Bloody Stream

It was a nice feeling to be liberated by the confines of the steel helmet! Marianne shook her head, freeing her entangled hair from the mess it was. But when he put her helmet down he suddenly laughed! This brought a tint of red to the princess’ cheek a little.

“What?” she pouted, staring back at the amused knight.

"I'm sorry, I've just never imagined you with helmet hair" he admitted. "Do you want me to get that for you? I should have a comb handy. Don't worry about the rupees yet, we'll pay when we've eaten. I'll get the pouch where you can reach it though"

“You don’t? Well, you have to start getting used to it, Sir Josh,” she replied nonchalantly, but her hands had reflexively put her hair behind her ears. She flinched a little as she did so, as if her fingers touching caused her pain. “Now that we are both knights, we might see each other in the battlefield, and of course I’d wear my helmet then. I pray we never have to, though….”

She listened to Josh’s explaining the menu system with visible interest. Well, that’s new! Very new! She stared at the menu-thing Josh introduced with wide-eyes that seemed almost comical. This was something new for the princess, and there was nothing the princess loved more than learning new things! Her ears twitched at the words discount, but she let Josh led her choice in the menu.

“I see.” She grinned. “So we order food and drinks based on each type, with separate price, rather than follow what the house offered at a fixed price. Very interesting!” She eagerly read the "menu" once again, although like everything else she refrained to touch anything. “I don’t know, though. It might be unnecessary complex? Like, must everything be counted separately? But this does give me an idea for the next dinner with dignitaries. It can accommodate a variety of tastes. But that does mean our stock ingredients must be wider also….” She deflated.

Her finger hovered above Glazed Seafood Soup at the menu as suggested by Josh. “I like this Glazed Seafood Soup from the description of it. But this Creamy Seafood Soup looks nice too! Crabs, shells, carrot…. It may go better with bread, I think. I’ll take this.”

They continued reading the “menu” together. "Wow, these are mostly local Ordon ingredients. I never realized just how much our produce was heralded. Considering most people seem to consider us just some measly backwoods village" Josh commented, to which Marianne held a hand over her heat in a mock gesture of hurt, “Well, now you’ve hurt me, Sir Josh. Ordon is our region’s finest producer of dairy and vegetables! I tried so hard promoting its produces even to Labrynna and Holodrum…. Though I won’t deny that it is a village...” she admitted, but bounced back, “but it is in no way a backwater place!”

Apparently, the princess of Hyrule was fiercely proud of her kingdom and each and everything in it. It might explain why she had worked hard for its sake. She simply loved her land too much.

“I am curious about this pumpkin soup, too,” she said as she scanned the menu once more, like a child seeing her picture book for the first time and couldn't keep his eyes off it. “Can we have one? You used to grow pumpkins, right, Sir Josh? I remember your fiancée is very fond of-“

Immediately, the princess stopped, putting her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with surprise, staring at Josh.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to....” she mumbled after a few seconds of silence.

The Inn-maid came and took their orders. Marianne let Josh order for both of them, nodding to indicate that she wished for goat’s milk too while speaking as little as possible. She also tried hard not to let her face be seen in full, opting to side her head in such a way as to cover some of her face with her hair if seen from the inn-maid’s angle.

“This “read and order separately” arrangement is quite labor-intensive,” she commented as the inn-maid went away with their orders, “Wouldn’t this make the price more expensive than it should be?”

---

Whoever it was that was speaking, it was Princess Marianne’s habit to give them their due attention. So, as Sir Josh went on about the strength and weakness of this establishment, Marianne listened to him intently. However, the more she listened, the deeper her brows furrowed. Until a thought popped in her mind.

'Does he have any idea how an inn works?'

Thankfully, he said it was just guesses, so Marianne exhaled at ease. She was not someone who would gloat over things, especially since she knew that Josh was, as he said himself, a farmer boy. She would still hear ideas from everyone, like how she asked ideas to increase revenue earlier. But she was not one to debate against someone who wasn’t knowledgeable enough, especially considering her own. It would be a waste of time.

She nodded appreciatively, “From pure guard captain, or rather, military perspective, perhaps efficiency is key. If from a hundred soldiers only one is needed as the cook, working with finite ingredients, compared to one as cook and ten others as…what do you call them? Inn-maidens? And various ingredients. It is clear which one uses more labor. But I think I know what you meant.”

Their drinks came and Sir Josh took a sip. Marianne gulped as she watched him drink. There was a strange expression on her face, as if she wanted to ask something but did not know how. Her drink herself was untouched.

“S-soldier?” she repeated, unsure for a moment. But soon enough, her silver eyes brightened. “Oh you meant this disguise? No, I am not a soldier. But I’ve often used this soldier attire in the past, and it always served me faithfully. A guard even asked me for a date once when I was in my attire.” She chuckled airily, “I was surprised! I didn’t appear at the appointed time, of course. Though I forged a letter afterwards…. I hope he wasn’t too hurt….”

She leaned closer towards Josh. “What I want to know more is about Battle of Eldin. Please tell me the whole story, from your own perspective. Yes, I know-“ she raised a hand, as if stopping any questions that might arise, ”-that I can easily read the official chronicle. And rest assured, I have. But there are many noble advisors who have interest in the event. An appearance of my cousin complicated matters too…."

She paused. “That is why, I doubt the chronicle is entirely truthful. I want to hear it from you directly, Sir Josh, our so called Hero of Eldin. And I don’t want any secret eyes to know that I take interest in this matter.”

Leaning back on her chair, Marianne continued, “So, please tell me about the tale of the Battle of Eldin, Sir Josh. Spare no details. I am a good listener.”

Once again, she gulped, as if she had really wanted to drink, but couldn’t.

---

The stealth praise did not escape the princess’ attention, and her eyes lit up in turn. “Now that is a surprise to hear,” she chuckled lightly, “I wonder if I can catch you, too~” There was a hint of playfulness in her tone, something that would not be heard around the castle quarters.

Then Sir Josh began her story and, true to her words, the princess was a very attentive listener. She did not take her eyes off Sir Josh as he spoke, giving him her undivided attention. Now and then she nodded or tilted her head in tandem of the emotion being told, as if she was as absorbed in the story as Sir Josh himself was. Meanwhile her right hand seemed to move slightly over and over again as she listened. Which, after some time, looked like the gesture of writing, even though her hands did not hold anything. The princess was very focused on making mental notes that her hand unconsciously moved as if she had something to write on. Something told Josh that note-taking was something the princess countless hours before it was almost a second instinct for her.

The first sentence of “two fronts” made her eyebrows raise. The monsters was smart enough to divide their forces. It brought to mind the memory of The Great Disturbance and a certain Bulblin called The Beast, against whom General Redwing fought around the time of Marianne’s birth. She did not like the sound of it. She looked even more displeased at knowing the fate of Kakariko’s militia. Really, something must be done for this frontier village. They couldn’t cling to traditions forever!

She also seemed to note about the mentioned casualties in Zora Domain, and was especially interested once the council and the royal family were mentioned. A…puppet…? So that was how Sir Josh saw it…. That was interesting metaphor, and perhaps not entirely wrong. Marianne nodded understandingly at Josh’s remarks about having a credible case against Leon on the throne, showing that, yes, at most circumstances something like that could be done. While the throne of Hyrule’s inheritance was usually clearly outlined, legal amendments could be made to change the order of succession or even replace the ruling monarch provided they met specific criteria and agreed by certain people. It had been done many times in Hyrule’s rich history, and Marianne was not surprised that it would be done again.

Still, the audacity…. At least now she understood Sir Josh’s self-proclaimed aversion towards politics.

Marianne rolled her eyes at hearing that a Royal Family fled. Unforgivable. And even before any clash of the sword? The official chronicle surely had omitted this fine detail. The confusion at the loss of the commander was duly noted. When Marianne was done reviewing the restructurization of army as High-General Sergei had championed, this kind of thing would not happen again. Or…at least she hoped it would not. She hoped that the army would not be put the test to determine the efficacy of the new system.

The story arrived at the mention of “the one giving orders” and Marianne briefly closed her eyes. Ah… it was just like The Beast all over again…. Was there any…connection? She surely would delve deeper into this.

Sir Josh, rather understandably, left out the part of what the Lizalfos General hissed to him during their confrontation, which was recorded by the few soldiers who survived the encounter. Linking it with what he said about his fiancé before the Knighting Ceremony and Marianne had no trouble connecting the dots. Then again Marianne was tactful enough not to pursue this. Although it did help her understood Sir Josh’s next action, which was described by eyewitnesses as nothing less than “suicidal.”

Marianne also knew the part Miss Tionie Green played in the pivotal battle. Sooner or later she would pay the arrow merchant a personal visit.

As Sir Josh ended his recount with a sobering statement, Marianne nodded solemnly. “I understand how you must have felt about that…'trial', Sir Josh. And rest assured, I am on your side. I also knew the part Councillor Darrin played during that time. The enmity between you two was hard to conceal.” She let out a light chuckle, although was careful enough not to sound trivializing. It was, after all, a matter of life and death.

She raised a hand. “And before you give me another suspicious glare because he is in my circle of advisors, I’ll tell you that, yes, I know his personality and his shortcomings. He is in my retinue because he is the best at devising and calculating estimated costs for any projects I might propose. For financial acumen, there is no one better in this kingdom.” The princess sighed, “As the wise said, there is no such thing as an entirely black pearl, nor is there an entirely white tusk…”

The princess seemed to ponder about Josh’s account for a little while as she fell into silence. Behind her distant gaze one could easily see that bright mind of hers mentally compiling what she had heard from Sir Josh and organizing it with what she had already known. She seemed to come into a conclusion soon enough, for her silver eyes engaged Sir Josh again, showing that she had gotten what she needed.

“I thank you for your honest account, Sir Josh. It might seem trivial, but for me every little detail helps.” And she flashed a thankful smile once again. “It need not be said that I’d like you to keep this conversation a secret. I wouldn’t go to such length if this topic is something that can be asked around freely~ I hope you understand.”

“And please allow me to apologize on behalf of Hyrule Royal Family about the conduct of my cousin, and of the council left in my brother’s place….” Unconsciously, she gritted her teeth. “I deeply regret that something like this had to happen. Now that I am at the helm, I’d do my utmost to not let such absurdities happen again. You have my promise.”

While technically her position as the Kingdom’s designated Regent meant she was only the first among equals in the Ruling Council, make no mistake: she could single-handedly vetoed the council’s decision should she willed it. Such was the part given to her by the law, when during the last months before he lost his life King Daphnes had shown more and more trust towards his adopted daughter, and King Leon had made it abundantly clear that he trusted his sister. It was just that the princess had never find an excuse to make use of her authority, until the widesepread destruction in the aftermath of Starlight Tragedy forced her to step up her game.

Thankfully, they did not have to dwell on that unpleasant topic for long, for soon after their food arrived. Marianne looked positively hungry as she watched her bowl of steaming Creamy Seafood Soup and a small bowl of Pumpkin Soup with a loaf of bread arrived. The princess also said something about not having a meal since yesterday afternoon when they walked out from the castle before. Which was strange. Should not a princess be properly fed and rested all the time? Perhaps it had something to do with the Knighting Ceremony?

“Mmm… I agree with your assessment, Sir Josh. This establishment's got taste!” She said, inhaling deeply the wafting aroma of her soup with absolute delight. “Crabs… fresh. Seasoned well. Carrot has no aroma…. And I can smell…thyme? And mint? That is an interesting combination….”

But mysteriously, instead of chomping down on the food like her whole body gesture indicated she wanted to, she merely watched longingly at Josh eating his own food, her hands not even holding the bread or utensils.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t touched her mug either, although she clearly was thirsty. And the way she looked at Josh…it was as if she wanted to request something, but could not spit it out.

---

There was a mysterious glint in the princess’s eyes at the knight’s retort as she smiled in turn. “Oh, you don’t know me very well, then~” But no more than that. Unlike the shameless, though rather adorable, way of the farmboy, Marianne's got class.

Sir Josh then burst into an impassioned attack on Lord Darrin, which judging from the princess’ expression did not surprise her at all. Rather, she almost looked like she was expecting it. People said Josh Dragelion was a simple man, and it showed. Then again, she herself might have felt the same way as Sir Josh did were it was her life that was on the line on that trial day. Well, although honestly her life was constantly on the line everyday, too. It came with the package of being a ruler in a society dominated by nobility, especially if the ruler was as concerned with the common people as herself; balancing one’s needs would incur displeasure on the other’s and vice versa. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, indeed.

“Don’t be so quick to assume what people will and will not do, Sir Josh,” she answered patiently, as if facing an inexperienced child who was surprised the world did not turn out like the storybooks. “Especially not those you don’t know very well. You’ve only seen Lord Darrin acted once, and I admit at his worst. No, I am not asking you to forgive him- he has his shortcomings such as arrogance and deceit that I know full well. But he also has his uses, and indispensable at times. To continue your proverb, 'Men makes for worse monsters than monsters themselves, and makes better angels than angels themselves.' I am sure you understand it is only a matter of when and how to handle men.”

But then the princess smiled earnestly, “Although... I must say I am glad to have you with us, Sir Josh. I feel that, should Lord Darrin –or myself, or even King Leon for that matter- ever turn wrong, you will be one of the firsts to remind us and set us back on the right path. I truly feel that way.”

And she left at it that. No point in explaining to Sir Josh the needs and wants of the intricate machineries of a kingdom and the sometimes irreplaceable cogs which played their parts in the grand scheme of things. Would he really cared, after all? Would he cared about the spot-on insights Lord Darrin had given on the repairs of Eldin Road which helped Marianne immensely, or how his quick rebuttal of the Land Lease Act prevented The Twilight Table from entering a stalemate? No, he wouldn’t. The point being that nothing in this world was truly black or truly white.

Then again, Marianne knew from her background checking before that this Josh Dragelion was an upright man. He knew the black from the white and leave it at that. But Marianne, she was born and breathed in the grey and grey world of politics, and she knew sometimes risks and sacrifices had to be made. There was no such thing in history as a perfect kingdom governed by perfect people, who all treated everyone equally and had no other ambitions than to serve to the utmost. Except in storybooks, perhaps.

Of course, in an ideal world Marianne would only fill her kingdom’s governance with those possessing absolute loyalty and with the same desire to better Hyrule as she had, but alas she was not some character in a story, was she? Sometimes she had to make do with what she had and did her best to direct the disparate people to the path she wanted. Yes, even if that people included pompous braggarts or backstabbers within her ranks. But to accuse her of not making improvements to the status quo would be a great mistake. With someone as hard-working and smart and with excellent information networks such as herself, there bound to be an improvement in the government, however gradually. Then again, mindsets and behaviors of a whole kingdom could not be changed overnight, no matter how hard anyone tried. Marianne had no lack of trying –she was just being realistic.

The simple view of someone as simple-minded as Sir Josh, however, also had its uses. And at present it made everything easier for Marianne.

“You want something” he got straight to the point. “Go on. Spit it out. No reason to hold it back.”

…Although it did not make answering it easier, either.

“I…umm…” Her eyes, uncomfortable, tried to look at anywhere other than Sir Josh. While her upright posture just now suddenly became a lot more awkward, “If-If it would be alright with you, Sir Josh…. Can you, ummm.... Take a morsel of my bread and… and dip it in my soup and… and… umm… f-feed it… to me…?” There was a tinge of red at Her Highness’ cheeks as she grew more and more uncomfortable. Yes she knew exactly what this would seem like to outsiders and she did not like it at all. But she had no other choice. She really, really, wanted to eat. “I have trouble using my hands, you see….”

Now, would not that last sentence made everything clear? Her not taking Josh’s hands when they walked out of castle gates; Her having to ask Josh to remove her helmet; Her having trouble untying her purse; Her having to pull her chair with her elbow and how she seemed to really wanted to drink but did not even touch her glass. A more perceptive person might have asked what was wrong with her a long time ago. But then again, she was not exactly in the company of a gentleman….

What was wrong with Her Highness’ hands?

---

“Oh, that would depend on you, Sir Josh~” Marianne answered easily. She would never use the term ‘inviting’, though she clearly was a master of what she was trying to convey –or not to convey. Then again, with someone as steeped in the social games as the astute princess, could anyone be sure when she was serious and when she was simply in jest? In a way she was a challenging one to decipher, just like how her station dictated.

And of course, she was clever enough to pay attention more to the words and conviction behind them rather than the note used, and in this regard she knew fully well that the topic being discussed was deeply personal for the knight, no matter which calm tone he used to mask it. And as expected, he could not easily let the matter go, opting to comment once more even though his first one was already spot on.

“He wanted me hanged,” he pointed out bluntly, to which Marianne gave an honest nod, “I know.” She hoped her words and actions up until now could make Sir Josh realized how the princess felt really bad about the whole ordeal. It was almost she took the brunt of the council’s mistake by herself.

"Be careful that you do not build a wall around you with spikes that point inward instead of out"

“Worry not,” was her seamless reply, “I man all the gates. Your concern is appreciated, though~ ”

The princess was no fool. She knew exactly the characters and ambitions of those people serving her and her brother, whether directly or indirectly. If she could find someone with as good as business acumen as Lord Darrin and with none of the flaws and absolutely loyal to her to boot? She would have used her influence to shuffle the positions in a heartbeat.

Alas, she had not find one yet in this imperfect world. So, she had to make do with what she had while weaving measures and counter-measures to make sure the court run as smoothly as possible. That was what made her such a valuable ally of the king regarding the castle’s court. She knew exactly which one could be replaced and which one couldn’t, when to retain and stay vigilant or when to replace and prepare for a new kind of interaction. In this matter her intelligent advice was deeply valuable.

Or course, risks were unavoidable. But she could not be what she was now without taking risks, and her expertise was how to minimize it while reaping the maximum benefit. The Twilight Table that had been run for a few days now was proof of it.

Meanwhile, she half-thought that Sir Josh would refuse her request. Or, knowing his personality, at least ridiculed her a little for it. She was evidently glad that she was wrong. Still, a stifled giggle from one of the waitress who looked on as she opened her mouth to let Josh’s spoon enter it made her self-conscious of how both of them might look like for outsiders.

“D-don’t think too deeply into this!” she muttered as she munched on her bread and soup. There was no hiding it. The princess was well and truly embarrassed! “It-it’s just that I am very hungry and-and you are the only one who can help here. Don’t get any ideas!”

Funny then that she mentioned any “ideas” herself without anyone saying anything. The princess seemed to be staring at anywhere but Josh’s eyes. Once more, the waitress on the far side giggled.

No sooner had she gulped down her meal that she had already opened her mouth again, indicating that she wanted more. Her soup was delicious and she was famished! She even waived the sacred rule of not talking with her mouth full!

The princess nodded at Josh’s inquiry. “Of course I have,” she answered between her chomps. “What do you think we are doing in the court? Party all day?” A chuckle. She gulped and had already asked for more soup.

“Magic, medic, surgery…. We’ve tried everything. And it is not like they are not having any effect- Oh by Din. It would be easier if I just show you, wouldn’t it?”

She moved her right hand under the table and motioned for Josh to bend down a little so he could see it. Both of her hands were covered by elbow-length leather gloves, as part of her guard attire.

“Pull my glove, Sir Josh. But don’t let other people see. It might make them panic. Oh, and please put it back after?”

Whether or not Josh would pull her glove, Marianne wouldn’t know. But if he did, he would be treated for quite a sight.

Underneath the leather glove, the princess’ hand hand was wrapped by bandages. From the tip of her slender fingers up to her forearm and elbow and perhaps continuing under her sleeve, there was not a speck of her skin that could be seen. Most of the bandages were colored greenish by some sort of healing salve, except on the area of her palm. There, a large patch of fresh red blood could be seen, and it seemed to very slowly grew larger if one waited long enough. It was clear that the palm of her hand had been leaking blood until just recently.

So, that was the reason of her apparent need to have everything read to her during The Twilight Table, and why she refrained from flipping the papers herself.

But wait, didn’t she used her right hand to hold the sword during the ceremony?

“Most of the wounds have stopped bleeding yesterday, thanks to the salve, stitches, and healing magic from Mrs. von- my mentor,” the princess grimaced, remembering the scary face her mentor Ursula von Brandt von Brandt made when the long-lost princess returned with her arms almost literally shredded. “I was told not to use my hands for anything, else the wounds will open again. But what is a Knight Ceremony without the oath-by-the-sword in the end, right? I couldn’t let you swore yourself!”

One could only imagine the pain the princess endured, forcing herself to lift a sword and hold it for some time when she should not be lifting even a quill. No wonder she was shaking a little at that time. Thinking back, she did grit her teeth as if restraining herself during that last part, didn’t she?

Pulling her (hopefully gloved once more) hand from under the table, the princess returned it to her lap where her hands belonged.

“I had prepared for the pain, but I never thought my hand would bleed again!” And she laughed a little, as if having a bleeding hand was something that most people do on daily basis. “It filled my armored glove and I realized blood even seeped through the joints! It was a pain to remove that armor. Real pain. I only hope that no one saw me bleeding before I made my exit from the Hall of Heroes….”

Of course, a certain farmboy-turned-knight did see it. But perhaps it was better not to tell the princess about that. She was already very self-conscious about her image.

There was a happy glint in her eyes as she continued. “But that was not a big fuss, really. Restricting my hands for a few days more is a small price to pay for honoring our Hero of Eldin. Why, I’d endure the pain twice or thrice more, if that is what’s needed! Though the time it took to bandage the wound did scramble my schedule…. “ And at this the princess became pensive once again. “That was why I had to resort to using my body double to keep all my appointments. I am deeply sorry for that little confusion earlier, Sir Josh.”

---