Chapter Text
A large hat in a teal color, with colorful feathers on one side was placed above Marin’s head. Link tried to hold back the smile. The seamstress was rambling about how this was the last fashion trend on Necluda and Marin looked at him with her best ‘are you serious?’ side eye before politely saying she just needed a simple ball gown. Marin sat down by his side again when the seamstress moved to ask something for one of the servants.
“You hate it don’t you?” Link muttered near her head.
“It looks good.” Marin huffed, taking it off her head and shaking her curls free. “If you’re trying to best a peacock.”
He couldn’t hold back the laughter. This whole setting for Zelda’s engagement was going to be a headache. Fitting clothes was always a pain, but it was good to have someone enduring it with him with a lot more humor. The seamstress came back, showing a book with ball gown designs. Marin was frowning at the dresses on paper, making weird faces at them while flipping between the pages.
“Does it really have to be so large?” She pointed to one of them. “It looks like a tent.”
“It’s the new trend miss.” The seamstress said. Marin sighed and pointed to one of the less extravagant designs. “Any color you’d prefer?”
Marin shrugged and Link could almost hear when a vein of the seamstress’s forehead popped. She must be used with the overly enthusiastic young women of the court that wanted to grab all the attention and discuss every little part of their outfit. Another woman took Marin’s measurements, much nicer than the first, and when she said they were done both were off the room.
The castle was a hustle of servants going from one place to another, either carrying things between the many rooms, decorating or delivering messages. It was a nightmare of logistics and security and both were very glad to stay out of the castle for as long as possible until the official day of the party. As usual, Marin laced her arm with his as they walked from the guest rooms of the castle to the royal private wing, waving here and there to someone she knew when they passed, but nobody could really stop to talk when the Necluda delegation would arrive in just a couple of hours.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Link said, probably for the first time since the whole thing started.
“I’d feel bad not going after Princess Zelda invited me.” She pouted a bit. “I don’t like all these fancy things, but she’s my friend and she’ll get married. I wanna be there.”
“Coronation first.” Link sighed, using his free hand to scratch his hair.
The confirmation of Zelda’s coronation in two weeks was already a big announcement. The princess also mentioned by letter that she wanted to talk with him about the future groom and some extra security measures in the area, which was a ‘please come talk personally or I'll murder someone’ cry for help. And there was the whole thing about having the wedding at the castle because the engagement was going to happen in Necluda, but they were still in the discussion stage and had more or less a year to plan the details.
Zelda’s engagement was both a blessing and a curse.
On the bright side, it was a way to make the country stable again. People needed the security sense that the royal line would continue, that the goddesses’ blessings were still above their head and that the country had a powerful ally to prevent a war. On the bad side, she was getting married to a man she didn’t know! He couldn’t imagine Zelda just accepting this, he knew there was some political pressure there.
People had tried to push him to be one of the suitors, and he was nothing more than a soldier. Hell, half of his squad had a better background and family than he did. But he was the Hero and apparently this title overrides most background or pedigree problems. It was a mess already that someone with his low patent could act as a General during the war, of course he expected people to press more about his role now that it was over. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a tool, a powerful one, that could bring the people to favor one or other side of the noble factions depending on just who he talked with in public.
He avoided appearing publicly for this very reason. The balls, hunts, tea parties and other endless social events the nobles did took too much of his time that he could be using out there, helping the people, instead of being scrutinized in the way he held a cup or what colors he used.
“How do you think he is?” Marin asked when they walked deeper inside the castle. In the wing reserved for the royal family there were only the soldiers standing at strategic points to keep guard. At least here was not the rush of servants and ladies in waiting like the guest rooms.
“You can ask the Queen herself.”
When they knocked on Zelda’s drawing room, one of her ladies-in-waiting opened the door partially, announced them over her shoulder and after receiving permission let them enter the room, quickly closing the door behind them.
Marin gasped, letting go of him to come closer to the princess-almost-queen “You’re so beautiful!”
Zelda smiled, the small crooked one that only appeared when she was with the ones she trusted the most, and held Marin’s hand “Thank you. It’s… not my usual style”
It was far from her usual style. Zelda preferred practical over fashion, which during war worked just fine because she was both a princess and general and her clothes were appropriate to enter any battlefield as soon as she heard her people needed it. In peacetime though, she had to adhere to the trends again.
The dress was a dark pink with lace, hugging tight to her chest and arms but with a large skirt with layers of fabric. She kinda looked like an ornate glass he saw in a party once, but pink and upside down. The thought made him smile and by the sudden narrowed eyes he received, he was afraid somehow the princess was able to read his mind.
“What?”
“I, uh-” Well, no way to save himself. Zelda would not let it go before she knew, “You remind me of some glass piece I saw.”
“Are you calling me fragile?”
“That’s the last word I’d use to describe you, Your Highness.”
Marin rolled her eyes, holding Zelda’s hands. “Well, I think you look great. But what do you think? You’re the one getting engaged!”
“I never imagined myself being crowned in pink.” She admitted looking at herself in the mirror. “But most of my outfits during the war had the color and I grew fond of it.”
After going to a side room to change to her usual day-to-day clothes, a much simpler but elegant dress with high boots, they followed the princess to her private office.
“How about your own dress?”
“I’m, aah, not used to those kinds of dresses.” Marin admitted before gesturing to her favorite blue dress, the one she used to base most of her summer dresses even if it was so different from the popular one that was tight to the chest. “I prefer the Koholint style.”
“I can see it’s more comfortable. But think about the ball as a battlefield and the new dress as a much needed armor.” Zelda smiled, gentle eyes fixed on the redhead “The court is a much messier battlefield than the war. Enemies and allies change all the time.”
The princess opened the door, holding it for Marin to pass then not bothering to do the same for Link, throwing a smirk over her shoulder when it almost closed on his face.
“You should have some jewelry to go along with the dress.” The princess hummed, sitting on her couch beside the redhead “I could lend you some of mine.”
“Oh no, there’s no need!”
“Nonsense! You need to have your hair and make up done here too. I think if you arrive maybe three hours before the party it’ll be more than enough time for everything.”
Marin’s jaw almost fell to the floor. “Three hours?”
“You’re right.” Marin barely sighed in relief before Zelda continued with a sad little sigh. “It’s not enough. Then five hours will have to do. I’ll let my maids know.”
Marin groaned, throwing herself on the couch’s arm and earning a giggle from both of them.
“Are you for real?”
“Sadly, I am.” Zelda chuckled lightly. “And you’ll need different dresses for the engagement and wedding in the future. And because the wedding will be both at the temple and afterwards a party, you’ll need to change dresses between those.”
That’s… a lot more dressings than he or Marin thought. Marin groaned again, hiding her face on her crossed arms. “Oh Windfish, spare me.”
Zelda’s smile was gone, replaced by something more polite when she looked back at Link. He could feel his stomach turning before she said. “More letters arrived for you.”
“Any that is more interesting?” He tried to say it lightly, not sure how successful he was when Marin looked up between him and Zelda. “I’ll go wherever you need me more.”
Zelda frowned, her eyes hard on him. “You can’t joke about this Link.”
“I’m taking it seriously.” He assured her. “Wherever you need me, whoever benefits the kingdom more. You can choose, it makes no difference for me.”
Zelda didn’t say it loudly, but the subtle eye movement to Marin’s side was enough. What about Marin? They had moved to the house, their house, for almost a month now. It was the first time he felt what it was like to have a home and thinking about leaving broke his heart. But in the end, his responsibility was with the kingdom first, both as a soldier and as its hero.
“Do I need to leave so you two can talk?” She sat up before finishing her sentence, getting up quickly and patting her dress a couple times to straighten it.
“Don’t worry Marin.” Link got up too, fixing the scarf on his shoulders. “Princess Zelda knows my decision didn’t change.”
Zelda sighed, getting up too and walking to the table. She selected some papers that were above it and offered them to him.
“Here, you can read the reports yourself.” Zelda kept holding the paper when Link moved to hold it. Her eyes moved to Marin again before looking back at him. “Pick carefully.”
“Of course Your Highness.” He bowed lightly before putting the papers in the envelope the queen offered right after. It was stored in his bag and even if the weight didn’t change that much, he felt it heavier. “I’ll bring back my answer soon.”
Marin finished washing the dishes while Link entered his room to prepare for the night, a song on her lips while she placed the cups upside down in the sink and left them to dry. They would need to buy some things in the market, but what they had was enough for the next two days or so. Captain Link was not picky about his food, so she could always look for different ways to prepare what they had and make sure nothing was wasted.
After watering the cooking herbs by the window, she moved past his bedroom door but stopped by when she noticed how he was focused reading by candlelight. More than focused actually, he looked… defeated somehow, sullen in a way she hardly saw him.
She knocked by his door and Captain Link raised his eyes from the papers, the sour mood gone when he looked at her with a smile. Bad news for the army maybe?
“I’m gonna sleep now. Is everything ok?” She moved her chin to gesture to the papers and he made an annoyed sound.
“Just work, don’t worry. Good night Marin.” He said easily then smirked. “Don’t let the bugs bite you.”
“Sure.” She rolled her eyes with a smile. “Good night Link. Sweet dreams.”