Chapter 2: Coronation Day
Zelda-
The sound of scurrying footsteps and voices wake her from her slumber. She rubs her eyes sleepily and listens closely to the voices in her bedroom. She recognizes Impa's voice immediately.
"Is everything ready" she says her voice strong and demanding.
"Yes malady" one of the maids answers timidly.
"Good, now wake up her highness" She commands
She hears the maids hurried steps coming closer and waits patiently for the maid to slide open her velvet curtains. The maid lets out a small gasp not expecting to see the princess awake.
"Princess please forgive me if I have waked you unknowingly" she says apologetically
"Don't worry you didn't wake me" she says pushing her lavish bedding aside.
"You're awake your highness, good" Ima walks over to her bedside, in all her years Zelda had never met someone like Impa. Not that she would know too many people anyways, she spent most of her life confined to the castle.
Impa was a tall strong woman, a Sheikah warrior, whose burly personality and striking appearance intimated the masses. She had stunning bright red eyes and short sliver hair which she kept tied back. She wore her traditional Sheikah garbs which only made her stand out that much more in the crowd.
Despite her tendency to intimidate people Zelda found solace and comfort in her former tutor.
"Good morning Impa" she stretches her arms high above her head.
"I trust you slept well" she hands her the ivory lace robe hanging on the divider.
Zelda averts herself but graciously accepts the robe. She doesn't want Impa to see her suspicious puffy red eyes and dark circles. She'll start to ask questions she is no mood to answer.
"Well enough" she responds
She slowly slides off her luxurious bed and slips into her slippers. She notices the maids have set light to the fire and shudders slightly at the drastic change in temperature from earlier this morning.
Impa is beginning to look impatient at her lack of attention and urgency. "Come now princess we have a schedule to keep" she snaps her fingers loudly and seconds later the chamber maids are briskly leading her to her washroom. The maids then begin their handy work and immediately start to undress her.
Zelda slowly slips into the warm water of her tub which has been sprinkled with rose petals and lavender. She takes a deep breath and marvels at the sweet scents. The maids begin to wash her body and hair, adding to the already sweet aromas in the water. Zelda relaxes a bit, the stresses of the night before seem insignificant now. She revels in the relaxing aromas of the lavender plant, they are magnificent when it comes to relaxation. She swears if it wasn't for the maids scrubbing her body she would have surely fallen asleep. Once she is finished getting cleaned and dried she returns to her bedroom and begins the time consuming process that is a beauty routine.
She takes a seat in front of her vanity and slowly crosses her ankles under her robe. She waits patiently for the maids to comb and section off her long blond hair. Once her hair has been properly sectioned the maids begin to tie the individual strands of hair around a piece of cloth. Once the arduous task is complete they begin to work on her face. Impa has been standing behind Zelda the entire time watching the maids every step. Zelda smiles to herself; her ex-tutor seems to be more preoccupied with her appearance than she does.
As a child Zelda was exceptionally beautiful, her blond hair and bright silver blue eyes emanated innocence and radiance. As the years passed on her beauty grew, her hair cascaded down her back; her lips were plump and soft. Her cheeks rosy and skin like porcelain. Her eyes bright and captivating, Zelda was extraordinarily beautiful; and because of her beauty she was well sought after.
Grumble, grumble.
Zelda places a hand on her stomach. She hasn't eaten all morning and probably won't eat until much later in the evening.
"Impa" she calls to her friend.
"May I have something to eat?"
"Of course Princess"
Impa walks to the table in the center of her bedroom and picks up the silver tray carrying a jelly filled pastry, a pot of tea and some fruit.
"Thank you Impa" she says taking a bite of her jelly pastry.
The maids have finished applying her cosmetics and gently undo the pieces of cloth tied to her hair. As they do her hair falls down her back and shoulders in perfect swirls. Once they are finished they gently comb the curls and style it. Once her hair has been pinned and braided they begin the painful process of getting her into her gown.
"Please not too tight" Zelda says as she grabs one of the wooden posts of her bed for support. The maids nod their head and begin to pull the strings of the corset.
Zelda was never too fond of wearing a corset, she disliked the fact that she could never sit comfortably when wearing one, but today was a special day and not wearing a corset might seem a bit unqueenly. So she would have to bare it even it was just for today. After she has been strapped in the maids bring out her very heavy and expensive gown.
After a few minutes Zelda is finally dressed, accessorized and ready to go. Before she leaves however she walks to her full length mirror and looks at her reflection. The top half of her hair has been pinned and braided into the shape of a crown in the back while the bottom half is left loose and curled. Her circlet placed on top of her head. Her eyes are lined and dusted with lilacs and pinks that match her skin tone, her cheeks have been dusted with light shades and her lips have been stained a shade of pink. Her Royal Blue gown fits her like a glove and her waist is accentuated by the corset. Her shoulders are slightly exposed and a decorative gold choker with a blue stone adorns her neck. The sleeves of her dress are pointed and long, the gold stitching shines exquisitely. She admits she looks regal. She looks at her golden circlet and feels a sense of melancholy sweep over her. This was the crown her father had given her when she had come of age, it was her favorite and in just a few moments it would be replaced.
"You look beautiful your highness" Impa puts a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?" she asks
Zelda looks at her tutor through the mirror and nods. She takes a deep breath and alongside her tutor glides down to the Temple of Time where the nobility awaits.
Link-
The ride to the Castletown had been a bumpy one. He tried on more than one occasion to sleep but found it near impossible. The one time he was finally able to doze off his young wife woke him up when the castle came into view.
"Link look there it is" she says excitedly as she shakes his arm.
Link adjusts himself on his seat and looks out the carriage window; the castle is just as he remembers it. He admits it's good to be back to the land of his birth. After years of traveling the world Link is finally back and although his return came with a multitude of surprises, he was delighted to be back.
"It's so beautiful, I never imagined it to be so big" Illia says delighted.
There's a sparkle in her emerald green eyes. He smiles to himself; she's so innocent to the world.
When Illia was a child her parents thought it would be best if she was kept away from the politics of the court and the prying eyes of the nobility. As a result she was deprived of the best educators and tutors in Hyrule. Consequently her education suffered tremendously, instead of learning about literature, art, science, magic, history, geography and everything else that little girls her age should have been learning, Illia was taught how to manage a house. She was taught how to sew, and how to clean, she was taught to be a housewife. An attribute Link's parents found it difficult to accept.
As the heir to the Arlen name, Link's parents believed that a good and structured education was in the best interest of their son. Both his parents were exceptionally bright and Link was not far behind their intellect. As a young boy he favored books and he was always eager to learn something new; so when they heard that the princess of Hyrule would be mentored by the great Impa, his parents used their political influence with the King and asked that Link be mentored under Impa as well.
Link's lips curve into a smile as he remembers his days in the castle under Impa's strict tutelage. In fact it was during this time that he first got interested in traveling; he reminiscences on the nights in which he and Zelda left their quarters, without authorization, to sneak into the library late at night. It was during these midnight escapades that they were both inspired to see the world.
"Is something the matter" Illia's voice interrupts his thoughts.
"No, no I'm sorry, just a bit exhausted is all. I didn't sleep really well last night" he rubs his eyes a bit hoping she won't ask him the reason behind his insomnia. She is about to say something but is interrupted by the sudden stop of the carriage.
Link looks at his surroundings, they are inside the gates of Castletown. He opens the carriage door and instructs his young bride to stay inside. As he closes the door shut he notices the symbol of the Royal family in almost every direction. White amaryllis decorates every post in town, royal blue and gold ribbon dance high in the air as the wind blows. The people are celebrating their new Queen.
"Why have we stopped" he stands next to the driver.
"I am sorry Sir, but there seems to be a blockade up ahead" he points to a large group of people that seem to be looking at something.
"Wait here" Link commands the driver.
"Link where are you going" he hears his wife's distressed voice. He turns to face her and explains the situation, caressing her face softly to calm her down. She seems to be a bit spooked and he can hardly blame her, this doesn't happen often in Faron Providence. "I'll be back momentarily" he says closing the door shut.
Link makes his way to the large crowd and as he approaches the group of people he hears something under his boot. As he looks down he sees what he believes was a pear, in fact there are pears scattered around everywhere, some of them have already been stepped on. As he takes a closer look he can see that a farmer's broken wagon is the cause of the blockade.
He looks at the crowd and see's that no one seems to be doing anything; there are no guards, no officers anywhere in sight. He finally finds a guard and waves him down.
"My lord how may I serve you"
Something about the way the guard carries himself tells Link that this particular knight is probably still a cadet and not an official guard.
"Why isn't anyone helping to remove this blockade, where are all guards" he says.
"Sir the cadets have been asked to maintain order here in town, our commanding officers have been ordered to protect the castle and the Temple." He whispers the end, like it's some sort of secret.
Why would they pull the majority of their knights into one place? Link wonders
Taking advantage of the cadet's lack of experience Link tricks the young cadet into telling him the reason the majority of the knights have been called to the temple.
"Well Sir, it seems that a secret conspiracy against our future Queen was uncovered this morning. Rumors have it the princess's life is in danger" he was so close that Link could smell the alcohol on the cadet's breath. He takes a step back and thanks him for the information.
Links wonders if the rumors are true, and if they are who could possibly be behind this conspiracy. The thunderous tune of the Temple bells breaks his thoughts. The ceremony will be starting soon. He waves down a stocky looking man and asks him to round up a few more men to help him move the wagon. The man does as he is told and swiftly returns with four other men about his size.
"All together now" Link commands. The five men lift the broken down fruit wagon and move it out of the road. Link thanks them for their help and gives them two gold coins each, he also gives the farmer whose pears were ruined a generous ten gold coins.
As he walks back to the carriage he ponders on the information he has just uncovered and wonders how Zelda is coping with all of this. He brushes his bangs back in frustration, who would want Zelda dead? And why now that she is about to become Queen? He had so many questions and not many answers, no one did, but he knew one thing, if there was an attack he would be ready.
He opens the door to the carriage and once again takes a seat across his wife.
"Is everything alright Link" she asks looking at the blade that now hangs from his belt.
He decides to keep this information a secret, there's no need to worry her.
"Yes, it's just I feel strange not carrying it around" he smiles sweetly in an attempt to calm her nerves. She looks at him with her large emerald green eyes and gently nods in defeat. She straightens the skirts of her dress and folds her hands gently on her lap. Link taps the roof of the carriage signaling the driver they are ready.
As they make their way to the Temple of Time Link wonders if Zelda will remember him after all these years.