To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 16 – What Happened?

Zelda remained frozen in place, her mind a chaotic mess of frantic thoughts. She was still trying to process everything that she had just overheard.

Link was seeing someone…

A girl named Ilia…

Didn't he have any interest in Zelda?

Zelda shook her head, trying to force away that last obtrusive thought. Link's feelings towards her didn't matter right now! What did matter was how Link felt about this other woman, the mystery girl known as Ilia…

Zelda paused. Ilia…Ilia…That name sounded familiar. Where had Zelda heard it before?

"What's the matter with you? You seem distraught."

Zelda jumped with a gasp as she turned to find a certain female Knight staring at her with curious eyes. "A-Ashei!" she exclaimed quietly.

Ashei just smirked at the Princess's surprise. "As jumpy as ever I see. And man, we have got to stop meeting like this, yeah?"

Zelda released a pent-up breath as she placed a shaky hand over her heart, hoping to control her nerves. "The only thing I need is for you to stop sneaking up on me like this," Zelda replied, still speaking in a low voice.

"I'm not sneaking. You're the one who's not paying attention," Ashei pointed out with a smug look. "What are you doing here, anyway? Spying on the Hero again?"

"What?" Zelda whimpered. "N-No, I…"

Shaking her head, Ashei pushed past the Princess and peered through the doorway and into the meeting room. Her eyes soon fell on the Hero clad in green, and Ashei's smirk grew wider.

"Geez, Zelda, you're really starting to make a bad habit out of this."

Zelda sensed her cheeks start to turn red, and she suddenly felt rather embarrassed. She knew that Ashei was just teasing her, but she did have a point. What was Zelda doing here, standing around and listening in on Link's private conversations? How pathetic was that? And it was certainly not becoming of a Princess, either.

"Y-You're right," Zelda replied in a shaky voice. She soon started to drift away from the wall. "I…I should go…"

Ashei frowned and raised her eyebrows a bit. "Huh? You're leaving?"

Zelda slowly began walking away, giving a tiny nod. "Yes, I shouldn't be here…"

Ashei just flashed a look of confusion before quickly chasing after her. "Hey, relax, would ya? I was only joking around. What are you so upset about?"

Zelda shook her head, refusing to turn around and face her. "It's nothing."

Ashei sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, yeah? I was only going to suggest that you go talk to him instead of spying on him from the shadows."

Zelda stopped, balling her hands into frustrated fists as she felt her lip quiver a bit. "I…I can't."

Ashei also slowed to a halt behind her. "Can't what? Talk to Link?"

Zelda dropped her gaze down to the floor. "It's…It's not going to work out," she said solemnly.

"Not going to work out?" Ashei repeated. Her expression then softened, as she realized that something was truly wrong here. She soon stared at the Princess with genuine concern in her eyes. "Zelda, did something happen?"

Zelda released a heavy sigh. She didn't really care to talk about this, especially not while her mind was still trying to process the situation. Still, she knew that Ashei wouldn't be satisfied without some sort of answer as to why she appeared so dismayed. Even now, the Knight seemed rather worried about her wellbeing.

"I…" Zelda began to speak, but immediately paused when she spotted two maids walking down the hall towards them. She nervously bit her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss this here, where someone might overhear them.

Making a quick decision, Zelda turned around and snatched up Ashei's hand. She then began pulling the Knight down the hallway. "Let's go somewhere private," she mumbled.

Ashei gave the Princess a scowl, as she certainly didn't like being forced around like this. However, upon seeing Zelda's nervous expression once again, she decided to sigh and let it go.

"Fine."

A short while later, the two women arrived at one of the castle's balconies that overlooked a courtyard below. Here, the two of them were finally alone. They could now talk freely without worrying about someone eavesdropping or interrupting.

Upon their arrival, Zelda quickly made her way to the balustrade, hoping that the warm rays of sunlight and gentle breeze might help calm her down. She still felt terribly out of sorts, and her distance from Link as well as that dreadful meeting room hadn't seemed to ease her nerves in the slightest. Meanwhile, Ashei just slowly walked up behind her, crossing her arms and casting an expectant look in her direction. She stood like this for a few seconds before eventually releasing a sigh.

"All right, do you want to explain yourself? You seem really upset today, and not for the usual reasons."

Zelda took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure as she went to respond. "And the usual reasons being…?"

"Your feelings towards Link," Ashei said bluntly. "You usually seem like a nervous mess when you're around him, but this is different."

Zelda sighed, casting her gaze down into the courtyard below. "It's complicated."

Ashei was silent for a moment, but she soon walked over and joined Zelda by the balustrade. She too stared down into the courtyard, and gently clasped her hands together.

"Tell me, did something happen?"

Zelda bowed her head. She didn't want to answer that question, but there was no point in hiding the truth.

"Yes."

Ashei scowled. "What did Link do?"

This question gave Zelda some pause, and caused her to blink a bit. "N-Nothing."

"Did he hurt you?"

Zelda soon stood up straight, looking alarmed. "What? No!"

"Really?" Ashei asked. "Because I'd be more than happy to punish him for toying with a maiden's heart."

Zelda found herself staring incredulously at the Knight, but soon chose to cast a defensive glare in her direction. "Stop it, Ashei. Link didn't do anything wrong."

Ashei smirked a bit at this. "Just making sure…"

Zelda stared at the Knight for a few more seconds, until she eventually looked away with a sigh. Somehow, Ashei always seemed to have a special way of antagonizing her, enough to even make her forget her troubles at times.

"So tell me, what did happen then?" Ashei pressed her. "Give me the details."

"Fine," Zelda said quietly. She frowned a bit as she cast her gaze downward again. "I…I was listening in on their conversation. Link, Enzo, and Ralis, that is. And they were talking about, um…Link's potential interest in women again…"

Ashei gave a few nods. She didn't seem terribly interested in this topic, but she urged the Princess to go on. "Uh-huh…"

"And…well…Link then told them that…that…" Zelda paused, feeling it hard to utter the words out loud. She didn't want to hear these words again. She didn't want to accept them. However, she knew that she would have to come to terms with the truth eventually. Steeling herself, she forced the words out.

"Link told them…that he's already started seeing a woman."

It took Ashei a few seconds to process this revelation. She raised her eyebrows a bit. "Wait, what? You mean, he's…?"

Zelda gave a solemn nod. "He's started a relationship with another girl."

"Oh," Ashei said, blinking a bit. She then paused as she started to piece things together and the full realization hit her. "Ohhhhh…" Now she understood why the Princess truly seemed so upset.

Zelda just hung her head, feeling sad and ashamed. There it was. The truth was out. And it honestly hurt.

"You sure you didn't just mishear him?" Ashei asked softly.

Zelda shook her head. "No, he said it loud and clear."

"Huh…" Ashei mumbled, slowly looking away and staring off into the distance. "I never thought that guy had the backbone to actually go out and get a girl."

For the briefest of moments, Zelda felt a vein appear on her forehead. "Is that what you're worried about?" she asked in a frustrated tone.

Ashei flashed a guilty smile. "Er, sorry Zelda. I'm just surprised, is all."

Zelda sighed and let her anger dissolve. "Yeah, me too."

An awkward silence soon fell between the two of them. Ashei wasn't quite sure what to say, and Zelda was reluctant to speak. The Princess's mind still felt like a confused and jumbled mess, and she was having trouble thinking clearly. She kept trying to fully process the information, but all it did was leave her with an empty feeling of sadness.

Eventually, Ashei spoke up, trying to use a gentle voice. "So…do you know who the lucky lady is? The one who managed to catch the eye of the Hero?"

Zelda nodded glumly. "Yes, Link said that it's someone from Ordon. A girl named Ilia."

Ashei nodded a bit in return. "Hmm…Ilia, huh?"

Upon hearing this, Zelda stood up straight and glanced over at the Knight beside her. She could suddenly feel a strong curiosity welling up within her. "What do you know about her?"

"Huh?" Ashei exclaimed, looking surprised at this question. "Why would I know anything about this girl?"

"You've spent a lot of time working together with Link, haven't you?" Zelda pointed out.

Ashei frowned a bit. "Well…yes."

"Has he ever mentioned her before?"

"Not that I can recall, no…"

"Do you know who this 'Ilia' girl is?"

Ashei hesitated. "Not really, no."

Zelda scowled a bit. The Knight was clearly withholding information. "Come on, Ashei. You know something. Spill it."

Ashei just shook her head. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because!" Zelda retorted quickly, only to pause for a second. Why did she care so much? "I'm…I'm just curious to learn more about the girl that…that Link is interested in…"

Ashei sighed. "Look, I don't know much, yeah? But admittedly, I have heard mention of a girl named Ilia before. Telma told me that she worked at her bar for a bit during the Twilight Invasion. However, I've never actually met the girl, and I don't really know anything about her."

Zelda nodded a bit, but she still wished to know more. "Do you know how old she is?"

"Probably around our age?" Ashei guessed.

"Do you know what she looks like?"

"No clue."

Zelda released a sigh. Ashei was right. She really didn't know much in the way of useful information. Nothing that would help clue the Princess in as to why Link seemed to have taken such a sudden fancy to this girl, at least.

Ashei just shook her head as she watched the Princess's troubled expression. "Look, if you want to know more, you'll just have to ask Link yourself."

Zelda shook her head back. "I can't do that."

"And why not?"

"It would be too embarrassing," Zelda said with a frown. She then looked away, feeling dismayed. "And besides, it's all rather pointless now..."

"What do you mean?" Ashei asked, also frowning.

"Well, Link's made his choice. He's with another woman now."

Ashei nodded a bit. "Right…So, I guess that means…"

"I don't have a chance with him," Zelda admitted sadly. It hurt to say these painful words, but they were true.

Zelda then forced her eyes shut and shook her head. Who was she kidding? It was incredibly presumptuous of her to think that she ever did have a chance with the Hero. So what if she had a small crush on him? That didn't mean that he felt the same way about her. And so what if she was a Princess that lived in a luxurious castle? Link had never cared about stuff like that anyway. In fact, when you stripped all of it away, Zelda couldn't help but wonder what was left. Did she even have anything to offer the Hero? Anything of value or worth that would attract his attention?

My friendship, she thought weakly.

Once again, Zelda shook her head. Like that was anything special. She knew that Link had friends all throughout the Kingdom. The time he spent with her clearly hadn't been any more important than the time he spent with everyone else. So what if they got along when they were together? It's not like it actually meant anything.

Zelda sighed. In this moment, she couldn't help but feel somewhat…undesirable.

Ashei continued to frown as she gazed at the Princess's excessively glum expression. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She soon reached out and placed a reassuring hand on the Princess's shoulder.

"Um…I'm sorry, Zelda. This really is a shame. If it were up to me, I would've been more than happy to see the two of you get together."

"Yes, well, clearly it wasn't meant to be," Zelda replied glumly.

"Don't feel too torn up about it," Ashei said, trying to give her an encouraging smile. "This sort of thing does happen, even to Princesses."

Zelda slowly nodded. "I know. It's just…It's so frustrating…Especially when I still feel the way that I do towards him."

"Give it time. The Goddesses only know that there will be other men interested in pursuing you."

"Yes, but none of them will be quite the same as Link."

Ashei tried to give her an encouraging smirk. "Oh, come on. It's only Link we're talking about here. Is he really worth getting hung up over? The guy is kind of a klutz, you know."

Zelda frowned. "I like that he's a klutz. I find it amusing."

Ashei just raised her eyebrows at this. "Seriously? You need to broaden your horizons a bit. Find some better taste in men."

"Tch," Zelda scoffed. She didn't exactly appreciate the Knight's prodding, so she decided to poke her right back. "Any men you'd like to recommend, Ashei? You seem quite knowledgeable on such things."

Ashei quickly frowned, as she hated being teased about this subject even more than Zelda did. "We're not talking about my love life here," she muttered, frustration evident in her tone.

"And why not?" Zelda shot back. "Is there something you're trying to hide?"

"Of course not," Ashei seethed. "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing," Zelda replied innocently. "It just seems like you know a lot about romance. I can't help but wonder why. Perhaps you have recently gotten yourself involved with a man?"

"Cut it out, Zelda," Ashei growled through clenched teeth. It was clear that her patience for this subject was wearing thin.

Upon seeing this expression, Zelda allowed herself a small smile. It was nice to know that some things would always be able to cheer the Princess up. Specifically, poking fun at her female Knight friend. It was a pastime that never seemed to grow old.

"Relax," she soon told the girl. "I was only teasing."

"It wasn't funny," Ashei replied bluntly.

Zelda just smirked. "Consider it payback for all the taunting you've done in the last month. Surely you know that you deserved a little in return."

Ashei just scowled, but soon muttered something under her breath and crossed her arms. Zelda just released a small giggle, knowing that this was her way of showing "reluctant agreement".

Silence fell between them, and Zelda took a moment to glance out into the courtyard. A soft breeze blew past her, causing her braided hair to flutter a bit. Still smiling, Zelda released a slow sigh.

"I suppose we're both fools, aren't we?"

"Speak for yourself," Ashei replied, refusing to relent.

"Fine, just me then," Zelda accepted with a shrug. "What was I thinking? Falling for a man who was interested in someone else."

Ashei sighed back. "You had no way of knowing, yeah? It doesn't mean you're foolish."

"You're right. I'm just clueless."

"Stop being so hard on yourself."

"It won't stop it from being true though."

Ashei quickly frowned. "I'm serious, Zelda. I'm not afraid to smack some sense into you if you keep insisting on moping like this."

Once again, Zelda smirked. "Oh my. You'd be willing to beat me up for my own sake?"

"I'd be all too happy to help," Ashei replied with a devious grin.

"I hope you realize that you'd be imprisoned for such an offense against royalty."

"It's fine. I'd convince you to issue me a pardon."

"Well that's rather presumptuous," Zelda replied with a smile. "To think that I'd so easily forgive my would-be attacker."

"In that case, stop your moping," Ashei said simply. "That way, I won't have to worry about cheering you up, and I can also avoid being imprisoned."

"You'd like me to do this for your sake?" Zelda asked with an amused expression.

"If 'Your Highness' would be so kind," Ashei replied, using the Princess's title with the utmost sarcasm.

Zelda giggled some more. "Very well then. I promise not to dwell on these thoughts…Not too much, anyway."

Ashei released a satisfied breath. "Good."

Zelda allowed herself another small smile. "Thanks, Ashei. This talk has helped."

The Knight gave a single nod, as well as a gentle smile back. "Yeah, no problem." She then took a moment to stretch her arms above her head and shoulders. "It's kind of what I do around here, yeah? Solve everyone's problems for them."

"Okay, don't get too full of yourself," Zelda chided with a shake of her head.

Ashei just glanced back at the Princess and snickered. She clearly seemed pleased with herself. As Zelda stared at her amused expression, she almost considered laughing alongside her. However, her chance to do so was cut short, as a third voice suddenly arose, speaking up from behind the two girls.

"Oh, there you two are."

Zelda's eyes went wide as the voice reached her ears. She immediately recognized who it belonged to. Her breath went quiet, and her heart went still, although it was still ready to start drumming away at a moment's notice. Her face revealed a timid frown, and the Princess slowly glanced backwards, staring at the man that had started to approach them.

And there, to Zelda's horror, stood Link.

Hello everyone. I hope you're all ready to brace yourselves for depression lol.