Liesl wished the calming presence of Zelda would have been enough to ensure a deep and peaceful sleep. Alas, the events of the day invaded her dreams, regardless. Violence, fear, and worst of all, the attempted kidnapping of the Princess. Over and over again, Liesl’s mind painted a picture of what it would’ve been like to lose Zelda. To lose someone so close to her  again, just like her parents.

So, when she finally stirred, Liesl stayed awake even if it was far too early to get up, judging by the darkness beyond the window. She absolutely did not want to leave bed, though. Not with Zelda at her side. Because even if she couldn’t see the other woman, Liesl could feel her heat. Even if they had separated sometime in the night. She could even feel her…rolling around? And were those groans? Ones that sounded more akin to whimpers than peaceful sleeping. 

Nightmares. Zelda was having them too, wasn’t she? It wouldn’t surprise Liesl in the slightest considering what they’d both been through and now that they weren’t distracting each other with soft touches and bedtime routines, their minds were free to wander (and apparently to torture them both). It broke her heart to know her friend was suffering and before she thought about it, Liesl slowly reached out and wrapped one arm around the other woman’s torso to pull her back in. Zelda didn’t wake, but once that hand was on her, she scooted forward, not stopping until she had buried her face into the crook of Liesl’s neck. 

For the first time since she woke up, a small smile kicked up on Liesl’s lips and her hand began gently stroking the long, curved back. “I’m here,” she whispered gently into the crown of Zelda’s head. “Don’t you worry.” She was here, and she wasn’t going anywhere. With or without the sword, even if the King didn’t like her, Liesl wasn’t leaving. She stayed like that thereafter, distracting her mind by providing comfort to her friend. Which seemed to work for both of them as Zelda soon settled, her breathing evening out back into a steady rhythm. When the sun finally did rise, the added visage of Zelda’s sleeping face helped fill Liesl’s heart with warmth. Such a shame that it had to end. 

One eye cautiously opened and blinked a few times to help drive away the sleepiness. Then she must’ve noticed Liesl looking down at her because Zelda hummed, closed her eyes again, and pressed herself even more against Liesl’s body. 

“Oh no, you don’t,” Liesl whispered in mock admonishment.

“Just five more minutes…” Zelda’s words were slightly muffled, but Liesl got the gist of it. 

“You know we have to get ready to meet your father.” Now, that brought out a  groan of protest and the Princess tried her hardest to scurry beneath the blankets. Even going so far as to grab at Liesl’s dress and use it to pull herself closer.

“Hey! You know we can’t be late; he already doesn’t like me!”

“Well, then he’s a fool,” Zelda countered before sticking her head out of the blanket far enough that her eyes could be seen, then her mouth, where her lips curled into a smile. “Because you’re lovely and quite brave, too.”

The compliments caused Liesl’s cheeks to heat, but her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Don’t try to butter me up. You’re still getting out of bed!”

“Never!” Once again, the Princess tried to hide beneath the blankets, but her handmaiden dove in a moment later to wrap her hands around her waist and start pulling her to the edge. “Betrayer! Betrayer!”

“So dramatic!” But honestly, Liesl wouldn’t have it any other way because the silliness helped distract her from the impending meeting with the King. For a little while, anyway. Eventually, the morning preparation and what it meant for their schedule became impossible to ignore. By the time the two were on their way to breakfast, Liesl could actually feel her heart beating faster and the two ate their meal with barely a word exchanged between them. Which could only mean one thing: Zelda was worried too.

Of course, Liesl had no idea what to expect when she walked through the door into the King’s study. Ugh, she hated coming here. One would think the throne room would be worse, but the smaller space meant it was harder to hide from the King’s gaze and it was felt more intensely. Thankfully, Liesl found some comfort in the fact that Rowan and Impa were already there when they arrived. And not just them, but the Head Priest as well.

Liesl spared an inquisitive glance the older man’s way and found that he might actually be the one person who looked more uncomfortable than she did. As her eyes continued to scan, they eventually settled on the Master Sword where it sat on a bench off to the side. Most likely, where Zelda had placed it yesterday.

The King cleared his throat suddenly, causing Liesl to look back toward him where he all but scowled in her direction. Goddesses man, she wasn’t going to walk over there and take it!

“It probably won’t surprise you to know that my decision hasn’t changed,” the King started in a gruff voice and without preamble. It sounded scratchy, probably from hours of discussion and a night that wasn’t full of restful sleep, considering the dark bags under his eyes. Really, Liesl would be surprised if any of them had gotten a good night’s sleep. “Despite the long-winded protests of my…advisors.” His gaze lifted then and met Cyrus (who stared back) and the priest (who shied away under the stare).

“Then why are we here?” Zelda was apparently in no mood for games and wanted to get straight at the heart of the matter.

“So there are no grand ideas floating around in that head of yours,” the King responded. “The search for the Hero will continue, which means the Princess of this Kingdom will be a dutiful participant.”

“Why? The Hero was found. The sword isn’t even in the temple anymore.”

“Because you moved it, Zelda. That is the truth of the matter, and you will continue to shepherd it when necessary. Including placing it where others can try to wield it.”

“But I’m not the one who pulled it. Everyone knows the Hero is the one who will remove the sword, right?” When her father didn’t answer, Zelda looked over at the priest and held her hands up in exasperation. “Right!?”

Being addressed by the Princess, the old man must’ve felt compelled to answer and he nodded in answer. “Yes, Princess. That is part of the prophecy.”

“A part,” the King repeated as if he had found the exact loophole he needed.

However, Zelda’s eyes remained on the Priest and narrowed. “A part? Then what is the whole thing?” A good question and one Liesl was dying to know herself.

“That doesn’t m–”

But Zelda was having none of it. “What is it!?” Her eyes narrowed on the older man, expression falling toward anger.

He jumped at the sudden shout and closed his eyes before his lips muttered something as if he was trying to remember. “F-fair of hair, blue of eyes, the Hero is born beneath the Goddesses’ skies. First and only to the mother, the destined Princess will love no other. The last warrior from a fallen line will free the blade from its sacred shrine. Not alone, but in a pair, the two shall save us from despair.”

The room grew so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop and Zelda’s eyes transitioned from the priest to Liesl, who squirmed under that gaze. Not all those described her, or so she thought, but the ones that did only fueled her anxiety.

“I don’t understand,” Zelda said, shaking her head and looking back at her father. “It matches her. It matches Liesl.” She looked at the others in the room before settling on her father. “This prophecy describes her.”

“Plenty of Hylians have blonde hair and blue eyes,” he countered. “Not to mention being the only children of their parents. It doesn’t prove anything.”

“The last warrior from a fallen line? Her parents are–” However, Zelda caught herself before finishing that thought and looked sheepishly back in Liesl’s direction.

“It’s okay,” Liesl whispered but said nothing more. She knew what Zelda meant and didn’t hold it against her, even if it stole any further words.

But the King scoffed and brought a hand up to wave away the assertion. “Dead parents don’t make you a hero, and this girl is no warrior.”

“And whose fault is that?” Zelda shot back. “You should’ve been training her if you suspected!”

“There was no suspicion!”

“Born under the Goddess’s sky,” Rowan said from the side and in a much calmer voice.

“What?” The King asked as all eyes turned to the old soldier.

“You said you didn’t suspect, but we knew that Liesl was born when Din’s comet was highest in the night sky. That only happens every few hundred years.”

The King chewed his lips for a moment before finally bringing up his hands in irritation and taking turns looking each of them in the eye. “Is this what we’re going to do, hmm? Go through line by line, condition by condition, to see if they apply to her? As if every one of them would, anyway. Besides, there is a rather important condition that hasn’t been met.”

“No,” Zelda said before shaking her head. “It has been met.”

The King’s eyes narrowed and for a moment, it seemed like only his daughter and he understood what was going on. Or perhaps Liesl was just the one left behind? Rowan looked lost too but Impa finally stood straight from where she’d been leaning against the wall.

The Princess didn’t elaborate right away and instead curled her fingers into fists at her side. It looked like a few emotions played across her face until she turned to look at Liesl. Then it all faded away. The worry, the pain, it all gradually melted into a smile. A shaky one, but one nonetheless. And even in this uncomfortable moment, Liesl couldn’t help but smile back. Maybe that was the last bit of courage the Princess needed because she turned back to her father thereafter. “She is the Hero…because I love her.”

For a moment, it felt like all the air drew out of Liesl’s lungs and her smile vanished in her shock. What did Zelda just say? That she loved her ?

The destined princess will love no other.

“Please,” the King said dismissively. “We are not talking about your fondness for your friend, even one that has been around for many years.”

Oh, was that it? Was the King right in that this was only the affection of two friends that had shared so much for so long? And why was that thought so disappointing all of a sudden?

“No!” Zelda said forcefully while shaking her head. “I love her, father! More than any friend, more than anyone else…” Liesl’s eyes widened as Zelda turned to look at her, her expression giving way to uncertainty. “Don’t you love me too?”

“I…” Liesl’s voice caught in her throat as too many thoughts competed to get out her mouth at once. The heartbeat filling her ears didn’t help either and a hand came up to grip her dress above the furious thumping in her chest.

“Stop this!” The King shouted before rising from his seat. “This is nonsense and I’ll have no more of it!”

For the briefest moment, Zelda’s expression faltered as it held Liesl’s gaze. But the outburst had her brows knitting as she turned back. “Why? Why are you so against it? Liesl pulled the sword. She’s captured my heart. The hero is here and yet you fight against it. Don’t you see?”

“I will not lose this Kingdom!”

Zelda seemed confused at this reasoning, and she brought her hands up to rub her temple in frustration. “What are you talking about?

“Oh, I see,” he said before raising a hand and pointing in Liesl’s direction. “I see what will happen if you indulge this little fantasy. That our line will end and with it, the kingdom. Think about it, you have the strength of the Goddesses inside you…” The King’s tone was almost a plea and that finger shifted to tap against the side of his head. “What happens when you win this fight that is brewing? If you win, that is. You live happily ever after? Grow old and die all without bearing a child? Then what? Who will be there to protect us the next time? What happens when the power in your blood is snuffed out?”

Zelda looked taken aback for a moment and then slowly began to shake her head as the words set in. “That’s why you were so adamant that I marry,” Zelda muttered in disbelief. “Why you wanted me to be with the sword bearer…”

“Yes,” he admitted before dropping his hands to his side. “And if not the one who wields the Master Sword, then fine. Fine! We’ll find someone else.”

That admission had Zelda narrowing her eyes and tilting her head in incredulity. “Ah, so now it doesn’t matter if it’s the Hero or not? As long as it’s a man?” There was more than a hint of challenge in Zelda’s voice and it was clear the question had struck a nerve.

Anger soon made another appearance, and the King set his jaw and took a few deep breaths to calm. Which apparently didn’t work. “You will marry and you will ensure the future of Hyrule is secured! Both now and in the future!”

Liesl couldn’t believe what she was hearing and from the look on the other’s faces, neither could they. Was this really why he despised Liesl so much? Because she wasn’t a man that could give him an heir? 

“I’m not simply some broodmare!” Zelda finally snapped. “I will not spread my legs as such to satiate your worry!” With that, she turned, flashed Liesl one last painful look, and began hustling to exit.

“Zelda!” The King called after her but she did not deviate in her course. She stormed right up to the door of the study and opened it in a huff, letting it slam against the wall as it reached its full arc. The guards on the outside were no doubt confused, but no one dared lay a hand on the Princess to stop her retreat.

“Goddesses, damn this!” His gaze moved to Liesl. “Look what you’ve done!”

What she’d done?

“Your majesty you can’t think this was Liesl’s fault?” Rowan asked as he stepped between the two. She only caught a glimpse of his face and the stunned look still stretched across it because she turned thereafter, uninterested even in his defense of her. Liesl didn’t care to address such a wild accusation and felt no need to argue. Her friend had fled and Liesl had to find her.

So, that’s what she would do. In fact, she started running and made it through the door after a few long strides. Her dress kicked up around her as she went and at least two shouts of her name were left in her wake. However, that didn’t matter, and she only gained speed as she rounded a corner. Where was Zelda? She needed to find her, needed to answer that question!