That night, Link found himself back in Hyrule Field. If he had needed meditative, methodical Guardian hunting last night, he definitely needed it more today.
Zelda, for the first time since they defeated Calamity Ganon, hadn't kissed him. He'd left her room after breakfast and turned back towards the door, like he had the last few days, and was simply met with the door closing in his face.
It made sense, of course. She'd marry someone who was rich and powerful; a count or a duke at minimum. Someone who could stay by her side while she ruled and who she could proudly present as the nation's king.
Someone who wasn't him.
Link decided he didn't want to think for the rest of the night.
Link didn't want to think the next morning, either. His head throbbed when he sat up to massage his shield shoulder. The faster these Guardians went down, the better.
Once he had convinced himself to leave the bed, he grabbed an apple from the dining hall and rushed to the post office. Maybe she hadn't responded yet, but there wasn't any harm in checking, right?
"Sir Link?" asked the postman.
He nodded. The postman rifled through a sheaf of letters before handing him an envelope. Link ducked into a quick bow and rushed outside, away from prying eyes over his shoulder. He tore the envelope open and read the letter as fast as possible.
Dear Link,
Finally, a letter from you! I thought the lack of letters meant you were too busy with all the saving-the-world stuff, but apparently not, if you've been going around falling in love this whole time! I fear you've neglected me!
My advice is simple: listen to her. Give her things she mentions she would like, take her to do things she says are fun, things like that. Be kind and polite - don't do anything stupid.
Your favorite sister,
Aryll
p.s. You'd better tell me all about this "lady", right away. If you don't respond by the time you come home next, I will bring it up in front of Father in the most embarrassing way I can think of. And I have plenty of time to think, little brother.
Link sighed and stuffed the note (threat) in his pocket. He should have asked his father instead.
Link stood facing away from Zelda's door. Just yesterday, he would have knocked without any hesitation, but now…. Maybe if she didn't want to continue kissing him, she might also want to stop eating breakfast with him.
But it sure seemed a lot lonelier out here than usual.
Ever so softly, quiet enough that he could easily blame it on an accident, his knuckles tapped the door three times.
"Sir Link?"
They were back to formal names, it seemed. "Good morning, Princess."
The door creaked open and Zelda greeted him with a shy smile, before opening the door wider in invitation. Link followed her in.
"Breakfast will be here soon. Please, have a seat."
Link nodded, and pulled one of the seats to face the hallway.
Zelda sat and clasped her hands.
Link's fingers tapped on his knees. He racked his brain, but had no idea what topics he should bring up. So, Calamity Ganon, huh? seemed a bit too soon and upsetting. Hopefully there aren't any more great evils waiting around Hyrule Castle to terrorize us seemed absolutely forbidden, like he would jinx the whole situation if he uttered those words. And he absolutely could not bring up Hey, would it be okay if I kissed you? Because I'd really, really like to and-
Zelda cleared her throat. "I've been reading all the royal marriage laws to familiarize myself with any expectations my father might have for me."
Link frowned. This topic was not exactly what he wanted to think about, but he nodded encouragingly.
"The law and formal policy written on the topic that I found thus far is fairly sparse. Essentially, the only real requirements are that I must marry someone in good standing with the kingdom and produce an heir."
Link really did not want to think about Zelda producing an heir at the moment. It was already awkward enough without his body deciding to raise its own temperature.
"However, there's been a fairly consistent trend that the monarch's spouse was chosen from the nobility at Castletown or a Hylian province, like my father chose my mother. But there are a few examples of the monarch choosing a spouse outside of these restrictions. I wrote a list of the data somewhere here, let me see if I can find it!"
Link waited quietly, staring at the hallway. He was still on guard duty, after all.
In the distance, a maid turned around the corner, carrying a breakfast tray towards Zelda's room.
He didn't remember any blonde maids on Zelda's staff.
He shot a quick glance at Zelda, but she was busy shuffling through some papers and apparently hadn't looked at the maid at all. He turned his focus back to the maid, who set the tray-
Were those bananas?
Link stood, very slowly, fingers brushing the pommel of his sword. He didn't want to assume anything, after everything Master Kogha and Sooga had done, but this was highly suspicious.
The maid straightened, and for a moment, Link thought she would walk right out and nothing would happen.
But no, she had to pull out a knife. Of course.
He jumped into action, batting away the knife with the edge of his shield and slashing towards the maid's stomach. She grinned and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Behind him, Zelda gasped.
He pushed Zelda against the wall.
"L-Link! What are you-?"
He pressed his back against her, covering them both with his shield, and scanned the room for any sign of a reappearing Yiga.
They waited for what felt like eons.
Suddenly, there was laughter to his left. He pivoted to face it, took a blow on his shield, then struck back with his sword. He couldn't fully commit to it, though, a step away meant an opening to Zelda, and he was not about to let them get a single cut on her.
She continued this precarious waltz, attacking from all angles, tempting Link away from Zelda to attack her instead. Link grit his teeth, mirroring her movements, controlling his steps - never more than half a step away from the Princess at all times.
Finally, the assassin danced too close to his blade. Link took advantage of the proximity and sliced through flesh with a loud grunt.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Neither did the assassin.
Zelda squirmed against his back.
He flushed, and quickly stepped away to give her more space. "Apologies, I-"
She blushed and waved it off with a smile. "You were doing your job."
He rubbed the back of his neck, just barely meeting her eyes to smile back at her. Thank goodness no one had caught them in that position. Sure, it was a classic bodyguarding technique, but Link didn't think he would be able to stand up to Sir Stephen's romantically-inclined interrogation afterward. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I think so. Thanks to you, of course." Zelda smiled wider at him, drawing Link's attention down towards her lips. They were still very close, he could easily lean in and-
No. He cleared his throat and looked away. She had to marry someone else, he reminded himself. He wouldn't be allowed to kiss her, even if he wanted to.
"What about you, Link? Are you all right?"
He nodded, still avoiding her gaze.
"Oh, thank goodness. I'm so glad." Link thought he heard relief in her voice. It was kind of her to be concerned for him.
Her hand rested on his shoulder. Link's eyes shot back up to Zelda's. Like a man possessed, Link gently took her hand from his shoulder, kissed it, and returned it to her side, eyes never leaving the blush blooming brightly over her cheeks.
Curse his treasonous heart.
"Let's get you to safety, Princess."
