After staying with Link for some time, Zelda had gone back to the house to get some work done with Commander Ashei, Daltus, Viscen, and a begrudging Auru. They'd discussed the mansion, which was technically now her property, and what to do with Niko. They discussed troop numbers and locations. Strategies. Outcomes. Contingencies. Anything they could think of. And when they'd finished, Zelda had gone back to Link for the night.
Her room at the house was nearly done being cleaned of all the blood from the attack, so it gave her a decent excuse to stay away for the night. But she and Link returned to the house together in the morning, despite Shad's advice that Link get a few more hours of rest for the potion to wear off. Link knew that they were on a time crunch, and ignored Shad, though he intended to honor his promise to return in a few more hours for another dose of a potion.
So, as Zelda leaned on a table in Commander Ashei's office, staring at a map of Hyrule, Link was beside her, studying the markings with a trained eye.
Zelda leaned over the table and bit her lip, trying to make sense of Ashei's words and map outlines. "I don't understand. Do we wait for them to arrive here, or no?"
Ashei shook her head. "I don't believe we can afford to wait. If we do, your parents' scattered troops could get overwhelmed by Ganondorf's as they make their way here. We should head out and meet them, or at the very least, draw Ganondorf's troops' eyes away from our support. Your parents' army sought safety wherever they could. We were lucky that most of them thought to join with Prince Daltus, but it wasn't everyone. We need everyone."
"And they'll make a difference?"
"One soldier can make a difference," she said, pushing something aside. "But yes, I believe they will, especially if Auru's… or rather, Ganondorf's troops don't turn back to aid us, we'll need every fighter."
"How long ago did you send word to the Hylian troops? You sent word to the garrisons, right?"
"Before you even arrived here, Princess. It's harder to find them while they're scattered, but there are always those who are loyal, and those who can find others. We've been calling to everyone we can find since Prince Daltus arrived. I have my fastest people riding out to each of their locations already."
With a deep breath, Zelda ran her hands along her face. "Okay. And how long will it take us to reach the castle?"
"With our numbers, and most of our people travelling by foot," she thought for a moment. "I'd say a week, if we don't dally anywhere too long."
"Then we should move soon, the next few days, even, correct?"
"Yes, I'd agree with that. With fickle allies such as King Auru, I would like to end this quickly. But Princess," she hesitated. "Are you sure you want to ride out to the castle with us? I have heard that you are exceptional at working in the medical tent, and on the field, there will be little I can see you doing on Hyrule Field itself without training. It won't be safe."
This time, Zelda turned to Link. "What do you think? You've been quiet. In your professional opinion, where should I be?"
He made a face, too subtle for Ashei to see. They'd already argued on the way over about Link's role during the battle. Would he stay with her and protect her? He'd been her guard for months now, and it was what he felt was expected of him. But it wasn't what he was trained to do. This fight is what he'd been trained to handle, so it made little sense to keep him from it. And of course, Zelda didn't want to send him into the heat of the battle, but he was trained for just that. She knew his only reservation came from her safety, and Ganondorf's potential plans to somehow kidnap her, or get her into the castle where he could torture her into ceding the kingdom.
He took a deep breath and kept his eyes locked on hers, shaking his head. "I don't know. Speaking as your guard, I want you to stay safe, and I know you'll be safest if you're with Shad and the others. Your thoughts will be distracted from what's going on at the castle as well. But, speaking as a regular soldier… I'd fight harder knowing that our Queen was behind us. That you could be there, brave in the face of death and uncertainty, while I'm there fighting for you among other things… it would be inspiring."
Zelda groaned. "That was not a definitive answer. Which do you lean more towards?"
But Link just shook his head and let his arms rest on the table beside her. "You and I have travelled together for too long for me to have any form of unbiased opinion on this. You're both my sovereign, and my friend. I want you to be safe and as far from a deadly battle and from Ganondorf as possible. So that's what I would lean towards, despite any better judgement I might have that says otherwise. I'd recommend you stay with Shad in the medical tent for your safety."
Zelda nodded, understanding that he was too conflicted for any real answer. So, she turned to the commander. "Ashei? Your thoughts?"
"I'm afraid it's not what you're looking to hear. My thoughts are the same as Link's. I would rather see you safe at the medical tent, but I believe the soldiers would benefit from your presence. You are the future of Hyrule, and I want you to stay safe. I would also lean towards you being with Shad. The ultimate decision is yours."
With a long sigh, Zelda stepped back from the table. "He murdered my family, took my home, threatened and killed my people… I have to be there."
Link nodded. "And I think both Ashei and I understand that. I'd want the same if I were you. But that means we need to think of guards, because there is no way you're going out there without at least four of us beside you at all times."
"Link…" Zelda groaned, knowing that they were about to get right back into the topic from the morning. "Where do you want to go?"
"If Ganondorf wasn't a factor, I'd ask to be in the first wave. But he is a factor, and he's going to plan something. So, if you're going out there, I think it should be Finn and I with you, at least. I think we know you best and are probably most willing to die for you if he shows up."
Zelda scoffed at his comment. All morning, all he'd talked about was dying in the battle in some way or another. Like he was now.
Ashei made a face. "Link, many of the troops recognize you as a higher position than you are. Your presence acts like hers does. You should be with us in the battle."
"Princess?" Link asked, shooting her the same look she'd given him. "Your thoughts?"
"I'm not unbiased enough to offer an opinion," she countered. Because like Link, she wanted him to be safe, but she knew where he would do the most good during the battle, and it wasn't by her side.
"Commander?" Link said, "You're the only one who isn't predisposed to an answer here."
Zelda closed her eyes, already knowing what Ashei would say.
"Well, the Princess has the final word, of course, but I think you should be out there. The Princess is the farthest from the battle, on horseback, and surrounded by guards. She's in the safest position one can be in out there. And Finn should be out there with you. We have too many undertrained volunteers, and soldiers with experience like you two are necessary."
"Fine," Zelda agreed. "But I take Bardo and Leon with me. I feel safe with them, and that won't be negotiated. They don't have nearly much practical experience as you two have, but they're also not untrained. You pick two others you think are appropriate."
Ashei tapped the table. "How do you both feel about Kasuto and Ezlo?"
Link nodded in agreement but deferred to Zelda. She shrugged, not knowing them nearly as well.
But she trusted the two beside her. And that was how they proceeded to plan out as much of the battle as possible.
Seres moved the pillows on the couch for the fourth time, stepping back to get a look from a distance. Shaking her head and making a noise of disapproval, she went back to change the order of them once again.
"What are you doing?"
Her head shot up to see Finn in the doorway, looking at her with such a confused expression that she had to look away from, embarrassed with herself as she stared at the pillows.
"The Princess had a meeting last night. Since we'll be leaving here shortly, they are turning the house into a home for refugees and those who are unable to fight. I'm… rearranging the pillows for when people arrive. They deserve to have everything perfect. They're coming from horrible situations, burned homes, having a lack of food."
Finn walked into the room and glanced over the top of the couch to see. "You know they're just going to be grateful for a safe place to be, right? None of them will care about the order of these pillows."
"Well I care. If I can make something perfect, I'm going to."
"Okay," Finn said, backing up to the door. "Have you seen Link today?"
"The Princess returned with him and I believe they went to meet with Commander Ashei. They should still be here."
"But have you seen him?"
"Oh, yes," she said, realizing what he meant. "He is looking much better today. He was walking almost normally when I saw him, though he did seem to be limping a bit."
Finn nodded and leaned against the doorframe, staring absently into the room. He was more than grateful his friend had made it. The way he'd looked…
"Finn?" Seres asked, raising her eyebrows.
He blinked a few times, realizing that his absent stare had actually been at her. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm glad he looked better. I have to go find him, actually. A couple of final things to go over. Thanks for your help. And seriously, the pillows look fine."
She grinned her thanks and waited for him to leave before switching around just two more, satisfied.
"Good," she muttered to herself as she decided to leave that room before she could fuss with them again. She knew that for the rest of the day, she'd have to develop tunnel vision to avoid fixing anything she deemed out of place.
Heading down the hall and down a small set of stairs that led to the servants' rooms, she quickly plucked her cloak from the hanger by the door and threw it over her shoulders before heading out the door and past the guards.
She pushed her way through Damel. Since the announcement King Auru and Princess Zelda had made, the people were much busier than usual. They were preparing their homes, stocking up on food, or spending final days with loved ones on brisk outings through the markets, chatting while side-by-side and taking up the precious shoulder space of the streets.
Finally, she ducked into a building and stretched out her arms in the space. There were three others who were already standing by a table, and she craned her neck to see beyond them.
That's when one woman looked up and smiled as she saw her. "Seres! Good, I'm glad you got my message. They're all ready for you."
The woman went to move, but Seres held her hand out. "There's no rush. She doesn't need them this instant. Please, finish."
With a thankful grin, the woman smiled and returned her attention to the other two beside her.
It left Seres to wander the room, staring in awe at the incredible silks and other fabrics that she couldn't ever fathom owning. Her fingers ran over a decorative tuille that hung off a dress, wondering how long it had taken to create such an intricate design on the storefront samples that the seamstress sett out for others to view.
It was a while until the two passed her and left the room, but she turned to the woman at the table who was watching her with a kind smile.
"You like these dresses?"
"They're impractical for me," she said, letting go of the sleeve of the most recent one she'd been viewing. "But who doesn't imagine themselves in a gown fit for a princess every once in a while?"
"How true. Come on. I'll show you what I have for the Princess."
"Thank you, Anju," Seres said as she followed her into a room in the back.
Anju closed the door and began rummaging through several things before pulling out a boned bodice, plain and simple, though it looked sturdier than usual. And, as if she'd read Seres' mind, Anju knocked her knuckle against the center.
"The center is reinforced with a metal plate so she's both protected from sharp objects and supported as well. The straps on the back are thicker to help support the strain she'll feel from carrying such a heavy piece on the front. It's placed so she still has the ease of movement, though. Riding a horse should be no problem."
Seres nodded, inspecting it herself.
But Anju was already pulling more from where she'd stored everything. "This, I needed to outsource. It goes directly over the bodice."
Seres heard the clinging of chainmail before she saw it. Impractical for any actual soldier, simply because of it's much more compact, lighter design, was a piece of chainmail that looked identical to the bodice, covering the entire torso. It offered more coverage, but combined with the metal plate, her center was almost indestructibly covered.
"It goes directly over her head. It shouldn't be snug, but she will certainly need help getting it off. These two pieces alone will be fairly heavy on her, and as I understand it, she has no physical training like the soldiers do, so we took off the sleeves so she could move more freely. Unless she plans to quite literally charge into the battle, it should be sufficient. Her heart is well-protected as well."
Anju pulled out a long, dark top with an elaborately stitched golden pattern and purple flower-like designs that almost seemed to glow. "This is a normal shirt to go over the armor. She should still look regal."
"Of course," Seres muttered, hoping Zelda knew just how many layers to be prepared for.
"And here, specially made, an armored circlet!" Taking this one out, Anju looked particularly pleased with herself. "It should fall directly over her temples to protect them while retaining this crown-like appearance, and it's made of strong metal links, similar to the chainmail itself." She rummaged again. "And here, her true armor. I did not make this, though the design is mine."
Seres gaped at the fitted piece of shining silver armor that looked like it was made perfectly to her size, unlike some other armor she'd seen on soldiers. On the chest, there was an etched design of the symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule: the Triforce with an elaborate wing-like pattern behind it.
"You know how to put this all on so far, right?" Anju asked, turning to grab something else from a different spot in the room.
"Not really, but it looks fairly standard, just a bit more secure."
"That's right, hun, Nothing to it!"
She pulled out dark, tight legging-like pants, unsupportive, but offering the freedom of movement. Then, she pulled a heavy ball of chainmail out and spread it out. "This goes around her waist and will fall to protect her from behind and from the sides. I was told she'd be on a horse, so I was less concerned with the bottoms. But here are her boots."
Seres tapped them, feeling the metal tabs inside the fabric, only breaking where a piece of her body needed to bend. "These go up to her thighs. It's why the pants are so fitted. But there you have it! Armor for a Princess. And don't worry, Prince Daltus sent the rupees on ahead, so it's all paid for. Do you need help carrying it back?"
Lifting and testing just a few pieces of the armor, Seres nodded. "Yes, that would be best, I think."
"Okay, you can go on back, and I'll send two of my boys to the big house with everything."
And Seres did just that.
When she finally had all the pieces of armor, she went to place them in Zelda's closet, she noticed that her two guards were standing by the staircases, the place they went when they wanted to offer Zelda some privacy.
"Is she back in her room?" Seres asked, glancing down the hall and seeing the door cracked open.
"She is."
"Thank you," she said, brushing past him to reach the door.
She peaked inside the crack first, just to be sure she wasn't about to barge in while she was asleep and start talking or anything. But she saw her sitting on her bed, Link resting across her lap telling an exaggerated story with his hands flailing wildly around. Zelda looked down, watching him with a fond smile as one hand absently played with his hair. She stopped only to laugh at something he'd said before her fingers twirled around a longer piece of hair and then raked everything back with her nails. Despite Zelda's calm demeanor, she looked enraptured in whatever Link was saying.
Seres hadn't wanted to interrupt Zelda's sleep, but interrupting this moment almost seemed worse. She always felt a pang of sharp pity for the two of them, knowing that they were fated together by whichever god or goddess had the cruelest sense of humor. She wanted to let them have their stolen moments. But Goddess, Seres couldn't bear the weight of the armor any longer and accidently crashed into the doorframe, making off like she'd intentionally knocked on the door.
"Princess? It's Seres, may I come in?" she said quickly, so as not to frighten either one of them. Both were on alert all the time, and the last time there had been a bang at Zelda's door, a beast of a soldier and blood-soaked Link had plowed into her room before turning it into a graveyard.
"Yes, come in," Zelda called back.
She eased her way through the door, noticing how Link was in no hurry to jump away from Zelda. Seres knew that she was trusted with their most precious secret. She wasn't even sure if Finn knew.
Seres bowed her head quickly. "I apologize, I didn't realize you were back."
"We really only just returned," Zelda said.
Link saw Seres strain under the weight of all the bunched-up armor, and he sprung up to grab it for her.
"Thank you," Seres muttered, and Link flashed her a handsome grin. She could see how one could easily be smitten by his effortless charms that she'd been witness to several times. Though—and Seres was probably the one most relieved—Seres never could see Link in any romantic way. Perhaps it was because she'd been able to witness just how well he and Zelda went together.
"You're looking so much better, Master Link," she said with a kind smile of her own as Link set the items down on the bed. Seres began to sort through the clothes that had become a bit of a blob as they'd gone from her to Link. "How are you feeling?"
She caught his sidelong look at Zelda before sighing. "About 80% better. Shad has a few more potions to get me the rest of the way. The ribs aren't healing well, though. Bones, you know?"
"I… can't say I do know," Seres admitted. She'd taken potions when physically ill, but never had she experienced even remotely what he'd gone through.
Zelda answered, taking a piece of the armor into her lap to examine it with a broad smile. "Potions like the one Shad made for Link speed up the healing process, specifically with lacerations and stab wounds. Bones are made up of a different material than blood and skin, so it would require an altogether different potion. But we aren't meant to drink that many potions all at once. Link would get very sick, so his ribs are healing on a smaller scale, thanks to the potions, but not at the same rate as his wounds. For bones, he'd need a more potent combination of leafy greens and herbs with tree bark that, when ground together and sifted, will make for a much more effective potion than the one he has now, which relies far more on the natural juices found in thick plants and fruits."
Link snorted. "It's like you just pulled a textbook from somewhere."
But she made a face and grabbed a different piece of armor as she spoke. "Are you doubting my repertoire of medical knowledge? I know making potions isn't my strongest suit yet, and for that I'm sorry for the sake of your stomach, but I still know what I'm talking about."
"For the record, Your Highness," he scoffed with a lighthearted glint in his eyes. "About 0% of me was being sarcastic. I think you knowing that off the top of your head is…" he stopped himself and turned to Seres with a flustered wave of his hand, stopping whatever word he was about to say and opting for something else. "…educational."
Seres noticed Zelda turn a shade redder as she leaned forward to whack his arm.
"Do you see what she does to me?" Link asked, playfully rubbing his arm.
But Seres shrugged, amused. "She's the future Queen. I only see what she wants me to see."
"Well said!" Zelda laughed, standing beside Seres. But Zelda paused and pulled the girl into a tight hug, overcome with a sudden emotion. "Thank you, Seres, for everything you've done so far. You've been a friend to me, not a servant."
Seres returned the embrace but began to rub a comforting circle on Zelda's back when she felt a sudden tension in the Princess.
Zelda pulled away after a moment and crossed her arms. "I actually wanted to know where you were planning to be during the battle. Are you going to the medical tent to volunteer?"
Though she didn't mean to, Seres blanched. "No, I don't have the stomach or the nerves for it. I would ride beside you, if you'd like."
Biting back a touched smile, Zelda shook her head. "No but thank you. I've already been informed that I shouldn't even be there. It's not safe. But I was wondering how you'd feel if I asked you to stay here and run the house. It'll be overrun with refugees, and people who need someone strong to handle everything while we're gone."
Seres' eyes bugged out. "You want me to take Master Niko's place? Take over his responsibilities? I'm a servant! I could never! There are none who would respect me. They'll immediately call for a noble."
"Just while we're away. And if they have any problems with you, I'll deal with them before we leave. You're the only one I trust with this."
"What about Master Niko?"
Zelda glanced uneasily at Link. "We're going to deal with him after Ganondorf. He'll need to be executed, and it would need to be done properly because of his status. We don't have that kind of time to spare right now. He can just stay in that cell until our return."
"Seres," Link said, leaning forward onto his knees from where he sat. "You're already doing two jobs with Zelda and your old duties, so we all know you're a great mult-tasker. You're organized. You're kind. And most importantly, you're calm. When Finn found us, he said you were obsessing over making pillows perfect for the refugees. That's heart in a small act of kindness."
Zelda nodded in agreement. "These people need someone to look out for them, and I believe—and Daltus too, believe it or not—that you should be the one to handle this task. We all trust you."
And Seres felt a single tear fall down her cheeks as she nodded her head, agreeing to a task she'd never dreamed she'd have to undertake.
But they trusted her.
And it was worth trying.
