The following morning, Link and Zelda were up before dawn. Silently,
so as not to awaken Aurelia, they prepared to leave. Zelda had found
Odin's saddle the night before; it was cleaned and polished expertly, and
the princess was thankful for it. The horses seemed to notice the feeling
of gloom in the air, and cooperated well with their riders. By the time
the first rays of the fair sun had appeared over the eastern horizon, the
four of them were all ready to go.
Aurelia watched from her bedroom window as they set off. She had packed their saddlebags (which had been dwindling of supplies by this point in the journey) with some food for their trip today. She felt so terrible for them. It was obvious, at least to her, that they must have been in love; and now she knew how the story had to end. What a world.
In the sense of time, it would be a long trip to the castle, but to Link and Zelda, it felt entirely too short. They rode side by side the whole way, stopping only once for the noon meal. No later than 14:00 that afternoon, the white towers of Hyrule Castle appeared over the crest of a hill.
Link and Zelda halted their horses at the top of the hill. Silently, they looked at each other. He took her hand, and they stayed like that for a moment before moving on to the lowered drawbridge.
The bridge guard saw them crossing. Excited, he carefully climbed down the network of chains and gears to the way house to tell the guard on duty there, and slowly, guard by guard, the message spread to the castle. The energy filled the air, and before too long, the entire market was alive with chatter. Everyone knew something was happening, something, but no one knew what! Suddenly, there was a hush, and all eyes were trained on the front gate as two horses, a palomino and a paint, entered the market square, and on their backs two riders: the Princess Zelda and the Hero of Time.
The chatter started up again, now louder than ever. The people were talking to each other and keeping their eyes on Link and Zelda at the same time.
The Princess and the Hero, however, were completely separated from the buzzing cheer all around them. To them, things were happening in slow motion; they could not take their eyes off each other, even though they tried, simply because they were the only wallflowers at the apparent party that was going on around them.
Suddenly, the spell broke.
"Zelda!" A voice called from the castle boulevard. The princess's head snapped around to look.
A party was coming down the boulevard. The King was there, smiling broadly, and both Queens. A great deal of courtiers, bards, and minor royalty came as well; but in the front, mounted on a tall, bay stallion, was Prince Harlan. He was the one that had called to Zelda.
The princess looked sadly at Link one last time, then turned to the forthcoming party, put on her best royal smile, and said, "Harlan! Father! Mother! It's so wonderful to see you." She embraced the Prince as he brought his horse up beside hers.
"We're all so glad that you're safe," Harlan said, holding her hands. "Come on! We have a lot of news to catch you up on!" He beckoned for Zelda to climb onto the back of his horse, and she had no choice but to obey. "Good to see you, Link," Harlan said with a sincere smile before he turned his bay around and headed back towards the castle. Zelda looked back at Link helplessly and mouthed "I love you" before she and Harlan disappeared up the boulevard.
Link watched her go. Presently, he picked up Odin's reins. The horse was whinnying after his mistress. Link felt like calling to her himself.
"Link!" King Harkinian said jovially, coming up to Link and giving him a friendly slap on the back, thus shaking him out of his daze. "Oh, hello, your majesty," Link said.
"You can't know how worried we've been about you two," the King said. "We-well, to be quite honest, we thought you'd been killed by the Moblins! Imagine our surprise to hear from the guards not five minutes ago that you were coming up the drawbridge!"
Link put on a fake smile, just like Zelda's. "Us? Killed by Moblins? Don't be ridiculous!"
The King laughed. "No, I suppose not. Well, you've certainly had plenty of time to mull over my offer...what have you decided?"
"I think..." Link looked off towards the castle reflectively. "I think," he said as the party began to move back towards the castle, "I'm going to take you up on it."
"Wonderful! Simply wonderful. You will have to learn diplomacy, of course-"
"You majesty?" Link asked.
"Yes, my boy?" The King said.
"Could I learn from Zelda? She has told me all about it..." He trailed off, looking at the King hopefully.
"You know what?" The King said. "I think that's a grand idea."
"Thank you, your majesty," Link said.
"But of course. So, you will be staying here at the palace. Your coronation should be in a few weeks. Come, I would like to show you personally to your suite of rooms." And with that, the whole group headed off up the boulevard towards the castle.
The first order of business at the palace was to get everyone settled in. Link's "suite of rooms" turned out to be five joined chambers; a bedroom, a sitting room, a dressing room, a study, a library, and off the library, a balcony overlooking a small garden. The hero felt very small in the big palace, but the King assured him that he'd get used to it in time. Several hours after they had arrived, dinner was announced in the great hall. Link was very relieved that it wasn't another banquet, and he could come in freely. He slid cautiously into a seat between the King and Zelda.
"How do you live here?" He asked the princess in an undertone.
"Lost?"
"Just a little bit."
She giggled. "Don't worry, you'll settle in."
"I certainly hope so," he said. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you-"
Just then, he was cut off as the King stood and called for attention. "Now," he said. "There are several announcements that must be made tonight. First and foremost: as you will recall, at the banquet where Link was to accept or reject becoming my heir, his response was cut off due to circumstances beyond our control. However, today, he has told me himself that he accepts!" The great hall was filled with polite applause. "Now that that is taken care of, there are several things we must update on: pertaining to Zelda, much to our unhappiness, our lady Queen Larina has fallen ill. This means that your wedding to Harlan will be in six days' time in order to allow you both to rule as soon as possible. And also, Zelda, as you know, Link must learn the proper etiquette to be King, and I have deemed that you would be the best one to teach him. And now, I believe that is all." The King sat, and the people began to eat.
"Is that what you were about to tell me?" Zelda asked.
"Yes," Link said. "If you don't mind, of course-"
"I don't mind," she said with a smile.
"You know something?" Link asked. "This food really isn't that bad."
The princess laughed softly. "Isn't that what I said?"
After dinner, the people were leaving the great hall when the King stopped Zelda. "My daughter," he said, "Harlan has requested your presence tonight for a special dessert. He wants to catch up with you; you can't imagine how he's missed you."
"Of course, Father," Zelda said. "What time will he be expecting me?"
"20:00," the King told her.
"Thank you," she said. "I...I wouldn't miss it."
"In the meantime," the King said, "why don't you go find Link and start teaching him that etiquette?"
The princess couldn't help but smile. "I'll do that." With that, she departed off down the long white stone corridors towards Link's rooms.
The hero was in the library, looking through the rows of books when he heard a polite knock on the door. He turned and went over to the door, opening it slowly.
Zelda came in and sat down on the bed, burying her face in her hands. Link closed the door behind her. "Are you all right?" He asked, sitting down beside her.
She picked her head up. "Yes...yes."
He looked at her for a moment. "No, you're not."
She did not try to argue with him. "I have to go to Harlan tonight," she said.
"It's all right..."
She looked at him. "You mustn't get jealous."
"I won't."
Zelda smiled. "I know." She got up and made her way to the balcony. "You have a lovely view here."
"I like it," Link said, coming over as well. Then he noticed someone moving in the window on the other side of the garden. It was Harlan! "A room with a view," he muttered.
"Please don't be angry with Harlan," she said. "He never did anything wrong...he only wants the best for me. He's a good sort, really he is."
Link sighed. "I'll try. But only because you told me to."
"Thanks," Zelda said with a smile. "Now, I believe I was supposed to teach you some etiquette?"
"Oh yeah, what's that about?"
"You'll catch on," she told him, and they retreated back into Link's apartments.
Before too long, 20:00 rolled around. With a last, faint smile at Link, Zelda departed to Harlan's room. Link sat down in the sitting room, and began to wait.
Zelda walked slowly down the long stone corridor to the prince's chambers. She did not want Link to hate Harlan. She also knew that it was inevitable. The princess arrived at the tall wooden door and knocked. Her knock was promptly answered by the prince, who was smiling. She smiled too.
"This way, my lady," he said, leading her to his own sitting room, where a table was laid out with various dessert items. The princess sat at one end, and the prince at the other. He raised his glass in toast, and she followed suit.
On the other side of the garden, Link did his best to keep from running to the balcony and watching. No, he thought time and again. It wasn't possible that she had been...lying...was it? No, of course not. These were dangerous thoughts.
"Did you enjoy your journey?" Harlan asked.
Zelda nodded. "We know what brought the Moblins here."
"Really?" He asked. "Well, what was it?"
"It was a Triforce, a fourth Triforce."
Link knew he was being ridiculous. He settled into bed, and tried to get to sleep early, but that didn't help at all. It wasn't like she wouldn't have had a reason to lie...the whole King thing...but no. She wouldn't have had to go that far. He was being an idiot.
"Have you told the castle yet?" Harlan wanted to know, taking a drink of water.
"I think I'll tell father tomorrow," Zelda said.
Link told himself to shut up and closed his eyes. Sleep did not come, but he did not move. It wasn't worth moving.
"It's getting late," Zelda said.
"Would you like to go?"
There was the door. Link was just about twenty feet from the door-
"Good night, Harlan," Zelda said, getting up.
"Good night, Zel," he said.
"Please don't call me that."
"I'm sorry. I just thought it would be a good nickname, but if you don't like it, then I'll forget it."
"Thank you," she said, and turned for the door.
Out in the corridors, she closed the door behind her, and turned around into the darkness. It was only about 22:00, so she ran straight to Link's rooms.
He heard knocking, but did not answer the door right away. The knocking did not stop, so he climbed slowly out of bed and answered the door. Zelda burst forth and fell into his arms.
"I just needed to see you," she whispered.
"I understand," he said, thanking all three goddesses that he had stayed put.
Aurelia watched from her bedroom window as they set off. She had packed their saddlebags (which had been dwindling of supplies by this point in the journey) with some food for their trip today. She felt so terrible for them. It was obvious, at least to her, that they must have been in love; and now she knew how the story had to end. What a world.
In the sense of time, it would be a long trip to the castle, but to Link and Zelda, it felt entirely too short. They rode side by side the whole way, stopping only once for the noon meal. No later than 14:00 that afternoon, the white towers of Hyrule Castle appeared over the crest of a hill.
Link and Zelda halted their horses at the top of the hill. Silently, they looked at each other. He took her hand, and they stayed like that for a moment before moving on to the lowered drawbridge.
The bridge guard saw them crossing. Excited, he carefully climbed down the network of chains and gears to the way house to tell the guard on duty there, and slowly, guard by guard, the message spread to the castle. The energy filled the air, and before too long, the entire market was alive with chatter. Everyone knew something was happening, something, but no one knew what! Suddenly, there was a hush, and all eyes were trained on the front gate as two horses, a palomino and a paint, entered the market square, and on their backs two riders: the Princess Zelda and the Hero of Time.
The chatter started up again, now louder than ever. The people were talking to each other and keeping their eyes on Link and Zelda at the same time.
The Princess and the Hero, however, were completely separated from the buzzing cheer all around them. To them, things were happening in slow motion; they could not take their eyes off each other, even though they tried, simply because they were the only wallflowers at the apparent party that was going on around them.
Suddenly, the spell broke.
"Zelda!" A voice called from the castle boulevard. The princess's head snapped around to look.
A party was coming down the boulevard. The King was there, smiling broadly, and both Queens. A great deal of courtiers, bards, and minor royalty came as well; but in the front, mounted on a tall, bay stallion, was Prince Harlan. He was the one that had called to Zelda.
The princess looked sadly at Link one last time, then turned to the forthcoming party, put on her best royal smile, and said, "Harlan! Father! Mother! It's so wonderful to see you." She embraced the Prince as he brought his horse up beside hers.
"We're all so glad that you're safe," Harlan said, holding her hands. "Come on! We have a lot of news to catch you up on!" He beckoned for Zelda to climb onto the back of his horse, and she had no choice but to obey. "Good to see you, Link," Harlan said with a sincere smile before he turned his bay around and headed back towards the castle. Zelda looked back at Link helplessly and mouthed "I love you" before she and Harlan disappeared up the boulevard.
Link watched her go. Presently, he picked up Odin's reins. The horse was whinnying after his mistress. Link felt like calling to her himself.
"Link!" King Harkinian said jovially, coming up to Link and giving him a friendly slap on the back, thus shaking him out of his daze. "Oh, hello, your majesty," Link said.
"You can't know how worried we've been about you two," the King said. "We-well, to be quite honest, we thought you'd been killed by the Moblins! Imagine our surprise to hear from the guards not five minutes ago that you were coming up the drawbridge!"
Link put on a fake smile, just like Zelda's. "Us? Killed by Moblins? Don't be ridiculous!"
The King laughed. "No, I suppose not. Well, you've certainly had plenty of time to mull over my offer...what have you decided?"
"I think..." Link looked off towards the castle reflectively. "I think," he said as the party began to move back towards the castle, "I'm going to take you up on it."
"Wonderful! Simply wonderful. You will have to learn diplomacy, of course-"
"You majesty?" Link asked.
"Yes, my boy?" The King said.
"Could I learn from Zelda? She has told me all about it..." He trailed off, looking at the King hopefully.
"You know what?" The King said. "I think that's a grand idea."
"Thank you, your majesty," Link said.
"But of course. So, you will be staying here at the palace. Your coronation should be in a few weeks. Come, I would like to show you personally to your suite of rooms." And with that, the whole group headed off up the boulevard towards the castle.
The first order of business at the palace was to get everyone settled in. Link's "suite of rooms" turned out to be five joined chambers; a bedroom, a sitting room, a dressing room, a study, a library, and off the library, a balcony overlooking a small garden. The hero felt very small in the big palace, but the King assured him that he'd get used to it in time. Several hours after they had arrived, dinner was announced in the great hall. Link was very relieved that it wasn't another banquet, and he could come in freely. He slid cautiously into a seat between the King and Zelda.
"How do you live here?" He asked the princess in an undertone.
"Lost?"
"Just a little bit."
She giggled. "Don't worry, you'll settle in."
"I certainly hope so," he said. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you-"
Just then, he was cut off as the King stood and called for attention. "Now," he said. "There are several announcements that must be made tonight. First and foremost: as you will recall, at the banquet where Link was to accept or reject becoming my heir, his response was cut off due to circumstances beyond our control. However, today, he has told me himself that he accepts!" The great hall was filled with polite applause. "Now that that is taken care of, there are several things we must update on: pertaining to Zelda, much to our unhappiness, our lady Queen Larina has fallen ill. This means that your wedding to Harlan will be in six days' time in order to allow you both to rule as soon as possible. And also, Zelda, as you know, Link must learn the proper etiquette to be King, and I have deemed that you would be the best one to teach him. And now, I believe that is all." The King sat, and the people began to eat.
"Is that what you were about to tell me?" Zelda asked.
"Yes," Link said. "If you don't mind, of course-"
"I don't mind," she said with a smile.
"You know something?" Link asked. "This food really isn't that bad."
The princess laughed softly. "Isn't that what I said?"
After dinner, the people were leaving the great hall when the King stopped Zelda. "My daughter," he said, "Harlan has requested your presence tonight for a special dessert. He wants to catch up with you; you can't imagine how he's missed you."
"Of course, Father," Zelda said. "What time will he be expecting me?"
"20:00," the King told her.
"Thank you," she said. "I...I wouldn't miss it."
"In the meantime," the King said, "why don't you go find Link and start teaching him that etiquette?"
The princess couldn't help but smile. "I'll do that." With that, she departed off down the long white stone corridors towards Link's rooms.
The hero was in the library, looking through the rows of books when he heard a polite knock on the door. He turned and went over to the door, opening it slowly.
Zelda came in and sat down on the bed, burying her face in her hands. Link closed the door behind her. "Are you all right?" He asked, sitting down beside her.
She picked her head up. "Yes...yes."
He looked at her for a moment. "No, you're not."
She did not try to argue with him. "I have to go to Harlan tonight," she said.
"It's all right..."
She looked at him. "You mustn't get jealous."
"I won't."
Zelda smiled. "I know." She got up and made her way to the balcony. "You have a lovely view here."
"I like it," Link said, coming over as well. Then he noticed someone moving in the window on the other side of the garden. It was Harlan! "A room with a view," he muttered.
"Please don't be angry with Harlan," she said. "He never did anything wrong...he only wants the best for me. He's a good sort, really he is."
Link sighed. "I'll try. But only because you told me to."
"Thanks," Zelda said with a smile. "Now, I believe I was supposed to teach you some etiquette?"
"Oh yeah, what's that about?"
"You'll catch on," she told him, and they retreated back into Link's apartments.
Before too long, 20:00 rolled around. With a last, faint smile at Link, Zelda departed to Harlan's room. Link sat down in the sitting room, and began to wait.
Zelda walked slowly down the long stone corridor to the prince's chambers. She did not want Link to hate Harlan. She also knew that it was inevitable. The princess arrived at the tall wooden door and knocked. Her knock was promptly answered by the prince, who was smiling. She smiled too.
"This way, my lady," he said, leading her to his own sitting room, where a table was laid out with various dessert items. The princess sat at one end, and the prince at the other. He raised his glass in toast, and she followed suit.
On the other side of the garden, Link did his best to keep from running to the balcony and watching. No, he thought time and again. It wasn't possible that she had been...lying...was it? No, of course not. These were dangerous thoughts.
"Did you enjoy your journey?" Harlan asked.
Zelda nodded. "We know what brought the Moblins here."
"Really?" He asked. "Well, what was it?"
"It was a Triforce, a fourth Triforce."
Link knew he was being ridiculous. He settled into bed, and tried to get to sleep early, but that didn't help at all. It wasn't like she wouldn't have had a reason to lie...the whole King thing...but no. She wouldn't have had to go that far. He was being an idiot.
"Have you told the castle yet?" Harlan wanted to know, taking a drink of water.
"I think I'll tell father tomorrow," Zelda said.
Link told himself to shut up and closed his eyes. Sleep did not come, but he did not move. It wasn't worth moving.
"It's getting late," Zelda said.
"Would you like to go?"
There was the door. Link was just about twenty feet from the door-
"Good night, Harlan," Zelda said, getting up.
"Good night, Zel," he said.
"Please don't call me that."
"I'm sorry. I just thought it would be a good nickname, but if you don't like it, then I'll forget it."
"Thank you," she said, and turned for the door.
Out in the corridors, she closed the door behind her, and turned around into the darkness. It was only about 22:00, so she ran straight to Link's rooms.
He heard knocking, but did not answer the door right away. The knocking did not stop, so he climbed slowly out of bed and answered the door. Zelda burst forth and fell into his arms.
"I just needed to see you," she whispered.
"I understand," he said, thanking all three goddesses that he had stayed put.