Chapter Twenty-One
As night was still strong in Selinta, dawn was creeping with slow feet in Hyrule. Zelda walked softly down the halls of Hyrule Castle, the only noise the soft taps from her slippers. Over and over again she had dreamed of being bathed in blood, fresh blood that clung to her skin and would not come off, no matter how hard she tried. The princess wondered if Link might be having the same dreams, and sighed deeply.
He did not love her, that much was true. If he did, it was not love enough to overcome his fear and dislike of being king. She wasn't sure which possibility made her feel worse.
There would be no time to find out; the war might last one year, it might last several. Link would be gone for any length of time, and perhaps his heart would decide to travel abroad, and not return to Hyrule for as many as ten years. By then, law and tradition would have her married. As a matter of fact, she would need to be married in two years. By her twenty- first birthday, if she did not chose a suitor to be the next king, then she would have no right to the throne of Hyrule.
Perhaps... she could give up the throne, but her father would never remarry, and there would be no heirs. Her renouncement of the throne would cause a bloody civil war, and Hyrule would tear itself to pieces. Then any leader could simply waltz in and take control of the beautiful land. She had no desire to watch her homeland, her birthplace, be torn apart because she loved someone who could not (or would not) love her as well. To make others pay for her own misfortunes would weigh heavily upon her.
Still... love was not an easy thing to let go, she had thought, and still believed. Her heart ached within her chest, wishing that the fates had been kinder and had let Link see in her what she saw in him.
Deep in thought, she entered the Chamber of Sages, the new castle's dedication to the Six Sages. It was very much like the one which was situated in the Temple of Light, only much more convenient to access. Guidance so easily found, she mused.
"Young one, what are you doing up so late?" Rauru, the Sage of Light, inquired. His fatherly, soft presence was something she needed at the moment, needed so much that several tears coursed down her face. He noticed this but said nothing, and waited for her to answer.
"I have had dreams, terrible dreams, of being covered in blood. The blood would not come off my body, no matter how much I tried. I opened my mouth to scream and I choked on more blood. I do not understand this dream, and I am not sure of anything anymore." Her knees gave out from underneath her, and Zelda collapsed slowly to the flooring, crying noiselessly. "I miss Link so terribly, I wonder how I must go on living, when I cannot have what I so desperately need."
"The gods and goddesses have many ways of teaching us lessons; each one is never easy and almost always harsh," Rauru replied quietly, touching her shoulder lightly. "That Link may always be just beyond your reach speaks of matters that are always out of mortals' reach; we must never question the gods and goddesses' decisions, Zelda. You must remember that love is about wanting what is best for others, and being happy for them. Love is a finely made sword; it is powerful in the hands that know how to wield it, but always dangerous and deadly, and it causes much pain when not properly handled."
"What must I learn from being denied my love?" Zelda raised her hands to her face to hide the shining tears. "Would I could forsake the throne and follow Link, but Hyrule... Hyrule would be left with nothing, only civil war and death. For the people must I suffer, to understand that sovereignty is cold and lonely?"
"Link is a strong, young man. He knows that he has caused you pain, but to love you falsely would cause more pain than either of you could possibly know. He loves you as much as he can, but he can never be king. You know this. He is a strong leader, but to rule a country, nay, he could never. His fault is not meant to cause you grief. You will find someone you can love and be loved by in return."
"I want no other man to warm my heart and bed than Link," whispered the princess, her hands still over her face. "If I must not be with him, then so be it, but I will never give myself to another man."
"Then Hyrule will be torn apart. Your actions will speak louder than your vows, Zelda." His voice had gone pitying and gentle. "It is pretty to dedicate yourself to only one person, but... the far nobler deed would be to move on, as he has done and will continue to do. Link knows the world moves on, but you do not. You are still young in your years, though you have lived them fully and Link has not."
"...I..." Rauru shook his head, though she did not see it.
"Speak no more of this, Zelda. Your distress upsets us both greatly, and I would not have you sleepless the rest of the night. I will tell the other sages of your dream, and we will interpret it as best we can."
"Thank you," Zelda murmured, rising to her feet and wiping tears off her cheeks. "In many ways, thank you."
Please, Faithful Reader, review when you can. I like to know what people like in my writing and what they hate. Thank you!
As night was still strong in Selinta, dawn was creeping with slow feet in Hyrule. Zelda walked softly down the halls of Hyrule Castle, the only noise the soft taps from her slippers. Over and over again she had dreamed of being bathed in blood, fresh blood that clung to her skin and would not come off, no matter how hard she tried. The princess wondered if Link might be having the same dreams, and sighed deeply.
He did not love her, that much was true. If he did, it was not love enough to overcome his fear and dislike of being king. She wasn't sure which possibility made her feel worse.
There would be no time to find out; the war might last one year, it might last several. Link would be gone for any length of time, and perhaps his heart would decide to travel abroad, and not return to Hyrule for as many as ten years. By then, law and tradition would have her married. As a matter of fact, she would need to be married in two years. By her twenty- first birthday, if she did not chose a suitor to be the next king, then she would have no right to the throne of Hyrule.
Perhaps... she could give up the throne, but her father would never remarry, and there would be no heirs. Her renouncement of the throne would cause a bloody civil war, and Hyrule would tear itself to pieces. Then any leader could simply waltz in and take control of the beautiful land. She had no desire to watch her homeland, her birthplace, be torn apart because she loved someone who could not (or would not) love her as well. To make others pay for her own misfortunes would weigh heavily upon her.
Still... love was not an easy thing to let go, she had thought, and still believed. Her heart ached within her chest, wishing that the fates had been kinder and had let Link see in her what she saw in him.
Deep in thought, she entered the Chamber of Sages, the new castle's dedication to the Six Sages. It was very much like the one which was situated in the Temple of Light, only much more convenient to access. Guidance so easily found, she mused.
"Young one, what are you doing up so late?" Rauru, the Sage of Light, inquired. His fatherly, soft presence was something she needed at the moment, needed so much that several tears coursed down her face. He noticed this but said nothing, and waited for her to answer.
"I have had dreams, terrible dreams, of being covered in blood. The blood would not come off my body, no matter how much I tried. I opened my mouth to scream and I choked on more blood. I do not understand this dream, and I am not sure of anything anymore." Her knees gave out from underneath her, and Zelda collapsed slowly to the flooring, crying noiselessly. "I miss Link so terribly, I wonder how I must go on living, when I cannot have what I so desperately need."
"The gods and goddesses have many ways of teaching us lessons; each one is never easy and almost always harsh," Rauru replied quietly, touching her shoulder lightly. "That Link may always be just beyond your reach speaks of matters that are always out of mortals' reach; we must never question the gods and goddesses' decisions, Zelda. You must remember that love is about wanting what is best for others, and being happy for them. Love is a finely made sword; it is powerful in the hands that know how to wield it, but always dangerous and deadly, and it causes much pain when not properly handled."
"What must I learn from being denied my love?" Zelda raised her hands to her face to hide the shining tears. "Would I could forsake the throne and follow Link, but Hyrule... Hyrule would be left with nothing, only civil war and death. For the people must I suffer, to understand that sovereignty is cold and lonely?"
"Link is a strong, young man. He knows that he has caused you pain, but to love you falsely would cause more pain than either of you could possibly know. He loves you as much as he can, but he can never be king. You know this. He is a strong leader, but to rule a country, nay, he could never. His fault is not meant to cause you grief. You will find someone you can love and be loved by in return."
"I want no other man to warm my heart and bed than Link," whispered the princess, her hands still over her face. "If I must not be with him, then so be it, but I will never give myself to another man."
"Then Hyrule will be torn apart. Your actions will speak louder than your vows, Zelda." His voice had gone pitying and gentle. "It is pretty to dedicate yourself to only one person, but... the far nobler deed would be to move on, as he has done and will continue to do. Link knows the world moves on, but you do not. You are still young in your years, though you have lived them fully and Link has not."
"...I..." Rauru shook his head, though she did not see it.
"Speak no more of this, Zelda. Your distress upsets us both greatly, and I would not have you sleepless the rest of the night. I will tell the other sages of your dream, and we will interpret it as best we can."
"Thank you," Zelda murmured, rising to her feet and wiping tears off her cheeks. "In many ways, thank you."
Please, Faithful Reader, review when you can. I like to know what people like in my writing and what they hate. Thank you!