Chapter Text
With a loud and ancient creak, the enormous arched doors of the North Castle sanctuary swung open.
Link’s boots thudded against the marble floor as he strode forward through the crowd. He recognized a few faces in passing: old coworkers, some of whom had pursued him and the princess on their recent journey, noble men and women who frequently paraded the castle grounds, priests and tutors and healers and castle servants alike, all standing to watch as he made his way toward the altar. He did not acknowledge anyone who made eye contact with him; it felt improper on such an occasion. Not that Link cared much about being proper on any occasion. More that his father who stood on the altar waiting for him would have his head in a heartbeat if he did not take this moment seriously. So, he marched dutifully toward the front of the room, only breaking his stoicism when his mother, standing beside her husband and children with hands clasped over her heart and a beaming smile upon her face, whispered a word of motherly pride. He received this with a bashful smirk as heat flooded his face.
At the top of the altar steps, he surveyed his immediate audience in silence. King Harkinian stood before him, flanked on one side by his father, who refused to look Link’s way as he stood at attention, and on the other by Zelda, who smiled at him with a bemused twinkle in her eye.
“Young Link of Calatia, valiant soldier of Hyrule, defender of the sacred Triforce, kneel and receive your knighthood.”
King Harkinian’s baritone continued to resonate through the cavernous sanctuary walls as Link obeyed his command. The velvet stool sagged gently beneath his knee. Link took a deep breath and bowed his head as he listened to his father’s uneven, heavy footsteps approach. He opened his eyes in time to watch a grand swath of cerulean fabric cross his vision before being laid around his neck and across his back. The cape was heavier than he had expected. After securing the ceremonial fabric to his neck, his father laid a firm hand atop Link’s head – his long-standing way of silently communicating affection.
“Hey, Dad?” Link whispered, knowing the next four seconds would be a dire mistake. It was a mistake he could not resist making.
Dante’s fingers twitched in response.
“D’you think I could dye this cape to a color I’d like better? I think pink would really bring out my eyes,” Link continued, using every muscle in his body to stifle a laugh.
Dante’s fingers squeezed the top of his head a little too forcefully before releasing. Harkinian, not seeming to notice the exchange, carried on with the ceremony.
“For exceptional courage shown in the face of evil…” The saber tapped his right shoulder. “For the bravery exemplified through the defiance of tradition in favor of progress, prosperity, and peace…” The saber tapped his left shoulder, then descended toward the marble floor. “Arise and be recognized, Sir Link of Hyrule.”
He rose, expecting to feel quite different with the new threads and namesake. To his relief, he was still Link. He stole a glance at Zelda, who beamed at him with pride. One waggle of his eyebrows, however, caused her glowing smile to dissolve into an eye roll. As a final flourish to conclude his knighting ceremony, Link drew the Crissword and bowed his head to its blade, bidding it a silent thanks for lending him its power. He passed through the exit from which he had entered, stood just beyond the grand sanctuary doors, and put his hands on his hips as he surveyed the castle grounds before him.
“Alrighty then,” he mumbled uncomfortably beneath his breath, the cape tugging at his throat. He had no idea what to do next.
– – –
It was evenings such as these that King Harkinian was most terrified of losing when his daughter had gone missing.
He sat across from her in his study and watched as she sipped her tea and stared contentedly into the fire. Though she had only been gone for little less than two weeks, she seemed to have grown exponentially in that time. She looked stronger, wiser, more sure of herself in every sense of the phrase. Zelda had always reminded him of his late wife but, goddesses, lately she had grown to embody Seline at every turn. Her eyes perked up as she became aware of his gaze.
“What is it?” she asked quietly over the crackling flames. A pang of guilt tugged at his heart.
“I was simply thinking about the last few weeks,” he replied, then shook his head. “No… If I am honest, I have been thinking about the last few years.”
Zelda cast him a look of confusion, as though she did not know what he had meant. He did not know much, but he knew better.
“Zelda, my dear, I must apologize. In my grief I did not believe you when you warned me of Ganondorf’s true intentions long ago, in my fear I sheltered you in your most formative years, and in my anger I sent out a multitude of men and women after you while you were gone, only serving to place you in more danger than you were already in. I… have not trusted you very well, have I?”
Her eyebrows knit together as she laid her teacup into her lap and stared quietly into its contents.
“Please know that everything I did, I did because I love you so very much. I am not a perfect king, nor a perfect father.” He paused to clear his throat, then sighed. “This does not excuse my actions, I am aware, but… I must ask for your forgiveness.”
To his surprise, she reached up to gingerly swipe a tear from her eye. “I must also apologize,” she said, her voice cracking ever so slightly. “I should not have betrayed you as I did.”
The King hummed softly, stroking his beard as he stared into the lapping flames and pondered his next words. Finally, he extended a hand toward his daughter. “Let us forgive one another and move on, shall we?”
She hesitated, then took his hand with the same radiant smile which he had loved for so many years. “We shall,” she whispered.
Satisfied with his method of reconciliation, Harkinian rose from his seat and placed a hand on the mantle. “Now tell me again,” he said into the fire as his fingertips drummed an idle rhythm, “what did Hylia command of you?”
He heard his daughter hum thoughtfully as she also rose from her seat to stand opposite him against the mantle. “To seek the truth about the Triforce,” she replied. “That the answers to its past, present, and future lie within the world before me.”
Harkinian took a deep breath. He had thought long and hard about this ever since she debriefed him on her metaphysical encounter upon arriving home. He knew what had to be done, but speaking it into existence caused him great anxiety. Nevertheless, he persisted.
“Then I would suggest you do just that,” he declared. “You have stayed in these castle walls for far too long; it is time you go from this place and truly experience the world around you in the role of ambassador to the Kingdom of Hyrule. Strengthen our relations among the two neighboring kingdoms and redevelop the bonds with those beyond our borders. It has been far too long since anyone from Hyrule has paid a visit to the Zora peoples or the Goron tribes. And while you are away, you are to seek the truth which you were promised by the goddess Hylia to find. I grant you full permission to go wherever your journey may take you.”
Zelda stared at him in stunned silence. “But father…” she said when she at last found words to say. “What about the throne? Should I not be here so I can be prepared to rule?”
The King chuckled to himself. He had raised her a little too well. “I do not plan on retiring any time soon, my dear. Take all the time you need. Besides, earning experience such as this will only make you a stronger Queen when that day comes.” He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I want you to live, Zelda. That is my ultimate command to you. Just make sure you come home and visit your old dad every now and then, yes?”
His daughter’s eyes brimmed with tears. She wrapped him in an embrace.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she muttered into his collar. “I will not let you down.”
“I know, dear. However…” he forced a stern tone in his voice, and Zelda withdrew from her hug to raise an eyebrow at him.
King Harkinian moved away from the hearth and gazed out the window, folding his hands behind his back. He surveyed his kingdom in its modest yet beautiful glory and sighed thoughtfully. “It is dangerous to go alone, especially now that you possess such invaluable power. Ganondorf will surely not be the last to make an attempt on your life. I am afraid you must be accompanied at all times.”
From behind him, a small grunt of protest escaped Zelda’s lips. “I can handle myself just–”
“I shall assign you a personal knight. Someone courageous, highly skilled, with a certain… affability to them… Perhaps someone who was recently knighted, who has already proven themself capable of protecting you and is, due to circumstances outside even my own control, presently unemployed.” He glanced over his shoulder, attempting to remain stoic but positively delighted to see the sparkle in his daughter’s eyes as her brilliant smile widened. “You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who meets that description, would you?”
– – –
“So, where are we heading first?”
Zelda stroked Storm’s muzzle to soothe him as Maron finished tirelessly preparing the stallion for the journey ahead. “We will visit our bordering kingdoms first. Since we received a decent report on the status of Calatia from your family, I am content to briefly delay our visit. We will start in Arcadia, then, to see what aid they may require in rebuilding after Ganon’s attack.”
Link rolled his eyes as he hefted his saddle atop Catherine. “Like they’d need any aid from us,” he muttered.
“Oh, hush,” Zelda chided as Maron helped her into her saddle. She thanked him quietly and placed a few rupees in his waiting palm. “It will strengthen relations to at least show them that we care. We will go to Calatia afterwards and offer true assistance to them.”
“Oh, so Calatians are that desperate for help?” Link rebutted with a smirk. Zelda gripped the leather reins tightly in her palms and sighed away her frustration.
“Are you going to be this infuriating for the entire journey, or are you trying to get it all out of your system this very second?”
Link cackled. “Dunno,” he shrugged as he adjusted the cape around his neck. “Haven’t decided yet. Are you sure you wanna put up with me for this long? I’m still surprised I made it all the way back to Hyrule without an arrow lodged in my back.”
Zelda could not suppress the chuckle that escaped from her lips. “The thought crossed my mind a few times, I will admit. However…” she cursed the blush which she could feel creeping up her neck, and turned her face away from him. “I am… happy… that you will be by my side.”
Link spurred Catherine toward Storm’s side and craned himself forward in the saddle to better see her face. The sight of its redness brought forth his signature smirk. “Anything to make you happy, Princess.”
Their saddlebags packed and their final farewells bid to the King, they sat atop their mounts at the castle gate and watched the drawbridge make its descent. Zelda looked toward her companion, who was looking behind him. She followed his somber gaze. He was staring at the tower which had held him against his will for eight long months. She looked just past the tower toward her balcony, where she had spent many sleepless nights during her own imprisonment, and a dull ache gripped her chest.
The drawbridge landed on the ground opposite the moat with a great thud, prompting both adventurers to turn toward their freedom. Link drew a sharp breath and slapped his thighs.
“Better things ahead, huh?” he asked softly as his eyes brightened.
Zelda looked through the gate and smiled. “Yes,” she replied, the ache in her chest dissipating as she felt the morning sun caress her skin. “Better things are ahead.”
Onward they rode, drenched in sunlight, serenaded by birdsong, embraced by the sweet and gentle breeze, carried toward the horizon by the promise of a better, brighter adventure ahead.