"Before us great Death stands
Our fate held close within his quiet hands.
When with proud joy we lift Life's red wine
To drink deep of the mystic shining cup
And ecstasy through all our being leaps—
Death bows his head and weeps."
— Rainer Maria Rilke
Part One
The King fiddled with his thumbs as he paced the dim corridor. He could hear the agonizing screams of his wife and he wondered why they had ever thought that having a baby was a good idea. She had been in labor for the better part of eight hours and he was becoming more agitated by the minute. He didn't know whether to sit still or barge into the chamber and demand to see his wife, to be by her side. But the midwives had ushered him away and told him to stay put; that everything was going to be ok. And he trusted them. Surely there was no reason to worry... Women gave birth to children all the time, right? Some even had five or six children! It couldn't be that bad…
Suddenly the screams stopped and the door to the chamber opened. A midwife stepped out; her dark hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. She was carrying with her a small bundle. No… by the goddesses above, she was carrying two small bundles! The King hurried over to her.
"My Lord," she said as she bowed her head, "two babies! A boy and a girl!" She gave him a wide smile and with shaking hands, he took one of the bundles into his arms.
"And my wife?" he asked as he peered into the tiny face of the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. He began to speak to it in the silly language he had heard parents often use with their babes.
"The Queen is still bleeding, but we are certain that she will be alright. Mistress Ardat is tending to her now" the midwife said. The King frowned slightly. Ardat was his wife's personal adviser and a prominent member of the Royal Court. She was a powerful and cunning sorceress and he wasn't particularly fond of her. He didn't trust her… but his wife kept telling him that he was being paranoid; that in all the years Ardat had been in their castle, nothing but good fortune had blessed them. Perhaps he was being a little unfair. The door opened once more and Impa appeared. Now, Impa he was fond of. She was leader of the Sheikah: a tribe sworn long, long ago to protect the Royal Family of Hyrule. She was a tall, thin woman with an austere face that commanded respect.
"Your Grace, the Queen is well. She sleeps at the moment. We have to take the babes now, to bathe and prepare them" she said as she took the baby from him. He reluctantly let her take the small bundle.
"Can I see my wife now, Impa?" he asked nervously. He wondered for a brief second why he had to ask the Sheikah's permission when he was King…
"Of course, my Lord. You may enter to see her, but she sleeps" Impa reminded him, and together, she and the midwife left him in the corridor, taking with them his pride and joy. Snapping out of his happy reverie, he slowly pushed the door open, bumping into another servant who carried in her arms sheets… sheets stained and drenched with blood. So much blood… The King's face blanched at the sight as he let her pass. Ardat was sitting next to the bed where the Queen lay, her violet eyes upon the sleeping face. The King cleared his throat. The sorceress turned to him and smiled widely… a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Your Majesty" she said in her sultry voice, bowing her head.
"My wife... how is she?" he asked, hurrying over to the bed.
"She is well. I have given her a potion to dull the pain and make her sleep. After such a hard task, it is only natural that she should rest" Ardat said.
"Can she be moved? I do not wish for her to stay in this chamber, it is too cold" the King said, looking around the barren room. It was a warm summer's eve, but the room felt unnaturally chilly. Ardat shook her head.
"Not until tomorrow, Your Grace. She is too weak now to be moved" she said. The King sighed.
"Then I shall stay here with her until she can be moved" he said as he bent down to kiss his wife's forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Ardat's eyes flash with anger, but when he faced her, she wore a soft smile on her pale face.
"As you wish, my Lord" she said as she rose to her feet. "I will return later to check on her, with your permission, of course"
The King nodded and was glad to see her leave the room.
Impa struggled to keep her cool. She was one of the toughest warriors in Hyrule, leader of the Shadow Folk—the Royal Family's personal guards— yet she could not, for the life of her, bathe a baby. She was terrified that she would drop the infant or break its fragile neck and was glad when Glenn took the babe from her, clucking.
"Honestly, Impa, it's not at all difficult to bathe a baby" the plump woman said, placing the baby girl inside a small, wooden tub with warm water that rested atop a table. A younger woman was gently drying off the baby boy, crooning soft words to him as she did.
"Well, you're a midwife, Glenn… it's what you do. Me? I fight for a living." She pulled out a wooden chair and sat down, placing her chin on her palm as she watched the two women dress and bundle the babies.
"What are their names?" she asked.
"Zelda, for the lass, of course. It is tradition. And Eiden for the lad" Glenn said. From where she sat, Impa couldn't tell the babes apart.
"To think the Queen would give birth to twins!" the younger maid piped up excitedly.
"It is a rather nice surprise, don't you think?" Glenn said as she began to bottle feed Eiden. "Lilu, help me feed little Zelda please" she said to the younger maid.
Suddenly the door burst open with a gust of wind that almost made the torches stop burning. It was Ardat. Impa's hand instinctively clutched the hilt of the sword at her side
"Forgive me, ladies, for frightening you" the sorceress said with a wicked smile. She glided into the room, her black, silk robes sweeping behind her. "I just came to make sure the Prince and Princess were alright"
"The babes are fine, m'lady" Lilu said in a frightened squeak.
"Indeed" Ardat drawled. She walked towards Glenn and Lilu, peering down at the babies. Impa was sure she could see the ghost of a sneer upon her pretty face.
"Lilu, when you are finished here, bring wine to my chamber. Tonight, I wish to celebrate" Ardat said.
"Y-yes ma'am" Lilu nodded.
"For Hyrule" Ardat whispered with a grin, and with that, she vanished in a puff of black vapor. Impa got to her feet with a heavy sigh.
"I better get going, ladies. There is much to do and I have no time to be idle" she said, and with a curt nod, she left the room as well.
"You know," Lilu said as she began to rock baby Zelda gently in her arms, "that Ardat woman is mighty frightening, don't you think? I don't know why she is allowed in the castle"
"Hold your tongue, girl!" Glenn said sharply, looking around in alarm. "Don't you know?" she lowered her voice, "These walls… they hear everything. They know everything that happens in Hyrule Castle…"
"I just don't know, Alys. Rumor has it we will be sent to check out the disturbance to the west. Apparently a small army is gathered near the outpost there and they mean to cause trouble" Quinn said as he looked at his beautiful wife. Her big brown eyes were troubled, and he sat next to her on the bed. He chuckled as he ruffled his son's golden hair, making him laugh. "I promise I'll make it back for Link's second birthday" he said to his wife.
Alys pursed her lips and then smiled. "As if you can know that for sure" she said sadly. Being married to a Knight of Hyrule was not easy.
"Come on, my dearest Alys, when have I ever broken a promise?" he asked, and winced as she opened her mouth to reply. "Never mind! Don't answer that" he laughed. Alys burst out laughing.
"I just worry about you, my beloved" she said, cupping Quinn's cheek in her small hand. "I worry that one day—" but Quinn cut her off.
"Shh, don't think about that. Don't worry about things like that. I have a beautiful family to return to… I can't die yet. You and Link are the joy of my life… I won't be going anywhere anytime soon" he said, leaning forward and kissing her trembling lips softly. "Oh, did you hear? The Queen gave birth to twins. A boy and a girl… imagine that!" he said to his wife in an attempt to change the subject.
"Blessed be Farore! When did she give birth?" Alys asked excitedly. It seemed like only yesterday that she herself had given birth to her beloved Link.
"This evening, a few hours ago" he said. "Zelda and Eiden, the future rulers of Hyrule"
Alys laughed. "It is most unfair that you get to hear all the juicy gossip that goes on at the Castle before I do!"
Quinn grinned. "One of the perks of being Knight Lieutenant… and being best friends with the Commander" he said. A deafening thunderclap startled them, making Alys clutch Link tightly to her bosom. Thankfully he had not woken.
"That's odd" Quinn said, walking swiftly to the nearest window to look outside. "There's a storm coming… but the sky was clear just moments ago" he said with a frown.
"Well, I hope it's not a loud storm. Link just fell asleep" Alys said, placing her little boy in his crib. She turned to look at her husband and smiled.
"Come now, my love, it is late, and we must rest. You have to wake up extra early, remember?" she said as she climbed back into bed and under the covers. Quinn looked at her and grinned.
"I guess you're right" he said, and turned off the lanterns before climbing into bed next to his wife.