Archive of Our Own

There was a chance that she didn’t know. Her family had passed when she was much younger, thrusting her into the political world, so it was possible she just wasn’t used to casual conversations. Yes, Link was sure that this was the reason that Her Majesty, Queen Zelda, was currently engaged in a stare off with one of the noblemen.

This wasn’t even particularly strange for her to do, and Link would be lying if he said it wasn’t the highlight of the evening. Link might have been living at the castle for a little over three years, but that didn’t make these stuffy balls any more comfortable for the Ordon boy. They were terribly routine, and boring, and even the wine could only give Link a small annoying buzz in his head. He danced the appropriate amount of times, with the right girls, and engaged in small talk all while stupidly sober. But this, this wonderful display by Her Majesty, made it worth attending all the balls ever thrown by the Hyrule nobility. 

It had happened on three other occasions Link could remember. This particular night was the first time someone had ever stared back, though. The man opposite the Queen- Lord Rion, Link believed- had gone on a particularly long rant on where he viewed Her Majesty had erred. Being only an honorary captain in the army himself, Link knew it was not his place to stop the man. He exchanged glances with the others at their table and was not surprised to see his bewildered expression reflected back on their faces. Just as Lord Rion was beginning another point Her Majesty appeared in the seat next to him, her face ever expressionless and calm.

“Lord Rion,” she said in that special monotone way of hers, “I hear you have some things to say about me.”

Lord Rion was blubbering like a fish, the lady next to Link looked personally offended by the confrontation, the man to the Queen’s left was choking on his wine, and Link was trying very, very hard not to laugh. 

“I was always taught to speak to someone, not gossip behind their back like a school child.” How did she keep her voice so level when her words were so sharp? “For example, I find your green and orange attire to be ugly and well…” Here it comes! “Your habit of fathering bastard children even more so.”

If the lady to his right was red before, her face was on fire now. And the poor, poor man that had finally recovered from his choking went into a whole new round of coughing. But as for Link, the fun was just beginning. Most people would have accepted their victory- what could Lord Rion say to that - and promptly left before their opponent could recover. But the Queen was not like most people. For whenever she engaged in wordplay, whenever she showed her superior wit, Her Majesty stayed. She stayed put right where she had just ended her adversary, and proceeded to stare them into the afterlife. Yes, it was this that kept Link attending balls, and it was this that had him wondering how she could tolerate something so awkward.

Awkward was the only way to describe it. What do you do when your monarch, that you just bad-mouthed, delivers a verbal KO and proceeds to stare into your very soul? What do the people around the confrontation do? Well for Lord Rion, he could only take a few more seconds of the Queen’s stare before he excused himself and left the table. 

Really the whole thing was nothing short of brilliance, and the Queen must use her ability to keep such a poker face in all of her political battles. How else could she be such a commanding Queen at the age of twenty-four? It was what she was known for. Link had held many conversations with the people within the castle about the Queen’s lack of emotions. And he heard the whispers of citizens calling her the “Ice Queen” for this very reason.

So yes, Link asserted, the mystery was solved. Her Majesty was simply too inexperienced in these kinds of interactions. This was why she was still sitting at the table, watching Lord Rion leave as if nothing- She smirked.

He had to have imagined it. Her face was just as blank as before but no , he had seen the Queen smirk. More like a small twitch of the left corner of her mouth, but a smirk nonetheless. Link didn’t hold back his smile.

By the Goddesses! She knew what she was doing! Her face had always been maintained, but in one small moment she let her true intentions slip. Why then? Why did she keep her face so blank? Any opportunity he had to talk with the Queen had always confirmed the rumors that circled Hyrule. She talked, but always formally, and a smile from her came as a nod. Link had come to know her as someone that preferred distance from others. He even thought that he had become friendly with her- that he knew her well! The image in front of him, however, was throwing him for a loop. This image of Zelda, a woman reveling in how she just humiliated someone, was nothing like the Ice Queen he had come to know. How had he ever believed the rumors that she physically couldn’t display any emotion? 

Link wanted to see her smirk again. And smile. Had anyone seen her smile? Well, he was going to see it. What about her laugh? Or angry- that would probably be very interesting. Yes, angry was high on his list-

Zelda was excusing herself from the table, she was turning towards Link to stand when their eyes met. She looked from his eyes, to his smile, and back to his eyes. Her eyebrows raised slightly, quickly (did she realize that he knew the truth?), her eyes darting from his. With a whirl of fabric, the Queen swept away from the table, leaving Link to wonder when the next ball would take place.

The Queen wasn’t expressionless. He wondered how he had never noticed before. Zelda actually showed many emotions- if you were willing to look.

And Link was willing. Six months after his first discovery Link was stuck at another ball (it was someone’s birthday, or perhaps a holiday, maybe the nobles were simply bored), only this one was proving to be quite entertaining. Or, Zelda was.

Yes, for the past five hours he had been hovering around the Queen. His tactics had included speaking to those within a ten-foot radius of her (so he could watch her without her catching on) and interacting with her more than he usually would (he had already danced with her twice). 

His mission had proven very successful. Zelda had revealed many expressions. When listening to someone, she had the rather intimidating habit of staring directly at them. If what they were discussing required some thought, she would bite her bottom lip ever so slightly. Zelda also had a sense of humor. When something was said that she found funny the corners of her mouth would tilt upwards, and the corners of her eyes would crinkle. Sometimes, however, Zelda would cover her mouth, close her eyes, and raise her shoulders slightly in response to a joke. If this happened, she did not believe it humorous (her mouth was more of a grimace than a smile behind her hand, and Link was convinced she closed her eyes to hide an eye roll.)

With this new knowledge equipped, and the ball winding down to its end, Link asked Zelda to dance with him for the third time. The slight raise of her eyebrows and her parted lips showed Link she was surprised, but her voice was polite when she accepted.

Within the first hour Link and Zelda had danced. As her Hero of Twilight, Link often was Zelda’s first dancing partner. It was a bit of a habit between the two of them, and the people attending were always excited at seeing the two most known figures in Hyrule dancing together. Zelda would always ask how he was and how Ordon was. Link would then ask how she was and how Hyrule was. Most times Zelda would respond with a “Hyrule is great, thanks to your efforts.” Link would always, always brush this off by saying, “My efforts would have meant nothing without you.” They would then continue dancing without any real conversation. For their first dance during this particular occasion Link allowed their little routine to play out, as he did not want the Queen to suspect him of anything suspicious. It was also not uncommon for the two to dance together a second time as well, so Zelda did not reveal much to Link during their few minutes spent together. But when he asked her to dance a third time, well, Link knew that it would surprise her. He could not remember ever dancing with her more than twice, and it could even be seen as being a bit too forward. Link was a man on a mission, however, and a dance was the perfect way to excuse staring at the Queen for several minutes without pause. When else could he do such a thing without anyone- or worse, the Queen- taking notice? 

Link was all too delighted to see the surprise expressed on her face, and this combined with the band playing one of his favorite tunes left him feeling a bit buzzed (most likely it was due to the alcohol he had drank, but Link would never admit to that). He hummed along happily and smiled throughout the entire dance, making light conversation but never trying to force it. The song began to wind down and Link looked at the band, sighing a bit as he realized the only new expression he had seen was her look of surprise when he had asked her to dance. As they ended their dance he politely bid her goodnight, seeing as there was no longer a reason to stay, when she surprised him.

“Thank you for the dance,” she said with a polite nod. “I very much enjoy your company, and I hope we can spend more time together regularly.” 

Her sudden kind words left Link baffled (not that the Queen wasn’t kind, she just wasn’t one to show affection), and he struggled to gracefully make his exit. He was so wrapped up in her words that it wasn’t until much, much later when he was on the very brink of sleep that he realized that the color of her cheeks had been a bit pinker than usual. 

For several nights Link was plagued with restlessness as his inner mind argued. Had the Queen blushed? Or was it simply his imagination? And if she had, then why? Was it his advances, the alcohol, perhaps embarrassment?

He was so filled with distraught and disappointment towards himself that when he found the Queen walking through one of the gardens he approached her. If he wanted to see more of her expressions (such as that darn blush!) then he would simply have to spend more time with her. 

So when he did approach her and ask her about her day, the Queen had remained quite impassive. This was not rare as the two had become friendly through their mutual experience under the Twilight and their relationship through work after it was lifted. The fact that they essentially lived under the same roof only added to the surface-level familiarity they shared. But Link was feeling courageous, perhaps due to his lack of sleep, and thus asked if he could accompany her on her walk. The color of her cheeks did not change- much to Link’s dissatisfaction- but her eyebrows did raise in surprise. As she stared at him and blinked slowly Link was afraid he had made her uncomfortable, or perhaps even guarded, but in the next moment she had nodded her head and continued down the path, Link at her side. 

Link quickly realized, however, that his worries were not over. The last ball had only been several days ago, so it was much too recent for him to bring up any of his usual topics of conversation. And since he had spent extra time with her that evening, all of his material was thoroughly used up!

They had quickly moved through the pleasantries normally exchanged at the beginning of a conversation when Zelda politely asked, “How has your training been today?”

Now, normally, Link would have responded quite concisely. It was simply the way their conversations had always been as they only discussed casual topics when they passed each other in the castle or were stuck in a dance for three minutes. In this situation, however, Link was going to be with Her Majesty for much, much longer. He knew the castle quite well, having explored its every nook and cranny, and therefore was quite aware that he had decided to walk with the Queen in the largest garden that existed. In all of Hyrule. Yes, even if Link excused himself early (which he was intending on doing) he would be in her company for upwards of twenty minutes. And he had nothing to talk about.

Desperate to avoid any awkwardness, Link resorted to the only thing he could think of: being personal. Instead of his usual short response, Link elaborated. He brought up the most entertaining story he had about his adventures that week and told it as dramatically as he could. It seemed it was not in vain either, as he observed how although she initially appeared a bit surprised at how casual he was acting (her eyebrows were ever so slightly raised and her blinks were just a bit more frequent than usual), the Queen seemed to relax while he talked. If Link wasn’t mistaken there definitely seemed to be a smile tugging at her lips. And when he asked the Queen about her day, well, Link was sure that she was smiling. It wasn’t a smile with teeth, true, but it was still a smile. She took over the conversation easily, and Link felt a surge of accomplishment. He had seen Zelda smile, and now it seemed she was overflowing with joy!

Well, not quite, Link knew he was over-exaggerating, but look! Her arms were swinging a bit more freely and unless he was hallucinating due to a lack of sleep her smile seemed to be growing! 

They came to one of the side entrances of the castle and Link excused himself, citing a meeting with some of the other officers. Zelda simply waved him off (literally, much to Link’s excitement) and thanked him before continuing on her walk.  

“The last of the Castletown guards have returned from Kakariko. The local community watch has officially taken over full responsibility of the town, which is quite a success.” General Reede let out a sigh. “A long one in the making too, aye?”

Queen Zelda’s eyes seemed to sparkle with happiness, enough so that Link doubted he was the only one to notice. “Yes, it was. You must be happy to have your daughter home. I know she’s been working there since the beginning.” 

General Reede stuttered and nodded several times, his face red and laugh shaky as he went on about how happy he is to have her nearby again, and how she’ll probably get sick of him soon, and oh, it’s so kind of you to remember…

Link rocked back and forth on his feet, the smile on his face growing. The Queen had this funny ability of remembering even the smallest personal detail shared- and knowing the ones that you didn’t. It was one of the most talked about facets of her icy personality. Some people admired it, and others found it… Unsettling. 

Link fell into the former group. A large part of what kept their routine conversations interesting was how much she remembered. When she asked about Ordon, she asked about Ordon. The last time they discussed this topic, she had asked about Colin’s arm after Link mentioned he had taken a nasty fall. It was why Link had always questioned the idea of her being an Ice Queen. For when she asked those questions and remembered those details, he felt nothing but warmth.

That being said, Link could understand the other side. He had been witness to many a time in which a young new recruit met the Queen for the first time, only for her to know their name and inquire about their ailing grandmother, or the remodel of their childhood home. But in those instances, Link mostly felt amusement at how they spluttered and stammered and blushed. 

Like the General. Or like the General had been doing. Now he was staring quite sternly at Link. The realization that everyone in the room was staring at him with the expectation he speak washed over Link, and he felt his own ears heat up.

“Link…” The General drawled, his voice void of the fatherly affection from earlier, “Your report?”

A gentle nudge from Captain Manny on his left (a true friend) spurred Link on. He chose to ignore the poorly hidden snickers from Aster and Thadd (horrible friends, abandoning him now).

Link cleared his throat and fell into the action that by now felt like an old habit. Once a season, Link reported on the status of The Twilight on Hyrule. As the official Hero of Twilight and the leader of the effort to take back the country (their words, not his), Link had been tasked with leading the clean-up. The Queen had all but dumped the responsibility and title that came with it on him the moment he walked back through the castle doors.

Link didn’t mind one bit. The work had kept him busy while he processed and grieved, and it gave him an excuse to travel often and visit the friends he had made throughout Hyrule. In the beginning, Link and Zelda had met nearly every week. As time passed, however, The Twilight faded. There were less monsters still roaming, less of Zant’s magic lingering, less talk amongst the people about it. And so the time between meetings stretched to once a moon, to every few moons, to now once a season. Link relished his loose schedule and reduced responsibilities. It allowed him the freedom he was used to before the days of Twilight, when he was just a humble Ordon boy.

When he was done detailing his report that was essentially a formal way of saying ‘there is nothing to report,’ Link gave a polite bow and stepped back in line with his fellow captains. He appreciated Manny’s friendly pat on the shoulder. He then elbowed Aster quite hard when the General wasn’t looking.

The meeting went on- Link paying much better attention- until the Queen rose and dismissed them with a stately smile. Link was filing out behind his comrades when she called for him.

“Link? May I have a word?” He turned slowly to the Queen, her face as impassive as always. Even with his recent close study of her, he could not gleam anything from the look on her face except a slight tension in her shoulders. 

Caught off guard and very confused, Link responded with a strange combination of all the affirmatives. This had never happened before! He pointedly ignored the looks his peers gave him, as if his hand was caught in the cookie jar and he was about to be chastised. He wasn’t about to be chastised, right?

Link presented himself in front of the Queen’s desk just as the door to her office closed with a squeeeeak and a bang . The silence that followed was deafening. Link was very aware that he had not been alone with the Queen for quite some time, possibly not since they were in the desert, a shattered mirror between them.

“I have some questions about your report.” Her voice was the same level tone as always. Still, Link felt the strange tension continue to linger in the air. Was it just him? Why did his hands feel clammy?

“You do?” He asked, kind of dumbly in his opinion, to which the Queen nodded. She then broke his gaze and began shuffling and moving papers around on her desk. It looked almost aimless, and Link had the absurd thought that she was fidgeting.

“Yes, I was hoping to speak with you more.” A pause. “About the report.” Her papers now in one pile, she evened them out with a tap tap tap before placing them and meeting his eyes. “I was hoping we could continue our conversation after lunch over tea.”

Back was the face Link had grown to admire, the one the Queen used when staring down opponents in wordplay. He had never been on the receiving end. It was a very intense stare, and Link could understand the urge to flee. A part of his mind was screaming to drop his gaze from hers, to shuffle and hide.  

But he didn’t. Instead, Link smiled and bowed with a flourish. “I would be happy to, my Queen.” Perhaps the recent luck he had had with discovering new expressions from her had gone to his head, as he continued rambling from there. “I’m always happy to talk. All you gotta do is ask.” He said it like a nudge, a gentle reminder, like an old friend.

Another pause. The silence stretched as Zelda blinked and Link tried to breathe. “I suppose that’s what you did, huh?” he added with a nervous chuckle. Before Link could start to second guess if that was too much, too familiar, Zelda let out a breath. All the tension in the room went with it.

She let out a breath, and then a breathy laugh, and then she smiled. A real smile, with teeth and everything. It broke over her face like the sun over Lake Hyrule, melting all the ice. Gone was the harsh line of her mouth and the stiff shoulders. They slipped away, ice becoming water, spring breaking through the snow.

Link’s entire body hummed with the warmth of it. This was what he wanted to see, and it was as magnificent as he imagined. He felt full but greedy for more. Now that he’s seen her true smile, a real smile , how could he ever stop searching for the next one? The next time?

They stood there, two people grinning at each other. “Yes, I suppose I did.” A second thrill shot through Link at the softness in her voice. “Thank you, Link. I will send for you later.”

And when later came, so what if Link didn’t think twice about how his report didn’t come up at all? How could he focus on anything else when she smiled two more times over their tea, the second so large she hid it behind her cup? And when she laughed- laughed- could you blame him for forgetting the reason he had been invited?

There had been a shift. After their afternoon tea, something shifted. Link could see it in how they greeted each other with small smiles and waves instead of nods. Link could feel it in the way thoughts of Zelda passed through his mind. He wondered about her, about how her day was going. If her meeting had gone easily.

That was another thing. He was aware of her schedule now, of the things she needed to do. They were having conversations about that kind of stuff these days. Not in the knight reporting to his liege sort of way, but in a casual and sharing way. Zelda would comment she was meeting with a lord that was always very fussy and sometimes a bit rude. Link might wish her good luck. And then he would worry a bit as the meeting grew closer, even though he knew she would manage okay. When he saw her again after it was over he would always ask how it went, and Link would share in her relief when Zelda smiled.

Zelda. In his mind he was referring to her more as Zelda than as the Queen. She was less and less the princess who had bowed and asked him to lend his power, and more and more the girl who had walked with him through the desert. Who had asked him, hesitantly, what he was planning to do next.

And it was- it was nice, to be honest. They had moved from two people who were friendly to two people who were friends. Link wondered at that, how they were just now becoming friends three years down the line. 

Link allowed himself to call them friends, knew that he could , because he was starting to understand her expressions. They were no longer something to search for and study, but cues. 

Like right now. Right now, Link could tell that Zelda was angry.

A game of chess lay between the two fated heroes. Link considered his move for a fifth time before slowly and cautiously moving his knight. Zelda’s gaze moved back to the board from the hedge she had been (unblinkingly) staring at. She blinked, and then her arm shot out to move her pawn forward. The board echoed with the sound of a piece placed aggressively. Her gaze drifted back to the hedge, and Link admired for a moment how quickly she made that move before he processed what the move was. Great, now his knight was in danger. 

Link tried to focus on how to save his poor knight, but his attention kept going back to Zelda. She was only half paying attention to their game, and he would have been embarrassed about how bad he was struggling if he wasn’t coming off of two losses already. They were playing chess at his suggestion. Link had run into Zelda shortly after she returned from a morning trip through Castletown. Per usual he was all smiles while greeting her, but his smile had faded as he took in the look on her face. Her clenched jaw had given him pause.

Zelda was a striking figure. She was tall, and her neck was long, and her body was built of slim muscle. Her face was pretty without being soft, what with her high nose, defined jawline, and upturned brow. She was the kind of person one could stop and look at, a fact Link would attest to. It was basically his favorite hobby nowadays.

Anger seemed to sharpen her features. It honed them into an edge you could cut yourself on. Zelda’s anger didn’t burst out of her. It sat deep at her core. She was silent when she was angry, and that was dangerous. Link had noticed the wide berth her maids had given her. He suspected she assumed he would do the same.

Link maybe should have given the angry Queen her space, but, well, it kind of upset him to see her upset. And maybe he hadn’t really “run into her” but more like gone to meet her. And maybe he kind of had hoped and planned to hang out with her this afternoon. So Link had adjusted his plans to cheering her up and suggested chess, a game he knows she loves.

The problem was Link was losing terribly and Zelda didn’t look any less upset. Time to change tactics.

“What happened?” Link asked.

Zelda still didn’t meet his eyes. “I moved my pawn.”

“Zelda,” That got her attention, “what happened?”

Link watched as she debated her next move, much like he had earlier. She did it with much less fidgeting and much more intense eye contact, though. Finally, her lips turned up in the most subtle, tiniest pout. “It’s silly.”

“So what? Tell me what happened.”

Zelda deflated as much as Zelda ever did. Her posture was still impeccable, but she uncrossed her arms to rest them on the table instead. She looked at the board before saying, “I stepped in a puddle.”

Link couldn’t hold back his guffaw, spluttering “What?”

Her pout was now a frown, wrinkle between her brows and all. “I stepped in a puddle and soaked one of my favorite dresses. The hem is covered in mud.” Her expression deepened. “I said it was silly.”

Link’s chest filled with fond warmth. He was smiling, and he probably shouldn’t be smiling because Zelda was still frowning, but it was just so, she was just so- “You’re so cute.”

The words were out before he could think to stop them. Link suddenly felt a little awkward, maybe even a little embarrassed, but his smile didn’t fall because the words were true. Here was Zelda, who took herself so seriously, upset because she might have ruined her dress. Here was Zelda, looking like she could kill a man, and that anger was directed all towards herself. Because of course Zelda- kind, pure-hearted Zelda- would be most upset over the fact that she was, in fact, upset!

“I am not cute.” She all but huffed. Link laughed because that reaction was really cute , which caused Zelda to huff even more. “I am not! If anyone is cute, it’s you. ”

She said it like an insult, but Link blushed all the same. He kept laughing, though, and was happy to see her frown fade back into a pout. Some of her lines softened, the frustration receding just the smallest bit. When their eyes met again her pout became a small smile, and Link felt like a winner.

He glanced at their chess game. “How many moves until you beat me again?”

“Five to seven, depending on if I drag it out or not.”

“Great.” Link dropped his head onto the table and heaved a dramatic sigh. “Just great. How are you so good at this?!”

Finally, finally Zelda let out a breathy laugh of her own. Turning his head so he could see her, Link was pleased to see how relaxed she looked. How content. 

“I read books on strategy.” she answered, totally serious, and Link pushed down the chorus of cute cute cute cute cute that exploded in his head.

“Well, I propose something more exciting.” Link placed their respective kings in their opening spots, and then pushed all of the remaining pieces into a pile at the center of the board. “We play rock-paper-scissors. Winner takes a piece of their choice. This goes on until one person has the correct number, the other takes the rest. We then play with those pieces. Same movement rules apply. So, in theory, you could have just pawns and a king or two queens.”

“That is a ridiculous idea.”

“I like ridiculous things sometimes. Silly things, too.” Courage had pushed Link to say it, but it didn’t keep his ears from heating up and his gaze from dropping. He fiddled with the pile of chess pieces a few seconds longer before risking a glance at Zelda’s expression.

She looked back at him with her most judgemental look. It was clear from her stare that she thought he was a nerd, an absolute doofus. The fact that the woman who reads books about chess was looking at him like that filled Link with an indescribable feeling. He was floating. He would live on this moment for days to come.

Zelda set her shoulders and extended her fist towards him. “I’m in.” Link’s smile was wolfish in response.

Link hummed an old herding song as he passed through the halls of Hyrule Castle, cheerfully greeting those that he passed. It was late, and he was a bit buzzed. He was returning from a night of catching up (and drinking) with Ashei and Shad. The affair had been small and contained, but then a couple of Link’s soldier buddies had stumbled into Telma’s. There had been some friendly ribbing between the Resistance and the soldiers, and then some drinking contests, and then, well…

Then conversation had turned to the Queen, of all things. It had started out with some standard teasing about Link’s relationship with her. He never understood what that was about. But then Ashei had brought up the Queen’s disposition.

“It must be boring, yeah? She’s so…” Ashei started.

Manny, Link’s buddy, had followed up with, “Bland, I would think. She’s so expressionless. Does she even feel anything?”

The conversation devolved into the different rumors surrounding the Ice Queen. Link didn’t hold back his frown. None of them understood. The Queen wasn’t emotionless, she didn’t lack emotions. She was just subtle. Zelda was a serious person, that’s all. It took a bit more to faze her, to disturb the waters. But she still felt a lot, even if it wasn’t expressed through cartoonish facial expressions.

Link’s brow lowered further. And she wasn’t repressed either, or naive like Link had assumed months earlier. She understood those around her, better than most, actually. She was incredibly perceptive, which made her even more admirable. 

She wasn’t some ice sculpture to marvel at and judge from afar. She was human. Why didn’t anyone try to see that? Try to understand her like he did?

But then Shad had clapped Link on his shoulder. He was pulled from his inner monologue and into their new topic of conversation. The night had carried on until some of them were moving on to a new bar. Link had considered following, but then he realized that it actually wasn’t too late. They had gotten an early start. Zelda might still be up. She liked to stay up late and read in her study, sometimes.

So Link decided to find her, instead. Because he still hadn’t seen all of her emotions, and he had to. For science, okay- stop winking Shad. It was for science.

Link was buzzed. He felt good. And he felt even better when he saw the light under Zelda’s door. She was still up!

He threw open the door, announcing his presence with what he thinks was a greeting but might have just been a shout. Whatever he was going to say next died on his tongue, however, at the sight before him.

Zelda was crying. The good cheer, the buzz, it all drained from Link as he registered what he was seeing. Zelda was crying, her eyes red and wet. She was crying, and she noticed him, but she was crying too much to stop. So she stood and turned her back to him instead, her shoulders hunching and hands covering her face. As if to make herself small. As if to hide.

The door closed loudly as Link stepped fully into the room. “Zelda?” he asked, and his voice sounded broken. Because Zelda never hides, and she was crying . He wondered if this would be less gut-wrenching if he was sober.

Link sort of fell into the large chair against the wall. It was odd how he had never considered this. All these months spent studying Zelda, learning her emotions, learning her , and never once did he think about her crying. He never thought about seeing her sad. He realized, with startling clarity, that he never wanted to see her sad.

“Zelda?” he tried again. “Do you want me to leave?”

Her back stayed turned for several haunting seconds. But then softly, so softly that it tore at his heart, she answered no . In three quick strides she had turned and joined him on the chair. When he opened his arms, she didn’t hesitate to wrap herself in his embrace.

Link stroked her hair as she cried. They weren’t heaving sobs, but like all of Zelda, they were intense. He listened as she apologized and berated herself. After several minutes of Link soothing and promising her it’s alright , that she doesn’t ever need to apologize , her cries softened.

Then Zelda began to speak. She told Link, in the weakest voice he had ever heard from her, about how her late mother’s birthday was coming up. How it seemed to creep up on her, the grief, until it was too much. Most of the time she was fine, truly, but some days…

“Some days… I’m so lonely.” Link understood. He was an orphan himself, after all. He understood loneliness.

So he wouldn’t leave her alone now. Link stayed, and listened as she talked about her family. He stayed and held her as they sat in silence. Until there were no more tears, and Zelda finally looked at him. Link stayed, and Zelda stayed too.

“You are the only person who refers to me as ‘my Queen.’” They were sitting on a loveseat in Zelda’s personal quarters, a tray of tea and snacks abandoned at their feet. Zelda was dressed down in a casual dress style that was currently popular in Castletown. Link was freshly washed and in a loose tunic and pants after a day of running drills.

Zelda’s comment had broken the comfortable silence they had been sitting in. “Isn’t that what you are?” Link asked.

“Well, yes.” They were facing each other, Link’s left arm resting along the back of the loveseat and Zelda’s knees curled up. She traced the patterns on the back rest, and Link watched as her finger danced across the fabric. “But people refer to me as ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Your Grace.’ The proper way. You are the only person I know who calls me that.”

Link was scandalized. “I didn’t know it wasn’t proper!” He began to apologize, over and over, but Zelda just laughed and waved him off.

“No, it’s alright. I am simply commenting. I like when you call me that.” The smile she gave him was soft and warm, a pleasant ache in his chest. “Almost as much as when you call me Zelda.”

The expression on her face was a happy one. She was content, and it was a relief to see after their last private conversation. The sadness had clung to her for days, appearing like a physical weight that pulled her down.

It was nice to see her smile. Really nice. “Well, I’m glad I haven’t offended you. I wouldn’t want to cause a royal scandal.”

She hummed in amusement at that. “Says the man who snuck into my room at night.”

“Zelda, everyone knows I’m here.” Link said, completely serious. Because it was true, everyone in the castle and those who cared to know beyond knew about their growing friendship. They knew that he had started meeting her privately in her rooms. Where is the scandal in that?

Zelda, however, found his response hilarious. Link got the sense she was laughing at him, which further made him feel like he was missing something. He asked what was so funny, but she just shook her head and laughed him off.

Silence fell once again as the two retreated into their own thoughts. Link was trying very hard to figure out what he missed, as well as why Zelda still looked so amused. Once again, she broke the silence.

“You’ve been spending more time at the castle these last few months.” Zelda’s smile matched her soft voice. For a moment, Link was struck dumb by it. “It’s made me very happy to see you so often. I really like spending time with you.”

Pink had broken across Zelda’s cheeks. Link felt his heart thud thud heavily at the sight of it. A blush. On Zelda’s face. Zelda was blushing!

He had come full circle. There it was, the elusive, mysterious blush that had pushed him to reach out to Zelda all those months ago. This blush was powerful. It had pretty much jump-started their friendship, and it also seemed to have the power of sending all of his nerves into overdrive. He felt like he was thrumming at the sight of it. 

A thought occurred to Link then, one that dampened his mood a bit. He never figured out the meaning behind this blush, did he? She had blushed after their dance that one night, and he had wanted to know why. Now she was blushing again, and he still didn’t know why.

Link had learned how she expressed her emotions. He hadn’t learned what emotion she was expressing when she blushed. To be fair, it had only happened twice. Both instances happened when she was speaking to him. In particular, Zelda had said some kind words. It was sweet actually, how in both instances she mentioned enjoying their time together.

Wait a minute. She enjoyed their time together. A royal scandal. Wait a minute-

Link’s thoughts were definitely showing on his face. He could feel the deep crease between his eyebrows. Zelda was watching him carefully, her own expression starting to match his the longer this went on. But Link couldn’t really think about that, because Zelda had blushed. And Shad and Ashei had teased him about her. They were alone in her room. The tea!

“Link?” Zelda asked hesitantly.

But that wasn’t- they weren’t- that meant- she- “You’re in love with me?”

That was certainly something to say. The small, sane part of Link’s brain was cursing himself right now. Who blurts something like that out? Who was he to say that to Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, the most stunning woman in the world probably? She could kill him for that. She should kill him for that.

Instead, Zelda’s blush spread from a soft glow to a red flush. That was certainly an interesting reaction. Link felt a bit manic as another part of his brain seemed to be screaming See! See! She does love you! 

If that was true, then what an awful confession this was. Link had never been involved in a love confession before, but he was pretty sure a person doesn’t normally confess for someone. Link opened and closed his mouth like a fish, grasping for anything to say to fix this.

Zelda surprised him again. She raised her eyebrows in judgement, that look on her face that told him she thought he was an idiot. And then, quite bluntly, she said, “Yes, that’s quite obvious.”

Every nerve in his brain misfired. For a long time, there were no thoughts. His brain was a black hole. 

Eventually, he was able to process what he was seeing. Zelda, smirking at him like she enjoyed rendering him speechless. The two of them, alone in her room, sitting quite close. That damn blush, still on her cheeks.

She looked so comfortable in this moment of theirs. And Link, even as he felt a little like he was spiraling, felt comfortable as well. He shared her happiness, her contentment. The pieces were clicking together, the larger picture making sense to him now.

“I’m in love with you?” he blurted, because his mouth clearly hadn’t caught up to his brain. This was really the worst confession of all time. 

Zelda was still smiling, though. “Well, yes, I figured as much.”

His spluttering must have gotten his question across, because Zelda laughed while lacing their hands together. She was still looking at him like he was an idiot, but her eyes held a softness that said he was a loveable idiot. “You spend quite a lot of time staring at me. Or, I suppose ‘gazing’ would be a more apt description.”

Groaning, Link dropped his head onto her shoulder. So he hadn’t been subtle at all! She noticed the entire time! Embarrassment and horror were quickly becoming his ruling emotions. Zelda was still laughing though, and she ran her free hand through his hair.

“Oh, Link.” she sighed. And, well, he was still pretty embarrassed, but he was also feeling pretty happy. He was feeling kind of elated the longer they embraced.

Because Zelda loved him. And Link loved her. He might have missed those crucial details initially, but it looked like things were working out. Maybe he could salvage this confession after all.

Link met her eyes and said, “I love you, Zelda.” 

Her smile was wide and full of teeth. “I love you too, Link.” And then Zelda was kissing him. Both her hands were in his hair. She pulled a bit when his hands found her waist, and- hmm, that was probably enough thinking for today.

Queen Zelda smiled politely. General Reede had made a good attempt at a joke, and she was trying very hard to find the humor in it. He found it quite funny, and she wanted to share in that.

A flash of green at the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she turned to see Link across the ballroom, his eyes on her. When she met his gaze he became a bit shy and red, but the smile on his face was as sweet as ever. 

Zelda sent him a smile in response. Since their mutual confession, Link acted more shy around her. Yet in the same breath, his expressions of affection increased tenfold. Now that he was aware of his feelings, he was bashful under her attention. His knowledge of her feelings, in contrast, seemed to give him the courage to shower her in affection- both in praise and physically. He liked to hold her hand, for example.

Zelda liked the contrast. It was sweet, and she loved how sweet and gentle he was with her.

The clamoring of the band finally settled into music, and Zelda instantly recognized the song. It was a good choice to start the second half of the night- something slow to slide into after dinner. Zelda excused herself from the group she was standing with.

She loved how Link’s attention followed her across the crowded room, and how he noticeably perked up when he realized she was walking towards him. His smile was still shy and bashful when she reached him, but he couldn’t deny her his hand.

“Would you care to dance?” she asked. At his nod, she allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor and into the appropriate waltz.

They swayed and turned slowly to the music. This was sadly only their first dance of the evening. Zelda had not felt too alone, however, as she had caught his eyes on her several times throughout the night.

The smirk must have shown on her face, as Link began to blush again. “You caught me gazing at you again, huh?” 

She hummed an affirmative. He chuckled at that, clearly embarrassed by his own behavior. To think, even after declaring their love, that he would still be embarrassed by looking at her! As if she would be upset by such a thing.

Zelda loved to tease Link, but she hated to see him genuinely self-conscious about himself. She pulled him in closer, just slightly past what was proper. “Link,” she whispered. “Don’t you know I love your eyes on me?”

She pulled back to see his reaction and was pleased to see his eyes wide not with shame, but disbelief. A little awed as well, and fixed solely on her. “Haven’t you realized I had mine on you?”