Work Text:
Zelda hates Link. No, hate it putting it too nicely. She despises him.
She despises his silence. Whenever she tried to speak to him, she was met with a blank stare that made her shake with rage.
She despises how everyone else loves him, how he is perceived as perfect by citizens and nobles alike.
She despises the hushed whispers of the castle maids who shamelessly fawn over his stupidly perfect symmetrical face. Their faint giggles grate on her nerves as they discuss what a striking shade of blue his eyes are—all of them in agreement that they resemble the delicate blue of a silent princess.
She cannot comprehend their affection towards the silent knight. While the palace maids would be giddy with love if Link glanced their way, she felt nothing but crushed by the reminder of her destiny under his heavy gaze. His cerulean eyes taunted her; judgment swirled within them, letting her know that he thought of her as nothing but a failure.
She despises how powerless she feels next to him.
She thought she made her disdain for him quite obvious, that his existence was nothing but a nuisance to her. So why? After months of trying to make his life as miserable as possible, from yelling at him without reason to sneaking out of the castle, why would he put his life on the line to save her?
The Gerudo sand scorched her skin; the searing pain yelled at her to stand up. But she was too preoccupied with the thought, why? It echoed throughout her mind as she continued sitting on the ground of the Gerudo Desert, completely dumbfounded.
She stared at his form; the setting sun seemed to illuminate him; the shadows cast upon his face made the already intimidating look etched on his features even more intense. Even the remaining Yiga members knew not to cross her knight, for they quickly scattered back to Hylia knows where like the cowards they are.
Zelda finally took a moment to breathe, admiring how his strong frame stood in front of her protectively. Did his back always look so... strong? Perhaps the desert heat is making her hallucinate.
He always walked behind her, so she's never gotten the chance to take him in full, to see him for who he truly is, not who she perceived to be.
She's been too busy hating him, painting him to be a person she could easily hate. She failed to realize that he's a kind, selfless, and loyal person.
Their eyes connected as he turned towards her, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. Before, she would've felt uncomfortable, but now? All she feels is safe.
Maybe she didn't hate Link after all.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
It’s a beautiful, sunny spring afternoon at Hyrule castle. The singing of birds permeated the warm air, beckoning on the arrival of summer. Zelda allowed her shoulders to relax, the birds' cheerful chirps diminishing her stress.
She let out a content sigh, knowing that she had the rest of the day to relax. She decided to enjoy this rare occurrence with her appointed knight Link on a leisurely walk through the castle gardens. The sun warmed her skin, melting away the previous worries of the day. The occasional bumblebee buzzed past her ear, eager to pollinate all of the castle’s exotic flowers.
“What’s that one?” Link inquired, pointing at some elegant red flowers.
Zelda let out a soft giggle. Somewhere along their stroll, Link started pointing to nearly every flower they passed. Putting her vast knowledge of flora to the test, he was determined to find one she didn't know.
Of course, that hasn't happened yet.
“Those are middlemist camellias. They’re a rare flower that symbolizes love and affection,” a smug grin tugged at the corner of her lips, another victory under her belt.
Link lets out a sigh, his shoulders drooping. Despite this, there’s a small smile on his face, “I’m determined to stump you, princess.”
“I eagerly await that day, sir Link,” she teases.
They continued to make their way through the gardens. They were passing by many diverse species of flowers, all unique looking and vibrant in hue. Some were native to Hyrule; others originated from different kingdoms beyond their borders and vast seas. Places Zelda only dreamed of visiting one day. She briefly thought how wonderful it would be to explore those places with Link—both of them, alone, far away from any responsibility, free to be themselves. With butterflies in her stomach, she quickly suppressed the thought.
“What are these flowers called?” Link’s mellow pulled her out of her daydream.
Zelda immediately notices the flower that's captured his attention. At the edge of a peony flowerbed sits a few buttercups that managed to sneak their way past the watchful eyes of the castle gardeners. The bright yellow of the dainty flower contrasts that of the pink peonies, making it stick out like a Goron in Zora's Domain.
“That’s a buttercup flower; they symbolize neatness, joy, humility, among many other things,” Zelda explains while trying her best not to smirk triumphantly.
“They’re part of the vast Ranunculaceae family; most buttercup species are radially symmetric,” they both kneel to take a closer look at the flower, “see?”
The soft petals graze the tip of her finger as she demonstrates its symmetry. She turns to Link. Her heart nearly skips a beat as she realizes how close their faces are. She took a moment to soak in the details she never noticed before. Like how his forehead had the faintest white scar, was it due to sword training? Some silly incident when he was a kid? Zelda could easily picture a tiny, mischievous Link climbing up a tree, his mother yelling at him to get down before he hurts himself. Only for him to fall flat on his face.
Her gaze drifted down to his soft, pink lips. Sure, she's thought about kissing him until they were both breathless and red in the face plenty of times before. But the urge to do so has never been as strong as it was now. Their lips were mere inches away, tormenting her with the fact that she couldn't steal a quick kiss.
She quickly swallowed her selfish urges as she peered into his eyes. She noticed how they weren't just one shade of cerulean. A much deeper azure hue surrounded his pupils. She struggled to contain a gasp as she realized he was staring back at her. She felt the heat rise to her face, coloring her cheeks redder than the middlemist camellias they passed by earlier. An affectionate gaze replaced his usual blank expression.
“W-why are you looking at me like that?” embarrassed, she looks away, pointing her attention towards the ground as she tried to contain the rampant butterflies in her stomach. What was wrong with her? The way he was looking at her made her feel so jittery and warm.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just cute how knowledgeable you are about this stuff,” he snapped out of his affectionate stupor, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. Maybe her eyes are playing tricks on her, but his cheeks seem to have the faintest tint of pink.
Wait, did he just call her cute ? The butterflies came back in full force erasing her previous effort to get rid of them.
“They’re quite charming,” Link quickly changes the subject back towards the buttercups. She let out a quiet sigh of relief, thankful she had an excuse not to think about the strange feelings stirring within her.
She glanced down at the small flower, scrutinizing the out-of-place plant. She personally wouldn't call them charming. Compared to the other flowers in the castle gardens, they lacked elegance and were rather ordinary. The symmetry of the plant was pleasing to look at but not uncommon among flora. At first glance, nothing seemed unique about buttercups.
However, the longer she inspected the flower, the more she understood what Link meant. They were a brilliant yellow that filled her with cheer just looking at it. It was like a drop of sunshine had fallen from the heavens and personified itself into a delicate flower.
She gently touches the buttercup, “they’re very stubborn and difficult to control.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” he playfully teases.
Zelda playfully rolled her eyes, but before she could retort Link plucked a buttercup from its safe haven among the peonies, gently placing it behind her ear. His touch was feather-light like she was a precious possession he was terrified of breaking. The strange, unfamiliar feeling that she tried so hard to ignore came bubbling back up again in full force. This time, she was unable to ignore it. Her heart soared in her chest as his soft touch left behind a trail of fire upon her skin. Even after he pulled away, the tip of her ear still burned with his touch; searing the feeling of his calloused into her memory for all eternity. The same affectionate smile adorned his face, causing her mind to go into a drunken-like trance. One little touch from him poisoned her mind with nothing but him, and she wasn't so sure she wanted the antidote.
“It matches the color of your hair, princess,” He peered right into her eyes. His stare once made her feel judged and uncomfortable, now made her feel nothing but warmth and adoration.
Oh, sweet Din, grant me your strength.
The palace maids had it all wrong, his eyes didn’t resemble the blue of a silent princess. They sparkled with the warmth and life of the Necluda sea on a sunny summer’s day. They drew you in, kind and inviting, Only to be swept away by an unexpected tide, pulling you deeper and deeper into the endless sea that his eyes beheld. Despite her efforts to fight against the waves of realization; Zelda was never a good swimmer to begin with. She succumbed to the feelings that washed over her suddenly. The overwhelming feeling of love filled her lungs, drowning her in realization.
She was in love with Link—her compassionate and ridiculously dorky appointed knight.
The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled brightly. A wave of elation washed over her as she came to terms with her feelings, finally being able to put a name to what she was feeling.
“You know, due to their invasive and prolific nature, buttercups are considered a weed,” Zelda giggled.
His face twisted into a look of pure horror, the color draining out of his face as he realized that he compared the crown princess of Hyrule to an unwelcomed weed. Zelda roared with laughter at his expression. She knew her loud laughter was unbecoming of a princess. But around Link, she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down. He never held the expectations of the court against her. She was free to be herself around him, just a simple girl in love with her best friend.
Another peek at Link's face sent her into another uncontrollable fit of giggles until her sides were sore and tears stung at the corners of her eyes. She had never seen him look so panicked before.
“P-princess, I sincerely apologize, I didn’t know!” he frantically waves his hands as he profusely apologizes.
“It’s quite alright, Link. I’m not offended, truly,” she somehow manages to speak in between her fits of laughter.
With an embarrassed expression, he avoids looking at Zelda directly. His cheeks flushing a lovely shade of crimson that quickly spreads like a wildfire up to his ears. His nervous reaction reminding Zelda of a coy maiden.
“To be fair, you make a simple weed look like Hyrule’s most exquisite flower,” his voice was so soft, she almost missed what he said.
She reached for the buttercup that was still placed behind her ear. His words made her heart skip a beat as red bloomed across her face.
Who knew being compared to a weed could make her heart flutter so much.
The following day, Zelda walked into her room after her meeting with Purah and Robbie. Zelda absolutely adored Purah, but after being around her for an extended period of time, her enthusiastic personality has left her utterly exhausted.
Zelda immediately spots an ornate vase filled with breathtaking golden Persian buttercups placed by her bedside. She smiles to herself, her heart erratically beating as she already knows who it’s from. With hands shaking from excitement, she picks up the small notecard that sat next to the vase.
Dear buttercup,
I did some research. These are Ranunculus asiaticus, aka Persian Buttercups. But I’m sure you already knew that. These striking flowers are part of the vast ranunculus family but aren't considered weeds. They may not measure up to your grace or beauty, but it's better than being compared to a weed.
-Your idiotic knight
It was quite funny, a tiny flower she never gave the time of day has suddenly become her favorite.