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Impa watched. Like she always did.
Staying in the shadows, observing from afar, and staying out of sight…those were the Sheikah ways. For millennia, Sheikahs have kept watch over the royal family, only acting when they were told to. It was thanks to a sense of loyalty known only to the Sheikah tribe, those that held such a close bond to Hylia. It was their life's mission to assist her reincarnation and family in any way they could.
Surveillance was their main duty. Assessing the safety of the castle, watching for intruders, and ensuring that no servants appeared suspicious was Impa's job. As such a long serving Sheikah, she was entrusted with this vital duty.
But in the past few years, her role became less of security and more of an assistant to the queen.
Impa entered the queen's bedchambers early that morning, to make sure that she…well, as morbid as it seemed, to make sure that she was still alive. Impa was becoming increasingly worried about her health, which had been deteriorating for years. Doctors were able to lessen her symptoms, but knew that there was no way to truly cure her. All doctors offered the same estimate: that she wouldn't make it to the end of the year.
Yet when Impa opened the door, she saw the queen already sitting up in her bed, reading a book. Impa felt a pain in her chest whenever she laid eyes on her; the beautiful woman glowing with life that she once knew was reduced to a pale, sickly state. Her skin had lost that glow, her under eyes became dark, and she was so skinny that Impa could see the bones protruding from her chest.
But still, she looked at her with such bright eyes. "Ah, Impa. I woke up early today, but I didn't want to bother you at the crack of dawn," she said.
"I wouldn't have minded. It is my duty to give you your medicine as soon as you wake up, Your Highness."
"You know I don't like such formalities. When we're alone, you can call me Zofia."
"My apologies, Zofia."
"Don't apologize so formally either!" Zofia whined. "We knew each other long before I became queen. You're my friend, not my attendant."
"Still, I should treat you with respect." Impa poured the correct dose of Zofia's medicine into a cup, then handed it to her.
Zofia drank it reluctantly, then made a face as she handed the cup back to Impa. "It tastes horrid," she said.
"As honest as ever, aren’t you? But a bit of unpleasantness now is better than a lot later," Impa told her.
“Honesty is the backbone of our friendship,” Zofia remarked. “I tell you everything, and you tell me everything.” She smiled, leaning forward. "Anyway, how is Aldric?"
"He's going on a trip today with Goji."
"I remember when I used to go on trips with him," Zofia sighed wistfully. She picked up the book she had sat down. "Before he leaves, could you give him this book? I think he would love it! It reminds me of the book we discussed on our first date."
Impa could tell that Zofia was madly in love with King Aldric. She was certainly happy for her, but…she was always a bit jealous. Especially now that Aldric rarely has time for her. It seemed as though Zofia no longer served any purpose to him now that she was sick. Impa, at least, would never leave Zofia's side. But she wouldn't dare jeopardize Zofia's relationship, one that made her so happy.
"Of course, I'll take it to him right now." Impa took the book from Zofia's hands and tried not to make it obvious when she brushed her fingers against the queen's. "Ume will be nearby if you need anything."
With a bow, Impa left Zofia's chamber and headed to Aldric’s. The fact that Aldric no longer wanted to share a bed with Zofia seemed horrible to Impa, but Zofia accepted it. "It wouldn't be feasible for us to share a room when our sleeping schedules are so different, and he's probably worried he might hurt me. He's a restless sleeper, you know," Zofia had told Impa.
Impa didn't think it was quite that simple. Watching was what she did best, and when she watched Aldric…she knew that something was amiss.
Unfortunately, he and Goji had already left, but a maid informed her that the king was visiting the Gerudo Mesa, the center of Gerudo trade and the only Gerudo location that allowed men.
Impa knew. She could read between the lines. Aldric’s distance from Zofia, Goji's guilty reactions, and the fact that Zofia had been too sick to spend any alone time with her husband in years…
It was obvious he wasn't visiting a place full of women just for trading.
It was well into the evening before they returned. Impa approached Aldric and handed him the book, explaining Zofia's reasoning.
He nodded. "Tell her thank you." That was all he said, and as Impa watched him enter his bedroom, he simply tossed the book on a dresser.
Then, she approached Goji. Another long serving Sheikah, who had proved his worth recently by successfully spying on a nearby kingdom. She confronted him with her theory, and judging from his reaction, she knew she was right.
"The Gerudo…they're safer than Hylian women. Not many Gerudo know what the Hyrulean royal family looks like, so he can easily hide his identity." Goji looked down at the floor. "I wish I could tell Her Highness, but he made me swear to never tell her."
A Sheikah's promise. If it were to be broken, the punishment is death.
"But I have not sworn anything, so I can tell her," Impa said. She had to tell her. After all, she had promised to always tell Zofia the truth. She could not break her own promise to the queen.
As she turned to leave, Goji grabbed her wrist. "Wait, that's not it!"
"There's more?"
"Not only is he going there to meet with other women…but also to check on one woman in particular. She's pregnant."
Impa didn't think it could get worse, but it did. Not only was he cheating on her…but for her inability to conceive to be thrown in her face like this? "You don't think…"
"He would probably prefer that his heir is a bastard rather than let his nephew take over the kingdom."
Impa nodded. "I'm sure he would." She once again turned to leave. "I'll go let her know."
She returned to Zofia's room to find her reading a new book. Her face lit up when she saw Impa. "Were you finally able to give him the book? What did he say?" she asked.
Impa hated that she was going to destroy that beautiful expression of hers. This was probably one of the few things that kept her going: her love for her husband. And here…he had none for her.
Zofia noticed Impa's expression. "What's wrong?"
Impa reached out and took her hands. "I had suspected this for a while now, but today I found out for certain that His Highness has…ulterior motives for visiting the Gerudo Mesa so much."
"What do you mean by that?" Zofia asked, but from the way her expression darkened, Impa was sure that she had figured it out.
"He's been seeing other women."
Zofia looked away, but nodded. "I…I thought of that. But…I had hoped that he still loved me…"
She didn’t sound angry. Impa wished she would have been angry, that’s what Aldric deserved. He deserved to be screamed at, he deserved to be told what a disgusting man he was. But Zofia was too kind for that. And that kindness just led to her heart being broken. Impa could hear it in her voice.
Impa wanted to help, she wanted to do anything she could to make this better for Zofia. But unfortunately, Aldric was the only one that could fix anything, and Impa knew he never would.
The Sheikah reached out to hold the Hylian’s hand. Zofia’s trembling grip made Impa’s heart feel like it was going to break too. She loved this woman more than anything, and she was helpless to save her from her own pain.
Impa thought about sparing her from more suffering, but she couldn’t hide the truth, however horrible it was, from her. So she spoke up again and said, “One of these women is pregnant.”
Zofia’s grip tightened. Impa knew that this was a sore subject for her. All these years, Zofia had dealt with infertility and had never managed to give Aldric an heir. Worse, Zofia wanted to be a mother. Impa remembered when the two had first gotten married, and Zofia told her a whole list of baby names she wanted to use. She insisted that she wanted at least five children. Yet she was never even able to have one.
The queen took a shaky breath, then put on a smile. “Well, I guess it’s good that he’s going to have an heir,” she said.
Impa opened her mouth to speak, to tell Zofia that she shouldn’t be accepting of this, but didn’t want to overstep. She just squeezed Zofia’s hand. It was all she could do.
But after a moment, Zofia pulled away. “Could you give me some time alone? I just…need to think,” she said.
Even though Impa wanted nothing more than to stay by her side and hold her right now, she obliged. “I’ll return in the morning to wake you,” she said.
Zofia nodded, though her eyes were distant. Her eyes that had stayed so bright throughout her illness now dulled. She spoke quietly, just as Impa was about to step out the door. “Promise me that you’ll take care of that child. Even if they are not mine…I wish for you to treat them and love them as such.”
Her kindness knew no bounds. The fact that she cared so much for an affair child…Impa could not refuse. “I swear that I will,” she said.
Zofia did not speak again, so Impa took that as her cue to leave. Although it took all of her willpower to respect the queen’s wishes and leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
…if she had known that would be the last time she’d speak to Zofia, she never would have left.
When Impa arrived to wake Zofia in the morning, she was already gone. It was something Impa expected; she knew that Zofia didn’t have much time left. And yet…she didn’t believe that the illness took her. She believed that the truth was too much for her to bear.
Impa never should have told her. But she had sworn to always tell her the truth, it’s what Zofia always wanted. Respecting the queen’s wishes seemed to be some of the worst things Impa had ever done. It made Impa feel as though she killed the person she loved more than anyone else. Maybe it would have been better to break her promise and accept the punishment.
But it was too late now. Zofia was already gone. So all Impa could do was lean down and kiss her forehead before calling the guards to alert them of the queen’s passing.
Aldric brought home the child, a baby girl who was named Zelda. The girl’s mother vanished not too long after giving birth to her; the shame of getting pregnant by a married man, the king, was too much. Or maybe she thought it was best to not be involved in the child’s life. Impa wasn’t sure what to think of the unknown mother.
She could hardly even look at Aldric as he held the baby. It had only been a few months since his wife had passed, and he hardly even seemed bothered. She could never say it out loud, for it would be treason, but she hated this man.
When he passed Zelda to her, however, her mood brightened a bit. Impa looked down at this baby, who was not related to Zofia at all, and only saw the queen’s love in her. Zelda’s sleepy little eyes reminded Impa of Zofia’s late night reading sessions, when she would only put her book down once exhaustion blurred her vision.
Little Zelda reached out towards Impa with chubby fingers. Impa let the princess hold onto one of her own fingers; her hand was so tiny. Such a small, delicate thing, that Zofia loved without ever even meeting her.
Impa wasn’t sure she could love Zelda when Zofia originally asked her to, but now, with the princess’s hand clasped around her finger…she realized that she loved her too.