***ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY**

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In Sotto Voce

By The Wolfess

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Chapter 17

When the queen's eyes opened the next morning, the first thing she saw was Impa's face. The Sheikah's eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open, a bit of drool glistening in the corner of it. Her white hair was disheveled, sticking out of its clips and braids in slightly curly rouge strands. Zelda smiled. The warrior woman was sound asleep, and yet even in rest she looked fierce. The blond wanted to reach out and trace the tip of her finger along the edges of Impa's facial tattoos, but she restrained herself. Doing so would wake the Sheikah woman up, and she was having such a wonderful time watching her and listening to sound of their hearts beating together. For a moment, at least, their relationship could be simple and the world peaceful.

Unfortunately, a rapping on the door interrupted her quiet observations. "Your Majesty?" It was Link's voice. "Are you awake, Queen Zelda?"

Impa inhaled sharply as she jolted awake, but Zelda's hand was on her shoulder to calm her. "Good morning, Link. Yes, I am awake. I will be slow getting ready this morning. Please order ahead and have breakfast prepared for four."

"Four, your highness?" Link's voice was cautious. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Zelda said, smiling down at Impa as she spoke. The Sheikah woman was blinking and rubbing her eyes, obviously not quite awake. "I would like Ruto and Impa to join us, as I mentioned yesterday when they arrived."

Link was quiet for a moment on the other side of the door. Zelda couldn't tell if he was still confused, or if he was just sighing in relief. "That sounds great," he finally said. "I will have breakfast prepared then. And should I fetch Ruto?"

Zelda looked down to Impa with a questioning look. "No way she'll be awake yet," the Sheikah muttered. "Better wake her up so she can get ready." Zelda nodded.

"Yes, Link, we had better give her a wakeup call." She paused a moment, and then cleared her throat a little. "Link?"

"Yes, Queen Zelda?"

Zelda smiled, though she knew he couldn't see it. "Thank you, Link."

There was another pause, and the blond could hear the smile in Link's voice when he answered. "You're welcome, your majesty."

Link's footsteps retreated from the door, and the queen looked back down at the woman beside her. Impa was awake now, and her face was soft as she smiled up at Zelda. "Good morning, Zel," Impa said.

Zelda grinned. "Good morning to you too, beautiful." The Sheikah woman blushed. Zelda made a mental note to tell her that more often. "Come here," she whispered as she leaned in for a good morning kiss. She rubbed her lips over Impa's a couple times and then pulled back. When Impa's head raised off the pillow to follow Zelda's lips, the blond giggled and kissed her.

"Not fair, learning how to tease so soon," Impa said, but she was smiling.

"Hmm, I get the feeling you are going to be fun to tease," Zelda replied. She winked, but as quickly as the playful mood had come, now it went. The queen sighed and laced her fingers together in her lap, looking down at the sheets. "Impa, before we go to breakfast we should talk about last night," she said, her voice apologetic but matter-of-fact.

The Sheikah pushed herself up to sit with her back against the headboard. "I guess so," she said, though she was reluctant. "I just wish it could wait a little. That for just this morning, we could pretend that everything was simple between us. Just two women finding love."

Zelda shifted to lean back against the headboard beside Impa. She took the Sheikah's hand in her own as she spoke. "That wouldn't be the truth, though, and I have had enough of telling myself lies." Impa nodded, and Zelda continued. "In the spirit of that, please, tell me how you are really feeling right now. Now that you are rested and some of the intensity of what we shared has worn off. What are you thinking?"

Impa chuckled. "We haven't been apart so long that I've suddenly become comfortable with sharing my feelings," she said, remembering how Zelda used to ask her to try to share more when they were together before. "But I'll try." The Sheikah took a deep breath and thought for a minute before she spoke next. "I guess I feel conflicted."

Zelda nodded. "Okay. Conflicted how?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was obviously important to Zelda. "Well, on one hand I'm really happy. We shared a lot of things. You apologized for what happened. The kissing is nice," she pushed the queen's shoulder with her own and grinned. "But I'm also apprehensive. What happened was sudden and had terrible repercussions beyond just our relationship. It's hard to really trust you now. What if you 'lose it' again? I can't live my life afraid that I could lose everything at any time because you're unhappy or insecure." She looked at Zelda apologetically. The queen was looking down at their hands again, rather than up at her face. "I also feel guilty," Impa added. She sighed. This part was something she hadn't wanted to think about.

"Why guilty?" Zelda asked, still not looking at her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Impa picked at the sheets with her free hand. "I feel guilty because in my culture, what I'm doing is considered a crime."

The queen did look at Impa now, and her brow furrowed in confusion. "But I thought same-sex relationships were accepted in Sheikah culture? Why are you committing a crime?"

"They are accepted," the Sheikah said. "If it was any other woman I was falling in love with, they wouldn't care. I could declare tomorrow that I'm marrying Princess Ruto and we would celebrate. But it's not any woman…it's you. To be with you in a long-term capacity, like I want to, is to bring an end to the Line of Hylia and our tribe's way of life. It's not a punishable crime, but it's still serious." Impa shook her head and sighed. "So, yes. I feel conflicted. There you are. I'd rather just focus on the kissing and be happy for a couple hours."

"I'm sorry that being with me makes your life complicated," Zelda said, a hint of anger in her voice.

Impa raised an eyebrow and tugged at the queen's hand. "Hey, come on, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just trying to be honest."

Zelda let out a puff of air in frustration and let go of Impa's hand, crossing her arms over her chest. "If everyone would focus more on the wellbeing of the country and less on policing me and my ancestors' reproductive systems, we would not be having this war to begin with. Seriously, who do they think they are? The bloodline of Hylia is so spread out at this point, anyway, that I am sure every noble family in Hyrule has some. The cycle would find a way to birth the next Zelda if I didn't reproduce."

"Woah, hey," Impa reached over and took Zelda's hand again. She rubbed the back of it with her other hand and tried to catch the queen's eye. "You're right, Zelda. You are definitely right. But perhaps now, with an enemy army on our doorstep, is not the right time to challenge a millennia of belief and tradition?"

"When will it be the 'right time'?" Zelda demanded, but she softened and leaned into Impa's shoulder, closing her eyes. "I just remember what you said last night about our mothers. It kept me awake most of the night. I keep thinking that if my grandparents had been more concerned with my mother's happiness than they had been with making sure she had a baby, maybe she would still be alive. Maybe your mother would still be alive too, and all the people who died in the Battle of the Armies of Ruin, and this war and sadness wouldn't be happening."

"Oh Zelda," Impa wrapped her arms around the queen and held her tightly. "If it had happened that way, I wouldn't have you. I'm sorry you have to deal with this."

Zelda wrapped her arms around Impa's waist and pressed her face into the Sheikah's shoulder. "What does this mean for us?" she murmured, her voice muffled. "Distrust and guilt are not good foundations for a courtship, if it was even possible for us to do that. Which it is not. If we pursue this relationship, is this all we are going to be able to be? Very close friends, or secret lovers? Goddesses, why does this have to be complicated?"

Impa laughed. "Because you're the queen and destiny is complicated." She pressed a kiss into Zelda's hair and sighed. "Look, Zel, we don't have to figure out the prospect of courtship or our relationship today. I promise you that I will stay by your side for as long as you will have me, and we will figure out the rest in time. For now, I'm just grateful for this beautiful morning we get to share, and the friends who are waiting for us to meet them for breakfast."

Zelda almost jumped straight out of the bed. "Oh, I almost forgot about breakfast!" she exclaimed, clambering off the bed. Her hair was puffed out in disarray as she rushed into her bathroom to try to fix it, and Impa just shook her head and chuckled as she also got out of the bed. She was mostly ready already, having fallen asleep in her regular clothes, so she washed her face, redid her hair, and called it good. Zelda, however, always took longer to get ready. There were so many steps to her process in the morning that the warrior woman hadn't even learned them all yet.

By the time Impa went to see if she could help, Zelda had her hair done and was choosing a dress. Thinking about the day full of public appearances ahead of her, she chose one of her more traditional royal gowns. The Sheikah left the room so the blond could put on as many layers as she could by herself and reentered when she heard her name called. The queen was standing with her back to the door and had her hair pulled over her right shoulder, the laces of her corset exposed and loose. "Will you lace me up?" she asked, peaking at Impa out of the corner of her eye.

"My pleasure," the Sheikah responded, walking over to her and starting to tug at the laces. When they were tight and tied securely, Impa paused with her fingertips touching the queen's sides. Her breath caught in her throat, overwhelmed by how normal it felt to help Zelda dress. It felt like ages ago when it was a part of their everyday routine. Swallowing a little, she trailed her fingers up the sides of the corset and over Zelda's exposed shoulders. The queen shivered, and Impa pressed a kiss on the back of her neck. Smiling, she turned Zelda around and rested her hands on the blonde's hips. She leaned in to brush their lips together—a question without words. The queen's lips parted, accepting, permitting.

Impa pressed her lips to Zelda's gently at first, just a chaste peck, followed by another which lingered a little. Then her lips parted, coaxing the queen's lips to follow her rhythm as they moved against each other. Zelda leaned into her guardian's body, draping her arms around Impa's shoulders as the Sheikah's mouth leisurely explored. When the tip of Impa's tongue brushed against Zelda's lips, once again asking, hoping, the queen opened her mouth wider and met the Sheikah's tongue with her own.

The queen was willing and eager, her mouth yielding to Impa's gentle lips and probing tongue. She let the warrior lead, and her head spun with the pleasure of her taste. She felt like a student learning a new skill, and Impa was obviously an eager and patient teacher. She showed by example, and let Zelda try after. The kiss was gentle and explorative and fun, and when Impa pulled her lips away from Zelda's, she rested her forehead on the queen's and just held her close for a moment.

"Hm, quick study," she finally murmured, smiling into Zelda's eyes.

Zelda pressed another quick kiss to her lips before responding. "Good teacher," she said. "We should probably, you know, continue with getting ready. Waiting friends, right?"

Impa chuckled and stepped back, her hands leaving the queen's sides reluctantly. "Of course. Let me know if I can help you." She stepped out of the closet while Zelda commenced with the next steps in per process. Crossing to the door where her weapons were leaning, Impa strapped on her Biggoron Sword and waited. Once the last of her jewelry was in place and the final touches were put on her makeup, Zelda emerged from the closet looking like the picture of a Queen of Hyrule. The Sheikah grinned and tilted her head as she watched the queen walk over to her, resisting the urge to kiss her again. They had things to do, people waiting. She held open the door and followed her out.

In the hallway, Link was already there waiting for them, and Impa smiled to see him. He had chosen to wear a red tunic with a black scarf—obviously to show silent solidarity with his Sheikah friend. The gesture was unnecessary now, but it still warmed her heart. "You're looking handsome this morning," she said as they started walking toward the breakfast hall. "Sheikah colors look good on you."

Link smiled. "I'm glad you think so." He then turned to Zelda. "We are dining in the Queen's Solar this morning. I thought it would be nice since that was the last place we dined together as a group."

"Very thoughtful of you," she said.

It wasn't a far walk to the solar. When they arrived, they found a groggy-looking Zora princess waiting with her arms crossed, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground. "Oh. My. Goddesses. What took you two so long? Did you have pre-breakfast in your room before coming to breakfast? And getting me up early too. Do you have any idea how late I was up last night?"

Impa practically bounced on her toes when she saw the Zora girl. She was dying to tell her what had happened, but with Link and Zelda around she couldn't quite yet. Instead, she crossed over to her and shoved her shoulder gently, a big grin on her face. "Zelda did say that she wanted to have breakfast with us last night, so it's your own fault for staying up late."

"I am sorry we took so long," Zelda said, clasping her hands in front of her. Impa could tell she was nervous around the Zora Princess. Things were still not healed between them, and the queen felt guilty. "Shall we start breakfast? I do not know about you three, but I am famished."

Ruto sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. Lead the way."

Zelda went in first, and Impa trailed close behind her. Getting as close as she dared, the Sheikah tugged on the queen's dress a little and whispered "relax. They're our friends. It's going to be fine." The queen shoulder's relaxed, just a little, but she otherwise didn't respond as she took a seat around the table. Impa sat on her left, Link on her right, and Ruto sat between the two guardians. There was a bowl of fresh fruit and a plate of hot, fresh muffins in the middle of the table, so they dug in while they waited for the main course to be brought in.

It was Impa who decided to break the awkward silence that had hung over the room. "So, what is the plan for the day? I know we have the feast tonight, but I'm sure there are meetings on the agenda that Ruto and I should be involved in before that."

Zelda swallowed the melon she was eating and nodded. "Yes, well, really there is only one meeting you are needed for. I am meeting with the war council this morning after breakfast to go over final details before we march tomorrow. It will be very important for you both to be there, but we can talk about the details after we have eaten. Besides that, there is nothing you need to be concerned about before the feast. I will be working with the organizers most of the afternoon."

Impa seemed a little crestfallen. She had hoped, wishfully perhaps, that she and the queen would be able to spend some time together before the party. She realized, now, that it was a foolish thought. Obviously, the queen would be busy, and Impa herself should be practicing with her new sword in preparation for the battle. Resisting the urge to sigh, the Sheikah picked off a piece of her muffin and popped it in her mouth.

Under the table, Zelda's gloved hand found its way to Impa's knee. The Sheikah blinked in surprise but didn't look at her. Instead, she smiled to herself and covered the queen's hand with her own, lacing their fingers together. They both blushed a little, despite themselves, but Impa felt a little better. At least she wasn't the only one who was feeling disappointed.

A few servants entered then. One had a jug of orange juice and proceeded to fill glasses around the table. Another had a plate of scrambled eggs, and the third had a platter of breakfast meats. While the group was being served, Ruto examined the queen and her friend. She saw the smiles, and she saw the faint blushes, and she was suspicious. While Impa and Zelda were paying attention to the servants, the Zora princess nudged Link with her elbow and nodded her head toward them. He followed her eyes and made an "Oh" shape with his mouth, then shrugged. He didn't know what was going on with them either.

When the servants had left, Ruto took a bite of her breakfast and decided to probe. "So, Impa, you never returned to dinner last night. You missed a delicious main course. I was wondering what could have distracted you?"

Impa's eyebrows raised and her eyes widened. "Uh, well," she said, fishing around in her mind for an excuse. "You know, I was just really tired, and I went to bed early." She glared at the Zora, trying to communicate with her eyes I'll tell you later, just shut up now.

Ruto smirked, her eyes dancing with mischief. She knew exactly what Impa was trying to say but chose to ignore it. "But I knocked on your door last night and you weren't there. I was concerned."

"Oh, I didn't know where my room was, so I found a random one and slept there," Impa lied. She was shooting daggers at the Zora with her eyes now. Shut up, shut up, she thought. Zelda, too, looked uncomfortable. She appeared to be engrossed in eating her breakfast, not looking up to make eye contact with any of them.

Just when Ruto was about to fire off another uncomfortable question, there was a knock on the door. Oh, thank Farore, Impa thought as Link got up from the table to see who it was. A soldier stepped in and bowed at the waist, waiting for the queen's permission to speak.

Zelda nodded for him to go ahead. "Excuse me, your majesty, I am sorry to interrupt," he started.

Zelda wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it in her lap. "Actually, your timing is perfect. We were just finishing. Please deliver your message."

When the solider straightened, Impa recognized him as one of the seniors in her training unit. So he passed his final demonstration, she thought. Good for him. She smiled and waved to him a little. He glanced at her and smiled back, showing he saw and recognized her greeting, but then continued with his message. "The war council has convened early, your majesty. They sent me to find you to ask if you would be able to meet with them early, or if they should commence initial discussions without you."

Zelda frowned, but nodded. "Thank you, Sir William. Please go on ahead and tell the council that I will come. Also, please ensure that there are two additional places at the table. One should be placed at my right hand and the other at my left hand."

Sir William bowed again. "Yes, my queen."

"Good, you are dismissed." The solider slipped out. The sound of his boots clunking down the hallway faded before the queen spoke again. "I suppose that we are going to have to cut this breakfast short," she said. "Ruto, Impa, if you would both join me at the war council, I would be most grateful."

"Of course," Impa said. She was already in the process of standing, so she beat Link to Zelda's chair. He raised an eyebrow at her as the Sheikah pulled the queen's chair out and helped her to her feet. Although he had a better idea of what happened the night before than Ruto, he still was confused about what exactly transpired in that room to make the two women seem so close to each other again. Unfortunately, it didn't appear that either he or Ruto were going to get any answers at the moment. He shrugged off his questions and fell into step behind the three women as they left the Queen's Solar and marched down the hallway toward the council chamber.

"Thank you both, again," Zelda said as they approached the doors. "Neither of you owe me assistance, I know this, but I thank you for it nonetheless. When we enter the hall, Princess Ruto if you could sit on my left hand, I would be most grateful. Impa, if you could sit on my right hand, I will be likewise in your debt."

Impa nodded her head slowly. "Yes, my queen."

Ruto was more hesitant. She crossed her arms in front of her and her fins fluttered in agitation. "Look, I hate to be a damp fish, but you've danced around what has suddenly healed between you two all morning and leave me no choice but to be the one with the clammy fins. Queen Zelda, you may have healed relationships with Impa somehow, but I am still reserving judgement on your character and fitness to lead this war effort. For the sake of our alliance with Hyrule, and due to the great fondness and respect I hold for Impa, I will sit on your left hand and give all appearances of being completely supportive in there. I want you to know, however, that I have not been impressed by your gifts and your fancy words, and I will be watching you. We have all been betrayed convincingly by a royal of Hyrule before, which I know better than others. There is no guarantee that you, yourself, are not another of the enemy's ghosts in disguise."

Zelda inclined her head. "I am sorry you feel that way," she said, "but I respect your decision and I am grateful for your willingness to ally with us at all, given your experience with Wizzro and in the dungeon afterward. It must have been a traumatic experience, and I have done nothing to make it better for you. You have every right to keep an eye on me. In fact, I am grateful that you are willing to do so."

Ruto nodded, and the twitching of her fins began to settle. "Okay then. Let's do this."

"Very well," Queen Zelda said, then she approached the guards at the doors. "Queen Zelda and her guard, Sir Link, followed by Princess Ruto of the Zora Kingdom, and General Impa, Sheikah Tribal Leader." The guards bowed, and then thrust the doors open. Each of them was introduced, and then the guards stepped aside so they could enter.

Queen Zelda proceeded to the head of the table and sat down. Impa followed behind her and sat at her right hand, followed by Princess Ruto, who sat on the left. Link took up the rear, standing behind the queen in silence. Once all were seated, they looked out over the gathered generals and councilmen. Zelda was pleased to see surprise on their faces as they looked from Impa and Ruto to the queen and back.

It was the snide Councilman Vanzrir who spoke first. "If I may be frank, your majesty?" he asked.

Zelda suppressed the smile that wanted to tug at the corners of her mouth. "As I am sure that each man in this chamber has the same thoughts that you want to express, and it has been a point of contention between us for many weeks now, I give you permission. Speak freely, if cautiously, Councilman Vanzrir."

The councilman gave a curt nod of his head, licked his lips thickly, and commenced. "I see that General Impa and Princess Ruto enter with you and sit beside you like friends, as well as allies. Is this true? Has the rift between you been mended?"

Zelda looked at Impa, who nodded back, and then at Ruto, who did the same, although she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly when she did so in a way that only Zelda would have seen. The queen turned her gaze back to the councilman and made eye contact when she spoke with him. "Mending such wounds and hurts as those that lie between our tribes is a process that spans months, even years. Because of this, it is hard for me to answer your inquiry with a definite 'yes', but I can say that positive steps are being made. There are the official steps we have made together, for starters: the official pardon of all charges, the rare gifts from the royal treasury, and the promotion to the rank of General for Impa, who previously held the rank of captain. These are all good things, but they were insufficient to begin the bridging of the gap that my personal vendetta caused to form between Hyrule and its allies."

The queen paused a moment to take a breath and a sip of the water readied on the table for her before continuing. "As I have said, my personal vendetta caused this rift, and so I can assure you that I have taken and will continue to take steps toward personal reconciliation with both of these world leaders. It will be a long healing process, but they have been kindhearted enough to open themselves to my friendship once more. I can only pray that the rest of Hyrule may forgive my foolishness as readily as these two women have."

Silence fell on the room again. Finally, General Auru cleared his throat. "Well, I think this is great news, and a big relief. Now we can move beyond this and look forward. The plan is still to march out tomorrow, and we have a lot to discuss now that the Sheikah and Zora Tribes are here."

"Thank you, General," Zelda said. "You are correct, and I ask that you let me begin. New information has come to light about Kishla's history, her betrayal, and the motivations for it thanks to General Impa's dedicated investigation of the matter within her own tribe. We all know that the Sheikah tribe generally keeps its information to itself, but Impa has agreed to share this information with us to help us better understand Kishla so we might predict her next moves and ultimate goal." The queen turned her attention to the tribal leader at her side. "Impa, if you would do us the honor of relaying your information."

Impa nodded. "Thank you, your majesty," she said. She paused only briefly to flash the smallest hint of a reassuring smile toward Zelda before turning her gaze toward the council table and launching into the story. She censored parts of the story as necessary but kept the relevant facts and details as plain and up for interpretation as possible. "So, what we can conclude from all of this is that Kishla thinks that she is helping Hyrule by overthrowing the Hylian Dynasty. It is a twisted point of view, but you can be sure that she is looking at Hyrule and deciding her moves in the same way she has in the past when coming up against our own enemies. Now, I do not have personal experience with her as a wartime leader and strategist. Neither has Queen Zelda. But many of you on this council do have that experience. Please, tell us what that was like. Help us to inhabit that mind space so that we can predict what she has been doing, or what she is going to do next."

The generals present breezed right over the details of the romantic relationship and jumped right on the task presented. As they launched into old war stories, however, some of the younger councilmen present were obviously squirming. While they were trying to listen, they were hung up as Zelda had predicted. Impa resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tell them to grow up. Now was not the time to be distracted when they were supposed to be learning how Kishla thought and planned in a war.

The war stories went on for a while, and speculations and suppositions were thrown out for all to discuss and consider concerning Kishla's logic. After a while, they eventually agreed on the old Sheikah woman's general disposition and thought process when planning for war, and they moved on to applying that to the current situation. A lot of thoughts and ideas were thrown out by everyone and debated. By the time that they settled on a few they could agree on, it was approaching early afternoon. The pre-war feast organizers were outside the door waiting on Zelda not-so-patiently.

"Gentleman, ladies, I am afraid that we are going to have to adjourn this council. We can be no more prepared than we are now, and I think that Kathleen and Geoffrey are going to have a cow each if I do not go out there to help them soon." Zelda nodded to Link, who pulled her chair out and helped her to stand. "Do you have any questions for me before I depart?" The queen asked.

"No, your majesty," answered one of the women on the council.

"However, we would like to thank you for your efforts and contributions today," another one said. The rest of the council nodded and smiled. She had done well on every front, and they were impressed. Perhaps, some of them thought, she would be a fine ruler after all.

"You are welcome, and I would say the same of you," Zelda smiled, curtseyed a little, and then looked at Impa and Ruto. "Would you ladies be so kind as to accompany me to the door?"

Ruto and Impa agreed and walked with the queen out of the hall. Once they were out and the doors had closed behind them, Zelda turned and smiled at them. "That went better than I had hoped," she said. "Thank you both tremendously. I owe each of you a personal debt."

Ruto smiled a bit. "Well, I do have to admit that you were great in there," she said. "A true queen. And your words about Impa and I were moving."

Zelda nodded and cast her eyes down. "They were nothing short of truth," she said. Behind her, two finely-dressed people were fidgeting. One of them cleared their throats rather loudly, and Zelda sighed. "What is the point of hiring planners if they need your input constantly?" she asked, exasperated. Still, she shook her head and resigned herself. "I am afraid that I have to go, but it would be my great honor if you would dine with me tonight?"

Impa nodded. "I would love to," she said. Ruto agreed as well.

"Wonderful! I look forward to tonight, then." With a smile for them both, the queen turned and finally marched over to her waiting servants. "I am coming, I am coming! Do you not realize that I am trying to plan for a war?"

Link held back for a second. "I have to follow," he said, but he turned to Ruto. "You. Get the information out of this one for both of us, will you? I'll sit by you tonight so you can fill me in."

Ruto giggled a little and her fins fluttered. "Of course, silly man. Now go, you're going to lose her down that hallway."

"Great!" Link grinned and then turned and ran to catch up with the queen. The doors were opening to allow the rest of the councilmen and generals to leave. Impa turned, planning to greet them and talk about where they would like her tomorrow, but Ruto grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the nearest hallway.

"No, you don't," she said. "You have things to answer for, and you are going to answer now. No more dodging! Goddesses, Impa, I stand by you through all the dark times we just came through and you can't even tell me what's going on?"

"Shh, quiet Ruto! This is a very busy castle!" Impa said. "Look, I want to tell you, but I want us to be alone, okay? Can we go to your room?"

Ruto clicked her tongue impatiently, but she agreed. "Fine," she said. "I need to wet my skin anyway. The air is very dry today, and I want to be moist and beautiful for the party tonight, especially if that handsome Link is going to sit by me."

"You are so predictable," she said, laughing. Ruto just rolled her eyes and led the way to the room they had settled her into the night before. Impa closed the door behind them and watched as the Zora princess walked straight into the large back room. When she heard the distinctive sound of magic generating water out of thin air, she knew that Ruto was filling her tub. Deciding to go for the polite route, the Sheikah sat down on the vanity chair to wait.

In a moment, however, the Zora poked her head out. "Well, are you going to come in and talk to me or what? You're not shy or something are you? It's not like Zora usually wear clothing or anything. If we were home, you'd see me naked every day. Really, clothing is itchy and I don't like wearing it."

"Uh, well, okay I guess," the Sheikah stammered. She hadn't been around many Zora in her lifetime, certainly not Zora princesses, and it was usually in a Hylian setting when she had. She actually wasn't familiar with their disdain of clothing. Ruto's head disappeared again, and Impa heard her get into the water. Shaking her inhibitions off, the Sheikah woman got up and walked on back.

When she got in there, she found that Ruto had already moved a chair over to the side of the tub for her to sit on. She sat down and looked firmly at the window behind the tub, rather than down at Ruto directly. The fish woman giggled. "You are shy, aren't you?" she said. "My my, this Sheikah really hasn't had much experience with Zora culture. I'll have to bring you to the Domain someday so you can really freak out. Won't that be fun?"

Impa rolled her eyes. "Whatever Ruto."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I put some bubble bath solution in to pamper myself, so you can't see anything."

Impa sighed and looked down and the Zora's face. "Thank you. And I will come to Zora's Domain someday and get over myself, but maybe not today."

"Okay, okay," Ruto said, making impatient circular motions with her hands. "Will you just skip to the story already? What in the sacred realm happened when you left to go to the bathroom?"

"Well, I didn't go to the bathroom, to start out with. I caught a glimpse of Zelda in the doorway and I knew she wanted me to follow her. So I did, and I found her in the secret enclosure."

"Which one?"

"The one that Kishla didn't know about."

Ruto nodded. "Oh okay, I got it. Continue."

"Well, what happened next is sort of…complicated. It's a long story but suffice to say that Zelda and I have a spiritual bond." Ruto looked confused, and Impa sighed. "So, our spirits are connected? It's not just destiny, though that's certainly part of it. Something happened when Zelda discovered her magical core to bind my soul to hers. The point of this is to say that those obsessive dreams I've been having? Well, Zelda has been going through the same thing. I had a suspicion of what was happening, but as soon as I heard her talk, I knew that a connection must have been formed the day of the battle and that's what was causing it all. Zelda, unfortunately, thought that I was torturing her through magic this whole time. She didn't understand. I tried to tell her it wasn't true, but she didn't believe me. So I told her to go inside and see for herself."

Ruto's eyes opened wider than before. "Okay, whatever this magical thing you two have got going on is way over my head. You told her to go inside you and look for herself? That sounds a little…." She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.

Impa nodded. "Spiritually of course. She's the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, so her power is beyond what even she knows she can do. Anyway, she did whatever it was she needed to do for that, and she found that I was true and honest and all of her claims and suspicions were wrong."

"Just like that?" Ruto asked.

"Just like that," the Sheikah confirmed. "But she went too deep and I passed out."

Ruto held up a fin to cover a snicker, and Impa slugged her in the arm.

"Come on, not like that! Sheesh, how old are you?" She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she continued. "Next thing I knew, I woke up in her bed. She woke me up with smelling salts, and her face was the first thing I saw. We talked. We argued. We challenged each other. We asked questions and gave answers. I told her about our mothers, as you heard in there, and then I told her that I still love her."

"Because you're stupid like that," Ruto said, rolling her eyes. "Continue."

Impa laughed. "Well, be that as it may, I told her I was still in love with her despite everything that has happened, and those feelings are completely my own. And she kissed me."

Ruto laughed out loud this time. "Seriously? Why does she do that? Just kiss you out of nowhere. She's so odd."

Impa shook her head. "I don't know. But you know what? She finally told me that she loves me too. Not 'I have feelings for you' or 'I care about you', but actually the L-word itself. She loves me back."

"Holy carp," Ruto said, her mouth hanging open a little. "She actually admitted it, then. That she loves you. She's has some major issues with that, right? And that went okay?"

"Yes it did," Impa confirmed. "So well, in fact, that we both fell asleep in each others arms and woke up together this morning."

"Well, that's rather surprising," Ruto said. "Congratulations are in order, I suppose. If you want that emotional wreck, then it sounds like you've got her."

Impa smiled, but it was more to herself than anything. "I suppose so," she said. "I hope so. We'll see."

Ruto splashed some water over her shoulders. "Why do you not sound so sure? If it went so well, what's the problem?"

Impa sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking out the nearby window. "The morning after happened. We woke up this morning and she wanted to talk about how I was really feeling."

Ruto snorted in laughter, then choked it back and gave Impa an innocent look. "Sorry, but, you and feelings don't get along."

"I know!" Impa exclaimed. "Well, I couldn't lie to her, so I told her the truth. That I felt conflicted. So she had to talk about what that meant, and then she got mad because of the fact that I feel guilty about the whole 'ending the bloodline of hylia and our whole way of life' thing. Not really mad at me, just mad about how unfair it is." The Sheikah sighed and looked back at her friend. "I don't know. It's so complicated. When we're together, we're so happy and attracted to each other and in love. But then there's the fact that I'm not really sure I can fully trust her not to flip out again, and the fact that it's illegal in both of our cultures for us to really be together. She wants to fix all these problems today and start a formal courtship, and we can't do either of those things. We finally just decided to be grateful for the time we have and figure the rest out later. She's not happy about it, but what else can we do?" Impa bit her lip a little. "To tell you the truth, I'm not happy about it either."

Ruto raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You…want to formally court the Queen of Hyrule?"

Impa shrugged. "I don't even know what that entails. I mean, maybe? I'd like to be able to decide for myself at least."

"Woah, woah," she rubbed her temple with one hand, as if her head hurt. "So, you would be okay with being involved in the first same-sex courtship in the history of Hyrule, and a royal courtship at that, just to be with Zelda?"

Impa shrugged, and then started nodding. "Well…yes. I guess I would."

"Hold up, now, we need to talk about this," Ruto almost got out of the water in her urgency before she remembered Impa's shyness and got back in. "Look, I know you two have got some spiritual thing going on and everything is so new and fun between you two—sort of—but in this life you've barely known each other. In the time you have known each other, there has been war and death and she almost destroyed your life. I admire how strongly you feel for her, I do, but you must slow this ship down. Once you start courting the queen, you won't be able to go back. Especially not if Zelda wants to actually change the institution of courtship in Hyrule. If you court her, it must be because you're going to marry her. All in, or not in."

Impa held up her hands in defense. "Hey, woah, wow. I didn't know you felt so strongly about this. It's not even possible right now, so what does it matter?"

Ruto sighed. "It matters. Zelda may be new this party, but there are many people out there—Hylians and Zora alike—that care a lot about this and have been fighting for years for the right to court and marry the person of their choice under Hylian law. If that law were to change, it would affect a lot of people. The Zora Monarchy has been backing those who want to change the law, but we've had no support, response, or even acknowledgement from the Crown. If you and Zelda are going to try to change things, then you're going to have be all in. It's not just for you."

Impa nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry if I was cavalier about it. I'll make sure that if and when we try to change the law so we can court, I'll be all in." The Zora princess seemed to relax, satisfied with her friend's answer. They fell into a comfortable silence as Ruto relaxed in her bath and the Sheikah sat in contemplation. After a moment, however, Impa stood up and stretched. "I should get going. Tomorrow we march to war, and tonight we feast, so I have preparation to do for both myself and my people." Ruto agreed and Impa left to go to the practice square. It had been a very long time since she had been able to just practice alone. After the morning she'd had, she needed the time to think.

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

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Hello readers!

Another month, another chapter. All previous chapters have been edited and updated, so feel free to give it another read through. Mostly grammatical corrections, but some scene changes as well. Hope you're all still enjoying it! Thanks for reading.

~The Wolfess