"What's a chancery and what does it handle?" Barnabus asked Link, holding the question sheet and hiding the back of the page to keep him from reading it. They were in the library, sitting in one of the alcoves designated for reading and study. Link was doing his best to ignore the amused and curious looks they received from passing servants.
"Money?" Link hesitated.
Barnabus shot him a look. "Be more specific."
Link groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Uh… It's a branch of the Court that deals with money?"
"I'll repeat myself. What does a chancery handle?" Barnabus asked again. "We've gone over this four times this week."
"I know money." Link whined a bit. "Equity? Properties? Physical assets?"
Barnabus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, a chancery handles physical assets and money, but its main goal is to ensure fairness in the handling of contracts, fraud, bankruptcy, the proper representation of trusts, and handling of estate ownership. There are a few others, but those are minor."
"Oh." I'm not going to remember any of this tomorrow.
His friend sighed. "Moving on. What's a hansard?"
"Oh I know this one!" Link smiled with palpable relief. "It's a transcript."
He snorted. "I hoped you'd know that one, you ask Stura for one at the end of every meeting. What's an assent?"
"An agreement made by the monarch?"
"Close, it's an agreement made by the sovereign to a bill . It's also called a Royal Assent, and it becomes law."
"Why do I need to learn all of this?" Link groaned. He wanted to slam his head on the desk but refrained from it.
"Noblemen know all of this by the age of sixteen. That's the bare minimum. You're almost twenty-four and you can barely tell me what a tariff is."
"I know what that is." Link baulked.
"Explain it then."
"It is… a tax… for revenue purposes." Internally, Link was sweating. He had heard Lord Muzu complain about Hyrule's tariffs before… Right?
"Utilised by whom?"
"The court?"
"Wrong. It's used by the government at the political and financial level by taxing the importing and exporting of local and foreign goods. It can act as a source of revenue for the Crown, but it's far from the only use."
"No one remembers all of that." Link told him with an accusatory tone. "Only people who work with this stuff remember that."
Barnabus shook his head in defeat and looked around. His eyes suddenly brightened. "Right, here comes the Princess, let me ask her." Link whipped around in the chair and spotted Zelda walking into the library, her two ladies-in-waiting behind her.
She spotted them with a smile and walked over, determined now. She motioned her ladies-in-waiting to wait a bit further back as she made her way over.
Barnabus stood to his feet and bowed when Zelda arrived at the table. "Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness." The captain greeted her.
"Captain, good afternoon." Zelda greeted him politely. "How are the lessons?" she teased Link with a playful wink.
"Well, Link and I have a wager going regarding some things at the moment."
Link whipped back to look at Barnabus and started signing to the man to shut up and keep his mouth shut. It was bad enough that the lessons were being held in the library, but he hardly needed everyone in the castle to know of his woeful inadequacies. He was supposed to be Hyrule's Champion, Hylia's Chosen, yet there was an enormous gap in his education that even the dullest nobleman didn't have. He was used to feeling out of his depth when it came to Zelda, of course. She was a genius, a scholar able to rival or outshine the greatest minds in Hyrule. But when it came to Barnabus or the young men who had sneered with jealousy at him when he had grown closer to Zelda… It didn't feel the same. It felt ugly. Shameful, to be so ignorant.
Zelda watched amused. "Oh? Do tell."
"Princess, can you explain what a preamble is?"
Zelda smiled. "It's an introductory statement in a statute. It serves to state the intentions and reasonings for a legal document. Think of it like the opening lines of an essay."
Link stared at Zelda. She hadn't hesitated even one bit. It flowed out of her mouth much like mechanical knowledge.
"And a Division?" Barnabus added, giving Link a petty glance.
"It's a method of voting." She answered just as easily as the last.
"And a repeal?"
"It's the repealing or annulment of an act."
"I think your point's been proven, Barns." Link interrupted him with an uneasy tone. He wasn't in the mood to have everything he was supposed to have learned shoved back into his face, even though Zelda didn't appear embarrassed of him—even though he had failed her. "And I would also like to note that Her Royal Highness is a genius and a scholar, and I am not."
Zelda beamed at the compliment, standing a bit prouder.
"Regardless, I've proven your point wrong, Your Highness. " Barnabus mocked him. The captain pushed the large book back towards Link and pointed to the long paragraphs regarding laws.
As Link groaned audibly and forfeited himself to the long complicated words of the encyclopaedia, Zelda smiled and took his arm, raising him from the seat.
"As much as I've enjoyed this back and forth we've had, Captain, if you'll excuse me, I must borrow Link for a bit. He needs to help me pick something out." Zelda smiled sweetly and began pulling him away from the desk where Barnabus was growing increasingly disgruntled at his attempts to evade his lessons.
Thank Hylia for Zelda, Link thought fervently.
Link pulled a stray strand of Zelda's hair back and adjusted it not too loosely along with the other strands with a small jewelled hairpin. He'd done this to half her head already with the small two prong pins while Zelda tried to decide on jewellery.
Zelda held up a small set of pearl earrings, then put them down and picked up a small dainty sapphire pair. "I think this might be the first time I've been invited to an afternoon event." Zelda said, clasping one of the earrings in. "It extends late into the evening it seems, I do wonder what our plans are."
"And it's just women?" Link asked, pulling a strand a bit looser but not out completely.
"Just women, yes." Zelda shrugged and clasped the other earring. Content with her earrings, she turned to face Link. "You know you're allowed to come, a few of the ladies have told me their husbands or chaperones drink and smoke in another room."
Link thought about it before shaking his head. "I've already got evening plans," he told her. "Arn told me Aunt Elise wanted me to come for dinner for the last few days but now that I've finally got the evening, I'm afraid Arn might just drag me over by force."
"You've mentioned this aunt before, which side of the family is she related to?" Zelda inquired, turning back to look at herself in the mirror.
Link shook his head with a chuckle. "No, we're not blood related." He informed her with a smile. "But she and Arn did raise me for five years when I came to Castletown for my training."
"Right, you said something about staying with Arn for a bit when you had that first rut of yours." Zelda remembered the conversation they'd had scaling Mt. Lanayru about Link's childhood. "I've been meaning to ask, why didn't you stay with your family for that time? Surely that'd have been more convenient if they already owned a home here, no?"
Link gave her an uneasy nod of the head. "I would have loved to stay with my own parents at the time, but up until very recently, we've had an unspoken rule to not mention Castletown or the royal family in the house unless it's a pressing emergency. Since I was still in training, they were a bit far of a commute." He revealed with strong hesitation. Was right now the best time to tell Zelda about all of that? Absolutely not, but he could attempt to keep things vague for now.
"Your father right?" Zelda guessed. "You've mentioned a few things about him working here before. He was close with Captain Arn, was he not?"
"Arn is probably the closest person to him that's still alive, I suppose." Link joked morbidly. The two were borderline ancient when compared to anyone else in the castle, barring Rhoam who was slowly approaching sixty-three years old. That man was older than the leviathan bones.
"I'll admit I'm a bit jealous of you," Zelda revealed, a tinge of sadness slipping in. "Your father seems nice."
"I'd call him more of a jackass if anything."
"But he's already more than I could ever have. He doesn't seem like he relentlessly tears you down."
Link looked at her, horrified. "Zelda, your standards for a parent are—mind my language—fucked up. Your standard shouldn't be whether they tear you down or not, it should be how much they support you."
Zelda didn't say anything back. Instead she looked down at her hands quietly, picking gently around her nails.
"I know they don't have to be your friend, but they shouldn't be an enemy to you either." Link took the last strand of hair and pinned it back with another jewelled pin. He adjusted the strand by tugging a bit before taking a step back and nodding at his work.
"Thank you for the help." Zelda smiled and turned her head back and forth, admiring the style.
"Go enjoy yourself tonight, don't spare Rhoam another thought."
"I'll try." She replied dryly. "What time do you think you'll return tonight?"
Dinner at Arn's was never a short thing. Aunt Elise would likely cook up a feast large enough to feed a squadron so he could easily set aside two hours for that alone; then he'd promised his mother the other day he'd stop by to spend some time with his dad and sister while they were still in town which could be another hour, easily.
"I wouldn't wait up for me if that's what you're asking." Link told her. He'd feel too bad if Zelda stayed up past midnight just to wait for him.
"May I use your room?" Zelda asked, a little spark of joy slipped into her request with a smile.
Link kissed her cheek. "You never need to ask. You have the key to the door, just tell whoever is on night's that you're staying there."
"Thank you, the chambermaids have gotten to my things again." Zelda grumbled something under her breath as she stood up and fixed her skirts. "I'm seriously thinking of changing my staff."
"At this point, you should." Link agreed with her. The staff never touched his stuff after he made it abundantly clear they shouldn't and he's been happy ever since. It should be the case for Zelda as well. "You've got Dame Caya and Sir Balar with you tonight, so if there's anything, just ask either one of them."
"I like those two. Their gossip is always entertaining."
Link smiled. His guards were strong and competent, even if their decorum lacked when they were supposed to be on duty sometimes, but he was glad they were so trusted. "You can tell me all about tonight when I get back."
"Will do!" Zelda smiled and made her way to the door with Link and left her bedroom. There, the two guards were already waiting for her, not leaning against the wall for once. "My carriage awaits, I bid you goodnight." she waved goodbye to Link as she made her way down the hall and Link went the opposite direction.
The ride wasn't a long one, it was simply to the outskirts of Castletown where most of the nobility had their homes for the social season. It was a common fact that Princess Zelda never left the castle too often, but Zelda often did unofficial duties to the shrines and towers, to the Divine Beasts and whatnot.
She was glad for the empty, closed box carriage for once. She could stretch her legs and lean all over the bench as much as she wanted without a reprimand, but the hour-long journey was a bit of a bore without Link, Lady Impa or Purah.
Zelda missed Impa dearly. She was seen so rarely in the castle these days, and the days she was seen, she was often running to and from official meetings, sneaking in and out of shadows, and resided back in Kakariko, her home village rather than the castle as she had previously.
At least Purah still resided in the palace so she always had a friend nearby.
Zelda peeked through the curtain and out to the street. She could see couples walking by hand in the elbow, pairs of friends walking by with parasols to block the sun and their lady's maids a few steps behind. The clothing and the jewelled embellishments were becoming much clearer as the area was becoming cleaner and more refined rather than the downtown area of Castletown.
One of her first social functions without Link… The first in many years. Zelda tried to calm her erratically beating heart but found it a bit difficult. This was a women's gathering, not a men's but Countess Litha had mentioned the men getting together as well.
She'd desperately wanted to ask if Link could attend, but once she'd heard of his plans with Captain Arn later that day, she'd been too guilty to ask him to reschedule. There was so little of his old life that he clung to outside of his new royal duties, she couldn't take away what presented itself to him.
She touched the necklace around her neck; it'd been the one Link had gifted her for her birthday. By some odd method of jewelcrafting, it seemed to retain his scent rather well despite how often she wore it.
Zelda peeked out the curtain once more and noticed the large fountain they were passing. They were here.
She felt the carriage come to a halt and the carriage bounced lightly at the weight of the guards hopping off the back. Zelda unclicked the inner lock and let the guards open the door and set a step out.
She checked the mirror one last time. Her crown was in order, her hair wasn't a mess, her makeup wasn't smudged and her lipstick didn't transfer to her teeth. She looked the role of a picture perfect princess—apart for the belly of course but she couldn't do anything about that at the moment.
"Princess, do you still wish to come?" She heard Dame Caya's voice from behind the open door.
"We're here, aren't we?" Zelda tried to joke but her voice shook.
There was a bit of silence. "You can always put some blame on the baby if you wish not attend, no one would claim you a liar." She heard Sir Balar comment timidly.
He spoke some truth… Who would ever in their right mind blame a pregnant woman for any sickness that befell them all of a sudden?
"I said I would, so I shall." Zelda pinched the back of her hand briefly to pull herself away from her anxious thoughts and took a hold of the gloved hand offering help out of the carriage. A quiet ache shot up her ankle the moment she stepped onto the firm stone road.
Why did I wear heels? I'm an idiot.
She walked towards the large home with the dozens of elegant flower vases lining the path. She slowed down her breathing and prayed to the Goddesses that she'd have a smooth evening without any embarrassments. This was her first afternoon formal engagement with noblewomen who wanted to be her friend—she hoped for that last part especially.
Don't say unnecessary details, keep any embarrassments to yourself, do not give anyone gossip material. She repeated as a mantra in her mind as the home's servants bowed deeply and opened the front doors. Immediately, she was greeted by the Earl and Countess of East Faron, Lord Bram and Lady Litha, in some of the finer clothes Zelda's seen in a long time.
You are not underdressed. You are a princess. You command attention, do not shy away.
"Your Royal Highness," Both Earl and Countess bowed and curtsied deeply, "it is truly an honour to welcome you to our home this fine afternoon." the Earl spoke. "I trust your journey has been smooth?"
Zelda focused on keeping her posture strong. "It was, thank you, My Lord." She thanked the Earl.
Zelda took in the sights through her peripherals. Garlands of white and light purple flowers were hung from pillars and the floors were freshly waved, the wooden stairs and railings polished with a lemon scented concoction, although the flowers much overpowered it. The crystal chandeliers and high ceilings were well lit with candles and natural light.
The Earl wore a nicely pressed black jacket over his suit, and his grooming and posture were clearly befitting someone of that rank, while Lady Litha effortlessly showed the elegance of a high class noblewoman. Her dress seemed to fit the theme of her gathering with purple and white accents and other small spring-coloured embellishments.
Was it a mistake to wear such a dark blue? Is it too aggressive? Zelda couldn't help but wonder. Her dress bore the accents and colours of the royal family as it always did, but was it too strong for today? Maybe I should have gone with a paler blue…
The Earl seemed to look around her discreetly. "Is your Consort not joining us today?" he asked quietly.
Oh he's looking for Link, it's not me. "I'm afraid His Highness has some rather urgent matters to tend to today," Calling Link such a title would never feel normal on her tongue.
Her answer didn't seem to upset the Earl in any way, something she was glad about. "I hope he attends our next ball then, perhaps next time." He turned to Lady Litha with affection. "I shall take my leave, dearest. I trust you have our esteemed guest in capable hands?"
"Of course. Return to the others." Lady Litha almost seemed to dismiss her own husband with a wave of the hand. He seemed almost giddy as he bowed and left the room.
The moment the Earl was out of eyesight, Lady Litha seemed to relax with a smile and her shoulders slumped a bit. Zelda relaxed almost immediately the moment Lady Litha did.
"Lady Litha, I'm afraid to admit that I'm quite inexperienced with these sorts of gatherings." Zelda admitted quietly.
"Princess, I am your host for this evening, please, allow me." Lady Litha motioned to one of the side entry ways of the hall where she could hear the whispers of women's voices echoing through. "I am glad you could attend, truly I am." Litha smiled and led her into the room.
"What was it Lord Bram seemed so eager about?" Zelda inquired. The way the man had been so giddy he couldn't stand still was a mystery.
"Oh he, the Marquess and the Duke of Akkala are playing card games with their smokes in the other room." Litha told her with a shrug. "Smoking, drinking, gambling, men's things. A few other minor lords are there as well, though I do not recall their names."
Thank goodness Link didn't come, it sounds so far out of his comfort zone. She just knew Link would have guilted himself for not drinking and he would have caved to the pressure. Zelda did not want to be dragging a tipsy Link home at the end of the night.
Zelda laughed a bit in a nonchalant way. "Link does not seem like the drinking or smoking type, I think it was best he not come today."
"Good. He'd have been torn apart by them if he had," Lady Litha laughed. "I'm tired of my husband talking about his imported smokes. If at least one man can go without it, the better." Zelda stared for a moment, unsure of what to say. It seemed Litha had quite the thoughts surrounding smoking, but Zelda wasn't going to pry.
Lady Litha entered the room first and whispered into the Master of Ceremonies' ear before returning to her side. Zelda heard him loudly clear his throat and the small string orchestra calmed their music.
"It is my great honour to announce the arrival of Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule, Crown Princess and Heir to the throne of Hyrule."
That is always so dramatic. Zelda internally groaned but kept a smile on her face as she stepped forward into sight of the other ladies in the room. All were already standing and curtsying to her. Once they turned back to their conversations, Zelda made her way slowly down the stairs, praying to Hylia that she didn't misstep or trip down the stairs. Do not embarrass yourself. You are doing fine.
The first person to come up to her was no other than her cousin, Duchess Deilia with a wide smile on her lips. Her gown was ostentatious, its jewelled embellishments in no way subtle, but the colour suited her no less. "Hello, Princess, it is so good to see you." The girl seemed to be brimming with energy,
"It's good to see you as well, Lady Deilia." Zelda smiled. In other places, she was sure her cousin would have jumped into her arms, but she seemed to be holding herself back. Zelda had to remember her cousin was a gossip though, so she couldn't say just anything tonight.
Her cousin's eyes drifted away from hers and they soon lit up. "Oh who are these two cuties?" She stepped towards Dame Caya and Sir Balar with renewed interest.
Oh here we go again. Zelda could have sworn her cousin had a vested interest in anyone uniformed.
Dame Caya seemed to ignore the attention well but Sir Balar… He seemed to want to shrink away to nothing despite keeping up decorum well. The shrinking away only seemed to fuel Deilia's advances. First Link, now her two guards?
"Lady Deilia, I would appreciate it if you left my personal guards alone. They're here to do a job."
"Fine, fine, I'll just nab 'em on their off time."
Zelda glanced at the two guards and sighed. She mouthed 'I tried' and turned away.
Once the carriage departed from the castle with Zelda and the two guards, Link returned back to his chambers where he pulled out a pair of hair scissors and began trimming his hair, pulling the long pieces to the front and trimming the ends that appeared split.
As much as people tried to do things for him now, this was still one of the only things he didn't trust anyone else to do. Only a few people were allowed close to his head with scissors and none of those people lived in the castle, no matter how professional those people claimed to be with hair. He took pride in his hair. He deliberately kept it far longer than military regulations permitted. It was the one sign of rebellion he allowed himself. Well, until he and Zelda had bonded, that is.
Once he was satisfied with the state of his hair, he gave it a brief wash to clean the trimmings and tied his hair back in a cleaner manner.
It'd been a while since Link had properly cleaned up and dressed nicely for something that wasn't court-related, and he didn't want to overdue it but he also didn't want to look like a slob. Aunt Elise had eyes sharper than an islander hawk. There was nothing that woman missed. If she picked up so much as a hint that he had been neglecting himself, he would be in for a lecture.
"Are you still free tonight?" Arn asked him from the doorway. "Elise has been asking for you to come over for ages and she doesn't want you backing out again."
Link pulled a few shirts from his closet, thinking about each one before shoving it back in again. "Knocking is a thing."
"You're turning into a woman with how long it takes you to get ready."
Link flipped him off. Yes, he could go weeks without a proper bath and be covered in mud and sweat, but this was Aunt Elise . He wanted to look nice and be comfortable. Besides, the red shirt had a thread loose on the left side and it tickled him horribly every time he moved. And the white one had a scratchy tag from the tailor that never softened no matter how the laundresses pummeled it.
Arn shook his head and walked into the room, took a look for no more than two seconds and snatched one of the shirts and took the rest and shoved them back into the closet. "This. Don't spend an hour looking at three options."
Link glared at Arn. "I did not spend an hour."
"You didn't, but I've seen that look hundreds of times." Arn left shortly after that.
What was the point of that? Link forgot about the disturbance and finished getting ready. He'd had a long conversation with the guards, insisting that he would be fine and there wouldn't be an issue for security reasons. After all, who was going to mess with Arn and Link together?
"Oh Link! Come here, my boy!" Before Link could greet Aunt Elise, he was enveloped in a tight embrace to the point he could barely breathe. "You haven't forgotten us, have you?" She asked him, still not releasing him from the hug.
Link could hear Arn chuckling in the back. "You're going to kill the poor boy."
He was released from the hug, but not Aunt Elise's hold. She held him by the shoulders as she looked him over as though he'd gone missing for years on end. "It's been too long, you don't stop by for dinner anymore." She fussed. She ruffled his hair and grabbed a hold of his face, turning it back and forth. "You've gotten yourself hurt again, look at all of these scars. When's the last time you cut your hair? Look at these ends!" She tugged his bangs forward and Link saw the ends he'd missed.
How did I miss that? "They're minor scars from tumbles and sparring, I promise." Link tried to take a step back to take his shoes off. Best not to tell her a good number of those were recently acquired.
The woman huffed. "Well, no matter fussing now. What's done is done. Dinner's nearly ready, go get washed up." She took a towel out of her apron and threw it over her shoulder. "Are you staying the night? We still have that guest room for you."
Link scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He hadn't stayed here in over three years but the house still felt like a close memory. "Maybe another time, I promised the Princess I'd be back later tonight."
"Oh yes! The princess, Arn's told me all about your little thing with her." He heard a teasing tone in her voice and Link immediately knew he'd be interrogated for the next few hours. "He actually won himself a pretty hefty sum with that, so perhaps I should thank you for our new teapot."
Link turned to face Arn with annoyance written all over his face. "How much was the bet, auntie?"
Arn smiled and tried to look around the room for an exit, but Link kept his eyes glued to him.
"What was it again? 800? Something like that?" Elise asked out loud.
"845," He heard a timid voice from the stairs. "Dad brought home 845 but he lost 35." He looked up and saw Arn's youngest daughter Sabrina leaning on the railing above them. She'd always been timid, preferring to watch from a distance and study those around her.
Link waved at her with a smile.
"Thank you dear!" Her mother called out.
"What'd you lose 35 on?" Link asked curiously.
"Oh I bet that you'd be responsible and not knock up a princess."
Oh great Goddesses have mercy on my soul.
"What other things have you bet on?"
"Do you really want to know that information?" Arn snarked and pulled out his little black book from his back pocket. Ah yes, the famed betting book that was three decades old.
"You're right, I don't." Goddess forbid he ever learns the bizarre things Arn chose to bet on since he'd acquired that thing. The paper was yellowing and sticking out of some parts, clearly displaying the age of the booklet.
"Alright, that's enough chit chat in my doorway, off to the dining room with you, you're going to help Rina get the potatoes." Aunt Elise directed at Link before looking up at her youngest daughter who was still leaning on the railing atop them. "No more hiding in your room, young lady."
"Fine."
Despite being told to help with potatoes, Link was handed an old worn-out spatula and was directed to push around the stewed vegetables in the pan to make sure they didn't burn while Sabrina, Arn's youngest daughter and the only one Link's age, stirred the big pot of mash potatoes that smelled intensely of garlic and cheese. The pot was large enough to stash a turkey and it had been half full of fluffy, well strained potatoes.
"I've yet to see Thing 1 and Thing 2, they're not here?" Link asked.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 referred to Arn's older twin daughters, a pair of headstrong and frustrating alpha girls who seemed to enjoy pushing Link's patience to the brink on many occasions. They were 28 years old, so not quite in his age group, but close enough they got away with picking on him.
"Aubrey's hiding out somewhere in Akkala, and Kels is somewhere in Hebra—don't ask me why, I'm just happy to have the house to myself most of the day." Sabrina smiled giddily. She continued to forcefully stir the pot of mashed potatoes while Aunt Elise was in and out of the room looking for things.
He occasionally picked at the dinner roll in his hands, eating small pieces here and there. "Do you know when they'll be back?"
Sabrina shrugged. "Aubrey's not coming home for a bit, her wife's on bedrest for a few weeks, but Kelsey pops in every two or three weeks."
"Great, I'll stop by before then." Link laughed and ate more bread.
"And I'll be sure to tell them to come early then."
"How rude."
"Rina! Are those potatoes done?" They turned to the kitchen entry towards Aunt Elise's shout.
"They've been ready for ten minutes!" The girl shouted equally as loud with no warning.
They heard a gasp. "Why didn't you say anything?!" was shouted back to them.
"Because you said you'd be back in a minute!" The girl turned back to Link and handed him a stack of plates and utensils. "Take this. I'll grab the veg," she turned back to the pot and heaved it off the stove with a loud grunt.
Link stared. Was that pot really so heavy? Eh, whatever.
He took the light plates and made his way to the dinner table where they were immediately taken from his hands by Aunt Elise. He was pushed into a seat by the older woman. Sabrina came into the dining room, still heaving with the mash potatoes as if the pot weighed 40 lbs, then disappeared and came back with the veggie skillet he'd been tasked with stirring.
Arn's plate was filled first, then Sabrina, then Link's when suddenly, he heard:
"Liza, they don't feed him nearly enough at the castle."
"They don't?" Aunt Elise looked at Link with surprise and bewilderment.
Arn grabbed Link's upper arm. The man's large hand was able to fully wrap around Link's bicep.
Aunt Elise's face hardened. "That's it, give me your plate."
Link didn't have time to protect his plate before she picked it up first and slapped an extra large serving of mash potatoes and two more thick slices of roast beef over the veggies. "I really don't need more, I swear they feed me."
"Like hell they do! There's nothing here." His arm was poked by both Arn and Aunt Elise.
He knew this would happen. He knew he'd be leaving twice his weight the moment he stepped out of the castle, but that roast did smell enchanting as ever… The garlic and cheese in the potatoes did enough to cause his stomach to rumble—something that his aunt immediately took as a go-ahead to slap yet another slice of meat onto his plate.
I ought to bring Zelda one night. Maybe then she'd gain a bit more weight like he was being chastised about.
He was forcefully given seconds, then thirds, when his plate began to look emptier than everyone else's and he'd still hadn't had dessert yet. Elise had gone full efforts out to feed him and there was no escaping until she was satisfied.
"Please, I won't have space for dessert." Link pleaded as he picked up his plate and moved it away.
"There's always space for dessert, dear." The woman scooped into the mash potatoes—the pot now half empty.
It was truly a battle of how stubborn they could be.
"Mom, I'll take it if he doesn't want it."
"See? Give it to her, she's still growing." Link redirected Elise's attention to her daughter, who was lifting her plate with an uneasy smile. She'd gotten the same treatment. Sabrina wasn't still growing, but in Elise and Arn's eyes, it was like she was still 15 and trying to go on a diet again despite not needing it.
"If you insist." Her mother happily slapped an extra serving of vegetables onto the plate.
Thank goodness.
"Did you want to go get the pie?" Arn asked loudly, smirking at Link discreetly.
"I think we can wait-"
Then Elise stood up and rushed over to the kitchen, smiling and hopping back with a golden, very crispy and loaded apple pie.
Link was full and there was pie. His first great love had been turned against him. This had to be torture.
"You take him home in one piece and come straight back." Aunt Elise said sternly to Arn. "It's too late to be prancing around Castletown."
"I'm almost too tired to walk, Arn can you carry me?" Link joked. His stomach hurt from all the food, but it'd been so good, he had to have a second slice of pie.
"Well if you're too tired to walk, you can always stay here," Aunt Elise's smile grew. "You always have a room here, dear!" She hugged him once more, inadvertently pushing on the food in his stomach the wrong way.
And repeat this whole thing again in the morning? I'm good. "I really do need to get back, but I promise to come visit more often."
"You never need a reason, Link! Just stop by for a cup of tea or a cookie, anything!"
Do I really not visit that often? Goddess, no wonder Arn was ready to drag me out of the castle. "Understood, I'll drop by when I'm passing through."
Aunt Elise seemed satisfied with that answer, her hands sat on her hips and a loud huff followed her nod.
"We might just stop at the bar for a drink or two, don't wait for me." Arn smiled and started pushing Link out of the door first.
It only took one glance between Arn and Elise for Link to know that Arn had won that conversation and that Aunt Elise wouldn't say anything against that. Being the castle's resident drinker, it was a given that the man was going to drink anytime he could.
"Oh alright, but don't make me come looking for you two. You know that boy has the tolerance of a four-year-old."
"Hey!"
"You know it's true dear, no shame in that." His head was patted and Link did, in fact, feel the shame of having the alcohol tolerance of a four-year-old.
When Zelda returned from the gathering, she immediately sought out Link but he was still nowhere to be found. She remembered that Link had told her he was going to have dinner with Arn then go see his father and sister, but he had also told her he'd return to the castle tonight.
"Are you sure he hasn't yet returned?" She asked one of the night guards at the main gate.
The guard shook his head. "He left with Captain Arn a few hours ago but we've yet to see him or get any report that he's returned by any other method, Your Royal Highness." Link did enjoy finding ways to sneak into the castle in unorthodox ways.
Zelda sighed and turned many times, eyeing up the path, then the wall where she could scale it like last time. It wasn't raining this time and she doubted she'd slip, but her stomach was making these things increasingly difficult and she didn't think anyone would react well to hearing that she'd fallen off a wall while nearly six months pregnant.
"May I go out to find him?"
"Not without guards at this hour, Princess." The guards stood in front of the gates. "Castletown isn't safe to roam at this hour."
Don't need to tell me twice. She still vividly remembered the last time she snuck into Castletown in the dead of night. The fear that had gripped her when she'd been cornered by drunks and only found by chance by Captain Arn had been a miracle. It was a lesson quickly received.
"May I wait here?"
The two guards seemed unsure and shared a glance together. "We have no reason to tell you no, Princess, but surely there's a better place this late at night?"
"I'm bored, so I will stay here." Zelda took a seat on a nearby boulder and smoothed out her dress.
Zelda wasn't sure how long she spent with her head in her hands but about soon enough, carried on the wind was the familiar scent of pine trees with ocean breeze tones—something that struck her as new.
She whipped around, excited to see Link, but it quickly faded when she realised the person approaching down the path was far too tall to be Link.
Not Link. Damn. She sighed and put her head back into her hands and continued to wait. The temperature wasn't terrible, the summer heat mixed with the faint breeze felt nice compared to the blazing flame of a fireplace in her room.
She watched the man who reminded her of Link walk by and talk to the guards in hushed tones—as hushed as he could in the silence a few steps away. She heard the name Arn and shot up with interest.
"He went home earlier with Link." she heard the guard say. "I'm not sure if he is to return tonight, it seems he's informed Her Royal Highness he would but it is already quite late." The guard pointed to her discreetly but it was clear in the light of the nearby torches.
She got a full view of the man's face and the one thing she could note, even in the dim light, was that there was a clear relation despite the fact that Link's overall statue and face gave off softer, more feminine warmth compared to this man.
"You're looking for Link, Princess?" The man approached her.
"I am." She stood up from the rock and greeted the man with a head nod. "And you are?" She already knew who this man was, it was clear to her that this was his father. She's never met a man who looked so much like him and not at the same time while still looking so much older.
"My apologies, I should have introduced myself, Princess. I'm Sir Fredrick. I'm Link's father." He politely bowed and waited a moment. "The guard tells me you were waiting for him?"
"I was, Would you know of his whereabouts sir?"
"I know he will be stopping by my home for a short visit before returning to the castle, but I don't know the time he means to return."
Zelda's mood deflated at the words.
"But you are more than welcome to join us if you wish."
Zelda perked up this time, the offer was quite tempting, but she looked at the guards who were sharing glances together. "No thank you, sir. I'm afraid I would be intruding."
There was a quiet laugh that left him. "Please, you could never."
Zelda had no room to argue. Sir Fredrick had already turned on his heel in the familiar crisp fashion of the other guards and pulled something from his pocket and flashed the item to the gate guards before pocketing whatever it was.
"I shall escort the Princess through Castletown." There was no room in his voice for rebuttals or compromise.
Zelda watched curiously as one of the guards rushed to salute and the other was grabbing a book from his discarded satchel along with a small inkwell and a pen. It was strange how quickly the guards' attitudes changed.
Sir Fredrick plucked the book from the guards hands without another word. He took the pen and dipped it into the inkwell once and scribbled a few notes onto the page before handing it back and then turned back to her.
"Shall we, Princess?" he motioned to the now open gate.
Zelda stood there, staring for a moment.
What in the world had this man just done? What had he shown them to simply be able to take her out of the castle? What guards had the sane capabilities to just allow some strange man to flash something and take the Crown Princess into a town they themselves had just claimed was 'too dangerous' at ten o'clock at night?
But then she remembered this was also the man who seemed to get a kick out of standing up to her dad at every possible opportunity and most of her anxieties slipped away. This was also one of the people her mother's spirit seemed to praise so how bad could the situation actually be?
"Let's go!" She hopped along the path and past the gate with a smile.
She expected to be brought to Link's old family home, but she hadn't expected to be greeted by the small giggling baby known as Arina outside, alone. The small child was sitting on the front door step waving and babbling as best she could. There were small bells attached to her wrist that rang every time she clapped or moved her hands, which seemed to entertain her to no end (especially when she could get them into her mouth before her arms got tired).
Zelda chanced a glance at Sir Fredrick, who seemed only exasperated by the sight.
The man bent to pick up the child, but instead, there was a loud jingle of the bells and the infant vanished with a Pop and a blue glow reminiscent of Sheikah spells.
The man still didn't seem surprised. The look of exasperation was punctuated by a loud sigh and a scream from inside the house immediately after.
"Where did she go?" Zelda asked. This was the first thing she'd said since leaving the castle and she wasn't quite sure what else to say.
Link's father groaned. "This child's been doing that all week."
The bells made that obvious…
He opened the door to reveal Aryll, Link's younger sister, almost in tears and holding her baby—the one who'd just vanished before their eyes. "Stop doing that Ari! You're giving mommy a heart attack!" She cried out to her child.
Zelda stood awkwardly in the doorway. Aryll seemed to continue this charade on for almost another full minute before she turned and faced the door, chilled from a breeze that had come in. That's when she shrieked.
Pop!
And another shriek immediately followed as Arina disappeared again.
Link hadn't said anything about his sister being like this.
Zelda immediately felt a heavy weight on her shoulder and brought her hands up to feel whatever it was, only to feel soft, plumpy flesh and a loud giggle right next to her ears. The sound of bells filled her ears as she lifted the baby off her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry, Your Highness!" Aryll rushed forward and took the child into her hands.
"Oh no, it's ok." Zelda laughed quietly as she fixed her hair.
"Is your brother home yet?" Sir Fredrick asked Aryll as he took a seat next to the door to take his shoes off. "It's pretty late to not be back from your uncle's house."
Aryll shook her head. "I thought of going out to nab him from auntie's house, but Ari keeps disappearing out of my hands constantly. I've been looking for her for almost fifteen minutes now."
That sounded chaotic to Zelda. She looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. It read eleven at night. Who eats dinner this late?
"He's probably been held up by Elise, he'll be fine if not just a bit tired."
Tired? Why would he be tired? Zelda wondered just what he might be doing to be exhausting himself to such a state but she stayed quiet.
"I hope he brings home leftovers." Aryll smiled and seemed to daydream.
"We'll be lucky if the leftovers even made it that far." He commented with a snort.
So he's as much of a glutton here as he is at the castle, that's funny. Zelda could just imagine Link eating a plate of food while walking in town at midnight. It seemed oddly in-character for him.
"Can you make some tea for Her Highness?"
Aryll didn't answer verbally, instead she just extended Ari out to be picked up. Her father stood up from the chair and grabbed the child and disappeared up the stairs with the squirming infant.
Aryll quickly got to work putting on a kettle and some tea leaves out of a small ceramic jar. She dropped a small spoonful into the kettle and put the pack away.
Zelda hoped Aryll would also have some—the tea incident from the other stay still stuck in the back of her mind. She didn't have any tasters with her at the moment, even though she trusted Link's family not to be her downfall.
"Don't just stand there, come sit at the table!" Aryll placed the kettle atop the woodstove and came to welcome Zelda in. "Ma's not home right now but I'll do my best as hostess for you." Aryll rambled on. Zelda could sense her frayed nerves poorly covered by a happy smile. "Oh shoes off please, I sweeped not too long ago."
I can't recall the last time I've been told what to do by someone who wasn't my father or a priestess. Zelda slipped her shoes off and placed them to the side with the others.
Once sat at the table, Aryll left and started rummaging through her cabinet. "Sugar? Cream? Anything you like in your tea?" she asked, pulling out other small jars.
"Just a bit of sugar please." Zelda smiled.
She watched Aryll take a spoon out and scoop the sugar into a large mug. It seemed odd to her that she wasn't doing it herself to her tastes but she remained quiet as Aryll put the cup on the counter and reached for the steaming kettle. It hadn't yet begun to whistle but Aryll hovered her hand over the spout to feel the heat before pouring the water into the cup.
It smelled fine, although the quality of brewing likely wouldn't be the same as the castle's. Brewing techniques weren't quite common outside of the nobles, so Zelda didn't fault anyone for that even if sometimes the tea was a bit more bitter than need be.
Aryll placed the large teacup on the table with a small cream pitcher. There were a few biscuits pulled out and placed into a small saucer for her, and a rather large spoon to go with it.
Zelda poured a bit of cream into her dark tea and stirred it quietly while Aryll pulled her own chair with her large mug and her own spoon clanging in the sugar dish and the sides of her cup.
"You know, Link talks so much about you when he comes home, you're part of most conversations."
Zelda blushed a bit but tried to hide behind her cup. "I do hope all good things?"
"You kiddin'? I don't think he's capable of saying a single negative thing about you!" Aryll laughed loudly. "The guy thinks you're the Goddess incarnate, which is conveniently true for him."
How casual Aryll had become was astounding. She was rambling and babbling about anything while sipping her tea louder than Zelda would have liked.
"He once said he could get lost in your eyes for ages—I can see why."
Link, now would be a great time to show up. It was becoming a bit embarrassing to hear about all of this without him here.
She heard Link's father come back down the stairs, the steps heavy and slow. He came into view with a box in his hands.
The box was intricately carved with flowers and vines, and there was a particular scent of rosewood that wafted in—it weighed heavy in the back of her mind, but she couldn't pinpoint why.
Pop!
Ari reappeared in Aryll's lap, giggling and trying to grab at her mother. "Pa, you're supposed to stay with her until she's asleep."
Aryll picked up her baby and left the room in a huff.
It was one thing Zelda wasn't looking forward to. Restless babies at midnight sounded like a nightmare but it was a sad reality she'd have to face in a few months.
She continued to quietly sip her tea until the box was placed on the table and pushed her way.
"What's this?" Zelda asked curiously. It was a dark wood she couldn't identify, and it was covered in a thin layer of dust, but certain spots had thinner layers than others.
"A box." He plainly stated.
I guess I know where Link's sarcasm comes from now. Zelda pulled it closer and clicked open the latch keeping it closed.
"I figured since you're here now, I could pass this back since I won't have much reason to be in the castle the next few days."
Pass it… back? Did she own this before? She had no memory of this box.
Rosewood. The perfume bottle. The letters that sat under everything. It wasn't hers. It was her mother's.
She looked at the various items in the box with tears threatening to form in her eyes.
"How do you have all of these things?" She asked him quietly as she picked up a small cylindrical item. Like everything in it, it was covered in dust, but she could clearly see thinner layers on this one specifically. She shook the item lightly and found it was full of liquid. Maybe a perfume bottle?
"Your mother, she noticed how Rhoam would hide some of your things," he revealed. "Something about needing you to grow out of it. It's asinine now, but when you were five? Ca— that is, your mother, tried to put her foot down then and there, but clearly the message did not sink in,." he recalled, shaking his head. "She started passing your things to me for safe keeping during the day, your father wasn't really involved in politics at the time so he had the time to go through them."
Zelda swallowed. That she remembered. She remembered after her mother's death when the items she wanted most were starting to vanish one by one. Her father had admonished her for crying after the funeral, saying "princesses don't cry."
It made sense at the time. She was to show herself strong in the wake of the disaster, but now that she was older and more experienced, it felt harsh. She couldn't fathom telling a six year old they weren't allowed to grieve their dead parent.
I did not come here for a crying session. Link, now would really be the best time to show up.
"Why did you keep these things?" She asked, looking up and trying to wipe the tears. "All of this time?"
He shrugged. "She must've assumed I'd have stayed at the castle after her death."
"Link… He told me you all moved away right after."
"He's not wrong."
She picked up the sealed envelopes—oh they smelled of old books and intense rosewood, as if the letters had been sprayed in it. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She remembered this scent now, so deeply imbued in her mother's old bedroom, even now still left untouched but locked. She had picked the lock years ago when she had needed the comfort, and even before her sense of smell had developed the way it had, she could still recognise the smell now.
"Why? The real reason." She placed the sealed letters back into the small box.
"There's a number of reasons, some of which I'd like to keep to myself," he revealed. "I was recovering in the castle infirmary when they held the funeral, and your father paid me a visit, " he grumbled, scoffing to the side. "At the time, I chose the high route, so I took Link and Aryll away to the furthest point of Necluda where we wouldn't be bothered by castle politics."
Link said he doesn't talk about his past at all. Why is he so open about it now?
"That obviously didn't last long, Link pulled the Master Sword."
"That he did. I could never pull out of it entirely thanks to my wife, being the daughter of an Earl and all. She's got countless friends deeply entwined in court gossip."
Huh? Did he say an Earl? "Repeat that." She shot at him. "Link's mother. She's the daughter of an Earl? " she repeated, bewildered.
He nodded. "Yes, the youngest sister to the Earl of East Faron. It's actually partially her fault Link got the sword. Took him along with his Uncle while they visited the Gorons for some trade. Naturally, he managed to find the deepest pile of trouble within riding distance when they camped for the night, which just so happened to be a forest no one comes out of after going in."
Zelda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. The gathering from earlier had been hosted by that exact person. Was that why the Earl had been looking for Link? "Oh my goddess, if only my father knew that Link wasn't even of commoner origin."
"He'd have an aneurysm, I presume?" he chuckled. "Let me guess, he shot down your attempt to suggest my son as a suitable courtier because of his common origins, correct?"
She nodded. "Multiple times actually."
"While on the subject of Earls, you should know Link seems to have a rather interesting suitor that goes by the name Anton."
"Lord Anton, yes. We've dubbed him a woman-hater, but his botany interest is fascinating on the other hand. What about him?"
"That's his cousin, you should tell Link."
"Oh my goodness, I almost courted Link's cousin." Zelda started laughing. "I'll leave it be, I want to watch him find out on his own." She had a hard time containing her laughter, clutching her stomach as she started wheezing.
"Well then," he chuckled. "Do tell me how that goes, I would greatly enjoy those details."
"Of course."
A pair of rushed steps came running down the stairs and back into the room.
"Dad, when's Link getting back?" Aryll asked in the doorway. "It's getting pretty late and I could use the extra set of hands."
The moon high up and the stars twinkled in the sky. Link's sister was right, he should have been here ages ago and she knew him to be a pretty punctual person especially when food was involved.
"What time is it?"
Zelda looked at the ex-captain's watch for a moment and wondered why he didn't look at that instead.
"It's almost midnight, he should have been back by now."
Sir Fredrick's watch showed almost two in the morning, and the longest of the three hands was moving much faster than when she counted in her head.
By the time she had counted an entire three seconds, the seconds hand on his watch had gone over what should have been thirty seconds.
What in the world?
"Sir, is your watch broken?" She asked, pointing at it.
"Hmm?" He looked at the watch and shook his head. The hand was moving normally now, ticking with every passing second rather than the speedy turn from a moment ago. "Not at all, it's fine." He stood up from the chair with a quiet grunt. He slipped back into his shoes and said from the doorway: "Aryll, stay here with Princess Zelda, I'll go find your brother."
" 'Kay." She smiled and joined her on the table before the open box of items. "What are we lookin' at?" she asked, leaning over and looking as best she could without touching.
Zelda smiled, "Oh they're items your dad kept for me."
"Right, I forgot he used to take care of you! Move over will ya," Aryll scooted over to sit next to Zelda and picked up some of the letters. "Oh they smell nice," she commented, flipping them over and handing them over to her. "They're all addressed to you."
Zelda took the letters and lazily flicked through them, looking at them deep in thought. "Should I open them?"
"Your choice." Aryll said, pulling the box closer. She stopped, muttering an 'oops' before turning to Zelda. "If you don't want me touching yer' stuff, just say the word."
"Oh, no please, you're fine." Zelda waved her off. Aryll's energy was intense; none of the court ladies were this jittery and smiley. It's sort of nice.
"Look, there's a notebook!" Aryll carefully dug to the bottom of the box and pulled a small leatherbound book and presented it atop her two hand, head bowed and feigned the attitude of a servant from the palace. "Your Highness," she mocked the posh accents she was used to hearing.
"Thank you, madam." Zelda put on a fake accent to cover her own—she must've sounded silly, she was sure of it—and plucked the book from her hands. She didn't bother trying to hide the smile that graced her lips, it was pleasant to relax like this with another girl her age.
She patted off the thin layer of dust from the brown notebook before untying the leather string binding it together. For a notebook her mother apparently used, it didn't seem to be the quality she would expect for a royal; it was more akin to something she might find in a stationary store in Castletown.
Its binding seemed well-used with a few creases here and there, and it had many pages with a slight yellow discoloration to the originally white paper. It seemed as though some were slipped in at random places, some corners sticking out in some places, others were smaller slips of paper, but the notebook itself was filled to the brim.
Zelda opened the front page and suddenly, it felt as though she couldn't breathe anymore.
The front page was a drawing of her mother, seated on a simple settee, hair wavy and down her shoulder with a simple tiara adorning her head. Even now, the detail was immaculate, done entirely with charcoal pencils. The shading, depth, and grey-scaling of the detailing was perfect as though it'd been drawn yesterday even if it'd been drawn twenty years prior.
"She's pretty," Aryll commented, leaning her head onto Zelda's shoulder. "Who drew 'em?" she asked.
"I-I don't know." Zelda turned the page to look for a signature but only found a small initial. "R.T." She read out loud. "I haven't the faintest idea of who this might be." Maybe a court painter at the time? Someone who enjoyed sketching? She barely knew anyone who's names started with R apart from the court poet Razan, but even he wasn't around the castle too often the last few weeks.
She flipped another page and there she was, as young as could be, seated next to her mother. She was smiling so brightly, Zelda couldn't remember the last time she'd been so content with any of her family members. Her mother was crouched next to her, hugging her around the shoulders.
Zelda wasn't sure how long she spent looking at the image. She seemed so happy, her mother was equally as cheerful. She didn't think she could recall a moment she was so happy with her father, but her mother had been described by everyone as cheerful and a ray of sunshine, and her own out-of-body experience with the woman was mostly along those lines as well.
"You okay?" Aryll asked her, lifting her head off her shoulder for a moment and peering at her curiously.
"I… I don't know if I can look at all these drawings right now." Zelda tried to say steadily. Her eyes were starting to burn and a lump forming in her throat.
"Oh Zelly, you've got those pregnancy hormones attacking ya', here's a tissue." she pulled one out of her pocket and handed it over.
"I'm sorry-this is the first time you've met me and I'm crying," Zelda apologised profusely, trying to wipe the tears as quickly as she could.
"Nonsense, I cried over a spilt cup of water in the garden, you're fine."
"In the garden?" she asked, confused. Water seeping into the dirt didn't seem bad.
"The cup landed on a flower and the stem got bent out of shape. I felt terrible for an hour." Aryll laughed with full force. "The flower wasn't even dead, it was just dented a bit."
"I loathe the day I start crying for such small things," Zelda feared. She didn't want to make a clown out of herself for crying to the simplest of things. She had heard all about that from books but it always seemed so exaggerated.
"Fear it you may, but your time will soon come." Aryll aggressively patted the back of Zelda's shoulder.
His first stop was the pub on the east side of Castletown, an old establishment that'd been their frequent stop for the last 30 years.
When Fredrick stepped into the bar, the first thing he noticed wasn't the smell of alcohol or the number of empty beer tankers on the counter. It wasn't the drunken brawl in the corner and it wasn't the drunks attempting to play poker with peanuts and candy either.
"What the fuck is that?"
It was the legendary fabled Master Sword sticking out of a wall .
Did Link just forget Hylia's sacred holy blade in the middle of a dartboard of all places?
He stepped closer to get a better look and noticed it was sitting in the red triple twenty slot of the board. Fredrick made a conscious effort not to be proud of his son's drunken accuracy.
It took a monumental force of will to tear his eyes away from the gleaming blade, but regardless he made his way to the bar.
"Hey Freddie! Long time you haven't come in." The bartender greeted him warmly and poured him a shot of clear liquor.
Fredrick took the shot in stride and passed the empty glass back. "How long ago were Arn and Link here?"
"Good evening to you too," the bartender snorted. "They were here about two hours ago. Arn got sloshed real fast, and Link… Well he's Link, it took one drink to have him playing darts with 'thy holy blade of Hylia'."
"What kind of demonic beverage are you concocting to get Arn drunk so fast?"
Arn. He who currently held the bar's record of 19 shots of straight liquor before falling out of his chair… got drunk fast? Link wasn't the anomaly in the bartender's statement.
"For once, I think he drank at home before coming in. It only took him three drinks before he got all wonky."
"Arn. As in, has his name on a barstool permanently?" the bartender nodded. "I ask again, what unholy concoction did you create?"
The bartender laughed while attempting to look offended. "All he ordered was a few whiskeys. That's it."
Fantastic.
"Who's tried to pull that thing out so far?" He pointed back to the sword where two drunks were poking and prodding curiously at the hilt.
"Everyone, but the ones who got real serious have a few burns. Hilt zapped 'em good."
"Can I have a towel please?"
"Have at it!" The bartender practically threw a towel at him with a good laugh.
The sword was indeed very stuck. Fredrick tried to grab the hilt, but found it incredibly hot to the touch. There'd be no holding it for longer than a few seconds before burns would appear and he wasn't about to go home with burns in his palms.
He hit the hit to see if it would move in any way, but it remained perfectly still. There was nothing that tried to give way to the sword to move.
He tried to wrap the towel around the hilt and pull, but again, the sword didn't budge.
Either the sword breaks or the wall does first.
Fredrick tied the long towel around the guard of the Master Sword, then grabbed a rope from the bartender, and tied it to the ends of the towel. He tugged hard to make sure it was secure and nodded to himself before throwing the end to the most sober of the men who'd been standing around curiously.
"Don't worry about it breaking, it's not going anywhere" He told them as the rope was passed to two others.
"Do we get anything if we get it out?"
Fredrick looked back at them, unimpressed. "One round of drinks for everyone on me." That was going to be expensive if they really got it out…
It seemed to do the trick as the entire pub cheered loudly. They went from three men at the rope to nearly ten.
The first pull was a test, some were overconfident until the sword refused to budge. It glowed in the wall and almost seemed to dare everyone to try again.
The second pull was somewhat of a test, a tease to the drunks' strengths to pull it out.
It took five pulls and half the pub cheering on the team of men at the rope before there was an audible crack and the sword came free from the wall—or rather, came free with the wall.
When Fredrick took the handle of the blade out of sheer habit, he quickly released it and recoiled his hand. The handle had burned something fierce and the blade seemed to sing on the ground. He kneeled next to the blade where pieces of the wall were still embedded but upon attempting to brush off the stones, it became apparent that the sword had fused itself to the wall as a preventative measure.
Maybe he could attempt to chisel the pieces of wall and the dartboard off the sword, it seemed almost blasphemous to take it home in such a state.
"Do we still get our drinks?" one of the drunk men tapped his shoulder.
Fredrick tapped his pocket for his sac of rupees. "Yes." His coin purse was going to be so much lighter after this.