"Rowark," Sir Triss awoke Rowark with a firm grip on the shoulder. Miro Miro wasn't sure how long she slept, it could not have been more than a couple of hours. The events of the previous night were so stressful that sleep seemed like a hopeful wish.
Rowark and Miro Miro kept their eyes open most of the whole night. Every time they were closed, the memory of the fire, the roof collapsing on the girl's parents, and the brutal murder of the two guards would become all too vivid for comfort. So much had happened in one day. So many had died in one night. The great inferno claimed the lives of five and turned one girl into an orphan. The tears and grief were burned into their minds. They could still feel the raging heat of the fire and smell the smoke. Miro Miro wanted to talk about the night as she and Rowark lay awake, but any attempts to communicate was met with silence.
"We have to talk about what happened last night," the knight sighed. Miro Miro did not like the sound of the word "talk" at all. He continued, "but first I need you to accompany me to a meeting with the Queen."
Rowark perked up immediately, "Oh, um, yes Sir. Let me get dressed in something more appropriate." The tired teenager rubbed his eyes together and clearly wanted to spend his day off sleeping, but the morning sun shining through the east facing window had awoken him to the point of no return.
Sir Triss certainly dressed like he was ready to meet the most powerful person in all of Hyrule. A fancy, red doublet and fancy beige breeches looked very foreign and impractical for the summer heat. The handsome smile on the knight's face almost melted Miro Miro's heart, "Thank you, as always, for your blessed attitude. And don't worry about attending the meeting in formal dress, since we have to be there in less than ten minutes."
That last sentence forced Rowark's eyes wide open, and he hopped off his top bunk before digging through the footlocker at the base of his bed, retrieving, and finally slipping on his black boots, white pants, and a blue, crew cut tunic. It could not have taken Rowark more than half a minute to get dressed.
"Ready?" Sir Triss had his hand on the dorm room door and was in the midst of opening the door by the time Rowark finished smoothing out the wrinkles of his tunic.
The young lad nodded in silence and followed the knight through the dark hallways, untouched by the morning rays of sunlight. Where they walked, only the torchlight led the way.
Sir Triss lowered his voice into a hush as he kept up with his brisk pace, "Alright, this is between you and me, before we get to the meeting."
Rowark gulped, "What is it?"
"I'm… glad. You did something great when I couldn't," the knight deeply sighed, relieving himself from that confession. "But that doesn't mean I'm still not mad at you, though!"
"Wh- why?" asked Rowark, taken aback by the sudden change in tone.
The knight whipped his face sternly around, his long, straight golden hair waving behind him, "Are you joking me!? Do you know what was the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw that house go down?"
Rowark kept up the pace in silence.
Then Sir Triss roared in his face, "HOW AM I GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS TO ALEXA?"
There was no answer to the rhetorical question except… "I'm sorry," Rowark squeaked out as his gaze fell to the floor.
"You're damned right you're sorry!" the mean look on Sir Triss' face also held sadness behind his blue eyes, a sadness that Miro Miro instantly recalled from many decades past, when she used to look after her companion. "Look, I care deeply about you, you're like my own little brother, not just because of Alexa, but because you truly are one of a noble few, and this realm needs more men like you."
"Oh stop," Rowark quietly muttered.
"Ever modest, as always," said the knight with a smile. The further the men walked down the hall, the darker the hallways seemed to get. It was hard to believe that it was morning outside. "Listen, the realm needs you. Alexa needs you. We need you to serve the crown, but more importantly, we need you alive to do so."
By the time Rowark lifted his head to meet Sir Triss' friendly smile back, they had reached a doorway leading to a wooden tower stuck inside a cave… "Where are we?" Miro Miro asked her companion.
Both turned their heads toward her, and it was then Miro Miro had awkwardly realized that Rowark had never properly introduced her to his friend, and thankfully Rowark felt the awkwardness with her, "Oh um, Sir, this is Miro Miro, she is the one who saved me from the forest and also helped me rescue the girl last night."
The man's face first beheld surprise, "Oh!" and then turned into a deeply respectful smile, "Sir Triss Yeoman, knight of the fifth volunteer company. Honored to meet you!"
"And we are at the elevator, to answer your question," chimed in Rowark.
"Eluhvater? What's that?" she asked before suddenly feeling stupid for asking the question, "I'm sorry Sir Triss, I have never been to the city before, so I don't know what anything here is!"
"After saving Rowark's life, I'll gladly explain anything to you," was the knight's warm, chivalrous answer. He began walking toward the entrance, which had two men standing by on duty. "This elevator will take us straight up to the castle. 'Tis easier to show you how it works than to tell you what it is."
The knight led the way and waved to the two men sitting unamused, "Top of the mornin to ya!"
The two immediately erected themselves straight and gave Sir Triss a salute, right arm raised, elbow bent, and hand facing downward, like he was shielding his right eye from the sun. Such an odd gesture. "Sir!" they simultaneously said.
"At ease men," said Sir Triss who returned the salute, cuing the guards to lower their hands but still stay erect and unmoving, "I got an urgent meeting with the Queen, and I'm supposed to be there yesterday."
"Yes sir!" they simultaneously said again. Miro Miro watched in awe as the two men scrambled to work, seemingly knowing what to do given all the knight had to do was explain his circumstance. One opened the door and the other readied the lever on a large, infinitely complex piece of machinery. Once Rowark and Sir Triss were standing in the middle of the platform, the lever puller signaled he was ready.
As soon as the lever was pulled downward, a thunderous click erupted the from beneath Rowark's feet and a mechanical hum flowed out of the machine. The sound was just a warning that the platform was going to rise, something that caught Miro Miro completely off guard. The ground and the two men standing on it began to slowly rise. Miro Miro supposed that the term "elevator" was appropriate to describe the machine's one job.
The ride up felt eery for the most part. Traveling through mostly darkness, with some strategically placed torches, made the trip upward feel longer than it actually was, but eventually, sunlight began to bleed onto the platform surface. Another loud, metallic click stopped the platform in place, and Miro Miro was now looking at a room bathed in the warm, summer sun.
Miro Miro was now looking at smoothly cut stone walls; though the room enclosure was small, the tall ceiling made the room feel more spacious than it really was. Two men, like before, greeted the knight with salutes as Rowark opened the elevator gate. Same as before, Sir Triss returned the salute to his men, "At ease men." Just like before, the men lowered their arm, but still stood upright statically as Rowark and Sir Triss walked past. Past the threshold was a hallway well lit by the many windows lining the walls and the white stones reflecting the sunlight, unlike the drabby, dark hallways of the barracks. A blue carpet stretched underneath Rowark's feet to both ends of the hall, giving anyone traversing across a regal invitation. So if the dark place before was the barracks, then, was Miro Miro in the castle?
As soon as the three reached the end of the long hallway, the next room answered the question for her.
The grandeur of the foyer was enough to make Miro Miro stare in awe. Two stairwells flanking the two story entryway led up to the second level. A door just as large as the main entrance was wide open in front of them, inviting whoever wished to request audience with the Queen. Stained glass windows brought vibrant colors to the drab colored walls, but this one was the most interesting because it seemed like they were supposed to align with the triforce engraving on the ground. Various torch stands in the shape of a sword were placed in strategic locations to produce the most light at night, and a gigantic chandelier hung over the foyer.
The floor consisted of gray and white tiling all throughout the castle, except for the blue tiles that formed a path leading to the throne. From a distance, the throne looked like a small chair. But as the three walked into the throne room and closer to the chair, Miro Miro saw that the chair was anything but small. First, she was amazed by the sheer size of the throne room. It was easily twice the size of the foyer, if not larger. The throne room had a second level on either side of the room to fit additional audience members. As for the throne, it was made of a darker looking wood, and the sheer size almost made it seem like it was meant to seat a large Goron. It had red cushions, and it had a finishing touch of the triforce carved on the top. Anyone sitting on that throne could look regal despite their upbringing; the two fully armored knights standing in front of the throne sent a clear message to anyone who thought sitting in the Queen's throne was a good idea.
They veered to the left of the throne and entered a door behind the seat. Weaving through hallways, busy castle servants, and guards, Miro Miro was unsure of their location and got turned around due to the walking. The spiral staircase only furthered the dizzying experience. But no matter how lost she felt in the castle, it could not compare to being lost in the Lost Woods. At least the castle had structure, and there were only so many rooms and so much space in Hylian wonder of the world. She figured that all she had to do was stay by Rowark's side. His warm personality and bright mannerisms were enough to make Miro Miro feel safe in the gigantic stone maze.
Sir Triss stopped in front of a door and opened it. A rush of loud noises in the form of a back and forth argument erupted into the narrow hall space. Even with Rowark at her side, Miro Miro's sense of wonderment quickly turned into anxiety.
"He absolutely made the right decision! I invested enough for the Zawk brothers to raise an army!" shouted an old man wearing a long, blue robe and a blue surcoat over. His long chain wrapped around his neck, and a small, golden triangle uniting the two ends of the chain extended down to his belly. Four men accompanied the old man, one of them being the infamous Sir Baldy. This time, he was wearing a tight fit tunic and breeches, highlighting his large yet chiseled muscles. Even though he was not wearing any armor, he still looked just as intimidating as before. He and Sir Triss shared an uncomfortable glare.
Across the large table from Sir Baldy was a middle aged woman sitting passively at the head. The ornate crown, adorned with a big red jewel, on her head proudly displayed her regal status. She wore a simple, pink top with white sleeves, and her white skirt reached down to her ankles. The beautiful jewelry adorned on her clothing may not have been as big as the crown's jewel, but the morning light streaking through the eastern window reflected powerful colors throughout the room. The inconsistent wrinkles on her face showed that she was either aging aggressively or under heavy stress, though the graying of what was once luscious blonde hair and her weary frown suggested it was the latter.
Perhaps the most distinguishing factor was her seemingly calm look and her deceptively loud voice that erupted and echoed throughout the compact space when she welcomed the newcomers, "Enough!" All stopped and gave their attention to her Highness, "Now that all parties are present, we may start. Sir Triss, can you recount for us the events that transpired last night?"
Sir Triss cleared his throat, "Certainly your majesty. The fire brigade was the first on the scene before we had arrived. Brigadier Tomas Mason was leading the team. We then cooperated to prevent the fire from spreading. And that's when Sir Rhychester interrupted our efforts, even threatened us."
"I beg pardon for the interruption, your majesty," interrupted Sir Baldy, "But I-"
The Queen gave Sir Baldy a glare that could petrify Miro Miro, "You will speak when permitted." In the face of the Queen, Sir Baldy quietly complied with gritted teeth. "Please continue."
All eyes fell back onto Sir Triss, "So my company and I let Sir Rhychester carry on with his orders, which was to put out the fire in the blacksmith, while the fire brigade and the volunteers worked to stop the fire from spreading and mounted a brave rescue."
"That's a damned lie!" interjected Sir Baldy again.
"Sir Rhychester, patience," Lord Praetonmore extended his hand to hold his knight back. Then he apologized to the Queen, "Please pardon him for his outburst."
The Queen blinked, "Pardoned. Sir Rhychester, would you like to enlighten us on this lie?"
"First off, this guard," Sir Baldy's accusatory finger pointed straight at Rowark, "obstructed our efforts to stop the fire by directing water away from the source."
Sir Triss fired back at him, "Rowark here contained a public hazard and was the first to mount a rescue while you and your men did nothing!"
The Queen had to intervene, "Silence!" The command filled the space in the room. "Go on, Sir."
"I did what was asked of me," retorted Sir Baldy without giving Sir Triss the courtesy of eye contact. "And secondly, no threats were ever used," the words out of Sir Baldy's never sounded more false, "I merely reminded this sergeant-"
"Sir Triss is a knight of with full honors," the Queen sternly cut him off, "Remember that in my presence."
"Ahem, apologies," patience was leaving Sir Baldy by the heartbeat, "I reminded this knight that there were consequences for interfering with our work."
"And did that consequence involve death?" asked the Queen.
"No, your highness, such words were never used."
"Nonetheless, Sir Triss was doing his duty, which was protecting the public space. You are aware that without the efforts of the brave men and women of the volunteer force and the fire brigade, the fire would have spread to other buildings, and you would have shared some responsibility for the damage."
"That responsibility falls solely on the scum who started the fire!" the lord fired back at her.
"I would be inclined to see more of your reasoning, but your knight here did indeed issue a threat to my men."
Sir Rhychester let out a restrained growl, but his lord held his hand in front.
The Queen looked like she had handled worse kinds of men, "You outnumbered him and used your men's armed presence to coerce my knight to comply with you. Your definition of a threat may differ from mine, but as Queen I will stand by my definition. Thankfully, no other property was damaged, so we can and should move on from this topic. Sir Rhychester, I will forgive this transgression against the throne."
Sir Baldy bowed with a stoic look on his face, "Your mercy is graciously received, my Queen."
"That leaves us with the issue of justice," the Queen let that word hang in the air for a minute, "This fire left five of your tenants dead, and three families are now homeless. This criminal is obviously very dangerous, and justice needs to be harsh and swift. So I have decided to take justice into the throne's hands."
"This is outrageous!" Lord Praetonmore exclaimed, "This is a crime against my people, my property, and my reputation! Justice must be served by me!"
"Your emotional state is exactly why justice needs to be served by the highest court in the land. There is no telling what lengths you and your men are willing to go to achieve justice. You already damned five people to their deaths by refusing to rescue them. I cannot trust the judgement of a lord who values property over the lives of people. This is final. There is to be no interference with the throne's investigation of this matter."
Lord Praetonmore and his men stood in silence; they knew better than to challenge the Queen's authority, but Miro Miro was afraid they were going to do so anyway, at least away from the Queen's watchful eyes. The lord's hands were clenched tightly, so much that she could see the whites in his knuckles. He pointed an accusatory finger at the Queen, "You made a deal with the Zawks didn't you?"
"I can assure your disrespectfully pointed finger that the first item on my agenda after waking was meeting with you, Lord Praetenmore," said the Queen.
"Hmph!" Lord Praetonmore's men escorted their frail and hunched lord out of the room.
With Lord Praetonmore gone, Miro Miro noticed the other men standing beside the Queen. Two of them, flanking the Queen and her advisor, were knights wearing some of the most beautiful armor she had seen in Hyrule so far. The armor was mostly reflective with a slightly green tint, the pauldrons almost looked like miniature shields with two spikes jutting outward, the plates themselves almost looked cumbersome and too large for practical use, red capes draped along their back, and their helmets had a piece of cloth in the back that resembled the hats that the Kokiri wore, a tribute to the late Hero of Time. They stood like statues with one hand gripping the hilt of their gigantic swords and the other one gripping a halberd, a frightening looking weapon with a long spear tip and an axe head the size of a man's face.
Standing next to the Queen was a man with short, white hair and a well-maintained beard. Miro Miro could not help but also notice the scar that stubbornly ran through his beard on his left cheek. He wore a beautifully adorned robe colored in tribute to the three goddesses; if his demeanor did not show that he belonged in the high court, his attire did.
The silver haired man started walking slowly towards the door. "It would have been nice to inform me of your decision to escalate the investigation into my hands before the meeting. Why are you so concerned with finding this culprit?" he asked as he opened the door for his liege.
The Queen stood and began following him towards the door, and everyone else subsequently followed her out. The loud clanking coming from the guards' oversized armor forced the Queen to raise her voice, "The steward met with the Zawk brothers this morning and informed me that they will only work for the person that brings the criminal to justice."
"Surely there must be another way to convince the Zawks to work for us," the old man walked behind the Queen closely as she descended the spiral steps, followed by the Queen's guards and then Rowark, Miro Miro, and Sir Triss.
"There is no other way. The fire scared them out of their wits. They want protection more than they want money, and they want this criminal's head on a stick more than they want protection."
"If there is no other way then. There will be others trying to look for the culprit."
Miro Miro noticed that as the party walked through the hallways and down the stairwells, all the maids, guards, and courtiers turned and bowed towards the Queen, too absorbed in the conversation to pay them any mind.
"Yes, but our investigation takes priority. We will be the first to have access to all information, all witnesses, and all locations of interest. And all the Zellinks can do is complain about it."
"An investigation won't be necessary."
"Oh?" the Queen's interest slowed the pace of their walk, "Something you wish to tell me?"
The old man hesitated for a few seconds before answering, "I already know who did it."
The ends of the Queen's curled into a less intense frown,"You never disappoint. I want him in the stocks by tomorrow."
"Your wish is my command, my Queen."
"For once, I can say that I am winning this war against my own people," the cryptic statement from the Queen echoed loudly in the throne room and resonated sadly in the faces of Rowark and Sir Triss and the old stranger. She looked around the room with a confused look on her face, "I had some important business to conduct here, but my memory is failing me."
"Um, the knighting, your highness," Sir Triss timidly whispered. Rowark's eyes instantly widened and darted around the room. There was no one else that joined their group, and he was the only one who was not a knight.
"Ah, yes, you're right. Rowark!" the Queen extended her hand out toward her bodyguard, who responded by placing the hilt of his sword in her hand.
Rowark's jaw slowly began dropping as he tried to contain his disbelief. He snapped his head to the Queen, "Y-yes, yes your highness?"
"Kneel." Even though Rowark was clearly unused to the highest authority in the realm addressing him, he did exactly as he was commanded. But even his straight face was brimming with excitement. "Sir Triss told me of your gallantry last night. After being stranded in the Lost Woods for over a season, you rose above the call of duty on the same day of your homecoming."
His eyes emanated with pride with every word spoken from the Queen. Each accomplishment listed by the Queen loosened the strain of keeping a straight face, "You disregarded your personal safety to save the life of a young girl. But more importantly, your bravery inspired your comrades to follow your example and rescue others. In a community driven by greed, your selflessness shined brightly. You are the prime example of the type of man who should be leading in the Royal Army."
The Queen drew the large sword smoothly from the sheath and rested the end of the blade on Rowark's left shoulder, "I, Queen Zelda Ingo, ruler and defender of Hyrule, daughter of the goddesses, mother of the Hylian people, and sworn protector of the Triforce, knight thee, Sir Rowark Forester, with thy peers to bear witness and confirm the knighting. I now place upon thee the great responsibility of leading the royal army with power, wisdom, and courage. May justice and compassion rule thy actions. You may rise."
Rowark did as was asked with a bright smile on his face. He looked over to the man who sponsored him, who returned an equally bright smile. "Congratulations!" said Sir Triss. Rowark's face still had a dumbstruck look. The life changing event slowly settled into his conscience but rendered him unable to respond immediately. "So, how do you feel?" asked Sir Triss.
There were no words for how grateful Rowark was, so instead the former city watchman leaped onto Sir Triss with a big embrace, so genuine and heartfelt that Miro Miro was moved. It was a happiness that she hoped to feel one day again.
"So, let's talk about your day off."