Arranged marriage (Zelda AU)

Arrivals.

Hours pass by, scenery surrounds us and I feel incredibly out of place. The journey has been relatively quiet. The only conversing that has occurred has been between Aryll and Queen Cia, where Aryll has been asking questions like 'how long do we have left' and 'i'm bored'. She reminds me of my siblings, it's cute.

I spend most of my time gazing out the window. Hytopia is north of Hyrule, so we passed through Akkala, which I've always found to be a beautiful region. We pass by the castle in which my aunt Mineru lives with her family. I only saw them very briefly yesterday, so they're in my thoughts.

A few more hours pass of the same kind of thing, and we eventually arrive in Hytopia. The kingdom appears a lot like Hyrule, but it doesn't feel like Hyrule. It's a weird feeling.

Link is quiet. I wonder what he's thinking. I wonder if he's angry I'm here. I wouldn't blame him. It's almost like I'm invading his personal space, but of course not out of choice.

I still can't believe I'm married. I have a husband. I'm a wife. Life isn't real right now.

I wonder how things are back at home. Actually, it isn't my home anymore. It's just my home kingdom. But I hope everything is okay.

I'm still hurt by my parents being so apathetic since they informed me of the situation. I could hardly recognize them. It was all strange.

But after all of my disorganized thoughts, we finally arrive at the Castle. I feel rather tired after the journey which lasted a few hours. But this is my new home. We all exit the carriage and we are welcomed inside.

The castle's interior is vastly modern and grand. The red carpets occupy the floor with their golden outline. The high rising ceiling with golden chandeliers match each other perfectly. The walls are decorated with large portraits and two in particular catch my attention; one of which appears to be Link's grandparents when they were younger- they look very regal and determined, and the other is a family portrait of Link, his parents and his sisters. It reminds me of the one of my family.

7 women walk towards me, following Queen Cia. I wonder what is about to happen.

"Zelda, these are your ladies in waiting." She tells me, answering my confusion. "They will be here to assist you in many of your daily tasks, help remind you of events and provide you with both support and assistance."

"Alright, thank you, your majesty." I thank her timidly. I feel like I'm invading her home and don't feel completely welcomed and settled in yet. So I'm just being as polite as possible.

Queen Cia smiles, "Of course," She replies to my words. "Now, they're going to escort you to your closet and are going to help you get dressed."

"Alright." Is all I say, before she leaves and then we all make our way upstairs.

I, of course, don't know the way around the castle yet as I've quite literally just arrived. We arrive and I'm met with a grand and beautiful room, filled with clothes and accessories. This is absolutely stunning. A wave of excitement falls over me. This is more extravagant than the one I had at home.

"Princess, it is an honour to serve you." One of the women starts, pulling my attention to her. "My name is Ashai, and these are Anju, Isha, Laissa, Amira, Saria and Lasli." She introduces them all to me with gestures to show me who is who and they all bow in unison.

"It's lovely to meet you all." I say in reply, bowing my head back.

"Likewise, your highness." Isha says politely.

"Now, it is our duty to dress you accordingly to the kingdom's clothing." Ashai tells me and I nod as I'm aware that every kingdom has traditional clothing that must be worn by royals and sometimes the nobility. However in Hyrule, the rule is much less harsh with the nobility; they're only required to wear such clothing on occasions such as weddings and in court.

"Of course." I say in reply, though I'm going to miss the royal blue of Hyrule.

"As I'm sure you're already aware, Hytopia's colours consist of red, white and gold." Ashai states, "So we're here to dress you accordingly to those colours. As you can see, there are many dresses to choose from here, let's choose a dress which you favor." She says and I nod.

We then proceed to observe the large selection of dresses until I choose one I like, which doesn't take long as there isn't a dress in there that I don't like.

"This is the one you'd like to wear, your highness?" Laissa asks, her and Amira holding out the dress.

"Indeed. It's rather beautiful." I say admiring the details and everything about it.

"It is beautiful, though it will look even more beautiful on you." Anju comments kindly and I can't help but smile.

"That is so kind of you, Anju, thank you." I thank her for her kind words gratefully.

"Alright, let's get you dressed." Saria says and then the seven of them help dress me. I must say, I've always felt slightly uncomfortable with other people seeing me so... exposed. But I know they aren't going to judge me. It's their job. And I'm also sure that they're used to this by now.

Once the dress is on, I gaze in the mirror and the others stand around me, with adoring looks on their faces.

"Princess, you look so beautiful." Lasli comments clasping her hands together.

"Red suits you perfectly." Amira smiles.

"You look perfect." Isha adds.

"You're all too kind." I say smiling, flustered. All these compliments are too much for me to take, I've never felt so special in my life. In Hyrule, I've never had any ladies in waiting, since in most kingdoms, you don't get any until you're married. Which is of course the case here.

"It's time to add the finishing touches of accessories." Ashai announces and of course, the rest of the ladies agree. They all assist me with my jewelry and shoes, as well as fix my hair.

"Perfect, your highness." Anju says as they finish. "You're ready for the kingdom!" She exclaims.

"I certainly feel ready now." I smile gently.

"You're going to fit in perfectly, you are such a pretty young woman with an equally beautiful personality. The kingdom is going to adore you." Saria tells me sweetly.

"Certainly. You're the light of the kingdom. Much like Princess Styla." Lasli tells me.

"Yes, you're the new Styla. Your personality and aura matches that of hers." Isha explains. "The Prince, if not already, will be madly in love with you."

That caught me off guard. Link madly in love with me? He hardly shows any emotion, I find that hard to imagine.

I just giggle at their comments, not knowing how to reply to that.

"Alright, now you're all ready, it's time for you to begin your duties for today." Ashai tells me.

My duties? I forgot about that. I wonder what is going to happen next.