Hi there!

This story has every region being considered a separated entity, but joined under the common flag of Hyrule. So, for instance, while the Zoras have there own country, they are still a part of the land of Hyrule. Hyrule has created a union for all of the territories, not annexed them for itself.

"How can you say something like that with such a straight face!?"

"Princess, compose yourself."

Zelda paused, took a few breaths, then straightened up her dress and sandy blond hair. She turned back to the paper on her desk.

Impa looked at her with stoic, yet kind face. "I'm not saying they will discuss that in particular, but you shouldn't forget that it will, at some point, need to be addressed."

"Do they think picking sides with solve anything?" Zelda asked, trying to remain cool.

"You need to realize that your council is essentially a machine. They look at things with numbers, handshakes, and rupees." Impa said. "If a civil war is to come, their first order of business won't be to immediately subdue it. It will be to pick the most beneficial side, and work with them to calm the other side. They hardly work with the ideas of the council of representatives in mind, so, to them, immediately jumping to peace is dangerous and expensive."

"I refuse to side with that thinking." Zelda tightened the grip of her pen.

Impa sighed and walked toward Zelda's desk. "I assumed you would. I'm just asking you to prepare for the proposition." She placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder. When the princess looked up, her caretaker gave her a warm smile. Zelda reciprocated as best as she could, but was clearly still upset. "Besides, I'm sure you're trying to focus on the meet with the the reps first. I'll leave you be, I have to attend to a catering problem. The meeting with is in an hour, I'll see you there."

"Ok, thank you, Impa." Zelda said, turning back to her paper. Upon hearing the door close, Zelda dropped her pen on the desktop. She placed her hands on her face, releasing a deep sigh. The notes on her desk were enough to keep up a royal façade, but not enough to get her own feelings as ruler out. The frustrated princess rubbed her eyes, in hopes it would allow her to focus. No avail.

There was a meeting with her representatives soon. They met monthly, in order to keep the princess informed on the various of her kingdom. She had her other council, the council of Hyrule, meet weekly, to discuss things that pertain to the land of Hyrule, not just the Union of Hyrule. Zelda tried her best to be well rounded, for the sake of Hyrule, but it still helped to rely on specialists from all areas. She had inherited the throne a year prior at age 16, after the untimely death of her father. This left her a bit rough around the edges when it came to ruling. Such a young age made the council of Hyrule and the council of representatives near necessities if she wanted to make informed and proper decisions.

Zelda wrote down the facts she'd have to address in the meeting and hoped it would be enough.

"Link!"

"Yeah?"

"Are you listening?"

"Sure."

Rusl shook his head. "Clearly, you're not."

Link shrugged. "Hey, I already know how to handle a sword."

"You know enough to defend yourself. You know how to read an opponent and dodge, you don't understand how to handle yourself offensively." Rusl pointed out.

"I thought you said you shouldn't go looking for trouble." Link smirked.

"No, you shouldn't. But should trouble find you, you can't let it decide how the fight will go. You need to assert yourself."

"Look, Rusl," Link began. "I do appreciate this training. But we've already talked about the paths to the castle today, I'd rather let that be the focus. I don't want to get a half lesson on something, just to work in a second half lesson of something else."

Rusl rubbed his goatee, thoughtfully. "You know, kid, you come across as really lazy. But you've got a hidden side, don't you?"

Link smiled. "It's not hidden. It's just quiet."

"Well, whatever you call it, you should bring it out more. You're good at thinking things through, let that shine. No need to be shy."

Link looked confused. "I'm not shy."

Rusl laughed. "I assumed you'd say so. However you want to phrase it, speak your mind. Might save you some time." He winked at the teenager.

"Whatever, old man." Link said, smirking at the term of endearment he knew Rusl hated.

"Just one more day, Link. Tomorrow, I'll show you how to hitch up the wagon and we can be on our way. We can talk about the sword techniques as we're on the road, it'll only be a little more than a full day's travel." Rusl turned to Link. "Are you excited?"

Link smiled and nodded. "Yeah, very! It'll be my first time visiting the castle."

Rusl started walking with a chuckle. "Well, you won't get very far into the castle, but you'll definitely see it. Look, Link, I'm not going to fancy it up, Ordon isn't too vital for the entirety of Hyrule. Our claim to fame is that the goats raised here get taken to, and sometimes served in, the castle."

Link nodded, following beside. "I know, I understand."

"That being said," Rusl continued, "They keep asking us to bring more, so we must be doing something right! Now that you're 18, you can finally tag along with me. But you know what this means, right?"

Link turned to Rusl. "What it means?"

"Yeah, it means someday you'll be taking over for me and doing the deliveries yourself."

"I'm more than happy with that future!" Link said, triumphantly. "I'm always happy to journey out of Ordon and see Hyrule."

"You know you aren't trapped here, right? Uli and I have been encouraging you for years to go out and find yourself."

"I know Rusl, but this town is home." Link said, looking. "I'm fascinated in learning what's out there, but I want to know that my home is taken care of before I leave."

Rusl threw his arm over Link's shoulder. "Don't change, son."

Link laughed as they walked back. Link had lost his family long before he can remember, so Rusl and Uli acted as parents in their stead. Rusl had been Link's father's best friend. Link had grown up his entire life in Ordon and now that he was 18, he was an official member of the community in his own right. In order to help out in the village, he volunteered to help deliver goats to the Castle.

Link said goodbye to Rusl and went home. He began preparing dinner, excited for the next day.

"You may all sit."

The advisors all took there seat, with Zelda doing the same. She put her notes in front of her at the head of the table.

"The first thing I'd like to address is the road block to Death Mountain." The Princess began. "Last week it had occurred due to a volcanic eruption, setting back stonework trades by 2 days. Has the road been cleared and everyone been informed of the situation, Mr. Darunia?"

"Yes on both accounts, your highness." Darunia of the Gorons said. "The blockage was taken care of early last week. The people of Kakariko and Castle Town have been compensated for their wait and everybody is back on schedule."

"Splendid, I thank you for you efficiency." Zelda nodded.

"You're welcome, your highness."

"Next, I've been informed that Renado of Eldin Province would like to discuss something." Zelda gestured to the shaman to begin.

"Thank you, Princess. Now, in the Kakariko, we've discovered a hidden passage below our meeting hall…"

As Renado spoke, Zelda looked around the council of representatives. There were reps from nearly all tribes and creeds, save for those who couldn't actually come, like Kokiri and Twili. Reps from all the provinces were in attendance, in addition to racial representatives. The Gorons of the Mountains and the Zoras of the sea. The Gerudo of the Desert and the Deku and Kikwis of the Forest. There were political leaders from the Eldin, Lanayru, Faron, and Ordona Provinces. Throw in a few of her general advisors, like Rupin, her financial aid, and Dotour of foreign relations, and it made such a large meeting room feel uncomfortably small. Not to mention, there was tension just from everybody walking into the room. The previous meeting hadn't ended on a particularly high note.

"Come now, Renado, are you really trying to assert the idea of a City in the Sky again?" Jaggle of Ordona Province asked.

Yerbal the Kikwi of Faron Province spoke up. "Jaggle, you mustn't discredit the ideas of other so impetuously."

"Yerbal, don't tell me you actually believe it!" Jaggle raised his voice.

"Why is it so farfetched?" Iza of Lanayru Province asked. "It is said that the entire Hylian race came from Hylia's Islands in the Sky."

"Yes, yes, we know." Aveil of the Gerudo. "The Hylians are the Goddesses' gift to the world. Isn't that right, Princess?"

Zelda started getting a bit nervous of the path this was headed down, but managed to keep her composure. "Aveil, that's not at all the case."

"And yet you head the entire Union of Hyrule." Aveil spat. "Just a tradition?"

"I'd like to discuss the meaning of the symbols on the statue in the basement…" Renado tried speaking up.

"Aveil, there's no need to antagonize the Princess right now." Ruto of the Zoras interjected.

"Are you saying there is a better time?" Aveil questioned. "Maybe when the Gerudo Desert has been completely cut off from the rest of Hyrule? When we no longer receive funding for our people? When there are only three of us left?"

"Are these your fears or the fears of your king?" The Deku King asked.

"I'll have you know that I was appointed representative because my king felt that I could best portray the feelings of my people. My king is trying to fix my country before it falls apart, he doesn't have the luxury of attending every meeting." Aveil shot back.

The Deku King got noticeably offended. Before he could retaliate, Dotour spoke up. "Everybody calm down and focus on the matter at hand. Renado had the floor."

"Now look at this!" Aveil raised her voice towards Zelda. "You have the foreign relations man trying to stop us from even talking! You don't even consider us part of the union! We're outsiders to you!"

"Her majesty didn't say that! She never even made it seem like that!" Darunia bellowed. "You're just trying to create problems!"

Aveil laughed. "It's hard to take any argument seriously that comes the Princess's pet rock."

"What!?" Darunia yelled.

Suddenly, a blue flash lit up the entire room accompanied by the sound of shattering diamonds, followed by crystalline magic sailing to the various walls above everybody's heads. The room immediately became silent, and the council of representatives turned to the Princess.

Zelda stood, arm in the air, looking down at the others at the table. She was grateful for such a long dress, so nobody could see her legs shaking. "This meeting has just begun and already we're already becoming uncivilized. You are to wait your turn to speak, as is customary, let alone polite." She put on a stern face, and scanned over each member of the council. "Renado has the floor."

There was slight hesitation, but soon Renado began speaking. "Thank you, Princess. Now…"

Zelda sat back down and tried to listen to what Renado was saying, but was still too worried about what was happening. Darunia clearly had something to say to Aveil but was keeping quiet for the sake of civility. She was grateful the Royal family had always had a close relation with the Gorons and felt awful not helping defend him, but she couldn't let herself play favorites. She needed to keep the peace. The Gerudos have been picking a fight for the last two months and she felt they weren't too far away from just calling it quits. She felt that if they did in fact secede, there might be others who do the same. They might not leave out of anger, but if they felt that the union wasn't necessary, why bother reporting to others? She couldn't be the Princess that led the Union of Hyrule to its end.

"I don't mean to imply that all of this is undoubtable fact, but I just wanted to inform you all of what Kakariko and a larger portion of Eldin will be working on." Renado finished. "Thank you for your time."

"Thank you, Renado." Zelda nodded. "We look forward to hearing what comes of your search. Next, we give the floor to the Deku King."

The Deku King repositioned himself in his chair, keeping a displeased face on. "Thank you, Princess. There appears to be a slight issue with the water in Woodfall. There is a poison in the water that causes a severe rash. It starts off with just itching, but too much exposure leads to a harsh burning. We would like to stop it's spread as quickly as possible, so it doesn't effect other regions, like the Kokiri Forest, so I humbly ask the Zoras to help us. Their water purification abilities would be incredibly beneficial to our task of cleaning up Woodfall."

Ruto smiled sweetly. "Of course, we would be happy to help. However, if you want to permanently fix the problem, you'd have to find the source of the poison. We can purify the water, but if the source is still there, it will just come back."

The Deku King nodded, looking relieved. "You have my thanks and the thanks of the Deku and Kokiri. We understand completely, and I actually have people looking for the problem as we speak. Our theory is that it's simply a foreign plant or some new evolved species. Once the source is cleared out, I will let you know, so you may send people over to clean it. Again, you have my thanks, Princess Ruto."

Ruto nodded, in acknowledgement.

"Wonderful." Zelda said, truly satisfied that interaction went without incident. "Next, we give the floor to Aveil, again representing the Gerudos in place of their king, Ganondorf."

Aveil hardly let Zelda finish her sentence before speaking. "I would like to question the leadership of this Union."

There was slight stirring in the room, but things stayed quiet. Zelda felt all eyes go between her and Aveil, but kept a stoic face. "Go on."

Aveil smiled slyly. "The Gerudo people see little sense in the Hyrule Royal Family heading this council. The land of Hyrule, the part that you actually own and don't just claim is part of you, is a big misuse of space and finances. You have entire fields with potential, yet you do nothing. In addition, in regards to what you call the Union, you only regulate trade between the various countries. You are acting as a middleman, then act like you're benevolent by letting us use your space to quicken routes."

Zelda started getting really nervous and was worried she couldn't keep her shields up for too long. "I don't feel you understand the point of the Union. It is to keep the peace, in addition to aiding our allies."

Darunia spoke up. "Yeah, and the Hyrule Royal Family is incredibly gracious in there efforts to help all of us."

Ruto was about to say something, but Aveil cut her off. "The Hyrule Royal Family has done nothing to aide the Gerudo in this council. In addition, Zelda has her separate council of Hyrule. Why aren't we all a part of those meetings as well? We're all Hyrule, aren't we?"

Ruto yelled, to speak over Aveil. "You're trying too hard to divide the world of Hyrule from the country of Hyrule! We share the name of the country that united us in the first place a century ago!"

"It united YOU after the war that would've brought prosperity to the Gerudo Desert! We were added to keep their thumb on us!"

"Well, maybe you should clean up your act! And don't call refer to her highness so casually!" Darunia yelled.

"You were attacking the other countries! Of course we'd like to keep an eye on you!" The Deku King added.

"Deku, what could this council have possibly done for you?" Aveil asked. "It just acts as a method of talking across the world."

"…The council does exactly what we need it to do for us." Deku King said, quieter.

"Aveil, you are allowed to speak your worries, but you are not to create a disturbance here in this room." Zelda said, stand up again.

"Zelda." Aveil began, ignoring the yell from Darunia. "I have tried to speak my worries for two months now, but you've simply acknowledged them and moved on. My people are wasting away. We are no longer allowed to sell weapons for income and we are wondering what good it does for us to serve you."

"Aveil, you are headed down a dangerous path." Yerbal said.

"Our path has always been dangerous. But the Gerudo grow and adapt. Or, at least, we did before we were confined by the Hyrulean rule." Aveil said, standing up. "I motion to appoint a new council head. And a new leader of the Union of Hyrule, as it's currently called."

The room grew loud, with gasps, murmurs, and yells. Zelda began panicking now, fearing she had just lost control of what her ancestors bled to bring together. Darunia and Ruto were yelling at Aveil. Yerbal and the Deku King were whispering back and forth. Iza, Renado, and Bo of the Lanayru, Eldin, and Ordona Provinces were having a conversation apart from the room. Dotour was trying to help Zelda, but she couldn't even comprehend was he was saying. She was too distracted by the room and her own head wanting to get scared and angry at the same time.

She finally stood and casted another Nayru's Love, but this time only succeeded in quieting the room down, not entirely silencing it, as Darunia and Aveil were still taking shots at each other. Zelda cleared her throat, which got Darunia to go quiet, and by association Aveil.

"I do not want it to be said that this council is a dictatorship. The Country of Hyrule will remain under my rule. But the Gerudo has asked that the Union of Hyrule be under a new leader. I will disband this meeting for today and ask that you all take the night to consider her proposition. We will meet again tomorrow. If a new leader is truly wanted, I will respectfully step down."

This prompted more murmurs throughout the crowd, but Zelda didn't want to prolong anything. "Meeting adjourned."

Zelda gathered her papers and swiftly left the room, with Impa following behind. She heard the shuffling of seats and the murmurs of voices as she left the room. The path to her room felt like an eternity. Her head was spinning, filled with everything that was said and she just desperately wanted to lay down.

Hope the political lay of the land isn't too confusing. Let me know what you think!