Chapter Text
A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away…
The Galaxy is still recovering from the devastating Civil War.
Remnants of the Empire, scattered across the systems,
have resisted efforts by the New Republic
and the New Jedi Order to defeat them for almost 20 years.
The Princess of one of the systems targeted by the Imperial remnants,
the Hyrule System, is set to be crowned as
Crown Princess and has been worried about potential attacks,
particularly targeting her system's greatest treasure,
the TRIFORCE, an artifact with unimaginable power.
In response, the Republic has dispatched a defense force
and the New Jedi Order has sent a newly-knighted Jedi
to protect the Princess and the Triforce…
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The New Republic cruiser moved out of hyperspace within the planet Hyrule's defense system. Their ships stood still as the Civil War-era Blockade Runner flew in between them. The ship was quickly hailed, and gave their credentials before they were allowed to move on. The Hylian ships moved aside and the Blockade Runner, carrying markings of the New Republic and the old Rebel Alliance, moved towards the atmosphere.
"What's the ETA?" asked the Republic co-pilot.
"ETA is a half hour into Castleton," said the pilot.
"Copy that."
The cruiser glided into the atmosphere above the large, twinkling lights of the Hylian capital city, Castleton. The city itself stretched out for kilometers, but was nowhere near becoming the planet-wide city that Coruscant had become. Wide areas of green surrounded the city and Lake Hylia, which it rested on the blue shores of.
"Castleton Spaceport, do you copy?" asked the pilot.
"Republic Cruiser THX-1138, we read you loud and clear," said the spaceport operator, "What is your mission?"
"We have a guest sent by President Leia Organa-Solo herself," said the pilot, "Request permission to land."
"Permission granted."
The pilot nodded to his co-pilot and put the cruiser into descent.
It took some time for the cruiser to enter the atmosphere. The heat shields deployed in earnest as the heat began to affect the ship. They could feel the vibrations from the ship hitting the atmosphere shaking the entire vessel to its core. The pilot, having done this so many times he's lost count, kept the cruiser steady. It was just another routine flight and routine landing.
While that might imply something might go wrong, nothing happened. The ship entered the atmosphere cleanly and eventually the shaking stopped. The heat shields were retracted and the Blockade Runner began its descent into Castleton.
The city could be seen getting closer in the air. The metal spires of the city's centre jutted into the air, stabbing the blue sky. The city sprawl was more observable here, as they could barely see the green fields of Hyrule to the south. In fact, it was almost as if the massive Lake Hylia itself was surrounded by the city, just from the view up there. But there was one little advantage it had.
"Looks better than Coruscant," the pilot quipped. The co-pilot chuckled.
The Blockade Runner descended down to the massive spaceport on the edge of the city. The lights of the runway lit up and it followed them down and down until it reached the runway, flying several metres off the ground to the main terminal.
It landed there gracefully. The pilot killed the engines.
An attendant walked out onto the tarmac. The CR90's hatch opened and several Republic soldiers stepped out, carrying their weapons and followed by their commander. The pointed-eared attendant stepped to the side to let them past before moving back. He looked up and smiled at what he saw.
Another man, just like him, walked down the ramp towards him. This man also had the characteristic pointed ears of the Hylian species, but was younger, apparently 20 years old. His garb was simple but formal, wearing a Republic uniform with Hyrulean symbols, including the yellow three triangles of the Hyrulean crest.
"Ah, Master Link!" said the attendant. "A pleasure to see you!"
"Thank you, Minister Gaepora," said Link, "It feels wonderful to be back on Hyrule."
"Ten years," said Gaepora, "I would expect you to be happy. Well, come along now, we must be going to the Palace! The Princess will want to meet you!"
"In that case, let's go!" said Link. Minister Gaepora threw his arm around the Republic representative and led him off the tarmac.
Minister Gaepora's speeder waited outside the terminal entrance. Link's bags were loaded into the speeder, so all he had to do was get in the back, followed by Minister Gaepora. "To the Palace, please, Driver," he said. The driver nodded, started the speeder and pulled out.
The trip into the city proper was shorter than hoped. There was no traffic on the inbound lanes, but the outbound lanes were busy. That worked just fine for both of them, even if they were in no hurry to get into the city.
Banners that displayed the seal of the Hyrulean Royal Family lined the highway, attached to the light poles. Link watched these, and could only wonder what it was like in the actual city itself. "Are the festivities under way yet?" he asked.
"They start tomorrow," said Minister Gaepora, "We will have a parade and then the coronation ceremony proper. It is a shame President Organa-Solo can't be here."
"She has her own problems," said Link.
"Ah yes, how silly of me," said Minister Gaepora, "Being President must be difficult for anyone, especially the adopted daughter of Bail Organa."
"Have you been busy?" asked Link.
"Well, as Foreign Minister, not as much as you might think," said Minister Gaepora, "Perhaps only as busy as it usually is. But to go into details would bore a young man such as you. How old are you now, 20?"
"Twenty years old," said Link, running his hand through his blond hair, which was tied into a ponytail.
"Twenty years old!" said the Minister, "Can you imagine that?"
"Of course I can," said Link.
"Yes, of course you can," Minister Gaepora admitted. "So tell me, what kind of issues is President Organa-Solo dealing with?"
"For one thing, she's joined her brother as a Jedi," he said, "Or at least is trying to. She's also trying to deal with Grand Admiral Thrawn."
"Ah, him," said Minister Gaepora, "I hope we do not see him any time soon."
"Neither do I," said Link.
The city of Castleton began to rise from the horizon. Now Link felt tiny compared to the steel and crystal skyscrapers that seemed to go up and up and up. And they were still many kilometers away from the Castleton City Centre. The last of the suburbs merged into the city limits and progressively became denser as they moved inward. The old parts of the city, surrounded by the ancient walls, would soon be upon them.
That came sooner than Link expected. He'd always remembered the walls being farther in than they were. The walls reached high into the air, cutting the outer city off from the city centre, but there were massive holes in the wall that allowed the speeder traffic to move through easily. To call this part a "wall" would be rather silly indeed.
Once inside, the ancient city centre began to take shape. The Olde City Castle Town, was the name for the first district they came into. Much of it kept the same appearance that it had during the ancient days of Olde Hyrule. Cobblestone streets still wound their way through the city, and medieval-looking buildings still lined these streets. The term "medieval" is a Human Galactic Basic term for Hyrule's old buildings.
Link felt a sense of nostalgia riding through these streets. He used to play with his friends all these time in the streets and alleys of the Olde City's working-class neighborhoods. The kids played games like DekuBall or "Rebellion vs. Empire" (Link always played on the side of the Alliance).
"Brings back memories," he said.
"I'm sure it does," said Minister Gaepora. "Did you ever use your… talents?"
"I probably did, but… I didn't know how to use them," he laughed.
The densely-populated Olde City gave way to the New City. Here is where they were surrounded by steel and glass they saw while approaching the city. Link craned and nearly strained his neck looking up at the kilometers-high buildings that house Hyrule's great financial and business institutions, which were widely regarded in the Republics, both new and old.
The steel and glass jungle was soon replaced with the Capitol Sector, the seats of government of the planet Hyrule. This was more open than the Olde City and Financial District, build several hundred years before the Battle of Yavin. There were more trees and plants here, and the stone buildings looked as if they could have come from Naboo, not Coruscant. The cobblestone streets of the Olde City returned here. Hyrule's pride was on display here.
The speeder turned and approached a large castle on the edge of the Sector. The castle was adorned with banners displaying the Hylian seal—an eagle with the same three-triangle symbol as seen on Link's clothing—in multiple colors. The castle's stone towers also reached proudly into the sky, but nowhere near as highly as the buildings of the Financial District. "This is it!" said Minister Gaepora, "Hyrule Castle itself!"
Link smiled and fingered his belt nervously.
The speeder pulled up to and stopped in front of the grand staircase leading up to the entrance. The stone steps, which were bare right now, would have a red carpet laid out for their guests tomorrow. An attendant opened the speeder door and let Link and Minister Gaepora out.
A woman, bearing the symbol of the Royal Family and the mysterious Sheikah, came down the steps toward them. She was young, but older than Link, perhaps in her thirties. "Minister Gaepora," she said, "It is a pleasure to see you again."
"Ah, Impa," said Minister Gaepora, "I take it things have been well?"
"Yes, and busy," said Impa. "Is he the—"
"My name's Link," he said with a bow, "President Organa-Solo sent me herself."
"Ah, I see," said Impa. "You're just in time. Come, follow me, Her Majesty is waiting."
Link nodded and followed Impa up the steps and into the castle.
The entrance to the castle was buzzing with activity. Workers were putting the finishing touches on the decorations to the massive entrance of the castle. More banners and flags unfurled, and Hyrulean wreaths were placed all around. It was summer, why would they have Yule wreaths now?
But Link did not have time to focus on them. Impa quickly led him through the castle halls, to an elevator and up to the 5th floor before he could ask where he was going. Was she in a hurry or something?
"This is the Princess's new office," said Impa. "Come, enter." Link nodded and walked in.
"Your Majesty," he said with a bow, "I am President Leia Organa-Solo's representative, and—" He looked up and once he saw her face, her beauty stunned him.
She wore simple clothes, but that was only because she was working. But her beautiful eyes, and by extension, visage, caught him off guard. Brown hair cascaded down her back, complete with a petite figure.
Princess Zelda stared at him with a confused expression, until she chuckled. "No need to stare," she said.
"Oh, m-my apologies!" said Link. He cleared his throat to her laughing. "I have been sent by President Organa-Solo to make sure tomorrows festivities go by smoothly."
"Ah, I see," she said, standing up and walking over to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Link."
"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Princess Zelda," he said as she shook his hand. "I can sense the Force with you," he said out of the blue.
"As can I," she said, "Not surprising, given how our species is in tune with the Force."
As a whole, Hylians tend to be more in tune with the Force than most other species. This of course, is not universal, as a species is made up of individuals. Thus it would be impossible for every single Hylian on the planet to be sensitive to the Force. But as a general rule, Hylians appear to have more Force-sensing abilities than a lot of other species, even humans, who made up the majority of the Old Jedi Order.
The Hylians themselves have several myths as to why they are more in tune with the Force than other species. One of them is that they were given this ability by their Goddesses, Farore, Din and Nayru. Of course, this only gave them an air of arrogance that made much of the galaxy suspicious of them.
It also made them a target during the Dark Times of the Empire. After Order 66 wiped out much of the Jedi Order, the forces of Emperor Palpatine—himself a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Sidious—oppressed the Hylians as if they were all latent Jedi. Who knows how many Hylians died in those Dark Times?
Perhaps that's why—no, not "perhaps". That's exactly why—many Hylians joined the Rebel Alliance. Just like the Mon Calamari, it was either suffer at the hands of the Empire's racism and oppression, or fight back.
While there were no Hylians as regarded as say, Luke Skywalker and his friend Han Solo and sister Leia Organa, their contributions were nonetheless vital to the Rebellion, and hence why President Organa-Solo sent Link to personally represent her at the Princess's coronation ceremony.
"It must be an immense honor to represent President Organa," Princess Zelda said as they walked down the halls of the castle.
"It is," said Link, "I am trying to contain my excitement."
"You do not look or sound excited," she said.
"You're better than I thought," said Link. "To be honest, getting here from Coruscant took longer than I expected because of bad space traffic and I'm exhausted."
"Oh, that's a shame," she said. "But in all seriousness, does President Organa-Solo really take these Imperial threats seriously?"
"She knows better than most how serious Imperial threats can be," said Link, "Even if the Empire is severely weakened."
"Ah yes, my mistake," said Zelda, "My father nearly had a heart attack when Alderaan was destroyed. But, I am thankful the Republic has dispatched the fleet."
"I will inform President Organa-Solo," said Link.
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It was not until later that night when he retired to his temporary bedroom that the mission hit him. He'd met the Princess herself and was staying in her castle! He'd never been anywhere like this, not growing up in the Olde City or living on Coruscant. It was as if these riches were so far out of reach that he never thought anything like this was possible. He was also afraid—afraid of messing up and making a fool of himself in front of the Princess of his homeworld.
He chastised himself for thinking these thoughts. Fear and whatever the thoughts he had about staying in the castle were a distraction. He splashed the cool water on his face and walked out of the restroom, over to the bed. There, he sat down on his knees in front of it.
Taking in a sharp breath, he closed his eyes and began his meditation session.
Princess Zelda, who had walked past his room, noticed this when she opened his door (after knocking). She promptly closed the door to let him have his privacy. But she also had a knowing smile on her lips.
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Zelda invited Link to dinner that night, and he eagerly accepted. It would be at 7 o'clock and according to the Princess, he did not have to get formally dressed. But, propriety took precedent and he dressed with a combination of formality and casual as he could.
"Presenting, the representative of President Organa-Solo, Link Greenwood!" Link stepped into the large dining room where Princess Zelda was already seated with members of the Royal Cabinet and the Mayor of Castleton. Minister Gaepora was already there.
Link tugged nervously on his cape when he saw the Princess in her strapless dress and her hair elegantly rolled up in a bun. Oh, dear, he thought, trying to hide the blush on his face, Calm down Link, remember what your master taught you. He nervously fingered the cylinder on his left hip until he sat down and took a few deep breaths.
"Welcome, Link," said Princess Zelda, "I assume your time back on Hyrule has been pleasant?"
"It has, Your Majesty," he replied, "It brings back a lot of memories for me."
"Well, naturally," said Minister Gaepora. "But, I do hope that things go well, although I am prepared for the worst. General Owlan told me he has been tracking an Imperial fleet for the past week. So far, they do not appear to be anywhere near our system, but I am thankful to the President for sending reinforcements."
"What would the Imperials want with us?" asked Minister of the Interior Shad.
"The Triforce," said Zelda, "If the Imperials get their hands on it, they could wish total control over the Galaxy once again."
"Do not worry," said Link, "The President is determined NOT to let this happen."
"Well, some people say the Triforce is just a legend," said Zelda, "I remember the old history books saying that Jedi teachers used the Triforce's parts of Courage, Wisdom and Power as ways of explaining the Force and the ideals of the Jedi Order itself."
"I know Grand Master Skywalker thought that way," said Link.
"But we have not had a Hylian Jedi in 60 years," said Minister Gaepora, "And said Jedi was killed in Order 66."
"Yes, but with this new Jedi Order, I can expect more to continue the great tradition of Hylian Jedi," said Zelda, "I'm sure my father would be proud of another."
"By the way, where is your father?" asked Link, "I'm afraid I was not informed."
"He is on Corellia," said Zelda, "Visiting Captain Solo and General Calrissian. My brother Daphnes is visiting Naboo, and you are aware that my older brother Pipit represents Hyrule in the Galactic Senate, correct?"
"I forgot," said Link, "It was Senator Pipit himself who suggested me."
"I suppose my brother knows talent when he sees it," said Zelda. "Now then, gentlemen, shall we toast to a successful day tomorrow?" The men and women at the table raised their glasses in the air and waited for Zelda. "To a successful and trouble-free coronation ceremony, and to peace and prosperity in the Galaxy. May the Force be with us all!"
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End chapter