Paper Love | Zelink Medieval

There Was a Silent Princess (2)

Sorry for leaving everyone hanging - not back, but here's something prewritten while I get my life together.

Dedicated to Zelinkie for consulting me about my cover.

Now to screw my life over with homework, lol.

~Zel

Published as of 10/04/17

Edited as of 

~~~

After a special dinner with her father and Ganondorf, she ends up perched on a comfortable couch, watching the two most important men in her life play a game of chess. She finds the game to be incredibly boring but tries to power through it, ignoring her drooping eyes and trying to hide her yawns.

She doesn't speak even once through the whole game, not even bothering to try to understand it because it simply doesn't interest her. Instead, she watches Ganondorf's brows furrow determinedly as he calculates his next move; his form is so large that it's almost hunched over the chessboard, and after a while, he slams a piece down, startling her. Then, her father, taking into account Ganondorf's latest play, begins thinking of what he's going to do next.

It's so monotonous, and Zelda hates it. The game drags on and on into the night, and it's been hours since they'd finished dinner and her father first brought out the chessboard. It takes all of Zelda's patience to just sit there, watching a game she has close to no understanding of. She endures the torture, knowing that it'll be worth it when she's able to congratulate Ganondorf on winning against her father.

Yes, she's placed almost all of her confidence on Ganondorf winning this match. There's no way he won't win with that brilliant brain of his.

But slowly, her droopy eyes begin to win over, and she suddenly finds herself curled up on the sofa, desperately trying to keep her eyes open. She's fighting a finished battle, and it doesn't take much time before her eyes have completely fallen shut, and she's sleeping, her chest heaving up and down with each shallow breath.

About an hour later, she awakens to find herself alone in her room, lying atop her bed. Her father must have instructed several servants to carry her up here once he saw she was asleep - or maybe Ganondorf himself carried her up here.

Somehow, the latter thought is so much more appealing than the former one, and she suddenly hopes that it was Ganondorf who brought her here.

It's too late for her to go back downstairs to see the results of the chess game so she decides to just fall back asleep without even bothering to change into her nightclothes. Her dreams this night are happy and hopeful, unlike her normal nightmares.

The next morning, she awakens bright and early, just before dawn. Servants arrive to help her into a more casual riding habit and to plait her brown hair down her back. They refrain from braiding flowers into her hair due to Lord Ganondorf's bothersome allergies.

Once her morning routine is completed, she takes careful steps through corridors and down one of the main staircases to the long dining hall. Ganondorf is already there, waiting for her so he can pull her chair out for her. He does so, and she sinks into her seat as he pushes her closer to the table. Then he sits down beside her.

Taking the blood red folded cloth that's resting atop her empty plate, she unfolds the napkin carefully before placing it on her lap, making conversation with the lord sitting beside her. He's been here at the castle for nearly three months now, and both Zelda and the king are pleased with how easily he's settled into life here.

"So, daughter, I'm assuming from your riding habit, you'll be going out with Lord Ganondorf to see the horses?" her father questions.

Her lips part as she begins to speak, but Ganondorf interrupts her, raising his hand so she falls silent, "Yes, your Majesty - we should be back before noon."

Eyes darting down to look at her plate, she lifts her fork to her mouth, taking a bite of her carefully cut up wildberry crepe. Instead of trying to speak, she decides to just listen as her father and Ganondorf talk about a wide variety of subjects - political issues, horse techniques, and even whether or not Zelda's riding habit should be a tad bit longer so that it goes to her feet instead of her ankles.

Finally gulping down her last bit of crepe, Zelda quickly stands and shoves her chair into the table, attracting the attention of the other two. "I'm going to be outside at the stable."

With a dismissive nod, Ganondorf gives her the go ahead, and her father doesn't even bother acknowledging her. Picking up her skirt slightly, she runs through the Castle outside to the stables, saying hello to the stable boy who's currently grooming her pure white mare, Whisper.

He looks up at her, some of his unruly blonde locks falling in front of his cornflower blue eyes. Dropping everything he's carrying, he manages to give her an awkward bow, "Your Highness..."

"There's no need to be so formal, Link," Zelda says kindly, imitating Whisper's nickering and placing a hand on her horse's neck. "A simple hello will suffice."

Bowing his head slightly and scrambling to pick up the harness he'd dropped when Zelda had walked in unannounced, he attempts to gather himself together before spitting out a, "Hello, your Highness."

Sighing, Zelda can't help but hide a small giggle, murmuring in soothing tones to Whisper. "If you don't mind saddling Whisper up, I'd appreciate it. I'm going out riding for a few hours with Lord Ganondorf, who will be in need of a horse as well."

"Yes, Princess," Link replies after saddling Whisper and handing me the reins, moving toward another horse stall. "Lord Ganondorf is a rather tall man so I'm currently thinking Onyx - what about you?"

Raising her brow in thought, the Princess leads her horse to the front of the stable before responding, "I think Onyx would suit Lord Ganondorf very well, considering his height. Yes, you should saddle Onyx."

Moments later, she's joined by the stable boy who's leading the giant horse outside. Ganondorf still hasn't exited the Castle so Zelda sighs, petting Whisper's mane. "It's a rather nice day today, don't you think?" she says, attempting to make conversation with Link and end the awkward silence that had settled over them.

"Yes," Link agrees slowly. "It's warm, but I do enjoy the breeze - it makes me feel like I'm flying when I ride in this weather."

She smiles and is about to agree when Ganondorf places a hand on her shoulder, steering her away from the stable boy so she can look at him. "Zelda, dear, are you ready to go?" he asks her, helping her onto Whisper's back. "I apologize for being held up for such a while - I found it necessary to finish my discussion with your father."

"It - It's perfectly alright, Ganondorf," she instead replies meekly. Gathering Whisper's reins into her hands, she soothes her horse while waiting for the Gerudo Lord to receive his own steed.

Link hands over control of Onyx to Ganondorf, and she calls out to him before she and Ganondorf take off. "Goodbye, Link," she says in her sweet voice, "Your work is much appreciated."

Acknowledging her kind words with a bow, Link then turns to enter the stable once more to return to work.

Once they're out of earshot of the stable boy, Ganondorf turns to her, casting her a sharp look, "What were you doing, conversing with that work boy?"

"We were just making conversation while waiting for you, Ganondorf," she defends herself, her voice sounding weak for the first time.

His gaze on her hardens, and he speaks in biting tones, "Let it never happen again, you hear me, Zelda?" Then, he snaps Onyx's reins before taking off into a gallop. She follows behind him helplessly, wondering for the first time if being married to Ganondorf will be a good thing.