32Tirras hummed as he finally finished showing Link around his new route that only the captain got to have. He was eager to head off to his family and enjoy his retirement. But before that could come to be, he had to show Link the ropes and how to handle finding new recruits. Now they had come to their last stop; a very special spot that needed a lot of attention nowadays, though they had eased up since the execution of Ganondorf.
"And this," Tarris continued as they came to a halt, "will be your greatest task yet. You shall only put the best knights you've got to guard this treasure, understand? No foolin' around when it comes to this. The Queen will have your head if you screw this up."
Link nodded sternly, squaring his shoulders. "Understood."
Tarris grinned, pleased, before he turned to the door that stood in their way. It was located far enough away from everyone's eyes, hidden behind the castle within the courtyard. A secret pathway that led to the old stone building was hidden by a spell that only the royal family and knight captain was taught— Link had been taught the spell just a few seconds before— which gave it an even higher security level than the others. Link's eyes trailed over the building carefully, noting the veins that hung off the stones, the way he swore moss was growing between the cracks.
How old this building was, he'd never know.
The ex-captain placed his hand onto the door, grunting as he pushed it open carefully. Link rose an arm to keep the dust from hitting him, watching as tiny pieces of stone crumbled off from the door. He winced when a harsh wave of darkness hit him in the face. He scowled but didn't say a word as he tried to find anything to locate but failed.
A cough escaped his throat as he followed Tarris deeper into the building, watching as he took a lit torch and walked through the halls without hesitating. Link's mind was running with a million thoughts, wondering if there were any traps laying around but thought better of it, thinking that maybe the spell was enough to keep out intruders.
After what felt like eternity, the pair found themselves at yet another door, but this time, it held a symbol written in old Hyrulian. Link struggled to understand what it said and blinked when Tarris read it easily before speaking in the native tongue. A worry washed over the Hero of Time; would he also have to speak it? He couldn't speak old Hyrulian! He hadn't known the language existed until Talon told him about it!
The door started to move on its own, allowing a bright flash of light to escape as it moved. Link flinched, covering his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to see the best he could before his jaw dropped at what greeted them on the other side.
"Is…" Link swallowed heavily, trying his best not to look too shocked but had a feeling he was failing rapidly. "Is that the…?"
"Yes," Tarris nodded as he placed the torch down.
Within his mind, Fierce Deity went into an uproar of victory.
"This is the Triforce. Goddess Hyila's Golden Creation."
The golden triangle raided such power as it shined off golden waves, easily living up to its name. Showing off how powerful it could be.
Link's throat felt dry as he felt the urge to touch it, making it grant him one wish before destroying it completely. But he also had the Triforce of Courage, did he not? He was looking at the very thing that cursed him— that gave him the strength to defeat Ganondorf.
A cold wave of realization settled over him.
"I'm meant to protect it?" Link questioned, eyeing Tarris.
"Yes. With your life. This is the heaviest duty of a knight."
A shame this would be the Triforce's last hurrah.
With Link as the captain, the Triforce wouldn't survive the week… or night if he was feeling brave enough. If Fierce Deity wouldn't shut up, wouldn't stop screaming at him to destroy it right this second. To kill Tarris right here and then deal with the cursed power symbol right in front of them but Link managed to hold back. He didn't want to screw anything up, not when he had a duty as Hyrule's captain.
"I see," Link hummed thoughtfully. "How long has it been hidden here?"
"Years upon years," Tarris answered. "Since Ganondorf's first attempt to take it, I believe, but I'm not entirely sure about that one." He gave his replacement a tight smile. "You'll do fine. I have faith in you. Now, let's get going. You're going to need your new uniform."
Link whined. "Oh great… another one."
The former captain only laughed as he led them away, locking the Triforce up.
Ties That Bind Us
The Steel armor was much heavier than Link expected but as he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't deny that it looked good on him. He fiddled with his arm gauntlets for a moment to get it more comfortable on his person when the door opened behind him, his eyes seeing Zelda and Othe coming into the room with Tarris.
Zelda's face grew a soft blush, making his heart leap in his throat as he realized how adorable she looked before brushing away the thought. He refused to think about that right now, not when he found his target.
Instead, his eyes moved to King Othe who nodded in approval as Link turned to face them.
"Perfect fit." King Othe acknowledged.
"Yes," Zelda confirmed, "perfect."
Link bowed in greeting. "Your majesties."
"None of that boy," Othe huffed, waving his hand. "We're dropping the formalities now that you're captain." He placed a heavy hand on Link's shoulder. "I hope you'll shape those knights into greatness! I've got high expectations."
"Of course."
A serious expression took over the former King. "You were shown our greatest treasure, correct?"
"Yes. I was." Link replied.
"Then you know how big of a responsibility this is," Othe continued, "and to be perfectly honest, I was hoping to put you on guard duty there as the sole watcher. You're Hyrule's best knight after all. If anyone can protect the Triforce, it'd be you."
Link hid the way his blood began to rush with red hot anger at the words. He could've found the Triforce earlier! This could've been dealt with so much sooner than later. Fierce Deity's anger was starting to impact him but he fought it down, promising that they'd get to work very soon. As soon as he could start his duties, finding the perfect night to strike.
"Thank you."
A warm smile spread over Othe's face. "Now, I think it's best if you start your duties."
"Right," Link mumbled under his breath, his eyes darting towards the stack of papers on his desk. "My duties."
He didn't listen to them anymore as they began to leave the office, one by one, but rather he sat himself down behind the desk. The knights were given the day off in order for him to get all settled down, which meant his only duties at the moment were paperwork. Boring, dull, paperwork. Fantastic, just what he wanted.
If he was being honest, he'd rather be forced to work with Malon again. He couldn't stand the thought of just sitting here writing his signature down on approved requests and hiring forms. Debating which ones would be shot down without explanation.
'You could always head to the Triforce,' Fierce Deity suggested with a venomous, suggestive, tone. 'You've got a promise to keep, boy!'
"You don't think I know that?" grumbled Link.
'So get going!'
He rolled his eyes, taking the first paper. "Can't," he hissed. "They'll talk if the Triforce suddenly dies out on us during my first day as captain. Think about that for a moment. How would I talk my way out of it?"
'Use my power then. They'll listen if they see me,' the Deity scoffed as if it was the most natural thing in the entire world but it wasn't.
"Look, I'll use your power to destroy the Triforce, but I refuse to use it to work my way out of a situation that'll be the talk of the Kingdom for years upon end! Just trust me. I know what I'm doing. We'll both get what we want soon enough."
A brief moment passed with no comment. Silently the former Hero wondered if the Deity gave up. It'd be nice. The quiet was nice. The only sound was his pen writing on the paper until the Deity once again spoke up but this time; his voice was much softer and more agreeable. But there was a hint of distrust, uncertainty that it actually made Link feel guilty.
'Alright.'
Link chewed on his lower lip, halting his actions as he debated taking back everything he had just said in order to get the Deity back to his old feisty self but found that he couldn't bring himself to. It wasn't like Fierce Deity would outright tell him what was bothering him, right? They hardly liked one another despite being stuck with each other.
His eyes darted downwards as he reminded himself that he had paperwork to complete. His pen started to write once again.
Ties That Bind Us
Zelda sighed heavily as she leaned back in her own desk. Her father had just left her alone to try out her new Queenly duties on her own. She knew this day was coming when she'd be the one Hyrule would look to, how history's eyes would fall upon her to watch like a hawk, but it was much more intimidating than she thought.
If she knew how much pressure would be upon her shoulders, then she would've reconsidered her path in life much sooner. But she couldn't. Not now. She was crowned Queen of Hyrule and she couldn't back down now.
Her mind began to wonder towards the events that took place during her ceremony. How Link seemed so tense, the way Athis apologized, the way the council seemed to be uncomfortable when Link approached to greet them under her request. It didn't make sense. Not to mention her nightmare that kept coming back to her. She didn't know what was happening but she knew she didn't like it.
A frightening feeling was kept in the deepest pit of her guts, screaming at her to watch out and keep her eyes peeled for any sort of traitors in her ranks. But for what reason?
Hyrule was at an age where peace was guaranteed.
So why?
Why did her dreams become nightmares? What was calling out to her to watch out? Why did Link have pale eyes in that nightmare? So many questions, no answers…
Her mind raced until it dawned on her. Impa would know!
Zelda quickly grabbed a piece of paper, writing Impa a summons letter in order to speak with her privately so that way she could get the answers she desperately needed to have in order to feel at ease. For a brief moment, she stopped, realizing how ironic this was.
Not even a day into her reign and she already was facing problems. If this wasn't symbolic, she didn't know what was.
But one thing was for certain; she would get to the bottom of this.
And she wouldn't rest until she did.