Climbing the sandstone steps, which were illuminated only by the light of the waning gibbous moon, Link came to the top of the Gerudo Fortress right behind Nabila. They joined the sentries who were fixated upon the western darkness of the desert and followed with their eyes to where the women pointed. It took a moment or two for Link's eyes to better adjust to the night but soon enough he could vaguely spot the black spots on the horizon against the slightly lighter dunes, which confirmed the arrival of strangers to Hyrule.

"What are you thoughts, Valqo?" Nabila said evenly, handing him the spyglass one of the sentries had been using.

Taking the instrument, Link stepped closer to the wall's parapet and raised the spyglass to his eye. After he was able to relocate the figures through the magnification, the figures were momentarily obscured as they descended a dune. Once they had reappeared, Link was able to make out four or five riders who looked to be moving at a quick pace, probably so that they could make it across the desert's expanse during the cool of the night rather than the heat of the day.

"I can see perhaps five riders… but can't discern any real details with this light".

Lowering the spyglass and creasing his brow as he continued to look on towards where the riders were in the distance, the Hylian took a deep breath before finally glancing up at Nabila.

"They could be from one of the tribes of the mountains, for there are many if you know where to look for them, but it would be unusual for them to come here," the Gerudo admitted, clearly knowing more about the world outside of Hyrule than Link ever did. "Or," she continued after a pause, "they could be from the other kingdom beyond the mountains that rules over the lands bordering the Great Water. That is where we Gerudo had taken shelter during our years of banishment, but only on the fringe of their kingdom. We were not welcome anywhere but we managed there".

The note of sadness and regret in the chief's voice caused Link's mouth to harden and he felt a twinge of pity for the tribe of women. He only allowed himself to feel this for a moment before he shoved it aside and instead focused on his lessons of geography and of the extent he knew of the lands beyond Hyrule.

"Great Water? You mean the ocean?" Link asked, though the thought of such a huge body of water was very much a foreign thought to him. So much water… the very idea was terrifying.

"Correct," Nabila said with a nod, looking to him, "a desert in its own right, one not of sand but of salt and water, but never our water desert. The people of the kingdom defend those waters fearlessly, with their giant boats to rule the waves, though there were more races beneath the waves. We left five years ago when war broke out between them, a fight that we had no stake in, and that is how we learned of the fall of our Cursed King. So, we journeyed back through the savage mountains, losing all of our younglings in the trek, but we finally returned to the bosom of the Goddess of the Sand, to here our home".

Link felt his eyes widen and he realized then that he actually knew nothing of what the Gerudo had gone through beyond the borders of Hyrule and what really lay out there. He did, however, know the name of the kingdom of which the woman spoke of.

"You were in Noruidia?"

Nabila only nodded but it looked that she wouldn't say more. As he was about to ask a secondary question, Link saw the deep sadness in her eyes, probably with having to bring up the fact that… oh. The hero instantly felt stupid when his brain finally connected the dots. That's why Mahila was one of the youngest members of the Gerudo, why there weren't any children who had arrived into Hyrule: it was because they had all died on the journey to return to their homeland.

Seeing as how Nabila had turned her gaze to look out at the forms of the approaching riders, who were coming closer by the minute, Link looked on as well as he collected his emotions. This was not the time to be mourning the dead and pitying the living, for there was a possible threat to Hyrule coming across the sands. As a Hyrulean Knight, Link needed to act now. His tactical brain ignited and plans four steps in advance began to unfold.

"Lady Nabila, would you allow a couple of Gerudo to go and alert the soldiers at the top of the ridge? That way they can assist me to meet up with these strangers and to ensure that the garrison can easily be alerted if there's a threat".

"Of course, Valqo, we are all sisters and you being Gerudo, we trust your word. Though keep in mind, this will not be a Gerudo fight. We will defend our home if necessary but won't go out of our way for a fight".

"So I'm your sister, eh?" Link asked, unable to hide the smile up at the chief.

Nabila, as serious as ever, gave him a small scoff but the man could tell it was one of amusement. That is until Link recalled the conversation he'd just had with Mahila, consisting of sex and children, and his humour evaporated and awkwardness seeped into his expression. Pushing that all aside with a clearing of his throat, Link reminded himself of the issue at hand just as Nabila shouted out some orders to her fellow tribeswomen and without contention they ran off, presumably to go and alert the Hylian soldiers.

Now... where was his best girl?

"Where's Epona, my horse?" Link asked, knowing that if he was mounted he had a better stance to meet these strangers, who were mounted themselves.

"Your beast is beyond the walls. The vai have enjoyed caring for her," Nabila replied.

"Well perhaps when all of this is said and done, I can convince Zelda to offer a couple of horses to you wo- ah, vai. If it'd help you," Link offered, recalling mid-sentence that he should really be making an effort to speak more Gerudo.

"Such talk can wait. It will not take long for your voe to arrive. I will station Gerudo upon the walls and outside our entrances, but no closer".

Link gave her a nod, knowing that while the Gerudo wasn't directly looking at him, she saw the gesture. Without wasting another moment, Link descended back down the steps towards the ground where there was a lot of activity. Gerudo rushed around brandishing scimitars and communicating to one another in their language. The entire fortress was on full alert and Link knew that all of the women would instantly put their lives on the line to defend their home. Unable to help himself, the knight kept an eye out for Mahila as he rushed towards the main entrance of the fortress. He didn't spot her and he couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed.

No matter.

Rounding around the fortress' main wall and properly exiting the structure, Link saw a lady he'd been missing. Smiling wide he whistled and he saw Epona perk up her ears and whinny in response before coming to trot over from the Gerudo who'd been holding onto her reins. Jogging up to meet her, Link quickly hugged his mare's nose to reaffirm their bonds before he nimbly wrapped his arms around her neck and used his momentum to swing around her neck and land in her saddle. Out of the corner of his eye Link saw the Gerudo who'd been watching nod in approval, obviously impressed by his horsemanship.

Clicking his tongue, the man urged his silver bay mare into a trot and it felt good to be back into the saddle again. Passing the corner of the fortress, Link looked out at the distance to see if he could see the progress of the strangers and, for a moment, he thought he saw the dark figures but it was hard to tell at ground level. Relying that Nabila or one of the Gerudo would notify him when they got within range, Link kicked Epona into a canter and made short work of the distance between the fortress and the ridge above Lake Hylia. On his way he passed the Gerudo who'd been sent to alert the soldiers and Link gave them a simple nod before proceeding towards the torchlights of the garrison.

As he grew closer he recognized the shouts and orders of men and it wasn't long before he was spotted and an order of attention was given due to Link's higher rank. Raising his hand to the men as he reined Epona in, the captain of the garrison, Brindy was the man's name, approached the knight and struck his fist to his breast in salute.

"Hail, Sir Link!"

"Captain Brindy," Link replied, returning the salute.

"I'm glad to see your face, sir. Those Gerudo women did not give many details as to what was happening, only that you had ordered for us to rally and something about strangers out in the desert?"

"It is as they said, captain. The Gerudo have spotted a number of figures approaching from the west on what we think is horseback and I want a unit to come with me to meet them while the rest remain here to await a possible signal of distress from us. If so, riders can easily be sent to the Fence in order to notify our defences and the castle".

Link watched the captain take a moment to register his words before he nodded and said, "Understood, sir! You, men! You will accompany Sir Link and me! Make sure to bring a lit torch and watch for our signal! The rest of you, defend this border until we return! Move out!:"

At least ten men that Brindy had pointed at stood at attention before marching out into the sands of the cold desert, fully armed and armoured and ready to meet these strangers. Link nodded in approval and kicked Epona into a trot to lead the men while Captain Brindy mounted his own horse and soon joined him at his side. The sands muffled their footsteps but the clinking of metal echoed through the still night air and the tension was easy to sense from the soldiers. Link knew that the majority of these recruits had never been in battle, let alone had to deal with strangers. Foreigners hadn't entered Hyrule for some time, aside from the return of the Gerudo. Speaking of the tribeswomen, Captain Brindy turned to Link to ask.

"Sir, what will the Gerudo's role in this endeavour be? Can we count on them in case there is an attack?"

"The Gerudo will care for their own above anything else," Link replied, his voice even. "So only if they feel that their fortress or themselves are threatened will they intervene. We are on our own, but there only seems to be about five riders from what we've seen. Even so, we shouldn't drop our guard".

Brindy simply nodded his head and barked out some words of encouragement to his men while Link mulled over his thoughts. What he said was true, the Gerudo would watch over their own, but now he was Gerudo so he wondered if he became in trouble whether or not the women would come to his aid. Probably, it did align with the Gerudo's sense of honour and their loyalty to one another and Nabila and Mahila had assured him that he was very much one of them. Still, it was an interesting thought that he could think of more later.

Minutes passed and eventually the soldiers came up beside the Gerudo fortress which was on full lockdown. Armed women could be seen upon the walls and Nabila herself and a handful of other women, her top warriors from what Link knew, were outside the walls on the ground, ready to be the first line of offence if these strangers wanted a fight.

Link met Nabila's eye and she gave him a nod before he gave the signal for the soldiers to halt. He and Captain Brindy rode twenty feet or more our in front so that they would meet the strangers first. They came to a halt and silence enveloped everyone: Gerudo and Hylians. There was little wind this night and the sky was very clear so the light of the gibbous moon was more than enough the bathe the landscape in silver. The sands reflected the light well and looked almost white in places and at this point the riders could be seen from ground level. It appeared that their pace had decreased, probably from having spotted the torches of the soldiers, so they knew that they were being met.

Pulling his crimson cape more around his arms, the cold of the desert night being quite apparent, Link was in full knight mode. Any aches, tiredness or complaints he might have felt before had been forgotten and would have to be for some time. He took a moment to be thankful that he had fully dressed in his Hero's Clothes before Nabila had come and gotten him because there really hadn't been much time for them to prepare. With Hyrulean Soldiers at his back and the skilled eyes of the Gerudo watching from above, he was much more comfortable meeting these foreigners under the moonlight.

Though first, they needed to wait.

Minutes ticked by and Link's eyes never left the approaching figures. From vague black forms to more solid figures to finally being able to hear them in the distance, the strangers came ever nearer. They heard the footfalls of their mounts and the shuffling of their equipment and the soldiers behind Link glanced at each other nervously. Link and the Gerudo remained motionless: the trait of true warriors. Even Captain Brindy fidgeted here and there, making a fuss of how his gloves were or his seat in his saddle.

Finally the strangers came close enough that their faces were caught in the light of the soldiers torches and then came the first words from them.

"Hail! We mean no harm!"

The riders stopped about twenty feet in front of Link and the captain and the knight was surprised to see that their steeds weren't horses, but rather large deer or an equivalent, but they were creatures never seen before in Hyrule. Shorter than Epona, the deer sported two antlers that curved to almost touch tips, similar to how Ordon Goats' horns were. Rather than forming a full circle, however, the deer's antlers dipped back towards their riders for a couple of inches. Upon these impressive antlers specialized reins were attached to them and the deer's head, like a horse's. Reddish-grey hair covered the deer and their bodies looked stocky and strong, with powerful legs and seemed at ease to be carrying a man with his packs and gear. As intrigued as Link was, it was clear that he wasn't the only one fascinated with the strange mounts. Murmurs behind him told the hero that the soldiers were just as surprised to see the beasts, but at least he was able to hide his curiosity to remain focused on the task at hand.

"Remove your hoods so that we can see your faces," Link ordered, his tone calm but he made it clear that there would be no arguing this command.

The riders, five in total, obediently removed their hoods and Link got his first good look at the strangers. The man closest to them had thick black hair that was fairly short, a goatee and thick stubble darkened his face, looked to be a bit older than Link, and he had notable scar that cut through his right eyebrow. The man to his left had grey hair that was bound back into a bun, clearly older than the first man, but still looked that he could hold his own in a fight. The man to the right of the first man had darker skin, a shaved head, and was just as strong looking as the other two men. Behind them, the remaining two riders, looked to be twins or at least brothers, with matching bright red hair, clean faces, and it was clear from their expressions that they had spotted the Gerudo and were more than fascinated by the warrior women. The first three men kept their eyes on Link and Captain Brindy and a moment of silence passed between them all as they silently sized each other up.

"I see from your armour that we have made it to the land of Hyrule", the grey-haired man said, a slight accent ringing through his voice.

"You have," Link replied, "and if you do come without seeing ill will then you are more than welcome within our borders".

"That is a relief to hear," the man said with a nod. "Allow me to begin the introductions. I am Simin, this is Vahl and beside him is Balin". Simin gestured towards the dark haired man and darker skin man in turn. "And these two," Simin comtinued, gesturing to the two men behind them, "are the twins, Crevan and Todd".

"Well met. I am Sir Link, Knight of Hyrule, and this is Captain Brindy of the Lake Hylia garrison".

"A knight?" A question was clear in Simin's words and the man even gave Link's green clothes another sweep of his eyes before his smiled. "Well, gods be praised! How fortunate that a knight would be the first to meet to us," Simin said with a small chuckle. "We are travellers from the Kingdom of Noruidia and we actually have come all of this way to seek an audience with Her Majesty, the Queen Zelda. Hopefully you, being a knight, can help us find our way to Hyrule Castle, yes?"

"You wish to speak with Queen Zelda?" Link repeated, though this shouldn't be a surprise.

Simin nodded, though it was Vahl who spoke next, for the first time, with a similar accent as Simin's. "The war that has consumed our kingdom for the past six years has finally come to an end and we have been sent by our king, King Vasailek, to try and re-establish a trade route with Hyrule".

"You came all of this way… to trade?" Captain Brindy spoke up, confusion in his voice.

Link glanced at him but he did see Vahl nod. This was Link's first time seeing Noruidians. They looked to be of the Hylian race, or at least closely related, for he could see the tell-tale pointed ears trait that the knight himself embodied as well. Still, it was difficult to judge, given the low light.

"We hoped to, yes. It has been a couple of decades since Hyrule and our country has had stable communications and we'd like to rectify that".

"And where are your trade goods? It looks as if you barely carry enough to survive let alone wares to offer Her Majesty".

"We met some… difficulties on our journey here, but, I can assure you, we have much to offer Her Majesty Queen Zelda". Simin's contrite tone arose questions in Link's mind and Captain Brindy had made a fair point, they didn't have any recognizable goods with them. But, perhaps they had been met with unfortunate fates on their way to Hyrule? Link was interested to hear what they had to say.

"Understandable," Link replied evenly and took a moment before he continued. "Right, I shall personally escort you to Hyrule Castle and I am positive that Queen Zelda would grant an audience with you. I must ask, however, that before we exit the desert that you surrender your weapons. I hope you understand. You shall be well protected, I assure you, for I will have a number of my men join us, but I can't allow foreigners to enter Castle Town and the castle grounds armed. I hope that this won't be a problem".

"Of course, Sir Link. There is no problem and we completely understand". Simin bowed his head to Link and the knight gestured for a couple of soldiers to come and take their weapons. All five men dismounted and retrieved their swords, bows, knives, an axe, a crossbow and… well, more knives to hand over to the Hyruleans.

"You came well prepared," Captain Brindy commented, suspicion still highlighted in his tone.

"The journey from Noruidia through the mountains is treacherous," Vahl explained, his voice low and smooth, "and it's not just beasts that we had to deal with, but also bandits and thieves. We had to protect ourselves and couldn't drop our guards even for a moment".

Link swore that he thought he saw the man glance at the Gerudo, who had yet to even shift from their positions, when he mentioned "thieves". From what Nabila had told him, Link surmised that perhaps the Noruidian men recognized the Gerudo, which would explain why the twins had yet to take their eyes off of the women. Or... it could be because they were women: it was difficult to say exactly.

"You say that you couldn't drop your guard yet still lost your wares?" Brindy asked, still obviously suspicious of their story.

Link glanced at the captain before returning to look at the foreigners. It was... a good point but Simin simply chuckled and wrung his hands together.

"Better that we lost our wares than our lives, we had decided".

"Right," Link replied, glancing at the captain to stop anymore questions. "Once we reach the castle, I'm sure that Her Majesty will welcome you graciously and ensure that your receive proper rest, food and accommodations after your hard journey," Link said with a nod of reassurance, using Zelda's proper title for these strangers. They'd probably think it more than strange if he called her by her first name as he normally did.

"All of their weapons have been collected, sir".

Link gave the soldier a nod before returning his attention to the Noruidians. "If we leave now, we'll reach the castle just after dawn. Can your, um…." he stared at their deer mounts and was at a momentary loss for words.

"Cliff elk," Vahl chimed in with a small smile.

"Right, your cliff elk, can they keep up with horses?"

To this it was Simin who chuckled and patted the side of his elk. "Don't you worry, sir. Cliff elk might not be as powerful as your horse there but they can hold their own and more, I promise you that".

Link simply nodded before he gestured to Captain Brindy to take over and organize his men in preparation of their departure. The knight spurred his mare into a trot and approached Nabila, who refused to take her eyes off of the strangers.

Once he was near enough, the chief spoke up to him, "Those men are from Noruidia".

"Yes, they are," the knight answered, bringing Epona to a halt so that she was near enough to gently sniff one of the Gerudo, who looked to be resisting the urge to pet her: clearly the women truly were smitten with the mare. "I'm to escort them to the castle so I must take my leave".

"Good. The further those men are from our fortress, the better. We've seen enough of that land to not be reminded of it mere years after our return here".

Link nodded with understanding before glancing back at the men and saw that they all were watching him interact with the women. "Should I be worried about them?" Link asked under his breath, to which Nabila took a deep breath.

"They are like any other voe, so you know my answer. I cannot say, however, as to why they have come here... " Nabila creased her brow in thought and it was an expression that Link was used to seeing the matriarch with. It seemed that ever since his inauguration into the tribe the woman was in constant thought whenever he saw her.

"I see", the knight replied, leaving it at that. "I must collect my stuff so…"

"Your things have already been collected".

Link watched as the woman barked something in her native language, perhaps "Come!"?, he wasn't sure, but within moments a familiar face appeared from around the wall carrying his pack. Upon seeing Mahila, Link immediately tensed up and he was thankful for the night's cover of his slight blush.

Mahila, on the other hand, wore the Gerudo's stern expression as the perfect mask and barely gave him a second glance as she approached him and Epona. Nabila seemed to be watching their interaction from her peripheral and Link tried his best to maintain a knightly professionalism. His conversation with Mahila had only taken place a couple of hours or so ago and it was still fresh in his mind, though the Noruidians had helped with him momentarily forget it. However, his eyes met hers as she passed him his pack and in that split second he saw that she was as uneasy to be near him as he was of her. For that reason, his heart hammered a bit faster.

The moment was soon gone and Link busied himself with fastening his packs to Epona's saddle and within those short few seconds, by the time he looked back up Mahila had disappeared. Meeting Nabila's eye, Link gave the chief a nod of his head, out of respect, to which Nabila returned.

"Sav'orq, Valqo, until you return to us".

"Sav'orq".

Farewells made, it was time to leave. Urging Epona to turn her head, Link urged his mount back into a trot and returned to his fellow Hylians. The soldiers weren't as rigid as they were upon meeting the Noruidians but had maintained their formation, which Link was glad to see. At his approach, Captain Brindy gave him a nod and ushered him over.

"Is everything in order, sir?"

"Yes, captain, there's nothing to worry. We should move out now. Did you send a runner back to the garrison?"

"I did indeed, sir. I'm confident that even as we speak, a rider has been sent to the Fence in order to prepare for your arrival".

"Good man. You may give the order to depart".

The captain saluted his commanding officer and Link watched as the older man began to bark out orders for them to move out. Turning in his seat, the Hylian regarded the Noruidians once more and couldn't decide what he thought of them. Nabila hadn't given much to go on and Link's own knowledge of the Kingdom of Noruidia was limited. Sure he had learned of it during his soldier and knight training but since each kingdom was sovereign, not much focus had been put into learning another land's customs. Soldiers moved to form a half circle to partly surround the five cliff elk which left Link and Captain Brindy to lead.

"Onward, men!"

/

Just as Link predicted, the morning sun was barely peeking above the eastern mountain ranges when the chorus of thundering hooves began to sing from Castle Town's western stone bridge. Epona lead the charge followed by three Hyrulean soldiers on their mounts. Behind them came the Noruidians and bringing up the rear were seven more soldiers. The mounted division had been waiting for their arrival once they reached the Fence. After passing through the defensive walls' gates, their pace was able to increase to a slow canter. Traveling through Hyrule Field took little time and Link was told at the Fence that once they reached town, there would be zero obstructions to slow their progress to the castle.

The town's gates were wide open and Link only reined Epona in to a trot but the entourage continued onward. Link couldn't help but get a sense of déja-vu when he entered the town. Soldiers lined the streets to keep the townspeople at bay but the morning crowds were swollen with curiosity and interest, all trying to get a peek at what was happening. Very similar to how it had been over a month ago when Link, Zelda and their guards came storming in with Link sporting a very large arrow out of his shoulder.

Link merely glanced at all of the excited faces looking up at all of them and through the loud overtone of the people, he could hear his name being called out with cheers. Soon he noticed how those cheers turned into shouts of delight and surprise when the cliff elk came into sight. Instantly the Noruidians were recognized as foreigners: strange and new. Link gestured for the men behind him to keep up their pace and he lead them into the centre of town, passed the central fountain and up towards the castle's main gate. More soldiers lined the way and Link recognized Hyrule's attempt to appear impressive for the foreigners, even though he could see that the majority of the footmen were new recruits. The hero knew that Zelda was no fool, that entering any negotiations with a foreign power could spell good fortune for Hyrule. Especially since they were so short of able-bodied men for their military.

They passed through the castle's grand outer gate, across the moat's bridge and through the inner gate. A smile appeared on Link's lips when he heard the Noruidians break their silence and exclaim with gasps and whistles upon seeing the true beauty that was Hyrule castle. The Gorons and masons had done a phenomenal job to restore the castle to its former glory, even better to how it used to look before Zant and Ganondorf decided to nearly burn it down. In the morning light, its white walls seemed to sparkle and Link couldn't help the swell of pride fill his chest as Epona trotted to the main entrance and he pulled her in to a stop.

Smiling servants, butlers and attendants were lined up with soldiers to meet the arriving escort. Once the last horse was through the inner gate its giant doors swung shut. Dismounting, Link handed Epona's reins to an attendant, who whispered a few updates into his ear, and he fixed his crimson cape after the ride. Watching the Noruidians dismount and look around at their surroundings, the twins were even grinning, Link stood patiently until they approached him and he gave them a nod.

"Follow me, gentlemen".

Link knew the castle like the back of his hand, though where they were headed to now wasn't that hard to find. All the same he lead the way with a couple of royal guardsmen following behind them. What the attendant had whispered to Link was the the queen had been informed of their arrival thanks to their messengers and she was waiting for them in the her audience room. At the top of the castle was the true throne room, or Sanctum as it has been renamed, but when Zelda held audiences with commoners and visitors she did so in a great hall on the main floor of the castle.

Doormen opened the hall's doors at their approach and the knight lead Hyrule's guests to meet its queen. A smile appeared on Link's face as soon as he set eyes on Zelda and, oh Goddesses, was she beautiful. Seated perfectly on her throne, which sat on a couple of tiered levels of carpeted steps and was a similar version to her official one within the Sanctum. Carpet lead from the door to where Zelda was seated with the Royal Guard lined up around their queen's throne platform. To the right of the queen was a wall of tall windows exposing the palace gardens, whereas upon the opposite wall hung grand paintings of Hyrule's kings and queens long passed, including Zelda's own parents whose portraits hung closest to her. Hushed gasps from behind Link informed him that the Noruidians had similar thoughts of his queen as he did and he couldn't blame them; behind them the doors to the hall shut once more.

Zelda was always beautiful, without ever trying. While she preferred her more 'casual' wear, as in dresses and gowns that weren't too grandiose and overly embellished, today it was obvious that she felt the need to wear true royal apparel for her foreign guests. Her brunette hair was perfectly styled in her preferred ornate back-braid and today she wore her crown. The lavender gown she wore was similar to the one she wore when Link had first met her, except this one was grander and better fitted for her status as queen. Adorning her shoulders were the monarchal shoulder-guards typically worn by members of the royal family and her slender arms were sheathed in pearly white gloves.

The closer Link came to his queen the more details he could see of her flawless features and caught up in staring as he was before long he reached the edge of her throne's steps and he came to a stop. The men stopped behind him and Zelda smiled to them all. Falling into a kneel, left fist upon his breast, Link showed his respect to his queen as her knight and the Noruidians followed suit by kneeling themselves. The hero remained where he was until a sweet voice filled the hall.

"Welcome, gentlemen, to Hyrule. I am Zelda and it brings me great joy to meet you. Please, rise. You are among friends here".

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty. You are too kind".

Link raised his head as Simin spoke up and met Zelda's smiling eyes. Returning her smile he stood, as did the men behind him, and noticed for the first time that Zelda hadn't been the only one waiting in the hall. Arvid stood at her side, right in Link's spot as Personal Guard to the Queen… A twinge of possible jealousy spiked his heart but the knight managed to keep his expression from changing. He also saw that standing behind Zelda near the back wall was the Council Elder, Yrota, along with the five Councillors that made up Zelda's main team of advisors. Link was pleased to see that none of the Heads of the Noble families had been invited to this meeting and he was sure that that had right pissed a lot of them off.

"Why, Link… it seems that you have truly taken your ambassadorial duties to heart. I am impressed".

"Well, you have told me in the past to find more friends," he replied with a smile before gesturing towards the traders, "turns out they were in Noruidia".

Smiling, Link climbed the steps, his crimson cape kissing the steps behind his boots, his eyes never leaving Zelda's until he turned to Arvid who, without hesitation, struck his breast, bowed his head, and stepped back to join the Councillors. Taking his rightful place at her side, Link turned to face the Noruidians once more and set his hands behind his back. He saw the eyes of the Noruidian twins and even Simin glance up at him with surprise and confusion in their eyes. Clearly they had thought him to be just an ordinary knight, perhaps even low ranking given how he was not wearing typical knightly armour. Link noticed also that Vahl and Balin kept their eyes upon Zelda.

As if she could read his thoughts, Zelda continued to speak, "I see that Sir Link has treated you well and brought you before me in a timely manner. But assuming, gentlemen, that in your rush to the castle that he failed to properly introduce himself". Zelda turned her head to look at Link and he met her eyes and he could see the amusement sparkle within them. "Not only is he a Knight of Hyrule," she continued, turning back to smile down at the men, "but he is also a member of the Royal Guard, the Personal Guard to the Queen, a close confidant of mine, and the Hero Chosen by the Gods who saved all of Hyrule from the darkness that had overcome us five years ago".

Link felt heat rise in his cheeks and he knew that Zelda was not only doing this on purpose but also because she knew that he couldn't do anything about it. He saw the expressions change of the men and he applied every ounce of will and training that he could muster into keeping his expression even and his voice calm when he replied, "You are too magnanimous, Your Majesty". He added a bit of emphasis on Zelda's rightful title that he knew she detested him to use just to subtly get back at her: this game they played was known by all except for the Noruidians.

"Forgive us, Your Majesty, but we had idea that Sir Link was the 'Saviour of Hyrule', a figure that even we in our country have heard of", Simin replied in an awed tone.

"Well as heroic as he is, Sir Link is also humble".

Zelda was loving every moment of this and Link would let her know exactly how he felt later when he was able to speak with her in private.

"Enough idle chat. I understand that you have come a long way to meet me and for what reason I would like to hear. Please, do explain yourselves, gentlemen".

Simin bowed his head towards Zelda before beginning to speak. "Your Majesty, we have travelled these many, many miles to have the privilege to stand in your presence under the command of our Lord, His Majesty The King Vasailek Hadrianius Alaric the Second of the House Aethelwulf, Sovereign of the Kingdom of Noruidia".

"And who has King Vasailek sent to stand before me, exactly?" Zelda asked softly, her smile everlasting.

"Forgive me! Excuse my moment of forgetfulness upon seeing the foretold beauty of Hyrule's young queen!" Simin exclaimed and one of the twins stifled a laugh.

Link heard Zelda gently chuckle and he couldn't exactly blame Simin for not having introduced themselves straightaway, for it was sometimes hard to focus your train of thought when Zelda put on her queenly attires.

"Allow me to introduce not only myself but also my fellows. I am called Simin and I am joined by the brothers, Crevan and Todd. To my left stands Noruidia's best tracker, Balin, and last but not least, Vahl. We were hand chosen by our king to come and stand before you now so that our two great kingdoms may once again join together as allies".

Simin gestured to each man as he spoke their name and accordingly they bowed low to Zelda. Link watched the men's faces intently when their names were spoken and was in general keeping a keen eye on them during the entire exchange. He was looking for any sort of change, any indication that any of these men meant to harm Zelda in any way, so he was a bit caught off guard when Zelda herself stood.

Immediately the Noruidians knelt, as did Arvid and the Councillors behind the throne, but only Link remained standing and looked to his queen with an expression of confusion. Zelda ignored him as she descended the topmost set of steps from her throne and came to stop on the top plateau.

"Master Vahl, please, come closer".

A hush fell upon the hall and Link's saw the man's brows slightly twitch at being singled out by Zelda. Slowly and obediently he stood from his kneel and began to climb the steps towards her. Link did not like this at all and he glanced at the Royal Guardsmen who all took on a defensive stances, hands upon their swords. To this Zelda calmly raised her hand to silently order them to stand down, which they did without hesitation, but Link did not remove his hand from the hilt of the Master Sword and narrowed his eyes at the Noruidian who was drawing nearer to his queen.

Vahl reached the same level as Zelda so that the pair were on equal ground. The man was clearly taller than the queen, taller than Link, and in the light of the hall it was clearer than ever that the Noruidian was in fact quite handsome, with his dark hair and eyes. His ears were pointed like the Hylians but now Link could see that the man's ear tips were darker skin tone, a trait shared with the rest of his Noruidians. The scar that cut through his right eyebrow actually extended halfway down his cheek and due to his reasonably short, thick black hair, Link noticed that he wore an earring on his right earlobe.

"Your Majesty," Vahl spoke softly, his accent only adding to the smoothness of his voice, and he slightly bowed his head out of respect. The man looked as casual as Zelda did, even from being so close to the Hyrulean Queen, and when he met her eyes he did not look away.

Zelda remained silent and continued to silently and thoughtfully regard his face, her expression unchanging from the calm and gentle smile she had worn since they had entered the hall. Every person seemed to be holding their breath, having no clue when the queen was doing or looking for. With every new second that passed Link's grip upon the hilt of his sword became more tense and his whole being was prepared to spring into action to defend Zelda. She and Vahl had a couple of feet between them but it was much too close for Link's comfort. True that they had confiscated all weaponry from the men and that they had been searched, but some weapons could be hidden so well that they were near impossible to detect. He should've searched the Noruidians himself but how the hell was he supposed to know that Zelda was going to be so interested by one of them? Why? What was so special with this-

"Master Simin", Zelda suddenly called out, her eyes never leaving Vahl's dark, surprisingly calm ones. The foreigner strangely did not seem to baulk away from the queen's gaze, something that even the strongest of men tended to do in the presence of their queen; Link wasn't liking the individual attention this Vahl was getting from Zelda at all.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty?"

"It appears that you made a mistake".

"I have?" Simin replied, anxiety and confusion thick in his voice and he looked around nervously. "In what regards, may I ask?"

"Indeed. You were right to refer to your king by his full title, but you failed to do so with his second son. If I am not mistaken, it is Prince Vahlymor I presume? Am I pronouncing that correctly?"

There came a moment of silence that followed the beautiful ring of Zelda's voice, before all hell broke loose. A chorus of gasps, mutterings and exclamations filled the hall, which included Link's own catch of breath while his eyes went wide in shock. In the midst of the chaos, Zelda remained completely calm, still smiling her small, polite, yet knowing smile and she watched the man before her simply blink before he calmly smiled as well.

"Y-your Majesty, please, I mean-"

Simin's mouth snapped shut, as did the rest of the hall's noise cease, when Zelda simply raised her hand for silence so as to allow for Vahl to speak.

"Perceptive as you are beautiful, Your Majesty. If I might ask, what gave me away?"

"Well… I suppose that I wouldn't be a pretty good queen if I was not familiar with the royal families of the bordering kingdoms and their names. Why, might I ask, the cognomen, sir?"

"Vahl is the name I go by when travelling and used by my fellows here, Your Majesty".

Still smiling, Vahl swept an hand to gesture towards his comrades and for every pair of eyes to fall upon the Noruidians, who all bowed their heads deeply. "Standing before you, Your Majesty, are the four men I trust most in the world. They are my royal guardsmen, the best of warriors, and my best friends. To them, I am Vahl, but to the rest of the world I am Prince Vahlymor. Oh, and yes, that it how you pronounce it".

"And the reason for the deception?"

"Well, as you can understand for someone in my position, it can be quite dangerous to cross borders. Rather than travel with a grand caravan and dozens of guardsmen to help notify every bandit in the vicinity that royalty is on the move, I choice stealth and discretion".

"Very wise," Zelda commented before she gave the men a simple nod before continuing, "and you have my word that whilst in Hyrule that you and your men shall be treated and seen as my most honoured guests. I will have you possessions moved at once to our most luxurious and comfortable of apartments". Turning to look at one of her handmaidens, the girl bowed her head before walking off to pass on the news; meanwhile, the prince's comrades bowed their heads in gratitude for Zelda's hospitality.

Returning her gaze upon the Noruidian prince, Zelda saw that he was looking at her with an expression that she couldn't quite place, almost as if he were expecting her to say something else. Without missing a beat, she continued, "You all must be exhausted after your long journey. Won't you retire until the evening and then you are all invited to join me for dinner. I greatly would enjoy to hear tales of Noruidia".

"Of course, Your Majesty," Vahlymor replied, but with a slight change in the tone of his voice, as if there were some confusion. "My men and I would be honoured to dine with you and I do hope that you and I will soon be able to discuss our own affairs".

A pause filled the room and every set of eyes were held on Zelda and Vahlymor. From Link's position from behind her, the knight saw the slightest raise in the queen's chin and he knew that she had no idea what Vahlymor meant. Also from his vantage point, Link glanced at the other four Noruidian men and he could see them exchanging glances. Did they know something that the Hyruleans didn't?

"Our affairs, my lord?" she asked calmly, her tone still containing its lightness and pleasantry.

"Indeed, Your Grace, but I completely understand if you wish for your advisors to be present. Such dealings such as ours can be… complicated, as I assume you can admit".

"What dealings are you referring to, Prince Vahlymor?" asked Councillor Yrota, who stepped forward along with the other five councillors, all of whom wore suspicious and curious expressions for the prince.

Vahlymor turned to the older man and blinked before glancing back at Zelda, confusion in his expression. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but there seems to be some confusion".

"It would seem so," Zelda replied, an arch forming in one of her delicate brows. "Originally I had been informed that travellers from Noruidia had come to talk of trade and of communications. Seeing as you and your comrades are not simple travellers, would you be so kind as to bring us all onto one page so to speak? I would most appreciate it".

"As you wish," Vahlymor replied simply before straightening his already perfect posture before he continued. "It is true that I have arrived to establish better relations between our two greta kingdoms, that was no lie, and within better relations comes better trade. However, I personally came to fulfill a personal duty. I came to fulfill the wishes of our mothers, Your Majesty... the matter of our longstanding betrothal, that is".

The silence that filled the room following Vahylmor's shockingly calm words was deafening. There was a solid few seconds where no one moved, nor breathed, but just stared in disbelief and registered what the prince's words could possibly mean. Link found himself frozen, eyes wide, and even his heart seemed to have gone rigid with surprise.

Zelda was… betrothed?

Like a crashing wave upon a peaceful beach, sound and noise came rushing back in a chorus when the onslaught of gasps, exclamations and the steps of unsteady persons filled the room. The Noruidians seemed unnerved by the surprised reaction of the Hylians and had stepped together, backs together, in a defensive position. The Councillors were all talking at once, asking one another if there was any validity to the prince's announcement. Arvid had become quite tight lipped as was keeping a narrowed eye upon the Noruidians, as were the rest of the soldiers when they weren't stealing glances as their queen. Only three figures had yet to react to the prince's words: the prince, the queen and the hero.

Zelda's remained holding Vahlymor's eyes with her gaze and it took little effort for her to maintain her serene and composed self. She could feel everyone's eyes upon her, waiting for her words, possibly even the command to send these foreigners to the dungeons for such lies, but no gaze felt heavier than the one she knew was on her back. The prince's eyes told her everything she needed to know and with a single and slow blink, she slowly raised her hand and once again, there was quiet.

With peace restored, Zelda knew that she would need to word her thoughts quite carefully, for there wasn't a lot of time for her to be able to do what she ought to have done years ago.

"Of course, our betrothal, a topic that will be discussed thoroughly when you and your companions are not weary from travel. I promise you, Your Highness, that we shall speak of the matters in due time. Until then, please rest and I shall join you for an evening feast in your honour".

Vahlymor held the queen's eyes for a moment longer, his expression unreadable to anyone expect perhaps Zelda herself, before he bowed low and thanked her. He then turned towards his uneasy fellows and Simin cleared his throat before trying to hide his jab into the twins' sides for them to relax. Servants lead the foreigners from the hall and even before the grand doors swung shut were the Councillors at Zelda's side.

"Your Majesty! Please do not tell us that you believe this so-called prince's words! It's outrageous!"

"Councillor Gryffyn, please try and contain your voice," Zelda replied calmly and the youngest councillor coughed out an apology.

Yrota, the Council Elder, came up to Zelda and caught her eye. "Do you know anything of what this prince says, Your Majesty?"

"All will be revealed soon, Yrota… I do need a moment to confirm myself but I shall notify you all as soon as I am sure. There is something I must see to. Excuse me, gentlemen, and I am not to be disturbed from my quarters."

The Councillors all bowed to their queen, who descended the stairs to her right without even glancing up at Link, who had yet to move from his place beside her throne. The knight's eyes were darkened and his body was rigid, but he watched Zelda's every movement and only he could see how her normally graceful movements were rushed ever so slightly. Seeing her head towards her personal entrance, Link finally found that he could move and he too descended the stairs to the polished floor. As much as he wanted to run after Zelda then and there, Link still had a duty to fulfill so rather he came to Arvid's side, who upon seeing the hero saluted immediately.

"I want you to watch those men, Arvid, especially Vahlymor," Link said lowly, bypassing any formalities. There was a command he needed to give and had little patience to give it.

"Consider it done, sir," Arvid answered; the man's tone, words, and expression were all Link needed from the man. He gave him a simple nod and took a few steps away when he heard one of the Councillors call Arvid's name.

"Sir Arvid! Come here please".

Link kept walking but he turned his gaze over his shoulder to see Councillor Wharha, a knight of Hyrule, clasp a hand on Arvid's shoulder and speak something to the younger man.

The hero's steps slowed for a moment, his resolve wavered, before he narrowed his eyes and hurried forward. Link's boots echoed through the stone halls, his pace never slowing and he fought the urge to run. The servants and guardsmen he passed he ignored, though all gave him a nod or quickly got out of his way. Coming to the grand staircase, the man finally quickened his pace and took three steps at a time, his heart hammering. His lack-of-a-night's sleep was absent from his movements, adrenaline and determination fuelled his muscles, as was the fire burning in his chest. Up until this point he'd been able to contain his emotions, his life's experience being their chains, but he could feel the strain and weight of them. Entering the west wing of the castle, Link's cape billowed behind him and his hands were balled into fists.

Approaching the doors to the queen's personal study, the guardsmen stationed outside them stiffly stood at attention upon seeing Hyrule's Saviour. It was clear by their anxious expressions that seeing first their Queen rush towards the room and now her trusted knight that something was amiss, especially when they caught sight of Link's hard expression.

As one of the guards opened the door, Link said sternly, "No one else is to enter".

"Yes, sir. Her Royal Highness said the same".

Giving the man a curt nod, Link entered the room, his heart hammering and his fingers white from the tightness of his fists. The room was in slight disarray, meaning that its usually impeccable appearance was disheveled by Zelda's frantic entrance. The queen was seated on her settee next to a dying fire, her entire attention was on a stack of what appeared to be letters in her hand. A quick scan of the room revealed to Link that the chest that had always sat on one of the tables was open with its key still in the lock, the first time he'd ever seen it unlocked. An envelope opener was sitting on the table where Zelda had left it and an opened large envelope had fallen to the floor next to the settee.

Walking a couple of steps towards the queen, Link stopped a few feet from the sofa and settled his hands behind his back. Silence resumed in the room save for the crackling of the fire's embers and the shuffling of Zelda's letters as she moved to the next one. Link watched her, his expression distant and unreadable, though his jaw was clenched with concealed feelings. His head throbbed with swirling thoughts, strings of emotions and words that he was desperately containing. Duty, responsibility, respect, and his own morals kept him quiet: obediently standing there until his queen was done.

When it looked as if Zelda was on the last page, she flipped over the stack of letters and began to read them all once more. Still Link didn't move, he barely breathed even, but allowed Zelda her time needed. He could see from her half-shadowed face that whatever contents the letters held, they were distressing to some degree. She was slightly biting at her lower lip and her delicate brows were creased with emotions. Link had never asked what the chest had contained, for it was never his place to know, but he surmised from seeing Zelda now that perhaps she herself had never read the letters before.

Minutes ticked by. The embers of the fireplace slowly darkened and the sun's light from the grand windows at the end of the room dimmed as clouds filled the sky. Page by page Zelda read, carefully and slowly, and not once did she pause or glance in Link's direction. He would wait for her to finish... he'd always wait for her, no matter how long.

Finally with tentative fingers, Link watched Zelda gather together the letters and calmly set them aside on the settee to her left. With her face turned away from him still, Link heard her speak in barely a whisper but it might as well have been a shout through the tense silence of the room.

"Please, come take a seat".

Without hesitation the knight walked forward and came around the settee to stiffly sit down beside his queen. There still was about a foot of space between them, the sofa wasn't that large, and from this distance Link caught the sweet scent of Zelda's perfumed hair: lilacs. Setting his hands upon his knees, hands were still tense and in half-fists, Link stared hard at the dying fire. His heart was loud in his ears and he had no idea if Zelda was looking at him or not because his bangs hid her from view. From the shifting he felt beside him he guessed that she was staring ahead like him and neither motioned as to who should speak first.

As patient as Link was and as silent as he could be, this whole situation was really beginning to strain on his endurance. There was so many things he wanted to say, wanted to ask, wanted to hear, wanted to yell. He needed to know the facts, to set his frustrations and questions at ease, and he wanted Zelda to look him in the eye and tell him the truth. He wanted her-

"Link?"

"Yes?"

No response came immediately and after a solid minute, Link couldn't take it anymore. He turned his head to look at Zelda and caught sight of her face. His gasp broke through the silence and his hardened resolve shattered.

Ripe tears glistened down his queen's cheeks and her eyes were full of what looked to be pain. However, her expression remained calm and pristine, indifferent almost, and with a bored hand she swatted away one of her tears like it was nothing but an inconvenience.

"Zelda…" Link began, concern momentarily smothering the storm in his mind.

"I have been a fool, Link. A foolish, disobedient, and childish coward".

Link was physically taken aback by the angry tone of Zelda's voice. Finally her beautiful mask broke and she narrowed her brows to reveal her anger; more tears spilled out of her eyes and again Zelda swiped them away impatiently. The man's mouth hung slightly open and wariness seeped into his being, for he had learned from experience that when Zelda was angry she could be terrifying.

Yet, to see her crying really shook him to the core. Zelda never cried and apparently the fact that she was, Zelda herself saw it as an annoyance more than anything.

"I have not been a wise queen, Link, and my parents would be so disappointed in me".

"Zelda, what are you-?"

"My mother, Link! My mother… oh Nayru, was not Hyrulean and… there's so much that I did not know".

Zelda turned to face Link, her eyes wide and it was clear that she was trying not to cry any harder; her shoulders were shaking terribly. Link was at a total loss as to what to do or at least react to such a statement, but he did at least form some sort of reply.

"Is that why you're so upset? That your mother was not… Hyrulean?"

"No… no, it's not… it's…" pausing in her fumbled words, Zelda tilted her head back as if to try and coax the tears back into her tear ducts as she collected herself enough to continue. "That's not why I'm upset, but it does come as bit of a shock. Father, he never liked to talk of Mother but it wasn't as if it was a secret that she wasn't born here… I mean, even Imala, my nurse, has always mentioned when my mother "arrived" to the castle, I just never took enough care to inquire as to what she meant by that…"

"Where did your mother come from?" Link asked.

Zelda blinked and looked back at him, surprise in her expression, before she realized that she hadn't said yet. "Oh, she was from Noruidia".

"Oh… oh!" Link replied, finally catching up. "Then how did she end up as Queen of Hyrule?"

"How else?" Zelda replied with a sigh and shrug, dropping her shoulder s bit, "she married my father who was prince and heir to the throne". Turning her gaze to the stack of letters sitting beside her, Link watched his queen set a tender hand upon the stack as she spoke. "It was all right here, Link, in my possession. When my mother died she left me these letters with the instructions only that I read them following my coronation. It was has five years since I became queen…. Five years I have disobeyed my mother's last wish for me".

"Why?" Link asked innocently, leaning forward due to Zelda's tone drifting off into a whisper.

"Because I was afraid," Zelda replied, turning to face him. "Afraid of my own mother, I woman I barely remember and don't even know. As I told you, Link, I've been a foolish, disobedient, and childish coward… A daughter afraid of her own mother…"

Zelda's eyes fell to look upon the sofa, her lower lip quivered, and Link watched fresh tears begin to roll down her cheeks to drip from her delicate chin; this time, however, she didn't wipe them away. Link's fingers twitched and he felt the urge to reach out for her, to comfort her in anyway he could, but he froze from lifting his hand when she continued to speak.

"In her letters… my mother wrote how she had come from Noruidia to be a handmaiden to my grandmother, the Queen. I had known before that Noruidia and Hyrule used to have better communications but I had no idea that it was to that extent. It was when my mother came here that my father fell in love with her and sought her hand. Apparently, however, Mother had been already betrothed to another back in Noruidia but, of course, how was her father to deny a prince from marrying his daughter and she to become Queen of Hyrule? It also helped matters that she was in love with my father but her betrothed had been some Noruidian nobleman. It had caused relations to sour, which is partly why Noruidia and Hyrule haven't communicated much since then. Another reason is because my mother had been best friends with the Noruidian princess and it caused their friendship to fracture when she learnt that Mother was to remain in Hyrule".

Zelda paused in her telling to sit back and take a deep breath before turning back to Link, who was very much absorbed into her story. "My parents had married for love, Link, though there was political benefit for both parties for sure. In the end my mother and my father had loved each other so much that Mother chose to never return to her homeland again. When I was born she wrote to her friend, who had become Queen of Noruidia, to try and make amends. She promised…" Pausing once more to swallow, Zelda gave Link a sad yet resolved expression before she continued. "My mother promised me, her newborn daughter, to one of her former friend's sons. Either I was to marry the eldest son if a prince was born to Hyrule or to the second eldest if I was to become queen. Since… my mother and my brother were both taken during childbirth I was, from the day of their deaths, betrothed to the second-eldest prince of Noruidia, Vahlymor. I have been betrothed for all of my life and had no knowledge of it. Father, he never spoke of it, not once…"

"Wait, what? But..." Link couldn't finish a single word for his mind was so completely rattled. Zelda was really betrothed, had always been. She was getting married after all and to a complete stranger nonetheless-

"But, perhaps he felt that it was not his place to do so". Zelda's words cut through Link's spiralling thoughts and he arched a brow in question to her. "Mother had been betrothed herself and reveals in her letters that she had never liked the idea of it-"

"So why would she force you to do the same thing?" Link blurted out, trying to find out the end of the story while they were still in the middle.

Zelda blinked at him and gave him the most softest of smiles; his heart skipped a beat when she leaned closer so that the foot of space between them was rendered to mere inches.

"She wouldn't, of course. If I had been stronger when I became queen, had not been afraid of letters locked within a chest, then I would have understood the choice my mother had given to me. Father even alluded to this, I see this now, when he would tell me that I would not need to worry about my future and that my happiness was most important thing. I didn't know it then, but should have, but that's what Mother wished for me as well. If I had found love before I was crowned or before my twentieth birthday, then the betrothal would have been voided. My parents married for love and they wanted me to do the same… but…"

Her smile vanished and her eyes fell once again and Link desperately wished he had the courage to comfort her more than just sitting there uselessly. So much for being the bearer of the Triforce of Courage... he couldn't even reach out and lay his hand upon his distressed friend's hand that was so near.

"My father had left this all to me, to gift the free will to love as I saw fit, even until his deathbed. I've never told anyone the words that he spoke to me before he died, but he told me to follow my heart and to believe in any choice that I made, for queens and kings carry the very heart of their kingdoms and must always trust in what their heart of hearts say. You told me something very similar, Link, the day you pledged yourself to become my knight. You told me to trust in myself and, I fear, that I have not when it comes to this. I have failed my parents because I was afraid… afraid of my mother, of not making her proud or… or..."

A sob broke through the silence following Zelda's words and in that instant, for a moment at least, she ceased in being his queen. Link moved before his mind could tell him to stop and he wrapped his arms around his weeping friend, taking her into a gentle yet solid embrace that he realized that he had been wishing to give her for some time. He felt her stiffen in surprise by his actions but it lasted a mere second before she collapsed against him and her sobbing intensified. She buried her face into his right shoulder and he felt her fingers come and grip the material of his tunic in a tight hold. Settling his hands gently upon her back, the silken strands of her hairs grazing his fingertips, Link held her close and with every tremble he felt from her form, his brows creased further. He kept his eyes open, though narrowed, and his expression once again grew hard. However, the emotions that filled his mind and heart were not the same as they were when he had entered the room. He felt a pain deep in his chest and Link had only felt something relatively close to such a sensation once before.

"I wish… I wish things could be different…"

Zelda's muffled and whispered words barely reached Link's ears but they struck his heart like arrows all the same. Holding her ever closer, the knight gently pressed his cheek against his queen's head with no words of comfort to give only his embrace and his silent agreement to her words.