To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 54 – Ralph

Zelda nervously wrung her hands together as she took a deep breath. Once she realized what she was doing, she ceased her fidgeting and kept her hands clasped together by her waist.

The Princess was currently standing in front of the castle, alongside a handful of guards and servants, patiently waiting for a carriage to arrive. A week ago, Zelda had agreed to a meeting with Prince Ralph of Labrynna with the potential for courtship on the table. And ever since then, she had felt more than a little apprehensive about all of this. Not only was she rather inexperienced when it came to romance, but she also hadn't directly dealt with it in quite some time. She wondered, when was the last time that someone had attempted to court her? A year ago? Perhaps more?

And then there was the thought of greeting the man himself. She had never once had the pleasure of meeting this Prince Ralph, so this encounter between them would not only be the potential start of a relationship, but their introduction altogether. Zelda bit her lip as she felt her stomach start to churn. She had heard nice things about the Labrynnian Royal Family, but she still wasn't quite sure what to expect. And of course, the thought of meeting any stranger for the first time under such romantic circumstances left her more than a little flustered.

But Zelda tried to remain calm. She had met many foreign dignitaries before, and she had always carried herself politely and diplomatically in front of them. She told herself that this encounter should be no different. This would be the same as all her other duties as Princess, and she intended to carry them out as exceptionally as she always did.

The wind picked up and Zelda had to break her formal posture in order to tuck some loose strands of hair behind her ear. She had decided to go with a standard appearance for this day. She donned her trademark white and purple dress, and her hair was in its usual braid at her back. She wore no more makeup and jewelry than what she usually carried throughout her everyday life. Some of her maids had been disappointed with this, as they felt that the Princess ought to gussy herself up a bit more for the sake of her first encounter with a handsome Prince. But Zelda was resolute in her decision. This would be their beginning, and Zelda had no intention of trying to woo the man with such petty displays of beauty. She much preferred to display herself as she always did, and let the young Prince make his own judgements based off of that and that alone.

And while Zelda could admit that she was possibly being a bit stubborn about this, she did not care. This was her task to tackle, and as far as she was concerned, this was the wisest way of going about it. Everyone else's opinions could simply be discarded. It might have sounded arrogant, but she needed to have some control over her life.

Before long, a short horn rang out from the gate, signaling the expected carriage's approach. It pulled into the courtyard, a strong white horse leading the way. It followed the cobblestone path straight up to where the Princess and her welcome party stood before pulling off to the side and coming to a halt. The driver soon stepped down and opened the carriage door before properly announcing the presence of his liege.

"Introducing His Highness, Prince Ralph of Labrynna!"

Zelda swallowed a bit before gathering her courage and forcing her eyes to the man impetuously exiting the carriage. She then had to pause and blink a few times at what an odd sight he was. His appearance was very…interesting, to say the least.

As expected, the Prince was a young man, certainly of similar age to Zelda. But the similarities between them basically ended there. His hair was wild and untamed, as well as a striking shade of reddish-brown. It parted at his forehead, creating two wavy bangs, one of which was much larger than the other and even covered half of his face, including an eye. However, of the one eye that was visible, Zelda did find it to be a rather beautiful shade of emerald.

Then, there were his clothes. Zelda knew nothing of Labrynnian fashion, but she certainly hadn't expected something like this. Both his tunic and trousers were almost periwinkle blue in color, with a single purple stripe lining the frilly bottoms. A green belt was fastened to his middle, accentuated with a ridiculously large golden buckle. Covering his back and shoulders was a broad navy cloak, with a golden stripe along the bottom and a large ruby pendant keeping it clasped near his neck. His footwear was long and pointy, almost like a stereotypical witch's might be, and to entertain this thought even further, the Prince even donned a blue pointed cap.

Zelda just stood there, taking a few more seconds to eye him from head to toe. His appearance was so far removed from anything that she had been expecting. In fact, if Zelda hadn't known any better, she might have almost mistook him for a Castle Town street performer. At the very least, she certainly wouldn't have assumed him a Prince.

However, the time for gawking was quickly cut short as Ralph gazed upon Zelda with his sole visible eye and softly smiled to himself. He soon approached her before placing a hand to his chest and bowing his head.

"Alas, you must be the fair Princess Zelda of Hyrule that I have heard so much about. It is an honor to meet you, My Lady."

Zelda was still a bit perturbed by his appearance, but she smiled at his politeness. He may not have looked the part of a Prince, but he certainly seemed to behave like one.

"Indeed," Zelda replied, mirroring Ralph's movements. "And it is an honor to meet you as well, Prince Ralph of Labrynna. Thank you for making the journey all the way here to our humble little Kingdom."

"Oh, it was my pleasure!" he assured her. "If anything, I was happy to get out of that stuffy old castle of ours and travel for a change." He then laughed. Loudly.

Zelda continued to eye him, feeling both curious and confused. Was that supposed to have been an attempt at humor? She honestly wasn't sure, so she chose to take the middle road and smile politely at his comments. "I'm happy to hear that."

Ralph simply smiled back before offering a hand towards her. Zelda stared at it for a moment before nearly jumping in surprise. It had been so long since she last courted someone, that she had forgotten that the men often showed their initial interest by placing a kiss on her hand. And of course, it was only polite that she should offer her hand for such a courtesy.

Feeling a bit timid, but knowing that it must be done, Zelda gently laid her gloved hand atop his bare one. With careful, precise movements, Ralph raised her knuckles up to his lips and gave them a soft kiss. He then smiled before kindly releasing her.

"My Lady, if I may. I've heard tales of your beauty before, but they simply don't do it justice."

Zelda couldn't help but blush a bit, stunned at the sudden compliment. "Oh, well thank you, Sir Ralph."

"Your eyes," he continued, both suddenly and passionately. "They shine like the brightest of blue skies. They contain the waves of the greatest oceans."

"Um, thank you," Zelda repeated, trying but failing to keep herself from rubbing her hands together. Just how many compliments was he going to pay her?

"And your hair!" he added poetically. "It appears soft like silk. Straight like an arrow. And a color as rich as the finest of tree barks."

Zelda nearly lost her composure at this. Straight like an arrow? As rich as tree bark? If these comments were supposed to be compliments, she had surely never heard of their like before. She wondered, was he being serious? Were these words supposed to sound flattering?

"Th-Thank you," she replied again, not quite sure how else to take his words. She then took a moment to carefully choose her own. "Your appearance is certainly…eye-catching, as well."

Ralph merely grinned at this. "Yes, you enjoy the royal colors of Labrynna, do you?" he asked as he proudly displayed his cloak. "It is a rather marvelous shade of blue. Although, this sort of garb doesn't stand out much back at home. Not when everyone else is wearing it too."

It took a second for Zelda to realize that this was perhaps another attempt at humor, and she chose to respond with a polite giggle. While the Prince behaved courteously and carried himself well, it seemed that he had a less formal side to him that he was more than willing to display. Because of this, Zelda found that he was quickly becoming more fascinating by the minute, although it probably wasn't for any of the right reasons.

Still, in spite of her reservations, Zelda managed to appreciate his sense of humor. She liked that in a man.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is your first time visiting our castle, correct?" Zelda asked, hoping to steer their conversation back on track. "If you'd like, I'd be happy to show you around and introduce you to a few people."

Prince Ralph gave her a rash half-bow. "Why, that would be wonderful."

And so it was. Zelda led him around and showed him all of the important chambers and halls and artwork and artifacts that a foreign Prince may find interesting. However, his reactions ended up proving difficult to predict. Most of the time, he would seem fairly amazed by the things he was being shown, perhaps for the sole purpose of being polite, but other times he would appear completely bored, as if he couldn't be bothered to feign interest at some of the more dreary sights he was witnessing. And then other times still he would burst out laughing with great enthusiasm, nearly making the Princess jump out of her skin with how sudden and unexpected it was. And his reason for making such raucous chuckling? It was because he simply found the paintings of certain nobles to be "amusing".

Yes, Zelda was quickly learning that this Prince was quite the character.

Zelda took Ralph to meet her father as well, but once she realized that the King was fighting hard not to laugh at the young Prince's appearance and was instead cleverly disguising it with a well-timed cough, she made sure to cut the encounter short. If they remained there any longer, she had a feeling that it would only be a matter of time before her father said something insulting or embarrassing. Perhaps both.

By the time they finished exploring the castle's halls, evening had arrived, and Zelda informed Ralph that a private dinner was being prepared for the two of them. This way, they would have more time to talk and get to know each other better. Zelda then proceeded to lead the Prince to a wide balcony up near the castle's top levels. Here, a fine dining table was set up, complete with a pristine tablecloth, fancy dinnerware, and a pair of comfortable chairs.

"Our chefs will be serving us dinner out here," she explained. "I hope you don't mind being out in the open air."

Ralph was quick to shake his head. "Of course not! I love the outdoors. And heavens, what a glorious view…" He soon walked to the balustrade, admiring the scenery that stretched out for miles, all bathed in the orange glow of a sun that was beginning to retire.

Zelda soon joined him by the wall. "Yes, it is rather beautiful, isn't it?"

"It certainly is. Although, it's not as beautiful as…your smile," he noted with a grin.

Zelda couldn't help but allow said smile to show. She felt a bit bashful receiving all of these compliments from him, but she appreciated his attempts at flattery.

"You are too kind," she said softly. "Would you care to sit and talk?"

"With you? Oh, I'd simply be honored," he replied, still grinning wide. He then happily plopped himself down into one of the chairs before crossing his arms and legs.

For the umpteenth time that day, Zelda realized that this man did not quite behave as a Prince was expected to.

The two of them contented to talk as they waited for the meal to be served. Zelda spent quite a bit of time inquiring about his family and homeland. Ralph was more than happy to share, and spoke of Labrynna with a great passion. In a lot of ways, it sounded similar to Hyrule: full of friendly people as well as diverse landscapes. It had plenty of interesting marvels as well, including an island of reptilian people that thoroughly enjoyed trading, as well as a village where everything was perfectly symmetrical, even down to the citizens who lived on opposite sides of town. When Zelda asked how exactly that worked, he just laughed and tossed up his hands.

"No clue."

Zelda frowned, appearing thoughtful. Naturally, her homeland of Hyrule had many marvels and mysteries as well, some of which could also not be explained, but this Kingdom of Labrynna honestly sounded much more extreme in its fantasies. She wondered if dwelling in such a bizarre land had led to the development of the Prince's surprisingly flippant personality.

Eventually the food was served and Zelda spent some time talking about her own homeland while they dined. Much like before, there were some topics that interested Ralph while others seemed to leave him looking utterly bored. Zelda frowned a bit as she attempted to study the man once again. She wondered, did he wear his heart on his sleeve? Was he bad at hiding his emotions and simply chose not to, no matter how rude it might seem?

"Forgive me," she said after finishing a story about her recent trip to Kakariko Village. "I get the feeling that this sort of thing doesn't interest you."

"Hmm?" Ralph asked, raising his sole visible eyebrow. "Oh, no, it's nothing of the sort."

Zelda could only frown some more. It seemed obvious to her that he was lying. However, she didn't have time to dwell on this much, for Ralph was soon calling her attention once more.

"Excuse me, My Fair Lady Zelda, but might I ask you a question?"

His sudden shift from disinterested to incredibly polite nearly caught her off guard, just like everything else he did. "Oh, yes?"

Ralph placed his elbows on the table and bridged his fingers together before leaning in. "Be honest with me. Are you enjoying yourself on this pleasant evening?"

Again, Zelda nearly felt taken aback by this question, and could only nervously smile in response. "Of course. It's been very nice getting to know you."

"Hmm," Ralph hummed, hiding his frown behind his fingers. He suddenly appeared very skeptical. "Yes, yes, I can hear your words but your eyes speak differently. And the eyes are the windows to the heart, you know."

Zelda simply blinked. "I…I suppose."

"It is as I feared then," Ralph said with a sigh. "You are not entertained, even though I should be providing an enjoyable time for you."

Zelda quickly shook her head, suddenly feeling bad for the guy. "Oh, no, Sir Ralph. I'm afraid that you are mistaken. I really am having a pleasant time."

Ralph soon held up a hand to stop her speech, while he used his free hand to rest a few fingers against his forehead. If Zelda had witnessed anyone else make this pose, she might've called it an exaggeration, but somehow Ralph made it seem completely natural. "No, please, My Lady. I can sense the disappointment in your eyes, and I assure you that the fault is completely my own. But worry not! I have prepared myself in case such a tragedy should strike."

Zelda felt like she ought to say something, but her chance to do so was quickly cut short as Ralph rose to his feet. He then planted one pointed shoe on his chair before reaching behind him and pulling out a small, ornate harp. He soon gave it a casual strum, allowing its melodious sound to echo in the air.

"If you would be so kind, My Fair Princess, please allow me to serenade you with a song that I prepared ahead of time."

Zelda felt her jaw plummet open. Was he being serious? A serenade!? She quickly went to protest.

"Oh, please, Sir Ralph. Such a thing really isn't necessary–" She paused for a moment, only just now questioning the instrument in his hands. "Hold on, where did you get that?"

Ralph merely smiled. "I brought it with me."

"Where have you been keeping it?"

"In my cloak."

"You can store things in your cloak?"

"It isn't just for show, My Lady."

Again, Zelda gawked, feeling utterly dumbfounded by what a bizarre day this had been. "Well…all the same, you really don't have to go out of your way to perform for me."

"Nonsense!" he said before beaming with pride. "My mother always stressed that a woman's happiness should be my first priority. This serenade is the least I can provide for such a wonderful maiden as yourself."

"But I do not require your musical talents to be entertained," Zelda insisted. "I would be perfectly content to continue talking and sharing our meal."

But Ralph seemed to be having none of it. "Shhh," he said before giving another light strum on his harp. "The song begins…"

And then, without any further warning, Ralph's poetic and melodious voice rang out at such an incredible volume that the whole castle likely could have heard it. But far worse than the volume, were the actual words he produced.

"Princess Zelda, a lady so fair and so cool. Princess Zelda, a woman so kind and so sweet. I'm glad to have journeyed to the land of Hyrule, so the two of us could finally meet~"

Zelda was stunned speechless. Her eyes were as wide as the dinner plates in front of her. She allowed her mouth to fall open and it seemed that she could not gather her wits for long enough to pick it back up. Admittedly, there had been instances before where she had seen men perform some extravagant and truly foolish actions in order to impress her, but this was on a whole new level. Not once had anyone ever tried to serenade her, and not once had she ever felt so embarrassed as a result of someone else's actions before.

The song went on for a few verses, even though Zelda had been begging for it to end as soon as it began. Ralph continued to sing about a variety of things, such as her Kingdom, which was rich with freedom, and her hair, which was beautiful and fair. And the compliments and cheesy rhymes continued to pile up one after the other.

As the music dragged on, Zelda became acutely aware of some maids standing at the entrance to the balcony, no doubt listening in to the grand performance that was being put on for her. Zelda felt her face turn the deepest shade of red as she prayed for death. To think that other people were actually listening in on this! And of course it had to be the maids, the worst gossipers in the entire castle! Zelda could only imagine the exaggerated rumors that might spring out of this little musical number in the weeks to come.

For the sake of distracting herself and enduring this never-ending song, Zelda desperately cast her thoughts elsewhere. Her mind soon settled on the one thing that she could always count on to provide comfort: the friendly Hero clad in green. She wondered what Link would have said if he were here, listening in on this like everyone else. It didn't take long before she concluded that his reaction likely would have mirrored her own. After all, was there any appropriate response for such a thing other than pure, utter shock?

Well, perhaps there was one, for Zelda also thought of Midna and wondered how she might have reacted here. And of course, the only image she could conjure of the Twili girl was one where she was rolling around on the floor, laughing herself silly.

As Zelda took comfort in this thought, Ralph's song finally came to an end. Thank the Goddesses, it finally came to an end. Ralph simply smirked, tossing one of his bangs to the side before confidently grinning.

"How was that, My Lady? Did my music please you?"

It took a long time for Zelda to properly close her mouth, and it took even longer before she found her words. "Th-That was…um…Well, I certainly appreciate the thought…"

Ralph just blinked, his single eye going wide. "Was it not to your liking?" he asked incredulously.

"I, um…" Zelda gulped, trying to think of how she could convey her thoughts as kindly and politely as possible without being dishonest. "It, er, didn't particularly suit my tastes very much, but your harp playing was very good."

Again, Ralph appeared paralyzed by disbelief. "You truly did not care for it? And yet I spent so much time crafting and reciting it…"

Zelda held back a wince as she felt overwhelmed with guilt. Now she had done it. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sir Ralph. I don't mean to belittle your efforts, and I truly did appreciate-"

"No!" he said, quickly and abruptly. "No, please, My Lady, the fault lies with me for not better understanding your tastes. But no matter! Give me a moment and I'm certain that I can find some other way to entertain you."

Zelda timidly frowned as she watched him remove his foot from his chair and resume brainstorming. She wasn't sure what he was about to come up with next, but she didn't think that she wanted to find out. "Prince Ralph, please, you do not have to do such things for my sake."

But his answer was as ambitious as ever. "No, no, I insist! It is my duty to treat you to a good time, after all! Now let's see…Perhaps you prefer a more physical entertainment?" And then it struck him. "Ah, yes, I have just the thing!"

Zelda nervously bit her lip. She already had a terrible feeling about this. "Prince Ralph, I would really prefer to return to our meal."

"Oh, this will only take but a moment, My Lady," he assured her with a grin. "And I really think you will enjoy this!"

Zelda eyed him with only the most extreme levels of caution. "And what are you going to do?" she dared to ask.

Ralph simply grinned some more before crouching down and balling the tablecloth in his hands. "This is an old party trick I learned. I'm going to remove this tablecloth without disturbing any of the dinnerware. It takes a good amount of finesse and a fairly trained eye to pull it off, you know."

Zelda leaned forward, trying to determine if he was serious. Of course he was. Panic soon set in, and Zelda was quick to raise her concerns. "Prince Ralph, please, no. This sounds like a terrible idea, and I would truly prefer that you didn't go through with it."

"Nonsense!" he replied. "Trust me, My Lady, I know exactly what I'm doing, and I guarantee that you'll enjoy this. Now, on the count of three. One, two-"

"Prince Ralph, wait!" Zelda tried to cry, but it was too late. With one swift motion, Ralph yanked on the tablecloth, and for a second, his trick almost seemed to work. At the very least, one dinner plate remained safely in place without the rush of fabric disturbing it in the slightest.

But the rest was horrifically lost in an instant. A plate and glass shattered against the floor, while silverware clanged and food flew everywhere. The sole remaining glass tipped over, spilling its contents right into Zelda's lap. With a horrified gasp, she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet.

"My dress!" she cried as she gazed at the newly stained garment. "Oh, my dress!" It was all she could think to say.

Meanwhile, Ralph just blinked before turning his single eye to the tablecloth in hand. He used his other hand to scratch his head in confusion. "Ah, blast," he muttered. "That did not quite work as I expected it to."

Zelda had to fight hard not to shoot him a glare. She understood that his intentions had been pure, but this was practically the height of foolishness. The time for propriety was done. She was done.

"Prince Ralph," she hissed with all the frustration of a disappointed mother. "Look at what you have done."

Ralph blinked again before gazing around at all the shattered dinnerware and discarded food. He soon flashed a look of guilt. "Oh, yes, I'm terribly sorry about this…And oh, your dress! Here, let me help you with that, My Lady."

Zelda then watched as Ralph walked over and tried to wipe away the stain at the front of her dress. But here was the real kicker. He was using the tablecloth that he still had in hand.

It was at this moment that Zelda knew the courtship was lost.

The Princess simply sighed. "Prince Ralph, stop."

"Just a moment, My Lady, and I'm sure I can find a way to get this stain out."

"No, Ralph, I sincerely insist that you stop at once."

Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Ralph frowned before rising up to look her in the eye. "What's the matter?" he asked, sounding both curious and innocent.

Zelda could only shake her head. "Forgive me, but…I'm afraid that this isn't going to work out."

The Hyrulean dating pool is rough out here. At least, it is when Link isn't available lol.

This chapter was so much fun to write. I don't remember much of Ralph's character from OOA other than he was kind of a rash fool who meant well. I tried to portray that here, while also making him kind of a fun goofball as well. And the result is disastrous comedy. I hope you all enjoyed it XD