Chapter 5- The King

The King smiles "I was just going to do that in detail, if you should sit and we can dis-"
"I am fine standing up, thank you"
"pff! but of course, you are an agent from SWORD, you will never put yourself in a vulnerable position voluntarily" finally grabs the envelope "it is actually intact, not forced in anyway" the king glances at Link "do you know who I am? Of course you know, such a dumb question, I am Daphnes D. Nohansen, current King of Hyrule, which means that the content of this envelope is very important, I am impressed you did not try to read it, I like you kid."

Damn it, now I kind of feel bad, I lost count of how many times I tried to open it, but they know me too well in SWORD, they used a new seal that makes it impossible for me to open it and reseal it without damaging it. If they can't trust me, why do they keep me? Because they love my almost pathological need to KNOW things, that is my best weapon, knowledge is power. The king praising me for being ¨honorable and trustworthy¨ feels like a kick in the gut

The king continues "I consider myself to be a little… I am going to be honest here, I have succeeded managing the kingdom so far, but I am the type of man that believes: Peace times create weak men, and weak men can bring about the fall of a kingdom... the current state of my soldiers is… rather pitiful"

"he" you think?

The king squints "given your reaction I suppose you have already meet with them, and they are the best Hyrule can currently… if we were to experience an attack Hyrule will fall" the King makes a pause and continues "we need to become stronger, but I am not going to expose my kingdom to war to build muscle… but I can expose the future Queen to somebody that knows and has experience on the topic… the soldiers may suck, but I want to ensure the future Queen knows what to do and what to expect during hardships, I must make sure she is strong, intelligent and capable for when mayhem comes… am I making sense?"

I actually like my king, he thinks like a war veteran, and he plans ahead for his people… how could someone like him spawn a brat like Zelda?

"You make perfect sense"

"EXCELLENT, it would be good if you put together a topic plan, I'll review it before you start, and please check the closet in your room, anything there that you like and fits is yours, I will arrange for getting clothes your size later so you don't need to bring anything from home, but if you want to bring something the carriage will be free this weekend"

"Wait, what do you think I just agreed to?"

"To living here of course, that would make exposing and educating Zelda much more efficient"

Link just closes his eyes and rubs them with his left hand's index and thumb… Toc-toc! Enters the lawyer with license and the folder, he gives a thumbs up to the King

"My lord, I may look stupid but I assure you I am not, even I know I can't live in the castle since I am not part of the royal family, to spend a night here will cost me my head if word gets out"

"I am a responsible leader, I promise no one will even dare touch a single hair of yours, all you need to do is sign this" the king hands him he purple folder open and points at where Link needs to sign.

Link reaches for the folder and throws it back to the desk angered

"YOU WANT TO ADOPT ME?"

"Mi lord, right now may not be the best of times for something like this, maybe if you give him a few days to think about all this"

"He does not need time to think about anything, he is going to sign" the King stares at Link daringly and smiling

"AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I AM GOING TO SIGN YOUR FUCKING ADOPTION PAPERS?" Link yells

"And he lost his temper, he is hot-blooded all right… not a bad quality to possess for a man, as long as you don't let it cloud your judgment, I will tell you why you are going to sign, because you are not stupid"

"Mi lord, I really think insulting his is NOT the strategy you want to use" says the lawyer

"I am not insulting him, I am stating what he IS NOT… he won't turn down a good home, the economic benefits that come with being a royal, and access to all the information Hyrule can offer, information about public funds, treaties, laws, our reasons for remaining hidden from the rest of the world, medicine, astrology, magic, maybe even archaic but effective methods to open a sealed envelope without leaving a trace" The King smiles evilly "because… as we all know, knowledge is power"

DAMN IT! Does he know I tried to open it? How? No of course not, I left it perfect… didn't I? wait, NO… he is getting into my head and making me anxious, I can't let him know he cornered me

Link breaths in deeply and exhales

Can you admire a man and HATE him at the same time? Because that is what I am feeling and it's not fun, I will sign… the benefits are too good to pass on, we are talking about information here, knowledge about political realignment inside and outside of Hyrule… I have people here that I need to protect, the best way of doing that is being informed and involved… But the down side is Zelda, interacting with the princess is going to be a whole new level of hardship for me, but if the king wants me to help turn her into the best queen, I am going to do just that, and I am going to enjoy it, she is going to be magnificent but it's going to cost her tears and blood, I will make sure of that.

"Where do I sign?" the king smiles once more and points where Link has to sign, just as he was about to but he suddenly stops

"NO WHAIT, the royal family can only have 2 children, if you adopt me… it means if you won't be allowed to keep… to sum it up, you can't have any more offspring, is this ok my King?"

"More than ok, I have been desiring to adopt, I just found all the kids to be rather disappointing" he sighs "you are going to be my son, I want our relation to be built in trust and respect, so let me start disposing of the garbage to clear the path… I am sterile"

"I am… sorry?"

The King laughs a little "no you are not, you are benefiting from it, we both are… truth be told, I always wanted to adopt even before I was aware of my condition… name and age?"

"Link, 12 years old"

The King clasps his hands in prayer and yells "12 GLORIOUS SPRINGS, DID YOU HEARD THAT SEBAS?"

"Yes, I heard my lord, this is going to speed things fortunately" says the lawyer smiling

"Sebastian is my lawyer, he was willing to lie and forge documents in case you were 13 or older, but that won't be necessary anymore, since by Hylian law you are still a child, I can adopt you without much trouble"

Link quietly signs the adoption papers feeling defeated

"Done, I will continue my work in SWORD b-"

"Of course you will continue to work, I won't interfere in your life, but I do request you to be back in the castle immediately once you are done, so you can give haste to our family mission of forging a Queen, let's put that on paper to be safe" the King signals Sebas but Link speaks

"I don't need to sign anything, I have nowhere else to go my lord, I will be here"

"PERFECT, I get save paper" the King extends his hand

"Mi lord, I think it would be better if-"

"Not needed, I believe him, he will be back with haste every time"

And just like that… the King is trying to tell me he trusts me, and that I should do the same… [I want our relation to be built in trust and respect] I am kind of an anxious wreck, it's going to take time, but I feel I could eventually trust him.

Link shakes the King's hand closing the deal

"Should I start calling you daddy?" he says mocking

"NO, only my wife calls me that in the bedroom" he winks at Link

"HAHAHAHAHAHA" Link laughs as he closes the door behind him