Zelda stared at the guard in horror. "What do you mean, 'their
execution'?!" she commanded of him. "They haven't actually been sentenced
to death, have they?!"
"Of course they have," answered the very confused guard.
"I AM GOING TO KILL MY FATHER!!" Zelda shouted, flying down the hallway to her father's throne room. She found him sitting there, rubbing his forehead. He smiled when he saw her.
"Zelda! You've been healed! I must admit, for a minute there I wasn't sure that I could trust Marth as a doctor."
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO IMPA AND LINK?!" Zelda yelled at him, ignoring what he'd just said.
The King looked stunned. "Wha...what do you mean? They're in the prison cells now, until their execution tomorrow. Zelda, they tried to kill you! Surely you're aware of-"
"Father, they didn't!" Zelda cried, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Link and Impa are completely innocent! It was MARTH that knocked me out! It was MARTH who rammed my head with the hilt of his sword! And don't look at me like that; I know he did it! Don't you think I could tell what he was going to do once he approached me?!"
King Harkinian stared at her in disbelief. Zelda seemed so sure of what she was saying, and had never been one to lie.
"B-But...why on earth would Marth--"
"Father, listen to me!" Zelda whimpered, walking closer. "I know that you thought Marth was fine and all that, but he's not at all what he says he is! He has unjustly arrested Link on two occasions, and now Impa!"
"You know," King Harkinian said calmly, but his temple was twitching somewhat. "I sometimes wonder if you are getting too att--"
"Attached to Link?" Zelda interrupted him, her voice and body shaking. "You'd be too right, father! That's another reason I know for sure that Link is innocent! I love him, and he loves me! And don't drop your mouth like that, it's true! I'm not lying, I am NOT mad, and I love Link more than anyone else in the world!"
Zelda fell to the floor in a series of sobs. Her father walked over and helped her up. He stared into her eyes for a long time, wearing an expression of confusion and bewilderment.
The princess stared back, choking on her tears, trying to force them back. She felt so embarrassed to be crying like this in front of her father, but there was nothing else she could do.
King Harkinian's heart broke in two. "Zelda...my daughter...there is something I must tell you now. I should have let it been known to you long ago...my own foolish mistake, I see now."
Shivering, Zelda straightened as well as she could. "What is it that you've kept from me so long? And don't waste your time beating around the bush, and just tell me what it is!"
The King had faced dragons. Mountain Trolls. Even Gannondorf, once. But he could not face his daughter now. He looked determinedly at the carpeted floor. "Zelda...ever since you were born, you...you have been betrothed to Prince Marth."
This news hit Zelda as if she had just gotten run over by a stampede of horses. After silently dropping to her knees in disbelief, the princess' eyes began to flow once more. Suddenly, she started to scream. Shrieks of misery, almost as though Zelda were being tortured.
King Harkinian looked up. He stared in horror at his daughter, writhing on the floor with what was quite apparently agony. The King closed his eyes, as if to shut out the sound--but only his vision could be stopped completley. Never before had King Harkinian ever heard Zelda cry like this. He suddenly knew what he had done.
"Father, how could you do this to me?!" Zelda cried, trying vainly to stand up. "How could you, after all that mother said?! She must have known nothing of this!"
"She did not," King Harkinian said quietly. "And I was a fool not to tell her at all. And I was a fool not to tell you..."
"Well it's not like my opinion would've mattered or not!" Zelda accused him, finally getting to her feet. "A King would never consult his daughter on such a note, would he?!"
"Zelda, please let me explain," the King pleaded, walking over to her.
"All right, go ahead!" she responded. "Explain this all to me."
King Harkinian opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth and looked down at the carpet again. Zelda bent down a bit to see into his eyes. To see what he was feeling.
She saw a frustrated old man, trying rapidly to think of some way to apologize. The King was worried, mortified, and miserable. Just the sight of his perplexed expression made Zelda's eyes tear up again.
Finally, King Harkinian spoke. "I know not what to say," he quietly whispered. "For there is no explanation. Your mother was right; she was always right." Zelda stared at her father, as he seemed to be talking to himself now. "I should've listened to her. I should've still listened to what she told me, even if she is dead." Quite unexpectedly, he lunged out at Zelda, only to envelope her in a huge hug.
"Father!" Zelda whispered, crying softly into his shoulder. "I...what can I do?"
But King Harkinian seemed to have missed Zelda's question, now at tears himself. "If your mother were still here, she'd never forgive me. And you, Zelda, are the closest thing I have to her. If she came back to earth, I'd do all I could to make her happy. And now you, the one elf in the world I know closest to me, have a broken heart. One that I triggered." Still with tearful eyes, and a choking voice, King Harkinian grasped his daughter's hand firmly. "Please forgive me, daughter. Ever since your mother died, I have been only a King...not a father, as I should have. I did not regard as anything but a...a business deal, and that was very wrong of me. Zelda...I am so sorry that I have failed you as a father."
In more ways than one, Zelda agreed with King Harkinian. "You didn't completely fail, father. You...you supplied me with shelter, food, and clothes; though sometimes more than I needed. I was just waiting for that one day when you might turn around and..." Zelda choked, trying to wipe away final tears. "And see me. See me not as just a person, but as your daughter. Now I see that that day has finally come." She smiled at him through her tears.
"Do I have your forgiveness?"
"...Yes, father. You do. And if you're interested, Marth is in my room with probably quite a bad concussion."
"I will go and see to him," King Harkinian said darkly. "You go and tell the guards by the prison that Impa and Lenk are free." He smiled, but Zelda's faltered.
"Father, his name is Link. Not Lenk."
"Of course, of course. That's...that's what I meant."
The two went their separate ways. King Harkinian was crashed with the thought of having to tell King Lowell about the whole mess. He was walking very slow as he thought. Zelda, on the other hand, thought only of Link...and that her father finally knew.
Zelda raced into the dungeon area. The guard that had been there previously had since been replaced. The new one opened the door.
"Hope you'll be all right down there, Highness," he called after her. "Aren't as many guards down there as there used to be."
The Princess flew down the stairs, not really having heard what the man had said. She ran into several other guards, and then saw Link. He had been placed behind steel bars.
As Zelda ran towards the cell, Link hurriedly rushed to meet her. The steel did not stop either from slipping their arms in-between the bars, grasping each other. The metal may not have been comfortable, but Zelda didn't care. She kissed Link as soon as her hands felt his face in the dark.
Slightly embarrassed, the guards turned their backs to them. Several found it queer that Zelda was so passionately kissing the man who had tried to murder her not too long ago.
Link stroked Zelda's hair, moving his lips from her own to her cheeks and upper neck. Suddenly, he stopped.
"Zelda, wait--Impa! It's Impa, Zelda! Marth came down a few minutes ago, and demanded that she be executed immediately!"
"Of course they have," answered the very confused guard.
"I AM GOING TO KILL MY FATHER!!" Zelda shouted, flying down the hallway to her father's throne room. She found him sitting there, rubbing his forehead. He smiled when he saw her.
"Zelda! You've been healed! I must admit, for a minute there I wasn't sure that I could trust Marth as a doctor."
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO IMPA AND LINK?!" Zelda yelled at him, ignoring what he'd just said.
The King looked stunned. "Wha...what do you mean? They're in the prison cells now, until their execution tomorrow. Zelda, they tried to kill you! Surely you're aware of-"
"Father, they didn't!" Zelda cried, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Link and Impa are completely innocent! It was MARTH that knocked me out! It was MARTH who rammed my head with the hilt of his sword! And don't look at me like that; I know he did it! Don't you think I could tell what he was going to do once he approached me?!"
King Harkinian stared at her in disbelief. Zelda seemed so sure of what she was saying, and had never been one to lie.
"B-But...why on earth would Marth--"
"Father, listen to me!" Zelda whimpered, walking closer. "I know that you thought Marth was fine and all that, but he's not at all what he says he is! He has unjustly arrested Link on two occasions, and now Impa!"
"You know," King Harkinian said calmly, but his temple was twitching somewhat. "I sometimes wonder if you are getting too att--"
"Attached to Link?" Zelda interrupted him, her voice and body shaking. "You'd be too right, father! That's another reason I know for sure that Link is innocent! I love him, and he loves me! And don't drop your mouth like that, it's true! I'm not lying, I am NOT mad, and I love Link more than anyone else in the world!"
Zelda fell to the floor in a series of sobs. Her father walked over and helped her up. He stared into her eyes for a long time, wearing an expression of confusion and bewilderment.
The princess stared back, choking on her tears, trying to force them back. She felt so embarrassed to be crying like this in front of her father, but there was nothing else she could do.
King Harkinian's heart broke in two. "Zelda...my daughter...there is something I must tell you now. I should have let it been known to you long ago...my own foolish mistake, I see now."
Shivering, Zelda straightened as well as she could. "What is it that you've kept from me so long? And don't waste your time beating around the bush, and just tell me what it is!"
The King had faced dragons. Mountain Trolls. Even Gannondorf, once. But he could not face his daughter now. He looked determinedly at the carpeted floor. "Zelda...ever since you were born, you...you have been betrothed to Prince Marth."
This news hit Zelda as if she had just gotten run over by a stampede of horses. After silently dropping to her knees in disbelief, the princess' eyes began to flow once more. Suddenly, she started to scream. Shrieks of misery, almost as though Zelda were being tortured.
King Harkinian looked up. He stared in horror at his daughter, writhing on the floor with what was quite apparently agony. The King closed his eyes, as if to shut out the sound--but only his vision could be stopped completley. Never before had King Harkinian ever heard Zelda cry like this. He suddenly knew what he had done.
"Father, how could you do this to me?!" Zelda cried, trying vainly to stand up. "How could you, after all that mother said?! She must have known nothing of this!"
"She did not," King Harkinian said quietly. "And I was a fool not to tell her at all. And I was a fool not to tell you..."
"Well it's not like my opinion would've mattered or not!" Zelda accused him, finally getting to her feet. "A King would never consult his daughter on such a note, would he?!"
"Zelda, please let me explain," the King pleaded, walking over to her.
"All right, go ahead!" she responded. "Explain this all to me."
King Harkinian opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth and looked down at the carpet again. Zelda bent down a bit to see into his eyes. To see what he was feeling.
She saw a frustrated old man, trying rapidly to think of some way to apologize. The King was worried, mortified, and miserable. Just the sight of his perplexed expression made Zelda's eyes tear up again.
Finally, King Harkinian spoke. "I know not what to say," he quietly whispered. "For there is no explanation. Your mother was right; she was always right." Zelda stared at her father, as he seemed to be talking to himself now. "I should've listened to her. I should've still listened to what she told me, even if she is dead." Quite unexpectedly, he lunged out at Zelda, only to envelope her in a huge hug.
"Father!" Zelda whispered, crying softly into his shoulder. "I...what can I do?"
But King Harkinian seemed to have missed Zelda's question, now at tears himself. "If your mother were still here, she'd never forgive me. And you, Zelda, are the closest thing I have to her. If she came back to earth, I'd do all I could to make her happy. And now you, the one elf in the world I know closest to me, have a broken heart. One that I triggered." Still with tearful eyes, and a choking voice, King Harkinian grasped his daughter's hand firmly. "Please forgive me, daughter. Ever since your mother died, I have been only a King...not a father, as I should have. I did not regard as anything but a...a business deal, and that was very wrong of me. Zelda...I am so sorry that I have failed you as a father."
In more ways than one, Zelda agreed with King Harkinian. "You didn't completely fail, father. You...you supplied me with shelter, food, and clothes; though sometimes more than I needed. I was just waiting for that one day when you might turn around and..." Zelda choked, trying to wipe away final tears. "And see me. See me not as just a person, but as your daughter. Now I see that that day has finally come." She smiled at him through her tears.
"Do I have your forgiveness?"
"...Yes, father. You do. And if you're interested, Marth is in my room with probably quite a bad concussion."
"I will go and see to him," King Harkinian said darkly. "You go and tell the guards by the prison that Impa and Lenk are free." He smiled, but Zelda's faltered.
"Father, his name is Link. Not Lenk."
"Of course, of course. That's...that's what I meant."
The two went their separate ways. King Harkinian was crashed with the thought of having to tell King Lowell about the whole mess. He was walking very slow as he thought. Zelda, on the other hand, thought only of Link...and that her father finally knew.
Zelda raced into the dungeon area. The guard that had been there previously had since been replaced. The new one opened the door.
"Hope you'll be all right down there, Highness," he called after her. "Aren't as many guards down there as there used to be."
The Princess flew down the stairs, not really having heard what the man had said. She ran into several other guards, and then saw Link. He had been placed behind steel bars.
As Zelda ran towards the cell, Link hurriedly rushed to meet her. The steel did not stop either from slipping their arms in-between the bars, grasping each other. The metal may not have been comfortable, but Zelda didn't care. She kissed Link as soon as her hands felt his face in the dark.
Slightly embarrassed, the guards turned their backs to them. Several found it queer that Zelda was so passionately kissing the man who had tried to murder her not too long ago.
Link stroked Zelda's hair, moving his lips from her own to her cheeks and upper neck. Suddenly, he stopped.
"Zelda, wait--Impa! It's Impa, Zelda! Marth came down a few minutes ago, and demanded that she be executed immediately!"