Nervously, Asuka was sitting in the throne room. On what was now her own throne. A feeling of giddiness was spreading through her mind, but she also had to grin. To her left and right, armored soldiers were standing. Dina was waiting behind her, she had asked the maid to stay nearby in case she needed anything. The truth was actually that she felt very nervous and wanted to have somebody nearby she knew... and Dina was the person she had shared company with ever since she had woken up in this crazy castle. Link was a nice enough guy, but Asuka still felt better when a female friend was around.
Link had decided to show up after the formalities were over, as he never had been the type to appear on such formal meetings. But as the princess, Asuka didn't have that choice. For now, the green-clad youngster was strolling through the castle garden, until the meeting was over.
The majordomo, who was standing next to the great double door, cleared his throat.
"His Majesty, Prince Ralis of the Zoras!"
The two guards standing nearby opened the door, revealing a trio of fish-like people. Asuka was a bit shocked when she noticed that neither of them were wearing any clothes on their scale-covered bodies. But the two taller Zoras were wearing huge helmets and carried long spears, while the neck and fins of the young prince were adorned with various sorts of jewelry.
Asuka's hands clenched themselves around the throne's armrests while the Zora approached her. 'Does anyone notice I'm sweating?' she wondered.
Prince Ralis looked up at her... and smiled. He bowed and said: "Princess Zelda, it is an honor to finally meet you. My mother, Queen Rutela - may Nayru watch over her spirit - told me of the good things you did to your people. And my friend Link also only told me good things about you. On behalf of my people, I thank you for welcoming me in your castle, and that you agreed to help us defend our kingdom against the barbaric Bulblins."
"I did?" Asuka blurted out. She wanted to slap herself for that question. "O-of course I did! No problem at all!" She couldn't help but giggle in embarrassment.
"That is good to hear," Ralis smiled. "As a sign of our gratitude, we brought you a present from our home. We hope you accept it as a token of friendship between our two kingdoms."
By order of his prince, one of the two tall Zora warriors stepped forward and opened a chest which was decorated by seashells. The prince opened it and presented Asuka a beautiful necklace, made of bright, red corals.
"Oh..." Asuka muttered as she took the necklace from Ralis. "How... nice..."
'Damn, and here I am a girl that doesn't care much about jewelry...' she thought.
"Thanks, I... guess I'll took a closer look at it tomorrow." Ralis also gave her the box, and she put the necklace inside, handing it over to Dina.
The majordomo coughed, but Asuka ignored him. She sat down, waiting for what would come next. She was feeling a bit proud that she managed to overcome this part of the meeting with no problem.
The majordomo coughed again, and Asuka looked at him inquiringly. "Um, is something the matter? Do you need a mint?"
"Your Highness... your present for the prince," the majordomo whispered.
Asuka's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, sure, I... um, I mean... yes, of course we have a present for you as well, Prince Ralis."
Ralis smiled. "How nice."
"You can give me the present now," Asuka whispered to the majordomo.
The fat man wiped his head. This really wasn't his day... "Uh, I gave it to you this morning, while you were enjoying your meal..."
"You mean that blue, sparkly rock from this morning?" Asuka wondered. "Oh, that must be still up in my room... the door always closed by itself, so I put it on the ground, so the door would stay open. Was that wrong?"
The majordomo tried very hard not to groan. "The royal sapphire from Hyrule... used as a doorstop."
Asuka gulped and gave the prince a nervous smile. Ralis, who had not heard the whispered conversation between the princess and her majordomo, patiently waited in front of her throne.
"Um, my present, well... Oh, I know! It is a very special present, you see? After considering it very carefully, I decided that no treasure would be enough to welcome you in our castle. And for that reason, I decided to give you a more personal present, so that you'll feel at home." She grinned. "It's an invitation to stay for lunch."
Dina nearly dropped the jewel box in surprise and the majordomo looked like he was going to faint.
The two Zora warriors seemed angry, and one of them even tightened his grip around his spear. Ralis, however, was just surprised. Then he chuckled. "That is a very unusual present, Princess... but very much appreciated. We had a long journey and I am indeed feeling a bit hungry... and thirsty. We accept your invitation with pleasure."
The majordomo let out a sigh of relief, and inwardly, Asuka gave herself a cheer of victory. She always was feeling much more confident with a full tummy.
A few hours later, Prince Ralis was sitting at the same table as Asuka, Link and Dina (Asuka had insisted that her two new friends would accompany them). Ralis had been very happy to see Link, and Asuka realized that they really must be old friends.
But not just Prince Ralis and Dina were surprised at the appetite the princess was showing while eating. Link couldn't believe his eyes either. While being an excellent ruler, Zelda had always been such a gentle and demure girl. And now she was shoveling the food into her mouth as if she had never eaten like that before...
Asuka swallowed the last piece of goat cheese and washed them down with some wine. Dina had to remind the princess several times not to drink too much alcohol, as she normally had trouble holding her liquor.
"This is life..." she sighed. "You know, we royal people really have it good. Yo, waiter, bring us some more of that stuff!"
Ralis chuckled. "You really have an exceptional personality, princess!"
"You bet I do," Asuka nodded as she bit into a piece of pumpkin, a delicacy from Ordon, Link's home village. "This stuff isn't so bad, but I wish we could have something more substantial... Hey, can I have some ketchup with this?"
The waiter paled. "I'm s-sorry, Your Highness... we never have any food like... THAT in our kitchen."
"What kind of kitchen is that?" Asuka complained. She was feeling much more confident, now that she was having her food and a nice drink. "And ask the chef if he's able to make a decent bratwurst... Say, what's your favorite food?" she asked the prince.
"Oh, it's a sort of fish... but I'm not surprised that we don't have it on your table, since I know that most Hylians don't quiet agree with the taste of the Red Reekfish..."
"Well, you could alwaysh bring one along from... from wherever you come from..." Asuka mumbled. Slowly, the alcohol was starting to show its effects. "Dammit, ish thish thing empty again? Why ish the wine alwaysh gone...?"
Dina swallowed nervously. "My princess, I really think you shouldn't drink much more..."
"Awww, shut it, Dina... you're worshe than wundergirl... (hic) s'cuse me..." Asuka's eyes rolled up in her skull while her upper body collapsed on her plate. "Check please..."
And shortly afterwards, the banquet hall was filled with the princess' loud snoring.
Ralis blinked. "Well, this meeting was certainly... interesting."
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(Posted Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:10)
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