OH MY GOD IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS--YES BITCHES. I AM BACK.
And wholly unable to stop living in the Empire universe--tell me, is that a sign of good writing or am I just vain af? Whatever lmfao.
Well, here we are, as I promised 83847262 years ago: THE SEQUEL TO EMPIRE, FROM YOUR TIME. No I am not finished writing it but we are ALMOST THERE YALL. (StJames1 knows what a lie that is)(just kidding)
So uh. Hope you're all still keeping an eye out haha, and as usual I adore your feedback, so um, pls leave some! And uhhh enjoy!!
*covers mic* *whispers* nailed it
Dawn of the First Movement: Fear
Hazen tapped his pencil absently, staring at the ceiling. The library was quiet, as usual, oblivious to the thoughts swirling in the crown prince's head. He breathed in, and blew it out through his nose.
The Summit would start soon.
That was how it started, if he really thought about it. It had been the first thing she'd done as empress, the first thing that had tipped her off about the wrongs in the empire. And then it snowballed from there.
Hazen twirled his pencil in aimless circles, letting his mind do the same. He couldn't get it out of his head. Of course, it didn't help when literally everything reminded him of it, when every courtier smiled at him like they expected him to be as great, as legendary.
It didn't help when his own parents were war heroes and wielders of the Triforce.
He let out an aggravated sigh, prompting Tessen to look at him curiously. He didn't speak, though, knowing Hazen preferred to work his issues out himself. But there was no working this one out.
"Do you ever wonder about the war?"
If Tessen was surprised, he didn't show it. "Like the tactical side of it?"
"No, like . . ." Hazen frowned. "Like . . . the war. I don't know."
"Um . . . I suppose so. It's kind of hard not to, honestly."
"Right?" Hazen straightened in his chair, meeting Tessen's pale blue eyes. In the sun, they almost looked violet, or lavender, but now they just looked contemplative. And confused. "I guess? What's wrong?"
Hazen sighed again, sitting back. "Nothing."
Tessen's voice was quiet. "It's getting to you, isn't it?"
"I just . . ." He didn't know how to explain it. "It's everywhere, you know? And I should be used to it, I am used to it, but now, whenever the Summit gets brought up, it's worse. It's like I can't get away from it, but then, I can't think of anything else."
"Can't think of anything besides the war, or the Summit?"
"The war," Hazen said honestly, scratching his head. He spun his pencil aggressively, trying to figure out how to word it. He decided to go with the approach he knew best.
"When you have a problem, you have to understand it in order to know how to solve it. But the problem is the war, and I just don't get it. How do you understand something you've never experienced?"
"Do you want to experience it?" Tessen cocked his head, a brow raised.
"No, no." Haren waved a hand. "But I want to understand it. I want to know why it's still so prevalent, why it's everywhere. I want to know why it evokes the emotions that it does, and I want to know why everyone looks at me like . . . like . . ."
He groaned in frustration and threw his pencil. It nearly took out a passing librarian's eye, and as she turned to glare at him, Hazen winced. "Sorry," he called, and three others poked their heads out of the stacks to shush him.
He sighed, ignoring the sniggers that Tessen valiantly tried to muffle. "I just . . ." He sighed again.
Tessen decided to take pity on him. "It's not going to go away so soon, Hazen. It hasn't even been a full generation yet. And you're, well, you. They're going to look at you like you're something special."
"Thanks for the esteem boost," Hazen said flatly, and Tessen laughed. "You know what I meant."
Yeah. He did. And while it helped, a little, he was still bothered. A lot.
Hazen opened his mouth, but Tessen checked the clock and said, "You should probably get going. Your mom's going to want you."
"Shit, you're right," Hazen muttered. "I'll see you later. Or not."
Tessen waved him off, and Hazen gathered his books and hurried off, heading to the tower where his mother waited. He passed a few courtiers, trying not to squirm as they smiled at him, and hurried up the open steps.
It was a short walk to her rooms. Across a walkway, over the open pavilion she liked to entertain guests in, and inside the castle through a secret door in the stonework. It led right into a hall, always lined with guards, and unknown to anyone outside her guard detail and immediate family. Hazen nodded to the sentries and headed for the door at the end of the hall, sparing a glance through the window.
It was a pretty special place. The secret series of rooms was already an interesting find, but what they protruded into was incredible on its own. Hazen felt a smile grow.
Beneath the castle, the Sanctum in particular, was an enormous room. Its exact purpose was unknown, but the designs on the walls indicated it had been some sort of planetarium, displaying constellations in the ancient Sheikah style. And the piles of rubble and broken metal had Hazen convinced a great battle had once been fought there.
But as for the rest of the castle, ancient halls like this one had been dug out, all leading to caverns of some sort deep below the hill. Hazen suspected they went into the earth's surface, way way down, but somehow, there was sunlight. He couldn't puzzle it out, no matter how much he studied.
Of course, thinking about the cavern and halls and his mother's new quarters also reminded him of the reason they were used in the first place.
Biting his cheek, Hazen tried not to frown too deeply and let himself in. Once he closed the door, he forced a smile to his face.
Zelda was always busy, almost as a rule. So seeing her standing at her vanity, head bowed, shoulders hunched, made Hazen cock his head. And then he saw her wardrobe.
She'd chosen a deep blue gown, complete with tiny crystals sewn in and a white cape over one shoulder. She wore white gloves and those diamonds, which made Hazen's heart drop.
He took a step forward. "Mom, what's--what's wrong? What happened?"
Zelda lifted her head, meeting his gaze in the mirror. She managed a smile, but Hazen could see the heartache in it. "Oh, darling. You're here."
She straightened and approached, wrapping Hazen in a hug. He was confused, but returned it, and followed her as she continued to get ready. "Mom, are you okay?"
Zelda blinked, her hands stilling as they fussed with the cape, then she smiled. "Of course," she murmured. "Come here, sweetheart."
Hazen followed her to the windows, looking out over the cavern far below. The sunlight was hazy, casting everything in a strange pale golden glow, and at a glance at his mother's face, Hazen saw her mouth in a faint frown, her blue eyes as bright as they had been when she was young. At least, according to Link.
Her words brought Hazen from his thoughts. "Do you know whose diamonds these once were?"
He didn't. But he knew what they meant. They were her mourning jewels. She only ever wore them when something terrible happened, and he knew because she'd worn them nine years ago, and only then.
His mother let out a breath. "They were my mother's."
Oh. Oh. Hazen didn't know what to say, and he dithered for a moment before managing a stupid "Uhh--"
Zelda smiled, a sad thing. "Today is the anniversary of her death. I wear these diamonds because they remind me of her, and because this is the only time I give myself to grieve her fully. I miss her, but I must be the Empress." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before meeting Hazen's sad gaze. "But that doesn't mean I must bring you down."
Hazen blinked before letting out a short laugh. "I'm . . . sorry, mom. That you don't get more time to be just you."
Zelda laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If I wanted to just be me, I would not have returned to the empire, and then where would we be?"
"Under a tyrant's thumb?" Hazen guessed.
"Indeed," Zelda agreed, before taking a bracing breath. "Now, I wanted to ask you a favor. Today is the first day of the Summit meetings, and since no one is interested in a repeat of last year, I need you to watch your brothers."
Hazen was an eighteen-year-old man, the crown prince of the Hylian Empire. He was the son of Empress Zelda and the Hero Link. And at his mother's words, he groaned like a boy being grounded.
Zelda snorted at his reaction. "Is it so bad, darling?"
"Really, Mother? Again?"
"What do you mean, again?" Zelda affected an innocent look. "Surely you've not been asked to do this before, what with last year's disaster?"
Ouch. "That was low," Hazen muttered. "You know what they're like."
"Indeed I do, which is why I need you to be strong today." Zelda placed a hand on his cheek. "Please, Hazen. For all the goddesses know, they'll try to put food coloring in Ravio's dinner again."
Hazen couldn't stop a snort. "His tongue was blue for a week."
"Hilda was beside herself," Zelda agreed, chuckling. "She could hardly speak for the rest of the meeting."
"But in all seriousness, I do need them out of the council rooms . . . and the general vicinity." Zelda frowned. "But it's just for today. Tomorrow, they have lessons, and for the rest of the week, whenever they're free, I've tapped certain staff to keep them . . . occupied."
"I'm sure Batreaux will be thrilled to hear it."
"He's not forgotten that stunt in the West Hall, mind you." Zelda strode around the room, checking her schedule and the time, making sure she was presentable. A wasted effort, in Hazen's opinion. His mother always looked perfect, whether she tried to or not.
Without warning or prompt, an image of her flashed through his mind, dark and disheveled and decidedly not perfect. Hazen shoved it away with effort and forced a smile to his face, not wanting to worry her. He knew, as well as she did, that she wasn't wearing those jewels just for the late queen.
She was speaking. " . . . and do make sure Nayra doesn't get into the sweets cart again," she said, exasperated. "Goddesses know she's going to get a cavity one of these days, I swear."
Hazen smiled a little easier. "I will, mom."
It was like she didn't hear him, continuing to worry herself into knots, until Hazen came forward and took her elbows, breaking her out of her rant. "Mom. It'll be fine. I'll keep a sharp eye on them."
Zelda crooked a brow. "The sharpest?"
"Promise," Hazen vowed. "I'll even get Tessen and Saval on it."
"Okay," Zelda sighed. "Oh, but not Lulu. The three of them together . . ." She shuddered.
Hazen laughed, but it was strained now. As hard as he tried, the memories wouldn't stay down. "Go, mom. It'll be fine."
"All right, darling. Wish me luck." Zelda kissed his cheek and left, leaving Hazen alone with his thoughts.
He stared down into the cavern, his eyes scanning the stone, his mind elsewhere. Focusing in on that day nine years ago.
Nayra had just been born. It had been a hard birth, and Zelda was weak. She'd rested for most of the day, kept away from the action by Link and Tetra. Monsters had been trying to regroup somewhat, making strikes here and there, but none so bold to attack the castle itself.
Or so they'd thought.
Zelda had woken from a nap late at night, unsure why, but knowing something was wrong. She'd gotten a drink of water, searching her shadowed rooms, looking out the tower windows.
Then there'd been a thump on the door, and a grunt, and a noise she'd become well acquainted with. A Lizalfos hiss.
The door slammed open, revealing the monster, its silver scales coated in the guard's blood. In Karane's blood.
It charged Zelda, and she snatched a poker from the fireplace, but she was weak and surprised, and the monster knew it. It pressed its advantage, slicing her cheek, until Link and the guards burst inside and killed it, but the damage had been done.
Nayra had been screaming the entire time--and as Zelda rose to shaky legs and cradled her daughter, blood and tears fell to the newborn's face. Hazen had pulled his brothers away from where they'd peeked through the door, herded back to their rooms by a dozen guards.
It was a dark night. Zelda's peace of mind had been destroyed. She checked on Nayra every chance she could, had as many guards as she could posted to the baby's nursery. She ruled in the daylight, but when darkness fell, nightmares reigned. Even in a new set of rooms, heavily secured and impossible to find. And, of course, there was the matter of Karane.
Hazen could remember the funeral, even now. How dreary the sky was, gray clouds hovering over them the whole time. The violin Karane's daughter had played, a slow, mournful song that had always been the soldier's favorite. Pipit carrying her coffin alongside Zelda, Link and Gaepora. White flowers against a dull background.
Hazen bit his lip, staring out over the cavern without seeing it. It was hard to believe that had been nine years ago, but it was. He knew the effect it took on his mother, too. He knew she wondered, how much more would she lose to Ganondorf? Even though he was dead, the war over, her friends were still dying because of him.
It wasn't often Hazen saw his mother so distraught. It reminded him of the night she'd woken screaming from a nightmare, the night she'd shown him the empire, shown him Hyrule, and his obsession with understanding the war had begun.
Weeeellll, that's it for now. Bit of a slow start but it picks up, I swear. I know one person at least who'll be disappointed (don't pout too much StJames1 lol).
I'm not sure about a posting schedule so for right now it'll be once a week, on Mondays (though, knowing my absolute inability to stay on course that might be up for debate) *war flashbacks to posting empire* y'all know what I mean.
ANYWAY I hope you enjoyed this, and all that's to come, and please let me know what you thought! You know I love to hear it.
Stay safe and hang in there, much love to you *social distancing hugs* until next time!