Link trailed closely beside the queen as she sat on her horse, her hand running through its mane as she soothed it. He could tell she was trying not to give away the fact she was deep in thought, something from her discussion with Impa preoccupying her mind. Whatever it was, Zelda almost seemed disappointed or frustrated but she would have already spoken to him if it was something of urgency.

''Are we ready?'' Link asked as he turned on his horse, looking across his guard. There was an important one missing. ''Where's Grax?''

''Saying goodbye to Adela. She's staying here for a few more days and then taking off on her own way,'' one of the guards said as they turned. ''They've been chatting with Dorian all morning.''

''The three of them have a lot in common,'' Zelda said as she smiled, looking at the three of them with Dorian's daughters by the cooking pots, looking like old friends reminiscing over old times.

Grax turned and caught her eye, quickly standing up. He said a few more words before giving Adela a tight hug, saying one last thing before jogging over to the group. ''I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. Dorian is trying to help convince Adela to stay here where it's safe.''

Zelda shook her head with a smile, even as Link had a somewhat stern look on his face right beside her. Grax was meant to be a role model to the other guards. ''Well, let's get going then. We need to make it back to the castle as quickly as we can.''

It was a whole day's worth of ride but they made it well after dark. The castle staff were prepared as Zelda walked immediately up to her room, ready to collapse from exhaustion. Link had followed, watching as she immediately dropped onto her bed, curling up with her pillow.

''Are you okay?''

Zelda nodded. ''Worn out, that is all. Nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix.''

Link didn't quite believe her. He knew she'd only get upset at him if he pushed and she was actually fine, so he left it be. He said goodnight and closed the door behind himself, walking down the hall to his room.

He laid down on his bed and immediately sunk into it, enjoying the familiar cushioning and covers. The inn beds weren't bad - and were certainly better than sleeping on the ground outdoors - but there was something about his own bed in his own room with the peace and quiet around him. He didn't have to be on guard; if anything endangered the queen he'd be woken up long before she was in any real danger.

It was just as nice to wake up in his own room. He was able to get up and go about his normal routine without worrying he'd disturb or distress anyone, particularly as he was sure he'd never get over his habit of waking early in the mornings. He made his way down to the old academy to practice with one of the dummies as he did every day, already aside for him and ready.

Grax emerged a little while later, stretching as he leisurely made his way toward the future king. ''I gave the soldiers that came with us an extra couple of hours sleep this morning. Everyone else was business as usual.''

Link nodded. They'd pushed themselves to return in a single day and so they deserved the extra few hours of rest. Tired soldiers did not make for attentive guards. He hoped it wouldn't come to that while they were at the castle but they always had to be ready just in case; it certainly was an opportune time for anyone to strike while they were already worn down.

''Is the queen feeling better today? She still looked ill last night,'' Grax asked and Link hesitated.

''I haven't seen her yet this morning,'' he replied and Grax nodded. He'd heard Link out at his usual early hour so it was unsurprising he'd made his way out without going past in case he disturbed her.

Link made his way back inside the castle as Grax followed. They parted ways as Grax walked down the halls toward his soldiers, Link making his way to Zelda's study in order to check what she wanted him to do for the day. She wasn't in there and none of her things had been moved; he made his way down the hall and stopped at the guards. ''Has Zelda been through?''

They shook their heads and he walked down the hall, slowly opening Zelda's door. She was still curled up in bed, her sheets messy as he could see the sweat on her face. He barely touched her skin and could feel the heat coming from her forehead, a stark contrast against her cold arm. He made his way into her bathroom and grabbed a cloth from her shelves, adding cold water before he took it out to place on her forehead.

She opened her eyes, the entire process looking painful. ''Link?''

''You have a fever,'' Link said and Zelda nodded, gently reaching to her forehead to hold the cloth there. It was soothing against her face as she curled up again.

Her voice was weak and unconvincing. ''Just ten minutes. Wake me up then.''

Link got down low, leaning on the side of her mattress as he pushed her hair from her face. ''You need to get better. The kingdom needs you healthy,'' he assured her and she shook her head a little. ''Go back to sleep.''

Zelda's body was clearly against her, particularly as Link ran his finger tips lightly through her hair to try and coax her to sleep. He stood up and quietly left the room, walking up to the guards. ''She's very unwell. If it's not to take care of her, tell any one wanting her to wait,'' he instructed and he guards nodded, unsure if there was anything else they should have been doing.

Link felt lost as he attempted to sit in Zelda's meetings for her. Most opted just to reschedule but a few remained, though Link wished they hadn't as he tried to catch up on whatever they'd been talking about. He scribbled some notes but they didn't make much sense. Hopefully Zelda could make some sense of it when she was back but he sincerely doubted it.

It wasn't comforting as he thought about the fact it would be his role soon enough. He wasn't ready to be king and he wasn't sure he'd ever be. He was good at protecting the queen and training more guards; nothing else. His diplomacy skills were just be nice to those who weren't a threat and make sure anyone who was knew they weren't going to be tolerated. What kind of king would that make him? It just reminded him of the militaristic leaders of the past, determined to declare war on whomever disagreed with them. He didn't feel like he would be like that right away but that wasn't to say the responsibility and power wouldn't eventually take its toll.

It began to get harder and harder to concentrate on what was being said instead of how poorly he felt like he was doing. At least his last meeting of the day was about what he was most comfortable with. Grax sat down and leaned back on his chair, letting some of the others unroll and put some weights on the paper so it wouldn't roll up again. ''What have you worked out?'' Grax asked as he stretched, still tired from the trip home.

''We have been speaking to the other leaders and have narrowed down the potential locations for the offending group. How was the meeting?'' one of the others said and Link looked at Grax.

''They were quite hostile but are trying to claim it was only because they weren't being listened to. They are associated with the anti-Sheikah group as they had taken hostage a member of my family with the intention to kill her as they have always done to those who leave the Yiga,'' Grax explained. ''They did spare her in exchange for the queen promising she would present their case to the council for assessment. However, she did not promise them a positive result and I am concerned when they don't get the answer they want, they will retaliate.''

There was a similar feeling of uneasiness around the room. ''What do they want?'' the military advisor asked.

''A seat in the council,'' Link said and everyone knew the answer was immediately going to be no. It had to be. There wasn't a chance that a hostile, racist group would be allowed to sit on the council that dictated the politics of the entire kingdom. Once upon a time, there might have been a possibility but the current leaders had all been through the calamity and knew what damage it could bring.

One of the advisors from another village leaned forward on the desk, running their feathered wings over their face. The Rito looked particularly concerned. ''We're going to have to pass this back to our leaders. Either way, this ends poorly.''

Link sat in thought for a few moments. ''No, that could influence the vote. We will prepare but the reaction will be worse if they suspect the vote has been rigged.''

Grax folded his arms as he looked at Link. ''I think we should consider warning them of a known threat but try and make it sound separate to the council situation. They need to be aware to be on guard.''

Link was inclined to agree but that was the difficult part of it all. Could they trust everyone to not let on more than they should have? He knew that not everyone had the same way with words; there was a reason he rathered to stay silent. ''I'll speak with Zelda and we'll write something tomorrow for you to distribute. I don't like the risk.''

They began to tidy their things as the meeting concluded, Link immediately making his way up to Zelda's room to check on her again. She was awake, though barely, as he gently closed the door behind himself. She moved in a way to let him sit beside her, her head resting on his shoulder as soon as he did.

''I'm sorry, I should be better than this,'' Zelda said quietly and Link tried to look at her, gently placing his hand on the one of hers that held his arm.

''Everyone gets sick sometimes. Even the queen,'' Link replied as he felt her curl up a bit more. ''I wrote notes. Hopefully they make sense.''

Zelda smiled just a little, looking at the man she was going to marry. ''Thank you. It helps ease my mind that you will be able to do this for me properly soon. I don't intend to be sick but for when I am.''

Link didn't know what to say. Self doubt was still prominent in his mind. Everything was telling him that becoming king was going to be a mistake. He said nothing instead of letting himself fumble over words and make her more concerned. Not while she was already stressed enough.

Zelda glanced at the door and gently kissed his lips. ''Do the guards know you're in here?'' she asked and Link placed a hand in her blonde hair to kiss her again while he had the chance.

''If they didn't, I would be removing them from the guard,'' Link joked. He knew why she was asking. Even just sitting on her bed seemed inappropriate to a number of more traditional thinkers. It would have been spread around the kingdom like wildfire. ''They know you're sick and need rest. I doubt they'll disturb us unless it's important.''

Zelda nodded and kissed her future husband again. ''I wish I wasn't.''

Link kissed her a little more, leaning into her as he felt her part her lips. He wished she wasn't sick too. They never got the opportunity to show each other any level of intimacy, even a kiss inappropriate for some, and now he had the chance but she was unwell and really should have been resting. He probably shouldn't have been kissing her at the risk of them both being ill.

Zelda's arms wrapped around his neck as she dragged him closer. ''I finally have you to myself, my king.'' Like a kick in his gut, he recoiled slightly while trying to keep his cool but Zelda had felt it. She broke away and looked at him, trying to work out what in Hyrule had just happened. ''Link?''

Link couldn't hide the expression on his face. ''Zelda, I don't know if can be king.''

Zelda frowned a little more. ''What do you mean?''

Link hated words. Words were hard and he wished that she would have just known and somehow understood how he was feeling. Instead, he could already feel his tongue getting caught in his mouth, haphazardly trying to form any logical sentence at all. ''I'm not cut out for it. I don't want to be. I think letting me become king is a mistake.''

Zelda watched his eyes. She looked upset with his words as she moved in a way that told Link it was time to get off of her and move to the chair by her bed instead. She took several moments before she spoke, sitting up like she'd been taught to as a little girl. It was royal and confident, even if her voice wasn't. ''Well, if that's what you think and you don't want to be, then I won't make you. You don't have to become king.''

Link felt relief. All of the pressure was suddenly alleviated from him as that was all he could focus on. If he'd known she'd be so open to the idea, he would have mentioned it earlier before it had begun eating into him. ''Thank you.''

Zelda did her best to not get upset. ''I'll talk to the planner and make sure the ceremony is cancelled. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do.''

Link kissed her and stood up. ''I should have said something earlier.''

''Yes, you should have,'' Zelda said much more quietly. ''I'm still not feeling well. I think I want to go back to bed. Tell the guards I'm fine on your way out.''

Link was too elated as his fears of his own inability dispersed to notice the watering in her eyes as he stepped out, talking to the guards as he made his way back to his room. He wasn't sure what it meant for his position but maybe he'd just remain the military leader for the kingdom, a job he was much more comfortable with. He would have rathered be the queen's knight but that job was gone. He certainly still didn't qualify while they were romantically involved.

He could hear the footsteps of the wedding planner on the stone floors the next morning, the woman dragging him by his pointed ear into the nearest meeting room and shutting the door behind them both. ''Please tell me the queen has just lost her mind to that incredibly high fever she's still got and the wedding is still on.''

Link froze in his tracks, unable to even process a single thought for several seconds as the planner stared into his eyes. He got one word out as everything else refused to compute. ''What?''

The planner sighed with relief. ''Oh, thank the goddess herself. I won't cancel anything then. You might want to make sure she puts herself to bed. Maybe it was that fever giving her nightmares but she told me you didn't want to be king.''

Link felt his stomach sink. He had one chance to cover up the whole mess and he had to pick his words right. Time to act royal. ''It's fine, the wedding is still on. I'll go check on her and put her back to bed.''

The planner nodded. ''No worries. I'm glad I checked with you,'' she said as she looked relieved. There was still concern on her face but it was not nearly to the degree it had been. ''I was going to sit with the queen and Kass to discuss music; perhaps you'd like to sit in instead while she gets some rest.''

''Sure,'' Link said, stepping out of the room behind the woman as she smiled and continued to talk about other details she'd prepared while they were away. ''If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on the queen.''

Link did his best to remain calm. He didn't want this to happen. He found Zelda in her study, closing the door as the queen curled her blankets around herself. She looked awful; sweat lined her hair as her face was flushed and tired. He got down on the floor beside her, brushing her hair from her face as it stuck, still admiring how beautiful she was despite her illness. ''Zelda.''

She could barely look at him. ''I discussed with the planner and-''

''Zelda, that isn't what I meant,'' he said, his words surprisingly coherent as Zelda kept her eyes away.

''Yes, well, I need to think of this kingdom. I need support in running it and if I can't rely on you, then you will not be my husband. You don't get to sit to the side and watch me run this kingdom on my own,'' she replied in a curt tone, pulling away from him so she could look back at her desk. ''Leave the castle. I will not be seeing anyone today without prior appointment. You are not staff, so please leave.''

Link didn't even think so far as to what Zelda was going to do without help. He'd been so selfish and caught up in his own insecurities that he had blatantly told her he was going to sit back and watch her do everything on her own. ''I take it back. That isn't what I meant.''

''No, you were quite clear. I won't force you to go through with this if you don't want to. Please advise Grax he is to head the military meetings from now on.''

''Zelda, just look at me. I'm serious,'' Link said and Zelda turned her head. He took another second to try and work out what he could ever say to make things right. ''I doubt myself. I don't think I can do this but that doesn't mean I can't try. I will do anything for you.''

Zelda had tears in her eyes as Link slowly brought her in for a hug. Link had full confidence she could run the kingdom on her own but that wasn't fair when he was going to be there with her. It wasn't easy and she had all the right in the world to expect help from anyone that wanted to join the royal family. If he wasn't good enough to even try to help her, then he didn't deserve her at all.

He wrapped an arm under her legs and the cover before he slowly lifted her up, opening the door with his elbow to carry her down the hall. The guards were cautious as Link shook his head, carrying her into her room and placing her on the bed. ''Go to sleep. This kingdom needs you healthy. I might not get it right but I'll do everything I can until you're better,'' he insisted before kissing the top of her head and tucking her in. She was still crying silently, though the tears had slowed as her body got heavier now it had all the comforts of her bed. He watched her starting to fall asleep as he wished he could turn back time and take back everything he'd said already. She'd been so pleased the night before until he opened his mouth, only reaffirming he was as bad with words as he thought he was.

Link stepped out and closed the door.''No one in or out. I'm going to find someone who knows medicine and will bring them back myself.''

The only people that came immediately to mind were the Zora but it would take too long. He remembered the times over a hundred years ago when there were scholars and highly educated people everywhere but that had become a luxury most could not afford while they tried to live through the horror of the calamity. He hadn't even seen a school outside of the Zora's Domain, though the number of children he saw around the kingdom were also much fewer than they had been.

He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Maybe someone knew a recipe for something that would make her feel better. ''I'm looking for anyone who knows a recipe that can help with a fever.''

The staff all looked at each other. An older lady looked at Link with a concerned look on her face. ''Is the queen still sick?'' she asked and Link nodded. ''I know an old family recipe. It won't work miracles but it might help.''

Link nodded. ''Thank you.''

He left them to continue their work for a while, stepping out into the main foyer. He could hear the familiar singing of Rito, watching as the five little girls spotted him and came running. ''Girls-'' Kass called out in vain, the five girls circling the future king. ''I'm sorry. It's the first time they've been to the castle. They're very excited.''

Link shook his head as he watched the girls delight, admiring the architecture that would have looked so foreign to them in comparison to the natural, open, wood based structures they would have been used to. He could hear their whistles as they fluttered about, their attention drawing to the new things in the room that they had spotted.

Kass smiled as he watched the girls, seeing how it had brought them so much joy to see a new part of the world. ''I had a thought that maybe they could join me in playing music at the ceremony, but I'll discuss it more with you and the queen later. I understand if that isn't what you wish for.''

It sounded like a nice idea; it certainly suited the kind of event that he knew Zelda had been planning. It was meant to involve the entire kingdom, so allowing the girls to help perform would only add to that tone. ''I think Zelda would like that. She won't be joining us today; she's currently unwell.''

Kass' smile disappeared as he made a curious sound. ''Oh? That's a shame. Is there anything I can do?''

Link let out a small sigh. ''Not unless you happen to know something that cures a fever.''

Kass thought to himself for a few moments before he began humming quietly, as if he was trying to remember a song. Link watched curiously as Kass seemed to continue to do so, even starting to move his wings ever so slightly as if he was playing his accordion. He stopped as he looked at Link. ''I think I remember a recipe from my old teacher.''

Link looked surprised. ''You do?''

Kass nodded. ''He had songs and poems for all sorts of purposes. I think it was the only way he could remember anything to be honest,'' he said with a small laugh. Link led him into the kitchen and he grabbed the ingredients he needed, explaining the instructions to one of the cooks so they could put it together for him.

With two different recipes, Link carried the dishes upstairs with Kass close behind, his children left to play in the front foyer where they couldn't cause too much trouble. Link slowly opened Zelda's door, watching her quietly wake up as he placed down the dish beside her bed.

He got down on his knee beside her bed, gently touching her head to see if he could estimate whether the fever was getting better or worse. ''We have a few things here that might make you feel better,'' he said quietly as Zelda sat up.

She looked at Link and then at Kass. ''We have a meeting-''

''You need to get better, Your Majesty. We can meet again another time,'' Kass insisted. Zelda took the bowl that Link handed over, slowly beginning to eat from it.

She looked a little brighter with food in her stomach. Link and Kass spoke to her for a little while about bits and pieces while she ate, taking the plates back to the kitchen once she was done. Link, Kass and the planner spent a good hour or so talking about plans for just the music, though most of the conversation had been the topic being lost and the planner discussing various customs and legends.

They found the girls in the garden, practicing their singing for anyone who would listen. The planner loved listening to them, already coming up with lots of ideas for them during the ceremony that she was excited to tell Zelda about. ''The girls are happier here than I thought. It's more open than I imagined. It was still very closed off when we were here for the coronation,'' Kass said as he stood next to Link. ''A castle makes me think of closed, fortified spaces but this is quite beautiful. The staff have done marvellously.''

Link nodded. ''It is,'' he said as he looked around. It really was and was only improving each day with the assistance of all the staff. They worked tirelessly to bring the castle back to its former glory, if not even greater than before.

Kass made sure the girls said thank you for letting them play in the castle before they made their way out, Link heading back up the stairs to check on the queen.

''Link,'' the planner called out as she was packing up in one of the meeting rooms, Link stopping and turning to look at her. She handed him a piece of paper with some details on it. ''It's a summary for the queen about what we discussed today. I think she'd appreciate it.''

Link nodded; she certainly would. He checked over it to make sure it what he had understood from the conversation as well, the planner picking up all of her notebooks as she smiled. ''Have a nice day. I'll be back in about a week. Hopefully the queen will be well by then. I've put everything I'm sorting out before then on the back.''

Link nodded again, walking up to Zelda's room with the piece of paper in his hand. He had to talk to her with no one else around if she was feeling better. He knocked on the door and stepped in as Zelda was sitting in her bed, writing in one of her notebooks. ''You should be resting.''

Zelda sat up a bit as Link sat down. ''It is stressing me out too much to do nothing, so then I can't sleep. I need to do something.''

That didn't surprise Link in the slightest. He handed over the piece of paper and Zelda read through it. She smiled as she read through the page. ''This all sounds wonderful,'' she said, sadly with not as an excited tone as Link had hoped for but certainly better than it could have been. ''Are you sure you're okay with being king?''

''I was panicking. I'm still not sure I can but I will try,'' Link replied. ''I shouldn't have said anything.''

Zelda shook her head. ''You shouldn't think you can't talk to me.''

''But I keep saying the wrong thing,'' Link replied as he looked at Zelda carefully. He could see her hesitating. It was only setting off alarm bells in his head as she didn't deny it. ''Do you think I should be king?''

Zelda looked like she snapped out of her thoughts. ''Sorry. Of course I do. Everyone in the kingdom already picked you to take over if something happened to me so I'm not alone with this. I'm just sick and can't think.''

Link still wasn't so certain. ''If you think so.''

Zelda held her hand out, reaching over to him. ''I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't be marrying you. But I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to.''

It felt like was stuck between a rock and a hard place; he didn't want to become a bad king and was petrified he might, but he wanted her and if that was what it took, he would do everything he could. And it wasn't as if he thought he couldn't do it entirely; he just didn't think he could do it well and there were other candidates that could surely do better by the kingdom. He would much rather do something he knew he was good at; protecting the queen and her kingdom.

''As I said earlier,'' Link said as he tried his best to sound proper. He felt like he just sounded rude. ''I don't think I can but I will try. I am just worried I'm not good enough.''

Zelda made sure she held his hand nice and tight. ''You encouraged me before I started. You believed in me, Link. I believe in you. If we can defeat an evil like Ganon together, we can rule this kingdom.''

Link really hoped she was right.

It took a couple more days until Zelda was back on her feet to the best of her abilities. It spoke of how long she'd been working hard and the amount of stress she'd been under, but no one felt as if she wasn't coping either. It had been a very intense couple of years and she hadn't had a break yet. Link was counting down the days until he could take Zelda from her duties after the wedding, even if just for a few days, so she could finally relax.

The planner sat at the table a week later, smiling as she spoke with Zelda about all of the things she'd been up to since they'd last spoken, not even starting with the wedding conversations until Link had been there for at least ten minutes. ''Right, I suppose you're very busy,'' the planner said with a bright smile, flicking through her pages. ''Your advisor was very good. He came up with a lot of great ideas. You chose well.''

Both Link and Zelda gave the woman confused looks. ''Advisor?'' Zelda asked, looking at Link to check if he'd made a decision without telling her. Link shrugged, looking just as lost.

''Kass. The minstrel? With the way he was following Link around and giving advice, I thought maybe he was...'' she said and she could see the looks on their faces still hadn't changed. ''My mistake. He seemed very good though. He knew a lot more than I thought he would. Very friendly and approachable too. His daughters were gorgeous.''

Link looked at Zelda as she seemed to think for a few minutes before scribbling something down in one of the other notebooks - the one Link knew was for topics she had to remember to revisit later - before coming back to the conversation. ''No, no decisions have happened yet. But I'm glad he was helpful,'' she said as she looked at the page of notes that the planner had given her from the last session. ''I do really like what you came up with. Except, can we change just a couple of small things...''

Link listened carefully as he continued trying to map out the security situation in his head. He ended up drawing a copy of the layout into a notebook Zelda had given him, plotting out all of the vulnerable points and where he'd place soldiers to keep an eye on the perimeter. He just about had it all laid out in the way he wanted it when they changed things, meaning he had to rearrange it all again.

They stepped out after a while and Link made his way to the security meeting after making sure they promised nothing else about the layout because they were only a few weeks away and he had to make sure things were organised as soon as possible. Grax was leaning back in his chair looking rather relaxed like he usually did. He was lucky that Link knew he could be serious when he needed to be or he'd be in a lot more trouble. ''Exciting meeting?''

Link didn't reply, knowing that Grax was baiting him. He got the large sheets of paper out and began drawing the plans out again. They finalised the plans for the security, leaving Grax with the paper so he could take it to the guards and make sure they were all across their roles for the day.

The wedding was getting scarily close. Link attended his final fitting for his fixed Champion's garb, admiring how good it looked when it was covered in dirt, blood and sweat, and no longer full of holes. ''Perfect!'' the seamstress said as she looked over him, making sure he turned slowly with his arms moving so she could check every minute detail. ''I think you're ready. Are you nervous?''

Link wasn't sure how he felt. He had stronger feelings for the short honeymoon that they were going on afterward, and then taking up his duties as king. It didn't quite feel real yet when he thought about the idea of being married. It was one of those things he had never really thought about and trying to think about it just felt weird.

''Not yet,'' he said and the woman smiled, ushering for him to change back into his normal clothes.

''I'm sure the day will be wonderful,'' she said as she held the door open for him. ''I'll make sure it's in perfect condition for you on the day. Don't worry about any of this.''

Link nodded as he stepped out, running into a very concerned Zelda in the hall whom was talking to the head of staff. He stopped beside her and Zelda looked at him, knowing exactly what he wanted to say without him speaking. ''It's alright, we're trying to work out where all the guests can stay. The other side of the floor isn't going to be ready.''

That was going to cause a large number of issues. They had no issues with any citizens who chose to camp outside the walls but there were guests they couldn't expect to do that. ''Where will they stay?''

''Well, the Zora would probably appreciate staying downstairs in the docks where they can have the water. They would rather that than the beds anyway,'' Zelda said and Link nodded. That was very true. ''Our main problem is the Gerudo. The Gorons will be fine anywhere with rubble because they'll probably eat it and clean it up for us and think it's their own special buffet. The Rito are also not fussy and will be quite happy almost anywhere. We were considering putting them in the academy with the wooden floors because it might feel more like their nests.''

''Lady Riju is the only one that needs a bed. Perhaps a couple more so they can rotate the soldiers that will accompany her,'' the head of staff advised and Zelda nodded.

''Could you get three beds together in the wing?'' she asked and the staff member hesitated.

''The rubble is too much for us to handle in that period of time. But we'll make sure there is a room. They can sleep in mine if we don't have something ready in time,'' they insisted, trying to make sure they wouldn't stress any further.

''Is anything in Castle Town going to be ready?''

''A few houses for the staff. We've prioritised getting those with families into homes first so the children don't have to live in the common rooms anymore. There aren't many but it has a significant impact on all of the staff to have them away from the busy areas,'' the staff member explained. Zelda nodded. ''They are still attempting to build and may have some more spaces ready soon. Priorities have been with the other rooms.''

Zelda nodded again. ''Do we need more staff?''

''I don't think it would help at this stage. We couldn't do all the security checks and induction soon enough for them to have the impact we'd want,'' they replied.

Link decided to leave them be; they seemed to have it sorted. He walked toward Zelda's study and saw a letter sitting on her desk with a warning on the outside. He picked it up, looking at the markings; it was almost definitely the letter they'd all been dreading. Zelda wasn't too far behind as she could see him examining it closely.

She took it from his hands and opened it. ''It's the proposal to take to the council. It's quite good, actually,'' she said as she skimmed over it. ''Someone there actually knows how this works.''

Link frowned. ''What does that mean?''

Zelda folded up the letter and put it with her paperwork for the council. ''They either got help or they used to work with the council. A proposal this well written may actually be considered.''

Link felt uncomfortable with the news. He didn't trust any of that group with the power to dictate laws. What was to say they wouldn't try and enforce their views upon the rest of the kingdom? It felt like a complete mistake to even give them the option. ''The next council meeting is?''

''Next week. Then the council members will be staying until the wedding so we can get as much sorted at once as we can,'' Zelda replied. She looked concerned but tried to keep herself level-headed. She needed to concentrate on other things she could control first. ''How is the military?''

''Almost ready,'' Link said as he sat down.

''Everything has happened so fast. Where did time go?'' Zelda asked as she sat down, watching out the window at the peaceful scenes outside. ''We're going to be married really soon.''

Link nodded. Zelda smiled as she could see how anxious he was, even if he hadn't realised it himself. She gave him a few minutes before she got up, picking up her books for the next meeting. ''I'll talk to you later.''

Linked watched her walk away, sitting in his thoughts as he felt comfortable in the silence. He was about to become king and he really want ready for it yet. He had a feeling he never would.

Thank you for reading. As always, let me know what you think, I love to hear it. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day.