Tears of the Silent Princess (Zelda x Reader)

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"Are you sure about this?" 

"Absolutely! This will make thing so much easier for the both of us!" 

Being inducted as Princess Zelda's personal bodyguard was not something (y/n) had on their checklist today, but her enthusiasm about the idea made them go along with it either way. On paper, it certainly did make sense. Having Zelda move around Hyrule with her bodyguard would certainly look better to the castle bureaucrats than some random bumpkin from Lanayru. The issue, however, came from (y/n)'s mindset of the whole ordeal. While Zelda saw it as a loophole to avoid people getting the wrong idea, they would be taking the position seriously, and they thought that they were less-than-qualified for a bodyguard position.

Zelda had her own way to address their concerns, though. The two made their way to a training room next to the soldier's barracks, equipped with wooden dummies and training materials. Standing in the middle of a mock arena was none other than the Hero of the Calamity himself, Link. 

"Right..." huffed (y/n), clicking their teeth.

"If you really do have concerns about being an actual bodyguard, who better to practice with than Link?" she smiled, "Thank you so much for meeting us here, by the way. This is (y/n), a dear friend of mine!" 

Link gave a wordless nod as (y/n) recalled the moment they first met. Regardless, (y/n) picked up a standard issue sword and stepped up to bat. Link, armed with his legendary sword and decorated blue shield, took a fighting stance as they cautiously did the same. They looked at the sword in Link's hand, the Master Sword, before looking down at their own. 

"Yeah, right... The Sword That Seals the Darkness?" they grumbled, "What am I supposed to do against something like that?" 

After a few moments of hyping themselves up, (y/n) rushed in for the first blow. However, the more experienced and skilled Link blocked everything they threw their way with grace and ease. They attempted a fancy move, hoping to show off for Zelda, only to be knocked down by a well-timed shield parry. 

"Gah! No spin moves, I get it!" they yelped out as they got back on their feet. 

Time and time again, (y/n) charged in only to be swiftly taken down by the legendary swordsman. 

"(y/n)!" 

Their attention was immediately pulled over to Zelda, who waved at him with a sheathed sword in her hands. They walked over, taking it from her and tilting their head a bit. 

"What's this?" 

"I figured that the bodyguard of the Princess needs an appropriate weapon, so I had this made for you! What do you think?" 

The sword, beautifully made in every way, was laden with the finest steel in the land and had a gold trim on the handle, bearing Zelda's personal crest. 

"It's... amazing!" exclaimed (y/n), "Now this is something I can work with!" 

Zelda smiled, happy to see them in such good spirits. With a renewed vigor, (y/n) stepped up to the plate once again, ready to take on Link. The two locked blades again, desperately pushing against the other, trying to overpower their opponent. Another dangerous shield swing came (y/n)'s way, but they were able to backstep before swinging again with their new sword, creating sparks as it clashed with the Master Sword. 

What Link wasn't expecting, however, was to be punched in the face by (y/n) while their swords were locked, only for it to be followed up with a mean knee to the gut. Link staggered backwards as (y/n) reveled in their dirty tactics. 

"How about that, huh?!" mocked an overconfident (y/n) as they attempted the same tactic again. 

Fortunately, Link caught on fast and threw them over their shoulder. They hit the ground with a solid thud as they threw down their sword. 

"Gah! Okay! Okay! I give!" they gasped, "I get it, I've got some work to do!" 

"I know it wasn't what I brought you here for, Link..." said Zelda as she approached the two of them, "But how about taking an apprentice? I feel like they could learn a lot from you!" 

"Just like luck..." they muttered as Zelda helped them up. 

It seemed they had a lot of work ahead of them.