So I’ve had a good night’s sleep ―manner of speech because I was too excited, nervous and anxious to sleep properly. Seriously, try sleeping while knowing that a whole country will rely on your judgement in less than twenty-four hours. It’s not easy.

And now that my elation has died down, something else has caught up with me aside from the realisation that I’m virtually the most powerful woman in Hyrule.

Link is leaving.

The sight of his luggage waiting in the hallway just outside his door, blocking the hallway in front of my room, hits me with such brutal force that I feel like someone physically kicked me in the stomach the moment I stepped out of my apartments.

I don’t know how long I stay standing in the hallway, dressed in a deceptively normal pair of jeans and tee. Hey, I’m the queen-to-be: anything but royal gowns and crowns is minimalist on me now. But these jeans reassure me: they anchor me to reality.

I don’t know how long I stay frozen in my spot, anchored to the ―painfully harsh― reality that Link will leave my life forever, after overturning it completely, after making me into something I thought I’d never be, after teaching me so many worthwhile lessons.

After making me fall in love.

I don’t know how many times I have to fight back the rising sobs that make me shake from head to toe, tearlessly. It’s like I’m in shock, like I hadn’t realised the fact that I’ll never see Link again.

As if to twist the knife in the wound, he suddenly emerges from his room, dumps a last bag on the pile, and looks up at me, a few strands of his dark blonde hair falling over his eyes. Those intense, intelligent eyes, those eyes that entranced me a month ago, I’ll never see them again.

They widen.

“Zelda?” He sounds genuinely surprised. I remember thinking that on him, even surprised looks good.

Gods, why am I doing this to myself?

Link straightens and brushes those disobedient strands out of his eyes with a slightly annoyed flick of his finger. He forces a smile that feels awkward and insincere. “I guess I should call you ‘Your Highness’ from now on, huh?”

Softly, I say, “I’m not queen yet.”

He smiles, nodding slowly, and averting his eyes. “Right.” He forces a laugh that dies almost instantly in the awkward tension between us.

He suddenly perks up. “But, hey. You got the job, didn’t you?” He grins. “And Ganondorf the tyrant is on the road to a partial trial, isn’t he?” His grin broadens. “And you’ll be crowned this afternoon. And your friends will be extending their stay in Marcastle to spend more time with you. Really,” he concludes, a bit of his energy dying when I don’t smile as genuinely as I could, “everything is turning out perfect for you, isn’t it?”

“Right,” I say, smiling, even though all I want to say is, ‘Why, Link? Why won’t you love me back?? Why won’t you stay? Why can’t we be together?’

And then, of course, I understand why, of course.

Of course we can’t be together. I’m the queen-to-be. He’s my future ex-publicist. He probably won’t even be allowed on the palace grounds without expressed permission by the security detail after my coronation this afternoon.

Yeah. I’m soon going to be the one person every girl and woman dreams of being. I’ll dress in pretty clothes and go to grand celebrations. I’ll be the most popular person in Hyrule and one of the elites of the Hylian Alliance. I’ll be wanted everywhere. People already love me beyond reason.

And all I care about is that I’ll never see Link again, because he’s leaving his job as a publicist and his contract with me is drawing to a close.

Gods. “So where are you headed to?” I ask, trying to sound lighter than I feel.

He glances down at his luggage. “Well, you know. The contract’s over, so I have to return to my apartment. I can’t stay here forever, after all. I’ll probably accompany Aryll back to Waker Islands and check on my grandmother tomorrow. And in three days, I officially begin my next job.”

I feel a lump forming in my throat. “You must be excited.”

He looks up and smiles, and the corners of his eyes crinkle, and he seems genuinely glad. “Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.”

“What do you intend to do ―as a job, I mean?”

Link looks particularly glad that I asked, and he opens his mouth to answer me, but then we hear, from down the hallway, effectively silencing whatever Link had been about to reveal, “Oh, finally our little Princess is awake!”

I turn to see Rauru Luz, my prime minister ―my official prime minister now―, hurry towards me.

“We have to see to some final details for your coronation this afternoon.” He turns to greet Link and notices all of his luggage. “Oh, Link. Leaving already? I hadn’t realized you… But time flies, doesn’t it?”

Link nods, pressing his lips together. “It really does.”

Rauru turns back to me. “This won’t be long, your Grace,” he says with a wink. “It’s just to measure which crown from the treasury would fit your head for the ceremony.”

And so, I’m whisked away from Link, and I let it be just because Link promised he’d find me to wish me good luck later, just before the coronation, so that he can move his luggage right afterwards.

This is so unfair.

Tetra, now that her grandfather is prime minister, was promoted to become his official private assistant. It seems to fill her with pride and she’s smiling so much more. She takes his relay when Rauru leads me to the locked treasury.

I’d never visited the treasury before. Instantly, I feel like I’m in a safeguarded museum that is deliberately plunged in obscurity. In the semi-darkness, heavy looking, bejewelled necklaces and pendants, along with thick, over-decorated cloaks, are all displayed in glass cases. That’s without counting the numerous metal drawers in the wall, all locked safely.

Tetra leads me straight to the back of the room, and presses on a button on a thin remote in her hand. Very soft lights come on, just bright enough to see by.

“We have to preserve the artefacts from light and aging by keeping them in the dark,” she says at my perplexed look.

Her eyes seek a table, and she removes a light sheet of plastic from a half-dozen of crowns. At my awed look, she smiles.

“These are a few symbolic crowns for you to try on. We’ll just find which one suits you best. Here, for instance. This is the crown of the first princess of Hyrule. Her name was erased by the centuries.” She holds up a delicate golden crown with a few well-cut stones that is made to sit elegantly on the wearer’s head. Tetra carefully places it on my head ―oh gods! It’s so heavy― and grins. “Hey, it’s a perfect fit.”

I feel my neck get scrunched under the weight of the object. “It’s heavy,” I breathe.

“It’s solid gold,” Tetra simply replies with a smirk. “What else did you expect?”

She looks around and finds a portable plastic mirror. “Look.”

I look. Gods. I barely recognize myself.

“You’re gorgeous, so quit making that dumbfounded face.”

“Well, excuse me for not believing that I’m actually wearing a historical artefact in honour of my future role.”

Tetra smiles softly in the semi-darkness then takes the crown off my head. “I’ll tell Rauru to have this one sent to the priests at the Temple.” She averts her eyes and examines the other crowns. Her tone is careful and a bit uncertain when she says, “Zelda, about Link…”

Okay. Who kicked me again? That hurt.

“What about him?” I do my best to keep my tone detached and light.

Tetra seems unsure still. What happened to Miss Confidence? “Did you like working with him? Did he do a good job, I mean?”

Is she bloody kidding? He gave me a new chance at life! In all honesty, I say. “I got used to having him around. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”

“Really?” Tetra asks, as though what I just said relieved her somewhat. “So it must be a disappointment for you that he’s not your publicist anymore?”

I want to answer her. I really do. I want to tell her that I’m fine. I want to tell her that the very thought of Link’s departure makes breathing difficult.

But I can’t.

“Zelda?”

In the half-light, I know she noticed that I’m crying.

Instinctively, her arm goes around my shoulder and she breathes, “Zelda?”

“I don’t want him to go!” I say, but rather than speak normally, my voice comes out as a wavering cry. “Tetra, I don’t want―” I break off, trying to control my hysteria. In a whisper, I breathe, “I can’t imagine getting through the day without him anymore.”

Tetra, rather knowingly, I do say, and it manages to frustrate me, asks, “You’re in love with him?”

I don’t need to answer her; instead, I just focus on controlling my tears.

“Oh, Zelda,” Tetra softly says, in a tone that is friendlier than anything she’s ever used with me, like she knows more than I do. “You have the whole world and you can’t see it because all you want is for him to stay at your side.”

Tetra, I want to answer, I would renounce my throne if it meant I could be with him.

“But he doesn’t love me back.” I hate how my voice cracks at that.

“Oh,” Tetra groans, like she wants to call me silly and throttle someone, “I’m so― did he say that?”

“No.” And before Tetra can actually call me stupid, I add, “But if he loved me back, he’d have shown it.”

Tetra rolls her eyes. “Right. Because it's really professional for a publicist to be dating the future queen.”

I stand. I already know she’s right. It doesn’t mean I want to hear it. It’s bad enough that I’ll never see Link after this afternoon. “You think I don’t know? Why do you think I never told him?” And, just like that, my tears are gone.

There’s a long silence. Tetra apparently doesn’t know what to say, because I eventually break the silence with, “You’ll have to excuse me.”

And I leave the treasury. Tetra doesn’t even call me back. I shut the door behind me and whirl around.

Only to bump straight into Link.

Gods. It so figures.

I know he didn’t hear our conversation, in light of the soundproof walls. He just looks a little perplexed at my red eyes. I know I didn’t cry long enough for them to get puffy ―thank Gods― but it still must show a little.

“Oh,” I say. “Hi, Link.”

“Are you alright?” He asks, instead of replying with a simple ‘Hi’. “You look like you sneezed one too many times.”

I stare at him. “Wow, Link, is it just me or has your level of tact fallen to dramatic lows? Or maybe you’ve taken lessons from Ralph?”

But then I notice his little quirky grin pulling at his lips. He says, “Sorry.” He sobers up and gently leads me back upstairs, towards my room. “But really, are you alright?”

Let me see, Link. I’m in love with you, but because your contract as my publicist is coming to an end, I’ll never see you again. You have never given me any indication that you love me back. I’m about to be crowned queen of Hyrule, and I have the rising suspicion that I won’t be able to handle it without your help. Additionally, you’re leaving the world of publicity, meaning I probably won’t be able to track you down anymore through the agency. Do you really think that I’m all right?

“I’m fine,” I say.

The hallways to our rooms ― well, my room only, now― are deserted, and it’s a bright sunny day outside. Already, as we speak, I know citizens are flocking towards the Temple of Time to get good spots for the coronation. In six hours, it’ll be chock-full of people, and it’ll be time for me to appear and pledge my loyalty to Hyrule as its new ruler.

Before I can make another step forward, Link takes my arm and holds me back.

He’s never been this direct with me before.

“Zelda,” he says, “I know you’re nervous. It’s normal to be scared.”

I look back at him, and I fight back new tears. Luckily, my eyes hardly glaze over. He’s such a wonderful man and it’s all I can do not to admit how I feel then and there. But I stop myself. It’s bad enough that I kissed him without warning, I can’t also blurt out my feelings by accident.

Link doesn’t seem to notice that I’m in such turmoil. He says, his face perfectly unreadable, “I have one last lesson to communicate.”

Gods. I’m not even done yet? Isn’t he going to stop being so damned professional around me? Can’t we finally act like friends, at least?

“Come on,” he says, guiding me towards my room. When I hesitate, he turns back to me and says, with a mildly annoyed but also friendly smile, “Zelda, this won’t be very long, I promise.”

Reluctantly, I follow him. I hate being in close quarters with him of late. Last time, I kissed him full on the mouth, after all. It would have been nice if he’d commented on it, actually, but I guess he preferred not to dwell on such an awkward subject.

“Sit,” he says, gently. My heart always beats so fast when he’s near.

I obey him, mostly because I’m still a bit in shock at the idea that this is our last lesson together. Never again will he tell me to sit and begin pacing as he recalls the lesson’s subject. Never again will he examine my curtains, like he’s done so many times before. Never again will he let out a breath as he seeks the proper wording to communicate his lesson as clearly as possible.

But this time, he doesn’t start talking after he sighs. How odd. I examine his profile, that dark blonde hair, those blue eyes, that straight nose and soft lips ―I know they’re soft; I remember them― and it seems as though he’s debating with himself.

Finally, he looks back at me and smiles. And then he starts talking.

“Zelda. This afternoon you will become the queen of Hyrule and I will no longer be your publicist. I’ll move onto my next job and you’ll move onto becoming the best queen Hyrule’s ever had.”

Don’t cry, Zelda.

Link seems to search for his words. He’s usually quicker minded than this. He says, hardly even looking at me, “This palace will be your new home. The world will revere you. The people will love you.”

But you won’t, I sadly think.

“You will be fair of judgement and heart,” he says then glances at me. “And also, just plain fair.” He winks. I blush. He clears his throat, as if he’s uncomfortable with the comment he just made. “You will probably devote yourself to others, day and night, worrying yourself over the welfare of Hyrule and its people.”

I don’t know what to say. He’s most likely right. He seems to know me better than I know myself.

“Zelda.”

The way he says my name calls for my attention. I look up at him, and he is gazing right back down at me.

“Link?”

He looks at me with more emotion than I’ve ever seen him use before. It almost brings me to tears. My eyes prickle, and I’m afraid of blinking, in case my composure fails me.

“There’s one thing I want you to remember. This one lesson alone is more important than any other I possibly could have taught you in the month we were together.” He crouches in front of me, and says, without once letting his gaze stray from mine. “This kingdom cannot be happy without a happy queen.” He takes my fingers in his and squeezes them insistently. “You chose this road, and for that, I wish you the very best of luck and joy. I said it then and I’ll say it once more: I can’t imagine another person in this position but you.”

My heart hurts, like he’s trying to squeeze all the blood out of it. This alone brings the tears out into my eyes, trailing wet paths down my cheeks. It’s too late not to cry, but I’ll at least do my best not to dissolve into helpless, desperate sobs.

“When we first met, you were a nervous, uncertain country girl. Now, I look at you and see nothing but the makings of a true, kind-hearted, clear-minded, intelligent queen.” He smiles sadly, a little bit, when more tears fall down my cheeks. “You’re afraid, aren’t you?”

I can’t even nod or shake my head. It would make me choke and begin to sob.

“Don’t be.”

I see his smile turn genuine and kind and subtly confident.

“You have everything it takes to handle your future, except one last bit of knowledge that I think you might be interested in hearing.”

I take a deep breath and wipe my eyes on my shirtsleeve.

He says, “I spent a few hours looking into the matter, just to know where you stand.” His smile turns lopsided. “After making sure of this with a few lawyers, historians and judges, I officially announce to you, Princess Zelda, that a queen is free to date and marry whomever she pleases.”

Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting that one. I stare at him and croak, my brows furrowed together, “I beg your pardon?”

He stands and smiles down at me a little amusedly. “You’re free to date who you want.” He looks back out at the window and curtains, outside which bright sunshine illuminates the gardens. He pauses, then glances back at me and says, “Historically, if you become a queen through legitimate means and not through marriage, you can choose whomever you want, without restrictions, as a consort, as long as you deem that he is suitable for the role of monarch.”

I can’t help but gape a little. “And,” I say, my voice gradually growing steadier, “you’re telling me this because?”

The way he smiles at me is a little bit friendlier than he’s been in the past few days, and it sends my heart beating wildly. He says, “This is a matter of ensuring your happiness: happy queen, happy country. Weren’t you paying attention?”

I’m gaping for sure, now. “But―” I break off, and I clamp my mouth shut because I just remembered that he never told me that he loved me. He couldn’t possibly want to ensure my happiness with him.

But… he never told me that he didn’t, so maybe…

Maybe…

“Now that that’s settled,” Link suddenly says, though, now back to his efficient, kind of flippant tone ―which completely destroys all my hopes that he only explained marital laws in order to ask me out, which hurts beyond belief―, “can I ask you a final question? Think of it as a conclusion to our lessons.”

I figure he’s going to ask me how I think we worked together or something like that. I’m trying not to let the pain sting too much and failing miserably.

“What was this I heard,” he says, sounding truly intrigued and suspicious, “about you thinking I’m a sex god?”

My heart lurches to a sudden stop, along with my breath and every single bodily function I ever possessed. The world ceases to turn, the clocks stop ticking, the people stop talking, and there are just the frantic thoughts that run through my head.

Did I… really hear him ask that? Did he actually say that or did I not hear him properly?

And then, amidst the chaotic panic, one single thought pushes its way through.

Darunia, you traitor, I am so going to kill you.

“Hey,” Link’s handsome, laughing face suddenly fills my vision and snaps me back to reality ―the clocks start ticking very slowly again― “Is it so shocking?” He snickers, clearly smug that he’s actually right. “My job is to know everything, don’t you remember?”

I can’t bring myself to look at him without having my mouth hang open stupidly. I’m still debating whether or not I should strangle or stab Darunia.

Apparently understanding that I’m in no state to respond properly, Link says, his smirk melting into a gentle smile, “But don’t worry too much.” He dries one of my cheeks, which is still humid though I stopped crying. “I’ve only been in love with you since that day you elbow-punched me in the jaw, so you’re not that badly off.”

That is enough to make my breath hitch. And at once, all those life-sustaining things ―like the lungs breathing and the heart beating― start again, much faster than normal, yes, but at least vibrantly there.

A few leftover tears fall back down my cheeks.

But I smile.

He seems supremely satisfied that I actually found my smile again, because he leans forward and presses his forehead against mine. “That’s more like it. You’re prettier when you smile.”

I don’t know how I manage to feel his heartbeat when I hold his hand, considering that mine is beating erratically in my ears, like it hasn’t found its pace again after resurrecting, but I manage to feel it. It’s pulsing hard in his veins, steadily, comfortingly so.

I don’t think it’s possible to burst from joy, but I swear my skin won’t be able to contain all of it.

“Zelda? Say something?”

I look into his eyes. He’s too close for me to see them very clearly, but I frankly don’t care. “I love you…?”

“Oh, I knew that.”

I’m about to retort that of course he knew that, considering it’s his job, and I’m about to ask him why, if he knew it, he didn’t do anything at all about it, but he doesn’t let me say a single word.

Because he just kissed me.

Oh my gods oh my gods oh my gods.

Oh my gods, he’s kissing me!

Link is kissing me and not even because I kissed him first! He’s kissing me and he’s so warm ―no, more like, he’s radiating more heat than a fire in the crisp air of winter― and he’s so gentle and my heart is hammering so hard against my chest that I’m sure it’s going to burst into tiny little happy pieces and oh my gods!

He’s kissing me! He loves me!

He loves me, Zelda Harkinian, the future queen of Hyrule, even though he’s just my publicist―

Wait a minute.

I push him away. Nothing hurts me more than pushing him away. It’s like my whole body in inflated with joy and the fact that his lips aren’t touching mine just opened a hole in my bubble that is letting all that joy whistle out of me.

“Is something wrong?” He asks, and I could swear he’s even more affected than me, though I doubt that is physically possible.

“Yes,” I say, gradually growing hysterical, “something is wrong!”

He looks alarmed and absolutely confused. “What? Did I― Did I do something you―”

“You’re leaving!” I suddenly cry, my lungs bursting for air and my whole being bristling with indignation. “How can you kiss me like this and tell me you love me and still know that we’ll never see each other again?” I stand. “I can’t let you kiss me if you’re never going to come back again!”

Link stares at me in the most absolute confusion.

And then he seems to realise what I’m talking about.

His confusion melts into affection and understanding. He even seems to look relieved that our problem is ‘only’ that he’s not on contract as my publicist any longer.

He loops his arms around me and looks down at me with a patient look.

“I don’t think my not being your publicist anymore will be such a terrible obstacle,” he confides, and then he smiles at me, with that adorably gorgeous, knee-weakening smile of his.

And then he tells me why.