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To Capture the Heart of a Hero
Chapter 29 – Memories of Her Mother
As the day passed on into evening, the fishing competition came to a close, with Prince Ralis being declared the winner after having caught an incredibly large reekfish. Link accused him of cheating by using some sort of special earring as bait, but the boy denied it, stating that using special lures was fair game.
The Prince's catch ended up being roasted and served for dinner. A large feast was held in the Zoras' main hall, and every Zora in the cove had been invited to attend. Long tables were set up around the pool of clear water, and numerous seafood dishes had been prepared for their guests.
Having finished up her time in the water, Zelda had changed out of her robe and swimsuit, and now donned her signature royal attire: a white and purple dress. As she stared at all the aquatic delicacies, she was reminded of a promise that she had made before she left the castle. When she had a chance to speak to Ralis, she made sure to pass along Ashei's request for reekfish in the Castle Town market. The boy just laughed at both the randomness and simplicity of the request, and assured the Princess that he would mention it to the Zoras that specialized in trade. Zelda just bowed in thanks, happy to see his willingness to cooperate.
The next few hours were spent in relative luxury as both hosts and guests settled down and enjoyed the festivities. A few Zora musicians ended up playing some relaxing tunes with beautifully crafted instruments, while some of their brethren jumped into the pool and began performing some sort of slow dance. Zelda felt like this place was definitely a far cry from both Death Mountain and Kakariko Village. It had a certain dignity to it. A certain refinement that the other cultures seemed to lack. Being a Royal Princess, Zelda definitely felt an appreciation for such things.
Link, however, seemed to feel differently. As the evening began to settle down, Zelda couldn't help but notice that the Hero had subtly started to sneak away from the hall. She watched as he disappeared, following the stream that led outside.
Feeling a little curious, Zelda wished to follow him and see where exactly he was sneaking off to. However, she didn't want to just abandon the party, especially since it had been thrown in her honor. She glanced down the table that she had been seated at, and noticed that Ralis and Fost appeared to be deep in conversation. Apparently, the Minister was recounting a story about the boy's father, King Zora. Being as young as he was, Ralis was especially entranced as he listened to the tales of long ago.
Zelda just smirked as she watched the two of them. Since they were distracted, she supposed that it would be all right if she snuck away as well. Just for a little bit.
Moving quickly, Zelda followed Link's path outside, and soon arrived at the waterfall that poured over the cliffs into the large basin below. There, she spotted the Hero, standing by the water's edge and gazing up at the dimming sky. It was currently bathed in the orange glow of the sunset, but it wouldn't be long before it would be replaced by a dark sea of stars.
Softly smiling, Zelda decided to approach him from behind. Unfortunately, the rush of the waterfall was quite loud, so Zelda had to make sure to raise her voice when she announced her presence.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked loudly.
To her surprise, Link immediately jumped and whipped around, looking stunned to find someone approaching him from behind. He then tripped a bit, falling backwards onto his butt as he gave a loud yelp of surprise.
"Whoa! Z-Zelda!?" he exclaimed.
Zelda gasped as well, shocked at his sudden behavior. She placed her gloved hands over her mouth for a moment, but soon lowered them as the tension slowly evaporated. "Goodness, Link. What was that all about?"
"Y-You scared me," Link said, still speaking loud enough so he could be heard over the falls. "I didn't hear you coming from behind!"
Zelda winced a bit at his shouting. She really didn't care for all this noise, especially at a time so late in the day. She soon pointed to the stairs that led down the cliffside, away from the waterfall. "Can we talk over there?" she asked.
Link followed her finger and soon nodded, rising to his feet. The two of them walked over to the stairs where it was much quieter, the rumbling of the waterfall now nothing more than a distant drone.
"Sorry about frightening you like that," Zelda said with a sigh. "I had no intention of sneaking up on you. Although, I suppose you could consider it payback for when you scared me in the water earlier today."
Link smirked at this. "Heh, fair enough," he agreed.
"What are you doing out here anyway? I noticed that you snuck away from the party when no one was looking."
"No one except for you," Link noted. "I just wanted some fresh air is all."
"Hmm," Zelda hummed, giving the Hero a perplexed look. "I take it that this sort of celebration doesn't really catch your interest?"
"Not really," Link admitted guiltily. "I definitely prefer how the people of Kakariko and the Gorons like to party. This feels a bit too stuffy for me."
"I find that it can be relaxing," Zelda argued back. "And trust me, this is far from the worst I've seen. I've been to celebrations that are far duller, some of which were held at my very own castle."
Link smiled a bit. "Yeah, I can imagine," he said, thinking of all the older nobles in the court that preferred to have things a certain way, regardless of how monotonous they might be.
Zelda soon glanced at the Hero with a playful smirk. "Oh? In that case, I should hope that you don't believe that I am stuffy and dull as well."
Link immediately looked taken aback. "What? Of course not. When have I ever said that?"
Zelda giggled a bit. "You didn't, but it's nice to know where you stand on this subject."
Link just frowned as he looked away. Once again, it felt like the Princess was teasing him for her own amusement. He wondered if she would ever grow tired of such trickery, but he wasn't about to hold his breath.
Naturally, Zelda just smiled at his expression. "Would you care to take a walk? I wouldn't mind a break from the party as well, and it's not every day that you get to see the quiet side of Zora's Domain."
Link soon found himself smiling back. Despite all of the Princess's teasing, he couldn't bring himself to be upset with her. "Sure, that sounds nice," he agreed.
With a small nod, Zelda led them forward, descending down the stairs. They walked in silence as they slowly made their way to the bottom of the cliffs. As they did, they took some time to admire the sight of the water falling around them, as well as the overall tranquility of the cove. The sky continued to darken, but the bright moon and stars appeared and cast their light on the reflective pool below.
"This is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited," Zelda said, breaking the silence with an awed sigh.
"It sure is," Link said with a nod. "It's amazing to see what the other races of Hyrule can accomplish when it comes to their natural element. Zoras with their water, Gorons with their earth…"
Zelda nodded back. "I agree. Although…at this particular moment, I must admit that the thing that I am most interested in witnessing is what the people of Ordon have done with their village."
"Oh," said Link, suddenly looking surprised. "You're eager to see Ordon?"
"Of course," Zelda replied. "As I'm sure you recall, I've never been there before, and I must say that I'm quite interested in seeing the place you call home."
Link scratched his head a bit, looking a little bashful. "Well, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high," he warned her. "It's not really anything special. At least not like this." He soon gestured to the magnificent cove that spread out before them.
In return, Zelda gave him a sad smile. "Nonsense, Link. Even if it's not particularly grand, I'm sure that Ordon will be perfectly unique."
"Sure…if you consider forests and pumpkin patches to be unique," Link replied with a shrug.
Zelda smirked a bit, amused at his humor. "As a matter of fact, I do. We don't exactly have forests in the castle's courtyards, and believe it or not, I've never seen a pumpkin patch before."
Link seemed a bit surprised at this, but soon smiled. "Trust me, if you can imagine a patch of dirt with some pumpkins growing in it, you've basically already seen it."
Zelda just shook her head. "Still, I'd like to see it for myself, as well as meet all of your friends and family."
Link laughed a little. "If anything, I bet that they're even more excited to see you. I doubt that any of them would believe me if I said that the Royal Princess was coming to Ordon just to personally meet them."
"But it's true," Zelda insisted. "They are the wonderful subjects of my Kingdom, as well as your close neighbors that you grew up with. Why would I not be interested in meeting them?"
"Because we're nothing more than a bunch of poor farmers and ranchers," Link said with a shrug and a sad smile.
"Nonsense," Zelda quickly denied with a frown. "I really hate to hear you speak of your home in such a derogatory manner, Link, especially when you used to speak so highly of it. You should take more pride in your origins."
Link quickly frowned back, and began waving his hands a bit. "No, I do. I just…I want to make sure that your expectations aren't too high going into this. At the end of the day, we're still just a tiny village in the forest."
Zelda sighed before flashing a soft smile. "Nevertheless, that 'tiny village in the forest' managed to produce a Hero capable of saving the entire Kingdom. And I daresay that that is rather impressive."
Link just smiled bashfully at the Princess's words. "I suppose you have a point."
"Yes, I do," Zelda agreed. "And I eagerly look forward to exploring every aspect of your home. From its landscape to its culture to its citizens."
"That's very kind of you, Zelda," Link replied, his words full of appreciation. Even now, he still found it hard to believe that the Princess of Hyrule herself had taken such an interest in his humble little village, but he knew that her words were completely genuine. "I still look forward to showing you around, and introducing you to everyone as well."
Zelda smiled, happy to see that she had managed to restore some of his confidence. "As do I."
The two of them continued to walk in silence, comfortable in each other's company. That is, until Link spoke up again, and unknowingly dropped a verbal bombchu right on top of the Princess.
"I'm especially excited to finally introduce you to Ilia. I think that the two of you will get along really well."
Zelda just froze at the mention of the only part of Ordon that she wasn't looking forward to. In all of her excitement to visit the Hero's home, she had almost forgotten that it would also entail confronting his newfound lover. Ilia, the famed, mysterious beauty of Ordon that had managed to capture the heart of the Hero.
"Of course, I'm looking forward to that as well," Zelda replied, nearly lying through her teeth. As things stood, she wasn't being entirely dishonest. She did hold some interest in meeting this girl, although not for the reasons that Link might have imagined. Zelda definitely wasn't interested in becoming good buddies with her, that was for sure. She was, however, interested in learning more about her, and hoping to discover just what exactly the Hero saw in her. Despite her best attempts at moving on, Zelda still wished that she could call Link her own, as impossible a task as that might seem. Because of this, she felt the strong urge to study this Ilia girl; to see why exactly Link had chosen her over every other woman in Hyrule.
Specifically, she wanted to know why Link had chosen Ilia over the Royal Princess herself…
Zelda soon shook her head, trying desperately to keep both her composure and her sanity. The last thing that she needed was to continue dwelling on these pointless, depressing thoughts. Instead, she wished to keep focusing on her conversation with Link. In fact, there was one question in particular that lingered on Zelda's mind. She had been curious about this behavior for a while now, but it wasn't until this moment that she decided to ask the Hero about it.
"You know, you never talk about Ilia very much," she noted slowly as her eyes narrowed a bit. "Why is that?"
Link seemed surprised at this observation, but he soon gave the Princess a sheepish smile. "I don't know. I guess I just assumed that you wouldn't care to hear about such things."
Of course I don't, the more vicious side of Zelda's mind replied bluntly. However, she soon paused and took a deep breath, allowing the kinder, more reasonable side of her mind to take over. Stop this, Zelda. There's no reason for you to be so hostile…
Goddesses help her, she now had two voices arguing in her head. She really hoped that she wasn't losing her mind…
"Nonsense, I'd love to hear more about her," the Princess replied, trying her best to sound as genuine as possible.
Link smiled with a bit of pride. Naturally, he enjoyed talking about the woman that he loved, although he wasn't exactly sure where to start. "Well, what do you want to know?"
Zelda just paused, suddenly realizing that the Hero himself might provide some of the answers that she wished to uncover. She slowly started thinking over some of her curiosities, the ones that she had secretly held for weeks now. "How old is she?"
"The same age as me."
"And you've known each other since you were children?"
"From as far back as I can remember," Link said with a nod.
Zelda slowly nodded back before silently cursing herself. To be honest, these answers weren't exactly revealing anything substantial. Most of these responses were things that she already knew, or simply could have surmised. Thinking about it some more, Zelda then paused before coming up with a good question. A question that she really wanted to know the answer to.
"What is she like?"
Link paused as well, taking a moment to think about how to answer such a vague query. However, he soon smiled as the words slowly came to him. "She's kind. Thoughtful. Headstrong and stubborn at times. She's responsible, and knows how to keep things in line around the village. Especially me and the Mayor," he said with a laugh.
Zelda absentmindedly nodded some more. She could see why someone like Link found those traits so appealing. Naturally, she did as well.
"Ilia is also sweet and caring," he continued. "She's always looking out for others, even if it puts herself in danger. In fact, during the Twilight Invasion, she even helped take care of Ralis when he was sick. She tended to him throughout the entire trip from Castle Town to Kakariko."
Zelda's eyes widened at this. She didn't recall hearing about that specific detail in Link's exploits. "Wait, she did?"
Link nodded. "Yep. Even though she had no memories at the time, she was still concerned for this Zora child that she knew nothing about."
Zelda frowned as her eyes fell to the ground. She couldn't help but wonder if she herself would have done the same thing in that situation. "I see. That sounds incredibly selfless of her."
"Yeah, I was surprised but also really inspired. She made me want to go out and keep helping people too."
She was an inspiration to him? Zelda wondered sadly. She felt her heart painfully twist a bit as she recalled her own feelings for the Hero, and how he had been such a big inspiration for herself. But now, Link was claiming to have seen something similar in someone else. He had seen it in someone that he truly loved. Before long, Zelda had a sudden but painful realization.
What I see in him is everything that he sees in her…
Zelda softly sighed as she closed her eyes. She truly hated feeling like this. To still have these lingering feelings for the Hero standing next to her, but knowing that she couldn't do anything about it. Knowing that the two of them didn't belong together. Knowing that Link's perfect match was probably this Ilia girl, as much as she hated to admit it.
"Zelda? Hello?" Link's voice suddenly called out, bringing the Princess back to reality.
"Oh, sorry, what?" she replied, opening her eyes and becoming alert.
Link just laughed at her expression. "You looked like you were starting to zone out again. It feels like you do that a lot these days."
Zelda felt her cheeks turn a bit pink, as she felt both embarrassed and ashamed. "My apologies, Link. I'm not trying to be rude or anything. I just…feel like I have a lot to think about."
Link gave her a curious glance. "Concerning Ilia?"
Zelda quickly frowned and waved her hand in dismissal. "No, not necessarily. I meant about Ordon, and the tour in general," she tried to reply innocently.
Link seemed a bit puzzled by this answer, but he soon shrugged. As always, he just assumed that the Princess's mind was being pulled in a hundred different directions. He wasn't surprised that she found it hard to stay focused when she had so many duties to stay on top of.
Meanwhile, Zelda just breathed a small sigh of relief, happy that the Hero had bought her excuse. The last thing she wanted was for him to know the real reason for why she dwelled on Ilia as much as she did.
"Well, is there anything else you wanted to know?" Link asked, trying to continue the conversation once more.
Zelda thought about it some more, still trying to reassemble her thoughts after that nerve-wracking situation. "Yes, you claimed that Ilia tended to Ralis while he was sick. Tell me, does she have any experience as a medical practitioner?"
"A little bit," Link replied. "She can tend to anyone who is wounded or sick just fine, but I think that she'd honestly like to learn more. Ordon doesn't really have a reliable doctor, so maybe one day, she'll manage to become the first."
Zelda nodded. A doctor, another admirable characteristic for Ilia to add to her belt. One that epitomized all of her best traits: her kindness, thoughtfulness, and caring nature. Zelda couldn't deny that she was starting to grow more jealous by the second. She truly hated how perfect this girl sounded.
Zelda then froze, literally, as a frigid gust of wind blew from somewhere off to the left. The gale encompassed the Princess completely, its icy chill circling around her body as she stood in place. Zelda soon wrapped her arms around herself as she started shivering. Her dress was good at covering most of her figure, but it did leave her arms and back exposed, a feature that Zelda suddenly found most regrettable.
"G-Goodness," she stuttered through chattering teeth. "Wh-Why did it get so chilly all of a sudden?"
The Princess soon turned to find that Link was in a similar situation to herself: shivering with his arms wrapped around his body. He too had experienced the full force of the cold gale. He glanced around for a bit before his eyes landed on a familiar sight. Before long, he smiled in realization. "Ah, it's this tunnel. It leads straight to the Snowpeak Province, where the temperature drops drastically."
Zelda followed his line of sight and managed to spot a cave off to the side of the cove. Glancing inside, she could clearly see that a decent amount of frost and ice had coalesced on the walls. Additionally, she could still feel the frigid air drifting from its mouth.
"That leads to Snowpeak?" she asked.
"Yep, directly to it," Link confirmed.
"I forgot that Province was so close to the Zoras' home." Zelda then paused before releasing a deep breath, shivering some more. "Hoooo…"
Link smiled a bit. "Pretty cold, huh?"
"Incredibly so."
Link gave the Princess a look of sympathy. His blue tunic covered him well enough, but he could tell that her outfit left her a little too exposed to the elements. "I wish I had a coat to offer you."
Zelda immediately ceased her shivering, finally feeling some heat for the first time since the gale overtook them. Specifically, she could feel it rising in her reddened cheeks. "Oh," she said softly. "Th-That is very kind of you to say, Link. Spoken like a true gentleman."
To her surprise, the Hero began to blush as well, almost as if he was a bit surprised with himself. He soon looked away, likely in an attempt to avoid her gaze. "W-Well, that's the right thing to do, isn't it? When a lady starts shivering in a man's presence?"
Zelda couldn't help but smile at his bashfulness. She assumed that he was just being humble again. "Yes, that would be the thoughtful thing to do," she agreed. She then paused before deciding to add another small comment to encourage him. "I'm sure that Ilia would be very proud of you."
Once again, Link looked surprised, but he ended up releasing a small chuckle. "I don't know about that. She's usually the one saying that I have no manners at all."
Zelda frowned at this. She didn't agree with that assessment of the Hero at all. For as long as she had known Link, he had done nothing but behave himself, acting kind and polite at every opportunity. He was definitely a far cry from some of the more stuck-up court nobles that she had encountered in her lifetime; arrogant people that only pretended to have manners for the sake of saving face.
"I'm sure that she's just exaggerating," Zelda said, trying to sound optimistic.
"Maybe," Link agreed with a half-hearted shrug. He then frowned a bit. "It's still too bad that I don't have a coat though. You can call me a gentleman all you like, but the only thing I can really offer is to move you away from this cave."
"It's the thought that counts," Zelda said with a smile. "And I think I'll take you up on that. At least before my nose starts running."
Link laughed before nodding in agreement. He soon led the way to a spot around the corner, where the endless gusts of frigid air would no longer reach them. Here, the two of them finally managed to get their shivering under control and start warming up.
"Much better," Zelda breathed, rubbing her hands together.
Link nodded back. "I'll bet the thought of turning into a wolf doesn't seem so funny anymore, does it? A big fur coat must sound pretty nice right about now."
Zelda smirked, recalling how she had teased him earlier on in the tour. "Yes, I see your point." She then glanced over at the frozen cave once more, this time from a distance. "So is this where you entered the Snowpeak Province during your adventure? From Zora's Domain?"
"Yes," Link said with a grin. "I walked through that cave and eventually came across a Yeti. After that, he led me all the way back to his mansion of a home."
"Is that so?" Zelda whispered, her eyes suddenly narrowing in curiosity. At the mention of the Yeti's magnificent home, she couldn't help but conjure some memories in her mind. Memories of an age long past…
"Hmm? What's up?" Link suddenly asked, noticing the distant expression in her eyes.
Zelda soon blinked before shaking her head a bit. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about the manor that you claimed to have explored."
Link gave her a curious glance, wondering why that of all things would have caught her attention. "Do you know of it?"
"Perhaps," Zelda replied mysteriously.
This just caused Link to raise his eyebrows, feeling even more curious. It felt like the Princess was hiding something from him. As if to prove his suspicions, she soon turned to him with a small smirk. Glancing at one another, Link could tell that there was a spark of curiosity in her eyes as well.
"Link, could you do me a favor?" Zelda asked softly. "Can you describe the manor to me?"
"Describe it?" Link repeated. He had already told her about his escapades in Snowpeak before. He wasn't exactly sure why she would want to hear such things again, especially at this seemingly random point in time.
"Yes," she replied with a nod. "If you don't mind, I'd like for you to describe it in greater detail. Tell me about what you saw in there. What the layout was like. What sort of things were lying around…"
Link just gave Zelda a weird look. He wasn't quite sure, but to him, the Princess almost appeared to be nostalgic, as if she were recalling some distant memories. Nevertheless, he chose to comply. He described the general layout of the manor. What each floor contained, which room led to which, what their intended purpose seemed to be as well as what the Yeti couple were actually using them for. He also listed off everything that could be found inside. From old suits of armor to beautiful paintings of various Hyrulean landscapes and important historical figures.
As Zelda listened, her small, nostalgic smile remained on her face. When Link eventually finished his description, she just bowed her head and closed her eyes.
"So it's true," she whispered, more to herself than to him.
"Um…What's true?" he asked, still feeling confused by her behavior.
Zelda soon opened her eyes and turned to him, a look of realization now written on her face. "That manor," she said softly. "It belongs to the Royal Family."
Link just blinked at this. "Wait, what?"
"Yes," Zelda said with a small nod. "It used to be our winter vacation home."
Link blinked again. He had never known any of this, let alone suspected it! "Wait, a vacation home? So you're saying that…"
"I've been there before," Zelda confirmed with a smile. "My family used to stay there once a year, back when I was young."
"I…I had no idea," Link breathed, feeling rather stunned. He knew that it was a magnificent home, but he never would have guessed that it belonged to royalty. Let alone the royalty that was standing right in front of him. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"
Zelda knew what he meant. He had recounted the tales of his adventures to her on more than one occasion. And yet, Zelda had failed to mention that the manor at Snowpeak rightfully belonged to her family even a single time. "Honestly, I've had my suspicions that the place you described was our old winter home. However, I wasn't entirely certain, so I didn't want to jump to any conclusions."
Link furrowed his brow a bit. "Why not? Are there a lot of manors out in the middle of Snowpeak or something?"
Zelda giggled a bit. "No, but I still wasn't about to assume."
Link frowned some more as he looked away, still trying to process all of this. "But wait, I told the King–er, I mean, your father–about this too, and yet he never made the connection either. Why is that?"
Zelda frowned as well, a surprisingly sad expression appearing on her face. She soon looked away, glancing at the frozen tunnel once more. "My father has some…bittersweet memories of that place. I imagine that he tries to avoid thinking about it." She then paused for a bit, before closing her eyes. "To be honest, neither of us think about it very often. It's basically ancient history, having been abandoned for as long as it has."
Link felt his heart start to grow heavy with sympathy, and yet he wasn't entirely sure why. The things that the Princess was telling him…she almost seemed to be implying that some sort of unfortunate event had occurred. Something that would have driven the Royal Family away from their isolated home among the snowy mountains. Slowly, Link started to gather the pieces of a puzzle that he had never fully noticed before. Why was the manor abandoned? Why had it fallen into ruin over the years? Why was there a Yeti couple living there now?
Link wanted to ask all of these questions, and try to get some concrete answers. His curiosity was insisting upon it. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when the Princess looked as sad as she currently did. Instead, he decided to compromise. Rather than asking all of the numerous questions that had come to mind, he settled on asking only one.
"What happened?"
Zelda was silent for a while, keeping her head bowed and eyes closed. Eventually she took a deep breath before finally opening her eyes and turning to the Hero. She stared at him for a moment, wondering if she should trust him with the truth. Trust him with her past, and all that such a thing entailed. However, any concerns that she held quickly melted away as she studied his expression. It was one of empathy. It was the expression of someone who wished to understand and comfort.
She knew that she could trust him.
"We stopped visiting the manor after my mother passed away," she revealed quietly.
Link's expression quickly turned somber, the sympathy in his heart growing ever stronger. "Oh…" he said slowly, all while feelings of compassion began to rise up within him. Suddenly, he was starting to understand the full weight of the memories that were weighing on her.
Zelda just gave a small nod before looking down. "I've been told that my parents spent many seasons there in their younger years. I'm certain that they made a lot of happy memories in that home…Which is why it's understandable that my father didn't want to visit the manor much after her passing. I think that the memories proved to be too much for him. He much preferred to stay at the castle and distract himself with work instead."
Link slowly nodded, still trying to fully process this information. "I'm…really sorry to hear that," he told her, his voice low and full of kindness.
Zelda just smiled, trying to put on a brave face. "It's all right. It happened a long time ago, after all."
"Your mother," Link said slowly. "The Queen, she…" His voice just trailed off as he hesitated. He wasn't exactly sure how to go about asking what was currently on his mind.
Fortunately, Zelda seemed to be able to piece together what he wanted to say, and was willing to provide an answer. "She died when I was six," she explained quietly. "She succumbed to an illness that had plagued her for months."
"I think I remember hearing about that…"
"Of course. The entire Kingdom was in mourning for a time. It was rather unexpected for her to go so young, after all."
Link just nodded some more. Even now, he could still remember the genuine shock and sorrow that had rippled throughout Ordon after news of the Queen's passing had reached them. He had just been a child at the time, but even Link could understand how tragic it had been to hear that she had passed away at such a young age. It was even more tragic to know that she had left a young child behind, that child of course being Princess Zelda.
Link went silent for a while, taking some time to mull over his thoughts. He had always known that Zelda's mother was deceased, but he had never taken the time to give much thought to it. A sentiment that he now felt rather guilty about…
"It must have been hard for you," he noted quietly.
Zelda gave a small nod, but managed to sadly smile again. "It wasn't easy, of course, but I managed. It helped to still have a loving father to support me, as well as numerous others, including Fost. I was young, but they ensured that I was well cared for, even in my mother's absence."
Link produced a sad smile of his own, mirroring Zelda's. "Do you still have memories of her?"
Zelda's smile widened a bit. "Yes, quite a few, actually. I remember that she was always smiling and watching over me. She often took my hand as we walked through the castle gardens on sunny days. Even now, I can remember her voice and laugh quite clearly. She was always making me laugh and encouraging me. We had such good times together…And of course, I wasn't the only one that loved her. I still hear the guards and maids tell stories about her from time to time. From what I can gather, she was one of the kindest and gentlest souls in the entire Kingdom. They referred to her as Queen Athena Hyrule: wise, noble, and fair."
Link couldn't help but grin a bit. "It sounds like she was well-liked by a lot of people."
Zelda nodded. "Of course. I myself respected her just as much as I loved her."
"I wish I could have met her," Link said with a sigh. "Although, something tells me that if I did, she would just remind me of you."
Zelda began blushing, as her eyes turned to Link, full of gratitude. "Thank you, Link. That means so much."
Link just blinked, a bit surprised at this heartfelt reaction.
Zelda simply noted his astonishment before smiling. "Truth be told, I aspire to be like my mother," she explained. "That's why whenever someone claims that I remind them of her, I consider it a compliment of the highest honor."
"As you should," Link replied, now understanding the full depths of Zelda's feelings for her mother. "You must miss her a lot."
Zelda gave a small nod. "There are times where I wish I could see her again. Just to talk to her and show her what kind of person I've grown up to become…" Her voice soon trailed off; her face one of longing. Nevertheless, she soon replaced her expression with a smile, one that was quite confident. "But at times like that, I just try to remind myself that she's still smiling and watching over me, even now."
"That's a good way to think about it," Link said, flashing a grin. "I'm sure that if she were here, she'd be very proud of you and what you've accomplished. Saving your Kingdom, aiding in the recovery effort…"
Zelda just subtly started to blush again. "That's very kind of you to say, Link. I should hope that you are right."
"I'm sure I am," he replied positively.
The two of them then fell silent after that. The Princess was simply content to bask in the Hero's encouraging words, while the Hero was happy to understand the Princess a little bit better. Link was also glad to know that Zelda trusted him enough to reveal her personal thoughts and feelings to him. They shared a genuine friendship, and it was nice to know that it was both healthy and strong.
"So, do you have memories of the manor as well?" Link asked, bringing the conversation back around to its origin.
Zelda nodded, her nostalgic smile appearing once more. "Yes, I can clearly recall spending a few of my younger years there. My parents and I always had fun playing in the snow-filled courtyard, and then after that we would retreat to the warmth of the den where we could cuddle up under blankets."
Link smiled, imagining the peaceful family that once was. "It sounds like fun."
Zelda smirked. "It was. And of course, Ashei made sure to keep things interesting as well."
Link just paused, caught off guard by this new information. "Ashei?" he repeated. "What does she have to do with any of this?"
Zelda just turned to him, looking equally surprised. "Ah, did she fail to mention it as well?"
"Mention what?"
"That she grew up in that manor."
"What!?" Link exclaimed. Even though he had already learned a lot that evening, the Princess seemed determined to just keep piling up the shocking information! "Ashei lived in that place too?"
"Forgive me," Zelda told him. "I assumed that Ashei would have likely mentioned it to you. Or that even if she hadn't, that you would have been able to piece it together."
Link furrowed his brow. He knew that Ashei had always held a great knowledge about the Snowpeak Province, but he had never thought it obvious that she must have lived there. Let alone live in the giant, well-furnished manor in the middle of it all.
"Why was she there?" Link asked, both his confusion and curiosity getting the best of him.
Zelda just smiled, amused by his lost expression. "Allow me to explain. You see, Ashei's father was a great Knight who was charged with protecting the winter home all year round. Because of this, he dwelled in the manor, even during the times where we didn't come to visit. Naturally, his family lived with him, and so Ashei was also able to call the manor her home. Since we were the only children in that isolated place, the two of us ended up spending many of our younger winters together."
"Wow," Link said, still surprised. "I had no idea."
"It's how we grew to be good friends," Zelda said proudly. "And even though we stopped visiting after my mother passed away, Ashei and I always kept in contact through the mail. Thus, we've been close ever since…for better or worse," she added with a small laugh.
"I see," Link said with a nod. For the first time, he felt like he had a better understanding of Ashei as well. Being a child and growing up in such an isolated location must have certainly had an effect on her. Link couldn't help but wonder if this was why the female Knight tended to be so blunt and have no boundaries whatsoever. If it was because she didn't exactly have a lot of people to talk to when she was young…
"Ashei's father ended up passing away a number of years later," Zelda continued. "He was the manor's last remaining caretaker, so it's no surprise that the place fell into ruin in his absence. Ashei herself ended up moving to Castle Town so that she could fully finish her training as a Knight. With no one left to watch over it, and no one in our family interested to return, the place has been abandoned ever since."
Link nodded again, finally able to start piecing the puzzle together toward its completion. He now understood how the manor had slowly degraded into its current state. "Abandoned ever since," he softly repeated before smiling. "That is, until two Yetis decided to move in."
Zelda smirked, all too familiar with their tale after Link had shared it with her. "A cute and loving Yeti couple, to be exact. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah," Link said with a small laugh. "I hate to break it to you, but if you ever do wish to return to your winter home, you'll probably have to find a way to chase them out."
"I wouldn't worry about that," Zelda said with a smile. "I have no intentions of returning, and I doubt that my father does either. I would be perfectly happy to allow the Yetis to keep living there. Besides, they helped you out during your adventure, didn't they? It's only fair that they should receive some sort of compensation. If you ever see them again, let them know that the manor is theirs to do with as they please."
Link blinked in surprise at this, but soon smiled. "You're sure?"
"Positive," she replied.
"In that case, I'll gladly let them know," Link said with a grin. "Unless of course you would rather tell them yourself? I'd be happy to introduce you, you know."
Zelda giggled at this, the thought of meeting such large creatures that dwelled in her old home sounding rather humorous. "Perhaps I'll have to take you up on that, but not tonight of course. It'll have to be another time."
Link laughed as well. "Sure, another time sounds good."
Zelda smiled some more before releasing a large, unrestrained yawn. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but it seemed that at some point, the day's events had started to wear on her. "Ah, forgive me," she said as she forced her mouth shut. "I was planning to return to the party, but now I'm starting to think that it would just be better if I retired for the evening."
To Zelda's surprise, Link soon yawned as well, clearly having caught the contagious motion from the Princess. "Yeah, I should probably go to bed too. If I go back to the party, something tells me that I'm just going to fall asleep."
Zelda nodded in understanding. Her gaze then softened a bit as she continued to eye the Hero. "Um…Link?"
He glanced at her. "Yeah?"
Zelda just smiled some more before giving a slight bow of her head. "Thank you for keeping me company tonight, and allowing me to reminisce. It was very nice."
Link just produced a heartfelt smile in return. "Of course, it was my pleasure."
Upon hearing this, Zelda took a few timid steps forward before performing the one motion that she felt comfortable with. She reached up and gently patted his shoulder, just as she had many times before.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she told him.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
I wanted to take some liberties on expanding the lore of the manor in the Snowpeak Province. I've always thought that it was such a fascinating location. Like why is there a manor in the middle of the snowy tundra? With all of this lavish furniture and big rooms and detailed paintings and suits of armor? Like it just feels too important not to be connected to Hyrule's Royal Family in some way. Or at the very least, a person of significant influence.
So, I thought it would be fun to give it a backstory by saying that it was the Royal Family's vacation home that they used to frequent. I imagine that some of you might find it odd that it serves as a winter vacation home, but from what I understand, Snowpeak seems like a place that is frigid all year round. Thus, it really wouldn't make much sense to go there in the summer months, because there wouldn't really be any summer activities to do there. It would just be the same as if it were winter in summer. So, following my logic, if you have to endure the cold winter weather back at Hyrule Castle anyway, why not change locations to a warm and cozy manor for a month or two? And thus the Snowpeak manor became a winter vacation home. Hopefully this makes sense lol.
There's also hints from various sources that Ashei's father once owned the manor, so I tried to tie him into it too by simply stating that he was once its caretaker. Now it makes perfect sense why Ashei was so familiar with the place, while also giving a bit of background to her and Zelda's friendship that I've shown in this story. Feels like a win-win :)
Anyway, that's about all I have to say. I intend to take a few weeks off from updating, but once I come back I have a long stretch of fun Ordon Village chapters and I plan to release them all weekly, so please look forward to it! And as always, thanks for reading!