Zelda shuddered in her sleep, despite the warmth that she felt all around her. After two months in the castle, it was now decidedly warm outside with summer on the brink; she was under blankets, and Link was wrapped around her. But it didn't stop the chills as her mind raced back to the battlefield, replacing the truth with harsh lies that only nightmares could manage to do so effectively.
The battlefield cleared to let Ganondorf through the waves of soldiers. In his hand, dragging just under his cape, was a body that he tossed just in front of him with a sickening smile and a thud that landed hard, bouncing against the dirt and gravel.
Link's limp body fell to the ground, lying on his back. His head lolled loosely back, and his eyes were unfocused and open… empty.
Zelda slid from her saddle, but her legs couldn't catch her when they hit the ground. She collapsed, holding herself up with her hands as she stared wide-mouthed at the bloody body just yards from her.
A noise caught in her throat as her body began to shake.
To make his point clearer, Ganondorf picked Link up by the neck, choking him with a smile before roughly tossing his body
There were hands holding her back. She was a symbol, after all, not a person. The Princess couldn't afford to be seen so weak.
But when she could finally raise her head, she was against the wall of the palace staring at the four cages that her family had been in. Her eyes darted past each until she saw one more cage on the far end. A large boot was blocking her view of who it was, and she found her legs staggering to bring her over to the body, and she nearly lost them again when she saw who it was.
Link.
"Get them down, now!" she screeched, hurrying over to the wall so she had something she could lean against while holding her breath.
But as she struggled for breath, she noticed something in the grass beneath Link. Blood. Wet blood.
Gasping, Zelda pushed herself off and stared up at Link. "Someone! Get him down first! Now! Hurry!"
Zelda gathered his bloodied body into her lap and wrapped her arms around him while she waited for someone to return to her. She lowered her mouth to his ear. "You don't get to die on me, too The Goddess's light is warm and bright, and this world is bleary and dark, but choose this world. There is still light here, and it will return soon. Please, Link!"
The voice that answered came from the cage behind her, her father's lifeless corpse. "You ask him to remain here, to avoid us, to leave us. It's what you've always done. You left before the battle, you left the Sacred Realm when we offered you our eternal love. Now, you'll keep him from us too."
"No," she pleaded. "It's not that. Come back with me! Please, father, come back!"
"It's too late now. You didn't choose us. You have chosen to leave us, your own family, behind. The greed in your heart chose a kingdom over your own family. I'm ashamed to call you my heir."
She woke up with a harsh twitch as tears sprang to her eyes and she pulled her feet up to her chest.
"You're okay," she heard beside her before she felt the rough hand on her side, rubbing comforting circles into her.
She slid back down and hovered over Link, running her hand over the harsh scar on his cheek. It had settled into its permanent state now, no longer raw and fresh or tender to the touch. She could feel the raised flesh even without seeing him.
Her hand ran down his bare chest to rest on a dip in his ribs where they still hadn't entirely moved back into place. It was a distinct gap that always had her worried, but Link's hand covered hers, stopping it from moving away. "What happened?"
"Same dream," she sighed, finally feeling calm enough to settle back against Link. "Was I talking again?"
"My name. Your father. Ganondorf."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She'd woken him up several nights in a row, and she knew how tired he'd been recently, partly her fault.
"Please don't apologize again, Zelda," he mumbled. "It'll be over soon."
"I know," she hissed. Her head turned to the gorgeous dress laid out in her dressing area. "I'm so nervous."
"No reason for it." Link leaned in to kiss her, but in his bleary-eyed state, he missed and hit somewhere near the top of her nose. They chuckled, and Zelda felt Link's hand sleepily slide across her stomach to her own scar where his hand sagged limp with exhaustion.
Now that it was healed and she was in the public eye much more often, she was glad it was in a place that was easily concealable. Only Link ever managed to make her feel good about it. It was the way his hands traced every ridge, or how his mouth would tenderly close over it rather than shying away. She would do the same to his many scars, but she had a distinct feeling that he wasn't suffering from the same crushing weight of scrutiny that she was, especially not recently. A soldier with a large face scar was a brave warrior. A princess with a scar was damaged porcelain. And on the days when she wore a shirt rather than a dress, if it rode up even slightly, the scar was exposed, and all eyes were on her because eyes were always on her.
Most days she was fine with it and had become used to it. Many of the locals had begun to keep their hair pin-straight, as hers was, and she noticed a distinct rise in people wearing the same style of dresses that she used most often. But she needed to accept that tomorrow especially would be a day she'd just have to forget every eye on her.
Because when she woke up and got dressed, it would be her coronation day.
And in her dreams for over a week had been haunting images of her father, Ganondorf, Auru, and Daltus, all questioning her abilities to lead.
In her mind, people were constantly gossiping, as she'd already become rather talked about around castle town. It wasn't just her clothes. There was good gossip as well, like her actions during the war, and her journey to get there. They were frequently told stories that she welcomed far more than other gossip, even if many of the details had begun to twist slightly out of truth.
But she wasn't the only one being talked about. Link had become a point of gossip, as she'd warned him. He barely seemed to notice unless a soldier brought up a very specific rumor about him. Otherwise, he shrugged it off.
It was a skill she used to have, but she'd lost it when she'd acquired more power than she was used to. It was a benefit of not being the face of the kingdom. Back when her parents had been alive, any gossip about her had been minimal, or it reflected on her parents rather than herself. She no longer had anyone to hide behind. She'd never empathized with her father more than she did now, and she didn't even wear the crown yet.
She knew she shouldn't take much heart in their words. She regretted nothing about her and Link, and she didn't feel like keeping a respectable distance from him every time they were outside the castle. She enjoyed being out, so it happened often.
Despite his new leadership roles in the Garrison, Link maintained part-time guardship over her, especially on important days when crowds were excitable and densely packed together. Today, he wouldn't be leaving her side until they were in the throne room.
They both drifted back into a peaceful sleep—dreamless and restful—for the brief time that they were allowed before there was a wake-up knock on their door.
It had become Seres' foolproof way to make sure they were up without barging in. She knocked loudly and waited for a response.
"We're up!" Link called back, though he plopped his head back down onto Zelda's pillow and closed his eyes.
But Zelda nudged him. "You have to be there before me. Wake up."
He groaned and pinned Zelda down with his arm, nuzzling his face into her neck as he kept his eyes closed.
"No, no!" she laughed, "You have to get ready."
"So do you, and you're not moving."
"You have me trapped! I can't."
She giggled as she pushed him off of her and rolled out from his grasp, hastily standing and pulling her robe on and yanking the blanket off of Link. "Get up!"
"Fine!" he muttered, though he was smiling. It was something he did a lot of these days.
Zelda helped him to his feet before leading him to the washroom with her, very glad they'd gotten up earlier than they needed to.
Zelda let out several deep breaths, her hand clutching the wide fabric of her golden dress as if it were her lifeline to this world. She gave a few bounces of her feet and shook out her other hand, relieved to have both of them working fine again.
"You're okay, Princess," Seres said, fixing the dress Zelda had just crinkled. "You've been ruling for months. It's just official now.
"You'll finally have to call me Zelda, I think," Zelda noted as she gave the dress a few half spins, comforted by watching it poof out with a light rustling sound.
"Unlikely, My Queen," Seres laughed.
Zelda scoffed. "It'll happen yet."
A posh looking man draped in a fine red cape came over to them, bowing as he reached Zelda. She knew him well; Lord Fyer was one of the nobles who'd moved back into the apartments just off the palace. She liked him, at least. He wasn't one of the mooching nobles that had taken up some of the other apartments, like Lady Maud and Master Cole.
"Princess, it's time."
"Goddess, please don't let me mess this one up," she muttered, pulling Seres into a long, needed hug before she took her place in front of the door and Seres grabbed the train of her dress. Adjusting the small crown in her hair, Zelda clasped her shaking hands in front of her and watched Fyre pull the door to the throne room open.
The room was packed. There was only barely enough room for her to squeeze her way down the center of the room towards her throne. As she reached the front, she could see Finn—one of the few not standing because of his leg—Ellie, Maryse, and an empty seat for Seres. In another row just behind them, she could see Owl and Shad. And in the very front row was Daltus. She made her way to an old woman who was waiting for her, one of the Goddess' Faithful named Impa who was specifically trained in royal ceremonies.
When Zelda finally cleared the crowd, her eyes darted to the side where about fifteen soldiers stood at attention in formal uniforms reserved only for special events. And in the very front was Link, smiling at her with an unhidden expression of pride. He nodded once at her before turning his attention back to his job. He sent several of his soldiers to take up their expected places around Zelda, surrounding her at a distance.
Impa smiled kindly at Zelda as she offered her hand. Zelda took it and realized that Seres had left her already because the time was upon her.
Zelda turned and knelt down, facing the crowd: the one and only time the monarch of Hyrule knelt to someone else. Here, she wasn't kneeling before a person, but an entire kingdom as she made a solemn vow.
Impa's voice rang out well, despite her age. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda Aravis Thaisa Hyrule, heir apparent to the Kingdom of Hyrule and all its Territories: you have already demonstrated your willingness to sacrifice for our beloved Hyrule. Now, we ask you to promise to serve the kingdom for all your days. Will you take the throne of the Kingdom of Hyrule?"
"I will," Zelda said, hoping it was loud enough. Seres gave her an encouraging nod, and it set her mind at ease a bit.
Impa's head bobbed. "And will you uphold the foundations that Hyrule has been built upon, seeking to further our Kingdom in every action you take?"
"I will."
"Are you willing to give your life in service to our kingdom, or to the gods and goddesses?"
"I am willing."
"And do understand that preserving the past, present, and future of Hyrule will be your priority and your duty?"
"I do."
Impa smiled and put her hand on Zelda's shoulder before removing the small crown from her head and placing it down. And from a pillow, she took King Nohansen's crown, fitted to Zelda's size, and placed it snugly on her head.
The moment it touched her hair, Zelda felt like it was meant to be there. Her waves of nervousness washed away and she suddenly felt confident wearing the crown. In some way, the crown was like a hug from her father, one that said he was happy to pass the throne to her, even if not the way he'd always intended.
With the crown in place, Zelda stood again and watched as the roles were reversed, with every citizen present bowing to her, even Daltus—though his was out of respect than obligation.
Impa rose from her bow first. "I present to you for the first time, Her Majesty, Queen Zelda Aravis Thaisa Hyrule, Ruler of the Kingdom of Hyrule and all its Territories. May her reign last long and flourish."
The applause was silent in her ears as she took it all in. The first person she saw was Daltus, who surprised her with his smile. Her eyes drifted behind him to Finn and Seres, then Maryse and Ellie. Shad and Owl were hidden behind other's heads.
She saved Link for last because she knew he'd be harder to look away from.
It was a strange feeling. She'd seen people look at her with excitement or joy, anger, fear, even love. But to see someone she respected as much as Link look at her with pride, it did something entirely new to her.
He knew her journey to get to this moment, and it made it all the more powerful when she found herself feeling natural in the crown, not like it was a burden or a birthright, but something she'd earned.
She tore her eyes away from him, remembering the scrutiny everyone was under here. She didn't have rupees to spare on an elaborate ball, but she'd thanked her guests for coming by providing them with drinks and music that echoed through the ballroom that everyone made their way to.
For a while, she tried to maintain some prim distance, feeling like that regal distance from the goings on was what was expected of her now, but she couldn't help herself joining in with the others as Link and Shad lifted Finn so he could join in the dancing. She clung to Seres' arm, watching with a free laugh.
Off to her side, she noticed Daltus talking with Lord Fyre, an undeniably coy smile on both their faces as they spoke. Zelda bit her lip, feeling far too excited when Daltus laughed and moved out of the way of some dancers so they could continue to talk in peace.
"Stop spying," Link said, nudging her.
Zelda scoffed. "I'm the Queen now. You can't command me to do anything."
Link took a deliberate step into her space. There was no need to pretend. They'd been caught kissing one too many times in one too many hallways since returning to the castle.
"Is that how it's going to be now? What if I told you to dance with me?"
Zelda made a disgruntled noise and shook her head, though she grabbed his outstretched arm. "I'd say that I'm going to dance with you because it's what I want to do, not because you told me to."
Link laughed as he followed her out into the room, closer to the music. But when they stopped, he held his arm up, waiting.
Zelda stared at him, confused for a moment before taking in his expression. Her eyes bugged out and she gasped as she recognized the stance. "You didn't! You learned my stuffy dance?"
Link nodded and waited. "It's my coronation present to you. Took me about a month to learn, too, so go easy on me."
Unable to contain herself at his surprise, she flung herself into his arms and pulled him down for a kiss that was respectful, but certainly not the most appropriate for a new queen and her knight to share in public. He pulled away from her after too long and ran a hand through her hair.
Holding up his hand again, he smirked at her, his flirty grin and sparkling eyes matched by her own. He wiggled his fingers.
"So, My Queen, will you dance with me?"
A/N: This fic will end on Chapter 62, so only a few left!
