Chapter 1: Link and Zelda
"Link! Zelda!"
Eleven-year-old Zelda sighed as her mother called them over, the restricting corset around her waist forcing her to stand straight—though she'd wanted to bend down and smell the flowers in the gardens and maybe even use some for cooking later. She straightened her blue gown and ambled towards the call, her sister Link coming up behind her.
"I don't see how you can stand corsets," Zelda growled. "I hate them."
Link eyed Zelda enviously. "I'm jealous of the gown you wear, Zel. It's such a pretty blue."
"Well, you get to wear green!" Zelda snapped quietly back. "And Mom never lets me wear it, because she distinguishes us by our clothing colors."
"Maybe we can swap again later," Link suggested.
"I hope so," Zelda muttered, tugging on the sleeve of her dress while trying to restrain herself from ripping off the corset, the sensation made worse by the hot afternoon sun. "Who the hell invented corsets and gowns, anyway?"
"I think they're pretty."
Zelda frowned. "I don't understand how you can possibly think such death traps are pretty."
Link was about to retort, but both immediately clamped their mouths shut once they realized their mother was in hearing range. The older woman had long blond hair that was graying slightly in a braid, wearing a lovely purple gown. Her blue eyes watched the twins softly.
Once they stood in front of their mother, Link and Zelda bowed their heads slightly. "Mother," they chorused respectfully in unison.
Their mother emitted a soft, light giggle and the corners of her eyes crinkled in a familiar smile. Having been born outside of the royal family, her name did not follow the royal tradition of being named "Zelda." Instead, her name was Klara.
It didn't take long for her to somber, and she fixed the twins with a serious gaze. Link edged closer to Zelda, reading from her mother's face that what the Queen was going to say was not good in the slightest.
"The Branch family and the nobles are visiting tonight for the birthday of Ganondorf Dragmire, a Gerudo noble's son," Klara said seriously, her blue eyes scanning for the girls' reactions.
Zelda took in a deep, quiet breath, her eyes sharp with wariness and fiery anger. Link shrank closer to Zelda, her eyes dulled with pain and fear. Klara was agonized to know that Link feared her own family, but showing it would do nothing but worry both of her daughters.
"Go get ready for the party, girls," Klara murmured quietly, her blue eyes downcast. In a graceful motion of swirling purple skirts, she left Link and Zelda standing in the middle of the gardens, with their heads bowed together under the lovely afternoon sun.
Yeeeeaap, what the King wrote about how the Branch family (siblings and cousins to the main royal family) treats Link is completely true. Poor Link! I know this chapter was very short, but the next chapter will be longer, I promise. I'm writing this story to get better at writing, so please don't hesitate to critique me. That doesn't mean you get to be mean, though. Mean reviews get turned into cookies and fed to the puppies XD.