Chapter Nine

The months following were interesting in sometimes unexpected ways. Sheik had been braced for the looks of disapproval, and he did get some, especially once the rumors began flying. Some of those looks came from rumors that flew far of the mark. Some came from those that landed very close indeed. Not everyone was warmly inclined towards Sheik's choice to be himself. Link became his constant companion, and gave out quelling looks in large numbers. And Impa, though she was often away tending to her temple, gave out a few of her own when she was present. Hers were even more effective than Link's. He might be the Hero of Time, but Impa was a legend of a different sort, and had been since before Link had been born. All of Hyrule knew that she brooked no nonsense from anyone.

But Sheik had not been braced for the other encounters. The young man wearing a dress who came up to him and thanked him with tears in his eyes, though he never said exactly what Sheik was being thanked for. The teenage girl, or perhaps boy, who expressed delight that "The prince is just like me!" and whose mother smiled indulgently at her child and thanked Sheik too. Those and other incidents showed that Sheik was not by any means the only one in Hyrule who had such problems, and that many of his soon-to-be subjects were glad of his very public example.

And for most of the people of Hyrule it seemed that it didn't really matter. Even those who seemed a bit shocked by Sheik's dress, and his gradual assumption of a male life, still tended to think well of him. He might be strange and a little scandalous, but he was still their princess, or prince if he really did insist, and he was still their sage and their savior, the one who had fought Ganondorf for seven years and finally won with the help of the hero. For though Link was certainly honored and praised, it was Zelda who the people thought of as their true savior.

Thankfully Link didn't object. His quiet nature made him uncomfortable with excessive public attention, so he was happy to let Sheik have the spotlight.

And Sheik's willingness to pitch in physically and personally with the rebuilding only helped to strengthen his people's regard for him. They loved that every day, for an hour or so at least, he was right there beside them, repairing houses, clearing rubble, and working on the castle. Which latter task went faster and faster as the town's repairs began to be nearly complete and the building crews had more time to work on the castle.

Soon the castle walls were finished, and work on the roofing began. The walls had taken nearly a year, the roof took a few months, and then the interior took several months further, but at last the castle was nearly finished.

And with the castle's completion, Sheik's coronation loomed closer and closer. Which was presenting a number of various difficulties.

They had, for one, been forced to find a tailor to make his clothing for the occasion. The dressmaker who had originally been hired did make male clothing as well, but she had proved to be one of the few who were absolutely horrified by and utterly opposed to Sheik's male presentation. She had flatly refused to do the work.

Thankfully the tailor they found instead was delighted, both for the royal commission's effect on his business, and for his own personal reasons, for it turned out that he himself enjoyed wearing women's clothing, and designed outfits of both genders for his own wardrobe. He said he was tickled to be able to make something for the princess-turned-prince, and Sheik was comfortable enough with him that he was able to remove his wrappings and have his true measurements taken without any illusion.

And the priest who would be officiating at the ceremony itself proved to be friendly as well. He didn't bat an eye at Sheik's male clothing and seemed only mildly surprised to be asked to crown a king rather than a queen, so that hurdle proved far more easily cleared than Sheik had thought possible.

The other major hurdle came as a complete surprise.

"You wanted to see me, Mako?"

"Yes your highness."

Sheik, with Link shadowing him as usual, stood in a small office in the newly built castle. Some of the rooms were still being furnished, but a few had already been moved into. Mako was the seneschal, the one who oversaw the everyday matters of the castle. He had served Sheik's father King Daltus for decades, and though Sheik did not quite count him as a personal friend, he had been far too young when he'd last seen Mako, he did hold the tiny, bespectacled, elderly man in high regard.

"What about?"

"It's about the paperwork for the coronation, your highness."

"There's a problem with it?"

"Well... it's the name, your highness."

"I see." Sheik stiffened a bit, braced for an argument. He had already had been forced into several rounds of debate with members of the royal council about taking King Sheik I as his reigning name. He was not going to accept "Queen Zelda," no matter what anyone said.

"Zelda..." Mako's voice held none of the harsh condemnation Sheik had been braced for. Instead he seemed to be suddenly near tears. "Your name is a name that has belonged to your family for countless generations. There have been eight queens named Zelda to reign before you, and many other princesses besides them to bear that name. And your father gave you that name with pride, hoping you'd live up to all those who have gone before." He stopped, obviously struggling to remain in control of himself. "And you have, Zelda. You've surpassed his dreams, even. You have grown into a wonderful person who will be a wonderful ruler. But your father and I were very close. I just can't... I can't bear to see you throw away the name he chose for you, and all the history that goes with it. I can't do it! Ask me to resign if you must, I know you wouldn't do such a thing on a whim. I know it matters to you for some reason I can't understand. But please, don't make me do this. I can't write that name on the paperwork. I can't and I won't!"

"Mako..." Sheik wanted to reach out and hug him. He was so obviously distressed. "I'm not doing this to throw away anything. I loved my father too. But I'm not Zelda any more. I haven't been Zelda since Ganondorf invaded. I'm not that person, I can't use that name."

"You don't have to use it. A reign name isn't the same as a use name."

Sheik blinked. "It isn't?"

"No! Of course you have to use it in any formal capacity, but quite a few past rulers have had reign names that differed from their everyday names."

"I didn't know that. Let me think about this." Sheik was silent for a while, his thoughts turning over. He hated the name Zelda. But Mako was not only an old family friend, he was essential to the day-to-day running of the castle. He had worked miracles in furnishing it, and continued to work miracles in preparing things for the upcoming festivities. If he resigned it would be a disaster. And... Sheik thought of his father. He seldom did so, those memories were painful. But his father had loved him, and Mako had a point about throwing away the name his father had chosen. Finally Sheik said, "Mako, I can't be Zelda, but... you're right that it shouldn't be thrown aside lightly. I will not be a queen though. It will be hard enough to be respected as I wish to be without that dragging me down. But... would King Zelda be suitable?"

"I... I don't know. Zelda is a female name, your highness."

Sheik chuckled. "I'm quite aware of that, Mako."

"I suppose... I mean, it's never been done, but..."

"I don't intend to let things that have never been done define my reign," said Sheik

At that Mako smiled. "Good! Yes. All right then. King Zelda I it is."

"The First?"

"Yes your highness. There have been eight queens named Zelda, but you will most definitely be the first king."

Sheik nodded. "Indeed so." Then he smiled. "And thank you Mako. I'm glad you talked to me. I knew I didn't want to be Zelda, but I hadn't thought about what else I might be rejecting with that name. I did love my father very much."

"He was a great man."

"Yes. Now... I hate to rush off, but I have a very busy day. If there's nothing else you need...?"

"No. Thank you, your highness."

"You're most welcome, Mako."

Sheik turned, with Link following behind him, and left the room. Outside it, Link said, "That was very nicely handled."

Sheik nodded, with a wry smile. "Yes. I might prefer to leave Zelda entirely behind, but Mako is right. I shouldn't throw out all my history. I won't be allowed to in any case, so I might as well compromise. And... it will be nice, at least if I can get over hating the name every time I hear it, to remember my father that way."

With that final hurdle cleared, the plans for the coronation continued ahead apace. And soon the day dawned. Sheik still had mixed feelings. He would be committing to ruling these people. He was very aware of his youth and inexperience. A sage's awareness helped, but only so much. But he was surrounded by good counselors, including the six other sages, who were all members of the council even if they didn't always attend. And Link, somehow, lent him a measure of the young hero's own quiet confidence, just by being there.

Still, Sheik's stomach had tied itself in a veritable Gordian Knot of tension by the time the ceremony itself arrived. He waited in an antechamber behind the throne room with several servants fussing over his appearance. The one that had braided his hair had also tried to put flowers in it, and had been gently rebuked. Now both of them were making minor adjustments to the way his doublet, mantle, and breeches sat. He felt occasionally very uncomfortable, as they never seemed to care where their hands ended up. But they were all entirely impersonal about it, so he couldn't quite bring himself to protest.

Link stood beside him, as always, watching with an amused smile. He was still wearing a simple tunic, though it was of a much finer cloth than usual, and had some embroidery on the hem. He was also wearing the Master Sword. He didn't always carry it, it was usually left on its pedestal in the Temple of Time, which Sheik himself had sealed magically, while Link carried a similar but ordinary blade. But Link had thought it appropriate to the occasion, and Sheik had agreed.

Outside the chamber Sheik could hear a growing murmur of voices. Half of Hyrule had wanted to come to the coronation, and the throne room was packed with people of all races. The main courtyard of the castle was packed as well, and Sheik would be making an appearance on the balcony above so that his subjects could see him.

He would also be expected to make a speech. He'd rehearsed it many times, and was fairly good at speech making, so that wasn't the part he was worried about. It was the coronation itself, the moment when he really would be finally and irrevocably responsible for the welfare of thousands of people. That and the waiting. The waiting was probably the worst part.

Finally a fanfare sounded, and the moment had arrived. Link stepped close and, to the scandalized giggles of the servants, kissed Sheik hard. "Good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks," said Sheik dazedly. Then he opened the door and stepped out onto the dais of the throne room, Link on his heels.

The rest of the day was a blur. There was music. A Zora orchestra. A Goron choir. A lovely Hylian soloist. There were speeches, by him, by the High Priest of the Three, and by his fellow kings who were both, Zora and Goron, in attendance. There were people of all sorts. Gorons in nothing but their natural rock. Zoras in scant, glittering outfits that were jewelry more than clothing. Hylians, noble and common, in a hundred different colors and styles. Even a few Kokiri, simply clad in their forest green and shamelessly irreverent in the face of such an occasion. And the other six sages, who lit the dais behind him with their magic at the moment his crown was placed on his head as a symbol of their support, were there too. Impa found a moment, when Sheik was mingling afterward, to hug him and congratulate him, then she was gone, literally vanished into shadow. The other sages didn't linger either. They had become increasingly elusive as time passed, save for Ruto, who had her own royal requirements to balance against her sage's duties.

Out of the blur of color and light and sound, just one moment was burned brightly into his memory. The moment when the High Priest said "In the name of Din, Nayru, and Farore, I crown thee King Zelda I of Hyrule." That one moment, even though it bore his old name, also bore his new triumph. He had succeeded in being crowned king. He had been apprehensive, but when the moment arrived somehow he knew that he could succeed. In that instant he felt his new life opening up before him as never before.

Through it all Link stayed at his shoulder, mostly silent, but always there, a quiet support in the face of real congratulations, feigned congratulations, attempts at political maneuvering and even the rare cases of open hostility.

And finally, when it was all over and Sheik somehow ended up in the immense bedroom that was now his, Link was still there with him. The servants had gone, shutting the door behind them. So at long last it was just the two of them.

"Congratulations, your majesty," said Link with a smile.

"Thanks." Sheik glanced around, found a nearby side table, and immediately removed his crown and set it down. It was heavy and he was unaccustomed to the weight. Link smiled, and then pulled off his baldric, setting it and the sword on it in the corner beside the table. Sheik puzzled at that for a moment. Link couldn't possibly be tired of bearing the sword, he'd worn it for months on end!

He shook off the thought, and pulled his mantle off as well, letting the long, heavy garment fall to the floor. It was covered almost completely in embroidery, and the fabric wasn't a light one to begin with, so it felt like he'd been carrying a young Goron on his shoulders. He sighed with relief when it was removed. "Much better."

Link took a few steps closer and put his arms around Sheik. Sheik noticed that he seemed a little tense. Was something wrong?

"Would it be better..." Link paused, and Sheik noticed he was also blushing furiously. "Would it be better if you took everything else off too? I could help..."

Sheik blinked. "Uh... I..."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right." Sheik's pulse was suddenly pounding. The kisses and touches between he and Link had been growing more passionate for some time. They both knew where it would likely lead, but Sheik had been reluctant to go there, and Link had at least been willing to wait, he hadn't pushed Sheik at all. But now he was dropping a fairly unmistakable hint. Sheik still was not entirely comfortable with his body. He probably never would be. So he had resisted letting Link undress him, no matter how heated their kisses and caresses had grown. But now... now Link was asking, though in such a way that Sheik could gently turn him down, for much more than they had done before.

He hesitated, looking at Link. Link kissed his cheek softly, but said nothing else. He wouldn't push things now any more than he had ever pushed things.

And that, of course, meant that Sheik was the one who would have to choose. But then I'm the one that's all torn up about this. I know that Link wants to make love. He's been willing all this time. It's only me who's uncertain. So what do I choose? Push him away again? Put it off a little longer, and then a little more, and maybe forever? Do I really want to grow old without having at least tried?

The answer to that question was easy. And so in the end his answer to Link's unspoken question was easy too, though it didn't feel easy. With his stomach in knots for an entirely different reason he pressed close to Link and kissed him deeply. And when they broke apart he said, "Yes."

"Yes?" Link blinked at him.

"The answer, to the question you really asked. Is yes. I don't know how it will work, I'm not sure it can work, but... I love you, and I want to try. So yes."

"It can work. I know it can work."

"Even if I freak out when you touch me?"

"Yes."

"Even if it turns out I can't bear to let you undress me?"

"Yes. It doesn't matter. We'll find a way. I love you, Sheik. I've always loved you, whoever you are, however you look, whatever we can or can't do, and I want to show you how much I love you every way I can."

Sheik smiled, a joyful warmth blossoming in his heart. "I love you too Link. All of me, every way I can. You're right, we'll find a way."

And, as the rest of Hyrule celebrated the restoration of their kingdom and the coronation of their beloved ruler well into the night, inside the castle the newly crowned king of Hyrule and his hero, knight, and love did indeed find a way.