For the first time since the defeat of Bayonetta, Zelda had a meal on time and at a real table instead of her desk. Ike sat beside her at the small table outside, his eyes warily searching the grounds. She hated to see what the spell had done to him, and tried not to take to heart how he flinched whenever she tried to touch him.
He had flinched for the first time right after the euphoria of being free of the spell had died down. She had laid a hand on his shoulder and he had almost fallen out of the bed in an effort to get away from her. It had stung, even though she understood. Once he was settled in a warm bath she had asked Sheik about it.
"There's no telling when or if he'll ever be the same man Zelda... He has survived something only one other person has, I truly do not know."
She glanced at the blue haired man, a smile on her lips that hinted at her sadness. "How are you Ike? And I mean really, how are you?"
"I would love to say I'm fine," he spoke slowly as he picked up his cup, "but I would be lying. I can't stand to be touched, I jump if someone walks in without me noticing them... honestly Zelda I still expect you to turn against me at some point."
"What can I do to prove to you I won't do that?"
"I truly do not know if there is anything that can be done." With that he raised the cup to his lips and sipped, making Zelda twist her lips in thought. "Perhaps," he spoke carefully as he lowered the cup, "there is no fixing me. Maybe this is all I'll ever be."
"Ike!" Without thinking she reached out a hand and he shied away from her quickly. "I don't believe that. I-"
"Princess?" They turned to see Sheik standing at the doorway, a rolled piece of parchment in his hands. "This just arrived from Crimea... It's marked with the royal symbol." Zelda spared Ike a quick glance before she held out a hand.
As she popped the royal seal made of a blood red wax Ike leaned closer, and she tried not to relish in the proximity. She read the message, her despair growing. They were begging for her to return Ike. The death of Elincia had crippled the country and the acting head of the nation wanted some form of normalcy. That meant getting their hero back...
She practically threw the request at Ike as she stood up. This was too much. She had just gotten Ike back from certain death! Now they wanted her to give him up again?
"Shit," Ike cursed as he set the parchment aside.
"What will you do?" She tried to keep her voice even as she asked the question, but feared the words shook as they left her lips.
"According to this they want to use me for a poster boy, a pawn in a campaign for rebuilding. I've never held interest in being under the thumb of a stand in leader, especially not to this lord playing at king."
"I hate to interrupt further," Sheik cut in, "but you have a council meeting to attend."
"Ah yes," Zelda nodded, "appointing new members post culling. Always fun..." She turned back to Ike and watched him rise.
"I should check on my mother and sister," he commented as he met her gaze. Slowly, he moved towards her and bent his head down. His lips grazed her cheek and she smiled at nothing when he pulled away. Perhaps things would work out. Perhaps they could pull through this and be all the better for it.
XxX
The remaining council members looked grim as Zelda read over their proposed members. All lords and ladies in good standing, it really came down to whether or not she wanted to be challenged on ideas or bathed in a sea of compliments every time she mentioned a half formed thought. She set the list aside, having decided it would be best to finalize her decisions on her own time. There was an obvious air of hesitancy in the room and she wanted to address whatever they were thinking.
"Speak your minds," Zelda spoke with a tense voice, "if I wanted you to keep it to yourselves I would have a council of mutes."
"The Crimean," the elderly lord residing over a small section of land with hardly anything to offer the kingdom in terms of resources spoke up.
"The Crimean has a name and title, use it."
"Lord Ike took part in the siege of Hyrule, why is he still roaming free?"
"Lord Ike helped me reclaim my throne-"
"You were, for lack of a better word, gifted to him by Bayonetta. Should he not be punished for the crimes committed against you?" A slightly younger looking lady asked hesitantly.
"Lord Ike did not commit a single crime against me. He helped to rid me of the cuffs binding my magic, he found and saved Link from her hunting parties, and he bravely fought for us in the battle against her. I will not have a decent man imprisoned."
"But he will be returning to Crimea yes?" The first lord has a nasally voice she decided immediately with that question.
"He and I are discussing his future. As he kept me safe from harm whilst under his care, I have half a mind to make him a lord."
"We will not stand for that Princess," the lord over Kakariko Village and it's surrounding farms stood up. "He has no place here and as good as he may have been to you, his time in Hyrule is complete."
"Lord Sahasrahla you've been called a man of wisdom and learning beyond normal comprehension," Zelda sighed in annoyance. "Why is the Hero of Crimea and now a Hero of Hyrule no longer welcome to my kingdom?" Perhaps she stressed the importance of claiming the kingdom as hers a bit more than necessary, but the gathered council made her reconsider the ideas about surrounding herself with the ass kissing noblemen and women.
"He's a lord in Crimea, his place is with his people. If we were to try to keep their hero I imagine they wouldn't like that too much."
"Say what you truly mean. He's a foreigner and you don't trust him. That's the truth of it, is it not?"
"The truth Princess is that we've found a far more suitable man for you to wed than a commonborn man. He's-"
"Lord you assume too much," she accused as she stood up. "If I wish to marry Lord Ike or not, it is not up to you. My life, my crown, my coronation, how I handle running my beautiful kingdom... these are things you are to advise me in, not tell me what to do. If you find you cannot handle your responsibilities then please let me know and I will gladly find a replacement."
XxX
"You aren't allowed to leave Hyrule," Zelda spoke without preamble as she entered Ike's room. He was sitting on his borrowed bed, his blade across his lap. She watched him run the sharpening stone across the edge for a moment, fascinated by the reverence he handled it with.
"I remember being told you wouldn't detain my men or myself," he finally responded as he set the blade and stone aside. He looked up at her, amusement in his eyes as she scoffed.
"Well, I've changed that. They can leave, all of them, but you have to stay."
"So I cannot go to Crimea to help bolster my people?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow. Zelda bit her lips together, wondering if he really wanted to go. "Zelda," he chuckled as he held out a hand, "come here." She stepped forward and took his hand. He tensed but recovered quickly.
"I'll not stop you from leaving Ike," she admitted with a slight pout.
"You really think I want to?" He tugged her down to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I want to spend every day for the rest of my life right here. I have nothing to return for and every reason to stay here. Not only have my mother and sister fallen in love with this land but Hyrule has you."
"You'll stay?" She asked in a low whisper, almost not believing her ears.
"If you'll have me." He barely managed to say the words before she was kissing him. They fell backwards onto the bed as she continued her assault on his lips. He tensed at first, and a part of her screamed to stop, but then he relaxed into the kissing and she was lost.
Hands roamed as he switched their positions. Zelda wanted him, more than she was truly willing to admit, but she wanted to be sure he knew what he was signing up for.
"Ike," she bowed her head to avoid his lips and he whined before he sat back. "We need to discuss things. If you truly mean to stay and be with me then you know what that means yes?"
"I know what it means," he said seriously. "Would your people accept me?"
"My council had some issues, but I reminded them of their place. I have no doubt the people will love you. The man who helped save Hyrule, who captured the heart of their princess, and who helped mend the gap between Hyrule and the Gerudo."
"When you say it like that I sound better than I am," he chuckled as he ducked his head, a small tinge of red to his cheeks.
"My words are only the truth." She placed a gentle hand to his cheek and felt how he tensed lightly. "You are free of that prison Ike."
He brought his hand up and held her hand against his face, meeting her gaze steadily.
"I will get past this, I swear. For you and for me."
XxX
The remains of the once grand buildings in Castletown made Zelda's heart ache. Such beautiful works of architecture reduced to rubble. She strolled through the streets as she took in the sight, Ike at her side. He walked steadily a few steps behind her, acting like the perfect guard as they moved down the cracked cobblestones.
"Princess Zelda!" The hushed whisper of her name preceded the mass of people pouring from all over. They all stopped a good distance from their future queen, a great deal of awe and wonder on their faces as they bowed and curtsied.
Ike behind her tensed and stepped forward, only for Zelda to stop him with a gentle hand to his arm. The people looked to her, hope shining in their eyes as they waited with baited breath to hear her speak.
"I am here to see where we can help you," she spoke out over the crowd. "All of you have been so brave as to resist Bayonetta while she made a mockery of the crown and I want to honor that bravery. Please, allow me the honor of doing something for you." Whispers worked their way through the crowd and Zelda did something that probably had her ancestors rolling over in their graves. She smiled at her people, her brave and wonderful people. She smiled at them the way she smiled at Link, as if they were each a dear friend.
"My dear sweet Princess," an old man dressed in the fine tunics of a wealthy merchant stepped forward slightly, "it is you who honor us with your presence. The only thing we want from you is a continuation of the rule of prosperity you were leading before this strife. What we want is for you to no longer be our princess, but to become our queen." The gathered crowd nodded in approval, their voices mingling.
"Queen Zelda!"
"Queen!"
"Zelda! Zelda!" She turned to Ike, confused why he was shouting her name.
"What's wrong?" she asked as the people's voices grew louder.
"Zelda please wake up."
XXX
You can all blame me getting the flu for how this chapter ends. I had a wicked dark fever dream and it inspired this. Thank you all for your patience with me and my writing. I'm not going to spill all the sordid details of my life to you guys, but I've moved very recently, had to care for three very ill people, and I'm still recovering from the flu. Also, avid Zelda fans should know the name Sahasrahla from a classic Zelda title (if you're a nerd like me at least... and I hope I spelled it right...) Anyway please let me know what you think of this! It's not over, I'm not that evil. Much love, Leigh
