I looked at myself in the mirror once more, breathing in calmly as I smiled at my reflection.
Last night, the entire kingdom was informed of the truth of the rumours; or, the lack of, rather. Today, I was to get married to Apollo, my wonderful lover. And for the first time, as I looked at my beautiful reflection in the mirror, adorned in the silky dress and cropped veil I had repulsed a couple weeks before, I felt excited to get married.
Link was going to leave the castle on horseback during the ceremony. He had told me so himself.
Lisa had talked me through my feelings the whole morning, calling him this that and the other and building back the wall of hatred for him that had been previously shattered.
Everything was exactly how it should be. Except...
My mind kept drifting back to the image of Link crying to himself last night. I couldn't help but feel remorse for him.
Sure, I hated him for what he did, but...Did I really?
"How do you feel?" Lisa asked, snapping me out of my daydream.
"Oh." I grinned. "I feel ready."
"Yay!" she clapped her hands and began cleaning up the room.
I stood beside my father once more, but this time, things felt different. More fresh, maybe. Like a weight had been taken off my shoulders.
He didn't say anything, but he did genuinely smile at me, which meant much, much more than any stupid string of words that could come out of his mouth.
He walked me down the aisle, and instead of being met with whispers and glares, I was met with smiles and nods. Everything was okay. My reputation was rekindled.
And Apollo, breathing a sigh of relief, waited by the altar as he nodded at my appearance, smiling.
The vows went well, and Apollo's included a lot of promises to trust me and believe me forever more.
The exchanging of the rings began and the ring seemed much more light and shiny than before.
And then it happened.
Up to this day, I do not know why or what pushed me to say what you are about to read.
It was so sudden, so volitile. But boy am I glad I did this.
I think it must've been destiny, because really, I had felt amazing for the entire day up until this moment when my whole world changed.
It began with Apollo saying "I do".
My mind began to rush, skimming over everything that had happened these past couple of weeks.
Link in my arms, really trusting me. I had never felt so close to somebody.
The day I was stood here, opposite him, dreading the next few weeks. On the brink of tears for the entire ceremony.
I even began getting flashbacks from my childhood.
Link and I arguing when we were sixteen over a stunt that he had pulled. The two of us bantering and glaring at one another from across classrooms.
The night where Apollo and I had a fight right before the winter ball when I was fifteen, and I had ran out of the ballroom crying my eyes out. Link was the only one who noticed and instantly ran out after me.
He caught up with me and held my arm, trying to comfort me. Asking me if I was okay, what was wrong, despite our hatred for one another.
And I had pushed him away, yelling at him and calling him names.
I was the one who had pushed him away that day.
And in an instant, I was reminded of all the times that I had pushed him away from me, all the incidences where Link had tried to be friendly and kind and I had had none of it.
I mean really, no wonder he was so tense on the run-up to my wedding.
He shouldn't have made up those rumours, but...I shouldn't have pushed him away.
I shouldn't have ever pushed him away.
This was my fault. All of this was my fault. I had been the vile one. I had been the name-calling, shin-kicking, petty little bully that had caused all of this.
"Do you Zelda,"
Oh, shit. Here we go.
"take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband,"
I felt my breathing quicken. Why couldn't I have had this realization earlier?
"to live together in matrimony,"
I had been so foolish. I was about to ruin everything once more.
"to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him,"
Apollo beamed at me sweetly, looking the same as he had the day he proposed to me. How could I break his heart once more?
"in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy,"
I pictured Link leaving on his horse, his face sorrow, his shoulders droopy...
I couldn't let him go.
Not yet.
"to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"
The priest spoke, each word seeming to last forever.
I stood, stunned into silence as I tried to steady my breathing.
"Um..."
Apollo's expression dampened. He looked me up and down, leaning a little closer, as if to ask what was wrong.
"I-" I looked around the room at all the hopeful guests.
What was I doing?
Was I really about to let all these people down, because I was inlove with Link?
Inlove.
I was inlove with Link.
Oh, shit.
I was madly inlove with Link.
"I don't, actually." People gasped and Apollo gaped at me. "I'm so, so, so sorry." I let go of his hands. "I love you, Apollo, but..."
People's faces were astonished, disgusted, some even excited. I looked back at Apollo whilst my heartbeat sounded loudly in my ears.
"You're not Link." I frowned and tried to ignore all the reactions sounding from the audience. "And I've just realised something."
I breathed in deeply and shakily. "I've just realized something huge and-" I picked up my skirt. "And I have to go, like, right now!" I ran down the steps of the chapel as Lisa, Aria and Dalia all chased after me, Lisa shouting, "Goddamnit, woman, make up your mind!"
"Wait for me, I failed sports class!" I heard Dalia's knight date, Matthew, run after us as more and more people joined in, shouting all sorts of comments and clearly excited and entertained.
I dashed through the halls, the entire audience racing behind me.
I began exiting the castle and was lifted up by two guards who carried me down the stairs, causing ripples of laughter and excitement to come from everybody.
I continued to run forward, sprinting as fast as I could, so fast that I was even beginning to outrun the knights in the crowd.
I crossed over bridges, cobblestones and even jumped over jagged rocks and any other obstacles in my direction.
I was beginning to see him at the end of the horizon when Lisa appeared beside me, laughing her head off in astonishment and pride as I looked down to see her bare feet.
"Shouldn't have worn heels!" She exclaimed.
I felt more people beginning to catch up at me as we neared Link's horse, growing closer and closer until he finally noticed us and turned his horse around, everyone behind me toppling over like dominoes and almost sending me over, but the guards held my skirt with all their might and managed to pull me back to a balanced position.
"Zelda?" Link uttered as I heard groans and mutters from the crowd picking themselves up.
I panted and wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Link."
"What in the world is going on?" He dismounted his horse and paced towards me.
I didn't know what to say, and looked behind me for support.
"Come on, Princess!" I heard from the crowd as more and more people fed me words of encouragement.
I turned back to him. "I love you."
People gasped and cooed at this, making me close my eyes and smile, shaking my head.
"I-" Link stuttered.
"Come on, Link!" People goaded, "Don't leave us waiting!"
"Well, I-" He frowned in mild disbelief. "I love you too."
Everybody around us clapped and whooped as I grinned.
I looked down at my skirt and my near battered shoes. "Well, uhm-" I exhaled, chuckling. "Do you wanna marry me? Again?"
Link shrugged, looking me up and down. "Um-" He scratched the back of his head, laughing. "Yeah, sure."
This stirred a massive reaction and suddenly we were surrounded by whistles and waves of triumphant noise.
"Zelda?" Apollo raised from the pew he was sitting on as I approached him.
"Listen, Apollo, I am so sorry." I hugged him tightly. "I know you must be so incredibly confused and upset and angry-"
"Yeah, I am, actually." He scowled. "What the fuck is going on with you? Why do you keep doing this? What, is there something wrong with me?"
"No!" I convinced. "No, there is nothing wrong with you at all. You're perfect and don't ever let anybody tell you otherwise. Don't you dare settle for less than you deserve."
"What's going on with you and Link? What, did I miss something while I was gone? Were the rumours true this whole time?"
"I never, ever cheated on you." I promised. "He made those rumours up, but they were never true. It's just, while you were gone, he and I...Bonded a little, and I realized that you were right after all, that he and I had always been more than friends, ever since we were five years old."
Apollo nodded and bit his lip. "You fucked him, didn't you? While I was away?"
"What? I-"
"God, I should've known better. I should've stayed where I was, listened to my instincts."
"I'm sorry, Apollo, I was planning on telling you, but-"
"But you were just going to marry me before doing so? Just going to tell me after the ceremony? Tell me that I was correct all along, that you and Link were just "Meant to be"?"
"I'm sorry, Apollo. I really am." I drooped in shame.
"Yeah, well..." He muttered. "Have a nice wedding."
He stormed out of the chapel as I was left in silence. It was going to take a while to get him to forgive me, but in the mean time, I had a wedding to attend to, hair to fix and people to please.
"Is this the last time you're going to make me do this?" My father frowned.
"Yes, father. I promise." I linked arms with him.
"You look...." He exhaled. "Just like your mother."
I looked up at him as tears rimmed his eyes. "It suits you."
"Link, I promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true to you in all things until death alone shall part us." I breathed out in relief. "Oh, and-"
He laughed silently, dropping his head to look down towards the floor.
"I promise to never insult your abs. Or lack of."
"Oh, wow." He chuckled.
"And I promise to always comfort you. I promise to always listen. And-" gazing at him, I felt my hands grip his even tighter. "I promise to never push you away anymore."
Lisa stood up then, raising a hand. "And, uh, if I could- I promise to also never, um, do that. Because-"
She turned towards the crowd, continuing her story.
"Well, there was this one time in third grade when Link tried to help me up and I, um, I said he had cooties."
The crowd laughed along with me as I shook my head. How I loved that girl and her stupid ways of life.
Link tensed up his shoulders before he began. "Okay, Zelda, I promise to cherish you always, to honor and sustain you, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and to be true to you in all... Shit."
"things." I winked.
"THINGS until death alone shall part us." Link spoke. "And I also promise to never make up any rumours or not talk to you when I'm jealous."
"Yeah, that better not happen again."
Lisa stood up once more, earning a couple groans from the audience. "Okay, well, whoever just groaned, you can fuck off."
I burst into laughter before letting her continue.
"Can I just confirm that the rumours were never true, because, when I told Zelda, she was all 'what in the world?!', You know?"
"Thank you Lisa." I added.
"Yeah, exactly. Sue me, okay, for wanting to help out my friend. It was you, Janice, I know it was, don't hide." She scowled before sitting back down.
After the second ring exchange of the day, I could barely wait any longer. I just wanted to be his wife again.
"Do you Link, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"
Link breathed deeply, shutting his eyes before speaking. "I do."
"And do you, Zelda, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"
"Come on, Zelda!" I heard from the crowd.
"Yes, I do."
"Then by the authority vested in me by Hyrule, I now pronounce you husband and wife!"
And with that, the crowd erupted into applause as I kissed Link with all of the longing in my body.
I don't think I'd ever been so happy before.
I know I'd done it once before, but it felt like the first time. I was so incredibly satisfied.
It was, and still is, the best day of my life.
And so, it all ended okay.
Even my father and I were on good terms.
Everything, apart from Apollo, was good.
And the story had finally ended.