“Where are they?” Zale asked Salvatore outside of the library.

“They have only just arrived,” Salvatore said. “I’m sure they’re still in the courtyard.”

Zale made a split-second decision and guided Salvatore and Lila to the throne room. Upon entering the throne room, Zale looked at the empty throne with sadness. He approached the grand throne slowly. He felt the oiled cedar as he ran his hand along the armrest. Then he stood back and imagined his father sitting there. King Gaepora’s time had passed. Now it was time for Zale to rise.

Feeling determined, Zale sat on the throne for the first time. It was surprisingly comfortable, though slightly too big for him. His father had been a man of great stature, whereas Zale was almost as frail and fragile as his sisters. He wondered if he would ever fit in his father’s place.

“Your Majesty,” Salvatore said, kneeling. Lila watched him curiously before doing the same.

Zale clenched his jaw and said, “Please, don’t do that. At least, not when we’re alone.” The two stood again. “That’s better. Now, Lila, I want you to stand beside me as my vanguard.”

Lila stepped onto the platform without hesitation. Zale pointed to where she was supposed to be and she took her position. She stood tall with one hand on her belt above her sword. The other hand hung free, ready to grab her sword at a moment’s notice.

“You don’t have to look so scary,” Zale said, trying to joke around. He found he was feeling a little too nervous to put on more than a quick smile. When they were ready, Zale said to Salvatore, “Okay. Bring them in.”

Salvatore nodded and left to fetch the generals. There was a few minutes of silence. Zale resisted the urge to fidget around in his chair. He wished he had a more commanding presence like his father. Instead, he had to draw on his own strengths. What were his strengths again? Lila was the strong one. He could rely on her for anything. He looked at her. She had her light blue eyes set forward watching the door. When she saw him looking at her, she gave him a broad smile.

“You’ll be great,” she said.

Then the doors opened and Salvatore announced that the generals of Hyrule had arrived. He tried to name them one by one, but General Davros stopped him.

“What are you doing on the king’s throne, boy?” Davros demanded, shaking a fist.

Zale swallowed. He knew this would be hard, but he didn’t realize how angry the general of Castle Town would be. Luckily, the other generals didn’t seem angry. They looked at each other with expressions of uncertainty.

Deciding patience was his strength, Zale waited for the generals to calm down. He looked at each of them in turn, landing on Davros last. When he was ready, he spoke in a calm, unwavering voice.

“My father, King Gaepora Nohansen Hyrule, has passed from this world,” Zale stated. He was glad that emotion didn’t take him. “It falls to me as his son and rightful heir to be the new king.”

The generals were startled by the news, but they all knelt down and bowed to their new king. Salvatore said, “All hail the king!”

Zale waited a moment. No one spoke. Good. Then he told them all to rise. “Now, we can begin preparations for the funeral. Send out messengers to your areas of the land. Have them announce what I just told you. Have them also announce that the funeral will be in two days' time. All are invited to attend.”

“Two days, sire?” Jovom, the Zora general, asked.

“Is that not enough?” Zale asked back.

Jovom shook his head. “No, I suppose two days are fine.”

“Good,” Zale said. “Anything else?” He looked around at the generals, but they stayed quiet. “The servants will handle decorations and all of that,” he added. “Now on to my coronation. Davros, is there anything you wish to say right now?”

The general in question looked at his feet. In the quiet room, Zale heard him mutter something under his breath but thought it best not to ask him about it. Finally, Davros raised his head and asked, “When will the ceremony be?”

Fapiath answered, “It’s traditional for the ceremony to be performed right after the funeral.”

Zale said, “Then that’s when we’ll do it. We will have a rehearsal tomorrow. Is there anything else we need to discuss regarding the passing of the crown?”

Fapiath shook her head. “You’ll go over all of that at the rehearsal.”

Zale nodded. He wondered if there was anything else he should go over with the generals. Fapiath caught his eye and he frowned at her. “What is it?” he asked.

“Maybe we should discuss… the two visitors,” she said carefully.

Zale’s jaw clenched. He hadn’t wanted to talk about them, but now that Fapiath had brought it up, he had to. Before anyone else could say something, he said, “Their names are Link… and Zelda.” He waited for their gasps to subside. “We have come to the conclusion that Link is Lila’s twin brother, and Zelda is my twin sister.” More gasps. “They have been away from Hyrule until now. Zelda makes no claims to the throne. They are here for the Master Sword.” He wondered if he should say more, but Davros spoke up.

“What makes him think he can have the Master Sword?”

“Don’t worry,” Lila said suddenly. “He’s not going to get it!”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Lady Lila,” Davros said a lot more politely than before.

Zale sighed. “As twins, Lila and Link both have the Triforce of Courage.”

A third round of gasps. Even Davros couldn’t hide his surprise.

“And… you and Zelda…?” Jovom wondered.

“Yes,” Zale answered. “We both have the Triforce of Wisdom. And before you ask, Ganondra had the Triforce of Power and we don’t know if there’s a twin.”

“So someone could be out there with the Triforce of Power and you have no idea?” Davros accused.

“That is correct,” Zale said, calmly staring into Davros’s eyes.

“If there is another threat,” said the Goron General Nodu, “then we will crush them like we crushed Ganondra!” He slammed his fists together each time he said “crush.”

Zale smiled for the first time during that meeting. “That we will, General Nodu. Everyone, keep an eye out for any activity that might indicate a new enemy.”

“Don’t forget,” Lila piped up. Zale turned to look at her. “Link and I fought some monsters at Lon Lon Ranch. I’d say that indicates a new enemy.”

Zale turned back to the generals. “Yes, that’s true,” she said contemplatively.

“We’ll report anything we see, sire,” Fapiath said.

“Good,” Zale replied. “I know I can count on all of you. You each fought well during the battle against Ganondra.”

Ready to change the subject, Zale said, “Now I pass the floor to you. Do any of you have things you would like to discuss?”

General Davros spoke first. “What are we going to do with all of those Gerudo prisoners?”

“Good point,” Zale said. “I was hoping to talk to Lila about this matter.” He turned to her again. She looked startled at being addressed. “Lila, do you know if there’s a person who would be the leader after Ganondra?”

Lila tilted her head in thought. “Probably Nabooru. I think she was the leader before Ganondra took over. She’s pretty old, but she was always by Ganondra’s side.”

Zale nodded. “Then we’ll find her and see if we can come to an agreement of some sort. I want to send the Gerudo home peacefully if at all possible.”

“But, sire,” Davros protested, “they’re ruthless heathens! What if they go back on their word? What if they want revenge for the death of their leader?”

“They’re not ‘ruthless heathens’!” Lila countered. “They’re people just like you! Seems to me that you’re the ruthless one.”

“It’s alright, Lila,” Zale said, raising a hand to calm her. To Davros, he said, “I believe the Gerudo will be reasonable. The only reason they attacked is because Ganondra lusted for more power. Now that she’s gone, the Gerudo will go back to their peaceful lives.”

“They’re not completely peaceful,” said the general of Kakariko, Eri. She was the one who lived in closest proximity to the Gerudo. “We tolerate them in our lands, but they have been known to assault men. They don’t believe in marriage, and fathers rarely get to see their daughters.”

Zale put a hand to his chin in thought. “Hm, maybe we can ask them to change their ways… but that seems unlikely. I’ll talk to Nabooru about it, but I make no promises. If they can’t be more civil toward Hylian men, then we might have to take more drastic measures.”

“Such as?” Eri asked.

“Banishment,” Zale said bluntly. “That’s the best I can think of.”

For once, Davros smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Prince Zale.”

“But only if it comes to that,” Zale reiterated. “I’d rather have open peace between our two peoples.” He sighed and sat back in the throne. “I think that’s enough for today. If there’s anything else you wish to bring up, you can talk to me about it before the rehearsal tomorrow. Thank you all for returning to the castle. You will have your rooms prepared for you. Good night.”

With that, Zale stood up from the throne and motioned for Lila to follow him. Then he left the throne room. He got just outside of the room when he sighed a huge sigh and leaned his back against the wall, his face looking up at the ceiling.

“Being a king sure is hard,” he said.

Lila wrapped him in a hug, surprising him. “You did amazing,” she said quietly. Zale lowered his head and hugged her back.

“Thanks,” he breathed into her. He took in her smell and smiled. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I only helped a little,” Lila replied lightly. “You still would have done great if I wasn’t there.”

Zale nuzzled her neck and she giggled.

“That tickles!”

Salvatore chose then to clear his throat. The two broke their hug immediately.

“Will you be eating in the dining hall this evening?” he asked.

“Yes,” Zale answered, breathless. “Let’s go, Lila.”