Work Text:
“And he had the audacity to continue following me, even after I told him off!” Zelda huffed and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.
Impa tried to hold back a laugh, and ignored Zelda’s glare. “Princess, he’s your personal knight. It’s his duty to make sure you’re alright.”
“But I can take care of myself, despite what Father or Link thinks,” Zelda whined, spitting out Link’s name.
Earlier that day, the princess had been out researching shrines on her Sheikah Slate. When she decided to leave, she turned around to see Link, her new knight, watching closely. Zelda had lashed out at him for coming; she was almost 17 after all, and she had distinctly told him not to come! She can protect herself.
Impa walked over to the angry girl and placed her hand on the other’s shoulder. “Zelda, do you know about your history?”
“Yes, I know about Hylian history,” Zelda said slowly, wondering where she was going with this. Impa taught her almost all she knew.
“When you did the knighting ceremony,” Impa started, going to her bookshelf, “do you recall what you said? The part about being adrift in time…”
“Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero,” Zelda filled in for her.
“Do you know what that means?” Impa asked, pulling out a heavy-looking book.
“It means Link has to bother me all the time, and that he’s the hero or something,” Zelda muttered the last part under her breath, crossing her arms even tighter.
Impa brought the book over to her, holding it open and shoving it into Zelda’s lap. On the page, there was a beautiful woman with blonde hair playing the harp. Over her, a label said “Zelda of Skyloft.” Opposite her was a man, also with blonde hair, but pointing a sword toward the sky, labeled “Link of Skyloft.” Zelda recognized it as the same sword she had knighted Link with.
“This was the first ever Zelda, and she wasn’t even a princess! Hyrule didn’t exist yet, only a city in the sky. Yes, Link there carries same blade as the one your knight carries, passed down from generation to generation of heroes. The same voice talks to your knight.”
Zelda ran her finger over the pictures, not knowing what to say. The two looked so majestic. Impa instructed her to turn to another page, and there were similar paintings. One had another beautiful woman, dressed in gold and Hylian armor, facing the painter but not smiling, labeled “Zelda of Time.” It was followed with a painting of a man playing an instrument as a fairy flew around him, labeled “Hero of Time.”
Impa pointed to the small instrument in the man’s hands, “This is an Ocarina. It was Queen Zelda’s, but she gave it to the Hero for his adventure. He was often seen with his fairy, Navi, helping out around the kingdom. Queen Zelda sealed him away for seven years in order to unlock his full power, but, during the time, Hyrule went into chaos. She also sent him away at the end of his quest in order to restore the childhood she took from him. The two lived tough lives.”
As Impa told her the story, Zelda stared into the past’s eyes. She felt a twinge of sadness within her for the Queen’s life, hoping her own wouldn’t be as terrible. Impa asked her to turn to another page, and there was a painting unlike the others. This time, “Zelda of Twilight” held her own sword, looking ready to attack. She was in a long dress, her hair longer than any others’, and seemed very mature. Opposite her was a painting of a man in a long green hat and tunic, but had what appeared to be a wolf behind him, labeled “Hero of Twilight.”
“When the Twilight realm invaded Hyrule, then-Princess Zelda was ready to fight with her soldiers. However, she soon had to hide in her ruined castle, waiting to learn of the Hero’s triumphs. The Hero would transform from wolf to human form, often causing him pain. It’s said that his partner, Midna, was the only thing that kept him on track.”
Zelda sat back, considering everything she had just learned. After a few moments, she said, “Thank you, Impa, for showing me this. I just have to ask, why did you tell me now?”
Impa smiled. “Well, you’re probably not going to like this, but… all of those Zeldas, except for Time, got married to their Hero, meaning you are destined to marry him too.”
“What?!” Zelda spluttered, disbelieving. What was Impa saying?!
Impa’s smile grew wider, “Yes, Princess, it’s true. And if they both can stand to marry Link, maybe you will too.”
“I will not marry Link!” Zelda exclaimed, standing up. “He is completely different from all the past Links, and I am different from all the past Zeldas, so you cannot judge this relationship on them! History will not repeat itself with us! There is absolutely no way!”