To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 53 – Letters, Treasures, and Troubles

"Princess!" Fost called from somewhere behind her. "Princess, please wait!"

"No," she said stubbornly, continuing her frantic stride forward. "I need to see him."

Fost yelled something back, but Zelda didn't hear him. She was barely even listening. Her entire mind was solely focused on her father. Even now, her eyes were wide with terror and refused to blink. She could hardly believe what the Minister had told her.

The King had suffered a heart attack on the night of the storm.

Zelda gulped, doing her best to subdue her fear. She needed answers. More details. But no, she knew that she would get those soon enough. What she truly needed in this moment was to see her father.

She strode into the infirmary, only to find several maids there working as assistant nurses. They all turned to her with looks of shock and sympathy.

"Where is he?" she asked, her voice surprisingly hoarse.

The room fell silent, many of them looking too nervous to speak. Thankfully, Doctor Roswald appeared, stepping forward with a raised hand to block the Princess's path.

"Your Highness," he said in a calm and quiet voice. "Please keep your voice low. His Majesty is resting in the back."

Zelda felt her lip quiver as she glanced over to the curtain which partitioned the separate room. Her eyes nearly threatened to well up with tears. It was as she feared. Her father was no longer resting comfortably in his bed. He was stuck in this hellhole once more.

"I…I need to see him," she said in a shaky voice.

The Doctor gave her a stern look. "I don't think that would be wise. He needs to rest-"

"Roswald," she breathed, and once again, her sapphire eyes sparkled with moisture. "Please."

He stared at her for a while before his expression softened. He released a tired sigh. Even at a glance, it was obvious to Zelda that he was exhausted.

"Okay…but please, be silent."

"I promise," she replied.

Roswald didn't seem convinced, but he dropped his shoulders in defeat all the same. He walked to the curtain and gestured for her to follow. Once they reached it, he parted the fabric and allowed her to walk inside. She did, only to nearly gasp in horror.

In that old infirmary bed lay King Caius, looking sickly and pale. His eyes were forced shut, almost as if he were uncomfortable. His breaths came in long, shallow noises that sounded reminiscent of wheezing. He looked far worse than he had just a few days prior.

Something broke within Zelda and a single tear slid down her cheek.

"Oh father," she whispered before rushing to his side. She wanted to tackle him into a hug; to hold him close and pray that everything would be okay. But she knew she couldn't do that. He was far too fragile to withstand anything of the sort. Instead, she contented to brush a single strand of dark hair away from his brow.

Zelda soon collapsed into a chair, not trusting her legs to support her anymore. And it was here that she sat and gazed upon her father's weakened state, while an overwhelming sense of guilt boiled up within her.

"I shouldn't have left," she said, her voice as quiet as a mouse. "I should have never taken that trip to Ordon. I should've stayed here, by his side-"

A comforting hand fell on her shoulder. "There's nothing you could have done," Roswald assured her. "I was here with him the entire time, and with our treatment, he survived."

Zelda gulped but slowly nodded. Her heart felt like it was in her stomach. "How did this happen? He…He's too young to be having heart attacks, isn't he?"

The doctor sighed. "It was the poison," he said gravely.

Zelda twitched at the dreaded word. "You said that he was improving. That he was on the mend. That the poison had nearly passed his system."

"It flared back to life out of nowhere. All of His Majesty's symptoms came back in an instant, and his heart failed him for a moment. I truly believed he was improving, and I never could have foreseen this. I still know so little of this foreign poison from the Twilight Realm. Forgive me, Princess."

Zelda shook her head, not to deny him, but to let him know that his apology wasn't necessary. She could never blame the good doctor for this. This was all Zant's fault. That vindictive usurper King and his dreadful poison. Even though the Twilight Invasion had been settled months ago, it still felt like the villain had his hands clasped around the monarchy's throat.

A few more tears escaped the prison that were Zelda's eyes. She silently cursed herself, wishing that there would have been some way to avoid this outcome. Wishing that she could have done something more, if only to spare her father from this torture.

Her nose began to run and she soon started sniffing loudly. She tried to control herself for the sake of keeping quiet, but it was useless. She was far too emotional in this moment. Before long, someone passed her a handkerchief. Zelda assumed that it was one of the maids, but when she glanced back, she was surprised to find Fost standing there, giving her the softest and most sympathetic expression he could muster. Zelda felt like her heart was breaking in half, but she gave him a grateful nod anyway.

Zelda went to blow her nose, and it was here that the trumpet that was her nostrils made everyone freeze in place. Not only had that been quite uncharacteristic for a Princess, but it had been rather noisy too. It only took a second before the King deeply inhaled and slowly opened his eyes to look upon his visitors. Despite his dazed expression, he raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

"I guess there's no rest for the weary, huh?" he asked casually.

Zelda just flinched like a frightened deer, looking positively ashamed. "I'm sorry," she squeaked.

But Caius simply smirked, turning to his daughter with warm eyes. "Hello, love."

Zelda nearly felt herself break under that gaze of his, but instead she threw all of her fears aside and launched herself at him. The two held each other close in their arms, Zelda sniffling while Caius laughed.

"Please don't be sad, Zelda," he tried to tell her. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You always say that," she said into his shirt. "And just look at you now."

"Yes, look at me indeed," he said jovially. "Still able to smile and laugh and hold my wonderful daughter in my arms. Life is good."

Zelda couldn't help it. She laughed. She heard Roswald and Fost snicker as well.

The Princess didn't know what fate the future had in store for them, but in this moment, she felt like things were going to be okay.

Zelda visited her father in the infirmary every day after that. She became like a goose watching over its young, making sure that he was always safe and comfortable. Caius insisted that her excessive doting wasn't necessary and that Roswald had everything under control, but she refused to stop. In fact, she made a promise to never leave his side again (or at least, she promised not to depart from the castle for a while).

As expected, the King survived his heart attack, but not without complications. Despite insisting that he was okay, his symptoms returned without relent. His cough grew stronger and more horrible. He felt ill and fatigued at nearly every hour. He occasionally succumbed to a fever or chills. And, worst of all, he now experienced light chest pains from time to time. They weren't anything as severe as an actual heart attack, but they were still a grave concern.

"The poison is growing stronger while his body is growing weaker," Roswald had explained. "Perhaps this is the toxin's 'last hurrah'. A valedictory rampage in a desperate attempt to finish His Majesty off for good. But there's no need to worry quite yet. If this is the poison's final effort, then we just need to endure it. We'll make sure that His Majesty continues to get plenty of rest and eats three hearty meals a day. I also have plenty of medicine to administer, so we'll see if we can keep those symptoms at bay. Admittedly, his body is rather susceptible to illness in this weakened state, but we'll fight it off with everything we have."

The Princess was so grateful for this wonderful doctor.

From this day forward, Zelda did her best to put on a brave face, and it wasn't just for her own sake. Numerous nobles and council members constantly approached her and inquired about her father's health. Zelda always felt terrible whenever she gazed upon their concerned expressions, but she managed to produce a warm smile and assuage their fears. She assured them that the King was okay and slowly recovering once again, but it would probably take some time before he was restored to full health. The encounter would then conclude with the nobles expressing their relief and gifting the Princess some encouraging words. She simply treasured their support in these stressful times.

And they were quite stressful indeed. With Caius back in the infirmary, all of the King's responsibilities fell back into Zelda's lap. Any time that she wasn't spending with her father soon had to be spent in her study instead. She signed documents, reviewed proposals, responded to letters…the paperwork basically never ceased. But she kept her head held high and tackled her tasks passionately. If her father needed his rest, then she would happily provide it for him by keeping the Kingdom safe and well-managed. If anything, it was a trivial favor in the face of her reward.

Other than that, things remained relatively quiet around the castle. Between the infirmary and her study, Zelda mostly kept to herself, so it was a little startling when a personal messenger arrived at her door one evening.

"Oh, yes?" Zelda said, nearly jumping at the sound of the knock.

The messenger walked in and gave her a formal bow. "Good evening, Your Highness. I arrive carrying two messages for you. The first is from His Majesty, King Caius. He humbly requests that you come to visit him as soon as you have a spare moment."

Zelda softly smiled. "Of course. Could you let him know that I'll be there in a few minutes?"

The man gave an enthusiastic nod. "Gladly, mam!"

"Thank you," she said, bowing her own head. "And the second message?"

"In written form," he clarified before handing an envelope over to her. "The postman delivered it at the gate just moments ago. It's specifically addressed to you."

Zelda gazed at the letter curiously. Most parcels that were sent to her were usually addressed to "Hyrule Castle" or "The Monarchy of Hyrule" or "Her Royal Highness" or even "Princess". But the only name on this was a plain and simple "Zelda". The Princess just smirked as she gathered who had sent this letter. Her smile only grew wider when she realized that the return address was in Ordon Village.

Zelda thanked the messenger and dismissed him. She then used a small blade to open the envelope. She knew that her father was expecting her, but she figured that she could keep him waiting for a bit while she got to the bottom of this message. She soon pulled out the parchment and took a second to admire the somewhat messy yet charming letters that made up its contents. She nearly snorted when she realized that the letter began with a simple and unceremonious "Hey". The casualness of such a thing was all she needed to determine the identity of the sender.

Taking a moment to shake her head, she relaxed herself in her chair and brought the parchment before her eyes. Once she was satisfied, she eagerly began to read.

Hey.

I was bored sitting at home all the time so I decided to write this letter. It's kind of funny how we live in different places but now it feels weird to go so long without seeing you. I wish I could come and visit in person, but as I'm sure you know, being wounded really slows you down. It's honestly a shame because I think Epona is really eager to visit too.

News of your father's condition arrived here in Ordon. I'm very sorry to hear about that. I hope you're doing okay, and I hope that the King is doing even better. I imagine it must be very difficult to have all the people close to you getting injured and sick. But please don't worry, because I promise to make a full recovery soon, and then you'll only have one person to fret over!

(Sorry if this letter is a mess by the way, writing isn't really my strong suit.)

Also, please don't worry about Ilia too much. We've talked a lot and she's been much happier recently. I think she's just content to know that I'm steadily improving with each day that passes. Hopefully I can try to keep her from worrying too much from now on.

Anyway, I hope you're doing well. Please remember to take it easy and get plenty of sleep! If Midna were here, I think that she would say the same thing.

Hope to see you soon – Link

P.S. The villagers of Ordon said hi back!

When Zelda finished the letter, she could not stop smiling. She soon read it through again and couldn't resist giggling as she did so. This letter was so warm and uplifting. She loved it to pieces. The half-hearted attempts at humor. The blunt dismissal of his own writing ability. The encouraging words. She pressed the parchment to her chest, taking more than a few seconds to treasure it.

Still, this missive left the Princess feeling a bit curious as well. Specifically, it was the beginning that caught her attention. Zelda doubted that Link would have chosen to write something this heartfelt and comforting simply because he was bored. She wondered if she had been on his mind the last few days, what with the news of her father and all.

She soon smiled, delighted at the thought of occupying the Hero's headspace.

Zelda wished for nothing more than to keep rereading and treasuring this simple piece of parchment, but she knew that her father was still awaiting her presence in the infirmary. She carefully folded her letter back up and contented to store it in one of her desk drawers. Surely, she would read it again countless times.

Arriving in the partitioned room in the infirmary, Zelda was surprised to find her father joined by the two most notable Ministers of the Hyrule Council: Enzo and Fost. They had each been seated in chairs around the King's bedside, with a third and final chair being left vacant. Upon noticing her entrance, they all turned to face her.

"Ah, welcome, Zelda," Caius greeted her casually. He soon gestured to the vacant seat next to him. "Please, come in and join us."

Zelda gave them all an inquisitive glance and did as she was instructed. She had to admit, her curiosity only grew stronger as she took note of their expressions. Enzo looked a bit stoic, while Fost appeared resolute. Even Caius seemed a bit more somber than usual. Zelda just furrowed her brow.

"What is this all about?"

"The Ministers and I were just having an important discussion and we felt that it was time to include you in it."

Zelda scowled a bit, suddenly fearing the worst. "Please don't tell me that you've gathered us around your deathbed."

Despite his demeanor, Caius couldn't help but snicker. "No, not quite, my dear. But our topic of discussion is rather serious, and it specifically concerns you."

"Me?" Zelda repeated before glancing at the two Ministers accompanying them. Sure enough, their somber expressions confirmed the King's words. Zelda frowned and slowly nodded, bracing herself for whatever was coming. "I'm listening."

Caius looked away and began rubbing his hands together, showing a hint of nervousness. Much like the others, he almost appeared as if he did not wish to have this discussion. Nevertheless, he soon steeled himself with a sigh, and faced his daughter once more. "Zelda, the Hyrule Council and I believe that it would be wise if you dedicated some time to searching for a potential husband."

Zelda felt her heartbeat go completely still as time seemed to slow. On the outside, she blinked in dazed confusion. She had not been expecting this.

"A husband?" she repeated quietly.

Caius nodded. Zelda turned to the Ministers once more only to find that their expressions told her much the same. They were being completely serious.

"What has brought this about?" she asked, almost timidly.

"There's a few reasons for this," the King explained patiently. "Firstly, there's my health. In light of my recent heart attack, there are some who fear that I may not be around for much longer."

Zelda lightly gasped at this. "Oh, please don't say things like that!"

"But it's true," he insisted. "The future is uncertain. Who can say what tomorrow might bring? I may very well not live another month, as tragic as that sounds. And it is for this reason that the Council feels it would be best for you to start searching for a partner now as opposed to later. This way, you shall be in a much better position to succeed me, should the worst come to pass."

"I…I see," Zelda said slowly, trying to take all of this in. She still hated the thought of succeeding her father should he experience an untimely demise, but she couldn't deny that the Council had a point. She was expected to marry and produce an heir at some point in her life. It was a duty that she had been destined to fulfill since the day she was born.

And to be honest, it was a duty that Zelda had never really minded. She very much enjoyed the thought of finding love and eventually starting a family, as well as the joy that was sure to come with such things. But she had her reservations as well. Truth be told, Zelda was relatively unversed in things such as love or romance. It was the reason why her developing feelings for Link had always left her in such a dismal pile of nerves and embarrassment. She just didn't know how to respond to such emotions without falling apart. And while she had some experience being courted by the sons of the local nobles, those relationships were short-lived and had never really blossomed into anything meaningful. In all her years, Zelda had never truly found anyone that she genuinely loved and wanted to be with.

That is, until she met Link…

Zelda swallowed and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. They were as distracting and obtrusive as ever. She tried to bring her focus back to the conversation at hand. "What if I don't have time for such a thing? I've been rather busy handling all of the paperwork, after all. And choosing a man to rule my Kingdom alongside me is not something that should be taken lightly or done with haste."

Enzo gave her an encouraging nod. "The Hyrule Council has agreed to offer whatever support is necessary to ensure that you have some extra time to peruse your suitors. We all understand that courtship and marriage are an important part of your duties too."

"And we also do not wish for you to rush into anything," Fost added. "We want you to take your time and make a choice that both you and Hyrule will be satisfied with. The Council simply requests that you begin thinking about this and consider your options."

"I see," Zelda said again. Although, in spite of her calm words, she must have still looked rather hesitant, for her father soon leaned over and gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Listen, Zelda," he said, both kindly and quietly. "I understand that you had your heart set on another, but I think we both know that chance has passed. I believe it would be best for you to move on, and start looking into other potential suitors."

Zelda blushed when she realized that he was referring to Link. Of course, Caius knew that she had once held an affection for the Hero, but surely he had assumed that she had moved on from him at some point? Why did he have to bring it up as if her feelings for Link were still pulling on her heartstrings? Why did he have to acknowledge the truth?

Things only became more embarrassing when Fost flashed a confused expression and spoke up with a far greater volume than what she considered necessary. "Another? What do you mean 'another'? Are you saying that the Princess had her heart set on someone recently? Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"Enough, Fost," Caius spoke in a stern, commanding tone. He even shot the old Minister a surprisingly serious look. "I'm afraid that this is a private matter between Zelda and myself, and it is not open for discussion."

Fost scowled a bit but bowed regardless. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I am not against the idea of searching for a husband," Zelda spoke up, trying to sound brave and return to the topic at hand. "However, the suddenness of such a task has left me more than a little surprised."

Caius gave her a reassuring nod. "I understand, Zelda. And as the Ministers stated, we do not wish for you to be pressured or forced into anything. It's just that you are now a fully-grown woman and of age to be married. It is only right that you begin to seriously consider your future."

Zelda smiled, fully appreciating his kind and patient words. She could tell that he was trying to be as delicate as possible when it came to this topic. "I will, father. I am prepared to proudly follow in your footsteps and fulfill my role as this Kingdom's future Queen."

Caius beamed with pride. "I am very glad to hear that, Zelda. It does my heart good to know that you've been raised so well." He paused, looking nostalgic for a moment. "Although, if it were up to me, I'd wish for you to stay young as my innocent and adorable daughter for eternity. It's difficult to realize just how quickly you've grown up over the years."

"I'm afraid that my time of innocence is far behind me," Zelda said, looking a little sad. "Ever since the Twilight encroached on our lands and I had to strike Ganondorf with Light Arrows."

"A tragedy, that is," Caius lamented. "But where would we be without your courage and accomplishments? Let's never forget the good that came out of your hardship, and of course, we'll always have the bright days ahead to look forward to."

"Well said, Your Majesty," Enzo chimed in.

"Hear, hear," Fost added.

Zelda smiled at each of them, once again feeling grateful for their kind words. Yes, she had been forced to mature quite a bit since the day of the Twilight's initial attack, but her Kingdom had survived and recovered, and they had all grown stronger because of it. And even though she was currently a little frightened of what the future may hold, Zelda knew that she had to bravely forge onwards, just like always.

"Very well," she finally said with a curt nod. "Should the Council find any man interested in courting me, I will gladly set aside some time to meet with him."

At this, Caius just gave her an amused look. "I am happy to hear that, because as things stand, we still have yet to touch upon the second reason for why we are discussing this topic."

Zelda tilted her head a bit. "Oh?"

The King nodded before entering a short hacking fit. As expected, it was a horrid noise, and Zelda and the others simply had to wait until it petered out. Once it did, Caius did his best to continue. "Hmph. Yes, you see, we recently received a letter from our neighboring Kingdom of Labrynna."

"Labrynna?" Zelda repeated. Naturally, she recognized the name at once. It was one of the many countries that rested near Hyrule's borders.

"Indeed. The letter was written by Queen Ambi herself," Caius explained. "She wished to know if you might be interested in meeting her son, Prince Ralph. He is of your age, and similarly finds himself in a position where he must seek out a potential future partner."

Zelda blinked a bit, once again surprised by this turn of events. Much like the Kingdom of Labrynna, she recognized the names of the foreign dignitaries as well. Although, she had never once met them in person. "Queen Ambi would like to know if I'd be interested in courting her son?"

"Well, it would start with an innocent introduction, but yes, that is what she is offering."

"I see," Zelda mumbled, her voice trailing off. She had already steeled herself for this sort of thing, but she hadn't expected to be thrown into the "courtship pool" so quickly. Things felt like they were moving rather fast, and she wasn't sure how comfortable she felt about that.

"So what do you say?" Caius inquired, trying to study her expression. "Would you be willing to meet with Prince Ralph? He's already offered to journey to our castle should you accept."

Zelda pursed her lips, still lost in hesitation. Her heart fidgeted, feeling restless as if something was wrong. Somewhere in the back of her mind, thoughts of Link drifted to and fro, in and out of focus. Even after all this time, she still wasn't sure that she could let him go.

But with a heavy sigh, Zelda knew that she couldn't keep chasing the shadows of the past. That any chance she had with the Hero had already evaporated long ago. Now, all she had left was her future.

Gathering her courage, Zelda turned to her father with resolute eyes. "Of course, send for him at once."

What? You didn't think that Zelda would stay single forever, did you? Hehehe…Expect some more fun and drama in the coming chapters.

Speaking of the coming chapters, I actually have a huge announcement to make! I have finally succeeded in writing the final chapter of this fic! Yes, wow, I can't believe it either! It's such a huge accomplishment and I'm so proud of myself ^.^

That being said…I still have a lot of editing and reviewing to do, so this story is a long ways away from seeing its conclusion. Also, I guess that now's as good a time as any to reveal the total chapter count…

"To Capture the Heart of a Hero" will be 100 chapters total.

Um…yeah. If you're stunned by that number, don't worry, I'm right there with you XD When I first started writing this story, I imagined that it might be around 60 chapters in total. But then, as things progressed, that estimate quickly grew to be 80 chapters instead. And eventually I realized that even 80 chapters wouldn't be enough to tell this story from beginning to end lol. I swear, I can be so long winded sometimes. I also have a hard time letting go of ideas that I think are too good to refuse, so I just end up including them all. And then the next thing I know I'm staring at a triple-digit chapter fic and asking myself "how did I get here?" XD

Well, it is what it is. Hopefully I haven't scared anyone off with that number lol. I assure you all that there will be plenty of interesting developments to come, and a fairly extensive epiloge too, all included within the 100-chapter total! :) As always, thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!