Chapter Text
(Noor's POV, flashback)
|About a month ago...|
I wiped the accumulated sweat from my forehead as I exhaled an exhausted breath; pointing the tip of my sword at the base of the neck of the knight who was sent to train with us. I took in the reactions of the audience of maids and knights I had intrigued, but did not engage in their celebration. Whispering and murmuring erupted from the crowd, followed by a series of clapping and cheering.
"Noor, soldiers," a voice boomed.
The cheering and clapping died down. Turning to the voice, I stiffened up and saluted, as all of the soldiers around me did the same.
"Noor, I specifically told you that you were to have nothing to do with this training. Not until I gave you the green light," Captain Ardyn chastised and turned to address the others,
"That goes for the rest of you soldiers, as well."
I looked down at the ground guiltily. All I wanted to do was train more and get stronger, but it ended up as an all out challenge. Realizing this, I sighed in defeat.
"I'm very sorry, Captain Ardyn," I apologized, lifting my head up again and staring him dead in the eyes, making sure he knew my apology was sincere. Captain sighed and I noticed the ghost of a smile creeping its way to his face.
He began lecturing us on the coming training, and how there was the possibility that we'd be recruiting some newbies into the Imperial Army. He had also mentioned how there were select few of us who would have the chance to show their skills in the Knight's Quarters. We all nodded in unison, taking in this information. I had an idea of who would be appointed to the Knight's Quarters.
"Now then, soldiers!" Captain shouted. We all stiffened up. "Your training is finished for the day. Take your stuff and get yourselves outta here!" We all answered in unison and scattered to do as ordered.
I walked over to the cobble staircase and bent down to grab the shield that I was supposed to be using during training. Instead, I had left it upright against the stairs.
"Noor," Captain called. I turned to him, clipping my shield to my back as I saluted, shoulders stiffening in the process.
"At ease," I relaxed a little. He held a stern, yet concerned look painted on his face. "You've been much more tense these past few months. Especially during your training." I tensed back up at the mention of this. A few images flashed in my mind. "Why is that?" Captain asked.
I hesitated to answer. Glancing to the side, I gripped my sword tightly in both anxiousness and frustration.
"There's—" I started. "There's been some... things that have come up...er, came back, I should say...." I stammered as my hand began to tremble slightly. I fumbled with my hands to sheath my Soldier’s Broadsword.
I switched to Hylian Sign, and answered, "I've got troubles saying it out loud." It was much more panicked than I cared to admit.
Luckily for me, the majority of the Castle knew and spoke Hylian Sign Language. This was helpful since I was able to fluently speak it if I was ever too nervous or anxious to speak normally. That was the case when I was younger at least....
Captain Ardyn noticed this and worry immediately washed over his face. He motioned for me to follow him to the side, away from the prying eyes of other soldiers.
"Does this have anything to do with your late mother?" Captain Ardyn asked. I nodded hesitantly and he gave me a stern look. Captain knew for a fact that I'd keep blaming myself for what happened if he gave me any sort of sympathy. He was one of the very few who actually knew what happened, rather than the rumours that were spread.
"You do realize that you can still talk about your feelings to those who know of the event, right?" Captain Ardyn assured and I looked down in a saddened state. I struggled to answer him. Fearing that I'd break in front of a figure of authority, I quickly signed, informing him that I wasn't able to answer his question.
I heard him growl a little. "Then off with you. You need proper rest, Noor," Captain scolded and continued on. " As your captain, it is my job to make sure that all of my soldiers, knights and royal guards are in a healthy state, both physically and mentally."
"Now go. You are to have nothing to do with training for the rest of the day," Captain Ardyn ordered and I nodded, thanking him and saluting, dismissing myself from his presence.
I walked off solemnly towards the nearest entrance to the inside of the Castle, which was just up the stairs. This led me straight to the Sanctum, where I split off into the large yet surprisingly empty corridors.
I caught a faint "thank you" from behind me, followed by a pair of doors slamming shut. Footsteps came after and I turned around to find the two people I'd longed to see and spend time with for the whole day.
Holding back an ear-to-ear grin, I gave the two royal guards a quick nod before we made our way up to the top floor of the Castle. Once away from the prying eyes of the castle inhabitants, I bolted to one of the guards and engulfed him in a tight hug. He picked me up off the floor and spun me around like he used to do when I was younger.
"I missed ya, kiddo, " he sighed in content.
"I missed ya too, Dad!" I exclaimed with a grin. He set me down and I sent the other royal guard a grin as well.
"I heard you got in trouble by Ardyn," Alain mocked. He was my father's best friend, and the other personal guard of King Rhoam himself. He was also known as the other strongest knight in all of Hyrule, my father right next to him.
I feigned offence and sent him a joking glare. "I did not!" I defended, holding a hand to my chest. This was followed by a hearty laugh from Alain and it brought some calm to my mind.
We walked through the long corridor until we reached the end, coming face to face with a giant snow-white door that led into my room. I turned the handle and sighed in content as we walked into the spacious area.
"Is it me, or is this room just getting more comfortable to be in?" Alain remarked and I giggled a little.
"No," I started. "You've just gotten used to being around me too much!" Alain laughed at this and it brought a smile to my face. It always did.
We conversed for a good two hours, well, it was mainly him and my father who did the talking. I just laughed along and followed in on the conversation, throwing in one or two jokes here and there, until Alain brought something up.
"Noor," he started. I looked over to him and gave him a confused look. "You're not as verbal as you used to be. Why is that?"
I tensed up at the mention of my silence. And I knew that, unlike others, he wouldn't judge me and look down on me for being so quiet now. Which is why I trusted him enough to be verbal and actually talk about my emotions.
"This is about your mother, isn't it?" That hit the mark.
I bit my now quivering lip, trying to hold back tears that attempted to escape, which thankfully didn't. I nodded in response and sighed, wiping my eyes from the lingering tears that did threaten to fall.
Alain huffed and said, "You've got to stop torturing yourself for her death!" I snapped my head up and glared at him.
"How do you—how do you expect me to not torture myself for—for her death, Uncle? How?!" I stammered frustratedly, slamming my fist on my bed.
He shot me back a glare. I stiffened under his gaze. "I know how tough it is and how much it hurts to lose a family member, trust me I do," Alain started. His voice softened as he continued on, "but I can't stand seeing you all hurt like this, Noor. I can't stand to see you beat yourself up every single day about your mother's death."
I sighed in exasperation. "You're doing it for my own good. I know you are. And I can't tell you how much it means to me that you've stuck with me, even after all this time. Even after knowing who I really am," I expressed my gratitude. Alain nodded in consideration.
"But it hurts, Uncle. It hurts," I continued and clenched my fist in frustration. "She was there for me through everything! Thick and thin! And then she's gone in an instant, gone like the wind!" I ranted on as tears welled up in my eyes once again. "She's...she's..." I stammered and a few tears fell as I began to cry for the first time in a long, long time. It was still hard for me to accept that my mother was actually gone from this world.
My dad, and Alain as well, knowing how much it probably hurt them to see me crying so much, engulfed me in a warm, comforting hug that I was in dire need of.
|Present Day... About a month later...|
Wiping away the tears that managed to escape my eyes, I finished recalling the events of the past month, remembering how long it had been since I last cried so much. For it had now been some 2 years since the death of my mother. I was 12 at the time, and it's been a good month since I had grieved properly for my late mother.
'Dammit....' I silently cursed and choked out a sob.
It was tough for me to hold in my emotions for so long. Seeing as I was the only female among the entirety of Hyrule's Imperial Army, it would be considered an insult for me to show emotion. Then again, I did not want to get mocked for crying in front of the others. The Royal Family wouldn't need a laughingstock of a soldier to protect them, now would they?
But hey, that's the job that comes with becoming a future Royal Guard, right? The gears in my brain clicked at the thought of higher rankings, which reminded me that today was the day when I would finally be appointed to the rank of a Knight. At long last, I could finally show those lousy knights who's boss. The jerks! They've been mocking me for not being strong enough to face them!
"I'll show them. They'll be sorry for mocking me after I kick their asses," I vowed determinedly.
Finally. I was going to show the world who I really am. This was going to be the start of a long and enduring journey ahead. And I was so ready to face it all.