To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 40 – Surprise Visitor

As expected, Zelda and her companions didn't run into any danger on the short trip back to Castle Town. If anything, the journey back almost felt a little too uneventful. The Princess had naturally started to feel a bit lonely without a certain Hero and chestnut mare to ride alongside her, but she supposed that Reina was satisfying enough company.

When the Princess finally returned to Castle Town, the crowds gathered and created a rousing applause to welcome her home. Zelda just smiled and waved, happy to be back in familiar territory after all the time that she had spent away. However, it wasn't until she set foot back inside of her own castle that she felt truly at peace. Fost felt much the same, happy to return to the safety of the castle's large stone walls after enduring such a "lengthy and harrowing escapade" as he so eloquently put it.

Upon reentering the castle, Zelda handed her luggage off to her servants to have it returned to her room. As for herself, she quickly made her way to the infirmary, in the hopes of reuniting with a certain someone that she had dearly missed throughout the last few weeks. However, as soon as she arrived at the partitioned room located at the back of the medical facility, she was surprised to find nothing there save for an empty bed. She just stood there in silence for a few moments, feeling confused and a little concerned as she stared at the clean bedsheets.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the castle's doctor appeared before her. "Ah, welcome back, Princess. It is good to see you again."

Zelda didn't bother responding to his pleasantries. She wasn't trying to be rude, but her mind was elsewhere at the moment. "Where is-"

"His Majesty?" Roswald quickly supplied. He then smiled. "You won't find him here, my dear."

Zelda felt even more befuddled by this response, but Roswald was quick to elaborate. As soon as he did, Zelda's expression immediately brightened, and she nearly jumped for joy. She gave him a quick word of thanks before dashing from the room, hurrying up the stairs and floors towards her new destination. Before long, she reached the specific bedchamber that had gone unused for months in its owner's absence, and flung open the door.

And there, resting in the privacy and comfort of his bed, was none other than King Caius.

Zelda couldn't help herself. As soon as she spotted him, she smiled wide and ran forward to pull him into a hug. Naturally, he just grunted a bit before glancing down at the wonderful surprise that he held in his arms.

"Zelda!" he exclaimed, now smiling as well. "I see you've returned."

She simply closed her eyes and nodded while she pulled him closer. "Yes, father, I'm home."

"And not a moment too soon," he said with a chuckle. "It's lovely to see you again, my dear. Tell me, how was your trip?"

Zelda grinned before playfully pushing herself out of his embrace. She then took a seat on his bed while she gestured to the chambers around them. "Ah, not so fast. First, you simply must explain all of this! What are you doing back in your bedchamber?"

Caius chuckled some more as he watched her enthusiasm. She wasn't usually this spirited, but considering the circumstances, he could easily understand why she was in such a good mood. "Haven't you heard? I've officially been released from the infirmary."

Zelda nodded. "Yes, Roswald mentioned that you had been relocated here, but he didn't give me any details. Tell me, are you finally on the mend?"

"Zelda, I've always been on the mend," he reminded her. "But I understand what you are asking. To put it simply, I am still recovering from the effects of the poison. However, within the last few weeks, my condition has noticeably improved. The frequency of my cough is starting to wane, and my constant fatigue is starting to ease. Upon witnessing this, Roswald finally determined that I was well enough to return to my bedchambers, where I could comfortably rest without the need for a doctor by my side. He claimed that I would still require plenty of bedrest, but as long as there are no alarming developments, then I should have no need to return to the infirmary."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Zelda said as she clasped her hands together. "The Goddesses be praised. You've suffered the long-term effects of this poisoning for months but now your health is finally starting to move in a better direction."

"Indeed," Caius said with a nod. "It seems that my patience has been rewarded."

"And our prayers have been answered," Zelda agreed. "Honestly, you had been stuck in the infirmary for so long that I was starting to fear that you might never recover."

"Well, let those fears burden you no more," the King said in a majestic tone. "For I assure you that my health is still improving. Otherwise, Roswald would have never let me leave his sight." Caius then paused, dropping his regal appearance as he began to chuckle once more. "Truth be told, it's a rather pleasant outcome for both him and myself. Now we can finally be rid of each other for a while."

Zelda couldn't help but giggle alongside him. "Yes, I imagine that you've just removed a great deal of stress from that poor man."

Caius simply smirked as he eyed his daughter. "Oh, and what exactly are you implying, my dear? Surely I'm not that troublesome."

Zelda could only roll her eyes and shake her head. Of course her father would be stubborn enough to deny such truthful claims against his character.

The Princess wanted to come up with some sort of witty retort, but something else caught her curiosity before she was allowed the chance. Blinking in surprise, she suddenly noticed that Caius's bed was covered in sheets of paper, both stacked and loose. And they weren't just any papers either. It only took a glance before Zelda recognized the parchment as legal documents.

"Hmm? What is all of this about?" she asked as she slowly took a sheet into her gentle fingers. Upon inspecting it, she quickly found that the name Caius Vesperi Hyrule was neatly written in fresh ink at the bottom.

Caius shrugged before gesturing to the stacks of documents that surrounded him. "It's exactly what it looks like."

Upon hearing this, Zelda just eyed her father. She was honestly surprised that she hadn't noticed this storm of sheets strewn across his bed until now. But then again, she had been caught up in their heartfelt reunion. "You're working?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course," the King replied nonchalantly. "With you and Fost gone, someone had to keep this castle running."

Zelda felt a bit taken aback by this. "Yes, I suppose, but…are you well enough?"

"Well enough to sign some papers?" Caius asked with a hearty chuckle. "Yes, I should think that I am."

Zelda still felt concerned, as well as a bit hesitant to accept this. "But, you are still recovering, are you not? Doesn't this sort of thing tire you out?"

"Hardly," the King said with a shake of his head. "If anything, this is more tedious than tiresome. I can assure you that I am not pushing myself beyond my limits. I've just been using some of my newfound freedom to sign some papers and occasionally attend a Hyrule Council meeting."

"You've been attending meetings as well?" Zelda asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, don't look so troubled, Zelda. It was only one or two and I was never out of bed for long."

Zelda merely sighed. "Still, I'd hate to find out that your condition worsened because you were pushing yourself too hard and not getting enough rest. Especially if it was due to my absence."

"Nonsense," Caius said with a wave of his hand. "I've made sure to get plenty of rest and none of this work has set my health back at all. You really shouldn't be surprised or concerned. After all, I made a promise that I would take my recovery seriously, didn't I?"

Despite her reservations, Zelda soon found herself smiling. "Yes, you certainly did."

"Then please do not feel uneasy," he insisted. "I humbly ask that you allow your loving father to perform this small favor for you. As I'm sure you're aware, it's only thanks to me that you don't have a complete mountain of paperwork to come home to."

Zelda couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Yes, I suppose I should be grateful for that. Thank you, father."

"Of course, Zelda," he replied warmly.

"But don't think that I'm going to let you handle this all on your own," the Princess quickly retorted. "I plan to tackle all of this paperwork first thing tomorrow morning."

"And I figured as much," Caius said with a proud smile. "But will you at least continue to share it with me?"

Zelda nodded, finally willing to let go of her reluctance. "Very well. We can work through it together."

Caius beamed. "Nothing would make me happier."

Zelda returned his positive expression with her own. After being away for so long, she had truly missed this man that was so dear to her. She was overjoyed to see him in a better condition than she had originally left him, and of course, she truly appreciated the lengths that he went to in order to look out for her.

Meanwhile, Caius just raised his eyebrows a bit as she stared at the Princess in turn. "Well?" he eventually asked.

Zelda blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Well what?"

"Am I allowed to ask about the tour now?"

Zelda couldn't help but smile once again. "Yes, of course. I suppose I've kept you waiting long enough."

"Indeed you have," Caius agreed with a nod.

"Do you want the long version or the brief summary?"

"Why, the long version, of course!" he exclaimed. "Tell me everything. I want to know all of the details."

Zelda laughed as she shook her head. She really shouldn't have expected anything else.

A week had passed since the tour had reached its conclusion. Now that the Princess had been returned home safe and sound, life slowly began to return to normalcy. As Caius had mentioned, there was plenty of work to be done in light of Zelda's absence, and before she knew it, she found herself buried in paperwork once again. She had agreed to delegate some of the endless stacks of parchment to her father, but she still insisted on handling most of the work herself.

And so it was that Zelda found herself isolated in her study on this particular day, silently making her way through document after document. There were laws to review, investments to approve, and letters from foreign dignitaries to respond to. It was rather tedious work, but the Princess honestly didn't mind it. If anything, being away from her royal duties for so long had actually left her with a fondness for them. Even now, she couldn't help but smile a bit as she took in the soft aromas of fresh parchment and ink, all while carefully crafting her elegantly curved letters.

Still, in spite of her dedication to the task at hand, the Princess couldn't resist allowing her mind to wander from time to time. Between the silence and the solitude and menial duties laid out before her, it was honestly the perfect setting for such a thing to occur. And so she did, smiling some more as she thought back on the few weeks that she had spent away from home. The adventures she had experienced and the memories that had been made.

And of course, she thought of her close friend, Link.

Zelda finally frowned a bit as she felt the troubles of her heart begin to stir, not unlike a cloud of muck being stirred up from the bottom of a muddy lakebed. She soon sighed and set her quill aside, choosing to let her depressing thoughts run loose for a while. Since she was alone, there was no need to keep them bottled up at this time.

Link: a man whom she admired, trusted, and respected. A man who was kind and warm and friendly and always looking out for her. A man whom she felt attracted to, despite how often she reminded herself that it was a hopeless endeavor. Sadly, it was a sentiment that had only worsened since the conclusion of the tour.

It was honestly disheartening. After spending the last few weeks with Link and finally visiting his home, Zelda felt like she now understood the Hero better than ever before. She understood more of his origins, his personality, his interests. But with that understanding came a great pain. The pain of knowing that she couldn't be with him. The pain of knowing that despite how well she knew him, he would never fully understand her, and how she truly felt about him. It seemed that the Princess's attraction to the Hero was a secret that was destined to stay with her until the day she ultimately perished.

But she supposed that it was for the best. Zelda would never want to bother Link or inconvenience him, especially when he was already in a relationship where he was perfectly happy. So she gladly chose to continue suffering alone, just as she always did. Not that it was suffering so much as a subtle sadness that always seemed to settle over her.

But Zelda digressed. She had already come to the same conclusion on this subject a number of times, and she saw little use in reviewing such repetitive thoughts. With a sigh, she picked up her quill and went to return to work.

That is, until a distracting noise caught her attention. With a furrowed brow, Zelda paused before glancing up at the door that led into her study. For a moment there, it almost sounded as if someone had been tapping upon it. However, she soon had to perform a double-take, for she heard the sound once more. And it clearly wasn't coming from her door, but rather the latticed window that sat off to the side.

With a small gasp, Zelda immediately rose to her feet as she spotted a figure crouched snugly on her windowsill. And it wasn't just any figure either, for Zelda quickly recognized him as a dear friend of hers. A friend who was clad in a green tunic, wore an eager grin on his face, and gently used his knuckle to tap on her window once more.

Zelda just froze as she watched him, blinking a bit. Of course it was surprising to see Link appear out of the blue like this, but perhaps even more surprising was the method with which he had done so. As it turned out, Zelda's study was located high up in one of the castle's upper floors, and thus the adjoining window was also a fair distance from the earth. Zelda couldn't help but wonder: how had the Hero managed to climb up here?

But she quickly shook her head and went to open the window. She supposed that acknowledging his presence here should take precedence over figuring out the hows and whys. She soon unlocked the latch and gently swung the window open, carefully eyeing the Hero as she did so.

"Link," she breathed in astonishment.

"Hey Zelda," he replied casually, still grinning to himself. "Is this a bad time?"

"A bad time to visit?" Zelda inquired, still eyeing the man in disbelief. "Not particularly, although I'm a bit curious to know what this is all about."

Link just laughed. He understood how absurd this situation must seem from her point of view. "Sorry, I promise that I'll explain. But first, can I come in?"

Zelda simply shrugged before stepping out of the way. "Be my guest."

Link nodded before swinging his legs and pulling himself inside the study. A gentle breeze blew in alongside him, but Zelda made sure to close the window before any of her neat stacks of documents had a chance to be disturbed. Once that was done, she turned to the Hero with folded arms and raised eyebrows.

"Well?" she asked. "Care to explain why you have graced me with your presence in such a stunning and adventurous manner?"

Link just laughed some more. He was clearly amused by how startled she was. "Stunning, huh?"

"Is it not?" Zelda retorted. "In all my years of living in this castle, not once have I ever witnessed someone attempt to perform something as daring and foolish as scaling a tower from the outside and entering through a window. I must say, I'm shocked."

"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound kind of grand," he agreed with a smile. "But I felt that it was necessary."

"Necessary?" Zelda repeated. "Now, I'm even more lost. I never would've expected a humble Hero such as yourself to insist on being so magnificent in his actions."

Link simply shrugged, as if he personally didn't think much of his unorthodox entrance. "Sorry for the confusion, and the abrupt arrival. I'm sure it would help if I explained why I'm here."

"Please," Zelda said with a nod. "You've kept me waiting on pins and needles for long enough now."

"Right," Link said before nodding back. "To put it simply, I wanted to talk to you. However, when I entered the castle, I ran into Fost. He mentioned that I could find you here, but he claimed that you were incredibly busy working on paperwork and not to be disturbed. I wasn't sure if he was just exaggerating or not, so I figured that I would come here and check on you myself."

Zelda just blinked a bit as she continued to eye the Hero, almost as if he was crazy. "And it is for that reason that you chose to scale the outside of the tower?"

"It wasn't that difficult," Link insisted. He then pulled one of his reliable clawshots from his bag, displaying it for the Princess. "As long as I have this, climbing up the side of a tower is a breeze."

Zelda just eyed the tool for a moment before turning her wary gaze back to Link. "Still, to have gone to such lengths just to see me," she said with a shake of her head. "We have a door, you know."

Link just smirked, suddenly looking confident. "Yes, but it wouldn't be much of a rescue if I just walked in the front door, now would it?"

"A rescue?" Zelda repeated. It took her a second to try to piece together what he was trying to say. "I don't understand. You're here to rescue me?"

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

Zelda slowly nodded, but still appeared skeptical. "Mm-hmm…And what exactly are you here to rescue me from, my good friend?"

"From your duties, of course," Link said simply. "Don't you remember the conversation that we had back in Zora's Domain? I told you that I would be happy to help you sneak away from your duties from time to time."

At this, Zelda couldn't help but smile a bit. "I suppose you did say that, didn't you?"

"Yes, and now I've come to make good on that promise."

"I see…" the Princess replied slowly. She took a moment to uncross her arms, choosing instead to place her hands behind her as she began to pace around the room a bit. "So, just to get this straight: you, being the dashing Hero that you are, decided that you would scale a tower and come to the rescue of your Princess?"

Link shrugged. "Pretty much."

Zelda couldn't help but smirk at how casual he was being about all of this. She supposed that this was his trademark humility shining through. Still, she couldn't resist teasing him a bit. "Goodness, Link. Did you spend too much time reading old fairy tales and suddenly feel inspired to make them a reality?"

Link laughed, amused at her joke, but quickly shook his head. "I think of it more as coming to the rescue of a close friend."

"Well, isn't that kind of you?" Zelda responded. She turned away a bit as her cheeks threatened to turn red, just as they always did whenever Link made such sweet comments to her. It was torture enough that he had willingly decided to come to her rescue in the first place. And over such a small thing as paperwork too. He really was one of the most considerate persons she had ever met.

Additionally, Zelda felt her heart start to swoon for the man before her. She knew it was cliche. She knew it was no more than the wish of a child. But she couldn't deny that she had always adored the thought of a brave and handsome knight coming to her rescue, ever since she was a little girl. She recalled reading stories of such things and finding them nothing short of romantic. And even after all of these years, it seemed like her innocent, childlike wish still lived on inside of her, for the Hero's appearance here was enough to make her heart dance with giddiness.

"So, what do you say?" Link eventually asked. "Do you care to leave your desk behind for a few hours and have some fun?"

Zelda turned back to him with a small smile. She couldn't deny that his sudden entrance had really brightened up what would have otherwise been a dull day. "Ah, so I have a choice in the matter?" she asked playfully.

"Pfft," Link scoffed. "Of course you do. This isn't a kidnapping, you know."

"And where, pray tell, would you whisk me away to? That is, assuming I agree."

"Well, I was hoping that you could join me in the castle's library."

Zelda let the smile fade from her lips, immediately taken aback by this response. When the Hero had offered to rescue from her paperwork, she assumed that he must have had some sort of fun activity planned. Perhaps they could have visited the castle's courtyard to practice their archery, or mount their horses and gallop across Hyrule Field, or visit a fishing hole and allow the Princess to redeem herself for her pitiful catch in Zora's Domain. But this…this was certainly unexpected.

"The library?" Zelda eventually repeated, sounding surprised yet confused.

"Yeah," Link said with a nod. "I figured that we could spend a few hours looking through some of the books there."

Zelda just blinked a bit, feeling even more dumbfounded by this response. She never would have expected him to invite her to something like this, and she made sure to point this out. "Forgive me, Link, but you never struck me as the type to enjoy studying texts for hours on end."

"Well, admittedly, I'm not…" Link said slowly, and for the first time that day, he started to manifest a sheepish expression. "Truth be told, I was kind of hoping that you could help me with something. I wanted to start looking for a way to contact Midna, and I remembered that you suggested the library as a good place to research such a thing, but…I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know where to start or what to look for. And that library is just so massive…"

As she took all of this in, Zelda slowly ended up scowling at the Hero. "Ah, now I see why you went to such great lengths to come here. You only had need of my assistance."

Link frowned, suddenly looking guilty. "What? No, I meant what I said earlier. I truly did wish to relieve you of your duties for a while."

"Yes, you intended to free me from paperwork so that I can help you study some ancient tomes," Zelda said with a roll of her eyes. "I hardly consider that liberating, Link."

The Hero frowned some more. He felt like his request had been innocent enough, and he really thought that Zelda might be up for it. He never imagined that she would interpret things like this. "Zelda, please don't misunderstand. I'll admit that visiting the library probably isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but surely it's better than being cooped up in here for the rest of the day?"

"Hmm…perhaps," the Princess agreed with a shrug. "Truth be told, I tend to genuinely enjoy going to the library and researching history among various other topics. However, it still doesn't change the fact of the matter." Zelda then paused before playfully smirking. "This isn't so much you coming to my rescue as it is me coming to yours."

"Well…" Link just shut his mouth. He wasn't sure what to say to this. He had fully intended to rescue Zelda from her duties for a while, but he couldn't deny that he was the one that truly needed help.

Eventually, he gave a sigh, as well as a formal bow to the Princess that stood across from him. "Will you please consider it? I know that this isn't what you expected, but I could really use the help. Your help. I need you, Zelda."

Zelda felt her heartbeat quicken a bit as these wonderful words danced around in her ears. To hear the subtle desperation in the Hero's voice, all while he admitted that he required her of all people to help him…it filled Zelda with a strange, lovely warmth. Feelings of sympathy began to swell within her as well, and before long, she found the need to take pity on the humble man before her.

Zelda just released a sigh of her own before smirking. "You're lucky that I like you," she said quietly.

Link slightly raised his head out from his bow, daring to look up at her. His expectant eyes met hers as he nervously awaited her answer.

"Very well, I'll lend you a hand," she finally agreed.

Link quickly smiled before forcing himself to perform another courteous bow. "Thanks, Zelda. I really appreciate this."

"You're very welcome, Link. Now please rise," she said, almost laughing at how uncharacteristic his formal behavior was. Link did as he was told, standing upright as he gave the Princess a grateful smile. She cheerfully returned it before gazing at a wooden clock that hung on the nearby wall. "Hmm…I should be able to free up some time this evening. Perhaps after dinner. I can join you in the library around then."

"Sounds good," Link said with a nod. He then paused, furrowing his brow as he realized that he had just responded to the Princess's words before he fully understood them. "Wait, what?"

"Is something the matter?" Zelda asked innocently.

"You said that we can meet up this evening?" Link asked, turning to glance at the clock himself. By its count, it was still early afternoon. "Um…I was under the impression that we would be heading to the library right away."

Zelda smirked, her expression quickly turning playful once more. "Ah, and perhaps I would have been willing to run off with you if you had actually presented me with an entertaining activity. However, seeing as how you only need me to help conduct your research, I see no reason to put my duties on hold for the day. This paperwork must still be attended to, after all, and it's only fair that it takes precedence over your personal project."

Link just blinked, feeling lost and confused. "Wait, so you would rather stay cooped up in this room all day instead of help me?"

Zelda simply laughed at his expression. "Oh, I still intend to assist you, Link. I just won't be available until later tonight."

Link sighed as his shoulders sagged a bit. Seeing as he was the one that was asking for her assistance, he supposed that he had no room to argue with that. It wasn't like the Princess owed him her time or anything like that. Still, this certainly threw a wrench into his plans. "Okay…but what am I supposed to do until then?"

"Get a head start at the library?" Zelda suggested. "I'd be happy to join you later and discover what all you've accomplished on your own."

Link just groaned. That was exactly the type of situation that he had been trying to avoid. "Um…I'm not really sure if I'll make much progress on my own."

Zelda shrugged. "Very well, then find some other way to pass the time. Explore the castle, make yourself useful. It's really up to you."

Link could only sigh again. "Fine…" he agreed begrudgingly. He supposed that he could find something to keep him busy around here until Zelda was finished with her work. Although, he wasn't exactly keen to stall his studying. After all, this was the precious research that would potentially allow him to reunite with Midna in one way or another.

Zelda couldn't help but smile. She knew that he was disappointed, but she intended to make it up to him later. "I suppose I should return to work then. Every second I spend away from my documents is another second away from the library."

"Right," Link said with a nod. He then turned around, making his way to the door. "I guess I should make myself scarce. See you later, Zelda."

However, before he could even take a step, he felt Zelda place a hand on his shoulder, effectively holding him in place. "Now, hold on just a moment, Link. What do you think you're doing?"

Link just gave her a blank stare, feeling confused once again. "Um…leaving?"

Zelda smirked at him, her eyes flaring to life with a mischievous aura. "But you said that this was a rescue, did you not?"

"Yes. Or at least, that's what I intended…"

"Of course. And earlier, you also claimed that this wouldn't be much of a rescue if you used the front door to come and go, yes?"

"I…" Link just paused, suddenly gulping. He had a bad feeling about where this conversation seemed to be heading.

Meanwhile, Zelda just gifted the Hero an amused grin as she turned him around and led him to the other side of the room. "You were right, Link. A Hero that comes to his Princess's rescue doesn't use the door. This is his method of entry and exit."

Link just blinked, suddenly finding himself face to face with the latticed window that he had originally entered from. He was at a loss for words, so he just stared at it, feeling completely dumbfounded.

Zelda proceeded to make her intentions all the more clear by opening the window, and giving the Hero a gentle push forward. "Go on," she encouraged him.

Link just set his bewildered gaze on the Princess. Surely, she had to be teasing him. "Zelda, are you serious?"

"This is how you found your way inside, is it not? I'm sure that you'll have no trouble climbing back down."

"But…do I really have to? Can't I just use the door?"

"Nonsense. I'd hate to have the image of your daring rescue shattered in such a mundane manner. This exit truly befits you. Now please, go on. I still have a lot of work to attend to."

The next thing Link knew, he was crouching on the windowsill once again, glancing over the ledge at the courtyard far below him. He soon turned back to Zelda, flashing an unamused expression that was quite the opposite of her own.

"Do be careful on your way back to the ground," Zelda said sincerely. "I'd hate to hear that one of our archers spotted you and assumed that you were an intruder who would be better off with a backside full of arrows."

"This isn't funny," Link replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Speak for yourself," Zelda said with a wink. She then promptly closed the window, cutting off any chance for him to argue back.

I like to think that Zelda forces Link out the window with the same energy as Skyward Sword Zelda when she pushes Link off of a cliff lol.

Anyways, last week I released a TP Zelink one-shot! Feel free to give it a read if you haven't done so already. It's titled "A Lovely Disaster" and focuses on Link and Zelda having a terrible date in Ordon Village where everything goes wrong. I had a lot of fun with it :)