Link sat quietly on his balcony, his head tilted back, staring up into the
sky. There were no clouds today. The sun was shining bright in the pale
blue void far, far above. At least it would bring joy to someone in
Hyrule, the hero was thinking. Somewhere. He still hated himself. He was
alone, utterly alone, yet he could hardly breathe. He groaned and closed
his eyes. Maybe if he could fall asleep, he could still be with her in his
dreams. Even though he wasn't in the least bit tired.
Suddenly, from inside he heard a loud knocking on his door and he was shaken out of his daze. Absently, he rose from his chair and walked inside to the door and opened it slowly. "Zelda?" He asked, surprised to see the princess on the other side. And what was more, she was....grinning?
"Link!" She said, and threw her arms around his neck. Before he could think he was kissing her and he was alive again. As long as he had her in his arms...
It ended, and Link came back down to earth. "Zelda, the door's open...." he said. "Someone might have seen--"
"Let them!" she said, holding his hands and beaming up at him.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, looking at her questioningly.
"I just went to see my father," she began. "And--and he said--"
"What?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm not marrying Harlan anymore...."
"You're not?"
"And you're not marrying Ayara anymore--"
"I'm not...?" Link spoke slowly as it started to dawn on him.
"Everything(s been rearranged! We(re getting married!"
Link was stunned for a second. Was it really true? ...He wasn't dreaming? Well, if it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up! He laughed and wrapped the princess--HIS princess--up in his arms. It was like he had been all but dead, and now the breath of life was slowly returning.
"Let's go tell Impa," Zelda said, taking his hand and leading him out into the hallway.
Prince Harlan of Calatia strode down the hallway, his mind a mass of thoughts. He was on his way to the throne room. The King had requested his presence for an announcement, and he was curious as to what it could possibly be.
The prince entered the throne room. It was a lovely room, a mass of purple and gold arranged around the room's namesakes, the two tall thrones at the head of the room. A long red carpet flanked by guards paved the way to the great chairs themselves. Harlan began to slowly walk its length.
The King saw him and arose. "Harlan, my boy! Welcome."
"Sire," Harlan said, his tone even. "You asked for me, and I am here."
"There have been many discussions since I saw you last," the King said.
Harlan stood still and listened.
"Surely you have met Princess Ayara of Bespar?"
"Yes."
"Did you like her?"
"She seemed to be a pleasant person, why?"
"To be frank, she is to be your wife."
That struck Harlan like a thousand-volt wire. "What?"
"Everything has been rearranged. Zelda will not be your Queen as previously planned. Ayara is. She will create strong bonds between Calatia and Bespar, we're certain." The King smiled warmly.
"And what of Zelda?" Harlan asked blankly. This couldn't be happening to him..
"Zelda?" The King asked, as if it were an afterthought. "She's to marry Link!"
That struck Harlan like a two thousand-volt wire. But he hid his shock. Everyone else was so happy. He would not be the only wallflower at this party. "Thank you...your majesty." He used the King's title without thinking, even though he hadn't called Harkinian that in years, and left as quickly as was possible though still maintaining dignity.
Harlan went out to the garden underneath his window. Did Zelda love Link? Did she even like him? What a silly question. He was a fool to have not seen it before. Of course she loved him, because he was handsome and brave and clever and kind. And what was he? Just Harlan. That was all.
He was her best friend. He had to be supportive of her. If she really, truly, loved Link, then she would be happy. He smiled, or at least tried.
She would be happy....
Rauru was still in the library. But now, he was not searching through many books; no, he was sitting on the high tower's window, looking out over the castle stable yard. Link and Zelda were taking out their respective horses to go for a ride. Ahh...the joy of love....
Suddenly Rauru's attention was turned back to the goings-on inside the tower. One of the pages he had recruited to help him read had gasped rather dramatically. The light sage got up from his perch on the window and walked over. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"Your grace...look at this...." The boy pointed to a paragraph and looked up at Rauru earnestly.
Rauru read. Within a few moments the expression on his face matched that of the boy's. In another moment the severity of the look easily doubled the page's. "Are you sure this is the only way?" Rauru asked.
"Not positive, your grace," the page said, "but this would certainly work. And we'e only just a bit of the library still remaining to search through before we're finished." "h my goddesses," Rauru said. He took a deep breath, and then another. His gaze turned slowly to the window. The sounds of laughter wafted up from the stable yard. The sage became indescribably sad.
It was no small or easy task to get the palace ready for the forthcoming celebrations. For one thing, Princess Ayara's welcome was up barely in time for her arrival. As for the princess herself, she was as Harlan had said; kind enough. She (and her parents, of course) had been informed of the shift in wedding plans, and they were very gracious about the whole matter, especially after an alignment with Hyrule was promised. Princess Ayara herself seemed quite willing to marry Harlan, though, and she told no one this, she would rather have married Link. Just the same Harlan had not quite gotten over Zelda yet, but Hyrule's princess and hero were happy enough for everyone, and the mood seemed to infect the whole castle with an underlying excitement.
The actual ceremonies were to take place in the castle's Great Hall. Both couples had to rehearse a lot of where they were to move during the respective weddings. One couple would enter down the Grand Staircase and make their way to an altar, where the priest of the Temple of Time would read very old marriage texts before draping one cape over both of them and tying the scarlet ribbon in front. Then they would wait while the other couple did the same thing, and then it was done, and all that would be left would be to actually get settled into their castles. Once all four of them had gotten it perfect, there was no more rehearsal, and there was nothing left but to wait for the actual day.
Before that day, however, Rauru still had to talk to the King. Time was running fatally short for what the sage had to say.
Suddenly, from inside he heard a loud knocking on his door and he was shaken out of his daze. Absently, he rose from his chair and walked inside to the door and opened it slowly. "Zelda?" He asked, surprised to see the princess on the other side. And what was more, she was....grinning?
"Link!" She said, and threw her arms around his neck. Before he could think he was kissing her and he was alive again. As long as he had her in his arms...
It ended, and Link came back down to earth. "Zelda, the door's open...." he said. "Someone might have seen--"
"Let them!" she said, holding his hands and beaming up at him.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, looking at her questioningly.
"I just went to see my father," she began. "And--and he said--"
"What?"
She took a deep breath. "I'm not marrying Harlan anymore...."
"You're not?"
"And you're not marrying Ayara anymore--"
"I'm not...?" Link spoke slowly as it started to dawn on him.
"Everything(s been rearranged! We(re getting married!"
Link was stunned for a second. Was it really true? ...He wasn't dreaming? Well, if it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up! He laughed and wrapped the princess--HIS princess--up in his arms. It was like he had been all but dead, and now the breath of life was slowly returning.
"Let's go tell Impa," Zelda said, taking his hand and leading him out into the hallway.
Prince Harlan of Calatia strode down the hallway, his mind a mass of thoughts. He was on his way to the throne room. The King had requested his presence for an announcement, and he was curious as to what it could possibly be.
The prince entered the throne room. It was a lovely room, a mass of purple and gold arranged around the room's namesakes, the two tall thrones at the head of the room. A long red carpet flanked by guards paved the way to the great chairs themselves. Harlan began to slowly walk its length.
The King saw him and arose. "Harlan, my boy! Welcome."
"Sire," Harlan said, his tone even. "You asked for me, and I am here."
"There have been many discussions since I saw you last," the King said.
Harlan stood still and listened.
"Surely you have met Princess Ayara of Bespar?"
"Yes."
"Did you like her?"
"She seemed to be a pleasant person, why?"
"To be frank, she is to be your wife."
That struck Harlan like a thousand-volt wire. "What?"
"Everything has been rearranged. Zelda will not be your Queen as previously planned. Ayara is. She will create strong bonds between Calatia and Bespar, we're certain." The King smiled warmly.
"And what of Zelda?" Harlan asked blankly. This couldn't be happening to him..
"Zelda?" The King asked, as if it were an afterthought. "She's to marry Link!"
That struck Harlan like a two thousand-volt wire. But he hid his shock. Everyone else was so happy. He would not be the only wallflower at this party. "Thank you...your majesty." He used the King's title without thinking, even though he hadn't called Harkinian that in years, and left as quickly as was possible though still maintaining dignity.
Harlan went out to the garden underneath his window. Did Zelda love Link? Did she even like him? What a silly question. He was a fool to have not seen it before. Of course she loved him, because he was handsome and brave and clever and kind. And what was he? Just Harlan. That was all.
He was her best friend. He had to be supportive of her. If she really, truly, loved Link, then she would be happy. He smiled, or at least tried.
She would be happy....
Rauru was still in the library. But now, he was not searching through many books; no, he was sitting on the high tower's window, looking out over the castle stable yard. Link and Zelda were taking out their respective horses to go for a ride. Ahh...the joy of love....
Suddenly Rauru's attention was turned back to the goings-on inside the tower. One of the pages he had recruited to help him read had gasped rather dramatically. The light sage got up from his perch on the window and walked over. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"Your grace...look at this...." The boy pointed to a paragraph and looked up at Rauru earnestly.
Rauru read. Within a few moments the expression on his face matched that of the boy's. In another moment the severity of the look easily doubled the page's. "Are you sure this is the only way?" Rauru asked.
"Not positive, your grace," the page said, "but this would certainly work. And we'e only just a bit of the library still remaining to search through before we're finished." "h my goddesses," Rauru said. He took a deep breath, and then another. His gaze turned slowly to the window. The sounds of laughter wafted up from the stable yard. The sage became indescribably sad.
It was no small or easy task to get the palace ready for the forthcoming celebrations. For one thing, Princess Ayara's welcome was up barely in time for her arrival. As for the princess herself, she was as Harlan had said; kind enough. She (and her parents, of course) had been informed of the shift in wedding plans, and they were very gracious about the whole matter, especially after an alignment with Hyrule was promised. Princess Ayara herself seemed quite willing to marry Harlan, though, and she told no one this, she would rather have married Link. Just the same Harlan had not quite gotten over Zelda yet, but Hyrule's princess and hero were happy enough for everyone, and the mood seemed to infect the whole castle with an underlying excitement.
The actual ceremonies were to take place in the castle's Great Hall. Both couples had to rehearse a lot of where they were to move during the respective weddings. One couple would enter down the Grand Staircase and make their way to an altar, where the priest of the Temple of Time would read very old marriage texts before draping one cape over both of them and tying the scarlet ribbon in front. Then they would wait while the other couple did the same thing, and then it was done, and all that would be left would be to actually get settled into their castles. Once all four of them had gotten it perfect, there was no more rehearsal, and there was nothing left but to wait for the actual day.
Before that day, however, Rauru still had to talk to the King. Time was running fatally short for what the sage had to say.