Vespertine Miasma
Prologue: After Happily Ever After
"History doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme." ~Mark Twain
It started with a wedding.
Zelda's picture books from her younger days would call it the time after "happily ever after," but on this day she felt happily truly lasted forever after.
"Are you ready?" her long-time friend and guardian Impa asked, the usually stoic guardian not able to resist an upward twitch of the lips today. Then again, who in Hyrule wasn't celebrating on this glorious day?
On this day, Impa sat off to the side, helping when needed, as Zelda prepared for one of the most life-changing events she had ever encountered—including her run in with Ganondorf only a year prior. The Sheikah warrior stood up, stretching and awaiting the girl's answer.
"Ready," Zelda mused, twisting her hands together nervously as she leaned against the balcony's edge, keenly observing the hustle of activity below. "Define ready?" Impa chuckled a bit at her uneasy response.
"I thought you were," Impa paused, thinking back with a sly smirk, "'One-hundred percent sure about him'?"
"I am sure about him," Zelda laughed in that breathless way one has when excited beyond words. "I'm just not sure I'm ready for such a big ceremony."
"Are you worried about the ceremony itself or is something else on your mind?" Impa asked wisely, retrieving a brush from the nightstand and making her way back to the child who had been like a daughter to her for so long now. It was almost as hard for Impa to see her today as it would have been for Zelda's actual parents.
"Both, I suppose," the princess answered, flinching mostly due to nerves as Impa started combing through her hair. "I'm so afraid I'll forget a line or step on someone's toes."
"If it makes you feel any better, Link's probably going through the same thing right now," Impa assured her, running the firm brush in long, even strokes through her hair. Everything had to be perfect today.
"That just makes me feel bad for dragging him into all of this," Zelda giggled in response.
"You hardly forced him down on his knee," Impa scolded, rolling her eyes. Kids these days.
"Perhaps, but if not for my being next in line we could have had a much simpler ceremony," Zelda countered. "With fewer people."
"As if a small wedding would ever satisfy you," Impa teased, ceasing the brush strokes. Her hair had looked perfect already, of course, but it was just another way to twiddle their thumbs as they waited. Zelda awoke that morning and prepared herself far too early, leaving her with far too much time to brood over the upcoming events.
"Don't say that word," Zelda hissed, glaring at her mentor as if she had said an obscenity.
"What would you call it besides a 'wedding'?" Impa asked, laughing as she returned the brush to its stand and moved back to her own seat.
"Anything," Zelda laughed in return. "It's just that 'wedding' seems so serious."
"And this isn't?" Impa asked, eyeing her pupil carefully.
"It's not like that, Impa," Zelda defended, turning away from the open air of the balcony to face her. "It's just that 'wedding' seems like so much more than what it feels like."
"And what does it feel like?" Impa questioned, bemused.
"Like we're announcing what everyone already knew, and everyone's making a big deal out of it," Zelda explained, walking over and taking a seat next to Impa. "I mean is it really coming as a surprise to anyone?"
"Not in Hyrule," Impa responded automatically, a dark emotion crossing her face briefly. Zelda gave her an odd look, but decided not to call her out on it. This wasn't a day to worry. Worrying would be for the future. "What would make it feel like a 'wedding'?" Impa continued, breaking Zelda from her troubled thoughts.
"Well, if I had been married off to some noble I didn't like," she explained, "then it would feel like a 'wedding' rather than an announcement." Impa chuckled good-naturedly.
"Would you really ever allow yourself to be married off?"
"Perhaps," Zelda answered, surprising her mentor. Impa crossed her arms and gave the girl a stern look.
"That's hard to believe," the older woman deadpanned.
"If I hadn't met Link, then I would have no real reason to refuse a marriage," Zelda explained thoughtfully, leaning back in her seat, mindful of her dress. "Of course, if they tried to marry me off and I did know him…"
"Hyrule would find itself without a princess quicker than we could lock the doors," a new voice interrupted, surprising both Zelda and Impa. Together they turned in their seats to see an older man standing in the entrance to Zelda's room. "I hope I'm not interrupting, by the way," he continued, smirking.
"Of course not," Impa answered, standing up and looking back at Zelda, whose nerves had apparently returned in full force.
"Are you ready, Your Highness?" the man asked, unable to resist grinning.
"As I'll ever be," Zelda conceded, following suit. She allowed herself to be led out of the room and towards the chapel, heart pounding away merrily.
The decorations, the dresses, the sheer volume of attendees… it was all beautiful, of course, but it seemed like so much. Not that Zelda wasn't thankful for every last detail, including even the so-called lowliest of nobles and peasants. All these people, all this work just for her though—that seemed almost ridiculous.
She grew up well aware of her position and aware of what it meant for her in the future: to someday be the queen of Hyrule and rule over the people diligently. All of that had been drilled into her brain over the years, but whenever she pictured the moment she would become queen, it never looked like this.
She always imagined some dark, dreary scene—possibly raining—where she would stand over her parents' grave and mourn their loss with the rest of Hyrule. Then someone would approach her and plunk a cold, heartless crown of thorns on her head and lead her to a crumbling throne.
Something dramatic like that.
She never imagined the war that had led to the death of her father, or—not more but perhaps as importantly—the very same war to lead her to her someday-husband and hero of Hyrule. Hero of Time.
Music drifted and echoed in the high ceiling of the cathedral as she stepped onto the aisle. Everyone in attendance was looking at her, most of them smiling with a mix of happiness and expectation. She couldn't help but notice that the nobles leaned far more towards expectation.
"You'll be fine if you calm down, Your Highness," the same man from earlier whispered to her—her best and most trusted advisor in the castle and with all things related to the kingdom. He had been chosen to escort her down the aisle—a great honor he had called it.
"If I calmed down for a moment I fear I would simply pass out, "she whispered back, taking his arm. They started to slowly walk towards the holy man waiting at the end of the stretch, a familiar grinning face standing beside him. The music continued to increase in tempo, booming in an odd mix of excitement and reverence.
Zelda felt light-headed, considering the implications of everything around her.
This was the moment her parents had dreamed of, the moment so many nobles had watched and waited for earnestly, the moment her advisors awaited anxiously. This choice—to marry this man—would decide the fate of the kingdom. Had she selected another—a nobleman—the situation would be utterly different. Anyone, really, that she could have married would have resulted in a different reaction.
As the beaming faces of the peasants washed over her, though, she knew that she could make this work. Link had every right to be standing there—just as much as any noble. And what were traditions anyway except for things meant to be broken?
"Good luck, Your Highness," the advisor mumbled, stepping off to the side as they finally reached the end. She took a deep breath and turned to look at her groom. He grinned back with a knowing look—almost as if she could read his mind. Oh but wait, she could.
"Don't be so anxious, you'll start to rub off on me," he teased.
"Don't be so obvious about using the power of the Triforce in public," she warned, barely resisting the grin that threatened to take over.
"I'm not being obvious," he protested.
"Your hand is glowing."
He physically looked down at his hand and grimaced a bit. She choked off a laugh as the holy man recited his designated words, the gathered audience growing quiet and solemn. The words droned around her, buzzing with promise and a weight that she had never known before.
Even knowing that today would end in her being a married woman, even knowing this day was coming for months, the words still felt like more than they ever had before. After all, when hadn't Link promised her that he would love and protect her? And when had she ever denied looking after him when he was feeling unwell?
"I do," Link agreed, and she felt herself mouth the same words. The crowd erupted into cheers as he leaned in and cupped his hand under her chin. He pressed his lips to hers in a deep yet brief kiss, barely able to resist out-right smirking.
In a blur of motion it was all over. Nobles and peasants alike came up to greet and congratulate the new couple. Guards stood by anxiously watching for any shifty movements by anyone, but Link could hardly be distracted by any of them—his eyes were only for his bride.
Zelda quietly and professionally managed to focus on thanking guests for attending, promising to visit foreign courts with her new kingly husband as soon as she could manage. She even managed to ignore Link's eyes on her, even though she could feel him watching her carefully.
After the guests had been cleared away, Impa came up to congratulate them, snatching the honor of being the last of the attendees to talk to the new couple. The guards started to move out, making sure the cathedral was truly empty. They didn't have to watch as carefully with Impa right next to the couple—standing between Link and Impa, really where would Zelda be safer?
"I trust you two will be responsible tonight?" Impa asked while looking pointedly at Zelda, as if to say, I don't trust him but I trust you…
"Impa, please, we're both adults now," Zelda chastised.
"Adults," she scoffed. "Eighteen is hardly adult."
"Don't be so old fashioned," Zelda grimaced. "After all we've been through—."
"Yes, yes I know. Save the lecture for someone who hasn't heard it a dozen times," Impa chuckled, scooping her up in a hug. "I know you're all grown up, but be careful. You're young and people will fault you for it even if you do everything as you should."
"A stern warning for a wedding gift," Zelda sighed dramatically, hugging the elder woman back. "How did I know I would get something like this from you?"
"You know me just as well as I know you, that's how." They both laughed and for a surreal moment the world seemed unrealistically perfect. Impa took a step back and allowed a smile to spread across her features and light up her eyes.
"Don't worry; I'll be okay, I have my knight here to protect me," she smiled softly at her mentor, who nodded in return.
"Have fun tonight," Impa encouraged.
"But not too much?"
"Maybe just for tonight."
Zelda looked at her in surprise, but she merely turned and walked off. She felt Link's hand slip into her own and tug her closer. She looked up to see him grinning down at her, and then he was leading her off, back to the castle to the only room he could find blindfolded in the dark: hers.
"Promise me you won't worry for the rest of the night," he whispered as they quietly climbed the stairs.
"I haven't been worried all day," she scoffed. "Let alone about tonight."
"Right and I never fought Ganondorf before," he chuckled, earning himself a smack in the back of the head.
They reached her room and as she reached out to swing the door open she felt the floor fly out from beneath her. She turned to glare at Link who had swept her off her feet to carry her, appropriately, bridal style. He bumped the door open and walked easily over to the bed, not showing a sign of her weight affecting his gait.
Swinging a massive sword around for all those years along with whatever other crazy stunts he'd preformed had built him up in more ways than one.
He gently laid her out on the bed, leaning over her and planting a gentle kiss on her lips. She felt his hands trap her head on either side and saw his smirk in the dim light of the room, with only a dying fire to illuminate them.
"If you have any worries, speak now or forever hold your peace," he breathed, running kisses down her neck.
"I think I already agreed to all of that," she whispered, feeling her face flush, though she doubted it was from the balmy night, considering the cool temperature outside.
"You know what I mean."
"We don't have anything to worry about," she disagreed. "You beat the bad guy—."
"We beat the bad guy."
"—and saved the world. Our enemies are in their graves, our friends and family are safe tonight, and we're together," she explained. "All we have to look forward to is a lasting peace. You made that possible, so don't you worry so much."
"You never know," he chuckled. "Another bad guy could pop up tomorrow and we might find ourselves fighting for our lives all over again." Zelda sighed and reached her arms up, wrapping them around his neck.
"Don't jinx it," she answered. "We take it day by day, peace or not, just like we have in the past… and we take it together."
"Aye."
Link reached for her lips again and worked them gently. All the tension and doubt and worry drained out of their bodies as they worked together, enjoying their first true night of peace together since Ganondorf's plots had torn apart the land—but that was an entire year ago now.
Now they had their lives, they had each other, and it seemed like that would be enough to last them through whatever may come. After surviving what they had, nothing really scared them—after all, they knew they could handle it now, so long as they were working together.
A year had passed since Ganondorf was defeated and they were married.
Two years total would pass in peace.
Three years total would pass in war.
A/N: This story will be the prequel to my story Twilight Storm. It will not be necessary to read that story to enjoy this one, although you may get more out of it. I hope you enjoyed the prologue, please tell me what you think of it so far. 'Til next time!