Hello! This is the very introductory chapter to the kind-of sequel of Independence. You can still read this without reading that first and it will still make sense but you'll get some context and background if you read that as well. And if you have read Independence and haven't already seen it, there's an epilogue now I've decided to upload that should make a lot of you very happy.
As always, I hope you enjoy.
Link put his armour on one of the stands, wiping it clean. Oh, how things had changed in such a short period of time. For some reason he thought the princess was going to keep her word and take things slowly but, then again, he knew what she was like and she always put everything she had into anything she did. Their relationship was no exception.
It hadn't even been a year since her coronation and formal beginnings of the relationship, and yet their engagement had already been announced. He was fine with how it had affected them and even their relationships with others, but his forced retirement was a lot harder to take. He couldn't be her knight when he was now in a position that needed its own guard. He needed to hang up his sword and accept that he was no longer the one tasked to protect but the one that needed to be protected instead.
''Grax,'' Link said, just before he felt the other man's arm lean on his back as if he was going to strike.
The former assassin laughed and stepped away, walking around to lean on the wall. He was generally a cheery man with dark hair, grey starting to show through to reveal his age. His eyes glowed red, just like the other Sheikah, which had been a development of trust in itself. He didn't like people knowing his heritage, particularly how it related to his Yiga past. Hiding his eyes had been enough to pass as a Hylian but Link had slowly convinced him to stop wasting the energy and let them show. There was no prejudices or preferences to race when it came to protecting the queen.
''You're getting better at that,'' he said and Link was quiet, his expression saying enough. ''I thought you'd be busy with the wedding planning.''
Link shook his head. ''Event planners are,'' he said as he picked up one of his swords, wiping it over before placing it on the stand. ''I'm useful here.''
Grax couldn't argue with that. ''What are you going to do with yourself once you're married?'' he asked and Link shrugged.
''That's why I'm starting now,'' he said and Grax frowned as Link handed over a shield, clearly marked to signify the head of the royal guard. ''Congratulations.''
Grax was flustered. ''H-hang on. I didn't sign up for this.''
''I signed up to protect the princess. I got ownership of an army and had to help her seal away Ganon over a hundred years, running around the whole world to complete shrines and quests and free the divine beasts,'' Link retorted and Grax knew he really couldn't argue. He didn't play the 'Champion of Hyrule' card often but when he did, it was because someone was whinging over nothing. ''You'll be fine.''
Grax sighed as he looked around the room. ''I guess that means I'll be protecting you and the queen from now on.''
''That is the gist of it,'' Link said as he continued to pull his things out of a bag on the floor. He hadn't realised he'd gathered so much armour and weaponry over the years. ''I'll still come down to practice. I'll know what's going on here.''
Grax groaned. ''I know. That's why I'm complaining,'' he said and Link smiled a little. Everyone knew Link held extremely high standards for those who dedicated their lives to protecting the royal family.
Link finished displaying his armour and weapons, making sure it all looked neat and tidy whilst still being out of the way. There was something sad about leaving his armour behind; it was like he was leaving a close friend. The military had been such a large part of his life that it felt wrong to leave it all behind.
He took the empty bag and put it in one of the cupboards, watching Grax sit on one of the windowsills and hand stitch something. The man had many quirks; that was for sure. ''I'm heading back to the castle.''
''Yeah, I'm just fixing this shirt. I tore it yesterday teaching some of the newbies how to move through trees,'' he said, biting the thread to break it near the knot he'd tied. ''I hope that will hold.''
Link frowned as he looked at the peculiar stitching. He'd embroidered it instead of just hastily patching the hole like the knight had expected him to do. ''Did you sew a flower on that?''
''The hole was all puckered and needed to be sewn at multiple angles. Besides, it looks cute. I like it,'' Grax said defensively, admiring the small pattern. ''You can talk. You own a full set of female Gerudo clothes.''
Link suddenly looked flustered. ''That's different!''
Grax gave him a knowing look, folding the shirt so he could put it with his things. Link walked back to the castle, waiting aside as Zelda sat at her desk, chatting with one of the event planners as she jotted down things in one of her many notebooks. She looked so beautiful when she was excited by things, taking in as much information as her brain could handle and more.
Zelda turned her head and saw him, a different kind of smile coming across her face. It was a smile that she saved just for him and he loved watching it change when she finally noticed him in any room. She waved for him to come closer, holding his arm as she explained what had been decided since he last was filled in. ''We were thinking it would be beautiful if we got married in the Hyrule fields. There's nowhere in the castle big enough to fit the crowds that will want to come. It also caters better to some of the bigger guests who wouldn't be allowed to come if it was indoors because they can't fit through any of the archways. The cathedral isn't fixed yet either and isn't scheduled to be for a while.''
''Security nightmare but go on,'' Link said, his first thoughts going back to what they always did; how to keep her safe.
Zelda rolled her eyes at him. She should have guessed that would be his first thought. ''Then I hope you've prepared the military well enough they can prevent any problems from happening,'' she retorted as she looked back at the planner. ''Catering might be a bit of a problem with such large numbers but we're working that out.''
''We were thinking the celebrations should be separated into two; you can come back inside with dignitaries and specially invited guests for a more formal meal, then everyone else can be outside and have buffets,'' she suggested and Zelda looked like she was still contemplating the idea. It made it twice as much to organise if it became like two events. She was also very fond of her kingdom; if she was having the wedding in a place where all of her people could celebrate not only their marriage but the formal appointment of their new leader, she wanted them to see the whole thing.
The planner looked at Link, folding their arms. ''Prince Link. There's a nice ring to that,'' she said as she seemed to be thinking. This woman was too creative for her own good. Her influence on Zelda was only making him more overwhelmed with all the information she'd tell him, prattling on between the wedding, science and politics with lightning speed. He was lucky to realise when she'd swapped topics on him.
''King,'' he said and Zelda contained a smile, covering her mouth as the planner looked at the queen for direction. Clearly there was something he didn't know.
''You won't be right away. That's not how marrying into royalty works,'' Zelda said and Link frowned. Sure, he wasn't completely across the technicalities but he had been around enough to know everyone wanted to marry a royal for their chance to become king or queen. ''When we first get married, you'll be the prince consort. Then we'll work out how and if we can make you king. I didn't think you'd mind.''
He personally didn't but it wasn't what he'd been expecting. His mind went first to the man who had tried to convince Zelda to fall in love with him instead, just so he could get the crown. ''Braun would have been very disappointed.''
''I'm not an expert at all but Link is heir to the throne, surely you could work out a way to have him crowned as king immediately. He's not the same as others who don't have the appropriate ranks to do so,'' the planner suggested and Zelda considered it for a few moments.
''It's not something we need to have immediately. There's many more important things to get done first. If we can, that would make things easier but is definitely on the 'can do without' list,'' she suggested and the planner nodded, making sure to write it down. Zelda looked at the clock on one of the mantles, bowing her head slightly in thanks. ''We have another meeting to go to now. Please let me know when you've got more information.''
Zelda walked out of the room as Link followed her, letting her hand sit in his. She could tell it had been a difficult morning for him. ''How was Grax?''
Link followed her down the hall, watching the way the coat she wore moved perfectly, catching the breeze created by her steps. It suited her so well, reflecting her active nature that seemed to flow like the wind through the wild. ''Not excited but I have given him control now,'' he said and Zelda stopped to look at him.
She could see he was divided about it all. It had been his life's work, everything he lived for that he was giving away. If he hadn't, then he couldn't be with her. ''Are you alright?''
Link gave her a slight shrug. ''I told him that he's not gotten rid of me. I'll be back to make sure he's doing a good job and keep my skills up. If something does ever happen, whether I'm royalty or not, I want to be able to protect you.''
Of course he did. He was forever her knight, even if he rescinded the title. She gave him a kiss before she began to walk again, a notebook under her arm as she began listing off things she needed to remember that she hadn't written down yet. ''Oh, I have to get the seamstress to make you a coat too.''
''What happened to those old ones Impa had for you?'' Link asked and Zelda thought for a second.
''They're in the vault. I want the royal family to be less secretive and unapproachable so when castle town is built up again so I want to have a museum and library built where they and some of the other artefacts can be displayed. Encourage people to learn. Education isn't taken seriously in this kingdom and I think it should be,'' she said and Link was at least happy she hadn't shoved them in a cupboard to never emerge again. With her initial reaction all those months ago, he thought she might have burnt them. The items from the old kingdom always brought back bittersweet memories, happy times tainted by the calamity. The things that belonged to her parents just made the heartache even worse.
They walked into the meeting room, Zelda sitting in her chair as Link sat by her side. ''My apologies to keep you all waiting,'' she said as she reached forward for the notebooks that had been put there for her, flipping them open to start writing as people spoke. Becoming queen had certainly taught her to be meticulously organised. ''Today's agenda please.''
After listing off everything that was going to be covered, they started discussing the first point. ''The Temple of Time's restoration is going to be delayed,'' one of the council members stated, looking at their own notes. ''There's only one glass maker who can perfectly match the panes that were there and he's got an injury that prevents him from doing his work. He should recover in the next month or so but it does push things back.''
Zelda flicked through her notebook, checking the other pages. ''How far back?''
''Estimates between two weeks and a month. We're trying to negotiate how to get them done more efficiently, like perhaps picking them up in a few trips so they can be installed as they are finished instead of altogether after they're all complete.''
She wrote it down, marking her calendar. ''Alright. Anything else for the Temple of Time?''
Link looked at her with a frown on his face. He didn't attend all of the meetings but he was pretty sure they'd missed something very important. ''Have you worked out fixing the staircases from the Great Plateau so people can go there yet?''
Zelda looked through her notes. ''Not according to what I have.''
''It's on the list of road works, your majesty,'' another council member said as they looked at the papers in front of himself. ''Scheduled for the fifth wave.''
''The fifth?'' Zelda asked as she flicked through her notes again. There was so much to do that the plans spanned the next twenty years to have everything under control and back to normal. Given the calamity had lasted a hundred, there was little surprise it would take a large amount of time to get things done. ''That's ten years away. The temple restoration is to be completed by the end of this year.''
The council member that had spoken about the roads looked lost for options. He was the one in charge of the road work projects. ''The roads and paths to the Great Plateau are their own project. Which wave would you like to substitute in its place?''
Zelda looked at him, flicking through her notes again. She read through a piece of paper she was handed with the details of each wave, trying to work out what could change. None of them could move; each of the first four waves contained roads that severely impacted the kingdom and each of its villages. If she reprioritised any of them, not only would it affect her people but her relationship with the villages as well. ''Are there any quick solutions we could have? The restoration of the temple should be moved back if no one is going to be able to go and see it. There are other things people would rather see done first.''
Link could see that Zelda didn't particularly like the idea of postponing such a sacred place. Back in their time, letting the sacred statues, springs and buildings wear was a high crime. The world was a very different place and she was struggling to get used to the ideas of the different priorities her people had. The council members could all see the expression on her face as well. ''We could push forward some of the restorations of Castle Town that we've postponed. We don't have to stop the restorations of the temple completely but slow it down while it waits for the paths to catch up. We might be able to push one of the entry points forward and have something by the time the temple is ready.''
Zelda seemed more pleased with that idea. ''The extra staff can be on the road works instead of Castle Town for now. I think that's doing just fine at its current pace. If we take some of them from the temple restoration, could we have a path and the temple ready by halfway through next year? Is that possible?'' she asked and she could see the relevant members frantically calculating numbers.
They looked up after a few minutes. ''We'll have to get back to you, your majesty.''
Zelda nodded. ''Okay. Next item,'' she said as she looked back at her notes.
Link wasn't sure he could fill her place if she was ever unwell or unavailable with how efficient she was. She wasn't afraid to take her time either; if the council needed more to be covered than they had time for, she would make it. She was dedicated to her people and wouldn't stop until she had done as much as she could for them.
She got up as the meeting concluded, fixing up her coat as she picked up her diary. She folded over her other notebooks and a castle staff member picked them up for her, taking them to put back in her study. The council filed out as Zelda set off to her next location, Link following closely behind.
She only stopped at night, sitting on her bed as Link sat on her chair, happy to spend some time with her alone. She looked into the Naydra's tear, a blue stone that showed the future of those who looked into it. Her future was still fuzzy but the image she saw hadn't changed. She'd asked others and the images had evolved over time but hers was identical to the first one she'd seen once she finally got an image.
''What are you trying to see?'' Link asked as he stared at the ceiling, enjoying the quiet and stillness in the room in comparison to the rest of the castle.
Zelda sighed. ''I don't know. I would have thought my wishes for the future might have changed enough to warrant some differences. You said yours changed.''
Link thought she might have gotten over the stone after Yunobo had given her an explanation all about it but here they were, six months later and still talking about it. ''Same concept.''
''But it changed.''
''Yunobo said it's lucky you can see anything,'' Link replied. ''Descendants of the goddess are meant to struggle.''
Zelda rolled her eyes and put it down. She settled into her bed lying on her side as she looked at her now former knight. ''You look tired.''
Link shrugged. ''Mentally, I guess. I haven't trained or done anything today except sit down,'' he replied. That was going to be the hardest part to adjust to; he had to sit and think of how old he was - did he include the years in the resurrection chamber? - to work out how long it had been since he'd had a day with training, travels or any of his other duties. ''Ignoring the time I spent in the shrine of resurrection, I haven't been this still in... probably ever. I wasn't a still child either.''
''You could run around the castle.''
Link didn't look particularly enthused by the idea. He knew his own fitness level and it'd take at least an hour of running to sufficiently tire out his body. Any less and he'd recover too quickly, rendering the run pointless. ''I'll just have to try and sleep. Maybe it won't be so bad.''
He got up, leaning over to give her a kiss goodnight like he usually did. His bedroom was separated by a busy hallway, which meant people noticed if he was in her room at night. It didn't help they also decided to wake him up in the middle of the night instead if they needed direction; which meant it was extremely obvious when they didn't find him and woke her up instead. It would be so much easier once they were married. No one would care then.
He walked into his room, saying goodnight to the guards along the way that stood and watched for intruders. He got into his bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like the entire night. He got up as the sun began to slowly light the edges of the sky in the morning, sitting on the edge of his bed as he took a moment to work out whether he was awake or not.
He stepped outside, the sun barely on the horizon as he opened the academy door. He grabbed one of the training sets, pulling it outside into the yard. He was practicing for hours, wiping the sweat off of his brow as the afternoon shift guards came in to train before they had to take their posts.
The guards could see they needed to give him space. Grax stood and watched, hands behind his back as he stood perfectly still. ''You have a meeting with the heads of military.''
''You have a meeting,'' Link replied and Grax didn't move. ''Go on.''
''Not without you. The queen has specifically requested the future king be part of any military related meetings. It will be under your jurisdiction,'' he stated clearly and Link stopped. He wasn't sure why he hadn't realised Zelda would want his expertise in the one area when he understood better than most others in the entire kingdom but he wanted to slap himself for not even thinking about it.
Link put the sword on the ground, turning around to face the man he'd trusted his army to. He followed as Grax walked into the castle, both men entering one of the meeting rooms. It was all relatively pointless chatter; mostly battle strategy and other unimportant information. It was nice to be across it all but when he felt like he was going to fall asleep at any moment, he really didn't want to hear about it.
''Sir, are we boring you?'' someone said as Link hadn't realised his eyes had closed over, his head beginning to drop.
''I'm sorry,'' Link apologised as he tried to sit up straighter and wake up. ''First day without full military training yesterday; I didn't sleep. You're not boring. Go on.''
There was a chuckle around the room. They seemed to be sympathetic; everyone in the kingdom knew that was a colossal change for him. ''Maybe we'll finish up for today then. You've all got the information for the recruitment drives?'' Grax asked and everyone nodded as they got up.
Link felt awful; he'd disrupted the meeting because he couldn't deal with sitting through most of a day instead of doing something physically exhausting. He got up and walked out to stand in the hall. ''I'm going to go lie down for a bit. Come get me if you need anything,'' he said and Grax's direction.
''This is the bit that's going to make you struggle, isn't it?'' he said and Link nodded. ''I'll make sure there's something spare in the mornings then.''
Link asked one of the guards to knock on his door after an hour if he hadn't already gotten up, mindful that he still needed to sleep that night. He wasn't planning on having a deep sleep anyway; he'd be content with closing his eyes and just getting some light rest like he survived on while travelling.
It felt like no time had passed at all when he felt lips against his head as he hesitated, controlling himself not to grab the person and put them on the floor in pain. He noticed it was Zelda, immediately relaxing now he knew it wasn't a threat. ''You really were asleep,'' she said as she pulled back, Link slowly rolling to get up. ''I wasn't quiet as I walked in.''
''I didn't mean to,'' he said as he stretched, feeling each of the muscles in his body aching as they were forced to wake up. ''What time is it? I told the guards to knock on my door if I didn't come out after an hour.''
''They were just about to head up the hall. Don't worry,'' she said as she watched him sit up. ''Didn't sleep?''
Link shook his head. ''I almost fell asleep in the military meeting,'' he said and Zelda looked disappointed.
''I asked if you were okay,'' she said as she sat down beside him. ''The planner has more wedding details to go over. I can tell her to wait until tomorrow.''
Link shook his head; he knew how difficult it was to get ready for her coronation and the wedding was only going to be even more extravagant. He quietly wished he could whisk her away somewhere where they could be alone. She was a queen of the people; maybe he could convince her to go hide away somewhere for the honeymoon instead. That was if they were getting one seeing as he wasn't sure if Zelda would let herself have any time off anyway.
He got up, taking her hand as they walked down the hall. It didn't matter how tired he was, he'd go through anything for her, even if it meant putting up with hours of discussions about chairs and floral arrangements, though — of course — he'd really prefer if he didn't have to.