Life in Zora's Domain - Part Two

Chapter 4 - Astra Meets Zelda

Summary: Astra travels with Purah to Kakariko Village and then on to Hyrule Castle.

It was morning at Hyrule Castle as Queen Zelda finished breakfast, and a few minutes later, her Royal Secretary Myra arrived.

"Good morning, Myra," said Zelda. "Please sit down. Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I already ate, thank you," said Myra as she sat down.

"At least have some hot tea then? There's a chill in the air."

"Yes, thank you. Some hot tea would be nice."

Myra had worked with Zelda as her Royal Secretary and acting chief of staff for fifteen years and was very devoted to her. She usually would only report for work and discuss the day's upcoming events, not join Zelda for morning tea. But things were far from normal these days after the terrible loss of Zelda's husband, and Myra knew Zelda could use the company.

"Do I have any important meetings today?" Zelda asked as she finished pouring Myra a cup of tea.

"Nothing the ministers and I can't handle, Your Majesty," said Myra. "Perhaps you should take another day off?"

"Perhaps," said Zelda after she took a sip of tea. "But at least I want to meet with the head of Castle security. I know he blames himself for what happened, but I want to reassure him it wasn't his fault. The Yiga Clan are masters of dark magic, and that is a difficult thing to defend against."

"I will schedule a meeting with Colonel Lorton for first thing this morning," said Myra. "Then I hope you will at least take the rest of the day off. There really are no pressing matters that require your attention."

Zelda smiled at her.

"Thanks Myra," said Zelda. "I'm grateful for all you do. But I don't want to find out you overworked yourself on my behalf."

"Of course, Your Majesty. This tea is quite delicious!" said Myra, after swallowing a sip and changing the subject.

"Do you hear me, Myra? You already work yourself too hard."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Myra. "I will just put in a normal day."

"Which is already more than a normal workday for anyone else. All right, I will treat today as a day off. But tomorrow, I should like to resume a normal work schedule myself. Work can be a helpful distraction, and it's my duty."

"Very well," said Myra. "Thank you for the tea, and I will inform Colonel Lorton you wish to meet with him in your office. Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"

"No, that's all for now," said Zelda. "And thank you, Myra. You've been a great comfort to me these past days."

"I'm glad to have helped in any small way I could, Your Majesty," said Myra. "Your entire kingdom loves you and is praying for you. They know how hard you've worked to restore their lives and hopes and build a better future for their children. Anyway, I will go now and arrange your meeting with Colonel Lorton at once so the rest of your day can be free."

Myra rose from the table, bowed, and left.

Zelda sighed and finished her tea. Then it was time to head to her office for her meeting with Colonel Lorton. The two guards stationed outside the small family dining room accompanied her as she walked down the hall and then climbed the stairs to her office.

Zelda's office was high atop one turret that was rebuilt during castle restoration work. Unless visiting other locations in Hyrule, going to her office was an almost daily routine for her. She found her office conducive to getting things done, as it was a bit isolated from distracting foot traffic and afforded a fine view of the kingdom in all directions.