The Silent Princess [Memory #6]

Marianne's amusement was obvious. But out of respect, she did not let it show openly. Only the edges of her eyes showing how much she think how cute he looked like right now.

"I would be devastated if you go crazy or stupid Desmond," she said, half-earnest half-still teasing. "I have so much hope in you...." But at least she stopped tiptoeing so close to give Desmond's some breathing face. "So I guess I have to give an answer, don't I?"

She grinned, showing the perfect rows of her white teeth. The Queen of Hyrule looking this mischievous, who could have known?

"My answer is this: I meant it exactly the way you want it to mean, Desmond Dragelion~"

Time's up!

"E-eh? What are you doing, Desmond?!"

Desmond suddenly pulled her closer in a hug! Now he leaned to her level, their faces very close it almost touched. Wide-eyed, Marianne was at a loss of words.

“Feeling sly with your answer, I see. With an answer like that, I might go a little crazy or stupid.” He returned her tease, “That’s what I get for stealing a little more time than I'm gifted.”

'C-crazy? Stupid?' Marianne's self-preservation kicked into gear. Desmond can't... possibly... things like this....

And then the brush of his lips on her cheek and her mind went blank, stunned.

Words were Marianne de Hyrule's forte. But something physical like this....

Dazed, but not looking entirely not happy, her hand gently moved towards her cheek, caressing the spot his lips landed with her fingers. Red sneakily crept upon her cheeks.

“So I suppose I shouldn’t try to take any more of it, before I accidentally cause a fire in your garden.”

"You won't," she replied almost automatically, still looking awestruck, "I won't let anything happen to my garden."

She looked relieved, as if she was very happy. She lifted her face towards Desmond, smiling sweetly. She looked like she was about to say something wonderful and sweet-

-when suddenly, a memory seemed to hit her hard. Like the moon covered by drifting clouds, her expression immediately clouded. Her fingers were still on her cheek, but now instead of looking fascinated by it, she looked almost guilty instead.

"Desmond...." she started, slow and unsure, "Can I... Can I ask your honest opinion about something...?

It is about... being a ruler and what it means...."

Around them fireflies started to peek shyly from behind the leaves. Some had begun to fly around, filling the air with their soft, luminous glow.

And Marianne's tone was as dim as those fireflies' light.

Whiplash...

Marianne nodded in thanks, but then seemed to deliberate for a moment before she continued. Her voice was as soft as the night.

"A leader.... A leader's utmost responsibility is for her people she leads... right? Whether it be a leader of people, or an organization, or a family, her fate is bound by those she leads. She succeeds if her people is better off than when she first start to lead, and fail of they come off worse because of her leadership.... With all the nuances involved, that is the core duty of a leader, especially one who is born into such position...."

Her eyes shifted. Her fingers were still on her cheek.

"Would you agree with that, Desmond?

~~~

As always, Marianne was a great listener. She might looked a little confused and perhaps a little lost right now, but her attention to each of Desmond's word never wavered. She nodded along with his every inflection, showing that she listened.

"A leader is also a teacher...." she mused, a faint smile on her face. Now she took a step to the side so that they were slightly not face to face like before. Her gaze wandered to the flower fields and fireflies. "Success and failure are shared by all.... I agree. I cannot put it better than you did, Desmond. Thank you."

A praise. And a genuine one. She did say she find his insights intriguing, didn't she?

She bit her lower lips.

"Suppose... Suppose there was a leader.... A leader like your teacher, for example, who made choices for her people and who was supposed to teach them the right and wrong things.... Suppose that this leader, instead of watching over her people, she... she utilized her people in her own mad quest for glory.... She ignored their wishes and chose to drag them in pursuit of delusions of grandeur instead, a grandeur her people did not really need.... Her people begged her to stop, but she stubbornly refused until it was all too late....

And because of her actions, her people were left in misery and suffering for years, twisted to become a pale shadow of what they once were....

All because of the choices she made for them, as their leader."

Her face slowly lifted, gazing towards the darkened sky.

"Do you think.... Do you think that such leader deserves to be punished, Desmond?"

~~~

Marianne nodded. But this time, it was soft and deliberate. "I agree...." she said, the words a wistful sigh between her lips, "I myself would wish nothing more than the worst punishment over such a leader, on behalf of her people...."

Her gaze became distant, as if trying to see the furthest star.

“...Are you religious, your majesty?”

The question seemed to bring her back down to Hyrule, even if for a while.

"I... can't say for sure...." she confessed, "In this body of mine flows the blood of Hylia herself, and Queen Celeste was descended from a clan of priestesses that are still working miracles to this day behind their secret veil.... So I believe in the Goddesses and the Demon King, yes....

...But I've never relied on them to get things done. If anything, I believe that me and my people's strength is stronger than any divine intervention can give. Prayers do give me a peace of mind... even if I feel they are useless."

Ironic, considering the glowing Mark of Wisdom on the back of her left hand.

She glanced at Desmond.

"Why do you ask?"

~~~

The eyes which returned Desmond's gaze were serene; the light of the young stars and the fireflies reflected on her silver irises. Yet, there was a strange light peeking behind those small orbs, glowing with mysterious weight and guilt that the stablehand perhaps could not understand yet.

If eyes were windows to the soul, then there was nothing to see beyond Marianne's windows. It was pitch black as the Twilight.

"Punishment...." she sighed, following Desmond's gaze to the castle. There they stood, two people with rings on their fingers, looking at the castle light flickering in the distance, under the watchful eye of the lonesome Silent Princess.

"I agree...." she whispered, "Even if that leader realized her mistake and tried to fix it, she would still need to be punished for what she had done." Her hands curled into a fist, "Even if the punishment wouldn't be as bad... perhaps...."

Her eyes hardened. "... And if there is a divine punishment in the afterlife like you said, Desmond, then I hope there will be a punishment for such a leader....

So that, whatever happiness she might find in this world, she can be sure that pain and suffering awaits her in the next life. I pray the gods have as little mercy as possible on her soul."

The weight of her words felt... suffocating. Cruel, as if her words were lead and now the air felt heavy just from the echo of her voice. It almost felt like... it almost felt like the Hylian besides him was cursing herself. Maybe she had a mortal enemy she really hated? Maybe she learned about such a leader in her history books and felt disgusted by it? It was true. The more one thought they understood Marianne, the less they realized they knew about her.

Slowly, her head leaned to the side, and now she was resting her head on Desmond's shoulder, looking at the castle's windows. Or she would have, if she was a little taller. Right now, it seemed that she was resting her head on Desmond's arm instead. The silky strand of her hair brushed against his skin.

"Hey, Desmond...." she said, after a long pause, "If you... if you by chance met that imaginary leader I described, one who had made her people suffer and led them to ruin.... If you met her and knew that she had escaped punishment, unjustly saving her own without retribution for her mistakes....

If you met her, knowing the sins she had committed....

...Would you still wish her to be happy?"

~~~