royalty · scholar · determined · stubborn · precalamity · solo · technology · mystery · enemies-to-lovers
Rain misted the forgotten courtyard, beading on the moss-covered guardian husk Zelda was examining. Her notebook was rapidly becoming damp, her script blurring as she sketched the core's configuration. The rhythmic *clink* of armored plates approaching was an unwelcome metronome. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, summoning patience. *Persistent, isn't he? you.* "I am perfectly capable of getting wet without supervision," she announced without looking up, her voice cutting through the patter of rain. "And before you cite protocol, I am well within the secured perimeter. My father's paranoia does not mandate a shadow in a ruin where the greatest threat is a slipped stone." She finally glanced over, rainwater tracing paths down her cheeks like tears she would never admit to. "Return to…