The little princess wrapped herself in her cloak. Never in her short four years of life had she seen a day as cold as this one—the cold air drenched her very own bones; she could almost touch the small clouds that followed every breath she took; it was so windy she could barely walk. Mother took her little hand in hers. Brrr. She could still feel the coldness even through her thick gloves.
She'd told her that this was a very special date, for it was Grandmother's birthday, who left the kingdom shortly before she was born. But the young princess couldn't understand why they should even hold that celebration. After all, Grandmother did no longer live with them. Mother frowned at her reply; she should be more respectful towards the woman whom she was named after. Besides, she told her that Grandmother was a great mor... narg... mo... something—the young princess hated those long, strange words adults loved so much—. Well, she told her that she was a great queen, loved by all her people, whom she led towards a 'solidity'—or something along those lines—that they'd never ever seen since the war. Though she couldn't really understand what Mother meant by that, because she refused to explain what a 'war' was.
And thus, they were heading to the place where they took note of all their family members who'd already left. The princess felt very sad when she looked at those stones where the names of all those who were living elsewhere written on them. Such a shame—they could all be so happy together!
But Mother also reprimanded her for saying that—one day, when she grew older, she would finally understand why such things were completely impossible. The princess turned her head to look at Mother and paid close attention to the flowers, with small white petals, that she was carrying in her free arm.
They finally arrived at the 'gravy yard'... or whatever its name was. Fortunately, she didn't see anyone cooking gravy nor anything else in such an awful looking place, where no one ever came. Nonetheless, as Mother had told her, that was a special day, for when they entered the 'gravy yard', there was already someone in front of the stone where Grandmother's name was written.
The faint echoes of a melody that they were hearing as they walked towards the stone stopped as soon as the person who was standing there realised that someone was coming. The young princess could have sworn that was the same song that her caretaker played to her before she went to sleep.
'Good morning, Captain. I did not expect to see you here,' the queen greeted. She had hoped not to see him there.
Lowering his head a little, the man greeted her as well. He didn't try to give her a bigger, less forced smile than the same he gave everyone else. When he turned around, the princess noticed that the man had a huge scratch across the right side of his face, including his eye. Even though she knew it would be a horrible display of manners, she couldn't help staring at him.
'Good morning, Your Majesty.' He still hadn't taken any notice of the young princess who was hiding behind Mother, watching him.
'Zelda, greet the Captain', said the queen, taking her daughter's hand.
The captain's pathetic attempt at a smile disappeared from his lips when he heard the princess's name.
'Hmm... hello.'
'Zelda! Do you really think that is a proper way to greet a captain?' Mother was always scolding her because of her manners, but she also seemed to forget that her daughter had little company to practise them with.
'Eeh... good morning... Captain... I am Zelda, princess of Hyrule. Pleased to meet you', she said, looking at Mother rather than at the captain.
The man bent down until his eye met the princess's eyes. She shuddered now that she could get such a close view of that ugly scratch.
'Oh, excuse me. Sorry about the scar', he said, as he took a piece of cloth with which he covered his eye. 'Sometimes I forget the effect it has on some people... Pleased to meet you, Princess. My name is Link.' He smiled again, if that could be called a smile. His left eye was certainly not smiling, so it didn't really matter how much he tried to curve his lips into a more pleasing expression.
The queen took her daughter by the hand and grasped it more than it was actually necessary; she didn't want to scold her again in front of the captain. She'd already told her a thousand times that she should try to hide her thoughts better—a representative of the Kingdom of Hyrule could not show their feelings so openly. But the captain apologised again when he noticed the queen's gesture; he said it was his fault for not wearing the eye patch he always wore.
It looked as if the captain had been quicker than them—he'd already left a bouquet of flowers on the stone. The princess knew what kind of flowers they were: tulips, beautiful red and white tulips, just like those she'd seen so many times in the courtyards of her castle. She certainly thought they were much prettier than the flowers that Mother had brought.
'Did you take those flowers from the courtyards, master Link?'
'Zelda...! I've already told you to treat the Captain with respect!'
The captain laughed, just a little. What was so funny about the question, the princess wondered.
'Do not worry, Your Highness. I would never take what does not belong to me. But if you wish, I will make sure that no one ever steals flowers from the courtyards.'
'Oh, really?' said the girl, mouth agape. She was much too young to know the meaning of irony. 'Thank you so much, master Link!'
Link sighed as he muttered a 'you are welcome'. He wished to spend some more time by the grave, but he didn't want anyone to disturb him.
Indeed, it was time to go. Even the queen's eyes were pleading him to go... after all, they've had a rocky relationship ever since Z- the last queen fell ill. No matter how much they tried to fake a feeling of respect for each other, the truth was as simple as that. And the child, the young princess, looked so much like her... he couldn't bear to stay there any longer.
'Excuse me...' He put the instrument he was playing before he was interrupted inside his pouch. 'I do not wish to disturb any of you; I will leave right now. I bid you good day', the captain thought for a moment about what he'd just said, 'although I guess that today is not the best day for that.'
Just as he turned his back to both mother and daughter, the princess remembered the tune she heard before they arrived.
'Master Link. Were you playing a lullaby to Grandmother?'
Master Link stopped at once. He didn't turn to face her.
'Before she- she's been having some trouble sleeping as of late. Wherever she is, she'll surely need help to rest.'
'But Grandmother is old. She doesn't need a lullaby.'
This once he didn't reply. He simply kept on walking, at a much faster pace than before.
Zelda thought that maybe she should follow him and repeat what she'd just said to him. He was old, perhaps as much as Grandmother, so she was sure that his hearing wasn't very good. However, Mother grabbed her by the shoulders before she could make any step, and asked her to leave the captain and his 'grown-up matters' alone.
Perhaps that would be for the best. When she was angry, she didn't want anyone to bother her... But she was certain that she only got angry with good cause, such as when she was tired of those boring lessons that she had every day, even though she was still a child. Weren't her lessons 'grown-up matters' as well?
They finally left the flowers by the stone where Grandmother's name was written along with some numbers she could still not read. She was very surprised when she noted how clean it was, as the rest of the stones in the 'gravy yard' were fairly dirty.
Poor master Link—he looked so very sad.
That was the first the first and only morning that the kitten who'd been with her during all her five years of life didn't wake up. She'd been sleeping with him ever since her parents finally let her keep him in her bedroom. She was used to petting him as soon as she got out of bed... though she often found him already sleeping on top of her when she woke up.
But that time, her kitten didn't do anything, no matter how much she petted and petted him. He didn't move, and she didn't know what was happening.
Zelda ran towards the dining room where she always had breakfast with her parents, still in her sleeping clothes and carrying her kitten in her arms. Before they could scold her for storming in the room like that, she showed her pet to them.
'I think he's sick...'
Father, who despite what everyone thought was much more indulgent towards his daughter than Mother, gently took the kitten from her hands. He examined him for a second and then gave her daughter a sad look.
'He's...' he didn't really know what he could say to her. 'He's just gone to sleep.'
'Then why doesn't he wake up...?' The girl was already on the break of tears. What was wrong with her kitten?
The king covered his face with his hand, 'He's gone to sleep. Forever. Give your kitten to me, I'll find a place where he can sleep comfortably.'
'No! Give him to me!' Zelda grabbed the kitten and started to run.
She crossed the castle's many hallways, crashing into all the servants she found on her way. She couldn't see with the tears that were falling from her eyes.
She ran until she was outside the castle and she finally found herself in one of the old courtyards, one she'd never seen before. Maybe that was for the best—no one would look there for her. The courtyard ended in a space shaped like a circle, with many windows through which she could get a look inside a room that resembled the one where her parents kept their big, wooden chairs. Some lonely, albeit beautiful, flowers were the only touch of colour in the long abandoned garden.
She would stay there all alone, with her kitten and her tears, and no one would ever find her.
But after a few hours she heard some steps.
'Your Highness! I know you are here!'
That voice... it sounded like the voice of the man who she'd met so many months ago at the gravy yard. In fact, it was that man's.
Zelda hid under the small bridge at the end of the courtyard. If she'd left him alone with his thoughts when he was angry, it'd be rather inconsiderate of him not to do the same.
Unfortunately, master Link didn't agree with her. Hearing no reply, he walked straight to the princess's hiding place.
'They are looking for you', said he, gently grabbing her arm before she could try to run away.
'Let me go! Let me go!'
But he ignored her and pulled her from under the bridge. Resting his arms upon the princess's shoulders, the captain bent down until they were face to face. He was wearing the eye patch this time.
'Worry not. I will not take anywhere if you do not want to.'
She quietened down and washed her tears away with her arm. But she didn't say anything to master Link.
Master Link sat in front of her, legs crossed, without saying a word. He simply stared at the kitten, as if he was waiting for the princess to explain what had happened.
'Take a look at the courtyard. Beautiful, is it not?' he said, breaking his silence. 'I could stay here all day.'
'... it is. But it's also very lonely.'
'But!' master Link rose, 'the solution to that is simple enough. I am sure that your kitty would love this place, so... How about we let him stay here so that he can make this place a bit livelier?'
'No.'
He was expecting that answer. He knew what clinging to the dead meant. But the girl was far too young to that; he tried to persuade her again.
'Why not? You could pay him a visit whenever you wanted. And take a look at these flowers' said he, turning to the few tulips that were left in the courtyard. 'They are gorgeous. Just imagine how this place would look if someone planted more. Give me the kitty; I will find a good place for him.'
Although she still felt a bit doubtful about master Link's words, she gave him the kitten.
'Thank you. Please, turn back for a little while.'
She obeyed. She heard the captain kneeling down on the grass before he began to dig with his free hand.
When master Link told her that she could look now, the kitten was nowhere to be seen. She didn't like screaming, she really didn't, but she couldn't but do it.
'What have you done to my kitten?'
'Calm down and do not worry. I have just chosen a good place for him to watch the courtyard from, so that he makes sure that you and only you are the only one who enters.'
The princess gave him an angry look, her whole small body shaking. The captain sighed and took the tulip closest to him.
'What? Stop! You told me that you'd make sure that no one ever took flowers from the castle, you dirty liar!'
She kneeled down beside the wet soil and started to dig in search of her dear pet. That man was not to be trusted.
'Wait, wait! I was... I was just thinking your kitty would like the flower. Sorry.'
Zelda stopped digging. She didn't reply, but she pointed the tulip that master Link had been about to take with her eyes. He quickly understood her wish and handed her the flower, so that she would be the one to put it there.
'Well... He will be much happier this way, no?'
'... Thank you, master Link', the princess muttered.
The captain gave her a small smile, just like the one he'd gave her on the day they met—too weak and forced. Maybe it was the strange expression that his difficulty in moving the right side of his face gave him, or maybe it was the lack of life in his eyes, but that man's smiles caused no joy in those who saw it.
But the princess's was beaming. Even though she didn't find any happiness in her kitten's eternal sleep, she smiled. A tiny bright smile.
'Master Link... may I ask you something?'
'You just did...'
'Hmm... I don't want my kitten to feel alone... so I'm going to come here whenever I can... would you... would like to come with me?'
Link fixed his gaze on the courtyard where he'd meet his fate so many years ago. The ravages of time had been hard on it. A part of him was commanding him to finally leave his past behind and live in peace the life he still had ahead; but another didn't want the intertwined memories of the best and worst moments of his life to wither.
But this was also the place when he'd first met her... There was nothing there that didn't remind him of her. And the innocent young princess—not even in his mind could he allow himself to say her name—looked just like her before all hell broke loose. Yes, his answer was clear:
'Of course. I'd love to.'
True to his word, master Link accompanied princess Zelda to the courtyard whenever she asked him to. Were someone to see them there, they would certainly think that there was quite a stark contrast between them. The princess still had the naivety of one who's never suffered from the worst miseries that life has to offer; while the captain's regrets made him look as if he were always mourning.
However, no one but them ever came to the courtyard. Had anyone ever come there, they would have understood the captain's sudden change towards a more positive outlook to life.
After some months when their meetings could be described by utter silence—princess Zelda still missed her kitten and master Link would just wander around the courtyard—, they both started to have a closer relationship little by little. They couldn't really remember what caused the change: maybe it was the umpteenth time that the princess complained about how Mother was always scolding her what motivated the captain to tell her to seize the time she spent with her family.
It was then when she asked him if he had any. After much thought, master Link answered that he did have one, but that he hadn't seen them in a very long time. If there was something he didn't deserve, it was seeing his family after all the terrible things he'd done to them. The princess became furious—how could someone that knew nothing about his family? Oh, how she longed to meet all of her relatives who had already left Hyrule!
The princess's outraged expression was enough to make the captain chuckle. He told her that maybe it was time to meet again; that he would apologise to them as much as he should. But the princess didn't believe him, and made him promise in the name of the Goddesses that he really would. They even sealed their promise with a secret handshake that, according to him, only high-ranking officials knew (although she thought that was just some silly nonsense that master Link had come up with).
That had been a week before. When she arrived at the courtyard, captain Link was already there. The oddest thing was that he welcomed her with a small smile... a true smile, with no hint of any sadness in his eye. So surprised was she that she ran towards him as soon as she noticed that little detail. He must have kept his promise!
'Master Link! Did you go see your family?'
'I did.'
He said no more, but he kept on smiling. Seeing the princess's questioning glance, he asked her to sit on a step beside him.
'They... were happy to see me. They're even thinking of having a dinner to celebrate it... I'll try to stay as far from the kitchen as I can, though', he laughed after saying those last words.
'A dinner like one of the "feats" they hold at the castle?'
'Oh, no. It's much simpler than that. There will only be me, my children and my w- their mother. They live and work in a ranch in a village south from here. They can't afford the luxury of a castle.'
The princess nodded in approval, 'That's even better, master Link! "Feats" are terribly boring. Mother is always telling me to behave myself, but Father doesn't think that that's really important. And I always have to spend hours and hours greeting people I've never met before and who tell me how much I've grown up since they last saw me.'
'Does the last time they saw you happen to be "never", by any chance?'
'Oh, I'm not sure. But my parents are always holding "feats". Mother says that's because she didn't have many when she was my age. Grandmother didn't enjoy them.'
Just like it always happened when she mentioned grandmother Zelda, master Link's expression turned gloomy. No matter how much she asked, he never told her why he became so sad every time she mentioned her. He would simply stop talking, rise and stare and stare at the window that was at the end of that little bridge, the same he found her under months ago.
'That's true, she disliked feasts', he said, remarking that last word as subtly as he could. 'I think it was because of something that once happened to us.'
But the princess didn't ask what that 'something' was all about. She knew how master Link reacted when he remembered Grandmother.
'Are you not going to ask what happened? Where has your curiosity gone?'
The girl shrugged. Perhaps she should try. Master Link was so happy today... that couldn't be a painful memory.
'Only if it's not sad.'
'Of course it's not sad. Though it could have been very sad for some people, had the plan worked...' he added in a mysterious voice. 'That time, the king, your great-grandfather, was going to hold a feast in celebration of the anniversary of Hyrule's alliance with the Kingdom of...'
'And did Grandmother dislike that kingdom?' interrupted Zelda before she could even know what the kingdom was called.
'No. Well, yes. Or maybe not. It doesn't matter. What she disliked were... the nobles. That's it, the nobles. To be honest, I don't like them either... they're so hypocritical and always talking about money, about lands, about this lord or lady's latest aff-' he interrupted himself before going any further. 'Forget that part. You're too young to know about those things.'
'I couldn't understand you after you said "hyprokitical".' She also had little love for those lords and ladies who attended the 'feats', but she saw no reason why master Link should waste his time talking about them... they were not worth it.
'Well, but that doesn't really matter. That night, the worst of all the nobility was attending the feast... and so, your grandmother and I came up with a plan: we would add some special ingredients to the food and change others.' He raised his eyebrow in a sinister expression. 'And so, the feast wouldn't be that long.'
Little Zelda frowned. Mother was always telling her that Grandmother was such a serious and responsible woman...! And how could master Link and she have such a... stupid idea. She'd rather not know what would happen to her if she ever did something like that.
'Your grandmother was a sneaky one, much more than me, who snuck a thousand times into the castle. Getting into the kitchen was very easy, no one saw us. But', the captain sighed, 'we'd forgotten about a certain someone. Her nanny. Impa, her name was Impa. Stern as she may have looked, she had a heart bigger than all of Hyrule. Your grandmother loved her dearly, as if she was her very own mother... and it was easy to see why.
'And, as you should already know quite well, a mother always reprimands her children when they misbehave. I must admit that our behaviour that time wasn't exactly good.'
'Oh, did she catch you? What did she do then?' He was right: Mother loved scolding her a bit too much. However, she had the feeling that Grandmother's nanny wouldn't content herself with words.
Master Link chuckled, 'All right, this is very embarrassing. She caught us when we'd just put some pepper into the water they were going to use for tea and lots of sugar into the soups. Don't give me that look: we only improved the food that the nobles we disliked the most would eat; we didn't do anything with the others'.'
'She grabbed my ear with one hand, and with the other—yes, really— she grabbed your grandmother's. Then, without even muttering a word, she made us sit at a table and eat everything we'd... eh... seasoned.'
What on earth did she just hear? Grandmother was one of the most respected queens the kingdom had ever had! How could anyone made her do anything? Still, she didn't expect her to enter a kitchen and do what she did.
'How old were you when this happened?'
'Ha, that's the worst thing about it. I think we were... around seventeen. Maybe a bit older', he whispered, a sheepish look on his face.
'Seventeen? That's more than double my age! How childish...'
Link sighed. Both of them perfectly knew that seasoning those nobles' food was a childish thing to do at the time... Nonetheless, there had been few moments in their lives when they could act like real children.
'True. But you see... there was something that only your grandmother and I knew... that made us have a difficult childhood. That's why we behaved like children from time to time. It was nice to leave our responsibilities aside, even for a few minutes.'
Not a very long time ago, he would have added a 'if you knew what we knew, you'd do the same', but today was not that day. There was also joy in his memories of her.
He spoke before the princess could say anything, 'Tea with pepper tastes horribly. Don't you ever try to imitate us—I have the feeling your mother is much stricter than Impa.'
Zelda loved spring. Of course, there were many great things about winter—snow, for instance, she could spend hours and hours playing in it—, but she'd always had a tricky relationship with the biting cold of the castle. It drenched her bones, froze her limbs, and often made her stay sick in bed all day, without doing anything. When she was sick, she didn't even feel like reading or hearing her favourite tales.
But everything changed with the coming of spring. She thought that was the perfect weather for her, who couldn't stand Hyrule's dry summers; the flowers in all the courtyards were blooming, and she could play outside of the castle as much as she wanted... and as long as she didn't do anything dangerous. Besides, the courtyards were full of butterflies of all colours: unlike the odd princesses of her tales, she wasn't afraid of bugs in the slightest, not even of spiders or 'cucoopoaches'. She wondered if the person who came up with that last name had been the same as the one who came up with 'butterfly', because she saw little similarity between their names and their actual appearance.
Master Link had promised her that today he would show her something special. The princess already felt as if she'd known him forever—well, for two years—, so she was eager to know what someone who she knew that well could surprise her with.
Not that the captain was unpunctual—in fact, he always arrived on time to all his appointments, not any second later or earlier—, but, when he finally came, Zelda had already been waiting for half an hour. Her nerves had proved too much for her.
He crossed the threshold of the courtyard with his hands behind his back: he was hiding something. As soon as he saw the princess, he stopped and signalled her to come closer.
'What are you hiding? C'mon, tell me, please!' said an impatient Zelda.
'First, you'll have to guess what it is.'
However, Zelda didn't feel like trying: she started to run in circles around the captain in order to see what he was hiding. The captain was faster, though, and dodged her with ease.
'Please, take a guess', he asked once more.
Seeing that chasing him would be fruitless, Zelda thought that, maybe, obeying master Link would be quickest way of knowing what that 'special something' consisted of.
'Is it... a present?'
'It is, but I thought that much was clear', he frowned.
'But that's the only clue that I have!' Zelda shouted, raising her arms.
'Hey, calm down... if you scream to me again, I'll leave at once', he joked. 'Oh, please, don't make such a sad face... I'll accept your apologies. Well, your present has something to do with what you can find in this courtyard.'
'Hmm... is it related to flowers?'
'Yes, it's related to flowers.'
'So you have brought me a plant', said she, a bit disappointed.
'No, it's something much better. What else can you find in this courtyard apart from flowers?'
The princess looked everywhere... Firstly, at the ground... no, grass wasn't anything special, but one could never know with master Link. Since his family worked in a ranch, and he surely spent a lot of time with cows and goats, she thought that, perhaps, he held grass in a higher regard than the rest of the world. And if it wasn't grass... he might be referring to the walls? Some stones? No way, she wasn't a Goron!
Then, she remembered the butterflies with black and yellow wings which were flying close to her. They were so pretty! Master Link's gift might have some relationship with butterflies.
'Ah, I got it! Your present has something to do with butterflies! You must have brought me some bugs!'
The captain sighed. He decided to finally show her the present. If they played guessing games all day, there wouldn't be any time left to enjoy it.
'Yes! My gift is somehow related to butterflies, but it isn't any kind of bug. It's much much better.'
Master Link started to move his arms in a terribly slow motion. Zelda would finally know what the surprise consisted of!
'Dananananaaa! Fantastic, isn't it?'
But the princess wasn't expecting her present to be...
'Two sticks?' Maybe master Link wanted to play fetch with some puppies? But they were far too long for that, and, besides, they could use any stick to play with puppies.
'They aren't simple sticks... they come from the branches of a magical tree.'
'There are not magical trees.'
As much as Link hated to admit it, she was right: there weren't any magical trees left, and he couldn't do anything. Why the hell did he think about giving the princess a Deku stick...? He didn't understand why he insisted on revisiting all his memories when he was with her, but... to be honest, it felt great, having another person to talk to, even if she was just a child. A child who was too intelligent for her age, but a child after all. On the other hand, he confided his memories to few people, with the exception of... yes. The young princess would understand.
'A very long time ago, in the south of Hyrule, there was a forest where only children lived. They never grew up, so many of them had actually lived for longer than the oldest people in Castle Town or Kakariko.'
'Of course, they didn't live alone. A magical tree watched over them. A very wise magical tree who could also talk and loved all of them as if they were their own children. Many girls and boys were older than a century, but the tree was far older than them. It might have been a thousand years, or even more.'
'Master Link,' interrupted the princess, 'a tree couldn't watch over all the children, could it? It'd be boring if they always had to stay close to him.'
'The tree was almost as big as the castle,' he said, extending his arms as much as he could. 'And the tree had some helpers. Fairies. All children had their own fairy, whom they cared for and protected. They were some sort of guardians and... mothers.'
Link turned his head—he could feel some tears dripping from his eye. Damn. He should have already moved on, after so many years. He wiped his tears, hoping she hadn't seen them.
'They... they were very lucky to have one.'
Though she wanted to, the princess didn't ask him if he'd ever had a fairy. She didn't like seeing him so sad. He took his hand into her much smaller ones, and gave it a tight squeeze.
'Oh, yes... the relationship between butterflies and the sticks is... well, try it yourself. Take one of them and touch a butterfly very carefully.'
Zelda took the stick which master Link gave her. Still holding the captain's hand, she tried to get closer to the butterflies, but he wouldn't move.
'C'mon!' she begged. 'Let's do it together.'
Link stared at her. It was the same warm, understanding look that she had given him so many times before, when the weight of his memories proved too much for him to bear alone.
He gently grasped her little hand and started to walk along her towards the butterflies. They both took the stick and touched a butterfly very carefully. And then, something that the princess would have never dreamed of happened.
As soon as the butterfly felt the brush of the stick, it started to glow in a weak pink light which gradually grew stronger. From its wings fell some strange dust. The butterfly's body changed into that of a fairy.
'Goddesses!' she'd been taught that swearing was a horrible thing to do, especially for a princess, but she couldn't help herself. 'Have you seen that, master Link?'
Master Link smiled, 'I'm glad you enjoyed your present. But there's still more.' He let go of the stick and took something out of his pouch. It was a brown potato-shaped instrument. 'Do you know what it is? It's an ocarina. My best friend gave it to me when... I grew up.'
If some part of his memories could make the princess happy, she would gladly remember it.
'I'm going to teach you a song that all the children in the forest loved and that could brighten up even the angriest of people.'
After such a long time, he played again the notes of the simple melody that allowed him to speak to his childhood friend wherever he was. But there was no answer.
Ever since the new recruitment campaign begun, master Link didn't come to meet her in the courtyard. Nonetheless, she accepted that, for she was a grown-up girl: she had just turned seven and was perfectly aware of hers and others' responsibilities.
Still, that didn't mean that she never saw him. From time to time, she snuck out of the castle's walls and head towards the training grounds, where the captain taught both new recruits and veterans the way of the sword. Father held master Link and his ability as a swordsman in high esteem, and once she saw him in action, she understood why: no soldier could face him. Not even groups made up of the best soldiers in the kingdom managed to defeat him, even though he was so old (a bit more than half a century, or so she'd heard).
What she enjoyed the most about watching the training sessions was the fact that there were more and more women, both among the rookies and the veterans. Women who were as skilled with a sword as any man... although not as much as master Link. Still, seeing those women sword in hand caused a great impression on her—she wanted to be like them.
Thus, she began a secret training in the courtyard which only she and the captain knew of. The first and biggest obstacle she faced was obtaining a sword, even a wooden one—even though she considered herself a grown-up woman, she couldn't find any sword small enough for someone her height. But she was a clever girl, and decided to use the magic stick that master Link had given to her as a replacement. It was strong and short enough to accomplish its mission.
There was no day when she didn't train for at least an hour with her sword-stick. Not having any proper teacher, she was forced to explore the castle's library in search of some books on fencing, in order to know the real names of the different techniques.
Holding the sword-stick in her hands, she slashed from left to right against her invisible foe.
Good, her rival was already on the ground. She'd give him an opportunity to get up—there was no honour in attacking an enemy who couldn't defend himself—before striking again. Yes, there he was, on his feet again. She stepped back to dodge his blade, and made a quick thrust forward.
Then she thought that she could give one of master Link's secret techniques a chance, the one where he spun with his sword. She doubted that such a movement could be actually useful in real combat, but it didn't look that difficult.
All right. She pulled her sword-stick back and begun to spin, just when someone entered the courtyard and walked towards her.
Crash.
'Argh! My knee! Please, Your Highness...! Be careful!'
Zelda dropped the sword-stick at once.
'Master Link! I'm sorry! Are you all right?' Horrible as it sounded, a part of her was rejoiced in her victory over master Link. Sure, it had somehow been a sneak attack, but... she had defeated him!
'Don't... don't worry, it's nothing', he said, holding his knee. 'I actually wanted to speak with you before leaving tomorrow morning.'
'Leaving? Leaving where?'
The only problem that the kingdom was facing now was one master Link could do nothing about—a sickness that, according to the castle's doctor, had afflicted a dozen of people. But there was the captain, wearing the same armour he wore when he instructed the soldiers. What was happening?
'There are some things an old acquaintance of mine and I have to deal with'. He coughed. 'I'm the only one who can do it. I'm sorry you won't be seeing any more training sessions for the time being.'
Such terms made his duties sound insignificant, Link though. Oh, what a wrong impression! Everyone he came across noticed the black circles under his eyes, even if they preferred not making any questions. The nightmares he'd once had as a child were repeating themselves... in his dreams he saw Hyrule covered in orange clouds; her citizens turned into spirits; a shadow devastating the land he loved so much while he watched helplessly. She... she had similar dreams before she died... and now he regretted judging them as the mere product of her fever-induced delirium. They'd thought that no tragedy would ever befall Hyrule again.
Old man Rauru just told him to move the Master Sword to a safer place. No words of counsel, no explanations. Just move the Master Sword.
How ironic... now that he was having those... dreams which he didn't dare to call 'prophetic', he would have to once more pull the sword that made him a forgotten hero from its pedestal. He only hoped that his goddessesdamned cough wouldn't make his journey more difficult than it already was.
'I understand, master Link. I hope you come back soon.'
She was lying. Hyrule was in peace. There was no reason for master Link to go anywhere. But she was already an adult and knew that everyone had to accept their own duties. Maybe the journey was part of the captain's duties.
'You know how to handle a sword quite well. If I could, I'd welcome you among the recruits with open arms: you're much more promising than them. Good thing you weren't wielding a real sword when you hit me.'
'It would be my honour, master Link', she felt proud at his words, so she chose to ignore the second part. 'Oh, by the way...' she knew it was not the best moment to ask that question, but it had been running through her head for a long time. 'May I ask you something about your armour?'
Master Link laughed, 'Oh, do you like it?'
Such an awkward question! To be honest, she thought that the armour was... a bit over the top, to say the least. All its embellishments didn't suit master Link's humble personality. And... just how could he even keep his balance with that helmet? Wouldn't its handles be dangerous? Anyone could grab them in battle! Although he might have used them—or so she liked to think—to give safe piggyback rides to his children. She wished she could have seen master Link in his armour when she was younger and asked him to carry her on his shoulders... but she was a grown-up girl now, there was no way she would do that. Absolutely not.
'When you like something, you shouldn't mind what everyone else thinks' she affirmed. Her teachers had already taught her that ambiguous answers were the best that a politician could give. Thus no one would accuse them of lying. They didn't like those kinds of answers in exams, though.
'I see... that was a very diplomatic way of saying that you don't.'
Zelda frowned. 'What I wanted to ask was... if you are a captain of the army of Hyrule, why do you have a wolf on your armour, and not the eagle of the Royal Family?'
'Ah... I don't know if you've ever heard how ferociously wolves act when protecting their pack.' He coughed violently. Argh, his throat hurt so much. 'The leader of the pack fights tooth and nail against those who attack the pack, putting its fellow wolves before itself. I guess... I see a bit of myself in that.'
He had never understood what led him to fight for Hyrule with all his strength. He was sure it wasn't patriotism: that feeling imbued his body and soul when he first left his native forest and beheld the fields. He felt it when he'd first visited Castle Town, when he'd climbed Death Mountain, when he'd swam the waters of the Zoras and Lake Hylia... even when he'd first set foot on the desert. He'd always felt protecting his Hyrule was his duty. And he had to fulfil it again.
'Keep these words in mind when you're queen, Your Highness. I'll be back soon', he said, stroking her head.
Master Link was last seen visiting his family two months ago, before leaving for the forest south of Hyrule. Those were the last news Father ever received about him.
The king had admired the captain since he was a child, not only for his skill with a sword, but for his kindness and devotion to their country. He'd sent for many searching teams, to no avail.
The queen didn't share her husband's fondness for captain Link. She knew of the relationship her mother had had with that man. With a married man. She still felt resentful towards her mother for betraying the memory of her father. She often preferred to ignore the fact that the affair had started when her father was very much alive. When she finally confronted her mother about it, she calmly said that there was no apology for it. Yet still she'd rarely seen so much remorse in her eyes.
And now it was her own daughter who was suffering because of that man.
That night, she sneaked out of her room when some guards were the only ones left awake in the castle, and headed towards the courtyard. She'd gone to the courtyard every night since she remembered how much wolves loved the moon. Maybe master Link would come along with it.
Zelda put her cloak over her shoulders. She was freezing. Goddesses—she scolded herself for blaspheming—why did she think that master Link would come to the courtyard after having being missing for two months? He'd surely go to his family first, and after that, to the castle to announce that his journey was over and that the soldiers' training could continue.
She wrapped herself in her cloak. It was so cold and she was so sleepy... she decided to end this night of waiting, as master Link wouldn't come back. She rose, took her lamp and suddenly heard the wails of a wounded animal.
The cry was slowly making its way towards the courtyards. Zelda was shaking. She walked to the threshold, lamp in hand, in order to see what could be making that noise.
'Zelda! Zelda!'
No, it couldn't be him.
'Please! Zelda!'
But it was him. Master Link had just come back and was standing right in front of her.
'Master Link! Calm down, please! Are you all right?'
She didn't know why she even asked him that, because the answer was obvious. She couldn't grab him before he fell on the ground. Goddesses, he was a ghastly sight. Wherever he'd been during all that time, it was clear he'd eaten little: so emaciated was his face that his cheeks—that were as red as if someone had ripped his skin off—looked like two big holes on the sides of his face. There was no eye-patch over his right eye; the deep scar that crossed his face was his only distinguishable feature at first sight.
Zelda removed master Link's helmet and tried to make him sit with his back against a wall. He was breathing heavily and he wouldn't stop staring at her.
'Zelda... I'm so glad to see you again.'
She ignored him and put her hand on his forehead. He was burning.
'Master Link! You have a fever! Please, let's go see the doctor! Come with me, please!'
But master Link just kept on staring at her, a blissful smile on his lips.
'Zelda... the Master Sword is safe now. From Evil, from me... no one can reach it now. Except for you. You're protecting it. Remember when I showed you the Sacred Grove? One day you'll find a master worthy of it. Not me, I'd only fail you again and again.'
'Wh-what are you saying?' she screamed. 'Master Link, come with me, please! You need a doctor!'
'No... everything's all right when you're with me. I don't need anything or anyone else. But...' he continued, after a while. 'I remember now. Saria and Navi are waiting for me in the forest. I'm sure they'd love to see you too, Zelda. Come with me. This time, you never met Navi in the flesh, did you?'
Master Link began to cough violently. The princess was growing anxious: what, in the name of the Goddesses, could she do? Then she realised that he was also spitting up blood.
She shrilled.
'Pl-please... wait here... please. I'm going to look for the doctor!'
She put her cloak around master Link, took her lamp and started to run, while he cried her name again, pleading her to stay with him in a pathetic wail.
She didn't have words to describe her feelings at the time: the only thought in her mind was running as fast as her legs could.
The first guards she encountered almost attacked her with their spears before realising that the intruder was not only a girl, but the princess of Hyrule. She ordered one of the guards to look for the castle's doctor, while she begged the others to go with her to the courtyard. They didn't take her seriously when she told them that captain Link had come back. She had to show them the fresh drops of blood in her dress to persuade them that, maybe, it'd be a good idea to accompany her.
Master Link was immediately taken to the infirmary, where he was locked up in a room. Visits were not allowed, for he could spread his disease to others. Arguing that any contact with a terminally ill patient could be fatal, the doctor also kept princess Zelda under observation.
She never saw captain Link again. After asking the nurses for two days that he wanted to be taken at queen Zelda's side and go home with her, he simply disappeared. At the dawn of the third day, they just found an open door and an empty room. In Castle Town there were rumours of a man in armour heading south.
Princess Zelda headed towards the castle's graveyard, a bouquet of flowers in her arms. She'd already discovered the name of the flowers with small petals that they offered the dead. After ten years missing, it was time to accept that master Link was long gone. She clutched the bouquet and shut her eyes tightly. Oh, Goddesses.
Having won her first battle against her Council, she decided to honour the greatest soldiers who Hyrule had ever seen with a place in the castle's graveyard. They argued that those who were not part of the Royal Family had no right to be buried there, but she ignored them.
Of course, a tombstone in memory of master Link was one of the first to be placed at the graveyard. And yet, he was still so far away from Grandmother... she remembered the red tulips that master Link had left on her tombstone on the day they met.
I'm sorry, master Link.
The first thing she saw when she entered the graveyard were the flowers that she had left for her parents last week, alongside all the flowers that people from all over the kingdom sent to them. The first thing she heard was the lullaby that her nanny sang to her when she was a child. It sounded like a wail from an animal, though. No, she must have been imagining it. She decided to leave a flower on Grandmother's tombstone.
When she arrived there, there was a golden-haired wolf beside it. The lullaby hadn't been an illusion—that wolf was howling it. She didn't know what made her run towards the animal.
The wolf disappeared as soon as he saw her. She remembered the stories she had heard about a golden wolf that appeared in the lands south from Hyrule, near Ordon village and Faron Woods.
As she tried to hold back her tears, she wished that there was a song that could make master Link forget his nightmares.
Author's notes:
The whole thing was inspired by Zelda knowing where the Master Sword is in TP and the fact that you have to butcher Zelda's lullaby to enter the Sacred Grove. Yes, really.
According to some baby names sites, 'Zelda' is the female form of the yiddish name 'Selig', which means 'blessed' or 'happy' (it's also a Germanic name which means 'warrior' and things like that). The title was also inspired by the song the opening verses belong to—Bendecida II by Spanish rock group Héroes del Silencio, famous for the 'what the hell does that even mean' factor of their lyrics.
And I know that TP happens centuries after OoT, but I couldn't resist the idea of a younger TP!Zelda meeting and befriending an old OoT!Link. In any case, you can always see the Zelda from the fic as just OoT!Zelda's granddaughter.
I'm not actually sure whether the flowers in Zelda's courtyard are tulips or not (it's a bit hard to tell), but they look similar enough, I guess. Red tulips have the same meaning as red roses; white ones stand for innocence. Bouquets of red and white tulips are a very common present for the dead. So Link's being very obvious, but not that obvious.
The flowers Zelda's mother was carrying were chrysanthemums, which are flowers we usually leave on tombstones here in Spain, especially on All Saints' Day (1 November). They're apparently also associated with death and grief in Japan. Not that I need a proper reason for doing this when there are so many fics of Zelda characters celebrating Halloween or Thanksgiving, I guess.
I also know that there aren't any females warriors in TP other than Ashei. They were just too cool to appear alongside the cowardly guards you see in Castle Town.