August, 23 ~ Evening…
I
have not written in my diary for one very unexpected
reason: Father requested that I learn the Eltora
culture if I am to live there. LIVE THERE??? I have been studying and reading
and writing for days. I barely have enough time for myself anymore! Prince
Reuben’s picture is yet to arrive. I wonder what he looks like. I have seen
pictures of his father and hope dearly that he does not look like him. King
Reuben I is fat and pale skinned. His hair is short
and choppy and ever so red.
I do wish Prince Reuben will
love me. Oh, shoot! My candle is out!
August, 24 ~ Morning…
Matthew
and I got up early to go swimming in the pools at the bathhouse. Our palace has
a furnace that heats it up in the winter and fall but it is very hot this
morning. The water is refreshingly pleasant. My favorite
pool is the big one. It’s 12 feet deep I think, and it
even has little benches for whenever you get tired. Impa
followed us and told us to get out.
“You shouldn’t be swimming alone!”
she scolded. I hate swimming when everyone’s watching. It’s like I’m a Zora. People just cannot keep their eyes off of Zora’s. Their gracefulness in the water just stuns you and
everyone around you. But anyway, Impa called a servent (who’s name escapes me at the moment) to help
Matthew get dressed. Impa took (I should say pulled)
me into my room and after giving me a harsh lecture on
the dangers of swimming alone, she helped me into my dress. It is a simple
yellow-orange creation. It’s not long and flowing, but long enough to cover my
ankles. It’s my favorite dress that does not involve
the festivities.
Impa escorted me down to breakfast and explained why my
hair was wet. Of course, here comes Father who actually woke up on the right
side of the bed today. Well you can imagine what happened next. Ugh…
Noon…
The
sun beat on my head today as I took my archery lessons. It’s my favorite sport next to falconry and horseback riding. I’m
nearly to the bulls-eye. Matthew has already accomplished that feat. He offered
to help me. I said I would consider it.
Later that afternoon…
I
am bushed! But we have received great news: Mother is coming home! She has
settled a treaty with Yahiklet, a very odd country I
must say. They call themselves a tribe of some sorts. Their king is somewhat
barbaric too. Almost as bad as the Gerudos.
But she’s coming home after weeks of trial and error! I could almost shout! But
I might wake father up from his nap…
August, 25 ~ Evening…
I
feel so happy! Mothers coming home AND, Prince Reuben’s portrait just arrived!
I have yet to see it. Father has seen it and says that he is very handsome.
Later…
Oh,
my word. Prince Reuben IS handsome! He has brown curly hair that falls to his
shoulders and a tan face. I can’t make out his eye color,
but they are gentle and kind. I hung the picture in my room and practiced
talking to him. We have not hear on whether he will
marry me or not. Impa told me we shall only marry
when my father dies. That way, Matthew can take the throne, and I can create an
alliance with Eltora. If it is for the protection of
my people then I will go through it. Who knows? Maybe we will become great friends…or
even more.
September, 1 ~ Afternoon…
Still
no news on a proposal…
September, 5 ~ Noon…
Hyrule Field was wet with mud today. Matthew and I leaped
with joy as we hurried to the stables for our horses. I hopped on my Paint
Mare, Misty. Matthew planted his bottom on his black Quarter Horse, named
Midnight. We rode out to the field and had fun! (this
is something we rarely get to do!).
But
of course Impa came (with Father might I add) out and
stared horrified at us. There was not one part of my body that did not have mud
all over it. Father scowled and stepped aside. A tall looking man approached me
quietly.
“Aurora,” he said through gritted teeth, “This
is Gorthon, Duke of Eltora.”
I shyly curtsied. Then a chunk of
mud dropped from my bosom right onto Gorthon’s feet!
“You should excuse yourselves,”
Father added. “At once!”
Matthew took one look at Impa and then took off. We reached a corner and then cut
it, stopping there only to catch our breath.
“Of Farore,”
Matthew prayed, breathing in deeply. “Help us now.”
“At this point,” I teased, “I
don’t think DIN could help us.”
He chuckled nervously and looked
away. I placed a brown hand on my mud-caked forehead.
“We are dead,” I whispered.
I
would have rather died than to see the look on Father’s face when he asked to
see us. He twirled his quill through his fingers and then seemed to dust his
signet ring off with it. This was a sign Matthew and I recognized. When Father
made these two motions, it meant we had failed at something. He stared at us
for a few minutes (although it felt like an eternity) and then finally shouted,
“Get out!”
Oh,
diary, I may have cost the kingdom a treaty. How could the prince accept me
now? Oh, I feel terrible.
September, 7 ~ After
the meeting with Gorthon…
I
must say, it went better than I expected. The Duke seemed relieved that a
mud-stained dress was not my usual ensemble. He discussed many things with me:
Poetry, books, plays, history, and astrology. I felt proud that I could answer
every question he threw at me. He looked impressed. He raised an eyebrow at me
and said, “King Reuben would be pleased.”
It was a test! He wanted to see if
I was worthy inside and out! I feel so…happy. Father’s storm has blown over. He
seems pleased too.
September, 8 ~ Mid-morning…
I
have had breakfast and I’m out in the garden. The fresh scent of flowers seems
to settle my stomach. Huh? Matthew just came out…he says Father wants to see
me.
To continue…
Oh,
I can hardly breathe! I went into the throne room and saw Father in his usual
spot…on the throne. He sent everyone else out and ushered me towards him. Then
he stood up and took my hands.
“Aurora,” he said softly, then
he swooped me into a warm embrace. “You are to be married, Aurora! You are going to be the queen of Eltora!”
My eyes were flooded with
tears…and so were his.
September, 10 ~ Evening…
I
have just received word from Impa that King Reuben
and his son the prince are coming to take me back to Eltora.
I now feel alone. No one is coming with me. Matthew of course is staying to
take over the throne once Father dies. But I will know no one there. I will be
like a Goron in Zora’s
Domain.
To continue…
Impa gasped as I told her how I felt about being alone in Eltora.
“Dear, child,” she said. “You
shall not be alone!”
She’s coming with me! I feel so
relieved.
September, 11 ~ An
unexpected surprise…
Today
was quite sudden! There was a gift for me sent from Eltora.
To: Aurora Eleanor, Crowned
Princess of Hyrule
From: Reuben Srenok
II, Crowned Prince of Eltora.
In my heart I thought that was
such a silly middle name (Srenok, ha!). Anyway, he
had sent me a box. It was about the size of a spittoon, only shorter. I opened
the top and out popped a little white, FURRY head! It was a puppy! Prince
Reuben, my future husband, has given me a puppy! It is a long-haired Chiwawa. She is so small; I could hold her in the palm of
my hand. I have decided to name her Rutela after the Zora queen who was executed for her people. She was such a
beautiful queen! Her son rules now. But enough about that, Rubella sleeps with
me now, she’s so cuddly! She’ll curl up between my legs or under my arm and
just fall asleep! I guess Prince Reuben isn’t so bad after all. I guess it’s
all in the attitude!
September, 15 ~ Noon…
Matthew
and I are going falconing later today. I’ve got my
Gyrfalcon named Snow-Arrow. Matthew has a Harris Hawk named Fibs (I have no
idea why he named her that). I’m getting on my glove right now. I can’t wait,
because I haven’t done this in a long time! I’m waiting for Matthew to get his
glove on…
Afterwards…
Snow-Arrow
caught a rabbit. Fibs caught a few squirrels. I feel very proud. No news on how
Prince Reuben is getting here. I heard he has a younger sister named Angela.
She’s 5 years old. I have a really bad feeling she’s a brat.
September, 23 ~ Evening…
Impa gave me a short candle tonight because the prince is
expected to arrive and she doesn’t want my eyes to look droopy when he comes.
He is expected to arrive next morning. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep
because I’m so nervous!
September, 25 ~ Morning
MOTHER’S
HOME!!! I’m so happy. She looked so tired, but her eyes lit up when she saw us.
She said that we have a successful treaty with Yahiklet.
She smiled at me warmly for a moment and then turned to Father.
“Has anything interesting happened
while I was gone?” she asked. We had all sat down and had a hot steaming mug of
tea (even Matthew likes it).
“Aurora’s getting married,” Matthew said, then taking a sip from his mug like it had been a casual
thing.
“Married?” she gasped. “To whom?”
“Prince Reuben II,” Matthew
casually muttered again. Mother went pale and then fainted. Father stared
Matthew down with his evil eyes. Leave it to Matthew to ruin a perfectly good
reunion with our dear mother, Queen Zelda.
Evening…
Prince
Reuben did not show up! I wonder if something happened…
September, 29 ~ Evening…
My
heart is pounding. I’m breathless! Alright, this is what happened:
Matthew and I saw a few tents outside.
They were highly ornamented and lit up with many torches. The stream looked so
clear, so of course we couldn’t help but go in. We dashed outside and leapt
into the water. I still had a dress on so the skirt floated up around me, but I
shoved the bubbles out. All of a sudden, Impa came
rushing out.
“Good Din, Aurora, Matthew!” she
cried. “Get out!”
A boy came over and helped me out
(I should say pulled me out because my skirts were so heavy with water). Impa looked at the boy in embarrassment.
“We’re very sorry,” Impa said. “I’m sorry for your inconvenience.”
“Don’t apologize,” the boy said coolly. I
looked at him and saw something. He looked familiar is some way. My head hurt
trying to put my finger on it. Who was he? WHO?
September, 30 ~ Mid-morning (a day
I’ll never forget)…
Oh,
good Din! I’m so happy! Okay, calm down…here’s what
happened. I woke up to the unusually wide grin of Impa’s
face.
“Some one’s here to see you,
Aurora!” she said in a sing-song voice. “Quickly, get dressed!”
Impa helped me into my best casual dress (that just means I
could wear it for a special yet not formal occasion). It was a soft green color mainly, there were a few pink and yellow stitches
here and there, but it was mostly green. Impa put my
hair into my favorite due (one long braid down my
back), and gave my cheeks a pinch (that brought out the color).
My shoes were just a simple silk matching pair. They were also green ( I think that color is so
pretty!). Impa led me out of my room and down the
corridor. Then we stepped out into the courtyard. I saw Mother, Father and
Matthew standing next to the fountain talking to some other boy. When Impa and I came closer, all three turned to face me. I
looked at the boy and gasped. It was the same boy that had helped me out of the
river!
“Aurora,” Father said, taking my hand and
ushering me forward, “this is Prince Rueben.”
I felt like I was going to faint.
Mother steadied me. I regained my footing and…still couldn’t say anything! My
mouth was so dry.
“I heard you were a free-spirited
one,” Prince Reuben said, taking my hand and kissing my fingers. “But, no one
told me that was how we would meet.”
I shyly smiled and did a small
curtsy. Reuben’s smile was bold, not proud, but a warm grin. He is even more
handsome in person!
Next Morning…
My
heart is broken. Mother left. She said she’s going to settle another feud with Clonshio and Yahiklet. Some one
was murdered and she’s going to find out why.
“I’m very proud of you, Aurora,”
Mother said, before she left, placing her hand on my shoulder. “You are being
very brave about this…your marriage. Chin up, dear. It’s not all bad. You will
one day rule a country, and who knows?”
I looked up at my mother because I
knew what she was about to say…
“Maybe, you will be blessed with
children by Prince Reuben, as I was blessed with you and Matthew.”
I softly smiled and then plunged
into her arms.
“Why can’t those stupid countries
agree over themselves without you leaving?”
Mother patted my head and replied.
“Some people are just too different,
sweetheart.”
My tears stained her cloak she
wore as she was about to leave. She hugged Matthew and kissed Father goodbye.
“I’ll be waiting for you right
here when you come home,” he said. Before Mother stepped into the carriage, she
turned back to face me and gave me a small smile. But then her face had a jolt,
like she had just remembered something. She raced back towards me.
“Clonshio
will have to wait,” she said. “I have to talk to you.”
To Continue…
Later,
she was talking to me from behind a tree. My guess is that it was a private
conversation (of course!). Mother looked down at me.
“Aurora,” she said, “I’ve been waiting for
this day for a long time.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Mother held out her right hand.
“Do you know what this is?” she
said, pointing to the top of her hand. I gasped.
“The Triforce!”
The Triforce
was a symbol that was left in the sky just after the 3 goddesses departed from
the planet. It was 3 triangles stacked diagonal from each other. The one on top
resembled power, the bottom left was wisdom, and the bottom right was courage.
These three were made from the essences of the goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. And mother had
one!
“Mother!” I breathed. “What???”
“This is the Triforce
of Wisdom,” she said casually. “Do you know why I’m showing you this?”
“N-no,” I said.
“Give me your hand, Aurora.”
I hesitantly held out my hand and
placed it under my mother’s. She cupped my hand in both of hers and closed her
eyes.
“This might hurt a little,” she
said. Then, I felt a spark travel through my body. But the moment ended
quickly. Mother removed her hands.
“Look at your hand,” she said.
Obediently I slowly moved my eyes downward. And then, everything changed. On
the back of my hand was a Triforce symbol. I compared
it to Mother’s and realized mine was slightly smaller.
“How…”
“You are now of age to inherit the
power…I should say wisdom of the Triforce.”
I moved my hand in different
angles and peered at the new mark. It stung, but it also felt glorious.
“You don’t have all of the Triforce of Wisdom,” Mother said. “You when receive
that…after I die.”
My heart lurched.
“What?!” I gasped.
“Don’t worry,” she replied,
leaning forward and hugging me tight. “I’m sure that won’t happen for a while!”
I gave a small chuckle and
squeezed her tight. Then, we headed back to the front. Mother said goodbye and
stepped into the highly ornamented carriage. The curtain in front of the window
opened and mother’s sad face appeared. She waved bye to us until we could no longer
see her. I miss her already.
October, 2 ~ Mid-Morning…
Prince Reuben and I finally got some time alone to get to know each
other. It would be extremely awkward to get married and not even know who you’re
being wed to! We sat out in the courtyard on one of the benches placed near the
fountain. Oh, I almost forgot! He has sea-green eyes. They’re so enchanting.
He’s kind, too, but so very calm. It makes me wonder if he’s ever had any fun in
his life. He said he’s 17, a fair age difference, I think. Mostly he asked about
my life. I guess he’s curious of Hyrule’s culture! I think we are going to get
along well! Just as I was about to ask him his favorite activity, Angela,
Reuben’s sister, came racing into the courtyard, screaming her head
off!
“Oh, my!” I gasped.
“Angela,” Reuben said, taking a hold of his sister’s tiny shoulders,
“What’s wrong?”
“The mean doggy bit me!” Angela squealed, and then she pointed at me.
“That mean girl’s mean dog BIT me!”
“Rutela?” I said. “She would never bite anyone…”
“…unless some one set her on Angela!” Reuben said, turning his head and
facing me. His gaze was stern. “What did you train that mongrel to
do?”
I flushed with anger. Why would he all of a sudden assume that I would
train a Chiwawa the size of a medium sized TEA CUP to bite people?
“I should have never given you the dog!” Reuben said. I put a hand to my
chest in astonishment.
“What?” I protested. “How dare you jump to conclusions and think I would
sick my puppy, who for one can barely chew on her bites of meat, on your sister!
Bit Angela, my buttocks! I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous!”
I apologize for my harsh language now, but I was furious.
“How dare YOU!” Reuben shouted, standing up. “My sister has never lied to
me!”
All of a sudden, an echoed voice spoke inside my head:
Shouting won’t get you
far,
Where there is anger, there is
war.
“What?” I asked myself.
“Angela has never lied to me,” Prince Reuben repeated, losing his
patients. It took me a few seconds to realize it. It was the
Triforce!
“Words of WISDOM,” I whispered to myself.
“What?” Reuben said.
I took a deep breath and continued.
“Prince Reuben,” I said, addressing him politely. “I have only had Rutela
for 3 weeks, that’s hardly enough time for her to even get used to her new home,
let alone train her.”
Reuben’s expression softened. I squatted in front of Angela as she stuck
up her finger. It didn’t even look hurt, just tiny impressions in her
skin.
“Were you doing anything to Rutela?” I asked her.
“No,” Angela replied, bashfully. Then, as if on cue, my puppy came
running out into the courtyard (I should say waddling because her legs were just
so tiny!). A high pitched whine came from her mouth. I nudged Angela out of the
way and put my hands onto the ground, where Rutela came scurrying up. I held her
in my hands and sighed an annoyed sigh. There were ribbons on her tiny ears and
her small tail, even her legs. She had eye paint all over her, and the worst
part was that she was dressed in doll clothes. THEY were even too big for her!
Poor, Rutela must have been used as a play doll. I looked scornfully down at
Angela. She looked at the ground and traced it with her foot.
“It was an accident,” she whimpered.
“Angela!” Reuben said, grabbing her wrist. “I’m taking you to Grace. You
should have never done that. No wonder she bit you!”
He turned to me and sighed.
“I’m so sorry for my outburst,” he said, taking one of my hands in his
free hand (I could still hold Rutela against my stomach). “I am over protective
of my sister. And this time she just wanted attention. I’m going to have to take
her to her caretaker, Grace. I’m sorry again.”
He, then leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. I blushed (I could
feel my cheeks heat up). He walked away with his sister following behind him.
Then I untied one of Rutela’s ribbons and brushed off some eye paint.
“I think he has a short temper,” I cooed to my puppy, giggling. “He’ll
just have to learn.”
Evening…
Impa and her husband, Robert, came to dinner. Robert is a commander in
the army. I think they are so cute together. Impa looked tired today. But she
stuffed herself at the dinner table! And yet she still felt tired. I felt
lonely, because it’s never really dinner when Mother isn’t home. Matthew
however, didn’t seem to notice the difference! He also stuffed himself (as he
does every night, and will still somehow remain thin!). Father remained silent
through the whole evening. Prince Reuben and his father King Reuben I, joined us
this evening in the dining hall. He wore a purple shirt with bell sleeves. And
he was (once again, sigh) very handsome! He talked about how excited he was for
the jousting tournament that was coming up. Luckily, it takes place here, so he
doesn’t have to travel back. I will get to see how athletic my future husband
really is.
Later at bedtime…
Impa brought me a goblet of hot green tea (my favorite, yum!) to soothe
me.
“I know you’re excited from meeting your husband-to-be,” she said. “So I
want you to sleep well tonight. I’ve put some of my famous nectar in it to help
you sleep. It also gives it a pinch of sweetness.”
I took a sip and then took a long look at Impa. She was puffy faced and
looked out of breath from her trip upstairs. She also looked a bit
larger.
“Oh, Impa,” I sighed. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I think
you’ve been starting to over eat.”
All of that
feasting has made her wide, I thought. Impa laughed and rested her hand on
her stomach.
“No, dear child,” she said, softly. “I am in my 4th
month.”
I gasped. Impa is having a baby!
“Oh, Impa!” I cried, hugging her. “I’m so happy!”
“I am too, darling,” she replied. “Good night.”
That tea won’t help me get to sleep now!
October, 3 ~ Noon
Never ever again am I going to speak to Matthew! I caught him sneaking a
peek at my diary! He stole the key and snooped! Now he’s making fun of
me!
“Ooh, that dog is meaner than I thought!” he teased me today. I slapped
him when Father wasn’t looking.
Evening…
I have just learned that the jousting tournament that Reuben spoke of is
in one week. I don’t think that’s a lot of time to prepare, but who am I to
judge. I just hope Father doesn’t make another bet. I shiver at the
thought.
October, 4 ~ Morning…
Matthew gave me back my key and said he was sorry. I forgave him, but
teased him on the fact that he is 15 and he is still stealing my diary! Father
is going hunting with Prince Reuben with his father. I wonder when they’ll get
back. Matthew slept in today, and he’s disappointed that he couldn’t
go.
“For your future husband,” he said, as we were having a late breakfast,
“he sure does get up early.”
”What difference does it make?” I protested.
“What if he was Rutela’s future husband? How would that be any
different?”
“Wow,” he said, chewing through his peppered sausage, “I didn’t know you
actually LIKED him.”
“Well, I have to, don’t I?”
“Yes, I suppose.”
Matthew continued to loudly eat his breakfast, and I left the table. And
now I’m here, at my favorite spot, the windowsill. The cool breeze feels good,
but it blows the pages, occasionally. Oh, I see Father coming out of the woods!
I see Rueben and his father, too! I am going down to greet them.
To Continue…
The pig they caught is huge! And guess who speared it? Prince Rueben! He
seemed very proud about it.
“Don’t get to haughty,” I said to him. “You might think I’m not good
enough for you by the wedding day!”
“M’lady,” he replied in a false, surprised tone, “you are as good as any
princess will ever get.”
I was flattered. He is so charming. He even offered to take me and go
falconing with him, this afternoon!
Evening…
Reuben’s falcon is small but powerful. He has a peregrine falcon. It is
so fast it can only catch birds. Snow-Arrow seems inferior to Lightning
(Reuben’s falcon). Reuben let me hold Lightning, too. He’s so light compared to
Snow-Arrow! But I must stay close to my falcon’s heart if she is to obey me.
Lightning caught 5 pigeons. He ate half of one. Snow-Arrow caught a rabbit. I
fell that Lightning has been trained a bit more.
Now I am in bed with a short candle. Impa wants me to go to bed early for
some reason. I guess it has something to do with tomorrow’s banquet. Oh, well. I
guess I will never know until tomorrow. Oh, bother! My candle is almost out! I
will go to sleep now. Good night.
October, 10 ~ The day of the tournament…
I am so excited! The reason I am so excited is that this is my first time
at a jousting tournament. All the champions around the world have come here to
compete for the golden scabbard. It is so beautiful; it almost looks like the
sun…except that it’s long and narrow and can only fit a sword. Matthew is in the
tournament, too. I can’t wait to see HIM! He knows very little on jousting, but
if he wants to be knocked off his horse billions of times, be my guest! I don’t
know how experienced Reuben is. I’ll just have to wait and see. I’m sitting in a
special box seat right next to Father. Since Mother is not here, I get to sit
where she usually sit. I think Father just wants to show me off to the public as
the future Queen of Eltora, mainly because there is a large amount of Eltorians
at the tournament to see their prince compete; they get to see his future wife.
Impa helped me dress for this “grand” occasion. I am wearing a crimson dress,
with golden trimmings, and sashes. My shoes are lined with rubies. Since I am
not dancing they will hopefully not cut up my ankles like the last time that
happened. My hair is in a braided bun that rests on the slanted top of my head.
One red ribbon is woven into my braid. I think it looks so pretty. Red is my
favorite color after all. Impa gave me a necklace with a setting of three types
of jewels: A Ruby, a sapphire, and an emerald. They are all set in as one of the
triangles in the Triforce symbol on my necklace. Impa said it is Mother’s, but
since this is a special occasion, she’s letting me wear it. I gazed down at the
symbol on the back of my hand. Impa followed my gaze and her eyes
widened.
“Dear, child,” she gasped. “Rub that off of your hand. The Triforce is
not a joke!”
She took my hand and tried to wipe the triforce off with her thumb. Then
she sighed.
“Is this permanent?” she asked, probably thinking it was a
tattoo.
“Well, yes!” I said. “Mother passed part of hers down to me.”
“Oh! I’m so happy, Aurora!” Impa breathed, trapping me in a hug.
“You are going to make an excellent queen.”
I nodded, and then suddenly burst into a flood of tears. Impa patted my
head and shushed me softly.
“I’m still going to be with you,” she said. That stopped my
crying.
“What?” I asked.
“You didn’t think I would let you go to Eltora alone, did
you?”
“Oh, Impa,” I sighed. “I feel better.”
“Good,” she said, taking my hand. “Now let’s get you down to the box
seat. The tournament won’t wait forever!”
And that is what happened. Oh Impa is calling me now. I must put you down
for now, Dear Diary. Ta ta!
Afterwards…
I feel like a newly won award! The tournament was wonderful, BUT in the
finals was where it went terribly confusing. Yes I AM angry and I will tell you
why, but I also feel like a pawn. Prince Reuben and the Duke of Clonshio were in
the finals. I was so proud of my future husband! I stood up and clapped along
with the crowd, but Father pulled me back down.
“You look ridiculous!” Father scolded. “I don’t want the Court of Eltora
to think my daughter is an over energized horse!”
I scowled and slumped back into my seat. But that wasn’t the worst part.
No! The worst part came a little later when the final round was about to begin.
I saw Reuben ride in from the right and look at me. He placed his hand on his
heart and then towards me. I blushed and made the same gesture, and then held up
two fingers. He responded by bowing and pulling down the cover of his helmet.
The Herald stood up and spoke.
“Our two finalists are Thomas, the Duke of Clonshio...”
Part of the crowd cheered. I merely clapped softly.
“…and Prince Reuben II of Eltora.”
It seemed that a larger fraction of the crowd cheered. Particularly a
group that were so well dressed, it was an easy guess that they were the Court
of Eltora. I whistled and clapped. Matthew slumped in his chair in defeat. Then
some drunkard who was obviously some one who had lost in the previous rounds and
wanted to drink away his frustration spoke up.
“How about,” he bellowed to the Herald, “that the winner gets the golden
scabbard…”
”Yes we know that,” the Herald said, but the drunkard wasn’t
finished.
“AND,” he continued with a tone of flirtatiousness in his voice, “a kiss
from the fairest lady of the land.”
He waved his hand and motioned towards…ME! A loud murmur arose from the
audience.
“Quiet!” the Herald shouted. “QUIET!”
“SILENCE!” Father cried. The crowd hushed.
“You’re Majesty,” the Herald said to Father. “Do you object to
this?”
Father leaned back in his seat and took a long side glance at me and
then smiled somewhat mischievously.
“Father,” I protested. “No. No!”
“No,” he said, his grin widening.
“Father!” I said, taken aback. He was using me as a bribe!
“Very well, Sire,” the Herald said, bowing, and then turning back to the
audience. “The winner of the tournament shall win the golden scabbard…and a kiss
from Aurora Eleanor, Crowned Princess of Hyrule.”
Prince Reuben shifted in his saddle. I felt like crawling under my seat
and staying there forever. But of course, Father poked me in the ribs to make me
sit up.
“How could you?” I said, glaring at him. “How do you know Prince Reuben
will win?”
“I don’t,” he merely replied.
“FATHER!”
The Duke of Clonshio exclaimed that he would win my kiss. I would slap
him right after he approached me. I am practically engaged, and Father might
force me to show affection to some other man! The Duke is at least 30 years of
age, and I am 15! Thomas has had
years of experience, and Prince Reuben hasn’t even been on this planet long
enough! But things turned out a little more different that I had expected. The
horn was blown and they were off. Prince Reuben and Thomas aimed their lances
and charged on their horses. I shut my eyes. I couldn’t bear to watch. I am
sorry to have missed it and not recorded it here in the diary, but I didn’t see.
I heard a loud clang of metal and the crowd cheered. I also heard some of them
rise to their feet. I opened my eyes and a helmet came whizzing towards me.
Thankfully, the Herald caught it by jumping high in the air. I slumped back in
me chair, relieved that it hadn’t hit me. I looked out on the field and both men
were on the ground, Reuben had just lost his helmet and Thomas had the wind
knocked out of him.
“Who went down first?” I asked Father. (I am truly amazed that I remember
all of this!)
“Your future husband,” he replied.
“What?” I screamed. A few heads were turned towards me. 3 squires were
out on the field helping Thomas up. I buried my face in my hands and slumped
forwards. That way, I wasn’t visible to anyone behind the box seats. Father then
jerked me back up.
“The winner of the finals is… Thomas, Duke of Clonshio!”
“Oh, no,” I muttered. “Father, you have no idea how much I hate
you.”
That’s what I wanted to say at least. I just glared at him. Thomas
regained his breath and walked towards me. Father shoved me up and I collided
with the Duke. I kept my eyes open as he leaned in to kiss me. I caught a
glimpse of Reuben’s face. It was sympathetic and jealous at the same time. It
was horrible. After, I stormed out, but not after slapping Father. He didn’t
have time to react. I was out of sight, sobbing the whole way.
Evening…
I did not go down to dinner. I am simply not hungry after today. I want
to avoid Father too, for a long time. Impa came in and comforted me from today’s
Incident.
“Why is Father like this?” I asked her.
“Believe it or not,” Impa said, “your father was once very generous and
heroic.”
“Then what happened?” I said.
“Power,” Impa sighed. “Eventually it takes control of everyone, even your
father.”
“But Mother has been s leader for a long time,” I added.
“She has the Triforce of Wisdom.”
Impa kissed me on the forehead and hugged me.
“Now get some sleep.”
Then she left. I swear, she is getting bigger and bigger with that
baby.
October, 12 ~ Morning…
I’m sorry I did not write yesterday. I was too jittery! The most amazing
thing happened. Prince Reuben wanted to talk to me that morning out in the
courtyard. I obliged and came. When I entered the courtyard, there he was. He
was sitting on the fountain’s edge, flipping a coin in his fingers. I stood
there for a while. Apparently he hadn’t noticed I was there. Then he tossed the
coin into the water and sighed. I had realized I had stopped breathing and
gulped in a breath of air. Reuben looked up.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, standing up. “How long have you been
there?”
“Not too long,” I said walking over and sitting down. “So what did you
wish for?”
He blushed and looked down.
“I wished,” he said, “that we would have a successful and happy life
together.”
I too blushed. He took my hands and stared into my eyes.
“I’m awfully sorry about yesterday,” he said.
I felt my stomach lurch and turn this way and that. It was an awkward
moment.
“You do know your father is angry, right?”
“I didn’t need to be told. I could figure it out,” I said.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said, squeezing his hands. “Father is a brute. He just got
what he deserved. The only good thing that came out of his actions was meeting
you.”
Reuben smiled.
“I’m sorry you lost to the Duke…”
“It’s okay,” Reuben said. “I know one thing I can do better than
him.”
“Fall off a horse?” I teased.
“No,” he replied laughing. “This.”
Then I felt like I was in Heaven. Reuben leaned in towards me and kissed
me (on the lips!). My first kiss (not including that Thomas fellow. EW!)! I felt
my cheeks grow warm. He pulled away and smiled.
“Well?”
“You do it much better,” I said, and I leaned in and kissed him back.
Afterwards we laughed about how Thomas’s horse actually bucked him
off.
Later we had a picnic together. I got to know more about him there. He
absolutely loves archery, and thinks Impa’s baby is actually going to be more
than one. I asked him how he knew and he said that most babies from the Sheika
tribe are born in twos. He also said there might be an evil twin.
“Why you think one of them is evil?” I asked.
“Impa is the Sage of Shadows, right?”
”Right.”
“But she is also good, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then, her good personality and her evil-like position might affect her
child or children.”
“No!” I cried. Reuben patted my shoulder.
“But it’s unlikely. They might just be twins.”
I sighed with relief. He knows so much and he is still not conceited. How
does he do it?
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