A/N: For everyone reading this update, be sure to read from #20, #21 and #22 in case you haven't. It seems I've forgotten to update from #19 so there will be 3-4 updates coming out in one go.

The first to wake up at the crack of dawn was Link, if you could say he slept at all.

Maybe it was the aches from sleeping, maybe it was force of habit, but nonetheless, he relieved Impa from her nightwatch so she could get a few hours of sleep before they left.

He stretched, trying to get most of the stiffness out of his limbs. He was mostly successful until it came to the kink in his neck, but that wasn't the only thing that bothered him.

Every few minutes, he would crane his neck in order to see the mark, failing every time. He knew it was there, he could feel the rough texture of his skin healing from the mark, proving its recent appearance.

How did I get marked without realising it? When the light of morning finally peaked the horizon, Link took to grabbing one of his many knives to use as a makeshift mirror.

There it is. He angled his neck and took sight of the small faint punctures. They weren't hard to find, a small pull on the skin and he could see it as clear as day. There was no mistaking that for a hickey.

Does Zelda even know? He doubted it, there was no way she had done so purposefully. She barely knew a thing about her own designation, save for the books she had picked up from the library two weeks before. No way she knows how to initiate a bond. That he was certain of.

But what to do about it, he had no clue.

He was due for hand-to-hand training tomorrow, and, if they reached the castle soon enough, melee training this evening with some of the recruits.

And both, for reasons outside of his control, required dressing down to pants and nothing else.

Captain Reinhartd was going to see the fresh marks and know. That he wasn't too worried about, the captain was also bonded, albeit a bit differently from the typical bond, but he knew enough.

But the recruits and the maids, oh the maids. They would gossip about the lucky woman, and some would undoubtedly know immediately who that person was. The recruits would ask around the barracks, maybe be brave enough to ask his colleagues, but he doubted they would piece together his and the Princess' week together. They would make jokes, and he hoped they would stay jokes—Hylia only knew what would become of him if they didn't. But one thing was certain, there would be talk about him and he wanted none of the eventual attention that awaited him.

Then there was the matter of the King.

That made Link want to jump back into Tanagar Canyon without his glider.

What was he going to tell the King if he ever got word?

I can't just say "good morning sir, I fucked your daughter and now we're bonded, nice day isnt it?" How do you drop this news nicely?

Maybe he wouldn't do it so crudely; he didn't want to spend life in prison.

I should figure out how to tell Zelda first… should I just tell her she bonded with me? No, she'll go into full panic mode and she's got enough on her plate as is. Maybe sit down with her at the castle? That might be difficult, don't want gossip either…

He wondered if he'd be able to break it without her knowing, but on the inside, he knew that was way easier said than done.

"A bond is built on love and intimacy, you share it with someone special." His father and mother's words rang through his head. No, to break that would be hurting Zelda and himself in the process, and there was no knowing if it could legitimately break or not.

He knew of people who had easily broken their bonds and he knew of some who had attempted and failed. Those who had failed had come out with clear pain and emotional damage and even he saw it was a difficult decision to undertake, especially on his own.

If it's built on love and intimacy, it would make sense the opposite would break it. He thought of the ways to break it that he was already aware of.

Forced separation was the most common one, but that required weeks, perhaps even months of no contact. That was the least feasible option, seeing as his job was to stand next to Zelda from morning till night.

The other was replacing the bond with another, something Link didn't even want to think about. That method was known to him as a revenge tactic. It could cause physical pain to the one who initiated the bond.

Built on love and intimacy… He smiled at the thought, despite his numerous worries. It wasn't a bad thing, far from it. He loved the thought that he and Zelda shared something so private, something very special, but his main worry was if Zelda had done so by accident or on purpose.

If it was accidental, then he needed to have a talk with the princess regarding how she had managed to do this by accident. He knew her education regarding the matter was very poor. This was the case regarding most of the nobility's ladies; completely in the dark regarding matters of sex and what they called marital acts.

He'd heard the horror stories of some of the guards having to teach their wives about what was expected on the night of their wedding and he had been baffled at first. He himself had learned about sex before he'd even had the chance to hit puberty, and so had his sister, but he knew most parents didn't dare have that talk with their children.

Then, by the time he had presented, his father had sat him down almost immediately to warn him about bonding, and his mother had done the same to Aryll when she presented.

Now that subject, Link needed to know if Zelda had been told anything about it. He hoped it wasn't the case, he sincerely hoped she had the foresight to look up the subject herself in the library. He knew not to get his hopes up too high, knowing they didn't have the most descriptive of books on the matter of sex.

But, if it was on purpose, he was overjoyed. Sure, talking to him first would have been nice, but he was happy nonetheless. Sharing such a connection with his princess: he didn't have a single complaint about it. It was an honour beyond honours. Nothing could make him happier.

He didn't realise he'd been fingering the mark until Zelda emerged from the tent, curiosity in her eyes. "What's got you smiling like an idiot?"

Was he smiling?

"Was just thinking about something nice, that's all."

"Oh? Care to share?"

Link wasn't sure if he wanted to share or not, but now was better than never, he supposed. She was asking, and he had just been worrying about how to tell her. He wasn't sure the opportunity would present itself so nicely again.

Well here goes nothing. He scratched the back of his neck anxiously. He could feel his nerves coming back. The desire to lie and say it was nothing was starting to reappear and he tried his best to push it down. Just say it. Ask her, you have nothing to lose. Well, that was a lie, he thought glumly.

He could lose Zelda.

"Link?" The princess took a seat beside him, facing the dying fire he had neglected with his inner thought.

Just say it. Go on. Or would you rather lose her because you can't talk to her at all? That last thought seemed to do the trick, Link cursing the betraying little thought for voicing nothing but the truth.

"What do you know…about bonds…?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes unable to look at hers.

"Bonds?" He felt her shift beside him. "They're an interesting concept, there aren't too many books about it in the Royal Library."

So she knows almost nothing about them. Link felt his hope dwindling down the drain slowly.

"Everything I know about it comes from Purah and Cherry," she continued, her voice trailing off as she paused to think.

Hope sparked back. Those were good sources of knowledge. If he knew anything about them, it was that Purah would have likely gone on for hours about it and Cherry would have added simpler more personalised details to the discussion, seeing as she was the only of the two to actually have a bond. And since they were her trusted friends and fellow researchers, Zelda would have listened to every single word.

"I think it's a lovely idea and it has its perks, but I hear it's a pretty big step in a relationship, no?"

Why did he start this conversation? He could feel it going downhill faster than Daruk coming down the mountain.

"It is," Link mumbled. Big is an understatement… He felt himself turning red at the thought of how big of a step it was in a relationship. He knew of some people who viewed completed bonds as more important than marriage, and here he was trying to gauge how Zelda was going to react to such news.

"Why are you asking?"

"I wanted to know your views on it, that's all." He forced a smile. No doubt Zelda is seeing right through this.

"I think it's a lovely idea, sensing how your partner feels, sharing such a close connection," she gushed excitedly. "Of course, I would only do so with someone I trust implicitly, I can't just do that with anyone!"

Link's head shot up, and faced Zelda, surprise in his eyes.

"Link?"

"There's something really important I have to tell you," he said, rushed. "Do you remember during our cycle together?" She nodded. "Um… I don't know how to say this…"

"Take your time," she sat and smiled, listening and watching him patiently.

Stop being cute, dammit! He felt flustered, why did she have to do this to him?

"I think…we maybe…sort of… potentially… probably—"

"If you cite every synonym of the word 'maybe', I'm going to smack the nerves out of you."

Please do, Link silently pleaded that she actually smack him just to knock his senses back in place but alas, his wish was not granted.

Instead, Zelda laughed and returned her attention to Link. "You were saying?"

He felt most of his worries melt away slowly and thanked the goddesses above for giving him back just a bit of his confidence.

"The reason I asked about that was because I think…we may have bonded?"

He didn't dare look at the Princess. Goddesses, he couldn't fathom the reaction she might have after those words slipped out of his mouth.

He worried about the silence that followed. Zelda didn't look at him or glance his way. She simply stared into the fire, lost in thought. Would she be happy? Would she be angry? Was she worried? Would she tell her father or the council? He couldn't tell.

Moments passed in silence, and with every bird chirp and blow of the wind, he felt the butterflies in his stomach grow exponentially to the point he was starting to feel a bit nauseous.

I should have just let it be. It would have broken on its own and I wouldn't be in this mess. Just as he was about to stand to grab fire wood, Zelda's hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, keeping him grounded to the log he sat on

"Zelda?"

She continued to sit quietly, pondering what she'd been told.

He relented and stayed seated, instead feeding the fire from where he was with the small kindling he had on hand.

"Is it both ways?" Her voice was quiet.

"Both ways?"

She nodded. "Both ways. Did we claim each other?"

"N-no. It was just me," Link brushed his hair aside and turned his whole body to show Zelda the Mark she had left. Her eyes wandered to the small red marks, staying there. "I don't think I claimed you." He tried his best to keep himself steady, the more he spoke and thought about what might be going through Zelda's head, the more he could feel his stomach unsettling.

I've done it again. I've taken away his choice. He could have been with anyone and I made that choice for him.

"I've given it some thought, and…" Zelda swallowed, trying to force the words out she knew she had to give. It was so much harder than she'd expected, especially after they'd agreed to become lovers. She knew her words were going to cut. "I've decided we should break the bond." She would have said Link looked like he'd been punched, but no blow she'd seen had ever made him seem so winded and stunned before.

"Pr- Zelda, why- did I do something wrong?" It broke her heart to hear the pain in his voice. The automatic assumption that it was his fault. His failure. Why did he have to be so perfect?

"You've done nothing but be the perfect guard, the ideal companion, a superb mate, and even- even my best friend," Zelda admitted, taking his hands to try and reassure him. "I- I simply can't allow myself to be selfish. To keep you to myself. I'll be married off to some noble soon enough, someone to produce another Princess who can save the world when I fail. I can't chain you to me, unable to pursue all your goals, love of your own. I can't keep from all the things you want in life."

She met his eyes, seeing her own tears matched by his.

"Please, understand this is because I l-" She caught herself, swallowing down the words she was about to speak."-because I want to make you happy." For a long moment, the two of them stared at one another.

Then Link pulled his hands free from hers, his gaze dropping to his boots.

"As you wish."

Zelda felt her tears surge once more, only for them to be met by calloused, familiar hands.

"Zelda," Link said, tearing at her heart with just her name between his lips and across his tongue. "If you really think we should, I'll let you. But you need to know— you have to have all the facts. Scientists need them to make the correct deductions, right?"

Zelda nodded, her own hands pressing his closer to her cheeks, wishing she didn't have to make him leave.

"Zel, you make me happy," he insisted. "Just being your knight is enough for me, but being your friend puts me over the moon. And if you really think we need to break this bond for me to find love- Zelda, you are all the things I want." Her heart did a giddy flurry in her chest, constricting her voice as he continued. "I live for your smile, it hurts when you cry, and when you laugh... I feel like I'm flying. I die a little bit whenever you hang your head after your father puts you down. I'm the luckiest man alive when you curl up next to me to tell me about some discovery I can't understand, but you're just excited to share with me."

Link held her face another moment, before pulling back and taking her hands between his.

"What if… what if these feelings are not your own?" He didn't speak as she continued. "What if the bond simply created them-"

"You'd be wrong with that assumption." Zelda's heart stopped, and she felt one of her most desperate prayers spiral around her thoughts, loud and bright as a morning trumpet. "A bond cannot create new emotions that weren't already there. Amplify in some cases, but never create." He paused to look in her eyes. "If I had any doubts that I didn't want this, you'd have known very quickly." She couldn't tear her eyes away from his smile, so genuine, so sweet, so... Loving.

"What do you think we should do?"

"If you still want to break it, I won't stop you, but know that my feelings are my own and if you ever need confirmation of that, ask any of the Royal Guard captains." She smiled at the little blush that appeared on his cheeks. "Goddess knows I've talked about you too much."

She felt the hefty weight come off her shoulders. His feelings were his own, and he didn't see the bond as a shackle she'd forcibly placed on him. He was happy to be bonded with her. He was happy to be hers.

"So how would we complete the bond if we were to keep it?" She didn't quite understand the high-pitched noise that came out of Link right before he turned scarlet and started stumbling over his words. "Let me think about what we'll do about this later?" He nodded without a second thought.

Oh well.

"Breathe out, Your Highness," The seamstress ordered before pulling on the strings.

"Yes, ma'am" The words came out terribly squeaked as Zelda grit her teeth. "Why must you tight-lace me this morning?" She turned to the older woman, pleading with her eyes. "We never lace me like this..."

"His Majesty has requested you look your best, Princess, and that I shall do." Zelda was roughly jerked back, causing her to grab the wall in front of her to keep herself steady. "If you had arrived earlier, we would not be in such a rush, Your Highness."

"Right, I'll be sure to pass that along to my knight then." They'd ridden from the campsite all the way back to the castle in record time. Zelda got a glimpse of the shrines she wanted to take a peak at later, but they had rode on as if it was nothing.

My best? Zelda internally scoffed as she felt the laces be pulled mercilessly. "Does father think me unkept?" Of course her father would think anything less than the model Lady of Court was unkept, not that he ever took care of himself, Zelda mused.

"His Majesty has simply stated not to leave space for anything."

"Anything included air, I'm sure."

The seamstress responded by pulling once tighter, pulling a loud gasp out of Zelda's lungs. Maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut. This must be a punishment for something, I'm sure of it.

When she first stepped out of her bedroom, she was greeted by Link whose eyes were wide with admiration for the dress she wore. "Wow, you look-"

"Ridiculous." Zelda walked past him without as much as a smile or a glance his way.

"Did I do something? You seem mad-"

"You did nothing, someone else did." She didn't dare look back at him as his paces rushed to catch hers. She could imagine the confusion on his face as she zoomed down the halls at a surprising speed, considering the heels she wore beneath her dress.

Anger fueled her the moment she stepped into the castle, but she wasn't sure which part was worse: the dozens of hairpins holding her hair atop her head, or the pain in her sides. Sure it had dulled itself over the last thirty minutes, but it was a reminder of the court and her father and she hated it.

"Oh and do call for Miss Amina, I'll be requiring her assistance after lunch."

"Of course."

"Father, would you like to explain why I am dressed as a doll today?" Zelda asked. She wanted to raise her voice, raise it loud enough for every maid, every soldier, every guard in the castle to hear. She wanted Link to hear the entire conversation even if he had taken guard right outside the door. "And to simply bypass my midday prayers, surely there is a good reason you've yet to tell me?"

"Perhaps you should calm down, lest you rile yourself up too much for the day."

"Rile myself too much, father? I can't even sit down for tea without pain."

"Then perhaps do not sit down? It seems like a solution to your problems, is it not, dearest?"

Dearest. To hell with that name. Zelda seethed. That nickname made her nauseous when it came from her father, it reeked of disgust. "Tell me why I've been tight-laced into a dress for the first time in four years? Have you suddenly decided to parade me around?" To hell with the formalities, Zelda was too mad to really show her father respect at that moment. The dull ache of her ribs was bothering her more and more and she just wanted to go find Amina to loosen the strings as soon as possible. Maybe I'll just ask Link instead.

Her father barely looked at her, opting to look at the paper in front of his face instead. Was the newspaper more important than her? Is the cup of coffee more important?

"You will in some way, so I hope you will watch the way you speak to our guests later." He didn't bother to lower the paper even to glimpse at her, no the words must've been so very important.

"In what way? What guests do we have today?"

"Lord Bram's son and Lady Litha's son will be here to meet you later today, then your cousin Lady Deilia will be here for tea afterwards.."

Zelda was taken aback. Why was her social calendar so full already? Had she known earlier about these meetings, she would have arrived at the castle sooner.

"Lord Bram and Lady Litha? They never come to the castle, why have they chosen now to come?"

"I invited them, Zelda. It is time to find you a husband." He finally set the paper down, only to rub his forehead with the hand that had previously been occupied. He still refused to look at her. "I have let you have your fun for long enough, but now we must get down to business. You're nearly twenty two and still unmarried, you're not courting a gentleman nor have you shown interest in even a-a lady." Zelda crossed her arms, listening to her father speak. "Now that you have finally presented and have… composed yourself, we must secure the line before tragedy has time to strike."

To hell with this bloodline. She felt her hate for the pantheon grow with every day her father spoke of her holy bloodline. She wanted to run, to do anything else. She didn't know where to look. Outside? Her father? The door behind her? The papers? No, she didn't know what to do.

"It's time you've taken the matters of the kingdom at hand. Your subjects depend on-"

"How does Hyrule depend on my marriage, father? Please explain this." Zelda's hands came to rest on her hips as her father finally looked at her. "Unless you've arranged for a prince or a king of sorts to sweep me off my feet, the kingdom does not depend on it, father." Not like any of them could manage.

She glimpsed at the door behind her, wishing something could happen, anything, but alas, her wishes were ignored much like her prayers.

"Lord Bram and his son will be expecting you within the next hour, so go get ready for tea in the garden. It would please me if you did not cause too much of a fuss, Zelda."

There was no way she would ever entertain the thought of marriage to these men.

"Word has gone round regarding your relations, Princess." Duchess Deilia, otherwise known as Zelda's paternal cousin, said to her in the garden patio.

A sweet girl, brunette with grey eyes like the king's. Fair, more muscular in build than the average court lady. Zelda quite liked her company, though it was rare she saw her cousin, who resided in the deep humid lands of Faron.

"And what do they say?" Zelda sipped her tea as the duchess leaned over the table, ready to tell many tales.

There was a spark in her eyes, a glimmer of excitement. "Oh they say many things, they speak of handsome alphas that come to see you. And that you've dismissed the entire lot of them."

Zelda kept her expression clean of anything that might give her away. "Unbelievable, really. I've only started meeting suitors three hours ago. I haven't even been home often since I presented."

"A shame then," The duchess said dramatically. "I was hoping for some truth in the matter, court gossip is becoming rather dull the last few years."

The last interesting piece of gossip Zelda remembered was from one of the balls last year where the Duke of Hebra had been discovered alone with a Countess, a matter that had shocked everyone when a Lady had recounted seeing the pink love bites on the neck of the countess. Nothing else was noteworthy. The maids' gossip is so much more entertaining. She caught Link's eye from afar where he stood guard.

Rather than be at her side during her tea, her ladies typically kicked him as far as they could without breaking protocol, so now he stood under a tree a few paces away as to not eavesdrop on conversations but close enough that if Zelda wished, he would be at her side in an instant.

"Well, perhaps you can satiate your need for gossip at our next ball, it's coming up in a few weeks. You will be attending, yes?"

"Is it even a question?" Both ladies shared a polite laugh before sipping their tea. "I've almost forgotten, I wanted to congratulate you on your presentation, dearest cousin."

"Thank you, Deilia. I've yet to completely adapt to the new changes," she pointed to her nose briefly with a smile, "but my personal knight has been assisting me with the biggest of burdens."

It was the truth. Zelda still had a difficult time adapting herself to all the new smells in the air. So many things were new and Link had taught her a trick or two to ground herself when it became too much. The many scents around the palace, from the people to the furniture and the foods, gave her headaches from time to time.

"Speaking of your personal knight," she lowered her voice, "he is still unclaimed, yes?"

He's claimed by me, back off. She forced a smile on her cover her slowly souring mood. "It seems the lucky one has yet to nab him. You are free to attempt it, but I must warn you, I think he may be into men."

The typical frown adorned her cousin's face, a fake clearly, as she learned the news.

If it works, it works, my apologies Link. She glanced over at Link, whose eyes were closed, lip was bit and his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. At least he didn't take it badly.

"Perhaps my charms may sway him to the other team?" Zelda watched her cousin adjust the front of her dress to show just a bit more of her breasts. "What do you think?"

"Best of luck, I suppose." Zelda shrugged, knowing there would be no way to dissuade her cousin from trying to woo her knight. She knew it was for naught, but there was simply no way she could tell her why she shouldn't. "It seems you've got quite the competition."

"Any wise words of advice? You are his closest friend, as far as I know," Zelda saw the pleading in her cousin's eyes. None of it screamed devious or mischievous. It was innocent.

"He likes the smart ones." She plainly said.

Her cousin sat back in her chair and looked back at Link with thought. "He didn't strike me as the type to like the bookish ones."

"I thought the same, cousin. I thought for sure he would go for the pretty ones,"

"Where do you even find the pretty bookish types? It doesn't seem like he'd have too much luck in that department..." Zelda hid her frown behind her cup.

"Well, there are certainly a few around the castle, so he's got his pick of the litter, I suppose." Zelda wanted to change the subject. She didn't enjoy talking about Link's love life as if she wasn't part of it.

"This has been a terrible day! How dare my father just invite random men to meet me without warning me!" Zelda ranted. "They were god-awful during the hour or so we talked."

"What was the worst thing they said?" Link ran his fingers through her hair, trying his best to sooth the angered woman.

It was well past nightfall with the night rotation of guards having already taken place. After being dragged into the Princess' room unceremoniously for a venting session, he'd taken Zelda and laid her head in his lap while she ranted and took out her frustrations.

"Lord Bram's son had the audacity to tell me women who read books all day were confused souls,"

Yikes…

"And Lady Litha's son tried to explain botany to me and why it was a boring hobby to be interested in." Zelda didn't miss the way Link's nose wrinkled at the words. "It's as if they think bashing someone's interests is a fantastic way to get someone to like them. Lord Bram even tried to justify his son's ideals about books by saying it gave way to women to rebel and therefore, should be banned. Banned."

Link had to move his head out of the way from the Princess' hands being thrown in every direction.

"I'll buy you all the books you could ever want."

"That's sweet Link, but I have the entire Royal Library to get through-"

"But does it have every book?"

Zelda stared back at Link, stars in her eyes with a smile creeping on her lips. "I suppose it doesn't. Perhaps you'll have to rectify that issue."

"It would be an honour."