***ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY**

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In Sotto Voce

By The Wolfess

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Chapter 5

By the time Impa stood outside the meeting hall where she waited for the king's convenience to see her, she was a ball of nerves. Ruto's words bothered her more than she thought they would. How to stop Zelda from asking that particular question? How to prevent her from figuring out the truth behind what she was feeling? Impa had sensed the tension in Zelda's body as she sat at the princess's right hand and they all had a merry little lunch. Poor Link was the only one who probably had no idea what was going on, and Impa planned to keep it that way. He was a nice guy and a good friend, but this wasn't his problem. She didn't want to burden him with her struggles.

Once the lunch was over, Ruto skipped out merrily, the accursed book under one arm, and left the three of them alone. Link took his leave shortly after that, noting the fact that he was still a trainee and had a lot of practicing to do if he wanted to rise in the ranks like Impa had. That left Impa and Zelda alone. They shared some overly polite discussion and then Zelda noted that Impa still needed to go meet with her father.

So here she was, sitting on a bench outside a pair of doors as tall as the great hall itself, waiting to see the king about his daughter. If my grandmother knew what I had gotten myself into, she'd be rolling over in her grave, Impa thought. Get yourself exactly where you need to go in life and screw it up by having feelings for the princess. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Finally, the doors creaked open, and a royal guardsman stepped out. "His Majesty the King bids you to enter," he said. Impa grunted her thanks as she passed by. She was too nervous for words just about now.

The Great hall was dimly lit when she entered. A few torches hung on the walls, and the shutters were closed on all the windows. Rather than sitting on his throne, she found the king seated at a wooden table in the middle of the hall. He had parchments and scrolls strewn about him and was studying them in the light of a single candleholder. The small flame cast shadows over his face, making it difficult to make out his facial expression. When the soldier closed the door behind her, the clank of it shutting made him look up.

"Ah! Captain Impa. Come, come and take a seat across from me." He motioned to the chair on the other side of the table. Impa walked over, bowed, and then sat. "I am so glad that you have come. Now you see what royalty truly does, young Sheikah. We sit and read and sign things. Or sit and listen to people. Either way, there is always someone needing something that needs your approval, and a lot of sitting on your royal arse. I am very glad to have a reprieve."

"I'm honored to be here, your Majesty. I can't thank you enough," Impa said. She noted that his face looked drawn and tired. His skin had a slightly gray tone to it. She wondered if he was getting much sleep, and what could be worrying him enough to rob him of his rest. She thought back to the Deku Tree and Zelda's talk of her father's secretive, closed-door meetings.

King Daphnes waved her comment away as if trying to clear cobwebs from in front of his eyes. "I have actually been monitoring your development since long before you came to the training program. Kishla was a trusted advisor, and we knew she would need a replacement someday. She was getting old and served three separate Zeldas at different stages in their lives. You showed promise at a very young age. It was only a matter of time before I got an excuse to put you where I wanted you—in my daughter's service, and my own."

Impa blinked. She had no idea that the king had been following her development for so long. As much as that seemed out of nowhere—you would think that someone would have told her that the King of Hyrule was watching her development—she decided to brush it off as something that Kishla and the king kept to themselves. She made a mental note to speak to Elder Kishla about it later. King Daphnes continued, obviously a man of many great thoughts with little time to express them. "Speaking of my daughter, tell me what you think of her, and be honest. I am your sovereign."

"I—well, your Grace, I have only known her for a little while. But, so far I think she's rather incredible."

The king chuckled and tapped his fingers on the table. "Hah hmm, yes. She is incredible, that is true. Well, she seems highly interested in you. It pleases my heart to see her engage with others again. She has been…lonely, I think. The past few years she has progressively retreated inside herself. I have tried to throw social engagements at the castle to engage her, but all she wants to do is sit in that library and read a book. I want her to experience more of life. I want her to get into trouble and make mistakes." He must have seen the surprise on Impa's face because he laughed out loud. "Why do you think I brought that troublemaking Princess Ruto here? Out of generosity? HA! No, I am hoping that she will help Zelda get out of her own head. She agreed to do her best, and she has quite a reputation for being a troublemaker in her own Kingdom. Her father, King Zora, was more than willing to do me a favor."

Impa had to laugh as well. It appeared that there was a lot more to the Zora Princess than anyone thought. "I don't know how much help that I will be in getting her into trouble," Impa said, "but I will do my best to get her out to see more of the world, if that is your desire your Majesty."

King Daphnes sighed, reaching up one large hand to stroke his long brown beard. "Yes, Impa that is one task I have for you. I am sure you have noticed already…she is very intelligent, in some ways more wise than the wisest sage. However, in other ways she is still somewhat naïve. She knows nothing of the ways of the world. Perhaps Kishla and I have sheltered her too much. Been too protective. I want her to learn more about the world without getting hurt by it, but I do not want her to be blindsided by the darkness in the world when she is Queen. I understand that this is not an easy task for you, but I would have it of you just the same."

"Yes, your Majesty. I will."

"Good. Now, there are some other details you should be aware of in your new position. First, you will be my primary contact when it comes to my daughter. I do not see her often, and you will come to know her in and out as you two spend more time together. At times I will have need of that knowledge. Therefore, if I call on you do not be afraid to come. You are a part of the family, now, so interrupt me as necessary—but with discretion of course."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Second, your daily expectations. You are Zelda's shadow. Your place is at the princess's side, you know that already. You will eat breakfast and dinner in the main hall with us, lunch with the princess in whatever manner she sees fit, and you will attend all royal functions at which the princess is present. At balls, you will be at her side. If she dances, you will be two steps away." The shadows cast over his features by the candlelight seemed to deepen. His face was grave, and his eyes seemed to look not at Impa, but through her. "Always watching, Impa. There is evil in this kingdom, do not doubt."

"Of course, your Majesty."

The king seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking about and move on, as if checking items off a list. "Good. Next, sleeping arrangements and living accommodations. The subject of ages' worth of gossip. It is preferred that you will sleep in the same room as the princess in a sizable nook set off from her room. You will have your own bed and storage space for your personal belongings. We will not make you sleep on the floor. I do need you in the same room, however, for two reasons: to protect her, yes, first and foremost, but also because my daughter is the true descendant of Hylia."

He leaned forward, and when he spoke it was with more earnest interest than anything else he said that day. "One thing that most laypeople do not know about the Royal Line is that only the True Descendant—namely, the firstborn daughter who will always be named Zelda—possesses the power of the Goddess Hylia. Thus far in Zelda the goddess's power has manifested in her dreams. They are often prophetic. The content of these dreams is very, very important to me. We have avoided many a major crisis, even wars, thanks to her premonitions. I will need you to be there when she wakes from these dreams to record its details in whatever way you see fit. Every detail, as small or obscure as they seem, must be recorded precisely. You will then immediately present these dreams to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Impa said, even as she frowned to herself. Why didn't the king just ask Zelda himself? Why did he seem so intent on not talking to her?

King Daphnes sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers together. "Now, finally, as to the matter of your military training. You will continue to train with the Masters of military arts. Your skill should not rust while in Zelda's service for one day she will need every ounce of your power. The generals are working on a training schedule for you, and we will do our best to have it coincide with Zelda's schooling. The Masters have agreed to work their lessons around your schedule."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

King Daphnes nodded. He looked back down at his papers and picked up his quill. "Well, that is all I have for you today. If you have no questions, I am a busy man and have many more of these infernal papers to go through before I may join you all for supper."

Impa stood and bowed. "Thank you for your time, your Grace."

The king nodded his head in acknowledgement. As Impa turned to leave, however, he said, "Remember, Impa, I need to know what she dreams about. Every detail."

"Of course, your Majesty." Impa bowed again. She left as quietly and quickly as she could. The royal guard let her out and closed the big doors behind her one more. For a moment she stood in the hallway and contemplated the sheer strangeness of the meeting. But she soon filed it away and looked around for the princess. Zelda was nowhere to be seen. Impa frowned a little, but then remembered that this was their last night apart. Perhaps the princess had gone to enjoy her last remaining freedom. Impa turned toward the direction of the barracks to gather her things, talk to Link, and enjoy her last night as a trainee with a simple life. In the morning, her life would be very different. She would be having breakfast with the king.

~! #$%^&*()

Zelda was enjoying her last night without Impa—enjoying it by sitting in Ruto's room on a comfortable armchair and fuming about the infuriating Sheikah. "So I pour out my heart to her, which is not characteristic of me at all," she was saying, "and how does she respond? 'I am always pleased to serve'. What is that? What kind of response is that, Ruto?"

The Zora princess shrugged. She was sitting on the bed painting her toenails, her fins fluttering behind her lazily. "Maybe she's nervous," she said. In actuality, she knew exactly what was wrong with the Hylian princess's new bodyguard. Impa had made her vow not to say anything, though, so she did her best to dance around the topic.

"Nervous?" Zelda said, furrowing her brow. Her cheeks were pink with frustration. "The first four days we were together she was not nervous at all. It was as if we had known each other forever—and now that she is actually in my service and we have to spend every waking moment together for the rest of our lives, NOW she's nervous? That makes no sense."

"I think that some…ah…certain revelations may have come to light for her. In lieu of this huge, life-changing appointment," Ruto bit her lip. She didn't know how to assuage Zelda's worry without exposing the truth. She silently cursed the stupid Sheikah for complicating her already complicated task.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Certain revelations huh? Overnight? How would you know something like that? Unless this has something to do with that heated conversation you two had in the hallway before lunch. You know what , do you not?"

Ruto heaved a huge sigh. "Maybe I do and maybe I don't. Maybe I swore not to say anything and I do have SOME shred of honor you know."

"This has to do with that book," Zelda said. "I just know it does. What is she trying to hide from me? And who does she think she is to censor my reading materials?"

Ruto threw up her hands. "I CAN'T TELL YOU! I promised her! Zora's honor and all that." She got off the bed, careful not to mess up her nail polish, and hobbled over to her desk area. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a book—THE book. Closing the drawer again, she hobbled back over to where Zelda sat and held it out.

"What—but did you not just say that you promised Impa?" Zelda took the book from Ruto even as she brought up the promise. Now that it was forbidden, she wanted to read it all the more.

Ruto hobbled back onto her bed and sat down, checking to see if her nails were dry yet. She didn't look up at the Hylian princess as she spoke. "My exact words were 'I promise that I will not SAY anything'. I never promised that I wouldn't give you the book back. That's her mistake for giving it to me. And for grabbing my arm in a rough manner."

Zelda brushed her hand over the simple cover, curiosity eating at her. "What is in this simple book that she fears me knowing so very badly?" she mused out loud.

"I can't tell you," Ruto said. "But you can figure it out for yourself if you read it. You'll have to read it in secret though. You know she'll take it away if she sees it again, and this time I won't able to retrieve it. There aren't many copies of that in this world."

Zelda looked from the book to the Zora princess. "Ruto…thank you," she said. "I think that I have underestimated you, and for that please forgive me."

Ruto blew on her nails and wiggled her toes, smiling. "Yeah yeah, forgiveness given. Don't get all mushy on me. Save that stuff for Impa. She'll be more amusing to watch squirm in discomfort."

Zelda stood, clutching the book to her chest. "I had better return to my own room and find a suitable hiding place for this. Thank you again, Ruto."

"You're welcome. Good night."

Zelda hurried down to her own room, glancing right and left to make sure Impa wasn't around yet. Finally, she hid the book in her nightstand and locked the drawer with a small key. She lay down to sleep but found that her mind would not be quiet. She wanted to know what the forbidden book was about, and she wanted to know now. So she finally lit a candle, unlocked the drawer, and pulled the book back out. If this was her last night alone, then she had best get as much reading done as possible.

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Impa moved her things into the nook the following morning. What the king called 'a closet' was the size of a good-sized living room, albeit with one of the walls missing. Once her things were put away in her new living space, Impa's true duty began: guarding Zelda. The princess was unusually tired that morning. She had small bags under her eyes that she covered with makeup, and she yawned all through their breakfast with the king. Ruto was suspiciously chipper and seemed to be drawing attention away from Zelda's exhaustion.

After breakfast, they went to the training yard for Ruto's sake, went to classes, had a small lunch in the library, and more classes. This was followed up with some free time, which Zelda took in her room. She instructed Impa to go see the generals about her training schedule in the meantime. Impa did so, and met Zelda again—schedule in hand—for dinner with the king. After dinner, it was almost straight to bed for the sleepy Hylian princess.

As Zelda blew the candles out, Impa crossed to her own bed. It was small, but bigger than her trainee bed, and it looked comfortable. She lay down and tried to go to sleep, but it would not come. She felt restless and thoughts of King Daphnes's behavior, the Deku Tree's leaves, and the secret meetings buzzed about in her mind. After a while, she got up and circled the room a couple times. Something was coming. She could feel it, but she did not have enough information to identify it. How could she protect Zelda from something that may just be a figment of her imagination? A hunch and a few odd signs, nothing more.

Impa made note of how Zelda's room was decorated and arranged in case she should ever find something missing or moved. Perceptiveness and knowledge were the first line of defense against the unknown. Once she felt familiar, she stood by the door for a while. Then over by the empty fireplace. Finally, she stood by the open window and followed the rays of moonlight streaming inside with her eyes. It fell upon Zelda's sleeping form, and the Sheikah watched the rise and fall of the princess's chest. She stood there for what felt like a long time, her Great Sword strapped on, just watching Zelda sleep.

How am I going to protect her? She wondered to herself, when the one thing she really needs protection from now is me? Ruto's words reverberated in her head as if echoing infinitely in a large temple hall. "One day she'll wonder why it feels so good to touch you…" The only solution Impa could think of as she stood there in the dark and the quiet, watching the princess sleep, was to not allow physical contact or behavior that would encourage it, as she had been attempting to do. Perhaps, in time, the princess would forget what it felt like and there would not be a comparison to make. Perhaps, in time, Impa herself would forget. Forget the warmth of the princess's body in her arms, the sweetness of her blushes, or the fragrance of her hair. Forget the way light danced in her eyes and her laughter sounded like a private music meant only for her. Forget the way her fingers felt intertwined with Impa's. All these things would fade with careful discipline and distance. The line of Hylia would go on.

By the time that Impa lay down to catch some sleep herself, she had made up her mind, though her heart felt worried and grim. There would be no more touching and no more intimate words between them, not so long as this childish infatuation existed. They would be a princess and her guardian, a guiding and protecting figure, not a friend, and goddesses forbid, never a lover.

On their second day together, Impa woke to find the princess already sitting at her vanity getting ready for the day. The Sheikah took a quick shower and readied herself in the bathroom with the door closed. When they were both prepared, they went down to breakfast. Zelda was more awake that day, but she wasn't talking overmuch to Impa. Perhaps, the Sheikah mused, she was still miffed about the library. Or perhaps she had noticed Impa's emotional and physical distance and was okay with it. The Sheikah had no idea. Who knew that it would be so difficult to read the Princess of Hyrule?

The second day went exactly as first had, except that when Zelda went to her classes, Impa went to meet with one of a few masters of various arts of war to continue her training. They met for lunch, where Zelda shared what they had gone over that day, but still didn't talk much. When they were done with lunch, they returned to their respective activities. At free time, Impa found Zelda in her room rather than at the library. When she walked in the door, the Princess was locking something inside her bedside table.

"How was your day, your Highness?" Impa asked, taking a seat on the edge of the princess's bed.

Zelda seemed to grind her teeth a little at the official term of address but chose to ignore it. "Tedious," she responded. "Today was mostly review in preparation for our next test."

Impa nodded. "Review is never fun, but it is always beneficial." Zelda nodded but didn't say anything. Impa tapped her fingers on her knees. "Would you like to go to the library? Or perhaps take a walk in the gardens?" She eventually asked.

"No thank you," Zelda said. "I think that I wish to rest before dinner. If you could wait just outside the door, I will come out soon."

Impa frowned but nodded. "As you wish," she said. She bowed before taking her leave.

Soon, their days began to fall into this pattern. On the fourth day, the princess started talking a little more. When she tried to get too personal, however, Impa stuck to appropriate responses as she had the previous days. She could tell that it was starting to bother Zelda. Ruto even shot her an annoyed glance when, on the their fifth day together, Zelda tried to touch Impa on the arm to show her something and the Sheikah stepped back, as if stung by a bee.

On the sixth day, Zelda stopped trying to make a connection at all. She went into her room, asking to be alone for all her free time, and didn't say three words in a row to Impa all day. Secretly, it killed Impa to see her like this. But every time the princess touched her or looked at her with that secret smile or spoke with her in a too-familiar manner, the Sheikah felt that foreboding, familiar tug on her heart. Something coursed between them whenever they touched, as if they were sharing a jolt of electricity. Nothing terrified Impa more than the pleasure of that touch. Ruto's words rung in her mind again and again, coloring every word she spoke to the princess and every action she took. She kept her distance, and Zelda kept her silence.

By the eighth day, the king brought Impa into his presence to ask her what was wrong. He had noticed that Zelda was sullen, and he seemed concerned. He did ask if, perhaps, the princess had had another dream that Impa had not told him about yet. Impa assured him that there had been no dreams yet and made up a story about the princess reading a particularly sad book that was affecting her. It was shaky at best, but the king accepted the answer all the same and dismissed her with instructions to cheer Zelda up. Get her to read something happier.

Weeks passed in this manner. Every day, they woke together, got ready together, ate breakfast together. They went to their separate training activities, came together for lunch, separate training in the afternoon, and finally Zelda would take her free time alone in her room while Impa stood outside. Lastly, they would have dinner together and go to bed. Their days were a gray and monotonous blur. They only exchanged terse and polite conversation. Every day Zelda seemed to recede more and more into herself, and the true heartbreaking part of it, Impa thought, was that the servants and castle attendants seemed to regard her morose behavior as normal. They went about their routines, and the quiet, lonely princess went about her studies like a proper royal girl. Ruto pulled Impa aside once to lecture her, citing the fact that Zelda wasn't responding to the Zora girl's encouragement anymore and why was she even here if the Sheikah was going to ruin all her hard work getting Zelda out of her depression. Still, Impa would not change her mind. If this was the only way to make sure that their relationship was professional and both Zelda and the line of succession would be safe, then this is how it would have to be. The princess would improve. It would only take a little more time.

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Author's Notes: Revised chapter uploaded May 2022. Please find original author's comments below.

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So, I promise it won't all be this painful. I just can't write fluff…it's physically impossible…I have to have plot and conflict and character. Seriously, if you map out my stories they would look like the sawtooth mountains. But, in general, I do enjoy happy endings. So hang in there.

Oh, and I'm not sure if you love Ruto as much as I do yet, but I have never appreciated her more than when she decided to insert herself into my story. She's like a combination of my favorite aunt and my best friend, with a little of her own weirdness thrown in to make it interesting.

Thank you for reading and please review!