Chapter 4: Words

"Father."

"Oh oh," the king mumbled. Zelda was giving him that look. He knew that look all too well from her mother, when she was angry with him about something, or rather, angry in general about something. It was rare, but when it happened, the Queen of Hyrule was not one to be trifled with.

Zelda put her hands on her hips. "Is there some kind of law forbidding students to attend a public school?"

He raised a thick eyebrow at the unusual question. "Of course not," he said at once. "You know that. Why are you asking? Goddess forbid, you're not trying to convince me into letting you attend one, are you?" he could feel the dread surface inside of him at the thought.

"No."

Relief. Then…

"If what you say is true," said Zelda accusingly. "Why was Volga rejected to study at a school?"

Silence enveloped between them, as the king tried to piece together his daughter's irate interrogation "Ah," he acknowledged after a moment. "So you met Volga already. What do you… think of him?"

"Father, you're changing the subject," Zelda protested.

"I was not aware that he was rejected to study," he said truthfully. "I was aware however, that he frightened most people. Perhaps him being denied to study was more of his choice to give up trying to learn, in an environment where people shun him, no?"

Zelda listened to his words, not having thought of it that way. Maybe Volga really did choose to not attend the school, not wanting to be around those that were constantly afraid of him. The problem then, was that Volga likely did not have anyone to encourage him to study, as parents would have.

"Where is his family?" she asked quietly. "Does he have no relatives?"

The king frowned. "I do not know who his parents are, or if they're even still alive. And if I had known he had relatives, I would have sent him to live with them, rather than with random tribes."

"But now you want to send him to live in the Eldin Caves," Zelda deadpanned. "Amidst Lizalfos and who knows what other kinds of creepy creatures. What is he going to do there, eat rocks? How is he supposed to get an education living in a place like that?"

"Zelda," the king breathed in surprise. "You sound so much like your mother right now, that it's rather alarming. Calm down a little. One thing at a time. You must first understand that Volga is not really human -"

"While I find it hard to believe," Zelda interrupted. "Yes, I do know that. He has black markings on his face. So?"

Growing more irritated with his daughter's bluntness, he waved a strict finger at her. "Listen young lady, I am your father, so you will show me respect."

Zelda held back her tongue. "Yes, Father," she said bitterly.

He continued. "Very well. As I was saying, Volga is not fully human. As for what he is… from what I understand, the creatures such as Lizalfos, look up to him." He hesitated, and Zelda got the distinct impression that he knew something she didn't. "So my thought was that if Volga couldn't get along with the humans, then he could try living with the Lizalfos for some time. If he doesn't like living there, no one's making him do so. I already told him I can arrange with other tribes to take him in."

How many people has Volga been shuffled between? Zelda wondered. It must have been difficult for him, constantly being rejected by families and tribes. Maybe I could understand it if he wouldn't want to live with humans after all that. But still I…

"Why do you look so glum, child?"

Zelda looked up at him. "Can't we… enroll him at the school in town while he's here?"

The king shook his head. "He's not going to be staying here long, maybe a few weeks at the most. Enough to get his training with Impa, then face his trial with the Lizalfos. Besides, if he's to move to Eldin Caves soon, it would be inconvenient for him to be so far away from school."

"What about here, then?" Zelda pressed on. "Assign him to one of my private tutors. At least to get him started on some basics. Father, he doesn't even know how to write."

Again, her father refused. "Absolutely not," he said firmly. "Zelda, I know you are young, but you cannot be so naive. You know our instructors are not allowed to tutor children who are not of the Royal Family. Can you think of the issues this would cause? If our people were to find out our instructors started tutoring someone outside the Royal Family, and a questionably partial human at that - there would be chaos. Everyone will start complaining as to why their child isn't tutored here, and it would just be a horrible mess. Can you not see this?"

All I can see so far, Zelda thought defiantly. Is that the manner that he has been raised is more of an animal than he is.

It was difficult to believe that several days had already passed since he arrived at the castle. How very unlike his days spent in the village, where time was cruel and dragged on until he was able to will himself to sleep. To where he could find solace in his dreams, in hopes that they would be more pleasant than reality.

But time was starting to take a different form, in such a way that it was teasing him. Now, time went by too quickly, especially when he spent it with the princess. The dread and bitterness he had harbored for so long still lingered, but it was more relaxed with what he was experiencing now. Only he… could not quite yet place what this new feeling was.

Volga skimmed his hand over the wool blanket on his bed - no, the guard barrack's bed that was for his temporary use. It had been quite awhile since he was last given the chance to sleep on a 'proper' bed, so the renewed accommodation was taking some getting used to. But then, everything was taking some getting used to.

There was a tap at his door. Volga sat up, wondering if it was Impa to remind him that he was supposed to start his training with her tomorrow. What sounded like bricks were falling apart outside.

When he opened the door, the person wasn't… quite within view. A massive stack of books appeared to be floating in front of him, some of them sliding to the ground. That is, until he noticed tiny fingers grasp at them from the bottom, and a flash of blonde hair. He felt a rush of surprise and eagerness settle in his chest.

"Let me help you with that," he said anxiously, wondering if she had to finish some late night school work. It wasn't just books she had brought. Several pieces of parchment, quills, and an ink pad were the last of them. She was panting slightly, relieved to get the weight off her arms.

Zelda set the parchments and quills on his desk table, before taking a seat. "Come," she said urgently. "We need to get started before it gets too late. You need to get some sleep before your training tomorrow."

Confused, Volga placed the books on the table, and took a seat next to her. "Get started?"

"I'm going to tutor you, of course," said Zelda simply. "My goal will be for you to learn how to read and write."

The shock on his face must have been obvious, because the princess chuckled.

"Oh come now, it's not so bad," she said, spreading the piece of parchment neatly in front of them. "You may think it's ludicrous for someone of my age to be teaching, but remember that you've had no education yet. This means that we'll be starting with the basics, something I'm very well acquainted with. Here, take the other quill and follow my lead. We will begin with the Hylian alphabet."

The candlelight that illuminated the desk was beginning to dim, the wax lazily dripping into the small tray that held the partially melted candle, indicating the hours that had already passed. Volga sifted through the various parchments of his writing, or rather, the scribbles of his many mistakes.

"I didn't think writing was so frustrating," he mumbled.

Zelda dipped her quill into the ink pad, then reviewed his parchment, drawing a circle around an occasional letter, and making corrections. "There's only a couple of letters that you're struggling with. I set them aside here for you to practice. You're getting a general grasp of it though… you might even be able to write down a word or two now."

"Write an actual word?' Volga asked, unconvinced. "I don't know. I'd probably make a fool out of myself."

"Volga," said Zelda encouragingly. "Listen. It's alright to make mistakes. Learning to write is not something everyone can learn in a day, so don't feel bad if you're having trouble." She paused, and gazed at the flickering flames from the candle. "Did you know that I'm completely lousy at playing the harp?"

He shook his head. Of all things Zelda may not have felt confident with, he did not expect this to be one of them.

"The first time I tried to play," the princess began, looking abashed. "The sounds were clumsy and shrill… nothing like I had envisioned it to be when I heard some of the greatest musicians in Hyrule. The worst part was that I tried playing during an important ceremony a few years back, where this royal family visited us from a distant kingdom."

"Other kingdoms," he said curiously. "So they were like kings and princesses, but not from your family?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, except… this family did not have a daughter at the time, only a son. In my excitement to meet a prince, I tried to show off by playing the harp - and well, I failed miserably. He, and his own family looked pretty offended, even though my father, in his bias, found my display charming. I've been a bit embarrassed to play in front of most people ever since."

Volga tried to visualize this scene in his head, but even as he tried to think of the most ear-piercing sounds, he could not see it like this prince supposedly did. If Volga was the prince, he would have been honored if the princess wanted to play music for him. And if she was truly inexperienced where he was not, he would have offered to teach her. Because he would have been thrilled to spend time with her.

What is this feeling?

Maybe he could convince her to play her harp around him sometime. Whatever flaws she had, or what she perceived them to be flaws, simply made her more human. And though he wasn't exactly human himself, Zelda made him feel more human in the short time that he had known her, compared to all his years living among them.

Until she finds out what your form can become. You know you will be due for the changes soon and that you have yet to control them. What will she think then? his mind reminded him snidely. For what princess would want to be in the company of a dragon?

Volga bit his lip, and looked up at her. The braids on her bangs were slightly disheveled from having been up for so long. The fire from the candle barely lit up the room now, nearly at its end. He could see the the shapes in the background cast shadows along her features, the subtle lines underneath her tired eyes. She had stayed up so late tonight with him, patiently teaching him how to write. The very least he could do was make one final effort, so that she could get some sleep soon.

"I… guess I'll try writing a word," he said in defeat.

Zelda gave him a sleepy smile. She brought her quill to his parchment to where she found room for him to practice writing a few words. "What is the first word you would like to learn?"

He could feel his face grow warm, though he figured that was likely his body's naturally high internal heat. "Zelda," he said, admiration dancing in his eyes. "I would like to learn how to write your name."

Volga studied the elegant curves of the letters in her name as she wrote it before him. He tried to imitate it, though his handwriting was nowhere near as refined.

"You did it!" she beamed at him. "Try writing your name too, like this."

Something about Zelda's name was mesmerizing to him, the very letters bringing the word to life. And even when he glanced at his own name, next to hers, he could not really explain why he liked the sight of their names together, or why he felt such a childish delight when he noticed that their names had the same number of letters.

"Will we… practice more tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

Zelda sat up from the chair and stretched her arms. "We will practice as much as we can. But we'll probably start on some books soon. I'll read them to you, and you can read them back as we go. Reading is one of the best ways to learn how to write. For now, you should get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow when you start your training."

The light from the candle extinguished, leaving the room in semi-darkness. "Sweet dreams, Volga," she whispered, before quietly leaving the room.