"Nothing is out there, is there?"
The boy gazed out the window, pressing his hand on his chin while he lazily watched the people below go on about their daily lives.
"My parents keep telling me that everything I need in life is in this castle. Do you think that's true?" He took his eyes off the view below him and looked at his attendant, who was busy writing although he seemed distracted himself.
"Well young sire, much of your life will be spent in these castle walls that is true. But do not limit yourself to one place, a future King must go beyond these borders if he is to truly understand the land he is ruling."He assured him, then stood up and made his way to a couple of the bookshelves.
Without the young boy noticing, he shifted through a couple scriptures and books before pulling out a rather large historical biography. With a loud thump, he set the book down on the table and waited for the boy to notice it, and he did. He turned around to see what had caused such a noise and noticed his attendant smiling and eying the book, as a clear sign that he should take notice.
"What's that for?" He gave a wary look, but despite his doubts he stood up from his chair and stepped over to see what was on the desk.
Taking immediate notice the book, he began to inspect it. It was old, or so he guessed by the amount of dust gathered on it and the faded color, and on the cover were some words written in Ancient Hylian which he could roughly translate to, "History of Hyrule."
"Don't just gawk at it young prince, open it up and read it! I believe you will be highly interested by some of the records held in there, as most are about your own ancestors!" His assistant gloated as he pushed the book closer to the boy. Confused, he glanced at his old mentor before reaching out and opening the book to the first page.
"You seem puzzled."
"Am I supposed to be looking for something, sir?" He flipped to the other page, but there was nothing but a table of contents. He scanned the list, as certain words caught his eye such as, "Era of Hylia" and "The Picori."
"My father has mentioned these before. He spoke of ancient times to me once, but I can't remember his exact words, nor what he was actually trying to tell me." The boy's face darkened hint of disappointment in himself, and knowing this the attendant flipped the book to face himself and turned to the first chapter.
He directed his finger to show the boy the words he wanted him to read, and the sentences he was focusing on read, "It was in this time period that the first King and Queen of Hyrule had fully established what their kingdom would become, or at least what they had expected of it at the time."
The boy took a good long look at the phrases and tried to piece together just what his mentor wanted him to understand from it all. Confused and a little frustrated, the boy sat down and let out a heavy sigh.
"Would you like for me to tell you what all of this means in regards to you?" He suggested, letting out a quiet chuckle when he saw the boy grumble and cross his arms.
"It's going to be a doozy, are you willing to listen?"
The boy nodded.
Clearing his throat, he began, "You come from a long line of people that carry the blood of a goddess, young sire. Quite a magnificent royal lineage you have, all were quite benevolent and just. Whether that amounts to the person that you end up becoming, that is up to you. Your ancestors do not chose your decisions in life, remember that. And…" He stopped, becoming hesitant.
"Yes?"
"You're going to become King in a time when Hyrule needs a leader to bring it further into the light. I assume you cannot notice it, how tensions are rising in Hyrule and there doesn't seem to be an end to what could become the inevitable. Once you claim the throne, the choices are yours to what you decide to be Hyrule's fate. You are young, but I see a lot of potential in you."
The boy was lost for words at what his attendant had just spoken out to him, and in his attempts to find a proper response he looked down at the book once more.
"Is this why you're showing me this? To show me the other Kings and Queens of the past?" He asked, still a bit confused.
"You're almost correct! What you said is true, however not only is that the case but I want you to take a good look at everything those people have done. Kings, Queens, Knights, everybody. And one day, you're going to be in that book and known throughout history."
"So what you're saying is—"
"Strive to do something great, young sire. Who knows? Maybe you could change the future of Hyrule itself." He grinned.
"I doubt that! Look at me, compared to my father I've got a small chance at doing half the things he's done to help this kingdom. I won't be remembered, or liked for that matter." He shrugged and hung his head a little low.
"Hmm, go and stand by the window again then," He suggested, making a quick gesture to the window behind them.
"What for?"
"You'll see."
Rolling his eyes, he made his away to the window and looked outside. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the castle guards making his daily round. Noticing the boy, he looked up and waved to him before returning to his duties. The boy smiled a bit then stopped when he heard his attendants voice.
"Did you see anyone that you knew?" He asked.
"Just William doing his daily patrol. Why?"
"Oh so you know his name!" He widened his eyes, amused.
"Of course I do! I memorized everyone's name in the castle and even a couple from the market. A future King has to know his people personally, you know." The boy crossed his arms and frowned.
"Right so." He smiled warmly in agreement. He flipped to another page in the book, but before he could continue his speeches, he heard a guard knock on the door.
"Come right in!"
Quite hastily, a young and lanky guard staggered in, seeming almost out of breath.
"P-Prince Daphnes! Your parents would like to see you, it's about possible your swordsmanship training."
Daphnes opened his mouth in surprise, making his way for the door to follow the guard. Before he left, he poked his head back into the room to see his attendant again.
"Thanks for today, sir."
"Anytime, young sire."
He slowly closed the door, then caught up to the guard that was most likely meant to escort him to his parents that were waiting patiently on his arrival. While they made their way past the long halls, Daphnes thought back to the words his attendant had spoken to him about being a proper King of Hyrule. If what he said was true, then he had a lot to live up to in order to look like a decent king in Hyrule's history compared to his predecessors. He didn't know when the day would come, but he hoped to be ready for it.
"Peace does sound nice…" He muttered under his breath, making the guard stop.
"Did you say something, Prince Daphnes?"
"N-No, it's nothing!" He assured him, continuing to walk on and the guard followed suit. They remained silent for a majority of their walk, until they made it to the last corridor that would lead to the main hall.
"You know I can tell you are going to be something amazing, young sire." The guard blurted out, happily.
"You think so?" Daphnes' face lit up. He heard praise from the citizens in the castle all the time, but this was different.
"Of course! You're a genuine Prince as is, I just know you're going to do great things." The guard smiled sincerely as he opened the door to the hall.
"Thank you, sir!" Daphnes politely nodded before making his way into the main hall of the castle. It was dimly lit, only a couple candles managed to give the area some visibility while he searched for his parents.
"Daphnes, is that you over there?" He heard a familiar voice call out to him, his father.
"Yes! I'm on my way!" He called back, following the echoes.
His parents were standing next to the doorway to the castle gardens, both of them looking rather casual in contrast to their regular formal attire that they wore when working in the castle.
His father was a tall man with a muscular build and deep brown hair that he occasionally wore in a ponytail when he was working. Before becoming King, he was a high-ranked solider that managed to catch the attention of his mother and they later grew close and married years later. At times when he was in meetings, one would think he would be a little stoic and aloof but in reality he was quite a socialite and a kind father.
His mother was very beautiful, with shimmering golden hair and a warm smile that always brightened his spirits after the most intense days. It was thanks to her that Daphnes was able to be taught by her former attendants and study their teachings. In the town, the civilians like to go on about how her blue eyes and radiant golden hair is exactly like his own, as he most likely inherited it from her.
Excitedly, Daphnes trotted over to where his parents were which happened to be on the opposite side of the hall, lucky him.
"How was today, Daphnes?" His mother asked, joyfully.
"Did you learn anything new?" His father added with a smile on his face.
Daphnes shrugged, trying not to give away too mainly details, "Just some more information on how the kingdom of Hyrule operates and what ruling it is going to be like for me."
"That sounds fantastic!" His mother reached down and rubbed his head, messing up his hair slightly.
"Now then, about your training…" His father raised an eyebrow, knowing Daphnes' interest in what he was about go over. "I've arranged some lessons with the Guard Captain tomorrow. He's got quite a schedule so try to wake up early, okay?" He suggested, although he was actually implying for Daphnes to get up early no matter what.
"Yes, father!" He replied, happily. Getting away from all the studies he had to do was more than relieving, and he could learn something fun so this was becoming a win-win situation.
"Right then! Your mother and I will be out in the gardens if you need us." He stepped forward, but then paused and looked back at his son, "Unless…you wish to join us?"
"No thanks, father." Daphnes answered, and he waited for his parents to leave the main hall before running upstairs and across multiple hallways to his own room.
There, he leaped onto the bed and pulled open his journal and began writing. A couple of the younger soldiers told him that keeping a daily journal helps memory, as long as he left out the embarrassing parts.
A small bluebird suddenly flew to the window, perching itself on the side and calling for its brethren before turning to look at Daphnes, who in turn had sat up to take a look at it. Surprised, the bird flew away leaving behind a small feather that flew into the room from the open window. Curiously, Daphnes picked up the feather and poked his head outside, noticing a whole flock of birds out in the field. He then looked up, out to where the market was and the hills of Hyrule Field. Someday it will all be his, even if it seemed a little scary to think about.
"I shouldn't be getting distracted…" He mumbled to himself, "I have a big day tomorrow."
When he had finally filled out the rest of the journal, he placed it on the desk and decided to take one more look outside to see the colors of the sunset, and to take one more look at his kingdom.