Noble by Nature

Chapter 2

'We have to get up,' a sleepy voice mumbled in Link's ear.
He grunted and turned around in bed, feeling the soft sheets slide across his skin and enjoying the warmth. He was comfortable here, in their little cocoon of peace.
'Link,' Zelda grumbled, pushing against his shoulder. 'We have a meeting.'
He grunted again, hoping the day would just wait a little bit longer. If only he could close his eyes for a few more minutes...
'Link!' Zelda exclaimed, pulling the sheets away from him in one sweep.
He frowned, reaching out in hopes of getting the warm blankets back, but in vain. Zelda was standing at the foot of the bed now, a pile of fabric at her feet.
He sighed in resignation and sat up, blinking slowly to adjust to the daylight. 'Alright,' he muttered. 'I'm up.'
Zelda scoffed at him, before throwing his tunic at his head, but he could see an amused sparkle in her eyes.
'Hurry up!' she called over her shoulder, already turning away to get ready herself. 'I don't want to get any weird looks for being late again.'
Link chuckled softly, remembering the last time they were late for a meeting. Sidon had wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully, with a mischievous grin on his face. It was clear what he had been hinting at, and Zelda had turned beet red. It wasn't like they had been able to deny those accusations...
Link didn't really care what the others thought anymore, now that their relationship was out in the open and generally accepted. But he respected Zelda's wishes. He understood that the princess wasn't really supposed to be all public about her sexlife.
Within a few minutes he was dressed and presentable, and he stood patiently waiting for the princess to join him at the door.
'Hurry up,' he mimicked her, grinning mischievously.
She shot him an angry glare.
One minute later she was finished and stormed out the door, leaving Link to close it behind them and follow her down the hall.
He fell into step behind her, ever the galant, dutiful knight, although the grin didn't leave his face.

Finally they entered the large conference room, where a circular table took up most of the space. One wall held a large fire place, with a comfortably crackling fire lit, casting an orange glow over the grey stones. Across from the fire a set of windows looked out over Castle Town, already bustling with activity.
At the table they were greeted by multiple expectant faces, smiling politely up at them.
Zelda smiled back, nodding at each of them in turn, effortlessly falling into her role as princess. Link looked on, smiling to himself, always appreciating her ability to do that, while he took the seat to her right.
Zelda's current advisors were a curious, diverse bunch of people.
After the Great Calamity most Hylians had scattered across the kingdom, making their living in farming or trading. Not many were left who had any idea of how to lead, let alone how to rule a kingdom. This left Zelda with no choice but to find some way to fill the gap.
The first few months of establishing her rule Impa had been of great help, offering her wisdom and guiding Zelda whenever necessary. She had helped the princess assemble a temporary council of advisors, who would help educate some Hylian candidates to take the positions in the future.
Both Riju and Sidon were glad to be there, and offered whatever they could to help. Their experience in leadership was of great importance to Zelda, and Link was grateful for their presence. He didn't know what would've happened without them. Sometimes even he couldn't find the right words to say to calm her down, and especially Riju really made a difference.
She and Zelda had grown really close, and whenever Link was at a loss for what to do, the young Gerudo would find a way to help.
Even though they had their own domains to oversee, both Riju and Sidon visited as often as they could. Aside from their massive help, Link was simply happy to be able to spend time with his friends.
Another, slightly surprising, source of help was Paya. Although she was shy and often needed some encouragement to speak up, she had watched and assisted her grandmother in her house in Kakariko Village, and seemed to know a great deal about the logistics of keeping a town running.
Ever since Impa died, she had taken over the role of advising Zelda. She had left Kakariko Village in the capable hands of Dorian, who had truly lived up to his potential, and simply refused to return to the village.
'It reminds me too much of her,' she had explained to Link one day, her voice quivering as she obviously fought back the tears. He had understood, and left her to choose for herself where she wanted to be. Apparently that was at Zelda's side.
He was grateful for that. He could see that both girls took some consolation from their interactions, even when it remained mostly professional. They had a similar grief to work out, and Link was happy that they could share those feelings, no matter how little they talked about it.
Another suprising addition to their council was an old man named Toffa. When Zelda was first establishing her rule he simply volunteered to help. Having heard many stories of his grandfather about the Royal Family, he knew a thing or two about their rule. He had also traveled the kingdom far and wide, attributing to his massive amount of knowledge about the most diverse things, making him a valuable asset.
Toffa was also the one who had tipped Link off about the white horse on Safula Hill, where he had subsequently caught Thunder, the very horse Princess Zelda rode everywhere. That was enough for the princess to welcome the old Hylian with open arms, a decision she had not regretted for a single moment since.
Those four people were currently her main source of advise and support, and she would occasionally write a letter to ask for advice from the elders of both Gorons and Rito. With all their help, she managed to get the kingdom up and running again, so that it was actually prospering once more.
A few young Hylians were present in all their meetings, and would shadow Link and the princess on their daily business, so that they would learn as much as possible and one day take up their own positions at the council.
Link thought they truly showed potential, but sometimes they could be a real pain in the ass. They asked so many questions, and they were always there, never giving them a moment of peace. Still, he was grateful for their enthusiasm.
And then there was Nell, currently captain of the Royal Guard. Ever since the Battle of Castle Town where he had shown his capabilities he tried his best to live up to his role. He trained hard and had quickly turned into one of the most skilled knights in the kingdom.
Link had spent many days personally coaching him, and in turn Nell now trained his own knights, proving himself to be a fair and strict teacher, with an iron discipline. He had definitely earned himself that seat at the table.
Whenever Link looked at him in his bright and shiny armour, his weapons always clean and sharp, he would feel his chest swell in pride. He had judged him right, and couldn't help but feel proud of how the young man had turned out.
Even though the conference room was rather large, it was now filled with all those people, and Link felt trapped, longingly looking out of the window to the bright blue sky.
He never really liked going to these meetings, but it was part of his duty.
     Not only was he still Zelda's appointed knight, he was also the one who would be likely to rule at her side. A prospect that still daunted him.
     This wasn't where he belonged. He belonged out there, beyond those walls.
     He sighed quietly. What he wouldn't give to be out in the wild again.
     Finally Link was snapped out of his thoughts when Zelda concluded the meeting, clapping her hands together and smiling broadly at everyone gathered.
One by one they got up and left the room, until just the two of them were left.
Zelda let out a long, deep sigh, folding her arms and resting her head on them. 'Glad that's over,' she muttered to the table.
Link chuckled. He couldn't agree more. He reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing a few circles over the soft fabric of her dress.
She looked up and smiled at him, tired but content. 'Let's go for a walk.'