Queen Zelda watched as the crowd of nobles danced merrily into the night. From her throne, she could see every man, woman and child, even her flirting husband and his mistress.
He doesn't even try to hide it… She grimly thought.
Two years ago, she let her father bully her into marrying the man for the good of the Kingdom. Why? She could never remember how it happened. Every single one of her close friends had told her to refuse as they had heard bad rumours about the man.
Even her own Knight Attendant didn't trust the new King of Hyrule.
Diligent as ever, Master Link, Hero of Hyrule and confidant to the Queen, remained in his post as her personal guard.
Queen Zelda had to admit, when physical maturity hit him properly following the defeat of the Calamity, he was very nice on the eyes. He'd grown a full seven inches in the last two years, now towering over most of the men at court and the Royal Guard, compared to having been the shortest member of the guard AND the military before the Calamity. No more was the nickname Pipsqueak.
And no more was the occasional sneaking into Gerudo town via cross-dressing methods. No, his broad shoulders, defined muscles and facial structure were now too masculine to fool the female guards. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd seen a woman blush from a simple glance of his breath-taking eyes.
Now he stood loyally next to her in a regal navy suit, a decorative yet still very sharp Sabre strapped to his waist. Zelda allowed her eyes to take his appearance in one more time, her eyes taking him in from head to toe inconspicuously.
His blazer fit too nicely. Perfectly tailored as she had ordered, she feared for a moment that one of the buttons would pop off if he decided to flex too hard. Shame on you Zelda. You're a married woman. She mentally scolded herself before turning back to the crowd.
She could once again see her husband flirting with the maid, whispering something, probably something sultry, in the woman's ears. She watched the woman shamelessly giggle and blush.
Why did I ever let my father convince me into this marriage? She couldn't even think of a benefit to the marriage. The man only ever looked at her if he wanted intercourse, and even then if she said no, he sulked and ran off to likely go find some woman who would say yes.
Oh how she would have taken a literal dog over that piece of garbage, but what would the people say to the Princess of Hyrule wedding a dog?
She turned her eyes back to Link, admiring his profile. I'd have married him if I had the chance.' Oh how Zelda thought about that more than she should have. If she had known he'd never take a wife, she'd have thrown her father's words to hell and taken him and ran off to some place. She didn't even think she'd seen him flirt with any woman. Is he gay? She could help but chuckle at the thought. All the court rumours declaring him to play for the other team were starting to get to her. Some claimed he had a forbidden romance with a soldier, others said he was in love with the General, whom he spent a considerable amount of time with, apart from Zelda of course.
She didn't think it was true. But she did admit, it was odd that in his 26 years, he had never once taken at least a bed warmer. Not even the faintest of love bites or marks had ever graced his skin, of what she could see anyway, and that was saying something because he often trained in the courtyard half nude wearing only pants and boots. She was sure she'd have taken notice of scratches or bruises.
"Is everything alright, Your Majesty?" She snapped back to reality, seeing the soft eyes of her knight meet her own.
She blushed and looked back at the busy crowd. "Everything is fine, thank you." She sighed, seeing the crowd dancing happily. She sighed softly before leaning her head on her hand.
"Would you care for a dance?" She turned her head and saw the extended hand, along with a curt bow in her direction.
"I would love one."
She paid no mind to the nobles who watched her take the hand of her knight. And she certainly wasn't going to be paying mind to her husband who watched from a distance as her courageous knight took her hand in his and placed a hand on her waist to lead her into a simple waltz.
She paid no mind to his warm hand sitting at the curve of her waist, nor did she think too hard about the calloused hands that held hers so gently. She held her head high, gazing up into his eyes and he led her in a series of steps and twirls.
It was these moments where she completely forgot she was married to another. Her mind simply brought her back to the times of pre-engagement where she wasn't shackled by the hoop on her finger.
She just knew that he would treat her right in every sense of the word. She knew Link would have wiped her numerous tears, hugged her through troubled nights, held her during those intimate moments she wished she had in her relationship.
Hell, he already did half of those things.
She didn't take notice when the music stopped, but she did when he stopped leading them.
I might as well be married to Link. She held no shame in that thought. Oh how he would have been the best choice to have the golden circlet sitting atop his head, standing beside her to greet their people. Just, kind, a fantastic listener, and one of the most diplomatically-skilled people she's ever met. If only her father had listened to him rather than his advisors.
"My Queen, would you like to dance again or return to the throne?" He asked quietly.
Oh she loved it when he said that in his deep voice.
"I'm actually feeling quite tired. I may retire for the night." She says, feigning a yawn. She notices his eyes linger on hers just a bit longer than they're supposed to.
He knows she's lying.
"Would you like me to escort you to your chambers?" He offers his arm as they walk out from the crowd. She happily takes one and they go to find her husband, who's busy practically groping a woman in front of their eyes.
She feels Link's bicep flex in her hand as they approach. Glancing up, she sees his jaw set and tense, but no sound comes. Her eyes return to that of her sad excuse of a husband.
"Dear, I'm retiring for the night. Sir Link will be escorting me out." He waves her off without a single glance, barely acknowledging what words came from her lips. She was sure she could tell him she was dying and he still wouldn't have looked.
She felt Link lead her away from the large ballroom and into the hall, the doors opening and closing for them thanks to the guards posted.
They walk in silence, hand still tucked in the nook of his elbow, as they eventually reach the wing of living quarters. The halls are barren for there are no guests or servants needed; everyone is busy entertaining the nobility who are busy socialising.
No one is here… She thinks as she looks behind her and around her. Total privacy.
She remembers his gentle hands around the dancefloor, and his attentiveness to her needs throughout the night. She bites her lips, thinking about all the things they could have done, had they been together from the start.
She stops in the hall, causing Link to stop as well. He looks down at her, an eyebrow raised and his eyes filling with worry.
Her mind wanders to her idiot husband, groping women, flirting and sleeping with people and not even bothering to pretend he doesn't take part in such things. The Courts must laugh in her face about their marriage.
"Zelda?" She looks back to Link, whose hand is resting on her cheek. "Talk to me." His voice is soft. It's warm and comforting and Zelda realises just how much she loves those tones, even if the current one is filled with worry for her.
Just for her.
"Do you ever think of us?"
"You'll have to elaborate."
Zelda lets go of his arm and her hands rest by her sides. Her eyes downcast; she can't look him in the eye. "Do you ever think of what we could be? Could have been, I mean?" She says, her voice trembling.
She doesn't see his expression, but she sees his body shift to stand in front of her. "All the time." Her eyes dart up to his and sees the thing she longs for. The light of a nearby candle reflecting off of his blues causes her eyes to stick in their positions. "I think about it every day." His voice is whispering to her.
"Kiss me."
And he does exactly that. His lips capture hers softly. There's no hungriness or roughness in his lips or tongue, nor does she detect lust as their lips move together in the dark hall. His hands aren't needy when he places them at the base of her back to pull her against him.
She's not sure how long they stay there, but she finds herself, back to the wall, hidden by an alcove. His lips never leave hers, continuing to move in sync with hers. When she slips her tongue into his mouth, it's a slow dance; twirling and moving against each other.
She feels his hands leave her waist and come to rest on her neck, his thumbs stroking her cheeks lovingly. She doesn't notice his fingers wipe away a stray tear that descends her cheek.
His lips move from her mouth, peppering slow languid kisses along her skin until they're on her neck, leaving a comforting warm trail until they come to sit under her ear.
"Someone is going to notice us." He warns her, his face unmoving from its position.
She doesn't care. In that moment, she wishes the courts knew how much her knight kissed and cherished her.
"Link..." She brings her hands to rest on his cheeks, her eyes darting between his eyes and his lips. She isn't sure she can get the words out properly, but she thinks Link gets the gist of it.
His lips return to hers, going deeper than the kisses they had just shared. "Zelda…" She loves the way he says her name. "May I…?" The words don't come out completely, but Zelda knows they were one and the same.