(Zelink) The Legend of Zelda and the Last knight- Swords and Roses

Starry Knight

Starry Knight

"Tell us the story again, Zamma—the one about the golden light, and the legend," the little girl pleaded, her eyes wide and luminous beneath a tumble of chocolate curls.

Beside her, her twin brother nodded eagerly, tugging a colored quilt up to his chin as if to contain his excitement. "Please?" he echoed, his small voice filled with hope.

The thin, old woman smiled warmly at the pair nestled in the grand canopy bed. The room was a haven of comfort, with the fireplace casting a gentle, orange glow that danced upon walls adorned with tapestries of Hyrule's storied past. Beyond the tall windows, rain tapped a soothing rhythm against the glass, and distant thunder murmured like an old friend.

"I don't know, my dears," she began softly, feigning reluctance. "It's quite late already."

"Please? Great grandmother," they implored in unison, their voices sweet as the chiming of tiny bells.

Zamma chuckled, her resolve melting like morning mist. "Oh, very well," she relented kindly, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders as she settled onto the edge of the bed. "But only if you promise that afterward you'll go straight to sleep. You know your mother doesn't want you up at this hour, spoiling your supper with tall tales."

"We promise, Great Grandmother," the little girl declared earnestly, though her fingers crossed mischievously behind her back beneath the covers.

Her brother nodded solemnly, but a playful gleam danced in his eyes. "Cross our hearts!"

"Very well, then." Zamma leaned in conspiratorially as if to tell a cherished secret. "Long, long ago, there was a sweet little princess just like you." She playfully tapped the girl's nose gently with her finger, eliciting a giggle. "Though I must say, you are far more adorable," she added with a wink.

"Grandma!" the girl protested with a laugh. "That's not how the story goes!"

Her brother chimed in, wriggling under the blankets. "Yes, Zamma, tell it right!"

Zamma raised her hands in mock surrender. "Well, it's true," she confessed with a twinkle in her eye. "But as you wish." She took a moment to gather her thoughts, her gaze drifting to the flickering flames in the hearth. Shadows played across her timeless features, hinting at the depths of memory hidden behind her emerald eyes. "Once upon a time, there was a little princess, just like you. And—"

"—Did she marry the prince?" the girl interjected, her excitement spilling over, eyes sparkling with innocent wonder.

A gentle silence settled over the room and Zamma's smile softened, and for an instant, her gaze seemed to journey far beyond the rain-streaked windows to somewhere distant and unseen. Memories unfurled like petals—where the echoes of laughter could be heard again, and the warmth of a hand could be felt entwined with hers once more. There she remembered and watched behind twinkling eyes a shared promise whispered under starlight when all hope was lost—a fleeting kiss.

The old woman sighed as the old, familiar ache brushed against her heart with a tender sorrow intertwined with joy. The feelings lingered briefly, then faded softly, like the last notes of a cherished lullaby she nearly forgotten.

"Oh, my dear, sweet child," she whispered, her voice tinged with wistful affection. "He was much more than that. More than any prince could ever hope to be."

The twins exchanged a curious glance before turning their rapt attention back to her. "What was he then if not a mighty prince?" the boy asked softly.

Zamma's eyes danced with a secret only she knew. "He was a boy, not unlike you." she said now poking her brother. "Though he was much bigger than you are now. What might you be when you're older, perhaps. But most of all, he was a hero," she said, her words wrapping around them like a warm embrace. "Brave and true, with a heart that shone brighter than the light of the seven stars of the maidens themselves."

Outside, the storm whispered against the old stone walls, but within the cozy chamber, time seemed to slow, each moment etched with meaning. The children listened intently; their earlier restlessness replaced by a quiet wonder.

"Tell us more," the girl urged, her voice barely above a whisper.

Zamma nodded gently. "Our story begins on a night much like this one, when the winds spoke of change, and the seven stars foretold a destiny unlike any other...Back then there were seven stars for seven maidens. Each a diamond in the sky. For the wizard's foretelling spoke of a whisper, of a dark night. When the dreams of children were swallowed by nightmares."

The small girl glanced up to her with the most earnest eyes she ever saw. And in that moment she knew, the ever present feeling she endured for so long, shimmered back in little eyes, fleeting and fading, the longing for hope of a tomorrow that would never come.

"And the wizard said, 'You will not—'"

authors notes- I know, not the chapter you may have expected. However, there is a rhyme and a reason to all this. Everything past or present will all make sense by the end of the story. Every mystery will come to a light, big or small. This has all been thoroughly worked out for years. The climax of this arc returns in the next one. More to come very soon. ; )