~ Continue Of Chapter 1 ~

“A council meeting. What a lovely way to start the day.”

I laughed humorlessly at Link’s sarcastic comment and sat down at my vanity.

“If you were king you’d have to meet with them nearly everyday, you know.”

“Yes, but then they’d be nothing but advisors to me,” Link countered, “and not the bloody judges they are now. And plus I’d be with you,” he added, his reflection smiling at me in my vanity mirror.

I smiled back sweetly, pretending to be coy as I busied myself with brushing my hair and earning a soft laugh from Link.

Today’s council meeting would not be like the usual meetings I, as Queen of Hyrule, attended on a daily basis. In fact, it was hardly a council meeting at all, considering the ministers weren’t so much advising as they were evaluating. Evaluating Link, that is.

About five months after Link and I were married, which had been almost two years ago, my father passed away from an illness he’d been struggling with for quite some time. The ministers had urged me to take the throne as soon as possible, and my coronation had been held within that same month. Link, however, had been denied his rightful place as king.

This was all because Link had been born ‘common,’ meaning he was not of royal or noble blood. For centuries, Hylian law has required a princess be married only to another prince or high nobleman in order to preserve the ‘purity’ of the royal family. It was forbidden for a princess to court a commoner, even one that had been granted noble status by the king. Needless to say, my courtship with Link created a great deal of controversy. After our engagement was officially announced, my father and the Council had debated the matter for weeks until finally settling upon an agreement: Link and I could marry on the condition that Link would remain nothing more than a consort until the Council deemed him worthy of becoming a full-fledged monarch.

Although I was not the first queen to rule alone, I was one of few. The monarchy of Hyrule was meant to be ruled by a king and a queen, side by side, each with their own duties. A lone monarch must thus bear twice the amount of responsibility, and because I was still young and unfamiliar with many of the kingly duties, this had proved to be quite challenging for me.

For months Link has watched me bear the heavy responsibilities of my crown alone and has desperately struggled to earn the Council’s approval so that he may take his rightful place at my side. It has been a long and frustrating road for him, as his efforts have so far been in vain.

Ever since Link became prince, the Council has gathered at the end of every month to evaluate Link’s conduct over the past four weeks. If the ministers found no fault for three consecutive meetings, then Link could begin the next step toward his coronation. Unfortunately Link has never even come close to achieving this, as the Council has always found some excuse to hold him back.

Though Link’s chances for success appeared slim, he actually did have about half of the Council’s support. The opposed ministers were also finding it increasingly difficult to back their arguments, especially when their opposition clearly stemmed from an old-fashioned prejudice toward Link and his common background.

“I think it will go well today,” I cheerfully pondered aloud.

Link cast me a rather cynical glance and lifted his arm to fasten the buttons along the cuff of his sleeve.

“I’m sure they’ll find some reason to deny me,” he remarked dryly. “They always do.”

“There’s no need to be so pessimistic about it,” I argued positively, opening a small drawer to select a pair of sapphire earrings. “You did so well in the last meeting…Where is your confidence?”

I watched in the mirror as Link quietly crossed the room and came to stand behind my chair.

“I’m not being pessimistic,” he said quietly, leaning down to gently kiss my cheek. “I’m simply speaking the truth.”

His reflection then left my mirror as he moved on past me.

“Well, they’ll have to see the error of their ways eventually,” I told him, turning my head slightly to attach the first earring. “Otherwise they’re just fools.”

Link laughed lightly.

“I certainly hope you have no fools on your Council,” he teased. “Though…sometimes I do wonder…”

I sighed and reached for the second earring, knowing all too well whom he was referring to.

Lord Vasilis Durithan was an elder member of the High Council and a long time servant of the Royal Family. As a man of intelligence and great experience, Vasilis was especially valued for his knowledge and skill in foreign policy, which was precisely why he’s held his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs for many years.

Vasilis was also a man of tradition, and a fervent believer in preserving the “purity” of the royal bloodline. The idea of introducing “common blood” into the royal family was not only something he strongly disapproved of, it disgusted him. Ever since Link was a child, Vasilis has disapproved of his presence in the castle and had always scolded me for spending so much time with “that peasant child.” Vasilis had openly opposed our courtship and spoken out against our marriage, claiming Link would “taint the pure bloodline, alienate the kingdom, and anger the gods.” My father had been furious, and had threatened to remove the minister from the Council if he did not learn to control himself. Since then Vasilis has continued to oppose Link in smaller ways, and has done everything in his power to make sure Link remained nothing more than a consort prince.

“Vasilis isn’t the only reason you haven’t been coronated, Link.”

“I know, I know,” he sighed. “But he is the most opposed to it.”

Sighing quietly, I rose from my chair and moved to join Link where he stood near his bureau. Glancing down, I reached for his circlet, a simpler gold piece with no decoration but a small raised Triforce in the front. Wordlessly I reached up to smooth his hair back away from his face and set the circlet in place on his forehead. I then lowered my hand, letting Link’s bangs fall loosely around his eyes and over the circlet.

“There,” I said softly, brushing my fingertips along either side of his face. “Handsome as always.”

He gave me a dry look before leaning forward to chastely kiss my lips, just as a timid knock sounded from the bedroom door.

“My Lord and Lady?” the muffled voice of a servant called.

Link pulled away from me with a sigh.

“Come, love,” he said gently, “the scrutinizers await.”

You should have edited your old post to add this instead of making a new thread.

Closed.