* Ariat vs. Araitian (Ariat is the name of the country that resides where Ordon was originally located. Araitian is used when referring to the culture and/or nationality of Ariat. The 'a' and the 'i' is switched to create a smoother sound.)
Ariat: arh-ee-aht (hard 'e' sound) just say 'e'
Araitian- Ahr-aa-she-ean (hard 'a' sound) just say 'a'
I got the name idea from my horseback riding jacket brand 'Ariat.' Nine years of jumping and equitation, woo!
13to-be-and-to-not-to-be13
The books were strewn about on the hand stitched and embroidered comforters, some laying open with their pages set to random, others stacked at odd angles on top of each other. Mixed in with the books and comforter, papers with newly dried ink upon them were either crumpled, or set aside in an un-orderly pile. In this sea of papers and books and comforters lay the sleeping princess, dozing face-first upon a book of Araitian history. She was still adorned with regal clothing of the night before, yet free of her headpiece and ear clutches.* Her dark brown hair with blond highlights was pulling free of its intricate braid, the ribbons already thrown to the floor in annoyance, one tip splattered with black ink splotches.
The sun had risen on the eastern horizon and little light entered the west-facing room, but the brightening sky was turning its intense blue little by little, creating a glare upon the thoroughly polished marble floors. A knock upon the oaken door resounded through the clam silence. The princess did not stir. The person on the other side of the door knocked again, and this time the princess began to stir, but she did not wake. Out of patience, the door swung open with a whoosh and a loud bang, making the princess jump awake completely startled from sleep. The princess looked at the intruder angry at first for barging in, but seeing who it was, calmed before looking confused at their stance.
"Impa, may I help you this lovely morning?" The princess asked with one eyebrow raised, taking in the Shiekah's stern stance and glare. Impa stood feet apart, hands on hips and a scowl on her usually staid and expressionless face. Silence lasted for a few second more, before Impa finally replied.
"We will begin training. Now." Impa said, pausing in-between her first sentence and command. Zelda's eyebrows scrunched together as she opened her mouth to ask something, but Impa interrupted her. "No questions. Get out of bed and dressed. We begin in ten minutes."
"Impa…" Zelda began.
"NO questions, comments, or complaints." Impa sharply replied, closing the door and going about Zelda's room, opening her wardrobe and pulling out training clothing, and setting it down in the attached changing room. Zelda, after hearing this, shut her mouth right up and begrudgingly pulled herself off of her bed to begin to get ready. She proceeded to the dressing room, pulling the hinged wooden middle-door to the other side of the wall. (I don't know what its called, but its like the changing screen with the hinged boards/paper thingy, but this one is attached to a wall, stops 9 inches above the ground and 9 inches before the ceiling. Therefore, 'middle-door.')
"Why the rush?" Zelda asked as she began to get dressed.
"Because I said so." Impa said curtly, going through the drawers full of hairpieces and brushes and perfumed oils for the body and the hair.
"Real explanatory." Zelda replied sarcastically. "Come on Impa, spill it please."
"Your father wishes it, and wants you to have full use and ability in your skills." Impa replied, still rummaging through the drawers at full speed.
Zelda stopped her movements before asking, "Is it his wish that I get sent to the battlefield?"
Impa took her time before replying, "That is validated information as of yet, and is only known to your father. I know nothing, only that his wish of me is to train you and give you some discipline and obedience, so when someone requests you to ask no questions, give no comments, and give no complaints, you will shut your mouth."
Zelda made a mocking face at Impa before uttering under he breath, "Cranky is as cranky does," before beginning to mock Impa again, pretending to be her, talking and moving her lips silently as she began to get ready once again.
"If you would be so kind as to hurry Princess, you are nearing an even harder lesson for today because we will be late if you don't speed it up, and I have places to be." Impa said, placing what she needed out of the drawers onto the dresser's top. As she finished with this, Zelda stepped out from the changing room, clad in cream, side stitch-up pants, half covered by thin, brown, leather boots adorned with silver buckles, tightened to as far as they could go comfortably with still allowing full range of motion. She wore a navy blue hoodie with a triangular lace-down in the back, pulling the shirt to fit her body. She also wore leather gloves, with wraps for her forearms that matched her boots. Her tangled and un-brushed hair was in a large puffy clump as she sat down, ready for Impa to braid it just like she had always done.
Impa began her work on the tangled rat's nest of hair that the princess wore on top of her head, making Zelda cringe slightly at the pain from the sharp tugs at the roots of her hair.
"I'm sorry if I seem sharp this morning." Impa replied, expressionless, but meaning her apology while she continued to hack at Zelda's hair, applying some oil to help detangle it.
"Do not worry Impa, all is forgiven." Zelda replied, all tensions from earlier dissipating in a split second.
"Now, I'm afraid to, but I have to ask." Impa began. "What have you concocted this time with yet another one of your infamous all-night study session."
"That is going to take a while to explain." Zelda started as Impa began the fishtail braid, trying to subdue the princess's unruly hair.
"Start with the basis of the topic." Impa suggested.
"Ariat of course." Zelda replied.
"More specifically about Ariat."
"The lineage of the royal family."
"The possibility of the heir and any odd things or flaws with dates about King Derek and Queen Grace and Dresden?"
"Exactly."
"Your braid is done, we'll talk on our way." Impa said as she left the room to be cleaned by the maids. Zelda followed suit.
"So, King Derek died shortly after the announcement that Queen Grace was pregnant, correct?" Zelda began as the pair briskly walked down the marble hallways beginning to warm with the morning light.
"Yes, as I am aware." Impa said trying to see where Zelda was going to be going with this.
"A week before his untimely death that no one knows the cause of, Dresden was introduced to the royal family. We all know he is a power hungry freak of nature that would like nothing more than to rule the world, right?" Zelda started to put pieces together, as did Impa on where she was going with this.
"You aren't suggesting that Kind Derek was murdered by Dresden?" Impa questioned, intrigued.
"He or a mercenary of some sort." Zelda said. "In the book The Day the King Died by one of his personal body guards, the soldier recounted upon the day Dresden was introduced to King Derek. He describes that at the feast held in the honor of the nobles, and the new nobles of welcomed from foreign countries, Dresden appeared stiff and jealous almost, in a way. He looked upon Kind Derek as if he wanted to throttle his neck when no one was looking. He constantly flirted with Queen Grace, complimenting her and congratulating her. Then when King Derek was found dead on his throne at two in the morning, he never left Queen Grace's side. He also described that Dresden appeared happy at times almost at the funeral. And not a month later, he and Queen Grace were married." Zelda continued. "When this book was first released, only a few nobles carried it. But a visiting noble from Hyrule, Rizohn, I believe was able to get his hands on a copy, a week before all the books were collected, burned, and when the soldier was found dead, hanging upside down in the dungeons with his throat slit open and a large 'G' written on his forehead." Zelda finished as she and Impa walked through the doors to the training grounds.
"Interesting. Hold your thoughts for a minute." Impa said as she went to the stone benches, reaching for the training knives laid out previous to their arrival by servants. She handed Zelda the traditional curved blade used by the Shiekah, while she picked up a spear typically seen at the front lines. "We will begin with a simple one-on-one duel to see what kind of shape you're in. You may continue your discussion as we do so."
Both women took their stances, Zelda, low and balanced, Impa, stout standing and wide but powerful like the front line warriors. Zelda sprang first, directing a simple maneuver but using it to see how Impa would move and react, watching and analyzing her opponent before really beginning to attack.
"So, after this happened, Queen Grace lived for 6 months more. She was rarely seen anymore, and King Dresden had full control over the government and country. This is when tensions began to slope downward with Ariat and Hyrule. He made bold attempts at Kakariko and Lake Hylia. My father, of course, retaliated and took back the areas. In a bit of a harsh matter, turning the situation even more sour than before. This went on until a month before Queen Grace died. She was now 7 months pregnant, not six. This took me a while to figure out, as popular belief suggests that a month before her death she was only 6 months pregnant. During this last month of her life, he started to take an odd interest and attention in her. He was seen walking around with her, buying her things, and building expensive gardens for her as well. Then, in what was known to be the last week of her life, she wasn't seen at all outdoors or even outside her room. Only three maids were allowed in and out of her room, as well as Dresden. When her death was announced, not a day later the three maids were found dead in the same way as the soldier, each with a 'G' on their forehead. Dresden paid no heed to them, and only focused on power from there on out. But before the maids were killed, a letter was written from one of the maids to her fiancé in Hyrule. Her name was Ariana, a Hylian born in Kakariko, but moved to Ariat for work to save up for her wedding. The letter addressed to Drendel of Kakariko states some strange things." Zelda said in between breaths and blows and blocks. "She said that King Dresden was acting oddly, like he was in pain, and Queen Grace was completely delirious, and barely even knew where and who she was. The only thing she said was 'Derek, Derek! Where's my Derek!' Three days after this began, she apparently went into early labor. She was only a little over eight months pregnant at the time, and the medics said she and the child would both die due to circumstances. She said the child was born seven weeks early, and was quite small. The child was apparently born alive, and was a boy. She also stated that Queen Grace died before she got to see him, she only uttered what was to be his name before she passed. After that, they were rushed out of the room when Dresden entered, and they heard yells coming from inside, and the sound of something heavy thumping to the ground. They suspected it to be the medics, murdered. She said that her and the other two maids saw nothing of the child, the medics, Dresden before she said she had to stop writing due to her being called to the throne room."
"Do you think the child survived?" Impa said as she thrusted the spear forward as Zelda sidestepped and rolled forward, landing a blow to Impa's left leg before she had the chance to move due to the heaviness of the spear. The duel ended as Zelda ducked down to avoid Impa's last swing to knock her off her feet and 'checkmate ' her. Instead, Zelda pivoted her feet to face Impa, and attacked her from behind, holding her training dagger at Impa's neck.
"Good." Impa said. "You're not completely hopeless." Impa said as she and Zelda stepped away. Zelda sat on the stone bench breathing heavily and sweating, while Impa stood breathing normally and barely breaking a sweat.
"Thanks." Zelda said sarcastically.
"Get up c'mon. I'll go hard on you this time. Let's see how you do." Impa commanded, repositioning herself in a better more balanced and trained stance than before.
Zelda reluctantly stood up and readied herself low and balanced once again. Impa lunged first with full force and from Zelda's weaker side.
"One thing though, Princess. The medics said that the child was to not survive, right?" Zelda nodded yes as she rolled sideways out of range from Impa's downward thrust. "If they said that, how do we know the child survived?" Impa asked, swinging the spear in a circular motion in between her hands, knocking Zelda in the back of her knee with the neck of the spear as she tried lunge in sideways to land a blow to Impa's right shoulder. "Clearly, the chances for the seven-week early child are very slim, especially in the hands of Dresden especially." Impa said as she managed to catch Zelda's left arm and flip her over onto her back, and hold the tip of her spear at her heart.
"Touché." Zelda responded as she lay with the wind knocked out of her.
"Get up. You know the drill when you lose." Impa said placing her spear down.
Zelda groaned as she began to get up slowly and reluctantly. Impa and Zelda began jogging around the three mile garden and training path.
"Yes, but don't you think he would be smart enough to do anything he could in his power to save the child so he could have an heir? He isn't immortal." Zelda said as they passed fountains and statues of past rulers, surrounded by flowers and bushes and benches with guards taking their patrols.
"But what could he do? He killed the medics that could have saved the child by some crazy and nearly impossible miracle." Impa reasoned.
"Magic maybe?" Zelda suggested.
"Perhaps, but Dresden isn't known to have that particular blessing, and no one from Termina has really been known to have the ability either. And Araitian magic users aren't the most sophisticated." Impa argued.
"True, but then that leaves barely anything to explain the possibility for survival of the child." Zelda said.
"Looks like that's your next piece of information to hunt for." Impa said as they continued their run passing working gardeners and a few noble ladies out enjoying the warming spring sun in each other's company. The silence stretched for ten minutes as Zelda ran ideas through her head and Impa began contemplating something else.
"Tell me Zelda, exactly where and how did you come by this information?" Impa asked breaking the silence as they turned at the one and half mile point, reaching the southern wall. Zelda sucked the air in through her teeth, deciding how she wanted to relay this information.
"That is a good question. A good question indeed." Zelda began, silent for a few seconds more. "Remember how lord Rizohn left so abruptly?"
"Yes I do. As well as your dramatic exit as well." Impa said.
"I went to speak to Lord Rizohn. His nephew happens to be Drendel, and Drendel had given him the letter for reasons. He also had the book written by the soldier as well. He had been there at that feast the week before King Derek died." Zelda finished, knowing she had said too much.
"Interesting," was Impa's only reply as the continued the rest of their run in silence. Once they reached training grounds Impa told Zelda to stretch before she went to change, and said that she had the rest of the day to herself because she had things to do. Zelda happily obliged and sat down, resting in the spring sun.
Impa stormed into the castle, rushing towards the second floor, brushing off the nobles that freaked at her sweaty and inappropriate dress for the part of the castle she was in. She kept rushing through, rounding corners until she reached her destination, completely disregarded the guards trying to stop her as she barged through the door. Slamming the door behind her, she turned around fuming.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" She screamed at the unsurprised Lord Rizohn.
"Impa please, she would have found out either way, it was inevitable. It was better to give her the leads than to let her hunt and pester people for weeks. It is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission as you very well know."
"Do you understand what kind of position you put yourself in? As well as Zelda?" She sharply retorted in a quieter voice, cooling down from her last outburst. "We have no idea who you can trust right now, and that 15 year old girl loves to talk, and talk she will. If word gets out that she knows more than the whole council, and that the information came from you, I can guarantee you, that attempts will be made on both of your lives, only after they have what information they want. We have no idea who is for which side Rizohn! Three possibilities makes things harder than two."
"I'm aware Impa. But it was better to give her the leads than to let her get into a situation that is literally impossible to get her out of unscathed with her gallivanting around naively asking everyone what they know! Trust me please, it was the safer route."
"You do realize she fully believes the heir is alive, and will bring this up with other council members, especially Veronica and Ethan? You're lucky I can take care of this situation."
"I never underestimated your abilities Impa. I knew what I was doing."
"You could have at least told me Rizohn."
"It is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission."
"Very well. Good day." Impa said as she stormed out of the room, leaving Rizohn to his thoughts as she went to seek out the princess.
13to-be-and-to-not-be13
Well, that ends that chapter! Sorry it was such a late update guys!
*Zelda actually does not have pierced ears, they're akin to the little clip-on like earrings, and so I called them ear clutches instead.
Anyways, REVIEW PLEASE! Thanks!
-BEAN
