Zelink BotW Sequel/ Legend of Zelda and the Last Knight

Chapter 13 The Morning After

Zelda sprang up on her bed to the sound of the loud chatter and fussing of men outside her pitched quarters. She had seemingly slept in to mid-morning, judging by the rays of sunlight slipping through an opening of the flaps of her tent. As the morning light lit her face, she gathered her senses as best she could.

Before she could figure out what all the hullabaloo was outside, she started at a sudden realization, the evening events from last night came crashing into her mind.

"Riju...Link! I must speak with him!" she exclaimed under her breath as she tossed off her sheets and rolled to the edge of the large mattress, about to leap off. With those memories in mind she made haste to slip into something more appropriate for the day.

Her belly turned with worry for the thought of her friend's recovery, and she was still bent on the way she treated Link and wanted to rectify any hurt she may have caused him. The words she spoke about him just the night before left a bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted to make it right. Even so, as much as she wanted to fix the misunderstanding between them, she felt guilty for not knowing how she might accomplish such a thing. It wasn't as if she lied...in fact, from a purely literal standpoint it could be said that she did nothing wrong. She told the truth, even if the truth was sometimes something least to be desired.

The princess cleaned her face with a basin of clear water and a washcloth provided by an Illiastar handmaiden. As she slipped out of her night gown and spun away from the bowl, face still dripping, she was surprised to find that a gift box was present at the foot of her bed on a fine oak trunk doubling as a table.

"I wonder what this could be?"she whispered.

Apprehensively, she crept up beside it to have a look at what it was. She lifted a single, well-trimmed brow in suspicion as she delicately opened the prettily-wrapped present. It was a velvet-colored box, tied by a shimmering gold bow that sparkled as the light touched it. What lay inside was even more ostentatious and beautiful – a fine dress of blue and white. Inside lay atop of it was a notecard, which could have only been penned in the hand of the Lord Simon of Illiastar himself.

Her eyes flowed over the letter as she lifted the alluring dress with one hand and the card with the other. It read:

"Dear Princess of Hyrule,

I couldn't help but notice a sour demeanor you expressed last night when your comrades left the tent. Please take this gift as a sign of my good will. I offer up my sincerest apologies. And please excuse me and my brother for any wrongdoing last night, or any ill words spoken to either you, your Knight, or your servants. I offer this precious gift as one of many, as penance for our behavior.

But, now that I have your attention, I must get something that I have been holding back off my chest. Something that I wasn't able to relay to you in person. I was not being entirely truthful when I said that this dress was for my sister. Although she is still coming, this fine piece of clothing was never meant for her. So long as we are being honest forthright, and to avoid any secrets between us, I had always truly intended on gifting this dress to you when you were found. It is a treasured heirloom that has been in the care of my family for countless generations, and it has been restored to its former glory from the finest dress makers and artisans in all of Illiastar – and of Hyrule, for that matter. It is the 'Sacred Maiden's Dress of the Princess' from even beyond ten thousand years ago, spun on the looms of the six maidens of legend themselves, or so it is said. Nevertheless, this is the 'Princess Dress,' and has been known as such for a long time. It lay safe in the care of my House for centuries over the span of millennia, never worn by anyone since its very first owner, the princess of legend...until now. It is my hope that you will do all of us the blessing of wearing it.