Selection (Zelink)

Pleasant Surprise

Stop it, Zelda. Don't be infatuated with that farm boy. You'll probably never see him again...

That's what she thought, at least.

"Princess Zelda!" A high pitched annoying voice rings in the air. "Are you awake yet, dear?" The voice of the maid makes her ears ring.

She sighs heavily, and responds wearily, "Yes, I am awake." She puts her head in her hands, exasperated. Ever since Zelda was little, she had been fussed over by various makeup stylists and her maids. It became quite a nuisance and stressful to her over time. She didn't like various people to try and fix her imperfections, and by the time she was all made up, she hardly looked like herself.

As if on cue, around a dozen makeup stylists and maids rush in, carrying their various supplies with them. Zelda stands up from her bed, mentally preparing herself for the hours to come of being poked and prodded by stylists.

~~~ Hours Later ~~~

"Done!" The stylists exclaim in unison. Zelda stares in the mirror in front of her, surprised. It was obvious that they had tried to make her look more extravagant than usual, which she thought wasn't possible. It was the first day of The Selection, so she had to look her best, according to the stylists.

As for her appearance, she was breathtaking. She had her brown hair curled on the ends and wavy above it. Her hair was left down, so it cascaded down her backless dress. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner which came out in a wing that really brought out the blue in her eyes. Her eyelids were colored a soft smokey gray, and her eyebrows lightly colored in so they looked a bit sharper than usual. Her lips were painted a vivid cocktail red, and her skin was powdered to that of a doll.

The dress was for sure something else. It was a full length dress that came to her feet, made of fine deep red silk. Over the silk, white sparkling lace was scattered around the dress in ornate designs. At her waist, the dress had 2 small cutouts in the shape of a diamond that exposed a little of her skin. Half of the dress in the back was bare, which exposed most Zelda's back.

She had to take a double take to see that it was still her. "I like it." She says, smiling. "Good job, girls."

Many of them gasped in surprise. Usually Zelda would be upset that she was forced to wear something not of her choosing,

Suddenly, the door to her room opens. A maid stands there, looking overly excited. "Zelda! The men are here. Please go and greet them, they are waiting for your arrival. For now, you will just be having a five minute session with each of them so you can introduce each other and what not. That will be all for the day, other than having dinner with all of them later on. "

Zelda nods in disbelief. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that for the second few weeks or more she would have so many men staying in her castle. The men could be kicked out on the first day by her choice or could stay for months depending on how much she liked certain guys. The man she chooses would become king and she would become queen.

I have to be very careful in my choice. I will have to be with the man for the rest of my life, for the sake of the country. I also need to be wary of people who are only after the crown and could care less about me...

She follows after the maid absentmindedly, starting at the paintings on the walls while trying to keep herself calm.

Deep breaths, Zelda. In, and out. You have to look confident.

Zelda enters the main room, and sees 50 men standing in a single file line. There is a royal styled sofa at the corner of the room, which she guessed was for her and each man to talk to each other on for a few minues.

Alright. Here goes nothing.

She follows after the maid and sits upon the sofa as the first of the men heads towards the sofa.

~~~ Link ~~~

Dressed up in an extremely high end suit courtesy of the stylists, Linkfelt a little out of place as he entered the castle. He'd never been catered to so much before my professionals. Apparently every man in the selection has his own personal maid/stylist who dresses them each day, does their hair, and attends to their other needs etc. His hair was slightly slicked back, giving him an older look. His suit was black and fitted nicely. The collar was left unbuttoned, showing a bit of skin.

He stands in line with the other men, wondering where Princess Zelda was. When he sees her come through the grand door, he is absolutely stunned, and his jaw drops.

She was dressed in a fine red gown that really showed off her curves. Her makeup wasn't too heavy, but it also highlighted her beautiful eyes, pristine skin, and perfect face shape. She truly looked like a princess.

As he continued to stare, he realizes something.

Wait. It's that girl from yesterday! Oh my god. Why didn't she tell me she was the princess? Then again, I didn't tell her I was going to the Selection. But what are the odds of me meeting her before The Selection... Wow...

She doesn't notice him among the huge crowd of men. She gracefully walks towards the expensive looking royal sofa and sits upon it. From afar, she looks uncomfortable and perhaps nervous. Her cheeks were a little flushed and she stares down at her legs.

The first man in line heads towards the sofa, and they begin talking. Link stares, seeing if Zelda would take a liking to him. It didn't seem so. Their conversation seemed to be awkward and forced to him from a distance.

I wonder when she'll notice me here? I wish this line went faster.

He continues to watch her with each man. So far, she hadn't seemed truly into the conversation with any of them. Her facial expressions seemed forced, and her smiles faked.

The men seemed totally into her though. A few people in front of him, he heard men in line talking about Zelda. He leans over to another guy, and whispers, "She's so hot. I'll have to turn on the charm for this... heh."

Time passes buy slowly but surely. Link is nearly at the front of the line of men, but Zelda still hadn't noticed him.

When his turn finally came, Link leisurely walks towards Zelda, his lips curling up into a playful smirk. When she sees him, she gasps, eyes wide in shock.

He sits down on the sofa next to her. "We meet again, Zelda."