Full morning in Hyrule Castle. The sun was up, the water clock in the Great
Hall informed everyone that it was ten in the morning. Link had been in the
Great Hall for two hours, supervising the positioning of the guards,
ceremonial and otherwise, around the Hall. There had been amusing moments
watching the guards try to follow his orders while avoiding the servants
decorating the Hall, especially the incident with the pikemen and the
flower garlands, but coordinating the obvious positions of the ceremonial
guard with the more subtle positions of Impa's specially trained squad of
Sheikah. The necessity of a) hiding the real in-Palace Guard, the Sheikah
squad, and b) making sure said hiding places didn't hamper the Sheikah's
speed in getting to the Queen, or their aim, if necessary, had taken the
better part of the morning. Link didn't think the Great Hall was built to
handle two fully armed and armored squads of soldiers, two screaming
officers, and an endless influx of servants bearing flowers, benches,
cushions, and cleaning equipment. No one had given him particular trouble,
especially with the double threat of Impa barking orders at her squad, but
it had been an ordeal anyway, purely due to noise, nerves, and chaos.
Thankfully, his part in the ceremony was to stand there and look imposing while the Queen accepted the oaths of the noble families of Hyrule. It was all to the better that headaches made him scowl- given the percussion his pulse was pounding against the inside of his skull, he'd be lucky if no one ran screaming from the room upon seeing him. Said noble families were filing into the Great Hall as he took his place slightly behind and to the left of the throne. As the swirling masses of color and noise that made up every noble family fluttered their ways to their benches, Link closed his eyes for just a moment to rest-
"ALL RISE FOR HER MAJESTY, ZELDA, QUEEN OF HYRULE, LIEGE LADY OF DEATH MOUNTAIN, DUCHESS OF THE GREENLEAF SETTLEMENT, HIGH QUEEN OF ZORA'S DOMAIN, MASTER THIEF OF THE GERUDO, HIGH MOTHER OF THE SHEIKAN VILLAGE, FIRST SEED OF KOKIRI FOREST, PERMANENT MAYOR OF KAKARIKO VILLAGE AND PROTECTRESS OF HYRULE CASTLE TOWN!"
As Link watched the assembled courtiers rise, it occurred to him that perhaps the herald was paid a bit too much.
From a small door to his right, Impa strode in, followed by Her Majesty, Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, et cetera. The Queen was dressed in her finest silk and velvet, wearing the seven signet rings of her provinces and her country. She dipped in an elaborate curtsey to the assembled nobility of Hyrule, and sat on the high-backed throne of mahogany and red gold. There was a mass rustle/creak as they sat as well. Impa took her behind the throne on the right, while Link mirrored her position on the left.
All was in order. Zelda raised a hand slightly, and the herald began to read from a long scroll.
"Darunia, Lord of Death Mountain, COME FORWARD!"
As the huge Goron rumbled to his feet, Link glanced at Impa, then at the back of the Queen's head. The Sheikah woman raised her eyebrows, nodded ever so slightly. The Queen's hand had shaken just a little.
Darunia knelt with a noise like boulders crashing together, and began to recite an oath of fealty. It occurred to Link that he'd somehow missed the little talk Impa had wanted to have with him in all the chaos of the day. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to feel guilty. With Impa he could never tell if she wanted to confer about troop movements or to scream at him for worrying the Queen.
"Ruto, Queen of the Zora, COME FORWARD!"
Link watched, trying not to relax too much, as a tall, graceful Zora woman rose from her seat. Both Ruto and Darunia were friends of Link, people he had known since childhood. He had known them in another life as well, when he was the Hero of Time and they were two of the Seven Sages. He knew full well they would be called upon to take their roles if the need should ever arise in the current time. That was his secret, his and Zelda's- they had seen another future together, and rejected it.
Yeah, he thought to himself. It's nice when the hardest task in your day is placing guards in the Great Hall instead of, say, fighting through a corrupted Temple to free Sage four of seven.
Then why was he so damned bored?
"Lukas, Duke of the Greenleaf Settlement, COME FORWARD!"
This was a new one. Link watched carefully as the Duke made his way out of the mass of Greenleaf nobility to kneel before the throne. The Greenleaf settlement was a relatively new one, founded four years ago by an old mercenary who had turned his hand to statecraft. Duke Minot, Lukas' father, had built the settlement as a lumber town, originally, which quickly grew prosperous harvesting trees and making paper at a rate previously unknown in Hyrule (from what Link had heard, it had something to do with steam. He doubted he would understand it if ever the process was fully explained to him.). Mayor Minot had rapidly become Duke Minot, and his son Lukas had inherited his title when he died the year before.
Watching the new Duke, Link thought he must have taken after his mother. Lukas shared broad shoulders and dark eyes with his father, little else. His hair and beard were thin, and gold-red. He walked like a noble, with the swagger of someone who'd only swung a sword in festival mock-fights or the practice yard. He was dressed in a long robe of forest-green velvet- a not-so-subtle reminder to everyone present of how he had come by his wealth. Link mistrusted him on sight.
When he'd finished his oath, the Duke raised his gaze to the Queen's face and murmured something. Link leaned forward to hear.
"If it pleases Her Majesty, I beg an audience after the ceremony."
The Queen nodded, sneezed delicately into a handkerchief. The room rumbled with "Bless you"s and "Take care"s as the Duke made his way back to his seat.
The ceremony continued without incident. Faces and bodies came forward, each representative of a mass of people who put their faith in the frail figure on the throne. Many faces were familiar, and Link gave up and relaxed for the rest of the morning.
But his eyes didn't leave the Duke of Greenleaf.
"Thank you all for coming," Queen Zelda began as the last noble sat back down. "I appreciate the distance you have all traveled to be here today. Today, as every year, I am filled with awe at the dedication and the care taken by the nobles of Hyrule to show their loyalty, and also to give their smartest and most talented citizens a chance to experience the world outside their homes. I assure you, I will not mistreat them, or give them any fewer opportunities than they dream of! Your retaking the oath of fealty today does not only renew my faith in you, it renews the hope I have that our country will become and remain greater than ever before!"
Not for the first time, Link noted that Her Majesty was an excellent public speaker. She had spoken louder and louder throughout the impromptu speech, taking time to gain volume. By the end of the speech, she had been shouting, and the results were clear. The audience burst into applause, stamping their feet like peasants, cheering the Queen's name.
The Queen stood, and the nobility stood as well, falling silent. Slowly, the Queen raised her hands. "Hyrule!" she cried.
The reply crashed down like a wave.
"HYRULE!"
As cheers filled the room, the Queen curtseyed again, and fell into step behind Impa. Stepping up behind Her Majesty, Link was amazed at the expressions on people's faces, the tears in some eyes, the hope and pride and love flowing toward the throne.
The herald, who was, after all, paid to be louder than everyone else, stepped forward to proclaim over the cheering: "THE RECEPTION OF TRIBUTE WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AT NOON ON THE FRONT LAWN!"
Link shut the door behind him, closing out the noise and taking a deep breath of cool hallway air.
"That went well," Impa remarked sardonically from up ahead.
The Queen was leaning against the cold stone wall. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead and she was out of breath. "Did you think so?" she panted. "I thought it was a bit much."
"We'll go over it when you're in bed. You're definitely fevered."
"But- I have that audience with Duke Lucil-"
"Lukas. He can wait a few hours."
"I liked the speech," Link attempted lamely. He was rewarded with a brief smile from Zelda and a stern look from Impa.
"Get the other arm," she commanded, and the two of them walked the Queen back to her rooms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link had a disturbing sense of déjà vu standing just behind the throne watching the Duke of Greenleaf come to kneel before the Queen.
"Rise, cousin," she commanded softly, her voice floating across the room, laying the honorific on the Duke's broad shoulders delicately. "What have you come to request?"
The nap had done her some good, had bolstered her energy for another skirmish on the political battlefield, but it was obvious to anyone who knew her that her energy was low. Her maidservants had powdered and painted her face until the redness of her cheeks looked like blush, and the bags under her eyes were disguised.
The Duke, it seemed, wasn't fooled. His voice was soft and his eyes gentle as he began: "Only your ear, Your Majesty, and a few moments of your time."
Queen Zelda smiled. "Those I grant freely to all my subjects."
"Then I won't waste your gift, Majesty. I come before you with a proposition."
The Queen raised an eyebrow, inviting further explanation.
The Duke of Greenleaf stepped forward, spreading his hands. "I come as the patron of a large region. My province is young, yes, and sparsely populated, but our land is rich in timber and stone. We produce eighty percent of the nation's paper, and every year our profits are more than most regions make in ten years. We are, without doubt, the richest of all Your Majesty's provinces. And yet we have reached a plateau, economically and socially. Our people are humble, many immigrants from other regions, who work hard every day to earn the riches every person deserves. Because of our large working class, our Dukedom is still considered rural, even uncivilized, by the majority of the country." Duke Lukas took a deep breath, obviously coming to a conclusion. "It hurts me to see my people treated like the dirt they till by merchants and visitors to our land. The Greenleaf settlement was founded with the idea that hard work and group effort can make riches. We've proven our beliefs true, but every year I am snubbed by nobles of my same rank simply because my province is young, and made of hard workers! There's no justification for this, simply a backwards class distinction that forbids a poor man to die a rich one."
After a silent moment, the Queen sat up a little straighter. "And you said you had a preposition for me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eyes locked on the Queen's, the Duke began again. "I propose a change in the nobility of Hyrule. Let the older families with names and little else be dissolved into the masses they refuse to acknowledge! This will make way for a noble class based on economic wealth, and therefore the intelligence that leads to it."
"And what of the noble families born with wealth?"
Lukas shrugged elaborately. "Obviously my idea is only that- an idea, and therefore riddled with flaws. Perhaps the wealth of that noble family could be redistributed to the public funds of their region. But imagine! Imagine a land where everyone is born with the opportunity to rise to greatness!"
The Queen's tone grew distinctly dry. "I was under the impression that sending the citizens with the most potential to the capital to be educated and to serve in the castle gave those citizens such a chance."
"Some citizens, yes, but not all, Your Majesty. A reversal of the nobility would take control from the iron grip of the older families and put it in the hands of those truly deserving, and in need, of it."
Link stared down at the man before the throne. The idea was radical, ridiculous, and would never survive. The man was a fanatic. And yet... his words made moral sense. Why shouldn't the impoverished wise man have the same chance as the wealthy idiot? Link wondered. In his experience, it was the poor farmer's sons who made the best soldiers simply because they knew how to work with their bodies and how to listen. It was the nobles with bought rank and lofty ideals that died in their first skirmish. Better than anyone, he knew money didn't guarantee brains or good character.
The Queen sat silently in her throne, staring at the Duke. Link wondered if they were thinking along the same lines.
"Duke of Greenleaf, I think I understand your position," she finally said. "but I disagree with your tactics. The very word 'noble' is indicative of what rank used to be granted for. Nobility, courage, integrity, fine qualities rare in the spirit. I, too, have met the families who misuse their ranks, and abuse their power. I know nobles who look down on each other for not being human, or for having less money or a shorter bloodline, or-" her voice grew dry enough to evaporate Lake Hylia "-even for being female. But I also know those who invest their lives in their region's care, and who grant equal opportunity to succeed to all their subjects. Perhaps your vision is a bit skewed in that regard."
That did not please the Duke, Link could see. A muscle jumped in Lukas' cheek. "My vision is that of the son of a common man who earned his own rank despite the efforts of the nobles around him!"
"And my vision is one where not everything is so clear cut!"
The whipcrack of the Queen's voice silenced the room momentarily. Duke Lukas took a deep breath. "Your Majesty," he began, tone unchanged from the soothing cadence of his first words. "I wonder how realistically the world makes itself in the eyes of a ruler. Is it not obvious, the meaningless flattery and false behavior all around you?"
Never mind evaporation. The cool lake in the Queen's tone had frozen solid. "One of the abilities most crucial to a ruler's success is that of a quick and accurate judge of character. Don't think I'm so naïve as not to see false friends when they come."
Link bit his lower lip. Lukas was in serious trouble.
"And do not think for an instant that I've forgotten your suggestion, cousin." Her Majesty's tone made the word into an obscenity. "Did you expect me to miss the fact that removing the nobility from their positions of power would put you and your province at the top of this new order? I am no child, Duke Lukas, and I will not be fooled by a well-spoken charlatan. You are excused."
The Duke paled, his face almost as white as the knuckles joining the fingers clenched by his side. "But, Your Majesty-!"
"Out!" Zelda pointed at the door with one imperious finger.
Blood flooded sallow cheeks, anger in full view for the first time all afternoon. "But you don't understand-!"
In perfect unison, Impa and Link took one step forward, bracketing the throne. "Her Majesty excused you," Impa said, her tone as fine and delicate as a stiletto point.
Duke Lukas stared at the Queen for a moment, rage and fear and confusion chasing each other around his face. With a swirl of green velvet, he turned and stomped out of the Great Hall.
"That was childish," Impa muttered.
Declining a reply, Link turned to the Queen. She had sweated off most of her makeup, leaving tracks of powder and glaze down her cheeks. She watched until the double doors swung shut behind the imperious green figure, then slumped down in the throne, closing her eyes and sighing.
"Your Majesty?" Link began, not really knowing what to say.
She flapped a tired hand in his general direction.
Impa knelt down beside the throne, concern written across her face. "Now do you believe you're fevered?"
Zelda opened her eyes, glanced at each of her most trusted advisors in turn, and sneezed copiously on both of them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link waited, leaning against the gray stone wall and wishing he could hear what was going on inside. When the door immediately to his right opened, he straightened to face Impa, who signaled him to silence as she decorously slid the door closed behind her.
"Is she sleeping?" Link asked softly as the bolt clicked home.
Impa nodded. "The physician gave her a potion of something- smelled like rat piss and grapefruit. She'll be out for a good five hours, he thinks. Come on."
They began to walk slowly down the hall. Link glanced back at the door as they reached a staircase.
"Ready for the surprise inspection?" Impa asked as they began to descend to the in-residence barracks.
"What? Oh- sure. Do they have any idea what's wrong with her?"
Impa snorted, shoved him gently. "It's a flu, child. A bad one, yes, but a normal, unexciting, let-nature-take-it's-course kind of flu. Nothing to stab, slice, or otherwise maim for a miracle cure."
"So people keep telling me," he muttered unhappily.
"You warrior-types are all the same." Impa grinned widely to show she was joking. "You get itchy whenever you face something you can't beat with weapons."
Link smiled in spite of himself. "As opposed to the assassin that waits until nightfall to avoid actually having to work to kill their targets."
"Meathead."
"Coward. Would you rather I was pretentious and condescending?"
"You are pretentious and condescending."
Link snorted. "I thought so too, until I saw that Greenleaf Duke this morning."
As the winding downward stairs grew dark, losing the illumination offered by arrowslits as it continued down under the ground, the Sheikah woman glanced around for servants or soldiers. It probably wouldn't be considered good politics for the Guard Captain and the Head of Palace Security to be heard discussing what an idiot a certain noble was. Security assured, she nodded. "Don't I know. Now, I've been here some years, but I doubt I've ever seen the like of that man."
The stairway ended abruptly at a wooden door. "Here we are," Link sighed, preparing his aching head for another bout with volume. "Do you want the honors, or should I?"
Impa made a graceful gesture at the door. "Be my guest."
"Why thank you." Turning the knob slowly, silently, Link threw the door open. "ATTEN-SHUN!"
Thankfully, his part in the ceremony was to stand there and look imposing while the Queen accepted the oaths of the noble families of Hyrule. It was all to the better that headaches made him scowl- given the percussion his pulse was pounding against the inside of his skull, he'd be lucky if no one ran screaming from the room upon seeing him. Said noble families were filing into the Great Hall as he took his place slightly behind and to the left of the throne. As the swirling masses of color and noise that made up every noble family fluttered their ways to their benches, Link closed his eyes for just a moment to rest-
"ALL RISE FOR HER MAJESTY, ZELDA, QUEEN OF HYRULE, LIEGE LADY OF DEATH MOUNTAIN, DUCHESS OF THE GREENLEAF SETTLEMENT, HIGH QUEEN OF ZORA'S DOMAIN, MASTER THIEF OF THE GERUDO, HIGH MOTHER OF THE SHEIKAN VILLAGE, FIRST SEED OF KOKIRI FOREST, PERMANENT MAYOR OF KAKARIKO VILLAGE AND PROTECTRESS OF HYRULE CASTLE TOWN!"
As Link watched the assembled courtiers rise, it occurred to him that perhaps the herald was paid a bit too much.
From a small door to his right, Impa strode in, followed by Her Majesty, Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, et cetera. The Queen was dressed in her finest silk and velvet, wearing the seven signet rings of her provinces and her country. She dipped in an elaborate curtsey to the assembled nobility of Hyrule, and sat on the high-backed throne of mahogany and red gold. There was a mass rustle/creak as they sat as well. Impa took her behind the throne on the right, while Link mirrored her position on the left.
All was in order. Zelda raised a hand slightly, and the herald began to read from a long scroll.
"Darunia, Lord of Death Mountain, COME FORWARD!"
As the huge Goron rumbled to his feet, Link glanced at Impa, then at the back of the Queen's head. The Sheikah woman raised her eyebrows, nodded ever so slightly. The Queen's hand had shaken just a little.
Darunia knelt with a noise like boulders crashing together, and began to recite an oath of fealty. It occurred to Link that he'd somehow missed the little talk Impa had wanted to have with him in all the chaos of the day. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to feel guilty. With Impa he could never tell if she wanted to confer about troop movements or to scream at him for worrying the Queen.
"Ruto, Queen of the Zora, COME FORWARD!"
Link watched, trying not to relax too much, as a tall, graceful Zora woman rose from her seat. Both Ruto and Darunia were friends of Link, people he had known since childhood. He had known them in another life as well, when he was the Hero of Time and they were two of the Seven Sages. He knew full well they would be called upon to take their roles if the need should ever arise in the current time. That was his secret, his and Zelda's- they had seen another future together, and rejected it.
Yeah, he thought to himself. It's nice when the hardest task in your day is placing guards in the Great Hall instead of, say, fighting through a corrupted Temple to free Sage four of seven.
Then why was he so damned bored?
"Lukas, Duke of the Greenleaf Settlement, COME FORWARD!"
This was a new one. Link watched carefully as the Duke made his way out of the mass of Greenleaf nobility to kneel before the throne. The Greenleaf settlement was a relatively new one, founded four years ago by an old mercenary who had turned his hand to statecraft. Duke Minot, Lukas' father, had built the settlement as a lumber town, originally, which quickly grew prosperous harvesting trees and making paper at a rate previously unknown in Hyrule (from what Link had heard, it had something to do with steam. He doubted he would understand it if ever the process was fully explained to him.). Mayor Minot had rapidly become Duke Minot, and his son Lukas had inherited his title when he died the year before.
Watching the new Duke, Link thought he must have taken after his mother. Lukas shared broad shoulders and dark eyes with his father, little else. His hair and beard were thin, and gold-red. He walked like a noble, with the swagger of someone who'd only swung a sword in festival mock-fights or the practice yard. He was dressed in a long robe of forest-green velvet- a not-so-subtle reminder to everyone present of how he had come by his wealth. Link mistrusted him on sight.
When he'd finished his oath, the Duke raised his gaze to the Queen's face and murmured something. Link leaned forward to hear.
"If it pleases Her Majesty, I beg an audience after the ceremony."
The Queen nodded, sneezed delicately into a handkerchief. The room rumbled with "Bless you"s and "Take care"s as the Duke made his way back to his seat.
The ceremony continued without incident. Faces and bodies came forward, each representative of a mass of people who put their faith in the frail figure on the throne. Many faces were familiar, and Link gave up and relaxed for the rest of the morning.
But his eyes didn't leave the Duke of Greenleaf.
"Thank you all for coming," Queen Zelda began as the last noble sat back down. "I appreciate the distance you have all traveled to be here today. Today, as every year, I am filled with awe at the dedication and the care taken by the nobles of Hyrule to show their loyalty, and also to give their smartest and most talented citizens a chance to experience the world outside their homes. I assure you, I will not mistreat them, or give them any fewer opportunities than they dream of! Your retaking the oath of fealty today does not only renew my faith in you, it renews the hope I have that our country will become and remain greater than ever before!"
Not for the first time, Link noted that Her Majesty was an excellent public speaker. She had spoken louder and louder throughout the impromptu speech, taking time to gain volume. By the end of the speech, she had been shouting, and the results were clear. The audience burst into applause, stamping their feet like peasants, cheering the Queen's name.
The Queen stood, and the nobility stood as well, falling silent. Slowly, the Queen raised her hands. "Hyrule!" she cried.
The reply crashed down like a wave.
"HYRULE!"
As cheers filled the room, the Queen curtseyed again, and fell into step behind Impa. Stepping up behind Her Majesty, Link was amazed at the expressions on people's faces, the tears in some eyes, the hope and pride and love flowing toward the throne.
The herald, who was, after all, paid to be louder than everyone else, stepped forward to proclaim over the cheering: "THE RECEPTION OF TRIBUTE WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AT NOON ON THE FRONT LAWN!"
Link shut the door behind him, closing out the noise and taking a deep breath of cool hallway air.
"That went well," Impa remarked sardonically from up ahead.
The Queen was leaning against the cold stone wall. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead and she was out of breath. "Did you think so?" she panted. "I thought it was a bit much."
"We'll go over it when you're in bed. You're definitely fevered."
"But- I have that audience with Duke Lucil-"
"Lukas. He can wait a few hours."
"I liked the speech," Link attempted lamely. He was rewarded with a brief smile from Zelda and a stern look from Impa.
"Get the other arm," she commanded, and the two of them walked the Queen back to her rooms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link had a disturbing sense of déjà vu standing just behind the throne watching the Duke of Greenleaf come to kneel before the Queen.
"Rise, cousin," she commanded softly, her voice floating across the room, laying the honorific on the Duke's broad shoulders delicately. "What have you come to request?"
The nap had done her some good, had bolstered her energy for another skirmish on the political battlefield, but it was obvious to anyone who knew her that her energy was low. Her maidservants had powdered and painted her face until the redness of her cheeks looked like blush, and the bags under her eyes were disguised.
The Duke, it seemed, wasn't fooled. His voice was soft and his eyes gentle as he began: "Only your ear, Your Majesty, and a few moments of your time."
Queen Zelda smiled. "Those I grant freely to all my subjects."
"Then I won't waste your gift, Majesty. I come before you with a proposition."
The Queen raised an eyebrow, inviting further explanation.
The Duke of Greenleaf stepped forward, spreading his hands. "I come as the patron of a large region. My province is young, yes, and sparsely populated, but our land is rich in timber and stone. We produce eighty percent of the nation's paper, and every year our profits are more than most regions make in ten years. We are, without doubt, the richest of all Your Majesty's provinces. And yet we have reached a plateau, economically and socially. Our people are humble, many immigrants from other regions, who work hard every day to earn the riches every person deserves. Because of our large working class, our Dukedom is still considered rural, even uncivilized, by the majority of the country." Duke Lukas took a deep breath, obviously coming to a conclusion. "It hurts me to see my people treated like the dirt they till by merchants and visitors to our land. The Greenleaf settlement was founded with the idea that hard work and group effort can make riches. We've proven our beliefs true, but every year I am snubbed by nobles of my same rank simply because my province is young, and made of hard workers! There's no justification for this, simply a backwards class distinction that forbids a poor man to die a rich one."
After a silent moment, the Queen sat up a little straighter. "And you said you had a preposition for me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eyes locked on the Queen's, the Duke began again. "I propose a change in the nobility of Hyrule. Let the older families with names and little else be dissolved into the masses they refuse to acknowledge! This will make way for a noble class based on economic wealth, and therefore the intelligence that leads to it."
"And what of the noble families born with wealth?"
Lukas shrugged elaborately. "Obviously my idea is only that- an idea, and therefore riddled with flaws. Perhaps the wealth of that noble family could be redistributed to the public funds of their region. But imagine! Imagine a land where everyone is born with the opportunity to rise to greatness!"
The Queen's tone grew distinctly dry. "I was under the impression that sending the citizens with the most potential to the capital to be educated and to serve in the castle gave those citizens such a chance."
"Some citizens, yes, but not all, Your Majesty. A reversal of the nobility would take control from the iron grip of the older families and put it in the hands of those truly deserving, and in need, of it."
Link stared down at the man before the throne. The idea was radical, ridiculous, and would never survive. The man was a fanatic. And yet... his words made moral sense. Why shouldn't the impoverished wise man have the same chance as the wealthy idiot? Link wondered. In his experience, it was the poor farmer's sons who made the best soldiers simply because they knew how to work with their bodies and how to listen. It was the nobles with bought rank and lofty ideals that died in their first skirmish. Better than anyone, he knew money didn't guarantee brains or good character.
The Queen sat silently in her throne, staring at the Duke. Link wondered if they were thinking along the same lines.
"Duke of Greenleaf, I think I understand your position," she finally said. "but I disagree with your tactics. The very word 'noble' is indicative of what rank used to be granted for. Nobility, courage, integrity, fine qualities rare in the spirit. I, too, have met the families who misuse their ranks, and abuse their power. I know nobles who look down on each other for not being human, or for having less money or a shorter bloodline, or-" her voice grew dry enough to evaporate Lake Hylia "-even for being female. But I also know those who invest their lives in their region's care, and who grant equal opportunity to succeed to all their subjects. Perhaps your vision is a bit skewed in that regard."
That did not please the Duke, Link could see. A muscle jumped in Lukas' cheek. "My vision is that of the son of a common man who earned his own rank despite the efforts of the nobles around him!"
"And my vision is one where not everything is so clear cut!"
The whipcrack of the Queen's voice silenced the room momentarily. Duke Lukas took a deep breath. "Your Majesty," he began, tone unchanged from the soothing cadence of his first words. "I wonder how realistically the world makes itself in the eyes of a ruler. Is it not obvious, the meaningless flattery and false behavior all around you?"
Never mind evaporation. The cool lake in the Queen's tone had frozen solid. "One of the abilities most crucial to a ruler's success is that of a quick and accurate judge of character. Don't think I'm so naïve as not to see false friends when they come."
Link bit his lower lip. Lukas was in serious trouble.
"And do not think for an instant that I've forgotten your suggestion, cousin." Her Majesty's tone made the word into an obscenity. "Did you expect me to miss the fact that removing the nobility from their positions of power would put you and your province at the top of this new order? I am no child, Duke Lukas, and I will not be fooled by a well-spoken charlatan. You are excused."
The Duke paled, his face almost as white as the knuckles joining the fingers clenched by his side. "But, Your Majesty-!"
"Out!" Zelda pointed at the door with one imperious finger.
Blood flooded sallow cheeks, anger in full view for the first time all afternoon. "But you don't understand-!"
In perfect unison, Impa and Link took one step forward, bracketing the throne. "Her Majesty excused you," Impa said, her tone as fine and delicate as a stiletto point.
Duke Lukas stared at the Queen for a moment, rage and fear and confusion chasing each other around his face. With a swirl of green velvet, he turned and stomped out of the Great Hall.
"That was childish," Impa muttered.
Declining a reply, Link turned to the Queen. She had sweated off most of her makeup, leaving tracks of powder and glaze down her cheeks. She watched until the double doors swung shut behind the imperious green figure, then slumped down in the throne, closing her eyes and sighing.
"Your Majesty?" Link began, not really knowing what to say.
She flapped a tired hand in his general direction.
Impa knelt down beside the throne, concern written across her face. "Now do you believe you're fevered?"
Zelda opened her eyes, glanced at each of her most trusted advisors in turn, and sneezed copiously on both of them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link waited, leaning against the gray stone wall and wishing he could hear what was going on inside. When the door immediately to his right opened, he straightened to face Impa, who signaled him to silence as she decorously slid the door closed behind her.
"Is she sleeping?" Link asked softly as the bolt clicked home.
Impa nodded. "The physician gave her a potion of something- smelled like rat piss and grapefruit. She'll be out for a good five hours, he thinks. Come on."
They began to walk slowly down the hall. Link glanced back at the door as they reached a staircase.
"Ready for the surprise inspection?" Impa asked as they began to descend to the in-residence barracks.
"What? Oh- sure. Do they have any idea what's wrong with her?"
Impa snorted, shoved him gently. "It's a flu, child. A bad one, yes, but a normal, unexciting, let-nature-take-it's-course kind of flu. Nothing to stab, slice, or otherwise maim for a miracle cure."
"So people keep telling me," he muttered unhappily.
"You warrior-types are all the same." Impa grinned widely to show she was joking. "You get itchy whenever you face something you can't beat with weapons."
Link smiled in spite of himself. "As opposed to the assassin that waits until nightfall to avoid actually having to work to kill their targets."
"Meathead."
"Coward. Would you rather I was pretentious and condescending?"
"You are pretentious and condescending."
Link snorted. "I thought so too, until I saw that Greenleaf Duke this morning."
As the winding downward stairs grew dark, losing the illumination offered by arrowslits as it continued down under the ground, the Sheikah woman glanced around for servants or soldiers. It probably wouldn't be considered good politics for the Guard Captain and the Head of Palace Security to be heard discussing what an idiot a certain noble was. Security assured, she nodded. "Don't I know. Now, I've been here some years, but I doubt I've ever seen the like of that man."
The stairway ended abruptly at a wooden door. "Here we are," Link sighed, preparing his aching head for another bout with volume. "Do you want the honors, or should I?"
Impa made a graceful gesture at the door. "Be my guest."
"Why thank you." Turning the knob slowly, silently, Link threw the door open. "ATTEN-SHUN!"