AN:
Hello, there, dearest Reader! I'm not going to put a long note up here - if you're looking for one of those, go to the bottom!
So let's get started!
In Light of the Future - A Post Twilight Princess story
Zelda hadn't expected to run into anyone in the castle gardens that night.
As a matter of fact, that was the reason she had gone there. The whole week she had been pestered by nobles. All about suitors, and their minor issues, and how incredible their son or nephew was, and how she dared she become Queen without a husband.
She was becoming quite irritated, but she had to remain stoic. She just wished that there was someone who could accept her for her true self, someone that would be understanding with her burdens, but that person had died in the Twilight War.
So she made her way through the maze that no one had ever bothered exploring (Other than herself, of course). She knew every twist and turn by heart. It didn't take her long to reach the center.
In the center of the maze was a large oak. It was ancient - some said it was planted by the Princess of Destiny herself, though Zelda wasn't entirely sure. Needless to say, it had a large diameter. Benches had been placed around it, which Zelda had used many times to read in peace, shaded from the summer sun.
This night it was quiet - near silent, other than the rustling of the leaves overhead. She walked towards the bench, slowly, trying not to disturb the peace.
She yelped as she heard something snap.
She glanced around quickly, before looking down to see a broken twig beneath her feet.
"Hello?" Said a quiet voice from the other side of the tree.
She heard footsteps, and prepared herself for whoever - or whatever - it was on the other side.
Emerging from the side of the tree was not who she expected.
A guard, still dressed in his armor. He quickly shoved his helmet onto his head and kneeled before she could see any of his features. She did, however, notice a bit of dirty blonde hair before it disappeared beneath the metal.
"Princess. I apologize if I wasn't meant to be here," The soldier said quickly.
"Your presence has not brought any offense…" Zelda paused. "Unless, of course, you are meant to be on duty."
The soldier shook his head. "I'm on break tonight, Princess."
"Good." Zelda couldn't shake the feeling that this guard seemed familiar in some way. "Rise," Zelda ordered. The soldier did so, standing a bit taller than herself. "Have we by any chance met before?"
"...I suppose you could say that," The soldier replied vaguely.
"What's your name, Soldier?" Zelda asked.
"I'm-" The soldier cleared his throat. "My name is Link, Your Highness."
It took everything Zelda had not to gasp out loud. "The Hero?" She said, carefully keeping emotion out of her voice. Now that she was voicing it, she could remember the few words he had spoken during the battle against Ganondorf.
He hesitated, before nodding slowly. "You could say that." He removed his helmet, as if he had given up on hiding his identity.
She could clearly remember his face, from the piercing blue eyes of his to his disheveled, dark blonde hair. She could see a small scar on his face, subtle against his currently pale skin. She remembered how in that very place, instead of a thin white line was a bloody cut.
"I was not aware that you had begun work at the castle," Zelda said, allowing her face to show the smallest hint of her far greater surprise.
"I had wanted to keep it quiet," The Hero said just as emotionlessly. And I thought that I was the best at that. She had expected him to say more, but instead, he stayed silent.
"I see." Zelda was getting a bit… tired of this tension. "So no one knows who you are?"
The Hero shook his head. "No, Your Majesty."
Interesting. Most people would brag and throw a title like that from the edge of Hyrule to Termina and back… and most certainly not hide it. Perhaps there is a lot more to this hero than I had previously guessed.
"Well, what has brought you to the castle?" Zelda asked curiously.
The Hero paused. "...I do not fit in at my old home anymore. I decided to put my skills to good use…so here I am."
Zelda immediately felt bad for bringing it up. However, her curiosity had not yet been appeased. "Where is it that you hail from?" She asked.
"Ordona Province," He replied, a bit of sadness sneaking past his emotionless mask. It was, however, quite well hidden.
"Ordona?" Zelda asked, surprised. "So you were a farmer?"
The Hero shook his head. "Ranch hand, though I did help with a bit everything." He looked deep in thought.
"So how was it you happened upon swordsmanship?" Zelda asked. I saw his skill during the battle against Ganondorf - as well as some from the eyes of Midna. I thought that the Hero would have been the son of a knight… then again, he could still be.
"I was trained by a man in my village," The Hero replied. "He was a knight in the guard, and a good friend of my father." Zelda noticed that he was subtly shifting his weight from one foot to another - she realized he had probably wanted to sit down.
"I apologize, you must be weary after your duties," Zelda said. "You may sit down if you wish." Zelda sat down on the far side of the bench. The Hero looked slightly unsure, but eventually sat beside her, the metal of his armor clinking against the wood.
"So the man who trained you," Zelda said, internally chastising herself for continuing to question the Hero. "He is… no longer living? You stated that he was previously a knight and a friend of your father."
The Hero shook his head. "My father is the one who is no longer with us."
Oops. "Forgive me. That must be a difficult topic…" Zelda trailed off. Great. Bring up his dead grandma now, why don't you.
The Hero shook his head once again. "There is nothing to forgive. You did not know, and I do not remember him. He died when I was quite young."
Zelda suddenly remembered that she was supposed to remain acting formal and sat up straight. "That's… quite unfortunate."
Zelda found it strange that there was finally someone who she couldn't read. Usually she was the one with closed emotions.
Then, she just had to ask another. "Do you miss Midna?"
To her surprise (she was also surprised that she was being surprised this much), the Hero chuckled. "Yes. But to know that she isn't dead, that she's living on, is fine with me."
"You weren't… in love with her?"
Emotion was once again wiped clean from the Hero's face. "Certainly not in that way. But she was like the sister I never had."
"I see…" Zelda said slowly.
There was a long silence in the night, once again no sound but the leaves overhead.
Then Zelda finally broke it. "Why is it that you would like to remain anonymous?"
The Hero drew in a deep breath. "I am somewhat the same person I was before… but when people find out you're the Hero Chosen by the Gods, you certainly aren't treated the same." He paused. "I was quite blind of this when I revealed this to the villagers of Ordon."
"Hence why you no longer fit in," Zelda realized.
The Hero nodded.
I understand how you feel, Zelda yearned to say. But she was the princess - she couldn't comfort or share her feelings with a "peasant," even if said "peasant" was the Hero Chosen by the Gods.
"It would be a shame for your skills to go to waste as a minor guard," Zelda observed.
The Hero turned to her and raised an eyebrow, the most emotion he had shown so far.
"Would you mind becoming my new personal guard?" Zelda asked.
"New?"
Zelda looked away, down at her feet. "My previous guard passed away during the war. I have been putting off choosing another, and who better than the Hero Chosen by the Gods?"
Zelda couldn't help the sadness she felt at the mention of Impa. I'll miss her. Heck, she had been missing her.
She heard a small sigh from the Hero sitting beside her. "Well, there goes all of my chances of anonymity."
Zelda looked up at the Hero, who remained blank. "No one would have to know about your being the Hero."
"Yet no one would question a low ranked soldier suddenly being promoted to the princess's, and future queen's, personal guard?"
Zelda stared at him for a moment, before laughing. It had been such a long time since she had so much as smiled. "Perhaps you should have the Triforce of Wisdom, Hero," She said when her laughter had stopped, but the smile remained in her voice.
The Hero was looking at her with the slightest bit of confusion. "I am certainly not wise, Princess. I was merely voicing an observation."
"Quite the opposite, actually." Zelda said with a grin. "Wisdom comes from experience and good judgement."
"Both of which you certainly have more of," The Hero replied.
"You flatter me," Zelda said, finally reverting to a somewhat formal demeanor. "I certainly have not traveled to every corner of Hyrule, nor launched myself out of a cannon for peace's sake. Why, I would not be surprised in the slightest if you knew this land and its people better than I."
A hint of color, barely visible due to its paleness and the darkness of the night sky, came to the Hero's face. "Actually, that was Midna's idea to launch out of a cannon."
Zelda refrained from rolling her eyes. "If you say so, Hero. Now, about that promotion…" Zelda paused. How could she make the Hero her personal guard without any suspicion? "Considering your skill, I'm sure you have quite the reputation among the guards."
The Hero shrugged slightly.
"I could say that I witnessed your skill for myself, and deemed you worthy of the position," Zelda suggested.
"It's your decision, Princess," The Hero replied. "As long as I am serving in some way, I will be fine in any position you give me."
How selfless. Zelda thought. This sort of person is rare in this day and age. "Well, I apologize for intruding upon your break, Hero." Zelda stood and dipped her head slightly to the Hero. "May you have a restful evening."
"You as well, Princess," The Hero replied with the same gesture.
Zelda made her way out of the maze, wondering if perhaps she would someday be able to bear her thoughts and struggles to the Hero.
Little did she know that, watching from above, a certain Sheikah smiled in the light of her previous charge's future.
And done! Certainly not the best one shot, but it'll do. Right now, if you were wondering, I am starting to do one shots. If you have a request, PM me or put it in a review! See, I have a... minor problem. I am very bad at coming up with short story ideas. So... prompts, requests, any of that stuff, is absolutely welcome!
So, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, and if not, go ahead and set my lawn on fire. I won't mind. But if you don't like it, do tell me what I could improve on!
Sincerely (Maybe),
Ari