He was the King.
And not just any king, the people called him the most noble and kind king in several generations. He was trained in many deadly arts, and won several medals and awards in his military days, which were ironically also his younger days, but he could still train his troops hard, and if ever need be, would ride into battle if war ever came again! He was a kind and fair ruler, who governed justly and treated every man woman and child as an equal. He was Nesar Foru Ikana, King of the Shiekah people.
Yet for the love of Faore herself, he was all but powerless when pitted against a pregnant queen.
"You think I'm fat don't you!" Renee cried into her regal purple silk pillow. "Your going to put me in the dungeons and say I died, then take a new, younger, prettier queen" She wailed once more, having run down the hall from her drawing room and flung herself on there four poster bed in the royal master bedroom. On the 4th floor. The curtains were closed, for Queen Renee wanted none of the people to see her in this so-called "bloated" state.
Nesar rolled his eyes; it had been this way for 8 months already, his wife was having yet another bad mood swing, He was beginning to reach the end of his tether. The constant vomiting. Her restlessness. The weird and wonderful cravings. She even sent a platoon of royal nights to fetch her EYEBALL FROGS for the goddess's sake! And these mood swings! She became so impossible; Nesar could say nothing without upsetting her even more! Did all new fathers go through this? He almost regretted fathering the damn thing, almost.
His beloved queen looked so awful. Her beautiful black hair as deep as the dark of the night, usually so flowing and glossy, was now frizzy and knotted from months of neglect. Her delicate frame askew with the large growth in her belly. Her usually thin and pretty face, swollen and red around her usually sparkling purple eyes and narrow perfect nose. But it was almost over. Only one more month of this living nightmare, and if it was bad for him, he could not imagine how his queen felt! And the closer to the date she came, the worse she was getting.
Nesar inwardly sighed. "You're not fat Renee, your beautiful, and I would never throw you in the dungeons and find a new wife, you are my queen, which means I love you more than any woman in this world, and would do anything for you." He reassured his wife, and drew her into a hug from his seat on the side of the bed.
Renee gave a weak smile, and embraced her king. "Thank-you Nesar, I love you too" The pregnant woman was at wreck, she could not wait to give birth to her child, not only to get the damn thing out of her body, but also to meet the child they had so wanted, and waited to have for so long. She wondered once again if it was a boy or a girl, She had always wanted a little girl. But even if it were a boy, she would love it just the same. This was her child. The heir to the Shiekah throne. And would be given all the love and caring she and her husband could muster!
Suddenly a strange, yet all to familiar, sensation could be felt in her stomach. And Renee knew all to well what it meant. Abruptly breaking the loving embrace, she quickly got up from the bed and made a rush for the bathing chambers off to the side of the bedroom. Nesar got out of her way in a hurry, for he also knew what was going on. Moment's later quite unpleasant noises could be heard, as the regal queen lost her lunch, and most of her afternoon tea as well. Nesar cringed at the noise, and decided it would be a good idea to leave her be.
He stood up to leave the room, straightening his robes as he walks to the other side of the room. It was quite large in reality, but the tapestries and large bed made it seem smaller. As he walked to the door, he spotted a small scroll on the floor. He bent over to pick it up and heard his back give a loud crack. Yet another reminder of his age. Rising back up, he looked at the scroll; it must have been with his wife when she ran in here. He unfurled it, sighing as a quill fell out from the center, after bending yet again, he finally read what was on the parchment. It was a long list of names, some with strikes through them, and a heading saying "Boy names"
"Ah, I see, Renee was thinking of a name again." It had been 8 months and they still had no name. He looked down the list to the three names that remained. Haku, Yutar, And Majora. The king stood silently for a moment thinking about the matter deeply. A crease becoming apparent on his brow. Slowly raising the quill to the scroll, making sure there was ink left on it. And put a thin strike threw two of the names and putting a circle around the name remaining. "Majora...It's a fine name. The name of a future king." Nesar smiled at the thought of a son, for the millionth time. He would be strong, handsome and posses a noble heart and strong mind. And would go on to become an even better king than even himself.
With these thoughts running in his mind. He placed the scroll on the bed, for Renee to see, and left the room. Quietly closing the door after him. He strolled down the hall, he did have work to do, but he was just in too good a mood to bother. He went in the direction of the courtyard behind the castle, going down flights of stairs, and saying "Hello" and "Good afternoon" to all the servants and guards that nodded to him, Nesar liked to keep things casual around the castle. None of that making all the employees of the castle follow every single code and rule, no matter how obscure and pointless, like his father before him did.
He had almost made it to his favorite shady spot, under a lovely willow tree, at the bottom of the courtyard. When he heard rushed footsteps behind him, He turned to see the captain of the guard, dressed in his full military uniform, which was rare. With a raised eyebrow at why he was here and in uniform. Nesar turned fully and patiently waited for the man to arrive. "Your majesty" He bowed quickly before continuing. "We need you in the throne room, all the court have been gathered."
The kings eyes went wide. "Why has this been done? And without my knowledge?" Nesar was a bit annoyed at this, but he rarely lost his temper. "I'm sorry my lord, but its quite the emergency, I have been looking for you for a good ten minuets, please hurry." Now you see, King Nesar hurried only for grave situations, and the people knew that, so it must have been bad.
"Tell me, what is such a emergency that I must hurry to a meeting of the court, which was done without my knowledge?" Nesar did not like being held in suspense. I slightly bored look spread across his face, It was most likely something stupid, those stupid, greedy bureaucrats getting in a huff, because the poor are getting to rich for there comfort levels, and want a new tax imposed. Which was true, Kakariko was experiencing quite a bit more wealth since the Treaty with the Hylians was signed three years ago.
"It's not good I'm afraid sir, our spy units have returned from the west, and messengers have arrived from Hyrule, and they have brought back quite distru-"
"Just spit it out man" Said the king with a bored tone and arms folded. "I do not have all day, and this is cutting into my rest time. I am the king after all" And it was true, he had many things to do back in his stuffy office, and he could not waste all day out here.
The guard gulped and wiped the sweat from his brow, it had been very bad news indeed, and he hoped the king would not fly off the handle and shoot the messenger. "It's war I'm afraid sir, War to the west. The Gerudo have begun a campaign against the Hylians, and have served a official notice of war would you believe. Some delegates from Hyrule have also arrived to have a meeting with you, as allies of the Hylians, I think they expect us to aid them and raise arms against the Gerudo as well." The guard took a breath, he had said that in just one breath and very fast, there was no time to lose, the kings presence was needed and now!
In that one long-winded sentence every last bit of color had drained from kind Nesar's face. War? He could not be serious! Since the war ended the biggest scuffle was the small fight the Gorons started a few years ago, claming since the Shiekah lie at the foot of there mountain, that the land belonged to them. But that was all political; trust the Gerudo to start up the notion of real war again. The heat must be getting to the stupid desert dwelling women's brains. And who ever their leader was now was a foolish girl indeed, to take on both the Hylians AND the Shiekah.
"Ok, you got my attention!" Exclaimed the king. "Does my wife know?" Nesar wanted no stress to befall his wife, not when she was so heavily pregnant.
"No my lord, we decided that we should leave her be, even if she does hold a chair next to you in the court." That and the guard did not want another vase thrown at his head like the last time she was summoned to court. He shuddered at the memory of the woman in a pregnant rage.
"Good, we won't no stress to my wife now, make sure she is not informed until we a certain of everything." Wasting no time Nesar sped up and made for the door back into the castle "Come, we shall waste no more time with chit-chat, there are to many things to discuss." As he ran down the halls, The guard in tow, He prayed, prayed to whatever goddess would listen, that it was a rumor only, or that this whole war business could be resolved at the table, and not on the battle field, with words instead or weapons. He did not want his child born into a pointless war. But deep inside him, he knew, the peace had ended and war would begin. And he would do all in his power, to stop it as soon as he could, for his wife, for his people, and above all else, his unborn child.
End Chapter One.