Blood Moon: A Story Before the Calamity

Chapter 13

A/N: The stage is set! Zelda now trusts Link with her life, but the reverse isn't quite true. 

     The dawn brought another cheerful day. As always, the sun woke Zelda up. 

     For a moment she enjoyed the bliss of the light breeze caressing her face. The smell of nature blossoming outside her window took every weight off her shoulders, making her calmer. She could finally understand why Link always sat on the windowsill all the time instead of on his bed.

     Hyliadamnt, Link!

     She thought back to last night, how he saved her life, what she said to him, what he said to her. Relief spread throughout her system, a happiness deeper and more meaningful than anything those nobles lusting after either her beauty or the title "King" could provoke.

     One wall away.

     Zelda changed quickly into her normal, royal blue outfit and knocked quietly on Link's door.

     "Link? Are you there?"

     No response. He must still be asleep. After all, not many people get up at the crack of dawn.

     Anyway, Zelda racked her brain and determined that today was a court day, where the heads of the different departments and some of the more important nobles met with the King and Princess. She didn't mind court days, as it was quite interesting at the best of times. 

     Arriving at the Meeting Room, she discovered that her father was already there, shuffling through papers and reports.

     "Ah, Zelda."

     "Good morning, Father." She said stiffly. "Who are we meeting today?"

     "The Head of the Royal Guard, the Head of Trade with Foreign Kingdoms, the Head of Hylian Affairs with Alternate Races, the Head of the Research of Sheikah Inventions, and a few nobles. Oh, and that reminds me. Zelda, your next ball is in 2 days."

     Zelda, if possible, became even more stiff. "Father, you know these nobles who covet my hand do not care for me in the slightest. They only desire the throne and the riches that come with engagement. There is no chance of a smooth marriage with the likes of them."

     King Rhoam sighed. "Zelda, you know I dislike the lust of such men only more than you do. However, not all of them behave as such. I happen to know quite a few nobles who have blood fitting of marriage with royalty, and are quite trustworthy. You cannot apply your experiences with one type of men with everyone. Also, let me take this chance to remind you why you need a husband."

     Zelda could only barely stop herself from rolling her eyes. "'I need support from a partner to accomplish my eventual goal, and I need to produce an heir to the throne eventually because I will be Queen soon.' But Father," she continued on without giving King Rhoam a chance to respond, "surely marriage isn't the most important issue we should be focusing on? With the return of Calamity Ganon, should I really be hunting for a partner?"

     "My daughter..." Surprisingly, there was warmth in King Rhoam's eyes. "Finding you a worthy husband will only aid with your discovery of inner power. Finding comfort in a marriage which involves a noble with pure blood and makes you happy will ease your life quite considerably. The doubts and uncertainty of the future will fade, with someone eternal by your side. I met your mother in a ball, you know," A dream-like quality suddenly misted his eyes, and Zelda didn't trust herself to speak. Luckily, she was saved by the arrival of the Head of Foreign Trade, and King Rhoam immediately began discussing the improving relationship between Hyrule and Termina through the trade of milk and wool, and Zelda was free to mull over her thoughts in peace.

     None of the nobles she had met made her relatively comfortable, not to mention happy. A few of them had even forcefully kissed her, making her dread the prospect of husband. What if all nobles were like that? 

     The balls were a complete waste of time. Zelda had long since given up on the existence of a pure-blooded noble who was interesting and didn't want her just for status, so why even host these balls? Even if there was one out there that would make her happy, how was she supposed to fall in love in one night, after one dance?

     Maybe she was thinking too far into it. Maybe she wasn't even meant to fall in love at all. After all, she was a Princess, and Princesses often just married quickly and didn't love at all. The thought of that made her heart hurt.

    More of the guests were pouring in. She recognized a few of the faces, but her mind was wandering, not at all on the meeting participants. 

    Suddenly, the soft scraping of a chair behind her made her jump. 

    "L-Link!" She was caught completely off guard, not expecting him to come to the meeting. But then, wasn't he supposed to follow her everywhere?

    He inclined his head to her respectfully. 

    His skin was paler than her own, which was saying something. His cheeks were completely devoid of colour. There were dark circles underneath his eyes, hinting at a difficult night. He looked almost dead, an empty shell. The light had gone out of his eyes, leaving them dull and unimpressive.

     His arm brace, usually on his right arm, was on his left.

     What happened last night?

     The meeting began. Zelda couldn't dwell too far on Link and last night as she was immediately swept into the whirlwind of questions, reports, and discussions. 

     "The Royal Guard's training is going well, however, they are restless. More trouble is brewing within the troops. They want battle, which is a good thing. They are ready for fighting."

     "The trade with Termina and other neighboring kingdoms are flowing smoothly, however, there was a siege at the Fort of Daphnes Nohansen, which meant that the supplies with Caria are cut off. We cannot depend on the silverware they produce."

     "The Zora were attacked at the Domain by an ambush, they will need some reinforcements from the Hylian Army for further defense. The Gerudo and the Goron are doing fine. The Rito are suffering a loss of supplies when a raid from a troop of moblins occurred at their town, but the damage isn't huge and they have assured us they don't need our help."

     Zelda looked through her reports. "Everything seemed to be in order within Hyrule Castle Town. There were recent sightings of monsters lurking around the edges, but the fact still remains that this town is the most well guarded of Hyrule." A burst of pride spread down from her chest to her fingertips. "They will not infiltrate anytime soon."

     "Good." King Rhoam's authoritative boom echoed throughout the walls. "It seems Hyrule is as strong as ever. You are dismissed. Oh, and Zelda." King Rhoam added as Zelda was leaving. "You have a free day a week later today. Why don't you and that knight of yours go riding?"   

     "Really?" Zelda's eyes lit up. "You mean it??"

     At King Rhoam's nod, Zelda could barely stop herself from jumping up and squeaking. "Thank you! Thank you!!"

     Zelda hadn't been riding for so long! It was always training, balls, training, balls, training taking up all her time! Finally, a chance to breathe, to get herself in order! She couldn't be happier. 

     Suddenly she realized Link wasn't by her side anymore. The fuzzy feeling she had in her chest from joy dried up. She looked around, but he had vanished. She thought back to that look in his eyes, that hollowness in the way he looked. How he seemed to be drained of blood, of life. Her chest tightened. Was she the only one who noticed?

     Of course she was. He was common blood, part of the furniture, right? He existed only to hold a sword. Why should they care if he was sick?

     This was why she didn't want to marry a noble. The "valued blood" flowing in their veins made them snooty, turn their noses up at every lesser man. They always had everything at the snap of a finger, inflating their ego with each passing day. How was she supposed to put up with this... this madness? 

     She hated hierarchy. She hated blood difference between Hylians. But there was nothing she could do about it. 

     Story of her stupid life.