( 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃 & 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐅𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 | @corferox )
❛ wink . wink at my muse .
THE SUN WAS high in the sky, warming her back & making her long for a drink of water. but, she wouldn’t leave the arena until the captain allowed it, & she knew that it would be a long while yet before he did. he was always hard on her, that wasn’t knew. but, with the king watching them, he was clearly anxious to show their sovereign & military head something worthy of his praise, & that meant her.
MASTER SWORD IN hand, she performed feat after feat, succeeding in whatever trial blocked her path. whether it was in their tests of skill ( speed, archery, endurance ) or the sparring ring where she defeated opponent after opponent, she was clearly exceeding the expectations of her fellow knights, the captain, & she would even dare to say the king.
& YET, EVERY time she turned into the monarch’s direction, he was frowning. a scowl stretched across his face in a contortion that seemed almost similar to a grimace. the fact that he didn’t seem to so much as smile as her fellow guards cheered & rallied at her various conquests seemed to only further sour the captain’s mood.
SHE ONLY PUSHED herself harder, searching for some form of praise, some sign from a superior that the work that she was putting in was impressing them, earning their approval, even just so much as catching their attention, but it seemed she couldn’t manage it, no matter what she was doing.
THE CAPTAIN CALLED for a break, & zelda returned to her things, finally taking the drink she’d longed for since the beginning of the last round, & fixing her braid that had only seemed to slip out of it’s tie with every battle & every new maneuver. her eyes roamed the crowd, watching a small group of soldiers congratulating each other on the day’s feats so far, squires gathering the weapons & discussing their favorite performances thus far ( a few, the wards of the more relaxed knights, attempting to perform similar moves to the ones that they had seen, laughing at their missteps & creating the resolve to try again ) the captain mid––––bow as he approached the king, undoubtedly seeking his opinion on the soldiers in the event. zelda forced herself to avert her eyes, knowing that at least one pair of eyes would more than likely be turning to her, & she didn’t want to be caught watching them.
INSTEAD, SHE FOUND her eyes drifting to link, who sat beside his father. & , to her surprise, he was already watching her. there was a smile on his face & a twinkle of excitement in his eye that showed that he was clearly enjoying all that he was seeing. she couldn’t help but smile in return as she finished her braid. & in a staggering display of personality, she tilted her head towards their fathers, giving a slight roll of her eyes before settling into a more neutral state, though the smile never left her.
IT WAS ASTOUNDING, that just his presence was more than enough to relax her. for a moment, she was unburdened by her legacy, the expectation that rested on her shoulders, all because of his smile. evidently, it was the perfect time for him to strike.
HE WINKED AT her, the flirt. a wink paired with that wonderful smile when he knew her guard was down. her cheeks erupted in warmth, & she knew they must have been bright red, easily noticeable against the blue that lined her uniform. though he was too far away for her to hear properly, she could see the subtle shake of his shoulders that proved that he was laughing. she turned away, her braid swinging dramatically as she did, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of watching her cheeks darken in color any further.
UNFORTUNATELY, SHE TURNED right into impa, who was immediately overly concerned about the redness.
❛ zelda! you look flushed! is it the heat? should i ask your father to keep you out of a few rounds? ❜
THE ATTENTION SHE brought to the coloring of her cheeks only made it worse, but zelda attempted to keep her head high, her expression neutral, & prayed that link wasn’t watching the exchange.
❝ i–––– i think that would be best, thank you. ❞
HE WAS IN for an earful later, that was for certain. but, even as she thought it, & impa’s concerned words faded into the background, she couldn’t help but smile once again.