Part I: Heat
Summer was now in full swing, the sun was high in the sky, sending brilliant rays of heat down onto the land of Hyrule. Each day grew warmer and warmer as the Hylian summer drew on. By far, this was the warmest summer Hyrule had seen in years, even Link and Zelda were surprised about the amount of heat this particular summer was giving off, but they didn’t take it to mind, they had no reason to…
A couple of weeks had passed since the final day of the carnival, and Alec’s training was now intensifying. He had begun his tasks the morning after he had danced with Terra in the Milk Bar, the final night of the summer celebration.
Alec now spent most of his time each day in the sandy training pit behind the castle, learning the advanced techniques of swordplay which the groups of older Hylian knights were teaching him. He had quickly mastered the basics of handling his weapon, the two-handed Black Falcon sword, which was handed down to him by his missing father. Learning at such a swift rate greatly impressed the older knights; they often compared him to his father, obviously remembering him at the time of his training.
Captain Ordon was overseeing the ranch boy’s training personally, taking a strange liking to the boy. The Hylian captain often pushed the young man to his limits, not only in the terms of learning the ways of the sword, but also teaching him to be a gentleman. He often forced Alec to read books on etiquette and manners, saying that “A Hylian Knight must know how to wield a blade, as well as wield his actions.” Sometimes he sent Alec into the library within the castle, often against the boy’s will, to read the said books…Even if they did take little affect on the young Hylian Knight…
Terra often spent the days staring off over the stone balcony that was set above the knights training ground, keeping an eye on Alec as he trained with the Knight Captain. She would sit like a hawk atop the balcony, waiting until Ordon let the tried young knight Alec off the hook for the day. And when the young knight was finished, she often dragged him away to do something with her for the rest of the night, she still needing an escort to do much of anything even within the confines of the large grey castle walls.
She had taking a liking to the boy, never before had she had someone her age around the castle to be with, never before had she had a friend that wasn’t always calling her “Princess” or “Your Majesty”. Alec made her feel more like a normal Hylian girl than a member of the Royal Family, something that she had been craving for the longest time…And…She also didn’t mind when the rest of the girls about castle town looked in her direction with surprised and shocked faces when she was attached to the young handsome knight by the arm.
But there was something else…Something else about this boy that made her feel special…She enjoyed his company…A lot…Even more than she was originally expecting. Every day when she was able to take him away from his training, take him away from his work, she always had something for them to do…Something she had planned…Together…
Part II: White, Black and Red all over.
Inside Hyrule Castle
“Are you sure he is in there Impa?” Terra asked nervously, poking her head around a stone corner inside Hyrule castle, looking down a long hallway toward a particular wooden door.
“Of course I’m sure!” Impa chuckled; placing her hands on Princess Terra’s back, nudging her forward.
“Are you positive though?”
“Terra…You’re stalling…”
“I am not! I just want to be sure Alec is in his room before I barge right in.”
“Princess…I’m positive Alec is in there…I swear by the goddesses.” Impa cooed, giving Terra another soft nudge in an attempt to move her forward toward Alec’s room.
“B-B-But…” Terra said in an attempt to protest.
“What is it?”
“Do you think he will like it?” The princess whimpered, holding the small brown paper wrapped item up to her attendant.
“Oh Terra…Of course he will! After all…It’s not every day when you get a birthday present from the Princess of Hyrule!”
Terra’s teeth began to chatter as she began to inch her way forward toward the wooden door. The princess held the wrapped package tightly in her hands, careful not to rip the wrapping off the present.
Though a window the sun was fading over the horizon, the hot glowing orb vanishing behind the rolling hills of Hyrule field. The air instantly began to cool, creating the most pleasant temperature.
Word had gotten to Terra that it was Alec’s birthday, he was now nineteen. Apart from his day off from training, his present from Captain Ordon, Terra had decided to personally make Alec something…with a little, or a lot, of help from Impa.
“Impa…Let’s just leave it at his door!”
“Terra! You can do this, it’s just a present!”
“But please, I don’t want to…”
“Enough…Just knock on his door and give him his present! I don’t want to see a day’s work wasted.” Impa scolded, placing her hands on her sides, and flicking her head to remove some grey hairs that had fallen out of place.
“But what if I don’t look good…”
“You look beautiful Terra…You’ll be fine…” Impa groaned, leaning against the stone wall, her patience running very low.
“Al-Alright…” Terra sighed, and took in a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Quickening her pace the beautiful princess began to move forward, her form-fitting white dress fluttering about her legs as she moved faster toward the door. The pearly white color of the piece of clothing seemed to glow orange in the fading sunlight that pierced the open window. Terra’s dress was surprisingly simple, almost pure white, save for a few silver pieces of design along the waist and legs to highlight the princess’s slender figure. But the most surprising feature was that the dress was backless, exposing a good portion of the Hylian Princess’s smooth back.
Most of Terra’s silky smooth blond hair was flowing over her back, held in place by a silver head band, with bright blue jewels, highlighting the young woman’s blue eye color. Only her bangs weren’t held in place, something that she thought looked ‘cute’. Along with the shining headpiece she wore a matching set of silver jewelry, something she wore on an irregular basis…at least to her…
She had taken extra time in getting ready today, making herself look as prefect as she could in an attempt to impress Alec. Terra thought that it might be a little extra something for Alec on his birthday.
Slowly she approached the large wooden door the to young knight’s room. Switching her wrapped present to one hand Terra reached for the metal door handle…
The door handle turned itself, the wooden door opening from the inside. Terra, in surprise, took a number of steps back, putting herself right in from of the opening door. And with a loud creek the wooden door swung open…
Alec stepped out of the door and into the hallway, instantly coming face to face with the well-dressed Princess Terra. But something was different; the young knight was wearing something much different than his usual set of clothes.
The young knight was sporting a set of ceremonial Hylian Armor, a signature of the Knights of Hyrule. On his forearms Alec wore a set of polish metal bracers, each with engraved symbols of the Triforce along with other historic designs, and on his hands he wore a set of black tip less leather gloves, each with a piece of metal to protect the top of the knight’s hand. Setting on his shoulders were a pair of shining spaulders, each freshly cleaned and polished reflecting the fading orange light coming in from the window.
Alec also was sporting a chain mail shirt, one that covered most of his upper body, only visible between the other pieces of black cloth. Atop the mail shirt was a black tunic that was fit securely to the young knight’s chest. The tunic was the same size as the chain shirt covering it up all the way down, only letting a few of the metal rings shine out along the neck and waistline. And on this tunic was stitched the red hawk that often adorned the Hylian shields that some of the knights used. Underneath the set of ceremonial armor was a black shirt and black pants, similar to the set of clothes Alec got at the first day at the castle, only modified to accommodate armor.
Covering the knight’s bottom section of his legs and attached to young man’s boots was a set of metal greaves, coming all the way up to Alec’s knees. Each was secured tightly to the knight’s lower legs and boots with black leather straps, preventing them from moving while Alec walked.
The young knight looked down at the beautifully dressed princess in surprise, shocked by the appearance of the well-dressed Terra at his door. And she was equally surprised by his new uniform.
“Uh…Hi…Alec…” Terra murmured silently, looking on in awe at the handsome knight of shining metal and black clothing in front of her.
Alec turned a deep shade of red as he saw Terra standing in from of him, he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander up and down the girl’s figure, the slender body highlighted by the fitting white and silver dress she wore. “Hi…Princess…I mean…Hi Terra.” He mumbled back, almost choking on his own words.
“You’re looking…” Terra looked up and down at the young knight surprised how much a suit of ceremonial armor can clean up a simple ranch boy. “…Stately tonight.”
The young knight turned his head downward and examined himself. He chuckled “Yeah…It was a present from Ordon, he said it’s about time I started looking more like a Knight of Hyrule then a ranch boy.”
“Well you sure do look like a Hylian Knight now Alec.” Terra cooed softly, examining Alec’s brown hair which was recently cut and cleaned up to look more presentable to the public, even though he still wore it in the same style as before.
Alec laughed happily. “Why thanks Terra…I think I clean up nicely…But I must say…You’re looking…” he paused for a moment when he saw Impa leaning against a wall, giving him a cheesy smile, he best choose his words wisely. “…Absolutely stunning tonight! Any special occasion?”
Terra knew the real answer, but didn’t feel like saying it upfront in front of the ‘Special Occasion’ “Just kind of felt like dressing up tonight!” She replied happily, smiling brightly up at the young handsome knight.
The ranch boy smirked “Oh really?”
“Uhm…Yeah! Do you have a problem with it Mr. Knight?” she growled playfully, sticking her face up to Alec’s, once again attempting to make him a nervous wreck.
“Oh…No-No-No…Not at all!”
Leaning back away from the knight, Terra took a step back. “Do you like it?” She asked gleefully, motioning toward her white and silver dress with both of her hands, spinning around giving Alec a full view of her new outfit. As she spun the bottom of her dress lifted slightly, swirling around her ankles until she stopped her movement. The princess gave Alec a bright smile, happy to show herself off to the young Hylian man.
Alec replied immediately seemingly eager to give his response on the princess’s outfit. “Yes! You look amazing Terra!” He couldn’t stop his face from turning red when he noticed that the dress was back-less, showing off a bit of skin, but he knew that she would’ve looked good anyway.
Grinning widely, the princess’s mind snapped back to reality. “I almost forgot! Happy Birthday Alec!” And with those words she brought her brown paper wrapped package up to Alec, holding it out for him.
Alec’s eyes darted at the package and then back at the princess. “For me? You shouldn’t have.”
“Oh come on Alec…Everyone enjoys presents on their birthday! And Impa and I made it just for you!”
“Y-You made this?” the young knight stuttered in surprise, his eye growing wide.
The princess giggled “Heh…Yes we did…It was mostly Impa’s idea, so I can’t take all the credit. Now go on, Take it!”
Slowly the knight gingerly took the package out of Terra’s hands, holding it out in front of his chest. The contents in the brown paper package were soft yet firm, Alec could feel that the item was made from some sort of strong fabric. “What is it?” He asked bluntly slightly confused about what could be inside the brown paper package.
“Well open it silly!” Terra, laughed taking a step close to Alec, wanting to see his reaction to the gift she and Impa had made for him. “It’s your present, Open it!”
Alec pulled on a piece of string that held the paper to the concealed item, gently tugging on it until the tie came undone. He slowly pulled away the brown paper, unfolding it politely in an attempt not to make a fool of himself in front of both Impa and Terra. The princess, who now stood right in front of him, was obviously eager for his reaction, folding her hands in front of her and leaning in as best she could without invading Alec’s personal space.
As the brown paper fell away it revealed a folded piece of strong black clothing. A red hawk was sewn in with shining fabric, crafted into area which faced upward at the young knight. But it wasn’t a shirt, it was something different. Grabbing it by two edges Alec lifted it up, letting the strong black fabric unfold itself with the help of gravity. As the last bits of clothing became unfolded what the item was became clear, a cape.
Along with the seemingly glowing red hawk symbol the cape was outlined with a silver fringe along the outer sides, highlighting edges. The black cape was rectangular in shape, only slightly wider at the bottom then the top, and at each of the top edges was a small metal clip for attaching the garment to either the cloths or armor of the wearer. Sitting near the up third of the cape, the red Hylian hawk symbol reflected the fading orange sunlight back at Alec’s face, creating the delusion that the symbol of the Hylian Knights was burning.
The young knight was dumb struck, astonished about how skillfully the cape was made. “Wow!”
“Do you like it?!” Terra asked eagerly, peaking out around the outstretched cape to look at the knight.
“Of course I do! It looks amazing, and you made this?”
Giggling the princess responded quickly. “Well…I did have some help from Impa…If not a lot of it.” She glanced over her shoulder to see Impa smiling widely at the pair.
Alec turned the cape over a few times, examining every last bit of its surface, seemingly looking for something. “I love it! Thanks Terra….But…”
Terra raised an eyebrow in confusion. “But what?”
“How do I put it on?” the knight murmured, almost sounding ashamed of the question.
Smiling Terra took a step forward and softly pulled the black cape out of Alec’s hands. “Here…Let me…”
Alec watched as Terra gently pulled the strong black piece of clothing out of his hands and made her way around his body. With a reassuring smile she took one of the small metal clips that were attached to the cape in one hand, slid it underneath one of Alec’s spaulders, and secured it to the young knight’s black colored tunic. She quickly did the same process with the other metal clip, finishing attaching the black cape to Alec’s clothing.
“There!” the princess said with accomplishment, coming around in front of Alec. “All done!”
The knight turned his head over his shoulder and looked at the cape that was now attached to his uniform. He laughed and turned back to the Hylian princess. “Ha-ha…Thank you….How do I look?”
“Turn around once and let me see you!” She replied joyfully, eager to see the profit of her day’s work. Motioning with her hand she gave the signal for Alec to model for her.
Turning around slowly he modeled for Princess Terra, letting his new cape move with his ceremonial Hylian armor. The cape matched perfectly with the black cloth and silver metals that Alec was wearing already. He completed his modeling turn, once again coming face to face with Terra. “Well?” Alec asked inquisitively, hoping for a good response from the Hylian girl.
“Black looks good on you Alec!” she said, looking Alec over a few times more for good measure. “Captain Ordon sure did know how to pick out a color for you!”
“He sure did! I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to get a set of armor for my birthday…Usually I just get a few rupees from my mother.”
“Well money is never a bad thing.”
“Yeah…Especially if I never got to spend it. I was in town so little that almost all of it I’ve saved up, all still back at the ranch. Have to say I’ve saved up a lot.”
“But hey! You got a change this year…No more money!”
“Heh…Yes, it is a change!”
“Can you go into a fight with that stuff?” Terra asked politely, sounding curious, her eyes wandering about the different pieces of armor.
“I-I’m not sure! To be completely honest I’m not sure…But I’d assume so!” The young knight replied with a shrug. “He told me that I was going to get a different set when I complete me training…And that this stuff is more for formal occasions…Have to look the part, you know?
“You sure do look the part!” Terra cooed, winking suggestively at the young man.
Alec turned red. “So…Uhm…”
Terra quickly changed the subject in an attempt to avoid any unnecessary awkwardness. “So…I was thinking…Since it is your birthday, and well…You’re not with you mother…How about you and me go get something to eat…My treat!”
“Wow…Really?”
The princess gave Alec a sweet smile, and stepped closer to the young man. “Really…And since…Well…You’re all dressed up, and I’m all dressed up…I thought maybe it would be a good idea, we can go somewhere nice, somewhere where you usually don’t get to go!” She modeled herself once again, raising an eyebrow suggestively at the young knight, waiting for a response.
“I think you’re a bit more dressed up than I am Terra…Not saying that it’s a bad thing…You look gorgeous.” He looked down and up at Terra, admiring her figure once again which was complemented by her pearly white dress.
Impa chuckled to herself as she leaned against the wall; she was taking much enjoyment watching the two teenagers.
Terra turned a light shade of pink, before quickly regained herself. “Why thank you Sir Alec.” She stated, attempting to sounds official.
Alec quickly caught on. “Tis true my lady.” He too attempted to sound as official as he could, going along with Terra’s tiny game.
“We best get moving sir knight; we should arrive before it gets too dark.”
“Why of course.” Alec replied chuckling to himself, this time turning and holding his right arm out to Terra, motioning for her to take it.
Without a word the beautiful princess latched onto the Hylian Knights arm, the bottom of her form-fitting white dress fluttered around her ankles as she moved the few feet towards the knight. The combination of Alec’s black clothing and Terra’s white dress was obvious to see, the two colors made it easy to recognize the young pair. Small bits of fading light reflected off both the silver fabric highlights that both were wearing.
And without a word Alec began to lead Terra down the long stone hallway, heading out for a night in Castle Town…
Up in a castle balcony
Captain Ordon watched from a high stone balcony as Alec led Princess Terra down the paved dirt path that headed into castle town. He could easily pick out the two from their vibrant clothing; the symbol of the red Hylian hawk that was stitched onto Alec’s cape was sticking out like a sore thumb in the fading sunlight. He had begun watching them as soon as they stepped outside, and he eyed them like a hawk atop his lofty perch in the castle balcony.
In his hands he held a silver chained necklace. At the bottom of the necklace hung a large pendant in the shape of the same red hawk which Alec had stitched onto his cape. The pendant swayed back and forth ever so slightly in the wind and the orange sunlight reflecting off the polished surface in the same way it did on the back of his young knight’s birthday present.
“How long have to been watching them…Or should I say…Him?” A soft female voice whispered from far behind him, coming from the darkness of the castle.
“Only when he stepped outside…Not too much longer than that.” Ordon mumbled back.
“I see…” the voice said again.
“You can join me Impa…I know it’s you…” The captain said, still not taking his gaze off the pair far below him. He could hear the two joking and laughing with each other as they walked.
Impa slowly emerged from the shadows and stepped into the orange sunlight of the sunset. “You know you could have given him a better birthday present then that Ordon.”
“He seemed to have enjoyed it enough.”
“But still…Armor isn’t exactly something every boy would want on his birthday.”
“He is happy isn’t he?”
“Well yes…But…”
“If he is happy that is all that matters, it’s his nineteenth birthday. It’s the best I could do.”
Impa placed her hands on the smooth stone railings and she too began to watch the young pair of teenagers as they vanished into Castle Town. “The best you could do Ordon? Please…”
“Impa…Don’t chastise me on what I’ve done.”
“I’m only stating the facts Captain…The boy has gone through a lot in his life, constantly working, becoming a Hylian Knight, even growing up without a father to support him…And all I was saying that was maybe for once, on his nineteenth birthday, you could have done something a little bit more special then give him a uniform.”
“It doesn’t matter…” Ordon said in a low voice, almost growling at Impa.
“Oh it doesn’t?” the attendant questioned, raising her grey eyebrow at the Knight Captain.
“What matters is that he enjoys it while it last…Because tomorrow morning his training will start again…And I have something a little special planned for our newest knight tomorrow.”
“Ordon please…” Impa began, but stopped herself; she knew that she couldn’t get through to the captain. “…Just…Go easy on the boy…I think Terra has taken a liking to him.”
Ordon chuckled, as he took the necklace he was holding in his hands and placed it back on his neck. “I see that.”
Impa slowly began to walk away, but stopped just before the shadow line of the interior of the castle. She cocked her head back at the captain who was still staring out over Hyrule. “Ordon?”
“Yes?”
“Are you ever going to tell Alec about his father?”
Ordon’s head almost seemed to fall off of his shoulders at the question. “No…And I hope he never finds out…”