Chapter Text
Link and Ferdie cleaned up while Zelda comforted Mirai in the baths. Eventually they were joined by Link and Saria, who continued her argument with Mirai. Through some good natured roughhousing, Link was able to calm Saria down enough so she could talk to Mirai without trying to kill her or yell at her again. Zelda and Link were both amazed that Saria held so much anger in her, but Link knew she got that from him. He still remembered how he attacked Edwin at the end of the tourney.
Though Ferdie was fortunately absent to not get worked up about seeing his sisters so angry at each other, he unfortunately was elsewhere making his own trouble. He had found a cucco within Kakariko and stoked its ire. But Link - brave and in the buff still from the bath - managed to save Ferdie– but not without sustaining a few injuries of his own. Injuries which he very vocally complained about to Zelda as she patched him up.
But the girls had managed to settle their differences and the five of them managed to get a good night's sleep, made even better by a bit of magic by Ferdie boosted by Saria, who managed to combine three of the beds so the five of them could sleep together. Zelda had had the pleasure of sleeping snuggled up to Link while Saria slept with pressed into her back, Zelda holding Mirai’s hand and Ferdie sleeping on Link’s chest where she could feel him through Link. And as Zelda woke first in the morning, she got the joy of watching and listening to her family snooze around her.
Now, her family was awake and heading back to the castle. As she rode with Mirai behind her on her mount, Link now having Saria riding behind him and Ferdie squished between him and the saddle horn on Epona, Zelda had a lot to think about. Her children and Link were excitedly talking about different things, sometimes fussing and arguing before Link settled them down or laughing. Zelda, being an only child, thought it was interesting to see the three of them interact, but it made her heart happy. She didn’t want this to end…
But she did have to look towards the future. Leaving her family to talk, she thought about a plan. She already knew what was coming, but the severity of her emotions after seeing Link so hurt honestly scared her. She had already vowed to Link, herself, and her children that she would never become the woman from those visions, but she wanted to make sure. She didn’t fully trust herself to do something that she would regret, but luckily for Zelda, she had a warning of what was to come. And unlike the last time she received a vague vision from the future about what was coming, Zelda knew the stakes and she knew what to do about it.
Back at the castle, Zelda easily waved Ferdie away as another Holodrum royal. The Holodrum royal family had far too many children and royal relations. So when Zelda sent word that she had another one, they didn’t doubt her. Once again, Zelda felt sorry for the Holodrum royals. She hoped they were much more content in their personal lives and it was just the court or the messengers she kept getting that did not pay that close attention.
But on the way from Kakariko, she had tried to make a plan. An unknown zealot would kill Nabooru and that seemed the start of all the problems. Zelda didn’t want Nabooru to die for several reasons. Despite the difficulties between the Gerudo and Hyrule, Zelda had tried to maintain a good relationship with the Sage of Spirit and for the most part, she had succeeded. She had told Nabooru she was the Sage of Time, as a way to connect, but, of course, as a fellow sage, Nabooru had already known.
But Zelda was unsure how far her relationship would take her when faced with this news. Sage to sage, Zelda was fairly certain she could convince Nabooru that her visions from the future were not the ramblings of the insane or paranoid, nor were they fanciful dreams taken with too much merit. But even so, Zelda didn’t really know how best to explain how she knew or how to convince Nabooru to act or even accept her help. Or even what was fully going on.
Despite the Hylian occupation, Zelda had tried to leave - and force her father - the Gerudo to take care of their own. They were being watched, but they were not being told they had curfews or were restricted from living their lives. Her father wanted to mettle into their affairs more than once (he had wanted to enforce martial law and set up strict rules and guidelines for the people of Gerudo Town to follow) but Zelda had kept him out for knowledge a move like that would only breed even more animosity between their people. Zelda still prayed for peace and putting the boot at their neck was not the way to do it.
But now that Zelda knew what was to come, she thought that perhaps it was time to at least learn what was happening and if not be involved in their politics, at least be aware of them completely. So once she was home and had Ferdie settled into the Bourne estate with his sisters, she went looking for Nabooru.
Within the Gerudo ambassador suite, she found it mostly empty except for Aveil sitting beside a roaring fire. Zelda wasn’t surprised she was inside where it was warm - she was from the desert after all, and Hyrule was fast approaching Winter. Aveil turned and smiled at Zelda as she approached. Zelda nodded to her politely. “Sav’otta,” Zelda said. “Is Nabooru around?”
“Sav'aaq, Princess. Sav'aaq. It’s after noon.” Aveil chuckled. “And sadly, my dear Ruru is not here right now. She had to return to Gerudo Town on urgent business, leaving me ‘holding down the fort’, as you say.” She shrugged idly. “It strikes me– Geru’hala literally means ‘Gerudo Town’ in your tongue, and you call your city ‘Castle Town’. Neither one of our people are very creative with the names, are we?”
Zelda chuckled. She wasn’t in any place to comment, given her Sheikah alter ego. She gestured to the chair across from Aveil. “May I sit?” she asked politely.
“By all means! I’m doing very little other than sitting here, wishing I could be drinking the alcoholic variant of this noble pursuit! Company would be welcome!” She reached over, grabbing the jug sitting nearby. “Speaking of which, would you like a glass?”
“I would love some,” Zelda said with a smile, taking a seat across from Aveil. As Aveil poured them both a drink, Zelda very carefully folded her hand in her lap. “It is funny you mention Gerudo Town, or Geru’hala, as you call it. I actually wanted to speak to Nabooru about it, but I’m sure, if you’re willing, you are more than capable of answering my questions.”
“Soft g, and you want to emphasize the L.” Aveil replied with a grin. Zelda nodded to her, making a mental note. “We pronounce it ‘geh-roo-hey-La’, not ‘jeh-roo-halla’”. She chuckled to herself as she handed Zelda a drink. “I love pointing out the differences in our languages.” She leaned forward, sipping her drink. “But I would answer anything you need to know– from what sort of fashion is in vogue to what products are popular among vai at our… specialty shops.”
Zelda elected to ignore the euphemism and instead just smiled at Aveil a little more seriously. “I appreciate the clarification,” Zelda said genuinely. “I want to make sure I am speaking your tongue correctly. But as it stands, I was curious about Gerudo politics.” Zelda kept her face into a relaxed smile as her eyes became serious. “You said Nabooru was called back to Geru’hala for something urgent?”
Aveil sighed lightly. “Yes, there was a… protest against the Hylian occupation. Ruru had to go and ensure that it remained peaceful. As you can guess, tensions are a bit high.”
Zelda’s smile turned sympathetic. “Yes, I know that your people are uneasy about the occupation. I admit that it does not fully sit right with me either,” she said as she took a sip of her drink. It was very strong, but Zelda didn’t flinch. But she did drink it slowly. “But it keeps my father from ordering a march that I think our people would like even less.”
“Mm. ‘A good compromise leaves everyone mad’, correct?” Aveil asked with a chuckle. “I believe that was one of your namesakes that said that.”
“That is actually one from Holodrum, but we picked it up,” Zelda said with a smile. “I am hoping that, once I take the throne, that cooler heads might prevail and we can remove the soldiers that march in Geru’hala.”
“Ah, that would be a wonderful dream…” Aveil sighed happily, leaning back in her chair as she took another sip of her drink. “I suspect the Gerudo people are amenable to peace as a whole, but they find themselves easily led astray, as we see with the attack on your king.” She shook her head sadly. "The occupation as it stands now is a necessary evil. Twice now the Gerudo have tried to take the life of your king, and twice now, we have been defeated in our attempt.” She laid one hand across her chest, dropping her forehead to touch her wrist, a gesture to express her relief. “Cho'lunna for that, by the way. Our people have had a difficult several few decades, between crop failures, Ganondorf, and the lingering resentment from his actions and his punishment."
Aveil leaned back, her hands behind her head. "Do I like the occupation? No, of course not. But I recognize that, sadly, this is the best we can hope for at the moment. One day, I hope we can be allies- true and permanent, with no lingering anger. But until that golden day comes, I will grin and bear this, knowing my people live on because of it.”
Zelda listened to Aveil speak with an understanding smile. She took another small sip of her drink as she waited for the woman to finish before she carefully spoke herself. “I find myself of a similar opinion. Though I know we bear some of the responsibility for stoking the anger of your people with brandishing Link like a hot iron before a chained beast. But the people would not rest if Father did not take some sort of action. I am hoping that, with this time since the attack and with my wedding and coronation, the people might… relax. And we can look to that peace.”
“Nabooru would probably take issue with your ‘caged beast’ analogy.” Aveil smirked, “But I understand your meaning. Our peoples have both been at each other’s throats, and the cooler heads are all that have kept things from boiling over.” She shrugged, sighing to herself. “It’s a shame. I, myself, would love to live in this Castle Town with Ruru. It seems to be a lovely place to raise a child.”
Zelda smiled a little more sincerely at Aveil’s words. “Well, if you would like to purchase a home in Castle Town, I would be happy to help you with that. I know that the castle can be stuffy and overbearing, so if you would like to stay somewhere close but not in the castle itself, I am sure we could arrange something for you and Ruru.” Zelda’s smile deepened slightly. “I can attest that walking through Castle Town with a child is very pleasant.”
Aveil giggled, then transitioned into laughter, then doubled over, banging her fist on the table with tears streaming down her face, with Zelda looking completely perplexed. “I’m sorry, it’s just… to our people, calling someone by a nickname indicates you are in an intimate relationship with them as well!” She kept laughing, Zelda trying to contain her blush as she made a polite look of embarrassment at her faux pas, until Aveil fell out of her chair, rolling on the ground. “See, this is why diplomacy is so hard…” She said, picking herself up and wiping at her eyes. “Cultural norms are very difficult to navigate…”
“Indeed…” Zelda said, sighing in her chair as she watched Aveil stand. “I apologize. I had forgotten myself, as you kept using the nickname you had given Nabooru. It is too informal of me even if it did not have such a connotation in Gerudo customs.”
“Oh, do relax a bit, Princess. I found it funny and charming, and most any Gerudo would as well. We know that Hylians have different norms and language quirks.” Aveil reached over, grinning, and squeezed Zelda’s shoulder. “For instance, many of our people accidentally say ‘I’m sexy’ when they mean ‘I’m hot’.”
Zelda laughed. She was still in her court mindset but she tried to take herself out of it. Hard to do, however, when she did come in here with a purpose. But she smiled at Aveil still. “At any rate, my offer still stands. If you and Nabooru wish to find a home in Castle Town, I would be happy to assist in any way that I can.”
“Well, perhaps I will take you up on that offer.” Aveil replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “We have been looking to get a vacation home… or a getaway home, so to speak.”
Zelda nodded and then gave a small chuckle. “I understand completely. I myself am looking for a small vacation home away from the castle, somewhere near the southern border. A little “forest getaway,” for me and my own betrothed.” Zelda chuckled. “It is good to get away from it all sometimes.”
“Mm.” Aveil hummed quietly, nodding to herself. “Sadly, I think our ‘getaway’ home may end up being a touch more literal than yours.” She sighed deeply, tossing the rest of her drink back. “There is a… troublemaker, we will say, who has been trying to incite our people against yours. Nabooru went to monitor the protest so she could hopefully curtail this troublesome person’s influence.”
“Oh?” Zelda said in polite interest. “What kind of troublemaker?” she asked. She made sure not to ask too much or show too much interest. If Zelda had learned anything from her time at court that if you give people an opportunity and a sympathetic ear, most will open up about anything. All Zelda had to do is give them the chance.
“The dangerous kind.” Aveil said, growing deadly serious. “The kind that is charismatic, plays on the desperate, and appeals to a sense of lost glory. The kind that hungers for an enemy.” She poured herself another drink but didn’t take a sip, merely staring at the liquid in the glass. “She is… she seemed to be nothing more than a popular malcontent, but… she has gotten so much support recently. She scares me, Zelda. All it takes is one bad moment, and…” She shook the glass, letting a slosh of juice splash onto the table. “Blood can be spilled.”
Zelda looked at Aveil with the same level of seriousness. “I see,” Zelda said simply. “I would very much like to avoid any blood being spilled,” she said as she took out her handkerchief and dabbed at the spilled juice. “So I wonder…” she looked back to Aveil, “what does Nabooru intend to do with this malcontent?”
“That is the problem.” Aveil replied, sipping at her drink gently. “She is generally harmless– she does not directly urge violence or anything like that. But I know her type. Ganondorf was her type. The witches were her type… she is carefully building her power up, waiting to be sure she can take that step… but until she does, we cannot justify action– and I fear Nabooru and I will be her first target.”
Zelda swirled her drink in her glass as she thought of her words carefully. Though she would have rather have told this to Nabooru directly, she was all too aware of having a lack of dates. Her children, for understandable reasons, had not paid much attention or looked much into what led to the attack that made their time so grim. She knew the basics they knew, but there was a mess in lack of dates. They could use simple math to calculate what year the attack was in, but the events leading up to it were far outside of the scope they would have been able to understand at five and two. So while Zelda wanted to speak to Nabooru about this first, if Nabooru was already in Gerudo Town when this zealot - as the children called her - was making noise, then Zelda feared she had no time at all to act. “Tell me,” she started, harding her resolve. “What is the name of this malcontent of yours?”
“Fatiha.” Aviel all but spit the name out. “That’s her name, and I guarantee you, if we mysteriously end up dead one day, it will be by her hand. If she is not the one holding the blade, it will be her words that guide the action itself.”
“You are correct,” Zelda said seriously, dropping all pretenses. She placed her drink to the side, placing her hands in her lap again. “I have it on good authority that Fatiha plans to kill you and Nabooru. And that, the plan she has, will be successful. I do not know the plan itself, nor the dates, but I must warn you,” she looked at Aveil fiercely. “She does intend to kill you.”
Aveil raised an eyebrow at Zelda. “You… ah, yes. Your power of prophecy. It has served you well in the past, has it not?” She leaned forward, tenting her fingers over her nose and mouth. “And now we face an impossible choice. Slay Fatiha or jail her, and we risk granting her movement a martyr. Ignore her, and we die.” She hummed quietly. “We have a way of choosing– tossing a shield to see how it lands, front or back. But either option is terrible, so, instead, we must find the third option– the edge of the shield, so to speak.”
Zelda leaned back in her chair, propping her elbows on the arms of the chair, folding her fingers in front of her as she looked at Aveil. “It is a difficult position you find yourself in. My thoughts, of course, are to try and find the most peaceful option, but I am not well versed in your politics. But there must be more than just the occupation that has stirred Fatiha.” She looked at Aveil seriously. “Surely you and Nabooru know what the rest of this story is.”
“There is more, but it’s hard to explain. She and her supporters are… pul’atuv. They feel that Gerudo are naturally superior to Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons. It’s the same philosophy espoused by Ganondorf.” Aveil frowned to herself, her eyebrows furrowed. “I do not know the word in your tongue, Princess. I’m sorry, but… that is why it’s such an enticing thing to hear. ‘We were made weak by the Hylians, but we can rise up and defeat them, and make the Gerudo great again!’ That is their refrain, and to those who do not remember Ganondorf, it is a dangerously appealing message.”
Zelda could understand how it would be a dangerous message, especially to a people that believed they have a boot on their neck. Fighting that sort of mentality was almost impossible. It could be done, but it was more of a cult ideology rather than a political one. But it seemed Ganondorf had been replaced by Fatiha and history was crying out to repeat itself. She looked at Aveil. She felt as if she needed to reveal more.
“There is more to Fatiha’s plan than just overtaking Geru’hala then by killing you and Nabooru,” Zelda said. “They plan on attacking the castle. And I have more than just my powers of prophecy to help me in knowing this.” She took a deep breath. How much would Aveil believe? She let the breath out slowly. It was time to see. “I have someone that saw it happen.”
Aveil gave Zelda a flat look. “I…” She began to protest, then paused, rethinking. “Actually, if you have the ability to see through time, and there is that temple, the temple of time… I was going to laugh and ask if you had a time traveler, but… that’s not much of a stretch at all, is it?”
Zelda gave a wry smile. “Not at all. Because that’s exactly what I have. Three of them, to be exact. And they are not just any time travelers.” Zelda’s smile, unknown to her, became just a little proud. “They are my children. The ones Link and I will have once we are wed.”
Aveil laughed again, leaning forward. “Ruru talked about Link coming to her with a similarly bizarre story some time back– and how he then managed to bring out many details that he should not have known. I guess it runs in the family, eh? First your husband, then your children! I have to assume you’re just…” Her face split in a wide grin. “Biding your time, then?
Zelda laughed. “The opposite! I have learned about the severity of the future my children came from just last night.” Her face instantly became serious. “And I do not plan on their future being made again. These events that Fatiha have put in motion are more serious than you could know, Aveil. In their time, not only are you and Nabooru dead… so is every other Gerudo. In their time, your people are extinct.”
Aveil fell silent instantly, her tanned skin turning ashen. “By Rou Vadahnia’s grace…” She fell back into her chair, her eyes wide. “I can see it. Fatiha seizes power, leads the majority of our people to war, and incites the unstoppable wrath of Hyrule. What few survivors there are would find no home, and soon enough, the desert would claim their bones.” She sat up sharply, grabbing Zelda’s hands. “Tell me, what must we do? You have my promise– we will cooperate with you fully.”
Zelda sighed. “Unfortunately, I have much less information than I would like. When all of this happened, my children were very young and they do not know many details. But they do know that Nabooru’s death - and your’s - is the start.” Zelda looked at Aveil with the serious edge of a queen giving orders. “You must keep your family safe, first and foremost.”
Aveil stood and walked over to the wall. “Princess, would you pardon me for just a few moments? I have… I have to get some emotions out.” Zelda nodded, and Aveil punched the wall, hard enough that the rock splintered under her blow. Da’gutta! Fra’nud al glanndo! Sal’bocko det viknabi… She leaned her head against the wall, pounding her fist against it several more times while repeating “Q’ulpon!” over and over again before walking over to a cooler, taking out a different jug, and taking a long drink directly from it and slamming it down. “Okay… okay… I… I think I am better now.” She shut her eyes, muttered “Q’ulpon!” once more, and then looked directly at Zelda. “Let us begin making plans. You said you can get us a home?”
