“No, no, no!!!
That is not the way I envisioned it!!!” Dion’s
exaggerated cries of artistic annoyance echoed across the building site as
Zelda daintily picked her way down onto the allotted plot. “You need to put it
this way! You know, place it with just a little panache! A little flair! Don’t
just throw it down onto the ground! It needs precision, rigour, exactitude!
This just isn’t building, it is architecture! It is an art!” Some the builders
shook their heads to each other, realising that working for Dion
Insequi was a tall order indeed. As they noticed
Zelda step into the vicinity, the majority of them bowed in respect but she
simply waved them aside with a smile. Dion finally
turned his attention to her, a charming smile upon his face as he did so. “Ah, my pretty princess!! Here to check the progress of your
project? It is coming along very nicely indeed!” he exclaimed. Zelda glanced
around the muddy field and raised her eyebrows.
“So I see,” she
remarked, tugging her cloak a little more closely around herself. The chill of
the approaching winter was indeed setting in early.
“We have been hard
at work all day, indeed without a break! Such is my dedication to you, Your
Highness!” Dion proclaimed grandly, with a sweeping
bow before her. He then took her hand and kissed it chivalrously. “Dion Insequi never disappoints!”
he added in a boastful voice. Zelda let out a small laugh and stepped back,
looking around with interest. All over men were busy at work, measuring and
laying stones. In the last few weeks they had made good progress and already
some of the building was beginning to take shape. “See, see, look at
this!” Dion continued, leading her across to where
some carved pillars were lying upon the ground.
“These I shall put on the front façade, they shall look very fine,
yes?” Zelda nodded in approval. She
stooped down to inspect them further, running her hands across the smooth
marble.
“These are
beautiful… from?”
“Why, Dubatio of course! Our most treasured variety, the much
coveted sapphire marble!” Dion exclaimed, rubbing his
hands together.
“I suppose this
was already tallied in the original cost?” Zelda questioned, smiling wryly. The
architect nodded.
“I told you I
would be worth the money, only the finest materials for you, pretty princess!”
Zelda ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head to herself.
“I’d expect
nothing less!” she laughed.
“Your Highness… oh
Your Highness! Please forgive my rudeness, but I should really wish to speak
with you!” came a timid voice, interrupting their
banter. The princess turned to notice a slight young woman with wavy brown hair
and lowered green eyes glancing across at her with shy admiration.
“Ay, yes, yes!”
spoke up Dion before either could say a word. “This
is Miss Megani Shea, she’s to be head librarian and
scholar!” he introduced.
“Oh it’s truly an
honour Your Highness!” the woman exclaimed, blushing furiously. She managed a
small curtsey, still looking nervous.
“I suppose we’ll
be working together then,” Zelda said, smiling kindly at the scholar.
“Oh… I… I
certainly hope so!” Megani replied, glancing
down shyly.
“It’d be fun to
compare notes on ancient Hylian translations,” Zelda
continued.
“I’d be honoured!”
Megani blushed.
“Who cares for
some dead language? You should learn Dubatian, now
that would be a really challenge for such intellectual ladies as yourselves!” Dion interrupted with a flashing grin. Zelda rolled her
eyes.
“You’re so
unrefined Dion!” she smirked. He raised his eyebrows
in mock horror.
“You Highness,
surely you jest?” He pulled out a small pocket mirror from his silk trousers,
checking his reflection it for a split second. “Looks pretty refined to me!” he
announced. Zelda grinned over at Megani who simply
looked a little frightened at the pair of them.
“These
Dubations… so vain!”
“But worth it!” Dion retorted with another blinding smile. “No, no! Amigo,
not like that!!” he suddenly exclaimed, rushing over to one of the workmen,
waving his arms about wildly. Zelda shook her head and gave a small chuckle.
“Thank goodness Hyrulian men are much more sedate!”
“I’ll second that…
oh he seems so very excitable,” Megani said softly,
looking over at Dion gesticulating avidly at one of
the builders.
“Don’t mind Dion, in fact I would have commissioned no-one else
for such a special project,” Zelda smiled. She looked around again happily,
trying to envision what the building would look like when it was finally
completed.
“We’re very
honoured at the scholars guild, that you’ve agreed to
be president of the new library,” Megani volunteered
shyly. “It’s wonderful to know that the monarchy support our projects.”
“Of course we do,
my father almost as much as me. You should visit North Castle’s
library sometime, it’s the finest in Hyrule,” Zelda
offered generously. Megani gazed up at the princess
with wide eyes.
“Oh
really? That would be absolutely wonderful!” she exclaimed happily.
“Well once the
library and the college are open, we could organise an outing there for
interested scholars,” Zelda suggested. “My father has some really old Hylian manuscripts and so long as people are careful, it
should be really interesting.”
“It’s a wonderful
idea Your Highness,” Megani replied smiling.
“Well I’m really
looking forward to being involved in all aspects of the library,” Zelda
answered with a small smile. She ran a hand through her long blonde hair,
looking shy for a moment. “It’s something I really care about, after all. Education and learning. Everyone in Hyrule
ought to have a chance to know about their heritage and to read and write,” she
said softly, turning away from Megani as she spoke.
“We’re lucky to
have someone as kind as you, Your Highness,” the scholar spoke up behind her.
Zelda sighed a little, knowing that some people wouldn’t second such a claim.
With a small blush she looked up and suddenly noticed a familiar figure walking
past along the road, a bundle of something wrapped up on brown paper in his
arms.
“Oh, excuse me a
minute Megani,” she said, glancing back at the scholar.
“I shan’t be a moment!”
She dashed over
towards the road, attempting to catch up with Link. He clearly hadn’t realised
that she was there, and she wondered what he was doing in town. He hadn’t
mentioned it earlier that morning, in fact she recalled
something about him going fishing with Aaron.
“Link!!
Link, what are you doing here?” she called after him.
He stopped upon hearing her voice and turned in surprise.
“Ah… Zel…” He hastily tried to make his package look as
inconspicuous as possible, shoving some of it under his cloak. “I forgot you
were in Mido today.”
“Sounds to me as
if you weren’t paying attention when I was talking to you this morning,” she
replied, folding her arms.
“I was… I just…
well… you always look so pretty first thing in a morning I tend to look at you
rather than listen,” he replied with a grin. Zelda couldn’t pretend to be
annoyed so she gave him a wry smile instead.
“I thought you
were out with Aaron… what are you doing, have you been shopping?” she pressed,
looking over at the bundle enquiringly. Link looked down at it then back at
Zelda.
“Oh,
this? Er… I… I was just picking it up… some
material for Aimee… see I thought I’d take a walk in
town, and since I was going…” Zelda raised an eyebrow.
“I thought Aimee got
her material delivered straight to North
Castle?”
“This was… it was
a special order,” he said hurriedly, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
“Well… since
you’re here, perhaps we ought to go for a meal in a tavern. It’s been a while
since you’ve taken me out anywhere, after all,” Zelda replied, laying a hand on
his arm with a small smile.
“Actually, I’d
rather take you…” he started.
“Ah, Link my
amigo!!! Been such a long time since we’ve been out for a few
ales!” Dion suddenly proclaimed, bounding up
behind them. Zelda looked faintly unamused, turning
away with a petulant air while Link smiled at his old friend.
“It has indeed!”
he agreed.
“You all drink far
too much,” Zelda proclaimed sulkily.
“Hang on Zel, you just suggested…” Link began.
“Ale is good for
the mind, for the soul! That golden nectar provides much inspiration!” Dion exclaimed with a grin.
“I’ll leave you
both to it, then,” Zelda said dryly. Link quickly put an arm around her
shoulders, pulling her close to him.
“Let’s all go to
the tavern,” he suggested. “Perhaps Drake will be there too.”
“All the better!” Dion grinned.
As the three entered the Red Swan, true to Link’s word,
Drake was present, sitting in his favourite corner deep in conversation with
another man, whose back was turned to the trio.
“Ah, there he is!
The eternal drunkard!” cried out Dion, marching
across to the knight and his companion.
Link and Zelda exchanged sheepish grins before following the architect
over.
As soon as Drake heard Dion’s
voice, he broke from his conversation with Griffin, and looked up sharply, his blue eyes
settling almost immediately on Dion’s finely clothed
form. Griffin could barely suppress a smirk at the
nature of Dion’s address, and he turned casually in
his seat to set eyes on the unmistakable Dubation. Drake rose from his seat and greeted Dion with a firm handshake and a clap on the back.
“And if it wasn’t
the eternal braggart!” exclaimed the knight, “It’s good to see you again Dion!” Dion flashed his usual grin before turning and ushering
Link and Zelda over.
“Come, come!” he
instructed, quite unnecessarily to the two, “It is like a reunion of
sorts!” As Dion
turned his back, Drake shot his son an apologetic glance. Griffin
merely rose from his seat, as if to leave.
Drake shook his head.
“No, stay,” he
mouthed. As Link and Zelda arrived at
the table, Dion promptly pulled out a stool for
Zelda, bowing chivalrously. She smiled
prettily, and happily accepted the seat, before Link and Dion
found their own. Zelda was the first to
notice Griffin,
who looked distinctly uncomfortable at their presence.
“Sorry, we haven’t
interrupted anything I hope,” she began.
Drake let out a short, nervous laugh, frowning as he shook his head.
“No! No, of course
not,” he assured. There was an
uncomfortable pause, before Dion laid his eyes on Griffin, a glimmer of
recognition igniting in his mind.
“Griffin Bladelaw, isn’t it? Griff!” exclaimed Dion, snapping
his fingers. Griffin let out a nervous laugh and nodded his
head.
“I’m surprised you
remembered, sir,” he
admitted.
“You know each
other?” asked Drake in surprise. Dion shrugged.
“We have met,”
conceded the archer. “Not long ago in
fact, was it?” Griffin nodded in agreement. “It was when I was in Nabooru
with Damon and Fayzie and her son,” he added. Zelda shifted in her seat, an unpleasant
scowl creeping onto her face. Drake
quickly noted Zelda’s expression and began to speak.
“Ah well, I guess
some introductions will be necessary then.
Link, Zelda…this is Griffin Bladelaw.”
“Bladelaw? As
in…” began Link before promptly cutting himself off and giving Griffin a curious look. The similarity between him and Drake were
undeniable. He wasn’t the only one to
notice.
“Say, did anyone
ever tell either of you that you look a lot like each other?” inquired Dion. Drake
swallowed and let out an uneasy sigh.
“Griffin is my son.”
“Time gentleman!” called Gwendoline
Woods loudly as she rang the bell. Her
call was followed by the thump of glasses and tankards as the few remaining
patrons of the Red Swan finished their drinks.
Moments later, the tavern began to empty in a quietly and orderly
fashion. Despite her good looks, Gwen
ran a tight ship, and it wasn’t often that there was trouble at Red Swan come
closing time, or even before. With a
tired sigh, Gwen let down her hair from its neat pony tail and quickly ran her
fingers through with a short shake. As
she called her goodbyes to the various patrons, she picked up a tray from
behind the bar and began circulating tables, filling the tray with empty
glasses and tankards.
“Need a
hand?” Gwen turned to see Drake, looking
a little lost. She smiled at him, her
rouged lips parting to reveal a pretty smile.
“Well why
not? Grab a tray,” she said
encouragingly, to which Drake responded with a smile, before doing as she
instructed. The two began to gather up
all the glasses they could, before returning them to the bar. “Long day?” inquired Gwen as she returned
behind the bar to get her bucket and mop.
Perching on a bar stool, Drake shrugged.
“You could say
that,” he said wearily.
“Want to talk
about it?” asked Gwen kindly, before tossing Drake a wet rag. “While you wipe down the tables of course,”
she added with a wink. Drake grinned and
got down from the stool, before beginning to wipe over the tables.
“Don’t you ever
get sick of hearing about other people’s problems?” he inquired. Gwen shrugged as she dipped her mop into the
bucket of soapy water. Her arms ached
from the day’s trials, but she never left the tavern floor until it was clean
and tidy.
“It comes with the
territory. It’s better to listen to
their problems rather than cause them.”
Drake nodded thoughtfully as Gwen spoke, before walking over to another
table.
“I suppose that
makes sense,” he conceded.
“Don’t I
always?” Drake chuckled at his friend’s
response, then got back to work. “Plus it gives me no
end of things to talk about with my friends,” she added wickedly.
“You know, that
makes me feel a whole lot better,” cracked Drake wryly.
“Oh, I’m very
discreet you know. I’d never mention
people’s real names.”
“That’s comforting
to know,” said Drake with a grin. The
two continued their chores in silence for a few moments, before Gwen spoke
again.
“So, how did
things go today? With
your son?” Drake had told Gwendoline all about the unexpected discovery of his son,
and she had clearly listened. Despite
her jesting, he knew he could trust her not to breath
a word to another soul, not that that mattered now.
“Not bad. I think he’s coming round to me…I’ve been no
father to him, but that can change.”
“I really hope so,
Drake, for both of your sakes. No child
should be without its parents, and vice versa.”
Drake nodded, rubbing his neck.
“Yeah, you’re
right. But…I guess you weren’t here when
Link and Zelda arrived.”
“No…but Thelma
mentioned they’d been in. She’s a bit of
a fan of Link, if you didn’t notice.”
Drake smiled.
“Well, Griffin was still here
when they came. He was going to leave…”
“And you let him?”
“No,
of course not. I figured people
would clock on eventually, so I introduced him to them. As my son.” Gwen ceased her task as Drake finished and
turned to him, her eyes widened.
“Really? What did they say?”
“Well…not
much. They were very polite. But I could tell they were shocked. Dion…Dion Insequi – you know him
right? Well he was there too and he…”
Drake paused, grinning to himself. “He
said….
“Your son? Now if that isn’t the best kept secret in Hyrule, I don’t know what is! You certainly kept that one from us, sir
knight!” Drake let out an uncomfortable
chuckle as Dion spoke.
“Well I only just
found out very recently,” he began. Dion turned to Griffin.
“So how long have
you known he is your father?” Griffin shrugged.
“Er…a while I suppose.”
Dion let out a chuckle, shaking his head.
“You know, there
is a Dubation saying…it’s Hylian translation is a lot less elegant but it will have
to suffice. You learn something new
every day, do you not? I find it
especially fitting!”
“I was mortified at the time. But, gods, am I glad Dion
was there. Zelda…well she didn’t even
know where to look. Not that I can blame
her…and Link was pretty much speechless.”
Gwen smiled at Drake sympathetically, and patted him on the arm.
“They’ll come
round, you know. If it was a shock for
you, it’s bound to be the same for them.”
Drake smiled tightly and looked down at Gwen’s hand on his arm.
“Thanks. There’s no fool like an old fool I
suppose…” Gwen shook her head as the
knight spoke.
“You’re not a
fool, and you’re far from old – so don’t speak as if you are,” she reprimanded
sternly. Drake smiled at her again.
“I sure feel like
both of those things though…but thanks all the same for saying that.”
“I’m not just
saying it Drake, I mean it.” For a
moment, the two did little but look eye to eye, and then with a look of utter
decisiveness in her green eyes, Gwen leaned forward and delivered an
impassioned kiss to the knight’s lips. A
moment later, and they both parted, breathless.
“What was that?!”
asked Drake, still a little shocked.
“You know I said
you weren’t a fool? I might have to take
that back. What do you think it
was?! A polite
conversation about bee keeping?!”
Drake visibly reddened as Gwen spoke, and he pulled uneasily at his
collar.
“No…I mean…what I
meant to say was…why?”
“If you don’t know
that now, Drake Benowyc, you never will. How long have we known one another?”
“Er…years,” replied Drake unsurely.
“And you never saw
that coming?” asked Gwen, now looking faintly amused, although slightly annoyed
as well.
“Uh…well no! But you still haven’t answered my question…”
“Well I thought it
might be nice okay? That and my mother
keeps asking when I’m going to make an honest man of you,” replied Gwen with a
snicker.
“What?!”
“Honestly Drake, I
don’t know how a man like you can be so dense.
It might be all the ale I suppose…”
“But…but. What about Griffin?”
Gwen gave Drake a curious stare.
“What about
him? He’s a real looker
of course, got that off you I expect, but he’s a little young for me.”
“No I meant…” Drake trailed off even as he started and met
Gwen’s eyes, noting the mischievous gleam in them almost immediately. “Oh I get it.
You know exactly what I meant…I swear woman, sometimes, you are just
too…”
“But you love me
all the same right?” she asked innocently.
Drake let out a sigh, shaking his head.
“Yeah…yeah I
suppose I do.”
“You
suppose?” Drake flashed a grin.
“I’m not the only one
who can be annoying you know.” Gwendoline chuckled as Drake spoke before pausing to speak
once again.
“So what do you
say? Are you going to take me out?” Drake raised an eyebrow.
“When we have an
empty bar at our disposal?” Gwen gave
Drake a soft slap on the arm and shook her head.
“You know what I
meant.”
“Well…I did,
yeah. But seriously Gwen, why me? You could have any man you wanted…men a
hundred times better than me.”
“Well I was
holding out for royalty but the cards didn’t fall that way,” she began with a
twinkle in her eye. “Despite that, I’d
gladly settle for you Drake. If you felt
the same, that is.” As she finished, she
looked at Drake hopefully.
“Are you
serious? Of course I do…but I can’t help
but thinking a girl like you deserves someone better than me.”
“I’ll decide that
for myself, thanks very much Drake, if you don’t mind.” And then she leaned forward and kissed him
again, as if to confirm her feelings on the matter.
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