1 - Pilot

I've become eighteen years old.

It's not a very relevant age, in fact, in Hyrule the coming of age is reached at seventeen. Last year for my seventeenth birthday Father brought so many people to the celebrations that we had to setup additional space for the banquet and the ball in the royal gardens. They ordered a new dress for me, long-sleeved (I became a woman and women dress with long sleeves), dark blue. Blue is my favorite color and blue was my dress for the coming-of-age celebrations. Luckily, I got my blue dress despite the efforts of Amy, the head of maidens, she pushed hard for the pink or "purple, maybe, but that would be a big concession anyway for a princess dress". Amy is too traditional, anything that breaks her ideas of "sacred" tradition makes her tremble and kneel before the goddesses, like if a catastrophe was going to fall on our heads. We fight sometimes (always when it comes to my outfits), but I think she's funny, and I know she actually cares for me as if I were one of her daughters. She's got five, by the way, two of them also work as part of my personal service at the castle: the sisters Lel and Mel. Ok, so, despite my maid's obsessions, Father brought some beautiful gerudo fabrics, made of an oscillating blue that changes according to daylight. When I put it on at dusk the dress seemed the color of Lurelin's sea, but at night it looked more like the blue of a cold, distant star. They said that the dye of that blue is achieved by the best gerudo artisans, they get it from the heart of the sapphires that grow hidden in the depths of the Gerudo mountain range. It would be so interesting to be able to see those places by myself... those dark, twisted caverns that hide a world parallel to ours…

The thing is that the eighteenth birthday it's as any other birthday, and there was no bespoke dress this time. Although Impa was insisting all the time that "this is the birthday that matters", because it is the reaffirmation that I am a woman. Not bad. I had many projects and ideas in mind, and if indeed I was a reaffirmed woman, it immediately means I shouldn't have to ask for Father's permission to put them into practice. Just as Kahen was able to choose his own personal guard and go hunting in Hyrule's deepest woods from the very day he turned seventeen, I could make one of my plans come true at eighteen. Fair enough.

Kahen is the eldest of us (three years older than me, it's not much), and he's the heir to the crown of Hyrule. I always say he's like an annoying blessing. It's a blessing having an older sibling, because that frees Gae and me from inheriting anything, we don't have to carry that enormous weight on our shoulders. And the annoying thing... Kahen's annoying. He's conflictive, so to speak. Master Dum, the royal astronomer, says that his ascendant is Din and his heart lives ruled by the seas of conflict. There's usually conflict when it comes to Kahen. He got so mad at me when I beat him in that stupid bow competition that he managed to "lose" all my bows after his defeat. "Women should not approach weapons, they could get hurt." Ha. I have a hundred times better aim than him, and I also handle myself better with the dagger and the spear. He fears me, and since he become seventeen, he refused to continue fighting against me in sheikah training just to avoid a new defeat, even though he strutted in front of his men arguing that he did not mean to hurt a "little" girl.

Oh, speaking of training, that's one of the duties that no son of the king of Hyrule can get rid of whether he or she is an heir or not. We must all have a full military training, and that's what Impa the leader of the Sheikah tribe is responsible for. We began training in the arts of the shadow people at fourteen, and by the time we reach the coming of age, we must be as lethal as any member of the tribe. Gae started his training a few months ago. He can't stand it, he complains to me every night, when I see him appear at my quarters like a beaten dog, full of bruises and with his ash blond hair scrambled after so many hours of 'suffering'.

"I just want to study to become a Sage, Zel."

"I know. "

"Then I don't understand why I have to train so hard; we should start learning to get rid of the violence, not to somehow feed it with more and more stupid training. "

"It's our duty and you know it."

"To hell with duties!"

"I'll drink to that, sir."

Gae, or Gaepora, as Kahen often calls him when he wants to annoy him by using his complete name, is a free and sensitive soul. He and I are more alike, I guess. We've always gotten along; we've been very close since we were little. Gae was only two years old when Mom died, and maybe that made us closer to each other. At night he manages to sneak into my quarters to share a drink of wine from the Necluda region. No one knows we do it, of course, nor that I keep the wine in one of my closets, nor that I got it from one of the cellars of the castle right under the noses of the cooks and Impa. He shouldn't drink because he's still too young and I shouldn't drink because royal ladies don't do it out of protocol (ha!). A lady never does that, stealing food as if she were a vulgar thief, nor hides wine in her quarters (stolen or not), unless the wine belongs to her husband, of course.

And that's exactly what Father wanted to talk about on my eighteenth birthday. Husbands.

"... So, I thought about four guards and a couple of sheikah from Robbie's lab would be enough. I've identified several safe routes, whenever you want, I can show you Father, I've outlined a couple of maps. The excavation would last about two months, so we'd have to set up a campaign post and a safe supply route for the equipment that stays there. I would need to stay to run the camp most of the time, of course, but I would travel to the castle for all the important events. Once the track is established there will be no problems to be here whenever I am needed."

I threw up my whole idea at Father's beards while he was sipping on his wine chalice. Only the closest people were invited to my birthday banquet and that allowed me to speak with almost total intimacy with the king of Hyrule, without the ears of outsiders around us.

"Have you thought about taking a husband? " He said, his eyes fixed on the edge of his chalice.

"Huh-husband?"

My mind was up and running at full speed, had Father heard a word of what I had just told him?

"You're old, Zelda. Arranging marriages is an expensive process, it requires time. You're old enough for it, maybe we should have started earlier."

"Process...," I murmured. I was so dumbfounded that I could barely repeat some of his words as if I were a baby.

"Have you thought of any suitor in particular?"

"I..."

Goddesses, in the last few months all I had been thinking about was sheikah excavations, the magical properties of the blue flames of Robbie's lab and at most, how to supply my Necluda wine cabinet more efficiently from the kitchens. That led me to the idea of having my own house and my own cellar. It was the craziest of all my projects that I had of course archived so that I could present it to Father at the right time, once I saw that our research bore fruit. But suitors? Oh, Goddess, no. Kahen. He had to marry by duty to someone who established strong political relations that would give stability to the kingdom. The heirs have that disadvantage, they marry the crown, not the loved one. Gae was going to be a Sage and almost no Sage was married, it was not forbidden, but it was unusual, the Sages lived long spiritual retreats and spent most of their existence with their noses stuck in the books. And I? I was the invisible daughter, I had no role like my male brothers, nor was I special in any way. I was pretty ordinary, actually. I assumed that at the right time, if I knew anyone of my interest it might be advantageous or not to arrange a marriage. But no. It's just that it hadn't crossed my mind or been part of any of my plans. True, many of the nobles who came to grope me at palace balls had hinted their courting intentions. Some even found the courage to have an audition with Father so they could officially court me, which Father cut from the root, frightened at the thought. Almost all those horrible suitors were old enough to be my grandfather and I just danced with them due to protocol, or as a Father calls it "diplomacy", but it was an uncomfortable duty I used to escape from as soon as the act of "diplomacy" was fulfilled.

It doesn't mean I know nothing about romantic interests. Once I felt a strong attraction to a young guard who was in the group of soldiers in charge of my security. I was too young, Gae's age or so, and I sighed to see his training on the shooting ranges, and I didn't miss one of the parades with his patrol. It took me about a million years to dare to babble something to get his attention, he was older and unattainable, and I was invisible to him. He was very kind to me, had the courtesy not make me feel ridiculous and embarrassed, because for sure he knew, he knew about my stupid crush and... Anyway, I was the damn princess and I discovered that he was engaged to a maiden from his village. That's where the fairy tale, the butterflies in my stomach and all that ended. After him nobody called my attention, but I didn't worry about not having romantic interests, "there would be time for that," I repeat to me, "you'll already find someone or maybe you won't, but it doesn't matter." Not being an heiress made me assume that I wouldn't have to force political or romantic union with someone, I didn't have the same condemnation as Kahen, being the median had that advantage, isn't it?

Father seemed impatient as watched my cavillations squeezing his lips. He almost never squeezes his lips with me, all his angers tend to be directed at Kahen.

"Richard?" I asked.

Richard was a rare and eccentric prince, from the lands of Lumbar, on the Eastern border with Hyrule. He was not very popular because he was a bit antisocial and was not guided by typical court unspoken rules. He was late for events, sometimes with the mud-stained cloak because of his expeditions, he travelled a lot... He could also spend the whole dinner looking at infinity without crossing a single word with the guests at the table, always lost in his thoughts. But I liked all that. His oddities were amusing, and he seemed good-hearted. Whenever he came to the castle, he brought extravagant gifts from any of his travels for me and my siblings, the last time it was a luminescent rock, it shone in the dark with an aquamarine light. Besides, he was about twenty-one like Kahen, he was the only young nobleman to come to my mind. If Father wanted to start a "process" with Richard, I would see him with good eyes, marry him for convenience and continue with my personal projects. Richard would let me do all that, I was sure.

"It's not a bad choice. We've had a good relationship with Lumbar for years, but it wouldn't hurt to entrench them through marriage—Father said while kneading his beard. I was happy that my idea didn't upset him.

"Regarding my project..."

"I'll send a couple of emissaries to Lumbar tomorrow."

"Oh, good."

Anyway, I didn't plan on marrying Richard tomorrow, this year or the next, Father was free to send as many emissaries as he wanted.

"You're my daughter," he said, raising my chin with his index finger, "and you're a princess. There are not many single princes, but Richard's family is noble and of great tradition. I think you could honor it."

"Sure, Father."

I could honor it in five or six years. I had to get hold of a map of Lumbar, if we were going to continue Hyrule's excavations, I'd have to convince Richard to establish our home as close to the border as possible.

That same night, lying on a carpet in my quarters, I celebrated my eighteens in privacy with Gae. He was angry with Impa because she had forced him to run for more than an hour before dawn and had decided to placate his anger against sheikah training with Necluda's wine. His cheeks were red and... well, I admit that mine burnt too, besides, I had already drunk wine at dinner. None of that bothered us and we both enjoyed our private party alone and without any protocol involved.

"For Lady Zelda Bosphoramus of Lumbar," Gae toasted, to fall with his back, shrouded in laughter.

"Stop calling me that or I'll start calling you His Royal Highness the honorable prince Gaepora of Neurospora," I threatened him, infected by his laughter.

"Seriously, Zel. What does Father have in his head? He forces me to train with the sheikah and you... you just... you're not one of those princesses who get married.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I frowned on purpose, to intimidate him a little.

"Well... You know. You don't look like one of those princesses. You may look like them on the outside—laughs again—but inside you're not like that, you're not... I can't imagine you married, being a lady of a high castle and all that, as if you were one of those old cucco ladies in the court. You'd be dead in less than a year. Dead out of boredom. Can't you negotiate this with Father?

"Nah, I don't think so," I drank the glass in one drink and filled it again. It had nothing to do with the fine broth they had served on my birthday, but I still preferred my stolen wine a hundred more times —Father believes I have to get married and become a prissy cucco lady or something terrible will happen to me, I'll get cursed and rays from the skies will fall over me and the kingdom."

This time I was the one who sank into laughter, a little alcohol-fed.

"And why have you suggested Richard? He has a worm neck—Gae's comment caused me to expel the wine because of a laugh.

"And why not? He's not a grandpa like the other suitors.

"Yes, but... still, he looks more like a worm than a prince.

"I like worms.

"Kahen once told me that... Well.

"Go ahead," I said, staring at Gae seriously.

"He said Richard... doesn't really like to interact with ladies or... women in general if you know what I mean.

"Ugh, what a relief.

Gae fell on his back in the midst of a new fit of laughter and I did too.

"What if it can't be Richard?" Gae leaned on an elbow so he wouldn't be totally upside down. I dropped myself to lie on the carpet and a mountain of cushions that I stacked in front of the half-off embers of my fireplace. My head was starting to spin, it was much better this way.

"There are no more options, it will be Richard or no one.

"You have no choice, Zel. Father will want you to marry a prince.

"Richard is a prince. And he needs a marriage of convenience as much as I do. That union will favor both of us: I will be able to investigate freely, and he can fall in love and be happy with whoever he wants, lady or not.

"What if Father wants grandchildren?

"For Din's sake, Gae... you're a pain! If you go down that path, I'll start pairing you with little cute princesses.

"I won't have that problem, when I turn seventeen, I will move to the Big Plateau with Master Rauru. I'll spend the day researching and living in the nature. I'll hunt in the woods and study all the medicinal plants.

"You are a prince of Hyrule, and Father will want to marry you with a princess.

"Go to hell," Gae drank his glass, and I took it out of his hand so he wouldn't keep getting drunk. I already felt enough guilty to let him drink so much despite his age. I promised him four small drinks just because it was my birthday and he wore almost five, but not one more.

"See? The marriage game isn't so much fun when it comes to you.

"You could marry the gerudo prince.

"No.

It gave me the creeps just to think about it. He was a handsome, strong man, many of my maidens sighed for him. He had a golden skin that shone in the sun, it was difficult to look away when he was around. And he had facilitated Gerudo's accession to Hyrule and... No. He always smiled like if he knew something everyone else ignored, and that made me distrust him in an irrational way. I kept all this for myself, Gae is still immature to process certain things. I don't doubt he'd tell his squire friends about the prince's golden skin and all that so they could laugh for a while.

"And patriarch Tyto's son?

"If I marry a rito I would override all my choices of giving grandchildren to Father," I joked, "that excludes the Goron and the Zora as well. Besides, they're under Hyrule's command, and Father wants me with a foreigner.

"And the West Frontier? The West Frontier does not belong to Hyrule... not yet.

"Funny idea. Father would gouge his eyes out before he saw me with one of those barbarians of the mountains.

"So... Richard then.

"Exactly.

"Do we toast to Lord Richard, Prince of Lumbar?

"Gae...," I rebuked him, stirring his hair a little with my hand.

"When I turn seventeen, I'll ask to serve Necluda wine on my birthday banquet.

"Okay, but let's stop the toast for now, I don't want you to start weaving when you walk back to your quarters," I giggled, and I felt my stomach hurt because I laughed so much throughout the night.

We both stood silently, looking at the carved wooden ceiling above our heads, stunned by the wine.

"Zel...

"Mmmm," I was starting to fall asleep when he broke his silence.

"If you could choose a husband, what would he be like?

"I don't know. What would your wife be like if you could choose her?

"She'd like Necluda's wine," he made me giggle again, "and she wouldn't mind if I lived outside the castle, on the Big Plateau, for example.

"I've never thought about getting married," I admitted, "but now that you ask, it will suffice if he just allows me to rule my life without interfering too much in it.

"That's the same as not being married...

"Maybe. Maybe I'm not a wife, that's all.

"But Zel, no-

"Enough," I interrupted. I felt my eyelids falling —stay to sleep here. You'll be able to escape to your quarters at dawn before Amy comes to fix the chimney. And please, stop talking about marriages.

Author's notes

I don't want to die without giving a try to one of my stories in English xD I made the presentation at the end of the chapter for that very reason, to avoid scaring people in advance, if you discover this story was originally written in Spanish and I'm trying to translate it into English (not literally, just the way I would have written it from the beginning), maybe it's a reason for not giving it a chance.

So, if you've reached this line, welcome home! And I hope you've liked it.

The story is an alternative universe (inspired by BoTW scenarios, locations and characters) and it's narrated in first person, alternating PoVs.

If a single soul reads it, that's a win for me :)

Take care!

-Juliet