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“Goodnight, my Princess. I hope sleep finds you easy, and your dreams are sweet.” Annoyingly, he then proceeded to kiss her hand, spending a second longer than he had yesterday but never long enough to count, teasing, teasing, always teasing.
He pressed the cup of steaming tea into her other hand, making sure to drag his coarse fingertips against the material part of the fingerless gloves she’d taken to wearing as a fool would. All of that, so she could feel a smidgen of his warmth, but the teasing continued and he ghosted above the exposed skin, and starved as she was, she was half-tempted to chase him.
He smiled demurely, as though nothing was wrong, before slipping out of the room, to guard her whilst she slept.
Rather, attempted to sleep was a more accurate way of phrasing it.
Why, oh why, had he changed? Stupid man. Stupid man with his stupid smiles and his stupid demurity and his stupid compassion and incredibly frustrating teasing.
She squeezed the cup tighter so it burnt hot against her skin, and tried to regain the crumbs of composure he’d left her with.
Goddesses above she needed a distraction.
In the library now, she’d sought some respite against him, but no, no, there could be no such thing. He crawled up the ladder behind her, how, when she had no idea. He was stealthy to a point of being a shadow. His breath ghosted the back of her neck, as his hand trailed up her shaking arm to reach the book whose name she’d forgotten.
“Is it this one Princess? Shall I bring it down for you?”
She was so tempted to kick him where it counted.
How dare he make her this hot and flustered in her own library! This was her castle! Hers! This was her home! And yet! All her stupid body wanted was to sink into his arms and -
His nose barely brushed against her braid and it sent shockwaves down her spine, as he dragged the book down her arm and she remained immobile, tense as a drawstring, letting him play with her like the fool she was.
“Are you breathing, Princess?”
At that she turned around, forcing him to secure himself to the bookshelf with the other arm. “What does it look like, Hero?”
In a brazen move, he gently brushed her milk braid behind her ear, let his hand rest inappropriately against her face for a few seconds before he made his way down the ladder. He placed the book on the table, angled towards her chair like the considerate man he was. “Oh! I see it’s a tome of historical maps.”
Zelda took a deep breath in.
Just like that, he was back to normal. How could he always pretend nothing had happened? Did his heart not race like hers? Could he not feel the fire that she swore would devour her? Was he not affected at all? Why did he tease her so?
He smiled at her, all gentle, soft, and the friend she’d previously believed him to be. “What’re you looking at this for?”
What else was there to do but pretend? So she slipped into her chair, invited him to sit in the other whilst she explained.
All she could think of was one thing:
When would this end?
At dinner, he was no different. Oh, the presence of the councillors did nothing to distract the man doomed to be her endless tormentor. No, no, he was just as bold.
He eased her chair forward, so she could sit down, and pushed it so tight to the table she was almost trapped. His hands held her arms steady as she adjusted, and he grazed his fingertips along the gap from her elbow gloves to her evening dress pauldrons.
He sat next to her, because of course, he was the Hero, the one who saved the land, the one worthy of sitting next to the Princess who had accompanied him in the final fight. He poured her a glass, delicately handed it to her, making sure his hands touched and teased. Always staying just long enough to make her crave what could be.
His gaze never left hers, dark, heavy, and even that alone made her forget the words on the tip of her tongue. He slipped in between her conversations, fresh, dewy, spirited remarks that brought in laughter and made her simmer. He kissed her hand, adjusted her chair, any moment he could touch her, he did.
All the while making stupid sarcastic inside jokes that she had to fight to not laugh at.
Why did he torment her and yet enthral her so? Her heart clenched and throbbed in her chest, her fingers danced on her cutlery, and she couldn’t decide if she wanted to pin him to the wall or wrench her fork under his throat or throttle him into answering why he’d taken to tormenting her so.
When it finally came to retiring for the evening, he had to volunteer to escort her to her room, because he was her Champion, her guard, her Hero, so why wouldn’t he? Why wouldn’t he indeed. She didn’t realise he followed her in, until his fingertips traced the lace fastenings on the back of her dress, causing her to gasp. Those same treacherous fingers ran through her hair and she flipped, frustration causing her to reach for him-
And that dastardly man! He caught her hand and pressed that same blasted kiss on the dorsum, lingering just enough to drive her insane, before he exited, a soft well wish for her evening, before he morphed into a shadow of the night.
And Zelda boiled and boiled and boiled.
That was the final straw.
She hadn’t slept at all that night.
No.
No she couldn't go on like this. He was toying with her. And she was letting him! Why?
Okay so her intentions for him had been pure, at least. Upon the completion of the constructions at the castle, and when she’d finally cobbled together the finances for a small celebration to officially mark the Twilight Invasion, she’d invited him. And he’d turned up. So, she’d seized the moment and offered him the job as Commander of the Armies. He’d gladly accepted and she thought they could build a solid friendship and she’d have someone to talk to about everything that happened. Yes, she was a Princess, but money and power didn’t invite true friendships, only corruption and facades, and woe be her if she’d wanted one true friend.
She’d focussed her attention on rebuilding the council, for which Link had been a great help. In fact, they’d travelled together to the various members, from Ashei to Shad to invite them to be representatives of their locality. It was then she proposed he become her Champion, seeing as he was already acting as one regardless.
… Okay, maybe, at some point during that trip, she couldn’t deny her feelings shifted somewhat. Perhaps when they’d competed in an archery tournament in Ordon (a draw). Or when they learnt of the secrets of the Sheikah in the Hidden Village (he’d held her as she vigorously shook with memories of what once was). Or even when he’d joined her in the final light spring, his shoulder brushing hers and she realised what she was wishing for was not a prayer she’d ever recited thus far…
But then, they had come back to the castle, and she was reminded of the life she lived, with all the treaties and paperwork she’d organised across the journey needing to be finalised, two copies hand printed, then sent off to the various leaders, with one copy for them and another to be archived in the bowels of the castle. New issues amongst the populace, food shortages, a persistent niggling water supply issue in Castle Town and various disputes between civilians that had cropped up in her absence demanded her remaining attention. And to top it all, as the dust of the invasion had settled, barely a week after she’d returned from her trip, the newly formed council brought up the proposition of her crowning.
Duty would always come first, after all. Especially with how precariously she’d managed it beforehand. She agreed to the request, seeing it had already been delayed for so long, and so preparations began.
That.
That moment is when it all began.
That was the first afternoon where Link had stood inside her office with her, and kept her company. She hadn’t minded his initial advances, it felt nice, even, to have a more solid companion.
Over the course of their journey, she’d come to rely on his intuition, he had a knack for figuring out the finer details of things. And she was pleased to find his people reading skills matched her own, and yet, he offered viewpoints she wouldn’t have thought of. Zelda tended to think on the larger scale, not so much individuals, whilst Link prioritised the opposite. It proved to be a fruitful exchange, and between the two of them, they developed well-balanced solutions. They were a good team, and she appreciated seeing that continue, even after the trip had ended and they went back to their original roles.
Or so she thought.
Because then he’d started to get bolder. He’d press kisses to her gloves that felt like they were searing her. His gaze was tortuous. His touch suddenly akin to the flicks of coal that lashed from the fire.
And now, now he was really pushing it.
Every opportunity he had to rile her, to cause the incessant pit of frustration to rise and rise and-
Zelda sat up.
All this time, she hadn’t done anything because she hadn’t quite wanted to jeopardise their friendship. But now he’d pushed her too far. She was the Princess of Hyrule, Princess of Light. That had to mean something.
She slid out of bed, grabbed her bedside candle to the table, opened her ink pot, dipped the quill in it, and started to write.
It was well overdue to seek her revenge.
Zelda made her way down to the training ground for the soldiers, admiring how comfortable her trousers were, and how secured her corset for battle was, structured and yet not oppressive like formal wear corsets. It felt so good to be out of a dress, a dress was accompanied with lace and gloves and frilly bits and pieces that left her without armour against his advances.
But with her trousers, shirt and boots, hair up in a thick updo, rapier by her side, oh, now she was the one in control.
“Hero.”
He was shirtless, with sweat dripping down his neck, down down down his chest and disappearing into his trousers.
Revenge Zelda.
Remember, revenge.
Sheathing the Ordon sword she’d knighted him with, and dismissing the other soldiers to train amongst themselves, he came up to her, eyes raking over her form. Yes. Be distracted.
“I’d like to partake in a duel. It would be a good change to my normal exercise routine.”
“Fine by me, Princess. When?”
“Now.”
And with that she took position, readying herself to bow.
A brief flicker of surprise sparked in his eyes before he did the same.
And then she stood, bent her knees, and primed the sword for defence. He’s the one that started this. So he’s the one that would come to her.
His brow was still furrowed, probably, he didn’t quite catch on to what she was doing yet, but he fell for the bait anyway, and charged forward.
She sidestepped, stuck her foot out, and down he went into the sand, but not for the long- he twisted, arm reaching for her boot but she jumped out of harm's way. She repositioned herself in defence.
He didn’t fall for it a second time, and now they were circling as vultures would over dead prey.
A smattering of mumbling reached her ears from the crowd who’d come to watch the show. She smiled. Perhaps it was time to give them something.
And with that, she charged but at the last second before contact, switched to a backhanded strike, angling from above instead of the side, and thus had more force to push down on his own.
He feinted, forcing her hand to fall as he thrust the sword towards her neck but she backflipped, swinging the rapier to meet his. A flurry of blades ensued, a false parry, a thrust, a block, a side sweep to jar his wrist back, another block. It ended with both of their weapons between each other, in yet another stalemate.
Now.
Zelda reached forward, grabbed his belt, and hauled him closer and he stuttered, hand reaching out to grip hers, disorientated, confused and likely flustered.
They were so close, panting hard into each other’s shoulder and she leant just a little closer to his ear, whilst her fingers traced shapes on his naked abdomen and he tensed and tensed and tensed-
“Two can play at this game, Hero.”
With that, she used his surprise to wrap her left leg behind his right, and a quick flick later he was on the floor, with her sword at his neck.
He was flabbergasted as she stood and offered him her hand. And then she was the one to walk out for once, making sure to sway her hips.
Oh revenge tasted sweet and this was only the beginning.
That afternoon she sauntered outside the door of her study, having changed her shirt to a more flexible one, with a riding jacket. She’d also applied a scarf tied in a loop around her hair to keep it out the wind’s way. She spotted her ever loyal champion fetching her tea tray to carry inside.
No, there would be no sitting down to drink tea with treacherous hands denying her today. No, Zelda had plans.
She gripped his lapel and pulled him down the corridor. Obviously he stumbled, trying to not spill the contents of the tray, but she wasn’t that evil to allow him to burn. She wasn’t as unkind as he was. She handed the tray off to a servant, thanking them, and continued her way through the winding contours of the palace. “Library?”
They passed the staircase that would have taken them there.
“There’s no councillor’s meet-” They walked past the boardroom and he fell quiet.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
No. Much like how he never told her why he’d changed. Why he seemed unaffected by all the teasing he’d done to her, always reverting back to the friendship they had built. To the point where she questioned her sanity and if it was all made up in her head.
What was the point? He never told her anything so why should she?
Epona was saddled and ready, and she reached for the horse's forehead, stroking and giving her an apple. “I’ve personally saddled her, Hero. I know you dislike the stablehands doing it. Come now, we are going on a small field trip.”
She stroked Epona a final time before swinging astride, her trousers making this a lot easier than the last time she’d done so.
He stared at her. “Where’s Storm?”
“Oh, she’s resting. There’s no need for two. This is just a quick trip. Epona has handled both of us in a far more… precarious situation wouldn’t you agree?”
“So long as we’re not going too far…” He hesitantly took position by the front. “Shall I walk?”
“No, time is of the essence, Hero. We only have a few hours of daylight left.”
Floundering he placed his hand on Epona’s back, unsure where to sit. Well, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. She crossed her arms, adjusted her scarf as he squirmed.
Taking pity on him— not that he deserved it because he never did the same for her— she eased backwards slightly, and he took that as cue to sit in front. If only because she was keen to implement the next step.
She leaned close, as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and knocked his feet into the stirrups. “We are heading to Lake Hylia.”
She noticed he didn’t take a breath until she reclined slightly. But oh, that wasn’t whole point of this venture into the wild. Oh no, she pulled out a book, the same he’d taunted her with with the old map of Hyrule, detailing how the land was centuries ago, with another Hero and Princess, and the Sages…
But, now, she couldn’t risk falling off if she wasn't holding onto her Champion? So she shifted closer still, until her head overlooked his shoulder, settling the book in his lap, with one arm wrapped tightly around his waist. He stiffened, tensed and she was starting to realise the allure behind the teasing now. It was, indeed, a great deal of fun. “You see, here, Link. Lake Hylia was once entirely southbound to Hyrule Castle. Now… it is altogether more towards the East, would you agree?”
Blue eyes drowned in her own. “Perhaps South-East is more appropriate.”
She set her chin on his shoulder so now they were but a mere hair breadth apart. “Do ensure you watch the road, Hero,” as she tilted the reins in his hand just to the left to avoid a small rocky boulder.
He flinched, shifting forward and staring resolutely ahead.
Zelda allowed herself a small smile as she leant back, mission completed.
Now… onto the final, most adventurous plan of all.
The following evening, there was a flurry of activity around the castle. She was observing Link from her vantage point by her balcony, noticing with glee, how he was staring at the carriages pulling up, each featuring a noble line in Hyrule presenting their eligible sons… Perhaps he’d figured it out, the small crease in his forehead as he looked at her door and then the steady stream of visitors below.
She’d hidden in her room after their trip. She hadn’t come out, and had kept the door locked as she prepared. Maids bustled in and around her, each carrying in various outfits, small pieces of jewellery and other accessories she would wear for the next few evenings.
Could he guess?
Even if he didn’t put two and two together he would soon figure it out. Tonight. Tonight was the night she would seek her ultimate revenge.
Phase 3, she was pleased to report, was going well.
She was in a gorgeous violet velvet bardot dress, the sleeves clasping her upper arms, her décolleté on show, delicate, and shining with the brilliance of the pearls on her neck. Her hair was coaxed into an elaborate updo, half of her back was on show, daring, yet graceful. Her waist was cinched, whilst the rest of the dress flowed in a darker indigo. It brought out her amethyst eyes.
It was well worth the heated look on Link's face, the blush that coated his cheeks as his hand innocently brushed along her back, only to be met with skin.
And yet, that wasn’t all there was to it.
Revenge was not yet fully obtained.
Oh no, she was succinctly accompanied by her champion as she met each noble family. And each presented their suitor.
She watched him carefully, as the colour drained in his face, as he stared at her, and she smiled back.
It was a game was it not?
They were pretending weren’t they?
She swirled the wine in her glass, and when the musicians started to play and the band began in fervour, and when she was asked to her first dance with the Duke of Kakariko… well.
It would be rude to say no, now, wouldn’t it?
He was handsome enough, even if he wasn’t entirely to her taste. He had auburn hair and green eyes as bright as the rough ocean, attractive certainly. He was decently mannered, always a nice thing to discover in a man, even if he couldn’t string together two words in her presence. He seemed rigid and scared for reasons she personally couldn’t fathom. She was being polite, she was cordial in her conversations and she was poised and graceful as any Princess should be.
Of course, Zelda did feel somewhat guilty over using this otherwise innocent man as bait, but it was proving to be very enjoyable, watching Link glare her way when he thought she couldn’t see. Watch him down another wine glass so soon after the first. Watch him fist said empty glass as he grabbed another.
Oh, oh, this was such a delightful change. To see him flustered, to see him… jealous.
She brightened when he made his way over, wrenched the Duke off with little sympathy, a growing smile on her face as he pulled her away, composure well and truly broken, after all her antics.
She really should have done this sooner.
She took a quick assessment of him: blue eyes as stormy as Lake Hylia in monsoon season stared at her, face flushed, hands trembling.
“What are you doing Zelda?” Her name, previously only spoken in hushed tone during their trip, now blunt and fierce, “what is the meaning of-of all this? First you-you-” he stuttered and stumbled, and she decided to help.
“First I what? You were the one to change! I’ve simply continued on the same pathway you had the honour of starting!”
His voice rose, an edge to it, “Yeah? So why did your behaviour change throughout our trip? Why did you suddenly smile at me more? Why did you take my hand when we walked through villages? Why did you embroider my Hero’s tunic with the symbols of Ordon? And I looked up the meaning of the flowers you added in between! They were acacia. Those mean hidden love! You weren’t exactly subtle!”
She stumbled, fingers suddenly tracing the waistband of her dress. Had she really- “Yes! Don’t look away! You might think you’re secretive and all that, and Goddesses above it’s true, you’re probably the hardest woman I’ve ever had to read in my whole goddamn life, but I know you. I grew to know you on that trip. I - I-”
Suddenly it all started to fall into place. “So you- your feelings are not solely platonic.”
He came to hold her hands, softly caressing them. “Yes. Yes they are not solely platonic Zelda.”
“But… I don’t understand. Why did you… start to behave in that way?”
At that he flushed a brighter red. “Your coronation.” Ah, so she’d guessed right. “It meant- it meant you’d have to court soon. And I didn’t- I saw the minute we came back, you changed again, for the worse this time. You didn’t come find me, you stayed distant, you didn’t… smile at me anymore.”
She resisted the frown at why he thought that- she hadn’t done anything of the sort, because his voice grew quieter, the heat of earlier all but vanished. She decided it would be best to not interrupt.
“Suddenly I was close to losing you. And I had a deadline to make you- to make you realise I-” He hesitated again, and she broke her previous promise.
“That you love me.”
“Yeah and that you… well, that fundamentally you’re attracted to me too. And that I could give you… give you both worlds. Friendship - what we’ve always had and hopefully always will, but I could give you affection that I’ve… suppressed for so long. Affection I know you want too.”
She stared at him. Incredulous. He ploughed on, apparently invested in getting it all off his chest, “And it would all work out with your council because hell, I’d recruited most of them with you.”
Just what was he going on about! This was never about the council of all things! She couldn’t let him go on, not without answering this, “Link, why didn’t you just tell me?”
He scoffed. “Zelda, you ignored me for a week straight. You didn’t need me anymore. And I didn’t know how to tell you I’d fallen for you, when you seemed like you couldn’t stand to be close to me anymore. I didn’t have the real courage to confess straight up to you, so I- yeah I realise this is going to sound very stupid, but I thought to try and tease it out of you. I’d be your friend as I’ve always done… with some… extras.”
He squeezed her hands, almost unconsciously, “but then you started to tease me and I didn’t know where you were going with it- it seemed like it was okay, and then- then tonight happened and I- it was all of my worst fears happening at once.”
She let go of his hands and he appeared dejected, before she reached closer and wrapped her arms around his neck instead. “Link. I was taking my revenge for all the teasing you’ve done. I- I didn’t quite realise you caught onto my… my change of feeling towards you. And I didn’t want to… well… jeopardise our friendship. You came to mean so much to me, over the course of the invasion as I saw first hand through Midna all that you did for Hyrule. And yet, it was only through that trip, when I got to talk to you, seek your counsel, learn from you… that I learnt how much.”
His head knelt on her arm, his hands on her waist, “So why did you ignore me when we returned?”
This was going to sound bad. But if they were finally being truthful… “In all honesty, Link, I didn’t quite realise I was. There was such an enormous work pile after our trip. And then I had to organise the coronation, on top of everything else and…”
She swallowed, “I still carry the blame, Link. It was my fault. My surrender. I… I vowed to never make so many mistakes again. So… I had to put duty first and I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
“Good to know we both misinterpreted everything.”
A laugh escaped her, initially small and subtle as she’d been trained in, before he joined in, louder and stronger and she was swept up with him. Goddesses, it felt like such a weight had been pulled off her, she hadn’t felt this light in a long time. And her heart thrummed, seeing him happy. Yes, she should have done this sooner.
His hands squeezed her waist. “Can I please kiss you now?”
Hm. She debated the prospect, before slipping a hand under his ceremonial belt, through the folds of his burgundy tunic, and watched him gasp as her cold fingers pinched his undershirt tunic. “No. I’ll kiss you.”
She pulled him closer using the tunic, watching him stumble into her grasp, pressed tighter still, as she closed the distance, finally setting her lips a hair’s breadth from his, “after all it is my revenge.”