Queen of Hyrule

When you heard a knock on the door the next day, a day when the shop was closed, your heart leapt. Was it Link again? Master Shido had told you that he was most likely going to be gone for a fortnight at the earliest, so you knew it wasn’t him.

You intentionally ignored the butterflies in your stomach as you jumped out of bed and rushed down to answer the door. Before opening it, you paused and took a second to fix your hair and straighten out your rumpled clothes. 

What am I doing? Stop being ridiculous. 

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door and prepared to say hello to your friend. 

“Hello, beautiful.” 

Your face faltered, the smile on your lips dropping as you looked up at Elis. He was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers, but for some reason it didn’t excite you as much as it might have had previously. Instead, the feelings of anger and sadness began to build up once more. 

He didn’t even wait for you to invite him in before he stepped inside, slightly pushing you out of the way as he did so. “I wanted to come see you and apologize for missing last night.” 

You turned back to him after closing the door, an unamused look on your face. “You could have at least given me a heads up before I sat at Telma’s for two hours looking like an absolute idiot. Again.” 

He gave you a guilty smile. “I’m sorry, honey pie. Something came up with my father’s job and he needed my help to get it all sorted out. I couldn’t get away to come find you.” 

You raised your eyebrow, secretly questioning the validity of his story. That isn’t the first time he’s come up with almost that exact excuse. 

“Your father has been having quite a lot of problems lately, it seems. Hopefully everything is okay with his business.” You sounded a bit more snarky than you intended, but you couldn’t help it. 

“Well anyways!” He waved his hand in the air, clearly trying to move on from the topic, “I wanted to take you out. I thought maybe we could have lunch by the river today.” He wiggled his eyebrows, clearly trying to entice you with his offer. 

You chewed on your bottom lip, considering his offer. He had apologized, brought flowers, and was trying to make it up to you. Being angry was exhausting. So even though you weren’t feeling completely won over, you decided that it was easier to just move on. Giving him a half-hearted smile, you nodded. “Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.” 

“Great! It’s a beautiful day out, perfect for a picnic.” He did seem genuinely excited, which made the dark cloud surrounding your heart lift ever-so-slightly. 

You eyed his empty hands. “Did you already set it up? Is the food there waiting for us?” 

He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, about that.. I don’t have any money at the moment, so I wasn’t able to get any food on my way here. Got anything good?” Before you could even answer, he headed up the stairs, the floorboards creaking as he made his way into the kitchen. You sighed and followed him. 

When you walked in, he was already raiding the cupboards. You walked him next to him, and looked up suspiciously. 

“Your dad didn’t pay you for your help yesterday?” 

“Hm? What help?” He said absentmindedly, not even pausing his rummaging to look at you. 

You crossed your arms. “The work. Yesterday. Why you stood me up.” 

That seemed to set off a bell in his head, and he immediately froze for a moment before turning to you. “No, he didn’t pay me. Downside of being his son, I guess. Free labor is cheap labor!” 

You couldn’t help but feel like there was something he wasn’t telling you. But you didn’t have the energy to press for more information, so you reluctantly accepted his explanation. 

The feeling only persisted though as you walked through Castle Town, a basket of sandwiches (that you made) ready to go. You couldn’t help but notice that Elis kept glancing around, almost nervously, as if he were on the lookout for someone. At one point, he even insisted that you not stop at a fruit stall to pick up some enticing looking apples. When you expressed your annoyance, he had only given you a sheepish smile and said that he was “just so hungry!” 

He didn’t seem to relax until you reached the river, where he led you to a cozy spot right on the bank… that was conveniently hidden away from the rest of the world by a row of thick bushes and trees. 

“Okay, what’s the deal?” You asked, unable to hold it back any longer. He looked up from where he was sitting on the ground, busy grabbing a sandwich from the basket. 

“What do you mean?” 

You crossed your arms and huffed. “Are you ashamed to be seen with me or something? You refuse to let me stop, you keep looking over your shoulder every few seconds, and the only living creatures who can see us in this spot are the fish. Why are you acting like this?” You were so angry at yourself when your voice cracked on the last word, and your eyes began to fill with tears. 

Panicking, Elis jumped up and took your hands in his. “No, no, no. Honey pie. Absolutely not!” 

You glared at him through your tears, and he seemed flustered as he continued. “The truth is… my father and I had to make some tough decisions to deal with the problem yesterday, and in the process we made quite a few people angry. I’m just.. being careful.” 

Immediately, you stood up straight and your eyes widened. “Do you think people would try to hurt you?” 

He sighed and shrugged, shaking his head slowly. “Possibly, honey pie. But that’s the way that it is I guess. But don’t worry,” his face changed and he beamed down at you, “I would never let them stop me from spending time with you.” To emphasize his point, he poked you gently on the tip of your nose. 

Your anger and suspicion melted away into a feeling of guilt. You had been so quick to think the worst about him and what he had been doing. Sure, he stood you up but it sounded like he had a good reason and it wasn’t fair to hold that against him. 

You gave him a smile, a genuine one this time, and let him guide you down to the ground where the food was waiting. You pushed any negative feelings you were still having out of your head, and attempted to forgive and forget. 

The lunch went a lot better than you were expecting. Elis dropped all of the weird behavior, and you felt like he was actually going above and beyond to be affectionate and make you feel loved. The two of you spent a good chunk of the afternoon lounging by the calm river, telling stories and enjoying the feeling of the sun on your skin. 

Eventually, it was time to head back to town. As you approached the bridge leading to the entrance of Castle Town, you felt significantly more content and comfortable than you had on the way out. So much so, that you decided to reach out and grab Elis’ hand. He jumped, surprised at the contact, and pulled his hand away quickly. 

You tried not to look as hurt as you felt, and you immediately felt that suspicion flood back into your gut. He gave you a sheepish smile. 

“Sorry, honey pie. My hands are super sweaty right now.” 

You narrowed your eyes and opened your mouth to say something, but the sound of loud hoof beats drew your attention away. Looking over your shoulder at the entrance of the city, you watched as a small party of soldiers dressed in their armor rode atop powerful horses and out of Castle Town. 

What immediately caught your eye, however, was the flash of familiar blonde hair towards the front of the group. Even from a distance, piercing blue eyes seemed to immediately meet yours, and before you realized what you were doing, you were sprinting towards the commotion. He seemed to understand what you were doing and, after shouting something to the soldiers around him who nodded and kept riding, Link peeled away from the group and began making his way over to you. 

It only took a few moments for him to meet you, and you watched in awe as he gracefully slid off his horse in a fluid motion that made it look way too easy. You rushed up to him, but noticed that his eyes were not focused on you. Rather, they were staring hard at something behind you. Looking over your shoulder, you saw Elis walking up, looking equally as unamused. 

You turned back to Link, and his eyes dragged away from the man behind you and back to your face. 

“What’s going on? Has something happened?” Lately it wasn’t often that Link was out running business that didn’t have to do with the Princess. He was in the Royal Guard after all, so his job was mostly confined to doing.. Royal Guard things. 

Link ran a hand through his hair, which he hadn’t bothered to tie up so it fell messy and windswept around his face. 

“Someone reported a group of monsters wandering around the north of Faron Province.” After seeing the look of fear that filled your face, he held out his hands in reassurance. “Not the ones like before. Just some Bokoblins.” 

That eased your anxiety, but not by much. “But still - monsters? It’s been awhile since anyone has seen any as far as I know. They mostly stay confined to the forest, right? Why are they appearing now?” 

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m joining the crew dispatched to take care of them. I want to do some investigating and see if anything unusual is going on, or if these ones just happened to stray too far from home.”

You felt Elis’ presence as he caught up to you and took a place by your side. “Is Hyrule’s favorite pretty boy off to save us once again?” His voice was anything but friendly. You whipped your head over to glare at him before turning back to your friend and giving him an apologetic look. Link chose to ignore the snide comment, but you could see the muscles in his jaw flexing as he clenched his teeth together in what you could only assume was annoyance. 

“Anyways,” he was straining to keep his tone calm and neutral, “I recommend heading back to the city. Nothing has been reported in this area, but the guards are going to close the gates this evening just to be careful. Once I get back and can report my findings, we’ll go from there.” 

“Oh boy, whatever would we do without you, Sir Link?” The sarcasm was dripping from Elis’ voice. You whipped your head over again, completely thrown off by how he was acting. Why was he being so nasty? 

Link said nothing, but this time stared the other man down with a look that had faced monsters more powerful than anything you could ever imagine. You shuddered, thinking that Elis could not be comfortable being on the receiving end of such a glare. And you could tell you were at least partially correct, if the nervous shifting happening next to you was any indicator. 

He tore his glare away from Elis and glanced over his shoulder. “I need to head out.” The look he gave you when his gaze once again met yours was much softer. “Promise me you’ll head back home?” 

Your mind immediately flashed back to the night before. 

“Please just think about what I said.” 

“Promise?” 

His eyes were filled with the same intensity as they had been then, making your heart flutter. Thinking about the previous also brought back the memory of his hand gently brushing the back of your neck, and the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around you. 

You suddenly realized that Link was so concerned about your safety, but the safest place you’ve ever felt was with him. And he would be going right into the danger. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We promise.” Elis’ snarky voice brought you out of your thoughts. You didn’t even have time to reply to Link before he nodded firmly and turned around. 

Before he could take a step, you reached out and grabbed his wrist. He paused and looked over his shoulder at you. 

“Be safe, please?” 

It wasn’t supposed to be a question, but you were suddenly so filled with worry that your voice squeaked slightly and made it sound like one. 

You knew it was silly. He was the Hero of Hyrule for crying out loud. He had faced dangers a hundred times more powerful than a group of Bokoblins. But you couldn’t help the anxiety that was gnawing at your stomach as you thought about him rushing off to take care of them. 

A boyish grin lit up Link’s face and he almost laughed. “Of course. Always am.” 

But the worry didn’t disappear from your face. It was almost frustrating how concerned he had been for your safety, but when it came to his own, he was so nonchalant.

“Promise?” 

It was your turn to ask, and there seemed to be something powerful about that one word. Something unspoken between you and the hero before you. He seemed to feel it too, and his grin slowly faded. His expression softened, and his eyes widened. His lips parted slightly, and you could swear that his cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink - but that could have been just a trick of the light. 

“I promise.” His voice was soft, but reassuring. You could tell that he was being honest and that he took your concern seriously. 

“Good.” You gave his wrist a gentle squeeze, and then dropped it. He held your gaze silently for just a few moments longer, his expression unreadable, before he turned quickly and mounted his horse almost as fluidly as he had dismounted. 

He gave you one last soft smile, and nodded his head in goodbye. You waved as he clicked his tongue loudly, digging his heels into the horse. There was a loud snort and it reacted almost immediately, taking off in a slow trot that Link quickly escalated into a canter, and then a gallop. You watched as he rode off, and continued to watch until he became just a small speck in the distance. 

A scoff behind you got your attention. You turned around and faced a very unhappy looking Elis. 

“What the fuck was all that?” His tone was accusatory and rude. You immediately went on the defense. 

“What?” 

“You may as well have just stripped right here and offered yourself up to fuck him.”

Your jaw dropped, completely surprised. Anger boiled inside of you, and your face turned red with emotion. “Where do you find it?” 

“Find what?” He sounded fed up. 

“The audacity!” You threw your hands up in the air, unable to keep your voice calm. 

He rolled his eyes. “Oh please. Where do I find the audacity? You’re the one over here practically throwing yourself at another man while your boyfriend stands back and watches.” 

“He is my friend and I care about him. Excuse me for being a decent person?” 

He put his hands up to his face and widened his eyes in a dramatic display of worry. When he spoke, his voice was high pitched and fake. He was obviously mocking you. “Oh Link, promise me you’ll be safe! Then when you get back please come find me and I can spend the night riding your co-”

You refused to listen any longer. You turned and started walking as fast as you could towards the Castle Town entrance. You needed to get away from Elis before you said something you would regret. Though you didn’t think there were a lot of things you would regret saying right now. 

“Where are you going?” He shouted after you. You just ignored him and kept going, trying to put as much distance between the two of you as possible. 

“Whatever. Have fun whoring around!” 

That did it. You spun around, shaking from the anger. His temper was nothing new to you, and he never worked to hide his dislike of Link. But this was too much. He had never resorted to such filthy name-calling before. 

“Why are you like this? I do nothing wrong and in turn all I get is being treated like dirt!” 

His laugh was short and cruel. “Treat you like dirt? Yeah, okay. We both know I’m the best someone like you is ever going to get.” 

It was something that you had thought to yourself plenty of times, but hearing him say it out loud - and hearing him use it as something to hold over your head - really cut deep. You had no control over the sudden sob that wracked your body, the tears following suit. With nothing else left to say, you turned back around and ran the rest of the way to Castle Town. 

Elis did not call out or follow you. 

You spent the rest of the day cocooned in your bed, the curtains pulled shut and the blanket wrapped tight around you. You cried until you felt like there was no way you could possibly produce any more tears, and then you cried some more. 

You couldn’t understand why Elis had to be so nasty to you. There was nothing wrong with showing concern for your close friend that was going to be riding right into danger for the first time in who knows how long. Yes he was a hero, but it had been a moment since he had to do any real fighting. What if he had gotten rusty? 

You would feel the same way if Elis was the one going to fight monsters. Right? Wouldn’t you? 

It was even more frustrating that his behavior had gotten so bad after what had been objectively a pretty good day. Considering the fact that he was supposed to be making up for standing you up the night before. 

It just felt like that, with Elis, it was always one step forward, and two steps back. For every good day you had with him, there were two bad ones where his attitude ruined it. You would say something wrong without even realizing it, and next thing you knew you would be getting lectured about how inconsiderate you are. 

Is this how it was supposed to be? Is this what love was supposed to be like? 

Deep down, you knew that it was not. You knew that love did not look like not following through on your promises. Not following through on your commitments. Not taking the time to talk through your emotions instead of just blowing up. Not caring about the way your actions made them feel. 

No, that wasn’t love. Maybe, you realized with a pang of sadness, that you had no idea what love was supposed to feel like after all. 

But if you had to guess, you would think that love is much different. That it was bringing them food after they’ve had a long day. Making sure they’re taking care of themselves instead of running themselves down taking care of others. Cheering them up when they’re feeling sad. Making them laugh effortlessly. Genuinely worrying about their happiness and doing whatever it takes to make them feel it. 

But Elis was right. He was the best you could hope to get. You knew it was true, but it still hurt to accept. Did Elis love you? Would he ever love you? 

All the while, Link’s words from the previous night kept floating around the back of your head like a persistent mosquito that kept coming back no matter how many times you swatted it away. 

“You need to realize that you are also deserving. To accept anything less would just be cheating yourself. 

You shook your head. “You’re wrong,” you whispered out loud to yourself. “I’m not deserving.” 

There was a sudden pounding on your door, and you nearly levitated off of the bed with fright. The pounding was loud and persistent. You nearly got up to go answer the door, but then remembered the monsters that Link was currently out fighting. Were there more? Was it them pounding on the door? Monsters didn’t typically knock before entering but hey - there was a first for everything. 

But soon, a voice accompanied the thuds. The fear was immediately replaced by annoyance. 

“Please, I’m sorry!” 

You got out of bed and walked carefully to the edge of the stairs. You knew that there was no way he’d be able to hear the creaking of the floorboards, but you wanted to stay silent regardless. 

“Honey pie, I didn’t mean what I said. I was just angry! You know how I get when you make me angry, I can’t help it! Please, let me in. Can we talk?” 

Despite your anger, you felt conflicted. Part of you wanted to scream at him to leave you alone, and the other part wanted to open the door. Because surely he had a good explanation for his behavior. 

But before you could make your decision, he made it for you. 

“Alright. Whatever. I don’t give a fuck.” 

And then silence. 

Your heart beating quickly, you crept downstairs, careful to stay in the shadows in case anyone was looking through the window. You pressed your ear up to the door but were met with silence. He was gone. 

Letting out a shaky sigh, you pressed your back up to the door and slid down, resting your head against the hard wood. 

Why was this all happening? It felt like everything in your life was just constantly fighting you. Happiness seemed to be just outside your reach, taunting you but never making its way into your waiting hands. 

You sat there for so long your butt became numb. But you couldn’t find the energy to get up and move back upstairs. So the floor it was. 

But despite the emotional exhaustion you felt, your mind still raced a million miles a minute. Some of it was about your relationship and the behavior of Elis, but as the night continued and you heard the loud bell from the clocktower signaling the shutting of the city gates for the night (something that hadn’t happened since Link had gotten rid of most of the monsters and pushed the rest back into the woods), you found yourself becoming increasingly worried for your friend outside. 

Faron Province wasn’t too far of a ride from Castle Town, so if all went well, Link and his team had no reason to be gone for too long. And you weren’t sure how you would know when he returned, but the stress of not knowing was starting to eat you up. You finally stood up and began to pace the shop, the worst scenarios running through your head. 

Another hour ticked by, and you felt so overwhelmed that you knew you needed to leave. A walk would help clear your head, so you decided to pay Telma a visit. Surely her bar was nice and crowded right now, with the residents of Castle Town being cooped up in the city for the night. 

The cool night air was a welcome feeling on your heated face. It seemed to help your mind slow down and clear up, and you no longer felt like you were going to crawl out of your own skin with anxiety and worry. 

You were halfway to Telma’s when you heard something that instantly made you freeze. 

“I know, baby. I’m sorry.” 

You knew that voice. That was Elis’ voice. 

It was coming from around the corner, down a small alleyway, where the speaker was hidden from view. You used this to your advantage and crept up as close as you could without revealing yourself to listen. 

“You promised you were going to take me out today.” A girl’s voice whined. One that you didn’t recognize.

“I know, I know. Something came up today with my father’s work this morning and I had to help him out.” 

You swore that your heart actually stopped in your chest. That sounded way too familiar. 

”But I missed you.” 

“I missed you too. But I’m here now.” 

Your mind began swimming, the blood rushing in your ears loudly as you realized what was going - he was cheating on you. 

That fucker. That absolute ass. 

“You know I love you baby.” 

“Yeah, I know..” 

“Let me make it up to you somehow.” 

There was a soft giggle, followed by soft smacking noises that sounded too similar to lips pressing up against each other. You waited until you heard the first soft moan before you couldn’t take it anymore and walked out from your hiding spot. 

His back was turned to you, not that he would have seen you anyways with his face buried in her neck. The girl’s head was thrown back, her eyes closed but pleasure written all over her face. He had her pushed up against the wall, and one of her legs was hoisted up around his waist. Her hands gripped his hair tightly, holding him in place as he kissed up and down her neck. 

The sight made you feel nauseous and part of you worried that you were going to throw up right there. But you held strong, and managed to stand tall. 

You cleared your throat, and the girl’s eyes opened. Right away her eyes widened and she immediately pushed an unaware Elis off of her as quickly as she could. 

“Baby, what’s wrong? Why-” He followed her point in your direction, and spun around. His eyes met yours, and it was almost funny how you could see the color absolutely drain from his face. 

You ignored him though, and looked at the girl. “Just so you know, he was with me today. We were at the river having a romantic picnic on the shore. It’s funny though,” and you tapped your chin for dramatic effect, looking back at Elis, “you told me today that the reason you stood me up last night was because something came up with your father and you had to help him out.. Geez, he really does seem to be having a lot of problems lately, doesn’t he?” 

The girl’s mouth opened slightly, a look of anger flashing on her face. Whether it was geared towards you or Elis, you weren’t sure. But you quickly learned as she took a step towards you and put her hands on her hips. 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Her voice was snarky and rude, and she sounded anything but sorry. You tried to remind yourself that maybe she had no idea that he was in a relationship, so of course a random girl trying to cause a scene could look bad. 

“I’m his girlfriend. We’ve been dating for almost a year now.” As you said that, reality seemed to smack her in the face. Her hands dropped from her hips, and she looked almost lost as she turned back to Elis, who was standing there frozen, like he had no idea how to handle the situation unfolding before him. 

“Let me take a wild guess - last night you were with her, not your father.” 

He didn’t answer, because the girl answered for him. “Yeah.. he was with me all day yesterday.” 

Hearing it - the truth - stung. It probably hurt worse than watching him kiss her. You weren’t sure what to say, and tears began to well up in your eyes as you nodded your head slowly. 

“Look, I can explain.” Elis took a step towards you, his arm out. You stepped back quickly, a look of disgust on your face. 

“I don’t want to hear it,” you scoffed. “You’ve yelled at me so many times, accused me of cheating so many times. You called me a whore just today! And this whole time I have been nothing but faithful to you. I should have known you were just projecting your own shitty behavior onto me.” 

He shook his head, his eyes looking pleading and desperate. “I’m sorry, honey pie. I swear I never meant for anything to happen. It just hurt me so bad to see how much you care about that stupid hero.” 

“Link? Don’t bring him into this! He has absolutely nothing to do with this.” 

Elis’ panicked look dropped then, turning into a cool, almost cruel, look. You were almost taken aback at how quickly his expression changed. “Really? Nothing to do with this? He’s the whole reason any of this happened in the first place. This is his fault, and yours.” 

You couldn’t believe it. He was cheating, and trying to blame you for it? “I.. what?”

“I knew it was only a matter of time until he finally managed to convince you to sleep with him. He walks around, toting himself as some big, mighty hero, used to getting whatever it is that he asks for.” 

A new wave of anger washed over you, now feeling incredibly protective of your friend. “You know nothing about him,” you sneered. Elis rolled his eyes.

“Oh please. He’s a guy. And he’s a guy with fame and fortune. We’re all the same.”

You shook your head. “You know what? I think you’re just jealous. Link is kind and considerate, and I think you’re scared that once I realize I deserve to be treated better than the way you treat me, I’ll walk away.” 

He almost seemed to flinch, and you knew your words likely hit home. The panic appeared on his face once more. 

“Just choose me.” 

“What?” 

He took a step forward. “Choose me. Promise me that you’ll stop talking to Link, and I swear that I’ll be better.” 

“Promise?”

You realized something then, as Elis looked at you with begging eyes.

 When Link asked you that question, he was asking in your best interest. When Elis asked, he was asking in his. 

The pathetic thing is, a small part of your brain was willing to go along with what he was saying. To cut off Link and continue the relationship that would probably only continue to cause you pain. Painful, yes, but at least you knew what to expect. And that was partly better than the fear of the unknown. 

But the promise you had made to Link the night before echoed loudly in your brain. You had promised him that you would consider what he had told you. That you deserved better. 

And you decided that you weren’t going to break any promises to the one person who actually cared about you. 

You crossed your arms, your face becoming hard. “Asking me to pick between you and Link is like asking me to choose if I’d rather go for a stroll through Hyrule Field or throw myself into the fiery pits of Death Mountain. I’m going to choose what’s best for me. Every single time.” 

You finally turned back to the girl, who was standing silently, watching the scene unfold before her with wide eyes. “He’s all yours. Have fun.” 

And with that, you turned and walked out of the alley. 

You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing you hurt this time, so you forced yourself to walk calmly and slowly through the town, even if your head and heart were anything but. You weren’t sure if you wanted to throw up, cry, breath something, or scream until you lost your voice. The feelings were overwhelming, and your brain could hardly begin processing everything that had happened. 

You felt yourself reaching the tipping point just as you turned the corner to the street where your shop stood. But you had no time to celebrate finally being able to release your emotions, because you immediately noticed a small crowd that had gathered at your door. 

In the dark, it was hard to make out exactly who was standing there, huddled up together in front of the shop. But then, someone turned and saw you, and they rushed out of the shadow of the store and into the moonlight. It was Telma. 

Her face was filled with worry, but upon meeting your eyes, you could see some relief come flooding back into it. “Oh thank Goddesses, you’re here.”

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “Telma? What’s going on? Who are all of these people?” 

Behind Telma, a tall, widely-built figure also stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Your heart dropped as you noticed that he was carrying something large in his arms - a limp body. A limp body with a mop of messy blonde hair glowing softly even in the dark. 

Telma looked back at the man, then back at you, the worry filling her eyes once more. 

____________________________________________________________

Thud. Thud. 

The sudden noise kickstarted your heart, and your mind raced with all of the possibilities as to who could be at the door. Wrapping yourself up in your blanket for a bit more decency, you crept slowly down the stairs. 

The shop was bathed in moonlight, and through a window you could just barely make out a tall silhouette standing outside. It was not bright enough that you could make out who it was, but you could tell that it was definitely a man. 

A feeling of annoyance bloomed in your chest. Was it Elis? You had absolutely no desire to talk to or see him at the moment. The sadness you felt earlier had gradually faded into anger and you were afraid that if you had to look at his face in your current state of mind you would say something you would come to regret. 

Wrapping the blanket tighter around you, you stopped right in front of the door. 

“Go away, Elis. I don’t want to see you right now. If you wanted to talk to me you should have bothered to show up to Telma’s this evening like you were supposed to.” Your voice was clear and devoid of any emotion. You didn’t want him to know how hurt you were. 

“Well, then I might have some good news for you.”

Your eyebrows shot up, surprised to hear the voice on the other side. You immediately fumbled with the locks and pulled the door open. 

“Link?” 

Said man was leaning comfortably against a wooden beam that stood just a few meters away from the door. He was dressed in his casual civilian clothing, his fancy Royal Guard uniform swapped out for a loose fitting green tunic and tan pants. His blonde hair was partially pulled back into a half ponytail and the rest of his shoulder-length locks framed his face in a way that gave him a very ruggedly handsome appearance. He looked up as the door opened and gave you a soft smile. 

“Hey. Can I come in? I bring gifts.” He patted the bag that hung at his side. Still working through your feelings of surprise, you simply nodded and stepped to the side so that he could pass by you. 

After putting the locks back into place, you turned around and suddenly felt very self-conscious about your clothing.. or lack thereof. Underneath your blanket you were only wearing a large nightshirt that hardly covered your butt. You cursed yourself mentally for not having the foresight to put on some pants. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked, squinting up at your friend. Afraid that your tone was a bit too harsh, you immediately rushed to add, “N-not that I’m unhappy you’re here! It’s just late and you’ve had a long day, I’m surprised you’re not already asleep.” 

You certainly were not unhappy that he was here. In fact, you made a point to not acknowledge the relief (and maybe a bit of happiness) that had immediately washed over you when you saw that it was him at the door instead of Elis. His presence brought nothing but comfort, which you knew would not have been the case for anyone else. The only thing that made you nervous was the fact that he had seen you so upset earlier. You weren’t sure you were feeling up to rehashing the day’s shitty events and how worthless you were. 

Link just shrugged. “Even if I wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be sleeping. There’s a fancy party taking place up at the castle right now. I should be working, but I called in a favor with Zelda and managed to get out of it.” He grinned mischievously, clearly proud of his actions. 

You were surprised to feel a pang of jealousy at hearing how casually Link referred to the Princess. It was another reminder of just how close he was to the royal. You didn’t know everything about their relationship, but you did know that whatever connection they did have with each other was unlike any other. You’ve heard whispers and rumors about the true nature of their relationship, but Link had never confirmed or denied them to you and you never brought them up. 

But it would make sense if they were together. I mean, that is the kind of woman that Link deserves. Truthfully, she’s probably the only person worthy of him. 

“Well, I’m flattered that you chose to spend your night off here… but again, that begs the question: why?” You weren’t meaning to sound so skeptical and negative, but surely he had better ways to fill his time. 

Link cocked an eyebrow. “Is it not enough to just want to come and see you?” He asked. 

The effortless way he said that, as if it were the most obvious answer in the whole word, made your heart flutter. He intentionally made time to come see you? He wanted to come see you in the first place? 

You opened your mouth, struggling to find words. 

“Do you have any clean forks?” He asked suddenly, changing the subject. His random question seemed to snap you out of the stupor you had found yourself in. 

“What?” 

“Forks. We need some forks.” He turned then, making his way upstairs to where the living area and small kitchen were. You followed behind, still feeling very much confused. 

Link rummaged through the kitchen drawers as if he lived there, taking no longer than a few seconds to produce two forks, one of which he gave you. Then, he pulled a small container out of his satchel. You frowned at it, trying to figure out what it was. 

“I managed to snag a piece for us before I left the castle,” he grinned, setting the container down on the counter. He took off the lid, revealing a gorgeous slice of white cake. It was topped with thick white frosting and decorated with blue and gold flowers. It looked delicious. You stared at it with wide eyes, then looked up at Link. He waved his hand at it. 

“Well, ladies first.” 

You didn’t even pretend to be polite and deny the offer. Instead, you happily dug in. You tried and failed to hold in the moan that came from the back of your throat as you took the first bite. It was absolutely delicious, practically melting in your mouth. 

“Lingk, dish ish amazin’!” Your voice was muffled, but happiness outweighed the shame of forgetting your manners. 

He nodded, taking a bite of the cake for himself. But unlike you, he waited until he was finished swallowing to speak. 

“I know how much you love sweets, so I figured that if I brought you a piece you wouldn’t be so angry with me for potentially waking you up. A peace offering, if you will.”  

You shook your head. “You could murder my family and I’d still forgive you if you gave me a piece of this cake.” 

Link laughed, the warm sound almost as satisfying as the food. “Alright, noted.” 

The two of you finished the treat in a comfortable silence, and Link insisted on cleaning the forks himself once you were done. You sat on the counter next to him as he scrubbed the utensils with a rag and some water. Watching from the corner of your eye, you were amused at how concentrated he was. He carefully inspected each fork, rescrubbing when he found even the smallest fleck of cake or frosting left behind. 

“Slayer of monsters and dirty dishes. What can’t you do?” You joked. 

He hummed, considering the question. “I’m not really a fan of laundry.” 

“Oh ho, so the great Link does have a mortal enemy then.” 

“The very sight of a pile of dirty clothing strikes fear right into my very soul!” He exclaimed dramatically, turning to give you a look of exaggerated fear. He paused suddenly, frowning as he looked at your face. He took a step towards you and leaned in. “Hold still..” 

You froze as he reached out towards you, unsure of what was happening. His warm hand cupped your cheek gently, and your heart started to pound so loud you were positive he could hear it. Before you could ask him what he was doing, he brushed his thumb over the corner of your mouth a few times. 

“There,” he said quietly, a look of concentration on his face. “All gone.” 

You just looked at him with wide eyes, and he met your gaze with a soft smile. Your cheeks burned underneath his palm. Both his touch and his proximity made your heart race and clouded your mind.

What is going on? Why am I reacting like this?

He held your gaze for what felt like forever, and you weren’t sure but you could swear you felt his thumb softly brushing over your cheek slowly. His touch was so light, however, that you could have just been imagining it. 

You found yourself feeling a small sting of disappointment when he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and pulled his hand back quickly. Your cheek suddenly felt ice cold and you almost wished he would put his hand back where it was. 

“Sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “You had some frosting on your cheek.” 

You let out a nervous laugh, and the quiet that enveloped the room as Link finished cleaning the dishes was awkward and not as comfortable as before. When he finished, he turned to face you and leaned up against the counter. You scrambled for anything to say, hoping to break whatever weird tension had built up between the two of you

“Thank you for bringing me the cake. It was so good, I might have to break in to the castle sometime to get some more.” 

Your joke seemed to do the trick, and Link visibly relaxed a bit. “Well, good thing you know one of the Royal Guards. I’m sure he could be persuaded to help you on your mission.” 

You grinned. “Maybe I could offer to do his laundry for him, think that would work?” 

The tension in the air was shattered by the sound of both yours and Link’s laughter. Whatever that awkward moment was, it was gone now. Though you could still feel the ghost of his hand resting gently on your cheek. 

Link’s laughter died down, and his face slowly morphed into something a bit more serious. He crossed his arms and his eyes bore into yours. “So.. do you want to talk about it?” 

You froze, and your smile slowly dropped as your brain took a second to register what exactly it was that he was talking about. 

Of course he wasn’t going to let you pretend that he didn’t see you crying like a baby in the midst of a large and happy crowd. 

You bit your lip and suddenly found a very interesting piece of fuzz on the blanket that was sitting in your lap. As you picked at it, you tried to fight off the tears that had begun to prick at the corner of your eyes. 

“There’s nothing to talk about.” You worked hard to keep your voice steady. 

“Where was he?” It was a simple question, but it cut through you like a knife. What hurt the most is that you couldn’t even answer it because you didn’t even know where he was. 

You ignored the tears as they began to slowly slip down your cheek. You kept your head down, continuing to focus on the blanket, but soon the piece of fuzz was joined by small water marks as the tears dropped down around it. 

“I don’t know.” You muttered. 

“What do you mean?” 

You sniffed, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit the truth. “He never showed up. I don’t know where he was.” 

The silence that followed spoke volumes. Looking up through your lashes, Link’s face was difficult to read. The muscles in his face flexed beneath smooth skin as he clenched his jaw. 

You laughed weakly. “Pathetic, right?”

“Something is pathetic, that’s for sure,” he muttered darkly. 

“This keeps happening. I don’t know what I did but obviously,” your lip started to quiver violently and your voice shook as you struggled to speak, “I’m not good enough for some reason.” The last word came out as a sob, and you slapped your hand over your mouth to try and keep the rest from coming out. It didn’t help. 

There was a long pause where the only sound in the shop was the sound of your crying. Then, “Get dressed.” 

You hiccuped, trying to catch your breath and calm yourself down. You looked up in confusion, wiping your nose in case any snot had started to make its exit from your nose. “What?” 

“Get dressed,” Link repeated, a serious look on his face. “We’re going out.” 

It took a few seconds for his words to register, and you shook your head vigorously. “No, Link, I don’t-”

His warm skin was once again on your cheek, the back of his hand softly brushing away the tears that sat there. 

He leaned in suddenly, his face just centimeters from yours, and there was a sparkle of something almost mischievous in his blue eyes. A stark contrast from the stoic expression he had been wearing moments before. 

“Last one to the castle entrance is a rotten cucco egg.” His voice was a soft whisper, nearly inaudible. You stared up at him, a dumb look on your face. 

“Wha..?” 

But before you could ask any more questions, he gave you a delishly grin and took off, running out of the room and clunking down the stairs loudly. 

“I - what? Link! Hey, wait!” You shouted after him, but got no response. “Oh fuck me,” you muttered. But you couldn’t deny the childlike giddiness that was bubbling up inside you as you ran to your room and pulled on some decent clothes as quickly as you could, determined to catch up with your friend. He had challenged you, and he knew that you weren’t one to back down from a challenge. 

As you exited the shop, you saw Link standing a few doors down, obviously waiting for you. He didn’t let you catch up, however, and with a quick grin he was off again, running through the streets of Castle Town. 

“This isn’t fair!” You shouted as you sprinted after him. “You got a head start!” 

He looked back as he ran. “Don’t blame me because you’re slow!”

You stuck your tongue out at him, and then watched in horror as an unsuspecting couple walked right into the path of an inattentive Link who was charging like a bull. You opened your mouth to warn him, but luckily he turned back at just the right moment. He managed to jump out of the way, mostly avoiding them. But he still tripped over the man’s shoes, stumbling forward wildly. You didn’t even bother holding back the laughter as you followed behind, watching as he struggled to regain his balance. 

“Sorry!” Link shouted, not even bothering to stop as he apologized. The couple gave him a nasty glare, then made to keep walking. However, they were once again abruptly stopped as you ran right into their path. You didn’t even need to look to know they were also giving you a dirty glare as well.

“Sorry!” You copied Link, also not even bothering to look back. 

You couldn’t stop the laughter that was spilling out as you ran. The sadness from earlier seemed to melt away with each stride you took. All you were focused on now was keeping an eye on Link and trying to catch up. He kept glancing back to check on you as well, and the smile on his face as he did so gave you butterflies. 

“Is that the best you got?” He shouted over his shoulder. 

“You know, it’s amazing you can run so fast with a head that big!” You shot back. His laughter carried down, filling your ears. 

“It’s part of the Royal Guard training!” 

Big head aside, by the time you got to the castle entrance out of breath and sweaty, he was already there waiting, looking completely unfazed. Not even a drop of sweat on his brow. 

He pretended to yawn as you dragged yourself up to him. “Well, it’s about time.” 

You glared at him as you leaned down and placed your hands on your knees to try and catch your breath. He just smiled innocently. 

“How does it feel?” He asked. 

“What, the stabbing pain in my side? The sweet embrace of death herself?” You panted. 

“Being a rotten cucco’s egg, I mean.” 

You couldn’t even pretend to be mad, a loud laugh escaping your lips. He joined in, and next thing you knew, the both of you were in tears and struggling for air. 

Once you two gained your composures, Link straightened up and gestured to the paved road that led up to the castle. 

“There? Link, we can’t just walk into the castle!” You looked nervously at the very large guards that stood on either side of the entrance. They looked straight ahead, their faces completely blank. But you knew that they weren’t zoned out and would not hesitate to use the very sharp looking swords they had strapped to their hips if need be. 

“C’mon, it’ll be fine. I promise.” He held out his arm to you. Hesitantly, you linked your arm with his and let him lead you. As you walked up to the guards, Link simply nodded to them. They returned the nod, and let you walk by without any issue. 

“Wow, must be nice to be the Hero of Hyrule,” you muttered sarcastically. He shrugged. 

“I guess putting my life on the line to save Princess Zelda and all of the people of Hyrule, yourself included, comes with the added perk of being able to enter and exit the castle freely. I mean really, that’s what makes it all worth it if I’m being honest.” 

You rolled your eyes at him and gently smacked his arm. He rarely ever made jokes or even talked about the events that led to him being hailed as a hero, so it was strange to hear him acknowledge it, even if he was just joking around. He just smiled down at you, and the two of you continued the walk in a comfortable silence. 

You weren’t exactly sure where he was taking you but as you approached the grand steps leading up to the front door of the castle, he quickly whisked you to the side and instead led you down a small path that disappeared around the side of the castle. 

“Where are we going?” You finally asked. He glanced down. 

“You’ll see. We’re almost there.” 

After a few more minutes, you ended up in front of a small arched gate. Thick green vines covered most of the silver metal, and you wondered if it would even open at all. But without any effort Link pushed one side and it swung open easily. He held out his hand, which you took, and led you through. 

The air grew thick with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. Crickets sang from their hiding places, competing with the sound of the leaves on the trees gently rustling in the soft breeze. The garden you had stepped into was filled with lush greenery, more vines climbing up the castle walls in a race to get to the top. The small area was dimly lit by the light of several small fairies, much to your wonderment. Some floated through the air, their tiny wings shimmering in the moonlight. Others sat perched on flowers or the trees, beautifully twinkling in the dark. 

The sound of water trickling drew your attention to a small pond that sat in the corner of the garden. The water was calm, the reflection of the bright moon and stars dancing on the surface. Small ripples danced throughout as water traveled down a small waterfall made naturally by large rocks. You saw other sporadic ripples in the water further out, hinting at tiny creatures who have made the pond their home. 

You truly had no words as you stood and absorbed the sight before you. The garden was small and magical, a sense of peace and serenity washing over you as you took in the beautiful sights and sounds under the lights of the moon and the fairies. From the corner of your eye, you could see Link looking down at you with a strange look on his 

face. 

After a few minutes of stunned silence, you finally found your voice. “What is this place?” You whispered. 

Link gently grabbed your arm again, guiding you to take steps forward. “Come on, let's sit.” 

A small bench sat at the edge of the pond, and the two of you took a seat and looked out at the water before you. You felt almost hypnotized watching the small stream trickle down the rocks and listening to the soft bubbling that accompanied it. 

“After.. everything,” Link started, his quiet voice pulling you out of your trance, “I spent a lot of time here.” 

You looked up and saw that he wasn’t looking at you, but rather looking out at the pond with a faraway expression on his face. You decided to stay silent to see if he would continue. He did. 

“It was really difficult at first. Well, it still is honestly. But those first few weeks, months, after Zelda was back and we were picking up the pieces left behind after so long of turmoil and destruction.. I really struggled.

The transition from being constantly on the road, constantly fighting, constantly throwing myself into the face of danger and being unsure if I would live to see another day, another hour even..” 

Your heart ached as you listened. You had only ever known Link to be courageous and brave. Hearing him talk about his struggles was difficult, and you didn’t want to think of him in any pain - emotional or otherwise. 

He sighed, shaking his head. “When nobody knew who I was, it was easy. I mean obviously what I was doing wasn’t easy, but before I felt like I was only responsible for myself and…” his voice trailed off, and you sensed there was something painful in the word that was supposed to come after “and”. But it never came. 

“I had pressure to succeed of course, knowing what fate would await Hyrule if I didn’t. But I didn’t have much time to stop and consider things. I just did what I had to do to get through each day.”

He nibbled anxiously on his bottom lip. A rare display of doubt and worry. “Now everyone looks up to me. They put me on such a high pedestal and for so long all I could think about was how much it was going to hurt when I fell. Because nobody really knows what I did. They don’t know the choices I had to make. The mistakes I made. How could I possibly be deserving of their love, their unwavering trust, with how many things I’ve done wrong?” 

Gingerly, you placed your hand on his knee. You weren’t sure what to say, or if he even wanted you to say anything. But you wanted to comfort him somehow. For him to know that you were listening and there for him. 

“I used to come out here almost every night. I had.. I had trouble sleeping for a while. And when I did, it was mostly nightmares. So I would come here and think about the questions I was too scared to ask out loud. What could I have done differently? Did I save everyone I could have saved?” 

You could feel your heart breaking with that final sentence. The look on his face and the pain in his voice. You had no idea how he could doubt himself when he had saved so many people, but you also couldn’t pretend to understand what he had gone through either. 

He turned to you, and you could see the vulnerability written on his face. “Luckily my nights out here have been becoming fewer and fewer in recent months. I don’t think I will ever be able to fully feel like I deserve any of the praise I get, but I am coming to terms with it. Learning to live with it. The voices in the back of my head will always be there, but they’re getting quieter and quieter with time.” 

Silence once again fell between the two of you, and you waited to see if he was going to continue. He did not. So you focused on the sounds of the night while you tried to think of the best way to respond to him. 

Link was one of your closest friends, but he had never been so open and honest and.. raw with his feelings before. While it hurt you to think of him struggling through all of those emotions alone, part of you - the selfish part - was over the moon that he had chosen to share these things with you. This was a whole new side of Link you were experiencing, but you decided that this was the most important one. This was the side that showed you the real Link. And he trusted you with that. That was no small thing. 

“Link, I’m so sorry.. I had no idea you were dealing with all of that.” Your eyes searched his, hoping he could hear and see the sincerity in your words. He gave you a small smile and shrugged. 

“I didn’t tell anyone. With all of the eyes on me, I didn’t want anyone to think I was ungrateful. Everyone believes me to be a strong and heroic person, so that’s what I’m going to show them.”

You shook your head. “But Link, I don’t think there’s a single person out there that would blame you for feeling the way you did. I mean, none of us know what it was like for you and you’re right. As soon as the dust settled, you were thrust into the spotlight and given all those fancy titles and promotions. There wasn’t much of an adjustment period, which I’m sure would be hard for anyone.” 

He was quiet for a minute before laughing softly, which confused you immensely. Had you said something funny? 

“Did I ever tell you what my life was like before? Back when I was just an average person who had never even been in a physical fight, nevermind battled monsters and evil rulers.” When you shook your head, he continued, a hint of longing in his voice. “I was a cattle ranch hand. I spent my days on my horse, rounding up the goats, cleaning stalls, and working on random projects around the ranch. Occasionally had to go and wrangle a goat or two that had gotten loose and tried to make its way down to the village.” 

You couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped your lips as you tried to imagine Link wrestling with an angry bleating goat. He raised an eyebrow and pretended to look offended. “Don’t you laugh, it was serious business. To this day I think I’d rather take on Ganondorf than a pissed off goat charging at me.” 

You nodded furiously and closed your lips together tightly, pretending to zip them up, lock them, and throw away the key. Link rolled his eyes but grinned at your foolishness. 

“Anyways, I just never would have imagined what my future would hold. And don’t get me wrong, I am immensely grateful for Zelda and the people of Hyrule and everything they have done for and given me. But a part of me I think will always mourn the life I could have had. Simple but pleasant. With the freedom to exist without the weight of all this pressure.” He sighed wistfully, looking once again back out across the pond. 

“Well, for what it’s worth, you are deserving.” He turned away from the pond to look back at you, and you continued. “You’re deserving not only because of what you did, but because of who you are. You are kind, you are caring, and you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. You intentionally go out of your way to help strangers, you play with the city’s kids during your free time, you visit other villages around Hyrule to make sure they have everything they need and if they don’t you make sure they get it, you share your food with starving potion makers.. I could go on, but I think you get the point.” 

Link pursed his lips and tapped a finger on his chin as if he were thinking hard about something. “No, no I think I’d like you to continue.” 

You scoffed loudly. “Fine. You also have the biggest head of anyone I know. That’s quite an impressive feat.” 

His laugh was loud and genuine, and you didn’t even mind that it disrupted the peaceful quiet of the garden. You shoved his shoulder with yours, and he gladly returned the gesture. The two of you battled it out for a minute or two before Link put up his hands in surrender. With a triumphant smile you leaned back on your hands and looked up at the sky. 

“Thank you.” He said after a few moments of comfortable silence. “For listening to all of that. It was nice to get it off my chest finally.” 

You sat up straight and gave him a serious look. “Anytime Link. I’m more than happy to listen when you need it. That’s what friends are for.” 

He stared at you for a few seconds before nodding and smiling, though for some reason it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It almost looked.. sad. Before you could ask him about it, he looked away and changed the topic. 

“Well, this is my special place to come and think about my life and whether I’m deserving of love and kindness. So I brought you here because I want you to do the same.” 

You took a sharp breath, suddenly being reminded about the situation with Elis and why you were even out of your bed in the first place. Since stepping into the garden you hadn’t thought once about it all. 

“What do you mean?” You asked. 

“I mean,” his voice was stern, “That you need to realize that you are also deserving. And to accept anything less is just cheating yourself.” When he looked at you, his gaze was intense and it seemed to cut right through to your very soul. 

Listening to Link talk about his feelings had been easy, but now that the attention was turned on to you, you suddenly felt very uncomfortable. You didn’t want to sit and list out all of the reasons why you were certainly not deserving and make yourself look even more pathetic than you already were. 

“It's hardly the same,” You said quietly. “You’re.. you. And I’m.. me.” 

He shook his head. “Our situations are unique, sure, but that does not mean that you are any less deserving of happiness.” 

“I am happy.” You knew it was a pathetic lie, and you knew that Link would absolutely not believe you. And by the look on his face, you could tell he certainly did not. But before he could lecture you any further, you suddenly stood up. 

“It’s getting late, and I’m very tired. Walk me home?” 

He looked like he wanted to protest, but eventually he nodded. Once again he held out his arm, and you took it, welcoming the sense of comfort and security being close to him brought. You did feel guilty that he had been so open and vulnerable with you tonight, only for you to immediately shut down when he tried to get you to do the same. But you hoped that he would realize that it wasn’t worth the discussion and would give it up. 

The walk back to your home was silent, neither of you knowing what to say. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence per se, but the journey to the garden had certainly been more fun. You kept stealing glances at Link from the corner of your eye as you walked, but his face was unreadable. You had no idea what was going on in that mind of his. 

When you reached your shop, you were both relieved and disappointed. You dropped Link’s arm and unlocked the shop door. When you turned around to say goodbye, you were surprised to find that Link was much closer than you expected. 

Your heart began to beat rapidly at the proximity, which was silly because you had just spent the whole walk home arm-in-arm with him. But something about the way that he was standing, looking down at you just a step away, felt different. More intimate. 

You looked up at him - goddesses, he was tall - with wide eyes. He said nothing as he brought his hand up to your face. With a gentle touch, he caught hold of a lock of your hair and tucked it back behind your ear. His fingertips brushed your neck softly, sending tingles down your spine and butterflies erupting in your stomach. 

“Please just think about what I said,” he murmured, his voice so soft you almost had to strain to hear what he said. His hand was still holding the side of your neck, however, and really that’s all you could focus. Link probably could have shouted his words directly into your ear and you still wouldn’t have heard him properly. 

You nodded, unable to form words or even a single coherent thought. His thumb delicately stroked the sensitive skin behind your ear, triggering another wave of tingles and butterflies. 

“Promise?” His blue eyes were pleading and sincere. 

You nodded again, not even able to imagine how you could possibly say no to him in this moment. 

He stared for a moment longer before nodding, seeming to accept your answer. You expected him to pull his hand away, but instead he pulled you into his chest, catching you completely off guard. His one hand stayed placed at the base of your neck while the other snaked around your back, pressing you to him.

You momentarily forgot how to breathe. 

Had he ever hugged you before? 

Why was he hugging you? 

WHY did he smell so good?? 

You felt brief pressure on the top of your head, and then he released you and stepped back. As he did so, you finally took the breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. 

“Sleep well.” His smile was warm and damn it, when did his smiles start to make your stomach flip so violently? 

Ever so smooth with words, you replied “Uhh okay.” 

Link gave a final wave goodbye and you stood there like an idiot, watching as he walked down the road until he turned and was out of sight. 

Then, as if a switch had been flipped in your brain, a million thoughts and emotions slammed into you at once. Giddiness, guilt, sadness, confusion, admiration - you felt it all. You had no idea how to even begin to process anything that had happened that night or the emotions that you were feeling. You were like a zombie as you wandered upstairs to your room and changed back into your sleep clothes, your head swimming with so many things. 

When you laid down finally, you decided to just push all of the thoughts and emotions away and shut your brain off. You would think about it later. Put off sorting out your feelings for later as you always did. 

But there was one feeling you couldn’t push out of your head no matter how much you tried. The feeling of Link’s touch. His hand on your cheek wiping away the tears. His thumb stroking your neck softly. His arms wrapped around you as he pulled you close. And how utterly empty you felt when he pulled away. 

Groaning, you smashed your face into your pillow and pulled the covers up over your head until you were enveloped in total darkness. 

“Sleep well.” 

The sun dipped lower in the sky, and as it fell so did your spirits. You sighed, dropping your chin into the palm of your hand. He probably wouldn’t show. 

Again. 

You decided that you were only going to wait for another ten minutes before calling it a night and going home. Frustration bubbled in your stomach, and as the minutes passed you found yourself fighting back tears of frustration. 

Why hadn’t he come? Why does he keep doing this? 

You had been romantically involved with Elis for the better part of a year. It had started off strong and sweet, with him dropping by the potions shop where you worked nearly daily with some sort of sweet treat or pastry. Eventually, those days came fewer and farther between, but you hadn’t thought much about it because it made sense that maybe the excitement of the new relationship was wearing down. You weren’t worried because he still treated you with kindness and was happy to spend the weekends wandering around Castle Town or down by the lake. But recently, it was as if you didn’t exist. He hardly made time for you anymore, and when he did he didn’t even show half the time, later claiming some issue or another had come up suddenly. 

Like he would probably do again after today. 

Through the tavern window, you watched as crowds strolled past, chatting animatedly and munching on various foods that were being sold in the different stalls that currently lined the roads of Castle Town. Today was the Autumn Festival - the first one since the strange monsters had been eradicated and Princess Zelda restored her rightful place on the throne. The entirety of Hyrule was celebrating not only the beginning of a new Autumn, but its freedom as well. 

Yet despite all of the happiness and celebration, you felt as lonely and dark as ever. 

Sighing again, you decided you had spent enough time looking pathetic alone at the table, looking up hopefully at the door anytime you heard it open. Standing up, you caught the attention of the barkeep, Telma. 

“Headed out?” She asked, a knowing look in her eye. You nodded as you walked up to the bar, digging around in your satchel to try and find your wallet. Telma reached across the bar, resting her hand in front of you and making you pause. “No need, hon. This one’s on the house.”

You looked up at her, eyes wide. “No Telma, I-” 

“I don’t want to hear it,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “It’s the Autumn Festival today, and everyone deserves to have something nice done for ‘em.” 

Your look of protest melted into one of gratefulness. You smiled at the older woman, feeling appreciative that at least someone cared enough to be kind to you today. 

“You know, speaking of which..” Her tone had changed to one a bit darker. She grabbed a dirty cup from the pile at her side and began to clean it with a rag she held in her other hand. “This is the third time in a month I’ve seen you sitting there all alone for a few hours, looking more anxious than a man whose girlfriend just told him she missed her monthly bleed. Wanna tell me anything about that?” Her eyes bore into yours, waiting for an answer you had a feeling she already knew. 

She was aware that you and Elis were together, and she expressed from the beginning that she wasn’t entirely happy about the fact. Telma was one of the first people you met when you moved to Castle Town from your family’s farm just outside of Kakiriko Village. She immediately took you under her wing and helped you adjust to and navigate the fast-paced life of the city. Even though you were there as a potions-makers apprentice which gave you housing and meals, she still insisted on doting on you and taking care of you as if you had nothing. And in a way, you had had nothing. You were forever grateful for her kindness, her hospitality, and her unwavering friendship. You knew that she cared about you more than maybe even your own family, so you absolutely hated the feeling of knowing you were disappointing her. 

Elis was the son of one of the richest businessmen in Castle Town, and maybe even Hyrule. And he… did not have the best reputation. You of course had no way of knowing that being new to the area and all but Telma, as the owner of the most popular bar in the city, was privy to all of the hot gossip and drama. And apparently his name was one that came up with the patrons of her bar. A lot. 

When you first caught Elis’ eye, and Telma started to catch on to what was happening, she had given you a warning. 

“Now I’m not your mother, so I’m not here to tell you what you can and can’t do, or who you can and can’t do. But honey.. I’d think twice before you get involved with him.” 

Of course you had thanked her for her concern and promised it wasn’t that serious, but now you were regretting not asking more questions. You had fallen in way too deep and before you realized it, you were telling yourself you were different from the other people he had been with. You would change him. Surely you wouldn’t be one of those bitter ex-lovers, drunkenly rambling on to anyone who would listen about how awful he was to you. 

Well, you hadn’t made it to the drunken rambling part quite yet, but you were certainly starting to catch on that maybe you wouldn’t be the one to change him after all. 

Telma continued to look at you expectantly, waiting for any kind of answer to her question. You averted your eyes, knowing you wouldn’t be able to lie if you had to look at her face. 

“No, everything is fine. I just have been feeling a bit suffocated at the shop lately. So I’ve been coming here to get some time alone.” Now that the lie was out, you met her eyes again and gave her a very non-convincing smile. 

Telma raised her eyebrows and gave you a very deadpan look to show you that she did not believe you in the slightest. You were certain that she was going to keep pressing for the truth, but much to your relief she instead just gave a resigned sigh and shook her head. 

“It’s just hard to watch you settle for this when we both know you don’t have to.” 

“It’s fine, really!” You tried to sound upbeat. “He’s just been super busy lately, and things keep coming up.” 

Telma rolled her eyes as she grabbed another cup and began to scrub. “‘Things keep coming up’ my ass,” she muttered. Then louder, “You actually believe him when he says that?” 

You bit your lip, knowing it wasn’t even worth the effort of trying to lie. So you remained silent instead, which was answer enough for your friend. 

“You deserve better than this, sweetie. You really do.” She cocked her eyebrows, and a small smirk suddenly replaced her annoyed grimace. “You know, you deserve something like a knight in shining armor. Someone who would treat you like royalty.” Her emphasis on certain words gave you the impression that she was trying to imply something, but whatever it was it went right over your head. She continued.

“Someone who is loyal, and kind, and would ride to the ends of Hyrule for you.” 

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. “Yeah, okay Telma. Find me a man like that who would be interested in someone as plain as me and then we’ll go from there.” The sarcasm dripped from your voice, hiding the painful emotions that were beginning to stir again as you thought about how little Elis really seemed to care about you. Ride to the ends of Hyrule for you? He couldn’t even walk a kilometer away to meet you for dinner. And maybe that was all you could hope to get. 

Telma froze, giving you an incredulous look. She set down the items she was holding and put her hands on her hips, scoffing. “Now really?” 

You shrugged, dropping all efforts to hide your true emotions. “I’m a nobody who works as a potions-maker with nothing significant and no money to their name. Sure, a knight in shining armor sounds great and all, but someone like that would surely be sought after by all kinds of people with more to offer than me. And if they’re an actual knight then I know for a fact they’re one of the most desirable bachelors out there. I mean, take Link for example. He has women and men alike practically throwing themselves at him.”

Though you knew that comparing Link to a normal knight was hardly accurate. He was anything but normal. He was one of the members of the Royal Guard and recognized as a hero by the people of Hyrule. You weren’t sure you understood all of the details, but you did know that he had played a major role in expelling the monsters from the land and restoring peace to the kingdom. Once the major damage around the kingdom had been fixed and things began to settle back into a normal existence, Princess Zelda had held a large ceremony open to the public where he was officially made a member of the Royal Guard. You had laughed so much that day, knowing just how uncomfortable the guest of honor was with all of the attention. 

Aside from being a famous knight and hero, Link was someone you would consider a close friend - maybe even your best friend (of course you would never tell Telma). You had met him for the first time back when the monsters still roamed and he frequently paid visits to Telma and her tavern to speak with members of the Resistance. 

You had only heard stories about his bravery and heroism from your friend until the day she came crashing into the shop where you worked, speaking frantically about needing a health potion. She didn’t explain much, but you didn’t ask any questions either as you quickly got to work and provided her with what she needed. She promised she would explain more later and rushed out as soon as you had placed the bottle of red potion in her hand. You spent several hours after that as a ball of anxiety, creating the worst scenarios in your head about why she could possibly have needed the potion. 

It wasn’t until you were about ready to close the shop for the day and rush over to see her that the door had opened and in walked a face you had never seen before. The man certainly looked as if he had seen better days and was in desperate need of a nap, but regardless you were slightly taken aback by how handsome he still appeared. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and (you assumed) muscular arms that were hidden underneath a loose, white long-sleeved shirt. His hair was a beautiful dirty blonde, tied back with a simple leather band that left loose strands framing his strong jawline. His face had been rather pale, and dark circles sat beneath blue eyes that you suspected were dulled due to exhaustion. But despite his obviously not wonderful condition, he had still exuded a sense of strength that was almost intimidating. 

“Um, h-hello,” you stuttered. “I’m just about to close up-” 

“Are you the one that I have to thank for saving my life?” He asked, taking a step forward. You froze up, and then frantically looked around the shop, trying to find the other person he was obviously talking to, because there was no way he could have been talking about you. A warm chuckle brought your eyes back to his face, where his soft smile nearly made you breathless. 

“Are you the potions-maker?” 

 Mouth slightly open, you continued to stare. “U-uh yeah, that was me I guess.” 

He nodded and continued to walk further into the shop, closer to you. You noticed that he seemed to be walking with a slight limp. 

“Well, I just wanted to come here personally and give my thanks. Without that potion I’m not sure I would have the opportunity to be standing here now.” 

You were certain that the look on your face was ridiculous, but you had no idea how to respond to this situation. It was your job to make potions, you didn’t need any thanks for it. 

You wanted to say thanks, but instead when you opened your mouth you said, “Why are you standing here right now? If you needed that potion less than 12 hours ago, you should almost certainly still be in bed.” You gestured to his body, “And no offense or anything, but you really look like you should still be in bed.” 

His colorless cheeks turned a bit pink then, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, almost shyly. “Well, Telma is a wonderful person and all but I was starting to feel a bit…” 

“Smothered?” You finished for him, stifling back the laugh that threatened to come out, knowing how your friend was. A look of relief washed over the stranger’s face and he nodded, seeming to realize that you understood how he was feeling. 

“Yeahhh,” you drawled out, nodding sympathetically. “I understand that all too well. I actually had to put a lock on my bedroom door the last time I had a small sickness to physically stop her from bringing me medicine and food every hour. I love her to death but I can only take so much soup in one day.” 

He laughed then, and you wondered how in the world a laugh could sound so nice. Pushing those thoughts aside, you introduced yourself then, holding your hand out to the man. He smiled and took it, his hand calloused from years of hard work but gentle nonetheless. 

“I’m Link.” 

A lightbulb went off in your head then. “Oh, you’re Link? I’ve heard so much about you!” 

“I could say the same about you.”

It was the start of a beautiful friendship from that point onward. Whenever Link was in town, whether he was restocking his supplies, working closely with other members of the Resistance, or doing whatever it is that heroes do, you always made sure to make time to see him. And he did the same. He probably became your number one customer, always putting in bulk orders for various potions. You always joked with him about how often he needed health potions, but truthfully you were very worried about him and how he was constantly out in harm’s way. It was a lot of work, filling his large orders, but you were happy to know that you were helping to keep him safe in some capacity.

“And you’ve never.. stopped to consider why Link never takes anyone up on their offers?” Telma asked, still staring at you with an incredulous look. You couldn’t understand why she was acting so strange all of the sudden. 

“Not really,” you shrugged. “I just assumed he’s too busy for it or that he does and nothing comes of it. He doesn’t talk to me much about his conquests, work-related or… otherwise.”

Telma shook her head. “No, honey, I don’t think he’s out there conquering anyone. He seems to have uh.. a specific goal in mind.” There it was again, that tone in her voice that made it seem like she was implying something that you just weren’t understanding. It nagged at you, but you chose to brush it off. Who knew what was going on in your friend’s mind. 

“Well, regardless. I just don’t think I’m the type of person someone like a knight is trying to settle down with. But who knows, maybe I’ll ask Link if any of his fellow knight friends are available and interested.” You laughed, the joke seeming ridiculous. But your friend, on the other, didn’t seem to find it so funny. She stood, her mouth slightly open as if she couldn’t believe what you were saying. 

“You’re joking, right?” 

Frustration was starting to build up within you, unable to understand what you were doing that was so hard to believe. Why was Telma treating you like you were an idiot today? You were slightly kidding when you ragged on yourself about not being good enough, but did your friend genuinely believe it so strongly that even a joke about asking a knight was too much? She was the one that started the whole thing in the first place! 

“Of course I’m joking Telma,” you snapped. “I know my place. Elis is probably the best I can hope to get.” 

Telma closed her mouth, pursing her lips with an unamused look. She shook her head slowly and turned around to organize the newly cleaned mugs and glasses. “It’s not my place to get involved,” she said quietly, more to herself than to you. Still feeling frustrated, you huffed loudly and turned to leave. First Elis, now Telma. This was not shaping up to be a good day. 

Before you could fully turn around though, she glanced back, stopping you with the serious expression on her face. “Really. You can do better. There is better out there. Waiting to love you the way that you deserve to be loved. You just need to open your eyes.” 

Your sour emotions were already set though, and you were in no mood for cryptic messages. “Alright, thank you fortune-teller Telma. I’ll see you later. Thanks again for the drink.” And without looking back, you walked to the door, opened it, and took a step into the darkening evening. 

The air was crisp and cooler than it had been since the spring, signifying the exit of summer and beginning of a chilly autumn. Very fitting weather for the night of the Autumn Festival. 

You crossed your arms tightly against your body as you walked, the thin shirt you chose to wear not doing a good job to protect you from the chill. You felt your temper cooling as you walked as well, gradually being replaced by a feeling of deep sadness and loneliness. All around you were people enjoying the festival, happy to be surrounded by those they love. Grandparents lovingly watching their grandkids laugh and play as they ran through the crowded streets playing tag, friends walking together and sharing stories that made them snort and grab their sides from laughing so hard, new couples attached at the hip and so engrossed in each other they hardly watched where they’re going… it was isolating. Here you were, recently stood up for the umpteenth time by someone who was supposed to care about you, walking through massive crowds of people and yet never feeling more alone.

You felt an all-to-familiar tightness in your throat, and the tears began to prick the corner of your eyes, blurring your surroundings into blobs of shimmering color. You fought hard to keep your composure, determined to make it back to the shop so you could run to your small bedroom upstairs and never come back out. But the loud voice in your head was determined to break you. 

Why? Why am I not good enough? Did I do something wrong? How can I be better?

The strong feeling of hopelessness that came with those though breached the dam you had built to hold back the tears, and with a loud sob, they started to spill. A few people within your vicinity turned to look at you curiously, likely wondering what could have caused the noise that came out of your mouth. You put your head down and covered your mouth with your hands, hoping to muffle the sound of the sobs that continued to come involuntarily. 

Luckily for you, there was a small alleyway directly to your left. You were able to shove past the poor innocent people who were in your way and beeline for the abandoned area. Once you were in the alley, you began to run, desperate to get as far away from people as possible. You weren’t able to make it very far though as a dead end blocked your escape. Incapable of thinking of any other alternatives, you resigned to this being your stopping point and slid down the wall until you were sitting with your arms wrapped around your knees, legs tucked as closely to your body as you could physically get them. Dropping your head down, let all of the feelings you had been holding in for the evening out. 

It was overwhelming yet cathartic. The force of your sobs wracked your body for what felt like hours, the thoughts of inadequacy and rejection running through your mind on an endless loop. But eventually, you found it easier and easier to take deep, measured breaths and the body shaking sobs gradually slowed to a halt. No longer did you feel… well, anything. The only thing you could feel now was numbness. A quiet calm to replace the raging storm that had been going on. 

You sat up, leaning your head against the wall behind you. You stared up at evening sky, the sun out of view as it dipped closer to the horizon. You’re not sure how long you sat there, relishing the feeling of feeling nothing at all. You knew you needed to get up, but you worried that once you stood the feelings would come rushing back. 

Your solitude was ruined by the loud crashing noise of a door being opened with extreme force close by. The sound startled you, making you nearly topple over with surprise. 

You heard a whiny, high-pitched voice over the thundering beat of your heart. “Come on, it’s about to start!! We’re not even going to get a good view at this point!” 

A few meters away, a young child came running out of the small apartment door that you hadn’t even realized was there. Had they heard your crying? 

“Leon, slow down. There will be plenty of space available. The procession goes all the way from the city gates up to the castle. Certainly not everyone will be crowded in the same area.” An older woman stepped out after the child, her smile conflicting with the stern tone in her voice. She didn’t even glance in your direction as she shut the door behind her and followed the child down the alley to join the festivities you had so desperately escaped. 

Ah yes, the procession. You had almost forgotten all about that. 

As a closing event of the Autumn Festival, the royal family traveled in procession through Castle Town, waving and acknowledging their loyal and loving subjects. It was not just them, however. The royal carriage was last in line in the procession. Preceding it were several (and in your opinion, more interesting) groups. Professional jugglers, wowing the crowds as they showed off the impressive skills they have while on the move. Bands of Gorons who marched in step, beating out different tunes powerfully on large drums. One year, when you were young, there was a fantastic group of Zora dancers who mesmerized the crowds with their movements, as smooth on land as they were in water. It changed from year to year, but since this was the first Autumn Festival celebration after years of being terrorized by monsters, it was sure to be a big one. 

You continued to sit, looking towards the crowd as it continued to grow, their excited voices bouncing off the walls of the empty alley. Normally, you would be one of them, jumping up and down with excited anticipation to see what that year’s procession has in store. But now you couldn’t imagine standing there, surrounded by happiness and laughter. 

The crowd roared as the first part of the procession finally appeared, slowly crawling through the street. You listened as people cheered for the performers who walked, “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing as they did whatever it was that they were doing. You couldn’t see through the crowd of people who now blocked off the entrance of the alley, so you could only listen and imagine, picking up bits and pieces of conversations as it drifted down to your ears. 

You didn’t need to be able to see when the Gorons arrived, however. That you could feel. The vibrations rattled your entire body as they beat their drums in sync, the unfamiliar tune sinking into your very bones. It was an oddly relaxing feeling. You were happy to close your eyes and rest your head on the wall, soaking in the feeling. You were left with an achingly empty feeling in your chest when the Gorons were far enough away that you could no longer feel their drums. 

You decided that even though you were tired, you would wait until the end to get up and begin making your way home. With the crowd the way that it was, there was no way you would make it anywhere anyways. So, you continued to sit. 

As you waited, your mind drifted to Elis. If he hadn’t come to meet you, then where was he? Was he just lounging lazily in his bed as he so often liked to do, unable to be bothered to come meet you? Or was he out there in the crowd, standing with his friends, cracking jokes without even sparing a single thought for you? 

Your heart dropped as another thought crossed your mind. Was he out there in the crowd with another girl? Had he spent the evening whisking someone else around to the different stalls, sharing all sorts of sweet treats with her? Feeding her fresh fruit as they walked? Whispering things in her ear, making her giggle and blush? Did he give her his jacket when she began to shiver because she was only wearing a light shirt? Was he going to take her home once the festivities ended? 

You could feel the emotions coming back, much to your displeasure. You didn’t want to feel anything. You liked the numbness. But the thought of Elis leaving you to look foolish while he was out entertaining another girl was too much to handle. 

You decided that you needed to get home. You couldn’t stand to be out any longer. You would shove people out of the way if you needed to. 

Standing up quickly, you made your way back to the entrance of the alley where the crowd was currently a wave of excitement. You began to push your way through, but you were only able to make it to the front of the crowd before you realized you were stuck. There was rope that stretched down the street as far as you could see on both sides of you. To block people from crossing the road and potentially getting hurt or messing up the procession, you assumed. 

Frustration bubbling and exiting your body in the form of hot tears that welled up in your eyes, you turned to push your way back. But once again, you quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen. A large Goron stood behind you, happily oblivious and chatting with another large Goron besides them. Considering you had to crane your neck to look up at their faces, you assumed that you would not be able to get their attention with all of the noise and distraction. Groaning inwardly you turned back and stood miserably, knowing that your only option now was to stand and wait for the procession to end. 

Luckily you didn’t have to wait long before you heard the sound of the horns, signifying the arrival of the royal carriage. Once again, the crowd around you came alive, everyone excitedly standing on their toes and moving around to try and get a look. 

The horses were the first thing to come into view. Beautiful white horses donning colorful, bedazzled bits and draped with navy and gold saddle blankets made their way past you. Children and adults alike stuck their hands out, reaching to try and get a touch of the magnificent creatures as they passed. You wanted to be excited, but the heavy feeling in your chest and tightness in your throat remained, and you knew it was only a matter of time before the tears began to spill again. You just hoped you could hold out until you were able to get away from people.

Something heavy suddenly pushed up against your right shoulder, nearly toppling you over. Luckily you were able to keep your footing and straighten yourself up before falling. Pushing the hair out of your eyes, you glared in the direction of the mysterious force. 

Two girls, probably just a few years younger than you, were standing there, staring at you with wide eyes. 

“So sorry!” One squeaked, genuinely looking scared. You held your glare for a few more seconds before turning your head back to the procession, not even bothering to accept her apology. Her and her friend did not seem bothered for too long, however, and began to chat animatedly. They were so close that you couldn’t help but overhear. 

“Do you think we’ll see him?”

“Of course we’re going to see him you idiot! He’s like, Princess Zelda’s shadow! Wherever she is, he is!”

Suddenly the conversation you were trying very hard to ignore grabbed your attention. You realized, with slight amusement, that you had a good idea as to who they were probably talking about.

“I mean, I don’t blame her for always wanting him around.” 

“Oh I totally agree. If I had a knight who looked like that, I’d never let him leave my side.”

The girls burst into giggles, and you rolled your eyes. But also, you knew you couldn’t blame them either. There was no denying that Link was very easy on the eyes. 

The girl closest to you sighed wistfully. “He just seems so dreamy. He’s brave, and strong, and he’s so kind! One time I saw him buy a whole basket of bread that he then passed out to the line of people who had been waiting for hours to see the doctor. This was when that horrible sickness came through Castle Town a few months ago and everyone was sick! He risked his own health to make sure people were fed while they waited.” 

You hadn’t heard about that, but you were not surprised in the least. Link was an absolutely selfless man who consistently put other people’s needs before his own. He had done it a time or two for you as well. One of those times was actually during the sickness that the two girls were referring to. 

You had managed to stay healthy for awhile, but you found yourself extremely overworked during that time, trying to keep up with the mass influx of orders of health potions and other remedies that came pouring in from desperate townspeople. You had averaged about an hour of sleep a night for days on end, and were lucky if you were able to eat a single meal. Luckily, Link had offered to help you with deliveries which took a massive load off of your plate. However, it still took a major toll on your body physically. Luckily, Link was there to save the day. You know, like heroes do. 

The bell dinged, signaling that someone had entered the store. You didn’t even bother to turn around, busy cutting and weighing the ingredients in front of you. It was a very precise recipe, and even the slightest miscalculation or mess up could change the effect of the potion entirely. 

“Hey, I’m back.” His calm and gentle voice was a welcome break from your frantic muttering out loud to yourself as you worked. You simply grunted and waved the hand holding the knife into the air to acknowledge his arrival. 

His laughter was followed by footsteps as he walked behind the counter, coming to a stop beside you. His presence seemed to bring you comfort, and you could feel yourself starting to relax slightly. “You know, waving a knife at a member of the Royal Guard could be seen as a threat. Be careful where you point that thing.” 

You rolled your eyes and finally turned your head to face him, your exhausted smile meeting his boyish grin. “At this point, there is nothing you could do to me that is worse than what I’ve been dealing with the past few weeks. Go ahead and lock me up or chop me up, either is preferable at this point.” 

His smile faltered, and you could see the concern in his eyes. Suddenly, he looked very serious. “Have you eaten today?” 

Sighing, you put down the knife and stepped away from the ingredients. You decided a short break wouldn’t hurt. Running a hand over your face, you tried your best to stifle a yawn. “What time is it?” 

“It’s a few hours past midday. Have you eaten?” He repeated, eyes boring into yours. You worried your bottom lip, nervous to tell him that you had not. 

“Well, Elis told me he would bring me lunch an hour before noon.” 

Link’s eyes hardened. “And did he?” 

You laughed timidly, shrugging. “I’m sure something came up and he was too busy.” 

The blonde did not look impressed in the slightest. “So, no.” 

You waved a hand nonchalantly. “It’s okay, I’m not super hungry anyways. Too busy to be hungry!” With fake enthusiasm, you made to turn back to your ingredients and continue working. Link’s hand gently touched your arm, stopping you from moving. 

“You need to take care of yourself. You need to eat.” The concern in his face made your heart skip a beat. 

You nodded finally, giving in. “I know, I will. I guess I won’t be any help to anyone if I die of starvation huh?” 

Link shook his head, his expression still very serious. “I’m not worried about other people. I’m worried about you.” 

You froze, your breath catching slightly in your throat. Your brain seemed to malfunction as you tried to figure out how to reply. But Link was suddenly distracted, rummaging around in the satchel that was slung across his body, a concentrated look on his face. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for and pulled out a small brown bag, which he then held out to you. You looked at it, then back up at him. He nudged it forward again, prompting you to take it. 

“Please.” 

You didn’t have any words as you gingerly took the bag from his hands. Slowly, you opened it and peered down at the contents. Bread, cheese, a few slices of dried meat, and a large red apple. You looked back up at your friend. 

“I can’t take your lunch from you!” You exclaimed, trying to push the bag back into his hands. He was having none of it though. He grabbed your hand with both of his. He gripped it gently but firmly, closing your fist over the opening of the bag and pushing it back towards you. 

“It’s not my lunch, don’t worry.” 

“Oh, so you just walk around with spare lunches in your bag?” Though when you really thought about it, he did always seem to have literally everything inside that bag..

Link looked away, suddenly seeming shy. “Well, no. I brought it. For you.” 

“For me?”  For what felt like the millionth time that day, your chest swelled with gratitude for the blonde. 

“You know.. just in case.” 

It was both charming and upsetting. It was extremely sweet that Link was concerned and thinking about you. But it made your heart sink to think that Elis, someone who claimed to love you, couldn’t even be bothered. You tried your hardest to fight back the tears as you nodded and accepted the meal. 

Link seemed to let out a breath of relief, smiling gently as he watched you pull the bread out and nibble on the edge. 

“Please promise me you will take better care of yourself.” 

You just nodded, your mouth full of bread. He narrowed his eyes and leaned down, his face just inches away from yours. You froze, suddenly feeling nervous at his proximity. 

“Promise.” 

His face was once again serious, but his eyes were soft. Caring. 

You swallowed the bread you had been chewing and nodded again, genuine this time. “I promise, Link.” 

He continued to stare, unmoving. “You promise what?”

You groaned, making a face. “Really?”

But his stoic expression told you that he was not joking. 

“I promise that I will take better care of myself,” you muttered, feeling like a child who was being scolded. He still didn’t move for a few moments, however, continuing to search your eyes with an unreadable expression. Finally, he stood up and nodded once. 

“Good. I expect to see you eating every day from here on out. On your own,” he added. “Not waiting for a meal that will never show.” 

The meaning behind his words cut deep, and once again you were reminded that the one person who was supposed to care about you didn’t seem to. 

But at least you had Link. 

 A loud squeal brought you back to the present, where you hadn’t even realized you zoned out. 

“Oh here it comes!”

And sure enough, the royal carriage came into view, pulled by two gigantic horses. What little sunlight remained reflected beautifully off of the gold exterior, the different jewels that decorated it sparkling magnificently. The fabric top was not in place, giving the crowd an unobstructed view of the figure standing inside. 

Princess Zelda was the vision of beauty and grace as she smiled and waved to the crowd. Her blonde hair was pulled out of her slim face and back into an intricate braid that was adorned with flowers that matched the white and lavender dress she was wearing.  A small but genuine and warm smile graced her lips, and her eyes were sharp and alert as she scanned her surroundings and took in the sight of her subjects. She exuded a sense of strength and unity, which was something the people of Hyrule had desperately needed for so long. 

Once again, your train of thought was broken by an obnoxious squeal. 

“There he is! I told you! I told you we’d see him!” The girl next you jumped up and down, not even realizing that she bumped into you every time she did so. Her friend was leaning heavily over the side of the rope, trying to get the best view possible. You held your breath, feeling anxious all of the sudden for a reason you didn’t understand. 

His hair was the first thing you spotted, the navy cap contrasting heavily with the blonde locks that weren’t quite as well tamed as the rest of him. The pristine white trousers and navy and crimson tunic hugged his athletic figure generously, showcases the strength he had built over years of hard work and fighting. His sword was strapped to his back, ready to be pulled at a moment’s notice if needed. But what you noticed most about the knight was the way that he carried himself as he marched alongside the carriage. 

He held his chin high, shrouded with an air of confidence well earned from countless successful battles. Despite his tall and muscular frame, he was endlessly graceful, almost gliding along the ground. His bright blue eyes were alert and sharp, and he scanned the crowd continuously, making sure there were no imminent threats to the princess or otherwise. 

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched him, suddenly finding yourself enamored with everything about him. Telma’s words from earlier came back to you as you continued to stare. 

A knight in shining armor. 

There was a phrase to describe Link if there ever was one. From his strength, to his courage, to his generosity, to his kindness. He was the embodiment of a true knight. 

Suddenly, you found yourself once again reliving the memory of the two of you in your shop, concern etched into his face as he stared down at you. 

“Please promise me you will take better care of yourself.” 

“I’m not worried about other people. I’m worried about you.”

An intense feeling of loneliness and longing washed over you, making it harder for you to breathe. You bit down on your lip as you fought to hold back the tears that suddenly welled up in your eyes. 

Whoever Link chooses will be the luckiest person in all of Hyrule. To have someone who cares so openly, someone with such a good heart.. Not someone who would continuously abandon plans and give half-hearted excuses for why he can’t come. 

But what you had told Telma was true. You were a nobody with no money to your name. You had nothing to offer anyone. Elis was rich and had status. For someone like him to be with someone like you was almost unheard of. It would be silly to get caught up on something as silly as feelings when you were being given more than what you deserved. 

It still hurt though. And the tears still came, spilling over and sliding down your cheeks. 

“He’s getting closer! Oh my goddesses, he’s almost right in front of us!!” The girl next to you grabbed her friend, shaking her with excitement. You watched from the corner of your eye as they quickly rushed to fix their hair and straighten out their dresses that had been ruffled in all the commotion. 

You found yourself annoyed at their behavior, but appreciated the heads up. With you being in the front, there was a very good chance that Link would see you. And he couldn’t see you crying. You turned away, trying to hide your face as you wiped frantically at the tears. But it seemed like the more you tried, the more the tears came. You began to panic, which only added to the strong emotions that you were feeling and made everything worse. 

You turned back around, planning to just sneak a quick peek to see how much time you had before he walked by. If he was too close, you planned to just turn around and stay turned around until he was well past you. Sure it would look funny, but he wouldn’t know that that was the back of your head in the crowd. 

But unfortunately, just like it had been for the entire day, luck was not on your side. As soon as you turned around, piercing blue eyes met your red and watery ones. 

You immediately straightened up, wiping frantically at your face and trying to plaster on a smile that was horribly unconvincing. Link’s eyes widened as he took in your appearance, and you could see that he was visibly struggling to keep his facial features calm.

“Annessa, he’s looking at you! I can’t believe it, he’s looking at you!!!”

The girl’s voices sounded far away as she screeched at the girl next to you, whose name was apparently Annessa. The only thing you could focus on was Link and the pained expression he worse on his face as he fought against whatever emotions he was currently feeling. 

Once again you tried to give him an unconvincing smile, but it was the ultimate failure as your lips quivered and you had to put your hand over your mouth to hide the sob that came out. 

Did he know? Did he know how pathetic you were? How you weren’t even worth your own partner’s time? Surely he had to know that, as someone who was one of the most popular men in the entire kingdom. He was only nice to you because that’s who he was. He was a nice person. 

You maintained eye contact with him for as long as you could, but eventually you had to turn away, embarrassed by your emotions and how unstable you appeared. When you brought your head back up, Link was no longer looking at you. He looked forward as he continued to march on. 

Exactly. He knew that you weren’t worth it. That you were an embarrassment. 

But what you weren’t expecting was for him to turn his head, glancing back over his shoulder to get one last look at you. You weakly waved, and he frowned before turning back around and continuing to look forward. 

“Did you see that?? He even looked back at you!! You made the Link do a double take!!!” 

The girls next to you jumped up and down in excitement, squealing on and on about Link and something about marriage and children. You weren’t sure because you tuned them out. You tuned everything out. That feeling of numbness returned, which you were grateful for, and you spent the rest of the procession staring at the ground, blissfully unaware of anything happening around you. 

Eventually the procession had ended and the crowd began to clear, excitement still in the air as the chatted about the day’s events to each other and made their way home or to the bars. It was nighttime now, so the party would likely continue for most of the adults, whether that was in the tavern or at private parties around the city. 

For you, you were just happy that you could finally make your way home. You did not want to party, you did not want to socialize. You wanted to crawl into your bed and never get out. You wanted to physically become one with the pillows. 

As you approached the shop, you had a stupid hope in your heart that maybe Elis would be there waiting for you. That he had come late to the bar to meet you, and when he couldn’t find you in the crowd he decided to wait for you at your shop. But, of course, you were met with disappointment and darkness when you arrived home. Nobody was waiting for you at the door, and there were no explanations about why he never showed. 

You entered the shop and barely remembered to lock the door behind you before dragging yourself upstairs to your bedroom. Master Shido was out of town, traveling to who-knows-where for some rare ingredients, so you did not have to worry about the noise you made as you collapsed on to your bed. 

Today was awful, and you wanted absolutely nothing more than for it to be over. You lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, but sleep never came. Instead, your mind whirled continuously about Elis. 

What was he doing at the moment? Was he with another woman? Did he even feel any remorse for standing you up? How would you confront him? Should you even confront him? What would you say if- 

Thud. 

Your froze, your racing thoughts stopped by a loud, muffled noise downstairs. You held your breath as you waited, in the silence and in the darkness, for more noise to come. But it never did. 

You were starting to believe you had simply imagined it when it came again.

Thud. Thud. Thud.