Scattering Petals
Zelda & Link
Chapter 1: Summertide ball
When the legendary hero and the divine princess' destinies collide altogether
Fidgeting with the white silk had been the best thing she had managed to do during the entire evening. Her gloves had been starting to form wrinkles as a result of the action, which eventually became an unconscious cycle. The heat in the air didn't help either. Zelda had the impulse to rip off all the layers of unnecessary clothes that had been stuck in her form for so long. The corset made her ribs tighten painfully, in result making it difficult to breathe with ease. With all of that on, each sigh seemed to weigh three thousand times more than it already did.
Her father's words echoed across the temple as she looked down at her silky hands. It was all she could do at the time. It was better to avoid the glances and limit herself to maintain a proper form while her father spoke. King Rhoam, after all, was honoring the selected soldiers and royal guard staff that was allowed into the event. Zelda couldn't help but resent that speech. For a moment, she wished those praises were also directed to her for fulfilling her duty as Hyrule's princess. But that wasn't the case as she had been declared a complete failure, an immature spoiled girl that was incapable of unlocking her divine powers. And the best she could do in that situation was stay silent and wrap herself in a cold aura to avoid being bothered.
On the other hand, the most gifted warriors kneeled on the stone floor. Hyrule's royalty had decided to concede some privileges to the bravest of them before summertide started. King Rhoam cared to maintain good contact with Hyrule's soldiers, always looking out for the troops and doing everything in his hand to avoid tension among the kingdom. That matter gained importance at the moment as a new era was about to start. They didn't know when, but Ganon's shadows could strike any moment now.
"Each of you has served your kingdom admirably." King Rhoam concluded solemnly. "Hyrulean knights, feel proud of each of your achievements and be willing to learn from failures as well. So, here, now, go forth and accept these medals for your kingdom."
A set of metal ornaments hang from the exhibitors that had been placed in the altar of the Temple of Time. Zelda finally could take her gloves out to proceed and aid her father to commemorate each knight that fought hard for Hyrule. So, in pairs, the most honorable warriors made their way to receive a symbolic reward for serving their land.
"Blessed be." Zelda muttered at each one of them.
Eventually, the line of soldiers arrived at its end, concluding the royal commemoration with loud clapping from the assistants that were filling the benches. Nonetheless, one last figure stood still at the bottom of the hallway, holding a sacred sword that only he could bear.
"Come forward, chosen hero, as Hyrule shows gratitude for the blade that will seal the darkness away from our era." The king announced, hand extended forward to signal the knight.
The entire room fell silent as the metallic steps approached the monarch. Only then, Zelda decided to hold her glance up and examine the scenario. People whispered his name in awe, commenting on how he could fight any enemy that came forward, admiring how strong and disciplined he was. All that the princess lacked and desperately had tried to achieve. Now he was the one that owned the ability to seal the darkness.
And so came in the boy, only a teenager, not even tall enough to match the princess' height. His face was stoic, nobody could tell the emotion from his factions. He arrived at the altar and kneeled before father and daughter to show his respect and then stoop firmly. The blade of the Master Sword gleamed with the beams of moonlight, reaffirming the divine choice upon the warrior. The sight itself was divine. Breathtaking each one of the spectators.
Zelda found Link's stance before her, waiting with what seemed indifference. Their eyes met for a brief moment as the king collected a special medal at the arms of Hylia's statue. The knight's eyes had a piercing onyx glow that unconsciously made the princess take half a step back as she reached for the king's medal.
She wouldn't admit her logical reasoning, but the chosen hero was the counterpart of all she lacked. Furthermore, she perceived him as a threat around her.
Luckily, the knight's eyes lowered to admire for a brief moment the shiny medal that was now his. Then felt the princess' peachy hands placing it on his blue champion attire, trying to nail the needle. Despite the flawless flesh of the princess, she showed some difficulty in pinning the medal on the cloth. An unfortunate setback that made everyone in the room question her skills as she was the one that crafted the tunic the hero wore.
At last, Link had to intervene and help her place the medal correctly. The princess thanked internally the presence of his gloves or else he would have noticed her sweaty hands.
"Chosen one, accept not only this medal as a sign of your bravery but also the honor to become my own daughter's appointed knight."
What Link could hide his expression, Zelda was unable to do so. The surprise was written all over her face as her father made the announcement public. She knew the king had the idea of assigning her a very own personal guard, but she didn't expect it to be the chosen hero. However, thinking it rationally, it was something she could have guessed based on her father's ideals concerning Hyrule's well-being.
King Rhoam needed the chosen hero beside his daughter. So that way she could, maybe, awaken her powers at last. Even diamonds were formed under great pressure.
"I accept, your Majesty."
Fellow fighters patted him on the shoulder with a smile. Everybody congratulated him for each one of his accomplishments. First of all, for being strong enough for his age. Secondly, for being the chosen one by Hylia's sword. And at last, for becoming the princess' appointed knight. All signs of support were received with thankful nods from Link, who tried to be as modest as possible despite everything.
His life had changed since he had managed to pull the Master Sword from its confining stone. It all started with a bet at the entrance of the Lost Woods. His colleagues from the royal guard tried to match skill and bravery in such a location. However, little did Link know that he would end up finding himself at the very feet of a centenary tree, just before a glowing blade nailed in the ground. And that from all of them, he could be the only one to achieve handling the divine sword.
He used to be a common knight, just another pawn for Hyrule's sake. Not anymore. With all the attention over him, he couldn't even approach the pastry table and fetch something decent to eat. People just blocked the way while trying to exchange a few words with him.
Luckily, the royal guard captain proposed a toast to the assistants. Link didn't even drink, not even on social events, so he managed to escape the crowd. Of course, he wouldn't let the opportunity to sneak some food out while being at it. The royal recipes were something exclusive that he could rarely taste. Maybe with some more luck, that would be more frequent while being the princess' appointed knight.
His body crawled around like a shadow until he finally found a clear exit. He could hear the soldiers' cheers inside the Temple of Time while the celebration went on. So while the party continued without him, he enjoyed the refreshing breeze of the night, glancing at the starry sky as he took a bite out of the piece of cake he had taken. Link could swear he was just like any other normal boy, he liked that feeling from time to time.
Despite this relaxing brief moment, the knight was able to tell that he wasn't alone.
A white figure descended downstairs, just above his sitting discreet spot. The sound of feminine heels broke the silent nocturne ambiance around him. He would have switched places to avoid being spotted in another situation, but curiosity took the best out of him.
It was the princess who had also decided to breathe some fresh air, alone. By just looking at her behavior, he could tell she was releasing all of her tension. Just like he was doing. Nevertheless, neither security nor royal guards were aware of her absence, so Link just felt it his duty to watch her over the night. After all, he had been assigned an appointed knight. It was his job after all.
On his guard, Link walked behind the princess at a respectful distance and made an extra effort to let her know he was there. He tried to emphasize his steps so she could hear him. However, princess Zelda kept admiring the moonlight in a rigid stance as if she were frozen in place. Overall it was quite a dreamy view of the moonlight reflecting its beams on the divine descendant's skin and hair.
And so the night continued even though it seemed both hero and princess were trapped in time. Link finally shifted his stance and ended kneeling on the floor, unsheathing his sword so that the threatening sound alerted the princess. His strategy worked too well.
"Huh?" The princess turned, frightened by the sound of the blade. She had to lower her glance to notice her appointed knight kneeled on the ground. When he noticed her stare, he lowered his head as a sign of loyalty.
She seemed shocked for a few moments, not a single word spoken. A thoughtful expression lingered on Zelda's face, slowly twisting in a bitter posture towards her knight.
"This isn't necessary. You don't have to." She muttered coldly and turned away to walk and gain some more distance. Link held his head up, trying not to show his confusion at the undefined order. So he stood and waited behind her, also taking two steps forward to equal the previous distance, sword nailed on the ground for his support.
The princess noticed his insistent presence once more and rolled her eyes at the sky. She could swear feeling the earth's lament while her appointed knight used the Master Sword as some sort of bizarre walking stick. A loud and long sigh was let out, very obvious and noticeable, charged with hope of accomplishing solitude once more. However, none of them moved from their positions. Zelda had to turn her head back to look at him again, not without trying to examine his face to no avail. He also did study her even though she thought his mind was some kind of endless void, a dummy to be ordered around. The only difference was that the princess, despite her steel barrier, was more transparent to emotions. She seemed annoyed and didn't quit staring at him in an attempt to make him feel uncomfortable. He remained there, stoic, and the fact that he was managing to read her was deeply annoying the princess.
"I'd appreciate some time to myself. If that is possible." Zelda's words seemed more like an order than a petition. Link's reaction was to take three steps backward, his eyes not leaving her, to allow some privacy. Another sigh was drawn out of her lips. She figured he wouldn't leave her alone for one minute. After some awkward silence, she spoke. "What was your name again?"
The knight's eyes slightly lit up with curiosity and attention. "Link." He simply replied.
"Of course. Link." She repeated for herself in a tired tone. She had probably heard of him, but not as much as the knights and royal guards heard of the royal family and the heir that couldn't trigger her divine powers. Although he couldn't deny the fact that the court had been gossiping about him non-stop. It wasn't an everyday thing that a knight managed to protect a crowd from an uncontrolled guardian with only a wood lid and a spoon. As ridiculous as it sounded, that had been the beginning of his popular heroic adventures.
Princess Zelda turned her attention back to the sky and gawked at the moon, trying to forget about the other presence behind her. If she was supposed to continue with her prayers and meditations with that boy's presence around, she would turn crazy eventually. Having him watching over her felt like two daggers piercing her nape, as ironic as it sounded. Her patience only allowed her to think about the possible connection between her unsealed powers and the moon cycle for about five minutes.
After her failed attempt at pondering, she turned and moved to return inside the temple. However, the young knight was on her way. She made her best try of an intimidating glance and stood before him.
"You can retire." Zelda sentenced and paced towards the stairs that led inside the building. Link, as he was also part of the event, ended up following her same path. She remained silent and allowed his company until they reached the entrance, where two guards were controlling the access. They bowed at her presence and expectantly observed as the princess made a hard attempt to not lose her patience.
She made sure to hold her glance long enough for him to get the message as clearly as possible.
"Goodnight." And even though her words were polite, her tone left it clear that she was not to be bothered for the rest of the celebration.
As the princess joined the event, the three knights could swear the air turned colder after that statement. Link allowed himself to share a brief sign of uneasiness and the guards returned the same sensation with a look of complicity.
Link's new task would be harder than he expected.
