To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 5 – The Garden Incident

As Zelda approached the garden, located within the castle's main courtyard, she was met with an unexpected sight. She spotted the head gardener, a man known as Ernest who was responsible for maintaining all of the castle's flowerbeds, hedges, and lawn; a job that he himself described as "retaining the castle's outer beauty". He found great pleasure in his work, and he tended to take pride in how well-kept and organized everything was, especially the castle garden.

Today, however, things seemed different. Zelda watched as Ernest was currently pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt, all the while muttering under his breath with an angry glare stuck to his face. He seemed to be in a rather foul mood, even in spite of the wonderful weather; something that ordinarily would have made the gardener quite ecstatic. As if to emphasize his agitated temperament, the man continued to grumble as he parked the wheelbarrow and began to roughly shovel some dirt around the edges of a nearby flowerbed.

Zelda was honestly surprised to see him like this. It was a look that was rather uncharacteristic for the typically jolly man. She quickly started to grow curious, wondering if something was amiss.

She didn't have much time to ponder the situation for long though, as Ernest soon noticed her presence and instantly dropped his bothered expression. Adopting a more pleasant attitude, he set his shovel aside and quickly walked over to her. "Ah, good day, Your Highness," he said, greeting her with a happy smile.

Zelda set aside her curiosity for a moment and returned his greeting. "Good day, Ernest. How are you doing?"

"Wonderful, just wonderful," the man replied, still flashing a cheerful smile. However, in spite of his words, Zelda couldn't help but notice that he was rubbing his hands together over and over, almost as if he was nervous. She raised her eyebrows a bit at this, but continued the conversation anyway.

"The weather is lovely today, isn't it?"

Ernest gave her a fervent nod. "Yes indeed, this weather is so lovely that it could only have been crafted by the Goddesses themselves."

Zelda nodded back. "Agreed."

A gentle breeze blew overhead, and their conversation fell into silence for a moment. As Zelda stared at Ernest, she noticed some small cracks starting to form in his joyful smile. Even now, she could tell that his nerves were still threatening to overtake him, although she wasn't sure what could possibly have him feeling so troubled.

"May I ask what brings you here today, Your Highness?" Ernest suddenly asked her. His voice kept a positive tone, although Zelda did detect a bit of instability hidden within it.

"I was planning to enjoy a walk through the garden on this beautiful day."

Zelda watched as the color quickly drained from the man's face. His smile faltered, and after a second, his mouth seemed to be fumbling for words. "Oh…Oh dear. I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness, but I must advise against it. A stroll through the garden today might prove to be a rather…unpleasant experience."

The Princess just stared at the man. "Oh? And why is that?"

The man avoided her stare, looking off in any other direction he could find. His nerves were now on full display. "My Lady, I don't wish to burden you with such undesirable knowledge…"

Zelda raised her eyebrows some more, and gave him a stern frown. "Nonsense. I insist that you fill me in at once."

Ernest frowned again, clearly unwilling to continue this conversation. Nevertheless, he soon released a sigh and spoke up. "Yes, Princess…You see, I was merely taking advantage of this wonderful weather, fulfilling my duties and working hard in the garden, when a disturbance arose, suddenly distracting me."

"A disturbance?" Zelda repeated.

"Yes," Ernest said, almost hissing a bit as the word came out. By this point, he seemed to be allowing the foul mood that Zelda had noticed earlier to surface once more. "Apparently, some oaf wandered into the castle gardens, and it seems that in his infinite ignorance, he lost his footing near the main garden path. He then promptly plummeted straight into one of the flowerbeds, effectively destroying it with his body, so much so that it is now beyond unrecognizable. The flowers were crushed, dirt was flung everywhere, and what was once beautiful has now been stained and torn apart. I daresay that it almost looks as if a battle has taken place there, with the flowerbed being trampled under foot."

As he finished, Ernest hung his head, almost as if he was mourning what was lost. Meanwhile, Zelda just eyed him with an almost bemused look. "Oh, that's all?"

Ernest quickly raised his head, if only so he could gawk at the Princess. "That's all?" he repeated incredulously.

Zelda just crossed her arms. "You made it sound as if the garden had been destroyed beyond repair. But you're telling me it was only one of the numerous flowerbeds that was ruined? This hardly seems to be something worth fretting over."

Ernest continued to stare at the Princess in bewilderment. Based on his expression, you would've thought that she had just uttered some sort of extreme blasphemy. "But my Lady, you must understand. A single ruined flowerbed only serves to damage the image of the entire garden. How could I, as the head gardener for this castle, not worry over such a thing?"

Zelda nearly sighed, but what came out was more of a tired breath. "Yes, I agree that it should be fixed up, but is such a thing really worthy of having me avoid the garden altogether, especially on this beautiful day?"

Ernest shrunk back a bit, but he continued his argument. "I would much prefer if Your Highness were to enjoy the garden in all its glory, not a mere fraction of it."

"Be that as it may, I would still very much like to take a stroll through the garden," Zelda said assertively.

"But…But I still must advise against it…"

"Your concern is unnecessary."

"But I-"

"Ernest…" Zelda uttered in a low tone full of warning. A warning that her patience was wearing thin.

Ernest looked like he still wanted to argue, but he soon relented. He sighed and hung his shoulders a bit. "Very well, Your Highness. If you wish to enjoy the garden today, then who am I to stop you?"

Zelda finally uncrossed her arms and gave him a smile. "Thank you."

Just as she was about to turn away, Ernest spoke up once more. "Apologies again, my Lady, if the garden is not befitting of your stature on this day."

Upon hearing this, Zelda had to physically stop herself from rolling her eyes. Why did her retainers feel the need to constantly warn her if even the slightest thing was out of place? This was one of the problems that Zelda associated with being royalty. Everyone always seemed to think that every little thing within the castle walls had to be absolutely perfect, even though Zelda herself had never asked for such a thing. Oh, and then there were the constant apologies. Goddesses help her, she was so sick of the constant apologies…

Zelda turned back around to face the gardener with an exasperated look that could only belong to someone who was reaching their breaking point. "Ernest, I'm going to be frank with you. Compared to the state that our Kingdom was in just a short while ago, I hardly think that a few flowers being out of place is something to fret over. Don't you agree?"

Ernest seemed taken aback by this. He stared at her with a stunned expression, and took a second to fumble for his words. "Er…Well, yes, I suppose that is true. I…I don't mean to belittle the Kingdom's recent woes nor do I mean to exaggerate the grievances of the garden…" He then paused for a second before furrowing his brows. "However, please understand, my Lady, that as the head gardener for this castle, it is my responsibility—Nay! My duty to ensure that this wonderful garden is kept in tip-top shape, and I take immense pride in my work."

Now Zelda felt a bit taken aback. She hadn't meant to insult the man, or force him to produce such a passionate response for that matter. "Forgive me, Ernest. I do understand, and your work here is very much appreciated," she assured him. "I just don't think that this matter is worthy of such tremendous concern, especially knowing that much worse fates could have befallen us."

Ernest sighed again, but he did nod in understanding. "Aye, I see your point."

Feeling that their argument was finally reaching a conclusion, Zelda gifted him with a warm smile. "Please don't be dismayed, head gardener. A flowerbed may have been destroyed, but it can be fixed, and there is still much for you to be proud of."

The man returned a small smile. "Your words are greatly appreciated, Your Highness. Thank you."

"Now, do I have your permission to enter the garden, or do you still wish to dissuade me?"

Ernest simply shook his head before giving her a bow. "Go with my blessing, Princess. You are free to do as you please."

Zelda thanked the gardener one last time before she resumed walking towards the garden. She moved expeditiously, a little too eager to leave that conversation behind her. Once she was far enough away, she soon sighed, thinking about how much time she had just wasted arguing about something so trivial. So much for a relaxing trip to the garden…

Nevertheless, there was no longer anything holding the Princess back from her desired location. Following the cobblestone path, she entered the castle garden, a grove full of colorful flowers, well-trimmed hedges, and even a few trees. Zelda took a deep breath as she walked inside, inhaling the fresh, fragrant air. She could still feel the warm rays of the sun filtering through the branches of the trees, as well as a soft breeze that gently wafted through her hair. In the background, she could hear a number of birds happily chirping, filling the air with their joyous song.

As far as Zelda was concerned, this garden was one of the most peaceful locations in the entire Kingdom. A small slice of Heaven that had somehow appeared on Earth. She couldn't help but wonder if Ernest even fully understood the weight of his words when he said that the garden was in disarray. This place was magnificent, and his concern was completely unfounded.

Zelda leaned over to a hanging basket of beautiful pink flowers, taking a moment to appreciate their sweet aroma. When she finished, she released a small sigh of satisfaction. Yes, she was truly at peace here.

As Zelda continued her leisurely stroll amongst the pots and plants, she suddenly heard a soft noise from ahead of her. It almost sounded similar to that of the Leevers: the noise of someone shuffling dirt around, although it sounded far less harsh than when the aforementioned creatures had done it. Glancing ahead, Zelda also noticed that a fair amount of dirt had spilled onto the path, just past the next corner. After staring at it for a moment, she started to realize what had happened. This must have been the ruined flowerbed that Ernest was so disgruntled about, and honestly, she could start to see why. The dark soil covering the path looked like an incredible mess in an otherwise picture-perfect setting.

Feeling curious about the extent of the damage, the Princess decided to walk forward and peek around the corner. However, what she saw there left her feeling stunned.

"L-Link!?" she exclaimed.

"Huh?" A man, covered in dirt and currently kneeling in one of the flowerbeds, turned around to face the Princess. Upon seeing her, he looked just as startled as she did. "Princess! Er, I mean, Zelda, wh-what are you…" His voice soon trailed off, not sure what to say.

Zelda felt equally as speechless. She just continued to stare at him, not fully trusting her eyes. This man's entire front was covered in the same black dirt that he was currently crawling around in. Even his face seemed to be smeared with said filth. However, upon scanning him up and down a few times, she could confirm that this was in fact the hero of Hyrule, Link.

It took a few seconds, but as her initial shock started to wear off, Zelda managed to find some words. "Um…Well, this is…surprising…What are you doing here, Link?"

The young hero, however, still seemed to be stunned and at a loss for words. Upon experiencing the full realization of Zelda staring at his current image, his face quickly turned red behind the layer of dirt that covered it. He struggled to produce a response. "I, well…This is, um…I can explain."

Zelda blinked a few times, hoping it might help clear up her vision. Needless to say, it didn't help at all. "I…did not expect to see you here, and toiling around in the dirt no less…"

"Er…Yeah, sorry about this…" Link nervously reached up and rubbed his neck a bit with his dirt-covered fingers, not that it mattered much as he was already covered in filth from head to toe.

As he did this, Zelda suddenly spotted a trowel in the hero's other hand. She just stared at it with a quizzical look. Why was he holding that? And was she mistaken, or did it almost look as if he were in the middle of planting a flower?

"Wait a second…Are you…working in the garden…?"

Link sighed. "Um…Yeah, kind of…"

Zelda just continued to stare at him in disbelief. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected to come across a sight like this today. And yet here it was before her, all the same. Eventually, she just sighed and shook her head. "I think I would like an explanation. What exactly is going on here?"

Link still looked rather nervous, as if he didn't want to say. However, upon meeting the Princess's expectant gaze, he knew that he would have to answer her. "Well, I returned to the castle so I could offer my assistance, just as you asked me to."

Zelda raised her eyebrows a bit. "Yes, but when I asked you to aid in Hyrule's recovery effort, I didn't intend for you to literally start from the ground up."

Link just frowned at this and soon rolled his eyes. "Very funny, but believe it or not, I wasn't actually planning on covering myself in dirt."

"Then please enlighten me. How exactly did you come to be crawling around in one of our esteemed flowerbeds?"

"Well…it was sort of an accident…" The hero clad in green (or in this case, clad in mud) glanced down at the flowerbed around him with a look of guilt. As he did so, Zelda suddenly recalled that Ernest had been complaining about "some oaf" wandering into the garden and destroying a flowerbed. She was soon able to put two and two together.

"Wait a second, you're the oaf!?"

Link just looked confused. "Excuse me?"

Zelda quickly placed a gloved hand before her mouth, only just now realizing what she had said. "Oh, forgive me, Link," she apologized. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh or accusatory. Or derogatory, for that matter. I was just…surprised, is all."

Link raised his dirt-covered eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Now it was Zelda's turn to look a bit guilty. "I was talking to Ernest a short while ago–Oh, he's the head gardener for the castle, by the way–and he was telling me about how…ahem, in his words, some 'oaf' lost his footing in his 'infinite ignorance' and tragically destroyed a flowerbed." Zelda paused for a second, before looking even more ashamed. "You'll have to forgive his harsh words, Link, and I'm afraid you'll have to forgive me as well. Ordinarily, I would have never tolerated such words being used against our hero, but I also never would have imagined that he was actually talking about you…"

Link just stared at her for a second, but he soon gave a short chuckle. "No, that description is…actually pretty accurate."

"You're not offended?" Zelda asked timidly.

Link just shook his head. "No. If anything, I deserve it after what I did."

Zelda watched him carefully, still waiting to see if there was a potential trace of anger, but she was surprised to find none whatsoever. It was honestly peculiar. Zelda personally knew quite a few nobles that would be furious to know that someone had bad-mouthed them in such a way, but Link didn't follow their example at all. If anything, he just seemed apologetic and ashamed. Zelda couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy as she stared at him. Why did he look so down on himself?

Zelda tried to give him a comforting smile as she spoke up again. "What exactly did you do then? I still have yet to hear the full story."

"Right, sorry," Link said, frowning and scratching his head some more. "Let's see…I arrived at the castle about an hour ago. One of the guards recognized me and allowed me entry, so I walked inside on my own. I took Epona over to the stables, and then after that, I was going to go looking for you, or for someone who could let you know that I was here. However, before I could do such a thing, I wandered into the garden and…" Link paused, looking embarrassed. "And that's where things went horribly wrong."

Zelda just nodded, showing that she was focused on listening to his every word. "Go on."

"Well…I'm not super familiar with the layout of the castle, you know. So I kind of ended up here by accident. But once I walked inside, I was really impressed at what I saw. All the flowers and trees…This castle's garden is really beautiful." Link suddenly paused, realizing what he had just said. His face started to turn red again as he looked away.

"I agree," Zelda replied with a smile. "It is very beautiful."

Link just glanced up at her with a shy look. He initially seemed embarrassed, but upon seeing her welcoming smile, he relaxed a bit. He then continued. "So, anyway, I got kind of distracted by the sights, and wasn't really watching where I was going…And then, just as I was about to turn the corner, I realized that someone was standing right there. I tried to quickly turn so I wouldn't bump into the guy, but my feet kind of ended up getting tangled together, and I actually tripped…straight towards him. I bumped into him just as he was turning around with his watering can, and well, I must have given him quite the surprise because the next thing I knew the watering can had been tossed into the air…As for myself, I completely lost my balance and plummeted, face first, into this flowerbed. And then a second later, the watering can came down to join me, turning this patch of dirt into a patch of mud. I also jumped a bit when the water splashed me, so I ended up kicking the dirt all over the place, as well as crushing more than a few of the flowers…" Link paused, glancing down at the flowerbed with another look of remorse.

Meanwhile, Zelda just stared at him with yet another expression of disbelief. "You…You're serious?"

Link just gave a single nod. "That's how it happened."

Zelda blinked in surprise. The only thing she could say in response was, "Oh my…"

Link glanced up at her with a small smile. "What? Too ridiculous to believe?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, it's not that, it's just…I never expected the hero of our Kingdom to be quite so…clumsy."

Once again, Link laughed a bit. He then flashed a smile from behind his dirt-covered face. "Nice to meet you, I'm Link. The guy who can explore a perilous magma cave and walk a tightrope over a city in the sky, but can't seem to walk straight on solid ground."

Upon hearing this, Zelda couldn't help herself. She instantly snorted and then began laughing at the dirt-smeared hero's joke. Her voice rang out, a bit louder than she had intended. She quickly brought a hand to her lips, trying to stifle the laughter and bring it under control, but even then, a few giggles managed to slip out. Zelda had to admit, Link had a comedic side to him, and she found it quite amusing.

Link just smiled up at the Princess's reaction. He didn't seem to mind the self-depreciating humor as long as he got a laugh out of it. "Honestly, I'm surprised Midna never warned you of how much of a klutz I can be at times."

Zelda finally managed to get her giggling under control, although she still held a wide smile on her lips. "Ah, it's possible she mentioned it at one point in time, but I doubt I placed much weight in those words. Midna did have a tendency to overexaggerate, especially when complaining about you."

"Really?" Link asked. He glanced down at the destroyed flowerbed again. "Cause I'm starting to think that she may have had a point."

Zelda's amused expression started to change to one of sympathy again. "Oh Link, don't be so hard on yourself. It sounds like it truly was an accident, after all. An outrageous accident, but an accident nonetheless."

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed with a small shrug.

"So tell me, what happened next after your unfortunate plummet into the muck?"

Link sighed as he continued where he had left off. "Well, after that, the man I bumped into–Ernest, I believe?–came up and immediately started yelling at me. He was really upset that I had made such a huge mess of his garden, and he insisted that I start fixing it up. The next thing I knew, I had a trowel in my hand, and I was being told to dig up the dead flowers and plant new ones in their place."

Zelda seemed a bit surprised, as well as concerned, at this. "Ernest put you to work?"

Link just frowned. "Er…Well, yeah…"

Zelda soon crossed her arms, seeming perplexed. "But he shouldn't have done something like that, unless…Did he not recognize you?"

"Um, I doubt it. He was kind of busy yelling at me."

This time, Zelda frowned, and she directed it right at Link. "Why didn't you tell him who you were?"

Link just furrowed his brow, looking thoroughly confused. "What do you mean?"

"Link, have you forgotten so soon? You are the hero of Hyrule, the brave swordsman who fought ferocious monsters and saved this Kingdom from the Twilight Invasion. Why did you not mention any of this to Ernest? If you had, I'm certain he would have taken it easy on you, and I get the feeling that you would not be toiling around in the dirt as you are now."

Link stared at the Princess for a few seconds, before sheepishly looking away. He had to admit, it felt nice to hear her describe his accomplishments with such admiration, but he didn't really see them that way. "I don't know," Link replied honestly. "I don't really think about that stuff. And I don't like to just throw around my achievements like that. It just…doesn't sit right with me. Besides, I did destroy this flowerbed after all, so it's only right that I help fix it up."

For the umpteenth time that day, Zelda stared at the hero in disbelief. How could he be so humble and modest? Who had ever heard of a swordsman that didn't take at least some pride in his success? That didn't flaunt his accomplishments around at least a little bit? And he had done far more than any average knight! He had saved the entire Kingdom for crying out loud! And yet here he was, covered in filth and milling about in a patch of dirt, all because he felt guilty about an accidental misstep.

"You're unbelievable," Zelda whispered to him.

Link just frowned and glumly looked away. It sounded like the Princess was disappointed in him for not standing up for himself. Well, he certainly would have done it if it was an evil monster he was fighting against. Finding the courage to do that would have been easy. But to defend himself against an honest man who was rightfully upset with him for ruining a part of his esteemed garden? That was something that Link just couldn't do. It wouldn't have been fair, especially since he himself was the one at fault.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

However, it seemed that the hero might have misunderstood the intention behind the Princess's words, for she soon stepped closer to him, and gifted him not with a look of disapproval, but one of admiration. "Don't apologize," she said softly. "Link, you act in a way that very few others do. You have done some truly amazing things, and yet you take very little pride in your accomplishments, so little in fact that I've never heard you boast of them, not even once. You are someone who does not concern himself with status or prestige, but instead prefers to treat everyone you meet as an equal. You put the thoughts and feelings of others above yourself, and you hold a very kind heart." Zelda paused for a second, letting her voice drop down to a whisper. "I daresay that I've never met anyone quite like you. You are an extraordinary individual."

Once again, Link's face turned red in the midst of receiving all of these compliments. He was starting to be thankful for the layer of dirt that he was able to hide behind. "That's…really nice of you to say, Zelda, but surely you're exaggerating a bit?"

Zelda stared him right in the eye with a strong look of conviction. "Am I?"

Upon meeting her gaze, Link quickly grew uncomfortable, and felt forced to look away. "Come on, I'm not that special."

Zelda continued to stare at him, but seeing that he refused to return her gaze, she soon closed her eyes and sighed. When she reopened them, she produced a small smile. "Honestly, Link, does your humility know no bounds? I appreciate your modesty, but I'm starting to wonder if it actually does you more harm than good."

"I doubt a little humility ever hurt anyone," he mumbled back.

No one except for you, Zelda retorted, but she refrained from speaking the words out loud. At this point, there was no sense in berating him for his kindness. It wasn't like he was doing anything wrong, after all.

"Nevertheless, I see no reason for you to continue working in the garden, even in spite of your accident."

Link seemed hesitant. "Um…But shouldn't I finish fixing what I've destroyed?"

"Nonsense. I'll talk to Ernest about this and makes sure he understands. A hero shouldn't need to be punished for a careless mistake."

"You're sure?"

"Of course I am. Are you doubting your Princess?"

It took a second, but Link soon shook his head. "Er, no…"

Zelda smiled. "Then there's no need to hesitate. Come on, Link. Let's get you out of that dirt." She then did something rather unexpected. She leaned over and extended a hand towards Link, offering to help him to his feet.

Link just eyed the hand, which was covered in an elegant white glove: pristine, proper, and free of filth. He couldn't possibly bring himself to take it, especially in his current state. "Um, that's okay. I can stand on my own."

Zelda looked a tad surprised at his refusal, but she at least didn't seem offended. "Very well," she said, retracting her hand to her side.

Link placed his trowel back in the dirt and rose to his feet. He then took a moment to look himself over from head to toe. Man, he was a complete mess. He could even feel dirt on the inside of his boots. At this point, he wondered if cleaning himself up would be a bigger chore than fixing the flowerbed.

Link soon noticed that Zelda was looking him over as well. "Um…So much for making myself look presentable in front of royalty," he said with a small laugh.

Zelda just smiled. "No need to worry, Link. I am not easily offended."

"You're pretty carefree for a Princess," Link noted.

"When it comes to your appearance, yes, but not everything." Zelda then frowned a bit. "I have to admit, one thing that does still concern me is how you ended up in this position in the first place. I'm genuinely surprised that Ernest didn't recognize you before yelling and putting you to work. You've been to the castle at least a few times now."

"Well, I was covered in dirt when he first noticed me," Link replied with a shrug. "And besides, I'm not exactly as famous as you seem to think, Zelda. I guarantee that there's a lot of people in the castle that don't know who I am."

"Hmm, that's probably true," Zelda agreed. She then looked away, as if she was lost in thought for a moment. Before long, a slightly amused smile appeared on her lips. "Perhaps we'll have to do something about that…"

I originally came up with the idea for this chapter when I had to do some weeding at my grandmother's house. It's funny how inspiration can just strike out of the blue like that, huh?