Zelda tried not to let the stress show on her face when she opened the door.

There stood her father, and two guards behind him, one she recognised to be Captain Arn of the King's guard and another she recognised in passing.

"Father, Captain Arn," She greeted them.

Her father looked less than pleased and she didn't know why. Was it that it had taken her more than a minute to answer the door? Did they know? Did the Captain know Link was hiding in her room right now?

Never had she prayed harder in her life that they didn't find him.

Her father took a step into her room and looked around briefly before looking back at her. "Zelda, why are you still awake at this time?"

It was nearly midnight, she should have been sleeping by now, she knew.

"I've had a hard time sleeping as of late." She hoped he would believe that.

The King's eyes narrowed at her. "Do you know where your knight is?"

She could feel the pit in her stomach get heavier, but she recognised it felt different from her own stress. It was Link's stress and anxiety coming through the bond. "He dropped me at my door almost three hours ago, Father. If he's not in his room, then I do not know where he is." That was a safe answer, there wasn't anything else she could say.

"Well, we knocked on his door and no one answered. In fact, he wasn't even there,"

Zelda tried to calm her heart beat without making it obvious, but it thrummed in her ears harder than a drum. "Then I have no clue where he might be. Perhaps he was hungry and went down to the kitchens?" She suggested.

It was no secret that Link had an insatiable hunger, everyone in the castle knew that. The idea that he had gone on a walk for a snack wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Her father turned to the captain stationed at his right. "Captain?"

"It is a possibility." She noticed her heart rate jump and the pit getting heavier. "There is but a faint trace of him here. Sir Link was not here recently."

Zelda didn't let it show in her eyes that she knew the captain was lying. The other guard remained quietly by his side.

"May I know why you're looking for him?" She asked.

There was frustration in the look her father sent her. She could see it as clear as day, he didn't enjoy her asking questions.

"His family has sent letters for him to return home; we are doing good on those requests."

Zelda couldn't help the surprise in her face.

"Perhaps you should ask Link about this first, no?"

"It has already been decided. He is to go as soon as possible in the morning, which is why we're looking for him now."

"Father, it's nearly midnight! Maybe it would be wiser to send him later than the crack of dawn.

"Zelda!" She flinched at the snap. "My decision is final, do not question it."

She sighed quietly and looked to the ground. "Understood."

"You've grown impertinent as of recently." King Rhoam scolded her, disappointment was heavy in his voice. "it won't do for your future spouse, fix your behaviour-"

She didn't listen to the remainder of his scalding words, the drop in her heartbeat was distracting her. The cold nerves in her stomach shifted to a growing foul taste, one that hurt to feel and think about.

She resisted the urge to look at the closet again, knowing this was coming from Link rather than herself. Was Link angry?

Hearing his voice stop, she returned her attention to him. "Yes father." She tried to quell what was slowly turning into a bonfire, but she didn't know how. It wasn't her emotions, they were his, what was she supposed to do with this?

"You should get some rest, Zelda. I believe you're tired, are you not? It wouldn't do good for anyone to have a tired princess who can't focus on her training,"

As her father turned away back to the door, she frowned and swallowed down the ball in the throat. He had to mention her training, of course he did. It had been a while since he last did that.

"Good night, Princess." Captain Arn bowed and wished her a good night, and just like that, her father was gone as fast as he'd shown up

Once the door clicked shut, she rushed to lock it, listening to the steps get further and further away before rushing back to the closet.

When she finally opened the door, Link was the palest she'd ever seen him.

"I thought I was gonna die," he wept quietly inside the cabinet.

"Stop it, you drama queen," she rolled her eyes. "They're gone for now, I guess." She looked at the door briefly before turning her focus back to Link. "Were you aware they were going to send you home?"

He slowly made his way out of the closet with shaky knees. "No, I knew Aryll was sending letters asking when I'd come home, but I haven't had the time to give her a proper answer."

"And why is that? Surely you're not so busy that you cannot send her a simple letter?"

Link shook his head. "No, it's rather, I need to find a full week where I'm not doing anything. Being a captain and your personal guard makes it difficult."

Zelda relented and nodded. That was true, he was always busy no matter what time of day it was.

Link dressed, throwing his shirt back on and zipping it up hastily. She had to help him search for the two hair sticks they had flung across the room, alongside the scarf he had tossed. Once he was dressed to an appropriate amount, he took a seat at the end of her bed as he prepared to leave.

"I hate the way he talks to you sometimes, I really do." He grumbled under his breath as he collected his long hair into his hands behind his head, twirling it around his fingers before securing it with the sticks in hand. "One day, I won't be able to keep my mouth shut anymore, Zelda."

"Just leave it be," she tried. He shot her a frown that told her he wasn't going to be letting it go anytime soon.

"Zel…"

"Just for now? For me?" She clasped her hands together, pleading.

He shook his head, lips tightly pursed. He seemed unsure of where to look but he was thinking of what she said. "Mark my words, eventually, he's going to find himself on the wrong end of my sword because of the shit he says, I'm not joking."

Zelda wasn't going to lie to herself. The thought of Link threatening her father for the years of verbal abuse was a tempting one. She'd pay just about anything to see her father get what he deserved, but death wasn't exactly something she wanted for her father.

"Please don't do anything rash… I don't want to lose you as well."

"I'll let it go for now." He sighed loudly. It was clear that her father was toeing a line he had no business being near, and Link was having just about enough of it.

"Thank you."

He hummed, nothing more on the topic was brought up by his volition.

Zelda broke their comfortable silence first, bringing back the conversation that had happened before her father had decided to speak of her training. "Do you think it's a coincidence that they're sending you on a forced vacation right when we start looking into this?"

"It's not a coincidence, it can't be. The timing is too perfect."

"But why now?"

"He knows we're looking, he has to. Nothing happens in this castle without him hearing about it eventually. No, I think he's hiding something intentionally."

"But what could he possibly be hiding about royal bonds? He doesn't have that ability."

Link looked at Zelda for a minute, deep in thought.

"What about your mom?"

"My mom?"

"Yeah, what was her designation? I don't recall ever learning about it..."

Zelda stopped and thought. She'd heard rumours about her mother not presenting at all, some being that Zelda took after her, some saying she was the other way. "I-I would assume she was also beta like my father."

"What if she wasn't?"

"Link, what are you trying to say?"

"What if your mom wasn't like your father? You know; had a bond and everything. What if that's why we can't find anything?"

"But why would Father try to keep that information from me?"

"You said it yesterday. Why keep the information if it had the potential to cause a contested claim to the throne?"

The realisation dawned on Zelda.

If a reciprocated bond was akin to a wedded couple in some cases, and her mother had truly had a bond, her father's claim to the throne was no longer stable.

Hyrule's throne could fall into a power struggle.

That was a good reason to keep the information from being readily available. It was an excellent reason.

"Zelda, we need to figure out if your mother had a bond or not, and HOW she presented."

Zelda knew that wouldn't be easy, it was a well kept secret after all. This secret though… She had a distinct feeling in her stomach that she didn't want to know anything more but she knew her curiosity would get the better of her.

She was thirsting for knowledge about her mother, anything about her mother. She died suddenly when she was six years old and left in the care of the maids, Lady's maids, and her father, while Lady Urbosa occasionally stopped by the castle to help her cope with the loss of her mother.

She ignored the pit in her stomach and nodded, agreeing to Link's plan. They had to find out why the information was purposefully being purged from the library before they could do anything with their own bonds.

As expected, the next morning he was summoned early by the King before he could even crawl out of bed. He didn't even know anyone got up earlier than he did, but low and behold, he was wrong on that part as he was now kneeled before the Monarch, knowing exactly what he was going to hear. This supposed vacation he was to take was all too suspicious with the timing.

"A vacation, Your Majesty?" Link was confused, why verbalise it as if it was to enjoy himself? Surely the king wasn't dim enough to think Link wouldn't be thinking hard about this forced leave.

"Yes, Sir Link. A vacation." The King handed him a formal letter. "It seems you've received a plethora of letters from your sister. She seemed rather hellbent on getting you home."

Link couldn't help but cringe inwardly at the thought of any of his friends or superiors reading any of his sister's letters. The woman had no tact whatsoever and her writing was far from a redeeming quality. She was rather blunt to say the least, and Link had to admit that it wasn't beneath her to accidentally threaten someone over letter if she didn't get her way, and sadly, in the last few letters, she had taken to threatening his body parts in creative ways.

"You are to leave this afternoon. And congratulations on the new addition to your family." The King slapped Link's shoulder in what he assumed was meant as a friendly gesture.

Oh. He suddenly remembered that he had a niece now… It had felt like so long had passed since she had initially announced the news that he had completely forgotten that he was to be an uncle.

"Who will take my responsibilities as Captain and Princess Zelda's guard, Sir?"

"Don't you worry about your post. I've taken the necessary precautions for your absence. Go enjoy your leave, Sir Link." With those final words, Link rose and left the room to go pack up a travel backpack.

He wasn't sure he liked the thought that the King had planned everything so quickly to cover him. Who had been put in charge of his guard duties? Who was put in charge of the Princess' guard duty? He hoped that the King had at least stuck to the schedule Link had created for his squad.

Hours later, he was eventually discovered by Zelda, whose sweet scent had alerted him quite quickly that she was approaching and he eagerly met her in the corridor before she had the chance to knock on his door.

"So you're really heading home?" she asked, a tinge of worry lacing itself into her voice. Apart from what they'd heard last night from the King, Zelda had no information on what was going to happen.

"I'm sorry there isn't anything I can do against his orders…"

"It's ok, I wasn't expecting there to be anything you could do," she chuckled nervously with a scratch behind her ear. "I've been told by your superiors just now. I've had the pleasure of reading one of your sister's rather… descriptive letters."

"Oh goddesses, I'm so sorry for whatever she wrote." Link felt dread as he wondered what his lover had read.

Zelda quickly waved off his apologies with a grin and he spotted the telltale tears in her eyes of holding back laughter. "It was rather entertaining! I'm surprised such words could be used in those ways." Link felt like smacking his head off the stone wall. "Your sister has a unique grasp of the Hylian language." Link flushed deeper

"Oh no…" he muttered.

"I've never seen the word… er… cunt … used in such a way. Really, it was very entertaining. Actually, the letter itself was quite formal until it appeared."

Aryll is getting it when I see her. Link promised himself as he carefully closed up his travel bag and swung it over his shoulder. "I'm so sorry…" He apologised again, feeling bad that his superiors had probably read the rather descriptive language in the letter.

Once Zelda's laughter ended, her eyes filled with sadness. "How long will you be gone?"

Upon seeing the worry, he slowly dropped the bag onto a chair. He thought for a moment. "It seems to be indefinite, but I imagine it'll only be about… One week?" He said, still wondering how long, Rhoam hadn't mentioned how long and he imagined the word 'Vacation' didn't mean 'go to Hateno and come back immediately'. "It'll likely depend on what's going on at home."

"Just… Don't bring back any organs please," she muttered.

Link raised a brow at the Princess. Horror overcame his senses at the words that left her mouth. "Bring back what ? Did you just say organs? " He didn't enjoy Zelda starting her laughter again as he tried to figure out what exactly she was referring to. " Why ?"

Zelda turned red as she shifted uncomfortably. "Well, your sister may or may not have mentioned shoving it up Captain Arn's… ahem… if he didn't send you at the earliest date."

Link wasn't sure he wanted to know what was said anymore. The less he knew, the better at this point. Whatever new letter his sister had sent, he hadn't had a chance to read it, that much was clear. "Whatever she mentioned specifically, I promise I won't…" he mumbled, curses running through his head towards his dumbass of a sister.

"That's a relief to hear, thank you." Zelda's gaze wandered to his bag and stayed there for a short moment, before locking onto a neatly folded pile of clothes on his dresser.

Link watched Zelda silently for a moment, identifying one of the things her eyes seemed to linger on; one of his cloaks that hung from his chair, ready to use.

If he was going to be gone a while, she would want something of his right? He didn't know how long he'd be gone, why not leave a little piece of him behind? He quite enjoyed the thought of her wearing something of his, even if it was in private. "Did you want my cloak, Princess?"

"Yes!" She immediately smiled before scrunching her face up. "I-Only if it isn't a bother."

He smiled softly as he grabbed the one he had been wearing throughout the week. He could have given the one that had been freshly cleaned and ready for the road if his usual got dirty, but he thought of the other one. The other, his usual that he wore whenever he stepped foot outside, was sitting there, ready to be thrown around her shoulders. This one was worn so much, it practically reeked of him no matter how much he washed it. "Take this one, that one doesn't have much." He took the riding cloak from the table and folded it neatly and placed it in her hands. "Should last you a while, right?" He'd just use the freshly cleaned one for his trip instead.

His pride bubbled inside his chest as Zelda's face slowly lit up as she hugged the piece of cloth to her chest as if it was a dear keepsake, as if it was a newly acquired piece of tech. He caught her inconspicuously taking a deeper breath before locking eyes with him.

"I-I think it should be good for a while…" She smiled, rubbing a small piece of the material between her index and thumb nervously.

She's so cute when she does that. He happily thought. What he referred to, he wasn't sure, but all of it was cute to him. "Do this instead." he gently took the cloak from her hands and threw it around her shoulders, clipping it in place. "Better?" He assumed so from the cute pink dusting her cheeks. "If you need anything, just come into my room, alright?"

He watched her bite her lip gently and nod, a smile gracing her lips. "Can I see you off?"

"Of course!" He didn't waste a second. He would gladly take the company down to the stables to get Epona.

The walk was mostly silent, but as soon as they reached the stables, the inevitable interrogation began.

"You promise to write if anything happens?"

"Yes"

"Think of me?"

"Always."

"Send a letter when you get there, ok?"

"Of course."

Link couldn't help but laugh at the flurry of questions that the Princess sent his way. He'd barely been able to mount Epona before she rapidly-fired him dozens of questions and mini-personal requests that he was more than happy to fulfil.

He kissed her hand, his lips staying a moment on her skin before hopping into his saddle. "I'll see you in a few days, alright?" His hand came up to her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. "Write if there's anything. Robbie knows where I live and the tech lab is a short walk away," he told her as he pressed Epona on to a trot through the gates. "I'll be back before you know it," were the last words he told her as he travelled down the long hill leading to Castle Town.

It had taken a little over a full day's ride to reach Hateno with Link cutting through Kakariko Village rather than the Duelling Peaks as most travellers did. He had the advantage of knowing the Sheikah and being on great terms, and the location of the hidden Sheikah Village, allowing him to happily cut his travel time in nearly half.

He revelled in the fact he didn't need to fight bokoblins and lizalfos just to get home. The Duelling Peaks were notorious for being overrun by the mobs of the weak monsters. In most cases, he would have stayed to fight them, but the thought of getting monster blood on his clean clothes deterred him from the fighting. His mother wouldn't be happy to see him stumble into the house covered in blood upon seeing him for the first time in nearly a year.

He stayed the night at the stables, knowing he'd be riding for a few more hours, but not wanting to do the ride in the middle of the night.

His dad definitely wouldn't enjoy the suddenness of Link walking in at three in the morning, tired as hell. Did anyone actually enjoy that?

Leaving the castle all of a sudden had left him in a sour mood. Link was looking forward to doing research in the library with Zelda, even if it was about an issue they were facing. The time itself was precious to him, especially with how it was dwindling for the last few days.

Days without Zelda. At least a week without Zelda. A terrible thought for Link. Three or four days without her felt unbearable, one week felt like too much.

Laying in the bed at the stable reminded him of their last expedition where he'd gotten to hold her. Without realising it, he was smiling to himself at the thought of Zelda snuggling into his arms like she had at the time, her arms wrapped around him to make sure he never went anywhere, face squished into it, it sent a familiar warmth through him.

Holding Zelda… Such a nice dream. It was to this that Link would fall asleep that night, accompanied by the sounds of neighing, the crickets chirping, the campfire crackling, and the wind blowing through Blatchery Plains' tall grasses.

The next morning, he woke up late, the sun having already started rising in the sky as he got out of bed, not bothering to change out of the clothes he slept in. He made himself breakfast, ate in the company of the stable hands and the travellers, keeping quiet as they talked and gossiped about the staff at other stables.

By the time Link was done eating and was ready to ride, it was almost midday. He said goodbye to the stable hands and rode off east to his home village in the far distance; a few hours and he'd be home before sunset, no doubt.

He soon passed the Fort Hateno gates, waving at the guards stationed and lazing around, champion's blue bright against the greenery, and sped up, cantering on to the village, finishing the last stretch to his home just as the sun was about to set. He greeted Thadd at the entrance of the village as he rode past the welcoming blue torches of his hometown.

Someone fetched the flames, he noted as the kids looked at the flickering flames in awe.

He continued up the hill near the dimmed Sheikah shrine and around a bend where he could see the lights of his family home flickering through the windows. When approaching the home, he could already hear his sister's loud voice booming as he rounded the backside of their residence.

He quickly took a look at the herb garden, noting it looked in fantastic condition this summer with very few weeks and near rows of vegetables and herbs as he ran around to the front door and knocked on the large wooden door.

"Link!" The door opened immediately and he was assaulted into a hug by his sister.

"Aryll! Let him in at least." He heard the voice of his brother-in-law Sota call out from the kitchen. "Please come in."

Before Link could step into the house, he was bombarded with more questions. "You smell like a girl! Who's the girl? Where is-"

"Merciful Hylia, let the man in before you start questioning him…" He heard his mother mutter as she put a hand on Aryll's shoulder and pulled her back. Stepping in front of her daughter, Link's mother enveloped him into a brief hug before pulling him into the house. "Aryll has been all over the place… She won't sit and relax for more than 30 seconds."

Link deadpanned at his overly-excited sister who seemed to fly off the walls. "I can see that. I assume it's the hormones?" he asked quietly, keeping his volume down. He'd been told it was a sensitive topic to talk about it, so better safe than sorry in his mind.

Last week, Purah had stopped by his office during lunch to tell him his sister had her baby, and to drop off four letters she had conveniently forgotten to hand him almost two weeks before. He had also appreciated the warning of said-topics to bring up regarding his sister and to not question anything she was doing.

Well, it was certainly a surprise to see Aryll fly around the room to do ten different things at once, a sharp contrast to her old lazy self who would sit in the backyard and do nothing all afternoon.

His mother sighed as she closed the door behind him. "Yea… You could say that…" His mother stared for a few seconds as Aryll pulled out a piece of candy from the cupboard. "And the sugar. She recently gained a rather powerful sweet-tooth."

"I see…"

Remember, Link needs me to figure out what I can about my mother! Zelda tried to hype herself up as she walked down the corridor. Deep breaths, you can do this.

Zelda had come up with a genius plan.

If the doctor or any other physician was absent, she could sneak into the cabinet and search for her mother's file.

If the doctor was in his office, she would ask about her mother's medical history, using the impending marriage arrangement as a suitable excuse. She'd thought of a brilliant topic, one that had come up in conversation too much in the last month by her suitors: Babies.

She couldn't think of a better subject to bring up that wouldn't make the doctor suspicious of her. No, she had to tread this line very carefully. By asking this particular line of questioning, she was setting herself up dangerously.

On one hand, the doctor could tell her everything, wanting to reassure her that nothing bad would come of it, but on the other hand, he could get suspicious and go straight to her father about her suspicions, and with what happened two nights ago with Link and her closet, she wasn't wanting to throw around his name into the line of fire again.

Besides, what doctor would dare keep false medical records? She was certain her plan would succeed.

With a soft knock on the door, Zelda peaked her head inside the private office of the head physician.

Upon seeing her enter, the doctor sat at the desk, smiled, stood up, and gave a respectful bow. "It is good to see you, Your Highness."

"It is good to see you as well, sir." The man rose from his bow and took a seat in his chair behind his desk.

The first thing Zelda noticed was the absence of overwhelming scents in the air. It brought her much relief from trying to identify everything all the were no flowers that pollinated the air, nor was there food anywhere.

Just plain nothing, safe for themselves.

"I believe the last time I saw you, it was the week prior to your heat, yes?"

She nodded, smiling. "Your advice was quite helpful, thank you."

"Do not thank me, it's simply my job to ensure your physical health." The man smiled and offered a seat to the Princess. "I believe you've come to see me for a reason? Is everything alright?"

Zelda wrung her hands as she took a seat in the armchair next to the desk. "Yes, there is a reason, though it mostly pertains to my medical history, or rather, my family's."

"Go on," the doctor folded his hands and watched her like a hawk.

Zelda cautioned herself to take a deep breath. "As of recently, my father has been introducing me to suitors and though they've been nice, they've all unsubtly shoved their idea of children in my face."

"As they usually do." Both of them snickered at the comment.

"And so, I've been thinking of my mother recently." Zelda explained how the rumours of her mother's health deteriorating in Zelda's early childhood years had bothered her and the man across her listened aptly, nodding along here and there.

The doctor nodded, seemingly knowing where the conversation was going. "And I assume you wanted to know how that may translate back to you, correct?" He opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out a small folder.

"I'd simply like to know if there is something I should avoid in the future or do to better a potential situation?"

"It is an understandable concern." He opened the folder and turned it to face Zelda. "Her late Majesty, may the Goddesses care for her soul, had a terribly difficult pregnancy when she carried you, Princess." The doctor gave no time to continue when Zelda's expression turned grim. "This is not to say any of your future pregnancies will be like this, but I can give a few pointers."

She nodded and listened quietly as she looked over the file.

"Your mother's was a complicated case, see?" He pointed to a page that held her mother's basic information: birthday, designation, gender, allergies, etc.

One thing caught her attention.

Omega .

Her father had lied to her. Her mother was just like her. Why her father felt the need to lie about this part of her identity, she had no clue, but she was evermore determined to figure it out now.

"What I tell you now, you must keep a secret, understood Princess?" He lowered his voice and bore deeply into her eyes with a seriousness she'd never seen from him.

"Of course, promise."

It took a quiet moment and a deep breath before the man flipped the page. "Her late Majesty was bonded to another but still bore His Majesty a child—you— Princess." This was new information. This was very new information. Not only had her father lied, but he had lied about her mother having a bond . Something so important.

Betas couldn't bond, this was basic knowledge everyone knew. Not only had her father lied to her about her mother's designation, but she had a partner that wasn't her father .

Does Father even know?! There was a distinct possibility that her father in fact didn't know about the bond, but the purging of that particular information from the library was too suspicious. She wasn't sure what to make of that information, so she let the doctor continue.

"In most cases, this almost never works. See, during an omega's heat, if they are bonded , the omega will typically reject those whom they are not with. The same goes with an alpha. They'll reject those with whom they are not bonded. This is a fact."

The next time Link's or my cycle hits, we'll only want each other then… she tried not to smile at the thought as to not clue in the doctor to anything suspicious between them..

"Now when your mother became with child, she was outside of her cycle, which is already challenging considering she was not bonded to your father. They loved each other and wanted a child, but doing so during her cycle was impossible considering her bond. She rejected him every cycle, even if she didn't wish to reject him."

Zelda believed those words. She had heard from the maids that her mother and father were disgustingly sweet to each other prior to their marriage, and continued to be so afterwards.

She heard of the numerous 'dates' her father took her mother on in the gardens, bringing her sweets from Castletown, little gifts and trinkets from his family estate, even a rumoured bird he'd purchased for her, but Zelda couldn't confirm nor deny that rumour, she had never seen the elusive bird in question.

Zelda's curiosity was piqued now. She wanted to dig as deeply into this conversation as she could, suspicion be temporarily damned.

"What could I expect when the time comes? My education on such a matter is so poor, how does one's bond affect a pregnancy? Or rather, the exception that is my mother's situation?"

"Of course, Princess. Any information you need, that is what I am here for." He turned to the small bookshelf that lined his desk and pulled out a small book before turning back to her. "Typically, during a pregnancy, when one's bonded is present or in usual close proximity, the symptoms alleviate, and will often disappear completely depending on the amount of daily proximity."

"So say, for example, if I had morning sickness or cramps, and I was with my bonded, what would happen?"

"Every day? Might feel like a sore stomach or it could disappear completely depending on how much time they spent with you."

"So if they weren't present at all…"

"Think the opposite reaction. If they're close, it'll feel better, if they're absent-"

"-it'll get worse."

"Precisely, now in your mother's case, she refused to tell us who her bonded was, which resulted in a very difficult pregnancy. We were seeing her almost every week, sometimes twice." The doctor sighed, clear worry in his voice. "We thought she would lose the baby before the third trimester, but alas, she made it all the way."

Zelda felt the shift in the air, the scent of rain in the air now despite being indoors. She'd heard many things from the maids and other ladies about the severity of some symptoms, but never in depth. . She thought about how severe she had heard morning sickness could be, how bad the pain, how terrible someone's aches could be, the foot pain, the cramps, all of it. For the doctor to still be somewhat upset over something that happened over twenty years ago, just how bad had her mother had it?

And Mother had gotten the short end of the stick in all of it.

"Surely she would have gotten better afterwards, no?"

"You would think."

Oh no.

"Her bonded did not, nor did they ever, reside in the castle. Her Majesty never fully recovered from this ordeal. There were a few days where she seemed to get better, but she would revert back to bed rest afterwards."

She didn't think she wanted to know more anymore. Hearing about her mother's suffering caused her stomach to twist and turn in itself.

"Why not find her bonded?" she whispered, horrified. She wanted to leave and pretend she hadn't heard the conversation now.

"She never told a soul and her personal guards never uttered any name, even under duress."

Her mother had kept it secret until the very end.

What if it wasn't Father who ripped out those pages… What if it was actually Mother? Zelda wondered if she had wrongfully placed the blame on her father. What if he knows who Mother's bonded was? Thousands of thoughts swirled in her mind. Too many What Ifs, too many possibilities, too many motives.

"Princess? Are you alright?" Zelda snapped out of her brainstorming.

"Er-Yes, I'm fine. It's just… Father never told me any of this… I'm shocked to say the least."

"It is indeed shocking to hear such things. Perhaps we should end the conversation here, I fear you may be upset if I dare continue, Princess."

"I-I think that may be for the best…"

She felt the weight of worlds on her shoulders all of a sudden as she stood up. Her mother had suffered a lot. Because of her. She had been the cause of her death, albeit indirectly, all because she either wanted to hide her bonded's identity or she couldn't reveal who they were.

Why had she even come in the first place? I should have let Link do the digging… shivers wracked her body as she left the office and headed back to her room to rest and process the rest of the information.

Dinner passed quickly as the bustling family hounded Link for recent news of his life. He wasn't typically one to write home too often, so the last few months had been a complete mystery to them.

It wasn't that he didn't like writing home, it was more of a hassle that meant less time to do everything else in his day. All of the reports that cluttered his desk couldn't be put off forever because he was wondering how to write a letter to family. He realised he should probably make more of an effort to keep in touch with his parents after that thought.

"So, I'm going to assume you've found yourself a girl?" Aryll asked him once again as he relaxed on the nearby couch surrounded by everyone. His father and brother-in-law had pulled out shooters and a jug of mystery drink Link had no interest in finding out the contents.

His father was the first to respond before Link could even say a word. "With how much Cassian works you to the bone, I'm surprised you found the time." Link sighed as he scratched his head. Yep, Commander Cassian was working him to the bone with drills and routines for his squad. "Does the Princess give you that much time to yourself?"

"I mean-"

"Nonsense! It's probably one of the maids he meets after his shift," his mother interjected, with a snarky scoff. "Her Royal Highness isn't known for being generous to her knights and lady's maids."

"Mom-"

"Don't speak about the Princess like that! She seemed nice in Link's last letter!" Aryll cut through her mom's sudden tirade.

Are they ever going to let me talk… Link suddenly remembered why he didn't visit home too often. Every time he tried to speak up, someone new interrupted him, save for Sota who gave him an understanding glance as the two men watched the entire family converse all-too loudly.

"So who is it?" Sota asked him, leaning over to Link.

"It's the Princess," he said quietly, whispering to the only Alpha in the room. "About two months ago?" Link thought back to their last heat-rut week. It was still fresh in his memory-the sweet words of affection still dancing around his mind, along with images of her body, their intertwined limbs and her honeyed voice.

Sota clapped him on the shoulder, congratulating him as the family still held their own side conversation. "I didn't realise you were both a thing…"

"It's not exactly public knowledge." Link chuckled nervously. "And we'd like to keep it that way, you know, privately ," he emphasised heavily, knowing he would likely blabber to his sister, who was a gossip. After the Sheikah nodded, he sighed and let himself relax on the couch. "Alright, if anyone asks, she's a beta." If anyone in town knew of her actual designation, he couldn't imagine the kind of rumours the common folk of his hometown would make. It was a nightmare to deal with when it first happened, he didn't want a repeat of last time. "That reminds me. What's happened since I've been gone? Robbie told me a while back that the lab got broken into."

Sota sat back and looked to the ceiling in thought. "That's right, there are rumours that the Yiga got bold and broke into the laboratory.. We don't know if they've done it again or not, but I remember a few Sheikah coming and going more often recently."

"Probably Purah and Robbie. They're the directors."

"Probably, but I've mostly seen a young woman, Miss Purah, and Robbie here and there. I haven't seen them come or go since Robbie carried that blue flame up the hill."

So Robbie, Purah, and Cherry probably… "I might go take a look later this week."

Sota snapped his finger as he thought of something. "I'll come with you. We need to bring an order of Safflinas and Nightshade up there tomorrow morning. I've been meaning to talk to Purah again since the last time I had a discussion with her."

Link nodded as he picked up his empty cup. "Understood, we'll go tomorrow. Anything else happen?" The remainder of the evening went on quietly, Sota keeping him up-to-date on Yiga sightings, the garden that they'd been taking care of and their efforts at growing wildberries, and his sister's well-being.