LOVE IN A TIME OF CALAMITY
Part 2: After Catastrophe
Chapter 8: The Calm Before

Later than I'd hoped but hey, here it is! Author's note at bottom.

Warnings: none

Zelda stared into the floor-length mirror in her temporary bedroom, smoothing out the front of her dress before self-consciously straightening the diadem atop her head. It felt like an eon ago that she last wore a formal gown. No, actually, she could remember the last time she'd worn a formal gown; she had just returned to the castle from the Spring of Courage and argued with her father outside of her bedroom, where he'd caught her absorbed watching the guardian experiments instead of trying to unlock her powers. Goddesses, was that really the last time she'd seen him? Was that the last he'd seen of her? A disobedient, petulant child?

Zelda shut her eyes, willing the tidal wave of emotion she could feel building up inside of her back into its box. It had been like this all morning. Though difficult, she had so far kept her rising emotions at bay and she wasn't going to let herself slip up; she had too much still to do and her feelings could wait. Today marked the first official day of her recovery, and thus the day of the emergency council meeting. There were more important matters at hand.

However, thinking of the upcoming meeting did little to ease her frazzled nerves. The same recursive thoughts kept cutting through her attempts at self-assurance every time she imagined herself sitting at that table in the council chambers: 'What if I make a fool of myself? What if I make bad decisions? What if I fail?'

Her thoughts were cut short by a knock at the door. Turning from the mirror, Zelda headed for the desk as she called out, "Come In!"

Impa stepped into the room holding a stack of paper and a leather-bound journal. Shutting the door behind her, she bowed briefly before moving towards the desk where Zelda had seated herself.

"Good morning, Princess; I hope you slept well. Are you ready to go over material for the council meeting?"

Zelda cast her a sidelong glance, withholding the heavy sigh she longed to release.

No. "Yes."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Link sheared off another sliver of wood, slowly turning the block in his hand. His mind wandered as he worked, darting from place to place, thought to thought, never settling for too long as the carving periodically demanded his full attention. He was enjoying the cool shade of a lone apple tree in the garden courtyard outside of the east wing, resting his back against the trunk, enjoying what could possibly be his last bit of free time for a long while. The council meeting began that afternoon, and after that, most likely, non-stop chaos.

Carving relaxed him and he hadn't done it in ages, not since before he drew the Master Sword. It was an activity he and his father had found to bond over during his "difficult pre-teen years", as his mother used to say, when he and his father were constantly at odds. He was out of practice, but with each slice his hands felt a little more familiar with the motions, a little more adept. He was carving out a petal when he heard a familiar coo-ing, quickly growing louder.

Lifting his head, Link caught sight of something he had not expected to see: his father's carrier pigeon Sheerow, flapping dusty gray wings with gusto as he battled the castle breezes on a path straight towards him. Setting his carving on the ground and standing, he extended his arm, watching with surprise as the bird cooed, landing lightly on his forearm. Sheerow ruffled its feathers before folding its wings and eying Link with black, beady eyes and a cocked head.

On its leg was tied a small brown tube, large enough for a small note and minuscule pencil. The bird watched attentively as he unclipped the tube from its leg, paying special attention to the movement of his fingers. Link chuckled. "Sorry, Sheerow, but I don't have any birdseed for you." As he pulled the tube away, he thrust his arm up to signal the bird's release. With disappointment, the pigeon flew away and landed on a branch of the apple tree before arching its head to preen its feathers.

Turning his attention to the object in his hands, Link smiled. He hadn't had much opportunity to think about his family in the chaos of the past week. He hadn't been too worried for their safety given how far from Hyrule Field they lived. His father had been a decorated knight of the Royal Guard—he knew he could protect himself and his mother should anything happen. Still though, it was comforting that they'd sent word.

Pulling the small cap off the tube, he tipped its contents into the palm of his hand. He unrolled the paper, quickly reading through the cramped shorthand used by soldiers of the Hyrulean military.

"Link,
I hope this reaches you. Your mother, Aryll, Walton, and I are safe and well. Hateno and Lurelin suffered little in the Calamity, but post has been disrupted. How do you fare? Word has it you and the Princess are alive and well, but your mother worries.
Bertram"

Link reread the brief note, feeling warmth stir in his chest and a smile rise to his lips. His father always did like to use his mother as a foil. Turning the small slip of paper over, Link took the tiny pencil in hand and began a reply:

"Father,
Grateful to hear you are all safe. I am well, as is the Princess. Severe damage to the castle and Castle Town, but recovery efforts are underway. Tell Mother not to worry.
Link"

Rolling the paper tightly around the pencil, he stuffed it back inside the tube and capped it. Raising his arm he whistled lowly, signaling for Sheerow's return. Securing the tube to the bird's leg, he thrust his arm into the air and the bird took off, spiraling higher on an updraft before heading southeast towards Hateno.

Link watched the bird go with a bittersweet smile. After all that had happened, seeing Sheerow again, he couldn't help but feel the tug of homesickness.

"Little guy! Hey, little guy!"

The deep, boisterous voice echoed across the courtyard, drawing Link's attention from the retreating bird. Turning, Link grinned at the sight which met him. Daruk waved at him from across the courtyard animatedly. Seeing he had Link's attention, he jumped up and rolled his way down the path. With an unexpected amount of force, he was captured by strong, rocky arms and squeezed tightly, knocking the air from his lungs.

"It's good to see you, Link!"

Caught between joy and suffocation, Link choked out, "Good… to s-see yhou t-too."

Finally released from Daruk's strong grip, Link doubled over, coughing and gasping for breath. He'd long since become accustomed to Daruk's over-eager form of greeting, but it didn't mean he enjoyed the stranglehold. As usual, Daruk looked chagrined, raising a hand to awkwardly ruffle his bushy white hair.

"Ah, gee, sorry."

Link waved him off, finally catching his breath and raising himself to stand upright; he was happy to see him. Though he knew he'd survived his ordeal in Vah Rudania, an anxious part of him had felt restless until the proof was before him.

"No worries. What are you doing here?"

Daruk grinned, "Yunobo had to make the trip down from the mountain for the council meeting so I thought I'd join him, maybe say hi to you and the Princess. Speaking of which, where is the Princess?" he asked, looking around the courtyard.

"In her chambers. I've got the morning off. Impa says it'll be my last bit of free time for a while. Barlow and Dorian are on duty."

Daruk laughed, "Ah, the good Councilor is running you ragged, is she?"

Link shrugged, lowering himself back to the ground and picking up his wood block and knife, "Short-handed." He didn't mention the military losses—didn't particularly want to think about it; Daruk would find out eventually, if not by word of mouth then from his son Yunobo who would no doubt be briefed on the matter during the council meeting. The Goron plopped down onto the ground beneath the tree beside him, generating a small quake as Link paused to consider his next cut. Daruk eyed the work in his hand with curiosity.

"Hey, that's nice! I didn't know you could carve."

Link twisted the object in his hand, considering his work.

"Thanks. It's an old hobby."

The two sat in companionable silence for a while as Link sheared more off the block. Occasionally one or the other would say something—Daruk inquired as to his subject for the carving (a Silent Princess), Link asked how Goron City was doing (cleaning up the boulders Vah Rudania had sent raining down from the mountain but otherwise well)—but for the most part they simply enjoyed the others' company; such was their way. After a while, Daruk began scratching at his beard awkwardly, leaning in close and speaking with confusion.

"Hey, little guy, I don't know if you noticed, but there are a bunch of maids watching you from behind the fence… what's that about?"

Link's head shot up, turning towards the fence and spotting four young women peering over the top and giggling in hushed voices. Once they realized they'd been spotted they quickly ducked their heads, moving out of sight. Link stared after them with consternation before sighing. Making to stand, Daruk followed suit curiously as he gestured towards the pathway which led back to his room in the east wing. So much for a peaceful morning outside.

With resigned frustration, he answered flatly, "My fan club."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Now that you've got an idea of procedure, let's move on to this meeting's subject matter."

They'd only been at it an hour and already Zelda felt beleaguered. However, a knock sounded at the door interrupted their review and Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. She needed a break. Lifting her head from the hefty stack of documents Impa had placed before her, she turned in her chair towards the door.

"Come in!"

As the door opened, the familiar curly red hair of Meredith appeared, followed by the rest of her with lunch tray in hand.

"Good afternoon yer Highness!" she announced in her chipper sing-song voice. Noticing Impa off to the side, she added, "Oh, good afternoon counc'lor! Would ya like me 't bring ya anythin' from the kitchen?"

"No, thank you. I already ate."

"As ya please."

As Meredith set the tray down on the desk before Zelda, she felt her stomach rumble quietly in appreciation. She was in need of sustenance to fuel her brain's slog through all the procedure and census data and ledgers and charts. She offered her a wan smile.

"Thank you, Meredith."

"Of course, yer Highness. Enjoy!"

Zelda picked up a warm biscuit as Impa wasted no time returning to the matters at hand. Spreading out the stack of papers, she continued.

"These are the primary concerns I would like to see addressed in this meeting," she said, gesturing to the topmost pages laid out before her, "They are the most pressing, and unfortunately, will likely generate a good deal of disagreement and subsequent discussion."

Spreading butter across the steaming biscuit, Zelda forced her attention to the documents, trying to focus on the tiny, cramped writing which covered the pages.

-:-:-:-

By the time Impa departed an hour later, Zelda felt worn out and overtaxed, and the most stressful part of the day hadn't even yet begun. Link had returned to his post outside her door a short while ago and she anxiously awaited her final visitor before the council meeting, healer Ravio.

She had decided she needed to talk to someone about what she'd done to Urbosa's arm and Ravio was the best healer in Hyrule, second only to Mipha. Though it seemed unlikely she would have time to pursue mastery of healing magic any time soon, she at least wanted to broach the subject—if for no other reason than to sate her own academic curiosities. Right on time, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," she called from where she sat on the edge of the bed.

Healer Ravio entered carrying his medical bag in one hand and closing the door behind him with the other.

"Good afternoon Princess!" He greeted amiably, setting his bag on the chair beside her, "How are you faring today?"

Zelda offered a polite smile and after additional pleasantries he went about his routine, lifting her wrist to check her pulse, resting a hand to her forehead to check her temperature, a critical look in each eye, then a tongue depressor in her mouth to get a look at the back of her throat. After his usual retinue of questions ('How have you felt today so far?' and 'Do you feel any aches or fatigue?'), he seemed satisfied. However as he prepared to close up his medical kit, she politely interrupted his lecture on the importance of proper hydration to ask the questions that had been burning on her tongue since his arrival.

"I appologize, healer Ravio, I don't mean to be rude but I was hoping to ask you a couple questions before you go."

Ravio stopped, his hands on the buckle of his bag as he looked up to her curiously.

"Of course, your highness." He nodded politely for her to continue.

Zelda hesitated, "I… I would ask that this stays between us, at least for the time being, or at least until I come to better understand it."

Ravio looked even more curious and a touch confused, but nodded anyway.

"Of course, Princess."

"Yesterday Lady Urbosa came to visit and I seem to have… somewhat unintentionally, healed the wound on her arm."

Ravio gazed at her, uncomprehending for several moment, before his eyes widened.

"Really?!"

Zelda nodded, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She was nervous to be talking about it, though she couldn't fathom why. "Yes. I don't know how I did it—I didn't even know I could until it happened. So I was wondering if you could perhaps explain to me how exactly healing magic works. Is it common for such a skill to develop at such a delay?"

Ravio's weariness seemed to vanish, replaced by a boyish excitement as he looked to her with enthusiasm.

"Absolutely, your Highness! This is quite remarkable, you see, as healing magic doesn't typically develop later in life and it is usually an inherited trait; but to my knowledge none of your recent ancestors possessed the gift?"

Zelda nodded attentively. Part of her wished she had her research journal with her to take notes in, but her own memory would simply have to do.

"It makes sense that it was Lady Urbosa, as you see healing magic is dependent upon two things: compassion, and will. I know you two are close, and it requires compassion for the patient and love within your heart to manifest healing magic. It requires will to use it. What were you doing immediately prior to the moment the healing occurred?"

Zelda thought back, trying to remember her actions and state of mind. "She had come to visit me and while she was sitting next to me I touched her bandaged arm. She flinched when I did, and I began to realize how serious her injury was. I felt… sad. I wished I hadn't—" Zelda stopped herself short, on the verge of admitting to the severity of her guilt. While she knew anything said to Ravio was confidential, she was far from feeling ready to talk about it. "I wished there was something I could do to make it better."

Ravio nodded sagely. "Such situations are often the circumstances in which those gifted with healing magic manifest their ability for the first time. That is how healers are identified. At some point, often during their early childhood, they just… heal someone or something. What is so remarkable and so unusual is that it has taken this long for you to manifest your abilities. Is there anyone in your family who has possessed the gift?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, not that I know of."

"Hm." Ravio looked thoughtful, gazing into the distance with a furrowed brow.

"Is it…" she hesitated, but decided it couldn't hurt to ask, "Could it be possible this healing magic is connected to my sealing power?"

Ravio returned her attention to her. "That I could not say. I know too little about the royal family's ancient sealing power to speculate. My expertise is really only in traditional medicine and healing magic; in its use, application, and development."

Zelda remained silent for a moment, mulling things over. "So… say I were to bruise or cut myself. How would I go about using this healing magic to mend those wounds?"

Ravio smiled, though a seriousness pervaded his gaze, "This is the first thing I teach every young pupil of mine as they begin learning to master their gifts: You cannot heal yourself. Healing is a selfless act, and as such healing magic cannot be used on the self. I have, in the past, had pupils who discovered their gifts and experimented with them prior to formal training. They grew reckless in their actions, thinking that any injuries could be easily mended—only to discover when they needed their powers the most they were not available to them. I caution you not to become reckless in light of this newfound ability."

Zelda nodded, taking in the sudden seriousness of his expression. "I understand."

"That being said, healing the basic injuries of others is a relatively simple matter. As I mentioned, compassion will draw forth your magic, and your will releases it. You must first feel for your patient—empathize with their pain or discomfort. Once you have made an emotional connection, you must then will that magic into existence, pulling it out from within you and into the world. You must not simply wish for your magic to mend your patient's wounds, but you must also believe that it can and will do so. Conviction is key."

Zelda nodded, fascinated by his explanation. Her mind was processing and questioning and hypothesizing, with too many question developing and not enough time, she knew, to explore them all.

"I see." She paused, briefly debating which line of questioning she wanted to pursue—deciding, as usual, on the most complex topic first. "You mention willing the magic into existence. What exactly is healing magic? Does it have a sensation? A physical form? Chemical properties? Is it gaseous, or…"

To her surprise, Ravio started laughing. Zelda slowly closed her mouth, feeling both affronted and foolish, and feeling warmth creep up her cheeks.

"Princess, I wish I could answer your questions, but I often ask myself the same ones. That is entering into the field of magic theory, and there are few books on the subject and even fewer scholars, if any still exist."

Zelda felt the heat fade from her cheeks, feeling less foolish knowing she was not alone in her curiosity. However his statement only made her curiosity grow.

"Do you know why? It seems like a fascinating field, and something of tremendous academic value. Why is it not studied?"

He shrugged. "Scarcity. There are only a few of us capable of wielding any kind of magic at all. I teach young healers how to master their gift because if I didn't no one else would, or could. There are simply not enough of us."

Zelda eyed him curiously. "Why are there so few? Is it perhaps a recessive gene of some sort? But other recessive genes, such as blond hair or blue eyes, have not experienced such rarity…"

Ravio offered a sad, rueful smile, "Though I wish I did, I do not know. Legend speaks of a time hundreds of centuries past in which magic was bountiful in Hyrule, as common as any blue eyed, blond haired maiden. I couldn't say, nor begin to imagine what happened in our history to change that. Remnants still linger: you and I and all the others who possess healing magic, a handful of magical relics, the three ancient dragons and the great fairy fountains. Though few have seen either of the latter two, we know them to still exist somewhere out in the world. I suspect it is simply one of life's great mysteries."

Ravio left a short time after, the Princess thanking him profusely for his guidance as he departed. However, despite the questions he was able to answer about healing magic, he left her with many more she hadn't anticipated. What was healing magic, for instance? Was it an object? A chemical compound? Some sort of… essence? His inability to answer that question had left her scholarly mind extremely dissatisfied. And what of the magic in Hyrule? Why had it faded?

Though she longed to ponder these and many other questions, though she wished with all her heart to simply depart for the library and bury her nose in the pages of its many books for the rest of the day, a quick glance at the clock served as an uncomfortable reminder of her upcoming duties and obligations. The council meeting was in an hour. She would be made regent in an hour. With a sigh, she delicately rubbed her temples, forcing her mind onto other matters. Rising from the bed, she made for the desk where the books and papers Impa had given her sat, awaiting her returned attentions.

-:-:-:-

As the time for her to leave for the council chamber approached, she found herself standing before her mirror once more, smoothing out the front of her dress before self-consciously straightening the diadem atop her head.

This was happening; it was real, and worry was beginning to gnaw at her relentlessly. What if she made a fool of herself? What if she made bad decisions?

What if she failed?

Taking a deep breath, Zelda closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. No, she couldn't think like that. Impa had prepped her, she had a good head on her shoulders; she could do this.

Another knock sounded at the door. Glancing to the clock, she already knew who it was.

"Come In!"

Link stepped through the door, bowing briefly to her.

"It's time for the council meeting, Princess. Are you ready?"

Butterflies erupted in her stomach, but she pointedly ignored it. Grabbing the sheaf of papers and journal Impa had given her, she tucked them under her arm, shoulders back and head held high. Turning, she headed towards the door with put-on calm where Link stood, waiting.

No. "Yes."

A/N: I tried to post it on time, but work kept me stressed and the passage I was working on adding in just stalled out and, well... ah, whatever. Here it is, a day late, but I suppose that's not too shabby, especially since the delay allowed me to add in an extra thousand words (yeah that scene with Ravio wasn't there originally). Just you wait till next week, though-it's a whopping 7.6k! Things really start picking up steam from there. Also... Link's family! Few fics ever have Link's family still alive, so I figured since this fic's got the benefit of a pre-calamity world, I'd toss them in. Props if you spotted the nods to Skyward Sword, Wind Waker, and A Link Between Worlds.

Also also... Aaahh! I can't believe how many people have viewed/fav'd/followed this story! My mind is blown. So I wanted to take a moment while I had the time (a rare thing in my life it seems) to thank and respond to some of my reviewers.

idotpart1: Thank you! I really appreciate your brief thoughts on each chapter, it helps to have others' perspectives and interpretations. My only beta is my sister who lives across the country and works 65 hours weeks so... her notes take a while, and sometimes I have to go on ahead without them. Still waiting on her notes for the last 5 chapters of part 2...

0rbital: I totally agree, which is part of what spurred me to write this story. I was supremely dissatisfied with the "what-if" world of Breath of the Wild fics. And there will most definitely be lots going on in this story. So much in fact I am slightly worried what this fic's total word count will be when all is said and done. I was so sure it wouldn't be more than 100k when I started writing it, and now I'm at 85k and like 1/5th of the way through it... Lordy. I have a lot of plot lines for a lot of different characters (which will become clear by the end of part 1), most of which haven't yet been introduced-but they will be soon! You'll love 'em.

55: That is most definitely coming. I really wanted to delve into the breadth of all that would have to be addressed after such a dramatic event, because when you really think about it, holy chu-chu's there would be a ton of work needed to recover from something like that, and that's a really interesting story in its own right. Although contrary to what is commonly done, the champions will actually have relatively little role in castle life. I know lots of people like to make them part of the royal council or have some grand part in the court, but I thought about it and was like... Urbosa is chieftain of the Gerudo. That seems like something that would take up a ton of time, especially if she's also Nabooris' pilot. The same is true of Mipha as Princess of the Zora, presumably she would have duties to her own people and court in addition to her duties as pilot of Ruta. Though Revali and Daruk's roles within their respective clans are somewhat more vague, it can be assumed they hold prominent positions within their societies and thus would also have their hands full. So they'll be connected to court life, but not intimately involved (i.e. how Yunobo is the delegate and also Daruk's son).

Amarok Walker: Thank you! And there will most definitely be a breadth of characters from the Zelda world! I had a lot of fun digging through BoTW for usable personalities (some were made into major characters, others just mentions. Kudos if you can spot them all!), and pulled a few from other games as well. The relationship between Link and Zelda will be somewhat of a slow build, they do have a kingdom to put back together after all, but this story is def ZeLink at heart.

Guest 2 (c7): Thank you! Character development has been a bit of a struggle for me, because I'm trying to make their maturation and development gradual and that has proven harder than I anticipated. I'm glad it doesn't seem awkward or forced.

Everyone else, guests, regular reviewers, one time reviewers, thank you all! Even if I didn't mention you here, I did read your comments, I just need to get to bed before I faceplant on my keyboard (its past midnight as I write this). Your comments and encouragement keep me going. See you all next week!