War of Hearts

Chapter 1

Princess Zelda Hyrule, heir to the throne of Greater Hyrule, was experiencing a mental spiral at her vanity.

It had started at breakfast. She had gone to the dining hall, accompanied as always by her personal knight Link, expecting to eat alone. To both their surprise, King Rhoam Hyrule was there to eat with his daughter. He had begun discussing the upcoming 'Convention of Regions', the biggest event in the kingdom, and she had been delighted to share her ideas with him. Until he mentioned the event would have an ulterior purpose.

To find her a husband.

Suitors from all over the world would be visiting to earn her hand. The hope was for her to be married by her 21st birthday, which was a mere ten months away. Zelda had left shortly after her father announced this.

Now she sat at the table, vainly trying to clasp a necklace on while she stared numbly at her reflection. As the necklace slipped from her fingers a third time, she dropped her hands onto the vanity in frustration. She almost stared holes through the metal chain before calling, "Link?"

The door to her closet slowly opened, the knight in question tentatively stepping into the space. His blue eyes scanned his surroundings, as if some kind of threat could be hiding in her windowless closet. "Yes, Princess?"

"Where is Impa?"

"In a meeting with His Highness for the next hour."

"Oh."

His eyes met hers in the mirror and they seemed to soften slightly. As if he understood her mental turmoil. It was his quality of truly understanding people that had first endeared him to Zelda, what had first convinced her he wasn't some privileged boy who was too stuck up to talk. Now they understood each other more.

But he could never truly understand Zelda's predicament.

As a knight, he didn't have to worry about political alliance or producing an heir. He could marry whomever, whenever he pleased. He could marry for love.This thought caused a bubble of envy in Zelda's throat and she averted her eyes from his, closing them. She counted the seconds of silence. One...two...three...

"Is there something I can do for you, Zelda?"

Her eyes fluttered open. It was so rare for him to call her by her name, despite her assuring him he could when they became what she dared call friends three years ago. His tone was so kind, so concerned that her emotions threatened to overthrow her carefully constructed barrier. But she wouldn't cry over her predicament. At least, not yet.

She carefully picked up the necklace off the table. "I've just been struggling with this clasp, that's all."

Link understood what she was implying and softly stepped forward, his Champion's tunic rustling as he took a stance behind her. As he gently brought the chain to the base of her neck, her eyes focused on him in the mirror, sliding from the gun on his hip to the special sword he bore–the Master Sword. He was the only person alive who could wield it, hence why her father had appointed Link as her knight in the first place.

The thought of her father made the bile threaten to rise up again.

The cool metal settled on the back of her neck as Link let go, taking a step back. "There."

"Thank you," she sucked in a breath before standing. "I wish to see how the event preparations are going."

He nodded, following her out of the closet, through her large bedroom, into one of the many halls of the palace. They passed guards, all of whom nodded or wished them a good morning, but even they seemed grim. The princess, who was such a free spirit, was going to be caged by a foreign man.