“I wonder,” Zelda hummed in a low, melodic tone from where she lay atop Liesl in their bed. Her face was turned and resting against the taller woman’s shoulder, eyes closed with a broad smile on her face.

“What do you wonder?” Liesl asked as her hand made another pass through the long, blonde hair. Nearly from the roots all the way to the tips.

“I wonder if you’ve picked out my birthday present already…”

Of course, Liesl couldn’t help but laugh, shaking Zelda against her body. “What do you think?” She asked before tilting her head down a little more to try and find those emerald eyes.

“Hmm, I don’t doubt you already have, not even a little bit.”

Well, Zelda knew her better than anyone, didn’t she? Because yes, Liesl not only had a present chosen but it was also bought, wrapped, and hidden away where Zelda would never find it. “Maybe, maybe not,” Liesl mused. “Either way, you won’t be finding out until the morning of your birthday.”

It was hard to believe another year had almost passed. Just a few more weeks, and Zelda would be twenty! The attack would be a year old, as well. And even if others had taken its place with disturbing frequency, their distance from the capital allowed the two to shut them out. If only for a time when they were alone at night.

Apparently unhappy with the answer, Zelda turned and placed her chin on Liesl’s chest instead, and an impressively convincing pout made its home on her face. “The morning? Really?”

“It’s the same every year…”

“Okay, but what about the night before?”

“Are you really trying to negotiate 12 fewer hours before receiving it?”

“Of course! I love your gifts, almost as much as I love you!”

That was a nice try, though. And even though it warmed Liesl’s heart, she still wasn’t going to give in to those demands. No matter how adorable Zelda looked or how many compliments she threw Liesl’s way. “So close…but it’s not going to happen, silly.”

“Well, then, give me something else the night before.”

My, she really was persistent, wasn’t she? “What do you want?” Liesl asked.

“Oh, I think you know…”

“What? A kiss?”

“Mhm,” Zelda confirmed with a nod of her head. “More than one, actually.”

“But you can have those any time.”

“Oh really?” She asked before popping up from where she lay. “In that case, I think I’ll have some right now!”

Goddesses, Liesl had walked right into that one, hadn’t she? Well, the princess gets what the princess wants. Unless it’s her birthday present, of course. So, even if she rolled her eyes, Liesl turned her head just so and tilted it so their lips could slot together in a ritual that was very quickly becoming nightly. And thankfully, this “practice” meant that Liesl’s heart no longer felt like it was going to seize at the feeling of those soft lips pressed to hers.

The kisses were slow and delicate, owing as much to the mood as the dull ache that still echoed in Liesl’s muscles after a long afternoon of practice. When they finally separated, Zelda hummed her contentment before turning her head and laying it on Liesl’s chest once more.

“I love you,” she said with a lilt that betrayed her sleepiness.

The words brought out one more kiss on the crown of her head before Liesl let her head drop back to the pillow and her arms wrap tightly around her.

“I love you, too.”

And with Zelda’s warmth and the gentle sound of her breathing, it was only a matter of time before Liesl drifted off to sleep.

—

Liesl didn’t know how long she had been out, but sometime later, she awoke to…strange noises. They were faint, but they didn’t belong among the peaceful serenity of the night. Something in her mind stirred her from her slumber in response, but despite the confusing sounds that drifted into her room, she looked down to see that Zelda was still nestled against her. Liesl could see that peaceful face visible in the moonlight or…huh, that light was different from the soft glow that usually drifted in. It was very orange.

In fact, a lot of the strange light flowed in through the windows. And those sounds, was that screaming? Mixed with others she could not identify. As she came from her slumber, Liesl became increasingly certain that’s what she was hearing, and anxiety rose in her chest. She gently moved Zelda aside then, down to the bed to rest on one of the pillows so Liesl could move to the side and get up. Her bare feet carried her to the window silently, but when she arrived and peered outside, she couldn’t help the sharp inhale at what she found.

Fire. There was fire everywhere. In the city below, parts of the castle. Even some of the farms beyond the walls were ablaze. Billowing smoke towered into the sky, where it was illuminated by the orange glow from beneath. It almost looked impressive, in a way. If it wasn’t so absolutely terrifying.

But then Liesl heard rustling from back toward the bed, and when she looked over, she saw Zelda stirring. “Zelda,” she whispered. More to herself, and with the realization of what this all most likely meant.

“Liesl?” Zelda groaned, but not in answer to her name. “What’s going on? Why are you awake?”

A few strands of blonde hair fell from behind her ear, and for the first time, Liesl didn’t even stop to consider how beautiful that looked. “Zelda.” This time, Liesl spoke a little louder, and her voice was full of all the trepidation and worry that was currently overtaking her mind and tightening her chest.

“What is going on?” Zelda’s words were more insistent this time, and she started moving from bed without waiting for an answer.

“I-I don’t know…” Liesl admitted before turning back and looking out the window.

Zelda arrived beside her a moment later, and when she turned her head, her eyes went wide and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. “Goddesses…” Zelda took a step closer to the window and put both hands on the glass as if she were trying to get as close as possible. Like that would give her more of a clue as to what was happening.

The longer Liesl looked, the more details and pieces began to fall into place. Yes, there were bigger fires, but there were also hundreds of individual torches in the streets. No, thousands. Were those people responding to the fire or at least trying to get help? Or maybe it was soldiers mustering?

Something about this felt wrong, though. One fire like this? Sure. That was an unfortunate reality of living in a city, but multiple fires? All without being connected to one another? How likely was that?

However, they wouldn’t get any more time to stare because the door to Zelda’s room suddenly swung open, drawing the attention of both. When Liesl spun, she found a woman stepping in, dressed in the plain clothes of a servant. But instead of confusion or fear in the red eyes staring back at her, Liesl only saw determination. For what, she didn’t know.

“W-What are you doing in here? Who are you?” Zelda’s voice was shaky, and as soon as she uttered the words, the newcomer’s eyes snapped to her. Whereupon her lips curved in a wicked smile.

“Princess Zelda,” she said before taking a step forward. “I was worried you wouldn’t be here…”

No, this all felt too wrong, and Liesl took a step to the side, putting Zelda behind her and blocking the woman’s line of sight.

“You heard the princes, who are you?” Liesl asked, before narrowing her eyes. She didn’t know the woman’s name, but she could swear she’d seen her around the castle before. Multiple times, even. Over years. However, that didn’t mean she was about to trust whoever this was.

“You don’t know me,” the servant woman said after coming to a stop. “But I know you, Hero .”

Hmm, was it just her, or did it sound like that moniker was spat out with disgust?

“And the histories will know my name. Semmi, the woman who slew both the Hero and her little Princess.” She paused long enough to reach into the folds of her simple, linen dress to pull out one of the curved blades Liesl had seen too many times in her life by this point. One in the same style used by those who killed her parents and attacked them in the Temple of Light.

“You’re one of them!” Zelda said from somewhere behind her, but Liesl didn’t let her gaze shift from that weapon.

“That’s right, princess. One of many. So, so many!”

She lunged then and brought her weapon up in a quick, sideways slash that Liesl barely managed to dodge by jumping to the side. It was a wide, wild swing, but only once she landed did Liesl realize what the woman was trying to do. Now Zelda was exposed, and the attacker rushed forward in the space she created while raising the blade above her head for a cut.

“Zelda!” Liesl shouted and lunged back toward her, shoving the princess toward the bed, where she subsequently fell.

A sharp pain shot up Liesl’s arm as the two traded places, and the tip of the blade sliced through nightgown and skin alike. She couldn’t help but let out a cry in response, but her mind was too busy focusing on the attacker to even spare her injury a glance. She could still move her arm, at least. Which meant the cut must not have been too deep.

The blade whipped out again, but Liesl narrowly dodged to the side once more. At least these things didn’t appear to have a lot of reach. However, before the attacker could bring the sword back around and try again, a blanket fell over her head.

Liesl’s eyes snapped up to see Zelda standing on the bed, now one less blanket atop it. She had a frantic look in her eyes and wasn’t wasting any time trying to get down and away from the ire she no doubt just drew.

“Fucking thing!” Semmi spat as she did her best to get out from underneath the heavy comforter.

It wouldn’t buy it much time, but Liesl quickly ran past her, and the wild swings of her weapon, to meet Zelda on the other side of the bed, near the table.

A weapon, Liesl needed a weapon! Or…something!

Once the woman finally got the blanket off, she started advancing toward them again, and Liesl pushed Zelda back until she bumped into one of the chairs that had been left askew after dinner earlier that night.

“Liesl, the chair!”

What? A chair? Oh, a chair! Well, it certainly wasn’t a sword, but it would have to do. So, she grabbed it by the back and upturned it, so the four legs were pointed at the strange woman, whose face twisted into amusement upon seeing her choice.

“A chair?” Semmi echoed before snorting derisively. “Far cry from the Master Sword.” Then her eyes shifted to Zelda, and she shook her head while offering a few tuts. “Too bad daddy didn’t want to give it up…”

Her eyes returned to Liesl following the mocking assertion, and she lunged forward with both hands on the hilt of her blade. She brought it high above her head as she did and swung it down to meet the rising piece of wooden furniture. Naturally, the blade easily made it through the first leg, but then it became tangled in the cross-posts that connected each leg to the other, even diagonally.

And now that the blade was not only stopped but stuck, Liesl wrenched the chair to the side and sent it, along with the blade, clattering to the floor. Surprise registered on Semmi’s face right before Liesl’s fist collided with it. Pain once again shot through her arm, but at least this time she had the satisfaction of feeling the nose crunch under the blow.

The woman stumbled back as her hands shot up, and Liesl could see the blood seeping out from between the cracks in her fingers. But she had tried to kill Zelda, and that simply wouldn’t stand. The nose was most likely broken, but she was still a threat. So, Leisl advanced on Semmi before she had a chance to recover and hit her in the stomach with all the adrenaline-fueled strength she could muster. At least Rowan had taught her how to throw a punch. Anything more and she’d probably not be able to handle herself.  

So, that’s what she did. Another punch hit the woman in the gut, and once she bent forward in pain, Liesl reached to the side and quickly picked up the chair and the blade that was still embedded inside. Then she hastily brought it up over her head and smashed it into the woman’s back, causing the chair to fall apart in her hands and the attacker to drop to the floor, where she did not rise.

Liesl had half a mind to grab the sword from where it now lay on the ground, but before she could, another strange person arrived at the door. Another Sheikah, by the looks of it. And this one already had one of the curved swords in her hand, red with blood from whoever she had killed previously. She took one look at her fallen comrade and then started in through the door. However, she hadn’t made it two steps inside when a sword tip suddenly erupted from her chest. And when she fell, there was Rowan in his nightclothes, looking very much like he’d already fought an army to get here.

“Liesl? Zelda?” His eyes darted between as the woman died on his sword and slumped to the floor. He let her fall free and then rushed forward to wrap Liesl in a hug before opening his free arm wide enough for Zelda to join. “It’s okay, girls. It’s okay, I’m here…”

Oh, thank the Goddesses he was here! Liesl could’ve cried from the relief she felt, but she had a feeling this was far from over.

“Rowan, what’s happening?” Zelda asked as she backed up from the hug and looked down at the two attackers lying still on the floor.

“We’re under attack,” he admitted with more than a little emotion in his voice.

“Where?” Liesl asked before glancing toward the window. Was it mainly in the city? The castle? What about the army that was camped out a few miles away?

“Everywhere…”