Hello my dear FFN readers, I'mNoOneSpecial is back, and so is the wise, fair Zelda.
Sorry, I took so long; I opened an account on AO3 and reposted my stories there… not all but the ones I felt deserved reposting. Which included "the silver dagger" and "The Queen's Treasure."
Of course, before reposting my stories, I went them over to iron out all my mistakes. Not sure if I got them all, but yeah the revised versions are… cleaner.
Most of my efforts, however, went unrewarded… honestly; I'm wondering why I did it. Oh well…
Before we go to the story:
I am a little disappointed that my last chapter got only three reviews… have I been away so long that people have already forgotten me? I miss all my readers back from "the silver dagger."
Oh well… the reviews were rather positive so I'm still happy.
Okay, this chapter is basically a rewritten part of the original tale… but hell did I have trouble doing so! So, if anybody here knows the original tale and had his suspicions but was still not sure or still hasn't figured it out… well, this chapter should fix that. This one just screams the title of the original tale. Keep quiet though, please! Do NOT spoil the title of the story! Do NOT spoil the ending!
If you think you know now what story is my basis for the silver dagger and The Queen's Treasure, feel free to PM me.
Okay, enough stalling! Here's the long-awaited next chapter everyone! Not only that…
Here comes the second trial! Finally, after so long, the day has come when the fair Zelda must use her wits again to "defeat" the young king!
The fair Zelda knew this not, but the young king too was plagued by frustration. Though he still held onto his hopes and kept his belief that the fair Zelda was worthy of both the crown and his heart, he was saddened and disappointed when he heard from the stern Impa and the wise, old Rauru of the fair Zelda's meager progress in her studies. Of how she seemed not to live up to his expectations.
He was saddened too by how distant the fair Zelda held herself whenever they were together, nothing like the friendly walks and talks they enjoyed two years ago, back when she and her old father were staying here at Hyrule's Castle as his guests.
He was also quite fed up with the nobles and their daughters. Time and time again they would question the presence of the lowly farmmaid. Again and again they attempted to convince the young king that this and that lady of noble birth was most suited to be Hyrule's next queen. Or would make him the most loving wife. The young king needed not think long though to know that she was and would be neither.
Still, the nobles would not leave the young king in peace and the fair Zelda did not live up to his expectations, and so, though hard he fought it, frustration took hold of the young king and grew like a weed.
But unlike the fair Zelda, there was yet another thing that weighed heavily on the young king's mind, and that was nothing less than his duty as the king of Hyrule. Though Hyrule had recovered from the terrible war brought by the vile Ganondorf, the duties and responsibilities of the young king were still plentiful and crucial.
Now, this day was another one of those days… those dreadful days full of misfortune. Those days when mishap follows mishap, and bad luck comes after bad luck, and not a single thing goes well or right.
Young and inexperienced the young king may have seemed, he did much to be a good king to his people. A good part of every day, the young king spent listening to and helping his people, just as he had listened to and helped the old Daphnes and his fair daughter, the fair Zelda, back those two years ago. Every day, the young king would sit on the throne, in the throneroom and listen to whoever sought the counsel of the crown. From the lowest of the peasants to the highest of the nobles, from every place there was in Hyrule, the young king listened to them all, and did what he thought was best to serve them.
But this day the young king's good will and kind heart were sorely tested.
Many, many a man filed into the throneroom, and many, many a problem was brought before him. And most of which were rather petty and insignificant, more nuisances than actual problems which every village chief should have been able to resolve, yet this day they were all brought before the young king. And more and more seemed to follow; seemingly merely to annoy him.
Thankfully though, the young king's patience lasted just long enough throughout that dreadful day full of pesky problems.
At last, he could quit the throneroom.
"Valet," he called his servant to his side, "Go to the castle's library and speak to the old Lord Rauru. Ask if the fair Zelda may join me for a walk, and ask her if she will."
The valet bowed obeisantly, "Yes, your highness," and went off to do as he was bid.
Back still on his throne, the young king sighed tiredly.
After his long day, the young king truly needed a nice, pleasant walk with pleasant company…
…
Alas, this was denied to him as well, for that dreadful day filled with ill luck had not yet come to an end. And this dreadful day had plagued the fair Zelda as well. She too has had a long, tiring day, and she too had hoped that it had finally come to an end for her.
But then the young king had called for her, the young king, the very person who, in her tired mind, had brought all this misfortune upon her.
As such she was not pleasant company at all that day when the young king took her on a stroll through Hyrule Castletown; she was rather indifferent and cold which first saddened then irked the young king.
"Your majesty!"
"Your highness!"
Hearing the outcries, the young king, the fair Zelda, the stern Impa, and the two guards who were coming along to protect the young king halted.
Two men came before the young king and his company whom the young Zelda both recognized. The first was the ill-tempered Ingo who, as the fair Zelda had heard from the good Malon when last she had visited, had left the farmlands of the burly Master Talon and gone his own way. As the fair Zelda knew it, the ill-tempered Ingo sought to make his fortune by raising and breeding horses.
True to this, this the ill-tempered Ingo shouted:
"Your majesty! Throw this misbegotten bublin into the dungeons! He has stolen my foal!"
"What?! How dare you lie to his majesty, you shameless swindler?! The foal was always mine!"
"You don't own any horse, you thieving crow! You are nothing but a dirty pig farmer!"
"How dare you, you nightborn remlit! My family always raised cows which for ages have produced good rich milk!"
"ENOUGH!" roared the young king.
Then he addressed the other man, who, as the fair Zelda knew it, made his living by raising cattle, for the young king knew very well that the ill-tempered Ingo was a very quarrelsome person who was hard to deal with, "What is the matter between the two of you?"
The man began but was soon interrupted again by the quarrelsome Ingo, which soon had the two men shouting at one another once again.
Finally, after much shouting, quarreling and cursing, the fair Zelda, and the young king, who by this time was visibly straining from restraining himself from looping both the men's heads off, finally made out what started the quarrel between the two men…
A young, fine, unbranded foal.
The cowherder claimed that the foal was his and that he had caught the ill-tempered Ingo trying to lead the foal away.
The ill-tempered Ingo, on the other hand, claimed that the foal was his and that the disloyal little beast had run off.
The young king tried to question each man in turn to verify his claim, but each time he did so, the other would cut in and the two men would soon be at each other's throats again.
So in the end, neither man proved himself the rightful owner.
"ENOUGH!" silenced the young king the two quarrelers once again, now truly at the end of his patience, "You cowherder! Bring the foal here, right now!"
"Y-yes my king!" said the cowherder quickly before running off to fetch the little horse.
…
A short while later, the cowherder returned leading a small red foal, of the same kind as the great red Epona, on a short piece of rope.
"Give the rope to my man," ordered the young king, and the cowherder dutifully did so. All the while the young king kept his eyes on the little red foal. As soon as the cowherder had handed over the rope to the king's man, the little horse had visibly gone nervous and had even tried to go with the cowherder.
"…Master… Ingo," spoke now the young king again, "Take the rope from my man."
But as soon as the ill-tempered Ingo came near, the little foal immediately shied away, and as soon as he held the rope the little foal bucked and tried to break free.
"Hold still you pesky little beast or I'll give you a good beating! I'm your master, darn it!"
"Clearly you are not!" cut in the young king. To his man, he said, "Get the rope from him! The foal belongs to the other man!"
The ill-tempered Ingo was so stumped by the young king's words that he momentarily forgot his ill temper.
"But my king! I am the rightful owner! This foal is mine!"
But the young king paid the ill-fated Ingo little heed.
"Mean you to tell me, that that little foal would rather be with a stranger, rather than with her rightful master, the man who raised her, fed her, and brushed her?"
The dumbstruck Ingo knew not what to say to this.
"I should have you injailed for this theft you attempted," spoke the young king, "But since your attempt was unsuccessful, I will have you pay an indemnity to this man tomorrow."
The cowherder bowed most graciously.
"Thank you, my king."
With that, the young king and his retinue left for the castle, and the cowherder left with the foal.
But from the king's retinue, one remained with the ill-fated Ingo.
"Understand you now why I, my dear old father, and the good Master Talon forbid you from beating any animal?" chided the wise, fair Zelda the broken Ingo, "See now how your mean ways have cost you that fine foal."
The dumbstruck Ingo immediately looked at the fair farmmaiden.
"You knew?!"
"Of course I knew! In all of Hyrule there but two men who raise this kind of fine red horses, you and the good Master Talon. Master talon does not sell foals at such a young age, so unless that cowherder went out of the country and bought the foal out of Hyrule, he must have gotten that foal from you."
Hearing the wise maid say this, the ill-fated Ingo's eyes widened. Then a spark of anger lit within him.
"If all this time you knew the truth, why have you not said a word to the king?!"
The fair Zelda quickly averted her eyes.
"…it was not my place," said the fair Zelda, "I have no right to interfere with the king's decisions…"
"And what now?!" cried the angry Ingo, "Do you expect me to simply abide by the king's decision and pay an indemnity for a crime I did not attempt let alone commit?! To the very man who snatched my foal from me no less?!"
The fair Zelda said nothing.
Had she spoken out before, her words would have renewed the young king's hopes in her, and he would have kept her in the castle even longer… kept her from her dear old father and all her dear friends.
So the prudent Zelda had feared. So she still did.
Which is why she had not, and did not want to speak to the young king on the ill-fated Ingo's behalf.
'Yet, if I say nothing, the ill-tempered Ingo will not only lose his foal but will also have to pay a huge indemnity…'
The wise, fair Zelda knew fully well how harsh a punisher the young king could be. This she did not want, for this was far from right. Nasty though the ill-tempered Ingo had been and could be, this time he was innocent.
So the fair Zelda thought long and hard what could be done to set things right. However… because of all the resentment she lately held towards the young king and because of how unjustly the young king had treated the ill-fated Ingo, the fair Zelda felt that the young king deserved some form of punishment.
At last, she said, "Listen Master Ingo. I have thought of a plan that will return you your foal… But first," she said, "You must swear to me that you will tell no one that it was I who told you of this scheme."
Eager to have his foal back and escape his undeserved punishment, the ill-tempered Ingo agreed at once, "I swear, I swear! Now tell me what to do!"
Well…? What do you think our fair Zelda will think off?
About the unbranded foal… I know that horses and other domesticated farm animals like cows used to get branded by their owners to mark their ownership. Not sure if and if so how that is being done so today… I also don't know when these animals got/get their brand. And, to my shame, this time I didn't do my research! I do know that the branding must be painful (hot iron!) and… well, I just thought that young foals are spared that kind of pain until they grow older… that's probably just my own wishful thinking though… I love horses; actually, animals in general.
Bottom-line: Sorry if I wrote something incorrect here. And sorry that I didn't bother to do my homework.
But hell! If the foal was branded from the beginning then the conflict would have never happened! But it must happen! It's crucial for the proceeding of the story!
Speaking of my story… I've got bad(?) news; We're close to the end!
I kinda feel it… writer's intuition I guess.
Five chapters more (excluding the epilogue; yep, there'll be one)… and this story's finished.
Matter of fact; I'm almost done writing the final chapter (no surprise really; I've been working on it since "the silver dagger!") just got to stitch something in the middle and it's done! 'Same goes for the epilogue.
Boy oh boy how long since I last posted this?
Please review and comment. All forms of reviews, comments, and criticisms are very welcomed and appreciated. You are also welcome to send me private messages.
If you do not have the time to leave behind such, a numerical rating from 0-10 will suffice just as well.
10 = PERFECTION!
9 = Awesome!
8 = Very good!
7 = Good
6 = Nice
5 = Not too bad
4 = Not so good
3 = Bad
2 = Why did you post this?
1 = Why the hell did you even bother writing this?!
0 = Delete this shit… NOW!
PSS:
While waiting for the next chapter… maybe you'd like to give the following stories a read?
The Golden Goddesses' Godlings
ZeLink… kind of. Actually Fierce Deity x Hylia; The Fierce Deity being the past incarnation of Link and Hylia being the past incarnation of Zelda.
CAREFUL! Tragic epic! The hero dies!
The Phantom Thief of Kakariko
A funny little story about a young mason who wants to be as rich as the king of Hyrule, live in a castle as splendid as the king of Hyrule's, and marry the king of Hyrule's daughter.
The poor shoemaker and his good wife and the two kokiri
A sweet little bedtime story.