Zelda couldn’t help but to feel defeated after her failed attempt to awaken her power at the Spring of Power. She was in no hurry to return to the castle and face her father, and Link could easily read that in her demeanor. So they took their time riding through Hyrule, spending the day in each other’s company. They talked quietly together as the horses walked carelessly side by side, and that was enough to put them both at ease, even if only for a moment.
The sun was beginning its descent as they reached the walls of Castle Town, but instead of making their way to the castle, they rode side by side up the path to Sanidin Park.
Zelda leaned forward and patted Storm’s neck lovingly as they rode. “‘Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount. That’s the only way it will know how you truly feel.’ Your advice was quite helpful - thank you. This little one and I are getting along quite well now.” Storm nickered and flicked his ears.
Zelda straightened and smiled as she took a moment to admire the horse, aware at how much she had taken advantage of her mount. “At first, I wasn’t sure if I should outfit him with all of the royal gear. I thought maybe he should have to earn it first. But it works. He wears it like a true natural.” She turned to Link with a sheepish smile. “I’m trying to be a bit more empathetic. Benefit of the doubt, you know?”
They dismounted when they arrived at Sanidin Park. Link hung back as Zelda moved to the edge, looking out across Hyrule and towards Mount Lanayru. He couldn’t help but to notice - no, admire - the way the setting sun framed her.
“See that mountain?” she said. “That’s Mount Lanayru. It takes its name from the Goddess of Wisdom. Lanayru’s decree is very specific. It says: ‘No one is allowed under the age of seventeen, for only the wise are permitted a place upon the mountain.’” Zelda hesitated a moment, her eyes cast down.
“I’ve prayed at the Spring of Courage and at the Spring of Power, yet neither awoke anything inside me. But maybe up there.” She turned her gaze back upon the distant mountain, feeling a wave of doubt flow through her, but her brows knit together in determination. The Spring of Wisdom was likely her last chance to prove herself. “Perhaps the Spring of Wisdom, the final of the three, will be the one.”
She hesitated for a moment, choosing to reveal her doubts to Link. “To be honest, I have no real reason to think that will be the case. But there’s always the chance that the next moment will change everything. Tomorrow is my seventeenth birthday.” She turned her back to the mountain and met Link’s gaze. “So then I shall go and make my way up the mountain.”
“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” Link said.
Zelda smiled and averted her gaze. “Thank you, Link,” she said softly. “I’m grateful for your company through all of this.” She hesitated, met his gaze, and added, “Even if it is just part of the job.”
Link shook his head. “It was never about the job,” he said, his brows knit together. “Is that really what you think?”
Zelda lowered her gaze. “I always thought you resented me the way I had resented you,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t have blamed you, either. You didn’t really have a choice in the matter.” She sucked in a breath. “All this talk of our roles and destinies… It never seemed quite fair.”
Link’s expression softened as Zelda met his gaze once more. “I never resented you,” he said, taking a step closer to her. “I always admired your determination. It made me want to better myself to protect you. You’re not just a pawn in this world, Zelda. You’re so much more than you give yourself credit for.”
Zelda hesitated. Her cheeks felt warm and she averted her gaze once more. But before she could open her mouth to respond, Link was standing before her, taking her hands in his. She looked up into his soft, blue eyes, and her breath caught in her throat.
“Job or not, I will protect you until my dying breath. You are worth protecting.” He hesitated and let a smile pull at the corners of his mouth. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad destiny brought us together.”
“Me too,” Zelda said softly, returning his smile. Her heartbeat quickened and something seemed to flutter in her stomach. It was a peculiar feeling, but she didn’t want to pull away. She moved closer to him, holding her gaze on his for a moment. She let her eyes trace down his cheeks to his lips, realizing at that moment how close their faces were. She wanted to move closer to him where she felt safest, but Storm’s sudden low whinny made her jump back slightly.
Link’s eyes moved quickly towards Castle Town, and Zelda followed his gaze to the mounted soldiers that were galloping in towards the castle, likely coming in from Fort Hateno to report to the king. She realized at that moment how dark it had gotten. The last of the sun’s light was fading behind the horizon, and the deep night sky was cast aglow by the full moon.
“We should go,” she said quickly, her voice low. She took a step back but did not pull her hands out of Link’s. She paused and met his gaze once more.
“Yeah,” he said simply. If he ever resented anyone, it was Storm at that moment. Perhaps it was for the better, though. The king would likely not respond well if anything… transpired between his daughter and her knight. He had to cast his own feelings aside. Link offered her a sheepish, crooked smile that would surely melt her heart.
Zelda blushed and pulled away from him, then hurried to Storm. “Don’t let me win this time,” she called to Link over her shoulder.
She and Storm were off and galloping as Link hurried to mount Epona, but it did not take them long to catch up. They galloped the short distance to Castle Town, slowing to a trot as they made their way through the quiet, empty streets. Warm yellow light spilled out the windows of shops and homes and pooled onto the streets, guiding them home as they made their way towards the castle. Neither of them spoke as they rode, but they smiled in the darkness, stealing secretive glances at one another.
They dismounted outside of the stables and Link led both horses inside to unsaddle them for the night. Zelda stood in the doorway watching him for a moment. She caught his gaze as he pulled off one of the saddles. She hesitated for a moment, her mouth open to speak, but she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say to him.
“We leave at dawn,” she said to him. “Don’t be late.” She offered him a warm smile before turning away and leaving him alone in the stables.
*****
Zelda watched as the candle light cast shadows across her face in the mirror. She set her hair brush down and watched in the mirror as Camilla lay her dress down across the bed for her. She had finished taking it in and it was ready for her to wear at the next ceremony.
“The next time you wear this,” Camilla started, turning to Zelda with a smile, “this Calamity thing will be a thing of our past and we’ll be celebrating Ganon’s defeat.”
Zelda met Camilla’s gaze in the mirror and forced a small smile. “Perhaps.”
Camilla’s expression softened into sympathy for the princess. “Have faith,” she said. “You’ll find your sealing power soon enough.”
Zelda sighed and stood, turning to Camilla. “I hope so,” she said. She was sure it would awaken at some point. Hopefully sooner, rather than later. Before it was too late.
Camilla grinned playfully at the princess. “If I may say, Princess, you and that knight seem to have gotten quite close. You make a team fit to save Hyrule.”
Zelda hesitated and turned her gaze out the window. “I should hope so,” she said. “It is in our destiny, after all.”
“Oh, I think it’s more than that,” Camilla said. “I see the way you two are together.”
Zelda narrowed her eyes at Camilla. “And what way is that?”
“Happy,” she said simply. She laughed lightly. “Like the way you get when you talk about those strange Guardians or that slate of yours. You get that sparkle in your eye when you’re around him.”
“There’s no sparkle,” Zelda said quickly.
Camilla looked down and patted down her dress. “I didn’t mean to speak out of line,” she said. She met Zelda’s gaze once more. “But I don’t think you should deny your feelings, either.” She offered a reassuring smile. “I won’t say anything, Princess. You can trust me with your thoughts. You always have.”
Zelda walked across the room and sat on the edge of her bed. She cast her eyes to the floorboards. “To be honest,” she started, “I’m not sure what to think. I’ve never had to think about it, before.”
“So, think about it now.”
Zelda looked up at met Camilla’s gaze. “I think… I think I have more important things to think about right now than my feelings for Link.”
Camilla smiled approvingly. “I think you’ve already thought about Link enough to know you have feelings for him.” She picked her bag off the floor and winked at Zelda before leaving her alone in her room, bidding her goodnight over her shoulder before closing the door.
Zelda stared at the closed door for a moment. Camilla always had a way of getting Zelda to admit her thoughts to her. But it was comforting to know she had someone she could trust. She turned her gaze back out the window, admiring the glow of the moon and recalling their moment at Sanidin Park. She wondered if Link felt the same way. She wondered if Link gazed at the moon and thought of her. Most of all, she wondered what would have happened if Storm hadn’t interrupted. She sighed and blew out the candle beside her bed.
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