The Change
Autumn had come.
It was in the dizzying spirals of the leaves, red and orange and golden, as they danced on the wind that carried in the first stark tendrils of chill air. It was in the smell of things, the crispness, the fat orange pumpkins that sat around Castletown at marketplace stalls. It was in the laughter of the children as they chased each other through the streets, waving streamers hailing the coming of the changing of seasons. It was in the way the skies were crisp and blue and clear.
The Queen of Hyrule had dressed in red to match the leaves and left her tiara at the palace. She was taking the weekend off: "for mental health reasons" she'd said.
"I'm going to go on a ride around the country and clear my head in the cold autumn air."
"That isn't safe, highness," murmured one of her portly chancellors from beneath a bushy white mustache. At this, Zelda smiled.
"As long as it isn't mentioned, nobody will know I was gone, and if I don't wear anything bearing the royal symbol, nobody will know it is me. I'll take a sword, too, so I'll hardly be defenseless- and, these are times of peace. I won't be attacked."
Nothing they had said could sway her.
She galloped along through the countryside, reveling in the abandon of her skirts and cloak flying in the wind and the frigid slap of air across her cheeks, eyes watering with the wind and cold, happy to be released from her consuming life at the palace; the worries, the pain, the frustration and the loneliness abated as she rode. When she tired, she slowed her great black stallion, sweating a little, pink-cheeked with exhiliration and distinctly mussed. She took a moment to gather her bearings- she was in Southern Hyrule field, just beyond the edges of Ordon. For a moment, her hands stilled on the reigns of her horse. With an uncertain glance, she gazed over her shoulder at the rosy peak of Death Mountain in the distance, golden hair blowing in the breeze as a flash of sunset colored leaves blew past her face; she'd intended to put down for the night in Kakariko, but the woods with their vibrant hues and tantalizing birdsong seemed so inviting...
Nudging her stallion gently onward, the Queen of Hyrule rode as a stranger into Ordon.
The woods were peaceful and picturesque; Zelda felt as though she had ridden into an ancient and timeless, magical place. The birds were singing, but even their song only seemed to add to the feeling of silence and peace. Small forest creatures darted to and fro in the leaves, which crunched under the feet of her great ebony horse and rained down from the treetops, brushing her cheeks like strawberry goldenrod kisses and catching in the loose locks of her hair. The day was not too warm, though the sun was out, and despite the mild chill, Zelda found herself reveling in her temporary freedom.
She rounded a turn in the path and found herself looking out at spirit's spring, and she crossed her left arm over her bosom, bowing from her horse, showing her respect for the guardian of the forest. As Zelda did this, the wind in the trees seemed to sigh and the water rippled merrily. Satisfied that she'd paid her respects, she gently moved on.
She continued for a while longer through the peaceful woods, passing by a small, abandoned cabin, over a long bridge and past another spirit's spring. As she rode, her thoughts wandered... she thought for a moment on the beauty of Hyrule, and then the joy that she held that Hyrule was safe once more. This, in turn, led to thoughts of Link, the hero.... she wondered where he had gone after the final battle, for he'd all but vanished. A spear of loneliness shot through her at the thought of his absence, but she shook it off with masterful control.
"You never really knew him, and he never knew you," she chided herself. "You didn't lose anything."
Looking around, she knew she was in Ordon now; the trees were startling shades of red and gold, unparalleled in their beauty, pure and beautiful as the province in whose soil they took root. She looked at the forest before her and saw a clearing of sorts up ahead- it was the town, and just as well, she thought, for the sun would go down in a little over an hour. Already, the shadows had drawn long as the coming of winter had altered the life of the sun's light.
