Tears of the Silent Princess (Zelda x Reader)

Forward

It was midday in Hyrule as (y/n) sauntered out of the castle, letting out a lazy yawn paired with a tired groan. They had just been on the receiving end of another lecture about 'responsibility' and 'diligence' by the head librarian, as if the five other lectures stuck around. They had just gotten past the main gates and laid eyes on the newly refurbished fountain when they felt a tap on their shoulder. 

Their eyes widened when they saw Zelda standing behind them with a smile on her face. 

"Hi!" she smiled, absolutely beaming with joy. 

"You seem to be in a good mood," said (y/n), being put in a good mood themselves with her presence. 

As the two walked together, she told them about how she had called a meeting with the most important officials in the castle and how she spoke her mind about all the things that troubled her thoughts. She spoke of her unwavering duty to her people and the importance of the work she decided to immerse herself in. With her head stood tall, she declared her ability as the Princess of Hyrule to go where she pleased in the name of Hyrule's continued prosperity. 

"Wow. Remind me not to put you on the warpath." 

"Yeah! That entire meeting just felt so... cathartic!" sighed Zelda in relief, "Like a weight off my chest! Thank you, by the way. For the advice you gave me." 

(y/n) rejected the notion, trying to stay humble, but Zelda's sweetness overtook them. The two casually walked through open fields as they made their way back to the forest where they caught the fireflies. 

"What exactly are you coming out here for?" Zelda asked, tilting her head a bit, "Hopefully not more fireflies." 

"Goddess, no," shivered (y/n), "I'm hoping to snag one of those golden apples that grow on trees sometimes. What's with that, by the way?" 

"Probably a beneficial mutation that just got passed down to future generations," Zelda speculated. 

"Well, whatever the reason, they're way tastier than the average apple, so I thought I'd snag one." 

As the two reached the edge of the forest, (y/n) scanned the nearby apple trees until the shine of a golden apple caught their eye. Their eyes immediately perked up as they began to shimmy up the tree. 

"Careful, now!" called out Zelda, "Don't fall again!" 

"I won't!" shouted (y/n) in reply as they let out a grunt as they snagged the shining apple and leapt back down to the ground. 

They wore a triumphant smile on their face as they looked down at the apple they had managed to pick, before holding it out to Zelda, offering it to her. She thanked them for their kindness, but insisted that they keep their spoils as the two sat beneath the shade of the trees. 

"That's nice," (y/n) sighed as they savored the sweetness of the apple. 

"Do you... mind if I ask you a question?" Zelda asked, to which (y/n) nodded their head, "Why do you stay at the castle? From everything I've heard from you so far, you make it sound like you'd much rather be out in the wilderness that cooped up inside." 

They pursed their lips. letting out a bit of a sigh as they thought of the right words to say.

"Being out there, traveling all around, is nice for a while," they started, "But it gets real lonely, real fast. You go from place to place so often and so frequently that you never really have the chance to make a real connection with someone." 

Zelda pulled her knees into her chest. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she understood what that felt like. Her status as a royal and the looming sense of duty she had to stop the Calamity alienated her from making human connections. 

"Even though it can be lonely sometimes, I do enjoy helping people out. Whether it's chasing some bokoblins out of a town or simply just giving someone directions, it... feels nice to do something for someone else, which is why I volunteered to help with the Hyrule Castle Restoration. After it was all said and done, I guess I just stayed because I thought it would be a good opportunity to not only help out, but to maybe actually make a friend or two. Pathetic, right?" 

They let out a stifled laugh. Her heart ached for them. 

"You burn enough bridges and the only way to move is forward, I guess," (y/n) said, looking at the horizon, "That's why I stuck around. To try and move forward. Whatever that ends up looking like." 

Zelda inched her hand closer to theirs, her fingertips resting slightly on (y/n)'s. Their eyes opened a bit at her touch, but their gaze was still locked onto the skyline. 

"I wish to move forward as well..." Zelda muttered, "Whatever that may look like..."