Chapter Text
“Aaaaahhhh!” The peace of an early morning dawn was shattered by the surprised cry of a teenager who had just found herself in freefall, joined shortly by a series of grunts, curses, and one heavy thump as she crashed through the branches of a tree, falling to the cold ground below. “Ow ow ow ow ow…” The young woman sat up, rubbing her head. “Where am I?” She looked around, taking in the sights.
“Alright, Hyrule Field. That’s… weird! Definitely weird, but not too bad. Why am I out here, though?” She crossed her arms, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she replayed the last few minutes in her head. “I was sneaking around, trying to avoid my etiquette lessons… I ducked into one of those art galleries we have all around the castle for some reason… I heard a noise and tried to hide behind a painting of mom and dad…” She gasped, remembering something. “Then my bracelet started glowing and I fell INTO it!”
Quite alarmed, the young woman patted herself down, checking to make sure she was still three dimensional. “Okay– I’m… PROBABLY not in the painting, since mom said she could tell when she was trapped in one and dad said turning into a drawing was weird and I feel perfectly normal right now… so where am I? I didn’t notice anything– I just fell in and then fell onto that tree! Wait, is the painting stuck on the tree?” In a flash, she scrambled up the tree, only to find nothing at the top. “Aww… no such luck.” She sighed, sitting on a branch. “What’s going on?”
The young woman sighed, staring over at Hyrule Castle, sitting in the distance. “Okay. Let’s think things over. I’m clearly in Hyrule– I recognize everything, but things look a little different. Not MUCH different, but a little bit.” She shook her head, dropping down from the branch she was sitting on– at least she didn’t crash through the tree this time. “No sense thinking about how I wound up here… or why it’s morning instead of afternoon…” She sighed, walking towards the castle, still tossing things over in her mind. “Mom and Dad are probably all worried… Well, Marti, you’re gonna get grounded for sure. Might as well go and face the music…”
“Good Morning, Princess.” Impa smiled and nodded as Zelda emerged from her room for the day. “Did you rest well?”
“Mm. Not particularly, I’m sad to say.” Zelda responded, heading down to the commissary for breakfast. “I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“Are you still troubled by your memories of the Lorulian incursion?” Impa asked. “I must admit– being changed to a portrait was traumatic.”
“No, I’ve come to terms with that– honestly, I was napping most of my time as a portrait. No, I have… a different issue.” Zelda collected some food and walked over to her private table. “This problem revolves around our hero, Link.”
Impa cocked her head at Zelda. “Mm? He’s been rewarded for his actions– he’s been made captain of the guard and was elevated to nobility, as per tradition. What is the problem?”
Zelda sighed, poking at her food. “The problem is that he barely talks to me.”
“He’s a very quiet man, Princess. It takes him a long time to open up to people– he took months to begin chatting with the other guards.” Impa shook her head lightly, tutting quietly. “But despite his reserved nature, he’s a loyal man, whose heart is good and true.”
“I know that, I do! It’s just…” Zelda bit her lip. “I believe I have feelings for him, Impa– and I would like to know if those feelings are mutual.”
“You could ask him.” Impa said, chuckling to herself. “The reason heroes are elevated to nobility is specifically because of their propensity to marry princesses, you know.”
Zelda sighed and picked at her food. “Yes, I know… and I know the legends– that the spirit maiden and the hero are eternally bound to one another, destined to find each other each time they’re reborn– but… I have to wonder. Am I the destined princess? Was this a reincarnation cycle or merely an unfortunate circumstance?” She leaned back, heaving a deep sigh. “I might have feelings for him, Impa, but I’m not about to force him into a relationship based on one sided attraction. I want to know that there’s something real there.”
“You did recognize him almost immediately when you first met.” Impa waggled a fork at her like an elder would a smoking pipe. “I was there, remember? Your exact words were ‘it’s you!’ I don’t think you meant ‘It’s you, the guy from the orchard!’”
“I… Yes, that’s true, but…” Zelda dropped her head slightly. “He didn’t respond then, either. What if… what if this time around, only I have that connection?”
“He charged forth to save Hyrule on your orders– and when he was finding the sages, he ONLY spoke about you– everything was ‘I have to rescue Zelda!’” Impa chuckled dryly. “I suppose he spoke more to us than he did to you.”
“That doesn’t make me feel that much better, actually.” Zelda said, glumly taking a bite of her meal. “I’m the Princess, Impa. As much as I may hate to admit it, I’m important– people would rush to my defense regardless.” She looked off to the side, seeing Link sitting with a few other knights. “Many people did, actually– and wound up imprisoned as well.”
“Mm– so you think that Link merely saw it as his duty to rescue his princess, and the only thing that made him exceptional was his skill?” She shook her head with a scoff. “Poppycock. The boy’s smitten with you. He looks at you like you hang the moon in the sky!”
“If that’s the case… then why doesn’t he talk to me?” Zelda grumbled. She looked at him the same way…
“So, Link buddy, you gotta tell me– what’s up with you and the princess?” A knight asked, grinning widely at the newly appointed captain of the guard. “I see the way you look at her!”
“There’s nothing going on.” Link muttered. “I’m the captain of the guard, and she’s my princess. Nothing more, nothing less.” He took a large bite of food, catching a glimpse of Zelda looking at him. He shot her a quick smile, but she turned away. “I’m her loyal servant.”
“Yeah, her loyal servant who walks around with big hearts in your eyes every time you see her. Why not ask to court her– His Majesty would certainly let you meet with her. I mean hell, you already got made a high noble!” The knight chuckled as he pointed over to a portrait hanging on the wall behind Link, depicting a previous princess and her hero cuddling with each other. “And ya know– it's basically a tradition.”
“Yeah, but…” Link groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay, fine. Yeah, I like her. I like her a lot– she’s beautiful, sweet, smart, and all that– but I’m an orchard farmer and part-time blacksmith gofer who happened to be born with a natural affinity to swordplay– that’s not enough.”
“So you’re starry-eyed for her, have every right to court her, have years of tradition and legend saying that you two are supposed to hook up, and you don’t want to give it a shot?” The knight groaned. “Permission to speak frankly, sir.”
Link chuckled. “Granted, though I think I know what you’re gonna say.”
“Good.” The knight replied. “You’re being an idiot.” The knight leaned back, crossing his arms with an irritated expression on his face. “She sneaks glances at you all the time, you know. You should take your shot– the worst thing that happens is she says ‘no.’”
“But…” Link sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What if I do, she says no, and then all of a sudden things get weird? I don’t want to take that chance.”
The knight shook his head and groaned. “You know, if you keep pining away, eventually something’s gonna give. Either she’ll make a move first or, more likely, she’ll give up on you, and then you’ll have to watch her marry someone else.” Link’s eyes went wide at the thought. “Yeah, see? That was what I thought. Either make a move, or find someone else.”
Link sighed, pushing his food around on his plate. Dammit, Dimitri’s right. I shouldn't just sit here pining away. He glanced over to Zelda as she stood up from her table, feeling a twinge in his heart. But still… I don't think a wonderful girl like that could possibly like an average schmuck like me.
Marti approached the castle, frowning at the large crowd gathered outside. Mother must be seeing petitioners right now. Well, I could surprise her by waiting in line and being all theatrical, but no– that would just raise a fuss. Luckily, they haven’t found an entrance I can’t sneak into or out of yet! With a grin, she pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head and broke off eastward.
Let’s see… bush… bush… octorock– shoo! Bomb… why are there bombs in our garden? Bush… ooh, twenty rupees! Yoink! There we are– the secret passage! Just like great-granddad used! Marti grinned as she pushed the branches of the bush aside, climbing down into a hidden passageway. “Now I can just sneak back in and– oh, crapbaskets.”
“You’re twenty years too early to get one over on me.” Impa leaned against the wall, smirking at Marti. “I might be old, but I’m still a Sheikah. Who are you and why aren’t you taking the front gate?”
Marti pulled her hood down. “Impa, it’s me– Marti!” She squinted through the low light– Impa looked a little bit different from usual for some reason. “You ARE Impa, right?”
“I am. But I don’t know any ‘Marti’. Sounds like a made up name to me.” Impa idly waggled a kunai at Marti, eyeing her suspiciously. “You look familiar, but not, all at the same time. That’s not a common thing.” She stood upright, gripping her kunai tightly. “Full name, please.”
Did Impa hit her head? Oh well– no sense in lying. I’ve known her my whole life. She’ll be able to tell if I’m lying. “I am Princess Zelda Martina Hyrule, daughter of Queen Zelda Lorraine Hyrule and King Link Georg Hyrule. You should know me, Impa– I’ve grown up around you!”
“But that's impossible!” Impa’s eyes shot open. “Zelda Lorraine Hyrule is the current princess– and she has yet to be married!” She darted over, looking Marti over carefully. “But you look so much like them both– and you bear the mark of the Triforce!” She shook her head, trying to comprehend what this meant. “Great Scott!”