A Much Needed Hero

Chapter 17: Prom

[Link]

"Stop freaking out," Sheik said.

Link fidgeted with the collar of his shirt. "I'm not freaking out."

"Yes, you totally are." Sheik opened the car door. "Now come on."

Link opened his door too, stepping out onto Zelda's driveway. It was 6:00 and his mom had dinner waiting for them across the street. He hated to admit Sheik was right, but Link was slightly freaking out. Over the past three hours, he had envisioned all the bad ways his conversation with Zelda's dad could end, and he couldn't stop the feeling of dread settling in his stomach.

Sheik knocked on Zelda's front door, and Link put on his best smile praying that Zelda would open the door. No such luck, the door swung open to reveal Zelda's father.

"Come on in boys," He said. "I'm Rhoam King, Zelda's father. The girls are almost done getting ready."

Link and Sheik entered, introducing themselves.

Rhoam placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "Can I have a word with you in my office, young man?"

Link gulped. "Of c-course, sir."

"Great." Rhoam smiled, but it seemed forced. "Sheik, you can take a seat on the couch until we're done."

Sheik nodded, and Rhoam steered Link into his office.

"Take a seat," said Rhoam, closing the door and pointing to an uncomfortable-looking chair in front of a massive, expensive desk.

Link sat down wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.

"So you're Link," Rhoam observed coming to sit across from Link, behind the desk

"Yes, I am, sir."

"I'll get right to the point then, Link. What are your intentions with my daughter."

Link smiled, he had practiced questions like this with his mom before coming. "Zelda is awesome, and a great friend of mine. I just want us to have a fun evening."

"So you don't like her?"

Link furrowed his brow. "Of course I like her, I just said that we're friends."

Rhoam rolled his eyes. "I meant do you like her as more than a friend."

Link paused, unsure of how to answer. He'd heard from Zelda how overprotective Rhoam was despite hating her. What should he say?

"I don't know how you expect me to answer that, sir."

"I see," Rhoam narrowed his eyes. "Let me make one thing very clear. Zelda is all I have, and if anyone were ever to give me a single reason to believe she may get hurt either physically or emotionally, I would not hesitate to pull her from school and keep her nice and safe here."

"What--"

"I know you must think me an awful father, but I have Zelda's best interests at heart."

"Do you really, sir?" Link stood up. "How would locking her up, away from her friends, be in her best interests?"

Rhoam stood up as well and brought his face mere inches away from Link's. "I'll never have to lock her up if she never gets a boyfriend. So I guess the choice of her fate is in your hands, isn't it, Link."

Link's hands curled into fists. "That isn't fair."

"I never said it was." Rhoam straightened. "Zelda has been through enough. I won't let some careless boy toy with her emotions. I won't let you hurt her."

Link wanted to scream that Rhoam was the one who was hurting Zelda. How dense could he be to not see that he was the problem? Link was seconds away from punching Rhoam and just taking Zelda to live at his house when a knock sounded on the door.