Zelda pouted in annoyance as she watched her suitor approach, her discomfort growing with each step he took. She hated doing this all those times before; countless times with countless faces whose names were forgotten the moment they walked out the door. She couldn't stand a single one of them. Thanks to Samus opening her eyes, she now knew why. But knowing didn't make in any easier. If anything, it was more uncomfortable as she dwelt on the thought.
But in all honesty, with the type of guys Gaebora had been setting her up with, even had she been straight, she would probably have hated them all just the same. This time would be no different. He'd be just like everyone else she'd seen; a self-important, pompous cretin or a boring, stiff noble. Couldn't one have been nice? She was sure all nobles weren't jerks. Though, if her dates were an accurate sampling of Hylian nobility, then the country was in a sorry state. Perhaps it was just how Gaebora picked them.
It was irrelevant anyway; he was a guy, and she was already involved with Samus. It didn't matter one way or the other what he was like, noting would or could ever come of it. She just hoped Gaebora would be sated by this one evening so she wouldn't have to do it again so soon... 'Goddesses, Samus was right. I am only doing this for Gaebora's sake.'
The worst thing about the whole ordeal was that Samus was so up set about it, and rightly so. 'How could I have been so thoughtless to her? ...that's been becoming a bad habit for me lately.' She lowered her head, slightly depressed at that thought.
"Greetings, Your Highness, I am Avelle Varren. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said and took a full bow.
"I'm Zelda. It's nice to meet you too," she said flatly.
"Won't you have a seat?" He politely pulled the chair out for her.
"I'm not an invalid; I can get my own chair," she muttered and grabbed the chair for herself.
"Oh... I meant no insult, princess. Please forgive me."
"Uh... sorry. I didn't mean... I'm just upset. This whole thing was sprung on me at the last minuet. And I just had a fight with my... uh... I had a fight with someone," Zelda finished uneasily.
"I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope my coming here hasn't been the cause of any turmoil," he said having no idea just how right on the mark he was.
"No, no... Let’s just forget that and have dinner," she said and sat down finally.
Following her lead, he sat across the table from her. She gave him a forced smile, and he returned the expression, undoubtedly aware hers wasn't genuine. She sighed uncomfortably at the exchange and stared at her hands folded in her lap. An awkward silence prevailed as they waited for the servants to bring their food.
As they sat, she took notice of his ears. Hailing from the southern province, he, like most there, had round ears. Samus has round ears...she sighed and lowered her head.
'I hope she isn't too upset with me...' Zelda's thoughts lingered on the fight they had.
"It’s a lovely night isn’t it, Your Highness? The air up here in Hyrule proper is so crisp and refreshing," he finally spoke in a useless attempt to break the ice.
"I suppose... It looks like rain soon," Zelda said dryly, then immediately returned to her thoughts.
'Things have been a bit strained between us lately. And I never got the chance to apologize for this morning...'
He frowned at her disinterested response and following silence. He thought to try again, "That new bridge your Highness had commissioned over Kakariko Gorge should certainly improve trade between the markets here in Hyrule Castle Town and Ordona."
"Yes. That was its intended purpose," she gave her simple response.
'I should really do something to make it up to her. It's hard enough as it is for her to accept being in a relationship. She doesn't need this extra stress souring her opinion of the idea.'
"Have you ever been to the Gerudo Dessert, Princess?" he tried again.
"I haven't."
"You should witness a dessert sunset, it's quite beautiful. The world turns orange, the sand looks like a mirror, and it's as if there are two brilliant suns coming together to meet at the horizon."
"Sounds nice," Zelda said, entirely disinterred.
'I guess I'd be pretty upset if she went off to have dinner with some guy... But... that's different; she's at least interested men... She knows I'm not. She knows noting would ever happen.' She was completely over reacting, Zelda concluded.
The servants finally came with their food, brought on carts. They unloaded the trays and set the table, filling their glasses with red wine. She lifted the lid off her serving plate, and the steam rose into the air and cleared revealing her meal.
'Steak... Samus' favorite... I should bring her some if I don't finish it.' Her only thoughts were of Samus tonight; perhaps it was just easier to think about her than to focus on the awkward situation at hand.
Timidly she began eating, and Avelle did the same. She occasionally traded awkward smiles with him over the course of the meal. He tried several more times to engage her in small talk but only ever elicited one-sentence answers. This was painfully uncomfortable for Zelda. She took large sip of her wine, hoping to ease her irritation, and just prayed for this night to end as quickly and painlessly as possible.
"Princess, I hear you quite accomplished at the magical arts," he spoke after a long silence, fully expecting her to not responded
"Huh..."
"It has been said that you are well founded in many varieties of Divination, Abjuring, and Invoking," Avelle continued.
"Oh, well I don't know about all that. But, yes, I am proficient in most types of spells," Zelda replied.
"Don't be so modest. I'm told you're at a master wizard level. That's quite impressive for someone so young."
"Thanks..." she said flatly, then stared at her plate.
She sighed; she might as well, it was something to talk about at least. She couldn't manage to just ignore him the entire night. "Do you practice?" she inquired.
He smiled genuinely, having finally elicited some interest from her. "Yes quite often. I've recently mastered, and I use that term loosely, Elemtar Conjuration."
"Huh? What is that?" Zelda looked confused.
He looked at her oddly. Did she not know something as simple as that? "Uh... you know, controlling the elements... Fire, ice, wind..." he explained.
"Oh, yes. Elements are the basis for all magic; it's the most important thing to know."
"I'm well aware..." So she did know. "I've also started to attempt Life Force Conjuration; though, I'm afraid I can't call forth anything larger than a mouse."
"Life Force Conjuration? Do you mean summoning?"
Summoning? "Well... uh, yes," he said, again giving her an odd look. Only laymen called it summoning. Was she really the expert she was said to be?
"Have you tried plants?" she said simply.
"Plants? No... why?"
"Plant life is simpler and therefore easier to summon than animals. It makes good practice."
"I see..." he said, nodding. "They don't tell you that in the books."
"No, most don't. They all say start small, bugs, frogs, rodents... and work you way bigger, when they should say to start simple and work up to more complex things," Zelda certainly spoke like she knew what she was talking about.
"That's very... intriguing. I had no Idea."
"Yes. Did you know it’s easier to summon a fully grown tree than something the size of a cat?" Zelda continued. "Well,at least I find it easier."
"Uh... no. I didn't..." he stammered, having had the tables turned on him and quickly being proven the inferior mage.
"Why don't you try?"
"Right here, in the middle of dinner?"
"I don't mind..." She glanced around and saw some moss growing out of a crack in the stone floor a few feet away from the tale. "There." She pointed. "Starting with an existing base is far easier than making it out of thin air."
He shrugged, "Very well." He got up from the table and knelt over the moss. Holding his hands over the vegetation, a dim light enveloped the area and then faded. His back was to her, so she couldn't see what he had done. He plucked up what ever it was he had summoned and then stood.
"Well then, let's see," she said.
He spun and held at arms length a single red rose. "For you M'lady."
A bit stunned she timidly took the flower from him. "That's pretty good for a first try."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Though it is a bit lopsided," she quickly added.
They both laughed at that, and Zelda couldn't help but smile. He went and sat back down as Zelda placed the flower in the center piece on the table. He went back to eating, but Zelda stared at her plate. It was strange, but she felt for the first time tonight like she wanted to engage in more conversation with him. Then she figured out why.
"You know it's refreshing to talk to someone about magic for once," Zelda said.
He looked perplexed "For once? What do you mean, Princess?"
"Most people won't even talk to me for real, and Samus doesn't understand magic at all."
"Who's Samus?" he inquired.
"Huh! Uh... oh, Samus is... she's well, um..." Zelda stammered at the sudden intrusion of her real life into this pretend situation. Suddenly she remembered she was supposed to hate this. "It doesn't really matter right now. Let's just finish dinner."
"Hmm, very well..." he said and resumed eating.
"If you don't mind me saying, princess," he spoke after a short while. "Earlier, you have seemed not to know basic terms, yet you certainly appear to have a solid understanding of magic. Who was you're teacher?"
"I was never formally trained. I've read a few books, but mostly I just experiment and figure things out on my own."
"Uh!" He was shocked. "Well that’s... that's incredible."
"Well, I've always had an intuitive understanding of magic," Zelda explained. "I suppose it's because of the Triforce."
"Hmm," he nodded. "You carry the power of Nayru. What is it like to be so connected to the goddess?"
"I don't think about it much. It's not as if I feel any strong connection with her directly. The Triforce is... just something I have. It helps me with magic and other things... but that's all," Zelda said dismissively.
"Well then, Princess, tell me what other types of magic you practice," he said changing the subject, clearly realizing the Triforce wasn’t something she wanted to talk about.
"Oh... well I do levitation on small objects, and let's see... I'm particularly good at forming barriers. I also am experimenting with teleportation."
"You can teleport!? On your own, without any special talisman or anchoring point?" he said, obviously shocked.
"Well yes, but not very far," she admitted, "and it takes incredible amounts of concentration."
"Even so, that's quite impressive. You're actually better than the rumors make you out to be."
"I'm... uh, thank you," she said uneasily. This was strange; she was a sucker for a genuine compliment, and it was not often she received one on her magical prowess, not even from Samus, yet at the same time she felt uncomfortable for receiving them from Avelle.
"Your Highness?" he said pulling her from her thoughts.
"Huh... yes?"
"Would you prefer I addressed you as Zelda instead?"
"Huh!? Y-yes..." she looked quite surprised. "I do prefer that... How... how did you know?"
"You winced every time I called you by something else."
"I did? I didn't realize..."
"You prefer to be treated like anyone else, don't you?"
"Ye-yes..." she stammered
"I'm the same way... Sometimes the burden of one’s social status gets to be so cumbersome. I just want to give it up."
What did he just say; did she hear correctly? It was quite a trip to hear her exact thoughts echoed in someone else's words "I... didn't think anyone else thought those things..."
"You're not alone, Zelda," he said.
She blushed and turned away, this was rapidly becoming much more uncomfortable than she cared for. 'What the hell is going on, what's wrong with me... must be the wine.'
She pushed her glass aside so she wouldn't be temped to sip from it any longer. She then stuffed her mouth with food so she wouldn't have to talk, and did so bight after bite until dinner was finished. Once her food was gone, she pushed away from the table slightly and sat with her hands folded in her lap and staring timidly down at the table. Why did he have to be nice? This would have been so much easier if she could just hate him outright.
"Zelda, is something the matter?" he said, breaking the silence.
"N-no, nothing."
"Well then..." he stood and extended his hand. "Would you care to dance?"
"Huh!" Zelda was surprised even though she had somewhat expected this. "I... I don't think... I couldn't possibly..."
"Why not?"
"Uh..." She couldn't bring herself to say the real reason so she lied. "There's no music."
"That's no problem at all." He gave a nod to someone in side and a moment later a violinist appeared and started playing.
He saw her look up as if towards the sky, apparently with a worried expression. Was she looking at the castle?
"Well... alright... I guess," she said timidly.
She stared nervously at his hand for a few seconds before taking it and standing to her feet. He led her a few paces away from the table so they would have room, then stood facing her and put one hand on her shoulder and the other around her waist. They slowly started swaying back and forth in time with the music. The only sounds that could be heard, other than the violin, were the scrape of their shoes on the stone floor and the chirp of crickets in the night.
"You know, Zelda, when I came here I had expected not to like you."
Again she was caught off guard as he said something she had been thinking herself. Was he reading her mind?
"Why was that?" she inquired.
"I believe I had a perception of you that was just false," he admitted.
"Oh? What did you think?"
"I'd rather not repeat it in front of you. I suppose I assumed you'd be more typical of what one would expect royalty to be."
"Oh, well I... had expected to not like you either," she said cautiously.
"But you do?"
"Well..."
She absolutely froze when his hand came up and caressed her face; she stared at him, terrified. His next action frightened her far more. He tilted her head up and closed his eyes. 'No. Don't do this ' Slowly he drifted closer to her. She could feel the warmth from his breath on her lips. At the last instant she turned her head to the side and shut her eyes tight.
"Don't," she said, hardly a whisper.
"Zelda?"
"Please... Just... let go of me."
"I don't understand... what's the matter?" he said, looking confused
"Let go," she said much more firmly, now.
He released her and she quickly took a step back. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No... no, not at all. That's not it. You did everything right. It's just that... I'm not... This could never be... I'm sorry," she tried to explain without actually explaining
"Why, what's the matter?" he asked. Again he saw her look up towards the sky, now her expression was one of guilt.
"It's... complicated." She looked back down at the floor, turning her head away from him. She wrapped one arm around herself with her other hand held in a fist just below her chin.
"Does this have to do with what Gaebora said?" he asked.
"What? What did he say?"
"Well he... he warned me that... well..."
"That what!?" she spoke strongly.
"That you might... how should I say this ...prefer the company of women."
"Gaebora said that!?" she said shocked. Gaebora already knew about her and still made her do this.
"Yes... I told him it wasn't true; that he shouldn't make such accusations--"
"It is true," she cut him off.
"Oh... I- I see," he stammered not sure how to respond to that.
"Yes, and... well I'm already... with someone."
"That person you had a fight with? Sam- something..."
"Samus... yes..."
"Then... Why did Gaebora ask me here in the first place," he said sounding upset for the first time.
"I don't know... I don't know what he's thinking," she said angrily.
"Well why did you go along with it? If you're... that way, what was the point of all this? Is it a game to you to play with people's feelings?"
"What!? No! That’s not... I don't know why...I didn't want this...Gaebora was just... he..." She sighed and spoke more softly. "Avelle, I'm very sorry about all of this; that you had to come all the way here for nothing; that I got your hopes up without cause. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. But... I... I have to go now. Sorry," she said and turned to leave.
"Zelda, wait." He ran and caught up to her.
"What is it?"
"I..." He looked uneasy, as did she. "I hope that anything I did or said tonight didn't make you too uncomfortable. If it did, I am sorry."
"It- it wasn't your fault ...it's alright."
"I'm not accustomed to being rejected by women."
"I can understand why. You were... very charming," she said shyly looking away.
"All things considered, I still had a good time tonight... I enjoyed discussing magic with you. And... if you'd like, I can be a friend with whom you talk about magic on occasion," he said, holding out his hand.
She looked at him still a little uneasy, then timidly took his hand and shook it. "I'd like that," she said with a slight nod.
------
Gaebora sat in his office going over his papers with a smug attitude, overly pleased with himself. Contacting the young noble was a brilliant move. His reputation as a charmer of women was well renowned. If anyone could set the princess right, Avella could. He should have made this move much sooner. Though, he hoped he wasn't too blunt by warning him about her condition before hand. It was a risk, but he had to take it. It may have turned him off entirely, but with that knowledge he'd be better able to sway her. If things went well, he could push them towards marriage in about a month's time, maybe two. Then, Zelda could properly take the throne and he would...
The door to the office burst open violently causing Gaebora to jump.
"Oh. your Highness. How was--."
"You knew!" she said angrily.
"Pardon?"
"You knew, and you still made me go through with that! How long!? How long have you known!? Since I was little!? Huh!?" she was shouting furiously.
He stared at her, shocked, put off guard by the intensity of her rage.
"Answer me! Was it you who made all the young girls in the castle disappear so suddenly? Was this why you wouldn't let me out without supervision!? Afraid I'd figure out the truth!?" She finally vocalized the thoughts and suspicions that had been milling about her head ever since she figured out her sexuality for herself. She had suspected duplicity on his part ever since then, but only on a subconscious level, not until now did she allow herself to consider it openly.
"Answer me, damn you!" With a sweep of her arms, she violently flung papers and supplies from his desk onto the floor, leaving nothing but a tipped over ink bottle slowly pooling up on surface.
"Yes! Yes, I've known about you for quite a long while. All of what you said is true," he said, then stood up from his desk.
"And it was you that kept me ignorant. You controlled all the knowledge I was allowed access to; the books, the tutors, all of it." She shook with rage and a bit of something else; tears came to her eyes. "I never knew people could be like this. I didn't even know the words for what I am... Samus had to tell me..." she sniffled. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me all these years? Having this feeling, knowing there was something... different; having all these vague questions yet never knowing why; thinking there must be something wrong with me. And then you put me through countless ordeals like tonight. How could you? How could you keep this from me, this... this vital part of who I am?"
"I kept you proper..." he spoke indignantly. "I kept you on the path to becoming queen; a path you still need to walk despite your personal inclinations. I've kept--"
"You kept secrets from me!" Zelda snapped. "Secrets about me... I'm supposed to be able to trust you... You're my advisor... but you intentionally deceived me. I... I can't trust you anymore."
"It's that woman... she's poisoned your mind and soul."
"That woman is it the woman I love!" she practically growled at him. "You've been hostile towards her right from the start for no reason other than that."
"It's wrong... choosing her over your kingdom. If you go down this path you will never become the queen. It's a monumental mistake."
"My only mistake was not giving you your dismissal earlier," Zelda said in a broken voice, still trying not to break down completely.
"What!" his look of shock was as if Din herself appeared before them. "You- you're not serious?"
"I am. Now please leave my home... Immediately."
"You..." he gritted his teeth "You insolent little brat! I've served this kingdom since before you were born," he spoke with contained rage, boiling just under the surface. "You can't just toss me out!"
"I will deal with any legalities later. However," she paused to take a quivering breath, "if you do not leave now, I will have the guards remove you."
He was about to say something further but then caught himself. He calmly walked past her towards the door.
"The guards are still loyal to me," he said when he was at the door. She heard it shut and lock and spun around to see him still in the room. "You won't find me so easy to get rid of. You're father entrusted me with the future of Hyrule. And you are not queen yet. You are just a stupid and blind child, who needs to learn some respect."
She suddenly got a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. What did he mean by that? What was he planning to do?
"Y-you speak of respect... after h-how you've treated me," she said, hating that she was unable to hide the fear in her voice.
"I have respect; respect for the throne of Hyrule, unlike you," he said and took a step forward. "I won't allow that institution be destroyed by some pathetic excuse for a monarch."
"Open the door," she said timidly.
"Not until you've learned your place."
She shut her eyes and winced, preparing to be struck. 'What should I do...? Samus... help...' she pleaded. But Samus wasn't there; she was on her own. The hit never came, however when she opened her eyes, he had taken another step closer.
"What, are you afraid of him?" Samus had asked her once. Zelda had lied. She was in fact afraid of him. She always had been.
She knew it didn't make sense, that it wasn't rational. It was a weakness of hers; she knew that. If only she had listened to Samus earlier, then now she wouldn't be... If she had listened to Samus; "The best way to get rid of a weakness is to confront it head on."
That was right. Samus was always right about such things. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and then fixed her gaze on him. With a sharp intake of breath she tensed up and was surrounded by a gentle golden glow. She held her left hand up in front of her face, staring at her palm. The back of her hand faced him, and he could plainly see the mark of the goddess. In that moment their roles switched, and now he backed away in fear. Still staring at her palm she took a few steps forward then cast her eyes again on him.
"I already know my place." she said sounding distant. She turned her hand over, palm outward "Perhaps you should learn yours," she said, her voice now firm.
She placed her hand over his shoulder and against the door. For a second it seemed she was only leaning against it, but an instant later there was an earsplitting sound and the door was blown completely off it hinges, splintering to pieces as it smashed into the opposite wall of the corridor. Because he had been leaning against it, he suddenly fell backwards to the floor.
Now sitting on the remains of the door, Zelda stood over him. "If the guards are loyal to you, then I can remove you myself." she said calmly, then turned and stared down the hall.
"You don't have the authority to--" Gaebora began, but Zelda cut him off.
"Threatening the princess is more than grounds for removal. Feel fortunate I don't have you imprisoned."
------
Zelda had left Gaebora's office quite upset; however, as she walked, her mood significantly brightened as the events sunk in. She was free of him now. She was free, and it felt incredible. No more planning her day for her, no more waking her when she didn't want to get up, no more fiascos like tonight, and no more treating her like a child. Things would be different.
She had worked up to a frantic pace, excitedly running through the halls. She had to see Samus; had to tell her what she had done, and how good it felt to finally and completely take control of her life back from him. She was tingling with anticipation; Samus would be so proud of her.
"Samus!" Zelda burst into the bedroom. But she wasn't there. Her day clothes were in a pile on the floor however. 'Must be using the bathroom.'
Zelda went into her closet to change into her nightgown as. When she came out, Samus still wasn't back. She sat on her bed facing the balcony and waited tapping he knee excitedly. Samus would be so proud, she had been trying to get Zelda to be stronger all along, especially with regard to Gaebora.
'That's right... It’s because of her I was able to face him. It's all thanks to her.' Zelda sighed softly and closed her eyes, envisioning Samus' face. A smile crept across her lips and warmth filled her heart; her love for Samus only grew stronger.
Where was she already? After a while, Zelda lay down and waited longer still. Was she still upset about dinner? She couldn't be, it was nothing to begin with, Zelda concluded. She closed her eyes and ran her hands back through her hair, sighing deeply. This had been one exhausting day for her. She was glad it was over and that she was through with all the drama.
It was then that she heard Samus ether the room and speak. "So how was your 'date'? Have fun?" Her words were dripping with sarcasm and Zelda didn't appreciate the tone of her voice at all.
Was she still going on about that? "I can't believe you're still jealous," Zelda said sitting up.
"Jealous? What? ... Why would I be jealous?"
Zelda huffed. "So you weren't bothered when he almost kissed me?"
"..." Samus caught her words before they came out. How did Zelda know she knew about that?
"I know you were watching," Zelda added, seeing the unspoken question in her eyes.
"Humph." Samus turned her head to the side. "Why would I care?"
"Oohhh!" she growled. "How can you say that? Would you just give up the 'I don't care about anything' attitude already?"
"Attitude?" Samus became angry; Zelda was telling her how to think once again. "I don't care! Why should I care about that? I know nothing would ever happen! I know you're not into guys at all!"
"So what is your problem then?" Zelda threw her arms up. "Do you know how uncomfortable that made me? Did you think I enjoyed it?"
"NO!! Of course you didn't! That's the whole point!" Samus yelled.
"What?" Zelda was now confused.
"I..." Samus started to yell, but stopped herself. She sighed and sat on the bed next to Zelda. "Can we just stop? Can we just forget it?" She put a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "I don't want to fight any--."
"No." Zelda shrugged Samus' hand off of her. "I won't forget it. I want to talk abo--"
"Fine, be like that." Samus grabbed a pillow and slid off the bed, lying down on the floor.
"Samus... damn it. What's wrong with you...? Tell me."
"Figure it out, Princess."
Zelda felt like she'd just been punched in the stomach. "Why..." she muttered. She could hardly believe what she heard. "Why would you call me that?" Zelda he said weakly.
"Cause you're acting like it. Now... goodnight, your Highness."
Zelda lay there in silence, for what seemed like forever, wearing the sting of Samus' words. Why did she have to act this way now of all times? It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She was going to tell Samus what she had done, how incredible it felt, and how much she loved her for empowering her to do those things. Samus should have been proud and lavished her with genuine praise and made her feel even more incredible. And she would have, Zelda was sure of it, but her petty attitude now was ruining all of that.
She would have been proud; it was Samus after all that had pushed her to be stronger and more independent, especially with regard to Geabora... It dawned on her then that Samus wasn't jealous at all, she was disappointed; disappointed that she hadn't stood up to Gaebora before, and upset that she would allow herself to be put in such a situation. Samus had said as much in fact, she just wasn't listening again.
Zelda had stood up to him however... eventually. Of course Samus had no way of knowing that.
"I fired Gaebora," Zelda finally said. There was no response and the silence continued a while longer.
"Samus?" she said softly, and crept over to the edge of the bed, peering over. Samus was lying on her side, facing the door. Zelda stared, waiting.
Would she not say anything? "Samus?" Zelda repeated. She furrowed her brow and grunted in discontent as Samus just laid there motionless and silent. "Idiot," she grumbled angrily under her breath and laid back down, staring up at the ceiling.
Samus winced at the remark. She wanted to respond, it was great news that he was gone, that was what she had wanted. But she was angry and just too stubborn to say anything at that point. She just lay there with her back to Zelda, keeping silent.
"Princess," Zelda tuned the word over and over in her mind.
It was true what they say; those you love can hurt you the most. Sure other people called her that all the time, and it bothered her when they did. It felt so much worse when Samus said it, though. How could she ever say something so hurtful? Didn’t she understand what it had meant to her?
Zelda huffed and rolled onto her side, facing the balcony, away from Samus. "Idiot," she muttered again, sounding hurt rather than angry this time.
She folded her arms and tried to sleep, wishing she could forget about this entire lousy day.
End Part Seventeen