Chapter Two
-*-*- Our Hero Returns -*-*-
Zelda sighed groggily as her weary eyes continued to scan the rolled up piece of parchment on her desk. She looked over the drafting in a careless manner, yet she continued to keep her eye out for anything suspicious. Once coming past the notifications and such, she came upon the rules themselves. Zelda straightened herself and now began to focus intently, for this is where she played her part.
All citizens shall address the queen as Her Majesty, Her Highness, or Her Grace at all times, and shall only speak her name when given proper permission.
Her eyes narrowed at this. It looked like it was going to be a long day.
Worship of the Goddesses shall be by the citizens' own decisions, and will not be required to anyone who does not wish it. None the less, it is the Three whom hath made us and our Land, thus we must give respect at the least.
Slowly, Zelda's focus began to waver again as her eyes scrolled down the fine ink text. She read through the main laws of the citizens, down to the rules of punishment for crimes, to the rather strict rules of authority and citizens of the castle. In ended in a fine text print which noted, Long live the Queen; Forever live the Three.
After an hour and a half of proofreading the parchment, Zelda re-rolled the scroll and stood from her desk. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she gazed out the window to her left, which was behind a few bookshelves, pleading for a change of scenery. One again, it was nothing but a bland gray.
She turned to the door, where Fredric was standing with his hands linked together and his head bent. The guard quickly aroused from his dozing and understood that Zelda was done with the scroll. He gave a weary smile and nudged his head in the direction of the doorway. Zelda let out an exasperated sigh of relief and nodded, then walked over to Fredric and passed him as she emerged into the marble hallways. As she walked a few steps forward, she heard a faint slam followed by a click, knowing that Fredric had locked the door to her study.
As the two passed down the halls, Zelda came upon a young boy dressed in blue robes.
"Excuse me, sir!" Zelda cried.
The boy, who appeared to be eleven years old, stopped in his tracks and gazed at Zelda with a look of surprise.
"Your majesty!" he exclaimed, spinning around to face her and giving a short bow. Zelda chuckled, her blue eyes losing their pale gleam as they sparkled with laughter.
"If you please," she muttered, extending her right hand, which was holding the scroll. "Could you spare me some time and take this to the chamber of the Council? I would be very grateful if you informed them that this has been proofed."
"Of course, your grace," the boy replied, taking the scroll from her gloved fingers. "I'm their new apprentice, you know!"
"Lovely," she chuckled. "Now, take haste and be on your way!"
She shooed him with her hands, and the boy gave another quick bow before rushing down the hallway.
Zelda smiled as the brown-haired lad raced quickly down the hall. But her smile soon vanished. The sound of pounding rain was still evident as the water poured against the marble outer walls. Fredric noticed her change of emotion and quickly came to her side.
"Do you need anything?" he muttered hastily.
"No," Zelda replied as they approached a wide set of marble stairs. "I'm fine…you needn't escort me anymore, Fredric."
The blonde guard hesitated, then tilted his head forward as the queen ascended the steps to the second throne room, which was on the first floor and was used for the generic purposes, such as ruling, governing, and meetings.
As she entered, she was confronted with a row of guards set up on either side of a royal-blue velvet carpet. They bowed reverently as she passed, then turned to face her, adjusting position so that two were at her side and the rest lined the back wall.
Zelda rested comfortably in the marble throne, which was lined with the same royal-blue velvet on top of a thick, yet plush cushion. To her left was a Sheikian guard with blood-red eyes and silvery white hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He looked at her and gave a faint smile before facing forward, his emotions blank. To her right was a normal Hylian guard with sandy-blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She sighed and glared at the entrance, wishing something would happen to light up her eventless day.
-*-*-
"Stay here, Epona," the cloaked figure muttered under his breath as he dismounted and led his mare underneath the wide canopy of an oak tree, shielding the rain from the two. The mare whinnied in return, giving a faint rear but obediently remaining put.
The man thus gave the horse a faint pat on the neck, then strode silently back into the rain. The downpour was so thick that you could hardly see six feet around you. But this didn't stop the determined figure. He braced on, passing through Castle Town until he came upon the entrance to Hyrule Castle's courtyard. On the way he had confronted three guards who had insisted that entering the castle was not a good idea, yet they had bid him good will, so he made no hesitation to continue. It was only now, at the fourth, that he had been forcefully stopped.
"I would suggest turning back," growled a deep voice as the guard bluntly placed his armor-covered hand in front of him. The man froze in his footsteps.
"I have no time to debate," he grumbled. "I need to see the queen."
The guard seemed to be holding back a laugh.
"Ha! And just who do you think you are, being able to barge in on her majesty?"
The man lowered his eyelids as a smirk formed over his lips.
"Why, I am but the Hero Chosen by the Gods," he replied. The guard furrowed his eyebrows, trying to get a glimpse of the face hidden in the shadows of the black hood.
"You expect me to believe that poppycock?" he spat.
Link clenched his fists.
"Shut up. Now is not the time to delay me," he demanded. "I need to speak with the queen – this is an urgent matter!"
The guard took a step forward, laying one hand on the rapier at his side.
"Don't make me repeat myself," he snapped. "Get out of my sight."
Link retreated in shock, then sighed.
"Fine," he muttered. "Be that way. I guess I'll have to improvise…"
Link raised his hands before him in a casual, yet mischievous manner, and a small amount of wind began to whip around him as some rain began to form swirling torrents of clear spirals.
"What the h–?!" the guard screeched, but his words were drowned out, and with a blinding flash, Link was gone.
-*-*-
Zelda groaned in frustration as another lightning bolt was sent thundering through the sky. The day just seemed to get blander and blander.
"Azul, what of the weather?" she muttered, turning to the Sheikian guard to her left. The Sheik shrugged.
"Same as all week," he replied. "Supposedly more rain, that is, until Friday, perhaps." Zelda's spirits lifted, then sunk. That was six days away…
Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to the swirling currents of wind and water that had begun to circle at the ceiling of the throne room. There was a bright flash, and then a shadowy figure appeared from nowhere, seeming to be plunging head-first to the marble floors. Zelda gasped as the form began to seem more life-like. The person, or, whatever it was, descended quicker and quicker until it was just feet from the floor. An arm stretched out, and the person swung himself onto his middle and index fingers. For hardly a second it balanced, twisting itself and flipping forward. Then, all fell silent as it crouched down on one knee; its hands sprawled out on the cold marble floor. Slowly, the portal above vanished into thin air.
Zelda's mouth hung open in a most un-royal manner. Her eyes grew wide. The figure slowly stood up, the soaked cloak slightly sagging downwards as it trailed the floor. Zelda slowly closed her mouth and focused on what she realized was the man before her. His black cloak was dripping wet and clung to his muscular chest. The hood was still pulled up, hiding the man's face, but this only made Zelda's curiosity boil with anticipation.
The man took a single step forward, then leaned over in a deep bow.
"Your majesty…" he muttered. Zelda gulped. His voice sounded so heavenly and sweet and…so familiar…
Then, the man rather harshly straightened himself and swung his head back and to the side, swinging the cloak's hood off of his head without using his hands. Zelda found herself lowering her eyelids at the man's cleverness, but her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped again as she focused on the man's face.
He had lightly tanned skin and captivating, dark sea-blue eyes. His hair was a dirty-blonde, naturally highlighted, which came to just an inch above his shoulders. His bangs were rather long, yet they revealed his eyes easily.
Zelda's wide eyes took in each detail of him: His blue hoop earrings on either pointed ear, the crooked smile stretching across his face, the uncommon color of those dark sea-blue eyes… And then, out of the graciousness of her keen eyesight, she could just barely make out that under his cloak were a forest-green tunic, tan pants, and brown boots that came up to just below his knees.
She let out a gasp that sounded horrified, overjoyed, amazed, and frantic all at the same time.
"Link?!" she screamed, and all the guards gave a slight jump – not only at her yell, but at her actions. She had bounded off her throne in a most unexpected and unladylike manner, and was currently running like mad to the man that stood just a few feet away. Zelda managed to slow herself down before ramming into the chest of the man, and began to stare in awe at him. He was nearly six feet tall now.
"Surprised to see me?" Link muttered, grasping one of her gloved hands and placing his lips upon it. The guards paid no heed to this, for it was a common greeting used with royalty. Zelda blushed heavily, but as Link pulled away, his expression turned into one of worry. "Your highness…I need to speak with you privately," he whispered so that only she could hear. "It's an urgent matter, and I fear it cannot be delayed any longer."
Author's Note:
Ooh – intriguing. What's going to happen? Look forward to the next chapter to find out!
=3