Zelda was seated at her boudoir, dress and shoes were done, her makeup had just been finished and now they were fixing her hair into the styled twist she wanted until they heard a knock at the door.
One maid laid down the hairpins she held and attended to the door, where Zelda noticed through her mirror, was Link. He was still in his plain clothing, but his hair was tied in a loose tail, appearing slightly damp.
"May I have a moment with the Princess? It'll only be a few quick minutes." He asked no one in particular.
None responded verbally, rather they rushed nods and left as quickly as they possibly could.
As the last woman left, Link let out a chuckle, watching the door close.
She turned in her seat to smile, inviting him to the mirror. "You're not dressed yet?"
He shrugged. "It'll probably take me ten minutes anyway," he laughed. "The most I have to do is shave and give my hair a trim."
She stood up and took his face in one hand. "But you don't have anything to shave," she touched his jawline and noted how it was smooth as always.
He gasped in astonishment. "I'll have you know I grow just a little bit of stubble right here," he pointed to the edge of his jawline and to his chin.
"Oh forgive me Sir Link, I forgot that you do in fact have dirt on your chin."
There was a spark of mischief in his eyes as he took that step forward, "Oh you should be lucky your makeup is already done, I'd love to make you redo your lipstick."
It was her term to gasp. "And dare send me out there looking like I've been kissed silly?"
"Absolutely." He kissed her soundly. "Maybe it'll keep those filthy men away from you." He laid another quick kiss before taking a step back and pulling a small flat box out of his pants.
"Dare I detect some jealousy?"
She saw the tips of his ears turn pink. "You detect no such thing, I do not get jealous." He held back laughter. "Anyway, the real purpose of my visit was to give you my gift."
He held out the flat box and let her pick it up. It was kept shut by a long red ribbon.
"I was hoping you could wear it tonight—I mean, you don't have to tonight, you can wear it anytime." He started rambling as she pulled the ribbon apart.
She lifted the box cover and was immediately entranced by the bright sparkle of sapphires and silver. There, on a thin delicate chain, was a sapphire and topaz-encrusted flower charm.
She ignored his rambling and pulled the chain from the box, placing it gently in his hands. Her hands went to the clasp of her current, much more gaudy, necklace and unclipped it, putting it in her necklace storage box for safekeeping.
"Can you clip it for me?"
"Of course," He took the ends of the chain and moved behind her, bringing the two ends of the chain around her neck and clipping it with ease.
But he didn't move away, he stayed behind her, his hands on her shoulders. The callouses and roughness made for a very comforting touch, relaxing in terms of what was to come later.
"Oh!" She gasped when she felt that first brush against the top of her neck behind her head.
"I need to go and get dressed, but I'll meet you near the Throne Room," he whispered close to her ear.
He planted a slow, very warm kiss on her cheek, making a small trail until he reached the base of her neck where she could feel his lips lock around the sensitive spot. Tingles shot straight through her body as his tongue lapped at her skin, teasing her scent glands relentlessly.
"Link…" she sighed out, bringing one of her hands to his hair and pulling at his freshly-cut hair gently. She bit her tongue when his teeth gently scraped against her skin, carefully not to make it red or show any physical signs he'd been there.
She was acutely aware of his body against her back. She leaned into his touch, allowing him to do as he pleased as she lay there, almost melting in his arms.
But as much as she would have loved to stay there and forget about the ball, forget that her father had explicitly told them not to do anything behind closed doors barely twenty-four hours before, she was tempted to stay here with him, but alas, she knew where she had to be.
After what felt like minutes, he eventually let her go and returned back to her ear. "I'll see you soon enough, Princess. " Then he retreated away. He pulled his hands away from her waist, leaving her cold. No more heat against her back, nor deft fingers digging into her skin through her dress.
Once the door closed behind Link, Zelda slumped into her chair and pulled out a fan and a small pocket mirror. She fanned herself to cool herself down, hoping it would slow down her erratic heart beat that pounded in her chest. She peered into the mirror, gazing at her neck. Pale, porcelain skin. Not a single mark or faint red stain. He was good, too good almost.
"Breathe, just breathe." She mumbled to herself as she fanned harder, almost throwing the compact mirror onto the table.
Once happy with her progress of calming down, she discarded the fan next to her and looked down at the necklace, admiring the small sapphires imitating the petals of her favourite flower. She twirled the centrepiece in her fingers, admiring the craft.
Hmm? She felt a small circle-like piece behind it, well concealed. It seemed to be able to fold down against the petal, easy to pull back up horizontally. What is this? It was deliberately put there, she could see the small hinge when she squinted. She wondered if Link knew the purpose of the addition, but scrapped the idea.
Of course he knew, he commissioned the piece for her himself.
"I was hoping you could wear it tonight." Did he realise what exactly he was saying to her?
It was a very committal thing he was asking of her, but she didn't even know if he knew that.
She would definitely wear the piece tonight but daily?
She remembered her etiquette lessons, and they were strict on the gifts coming from a suitor or lover.
Only wear the gifts of your lover and never lie about its origins. Display jewellery gifts that are given to you in plain sight for everyone to see, it'll prevent courting miscommunications between potential suitors.
But Link wasn't attuned to courting rules and etiquette. Not that she knew of, anyway.
He didn't ask her to wear it every day , it was only for today, she reminded herself. But he's still my lover. Did she wear it just for tonight and then leave it be? She knew her father would definitely notice, he was attuned to this sort of thing after all.
It's not like I wear open-collar blouses anyway… I'll just tuck it in.
She took one last glance in the mirror and pushed the pins back in, securing heaps of curls and twists in place.
Then she saw her lipstick, smudged on the corners.
That bastard did it on purpose.
"Sir Link, a moment?" The King called for him outside of the large ornate doors of the sanctum.
Link looked around for Zelda for a moment before realising she wasn't here yet. He took that hesitant step before the King, making sure to keep his posture straight, shoulders and head held up.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" He asked.
The King didn't respond. He simply pulled out a long shining blue fabric, freshly pressed, a few shades darker than his tunic. Rhoam unfolded the fabric, revealing an ornate sash, paired with a silver brooch to clip it together.
Link didn't dare move when the sash was draped over his right shoulder where the king smoothed out any unsightly wrinkles.
"There used to be an official purple one," the king said simply, taking the two ends of the sash and clipping them together to the left of his hip. "Not sure what happened to it, but we had this one made for you." He finished smoothing it out one last time before taking a step back. He made the motion with his finger for Link to turn. "I think this one suits you much more."
Link wasn't sure what to make of this situation. Why was the king giving him such an accessory? He couldn't recall seeing anyone else ever wear something similar to this so he couldn't even begin to think of the etiquette that might follow such an expensive fabric.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." What else was he to say?
The older man stopped him, smoothing the wrinkles on the back. "The Princess' escort wears this piece."
So that's why I've never seen anyone else wear this. Who else would have worn one during his time in the Guard? But why had he never been given one in the last seven years? He's been acting as her escort since the first year he was assigned to her side. He wondered if escort in this case just meant 'unofficial date'.
"There." The King nodded in approval. "You look the part now." He waved a servant over, who brought a long mirror with him.
It contrasted nicely against his black tailcoat. With his hair properly combed back, his bangs properly brushed out of his face as he did in his guard uniform.
Out of instinct, he stood straight, with his head held high, the sash dazzled in the candlelight, reflecting back the faint gold trimmed edges. It contrasted fantastically with the black.
When he took into consideration the professionally made suit and his freshly shined shoes, he found he almost looked… dare he say regal ?
"It does suit you. A natural, it seems."
Not knowing what to say back, Link gave the King a silent nod as a thank you. Rhoam reciprocated the nod with a smile before making his way into the large throne room where Link could hear the guests conversing loudly.
"Link?" He turned abruptly on his heel and saw Zelda approaching. She really was gorgeous in the light, but one thing that his eyes caught was just how revealing the dress made her chest, neck and arms.
He found himself wondering if it was done on purpose to make her more admirable to the suitors. The thought of having an untouched princess was likely a powerful one, especially with those who had more dog-like behaviour, staring at her cleavage with little to no subtlety.
He sighed internally, knowing he was going to be glaring at a lot of people tonight while trying to avoid doing exactly what they were doing.
He cursed the seamstresses. Why did they have to put them on display like that?
At least she isn't wearing her riding pants…
With all eyes on them, he led her to the ornately decorated settee that was placed on the dias, letting her take a seat and taking his place behind the sofa.
His nose was immediately assaulted with the most putrid mix of perfumes and colognes, ranging from sweat all the way to sandalwood, cedarwood and even mighty thistle.
There were far too many different colours everywhere. Bright glittery dresses, over-the-top hair pieces, at least the men mostly stuck to the same colours of black, grey and anything neutral toned. He glanced around, quickly spotting Impa and Purah on the sidelines nearby, standing at the edge of the crowd. They both wore simple gowns of white and red, reminiscent of their regular Sheikah colours, but it was much gentler on the eyes.
"Link?" He bent down to Zelda's eye level while still keeping an eye on the crowd.
"Yes, Princess?"
She smiled brightly and patted the seat next to her. "Join me?"
He froze. He could feel the intensity of the stares on him despite the fact that Rhoam was addressing everyone at the moment. He could feel a lot of the men glaring at him, and understandably so, the princess was talking to him, a lowly knight in their eyes.
As much as he wanted to join her, he couldn't. The settee always had space for two, but the second seat was meant for a consort. Even if he was her partner, it wasn't somewhere he should be sitting when there were so many people.
"I can't, I'm sorry," he whispered to her.
"Oh please, it's fine." She placed her hand above his and gave him a pleading look. "I'll take care of my father if he says anything."
He instinctively looked over at the King, immediately meeting his eyes. It was odd, Link couldn't read his emotions whatsoever, he couldn't tell if he was going to be irate or brush it off. It was the royal facade, the one that displayed only what they wished for others to see.
He looked back at the Princess who smiled up at him so sweetly.
Only on the glance back at the King did Link finally relent, seeing Rhoam hand wave his way from the side as if saying 'go on'. He prayed he didn't read the gesture wrong as he walked around the settee and hesitantly took the empty space to the left of the Princess.
"See? I told you it was fine." She smiled and turned to face the crowd.
Link was far too distracted to really hear what the King was saying to everyone, but he knew it was something about welcoming everyone to the castle and the grandeur of the Princess' twenty-second birthday.
Link was hyper focused on every single one of his movements instead.
He straightened his posture; his shoulders were straightened as best he could; back straight against the settee; he made sure his coat and sash were smooth and unwrinkled for the tenth time that night; his heels and tips of his shoes were flushed against each other; knees were pressed firmly together. He didn't know what to do with his hands so he settled them on his lap, clasped together.
He was sure he looked like a statue, awkward and rigid but relaxing wasn't something he could see himself doing anytime soon.
Link remained quiet as guests came up to the dais and gave the Princess her birthday wishes. He was determined to keep quiet through the numerous glares the eligible men of court were shooting his way. Some ranged from dirty glances, and some were so extreme, if looks could kill, he was sure he'd be in a million pieces, buried under the castle.
But among the most noteworthy and memorable stares was from the anti-botanist whom he forgot the name of.
Link wasn't quite sure what to make of that one. There was jealousy, that much was evident by the up-and-down look he received and the rather audible 'tch' he heard as the guy walked away, but why did the glance have to linger ?
He shook away the thought and instead focused on the crowd. There were so many people, too many even. He couldn't remember the last time the room was so densely populated.
It wasn't ideal, but he supposed it was fine for now. The amount of opportunity he could see for an assassin to sneak in with the crowd was far too high, but he had faith in the guards and knights he'd personally assigned around the castle and all of its possible entrances and exits.
But what worried him the most was if someone were to find out Zelda was with child. In a room with so much of the nobility, such news would spread faster than the speed of light and there would be no way to diffuse the situation without making either of them look guilty.
He glanced over at the new man who stepped up to lay a kiss on the back of the princess' hand. Another hand awkwardly closer to her wrist than it needed to be, another gaze that stayed for a second too long.
Link bit his tongue as he made eye contact with the man. The other man took a step back upon seeing him and looked elsewhere immediately.
This is going to be the death of me, I swear.
"May I have this dance, Princess?"
Zelda smiled sweetly, no hesitation when she moved to place her hand in his gloved one.
"Of course, dearest knight."
A faint smile graced his lips, barely noticeable to those who didn't know him, but it was one Zelda knew well. He led her to the dance floor like a gentleman, his posture perfect, shoulders pushed back and proud.
A circle soon formed around the central dance floor with the lords and ladies of the court to watch the first dance of the night as both knight and Princess took their place in the middle, facing each other.
It was only then that Link released her hand to give a courteous bow, deeper than the usual one, as she reciprocated a curtsy.
With the violins picking up and the pianos beginning their first notes, he took her hand into his and settled his free one onto her waist, soft through the fabric.
"Don't you think you're a bit close?" she joked quietly.
Link smiled for only her to see. "I can bring you closer," his hand pulled her marginally closer as she struggled to keep down her smile.
"You absolute rascal." She laughed as he took that tentative first step, leading her with a confidence she rarely saw from him on the dancefloor.
He led her as if he grew up in the courts, sweeping girls off their feet left and right. Each step was on beat, done to perfection, not a single stumble nor a toe on her feet as he'd done once in the past.
True picture of a gentleman.
While she found him handsome in his Champion blues, and a special kind of alluring in his guard uniform, he was refined in his dark navy suit, much more than the other gentlemen in the room even if they wore the same style suit.
She loved the finishing touch that set him apart, the Royal Sash put it all together, and she loved that it made them look like a couple. A small part of her wondered where he'd gotten it, likely her father, and she wondered why he was wearing it, considering the official one was of the most pristine Gerudo silk and a vibrant purple with gold embroidery, but this one suited him much more.
Blue like the scabbard of his sword, with a delicate silver trim on the edges, it looked just as official as the other one, but this one was likely an altered version of an old Escort's Sash they kept in the closet made specifically to compliment Link and his status as Hyrule's Champion and Hylia's chosen.
He spun her delicately, holding her hand in his gloved one as she let her dress spin around her before coming back to his arms safely. She couldn't help but let out a giggle as his hand came back to her waist, this time with a bit more pressure.
He held her much closer, almost too close for proper manners. His fingers gently prodded her closer to him in the steps until she was almost flush against him, but the crowd didn't seem to notice as couples began to join them on the dancefloor.
Conversing with the guests one by one was proving to be more exhausting this year. She swore that, as every year passed, it used more energy and the amount of people grew.
She missed the small intimate gatherings with the upper levels of peerage where the room wasn't crowded to this extent, back when her father only invited ten families at most, but now it felt almost as if he was inviting anyone with the slightest bit of influence.
She swallowed dryly, cursing the irritation in her throat. She looked longingly to the servers who passed with flutes of champagne.
I can't… She internally sighed and looked at the table of small dishes, mostly finger foods and drinks, most of which she couldn't touch. Perhaps some food will help. She spotted some sweets and decided that would be next on her list.
"Your Royal Highness?" Another person, one whom she didn't remember.
"Good evening," she forced out with a sweet, practised smile.
The man seemed nervous, she could see him fidgeting with the seam of his pant leg. "Would you care for a dance?" As sweet as the sentiment was, Zelda tried to find an excuse to say no. She'd danced with far too many already and another was just going to add to the pain in her ankles.
"Thank you, sir…" she waited for his introduction, seeing as no one had introduced him to her.
"O-oh! My apologies, Your Highness, my name is Baron Theodore."
"A pleasure," She nodded, biting her tongue. She took his hand and made her way to the floor where there were few couples dancing around.
One such pair she saw was her poor Link being spun around by Purah. She could see the strain, confusion, and uncertainty in his face. Purah on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of her life, leading him all over the place.
He made eye contact with her, a desperate, yet very brief glance that she almost laughed at, but she quickly remembered that she had a dance partner of her own now.
She curtsied to her partner and took his hand, her free hand sitting rigidly on her shoulder as she was led into the first steps of a simple waltz.
As much as she tried to focus on the steps, she could only hyperfixate on the strangely awkward sensation of her partner's hand placements. This man, for an odd reason, held her hand further down closer to her wrist rather than legitimately holding her hand. His hand at her waist was rigid as stone, barely touching her but it was stuck in a grip positioning.
A few times, she shifted her hand back to a proper position where he wasn't holding her wrist, but she'd find that it would slip right back to the way it was barely a full set of steps later.
She was glad the man didn't pursue a conversation, she just wanted him to stop gripping her wrist the way he was.
Who holds someone's hand like this?! She swore he was doing it on purpose.
She chanced a glance over at Link and she nearly stopped in the middle of her dance. He was staring right at her, rather, at her partner's hands and he didn't seem very happy. Almost immediately, she noted how his eyes weren't on the one sitting on her waist, he was glaring at the one gripping her hand.
Is he…doing this on purpose? She thought to the fact that no matter how many times she tried to slip her hand into a more comfortable position, her partner kept changing it back.
"You have them everywhere. It's just the neck and wrists are the most obviously placed. They're the easiest to access."
Oh my goodness. If Purah was right about that, and he was doing it on purpose—she felt that ick settle into her stomach.
He wasn't the only one to have done that, he was only the most obvious. All night, the amount of people who'd kissed the back of her hand had done some slight of hand and she'd thought nothing of it. That's why Link is glaring.
She glanced back at Link, who was still staring daggers at the Baron.
She was incredibly thankful when the song came to an end less than a few seconds later. She separated from the Baron and bid him a good evening before rushing off into the crowd to find someone she already knew or was well acquainted with.
Link and Purah were the first to come after her. She was close to the snack table when they approached her and worry was etched into their faces as they pulled her aside.
"Are you alright?" She could see that Link was trying not to send her a barrage of questions.
"Yeah, I'm alright." She tried to brush it off, but the pointed looks the pair gave her told her they didn't believe her.
Purah shot Link a look. "Are you sure? I could have sworn that guy was-"
"Nothing happened," she rushed.
She didn't want Link to worry about her tonight. She didn't want Purah or Impa having to shadow her all night. She wanted them to have a good time, and so far, it seemed as if that plan was going down the drain.
"Princess, what he was doing was incredibly ill-mannered-"
"Ill-mannered? No, that is not 'ill-mannered', that's just a filthy hookup tactic and it has no place here-"
"Oh and you would know about that how?"
"I'm a man. I have to look for this sort of stuff when the Princess interacts with people." He rubbed his temples. "I'm essentially a glorified chaperone."
Purah snorted. "With what you both did, I think you need a chaperone more than anyone else."
Link looked like he was about to shove his slice of cake down Purah's throat to make her shut up. To say such a thing in public was…brave, but it made Zelda feel better about the situation.
"You–Honestly–Shut up please." He pleaded, unsure of what else to say. "Say this crap anywhere else but here, or Hylia help me."
She was grateful for the distraction; the thought of what the Baron had done had essentially vanished in that moment as she watched her best friend argue back and forth with Link over his strange knowledge of tactics.
"Just know, you don't have to put up with that crap if you don't want to." He turned his attention back to Zelda. "I'm still your escort tonight, so if you need me to step in anytime, just signal or something."
"Really, it's fine. Don't worry."
"I don't mind dragging a nobleman's butt outside to show him the moat up close."
"Really, it's fine. Now go, I'll see you later."
She didn't return to dance for a few songs, instead seeking solace in the snack table where she was allowed to indulge for the night. Impa had come by with a flute of champagne for her—non-alcoholic—and she felt relieved to have some sort of drink in her hand even if it wouldn't get her tipsy.
And was she ever glad there wasn't alcohol in hers because some one the guests were starting to show that they'd indulged a bit too much.
She just prayed that Link wasn't going to be including himself to that list, considering his comically-low tolerance for the drinks. She'd seen many of the older guests force champagne flutes into his hand for a toast, but she hadn't counted just how many, but she was sure that the total count was below three. He wasn't one to drink on duty, even off he wasn't known to do that, but this was different.
Besides, Purah and Impa were spinning him so much around the floor, she didn't think Link even had the proper time to actually drink an entire flute before getting dragged out again.
"Princess!" Zelda turned at the first sound of the timid female voice, hushed down over the chatter of the room.
There stood Princess Mipha in stunning silver jewellery and her blue Champion's clothes, adorned in numerous sapphires and her own royal regalia. The only thing missing from her usual attire was her signature trident, but understandably, she wouldn't bring it for a celebration such as this.
Zelda smiled and hugged the other princess. "Oh Mipha, it's so good to finally see you again!"
"Likewise," Mipha hugged her back and backed away after. "It's odd not to see Link with you, where might he be?"
Zelda shrugged and looked around, spotting him almost immediately. He was being spun haphazardly around the dancefloor by Purah. It seemed almost as if he was having a hard time keeping up with the quick steps, the sight made her giggle.
"Oh he's being taken for a ride on the floor," Zelda pointed to the dancefloor where Mipha stood on the tips of her toes to look over the crowd. A smile crept up to her lips as she caught sight of him nearly tripping over his feet.
"Shall we go save him?"
"Mhm, leave him."
Both ladies laughed quietly before turning back to each other in conversation, ignoring the pleading looks from Link halfway across the room.
They easily fell into conversation, the topic about Vah Ruta's maintenance had been a very brief one, but a very welcome one for Zelda. She was finally able to talk about mechanics with someone who vaguely knew what she was referring to. Mipha wasn't exactly a tech expert, but she knew what a terminal and power sources were, so that was a start.
Though the conversation quickly shifted away when Impa reappeared, another flute in her hands as she gave one to Zelda and walked away, vanishing into the sea of people/
Mipha cocked her head as she saw Zelda sip the drink. "Princess? Is there something special about the drinks Lady Impa brings you?"
Her hand froze with the glass at her lips. "Er…" She paused for a moment.
"I imagine it's likely a fresh glass that's been safe from any tampering?" A deeper voice came from behind her. Before she could even register the dusty scent of the desert or the tang of voltfruit, Zelda was flinging herself into the arms of Lady Urbosa.
"Oh Urbosa, you made it!" Warm arms wrapped around her, lifted her off the ground into a hug.
"It's good to see you, Little Bird." She let Zelda down to the floor and gave her a warm smile. "It has been a while."
Zelda fixed the skirt of her dress. "Too long, oh you must tell me what's new."
"In due time," Urbosa turned to Mipha and greeted her with a smile. "It's been a while, Mipha."
"Likewise, it's a relief to see you are well."
"You seem to be getting along well with Link," Urbosa teased. "I do hope there's something between you, there's a tension between you both and I'd like to know which kind."
Zelda felt her cheeks light up with a fiery blush. She could try to hide her face, but too many people would notice.
"It's not like that," she whispered. She touched her necklace without realising it, something Urbosa caught onto immediately.
Catching that knowing glance from Urbosa, Zelda unclipped her necklace and held it in her hand for the older woman to see.
"Link gave me this earlier today," she smiled.
"May I?" Urbosa picked the necklace gently from the princess and held up the flower charm to the light where it sparkled like-new. "It's imbued with elemental magic."
"Really?" She was surprised. She'd heard hours of Link's disdain for magic, worsened tenfold by the incident in the Forgotten Temple, so to hear that the necklace he got her possessed magical qualities was surprising to say the least.
Urbosa studied the gem closer to her eyes. "Yes. These sapphires hold ice magic. We often specialise in such magics for our jewellery in the desert. Protects against the elements. The centre topaz has electric qualities to it, resistance-wise." She explained.
"I had no idea." She let Urbosa clip the necklace back around her neck.
"If I must say, it's rather perfect for the desert. You'd be safer and at ease in the heat with it." Urbosa smiled.
He really put thought into it… It seemed every time she learned something new, she wound up loving it even more.
Unfortunately, the earlier problem persisted and Zelda was having a hard time covering up her discomfort.
Whether it was that hadn't really gained her confidence with her presentation or that she wasn't tough enough to put a stop to it immediately, she wasn't sure but she did know it was likely a mix of the two. But the bigger problem was that, after she told off the first person in her most polite voice, the next did the same thing, except it was much subtler.
And then the next decided to be bold and try to hold her closer.
It seemed almost as if every time she put up a wall, the next person decided it was nothing but a line in the sand to kick away. Impa noticed Zelda's discomfort after her last dance and decided that they should finally go tell Link about it. She didn't want to tell him, he should have been relaxing, drinking away with acquaintances with the champagne–but not too much of it–and laughing and dancing around, not dealing with handsy audacious noblemen who didn't know how to respect the lines she drew.
So Impa did her duty and marched Zelda up to the sidelines where Link was conversing discreetly with one of the guard captains.
Upon seeing them approach, Link waved his colleague goodbye and tended to the two women.
"Link, we have a problem." He wasn't expecting a frazzled looking Zelda beside her, but he remembered the situation from earlier quite clearly.
"What happened?" He led them away to a more secluded area away from the crowds.
"Some of the guys… are getting a lil ballsy." His attention was entirely on her. She looked at her hands and arms for any red marks, and was relieved to see nothing off.
He knew what they meant, but he asked anyway. "Ballsy how?" They were scenting her, the bastards had no honour or dignity. It was but a pack of wolves here.
"Accidental-scenting ballsy." Impa sighed. "Brushing up against her inappropriately, hands pretty far onto her wrists, hand on the back where they shouldn't be, it's making her pretty uncomfortable."
His first instinct was to go find out who was doing it and to have a few choice words with them but he reminded himself now was not the time or place for such a thing, so he followed his next instinctual move. There was also likely more than three or four who'd done it.
He knew it was an old pick-up trick, a classic actually. You couldn't get caught doing something weird if all you did was 'hold' someone's hand while they were dancing. No one would take the excuse of brushing up on someone seriously if the room itself was crowded.
But the thought that they'd try that here of all places baffled it. It was the kind of crap he saw people pull in bars where half of the patrons were drunk, but no. Here they were, doing it in the Royal Palace of Hyrule to the Princess of Hyrule.
He looked Zelda over and he could see her discomfort as clear as day. Shoulders hunched together, the timid glances towards the ballroom told him very clearly she didn't want to go back in there if she could avoid it.
That was understandable. Link understood the tactic, it was a popular move, one that involved brushing up against someone a certain and leaving a faint trace. It was usually done to ward off other people if done enough, and it was easy to get away with using simple believable excuses.
"Anything you can do?" Zelda looked at Link, a silent plea in her eyes.
He thought for a moment. Hand on the back? Brushing against someone? Those are easily explained by trying to move in a crowded space. It was brave to do that in a room full of very observant people, but some people did legitimately do that to pass by someone. Nothing truly stopped them from doing it again if he told them off, but after that point, it'd simply be an issue of honour or pride.
"I can tell them to stop but that's about it… My apologies."
"For Goodness sake…" Impa looked around for any answer.
"What if… I did it?" He offered. He was incredibly hesitant, but it was an idea.
Impa shot him an incredulous look and Zelda seemed confused.
"Not like how they are doing it." He corrected himself. "Like, have some sort of wardrobe malfunction. Necklace, hair, bracelet, one of those is preferable."
"Why?"
"They're doing it to ward off other suitors and to have a chance at you, so why not give them a taste of their own medicine?" It had been a while since he'd let himself have some fun. "Only if you're alright with it, Zelda."
"Do it. I don't want them touching me or getting near me anymore."
"Give me 5 minutes. Unclip your necklace and pretend you need help." Link gulped down the rest of his flute of champagne in one go and proceeded to disappear back into the ballroom's crowd.
"Well, here goes…" Zelda mumbled as she unclasped the necklace from her neck. The weight of the centrepiece vanished from her neck and she pretended to catch it before it fell into her bosom.
She looked around, necklace clearly in hand with the chain dangling out between her fingers.
There, she spotted Link near the food table, trying to subtly pop an hors d'oeuvre into his mouth.
She made her way through the crowd, head high as if there was nothing bothering her, but deep down, she was a nervous wreck. Her heart rate picked up with every step she took, with every glance she saw, they were there.
"Sir Link? Can you assist me for a moment?" She opened her hand and showed him the necklace. If she hadn't known about the plan beforehand, she would have missed the way the corner of his lip curled.
He smiled and placed down the small ceramic plate onto the table and took the chain in hand. "Of course, Princess. May I?" She nodded and turned her back to him, brushing her hair out onto her shoulder.
The way he did it was slow, calculated, and devious to the other men in the room.
He brought a hand around to the front of her neck, purposefully brushing against her skin at every opportune moment as he looped the chain around her neck. It fidgeted, tightened and loosened as he tried to clip it. His breath was hot against her neck and tickled her ears, a very welcome but weirdly inappropriate gesture for the amount of people watching him.
This is just a ruse, it's a ruse, it's-
"Your hair's in the way, Princess." She felt the shiver of his fingers against the nap of her neck as he slowly brushed the few loose strands to the larger bunch.
Even if it was just a ruse, it didn't feel like one. What he was doing was very quickly getting to her and she was worried it was going to start being apparent soon. Her hands were becoming clammy, and she could feel the tips of her ears burning up.
I think I may have to excuse myself… She swallowed thickly at the thought of his warm breath somewhere else entirely. She decided she would likely go grab a cold cloth and dab her face and arms with it in order to cool down.
She felt another wave of tingle thanks to Link, who was 'fixing' the twists back onto her shoulder. He was almost too gutsy in the way his hands ghosted her neck, goodness was her father ever going to ask her about this little demonstration.
But with every finger passing and disappearing, she found herself wanting more. She wanted warmth, she wanted something more solid, a bit more permanent there. She almost wanted to have his lips kissing her neck like he had earlier that day, but she was in public and she couldn't have that.
Once the larger front piece was rearranged, he didn't move from where he was, instead she still felt one of his fingers playing with the small baby hairs on the back of her neck.
It's a ruse. It's not real. Not here, not after. Stop thinking about it. She was about to start reciting religious mantras in her mind when she felt his breath on the back of her neck, telling her he'd come even closer .
"If any of those men come back, here's what you're going to do," his tone left no space for a counter argument, but Zelda felt as if she'd do whatever he wanted. Her heartbeat was in her ears, blood rushing to her cheeks. "You're going to come find me, I'll take care of them."
She nodded quietly, trying to ignore the sudden heat she felt in her belly.
But it was his last words that had her wanting to leave the ballroom immediately; her birthday, the guests and the celebrations be damned.
"I take very good care of what's mine ."
Zelda didn't stay at the ball very long after that.
She'd excused herself to the washroom to calm down, but had quickly figured out that calming down was not going to fix her new issue. In addition to the teasing prior to the ball, she was essentially a shaking mess of need and unchecked desire.
Cold water did nothing to ease her nerves, and she could only stay in the washroom so long before someone walked in on her using a washcloth over her skin. She was sure that she would rather have the rumour about having the hots for Link rather than one where she was sitting in a washroom, hornier than ever in the middle of her birthday ball.
So she did the only sane thing she could think of; scrubbing down her wrists and her neck to try to neutralise her scent as best as possible like Purah had taught her. She didn't want half the room knowing she was a shaking ball of hormones.
Using a classic excuse, she went straight to find her father, complaining about feeling tired, a stomach ache and a headache, blaming the sweets and the champagne for all of it. He waved her off, telling her to rest well along with a happy birthday and she left to go find Link, who was conveniently waiting near the mountain of champagne glasses.
He was biting back a grin, he was doing a terrible job of it, and he waved at her, all innocent-like. "How are you, Princess?"
"Don't you act like that," she bit her lip. "You know what you did."
"Do I?" She chose to ignore the unsubtle way he was looking at her.
"I'm quite tired of the festivities, I require an escort back to my chambers." She said, taking that classic cold shoulder look she had perfected ages ago.
"Of course," She didn't miss the way his eyes shifted down when she turned on her heels.
Unfortunately, when they'd reached Zelda's chambers, Link cursed under his breath.
In the haze of all the party, excitement and thrill of retiring early from the party, he had completely forgotten that the hall with her bedroom was heavily guarded tonight. And so, he decided to backtrack them to his room that wasn't very guarded. It was the perfect alternative, really, why would he put guards there? Who would dare try to sneak up on him?
He made sure no one was in the hall before pulling her into the room, clicking the door shut and locking it immediately. There was no care in being quiet, he could have sworn the door echoed when he shut it but he didn't care one bit.
By the time the door was locked, her breathing was heavy and he was already working on removing his jacket, his sash had been removed in the hall and thrown onto the table. She pounced on him at the earliest moment the second he dropped the jacket to the floor.
Their kiss was rough, sloppy, and rushed but neither cared as they pulled at one another.
He had spent the entire evening watching her be passed around the guests for dances, conversations that ranged from dress-stylists to politics, and he couldn't touch her, he couldn't even hold her hand outside of a dance. It boiled in his veins, he wanted to be able to give her that sort of attention in front of everyone and he was forbidden from doing so.
"Fucking temptress," he turned them and pinned her wrists against the door. "I've been wanting to rip this dress off you for ages."
"Dirty tease."
Maybe it was the alcohol taking control of him, but he didn't remember having that much. Two or three flutes of champagne wasn't much, but he moved without a second thought. "You want a dirty tease?" It wasn't a question, his knee pushed apart her legs with ease, his muscular thigh pressing right on her throbbing heat.
On the other hand, Zelda was essentially a puddle waiting to fall apart. Link had wound her up so much that she had a hard time ignoring it. She was sure that if anyone really paid her scent any mind, they'd have known she was a mess from the very start but she hoped nevertheless that her perfume worked at covering it up.
She heaved for air, finding it difficult to calm her heart rate. Everytime she looked at Link, she could only think of the way he'd subtly touched her neck and hair in front of everyone. He was surprisingly soft with the touch, knowing where she'd squirm the most and she wanted more. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen such fire, such desire in someone's eyes before, but she needed more of it.
"Do you have any idea what that does to me? Watching you dance with all those men?" Oh he was jealous. It wasn't often she got to encounter this side of him. He wasn't known for being the jealous type, nor did she even know that kind of thing bothered her, but she was willing to milk this rare opportunity.
"Why don't you show me?" She bit back a smile, rather she fluttered her eyelashes deviously at him. There was an almost predatory fire hiding behind his eyes and she could see it raking her up and down.
She needed to know how far he would go, what the limit was. Would he give in to his desires and take her as hard as he could while the guests danced one floor below? She desperately needed him, she wanted him to rip her goddess-forsaken dress off, tear it to pieces and claim her against his sheets. She keened into his touch, trying to get more contact with him.
Just as she almost got what she wanted, he released her wrists and took a step back, undoing his belt and pulling it clean off in one yank, throwing it to some corner of the room.
"Get on the bed and spread your legs." It was crass, demanding, demeaning even and she loved it.
She takes a step towards her bed, but quickly realises her heels are still strapped tightly. "With my hee-" As she moved down to undo the first strap, the fire in his eyes told her no.
"Heels included, now go." She wasted no time lingering in her spot, rushing to the bed and settling on top and doing as he ordered her, bunching up her dress for him and spreading her legs as best she could through the layers.
She felt shy in this position. Her panties and garters were on full display, she felt fully exposed and on display for him, but she couldn't ignore the tingling sensation of the cold air hitting her through the thin material of her underwear. She just wanted his warmth there to appease the aching throb that plagued her sane mind.
"White huh?" He seemed pleased. She hadn't picked out any particular colour, but she found that this one had a nice innocent appearance to it.
He stood at the foot of the bed, unbuttoning his shirt in the most agonisingly slow way known to man. She let her eyes drift down, really appreciating just how well the tailored clothes fit him so well, especially around his waist where she could see his painful erection straining against his pants, stitched and sewn to accentuate every muscle in the right way. It looked almost as if he would burst at the seam the moment he would touch the zipper.
"Are you just going to leave me here?" She tempted him. She hated the wait, ached for his cock to be inside her to ease the throbbing that plagued her mind endlessly. It almost hurt to not try to ease her desire herself, but by the way he watched her, she knew better than to do it herself, knowing he would enjoy it much more to give her that pleasure himself in every way.
"Give me a minute." Gone were his shirt and dress shoes, disappearing much faster now; it seemed like even he was getting tired of the waiting game he'd started, and, in no time, he was on her, hooking her legs around his waist.
The initial friction had her gasping and pushing her hips against his for more, desperate for the contact. They hadn't gone all the way since her heat and she craved his skin against hers in every way.
With his hot breath against her neck and tongue lapping at her sweat-coated skin, she was finding herself melting into the mattress, taking everything he gave her with no complaint. She writhed at the sucking and nipping at her scent glands, squeezing him closer with her legs.
" More ," She sighed, raking her nails along his shoulder blades. Every faint breath and rough grind against her had her emitting small noises and rocking along with him, throwing her head back into the pillow and giving him access to her neck.
Pleasure coursed through her veins, making her mind hazy. He didn't deny her what she wanted; he didn't waste a moment to caress her thighs with his hands, grabbing and squeezing them roughly enough to leave faint pink marks against her skin, he made sure to show her just how much he loved her legs.
She bit her tongue to distract herself from the throbbing, but found it increasingly difficult to ignore his hands on her inner thighs and his cock against her heat. "Why do you make me wait like this?" Maybe if she begged enough, he would take her sooner but it didn't seem to be the case when he gave her one more filthy grind. " Goddesses Link. "
"Patience, Princess,"
She grunted in response, scratching her nails harder as he gave a few harder thrusts. He was riling her up on purpose, but how much more would he do it before she cracked? She found herself to be in a similar state as when she'd been in heat, safe from the fact that she could resist the urge of clawing his clothes off.
His fingers ghosted over her sensitive skin, coming to her panties before pulling them off in one swift motion, fully exposing her dripping heat. It throbbed relentlessly, aching for a touch, rub, or faintest friction of any kind it could get.
Touch me Link, take me. I'm yours.
As if he could read her thoughts, he shifted back onto his knees and slipped his fingers under the waist of his pants, pushing them down to his thighs with his underwear and in no time at all, he was back on top of her, rutting against her.
"Inside, please. Inside," she pleads quietly.
He nods, and lines himself up before pushing himself in, causing them both to sigh loudly with Zelda letting her head loll back into the pillow. It was precisely what she'd missed and craved since he left, but she didn't think it'd feel so much better than her imagination.
She's sure she's in no way quiet, her mewls and moans gradually start to get louder with every thrust and every grind of his hips against hers, and she finds herself angling to get the most out of every bit of friction that she can.
" More, faster. "
Locking her ankles around the small of his back, she clung to him as he rocked and rutted at an increasingly desperate rate to the point where she started to think he was going to be louder than her. He listened to her every plea and command, giving her exactly what she wanted and more.
She loved this sudden burst of passion; no words would describe the way she craved the way he slammed himself into her with reckless abandon, pounding away at that spot that craves more.
"Fuck," she hears him growl next to her ear. "You're such a good girl for me."
The most she could do was bite his shoulder to muffle her cries as he drove himself into her, securing her in his arms. Knowing that he enjoyed the added pain by the way he drove into her harder, she clawed his back as hard as she could to hear him grunt.
She doesn't realise just how hard she bites, but the warmth of pleasure increases exponentially until she feels like she's floating in his arms, her head spinning wildly. She struggled to keep her thoughts straight, plagued by the strong pressure in her navel that wanted to burst and she chased that feeling,
She forced her legs to hold on to him through her relentless shaking. "More, I need more," she whined against his neck before biting down on the scar she left weeks before.
He swore once more, bucking sharply against her. He slipped a hand under her dress and found her clit, applying pressure bit by bit as he swirled the small bundle of nerves.
She cursed her gown and the fabric that stopped them from being skin-to-skin, but she found the fact that he fucked her this roughly without discarding it to be too arousing. She loved how desperate it was, how neither of them had the current patience to undo the strings that kept her in the bothersome dress, even though he hadn't removed all of his clothes despite how much easier it was.
It only took a few more sharp thrusts for the pressure to burst, causing her vision to white-out with stars and her body to arch into his like a life-line. Faintly she heard her name called out around her as he filled her and snapped one last time, knotting the two of them together and collapsing atop her.
Later that night, when they finally had the energy to move, Link had somehow managed to turn Zelda and unstrap her dress and remove it from her body without needing to physically get out of bed.
"Do you think anyone noticed we left?" Zelda mumbled out as she cuddled into the pillows of his bed.
Link set the dress on the chair at his desk and joined Zelda back in bed. He laid down and opened his arms, inviting Zelda to come lay against him, which she did in a heartbeat.
"Definitely," He nodded, cuddling her against him. "Birthday girl and her knight go missing? There isn't much you can miss there." he chuckled.
"Goddess, I hope my father doesn't come to my room."
"I hope he doesn't come here either. If he does, I think we're both dead."
"Yeah, no matter how fast you are, there's no way you're getting me back in that dress in less than 10 minutes." Link wasn't looking forward to doing that one bit.
"How do I get you back to your room? There's half a dozen guards outside your door and some are also outside on the bridge."
"Too tired. We'll figure it out later, sleep now."