Dawn had broken over the ridge of mountains to the east. The last silver
shreds of mist lay low on the open grasslands of Hyrule. The sun slowly
rose, burning those shreds away and beginning the cycle of darkness and
light anew.
It was summer, or close enough not to matter. It was coming in the air, in the rough burn of every breeze, in the golden heat of the sun at noon. Children shirked their schoolwork and domestic duties, mothers stopped to chat or simply to sit in the sun, young men chased each other around the town square with their wooden swords. The air in Hyrule Castle Town was light, free, joyous, and had been for a few weeks.
The captain of the Royal Guard stood at a window in the Queen's study and watched the sun edge over Death Mountain. Long shadows spread across the purple mountain as the first rays of light brushed their fingers over Kakariko Village, nestled in the foothills. Those same rays were highlighting the roof tiles and shutters of the Castle Town immediately below the white monument of the castle. All star charts, cloud watchers, and priests were in accordance, for once in their lives- it was going to be a beautiful day.
The captain stifled a sigh, not letting himself think of the early dew still wet on Hyrule Field, the vast meadow/farmland connecting the towns and regions of the country. He was a country boy at heart, he knew. The longing to lie back in the grass and watch the clouds float by, or to wander in the Lost Woods until he lived up to its reputation and lost his own way was based in his childhood- free of responsibility, free of care, free of... shoes.
He glanced down at his booted feet superstitiously, as if the leather and thread were solely responsible for his dissatisfaction, his wanderlust.
The door behind him swung open and he spun with it, coming to attention as the Queen's personal bodyguard and nurse marched in. After a cursory (and customary) inspection for threat, she beckoned the Queen into the room. The Queen was a tall, slender blonde, every inch as beautiful, it was said, as her mother. The captain had never seen her mother, and did not care to speculate, although he found it difficult to believe beauty like the Queen's occurred more than once every millennium. Not that he was entirely unbiased on the subject.
"Good morning, and at ease." the Queen said, seating herself behind the massive cherry-wood desk at one end of the room as the captain bowed in greeting. "Let's begin with your security report."
The captain fell into parade rest and began to recite. "Last night's watches proceeded normally, Your Majesty. The third shift of guards on the west outer wall found a small hole in the guard post wall leading to the moat. It is being repaired. There was no unusual activity in the town last night, and no human activity outside the town near the moat. That is all."
"Thank you. I-" Her Majesty, Zelda, Queen of Hyrule and Liege-Lady of its townships, sneezed hard enough to dislodge most of the papers on her desk. "Damn and blast this cold to the hottest desert in the Haunted Wasteland!" she swore. "If I'm not free of it by next week, I'm summoning that lunatic witch woman in Kakariko Village who makes potions out of mushrooms and cat hair to cure me."
Behind Her Majesty's shoulder, the Royal Bodyguard was grinning openly. The captain had no such luxury. He bent to pick up the papers off the floor.
"Thank you." The Queen sniffed into a handkerchief. "I swear, this is getting ridiculous."
In the captain's opinion, along with that of the entire royal household staff, it had passed ridiculous some time ago and was heading for ludicrous.
As he put the papers back on her desk, the Queen heaved a tired sigh. The captain glanced at her before receding back to his previous position, and, completely involuntarily, began to worry. Her Majesty did not look well. They were the same age, but lines creased Queen Zelda's face where the captain's was smooth. This cold only augmented signs of sleep deprivation and worry that had been on Her Majesty's face since she had picked up her father's crown. There were bags under her eyes and her lips were paler than usual. All their color, in fact, seemed to have gone to her cheeks. Fever. The captain bit his in sympathy.
Falling back into parade rest, he glanced over Her Majesty's shoulder at the Royal Bodyguard. Standing against the wall, Impa stared back impassively, face unreadable to nearly anyone but the captain. He could read an impassive face- he saw one in the mirror every day. She shared his concern. As he watched, she raised a silver eyebrow slowly.
The captain snapped his eyes back to the Queen. She knows, he thought, heart thudding in his ears.
"Excuse me." the Queen said, pulling him out of his panic. "Let's get back to business. What's your agenda for the next few days?"
"The tributary submissions for the Royal Guard arrive tomorrow," he said automatically, running through the rhythm of his days in his head. "and today I'm helping the Head of Palace Security arrange the hall and the guards for the Annual Pledge Audience. Other than that, nothing unusual for another few weeks."
"All right," she said, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. "that will be all, Guard Captain, thank you. Dismissed."
The captain bowed again, and made for the door.
"Guard Captain-"
Hand on the doorknob, he turned to face the Royal Bodyguard. Impa licked her lips, nodded. "I'd like to see you at your earliest convenience."
"Ma'am." Nodding, he opened the door, took one step out-
"Link-"
Oh, for- He turned back to the Queen. "Your Majesty?"
A worried frown etched itself between golden eyebrows. "Are you all right? You seem... tired."
There were a thousand ways to answer that, and their history demanded more than an arrogant 'Don't worry about me, Your Majesty.' Feeling somehow like he'd been punched in the stomach, Link shifted on his feet, trying to center his weight. "I could say the same to you, Majesty."
She smiled. "You'd be right. But I'm the Queen- I'm supposed to be tired. What about you?"
Making his face as neutral as possible, he swallowed and prepared to lie to the woman, the country he'd pledged his sword to. "It's just the spring training, Majesty. I'm always tired in the spring."
Behind the Queen, the Royal Bodyguard's mouth formed the word 'Liar.'
The smile faded. "All right. But-" Zelda shook her head. "Never mind. I'm sorry. I'm seeing problems everywhere these days. Just- don't try to do everything, Link. You work too hard. Save your worry for wartime."
I will if you will. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Dismissed."
Bowing a third time, Link stepped out into the hall, closing the door silently behind him. He wanted a moment, just a moment, to process everything he was thinking and feeling, but there were servants scurrying through the hall, many glancing at him as they passed. Everyone knew Zelda was tired, and too young to be so old. He had no call to worry them about the Queen further when they could do nothing for her.
It was summer, or close enough not to matter. It was coming in the air, in the rough burn of every breeze, in the golden heat of the sun at noon. Children shirked their schoolwork and domestic duties, mothers stopped to chat or simply to sit in the sun, young men chased each other around the town square with their wooden swords. The air in Hyrule Castle Town was light, free, joyous, and had been for a few weeks.
The captain of the Royal Guard stood at a window in the Queen's study and watched the sun edge over Death Mountain. Long shadows spread across the purple mountain as the first rays of light brushed their fingers over Kakariko Village, nestled in the foothills. Those same rays were highlighting the roof tiles and shutters of the Castle Town immediately below the white monument of the castle. All star charts, cloud watchers, and priests were in accordance, for once in their lives- it was going to be a beautiful day.
The captain stifled a sigh, not letting himself think of the early dew still wet on Hyrule Field, the vast meadow/farmland connecting the towns and regions of the country. He was a country boy at heart, he knew. The longing to lie back in the grass and watch the clouds float by, or to wander in the Lost Woods until he lived up to its reputation and lost his own way was based in his childhood- free of responsibility, free of care, free of... shoes.
He glanced down at his booted feet superstitiously, as if the leather and thread were solely responsible for his dissatisfaction, his wanderlust.
The door behind him swung open and he spun with it, coming to attention as the Queen's personal bodyguard and nurse marched in. After a cursory (and customary) inspection for threat, she beckoned the Queen into the room. The Queen was a tall, slender blonde, every inch as beautiful, it was said, as her mother. The captain had never seen her mother, and did not care to speculate, although he found it difficult to believe beauty like the Queen's occurred more than once every millennium. Not that he was entirely unbiased on the subject.
"Good morning, and at ease." the Queen said, seating herself behind the massive cherry-wood desk at one end of the room as the captain bowed in greeting. "Let's begin with your security report."
The captain fell into parade rest and began to recite. "Last night's watches proceeded normally, Your Majesty. The third shift of guards on the west outer wall found a small hole in the guard post wall leading to the moat. It is being repaired. There was no unusual activity in the town last night, and no human activity outside the town near the moat. That is all."
"Thank you. I-" Her Majesty, Zelda, Queen of Hyrule and Liege-Lady of its townships, sneezed hard enough to dislodge most of the papers on her desk. "Damn and blast this cold to the hottest desert in the Haunted Wasteland!" she swore. "If I'm not free of it by next week, I'm summoning that lunatic witch woman in Kakariko Village who makes potions out of mushrooms and cat hair to cure me."
Behind Her Majesty's shoulder, the Royal Bodyguard was grinning openly. The captain had no such luxury. He bent to pick up the papers off the floor.
"Thank you." The Queen sniffed into a handkerchief. "I swear, this is getting ridiculous."
In the captain's opinion, along with that of the entire royal household staff, it had passed ridiculous some time ago and was heading for ludicrous.
As he put the papers back on her desk, the Queen heaved a tired sigh. The captain glanced at her before receding back to his previous position, and, completely involuntarily, began to worry. Her Majesty did not look well. They were the same age, but lines creased Queen Zelda's face where the captain's was smooth. This cold only augmented signs of sleep deprivation and worry that had been on Her Majesty's face since she had picked up her father's crown. There were bags under her eyes and her lips were paler than usual. All their color, in fact, seemed to have gone to her cheeks. Fever. The captain bit his in sympathy.
Falling back into parade rest, he glanced over Her Majesty's shoulder at the Royal Bodyguard. Standing against the wall, Impa stared back impassively, face unreadable to nearly anyone but the captain. He could read an impassive face- he saw one in the mirror every day. She shared his concern. As he watched, she raised a silver eyebrow slowly.
The captain snapped his eyes back to the Queen. She knows, he thought, heart thudding in his ears.
"Excuse me." the Queen said, pulling him out of his panic. "Let's get back to business. What's your agenda for the next few days?"
"The tributary submissions for the Royal Guard arrive tomorrow," he said automatically, running through the rhythm of his days in his head. "and today I'm helping the Head of Palace Security arrange the hall and the guards for the Annual Pledge Audience. Other than that, nothing unusual for another few weeks."
"All right," she said, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. "that will be all, Guard Captain, thank you. Dismissed."
The captain bowed again, and made for the door.
"Guard Captain-"
Hand on the doorknob, he turned to face the Royal Bodyguard. Impa licked her lips, nodded. "I'd like to see you at your earliest convenience."
"Ma'am." Nodding, he opened the door, took one step out-
"Link-"
Oh, for- He turned back to the Queen. "Your Majesty?"
A worried frown etched itself between golden eyebrows. "Are you all right? You seem... tired."
There were a thousand ways to answer that, and their history demanded more than an arrogant 'Don't worry about me, Your Majesty.' Feeling somehow like he'd been punched in the stomach, Link shifted on his feet, trying to center his weight. "I could say the same to you, Majesty."
She smiled. "You'd be right. But I'm the Queen- I'm supposed to be tired. What about you?"
Making his face as neutral as possible, he swallowed and prepared to lie to the woman, the country he'd pledged his sword to. "It's just the spring training, Majesty. I'm always tired in the spring."
Behind the Queen, the Royal Bodyguard's mouth formed the word 'Liar.'
The smile faded. "All right. But-" Zelda shook her head. "Never mind. I'm sorry. I'm seeing problems everywhere these days. Just- don't try to do everything, Link. You work too hard. Save your worry for wartime."
I will if you will. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Dismissed."
Bowing a third time, Link stepped out into the hall, closing the door silently behind him. He wanted a moment, just a moment, to process everything he was thinking and feeling, but there were servants scurrying through the hall, many glancing at him as they passed. Everyone knew Zelda was tired, and too young to be so old. He had no call to worry them about the Queen further when they could do nothing for her.