To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 12 – Accusations

The members of the Roundtable continued to slowly filter out of the room after the meeting was adjourned. Bo and Renado had left to go catch up with each other. Ashei and Auru had stuck around, seeming to be engaged in their own conversation. Link was standing by the door, talking with Ralis.

Meanwhile, Zelda had just finished making her way around the room, taking a few seconds to personally thank everyone for coming. She wanted to make sure that they knew that their presence here was appreciated. Without their support, nothing would have been accomplished today.

Minister Enzo soon walked up to the Princess with a proud smile. "I'd say this meeting was a rousing success, Your Highness."

Zelda smiled back. "I agree. I think it went quite well."

"It was truly wonderful to see everyone come together like this. I suppose we'll have to get started right away on planning the next meeting. I know it is still a month away, but the sooner we can get things ironed out, the better."

"Of course," Zelda agreed. "Let me know if you need anything. I will gladly lend my assistance."

"You have my thanks, Princess," Enzo replied with a bow. "Now, I must be off. I need to track down Minister Fost so we can get these preparations underway."

"Try the infirmary. Or, just follow the sound of him shouting," Zelda said with a laugh.

Enzo laughed too. "Yes, of course. I shall do just that. Good day, Princess."

"Good day," she replied with a final smile. She had always liked Enzo. He reminded her of what a friendly uncle might be like.

Zelda soon watched him make his way to the exit, following Link and Ralis as they also took their leave. Zelda then sighed a bit, before glancing down. This meeting had been productive, but she couldn't deny it had taken a lot out of her. She silently prayed that these meetings would become easier to organize over time.

As she glanced down, Zelda suddenly spotted a stack of papers that had been left on the table next to her. She curiously stared at them before she began flipping through, wondering what they were. She soon recognized Fost's handwriting, and realized that he had been taking notes during the meeting. It appeared that the short Minister was as diligent as ever.

However, it seemed that he had completely forgotten about his notes, having ran out of the room in a hurry to chase Darbus down. Zelda just shook her head. His constant worrying tended to cause more trouble than it was worth.

With a sigh, Zelda slowly gathered up the papers into her arms, and properly placed the quill and ink away on a nearby desk. She would just deliver these notes to Fost later in the day. The Princess then smirked a bit. Maybe she could even use this as an opportunity to lecture Fost for once. Reprimand him for being so forgetful and hasty. It might be nice to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Zelda bid farewell to Ashei and Auru before stepping out into the hall. She took a few steps towards the nearest corner when a nearby conversation suddenly caught her attention. Zelda slowed down a bit as her ears perked up. She quickly picked up the voice of Enzo.

"That sounds lovely, Prince Ralis. I'll have to look into that sometime."

The voice of the younger Zora soon spoke up. "Thank you, Minister."

"And how about you, Sir Link? How have you been faring recently?"

"Just 'Link' is fine," came the unsteady voice of the Hero. "And I've been doing well."

"That is good to hear. It's nice to have you back at the castle for a bit. I've heard many of the citizens speaking eagerly of your return."

"Oh, is that so?"

"You must be quite popular around here, Link," Ralis replied cheerfully.

Zelda hesitated for a bit, but she then clutched Fost's notes close to her chest as she took a few more steps and peered around the corner. There, she spotted Link nervously rubbing his neck as he conversed with the other two. She wasn't about to intrude on their conversation, but she was curious to hear what they were going to say.

"I don't care for all the popularity," Link admitted. "I kind of like it when things are quiet, actually."

Enzo just laughed. "I understand, Link, but surely a little attention isn't a bad thing?" He then leaned in a bit closer to the Hero. "You know, being a Hero means that you are free to court whomever you please, and there are many lovely women here at the castle."

Link just leaned away a bit. "Er…Yeah, I've actually met quite a few of them."

"Oh? And did anyone catch your fancy?"

Link hesitated. "Um…not really."

Enzo just laughed some more, and then placed a friendly arm around his shoulder, as if they were close buddies. "You know, I would be more than happy to introduce you to my own daughter. She is around your age, and she could really use a handsome knight like yourself to keep her company."

Link just gave a nervous laugh. "Um, that's awfully generous, Enzo, but I'll have to think about it…"

Ralis smiled. "No need to be shy, Link. I'm sure any woman would consider herself lucky to be with you."

Link gave some sort of uncertain response, but Zelda didn't hear it. She was far too distracted by her own heartbeat which was currently drumming away inside of her chest. And not only that, but it seems that her cheeks had started to redden as well. She held the papers closer to her chest, hoping to quell the sudden chaos that had awoken within her.

Zelda couldn't help but wonder what had suddenly brought all of this on. This had already happened for the second time today, and for no clear reason. All she had been doing was listening in on a conversation. Why had such a thing caused her to suddenly feel so anxious? She tried to think back to what had been said. She distinctly recalled flinching a bit when Enzo had mentioned that the Hero was free to court the ladies of the castle. From there, the Princess's composure had slowly dissolved until she reached her current state. It seemed that the question from earlier still remained: what exactly was going on with her?

"What in the world are you blushin' for?"

Zelda nearly gasped as she jumped in place, quickly turning to find Ashei beside her. "A-Ashei!" she exclaimed. "Wh-What are you–" her voice trailed off. She then paused, trying to calm down. She lowered the papers so she could place a hand directly over her heart. She then took a deep breath. "Goodness, don't sneak up on me like that."

Ashei just gave her a weird look. "Sneak up on you? I'm not sneaking at all. You're the one who's peeking around corners, yeah?"

"I…I was just…" Zelda tried to think of an excuse. She didn't want Ashei to know what she had actually been doing. "I was looking for Fost. He left his notes behind."

"Didn't he run off to the infirmary with Darbus?" the female Knight asked skeptically. "He shouldn't be around here."

"W-Well…"

Ashei just shook her head and soon pushed past Zelda. "What were you looking at, anyway?"

Zelda shot up in alarm. "Um, it's n-nothing!" She tried to keep Ashei from glancing around the corner, but it was too late. The Knight managed to get a full view of the three men conversing with each other, now having walked further down the hall.

Ashei just spent a few seconds staring at them, all the while looking confused. "I don't get it. You were spying on them?"

"A-Absolutely not," Zelda stated, although her voice sounded far from confident.

Ashei just rolled her eyes. "Don't lie, Zelda. It's painfully obvious you were watching them…And what's wrong with you? You look so flustered."

The Knight just scanned her up and down, which caused the Princess to feel even more defensive, as well as nervous. "I am not."

"Yes, you are," Ashei said with a smirk. "Why, your cheeks are as red as my leggings."

Despite her best efforts to combat this, Zelda felt her cheeks grow hotter. She had never expected that anyone might catch her while she was listening in on the men's conversation, or that she would have to explain herself while feeling so distressed. Still, she tried to feign ignorance. "I…I do not know what you are talking about."

"Oh please, it's almost as if you…as if you…" Ashei paused, her voice trailing off. Her eyes soon darted back towards the men down the hall before they widened in surprise. "Oh…Oh my…" was all she said.

Fortunately, this reaction gave Zelda a second to compose herself. She took a deep breath, trying to cool her face and get her heart to relax for a bit. It helped that the Knight's current expression left her feeling more confused rather than nervous.

"What is it?" Zelda eventually asked, looking at Ashei with curious eyes.

"I just…I never would have thought…" Ashei said, her face still full of surprise.

"What?" Zelda demanded.

"You…" Ashei said slowly, before turning back to face the Princess. Her lips soon curved into a smile. "You have your eye on someone, don't you?"

Zelda raised her eyebrows at this. "What are you talking about?"

"The men," Ashei said, gesturing down the hallway. "You have your eye on one of them, yeah? And that's what's caused you, the typically calm and composed Princess, to suddenly become so unsettled."

Zelda just blinked. Once again, she wondered what Ashei was talking about. Surely she was jumping to some reckless conclusions? "Um…"

"And I can only guess as to who," Ashei continued, her smirk growing into a grin. "Ralis is a bit too young for you, yeah? Not to mention he's a Zora. And Enzo is certainly too old, in addition to already being married. So that leaves one young Hero clad in green to have stolen your heart."

Zelda just gawked at this. Stolen her heart!?

As smug as ever, Ashei soon leaned in, and whispered into the Princess's ear. "You fancy him, don't you?"

"A-Ashei!" Zelda exclaimed, startled at her sudden accusation. "D-Don't be ridiculous! You clearly don't know what you are talking about, a-and you have started jumping to some absurd conclusions!"

Ashei just stared at the Princess with a nonchalant expression. "Oh, the blush is back."

She was right. Zelda could feel the heat rising in her cheeks once again, but she ignored it. It was clearly a result of having such a startling accusation placed upon her, and nothing more. "You…you think that I…have feelings for Link?"

"Don't you?" Ashei replied, raising her eyebrows a bit.

"Of course not!" Zelda insisted. She then frowned a little. "Well, I mean, he is a trusted friend of mine, and I do appreciate him and everything he has done for both me and my Kingdom, but I…I would never think of him in such a…such a…" Zelda paused, struggling to come up with an accurate word. "...inappropriate way!"

"Inappropriate?" Ashei repeated with a laugh. "Who said anything about being inappropriate? I was just saying that you might have a romantic interest in the guy. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Unless I missed the part where being a Princess means you've sworn off romance forever."

Okay, now the Knight was just teasing Zelda. "N-No, that's not it. I'm just saying that I don't view Link in such a way."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I know the feelings of my own heart, Ashei."

This statement just caused the Knight to burst out laughing. "Oh please, Zelda. From the look you had earlier, it almost seemed like your heart was threatening to beat out of your chest!"

Zelda just froze. How did she know about that? Was it just a lucky guess, or was Ashei actually on to something here…?

Zelda quickly shook her head. No, she was not going to be manipulated like this. She soon spoke up in a stern voice. "Please cease your laughter, Ashei. This is hardly a comedic matter."

"It's only funny because you are being so stubborn," Ashei said with a snort. "Do you really insist on denying the truth?"

"The only thing I am denying is the baseless conclusions you have drawn about me."

"Baseless?" Ashei scoffed. "Oh please…You're acting like a young schoolgirl who's just experienced her first crush."

Zelda felt her determination waver for a second, but she tried to stay strong. "Oh? And how would you know that? Are you speaking from experience, Ashei?"

This comment got her good. Ashei promptly shut her mouth with a large frown, and her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Very funny, Zelda," she said in a tone that suggested just about anything other than amusement at humor. "But I am not some maiden who is easily swept up by the charm of a man."

"And neither am I," Zelda stated confidently. Although, in spite of her words, she did feel like her heart was still beating a bit faster than it usually did. She just ignored it though. Surely her mind knew better than her heart did.

Ashei just let her frustration boil for a few seconds before eventually releasing a sigh. "You really are stubborn, you know that?"

"I have been nothing but honest," Zelda reasserted.

Ashei watched the Princess with curious eyes. It was as if she was still trying to discern the truth from her. "In that case, can I ask you a question?"

Zelda sighed. "What?"

Ashei's lips slowly curved into a smirk once more. "Do you know about the other women?"

Zelda just blinked. "What other women?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Ashei asked, feigning a bit of surprise.

"Heard what?" Zelda demanded.

"I'm talking about Link garnering the attention of all the young ladies in this castle."

Zelda flinched a bit when she heard this. "...What are you talking about?"

Ashei just grinned a bit more. "It's true, I've seen it numerous times. The women here constantly flock to his side, like moths drawn to a flame. Each one of them hoping to gain the favor of the Kingdom's handsome and brave Hero."

Zelda's eyes widened a bit as her body remained frozen. Link had mentioned that he had been receiving a lot of attention lately, but he hadn't exactly given her a lot of details. He certainly hadn't mentioned that the women of the castle seemed to be throwing themselves at him.

Zelda would be lying if she denied that this fact didn't worry her, at least a little bit. Not for her own sake of course, but for Link's. She knew how much he tended to dislike the praise and attention that so often came his way, so she hoped he wasn't too uncomfortable with all of this. Perhaps she would have to issue him another apology for all the trouble she had caused?

Zelda then paused, suddenly feeling her stomach churn. Unless…was it possible that Link didn't mind the attention from the women? If he had, he certainly would have told her about it, right? But Link hadn't mentioned a single thing about this…Was he just hiding it? Or did he actually enjoy being in the company of so many women, as horrible a thought as that was!?

"Well?" Ashei asked, suddenly pulling Zelda out of her thoughts.

The Princess just stared at the Knight. "Well what?"

"How does it feel to know that Link is being pursued by so many women?"

Zelda was silent for a moment, nervously biting her lip. However, she quickly composed herself, trying to push all of her negative thoughts and worries aside. "It…It doesn't concern me. How I feel about it is irrelevant."

"That's not an answer," Ashei replied with a frown. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Zelda shook her head. "Of course not. Link is…" She paused, suddenly finding it a bit painful for the next words to leave her mouth. She wasn't sure why she felt so distraught, but she still tried to utter them with confidence. "Link is free to pursue a relationship with whomever he wishes."

Ashei raised her eyebrows at this. "Oh, so that's how you really feel, yeah?"

"Yes."

Ashei smirked. "In that case, do you mind if I pursue him?"

Zelda's eyes widened at this. She hadn't expected that response. She quickly turned to the Knight. "Ashei, you are interested in him as well?"

Ashei just shook her head and snickered. "No, but that reaction tells me all that I need to know."

Zelda paused, suddenly realizing that her mouth was agape. She quickly forced it shut and averted her eyes, trying to stifle yet another blush. "I…I was just surprised, is all."

Ashei laughed a bit more. "Oh Zelda, don't let your own stubbornness ruin this for you. If you really are interested in Link, you should make a move. The Goddesses only know that a guy like that probably won't stay single for long."

Zelda just released a long, exhausted sigh. Between the constant and ridiculous accusations to the fact that she didn't quite feel well (her heart was being way too jumpy today for some reason), Zelda was beginning to tire of this conversation. "Is that about all you have to say?" she eventually asked the Knight.

"No. I also wanted to tell you that I'd be more than happy to put in a good word for you with Link."

"Absolutely not," Zelda replied quickly. "That's the last thing I need."

Ashei just snickered some more. "Relax, Zelda. I'm only trying to help."

"I think you've done more than enough," the Princess said with a stern frown. "I think I'd much prefer it if you didn't speak to anyone about this matter. Your reckless conclusions would doubtlessly sew chaos if let loose from your lips, and I would really rather avoid having such flimsy rumors spread around my castle!"

"Geez," Ashei said, taking a second to poke around in one of her ears. "You don't have to shout. If you want me to keep quiet, then I'll keep quiet, yeah?"

Zelda just stared at the girl. "Give me your word."

Ashei looked surprised at this. "What?"

"I would like you to give me your word that you will not mention to anyone else what has been discussed here today."

"Are you serious?"

"I am very serious."

"Zelda, come on-"

"Ashei…"

The Knight just frowned. "Fine. I give my word that I will not speak of this matter to anyone. Happy now?"

Zelda continued to hold her gaze, staring intensely at the girl, but she soon blinked and backed away. "Very well. I am satisfied."

Ashei soon crossed her arms, mumbling something about how the Princess was way too touchy and sensitive these days. Zelda just ignored it.

"If that is all, then I shall be on my way," Zelda said, holding her head high. "I have spent far too much time chatting with you, and I have other things to attend to. The first of which being to make sure that Fost gets his notes back."

Zelda soon began to walk off, but Ashei just quickly ran up behind her. "Zelda, wait."

Zelda stopped and turned around, although reluctantly. "Yes, what is it now?"

Ashei frowned before pointing a thumb behind her. "Shouldn't you be going the other way? The front gates are in this direction."

"The front gates?" Zelda repeated, feeling confused. "Why would I need to go there?"

"Well, don't you want to see Link off?" Ashei asked, trying to produce an innocent-looking smile.

Zelda didn't buy it for a second though. "Ashei…"

She just shook her head. "No, hear me out, would ya? Link is planning to depart right away, so he can go look for the missing man in the forest. Since you don't know when you might see him again, shouldn't you go and give him a proper farewell?"

Zelda stared at the girl in silence, skeptically eyeing her up and down. She felt like Ashei was still trying to pressure Zelda into admitting something that clearly wasn't true. However, the Princess couldn't deny that the thought of seeing Link off did sound enticing. She truly didn't know when she would see him again, and she didn't want to just let him leave without some sort of farewell…

Ashei suddenly extended her hand out to the Princess. "Give me those notes. I'll make sure they get to Fost. You just go on ahead."

Zelda wavered for a second, still eyeing Ashei with great skepticism. Even now, she could still detect the smallest hint of a smirk hiding behind the Knight's smile.

"You're infuriating," Zelda said, forcefully shoving the notes towards the Knight's chest piece.

"You're welcome," Ashei replied, flashing a tiny yet smug grin.

Zelda just shook her head before grabbing the folds of her dress and running off. She didn't have time to argue about this any longer. She wanted to make sure she caught Link before he departed for good.

It didn't take long for the Princess to exit the castle and reach the courtyard that stood before the front gates. Once there, she took a moment to scan the area, keeping an eye out for the Hero. Sure enough, she managed to spot him, leading Epona away from the stables. With a small smile, she continued running towards him.

"Link, wait!" she called.

The Hero soon paused and looked back. He too began to smile as the Princess approached. "Oh, hey Zelda. Did you need something?"

Zelda soon slowed to a stop, and then took a second to gasp for air. She hadn't realized just how fast she had been running until this moment. "Sorry…I just…heard that you were planning to leave."

Link nodded. "Yeah, I need to get back to the forest as soon as possible so I can look for Dolen. Every day he spends in Faron Woods is another day he is in danger."

Zelda nodded back, finally catching her breath and standing up straight. "I understand, and I won't keep you for long."

Link just smiled. "What can I do for you then?"

"It's nothing serious," Zelda said. "I just wanted to say goodbye before you departed. I had no idea you were planning to sneak off like this," she added, flashing a hint of a playful smile.

Link scratched his head a bit. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to sneak off. I just wanted to get going as soon as possible, and well…I thought you said you were busy?"

Zelda suddenly dropped her smile, feeling a little guilty. She had said that, hadn't she? "Oh, I…uh, managed to make some time."

Link gave her a bit of an inquisitive look, but he soon shrugged and dropped it.

"Anyway," Zelda continued, "I just wanted to say thanks again for coming today and joining the Roundtable discussion. I truly appreciate it."

"Of course," Link said with a nod. "I'm already looking forward to the next one."

Zelda smiled. "I'll plan to see you then…Unless you think you might return sooner?" She hadn't intended it, but she did notice that a bit of hopefulness lingered in her tone.

Link just crossed his arms, and looked up at the sky. "I'm not sure…but I have a feeling I'll probably be back before long…" Link then laughed a little. "It's funny. When I was away from the castle for a few days, I kind of started to get the itch to come back. It's kind of similar to how I feel about Ordon when I'm gone for long periods of time. It almost makes me wonder if I've started to think of the castle as a second home…"

Zelda blinked a bit, surprised at this claim, but she soon smiled. "Well, you'll always be welcome here."

"I appreciate it," Link said with a smile in return.

Zelda soon gestured to Epona. "I guess you should get going then. We don't want to keep Dolen waiting any longer than he has to."

"Right," Link agreed.

"I'll see you when next you return," Zelda promised him. She then slowly extended a hand towards him, before suddenly pausing. What was she doing? In her mind, she felt that she wanted to give Link some sort of "physical" goodbye, but she wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't about to give him a hug…That would be far too forward of her. She wasn't about to give him a handshake either. That would be too formal. In the end, she settled on reaching up and gently patting him on the shoulder. It was just a small gesture, but it served as a humble sign of affection between friends.

However, the gesture unfortunately came out much more awkwardly than Zelda had intended it to. She moved her hand up and down in an almost robotic fashion, as if she was hesitating to commit to the act. When her gloved hand eventually came to rest on his shoulder, the thought of making such close contact with him became a bit unnerving, and she ended up quickly retracting her arm to her side. She then looked away, trying to avoid a chance for their eyes to meet.

"Um, safe travels," she wished him quietly.

Link didn't seem to pay any mind to the awkwardness of the motion. "Thanks, Zelda," he replied casually. "I'll see you again soon."

With that, the Hero soon saddled himself on his horse, and with a final nod to the Princess, took off. Zelda just watched him go, feeling a bit breathless as Epona trotted towards the front gates. Even now, as she stood in the wake of their short conversation, Zelda could feel her heart beginning to thump loudly and rhythmically.

She soon shook her head, trying to calm down and still the troublesome organ. She really was starting to think that there was something seriously wrong with her. Maybe she would have to stop by the infirmary sometime and have Doctor Roswald examine her. Perhaps he could diagnose why her heart seemed to be so out-of-sorts lately.

Unless of course, Ashei had been correct in her assumptions…

Zelda quickly shook her head again. What was she thinking? Of course Ashei wasn't correct! She was someone who clearly knew nothing of romance, so how would she know if Zelda had succumbed to such a thing? The answer was obvious: she wouldn't. Her assumptions were surely misplaced and her conclusions were baseless. It was as simple as that.

Zelda then turned, planning to make her way back to the castle, but she soon stopped when something caught her eye. Standing just a short distance away was the female Knight herself, Ashei. The girl just smugly smiled before crossing her arms and casually leaning against a low-rising wall in the courtyard.

Zelda just stared back at the Knight with terrified eyes. How long had Ashei been standing there? Had she followed Zelda out of the castle? Zelda gulped. Had she…watched her encounter with Link?

As Zelda continued to stare, Ashei's smug smile told her everything she needed to know. She had caught everything, from the Princess's rush to reach him in time to the awkward pat on the shoulder. Nothing had been spared from Ashei's curious gaze. The cocky look she held also gave away its owner's every intention. Not only would she question Zelda about all of this, picking apart every little detail of the interaction, but she would also tease the Princess extensively. How could she not, after that awkward performance she had just displayed?

Still, Zelda refused to give her the satisfaction. With a slight blush of embarrassment, Zelda just started walking forward, moving right past the Knight without daring to make eye contact.

"Not a word," she told her.

In case you haven't noticed, I tend to have a lot of fun writing Ashei's character in this story lol.