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BEHIND THE BOOKSHELF
A Sudden Halt
Four days had passed since Maurice's death.
A cloud of dread hung over the castle inhabitants, mostly from fear. Worries and whispers about a murderer on the loose spread throughout the castle, sending everyone into a complete panic. The Council was trying their best to figure out proper solutions, but in all honesty, nobody truly knew what to think.
But nobody's dread could compare to the princess, as she sat alone in her chambers, day by day, grieving the loss of her friend.
She missed him so much, and although she never wanted to admit it, she needed him. So desperately was it that she needed a friend, someone's company who was familiar and loving. Evelyn was the only true friend she had left, and that saddened her to her very soul.
She still hadn't allowed herself the chance to weep. Her father hadn't even allowed her time of proper grieving, still giving her endless amounts of diplomatic work as if she was just some spineless, emotionless machine. All throughout the day and through most of the night she worked in her chambers, no matter the exhaustion, no matter how much she just wanted to rest.
Before the Twilight, she didn't remember having this much paperwork. The responsibilities her father put on her were light, still giving her time to do what she pleased. However, as a product of her rash decision to surrender Hyrule to Zant, the Twilight realm's previous king, her father began to place much more tedious tasks upon her, obviously in preparation for her official inauguration when she turned the age of twenty.
Currently, Zelda sat at her desk in her chambers, ceaselessly working on the invitations for her wedding. It was around an hour past noon, and she had not even exited her chambers once, not even for breakfast. Her ladies-in-waiting had called for her to arrive at breakfast, but Zelda sent them away, rather rudely, she might add. She didn't have much of an appetite, and she had absolutely no desire to sit down with her father and those foul, slimy members of the court, who were likely plotting against her at this moment.
If only she could just run away from it all. It was a cowardly move, surely, but at least she'd finally be free.
Zelda sighed at her desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. What was she thinking? Running away? That was a childish dream, one that would surely leave Hyrule in shambles. Whether if she turned out to be a horrid queen or not, Hyrule was better off with one than with no queen at all.
Suddenly, a light knock rapped at Zelda's chamber door. Annoyance rippled through her veins as she placed her quill down and turned towards the door.
"Who is there?" she asked politely, making sure to mask the irritation in her voice.
"It's Evelyn, darling. Your father wants to send you a quick word."
Zelda's irritation eased. "Very well. You may enter."
Evelyn slowly creaked open the door and entered. In her hands was a plate of food, with hot, steaming cucco eggs and a roll of fresh bread.
"Your father informed me that you hadn't come down to eat, so I went into the kitchen to bring you a little something." Evelyn walked to Zelda's desk and gave her a sweet smile. "I hope it is to your liking."
At the sight of the food, Zelda's stomach suddenly let out a ferocious growl, causing her to realize how hungry she truly was.
"You must be starved," Evelyn said, laughing a bit at the noise Zelda's stomach made. She placed the plate of food on her desk. "Come now, eat. Your body needs food."
Zelda eyed the food before picking up her fork and placing a chunk of cucco eggs in her mouth. A small smile tugged at her lips as she continued to eat her breakfast, realizing how much she truly needed something in her stomach.
"Thank you, Evelyn," Zelda said softly. She took a small bite out of her roll. "You are thoughtful."
Evelyn smiled and ran her fingers affectionately through Zelda's long, dark locks.
"Of course, my dear."
Evelyn's smile faltered, however, when her eyes landed on the enormous stack of papers piled up at Zelda'a desk. She gave Zelda a concerned look, her eyebrows quirked up in curiosity.
"Have you been working all night?"
Zelda stopped eating her food for a moment, her dark gaze sweeping defensively across the maiden's face.
"Oh, please don't give me that look," Evelyn said, immediately noticing the princess's defensiveness. "I care about you, whether you want to believe or not. I just want to make sure you're alright."
Zelda took the last bite of her roll and swallowed. "I've been sleeping fine."
Evelyn sighed exasperatingly. Getting the young princess to open up was practically impossible. Only very few times did the princess ever show any sort of raw emotion, and when she did, Evelyn often times had to coax it out of her.
"And how are you dealing with…Maurice?" Evelyn asked cautiously, deciding not to push the princess on her sleeping habits. "His funeral will be held soon. I presume you'll be there?"
Zelda eyed her personal maiden with that same defensive look again, but this time, she gave no reply. Instead of talking, she snatched her quill off her desk and continued writing the invitations for the wedding.
"Zelda," Evelyn called out sternly. "You can talk to me—"
"I am in no mood to speak of this matter." Zelda stared up at Evelyn coldly, her gaze astoundingly similar to her father's. "What is my father's word that he sent you to deliver?"
Evelyn heaved out a sigh, quickly realizing that the young princess was attempting to change the subject. It was no use trying to get through to her.
"…Your father just wanted to inform you that you are required to attend another Council meeting with him. At three o'clock sharp."
Annoyance rippled through Zelda's veins once again. She absolutely despised attending Council meetings, mostly because she wasn't even allowed to even say much during them. There had been so many times when she wanted to give her opinion, but unfortunately, her father said she wasn't ready for it, nor did she have the authority. So evidently, she sat quietly and observed, listening to each of the Council members bicker endlessly.
"Very well." Zelda placed her quill back into the inkwell and stood from her desk. "I will change my attire."
Evelyn gave her a concerned look. "Would you like my help?"
"No, but thank you, Evelyn. You are dismissed."
"But surely you must need some sort of help—"
"Please, Evelyn," Zelda interrupted, her tone now a bit gentler. "I just need to be alone. Please understand that this has nothing to do with you."
Evelyn's eyes shone with concern, but she still complied.
"As you wish, Your Highness." Evelyn bowed quickly and exited her room.
Zelda walked slowly towards the double doors of the Council's meeting chamber, still mindful to keep her footsteps as silent as possible. Her choice of attire was her favorite dress, one of a deep violet, purchased from the most expensive fabric shop of Castle Town, where the best cut velvet was woven. The skirts were long and flowing, dragging delicately across the floor, and the short sleeves were puffed at the shoulders, stopping directly at the bicep. Shockingly enough, she had managed to even put on a bodice by herself, although that unfortunately took much more time than she expected it to. She must've wrestled with that bodice for well over thirty minutes.
As Zelda reached the doors, she could already hear the councilmen's nonstop bickering. She didn't even know how her father dealt with them, nor did she know how she was going to deal with them in the future. Of course, she didn't dislike all of them, but there were a few she truly could not care for, such as the pompous idiot Lord Gilbert Volcar. His son, Sir Liam Volcar, a young knight in the militia, was astoundingly even worse. Many a times did he pursue her in court, shamelessly, she even might add, to her complete annoyance. Even after the news of her official courtship with Prince Aiden spread, the knight still was persistent with winning her heart, flooding her chambers with gifts and love letters, which she would admit were embarrassingly melodramatic.
Zelda sighed exasperatingly at the thought of the knight and wrapped her gloved, dainty fingers around the knob of the chamber entrance. Carefully, she opened the doors, cautious not to make too much noise.
She entered the room swiftly and shut the doors behind her. In the centre of the room were seven elegant chairs, six of which taken up by the councilmen and her father. The seventh chair, clearly empty, was reserved for her.
The councilmen immediately halted their bickering as they heard Zelda entering the room. Out of polite courtesy, they all rose from their chairs and gave a deep bow.
"Ah, daughter," King Daphnes greeted. "Come, take a seat. We have some important matters to discuss."
Making sure to keep her regal posture, Zelda walked gracefully over to her open chair and took a seat. As soon as she settled in, she immediately took out her notepad, along with her quill and inkwell. During these meetings, her father required her to take notes to help keep her up-to-date on certain political issues.
"As I was saying," Lord Gilbert's grating voice echoed as Zelda took her seat. "It is my belief that Lady Elvira will have nothing to offer. The most information we shall receive is her mere thoughts on his death."
Lady Elvira? Zelda looked up from her notepad curiously. Why were they speaking of Maurice's cousin?
"In my opinion, I have never been fond of the…roguish woman," Lord Theo stated boldly. "If she knows something about her Maurice's death, and has any reason to keep it secret, she most definitely will not utter a word. Not without proper convincing, of course."
Zelda, while she still had no idea why they were discussing Lady Elvira, had to agree with the Theo's statement. To be frank, Zelda had never been much too fond of her either. She was a venomous woman, indeed, one who told many lies just to get back at her enemies. Elvira had never liked Zelda, for an unknown reason, and did everything in her power to keep Maurice away from the princess.
Elvira's dislike was so strong that it even drove her to spreading lies among the court about a completely false affair between Zelda and Maurice, lies which eventually reached Prince Aiden. This evidently caused a head-on confrontation between Aiden and Maurice, fortunately not resulting in violence, but rather ending in a heated argument. The matter was quickly resolved when Zelda found out the truth of Elvira's lies, but even so, this still ignited an intense jealously from Aiden's end. The jealousy became so bad that he permanently banned her from seeing Maurice, which of course, she completely disobeyed, causing even more cracks in their already broken courtship.
If Elvira's intentions were to keep the princess away from her cousin, it definitely worked.
"So what are your points here?" Lord Simon asked, snapping Zelda back to reality. "Are you two saying that it is pointless we meet with her?"
"No, not at all," Lord Theo replied. "I am simply trying to warn you all that her interrogation will not be an easy one."
Ah. So that was why they were discussing the topic of Lady Elvira. They were just simply attempting to gain some answers from her involving Maurice's death.
Gilbert immediately scoffed at Theo's statement. "You may not think it's pointless, but I certainly do. We are wasting our time! Maurice is dead, may the goddesses rest his soul, but there are much more important matters in our hands—"
"More important than the safety of the inhabitants of this castle?" Darrien interjected calmly, his gentle voice echoing throughout the mostly empty room. "We may not know if there is a murderer for certain, but if we want to ensure safety for all people, including Princess Zelda and His Majesty, consulting Lady Elvira for answers is our best option right now. It might be tough, but it is better than taking the risk of sitting around and doing nothing."
The Council quickly flitted into a deep silence, including Lord Gilbert. If there was one councilman Zelda actually was fond of, it was Lord Darrien. He was a respectable, honorable man of civility, who astonishingly came from much humbler backgrounds than she previously thought. His father served as a captain in the militia, a position that was righteously earned through hard work and dedication. His father had retired long ago, but his high position in the army gave his son the opportunity to prove his high scholarly knowledge in court. Soon enough, Daphnes appointed him as a new member of the Council when he was the age of thirty-nine, around six months after the war, in fact.
"I believe that we should be moving on," Daphnes's booming voice echoed, breaking the long silence. "It is settled now—we will send a letter to the private estate of Lady Elvira in request for her to meet with us here. Are there any words of rejection?"
Everybody seated eyed Lord Gilbert, including Zelda, all expecting him to have some sort of complaint. However, the snobbish lord simply huffed in annoyance and gave no further word.
"Then we now move onto another topic of discussion, which has been brought to my attention in the recent hours." Daphnes turned to the head of the Council, Lord Simon. "Would you care to explain?"
"Surely, Your Majesty," Simon replied politely. He cleared his throat to elaborate. "I believe you all have heard of the incident involving Lieutenant Adney, correct?"
All of the Council members looked to each other in confusion, except for Lord Aubrey.
"D—Does it…it involve the…hm, what's his name again…" Aubrey placed a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "I…I believe his name starts with the letter L…"
"Link, the young trainee," Simon filled in for him.
Zelda's ears perked at the mention of Link's name, but she gave no outward indication of her interest, still continuing to keep her eyes glued to her notebook. Why were they discussing him?
"O—Oh, that's his name!" Aubrey exclaimed. "Yes, I've heard of what he did for Lieutenant Adney recently. I—I believe he saved the lieutenant's life, while they were traveling for training."
Zelda's eyebrows immediately quirked in surprise. Saving a soldier's life in the militia was a highly honorable achievement, but saving a high-ranked officer was even more honorable. She couldn't begin to believe how he managed to pull that off, with everything else he had done this past week, specifically referring to Maurice's death. He found the body, found new evidence to prove that suicide was faked, and now this? It was all quite shocking. If he wasn't the talk of the court by then, he most definitely was now.
"Saved Lieutenant Adney's life?" Lord Gilbert asked in disbelief. "How do we even know of this notion—"
"Lieutenant Adney and the rest of the surviving trainees gave us a full report of what they witnessed," Lord Simon interrupted, clearly eager to shut down Gilbert. "They were attacked by a clan of Bulblins while they were training, and seven men were slain. Lieutenant Adney was knocked unconscious by an explosion from a bomb, but Link selflessly carried the unconscious lieutenant away from the scene, all while having a severe head injury of his own. Once he reached the rest of the men, with the lieutenant still over his shoulders, he blacked out from his head injury. Link has been in a comatose state since."
The Council went completely silent, all in shock at what they had just heard. Even Zelda was quite shocked, although his selflessness didn't surprise her.
She honestly felt a bit sorry for him. He had done so much for the kingdom, for her, even, but still got little recognition for it. The court believed that the hero existed, surely, but rarely did they believe that the hero was Link himself, the humble goat herder from the farmlands of Ordon. Her father even sent him a personal invitation to join the militia in hopes of him getting a quick promotion to knighthood, but that soon proved to be much more difficult than he originally thought, all thanks to the stubborn men on the Council.
"Furthermore, as His Majesty and I have discussed, we have come to an agreement that Link has fully demonstrated his selflessness, skill, and unlimited strength in the arts of combat." Lord Simon gave a pause and cleared his throat, albeit a bit nervously, Zelda noticed. "He is the hero of our kingdom, and continues to show his heroic deeds, even as a mere trainee. With this in mind, I believe it is finally time to promote him to knighthood—"
"Unacceptable," Lord Gilbert immediately shot down. "His social status is much too low. Promoting him to such a high rank would officially establish him as a part of the court."
Lord Simon gritted his teeth in obvious irritation. "What more does he have to prove of himself? He has already saved countless lives, and still continues to do so. In my opinion, he is completely deserving of a high-rank."
"I fully agree," Darrien added on. "He has achieved more than practically all the nobility's entire bloodlines in a single year, and has barely received a shred of recognition, except for that medal rewarded to him right after the war."
"But he is uneducated," Lord Theo countered. "Knighthood comes with social hardships as well. He is not knowledgeable enough to be apart of court."
Goddesses, were those two lords stubborn. Zelda, dare say, was even beginning to get irritated listening to their harsh views on the hero. She knew how much the two lords fought against Link's promotion, as it was brought up in their meetings plenty of times before. Their opinions hadn't changed one bit, and sometimes Zelda believed that they never would, not even after Link saved his lieutenant's life.
"With all due respect, Lord Theo," Darrien chimed in politely, "this debate of Link's promotion has been ongoing for a year. Your…inability to accept that Link is well deserving of this role is quite an inconvenience to the rest of the Council. This is possibly the longest debate that's been documented, and in my opinion, one of the least important issues that we must worry about. Link's promotion quite literally wouldn't do any sort of harm to the castle. Rather, it would likely do good, because of his respectable and heroic nature—"
"Heroic nature," Gilbert spat with such venom that Zelda was taken aback. "You all seriously believe that the commoner, the mere farm boy, saved us all?"
Lord Aubrey cleared his throat awkwardly. "W—Well, with all d—due respect, Lord Gilbert, that is what a lot of people believe—"
"And what the people believe is nonsense!" Lord Gilbert roared back. "Let me state the facts. Prior to the war, he had absolutely no training in combat. He lived as practically a peasant in the farmlands of Ordon. He has no known family, not even a mere last name. It is just impossible that someone, with practically nothing, even has the ability to endure such a journey. Now I believe that the hero is real, but my belief is that hero is someone of noble rank, not some commoner."
The entire rest of the Council went silent, all completely at a loss of how to convince Gilbert otherwise. Astoundingly, Zelda was beginning to feel her temper rise at the complete disrespect the lord was showing. His flippancy towards Link's hometown was unacceptable, and even worse, he referred to Link as a "peasant." She was sure if Link were present to hear all of this, he would be very hurt.
Zelda wished she could just say something to prove the snobbish lord wrong. She quite literally had proof of Link being the hero, because she had seen it with her own eyes as they took down Ganondorf together.
"For all we know, he could be lying," Gilbert went on. "He comes from nothing. People of his status might go to far lengths to gain a bit of a higher social rank…"
Goddesses, Zelda now had about enough. It was absolutely ridiculous what the lord was implying. Absolutely ridiculous.
Taking a shuddering breath, and suppressing the irritation coursing through her veins as best as she could, Zelda finally began to speak up.
"My intentions are not to offend you, Lord Gilbert, but Link is truly the hero," Zelda spoke with quiet, but clear regal strength. "He was by my side as Ganondorf was struck down."
All of the Council, including her father, set their gazes on her for a moment of deep silence. She was much too nervous to study all of their faces, but what she did notice about all of them was that they all held an expression of shock, likely at the notion that she had finally spoken during one of their meetings.
Out the corner of her eye, she could see her father's stern, hard gaze drilling into the side of her face. He didn't speak, but his expression spoke possibly a thousand words.
She was done for the moment she opened her mouth.
"I…I see your point, Your Highness," Gilbert replied awkwardly, breaking the tense silence. "But…we have no proof of this. There are no witnesses reports, no liable sources—"
"Actually, there are in fact some lesser-known written reports from regular citizens," Zelda interrupted calmly, her voice full of strength much similar to her father's. "After the war, I took a tour to Kakariko to give the people hope. Many men and women spoke of a young man named Link, who saved them from the horrific dangers that lurked in their hometowns. Some citizens even wrote about books of their experiences with the war, Link included."
Another deafening silence loomed in the Council's chambers. Even Lord Theo was silent, who usually spoke on Lord Gilbert's behalf. Lord Gilbert, on the other hand, looked as if he was a fish out of water, his eyes practically bulging out of his head, likely from how much he was attempting to keep himself calm. The lord had a known high temper, but when it came to the princess, he had to keep his anger repressed out of respect.
"I…I see, Your Highness," Gilbert choked out. "But…we don't have these books that the regular citizens had written about Link."
Zelda had to hold back a laugh that was soon to erupt from her throat. The lord just about looked as if he was soon to explode, considering the way his face had went from pale to a tomato in a matter of thirty seconds. It was possibly the most comical thing she had seen in ages.
"Actually, as a matter of fact, there are a few books I've purchased from the villages that describe Link's heroic deeds in great detail," Zelda replied, shoving down the childish snort that was soon to erupt from her throat. "I've gotten them for my own entertainment, of course, but I have them stored in my chambers."
When Zelda thought Lord Gilbert's face couldn't get any redder, it absolutely did. Veins were now beginning to pop out of his temples, and his delicately manicured mustache, a physical trait that Zelda had always found to be ridiculously absurd, twitched rapidly.
Her amusement over Lord Gilbert's admittedly comical plight was short-lived, however, as she looked over at her father once more. The king's icy blue gaze was so intense that it made her regret even speaking at all, giving her the indication that there would truly be consequences to her actions. She knew then that she had made a grave mistake.
"I believe that this matter has been settled," Lord Simon announced, breaking yet another agonizing silence, "though it should have been settled long ago. Link has proven his worth in combat for months, and is completely deserving of the knighthood rank. Anybody who has any protests, now is the time to speak up."
A deafening silence followed Simon's words. Even Lord Theo and Lord Gilbert astoundingly remained silent, although their irritated expressions held that they would've rather done otherwise.
Lord Simon let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Then our issue has been solved. Link will be promoted as soon as he recovers from his injuries." Simon turned towards Daphnes. "Your Majesty, how do you believe to inform the hero of this news?"
Daphnes, who had been oddly quiet, looked up at the head of the Council. "I will send him an invitation through one of the servants to have a private dinner with my daughter and I. From there, I will offer him the position of a knight, which I am sure he will happily oblige." The king's expression suddenly darkened as he eyed his daughter seated next to him. "You all are dismissed. I would like to have a word with my daughter. Alone."
Zelda eyed her father defensively, as panic began to take over her mind. Nevertheless, she chose to keep her calm, collected princess veil, at least in front of the Council. She couldn't let them see that there was something wrong.
The councilmen quickly rose from their seats and bowed, all noticeably making haste as they shuffled out of the meeting chamber. Zelda's panic began to rise even more as she was left completely alone with just her father in the now deathly silent room.
Silence dragged for what it seemed like hours as Zelda and her father sat. Zelda shifted uncomfortably as she waited for her father to speak, or rather, waited for her father's brutal lecture.
The silence still continued to stretch on, for about a minute at this point. Finally, Zelda made the rash decision to speak first, completely unable to take the silence any longer.
"Father, I know what I did was against the rules—"
"Breaking the rules during a Council meeting!" her father suddenly roared, his icy blues flared with anger. "My only request was for you to take notes, which was simple! All you had to do was sit there!"
"But—"
"You have not been given permission nor the power to speak during a Council meeting! It's a simple rule to follow, and yet you blatantly disregarded it, with much intended disrespect, I might add!"
"Much intended disrespect?" Zelda boldly shot back in disbelief. "I don't understand what you're saying—"
"You completely humiliated Lord Gilbert!" her father boomed. "In front of the entire Council! He will now begin to see you as a threat, or worse, an enemy in court! Do you realize what you've done?"
Princess Zelda went completely silent, the sting of his words once again settling into her mind. Hot shame burned visibly on her face, because once again, her father was right. The repercussions of her actions, while unintended, were quite grave.
"You've already created a possible enemy in court, and you haven't even succeeded the throne yet," her father stated, lowering his voice. "Your blatant ignorance of simple rules and your blunt disrespect just proves to me that you are not even close to ready for your inauguration. Shape up now, try to fix the mess that you've started, or forever hold your peace—"
Her father abruptly stopped talking. His face look strained, and after a few moments of silence, he suddenly fell into an intense coughing fit, one that was so violent that Zelda didn't even know what to do. Each cough was deafening, and with each second that ticked as he continued to wheeze uncontrollably, the more Zelda began to worry. It sounded like he couldn't breathe.
"Father?" she called out worriedly as he continued to cough. "Are you alright? Do you need a glass of water?"
Her father flicked his gaze to her, still coughing. "I…I am…fine—"
Daphnes was cut off by another violent coughing fit, causing Zelda to shoot up from her seat in alarm.
"I'll get you a doctor. This can't be normal—"
"Leave my…leave my presence." Her father let out a few more coughs. "Now."
Zelda stared at her father blankly, taken aback by his request. "But your—"
"Leave, Zelda!" her father suddenly roared, even in the midst of his coughing fit. "Get out!"
Zelda stood in shock for a moment, intimidated and afraid, letting the fear be visible in her eyes for the first time in what felt like ages.
"As you wish, father."
Without another word, Zelda fled from her father, making haste as she exited the meeting chamber. She collapsed to her knees as soon as she shut the doors closed, her shoulders trembling violently with a whirlwind of emotions, but her eyes staring blankly onto the floor beneath her, completely unable to release any tears.
"He's alive, ain't he? He's been 'sleep for two days now…"
"I'm sure he's alright. After all, his head injury wasn't proven to be grave by the doctors. They claimed that he could wake any moment now."
"He better wake up! I was thinkin' 'bout buyin' flowers for the ol' rascal!"
"Flowers? What are you, his lover?"
"What—no! It's a friendly gesture! I ain't into men!"
"Sure…sure…"
"Ya know what, I'm stupid for allowin' ya in 'ere in the first place. Why don't ya keep on steppin,' ya pompous arse?"
"Because I came here for the same reason as you. To visit him."
"Ya ain't even like him! Why bother?"
Link's eyes fluttered open gently to the sound of two men bickering obnoxiously. He lied on a soft, cushiony mattress with pillows placed strategically all around his head.
Where the hell was he? Link sat up a bit in his bed, but a sudden, pounding headache resulted from the movement. He quickly lied back onto his mattress and scanned the area.
From what it looked like, he was in an infirmary. The room was large, holding about fifty other beds just like his own. Around thirty men occupied the cots, and from where Link was, he could spy about ten or so nurses walking about.
However, the last thing he spotted was the two men standing in front of his bed, seemingly in an intense argument. Link quickly recognized one of the men as his best friend, Barnes. The other man…was that Ralio?
"B…Barnes?" Link croaked out, almost inaudibly.
The two men immediately halted their argument and turned towards Link. Barnes stared blankly for a moment, until his eyes suddenly shot wide in pure excitement.
"Linky?" Barnes squeaked in disbelief. He shuffled closer to Link's bedside. "Yer…yer ALIIIIVVVEEEEE!"
Without further warning, Barnes wrapped his beefy arms around Link's practically immovable body in a bone-crushing embrace.
"Barnes…" Link managed to squeak out, suddenly feeling as if his windpipe was being crushed. "Can't…breathe…"
"He just woke up, you portly-faced pillock!" Ralio's gruff voice snapped from behind them. "Give him some space!"
As soon as Link began to fear for his own life, Barnes thankfully listened to Ralio and released his death-like embrace.
"Yeah, Ralio came to visit ya as well." Barnes rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately."
Ralio simply gave no reply, choosing to silently shoot Barnes the nastiest glare Link had ever seen in his entire lifetime.
However, Link didn't even have the time or energy to process why on earth Ralio, out of all people, came to visit him. He didn't even know what specific infirmary he was in, nor did he even remember why he was in an infirmary in the first place.
"Does anyone…" Link winced slightly from his pounding headache. "…does anyone know what has happened? Why am I here?"
Ralio and Barnes both shot each other looks of surprise.
"Ya ain't remember?" Barnes asked in disbelief. "Gee, ya must've hit yer head much harder than I thought…"
Hit his head? Link instinctively touched his head and felt a thick, tight bandage wrapped around the entire top of his skull.
"Yep, hit yer head real hard," Barnes said as he saw Link touch his bandaged head. "Bleedin' a 'ole lot too. Ya really don't remember nothin?'"
"Of course he doesn't remember," Ralio growled at Barnes. "He was in a comatose state for two full days—"
"Pardon?" Link blurted in shock. "Comatose state?"
Barnes shot Ralio an irritated look. "Look what ya did now! We wasn't supposed to tell him nothin' 'til the nurse came by!"
"Oh, really," Ralio monotoned. "He'll live."
"The nurse said if ya tell him somethin' too shockin,' he could accidentally slip back into 'nother coma."
"And has he went into another comatose state? I believe not. Stop worrying so much about your…ahem…lover."
"Lover? I ain't into men! Linky here is my friend!"
Ralio snorted. "Right. Your friend."
"Oh, that's it. I'll kick yer puny arse right here right now—"
"Gentlemen, please! Quiet down!"
Both of the men stopped their obnoxious bickering and turned towards the nurse that had just interrupted them. The small young woman looked as if she was soon to explode with anger, considering how deeply her brows were furrowed. In her left hand, she held a tall glass of water, and in her right, she held a particularly large scroll.
"Hello there, Link," the nurse greeted, her voice suddenly void of the strong irritation that she had just expressed mere seconds ago. "I'm Martha. How are you feeling?"
Link blinked twice at the nurse's sudden change in attitude, but he didn't mention it. "I just have a bit of a headache."
"Oh, that's normal. It will likely go away in a few days." Martha held out the glass of water. "Here, drink. It might help soothe your headache."
Link gently took the glass from her hand and began to drink, making sure to take small, slow sips. He knew if he chugged the entire glass, it would make him feel sick.
Barnes cleared his throat awkwardly to get Martha's attention. "So, Miss Nurse, since yer ah doctor and all, do ya know when Linky can get back out to trainin'—"
"That's Martha to you, good sir," the hot-headed nurse suddenly snapped, switching right back into her irritated persona. "And to answer your question, likely not anytime soon. He's suffered such severe head trauma that it will probably give him headaches for a few more weeks. Until his headaches clear up, he is permitted from going back into training."
Barnes's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Alright, Miss N—Martha. Heh."
Martha eyed Barnes with such irritation that Link was positive his friend would disintegrate right there. This nurse was one terrifying woman, that was for sure.
"If I may ask, what happened to me?" Link questioned the nurse. "The last thing I remember was hiking up a hill during our training, reaching the top, and then…"
Link trailed off as he realized he couldn't remember anything beyond that point. The last event he actually remembered was Ralio and Barnes arguing, about something that he couldn't seem to recall. It was probably just something idiotic, like always.
"Ya mind if I inform him of what happened, Miss…Miss Martha?" Barnes asked the nurse as politely as he could. "Can I call ya Miss Martha?"
The angry "Miss Martha" looked as if she was going to scream. "No, you may not call me that!" she snapped, practically shooting daggers into Barnes's skull. "…But you can tell him what occurred."
Barnes immediately recoiled in fear. "Alright, thanks ah bunch…Martha." He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to Link. "Mmkay, so where do I start…hm…so we was walkin' up that darn hill…which was real exasperatin,' I might add. Then we got to the top and…ah, yes, the lieutenant ordered us to sit down and take a five minute break. Then I was just chuggin' my water, mindin' my own business. The view up there was actually quite nice, with all the trees…I was entranced. I love nature, as ya already know, Linky, so I wasn't super focused on anythin' else 'round me—"
"Oh, would you just spit it out already, you boneheaded nitwit!" Ralio screeched.
Barnes flinched slightly at Ralio's sudden outburst. "Alright, alright…take it easy there, ol' fella." Barnes let out an exasperated sigh and continued the retelling of his tale. "Anyway, a big ol' clan of these Bulblins came and attacked us with bombs, at first. A huge explosion erupted and we was all sent flyin' back, Lieutenant Adney included."
Link's eyes widened with shock. He didn't remember any sort of explosion, but he did faintly remember hearing the horn signal of the Bulblins, right before his memory went completely fuzzy. Maybe the explosion occurred right after he heard the horns.
"Anyhow, us trainees had no choice to but retreat. We was outnumbered completely." Barnes's expression suddenly turned grave. "What we didn't know was that we was leavin' a bunch of unconscious trainees behind. Includin' Lieutenant Adney and yerself, Linky."
Barnes held his head low, and even Ralio had a sad look on his face. "Buncha trainees died, Linky. Kenneth, Dervion, Grant, Vincent, and Holder. All of 'em died, and for a minute there, we all thought yerself and the lieutenant was goners too."
Link's heart completely dropped. He couldn't even believe that five men had their lives stripped from them, men that Link had come to know and train with for the past year. It was truly a tragedy.
However, there was a nagging, relentless feeling of guilt in Link's chest as he received this news. The Twilight Invasion ended a year ago, but here it was, still torturing and destroying any innocent soul that walked the earth. People still suffered, endlessly, as the Twilight still took what it could with its very last breath of life. And it was all his fault, because he had failed. He had failed all of these people, who still continued to suffer. Including his fellow trainees, who were now dead.
Maybe the court's opinions of him were right. No man like himself could ever be a hero.
"We was waitin' outside for survivors," Barnes went on, oblivious to Link's inner battle. "Soon enough, we spotted ya carryin' Lieutenant Adney out of the woods. Darn near the bravest thing I've ever witnessed myself, Linky. Ya passed right out as soon as ya reached us."
Link gave no reply, choosing to keep his head hung low. The names of the dead trainees echoed in his brain, haunting him as every second ticked. He should've saved them too.
"And then they took yerself to this good ol' infirmary," Barnes said, his somber tone suddenly switching to his usual cheery voice. "Now yer in recovery."
"For about a week," Martha chimed in. "You've suffered severe head trauma, which can be recovered from with proper care. Once you leave this infirmary, however, you still need to be careful. No exercise or training for another two weeks, make sure to drink plenty of water, make sure to rest…"
Link nodded as Martha began to explain how the recovery process from a coma worked, but he was quickly distracted as he caught sight of the scroll clutched tightly in the nurse's hand. Was that for him?
"Not to interrupt, Martha, but I was wondering if that was for me." Link nodded to the scroll in her hand. "Is it a message of some sort?"
Martha stopped talking and looked down at the scroll in alarm. "Oh, bloody hell. I almost forgot about this."
Link cocked an eyebrow at the feisty nurse's sudden use of foul language, but he spoke no word on it. Martha quickly unraveled the scroll, which was much shorter than Link expected, and began to read aloud.
"To Link, the Hero of Hyrule," Martha read. "King Daphnes Nohansen the Second would personally like to extend an invitation for you to dine with him and his daughter. Once you are in full recovery, you will meet in the private dining hall on the west end of the castle. He will send a guard to escort you."
Martha rolled back up the parchment and gave a lazy shrug. "You must be important around here."
Confusion instantly clouded Link's mind. Why on earth did the king want to dine with him? It was extremely random, to be frank, and the only motive for the meeting that Link could possibly think of was Maurice's death. It was a big controversy, and Link was honestly a large part of it, since he found the body and the shard of glass.
"Wait, hold on a darn minute!" Barnes blurted incredulously. "His Majesty wants ya to have dinner with him? And the princess?"
"Clearly," Ralio sneered, rolling his eyes. "Did you not listen to a mere word she said?"
Martha ignored Ralio's side comment and continued talking to Link. "Once you've been released from the infirmary, one of the nurses will most likely let His Majesty know so he can send a guard to escort you. Or at least, that's my guess."
Martha shrugged and placed the scroll in Link's hands. "Well," she continued, "I believe my work here has been done. I hope you come to a quick recovery, Link."
She gave Link a kind smile and walked off, without even sparing one glance towards Barnes or Ralio standing to the side.
"Gee, she sure needa control her temper," Barnes grumbled once Martha was out of sight. "A real pain in the arse."
"You were just being obnoxious," Ralio deadpanned.
"No I wasn't. She was just bein' mean."
Ralio just simply rolled his eyes and turned his attention on Link lying in his cot. "If you don't mind, Link, I'd like to have a word with you. In private."
Link immediately cocked his eyebrow suspiciously at Ralio's statement. It was strange enough that he had taken it upon himself to visit him, not to mention with Barnes. Ralio absolutely despised him, and admittedly, he also despised Link himself. It was a wonder as to why he even wanted to be in contact with the both of them.
"Er…hate to break yer bubble there, Ralio," Barnes chimed in, "but I ain't believe Linky wanna talk to ya—"
"Barnes," Link interrupted sternly. "Please don't start an argument right now. If he wants to speak with me, then let him."
Surprise and protest flickered across Barnes's face. "But—"
"Barnes." Link gave him a stern look under his long, dark eyelashes. "Just give us a moment. You can come visit me any time you would like."
Barnes eyed Link hesitantly, but nevertheless, began to back off. He gave Link a kind smile before walking towards the exit of the infirmary.
Once Barnes was out of sight, Link set his attention on Ralio standing in front of him. Astoundingly enough, the rough, rugged trainee almost looked nervous, noticeably keeping his golden eyes glued to the floor, and twiddling his thumbs impatiently.
"You…wanted to speak with me?" Link asked, breaking the awkward silence between the two. Even asking such a simple question felt odd, given that they hadn't even gotten along with each other since the day they met.
Ralio snapped up his head in alarm. "Oh! Yes, right…I did…"
He trailed off nervously, and immediately went back to his awkward staring contest with the ground. The once arrogant and talkative trainee suddenly was at a loss of words, for a reason Link could not even begin to understand.
"You were saying?" Link asked gently.
Ralio snapped his head up once again and finally looked Link straight in the eye. "I just…I just wanted to…ahem…apologize. For my mistreatment of you."
Link's eyes instantly widened with shock. Never in a million years did he think he would ever hear something like that come from Ralio's mouth. It was almost unbelievable, to the point where Link began to think it was some sort of sick joke.
"For my mistreatment?" Link queried, his voice almost inaudible from how much in denial he was.
"Yes. It seems I have perhaps…misjudged you."
Link opened his mouth to give a reply, but Ralio held up a hand to stop him. "Let me explain. Please."
Link closed his mouth and nodded. Ralio took a long, deep breath, and as Link watched him prepare himself to begin talking, he noticed something change about the cocky trainee's expression. His usual cold, arrogant sneer that was practically glued to his face most of the time was suddenly was gone, replaced with a dazzling look of complexity.
"I have mistreated you for a very long time," Ralio began, albeit a bit nervously. "I denied your heroic story, deeming it as a mere fairytale that you came up with to gain just an ounce of fame. I targeted you on purpose, because I knew you were a threat to my chances of ever becoming a knight. And for all of that, I am truly sorry. I do not hope for you to forgive me. I am fully undeserving of anybody's forgiveness for such poor treatment."
Link was utterly speechless. He couldn't even believe his ears, nor could he even begin to form words in his mouth. He almost half expected for Ralio to burst out laughing, as if what he was saying was some wild prank.
But he didn't. He continued to apologize.
"I have misjudged you completely," he went on. "What you did for the lieutenant…it was something I had never seen before. The rest of us all ran like cowards." Ralio ran a hand nervously over his dark, buzzed hair. "But you…you risked your life to save another man. When I saw you emerge from the trees with the lieutenant over your shoulders, I just…I just realized right there that I had made a terrible mistake."
Link swallowed and finally began to form words in his mouth. "What mistake?"
"For denying you the hero. What you did for the lieutenant just proved everything."
Link went completely silent, staring nervously down at his lap. Hero. That was a word he absolutely loathed to hear, no matter how kind they were in context. There was a small part of him that didn't even believe he deserved to be recognized as the hero at all. Sure, he didn't want people to just outright deny his efforts to save the kingdom, but he never believed that he deserved such an honorable title. True heroes were always successful. He was a failure.
"I…I appreciate your words, Ralio," Link finally said after a few moments of silence, ignoring the unsettling feeling in his stomach.
Ralio nodded. "Of course. I shouldn't have judged you because you are only a commoner. It was unfair."
Link winced slightly at the word "commoner," but he chose wisely not to say anything about it. Ralio didn't know any better.
"I hope we can become…acquainted," Ralio went on, "…one day, possibly."
Link gave him a firm nod. "I hope so too."
Ralio awkwardly set his gaze to his boots. After a few moments of silence between the two, he suddenly turned on his heel and walked away from Link's bedside, without any sort of proper farewell or last words.
Strange was the only word Link could think of as he watched the once snobbish trainee disappear through the exit of the infirmary. Admittedly, Link had to admire his sudden amity. It took bravery to admit one's mistakes, and it took even more bravery to apologize about it.
Maybe Link had misjudged him as well.