FicWad

Lila woke up screaming. She sat straight up in her bed, trying to piece together her nightmare. She was sweating profusely, and she felt a massive headache, but the only thing she could remember was eyes. Glowing yellow eyes. Or were they two pairs of eyes? She felt it was important that she remember, but she couldn’t.

The guards burst in and swept the room for intruders. Lila paid them no mind. Her head was hurting too much. It didn’t take them much time to see that the room was clear. One guard stood looking out the window while the other guard turned to Lila.

“What’s wrong, Lady Lila?” he asked.

Lila squinted up at the guard. “Bad dream,” she managed to say.

The guard at the window returned to her post, but the other guard remained. Concerned, he asked, “Are you in pain? Should I get someone for you?”

Lila shook her head slowly. The pain was starting to recede. “No, I’ll be fine. I just need more sleep.”

“Yes, Lady Lila,” said the guard, and he left the room, closing the door.

Lila stayed sitting in her bed for a while, letting the headache pass. She couldn’t remember anything about the dream anymore. She shrugged and went back to sleep.

∴

The next morning, Lila had no recollection of waking in the middle of the night. She wanted to sleep in, but a guard was shaking her awake.

“Lady Lila,” he said. He was the same guard as last night. Lila realized she didn't know any of her guards’ names. The guard was still talking. “Prince Zale has requested your presence in the dining hall.”

Lila thanked the guard, asking his name, and got ready for the day. As always, she wore a green tunic, just like the heroes of old. It had become her uniform of sorts. Everyone could recognize who she was when she wore it. It allowed her to go anywhere she wanted without being questioned.

In the dining hall, Lila was the last to arrive. Link and Zelda were there, Link looking as sleepy as Lila. Impa was also sitting on Zale’s left. To Lila’s surprise, Little Zelda was there with Nellie, too. A spot was waiting for Lila on Zale’s right, so she sat there. Food was brought to her, and then all of the servants except Salvatore and Nellie left.

“Salvatore,” Zale said, “seal the room.”

Salvatore walked around the room, waving his arms and chanting under his breath. Once he made a complete circle, he bowed to Zale and took a seat at the table where his own food was waiting.

Curious, Lila looked at Zale. He smiled back at her and then addressed everyone.

“Thank you for meeting for breakfast. Please eat,” he said. Everyone took slow, thoughtful bites of food. Zale continued, “I invited you here to discuss Hyrule’s future. First, some introductions.” He pointed to Little Zelda first. “This is my sister, Zelda. Her existence is currently a secret to everyone. We call her ‘Ella.’” Zale then pointed to Zelda. “This is my other sister, Zelda. She and her companion Link are also a secret. They only recently came to our land.”

Zale gave Lila a warm smile and said, “This is Lila. She saved our kingdom from Ganondra, as I’m sure you all know. Link is her brother.” Next was Impa. “This is Impa. She’s part of a secret group known as the Sheikah. Their job is to protect the royal family.

“Finally we have Salvatore and Nellie. They are the personal servants of myself and Ella.”

Lila was surprised that Zale said all of that. This was all stuff that needed to be kept secret, but he was sharing it with everyone at the table. Granted, the room was sealed so no spies could overhear. But they had known Link and Zelda for only a few days. Lila wasn’t yet sure if they could be trusted.

“Now,” Zale said, clapping his hands together, “I’m sure you all have a lot of questions. Hopefully, I’ll be able to answer them. Everyone here is either royalty or serves royalty.”

Lila noticed that Link glanced wearily at Zelda but said nothing.

Zale continued, “First things first. Impa, I want you to recruit two of your kind to watch over Zelda and Ella. They are of royal blood and qualify for the protection of Sheikah.”

Impa nodded. “Yes, sire.”

“Good,” Zale went on. “While she’s gone, I want you by my side, Lila. As for Ella, she needs protection.”

“Why now, brother?” asked Ella. “Nellie has always been enough.”

“Because I’m going to tell Hyrule about you,” Zale answered. Lila could tell that Ella was surprised when her mouth hung open. “At my coronation, I’ll name you as my successor.”

Ella protested, “Won’t that turn the people against you?”

Zale held up a hand to calm her. “The people will follow me because the generals follow me. Plus, they have seen me in battle, meaning I have earned their trust.”

“If I leave now,” Impa interjected, “then I can be back before you make the announcement.”

Zale cocked his head. “Can you really?”

Impa nodded. “We Sheikah have some tactics up our sleeves that you don’t know about.”

Zale nodded. “Good. You can leave after this meeting. Now, I have a question for you, Zelda.” He looked at her with a seriousness that Lila hadn’t seen before. “I need to know. Do you have any designs for the crown?”

Lila gasped, but Zale paid her no mind. His attention was on his estranged sister.

Zelda’s face was blank as she answered, “None. Link and I are here for one thing only and that’s not your crown.”

The two stared at one another for a few seconds before Zale smiled. “Good to know.” Lila couldn’t help but wonder what passed between them. “Do you wish to be introduced to Hyrule at my coronation?”

Zelda thought about her answer before speaking. “No. Now is not the time. I don’t know if there ever will be a time for me to step forward as your sister. Along that vein, I don’t need a Sheikah protector.”

“As you wish,” Zale said with a nod. “Finally, I want to give a quick rundown of what to expect in the coming days. Today, I have a rehearsal for my coronation, which will be tomorrow after my father’s funeral. The next day, Lila and Link will duel over the Master Sword. Any questions? Comments? Concerns?”

“Yes,” came Ella’s voice. Zale looked at her with kind eyes. “You said I could help you. You didn’t give me anything to do to help.”

“You’re right,” Zale sighed. “Well, you can join me at the rehearsal today.”

Ella clapped her hands and smiled. “Good!” she said.

“Anyone else?” Zale asked.

When no one responded, Salvatore spoke up. “There are the volunteers you promised to keep in the loop. Are you going to tell them what’s going on?”

“Ah, yes,” Zale said uncertainly. “Um… Any suggestions?”

Zelda said, “You’ll have to lie to them.”

Zale sighed, “I suppose you’re right. I’ll just tell them that you and Link are travelers from another land and your appearances are coincidental. Do you think they’ll buy that?”

Zelda responded, “They’ll have to you. You’re their king, or will be.”

“It seems wrong to lie to them that way,” Zale said. “But I suppose it’s for the best. Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?”

Salvatore said, “It is traditional for the Royal Choir to perform with the one being coronated. Have you been keeping up with your harp practice?”

Zale’s eyes widened. “I had no idea. What song are we to perform?”

“‘Zelda’s Theme’ is traditional, though with you being male–”

“I’ll do it,” Zale said emphatically. “Ella, you play the flute, right?”

The young princess flushed in surprise. “Y-yes.”

“If you’re familiar with the song, would you like to join us?”

Ella beamed. “Yes! I’d love to!”

Zale smiled back at her. “Wonderful. Salvatore, will you inform the choir of our rehearsal this afternoon?”

Salvatore bowed in his chair. “It will be my pleasure.”