The memories of Minister Ryos's betrayal, escape, and seeming invincibility still fresh in his mind, Audrik stared from the balcony, being six floors above the floor of the great hall, nobles pushed and shoved their way into the enormous hall, from up here Audrik couldn't tell who they were, but it made no difference as they were all the same to him.
"My Lord, should you not be greeting the newly arrived guests?" Oren asked, stepping out from the shadow of the pillar he leaned against.
"I have Minister Hawkwood doing the honors." Audrik responded plainly.
"Forgive me for speaking so freely, but you are their Prince, I'm sure they'd appreciate your greeting far more than that of Minister Hawkwood."
"This is true." Audrik said bowing his head, so many things weighed on his mind, the attack on Kakariko, the Golem's assault, Ryos's betrayal, and now he owed Minister Tonbridge an apology and had yet to reinstate him on the council...his sister's council. "Many things distract me, I fear that any greeting I give may seem less sincere than it usually is." he answered, smiling slightly.
"My Prince, what troubles you?" Oren asked, he didn't need the Prince to tell him something was wrong, he knew just by looking at the him, he basically raised the Prince into the man he was now.
"It's just, with all these things that have happened, from what I've been taught, the Hero usually begins his fight at an earlier age than this, the Hero is 18 now, and it seems like whatever's out there, threatening my land and those beyond it is trying to catch up, here we were, sitting in our false sense of security, while a pawn of this dark force worked right under our noses." the Prince said, his expression grim.
"You speak of Minister Ryos." Oren said, glancing at the Prince.
"Correct." answered the Prince, "Whatever it is we are faced with this time, it's proving to be more brazen than past attempts, that man, Ganondorf, he would never raise and army and attack without his presence being known first, and hell, most times he's taken the throne, he brainwashed Hyrule's army into doing his bidding. Even after all this though, where is my sister? She returned but has only made her appearances during council meetings, she hasn't once ventured down to the Great Hall to greet our guests, she leaves this to me, I'm the one sending orders, I'm the one dealing with royal matters of higher priority than Minister Hawkwood is cleared to sort out, and I can almost guarantee you that I will be the one to deal with this Minister Tonbridge matter. Do not get me wrong, Oren, I love my sister, but the arrival of Mr. Link has her beyond distracted, they are together in the bed chamber they now share at all times, Mr. Link is my friend, but I feel he needs to allow my sister to focus on her position as Princess, instead of having Minister Hawkwood and I deal with all of Hyrule's affairs." the Prince said, sighing and leaning against the balcony's guard rail. "All those townspeople, out there in the courtyard, playing games, and competing in contests, their lives are so simple, but they dream of being a royal like me, or a noble like them, they have no idea what comes with it."
"Prince, your sister and Mr. Link, they...have been romantically involved for centuries, they have only just encountered each other again after three centuries of being apart, I feel we cannot understand this feeling, the way they are now, may only just be temporary, give them time to rekindle what they had in their past lives, besides, you are doing rather well when it comes to putting Hyrule in order, if your sister sees this, she may start treating you like more of an adult." Oren stated, his tone perpetually neutral.
Audrik looked upon his guardian, one eye wide open, the other slightly narrowed, "Sir Oren, I had no idea you were a relationship expert of this high a degree." the Prince said, I smile working it's way onto his face.
"Though I do not express emotion, it does do not elude me." Oren said, nodding his head slightly at Audrik.
It was undeniable Oren had emotion, he had made displays of frustration most frequently, and only recently made a display of sadness, during the Hero's supposed death. The times it was most evident though, was when he was with Impa or Lemuria, it was a secret only known to the Royals and the Sheikah Tribe, Oren and Impa were bonded in the Sheikah equivalent of marriage, Lemuria being their daughter, which is why Impa trusted her with Zelda's well being to such a degree, if one observed Oren closely, they might see the look in his eyes soften when seeing them, something Oren himself would not be quick to admit. The practice of hiding emotion was an ancient part of Sheikah society, and even though it was now outdated, Oren continued the practice, in order to pay tribute to his ancestors.
Oren stepped forward, standing next to the Prince as they watched the servants dart through the crowd of Nobles, he walked, with Oren at his side, to the courtyard window, he peered out, seeing numerous carriages arriving, the flags of lands near and far atop them, most noticeably he saw that higher up Zora and Goron chieftains from all lands were finally arriving, the Zora were cultured, kind, and courteous, but Gorons were raucous, noisy, and caused damage every year, Audrik liked the Gorons. He looked down at the third floor outdoor balcony, the servants were putting the final touches on it, readying it for what could be his sister's coronation, the thought made him undeniably nervous, she'd be standing there, in the open with only a compliment of guards at her side...well not exactly, he'd be there, and so would the Hero. Audrik tilted his head upwards, looking to the night sky, the stars glowed bright, Audrik noted with satisfaction that every time a bird tried to fly out, or in, they'd instantly collide with an invisible barrier, a ripple in the air following it's impact. He had hired Master Orvue, the second highest ranking sorcerer, after Minister Tonbridge (who was on leave at the time) to repair and replace towers damaged or destroyed by the Golem's rampage, and he did just that, the magical forcefield around Castle Town being intact and at full strength.
"Shall we make our way to greet our new arrivals?" Oren asked, looking at the Prince.
"We shall." Aurdik answered, leading the way as he and Oren ventured to the floor of the great hall.
oOo
Link caught himself with one arm as he fell over, his other arm entangled in his formal tunic, he righted himself, pulling the shirt over his head, and finally leaning down to pull his black trousers up from his knees, he quickly fastened all the strapps and tied all the strings necessary to keep his formal outfit on. Donning formal wear was always difficult, he spent most of his time throwing on casual clothes or armor, not delicately pulling on fastenings of various types, all while doing his absolute best to avoid damaging the fragile black fabric, and the gold and silver threads embroidered into it. He turned, giving the last strap a less than careful yank. He looked into the mirror, his new formal wear fit him better, the clothing actually being tailored to him, the last set he had, which had met it's fate at the hands of the golem, belonged to Oren, and to Link's dismay, was slightly too large for him. He pulled on his cuffs, and looked back to see Zelda in her underclothes, quickly putting a dress on, beginning to tie the strings in the back.
"Weren't you the one who said I had to hurry?" Link asked with a smirk.
Zelda shot him a glance and rolled her eyes, "You dressed faster than I expected." she said, focusing on fastening her dress, when suddenly she felt Link's hands guiding hers as she did so, it was something he had done in all of their past lives, it was something she really liked, and he knew that.
He stepped away, watching as Zelda turned, the white dress she wore swishing around her, and slowly settling at her sides, her wavy blonde hair settling over her shoulders, chest, and back. Link smiled, Zelda still made him feel a bit weak in the knees. She took his hand as they left her bed chamber. Link looked down at her hand, grasping his as they descended the stairs, a compliment of guards walking ahead, and behind them. As they made their way closer Link became increasingly aware she was not letting go of his hand. This struck him as odd, Zelda usually kept their relationship private, preferring the Nobles and other higher-ups didn't see her affection for Link in the open, she had always been told it was unbecoming of a Princess and future Queen. "You're not letting go of my hand?" Link said, a hint of inquisitiveness in his voice.
Zelda slowed, a slightly hurt look upon her face, "Do...do you wish for me to do so?" she asked in a hesitant manner.
"No, it's just, you always wanted to keep our relationship out of the public eye, I'm just...not used to this...I like it" he answered, Zelda's sweet facial expression returning.
"Our relationship is not meant to be a secret." she said, "People like to see the Hero and the Princess together, I'd like to finally put our relationship in the public eye, I want all to know that I love you." she said, gazing upon Link.
"I would like that." he answered with a smile, gripping her hand tighter. They finally made it to the second floor, they began to descend the grand staircase, coming to a stop on the landing before the final flight of stairs, the guards formed three lines, one on either side, and one behind, as Minister Hawkwood, dressed in ornate formal wear approached standing diagonally to Zelda's right, while a group of men carrying horns of various types gathered opposite him, diagonally to Link's right. Link looked out across the massive crowd in the hall some members of it taking notice, while others carried on. Monsters of any size and strength had no effect on Link, but being in front of this massive a crowd unnerved him slightly, Zelda noticed this, stroking her left hand over his, and smiling at him vibrantly.
Minister Hawkwood looked at Link and Zelda, "Princess, are you and Mr. Link ready?"
"Yes we are." she answered, her tone upbeat and joyful.
Minister Hawkwood turned to the group of horn players, "We are going with introduction number three, one and a half times normal speed, begin on my count."
Link looked over at the Minister, who, with a wave of his hand began their playing. The horns sounded, a short crescendo was all it took to grab the attention of everyone in the room, and some in the courtyard who were able to see in through the open doors.
"Ladies, Gentleman, people of the court, I present to you Princess Zelda, and her Fiance', Sir Link of House Arrethron!" the man shouted, somehow projecting his voice throughout the entire room.
"House Arrethron?" Link thought.
The Great Hall erupted in applause and cheers, Link looking over the crowd, analyzing all the faces of the Nobles, seeing sincerity in most, but envy in others, to his side Zelda waved and smiled at the crowd, she had hundreds of years of practice, but to Link this might as well be new, he stiffly waved too, with some Nobles frowning at him.
Zelda began to speak as the crowd's cheers died down, "Hello everyone, thank you for coming to Hyrule's annual Summer Festival, so far the season has presented us with challenges and tragedies of the most unwelcome sort, the siege of Kakariko claimed many lives, as did the Golem's rampage, but what it did not do was break our spirits, we Hylians have emerged from situations of all types, our true strengths shining through any oppression one might attempt to force on us, monsters do not frighten us, and those who control them do not weaken us, together we've made it through everything, and that's why Hyrule stays prosperous, our economic standing being the envy of the lands around us, and our public health the best it can be. We will not falter, we will not bow before evil, and we will not surrender to threats of any sort, thank you for making me proud to be your Princess, and on this night your Queen!"
The crowd began to cheer more wildly, with Zelda smiling, waiting for silence to fall again, she looked down at her hand, setting her sights on the golden ring, the dark blue sapphire sitting on top of it. "I thank you for your undying bravery, and your kindness, I would next like to announce that I will soon be married to Sir Link, of House Arrethron! The Hero of Legend!" she shouted for all to hear, raising Link's hand into the air, their hands together, fingers intertwined. The crowd's cheering came even louder than before, the crowd realizing they were watching history unfold.
Link began to smile, his hand raised, intertwined with Zelda's. He watched in amusement as the crowd cheered wildly, he wasn't used to this, even after he saved Hyrule he always managed to keep a low profile. Up above he noticed all seven Sheikah leaping through the shadows, scouring the crowd for any sign of a threat, ready to pounce on it immediately, whatever it may be.
Zelda lowered their hands, readying herself to speak once more, "Without further ado, I will allow Minister Hawkwood to announce our guests." she smiled, giving the crowd one last wave before she stepped back, gesturing to the Minister to stand in front of them.
"I present to you, King Laorik, ruler of the Hyrulean River Zora! he said as a procession of Zora strode in, their King being very tall and well muscled, it was quite a departure from the Zora Kings of the past, especially King Zora XVI.
"The honorable Denizens of Death Mountain, and their leader Chief Darbraken." a long line of Gorons walked in, the vibrations of their steps shaking the floor of the room, at the end of the procession, an abnormally large Goron, a sand colored beard on his face strode in, an enormous steel hammer, ornate designs covering it, was in his hand, leaning up against his shoulder, he looked almost exactly like Darunia.
"From the East, the Chancellor of Holodrum and his family." Surrounded by Guards, the governing family of Holodrum walked in, waving to the gathered crowd.
"From the land of Holodrum, Chief Elder Magnar!" Another group of Gorons walked in, their leader the same size as Darkallin, with a far larger white beard. The Gorons of Holodrum began to beat their chests and howl the moment they saw their Hyrulean brethren, who returned the gesture, startling many of the guests present in the room.
"From our neighoring land of Termina, Mayor Thadean Met of Clock Town" The Mayor walked in, Clock Town Guard surrounding him.
"The esteemed Great Bay Zoras and their leaders, the Indigo-Go's" The Zora band walked forward. their current members looking exactly like the former members Link remembered meeting, and playing on stage with as Mikau.
"The Snowhead Gorons, and their Chief Darmani V, descendant of the great hero of the Snowhead Gorons." The Snowhead Goron's to began to beat their chests and howl, the Gorons of Hyrule and Holodrum responding.
Link's attention began to stray after Minister Hawkwood introduced Princess Kayala of Gamelon, he looked upon the walls, portraits of past rulers caught his eyes, Link being able to recognize more than half of them, stained glass windows in the upper reaches of the hall, running along walkways depicted sages from different eras, Link smiled when he saw the depictions of Darunia, Saria, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru, and Rauru among them, they had been the first sages he had united, and they had left an everlasting mark on him. Link's wandering mind was suddenly snapped back to attention, hearing something he hadn't quite expected.
"Prince Erris of Labrynna!" Minister Hawkwood declared, men clad in black armor, with violet and gold detailing stretching across their suits walked in, hands on their swords, in the middle walked a man around Link's age, who was dressed the same, though from his armor hung a cape, the Ambi family crest adorning it, his long black hair hung around his shoulders, while his hand hovered above his sword's hilt. The crowd cheered and clapped just as much, but their was somewhat of a cautious feeling to it, the recent war with Labrynna didn't just hurt relations between the ruling classes, it had it's effects on everyone, many fathers and sons had died in the war with Labrynna, all because King Marick wanted Hyrule, it's natural beauty was envied by other nations, but none risked their own people, their own land, to take it like he did. It was obvious the Labrynnians were uneasy, their fingers twitching at their swords, as if to ready themselves for an attack they were almost sure was coming.
"I'd like to welcome our special guests from Labrynna personally." Zelda said, waving Minister Hawkwood out of the way, "They are our guests, I invited them with the intention of repairing the mistakes of our fathers and bringing friendship back to our lands once more." Zelda said, smiling at the Labrynnians, their forms relaxing as they made there way into the Great Hall.
Link watched as they walked away, and almost as if he knew, Prince Erris turned around and looked at Link, the Prince had a serious demeanor to him, which caused Link to grow suspicious, but Link knew if he brought this up with any one, they'd pin it on a prejudice against Labrynnians, with Link's father having died in the Hyrule-Labrynna war being the perfect reason for such a conclusion. As if on queue Prince Erris smirked at Link, before following his Guards to the area of the Great Hall designated for the Labrynnians.
"Glad that's over, are we?" Zelda asked, a playful tone to her voice.
"Wasn't the worst thing I've been through." Link answered, returning the tone.
Link noticed Zelda's grip on his hand tighten, looking up ahead he saw Princess Kayala talking to Audrik, swishing her dress, and every now and then draping her arms around his neck, "Is something the matter?" Link asked, finding Zelda's reaction quite humorous.
"Just a moment." Zelda answered, a growling tone to her voice.
Link scanned the room, suddenly seeing a familiar face, his looks distinguished him from your average Zora, his blue markings had more character, his head-tail being a different shape than the others. Link walked over until he was within arms reach of the Zora. "Excuse me, are you the guitarist of the Indigo-go's?"
The Zora turned around and smiled, "What is it, you want a pictograph, a signature?
Link stood almost stunned, the Zora hadn't been there for his introduction, so Link thought to introduce himself, "My name is Link, I'm the Hero of Legend...as they call me."
"Right! I knew you looked familiar!" the Zora exclaimed, "Maybe it is I who should be asking for your signature." he said with a laugh.
"Are you descended from the original Mikau?" Link asked, unable to hold back his curiosity any longer.
The Zora's face adopted a somber expression, "Yes...I am...why?"
"I knew him in one of my past lives...he was a good man." Link answered, Mikau's story had been the one that touched him the most, when he transformed into Mikau he was bombarded by memories of fame, friendship, love, and his painful end at the hands of the Gerudo Pirates. It hurt to know he had to leave Termina, and leave the Zora, leave Lulu without Mikau.
"I'll drink to that." The Zora answered with small smile.
Zelda approached Link from behind, grabbing his shoulder, snapping him out of his reminiscing. "Link, do you know him?" she asked cautiously, wondering why Link was talking to a Zora from Termina.
"I was acquainted with his ancestor in one of my past lives, you must remember my stories about my time in Termina." Link answered smiling.
The Zora bowed, "Princess Zelda, I am honored to meet you." he said, lifting his head as Zelda extended her hand.
Zelda shook his hand, "The honor is mine, even in Hyrule I have heard of the Indigo-go's, what may I address you as?" she asked with a smile.
The Zora glanced over at Link, a broad grin on his face, "Mikau." he stated.
Link smiled, "It's been nice to meet you."
A voice behind them caught Mikau's attention, "I better get back, Japas needs me, I never imagined I'd meet the Hero of Legend and the Princess here, it's been an honor, I hope we meet again." the Zora said, smiling before he went off to help his bandmate.
"You've met some interesting individuals, my dearest." Zelda said to Link as they walked away.
"I can thank the Goddesses for that, my love." Link replied with a smile, taking Zelda's arm in his own. "What had you so vexed?" Link asked curiously, recalling the moment from earlier when she had left his company.
"Oh...I...well...Princess Kayala is trying to find her way into Hylian politics, I wasn't about to let her use my brother as the means to that end." she answered.
"Are you sure you're not just being his over-protective big sister?" Link countered teasingly.
Zelda playfully slapped him on the shoulder, "Watch your mouth, or you might sleep in your own bed chamber tonight." she teased in return, before lying her head on his shoulder as they both laughed.
oOo
Prince Erris sat slightly hunched in his seat, examining the crystal glass that contained his wine, he set it down, looking over at his bodyguard, "Am I correct in assuming they won't try to poison me?" he asked, smirking at the man.
His body guard was an abnormally tall, well built man with waist length hair so blonde it was almost white, he had a short, pointed beard of the same color on his chin, his eyes emerald green. "I wouldn't know, I could boil it for you if you wish, see if anything happens." he said with a grin.
"Prince Erris, correct?" a short man asked, approaching the Prince from behind.
"Yes, who are you?
"My name is Krin Gavan, you might recognize me as one of the most important men in Hyrule." the man said grinning.
Prince Erris motioned towards his bodyguard, who had gone from a relaxed position, to sitting bolt upright, "Get to the point, or I'll have him throw you halfway across the room." the Prince said, completely unamused with the man's boasting.
The man made a short nervous laugh, "What a delightful sense of humor you have, Prince!"
The Prince and his bodyguard exchanged annoyed glances, but decided to hear the man out.
"I was going to ask you to do away with that obviously lowborn boy who is with the Princess, when I look at you, I see a warrior of unequaled prowess, hell, I have half a mind to go over there and challenge him myself, I was going to sweep Lady Zelda off her feet tonight." the man said, smiling to himself.
"You would lose." the Prince said plainly, not even looking at the man.
Krin Gavan was visibly stunned, "Wh...wh...why do you say that?" he asked, the frustration in his voice obvious.
"Because he's the "Hero of Legend", or were you not here for that part?" Prince Erris retorted.
"And how do you know that?" Krin asked the Prince, a condescending tone in his voice. "I can tell just by looking at him, I can see the power of the Goddesses, flowing within him...and her." the Prince said, placing his eyes on Zelda.
"Well then, will you consider my offer, I'll pay you 8000 rupees, what's that equal to in Labrynnian currency? 16000?" Krin said with a laugh.
The Prince grabbed the back of the Krin's neck with all the force he had, causing the smaller man to make a short pained gasp.
"What are you doing? You know not who you trifle with." Krin said through gritted teeth.
"Just so you know, if an associate of mine had done his job correctly, you wouldn't have to worry about the Hero, and the Princess would be all yours to get rejected by, but he failed, and the Hero is still alive, tell me, do you know what that means?" Prince Erris asked, channeling magical energy to his fingers.
"Wha...what?" Krin asked beginning to sweat.
"It means you could implicate me in the Golem's rampage...now, do you know what that means?" The Prince said, his smirk turning into a wide grin.
Sweat dripped down Krin's face, "What?" he asked quietly, the fear in his voice clear.
"It means I have to kill you." the Prince said, a maniacal tone to his voice, all Krin could do was let out a short squeak as the Prince shot a bolt of electricity into Krin, killing him almost instantly. Prince Erris kept a hold of his neck, and slowly lowered Krin's head onto the table, subsequently placing the wine next his head, then pushing it over, spilling it on the table. "Looks like the type to drink himself into this kind of state, does he not?" the Prince asked his bodyguard.
"Was that really necessary?" his bodyguard asked.
"Yes, he insulted my land! Labrynna is an economic wreck at the moment, but 8000 rupees are hardly worth that much to us!" the Prince shot, his anger boiling over within him. Ever since the war with Hyrule ended, Labrynna had been left devastated, the economy was always in poor condition, poverty was common, and diseases spread like wildfire, with healers and potion makers in short supply, even the protector of Labrynna, the Greart Maku Tree was dying. Prince Erris grew up having to do his best to remedy these issues, his father having died in the final battle of the war, the battle to protect Labrynna's border. The King of Hyrule made sure they received no help, wanting to see his vengeance come in the form of Labrynna being cut off from the other lands, killing it from the inside out, but the one who had hurt him, hurt his land and his people was dead, now it was his young son on the throne, the King of Hyrule made Erris pay for his father's mistakes, something Erris was could never forgive. Only recently Holodrum had come to Labrynna's aid, but all Princess Zelda did was reopen Hyrule's borders to Labrynnian citizens, Prince Erris didn't want to send his people over to Hyrule, he wanted the Labrynna he had heard existed before the war back, he vowed he'd restore his land at any cost, any. "Shall we go say hello?" Prince Erris asked, nodding towards Link and Zelda.
"I won't attack an unarmed opponent." his bodyguard said, staring ahead as they walked.
Prince Erris took out a seer's stone, and tapped it three times, his Guards fanned out, positioning themselves close to the Castle Guards on duty, Erris looked around, seeing his other allies had gotten his message, noting the black cloaked figures moving swiftly, and unnoticed up against the walls of the hall, slowly extending long and thin blades from their sleeves. The Prince turned and shot a confident smile at his bodyguard, "You and your Knight's honor, don't you ever think it gets in the way, Volga?"
oOo
Here it is, the big night! Everyone's here, including some mysterious guests invited by Prince Erris, who is quite the troubled person.
Lady Kiridia: Don't apologize, your theories are awesome and well thought out. I hope this explained some of Prince Erris's character, and I hope it gave you more theory fuel! Thanks for the review!
Shout out to akiaookami, Encyclopedia of Awesome, Hyrule147, LuLu911, and Kibec for Favoriting and Following, thank you!
For those who are unaware, the Indigo-Go's are a Zora band that essentially also serves as the Terminian Zora's governing body in Majora's Mask, they are not my creation.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
As always, best of luck!
-Prometheus17