Tweet
“Your Majesty, they’re expecting you soon. Please come out whenever you’re ready to go.”
“Thank you, Richard. I’ll be out in just a moment.”
Talisha sighed, hunching over and holding her head in her hands with her fingers slipping into her hair. Her upcoming speech wasn’t all that concerning, as she’d been trained on how to give them in her royal education. The young Queen was more preoccupied with how the rest of the fair was going to go. She’d spent the past month and a half overseeing the completion of her father’s plans, and while there wasn’t any particular reason she could think of, Talisha still feared the possibility of some incident occurring that would ruin everything. Much of the former king’s hard-fought progress to ease international tensions had been essentially erased by his death, and Talisha was already struggling with getting a handle on the current state of affairs. If something tragic were to transpire at the fair, animosity would certainly rise and potentially put the throne’s authority at serious risk. Even worse, perhaps it was already at serious risk, and the hypothetical incident at the Fair would be the breaking point in which Hyrule would fall into the chaos of all-out war.
Talisha caught onto her pessimistic thinking and snapped out of it, quickly sitting up straight and putting her hands on her lap.
“The q-queen should not waver, for if she does, her kingdom wavers with her.”
She took a slow inhale, then released a soft, controlled exhale. She could almost hear his voice speaking the words along with her.
“The queen must not waver, for if she does, her kingdom wavers with her.”
Talisha stood up, and grabbed the small mirror on the desk she’d been sitting next to. She held it up to her face, and studied her own countenance silently. She could still hear the doubt in her head: she wasn’t supposed to be here. It was supposed to be him here, worrying about the fair, readying himself to speak to the people, looking at his face in the mirror. He would’ve given her a big hug that morning, said those three words she missed hearing him say every day, then come down to the field to prepare. She should’ve still been a princess, and he should’ve still been the king. He should’ve still been alive.
But there was no point in running from the truth. The fact of the matter was that he wasn’t the one here. She was.
“The queen cannot waver, for if she does, her kingdom wavers with her.”
Talisha put the mirror back on the desk without even looking at it. She then grabbed the door knob, and with another deep breath, opened it. In the next moment, she could see the castle in the distance, along with the clear blue sky behind it. The sun shone down on her from above, making her feel a little warm in the heavy, blue, royal dress she was wearing. Stepping out and closing the door behind her, Talisha looked to her left to see Richard silently waiting for her. After acknowledging her presence, the knight turned and gave a signal with his right hand to someone Talisha couldn’t see. A grand orchestral piece began to play, led by eager trumpets. Richard and Talisha waited in silence together as a crowd gathered on the other side of the platform. The young queen wondered what the crowd would look like, and how big it would be. She’d seen her fair number of crowds as a member of the royal family, but this was possibly going to be contending with the biggest of them.
A spark of excitement lit in Talisha, and instantly she became lost in thought. Would this be bigger than her father’s coronation? The idea thrilled and terrified her at the same time. Talisha then considered the fact of this speech’s location: just outside of the Sacred Grounds, in the middle of Hyrule Field. The other audiences she’d seen had been confined inside buildings, or within the walls of the town. The one she was about to meet was in an expansive open, flat area, which would allow a higher volume of people. The queen’s heartbeat quickened as she realized just how large the waiting crowd might be.
Richard turned around once again to see something, then looked back to Talisha and nodded. Together they walked to the end of the platform, and turned the corner to ascend some steps which took them to the platform’s surface. Richard remained at their entry point as Talisha walked to the pedestal in the center of the stage, her gaze forward so as to avoid seeing the crowd.
Once she reached the center, Talisha finally turned to see the onlookers. She let out a small gasp as her eyes attempted to take in the thousands of faces in front of them. Indeed, this crowd dwarfed the others she’d seen, not only in size but also diversity. The amount of non-Hylians was a pleasant shock, quickly returning the queen’s composure and confidence. She’d had a small fear that she would be addressing a crowd of mostly Hylians, which would’ve proved troubling for an event meant to be about the appreciation of all cultures in Hyrule.
Quieting her remaining extraneous thoughts, Talisha stepped up to the pedestal and gave a big smile. A few cheers erupted from the spectators, but were all quickly silenced by those anxious to hear the queen’s words.
“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the first ever Hyrulean World’s Fair! I am eternally grateful to the Goddess Hylia both for the life she has given us and for allowing us to gather here today. In particular, I would like to extend a special welcome to our honored guests who found the time in their busy lives leading the other factions of Hyrule to travel great distances and join us for this special occasion: Prince Sidon of the Zora, Big Boss Yunobo and Boss Gorko of the Gorons, Chieftain Avani of the Gerudo, Chieftain Tulin and his honorable daughter Talia of the Rito, and Representative Raya of the Sheikah. Sincerely, thank you all for coming today as your presence here today symbolizes the importance of this monumental gathering. In fact, this is the first time in 80 years that representatives of the leadership of all the Hyrulean factions have gathered in one place since the Second Gathering of the Collective. I pray that the weight and meaning behind this occasion is not lost on any of us.
“This was something my father, the late King Roark, was in the midst of planning at the time of his passing. Though my eyes cannot pierce the heavens, I do believe he is smiling down on all of us on this blessed day. The World’s Fair was always meant to be a testament to the ideals his reign was meant to uphold, which mine shall now carry on in his memory: peace, equity, justice, diversity, freedom. Indeed, when it came down to it, all my father ever wanted was for Hyruleans from all walks of life to be able to come together and break bread, being judged not by their physical appearance but by the content of their character.
“So today, let us simply exist alongside each other as neighbors and friends. May we open our eyes to the world around us, admire each other’s contributions, and share both food and laughter. More than anything, may we use this time to learn from each other, to learn about each other, and to learn about what we can do when we all work together. Do all of this not for me, nor for the throne which I sit upon, but for yourselves, and those around you.”
Talisha took a small bow, prompting the massive crowd to erupt into a cacophony of cheering and applause. She swiftly made her way off stage as she tried not to visibly wince at how overwhelmingly loud the sound was. As the people were quieted down, the royal herald made his way onto the platform to make an announcement.
“And now, for the opening act, the Tsunami 6!”
“Thank you, Richard. I’ll be out in just a moment.”
Talisha sighed, hunching over and holding her head in her hands with her fingers slipping into her hair. Her upcoming speech wasn’t all that concerning, as she’d been trained on how to give them in her royal education. The young Queen was more preoccupied with how the rest of the fair was going to go. She’d spent the past month and a half overseeing the completion of her father’s plans, and while there wasn’t any particular reason she could think of, Talisha still feared the possibility of some incident occurring that would ruin everything. Much of the former king’s hard-fought progress to ease international tensions had been essentially erased by his death, and Talisha was already struggling with getting a handle on the current state of affairs. If something tragic were to transpire at the fair, animosity would certainly rise and potentially put the throne’s authority at serious risk. Even worse, perhaps it was already at serious risk, and the hypothetical incident at the Fair would be the breaking point in which Hyrule would fall into the chaos of all-out war.
Talisha caught onto her pessimistic thinking and snapped out of it, quickly sitting up straight and putting her hands on her lap.
“The q-queen should not waver, for if she does, her kingdom wavers with her.”
She took a slow inhale, then released a soft, controlled exhale. She could almost hear his voice speaking the words along with her.
“The queen must not waver, for if she does, her kingdom wavers with her.”
Talisha stood up, and grabbed the small mirror on the desk she’d been sitting next to. She held it up to her face, and studied her own countenance silently. She could still hear the doubt in her head: she wasn’t supposed to be here. It was supposed to be him here, worrying about the fair, readying himself to speak to the people, looking at his face in the mirror. He would’ve given her a big hug that morning, said those three words she missed hearing him say every day, then come down to the field to prepare. She should’ve still been a princess, and he should’ve still been the king. He should’ve still been alive.
But there was no point in running from the truth. The fact of the matter was that he wasn’t the one here. She was.
“The queen cannot waver, for if she does, her kingdom wavers with her.”
Talisha put the mirror back on the desk without even looking at it. She then grabbed the door knob, and with another deep breath, opened it. In the next moment, she could see the castle in the distance, along with the clear blue sky behind it. The sun shone down on her from above, making her feel a little warm in the heavy, blue, royal dress she was wearing. Stepping out and closing the door behind her, Talisha looked to her left to see Richard silently waiting for her. After acknowledging her presence, the knight turned and gave a signal with his right hand to someone Talisha couldn’t see. A grand orchestral piece began to play, led by eager trumpets. Richard and Talisha waited in silence together as a crowd gathered on the other side of the platform. The young queen wondered what the crowd would look like, and how big it would be. She’d seen her fair number of crowds as a member of the royal family, but this was possibly going to be contending with the biggest of them.
A spark of excitement lit in Talisha, and instantly she became lost in thought. Would this be bigger than her father’s coronation? The idea thrilled and terrified her at the same time. Talisha then considered the fact of this speech’s location: just outside of the Sacred Grounds, in the middle of Hyrule Field. The other audiences she’d seen had been confined inside buildings, or within the walls of the town. The one she was about to meet was in an expansive open, flat area, which would allow a higher volume of people. The queen’s heartbeat quickened as she realized just how large the waiting crowd might be.
Richard turned around once again to see something, then looked back to Talisha and nodded. Together they walked to the end of the platform, and turned the corner to ascend some steps which took them to the platform’s surface. Richard remained at their entry point as Talisha walked to the pedestal in the center of the stage, her gaze forward so as to avoid seeing the crowd.
Once she reached the center, Talisha finally turned to see the onlookers. She let out a small gasp as her eyes attempted to take in the thousands of faces in front of them. Indeed, this crowd dwarfed the others she’d seen, not only in size but also diversity. The amount of non-Hylians was a pleasant shock, quickly returning the queen’s composure and confidence. She’d had a small fear that she would be addressing a crowd of mostly Hylians, which would’ve proved troubling for an event meant to be about the appreciation of all cultures in Hyrule.
Quieting her remaining extraneous thoughts, Talisha stepped up to the pedestal and gave a big smile. A few cheers erupted from the spectators, but were all quickly silenced by those anxious to hear the queen’s words.
“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the first ever Hyrulean World’s Fair! I am eternally grateful to the Goddess Hylia both for the life she has given us and for allowing us to gather here today. In particular, I would like to extend a special welcome to our honored guests who found the time in their busy lives leading the other factions of Hyrule to travel great distances and join us for this special occasion: Prince Sidon of the Zora, Big Boss Yunobo and Boss Gorko of the Gorons, Chieftain Avani of the Gerudo, Chieftain Tulin and his honorable daughter Talia of the Rito, and Representative Raya of the Sheikah. Sincerely, thank you all for coming today as your presence here today symbolizes the importance of this monumental gathering. In fact, this is the first time in 80 years that representatives of the leadership of all the Hyrulean factions have gathered in one place since the Second Gathering of the Collective. I pray that the weight and meaning behind this occasion is not lost on any of us.
“This was something my father, the late King Roark, was in the midst of planning at the time of his passing. Though my eyes cannot pierce the heavens, I do believe he is smiling down on all of us on this blessed day. The World’s Fair was always meant to be a testament to the ideals his reign was meant to uphold, which mine shall now carry on in his memory: peace, equity, justice, diversity, freedom. Indeed, when it came down to it, all my father ever wanted was for Hyruleans from all walks of life to be able to come together and break bread, being judged not by their physical appearance but by the content of their character.
“So today, let us simply exist alongside each other as neighbors and friends. May we open our eyes to the world around us, admire each other’s contributions, and share both food and laughter. More than anything, may we use this time to learn from each other, to learn about each other, and to learn about what we can do when we all work together. Do all of this not for me, nor for the throne which I sit upon, but for yourselves, and those around you.”
Talisha took a small bow, prompting the massive crowd to erupt into a cacophony of cheering and applause. She swiftly made her way off stage as she tried not to visibly wince at how overwhelmingly loud the sound was. As the people were quieted down, the royal herald made his way onto the platform to make an announcement.
“And now, for the opening act, the Tsunami 6!”
Comment