The King suddenly and without warning opened his eyes. Daphnes has never needed an alarm to wake up, he could always trust his internal clock since it had never failed him. He stretched and sat up on his bed, then turned to look at Claire's sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful and beautiful that Derrick could not help himself, so he smiled and kissed her forehead before whispering:
"Looks like Raziel got here safe" he chuckled knowing there was no way Claire would have fallen asleep if his boy hadn't arrived.
The King slowly stood up and walked to his closet to dress himself in a robe, choosing to use the navy colored one this time, he then put on his surcoat. The garment had been confectioned by Martin, which meant that it adjusted perfectly to his body, and it was a little heavy since the tailor decided to make it pierce less. The color chosen for it was solid black and had the royal crest emblazoned in gold.
He then put on some trousers, not minding that they were old and worn out since nobody was going to see them under the robe. Besides, he preferred to dress for his own comfort than to impress people who didn't care.
Grumbling, the King put on his boots and grabbed for his belt. He didn't really need it to secure his clothing, the belt's primary use was to hold the sword he always had to carry around.
At last, he adjusted the crown over his head and looked at himself in the mirror. He was expected to still decorate himself with some jewelry, gloves and a cloak… but he never did. Daphnes hated to exhibit richness on the way he dressed, it was not his money after all, it came from the people. So, he always opted to portray the image of a King whose presence commands attention and demands respect, instead of being regarded as an entity that stood very far away from the common people. Reason why he only allowed himself to be seen wearing his surcoat, the sword and the crown, never rings and gems. And that last part was the secret to his success, he was regarded by the Hylians as an approachable King, they were not afraid of talking to him and ask for help if they needed it.
The King washed his teeth and left the room heading to Ivanna's kitchen. He thought about visiting Link himself, but remembered the time it currently was. Raziel will surely not appreciate Derrick barging in his room at 5 something am. So, he headed for his breakfast and choose to send for Link in a few hours. As he got closer to the kitchen, he began to approach cautiously since he was hearing Ivanna sobbing and someone whistling.
Daphnes entered the kitchen and stopped at the shocking sight of Nana standing at a corner crying with a smile on her face, while a man was whistling a happy tune while he cooked. The man just flipped the omelet he was cooking and added some cheese. The King just stood there watching and slowly smiled recognizing his son.
Link turned carrying a dish with his omelet and almost dropped everything when he realized who was standing there. Nana still had tears rolling down her face but was laughing at the Prince now.
LINK POV
Wow, I was kind of taking my sweet time cooking hoping I could generate this situation, not going to lie.
*Why though?*
I don't want a repeat of what happened with Claire, with Ivanna and even with Cormac. All those instances made me feel like I was being shot in the gut. That means that I must avoid at all cost watching tears fall from my King's eyes. If I were to watch that, it will be like allowing a grenade to explode in my face.
*Ha Ha, meaning it will get you to start sobbing like a bitch right?*
EXACTLY. I never had a family, I thought I never would, and I was ok with the idea since it was for the best. But now that I do… I wish I had never tasted this sweet wine; I can't get enough of it. I really missed all of them.
*And you will fuck things up in 3… 2...1…*
Link carefully placed the dish on the kitchen table and bowed at the King.
"Good morning my illustrious" Daphnes semblance darkens with a scowl, making Link gulp as he corrects the sentence "my DISTINGUISED FATHER, who also happens to be the exalted King of Hyrule. I am sure you are wondering why I am here; I wanted to accompany you during your breakfast, but Ivanna choose to open the gates of her personal waterfall. Hence, she is no longer able to cook… So, I took over" Link coughs a little "I have been told that my cooking is not that bad. So, it's not like you are going to die or anything, at most it will give us a reason to laugh all day" Raziel smiled.
*SAFE, the umpire screams as Link expertly slides into the home plate avoiding the royal catcher… I actually wanted you to fuck up, would have been fun*
Derrick shook his head with a smile and hugged Raziel. Nana finally stopped crying and smiled watching them. The hug lasted around 10 seconds, before the King let go and cleared his throat backing away 2 steps.
"You have grown taller…" Daphnes said staring at Ziel, who was almost as tall as the King himself, only a few centimeters shorter. "I think I need to call Martin, since obviously your clothes don't fit you anymore." The King said laughing and pointing at Link's breaches that now clearly showed half of his calf.
Ziel looked down at himself and started posing using a chair "I thought I could make this a new trend between the nobility"
Daphnes stares at him with severity "NO, Martin will come tomorrow" he states with finality, but the shadow of a smile on the corner of his mouth shows that he is not really angry.
Link huffs "All right… start eating then"
"I can't. I won't be able to eat with you here staring at me, I need you to be also eating… maybe we can share my food" Derrick looks at Link mischievously "Or you can allow me to cook something for you and we both get indigestion"
Link smiles at that and starts folding his sleeves up.
"It's getting late dad, and you need to be at the throne room soon. Do cook for me but I will help…"
Nana starts to giggle and decides that she doesn't want to intrude in their family moment. She slowly left the royals alone in the kitchen for some quality time. Then she sighted hoping they would not waste her spices. As Nana starts to walk away Chacha screams and came to her running.
"Why are you out here? Get back in the kitchen, we need to discuss the rumor I have been hearing" Chacha opens the kitchen door and froze, her eyes and mouth opened wide.
What she saw was her King's naked torso… well, not completely naked, Daphnes was wearing an apron. Watching the King move around the kitchen was hypnotizing. Daphnes was not slim, but he wasn't fat either. His abs and arms where no longer defined, but he didn't have a protruded belly and his arms where still clearly strong. His bearded shelf swayed happily around the kitchen as he searched for a ladle.
Chacha found it hard to take her eyes away from her King, but when she did her eyes started to water. The Prince was cooking with his father in that kitchen. Raziel was taller, his shoulders wider, but not too wide, he had toned biceps paired with strong veiny forearms. His face didn't change that much, since he always had a strong jawline, high cheekbones, a straight nose, and deep-set eyes. Yet he somehow seemed more handsome now. The Prince was currently smiling at his dad and whistling a happy tune as he whisked eggs in a bowl. Once the King found the ladle behind one of the many drawers, he playfully taped on Link's head with it.
The Prince took the ladle from the King and used it to add some of Ivanna's stew on the eggs, and whisked the new food mixture. The King grabs a frying pan and expertly throws some oil and a pinch of salt on it. Link chuckles at that since it reminded him of ¨salt bae¨.
"Dad, throw some salt in here" Link said referring to the mix of eggs and stew inside the bowl. Then he looks at the door and smiles wickedly at Chacha.
Ivanna pulls the shocked maid out and closes the door once again. Both the King and Link start chuckling.
"And Platonia is out of the picture… I was almost sure she was going to come running and hug you crying" the King says.
"Don't let her hear you using that name. I am glad Nana took her away before anything like that could happen… don't get me wrong, but I hate women crying because of me, I am never sure of what to do or say"
Derrick takes the bowl from Link and pours the mix into the fraying pan "There is absolutely nothing you can do; you just have to endure" the food starts sizzling.
"All this time you always told me you were ok, eating healthy and doing your job to the best of your ability. Is there anything else of importance that you haven't told me about the trip" Derrick asks.
"Well, I have not told you that I killed the guy, though you may know that already. He was actually so pleased with the outcome of what I was doing that he offered me to stay with him permanently… Was not going to even consider it of course"
"Of course… so, you were doing a great job then?" the King asks as he flips the omelet.
Raziel looks at the King offended by the question "I always do my best…" sighs "During my prolonged and forced stay I learned a lot about the immune system, abut the human body, and had to learn how to cook… I must confess, you are not going to get sick when you eat my food, I was just joking around"
The King smiles and serves the food on a dish, then places it on the table in front of him.
"Well then, let me be the judge of that" the King grabs an avocado and cuts it giving Ziel one of the halves "let's dig in"
Link starts to laugh softly as he grabs some bread "Now you are speaking my language"
The King uses a fork and a knife to cut a small piece of the omelet, and slowly bites on it. He then closes his eyes and sighs in pleasure. The Prince found it incredibly hard to contain a smile.
"So, how does it taste my Lord?"
Derrick looks down at the food, he didn't want to praise his son's cuisine since that is not the type of relation the have forged. So, he just said "I don't know, I will need another bite"
I will take that as ¨I can't resist having more of it¨
Link chuckles at that and starts to eat too. King Daphnes was almost done when he notices the Prince eating and swallows to ask "you never told me how my food was?"
"Neither did you, but seeing that you are almost done, I will assume it was ok"
The King squints his eyes at Link "That is not fair, you can accurately guess my evaluation on your food since I ate it fast and with pleasure, but you are expression less and eating slowly… what am I supposed to think of that?"
"That I am not in a hurry, and I want to take my time savoring the food… overall, I find my dad's cooking acceptable"
Daphnes face reddens "You are lying, I didn't even used spices on it… I noticed Ivanna only had a few left and didn't want to waste them"
"If you don't believe me, why don't you try it? It may be an easy dish, since anyone in the Kingdom is more than capable of cooking it. And since the only spice that could be used is salt, a high level of precision was implemented to make it delectable. Besides, your choice to add some bread and avocado makes this a complete, nutritious and filling breakfast. Kind of reminds me of someone way of ruling don't you think?" Link says smirking as his he looks directly at King Derrik.
The King looks away after the obvious compliment. Ignoring the heat he started feeling on his face, he disposes of the apron, grabs the robe and surcoat and putting them back on. He then turns back to the table and grabs a piece of Link's omelet with his fork to eat it.
"Actually, not bad for having only used salt" he sighs "I expect you and your sister to meet me in the throne room once you are done eating. It is imperative that nobody knows of your arrival. That means, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED NEAR WINDOWS OR OUTSIDE, ARE WE CLEAR?"
Link nods and salutes him while chewing on a piece of bread.
Meanwhile, Chacha knocked on hell, but nobody answered. So, the maid unceremoniously opened the door and was shocked to find the bed had obviously been used by two people. She started breathing deeply to calm herself, the last thing she wanted was to start making wrong assumptions. Once she ended cleaning that room, she headed to knock on Zelda's.
"Come in" the Princess answered.
Chacha opened the door only to find her Princess sitting on the floor, legs spread open as she sewed. The Maid stared at the Princess and was about to scold her, but scold her on what? Zelda was wearing the sleeveless white shirt and grey trousers she usually wore for her work out, so she wasn't showing any indecent part of her body.
The Princess appeared to be making a pillow out of a sheet. Around her were the cut off heads of her old plushies, she appears to be using the cotton and plant fibers inside the plushies to fill the makeshift pillow.
"Good morning my Princess… I need to ask you; did you sleep with Link in hell yesterday?"
ZELDA POV
"I did… do I need to ask you to keep this quiet again?"
Chacha shakes her head furiously "of course not Princess, I just thought…"
Zelda rolls her eyes and keeps sewing "He didn't force me to anything if that's what you are asking, I was the one who requested it. The nightmares are relentless and I really need my sleep, that is all"
The young mad just sighs loudly wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.
"I am so glad things are the way they used to… I was so afraid something may have… I mean, I would not blame you if it had. He is fucking alluring. But I must remind you that I will lose my job if something happens between you two, so please behave and I will keep my mouth shut" Chacha says placing an index finger on her mouth and winking.
Zelda glares at her like she was about to rip her hair out of her scalp, but closes her eyes to breath in deeply.
Alluring she said… well, she is not wrong. I still want to kill her just for thinking I would lower myself to having premarital sex. Raziel is a sublime male specimen, but he is also my adoptive brother and I AM THE FUCKING PRINCESS.
"The fact that I still need his presence to sleep properly does not mean that anything romantic or sexual is going to happen between us." Zelda responds scathingly, not lifting her gaze from what she was doing, since she didn't want to puncture her fingers with the needle again.
Chacha smiles and lowers her head in a bit of shame "Well said my Princess, I believe you… May I help you doing the pillowcase?"
"Pillowcase? Do I really need that?"
The maid hits her forehead with the palm of her hand "You do… well, I DO. Its infinitely easier to wash a pillow case than the whole pillow, since the pillow may deform after washing it"
Zelda finally raises her head to look at the maid "Oh, I see… do help me with that o wise and knowledgeable maid of mine" the Princess says giggling as she hands the maid a big piece of the sheet that was not used "By the way, I suppose you have seen Raziel already, where is he?"
"My goddesses… you won't believe what I am going to tell you, but I swear it happened"
"Just tell me" Zelda insist.
"The Prince was in Nana's kitchen helping my King cook something… the King was dancing around to a tune Link was whistling wearing his trousers and an apron only"
That… must have been a sight, hehe. He must have taken his robe off to prevent staining it. Damn, how did I miss that?
Zelda hits Chacha on the head with the makeshift pillow.
"What was that for, you ungrateful sovereign?"
"For watching something so rare and majestic without me"
Chacha giggles "I didn't get to watch the whole show; Ivanna pulled me out"
------------------Remembrance-------------------
Ivanna pulling Chacha away from the kitchen "They are having a father-son conversation, don't interrupt them" she says.
"What conversation? They are only cooking… I should"
"You should do nothing my girl. THAT is how men talk most of the time. It's hard for them to just start talking like we do. They have to be doing something together, like fixing an appliance, cooking, hunting, and the list goes on" Nana sighs "I know because I had a father, had a husband, and still have a son"
Chacha stares at Nana sharing the sadness that those memories must have brought, but soon recovers. "Yeah… I get it, they are catching up. I will abstain from barging in and hugging the life out of the Prince"
"Good girl" Ivanna playfully taps on Chacha's head "what did you wanted to tell me?"
"THIS… the maids were whispering about Raziel arriving in the middle of the night, making the Queen cry in fear because she didn't recognize him. Others say that the Queen was crying because Zelda fought a robber in the middle of the night, the Princess clearly won the fight"
--------------------------------------------
"So… which one of the theories is the real one? Or are the maids delusional?" the maid asks.
Zelda started cracking in laughter "Both are true and false… Raziel did scare my mother, but she was crying because she missed him, not out of fear. I know it goes against what the Queen has been saying since Link left… But we all know she is lying and missed the Prince" Zelda laughs softly "I was the one who didn't recognize him, so I tried to kill him thinking he was a robber hurting my mom, we did fought a little but none of us got hurt, and we all laughed in the end"
Chacha opened her eyes wide and started to smile, she then started hitting herself on the head. "SHOOT, I finally have a juicy gossip to share with the other girls, and I can't talk about it or the King will EXECUTE me"
"I am… sorry? Did he say that to all of you?"
"No, he hasn't spoken to anybody… but Cormac ran all around the castle assuring us that if the Prince's presence in the castle is revealed, we will pay in blood. We are expected to ignore him if we see him since HE IS NOT HERE"
"Wow… that is harsh. Let me head to his room now, I should have waited for him there, but I needed to sew this pillow" She stands picking up the pillow before asking the maid "Are you done with the pillow case?"
"I was thinking of sewing it a nice flower pattern, but if simple is what you want, it's done" Chacha stands up and hands the pillow case to the Princess.
Zelda grabs the pillow case and thanks Chacha before rushing to Link's room.
I hope he is there already… I mean, he should be right? He left me a note saying that he woke up at 5 am and decided to have an early breakfast since my dad wakes up at 5:30 am. They must already be done with their breakfast.
Zelda knocked hell's door, but received no answer, she knocked again for good measure but everything remained quiet. So, she opened the door and saw Link lying on his bed, hands behind his head and legs crossed.
"Sorry for barging in, but you didn't answer"
Link uses his elbows to rise himself "How could I have answered if I don't exist?"
Zelda slaps her forehead "You are right, I forgot about that… the King told me yesterday that he wanted to discuss something with us, we should go. By the way, look at what I did" Zelda throws the pillow at him.
Ziel catches it with his left hand "The King told me the same a while ago" Link presses on the makeshift pillow and turns it around to examine it "You made this?"
"I know it's a little on the small size since its not as stuffed, but I thought we could still make use of it"
Link smiles still turning it around "It's actually perfect, can I have it?" the Prince asks.
Wait, what just happened?
Zelda starts to shake her head "But what about the barrier we need?"
Link rolls his eyes "We use the pillow that came with the bed for that, I use this one to sleep"
"Ok… if it works for you, but may I ask why?"
"I don't like very stuffed pillows; I prefer to sleep with little cushion, or none at all"
Keep asking, you know you want to; he may answer since you just gifted him a pillow.
"I know you must be gaining something from your pillow preference, would you care telling me?"
"The gain is information about my immediate surroundings, if my head is close to the ground or bed; I can hear or even feel if people are walking close by. The less stuffed the pillow, the easier it is for me to perceive if you are tossing around, going to the bathroom, having a nightmare etc."
He needs to sleep in a guarded way… I hate the Kokiri.
Zelda lowers her gaze "Those children really broke you, didn't they?"
Link smiles "Who? The Kokiri? They tried… but in the end, they made me. Let's go meet my King" he says offering his arm.