"Err, hello your majesty, hello your princessship," Link addressed the two ladies, trying not to laugh at Aryll's title. He couldn't imagine in the least her in a pink dress with a tiara and peachy earrings. Aryll was always more of a boots, jeans, redshirt, messed-up hair girl in Link's mind.
"Good afternoon Link," responded the queen enthusiastically with a bright smile.
"'Lo," chimed in Aryll, who sounded, and looked, rather uneasy.
"Can we help you child?" asked Ambi. Link was annoyed at being called a child on his 17th birthday.
"Oh..." Link started. He wasn't sure how to break the news to Aryll, particularly when she appeared to be in a poor mood. He decided to blurt it all out at once. "I just wanted to tell Aryll that Sarsa and I are leaving town tonight after the festival with Bouer and that we're going to Hyrule to rescue Malon and Kafei and go on an adventure to get out of this backwards country and find meaning in our lives... no offense your majesty," he added at the end when he shamefully realized who he was speaking to.
Whatever reaction he expected, he didn't receive. The queen sat with her mouth open, whereas Aryll smiled and perked up.
"Mother, let me speak to this boy for his indignation. I shall take him to the back room so you will not be bothered by his unkind words," Aryll spoke to Queen Ambi while giving Link a wink. Without saying any further words, the two walked to the back room where Aryll did her swordmaking.
"What was that about?" Link whispered excitedly.
"Let me go with you," Aryll replied simply. After she saw the look of confusion on Link's face, she continued. "I can't do it, I can't run this country. My mother expects to name me as her successor to the throne tonight. Her previous successor passed away a month ago, and she thought she could just thrust me into everything. I can't, no I won't."
"But who will rule Arcadia if she... well..."
"...dies? I don't care. I'd love to have more responsibility in this world, but not in the world of government. Endless treaties, eternal skirmishes. You should have seen the documents they had on the relationship between Arcadia and Hyrule. If they launch an all-out attack, we're done for. You wouldn't believe how they've been lying to you for years in school. Oh, how I wish she would've just stayed out of my life. No, I'm leaving with you tonight."
Link smiled. For the first time in weeks, Aryll seemed like herself - powerful, self-reliant, and confident. "Great!" Link shouted out.
"Is everything all right in there?" asked Queen Ambi, who pulled the curtains back to enter the back room. Link shot a worried look at Aryll.
"I was just showing Link his birthday gift. Despite his ingratitude, he is still my friend," Aryll said as she walked to the side of the room. She pulled out a large sword, and continued speaking. "It's no Master Sword, but it should work great with your left hand."
"Wow, thanks!" Link remarked, unsure whether the sword was indeed for him, or whether she was trying to maintain her dignity in front of her mother.
"Oh, you are left-handed?" asked the queen, who was admiring her daughter's workmanship.
"Err..." Link started, but Aryll interrupted.
"Yes," Aryll spoke simply. "Now I'm sure Link has better things to be doing with his time than spending his birthday with two old ladies. He probably has to finish packing so he can leave."
"You're letting him leave?" queried Ambi.
"He's an adult now, he can do as he pleases," responded Aryll. Link could sense a tense standoff between the two, and he wanted nothing more than to leave before the queen realized her daughter wouldn't be her successor. He carefully walked around the two of them and made his way toward the door.
"But, but he's our hero!"
"No, he's the world's hero, mother."
"How can you let him go like that? He could be a military leader with that courage of his."
Link heard the two bickering further as he walked out the door unnoticed. As he walked, he put the sword in the magic pocket of his tunic. He was impressed, as it seemed no matter how much he put in there it wouldn't weigh any more.
It was getting late in the day, and feeling hungry, he headed to the center of the village where the feast was about to begin. He quickly learned that no food was lost during the fire, to his pleasure. He grabbed a plate of broiled cucco and corn and sat at a table near the church. There weren't many people around, which was good. The last thing Link wanted to do was say goodbye to everyone in the village.
After helping himself to additonal piles of food, he was suitably full. By then, the tables had started to fill up, but fortuitously no one had joined his. It was almost as if everyone was ignoring him deliberately, as if some sort of plan was happening. His mind wandered as he sat, and he suddenly remembered that Nayru's prophesy would be happening shortly.
Perhaps it was because his mind was deep in concentration, trying to imagine how his deceased father would have anything to do with that evening's events, that he completely missed the commotion of Queen Ambi and Aryll joining the festivities. By the time he looked up, the two women were walking toward his table. He didn't want to get between the two again, so he deliberately looked away from them. He saw the other villagers whispering to each other, surely about the queen appearing in public with her illegitimate daughter.
Before they had a chance to sit down, Link heard someone call out his name.
"Over here!"
Link turned around and saw Ilia behind the church. He had completely forgotten about their planned meeting, and he was torn about hearing any further information about his future travel companion. He was tempted to ignore her, but not wanting to offend the Arcadian head of state, he walked away from the table and joined her.
"Hey, what's going on?" Link asked Ilia once they were just out of view. Instead of responding, Ilia pushed up against the church wall.
"What was that for?" Link started asking angrily, but she put her hand over his mouth.
"I can't let that boy take you away from me," Ilia whispered seductively. "I saw how distraught you were when Kafei and Malon began their relationship. I know how you felt about her, but she's gone now."
Link was in such a state of shock that he couldn't interrupt her. He never thought of Ilia in that light, although Bouer had warned him of it.
"I think I should get back to the festival," Link remarked, but Ilia put her hands around Link's with unusual strength.
"Let's dance as the sun goes down," she insisted before starting to hum a peaceful tune.
Link wasn't sure why, but he suddenly had the urge to join Ilia in dancing.
Have I been missing something that's been right in front of my eyes this whole time? he thought as the two embraced and waltzed behind the church. The two stayed out of view of the villagers and continued as the great ball of fire in the sky set below the mountains.
"I know you're leaving, but I want you to come back and visit me someday," Ilia spoke after her song stopped.
Link suddenly felt anxious again, with the shadows cast by the mountains putting a damper on his spirit.
"How do you know I'm leaving?" he asked, wondering how she knew what he only decided earlier that day. In her silence, he heard a clamour of applause from the villagers before Queen Ambi began speaking about the country's 50 years of nationhood.
"After I saw you earlier at the market, everyone was talking about you when you left. It's only natural for you to leave. Everyone suspects you're in league with the Hyrulian traitors, what with your name," she added at the end.
Link's face flushed at that. It sounded as if she wanted him to leave. "Everyone, including you?" he asked. She fell silent again and closed her eyes. The queen's speech had moved onto national defense and a stabilizing future.
Ilia had a concerned look on her face, and she shook her head vigorously.
"Are you alright?" Link wondered. He was starting to imagine this was some sort of trick of hers to annoy him before he left, perhaps because he never got to know her that well.
"Link, Link!" Ilia spoke urgently. "Bouer can control people with his words, that's how he could stay with my family. He's dangerous. He leaves randomly and holds his head and..." she stopped, before smiling and throwing her hair back. "...it's nothing for you to worry about. All I mean is that he's persuasive."
"Right..." Link responded, unsure what just happened before his eyes. He could hear the queen talking about her successor, and about how she did have a family she chose to keep hidden from the public eye. Eventually, he replied to Ilia. "Listen, I should get back to the festival."
"Can I get a hug first, for old time's sake?"
"Alright," Link resigned, eager to get away from her.
As they embraced, he saw a shadow racing across the landscape, just as the queen announced Aryll as her successor. Everything went in slow motion as it dawned on him what was happening.
He pulled out his sword, but he was too slow as he ran away from the church back to the festival. The shadow was gliding directly toward the queen and at the last second coalesced into a dark version of him. People screamed, but no one reacted fast enough.
Link watched as the shadow surrounded the queen, unleashing a hair-raising shriek. Aryll was pushed to the ground. Link ran as fast as he could, but by the time he reached Ambi the cloud of smoke disappeared, leaving the queen white as stone and laying head down on the table.
There was silence after the dust settled. There were enough lanterns lit for people to see Link standing directly behind the body with a sword in his hand.
"He killed the queen!"