The Hero of Twilight. What a title. If anything, he was a destroyer, not a saviour of dusk. And shouldn't it technically be Twili, as in the race? He hadn't really saved them either, at least it didn't feel like it. What world had he'd left for them after traipsing around the shadows? If anything, Midna would be the one to fix things on her end. Regardless, the people had wanted a hero to thank and fawn over, so it had stuck.

No matter how he'd tried to live a normal life, people wouldn't listen to him. They'd shower him with gifts, vie for his affections and pursue him all around town. He had tried living back in Ordon, but the traffic of passers-by ended up disrupting everyone's lives. That was why he spoke even less nowadays. People could only keep a conversation going for so long if the other participant wasn't responding.

The one person who did understand him and his need for privacy, who could not only lend an ear and listen to him, but would also discuss matters and give council, was the Princess. She was infinitely wise and incredibly patient, calming and composed at all times. However, this was not the case at the moment.

"For the last time, father, I am not getting married," she argued at the king. She was seated at other end of her father's table, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Her father sighed irritably, returning his daughter's look of contempt. "If you desire Queendom and the throne when I am old and dead, then you will have to."

She snorted, extremely unladylike. Link suppressed a grin that threatened to betray his gallant exterior.

"For countless generations, the princesses before me have ruled without ever having needed a spouse," she countered, the last word sounding like poison. "I see no reason why I have to be the one to change that."

"Are you blind as well as deaf to whisperings around you? There is discontent amongst the dignitaries and there are murmurs of civil war looming on the horizon should we not allow one of the houses into our court!"

"I will not forfeit my life to quell such petty schemes."

"You would start a war, right after the end of one, rather than bind yourself to a man? Are you really willing to risk your life rather than marry?"

"To a man who plans on murdering me in my sleep once the throne is in sight?" she quipped. "Absolutely."

"Again with the dreams!" the King shouted, exasperated. "I keep telling you that they are nothing but nightmares, fears your mind are creating because of what's happened!"

"They are not dreams, they're predictions! I've had them since I was a child and mother had them too."

He shook his head. "And you've both been wrong, on several occasions."

"I'd rather like to err on the side of cautious than end up dead," Princess Zelda looked at her father with disdain. "Our enemies outside the walls may be a fading memory, but the ones from within are merely bidding their time. And you would have me allow them into my bed! I would die on my wedding night!"

"Oh, but you'll let some nobody in your chambers!" he exclaimed, getting to his feet and motioning at Link.

Zelda pushed her chair back and slammed her hands on the wood, utterly disgusted. "How dare you?! Link is there to protect me!"

"I've heard he's done quite a bit more," the King spat. "You are merely infatuated with this... boy, and I will not allow it! You will find a husband by month's end or you will lose the throne. Use your so-called 'premonitions' to find someone if you must but it will be done!"

"Then I choose him! At least with the Hero at my side, I would not fear for my life every waking moment!" she shouted. "I am—"

He ploughed ahead, ignoring her. "I understand, being swept off your feet and into a whirlwind of romance and adventure, but he is a commoner!"

"How can you call him that? After all he's done for Hyrule!"

"That doesn't make him any more noble than the servants at your beck and call!"

"They are more so than the supposed dignitaries you would have me paired with! I will not subject myself to a life of misery and despair! I will not end up like you and Mother!"

The brief silence that descended upon the three of them was deafening. Link swore in his mind and watched as Zelda realised the weight of her words. Goddesses dammit, despite her divine wisdom, Zelda could still put her foot in her mouth sometimes.

Her father sighed irritably, lowering himself into his chair as he drew his hand across his face. "Leave," he said, his tone emotionless as he attempted to control himself.

"Father—" Zelda began, but his hand, raised in silence, cut her off.

"You have proven yourself still far too childish for the matter of ruling a country," he muttered, eyes closed and brow furrowed. She bristled at that, but kept her lips tight. "You have let your heart get in the way and now this is unnecessarily difficult. When you have finally learned to think with your head, then we will speak again."

That last jab would have normally made her spitting mad, but given the situation, the princess seethed silently, head bowed. Link could she her eyes flash with tears. With a whirl of her skirts, she turned to the door, slamming it behind her as the King watched her leave.

Link would have followed her, but after what had just happened, he kept himself in check. Farore knows what he'd think if the Hero chased after his daughter. So, Link stood at attention, watching the man rub his temples tiredly. He'd no doubt have a migraine later.

"Why is she so stubborn, so Goddess damned difficult?" the King muttered. He looked like he'd aged in the minutes he'd spent yelling at his daughter. "So much like her mother... I have no one to blame but myself for letting you stay here," he glanced at Link, who merely stood and waited to be dismissed.

"Go," he waved him away. "And stay away from her, boy."

He bristled at that, being called a child. He was nearing his twentieth birthday for Nayru's sake. And after all he'd been through, he could hardly be considered a "boy" anymore. But he held his tongue, wisely, and bowed deeply before leaving the man to his headache.

Link paid no heed to the aging King and crossed the length of the castle and up to the fifth floor where he knew Zelda would be. Despite the paper thin threat, he knew that he was among the few that the Princess would actually talk to. Unlike most women, she would never sulk in her bedroom when denied her will or throw a tantrum like some spoiled brat. She was above that, at least. She always went outside, to her mother's gardens, to clear her head and think. And that was exactly where he found her.

She sat with her back against a low hanging tree, sheltered from the hot sun under its thick foliage. Still clearly frustrated, she tore the circlet from her brow and threw it on the ground beside her, pulling off her gloves and threading her fingers through her hair. Eventually she settled back down, resting her head against the rough bark, face turn up to the sky, eyes closed. As quietly as his armour would allow, he neared.

Even several feet away, it was plain to see that her beauty was arresting. It was during moments like these that he'd steal glances at her, though he suspected she knew full well he was doing so. She had no idea how beautiful she was, devoid of her decorum, her hair loose and blowing in the breeze, relaxed and at ease. He would give a lot more than he cared to admit to see her like that more often.

"Sit," she asked quietly. He reached for the harness that kept his sword and shield in place, struggling to unclasp the leather. Even though he wasn't royalty, he was maintain appearances, and as such, much of the well worn uniform of heroes past had been replaced.

Zelda glanced at him and sighed, a small smile playing on her lips. "You can be so clumsy," she muttered, getting to her feet. She appraoched him and swatted away his fidgeting hands, working the leather through the buckle. Freed of it's supporting strap, he had to grab his weapons before the lodged themselves in the earth, lowering them gently to the ground.

"I'm surprised you could do that," he said, stretching out his arms above his head.

"You should try getting out of a corset one day," she quipped as she sat down again. He removed his hat and joined her, careful not to sit too close. The rumours the King had spoken of were not entirely unfounded. Once, they'd been sat like this and the princess had rested her head on his shoulder, arm around his when a gardener had happened upon them. After several weeks, he assumed the rumours had died down, but clearly that hadn't been the case.

Zelda rested her head on her knees, looking off into the distance, lost in thought. He crossed his own legs and leaned back, studying her diadem as it lay discarded between them. The intricately woven gold, the patterns of leaves and swirls that made up the structure and the single, flawless sapphire set into its brow; seeing it in the dirt, he could appreciate its beauty amongst the mundane. Upon her head, he never noticed the craftsmanship.

"You know, if you made off with that crown, you'd probably never want for anything again in your life," she said eventually, glancing at him.

He shrugged. "Of course, but then dead men want for nothing anyway." That made her smile and she leaned back, turning slightly to face him.

"It's frivolous, isn't it, wasting all that gold on something so small, so insignificant when it could be put to better use elsewhere."

He said nothing. There was no point arguing with her. It was true.

"Why does any of this have to exist?" she muttered, looking down at herself. He knew she wasn't just talking about her clothes, or her crown. She meant all that was required and expected of her, from the minute she woke up to the second she was asleep. And if she were to marry, then it would be the time spent in her bed as well as that out of it. Looking at the hand-wrought gold, and the clear cut gem, Link realized it was a heavy weight indeed to wear on one's head.

"It's considered a privilege, isn't it?" he said eventually, "A symbol as the ruler of the country."

She looked away. "It may be gilded, but it's still very much a cage."

"I envy you," Zelda muttered suddenly. "You have all the freedom you could want. You live as you see fit, in a world that doesn't judge your every move."

Oh, but how untrue that was. Sure, he wasn't as… restricted as she was, but there were plenty of difficulties. As a simple ranch hand, he'd fallen on tough times when the goats had died, or Epona been ill. He'd gone days on end without eating a thing. Even on the best of days, the physical labour was back breaking and he'd barely be able to walk the next day.

Even when he'd taken up the mantle of hero and ran after the monster that had kidnapped his friends, it hadn't been any easier. The long treks through dangerous lands and the monsters that attacked the minute they'd scented him. The wounds and bruises he'd gotten, the blood spilt, both his and that of fiends, it hadn't been any fun. He'd nearly died on several occasions.

But in the end, he realised that despite the hardships, he wouldn't trade it for anything, not for all the Rupees in Hyrule. It might not have been a life of ease and luxury, but it was his life.

"Did you mean it?" he asked her eventually. She turned to him, confused. "What you said to your father?"

She flushed, losing her composure in a way he didn't see all that often. "I was just so angry with him."

"But were you serious?" he prompted again.

"I've given it some thought," she muttered, clenching her hands together. "Every time I look at those men in court, all I see in them is what they stand to gain. They're greedy and pompous and want the throne for themselves.

"But when I look at you, I see someone who couldn't care less about the title. You care about Hyrule and the people, not the castle and crown. You think as I do. I know I could just ask it of you and you would accept, it's who you are, but you wouldn't be able to serve the country as you do now."

He smiled. "And yet, here I am, by your side and not running around the fields and forests in search of monsters."

"Only because I asked you to," she pointed out. "And yet, I can't last. You're meant to be out there, amongst the people, not chained up behind these walls."

Not as you are, he could hear her think.

"Regardless, your heart already belongs to another."

He frowned. That wasn't entirely true. Yes, he and Ilia had been close for most of their lives, but she'd already moved on and married another. As for Midna... he'd already shut his heart out on her. There had been the beginnings of... something, but it would never culminate into anything. They were literal worlds apart and at the end of it all, he would never see her again.

But when his mind settled on Zelda, he wasn't so sure. When they'd first met, as Hylians, it had been as warrior and royal. Afterwards, when she'd offered to allow him into her personal guard, he became her servant, even if she treated him much more as a friend and companion. And after several years acting so, he wasn't entirely sure where they stood anymore. It surely wasn't equal footing, it never would be. But it wasn't just about duty anymore, not as it was in the beginning, not for either of them.

He opened his mouth to say something, to tell her she was wrong, that there was something between the two of them, then decided against it. The truth was, even if they decided to making something of it, they'd be bound to meet resistance at every turn of the process. He might be a Hero in the eyes of the people, but he was still a peasant and as far from noble roots as the trees in Ordon. And if they were to have children, which was a thought he'd tend to avoid, they too would face the charges of illegitimacy.

They sat in silence for a long time, watching the sun crest as it lowered upon one of the great peaks to the West. Noticing Zelda shiver, Link got to his feet and offered her his hand. "It's time we went back inside, don't you think?"

"I guess you're right. No use staying out here any longer." There were still many unsaid words between the two of them, but they could wait for another time. Gently, he helped her stand, then picked up her things off the ground, wiping the tiara clean as best he could before placing it on her head.

"Wouldn't want to forget these," she muttered sarcastically as she pulled on her gloves. She paused and chuckled to herself. "Although, maybe I should. It would certainly give my father something else to yell at me about."

Now it was his turn to laugh. "He's just trying to do his best by you."

"I wish he wouldn't sometimes," Zelda said, shaking her head. "I know he means well, but still..." He busied himself with his gear as she straightened her back and held her head high, regaining her composure. The fact that her hair was tousled didn't detract from her image in the slightest. She waited for him and he offered her his arm, which she took lightly.

When they reached the castle and he reached for a door to the inside and opened it for her. She paused in the doorway and looked back at him. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure."

"Not for that," she smirked at him. "For always being there, when I needed you most."

She went ahead of him and he inclined his head after her, wishing that it could be true in every sense.