Cinderella, but it's Breath of the Wild

The King's Plight

Living in complete contrast to the chateau's servant girl, was a young prince with a heart of gold and a somewhat reckless spirit.

He was the son of a noble king, who ruled his kingdom fairly and justly.

The king was at the moment, in a bit of predicament, for his son had just come of age and royal law decreed he must soon wed.

Unfortunately, the prince wasn't exactly the romantic or serious type, and the thought of finding a bride wasn't exactly his ideal goal. He was instead more focused on his personal hobbies of ocarina-playing, horseback riding, and swordsmanship.

And this was how the king came to discuss his son's marriage situation with the kingdom's grand duke, Teba.

"So, he wasn't fond of the princess from Astora?" the rito asked, reading over a list the king had handed him of potential suitors.

"No..." he mumbled solemnly.

"What about the one from Lanayru?"

"She wasn't a match either."

"Corinth? Volshire? Drayburg? Bolston?" The duke continued, going through the vast list of kingdoms.

"Oh, Teba, it's hopeless; that boy will never settle down," the king sighed, rubbing his temples. He walked over to his throne and took a seat.

"Don't say that your majesty. There's still hope you know," the rito reassured his ruler.

"But that's just the issue," he went on, "that boy has the temperament of a colt on the verge of becoming a stallion; he's nothing short of wild."

The king got up, and walked over to his throne room's window, running his fingers through his beard.

"If I may, your highness?" Teba chimed in.

"Go on."

"Instead of individually reaching out to every fair lady you can think of, why not gather them all in one place?"

The king raised a bushy eyebrow and turned to him. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

Teba walked over, pausing for a moment to look at the view of the kingdom they had.

"Well, I think we should-"

"Daddy! Daddy, look!" A bright and cheerful voice interrupted them.

The two noblemen quickly turned to see who it was.

It was Teba's ecstatic son who came waddling into the room; his tiny wings were clasped around something.

"A blue winged beetle!" He chirped excitedly, hopping up and down, unclasping his wings and letting the creature flutter around him.

The duke sighed, stooping down to his son's level.

"Tulin, what did I tell you about barging in here without permission? And don't bring insects into his majesty's quarters!" He urged gently.

Tulin, now a little embarrassed, hung his feathered head. "Right, sorry, Dad," he mumbled.

Teba sighed, scooping him up in his arms and using his hip to support his weight. The king couldn't help but chuckle.

"Having fun are we, young marquis?" He asked, reaching over to pat Tulin on the head with his hand.

"Sure am! I was just in the gardens," the little rito peeped. "There's so many cool bugs!"

Teba let out another sigh.

"Speaking of which, you should be returning to them. Go back outside and play," he said, setting him down on the floor and giving him a slight nudge towards the door.

"Okay then. C'ya later, Dad!" Tulin chirped, hurrying out back to the royal gardens.

Teba shook his head.

"My, he's a feisty spirit, isn't he?" The very picture of you." The king commented after the little marquis had left the room.

"I don't think I was half as hyper as he was, but I love him very much," the duke smiled. "But as I was saying, your highness, I think we should gather all your son's potential candidates together."

"Right, and how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well, how does a royal ball sound?" Teba answered, adjusting his waistcoat.

The king's eyebrows shot up, and it didn't take long for a look of excitement to come upon his face.

"Teba! You're a genius!" He chuckled, smacking the duke on the back, which caused him to stumble slightly.

"Oh, it was really nothing, your highness," the duke replied, quickly steadying himself.

"No no, this is fantastic!" He went on, "We'll need a banquet, music, and a full tidying of the castle. Every maiden in the kingdom will be invited to attend..."

Teba's feathered eyebrows shot up. "Every maiden, sire?" He asked, quizzically.

"I know what you're thinking, but at this point, I don't care what sort of status my future daughter-in-law has, I just want my son to get married," the king confessed.

Luckily, it seemed the duke understood.

"Of course, your majesty. By the looks of it, this is bound to be a wonderful party."

***

While the two nobles discussed how this newly decided upon ball would run, the young rito marquis was up to his usual shenanigans once again.

Tulin had climbed up one of the castle walls from which he swore the whole kingdom was visible.

As he stared out among the many buildings he was used to seeing, he noticed over yonder on a hill, a huge chateau. It caught his eye with its elaborate architecture and glamor.

"Huh; don't think I've seen that one before..." he muttered to himself, standing up on the tips of his talons to get a better look.

His father's voice rang through his mind.

"Don't go exploring where you're not supposed to," he'd often say.

"Gee, it sure is a good thing he isn't here."

Tulin hopped off the wall and fluttered down to the other side, scampering off into the village.

Despite his size, he was rather fast, so he made it there pretty quickly.

As luck would have it, there was a horse drawn wagon heading in the direction of the hill the chateau sat on. The driver was busy talking to a friend, giving Tulin the opportunity to hitch a ride.

He scrambled into the soft bed of straw in the back and waited until the driver returned, grabbed the reins of his steed, and got moving.

The little rito kicked back in his newfound bed and admired the sights around him as they passed by.