Royal Rebel 4 ~ The Return

Chapter 1: New Princess

The light from the early rising sun shone into the windows of the King and Queen's bedroom and began illuminating the shadows cast upon it in the night. A soft hum emitted from the queen's throat as the radiance began to inch up the royal blue duvet that was neatly draped over her and the rest of the king-sized bed; the corners tucked into the sides of the mattress, covering the white silk sheets beneath it.

The child that slept peacefully in her arms shifted slightly, making little noises as she stretched out a bit. Her mother yawned and rested her head against the pillows piled up behind her. She looked over at the light blue curtains hiding the glass doors that led to her balcony, wishing she could get up to get a fresh breath of air but the rest of her body refused.

She had been laying there, dozing in and out for the past hour waiting for her husband to return from his meeting with the Royal Administration. Preparations for the ceremony that celebrated the birth of the new princess, she supposed.

Finally, the doors to her quarters were opened, but by then she was already asleep again. It was the closing of the double quartz doors that woke her, and she glanced over with a soft smile on her lips as a crystal glass of water was set down on the nightstand beside her.

"Goodmorning," Link whispered as he placed a kiss on her cheek, gently moving a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "How are you feeling, my love?"

"Better," Zelda answered quietly, any louder and her voice would have sounded hoarse. "I'm a bit thirsty." Link grabbed the water from the nightstand and helped her take a drink, and after he put it back down he walked to the balcony doors and pulled the curtains apart, allowing more light into their room.

"Here." Link reached out for his daughter, and he carefully lifted her from Zelda's arms, hoping to not wake her. He gently rocked her, studying all the little features on her face. "She's precious."

He smiled as her blue eyes opened slowly, mirroring his. He sat down near Zelda, who reached out to touch his shoulder- letting her hand slowly run down his arm.

"She definitely has your ears." Link chuckled as he traced his finger along the point of the princess's ear, and then he did the same around his wife's, who giggled and moved her head to escape the tickling sensation. In seeing her parent's smiling, the baby smiled too, reaching up to them.

"She has your smile." She whispered, and Link grinned proudly as he leaned over to touch his nose with that of his daughter's, and then he softly kissed her forehead. "She also reminds me of someone..." Zelda hummed as she stretched her arms out before resting them again on her lap. She watched as the baby wrapped her tiny hand around Link's finger, and he looked back at her.

"Mmm, probably her very charming father, yes?" He inquired proudly as the princess began sucking on his finger, using both hands now to hold it.

"No, someone else." Link set her down on the other side of the bed before kissing her forehead, and she reached up for him as he moved back to Zelda and pulled her covers off her and helped her up.

"Be careful." He said as she sat up and turned herself around, and with a gentle tug of her arms, she slid off and her feet met with the soft white carpet beneath the bed. She quickly grabbed Link's arms to keep her stable, and he placed his hands on her back. "If there's anyone you think my daughter could look like more than me, I'd like to know who."

"Well, she obviously looks the most like me," The queen snickered, amused with the eyeroll she recieved from her husband. "But it's not that. I can see a little of all my family in her, yet something about the way she looks at us reminds me of _____."

Link glanced over at their daughter, who was now taste testing her own hand. She looked up at him, and he started to see what Zelda saw in her.

"I suppose now that you mention it, she does look a little like _____."