Zelda
The moment the words registered in her mind, a sharp, tangible pain pierced straight into a heart, as though someone had used a sledgehammer to drive a nail of pain straight into it.
She suddenly felt as though she could not breathe, like her lungs were completely devoid of oxygen. Her mind became fuzzy, and the whispers she had just recently managed to force out of her head started to whisper their haunting words once again.
"Muzu!" The king's voice thundered, echoing loudly across the mountains that surrounded them, his tone stern and firm.
Muzu's mouth went shut, but she could see - from the way his eyes shined with anger and his fins trembled- that he was less than happy about her arrival.
He was not the only one acting this way as well. The other elders- those that were at a lower position as compared to him- did not dare to speak out, but it was obvious from their heated glares that they also felt the same as Muzu.
At that very moment, Zelda could sense a seed of doubt sprouted within her heart.
She had assumed that while the races would dislike her to a certain extent, the relationship between her and the other nations would be able to be mended. She had thought that even if they wouldn't forgive her at first, if she dedicated her heart and soul into mending the bridge, they would eventually forgive her.
Most importantly, she had assumed that she herself would be strong enough to face all their hatred and anger, and resolve them with her own willpower.
She realised, at that very moment, that she had most likely overestimated herself, if her tumultuous emotions and whirling thoughts had anything to say about it.
"I deeply apologize for Muzu's rude tone, Princess Zelda," And for the second time, the word 'princess' struck her hard, almost causing her to take a step back.
It had been alright when Link was the one who addressed her this way. Perhaps, in all of the entire continent now, Link and Impa were the only two people who could call her 'Princess' without making her feel as though she was going to drown in a sea of despair. She knew these two well, completely trusted this two, and knew that these two would never mean her harm, that they placed no blame on her for the past,
However, if it was anyone else, it was another case entirely. When someone else addressed her that way, it would bring her mind back to her countless failures, her lost kingdom, her dead people.
She had not noticed this before, but this revelation just painfully revealed itself, and furthermore reminded her of something agonizingly true- she was no longer a princess.
One could only be a princess when there was a kingdom.
A cold started to seep into her bones, and she could feel her mind spinning. Her willpower was crumbling and the mocking whispers were getting louder. Her vision started to get blurry, and her breaths started to get shorter and shorter.
Her mind screamed at her to get a hold of herself, but she couldn't.
She suddenly felt a warmth at her back and on her hand. The warmth drove away the coldness that had invaded her body, and her mind slowly started to clear. The spinning feeling started to fade, and her breathing started to even out.
She knew who it was before she could even clearly see him. The warmth wasn't an alien feeling. Even after a hundred years, she would never forget the feeling. It was a warmth that was unique, that could only be provided from that one person.
"Are you alright?" Link's voice floated through the air into her ears, soothing and relaxing. He had one hand patting her on her back, and another grabbing her hand, preventing her from falling while simultaneously soothing her.
She felt his strength as he held her up, felt the callouses of his palm, and her mind briefly wondered just how much suffering he had to go through to get to where he was now- a warrior, and a savior of Hyrule.
It encouraged her, as well as ashamed her. She was not the only one suffering.
Determination suddenly coursed through her veins, and she willed herself to stand up straight, even out her breathing and control her mind. In this short burst of willpower, she managed to steady herself, and rid the voices of the dark temporarily.
"I am fine, Link," Zelda replied with a thankful smile, making the gratitude she felt apparent in her voice. She and Link shared a glance, and the cold that was dwelling within her body seemed to lessen a little when she saw the worry deep in his eyes.
After that, she quickly brought her attention back to the entourage at their front, straightening her face into a respectful and graceful one, and curtsied.
"Greetings, King Dorephan," She greeted, and then with difficulty, steeled herself and forced the next words out of her mouth.
"Please address me simply as Zelda." After those words, it was as though there was a bone stuck in her throat. She could not continue saying anything- at least for that moment.
It was hard enough to concede to the fact that she no longer had a kingdom, and the only thing that was holding her together was the warmth from Link and her determination to correct her past mistakes.
She had no doubt that later that day, she would suffer nightmares about the past. Whenever she was reminded of her past mistakes- no matter how small or fleeting the thought of it was- it would cause her untold suffering mentally and emotionally.
She was tethering on a string, but she refused to break. Not at that moment. Not in front of everybody.
If she could not pull through now, how was she supposed to move forward? If she could not deal with just this one sentence, with this one word, how was she supposed to face whatever was coming down the road, and pay back what was owed?
After the last sentence, a stiff silence ensued. Zelda did not know what else to say, while everyone else was lost for words. Even Muzu- whose glare had not lessened at all throughout the entire conversation- showed a stunned look.
Her words were not just humble words- she was declaring a statement. That as of that moment onward, she was no longer a princess of Hyrule, but just Zelda. At least, for her period of stay with the Zora.
They expected many things, but they never expected the princess of Hyrule to humble herself to such a level.
After all, in the old days, Hyrule had been the strongest nation, and Hyrulians the strongest race. The Zora - while indeed having their own kingdom- never matched up to the Hyrulians- whether if it was in terms of military might or national wealth.
Many of the elders here- Muzu included- had not interacted much with Hyrulians. The Hyrulian they had interacted with the most was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule and his ministers- who weren't exactly the humblest of people.
To be honest, none of them had interacted much with the Princess except the previous ambassador- whom had passed away more than half a century ago.
What they thought they would see would be a slightly aloof, proud woman who would stick to the old ways and not accept the sufferings she had wrought.
They had not expected the princess to not only be angered by their rudeness, but humble herself as well.
Zelda could tell that her words had struck a chord within the elders, and could see the animosity in their eyes lessen. Even if it was just a miniscule amount, it had worked, to which she was satisfied for the time being.
She did not expect the Zora to forgive her that easily, and she had no plans for that as well.
King Dorephan studied her for a long moment, his reptilian eyes seemingly not letting a single detail escape. Zelda wanted to shift in discomfort, but forced herself to stand firm. She could not show weakness.
"Alright, Zelda," The king's deep voice resounded across the area. "I will address you as you wish. Come, let me invite you into my humble kingdom. We have many things to discuss."
Zelda could see the shine of understanding in the king's eyes- and even concern-, and gratitude flooded into her heart. From what she remembered, the descriptions of the King of the Zora given to her by her ministers had always been positive words- wise, understanding, calm and peaceful.
"Thank you, King Dorephan," She replied as steadily as she could, curtsying once again.
She had not interacted much with the king a century ago, but when she did, those exact same words would always appear in her mind.
Even after a hundred years, and the death of a child, she could see that these qualities of his had not changed.
As the entourage walked across the great bridge that connected the mountains to the city, the elders were completely silent, their heated gaze constantly making Zelda uncomfortable, though she tried her best not to show it. King Dorephan was kind, and asked small questions such as questions about her well-being, to which she replied steadily and asked about his as well.
Link followed behind Zelda, not saying a word. He replied only when asked a question by the King. Other than that, he remained silent, to which even Zelda was helpless to change. He had never been one for many words, and what he was doing was technically not wrong.
If they followed the old customs, Link was her knight, only meant to guard and protect her, not make conversation with the king. Of course, those customs were gone, but nevertheless, he did not speak.
Zelda, however, knew what his personality was like, and apparently so did the King, as he seemed completely satisfied with Link's short answers and prolonged silence.
As they were talking, the stretch of road towards the city seemed to shorten, and in a blink of an eye, they had reached the main square.
Just as Zelda was about to reply another one of the questions posed by King Dorephan, her entire body stilled. Her mind froze, and she felt her blood turn cold. She was completely, utterly overwhelmed by what her eyes had landed upon.
Not by the fact that there seemed to be fewer Zora around, nor by the fact that there was a huge crowd of Zora staring at her and the entourage.
What she was stunned by, was the gigantic blue, crystalline statue that was so intricately carved and detailed that it looked exactly like the person.
"Does it get lonely sometimes, being the only heir to the throne?" Mipha's curious voice floated through her ears.
Zelda, with difficulty, pulled her eyes away from the beautiful scenery that laid before her, and looked at Mipha with a questioning gaze.
They were currently sitting at the edge of a platform in the mountains that towered over the Zora domain. It was so high up, Zelda felt as though she could touch the clouds. The cool air constantly kissed her skin and the warmth of the sun washed away the fatigue that had plagued her mind from the earlier meeting with the Zora.
"Why do you ask?" Zelda questioned as she mulled over Mipha's words. Mipha gently smiled, and Zelda was again taken away by the almost tangible kindness she could feel emnating from the Zora.
"Because I, too, am a princess. I know how it's like being royalty, and it gets very lonely when other people tend to treat you distantly due to your status," For a moment, Mipha's smile waned a little, and her eyes held a tinge of sorrow. "Just because we were born to a higher status, doesn't mean we're any different from the rest, but we are nevertheless treated differently."
Zelda's mind shook at her words. Yes, she had thought through this. Many times, in fact.
She had thought that she was the only one that thought this way- that felt sad at her own circumstances, that sometimes wished she was not born as a princess.
More often than not, she felt ashamed at herself for thinking that way. She felt as though she was the only one in royalty that didn't want to be in royalty, and didn't know how to appreciate what she had.
"I couldn't make friends when I was young," Mipha continued, her voice holding a tone of sadness. "One issue was that I had a rigorous regime of working on my spearmanship and studying politics. The next issue was that other children tended to shy away from me due to my status."
A wry smile appeared on Mipha's face as she said those words, and she turned to look at the scenery in front of them forlornly. Zelda stayed quiet, knowing that Mipha was reminiscing the past memories.
"It is fortunate for me," Mipha suddenly continued, and her wry smile changed into a genuinely happy one. "That Sidon came along. That cute little brother of mine is such a ball of happiness."
Zelda saw the shine in Mipha's eyes, and the way she smiled contentedly, and a huge wave of envy hit her like a ton of brick.
Mipha had her brother to alleviate the loneliness.
But she had no one.
Seeming as though she sensed the sudden drastic change of mood, Mipha turned and looked at Zelda, studying her attentively. They stared at each other for a moment. Then, a light of understanding seemed to dawn in Mipha's eyes, and she smiled gently, as though she understood what Zelda was thinking at that very moment, as though she knew what Zelda was feeling about what she said.
A slightly nervous smile suddenly appeared on Mipha's face, and Zelda suddenly had feelings of caution swell up inside of her. It was not that she did not trust the Zora Princess, but that she was somewhat surprised by the sudden change of attitude.
Futhermore, it was rare to see the Zora princess in a nervours state. From the previous few months of interacting with her frequently, she had come to know that very few things seemed to disturb the calm and peaceful demeanor that she usually had.
Mipha placed her hand on top of Zelda's- which was resting on her lap- and took a deep breath before speaking.
"Zelda," Mipha started, her eyes twinkling as she looked straight at Zelda's confused ones. "Why not we be sisters? I know we are not related by blood, and we are of two different kingdoms, but I can feel a kindred spirit within you."
Zelda was shocked silent for a long, long moment, her eyes as wide as saucers as she simply stared at her fellow princess with an agape mouth. After a good three seconds, she saw the twinkle in Mipha's eyes dim a little, and she felt Mipha pull her hand away.
"If you do not want to, it-" Mipha's voice seemed a little downcast, but Zelda cut her short before she could even complete her sentence.
"Yes," Zelda was surprised at the firmness of her own voice, but the moment the word came out, she knew that she really meant it.
The twinkle in Mipha's eyes brightened, and a laugh escaped Mipha's mouth- a carefree, tingling, mesmerizing laugh which caused a completely different kind of warmth that the sun brought to coarse through her veins and enter her heart.
A moment later, a huge grin surfaced on her face, and a light laugh of her own accompanied the other princess' one.
"Mipha..." Zelda couldn't prevent the whisper from escaping her mouth. Anything else, she could have handled. It could have been the jeers from the Zora surrounding her, it could have been the insults of the elders, it could have been the biting words of Muzu- but the moment the statue of Mipha entered her sight, the moment the image of Mipha entered her mind, the gates of the dam broke.
Her recently calmed emotions started to storm again, and her thoughts started to go out of control. Her vision blurred- this time due to the tears starting to form in her eyes. She slowly walked towards the statue that looked so much like her former friend and comrade, her weak, shaking legs carrying her there one step at a time.
At some point of time, the entire surroundings had become silent. Nobody was moving, nobody was talking. Everyone's attention was focused on the single, shaking figure in the middle of the square who was slowly dragging herself towards the statue of their beloved champion,
Even King Dorephan and his entourage had stopped and kept silent. The elders were all staring at Zelda, their eyes showing a mix of emotions. Muzu observed quietly, and if one observed carefully, they would have noticed that his fins were shivering, even though his face remained unreadable.
King Dorephan himself looked at Zelda with a sombre silence, his eyes exposing a rare look of weariness and age which he usually kept hidden, along with a sympathetic and understanding gaze. His eyes then traveled to the person behind,
Like a shadow, just like a century ago, Link followed behind.
The sight caused the King to be hit with a strong sense of sentiment, and his thoughts traveled back to a hundred years ago. His eyes shined as he held back the tears that threatened to fall.
There was a saying:"time heals all wounds", but the loss of a daughter would leave a scar on his heart that would never fade.
For the first time in a long time, the entire Zora kingdom was silent and still, their attention focused solely on one person.
Zelda herself was unaware of all of this. She heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing. The only thing that her mind was focused on was the statue a few feet away from her, on the image of a person she had treasured as much as her own family, on a face she had not seen in more than a century.
The feelings of guilt and grief and sorrow and pain that usually laid dormant erupted within her, and it took all her willpower just to keep herself from blacking out.
The moment she saw the statue, only one thought came to her mind.
Finally, as her legs were almost about to give out and the edges of her vision were starting to turn black, she reached the statue.
Staring forlornly at the face of her old-time friend, at her sworn sister, a sob wracked her body, followed by another, and another. Clear, crystal tears traveled down her cheeks, reaching the tip of her chin and dripping onto the ground.
"I'm sorry," Zelda chocked out with the last of her strength through the sobs, and she gave in to the darkness.
