The evening moved on quietly in the halls of the castle while discourse continued in the King's study.
With nothing but the light of the fireplace and the flickering of the candles on the desk, the air was tense between the two older men. The bottle of alcohol remained untouched and opened to the air on the table separating them, and the two empty glasses remained.
"Given the last two days, I'm surprised you're not more ambitious in your goals."
Fredrick's face twisted in a grim smile. "That's what King Daphnes told me too, but I rather like what I'm doing these days."
"I see," King Rhoam looked at the fireplace where wood and flame crackled together. "Why don't you come out with it and dispose of me? You make it seem so easy."
"You make it quite easy." He chuckled. "I'll have you know I enjoy a good game when I can."
A muscle twitched in Rhoam's jaw, barely hidden by his beard. "So this is nothing but a game then?"
Fredrick's smile widened, wolf-like. "Set long ago by Her Royal Majesty, I'm surprised you haven't realised it."
"You keep quiet well."
"So does my son, yet you all think he's dumber than a rock." A touch of resentment entered Fredrick's voice.
It wasn't entirely wrong; the boy could certainly act dumb—their current situation was proof of that— but he's heard stories through gossip of Link's military tactics in battle and he doesn't need to ask for more details to know it's his son, but was he going to admit that out loud?
Probably not, can't stroke his boy's ego that much.
Rhoam eyed the bottle of liquor as if considering pouring himself a glass, though there was something wary behind his deep green eyes. "So you would rule using your son as a puppet?"
Fredrick barked out a laugh. "Heavens no. The title of King is a heavy burden one cannot simply brush aside once they've accepted, I'm sure you know that well, I doubt I should have to explain it to you of all people."
"You seem to know what you're doing."
"I was taught well."
Rhoam faced him fully, fiddling with the hair around his chin as he studied Fredrick with a keen and suspicious eye. "I find it curious how your loyalties to my wife have yet to falter even after so many years, you have no reason to defend her name so ardently so long after her passing"
"You shouldn't expect them to, and I'm not quite sure why you thought they would. Besides, my loyalties are with both mother and daughter."
"You have no reason, it doesn't benefit you." The words were spat out from between the usurper-king's teeth as he gazed at Fredrick with an incredulous look on his face.
If that was all Rhoam ever thought people needed to do something, he would be blindsided by so many people, Fredrick knew he wasn't the only one who operated in such a way in the castle. To Rhoam and those like him, the ideals of selflessness, chivalry, and compassion were the stuff of fairytales—ancient notions best left in a past barely recalled.
"Perhaps when one only sees gain as necessary for loyalty, you might see it in such a close-minded way."
"I'm sure you have your reason for coming here tonight. I don't think you care enough about my health to look out for me and I'm sure you have no care for this back and forth." The pretender-king flicked his fingers at Fredrick as if to dismiss him. A casual, arrogant gesture that came as naturally as breathing to him, no doubt.
"You're right, I don't." Frederick shrugged, not obeying. "But I do have an ounce of care for Zelda on the other hand, which seems to be more than you can say at the moment." He shot back.
"How informal of you," Rhoam commented sourly. "You would truly have me believe you are doing this for my daughter's sake?"
"Is it so hard to believe one might want to give her what is rightfully hers?"
Rhoam scoffed. "You? Your efforts would be futile in the end, fruitless unless a miracle befell us."
Fredrick tilted his head. "Princess Zelda works hard for her nation, yet here you are speaking ill of her as if she would doom us all tomorrow."
"Why does it matter to you?"
"Why shouldn't it matter to me?" Does he really not see how much harm he does her? Is this willful ignorance, willing cruelty, or just blatant stupidity?
"She is not your daughter—"
"She is as good as." he said fiercely, cutting off the older man. "There are a number of people in this castle who would do anything to see their future queen smile again. I would not underestimate those loyal to the Princess, you may find yourself on the wrong end of a sword."
"You put your faith into the failure of this kingdom?" Rhoam sneered.
"Say one more word about her and I'll cut your fucking tongue out and watch you choke on it in front of the entire country." He took a breather before relaxing himself into his seat before speaking once more. "I'll make myself clear this last time for you" Frederick leaned forward and clasped his hands together on his lap. "Leave Link and Zelda alone. I don't wish to spend more time in this castle than I have to."
Rhoam blinked, his mouth falling open for a second as if in utter disbelief of what Fredrick had said. His jaw worked for a moment before he seemed to make up his mind. "And if I don't do as you wish?"
"Would you dare find out?"
There was a heavy silence in the room.
Neither man spoke further.
"I am exhausted." Link stretched his arms back as he walked down the halls that night with Zelda. The torches were lit and most of the staff had retired already, given the late hour.
On the other hand, they had stayed up until they could eat together in privacy—or what they could manage of it.
"I'm just glad Father isn't on my case about the baby." Zelda sighed contently. Her gaze dropped to her stomach briefly.
Link was surprised he hadn't said anything after the meeting in the council room. His father and Rhoam had gone toe-to-toe all afternoon, and while it was embarrassing on Link's part, it was very entertaining to watch his father craftily knock down every one of Rhoam's statements.
"He better not say anything, ever." He told her as they turned the corner towards Zelda's chambers.
"Do you think he'd try something?" She asked, pausing in the hall. "I know he hasn't said anything to my face, but I know he disapproves."
Right, she still didn't know about the termination question he'd asked in the council room.
He dared Rhoam to try something under his watch. "He's dead if he tries." Link told her. And if it wasn't Link or Impa who would get him, Link would bet a year's salary on his father personally hunting the king down.
Zelda laughed nervously, but she smiled nonetheless. "That might be pushing it a bit far, but I thank you for the kind sentiment."
"Anything to make him stop." He reassured her again. He paused in the hall, eyeing the two well dressed people outside of Zelda's bedchamber.
Council members.
"Great, what do they want?" Zelda marched over to them, her smile disappearing. "They should have left a long time ago."
It was nearly eleven at night, they should have left hours ago.
"Gentlemen, state your business." She stood tall and crossed her arms before them.
They seemed to fidget for a moment, glancing between Link and Zelda before clearing their throats. "Your Royal Highness," they bowed their heads to Zelda. "We've been sent by His Ma—your—His Grace," they looked at each other with uncertainty.
He's been demoted to the council. Link wanted to laugh.
"We've been sent to remind you that you and your bonded are unmarried, thus cannot be alone together behind closed doors." the older of the two finished.
"Excuse me?" Zelda asked incredulously, "And why is that?"
"W-well you are unmarried."
"If it is my chastity that is in question, clearly you should remember that I am currently with child, it shouldn't matter if we're unmarried, we are together." Zelda retorted with little thought and patience for the two men. "I kindly request you leave us be."
"Our apologies, Princess, but we are under orders at the moment." They kept their heads bowed and avoided his and Zelda's glares.
For being so nervous, Link had to give them a bit of credit. They didn't seem like they would move anytime soon despite how much Zelda seemed ready to push past them.
He put a hand on Zelda's shoulder with a faint smile. "I'll just go back to my room, it's not worth the trouble right now." He told her. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Zelda's frustration was replaced with surprise. "But Link, they have no right. I'm allowed to invite you in, especially now." She pointed directly to her stomach.
"We'll find a way around them, but just not tonight." He whispered quietly, eyeing the two councilmen. "They're illogical but I don't want you to stress yourself with them tonight."
Her face fell. "If you're sure…" Her shoulders slumped a bit before she turned and pushed past the two councilmen and into her room.
It was like a stake to the heart, twisting in both directions. He hated seeing her like this, but it was incredibly late, he was tired, and his patience was dwindling with every word shared with the stuffy nobles of the castle.
He turned to face the men with clear displeasure written across his face.
"We're sorry, Sir, but we are under orders." the oldest restated once more, another bow of the head.
"I heard you the first time." He grumbled, frustrated. "A word of advice, if you continue to cause her displeasure, you'll find yourselves on my bad side."
"Understood, Sir." The two said in sync, keeping their heads low.
Link didn't bother saying anything more, simply choosing to turn on his heels and walk past Barnabus who'd been assigned to his side for the day.
Once they were far enough away from the room, he heard a cheeriness in his friend's voice. "Very nice threat!"
"Not in the mood right now."
"Right, sorry."
Searching for Link was proving to be more of a pain than Zelda first assumed it might be.
The guards were looking for him like there was no tomorrow, and suddenly, Zelda felt as though she was watching her own games of Hide And Seek from an outsider's point of view.
It took him no less than an entire week to start escaping the guards watching his every move, and Zelda found it comical.
A taste of his own medicine, Zelda laughed to herself as she continued to scour the castle.
She walked the halls, quietly listening to the steps behind her of the two ladies-in-waiting who attended her at every moment of her day.
From the moment her pregnancy was announced officially, Lady Amara and Lady Catarina were chosen as her ladies-in-waiting, and by the goddesses, Zelda hadn't realised how frustrating it was.
The gossip was interesting, but that was about the only good thing she could think about regarding this new arrangement. When she went to pick a book, one or the other would grab it for her, if she dropped something, one would try to do it for her again even after she tried to tell them to stop.
So she decided to look for Link instead.
Since the Nayru's Day Ball, she had barely seen him for a full few hours to herself. He was constantly being pulled away by Arn or one of the other captains, even some of the council members were seeking him out and she was left completely in the dark regarding the matter.
Her father barely spoke to her, instead choosing to give her the stink eye.
Even Link was failing to keep her updated on things. He barely had more than twenty minutes to himself, and time with her was even shorter, usually in small increments of five or ten minutes at most throughout the day.
She could see it as clear as day why he hadn't wanted to say anything regarding their bonding and the baby yet.
But one thing she liked about Link at the moment was that, even though they weren't spending as much time together, he still tried to tell her what was happening, even if he was being whisked away at every other moment of the day from waking up until bedtime.
From bits and pieces of their conversations, she pulled "Council", "Rhoam", "My dad", "mess", and "throne". It all seemed to be connected, but those were very strange words to combine together into a proper topic.
So today, she checked the council, and found only a few of the councilmen there, simply reading a few law books and settling papers and proper notes. They'd been unable to tell her where she might find her elusive Link.
"Now that you are bonded and carrying his child, you ought to be side-by-side at all times." One of the older councilmen had reprimanded her. "It is the law."
All the time, huh? The thought made her want to roll her eyes; they were consistently pulling him away from her and they wouldn't allow her into the council room when they were in session. What was she supposed to do when he was busy? Twiddle her thumbs outside the room for three hours for a sliver of time?
Their contradictory words were getting on her nerves every time she spoke to them, she had truly no idea how anyone spoke to them for more than a few minutes without wanting to rip their hair out.
Captains Arn and Barnabus could offer her no proper answer to Link's whereabouts. They, too, were looking for him. The latter was running himself ragged, sprinting up and down the halls past servants looking for the man, but had been without proper results for hours now.
If Commander Cassian or General Lance were to hear that the captains had lost Link nearly one week on duty, she was sure they'd be scolding them promptly.
He wasn't anywhere near the training yard where she might expect him to be hiding. Commander Cassian redirected her politely to Captain Reinhartd, telling her the man was now in-charge of his safety.
She didn't dare tell the older gentleman that the aforementioned man had already failed in his duty, instead thanking him and going on her way as the guards bowed their heads in respect to her.
"Your Royal Highness," Lady Amara caught her attention. "I've heard in the past that you used to hide from your guards." She said, curiosity in her eyes.
"Yes, that would be correct."
"Perhaps he has hidden somewhere you have in the past?" Lady Catarina suggested.
She shook her head. "No, I've already checked my common places, but thank you for the suggestions." She returned to her search, quietly walking the halls of the castle in search.
When her heels started hurting from the walking nearly three hours later, she chose to go find Lady Impa who was supposed to be in Purah's company in the small tech room in the castle.
She left the ladies-in-waiting outside the door and told them they could do as they pleased for the afternoon and to be back before the dinner bell rang, then promptly closed the door behind her and absentmindedly made her way and plopped down on the small sofa they kept there.
"Hi Zelda."
She nearly jumped off the seat, whirling around and staring Link dead in the eye. She tried to calm her breathing as her heart had nearly jumped out of her chest upon hearing his voice.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, once having caught her breath properly.
He shrugged with a lopsided grin. "Escaping," he answered sheepishly.
"Escaping?"
He nodded. "The councilmen aren't leaving me alone." He told her. "Since the ball, I've barely had an hour to myself, then I remembered they aren't permitted down here."
Zelda opened her mouth to speak, but chose to close it again. Why hadn't she thought of that?
She turned her attention to Purah and her guidance stone. She wasn't tinkering with the interior wires at the moment, but she was endlessly tapping away on the Sheikah Slate. She seemed focused, but not too much so that she'd be mad at being interrupted.
"What are we working on today?" She asked her dear friend, approaching the glowing blue tower.
Purah turned, her face glowing with happiness and excitement. "Thank you for asking! Yesterday, I realised we only configured the slate to you, Robbie and myself, so when Linky came down earlier needing a hiding place, I welcomed him in and I realised he hadn't been configured to the Slate yet even though he's been handling this damn thing for ages now!" She began rambling.
Zelda gapped a bit before realising that Link had been using the slate under her configurations. He didn't have access unless she used it first. "Why hadn't we thought of that earlier?" she asked no one in particular.
Purah shrugged. "So that's what I'm doing right now, you arrived at just the right time too, I'm just about done." She happily inserted the slate back into the podium and continued tapping away.
Zelda stepped closer as Purah continued tapping. She turned her head to Link briefly with uncertainty. "How are you with reading Ancient Sheikah?"
Link drew a visible blank. "Can't at all, why?"
"Purah, how is he going to be able to use it?" She asked curiously. She could read it just enough, but there were still some words that Purah had to briefly explain to her. There weren't many sheikah that could read it to begin with so Link's help would be limited.
"Memorise what the words look like and hope for the best!"
Link snorted. "I think I can do that."
Zelda chose to laugh quietly. Link did in fact run on nothing but hope and silent prayers most of the time, he was sure to be fine with this.
Zelda plopped herself down on the sofa and swung her legs over Link's lap, smiling in his direction. He reciprocated the smile and pulled her legs closer to his body so they weren't hanging off to the ground.
His arms settled over her shins with his fingers rubbing unconsciously through the skirt of her dress. "Good day for you?" He asked quietly to not disturb Purah.
"It'd be better if you weren't hiding from everyone." She joked with him lightly. "You missed lunch," she commented, frowning.
"I'm sorry. I've been dragged all over the place the last few days."
"Tell me about it, I've been pitying you from a distance." she laughed quietly. "I would have brought you something had I known you were here." he would have looked like a fool carrying some food all over the castle looking for him.
His eyes softened at the words. "I appreciate the thought, don't worry about me though."
"I know you tell me to eat more, but don't you start skipping meals, I'm watching you."
"And if I do miss meals?" There was a glimmer of playfulness in his eyes.
She smacked his cheek lightly. "I might just have to force-feed you."
"I like the thought of that."
"Goodness, what will people say? You're making a pregnant woman feed you, oh shame." She laughed heartily as he gasped with a smile.
They were interrupted by Purah clearing her throat rather aggressively. "Stop flirting with each other and get your boy's butt over here."
She caught a glimpse of Link pouting before his expression shifted to that of neutrality. She swung her legs off his lap and let him get up with a sigh as he walked over.
"What am I doing?" He asked as he shifted from foot-to-foot, studying the slate and the guidance stone.
"Put your hand right here." She pointed to the small side panel.
"Simple enough." He placed his palm down as the guidance stone began to glow its bright blue.
There was a loud beeping that had Zelda sharing a worried glance with Purah.
"I assume that wasn't supposed to happen?" Link asked cautiously, peeking back to them.
Purah and Zelda shook their heads in sync, not daring to move from their spots.
There was a short moment where none of the trio made any sound or motion, until finally, it happened.
The ground began to shake, dust falling from the small cracks in the stone walls of the laboratory. Zelda braced herself on the sofa and Purah moved to steady herself on the wall. Link stayed in place, holding on to the guidance stone.
Link's eyes constantly shifted between her and Purah until the tremors slowed down. When there was no sign of a potential collapse in the room, he simply stayed put, not worrying about getting them out.
And then it stopped.
"What was that?" Zelda asked nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves.
"I-I have no idea." Purah answered, moving to the guidance stone. She plucked the slate out of its slot and swiped a few times before gasping and her face lighting up. "Goddess, Zelda! Come and look!"
Before Zelda could rise from the sofa and go to her, she bounced over with the slate, leaving Link confused in his corner.
She glanced down at the slate with curiousity.
A blank map of Hyrule, darkened out but each region clearly separated by thin white lines.
"Will either of you explain what just happened or…" Link asked out loud, his voice trailing off. He stopped mid-sentence when both Purah and her smiled his way. "Did I do something?" He shifted back a bit, unsure of where to go.
"Why didn't we have you do this earlier?" Purah squealed, taking the slate from Zelda's hands and twirling with it in her hands.
"You're wonderful!"
"I still don't know what I di-Goddess Zelda, oww!" He hit the ground as Zelda flung herself into his arms, smiling brighter than he'd seen in forever. "What did I do—PURAH NO!"
He groaned painfully under the weight of the two squeezing the life out of him.
"And what happened to Hors again?" Fredrick asked while looking at his own promotion letter.
"Umm… It seems he was run over by a lynel," Arn mumbled, scratching his head as he skimmed the report.
"Run over… By a lynel…" He sighed and let the letter sit on his desk. "How does a lynel get this close to the castle?"
"Princess Dearest escaped and wanted to study lynels. She went to it." Arn said, deadpanning at the chart in his hands.
Fredrick snickered. "So because the Princess wanted to study Lynels, now I have to deal with it?" He shook his head and sighed. "Fantastic, it means I get to leave this damn place."
If the Princess had such a habit of mindlessly wandering off the castle grounds to go look at dangerous critters, he didn't mind going after her, he hated being on Gate Duty. It sucked ass having to stand there, rain or shine, as if none of it bothered him one bit.
Finally, he could enjoy the cozy warmth of the indoors being a personal guard.
The extra pay wasn't a bad perk either.
He could already taste the quality tea, brewed to a specific temperature, perfected for royalty-So much better than the warmer-than-room temperature lukewarm water and small tea bags they were given in the barracks.
"Oh hey, the bitch sent you a letter."
"Burn it."
Great, his dreams were interrupted by thoughts of the nagging woman known as his damn mother.
"Why'd you have to remind me of her?" Fredrick slumped against the desk, smacking his head on the wood.
He heard the ripping of paper, crumpling and Arn clearing his throat.
"She says, 'You're 25, get married already.' oh hey, see it's not that bad this time!" Arn cheered too early.
"Hold it up to the light."
Arn sighed and lifted it up to have the sun behind the paper. "Oh…"
"What's it saying now?"
"Um, your sibling is a disappointment and a deserter," Arn summarised. "Then she called you a deserter and a no good son of a horse who can't keep his priorities straight."
"Wow, it actually is nicer than usual!"
"That's depressing, stop that." He laughed nervously. "Which sibling is it now?"
He thought for a moment. "It's probably Miz," out of his three siblings. It was probably his brother. Only he was rebellious enough to get himself labelled a deserter and then proceed to tell everyone about it.
He only prayed now it wouldn't affect him personally.
"Shall we go look at what your new charge is doing now?"
"Fuck yes." The promotion letter was left on the table while Arn crumpled the other letter in his hands and threw it in the fireplace before dashing out of the door with his friend.
They raced past servants and maids until they reached one of the higher bridges of the castle, one overlooking the courtyard, training areas, and gardens. They leaned over the stone blocks and down to the gardens where they could see numerous people.
The hedges of the gardens were high, enough to give one privacy if need be, but from as high as they were, they could see everyone and what they were doing.
In a far area, they could see a servant and the gardener talking discreetly, and every few seconds the servant girl would giggle, and at the other end, there were ladies touring and talking with one another on a stroll. Near the centre pavilion, they could see Her Majesty The Queen drinking her tea with a few of her ladies-in-waiting.
"You see her yet?" Arn asked, trying to peer around the corners that were harder to see.
"I don't." He kept looking until he finally caught the glimpse of a blue dress turning a corner. "Arn," he pointed to the corner.
They caught sight of the recognisable Royal Guard uniforms among the green, whites, red and blues of the garden. Two men were talking to each other, and both seemed confused, looking around frantically.
"Hide and seek?" he asked. They both spotted the princess crouched close to the ground, grinning from ear to ear as she pulled something from her pocket and threw it.
The two guards' attentions were pulled and they sprinted off into the opposite direction, leaving the princess free to run in the other direction.
"Who's on duty today?" Frederick asked, keeping an eye on guards who were quickly realising they were duped. "Can't tell from up here."
Arn hummed. "I think Sir Stevens, I think Sir Matthew as well?"
"Not Sir Matthew, rut leave until next week."
"Oh no! They put a rookie on today," Arn laughed with full force. "That's Sir Randall! Oh he's never catching her."
As they said those words, Sir Stevens seemed to hear the rushed steps of the princess against the stone path and dashed out to briefly see her turning a corner and ducking back into the maze of flowers and hedges.
"She looks like she's gonna be a pain to keep track of." Frederick mumbled. "I did not sign up to run around the perimeter on a daily basis, sounds like a demotion to me."
"At least she doesn't leave the grounds." Arn tried to comfort him. "Look on the bright side, it's always in good fun… I think." He told him, pointing down. "You won't have to worry about keeping in shape."
Fredrick snorted. That was true, wouldn't have to spend all afternoon swinging around claymores anymore if he was busy running across the castle grounds every day.
They watched the Princess dash out from the maze onto the path in amazing dexterity as though her skirts were nonexistent and she was barefoot.
"She's going to be the bane of my existence, isn't she?" He joked to his friend, as he watched from his window. "Oh look, she can sprint in heels!" He pointed.
Fredrick and Arn watched with glee as their crown princess ran across the courtyard in heels faster than any woman they've ever seen while her current guard was struggling to keep up.
"Didn't we just have an endurance exam last week?" Arn asked.
"We did, I thought Sir Stevens scored pretty well," The man was currently trying to keep up, running at what was obviously his fastest pace while the Princess seemed to be going at a leisure pace.
"Guess not." Arn watched quietly as the guy almost tripped over himself trying to turn on a slippery patch of grass. "You know what'd be funny?"
His friend raised a brow.
"Have her vanish."
He glanced at his friend. "You enjoy testing my limits, don't you?"
The two started snickering as Fredrick snapped his finger, causing the actions of everyone around them to slow down but their own and the twenty-year-old Crown Princess' for a moment.
They waited for the princess to turn the corner of the castle before he re-snapped his fingers, restoring the flow of time for everyone.
They struggled not to burst out laughing as the guard down below sputtering indignantly, looking around and turning in circles, looking for where the princess had seemingly 'vanished' to. The guard took his beret off and ran a hand through his hair stressfully before running full speed in the direction they were originally going.
Their laughter only increased when said-guard slipped again in the grass, splatting into the grass once more, much like a drunk man stumbling out of a tavern in the early morning.
"Ahem,"
The two laughing guards suddenly stopped laughing, gulping nervously and shooting each other the briefest of glances before turning and kneeling before their sovereign, King Daphnes.
"Gentlemen, please rise," their King said calmly with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Your Majesty," the two said in sync, trying to contain the laughter still in their tones.
"Please stop hindering Sir Stevens' attempts at guarding my daughter," King Daphnes said, chuckling quietly before looking below the bridge to where the guard and the princess had been. "Oh he was so close to catching her today…" He mutters, causing the two guards to shrink into themselves in an attempt not to let their laughter loose once more.
"Gotta be faster than that," Fredrick whispered quietly, snorting.
"Slowing down time is a unique way to bully your peers, Sir Fredrick…" The King shot the younger of the two a brief glance. "I request you keep this for a more appropriate time, perhaps?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed his head.
"Your Majesty, may I inquire as to what is a more appropriate time?" Sir Arn attempted, smiling somewhere between innocen tly and mischievously.
"It is up to your discretion." There was mirth in his eyes when he said this, winking at the two.
..
Later that afternoon, he, Arn and a few others had been assembled into the Sanctum.
"My dear, we've assigned you a new captain to your guard," King Daphnes smiled. "Since the unfortunate incident with Captain Hors, we've found a new one whom we hope will be better suited for the role."
Unfortunate is an understatement, sir.
"Hmm, I've seen this one before, where was he posted before?" The princess beamed, looking at him with curiosity. Her deep blue eyes had a spark of mischief in them as she surveyed Fredrick. Like she was thinking of all the ways she could toy with him. Perhaps wondering how fast he could run. She clearly had inherited King Daphnes' sense of humour.
Hylia help him.
"The throne room, dear." The Queen answered. "Remember what we've discussed. They are there to protect you, not be a challenge to see if you can outrun them."
The thought of becoming a laughing stock among the other guards was not a pleasant one; he and Arn always enjoyed placing bets of which guards would get left behind in the inevitable endurance race of the week against the Princess and they'd always have a good laugh.
Now he was going to be in that position.
Is it too late to back out?
"Sir Arn will be assisting Sir Fredrick in the transition to the position, so please treat them kindly."
"When have I ever treated them unkindly?" She was too good at playing innocent.
Her mother sighed quietly with a smile. "Need I remind you of the theatre incident from two weeks before?"
The Princess glanced back at her parents as though she'd been caught red handed and scrambled to pull an excuse. "He..er…should have kept a better eye on me?"
"You hid yourself inside the curtain." The Queen was unamused but King Daphnes had put his hand over his mouth to hide what was certainly a grin.
"He has a nose." the princess replied.
"You hid there for an hour and a half."
At that, King Daphnes snorted with laughter.
The Queen swatted his arm. "Darling, this is no laughing matter!"
The King just chuckled. "Try to behave, Cassie."
Cassie? That was a new one, he'd only ever heard her be called Zelda or a shortened version of the name by her cousins or father at public functions.
..
It didn't take long for the two of them to be put to the test.
The next morning, to be more precise.
Arn was the first to see her running through the garden before sunrise, and the moment he made chase, she would disappear behind a new hedge so often, Arn started thinking the gardens were moving like some magical maze.
Fredrick watched this show happen for four days straight from atop one of the stone bridges of the castle.
The Princess made sure to keep against the edges of the shrubs rather the middle of the pathway. Everytime she changed directions, it was almost as though she vanished from that area of the maze.
And then he started noting the corners she took one afternoon, recreating the path she took while Arn would take half of the morning tracking her down in the hedges.
Some of the turns in the gardens seemed impossible to take, many were dead-ends yet he was sure she went down these ways.
It was by accident he discovered one of the garden's secrets. Fredrick had walked along the path, whistling quietly on his day off, hand brushing against the branches of the hedges when suddenly, he felt no branches.
He stopped and looked around. This was one of the many dead-ends.
He pushed a hand past the leaves and felt no branches deeper into the shrub.
He moved the shrubbery with his hand and gawked. This shrub was essentially hollow. Looking around again, Fredrick frowned and stepped into the space before realising there was a clear path closer to the dirt.
He crouched and eyed what was obviously a well used pathway
"Son of a bitch."
..
"I figured it out!"
Arn nearly jumped out of his seat. "Stop doing that!"
"Fucking scent blockers. She's using fucking scent blockers!"
Arn sighed. "Well that's rather obvious no?" Everyone used scent blockers.
"Kind of." He took a seat on the ground and pulled out a jar of cream. "Listen, we both know this crap doesn't last that long."
Arn nodded slowly. He couldn't recall how often he had to reapply the stuff because it only concealed scents for so long before people realised the things he got up to in his freetime. He did his best to conceal his private matters from work—Fredrick alone would give him a mountain of shit for it—so he invested in the cream. Eyeing it now, Arn frowned.
"What's your point? Where did you get this much? That has to be a year's worth!"
Fredrick gave him a roguish grin. "Her room."
Arn blinked. "What? How? We're not allowed in there!"
Fredrick shrugged. "Flirt with the ladies-in-waiting or the servants and they'll give you anything." He smiled and lifted the tub. He untwisted the cap and presented the thick white cream. "We're gonna dilute it just a bit, and we're gonna see just how much easier it is to find that damn woman."
"Won't she know?" Arn asked worriedly.
Fredrick shrugged. "We're not diluting it that much. And hey, as long as we're doing our job, who can complain?" Not King Daphnes, and even the Queen would likely see the guards' side of it.
"How are you getting it back to her room?"
"Flirt with the maid again? Buy one of them candy?"
Arn snorted. "You do that."
And the worst part was that it worked.
Two days later, they caught her early.
Arn had picked up her scent while on patrol just before sunrise, initiating the chase while Fredrick sat in the hedge with a cup of hot tea in hand until about an hour later, a loud shriek was heard from inside the gardens.
..
"Are you sure you're not cold?" Fredrick asked once more, blowing air into his hands. The tips of his fingers had long since turned red, the feeling in his ears gone when he touched them.
Meanwhile, Cassandra now aged twenty-nine, rolled in the snow as if there wasn't a care in the world.
"Remind me again why Rhoam couldn't do this?" He called out, rubbing his hands together. He wasn't built for this kind of weather.
"He hails from Faron, it's too cold, he'd probably catch his death two steps into Hebra." She joked as she picked up snow into her hands and smoothed it into a ball. He watched the snowball fly and hit a nearby tree.
More reason to send him. "So instead he sends his heavily pregnant wife, makes sense to me." He muttered to himself, cursing Rhoam in his mind.
He glanced back at the two guards near the horses. They looked at him with begging in their eyes. Great, none of them liked the snow either. They were shivering just as much as he was.
He looked up at the thick clouds in the sky, looking for the sun's position. The clouds obscured it too well. He pulled out a small silver pocket watch and clicked it open, looking at the time.
Half past four. The sun would be setting soon, and if it was already cold now, it'd be downright freezing the moment the sun set.
"We need to get going."
"Help."
He turned and saw the queen sitting in the snow. She'd sunk a couple of inches into the soft powdery snowbank, but it was clear that the moment she'd try to get up, she'd simply just bury herself deeper.
"Oh now you want my help," he trudged from the path and through the snow, cursing every step and his definitely-not-Hebra-friendly attire until he was a few steps away.
She stuck her tongue out and extended her hands out. "Please?"
"Have you suddenly remembered you are seven months pregnant?"
"As if I could forget."
He shook his head. She could barely get up from a chair in the castle, why did she think the snow would be any better?
He sighed and stood in front of her, planting his feet as firmly as he could in the snow. He took her hands and pulled roughly, pulling her to her feet until he heard a laugh and felt a force push against his hands, sending him back into the snow.
He heard a quiet oomph. He looked over at the queen, who'd landed beside him, face first into the snow.
He tried to lift himself off the ground, only for his hands to go deeper into the snow, ruining his efforts. He tried replanting himself with his feet for leverage but those too only dug deeper into the snow.
"And now we're both stuck in the snow."
He let his head fall back into the snowbank, giving himself up to his fate and the rather comfortable seat in the powder.
out of the corner of his eye, he could see the queen trying to lift herself out, but to no avail, eventually just resorting to lifting her head and letting it rest on her arms. "I don't think I've been able to lay on my stomach this comfortably in a while."
"Enjoy it before that blizzard reaches us."
"Blizzard?"
He pointed out in the distance. Large storm clouds were descending from the far off mountains of Hebra, and the shroud of windy snow was starting to obscure the distant view.
"We probably have a half hour." He told her, unbothered. "The path is visible from here so we should be fine." He glanced at the guards and waved them over. He took joy in watching them do the same thing he did, faces scrunching with every step through the snow.
The first to arrive was Sir Matthew who was much taller than Sir Stevens. Before he could reach them within earshot, he heard her start to giggle.
That's never a good sign.
He kept quiet as Sir Matthew reached the queen and took her hands gently and pulled her up. He caught the woman's smirk before he received the same treatment he'd been given moments before. The tall man tripped back and fell into the snow, while she let herself plop back into her spot.
"Oh no, I don't think Sir Stevens is strong enough to pull us out."
Sir Stevens had the constitution of a seventeen year old boy despite being nearly twenty-six years old. Something about not being able to build very much muscle stopped him from appearing bigger than a twig.
"Well, he better figure it out before nightfall." Fredrick muttered looking at his pocket watch. "We have twenty minutes before it gets dark."
There was quiet clapping next to him as Sir Stevens scrambled to Sir Matthew as he tried to hoist him out of the snow, finally succeeding after four painfully hard-to-watch attempts.
"Go Sir Stevens!" she cheered, clapping enthusiastically.
He'd nearly fallen face first into the snow himself when trying to get him out next.
...
"Pa!"
Fredrick jerked awake, looking around for a moment before sighing in relief. He looked at Aryll with a glare.
"What is it?"
She scrambled for words, yet formed no coherent sentences. Arina was strapped to her front via a sling and she was clinging to Aryll's body like her life depended on it.
"Speak, I don't understand that gibberish." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
She kept trying to form words, yet failed continuously before giving up and ri;ping the curtains open and pointed to a large glowing tower in the distance.
He stared absentmindedly at the tower, glowing blue with power.
Sheikah Magic.
He was still reeling from the onslaught of memories flooding back to him as she sighed and got himself out of bed.
"You sleep through anything, damn." Aryll left the room in a hurry leaving him there alone.
He looked out the other window adjacent to the one with the tower. The castle stood gloriously atop the large hill. "I blame you." He cursed Castletown, Link, Duke Rhoam, and everyone else there for resurfacing the memories he had worked so hard to push down.
I hate this place. There was no feasible way this wasn't somehow Link's fault or didn't involve him in some way.