Ever wonder what my muse would be like as a monarch?
send “🏰” for them to be a Prince/Princess!
It seemed like with every step forward Link took, something pushed him back another five steps. He walked into this marriage proposal thinking it was just a couple of etiquette lessons from the higher ups like sticking out your pinky during tea time. But he quickly learned it was far more complicated than that. There was also studying law, history, and sciences along with reading and writing. There was also songs and dances he had to memorize perfectly and even a lecture on ancient Hylian language. The only remotely entertaining part was swordsmanship, but Link was always used to thinking on his feet. To focus more on skill was something that he never entirely focused on. After all, his job was originally making swords, not fighting with them. But to top it all off, he still had to get to bed and wake up early for work at the blacksmith tomorrow morning.
This seriously sucked. Time was becoming more and more of a luxury as the days marched on. He hardly had any time for himself or to actually celebrate getting married like most young adults his age would. He recalled men getting together and sharing drinks after a successful proposal, or at least someone cooking a grand meal in celebration. Yeah, that reminded him. He skipped dinner as well due to time constraints. Or rather he couldn’t stomach it. This stress was seriously getting to him. Why did he have to deal with all of this anyways? Sure he could take the lectures and everything the castle threw at him, but it wasn’t as if he was going to take control as king. Far from it. He believed Zelda to have more leadership skills than he did.
A faint, glimmering light in the corner of his eye caught his attention. To his right, the door cracks faintly glowed with the whisks of a candle flame. Was someone seriously still working at this hour? The moon was already so high up. He pushed open the door and peeked inside. He remembered this room. It was Zelda’s study where she always did paperwork.
Speaking of which, he spotted a certain princess with her face rested on documents. She didn’t seem to notice him as he stepped closer. Maybe she was really asleep?
Link stared down at her, brushing a hand over her forehead as he let strands of blonde hair slip across his fingers. She was feeling a little bit warm. More than usual at least. He really hoped she wasn’t coming down with something thanks to all the stress. Goddesses, he couldn’t mess this up for her.
“You and I are looking way in over our heads, huh?” he muttered, gazing down at the other as she rested on paper. “Are you sure you’re not regretting this yet? Picking an idiot like me instead of someone else? It’s not too late to back out if you want. I’d never hold it against you, or hate you for it. I just want you to be happy to. That’s why...”
Link stopped himself, putting a hand on his forehead. What was he even talking about anymore? This wouldn’t be the first time Zelda’s intuition was right, even if it was bizarre. And besides, why would she back out of something like this after all they went through. No, maybe he was just making excuses for himself and was looking for an easy way out. He had to, at the very least, wake up the next day and try harder. Even if he was tired, even if he was hungry and his body ached, Link had to at least try everything he could for her sake.
He slid his hand down his face and stopped over his collar bone. Link undid his winter coat and draped it over Zelda’s shoulders, making sure she was at least warm. He knew even the castles could get cold at night. Being careful not to wake her up, Link slowly moved her away from her work and lifted the other up in his arms.
“Lets get you to bed. Sleep out here and you’ll wake up feeling worse than ever.” He said, making sure he had a good grip on the other. He leaned closer and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek before offering a smile. “We already got one exhausted and stressed out idiot. We don’t need another to take the stage.”
With a single breath, he blew out the candle, leaving the two in complete darkness. Link turned around with Zelda in his arms and walked out to the halls, hoping to at least find a better place for her to sleep for the day. Anywhere but a freaking table.