The confrontation didn't last long, Link should have expected an intervention sooner if anything.
Silence remained in the Sanctum for a moment as the standstill continued until the doors flew open to reveal Arn heaving, Impa and Purah coming in behind him.
Arn ran and threw himself between Fredrick's bow and its target, hands placed before him to lower the bow, while the two sisters ran to place themselves at the young knight's side.
"Put the bow down, you promised me no bloodshed," Arn said, still a bit nervous at the bow.
"On the basis that he- " Frederick motioned with the tip of the arrow towards Rhoam, "-not pull anything." He finished, teeth gritting lightly.
"Please," Arn pleaded quietly. "I will handle him, leave King Rhoam be. Just for now." The words didn't seem to do anything. "If not for his sake, then for mine."
Right, if anything happened to Rhoam currently, it'd fall on Arn for leaving him open.
Link continued to stare, frozen in place.
Link's father scoffed. "There's no use calling him what he will never be." His father removed the arrow and sneered. He slipped the arrow back into the quiver and marched out of the room, his eyes glued to Rhoam.
Link felt chills continue to flow through him despite the Sanctum door closing with a slam behind his father. He'd never seen such anger in someone's eyes, not even in assassins before.
Whatever was going on between his father and Rhoam was something that he didn't want to get in the middle of if his level-headed father was ready to pull an arrow on him.
Or maybe it was that Rhoam had crossed a line, but regardless, the action shocked Link to the core.
"Link? Are you alright?" Purah asked quietly,
Was he alright? He'd been at the wrong end of the bow for once, but not in any real danger—not from his father anyway.
"Yeah," he muttered out, taking a few steps away from the hulking man before him. He kept his eyes glued to Rhoam, who was being approached by Arn.
"We're not leaving you alone from now on," Impa declared in hushed tones as they walked towards the door.
Probably for the best. He nodded and followed them out of the Sanctum.
"I think I just need some sleep." He told them, trying to shake what had happened from his head. He could still feel the liquor in his stomach, heating him up. Water and sleep would probably help calm him down from…whatever that had been.
A fight in the courtyard, a powerful lightning strike, the nobles, the king, Zelda fainting—he was very grateful for her waking up so quickly—but now this was all too much for one evening.
Walking through the halls felt much like a blur; his eyes didn't focus on anyone he was familiar with or not, he barely felt his own knees give out a few steps out of the room, he hadn't even noticed Robbie take over for Purah to help him walk with Impa.
It was only now that he could feel the stiffness, twitching and stinging in his muscles, likely from Urbosa's lightning earlier. He tried to focus on the cold in his throat that seemed to be steadily rising to his head from his stomach, but seemed to only find fatigue where energy should have been.
He barely realised he was arriving at his room, Impa digging through his pocket for his key, trying one of the four on a ring before finally clicking the door open and throwing the keys onto his dresser and getting him settled atop the sheets of his bed.
Before falling asleep, he registered the door reopening and his head being reshifted onto a harder surface than his pillow, and a hand on his head until his eyes finally drifted closed.
The castle didn't feel like home anymore.
The next morning, Link felt stiffer than he'd ever been in a long time. His arms and legs almost refused to do as he wanted, feeling more akin to a rusty hinge in need of oil. His entire body seemed to scream at him with pins and needles as he tried to rouse from his sleep. He was in his bed, tucked into the sheets, but he was still dressed in last night's uncomfortable ball suit.
Finally opening his eyes, he first glanced outside at the light blue sky and wondered how much longer he'd have before the sun inevitably blinded him. He watched motionless for the sun until he realised something.
Why is the sky so blue? It was usually much darker when he awoke in the mornings, why did it seem like it was already late in the day?
No, it is late in the day…At least midday; The thought sent him straight into a sitting position.
"Fuck!"
Then right back into bed he went, gritting his teeth and needing to clutch just about every limb he had.
He heard his door handle jiggle and the door swing open—he must've been too loud.
"Link!" He heard rushed steps towards his bed and saw his friend Barnabus in full uniform.
"Aren't you supposed to be working?" He asked groggily, averting his eyes away.
He didn't understand why his friend was here. Did he just happen to pass by as he yelled? No, far too unlikely, the guy's office was many minutes away on foot, no way he was just wandering around.
Link took a closer look; at his uniform—Barnabus was on guard duty.
Guard duty outside of his room.
"Go play guard somewhere else, Barns." He said, trying to get out of bed again, attempting to hide his grimace as he moved against the screams of his body to stop.
"No can do, buddy." His friend smiled and helped him sit up. "Been assigned to you today."
Assigned to me? Has to be a joke.
"Sure you have." He rolled his eyes and took the help, slowly getting out of bed. Sitting on the edge of his bed hurt as though he'd been training for far too long without a break. When was the last time he was this sore?
Barnabus looked at him funnily. "I'm not joking?"
"What?"
His friend shrugged. "It was either Randy or me, so I guessed you'd rather me, to be honest."
Link gaped at his friend. They hadn't assigned just any guard to him, they'd assigned a captain to watch him. They didn't do that unless the charge was important.
He was important to the royal family now.
Goddesses, what had the Yiga done…
Link knew his life wasn't going to be the same after last night's reveal.
"Let's get you dressed and some lunch in your stomach."
"Some Lunch? What time is it?!"
"Nearly two in the afternoon."
"What?!"
...
There was something different about Zelda when he saw her again that afternoon.
She had two ladies-in-waiting behind her, waiting patiently for anything in silence. Link recognised them, but he didn't know their names, he simply saw them around the castle occasionally, tending to regular affairs.
Upon first laying eyes on him, Zelda broke into a run and crashed into Link's arms with a smile. He barely had time to catch her, surprised by her actions.
At least she was in a better state than he was, that much he was thankful for.
Breaking free from the sudden hug, she fretted over him almost immediately, worry replace the smile that had graced her moments before while she looked him over briefly.
"It's unlike you to sleep in so late, I was thinking to fetch you myself," she told him, relieved.
"I didn't mean to make you worried, I'm sorry." He apologised profusely.
He looked her over and was glad to see she seemed in perfect condition compared to the night before. Her dress seemed different, a looser style, he noted. Usually, her dresses seemed perfectly form fitted to her breasts, hips and waist, but today seemed different. He chalked it up to the reason being her pregnancy even if it had barely begun to show. Maybe the seamstresses worried about that sort of thing, even if their baby was safe in the confines of her stomach.
At least she was fine and was clearly unfazed by the events of the night before, that was all that mattered to Link.
"Come come, I have tea ready for us!" Zelda said excitedly, pulling him along the halls.
Link nodded with surprise. Zelda was in a happy mood today, it seemed. He wondered if it was simply one of those days where one woke up better than most, but he wasn't about to question it.
She seemed more than eager enough to drag him across the castle to one of the nicer parlours, completely illuminated by the late afternoon sun bathing the room in a warm welcoming light.
She all but happily drags him over to the small table for two where there is a small two tier biscuit tower with a number of colourful snacks.
Link glanced at the two ladies on stand-by not too far away and smiled at them, waving briefly. They bow their heads briefly until he looks away.
"So what's up with the ladies-in-waiting?" he asked quietly as a maid came by with a small tray with tea.
The princess looked at the maid and thanked her quietly before shooing her away. "News of my pregnancy travelled fast." She started. She went to grab the pot, but Link beat her to it, pouring her cup for her quietly. "Thank you," she smiled. "Father claims that, while I could get away without having them before, now I need them."
Link poured himself a cup of the black tea. "That's… nice of him."
"I would rethink your allies in this castle."
Seems a bit too nice to me. He couldn't help but think as he smelled the tea briefly and drank it.
He found it suspicious he hadn't heard a peep from Rhoam all afternoon, nor did the castle seem too gossipy, rather more so than it did when Zelda did something out of the ordinary for a princess.
"Father's been with the Council all morning regarding something but he's yet to share anything about it," She pouted out her lower lip ever so slightly and frowned into her drink. "I, at least, get told something about the meetings, but nothing yet."
Does Zelda not know what happened yesterday? He looked briefly at the ladies in the back who were whispering among themselves, but still paying attention to the princess.
They never bowed their heads to him before, so he could be sure that the news of his relationship with Zelda had spread, but he wondered just how far the news of her pregnancy had spread.
"No one's been bothering you about the pregnancy?" He asked.
She smiled brightly. "One or two people, but most have been ecstatic actually!" She hummed as she scooped some sugar from the dish and added milk.
He was going to give it a few days before she would start seeing the comments. An unmarried princess being pregnant, and she was receiving mostly positive feedback? It was…strange. Extremely out of character.
As much as he wanted to be happy about that, it made him wonder.
It still itched his mind how the noblemen in the courtroom last night had immediately talked to him regarding Zelda's courting instead of Rhoam, her father .
It felt unreal. Almost like the noblemen were deferring to him.
Link had a hunch, he did not want to be right. "Who were the one or two?" He sipped his tea.
Zelda stopped stirring her tea and raised a brow. "Oh-um… my aunt said something this morning and so did High Priestess Makima, but I ignored her—she never has anything nice to say." She brushed it off nonchalantly.
Nothing strange there. But it didn't mean he wasn't wrong.
"Is there a reason you wanted to know?" She inquired between sips.
He shook his head. "No no, just curiosity." He smiled.
He watched quietly as Zelda tried choosing between the biscuits on the tray before smiling and picking up one of the smaller colourful ones with a childish air to her he hadn't seen in a long time.
It was almost foreign to see her so upbeat. He couldn't recall the last time she'd been so giddy for no apparent reason.
The last time was when they'd stumbled upon the ruins in Faron on their way to Lurelin a few months back, then in the temple but that had resulted in a disaster so he wasn't sure he'd count that time.
Such an uncommon mood was rare for a reason—Rhoam always found a way to break it down like it was nothing but dust to the wind.
Well that's a depressing thought.
"Ahem," He looked up to see Zelda glaring at him lightly.
"Did I do something?" He asked quietly.
"What are you thinking about right now?" She asked with little hesitation.
"It's nothing, really." He tried to brush off.
She sighed and looked at her ladies-in-waiting before waving her hand to send them out of the room. The ladies bowed their heads and closed the door behind them, leaving her and Link alone.
"Don't you dare start hiding things from me again, you've also never been very good at it. Between that and our bond, there isn't much point aside from perhaps pissing me off."
There was a pang of guilt in his chest. She was speaking the truth, they've had that conversation far too many times for her to repeat herself again.
But was it right to ask her about everything right now? Was it right to worry Zelda again with the problems around the castle when she was pregnant and supposed to be taking it easy?
"Link." The glare in her eyes was intensifying, and he felt his resolve to keep it to himself begin to dissolve away like salt in water.
No hiding anything from Zelda then, he quickly decided. She'd just cause herself more stress trying to get it out of him.
But would she even remember anything from when she was that young though? It was worth a shot. "What… What were the nobles like when your father became king? If you remember?" He asked quietly. It left a strange pit in his stomach, why did it feel like he was interrogating his own bond partner?
"The nobles when my father became King?" She asked, surprised. She seemed taken aback, clearly she hadn't expected that. "Why do you ask? Did something happen last night? You know, my father has been acting strange, I should talk to him." she started rambling.
"It's nothing, really." Link tried to reassure him. "I was just wondering about it."
She studied him for a few seconds before shrugging it off. "Odd thing to think about but it's fine."
The topic was quickly dropped in favour of the biscuits, but it remained Link's main trail of thought.
He couldn't get the noblemen out of his mind.
So quick to complain about his position, but also so quick to defer back to him regarding Zelda's romantic interests. Rhoam was right there and they still talked to him . Link didn't need to think about the logistics there—noblemen were pompous, stubborn and had superiority complexes bigger than their estates, but he didn't recall them ever immediately paying him so much attention in such a short amount of time.
Some tried to cosy up to him—he blamed Hero status for that—but they'd never done that before.
It was new and it was a bit terrifying to say the least, Link was a bit glad he'd drank a bit before being shoved into that fanfare or he just knew he'd have frozen up and kept quiet.
Zelda was still talking about the tea selection she picked that morning like earl grey and wildberry blends from Tabantha, and she was commenting about the sweetness and bitterness of the berries as she happily drank down a second cup.
He still wanted his coffee though, the tea never woke him up as well.
Maybe I can talk with the Labrynna rep about it. He liked that thought as he drank down more of his tea and picked up a small soft cake.
"—leaves are brewed in water just short of boiling point and it releases this aroma!" He tried to pay attention to Zelda's ramblings of the tea, but found his thought to keep drifting away.
"What does it pair best with?" He asked, trying to focus.
"Buttered toast actually. The sweetness cuts the fat of the butter. It's quite satisfying as a simple breakfast tea." she punctuated by sipping her tea loudly with a bright smile.
He nodded and drank his tea. "Fascinating, what happens if you boil the leaves too much."
"Oh it'll taste bitter and flat and perhaps even burnt if it isn't stirred properly, but you might be able to save it with a wildberry candy—oh I've received these wonderful candies from my cousin, you remember Duchess Deilia?"
"I do remember her," she was the duchess who propped her breasts up as high as humanly possible during the ball in an attempt to talk him into a dance.
"Speaking of, may I inquire about something?"
"Of course,"
She wasted no time in asking. "Why didn't you tell me you can use magic? " She asked him, staring him dead in the eyes.
"Because I don't?" He put his cup of tea down on the table confused. "Who told you I use magic?" He laughed. Him? Use magic? He hated that crap with a passion, why would he ever learn or use it?
"My mother."
Link turned to look at her slowly. " Your mother told you. " he repeated slowly.
She nodded.
He looked at her as if he was expecting her to say she was joking. "Your mother. Late Queen Zelda who passed away seventeen years ago told you I use magic."
"Yes, she told me in my dream last night."
You sound insane.
"How would she know to begin with?" He asked, deciding to humour her while he helped her realise how trusting random dreams might end badly. "I'd be happy to know that information. She seems to know things about me that I don't." He laughed nervously, glancing back at Zelda as he picked up his cup.
"Something about it being hereditary, I don't remember!" She scoffed off loudly, quickly taking her tea and gulping the rest.
Link wasn't sure what to make of that. Was he supposed to believe a dead dream woman telling Zelda he used magic ? And Time magic at that.
"I can ask if it makes you feel better? But I think I would know if I could use magic." He said, some doubt slipping into his voice by accident.
When she didn't respond to him immediately, he looked back and suddenly, he gulped down his drink. Zelda was glaring at him.
"You don't believe me."
I really don't, I'm sorry.
"That's not what I said." He quickly tried to recover. "What I said was-"
"-That you think I'm a liar."
"No, that's not it. Zelda, please,"
"You think I'm insane, is that it?"
"No Zelda, please calm down, that's not what I said-"
"How dare you-I am calm!" She stood up abruptly and stormed out of the room, not sparing him a single glance more as she slammed the door shut behind her.
Right, that's calm. my mistake. He really didn't know why he said those words, he'd been told to just forget them all together when it came to anyone so why he said them to Zelda while she was pregnant was beside him.
I'll go check on her later, give her time to breathe. He slowly lifted the cup back to his lips, unsure of his decision. Either she'd be happy he gave her space to calm down or she'd be mad he didn't immediately follow her even though he was likely to put his foot in his mouth again in some form or another.
Breathe it is. At least he could think of a course of action in case she'd be mad again.
When Link finally arrived back in the council room, he was unsurprised to see his father glaring at Rhoam as though they'd already been fighting for the last twenty minutes, but he was surprised to see Doctor Finri sitting in the corner, clearly out of place from the room full of councilmen.
Most of the councilmen rose from their seats and nodded their heads down towards Link, standing until Link reciprocated the moment slowly and unfamiliarly.
Link took a seat next to Arn and leaned over. "Why's Finri here?" He whispered quietly as the other council took their seats once more.
"Rhoam's attempting to pull rank." Arn started. "Your father keeps challenging everything he's doing."
"Legitimately or just to piss him off?"
Arn shrugged. "Probably both."
Link bit back a cry of frustration and alarm. The way his father and the king–Prince Regent? He couldn't wrap his head around the complexity of it all–the way the two of them were glaring at each other made Link want to bolt out of the room, grab Zelda, and ride as fast as they could for Gerudo Town and not come back.
King Rhoam adjusted his seat and gave a light cough, careful not to disturb the crown that rested on his white head. "This meeting will now come to order. I have brought you all here to discuss the future of my daughter, the Princess Zelda, and her… condition. "
Link sat up a bit straighter.
"Dr. Finri, how is Her Royal Highness as of now?" Councilman Stura asked, standing from his seat.
"Princess Zelda is in stable condition, there was no harm done in the event of last night, all signs indicate she is in perfect condition." the doctor replied, folding his hands in his lap. Link noticed that the man seemed unable to decide if he should address the Counselor, the King—Prince Regent?—or Link. He seemed to settle on talking to the centrepiece of the table, which was a bouquet of fake flowers.
"Good, and how far along would she be?" Rhoam interjected as Stura was about to ask another question.
The doctor seemed to wither a little bit on the spot before he took a deep breath to muster his courage. "Roughly three months, Sir. Give or take a couple of weeks."
"Is termination a safe option at this point in time?"
Link dug his nails into his thigh to stop himself from standing and shouting at Rhoam. He had no right to tell her what to do with the child he and Zelda had mutually agreed to have.
The absolute nerve, I ought to terminate him on the spot. he thought grimly in his seat.
"It is," Dr. Finri answered with hesitation.
"Think of something else." Fredrick said in a low voice, casting a glance at his son's face.
"You have no authority here, stay quiet."
"I think I have more than you think I do,"
Not again.
"Now that I really think about it, I'm almost certain I have more authority over the decisions with your daughter than even you do right now, Your Grace," Fredrick drawled, while Arn squeezed Link's arm reassuringly.
Rhoam's eye twitched. "Explain to me why you would have more authority over my own family?"
"It's rather simple. If your line is matrilineal and mine is not, then your old head of the family is dead and you are not a woman as far as we all know." Fredrick pointed out with a quiet snicker at the end. "I am however still alive, thus the authority falls to me should your daughter and her husband both be incapable or unavailable—as Princess Zelda currently is at the moment and you've chosen to ignore both of their wishes and even bypass her bonded's decision."
"You cannot supercede my authority, you are not the ki-"
"Shame, your 'authority' comes dead last in this scenario." Fredrick smiled as if he'd just won a long arduous game. "You also forget your daughter is nearly of age and she is considered mature by law, meaning she is the true head of your family at the moment despite this country's frustrating laws." He explained, leaning back in his seat relaxed. "The moment she bonded to my son, you lost all parental authority over her and you should accept that as fact."
"Is all of that true?" Link asked Arn very quietly. His father was evidently having too much fun at the moment.
"Pretty sure," Arn nodded, still keeping a strained focus on the room.
The king didn't say a word more, instead choosing to glance at the Council who were whispering among themselves.
It seemed as though it was Doctor Finri who would be the one to have to break the news. He was hesitant, but the Council nodded to him in hushed tones.
"Sir Fredrick would be correct." The doctor bowed his head, but kept it lower than usual—Link wasn't sure if it was to be respectful or just to avoid direct eye contact; he'd be doing the same if he had to tell Rhoam he was powerless.
Rhoam's eyes crinkled at the corners at the two shorter knights.
Link swallowed thickly. Goddess, his father was really pushing his buttons.
"As King, my authority supersedes those of family laws-"
"But you are not King." Fredrick cut him off. "You were once Prince Consort and now, you should have been Prince Regent until recently when Princess Zelda was first considered mature enough, but you have no claim to the title of King. You never have, and you never will."
Dead silence in the room, Link could have heard any councilmember breathing from his end of the room.
"I must wonder who allowed you to usurp such a title following the passing of our Late Queen," he said, pitching up his voice so no one could miss his words and giving each of the council members a look in turn. "Especially when her bonded partner still lives..."
There were gasps, but not ones of surprise. They sounded more like Link's father had revealed some scandalous secret everyone knew but didn't talk about out of courtesy.
"Where is Zelda in all of this? I feel like she should be here for this conversation, no?" Link asked Arn under all of the stares from the councilmen.
Arn averted a direct gaze. "She's not allowed."
"She's not allowed?! Arn, they're talking about her birthright , she should be here." he said, firmer than before. "Great and all we're dealing with the succession now, but she's the Crown Princess. She's the royal and she's not even here for the conversation about the throne."
"Do something about it then." Arn glanced to the side. "It is now within your rights to do something about it."
"I shouldn't have to, it's common sense. "
"You'd be surprised how rare common sense really is."
"There's a number of laws you might want to bring back to the table for a new discussion when you can. Some of them are quite… rigid."
Link wanted to smack his head on the table, but seeing as he was now considered fresh meat in the courtroom, maybe he shouldn't show such an obvious demonstration of dread.
"Damn, I wasn't paying attention," Arn lamented to himself.
Link brought his attention back to the scene before him and he hadn't realised that some of the guards seemed almost hesitant to step in and intervene. Rhoam seemed like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead and his father was cackling to himself.
"What happened?" Link asked.
"All I'm saying is that you have the wrong tools to even claim that spot! I don't think I need to remind the council of that little fact."
"Are they…" Link started mumbling.
"Yes." Arn sighed.
Of course they're talking about their dicks.
"That has no bearings over the title!"
Oh yes it does!" His father cleared his throat and looked away from Rhoam to address "I would like to remind the Council that seeing as Late Queen Zelda was an omega and bonded, only an Alpha can claim the title of King," He looked directly at Rhoam as he said it, pressing his buttons on purpose.
"Oh he has a point." Arn snickered behind his hand.
"Arn, do you know who it is?" Link raised his brow.
"I have my suspicions, but I don't know for certain." he whispered.
"Care to share?"
Arn glanced around and took Link's hand, drawing a circle into his palm.
O? The hell am I supposed to do with that? Link nodded slowly, thanking Arn quietly.
"Say this mystery person came forward, how would we even prove their legitimacy?"
"Simple, come and find me." His father smiled smugly. "I'll be happy to turn away your posers."
There was a short silence between Rhoam and Fredrick where no one said anything.
Link didn't like the amount of implications involved with that quiet statement. Goddess, could his father stop playing mind games with the King before he assumed the wrong things?
"You make it sound like it could be you," Rhoam suggested.
"How sure of yourself that it's not me?"
Well that's an unsettling idea.
Maybe he's vague because he doesn't know? Would his father really bluff with such an important piece of information? Put such a big target on his back to distract from someone else? Bluffing to piss off Rhoam seemed within normal behaviour for him, but to do it consistently for almost twenty years though?
My mother told me.
If you complete the bond, Zelda may be able to speak with her ancestors.
Zelda fainted from Urbosa's fury.
Zelda claimed she spoke with her mother in her dreams.
Link's blood chilled slightly as the pieces fell together in his head.
No, he does know. He's teasing the idea on purpose to push his buttons.
No one thinks straight when they're anger is directed at one person. Rhoam would never learn who the person truly was if his anger and suspicions were always thrown on one person.
As a Captain of the Royal Guard, his father would have been by his charge's side at all hours of the day except for one location.
Gerudo Town.
This only sticks if Urbosa's magic is still connected to the Queen. The theory fell apart if that point didn't stick.
Zelda could still technically communicate with her ancestors—her mother—once the bond completed, his own spiritual ancestor never claimed that particular energy had to come into contact with hers. He just claimed it as a possible ability.
If it's true, there's a reason she never came forward. There has to be a reason Urbosa wouldn't have come forward this whole time. She cares far too much for Zelda not to want to take care of her… but she cares greatly for her people as well…
That's if it's even Urbosa…
Frequent trips to Gerudo Town… Urbosa cared for Zelda as much as she did… Sure, it all pointed to a close friendship, but it was also a believable cover for two lovers as well.
So why are you implying you're the bonded? He couldn't help but think as he watched his father goad on Rhoam continuously.
Goddess forbid he actually was… the mere thought of the idea made Link want to vomit.
Link thought it was interesting how secretive his father, even found it impressive how tight-lipped the man was when it came to his past, but this infuriatingly smart if it was planned.
Deflecting suspicion onto oneself was brilliant in this case; his father would have naturally been the prime suspect, but simultaneously in the right position to bluff with the information. He knew and could feign ignorance to a certain point due to his closeness.
His father would know things about the late queen even Rhoam didn't. His father had some knowledge of magic, he could fake his way around the bluff, and he was a crafty bastard,. Link had to give him credit,. His father would be able to pull a believable stunt if pushed far enough.
Clearly no one had tried yet, for a reason unknown.
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed deliberate to pull suspicion onto himself, but he had no way of knowing the whys of his confusing actions.
Why are you protecting Urbosa? Is it Zelda you're protecting? Some secret?
"You good kid?" He was nudged on the arm by Arn, who seemed concerned. "You're out in the moon over there," He mentioned.
"No it's nothing." Link answered quietly. He began chewing on the inside of his cheek, stressing about his train of thought.
Whatever secret he was protecting had to be a heavy one, especially to deflect it onto himself if that was indeed the case.
"Oy, Arn!" Link jogged up to the older man after the courtroom fiasco. "Can we talk for a minute? In private?" He asked quietly, his eyes shifting briefly to the council members and the noblemen hanging around the halls.
Arn seemed to understand fairly quickly. "Sure thing."
He led them down the hall and away from the crowds gathering at the door.
All day, Link had been forced to get used to the idea of having a guard behind him, merely a few steps away, but he found that having Arn two steps ahead of him was a welcome surprise, so Link did what he did best; watch and observe.
It was then that Link really got to study Arn with little to no restrictions.
Despite his advanced age, Arn still walked with a strong sense of confidence and pride, his steps resounded with a perfect military march cadence against the pristine floors, and his greying, brown hair was always kept tidy and trimmed to sit right above his collar without touching it.
From his earliest memories, he remembered Arn always holding the position of the King's Guard to the point it felt odd to imagine anyone else replacing him.
The terrifying idea that one day, Arn could be in-command of his guard crept into his mind.
What a spectacularly odd set of circumstances to come upon.
No, he'd likely continue to guard Rhoam, I'd get my own sooner or later. He had a strong feeling that the days roaming the castle by himself were numbered so low he could count them on two hands, maybe even one.
Link took longer strides to walk next to Arn and peeked a glance at the older man's face. Dark eyes were simply set straight ahead as every guard and knight had been taught since their first days. His face was set neutral, not a sliver of anything besides concentration and determination.
As a Royal Guard should.
They came to a stop in an empty hall where Arn pulled out a key from his pocket and clicked the door open, allowing Link to enter first, then Arn following in and closing the door.
There was a simple table, a few chairs, and a large bright window.
The room was void of shelves, flowers, decorative pieces or motifs.
It was just a plain room.
"Speak your mind." Arn told him, motioning to one of the chairs as he decided to lean against the nearby window. He looked outside and down to the courtyard below, likely just quietly watching the knights train and spar.
"I'll get right to the point," Link started, passing his hand through his hair. "What's the business between Dad and Queen Zelda? I've had enough of people not telling me anything. All I hear are people dancing around the subject."
Arn wore the expression of someone who'd seen it coming and wanted to leave.
"It's a long and complicated story, Link." Arn warned. "One that cannot be expressed in so little time."
"Tell me what you can, then." He pushed.
Arn sighed and looked at the clock in defeat. "We have about twenty minutes before we have to be out there again. Might as well take a seat then," Arn pulled out a seat for Link next to the window as he got comfortable on the ledge, hopping up and sitting against the window. "This is really more for your old man to tell you about, to be honest with you."
"He's as tight-lipped as ever, you know that."
"I don't know, I think now is probably the best opportunity to get it out of him."Arn smiled. "Besides, I only know parts of their friendship, I don't know all of it, he's been pretty secretive regarding his personal life, even with me."
Link stared blankly. "But you're like his brother."
The captain shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Private men stay private."
That statement couldn't have been more true. His father was an incredibly private person, even to the rest of his family.
Link himself barely knew past surface details when it came to his father. He seemed to like just about any food put on the table, he favoured the colour blue, he was loyal to and cared for his family, the man liked to fish and hunt on the occasion, but Link wasn't sure if that was out of necessity to feed them or because he genuinely liked being by himself.
Link barely knew anything about his father's family. All Link knows was from a day when his father was drunk, he let it slip he had a brother and two sisters and that he was the youngest, but he'd never gotten more than that out of him.
Link knew his job, that much was more than obvious, but Link barely knew about his social life past Arn, and three other knights whom he's heard the names of in passing but have since retired from their duties.
Private was an understatement.
Link realised that most of the past information he knew about his father came from secondary sources like Arn or Rhoam—One of which was a terrible source for anything, good or bad.
"How likely is it that he finally gets sentimental enough to crack a bit?"
"Very little, I suppose." Arn gave a good laugh. "How far back are we going? Twenty years? Thirty years? Anything specific I can narrow down for you?"
"The bond. When you think that might've happened."
Link caught his expression fall ever so slightly before recovering it.
"So nearly thirty years then." He nodded. "None of us caught wind of it until nearly an entire year after it happened, you know." he recounted. "She was still a princess back then and we'd been given the opportunity to go to a nearby place to swim a bit. As per His Late Majesty's orders, I and three other guards were given the opportunity to go as well, it was one of the Princess' private events with some of her ladies-in-waiting. "
"Swimming in public together? The noblewomen? " Link repeated, dumbfounded. He couldn't even imagine how scandalous the idea was now, what would that have been back then compared to now?
"Mhm, the backlash was expected, but brushed aside very quickly considering how carefree and a bit eccentric she was, but it was one of the noblewomen who'd seen the scar first and brought attention to it. Naturally, it created a scandal within the nobility." He revealed.
"I bet, but how did this whole thing happen?"
Arn began laughing, and it made Link wonder what exactly wasn't being said. "You want to know the one thing your father has always been shite at?"
"What?"
"Feigning surprise." Arn laughed hard. "The poor guy was suspected from day one, he looked so guilty." his face fell into his hand as he continued laughing. "It's not him, I don't think anyway. We searched him for a mark, but up until King Daphnes' death, he remained the prime suspected partner."
"You guys couldn't figure out anyone else?"
Arn shook his head. "It can take months before a scar can look like your skin tone, but you should have seen him." he continued laughing. "It took him almost six full seconds to react to the news that she'd bonded to another, and it wasn't even a good poker face."
"So he clearly looked like he knew something."
"Oh everyone knew he knew what happened, but the fact he was so secretive just made it even worse for him."
I bet… His father would have been better off not feigning a reaction and claiming that's just the way he reacted to news. It was often the way Link reacted to news, how hard was it to believe others did the same?
The scar colouration would have been a dead giveaway, Link realised. If the scar had nearly completely faded to the queen's natural skin tone, then it had been a very long time since it had initially happened, and thus also very long for a personal guard to never figure out.
Link knew scar colour progression pretty well considering the sheer amount he had on his body. Some were still pink, the one Zelda had given him was still visibly healing, but it was fading to a beige at the moment, but it was clear it had been acquired not too long ago.
She died of Spousal Bond Neglect, he'd have noticed the symptoms very quickly. Nausea wasn't easy to hide, nor was fatigue and sluggish movements, one could only excuse those for so long before suspicion set in.
"Hers seemed old then."
"At least one full year." Arn stated with certainty. "A few of us thought maybe it was one-sided like yours was for a few weeks, but she drunkenly revealed we'd never find her other half and that they were hidden far away, but it only refuelled the search. Like I said, up until King Daphnes died, despite never finding definitive proof it wasn't your father, he continued to think it was him."
"But King Daphnes died the year Zelda was born." A whole two years after she'd been wed to Rhoam.
"Yeah, for a while there were bets going—I lost two hundred rupees."
"Two hundred?! On which side!?"
"That's not important," Arn caught himself. "Anyway, he denied it up until Her Majesty died, but whenever Rhoam needs a reminder that there is in fact someone above him, your father starts teasing him with the idea he might be that person."
"And there's nothing he can do, is there?
"Fuck no. If Rhoam tries to call his bluff, he'll just end up thrown out and the crown taken straight off his head either way."
The more Link thought about that bluff, the more it made sense to him.
If Rhoam called the bluff, he would almost certainly lose his position, whether it be to Fredrick or a stranger. Link had no doubts his father was leading him on purpose to that conclusion, but even so, it set the stage for Zelda to take the throne.
However, he never recalled seeing anything similar to a mating scar on his father or mother. It wasn't terribly uncommon for a couple not to take the more permanent step, but it often did raise questions regarding the reasons. His parents were private people who didn't air their business to the world, so most assumed they were bonded to begin with. Link shifted uncomfortably. His father seemed a bit too confident about his knowledge of the Queen's bonded.
"You said before that they were really close, what happened when Rhoam came into the picture?"
Arn let out a low whistle. "It wasn't pretty."
"I gathered as much. They seem on very bad terms, even now."
"Rhoam seems to think it's because of Her Majesty, jealousy issues, if you will."
That rang some bells in his head. Link's eyes widened at Arn.
"It couldn't be further from the truth," Arn added, seeing the look of abject horror on Link's face, "Rhoam was arrogant, bossy, and he treated your father like a servant every opportunity he took, and he hid it well. I've heard the endless venting and the drinking sessions where he described wanting to drag Duke Rhoam to the Lost Forest and abandon him there."
"I'm sure that would have gone well," Link commented sarcastically. Leaving Rhoam in the fog to get lost for eternity sounded like fun at the moment. Maybe he'd be pestered by the Koroks until he went mad?
"I'm sure it would have, but Queen Zelda was not someone to anger either, and Fredrick very much knew that as well, so he let Rhoam be—most of the time."
Did he want to inquire further about that?
"Never judge a book by its cover, especially when that person appears endlessly sweet."
That's a warning if I've ever heard one…
It was after dinner when Link finally decided to seek out his father, which turned out much easier than expected.
There was a hall filled with portraits, notably family portraits occasionally painted at varying points of the royals' lives, and it was quite a popular stop for visiting nobles to come and admire the expert craftsmanship of the court painters.
Sometimes, paintings of the young princes and princesses were switched out for newer, more recent works to commemorate a coming-of-age in their lives, but on the rare occasion, portraits of royals long passed were sometimes hung on the ornate stone walls.
Fifteen years ago his family had left Castletown, just after Queen Zelda's passing when his father retired. Link had never inquired why, but it seemed obvious now. Memories of the castle were likely painful. His father hadn't gotten along with Rhoam whatsoever, and with his own charge gone, he'd have had no reason to stay and endure the endless barrage of comments that were sure to come from the Prince Regent turned King.
Leaving Castletown altogether still surprised him a bit, Link wasn't going to ignore that, but there was still a possibility that his parents had hoped for a calmer life in the countryside in calm Necluda.
He still came back to the capital to visit Arn and Elise, they were like family and Link recalled brief memories of playing with Arn's three daughters when he was younger, but those were incredibly rare moments in the year, typically a birthday or an anniversary, but never had he gone back to the castle until the last year or two.
It was clicking together like puzzle pieces, one thought after the other filled the gaps his questions had always left behind for so many years, but some bits of information still gave him more to be desired.
"You know, I was wondering, 'where might I find dad?' and surprise, why did I expect to find you here?" Link said as if stating the obvious as he walked into the hall.
He looked up at the portraits around him.
They seemed happy—Rhoam wasn't scowling for once, it was more of a neutral expression and his Zelda was smiling brightly, as was her mother whose arms were wrapped around her daughter as they sat on the thrones together. Rhoam stood behind while the two girls were sitting, smiling in the portrait.
He himself didn't remember very much from his childhood, very brief flashes of his early childhood in the palace, but it was mixed into a strong blur, barely recognisable and hard to recall.
"Reminiscing then?" he asked.
Link wasn't sure why he even bothered asking; the glaze over his father's usually dull eyes wasn't present for once, but they remained unfocused, simply stared at the wall in front of him at nothing in particular.
"A bit, I suppose." He answered plainly.
A bit he says. You look like you're reliving it. Link rolled his eyes and moved his father's cane and took a seat next to him on the bench. "Why do you have this? You don't need it." He noticed how his father had taken to carrying the stick around the castle and Castletown despite not having problems walking or any apparent pain in his joints.
Fredrick extended his hand out and took the cane into his hands. "It's to hit people." he said, turning it in his hands before whipping the bottom end off to the side. "No one suspects an old man with a cane."
That was true, but it wouldn't work back home. Far too many people saw the man do labour outdoors back home to know he didn't need a walking stick. Someone who volunteers to carry forty pounds of chopped firewood anywhere with ease didn't need that stick unless they had occasional bad days.
"So you wanna tell me why you're here?" Link asked, gesturing around him. "Odd place for tea, don't you think?" he joked light-heartedly.
His father sighed and stood up, using the stick as support.
Maybe I shouldn't have bothered. Link immediately regretted coming into the hall to talk to him. Clearly, his father was thinking about something and didn't want to be bothered.
Link extended his hand out and grabbed his father's elbow. "Sit, I'll leave you alone."
As he went to stand and leave, he heard his father tell him to sit down.
Unsure of what to do, Link admired the paintings on the walls. The one before them was a family portrait of Rhoam, Queen Zelda, and Princess Zelda at a very young age, maybe four or five years old if he had to guess.
Zelda's mother really did look like her. If the portrait was truly accurate, Zelda was almost a carbon copy of the woman, but there were few, almost indistinguishable differences between the two women. His Zelda's shoulders were a bit broader, her eyes green rather than a brilliant silver, her hair a more vibrant blonde rather than her mother's that reminded him of the sandy dunes of the desert.
"You wanna tell me why you avoided this place for so long?" Link attempted.
His father shrugged. "Bad memories." Link wasn't sure he believed that answer, his father sounded as though he wasn't even sure if that was the truth.
The bad blood between him and Rhoam was likely what he meant by bad memories, but Link didn't recall anything bad about anyone else. Maybe the old King or the old Queen weren't too pleasant back in the day? Arn often spoke of King Daphnes as pleasant when he could, but no one else knew the old king.
Old King Daphnes was often described as aloof and focused on the wrong things according to common folk in Castletown, but he knew better than to believe people about the true image of royalty.
Older Queen Zelda had been known as a very secretive woman with a very closed off inner circle. Not much was known about the woman, even Zelda seemed to be in the dark about her true nature, but he did know that she had passed a number of laws that benefited much of the population, and if Arn was to be believed, she seemed like a joy to be around.
"How long did you know Queen Zelda?" Link asked, looking at the portrait closer.
"Seventeen years, Guard for fifteen." His father answered with ease.
That's a long time… Link didn't even think he'd known Zelda for that long. The queen hadn't been old when she died either, he assumed maybe his father had known her for at least half of her life, or close to that.
"Any good memories?" He tried again.
"Some, yes."
Goddess, it really felt like he was talking to a brick wall right now.
"How was she? Was she nice?"
"One of the kindest."
If Link hadn't been looking directly at his father, he was sure he'd have missed the glimpse of the faintest smile.
Link could not recall more than a few times having seen the man smile.
One of the only times he could remember was when he'd been told not to climb a particularly weak tree and he had anyway, resulting in a branch breaking and him plummeting a few feet into a pond.
The man often only smiled when it included he or Aryll doing something they'd been thoroughly warned against and said-thing exploding back into their faces. Those moments often followed an "I told you so," or a "Should have listened."
It was strangely an odd thing to see his father crack the barest of smiles now.
"You know, she had a peeve of being called Zelda," His father revealed, glancing his way. He nonchalantly tapped the polished cane against the marble flooring. "Thought it was too confusing. Her closest friends never called her that."
Now that Link thought about it, he didn't think he'd ever heard his father refer to the woman as Zelda a single time apart from official situations where government officials or Rhoam was included.
"Used to tell people "that's my mother, not me!" so she insisted we call her by her middle name, Cassandra," Frederick recounted, looking at the portrait. "Her mother occasionally even called her Cassie, though only in private."
That…made sense. Zelda had never claimed a distaste of her name given that her mother had already passed and there was no confusion to be had, but he could see where the feeling came from. He couldn't imagine sharing the same name with most of his male relatives—it sounded like a nightmare.
"She'd pull the silent treatment if you refused and called her Zelda," he laughed softly.
That too she'd passed to her daughter. Zelda could pull silent treatments like no other, Link remembered them fondly from his first few months working alongside her early on into their friendship.
"Just as stubborn?"
"More."
"It seems you've done well for yourself," Fredrick commented, touching the spines of numerous dusty books on the shelf. "Many of these are quite rare."
Fredrick had seen most of these books the first time he came in the night before when he was returning the royal bond book.
To a commoner, it might've seemed like an impressive collection, but his years at the castle taught him it was the bare minimum to make one look well-read. The novels he saw were the best known, but nothing too specific or particularly hard to read. Sure, some were limited editions but he had seen much vaster collections with more difficulty in Aryll's room when she was ten years old than he did here in Rhoam's study.
"You don't seem the literary kind," Rhoam commented back dryly. "Most are from my personal collection."
"Could say the same about you." He retorted quietly. He sighed and took a brief look over one last time before settling into one of the cushiony armchairs where Rhoam had placed an empty glass. "Let's cut the pleasantries, Your Grace. I'm sure you didn't ask me here for a gossiping session."
Rhoam chuckled dryly. "Ever the blunt one, I see. That's one thing I can always count on from you; you don't hide your distaste."
"Why should I? Noblemen are less likely to kiss my ass if I openly don't like them."
"That's certainly one way to look at it."
Rhoam pulled a clear bottle filled with a deep ember liquid off the shelf.
Fredrick chuckled. "Never thought you'd be inviting me for drinks so late, it's an honour to be a guest." He said sarcastically as he placed his hand over the glass.
Rhoam's eyes met his, unamused. "Do not count yourself a guest, this is merely a courtesy."
Fredrick smiled. "An even bigger honour then." He eyed the liquor, noting that Rhoam removed the stopper and was waiting for him to remove his hand. "You must think me stupid to drink anything you offer."
The monarch shrugged and let out a breath. "Good, I don't need to waste my liquor then." He put the bottle aside on the glass table, leaving the stopper on the side.
Though he didn't mention it, Fredrick eyed the bottle. To open liquor and not even pour himself a glass? There was no way to sow more distrust in the contents of the liquid.
Politics—just like this conversation—were very much a game to be played carefully. A single word, a single action, a single moment of weakness could mean losing and forfeiting information to the other.
How well could one bluff their way out of a situation? How well could you leverage your pieces to your advantage?
Opening that bottle might not have meant much to a passing man, but to two people who didn't like each other?
That bottle might as well have been filled with ten different toxins designed for a painful end.
Rhoam cleared his throat once, then another time again. "I'm surprised you even accepted the offer to come, I didn't think you'd even read it."
"Call it curiosity."
"Curiosity as it may well be, it isn't a secret you don't like me—why is that? I feel we could have been friends barring this animosity between us."
Maybe it was the way Rhoam had treated him like a mere servant from their very first encounter well into knowing each other, maybe it was the ways he deflected conversations he didn't want to have on a near-constant basis, maybe it was the numerous excuses to missing milestones that he's heard over the years, but Fredrick didn't recall a single time in their shared history that he liked the guy even a little bit.
"Unlikely." He answered immediately. The idea was ludicrous enough. "I had no idea you picked up comedy as a hobby." He joked with a straight expression. How could Rhoam ever think they would be friends? What gave him this idea? "For such a thing to ever pass my mind, you would need to do quite a few things outside of your power, so leave the idea in the trash where you found it, Your Grace."
He grunted quietly before speaking once more. "You haven't changed one bit from your younger years. You're still ever set on causing me endless frustrations in my own home."
"I simply wish to remind you that your 'home' is also that of many others and you ought to remember how easy it may be to lose such a privilege."
Rhoam studied him for a moment. "It's uncanny how much Link takes after you." There was a quiet cough from his throat again, like he was trying to hide it. "You both have a strong sense of justice, though you show it differently."
Fredrick chose not to answer that particular statement; he was proud that Link had the guts to do what was right, but the kid was half a doormat already. Even as a child, he always took on too much even after being told not to do such a thing.
But from the point of view of a parent, it was downright terrifying to watch Link continuously dig himself a hole by taking on any task barely offered his way. He could tell Link was going to burn himself out sooner than later and it would not be a pretty picture to see when it did happen.
And now that same kid had shoved himself onto a throne of all things.
Goddesses have mercy on that poor boy. He sent a silent prayer to the heavens.
"Your age is catching up to you." He commented dryly, looking quietly for any other sign of a sickness.
The false king was nine years older than he was, so it was no wonder that at 64 years old, the man was starting to have health problems.
He strained his ear, hearing for anything in particular. He caught heavy breathing and raspiness in the throat but visibly there was nothing but the near-constant clearing of the throat.
"You know, you should be retiring and enjoying your years in peace."
"My country needs me, I'll sit this throne until the day I die." he replied stubbornly.
"Mhm, sure it does, but that's what your heir is for, no?" he rolled his eyes. "Take a drink before you die in that chair. I'm in no mood for an assassination allegation."
Fredrick watched as Rhoam sneered and moved to the shelf, grabbing a smaller, emptier bottle.
He left the open bottle untouched.