AN:
Hey babes! Another chapter is here!
Ichigomatsudai: Thanks dude.
Guest: Thank you! And, you could say Zelda is graced with liquid courage.
I am still not Nintendo.
In about twenty minutes, we'll learn whether or not Link is allowed to court me. Currently the two of us are waiting in the meeting room, no one else has arrived yet, not even my father. "You haven't made too many enemies on the council, have you?"
"No, but I'm sure that I will after this." He's right, almost every council member has a son or grandson or nephew that they want me to marry. "Is everyone coming?"
"Every member of the council's presence was requested. Seeing at this is a vote of some importance they will have been told as much and be expected to come."
"Do they know what they're voting on?"
"No. My father decided that it may be best if they come into this blind."
"Is Mipha coming?"
"She is a member of my father's council, she should. As should all of the champions. Especially since we are going to require the blessing of each race once we-if we get engaged. They will have to decide amongst their own races by whatever means they do things, it is not just the representative who has a say then."
"I don't know how she's going to react."
"Neither do I." I shake my head and give his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Do you think many people will vote against it?"
"Duke Narkell probably will. But we won't be here for the voting, they'll send us away and call us back once a decision has been made. That way no one is pressured to vote for us based off of our presence, and we can't be angry at specific people for voting against it."
"Urbosa is going to have a field day."
"She's done everything in her power to get this to happen."
"Considering that I did eventually actually learn what the elska is? Yeah."
"How did you find out?"
"You remember that guard that I fired? The one who went into a rampage and had to be carried away?" What a sight to see that was. This large Hylian man was dragged out of the castle by a Gerudo and Sheikah. The two draggers didn't even break a sweat despite it being the middle of Summer.
"Yes."
"You know the official reason for his dismissal was inappropriate behavior." I nod. "Well, that is true, kind of, but the real reason I fired him was because of a joke he made." I cock my head to the side, what does this have to do with the elska? "It was one of those days that you stopped by with Lady Impa and watched their training for a while."
"She watched their training, I watched you." I admit. He grins slightly, but becomes serious very quickly.
"Well, after we acknowledged you and everything, I heard him say, 'You know, I'd like to perform the elska with the princess and everything that comes after.' My reaction was immediate and probably too emotional. Well, you saw what happened." I had, he marched over to the man, demanded his sword and shield, cut the buttons off of his doublet, and ordered two female guards to take him out of the castle. The cutting of the buttons symbolizes the disgrace of a soldier. The man knew as much and started yelling and cussing at Link as he was dragged away. "I asked for the women to carry him off because he had an issue with believing that the women shouldn't be guards because 'they're the weaker sex'."
"I wondered what finally set you off. If it had just been inappropriate behavior, it wouldn't have been so sudden."
"As I told you and Lady Impa then, he had been saying and doing things for a while, but that day he just went too far. I only kept him around that long because he was good at his job. He was a very good guard, but that doesn't mean he was a good person." When Impa had demanded he relay what the man had said, Link refused, saying that my father would kill him for saying it in my presence.
"But how did you find out what exactly the elska is from that?"
"When Lady Impa sent you away and had me tell her what he said, she explained it to me. I informed her that I knew it was a dance performed at weddings, and she specified it from there."
"I'm sorry that I hadn't told you the truth."
"How could you have? 'Here, you're going to learn a dance that will be performed at my wedding and my wedding alone.' Yes, I would have taken that very well."
"That was Urbosa's idea, I swear."
"I believe you, obviously it was, she was there to make sure that it happened." The doors finally open, and council members begin flooding in. They all mingle and discuss things, despite seeing each other only two days ago. Link and I drop our joined hands and try to make it less obvious.
"What's this emergency meeting about?" Daruk asks. "The message said that I had to come, but why? I don't normally have to."
"It's nothing bad, I promise. There just needs to be an important vote, and we needed the approval of each of the races." I explain.
"What were you two doing here all by yourselves?" Urbosa smirks.
"Yesterday she came by the training grounds and had a few questions for me, but I was too busy to answer them then." He explains.
"Like?" If birds could smirk, Revali would be.
"Like how in Hylia's name to get rid of that stupid migraine I had thanks to all of you." Urbosa laughs heartily.
"I am sorry, little vai, but you did somewhat do it to yourself."
"You were the one who brou-" The noise in the room suddenly ceases as my father enters. Everyone bows slightly, bar myself, and takes their seats. Except, instead of sitting in his usual seat, Link sits next to me, a seat usually reserved for guests.
"I am sorry for the suddenness of this meeting and it only being two days after the last one, but this is a matter of some importance." Father remains standing at the head of the table. "Lord Link has asked permission to court my daughter. I have given my consent, and they now request yours." Someone, makes some sort of noise. "Before you say anything, I will ask them to leave now." Link and I quickly get up and I lead him into the small room next to the council room made specifically for this reason. The walls are soundproof so we can't hear anything.
"How long should this take?"
"That depends on how many of them are against it and fight back. Everyone is given their chance to say what they believe."
"So, we just wait here until someone comes to tell us that it's over?"
"No. We go over here." I walk towards the wall shared with the council room. A small hatch breaks the soundproof wall. "This was put here by some royal long ago who wanted to listen in on council meetings and debates. The other side is some material that sound travels through easily, but looks just like the rest of the wall. Once I raise this, we're going to have to remain completely silent. As long as we can hear them, they can hear us." I raise the hidden door and look through. Whatever this Sheikah material is, it's incredible. We can see right through it, but no one else is aware of it.
"Two days ago, she insulted my family when I brought up courting." Oh, Duke Narkell. "Yet as soon as some peasant asks to court her she's all for it."
"Lord Link is a marquess and the Hero of Hyrule. He has more than earned the right to court the princess." Urbosa argues.
"You just want your pet to be happy. You want to spoil this girl while having no concern for what her wishes will do to this country."
"And what benefits does your son bring to Hyrule as prince consort which Lord Link does not?" Impa asks.
"Our family has been of noble blood for generations. We have experience, money, social standing."
"As much as it pains me to admit, last time I checked, the estate of the Cavaleiro family was the most productive in the kingdom. His parents have had much success in farming their land, and Lord Link himself has been training and leading the royal guards. The royal guards who, may I remind you, are protecting your life at this moment." Wow, Revali actually being on Link's side for once.
"As for experience, the little guy defeated Calamity Ganon. None of you or your relatives can claim that." Daruk chimes in.
"And for social standing, he has been a marquess for only three years, yet is one of the most popular in the kingdom. The guards all respect him not because of his nobility, but because he earned it. His family has been good friends of the Zora people for generations. His father was one of the best knights we ever had before he decided to settle down and have children. The Cavaleiro estate workers are paid with food, shelter, and money, unlike most estates which only provide them with at most two of these things and it is never in as abundant of quantities or quality. The reason their estate is so successful is because their people want to be there. No other estate in the kingdom can claim that every single one of their workers is payed." Thank you, father. Though slavery is illegal in Hyrule, that has not stopped many Nobles from treating their workers like them, and there is not much we can do to stop them. The ones who can change the laws are the ones who would be hurt the most by it.
"How do we know that he is of pure, Hylian blood?"
"No one is pure Hylian anymore, not even yourself. The purest in the world is my daughter's bloodline. The bloodline of the goddess, Hylia. Even then there is plenty of impurity. Link's predecessors as the wielder of the Master Sword, for example."
"But he is less pure than any of us."
"His ears are pointed and actually longer than yours I believe." Another council member points out. They made Duke Narkell shut up, so they're my new favorite.
"Does anyone else have anything to say which has not already been covered?" I see some movement. "Yes?"
"As impressive as the boy is, he is not trained to be royal. Since he will eventually be expected to help Princess Zelda once she becomes queen, the fact that he knows nothing of politics is very concerning." I don't recognize the voice, well I do, but I can't place it. There are many council members who hardly ever speak.
"Lord Link is not naïve. Though he may not have had the classes and teachings most nobles have had, he is smart and picks up on things easily. I am sure that if we begin now, he will be prepared to rule alongside the princess." Impa replies.
"Anyone else have anything to say?" Nothing. "Then we vote." Quietly, each council member writes down their vote on a sheet of paper and a bowl is passed around in an attempt to keep the voting itself anonymous. The bowl eventually ends up with Impa, who silently reads and counts the votes.
As she hands my father the final tally, I lower the door, and we go sit on the couch. "The suspense is killing me."
"I know." I agree and squeeze his hand. "Me, too." He leans over and kisses my cheek. "Thank Hylia for your ears." He laughs quietly. "Whoever said that deserves all of the thanks in the world."