Another Day
OoT- Link has been sent back in time to relive the childhood he lost, in a Hyrule that never knew Ganondorf's torment. But what does a peaceful Hyrule look like?
Dawn
Zelda watched the mist that rose from the fields, leaning against the parapet of her balcony as the blue of pre-dawn permeated the land. Pulling her shawl around her as a shield from the early autumn chill, she sighed- her breath came out in white clouds, hanging in the air. Another day.
The princess liked to get up before sunrise. It gave her a few brief moments of quiet and solitude before her guardian, Impa, came to wake her and her duties began. The day always followed a similar path. Handmaidens surrounding her with lace and jewels and an intimidatingly severe gown. The dresses seemed to become increasingly dour with each day. A luxuriant breakfast and then court, where her father the King heard the requests of the commonfolk and mediated conflicts. On days when court wasn't held, she mostly shadowed her father to learn the subtleties of ruling a kingdom. Then afternoon lessons: history, politics, war strategies and tactics, fencing and archery. Ever since the Gerudo King Ganondorf disappeared five years ago, her father had been wary, wondering if Ganondorf was hiding in the desert preparing an army. He started training Zelda in the ways of war, should his worst fears be realized.
Zelda, of course, knew better. It was the Kokiri boy, Link who sealed Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm. He had told her what happened- that simply taking up the Master Sword had beckoned the Goddesses to seal Ganondorf forever.
Something told Zelda, though, that Link hadn't been telling the truth. Because her own sense of peace felt tenuous at best. That Hyrule was enjoying such prosperity felt... unnatural. This, of course, filled her with a constant underlying guilt. She wanted prosperity for her people. But she had this strange feeling that she and Impa were supposed to be hiding in abandoned hovels and burnt out villages, not enduring lectures on battle formations or etiquette for visiting dignitaries.
And she wondered often about the Kokiri boy, who looked so grave when he returned from the Temple of Time and since then, has never stuck around much. Her friendship with him felt interrupted. Perhaps he resented that she had asked of him what she had... she was sure he did more than just lift the master sword to rid Hyrule of whatever threats Ganondorf posed. But no one knew the truth- not the king, not the people of Hyrule... not even she. And five years had passed. She thought his skills that he gained in retrieving the three spiritual stones would be useful in the Royal Guard, and he could hone his skills by becoming a knight- but he never pursued it, he just... paid his respects, said goodbye... and left.
There was a knock on the door.
"Zelda?" Impa's voice sounded from the other side. Time to wake up.
With one last look at the lush landscape of Hyrule, Zelda turned back inside. Tea and crumpets. A conflict between Kakariko and the Gorons was scheduled for mediation today. Then history of Hylian battles, etiquette and protocol, and archery. In the evening, a dinner party welcoming the duke of Catalia, and afterward a night of dancing and revelry. If she was lucky, though, her afternoon lessons would end early and she could take an afternoon ride with her favourite horse, Goldwing. Perhaps she'd take one of the paths that ambled through the woods and up the mountain, or maybe she'd cut through Hyrule field and ride to the lake and play her ocarina on the shores where she wouldn't be disturbed. The others at court thought it was a childish instrument. Perhaps one day she'd learn lyre, which Impa had been pressuring her to learn, or pianoforte, which her father favored. But she felt a connection to the ocarina. It was unpretentious, and its sweet notes sounded like the wind over reeds. Sometimes it almost felt like, if she played the right song, she could call back to her something she'd lost.
But she didn't know what she could have possibly lost. Everything she could want- peace, prosperity, tranquility- was hers, right?
Sighing, Zelda crossed her chamber to the door where Impa waited on the other side, and let the Sheikah guardian lead her down the spiraling stone steps. The day awaited her.