#thismousedraws

In the castle library, Zelda was browsing for a book to read for her enjoyment in the midst of her studies. Lyra, the energetic librarian who happened to be Zelda’s best friend, helped her in her search with a book already in mind. During the expansive search, Lyra finally spotted the red binding of the book that could change Zelda’s fate.

“Oooh this book was wonderful!” Lyra suggested with exaggerated enthusiasm. Zelda turned around quickly and grabbed the book from her hands.

“The Lord’s Mistress?” Zelda read, her curiosity coating her tone.

“This book is about the forbidden love between a lord and a farm girl,” Lyra explained.” I read this not too long ago. Their romance made me swoon for sure!”

“Why are you showing me this?” Zelda chuckled. Sure, she loved to read romance novels, but Lyra seemed a bit too enthusiastic about this particular book.

“I just think you will enjoy it,” Lyra lied, shrugging. “It’s not the first you’ve heard of forbidden love, so why not enjoy this one?”

Zelda pursed her lips in concentration as she read the first page of the novel. The story was written from the point of view of the lord, so she felt a sort of connection with him. This would prove to be interesting, she knew. A forbidden love…

“I will read it,” Zelda decided, closing the book. “I will let you know how I like it.”

Lyra gave her a wide smile and nodded. “You will not regret it.”

Raising an eyebrow at her friend, Zelda waved goodbye and headed to her quarters. She was acting very strangely, Zelda noted. Did she know something she did not? Shrugging it off, Zelda opened the book and read as she walked. After the first few chapters, she became enamored with the dynamic between the lord and the farm girl. She did not notice those who walked past her and greeted; her eyes stayed on the pages, and her mind racing with her imagination blocked her away from reality. 

Once in her bedroom, Zelda sat in the chair next to her bed and continued reading. For a moment, she wondered what Leon was doing but then remembered that he was helping prepare for the winter season. Satisfied with her memory, she kept reading until she came upon a scene where it was winter and the snow had made the farm girl sick. The lord noticed this and decided to bring her to his estate to receive the best medical attention—and to be beside her as her health returned to normal. Very romantic, Zelda agreed. The next scene caught the most of her attention. When the farm girl finally awoke, the lord helped her walk to the window to watch as the snow fell from the sky. Awed, the farm girl thanked the lord for his hospitality and for showing her that there is beauty within the most harsh season of the year. When she thanked him, the lord noticed that her pupils were dilated as she looked at him. A sign of love, he knew. Upon reading this, Zelda became more self-conscious about the way she looked at Leon. Did her pupils dilate when talking to him? If they did, Leon did not seem to notice nor mind. It was a bit disappointing for Zelda to think about this, but she wanted to be certain. She would devise a plan to instigate a reaction from Leon. There was a risk in executing this, Zelda knew. She would either ruin their friendship or she would create a new beginning.

~~~

Snow glittered the castle grounds, a sight that excited Zelda. She always looked forward to the cold winter days in which she could stay indoors and enjoy the comfort of the fireplace, but she was more excited at the thought of seeing Leon’s face when he saw his first snowfall—and the thought of finally being able to execute her plan. Rushing out of bed with a wide smile, Zelda tied her hair with a green bow and checked herself in the mirror. Her face was glowing with excitement and her cheeks were slightly reddened. She hoped her appearance would not give her intentions away, but she came up with the excuse of being excited for the first snow of the season. Satisfied, the Princess made her way to the door to Leon’s room and knocked. She allowed a few moments of silence before she started to make her way in.

She peeked inside with butterflies in her stomach as she slowly opened the door. Leon was still asleep, thankfully. She knew he wouldn’t wake up so early, but she began to grow a bit weary that he would not be so happy to be woken up at such an hour. Regardless, Zelda was too excited not to give him a glimpse of the snow that was piling up nicely outdoors. When she stood over him, she gave him a few taps on his shoulder.

“Good morning!” she greeted him. No response. Laughing to herself, she shook his arm.

“Good morning!”

Still nothing.

“Leon,” she called with a little more urgency. The sleepy knight shifted slightly, but he remained asleep. Rolling her eyes, she hovered over his ear and shook him as she called his name again.

“Leon, Leon, Leon!” Zelda yelled until he finally opened his eyes and rolled to the other side of the bed, putting himself into a defensive stance. When he realized there was no imminent threat, he lowered his defenses and gave Zelda a questioning look. Tradi flew out from behind him, ready to speak for him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Zelda said, putting her hands up defensively. “I know it’s a bit early, but I wanted to show you something.” Leon raised his eyebrows and glanced at Tradi, sharing a look of confusion. Zelda smiled nervously and pointed to the windows. With a slight hesitance, Leon looked over his shoulder and gasped. The windows were covered in intricate snowflakes and the sun was beginning to give the sky a nice gradient. Zelda followed behind him to the windows and they watched the sunrise together.

“Do you want to touch it?” she asked, pointing at the pile of snow on the balcony. Leon looked at her with bright eyes and through the window again, then nodded. They opened the window doors together and immediately regretted their decision.

“Maybe we should have covered ourselves up first,” Zelda chuckled through her shivers. Leon nodded and went to grab his cloak. Zelda turned to go grab her own warm garment but, before she could, Leon placed his cloak on her and smiled. Her heart began to race and she held tightly onto the red cloak.

“Oh! Thank you,” she muttered. “What about you?” Leon gave her a small chuckle and placed a hand on her shoulder as he walked past. His warm hand caused her heart to throb. Maybe he did not need protection from the cold; he was already warm himself. Leon stood before the snow and inspected it. It shone against the rising sun in many colors, its glitter reflecting in his eyes. Zelda watched with a tender smile as he kneeled down and touched the frozen bits of water with his fingers. He laughed in satisfaction and pushed his hand into the snow, creating a handprint. Zelda chuckled and placed her hand into the snow next to his handprint. Leon smiled, his lips parted enough to show some of his teeth, sending Zelda into an internal frenzy. She had to stay focused if she was to pull this off, she had spent weeks making sure she was prepared to pull through with her plan. She began to doubt it and thought herself to be silly for trying so hard to prove the smallest thing for her own desire. Was she really apt in seeking love from her own knight? Was this love not forbidden?

Then, it finally struck. Zelda finally understood why Lyra had recommended The Lord’s Mistress to her. The forbidden love between a lord and a farm girl, Lyra had told her. Zelda felt her cheeks become too warm to bear and quickly covered her face with her hands. Leon turned his attention to the flustered Princess and furrowed his brow.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, Tradi floating next to him as he moved his hands. Zelda feigned a heavy shiver and laughed nervously.

“Do not worry! I just got a bit too cold,” she lied. Leon’s mouth twisted with worry and he scooted closer to her. Sensing her body warming more, and not from Leon’s body warmth, Zelda quickly stood and faced the sun. She heard a small noise escape Leon’s mouth as he also stood, his perplexion feeding Zelda’s anxiety. She took a few deep breaths before she tugged at Leon’s cloak and gathered her courage to follow her plan. She was ready.

Touching her chin with her index finger, Zelda looked off to the horizon with a thoughtful smile. Rubbing the nape of his neck in confusion, Leon followed her gaze, his lips pressed together. Taking one last deep breath, Zelda spoke.

“I read in a book once, that your eyes dilate when you look at the person you love,” she said in the soft, careful voice she had practiced. “I thought that was cute.”

Leon’s head turned quickly and he stared at her in surprise. Zelda glanced at him and made eye contact, her heart stammering.

“What?” she asked in a playful tone as she took in his baffled expression. She first noticed his eyes. His pupils were dilated, almost leaving no room for his blue-gray irises. Then, she saw his face burning redder by the second and his lips parting in shock. This was not the reaction she expected, but what did she expect? Unable to take it anymore, she forced herself to break their eye contact and instead focused on the sun that had finally made its way above the horizon line.

“N-nevermind that,” Zelda stammered. Blowing into her hands to warm them, she avoided Leon’s gaze and tried to regain her focus. Her plan had worked, much better than anticipated. She was sure her pupils had also dilated, so what now? She had taken a huge risk with such a small action. Zelda hoped it was worth it. Ever since Leon was no longer in a relationship, she had started to realize her feelings for him more. She felt guilty for feeling this way, and more so now that she knew their love to be forbidden. 

According to what? Lyra had asked her once after Zelda expressed her uneasiness. According to common sense, Zelda had replied after taking a moment to think. Lyra scoffed and shook her head in disagreement as she crossed her arms. It is not the first time this has happened, Zelda. Why do you think Hylia cares for her Hero so much? Lyra retorted. Zelda thought for a moment as Lyra’s question came back to her. Lyra tried to reassure her of this before her plan had been made. Maybe she was right, Zelda thought. Maybe she had a chance to prove that there was nothing forbidden about the Princess’ love for her knight. 

Finding her new resolve, Zelda broke away from her thoughts and finally looked back to Leon. He still had panic written on his face, but he looked at her with certainty.

“Can I hold your hand?” Zelda asked confidently. “My hands are very cold.”

This morning, Zelda was identifying new shades of red. The shy knight covered his face,  flustered, his tinted ears drooping. Zelda laughed at his embarrassment and patted his back.

“No worries, I can just keep my hands inside your cloak-“

 She was interrupted by his quick movements. He was still turned away from her, but he held her hand firmly. His warmth ran through her arm and warmed her heart, causing it to pulse in a new rhythm. Zelda smiled fondly and squeezed his hand in reassurance. She began to feel bad for frightening the poor man, but she also felt proud of herself for having the courage to do what she thought she never would. The last bit of courage she had left was used to intertwine her fingers with his. Leon did not pull away.