speech from him.
As they left the temple, Link was surprised by the number of people who were outside. There had to be a few hundred. Link could see many common people, but there were even a few nobles in fine robes and some guards. It seemed that the news of his arrival had travelled fast. Link mostly ignored them, but he did grasp a few hands of the children that eagerly reached out to him.
To think they're this excited to see me and they don't even know what I've done for them, Link thought with a tinge of regret. He'd saved Hyrule because that was the right thing to do, not to get credit.
But a little credit isn't a bad thing, the tiny voice in the back of his head responded.
He shook himself out of his thinking as he hurried to catch up with Zelda. He walked by her side in amicable silence for a while, stealing glances at her. Her face betrayed no emotion. Link did not try to start a conversation, prefering to wait until she spoke first. As they passed the castle gate and approached the castle proper, Link was wondering if maybe she was less excited to see him than he'd hoped. After all, a beautiful, busy woman like her was most likely the focus of many people's attention.
But, as they entered the large main entrance of the castle, the high ceilings and marble columns inspiring awe, Zelda grabbed his arm and pulled him sideways, through a small doorway. Inside was a sitting room, a few comfortable couches lining the wall. As he opened his mouth to ask where they were going, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"Oh Link," she said as she squeezed him not unpleasantly, "It's been so long."
Link didn't respond, instead wrapping his own arms around her and lifted her off the ground, spinning in a circle. It felt so good to see her again, and he tried to pour a lot of his feelings into that hug. As he sat her down, they both seemed to become aware of just how close their faces were to each other, and they both let go at the same time, faces redenning. Link cleared his suddenly-constricted throat and Zelda spoke up.
"Um, yes," she began before seeming to remember what she was going to say, "I need to take you to meet my father, he'll no doubt have heard about you by now."
"Your father?" Link asked quickly. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of meeting the King and, more importantly, Zelda's father filled him with worry.
"Yes," Zelda said matter-of-factly, "The King of Hyrule."
Link noticed the change in her demeanor. Her back straightened and her expression morphed into one that betrayed no emotion. Link was sorry for the change; he much preferred her being excited to see him over the somewhat cold demeanor she now wore. But he did not question it. After all, he imagined that the princess throwing herself into the arms of a man she supposedly just met would not be well received, especially by her father.
"Did you tell him anything about me?" Link asked.
She shook her head. "No, I thought it best to just keep our adventure a secret."
Link nodded. That was a bit discouraging. Saving the King of Hyrule from death at the hands of Ganondorf would definitely have made him look a little better, but it could not be helped. Zelda straightened her dress, one she filled out rather nicely in Link's opinion, and walked out the door they'd just entered. Link sighed as he followed her back into the great hall.
They walked slowly along the long, richly embroidered carpet that ran from the entrance all the way down to the far end of the hall where Link could just make out a throne at the top of a flight of stairs with someone seated on it. It was nearly a hundred yards long, this hall, and almost half as wide. Link fought the urge to feel overwhelmed.
You fought the king of all evil, he reminded himself determinedly. You will not be scared of a room.
Is it the room or the man at the end of it that you're scared of? A voice in the back of his head whispered. Link ignored the voice of doubt.
They reached the steps that led up to the thrones quickly, and Link began to see the large figure sititng on the biggest throne. He was a hulking man, a large white beard hanging down almost to his waist. Broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, Link was reminded of a goron immediately. The man had a stoic look on his face, and Link could feel the man judging him like a horse at market.
As they reached the landing upon which the two thrones, Link realised that a woman sat upon the smaller of the two. Link realised this must be Zelda's mother. They looked similar, both with blonde and regal in appearance. Link's focus was quickly drawn back to the king as Zelda spoke.
"Father," she said with a smile, and Link was glad she'd gone with an informal tone. "This is Link, wielder of the Master Sword."
Link quickly knelt, his head down. The King looked as if he demanded respect, and Link would not be the one to deny him it. He looked up as the King of Hyrule rose from his throne.
"Rise, son," the King said in a commanding voice and Link did so.
The King approached him slowly, looking at him intently. The King stood nearly a foot taller than Link, seeming to tower over him. Link couldn't help feeling a little scared as the moments passed slowly. But finally, the King nodded and spoke.
"We are glad to have you," the King said, "But why have you come? Is there some great evil looming that we do not know about?"
Link wasn't sure exactly how to answer that, so he went with the truth.
"I felt drawn to the sword," Link said, motioning to the hilt over his shoulder. "I don't know if there's anything coming, but I stand ready if there is."
"Good answer," The King said with a nod. "You look as if you've travelled far; we will have rooms made up for you."
Link suddenly felt it, the aching weariness from long days of riding a horse and sleeping on the ground. It hit him like a wave, and he could only nod as the King of Hyrule called for a servant to take him to his rooms. As he was led away, Link noticed Zelda speaking animatedly with her father.
Wonder what that's about, he thought, I'll have to ask when I get a chance.
Normally Link would have been worried about where he was being led, but the promise of a bed was too strong for him to worry about the details. And after walking for a few minutes, ascending a set of stairs, and walking for a few more, the servant pulled open a large wooden door and beckoned him to enter. Link did so.
As he entered, he couldn't help but let his jaw drop. The room was huge, much larger than what he'd expected. There was a large bed that could comfortably fit two or three people, as well as a pair of comfortable chairs and a dresser.
"Is there anything you require," the servant said, and Link turned back towards him.
"A bath?" Link asked hopefully. It had been far too long since he'd had a proper bath, instead stuck with cold rivers for the most part. The servant only nodded, gesturing to a door along the side of the room.
"I will send in someone with hot water for you," he said. "If you leave your clothes with them we can have them cleaned for you."
Link nodded his thanks as the servant left, pulling the door solidly shut behind him. Link continued to look around; enthralled by the impressive room he'd been offered. There was a desk in the corner, and two large windows on either side of the bed that let in the orange glow of sunset.
Soon a knock on the door announced a servant, and Link let a pair of men in. One carried a bucket of water nearly the size of himself, the other a steaming kettle. Link followed them as they entered the bathing area. Even the restroom was large, with a copper tub behind a privacy shade in the middle. Link watched in silence as they prepared the bath, mixing in the boiling water from the kettle with the large bucket of water. They finished quickly, and Link stepped behind the shade to disrobe. He handed his clothes to the nearest of the two men, thankful that female servants had not been sent. A few of the southern kingdoms had a rathercavalier attitude towards nudity, but Link had never adopted their casual attitudes towards the opposite sex.
As the servants left, Link stepped into the tub, sighing loudly as he sunk into the hot water. The master sword was leant against the side of the tub just in case. He didn't expect any danger, but it just felt strange to not keep it near him.
For a long while he sat in the water, sometimes scrubbing himself down, sometimes just allowing his knotted muscles to relax. He was content.
His relaxing was interrupted by the sound of the door opening in the other room. Link's mind raced: a servant would have knocked first. Link's instincts were triggered, and he slowly rose from the bath, grabbing a nearby towel to wrap around him. He drew the Master Sword quietly, adopting a ready position as he approached the doorway leading into his bedroom. He adopted a ready position and rushed in, sword raised.
He froze, sword above his head and towel wrapped around his waist. There was Zelda, as surprised to see him like this as he was to see her. Her face quickly turned from shock to embarassment, her cheeks reddening darkly. Link was suddenly all too aware that he had nothing on but a towel.
Thank the goddesses I tucked the towel well, he thought in embarassment as he lowered his sword and used one hand to tightly grip the towel shut. He mumbled an apology as he retreated back into the bathroom, looking for something else to wear. There was a robe hung up, a long one that would cover everything, and he grabbed it quickly. He stepped behind the privacy shade and pulled it on, cinching the tie around his waist.
He entered his room again, noticing Zelda had taken a seat in one of the chairs.
"I'm sorry," they both said in unison before chuckling in embarassment.
"No, I'm sorry," Zelda began again. "I should have knocked, but I didn't want anyone to hear me. It wouldn't be proper for the princess to come to a guest's chambers at this time of night.
Link nodded, sternly keeping his mind from wandering to what sort of rumors that might start.
"And I'm sorry for being so nervous," Link said with a shake of his head, "It was stupid of me to assume there would be danger here."
"You've had to worry about such things in your travels?" Zelda asked curiously.
"Sometimes," Link shrugged. "There are always wolves or Stalchildren around, it comes with the wilderness."
"And was your journey successful," Zelda asked, and Link shook his head. Zelda seemed to recognize he didn't want to talk about it, and Link was grateful.
"So why did you return?" Zelda pressed. Link hesitated.
Because I wanted to see you again, he thought, but quickly discarded it. It wouldn't do to profess any sort of feelings until he knew how Zelda felt about seeing him again.
"I just felt drawn back," Link answered truthfully. "I don't know, have you heard of any evil rising up? Is Ganon still locked away?"
"He is," Zelda repsonded with a nod. "He's still stuck in the Sacred Realm according to Rauru. The biggest thing that's happened around here is tension between Hyrule and the Gerudo people, but we've just signed a treaty."
"Then I don't know," Link shrugged, "Maybe I just felt like coming home."
Zelda smiled at him, and Link felt his face heat up. She had such a pretty smile.
"I'm glad you're back," Zelda replied. "Tomorrow will be a busy day; we've already had a dozen requests from nobles who want to meet the Hero of Time."
Link groaned, and Zelda laughed. It was a bright, ringing sound that made Link smile.
"I know it doesn't sound fun," Zelda said with a reassuring smile, "But I've talked to my father about you coming with me when I leave in a few days and he's agreed."
"Where are you going?" Link asked quickly.
"To Gerudo Valley," she replied simply. "The King has signed the Gerudo's treaty here, but I need to sign their copy at their fortress."
"You'll be signing it, not your father?" Link asked, curious. Zelda gave an unconcerned shrug.
"I've done most of the work for this treaty, I'll be the next ruler, and I'm a woman."
"And I'm a man," Link muttered, "I'm sure they'll just love seeing me. They'll probably throw me in their stupid jail again."
Link laughed at him again, and his annoyance faded immediately.
"It'll be good to see Nabooru again," he began, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Zelda's eyes widened. She stood up quickly, running intothe bathroom to hide.
"Come in," Link said steadily, carefully hiding his worry.
Link sighed as he saw a servant enter with his freshly laundered clothes. Link took them from the man quickly, and hurried him back out the door. If the servant seemed upset by this, he didn't mention it.
After the door was closed, Zelda reappeared, her breathing a little quick from her impromptu dash. They looked at each other for a long moment before they both burst into laughter. It was so silly after all they'd been through, worried about a servant catching them laughing.
"I'd better go," Zelda said with a tinge of regret after they'd calmed back down. "I'd hate to explain being here with you in a bathrobe.
Link nodded, seeing the wisdom in her words. The princess seemed to hesitate, as if there was something else she wanted to say. For a long moment they stood looking at each other. As she began to walk towards the door, on impulse, Link grabbed her hand and kissed it once again. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it. In truth he wanted to pick her up again, spin her around, and this time kiss her deeply, but the risk of that ending with him getting slapped was just a hair too high for his taste.
Zelda seemed to approve, favoring him with another broad smile before she pulled open the door and disappeared into the dim hallway beyond. Link sighed, already missing her presence. He threw himself into the large bed, desperately trying to think through his convoluted feelings for the princess. He didn't make it far before he fell asleep.