Silent Treatment

  In other words, ye be warned. What follows is my blending of canon and head-canon. Here there be spoilers.
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Zelda stole a furtive glance at the castle and kept walking away from it. It lay silhouetted in twilight behind the distant hills now, looming and dark like her father's thunderous gaze had been this morning. Thoughts of returning to that place bore down heavily, and she slumped down in a graceless heap. Link, following closely behind, closed the distance in a few steps and tried to help her get back up, only to be met with fierce resistance. Noting this, he simply sat on the rocky ground by her side and pretended not to notice when Zelda eventually got bold enough to place her head on his knee like a lamb seeking comfort.

He placed a hand atop her crown and stroked her head slowly. This was as much a manifestation of his feelings as he dared venture, for words would never convey the thoughts of his heart. It was just as well, perhaps. The words that would pass his lips would undoubtedly constitute treason against the king in any case. All the same, the affront to Zelda he had witnessed today seethed, and his sense of justice for her fought hard against his duty to his liege-lord, which included drinking whatever bitter cup were served him. This included not speaking his mind to the king who had appointed him to the position he currently enjoyed as Zelda's chosen knight. And so he listened. And waited. And loved without words.

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This is what I imagine a scene would be like after the memory of Zelda's father scolding her on the castle bridge. She'd want to get out of the castle and have some time to recover from the embarrassment and sting of King Rhoam's words. Sadly, we know that was to be the last exchange between Zelda and her father, and the last time they ever saw one another. If you read both Zelda's and her father's journals, you find that both regretted the encounter and that the king had resolved to be kinder to his daughter going forward, but never had the chance. This is why Rhoam is so adamant that Link save his daughter--he asks this of the knight even before he asks him to save the kingdom. Zelda -- "my dear Zelda," as he calls her when he reveals he is the old man Link meets at the beginning -- has become to him in death the pinnacle of his pride, and the reason his spirit will not move on to the eternities until she has been restored to her kingdom and is safe.

As for Link, you see him getting progressively more loyal and sympathetic to Zelda in the memories, and can tell it rankles him when Zelda is upset. In this case, after she's been chided like a child by the king, the only other person in Hyrule who has the authority to command Link (and whose commands can override Zelda's), Link would feel a bit conflicted but would not be able to take action / speak out lest he find himself released from service or find himself saying things against the king, which would be tantamount to treason.
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is (c) Nintendo and its beautiful, beautiful minions (hem, I mean developers)

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