The night of the annual royal ball was full of laughter, joy, music, and the sounds of silverware clinking against plates. With additional thumping of wine glass on tables.

Zelda stood in the middle of it, socializing and giving mirth to whoever walked up to her for an offering of beverages or treats. She smiled through it all, cheeks hurting from how much she smiled.

More specifically, it had hurt from how fallacious her smile was.

She tried to urge some men for a dance when they looked her way, but perhaps she was too...intimidating. It made her smiles turn more vacant, hard to hold up a joyous demeanor.

Thus, leaving her alone for the rest of the night.

It made her relieved to be alone, moving to stand to the sidelines while everyone conversed with one another. But she oddly felt...overwhelmed, small—almost insecure, if she may. People threw looks her way, almost as if they wanted to go her way, but she was simply too unapproachable!

She felt more alone than ever, the eyes of everyone making her feel uneasy.

She tried to make conversation with whoever was nearby, but they never seemed to hold it long enough in fear of the responsibility of offending the crowned princess of Hyrule.

Her eyes kept shifting, fidgeting as she sat on a pushed-away bench fit for two.

Zelda scanned the room, her emerald eyes taking in the view set in front of her—the sanctum full of tables grouped all around, her father seated on the throne to overlook everyone while they rejoiced, members of the council letting loose and drinking to their heart's content, several couples dancing on the dance floor, many races from other countries situated with their own tables but also having fun, a knight standing right beside her where she sat—

Wait, what?

Zelda focused her eyes, her mind leaving the gutter as she set her eyes on the man standing only a foot away to the side of the bench.

Should I speak up...? The princess sat up straighter, opening her mouth to speak, but only to close it. She frowned, all of a sudden feeling afraid to even speak.

Her shoulders slumped just a little, sighing as she looked ahead of her.

The knight seemed to be viewing the party as well, as silent and as still as the night outside the castle.

Zelda was unable to see his eyes, but she assumed he was watching the event going on in front of him... His helmet was too low on his face to take a good note of it.

Despite everyone else, he was the only one who seemed to be in the same space as her—two small people away from the large waves of people on a lonely island. He stood tall with his shoulders squared, the hilt of his sword firmly in his overlapped hands while pointed toward the ground.

Zelda dared to peek at him again, the corners of her eyes not giving her any help to avoid it.

"You seemed lonely."

Zelda fully turned her head to look at him, almost as if whiplash got to her. "Pardon?"

The knight in question had a slight upturn to his lips beneath that helmet, unknowing if he was side-eyeing her or not.

He didn't seem to answer her question, so she asked another thing, a lighthearted attempt at conversation—"How would you even see me from underneath that helmet?"

The knight let out a small chuckle, finally moving as he turned his head down to look at her. "Believe me, Princess, I can see from here."

Zelda finally laughed, an almost un-princesslike chortle leaving her. She covered her mouth, sitting straight and widening her eyes.

"My apologies!" she yelped. "It's just...the irony of it all—I can't see your eyes, yet you can see me."

A huff of amusement left the man standing beside her, and it was almost enough to break his knightly stance. He shook his head, tipping his helmet back a little to showcase the under of his eyes. "Enough?"

Zelda had to dip her head to see him, but her smile froze when she was able to see a little of him.

He looked...familiar. Too familiar.

Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. She wasn't sure of any knights in her life... Maybe it was the shadows beneath his helmet.

Zelda shook her head, scooting over a little in her seat. She patted the empty space next to her. "Have a seat, Sir Knight," she said.

Said Sir Knight shook his head, reaching his hand out and finally removing his grip on his sword. "How about we have a seat elsewhere?"

Zelda seemed taken aback, but she tentatively placed her hand in his gloved one, taking hold as he gingerly wrapped his fingers around hers.

She stood up, faring one last glance to the onlookers that had then looked away once she seemed out of view thanks to the handful of servants serving goodies to the guests.

It seemed the knight knew the right moment to take her away.

Once they escaped the sanctum into an empty, silent hallway, the man released her hand and used it to strap his sword back to his back. He was saying, "For being the princess of Hyrule, you sure seemed lonely and not busy talking to merchants and potential courtiers."

Zelda should have seemed actually offended, but she feigned her offense for comedic effect...and some sarcasm, perhaps. "Oh, how dare you say such a thing to me, of all people! Your future Queen?"

She raised her hand, pointing it at him as she placed her other on her chest, continuing, "I'll have you know, I was very active today! As you saw, many people spoke to me and I had a good handful of dances."

It was a relief when the knight laughed, almost enough to tip his head back to get a better look at his facial features.

"Well, pardon me, Princess. I seemed to have forgotten who I'm dealing with here." The knight smirked, pulling her to an alcove and seating her along the windowsill. "Now, let's take a moment to forget the ball that clearly doesn't seem to value your presence and relax out here."

Zelda couldn't help the grin that broke on her face, relaxing her elbow on her knee and fighting back the red on her cheeks. "Well, how lovely of you to say that, Sir Knight."

Her brows turned to furrow. Her voice turned to curiosity. "Also...what is your name? I can't keep calling you 'Sir Knight' this whole night, you know."

They both released a chuckle. The knight in particular raised a hand to scratch his cheek.

"You...are correct, Your Highness." He laughed a little. "Um...my name is Link. So...now you can call me Sir Link."

Zelda smiled fondly, taking notice of how he seemed too coy to face her. "Link..."

What a nice name...

The princess decided to test the waters. "Sir Link. Link. Sir Link. Link... Hm, I can't quite decide which one sounds better."

Link laughed, relaxing as he finally turned his head to look at her. "Wouldn't it be more appropriate for Sir Link?"

Zelda nodded, leaning back onto the window. "Yes, but...even though we just met...I'd find it fitting to just call you your bare name."

She couldn't see it, but she was sure she imagined the pink on his cheeks.

"Um...thank you, maybe?"

Zelda giggled. "No need for that, but of course."

Link smiled in response. "Maybe...you need a face to my name, don't you?"

Immediately, Zelda reached her hands out to wave them. "Oh! You don't have to! It'd be nice, yes, but if you don't feel comfortable you don't have t—"

Link interrupted the princess, something someone would've never dared to attempt in their life. "No, no. I insist, really."

Zelda let her hands slowly fall, adjusting the tiara on her head. She nodded once, firmly, and let her hands rest on her lap. "Okay."

Beneath her facade, she was extremely excited and curious to see what her savior from the ball had truly looked like.

It was as if time slowed down—Link reaching for his knight's helmet, slowly pulling it up and off of his head. Once he set it down between them, Zelda felt the breath leave her lungs.

Zelda couldn't fathom it, but beneath the moonlight that seeped through the window...he looked dashingly handsome...

Zelda hadn't seen many knights without their helmets; it was never a common occurrence, lest she went to their barracks for messages, but... Link, this silent knight she had recently met at the royal ball earlier—he was ravishing, to say the least.

His golden-brown hair shining beneath the moonlight, his flowy bangs and sideburns, his piercing blue eyes... His broad, yet shy, smile...

Somehow...they both felt bare. Naked in front of the other; both of them seemed as if they'd been exposed to the light for the first time. With their eyes staring pointedly at the other, many thoughts and memories flashed through their minds.

It was then that both of their eyes whispered, "Have we met?"

~0000000000~

The night ended faster than anticipated, people pouring out of the sanctum into the hallway Zelda and Link were situated for their moment alone.

In fear of getting caught alone—staring at each other in silence—they scrambled away from one another and stood on their feet.

Link quickly put on his helmet, grabbing his sword and holding it in front of him.

Zelda straightened out her long skirts and fluffed up her hair, fixing her tiara for good measure.

They both stared at one another, unsure how to get out of the situation without being seen.

That was when Link decided to give the idea of going separate ways, parting with their backs to one another. Link toward the crowd of oncoming people, and Zelda toward the emptiness of the halls for her chambers.

The last Zelda saw of him was his broad smile with the last tip of his head, getting a final look at his cerulean eyes once more as he pulled his helmet back. He did so to give her a proper farewell-smile before he turned his back to her, adjusting his helmet.

Zelda stayed a second longer to stare at his back, feeling a particular clench to her chest once she saw him walk away. But she knew she had to start her own walk back or else they'd get found out, so she bore one more look at his shrinking figure and forced herself to turn on her heel, walking away.

The night was sparkling, the many large windows seeping their dazzling light into sections of the hallway. Zelda made sure not to let go of that night, staring out into the windows as she walked past alcove by alcove.

Zelda was—daresay—wonderstruck as she strode on her way back to her bedroom chambers. She hated to admit it, but she was blushing on her journey. Her face was tingling, her brain giving her reminders and memories of what occurred that night and who exactly she had met.

She wasn't sure if Sir Link, the knight she met that sundown at the annual ball, knew just how enchanted she was to meet him.

~0000000000~

Zelda couldn't sleep that night.

Ever since she laid in bed, she tossed and turned, her covers eventually piled on the ground as they were kicked off her body due to her restlessness.

She simply laid back on her mattress, blowing out a sigh as she plopped her head down onto her pillow to stare at the ceiling. Though, if she looked out at the window, she would be able to see it was about two o'clock into the night. But her brain was bickering too noisily, and she wasn't even able to rest properly.

Despite having gone to bed an hour after arriving to her chambers, she had struggled to even drift away.

Her mind kept asking the question she dearly wanted to know—did that knight who she met those few hours ago love anyone?

Zelda released a groan, throwing her legs over the edge of her bed and getting up. She slid into her slippers and paced back and forth from her window to her bed.

That ought to have cleared her mind, but yet she chewed on her nails as she nervously kept indirectly asking Sir Link in her own imagination, "Who do you love?"

Her mind was alive, her consciousness was awake. She was no longer as sleepy as she forced herself to be. The carpet beneath her made noise as she dragged her feet to a halt to stare at her door, no longer anxiously biting her nails.

Zelda knew it was a dream far and wide, but she had dearly hoped and wished that the Link she met at the ball would turn up at her door, knocking. Then, she would open her door, excited to see him there as he would say, "Hello, Princess."

But it never happened. That moment never came. It was all simply a figment of her imagination.

Zelda sighed and moved back to her bed, throwing herself face-first onto the cushion and lying there.

Silently, she cried. Yet visibly, she was torn.

She dearly wished Link knew just how much she was enchanted to meet him.

~0000000000~

The next time she saw him was when he purposely bumped into her shoulder.

It was in an empty hallway, for she was making her way to the garden for some peace of mind, so it startled her to no end.

She grunted, exclaiming, "Oh! I-I'm sorry, my..."

Her words drifted off just as she realized who it was she bumped into.

"Link!"

Said Link was only seen grinning, an obvious show of his plan having worked.

Zelda hadn't seen him for a few days, so her excitement overrode her remembrance of who she was.

Link let out a small grunt of surprise when his royal highness threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug.

But then Zelda stopped the second she felt him tense rigidly beneath her hold. She abruptly pulled back, both red in the face as she got a good look at him due to the helmet flap being raised.

"Oh, my Goddesses—" Zelda gasped, holding a gloved hand to her mouth. "I-I'm so sorr—"

"No, no!" Link politely bowed a little, straightening to look at her. "I'm, um...I'm sorry for bumping into you. It was my plan to get your attention bu—"

"No, but I'm sorry for hugging you, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfo—"

"But, I didn't feel uncomfortable, I promise you, Pri—"

"But you seemed like it!"

Link let their bickering ride to a slow wave, relaxing and releasing a warm chuckle. "I was just shocked—you're Princess Zelda of Hyrule, you know?"

Zelda pursed her lips, holding her hands in front of her to keep herself from moving from the bundle of nerves she was feeling.

She let Link speak as he looked down at himself, gesturing to his outfit that consisted of knightly armor. "I'm just a knight, you know?"

Zelda wasn't sure what to say, blushing and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at anywhere but Link. "I-I just got carried away... I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for." Link looked down, scratching his cheek as a bashful gaze went upon his features. "Honestly. I wasn't uncomfortable at all. I, um...I actually didn't mind it. I...I misse—"

Link stopped talking, and he froze, eyes widening.

Zelda furrowed her brow, confused as to what happened. "Wha—"

That was when she heard the rattling of armor that she realized another group of the knights were coming around a corner from the far end of the hallway behind her.

Link, alarmed, pulled down the flap of his helm and grabbed her arm, rushing to drag her into an alcove deep enough to hide them. He grabbed the last remnants of her dress skirt and dragged it in with them, making sure it seemed no one was there.

Link placed a finger over his lips, signaling her to not make a sound.

Zelda wasn't even able to speak if she wanted to. She wasn't sure if Link realized it, but he was...he was close. Too close, in fact.

He peered his head out the alcove, making sure they wouldn't come any closer. If anyone—even one of Link's comrades—found them together...they both would have seemed suspicious.

"Are they close?" Zelda dared to whisper. He was close enough that he should have heard clearly due to his ear being right in front of her.

She couldn't have known, but he felt a shiver go down his spine when her warm voice reached his ear.

Simply, he shook his head.

They waited another moment, and then it seemed the two knights turned a corner to another hallway.

"Okay," Link mumbled, not safe to speak normally yet. But, he pulled the flap covering his eyes back up, looking back at the princess for the first time since they were huddled in the alcove.

It seemed that he barely realized just how close they were. He stuttered, red tinting his cheeks as he stared into her emerald eyes.

Zelda was breathless, speechless even. The hand that was flat against the wall behind her—only to steady herself, even though she was already learned against it due to Link caging her—had moved up. She placed it on the crook of his elbow that had the least amount of armor, where she felt closer to feel him.

Link, too, felt breathless. He stood there, looking down at her with open eyes—barely any breath leaving his parted lips.

But then he pursed his lips, licking them as he slowly removed his hold on Zelda and uncaged her. He looked down, away from the princess' gaze that he couldn't notice were of emptiness.

"My apologies, Princess." Link simply bowed down, using his whole body to show his sincerity. "I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy."

Zelda could have scoffed. "Such familiar words, don't you think?"

Link feared she was angry, but then he slowly rose his body to straighten. He realized she had a soft smile, flattening out her skirts.

"Someone once told me I have nothing to apologize for." Zelda smirked, moving closer to Link to nudge his side with her elbow. "I can repeat after him and say the same."

"So...," Link smiled, the tension going away, "I didn't make you uncomfortable?"

Zelda shook her head.

Link grinned. "Fantastic."

A few moments passed as they stood there, staring at one another. Link wasn't sure what else to do or say to stay there, so he simply stood to the side of Zelda, holding his arms out for her to gesture since there was an opening in front of her then.

"We should get going, yes?"

Zelda released a breath she was unaware of holding and nodded, collecting her skirts and adjusting them to walk ahead. She was walking slowly, not in a rush, and looked to the corner of her eyes to notice Link seemed to struggle on what to do.

A smile grew on her features when she saw him walk up beside her, in the end.

"Where are you headed to?" Link smiled underneath his helmet. "I can escort you, is that okay?"

Link didn't even need an answer, for Zelda answered silently by placing her arm on the crook of his elbow.

"To the library, please."

Link gave her an affirmative nod with a racing heart.

Silence grew between them as they made their way down the staircase to get to the library, but Zelda didn't mind it in the least. It gave her an extra moment to think to herself what of this whole situation with the man she met... The man who looked so...familiar to her.

Originally, Zelda's destination was the garden but...she decided the garden will have another use later that day.

Zelda side-eyed him, smiling slightly as she watched his free hand go up to scratch his cheek that bore a crinkle due to his small smile, slightly nudging up the flap of his helmet.

The rapid beating of Zelda's heart was enough to warn her—warn her that she was becoming smitten with the knight lead to serve her under her name. Princess Zelda.

She was Princess Zelda. He was...Sir Link.

Not just...Zelda and Link.

The tear that almost escaped her seemed to have caught Link's attention, for the smile he had was gone completely. He pulled up the flap on his helmet, placing his other hand on the one that was holding onto the crook of his elbow before giving Zelda his utmost attention.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Zelda started crying, removing her hold on him and using her hands to hide her face and silently wipe away her tears, small whimpers coming out of her.

Link wasn't sure what to do—what was he supposed to do when the princess of his land was bawling her eyes out in front of him? Alone?

Was he able to hug her...?

Link took a deep breath, looking around the empty staircase before walking up to Zelda and wrapping his arms around her. She accepted his hug with a responsive grip, wrapping her own around his waist and gripping onto the loose fabric she had found beneath all his armor.

She didn't want to cry, but it was only then that she realized something dreadful. After all of her days of thinking constantly about the man who rescued her from lonesome at the royal ball, she realized he would then become the man she fell in love with.

The man she wasn't allowed to love.

The man who didn't know how much she loved him.

The man who wasn't even allowed to love her...

Zelda cried harder, quiet sobs wrecking her body as she shook beneath Link's hold.

Link simply held her, swaying in place in the form of a small dance. He did his best to make her relax, but it only made her cry because the man who treated her as an equal—plus, made her laugh and wasn't afraid of her title—was making it even harder to not fall for him!

She was truly doomed, feeling as if she was dancing alone in his comforting arms, for she felt numb in his swaying. She felt like it was only her, in a dream full of him.

A horrible dream that couldn't end the way she wanted.

~0000000000~

The crying fest was forgotten about after a few moments of their departure down into the entrance of the library. Link was never able to know what was wrong, but she simply told him someday she would tell him.

She wasn't sure when, but someday...

But maybe that someday was that day, because shortly after he escorted her, she gave him a quick hug when no one was around and asked him to meet her down at the garden when the sun fell.

Their last words of the day was her playful smile, pushing down the flap of his helmet and giving him a push away from her to go on with his day. The last she saw of him was his back, head turned over his shoulder to throw a smile her way, saying, "I'll see you soon, Princess Zelda."

Now, at the present moment, Zelda was sitting down on the bench in front of the fountain that was located in the middle of the garden. The tall hedges framed her area like a box, and she was glad she had moments of privacy in the garden, especially at sundown, because she was able to get a peace of mind.

But when she saw Link return in his night clothes, she couldn't have fallen more in love.

He walked up to her sporting a green tunic with loose trousers, his hair neatly tied in his signature ponytail.

"Hello, Princess." Link bowed once he reached her, smiling when he straightened up and saw her stand up.

"Hi, Link." Zelda's smile turned into a grin, moving forward to meet him in another hug.

Link tensed underneath her hold, but he relaxed after he realized he should return the hug as well. If Zelda was comfortable giving him a hug, he should have been as well.

"I..." Zelda's breath tickled the tip of his pointed ear. "I missed you."

Link's own breath hitched, and somehow the hold he had around her shoulders tightened while hers on his waist did, as well. "Really?"

Zelda nodded against his shoulder, releasing a sigh. "And please...when we're alone...refer to me just as Zelda, okay?"

The knight bare of his armor toyed with the loose string on her night dress, resting his hands on the small of her back. "Is that okay?"

Zelda smiled, emotions overwhelming her.

To feel Link stripped of his heavy armor that clanked with every shift of his body, feeling him as close as possible with her body against his... It was almost as if she was able to feel his heartbeat wracking against hers.

She loved it. She felt...simple—normal, even. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine they weren't inside the castle, and they were far away in another place. Away from the duties of the royals and no longer a princess and a knight.

They were Link and Zelda, two commoners living a normal life.

"Yes," Zelda whispered.

"Okay. Good. Zelda."

For a little moment more, the two stood underneath the moonlit sky with the tall hedges outlining them, the garden's fountain in the middle of their rendezvous.

Link was the one who pulled away all-too soon, but only enough to hold her by her elbows and smile down at her.

"So," he was saying, "should we have a seat somewhere or would you like to keep hugging?"

Zelda smiled back at him, pretending she was in thought as she looked at his handsome face before hugging him again, holding tightly onto his waist.

Link laughed, bringing her in as close as possible. "Me too."

Zelda was immensely happy, her worries and duties of being a princess thrown out of her head and down the window. But something stuck with her, and it made her worry over something else.

Was Link infatuated with someone else?

Surely, it couldn't have been true. He was there, hugging her and being as close to her as possible in the most romantic setting she could think of, but she was afraid someone as chivalrous and handsome as him wasn't interested in...in her.

Yes, she was the princess of Hyrule, but that couldn't have meant an automatic fancy from the knight to her.

She kept thinking about him for days, and her thoughts always echoed his name, his voice, his scent, his presence... She was completely and utterly infatuated with him. With Link.

That was when Link felt Zelda tightening her hold on him, and he actually felt something wet seep through his tunic on his shoulder.

He then knew that something was wrong.

"Hey— Zelda, are you oka—"

"Please don't be in love with someone else..."

Link went rigid, his movements halted. "Pardon...?"

"Please don't have somebody waiting on you..."

The man holding Zelda had to pull back, only enough to see her face while still holding her. "Zelda, what are you saying?"

Said Zelda didn't want to look at him, but she made herself. She wanted to show she was genuine.

A tear stained, red face looked up at him, gasping, "I'm in love with you..."

Link felt his vision go dizzy, feeling lightheaded as his heart jumped to his throat. "Y-You—" he swallowed the hard lump in his throat—"you love me? I must be dreaming— What are you talking about?"

Zelda stared into his bright eyes, whispering, "We were forced to leave so soon when we first met, but these are the words I held back all this time... I was truly enchanted to meet you, Link. I...I love you."

"You're...serious?"

Zelda frantically nodded, tightening her grip on his tunic around his waist. "Yes, I am! I've never been so serious in my life, Link."

Link only looked at her, his arms tightening around her as he noted how breathless she was sounding. He whispered back, "But, we can't...we can't be together. I...I love you too, Zelda. I really do! I just... I didn't want to tell you because I was so afraid you would hate me. I'm just a—"

"You're not just a knight!" Zelda's stained face shed more tears. "You're someone who makes me feel happy—I feel happy to be with you, and you saved me and found friendship in me when no one else can seem to do that. I was alone and wallowing and you saved me, Link..."

Zelda wasn't able to see Link, so she wasn't aware of how hard he bit back a tear. It was only when Link pulled himself together and placed a hand on her jaw, facing them together, that she saw his emotions.

He looked her dead in the eyes. "Can I kiss you?"

Zelda released a breathy laugh, a quivering smile growing on her face. "Of course," she exclaimed. "Don't even ask me."

They both leaned in, but Zelda stopped them before they could make contact. Maybe it was for a chance to catch up on breathing, maybe it was a chance to let everything slow down and give itself time, but she managed to smile an inch away from his lips and say, "When it's simply us alone, we are Link and Zelda. Forget about the rubbish titles."

She felt the smile nearby from him, and she playfully shook her head as he laughed and leaned further to connect their yearning lips.

It was firm, but yet it held all of the love they had for each other; something they couldn't express on the day they met at the annual ball she had once dreaded.

But never did she regret meeting the one she was enchanted to have encountered, nor did he.

hehe hi. so i  made a new zelink fanfic! though it's only a oneshot, i just needed something free to write, a change of pace from the modern au because it was actually quite fun to write an au set in their timeline, yet in an alternate universe.

i hope you guys enjoyed this :) it's pretty short, but it was nice to get a change of pace and storytelling.

till next time!