Chapter Text
The silent princesses were a new addition to Link's front lawn. After a few weeks of Calamity Ganon's demise, Link personally collected them and planted them by the pond next to his house. When Zelda had seen them the next morning, she was holding back tears.
Ganon's concealment was excruciating for Zelda's body. After 100 years, she fell asleep for several days. During this time, Link brought her to Hateno Village and the house he purchased during his journey.
If he was honest, he wasn't sure if he'd ever need the house. He only bought it on a whim, because there were some times when he was tired of camping out during the night. For a while, Link slept in the barren building as it slowly refurbished into the home it was today. The Hylian Shield was set on the wall like a decoration, and it soon became homey and personal.
He nixed purchasing a second bed for Zelda. He instead slept on a roll on the floor as the princess of an extinct kingdom slept on. When she finally awoke, and Link returned her her regular outfit he'd found while exploring the castle, she was quiet.
"Link..." she said one night as he was cooking dinner for the two of them. "I never got your answer. Do you... remember me?"
He didn't have to think twice about this. All his memories were still foggy, yes, but of all of them, the ones including Zelda were clear as daylight. Even before he became the princess's knight and before he drew the Master Sword, those memories were also befuddled.
"I remember you were always angry at me," Link said. He hadn't spoken a single word since freeing Hyrule. "Always angry because I drew the sword. Me being chosen made you feel inferior." He looked up from swirling the soup in the pot to see Zelda crestfallen. "And I remember you tried to make me eat a frog." He smiled when the princess looked up. "I remember that you're not exactly a stellar cook, but you could at least make a decent sandwich. And I remember that your swordplay could rival a child's wooden sword."
Zelda scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm a decent swordswoman!"
Link shook his head, chuckling. "No, Zel. You were never good with a sword, and your magic is only getting better." He poured the soup into two bowls and handed one to the princess. "Here. After a hundred years, you must be starving."
She at least smiled and took the bowl. "Thank you, Link. You always were a fascinating cook." She used her spoon to softly blow out the heat and put the creamy sustenance in her mouth. "Mm! Goodness, this is delicious. What is this?"
"Creamy heart soup," Link said as he ate his own fill. "The main ingredients were a heart radish and some milk. I learned about while I was in Gerudo Town."
"This is certainly extravagant. And the warm heat adds to the flavor, beautiful!" She took another mouthful and then frowned. "Hang on a moment. Gerudo Town? I thought they only allowed women in there. Or have things changed in the last century?"
Link bit his tongue to keep a curse from falling out of it. He had yet to tell the princess that he had to dress as a vai to enter the town. Sure, some people did find out he was a voe, but they didn't turn him in.
He had hidden a lot of his clothing in a chest under the house, and the others he stored inside. Zelda knew what some of them did, but she didn't know about all of them. The Gerudo wear, Ancient armor, and Tunic of the Wild he received from the Goddesses were all unknown to her.
He babbled out a half-baked excuse while questioning a disguise. Zelda looked at him disbelievingly, but didn't ask anymore questions.
The moon was a beautiful crescent as they lay on the roof that evening, staring up at the stars.
"The constellations are the same as they were," Zelda nodded, holding Link's hand with her right. She pointed to the sky with the other one. "There. See that twinkling star and the smaller dim ones? They make up the inverse Triforce."
"Inverse Triforce?" Link squinted to see the constellation, but all he could see were the dots in the night sky.
"Yes, exactly. The tale goes of a kingdom parallel to Hyrule, who had gone into a poverish downfall upon the destruction of their own Triforce. It's said that its princess and hero of the time stopped the parallel kingdom's attempt to steal our Triforce with a revived Ganon."
Zelda continued to explain the constellations and how they pertained to Hyrule's history. She talked about the Sages of old and the Hero of Time, the Picori community and the legendary bird of the skies. She finally talked about three gemstones belonging to three races in Hyrule: the Gorons, the Zora, and the Korok.
"The Great Deku Tree told me something," Link suddenly said, sitting upright to get a clear mind. "When I pulled the Master Sword out, it showed me a memory."
"What memory?" Zelda followed, her hand not releasing from his.
"About how you heard it speak. And that you wanted for the Tree to pass a message to me, but it insisted that you tell me in person." He finally turned to look at her. "With all that's been going on, I completely forgot about that. What were you hoping to tell me?"
Zelda started. She stiffened and the hold of her hand tightened a little. With the moonlight, Link could see color fill her cheeks. "I... That is, I was hoping to say..." She seemed to be struggling what to say when a voice cut her off.
"Hey! Hey, boy!" Crossing the bridge to the house, Hateno's mail deliverer came jogging in their direction. He was waving frantically with his hand. "Got something for you!"
Link frowned. "Who could be sending mail to me?"
"Perhaps one of the people who aided you on your journey." Zelda relinquished her hold on his hand and made her way down. "Let's see what he has to say."
Following, Link accepted two envelopes from the deliverer. "Why two?"
"Well, there's no one else named after Hyrule's old princess in town, so I figured your wife was who the second letter was for."
Zelda stood rigged, her voice caught in her throat. "W-wife?! That's preposterous! Link and I are not married, we are not a couple!"
"She's right. She's just an old friend of mine." Link rubbed his nape as he felt it heat up in the cool night.
"Oop, sorry. Well, off to my next delivery!" He saluted before turning around and jogging away, his pouch bouncing off him with each step.
"Wife," Zelda said again with a scoff. "What sort of gossip has been spreading through this town?"
"You should have seen what these two women had to say about the tech lab, or some Gerudo women about the GSC."
Both envelopes were the same, with Zelda's name on one and Link's on the other. They both carried some weight in them, something round and thin. He handed Zelda's letter to her and worked to open his own. He made his way inside as the princess followed, taking their seats at the table where their soup bowls had been discarded.
A golden medallion with his name on it dropped out. It was as large as his hand, and the other side featured the Triforce.
"Mine is like that as well," Zelda said, holding her own medallion up. "It must be someone from Kakariko Village, no one except King Zora and Chief Riju knows that I've returned." She set it down and and took out the paper inside.
"But do they even use this sort of wax seal?" Link asked, directing to the ripped envelope of the ball of red. He took out his own letter and began to read.
Dear Link,
We are honored to announce that you and the Princess of Hyrule have been chosen to participate in our sixth annual Super Smash Brothers Tournament. This Tournament is a battle royale between some of the greatest warriors from other lands, and your recent exploits against the Demon King has captured our attention.
Note that this is not a fight to the death, but merely a matchup against others in a set battlefield. Rewards and other incentives are given to each challenger, which can then be exchanged for goods and services at our luxurious Smash Mansion, where all Smashers—all fighters—will rest at.
Attached to this letter is a blank paper for which you may write a response. Set it and the medallion back in the envelope and it will be brought right back to us. Whatever your answer may be, we wish to test your prowess and determine your ability in a one-on-one match against one of our veteran fighters who has been with us for a while now. We hope to see you in the battlefield!
—Master H.
"This is incredible!" Link said upon finishing his letter. "They want us to represent Hyrule! And with any rewards we win, we could help in Hyrule's restoration and bring it back from its depths to a prosperous kingdom! Isn't that fantastic?" He looked up in glee to the princess and saw a look of distraught etched on her face. "Princess? Zel, what's wrong?"
"Why would they think me a worthy contender?" Zelda asked softly. "I'm not great in a fight, or even decent. I still slip the sword out my grasp when I swing it!"
"But you managed you hold back Ganon for a hundred years," Link pointed out. "And maybe you don't need a sword. You can still use magic. You perfected Din's Fire before everything happened, didn't you?"
"But not the other two magic abilities! Impa's training never got me that far ahead." Zelda shook her head. "I'm not sure if I can do this."
"Zel." Link reached forward and took her hands in his, still clutching the letter. "You don't have to be a good fighter for this. I don't know how, but they know both of us. That might not be a bad thing. If we go and enter ourselves in this Tournament, we could help Hyrule. We could restore the castle and rise up from the chaos Ganon brought us. Wouldn't that at least be worth it?"
Zelda smiled lightly, her eyes glistening as tears threatened to come out. "Goddesses, you're right. Fine. Let them send their veteran and we'll see what they have to say. Ugh, I liked you better when you were mute."
"I was silent because there were no times for words in a war. Now there's no war to fight." Realizing he was still holding her hands, he reluctantly let go. "Here, I'll get some ink and write them a response."
"I might as well write one, too. Otherwise they wouldn't send a letter to both of us, no?"
Bring the necessary tools from the shelf in the above floor, Link got right back down to writing a letter.
Master H.:
It pleases me that you think of me so highly to as to participate in your Tournament. I wish to take full participation as any incentives will help on the rebuilding of my home and kingdom. This representative you wish to send, please make note to send two; it will be useless to send one person to go against the both us, me and the princess. Thank you for this graceful opportunity.
– Link of Hateno Village
He looked up and saw that Zelda had yet to write anything down. "What's wrong?"
"It's just... I don't know what to write," she admitted. "I don't want to seem too eager due to the fact that I'm still a novice in fighting, and if I sound uninterested they might think to abhor me."
"No one could ever think that of you, you're too precious for that." He continued on, oblivious to Zelda's reddening face. "Second, maybe you should explain your inexperience. Not too much, but maybe as a passing detail, something for them to think about."
Zelda looked down at the paper before she wrote. She angled it in a way that kept Link from seeing what she wrote, and despite the teasing action of him craning his neck and her tilting the angle, she didn't let up. At one point she stopped, then continued as if nothing had happened.
"Done."
Link nodded. "Okay. At the same time, then. Ready?" They both folded the letter, keeping the one sent to themselves, and dropped the medallion inside it before closing them.
In a flash, they disappeared.
"What now?"
"We should head to bed," Zelda said. "It must be rather late."
Remembering that it was, in fact, so late at night, he nodded and they went up the stairs. They both discarded their outerwear clothing and left themselves with only their small-clothes; they had camped out so many times during the Great Calamity that it was a regular routine for them. Link got ready to lie down on the bedroll on the floor when Zelda called out on what he was doing.
"I'm getting ready for bed?" Link said.
"But why on the floor? Why would you sleep on... Oh my, goddess!" Zelda stood up off the bed, glaring at him and putting her arms at her hips. "Link! Have you been sleeping on the floor this whole time I've been here!"
"What do you expect me to do, share the bed while we're both half naked? That's hardly appropriate, Princess!"
"Please, Hyrule isn't even a kingdom anymore, it's just a highly unstable country. As of a hundred years ago, there is no more royalty to the throne!"
"But you are still royalty, though," Link pointed out.
"That's not my point!" Zelda snapped. "My point is that you've been on the floor this whole time! Link, you don't need to go out of way for me like this."
"I don't go out of my way," he protested.
"Oh? Then your back doesn't ache in the mornings?" His silence was answer enough. "Link, please. We've both been through a lot, you more so than I have. I think we both have enough dignity to share a bed from now on. I-I mean, as long as we need to."
Link sighed. "Fine. But I'm blaming you if I fall off the bed in the middle of night."
"Link, you once fell asleep on your horse and still managed to keep yourself upright. I think you'll manage just fine."
A pattern went on for a while like this. They would wake, do activities around the house to spruce it up, and do any work for the Divine Beasts as necessary. With the aid of the Sheikah tablet they could easily get around the kingdom, and would transport right outside Hateno Village and walk home. Link also helped Zelda in her magic and mastering the other two goddess's magic. She had no luck with Farore's Wind, but managed to at least create a shield rather than a barrier with Nayru's Love.
Nights were confusing for Link. When they first shared the bed, he knew to keep a distance from the princess; it was improper to rob her of her virtue when she wasn't even twenty years old yet. She was only 117, but still, she never lived those years personally. He fell asleep that first night and woke up to Zelda hugging his arm. He eventually fell in the synchronization of sharing the bed and would wake up with his arm draped around Zelda, and her cuddled up against his clothed chest. He didn't like the impure thoughts crossing through his mind.
After a week, they had breakfast and were to continue with Zelda's magic training when someone knocked on their door. Already clothed, Link answered. "Yes?"
"Hey. Are you Link, by chance?"
On the other side of the door were some bizarre characters. The man who knocked looked to be a few years his senior with white hair and a purple cloak with gold accents. There was a sword hilt visible at his hip and he clutched a book on his hands. To his left was an elegant woman wearing a blue dress and a silver crown. She had a wand and a yellow star plush in her hands. To the man's right was a pink spherical creature that stood to about their knees. It had red shoes and large eyes.
"Who are you?" Link asked.
"My name is Robin. We are here on behalf of the Master to deem you worthy of participating for our Tournament. With me are Rosalina and Luma and Kirby." The man bowed before gesturing with his hands.
The star in Rosalina's hands turned out to be alive, humming and twirling in the air above them.
"Hi!" Kirby chirped happily, waving his arms above his head.
"Oh. Um, I didn't think you'd get here so soon." Link ran a hand through his hair. "Come on in?" He opened he door wider for them to enter.
Zelda watched as the four of them came in. "You're here from Smash?"
"Princess Zelda." Robin bowed again. "Yes, they decided that my tactical advantage would come to use in deciding you a worthy contender."
"Tactical advantage?" Link asked, sitting next to Zelda. Everyone else, even the Luma, took a seat and filled the table.
"I'm a tactician, you see. Where I'm from, Ylisse, I served as the mind behind our victories against two wars from savage and invading countries. The Exalt named me Grandmaster upon our return."
"What's an exalt?" Zelda asked. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"An exalt is a ruler such as yourself, Your Highness," Rosalina said. "It's no different than a king or queen, simply a different title."
"And I assume your royalty yourself?" Link asked, directing towards her crown.
Rosalina's giggle sounded mystifying and godlike. "No, not exactly. The Luma I watch over see me as their mother. I've cared for them all ever since I was a little girl, and over time I assumed the role of a princess. No official kingdom, as we travel all over."
"There are more of these precious stars?" Zelda doted on the Luma across from her, which hummed.
"The Luma speak their own language, which is easy to understand once you get the hang of it," Robin said. "And here we have Kirby. He may not seem like much, but he's got up against his own with evildoers who've tried to take over his home."
"Kirby?" Link leaned forward to get a closer look. "Hm. Are any of you guys hungry? I can make something, if you prefer."
Kirby looked elated, but faltered when Robin said, "No, that's fine. We've already eaten. Now, before we get to the battle, are there any questions you might have in mind?"
"I actually have one of my own," Zelda said. "Do you know how rewards are given to each combatant?"
"It's always how well they've done in battle," Robin explained. "In a battlefield, up to eight Smashers can fight at once. Whomever gets beaten first is in last place, and however lasts the longest is in first. Thus, the longer you last, the greater the reward."
"How long does this Tournament last, is my question," Link said.
"It lasts about six months, and any family or friends of a Smasher are welcome into the stadium to cheer them on," Rosalina explained. "During this time, everyone is stationed in the Smash Mansion."
"And what is this Smash Mansion?"
"The Smash Mansion is more of a hotel. It has all the amenities that are required. There's a food hall, individual bedrooms and baths, a recreation center, and outside the mansion are fields, forests, and caves to explore for the fun of it."
"Does it cost anything to get in?" Link asked, worried for his wallet.
"Po, poyo!" Kirby said, speaking up for the first time.
Robin chuckled. "What Kirby means is, there's not really a cost. Your worth is determined by a veteran Smasher with a high success rate, i.e., Rosalina, Kirby, and myself."
"Bet that didn't stop you from wanting to bring her for another honeymoon," Rosalina said in a teasing manner.
Robin grumbled under his breath. "That's none of your business, Rosalina."
"Oh, but Robin! How else will everyone know of your love else you not show it to the world?"
"Poyo poyo poyo po?" Kirby looked back and forth from the two of them, seemingly confused with the conversation.
"Mm, this is getting interesting!" Zelda said in the same tone of voice. "Who's this 'her'?"
"She's a fellow Smasher who joined the roster the same time I did, next topic," Robin said evasively.
"And she's also Robin's wife," Rosalina said. "Oh, such a sweet couple the two make! Him, who laughs and make plans for everyone to survive, and her, who faced off against the embodiment of evil and with such a loving family!"
"Her sister would kill me if I didn't do much as open the door for her," Robin lamented. "Besides, don't think I don't see you ogling what's-his-name, Cloud!"
"Yes, me and just about half of the female roster cannot deny the man's strength and muscle," Rosalina said wisely. "However, none of us are married to him, nor do we have a daughter with him!"
"You have a family?" Zelda said excitedly. "Oh, that's wonderful! How old is she? What's her name?"
"Her name is Morgan, after my mother. And none of this has to do with the Tournament!" Robin cried. "Link, please. Can you say something to them?"
"Girls, please," Link said, gesturing with his arms in a placating manner. "Let Robin be and let's get on with this meeting."
"Thank you."
"So if you two are married, does that mean you actually share a room on the Smash Mansion?"
Robin's action of banging his head on the table was drawn out by laughter from the other three. Luma was spinning in the air above them, and Kirby tilted his head in confusion. "Poyo?"
Once they finally calmed down, they got right back to business. Link and Zelda asked the necessary questions, such as what to expect and how to prepare.
"There's also this option known as a 'skin change'," Robin said. "It's basically used to make everyone look flashy and draw out more fans from the spectators. It basically recolors your clothes and hair, and sometimes skin color, too. It's only used for battle, so it's really not a big deal."
"What do these skin changes look like?" Zelda asked.
"They're different for everyone, but not everyone has a skin change. For me, one of my skin changes is that my hair turns black and my cloak becomes white with red accents."
"As for myself, one of my skin changes is that I don a red dress with the rims white. It's not so dramatic a change as, say, Kirby."
Robin nodded. "That's right. Because Kirby is a different species and his size, his skin changes alternate his whole body from various colors. Red, yellow, blue, and green are a few of them."
Kirby and Luma were chasing each other in a game of tag around the house, blissfully uninterested in the conversation.
"Am I limited to anything on the battlefield?" Link asked.
"Not necessarily. I use magic and sword fighting, even if I run out of pages or sword eventually breaks. It rejuvenates itself after some time though, but I'm still careful."
"I see you have bows," Rosalina said, noting the displays around the house of unique weapons that Link thought to save. "You're welcome to bring one of them if you desire, and any bombs or boomerangs you have at your disposal."
"How do you know about that?" Link asked.
"Just a hunch. You seem like the explosive type of Hyruleans, and I've met a few."
Robin scoffed. "Yeah, because all the Hyruleans we've met are the same." He then snorted at his own (apparent) joke. "If you're ready, we can have a battle to determine your worth now."
"What happens if we lose?" Zelda asked. "Are we allowed for a rematch?"
"Not exactly," Robin said, already standing from the table. "If you lose, you still have a chance to enter the Tournament if you fight against the Master. He's really tough, and only a few Smashers have beaten him."
"And if we lose against him?" Link asked.
"It doesn't matter if you lose against the Master, he'll judge you against you battle performance. If you win, and what a miracle that will be, then you're pretty much guaranteed into the roster."
"No one has ever defeated the Master since the first Tournament, and only a quarter of the Smashers back then were able to prevail," Rosalina added. "A good friend of mine, Mario, was the first."
"Fox and Pikachu were able to as well," Robin said. "Kirby almost won, but at the last minute he bit the dust. And the last one was some famous swordsman. I forget his name."
Link looked at Zelda when the two of them looked at him with a sharp glance. She only shrugged in response.
"You ready for a fight, then?" Robin asked. "Is there anywhere nearby us with enough space?"
"There's a field near the forest behind the village. It's just over the rocky ridge, it's not to difficult to climb down it."
Link led them all outside the house and down the pathway to the statue hidden from the village. He could feel it looking at them before it eventually faded around the corner. They reached the ridge and climbed their way down, the field in view. Kirby inhaled and gently floated down like a balloon, and Rosalina, who was lightly floating above the ground, didn't hinder from the climb.
"We've decided to separate this fight into two matches," Robin said, taking a disk with a blinking red light out of his cloak. "Rosalina will go against Zelda first, and I'll go against Link." He set the disk down and pressed the light, making it green. A rippled dome appeared around them. "Whoever is launched out of the perimeter of the field first loses."
"And we're not going to suffer any real damage, correct?" Zelda asked.
"Don't worry about a thing, you'll be just fine." Rosalina took her place on one side of the dome, wand raised in her left hand and Luma stationed to her right. "Ready, Princess Zelda?"
Zelda looked back to Link, who nodded in encouragingly. She turned back to Rosalina and straightened herself. "Ready."
"As soon as the three of us step out of the field's area, the announcer will count down and the match will begin." Robin put a hand in front of Link as they backed away. Kirby took short hops to follow their movements.
As soon as they were out of the dome, a voice echoed.
"Three! Two! One! GO!"
In a stunning move, Rosalina waved her wand and Luma shot out a rainbow-colored projectile straight at her. Zelda summoned the imperfect shield of Nayru's Love and bounced it back. With another wave of her wand, the projectile circled around her before it disappeared.
Zelda wasn't particularly fast, but it seemed that Rosalina wasn't either. With what little Sheikah training she had gotten from Impa, she used a smokebomb as a distraction to briefly teleport by Rosalina's side to physically attack. It wasn't Farore's Wind, but it worked nonetheless.
To the princess's surprise, Rosalina launched Luma straight at her. With every movement she did with her wand, Luma followed with very attack. Zelda summoned Din's Fire to burn Luma and send it flying back and landing on the ground. She did the same to Rosalina, but managed to launch herself high into the air. Her descent was slow and weak, so Zelda used this opportunity to launched blasts of magic in the air, stunning her in place and send her flying to her Luma's side.
The fight carried on like this, with each attack sending them farther and farther away. Until finally...
"And the winner is... ZELDA!"
Zelda watched breathlessly as Rosalina politely applauded, and Link cheered loudly from outside the dome's perimeter. She felt the fatigue from the battle wash away as she tried to process what just happened. "I... I won?"
"I know you could do it, Zel!" Link said.
The princess finally seemed to be getting over her shock and jumped gidddily on the toes of her feet. "O-oh my goodness! I won, I really won!" She rushed to Link's awaiting arms for a hug, one that was so strong that it made the both of them fall over. She pressed a kiss to his cheek on complete impulse, making the both of them still.
"Link! Are you ready for your match?" Robin said to him, unaware of the sudden tension between the two of them.
Link, almost forgetting that he was up next, nodded. "Er, yes! Yeah, of course!" He stood the both of them up, Zelda avoiding his eyesight. He gave her a proper hug, which she hesitatingly returned. "Congratulations," he whispered into her ear. Zelda finally relaxed her hold before finally letting go.
Robin stepped to one side of the dome, Link the other. Rosalina, who had yet to leave the dome, walked towards Zelda's side outside it. "Good luck to both of you!" she called out before finally stepping out of it.
Link checked for the his belt to make sure his hidden weapon was secured. Perfect.
"Three! Two! One! GO!"
Not giving Robin the first attack, Link immediately drew the bow and knocked two arrows at once, letting them fly. The arrows pierced through Robin, but he showed no physical damage.
"Wow! That was quick!" Robin let the tome in his hand open and the pages flutter. "But not quick enough. Elthunder!" A blast of lightning shot out of his awaiting hand.
Link ducked underneath the ray and charged forward, brandishing the knight's sword he had with him. Robin's own sword was jagged and sparked with electricity, but that didn't stop him from countering his thrust and swiping at his torso with the unnatural blade.
"Nosferartu!" A dark aura took hold of Link, and he could actually feel his energy be drained away. It felt like someone was sucking it away with a pump.
"Link!" Zelda cried out fearfully.
Link leaned heavily against his sword as he took measured steps back. Robin was way tougher than he looked. If it was true that it was his plans that helped his kingdom win two wars, its fair to say he was calculating Link with every movement he made. He brandished the Sheikah Slate from underneath his tunic and set the rune for the remote bombs. He summoned the blue sphere and tossed it in Robin's direction.
"What's this supposed to be?" Robin said, pointing at it warily with his sword.
In response, Link activated the rune again. The bomb exploded, sending Robin back and almost against the walls of the dome. He stood up and shrugged it off, but the injury was plain in his face.
"You're good, Link, but you've got nothing against a master tactician! It's time to tip the scales!"
On the sidelines, Rosalina gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. "Oh, may the Seven Star Sprites..."
Zelda frowned in confusion. "What? I don't understand. What's happened?"
"That's... that's Robin's finishing line," Rosalina said consolingly. "Robin is a wonderful Smasher, one of the best. He's somehow able to plan five steps ahead for any outcome. He wins almost every match. But the finishing blow is always quick and merciless." She shook her head ruefully. "I don't think Link is going to win this one."
Zelda's breath caught in her throat. She looked to the battlefield again and watched them clash swords. Link was attacking more and more, she noticed, but Robin wasn't fighting back. He was only blocking them.
Unless that's part of his plan.
"Oh, no..."
"HAH!" Link let out a shout as he attacked wildly with his sword, desperate to make in attack. In hindsight it probably wasn't a smart move, but he wasn't sure if he could afford to lose this match. He shot more arrows and threw another bomb, but something was still lagging in his mind: Why wasn't Robin fighting back?
"No..."
"May Naga watch over me!" Robin shouted, raising his sword in the air and channeling electricity through it. "Here we go! Thoron!"
"NO!" Zelda watched in horror as Link was caught in a blast of electric energy. He stayed in place like that before he was finally thrown outside of the perimeter of the dome.
"GAME!"
Link reappeared on the ground, all fatigue washed away. He stayed on his knees and leaning on his sword, though. He needed a moment to still catch his breath.
"And the winner is... ROBIN!"
The disk blink before the green light faded away into nothing. The dome above them dissipated away, but Link took no notice of that. He felt something moved against his waist and looked to his left to see Kirby handing him an apple.
"Poyo poyo?" Kirby said, still holding the apple to him.
Link took it and smiled at the diminutive Kirby. "Thanks." He took a bite and stood.
"You did well, but your problem is that you rely on brute force too much," Robin said, sheathing his sword and placing the tome under his arm. "That may come in handy for dealing with unintelligent monsters, but everyone of the Smashers is intelligent. Even the Duck Hunt duo, as playful as they are, may have been able to defeat you. Granted, not as quickly."
"I understand," Link said. "Saving Hyrule from Ganon, some of my toughest foes were part of an evil cult. They were the ones to have a more upper hand on me, but I still managed to best them. Still, than you for your input." He offered his hand, which Robin took.
"My pleasure."
"No!" Zelda ran up to them, her fists clenched and her eyes moist. "No, this is all wrong! Link should be the one taking part of your Tournament, not me! I'm not even well in battle to begin with!"
"But you mastered Rosalina tactically, which is expected of any Smasher," Robin told her. "You may be new in battle, but there is no denying your worth."
"What about Link, then? Hm? Has he got no worth now that you've bested him?"
"Link has worth, but his performance is still sloppy," Robin said calmly, trying to get the princess to understand. "Zelda, you passed and are now a contender for the roster, you don't need to get so worked up about this."
"I'm not contending to anything if Link isn't as well! You're not getting either of us to participate!"
"Zel, please try to understand," Link tried. "I'm upset too, but this isn't anything to to protest over so much."
"You've had countless years of experience to fight and I've only had a few!" Zelda said. "Why don't you ask to fight against the Master then, try and convince him to let you on?"
"Are you kidding?" Link said incredulously. "You heard Robin, I rely too much on force. These puzzles the shrines in Hyrule offer me I can bypass, but a fight against someone as smart as you or me is something else entirely. I don't think the Master will see past that."
"Link is correct, Zelda," Rosalina said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "The Master will–"
"Oh, enough blathering about the Master!" Zelda shouted, despite her being the one to bring her up. "Is he's so important, why doesn't he just change the rules to let Link in?"
"The Master doesn't set the rules, he only runs the Tournament and enforces them," Robin explained. "Zelda, please. What's done is done."
Zelda looked ready to argue more, but though against it. "Well, if Link can't take part, then... may he perhaps take my place in the roster?"
"Zel, it can't be that easy," Link protested.
"Actually, it can be," Robin said.
Link looked pointedly at his direction. "What."
"There's been a bit of a mess lately as to who is worthy of taking a spot in our roster," Robin said. "There was this whole problem with the siblings Popo and Nana, and Pit and his dark counterpart, and recently Princess Peach and her friend Princess Daisy. Basically, you can, in fact, grant you win over to someone else, or even revoke yours to give to someone."
"In that case, I revoke my win and hand it Link," Zelda said without hesitation.
"What?! No! Zelda, what are you thinking?" Link said, holding her tightly by the shoulders. Then he turned to Robin. "And you! Shut up already!"
"Sheesh, shoot the messenger, why don't you," Robin muttered under his breath.
"Zelda, please," Link insisted. "Go. I don't have to fight for Hyrule, you do."
"Everything you've done is for Hyrule," Zelda said. "I managed to keep Ganon containers for 100 years, but that's it. You did the actual work on sealing him again. It has to be you."
His grip on her shoulders softened until he was holding her hands. "Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.
"Absolutely."
Link turned to Robin, who was silently watching their conversation. "What now?"
"Link of Hyrule," Robin said. "Take this." He took out a letter with thick packaging and handed it to him. "You'll find all the information you'll need in here, as well as your room in the Smash Mansion. The Tournament begins in about three months, but it's mandatory to show up a few weeks earlier to prepare yourself."
"Po po poyo." Kirby tugged on Robin's coat and pointed. In that direction a yellow portal appeared.
"That's our ride," Rosalina said. "We must get going now."
"Thank you for everything," Zelda said. "And for letting Link in."
"You're a stubborn princess who won't take no for an answer," Robin said plainly. "I've met enough princess the same way. Hell, my wife is one of them."
"Come on, Robin, let's get you home." Rosalina tugged on his sleeve and guided him to the portal. "The Sprites know you've got a kingdom to run." She waved goodbye to Zelda and Link and, once they were far enough, dropped her voice to a whisper. "What do we do now?"
"I'm not sure," Robin admitted. "We have three bearers of Courage and the Master is getting to work on a bearer for Power, but now we've no bearer for Wisdom in our roster. He's not going to like this one bit."
"Maybe we could find another bearer for Wisdom," Rosalina suggested. "One from this same timeline. There must be more Princess Zelda's from a Ganon-era, aren't there?"
"Maybe... We'll need to check in with Master Hand either way. Let's go."
With a final goodbye, Robin, Kirby, and Rosalina and Luma vanished from view. The portal sealed itself and all was quiet.
That night, Link and Zelda prepared for bed. He was still uneasy in sharing it, but was preoccupied with another mind point.
"Zel," he started, "how could you do that?"
"Mm? Do what?" Zelda looked back from letting her hair drape loose.
"How could you possibly think that I'm worthy in fighting with an elite group of people?" he asked. "You're the princess. You should be representing Hyrule, not me."
On the other side of the bed, Zelda ran her fingers through her hair. "I may have won against Rosalina, but I don't think I could hold my own against others," she admitted. "I think she was actually going easy on me. I'm not fit for the battlefield. I'm much better as a scholar."
Link didn't know what else to say. Instead he took her hand from her hair and lightly pressed his lips to it. "I shall do everything in my power to make you proud, my princess."
Zelda shuffled so that she was kneeling on the bed, cradling his face with her hands. "You don't have to do anything, my hero." She pressed her lips against his, testing the waters.
Link didn't let go. Not when they lay on the bed, or when they shed their clothes, or when they held each other tightly. Their legs intertwined underneath the covers, Zelda's curvy back pressed against Link's toned chest.
He whispered three words into Zelda ears before they fell asleep. Just as weariness overtook him, Zelda whispered them back.
They fell into an easier pattern the next few months as they waited for the Tournament. They did much together, including filling Impa in on their newfound relationship and status regarding the Tournament. She was proud of them both and said that Purah owed her seventy Rupees.
When the day arrived, they were met with a knock at the door. Link opened it to find young woman with long green hair and a blue outfit exposing her legs.
"Hello, I am Lyn, sent forth to deliver Link to the Smash Mansion." A portal was visible behind her.
Having packed everything he needed in his fairy sack, including the Tunic of the Wild he finally showed Zelda, he gave her a long kiss, almost wishing not to go.
"I'm sure I can visit one of your matches," Zelda said. "Go. I'll stay in Kakariko until then."
"If you're sure." With one more kiss goodbye, the Sheikah Slate and fairy sack firmly attached to his waist, nodded to Lyn. "Okay."
"Perfect. Follow me and I'll take right outside the Smash Mansion." Lyn walked through the portal, and after a moment of hesitation, Link followed.
Zelda watched as the portal blinked out of existence. "Six months until the end of the Tournament," she said to herself. She set a hand over her stomach. "I'll tell him next time I see him."
A new story had begun for the Hero of Hyrule.