To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 19 – Bad Mood

Having retrieved his bow, Link rejoined Zelda, and she led him to a courtyard towards the back of the castle. There, an archery range had been set up, where the soldiers of the castle could shoot at a number of targets hanging around the stone walls and shrubs. Even as the two of them approached, they could spot a handful of men lined up and ready to practice their aim.

Link stopped to watch for a second, but Zelda's voice soon called out to him. "This way," she instructed. She then led him to a small wooden structure that was used to store the shooting range's equipment. As Link glanced inside, he could spot a number of bows properly suspended on the walls, as well as numerous quivers filled with fresh arrows.

However, it seemed that this structure was not their first destination, for Zelda sidestepped the entrance so that she could speak with the man standing next to it. "Good morning, Captain," she said to him.

This man had been monitoring the soldiers while they practiced their archery, but he soon turned towards the duo, immediately recognizing them both. "Ah, Your Highness. And the good Hero, Sir Link," he said, greeting each of them with a bow and a smile.

Naturally, Link recognized this man as well. This was Captain Zander, the current head of the castle guard. He apparently used to be a high-ranking Knight when he was younger, but now he focused his efforts on training soldiers and maintaining the castle's defenses. He was an older, middle-aged man, with graying hair and soft eyes. He had a muscular build, and his arms were covered in scars, in addition to one on his cheek. He considered the scars to be trophies, all of them having been accumulated from the countless battles that he had survived over the years. He was a hardened veteran, but he could be rather friendly once you got to know him.

"How do the two of you fare this morning?" Zander asked, still smiling.

"I'm doing well, thanks," Link replied.

"I'm fine," Zelda said, unintentionally sounding a little blunt. Link glanced at her with a somewhat curious look, but she just ignored him. "We came to practice our archery."

Zander nodded. "Fine by me. Set up wherever you like."

"Do you mind if we take the private corner at the far end?" Zelda asked. "I don't exactly care much for company today. Or watchful eyes, for that matter."

"Of course, Princess," Zander replied. "That corner should be unoccupied. Help yourself."

"Thank you," Zelda said with a small nod. She then moved into the storage shed and grabbed a quiver of arrows. She slung it over her shoulder before grabbing a second one. She then offered it to Link. "Here."

Link just stared at it for a second before shaking his head. "That's okay. I brought my own quiver when I fetched my bow from Epona." He pointed to his back, where the full case of arrows rested.

Zelda just stared back before releasing a sigh. "It's better if you use these," she said, holding the quiver up some more. "The soldiers periodically collect the arrows from the shooting range and return them here. It'll be harder to keep your arrows separate and make sure that they get returned to you."

Link frowned in surprise. "Oh. I suppose that makes sense."

"Then take them," Zelda said, practically shoving the quiver into his hands.

Link quickly caught the equipment, but he was still surprised at Zelda's suddenness. Even as he glanced back up, he just spotted her walking away, already moving towards the far end of the range. He couldn't help but give her another curious look. He thought that he might have noticed something similar when he was talking to Zelda back in the grove, but now he felt like his suspicions were truly being confirmed. There was something…off about the Princess today.

Realizing that he was falling behind, Link quickly chased after the Princess, and followed her into the "private corner" of the shooting range. This location still had access to most of the targets that had been placed around the courtyard, but a few wooden walls had been set up here, to allow the archer some privacy. Onlookers would be able to see the shots being made, but not the person wielding the bow.

"So this is the secluded shooting range, huh?" Link asked as he stepped inside.

"More or less," Zelda said with a shrug.

"Any reason why you wanted to do this in private?"

Zelda just frowned. "I figured that having the Princess and Hero come here to practice their archery might inevitably draw a crowd. People naturally tend to take an interest in this sort of thing, after all. However, I honestly didn't care to have an audience watching me today, and I assumed that you wouldn't want the attention either."

"I suppose not," he said with a shrug.

"There you go then," Zelda said, shrugging back. She soon turned away, setting her rapier and quiver down before grasping her bow with both hands. She then began inspecting it, making sure that its string was taut and the elegant wood was still strong.

Meanwhile, Link just stared at the Princess. Once again, he felt like something was off with her. She wasn't behaving like her usual self. She typically seemed much more positive when she was around the Hero. She would be willing to smile, laugh, and even crack an occasional joke with him. But today she seemed…less than amused.

Is she in a bad mood? Link wondered with a frown. He stared at her some more. Even now, he could tell that the expression on her face seemed a little glum. He wondered if something was wrong. She certainly hadn't seemed this way when he had first talked to her this morning…

Wait a second…

Link suddenly froze as a horrible realization came to him. Was this his fault? Was the Princess upset because he had asked to come along when she had really wanted to be alone? He soon started thinking that he probably shouldn't have done that…

"Um," he suddenly spoke up, feeling guilty. "If you'd like, I can go practice elsewhere."

Zelda immediately turned to the Hero with confused eyes. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I don't have to practice with you, if you would prefer to be alone," Link explained as he rubbed his neck a bit.

Zelda just stared at him in silence for a moment. She wasn't exactly sure where this was coming from, but she soon shook her head. "No, it would be nice to have someone to practice with," she insisted. "It's only the crowds that I don't care for."

Link seemed hesitant. "Are you sure?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, please stay."

"All right then," Link replied, although he wasn't sure himself. The Princess's expression and voice seemed sincere enough, but Link could still sense something off about her. Even as he watched, she returned to inspecting her bow with a small frown. Link just stared at her with a look of sympathy. Clearly there was something bothering her, but Link had no idea what it could be. All he had discovered was that it likely didn't have anything to do with himself.

Suddenly, a new idea came to Link, this time causing him to smile a little. If the Princess was in a bad mood, then maybe he could find a way to cheer her up? She had helped him feel better during a lot of social situations here at the castle, so maybe it was time for him to return the favor.

Feeling a little confident, Link soon began inspecting his own bow. He then spoke up, trying to start some light conversation. "So…you must be a pretty good shot."

Zelda glanced over at him for a second, but then shrugged. "I like to think so."

Link nodded. "It was really impressive when you were able to shoot Ganondorf during the final battle of the Twilight Invasion. All while we were riding on horseback no less."

A small hint of a smile appeared on Zelda's lips. "Fortunately, I had a reliable rider in front of me taking the reins."

"Still, you showed an incredible level of skill to be able to pull that off," Link insisted.

Zelda nodded a bit before blushing. Hearing praise from the Hero always made her feel a little embarrassed, but also happy. "Um, that's very kind of you to say. Thank you, Link."

Zelda then paused as she realized that her heart had started beating a bit faster. She inwardly cursed as she reminded herself that she was supposed to cease this sort of behavior in front of the Hero. Suddenly resolving herself, Zelda returned to doing what she did best nowadays: suppressing her emotions. She let her smile fade into a blank frown as she turned her attention back to her bow. Now wasn't the time to blush. It wasn't the time to be smitten. She needed to stay strong.

"You know," Link continued with a confident smile, "I like to think that I'm a pretty good shot myself."

Zelda slowly nodded, refusing to look at him. "Is that so?" she asked, her voice now sounding a bit hollow.

Link blinked before glancing over at her again. He suddenly felt confused. It seemed like his compliments had been making a positive impact on the Princess, but now she seemed rather dejected again. What was going on? Why didn't his words leave a lasting effect?

There was a slight pause, but Link tried to continue. "Er, yeah. And I was just thinking, maybe it would be fun if the two of us had a contest."

"A contest?" Zelda repeated. Her voice sounded slightly interested, but she still refused to look at him.

"Yeah," Link said, trying to stay positive. "We can compete to find out which of us is the better archer. It could be a lot of fun."

Zelda was silent for a moment. She seemed to be considering his proposal. Eventually, she just gave a sigh and a halfhearted shrug. "Very well," she said flatly.

Link's encouraging smile immediately dissolved into a frown. This wasn't the reaction that he had expected from her at all. He thought that she might at least show a little interest. Surely, her usual self would have gladly jumped at the chance to prove her skill to him. But instead, his words had seemed to have no effect on her mood at all. If anything, she suddenly seemed even more somber and standoffish. Clearly, there was something seriously wrong, and Zelda was simply unable to move past it. And if that was the case, then Link felt like he couldn't just ignore it either.

With a small sigh, Link turned to face Zelda once more. He felt like it was time to truly get to the bottom of this. "Um…Zelda, is something wrong?" he asked softly.

Zelda immediately froze, aware of the Hero's concerned gaze falling on her. She frowned a bit, trying harder to focus on the elegant wood of her bow. "What do you mean?" she replied, attempting to sound innocent and unaware.

Link shook his head. "You seem…really out of sorts today. Like you're upset about something, or you're not feeling well."

"I do?" Zelda responded quietly, although she already knew the answer.

"Yeah. Every time you give a response, it sounds rather blunt and dismissive. It feels like you're trying to keep your distance. Even during our last conversation back on the balcony, there were numerous times where it felt like you were distracted by something else."

Zelda nodded a bit before eventually hanging her head in shame. She had been trying to suppress her emotions so that she wouldn't act nervous around the Hero, but it seemed like her efforts had resulted in the opposite effect. Now she appeared to be too upset and dejected, and Link had started to notice.

The Princess soon closed her eyes and began scolding herself. Zelda, you absolute fool! Your behavior is far too noticeable! You need to just pull yourself together and stop acting so sad all the time!

"I…I'm very sorry, Link," Zelda whispered, trying but ultimately failing to hide her grief.

Link just stared over at her, suddenly feeling more concerned than ever. "Oh, no, you don't have to apologize! I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything. I just wanted to know if…if everything is okay."

Zelda took a deep breath which ended in a sigh. Man, she had really done it now. This is exactly what she had been trying to avoid. She didn't want Link to get concerned over her wellbeing. It only made her feel guilty and conflicted. It wasn't like she blamed him for any of this. If anything, it was her own fault for allowing herself to get so torn up over a stupid crush. This was her problem to deal with, and she wasn't asking for anyone's pity or sympathy. Especially Link's.

Zelda soon raised her head and opened her eyes. She reminded herself that it was time to be strong. "Yes, everything is fine, Link. Admittedly, I've just been going through some personal affairs lately, and I'm afraid that it's affected my mood. My apologies if it's caused you any concern."

"Don't worry about me," Link said, shaking his head. "I just want to know that you're okay."

Zelda couldn't help but smile a bit. Link really was a kind and sweet man. "I appreciate that, Link, and I can assure you that I am okay. I've just…been a little sad lately, is all."

Link was silent for a moment, but he soon took a step closer to her. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Despite her best efforts, Zelda ended up blushing a little. Why did the Hero always have to be so nice to her!? "I…I don't know…" she stuttered.

"Is it your father?" Link asked.

"What?" Zelda replied, glancing at the Hero with a confused expression.

"Is your father still doing all right?"

"Oh," she mumbled, suddenly realizing what he was getting at. "Yes, he's doing fine. That's not what's been bothering me."

"Is it your duties as Princess?" Link continued. "I know that you're always busy. I imagine it's hard to stay on top of everything all the time."

"N-No," Zelda said, shaking her head. "It's nothing like that…"

"Then what is it?" Link asked, still speaking in a soft voice. "If it's something that I can help with, I would be happy to do so."

Zelda just sighed. How could she possibly tell him the truth? If Link knew the real reason for why the Princess was acting like this, he would undoubtedly blame himself. Zelda could only frown as she imagined his reaction. Link already seemed so worried about her; she couldn't stand the thought of throwing some guilt on top of him too. At that point, she would probably be overwhelmed by her own guilt. Surely, it was better to just continue keeping it to herself.

"It's hard to explain," Zelda eventually replied, trying to be vague. "It's just…not something that you would understand."

Link just stared at her in silence. Then, a moment later, a spark of realization lit up in his eyes. "Oh!" he exclaimed.

Zelda soon stared back, feeling a bit surprised at this sudden outburst. "What?"

"Is it your, um…your…" Link abruptly paused, before turning away and staring off into the courtyard beyond them. Suddenly, he looked like he wished that he hadn't said anything at all. He even forced his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Zelda just glanced at him with curious eyes. Why was he behaving so strangely all of a sudden? "My what?" she asked.

Link refused to look at her as his face suddenly turned a bit red. "Y-Your, um…you know…" he stuttered quietly.

Zelda just continued to stare at him, feeling completely lost and confused. However, she soon noticed that Link had glanced just ever so slightly at her body. A few seconds later, Zelda's face also started to turn a shade of red as she managed to put together what he was trying to say.

"My time of the month?" Zelda asked, feeling completely embarrassed as well as a little offended.

Link just gave the smallest, shortest, tiniest of nods in response to her. His face soon turned even more red as he focused his gaze dead ahead. He couldn't possibly bring himself to look at her.

Zelda also looked away, her face steaming from the overwhelming heat of her embarrassment. How could Link have possibly asked her that!? Well, he hadn't really asked, but to even suggest such a thing! It was almost the pinnacle of insulting!

"No, it's not," Zelda eventually replied, sounding both blunt and harsh.

Once again, Link just gave an incredibly tiny nod. "Um…R-Right…I don't really know what I'm talking about, so, uh…s-sorry about that…"

Zelda closed her eyes, desperately trying to keep herself calm and cool. "How about we just drop this subject and move on?"

"Y-Yeah," Link agreed weakly. "That would probably be best…"

An uncomfortable silence soon settled over them. Zelda remained still and kept her eyes forced shut. Meanwhile, Link had fully turned his attention to his bow, still trying a little too hard to avoid looking at the Princess.

Zelda soon shook her head. Link was honestly lucky that Zelda knew his true character. If any other man had dared to ask her that question, she would have likely slapped him across the face. But fortunately for Link, Zelda knew him well enough to know that his suggestion had just been a stupid mistake born out of his concern for her. It was an incredibly insulting mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. She didn't plan to hold it against him, but she had to admit, it was hard to simply forget such a thing. Still, she was going to do everything in her power to try.

"So, tell me more about this archery contest," she said, hoping to move on and save them both from this embarrassing situation. "How exactly will we be competing? What are the rules?"

Link dared to glance over at her. "You still want to practice with me after all of that?" he asked quietly.

"Would you rather we just continue to stand here in silence?" Zelda shot back.

"No…" he admitted.

"Then please explain the terms of the contest."

Link just stared at her for a second. He then sighed and tried to stand up straight again. He knew that she was right. The damage had already been inflicted, and there was nothing that could be done about it now. He figured that it was better to just leave the past in the past and move on, even if it might be difficult to do so.

Before long, he managed to find his voice. "Well…I was just thinking of a simple game that the kids like to play back in Ordon with their slingshot. Basically, you choose a target, and then we both shoot for it. Whoever gets closer to the center gets a point. If you hit a bullseye, you get three points. We'll go until we run out of arrows, and whoever has the highest total at the end wins."

"Sounds simple enough," Zelda said with a nod.

"But…we really don't have to do it if you don't want to," Link insisted, still looking a little guilty. "I feel like all I've done today is just make your morning go from bad to worse."

Zelda pursed her lips together and stared at the Hero for a moment. For the first time since coming to the archery range, the Princess allowed the control that she held over her emotions to loosen a bit. As she did, she could start to feel a pang of sympathy welling up within her chest. She wasn't sure why, but just seeing Link look so ashamed and downtrodden had actually managed to make her feel a bit better in return. It wasn't because she enjoyed seeing him like this though. If anything, it was the exact opposite. Seeing Link look so hopeless and depressed actually made her want to pull herself together and try to cheer him up in return. At the very least, she definitely didn't want the Hero to feel as badly as she always did.

Shaking her head, Zelda soon produced a small smile. "No, let's do it," she insisted. "I'm sure it will be fun."

Link gave her a doubtful look. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," she told him, still trying to smile. "If my morning is already as bad as you claim, then I'm sure that it can't get much worse. I might as well try to salvage what I can. Besides, it should all be uphill from here, right?"

Link just stared at the Princess, feeling a bit surprised at her sudden optimism. She certainly didn't seem like she was in a bad mood anymore. Or if she was, she was at least trying her best to move past it. For the sake of not dragging her back down, Link decided to smile back. "Um, right," he agreed.

Zelda soon fetched her quiver and slung it over her shoulder. She then drew an arrow from within. Once she had them both in hand, Zelda allowed her emotions to loosen a bit more. "Now, let's find out which of us is the better archer. I must admit, I'm quite curious to see the results."

"You're on," Link said, reaching for his own quiver. "I must warn you though, I meant what I said earlier. I really do think of myself as an impressive shot."

Zelda raised her eyebrows a bit, looking amused. "Well then, I suppose I'll have to put those skills to the test. I'd hate to find out that our Kingdom's Hero is as terrible a shot as he is a conversationalist."

"Ouch, low blow," Link replied as he smiled and shook his head. It was nice to see the Princess suddenly becoming playful with him again. Maybe her mood really was starting to brighten.

Zelda smiled back before gesturing out towards the shooting range. "So, what's our first target?"

"How about ladies' choice?" Link offered.

"You sure?" Zelda teased. "You might come to regret that."

"I'm sure I can manage," he assured her.

Zelda shrugged before pointing out into the field. "That second target near the shrub, back and to the right."

Link nodded. "Go ahead."

Zelda soon raised her bow, and properly knocked her arrow. She focused her aim on the target ahead of her as she slowly drew the arrow back. She then paused for a moment and smiled. For the first time since encountering Link that morning, Zelda actually felt like she was calm and at peace. All of her earlier turmoil: her sadness, her nerves, and her frustration, seemed to have slowly evaporated away as she grasped the bow and arrow in her hands. And for the first time in days, it felt good to just be in Link's presence again.

Feeling confident, Zelda released the arrow, and it zipped through the air for half a second before reaching its target.

Thunk! The arrow had struck dead center.

"Wow," Link whispered, his eyes going wide.

"Your turn, Hero," Zelda coaxed him, all while flashing a small yet smug grin. She just couldn't help herself. She was truly looking forward to this.

I wondered if I went too far by including that "time of the month" comment, but I felt like it was funny and helps add to the lighthearted vibe of this story. Plus, for some reason, it seems like I just tend to enjoy putting Link in situations where he embarrasses himself lol.

Anyway, I'd like to take a moment to talk about how I originally came up with the idea for this story. A while back, I was in the middle of replaying Skyward Sword (of all games lol) when I started thinking about which characters the Zelda fanbase generally tends to ship together. Stuff like how popular Link and Zelda are, how popular Link and Malon are, etc, etc…

When it comes to Twilight Princess, I've personally always loved the thought of Link and Zelda ending up together (I honestly support the idea of these two ending up together in pretty much every Zelda game lol). However, it seems that many people believe that Ilia is a better match for him, considering that they are childhood friends and all. I'm not sure if this is the general consensus across the entire Zelda community, but at the very least, I see that Link and Ilia tend to get a lot more support than Link and Zelda.

Because of this, I started wondering what a story that touches upon this situation would be like. What would happen if Zelda developed feelings for Link, but he ended up with Ilia instead? How would Zelda react, knowing that Link was with someone else? How would she feel about it all? Would she be able to move on, or would she still long to be with the Hero?

The next thing I knew, the ideas for this story just started flooding into my head. Tons of scenarios and moments that just naturally played out because of this simple premise. To me, that's generally a sign that a story needs to be written. When you have so many ideas, that you feel like you need to start writing them down and organizing them.

And now, here we are, 19 chapters into this wonderful little idea of mine. We've still got a long road ahead of us, but I hope that I can continue to craft a story that you find both interesting and enjoyable.

As always, thank you for your support, and I'll see you all next time.