Bonjour, mon amies! Not quiet sure how far this story'll actually get, but I thought I'd try my hand at a full Legend of Zelda story. I'm also aiming for a much more serious method of writing and speech patterns for characters, but I hope you're able to enjoy it just the same.

Matters of the State

Chapter 1

Within these stone walls, the world in its entirety seemed to hold its breath. Outside tree branches are still, splashing fountains quieting for the moment. Sunlight continues to stream through vibrant panes of stained glass however, altered ray's landing upon white marble floors and deep red carpet spreading down the center of the massive chapel.

I'm almost afraid to enter the hall so filled with light whilst seeking to carry out my task, pausing outside the massive wooden doors emblazoned with the kingdom's mark and peeking around the corner of where one sits ajar on its hinges.

I find my guess to have proven on the mark, some had guessed My Liege to have been somewhere in the gardens, stables, or elsewhere around the castle, but I've found him here instead within the mighty Temple of Time itself. I don't quiet know why he's here, or what it was that bid me check the Temple first, but regardless, I was correct.

He stands there with his back to me, facing the alter which holds three relics some say he himself collected within the Temple some years ago; around the time Ganondorf attempted to encompass all of our Golden Land in darkness. A cape so deep a green it is nearly black hangs around his shoulders, light despite it's colour as it's nearly summer soon. I know it's green for a fact; I've washed it enough times and even helped him fasten it to his shoulder-guards this morning when he donned what little armor My Lord allows himself to wear.

Of said silver-edged armor over his shoulders I can see nothing, should he face me, the well cut measure of his tunic a shade of green hardly lighter than the cloak itself would hide nearly all of the finely linked chain mail he wears each day when he expects word from the King. Under the mail he also wears a white shirt with sleeves longer than those of the tunic. The shirt he wears is similar to the loose white pants he has, the sort which tuck into the black boots I myself polished a few nights past. Those boots are a pair which come up nearly to the knees but lack the sleek line befitting a Knight of his stature. It isn't as if they aren't well made in themselves, turning down at the tops and such, but they don't exactly keep with the new trend of the courtiers.

For now though, the cap of green the same colour as the tunic, yet with a band a bit brighter around the hem is visible to me as it rests upon his head and the long end trails down his back slightly. And that is about all I can see of him at the moment.

I'm about to step forwards and call out to him when My Lord is suddenly down on one knee in a bow towards the alter. I hurriedly jump back behind the door from where I had moved ahead minorly when I sought to speak. I'm not going to disturb him while he prays, my message is not as important as that.

It takes a few moments, and the silence stretches on as My Lord keeps his head bowed down, removing the cap swiftly and silently to place on the ground next to him as I can assume his eyes are closed in concentration. Once or twice before in the past year or so I've spied him in this manner, and I am soon greeted with the not-so-familiar, but strangely captivating sight which I can only put down to my Lord's deep ties with the Golden Power, and the Wind Goddess Farore in particular.

At first it's dull, and hard to see amidst the bright light streaming into the Temple on all sides. But then it grows; an aura of green which reminds one of the gentle sheen of colour the world seems to take when filled with spring's new growth. That aura curls around my Lord's bowed form, like sweet fingers of incense smoke wafting from the ground around him, and tinted again with that gentle green glow.

The churning fingers of smoke eventually fade back into the general light around him before finally becoming merely a glow, and at last little more than my Lord kneeling in prayer before his blonde head begins to rise and he himself makes to stand. His hands come together in front of him and I step out from behind the door as he gives a straight backed bow towards the alter, a sign that he is finished.

Hurriedly, I clasp my hands in a similar manner as I'm now for the most part properly within the Temple of Time. My hard-soled boots clack once against the marble floors before my hands are up, elbows out and parallel to the floor, my right hand- my dominant- fisted and covered with the fingers of my left as I bow to mimic my Lord, and I rise to find his blue gaze upon me.

He seems almost dazed for a moment as he's half-turned towards me, having taken a pause before finishing the motion. His blonde hair is tousled slightly, but I believe that's how he always looked, his pale blue eyes seem somewhat glazed though, but I can simply account that for his connection with the Gods being felt only so long ago. He seems to give himself a slight shake though, causing the one ring he wears in his right ear to swing slightly; the thick loop of silver catching the light as a few rays reflect off of the glossy surface of the green stone mounted within it.

Many have called my Lord a paladin before, a holy knight fighting in Farore's name, and yet also sworn to the throne of Hyrule. Even without a sword on- he of course has one belt-knife held clearly at his hip, and perhaps one or two smaller blades in his boots- garbed in the goddess's colour, it is difficult to deny what so many whisper about.

"Ah, did the Captain let you boys off a bit earlier today, Timothy?" I blink slightly before my Lord's words connect with my mind. I quickly bring my gloved hands to my sides, nearly slapping my palms against the rough brown of my pants, my green tunic of a similar shade as that which my Liege wears, save with a copy of the Golden Triforce embroidered onto my left shoulder- left because that is the hand my liege favors. Other Squires don't have theirs dependant on their Lord's orientation, but my Lord is a level above most. The square leather bag I wear across my chest makes the stance a bit awkward as I try to attain a proper look of attention whilst being addressed. My Lord's lips are quirked in a slight smile as he walks confidently across the wine red carpeting.

"No, my Lord," I answer promptly, except, that doesn't quite sound proper, so I try again, "I mean, we were not released, my Lord, but I was sent specifically to find you. The King has given me a message to deliver." I think I stumbled once or twice, but am past the point where my ears burn from slips such as that. I reprimand myself silently, but it's unlikely that he'll do so as well.

"Alright, at ease, Squire." Sir Link replies, as at ease with the formality I'm familiar with as he has been since I was first assigned to be his squire the summer before this one. "May I see his Majesty's letter? Or did he want me to come and see him personally?" At this point, my Lord is nearly before me, motioning with his black-gloved hands for us to leave the Temple for the moment, or at least this chamber. I nod my head properly to him before waiting for him to move past the mighty doors and tail him by one or two paces.

"A letter, my Lord." I answer, quickly going towards the pouch at my side; I have a few odds and ends within it; a spool of thread and five needles for wounds, clothing, and minor repairs for gear and such. There are also a flint stone along with a whet one for sharpening blades, as well as a roll of gauze, and a tightly bound pouch of herbs. A small bundle of parchment slips, a tightly capped bottle of ink, a quill with nearly all of its feathery-bits long since tugged off, a second small pouch which contains a few rupees of minour value and finally a thick envelope of creamy paper, stamped with a seal of the Kingdom and handed to me by one of the King's various attendants. It is indeed quiet thick, boasting both various papers being held inside, and the general wealth of the writer.

I grasp this letter posthaste, handing it to my Lord and bowing my head slightly as he takes it. He flips it back and forth for a moment; as if checking for a name or any outward markings aside from the yellow wax seal. Clearly finding none, I watch with as much patience as I can muster as he pushes his thumb under the wax to break it. My Lord receives nearly all of his assignments directly from the king, serving him in a petty light has earned me bragging rights to trump all others.

His blue eyes scan the first of the papers which is held out before him as we stand in the sunlight, still on the white-marble steps leading directly into the Temple. Slowly though, as if moving by memory, he begins to walk again, not missing a single step as I follow with that pace or two of space again. I can count at least two creamy sheets in his hands as he reads, not speaking as even though my Lord is not nearly as formal as most other Knights of Hyrule, he seems to have grown used to my shadowing him. I needn't ask any questions either. Even when his assignments do not involve me or he won't allow me to follow him- and I'm ashamed to say he's outwitted me at least once trying to do something chivalrous. I hadn't thought he'd actually string me up a tree that one time he caught me following him!- My Lord will almost always tell me every detail I ask for both before he leaves and once he returns.

His steps take us past the glittering fountains and ponds of the Temple's grounds, and I can hear the din of the town bazaar begin to pick up, becoming slowly clearer as he continues to read in silence. We navigate the soon bustling crowds of Castle Town square; sunlight shinning off of orange-shingle roofs as the glare of the growing sun nearly gives the white buildings a purple tint. Although one perhaps wouldn't really call it navigating; as it's more simply walking towards his destination without needing watch out for obstacles.

He is recognized quiet easily by his attire, folding the sheets away and back into their envelope with its broken seal and handing it back to me. It's a signal that I may read the words originally meant for his eyes alone, but as I already stated, he doesn't do well to keep secrets like most Knights, nor does my Lord feel the need to shoulder his way through crowds which willingly part for him. It is nothing dramatic such as what were to happens should His Majesty the King appear in the square, nor a more vocal courtier, merely a small bubble which seems to form around my Lord as he moves.

People merely seem inclined to move out of the way by half a step when the green of his outfit appears. I can look towards the faces of the people we pass- not reading the letter yet as I'd likely trip over an uneven cobble or ram into a plant-box by accident-, those faces are as they were a year ago, and as I can assume they were every year before that. People smile when they see my Lord, he offering a nod in return and perhaps a slight wave. My Lord seems almost uncomfortable by the attention though, I've come to notice that quiet easily over past seasons. I don't know if it's so much that he simply wants to disappear, but it's something he just isn't in his element with.

At long last, we begin to leave the noise of the square behind. Moving down road after road and passing by fewer people now. The smiles are lessened at this point as well, only two or three people seen going about their business at any one time, perhaps offering a nod no different than what they would give a passing guard or any other Knight.

I still have yet to open the papers in my hands, in the act of slipping them back into my bag but hesitant at the same time. My Lord has yet to say a word, which is almost un-usual now that we've passed from the crowd. I feel as though it can't mean any good, and chose to speak without being spoken too.

"Is it bad news, M'lord?" I question from behind him, the two of us rounding a slight bend as the ground remains cobbled with blue stones and white mortar, hills however growing around us as the road takes a definite upwards slant.

"Hmm? Bad? Why, it's not bad at all. In fact, you could say that this is the exact opposite of bad." I blink at my Lord's tone of voice, a definite smile in his words as he turns his face to look at me over his shoulder, a grin literally spreading from ear to ear across his face. It's possibly one of the goofiest expressions I've ever seen him wear; if he's going to look so elated when we arrive in the castle, it'll make at least one Pompous Pig curl his tail in disgust.

I'd scrub pots and weed gardens from now until I was a man in my forties if any captain or guardsman, or perhaps even my Lord himself were to hear me repeat the name I've personally given a few less pleasant members of the Royal Court. By their accounts, my Lord and I should switch places, his lack of noble blood where as my father can in fact claim distant relation to the Royal family puts me as my Lord's better.

They don't go so far as to slander him outright, but I've heard attendants of theirs in the kitchens and corridors. The man who saved Hyrule and has done good for other lands as well deserves a few sacks of gold and maybe a plot of land somewhere, his name in a book and a celebration for a few days, and then life should be as it was.

"…we're to be there and greet the caravan at the edge of Zora Territory where they are now, and then escort them to the palace." My Lord's words catch me off by surprise. Oh no, he's been speaking all the while my thoughts have been going off in circles! Now my ears do indeed go red, and I clutch the letter as stiffly as I can without crumpling it, following almost sheepishly now and remaining carefully attuned to my Lord's words.

I don't think he's noticed my lapse however, not having turned around to check, and allowing himself to quiet as we make our way up to the iron gates; the first line of defense on route to the castle. The blue-grey stones are erected in a block manner over and flanking the gates, two guards standing garbed in brown leather, and red tunics- the symbol of the Kingdom and the Golden Power embroidered onto their shoulders in gold thread and stamped into the shields worn on their left arms; short swords hanging from their belt as they salute and allow my Lord and I to enter Castle grounds.

"I'll let you attend to Epona and your own horse, alright, Timothy? Make sure they're well fed tonight and made comfortable, gear in order and such. Oh, and if you get to my bag before I can then remember only to take what we'll need. I have something to attend to first; we're to set out first thing tomorrow morning."

"My Lady?" I call, entering the shaded garden as the day's heat grows a bit stronger. 'Tis only spring, but summer is closing in and already making itself felt. The wisteria vines draped across and twining into the large trellis above my head provide a fair amount of shade in the walled garden here within the confines of the palace. The large water-feature built into the wall of the garden spills from a gargoyle's mouth and into the small brook which leads into a small pond; that then drains into the waterways which connect to the mote and river.

"Oh, where is that girl?" I grumble slightly, having already trekked throughout the castle from her chambers to the library, to the dinning hall, down through her and her father's studies. I've even gone through the growing racket being brought up by everyone working away in the great hall, the massive chamber which leads directly into the castle from the front doors already being strung up with banners and celebratory wreaths. Every inch of the hall from top to bottom is being given a harsh scrub and a good polish, even the massive windows mirroring those in the Temple of Time are being washed down out of season. You'd think this were the first time the castle has seen any sort of welcoming celebration!

"Zelda!" I say with more force this time, allowing my tongue to click against my teeth slightly in impatience as I again hear no answer. She can't honestly be hiding from me, can she? Honestly, at twenty and one years of age that girl shouldn't be playing games! I'm nearly ready to give a good holler this time to be heard before I hear the slight rattle and creek of the wooden door I exited from behind me. I give an about face, curling my hands on my hips and readying a few words of lecture for the Princess, only to have the words fall and my hands drop. This certainly isn't Zelda…

"Good morning to you as well, Impa." Link greets giving an almost sheepish smile at the expression I wore when he turned around. As I relax though and allow my features to calm again he is able to realize it's not him whom I am upset with. Garbed in a deep green cape and his tunic of a similar color although a lighter shade, loose white pants tucking into his black boots. His attire has changed over the years, but at the same time it hasn't at all; regardless, Sir Link certainly cleans up well.

"It's late to be calling it morning, nearly an hour past noon when I last checked." I reply a bit bluntly. My tone isn't to say that I dislike Link; it's quite on the contrary really, I simply now wish that her ladyship had come in with him. "I take it you saw the great hall when you entered, a messenger arrived an hour or so ago. Where have you been all day?"

"Yes, I saw. I was in the Temple early this morning, it seems I lost track of time again. My Squire came in and brought me news though." Lost track again? I swear it is as if both himself and Zelda could lose themselves within that place for the next month and never know more than an hour had passed. Link seems abashed as I needn't point this out to him as he reaches up with one black-gloved hand to rub the base of his neck slightly before speaking again. It's good to hear his Squire is able to tail him though, the Hero of Time was quiet awkward with the idea at first, but seems to be adapting well. "Do you know where Zelda is? His Majesty's sending my Squire and I to escort the caravan to the city, but we'll only be leaving tomorrow morning."

I feel my eyes narrow and my mouth twist slightly with his question, bringing my arms up and folding them as Link's eyes seem to widen slightly in awareness and he takes half a step away, his hands up slightly in front of him as if he thinks I'd attack him. A small boy is able to keep tabs on the man who moves like the wind, but I can't even find the girl I've raised from infancy? Pah!

"Well, please don't let me take up anymore of your time, although if there's still time before I leave then I wouldn't mind speaking with her." Link's voice is light and breezy as he speaks now, his hands falling to his sides easily as he gives me a gentle smile to accompany his words. I nod in response even though I have my own messages to deliver already, one more cannot hurt.

"Leave for where?" I give a slight start despite myself and swiftly turn on my heel towards the voice. And my own words are in the air before I even notice myself preparing for them

"Zelda! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Zelda's sapphire eyes seem nearly unresponsive as she stands a bit farther inside the garden, almost as if touched with the haze of sleep. I can see nothing of the silver hoop placed across her brow this morning as the Princess' slim pale blue gown seems a tad wrinkled as it falls down to her ankles. Is that a bit of dirt along the backside?

"Goodness, child, what have you been doing all morning?" I leave my first question for this second one as my ladyship brings one gloveless hand up slightly to finger-comb a few strands of her blonde hair. It isn't tangled or messy per-say, just how the creases in her dress are few, but that regal air both her and her father normally carry is somewhat diminished at the moment. Clasped in her left hand I can see the silver hoop I'd thought was missing, along with a small book with a thick purple ribbon tucked between its pages, her long white gloves also held alongside the book and tiara. Pressed into the back of her left hand at her side holding these trinkets is a triangular marking, one which normally looks like a strangely darker patch across her skin, but which seems to sparkle slightly when hit with the correct light.

"I'm sorry, Impa." She replies; her other hand at last falling from her hair as I finish my second question. Stepping away from Link I make my towards her, taking the items she's holding so that she doesn't need to burden herself with them. Zelda shakes her head slightly even as she relinquishes them, retaining her gloves however and beginning to tug them on almost moodily. She motions for me to give her the tiara after she's finished with the gloves, and I snort slightly before complying, allowing her to set the hoop gently across her brow to crown her golden tresses. At last though, her ladyship seems ready to speak.

"I meant to come out to read," She explains, although it could also be taken as her merely coming up with excuses for vanishing, "But in the heat and listening to the water, I only woke up when I heard the both of you speaking. Now." Looking away from me as she seems finished speaking to me at least, I allow my eye brows both to climb steadily up my head in surprise. She seems to have her attention solely on Link now; did she just brush me off?

"What were you saying about leaving?" She questions, taking a few steps past me and towards the green-clad hero as he folds one arm under his chest and makes a noticeable bow. "It's for nothing dangerous I would hope." Oho, a dangerous game to play, Link knows full well I have business with Zelda, but doesn't so much as spare me a glance as she speaks to him! Thin ice, boy!

"I should hope it isn't dangerous either, nor should I be gone very long, perhaps only a day or two, three at the most." They are ignoring me! I don't know whether to laugh or shout at the pair, the Hero's arm coming out slightly for the Princess to take and rest her hand on as they start to move back towards the door leading inside. Zelda turns her head back over her shoulder and smiles slightly with a nod as well, whereas I give them both a level look as I cross my arms beneath my bosom.

"Hold a moment, Sir Link!" I quickly call as they both look away again as if to continue on still, adding a bit of emphasis to his title to bring them to a slight pause again. "Before whisking a young woman off like that, you allow her nurse to speak!" Their arms drop as they both grow a slightly abashed look; I would laugh at them save that Link speaks before the moment is through. Shaking his head slightly of all things he then looks at me as if confused.

"Whisking? Why, Impa, I would have you know that I would never dream of such a thing! Nor would I be so affront with her Majesty." He calls, holding one gloved hand up as if to still any argument I might raise to him, and bowing exaggeratedly towards Zelda as he calls upon her title. I don't plan to interrupt however, wanting to hear what he has to say this time around, but growing more certain at his growing enthusiasm that he is beyond formalities at this point and is sinking into tomfoolery.

"Why, take a moment at least to gaze upon the Princess's features." He earns himself a raised brow from Zelda at this, but she merely folds her arms in a stance mimicking my own, one foot slipping out from under her skirts to tap slightly upon the ground as she listens closely before he takes her arm as if for inspection.

"So skinny she is!" He exclaims, holding her hand gently by the wrist as if holding it to the sun to inspect it. "Princess, you do eat your meals, correct? Why, should a man do as your nurse suggests, coming to you and seeking to sweep your off your feet, I fear that to rough a touch could snap your fair self in two!" He makes to grimace at her state, shaking his head as if disappointed or worried, and I bite my upper lip to keep a smile from growing at this point. Zelda merely pulls her wrist back and makes to brush it off, as though his touch had soiled the glove before looking to me with a sigh.

"Honestly, Impa, do I not deserve more credit than that though?" She questions, before it is her turn to berate the knight in much the same comedic manner as he was her a moment before. "A man more fit to be a clown than a knight? Look! His cap is more fitting for a witch if it were strung up with wire!" She shakes her head in a manner similar to what he was her as he brings one hand up and fists it as if holding a knife, plunging it into his breast as she speaks, although fighting weak laughter it seems.

"You give me cruel words to meet my own of concern, Princess!" He whines, pouting to her slightly as her arms are again folded and she looks him up and down once before looking to me again and walking my way with a tender sigh.

"Enough, you two, enough." I say, raising my hand not burdened with her book to pat the air slightly to keep the banter from continuing any farther. "Zelda," I then call, motioning for her to continue coming my way as Link swiftly seems to move away by a few paces, finding himself at the edge of the water with surprising speed, but still managing to keep his motions from being overly obvious.

"Zelda," I repeat, her face seeming alight as I can see the wheels in her head turning to come up with the words for the next round sure to come about after I am gone, but until they go off on their own I want her to hear my words first. She leans in closer to me slightly and I hold her hand with my free one before I speak.

"Princess, your father asks that you dine with him tonight," This was my second message really, but is the first of importance. Zelda's father is good to her, but his Majesty is a busy man. "We have guests arriving in a few days as well, Sir Link can tell you more about them of course. Be sure to wash up well for this evening though, I'll have something nice set out for you to wear. Do you understand?" Zelda seems to pause slightly at the mention of her dinner arrangements, but simply nods to me in understanding before smiling slightly.

"My thanks, Impa; I'll be there of course." As she speaks I bring her gloved hand up a bit more to place a kiss on the knuckles of her left hand, a simple sign of fealty and loyalty to her. We both smile and nod before I release her hand, and she moves quickly back towards where Link is still standing, trying his hardest it seems not to listen in whilst amusing himself with one of my lady's vines which climbs up the castle wall next to the gargoyles which spew the water to feed the garden itself.

"Guests?" I hear her ask, the two of them taking one another's arm and leaving the garden now with little more than a passing glance back at me before the door in the wall opens and closes once more with them gone. Looking up slightly along the castle's grey-blue walls, my eyes pause upon one of the few windows which stare down into the garden. There weren't always windows there actually, if memory serves they were added when the Queen stood at his Majesty's side so that her gardens could still be seen even when they could not be enjoyed. Regardless, I can almost see someone standing there, but whoever it is can see me looking at them…? The shadow vanishes abruptly, perhaps merely someone standing by the window. No matter.

My eyes instead find themselves wandering this small haven. The garden is once again as quite as when I entered it, and I feel almost nostalgic as a result. My hard-soled shoes tap against the stone pathway along the grass further into the garden as I move through it once. Coming back to the doorway, I pause in the same place Link stood, gently fingering one of the leaves of the bud-less rose vine.

Yes, even bud-less in the heat of spring and early summer. Most of the garden is already in bloom, some even finished for the season. The other roses are all alive with colour and fragrance, but not this one wall. The leaves are velvety and so green they're nearly blue, fitting, for something said to bloom blue roses. It is more carefully tended than most any other plant within this garden, but it has been many years since last I saw a blossom upon it. Zelda has never seen it flower.

Her mother did though; t'was the late Queen who in fact planted it, pruned and watered it with her own hands to not half the size it is now. It is a labour of love Zelda took on at an early age. But every year then it would bloom brilliant blue roses, sometimes as large as a head of cabbage in good years, others, small enough to be used in letters. But although Zelda's care for this vine rivals that of her mother's, although she loves it just as dearly, it has never once flowered for the princess.

"Oh, Majesty…" I breathe, my words faint as a gentle breeze rustles the garden softly. The Hylian sounds of my voice almost seem to echo on the wind as well, words more formal than what I spoke before.

"Tis as if thy roses still mourn as thy husband…"

To clarify, this story runs on a timeline saying that the events of OoT take place when Link is roughly 12, MM when he's 13, and the Oracle games occur when he's 15-ish. At 16 he moved into Hyrule Castle, and it's been 5 years since he did that. Both he and Zelda are now 21.

Input? I would prefer to use Impa from the Oracle games since Zelda needs more of a mother than a body-guard in this story, but I'd still like feed-back before making any final decisions.

Also note this: I have completed up to mid-way through chapter three already, however, they were written on another computer, and due to a certain virus, I am currently re-typing them all using printed versions. They're basically the same except for a few word changes etc, but this mainly means that they're delayed by quiet a bit right now. So it's not my fault if next chapter is slow!