Chapter 2
"All right, I'm here. Did you start yet?" Link walked into the Royal Council meeting chamber.
"Yes." answered Impa, "But we haven't got to the part you need to be here for."
"The suspense is killing me." Link rolled his eyes. "Let's get on with it. Hey, Ruto, what's that?"
"This," answered Ruto, secretary of the Royal Council, "is the will of our beloved and cherished monarch, the late King Churo. This meeting's focus is the reading of this will. Now, as I was saying, I quote, 'My will shall be breif. My only daughter, Zelda, shall inherit all my possessions, unless she chooses otherwise. Anything that she declares should be done with my things shall be done with my things. The only thing I do not leave to her is 3000 rupees, to be delivered to charity, one of my duaghter's choosing.' " Ruto looked up here and adressed the sages (and Link) in her own words, not quotes from the will, "Here we find a quick note, written hastily in the margin. It reads as follows. 'I write this while running from Ganondorf, the Gerudo King. I have no doubt in my mind that he will kill myself and my wife, and possibly my daughter. Should he do this, I give my throne to the one who overthrows Ganon. If my daugher's life is somehow spared, I give her hand away here, to-" Ruto stopped again, and looked up. She was about to speak, but she cut herself off and continued reading, " '-to whatever hero overthrows Ganon from the throne and restores my daugher to it.' That is all the will says, plus the usual legal notes, regarding the fact that this will in unbreakable, and anyone who disobeys it shall be sentanced immediatly to death. A deceased monarch is to be honoured more greatly than a living monarch, as per our culture."
No one moved. No one spoke. All eyes were on Link, except Zelda's, who chose to look in the opposite direction as if she hadn't heard the words. The silence was deafening, and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife... or sword. Link was the first one to speak.
"I won't do it. Kill me if you want, but I'd rather die than marry Zelda. With all due respect, she's my friend, and I love Malon! If I marry her first, than you can't make me marry Zelda."
"It's too late." Zelda said, "The only way for you to get out of this would have been for you to marry Malon before you knew what the will said. Now it would be outright illegal for you to propose to her. Believe me, I don't want this to happen either, but we have no choice." she met his gaze and said, "We're getting married, Link."
When she said the words, it was as though they finally hit home. Link unsheathed his sword and looked angry enough to use it, but there was nothing to use it one. He stormed out of the room in a tempest of fury. Fear gripped the Council.
"Who'll go after him?" asked Darunia, "He looks pretty mad. It'll have to be someone he trusts.
Zelda rose and said, "I'm about the only one of us who he can't kill. I mean, I've got magic enough to keep him at bay, not to mention a regiment of guards and a book of laws taking care of me. Besides, this whole issue is about me, isn't it?"
"No, this whole issue is about Malon." Saria said, "He's not angry, he'd sad. It's not that he doesn't want to marry you, it's that he does want to marry Malon. Trust me, he wouldn't hurt any of us. But I don't think we should go after him. He likes to be alone when he's upset, and if he's not going to be by himself, he's going to be with Malon. I'd leave him alone to deal with this."
* * * * *
Link was going to talk with Malon. He figured he should get to telling her the bad news as soon as possible, or else he'd explode with fury. However, when he saw her standing there on the bridge, his anger melted away and was replaced by utter despair. How could they expect him to live without being allowed to be in love with her?
Malon smiled when she saw him and said brightly, "That was quick. Nothing major, I guess."
Link was caught without words. The only thing he could think to say in warning was, "Whatever happens to either of us, I love you. I promise. If I could marry you, believe me, I would."
Malon looked puzzled, and almost worried. "You're talking as though we can't be married. What's the matter, Link? What happened?"
"I can't..." he sighed and started over, "Look, I had to go to that meeting because it was the reading of the king's will. You know, King Churo. It was short, basically everything goes to Zelda, but there was... one other thing." Link paused and chose his words carefully, "Zelda... she has to get married to the man of her father's choice... because he's the king... and the king... well, he said that whoever overthrew Ganon... marries Zelda. That means if I don't marry Zelda, I'll be murdered for disobeying the king."
Malon didn't move. She was frozen with shock. "What? Why?" She could hardly fin her breath.
"Because what the king says goes, and if I break the will, I'll be put to death. No offense to Zelda, but I'd rather die than marry her."
"No! Don't say that! If the only way you can survive is to marry her, than..." Malon stopped and took a deep breath, "marry her. I want you to. I'd rather see you married to someone else and alive than married to me and dead. I'll miss you, but I don't want you to be killed."
Link was silent. He didn't want to be married to Zelda. It would be weird. But what other choice did he have? "Alright. I'll marry her. But I love you, Malon. I always will."
"I love you, too. Don't worry. Someday we'll figure out how to get out of this so that..." her voice faded away and an expression of horror crossed her face.
"Malon? What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, it's just that... well, Dad has this friend. His family's been friends with Dad's family as far back as anyone can remember. It's always just been assumed that someday they'd be joined, but there's never been a chance to. But Dad's friend has a son, Darvin, and Dad has me. I was hoping I could get out of it by marrying you, but I can't now." It occured to her why Talon didn't like Link.
"Do you know Darvin? Maybe he's a nice guy."
"I know him alright. And he's a jerk. He's had a crush on me since we were five years old, and he knew he was gonna marry me when we got old enough. He's so conceited and mean. It drives me crazy! Maybe Dad won't remember." She didn't sound hopeful.
Each of them knew the other was thinking the same thing- "It's all King Churo's fault." But they didn't speak their thoughts because it was a horrible crime to insult a monarch, and it was doubly bad if the monarch was deceased. Even thinking such things was risky, because telepathic people could hear them. So they only looked at each other in silence. Finally, Malon spoke.
"There's no way to get out of this? Can you marry her and then get a divorce?"
"No. Divorces can only happen if at least one of the two people is in love with someone else and would marry them. And I can't marry you, because you'll be married to Darvin. You said Darvin loved you, so he wouldn't get a divorce. But Zelda might. We'll have to rely on her falling in love. She's our only hope."
They stood for a very long time on the bridge, saying nothing. They both dreaded what they knew was going to happen.
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