All the things she said (Zelink/Pre-BotW Story)

Chapter 10: Death

Hyrule Castle

"Well, I think that sums it up very well; it makes a lot of sense all things considered, and I think everyone is okay and happy with this agreement, right?" King Rhoam looks around to see if anyone disagrees, but everyone is nodding their heads. Except for Aryll; she was allowed to look at the Castle instead of attending this meeting. There was no point in her being there anyway.

"Great, then once again, congratulations, Link. We are very happy for you and very proud. We wish you the best of luck, and we will surely see each other again soon."

"Thank you too, Your Highness, I will do my very best."

"Good, then I wish you a safe and fast journey home, and we will be looking forward to the next time we see each other again."

Rhoam looks at Patrick with a smile on his face. "Yes, Rhoam, thank you for letting us stay here, and we are available whenever you need us."

Rhoam takes a final look at Patrick, Link, and Kathrine before they get up and leave the room. The family is now waiting for the Guards to fetch Aryll and will then head to the stables to get their Horses and make their way home.

After exiting through the Gates of Hyrule City, the family looks back at the Castle one last time.

Aryll is the first to speak, "So what were you guys doing in that room?"

Patrick responds, "Well, we were discussing the future role of Link in the Kingdom. Being the Hero of Hyrule carries a lot of responsibilities."

"And what does Link have to do now?"

"Well, why don't you ask Link himself?"

Aryll looks at Link. "Hm, so as far as I understood it, not much changes. I will be given the rank of a Royal Guard, but I won't have to attend the normal Royal Guard duties. I will have to practice every day and work on my skills with the Master Sword and study the Art of War."

"But you have been doing that for your entire life. I thought you would get to do something cool now." Aryll pouts.

"Training is cool, but also whenever there is an emergency or an apparent threat, I am called to the Castle to protect the Kingdom. Kind of like Dad, but I will probably be called less often than him since they want to make sure I am safe and secure."

"Sounds okay; that means you aren't gone as often as Dad, which I like."

"Yes, I like that too Aryll."

Patrick and Kathrine smile at each other; they are happy with the children they have raised and very proud of both of them.

Soon they would arrive home and follow their everyday lives as usual.

4 years in the future.

Link and his Family are called to the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth. She has died from a disease no one could identify. The whole family is shocked by the news and they instantly get ready for their trip to the Castle. They waste no time and travel to the Castle the same day and arrive there late in the evening, the day before the funeral.

They don't see any members of the Royal Family, they're not greeted like usual, and the City is cold and quiet. It is different than any other time they were there. Link remembers the last time he was there. There were bright colors and happy citizens everywhere; now every soul on the street seems empty and scared. No one looks at them or even acknowledges them. Until they are greeted by a maid in the Castle. There they are separated and brought to their rooms.

Link rests the Master Sword against a wall next to his bed. The last time he was in this room, he still remembers all the red and golden carpets surrounding him and making this place feel alive; now all there is, is the fireplace. It's the only warm feature not just in this room but in the whole city of Hyrule.

Link soon falls asleep from his long and tiring trip to Hyrule. He knows that the next day will be an emotional one, so he tries to prepare himself mentally.

The next morning, he is greeted by a maid bringing him his Royal Guard suit. It was slightly adjusted to be black instead of blue. Link quickly gets dressed and goes outside to be greeted by his family in a Hall. They all wear black-themed clothes, and his father wears the same outfit as Link.

Everything still seems gray and dark; the halls are empty and quiet, only filled with the sound of the family. Kathrine and Patrick were asked to carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth; they were still very close with the Royal Family. Alongside Kathrine and Patrick, Impa and the Royal Musician were asked to carry the coffin as well, while Rhoam and Zelda walked behind it. Behind them are Link and Aryll next to a tall Gerudo woman. Link has seen Gerudo fans before but they never one this muscular. Behind them were other Guards and Maids from Hyrule Castle. On the left and right were Soldiers and members of the Royal Guard holding banners and flags of Hyrule.

Citizens were watching, with tears in their eyes. You can hear bells ringing in the background. Not a single soul dared to speak nor had anyone anything to say. Everyone was stunned by the Queen's sudden death.

Link looks around; over the last few years, he has become more and more aware of all of his surroundings and the body language of the people around him. He's gotten a good understanding of human behavior and what it says about their inner feelings and thoughts. And when he looked ahead of himself he was very unsure of what he was seeing or rather why he was seeing what he was seeing. The princess seems so unbothered. The way he knows Princess Zelda she would be anything but unbothered by the death of her mother but for some reason, the Princess seems like she has no thoughts or feelings in her right now. Maybe she doesn't, maybe all that is happening feels surreal to her and happens too fast for her to fully grasp.

The speechlessness of the Kingdom becomes increasingly obvious when there isn't any speech. Only the grave is lowered into the grave, all just stand there and pay their respect. All bowed their head, and all soldiers and royal guard got on their knees, except for Link and his father. They were allowed to stand since they were part of the family.

Link sees the tall Gerudo woman go and hug Princess Zelda, but the Princess just hugs her back but still doesn't express any emotions. After Link's family lay their flowers onto the Queen's grave and kneel in front of her one last time.

When Link leaves her grave he realizes, the Queen is dead.

And he remembers a saying.

"Time and unexpected events overtake all of us."